Yet Another Cycling Forum

Off Topic => The Pub => Topic started by: bobajobrob on 13 April, 2008, 10:39:24 pm

Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bobajobrob on 13 April, 2008, 10:39:24 pm
I'll start us off. My dad and I fitted new worktops and sink in my kitchen today. After plumbing in the sink, we lifted it up a couple of inches to fit the clips that secure it to the worktop. One of the compression joints on the cold feed was not done up properly and it came apart, making a nice fountain in the cupboard under the sink for a couple of minutes before I could crawl in there and turn off the service valve. The kitchen was quite nicely flooded, and I spent the next half an hour mopping it up with towels and wringing them out in the drain outside. I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned there somewhere ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 14 April, 2008, 09:46:10 am
I stuck together a wooden dinosaur for my son this morning. One of those press out/stick together things that don't press out so well and the instructions require VERY careful focusing.

The hot glue gun I used got more glue on it than the model.

Still, quite impressive once assembled.

5-year-old son was not listening to the advice that it was really only to look at, so I suspect some regluing might be needed when I get back home...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 14 April, 2008, 10:16:24 am
30m of cat 5e cable, through 3 walls and along a wall behind pyrocanthus bushes. I think I'm leaking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bobajobrob on 21 April, 2008, 09:40:29 pm
I had new carpets fitted in the hall, landing, stairs and front bedroom today. I was fitting some skirting boards in the bedroom and snapped a drill bit drilling into brick. I pulled the bit out of the wall and dropped it because it was hot, the tip was glowing red hot and melted a hole in the carpet. That'll teach me to use wood drills for masonry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hairyhippy on 21 April, 2008, 10:31:18 pm
Refurbed a bath tap and found a brilliant plumbers merchants. Total cost £1.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 21 April, 2008, 11:00:59 pm
Refitted a kitchen lamp, put up by someone who thought that screws into plasterboard provide a solid fixing. >:(

Gods save us from your average DIYer.  I really hope the wiring in Chez TimO was done properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 22 April, 2008, 10:31:07 am
Replaced a light bulb in the Great Hall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 22 April, 2008, 11:48:13 am
Ahhhh,,,, I was looking for this Thread.


Saturday, the Dyson died :(  Only 7 years old and I'd been rating them on here (or there), and it looks like 7 years of DIY has killed it.

One Torx driver and an hour later I'd stripped it right down, sorted it out, and it's back as it was when brand new ;D



On Sunday I got fed up with the Bonsai trees always being dried out, so with the aid of an empty Dulux can, small hoses and plant drippers made an automatic water.   Mrs Nutty isn't too keen on the can wired to teh decking balustrades, but I'm sure it'll grow on her ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 22 April, 2008, 08:28:17 pm
have had to put some old pedals on best bike to try and track down a clicking noise "down below".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 22 April, 2008, 08:38:20 pm
Damn.  I get back with a damaged Ting Tong to find that Sheldon's front mech is playing up....  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 22 April, 2008, 08:46:17 pm
 :(

Front mechs on new bikes always seem to need a little fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 22 April, 2008, 10:11:50 pm
I've tried to get the (new) washing machine to spit out the water and spin so that I can get my cycling kit out.
No luck so far and the slight whiff of hot electrics/onics isn't inspiring confidence.
Time to GSI I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RogerT on 23 April, 2008, 12:07:51 pm
Fitted a new frame pump to the Dawes. ( that was not exactly technical )

Nutty, I share your enthusiasm for Dyson repairs, rebuilt our DC07 2 years ago after the builders had destroyed it. ( Dysons positively hate plaster dust )

Still going strong with a new motor from Flea bay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 23 April, 2008, 03:40:51 pm
Busy rewiring the Utility Room (it's not the Kitchen, so it's less not legal!) to try and fit the new fridge in, otherwise I can't use the back door, since the fridge is sat there at the moment.

If I don't post on here for a while, and there's smoke and the smell of burning flesh from the direction of Croydon, someone send out an ambulance. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 23 April, 2008, 04:20:24 pm
...correction, the fridge/freezer looks good where it is.  It almost killed me getting it there.  At one point I almost had to use my mobile phone to ring up someone 10 miles away, to come and get me out from underneath it. :-\

At some point I want to rearrange things, but that will require me moving a fridge/freezer, washing machine, dish washer, and tumble dryer, then shifting a kitchen unit, 6 foot of counter top, and reposition a couple of double way sockets and their wiring.  Somehow I don't fancy doing that this afternoon, mainly because the shifting of white goods turns out to be a major hassle!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 30 April, 2008, 08:24:57 pm
Quote from: TimO on 23 April, 2008, 04:20:24 pm
At some point I want to rearrange things, but that will require me moving a fridge/freezer, washing machine, dish washer, and tumble dryer, then shifting a kitchen unit, 6 foot of counter top, and reposition a couple of double way sockets and their wiring.  Somehow I don't fancy doing that this afternoon, mainly because the shifting of white goods turns out to be a major hassle!
Why does this remind me of...
Quote from: Flanders and Swann, in a song called "High Fidelity"
If you raise the ceiling six feet, move the fireplace from that wall to that wall, you'll still only get the stereophonic effect if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard.

Meanwhile: I've not technically fettled anything today, but I've removed the evidence of a faerie visitation (*), and sorted the 19 remaining spare innertubes in my shed by which bike/trike/trailer each one fits.  And I've found that there are three wheels on my fleet for which I don't have any spares.

(*) Not a real one.  Just a manufacturing defect in the cheapo czech-made inner tube, where the valve came away from the surround.  The Bin Beckoned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 30 April, 2008, 08:54:51 pm
Anti-fettled a door*, then spent 2.5hrs fettling it back into position.

Fettled the downstairs toilet U-bend. On the inside.  :sick:







______________________________

* Our kitchen->Lounge door gently closes to if not propped open. I went through and into my housemates bedroom on the other side of the kitchen, on Operation Muthafcuking Payback Biatch. After a period of small talk as she was tidying up, an opportunity presented itsself and 1kg of flour was deposited down her trousers. In order to avoid immidiate, painful, retribution I departed at a cracking pace. Glanced backwards and ran into the door.

Luckily it opens into the lounge (my direction of travel) so I didn't hurt myself too badly, but the door didn't fare so well and the top hinge ripped out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 30 April, 2008, 09:24:49 pm

switched handlebar and stem on my fixed steamroller. 
The original handlebar was way to narrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bobajobrob on 04 May, 2008, 04:25:53 pm
This, in the kitchen. It's messy work and I've lots to do. I seem to be getting more adhesive on the outside of the tiles than on the underside.

(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/05/tiling.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 04 May, 2008, 09:19:07 pm
I actually fettled a bike, admittedly just to fit a new computer to replace the crummy Topeak one that couldn't withstand three wet commuting trips last week.

I'm quite impressed that all the modern computers seem to let you set the odometer mileage, so you can claim to have cycled some ridiculous distance!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 05 May, 2008, 10:16:33 am
This morning I have added tape and saddle to my 'Saracen', adjusted the brakes and gears and blown up the tyres ready for a ride this afternoon. It's a rather tasteless clash of purple and yellow - I'll post pics later
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil on 05 May, 2008, 11:30:32 am
Our loo is no longer overflowing at the cistern, and I stopped it making a horrible howling noise post-flush as well.  It only needed some PTFE tape and a tighten.  My housemates wanted to get the landlord to fix it ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 05 May, 2008, 02:02:35 pm
the puncture is fixed in the wheelbarrow :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 05 May, 2008, 05:18:43 pm
I quickly fettled the TCR before heading out ( air and break pad placement ) and a quick wipe down ( remember that Pumpe and Jaded ??  ;D ).
I am planning to install the rack from Mrs G's Specialized onto the Monsta Thorn after tea and fettle the Monsta for a commute to work tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 05 May, 2008, 05:28:53 pm
As part of the 'you bought a new bike and you owe me big time' garden makeover I have got the fountain going again.

I had such a good time today with the lovely weather I have declared summer officially open.

This is usually marked with a glass of Pimms and 'Summer in the city' by Lovin Spoonful given a good blast  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 05 May, 2008, 06:21:27 pm
I dug up a lot of plants, spread a lot of compost, dug a lot of holes for some new plants.

Also swapped the summer wheels for the winter ones (heavier duty with dynamo hub) on the Orbit Photon commuter, washed it down, took off the solidlights,  rotated a chain and lubed it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 05 May, 2008, 06:59:10 pm
Replaced the Stronglight chainset & bb on my bodged-up turbo-slash-TT bike with a bargain square taper Campag Centaur I got off ebay last season.

Then had to have a test ride  ;D :thumbsup:

Neil
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bobmick on 05 May, 2008, 07:08:36 pm
Gave the tourer/commuter a deserved clean and isolated the source of a very annoying ticking noise that occured at the same point of every crank rev.  Believe it or not it was a piece of fine thread that had wound its way around the pedal at the point where it spins!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lonewolff on 05 May, 2008, 07:19:30 pm
Cleaned the commuting bike and discovered a worrying amount of play in the bottom bracket - that will require some investigation tomorrow, but explains the odd noises when going up hill out of the saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 05 May, 2008, 07:24:34 pm
Put on new tyres and computer, and repaired every punctured tube (had a lot of visits last week).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bobajobrob on 05 May, 2008, 10:06:15 pm
Still tiling...

Thankfully the only job I have left is to clean up the mess :thumbsup: It's only taken me three days.

(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/05/tiling2.jpg)

(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/05/tiling3.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 25 May, 2008, 06:24:00 pm
- replaced front STI brake cable, in order to correct the change in cable length required after a previous change in lever position and stem. Change also permits fitting Dinotte under bars.
- new bar tape, required by above.
- changed shift cables so that they cross under the down tube - I've been meaning to do this for ages.
- redo indexing, required after above.
- thoroughly cleaned and polished bike.

Most satisfying.

However, what I really should have been doing was st*dying.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 25 May, 2008, 06:28:49 pm
I spent too much time trying to fettle a Carlsberg pump and a Fosters pump to set up and outside bar for the airshow only to be scuppered as we appeared not to have the right regulator valve and head for the gas.
You can't pump lager with CO2/Nitrogen mix.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 25 May, 2008, 06:39:43 pm
I noticed on yesterdays ride that a little bit of play had developed in the bottom bracket. So I've just tightened it up and had a little ride to check it. Its all smoooth and luuurvly now.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 25 May, 2008, 07:19:40 pm
Tried and failed to get the brakes working on my wife's bike working :(  They 'feel' right but the new blocks just don't rip the rims. Probably alright 'cos I doubt she'll go that fast :D*


actually I'll push some business towards the LBS
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 May, 2008, 01:11:49 am
Quote from: nuttycyclist on 22 April, 2008, 11:48:13 am
Ahhhh,,,, I was looking for this Thread.


Saturday, the Dyson died :(  Only 7 years old and I'd been rating them on here (or there), and it looks like 7 years of DIY has killed it.

One Torx driver and an hour later I'd stripped it right down, sorted it out, and it's back as it was when brand new ;D



On Sunday I got fed up with the Bonsai trees always being dried out, so with the aid of an empty Dulux can, small hoses and plant drippers made an automatic water.   Mrs Nutty isn't too keen on the can wired to teh decking balustrades, but I'm sure it'll grow on her ;D

Contact dyson for a flate rate of £45 they rebuild it and guarantee it for a year,
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 May, 2008, 01:18:14 am
Well i replaced the bottom bracket, crank, rear cassette but could get no further as the rear derailleur jockey wheels were the wrong ones.  So no off roading for me today.

May play with the Iseran and clean the bike clean the rear cassette and the chain,  Replace the jockey wheels and give it all a good clean.

I repaired my mates bikes that was damaged so now thats back for sale.

Played with a CB500 I'm rebuilding.  Really should get that finished and sold.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 May, 2008, 09:29:42 pm
The Telecaster is complete!

I soldered the electrics this afternoon (slightly complex, with two humbucking pickups providing oodles of wires) and it not only works, it sounds superb.  It's much fatter-sounding than my Strat, but the tone is clearer than a Les Paul.  The sustain is longer than on any guitar I've heard, and I've had (or at least borrowed) a proper Gibson LP Custom.  The tone control actually does something, unlike most guitars, and the range of sounds with the 3-way switch and the tone control is very wide.

Pics and maybe a sound clip when I get round to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 26 May, 2008, 10:15:05 pm
Halfway through an Improved Pennyfarthing Saddle Clamp with a nice wrought-iron curl.  Need more bolts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 26 May, 2008, 11:17:42 pm
Replaced the frame on my winter commuter today... (and a few other bits too....) ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rae on 26 May, 2008, 11:52:59 pm
Very productive day - rain makes you stay inside and do proper stuff.

Beadblasted a vast number of tractor and chainsaw parts.  They're all matt now, and waiting for etch primer.  You can't spray in humid conditions, so no painting today.  I tested the force fed air mask for spraying the two pack top coat - nasty stuff.  Everything works, I now just need a warm day.

Did my tax return, my mum's tax return and Mrs rae's tax return.   Feeling pretty smug.

Fixed my big old A3 printer - it was whinging that the ink cartridges had expired.   Ripping out the memory battery had it running perfectly for the first time in a year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 27 May, 2008, 07:35:33 am
Did a complete frame transplant on the TT bike based on a s/h frame I bought. It's now an ally Giant TCR Aero (circa 2005 model).

I was particularly pleased I managed to re-use all the old cables since my new integrated aerobars haven't turned up from the states yet and I didn't want to use the new cables I bought for them.

Neil
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 27 May, 2008, 08:10:31 am
Saturday - cut grass and trimmed front hedges including neighbour's side, before the rains!
After the rains I painted a wall in the downstairs bathroom, sealed the office/studio floor, filled cracks in the extension. The nearest I got to the bike was when I moved it to get the mower out the garage.

Sunday - more painting to bathroom and extension.

Monday - tiling and grouting in upstairs bathroom.

It rained a lot!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bikenerd on 27 May, 2008, 09:31:36 am
Saturday: completely stripped down the Moulton, except for the brass pivot bushing, the bottom bracket and squash ball at the back which is seized tighter than a badger's armpit.  Strip the head on the allen bolt holding the squash ball :(
Sunday: realised I do have the right tool to remove the Moulton's bottom bracket and removed it with extreme prejudice:  I had to use the camping mallet  :thumbsup:.  Fix the p*ncture on the Hill Special.  Fitted a saddle to the mountain bike so I can actually ride it when the weather improves.

I also finished my computer program to convert .GPX files into formats suitable to download to my Garmin Edge.  Does that count? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 27 May, 2008, 10:07:34 pm
Pennyfarthing saddle clamp ready for a test ride:

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h95/andygates/Penny-newsaddleclampdraft.jpg)

It gets prettified once I'm happy it works.  Now to sort out that wobbly crank...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 27 May, 2008, 10:13:09 pm
Get that pile of scrap metal out the way, I want that book off the bottom shelf.   :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 27 May, 2008, 10:14:44 pm
Quote from: andygates on 27 May, 2008, 10:07:34 pm
Pennyfarthing saddle clamp ready for a test ride:

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h95/andygates/Penny-newsaddleclampdraft.jpg)

It gets prettified once I'm happy it works.  Now to sort out that wobbly crank...
Will you be referring to the "Encyclopaedia of Unusual Sex" to help with the wobbliness of your crank?  ;) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: steveB on 27 May, 2008, 10:35:41 pm
Quote from: FatBloke on 25 May, 2008, 06:28:49 pm
I spent too much time trying to fettle a Carlsberg pump and a Fosters pump to set up and outside bar for the airshow only to be scuppered as we appeared not to have the right regulator valve and head for the gas.
You can't pump lager with CO2/Nitrogen mix.  :-\

Actually you can.  60/40 CO2-N for lager and cider.  30/70 CO2-N for ales and stout. Both set at 35psi, cider works better on 100% CO2 set at 25-28psi.  The lagers and ciders need about 6-8ft of 3/16 restrictor line and open all flow controls to the max.

I guess it's too late for this info now, but it should come in handy if there's a next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil on 28 May, 2008, 04:26:27 pm
Quote from: eck on 27 May, 2008, 10:13:09 pm
Get that pile of scrap metal out the way, I want that book off the bottom shelf.   :demon:

Yeah, it's been ages since I last reread Speaker for the Dead. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 May, 2008, 06:52:18 pm
Here's the gee-tar:

Greenburst Tele now complete - Telecaster Guitar Forum (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/108586-greenburst-tele-now-complete.html#post1264402)

Now I'm off to make some noise with it  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil on 28 May, 2008, 08:00:21 pm
Very nice! I particularly like that you had the presence of mind to put some clothes on before taking photos of the shiny bits on the guitar. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 28 May, 2008, 08:03:46 pm
Last night I was driven crazy by three flies which couldn't find their way out of the window despite me vigorously guiding them with a TV Quick. I gave up and went to bed. Tonight when I got in there were 5. I got them outside eventually. Two minutes later, there was another 4. I got them out. And then another 2. I got them out. And then another 1.

12 flies.

They were all on or around the livingroom window, and I noticed little holes in the wooden facing above the window. I think there's a nest of them in the space above the window, so I've blocked up the holes with sealant, plus shut the vent things at the top of the window frame, and there hasn't been a new one for about 10 minutes now.

Ugh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: steveB on 28 May, 2008, 09:13:20 pm
Quote from: Kirst on 28 May, 2008, 08:03:46 pm
Last night I was driven crazy by three flies which couldn't find their way out of the window despite me vigorously guiding them with a TV Quick. I gave up and went to bed. Tonight when I got in there were 5. I got them outside eventually. Two minutes later, there was another 4. I got them out. And then another 2. I got them out. And then another 1.

12 flies.

They were all on or around the livingroom window, and I noticed little holes in the wooden facing above the window. I think there's a nest of them in the space above the window, so I've blocked up the holes with sealant, plus shut the vent things at the top of the window frame, and there hasn't been a new one for about 10 minutes now.

Ugh.


Is it an upstairs window?  They could be clusterflies (I hope not), although it might be a bit early in the year for them.  They have a disgusting lifestyle, lay eggs in the fields and become parasites in earthworms until they hatch, sort of an Alien thing- can't find them on Wiki.  I once had a loft full, millions of the buggers hanging in huge bunches, they kept dropping through the window frames upstairs. Ugh! and double Ugh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 28 May, 2008, 09:19:27 pm
Stop flies spreading disease - keep'em zipped up.  :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: outwith on 28 May, 2008, 09:23:06 pm
If they're cluster flies they're inside the building, where they've been hibernating, and trying to get out.  I used to have an atticful.  They come inside in the autumn to hibernate, and then they wake up in spring and try to get out, usually dying on the way.  So if you have a room full of dead flies in the morning...  The good news is that they aren't any sort of health risk to humans.  Googling will produce various local council information sheets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 May, 2008, 06:34:02 am
Quote from: Phil on 28 May, 2008, 08:00:21 pm
Very nice! I particularly like that you had the presence of mind to put some clothes on before taking photos of the shiny bits on the guitar. 
No eBay-style reflectoporn here  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 29 May, 2008, 08:10:45 am
Quote from: steveB on 28 May, 2008, 09:13:20 pm

Is it an upstairs window?  They could be clusterflies (I hope not), although it might be a bit early in the year for them.  They have a disgusting lifestyle, lay eggs in the fields and become parasites in earthworms until they hatch, sort of an Alien thing- can't find them on Wiki.  I once had a loft full, millions of the buggers hanging in huge bunches, they kept dropping through the window frames upstairs. Ugh! and double Ugh!

Second-floor flat. Nothing to see this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 May, 2008, 10:35:41 pm
My TCR frame was replaced in 2006 yet I had to keep the carbon fork / steerer from the earlier TCR Hybrid.  The forks have been through several winters and the headset is still the original.  It has been a bit clunky of late.
I have taken it apart before and greased the bearings etc - but tonight I went further.
I not only stripped the lube out and then repacked it, before doing so I used a light emery stick to take off some of the markings and discolouration.
I also didn't put it back together quite so tight.  After watching Mark and Tuggo fettle Arabella's bike on the BCM and saw them tilt the bars to either side to see if the movement was free enough - I copied and hey presto - much smoother head set.

I also fettled the cleats on my shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 07 June, 2008, 12:19:09 pm
Reassembled an old Moulton for a new home:

YouTube - Moulton Rebuild (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9IpDQYNlg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Yorkshireman on 07 June, 2008, 04:19:44 pm
In the past month I have -
Serviced the front and rear wheel bearings (new balls and grease after a good clean) including new cones in the front as these
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0321Cones0001.jpg)
were knackered (my fault - I over adjusted without allowing for the little extra from the quick release  :-[) . Decided that I wanted slightly lower gearing, and the tripple (28, 38, 48) was looking a bit worn anyway - It wasn't too keen to come off ... but I won in the end
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0429TREK7000003.jpg)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0429TREK7000004.jpg)
to be replaced with a 22, 32, 44 and new bottom bracket
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0429TREK7000001.jpg)
Cassette changed from 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28, 32 "F" to custom 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28 (based on 11-28 "ac") which seems to suit me ok.
New headset
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0429TREK7000007.jpg)
MIL bought me a new dynamo for my birthday so replaced this
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0325Update0007.jpg)
with this
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0404Dynamo0006.jpg)
very impressed - quiet and hardly any drag. My wife bought me one of these
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/BastaPilot.jpg)
(to go with the new dyno) and what an improvement after this one
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2007_0929MillerDyno0002.jpg)
just walking with the bike seems to give full lighting power.
Got to thinking that the stem/bar set-up looked a bit 'ungainly' (and the fit wasn't quite right for me)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0404Dynamo0002.jpg)
Couldn't find a replacement stem that would suit me (not in black anyway), so I bought a quill-ahead converter (I already had a stem - Halfords sale £2.00 a couple of years ago) and ended up with this
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0506Trek7000003.jpg)
That fitted me OK, but looked a bit 'clunky', so I got a spacer (SJS) and dabbed a bit of shiny black paint here and there ... and
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0514TREK0001.jpg)
(I'm not sure yet ...).
Rear mech was sort of OK,
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0510Newder0002.jpg)
but this was going for £12.00 at UKBikestore
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0510Newder0001.jpg)
and looked a bit more up to date.
Had a good look at the rear lighting
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0404Dynamo0004.jpg)
and decided that it was letting everything else down. Ordered  a B+M DToplight Plus from Cycle Plus on Wednesday @ 7.30pm. Removed the home made flasher mount and light
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0606RearLight0002.jpg)
and made a suitable mount for the new light and fitted it with pop rivetts
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0606RearLight0003.jpg)
New light arrived at 1.30pm yesterday, and took about 10 min to fit and connect up.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0606RearLight0004.jpg)
I'm highly delighted with that bit of kit (and the quick service)  :thumbsup:
Completed bike is like a new one now, and is certainly a better ride.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/Yorkshireman1/Trek%20700/2008_0518TREK0003.jpg)
Just wondering what else is left to 'improve'  :demon:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 June, 2008, 04:25:33 pm
Cripes.  You put us all to shame.  What a fettle that was.
You should start a new thread - Marathon Fettles  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 07 June, 2008, 04:35:07 pm
Quote
Just wondering what else is left to 'improve'

I think that the shed door could do with some TLC  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Yorkshireman on 07 June, 2008, 04:48:12 pm
 ;D
I'm still not quite used to this retirement job Grub (working conditions and hours are OK - but the pay's a bit 'lacking'). Garden's looking good, decorating up to date (the stuff that I can do anyway), housework only takes a couple of hours or so each day. Most days I get up around 4am (habit of a lifetime ;)) and go for a bit of a ride, and then the day is often mine to do ...  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 07 June, 2008, 04:52:35 pm
I have actually done some minor fettling today.
A couple of weeks ago, the Ribble was about to be put back in the garage when the front tyre went flat - almost instantly. The cause was the rim tape having migrated sideways enough to allow the innertube to kill itself by diving into the spokehole, and a deflation that rapid at 40mph didn't bear thinking about. I considered adhesive rim tape, but they all seemed to be thicker than the plastic stuff provided, and I'd had a lot of trouble getting Conti 4 Seasons on the wheels, eventually having to buy a Var lever. Then I found veloplugs (http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/reviews/velocity/veloplugs/), and bought some from Planet-X. They're a bit small for Shimano wheels, and I've had to stick a bit of electrical tape on top of each one (I'm trying to source the Shimano version), but I can now fit the Contis with my bare hands, which is most excellent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 June, 2008, 05:01:05 pm
Quote from: Yorkshireman on 07 June, 2008, 04:48:12 pm
;D
I'm still not quite used to this retirement job Grub (working conditions and hours are OK - but the pay's a bit 'lacking'). Garden's looking good, decorating up to date (the stuff that I can do anyway), housework only takes a couple of hours or so each day. Most days I get up around 4am (habit of a lifetime ;)) and go for a bit of a ride, and then the day is often mine to do ...  8)

Good for you.  Get some miles in then - but ensure you are on Bikejournal first.  I hope I'll be like that one day too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 June, 2008, 05:04:43 pm
I've got veloplugs on the TCR Mavic wheels.  They didn't fit the Campag Sciroccos on the Monsta Thorn though.

My TCR looks very clean and sexy.  The Monsta Thorn had a wash too as she goes into the LBS for the new cranks next week - so at least he will not get covered in muck from my machine.

TCR has been stripped down for the Highclere Sportive tomorrow.  Essential items only  - noticably missing are my lights  ;D  I put a smaller saddle bag on too.

The Monsta Thorn is also now sporting her new Bagman supporting her Carradice Nelson ( thank you Paul ).

I can fettle to my heart's content as I am home alone as the G family have gone to Wales ( I couldn't due to the sportive tomorrow ).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Yorkshireman on 07 June, 2008, 07:34:18 pm
Quote from: clifftaylor on 07 June, 2008, 04:35:07 pm
Quote
Just wondering what else is left to 'improve'

I think that the shed door could do with some TLC  ;D

Ah! That 'shed door' (if it's the one behind the bike) is the garden gate. It's finished in what's known in the 'trade' as Stressed Woodland Green, with the fittings being in Gas-tar Black with Rust Relief and I'm going for the 'Rustic' look  :P, though there's a large container of B+Q Woodland Green Sprayable Fence Paint somewhere at the back of the garage. I'm waiting for a bit of decent weather - to see if the spare (unused) pump up weedkiller spray thing will work with the paint (looks just the same as the B+Q item - including the nozzles). I've still got loads of shiny black paint left as well  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 07 June, 2008, 08:39:06 pm
Solved the problem of intermittent failure of the computer on the Longstaff.The fork mounted transducer was creamcrackered so a new one was fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 June, 2008, 09:01:17 pm
Finally finished the kitchen sink. Removed the old worktop with sit in sink. Removed the thin bit of wood under the windowsill that acted as a splashback. moved the centre pillar for the sink unit over 10cm. Cut the top to fit. Installed taps. Did plumbing stuff. and got it all connected up except the waste.

Off to B&Q. I should have gone by bike. It would have been quicker.

Back to B&Q for the one adapter I needed but didn't have for the waste pipe, this time by bike.

Back again to B&Q for the other bits I had forgotten.

All connected and working. Most of the woodwork done (just got to take a few mm off the plinth piece - the units were lowered about 8mm to get the new sink splashback (it is a sit on rather than a sit in) )

All done and I am tired.. a few bits to tidy up.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 08 June, 2008, 11:51:06 am
After months of thinking about what to do, I finally got around to replacing the chainset on my audax bike. I'd spent ages looking at the merits of different bottom bracket systems, considering if I should aim to move fully Campy (using the very tempting Bikeplus Record triple offer), or move to outboard bearings and modern Shimano stuff (with the retooling and frame facing costs).

Eventually I just bought a rather nice TA Vega square taper triple set from Wiggle (at a rather nice price of a few pence over £100, assuming you use a £5 voucher gained by updating your mailing list preferences and want 170 26/36/46, which was exactly what I was after).

Building it up from the kit of parts of you are supplied is a very satisfying way of spending an evening in front of the telly; kind of like working on a bike, but without the oil and dirt. I like having a big pile of shiny bits that gradually reduces in size as the thing your are building takes shape. Then getting to the end and not having any bits left over is the icing on the cake :-)
The only irritating part was needing a special spanner to attach the crank to the spider (or bodging it like I did).

The I spent some time yesterday swapping it all over, moving the front derailleur down, new chain and tweaking the gears so everything is running sweetly and silently.
Now I just need to actually replace the front derailleur with a top swing one; the existing one's band now fouls the bottle cage.

A satisfying job, but perhaps I should have done it before going on the Irish Mail  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 08 June, 2008, 01:03:55 pm
I spent a fair chunk of yesterday trying to make  my son's Halfrauds hybrid roadworthy.  I'm disgusted that he would ride something in that state.

Both brake cables, rear mech cable and freewheel totally cattle trucked, several broken spokes in rear wheel and rear mech dangerously loose.

Isn't getting old freewheels off a wizard wheeze? In the end I had to resort to the old scaffold pole trick.

It was also the first time I had attempted to change a gear cable on SRAM twist grip shifters, which was a right caper.  As I opened it up to expose the cable end it did a Zebedde on me and catapaulted the spring come ratchet thingy which does the indexing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 08 June, 2008, 05:51:38 pm
My fettling yesterday paid off.  No issues today.  Silent stealth machine she was.  Well done girl.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 08 June, 2008, 07:11:00 pm
Another computer :o
This time the one on Marj's Trice.Fortunately it was only a two minute fettle.I suppose it could be natural justice taking it's course on me for riding Marj's machine at a time when she can't ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 11 June, 2008, 09:24:26 am
Replaced the bearings on my summer commuter's eggbeaters and re-greased them.
The bearing on the right pedal disintegrated on the way home last evening and that meant a slow 10 miles through the peaks due to the whole pedal mechanism coming apart. Cue (mainly) single pedal cycling up and down the hills  :P
On average, eggbeater bearings last me 10-15,000k
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 June, 2008, 09:43:04 am
Fettled some new brake pads onto the rear, and moved the Space Grip again so that the computer, GPS, and spare front lamp no longer partially blocks the main front lamp to people on my left.  Right, that's me ready for the Zombocalypse now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2008, 10:40:42 am
I took the cranks and bottom bracket out of the Fuji track bike, cleaned them and re-assembled with smears of grease everywhere.

The hideous uphill creak has gone  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 22 June, 2008, 10:55:37 pm
Cleaned bike after the FNRttC - despite gritty grinding noises all night my Koolstops seem largely intact, despite the presence of masses of goo, which I presume must be composed of Mavic rim.

Put mudguards back on as I don't like having a wet bum and saddle pack. With its fairly relaxed geometry the Yukon looks better with them on, I think.

Removing and refitting mudguards is probably the biggest hassle of bike-on-plane transportation. They'll have to come off again at the end of August.

Oh, and goodbye, lawyer lips.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 23 June, 2008, 07:33:29 am
Fettled 98 bikes(or version there of) in 4 and a bit hours yesterday, ok with the help of 4 others :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vince on 23 June, 2008, 07:36:46 am
Turned the handlebars to put my bike in the bike bag for the boating holiday I should have started two days ago (got another half day at work to go and I'm in trouble). It doesn't sound much fettling wise, but it's the first time the bolts have been loosened since it was built 4 years ago and I was a little worried that a couple may have stuck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 June, 2008, 08:11:57 am
Quote from: woollypigs on 23 June, 2008, 07:33:29 am
Fettled 98 bikes(or version there of) in 4 and a bit hours yesterday, ok with the help of 4 others :)

An average of ~20 bikes in that time is good going, well done that man....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 23 June, 2008, 09:01:18 am
My Cateye Velo 5 speed/milometer thing, which went through the washing machine in my shorts pocket without me realising. It came through relatively unscathed although it increased my "maximum speed achieved" from 32mph to 87mph! So I've taken the battery out, let it air, and put it back together and reset it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 23 June, 2008, 09:32:12 am
I've been gradually bringing my old rigid Dawes MTB up to reasonable standard. It's a hack, so doesn't have serious money spent on it.

The other week I replaced the rear cantis with a pair I found lurking in a box, and replaced the front brake lever with one that works with the V-brake that a previous owner must have fitted.

Then the chain started jumping. So...find a block - I had to buy that; replace the chain - from another box. I greased and adjusted the rear hub as well - impressive how an old, cheap Shimano hub runs as smoothly as new.

Took it for a spin, and the middle chainring was skipping. On inspection the chainset - a nasty rivetted budget thing - was totally ker-nackered. Ordered a cheap one from Parkers; had to wait as it was out of stock. I finally got to fit it yesterday. A few more teeth and the rings sitting further in meant the old front changer wouldn't work. Another root in the boxes brought an old deep-cage triple changer to light, so fitted that. It needed a longer cable, so I searched out a new one. I then had to adjust the routing so the cable would pull the right amount.

Eventually I managed to get out for a few hilly miles. Everything worked.

It's also had a new headset this year, so I don't think there's much else to go wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wascally Weasel on 23 June, 2008, 11:17:24 am
I have finally admitted failure in attempting to fettle (or even pay others to fettle) the free tandem we picked up from Phil a few eeks ago.  :(

Now saving up for a new/second hand one  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 25 June, 2008, 08:09:39 pm
I have succesfully adjusted the front & rear mechs to stop the chain falling of the largest sprocket & granny ring plus selecting the largest chainring without hesitation.
I am feeling very pleased about this ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 01 July, 2008, 10:53:40 pm
New Dura Ace cassette and shifter cables, KMC chain. All working very nicely.

And new SPD cleats for my shoes. I have finally discovered that there is a hole in the sole to allow you to change the backplates too.  Never noticed that before. Which is good as I stripped a backplate thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 01 July, 2008, 10:57:43 pm
Bowline bowline bowline, keep those doggies bowline, rawhide!

I've been tying knots in shock cord.  To go with the basha.  I now have six skinny little elastics with a bowline at each end, ready to play. 

The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree, and back in the hole...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 01 July, 2008, 11:01:24 pm
readjusted the position of the back wheel in the dropouts as i must have not tightened the qr lever enough after my painful wrestling with the new tyre i fitted yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: annie on 01 July, 2008, 11:05:32 pm
Nothing yet but tomorrow the chainset will be removed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 02 July, 2008, 08:29:29 am
Micro adjusted rear brake!

'bout as much as I can manage.

Tip : Avoid that last minute fettle before an event! :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 02 July, 2008, 09:17:38 am
Last night I finally got the front mech on my road bike working again. Its a Shimano Tiagra triple shifter and it has been driving me mad. I took it off months ago when it seized up due to the nasty chalk / mud paste that you get in some puddles and car parks round here. Got it dismantled cleaned lubed and reassembled OK but getting it adjusted again was a nightmare. I could get it to work fine with either the inner and middle or the outer and middle chain ring but not all three ! Stripping and reassembling entire motorbike engines was easier than this.
Reading Park Tools web site and Zinn and the art of road bike maintenance didn't provide the answer. Finally yesterday a determined Google search and reading many posts found the essential missing bit of information. It's all in the  cable tension. The high low adjusters aren't going to help unless the cable tension is right (and there is no cable adjuster on my bike). So undo cable clamp at the shifter, adjust low adjuster so that its about right put a bit of tension on the cable with a pair of pliers and tighten the clamp. A cup of tea and five minutes twiddling the high and low adjusters and it shifts better than when new !
I think I am going to write to Mr Zinn and ask him to revise the next edition of his book so that in the section on front mechs the first sentence is

"First get the cable tension right".

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: juliet on 02 July, 2008, 01:47:32 pm
Last night I fettled my old bike, which now belongs to a friend.  (It had "a creaking noise" - seems to have vanished after I tightened the pedals.)

At Glastonbury I made a 3-legged wooden stool & had a go at blacksmithing & made an S-hook!  Does that count as fettling?   It was damn good fun, anyway :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 02 July, 2008, 02:06:27 pm
I took an 80s vintage single finger MX bmx brake lever with a cheap split clamp and hammered and bent the clamp to make it fit the centre section of a set of drops

It is now sat on the fixie as an extremely cheap alternative to a dia-comp gold finger, works just fine
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 July, 2008, 09:28:49 pm
Installed a 12k carbon weave fork onto the MonstaThorn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: annie on 03 July, 2008, 12:02:16 pm
My biggest fettling job to date :thumbsup:  Just put the cassette back on the bike, all is running nice and smoothly now.  My hands might not agree but I am very proud of myself.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 03 July, 2008, 07:19:14 pm
Put new brake blocks on - hopefully I'll be able to stop on the hills on Sunday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 03 July, 2008, 08:14:28 pm
I bought a new bike computer and fitted it. My old one survived going through the washing machine unscathed, but today the wires to the sensor got stretched and snapped to not-working-point. So I fitted a new one; ugh it's a fiddly job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chris on 03 July, 2008, 08:20:57 pm
Put a new back tyre on the Audax bike ready for the weekend. Need to get some new brake blocks too as I noticed that they are getting a bit thin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 July, 2008, 11:43:44 pm
After multiple stops on the way home, I think I've fettled the rear brakes into not squealing, eventually by setting them up with zero toe in.  Any toe in seemed to make them squeak rather alarmingly, although it did require me to get going as fast as I could and them jam the brakes on to see what effect I was getting!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chipster on 07 July, 2008, 02:11:39 pm
Started fetlling my old (1990's) Timetrial bike...

Hubs have been striped and regreased and are now much smoother..  ;D

Now all I need to do is the Headset and find where I stored the freewheel and QR Squewer.   :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 July, 2008, 10:24:44 pm
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e81/GruuB/100_9158.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 07 July, 2008, 11:18:52 pm
I've put new brake pads in front and back.

Watched a howto video online first, after seriously struggling with it last time - it is SO much easier after removing the calipers from the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 07 July, 2008, 11:36:14 pm
Replaced clutch slave cylinder on Landy. I had to take the exhaust off to do it  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 08 July, 2008, 11:45:37 am
Yesterday, on Monty: installed hydraulic rim brakes, re-routed and replaced drum brake cable, serviced drum brake, renewed bar tape, investigated eccentric BB, installed saddles.

Phew!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 08 July, 2008, 05:19:39 pm
New bright blue bar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 08 July, 2008, 09:13:43 pm
I have fettled the roof rack on the car so that it now has an additional 3 channels(satin anodised ali) secured with U bolts.This will allow Marj's Trice to be carred on the roof of the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 08 July, 2008, 09:33:19 pm
Re-greased the headset on my tourer, as it seemed to be pulling to the left and it was a bugger to adjust. 

Given that it's only a few months/hundred miles old, I was surprised at how dry it was.

Better now though :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 09 July, 2008, 10:43:59 am
Replaced Mrs. TKP's Quill stem with an adjustable front opening one to raise her bars slightly. If only it was as simple as it sounds. Removed handle bar furniture on one side, remove brake, remove bar tape, remove old stem, fit new stem. Replace brake, find that new position of handlebars requires slightly longer outer brake cable sheath which I don't have to hand. Also, I can't get the bolts that enable angle adjustment on the new stem to move so it looks like it's back to the LBS this morning. Never mind, any excuse to visit LBS rather than work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 09 July, 2008, 10:46:42 am
A mercy dash: drove up to Wells in the middle of the night to help a flustered triathlete pack her bike bag before flying out to Austria today.  Loaned pedal spanner.  Back home 01:30.  I am Bicycle Repair Zombie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 09 July, 2008, 06:57:29 pm
A friend bought a Puch steel 'racer' in an auction for £28 and brought it round for a bit of TLC. The frame is in remarkably good condition so with a few new bits and pieces and some alloy wheels it will make him a decent bike. (He was rather alarmed at the braking performance of the steel wheels in the rain today  ;D )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 10 July, 2008, 11:03:49 pm
My winter commuter eggbeaters started to click and grate yesterday so it was bearing replacement time this evening....

A simple job using a "rebuild kit":
Unscrew pedal end cap, remove retaining nut, remove sealed outer bearing (or whats left of it!) remove pedal outer, dig remove inner rubber seal and inner nylon bush.
Replace all the inner bits with new items in the reverse order. Attach greasing disk, grease thoroughly and replace end cap. About 10 minutes worth each pedal.

They seem to have lasted about 15,000km this time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 July, 2008, 11:23:18 am
First thing I did this morning was refit the Bagman to my fixie. 

What's that?  Was I fettling it in bed last night?  Mind your own business, you impudent pup!

Yes :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 15 July, 2008, 03:00:40 pm
I fitted new peddles to a friend's bike.  The old ones were being held together with tape.  While doing that I noticed that his bottom bracket had a huge amount of movement in it, so I now need to encourage him to sort that out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 July, 2008, 05:25:05 pm
Quote from: clarion on 11 July, 2008, 11:23:18 am
First thing I did this morning was refit the Bagman to my fixie. 

What's that?  Was I fettling it in bed last night?  Mind your own business, you impudent pup!

Yes :-[

This morning, again, I was fiting a Bagman to a bike :-[

Another rod had fallen off on my ride home last night :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 17 July, 2008, 09:46:44 pm
I have fettled Marj's Trice.
The " brackets" used to carry her walking stick have been removed :thumbsup:
These consisted of two ahead stems,one of which was adjustable,secured one to the top horizontal rail of the seat chassis & the other to the bottom horizontal rail of the chassis.
The adjustable stem has gone into the spares box.The other has been repositioned onto the offside of the top horizontal rail to carry a seat post in the vertical plane to which I have fixed two rear lights in a relatively high position above the level of the top of a rack pack strapped to the top of the rear pannier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 July, 2008, 11:17:57 pm
removed a punctured tub. Cleaned the rim. Taped it and put on a new tub.

Have to repair the old puncture now.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 18 July, 2008, 06:11:34 pm
I tried to replace the rear mini-Vs on my Pomp with an XTR parallel linkage brake.  Everything I needed was acquired prepared and halfway fitted, before I realised that the Travel Agent fouled on the rack supports.  Bugger.

Since it's the rear brake, having it perfect isn't essential, so I've bodged it enough to work with the standard noodle until I work out what to do. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 18 July, 2008, 08:01:59 pm
I've anti-fettled my front light bracket.  Vibration, it appears, has a detrimental effect on cheese, and the thing has sheared straight through.

Front light is now held on with zip-ties, and as I'm off to Lunnun tomorrow on the Brompton, it'll have to wait till I get back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 18 July, 2008, 08:14:22 pm
New bar tape on the Zepp and an ickle bar bag and new pedals  on Mrs A's Sirrus.  I love fettling :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 18 July, 2008, 09:45:57 pm
Built a new rear wheel for my tourer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 24 July, 2008, 07:48:57 pm
Not one, not two, but three fettles (ok, 2 and a half) this evening.  And I've still got time to do the ironing.

1) Replaced a broken strut on the Windcheetah rear rack.
2) Designed, sourced the parts for, built, installed, tested and commissioned a new twin front light bracket.  It's just a strip of meccano-like aluminium with holes in (I think it came with a rear light for fitting those old heavy things to rear racks), with a bolt through the centre hole and then through the hole in the fork crown.  Then the lights' own brackets bolt to holes further out wide.
3) Investigated the kinda wobbly feeling that the Galaxy was giving me on my commute this morning.  Couldn't find any broken spokes, cracks in the frame, or similar.  So I just put a bit more air in the rear tyre.  And tweaked a spoke or two to remove any miniscule rim wobble.

Now I've got the iron on, so please don't phone or I'll burn my ear...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 25 July, 2008, 12:05:52 pm
New bar tape (thereby losing my 'bar tape virginity' :)). Pleased enough for a first effort
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 03 August, 2008, 06:05:02 pm
Not really a fettle but gave the bike a very thorough clean today. Spent ages picking the crud out of the derailleur. The pulley is red - who knew?  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 03 August, 2008, 10:24:38 pm
if it counts, i've taken to storing the bike in the cellar as it's dryer than the shed. the only way i can do it is by sitting it upside down atop a pile of old clothes. i found out today that i can get the bike down the stairs and upside down without removing the front wheel, as i had done previously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 04 August, 2008, 01:27:27 am
I like a good fettling (MrsCharly)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 04 August, 2008, 01:31:28 am
Yesterday I attempted to fill the tanks in a dinghy with expanding foam (from a can). The nozzle broke off the can, exploding all over a 15ft radius, including me. MrsCharly  has taken great delight in ripping the bits of foam off my arms, taking hair and some skin with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 04 August, 2008, 12:46:50 pm
You need the waxing and shaving thread.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 05 August, 2008, 12:57:18 pm
sorted out the indexing in the rear mech, altered the front mech adjustment, removed the bolt that holds the handlebars in the stem, greased it, altered handle bar position and retighten. oh, and took up the slack in the brake cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 05 August, 2008, 01:06:02 pm
Yesterday, aided and abetted by the delicious Liz, I fitted a new set of chain tubes to my 'bent.

Tomorrow night, I shall be removing them and refitting them, owing to my inability to cut the length of the lower one correctly...

::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 05 August, 2008, 01:30:57 pm
Can't you cut it in situ?

Knife round it (or pipecutter if you want a fancy finish) then knife lengthways from end to cut.  Peel off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 05 August, 2008, 01:33:41 pm
No.  It's too stiff to cut in situ and make a neat job.  Besides - I need to flare the ends and that needs heat and water to do a good job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 05 August, 2008, 01:44:48 pm
Measure twice.

Cut once.




HTH.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 05 August, 2008, 01:52:55 pm
Git  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 05 August, 2008, 01:56:18 pm
Although I find that in my case it's

Measure twice, cut once, put a plaster on it, mop up the blood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 August, 2008, 11:02:19 pm
Tonight, I put a new rack on Butterfly's Galaxy.  Lovely :)

Tightened up various loose bits on my Orbit (and readjusted the bars after a very abrupt emergency stop)

Disfettled the old tandem front wheel to keep the hub.

Readjusted Our Kid's Raleigh so the brakes actually work after his close encounter with a BMW a few days ago.

Our Kid actually pumped his tyres up to the required 120psi, instead of the actual 60psi ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 06 August, 2008, 11:06:17 pm
Yesterday, while returning from Annie's my bike slipped out of the purpose-built bike racks (doors) on the Lpoo St - Saarfend train, breaking the reflector mounting. This morning I fitted a reflector from some other bike, but it is angled down slightly. I don't suppose that matters very much.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 06 August, 2008, 11:20:43 pm
fitted my new Altura day bag bracket ready for my NW Highlands trip and tried to stop an annoying click that's appeared from my BB  >:(

Stripped, cleaned, greased and torqued it back together and just been out for a 10  mile test. I got soaked and the click hasn't gone 100%, it's just a matter of time now  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 07 August, 2008, 09:27:23 am
Packed the road bike into its bike bag.  Either the bag gets bigger, or this just gets easier with repetition.  There's all my spoo and gunge and shoes and a track pump anna magic hat in there too, this time!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 07 August, 2008, 10:20:55 am
Quote from: Charlotte on 05 August, 2008, 01:06:02 pm
Yesterday, aided and abetted by the delicious Liz, I fitted a new set of chain tubes to my 'bent.

Tomorrow night, I shall be removing them and refitting them, owing to my inability to cut the length of the lower one correctly...

::-)

The 'bent, she lives!  Mwahahahahaha!

After sorting the chain tubes, I fitted a new set of brake cables and did some other little jobs on her.  We rode into work this morning and my word, where did my recumbent legs go?

I shall mostly be groveling my way up hills in the granny gear this weekend...  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 07 August, 2008, 12:59:56 pm
You luck lucky bastard.  I'm grovelling up an Alp! :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 07 August, 2008, 04:39:42 pm
I have just fettled my computer monitor so that my phone headset will hang off the side of it.

Selotape and a tube of propelling pencil leads were combined synergistically to provide an optimised storage solution.

(http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t299/jacomus-rides-Gen/Desktopoptimise-1.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 07 August, 2008, 05:06:39 pm
I replaced this tyre on my best bike.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/2738930207_6c9c64fda9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/2738930207/)

It was like this all the way round, with a few bulges here and there.

I fitted it before PBP a year ago, so it's done a few thousand kilometres, but despite the lack of rubber, it hasn't inconvenienced me with any unscheduled deflations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Baggy on 09 August, 2008, 12:15:40 am
Today I have replaced two cassettes and two chains. 
Whilst fettling these I've noticed my rear hub bearings on one bike are completely mullered  ::-)
The other bike has mullered headset bearings...
I hate bearings, so the LBS can fettle both for me next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Valiant on 09 August, 2008, 02:39:09 am
I have retuned the TV and Freeview. Have also upgraded my powerbook.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 August, 2008, 07:53:38 pm
I've been at Scout camp over the past few days. Thursday night was the soap box derby finals. Our finely constructed machine, using hand picked old pram wheels, was suffering. The rear right hand wheel kept falling off, as the press on bearing cap thing detached itself from the hub.

I rootled around in a rubbish bin and found a coke can. A bit of Swiss Army Knife work and a set of shims were made, to wedge the can on more firmly.


Didn't work though. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 14 August, 2008, 02:23:54 pm
I managed to snap the wire of my cycle computer, which I've just soldered back together.  I'll find out tonight whether it works or not, tho I'm not optimistic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Analog Kid on 14 August, 2008, 02:26:39 pm
I told a (cough) "help line" where they were going wrong.
 :demon:

Does that count?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 14 August, 2008, 02:37:47 pm
Well it was Sunday rather than today,  but I stripped down and re-greased the pedals on my bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 August, 2008, 08:27:39 pm
Replaced the chainrings on the tandem.  Fingers crossed for a smooth drive system now :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 15 August, 2008, 08:41:45 pm
I have fitted one of the doors on my new wardrobe.  It's not on properly though.  It has to hook under a rail on the bottom and over a rail on the top, and I can't do that single handed.

Dad (76) is being dragooned into giving me a hand tomorrow.

When he goes for his heart scan next week he'll be able to tell them that he keeps active...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 15 August, 2008, 09:08:43 pm
Disassembled and reassembled my seat clamp, hopefully it will stop "clicking" now.  Sixty miles to Shoreham should be a reasonable test!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 18 August, 2008, 05:34:41 pm
Fixed my bottom bracket and also added this ( but removed and cleaned chain and forgot to get another 10sp powerlink so can't ride it  ::-) )

(http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k131/djb1971/ABCD0001.jpg)


also put my raceblades back on because the weather is so sh*te and added a reflective logo front & rear

(http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k131/djb1971/ABCD0002.jpg)
chavtastic
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 18 August, 2008, 08:52:19 pm
Put my new ultra pimpy TiN Gold chain on Gen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 August, 2008, 09:36:53 pm
Re-seated cassette with a bed of lithium grease on the Hope3 hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 August, 2008, 09:50:10 pm
The Sturmey hub wouldn't get "normal" gear on its test ride, so I had another go at the RH cone adjustment.  It seems fine now, with nice wide sweet spots for each gear, at least in the truing stand.

If the RH cone is a bit too far along the axle, it can interfere with the action of the dog clutch.  It has to be screwed in then backed off by half a turn and locked there (the bearings are then adjusted at the LH cone).

These new hubs are really very simple inside - planet cage assembly, gear ring, axle with sun gear, clutch key (which is what the indicator spindle/chain screws into), clutch and driver.  An old AW had a more complicated clutch assembly, and the pawl springs were apparently a PITA to fit - the new ones are simple.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 19 August, 2008, 06:52:26 am
had a great evening fettling last night, I managed two new jobs to me - new bottom bracket and a new headset and fixed the gears on carbon bike which had drifted out of indexing.

The bottom bracket swap went well, the old one came out much easier than the last one I tried (and failed) to get out, the headset needed more brute force than I expected to get in but it feels tight enough and smooth enough, so will try it out later!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 23 August, 2008, 07:43:35 pm
I have been suffering with a very annoying squeak on the MonstaThorn of late.  Today I took out the new bottom bracket and reseated it along with copious lube.  I took apart the Tiagra chainset and put it back together with copious lube.  I then went for a ride and it still squeaked.
I then put the old Scirocco wheel on the back with this cassette and it didn't squeak.
The wheel it must be.
I then took the hub apart and put it back together with copious lube.
Not ridden yet as it was tea time.
I think it is the spokes - they need tightening.
It can't be anything else as I've eliminated the rest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 24 August, 2008, 06:53:48 pm
Serviced some pedals and put them on my old MTB. The old pedals came off easily after 20 years with no TLC. Maybe it was the W40 that my father put on earlier...

Then noticed that the font wheel was wobbling so stripped it down and re-greased the bearings. Then sorted the brakes.

I'll find out how effective it all was tomorrow :-/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 August, 2008, 07:02:32 pm
Cold-setting a frame with long rulers, fine cotton thread, vernier calipers and a lot of brute force  :o

It's good now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keepontriking on 24 August, 2008, 07:26:33 pm
Fixed a young lads grazed knee, who had decided he wanted to investigate how sharp a corner he could turn.

...and a tight link on my own bike needed a bit of wrigglery.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 24 August, 2008, 07:43:49 pm
Swapped the axles on my Goldtec hub, re-trued my front wheel.

Then I tried to decide if the bearings on my Mavic Aksium were a bit slack... Sod it, I just tightened the QR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 24 August, 2008, 09:27:27 pm
Changed the oil in the Nomad's Rohloff, moved the eccentric a bit to tighten up the slack chain, cleaned the chain in white spirit and put it back on.  :thumbsup:

The blue Orbit is more problematic.  I bought new tyres for it and when I came to fit them had to "quick release" the brakes.

I've got Magura hydraulics on this bike. One side of each brake locks to an "hourglass" cantiliver bolt by way of a cam lever. This means that when you want to remove a wheel without deflating the tyre you flip the lever and slide the brake assembly off.  Usually works well.

This time it wouldn't come off. After undoing the bolt it looks like the head had deformed, stopping the cam action from working.  No spares so I'll need to order some.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 25 August, 2008, 09:42:30 am
Gah! Today I will mostly be fettling our plumbing and doing lots of mopping  >:(

For a few weeks now, our hot water has been running out quite soon after the boiler has heated it up. I thought perhaps someone had a shower fetish, but no - it turns out the hot water hose behind the washing machine has split, and has quietly been dripping into the sub-floor of the utility room.

We only felt compelled to investigate when the utility room started to smell like a swamp  :sick:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 25 August, 2008, 05:22:35 pm
cleaned sheep poo off my bottom bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 25 August, 2008, 06:25:43 pm
Cleaned Gen, Emily cleaned Tweeny

Put my bosses hand-me-down Bonty Race Lites on Emily's bike (Tweeny)

Fettled Gen's brakes, plus dug out an Alu shard from the front righ pad.

Re-routed Tweeny's rear brake cable so that Emily can now turn the bike to the right without putting the rear brake on.

Fitted my old Look Keo Sprints to Tweeny and got Emily pedalling up and down the road in her b'day present shoes  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 25 August, 2008, 06:40:30 pm
Yesterday I removed the 17t sprocket from the Langster & fitted an 18t sprocket to give a 63" gear.Ideal for the flat roads around Mildenhall Rally site.
Thanks to Chris N for showing a neat way to use the chain to remove the sprocket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 27 August, 2008, 07:16:02 pm
I have cleaned all the muck off the Thorn's chain, chain ring and sprocket.

I've done almost 6000 miles on this chain. There's no derailleur to cause lateral wear. I'm wondering how long should I leave it before putting a new chain on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 27 August, 2008, 07:29:27 pm
I've just put a new bottom bracket in the Yukon. This was after a full dismantle and the most thorough clean the bike has had since new, including things like a full derailleur strip down. (Well OK I took the jockey wheels off).

It's a very light frame with nothing on it  :)

By the standards I'm used to anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 27 August, 2008, 08:46:39 pm
New cleats on the road shoes  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 27 August, 2008, 09:05:33 pm
Finally I've started on the bike I should have finished in may  :-[
Headset and bottom bracket installed
Crankset and rear derailleur mounted.

I have  to put a (old) HATTA  headset on Pinky too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 27 August, 2008, 11:26:22 pm
Refitted the crank on my MTB that fell off on yesterday's ride (did the last 2 miles one legged) plus a new bottom bracket - the biggest job I've done so far :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 28 August, 2008, 10:35:56 am
Spend some time in the garage last night fettling the Yuba Mundo.  Put the original chainset and chain guard back on with new pedals and played around with the gears.  The wheel rims are really heavy duty, but the front wheel wasn't 100% true, so I gave it a tweak.

Also, the bit where the rim joins together on the front rim had a pronounced ridge which was making braking a bit juddery, so I gently ground the rim smooth with a flappy sandpaper doofer in my drill.  It's smoother than a cashmere codpiece now.

Now all I have to do is figure out what I'm going to do by way of luggage boxes on it.  Oh - and fit a rear light bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 28 August, 2008, 10:38:50 am
Am re-battenting and tiling the roof of our barn.  Unfortunately I will also be doing the same tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow..

So I might just take the afternoon off and go for a bike ride. 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 August, 2008, 10:39:17 am
Quote from: Charlotte on 28 August, 2008, 10:35:56 am
It's smoother than a cashmere codpiece now.

I must get one of those...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonyh on 28 August, 2008, 10:58:02 am
Quote from: wowbagger on 27 August, 2008, 07:16:02 pm
I've done almost 6000 miles on this chain. There's no derailleur to cause lateral wear. I'm wondering how long should I leave it before putting a new chain on.

On gears, I'm getting sometimes only 2000 miles per chain, before the Park Tools CC-3 says "0.75". Beyond which the rings and cassette get too worn. But without gears, your cogs don't need so many ££ for replacement, I suppose, so you can wear them for longer anyway? Sorry, not really relevant!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 August, 2008, 11:12:25 am
Quote from: Deano on 24 August, 2008, 07:43:49 pm
Swapped the axles on my Goldtec hub, re-trued my front wheel.

But but, it was your back wheel that was out of true (and missing a spoke!) :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 August, 2008, 11:51:16 am
Quote from: tiermat on 28 August, 2008, 11:12:25 am
Quote from: Deano on 24 August, 2008, 07:43:49 pm
Swapped the axles on my Goldtec hub, re-trued my front wheel.

But but, it was your back wheel that was out of true (and missing a spoke!) :)

Git!

Different wheelset, isn't it?

I've still got that 31-spoke wheel with the twisty spokes.  Making it true just doesn't seem right.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 30 August, 2008, 05:38:29 pm
I fitted some new cleats to new Shimano sandals plus tinkered with the front mech on the Trek to stop the chain rubbing on the inside face of the outer cage plate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 30 August, 2008, 08:22:57 pm
Got rid of some very annoying clicking sounds from my 105 chainset. 

Note to all Hollowtech owners - do not grease the axle.  If you do, it creates clicking sounds when you pedal hard.  :-X
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 30 August, 2008, 09:01:21 pm
Margaret Hilda:

Her gears are now silky smooth  ;)   New wires and tinkered with the routing on the front mech.

She has two Brooks saddles, four pedals, and is all set up for Cap'n and stoker to ride tomorrow.   :)

A request has been made to rename her Roberta.  I have said that if some matching a's are commissioned to overlay the 's' in Roberts then I agree.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 September, 2008, 05:44:50 pm
Margaret Hilda Roberta Daisy!  We've agreed on a name  ;)

Managed to snap a chunk out of the granny ring yesterday and lose some chainring small bits.

She now sports a Shimano Tiagra triple with Suntour 52 and 30 tooth rings and an unknown but TA look-a-like 39 tooth middle ring.   Shifting seems even better  8)

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 September, 2008, 10:44:58 am
Put the saddlebag back on my commuter, and swapped the single sided pedals for double sided SPDs (just in time, as it happens - slippy pedal backs aren't much fun)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 02 September, 2008, 03:24:13 pm
Just re-lubed my chain ready for the homeward journey, and re-Pledged my glasses for the same.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 04 September, 2008, 01:25:10 pm
I've replaced the headset on the trackbike and fitted the original steel fork again.

Mounted Headset, fork and wheels on the Kish bike. Now I just need to put on a new groupset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 04 September, 2008, 01:52:08 pm
I've tweaked the Kool Stop Salmon brake pads for the upteenth time, and they are still squealing, although I've managed to reduce them from sounding like a bus doing an emergency stop down to a slight squeal at slow speeds.  I think I'm about ready to give up on them, and go and get some other pads. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 04 September, 2008, 03:27:44 pm
I have de-fettled a fitted wardrobe in the spare bedroom & loaded it into the car so that it can goto the tip tomorrow.
Valuable cycling time will no doubt be expended on re-decorating in readiness for the arrival of a new bed.A new ,different type of wardrobe is,I am informed,required to accommodate the revised room plan ::-)

I need a sticker for my forehead which says
"I'd rather be cycling" ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 04 September, 2008, 03:30:01 pm
I have my mates bicycle on the stand in my kitchen awaiting a Wiggle parcel.  I ordered on Sunday evening and they dispatched on Monday.  What's going on then  ???

I'd better get some extras  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 05 September, 2008, 12:34:04 am
Undone the work of not one but two visits from the faerie.

One was a small metal staple poking in through a 16-month-old tyre/tube combo, which have done at least 2500 miles without needing anything but a bit of air now and again.

The other was a 4-month-old self-adhesive patch that had given up its airtightness.  So on getting back from holiday, I looked in the shed, and found the Windy sitting down at a funny angle.  Note to self - patches are for get-you-home, not leaving in tyres for months on end.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 September, 2008, 05:36:31 pm
Had to do an emergency fettle this morning, when I realised that a second rivet had come away on my panniers.  Since there are only four rivets, and I replaced one by a couple of cable ties a few weeks back, this was probably a bad thing.

I had to fit the new dhb panniers that won't fit, so I needed to remove the Yak Bob Nutz, and fiddle with the pannier mounting hardware.  For speed I didn't remove the old mounting hardware on the right hand side, and fitted the pannier to the left.

The pannier police (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7765.msg136297#msg136297) will be along shortly to interrogate me over my shortcomings. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 05 September, 2008, 11:13:08 pm
I caved in and changed the chain on my Thorn solo machine.

The old chain was the one I bought with the bike 2 years and 6000 miles ago. The new one is a SRAM PC850. I was going to go out and give it a try but it's pissing down again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 05 September, 2008, 11:17:24 pm
Quote from: TimO on 05 September, 2008, 05:36:31 pm
The pannier police (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7765.msg136297#msg136297) will be along shortly

I'm inclined to let you off with a warning this time as you obviously understand the sheer Wrongness of it  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 05 September, 2008, 11:22:03 pm
My new mudguards and brake blocks (Koolstop salmons) arrived today from Wiggle, so I've been fitting them to the commuting/audax bike this evening.

Frankly, I could have done with receiving them yesterday so as to take advantage of them on this evening's rather moist ride home. Unfortunately, Citylink failed to deliver yesterday - the usual "tried to deliver but no one was in" line, except that there were at least two people in the house all day. "Our delivery man left a card." Did he feck.  >:( >:( >:(

On the plus side, I got a freebie bottle opener in the parcel, which I have also put to good use this evening.  :)

d.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 06 September, 2008, 07:19:06 pm
Stripped my bike down to its frame, and now I'm spraying it with primer, since it's stopped raining.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 06 September, 2008, 09:30:02 pm
I built a front wheel for the fixed commuter - with a new Surly hub and a used Mavic ceramic rim. I'd been running for months with a front wheel that DIDN'T MATCH the rear.  :o :o :o

But now I can go and ride without a paper bag over my head.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 September, 2008, 04:25:04 pm
Over the last few days, I've replaced the bearings in my rear hub, stripped and re-greased the chainset and bottom bracket on another bike (hopefully that'll sort out the annoying creak) and built a wardrobe.  That last one isn't bike-related, by the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 October, 2008, 03:34:00 pm
Taped the bars on Claud, the first bar-taping I have ever done!!!

Looks good-ish, for a first attempt anyway :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 02 October, 2008, 08:01:58 pm
I mended my b0rked Shimano Nexus hub dynamo the night before last. Stayed up until gone midnight with a soldering iron for company, trying to get the little wire into the axle-groove without buggering the insulation up.
This was my second try.

(Disassembled in an absent, awful moment. "Sh*t look what I've done. Oh dear, that'll take some fixing". And it did.

Never. Ever. take complicated hubs apart. Ever. Unless you know what you're doing of course)

works now though :thumbsup:

Now to swap the IQ fly over to the Kaff from my other bike. I'll be looking in the bits box for something to mount the light on (non-drilled fork crown)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 08 October, 2008, 11:15:02 pm
I changed the front brake blocks on the Thorn today. The old ones had seen a fair bit of wear.

I put on Clark's V-brake cartridges, which come with a replacement pad and split pit which holds the whole gubbins in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 10 October, 2008, 11:15:19 am
I have fitted another bike rack to the roof bars of the Mondeo in readiness for tomorrow's Pedle Britches :)  ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 25 October, 2008, 05:40:58 pm
A flat pack wardrobe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 25 October, 2008, 05:43:31 pm
I looked at my chain......and it was very dirty, but I went out for a ride instead
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 October, 2008, 10:38:47 pm
Nothing but tomorrow I'm sorting the chain out on the MonstaThorn as it needs some lube before I ride in the morning, and perhaps a clean when I come home.
Plus in the afternoon I have to fit new tyres and tubes to Son1's MTB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 26 October, 2008, 07:14:35 am
I have a long list for today; luckily it is pouring with rain.

Finish servicing Miss G's old bike - just need to refit the baskest and adjust the Sturmey gears now.
Sort out the "rubbing noise" at the front of Mrs G's Carpe Diem commuter.
Change the bar tape on the audax bike to white. (I know   ::-))
Fit a front dynamo light to the audax bike.
Fit a secondary rear light to the fixed commuter.

Get the dipped headlights working on the son's Peugeot 306. It's not the bulbs, the switch or the fuse... I hate car electrics.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 26 October, 2008, 07:18:43 am
I have been fettling in Final Cut Pro.

I'm rather bored with what I'm doing at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jane on 26 October, 2008, 08:35:58 am
Fitting a new front wheel to the Holdsworth- old one finally has to go- steel rims, hub knackered and not worh the fettling. Will entail a  bit of further fettling as old wheel is 26x11/4  and new one 26x 1 3/8 so brakes will need jiggling.  However, I have fallen at the first hurdle- can't get the bloody tyre on.  I have never experienced such a tough last few centimetres of bead.  (And I have Marathon Pluses on the other bike).  Will use the old tried and tested technique known to us all (sit down and have a cup of tea) then give it another go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PeteB99 on 26 October, 2008, 10:56:48 pm
Adjusted the headset on the commuter

Checked all the lights have batteries for tomorrow night
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 27 October, 2008, 05:44:31 am
Did the gears and chain on the MonstaThorn.
Fitted two new tubes and tyres to Son1's MTB.
Didn't go for a ride though  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 27 October, 2008, 03:51:37 pm
I've fitted front brake blocks to the tandem, trued the front wheel and sorted out the light mounting under the front bag so that we've got battery backup for the Solidlights. Some laundry is still drying and Mrs. Wow is collecting clothing together. I'll help her for a bit then collect all the tools together. Batteries are charging, and after tea I'll plumb all the maps into the Garmin. Then, tomorrow at 8.28, we get on a train bound for St. Bees! ;D

It's going to snow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 October, 2008, 03:52:49 pm
No bikes (to speak of) ATM = No fettling opportunities, although I did go into the garage to ogle the Ultegra groupset for a bit :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 27 October, 2008, 05:35:44 pm

Rohloff gear fitted and adjusted on my Thorn and I found an old ROLF Satellite frontwheel for it too.

Now I only need to buy the correct brake cables  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 27 October, 2008, 05:52:33 pm
Given this thread is in the pub, you don't have to have bikes to speak of to have fettled.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 27 October, 2008, 05:56:17 pm
I keep looking at my dirty chain and thinking I must clean it...but going out on a ride is more important :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 30 October, 2008, 08:10:59 pm
Cleaned wheels of accumulated aluminium dust.

Cleaned and re-lubed Mavic freehub - it was getting draggy again. There's a rubber flange in there that is the culprit.

Checked the LHS crank bolts torque after recently fitting new chainset.

Cleaned cassette and jockey wheels. Noted that the latter are not as free-running as I'd like.

Put on a new chain.

Realised SPD cleats were very worn and replaced them.

Found source of little rattle: brand new front mudguard fork bracket not rivetted on tight  ::-)

Bugger all I can do about that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 October, 2008, 08:18:41 pm
Wanna  borrow rivet gun?

Replaced worn heel pads on Sidi's.
Replaced Look / Gruyere cleat on left shoe.
Second one in less than 3000 miles.... meh!

Some chain cleaning / lubrication is likely to take place later - does the future count?

Oh - and put new tyres on the Bianchi yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nightrider on 30 October, 2008, 08:25:34 pm
Managed to true the back wheel of my Trek. :thumbsup:It was rubbing on the brake block
.Its not perfect,but I am quite pleased with myself.I think I might put some Mavic Aksiums on it soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 31 October, 2008, 05:51:24 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 30 October, 2008, 08:10:59 pm
Cleaned and re-lubed Mavic freehub

Forgot to mention that during this stage there was an interlude while a sink U-bend was removed, in order to search for the spacer washer that sits inside the free-hub body. 10 seconds after failing to find it and re-fitting said U-bend, I found the washer where I had set it 10 minutes earlier  ::-) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 31 October, 2008, 06:19:23 pm
My Lumicycle light cable so that it doesn't keep unplugging mid-ride :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 31 October, 2008, 08:43:58 pm
I've ordered new tyres and tubes for the Airnimal. They say they'll be delivered Tuesday. And I have a new rear mech to fit to the Omega before next month's madness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 31 October, 2008, 09:18:02 pm
Fitted Hope Vision 1 LED light - I am so impressed with its power. Runtime is, as yet, unknown.

Fitted Schwalbe SuperMoto EVO 26x2.35 - after spending about 25mins putting enough air in to get them to the required pressures (40psi front 50psi rear), these are seriously large volume :o Their ride is fast, smooth and confident. And on top of that, Sarah Specialized no longer looks silly with tiny tyres  :thumbsup: then only downside is that they are way to big for my bodged raceblade rear mudguard. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 31 October, 2008, 09:22:17 pm
Fitted mudguard to the rear of my Dave Yates, having gotten a bit sick of getting soaked the last couple of days.  Not to mention all the water getting into my saddlebag.

I realised that the 28mm tyre was too big to fit, so fitted a spare 25mm tyre instead. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 01 November, 2008, 01:16:58 am
OK, I think it's just about ready to be crashed again.


(http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q273/nuttycyclist/misc/KIF_5631.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 01 November, 2008, 01:18:10 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 31 October, 2008, 06:19:23 pm
My Lumicycle light cable so that it doesn't keep unplugging mid-ride :(

Paul,
Talk to the guys at Lumicycle.  They gave me a much sturdier jack point that sort of grips the cable inside the head unit.  I also keep a velcro tie on the cable near the head unit as a back up as I don't enjoy it when it suddenly goes dark where I am, as there is no other light aside from me  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 01 November, 2008, 01:20:27 pm
I noticed a slight bubbling of the coating on my Hope Hoops so sent them pictures on Monday of this week, then rang them to talk about it.  Long and the short of it being they haven't seen it before but totally agree it is not right so they asked me to send them back in to look at.  I am very impressed with the positive response and Hope in my opinion have really been great to date.
So I am not refitting the old Campag Scriroccos to the MonstaThorn.
These rims are so tight that I can't wait to get my Hopes back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 02 November, 2008, 06:19:21 pm
Riding home in the dark and the wet last week I had the thought that I might be better off switching to the Globe for winter commuting; its hub gears are better for winter. It's heavier, but I suppose that will keep my fitness up...

I've already put a bigger sprocket and a new chain on (not that this mattered for commuting but it does once you hit anything resembling a hill, which I may well do if I decide to do heavy touring with it).

Today I cut an inch off each end of the bars and moved the controls inward (they are incredibly wide and I might take more off in due course).

The position is also much too upright which is a problem in the wind I get along the Albert Embankment, so I've flipped the stem to make the position slightly less 'sit up and beg'.

She will also get new tyres; still has the originals and they are starting to look a bit cut up after 2000 miles; I'm getting 35s instead of the 42s.

The saddle now feels rubbish on my behind after a summer on the Anatomica that I bought for the Eclipse, so if it continues to feel rubbish I will swap that over too. Would like to avoid that if possible though, as I'll still use the Eclipse for longer rides over the winter and find swapping saddles a faff. If I was rich, I would buy another Anatomica...but I'm not, so I won't. Thankfully things like light brackets are cheaper to have on both bikes...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 02 November, 2008, 06:35:40 pm
Fitted a new rear wheel to my work bike. The wheel had been on their a long time and was not new when I fitted it so it did not owe me anything. I have a new front wheel too but will fit that when the clocks move forward and I don't use the dynohub when commuting.
I bought the new wheels from Spa and they have super smooth cartridge bearing hubs so am looking forward to my commute tomorrow (I don't mean going to work, you understand)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 November, 2008, 07:44:36 pm
As mentioned by Martin in the old cars thread, some fettling of his mudguard stay went on.  Adrian's (I think) Leatherman pliers were used to form a new eye in the broken stay, but they weren't quite up to the job of making this eye small enough.

I spied a bit of broken paving slab, an inna Neanderthal stylee, hammered the eye to the right size, using the kerb as an anvil.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 02 November, 2008, 07:45:43 pm
I chucked yet another failed <£20 bike computer into the box that's aleady filled with crap <£20 bike computers and their bits and fitted a Cateye Strada wireless to the trike.

It works: it's reliable, accurate and the other two on the other good bikes also work perfectly. I'm fed up with bike "bargain" accessories.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 02 November, 2008, 09:03:38 pm
I have fettled some carrots & a parsnip as my contribution to domesticity
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 02 November, 2008, 09:06:10 pm
So, cabbage and cauliflower for dinner then?  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 November, 2008, 09:32:45 pm
1  Taped the bars on the new track machine - partly to form a pad to stop them bashing the paint on the top tube when the bars swing round.  Excellent job  :thumbsup:

2  Adjusted angle of the bars on the new track machine - and the bare metal above the tape now hits the top tube and will bash the paint.  Bugger  :-[

... and tomorrow, I will be removing the bar tape from the new track bike and replacing it, taking it slightly further up to avoid bashing the paint on the top tube.

The only slight upside is that I managed to squeeze both sides out of one (of the two in the packet) rolls of "carbon effect" Velox tape.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 02 November, 2008, 11:26:48 pm
Quote from: toekneep on 02 November, 2008, 09:06:10 pm
So, cabbage and cauliflower for dinner then?  :demon:
Marj's contribution was the technical bit :potatoes & the chicken ;D

We had strawberrys for afters. I poured the cream 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 03 November, 2008, 01:08:48 pm
Built a new back wheel for FrankenFixie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 03 November, 2008, 04:50:55 pm
I have fettled the brakes & cleaned the Langster
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 November, 2008, 12:21:44 pm
We had to leave the bikes outside for a couple of days, and my chain was so badly rusted by yesterday that I had to give urgent attention :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 06 November, 2008, 09:04:23 pm
made a bodgy rear mudflap (sunday training ride captain insists on them) out of gaffa tape and part of a water cooler cup from work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 November, 2008, 09:06:40 pm
Polished an AM hub shell, not quite sure what to do with it next.  Maybe it could have the S-RF3 innards in it for someone who wants the vintage look, but wants a hub that can't slip.  Or maybe I'll build another Brompton rear wheel, although I'm not sure 40-hole rims exist.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 07 November, 2008, 07:58:52 pm
Tried single speed on the Tricross yesterday - today I swopped it back to fixed.
And (as a tiny window of dryish weather) I managed to get the Virago started and took it out to charge the battery and circulate the oil....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 07 November, 2008, 08:03:50 pm
Cleaned my bike after the rather filthy state the roads have been in this week. 

Bodged some clear lenses for my glasses out of an old pair of safety glasses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 November, 2008, 10:48:44 pm
Quote from: nuttycyclist on 01 November, 2008, 01:16:58 am
OK, I think it's just about ready to be crashed again.


(http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q273/nuttycyclist/misc/KIF_5631.jpg)

I don't know what powers that, Nutty, but mind you don't cut your own head off. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 November, 2008, 10:53:30 pm
I've just been fettling the tandem.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 08 November, 2008, 12:38:08 am
My commuter fixie lives again!

Back from a case of near-terminal chainsettyfalleyoffedness and thanks to a very excellent forummer sending me a lightly used spare part, Phil's back on the road and badder than ever with my new rear light. (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10574.msg186747#msg186747)

Rah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 08 November, 2008, 06:08:54 pm
brakes mounted,   mudguards mounted and chain shortened to the correct length as the last thing
before completion.


Then I discovered I don't have a link or a spare pin for a 8-speed chain  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 08 November, 2008, 06:15:56 pm
I've fettled Kali - but I can't change the sodding pedals...  >:(

I don't know what he put them on with, but I've broken two spanners trying to shift them (and yes, I was trying to turn them the right way).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 November, 2008, 06:16:40 pm
New AM/AW hybrid hub wheel fitted and test ridden.   Unfortunately it slips in bottom gear on a really steep hill - it may just be cone adjustment.  The clutch is new, the gear rings dogs looked OK and the pawls are new, so hopefully it's just an over-tight RH cone.  The ratios of the AM (52", 60" and 70") are so useful that it needs to work.  Worst case scenario is that I need to find a better gear ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 November, 2008, 06:17:55 pm
Quote from: Regulator on 08 November, 2008, 06:15:56 pm
I've fettled Kali - but I can't change the sodding pedals...  >:(

I don't know what he put them on with, but I've broken two spanners trying to shift them (and yes, I was trying to turn them the right way).

Do you have a proper long pedal spanner?  Try a little bit of heat (boiling water).  Also try removing the crank first, then the floor can act as a fulcrum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 08 November, 2008, 06:21:07 pm
Quote from: Regulator on 08 November, 2008, 06:15:56 pm
I've fettled Kali - but I can't change the sodding pedals...  >:(

I don't know what he put them on with, but I've broken two spanners trying to shift them (and yes, I was trying to turn them the right way).

I fitted a new headset to my Marin, using the Proper Tool For The Job.  :thumbsup:

Then I decided to swap pedals over on a couple of bikes. I should have quit while I was ahead. Who forgot to put the chain on the big ring? Who gouged a chunk out of his hand when the spanner slipped?   :-[ :'(
I'd have settled for broken spanners.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 09 November, 2008, 11:51:51 am
Fixed my Smart halogen front lights  :thumbsup: The fuse holder had disintegrated so the battery wouldn't charge. A bit of electrical tape sorted that, so I can go back to lighting up the street signs on my way home from work  O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 09 November, 2008, 12:23:06 pm
I haven't fettled anything, but it has taken me half an hour just to get last week's commuting mud cleaned off. Yuk.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 09 November, 2008, 12:26:45 pm
The turbo (i-Magic) and the turbo hack (currently a Jensen Outback frame but due for a swap to an old Marin frame).

The dedicated pc came up with a cmos error on startup but all seems fine now.  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RogerT on 09 November, 2008, 12:28:18 pm
New brake levers and brake blocks.  Seems to have done the trick, bike now stops without me having to resort to shoe rubber interafacing with the road.

Cleaned of a weeks worth of assorted grunge including very sticky cow shit  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 09 November, 2008, 01:00:31 pm
Fixed eight (yes, that's 8 ) inner tubes  O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 09 November, 2008, 01:45:44 pm
I've bought some new thorn resistant inner tubes from Giant.  They are for Son1's MTB so I will install them today.

My MonstaThorn is absolutely covered in mud from all the heavy traffic on my back roads, kicking the mud into the road. 

But I've just looked at the weather forecast for tomorrow, HEAVY RAIN - so what is the point?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 09 November, 2008, 03:48:04 pm
I almost got the cat flap in, but rain stopped play, since I can't plonk on the "rainproof in an hour" stuff if it's actually raining. :-\

I've also discovered that what worked perfectly in front of me, now manages to foul the flap when installed in the wall and it's damned near impossible to get the final two screws in when the "porch" is fitted (and you have to fit the porch before you screw the outside fascia to the wall). >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 09 November, 2008, 03:52:35 pm
Not today but yesterday morning I redished a wheel and respaced it to 120 for a fixie conversion of a donated bike at the work shop

This will be the forth (including my own) so far and we sold the last two straight away :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 November, 2008, 07:48:20 pm
Stripped another Sturmey-Archer AM hub, which was sold to me as "reconditioned".  Hmmm.  It has a new clutch, clutch key and new clutch spring, but it's full of hardened old oil deposits and is currently marinading in solvent.  The rest of the bits look OK, but I won't really know until they're cleaned.

This one's going in the spare Brompton rear wheel when it's finished - if it fits.  If not, it'll go in a nice AM shell I have and be sold for megabucks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Analog Kid on 14 November, 2008, 09:06:01 pm
New brakes and bar tape for Gina, my lovely Pinarello.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 14 November, 2008, 09:12:47 pm
More inner tubes. F*cking faeries  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 17 November, 2008, 01:05:49 pm
Not today, but I've added a socket spanner to my Crank Brothers multitool, and removed the torx driver and one of the screwdriver heads that I never use. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 November, 2008, 01:36:55 pm
Replaced the cable stop hanger, stem and handlebars on Fred. Replaced the rear brakes for Avid Shorty 4's. Discovered I do not have a new rear brake cable so the bike is still off the road. Couldn't shift the headset bearings (spacer pushed down onto the rubber seal has set quite firm) so will dribble oil in later.

Will get new cables (front and rear) on my way home.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 17 November, 2008, 03:46:00 pm
Yesterday I tightened up my front QR.

Only after I noticed the lever swinging nonchalantly as I rode downhill at 30mph. Much gentle braking and buttock clenching as I approached a narrow bridge and oncoming motor vehicle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 November, 2008, 04:15:51 pm
Optimum time for fettling that is at point T, where T precedes being out on the road with a floppy lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 18 November, 2008, 09:18:22 pm
new rubinos for winter bike, which went surprisingly well. also swapping all the lights back from the summer bike, which has had to endure commuting duty while the new tyres were on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 21 November, 2008, 09:38:59 am
The screw holding the leg bit on my cycling specs has fallen out and been lost down a crack in the floorboards, so I stuck them back together with sellotape. I have an air of Jack Duckworth about me now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 November, 2008, 10:06:53 am
Trivia point:  I worked with Jack & Vera Duckworth at Sheffield Show in the 80s, where they did a bit of 'in character' comedy in between singing WMC standards.  Quite nice people, they were. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 24 November, 2008, 03:33:39 pm
I have just removed the flat bars from Marj's mtb & replaced them with butterfly bars.
The mechs/chain tension now needs adjusting because the rapid fire shifters won't select big ring at the front nor the 23 to 30 at the back.
I may take the soft option & take the bike to the lbs in the morning :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 24 November, 2008, 05:09:43 pm
Quote from: clarion on 21 November, 2008, 10:06:53 am
Trivia point:  I worked with Jack & Vera Duckworth at Sheffield Show in the 80s, where they did a bit of 'in character' comedy in between singing WMC standards.  Quite nice people, they were. :)
Further trivia point: my mum used to be the head waitress at Ingwood Restaurant in the late 70s and Liz Dawn (Vera) was booked to do the Saturday night cabaret one week. She turned up way too pissed to go on and when the owner told her so, she punched him.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 November, 2008, 08:05:19 pm
Just about to fettle the cranks to look at those chain rings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 24 November, 2008, 10:20:22 pm
Managed to fettle two bikes! New handlebars and cables on the Brompton "S" as the standard ones are too narrow for me. New handlebars on the Airnimal to give a little bit of ride to them.  Had to reroute the cables on the Brommie as wella sthey were all round the wrong side of the stem! Got an old Brooks saddle on it to replace the Worst Saddle in the Whole World, EVER! that is a standard Brompton model
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 26 November, 2008, 05:36:02 pm
De-rusted and painted the front rack of the Pashley, ex-Royal Mail bike I bought earlier in the week.

As the muguards didn't match, I painted them with the same black Hammerite paint and very good they look too. I'll drill the holes for the leather tan mudguards I bought a while ago and fit them tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 26 November, 2008, 05:38:16 pm
I put batteries in a rear light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 26 November, 2008, 05:42:27 pm
Replaced a headset and mounted a new rear light

I have completed the building of my Thorn touring bike  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:




edit; bugger I forgot the computer  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 30 November, 2008, 10:05:38 am
Made a right tit of meself yesterday.

After putting the chain back on I realised I hadn't routed it correctly through the jockeys and being too lazy to unjoin the chain again I decided to undo the screws which retain the cage plates and jockey wheels......zing.  I am now minus a screw as it has shot off in the depths of the garage somewhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 30 November, 2008, 10:18:48 am
Done that.  Most of us probably have.

Now get some quick links  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonyh on 30 November, 2008, 10:56:18 am
Quote from: Charlotte on 30 November, 2008, 10:18:48 am
Done that.  Most of us probably have.

Oh yes. And forgotten to shorten the chain to the right length as well.

Quote from: Charlotte on 30 November, 2008, 10:18:48 am
Now get some quick links  ::-)

Do they have disadvantages? eg give a weak point in the chain??
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 November, 2008, 12:04:41 pm
I did worse than that when I first took the chain off of my old Trice recumbent.  When I put the chain back on, I put it the wrong way around, so you had to pedal backwards to move forwards!  It's fairly easily done with a long chain run, but embarrassing nevertheless. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 30 November, 2008, 12:08:49 pm
Quote from: tonyh on 30 November, 2008, 10:56:18 am
Do they have disadvantages? eg give a weak point in the chain??

If they do, I've never noticed them - on either 1/32" on the geared bike or 1/8" on the fixed, in over 30,000km.

Not had one fail yet - though I guess it might happen eventually. One in every >30,000km is good enough for me given the convenience factor. For ease of access for chain cleaning alone, they are brilliant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 30 November, 2008, 01:41:58 pm
Quote from: Charlotte on 30 November, 2008, 10:18:48 am
Done that.  Most of us probably have.

Now get some quick links  ::-)

I don't know if I can admit this....... the chain in question already has quicklinks!  :-[

It sounds daft now but I thought I could just slacken off the screws slighty and wrangle the chain inside the cage plate.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 30 November, 2008, 10:27:47 pm
Quote from: TimO on 30 November, 2008, 12:04:41 pm
I did worse than that when I first took the chain off of my old Trice recumbent.  When I put the chain back on, I put it the wrong way around, so you had to pedal backwards to move forwards! 

Sort of moonwalking by bike?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 November, 2008, 10:29:30 pm
Quote from: Kirst on 30 November, 2008, 10:27:47 pm
Sort of moonwalking by bike?

A bit, but easier to do, and the Trice is a tricycle, so actually not the same. ;D

It does feel very odd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonyh on 01 December, 2008, 08:02:42 am
Well, yesterday.
Replaced chain after 2400 miles. Avoided the mistakes this time.
Looked over tyres and found a flint which had got half way through the tube.
First experience of the "tie the tyre down into the well (when it's hard to get it over the rim)" technique, only just learned from here (appeared in CTC mag on same day). It's good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 02 December, 2008, 11:56:10 pm
After a lovely front wheel loss, and catch!, on black ice I thought it was time to break the Windcheetah out again.

Tyres pumped.
Chain lubed.
Lights adjusted.
Brakes checked.
Got on for test ride and went nowhere.  Pawls not engaging in freehub.

To get the cassette tool on you need to remove the gear hanger (two bolts, accessed through the wheel).

Cassette off.  Freehub off.  It's working fine  :-\

Spun for ages in my hands, then plenty of oil drizzled in to flush out the pawls.

Reassembled.
Gears aligned.

Went out for a test ride and started getting really sideways on the iced roads :thumbsup:.  Junction treatment is lean back in the seat, brake hard, front wheels lock and then as they start drifting down the camber take the weight off the back of the seat, boot the pedals and get the back wheel spinning up.  Drifting can be controlled via balance of brakes, steering and rear wheel spinning.

Mind you, starting a wheelspin when you're already doing 20mph is interesting ;D


I'm going to have to get up early so I can commute to work the long way on the iced roads and hope the gritters don't start on more than just the main routes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 04 December, 2008, 10:27:23 am
New chain on Dave.  Shifting is now nice and positive, but it's still skipping under torque, especially on the common sprockets.  Looks like I have to do the cassette as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 05 December, 2008, 07:03:28 pm
I've built my first wheel!!! 

an alfine hub gear for my 29er mountainbike so I can ride for more than 200 yards without it getting clagged up with mud.  It was flddly but pretty straightforward, thanks to uncle Sheldon and FWNs photos.  Havent actually tried it yet, and it may end in tears tomorrow, but it *looks* like a wheel!

then I fitted it to the mtb with the new shifters and cables.  Just need a brake disc, chain and some rim tape and I'm away!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 06 December, 2008, 12:52:01 pm
My fettling skills are on a par with my map reading skills - pants.

Therefore, I am rather proud of myself. I have just fitted new rather natty red Koolstop brake blocks to Claud.  There was no swearing, I didn't loose any bits and everything works just fine!  :thumbsup:

(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l160/stevenr_01/DSC00763.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 December, 2008, 02:51:09 pm
Am I allowed to claim a 'fettling moment' a week late? If so I can claim to have fettled Martin 109's VW Golf.We treated it to a new (Weber) carburettor with manual choke, water pump fan belt, and antifreeze.

Initial response was a lighter and more responsive throttle, better idle and performance. Replacing the water pump and fan belt made the engine run a lot quieter due to very knackered bearing. A couple of days later Martin reported it seemed to be more economical as well.

Extremely pleased with the result. Made a bad day good again.

luv'n'stuff

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 06 December, 2008, 03:27:19 pm
Nero /mode=velodrome :thumbsup:

In particular: a good scrub, brakes and moustache bars and road-junk off, pista bars on, tyres swapped to even up wear, 15t cog slapped on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 06 December, 2008, 07:12:23 pm
I *would* have been attempting to remove my freewheel, but since the ebay seller saw fit to send me a Shimano cassette lockring tool instead of the Shimano freewheel remover in the listing, I'm not.

I take it I am right in assuming they are not interchangeable?  ??? Have twice emailed seller but they are ignoring me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 December, 2008, 07:36:09 pm
Took the cranks off and turned the middle and little ring around.  I have been unhappy with the way the chain is feeling all week so tomorrow I'll test it again and see if that has solved the problem.  Not skipping, just not gliding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 06 December, 2008, 07:37:20 pm
I've not been near a bike today, but I've finally put some shelves in the hall cupboard to give me more storage space.

The bike toolbox, box of spares & the panniers have been relocated from the bedroom  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 06 December, 2008, 07:58:24 pm
Quote from: Notsototalnewbie on 06 December, 2008, 07:12:23 pm
I *would* have been attempting to remove my freewheel, but since the ebay seller saw fit to send me a Shimano cassette lockring tool instead of the Shimano freewheel remover in the listing, I'm not.

I take it I am right in assuming they are not interchangeable?  ??? Have twice emailed seller but they are ignoring me.

Do you want them killed?


New chain for the Wilier today. My trusty Park Tool chainbreaker came apart, but I sorted it. Went for a ride, no slipping so the cassette lives another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 06 December, 2008, 08:38:27 pm
Arse, the bloomin' sprocket won't come off.  Fettling postponed until tomorrow to blag the LBS's chain wrench...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonyh on 06 December, 2008, 08:40:22 pm
Quote from: Notsototalnewbie on 06 December, 2008, 07:12:23 pm
I *would* have been attempting to remove my freewheel, but since the ebay seller saw fit to send me a Shimano cassette lockring tool instead of the Shimano freewheel remover in the listing, I'm not.

I take it I am right in assuming they are not interchangeable?  ??? Have twice emailed seller but they are ignoring me.

This might be useful perhaps:

Shimano Cassettes & Freehubs, by Sheldon Brown (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#remove)

Worth a look, anyway. But you probably know all that already.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 07 December, 2008, 04:38:51 pm
Thanks tonyh. I remain fairly sure that they are not the same tool (unless anyone can tell me otherwise?)

To add to the fun, the seller has sent what looks like an automated email asking me to leave feedback even though I have already emailed them to give them a chance to fix things. I could leave feedback, cut my losses and just buy one from elsewhere, I was trying to be fair, but this seems a bit much...!  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 07 December, 2008, 05:41:44 pm
I started off changing my frt cantilever pads but sheared a bolt when tightening. The brake is scrap now but luckily I already had a long-reach caliper brake that will fit to the same forks. I was a bit rushed because it was getting dark and the temp was dropping so I fitted the brake to check for any possible alignment problems and hopefully I will change the cable tomorrow eve. It is my fixed wheel work bike and only has a frt brake. I wanted to keep the canti brake because it has more power but the caliper brake that I have fitted is dual pivot so shouldn't be too much worse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 07 December, 2008, 07:37:36 pm
Just fitted some FSA ceramic jockey wheels and did some gear fettling....I know, I know but they're cool and red and everything and are guaranteed to make you more attractive to members of the opposite sex, plus I had a £5 Wiggle voucher.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 December, 2008, 08:13:41 pm
This week Pingu built me a new wheel with a nice shiny unsticky hub and an extra gear  :-*. Today he replaced my brake cables. So my bike is all ready to ride like a dream.
Whenever I'm fit to get back on it, that is  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 December, 2008, 08:21:00 pm
Quote from: andygates on 06 December, 2008, 08:38:27 pm
Arse, the bloomin' sprocket won't come off.  Fettling postponed until tomorrow to blag the LBS's chain wrench...

..... hope you got this sorted or you'll be on a hire bike on Monday!

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 08 December, 2008, 12:40:36 pm
Commenced changing the Ken Rogers from flats / Rabidfires to drops / down-tube shifters.

Only remembered halfway through that making use of the huge blue lump of ironmongery with "Park" writ large thereupon would mean that my spine would not feel as though it needed a 10,000 mile service.

Bah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bikenerd on 08 December, 2008, 04:40:25 pm
My neighbour helped me lengthen the hose and bleed my recently acquired Magura HS33 brakes.
Just have to wait for a couple of parts to arrive then I can mount them and finally have a back brake that works on the Moulton!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 09 December, 2008, 08:46:13 am
Quote from: Notsototalnewbie on 06 December, 2008, 07:12:23 pm
I *would* have been attempting to remove my freewheel, but since the ebay seller saw fit to send me a Shimano cassette lockring tool instead of the Shimano freewheel remover in the listing, I'm not.

I take it I am right in assuming they are not interchangeable?  ??? Have twice emailed seller but they are ignoring me.

YHPM
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 09 December, 2008, 09:48:10 am
New brake blocks on the Tifosi. Wear indicators on wheel rims are a nice idea, but this time of year they get crap in them which slices up your brake blocks. I gave the rims a good clean as well and de-crapped the mudguards while the wheels were off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 09 December, 2008, 11:12:27 am
Quote from: Paul on 09 December, 2008, 08:46:13 am
Quote from: Notsototalnewbie on 06 December, 2008, 07:12:23 pm
I *would* have been attempting to remove my freewheel, but since the ebay seller saw fit to send me a Shimano cassette lockring tool instead of the Shimano freewheel remover in the listing, I'm not.

I take it I am right in assuming they are not interchangeable?  ??? Have twice emailed seller but they are ignoring me.

YHPM

Thanks Paul. Seller has finally woken up it would seem and has arranged a swap.

I fear this project may be jinxed anyway, the new chain and freewheel block were apparently posted out last Tuesday (by a different seller) and no sign of those buggers either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 09 December, 2008, 12:27:25 pm
Rifles through spares, only got a screw-on one I am afraid. Any good?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 09 December, 2008, 06:35:01 pm
The bathroom w.c.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 09 December, 2008, 09:54:03 pm
Quote from: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 09 December, 2008, 12:27:25 pm
Rifles through spares, only got a screw-on one I am afraid. Any good?

Ta very much Jasper. A screw-on freewheel is actually what I was after...but the package arrived on my desk today, along with the chain, so I have nearly everything now.

I posted the cassette lockring tool back and now eagerly await the arrival of the tool I asked for...

Once the new cogs and chain are on I'm also fitting a new derailleur which I have already. It looks rather complicated and I fully expect to make a pig's ear of it  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 10 December, 2008, 12:15:10 pm
Any good recipes for a pig's ear out there........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 13 December, 2008, 04:11:35 pm
I have cable-tied a headtorch to my helmet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 December, 2008, 10:40:36 pm
I've finished the super-Brompton wheel.  Sturmey-Archer AM mechanism in a 28-hole AW shell, 150mm s/s spokes (the standard ones are slightly too short for the older hubs), 2 brass washers under the head of each one to shorten the elbow, standard Brompton rim.

You don't get many Bromptons with close-ratio gears, or where the cable adjustment is done by reference to the *left* end of the axle (this particular AM has a straight-through indicator spindle).  It should be a lot more useful to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mossy200 on 14 December, 2008, 10:44:44 am
Christmas lights.
But coild not fix totally.
Put up at the top of our gable (which is very high). Its a ladder and then a six foot pole to loop the wires over the hooks.
I climbed many years  but this is looking higher each year now.
The house should look good lit up tonight.
I would have liked to have mended the last few lights which would not come on ,I guess a broken internal wire.
Still new lights in the sales .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 14 December, 2008, 11:40:42 am
The freezer!  Under the frost I found a joint of Mystery Meat and a tub of raspberries!  Unknown Roast and summer-fruit smoothies, here I come. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 15 December, 2008, 10:21:50 am
Quote from: Kirst on 13 December, 2008, 04:11:35 pm
I have cable-tied a headtorch to my helmet.

It has stopped working since Saturday. I have no access to any of the software I need to do my work today, apart from the internet and email, so I might as well try to fix it while I'm here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 15 December, 2008, 02:53:56 pm
I unwrapped n+1, from this:

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/kaffenback_boxed.jpg)

to this:

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/kaffenback_unpacked.jpg)

...but it's likely to remain in bits until after the New Year, since I've only got a few days to get stacks of stuff done before I disappear off for the Christmas holiday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 December, 2008, 03:02:25 pm
Splendid! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zipperhead on 15 December, 2008, 03:05:26 pm
Yesterday, after the most thorough cleaning session that it's had in a *long* time my Pompino got a new chain (the old one was so caked it took me a while to find the joining link) a new back tyre (the old one was through the rubber around most of it's circumference, and through the kevlar belt in one place) and some new bar tape.

Oh it did look nice and shiny again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 15 December, 2008, 06:59:11 pm
I've heard tell that you like a clean and well-lubricated pompino  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 15 December, 2008, 09:39:57 pm
Rear gear cable, loose front mudguard stay.  Can't stand a rattle on the commute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zipperhead on 15 December, 2008, 10:50:53 pm
Quote from: Charlotte on 15 December, 2008, 06:59:11 pm
I've heard tell that you like a clean and well-lubricated pompino  :D

There's nothing to beat a nice freshly lubed pompino. And if I can't get one of those, then there's nothing to beat beating my...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 December, 2008, 10:09:39 am
Right.  Time to get the Ken Rogers' brakes really sorted.

Fiddle, faff.

Bugger.

It appears that the so-called "deep-drop" brakes haz insufficient deepitude, in that in their current position they will mostly be using the tyres as a braking surface which, as any fule kno, violates the fundamental principles of IngSoc not crashing.  Much is to do with this modern fad for enormous brake blocks, which mean that the dual-pivot has to go just there to avoid a conflict of interests with the cantis.

Stomp off to drink wine and watch Sunday's episode of "Wallander", during which inspiration strikes.

Root through tin of old tqt in Sheds, find eighteen year old drop bolt from original Kingcycle.  'tis a small block of metal, cunningly wrought by the Natives of Buckinghamshire to contain a brace of M6 threaded holes, and in these holes may be found countersunk M6 bolts.

Attempt to remove shorter of two bolts results in Allen key flying across Sheds and skinned knuckles.  Turn umop-ap!sdn, screw pair of nuts onto protruding end of bolt, apply loosening torque.

Thread strips.

Apply mole-grips and, praise be to $DEITY, the bolt actually moves and, after some ten minutes of of heaving, is extracted.

Head back inside in much better mood and cook enormous dinner.

Next question is can I be arsed to replace the other bolt, which is similarly jammed in place, and I think the answer is probably "no".

Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to ("You're fired" - Ed.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 16 December, 2008, 12:17:43 pm
Since my front rim was about to explode after 5500 miles of London commuting, and rather large amounts of braking, I popped in a spare wheel from my currently dismantled Galaxy.  I had to put a tyre and tube on it anyway, so I replaced the front tyre that was also about to expire, and just transferred the inner tube over.  So far, so good.

The brakes were a bit knackered, and things would need to be adjusted for the new wheel, so I swapped the pads over... but the only new pads I had in my spare bits box were some Kool Stop Salmons, which I've not had much success with, too squeally.

After about half a mile of cycling to work this morning, and numerous stops to fiddle with them, I gave in.  I've yet to manage to get the Kool Stops to work even marginally without massive amounts of squeal.  One car stopped, because he thought someone was using their horn. :-\

One set of el-cheapo Aztecs from Evans later, and less than five minutes of fettling by the road side, and the brakes work, and don't squeal like a pig in an abattoir.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ABlipInContinuity on 18 December, 2008, 10:56:50 pm
Rear wheel trued on Maffie's Trek

Cranks stripped from tandem and bottom bracket shells and axles measured ready to order new ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 December, 2008, 11:46:32 pm
Yesterday.

I need to put the front rack on Fred. This is a custom lowrider so I have to remove the mudguard bolts and add two new bolts for each side.

Put the first bolt in. It is a 3mm button head allen bolt. A bit stiff - the bolt head rounds off.

Hmm.. be better off chasing out the threads with the tap first..
Can't get the bolt out.

Can't get the mudguard bolts out either.

Hacksaw a slot in the bolts and use a ratchet wrench. Hacksaw slips, gouge in thumb. Bad words were said.

Find big grippy pliers to try to remove the bolt stubs. Find big pump pliers, fail to remove stubs.

I am beginning to become a teensy bit annoyed and my demeanour is falling rapidly below that of my normal placid self.

Plan B. Find the other low rider racks, the ones with the cross bar loopy bit that were on the MTB. Bolts are somewhat rusty and the strapping I used before to go round the forks is no longer there.

Nothing suitable at Tesco, as B & Q has just closed.

Brainwave. Old reflector mounts, the sort that go round seat posts with a rubber shim. These are a perfect size.

Raid the box of bolts, a bit of hackery and a very neat solution.

It hasn't fallen apart crossing Londinium tonight either..

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 21 December, 2008, 01:01:41 pm
Put tape onto Marj's new butterfly bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 21 December, 2008, 03:33:24 pm
Washed wife's Pioneer Elite to reveal full glory of 1980's purple / metallic green spatter finish (better than it sounds, honest), pumped tyres and cleaned & lubed chain. I've never seen another of these (and with that paintjob I'm not entirely surprised).

Followed up with the same on the Kona Caldera which had become increasingly covered in various sorts of goo. Included washing mud off tyres, even the knobbly bits. I worry about myself sometimes...  ::-)

Now feeling guilty that I didn't do the Pompino too. I have to leave something to do for Christmas, though. That will also include removal of false neutrals from the R20; I've read all the interweb blurb on SA hub adjustments but can't keep it in my head while I walk to the garage... I'll just have to bring the bike inside. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 24 December, 2008, 01:37:03 pm
So far today I have fettled some potatoes & some carrots.
I did ever so well:I didn't even need a map to find the kitchen.

I have just been promoted to C-in-C The Hoover.

I could soon apply to have my status as Domestic Phillistine  reviewed ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 24 December, 2008, 02:11:03 pm
 & now I have fettled some pigs-in-blankets :o
This domestic engineering is exhausting:I need a lie down with 4 units a bottle of Grolsch
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 29 December, 2008, 06:02:47 pm
I have removed sizable sections of Norfolk, Leicestershire and Warwickshire from my geared Audax bike today, collected during recent Audaxes. You see - this is why I would normally ride fixed this time of year:

(http://www.ivy-house.org.uk/images/skogg_before.JPG)

Needless to say, the chain was history - having been partially dissolved by road salt. Here we are, avec new chain, two hours later:

(http://www.ivy-house.org.uk/images/skogg_after.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 29 December, 2008, 06:18:41 pm
THat's a different rear wheel, isn't ti, Chris?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 02 January, 2009, 11:34:00 pm
*rocks back and forth in a deranged manner*

Bloody gears...bloody gears....why won't you index properly...damn you...argh

Got around to replacing freewheel block, chain and derailleur on Eclipse (making it into a 7-speed)

All said components are now on the bike. But all is not well. Several things, actually. *twitches*

Methinks I will take it to Brixton Cycles tomorrow and let them sort it before I drive myself loopy (or start thinking about fixing it  :o ) I gave it a damn good try, the dog will testify.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 02 January, 2009, 11:53:51 pm
Isn't yours a Shimano Nexus hub, NSTN?

I have one in the garage on a Ridgeback. ISTR that it's easy to get the cable lying in the wrong place at the hub end.

For my part, I have relaid some bar-tape and (hooray) put the left SPD pedal back on the Mercian. I replaced it with a rat-trap pedal some months ago because my arthritis was making it painful to clip in and out. Now my ankle's a lot better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 03 January, 2009, 12:01:34 am
The Nexus is on the Globe, which does very well for flattish city riding and has given me no trouble yet.

The Eclipse (the mixte) has derailleur gears, which I had thoroughly worn out.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 03 January, 2009, 12:11:53 am
(whispers) Down tube shifters...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 03 January, 2009, 07:30:55 am
Quote from: Notsototalnewbie on 02 January, 2009, 11:34:00 pm
*rocks back and forth in a deranged manner*

Bloody gears...bloody gears....why won't you index properly...damn you...argh

 I gave it a damn good try, the dog will testify.



That dog is a) biased and b) unknowledgable about any gear system post benelux.....  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 03 January, 2009, 10:42:06 am
What are you whispering about my DT shifters, Wow? I am rather fond of them these days; replacing cables is a doddle for one thing.

Have just got back from BC with perfectly fettled bike. Turns out I should also have replaced the little bit of housing because it was not letting the cable run smoothly so all my 'fine-tuning' was in vain; they also added a spacer to stop the chain fouling the frame with the extra cog squeezed in. Perhaps I would have realised this if I had not been in a state of 'post-flu', but probably not.

Here's a funny thing though; this twit has done herself out of her lowest gear. I could have sworn my biggest cog on the original block was 28 and bought the new freewheel block accordingly; when I compared the two I realised the biggest one on the old block is 32 and it is written on it and everything, what is wrong with me?! So apologies in advance to whoever happens to be near me on the next hill; I expect the Tourettes will return as I bemoan the loss of those four teeth.

(Jasper, the dog would like you to know that she knows as much about gears as Mr Legg's cat knows about the weather. In actual fact she went and cowered in the hallway, because the noise and sight of the wheel spinning as I tested the gears was freaking her out greatly, and only came back once I had put the bike and tools to one side. Wimp.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 03 January, 2009, 10:44:29 am
Oh and on the plus side, I got the freewheel off on my own when I didn't think I would. I think it's cos I hadn't gone up any really big hills since it was last off so it hadn't got too tight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 03 January, 2009, 03:32:52 pm
Fitted a new front light. And defrosted the freezer. Then filled it with icecream, Arctic Roll and frozen berries!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 03 January, 2009, 03:55:21 pm
Put raceblades on the Giant.

Put lights on the tourer for commuting until new chain for the Pompino arrives.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mossy200 on 03 January, 2009, 04:37:10 pm
Finished fine tuning my mudguards attached to an old racer.
Feeling smug about his as using the knowledge from here have managed this when I would have normally used race blades.Plus up raated the brakes.Also fitted my tesco cree light to the bike  ;D but have yet to solve the rattle ???. More strapping needed,I think.
Tomorrow out at last but its a bit on the chilly side here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 03 January, 2009, 04:42:11 pm
One of the fittings of my front rack came loose on this morning's ride - it had stripped the thread.  Quickly replaced with a new bolt (after an age rootling through the nut and bolt tin in a freezing cold garage to find something which fitted  :-[).

N
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 03 January, 2009, 04:50:36 pm
Fitted tyres and cassette to my new wheels. Trued another wheel. Test ride and retruing tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 03 January, 2009, 08:06:31 pm
Changed the tyres around.  Cleaned and now polishing the MonstaThorn.  I read it in C+ that this is a good trick to keep the muck from sticking to the bike.
I'll give it a go.  This is only for the winter bike mind, not the carbon beauty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 03 January, 2009, 08:25:49 pm
Gears on the Twenty. Had to keep tension on the grip to stop it going in to neutral, had a twiddle with the adjuster & now all is perfect (by luck, rather than judgement). Still ludicrously overgeared, though.

If I could stop it doing it's slightly unnerving corkscrewing motion in a straight line, that'd be good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 January, 2009, 09:51:04 pm
Quote from: Notsototalnewbie on 03 January, 2009, 10:42:06 am
Here's a funny thing though; this twit has done herself out of her lowest gear. I could have sworn my biggest cog on the original block was 28 and bought the new freewheel block accordingly; when I compared the two I realised the biggest one on the old block is 32 and it is written on it and everything, what is wrong with me?! So apologies in advance to whoever happens to be near me on the next hill; I expect the Tourettes will return as I bemoan the loss of those four teeth.

Ah, but don't forget how very much stronger a rider you are now than you were - you will probably sail up the hills all the faster ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chris on 08 January, 2009, 07:11:00 pm
Did some more work on the old Galaxy frame that Gandalf gave to yellow-cietidh. Borrowed front wheel from Mrs Chris' Roberts and back wheel from my Dave Yates and used bits from Katies old GT and the spares box. Had it in a rideable state when Katie got home from school, so she had a quick ride up and down the Close a few times. Katie liked it, but said it was a lot twitchier than her GT, especally when out of the saddle. It needs a few minor tweaks that will be better done in daylight.

(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/acfpics/IMG_0917.jpg)

(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/acfpics/IMG_0921.jpg)
Before adjusting the seat angle (I built it up on the turbo trainer and used a spirit level on the saddle, forgetting that the back wheel was off the ground  ???).

Still need to -

1.  Buy some wheels. Either CR18s on Deore hubs from SJS or Endevours on Deore hubs from SPA.

2.  Fit rack.

3.  Fit bar tape.

4.  Buy and fit mudguards.

5.  Fit computer.

6.  Fit lights.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 08 January, 2009, 07:16:40 pm
Fettled 7 school kids bikes, surprisingly all in very good form. Ok a few of them where x-mas new so not much work to do. But there was a first for me, at a school, a headset that was on to tight !?!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 11 January, 2009, 06:40:41 pm
Front mudguard broke today....so will be sorting that out...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 11 January, 2009, 06:59:06 pm
Took the back roller brake (now b0rked by the wrong type of snow lube) off the commuting bike.  (Ordered a new one from teh webs - and a portion of the right kind of grease.)
Fettled front and rear canti brakes on the Super Galaxy, which will now have to stand in as conveyance of choice to work.

Tried, and failed, to take a photo of self for my Fay's Book profile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 11 January, 2009, 07:44:28 pm
A successful weekend in the SEEKRIT BUNKER.  Lovely new carbon forks for the Thorn Cyclosportif (at last), a temporary new front wheel for the fixer and a new gear cable for Liz's bike.

I do so like a good fettle  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 11 January, 2009, 08:27:48 pm
Serviced the summer bike.. Basically, this was cleaning the drivetrain and checking the gearing.

I also sorted out the toolkit and bits for my commuter bike.  didn't bother cleaning that, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 11 January, 2009, 08:31:28 pm
I went out riding ;)


Although in order to do that I had to fit a new spoke to my bike, cos I found one broken when I was giving it the once over yesterday. Amazingly I actually had one spare spoke of the correct length :thumbsup:
Plan B was to use the pompino
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 11 January, 2009, 08:39:21 pm
Tonsillitis is a great spur to stay indoors and feel sorry for oneself *coughs pathetically*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 11 January, 2009, 09:05:06 pm
Quote from: Deano on 11 January, 2009, 08:39:21 pm
Tonsillitis is a great spur to stay indoors and feel sorry for oneself *coughs pathetically*

Awww poor love. Have some chicken soup and keep well wrapped up ;D.


I suffer from tonsilitis regularly, horrible isn't it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 January, 2009, 12:05:44 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 11 January, 2009, 09:05:06 pm
Quote from: Deano on 11 January, 2009, 08:39:21 pm
Tonsillitis is a great spur to stay indoors and feel sorry for oneself *coughs pathetically*

Awww poor love. Have some chicken soup and keep well wrapped up ;D.


I suffer from tonsilitis regularly, horrible isn't it


It's the first time I've had it.  Hopefully the last too...

Currently I'm medicating it with bacon and coffee.  That'll do the trick ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 12 January, 2009, 09:20:40 pm
I've put a new chain and rear changer on the Mercian, and also added a rear rack (Tortec Ultralite).

I'll finish my coffee and go out for a short pootle in a minute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 12 January, 2009, 09:38:08 pm
I put some new brake blocks on the commuter - about a month too late by the look of the old ones.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 12 January, 2009, 10:50:07 pm
New tyres onto the MonstaThorn following two more punctures today.
I've put the old Campag wheels on as my new black replacement rims have arrived at Hope so they are collecting these wheels to sort them out. 

Guess what that means people ??  More photos soon  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 14 January, 2009, 09:33:46 am
I have taken the knobblies off Marj's mtb  & fitted some Schwalbe Marathon Plus'.
Together with mudgaurds,rear rack &  butterfly bars it now looks like a hybrid which is what she has preferred to having a new bike with drops.
An improvement in temperature is needed to allow a test ride to take place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 14 January, 2009, 09:54:29 am
Quote from: Deano on 11 January, 2009, 08:27:48 pm
Serviced the summer bike.. Basically, this was cleaning the drivetrain and checking the gearing.

Summer is way off yet!!



Built up Maffie's new bike and gave myself a nutty style fettling injury. D'oh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 14 January, 2009, 10:00:37 am
I have fettled some lights onto the Brompton as the weather report says sunny with clouds and it is fog!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 14 January, 2009, 03:11:59 pm
Quote from: ed_o_brain on 14 January, 2009, 09:54:29 am
Built up Maffie's new bike and gave myself a nutty style fettling injury. D'oh.

We need details and photos  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 14 January, 2009, 03:59:55 pm
Not quite but I have rebuilt a spin machine in the garage courtesy of national chain of gymnasia!

Does this count towards n+1 ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 14 January, 2009, 11:09:44 pm
put the new wheel on Fred. Velox rim tape, Pro3 Grip tyre. SRAM 11-28 block.

The chain would catch on teh mudguard bolt that went through the mounting eye. The bolt has rusted in place. Plenty of clearance was obtained with the help of my friend Mr Angle Grinder and everything appears to run smoothly. It will be tested tomorrow on the ride to work, and hopefully a more severe test in the evening.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 16 January, 2009, 03:18:06 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 14 January, 2009, 11:09:44 pm
put the new wheel on Fred. Velox rim tape, Pro3 Grip tyre. SRAM 11-28 block.

The chain would catch on teh mudguard bolt that went through the mounting eye. The bolt has rusted in place. Plenty of clearance was obtained with the help of my friend Mr Angle Grinder and everything appears to run smoothly. It will be tested tomorrow on the ride to work, and hopefully a more severe test in the evening.




good for another 30k now then!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 16 January, 2009, 04:34:30 pm
I've been fettling my elbow & shoulder trying to bring it up to standard for tomorrow's ride. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 17 January, 2009, 12:16:40 am
A broken chain, on Paddington Station concourse amidst the Friday evening throng, with Zipperhead's chain tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Palinurus on 17 January, 2009, 05:57:28 pm
After four dry, cold weeks followed by rain my commuter hack went somewhat rusty. The chain was really stretched anyway. A six-hour fettling session cleaning up the brakes and transmission, replacing brake levers (one of them damaged in a minor crash), brake and gear cables, chain, cassette, front mech (the one on there was steel for gods sake), bar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 17 January, 2009, 09:29:48 pm
Gore Ride On sealed cables installed onto the MonstaThorn.
I have started a thread in Reviews - Gore Ride On sealed cables (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13899.0) with pics.
Ace ace ace ace.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 18 January, 2009, 07:24:53 pm
Gave the Eclipse a wash including a good scrub of the rims, as braking was making a strange noise after a few miles in the salty Essex lanes on the WARTY.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 18 January, 2009, 08:26:42 pm
I've actually plugged the TV in for the first time in 9 months, and set up the wireless sender, so I can watch TV in the living room, or bedroom. ;D

Of course, the aerial in the roof is buggered, so all I can watch on the TV at the mo is DVDs, but that's fine, I've got enough to watch for several months, continuously. ;D

Next, get the aerial working, and plumb in the surround sound. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 18 January, 2009, 10:05:54 pm
Laced a new pair of wheels to convert the Dawes Synthesis XT back to gears. Must order tyres and cassette tomorrow and then I can put it all together!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 January, 2009, 11:10:05 pm
I was moving the car to attach the trailer to make a massive journey to the recycling centre, when I saw two roadies walking up the road.  So I drove and caught them up and enquired what was up?  Faeries.  So I invited them back to mine, got the track pump out and my tyre levers and my spare tube ( one of many repaired ones ) as Rob was out on his new bike with no puncture repair kit and no tube.  He was also running the stock standard Specialized Mondo tyres that are not great at keeping Wiltshire flints out.
So I changed the tyre of a stranger and helped a fellow cyclist out and refused any payment.
I reckon I have done my bestest deed for a while so hopefully the cycling Gods are watching and will protect me on my merry way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 18 January, 2009, 11:23:02 pm
Yebbut, the Faeries will be annoyed that you've undone their work, so will have it in for you now.  I hope you've got your best kevlar lined tubes ready for the week ahead!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 January, 2009, 05:44:32 am
Oh bugger, I was looking at the positive side of it.  I had not considered that other aspect.  I must appease the faeries or my life is miserable.  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 20 January, 2009, 12:24:22 pm
New tyre and tube for back end of Brompton.  LBS convinced me that Schwalbe tyres are better than Brompton own-brand, but they only go up to 85psi, rather than 100.

New rear-brake-cable, and chain, for Nemesis.  Like an idiot, I thought I could just split the old chain, and fit a new one.  But the new chain was too tight, (obviously, with hindsight - that's why I needed a new one) so I had to slacken it a bit by inching the rear wheel forward a smidge.  Prolly still a bit too tight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 January, 2009, 02:06:34 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 20 January, 2009, 12:24:22 pm
New tyre and tube for back end of Brompton.  LBS convinced me that Schwalbe tyres are better than Brompton own-brand, but they only go up to 85psi, rather than 100.

I found the Brompton Kevlars to be pants in comparison to the Schwalbe Marathon for immunity to the faeries.  The Brompton tyres are lighter, but far thinner, and far more prone to punctures than the Marathons.  Where I use them, largely in London, puncture resistance is far more important than weight and rolling resistance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 20 January, 2009, 02:22:54 pm
Quote from: TimO on 20 January, 2009, 02:06:34 pm
I found the Brompton Kevlars to be pants in comparison to the Schwalbe Marathon for immunity to the faeries.  The Brompton tyres are lighter, but far thinner, and far more prone to punctures than the Marathons.  Where I use them, largely in London, puncture resistance is far more important than weight and rolling resistance.

Thanks for that.  Or should I say...

"Faery Nuff."

IGMC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 20 January, 2009, 07:30:19 pm
I am getting the Longstaff ready for JoGLe.Taken the Barley saddlebag off & fitted the Camper Longflap.
I have removed two Topeak bar extenders & a maptrap from the handlebars .A computer & Ortlieb bar bag are to be fitted to the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 24 January, 2009, 05:11:48 am
Quote from: alan on 20 January, 2009, 07:30:19 pm
.A computer & Ortlieb bar bag are to be fitted to the bars.

Done this last night
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 25 January, 2009, 11:21:23 am
The brakes on the Longstaff.
That's an improvement but they are not as good as I want them to be so I will put some new Koolstops on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 January, 2009, 05:59:25 pm
Both bikes were washed.  Then I did This (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg256537#msg256537) to the MonstaThorn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 25 January, 2009, 06:31:54 pm
front and rear mech, brakes, bars, levers and 2 out of 4 cables installed on the timetrial bike.

it's slightly botched, as it turns out the cheap steel frame I bought has some screw-adjustors snapped off in the braze-on cable stops, so I couldnt quite install it all properly but it seems to be working OK so far...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 25 January, 2009, 06:35:56 pm
Put the back wheel back on the geared Audax bike - with a shiny new rim c/o Mick Madgett after the old one developed a nasty split.

Made sure the Pomp is ready for next weekend's Willy Warmer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 25 January, 2009, 07:43:41 pm
Not on the bike, but I fettled a better beamer for the flash gun.. Gives me an extra 2 stops at 30+m.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 31 January, 2009, 04:44:20 pm
Put a new cassette on my road bike, cleaned the chain and the rest of the drive train.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 31 January, 2009, 05:02:48 pm
Replaced the drivetrain on my daughters bicycle. New cassette, new chainrings and cranks, new pedals and new chain. Much better  :)
Should improve her commute no end...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 31 January, 2009, 05:35:34 pm
Moved the brake levers to a higher, more comfortable position on the trike, and put some new (white  8)) bar tape on.

However, I forgot that I was going to fit a cross-top lever too. Phooey, I don't want to undo all the tape and stuff, so will probably leave it to the next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: valkyrie on 31 January, 2009, 05:38:33 pm
I've been getting my new PC to work. It's now 5 days old and already on its second graphics card, first one was DOA. Now I've got it going I'm feeling quite chuffed with myself. The speed compared to my old one is unbelievable. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 31 January, 2009, 09:41:47 pm
I replaced the axle in my commuting bike with a solid axle.  The QR simply didn't stay tight, and - since it is fixed - the chain was very, very slack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 January, 2009, 11:36:07 pm
Bottom bracket, again.  I forget to fit one of the spacers.
Re-aligned the rear brakes too.
Removed and refitted the front dérailleur and indexed it again.  Even touched the tricky limit screws  ;D spawn of Satan.  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 01 February, 2009, 12:30:59 am
4 socks, 1 pr childs tights (holes darned), 1 washing machine (unblocked), 1 set of shelves (put up) and a web site (my first ever, functional rather than elegant ).  What an exciting life I do lead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 01 February, 2009, 04:41:45 pm
Straightened rim edges of a disused BMX wheel (what do they do to them?) and cleaned & greased bearings. The Twenty will be going singlespeed when I can figure out what to do to get a 14mm axle in the dropouts. Have another back wheel to go in the front end...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 01 February, 2009, 04:42:40 pm
Washed MonstaThorn and replaced rear brake casing.  Installed new Lumicycle frame battery and rear light to replace Dinotte that is going back to On-One, again !!!  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Palinurus on 01 February, 2009, 07:17:37 pm
My old Marin MTB hack was returned to me from the guy who borrowed it off me "to get to work for a few weeks". Must be a couple of years now.

I had to clean it of course. Looks like he's had a little knock somewhere, the rack and rear mudguard are all bent. Took those off, removed what was left of the front 'guard. Cleaned it all up. I've got a cassette and chain ready to go on it but I'm going to put those on next week, in case I decide to use it as a "snow bike" tomorrow. I probably won't, I expect I'll use the 'cross bike and do it off-road.

The headset's proper shagged, but that's one thing I can't do myself.

Cleaned the 'cross bike again. I'll be glad when the season's finished (next weekend for me) so I can have a break from that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 01 February, 2009, 08:45:33 pm
Just cleaned my Yukon.

Outside.  In the snow.  Brr!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 01 February, 2009, 08:56:50 pm
Quote from: simonp on 01 February, 2009, 08:45:33 pm
Just cleaned my Yukon.

Outside.  In the snow.  Brr!



Were you on the Willy Warmer yesterday? If so, how come I didn't see you?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 02 February, 2009, 03:43:47 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 01 February, 2009, 08:56:50 pm
Quote from: simonp on 01 February, 2009, 08:45:33 pm
Just cleaned my Yukon.

Outside.  In the snow.  Brr!



Were you on the Willy Warmer yesterday? If so, how come I didn't see you?

I was in disguisen't.  The last Audax I did was the Norfolk B Roads.  Then I borked my knee (playing football is probably the main culprit but I also have biomechanical issues with walking and cycling it seems).  I haven't used that bike since the B Roads and haven't been arsed to remove the layers of filth accumulated on that plus a November DIY 200k.  The main reason I've not used that bike is I nicked the front wheel for my Galaxy as its SON is in need of repair.  Now that wheel is on the fixie.

I wanted to use the turbo last night, so went to get the bike and put another front wheel on.  When I brought it inside and looked at the state of it, I decided I would have to clean it, so back out into the snow.  There were nice days I could've done it, my own fault I ended up half freezing to death whilst getting the muck off.

I managed 50 minutes turbo time - about 10 mins warm-up, then two 15 minute stretches at about 150-160W (fairly moderate pace) with 10 minutes gentle spinning in between.  Trying to break my knee back in gently.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 03 February, 2009, 02:43:02 pm
Cleaned Mrs. Surreal's Peugot. again >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 03 February, 2009, 05:37:59 pm
Treated the ancient fixed machine to a new bottom bracket and chain. Moved the chainring round to equalise wear. Then decided that the suspicious bulge in the rear sidewall was a hint that I should replace the tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 12 February, 2009, 08:22:23 pm
Just cut a carbon steerer to length - I am well aware of the measure twice / cut once rule, but it is still a relief. 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 13 February, 2009, 02:45:30 pm
Tidied garage. Found a few bikes that I had not seen for a while...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 14 February, 2009, 01:14:23 pm
Fitted SPD pedals to the hack bike (Shimano M424) and moved it back to the bike shed now that the cold weather has gone away.

Glued the handle back onto my track-pump as a friend had managed to snap it off.

Took updated photos of bikes for insurance gubbins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 14 February, 2009, 01:23:21 pm
I've put on a prop stand :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 14 February, 2009, 02:44:47 pm
Proof rided (rode?) my new B17 (Chain Reaction's 'instant free delivery :thumbsup:) and fitted it to my Ribble to start teh breaking in process
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 14 February, 2009, 03:45:09 pm
replaced two broken spokes and fitted an SQR uplift, removed a rack, and fitted a couple of Cateye light brackets to the seat stays. Then fitted a 9 speed cassette to a spare wheel.
Then fitted some Schaller strap locks to my guitar and contemplated fitting some butteffly bars to my MTB, removing the suspension forks and fitting cro mo forks, fitting a new saddle and rack and turning it into a tourer.

Decided that I need another cone spanner as one has gone walkies and I canrt find it anywhere, no doubt it'll turn up as soon as I buy another ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 14 February, 2009, 06:34:56 pm
Started work on building up my Hewitt.  Still waiting for the new chainset to arrive and need to order a few small parts that the LBS couldn't supply. But, she now looks like a bike, so hopefully, will be on the road by this time next week.

N
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 14 February, 2009, 06:44:05 pm
Fixed a damn puncture - 6 miles from home, the first time I've had to fix away from home in nearly 3 years.

Result of crap stock tyres on the new steed.

Will be buying marathon supremes later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 February, 2009, 06:45:46 pm
Put the new chain tube on the trike, and a series of greasy fingerprints on the kitchen floor :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 14 February, 2009, 06:49:04 pm
In honour of the thread starter I will return the thread to non-cycling, as it started.

I also have a plumbing problem. A tap that I tried, but failed, to replace the washer on. Now it is dripping more...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 14 February, 2009, 08:34:38 pm
Just fixed my washing machine. It was the door latch interlock thingy. Cost all of £8.70 for a new one off the 'bay.


My first major domestic appliance repair ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 15 February, 2009, 12:46:10 pm
The rack-mounted rear light on the Longstaff.Changed the batteries & still no joy.Removed it from the rack:it's bolted on & is so fiddly it needs a small ratchet socket-spanner with a universal joint extension bar to do the necessary: with the intention of taking it back to LBS for exchange.As I was putting the original batteries back in the damned thing started flashing  :o
I left the light on while I refitted it to the rack & did several on/off cycles.It now works.
It wouldn't work last night when needed to ride in the dark: now I don't need it,
it works.

Don't you wish that all things in life were as reliable as Murphy's Law ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 15 February, 2009, 02:06:00 pm
I replaced the jockey wheels on the MonstaThorn and also tightened the front deraileur cable.
The bolt had worn drastically and was no longer remaining tight so I went and found an old knackered deraileur and took the parts I needed from that.  Sweet use of old junk saves the day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 February, 2009, 05:07:14 pm
Fettled a tandem almost successfully.  Twould have been a good idea to have checked the front mech before venturing out on an uphill bridleway, worrying about my inability to spin what I thought was the granny ring :-[

A bit of working it got it free. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 15 February, 2009, 06:17:39 pm
Fitted a bottom bracket and chainset to touring bike and re-cabled and bar-taped the carbon bike for sale.  My best ever bar-taping, I think it's my least favourite (and worst) job. Looks quite good, though I say so myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 15 February, 2009, 06:22:47 pm
I gave my commuting fixie a perfunctory wipe over with a dirty rag and put some air in his tyres.

Then Liz and I thoroughly cleaned Josephine the tandem, paying particular attention to her oily bits. 

She's a right classy burd is our Josephine  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 February, 2009, 06:25:07 pm
I wiped the oil off the rear wheel of my commuting bike.  Spoke nipples never seize on Sturmey-Archer wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 15 February, 2009, 06:28:50 pm
No fettling today but yesterday I chopped the dodgy seat collar off a Dawes SS dutch bike from centerparks, filed it flat and fitted a removable one, then popped a front guard on it - oh I put a new set of V's on the front as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 February, 2009, 11:58:27 pm
I cleaned Fred after yesterdays run. It is amazing just how much grass and oily much one can pick up. Tescos value wipes (100) are really good for that after first attacking with the garden sprayer but are probably not very green.

Then I decided to swap the nokians off the MTB and put non-studded tyres back on. No probs except I then cleaned the rear mech. It had been having issues. XT is great stuff, the ceramic bearing in the jockey wheel was still runnign just fine despite the years of abuse, and the sealed bearing one was getting a wee bit loose. Decided my shifting problems were a knackered chain and cassette.

Then noticed some slop in the hub. The rim should not be moving sideways like that. SO that got stripped down and cleaned. Some brinelling on the non-drive side race but otherwise the LX hub is looking good for it's years of serviceabuse.

There is something satisfying about maintaining quality kit..

So I must buy a new cassette and chain soon, and swap the rim on the front wheel after I have drilled out the valve hole suitably.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 17 February, 2009, 07:16:30 pm
I have removed the butterfly bars from Marj's mtb & refitted the original straight bars.
She rapidly decided ( it took about 15 mins.) that the butterfly bars were not to her liking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 18 February, 2009, 11:21:40 am
Quote from: GruB on 15 February, 2009, 02:06:00 pm
I replaced the jockey wheels on the MonstaThorn and also tightened the front deraileur cable.
The bolt had worn drastically and was no longer remaining tight so I went and found an old knackered deraileur and took the parts I needed from that.  Sweet use of old junk saves the day.

hmm ... if that bolt and jockey wheel replacement was connected with this "running" repair (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14902.0) you may need to see a doctor ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 February, 2009, 08:37:53 pm
I bought some space on the front drive by digging up the roots of the massive bush I "pruned" on Tuesday. Luckily, the chainsaw I bought helped greatly, otherwise I'd still be out there digging away.

I have significantly reduced the wildlife-friendliness of the place since moving in, so I have to redress that in the back garden somehow.

And I painted the downstairs bog

And I stained the garden gate and posts

(looking forward to the beers in the fridge now)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: redshift on 18 February, 2009, 09:05:53 pm
Today I have been carving the handle on my new knife.  It's starting to look rather nice -  Fiddleback sycamore, Bloodwood and antler.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 18 February, 2009, 10:29:59 pm
Waddya call those velcro cuffs on a long-sleeved raincoat/jacket that you can tighten around your gloves?  One of those was starting to come adrift from the sleeve of my coat, because it gets quite a lot of force put on it when I do it up. 

30 mins work with needle and thread, and it's all better now.  I think it's a bit late in life to buy/learn-how-to-use a sewing machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Noodley on 18 February, 2009, 10:45:14 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 18 February, 2009, 10:29:59 pm
Waddya call those velcro cuffs on a long-sleeved raincoat/jacket that you can tighten around your gloves? 

Err, velcro cuffs?  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 February, 2009, 09:25:17 am
I levelled my saddle and tightened my Bagman.  (Very little) time well spent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 February, 2009, 01:49:25 pm
On the way in to work I had to stop (i) after 1/6 mile to adjust the front brakes since one block was rubbing slightly (ii) after 1/3 mile to adjust the right hand brake/gear lever which it turned out wasn't tightened quite enough, and (iii) after about 6 miles to tighten up the saddle, which shifted a bit, indicating it also wasn't as tight as it could be.

Not too bad, considering that I only finished things last night sometime after midnight (not the best time to be checking that everything is fully tightened!)

On the way home, I may need to adjust the saddle position slightly, the GPS angle needs to be moved by about 15°, and the lights are likely to need some tweaking (and I may move one of the rears, since I think there is a risk that the pannier is going to knock it off).

When I get home I need to put the end caps onto the bars (not that important, they just cover up the hole and keep the weather out a bit), and cut the cables short and tidy up the ends (I'll probably just solder them up).  The chances are that I'll spot some other items which need doing by then as well!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 21 February, 2009, 08:29:28 pm
Both mine & Mrs. Bs road bikes prepared for a ride tomorrow. Mine hasn't been ridden for over a month, because of illness, & hers for much longer. Tyres like butter, covered in dust (dust!), chain dried out . . . .  dreadful. And mine wasn't much better. :(

Also, went through the spare tubes checking for faults. Had to throw out one I was planning to take tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 February, 2009, 08:37:22 pm
The audax bikes.  Her Brevet needed a real good clean and lube.  Took her over an hour and I had to finish the job!

My Carpe Diem needed a bit of air in the tyres and a bit of lube on the chain as it hasn't been out for months.   I swapped over the Swift for a black B17 Champion with big copper rivets whilst I was at it.  I also turned the bars up very very slightly and brought the saddle forward a tad to ease my occasional back pain.

Oh, and I fettled my Joe Blow too   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 21 February, 2009, 08:43:09 pm
Myself. I went and got my eyebrows threaded, and I went to the gym.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 21 February, 2009, 09:06:06 pm
I went and picked up some pieces of american ash I'd ordered a week ago and built them into a replacement set of tripod legs.
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f130/PaulRide/DSCN4678-1.jpg)

I've not worked with ash before - it's really rather nice stuff, clean hard edges and a fine grain, quie heavy and (apparently) very good at absorbing vibrations.  I have yet to give this thing proper feet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 21 February, 2009, 09:10:46 pm
Having earlier replaced the gear hanger on the Airnimal I decided yesterday the cable also needed doing. Tim at the LBS said the Clarkes kit with 2m of cable would be fine. However the bike requires a full length, 1.9m, outer, and the Clarkes outer was only 1.5m. So back to Tim, who cut a length from his workshop supply. Now it's all fitted and the gears work properly again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 21 February, 2009, 09:20:37 pm
I've had time to do a bit more work on my new-build Hewitt (bought the frame from club member recently).  I'm just waiting for a few odd little parts to arrive from SJSC - rear brake cable hanger, cable guide and crank bolts from Highpath, and I can finish her.  It may be the weekend, though, with other committments  ???

N

(And the cut finger from the slipped hacksaw whilst trimming a shim is almost healed now  :-[ )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 21 February, 2009, 09:39:22 pm
Quote from: PaulR on 21 February, 2009, 09:06:06 pm
I've not worked with ash before - it's really rather nice stuff, clean hard edges and a fine grain, quie heavy and (apparently) very good at absorbing vibrations.  I have yet to give this thing proper feet.
Ash has been used for such things as hockey sticks. I remember selling some many years ago (we had to order it in, as we didn't stock "sports quality" ash) to a bloke who was going to use it for that, or a similar, use. A nice feel to it. Lovely wood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 21 February, 2009, 10:02:23 pm
Nothing complicated today, the fixie chain got a proper dose of GT85 and a wipe down and chain stretch was taken up. That was all, the GT85 only experiment is going well, 7 months and the chain still looks new.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 21 February, 2009, 10:04:21 pm
I was ashamed by the state of my bike when I saw the shinyness of others on the ride today, so have cleaned, de-gunked and re-lubed uglybike.  It'll never be the same again and I've probably ruined the value by stripping away the patina, but needs must..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 February, 2009, 10:09:25 pm
Quote from: PaulR on 21 February, 2009, 09:06:06 pm
I've not worked with ash before - it's ...very good at absorbing vibrations. 
Not sure about that.  It's considered a "tonewood" and is most famously used for the body of the blonde Fender Telecaster guitar because of its resonant qualities.  A lot of mumbo-jumbo is talked about tonewoods giving different sounds, but some woods don't give decent sustain because the vibrations from the bridge are attenuated too quickly.  If you made a guitar body from MDF it probably wouldn't be satisfactory, although people have made "fircasters" from bog standard pine and, apart from problems with its softness (screws pulling out, string ferrules gradually sinking into the wood) they seem to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 21 February, 2009, 10:11:54 pm
Quote from: mike on 21 February, 2009, 10:04:21 pm
I was ashamed by the state of my bike when I saw the shinyness of others on the ride today.
You should have looked at mine and that would have saved you an evening cleaning :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 February, 2009, 10:35:40 pm
Put the lume for the IQ Fly back together and rigged it up to the Schmidt to test it was still working.
I may need it to get to the Cheltenham Flyer and the Wilts White Horses.  It will save using the heavier Lumicycle battery and means my bars will be clearer and therefore more room for the GPS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 22 February, 2009, 11:48:57 am
Gave the Longstaff a clean for the first time in over a year :-[.
It must weigh a couple of kg less now judging by the amount of crud on the patio.
Also cut-back the front mudgaurd to dispense with the V-shaped broken bit at the leading edge which was there when I bought it a couple of years ago.
As you can tell, bike maintenance is not something that I do in a hurry
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 22 February, 2009, 10:26:40 pm
After a nice ride in Somerset, took a look at Chuffy's singlespeed with a skipping gear.  Just one.  He'd changed the cog, chainring and chain so not surprisingly it was the tension arm.  After a fiddle, I decided that it was borked in some voodoo way (bent, most likely) so we gave it some google and he's now riding on a Magic Gear that more or less works.  Chain's a bit slack. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 25 February, 2009, 09:24:19 pm
Tonight I have fitted a new curtain pole, and new curtains.

Then I have fixed speaker brackets to the wall for my rear surround speakers, and tidied up all the wiring.

I feel justified now in having a beer - hang on.........


Aaahhhhh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 25 February, 2009, 10:42:19 pm
Having attached a Madison rack  (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=22653)to the Airnimal, I finally got around to sawing off the superfluous pannier bars, filing smooth, and painting black to match.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 25 February, 2009, 10:46:18 pm
Today I pulled an old school rigid claude butler MTB out of the pile, the frame was sound and BB but the rustless spokes and the rear mech had perished. Newish mech, dug out some better wheels, put on some NOS cantis on it and cut some new cable for them. The cassette was dirty so I stripped it and cleaned it and refitted it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 February, 2009, 11:07:50 pm
Not strictly fettling but....

Got Jackie-next-door's car out of the hole in our front garden that is goung to be a parking spot. She'd managed to reverse off the edge of the drive. Oops. The construction of ramp/stairway out of several chunks of timber, a few bricks and a broken paving slab soon had the car out.

However, in dong so, I wound down the (electric) front window. "Ooh" she said "You managed to get the window working." Except I didn't know it was busted. And it then failed to wind back up.  Oops #2. A bit of delving on Teh Interwebs pointed to a likely fault - a broken wire in the door loom.  Poking around in the car confirmed this, so I held the ends together to get the window back up. Proper repair can follow in due course. She thought I was wonderful.

And then I replaced the rear brake cable and handlebar tape on my Mercian.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 26 February, 2009, 06:10:41 am
Installed my new Polar computer onto the MonstaThorn.  Took me a while to figure out all the different displays.  Looking forward to a raft of information this morning from my Tour de Commute  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 February, 2009, 09:20:11 am
Put new brake blocks on the Orbit.  Nice smooth quiet braking again. :thumbsup:

I see from my riding position on hte way to work that I have been a bit overenthusiastic with the toeing in on one side :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 26 February, 2009, 01:14:03 pm
Booked the bike into the LBS to get the new handlebars/brakes fitted. I'll do the first bit myself but I'd prefer it if they do the brake cables and handlebar tape. Both of these are easier for them to do than me as they have stocks of inners and outers to cut to length, and every time I do bar tape it looks good for about a week before it disintegrates.

Geared commute for me on Monday then (with post-Audax legs).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 26 February, 2009, 02:48:57 pm
I just dismantled my work PC, cleaned dust out of the CPU fan and heatsink, and found out that the power supply fan isn't turning.  After some fiddling, and lubricating, the bearing is more or less siezed, so I'm trying to put an order into RS for a new fan.  Our internal financial system isn't helping me with this though. >:(

This post coming to you courtesy of one of the lab machines...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 26 February, 2009, 02:56:07 pm
20 bikes in 4 hours mainly adjusted brakes, indexed gears, tighten headset, pumped tyres. Also fitted 2 new brake cable, 2 sets of brake blocks, fixed 2 p*nct*res and then the odd bits.

not bad for one bloke :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 February, 2009, 03:30:04 pm
Not bad at all, but I suppose these were machines that kids turned up on expecting to ride?  Terrible shame that they don't know the basics about/don't care about looking after their bikes... :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 26 February, 2009, 04:13:22 pm
I've just made a bracket to fit a light to my speargun, go on fish make my day night :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 26 February, 2009, 04:17:26 pm
Quote from: numbnuts on 26 February, 2009, 04:13:22 pm
I've just made a bracket to fit a light to my speargun, go on fish make my day night :demon:
Do this fish shoot back or something?

 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keepontriking on 26 February, 2009, 06:24:23 pm
I came across an old Campag Pump Adaptor from the 70s and thought I'd give it a clean up service to add a bit of retro.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 26 February, 2009, 06:29:51 pm
Got the MTB out for the first time in months. Gears sticking, tyres soft. Pumped up & oiled - did 17 miles, but the gears need more work. Proper cleaning, for a start.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 26 February, 2009, 09:58:17 pm
Installed Polar Cadence onto MonstaThorn and completed OwnIndex fitness test.  49 - Very Good !!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 28 February, 2009, 12:42:28 pm
As Mrs. TKP is away this weekend I took the opportunity to service the headset on her Longstaff (purveyors of innuendo form an orderly queue) and replaced the bar tape with Fizik stuff, complete with gel underlay. The most satisfying part of the job was being able to clean all those little nooks and crannies that can't normally be accessed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 February, 2009, 06:10:56 pm
A friend rode over (12 miles or so) for me to tune his bike up for the current season. It is a Boardman Team. We pumped his tyres up, tweaked the brakes to balance properly, checked the wheels for true.

Then sorted the gears. They were adjusted one click out so wouldn't quite go into the big sprocket but everything else worked fine. This is an easy mistake to make with STIs. Quick twiddle of the adjuster and they work wonderfully.

We also put the bars down, which he found much better.

I had a shot as he  is the same size as me. The bike rides really nicely. I could instantly ride it hands off up hill with no worries - very definite, comfortable ride. Perfect Sportif bike. If the team carbon is the same geometry then it is definitely on the list of possibles.

This evening I will be fettling cake for the reliability ride tomorrow.

..d

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 28 February, 2009, 07:39:10 pm
Quote from: toekneep on 28 February, 2009, 12:42:28 pm
As Mrs. TKP is away this weekend I took the opportunity to service the headset on her Longstaff (purveyors of innuendo form an orderly queue) and replaced the bar tape with Fizik stuff, complete with gel underlay. The most satisfying part of the job was being able to clean all those little nooks and crannies that can't normally be accessed.

Your cup will overfloweth with brownie-points :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 March, 2009, 12:39:13 pm
Very chuffed with my new aircraft caricature prints, which I've actually got around to framing (well, two of them, two more to do).

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/Aircraft_Caricature_Thumb160.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/Aircraft_Caricature.html)
Click image for bigness
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 01 March, 2009, 01:18:26 pm
Finished my Hewitt and had a quick run out last night through the lanes.  A few tweaks needed, but everything seems good  :)

N
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 01 March, 2009, 02:35:46 pm
Two back lawns & the front lawn had their first cut of the year so that'l be called turf-fettling then eh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 01 March, 2009, 06:57:19 pm
I have been meaning to do something about the lack of clearance on the front mudguard with winter tyres on the bike. It is so tight that mud and grit get caught and build up under the fork crown. I was all prepared to cut the front of the mudguard off and improvise a DIY mount for the rear half but when I took a closer look there was about one eighth of an inch of space between the mudguard and the brake callipers. So off with the offending article and a quick hacksaw job on the mounting bracket and hey presto, clearance. A short ride this afternoon saw me positively looking for mud and grit but nothing got stuck. It's really nice not to be adding to the effort by having a pound of mud wedged under the mudguard acting like a permanent brake.  :thumbsup:

Now why the hell did I not do that two months ago.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 01 March, 2009, 10:29:53 pm
Didnt fettle a single damnf thing, a solid week of fettling has left bike oil ingrained under my finger nails and tattoed into the skin on my fingers. It takes forever to get it out again with a nail brush. So no fettling today for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 March, 2009, 12:28:16 am
Replaced the front mudgurd on the winter bike. Tried a 9 speed shimano wheel in  9 speed campag setup.. interesting and probably workable. I have a wheel to rebuild with a shimano hub.

Swapped the rim on the MTB front wheel. This took a good bit of faffing whilst watching the escape from teh city about a chap starting a croft in Applecross.
 
..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 02 March, 2009, 01:51:07 pm
Fitted mudguards to my MTB / road hack.  The creative use of cable ties was required as the bike has suspension forks.  Time will tell whether it all holds together.  Hopefully there will now be less cack on me and the bike.  The lanes round this bit of Essex are filthy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 March, 2009, 06:57:27 pm
Quote from: Oscars dad on 02 March, 2009, 01:51:07 pm
Fitted mudguards to my MTB / road hack.  The creative use of cable ties was required as the bike has suspension forks.  Time will tell whether it all holds together.  Hopefully there will now be less cack on me and the bike.  The lanes round this bit of Essex are filthy.

rear reflector brackets (the plastic ones that go round the seatpost) make excellent supports for mudguards etc.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 March, 2009, 08:05:09 pm
When I found out the rattle was not just the lock at the bottom of my saddlebag banging on the rack, I tightened up the bolts on my rear rack :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 02 March, 2009, 10:03:56 pm
Fettled 3 bikes, sold 3 bikes. Good day bike wise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 03 March, 2009, 03:41:51 pm
Reset chain tension on fixed gear.

Finally got around to putting some cleats on the moth balled northwave shoes. I found that
a) they are too narrow
b) they are much stiffer than my shimano shoes - probably because they are now falling apart
c) they are impossible to walk in


I hadn't realised quite how bad the shimano shoes had gotten - nor how worn the cleats were either.


I'll have to sell my body in order to fund some new cycling shoes. (My feet are too small for those offered by Lidl/Aldi etc.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 05 March, 2009, 10:09:39 pm
Had to "fix" a lightbulb today.  My last spare halogen bulb (for a B&M headlight).  Plug it in: nothing.  After much head-scratching, realize that it's just a tiny fraction shorter than the old one, and the rear contact isn't... er... making contact.

Solved with a blob of solder.  Fettling a lightbulb doesn't seem quite right, though.

And now I need to decided whether to order some more spares, or give up on incandescent bike-lighting altogether.  The latter has its attractions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 06 March, 2009, 11:06:19 am
Quote from: David Martin on 02 March, 2009, 06:57:27 pm
Quote from: Oscars dad on 02 March, 2009, 01:51:07 pm
Fitted mudguards to my MTB / road hack.  The creative use of cable ties was required as the bike has suspension forks.  Time will tell whether it all holds together.  Hopefully there will now be less cack on me and the bike.  The lanes round this bit of Essex are filthy.

rear reflector brackets (the plastic ones that go round the seatpost) make excellent supports for mudguards etc.



You sir, are a genius!  I have found just the thing in my box of bits!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 March, 2009, 12:31:37 pm
Tightened bolt on Zoom Magic Stem (just like the Look Ergo Stem except that it is crap).  Now my handlebar doesn't rock or creak as I ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 06 March, 2009, 12:34:20 pm
I pumped me tyres up  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 06 March, 2009, 04:45:29 pm
I have fettled the front drive.It is now four feet wider.I have also fettled the front wall which is now four feet shorter.
Also fettled a conifer at the bottom of the lower lawn in the back garden.Reduced from a 6 metre tree to a short stump.The roots will be out of the ground tomorrow.
All this valuable cycling time going to waste :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 06 March, 2009, 05:21:18 pm
Quote from: Oscars dad on 06 March, 2009, 11:06:19 am
Quote from: David Martin on 02 March, 2009, 06:57:27 pm
Quote from: Oscars dad on 02 March, 2009, 01:51:07 pm
Fitted mudguards to my MTB / road hack.  The creative use of cable ties was required as the bike has suspension forks.  Time will tell whether it all holds together.  Hopefully there will now be less cack on me and the bike.  The lanes round this bit of Essex are filthy.

rear reflector brackets (the plastic ones that go round the seatpost) make excellent supports for mudguards etc.

You sir, are a genius!  I have found just the thing in my box of bits!!!

Glad to be of service.. The brackets are strong enough to hold front pannier racks as well.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 March, 2009, 08:13:43 pm
New pivot nut on front brake to take B&M IQ Fly bracket.  Installed IQ Fly.  Installed new tyre onto dynamo hub rim.  Took play out of fork / headset.  Aligned and checked brakes.  Spray of oil onto chain.  Took play out of bottom bracket and moved spacers about.

Now ready to keep J am MP company tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 06 March, 2009, 08:19:50 pm
I've been working on a stud wall as part of a shower room project
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 March, 2009, 09:08:32 am
Percussively dismantled a crappy summer house that was formerly a garden "feature" (more estate agent BS!).

About to head round to me brother's place to mix cement all morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 07 March, 2009, 11:30:53 am
Strip down and clean the DMR mtb. Night riding in the woods is great but tis a bit gloopy up there at the moment...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 07 March, 2009, 12:04:47 pm
Well yesterday really:

fixed two visitations. One on a spare tube and another from the same wheel.

New Chain set and bottom bracket on the fixie. Hopefully this one is not eccentric like the old one.

Had to put an extra link in the chain as the ring I had always believed was a 48 turns out to have been a 46 and the new one is definitely a 48, the rear wheel came too far forward. Promptly changed the 18 tooth sprocket for the 19 as well. Only concern is the cranks are now 175mm rather than 170 so may not spin as well and the new commute has a couple of good descents.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 March, 2009, 07:25:54 pm
Quote from: alan on 06 March, 2009, 04:45:29 pm
I have fettled the front drive.
...
All this valuable cycling time going to waste :(

I've also been fettling the front drive - putting in a new manhole cover after the old one (and its seating rim) broke. The neighbour has a new, rather heavy, car! I also did a pass through the garage before I have to empty it.
Between that and fettling three meals to freeze I also failed to get any cycling in :(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 March, 2009, 07:52:35 pm
Rhubarb. It was sprouting in the crate in the garage. It should be happier in the hole in the ground in which it now finds itself.

The chickens are annoyed. I tidied up the back garden. Less interesting things to peck.

And then got the right mounting kit for the roofbars for the car - except I don't have that model of roofbars so had to get the roofbars too.. Doh!

And nw to dig out the trowel and hawk to skim the wall upstairs with patchy plaster before swmbo repapers.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hugo15 on 07 March, 2009, 08:17:15 pm
Stripped and re-greased the front hub on my summer bike.

Stripped and re-greased the rear hub on my summer bike. Found that the cones are very slightly pitted resulting in a small amount of binding  :(. They will need to be replaced if I can find a supplier.

Pumped up the tyres and lubed the chain on the winter bike read for tomorrow. Think I should have also installed a sail from the sound of the wind outside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 07 March, 2009, 10:22:30 pm
BMX aheadset stripped, cleaned, greased and adjusted. Which got me going...

Kona aheadset stripped, cleaned, greased and adjusted. Hayes disc pads (not worn out after 4 years  :o ??? but not stoppie-worthy anymore) changed for Goodridge ones.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuovo_record on 07 March, 2009, 10:39:20 pm
started rubbing down the frame on my super mistral....and deciding on what to do next...rattlecan or powdercoat - prpbably the latter
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 08 March, 2009, 12:13:40 am
Damn. In the hunt for the trowel discovered two more rhubarb crowns to plant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 09 March, 2009, 12:24:32 pm
Made a new blade for a kitchen knife that got broke, fun with a router...

Finished a mount for my Twin Tescos 3W touch bike lights, I didn't like the side by side one so made an under and over one.

If anyone is interested in the side by side one, I've painted it now too... (25mm 1inch bar)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 March, 2009, 05:32:21 pm
A day later than planned...

Bit of a wash, lube and new brake pads for my tourer.   Back wheel needed a tad of spokey goodness.   Air in tyres.

Similar for Mrs PB's tourer but her brake pads are fine and her back wheel didn't need tweaking.

Soaking a 12-27 9 speed in degreaser before sending off to somebody on the forum. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 March, 2009, 05:52:09 pm
I removed the cranks from the TCR and cleaned them.  Also the chain rings.  I also found that the front deraileur bolts were slightly loose so perhaps that is what has been clicking of late?  I regreased the chainring bolts too so maybe that will make a difference.  I certainly got a lot of gunk off the chainrings. 

I also put the new DT Swiss rim wheel onto the Uberbike and fitted a new Michelin Krylion Carbon tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 21 March, 2009, 07:35:13 pm
After going out all morning on the bike, I decided this afternoon to give it a bit of TLC.  The freewheel has been sticking, meaning at times it decides to be a fixie!  :o

After stripping the rear wheel, I realised that the freehub body from a spare wheel I had wouldn't take the 10 speed cassette, so I had to make a quick trip to the LBS. 

£29.99 lighter, I then spent a happy hour or so fitting it, cleaning the chain, wheels and dérailleur.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 21 March, 2009, 10:17:33 pm
Cleaned the sticky crap of a blue early 80s 531 road bike, prugnat lugs and 600 shimano kit, replaced the brakes with plain ally Tektro dual pivots coupled with new old stock exage levers, the BB  has a serial no and "W" and "F" which tends to mean Worksop - the Raleigh pimpy bikes factory of the day, its a belter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 21 March, 2009, 10:24:11 pm
finally found a shop selling cone spanners, and tried to tighten the hub on my rear wheel.  Sadly, the 13-14-15-16mm cone spanner didnt work on my 17mm hubs but luckily, the flat spanner that Miele supplied with their washing machine about 5 years ago fitted perfectly!

Hub tightened, cassette, chain and rear mech cleaned up and silence has been restored!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 March, 2009, 11:02:42 am
I spent much of the weekend with a Dawes Super Galaxy.  It had to be stripped down (bars turned, pedals & wheels off - not so easy when you also have a drum brake) to go in the car because we had to fit three of us in, then reassembled in a car park in Hailsham before being ridden*, dismantled at the end of the ride, then put back together yesterday morning for a ride** before being taken apart to put back in the car for the journey home.  Tonight, I shall probably be assembling a Dawes Super Galaxy. ;D


*  Note to self: Don't just assume that someone else has connected a brake cable correctly***

** Note to self: Don't forget indexed gears need more precise wheel replacement, or else tweaking before heading off on a moderately hilly 20 miles.

*** Smug feeling for having a shakedown round the car park before heading off & having to brake in earnest ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 23 March, 2009, 12:42:43 pm
I took part in a group fettling weekend of Monarch, an articulated steam locomotive on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.  Its a long slow process with no budget, but she now looks a lot tidier, so one day she will go on display properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 March, 2009, 10:49:11 pm
I've rebuilt my wheel with new rim and spokes, re-fitted the tyre (Marathons are easy!  ;D ), pumped it up, put a bit of Purple Extreme on the chain and it's all ready for a test run tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 March, 2009, 10:51:50 pm
I put the tandem back together after the weekend's adventures, adjusted the drum brake & gear indexing, and fitted Race Blades.

Yes.  To a tandem.  Any questions?

Then I replaced the old Race Blades on my commuter with a new, less twisted set.

Lastly, I fitted cleats to my new Lidl shoes.

The plan to iron shirts was deferred...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 24 March, 2009, 11:00:39 pm
Yesterday I put tyres on the second-best TT wheels. Tomorrow I put pedals on the bike and road-test it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 March, 2009, 09:26:09 am
Last night I forgot that I had to fettle the lad's Cyclone.  There's always tonight (in between the ironing ;D )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jasper the surreal cyclist on 25 March, 2009, 09:31:15 am
Don't mix those up. That is how you get `flat' bars....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 March, 2009, 01:23:47 pm
Yesterday really, not today.

Took my tandem rear wheel round took a friend to try and learn the patient art of trueing a wheel. He did most of the work it has to be said, but I wielded a spoke key too. Spoke tension is now up where it should be and  it's damn near true as a true thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 26 March, 2009, 02:07:05 pm
fixed a p*ncture before going out. No idea where that came from as bike was ok when I put it away the other day
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 26 March, 2009, 02:31:44 pm
That's the magic of of the P8nct88e Fairey dust ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 28 March, 2009, 02:02:34 pm
I have just installed the Specialized Toupe seat onto the TCR.  Took her up the road for a quick spin.  Nice. 

Aside from a more comfortable ride, I've just shaved 200g from my TCR (whoopee )  ;D ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 28 March, 2009, 03:48:51 pm
The adjuster on the 'fixed pad' on my mountain bike disk brake has been seized solid for the last year.

For the last week I've had the calliper (minus pads) soaking in a bowl of Coca Cola to try and dissolve any corrosion between the steel adjuster and the aluminium calliper.

Last night, whilst Mrs Blade was out, I put the oven on at 220 degrees and left the calliper in there for an hour to get the aluminium calliper to expand away from the adjusting screw.

Took the calliper out of the oven. Put it in a vice and applied an allen key to the adjuster. Came apart quite easily  :thumbsup:

Cleaned the threads out and applied Copperslip. Then reassembled the calliper.

Brake works fine now  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 28 March, 2009, 05:07:07 pm
I rebuilt the hybrid with odds and ends, so that I can leave it for our house-sitter to use. I was going fine until the back tube exploded KAAABOOOOOMMMMM out from under the rim of the tyre. So I gave up in the huff.

I'll sort it after tea. Maybe.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 28 March, 2009, 06:15:54 pm
New saddle on the TT bike. Took it for a 20 mile try out. Now my back hurts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 28 March, 2009, 06:22:02 pm
Put my Dawes together (well finger tight until my tools arrive). Actually don't think that it's a real Dawes ??? But at $319 for a whole steel bike I'm not complaining!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 March, 2009, 07:49:13 pm
I've built my wheel again. Properly this time, I hope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 March, 2009, 10:52:29 pm
And Mrs. Wow and I have just been down to the garage to put two new pairs of double-sided SPD pedals on the tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 March, 2009, 11:08:45 am
Just fettled the configuration of my NAS server, since it was showing the wrong time on the Squeeze Boxen after last nights change over to BST.  It needed an extra switch on the hwclock command in the crontab, but BusyBox crontab was difficult about letting me edit it.

Now I need to actually move about the house and physically update the couple of clocks which don't get their time via SNTP, DAB, DVB or Teletext.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 29 March, 2009, 01:58:20 pm
Stripped and cleaned both Audax bikes (stripped the bikes that is. I didn't fettle nekid). The geared bike especially needed lots of TLC.

New tyres all round, ready for the Summer so when it snows this week - sorry, it's my fault.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 March, 2009, 06:23:09 pm
I am about to go and fettle the race bike. I need to adjust the brake levers to a better position on the bars, retape them and put the tri bars on. Ten days till the season opening evening TT. I am hoping to get a PB for the distance (5 miles).

I also need to fettle Fred. I have just ordered some frogslegs in a tasteful blue which will replace the Avid Shorties and Altus semi lo-pro cantis.

The rear brakes are making a nasty 'sounds like metal on metal' squeal. And it needs a good clean.

I may have to drill out and retap the cable hanger as well  :( and add some replacement rivets into the rear mudguards.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 March, 2009, 06:36:28 pm
I've just stripped another AM hub gear.  The shell isn't worth saving (pitted, and 40 hole) but the axle and planetary gears are good.  It has the best 12-splined driver I've seen which will sell for the purchase price of the hub (twelve quid) once it's cleaned up and put on eBay.

Now I need a lightly-used 28-hole AW hub at minimum price to act as a donor for the shell, 3-splined driver, threaded clutch key and clutch etc.  Then I can have another close-ratio Brompton wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 March, 2009, 08:22:58 pm
Bars adjusted and re-taped. Just have to find the small cable ties for the 'puter mount. I'll stick it on the rollers later.

Fred has had the wheels removed and yes, the rear blocks were shot to the metal. So they have been binned and I will get some new ones tomorrow. Riveted the mudguards back onto the stays. Cured a rattle or two.

I will have to replace the hanger cable adjuster as it is borked. The rack is no longer removable easily and I don't want to start messing with that right now.

Just have to replace the front skewer and probably service the front wheel while I am at it. Feels a touch loose.

And then put the new chains on the tandem..

..d

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 29 March, 2009, 08:56:24 pm
My son in law now owns his own mtb: a full sus. Marin with disc brakes .Very uptodate :thumbsup:
So this morning I repossesed my Cannonandale M800 Beast of the East & fitted some spd's,a narrow saddle,altered saddle & handlebar height & administered some lube where necessary.Then gave it a wipe down with a rag.
It looks presentable & rides well.It took less than 30 mins.
Not bad for a bike that I bought in 1993. I don't imagine that I'll get back to mountain biking per se but it will make a fine steed for roughstuffing & trail riding.
With mud gaurds , a rear rack & slicks it will be usefull as a utility bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 29 March, 2009, 09:19:17 pm
Washed Dave before a trip to The Shop to get a new chainset and BB (external bearing newfangles, needs facing, and they're fitting for free). 

I now have "bike at the shop" angst!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onb on 29 March, 2009, 10:30:40 pm
I removed a chainring with a view to putting a shorter crank on iy ,closer inspection revealed the shorter cfank was for a double anf now I am strugglimg to reassemble the original triple :-[ ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 29 March, 2009, 11:06:49 pm
Refurbing the MTB

Cleaned,

New BB, and chainset. Front and rear mech bolted on.

Tomorrow, fit chain, new gear cable and adjust mechs. Then tighten headset, and change  brake pads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 29 March, 2009, 11:36:32 pm
Mrs. Wow's cleat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 March, 2009, 06:05:19 am
Quote from: wowbagger on 29 March, 2009, 11:36:32 pm
Mrs. Wow's cleat.
Shouldn't this be in NSFW?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 March, 2009, 08:17:33 pm
Road Morph pump. It was only getting up to 30psi, wheras it used to go to 100psi. Investigation eventually showed that the funny rubber bonnet shaped bit inside shouldn't be there. It was the rubber washer forming part of the non return valve trying to escape through the outlet hole.  Replaced it in its proper place,put silicone grease on the O rings.Saved 30 quid. Hah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 31 March, 2009, 01:31:05 am
Edelux no. 2 fitted to Galaxy, tried out, and marveled at.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 31 March, 2009, 12:14:08 pm
A plasterboard trolley.
We have some p.boards being delivered tomorrow. 3600x1200x12.5mm..There's no way I am going to even try to carry them about.Tis a relef that the work area is on the ground floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 March, 2009, 12:41:35 pm
Quote from: alan on 31 March, 2009, 12:14:08 pm
A plasterboard trolley.

Surely there are more practical materials to make a trolley out of?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 03 April, 2009, 12:38:10 am
Set up my son's bike after it had been shipped to the US (refitted pedals, stabilisers and straightened handlebars)

Built my single speed: fitted bars, refitted bars after deciding that it looked better with the forks facing forwards  ::-) ::-), put Proofride on the Brooks, fitted pedals, pumped tyres, fitted bottle cage & pump and swapped the brakes so that the front was on the right. Then gave my LBS their first bit of custom because in swapping the brakes I frayed the cable.

May even get to ride it at the weekend  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 03 April, 2009, 08:52:56 am
I fitted a chain tug to Priscilla.

I got a good deal on some MKS NJS tugs...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 03 April, 2009, 08:56:15 am
Quote from: Regulator on 03 April, 2009, 08:52:56 am
I fitted a chain tug to Priscilla.

I got a good deal on some MKS NJS tugs...

Is this something to do with bikes or some weird fetish thing?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 April, 2009, 09:10:17 am
This very morning after breakfast I fettled an accessory mount to Butterfly's Galaxy so she can fit brighter lights for our route home from the SEEKRIT BUNKER tonight.  Fiddly, and a very very silly clamp (they all are), but it seems OK. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 April, 2009, 09:45:40 am
I have some Frogglegs in blue to fit to fred at some point.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 April, 2009, 01:49:08 pm
Spookily, like Clarion, the morning I had to fit a Topeak Bar-X-tender to the bike, since the position which is OK for a Exposure Race Maxx is hopeless for a Dinotte 200L light.  I needed to raise it up a bit so it "looks over" the brake and gear cabling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si on 03 April, 2009, 04:38:17 pm
My galaxy now has V brakes all round, mated to Tektro drop bar levers.  Very impressed.
Did make a funny noise when I first applied the rear - soon worked out what it was by looking down and seeing the black line that the locked up rear wheel was leaving down the road.
Also fitted XTR rear mech and DA DT shifters - so i'm indexed too.
Soon be properly caught up with the C20th.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 April, 2009, 04:49:53 pm
Modern life is overrated ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 03 April, 2009, 06:07:24 pm
Quote from: Bodger on 03 April, 2009, 04:38:17 pm

Soon be properly caught up with the C20th.

I am going in the opposite direction.
When Longstaff's have completed the TLC on my bike my DT rear mech  shifter will be friction(it was previously indexed) to match the friction type front mech DT shifter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 03 April, 2009, 11:47:02 pm
Finally swapped the saddle on my "uber-commuter". I'm not sure whether the one I've just swapped in will be any more comfy, but it's about time I tried something else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 04 April, 2009, 12:38:52 am
Fitted my saddle ready for the first ride on my new bike and my first ride in New York. Yikes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 04 April, 2009, 05:21:30 pm
Major clean up of the Dave Yates yesterday, ready for the hot dry summer I am anticipating. Today I stripped the rear wheel and tweaked the cones as it didn't feel as free as the rear wheel on Mrs. TKP's bike. This explains why I have been having trouble keeping up with her lately.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 04 April, 2009, 06:08:23 pm
I looked at my chain and thought it needs cleaning  :o 
but went out for a ride instead  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 04 April, 2009, 06:14:25 pm
Quote from: toekneep on 04 April, 2009, 05:21:30 pm
This explains why I have been having trouble keeping up with her lately.  ;)

no it doesn't.
It's because you are geting older & Gill is getting fitter ;D

I have fettled the fence.Tomorrow morning I will fettle the greenhouse & take stuff to the tip.All this to earn brownie-points so that in the afternoon I can take the Longstaff out for a major try-out following the expert attentions of the folk at Longstaffs.I coolected it this afternoon & after tea I hope to put things back on it such as coputer.Topeak bar extenders & lights,Ortlieb barbag bracket.Alter the saddle & handlebar heights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 April, 2009, 06:56:05 pm
Well I lubbed the chain on the mountain bike before I went out.  I also fitted a rear mudguard to the mountain bike.

Then I chemical metalled the motorbike tank in the vain hope that this will fix the fuel leak.  But I also balanced the carbs on the motorbike too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 04 April, 2009, 08:14:49 pm
Cleaned the fixie and replaced the chainring bolts with singles so I could replace the spacers that I cut out of chain ring tabs back when I didnt have any single chain ring bolts handy, one had worked loose and nicked the paint on the chain stay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 04 April, 2009, 08:41:18 pm
found a way of using my rucksack as a pseudo pannier on a cannondale massload rack i got via freecycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 April, 2009, 08:52:58 pm
Took apart another (!) secondhand 3-speed hub; I've established that I can build a lightweight close-ratio one using an AM axle and planetary gears, AW ball ring and clutch assembly and S-RF3 alloy shell.  The S-RF3 shell tends to leak oil (it's designed for grease lubrication) but I think I've solved that one now - it just needs some gasket sealant round the pressed-in LH ball ring.  I drilled the shell and fitted an oiler before I built the wheel.

If the Brompton World Championship comes to the UK again, I'll kick the arses of the 6-speeders  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 04 April, 2009, 08:58:04 pm
Giving my Thorn Nomad a once over before my US trip at the end of the month, I found the bottom S&S coupling loose  :o

Bad Andrew, Lazy Andrew, Stupid Andrew!

When I unscrewed it a trickle of muddy water ran out, and lo the threads they were graunchy...

After checking Mr Thorns instructions I removed 2 sprung retaining rings and cleaned, reassembled & relubed the coupling.  I'm now wondering whether to do the other one, even though it feels OK.

The Nomad is now in the living room, packed into a case like this http://briandesousa.com/bicycling/tech/convpack.htm (http://briandesousa.com/bicycling/tech/convpack.htm)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 04 April, 2009, 11:34:43 pm
All this reminds me of how much I have neglected the cycle collection lately.

Today, I cleaned 4 bikes - 2 of mine & both Mrs. Bs, all of which were desperately (though in varying degrees of desperation) in need of it. I found a flat tyre on my MTB (gone down since last ridden, last week), but couldn't be arsed to fix it because I'm riding another bike tomorrow.

Yesterday. I gave the Brompton a good wash & brush-up. Also badly needed it.

Three chains, two tyres, some sprockets, & a spoke need replacing, between that lot. And some paint chips should be touched up. :( Soon, I promise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 05 April, 2009, 06:34:21 pm
I have cleaned the chainwheel & chromed chain stay on the Longstaff.It really does look best-dressed now.The bill for doing the up-grade was less than I expected so when I get back from JoGLe I might have it resprayed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 05 April, 2009, 08:38:16 pm
Sorted out my going to the shops, small child to nursery, commute to work bike today.

An extended poke into the rear cluster got rid of a winter's worth of impacted grime, a nice wipe of the chain, and a similar poke into the crevices of the triple chainwheel  got the drivetrain done. A nice tightening up of everything, which demonstrated the the Brooks B66 was coming unbolted at the springs fixed the rattles. This was followed by a quick wash and lube job.

The then pristine machine is now resplendant with its new, secondhand, panniers and "Sheldon Brown is my co-pilot sticker installed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 05 April, 2009, 09:54:00 pm
Prompted by the rumblings from Annie's headset on Saturday's WARTY ride, my bike had started to make some funny noises on the ride home, so today I decided to strip it all down.

There was lots of grungy yuck in the bottom set of bearings, so I cleaned everything out and re-greased, and then tightened it all back up again, and everything seems quiet again.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 05 April, 2009, 10:47:13 pm
Replaced another set of bearings on my commuter eggbeater pedals....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 06 April, 2009, 08:48:45 am
Centaur front mech of the Sabbath.
Adjusted worked fine on test in drive, refused to work on test on road!
Adjusted worked fine on test in drive, refused to work on test on road!>:(
Adjusted worked fine on test in drive, refused to work on test on road! >:(>:(
Adjusted worked fine on test in drive, refused to work on test on road! >:(>:(>:(
Adjusted worked fine on test in drive, refused to work on test on road! >:(>:(>:(>:(
Adjusted worked fine on test in drive, refused to work on test on road! >:(>:(>:(>:(>:(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 April, 2009, 10:14:19 am
Haven't fettled a lot, but last night, I fitted new grips and bar ends to the Cyclone, and dismantled it to go in the car.  Also dismantled the tandem for the same purpose. 

On Friday, in some corner of a foreign (Welsh) field, there will be bolts and hex keys concealed... :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 07 April, 2009, 10:55:28 am
On weekend I decided Dawes Discovery 101 was looking  dull, grey and unattractive.  So I cleaned it for the first time since I bought it (November).  Discovered Dawes Discovery 101 is painted dull, grey and unattractive.

Swapped front brake pads before old ones scratch now shiny rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 07 April, 2009, 03:12:32 pm
Filthy Dahon Folder got cleaned up and re-lubed. Still need to adjust both it's hinges... the main hinge came unfastened on a brief sortee to the local shop last night  :o

Cleaned the drive on the tandem, stripped, cleaned and regreased the rear hub. Headset still to receive same treatment.

1.5 bikes fettled.
3 still to fettle.
1 to finish building up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 April, 2009, 04:50:52 pm
Stripping the Hewitt and building...an identical Hewitt.  At least I'd never ridden it in the rain!

I though it was a bit remiss of them not to face the BB shell, although everything else was prepped (including headset cups and star nut, since I can't do those).  The LBS did it for £12 - it was a bit rough and these external BB bearings are fussy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 12 April, 2009, 12:21:14 pm
Cleaning Dawes 101 part 2.

Not really, e-mailed Argos to point out 4 months was excessive for a new fork.  And by magic my job has jumped to the front of the queue so I am going to be able to run my proper commuting bike within a few weeks.  Now Dawes 101 had borrowed Commuting bike's dynamo hub wheel for a couple of weeks last November because it's own had not been built yet.

So the nice disc hub dynamo wheel was filthy.  The rim brakes of Dawes 101 had left black marks all over the redundant braking surface.  So out comes my trusted rubber block with 120 grit and the black marks and scratches were removed.  I find when I do this I am always dissatisfied, I can always find a imperfection that needed another rub.  Fortunately I put the wheel down in the sunlight before I went to get my 240 grit block otherwise I would still be there making a mirror finish.  It was already shiny enough.

Annoyed now because my other good rims are ceramic and do shine when you polish them.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 April, 2009, 05:44:42 pm
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 12 April, 2009, 12:21:14 pm
Cleaning Dawes 101 part 2.

Not really, e-mailed Argos to point out 4 months was excessive for a new fork.  And by magic my job has jumped to the front of the queue so I am going to be able to run my proper commuting bike within a few weeks. 

 >:( They're supposed to be building me a fork too - I was expecting it to be done by the end of this week.  Apparently the paint shop is the bottleneck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Martin109 on 12 April, 2009, 05:55:42 pm
My new Nitto bars and their new  Brooks leather bar tape (http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/uan/2228).  Look nice to match the honey saddle, and very comfortable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 12 April, 2009, 07:49:31 pm
Just myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 12 April, 2009, 08:50:44 pm
Stripped out my rear hub bearing on the Soma, cones have eaten themselves, but could be sorted with new cones and bearings, the wheel has another snapped spoke. Thats 5 or 6 in a couple of years.  Might go for a new wheel.   Fitted a spare Alex wheel I had kicking about, which will do for now, but the rims the wrong colour ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 12 April, 2009, 10:47:14 pm
Quote from: Kirst on 12 April, 2009, 07:49:31 pm
Just myself.

 :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 12 April, 2009, 10:57:43 pm
The brakes on my single speed. Just taking the stretch out of the cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 April, 2009, 10:59:14 pm
Quote from: Kirst on 12 April, 2009, 07:49:31 pm
Just myself.
(http://yacf.co.uk/images/wherepics.gif)

Er...do they need to go in the NSFW board?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 13 April, 2009, 11:15:05 am
I was referring to the hour and 45 minutes I spent at the gym, you filth-meisters!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 April, 2009, 01:59:53 pm
I imagined something involving a  31.8mm 25.4mm seatpost and a pot of Finish Line grease  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 14 April, 2009, 12:01:38 am
I made a switch operating lever for diving torch.

The original one was plastic and had broken.

The new one is aluminium (it is inside the torch so it shouldn't corrode) and it used to be a mounting bracket that used to be the lid of a spin dryer.

Real fettling with saws and files and mole wrenches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 April, 2009, 08:51:23 am
I spent the weekend digging a big hole in the front garden to fix our leaky water main.

I explained to the girl next door that I was jealous of the fish pond they built in the back garden last year, so was making my own in the front.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bikenerd on 14 April, 2009, 09:34:31 am
Yesterday I shortened the cables on the MTB after fitting a super short and responsive 60mm stem.  Then bled the rear brake and fitted some new grips.

We also had a look at the front suspension for Mrs Nerd's Moulton.  After sitting in bits since last August, it should finally be getting built up in the next few weeks.  Light nights are great!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 April, 2009, 10:48:29 am
I put the tandem and a solo together on the camp site at the weekend.  We got a short trundle on the tandem, which was fun.  But I don't think it likes being taken apart quite so often. :(  Threw the chain three times in a short distance.  I think i need to give it a bit of care.  Fortunately, tomorrow, my tandem rack arrives :)

Dismantled the bikes again to get them back in the car, and haven't got them out again yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 14 April, 2009, 11:47:56 pm
Fitting powertap wiring loom to TT/Sportive bike.  Which means I get round to cleaning powertap and cassette thoroughly after the filthy Norfolk B Roads audax.  Audax bike still hasn't been properly cleaned (but then I've not done an Audax since then).

Just got to swap the tyre (there's a turbo tyre on there right now) and drop the wheel in, and I should be good to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 15 April, 2009, 12:11:13 am
My new garden tool store, which had been sitting around in pieces for over a month, but is now complete, treated with green Ronseal stuff, & even has some garden tools in it.

Oh, you meant bikes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 15 April, 2009, 06:41:01 am
Oh well, if we are going off topic, I replaced some missing knobs off drawers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 April, 2009, 09:16:05 am
Last night, I fitted a U-brake to Our Kid's BMX (though I still need a cable & splitter, and noted how very poor the design was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 15 April, 2009, 11:23:03 am
Last night I adjusted both the hubs on the as yet unridden tricross single and fitted a fixed cog + lock ring.

The night before I swapped the knobbly cyclocross tyres for some Schwalbe Marathons (..I must be getting old).

That leaves the fitting of mudguards and connecting up/fettling of the brakes, after which I might use it when I meet Zanda on Thursday night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 April, 2009, 11:35:18 am
Quote from: ed_o_brain on 15 April, 2009, 11:23:03 am
Last night I ... fitted a fixed cog + lock ring.
...

Was it inevitable that I misread that bit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 15 April, 2009, 02:35:22 pm
Clarion you naughty boy!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 April, 2009, 04:08:57 pm
I have cleaned the TCR ready for next week.  I noticed the Giant badge was quite discoloured so it came off (with a bit of help) from the head tube.  Pure clean carbon was beneath  ;D

I also dropped the forks out and cleaned the integrated headset races and re-lubed them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 19 April, 2009, 04:48:28 pm
Blow my tyres up, raised my saddle 2 mm, and sprayed some WD40  on my chain
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onb on 20 April, 2009, 12:54:44 pm
Yesterday ,put new chain on summer bike ,realised the cassette was dirty so took it off again ,cleaned cassette  and the put chain on again.
Having put reassembled chainset incorrectly on hack bike reassembled it with safety bolt thing in a place to   stop  the chain slipping between crank and chainset.
Put pedals on mtb and geneally cleaned it up in advance of possible off road excursion later this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onb on 20 April, 2009, 12:56:52 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 13 April, 2009, 01:59:53 pm
I imagined something involving a  31.8mm 25.4mm seatpost and a pot of Finish Line grease  ;D



 ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 20 April, 2009, 01:21:22 pm
Today on the way to work Dawes Discovery101's bar ends were wonky. So moved them back into position.  Since I did a ride on my proper bike on the weekend I also noticed the saddle was too low again and raised it half an inch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 20 April, 2009, 06:26:10 pm
I replaced the bottom bracket on my audax bike today.  It was a Shimano 105 octalink 9 speed job, and must have done 10,000 Km.  The bearings were still  smooth but the splined axle ends had corroded and this led to incessant squeaking, so it had to go.  

I put the chainset throught the parts washer at the same time and noticed that the middle chainring, cassette and chain are also coming to the end of their days, so I've just ordered replacements from SJS.

I've been sticking with 9 speed for as long as I can on my audax machine - I don't particularly trust 10 speed for long distance wild-country riding.  This will be the last chain and cogs it gets though, as this is the fourth lot it's had and my Ultegra STIs will start playing up at some point.  It will, no doubt, get replaced with 10 speed Ultegra and I'll probably carry a few spare chain links on rides.

I'm getting the frame resprayed soon, so the new bits will go on then, along with new cables all round.  I think I'll get through the Brevet Cymru and do it prior to the BC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 April, 2009, 09:55:00 pm
Changed the headset cups on the vintage bike using SpaceBadger's very expensive tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 22 April, 2009, 01:51:29 pm
Shortened the seatpin on the Unicycle and now it needs more (hub flanges slipping on the axle)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 22 April, 2009, 02:13:48 pm
Fitted new (blue :o) tyres to my single-speed. As an upgrade for the $10 Chinese specials that it came with
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 23 April, 2009, 01:25:47 am
Fitted mudguards and rack to the Tricross singlefixed cum tourer  :thumbsup:

 :thumbsup:

Thanks to PolarBear for the rack :)

All that remains is to connect up and adjust the brakes, check the saddle position and then to finally ride it. (I've only had it four months!)

Then I can investigate the strange noises coming from the uber-commuters transmission.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 24 April, 2009, 10:57:39 pm
Finally cleaned my 'cross bike (only about 3 months after the end of the season).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bazzerp on 24 April, 2009, 11:23:24 pm
A Powermac G4 - cloned the hard drive to a faster 7200 rpm drive, upgraded the memory by 1gig, added an Airport PCI Wifi card & got a dirt cheap Mac that surfs & rocks   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 April, 2009, 06:11:04 pm
Fitted the new fork to Bikenerd's old bike (the fork cost 60% more than the bike did).  It looks stunning.  The A-head stem, with 65mm of spacers, maybe less so, but it will work better.

I saw SpaceBadger's Raleigh at Argos.  It's a foul colour.

but they haven't resprayed it yet
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 25 April, 2009, 06:17:41 pm
Thanks for the mild heart attack!

Note to self: always read the small print!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 April, 2009, 10:10:15 pm
Built a bed (and took another apart).

Took my Woodrup to a cleverer person (Pearsons) to fettle... :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 25 April, 2009, 10:14:12 pm
Errrr...let me think

A few tyres that lacked air but not holes in the innertube, a replacement pivot bolt for front lever, remounted and adjusted a disc brake on a new bike so that it would actually work. Stripped al the dead bits of a Tange Chromo GT and cleaned it ready for a transplant of bits to make it live in retro 80s glory once more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 28 April, 2009, 02:46:05 pm
Serviced a very indexed/notched headset, and now my bike feels more than a bit wierd, the first replacement I got had too high a stack height, back to the LBS for me.

New rear brake cable, added some gel pads under the bar tape.

My lidl unicycle got hub needed the attention of a welder (and then angle grinder as I've never used an arc welder before) repainted and then rebuilt the wheel.

Next on the list is a bottom bracket, tyres and working out why my new SPD pedals are clicking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 28 April, 2009, 02:52:15 pm
Wiggle order arrived (no sweets, boo!)

Order contained 13mm cone spanner, so removed all bits, cleaned and re-greased the front hub. Runs a lot nicer now.

Still to do, tighten the rear hub back up, as it appears to have come loose again (note to self, do it up tighter this time) and fit new chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 April, 2009, 03:21:08 pm
Well, last night I fettled my stealth computer.

See - it's not quite right to have a cycle computer on the bars of a classic Carlton (and, besides, what with the botle cage an everifink, there's no room).

So I wanted to mount it on the rear.  The routing was fine, and the head unit sits neatly under the saddle and hidden by the saddlebag.  But the sensor was too far away from the spokes. 

I struggled with various brackets, till I found a solution that stood it off just enough without any danger of the sensor falling into the wheel (with all the ugly consequences that might ensue :-\ ).  Now working lovely, ready for a fixed commute.

'Cept I needed to go over Streatham Hill this morning to avoid roadworks on my usual route (and I'm a wimp).  Oh - and I need to get moving to keep my average speed up this month.  Too many slow potters. :-\

Ought to point out that, for all my brilliance, it was Butterfly who managed to reprogramme the computer for a 32 tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zipperhead on 28 April, 2009, 03:22:17 pm
Cleaned & lubed the brakes on my Pompino.

Found a washer left over.

Bugger.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 28 April, 2009, 03:29:17 pm
Quote from: Zipperhead on 28 April, 2009, 03:22:17 pm
Cleaned & lubed the brakes on my Pompino.

Found a washer left over.

Bugger.





Laughs and points!



Then realises he's done the same thing himself...  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 28 April, 2009, 03:51:22 pm
Quote from: Zipperhead on 28 April, 2009, 03:22:17 pm
Cleaned & lubed the brakes on my Pompino.

Found a washer left over.

Bugger.




Keep it safe, after a few more fettling sessions you may have enough parts for a whole new bike.

HTH

:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 28 April, 2009, 04:43:34 pm
New inner tube on rear of tandem before this morning's commute.

Adjusted rear derailleur cable to try and get shifting right but the deraileur still doesn't want to draw the chain down onto the smallest cog. It's not the adjustment screws as I can still move it just the last little bit by hand and the cable inner moves freely through the outer so I'm suspecting something wrong with the deraileur itself or a bent hanger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 28 April, 2009, 11:32:29 pm
I raised the saddle because the LBS had lowered it for a test ride after repair.  I adjusted the angle of the brake levers because they were angled too far down.

Next fettle on Saturday if the bits arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 29 April, 2009, 10:55:59 pm
rear hub now back in one piece.

New chain and cassette fitted, rear derailer adjusted (grr, what a pain)

Loose spokes on rear wheel tightened.

Wheel checked for trueness using spoke spanner held on brake blocks.

New tyre fitted on the back.

Bike is a lot quieter now.  :thumbsup:

On the downsite, it appears that my bottom bracket might need a fettle, and I appear to have broken my track pump  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 April, 2009, 11:45:35 pm
Just quickly fettled a fairy visitation into submission.  Unfortunately this hasn't worked insofar as making the server finish it's backingupness.

<fx: twiddles thumbs>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 30 April, 2009, 12:14:55 am
lol.  Been there done that.   Worst was mistyping a database to exclude...   7 extra tapes... which in those days was about 6 hours.................................


..........



........




....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 April, 2009, 12:19:51 am
All done now, so I'll be in bed before 1-30am. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SandyV on 30 April, 2009, 12:27:45 am
I fixed a broken door latch - pulled it apart, beat it into submission, put all the bits back together ... and it works
 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 April, 2009, 05:55:26 am
Replaced a broken gear cable and tweaked the indexing of the rear deraileur.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 30 April, 2009, 09:21:25 am
A friend's laptop was playing possum with a dead jack input.
She'd shopped around and the cheapest quote she'd got for a repair was £69.95.   :o
I told her "You Muppet, I'll be able to fit you a new part." So I got the replacement part
off eBay for £3.99 inc P&P. Then I breathed new life into her laptop.

She's kindly given me a £20.00 'nom nom nom' voucher to use at my local supermarket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 01 May, 2009, 09:29:02 pm
Just attempted to fit a second layer of bar tape. Totally f**ked it up and ran out of tape before getting to the end. Split most of it during removal, so there's going to be no second attempt.  :-[

Any offers for one roll of brand new Cinelli cork tape in black?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 02 May, 2009, 08:41:26 pm
Had my first go with a spoke spanner today. My dad wants to borrow a bike to see if he still likes cycling (was in the CTS as a teenager and used to ride 100+ miles a day) Now after his heart bypass he need start getting some exercise. He wants to give it a go before he shells out for a new bike. In my shed there is an old Raleigh with straight bars and 10 speed gears that's been gently rusting since a friend borrowed it and crashed it several times on the way back from teh pub.
The wheels weren't as out of true as I remembered and after reading several web sites on how to true a wheel I gave it a go. Now I have two splendidly round wheels that are no longer jamming on the brake blocks.
Have also dismantled the rear mech and cleaned and greased it along wit the rear brakes. Front wheel, brakes and chain lubing tomorrow.
Wheel truing isn't as terrifying as it appears if you take it nice and slow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 May, 2009, 10:13:32 pm
I fitted the Sturmey AM-in-an-alloy-shell wheel to the Brompton, and also removed all the lighting equipment including the dynohub front wheel.  Replaced the frayed gear cable (my fault) and tweaked the rear wheel's spokes, which weren't quite right.  And then fiddled with the brake pads a bit to ensure they're hitting the rim squarely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 02 May, 2009, 11:18:49 pm
Fitted two of these to Il Pompino:

Tektro 917.12 V Brake Lead Pipe (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Tektro-Tektro-917.12-V-Brake-Lead-Pipe-with-Adjuster-90-Deg-18060.htm)

Perfect solution to mixing V brakes with road levers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 May, 2009, 10:14:36 am
Quote from: pcolbeck on 02 May, 2009, 08:41:26 pm
Wheel truing isn't as terrifying as it appears if you take it nice and slow.

Shhhh, don't tell everyone.  When I whip out a Spokey and remove some horrible kink from a wheel, it really impresses people that I know the black art of wheel truing! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 May, 2009, 09:12:27 pm
Well I attacked the hybrid that Hellymedic gave me.

The bike had been outside for a long time but has lots of good bits and far too good to just dump all the old bits.  I decided to strip the bike, have separated the siezed bottom bracket, stripped the tyres off and I think with a bit of waterproof grease in , the wheels, bottom bracket and headstock will make it a really good bike.  Ok it'll need new tyres, and would be good to give it new gear and brake cables and another seat.

Then it'll be as good as new.



 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 05 May, 2009, 11:12:50 pm
Funny, innit. I ride a damp 300 with Hummers and my bottom bracket goes all floppy. I didn't notice, despite cleaning the machine, until the start of the 400 on Saturday. Nevertheless it made it round. So today I popped into Tim's, the LBS, and ask for a long triple, guessing at 122mm. This turns out to be the perfect length. The old axle and two cartridge bearings TA set that I removed is in a woeful state. However, it can be restored with a clean and new bearings. Anyway, a good half hour's work, and my bracket is once more smooth and pert.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 06 May, 2009, 12:30:54 am
maptrap taken off bike and GPS fitted to the stem.

Bar tape unwound and refitted better (it started falling off mid the last ride  :-[)

old spacebar made of cheese and held together with zipties found in the toolbox and fitted to the handlebars, in the gap made by refitting the bar tape properly.

maptrap fitted to spacebar.  I don't trust GPS.

Gears tuned up.  Last time they were tuned the derailleur was cross threaded in the frame and lop sided.

Limit screw re-adjusted to remove derailleur from spokes.

Noticed that under power the chain lifts off the chainring.  The drivetrain really is knackered.  Somewhere between 12 and 15k miles without maintenance (other than lube) might be too much for a chain?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 06 May, 2009, 12:34:11 am
<Tannoy>

Calling Mr Nutty...

The doctor will see you now.


</Tannoy>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 06 May, 2009, 12:50:31 am
Well it was a close call between watching Bizarre ER and fettling.

Judging from the disgusted screams from behind the sofa, fettling was the better options (although the commentary of the guy who cut his belly open with an angle grinder did make me wonder whether to get the power tools out)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 May, 2009, 12:54:13 am
Quote from: nuttycyclist on 06 May, 2009, 12:50:31 am
Well it was a close call between watching Bizarre ER and fettling.

Judging from the disgusted screams from behind the sofa, fettling was the better options


Are you sure they were watching the television and not the fettling? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 06 May, 2009, 03:55:31 pm
I just put the finishing touch to this abomination

Live!

Live!

Mwuhahahah!

(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c234/Zoiders/RATBike.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 06 May, 2009, 04:12:47 pm
On Saturday, I went to he LBS, got some brake cable, went to put it on the road bike so I could raise the stem, and discovered it was the same length as the old bit. :(
Then I found some spare lying around in my toolbox. :)  So I installed new brake cable, and put the handlebar tape on.  Then I raised the bar.  And discovered I couldn't turn right because the gear cables are also too short. :(  So it's raised about half an inch, until I get new gear cables too.

Yesterday evening I got tyres, tubes and brake blocks for the roadster I got from Hellymedic (many thanks again).  I'll fit them on the weekend...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 May, 2009, 04:15:31 pm
I got the last bit for the brake cables on Our Kid's BMX.  Bit complex cause it's got a Gyro and I don't know anything about them.

So I got the splitter cable, and slotted it into place

Only to find that the knurled adjuster was missing from one brake lever.

Another trip to the lbs... :-[ ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 06 May, 2009, 04:19:32 pm
I would bypass the Gyro brake unless they are really going to get used, just run a normal cable down past it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 May, 2009, 04:30:45 pm
 :hand: He probably wouldn't ride it if it didn't have it ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 06 May, 2009, 04:41:29 pm
I went on an evening ride yesterday and found my rear rack light wouldn't work, luckily I had a spare seatpost one, today found the contacts were rusty :o so cleaned them off and put a little Vaseline on them works now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 May, 2009, 08:36:15 pm
Stronglight CT2 chainring onto the TCR along with a new KMC SL Gold chain and an Ultegra 6600 cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 May, 2009, 08:56:55 pm
Well  today I washed the bike i got from hellymedic and then stripped and regreased the wheels, bottom bracket and headstock.  I also installed a new front brake cable, tyres, tubes, fitted another seat and new chain.  I have to replace the front gear cable and work out why the gears don't change.  It either sticky cables or sticky changers, well some gt85 should hopefully sort it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 06 May, 2009, 09:02:15 pm
I tried to do some DIY today, mounting an anemometer to the side of the garage (christmas present, 4 months of nagging, dont ask..)

It was going quite well till the coal bunker I was standing on collapsed and I fell three feet down onto the coal, holding the thing up like the statue of liberty.


On the plus side, she's been asking me to get rid of the coal bunker for ages too, so two jobs half done kinda = 1 job done
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 May, 2009, 10:13:13 pm
Quote from: Lynx on 06 May, 2009, 08:56:55 pm
Well  today I washed the bike i got from hellymedic and then stripped and regreased the wheels, bottom bracket and headstock.  I also installed a new front brake cable, tyres, tubes, fitted another seat and new chain.  I have to replace the front gear cable and work out why the gears don't change.  It either sticky cables or sticky changers, well some gt85 should hopefully sort it.



Well a replacement gear cable and stripping the rapid fire changers and cleaning them with a mixture of spray brake cleaner and then contact cleaner.  Then a quick spray with gt85, that freed them up and then adjusted the new cable.

Now to replace the old brake blocks as a quick spin revealed that they are more plastic than rubber.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 10 May, 2009, 12:04:37 pm
Yesterday, I nipped into the tip to see if I could get a suitable pair of forks for my old bike, but the place has been privatised and the bikes now go straight to scrap :(

Anyway, I went to Egglescliffe and fixed my friend's bike (loose headset), and on the way back I noticed a bike in a ditch which looked a suitable size... well, I had to didn't I?  I hitched it over one shoulder and carried it the 11 miles home. 

Lo and behold, the forks fit!  I now have a working bike cobbled together out of spare bits.

The only problem is that, when I rode it down to the LBS to pick up some bearings for the headset, some thieving little gits nicked my saddle and seat post (I had been meaning to replace the QR skewer anyway).  I had to laugh when I came out the bike shop and saw it - the saddle and seatpost were parts I'd picked up at the tip, which cost me nothing.  The QR is, realistically, worth more than the parts they nicked.  They probably ended up in a bin round the corner.  Riding fixed without a saddle for the mile home wasn't too bad, really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 10 May, 2009, 12:41:45 pm
I've removed the STi levers and fitted bar end gear changers - a fiddly job.

Unfortunately, I didn't fit the brakes before I fitted the levers, so now I need to dismantle it all again.

I'm pathetic, and grumpy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 10 May, 2009, 12:48:20 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 10 May, 2009, 12:41:45 pm
I've removed the STi levers and fitted bar end gear changers - a fiddly job.

Unfortunately, I didn't fit the brakes before I fitted the levers, so now I need to dismantle it all again.

I'm pathetic, and grumpy.


Just cast your mind back to a more carefree time...

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c22/gordon1314/PICT0206.jpg)


...and you'll soon feel better.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 10 May, 2009, 06:03:51 pm
I've counter-sunk the drillium on the jockey wheels and polished them.
Cleaned and polished the rear cluster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 12 May, 2009, 07:07:48 pm
A grub screw with a threadless section and a screwdriver slot, fettled from a machine screw of the correct thread form, M2
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 May, 2009, 09:55:12 pm
Changed the entire drivetrain on the Brompton.  54T chainring, 15T sprocket, Tacx sealed bearing jockey wheels, 102 (!) link SRAM PC-1 chain.

The jockey wheels actually do make a difference, as does fine-tuning them into line with the sprocket by juggling the spacing washers around.

More importantly, fitting a 13T sprocket and taking one complete link out of the chain gives a 67" middle gear and 77" top gear for the BWC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 12 May, 2009, 10:54:01 pm
I've installed tri bars onto the OCR4 for the BCM.  No worries.
I had to move several bar attachments in order to do so.  No worries.
When replacing the bar attachments I found I needed two holes drilled into the Topeak Bar-Xtender metal strap so I went next door and my father in law obliged.  He has the tools.  No worries.
When leaving his back door was caught in the wind and slammed shut on my little finger.  Fcuk I said.  Followed by many more.  I felt rather weak at the knees.  I run it under water to stop the bleeding or at least to stem it.  It is not good.  I had to wait an hour before my family came home.
Mrs G felt sick looking at it.  The nail has been pushed into the finger.  There is a flap of finger running along the length of the last digit.  It has white stuff inside it.
We decided not to go and waste away in A&E as we don't think they can do much more than we have.
I will have to wait and see what happens.
Gauze to protect it and then a waterproof condom type sheath over the top to protect and catch the blood.
Fcuk.

You can tell how bad it is as Mrs G suggested I leave the unfinished fettled bike in the kitchen overnight !!!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 13 May, 2009, 01:49:31 am
GruB, I am a bit concerned about your finger.
You might have an open (compound) fracture of the fingertip and your nailbed may need repair.
Some centre prescribe antibiotics for this kind of injury.
Fingertip injuries need to be managed properly, to prevent complications, especially in people with diabetes.
I know it's a time-consuming PITA but
GET YOURSELF TO A&E ASAP!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 13 May, 2009, 06:11:56 am
Quote from: hellymedic on 13 May, 2009, 01:49:31 am
GruB, I am a bit concerned about your finger.
You might have an open (compound) fracture of the fingertip and your nailbed may need repair.
Some centre prescribe antibiotics for this kind of injury.
Fingertip injuries need to be managed properly, to prevent complications, especially in people with diabetes.
I know it's a time-consuming PITA but
GET YOURSELF TO A&E ASAP!

It does not feel good.  I will go into work with Mrs G this morning.  The main nurse from our local practise will be there so I will let her assess me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 13 May, 2009, 08:06:16 am
You know what she'll say don't you..

Anyway, replaced the hanger on my mountain bike yesterday and fitted a new XT mech, as my bike/log interface incident last week not only snapped the hanger off, it ripped the little tab off the top of the mech that prevents it rotating when mounted on the hanger.

I also whipped out the bottom backet, which now has a little side-to-side play developing, ready to fit the brand new 118mm ES51 that I had bought.  Unfortunately the one I removed was a 121mm, needed so the small ring clears the suspension linkage.  Doh!  Back in with the old one pending the order I just placed with the Woolly Hat Shop for a 121.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 13 May, 2009, 02:56:38 pm
I've just built the front of Mrs Barker's birthday wheels to go with her swanky new Santa Cruz Juliana frame.  32h DT Swiss XR4.2D rims on XT hubs with DT double butted spokes.  It's a beaut.  Can't be arsed to build the rear though - I'll do it tomorrow.  YACF and a tinnie is easier, and her birthday isn't until the 29th!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 13 May, 2009, 03:32:53 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 12 May, 2009, 09:55:12 pm


The jockey wheels actually do make a difference, as does fine-tuning them into line with the sprocket by juggling the spacing washers around.


Thanks, now you've mentioned it, I'll take a look at my tensioner as I'm sure it could do with a bit of tweaking to
get a cleaner chain line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: richie on 13 May, 2009, 03:41:06 pm
Just fitted a new Open Pro CD rim to the rear wheel.  Took my time over it and it's laterally true and the dishing is spot on.  A couple of mm out radially but not enough to bother with.  It's just survived it's first  100k run over some poor roads and is fine.  Big  :thumbsup: for Roger Masson's wheelbuilding book!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 13 May, 2009, 03:51:31 pm
Quote from: richie on 13 May, 2009, 03:41:06 pm
  Big  :thumbsup: for Roger Masson's wheelbuilding book!

Ho yus.  (It's Musson btw)

It is superb, by far the best pratical guide to wheelbuilding.

Wheel building : Hope Hoops, Notubes ZTR, books, guide, courses (http://www.wheelpro.co.uk) for anyone who doesn't know.

Come to think of it, I'll drop Roger an email and try to get him on here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 13 May, 2009, 08:11:40 pm
Put the push along lawn mower back together with the axle supporting one of the trailing wheels spot welded back into place.

Puncture repaired one of the local youfs Halfrauds BMX-alike bike. I didn't have a spare tube in the right size so it was 4 patches before the tube was air tight again.

Had to dig out the socket set and an extension bar to remove the stunt pegs ... it was a bit like mending a car!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 13 May, 2009, 10:52:47 pm
I finished playing cricket only to find that my rear tyre appeared to have no air in it, so I fixed that on a train between Chessington and Clapham
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 14 May, 2009, 10:39:53 am
Fitted new tube in the Brommie. Unfortunately, Marathon Pluses are not Nail/stapling gun nail proof.  :(
Though I'm sure it did all in it's power to resist it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 May, 2009, 10:42:47 am
Fettling hint: Don't try to fit your tyres with a nail gun ;)

You're unfortunate.  My M+ coped with a long industrial staple.  The only reason I knew it was there was the noise as it repeatedly bashed the seatstay. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 14 May, 2009, 10:47:08 am
It had hardly bent (non peyronie) so it was still around an inch long, and so it had managed to puncture the tube
twice at 180° just to make doubly sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 14 May, 2009, 10:02:17 pm
Well my mate dropped round his girlfriends BSO.

Well fitted new gear cables as the gears weren't that good at changing and the cables were rusty, so thought that it would be the easiest way to get it to change well.  Was right and now changes really smoothly.  I also replaced the chain as it was in a really bad state with some of the side plates looked as if they were loose on the pins. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 14 May, 2009, 11:20:48 pm
Fitted the Blackburn rack for the child seat to the triplet, so I can collect sprogs plus their mate from a party tomorrow, while Helen takes the car to the Tri club open water session.  With the little ones in the trailer that'll be 6 people on one pedal-powered thing.

As you'd expect, most of the time went to finding a new place to put a back light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 15 May, 2009, 12:43:05 am
New drivetrain

I might be a little time... (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18882.msg338229#msg338229)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 17 May, 2009, 08:43:38 pm
Gave up with the mudguards I had been trying to get to fit on my Trek1200 without rubbing. Although it has mudguard eyes there just isn't enough clearance under the forks or at the rear. I tried the cable tie thing and everything. Stuck the race blades back on and that will have to do. Now to give it a shakedown ride and get the brakes and shifters adjusted properly. Then I will have something else to ride other than the OnOne. Gears will be a novelty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 17 May, 2009, 09:31:45 pm
I've finished some changes to the audax Longstaff to turn it, temporarily, into a light tourer.

Rear rack on instead of a saddlebag support.
STis replaced with bar end shifters - because I don't want to risk them being damaged on a plane.
Stem flipped to raise the bars.
Team Pro saddle fitted instead of the Titanium Swift.
A wheel swap round to fit a black rim/Hope hub combination instead of the Schmidt.
Marathon + tyres (25mm) fitted, replacing the Pasella TG.
Bar bag clamp fitted.

It's all ready! I'll ride it to work this week to make sure everything is fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 17 May, 2009, 10:07:52 pm
Oiled the nose of my Saddle. No more creak :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 17 May, 2009, 10:58:04 pm
I've changed the bandage on my finger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 17 May, 2009, 11:05:28 pm
I removed the pedal from my left hand crank.  A little swarf came out so I went over the LBS and asked then to run the tap through it. The tap just pushed straight through  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 May, 2009, 11:12:58 pm
swapped the wheels on the race bike, readjusted the gears to suit. Removed bottle cage and pump ready for Tuesday.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 17 May, 2009, 11:38:58 pm
I completely re-rigged a boat.

It was
        |    |
<========>
     |    |

It's now
     |    |
<========>
        |    |

Stern-loader coxed-four.  Used to be stroke-on-bowside (starboard), now it's stroke-on-strokeside (port).  So every rigger needed to be re-spanned, re-pitched, and all the backstays' lengths adjusted.  And most of the backstay adjusters (left-n-right-threaded extenders) had seized solid.  Also checked height of each gate.  And some stripped threads (NEVER trust an oarsman with a spanner - to them it's a challenge!) replaced.

Most of the above done in the pouring rain.  About a gallon of water poured out when we turned the boat upside-down to put it away in the boathouse.

Aluminium/Steel interfaces in wet environments - never a great idea at the best of times.

All with a 10mm ratchet spanner, a 13mm box spanner, an adjustable spanner and a tape measure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 18 May, 2009, 06:26:34 pm
I have attempted to fettle my utility bike.

I now remember why the set of Vredestein S-Licks I had as emergency slicks for my old MTB went into storage...

They are virtually impossible to fit, and eat non-metallic tyre levers.

Guess who's off to the bike shop for a new set of tyre levers and some 26" slicks?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 18 May, 2009, 06:35:06 pm
I put on a Brompton rear frame clip so I can choose when I want it to fold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 May, 2009, 11:03:50 pm
Non-bicycle, but in the last couple of days, we've built a couple of wardrobes and a bed, and moved other bits of furniture about.

Oh - and dismantled a bed, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 18 May, 2009, 11:09:18 pm
Well if we're including non bike items, I turned a pile of shed bits into a cold frame (and a slightly smaller pile of shed bits) this weekend. :)  Slugs - do your damnedest. :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 18 May, 2009, 11:21:53 pm
Bit of pompino adjustment: pulled the back wheel back a bit (chain was getting slack), adjusted rear brakes; checked headset and found that top stem bolt (fork tube end of stem) wasn't very tight.  Further investigation revealed that the fork tube was cut a little short so removed a spacer so that the stem had more to clamp onto.  Hopefully this will cure the annoying creak when I am climbing steep hills.  I shall pump the tyres up a bit and I'll be good to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 18 May, 2009, 11:24:36 pm
I've taken all 36 spokes out of a wheel.

That should save some weight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 18 May, 2009, 11:25:04 pm
Why not just drill them?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 18 May, 2009, 11:28:33 pm
I drilled the first spoke, but the bit was wider than the spoke so I couldn't get both halves of the spoke to stay together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 May, 2009, 11:53:38 pm
Well I have replaced the pedals on the road bike to egg beater SL and fitted the cleats to my shoes.

Rock and roll and no injuries
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 May, 2009, 12:39:43 am
Quote from: DuncanM on 18 May, 2009, 11:09:18 pm
Well if we're including non bike items...

We always have, if you look back at the first page, I think it's item 9 before anyone mentions bikes.  Oddly enough, I can't remember what my post on that page relates to!

(Old age clearly kicking in...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 19 May, 2009, 09:13:56 am
I just fitted a new tyre to my back wheel **without using levers** for the first time

;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 19 May, 2009, 09:19:18 am
Quote from: mike on 19 May, 2009, 09:13:56 am
I just fitted a new tyre to my back wheel **without using levers** for the first time

;D
Nice one, Mike.

Richard's Bicycle Book (remember that?):
"Never wonder whether the tyre will go on.
Decide that it will."

Works for me.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 May, 2009, 12:03:24 pm
Quote from: eck on 19 May, 2009, 09:19:18 am
Richard's Bicycle Book (remember that?):
"Never wonder whether the tyre will go on.
Decide that it will."

Very Zen. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 19 May, 2009, 01:40:22 pm
Built Mrs B's new rear wheel this morning. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 19 May, 2009, 01:41:17 pm
Hoping for more fettling this evening; just bought new brakes, cables and mudguards for pompino.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 19 May, 2009, 07:58:46 pm
Well I lubricated the bike stand to stop it being annoyingly creaky.

Then took some wellgo half cleat, half normal pedals off some cranks that really took some taking off as they were quite seized on.  Now have managed to almost destroy a 15mm spanner as I spread the fork of the spanner, so the cost of a new spanner.  I had to use heat and a club hammer.  Nutty would have been proud.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 19 May, 2009, 08:12:54 pm
I've got a new chain and cassette to put on, so I thought I'd give the rear mech a good clean first.
I noticed that it seemed a bit "slack", and thought the pivots must be a bit worn. Then I noticed that the bolt fixing the mech to the frame had undone itself by several turns.  :o

A narrow escape, what?  :-X
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 19 May, 2009, 10:21:39 pm
New chain for my Winter bike tonight. Took slightly longer than planned after 3 interruptions for rain.

Wiltshire seems to be having worse weather than Wimbledon at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 20 May, 2009, 12:46:22 am
New Deore LX V brakes fitted to Pompino.  Hopefully trying it out tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 20 May, 2009, 01:23:49 am
Quote from: Lynx on 19 May, 2009, 07:58:46 pm
  Now have managed to almost destroy a 15mm spanner as I spread the fork of the spanner, so the cost of a new spanner.  I had to use heat and a club hammer.  Nutty would have been proud.

Before I give you a gold star and promote you to the top of the class, please provide me details of the use of your first aid kit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 21 May, 2009, 11:41:35 pm
Fitted new mudguards to the Pompino.  Looks much better with shiny new ones on there.

However fitting them has been a total P.I.T.A.

1.  Had to drill out chain stay bridge bolt as it was welded in and/or the allen head had rusted.

2.  Had to drill out seat stay bridge bolt as it was similarly distressed.

3.  Pompino has strange design - seat stay bridge hole is in the bottom of the stay rather than the back so no way to screw bolt in to hold bridge clamp - resorted to cable ties.

4. Had a bit of trouble getting the chain stay clamp on with the remnants of the old bolt still in the hole, but made it.

5. SKS stay fittings are an arse.

6. Front mudguard: removing one of the stay bolts from the fork resulted in it snapping at the head.  Had to file down the protruding other end to make some flats so I could get a spanner on it and unscrew it.

7. Stays are far too long and the new fittings (see above) are an arse.  Particularly so in this case because they prevent me from moving the mudguard inwards.  This is the point I gave up last night.

8. Took it apart this evening and took the stays out to the garage and hacked 3cm off the ends, now it won't have dangerous toe overlap.

9. Assembled it all, wheels seem to go round.  Bit late to try it out tonight.  Maybe try it out tomorrow.

I would not last long as a bike mechanic, I would kill someone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 May, 2009, 01:32:20 am
Quote from: simonp on 21 May, 2009, 11:41:35 pm
3.  Pompino has strange design - seat stay bridge hole is in the bottom of the stay rather than the back so no way to screw bolt in to hold bridge clamp - resorted to cable ties.

I didn't bother with the bridge clamp, I just put a hole in the mudguard at the appropriate point, and put a bolt through that hole directly.  I used a bolt with a small button allen key head, to keep it from hitting the tyre.  It's actually a bit neater than buggering around with those horrible bridge clamps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cyclone on 22 May, 2009, 10:08:03 am
Finished a complete rebuild of a Harley Davidson 1340 motor. Now all I need to do is put it back in, connect all the bolts, wires and lines and collect enough spons to order the Flying Gate.... :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 22 May, 2009, 07:35:30 pm
Quote from: TimO on 22 May, 2009, 01:32:20 am
Quote from: simonp on 21 May, 2009, 11:41:35 pm
3.  Pompino has strange design - seat stay bridge hole is in the bottom of the stay rather than the back so no way to screw bolt in to hold bridge clamp - resorted to cable ties.

I didn't bother with the bridge clamp, I just put a hole in the mudguard at the appropriate point, and put a bolt through that hole directly.  I used a bolt with a small button allen key head, to keep it from hitting the tyre.  It's actually a bit neater than buggering around with those horrible bridge clamps.

Well, I couldn't do that due to not having drilled out the entire bolt, just the head.  Stainless is a pita to drill out since it work hardens.  I'm happy with the cable ties anyway.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robbo6 on 22 May, 2009, 09:40:56 pm
Made a titanium quick release mudguard clip[/IMG] (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/StevenROBSON/IMGP0184.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 May, 2009, 01:30:33 pm
I've readjusted my headset, since the LBS left it a bit tight for my liking when they first fitted it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 23 May, 2009, 08:58:16 pm
Cleaned the fixed from one end to other, chain off and every link flossed out with a bit of mechanics fabric disposable towel stuff.

Silent running once again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 24 May, 2009, 04:28:46 pm
Adjusted the Bromptons gears, since the new cable (replaced a broken one) on the 3-speed had stretched, & the 2-speed derailleur had mysteriously stopped working. But I can't fix the derailleur. All it  needs is the cable pulling through a little, but the clamping screw (a teensy-weensy delicate little Allen bolt) has lost its internal corners. :(

Bugger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 26 May, 2009, 02:21:32 pm
Yesterday.

Remove wheel
Stick lock tool in Rohloff.
Stick other end of lock tool in vice.
Wrap chain tool around sprocket.
Pull hard. Bench moves across floor.
Decide to use copper ease when refitting.
Replace bench.  Foot against bench top even stronger pull.
Fall over backwards, apparently used copper ease last time.
Reverse sprocket

Change tyre to one without orange stripe.
Pump up.
Refit wheel.

Test ride. Chain not slipping. Result.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 30 May, 2009, 11:07:46 pm
Needed to change a resistor with no electronics tools.

Removed the old one with a screwdriver warmed on a camping stove.

Made a new one with pencil lead by colouring in the gap until I got to the right resistance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 30 May, 2009, 11:38:25 pm
Fitted new brake blocks to my single speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 30 May, 2009, 11:38:25 pm
New pinch bolt for the Brompton 2-speed derailleur changer arrived, so fixed it. Needed to pop out & buy a new cable first, as the useless gits who fitted the previous one cut the end sloppily, so it was too frayed to go through the hole, & there wasn't enough spare on the end to cut off the frayed bit & still have a usable cable. Grrr!

But the 3-speed is now buggered. The nipple came off the end of the cable (I don't remember that happening to me before - & oddly, the nipple looks as if someone's snipped a bit off of it. That useless LBS again?). It stayed inside, blocking the hole I needed to feed the new cable through, & I had to open up the changer to get it out. Carefully saved the little spring that makes it all work, when I dismantled it - then dropped it when putting everything back together. And now I can't find it. AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!

Does anyone know where I can get a new spring for a Brompton 3-speed changer? I suppose I could ask Brompton, but they just sent me 3 (nice to have spares) pinch bolts, when I complained about their authorised dealer wrecking one, so I don't really want to impose on them if I can avoid it, especially as this one is my fault.

At least the derailleur now works.

Almost forgot to say: there was a low tyre pressure problem in the old (scheduled for disposal, but temporarily still in use) audax etc bike. While patching the causative orifice, I realised that riding 60 miles, including some fast downhills, on that tyre was probably unwise. Luckily, I had an old Michelin Axial sitting around, used a bit but still sound. I'd have hated having to put a new tyre on that bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 31 May, 2009, 01:15:12 pm
When I had my fork replaced my bike computer no longer worked.  Spent time moving the magnet to different positions. Tried 'puter in other bike. Tried other 'puter in cable. I could hear the reed switch clicking so I looked at the cable itself.  I noticed that the cable had been nicked when the old cable ties around the old fork had been cut.  Chucked cable in bin.  Searched for spare cable in bits box. To my surprise found one. Fitted 'puter works again.

Oiled chain on two bikes.

Pumped up flat tyre. Concluded valve fault because it did not go down again.

Tightened bar end on Dawes Discovery 101 which will hopefully stop slipping.
 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 31 May, 2009, 01:46:01 pm
Two lack of air in rear tyre incidents.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 31 May, 2009, 01:53:55 pm
Fitted Anne's new birthday wheels to her Santa Cruz yesterday.  While the workshop was open, neighbours turned up with a bike needing a headset change and saddle transplant, another bike with a warped rear disc, and their friend, one of our mountain bikiing buddies, had snapped a chain.  All were lovingly and sociably fettled in the sunshine, and we cracked a cold one or two afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 02 June, 2009, 07:18:01 pm
In order to replenish the brownie-points account I started with domestic type fettling:mow the lawns,do the Tesco-tango,put up the gazebo,move plants & garden furniture around,fixing wall mounted external clock & thermometer.
Then de-fettled the Longstaff by removing the Ortlieb bar-bag & bracket & refitting the bag to Marj's Trice from where it was borrowed for JoGLE:refitted the map trap to the Longstaff's handlebars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 02 June, 2009, 08:21:58 pm
Tonight saw the annual remove-carbon-fork-and-check-for-damage fettle on the R3. I'm pleased to report nothing to report!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PeteB99 on 02 June, 2009, 10:45:14 pm
Day off yesterday so dismantled the Langster for new chain and cleaning.

A close inspection of the tyres and they are both write offs

Front - Spec Mondo already has 3 duck tape tyre boots in it and there is a fresh split though the case caused by a glass sliver - ho hum it was pretty well worn anyway

Back - Spec Roubaix Elite had 2 similar splits through the tread showing the white base layer. Probably salvageable but I'm fed up with fairy visits.

2 Vittoria Rubino slicks on their way - no recent experience but a friend swears by them and he commutes more miles than me so I'll try them

With the usual commuter off the road I dug out the Graham Weigh 531 - seems very heavy compared to the Langster but my time in this morning was in the normal bracket. A few adjustments to make it more comfortable this evening - Handle bars up a little (good old quill stem) and saddle back a few cm and swapped the pedals over
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Welsh Man on 02 June, 2009, 11:00:55 pm
Does weeding my veg. plot count ???????
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim on 02 June, 2009, 11:14:06 pm
Rear tyre on MTB was looking a bit soft, spun wheel... "That looks like the end of a ..." <hiss as it I pull> "thorn". Realise that one of the other patches is also failing that covers a tear in the tube and decide to bin the tube as a lost cause.

Move onto to next flat tyre, on the tandem, which as deflated whilst the bike was residing in the garage. Overinflate tube to try an spot hole... ah that'll be coming apart at the seam where a puncture was just enough to trigger it all coming apart. Second tube for the day deemed a lost cause.

Ho hum, going to the LBS tomorrow anyway as they have the grand opening of their extension.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 02 June, 2009, 11:14:53 pm
Quote from: Welsh Man on 02 June, 2009, 11:00:55 pm
Does weeding my veg. plot count ???????

I'll let you have that if I can have fettlng the hedge to a couple of foot shorter.

Still got a lot left to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 08 June, 2009, 08:45:47 am
Yesterday I fettled a new grip onto my cricket bat. I then had a look at my Roadrat to sort out its slack chain (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18655.msg354549#msg354549) but it was really fine and the whole thing was an illusion, honest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 08 June, 2009, 09:08:55 am
Just fettled a new set of brake blocks onto the Kaffenback, which I should have done before the FNRttC, but didn't have time.  Luckily things didn't seem to be too bad, and I survived the ride.  The morning commute should be a lot safer now though, the blocks I took off were alarmingly well worn for 2000 miles of use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 June, 2009, 09:27:39 am
At the weekend, we disentangled the lesser used bikes from the weeds, and:

Got the Dawes 2Across back on the (off)road, and remembered how much fun it can be for short spins (even if it's not so good for distance or touring).

Assessed the other bikes:

Peugeot hardtail
Apollo BSO
Muddy Fox Explorer
British Eagle BSO
Our Kid's BMX

and did a full examination to find what was needed to get them back working again.  One BSO was condemned, but the other can be mended.  There's a lot of work to be done, but replacing cables/chains etc will go a long way...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 08 June, 2009, 12:26:44 pm
New front gear cable put on the Audax bike yesterday to replace the frayed old one.



Those frayed wire ends are vicious aren't they.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 08 June, 2009, 12:28:40 pm
Quote from: nuttycyclist on 08 June, 2009, 12:26:44 pm
New front gear cable put on the Audax bike yesterday to replace the frayed old one.



Those frayed wire ends are vicious aren't they.

They are if you change one while wearing socks and no shoes and then fuckwittedly step on one. Bah!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 08 June, 2009, 01:08:18 pm
Having fitted frogglegs to Fred over the weekend I can now officially say that I have not set them up right. Cos they suck. I've had better braking from a block of mouldy cheddar. I know they should be setuppable to be the best thing since whatever so will have another go tonight..

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robbo6 on 08 June, 2009, 02:52:59 pm
*New* chain on the Mercian, by *new* I mean a Renold/Brampton made in 1959, cost 11/5d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 08 June, 2009, 07:16:33 pm
Got new bits from Brompton, for the 3 speed hub changer. Hooray for Brompton!

Fitted, & the gears now work properly, after being messed around with by the LBS three times without getting them right. Two new cables, one new pinch bolt (the old one was b0rked, probably by the LBS) for the 2-speed changer & a new spring in the 3-speed changer to replace the one I lost when getting out the broken-off - and oddly cut - nipple from the cable fitted by the LBS, which had become stuck inside.

AOK. I'll do it all myself in future, as I used to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 June, 2009, 09:39:46 pm
Resprayed a left-hand Sturmey-Archer ball cup in silver Hammerite, and fitted the ball race and inner labyrinth seal to the (rare, but lets you use any track sprocket*) threaded driver.  Also worked out the spacing washers - 6mm on the left and 4mm on the right gives 118mm OLD, which will go into the 120mm frame.  After fitting the cast anti-rotation washers, there will be 8mm left on each side for the axle nuts, which is just enough - that's how wide a plain LH one is.  Oh, and I screwed the little oiler cap into the polished alloy shell.

Tomorrow I'll finish building up the hub, then it's the wheelbuild.  A bit of a weird one - Velocity Deep V silver rim with 40 spokes, 4-cross.


*but it's not a fixed (unless it's an ASC or TF) - the freewheel mechanism is in the hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 09 June, 2009, 11:39:04 am
The front mech on the tandem to get it to select the big ring.Better than it was but still doesn't do it every time :(

Had more success with increasing tyre pressures ;D

Now all it needs is a stoker :)

It did feel very strange to ride with it's fat tyres & slow steering:much different to the Longstaff which has only recently been surgically removed folowing 3 weeks of living on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 09 June, 2009, 12:49:44 pm
On DSaturday I swapped the fixie back wheel from a tub rim to a Open Sport.  I ran out of motivation before starting to true it properly though, so that's tonight's game... :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 11 June, 2009, 01:00:06 am
Been preparing Yukon for its first outing of the year (yeah, yeah).

Yesterday I cleaned off the grime from the last Audax I did on it (November 29 2008 Norfolk B Roads mudfest) and removed the chain, which has passed the "replace me" point.  Removed bar tape which had slipped, removed gear cables.  Swapped new dynamo wheel in, putting new 700x25C tyre and tube on.  Removed mount for bar bag which hasn't been used since PBP.

Tonight, removed and replaced brake cables, adjusted positioning of brake levers.  Fitted new chain.  Removed Minoura space grip and mounted Solidlight 1303 directly on the bars.

Tomorrow will be for fitting the new shift cables, fitting new Bar Phat tape, putting Powertap wheel back on, fitting gps mount again, fit Edelux to fork crown and wire up, give it a quick spin, and I'll be good to go for the Irish Mail.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 11 June, 2009, 03:38:23 pm
Repaired a post-production hazard-induced orifice in the inner tube of  Gill's bike the Langster.
Flipped the rear wheel to fixed on Gill's bike the Langster.Running at 63".
Refitted aero bars:the Profile type with the spring loaded armrests: on Gill's bike the Langster.

I am told that I merely have custody of the Langster Gill's bike :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 11 June, 2009, 09:22:42 pm
Changed cheapo front sus fork on the mountain bike to a solid fork and put road tyres and a rack on it, It rides rather nicely now ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 12 June, 2009, 11:18:31 am
Finally got round to stripping the bits off a Raleigh Sprint to get down to the frame for a re-spray.
It is part of a fixie plan that is slowly coming together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robbo6 on 12 June, 2009, 01:37:35 pm
New left toe-clip, right clip and both straps scheduled for tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 13 June, 2009, 11:47:59 am
Red bike is put upon the stand.  The handle bar holder is attached.  Everything is ready.  I apply allen key to old lamp. As I turn the bolt the lamp falls to pieces.  Just in time maintenance is wonderful.  I attach the Edelux. Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 13 June, 2009, 12:37:47 pm
The family GruB stable as we are all off to the Strawberry Fayre.  Mainly air in tyres and some brake and gear adjustments.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 13 June, 2009, 10:49:20 pm
Slowly and feverishly removed the remaining packaging material from the new addition to the fleet and fitted the handle bars.

if I can find the energy, I might fit the  pedals before bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 13 June, 2009, 11:03:21 pm
Removed the slackness from my chain and lubed he chain. Then the rain rinsed it off :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 14 June, 2009, 06:37:26 pm
I did the M&E fettling on the caravan & Marj did the domestic type fettling.

Took the pannier rack off the Longstaff & fitted it to the Langster.
Took the Camper Longflap off the Longstaff & refitted the Barley saddlebag.
Fitted a Topeak bar extender to the frame to protude below the saddle between the chainstays to provide a bracket to mount a rear light below the saddlebag.
Fettled the brakes on the Langster,Longstaff & Trek to give efficient brake modulation with minimum lever travel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 14 June, 2009, 07:00:10 pm
New tyre and tube onto the front TCR wheel.  Krylion of course.
Took the BB out and cleaned and lubed and replaced it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 June, 2009, 07:06:32 pm
Trued up the new rear wheel (a weirdo - Sturmey-Archer AM medium ratio hub gear in an original alloy shell with a Velocity Deep V rim* and 40 spokes laced 4-cross), put a tyre and tube on it, rode up the local 1:6 hill in both low and normal gears to tighten the ball rings into the shell (quite disconcerting, as if the sprocket is slipping) then readjusted the cones.

Despite being designed for 110-113mm spacing, it goes quite happily into a 120mm rear spacing, but I cheated slightly by spacing it to 118mm, ensured the threads were very clean and greased and used a torque wrench on the axle nuts.  They have about 9mm to bite on each side, which is fine by me, since a standard axle nut is only 8mm wide.

*I don't recommend these.  They're not very nice to build with since they are laterally not very stiff, and the lack of any eyelets means that the spoke nipples are very hard to turn, even though I went round the rim and oiled every hole with a cotton bud before I started building.  But they're the right width and they come in 40 hole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 June, 2009, 10:08:57 pm
I got round to fettling my Orbit.  I stripped off the old tyres, and realised the whole thing needed cleaning.  So I did that, then decided to take the opportunity to strip the cranks off, grease & refit to hopefully deal with the noise.  But my crank puller was crap :(

I went to Putney Cycles & got a new one, and they came off easily, but, by that time, it was a lot later.

I reassembled & changed the brake blocks, but didn't get a chance to redo the bar tape or replace the broken outer cable and... well, let's just say there's more to do :(  Might need to buy a shorter stem.  :-\

Then I fitted the rear wheel with the replaced axle to Our Kid's BMX.  Well, I would have done, but a well-known bike shop in Sutton that replaced the axle managed to sell me a nut with the wrong thread to go on to it, and the thread isn't looking good again >:(

Then I swapped rear racks on the tandems, and raised the seatpost on Superstoker's solo so I could ride it....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 15 June, 2009, 12:00:53 am
Tweaked the headset on the latest n+1 as it had got slightly loose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fred the great on 15 June, 2009, 03:36:45 am
The Mother in Laws el cheapo, Tesco, Thai made shopper. It had stood neglected for three years, covered in dust, tyres flat and looking all forlorn.

Tyres were resurrected successfully and retained the wind, 3 in 1 sorted out the moving parts and a rub down with some disused old Y fronts removed the dust :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 17 June, 2009, 10:20:04 pm
I have recommissioned my oldest bike in readiness for  Sunday's trip to the seaside (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1356.msg364152#msg364152)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 June, 2009, 10:50:46 pm
Well after the south london hill ride I found that the bike shop tweaked brake setup still wasn't right and then fettled the front derailleur as the cable had come loose.

I then fettled a computer that took far longer, I I now have an AMD athlon 2600+ heady speeds or what?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 18 June, 2009, 11:03:35 pm
New 16T sprocket on the pompino giving a 69 inch gear to commute on tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 June, 2009, 09:41:27 pm
Cleaned the hub geared bike ready for the Dun Run.  Dry use only now.

I think the death rattle from the rear hub in low and normal gear is the silly two-piece indicator rod vibrating inside the axle, so I've smeared grease all over it.  The one on the Brompton does the same thing, although in that case it's barely audible over the rattle of the castors and the chain tensioner.

It looks quite funky with a silver Surly track sprocket (it's not a fixie - it just has the rare threaded driver) and a new nickel-plated chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 19 June, 2009, 09:51:56 pm
Dumb Run pre-fettle: replaced a tube that had come away at the valve stem (sigh) and did the chain tension thing.  Lots of lights, and more tomorrow ready for the off.  Fraudax needs very little fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 20 June, 2009, 08:32:27 pm
Pink White and Blue bike had been drinking oil for 5000km.   So this morning I removed the drain grub screw and let the remaining oil leek into a bottle.  This afternoon I injected the cleaning oil into the hole resealed it and rode up and down the street in all the gears so the cleaning oil got to all the cogs.  I then drained it again.  This time quite a lot of dirty oil came out. Finally this evening I injected nice clean oil and told the bike it was not getting anymore until it has carried me 5000km.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 23 June, 2009, 10:51:04 am
I've put five tiny "zip" fasteners on each of the saddlebag holders on the Brooks saddle so that the holders won't cut through the leather straps on the Carradice. Now it's a much kinder surface for the straps to rest on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 June, 2009, 02:01:12 pm
I swapped the slicks on Superstoker's hybrid for knobblies.  We went out for a trundle a short while ago, but he wasn't happy with the increased drag... :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 June, 2009, 09:59:42 pm
I just swapped over the Continental Sports Contact tyre on the back of the Kaffenback for a Marathon Supreme, since I've had enough of punctures.  I'll put the Sports Contact aside as a emergency spare.  The Marathon Supreme I got was a folding one, so was quite "fun" to get on the rim, since it's quite floppy.  I think I'll try and stick to wired on non-folding tyres where I can, they're much easier to get on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 28 June, 2009, 01:54:31 am
Sorted out the bar tape that was undoing.

Very fiddly job as I was only doing the bar end end, so having to work back to front and slide the tape under the already taped bar.

Took the end of the thumb off with a sharp knife  ::-), but because I keep my kit razor sharp I actually shaved the skin off and no blood was seen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 June, 2009, 04:22:44 pm
It all started as a simple job to fix the chainline, which involved turning the Surly sprocket round.  However, to remove a sprocket on a SA threaded driver, the driver has to come out of the hub after removing the RH cone.  2 minutes later and the driver is straddling a metal bar in the Workmate, with me heaving on a chainwhip.  It comes off, so that's good.

However, the axle is free to move a lot when the RH cone is out...and the planet pinions managed to lose their timing, meaning the hub wouldn't turn freely.  Arse.  So I stripped the whole thing down, taking the opportunity to change the axle key for a threaded one so I can use a £2 one-piece indicator (available new) rather than a £15 two-piece indicator (not made since the 1960s).

Anyway, it's all back in and running beautifully - the chainline is bang on now - but the 40 mile "bedding in" ride before the Dun Run is going to have to be repeated this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 28 June, 2009, 05:58:57 pm
I have replaced the rather nasty external bearings on the 105 hollowtech chainset on me Ribble with a set from Hope. Not cheap, but the smoothness is lovely, just lovely. And then some. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 28 June, 2009, 07:07:24 pm
During my test ride this morning I stopped 3 times to fine tune the front dérailleur.  I might pop out and fix a loose valve in a tube in a mo too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 02 July, 2009, 07:57:51 pm
Just popped the lights back on Blue Meanie for the Dun Run.  2 Cateyes & a Hope up front. 2 Smarts & a Blackburn Mars 4 at the rear.  Pannier adjusted to fit the old rack as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 02 July, 2009, 08:14:14 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 02 July, 2009, 07:57:51 pm
...2 Cateyes & a Hope up front. 2 Smarts & a Blackburn Mars 4 at the rear. ...

You are me, and I claim my five pounds... erm maybe no erm...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 02 July, 2009, 08:53:47 pm
I've changed the dodgy tube on mrs mikes bike, and (after she offered to cook tea) removed the mudguards. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 July, 2009, 09:11:11 pm
I have just installed my new Ultegra SL compact chainset on Theia, along with the Ultegra front dérailleur.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 July, 2009, 09:22:38 pm
Just fitted the Bonty tyres to the Gipiemme wheels for Superstoker.  By heck, that rear one were tight!  But they're on, and they look very smart.

Just need some sprockets now... :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 03 July, 2009, 09:40:13 am

Lined and highlighted all the intricate scrolled lugs on my newly aquired "Ian Steel" Viking.

I wasn't at all nervex about doin' it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 03 July, 2009, 08:44:19 pm
I have just put The Brooks (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19517.0) on my Sportive Ti, where it looks all wrong. The copper rivets don't go with the Ti frame
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 08:46:58 pm
I sorted out a young lass's bike so she could get home after the mech went un-mech shaped.  She might be buying one of our BSOs to replace the bike, which is pretty much kaput now the gearhanger has been bent out of line (and back - ish - by me).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 03 July, 2009, 08:48:28 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 08:46:58 pm
I sorted out a young lass's bike so she could get home after the mech went un-mech shaped.  She might be buying one of our BSOs to replace the bike, which is pretty much kaput now the gearhanger has been bent out of line (and back - ish - by me).

What will happen to the redundant bike?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 03 July, 2009, 08:50:36 pm
Nothing today, but I expect my new bling stem to arrive in the morning, so can't wait for the morrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 03 July, 2009, 09:18:43 pm
Just popping out to the garage now  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 10:03:05 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 03 July, 2009, 08:48:28 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 08:46:58 pm
I sorted out a young lass's bike so she could get home after the mech went un-mech shaped.  She might be buying one of our BSOs to replace the bike, which is pretty much kaput now the gearhanger has been bent out of line (and back - ish - by me).

What will happen to the redundant bike?

It's not really a bike so much as an assemblage of crappy cheese-flavoured aluminium with a chain that has never seen oil, and a bunch of old springs masquerading as a suspension system.  But the lasses do ride a fair bit, they say, and went to Brighton a short while back...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 10:03:24 pm
Quote from: nuttycyclist on 03 July, 2009, 09:18:43 pm
Just popping out to the garage now  :smug:

CODE RED!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 10:04:10 pm
I've rewrapped one side of the bar tape for the Woodrup, so that'll probably be my steed of choice this week.

Now for the fixed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 03 July, 2009, 10:04:37 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 10:03:05 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 03 July, 2009, 08:48:28 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 08:46:58 pm
I sorted out a young lass's bike so she could get home after the mech went un-mech shaped.  She might be buying one of our BSOs to replace the bike, which is pretty much kaput now the gearhanger has been bent out of line (and back - ish - by me).

What will happen to the redundant bike?

It's not really a bike so much as an assemblage of crappy cheese-flavoured aluminium with a chain that has never seen oil, and a bunch of old springs masquerading as a suspension system.  But the lasses do ride a fair bit, they say, and went to Brighton a short while back...

Aluminium, no good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 03 July, 2009, 10:16:25 pm
I lied.  Couldn't help myself.  When I went to put Theia away I took the seat off and put some grit lube in the seat clamp mechanism in the hope that it will keep it more secure than without.  Also took of the big Carradice and put on a smaller Topeak bag for a 'lighter' run to the LBS and WH Smiths in the morning.  Fun, not commuting.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2009, 10:48:20 pm
Damn!  Old bloody brake levers!  I can't get the bolt to engage with the band >:(

I will forgive them, cause they're all lovely & such, and say 'Carlton' on the side, but that one is annoying me...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keepontriking on 04 July, 2009, 07:55:30 pm
This morning I fettled a completed beginner (39yrs) into someone who could cycle several hundreds of metres with a Wide Wide Grin ;D
(direction will have to come later though.)

This afternoon I fell asleep and found myself fettling a broken chain and hunting for lost pins. Then they wouldn't fit back into the chains side plates.

Thankfully the phone woke me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 04 July, 2009, 08:19:42 pm
Oh yes, installed the new bling stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 05 July, 2009, 09:28:40 am
Quote from: Grub on 04 July, 2009, 08:19:42 pm
Oh yes, installed the new bling stem.

Must be time for a photo
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 05 July, 2009, 12:50:25 pm

Just swapped the 20T for a 17T sprocket.
Way too much flexor action going on.  ;D
A nanosecond before I broke its tenacious bite, my watch went flying off.  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 05 July, 2009, 09:01:14 pm
Not fettled SS's Trek.  One brake kinda done; the other not returning properly.  Chain fitted but slightly stiff link (although gears aligned OK).  Lots of frustration.

Off to replace Butterfly's brake blocks.  Wish me luck! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 July, 2009, 09:44:11 pm
I had to fettle my chain about 6 foot from the front door, as I left for Sainsburys earlier.  If it was about to give way, I am so glad it did it at that point, rather than half way up Ditchling, or even fifteen miles from home at London Fields, which could so easily have happened yesterday. :o

The chain was probably a link too long anyway, which has now been forcefully remedied!

I could have dealt with it using my normal toolkit (and in fact did), but it's much easier to clean black gunge off of your hands with a sink, and hot water.  Even with disposable gloves, it's virtually impossible not to get some blackness on you with a freshly oiled chain!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 July, 2009, 09:46:48 pm
Fitted stabilisers to the young lad next door's bike. I'd tried to persuade his parents (and him) he should adopt the scoot along method to no avail.

Bike had a 3 speed block and the mech was fouling the stabiliser, so it had to go.

Lad's mum brought round a bottle of wine as a thank you, which was nice.  I think the rear tyre has a puncture, so I'll fettle that tomorrow.

Oh, and another one. Four weeks ago a friend rang. She was out cycling with a friend of hers, allegedly training for a triathlon. Friend's pedal had fallen off, just south of Tuners Hill, of FNRttC fame. From the description the crank bolt had come out. I was unable to go and fix it, but tried to help over the phone, to no avail.

Anyway...fast forward to today. My friend phoned up. She was going to a barbecue at her friend's. Could I pop round and have a look at the bike. We did so, after helping with the dog (see Where the Wild Things Are).

The crank was indeed separated from the bike. The bolt was found. I produced an allen key from my bag and thirty seconds later the job was done.

How can people not know enough to fix such a simple thing?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 July, 2009, 08:54:02 pm
Cor - busy day of fettling.

I stripped down & rebuilt a dp brake (never touched them before) to get it to work, trimmed the gears, applied bar tape, set up a computer, then stood back and smiled. :)

Then I looked out of the window, and, as I did, a seaful of water fell out of the sky, so we deferred the shakedown ride.

I hope the bairn is happy with it.  We're off for a trundle tomorrow. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 08 July, 2009, 08:58:04 pm
I got a quill to ahead adaptor for my new bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 09 July, 2009, 12:33:51 pm
I have fixed my dysfunctional bath tap.  Hurrah!

I have not fixed my dysfunctional oven.  Bah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 09 July, 2009, 04:07:21 pm
I've been good today gave my bike a good clean from top to bottom it's all nice and shiny now it's a shame to take it out just to get it covered in moo cow poo again :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 10 July, 2009, 12:08:16 am
See 'Une petit bolleaux' in Freewheeling.  :o

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 July, 2009, 12:40:51 am
Finally got around to fitting a complete new set of ergo cables (inners & outers, brakes and gears) that I've had sitting here for a few weeks, plus new bar tape, to get the Audax bike ready for LEL. The old ones had been on for 15 months and as the bike has done one or two miles since then, I thought it best to change rather than risk a cable failing.

That meant I also sorted out the cable lengths, which really needed a couple of inches taking off between the shifters and the frame cable stops following a jiggle with my stem and spacers some months ago.

Just been out to try it; shifting is suddenly much lighter and crisper than before - like having a new transmission  - and my cables no longer rub on the fork crown mounted front light.

A very satisfying evening's work :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 10 July, 2009, 05:57:37 pm
I have installed a new Ultegra rear dérailleur onto the Etape and a new chain.
My new bottle cages have arrived at the LBS too so I shall go and get them in the morning.

That will mean the bike is complete.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 10 July, 2009, 08:34:13 pm
Quote from: Grub on 10 July, 2009, 05:57:37 pm

That will mean the bike is complete.

And then will it be time for a photo or two?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 July, 2009, 08:39:43 pm
I can't see GruB wanting to display photos of his bike on an internet forum ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 10 July, 2009, 08:57:42 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 10 July, 2009, 08:34:13 pm
Quote from: Grub on 10 July, 2009, 05:57:37 pm

That will mean the bike is complete.

And then will it be time for a photo or two?

You are right.  I have been good.  I have waited to show the new Hope bling blue stem, Ultegra compact cranks, Ultegra mechs and bottle cages.  I could have done this as staged disclosure but I thought too many would comment  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 13 July, 2009, 02:10:32 pm
I have taken two motor-car loads of assorted bobbins to the tip and as a result can now see my kitchen floor for the first time since Christmas.  Also the Speedmachine's chain is currently soaking in a pan of de-slaper as it contains approximately 250 stiff links.

As do I.  My arms ache, my legs ache, my lower back aches, my shoulders ache and my right achilles tendon is asking politely not to be used for walking.  It's probably pig plague.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 18 July, 2009, 01:43:24 pm
Finally removed the 170mm cranks from my fixed commuting bike.  The drive side crank has been stuck on there for about 3 years, since I mangled the threads on the crank.

It came off with judicious use of a hammer and chisel.  Why didn't I think of that before?

Just having a cuppa cha now before I go and fit some 165mm cranks for that extra spinniness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 18 July, 2009, 01:57:45 pm
Slightly off topic. While GillP was specifying her Hewitt Cheviot in the shop I was watching Paul Hewitt fitting the gear cables to a similar model in the workshop area. There is something very satisfying in watching somebody doing something that they have done hundreds of times before. He was like a well oiled machine as he selected and cut the outer cables and threaded the inners. Reaching for tools and components by habit rather than actually needing to look. He doesn't exactly bubble with enthusiasm but he looked totally at ease and at one with the job. Very Zen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 July, 2009, 02:31:55 pm
In the last 24 hours I bolted the lights onto the Hewitt Cheviot and admired its pristine condition.  Then I went and rode it 105 miles on muddy flooded roads  ::-)

On Thursday I finished building Miss Z's hub gear wheel.  It's a Sturmey-Archer AW assembled from the best bits in my spares draw, 36h, 20" BMX rim, stainless DT Champion spokes (you can't get double-butted in 184mm).  Totally indestructible.  Gearing will be 36 x 20, giving nominal 27", 36" and 48" gears.  If she turns out to be the next Victoria Pendleton I can fit down to a 13T sprocket to give 42", 55" and 74"  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 20 July, 2009, 07:50:31 pm
After a 30s spray from something teflon-based in a can, my commuting bike now has StealthTM transmission.  It is now so quiet that I can't tell whether I'm pedalling or freewheeling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 21 July, 2009, 05:52:45 pm
Fettled n+1 secondhand Brommie.  New extended seatpost and ebay bargain B17 saddle.  New cables all round.  Cleaned, inspected and  lubed front hub bearing and headset.  Cleaned, inspected  and lubed drivetrain.  Discovered I don't have a 22mm cone spanner any more, so put off fettling rear hub bearings and internals for a bit, but it's working perfectly so no hurry.  Works like a dream - what a bit of kit! :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 21 July, 2009, 09:38:38 pm
Checked the tandem brakes  et. el.  'cause it will be having preciouscargo stoker soon.Grand-daughter tells me that we will be tandeming during school hols.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 July, 2009, 09:48:12 pm
New brake blocks on Theia's front end.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2009, 10:26:24 pm
still playing with the cars bottom ball joint.

Hour and a half my arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 21 July, 2009, 10:49:31 pm
I have sadly neglected my fixie recently, and the tyres were looking knackered so I bought some nice new Paselas for him. Whilst I had the back wheel off I rotated the cranks, lumpy and graunchy.  :-[   Looks like I'm going to spend some time stripping down a cup and cone bottom bracket for the first time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 22 July, 2009, 12:33:06 am
I finished building my wheel (back for my fixie). :)
I forgot to stress the spokes. :(  I'm tempted to put it on the bike, ride 10 or so miles and then re-true it (and swap the old sprocket for a new one).  Would this be a truly bad idea?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: juliet on 22 July, 2009, 08:36:38 am
Yesterday I took Cepheus (the tourer) out of the box in which he was shipped back across the Atlantic, and put him back together again.  Needs a ride to check everything's OK, and a bit of oil on the chain.  (Possibly a new chain, but finances do not really permit atm.)  Not sure if this counts as fettling, but it made me happy.

New saddle on the fixie on Monday - one of those nice Selle An-Atomica ones.  Cost more than the rest of the bike put together, mind...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 22 July, 2009, 10:03:41 am
Quote from: DuncanM on 22 July, 2009, 12:33:06 am
I finished building my wheel (back for my fixie). :)
I forgot to stress the spokes. :(  I'm tempted to put it on the bike, ride 10 or so miles and then re-true it (and swap the old sprocket for a new one).  Would this be a truly bad idea?

Ideally back off all the nipples one turn, stress-relieve and then tighten everthing back up 1 turn, repeat the stress relief and retrue perfectly.  Otherwise just stress-relieve the spokes now and then see if it needs retrueing afterwards.  The point is to even out the tension within elements of the metal's structure at the elobiw, where the spoke wire ahs been bent.  Simply riding it may not do that evenly.  All IMHO of course, you'll get as nay different answers as responders to this one :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 22 July, 2009, 02:05:07 pm
The issue is that I trued it (in a proper stand, which makes life easier) at the Tuesday night Cycle Workshop members night, and I want to ride it this weekend.  I don't have a trueing stand (and I'm not gonna have the time/space to make one).

I'll probably ride it Saturday, then stress it and re-true it next Tuesday.  Assuming the weather on the weekend doesn't suck too much.

All I did was swap a rim, so the spokes should be approx how they have always been, don't know if this makes any difference...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 22 July, 2009, 04:07:17 pm
Swopped the summer wheels/tyres into the best bike - not that I think "summer" is imminent, but a case of now or never!

And fitted a Nitto Mini Rear to the best every-day bike. The spare shorter stays I put on the matching mini front Nitto that I fitted last week. All very pleasing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 July, 2009, 11:23:29 am
I have put in place a temporary solution to my ongoing Laundry Crisis by mending two pairs of trousis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 July, 2009, 07:13:05 pm
oops (http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/Police-cordon-off-39gas-leak39.5489487.jp)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 July, 2009, 08:14:08 pm
I sorted my gear cables on my Woodrup so they aren't right at the end of their throw - thanks Pearsons! ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 23 July, 2009, 09:33:39 pm
As I'd moaned to Planet X that they'd shipped my bike with Ultegra long drop brakes which weren't correct, they've sent out some very fancy FSA SLK brakes as a replacement which I've just fitted. 

Very nice design and almost 25% lighter!  I just need to find a 2mm allen key to adjust the toe-in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 23 July, 2009, 09:58:28 pm
Quote from: DuncanM on 22 July, 2009, 02:05:07 pm
The issue is that I trued it (in a proper stand, which makes life easier) at the Tuesday night Cycle Workshop members night, and I want to ride it this weekend.  I don't have a trueing stand (and I'm not gonna have the time/space to make one).

I'll probably ride it Saturday, then stress it and re-true it next Tuesday.  Assuming the weather on the weekend doesn't suck too much.

All I did was swap a rim, so the spokes should be approx how they have always been, don't know if this makes any difference...

If you can be arsed to ride/drive here (Wye Valley) then you're welcome to use my TS2 stand and tensiometer to get it perfect.  No doubt a nice ride to be had as well, as long as you don't mind HILLIES
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 23 July, 2009, 11:09:54 pm
Quote from: robbarker on 23 July, 2009, 09:58:28 pm

If you can be arsed to ride/drive here...

Reminds me...hills were a bit easier after you got the gears working on my borrowed bike. Thank-you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 24 July, 2009, 12:39:39 pm
Quote from: robbarker on 23 July, 2009, 09:58:28 pm
Quote from: DuncanM on 22 July, 2009, 02:05:07 pm
The issue is that I trued it (in a proper stand, which makes life easier) at the Tuesday night Cycle Workshop members night, and I want to ride it this weekend.  I don't have a trueing stand (and I'm not gonna have the time/space to make one).

I'll probably ride it Saturday, then stress it and re-true it next Tuesday.  Assuming the weather on the weekend doesn't suck too much.

All I did was swap a rim, so the spokes should be approx how they have always been, don't know if this makes any difference...

If you can be arsed to ride/drive here (Wye Valley) then you're welcome to use my TS2 stand and tensiometer to get it perfect.  No doubt a nice ride to be had as well, as long as you don't mind HILLIES

That's a very generous offer, but unfortunately the boss has a list of other things I'm supposed to be doing on the weekend.  Hopefully I'll get an hour or so to ride my bike (I'll just leave the back brake loose), and then I'll sort the wheel out properly on Tuesday.  Thank you though. :)
I like hillies (grew up just outside Newport), but it's a little while since I did any riding in that part of the world, so it  would definitely be a shock to the system.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 24 July, 2009, 02:00:09 pm
Pug 306 rad and cooling system, (needed cable ties and swearing) and the wheels of my Burrows SL for which a spoke key was enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 25 July, 2009, 07:50:33 pm
I raised the saddle on my grandson's Postman Pat bike ......I'm guessing I'm slightly off thepace for this thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 25 July, 2009, 08:25:49 pm
Meatloaf for next week's race - revealing that I need new headset bearings (oozing brown scunge and broken ball race) and a new BB (rattly rattly) as well as the brake blocks and lube job.  To the shop!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 July, 2009, 09:47:32 pm
Washed and photographed  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 25 July, 2009, 11:13:01 pm
Got two lights and a reflector attached to the rack of the new bike. Fittings for this seem harder to come by than you'd think, but its only a little bit bodgy. Home alone with Miss Dan the Younger, so can't go out to test though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 25 July, 2009, 11:17:16 pm
Quote from: alan on 21 July, 2009, 09:38:38 pm
Checked the tandem brakes  et. el.  'cause it will be having preciouscargo stoker soon.Grand-daughter tells me that we will be tandeming during school hols.  :thumbsup:

Yay!!!

Have fun!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 26 July, 2009, 04:38:36 pm
Emergency pub garden fix: adjusted  the front derailleur (the one with the cable that broke on Sliding Hill) so that the chain would stay on the middle ring instead of the small one, thus enabling me to move at speeds higher than Dead Slow for the ride home. GRRRRR!

At least it didn't handicap me much getting to the pub. It was perfectly OK for the hill, the next stretch of road undulated enough to permit frantic twiddling alternating with freewheeling, then a lovely no-pedalling downhill cruise to the pub.

Do not, under pain of extreme torment, mention fixies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 26 July, 2009, 05:42:39 pm
I removed some shelves from the wall of the spare room.  No wonder they were not very sturdy - half the rawl plugs stayed in the wall, and half had to be pulled out because they just turned hopelessly with the screw (and they pulled out quite easily  :-\).  Unfortunately, I've now got some holes in the wall. :(  Under 1cm in diameter though, so hopefully I can polyfilla them without it looking too bad...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 27 July, 2009, 04:54:36 pm
Stripped the Henry Burton right down of all its dérailleurness.
Put all the parts in a bag. Held bag and thought... Blimey, there's some weight there.
It's now a singlespeed 52 X 18 Alec Willitgoness Lightweight Special.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 02 August, 2009, 12:14:25 pm
As reported in another topic,  Pink, White and Blue bike required a new handlebar. This was an Eastion EA70 Oversize bar.  LBS tried to obtain a decent quality old standard bar.  All the distributors listed them but did not have any in stock.  So I told LBS replace the Stem that is as old as the bar that just snapped.  

Now 31.8mm flat bars get thicker as you move inwards.  The bar funriture I want to fit is brake, Rholoff shifter, grips and bar end. The thicker bar reduces the space.  It will not fit.  The LBS found a 10cm grip which is 3cm shorter than typical.  When I got the bike home the end plug of the bar fell out. Bar end only half on the bar. This is not good enough.

So begin work.  I swapped the bar ends and grips with Dawes Discover 101 which just happened to have Ergon GR2 gripshift grips.  Cane Creek + XLite Bar Ends were 13cm.  Ergon GR2 were just 11cm. Everything fits hooray.

(http://www.atpn20.dsl.pipex.com/acf/pictures/dscf0026.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rae on 02 August, 2009, 11:38:59 pm
Rewired most of the new place.   All of the plaster has been hacked off downstairs (to fix the damp), and dropping the ceiling was an easy decision.   250 metres of cable has gone in so far, and that's just the electrical bit.  1 more ring main to go.   Assorted spurs, insulation tape joints and rat chewed wires are now in the skip.  6Km of Cat5 is sitting in the garage and will be pulled tomorrow.    I was thinking of bunging HDMI cable all over the place, but it is far too expensive, and anyway, with 4 Gbit per room, I can shove whatever video I need over the network. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 10 August, 2009, 02:01:09 pm
22   Off Topic / The Pub / Re: What are you doing right now?  on: August 08, 2009, 08:21:50 pm 
Wondering why my neck,wrists,palms & ar$e ache.It was only 110 km FCOL 

What a difference half an inch makes.

Fettled the saddle height down .Much more as it should be :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 August, 2009, 07:21:14 pm
The car.

Drained coolant, then flushed and bled the brakes and clutch (horrible job with one of those one-way tubes...I'd love a pressure bleeding kit but no-one makes a cap to fit the MX-5 reservoir).  Refilled coolant and went through the strange procedure to get the air out.  Then removed all the air trunking and flushed out the idle air valve with xylene.  Changed the air filter and the PCV valve, which I reckoned would be past its best after 12 years.  Flushed out various crankcase ventilation hoses.  Got the car level and checked the oil in the diff (I'll need to get the garage to check the gearbox oil level, but since there are no leaks it will be fine).  Checked a few rubber boots, alternator belt and stuff.  Exhaust still looks pretty good, wishbones getting pretty rusty, although I've never heard of one actually needing to be replaced except as a result of an accident.  Took it for a thrash and then checked the natural idle speed with a multimeter, which turned out to be within 10rpm of spec.

The oil gets done in March and September.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 16 August, 2009, 07:27:31 pm
Took the stem off the new fixie to fit the shorter one kindly donated by Deano. Fitted the new stem on the steerer and then went to fit the handle bars only to realise that the handlebars are 38mm and the stem is for 25mm. Reversed the whole procedure.

Anybody looking for a short stem?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Climberruss on 17 August, 2009, 06:44:07 pm
PAC Tour Bike.
Having done 4000 miles (PAC Tour + 600km just before) since I fettled it ready to go it needed a full strip down and re-grease / rebuild now that I'm back.
Whilst away it needed a rear wheel re-built (dodgy spokes), a new seat (broken rail) and a total of 3 new tyres (mileage / American roads).
Now back - full strip down, re-grease and clean all hubs / BB etc, rebuild rear wheel again (new rim required - spokes pulling through for the second time), re-tape handlebars - blue this time to match hubs, change lever hoods for Blue to match everything else, new chain, possible new block, swapped out Hope ceramic BB, put old Dura Ace one back in until it wears out.
Good points - all cables still in perfect working order, brake blocks OK.
Will be back on the road as soon as wheel comes back from LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 20 August, 2009, 11:40:30 am
Wanted to take the MTB out yesterday. It's not moved for a while, & that was when someone borrowed it. So . . . .

- new inner tube to replace the one with a slow leak that I can't find (I've put it aside to have another look).
- put the saddle back where it belongs, & therefore also move the mudguard (one of those seatpost-mounted thingies).
- fit rear light to replace the one I took off to lower the saddle when lending it out. The original has somehow found its way onto the Enigma.
- fit mount for GPS.
- lubricate, & feel appalled at the sight of the muck on the chain & gears that I hadn't left myself time to properly clean before going out.
- work out where I could put the diNotte & its battery pack, because the old Smart light battery needed recharging & takes forever.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 21 August, 2009, 11:19:37 am
Mrs Pingu did some bar tape  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 21 August, 2009, 12:52:41 pm
I fitted a new saddle.  Selle Italia Signo Gel Flow.  Bottom has been Turbomatic shaped for the last ten years so objects.  The new saddle is slightly lower than the Turbomatic so I raised the seatpost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 August, 2009, 12:32:53 am
The Enigmas gear indexing had gone off (new cables stretching, I presume), so I fiddled with the gears a bit. And I put my trusty old Brooks B17 Narrow on it, for a bit of comfort when riding. Its 3rd bike in 18 years.

BTW, anyone want an Enigma branded saddle? Titanium alloy rails, skimpy plastic seat with thin padding. They retail for over fifty nicker.  Should say that in the Classified section I suppose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 22 August, 2009, 05:20:37 pm
I lubed my chain with **** I'm not saying as you will only say it's not a lubricant ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 22 August, 2009, 07:17:12 pm
I fitted a new uPVC window to replace a rotting wooden one... only 12 years after the glass was cracked by my son and his football.  :-[

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 22 August, 2009, 07:23:03 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 22 August, 2009, 07:17:12 pm
I fitted a new uPVC window to replace a rotting wooden one... only 12 years after the glass was cracked by my son and his football.  :-[



I think you should spend less time on trivial tasks.Stop rushing into this DIY nonsense & spend more time cycling ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 August, 2009, 07:29:25 pm
Making a Brompton roadworthy, one that's been thrashed as a commuting vehicle for the last seven years.  Everything is now clean - tonight I need to rebuild the SRAM 3-speed hub and I might get round to fitting all the new cables.  Tomorrow I'll do the headset - not my favourite job on a built-up bike, since I don't have a workstand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 August, 2009, 08:32:08 am
Arse...the headset lower cup is loose in the frame (snug, but can be pulled out by fingers).  I'll have to use the strongest bearing fit compound Halfrauds can supply.

You'd think after all these years the bike manufacturers would have worked out why you should have either head lugs or reinforcing rings on a head tube - otherwise the head tube eventually stretches under hard use.  One day I'm going to make a big list of technical improvements and send it to Brompton - so far it's:

1) Use some proper paint.  Please.

2) Braze some reinforcing rings to the top and bottom of the head tube

3) Use rollers that don't catch the heels/calves of anyone taller than 5'8"

4) Sort out that rear pivot with a grease nipple, or at least make it easier to change without a £200 tool.

5) Beef up the handlebar clamp.  One Jesus bolt makes me nervous.

6) Put a couple of bottle cage bosses on the back of the stem.

7) Change the horrible foam grips.

8 ) Build the wheels a lot tighter, then people won't keep breaking spokes and you won't be replacing wheels under warranty.  I rebuilt mine within the first week, because it was obvious they wouldn't last 100 miles with my weight and the roads round here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 24 August, 2009, 05:14:14 pm
Well the past four days:

Fettled the carrbs on the Ducati monster, post carb clean/rebuild/overhaul (i got the float chamber hieght wrong, and installed the correct springs) took three rebuilds accessing the carb as I kept reassebling it wrong.

Then the next day (saturday) I replaced the rear shoes on the car and and regreased the beaings were dry and one beaing is shot (wouldn't mind but have a reciept that they both were changed in january before I got the car) Also got to change the oil and filter.  Need to look in a leak from a fuel injector which I can't seem to trace.

Well sunday, I finally put the monster together and took it for a test ride in the evening.

today I fettled the hercules bike as after my off the other day I wanted to check that everything was alright.  Headstock was loose but don't know if it that was from the off or just settling after a rebuild and regrease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 24 August, 2009, 06:45:54 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 22 August, 2009, 07:29:25 pm
Making a Brompton roadworthy, one that's been thrashed as a commuting vehicle for the last seven years.  Everything is now clean - tonight I need to rebuild the SRAM 3-speed hub and I might get round to fitting all the new cables.  Tomorrow I'll do the headset - not my favourite job on a built-up bike, since I don't have a workstand.

You can always come and use the SICRUT BWNCWR here if you want - less than an hour and a fantastic pub 2 mins away  :thumbsup:

My ulterior motive is to get you to supervise me stripping down, inspecting and lubing my Sachs hub.  It appears to be an easy job but I can't help thinking it might involve some unexpected pingfuckit moments the first time I do it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 24 August, 2009, 07:03:10 pm
Quote from: robbarker on 24 August, 2009, 06:45:54 pm
it might involve some unexpected pingfuckit moments

excellent wordsmithing  :thumbsup:  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 24 August, 2009, 07:27:59 pm
A really technical job today - raised the saddle about 5 mm.  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 24 August, 2009, 09:20:31 pm
Bodged a light bracket onto my bike so I could fit a handlebar bag:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2537/3853689650_56840221e8.jpg)

Now I just wait for it to get dark so I can go and test it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 August, 2009, 09:45:39 pm
As far as I can work out, Sunset was about an hour before you posted that, so you don't need to wait any longer!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 August, 2009, 09:50:56 pm
Took the pedals off the old Brompton, fitted one of the new metal RH pedals and a new front mudguard.  The old RH pedal didn't come off without a colossal fight, but the crank threads are OK.  Also gave the folding pedal, which may be original, a good clean.  The sealed bearing is past its best but, at £20 for a new bearing, it just got a shot of oil.  I suspect a standard cartridge of the right size can be pressed in using a suitably sized socket as a drift - it seems to be a 62032RS (actually marked 180203, which seems to be a Russian code) - which would cost about £4.  Worth a try.  It also needs one amber reflector to make it complete, but I've ordered one (they're sold as spares).

Then I checked the crankbolts, gave it a quick spin and then wiped it over to get any oil and grease off before my wife sees it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 25 August, 2009, 03:20:33 pm
Glued and assembled an oak stair case.  Next stage is clean off the blood, tears and sweat prior to varnishing.

The instructions were bloody useful, I don't think. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 25 August, 2009, 04:24:11 pm
Halfway through off-road-erizing the fixie, waiting for the WD-40 to penetrate the lockring threads...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 August, 2009, 08:09:58 pm
I've given the Thorn a pretty thorough clean. I've never seen so much gunk come off a chain. I also noticed that there's not a lot left of the wear indicator on the front rim. Must order a 32-hole Sunrims CR18. I reckon to get 10000 miles out of the old one (<800 to do). Still on the original Panaracer Pasela!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 25 August, 2009, 09:53:23 pm
I built up a new bike for work yesterday. I have bought a frame on the b2w scheme so just transfered all the bits over from my old work bike. I was very pleased this morning the bike felt so comfy and quiet. When I came out of work the front tyre was flat which is unusual as it's a Marathon +. Anyway I pumped it up and got home ok. I must have pinched the tube when fitting the tyre. I needed to use a lever! When cycling home I thought that the saddle needed raising a touch but when I checked it was a good 1" below where I am sure it was originally positioned. On checking I found that the bolt that tightens the seatpost in position bottoms-out before fully clamping the post. Therefore the post had slipped down. Fortunately I still had the bolt from the old frame and the shoulder on the 'bolt' half was slightly shorter than the bolt supplied.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 25 August, 2009, 09:58:01 pm
I put the Dave Yates back into touring mode yesterday. Rack, heavier wheels and tyres, mudguards, lights. It weighs a ton now.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 25 August, 2009, 10:01:05 pm
Quote from: campagman on 25 August, 2009, 09:53:23 pm
When cycling home I thought that the saddle needed raising a touch but when I checked it was a good 1" below where I am sure it was originally positioned. On checking I found that the bolt that tightens the seatpost in position bottoms-out before fully clamping the post. Therefore the post had slipped down. Fortunately I still had the bolt from the old frame and the shoulder on the 'bolt' half was slightly shorter than the bolt supplied.

I had a similar problem on the gay disco (it's a long story - I had just qualified, I'm colour-blind, it looked like a bargain until I got it home and everyone said "It's pink and red and yellow and blue and silver!"). Actually, the wrong size bolt coupled with the wrong size seat pin. It took me ages to figure it out. Anyway, you can cut a little off each end of the seatpost bolt to make it fit. Not that you need to, having the one off the old frame. But for anyone else who might have this problem...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 25 August, 2009, 10:08:34 pm
Finally worked out what was going clunk on the shiny carbon loveliness. Except it is now making worse noises than clunk. Drive side BB bearing. Not impressed as that is not many miles at all.

So I removed the chainset and BB and replaced it with the one from the old bike - Campag Xenon compact on a UN72 BB. Re-tweaked the gears (how did I manage to set them up 1 gear out the first time round?) and took 6 links out of the chain as it was very slack. That was too much so I had to add some links back in. That was both my quicklinks used  :(

Anyhow, it now seems to behave so I will test it for creaks tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 26 August, 2009, 12:33:06 am
Fitted Garmin handlebar mount.

Decided I should have listened to everyone in the GPS thread who said they're shit.


Ordered RAM mount for Garmin.

 ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 26 August, 2009, 01:21:39 pm
Fitted a mileometer to the Brompton. No space for the magnet and sender on front wheel, so rear! Can't read it while moving but it's only there to tell me how far I've been!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 August, 2009, 10:52:23 pm
Quote from: Deano on 24 August, 2009, 09:20:31 pm
Bodged a light bracket onto my bike so I could fit a handlebar bag

That's illegal :demon:

Lights are supposed to be on the centre-line or off-side. (Sorry, I'll go away...)

Quote from: Tewdric on 26 August, 2009, 12:33:06 am
Fitted Garmin handlebar mount.

Decided I should have listened to everyone in the GPS thread who said they're shit.

Ordered RAM mount for Garmin.

I'm very happy with them. If you want to get rid of the one you have...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 26 August, 2009, 10:54:40 pm
Peli's new LHT with the help of our top man Cory from our LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 August, 2009, 10:55:54 pm
Not today, but in a couple of sessions lately have finally got around to upgrading the gears on my Audax bike. Off with the Shimano 600 friction gears, bought c1977, and the ever-slipping down-tube levers. On with a new 13-24 freewheel and the 8-speed Athena Ergos and gears that I bought via the forum and haven't got around to using.

Along the way, I stripped and regreased my Gran Sport hubs. Campag hubs of that vintage are things of beauty. Had forgotten how satisfying that job is.

Just need to tune the gears and put on new bar tape - this weekend, hopefully :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 27 August, 2009, 12:13:27 am
Quote from: drossall on 26 August, 2009, 10:52:23 pm
Quote from: Deano on 24 August, 2009, 09:20:31 pm
Bodged a light bracket onto my bike so I could fit a handlebar bag

That's illegal :demon:

Lights are supposed to be on the centre-line or off-side. (Sorry, I'll go away...)

Out of interest, is this true? Can you tell me where the rule comes from? I can see the sense of it, but I've never heard anyone say it was the law before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 August, 2009, 12:41:10 am
It is a legal requirement, probably buried in the RVLR or BS6102/3 somewhere.  Chris Juden talks about it a bit on the CTC Site (http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4071).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 27 August, 2009, 01:49:09 pm
Thanks TimO
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 August, 2009, 02:02:35 pm
In fact I think the relevant bit is The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, Schedule 2, Part 1 (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_7.htm).

Quote
2. Position-
(b) Lateral-
(ii)  Where one front position lamp is required to be fitted-
(B)  Any other vehicle: On the centre-line or off-side of the vehicle
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 August, 2009, 09:56:15 pm
Well fettled the Hercules to see if the cable was set wrong and it wasn't.  So put a squirt of oil in to the hub,

Then attacked the car, one of the injectors had fuel around it, so suspected a leak.  Had to take the inlet manifold off and then noted that there was no actual leak so tightened the union and will see what happens.

Then I decided to replace the brake fluid on the car as it looked like cold tea.  So I used the preasure easy bleed and I replaced the fluid quite easily.  I also noted that one of the cv joint boots had poped off and so I refilled the joint with grease then reattached the boot.

Then I swaped the plugs on the bike as they are less than a week old but I think that one could be faulty.  Have swapped them between cylinders and will see what happens.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 27 August, 2009, 11:59:23 pm
Quote from: TimO on 24 August, 2009, 09:45:39 pm
As far as I can work out, Sunset was about an hour before you posted that, so you don't need to wait any longer!

I wondered if anyone would notice :)  I was waiting for darkness, rather than sundown - it's amazing how much light lingers.  By 9.30-9.45 the lanes were very properly dark.  

Quote from: drossall on 26 August, 2009, 10:52:23 pm
That's illegal :demon:

Lights are supposed to be on the centre-line or off-side. (Sorry, I'll go away...)


Quiet, you  >:( ;D  I'm not swapping it now. Besides, the brake would get in the way.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 August, 2009, 10:23:13 pm
Fitted some new axle nuts to the Brompton.  This took three hours.

The dropout design has changed over the years, and the new SRAM anti-rotation washers expect the little slot above the actual dropout to be closer to the open end of the dropout.  I had to very carefully make the little slot deeper so the washers would engage, using a small file.  When I just managed the snuggest of snug fits (which is how it is on my S-type) I stopped.

Then I found that, although the axle nuts are correct, the guide nut is a Sturmey one  ::-)  I'll have to e-mail the shop, since they all came in the same bag.  SRAM use a weird German  FG10.5 thread (10.5mm diameter and 26TPI) but Sturmey use a 13/32" x 26 TPI thread.  The difference in diameter is less than 0.2mm and the pitch is the same, but they'[re not interchangeable.  Anyway, I can tell it's a Sturmey nut because it has a porthole in it - SRAM ones don't, because you don't need to see the end of the axle to adjust 'em.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 September, 2009, 09:14:10 am
My head.

I have had a haircut which, should the weather on my forthcoming holibobs prove clement, will keep my ears cool.  It also makes me about one and a half inches taller.  Hurrah!

The downside of the "being taller" thing is that, because it won't lie flat, it makes me look like that titanic ponce Morrissey.  Bah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 September, 2009, 06:07:53 pm
Spent most of the afternoon turning a rusty bread tin into a new battery contact for my Ixon IQ with the aid of copious swearing, minor blood loss and a dremel.

It works, ish.  Need springier steel, ideally.  But given the impending FNRttC I'll take a crap light and a decent light that intermittently cuts out over a crap light alone.

Given the high quality of the Ixon's optics and their dynamo lights in general, I really have to wonder what B&M were smoking when they designed this thing...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 02 September, 2009, 08:23:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 September, 2009, 06:07:53 pm
Spent most of the afternoon turning a rusty bread tin into a new battery contact for my Ixon IQ with the aid of copious swearing, minor blood loss and a dremel.

Goodness me, Kim - when we met on Regulator's ride I thought, "Hmm, she seems like a resourceful sort of person" but that sure is an unexpected sequence of items... Top work  :thumbsup:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 05 September, 2009, 11:12:28 am
Just fettled the bike I bought for my dad. It's a heavy old steel MTB - that'll get him fit.

It means he can throw away the blue and yellow full sus BSO my mum got from the tip which migrated to him when I got her a new bike a couple of weeks ago.

Happy now  :).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 05 September, 2009, 01:48:35 pm
What haven't I fettled today this week?

Replaced discs and pads on the front wheels of the car;
Ditto wiper blades;
Repaired not one but two washing machines;
Erected scaffolding and repaired a leak in the guttering that's been bothering me for 3 years;
Washed windows while up there.

Phew!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 September, 2009, 03:14:54 pm
The Cyo is now on the Brompton.  How to do it:

(a) use an IQ Fly bracket - it's lower

(b) use a small round file to enlarge the mounting hole of the Cyo at the rear, so it pokes a couple of millimetres further forward.  You don't need to do this if you (like most people) have the beam angled down a bit, but I wanted the top "cut off" of the beam to be perfectly horizontal.

If you do this it doesn't interfere with the fold.  Brompton *really* need to start offering LED dynamo headlights - they'd sell oodles more SONs, for a start.

EDIT: just tested it, and it's quite a lot better than the IQ Fly.  It throws the beam much further, which is what I like.

(http://www.peeble.com/cyo.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 September, 2009, 09:05:02 pm
Rear dérailleur and a new tube in the rear due to a slow release puncture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 06 September, 2009, 09:07:08 pm
Tried to fettle the tent.  Cleaning and re-proofing.  Damn rain has kiboshed the second part of that.  Ah well, the rain will only make it cleaner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onb on 06 September, 2009, 09:13:14 pm
New salmon brake pads on the September.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 06 September, 2009, 09:15:17 pm
I have built a small workbench in my shed, put the SON, Solidlights and various rear blinkies on the Langster, and fitted a pair of Crudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 September, 2009, 09:26:26 pm
Built a new front wheel for Miss Z's bike.  20" rim, 36 DT stainless spokes and a NOS Suntour XC Pro hub...with GreaseGuard ports and everything  :)

The front brake needs looking at because the cheapskates used a 90 degree noodle instead of the right-hand-drive 135 degree noodle, so the cable outer pushes the brake to one side.  Maybe I should just buy a set of Deore ones...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 07 September, 2009, 09:50:40 pm
I laced up two wheels and have decided that all the 64 new spokes I bought today are 2mm too short.

Back to square one, I think.

 >:( >:( >:(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 08 September, 2009, 01:47:11 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 07 September, 2009, 09:50:40 pm
I laced up two wheels and have decided that all the 64 new spokes I bought today are 2mm too short.

Back to square one, I think.

 >:( >:( >:(



I wouldn't. The process might be frustrating, but I think a round one is still best.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 08 September, 2009, 03:49:11 pm
Does this count as fettling  ?

Washing your bike and then pack it down in a box so that it is ready for your traveling ?

As that is what I'm about to do cause we are going to Croatia tomorrow :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 08 September, 2009, 04:28:32 pm
finally fixed the garage door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 September, 2009, 08:08:55 pm
Fiddled with the brakes on Miss Z's bike for an hour, then threw the whole lot in the bin and ordered some Deore V-brakes from eBay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 September, 2009, 08:19:37 pm
Not today, but Sunday evening.

Finally got Hellymedic's Pedersen back together, after having the frame modified a few weeks ago by that nice Chas Roberts.

And last night, tightened the chain on my fixie. It was very, very slack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 08 September, 2009, 08:23:59 pm
Checked all of my lights, changed and charged batteries, checked and moved brackets as needed. Winter draws on. Ho Hum
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 September, 2009, 09:40:07 pm
Just remembered another one:

Riding home from work I spied a friend and her young daughter. Said daughter was on a teeny bike with stabilisers. Friend mentioned that daughter had trouble getting the bike going. A quick glance showed that the stabilisers were set too low, so traction was minimal.  As luck would have it I was on my fixer, so had a 15mm spanner. A few minutes fettling and things were greatly improved.  Then I blew the tyres up, while the young rider held the dust caps.

An excellent few minutes work.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 08 September, 2009, 11:45:20 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 08 September, 2009, 09:40:07 pm

An excellent few minutes work.
 

And so a lifelong interest in fettling starts :)




(ps your post just made me smile.  Lots!)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 September, 2009, 07:23:53 pm
I had a modest-sized erection in my garden.

It might have had something to do with this thread (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=15260.0).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bigsybaby on 10 September, 2009, 02:06:15 am
I put a new chain on my mtb.

It was a SRAM power chain which had power links

Remarkably it took no more than 5 minutes to take the old one off and put the new one on.

Theres got to be a catch!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 10 September, 2009, 08:26:43 am
No, they don't have catches, you use a special link.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bigsybaby on 10 September, 2009, 10:36:03 am
Quote from: drossall on 10 September, 2009, 08:26:43 am
No, they don't have catches, you use a special link.

"I caught you!"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 September, 2009, 08:37:40 pm
Fitted Deore V-brakes to Miss Z's bike, and took the opportunity to adjust the reach of the levers.

The bike now has a Sturmey-Archer AW rear hub, an achingly nice Suntour XC Pro front hub, rebuilt wheels with stainless spokes, Deore V-brakes and lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onb on 11 September, 2009, 11:39:12 am
Well yesterday actually BB fitted to new frame .I did it with some ease its usually a job I find a bit tricky getting threads to line up ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaseous Clay on 11 September, 2009, 03:00:47 pm
Gave the Thorn RT a bit of attention today

De-burred the teeth on the rear sprocket and tensioned the chain, it is now back to its quiet self.

And tensioned the B17.

And put some air in the tyres.

Thats it for six months now - sweet. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 11 September, 2009, 07:10:52 pm
I've removed The Brooks from my Planet X sportive. On close examination it is showing signs that it might be ready to yield some time in the not too distant future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 11 September, 2009, 07:16:36 pm
New middle chainring, chain, cassette and rear tyre on the audax bike today, following the jaunt to Pembrokeshire.  I also gave it a good clean and check over, and it's now very happy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 11 September, 2009, 07:21:02 pm
On the Ridgeback: removed the butterfly bars (touring mode) and put the straight bars back on (commute mode.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 11 September, 2009, 08:54:58 pm
I just proofided the Flyer on the TRST. I also purple-extremed the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 11 September, 2009, 09:48:42 pm
Took my new to me Cheviot SE to bits, waxed the frame twice, put it back together and went round the block to check the saddle height.
I came back after 30k of hilly lane bashing round Saddleworth in the sun with a cheeky pub stop.

I also had a look at the creak on my Singlecross and found I've crushed the handlebars slightly by overtightening the clamp. New ones are ready to go on tomorrow. It's been creaking for over a month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 11 September, 2009, 09:53:06 pm
Just replaced the chain on my mountain bike and on the Soma put a new bracket on my Solidlight because the old one snapped.  

Then some general checking over and wiping and adjusting ready for a 100 miler tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 11 September, 2009, 09:54:59 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 11 September, 2009, 09:53:06 pm
Then some general checking over and wiping and adjusting ready for a 100 miler tomorrow

What, offroad?  Chapeau in that case!  Best of luck, and enjoy!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 September, 2009, 05:13:35 pm
Drilled and sawed a seized FAG bottom bracket out of Mrs Z's Brompton.  I never want to do *that* job again.  Minimal damage to threads, but it's gone off to the LBS for new bushings and a tap running through the BB (no charge for the latter).

Bought some Marathon 20" tyres and put them on Miss Z's new bike.  Now she actually rides it, and has commented on how much faster and better at cornering they are than the horrible knobblies it came with.  She hasn't actually changed gear yet, but she likes the Sturmey-Archer tick-tick-tick in 2nd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 12 September, 2009, 05:20:34 pm
Respaced and redished a cheapy screw on MTB wheel and converted it to S/S.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: starkj73 on 12 September, 2009, 08:14:25 pm

Installed a new bottle cage, and it didn't even come with instructions.

I guess I have a mechanical apptitude, you could call it a gift.

 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 12 September, 2009, 08:17:33 pm
The scouts' BBQ. All ready to go tomorrow, except I cannot see its grill anywhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 12 September, 2009, 09:31:23 pm
Took out the creaking bottom bracket from the Enigma. Cleaned to hospital standards, regreased and re-fitted. One of the bearings is on the way out (not really surprised, it has already done two winters, and cheapo Campag bottom brackets rarely get past that), so ordered new bottom bracket so that I am ready when this one fails.

Fitting SON and Solidlights (upgraded to XB2 over the summer - a major improvement) to the Langster. Added several rear lights and Raceblades, tidied up the Velo Orange handlebar covers and then stuck about 30 reflective patches on the rims to marginally reduce my chance of being run down whilst pedalling down the A584 this winter.

Then put some knobbly tyres and new mudguards on wifees hub geared hybrid, so that we can play in a field sometime.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 13 September, 2009, 12:13:08 pm
Just put a new battery in my heart rate monitor.Can do some "scientific" riding now :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 September, 2009, 03:03:33 pm
Well, so far changed the cranks on Butterfly's Galaxy from the horrid Exage originals for some shortened Deore; Replaced 13-30 cassette with 11-30 (needed to go buy a new chain whip in order to do this; swapped saddlebag mounts so she now has a Bagman.  Now I need to adjust her front mech for the smaller front chainring - wish me luck.

Right.  Front mech now adjusted (had to remove clunky bottlecage to do it :-\ ).  Works well.  Gear ratios are similar to before, so I hope she's happy.

Just washing it now & I've redone the bar tape, but I haven't told her that, so it's a surprise, OK? ;)

Oh - and now I have to clean the kitchen ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 13 September, 2009, 07:15:49 pm
Sorted the gears on Mrs G's commuter - new levers, grips and cables fitted.
Fitted new tyres (25mm Marathon +) after a spate of tow-path punctures

Stripped the trike of its touring clutter, blew up the tyres and put the Bagman back on.

Finished the minor work on the Ridgeback for tomorrow's commute.

Repacked the repair kits on each working bike.

A good day in the garage!



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 September, 2009, 09:29:13 pm
Stripped and cleaned the moulton midi.  Ready to reassemble with fresh grease sometime soon, once I can find some 14inch tubes that fit the wheels.

Then another toy to amuse myself with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 September, 2009, 09:50:35 pm
I met Butterfly on the way home.  Her new chain was jumping a bit, so I watched it, cause I thought there might be a bit of a stiff link  where I'd joined it in the absence of the Powerlinks I thought I'd had.

I spotted something seemed to be attached to the chain, so we stopped.  It was actually an outer plate out of line :o

Ooh dear.  Took a link out & rejoined the chain.  I hadn't got my chain tool with me, but fortunately Butterfly had one (don't go out underprepared, kids!), so we got on our way.

It was still a bit stiff, so a second bout of sat on my arse on a pavement cursing a chain saw me working the rivet till it runs smooth.  I must say, though, the rivet was very very soft. :-\

Hope all is OK so we can get a verdict on the new set up in the next couple of days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 14 September, 2009, 11:04:38 pm
Had the Nomad up on the rack to get it ready for the camping trip next week.  I put a Bontrager Satellite on the front wheel a few weeks back to match the rear one I had to buy in the US. Mudguard clearance was a bit tight so I fixed that.  Headset adjusted (also too tight!), brakes twiddled and  my Blackburn Mars 4.0 bodged onto the Tubus carrier.

One of the rails that holds the anti-sway strip on one of my Carradice panniers has come away from the backing board, I hope the boss remembers to bring his pop rivet tool in tomorrow so I can fix it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 September, 2009, 09:11:38 pm
Well I have polished the frame on the moulton midi and commenced rebuilding.  Attacked the wheels insides with a wire brush and then some jenolite'd on the inside the rusty spot.  Well I've attacked the chrome too with wire wool to bring it up all shiney.

Did the same to some of the chrome on the Hercules.  Bit more to do to complete the Hercules.

Then tomorrow finish putting the wheels back on the moulton and then use it tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 15 September, 2009, 09:13:57 pm
Fitted dynohub, low-riders and lights to the tourer ready for the camping weekend.  I still have to fit the handlebar bag.

The test ride to and from the supermarket was great fun - Chucking all the shopping into the front panniers made the handling quite interesting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 15 September, 2009, 09:29:11 pm
fitted lights for tonight and exceptionally large cassette for next weeks trip to the lake district.  My cheapo smart lights are borked, need to get some new back lights :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 September, 2009, 09:33:54 pm
Changed the tyres, chain, sprocket and chainring on the Frankendale.  Then noticed the chainline was 2.5mm out, which explains why the old chainring is chamfered on the outside and the old sprocket is chamfered on the inside  :-\  Ordered a 2mm shorter BB.  Rode round the block to try out the Hope Vision 1, which lasted 100 yards due to inadequate batteries.  Despite the weight, Marathon Pluses (26 x 1.35) quite suit the bike and weren't a fight to get on this time.

Fitted stabilisers to Miss Z the elder's old bike for Miss Z the younger, who can't use it for scooting because her feet don't reach the ground.  At all.

Messed about with some panniers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 19 September, 2009, 09:52:55 pm
Fitted new front carrier block to the Brompton.  (Used my torque wrench - slightly outside its spec - for an accurate 3.6 Nm when doing up the bolts.)

Started tinkering with the bracket that holds the (dynamo-powered) Cyo N+ on the front.  Stopped tinkering when I noted that the Cyo was absorbing electricity, but not, contrary to its purpose, producing any light.  Swore.

(Oddly enough, the Cyo works when I connect it to 4 AA cells.  Either way round.  But it's not happy with the wobbly electricity coming out of my dynamo.  Even when I put a bridge rectifier in.)

Replaced the 3 broken spokes on the Brompton rear wheel.  Snapped my VAR tyre lever in removing the Schwalbe Marathon.  Swore some more.

Old-fashioned spoke key wouldn't fit around the fat spokes.  Had to do a separate trip back to the LBS for spare spokes and new spoke key.  New spoke key took the corners off some of the spoke nipples.  Swore until the air had had enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PeteB99 on 20 September, 2009, 07:00:57 pm
Regreased and adjusted the headset on a steel frame recently purchased on the 'bay
Stripped all the parts off the donor OCR2 and fitted them to the new frame - all well except the rear brake cable is about an inch too short -

I should have expected that as the new frame is a fair bit bigger than the donor. Duh!

LBS tomorrow to get some new cables
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 September, 2009, 08:02:18 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 19 September, 2009, 09:52:55 pm
Fitted new front carrier block to the Brompton.  (Used my torque wrench - slightly outside its spec - for an accurate 3.6 Nm when doing up the bolts.)

Started tinkering with the bracket that holds the (dynamo-powered) Cyo N+ on the front.  Stopped tinkering when I noted that the Cyo was absorbing electricity, but not, contrary to its purpose, producing any light.  Swore.

(Oddly enough, the Cyo works when I connect it to 4 AA cells.  Either way round.  But it's not happy with the wobbly electricity coming out of my dynamo.  Even when I put a bridge rectifier in.)

Replaced the 3 broken spokes on the Brompton rear wheel.  Snapped my VAR tyre lever in removing the Schwalbe Marathon.  Swore some more.

Old-fashioned spoke key wouldn't fit around the fat spokes.  Had to do a separate trip back to the LBS for spare spokes and new spoke key.  New spoke key took the corners off some of the spoke nipples.  Swore until the air had had enough.

The rear spokes use 13g spokes, which I think are 2.3mm.  Most spokes are 14g at the end, or 2.0mm.  Brompton's wheelbuild is highly variable (I used to just say "crap", but the local dealer says some of them come in OK, some need fixing).  I build them with 14g spokes.  Get them very tight - the rims aren't especially prone to pringling - correct the spoke line at the rim and stress relieve them and they should never break.  There is nothing special about a Brompton wheel that requires 13g spokes - it's just their way of trying to solve the underlying problem of a poor build.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 20 September, 2009, 08:10:30 pm
Both bikes washed and tuned.  Ensured chains were not worn, flints removed, tyres inflated, brake blocks sound etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 20 September, 2009, 09:27:38 pm
Converted a mixed bag of old lead pipe, found fishing weights, church roof and offcuts from flashing to about 60 lbs of shiny new diving weights in 2, 4 and 6 lbs sizes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 21 September, 2009, 09:26:08 am
I am in the middle of some major fettling on both Claud (roadified Claud Butler Rock MTB) and my Ribble road bike.

Yesterday I drilled two holes in Claud and didn't bugger it the job up!  The front and rear mudguards are now held on with bolts as opposed to cable ties.  The mudguard stays are also the right length now.  His new chainset is also fitted.  I just have to wait for Wiggle to deliver his new derailleur and he'll be back on the road.

Then I will have a crack at the Ribble.  New chainset, chain, block and derailleur.  Bar end shifters, new brake levers and handle bar tape.  I have never taped bars before so that will take a good bit of thinking about.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 24 September, 2009, 12:21:37 am
Removed the cheese from my Minoura SpaceBar

Removing the Cheese from a spacegrip (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=24103.0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 September, 2009, 10:02:39 am
Last night I fitted a new Rigida Andra rim to the old Schmidt hub on the Thorn. I had to do it "blind" first time because my computer was out of action (Dez is still working on it) and buggered it up, having every spoke one hole further round than it should have been. Got it right second time and have just been out for a short test ride. Very satisfying!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 24 September, 2009, 01:17:19 pm
Fitted a Brooks mudflap to my SKS. It's made the SKS flap a bit, which is annoying... I ought not have been so lazy, and made the carpet rubber DIY jobbies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 September, 2009, 01:43:05 pm
The lawn.
I am about to attack a pile of wood.
I am then going to have a go at a rear tyre replacement.  Krylion off Krylion on, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaseous Clay on 24 September, 2009, 03:49:21 pm
Rohloff hub.

The internal gear cable frayed and anchored itself in the concertina cable covers.  So i DID have to remove the wheel for the first time before 10000 miles.

Its all fine and dandy now though :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 September, 2009, 07:17:31 pm
Not sure this really counts as fettling... but it probably does by my standards  :)  Oh, and technically it was actually yesterday.

I was about to set off on my bike to the pool last night, so I stuck my lights back on the bike and then I realised that the mounting bracket for one of my (cheapo rubbish) front lights was distinctly wobbly.  Further investigation revealed that, in the time it was parked up in the bike shed for the day some little darling had fiddled about and borked the cam-lever-y type thing so it wouldn't shut properly.  So I fettled it by judicious application of.... a hair bobble, cunningly positioned to hold said lever in place.  So you see, Sustrans silly campaign people, there are some advantages to being a gurl wiv gurly hair onna bike.

(It wasn't a pink bobble though.  And I don't pack a hairbrush for cycling)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 September, 2009, 09:12:10 pm
Well after getting the hercules squished I checked it out and it is officially borked frame, wheels, crank and handlebars all bent.

So I decided, as the on one hubs had arrived, to commence the building of the fixed 501 tubed fixed mountain bike.  So fully stripped the bike removed all the stickers and now commencing the rebuild once the rims and spokes arrived.

Then started on the ridgeback 531 tubed frame, this is also going fixed so stripped off all the gearing and cable lugs with a dremmel and the smoothed the frame in preperation to go to the powder coaters to be rebuild as another fixie/single speed.

Hope fully completing those two will see if I can build and sell fixed bikes for a profit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 26 September, 2009, 09:34:40 pm
Washed the 3 main bikes.  Put gel pads and Toshi leather bar tape onto the steel Rourke in a bid to make it more comfy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 27 September, 2009, 07:36:45 pm
Put some raceblades on my single speed - so easy why did I put it off for so long?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 September, 2009, 07:45:30 pm
Been wasting a couple of hours trying to make Suntour cantiliever brakes work as good as the claims for them suggest. 

They'll have to go.  V's are so easy to set up and at least they work!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 September, 2009, 07:52:32 pm
Well after a visit from the faeries this morning, and on discovering my spare tube (well one of the two I was carrying) although unused had split - I came home, changed both tyres and tubes on that bike, degreased chaing, rings and cassette, and washed it. Also set up the turbo with my other bike and fitted a "trainer" tyre to that. Then I ordered some fresh tubes, a pair of kyrlion carbon tyres, 3 new power links (I lost half of the one I was using when cleaning the chain) and a road morph pump  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 September, 2009, 07:56:45 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 27 September, 2009, 07:45:30 pm
Been wasting a couple of hours trying to make Suntour cantiliever brakes work as good as the claims for them suggest. 

They'll have to go.  V's are so easy to set up and at least they work!!!

Do it Sheldon's way & they work ;)

Tho I've never had SunTours...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 27 September, 2009, 08:24:45 pm
Son's MTB front wheel picked up two thorns.  Goodness only knows where he rides to get all these thorns.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 September, 2009, 08:38:01 pm
Quote from: clarion on 27 September, 2009, 07:56:45 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 27 September, 2009, 07:45:30 pm
Been wasting a couple of hours trying to make Suntour cantiliever brakes work as good as the claims for them suggest. 

They'll have to go.  V's are so easy to set up and at least they work!!!

Do it Sheldon's way & they work ;)


They may work, but they aint effective!   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 27 September, 2009, 08:53:47 pm
I take it you are using the self-energising ones?

I had some on a Kaff a few years back, they were excellent, although a little too powerful.  IIRC it is only the rear that is SE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 September, 2009, 08:55:21 pm
Well today I took the handle bars off the moulton and cut them down to make bull bars.  These were non moulton curly road bars. Then attacked a pair of motorbike handle bars to make a funky pair of roadster/moustache  bars.

Tried to get the quill out of the moulton frame but it is corroded in so but some plus gas on it and will leave it a while also looks like.

Fettled the moulton midi as the back brake was sticking, lubed then replaced the cable and it still sticks.  So I gave up, for the day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 27 September, 2009, 11:01:57 pm
Exchanged the Michelin XCRoad tyres on the uber-commuter for Scwalbe Marathons. I'm not sure I will be leaving the roadies for dust any more, but at least I won't find myself precariously heading for a motorway entry slip road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Henry on 28 September, 2009, 09:22:17 pm
The wife has been out for the evening so I took the opportunity. I don't get around to it very often, but that only increases the sense of anticipation. I wiped it clean first. Then I rubbed and rubbed, slapping on plenty of wax and stopping now and then to warm it up with the hairdryer. My palms are sticky and I'm glowing slightly, but I feel a zen-like calm and sense of satisfaction. I know that men have been doing this for generations, and I feel a spiritual connection with ages past.

Yes, my Carradice cotton duck rackpack is now fully reproofed and ready for winter.

JH
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 September, 2009, 09:23:56 pm
Got my trailer out after two years' layoff.  Pumped the tyres up, and it seems fine.  Even the light works :o Though I wouldn't want to speculate too long about what the batteries look like :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 29 September, 2009, 11:35:22 am
Quote from: Anthea on 27 September, 2009, 08:53:47 pm
I take it you are using the self-energising ones?

I had some on a Kaff a few years back, they were excellent, although a little too powerful.  IIRC it is only the rear that is SE

Yup, the SE's on the rear of the tandem.    Ironically it's the rear which is the real squidgy and useless one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaseous Clay on 29 September, 2009, 03:06:11 pm
The old banger - oil and filter change and replaced the 1/2 litre of gearbox oil that pissed out during wheel bearing replacement a couple of months ago.

Replaced the koolstop front cartridges on the Raven with shimano ones as the squealing was driving me BONKERS!  I don't care if it reduces rim life a bit, i hate the squealing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 29 September, 2009, 10:03:24 pm
Fitted Dynohub & lights to the fixie. The rectifier had blown so fitted a new larger one.

Mended the p*nt*re in the time trial bike - picked up a sharp flint while warming up for the last time trial of the season and DNS-ed. Couldn't be arsed fixin' it before.

Pumped up the tubs on old sprint rims to see if they still hold wood up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 29 September, 2009, 10:04:19 pm
New rear tyre on Theia.
Tightened the cranks on the TCR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 October, 2009, 03:07:18 am
Well attacking a Raliegh Cameo 3 speed for a friend.

Well I stripped the bike the other day and today attacked the chrome bits with wire wool (mainly the front wheel rim, front brake, the cranks and some of the handlebars and, stem.) polished the frame with polish andd now its all shiney.  I then regreased the wheel bearings and bb and headset and re assembled.  I even assembled the tyres and tubes with slime tyre liners.

All that left to do is attack the rear wheel rim with wire wool and finish the handle bars and stem and rear brake.  Then give the bike to my friend to use to pootle around london.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 October, 2009, 07:22:53 am
Well, yesterday.  Stripped, cleaned and serviced the Ashtabula BB on Miss Z's bike.  I rather like the specialist tool-free design (one 32mm spanner does it), although they're impossible to seal properly.

I hate cleaning out bearing cages though, and I'll get some loose 5/16" balls for next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 04 October, 2009, 07:48:56 am
Yesterday: fitted a bottle dynamo (thanks, tatanab :thumbsup:) to my daughter's uni hybrid. It took me an age, but I could do another one in five minutes, now.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 04 October, 2009, 06:50:18 pm
Yesterday fitted bar tape to my Raleigh fixie and a new stem on the Sabbath only to find a different dia on the handlebars. Watch out in the Sale columns!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 04 October, 2009, 06:54:09 pm
Nearly three weeks ago I attempted to fit some Koolstop brake pads to the front of my Ribble, but I gave up after a lot of faff. Returning to the task today meant more filing, this time of the washers. The pads are now on the bike, but I couldn't be bothered to faff with the rear brake and just fitted some new Campagnolo blocks to the back brake.

I also cleaned the cassette and chain. I then tried to stop the chain rubbing on the front mech when using the 50 x 12 and 50 x 13 gear. However, I've discovered the problem's caused by the chain sitting higher than it should on the chainring, which is caused by huge amounts of chain wear. As much as it pains me, I'm going to have to spend more money on the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 04 October, 2009, 09:50:44 pm
Repaired the nose clip of my crash damaged Brooks Swift, which decided that is was going to try and eject itself off of the saddle rails. It failed, but left the saddle twisted. Judicious use of Glasgow screwdriver, file and vice, and the adjustment bolt now sits where it should do, and the front the the saddle looks something like it should. Whilst I was at it, also polished some of the scratches out of my ebay buy seatpost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaseous Clay on 06 October, 2009, 07:48:32 am
Yesterday, I gave the Raven a hub oil change.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 October, 2009, 01:09:23 pm
Replaced the bog seat.  For the first time in over twelve years, I can now have a wazz at home without having to hold the seat up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 06 October, 2009, 08:35:26 pm
I anticipation of rain tomorrow evening, I have pumped the tyres, checked the lights, ad oiled the chain of my winter fixie
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 06 October, 2009, 10:39:02 pm
Fettled some old battery light, rear and front, to the dyno hub. Though they blink rather a lot cause I forgot it was AC and DC not the same, doh. But it works :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 06 October, 2009, 11:23:00 pm
Well, I knew that the rims on my Audax bike were reaching the end of their life, and then I broke a spoke on the Golden Tints. It's the Anfractuous on Saturday, so I'm building new wheels onto the hubs. I got the rear laced today, and tomorrow I hope to lace the front and tension them. Or I could be up late on Friday :-\

I may carry a proper spoke key round the event, just in case...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 07 October, 2009, 08:30:09 pm
Fixed a puncture before setting off for home
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim on 07 October, 2009, 09:52:07 pm
Fettling postponed: took a wheel into the bike shop. "Hmmmm that's interesting. We'll phone Germany tomorrow."

And I seem to have acquired a new jersey in related incident. Damn their "sale rail" technique of product placement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 October, 2009, 11:09:20 pm
Having now got the right sized forks I took them to the man with the right sized hammer to fit the crown race. And now I have the winter bike on the road. All the old bits from the ribble have been transferred - 9 speed campag Xenon, wheels of the summer bike, but swapped the cassette back to 9-Speed. Moved the Ayups from the MTB that will soon be retired. Moved the compact chainset and BB from the summer bike. The only thing left to do is fit guards. Took it for a spin to check it all works - first time up Dundee Law for a long time, and they have filled in half the potholes.  ;D

Summer bike now hung up for the winter. It is getting frosty out there.

..d

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 07 October, 2009, 11:12:07 pm
Had yet another go at tweaking the front shifting on my winter bike.

The combination of campag 30/40/50 triple chainset and shimano 9-speed 105 STIs has proved a right pig to set up. I've got a decent range of gears on each ring now without the chain rubbbing on the front mech cage, but the sti downshift from outer to middle ring is like a beartrap going off and occasionally throws the chain onto the inner ring when on too big a cog at the back.

It was a lot easier when this bike was a mix of campag ergos and shimano rear mech and cassette ::-) Shame I'm a philistine and prefer Shimano sti shifting  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 October, 2009, 11:29:11 pm
Front now laced and tensioned. Still needs truing. Rear to be tensioned. Should get it done in time.

Watched a recording of the World Championships at the same time :) We were away and I haven't had chance till tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 October, 2009, 04:08:08 pm
Changed the oil in the car and then cleaned the engine (yes, really).

Took the ENO wheel off the Frankendale and cleaned it ready for sale.

Fitted the "winter wheels" to the 50s bike; steel-shelled rear hub and dynamo front hub.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 10 October, 2009, 04:17:14 pm
K Edge onto the TCR.
Ride On Professional cables onto Theia.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 11 October, 2009, 06:27:34 pm
Rebuilt Mrs P's commuter (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg444402#msg444402).

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/4001319894_6234e08d8d.jpg)

More like 'What have you fettled this week?'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 October, 2009, 06:35:53 pm
Was in no state to do any riding thanks to the side-effects of the flu jab, so got round to fitting the other front rack.  Those on the camping weekend will recall my discovery that a D-lock in fork mounted bracket almost, but not quite entirely, fails to balance a usefully-loaded front pannier.

This involved replacing the QR skewer with a security allen key type (the reason I hadn't fitted both racks previously) and drilling a bit of stainless to make the mounting holes line up properly.

Mental note: buy new drill bits.  Half of them are blunt.  Suspiciously, it's the half that I find myself needing most often...   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 11 October, 2009, 07:11:51 pm
I have re-proofed both my Goretex jacket and my overshoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 11 October, 2009, 09:19:00 pm
I've had a busy day today.  Fitted my new wheel onto the commuter, and then fitted new handlebars onto the Planet X Ti (as I'd realised the original ones were too narrow).  My first time for doing handlebar tape - took me a little while but it doesn't look too bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 11 October, 2009, 09:56:39 pm
Son-in-law's Galaxy.

He had a rear-wheel puncture but the tyre was terribly thin and it looked as though the brake blocks had been biting the walls- but when I replaced the wheel that didn't seem to be the case. There were also quite a few very loose spokes on the non-drive side.

He needs a new tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 12 October, 2009, 11:30:09 am
I have now finished Son of Oscar's re-build.  Wednesday night will see him out for the first time so hopefully nothing will fall off.

New rear derailleur (Deore XT) and 11 to 34 block linked to a new Stronglight Impact triple chainset with 50/40/30 rings.  The next time I have to cycle up the side of a house I'll be just fine ...

(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l160/stevenr_01/NewSoO2.jpg)

The cockpit has also had a make over with bar end shifters, Cane Creek brake levers and super comfy fizik tape and gel pads ...

(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l160/stevenr_01/NewSoO1.jpg)

I well pleased with the overall result and learnt lots during the re-build process ...

(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l160/stevenr_01/NewSoO.jpg)


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 15 October, 2009, 11:55:10 pm
Just fitted new disk brakes to the MTB. Next I'm going to have to shorten at least one, possibly both hoses. I've been reading up on bleeding shimano brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 18 October, 2009, 02:23:09 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 19 September, 2009, 09:52:55 pm
Started tinkering with the bracket that holds the (dynamo-powered) Cyo N+ on the front.  Stopped tinkering when I noted that the Cyo was absorbing electricity, but not, contrary to its purpose, producing any light.  Swore.

(Oddly enough, the Cyo works when I connect it to 4 AA cells.  Either way round.  But it's not happy with the wobbly electricity coming out of my dynamo.  Even when I put a bridge rectifier in.)
After only (!) a month, I've sorted this light.  A complete re-wire fixed it.  I couldn't see anything wrong with the wires removed.  So I've now got a spare Cyo, ready for my next illumination project.  (Hmm, those recumbents need something more permanent than a Cateye Double-shot swapped onto whatever I happen to be riding....)

Information corner: when putting wires onto a Brommie, zip-tie them TIGHT to the brake or gear cables, so that they don't move where they shouldn't during a fold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 18 October, 2009, 03:32:51 pm
Finally got round to replacing the spoke borrowed from another rear wheel (been on my TODO list since LEL).

Now about to fix the front wheel puncture that I got 2 months ago (easier to swap to the SON wheel than to fix it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 18 October, 2009, 03:34:51 pm
Put a new wheel with dyno-hub on the Longstaff & fitted the Basta "pilot" front light & bracket.
Put some air into both tyres on my GillP's our Langster..
Now waiting for darkness so that I can adjust the front light angleofdangle to get the light set to where I want it.

Oh!...& I put a recently acquired AUDAXUK sticker on my rear mudgaurd,just above the CTC sticker.
I will have to refit my Barley,re-grow my E2E beard & get some woolie-bullies to go with my sandals & then I will have the complete sterotype look ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 18 October, 2009, 03:51:51 pm
Swapped pedals onto the tandem, oil and air.   

A good cycling day here too  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 18 October, 2009, 04:17:57 pm
I kicked both wheels this morning does that count, the bike is very dirty and need a clean but it was such a nice day I went out for a ride  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 October, 2009, 04:26:56 pm
Installed a new seat on the MTB.  Just about to remove the IQ Fly and hub dynamo and put my normal commuter front wheel back on, along with Halide lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 18 October, 2009, 08:53:03 pm
I fettled some insulation in the eaves where various builders have removed bits.

Much more exciting, is that Mrs Dan has breathed new life into 20 year old panniers I found I still had in the loft.  :thumbsup: :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 18 October, 2009, 11:58:26 pm
Cleaned and then oiled the chain on the boy's bike, put a bit of air in the tyres and given the bike a very cursory lick and a promise.  But I better not tell him I've done it for him cos that's make him cross as he likes to do it himself.  Then had to clean the laminate flooring in the living room as it got quite messy.  I thought about doing mine and dearly_beloved's too, but decided to have a beer instead :)

(A bike shed would be nice... or a working street light on our road would help!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 October, 2009, 12:01:46 am
And I've swapped the batteries in both of their lights and put the spares on charge. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 October, 2009, 06:42:50 am
Fitted a new chain to Theia too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 19 October, 2009, 07:14:44 am
And I put a new chain on the commuter. Plus a thorough clean, including crank removal. It only gets that on chain changing - so about twice a year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 19 October, 2009, 07:56:11 am
Fixed the Dyson yesterday - the carbon motor brushes were sticking in their carriers and not sliding further out to compensate for the bits that had worn off. There is something quite satisfying about working on domestic appliances.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 25 October, 2009, 07:03:50 am
My Surly singulator chain tensioner came loose and went into the spokes on my Ridgeback at about 15 mph...

Result? Bent hanger, pringled wheel, wrecked tensioner, three broken spokes and several bent spokes.

What a mess.  :-[

Miraculously, I already have a new hanger that fits and I'll refit the original tensioner - which I'd only changed for aesthteic reasons. (Plonker)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 October, 2009, 09:39:18 am
Nothing, yet, but I will soon.  Theia needs a good clean and inspection after several days commuting in cruddy weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 25 October, 2009, 12:08:29 pm
New brake blocks for the Tempo. Worn down almost completely. I didn't have a rear brake for the first part of yesterday's 200, including going down Titsey Hill.

Realised I don't keep track of when I change them so I've got no idea how long they've lasted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 October, 2009, 12:11:04 pm
You should make a note on the components section of Bikejournal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 25 October, 2009, 12:16:23 pm
Quote from: Grub on 25 October, 2009, 12:11:04 pm
You should make a note on the components section of Bikejournal.

I do for chain servicing, tyre changing, punctures, etc.

It doesn't help that the bike service report feature reports odd/crap mileages, nor can you add individual notes to the service report (without having to service a chain or a tyre). This has been "in progress" for years...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 25 October, 2009, 01:26:56 pm
Last weekend I scrubbed the bike thoroughly, especially the chain and cassette because I was taking it in for a pre-winter service on Thursday. First thing he said to me was "you'll need a new chain and cassette."  ::-) ;D Picked it up just now. Shiny.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 25 October, 2009, 03:05:46 pm
Trued the rear wheel on the Roadrat.  Put a bit too much tension on some old spokes and snapped a nipple. >:(  So had to back off the whole wheel, add a new nipple and re-true.  Then re-fitted the Midge bars in readiness for a bit of monster cross action over the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 October, 2009, 04:34:10 pm
While cleaning Theia found the crud in the cassette was like concrete so decided to take the rings off.  Good job I did as I then peeked inside the Hope hub and found loads of crud in amongst the palls.  Then found one pall spring has broken.  Gave it all a huge clean and lube and I feel much better now.   ;D

Managed to 'Nutty' my little finger on a spoke though and have blood to show for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 25 October, 2009, 06:57:07 pm
I've been making a right pig's ear of trying to adjust my gears.  I don't think I'll ever crack this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 25 October, 2009, 07:34:06 pm
Quote from: Gandalf on 25 October, 2009, 06:57:07 pm
I've been making a right pig's ear of trying to adjust my gears.  I don't think I'll ever crack this.

I too am gifted with the same talent ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 October, 2009, 07:36:18 pm
I used to be.  Just keep at it.  Stop have a cuppa, then go back to the drawing board.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 25 October, 2009, 07:40:07 pm
cleaned my Dolan, added an extension to it's front mudguard, fitted new tyres, stripped La Chignole, washed my Hewitt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 25 October, 2009, 07:48:52 pm
Fitted the Brooks Swift to the fixie. One of these days I might actually ride it. (Haven't been out for over a fortnight now due to the most persistent cold I have ever had  :(  )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 October, 2009, 07:50:27 pm
Gah.  Tried to fettle Butterfly's SwingGrip, but the band of cheese gave up.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 26 October, 2009, 07:15:51 pm
Just put some M520s on my commuting bike, couldn't cope with the single sided Lidl faffage any longer. 

Still, at £19.95 inc postage and cleats it can't be bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 26 October, 2009, 11:16:04 pm
Today has been a good day  :smug:  (subject to testing)

I have fettled...

Wowbagger's Mercian.

Mrs Nutty's Wardrobe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 26 October, 2009, 11:20:46 pm
I have put a long strip onto the front mudguard as a super dooper mudflap.  It is brown and just a trial to see if it makes enough of a difference.  Father in Law is searching for a better option using black thin but softly flexible plastic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 November, 2009, 04:42:16 pm
Took an MKS pedal partially apart to tighten and grease, and set the iMagic up.   I needed the pedal for the turbo hack.   Oh, I had to put a new cmos battery into the turbo pc too. 

All set up for winter...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 November, 2009, 04:49:16 pm
I managed to swap the tyres on both Superstoker's bikes, and adjust the gears and brakes on his hybrid :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 01 November, 2009, 04:50:18 pm
I have installed mud flaps MkIII onto Theia.  Damp coursing is ace.  Big test ride tomorrow on my commute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 01 November, 2009, 04:59:24 pm
Replaced the bearings in my Campag hub and put new springs and pauls palls pawls in the freehub.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 01 November, 2009, 05:02:33 pm
Made some mudflaps, three, and a rear lamp bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 November, 2009, 05:05:45 pm
Quote from: eck on 01 November, 2009, 04:59:24 pm
Replaced the bearings in my Campag hub and put new springs and pauls palls pawls in the freehub.  :)

Sorry?  Can't hear you for that loud ticking noise ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 01 November, 2009, 05:43:43 pm
Quote from: clarion on 01 November, 2009, 05:05:45 pm
Quote from: eck on 01 November, 2009, 04:59:24 pm
Replaced the bearings in my Campag hub and put new springs and pauls palls pawls in the freehub.  :)

Sorry?  Can't hear you for that loud ticking noise ;D

That's an apawling appalling reply.  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 02 November, 2009, 10:15:38 pm
Stopped at the LBS to pick up a new brake cable and they changed it for me there and then.

All ready for the Upper Thames...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 November, 2009, 10:16:30 pm
That's good.  Putney Cycles?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 02 November, 2009, 10:17:34 pm
Yup, 6.30pm and they were becoming quite busy with drop-offs and collections too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 November, 2009, 10:19:46 pm
:thumbsup:  That's the sort of customer service that gets people coming back and spending their dosh, so I thought it was worth mentioning the name ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 06 November, 2009, 08:42:11 pm
Just taken the rear pannier rack off the Langster & fitted a Tortec Razorgaurd over the rear wheel
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 November, 2009, 08:19:37 pm
Built the new rear wheel for the as yet frameless commuting fixie.  Some wheels come together easily, and this is one of them.  The spokes are tensioned as far as I dare and stress-relieved, and although it's not been in the truing stand yet it's remarkably straight.

Goldtec black 135mm track hub, 36 black DT Competition spokes, Mavic XC717 rim.  None more black.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 November, 2009, 09:44:07 pm
Cleaned the Etape and de-flinted the Krylions.  I then re-arranged the rear lighting and installed my new Lumicycle LED4 head unit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alan on 08 November, 2009, 11:51:43 am
In an effort to combat persistent sore sit bones I have taken the Swallow saddle off the Trek & fitted it to the Langster & the B17 from the Langster is now on the Trek.
I am hoping that the narrower Swallow will be more comfortable.
It occurred to me as I was doing all this that the Trek has not been used for more than a 6 mile ride for approx 16 months :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: seventytwo on 08 November, 2009, 12:03:02 pm
Bit of a cheat as it was yesterday...

Fettled an old Bromich with Sturmey-Archer 3-speed gear (as part of my volunteer duties at the local bike recycling place). 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jane on 08 November, 2009, 12:17:27 pm
Fitted new brake levers and cables to my daughters Lincoln Imp (her Ebay purchase she wants singespeeded) I think they look a bit weird (goldfinger things) but it's what she wanted and it is a birthday present.  Fitted the gold handlebar tape and gold saddle. Fitted a 21t freewheel and an 20t cog on the flip flop hub on the wheels she bought for it ) another ebay bargain of hers. She wanted to keep the old Weinmann sidepulls.  They work better than I thought they would.  Unfortunately, I now seem to have stripped the thread on the bolt that fixes the rear cable to the mechanism and now it won't grip the cable tight when the lever is pulled .  And amongst the hundreds of bolts and nuts I have in little tins I do not seem to have one that will do the job. Ho hum. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 08 November, 2009, 03:25:01 pm
A Weinmann anchor bolt? I've probably got one or two. There were a couple of different sizes though IIRC. Any chance of a picture.

Whereabouts in the country are you, roughly?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jane on 08 November, 2009, 03:33:43 pm
I knew someone would know about this.  I'll try and take a picture in a minute or so.  The caliper is stamped weinmann type 73c and the bolt has a hole through the middle to put the cable through.
I'm in London SE23
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 08 November, 2009, 05:08:52 pm
The 73C may be enough. All Weinmann anchor bolts have a hole for the cable, but I've seen two sizes on Weinmanns or look-alikes. It may be easier to try one. I'll have a look around - chase me if I don't answer in a day or two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 November, 2009, 05:51:44 pm
I think I have two upstairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 08 November, 2009, 06:49:21 pm
Sodding tube repair >:(

I managed to center punch dead on a piece of MOT the size of my fist that was stuck fast in the tarmac.

Pinch puncture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 10 November, 2009, 05:16:38 pm
I turned the corner into my road today to experience that sinking tyre-roll feeling of a puncture.

On inspection I found that the tyre has had its day, with just too much wear, and a split of which I had been unaware. Fortunately I had a brand-new Marathon in 26*1.5 hanging in the garage but it was a real fight getting it on the rim. It will have to come off again in the not too distant future because the rim probably has less than 1000 miles left in it. However, I'm not intending to build a Rohloff-equipped wheel so that will be a job for Thorn's wheelbuilder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 November, 2009, 08:39:52 pm
Mudguard onto the front of the Dave Yates, mudflap on the rear.

I'll fit a front mudflap when I've finished off the milk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 November, 2009, 04:17:39 pm
Finished the S3X wheel (it took hours - I'll never buy Open Pros again, not stiff enough, and not especially round where they're welded).  Put it on the Fuji.  Didn't go for a ride because I haven't yet fitted the shifter and the cable gizmos, so it would have been a 48 x 15 slog.

There seems to be a neutral position between 2 and 3.  That might be fun  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 15 November, 2009, 06:26:30 pm
Bottom bracket removed, cleaned and re-lubed.  Good bike clean done.  First chain rotation.  New brake blocks on the rear brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 November, 2009, 06:28:47 pm
I stripped (almost) all the Campagnolo off the Woodrup, and fitted some very fetching Shimano 600 components.  Still need to do the cables & adjustment (& replace those wheels), but it's looking lovely. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 15 November, 2009, 08:11:46 pm
tightened a loose screw in the door hinge of my car, and in vain tried to use bike grease to stop the doors at the back creaking when they open…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 15 November, 2009, 11:30:51 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 November, 2009, 04:17:39 pm
Finished the S3X wheel (it took hours - I'll never buy Open Pros again, not stiff enough, and not especially round where they're welded).  Put it on the Fuji.  Didn't go for a ride because I haven't yet fitted the shifter and the cable gizmos, so it would have been a 48 x 15 slog.

There seems to be a neutral position between 2 and 3.  That might be fun  ;)

What spoke length did you go with, and was it spot on?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 15 November, 2009, 11:32:23 pm
I took all the keys off my keyboard and brushed all the detritus (beard hairs, biscuit crumbs, general other human remains) out of it and put all the keys back in. It's working better now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 16 November, 2009, 01:09:31 pm
Fitted a Dog Fang on the carbon one. At the other end of the £ and age scale...changed the gearing on the s/s '89 Fire Mountain and discarded the tensioner as 42x19 seems to be magic (if a trifle tight!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 16 November, 2009, 03:00:28 pm
Took the new chain off and installed the worn chain I had taken off.  No skipping so I can go to work tomorrow and I've ordered a new cassette.  I think that chain, the first one due rotation is not going to be worth it.  Stretched to 0.75 already after only 1000 miles.  I reckon this time of year what with the wet and the grit is harder on chains.  Soon when it gets cold and crisp things will be better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 November, 2009, 05:55:06 pm
Tonight the S3X will be cabled up and ridden.

It's been 50 years in the making.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 17 November, 2009, 05:57:32 pm
Quote from: wowbagger on 15 November, 2009, 11:32:23 pm
I took all the keys off my keyboard and brushed all the detritus (beard hairs, biscuit crumbs, general other human remains) out of it and put all the keys back in. It's working better now.
I peoh ouy utp mhet abck ni het ghtri rrode.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 November, 2009, 07:18:21 pm
I have fettled a caravan into a state of cleanliness,nay sparkling even,& covered it with a weatherproof/breathable winter coat.
Then I cleaned my fixed wheel bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 November, 2009, 08:05:18 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 November, 2009, 05:55:06 pm
Tonight the S3X will be cabled up and ridden.

It's been 50 years in the making.

*rubs thighs in disturbing Vic Reeves manner* :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 November, 2009, 08:07:01 pm
I was so embarrassed by the squeaking coming from my chain that I cleaned & lubed it before coming in the house this evening, to avoid being arrested by the RSPCA Inspectors for torturing mice.

Then I used SCIENCE to straighten my rear mech, which has been a wee bit out for a few days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 17 November, 2009, 09:08:26 pm
I fettled a new five-string rectractable washing line above the radiator in the cloakroom at work. Thus the two of us who cycle regularly can drape and dry our clothes during the day.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 November, 2009, 09:20:17 am
Quote from: Gordy on 17 November, 2009, 09:08:26 pm
I fettled a new five-string rectractable washing line above the radiator in the cloakroom at work. Thus the two of us who cycle regularly can drape and dry our clothes during the day.  :thumbsup:

can you play Layla onit yet? :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 November, 2009, 04:26:06 pm
replaced the rear brake blocks on fixed wheel bike
fitted rear mudgaurd to same bike
fitted Topeak bar extender & front lights to same bike
fitted a tri-bag to top tube/stem of same bike

fitted a map trap to handle bars of geared bike in readiness for forthcoming audax rides.

made sure both bikes are carrying two spare inner tubes & fairy-visit repair kit & tyre levers

both bikes now have a computer

sterilised two 750ml bidons using Milton fluid.The aroma made me think back to when my offspring were babies.

gave my new Brooks Swallow saddle a 2nd dose of proofide so that it can be sent to Santa & be ready for use immediatley on Christmas day 28th December
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 November, 2009, 04:31:54 pm
Carefully removed the seals on the cartridge bearings on a used FSA Orbit Extreme Pro headset I got from ebay.   A bargain price but not quite so 'hardly used' as the description indicated.

A soak in degreaser, a week to dry then a load of fresh grease should put a few years life back in the thing.

   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 November, 2009, 06:42:04 pm
"There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can "overhaul" it, or you can ride it."

Thanks to swine flu and Stupid Lungs I'm not going to be doing the latter for a while, so:
Nearly finished replacing all the cables and front brake pads on my Dawes.  Rear mech got a much-needed bath in the ultrasonic cleaner, too.  Need a new noodle boot thingy for the front brake, so that'll have to wait for final adjustment, but the gears and rear brake are all lovely and smooth  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 21 November, 2009, 07:22:25 pm
Finally got round to performing a rim transplant on the back wheel of the Trance.  In the summer I loaned it to a friend then stupidly rammed it at speed on the hardtail - ripping two spokes out of the rim.  I have no previous wheel building experience but, with Sheldon as my guide, the transplant seemed to go relatively well.  I guess that now I need to throw it down some lumpy bits to test it properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 November, 2009, 07:40:36 pm
Well I stripped the pashley princess to a frame then went to cycle surgery to buy the replacement forks.  So then came home and replaced the forks and re assembled the bike, cleaning and lubricating as I went along.

Now to finish measuring measuring the erd on the richley rock pro rim so I can finally build the wheels to put on the fixie.

Really should sell the Moulton Midi, but having no joy on gumtree.  Which is annoying as I want it gone and prefer to have to spend the money on getting the other mouton standard back on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 21 November, 2009, 10:10:06 pm
Set up the brakes and fitted the chain to the MTB I'm slowly building up. Would have done the gears but had no cable ferrules, will try to get some at Halfords tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 November, 2009, 11:00:57 pm
I fettled four kids' bikes, and then we went out on a ride.

Lots of hard work I wasn't quite anticipating (though I knew I was going to be doing the toughest), so, while I had a truing stand, I didn't have enough tools :-\

But it worked, and the ride was great fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 November, 2009, 05:00:08 pm
The long job of fitting full mudguards to the Inbred, which has no chainstay or seatstay bridges and has a front fork with "suspension geometry", which means there is 5" of air between the crown and the tyre.

This has involved a lot of custom work cutting brackets, spacers and drop bolts from round and square section aluminium tubing, as well as a couple of band-on bottle bosses.  Nearly there though, and it looks as good as a bike with mudguards can, or will when I've painted all the bare tubing black to hide it and blend it into the guards.  

Will it be the only fixed Inbred with full mudguards in existence?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 22 November, 2009, 05:11:15 pm
I done mudguards today too. 
I replaced the ancient (ca 1997) Salmon Profils on my winter bike with a pair, with a tasteful reflective yellow stripe, I got from Tom of this parish.  :thumbsup:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/4125335730_dd56cfe630.jpg)

I also regreased the internals of the Campag freehub body after an unsuccessful experiment to use oil instead.  :facepalm:
It now sounds like a Swiss watch.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 22 November, 2009, 05:21:45 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 22 November, 2009, 05:00:08 pm

Will it be the only fixed Inbred with full mudguards in existence?


Probably, as I don't expect that my stolen one is still thus configured.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 22 November, 2009, 05:27:47 pm
Not really fettled, just lubed the new chain and pumped up the tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 22 November, 2009, 05:32:06 pm
Quote from: eck on 22 November, 2009, 05:11:15 pm
I done mudguards today too

And me - re-fitted (so an easy job really) the guards to the Roadrat, along with 37mm slicks instead of knobblies, flat bars instead of midges, fitted lights and flipped the wheel to 42x20 - ready for commuting for the rest of the winter. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 November, 2009, 06:01:50 pm
Quote from: Chris N on 22 November, 2009, 05:32:06 pm
42x20 - ready for commuting for the rest of the winter. :thumbsup:

is it hilly on your commute?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 22 November, 2009, 06:22:02 pm
Slightly belatedly, replaced the pads on the tandem's disc brake.  Turned out to be far easier than expected, so no need for procrastination next time.

...and just about to order a campag-style BB tool in order to further investigate the ongoing saga of the Strange Clicky Noises from the Tempo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 22 November, 2009, 06:34:13 pm
Quote from: jogler on 22 November, 2009, 06:01:50 pm
Quote from: Chris N on 22 November, 2009, 05:32:06 pm
42x20 - ready for commuting for the rest of the winter. :thumbsup:

is it hilly on your commute?

Oops!  I meant 42x18.  I've got 20T on the other side, which I had been using for tooling about off road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Welsh Man on 22 November, 2009, 10:20:52 pm
Just about finished painting my Daughters bedroom , just a bit of gloss to go !


 ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 22 November, 2009, 10:22:35 pm
step 1. Go to bike shop to get repaired Z-Control pedals and walk home. Success
step 2. Open shed door grab pedal spanner remove ancient temporary pedals. Success
step 3. Put blob of antisieze on repaired pedal. Success
step 4. Attach Z Control pedals to cranks Success Fail - No pedal washers
step 5. Remove Z Control pedals. Success
step 6. Transfer pedal washers from ye olde pedal to Z-Control. Success.
step 7. Attach Z Control pedals to cranks. Success.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 23 November, 2009, 01:35:48 pm
A quick 2 mile spin into town has confirmed that Project Magic Bag Lite TM has been successfully completed.

A black and white Carradice Barley has been attached to the seat post of my Ribble courtesy of a SQR mount.  Not only does it work well it also looks in keeping with my black Brooks B17 Imperial.  Son of Oscar is now a proper gentleman's bicycle.

The new rig will be tested in earnest on Wednesday evening when we both venture out with the YACF Pompey crew.  Can't wait!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 November, 2009, 08:28:13 pm
Shortened the brake hose on the Inbred, then flushed and bled the system.  Then stopped the disc rubbing by...er...bending the disc back into true by hand.  Surprisingly, this works.

Remaining job for tonight is to slap some matt black paint on all those homemade mudguard brackets so they're not as obvious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 November, 2009, 09:04:24 pm
In the hope/expectation that both bikes will be used thru' the winter I have this evening applied more proofhide to the Swallow on the fixed & the B17 on the geared bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 23 November, 2009, 09:12:49 pm
I've been fettling bus timetables, now I know I'm off the bike for a few weeks. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 November, 2009, 10:46:18 am
I have been trying to fettle our blocked drain. I am convinced that the blockage is outside the boundary wall so I have asked Anglian Water to sort it out.

Although playing with sewage is a very nasty job, on the few occasions I've been obliged to do so it's been a great success. It's a job with a great deal of satisfaction when it works although I don't think I'd like to do it for a living.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 24 November, 2009, 10:49:47 am
Quote from: wowbagger on 24 November, 2009, 10:46:18 am
I have been trying to fettle our blocked drain. I am convinced that the blockage is outside the boundary wall so I have asked Anglian Water to sort it out.

Although playing with sewage is a very nasty job, on the few occasions I've been obliged to do so it's been a great success. It's a job with a great deal of satisfaction when it works although I don't think I'd like to do it for a living.

I'm sat here like a coiled spring waiting for the witty remarks made at your expense ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Naggers on 24 November, 2009, 02:12:43 pm
Fitted new tyres and tubes to the bike of one of the Aldgate Station staff who is going to start riding in more often.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 24 November, 2009, 02:23:26 pm
Quote from: wowbagger on 24 November, 2009, 10:46:18 am
I have been trying to fettle our blocked drain. I am convinced that the blockage is outside the boundary wall so I have asked Anglian Water to sort it out.

Although playing with sewage is a very nasty job, on the few occasions I've been obliged to do so it's been a great success. It's a job with a great deal of satisfaction when it works although I don't think I'd like to do it for a living.

It's a marvellous feeling when you succeed in shifting the sort of nasty little blockage that's been hanging around for a week or so, isn't it?   

Quote from: Oscar's dad on 24 November, 2009, 10:49:47 am
I'm sat here like a coiled spring waiting for the witty remarks made at your expense ...

*takes little bow*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 November, 2009, 02:29:12 pm
Quote from: Naggers on 24 November, 2009, 02:12:43 pm
Fitted new tyres and tubes to the bike of one of the Aldgate Station staff who is going to start riding in more often.



Cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 24 November, 2009, 02:42:17 pm
Quote from: Charlotte on 24 November, 2009, 02:23:26 pm
Quote from: wowbagger on 24 November, 2009, 10:46:18 am
I have been trying to fettle our blocked drain. I am convinced that the blockage is outside the boundary wall so I have asked Anglian Water to sort it out.

Although playing with sewage is a very nasty job, on the few occasions I've been obliged to do so it's been a great success. It's a job with a great deal of satisfaction when it works although I don't think I'd like to do it for a living.

It's a marvellous feeling when you succeed in shifting the sort of nasty little blockage that's been hanging around for a week or so, isn't it?   

Quote from: Oscar's dad on 24 November, 2009, 10:49:47 am
I'm sat here like a coiled spring waiting for the witty remarks made at your expense ...

*takes little bow*

My high fibre diet has much to recommend it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rig of Jarkness on 24 November, 2009, 07:27:11 pm
Not actually fettled today, I've left it a couple of months before posting to see if it will stand the test of a little time.  I was replacing a bottle dynamo with a Shimano hub dynamo (another fine purchase from Spa Cycles).  The existing light lacks a switch, and it was going to cost £30 to buy a new one. Answer - a £1.15 switch from Maplin, fixed with cable ties to the mudguard stays.  I wasn't convinced it was going to cope with rain but after 2 months of daily commuting its still ok.

I suppose it will break now that I've told the world about it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 November, 2009, 08:46:56 pm
Just fettling the front wheel puncture now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 24 November, 2009, 10:28:05 pm
Repaired a puncture in the push chair tyre. The other tyre than I repaired last week ::-). It may be time for new tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 24 November, 2009, 10:51:23 pm
(yesterday) Mrs Dan's bike has demonstrated an unpleasant ability to break the rubber straps on the car bike rack. So we're experimenting with sharing a bike for the commute (her in, me home, car to do Misses the other way). Hence I swapped the tyres, guards and lights from Mrs Dan's bike to my mountain bike, and changed the pedals back to ones that don't need cleats. I think it worked for both of us.

Apart from that we're redecorating the kitchen, so I've been painting for the last couple of days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 24 November, 2009, 10:54:32 pm
Rack, mudguards, and tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 November, 2009, 08:56:41 pm
The Inbred lives!  Oh yes.

The chainring arrived today so it's running 38 x 14 for about 69".  I filled the frame breather holes with mastic last night and also hung it up by its rear wheel and injected the gussets with WD-40, so it's pretty rust-proof now.  I put a rubber sleeve around the (expensive) seatpost to protect it from the Sheffield stand at work, gave it a coat of wax polish and then went out for a ride.

I thought the handling would be twitchy with 445mm Project Two forks (it's designed for 470mm suspension forks) but it's spot on.  The drive is silent - I spent a LOT of time getting the chainline right - and the Goldtec hub doesn't slip although I took it up Kite Hill (about 1:6 at the top).  The disc no longer rubs at all - it just needed a run to remove the high spots, I think.  Not terribly powerful braking yet when pulled hard (the pads aren't bedded in), but a 205mm disc is a marvellous drag brake going down a long hill.  At least until I boil the brake fluid, but I have changed it (the caliper is NOS so the fluid could have been 4-5 years old) and it is DOT 5.1.

Pictures at the weekend, by which time it will probably be filthy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 26 November, 2009, 10:10:21 pm
I unsuccessfully fettled the gears on the Kaffenback.  In the last couple of days, I've managed to jam the chain at both ends of the cassette, which takes some doing!  I think the changer has got progressively over gunged with dirty, which is stopping it cleanly moving.

At the moment I've adjusted the lower endstop so that it doesn't go into the smaller sprocket at all.

I've checked the cassette is mounted OK (it is), and I've looked at the cable to make sure it's not frayed and catching in the outer or levers (it's not).  I really need to take the changer off and clean it, but I don't have time before the last FNRttC tomorrow night, so I'm going to liberally spray it with some light oil when I get home this evening, and hope that clears things up a bit.  Worst case scenario, I just get it to stay in one gear, and use it as a singlespeed.  Last year I cycled every FNRttC on a singlespeed, and it wasn't too difficult, other than Ditchling.

I don't know, you put a bike together, do a measly 6000 miles on it, and things start failing.  Wowbagger's right, derailleurs are a bad idea. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 26 November, 2009, 10:39:01 pm
Also a fettling failure.  Removed and refitted the BB from the Tempo, but the <unprintable> thing still clicks as much as ever when riding (although, irritatingly, not while on the workstand).

Attention now returns to the pedals...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 November, 2009, 01:19:07 pm
Fitted mud flap to front & rear mudgaurd on the tourer/audax bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hawkeye on 28 November, 2009, 12:17:55 pm
I got a superbly detailed description of the washing machine accepting a coin into the pump, an irregular clicking (as the coin bounced off the vanes), a noise like a distant electric saw (as the coin parked itself and started eating the said vanes) a low humming (as the coin jammed the vanes and the pump motor). By the time I got home yesterday the audience of Mrs H, 20 yo Mr H and 12yo Master H had disbanded an hour previously as the entertinment value had worn off.

But why hadn't anyone the wit to turn the damn machine off? Aaaargh! More entertainment as I had a rant at the family.

Fettled with a new pump and sump hose this morning.  Reminded how very bloody heavy a full washing machine can be as I put it on a sack barrow and let it drain in the yard first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 28 November, 2009, 12:29:05 pm
Replaced bottom bracket on neighbour's mountain bike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 28 November, 2009, 01:01:12 pm
Not, I fear, an economic use of my time, but more satisfying that throwing item out...

Changed the main capacitor in a low energy lightbulb for one from a defunct phone charger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 28 November, 2009, 02:37:45 pm
I've just cut the racing pack plug off the car battery charger (I used to use it for a SLA battery for bike lights) so I could wrap bared wire ends round a terminal and some other bolt on the car to charge the battery. Water has got in the sun roof and caused the inside light to come on and run it flat.

Next I am going to fettle the sun roofs with gaffer tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 29 November, 2009, 04:16:58 pm

brakes and  handlebar  changed, rack dismounted and SQR system mounted on the winterbike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 29 November, 2009, 04:47:32 pm
"Proper" rear mudguard fitted to the commuter. Always a bit of a performance.

Intended to change all bar furniture over to a set of riser bars for a change, but didn't as the mudguard seemed to take forever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cyclone on 29 November, 2009, 05:09:08 pm
New light bracket on audax bike - bit of ally fabrication so I can have it fit securely below the saddlepack as £20 week in lights due to speedbumps has just started to rack me off! :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 November, 2009, 05:47:42 pm
Not so much what I've fettled as what I've unfettled.  Well, Superstoker & I, actually.

A happy and a sad sight both together, really.  We stripped the SuperGalaxy down to send for a respray.  It's a beautiful frame, and I look forward to when we get the Gal back on her wheels and out on the road. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 29 November, 2009, 05:56:39 pm
Sat drinking coffee as I wrapped a couple of batteries in duct tape to make them completely non rattle when installed in the bar mounted torch.

Doing this in costa coffee may look odd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 29 November, 2009, 08:26:38 pm
Quote from: Zoidburg on 29 November, 2009, 05:56:39 pm


Doing this in costa coffee may look odd.


You are right. It would fit right in at a Cafe Nero though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 29 November, 2009, 09:03:01 pm
Went out and collected the childs mountain bike that I bought on ebay this week. Stripped it down for its donor parts for my winter/spring recumbent project.
Finished the winter overhaul of my Cannondale road bike.Discovered that I'd got several oily black marks on the handlebar tape. Used Vanish Powershot spray carpet cleaner on it, came up good as new  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 30 November, 2009, 12:07:45 pm
I picked my chain off the cranks and put it back on the chain ring three times this morning. So there will be some wallet torture this afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 30 November, 2009, 04:04:39 pm
Tried to finish my MTB build by setting up the front mech yhat came with the used frame.  The head of one of the limit screws crumbled to fragments. I was able to remove it by gripping with pliers. I found a (longer) bolt that seemed to be the same thread but that's now jammed solid and I can't get it out  >:(         

That reminds me why I bought a Rohloff, I hate derailluers !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 01 December, 2009, 11:42:29 am
Used the early morning daylight to revive Dawes Discovery 101   :sick:.  Fitted ancient pedals recently removed from proper commuting bike and added to pedal-less 101. Added air to tyres and oil to chain ready for use tomorrow.  Then took proper pink white and blue commuting bike to LBS and caught train to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 December, 2009, 11:37:21 pm
Finally solved the problem (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg482565#msg482565) that has been causing me trouble for the last few days.  Tonight when the gears started making rubbing sounds, and I stopped and experimented with things a bit, I eventually worked out that the bearings in the freehub seemed to have died.  Since none of the other bearings are having any problems, that's a particuarly unimpressive lifetime.

Oh well, at least I know how to deal with things, and an order for a new freehub will go off very shortly.

Once I realised what it was, I was a bit nervous about the bearing really dying, and locking the freehub up, with inevitable consequences if I was caught unawares, so I treated it a bit like an S27X hub, and didn't stop pedalling all the way home, which was a bit knackering.  I don't see the attraction of not being able to freewheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 04 December, 2009, 11:37:12 pm
Fettled Sid the Singlespeed back into usability.  Primarily I had to replace the freewheel, chain, and chainring.

Handy hint, when an old freewheel really doesn't want to be drifted off, do not rest the axle on the tiled kitchen floor when hitting it really hard.  You end up with nice holes in your tiles if you do that.  Ah well, I'm not that keen on those tiles anyway. :-\

Pumped up the tyres (they haven't been pumped up for 8 months), adjusted a pannier to fit the rack, and fitted the light mounts.

If I got the ratios right on the chainring, it should work fine in the morning.  If not, it could be hard work on any hills. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 04 December, 2009, 11:46:31 pm
Quote from: TimO on 04 December, 2009, 11:37:12 pm
when an old freewheel really doesn't want to be drifted off, do not rest the axle on the tiled kitchen floor when hitting it really hard. 

nO - u uZe n ang!l gryNDer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 December, 2009, 12:36:57 am
Using an angle grinder to remove a freewheel sounds like it would end up with some Nuttyesque injuries, and possibly a destroyed hub. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 December, 2009, 08:44:15 am
Just fettled a GPS mount onto Sid the Singlespeed for Peli and Woolly's Pootle (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=25233.0;topicseen) ride later today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 December, 2009, 03:33:52 pm
I have fettled a new ceiling-mounted light fitting in the dinning room & one in the living room.

Yesrerday I fettled new brake blocks,front & rear, to the tourer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 05 December, 2009, 06:38:36 pm
I have just fettled my guttering, which has been creating a rather chic waterfall effect.

That's not strictly true.. but how the bleedin 'ell did a tennis ball get up there?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 05 December, 2009, 06:48:03 pm
Twinkle Toes' iPod. The silly sod locked it and couldn't remember the PIN. A bit of web research revealed how to resolve the problem. Steps have been taken so she can't do it again - hopefully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 06 December, 2009, 05:17:52 pm
Stoker's tourer.   With her audax machine currently temporarily out of use she wanted out again today.   Unfortunately that also had a puncture of which I had not been made aware, luckily not fatal.   Glass extracted, tube patched with a Park patch, tyres pumped up and she was off.

Bit of a bugger that puncture - it was through the nice continuous centre of an otherwise almost pristine Marathon HS308.   I'll dab some superglue in the hole when I remember to get some.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 06 December, 2009, 06:33:08 pm
New rear brake blocks and cable, Mrs Dan friendly pedals, tweaked gear indexing and sensor/magnet alignment on the mountain / commute bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 06 December, 2009, 08:04:54 pm
Finished the rebuild of the shimano dynohub wheel last night.  Put tyre on and fitted on the single speed today.  This was more complicated than you'd think as I managed to kill two tubes with pinch flats fitting the tyre.  All nice now though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: goatpebble on 06 December, 2009, 09:20:49 pm
Went out for a short and very wet ride, and something evil and sharp attacked my ancient Conti GPs.

I am ashamed at just how long it took me to change a tyre. Luck as been with me for so long that I have forgotten when I last had to do this in extremis.

It's a lot easier when you do it in the warmth and comfort of your sitting room...

 :-[

PS. came home, had a nice hot coffee, and played with trued the wheels on the bike I should have gone out on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 06 December, 2009, 09:25:07 pm
Quote from: goatpebble on 06 December, 2009, 09:20:49 pm
Went out for a short and very wet ride, and something evil and sharp attacked my ancient Conti Gps.

I am ashamed at just how long it took me to change a tyre. Luck as been with me for so long that I have forgotten when I last had to do this in extremis.

It's a lot easier when you do it in the warmth and comfort of your sitting room...

 :-[
I was struck by this last week as well, two in the space of a sodding mile in the pitch black when it was sleeting.

By the second one I was so cold that I wouldnt have been able to feel my fingers to patch the tube and I had used the good spare tube on the first puncture so I kept pushing it home as quick as I could just to keep warm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: goatpebble on 06 December, 2009, 09:31:13 pm
Quote from: Zoidburg on 06 December, 2009, 09:25:07 pm
Quote from: goatpebble on 06 December, 2009, 09:20:49 pm
Went out for a short and very wet ride, and something evil and sharp attacked my ancient Conti Gps.

I am ashamed at just how long it took me to change a tyre. Luck as been with me for so long that I have forgotten when I last had to do this in extremis.

It's a lot easier when you do it in the warmth and comfort of your sitting room...

 :-[
I was struck by this last week as well, two in the space of a sodding mile in the pitch black when it was sleeting.

By the second one I was so cold that I wouldnt have been able to feel my fingers to patch the tube and I had used the good spare tube on the first puncture so I kept pushing it home as quick as I could just to keep warm.

There was a short hail storm just after I arrived home. I missed it, but still felt like a complete and utter numpty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 December, 2009, 10:30:12 pm
I went to swap my brake blocks and found that my rear brakes had reached the end of their life :(

So I swapped on some older ones ;D

From the tandem.

Guess we're committed to having Vs on the refurbed SuperGal tandem now.  PB will be pleased ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 December, 2009, 11:03:58 pm
Changed a tube after a visitation and cleaned the rims in an effort to restore braking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 December, 2009, 09:36:25 am
Quote from: clarion on 06 December, 2009, 10:30:12 pm
I went to swap my brake blocks and found that my rear brakes had reached the end of their life :(

So I swapped on some older ones ;D

From the tandem.

Guess we're committed to having Vs on the refurbed SuperGal tandem now.  PB will be pleased ;D

OK, they worked well.

Squealed like a pig in the butcher's yard, but that's Koolstop for you.  Certainly stop better than the Clarks blocks which were all I could pick up on a previous visit to a supposedly-good bike shop in Sutton. ::-)

The rear canti bosses seem to be a shade too long, giving a tiny bit of play when the bolts are tightened.  So I've added a second, slightly larger washer, which seems to keep everything nice & solid.

btw ftr, just in case PB is reading, I ought to point out that the bit of my old brakes that failed was the cable grip, which, in this case, was designed & constructed exactly as for V brakes. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 December, 2009, 11:09:49 am
More mental than physical fettling, but I worked out what the slight rattle on the back of Sid (the Singlespeed) is.  Ever since I started using him again on Saturday (so for about 50 miles now), there has been a very slight rattle.  It seems worse when I pedal hard, but is definitely still there when I freewheel.

After thinking it was the cable to the rear light (nope), I eventually twigged that it was the mudguard stays.  When I put the Kaffenback together, I dropped one of the small bolts that locks the stays to the mudguard proper.  I couldn't find it (obviously suffering from something akin to Fridge Suck), and "borrowed" one off of Sid until I found it.  The nut doesn't seem to be one I've got in my spare bits pot, and I've yet to find the one I dropped.

I suspect putting a cable tie around the stay tonight will be enough to temporarily stop the rattle until I make a determined effort (again!) to find the missing nut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 07 December, 2009, 01:04:28 pm
New PC-1 chain on the fixed. Which also meant I could also unravel the bramble stem that had very tightly wound itself up between the sprocket and hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 December, 2009, 01:34:30 pm
LOL, when I replaced the freewheel on Sid, I found the remains of an old dried leaf tightly wound between the freewheel and hub.  It wasn't really jammed, just in a place that wasn't easily cleaned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 December, 2009, 02:00:49 pm
The ffront light on the tourer.
'twas a broken wire on the dynamo on/auto/off switch which couldn't be see in the gloom of late yesterday afternoon when it was needed.
It's good-to-go now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 December, 2009, 08:54:20 pm
Removed the Hope disc brake and fitted the old Deore V-brakes.  They're actually more powerful and more positive, because the braking force doesn't have to be transmitted the entire length of the fork.  Rim wear is minimal on a  front wheel anyway.

I'll miss the instant bite in the rain, but not the constant rubbing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RogerT on 07 December, 2009, 09:07:48 pm
Started the build of "project bike"  .  Titanium frame obtained from Flea bay, Carbon fork and Campagnolo heaset from "high on Bikes".  A large G Clamp made a satisfactory fitting tool for the headset and the extension tube from a "Henry hoover" an excellent slide hammer to fit the lower bearing race to the fork  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

The aim is to bring the whole project in for under £1,000. using mostly new components and all Campanolo based..( I just like loud clicky freewheels  ;D )

Project now on hold awaiting arrival of more components  ( or, to be more accurate, spare cash )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 December, 2009, 06:54:23 pm
A very complex job.

I put a Thomson sticker on the seatstay where my heel sometimes catches it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 08 December, 2009, 06:57:44 pm
Quote from: Sgt. Bilgeboard on 07 December, 2009, 01:04:28 pm
New PC-1 chain on the fixed. Which also meant I could also unravel the bramble stem that had very tightly wound itself up between the sprocket and hub.
How many miles have you had out of this?

My PC-1 has been on for 18 hilly months of use and I am starting to eye it with suspiscion...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 08 December, 2009, 07:01:35 pm
I am currently fettling some marmalade. Two preserving pans' worth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 09 December, 2009, 12:06:23 am
Apparently, my mother-in-common-law's mysterious issue with not being able to shoot people in World of Warcraft.  She rang up to find  out 'what number her graphics card was'.  When I eventually got her to describe the actual problem that was occuring, rather than how to implement what she had decided was the solution (thanks so much windoze troubleshooter....) it was somewhat immediately apparent that it was a wireless connectivity issue, promptly cured by very careful explanation of what to switch off and on and in what order, and at what point to make a cup of tea.  Ah, the joys of first line telephone support.  Especially when the luser is a mad danish bird.  And related to you so you know that having fixed one thing, they'll be back....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Speshact on 09 December, 2009, 12:12:33 am
Double glazed the little window over the front door with bubble wrap and double sided sticky tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 09 December, 2009, 02:49:17 pm
Quote from: Zoidburg on 08 December, 2009, 06:57:44 pm
Quote from: Sgt. Bilgeboard on 07 December, 2009, 01:04:28 pm
New PC-1 chain on the fixed. Which also meant I could also unravel the bramble stem that had very tightly wound itself up between the sprocket and hub.
How many miles have you had out of this?

My PC-1 has been on for 18 hilly months of use and I am starting to eye it with suspiscion...

Absolutely no idea, but I do know that it had been fitted almost two years. (It's served me well)
It was the cheaper PC-1 and although I constantly cleaned and lubed it, it suffered from constant oxidation.
 So I've paid the extra £3 on top for the 'nickel treated' one (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22772). Time will tell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 December, 2009, 05:25:13 pm
I have fettled Gordy's trike.
Fitted an adjustable stem so that I can alter it to find the optimum bar height/reach.I then had to fettle both front brakes
Fitted a saddle. I found a Brooks Professional Select in the spares box in the garage.This saddle was on the Longstaff when I bought it & swapped it out for a B17.
Took the pedals off & fitted some Christophe toeclips & straps so that I can pedal in any type of footwear.
There's more to do......
bartape
luggage
lights

It's currently set up as a single speed,approx 72".
I shall leave it at that & see how I cope with it on the local hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 24 December, 2009, 05:29:28 pm
No time for fettlin

There's a wrappin to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 December, 2009, 06:44:45 pm
I went to the LBS to buy a bell for the littlest cub's new (old) balance bike, and got them to put some air in the tyres whilst I was there.  Then I came home and had a quick look at the latest small_friend's bike to arrive, washed the shed dust off it, put the chain back on and warned his mum that I hadn't tested the dynamo lights at all and that at least one of the front brakes needed adjusting - they'd taken the eldest out with them to the cinema and got back before we'd had a chance to even look at any more than that.  Oh, and I got the 2 year old to take the dust caps off and help me to christen by birthday present track pump to put some air in  the tyres and then he put the dust caps back on.

Then we did the teeny pink orbea - tyres inflating to correct pressure (with the by now expert assistance of the 2 year old and ably assisted by his big bro) and dearly_beloved went and googled how to adjust brakes and learnt at the fountain of all knowledge that is youtube.  They all seem to work now, anyway.

Just got the Giant to have a look at - chain etc is pretty mucky, so I'll possibly clean that up a bit and oil it, need put a bit more air in and whilst I was out doing my Christmas shopping dearly_beloved looked at the brakes and they now all function.

Then I'm pushing 2 small bikes a mile and a half in the snow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 December, 2009, 07:41:47 pm
Changed the chain and cassette on Torslanda's old Rock Lobster (utterly shagged by a couple of thousand miles off-road, under my father-in-law, in Bedfordshire).  Then was asked to look at the rear wheel and ended up detensioning the whole thing and starting again.  I think the rim is a bit bent but as it's standing up to the wear very well (I suspect he's a front brake-only rider) it seemed worth keeping it going.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 26 December, 2009, 07:09:37 pm
After 5 and a half months, my Centaur levers are back from the repair shop! Got the old ones off, and got as far as hooking up the RH cables before the shed got too cold. I might, finally, finish the build of the Enigma (with some leather bar tape) this weekend. It also needs a damned good clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 26 December, 2009, 07:13:52 pm
Put mudguards on the Saracen, ready as a 26" tourer now ( well apart from the dynamo wheel and lights which I havent bought yet)

Now I have a vacancy for a mountain bike again :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 26 December, 2009, 07:17:16 pm
Just the usual pre-ride of oil on the chain and making sure the light mounts are all squared away and secure, new light now resides on a moulded and dremmeled lump of two part epoxy putty, secured with shock cord and a cord lock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 December, 2009, 07:29:20 pm
Quote from: clarion on 07 December, 2009, 09:36:25 am
Quote from: clarion on 06 December, 2009, 10:30:12 pm
I went to swap my brake blocks and found that my rear brakes had reached the end of their life :(

So I swapped on some older ones ;D

From the tandem.

Guess we're committed to having Vs on the refurbed SuperGal tandem now.  PB will be pleased ;D

OK, they worked well.

Squealed like a pig in the butcher's yard, but that's Koolstop for you.  Certainly stop better than the Clarks blocks which were all I could pick up on a previous visit to a supposedly-good bike shop in Sutton. ::-)

The rear canti bosses seem to be a shade too long, giving a tiny bit of play when the bolts are tightened.  So I've added a second, slightly larger washer, which seems to keep everything nice & solid.

btw ftr, just in case PB is reading, I ought to point out that the bit of my old brakes that failed was the cable grip, which, in this case, was designed & constructed exactly as for V brakes. ;)

Just stumbled across this.   I am indeed pleased Mr. C.  You're finally coming into the 1990's and the era of brakes that really work.   We'll have you with disk brakes by 2030 at this rate   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 26 December, 2009, 07:41:50 pm
I took the ding-bell off my new bike and fitted it to the littly's new-to-him balance bike as the diameter of the mount for the bell that he got for Christmas was way too big.

And then we taught him to ride it :)   He had a go yesterday, but announced that it was 'too wobbly'.  Today it was 'exciting', apparently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 27 December, 2009, 07:19:31 pm
Just f*cked around fitting Marathons to my OpenPros for the ride tomorrow which now I am not going on. 700x28 took ages to seat properly, gave up on one of them and fitted a Pasella which was nearly as tricky. Will get some more 25mm tyres with tread for next year. Anyone want some part used Pasellas and Marathons in 28mm. Free
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 27 December, 2009, 09:25:28 pm
Hooked up the rest of the cables on the Enigma, and wrapped black leather handlebar tape. Build finally finished, 7 months after I started it! Yay! ;D If it ever gets bright enough outside, I'll take some piccies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2009, 01:53:27 pm
Fitted the new M540 pedals (yay! slightly higher Q-factor and more heel clearance) to the Inbred, then some new reflector thingies which actually look OK with these pedals.

Then gave the Inbred a "gentleman's wash", i.e. just cleaned the chain, chainring and sprocket.

Then fitted a rather natty (although not very loud and tricky to operate) BBB Headspace (http://www.amazon.co.uk/BBB-Bell-Space-Spacer-Integrated/dp/B001EGQ922) bell.  Might be useful for warning errant pedestrians.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 December, 2009, 01:54:52 pm
More fettling to Gordy's trike
Fitted a B17 saddle which allows a Carradice Camper Longflap to be strapped to the saddle loops.
Front lights
Rear lights & reflectors
Bar tape
Bottle cage (with a camlock for use on frames with no braze-ons)
Fitted a frame pump
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 December, 2009, 01:56:10 pm
Removed a B17 from the Longstaff & fitted a Swallow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 28 December, 2009, 02:02:28 pm
"Custom" fitted (as in made a bracket) a Blackburn MTN rack to the Jamis!

Getting chilly again here....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hummers on 28 December, 2009, 02:05:22 pm
Tried again to get my drive side crank off - this time with more determination than before and once all thread had gone, with the application of a three-legged puller.

Still no joy. It is stuck faster than sticky Vicky snogging trip tricky Dicky on a day trip to Billericay.

Rings have a fair amount of life left in them so will leave it for now but I see a session with an angle grinder coming in the next 4 months or so.

H
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2009, 02:08:18 pm
I've had that happen to me almost 20 years ago.  I have always greased the crank tapers since, and it's never happened again.

In my case it was a BMX-style BB but with a 3-piece crank so it was possible to remove the BB and crank even though the crank was stuck to the spindle.  With a conventional or cartridge BB you are stuffed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 28 December, 2009, 03:55:56 pm
If it's just one crank stuck to the axle and it's a traditional cup and cone BB, then you can remove the stuck crank and axle from the frame if the gap between the cup and crank is big enough and you can get a tool in there to loosen the cup. Of course the cup will still be trapped on the BB axle.

If the crank is going to be scraped, I would simply cut it off with a hacksaw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2009, 03:59:34 pm
Have you tried a blowlamp yet?  Aluminium expands more than steel so it might loosen it off, but watch the paint.  It didn't work for me, I should add  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 28 December, 2009, 05:34:29 pm
I was having the opposite problem today.  My left hand crank fell off half way through a three hour Trailquest.  I whacked it up as tight as I could with the three inches of leverage afforded by my multitool and one further retighten got me home.  Tonight it is going back on with the Loctite that I said I was going to use after the previous occurence. :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 28 December, 2009, 05:40:08 pm
I got my Surly CrossCheck going again. I pinched a few bits off it during the summer for other bikes but made an effort today to get it running properly. I had to bodge some locknuts and spacers on the rear (solid) axle - heaven knows where the original bits have gone.  ::-)

I've put studded tyres on, more in hope than expectation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 December, 2009, 06:23:50 pm
Had to swap valve heads on the track pumps today.  The Joe Blow isn't working properly, so it got the valve from the Wrench Force, which had a dodgy gauge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 December, 2009, 07:33:56 pm
Fitted a pair of home-made (well, factory made but heavily modified ) chaintugs to my fixed (forward facing drop-outs)   My legs are clearly too powerful as despite a lot of spanner welly on the tracknuts I've managed to pull the back wheel forward the last 3 or 4 times I've ridden the machine ... and you know what that means for the chain ......

I also fettled a dreadful flat-pack larder cupboard (new, made in China - surplus to the requirements of another yacf member) into an extension shelf unit for my bike fettling bench ... somewhere to store all those spare parts in some semblance of order ... and to be able to find them  ;D

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 28 December, 2009, 08:07:45 pm
I swapped out the 21t sprocket on my Alfine hub for an 18t sprocket, took a link out of the chain, reassembled everything, cleaned and re-lubed the chain thoroughly and all is well with the world.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 28 December, 2009, 09:38:59 pm
I started to fit the brompton rear light onto dearly_beloved's bike, which I realised has been sat in the dining room festering in a fair-to-middling coating of mud and road salt from him having gone out in the snow just before Christmas.  It was absolutely minging, and the chain was completely dry and somewhat rusty :(  He's had it for 2 months and never even oiled the chain. 

So... I just cleaned dearly_beloved's bike.  It's quite tricky to get a bike upside-down in our kitchen - since it is the width of the bars plus about 4".  On the bright side, it means that there's not much filthy floor to clean.  And I liked somebody's top tip from here of using baby wipes to clean your bike :) Slightly less good is that he obviously didn't even wipe the chain on littly's bike either when that came in at the same time - and it's as gruesomely filthy, although minus the rust.  Guess what I'm going to be doing... tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2009, 10:58:04 pm
Went back to the Inbred this evening and spent an hour changing a Deore silver V-brake for an Deore black V-brake.  Vanity, eh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 28 December, 2009, 11:01:05 pm
But does it look very very pretty?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 29 December, 2009, 10:41:59 pm
We fettled the dining room so that there was enough space to set up the turbo trainer for Superstoker :thumbsup: This was a hit and he now has the stereo set up for his ipod in there as well :D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 December, 2009, 10:42:41 pm
One day, we might get a table in there... ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 December, 2009, 10:45:48 pm
A table? nah
tv dinners rule,O.K. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 29 December, 2009, 10:48:28 pm
I fixed a premier league football match.

This involved a brief case and an underground carpark at midnight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 30 December, 2009, 09:04:40 am
I replaced the windscreen washer pump on my car. The reservoir is fitted under the wing, so this five minute job invoved an hour of dismantling all the filthy plastic protectors under the wheelarch after getting the wheel off and loosening the underbody tray.

Putting it all back together was like doing a 3D jigsaw with rusty self tappers. My hands were cold and I think I now have pneumonia. Bah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 December, 2009, 09:27:52 pm
Quote from: jogler on 29 December, 2009, 10:45:48 pm
A table? nah
tv dinners rule,O.K. ;D

We ain't getting a TV! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 01 January, 2010, 05:43:30 pm
Swapped the drops on the Peregrine for Bullhorns, leveled the saddle after it started pointing skyward (fortunately only a mile from home) on this morning's ride, failed to get the computer working on it, swapped the tyres out for some (relatively) sport 32's and stopped the brakes from rubbing.

I think I deserve a beer :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 01 January, 2010, 08:59:35 pm
Removed the clodhoppers rather wide Pasellas that have been afflicting the tandem for the last few months and replaced them with Hamsterskins.  Getting these over the FIR rims (which I reckon are a smidgeon oversized -- I've had trouble in the past) was... interesting.  They seem to be working nicely now, though, so I just have to hope that it's a long time before I need to take them off again!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 January, 2010, 09:12:57 pm
Hamsterskins on a tandem? :o

Each to their own...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 January, 2010, 09:36:36 pm
my nose, via continual use of tissues,korvex & lip balm :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 01 January, 2010, 10:47:15 pm
My knee, my elbow and the winter tyres back on the Thorn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 02 January, 2010, 09:34:40 am
Quote from: Wowbagger on 01 January, 2010, 10:47:15 pm
My knee, my elbow and the winter tyres back on the Thorn.

When my studded tyres turn up they will be going on and staying on. I can't afford to come off again on ice as my pulled muscles are agony this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 January, 2010, 11:00:33 am
Yesterday I re-fettled the brakes on Theia and finally sorted them out.  I am happy with them for the time being.
Sorted out all my new bits and bobs too.  All good.

I've just 'found' 7 inner tubes that need repairing.  That is a job for today in dribs and drabs.

I have also got the MTB out and the tyres and depending upon the answer to my question, I may be changing tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 January, 2010, 03:13:12 pm
Put the triple front mech and medium cage veloce rear onto the carbon bling bike. It now has very big and very little gears. Should do me nicely for the season now..

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 02 January, 2010, 03:52:14 pm
Mudguard clearance. I hate mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 02 January, 2010, 04:12:12 pm
New chainset(compact), chain and cassette on my Steve Goff Prodigy.
I wont be riding this though untill the weather improves, its more of a summer bike ya see  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 03 January, 2010, 04:53:27 pm
Just fitted new Cateye lights to my CX bike for commuting duties. EL530 front and LD610 rear.

The bracket for the rear light is a little bulky, using one of those easy release/plastic wheel style clamps. So much so that when seatpost mounted it catches the back of my thigh when I'm pedalling. A traditional, more slim-line bracket has just been ordered from Wiggle for hopefully a better outcome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 January, 2010, 07:10:15 pm
Cleaned the filthy touring bike, which had to do commuting duties for a couple of months.  Good honest dirt though - no salt.  Then failed to find the special QR for the turbo trainer so ordered another one from Wiggle.  Set up the turbo trainer roller anyway - 700 x 28 seems to be the very biggest tyre it will accommodate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 03 January, 2010, 07:17:12 pm
Took the knobbies off and put the Marathon Plus tyres onto the MTB for another test ride along the canal tow path.  Better but still hopefully not as sure as the pending Marathon Snow Stud tyres that are coming from Wiggle  :thumbsup:

Fitted Joystick MaxX2 to the bars too and the Lumi to the rear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 03 January, 2010, 07:18:28 pm
Built two new doors for the shed. A little finishing off to do tomorrow, but it now get too 'ecking cold to work outside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 January, 2010, 08:13:09 pm
Cleaned (ish - it was cold! :-[ ) the commuting bikes, and got one tyre changed on Butterfly's.  The M+ 25s are a lot tighter on her rims than on my A719s.  :(

Off to do the next in a minute...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 03 January, 2010, 08:30:20 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 January, 2010, 08:13:09 pm
Cleaned (ish - it was cold! :-[ ) the commuting bikes, and got one tyre changed on Butterfly's.  The M+ 25s are a lot tighter on her rims than on my A719s.  :(

Off to do the next in a minute...

Not watching Top Gear then?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 January, 2010, 08:31:59 pm
Oh noes!  Iz I missing it? :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 03 January, 2010, 08:33:05 pm
The bike-rinsing water is froze.

I wash them another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: goatpebble on 03 January, 2010, 09:25:04 pm
Quote from: andygates on 03 January, 2010, 08:33:05 pm
The bike-rinsing water is froze.

I wash them another day.

Do you have special re-cycled bike washing water, from a butt? Being a flat-dweller, I wash my bike in the shower, thermostat controlled and evryfink.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 03 January, 2010, 09:29:35 pm
New chain and cassette on the Audax bike. Cleaned all the bits I normally miss (like rear derailleur areas that you can't get to easily when it's got a wheel and chain fitted).
New brake blocks all round, spent some time making sure they are set correctly (rather than my usual "ooh, they look a bit low, better slide in new pads as I'm heading out of the door now").
Got around to remaking the connections to my rear dynamo light that has been a bit intermittent for a few weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 January, 2010, 10:03:10 pm
I managed to bully the second tyre into place, and Butterfly has reset her computer.  As for my bike, it now sports a lovely pair of XTR pedals to match hers, courtesy of the delightful Butterfly :)

I washed some of the gunk (well, half-dissolved strepsils and Gaviscon) out of my saddlebag.  I'll need to pack it in the morning.  What are the chances that I remember everything I need as I stumble about at 7am tomorrow? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 03 January, 2010, 10:17:41 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 January, 2010, 10:03:10 pm


I washed some of the gunk (well, half-dissolved strepsils and Gaviscon) out of my saddlebag. 

Hope it's now feeling much better, it must be all this weather?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 January, 2010, 10:26:19 pm
Well, tbh, it ingested the medicine some time around July :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 04 January, 2010, 12:44:10 pm
Stripped my TCR on Saturday for a proper clean & re-build.  It needs new jockey wheels, cassette, chain & 52/39 chainrings.  I will fit some gore ride on gear cables while I'm at it and the rims on my ksyrium's need replacing.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 04 January, 2010, 06:23:32 pm
Cyo on the Saracen. Might get moved to the Soma if it proves good, although I'm a bit reluctant to replace the solidlights cos they work and are bombproof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 January, 2010, 11:15:10 pm
I have carefully dissassembled my inkjet printer, soaked the head in water, pushed water through with a syringe and put it back together without swearing once. For the first time in eons it prints properly coloured pics - there is now real yellow in there.

..d

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 January, 2010, 08:39:45 pm
Fitted the cheapest available 23mm tyre (a Vittoria Zaffino)  to the back of the Hewitt, attached the wheel with the special Tacx skewer and then got the turbo out.

It's surprising how much the metal roller wears out on a turbo.  Mine has big ridges and dips in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 05 January, 2010, 09:26:16 pm
Just about to fit a rear Crud Catcher to the MTB.  Don't want another frozen bottom if I can help it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 05 January, 2010, 11:32:28 pm
I fettled my lovely oldskool Rockhopper, ready for a bit more of this sort of action:

(http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6600/p2010258jt7.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 08 January, 2010, 08:09:28 pm
Took the Conti Sportcontacts off my Subway and fitted my old Specialized Extreme Control/Master mud tyres. Then had to drill a new screw hole in the rear mudguard so that I could rotate it forwards, allowing the rear end to clear the tyre knobs.

Looks like the snow/ice will remain for long enough to make this mod worthwhile, and there's supposedly more SNO forecast for the weekend...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 January, 2010, 08:43:45 pm
Similarly, I took the Marathon Pluses off the Inbred and fitted CX Pro 'cross tyres of the same width (1.35").  These work pretty well, but I'm going to stick a load of screws and Duck Tape in them tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 January, 2010, 06:18:52 pm
Popped in to visit a friend while out on the spikey tyred MTB.

The handle on her tumble drier has borked. Currently she and her son use their four hands and slender fingers to prize it open.

Scratch head.

Rummage in pannier.

Produce VAR tyre lever et voila!, the door, she opens!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 09 January, 2010, 08:32:38 pm
Put a curtain rail up and a double curtain for the front door to reduce the draft.
Also fitted my new winter studded tyres onto the MTB ready for a test ride tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 09 January, 2010, 09:08:27 pm
"I fettled my lovely oldskool Rockhopper,....."

What a VERY nice Rocky!! In any weather!

I laced first of a pair of lightish (XT and Mavic X221) wheels as spares for my 853 Saracen for when the spring comes.....altho' the Race Lites look better!


(http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p56/wasnti/Trx2.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 January, 2010, 06:31:19 pm
Got the cassette changed and a new chain on the Orbit.

But I had problems with changing still, which I'd put down to badly worn components.  And the chain was rubbing the seatstay, which is not acceptable.

Stripped it back down to find that I had two spacers behind the cassette, fitted by Pearsons when they made the dog's breakfast of sorting the bike after my summer off >:(

Presumably it was a bodge to avoid something that I'm not yet suffering from, but it's a bit shoddy.  I had wondered how my chain had dropped behind the big sprocket so easily... :-\

Now, though, I've tried each spacer in turn, and one fits just about perfectly, so I've refitted and now it shifts really well.

I've bought a Wipperman chain for the first time ever.  It migh have been helpful if the retailer had mentioned that they came with powerlink-style joints, so I didn't order an excess :-\

Hey ho.  I have a bike that should be easier to pedal & change gear on.  Hope the weather improves soon, so this chain doesn't die too soon... :)

btw, you know you're a cyclist when mopping the kitchen floor involves WD40 :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kevinp on 10 January, 2010, 08:17:22 pm
I washed the bike today..... in the shower, to cold outside :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 11 January, 2010, 08:47:03 pm
My iglo...

Cut a door, but still and 3rd or so to go, I have a plan for a skylight...

and wifi of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 January, 2010, 09:53:16 am
Re-fettled the new cassette last night.  For some reason, one spacer isn't enough to reset the hub for the 7-speed. :(  So I've given in & put the second back in, adjusting my limit screws so I can't use the smallest sprocket ::-)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: birchtheyouth on 12 January, 2010, 12:55:56 pm
Thanks Clarion for reminding us that bike shops do sometimes know what they are doing  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 January, 2010, 02:25:03 pm
If they'd known what they were doing, they would have doen what I asked.  When they discovered that it wouldn't fit, they could have called me, as I requested, and advised going to an 8-speed cassette, which I had asked about.  They might also have told me if they'd used an additional spacer, warned me about the bodge that damaged my seatstay, and adjusted the limit screws so that the mech didn't throw the chain off the big sprocket at the low end.  How I laughed when that happened as I was climbing a hill! ::-)

No.  For that, and many other examples I put in a letter to Guy Pearson he hasn't bothered to answer, I know that they haven't a clue.  Bodgers at best.  

But I recognise you're new, so you might not have been able to read the previous events in this saga.

EDIT:  The bike is now safely ridable, pending further components arriving, but, if I called myself a professional mechanic, or even had the chutzpah to charge for it, I would be ashamed to my core to let a bike in the unamended state roll out the door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 13 January, 2010, 07:54:03 pm
Building a new front wheel for the 'rat.

From this:

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4271688147_75be496a72.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26008756@N08/4271688147/)

to this:

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4272431982_0688444941.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26008756@N08/4272431982/)

My fifth full build - took about 1 1/2 hours all in, and went very smoothly indeed. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 13 January, 2010, 09:20:57 pm
Must be the weather for wheel building! Laced the second of my new mtb wheels today. Haven't trued it yet (I haven't got a wheel stand and too cold to use the frame outside - I'll get it in the kitchen tomorrow!). But once spokes in right place rest ain't too laborious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 January, 2010, 10:04:05 pm
Got an 8-spd cassette & fitted it now.  Clearances are tight, and I've worked out what the Pearsons baboons did - they used a 135mm hub instead of 130mm, and the slightly different angle of the stay to the chain made what was a close pass into interference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 January, 2010, 11:43:16 pm
I've assisted in the dismantling of several bikes, and then actually fixed summat - I took one of the (many) bikes that I bought as a Christmas present for various small children of my acquaintance with me to the rescue volunteer night.  Replaced a brake cable and a bust noodle, and another bit wot I don't know the name of and now the front brake works  :)  And nobody laughed at my attempt at second hand bike purchasing, and they reckoned it was in generally not bad nick.

Left the bike there, and next week I'll be replacing brake blocks and adjusting brakes then sorting out a minor wibble in a wheel.  This is very advanced stuff, for me.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 14 January, 2010, 11:46:48 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 14 January, 2010, 11:43:16 pm
I've assisted in the dismantling of several bikes, and then actually fixed summat - I took one of the (many) bikes that I bought as a Christmas present for various small children of my acquaintance with me to the rescue volunteer night.  Replaced a brake cable and a bust noodle, and another bit wot I don't know the name of and now the front brake works  :)  And nobody laughed at my attempt at second hand bike purchasing, and they reckoned it was in generally not bad nick.

Left the bike there, and next week I'll be replacing brake blocks and adjusting brakes then sorting out a minor wibble in a wheel.  This is very advanced stuff, for me.


All power to your elbow :thumbsup:. Good for you. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 15 January, 2010, 12:36:37 pm
Replaced the worn gear cable on the ol' fugly MTB.
It has a 7 speed SIS system, but it's running a 5 speed gear.
Setting the 'limit adjusting screws' precisely is a must.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 15 January, 2010, 10:12:08 pm
I just swapped the rear wheel over on the Kaffenback, which meant of course removing and replacing the cassette, inner tube, and tyre.

Refitting it, I decided that it was probably a good idea to replace the blocks, since the rim was a slightly different size, so the wear pattern would be different.  After getting all that adjusted, I found that the cable was a little rusted, and was sticking, so that had to be replaced as well.

I also had to move the front light mount onto a Topeak Xtender, so it could look over the bar bag.  Of course I had to find the two old Xtenders I had, one which had a slightly broken plastic bit, and the other which had a part missing.  The two together made one whole working one.

Two hours later I'd finished all the quick bit of fettling!  At least the bikes now ready for tomorrows "Freeze Your Bits Off" camp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 January, 2010, 04:18:17 pm
Took off the studded tyres and refitted the Marathon Pluses.

This could get boring if I have to do it every week - please stay warm now...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 17 January, 2010, 04:23:06 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 January, 2010, 04:18:17 pm
Took off the studded tyres and refitted the Marathon Pluses.

Likewise, I've been refitting the Sportcontacts and the original mudguard on to my commuter, and finally refitting the mudguards on my road bike.

Quote
This could get boring if I have to do it every week - please stay warm now...

As I mentioned in the SNO thread, now that I'm fully equipped for a SNOpocalyspe, it just isn't going to happen again.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 17 January, 2010, 04:26:09 pm
Wheeled the tourer out of the workshop, inflated the tyres and oiled the chain.   Put some air in the tyres of Stoker's tourer also.

Went for a ride.

The tourer was last used for cycle-camping in September.   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 17 January, 2010, 06:34:12 pm
Stopped in Southwark to put new blocks on the rear brakes of the Kaffenback, after 60 odd miles of cycling on the roads of Essex and Suffolk during the Freeze Your Bits Off Camping trip wore away a quite vast amount of what I thought was a brake block in acceptable condition.  The front brake block, which was brand new on Friday, had also worn to the extent that I had to tweak the cable adjuster, since the lever was now hitting the handlebars.

Muddy crud on your rims and brake pads seems to be able to kill the pads in a very short period of time. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 17 January, 2010, 08:05:06 pm
OT, but - gutter at the back of the house. With neighbour on one side.

The shards of the old one now need to be disposed of.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 January, 2010, 09:58:28 pm
Cleaned Suffolk off the bikes to the best of my ability (it's quite tenacious), and oiled the chains. 

Brake block changing tomorrow. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 17 January, 2010, 10:45:33 pm
Is there such a thing as circular fettling?

Inspired by the winter tyres thread (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=27706.0), I got some Marathon Winters just before Christmas. I knew it was a risk in clearance terms on my commuter, and when I fettled them on they didn't clear the mudguards. Just after Christmas I fettled the guards off, and then got some clip-on ones like these (http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=5450&f_SupersetQRY=C240&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003154c003153c003258) from Halfords.

We have no garage, so fettling snow tyres in the snow wasn't all that attractive, and all this took time. (Yes, I did sneak it into the kitchen when no-one was looking, but...)

In the end, clearance even below the brake wasn't enough, so I've just fettled the bike back to the way it was in the first place.

Plan B behind all this is to rebuild onto my spare commuting frame, but I'll wait for warm weather, light evenings and time to do all that. Then I'll be set up for next time ;D

Except that I have just tried the second-hand pair of forks that Corley's sold me for it a bit back, and the (threaded) column has been cut off too short for even a Shimano headset. Anyone know where I might find a pair with plenty of clearance for a 501 road frame, probably chromed as I won't find much else to match the bronze-brown that I chose from Argos for its respray?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 17 January, 2010, 11:55:57 pm
n+1  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 18 January, 2010, 07:56:41 am
Would require n+1 sheds, n+1 gardens and n+1 houses :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 January, 2010, 09:55:16 am
Tonight I are be fettling brake blocks for our bikes after the destruction caused by Suffolk, and I'll be bodging my RaceBlades before getting online & ordering a new set.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 18 January, 2010, 10:49:46 am
Quote from: drossall on 18 January, 2010, 07:56:41 am
Would require n+1 sheds, n+1 gardens and n+1 houses :(

And n-1 wives? ;)

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 18 January, 2010, 11:25:25 pm
Tonight I have taken the first step on the path to wheelbuilding enlightenment by making a nipple driver à la Roger Musson. It's not perfect but it's OK for a first attempt. I'm not going to make my own truing jig though - might do it one day but it's more faff than I can be arsed with at the moment.

Got a couple of bits and bobs to come in the post, then I can get on with actually building the darn wheel. Might get to actually ride it before summer at this rate.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 18 January, 2010, 11:33:34 pm
Quote from: citizen smudge on 18 January, 2010, 11:25:25 pm
Tonight I have taken the first step on the path to wheelbuilding enlightenment by making a nipple driver à la Roger Musson. It's not perfect but it's OK for a first attempt. I'm not going to make my own truing jig though - might do it one day but it's more faff than I can be arsed with at the moment.

Got a couple of bits and bobs to come in the post, then I can get on with actually building the darn wheel. Might get to actually ride it before summer at this rate.

d.


Well done that fettler!  If you take your time and follow the Musson guide, you'll make good wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 19 January, 2010, 07:30:00 am
Well, last night really.

Sorted out my back wheel by putting a new tube on.

Repaired the two tubes that had blown up before, one had a massive hole in. I think it's going a bit off, because when I blew it up to check for further holes (there was another one) it had an alarming bulge.

Took the front wheel off to refit the mudguard. Fixed the wire to my dynamo which came off the spade connector when I took the wheel off.

Put the tork quickrelease on the back wheel and took it for a spin on the trainer.

It just needs a good wash now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 January, 2010, 08:43:47 am
On the way home last night I had to stop first to fettle the rear brake cable, to compensate for all the wear on the Freeze Your Bits Off camping ride.  A had to stop a second time to fettle the Topeak Bar Xtender, which was helping my front light make a bid for freedom.

The Xtender can support an Exposure Race Maxx, but not indefinitely.  The weight and leverage seems to be too much for it, and eventually it always seems to find a way to work loose.  I wish I could find a long term solution to fitting both the lamp and the bar bag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 19 January, 2010, 09:25:17 pm
Bought a 3 pack of 3/16 files and sharpened my chainsaw chain today, in the glorious toastiness that is the SICRUT BWNCWR with it's new space heater
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 19 January, 2010, 09:33:04 pm
Swapped the headset and forks on my Orange: it's now sporting a shiny Tange headset and the original forks, which suit it better than the Kona P2s, and don't have the lawyer lips which I never got around to filing off.  I also fitted it with my dynohub and lights, as I mean to ride a few audaxes on it.

I took it for a quick test ride around the block, and it's a very smoooth ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 January, 2010, 11:59:04 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 18 January, 2010, 11:33:34 pm
Well done that fettler!  If you take your time and follow the Musson guide, you'll make good wheels.

Thanks for the encouraging noises!  :thumbsup:

The good news is that the rest of the bits arrived in the post today so this evening I have been lacing the wheel. And following the Musson guide, that stage of the operation was remarkably easy. I've even got the hub label aligned with the valve hole!  ;D

Oh yes, and the home-made nipple driver worked a treat.

I shall save the truing part of the job for the weekend when I'm less tired, have more time and better light.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 20 January, 2010, 10:15:25 am
I turned my empty small Oil of Rohloff bottle into a full small Oil of Rohloff bottle. A simple operation for the normal person but this involved me.  So I knocked the small polythene spout off the table and spent fifteen minutes looking for it in morning twilight.

Lunchtime I will oil my chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 20 January, 2010, 06:16:02 pm
Quote from: citizen smudge on 19 January, 2010, 11:59:04 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 18 January, 2010, 11:33:34 pm
Well done that fettler!  If you take your time and follow the Musson guide, you'll make good wheels.

Thanks for the encouraging noises!  :thumbsup:

The good news is that the rest of the bits arrived in the post today so this evening I have been lacing the wheel. And following the Musson guide, that stage of the operation was remarkably easy. I've even got the hub label aligned with the valve hole!  ;D

Oh yes, and the home-made nipple driver worked a treat.

I shall save the truing part of the job for the weekend when I'm less tired, have more time and better light.

d.


Good work.  You're well on the way to earning a blue apron of honour!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 January, 2010, 04:58:41 pm
The trike.viz...
replaced toe clips & straps with spd's
adjusted the saddle
adjusted both front brakes

much more power through the transmission going uphill via the upstroke & found it beneficial to then adjust the saddle slightly.The brakes were juddering & screeching & not re-centreing properly but now they are spot-on :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 21 January, 2010, 10:04:39 pm
Fettled the gears on the tandem.   Amazingly, they seem to be working almost as well as when I started, which I tend to consider a huge success when it comes to indexed derailleurs.

Also tightened up the timing chain a bit, so hopefully the Style Police won't be too horrible to us on the Little Willy on Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 21 January, 2010, 10:55:47 pm
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/6952-1/DSC04538.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 January, 2010, 11:29:46 pm
I have (are you ready for this...) fitted a brake block to a small person's bike.  No, I didn't forget that these things come in pairs... someone else did the first one, to show me how, then I did the second one (with only one 'grahh!  Butterfingers!  Where'd that ****** washer go?' moment).  Then I asked them to check if I'd done it right, and they said 'bloody hell, did I do that one? [yes, they had] Well, I did a crap job!'

So they told me to redo the one that they'd done and explained what it should end up like and I did and they came back and said it was spot on.  Said small person now has an extremely effective from brake.  I is proud :)

(And yes, I realise that this is "Fettling 101 for utter numpties' but it's my first EVER brake fettled!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 22 January, 2010, 09:32:14 am
Unscheduled fettling last night.  Fixed Puncture on Rohloff wheel (extra annoying). Decided could make up time by riding back to Bridgend Railway station, but the timetable didn't fit my needs so I got home at 7.40 over an hour late.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 22 January, 2010, 08:10:33 pm
After this a.m.s soaking swopped the natty retro 3/4 'grds on the Jamis to full length, wide, modern SKS items.

Looks as if I'll need 'em tomorrow....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 23 January, 2010, 05:40:14 pm
I have installed Shimano BR-R650 front and rear brakes onto my Enigma Etape.
Ace fit and movement is smooth.
The drop and width of the arms means my mudguards no longer get touched at maximum closure.
This small rubbing was really annoying so to get rid of it is a real boon.  Tis the small things that annoy me most.

The fettling today was really enjoyable as it was done quite quickly without any problems or errors  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 23 January, 2010, 05:45:36 pm
I rubbed some mud off my rear wheel, and thought bloody hell my bike is dirty  :o but thought sod it and went out for a ride well there's always tomorrow  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 23 January, 2010, 05:46:42 pm
The forecast is for a couple of dry days in the coming week so I reckon tomorrow could be a clean the bike day  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mike J on 23 January, 2010, 05:48:55 pm
I've put the back wheel back on after having a nice new tyre put on by the LBS.

Took them 5 minutes, normally takes me about an hour + swearing  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 23 January, 2010, 06:30:11 pm
Following Wowbagger's example...

(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/smutchin/DSC00298.jpg)
(On One double fixed hub, Rigida Chrina rim, Sapim Race spokes, cheapo 14t fixed sprocket)

Not quite finished yet, but I'm doing it now with the intention of going out for a ride on it tomorrow. Will then probably have to do a bit more work on it tomorrow afternoon when all the spokes start unravelling themselves...

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 January, 2010, 06:31:50 pm
Cleaned 2 bikes, put some bar gel on the Peregrine and then flushed with success tried to remove a spacer to lower the bars. Bike is now in the LBS for someone to do it properly  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 January, 2010, 10:23:15 am
Changed the ball valve in the loft - one of the easiest plumbing jobs.  The new one is a Portsmouth type, so we'll be able to hear it working  :-\  The newer Garston types are supposed to be better because the moving parts are protected from the water stream, but they don't last any longer in practice and I'm always concerned that the little plastic delivery spout will come unclipped, sending a high-pressure jet of water up to the roof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 24 January, 2010, 10:48:00 am
Sorted (again) a LH bottom bracket cup that keeps working loose. Some Loctite stuff and an enormous spanner might have fixed it for good.  I wish I didn't keep having to do jobs twice... today the trike has a flat tyre that I "repaired" last weekend.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 January, 2010, 02:13:27 pm
Just about to put my new Speedplay cleats onto my road shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 January, 2010, 04:08:30 pm
New brake blocks on the winter bike (one of them!) and re-positioned the computer magnet that was for some extraordinary reason recording at double speed on the club run this morning!

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 24 January, 2010, 04:57:21 pm
Took a file to my garden spade to remove the burrs caused by clearing the snow and ice the other week.

Ther'es now quite a sharp edge on the spade...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 January, 2010, 07:56:50 pm
I just fettled a couple of hangers onto the wall, to store bikes on, but underestimated how tall a bike is (and consequently how far it sticks out when hanging vertically).  If you look at this image (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/BikeHook2.jpg) you can see why I've put the trailer nearer the door, rather than a second bike.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/BikeHook1.jpg)

I may take both down, and put one at right angles to the current arrangement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 January, 2010, 08:32:17 pm
To be fair though TimO, you have quite a length of seat tube showing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 24 January, 2010, 08:35:01 pm
A quick release seat post might help there!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 24 January, 2010, 08:35:24 pm
....absolutely nowt. Pedalling!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 24 January, 2010, 08:36:36 pm
Quote from: Grub on 24 January, 2010, 08:32:17 pm
To be fair though TimO, you have quite a length of seat tube showing.

You have identified the basic problem, being too tall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 24 January, 2010, 08:38:04 pm
Maybe this is a good excuse to get a recumbent.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 January, 2010, 08:41:55 pm
Quote from: Grub on 24 January, 2010, 08:32:17 pm
To be fair though TimO, you have quite a length of seat tube showing.

Yes, that frame is quite small, this unfortunately isn't the case with the other bikes, so a quick release won't really help there.  As Adrian said, the solution is clearly cosmetic surgery, to remove a few inches from my legs. ;D

A recumbent doesn't work, since n+1 applies, I obviously won't get rid of the existing bicycles, so I still need to store the upwrongs!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 January, 2010, 08:47:15 pm
Quote from: TimO on 24 January, 2010, 07:56:50 pm
I just fettled a couple of hangers onto the wall........

Wherefrom did your wallhanger gizmos come, Tim?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 January, 2010, 08:58:18 pm
They're Saris Bike Trac Racks.  You can get them from Wiggle (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Saris_Bike_Trac_Rack/5360018955/), ChainReaction (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=39572), and probably many other places.

I only paid around £20 for each, by ordering them at the right time, with the various deals which have been available.

They also do a version with a loop for locks, which I imagine is meant to be used outside, or in less secure locations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 January, 2010, 09:38:39 pm
I unfettled a couple of wheels with the help of Charlotte.

One was off the tandem this morning, and had a couple of broken spokes.  Though she had some spokes that were close, they were an ace too long, and would have protruded too far. :(

No matter - she showed me what to do and what size of spokes to get. :)

The other wheel was the one from my fixed.  We pronounced it dead.  She measured the wall thickness on the rim, and decided it was OK to rebuild. :thumbsup:

The spokes were gone, so Superstoker wielded the boltcropper with glee.

Unfortunately, the hub would not give up its sprockets, despite some punishmwent from Mistress C.  So it was pronounced dead, and a Plan was formed for what was needed to get me rolling again :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 24 January, 2010, 09:43:53 pm
The after-the-freeze clean and fettle for the road bike here.  Ew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 25 January, 2010, 09:29:16 pm
New tyres (Schwalbe Marathon Racer on the front, Schwalbe Marathon Plus on the back), replacing the gripless wonder "Bontrager" brand-new-but-destined-for-the-bin sack-of-cack tyres that the bike was delivered with.

Old front mudguard.  By which I mean I fitted my previous bike's 5-point-fitting chromo-plastic mudguard (complete with full mudflap reaching to within 4" of the ground) in place of the rattly enameled tin thing (attached in only 3 places) that used to assist mud in its quest to splatter the frame and bottom bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hawkeye on 27 January, 2010, 12:04:32 pm
Soldered Mrs H's nurse's fob watch catch back on. Realised I had soldered the catch open as well.  :-[
Redid it but the area around the work now looks like a ploughed field. How I hate silver solder. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 January, 2010, 12:11:22 pm
Last night, I fitted my new RaceBlades to replace the old ones.  Took a couple of minutes :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snowgoose on 27 January, 2010, 11:04:37 pm
Today I soldered a broken connection on a dinotte 140 rear light, now works a treat. And removed a map holder and computer from my Specialized S-Works before placing it on fleabay :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hawkeye on 28 January, 2010, 10:21:24 am
Last night I replaced the weedy Schwalbe Road Cruiser tyres on my new Cannondale with meatier M+. Dismantling the chain case, taking the back wheel out and disconnecting the hub brakes and Nexus gears was much easier than I feared it might be. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 January, 2010, 01:35:19 pm
Just fixed the Acor accessory bar to my barbag, which now means that I have some carbon fibre! :o


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 January, 2010, 11:17:29 pm
I just fettled a new saddle onto the Kaffenback.  It's a cheapo Selle Italia FK (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=45853) one, which cost me £10 and was in the pile to go on n+1.  I've ordered another cheapo Selle Italia X0 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=41596) one, also for £10 to go on n+1 instead.

Since I've only tested the new saddle by sitting on it in the hallway, I forecast that I'll stop at least twice on the commute in tomorrow morning to adjust it!

The old On-One saddle that came with the Kaffenback had broken along the plastic on one side that supported the saddle.  If the other side broke, the saddle would probably end up in two bits.  Sods Law would have kicked in about halfway to Bognor tomorrow night, at the worst possible time, so I thought I'd try and beat it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 January, 2010, 11:38:17 pm
I watched Auntie Helen mend a puncture. I even helped her squeeze some air into her tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 January, 2010, 11:43:14 pm
Got the cunning super-efficient dynamo-powered thing-charger circuit I've been failing to get round to building to work on breadboard.  I can now successfully charge my phone by giving myself tyre burns repeatedly flicking the wheel, or power my eTrex by spinning the wheel at a much slower and less deadly rate.  :D

At least an hour was wasted looking for stupid mistakes or frazzled MOSFETs before I worked out that the oscilloscope earth was shorting half the rectifier out.   :facepalm:

These hub dynamos aren't short of volts, are they?  Might switch from a 16V to a 30V (or whatever the regulator/op-amp can cope with) reservoir capacitor / zener clamp, to make the most of those fast descents...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/rectifier/IMG_2093.sized.jpg)
(click for more pics) (http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=rectifier)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 January, 2010, 11:50:45 pm
 :o :o :o

She has an oscilliscope and an account with RS.

Run away!!!  ;)

I've removed most of a month's worth of road skog from the Van Nic - some of which has made itself disagreeably persistent....
... As well as stopping some stuff from working as it is supposed to.

Meh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2010, 12:07:49 am
Quote from: jurek on 28 January, 2010, 11:50:45 pm
She has an oscilliscope and an account with RS.

Run away!!!  ;)

I've got to make up for lack of bicycles somehow  ;)

(I've just calculated road speed of the wheel to be about 2.9mph based on that trace.  I think I've been off the bike too long...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 January, 2010, 07:44:16 am
Is Reply # 1234 in a foreign language?Too clever for me all that lectrickery stuff :& it bites  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 January, 2010, 08:31:33 am
I thought it had been dummed down a bit, for a more mainstream popular audience! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 29 January, 2010, 05:26:16 pm
One wireless notwork and one humoungously FUBAR'd anti-virus notwork installation.  I think.  I hope.  I don't much care any more, and am off home. 


(On my lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely bike.  So lovely that I may even go home and bake a cake for the LBS to say thank you for her supreme loveliness.  Hurrah!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2010, 05:31:14 pm
Quote from: jogler on 29 January, 2010, 07:44:16 am
Is Reply # 1234 in a foreign language?Too clever for me all that lectrickery stuff :& it bites  :o

Oops, sorry about that.  The cunningness here is that instead of the standard method of using diodes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diode_bridge) to convert the alternating current from the dynamo to DC, this is using transistors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOSFET) to effectively 'connect' the dynamo only when it is producing a higher voltage than the capacitor (which is acting as a small rechargeable battery) has stored.  As the dynamo output drops, it is 'disconnected' to prevent the stored charge being wasted by flowing backwards through the dynamo. The transistors work in pairs to 'connect' the dynamo 'the other way round' on every half-cycle, so the AC is converted to DC in the process.  The capacitor stores charge, smoothing out this pulsating voltage and providing a reserve to keep things going for a bit while the wheel is stopped (as in a standlight).

This has the advantage that the transistors, unlike diodes, do not 'drop' significant voltage.  This means that the full output voltage of the dynamo goes into the capacitor, which means the regulator can continue to provide a valid 5V USB charging voltage at lower speeds (and I'm all about the low speeds).  It also means that hardly any power is wasted as heat in the AC-DC conversion process.

For additional cunning, I'm not using your standard regulator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_regulator).  Instead of wasting the difference between its input and output voltage as heat, this one switches on and off (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-mode_power_supply) rapidly, in a manner not entirely unlike the first half of the circuit.  This is much more efficient (the device claims (http://www.recom-international.com/pdf/Innoline/R-78Bxx-1.5_L.pdf) 92-94% efficiency), and makes nearly all of the dynamo's output available for powering something useful (in this case, a USB phone charger).

Make sense?

Since capacitors and electronics, like the rest of us, don't like being exposed to overly high voltages, there are a pair of zener diodes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zener_diode) limiting the dynamo's output to 16V, in the same way they'd be used to prevent a halogen lamp from blowing at high speed.  The higher this 'clamp' voltage, the more power can be extracted from the dynamo.  Unfortunately, the limiting factor here is the regulator, which accepts a maximum of 18V on its input, so I can't actually increase it by that much.

I'll handwave over the bit where I made a rookie mistake in using an oscilloscope.  ;D

Next step is to work out the best way of politely charging potentially odd numbers of NiMHs (I have a head torch that takes 3 cells, but lights and GPS take 2) from an unreliable power source, possibly a bit of control logic for load shedding (keep the GPS supply going to the bitter end, but stop charging batteries if I'm puffing up a hill and there isn't much power available) and of course all that awkward physical construction stuff.  Also investigate solar panels, as it would be trivial to add one as an additional power source, and that might be useful for camping trips where less time is spent in the saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 29 January, 2010, 06:02:18 pm
I've got a link somewhere deep in my favourites, to a thread on a different forum where someone came up with a dynohub charger. They used some rechargeable batteries as the regulator to soak up the surges from the dynamo.

However, I also don't know what I'm talking about; it's all gobbledygook to me. I only use electronics after someone smart has performed magick with a soldering iron.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2010, 06:14:08 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 29 January, 2010, 06:02:18 pm
I've got a link somewhere deep in my favourites, to a thread on a different forum where someone came up with a dynohub charger. They used some rechargeable batteries as the regulator to soak up the surges from the dynamo.

Yeah, I considered that.  It works, but isn't all that good for the batteries, and I'm not sure about efficiency, given that most of the time it'll be powering a GPS/phone, rather than charging AAs.

This is as much an exercise in masturbatory over-engineering as practical design :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 29 January, 2010, 06:50:08 pm
Had the fixie wheels on the truing stand and got them to Rizla paper standard.  :thumbsup:

Also went round the tyres with tweezers and removed about a dozen minute pieces of embedded glass.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 January, 2010, 05:48:23 pm
I had planned to wash the Etape last weekend but events overtook me.
Riding to work on Thursday I noticed and heard a clunk from the chain.
I have been checking the wear regularly and did not think it was too far yet so it was a bit surprising.
Anyway, my fettling has found this:

(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e81/GruuB/P1040644.jpg)

I also found the reason for my front end sounding like something was loose. It was.  The new brakes I installed were not as tight as they should be. 

I do enjoy fettling.  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 January, 2010, 05:51:35 pm
That's a lucky escape.  What happens next is that the chain bends because only one plate is taking the strain, then that plate pops off a rivet at one end and your nads become intimately acquainted with the top tube  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 30 January, 2010, 08:18:33 pm
Thanks to the generosity of MSeries I was able to spend some of the day turning this......

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4316975506_603e2ed7f0_o.jpg)

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4316218917_02356f2094_o.jpg)

into this.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2778/4316228117_22f81699e0_o.jpg)

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2746/4316967026_41b8716297_b.jpg)

...which will be installed on my 20 something year old Mal Rees tourer when I have found a suitable set of handlebars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 30 January, 2010, 08:27:25 pm
Would have cost you more had I polished it !!! I don't think it was every shiney like that. Always had a brushed al look.

BTW I have the matching handlebars but they are currently in service. For the price of some new ones I could be persuaded to sell them to you. I'd need to do some stem measuring first though

 :thumbsup:

BTW I once bought a bike from Mal Rees Cycles in Hayes, Middx
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 January, 2010, 08:53:57 pm
no piccies :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 30 January, 2010, 10:00:09 pm
Quote from: MSeries on 30 January, 2010, 08:27:25 pm
BTW I once bought a bike from Mal Rees Cycles in Hayes, Middx

Coldharbour Lane. I remember it well, living just the other side of the Uxbridge Road. I bought my frame in about 5 instalments, paid for out from the proceeds of a sweeping job I had at the Penguin warehouse at Heathrow. First decent bike I'd ever had and I don't think I'll ever part with it. Shame it's not a Bill Hurlow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 January, 2010, 10:04:50 pm
Superstoker & I fitted the new RaceBlades to his Trek.  He was keen, helpful & happy with the result.

We also dropped his bars a few mm. 

:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 30 January, 2010, 10:11:59 pm
Quote from: rdaviesb on 30 January, 2010, 10:00:09 pm
Quote from: MSeries on 30 January, 2010, 08:27:25 pm
BTW I once bought a bike from Mal Rees Cycles in Hayes, Middx

Coldharbour Lane. I remember it well, living just the other side of the Uxbridge Road. I bought my frame in about 5 instalments, paid for out from the proceeds of a sweeping job I had at the Penguin warehouse at Heathrow. First decent bike I'd ever had and I don't think I'll ever part with it. Shame it's not a Bill Hurlow!
Yes, that's right. I was living in Crowland Avenue at the time, which is between the station and the M4. I worked at EMI Records on Uxbridge Road
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 31 January, 2010, 05:32:38 pm
I spent the afternoon cleaning the bike, which was very necessary after three weeks commutes on roads covered in salt and/or water, plus the Willy Warmer ride on sodden roads (fortunately the roads yesterday were dry). This was the first time I've removed the chain using the magic link that came with the new chain and it makes the job of cleaning the chain soooo much easier :thumbsup:. The bike is now hanging up in the garage drying and hopefully the ride tomorrow will be more pleasant on a clean, well lubricated, bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 January, 2010, 06:10:24 pm
Cleaned my bike.  Or, at least, I smeared the accummulated grut round a bit. :-\

Should be rather lighter now.  Just got to oil the chain and adjust the rear brake now :)

Oh - and see if I can have another go at that light bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 January, 2010, 06:17:39 pm
Cleaned the chain, sprocket and chainring on the Inbred.  I only did it last on New Year's Eve but the weather has been filthy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 January, 2010, 06:28:33 pm
Oh and I did an emergency fettle on Butterfly's front brake.  I put some brake blocks where there were worn stubs. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 31 January, 2010, 07:21:25 pm
Lights in the kitchen. One side had not been working for months. They are low voltage with the transformer in a spherical case stuck to the ceiling and the transformer had blown. I couldn't find anything similar anywhere.

The other day I had a revelation, got a ceiling rose and put an ordinary transformer on top of the cupboard. Sorted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 January, 2010, 07:33:05 pm
Our bathroom lights have eaten three transformers since 2002 but not a single one of the ten MR16 lamps  ::-)

Since I stopped buying the shite Chinese transformers and got marginally more expensive "European-made" ones in 2005 we haven't lost one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 January, 2010, 09:21:49 pm
A graunchy noise at the rear brake lever rang alarm bells, so I've just replaced inner & outer cables, which was a bit of a job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 31 January, 2010, 09:48:47 pm
Brief fettling frenzy, begun by washing both mountain bikes when Mrs B & I got home. Wore off by the time I'd patched all the punctured inner tubes I could find. Apart from the one which appeared to have perished without ever being used, that is. :( I almost cried. It had gone along the creases where it was rolled up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 February, 2010, 03:17:39 pm
I have turned about ninety HTML pages into a single consistently formatted Word document.

For no very good reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kcass on 07 February, 2010, 12:49:50 pm
Not exactly fettled but I gave no. 1 bike a thorough clean. First time for a month so there was a scary amount of gunk. I think I heard a little contented sigh from the bike afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 February, 2010, 02:06:50 pm
That's torn it!  My rubber split :o

I was carefully removing some old bar tape from under a Weinmann brake rubber, and it ripped from side to side :(

Never mind, I was thinking of putting aero levers on it anyway.  Just means it won't be on the road today.  But I have put the new clamp on the seatpost with the replacement saddle, set that up with a better binder bolt, adjusted the gears, and replaced the perished rubber with a pair of Marathons. 

Brake levers, cables & tape remain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 10 February, 2010, 02:45:30 pm
That sounds like good progress :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 11 February, 2010, 01:47:12 pm
new bearings and cones in my front wheel, it spins real good now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 11 February, 2010, 02:44:32 pm
Last Sunday I put the back wheel I built before christmas into the clunker.  I haven't fettled the gears to my satisfaction yet though and I've been warned about SA gears when they aren't adjusted (and I haven't put the brake blocks back on either).
Hopefully I'll get to do those things and connect up the dyno and give it all a go this weekend. :)

Then I can get on with working out how to get the brakes to stop the damn thing in the rain!  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 February, 2010, 03:05:46 pm
Quote from: clarion on 10 February, 2010, 02:06:50 pm
Brake levers, cables & tape remain.

Done that.  Nicked the Shimano 600 aero levers off the half-finished Woodrup.

Computer to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 11 February, 2010, 03:36:14 pm
Swopped the bars on the Carrera to short reach/shallow drop FSAs. On the basis of a 4 mile test, seems a lot better. Shorter and slightly more upright stem awaited - fair chance will make the bike (otherwise VERY nice for the money) worth keeping. Given a bit of half decent weather, should help me keep up with the other over 60s on BikeJournal!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 11 February, 2010, 05:29:14 pm
I have fettled my new blue USE Alien seat post onto the Etape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 11 February, 2010, 05:45:27 pm

Dismantle chain, dérailleur and sprockets, then steam clean them and re-lube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 February, 2010, 09:43:08 am
A lad's chain bost at the turbo session last night.  He wasn't pedalling super-hard, but his bike was a bit under-fettled.  The side plate just fell off one of the links :o

We took the link out (using my kewl Park folding chain tool) and re-joined it.  A bit short, but he desperately needed a new chain anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 February, 2010, 10:39:46 pm
Quote from: clarion on 12 February, 2010, 09:43:08 am
The side plate just fell off one of the links :o
Years ago, a friend was heading home after a club 10, when all his plates fell off all his links*  :o :o :o

He was scrabbling round in the road, trying to get enough pieces to put a working chain together, when luckily another club mate drove by and offered him a lift home :D

*Well, probably not quite all of them
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 13 February, 2010, 07:56:38 am
On the way home last night I noticed my main Giant Enigma bottle cage had broken.
So when I took Son2 to football practice last night I dropped into the LBS and got a matching pair of........... yep you guessed it, blue ones  ;D
I shall fettle them today once Mrs G has gone for the day.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 13 February, 2010, 09:02:37 am
I put a new chain on the Thorn this week. It's a Shimano Nexus chain, which was what the LBS sold me, but it's a very unattractive colour. That doesn't, at the moment, seem to stop it going round and round in the desired fashion.

I also had trouble with a valve. It seems to have come unscrewed slightly. I've replaced the tube but the frugal git in me doesn't want to throw it away when the tube itself seems OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 13 February, 2010, 05:33:35 pm
Mrs Bs slow puncture - for the third time! But this time I think I may (at last!) have found the thing sticking through the tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LEE on 13 February, 2010, 05:43:02 pm
Fettled some new Schwalbe Marathons today. 

SJSC shipped them folded/looped twice which put kinks into the bead so I' had to spend some time re-bending them.  I didn't do such a good job on thursday as my front tyre was blown off the rim while the wheel was in the kitchen.  It sounded like a bomb going off as the inner-tube tore itself to shreds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 February, 2010, 05:45:30 pm
I hate it when that happens, and Schwalbes are especially prone to bead damage.

(makes mental note not to buy tyres from SJSC).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 13 February, 2010, 06:12:33 pm
Finished putting my new fixed together.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 February, 2010, 06:37:50 pm
Oh good.  Will you do one for me now? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 13 February, 2010, 06:45:38 pm
Cleaned my Dolan, washed off the accumulated salt, tighten up the chain ring bolts. Then I started to see if I could fettle a chain tensioner for a single speed from some junk, an old axle. I wanted to see if I had enough bolts and wondered if I could cut the axle down to size. Anyway one thing led to another and I tried the cones that were on this axle in my old Fixed wheel, the one with the knackered cones. Seems to be OK. I fitted a tube & tyre & sprocket and fitted the wheel in my Dolan ready for a test ride. Thus I may have a used but usable Fixed wheel for sale soon. Yeah, the one I was prepared to give away before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 13 February, 2010, 07:31:09 pm
Removed the stitching from the velo orange elk hide covers that adorn the Langster. Put the layer of padding which I should have put under them first time round, in place. Re-stitched the covers back on. A remarkably therapeutic couple of hours.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 14 February, 2010, 01:46:40 pm
The son's bass guitar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 February, 2010, 03:05:23 pm
Gave the Longstaff,Trek & Langster a wipe clean(ish) & inflated tyres to correct pressure on the Trek & Langster plus Mrs. Jogler's Cannondale & Trice & the tandem.
Didn't bother with my Cannondale & the folders.( I have a low boredom threshold)
The nearside rear on the Trike had a dodgy looking valve & as I looked at it the top popped out & instantly deflated the tube.One FUBA tube.Put a new tube in,went the village for some milk:bit less than a km: & within minutes the new tube exploded  :o. I might have pinched the tube between rim & tyre bead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 February, 2010, 08:55:16 pm
Trued the troublesome summer rear wheel for the clubman, which went horribly wobbly on the Dun Run despite aggressive stress relieving and putting my whole body weight sideways on the rim to unping the spokes (Velocity Deep V - I think the spoke nipples creep in the uneyeletted and fairly badly-finished rim). 

Then gave all the nipples a full extra turn on the front wheel, which works OK but was a bit lightly tensioned - I'm not used to plain gauge spokes and these were all that I could get in the right length for a large flange x2 wheel.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2010, 09:30:00 pm
Built a frankenputer out of the functional and only slightly melted remains of our recent catastrophic hardware failures.  Installed Windows XP on it.  I feel dirty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 14 February, 2010, 09:33:29 pm
baked a fruit cake
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 14 February, 2010, 09:34:45 pm
Fitted new pedals on the Lightweight Special.

Clarion, not thee Lightweight Special. (Issigonis)  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 February, 2010, 09:39:59 pm
;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 February, 2010, 10:48:07 pm
Quote from: jogler on 14 February, 2010, 03:05:23 pm
& within minutes the new tube exploded  

& the other one has just poped ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 14 February, 2010, 11:04:56 pm
I fettled the apple tree today.  Bit late, I know.
I prune it every year and give it a serious F off pruning once every three years. 
This was the third year again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 16 February, 2010, 04:23:20 pm
Started re-working the front end of my

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2293/3538747250_786d14bab7_b.jpg)

tourer. Experimenting. It looks like I will be able to get Campag cables and a little bit of padding underneath stitched on leather bar covers.  :D.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2695/4362119909_bb61cb542e.jpg)

I'll even up the stitching when I do it for real, and will probably use black rather than white waxed thread. Now off to the bay for a set of cantilevers.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onb on 16 February, 2010, 04:41:24 pm
Fitted new BB to winter bike .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 February, 2010, 06:31:38 pm
atl1e ethernet driver source, to disable the broken TCP segmentation offloading.

Our server can now send data over IPv6 at more than 20kb/s

(problem originally manifested as nonspecific sluggishness in Thunderbird, and took - to use the technical term - sodding hours to track down)

I hate computers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 16 February, 2010, 08:10:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 February, 2010, 06:31:38 pm
atl1e ethernet driver source, to disable the broken TCP segmentation offloading.

Whooooaahh.... I love it when you talk dirty...  :demon:  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 February, 2010, 08:43:41 pm
Unscheduled fettling (that I knew was overdue :-[ ):  I set off for work, got to my first gearchange, and the lever was free to move without pulling cable :(

Swift swap for a cheapie cable I had bought to do up one of the BSOs taking up garden space, and relief that the slightly revised cable routing meant that it reched, and I didn't have to use a tendem one as I had when I first built it up.

Silky smooth gear changes all the way to work. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 16 February, 2010, 08:47:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 February, 2010, 09:30:00 pm
Built a frankenputer out of the functional and only slightly melted remains of our recent catastrophic hardware failures.  Installed Windows XP on it.  I feel dirty.
And so you should!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 16 February, 2010, 08:56:48 pm
Put 17T cog on empty side of fixed hub, for a try-out. Decided I couldn't live with the tyre tread facing the wrong way  ::-) Removed tyre, refitted. Feel better now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 16 February, 2010, 10:15:30 pm
Put a shiny (and rather hard) new Ladies B17 on the stoker seatpost of the tandem.  Will be interesting to see how it is received...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 16 February, 2010, 10:51:48 pm
Cold frames (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29929.0)  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 16 February, 2010, 11:00:30 pm
Front-wheel puncture (just the one). Will have to take the tyre off again tomorrow when the decent rim tape arrives from Chain Reaction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 February, 2010, 11:42:46 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 16 February, 2010, 08:47:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 February, 2010, 09:30:00 pm
Installed Windows XP on it.  I feel dirty.
And so you should!

In my defence, we are otherwise Windows-box-less.  Which, while an undeniably harmonious state of affairs, can be a complete arse when faced with a gadget in need of a firmware upgrade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 16 February, 2010, 11:51:48 pm
I've fixed the flat on the eldest crinklycub's islabike.  Removed the back wheel, got the tyre off without actually pulling a muscle this time, found the hole, patched it, put it all back together, pumped it up, noticed that the bead wasn't sitting quite right in one spot so deflated it, reseated it and re-inflated it, got the wheel back in and sorted the brakes out again.  And fitted (more-or-less, judicious application of a couple of cable ties would help) his bike computer that he got for Christmas while I was about it.  This is a completely unimaginable level of usefulness for me.

We'll see if it's still got any air in it in the morning!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 February, 2010, 01:19:48 pm
Bar end levers now fitted to Superstoker's Galaxy. :D

Wish the rain would give over so that we can go out & practice. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 18 February, 2010, 01:47:08 pm
Little spacer fitted under my stem. I can adjust it so the forks don't rattle anymore now.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 February, 2010, 02:50:19 pm
Front wheel off due to being slightly untrue.  On route to the LBS.
Spare wheel in - tyre and tube moved over.
Bagman and Nelson off - seat adjusted - nose down slightly - Bagman and Nelson back on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 18 February, 2010, 05:17:32 pm
Cleaned the Dave Yates after the weekend's abuse.  Found the rear brake blocks almost gone so changed them.  Tried to increase the clearance under the frond mudguard by removing the bracket and zip tying it directly to the fork.  Ended up with it so tight that the wheel wouldn't even turn.  Pop riveted the bracket back on.  Tried to open it up wider to fit behind the fork.   Failed, and anyway then the light bracket fouled the steering.  In the end I put it back where it had started and bent it a little to improve clearance.  Why didn't I do that in the first place????

Finally closed the garage door at half past midnight.  Bah!  !0 minute job?!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 February, 2010, 10:47:01 am
Last night, at club, a lad's mech seemed to have come apart, so he couldn't use the turbos.  I decided to have a look at it, and established that the bolt was still there, just undone and the jockey wheel was wonky.  It was pretty inaccessible, and an odd size, but I tightened the bolt, and he was OK.

He thanked me.  Then we set him up on the turbo.  He thanked me again.  Half way through the evening, he thanked me.  Then, as we were leaving, he said thank you.  Youth of today, eh?  No manners at all.  Take everything for granted. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 20 February, 2010, 04:32:09 pm
I has purchased a bottom bracket tool and I is gonna use it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 February, 2010, 04:35:25 pm
I have removed a considerable quantity of Birmingham from my bicycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 20 February, 2010, 05:08:32 pm
I made the gears work on my clunker. :)  It's great to have gears on that bike - riding everywhere in top was seriously hard work.
Now all I need to do is wire up the dynamo to the existing lights and see if they work (not counting on it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 20 February, 2010, 05:11:16 pm
Fettled the chainring on my fixed. Put the felt pads on my crud road guards. They are quite noisy at the front.

Cleaned things a bit. I'm wondering if the chain's a bit tight now though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 20 February, 2010, 05:56:15 pm
Fettled is not the word.  Rebuilt more likely  ;D

For the last week or so my ride has been a bit rough.  Nothing overt, just a grinding somewhere.

So today I installed my new (2nd hand) Speedplays.  The right pedal bearings had gone.
I also took off the chain and de-gunged it and in so doing noticed the jockey wheels were very pointy.  So they were replaced.
I also took off the cassette and de-gunged it and then removed the cassette body and de-gunged and regreased it.
Last but not least I secured my front mudflap so it no longer rubs the wheel.

I also washed her.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 21 February, 2010, 12:01:52 am
Stripped the front hub on my work hack. This is embarrassing. The bearing surfaces (and the bearings) were rusty :-[

I've bought new bearings, but with the surfaces and cones not great, I don't think it's going to be too long before I need a new hub. May as well just build a new wheel, I suspect...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 21 February, 2010, 12:25:35 pm
I wanted to fettle but I could not find the bits in the bits box. I am certain I have spare brake block somewhere. Stopping seems a good thing to do. Ton cycles was open Sundays before it shut down now I will have to wait until Monday lunchtime before I can have vaguely secure braking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 February, 2010, 12:36:28 pm
A failed fettle actually.Fitted new inner tubes to both rear wheels on the trike & both blew out:fitted two more & one blew out.That's 6 tubes fitted in two weeeks,5 of which have popped.I have done the usual checking for spoke,rim & tyre invasion & suspect the tubes are the problem.All by the same manufacturer & purchased at the same time & subsequently kept in saddle bags as spares.
It's frustrating 'cause the trike is what I wanted to use for an hour this afternoon in the 7.5cm of snow we have had overnight. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 February, 2010, 01:28:24 pm
I admire your persistence  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 21 February, 2010, 04:52:30 pm
I replaced the headlamp bulb on my car.  That required removing the airbox first!  ::-)
I also sorted the wiring to connect my newly build dynohub to the existing (30 year old) lamps and wiring.  To my amazement, when I turn the pedals, I have light! :)  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 21 February, 2010, 05:05:59 pm
I have reduced a bolt head in size so that it will pass through the plug hole of the bath. We now have a working, popping up bath plug.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 21 February, 2010, 05:10:54 pm
New brake pads on the commuter.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 February, 2010, 05:18:46 pm
My LBS was torched a couple of weeks back and I feared it was the end of their existence.  Thankfully they have taken other premises, are restocking and have advertised locally   :thumbsup:

I stall be making a trip this week to show my support, and perhaps buy the odd slightly overpriced but 'in the hand' item for fettling purposes.    
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 21 February, 2010, 05:21:14 pm
started hanging up the bikes again after the garage was re-done.  Got 4 up before my hatred of DIY enticed me back inside for more tea and ginger biscuits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 23 February, 2010, 04:43:16 pm
Built new wheels for my TOP SECRET fixie project.  36h Rigida Chrina rims (extra thick braking surface see, good for my cowardly fixed wheel riding style) on very shiny Phil Wood hubs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 23 February, 2010, 04:48:49 pm
After getting covered with filth on the brooks tour ride I have now bodged a muguard extension out of an old waterbottle & I've bought some respro sticky sticker stuff to cover it up, hopefully it will not look too bad when i've finished.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 23 February, 2010, 10:05:59 pm
Seat angle.  Twice.

I have also reproofed overshoes, my Gore Tex and the wife's dog walking Gore Tex jacket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mike J on 23 February, 2010, 10:20:54 pm
Minor fettle - Minoura Swing Grip handlebar extension.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 23 February, 2010, 11:37:19 pm
More zip ties applied to the commute bike, this time to replace the rivets at the bottom of the front mudguard that had popped out.  Clattering will now cease, or would cease were it not for the rear mudguard being a bit loose.

Edit:  Gosh, life is getting a bit exciting in SE23
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 February, 2010, 03:18:48 pm
I fitted an inner tube to each rear wheel of the trike this morning.Both are goodtogo atm.If they are o.k. in the morning I shall return to Longstaff's* to get more of the same & junk the rest of the one's I had so much aggro with last week.

*do I take only enough £ for the inner tubes or take wallet & platic?

EDIT: no deflations :thumbsup:
hi-ho,hi-ho
to Longstaff's we must go
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 24 February, 2010, 04:47:09 pm
My new frame arrived for the TOP SECRET fixie project.  I've cut the steerer tube, pressed the headset, fitted the forks and stem, and faced the bottom bracket so far!

<a bit later>

Sprocket and lockring fitted, wheels, cranks, pedals and handlebars are all installed too!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2010, 06:11:10 pm
Best weather for a ride I've seen in ages, and my digestive system wasn't playing.  Decided to remove some of last week's accumulated Birmingham from my bike instead.  As per tradition, SWMBO came home to find me skiddling with jars of solvent in the kitchen, and muddy wheels on their way to the bath.  She wasn't even slightly sarcastic :)

A box of bits from Farnell turned up this morning, so I should be set for some more breadboard-and-oscilloscope-based fettling at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 February, 2010, 09:53:09 pm
Cut the spokes off my rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 25 February, 2010, 11:25:02 am
I will be fitting new brake pads on Saturday morning as my rear pads have completely disintegrated over the winter.  I ordered the pads from crc on Monday afternoon & they arrived Tuesday morning with free delivery  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 25 February, 2010, 11:40:27 am
Yesterday I transferred a broken in Brooks onto my MTB (much cursing about the Specialized 2 bolt seatpost that probably has it's benefits but is a real PITA to fit a Brooks to) and put on some narrower, flatter bars. Put a new Brooks onto my single-speed and had the joy of that slidy feeling on my ride this morning as I began the first stage of breaking it in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 February, 2010, 12:00:14 pm
Replaced the rear brake pads on the Kaffenback, about six weeks after I last replaced them.

That has to be a record, being only around 750 miles or so, but I used it on a few rides in January where the conditions were pretty horrible, and a lot of muddy gunk got sprayed onto the wheels.  Clearly it formed a wonderful grinding mixture to kill the pads, and probably the rims are a bit thinner than they used to be as well. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 27 February, 2010, 06:43:15 pm
I so love a relaxing fettle on the weekend.
Cleaned the Etape.  She was very dirty after a week of commuting in poor weather.
My bearings had arrived so I set about installing them only realising that I had not bought the one that was actually borked.  Remembered that man Eck had sent me a spare cassette body so I installed that instead to get over my bearing issue.  LBS can restore my borked one at his leasure.
Found a loose spoke on the rear wheel so dropped into LBS whilst in Marlborough.  Bought some new blue Hope skewers too.
I'd picked up my mended Mavic for the TCR so I reshoed her too.

Both bikes are now running sweet.

I am also going to rename my Enigma Etape to Hope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 February, 2010, 07:09:44 pm
Quote from: Grub on 27 February, 2010, 06:43:15 pm
I so love a relaxing fettle on the weekend.
Cleaned the Etape.  She was very dirty after a week of commuting in poor weather.
A week?  I'm not going to clean the Inbred until at least mid-April, and I first built it up at the end of November  :)  The chain has been done a couple of times, but there's no point in cleaning the rest of it; there is so much construction work going on round here that the roads are watery mud (with the usual horse poo to add dietary fibre to the mess).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 27 February, 2010, 07:25:03 pm
Yesterday I noticed that my Peregrine had a flat tyre so I (rather than dig out a new tube) patched the tube. The good thing about the 'slime' filled tubes is that it makes it easy to see where the hole is. Unfortunately the tyre was flat again today :(. Checking in a bowl of water showed that the valve was now leaking ::-)

Could the puncture fixing 'gunge' make the valve leak?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 27 February, 2010, 08:51:43 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 27 February, 2010, 07:09:44 pm
Quote from: Grub on 27 February, 2010, 06:43:15 pm
I so love a relaxing fettle on the weekend.
Cleaned the Etape.  She was very dirty after a week of commuting in poor weather.
A week?  I'm not going to clean the Inbred until at least mid-April, and I first built it up at the end of November  :)  The chain has been done a couple of times, but there's no point in cleaning the rest of it; there is so much construction work going on round here that the roads are watery mud (with the usual horse poo to add dietary fibre to the mess).

Yeah but that week was 250 miles worth.  If I don't clean it I miss things like brake pad wear and it is so easy to pick up crud that will shred my rims.  Plus a clean ti bike looks much better than a muddy one I reckon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 27 February, 2010, 09:08:31 pm
I collected the new frame for my daughter's bike. My plan is to build her a new bike - using this frame and all the spare bits I have in the garage.

Unfortunately, the old Nexave crankset which was part of the masterplan, looks tatty. So I suspect I'll end up buying lots of new bits too.  ::-)  Oh well, that's another proof positive that the economics of bike building are dire, especially when the rider is someone you love so deeply that it hurts.

The bike is a commuter - 2 miles downhill to the station and two miles uphill on the way home. She wants a step-through ladies frame with a basket on the front and a rack on the back... and a "couple more" gears than her present Sturmey three-speed.

I can do that - with nice wheels too.  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 February, 2010, 10:10:54 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 27 February, 2010, 09:08:31 pm
Oh well, that's another proof positive that the economics of bike building are dire, especially when the rider is someone you love so deeply that it hurts.



so true
I have taken the "clean hands" option & promised my geedee a visit to Isla Rowntree about Easter time.This might be her first drop bars/STI gears bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 27 February, 2010, 10:27:45 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 27 February, 2010, 09:08:31 pm
Unfortunately, the old Nexave crankset which was part of the masterplan, looks tatty. So I suspect I'll end up buying lots of new bits too.  ::-)  Oh well, that's another proof positive that the economics of bike building are dire, especially when the rider is someone you love so deeply that it hurts.

Yebbut you add that special ingredient that can't be bought
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 28 February, 2010, 05:05:38 pm
Started to make a single speed chain tensioner from an V brake that longers donated, an axle, a jockey wheel and some bolts + nuts. Looks like it'll work. Thus I removed a mech, cable and chain. Next I'll sort out the sprocket, chainring and chainline then fix it all up.

I didn't take an pictures during contruction, I was too excited, but I'll blog it once done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 28 February, 2010, 05:41:19 pm
Cleaned and lube my Dolan.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 28 February, 2010, 05:43:37 pm
Last night, put new secondhand Mavic bars, brake levers and cables on the Time Trial bike. Nipped out on it today and the tri-bars need a bit of re-positioning.

I'll post some pictures when I've had a chance to clean the greasy fingerprints off it - it's white  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 February, 2010, 06:16:36 pm
Finally got around to restoring the Brompton to roadworthy status with the replacement chainset kindly donated by MV. Soon realised that the new chainset is actually a bit larger than the old one. I could have sworn the old one was 54t but it turns out it was a mere 50t. And so I had to lengthen the chain - lucky I kept the spare links when I shortened it to fit before. This means I have gained a few gear inches, but that's not such a bad thing.

Also fitted the new Brooks B17 to replace the old one, which I've moved to the Audax bike (the old one is well and truly broken in and I have a hunch I'll need the extra comfort on the Audax bike more than on the Brompton).

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 28 February, 2010, 07:26:03 pm
Put the tandem pack together after the Kennett Valley ride yesterday, and decided it needed a bit of attention.  New front brake blocks.   Back off and adjust the disk brake (did peer suspiciously at the pads but they'll do for a couple more rides).  Try to get the drivetrain somewhat clean (it's quite impressive how shiny you can get an old cassette once you break out the degreaser and a toothbrush).  New chain just about to go on.

And I think I've worked out why the rear derailleur suddenly went out of adjustment just after Hungerford, but that'll need a bit more testing...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RichL on 01 March, 2010, 12:20:00 am
Replaced front pads on the Shogun - ancient steel MTB with slicks and tidy LX group/Mavic wheels - this is my general commuting / looks scruffy / park it in town bike.

Swapped the cantis on the Tricross Singlecross fixie back to V's (Avis single-digit 5's). Teflon-coated cables and guides.  Very pleased to have decent braking on it - now much better than the originals, let alone the cantis before I realised that not all brake levers are the same :( I'll be commuting Bristol-Swindon bike/train/bike on it this week to make it a bit more of a work-out than using a geared bike.

Swapped the double-sided SPD pedals from the Dahon Mu Uno singlespeed folder to the Tricross. Can't understand why the Dahon isn't getting much use  ::-)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 March, 2010, 09:35:58 am
Over the weekend, I cleaned my bike, removed, cleaned and oiled the chain, adjusted the rear brake where the spring cover had broken, and oiled the relevant parts of the brake mechanism.

I also sorted out the primitive SIS gearing on a bike we're giving to a niece.  I'd already roughly fitted the mudguards, but I adjusted them, sorted out the rear brake, and then spent ages swearing at the front brake, which seems to want to drag forever. :(

I'll have another go later.

Oh - and I put Superstoker's Trek back on the turbotrainer, so he can have a bit of a spin. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 01 March, 2010, 09:02:25 pm
i noticed that the rear mech was very slightly rubbing on the spokes in the lowest gear, so i've bent the gear hanger out a tad to stop it (steel frame, can't do that with alu…)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 01 March, 2010, 09:06:04 pm
Put a new rim on the old back wheel for the winter audax bike.  I'll do the final truing when my new wheel jig arrives :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 March, 2010, 09:39:12 pm
Just drilled two 5mm dia. holes @ 63.5mm centres in the shank of a 15mm combination  spanner then fitted to seat tube,using spare bottle cage braze-ons. The Langster now has a track-nut spanner permenantly on board.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 03 March, 2010, 01:42:06 pm
Replaced the brake pads on Dawes Discovery 101.  Now I will be able to stop as expected and avoid the accident if I didn't.  One thing I noticed was the pin that came with the brake pad (Clarks) was too large to fit in the hole on the LX brake shoe.

The old pads still had some rubber on them, but only a sliver. The new pads cost me £4 per pair but I used a LBS so the price is fair.

   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 03 March, 2010, 03:04:16 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 27 February, 2010, 07:25:03 pm
Could the puncture fixing 'gunge' make the valve leak?

Yes, IME.  I gave up on the gunge after too much spitting out all over the place.  I'd forgotten it made the valve untrustworthy too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 03 March, 2010, 04:23:54 pm
Faced and reamed the head tube of my Raleigh Timet and refitted the headset.  That's about as advanced fettling as I want to do.

Virtually no instructions came with the Cyclus tool, and I didn't really know what I was doing, but nevertheless the headset now works ok, whereas before I could never get it adjusted right.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 03 March, 2010, 07:01:56 pm
Seat alignment.  Can't get it right by eye so I have used a sight line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 03 March, 2010, 08:30:59 pm
Fettled? I should be so lucky. I'm swapping a rim and have discovered that my spokes have shrunk. A SON dynohub with Open Pro rim needs 291mm spokes (3x). So how the hell did I manage to build it previously with 287mm spokes? There's no way this wheel will go back together... it's as tight as a camel's arse in a sandstorm with only half the spokes in place. I've even tried longer nipples. Aaaarrgh. I'm an idiot, somehow, and I have no idea what I've done wrong.

I'm off to find some neat whisky and the wire-cutters.  ::-) I may be some time....

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 March, 2010, 03:00:20 pm
Cleaned the Inbred for the first time ever.  De-rusted the chromed steel parts and smeared them with vaseline to stop it happening again.  Fitted a new chain, since the old one was definitely stretched.  BB still OK after 500 miles (not always the case with my bikes).  Fitted teensy emergency lights as the days are now long enough not to need the Smart 1/2 watt and the Hope Vision 1.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 March, 2010, 03:12:45 pm
I have modified the IQ Fly bracket and installed it onto the Etape, ready for the E3 Triple.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 06 March, 2010, 03:37:28 pm
I've just come from my garage and looked at my bike after my first off (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30236.0) the handle bars are all bent and the mirror is missing, but I can't do anything until wiggles get their finger out and send me my order
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Henry on 06 March, 2010, 04:01:52 pm
Fitted some new brake blocks. Found out why the brakes had been sounding like a cement mixer (and been fairly ineffectual) for a week or so. Let's just say that I got my money's worth from the old blocks...  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 March, 2010, 05:13:50 pm
I've also got the MTB ready for Center Parcs.  Off with the snow tyres and on with the knobbies so I can keep up with my boys.  I've put some proper rim tape on and used some Specialized tube sealant too.

I have also fitted a basket to Mrs G's Specialized so she can keep her handbag in view  ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robbo6 on 06 March, 2010, 06:08:31 pm
Made another titanium mudguard clip
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/StevenROBSON/IMGP0184.jpg?t=1267898706)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 06 March, 2010, 06:12:22 pm
Replaced the 105 48/38 with a Tiagra 44/34 (TA Zephyr rings). I'll give it a try out tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 06 March, 2010, 06:15:21 pm
Replaced the front wheel of my winter road bike with a spare. The pothole I hit in the rain last sunday cracked the rim  >:( I have an identical rim on a wheel I never use, so there'll be a rim swap and wheel rebuild next week some time.

Changed the front pads with a new set of koolstops. This involved a set of new shoes as the screws that hold the pads in had corroded in place and I couldn't shift them.

Replaced the batteries in the powertap rear wheel. Low batt was flashing and it was reading bonkers high powers on this morning's ride. Flattering, but wrong  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cyclone on 06 March, 2010, 06:26:48 pm
Installed the Ultra torque cups and then chainset correctly this time...all because the lurvely sale vendors didn't send any instructions.
Off fo fit headset, chop the steerer tube and other assorted fiddling to set up new stealth audax bike...(lets just say the low-pro attempt was great for <25 miles not 125  :-[)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 06 March, 2010, 06:51:58 pm
Resurrection day for Dave the Cannondale - replacing the existing brakes and levers with those wacky combo jobbies.  Plus tyre change, mudguard change, etc etc... Halfway through, taking a tea break. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 07 March, 2010, 03:35:56 pm
Finished making a single speed bike. Removed a couple of chainrings, fitted a 42 which I have had since 2003. Removed the 7 speed cassette and fitted a sprocket from a 6 speed that I've had since 1990, spaced out with 6 speed spacers and a couple of other sprockets. Held on with a Uniglide threaded sprocket from the original 7 speed cassette from this bike from 1989. The chain tensioner is made from a v-brake arm donated by longers, a jockey wheel that's been in my toolbox for ages and a bolt. Held on with  a piece of axle dateing back to 1986. Shortened the chain.

Not tested it yet since I'm injured but if it works I'll remove the front mech and levers too. Still got the outer chainring on as I didn't want to have to buy new, shorter bolts and don't want to have the spider outwith the chainring, that looks stupid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 07 March, 2010, 04:24:45 pm
Removed a thick layer of East Anglia from the Pompino.

Degreased chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 07 March, 2010, 06:11:21 pm

Fitted an Avid Rollermajig.  Mmmmmm, Crisp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 March, 2010, 07:22:47 pm
Dealt with aftermath of incident the other week, in which chain came off worn chainring on my fixed, and jammed behind the sprocket. I ended up carrying the bike a mile and a half to work, because I couldn't free the chain, and the back wheel therefore wouldn't go round >:(

Discovered flat front tyre >:(

Tried to remove sprocket to free chain. Lock ring stuck*. Tried a bit harder. Gave up. >:(

Tried levering chain free. Gave up. >:(

Replaced chainring with the new one that arrived this week. :)

Went back to levering chain free. Found that I could just about manage if I was careful to go at it one link at a time. Eventually got it free :)

Noticed broken side plate, oddly not in the jammed section >:(

Removed and threw away chain. Put bike back in shed. Will fix puncture another time. >:(

Waved credit card in direction of SJS for new chain. ::-)

Sometimes fixing bikes is relaxing. This wasn't one of those times. :-\

*I've seen the debates about whether you need a lock ring, but I've got one, so I needed to remove it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 07 March, 2010, 07:36:25 pm
The bike hasn't been cleaned for, um, a month? :-[ Since then I've done a wet FNRttC, a damp 200 km audax and a lot of commuting. It was filthy. The chain and cassette have been degreased and the rubbish removed from the wheels and frame. I've discovered I've basically gone through a set of brake blocks since December, which isn't too surprising and I'll be waving my credit card in the direction of Chain Reaction Cycles this evening.

I also discovered my rear tyre, a Bontrage Race Lite Hardcase, was absolutely frickin' destroyed. There were at least 3 gaps of >1 cm where the rubber was missing and the canvas exposed. It wasn't like that a few weeks ago! I'm gobsmacked that I haven't had a puncture. I'm not sure if I should be happy about the performance of the tyre of not. I think I fitted it last year (if not then it's a lot older), so a guesstimate would say it's done ~5,000 km. From memory I've had one puncture in that time, so for £15 that doesn't seem too bad. I have now fitted, with brute force, a Continental Hamsterskin that I find kicking around the garage. I've no idea where it came from because I didn't buy that tyre, and my housemates don't use 700x23cc tyres so they say they didn't buy it either. Maybe it's a gift from the puncture fairy?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 07 March, 2010, 07:40:00 pm
put some easy wheels on the Brommie, got the saddle angle right  and checked it over properly. Mulling over whether to put spds on it, and trying to sort a little bag to go on the bars or saddle
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 March, 2010, 08:58:04 pm
This morning, I took my chainset off and cleaned it, tightened my bottom bracket to get rid of the creaking* and refitted.

This afternoon, I helped replace the tube on a track bike.  Don't they use tubs any more?


* It didn't. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 07 March, 2010, 10:02:37 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 07 March, 2010, 07:36:25 pm
I'll be waving my credit card in the direction of Chain Reaction Cycles this evening.


Just remember how much you are saving on razors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 07 March, 2010, 10:13:39 pm
I've just replaced the marathon plus tyres with marathon supremes, and replaced the chain. The pluses will become backup tyres. I hope the supremes are as tough - they should at least be faster rolling.

WTF is it about road wheels and tyres that makes them so difficult to remove and fit? I need new tyre levers now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 07 March, 2010, 10:28:58 pm
Quote from: Ming on 07 March, 2010, 10:02:37 pm
Just remember how much you are saving on razors.
:P

Quote from: tonycollinet on 07 March, 2010, 10:13:39 pm
WTF is it about road wheels and tyres that makes them so difficult to remove and fit? I need new tyre levers now.

God knows, and as I've said in the before (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4828), I really hate fitting Conti tyres to my Mavic rims, but that was the only thing kicking around the garage this afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 08 March, 2010, 12:02:05 am
I retired the 26 * 1.5 Schwalbe Marathon from the front wheel of the tandem, which was the cause of our problems last weekend. I retyred the bike with a 26 * 1.75 Marathon Plus, which was delivered to Dunnockshaw by Tubbycyclist when he answered our "m'aidez" call 3 years ago next month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 08 March, 2010, 09:58:49 am
Oh, ffs

Sat, freehub starts being free in all directions. I need to fix slow leak, soo.


Sun. Scrub bike. Remove rear wheel, remove cassette, get freehub off. Remove seals, get oil running through freehub. It now works. Regrease bearings, reassemble. Realise I have axle in wrong position. Readjust cones, faff for a while.
   
Fix punture (crap glue was cause, Tip Top worked instantly, that's a top tip).

Replace front tyre with Krylion carbon, ooh, monday is going to be fun, I like first ride on new tyres.

Realise brakepads are worn down to the metal holder ::facepalm.

Grub screw is corroded in place. File flats on sides of grubscrew, use mole grips, get screw out. Start fitting cheap pads I had in reserve . . . . Wife shouts that we need to leave to go to film in 10min, I have bike in 4 parts and tools strewn around yard . . .

Return from film, continue work and realise that there is no way those brake pads are going into the holders. F*k. Bike shops now closed. Why oh why didn't I start this on Sat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 09 March, 2010, 09:19:37 am
I reappropriated the miffy bike (so called because its head tube sports a decal featuring the said rabbit perched on the cusp of a crescent moon) for a day's commuting service - at first it was seriously weird riding it again and it was hard to believe that it had been a comfortable steed for two Dunwich Dynamos and a number of FNRttCs as well as regular commuting.  Slow steering, long wheelbase, narrow and very low bars, short cranks.  But by the time I got home last night it seemed normal again and I was enjoying the super-awesomeness of the 531c ride.

Anyway, this was all prompted by the failure of the cartridge bearings on my Paddy Wagon - after three years of daily commuting, no maintenance and variable chain tension, I was not remotely surprised to find that the original cheapo bearings were shot and that the back wheel was wobbling from side to side.  I'd looked up how to change the bearings on formula hubs and it seemed straighforward enough. 

Of course I quickly realised that the instructions do not take account of the fact that

(a) the work bench is wobbly and not even as wide as a wheel;

(b) the vice is conveniently bolted to the end of the bench where we keep the ironing board, the mop and the spare leaves for the antique dining table;

(c) everything is thoroughly seized up and rusted, particularly one set of locknuts;

(d) the flat surfaces on the locknuts are too slender for a spanner of any stature;

(e) the diddy little cone spanners that do fit are only about 4 inches long and therefore  capable of delivering very limited torque;

(f) with it being indoors and surrounded by hanging laundry, Mrs R was not very happy at the prospect of me using a blowtorch on the locknuts (more as a punishment than as a remedy, to be honest); and

(g) my head was already hurting as a consequence of having gouged part of it out on the corner of the cast iron fireplace in my younger son's room when plugging in Manotea's old laptop so he could do his history homework (son, not Manotea).

Two hours later, the old bearings were out, the new bearings were in, the work bench was strewn with oily rages, hammers, screwdrivers, allen keys, bit of dented wood, drips of blood and sweat, and the house was still reverberating with the sound of hammer blows, tools dropping on the quarry tiled floor, howls of pain and assorted thuds.  But the whole bike was reassembled (excluding the Carrdice SQR bracket, as the nuts inside it are spinning uselessly and so I cannot tighten it up any more) and I'd managed to stop most of the bleeding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 09 March, 2010, 10:10:15 am
Brake alignment when I got to work and the bike was conveniently hanging on the wall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 09 March, 2010, 03:01:26 pm
My single bolts arrived which I needed to turn my double chainring into a single.
(didn't want to shim the double ones as they were past their best)


Carefully applied threadlock to the bolts and torqued down the 53 ring down onto the spider.
Offered it up onto the spindle then realised the ring needed to go behind the spider to get any chance of a chainline.   ::-)

A quick unbolt and some more threadlock and et voilà a neat chainline.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 09 March, 2010, 03:29:31 pm
I've just put a non return valve on the bilge pump in my kayak
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 09 March, 2010, 08:25:35 pm
Replaced the back wheel, sprocket, chainset and chain on the TinOne.  And discovered that what I'd be assuming was a 19 sprocket was actually an 18...

I thought hills had been tough :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 09 March, 2010, 08:38:43 pm
Went to fit a Topeak RX Carbon Beam seatpost rack*, only to realise that the minimal amount of available seatpost on this bike would place a rack bag so high that getting my leg over would require a gymnastic degree of flexibility that I do not have! :(

* Nice thing, shockingly small and extremely light - even lighter than advertised if you don't fit the optional reflector.  Designed for RX bags only, but Carradice bags sort-of fit as well via some velcro distortion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 09 March, 2010, 09:37:18 pm
This evening I fitted a new set of rear brake blocks. The front blocks will be replaced once Wiggle deliver the new pads. As the bike was on the stand I also sorted out the rear light mount that's attached to the rack that was slightly lose by expanding the diameter of the rack with a bit of old inner tube.

I almost enjoyed doing those jobs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 09 March, 2010, 10:40:50 pm
Seat angle again on the Etape.
New tube on the TCR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cyclone on 09 March, 2010, 11:52:26 pm
Had a play with the headset conumdrum on the Stealth Mercian... Not fitting so checked the head tube and the bottom cups with vernier. Hmm head tube 29.6 - 29.8, bearing cups 30.2  ???
Researched a little and found out that frame nominally built for JIS headset and I have a Campag one (euro). Thus needs reaming and facing... :facepalm:

Look on line for tools  :o decide for a one-off will pay lbs (frame building dreams are - just that dreams at the mo).
 
Go to lbs  :( no tool. Advice go to Halfrauds but they don't know what theyre doing.. :facepalm: Get on phone nobody has one in the Swansea area..Told nearest shop Argos (Bristol)  :o

Try Hobbs bikes in Carmarthen - Yes I've got every tool under the sun  :thumbsup: Will it be done by the weekend "possibly"

Race across to said shop and get told it'll be done in an hour  :thumbsup:   :o Bugger! Cant wait as have to teach lectures in half an hour 35 miles away... :facepalm:

Get lectures and admin done and a similar mad dash ensues to make closing time of 5 pm. Job done for the Grand total of £14. Well chuffed!

Noted that my local audax organiser (Dave Lewis) had his bike in for fettling too..Double recommendation  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 10 March, 2010, 08:09:38 am
Does quail fettling (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30151.msg567036#msg567036) count?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 10 March, 2010, 01:40:30 pm
Back wheel was binding on my fixed. I'd made the chain too tight yesterday after reading a funny horror story on here about a slack chain.

Still tight, but the wheel spins better now. It's not like cycling through treacle anymore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 March, 2010, 03:54:34 pm
Fitted mudgaurds to grand-daughter's new bike & adjusted the saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 10 March, 2010, 04:43:00 pm
Quote from: hulver on 10 March, 2010, 01:40:30 pm
Still tight, but the wheel spins better now. It's not like cycling through treacle anymore.

:)

When you happen to glance down to find the chain glowing red hot - you know you've probably over done it ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 10 March, 2010, 05:55:56 pm
As I am off work, stomach problems, not feeling like riding I have have cleaned my fixie commuting bike for the first time in a year or so.
Thank you to the inventor of wet wipes  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 11 March, 2010, 06:24:34 pm
New bottom bracket on Mrs B's MTB. This one has the right axle length for the new crankset, which is now sitting just the right distance out. Sweet.

Old one didn't want to come out to start with, but a good squirt of GT85 around the threads, followed by making & drinking a cup of coffee, somehow persuaded it to co-operate. Magic!

But fiddling with the front derailleur has reminded me of how cheap & nasty & knackered it is. Must resist  . . . do not buy new one . . . do not upgrade . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 12 March, 2010, 07:44:56 am
(late last night)
Extracted the pannier strap that had wrapped itself very firmly round one of the derailleur jockey wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 12 March, 2010, 06:47:21 pm
Fitted new Koolstop pads to the front end of the bike; a job I've been putting off for the last two evenings. I now look forward to seeing how quickly the bike stops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 12 March, 2010, 10:18:19 pm
Arms and bed mechanisms for two sofa-beds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 March, 2010, 11:14:41 pm
My Dawes Imperial for tomorrow's Up the Uts.

Replaced the rim tape, which caused so many punctures last time out.

Re-centred the rear wheel, which I decided I had built slightly off-centre, so this time I got the centring gauge out and used it properly.

Replaced the ancient Mark II Dura Ace brakes with some 105 dual pivots.

Ready to go :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 13 March, 2010, 06:44:16 pm
Started my project to reinvent my old Raleigh by stripping the frame - some of the components may well be turning up on the classified board as soon as I've got most of the grime off, if anyone's interested in some Tiagra bits. Was also planning to respace the rear triangle to make it suitable for a 120mm fixed hub but will save that for another day.

Looking at it now, I am slightly concerned that it's only the rust and dirt that are holding it together.  :-\

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 13 March, 2010, 07:26:25 pm
Fixed ebay buy hydraulic disc brakes to the MTB. 203mm disk at the rear is definitely overdoing it when unloaded, but when I've got the trailer behind with a weeks worth of shopping on board it'll do nicely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 13 March, 2010, 07:33:59 pm
Took the disc pads out of the trike calliper and was surprised to find they had plenty of wear left. The noise under braking was awful... so I don't know what's wrong.

I also took the narrow tyres and mudguards off the Alfine hybrid and fitted some chunky tyres for a canal path ride tomorrow.

The rear mudguard and a rear spoke were broken - I'm not sure if the two happened at the same time, but I do recall a bit of roadside plastic getting stuck in the wheel for a noisy second during a commute last week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: valkyrie on 13 March, 2010, 07:50:02 pm
Swapped my Campag Neutron Ultra rear wheel back on to the bike for tomorrow's audax. When playing with the indexing I found that the wheel bearings were way too loose. Tightened them up and now the hub is grumbling a bit. Stripped it down and couldn't see anyting untowards, so just hoping it lasts through tomorrow. I'll get some new bearings next time I'm in the LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hugo15 on 13 March, 2010, 08:34:46 pm
Looks like it is going to be dry tomorrow so spent various parts of today getting the summer bike ready. Swapped the pedals over from my winter bike, put on the new mount for the Garmin, took off the old computer, serviced the hub on the front wheel and gave it a good clean.

Spent 60 seconds cleaning the fixed gear commuter bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 13 March, 2010, 08:58:25 pm
Stripped the Brommie down and gave the wheels a bath. Degreased the chainset and re-lubed it.

Changed the hard and awful solid pads on the singlespeed to decent cartridge type pads. Au revoir you ol' squealy bastards.

Got water ingress in my new watch and the display went blank. Completely stripped it down and dried all the circuitry.
All because the factory fitted seal wasn't seated properly and was kinked. Grrrr, trust me to get the dud one.
All properly dried, fixed and working now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 13 March, 2010, 08:58:33 pm
Fitted a new rear mech, which was first for me, I'm well pleased.

As I feared going from a medium to a long cage has left the chain slightly short, but it's only apparent with a silly big ring/ bottom gear combo, so I'l let it be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RichForrest on 13 March, 2010, 11:29:48 pm
Finally got around to taking all the bits off of the Bacchetta ready for when the new frame gets here.
It will hopefully get here next week as they a new consignment in at HQ in Florida last Friday and have spent all week packing them for shipping out  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 14 March, 2010, 12:49:52 am
Strung a new rim onto the Schmidt hub that I had off Swiss Hat years ago.  It has served me very well, but it had worn pretty thin and last weekend on the route-check ride it developed a suspicious bulge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 14 March, 2010, 09:08:32 pm
Stripped the really badly tarnished mudguard stays then polished and clear lacquer coated them.
Fitted new nylock nuts and washers.

While the fitments were out of the way, I decided to cover the milky milky guard with some heavy duty reflective. Lovely.

(http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss226/SgtBikeo/DSCF0013.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cyclone on 14 March, 2010, 09:19:31 pm
Fettled mudguard stay on commuter / audax bike (Cart tracks on audaxes had sheared the rivets..
Continued with stealth Mercian build but stuck on stem length. Going on what I measured up on Sabbath's jig I should be spot on but knees can hit the bars when climbing out of the saddle  ???
- Will try going up 2 sizes on stem (from 120 - 140) but there's the wonderful cost factor now as this bike is starting to eat money :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 14 March, 2010, 09:34:11 pm
Dave's rear end got some love: Stripped down the hub to identify play which turned out to be a slack freehub bolt.  Cleaned everything, reassembled tight, repacked with new balls.  Also removed the rear V-brake to clean and regrease the pivots and move the brake springs up to the "strong" hole - they're ancient and were flabby, causing random wheel rub. Now they're positively macho.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 March, 2010, 05:43:23 pm
Managed to fix the sticky rear brake on my Lemond Etape racing bike.  Seems like the sks raceblades like to dump all the salt / grit right on top of the brake causing sticky pivots! Stripped the brake down, cleaned it up, reassembled, and good as new.

Then over an hour getting a tight turbo trainer tyre off my good summer wheels (skinning my knuckles and thumb in the process), and finally got the new Michelin Pro Race3s fitted.  I was hoping to go out for a spin with the new tyres,  can't be bothered now after fighting to get the turbo tyre off.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 March, 2010, 07:34:52 pm
Stripped down the SRAM T3 hub gear on Mrs Z's Brompton to find the cause of the problem was a snapped axle key.  New one ordered from Germany for a frightening 4 euros (of which 1.30 is postage).  You can't really get SRAM parts in the UK because historically SA and SRAM had a gentlemen's agreement not to poach each others' markets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 March, 2010, 07:46:47 pm
Serviced the headset on the Carrera BSO (which wouldn't have been a BSO from new, but has been fitted with very iffy wheels).

I'm going to need an 8 speed indexed freewheel.  A rare item.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 March, 2010, 01:03:47 pm
Tweaked a bottle cage to fit a 0.5l Trangia fuel bottle (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29814.msg573417#msg573417).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 17 March, 2010, 02:31:15 pm

I need to fit a new tyre and tube in a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 17 March, 2010, 02:32:57 pm
lol

Bead lifted off, or sidewall failure? 

fess up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 17 March, 2010, 02:37:54 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 17 March, 2010, 02:32:57 pm
lol

Bead lifted off, or sidewall failure?  

fess up.

Sidewall failure and the inner tube blew bubble gum. The wire was left exposed and had totally corroded away.

I'd received the tyres tightly folded and badly kinked. I don't think the beading had ever quite recovered from it.
(perils of the postal system)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 17 March, 2010, 03:12:04 pm
I've taken out a pair of cotter pins today for the first time. I think I was lucky and they came out a lot easier than I was expecting from reading Sheldon's advice beforehand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 17 March, 2010, 10:38:21 pm
Cotter pins normally come out easily. It's only every now and then that you end up drilling them out and trying other drastic measures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 18 March, 2010, 09:16:05 am
I just mounted my rear Dinotte light onto the side of the rack, so I can use it on Saturday with the rack pack.  It's normal seatpost mounting is totally obscured by the pack.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/DinotteTempMount_Thumb400.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/DinotteTempMount.jpg)
I know it's on the wrong side, but I'm cycling into work with a pannier on the right hand side today, so I'll just use this as a test of the concept, and to make sure it stays in place.

I've now used up my stock of some of my small nuts and bolts, so I feel an order to Stagonset is about to occur!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 18 March, 2010, 01:54:53 pm
I've just put on new handle bars, tape and a mirror due to my "first off" on a pot hole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 March, 2010, 02:07:26 pm
Just tweaked the toe-in on my Pedestrian Warning System, and am about to go out for a ride...

Update: bloody brakes still squealing like a bastard.  I give up.  At least it makes people think twice about stepping out in front of me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 18 March, 2010, 02:21:54 pm
Installed a big shiny pedestrian warning system on my handlebars.  It resounds with a very satisfying "ding dong".  Much to my dismay, no pedestrians put it to the test this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 18 March, 2010, 02:59:16 pm
Quote from: TimO on 18 March, 2010, 09:16:05 am
I just mounted my rear Dinotte light onto the side of the rack, so I can use it on Saturday with the rack pack...
...I know it's on the wrong side, but I'm cycling into work with a pannier on the right hand side today, so I'll just use this as a test of the concept, and to make sure it stays in place. ...

It mostly worked, although when it's on the left hand side, since I tend to push the bike from that side when walking, it's very easy to knock.  This shouldn't really be a problem on Saturday, since I'll move it to the right, but I bet it can still get knocked when leaning the bike against stuff.

The vertical alignment is pretty much rock solid, but the horizontal can move a bit when knocked.  It seems to stay where it's put, but I may need to see if I can slip a serrated washer in to limit any movement a bit more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 18 March, 2010, 05:22:13 pm
Serviced my neighbour Mel's very nice Rocky Mountain full susser.  First 20 minutes was spent cleaning the cassette - solid crud concreted in between the cogs  :sick:

Once things were clean enough to work on it was't too bad.  Pringled rear wheel to be trued, loose rear Deore hub bearings fettled and muddy water replaced with fresh grease (but no pitting - those hubs are incredibly robust things) - bit of lube through the freehub - lubed cables - adjusted gears - fixed a minor warp in the rear brake disc - cleaned out dust seals on the Fox forks.  

It's now riding like new and Mrs Tewdric has her riding partner back!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 18 March, 2010, 09:08:47 pm
I dismantled some bikes, and then I removed and replaced the wheel on the Very Lovely Valencia for absolutely no reason.  I just wanted to do forst time around it at the Rescue, in the warm with many tools and other (competent) people around to sort it out if I fubared it, as I haven't encountered security skewers or disk brakes before.

It was reasonably easy.  Next time I'm going to attempt removing wheel, removing tyre and then putting it all back together again - I have a sneaking suspicion that these tyres are going to be an absolute pig. I think I want to be sure I have a spare tube to hand in case I pinch it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 18 March, 2010, 10:03:03 pm
I just replaced the middle chainring on the Kaffenback, since it's done something over 6500 miles, and the tooth were rather sharp!  Since I only occasionally use the other two rings, they're in perfectly good condition.

It proved remarkably difficult, and in the end I had to take the small chainring off as well, just to get enough room to move the middle one around and over the crank arm.  It turns out that putting chainrings on with the chainset sat in your lap is a lot easier than doing it on the bike, with the frame, chain, and other crank arm all managing to get in the way.  This Truvativ chainset needs two allen keys, one on either side, and inevitable one or the other always seems to be fouling something!

After that I tweaked the front changer slightly, and replaced the mount for the speedo, since the little bit that goes 'click' on the old one had fallen off, which meant that the computer wouldn't stay attached. :-\

I should be pretty much ready for my Saturday 200k run now, aside from switching the light mount over to the right hand side on Friday evening, once I'm home and the pannier doesn't need to be on that side any more.

The only trouble is, Sainsburys will now be closed by the time I get there, so I'll have to go out first thing for some milk for my wheatybangs tomorrow morning. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 18 March, 2010, 10:04:40 pm
New pressure relief valve for the shower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 18 March, 2010, 10:27:18 pm
Mudguards and rack back on the Cannondale.  And lo!  I've found where the spiders were hiding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 18 March, 2010, 10:28:22 pm
Cleaned the Dave Yates, and added some new Vittoria Rubinos as the Paselas are looking a little tired. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 18 March, 2010, 10:30:15 pm
New forks on the TinOne, at last, and fitted the new front light.  Also new front brake blocks.  New BB, but that has to be changed again :(

Also put the correct sprocket back on...

Last week it had a new chainset, chain, back lights, saddlebag, bag support, back tyre and rear rim.  I even cleaned it today  :o

It looks tidy, for once.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaseous Clay on 19 March, 2010, 03:38:14 pm
Gave the Thorn a good wash to remove 5 months worth of filth. Very nice it looks too. :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 March, 2010, 05:40:39 pm
Fitted a front mudguard to the Scott MTB hack/tagalongmotivationforce, having removed it when I fitted the solid fork 2 weeks ago.  I couldn't fit it back then as 1) it needed a bracket bodging to allow the crown mount to drop the mudguard down far enough not to foul the brake and 2) I didn't have time :)

Gave the Ridley a quick wipe over and wiped a weeks worth of london road carp off the chain, crankset and freewheel
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 19 March, 2010, 06:57:13 pm
Changed the tyre and cleaned the freewheel of my singlespeed, then managed to drop one of the hub nuts. Spent 20 minutes in teh gathering dark and rain looking for it. Finally my son came out and spotted it in seconds ::-)

Replaced the wheel, pumped the tyre with a little help. Did you know that sharing a track pump with a five year old means it takes twice as long to inflate a tyre :-\. Then as I was putting the tools away came a hissing sound. "What's that noise Daddy?" Think the valve has separated from the tube  :facepalm: but that's a job for tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 March, 2010, 07:22:30 pm
Replaced: chain, cranks / chainset, cassette, BB cups & bearings.
Dismantled, serviced and re-assembled: freehub, jockey wheels.

It all works, but tomorrow I'll make it work sweetly.

Joining the two halves of the speed link on the blingtastic KMC chain was the most vexing thing I had to do today.  >:(
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 19 March, 2010, 08:16:57 pm
Tightened the spokes on my back wheel, it was making a funny noise on the last trip out.

Slackened off the chain slightly again, as it was binding. I had to tighten it when I was on the road last time, as it came loose while I was riding.

Did the nuts up nice and tight this time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 March, 2010, 08:38:46 pm
Rim tape added to my rebuilt front Hope hoop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 19 March, 2010, 08:42:21 pm
Girlie fettling success- replaced the brake shoes on the Giant. Yay!
On the minus side- the rims are looking somewhat, erm, battered. I think I may have left it a little late.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 March, 2010, 04:29:52 pm
The caravan.
Air in tyres.Removed winter cover.Checked for leaks.Flushed water systems & sterilised same.Gas & electrics working.
Electric mains connection needs TLC but otherwise it's ready to roll.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 21 March, 2010, 04:40:05 pm
I've stripped my Ridgeback Alfine right down because it needs a good scrubbing before it'll get through NZ customs in two weeks. There's a whole winter's worth of crud stuck to it. I sneaked the tyres and my shoes into the washing machine. Hee Hee.  :thumbsup:

The BB and disc pads are all worn out, so I'll go to the LBS for spares tomorrow before starting to put it back together again.

I've also sprayed some waterproofing onto the tent and replaced a split pole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 21 March, 2010, 04:43:59 pm
CHanged the tyres on my Hewitt, not that I'll get to ride anytime soon though.

Started to make a mount for my GPS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 March, 2010, 06:35:54 pm
Lubricated and refitted various parts to the BSO.  Pumped up the Brompton's tyres and cleaned off yet more rust and flaking paint - it's going to have to go to Argos for a proper 2-pack paint job next winter, which will cost as much as a replacement frame  >:(.  Adjusted the seat and handlebars on Miss Z the younger's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 21 March, 2010, 06:41:16 pm
New cassette and brake blocks on the audax Trek.  Washed it and the Rourke.  No more very rainy outings for the Trek..... remain firmly unconvinced of the weather-proofing on outboard BB cups.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 March, 2010, 06:45:39 pm
Cleaned the fabric body & inflated the tyres on the two-seat kiddy trailer.Neighbour bought it for his grandson to be chauffered around in :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 21 March, 2010, 07:49:26 pm
Dug out my old Kona Kileuea that did 3 years of maintenance free commuting. Wondered if the old nag had it in her to return to light mtb duties. Lots of muc off revealed she needs recabling, new brake blocks, a new chain, new grips, new tires, and that the middle ring is missing several teeth, the fork stanchions has surface rust, the front mech has lost the ability to index the big ring, and that the rear wheel needs a couple of new spokes. I am tempted to  part her out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 March, 2010, 09:10:09 pm
Tyre pressure in preparation for the commute to begin again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 March, 2010, 09:39:38 pm
Just went and did the cables on the BSO.  This was complicated by the fact that the Chinese imbecile who made the new SRAM front mech had omitted to tap the "dual pull" mech for the bottom pull option and, in fact, had drilled it right out to 5mm.  I tapped it to M6 and used a bigger bolt and a matching washer.  I shouldn't have to do this on a new part, but it's becoming increasingly evident to me that Chinese-made goods exceed Sturgeon's Law by a comfortable margin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 22 March, 2010, 12:02:36 am
Quote from: Gordy on 21 March, 2010, 04:40:05 pm
I've stripped my Ridgeback Alfine right down because it needs a good scrubbing before it'll get through NZ customs in two weeks.

Don't forget your shoes.

Twice I've had free bike shoe cleaning from antipodean airports. It does make the people meeting you off the flight start to worry though, they think you've been held back for nefarious acts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 22 March, 2010, 12:05:04 am
Two sets of Volvo wishbones refurbed with heavy duty polyurethane bushes . . .

(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/various187.jpg)

Fitting the bushes (purple bitz) is like trying to get a firehose in an overnight bag!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 22 March, 2010, 11:15:15 am
Finally got round to putting a new gear cable on the Red Baron yesterday.  By 'eck it was a pain; the old one had broken right up at the nipple and was stubbornly refusing to come out.  I had to dismantle the whole shifter unit to find it.

Also fitted a new IQ Cyo and fettled up the mirror and GPS mount.  That still needs work because whilst I now have a head-up GPS, I also have a frickin' great big blind spot on my offside which is Not Ideal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 22 March, 2010, 11:22:49 am
A tyre boot - from a Metro Card (New York's version of the Oyster Card but thinner and more flexible) when the tyre that I'd put on at the weekend as a short term replacement decided to explosively separate from the bead at Tibbet's Corner. MAde my way very gingerly home. How far should you ride on a boot anyway?

And adjusted the saddle on the Rockhopper wasn't quite flat and when the bike was built they were too generous with the grease in the seat tube and the seatpost kept slipping so gave it a good wipe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 22 March, 2010, 11:43:49 am
Quote from: PaulF on 22 March, 2010, 11:22:49 am
How far should you ride on a boot anyway?

Until you find a new tyre.

YMMV

:D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 22 March, 2010, 01:03:23 pm
Assembled the Trailerbike and put the rack for it onto the Back of the Orbit Orion. Supposed to be a 10-minute job (aren't they all?!), but turned into at least 1.5 hours. Luckily the Orbit has lots of pre-tapped holes around the rear dropout, so I could adapt the fitting to suit. Also had a p******re fairy visit to attend to. Schwalbe "p-proof" bollocks! Though it was a viciously sharp slice of hawthorn...

Little Miss AWL seemed inpressed with the results, so it was all worth it. Much better than the Adams trailer bike that attaches with a very springy bit of rubber hose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 22 March, 2010, 01:10:14 pm
Quote from: Flatus on 21 March, 2010, 06:41:16 pm
New cassette and brake blocks on the audax Trek.  Washed it and the Rourke.  No more very rainy outings for the Trek..... remain firmly unconvinced of the weather-proofing on outboard BB cups.

I am similarly unconvinced about campag ultratorque external BB cups
Which reminds me, I need to take them off and check there is still more grease in there than water
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 March, 2010, 04:58:00 pm
I unfettled the Dinotte mounting (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg573995#msg573995) on the side of the rack, so that I could put my pannier there, rather than using a rack pack, which doesn't have enough space for my work clothes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 March, 2010, 06:24:02 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 22 March, 2010, 11:22:49 am
A tyre boot - from a Metro Card (New York's version of the Oyster Card but thinner and more flexible) when the tyre that I'd put on at the weekend as a short term replacement decided to explosively separate from the bead at Tibbet's Corner. MAde my way very gingerly home. How far should you ride on a boot anyway?

And adjusted the saddle on the Rockhopper wasn't quite flat and when the bike was built they were too generous with the grease in the seat tube and the seatpost kept slipping so gave it a good wipe.
If it's made from an Embassy fag packet, this far:

Gmaps Pedometer (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3567960)

Then it shreds itself and BANG!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 March, 2010, 06:34:26 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 22 March, 2010, 11:22:49 am
... How far should you ride on a boot anyway? ...

With a "proper" Park boot, I did over 100 miles before it decided to kill the replacement inner tube.  A second boot over the original got me home, at which point I chucked the tyre. :-\

That was with a 15mm slash in the tyre, just off of the centre line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 22 March, 2010, 09:07:20 pm
T'was cycling variation of musical chairs in the fettle factory tonight:

Brooks Pro from Claud to Brompton.
Honey Special from Longstaff to Claud.
Black Special from Brompton to Longstaff.

Somehow, I ended up with a spare Black Special, so that's going onto the mtb. Looks neat too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 March, 2010, 09:12:56 pm
Fitted a new axle key to the SRAM hub on Mrs Z's Brompton, sort of trued the wheel (which is original and will fall apart soon; I had to put a new spoke in it too) and adjusted it all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 March, 2010, 07:20:20 pm
Chain of a very enthusiastic German tourist's BSO, saving the poor guy a ~5mile walk back to King's Norton.  He was very taken with my Crank Bros Multi 17 (http://www.crankbrothers.com/multi17.php)'s chain tool and not-falling-to-bits features, and may be investing in one soon to facilitate his buying a very cheap bike in each country he visits touring method.

As it was raining at the time, this also counts as training for the FNRttC  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 March, 2010, 09:56:29 pm
Put a curtain rail back up.  Repaired the rear brake on my commuter (I'm fed up of brake rub from my bodge), and replaced the brake blocks, taking the opportunity to clean ten ton of grime off the brakes :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 March, 2010, 09:58:53 pm
Used my Fenwicks FS1 cleaner for the first time to wash the crud off the Etape.
She is now gleaming in the shed, and it only took 5 minutes to do  :thumbsup:

Fixed two tubes ( one of them being the result of my puncture this morning ).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 March, 2010, 10:01:24 pm
Got two new wheels through the post for the BSO.  £45 the pair, disc compatible and freehub  :o

Obviously the tension was a bit slack, so I wound them all up as tight as I dared, stress-relieved them and then opened up the Quando hubs (really well designed and made, I admit), stuffed some extra grease in and adjusted the cones properly.

Now I just need to find the disc fixing bolts and get a cassette, because they sent me a chain instead  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 March, 2010, 09:53:34 am
Just swapped over the tyres, back to the Marathon Supremes for the FNRttC.  I also had a quick fiddle with the gears, which haven't quite been changing cleanly, and noise free in all useful arrangements.

Adjusting the gears predictably took twice as long, and I'm not sure they're any better now than when I started.  I hate triple derailleurs, they're a necessary evil, but always utter twunts to get working reliably. :-\ >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 25 March, 2010, 10:28:22 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 24 March, 2010, 10:01:24 pm
relieved them and then opened up the Quando hubs (really well designed and made, I admit),

I have a Dawes with Quando hubs.

The front wheel survived me driving over it with the landrover. The disk for the crappy Clarks disc brake was truly pringled, but the wheel survived and stayed truish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 March, 2010, 10:32:43 am
Ah that's good to hear about Quandos.  My Rudge's new wheels are that flavour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: francisbarton on 25 March, 2010, 09:24:21 pm
Reassembled an old Campag Veloce freehub.  The old trick with sewing thread to keep the pawls in place. That has to be the fiddliest thing I have ever done to a bike component.  One spring came out of a biro :thumbsup: Hope it lasts...  :-\

Built up said hub into new wheel for my Brian Rourke, which has been out of action for a year or more. Trued and dished. Cleaned the cassette.  Rim tape, tyre and tube. Job done :smug:

Haven't ridden on it yet though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 25 March, 2010, 09:27:26 pm
Quote from: Francis on 25 March, 2010, 09:24:21 pm
Reassembled an old Campag Veloce freehub.  The old trick with sewing thread to keep the pawls in place. That has to be the fiddliest thing I have ever done to a bike component.  One spring came out of a biro :thumbsup: Hope it lasts...  :-\
Did you know you can get a "tool" (more like a big bent springy paper clip) that holds the pawls in place? And Mercian sell proper non-biro springs.
It is bloody fiddly though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: francisbarton on 25 March, 2010, 09:48:44 pm
Thanks Eck, I did know there was a tool (looked like a plastic contraceptive device) but only saw links to US sites selling it.  Hadn't seen the paperclip one.  I managed OK after a bit of cursing.

I should have got the proper spring, you're right, but I was in bodging mood. Might get some to have in stock for future, I found them somewhere online (dotbike?) or could just ask my LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 26 March, 2010, 01:11:27 am
A wire twisty does the job fairly easily when you don't have a proper tool (http://tinyurl.com/ydnvps2).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 26 March, 2010, 10:11:47 am
Played with my new toy, a CO2 inflator, ready in time for all the deflations for tonight's FNRttC.  I bought a big box of cartridges, and am now -1.  They don't half go cold and freeze your hand quick if you don't screw them in fully and discharge them by accident.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 26 March, 2010, 11:35:42 am
Quote from: Adam on 26 March, 2010, 10:11:47 am
Played with my new toy, a CO2 inflator, ready in time for all the deflations for tonight's FNRttC.  I bought a big box of cartridges, and am now -1.  They don't half go cold and freeze your hand quick if you don't screw them in fully and discharge them by accident.  ::-)

Ohh... can you make dry ice with them? We once set off a CO2 extinguisher at work for a larf, and couldn't shut it down because the valve froze - so we left it in the sink (this was in a lab) until it discharged, only for it to completely freeze all the plumbing  :thumbsup:. Ah - jobs when I woz young...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hugo15 on 26 March, 2010, 08:52:25 pm
Noticed that the rear tyre on my summer bike was looking worn earlier in the week so I fitted a new one today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 26 March, 2010, 10:09:47 pm
I put a new front wheel on the Kaffenback, to replace the one that exploded yesterday, which was reasonably straightforward.

I then foolishly thought I'd see if I could remove the rattle in the front lamp mount.  I managed to stop it rattling, but now the Quick Release won't, which is a mite annoying.

I've decided to stop fiddling just in case I bugger the mount up entirely, which would leave me with limited options for the FNRttC tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 26 March, 2010, 10:12:56 pm
New chain on my Ridgeback. Shiny! Took the chainwheels and cassette off and gave them a good clean too. I might even be feeling well enough to ride it again soon :(.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 March, 2010, 05:39:35 pm
Cleaned and polished the Ridley, put some air in the tyres of TLD's new Puky and strip and cleaned the Gaggia....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 27 March, 2010, 05:42:14 pm
Routes onto my GPS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 March, 2010, 06:00:09 pm
Fitted discs to the BSO wheels and set up the brakes.  Also changed the rear brake cable (again) because re-using the original outer turned out to be a bad idea - it was a rough as a badger's arse.  Now it's as frictionless as the front one.  Test rode it - gears are great, brakes adequate (not bedded in yet).

Tonight I'm putting loose balls in the Ashtabula BB of Miss Z's bike.  Sheldon Brown said it was too difficult, which sounds like a challenge to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 27 March, 2010, 07:07:33 pm
Swivelled the SQR support around, so I can use my smaller seat pack on tomorrows Monk'y business ride.

Gave the bike a clean after the Trans Pennine Trail trip last week. Loads of grit on the chain, and the bike sounds like it's towing a bag of spanners. Still does, cleaning didn't seem to do much.

I think I might need to get a better rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 27 March, 2010, 09:20:51 pm
I boged this: a leaky 12" inner tube on my son's bike (62 - 208 tyre!) It had split at the foot of the valve stem so I announced " I don't think this will work" and cut a chunk out of a patch with a hole-punch and cemented that in place. Once that was bonded I cemented another strip into place around the stem, hoping that the first would hold in compression against the rim whilst the second would keep the first in place so the thing was airtight as the tube and tyre were refitted. To my surprise it inflated and having put it up to 40 psi at 2pm, the tyre's still hard now.

But tomorrow, to the LBS (or pram shop), whichever has a tube, cos I don't think it'll hold for long!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 27 March, 2010, 09:49:13 pm
Removed the Rohloff was going to offer this to anyone on yacf but my brother wanted the wheel so bad luck.

Removed the broken mudguard.

Washed the bike.

Fitted the single speed wheel.

Failed to remove Rohloff shifter.  Stripped allen bolt holding it to handle bars.

To do:
Remove Rohloff shifter.
Fit new mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 27 March, 2010, 09:50:18 pm
Finished my handmade GPS stem mount
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 28 March, 2010, 06:33:36 pm
Stuck a Standard Randonneur Issue dangly mudflap on the rear mudguard of the Pompino, ready for Friday. It's a DPC variant - as I couldn't find a Fairy Liquid bottle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 28 March, 2010, 08:25:08 pm
Put the Garmin mount onto the bars.
Fenwicked the Etape too.
Fitted a new Alien saddle clamp bolt as I had damaged the other one with too much fiddling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 28 March, 2010, 11:52:15 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 28 March, 2010, 06:33:36 pm
Stuck a Standard Randonneur Issue dangly mudflap on the rear mudguard of the Pompino, ready for Friday. It's a DPC variant - as I couldn't find a Fairy Liquid bottle.

As I will be sucking that wheel for at least 25% of our riding time, thanks!

(But as there will be no rain, it will not be required)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moloko on 29 March, 2010, 10:40:57 am
I've also been wheel sucking.

I've vacuum cleaned the bike of all the dried dust and mud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 29 March, 2010, 11:33:36 pm
Well, I checked the rear bearings on my Dave Yates, and yep, they are knackered.  Must be my hamfisted fitting method.  Hey ho.  New ones on the way, which I'll fit in time for the Easter Arrow (for some reason, I only have one spare set of bearings IYSWIM, instead of the pair which I expected).

I also serviced the hubs which came with my Orange Oakley Clockwork - mucking about with cup n cone bearings is such a satisfying job, and I was so taken with the sealings on the hubs that I think I'll keep the wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 30 March, 2010, 02:56:13 pm
Two weekends of fettling heaven.

Last weekend I swapped all the bits of my road bike over fron one frame to another.

Then this weekend the target was to take the chunky Tubus rack from the road bike (replaced with a svelte new Tubus Fly) and fit it to my old Orange MTB. Both existing screws holding the current rack on sheared off. Bugger.

Centre punch and drill out old screws. Managed this with so little damage to existing threads that the new screws still tighten up. (Phew !)

Then had to bend existing Tubus rack stay so that it could bolt into the seat stay bridge. (Used a mallet, a piece of heavy cloth and a gate hinge as a former for this.) Bingo. Rack fitment now is significantly more robust than previous alloy job with two bust welds which were held together with cable ties.

Then on to service a neighbour's unused for six years Scott mountain bike. Amazingly little needed doing. New rim tape, new rear derailleur cable (inner and outer) and new rear brake cable (inner and outer). Lube the rear mech shifter to get it working, pump the tyres, oil the chain and mechs and hey presto, job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 March, 2010, 09:59:39 pm
New chain onto the Etape in prep for the next couple of days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 March, 2010, 10:06:57 pm
Re-rimmed the front wheel of the Inbred.  Same spokes, new nipples, ceramic rim.

Tomorrow I need to fit a new front brake cable*, clean and re-grease the frame bosses and fit "ceramic" pad inserts.


*it froze solid at -10 deg C, so there is water in there
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 March, 2010, 11:04:48 pm
Fitted Schwalbe Durano Plus to the Etape for my forthcoming events.
Packed Nelson.
Washed bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 April, 2010, 09:02:59 am
I woke up early and I have a day off so I cleaned the Inbred (currently drying in the sun) and also washed my cotton caps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 01 April, 2010, 02:51:15 pm
put a better bodge of a seat pin clamp onto steel bike (part proper allen key bolt and nut instead of hex head nut and bolt).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 April, 2010, 02:54:45 pm
Er...how fast do ceramic rims wear brake pads?  I think I used a quarter of the pads on a 1 mile test ride (admittedly, part of that was coming down a 1 in 6 hill with the brakes on, to bed them in).  They're proper Kool-Stop Z-Chromium green pads for ceramic rims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 01 April, 2010, 02:57:59 pm
Ceramics will eat the first set of pads. Once the rims are bedded in they are a lot kinder to your brakes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 April, 2010, 03:05:10 pm
It's lucky I bought three sets of pads and I only have one brake, then  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 01 April, 2010, 04:14:31 pm
Blimey !   I managed over 3000 miles on my first set of ceramic pads on ceramic rims.

I must be a wuss on the braking front. There again there are no big hills on my commute that I need to brake for on the way down.

(And thinking about it, after 1500 miles I had to put a new rim on the back.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 April, 2010, 05:00:38 pm
This is a DT rim and it feels like fine sandpaper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 01 April, 2010, 10:03:16 pm
Brooks bar tape on the Bob Jackson: very smart indeed  :) I didn't bother with the cork end plugs though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 01 April, 2010, 10:05:07 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 01 April, 2010, 10:03:16 pm
Brooks bar tape on the Bob Jackson: very smart indeed  :) I didn't bother with the cork end plugs though.

Lets have a piccie then!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alecstilleyedye on 01 April, 2010, 10:10:37 pm
like this?
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/huw.ms/fixie%20project/Images/5.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 01 April, 2010, 10:14:15 pm
I'll do one tomorrow  :) in daylight.

The only odd thing about the Brooks tape: both lengths have tapering cuts at the ends, which is good, but the directions of the cuts only suit one side of the bars... did you notice that? Not noticeable in the end result. I do like that cloth tape they give you to finish off the tops, a bit like cloth bar tape in fact.

Quote from: alecstilleyedye on 01 April, 2010, 10:10:37 pm
like this?

Yeah, I think those plugs look good on a bike with tan bar tape and a honey Brooks saddle a la Tewdric but I'm not so sure that they go so well with black. Look good with the green tho'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 02 April, 2010, 04:02:11 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 01 April, 2010, 10:05:07 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 01 April, 2010, 10:03:16 pm
Brooks bar tape on the Bob Jackson: very smart indeed  :) I didn't bother with the cork end plugs though.

Lets have a piccie then!

2 quick shots:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v138/Chickenhawk66/Bob%20Jackson/Bob%20Jackson%20and%20Carradice/DSCF0120.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v138/Chickenhawk66/Bob%20Jackson/Bob%20Jackson%20and%20Carradice/DSCF0119.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 02 April, 2010, 06:25:08 pm
Gave the horizon a good clean and check over. Then swapped the handlebars to FSA Omega compacts and some Specialized Bar Phat tape.
Found I can't fit all three of computer, map trap and GPS at the same time without buying a different mounting for the computer and I'm not sure where the front light will go. Ah well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 02 April, 2010, 08:55:55 pm
Tried. Not finished anything though.

Roof of shed number one is leaking. Bought materials to re-roof and re-felt, then proceeded to remove ten years of ivy growth from it. Spys major holes in felt, and rot below. Heavy rain stops play, so went to recycling centre with a ton of stuff instead.

One coffee later, rain stops. Decide to wash tandem (mud caked from last weeks journey across fields), and the Enigma, which has had a mucky weeks commute.

Remember that outside pipework burst during the winter. Get blowtorch and various other bits of copper out of shed number one. Repair sorted, feel smug. Get pressure washer out, and connect up. One clean tandem follows. Get Enigma out. Pressure washer now dead. Check fuse. Nope. Power to shed. Yes. Light receding and mood darkening, so put the whole lot away.

Order new pressure washer from ChavGos. Karcher this time.

Now planning second assault on shed roof. Met office advice is to start work as soon as the sun rises. Pause at 1300 for heavy rain shower. Restart at 1600.

This could be a long weekend........................

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 April, 2010, 08:06:31 am
Stripped down the MTB hack yesterday, ready for a rattle-can respray.

Cleaned everything, degreased mechs and frame.  Started priming frame and forks.

I will hopefully finish the priming this morning, ready to rub down then apply several coats of shiny shiny red.

TOP TIP: If you need to do a rattle can paint job, go to Wilko's, their spray enamel is £3.29 per large can....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 03 April, 2010, 03:12:01 pm
New BB, new chainset, new rear mech, new chain, new cassette, new gear cables, new rear brake shoes. lots of dismantling , cleaning , oiling, greasing and rebuilding all on the Soma

And fixing the two punct*res I got yesterday,also on the Soma
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 April, 2010, 04:07:44 pm
Several coats of primer later, and a couple more coats of red it is now looking SHINY :)

Realised, after seeing the first two coats of red going dull that it was too cold out in the garage, do fired up the oil filled radiator and now things are just groovy (apart from the red drive way!!!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 03 April, 2010, 04:14:43 pm
Cleaned my commuter and treated it to a new chain :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 03 April, 2010, 04:21:15 pm
I've put a new rear chain on the tandem. The one I took off was the original, almost 8000 miles old.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 April, 2010, 06:19:37 pm
Been through the fleet today making a shopping list:

One gurl's Specialzed Dolce saddle, three inner tubes of 700c presta variety, a new pair of 700c x 25 Gatorskins, two chains and some brake blocks.

Oh, and Stoker's Brevet has a broken spoke on the rear wheel.   Single butted, stainless on a Deore hub and CR18 rim on three cross.   Guess I need to find out how long the replacement needs to be.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 03 April, 2010, 06:40:09 pm
Just spent a happy couple of hours stripping Mrs TKP's old Gary Fisher hybrid back to the frame (almost) to get it looking tickity boo for selling. At the rate she is acquiring new bikes something had definitely got to go and the GF is first on the list. The bike is now spotless and I am going out tonight with very grubby finger nails.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 April, 2010, 06:43:14 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 03 April, 2010, 04:07:44 pm
Several coats of primer later, and a couple more coats of red it is now looking SHINY :)

Realised, after seeing the first two coats of red going dull that it was too cold out in the garage, do fired up the oil filled radiator and now things are just groovy (apart from the red drive way!!!)

A tip.

If you can possibly bear it, leave the frame for a couple of months before building it up.  Rattle can paint does harden, but it takes an age.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 03 April, 2010, 06:44:30 pm
Fitted a rear rack to brother in laws bike that we gave him. Actually feel quite proud, he was a non cyclist but he now uses the bike everyday to and from work, now he has a rack and panneir bags to make it even more usable  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 April, 2010, 12:54:26 am
The direct audio input lead for Natalya's hearing aid, which got accidentally eaten while I was hoovering yesterday, requiring a new isolating capacitor and some soldering iron and heat-shrink love.

In my defence, it's a Dyson, so I wasn't expecting it to suck anything up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 04 April, 2010, 02:13:14 pm
Yesterday, I was sorting out the gears on a friend's newly-purchased Boardman.  I wouldn't expect it to be perfect coming out of that shop, but it took me a while to realise the reason the chain was skipping over the second smallest sprocket was that the sprocket had been fitted the wrong way round :facepalm:

I've sent him back to the shop - I'll have to get my cassette tool back from my brother-in-law to check, but I suspect it's probably bent beyond salvage.  Friggin' spanner monkeys.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 04 April, 2010, 03:05:15 pm
Quote from: Deano on 04 April, 2010, 02:13:14 pm
... it took me a while to realise the reason the chain was skipping over the second smallest sprocket was that the sprocket had been fitted the wrong way round :facepalm: ...

Eeh?  I don't know about things like SRAM and Campag, but with Shimano sprockets and hubs, the splines are shaped such that this would be physically impossible without either filing something off or a large hammer (and subsequent damage to either the sprocket and/or hub).

If they managed to fit it, somehow circumventing the construction, then this one is worthy of the Worst Bodges Ever thread. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 04 April, 2010, 03:16:13 pm
Quote from: TimO on 04 April, 2010, 03:05:15 pm
Quote from: Deano on 04 April, 2010, 02:13:14 pm
... it took me a while to realise the reason the chain was skipping over the second smallest sprocket was that the sprocket had been fitted the wrong way round :facepalm: ...

Eeh?  I don't know about things like SRAM and Campag, but with Shimano sprockets and hubs, the splines are shaped such that this would be physically impossible without either filing something off or a large hammer (and subsequent damage to either the sprocket and/or hub).

If they managed to fit it, somehow circumventing the construction, then this one is worthy of the Worst Bodges Ever thread. :o
I was thinking exactly the same. What sort of hub is it Deano ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 April, 2010, 04:46:39 pm
Half fitted some new lighting in the garage, currently lit only by a PIR security lamp that takes expensive halogen or being-phased-out incandescent ES bulbs.  Would have finished but for the fact that

(a) can't find a grommet anywhere for the metal switch casing

(b) couldn't get four MK batten lampholders in B&Q yesterday, so bought two MK ones and two crapola ones.  The crapola ones only take a cable from the rear and I am not going to drill a big hole in the roof truss, thank you.  So it's B&Q again tomorrow.

When I get it done I'll have a use for those free CFLs that British Gas keep sending me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 04 April, 2010, 05:08:58 pm
Put my 18 tooth sprocket on the back. After Mr. Volio let me know that I was thinking wrong things about it.

Put the 16 tooth on the other side, nice and tight.

Put the new stem on, and flipped the bars up so that it's higher up. Sorted out the front brake as well. The lining had pushed up into the lever. Put some new outer on and a thingy to stop it doing that again.

Lowered the front of the saddle a bit as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 04 April, 2010, 05:12:14 pm
tuned a wheel
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 April, 2010, 07:18:50 pm
Quote from: Mr Nesbitt on 04 April, 2010, 05:12:14 pm
tuned a wheel

A=440Hz?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 April, 2010, 02:46:09 am
Replaced the head bearings on the cannondale road bike to loose bearings.

Been attacking the rear casette on two different mountain bike with gunk to clean them up as they are full of thick grease and dirt.  Then cleaned the bottom bracket on the carrera as it was crunching.  Ready to clean and reassemble tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 05 April, 2010, 10:13:09 am
This weekend.

On Thursday Dawes Discovery 101 developed wobbly crank syndrome. Dr. CTF diagnosed a need for a new bottom bracket.
Saturday I had a another go removing bottom bracket from Dawes Discovery. Created a screw on tool (piece of metal plate with hole in it, and crank screw) to hold Shimano tool in bottom bracket.  Stamped on spanner, it moved.  I was pleased until I discovered I had stripped the teeth off my bottom bracket tool.  I think that was my oldest bicycle tool.  So Dawes Discovery has gone to not so LBS. I had a choice. Push bike to good shop in Cardiff (five miles) inconvenient. So I caught the next train up the valley.  Choice of two good bike shops with acceptable reputations, Taff Vales cycles Merthyr but the Treherbert train came first, so I selected Bicycle Doctor, Porth, Rhondda. So I have a new favourite LBS by the random selection method.  Now we will find out if they can move BB.

Sunday I finally fitted a new Mudguard for Pink, White and Blue commuting bike.   Re-connected the rear light properly. [Note if you create an earth loop B&M Cyo and Securlite will not switch off. Bad old bike shop :hand:]. Removed the Rohloff cable, but when I tried to remove the shifter the tiny allen key went round and round but the bolt did not move  :-[  So after some thought and application of WD40 and no luck I decide to drill the bolt out.  So I drill but lose my nerve when I am very close to the handle bars without the bolt collapsing and decide that it will be best to just leave it on the bike  :-\

Today I reattach a very oily chain, yeuch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 April, 2010, 05:15:32 pm
Finished the lighting in the garage.  4 x 20W CFLs are about 1/10 as bright as I thought they'd be.  Oh well.  Just finishing off fititng a new rear mudguard on the clubman, because the old one cracked right across the middle.  As usual.  Unfortunately Stronglight mudguards appear to be virtually identical to SKS, so this one probably won't last any longer.  The 35mm ones vibrate violently on rough tarmac, and crack by either the rivets or the brake bridge clip, where there are stress risers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hugo15 on 06 April, 2010, 09:55:27 pm
Serviced the rear hub on my summer bike. Was made better by the fact Mrs Hugo15 was out so I could do it in the front room and watch the football at the same time  ;D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 April, 2010, 10:01:07 pm
Changed the cranks on the Inbred.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robbo6 on 06 April, 2010, 10:10:46 pm
Made some new chainwheel bolts for an ancient pair of Campag. steel cranks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 April, 2010, 12:17:44 am
Failed to fettle the gears into silence on the Kaffenback.  I've come to the conclusion that the cheap Shimano replacement centre chainring fits slightly closer to the large chainring than the old one did.  Consequently the chain rubs on the large chainring when using the smallest sprocket.  I think there's bugger all I can do about this other than not use that sprocket if I want quiet.

Unfortunately, during that fettling session I noticed that the rear rack has partly failed.  I suspect it'll survive for a few days, as long as I keep the pannier weight down, and don't try going for a mega shop!  Time to go and search the shops for a replacement.

It was an OMM Red Rock rack, which fitted nicely to the brake bosses, but hasn't really lasted very long (about 7000 miles of mostly commuting), so that's a bit disappointing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 07 April, 2010, 11:02:51 am
Replaced the serpentine belt (the massively long accessory drive for a/c, alternator, water pump etc.) on MrsH's 3.3L V6 Chrysler, as bits had been flying off the existing one on our run down from Manchester at the weekend. Unfortunately both local Chrysler dealers have closed down, so it's a 35 mile round trip to the next nearest - but very pleasantly surprised to find that the original part is half the cost of the Halfords pattern replacement (and also in stock, unlike Halfords).

Quite an easy job, except that there was the usual problem of needing to get leverage on something (the heavily sprung belt tensioner, to relieve the tension to pop the belt on) where the engine bay design stops you getting your hand or arm in a position where you can apply enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 April, 2010, 11:47:48 am
Removed the scuffed bartape on the forum bike, moved the brake levers upward (sorry!), and applied Spesh cork tape.  Swapped a Bagman onto it too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 April, 2010, 02:47:14 pm
Gone hunting for an intermittent crank-position-related creaking noise, including the removal of chain and pedals, and checking all the chainring bolts.  BB seems fine.  Having been here before, I checked the saddle and seatpost too.  Cleaned the chain while I was at it.  Reckon it's probably the bearing on one of the pedals (M520s), which is obviously less smooth than the other.  I have installed a set of flat pedals with powergrips, and will go for a ride later to test this theory.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 April, 2010, 06:00:10 pm
Put a pannier rack & Carradice Prima rack pack back onto onto the Langster to give a bit of carrying capacity for audax rides.
The pannier also acts a mudgaurd sufficient to have a dry bum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 07 April, 2010, 11:20:29 pm
Quote from: Mr Nesbitt on 04 April, 2010, 03:16:13 pm
Quote from: TimO on 04 April, 2010, 03:05:15 pm
Quote from: Deano on 04 April, 2010, 02:13:14 pm
... it took me a while to realise the reason the chain was skipping over the second smallest sprocket was that the sprocket had been fitted the wrong way round :facepalm: ...

Eeh?  I don't know about things like SRAM and Campag, but with Shimano sprockets and hubs, the splines are shaped such that this would be physically impossible without either filing something off or a large hammer (and subsequent damage to either the sprocket and/or hub).

If they managed to fit it, somehow circumventing the construction, then this one is worthy of the Worst Bodges Ever thread. :o
I was thinking exactly the same. What sort of hub is it Deano ?

Well, I've been around with my cassette tool, and it wasn't fitted the wrong way round (it's a SRAM* cassette on a Shimano hub - as you say, you couldn't fit it the wrong way round), but it still wouldn't shift to the second smallest sprocket correctly.  On this cassette, the two smallest sprockets are separate from the main body, so I would speculate that there is a small spacer missing between the second-smallest sprocket and the main body of the cassette.  Also, the teeth on the second-smallest sprocket look suspiciously bent inwards, but that may be just mine eyes.

Either way, we've replaced it with a Shimano cassette which indexes correctly throughout, and I've acquired a 9-speed SRAM cassette.  If only I had a nine-speed hub :-\

*How d'you pronounce that, anyway?  i've been going with ess-ram, if only 'cos trying to say ssramm ssounds ridiculouss.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 08 April, 2010, 12:22:50 am
I've cleaned one ludicrously filthy bike.  Not to, like, Rogerzilla standards or anything... but it's a huge improvement.  And I'm halfway through the second one (mine - she's so shiny and pretty when she's clean!).  I did also offer to clean dearly beloved's bike too, if he took the baby seat off the back, but he looked at me blankly in a 'why?  The wheels go round and the brakes work since you fixed them, what could need doing?' way and went to bed.

Shall I clean it for him anyway? 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 08 April, 2010, 11:11:21 am
Garden furniture.
The hardwood stuff brought out of winter storeage & onto the top patio.The all weather stuff moved to the lower patio under the gazeebo.
Some ornamental stuff moved around.
Room enough for the turbo or rollers on both patios.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 April, 2010, 02:50:40 pm
Crank-related creaking noise was indeed the pedal, so that's easily solved with a new set of M520s.  I needed some spare cleats anyway.

Much more alarmingly, halfway through the test ride, I realised[1] the steering was notchy.  With a lot of help from barakta, my human workstand, I cleaned and re-adjusted the headset bearings, which were in a fairly grim state grease-wise.  That improved things somewhat, but there's still a detectable notchiness.  I've ordered some loose bearing balls, on the basis that that's supposed to help, but failing that I suppose it's new headset time.  Marvellous :-\


[1] I suspect it's been like that for a while, as I'd previously noticed that I was finally starting to get the hang of the riding-with-no-hands thing.  Sigh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 08 April, 2010, 03:52:08 pm
Tried to mend a puncture in a wheelbarrow wheel. Failed.

Anyone know where I can get 3.5 x 8 inner tubes?

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 09 April, 2010, 01:48:17 pm
New chainring  (courtesy of Rogerzilla*) onto my single speed. Now 48x16 rather than 46x16. Went out for a quick spin and still managed to get up Dark Hill so I think I can pronounce the project a success :thumbsup:

*Actually I'm not sure it was really his - there was a smear of oil on it  :o :o  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 10 April, 2010, 12:09:14 am
My Cateye Doubleshot had been getting less and less reliable.  The cable from battery to light has an in-line connector, and this was very motion- and handling-sensitive.  Having sent an email to Cateye's UK distributor, I then looked up the unit's instruction leaflet.  This reminded me that I'd been supplied with an extension lead, (that had the same plug-n-socket, so as to extend the lead from battery pack to light) which I don't use.

So I unsoldered the faulty lead and socket from the battery pack, snipped the unused extension lead in half, and and used the appropriate end of that lead to replace the faulty one.  I now have steady light, not the random flickeryness of Lucas Prince Of Darkness.

The M*pl*n Soldering Iron that they sent me by mistake when I'd ordered Cable Ties got its first use. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 10 April, 2010, 06:56:53 am
Changed the inner chainring on the TT bike to 44T to give me 44/53 for a gearing experiment. I never used the 39 while racing, but the 44 should be usable.

Discovered that the chain had worn by 1/16in over a winter of turbo training so replaced it. Interesting that the chain wears so quickly in such benign conditions - my road bike chains don't wear as quickly as this and they are covered in grit and crap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 April, 2010, 12:00:20 pm
Put some Marathon Racer 30mm tyres on the Hewitt to replace the Panaracer Paselas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 10 April, 2010, 05:13:42 pm
Sat outside Decathlon changing pedals over on n+2, and adjusting the saddle position.  I love it when things are brand new, well greased and clean.  They come apart nice and easily, and you don't get covered in black gunge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 10 April, 2010, 05:16:39 pm
Fitted tube, tyre and spoke magnet to PowerTap wheel.
Fitted Edge 705 mounting, GSC10, pedal magnet to Wilier.

Fitted large grin to myself now able to play with new training toy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 10 April, 2010, 06:22:36 pm
Disassembled, regreased and reassembled my ultra toque bottom bracket. Amazingly, this didn't require any swearing on my part and the play in the cranks seems to have vanished. Next up, pump up the tyres and go for a spin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 10 April, 2010, 07:27:27 pm
Changed some very worn out rear brake pads (  I blame El-S last weekend :)  ), tweaked the gears as bottom to middle chainring has been a bit reluctant lately and cut out some foam to stop my camera bouncing so much in the rack pack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 10 April, 2010, 07:46:52 pm
Fiddled with my seat set up on the Langster. I dragged the Dawes out of the shed and compared set ups. I was a lot more comfortable on the Dawes.

Turns out that I'd had the seat far too high on the Langster. That and the new stem seems to have sort my positioning out now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 10 April, 2010, 07:49:57 pm
Made a shelf for the window so Mary Hen can put more propagators on.
Sharpened the electric lawn mower blades
Spread some compost on the new plot.
Churned the other composter.
Repaired the arbor.
Planted some seeds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 10 April, 2010, 11:29:40 pm
Retired the front wheel on the commuter, found a nearly new tyre I'd forgotten I had for the spare wheel plus some TLC/MrSheen. And put GT85 on the moving bits of the workstand.
In the sunshine  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 10 April, 2010, 11:58:22 pm
Removed the old Specialized Mindset headset on the Allez and replaced it with a perfectly normal Cane Creek IS3 integrated headset (Yes, you really can do this, you want a 36x45 model)

Transferred tyres and cassette over onto my new wheels

Fitted a Bagman Expedition QR.  The first thing I transported was a load made up of:
6x330ml Amstel Bier
10x250ml Stella Artois
2l Fanta
2l Sprite
1l orange squash
500g cheese
A D lock

These Carradice bags are great!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 11 April, 2010, 07:04:12 pm
I will be painting windows and eaves until further notice......................... I might emerge by May.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 April, 2010, 09:12:26 pm
Part-fettling day today.

I drilled the frame of Superstoker's Galaxy for dual pivots, only to find that I'll need longer reach calipers.

I got two wheels fitted to my Rudge, but the front one is a very old wheel, an d the spokes are a bit rusty.  I had to spring the forks to get that on.  But it has a flat tyre, so I'll need to swap off the new tyre from the new wheels, and ultimately get the new rim put onto the old hub.

Filed the rear dropouts on the Carlton so that a modern axle will fit in.  Just need a wheel made now.  I've got a rim and a hub.

Yesterday, I trued the wheel on my niece's Claud Butler we got her for her birthday (v.late because we've been to busy to get it fettled :-[ ), and took it to her.  It's her first drop-bar bike, and she was made up, zooming off up & down the road, with her brother following way behind on his unicycle.  Very gratifying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 12 April, 2010, 07:31:00 pm
Put fresh sealant round the bath as it turns out it was rather leaky. Its rather nice doing DIY with your feet in a warm bath  ;D
I wish I could fix the builders' bodge of the lino as easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2010, 03:39:11 pm
Finally got round to putting my insanely efficient dynamo USB charger together on veroboard.  Astoundingly I only made one easily-fixed assembly cockup, of the kind that didn't release any magic smoke.  Just need to find a sensible enclosure and it can actually get some ride-testing.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/rectifier/IMG_2163.sized.jpg) (http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=rectifier&id=IMG_2163)

Update: sensible enclosure on its way, with absolutely no help from the Maplin website, and even less help from Farnell.  Also some of those connectors they use on R/C model battery packs, which seem like a good bet for connecting to the dynamo wiring without too much fuss.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 08:59:29 pm
That's impressive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 09:02:03 pm
I scored a pair of 700x20c tyres for Fred for £9.00.  Yes, £9.00 for two! :o

Swapped them on.  Left the new 'guards for another day. 

Tightened the grub screw on Butterfly's Bagman, but noticed that there's a part missing :(

Fitted the dual pivot brakes to Superstoker's tourer, which involved removing the rack, and redoing the whole mudguard arrangement (I swapped stays with Fred's old ones).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 14 April, 2010, 10:27:42 pm
Quote from: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 08:59:29 pm
That's impressive.

As in "will you be making more?"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 14 April, 2010, 10:32:21 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 14 April, 2010, 10:27:42 pm
Quote from: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 08:59:29 pm
That's impressive.

As in "will you be making more?"

If you start producing those commercially, Kim, sign me up!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 14 April, 2010, 10:41:34 pm
I just replaced my failed Old Man Mountain Red Rock rack on Kevin the Kaffenback with a new Tor Tec Expedition rack.  I think the Tor Tec one was something like half the price of the OMM one, but lets see if it lasts longer than the 7000 miles that the Red Rock survived.

I've actually left part of the mounts for the OMM on the bike, since it partially mounts onto the brake bosses, so until I'm willing to dismantle and clean the rear brakes, I'll leave the last bits of the mount on them.  They are in effect just big washers, so they don't really affect anything.

I also swiped the rack fitting rear CatEye light mount off of the Pompino, so I'll have to put an order into Wiggle for some replacements for that.

I'll almost certainly need to fiddle with the pannier hook positions in the morning, but that should be a quick, and relatively clean job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 11:45:28 pm
Quote from: Deano on 14 April, 2010, 10:32:21 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 14 April, 2010, 10:27:42 pm
Quote from: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 08:59:29 pm
That's impressive.

As in "will you be making more?"

If you start producing those commercially, Kim, sign me up!

Yeah, that. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 11:57:01 pm
Fitted new 'guards to Fred.  Looks good.  I think I might need to adjust the front brake.

Put the rear rack back on Superstoker's Galaxy.  It's a three-point now rather than four :(  I might be able to find a way to put the other stay on.  Still not entirely happy with the brake adjustment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 April, 2010, 01:25:23 am
Quote from: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 11:45:28 pm
Quote from: Deano on 14 April, 2010, 10:32:21 pm
If you start producing those commercially, Kim, sign me up!
Yeah, that. ;)

Don't hold your breath, but if this ends up working well, I may get some PCBs made in the interests of compactness and reliability...

I've got some feeping creaturism to go through first though.  I'd like to be able to charge (annoying combinations of) NiMHs, too.  At a variable rate so there's still power for USB stuff on the bike, but able to fast-charge if there's mains or 12V power available.  That means mucking about with microcontrollers and the voodoo of switching regulators...  Seems feasible, but it's back-of-the-envelope stuff at this stage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 15 April, 2010, 07:56:36 am
Shortened brake cables to a more acceptable length.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 April, 2010, 11:56:49 am
Quote from: Deano on 14 April, 2010, 10:32:21 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 14 April, 2010, 10:27:42 pm
Quote from: clarion on 14 April, 2010, 08:59:29 pm
That's impressive.

As in "will you be making more?"

If you start producing those commercially, Kim, sign me up!

I don't care what it does, but if you can build in a frikkin' laser I'll take three :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 15 April, 2010, 01:32:39 pm
Fresh chain for the Horizon, before the current one gets too stretched.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 15 April, 2010, 03:38:27 pm
Just fitted a 75mm stem to replace the 100mm one on my Roubaix.  I'm so looking forward to weeks of agonizing over saddle position.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 April, 2010, 04:27:26 pm
Quote from: Gandalf on 15 April, 2010, 03:38:27 pm
Just fitted a 75mm stem to replace the 100mm one on my Roubaix.  I'm so looking forward to weeks of agonizing over saddle position.

is that a euphanism for something? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 15 April, 2010, 04:30:55 pm
Quote from: jogler on 15 April, 2010, 04:27:26 pm
Quote from: Gandalf on 15 April, 2010, 03:38:27 pm
Just fitted a 75mm stem to replace the 100mm one on my Roubaix.  I'm so looking forward to weeks of agonizing over saddle position.

is that a euphanism for something? ;D

I should be so lucky!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 15 April, 2010, 04:43:15 pm
The homemade handlebar mount for my 'dual Tesco torch on a dymano' has been working loose and shifting position over bumps, so I've just made a new one from a couple of cable clamps  (http://www.thecrimpcompany.co.uk/scpro/crimp/products/productsmoredetails.asp?id=5332)to fit on the handlebars, and the handlebar clamp bits from broken gripshifts to hold the torches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 April, 2010, 04:43:55 pm
New headset to replace the one which was suffering from a terminal case of indexed steering.  This was educational, I don't appear to have broken anything, and there was hardly any blood loss.  More importantly, I've added to the obscure tools collection and didn't have to lug anything to a bike shop, so it's a net win :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 April, 2010, 04:28:32 pm
Really advanced stuff.

I Proofided two saddles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 17 April, 2010, 04:40:41 pm
The gate. Concreted a Metpost socket into the drive. Once it's set and I've put the gate-post back on, should mean that, when I arrive home from work, the gate doesn't flap around wildly as I take my bike through ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 19 April, 2010, 05:01:17 pm
Built the front wheel for Mrs Tewdric's new N+1!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 19 April, 2010, 05:03:23 pm
The thing that toilets have instead of a ballcock these days in the garage loo so the builders can use it. It had got stuck after not being used for several years (the garage loo was being used as an extra store room for my accumulation of random bits of wood and the like).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 20 April, 2010, 10:40:24 am
Fixed slow puncture. hmm, 9 patches on one tube maybe it's time to retire it ( ;))

Noticed this morning I'd put rear tyre on the wrong way round; that must be why I was really slow. Can I be arsed to turn it round tonight?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 20 April, 2010, 11:48:57 am
A puncture on the trike(rear wheel).It's very novel doing this without removing the wheel :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 20 April, 2010, 11:57:31 am
Last night I took the join off the Alfine hub, cleaned out all the winter grime and regreased it.
The join is the bit that the cable connects to
The top 3 gears, which had been unavailable, magically reappeared
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 April, 2010, 01:17:15 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 20 April, 2010, 10:40:24 am
Noticed this morning I'd put rear tyre on the wrong way round; that must be why I was really slow. Can I be arsed to turn it round tonight?

Depends on the tyre.  I've put road tyres on backwards, and it doesn't really matter, since most of them owe any directionality more to marketing than any technological reason.

Some heavily treaded mountain bike tyres may benefit from directionality, since oriented the correct way, you get better braking grip on the front, and better driving grip on the rear (ie front and rear are typically put on in the opposite direction).

For most road tyres, I'd be amazed if it made much difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 21 April, 2010, 07:17:25 pm
Just finished cleaning lots of flecks of paint (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26458.msg601936#msg601936) off my Bob Jackson  ::-) Ah well, it was due a clean anyway I suppose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 April, 2010, 07:21:04 pm
Adjusted the inner screw(clockwise) on the front mech. to stop the chain from dropping off the granny ring onto the BB shell/frame.
Road tested & sofarsogood
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 April, 2010, 08:32:58 pm
First I teak oiled the bench.

Then I fixed the Mk3 Brompton's chain tensioner, which had lost a tiny washer when I stripped it down (the Brompton book came in useful!), although it's been held together with threadlock quite happily for the last six months  ::-)

Then I pulled the SRAM hub apart for a final check of the new bearings I installed last month, because Mrs Z is going to start riding it again.  Pumped up the tyres and found the front light.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kevinp on 21 April, 2010, 08:51:05 pm
Just fitted a new rear derailleur on the Dawes, it now changes gear a lot smoother :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 April, 2010, 08:31:53 am
Changed the 'toe out' to 'toe in'  on my rear brake. Massive improvement!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 April, 2010, 08:37:20 pm
Put the summer p1mp1ng wheels on the clubman.   Fitted the third set of new brake pads in three weeks to the Inbred.  Fiddles with the cable adjustment on the Fuji and can see no reason why the hub slipped except (a) I nudged the lever with my hand or (b) it's just badly designed.  The testing continues.  If you're listening, Sturmey-Archer, there is a reason all your old hubs had flick triggers.  This was to avoid ever being able to select an intermediate position between gears.  FFS go back to them.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 23 April, 2010, 10:51:46 pm
Moved the computer to a new bracket on the stem, which made space to fit the route holder on the bars. Now I can (just) see GPS, route sheet and computer at the same time. I don't have space for my cateye light on the bars with that lot, so moved the fenix holder from my helmet to the bars for now as the dark commutes are done for a while.

Then I swapped the ridgeback saddle for a charge one. Looking after the kids tonight, so didn't do more than some back-pedalling in a doorway to get a first go at a comfy position.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jord on 23 April, 2010, 11:06:43 pm
Fitted new rear brake blocks and also Dérailleur pulley wheels. The old wheels resembled throwing stars! The rest of the chain-set was replaced last week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 April, 2010, 10:45:16 pm
I had to fettle a new inner tube onto the front wheel of the Kaffenback, which went down overnight.  At least it happened today, when all it did was delay me a bit going to Sainsburys.  If it had happened tomorrow morning, I would have been annoyed.

I buggered around for a while trying to find the cause, and eventually realised that the valve was slightly coming away from the tube, which was unusual.  At least it meant that the Marathon Supreme tyre wasn't to blame, and could keep it's good record of virtually no fairy visitations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 24 April, 2010, 10:52:47 pm
I built the rear wheel for Mrs Tewdrics new tourer, and fettled the gears on my Audax bike.  One of the jockey wheels on the Ultegra derailleur had torn and a flap of nylon was causing the chain to skip.  Took a while to work that one out!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 25 April, 2010, 04:44:13 pm
I cleaned and serviced my MTB
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 April, 2010, 04:58:40 pm
Tyre pressure on the Enigma ready for commuting next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 April, 2010, 05:02:48 pm
The mudflaps on the Longstaff are tearing so I reinforced them with some gaffer tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 25 April, 2010, 05:13:36 pm
Quote from: jogler on 25 April, 2010, 05:02:48 pm
The mudflaps on the Longstaff are tearing so I reinforced them with some gaffer tape.

The rear on Stoker's tourer has been thus fettled for nearly three years!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cunobelin on 25 April, 2010, 07:15:52 pm
New Territory....

One of the wheels on the Catrike has been "graunchy", so I decided to take it into a bike shop to see if they could do anything.

Then I thought  - I have an old wheel in the garage from when I crunched the rim on a pothole. SO I disassembled this and reassembled.

Bought bearings and fitted them myself..... another skill acuired!
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 25 April, 2010, 07:22:24 pm
Emily and I turned my old mtb into a pannier carrying, Vittoria Randonneur 26x1.5 road tyres wearing load carrying machine.

Tee-hee - she still has no idea that a week from now I'll be exchanging cold hard cash for Ed-o-brains Pearson Hanzo for her. :D
Shh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Palinurus on 25 April, 2010, 07:43:29 pm
Commute bike seemed to be creaking from everywhere on Friday, bars, saddle/seatpost, cranks.

Disassembled all three bits, cleaned, greased in some cases, and reassembled.

Seems quiet now. I'll find out for sure tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 25 April, 2010, 08:44:20 pm
Replaced one piece of rotten wood in the eaves of the house. Finished undercoating the rest of the interminably substantial and cob web infested eaves and barge boards. Cleaned all the gutter downpipes - not one operating as Mr Marley intended. Unbodged Mrs Rdb's connection from one downpipe to a water butt so that it now works properly.

Next weekend..........more painting, but instead of dark grey - I can use black!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 25 April, 2010, 08:52:26 pm
Repaired some p*nct*r*d inner tubes that have been hanging on the back of a chair since....erm....September last year  :-[  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 April, 2010, 08:54:56 pm
Wiped a load of oil from the "fast" Brompton wheel that has been hanging in the garage since the last BWC.  I somewhat over-oiled the hub for the event.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 25 April, 2010, 09:40:37 pm
Adjusted new honey Brooks that I fitted the other day.

Hoping to break this one in quite quickly, I hate how slippy they are at first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 April, 2010, 08:05:35 am
Resealed the bath/shower. Don't think it leaks this time :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 April, 2010, 08:44:15 am
Over the weekend, rebuilt my Mythtv box (the old one went BANG in a spectacular style).

Clean and lubed the Ridley.

Adjusted one of the stays on the rear crud racer guard so I could fit a pannier.

This morning:

Moved the stay back as it was now catching the wheel magnet!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 26 April, 2010, 11:53:05 am
Swapped saddles yesterday fromMrs Aidans  Raliegh Mixte thingy to the Spesh Sirrus which has liberated one of my Brooks B17s


Mrs Aidan doesnt do big miles and doesnt like Brooks saddles:hand:  (is there a shaking head smilie? ;D)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nicknack on 27 April, 2010, 01:43:09 pm
Seat post clamp.

This was a mistake. 15 miles from home I decided to try and do something about an irritating intermittent click. So I tightened a few things, including the seat post clamp, which responded with an even louder click as the threads stripped. This left me with freely rotating saddle about 5 inches nearer the ground. Fortunately there was an LBS a couple of miles away who supplied a replacement. So I only had 2 miles of looking like a total plonker.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 April, 2010, 02:16:41 pm
Sunday I fixed a hot tap so it (a) turns more than half a turn and (b) does so with silky smoothness not seen outside of an Epilady advert.

This lunchtime I mended the chain on my fixer (see commuting thread) with a Taya Sigma connector. I'll let you know how it gets on.

And tightened the chain, obv.

And tightened the band on my Minoura Space Grip, post bar tape replacement. 6 years old, still going strong.  There, that'll guarantee it breaks on the way home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 27 April, 2010, 11:14:11 pm
I'm off to Londinium Town tomorrow, so I've hosed the remainder of Birmingham off the Dahon, fitted a new front light and polished the Dromarti shoes to a fine shine  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 27 April, 2010, 11:22:01 pm
I noticed some rust on the chainstay of my Orange (Phil) Oakey, so I wet n Dry-ed it down to metal, and Hammerited it back to full fitness.  Shame the Hammerite is silver, and the paintwork is orange, but never mind.


      YouTube
            - any old iron !!! hammerite advert LOVED IT!!!
    (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYuIeufKoeo)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 29 April, 2010, 10:46:10 pm
Noo inners (Brakes and gears)
Noo outers (ditto)
Noo bar tape. (obv)
Major overhaul of canti inner bits.

Bugger me!  I now need a health and safety warning on my hoods.  :o

"Touching these levers will cause this bicycle to reduce speed to 0 MPH IMMEDIATELY!"
"The rider himself may not slow down as quickly"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 April, 2010, 10:49:27 pm
New chainset on the Mercian.

The old one was stuck fast and I'd stripped the extracting thread, so it was......

ANGLE GRINDER TIME!

No injuries to self or bike.   :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 29 April, 2010, 11:11:53 pm
Air can service on the rear shock on the mountain bike.  Oil got absolutely everywhere but I now understand why they are so expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 30 April, 2010, 10:28:11 am
Ten days fetteling PC due to problems and mail order delays.

Added new video card. Switch mains back on and router dies.
Buy new ADSL router and impulse buy faster processor.
Added new processor wrongly and broke cpu and/or motherboard.  ???
Tried old cpu fans spin but no boot. Certainly motherboard.
New motherboard and another new cpu obtained. Fans do not spin new motherboard does not like old power supply.
Added new power supply and the completely dead system leaped into life.

I didn't really need the video card.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 30 April, 2010, 12:15:52 pm
Temporarily put the rear Marathon+ back on the Pompino - replacing the GP4 Seasons that seems to be causing permanent punctures in the same place - but I just cannot see anything untoward in the tyre. It was getting expensive in tubes and had to come off...  >:(

I have a long overnight ride planned. Funny how a slight loss in trust of ones bike can suddenly make one a wee bit nervous.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 May, 2010, 12:01:36 pm
Put a 11cm riser stem on the Hewitt to replace the 11cm "flat" (whatever angle it is) stem.  It looks a bit gawky, but I want to try it on a long ride and see if it reduces neck pain.  The bars are now at the same level as the saddle and a bit closer; Paul Hewitt recommended the 11cm rather than 10cm stem for me, but I think he goes for excessively stretched positions; I generally use the "one cubit and a couple of inches" rule.

The other bikes can stay racy, because they're generally used for shorter trips and low bars are also  better for climbing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 01 May, 2010, 12:30:07 pm
It's the first of May, so I've taken the studded tyres off the hybrid.

 ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kevinp on 01 May, 2010, 01:19:55 pm
I finished putting the rest of my bitsa road bike together a bit of a mishmash of parts but it rides pretty good, I also put my mtb back together, as the back wheel and cranks were used on my trike which I haven't used  since January ..... can't see what all the fuss is about with them ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 01 May, 2010, 01:23:16 pm
Right then!  I can't ride, been poorly most of the week and still all chesty n full o' snot and feeling horribly run down so I've

Fixed two punctured tubes
Superglued a slit in Mrs Aidans back tyre
put a skull n crossbone sticker on the Brommie
moved the Carradice Zipped roll from the On One to the back of the Brommie
cleaned oiled and adjusted the kids' runabout
washed the Soma
Started dismantling the donor bike for the bits to build the Holdsworth I've just bought off Tokamak
run round every bike with an oily rag wiping and checking
put two coat hooks up.

I'm gonna twang my Schecter   :o   for a bit   then fall asleep in front of watch the Tour of Romandy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 May, 2010, 02:44:48 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 01 May, 2010, 01:23:16 pm

moved the Carradice Zipped roll from the On One to the back of the Brommie


are you happy with this product?Have contemplated buying one myself.
I too find that the Romandy tour is good for insomnia ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 May, 2010, 02:45:52 pm
I have taken a B17 off the Trek & fitted a Swallow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 01 May, 2010, 02:53:04 pm
Quote from: jogler on 01 May, 2010, 02:44:48 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 01 May, 2010, 01:23:16 pm

moved the Carradice Zipped roll from the On One to the back of the Brommie


are you happy with this product?Have contemplated buying one myself.
I too find that the Romandy tour is good for insomnia ::-)

Yes, I've had it on the Pompino as a handlebar bag ( straps round each side of bar, and on stem)  and its been really useful.  have also used it as a (very) small saddle bag when all I've needed to carry is a tube and tools, a thin waterproof and a bit of food.  It doesn't have a great capacity, but is probably more versatile for it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 May, 2010, 03:04:50 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 01 May, 2010, 02:53:04 pm
Quote from: jogler on 01 May, 2010, 02:44:48 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 01 May, 2010, 01:23:16 pm

moved the Carradice Zipped roll from the On One to the back of the Brommie


are you happy with this product?Have contemplated buying one myself.
I too find that the Romandy tour is good for insomnia ::-)

Yes, I've had it on the Pompino as a handlebar bag ( straps round each side of bar, and on stem)  and its been really useful.  have also used it as a (very) small saddle bag when all I've needed to carry is a tube and tools, a thin waterproof and a bit of food.  It doesn't have a great capacity, but is probably more versatile for it

that's exactly what I had in mind for hanging on the  Swallow when fitted to the Trek.Thanks for the comment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 01 May, 2010, 03:13:01 pm
Changed the saddle on GillP's Bianchi (she has opted for comfort over aesthetics), fitted her post pack mount, changed the stem on the Pearson fixed for a shorter steeper one and sorted out lights ready for a dawn start tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 May, 2010, 05:46:08 pm
Stoker's Brevet has just had a major fettle:

Broken spoke in rear wheel replaced which entailed removing the cassette, full clean of cassette, repair punctured tube, fit new Gatorskin * OUCH - why are they so fucking tight ??? *.

Mechs cleaned and adjusted, new chain, brakes adjusted.

Replacement Spesh Dolce with ti rails fitted and Ortlieb saddle pack with integral light installed.

Now, back to my personal grindstone...

   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 02 May, 2010, 11:47:23 am
On Friday evening, prior to the FNRttC, I replaced the mount and cleat of my Exposure Race light, because it was so rattly it would no longer hold the light securely.  I experimented, and the old cleat rattled on the new mount, and the new cleat rattled on the old mount, I had to replace both of them, which was annoying (and more expensive).

The old mount seems OK with the slightly bulkier plastic cleat of the Joystick, but I don't generally want a mount just for the Joystick (which is a combination spare light and handy torch for mechanicals on the FNRttC and similar night rides).

I wonder if replacing the cleat before it's too worn will extend the life of the mount, like replacing a chain to save wear on the cassette?

That mount has done around 8000 miles, since I virtually always have the light on my bike, which isn't too bad, but could be better.  You don't expect a metal light mount to wear out. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 May, 2010, 01:02:13 pm
Yesterday, I replaced the bar tape and moved the brakes on the DSG, capped the end of the brake cables, and fitted a different saddle and Bagman.

This morning, I've been rooting around for spare parts for the tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 02 May, 2010, 02:47:29 pm
I started the weekend with only one, dirty, working bike...

The Longstaff fixed has been cleaned and has a new chain, brake blocks and bar tape.
The Ridgeback has been reassembled from its flight packed state.
The Surly has been cleaned (a bit) and has new tyres and I've converted it from fixed/drops to single-speed/flat bar.
The trike has new disc pads and is running, although it could do with a good clean too.


Mrs G's commuter is next for the treatment...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 03 May, 2010, 08:44:55 pm
Three day epic painting session done. Top of the house now looking nice and pristine. It's just a shame that most of what I've painted can't actually be seen unless you are up a ladder. Scaffolding can come down tomorrow. I'm having a day off and then back to the paintbrush rejuvenating stuff that's closer to the ground on Wednesday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Barnsdale on 03 May, 2010, 09:51:55 pm
Flipped the stem and fitted tri-bars to the Airnimal, then tried it out.  Very comfortable and allows the next cog up against the wind.  Then got home and trued the back wheel, well nearly. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 03 May, 2010, 09:55:05 pm
Replaced an inner tube. Prepared a seed bed. Chopped some more branches off a tree.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 May, 2010, 09:56:06 pm
More tandem fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 07 May, 2010, 03:55:01 pm
Pink, white and blue bike was making a terrible rattling noise. So I replaced the lost screw holding the rack to the drop out. Quiet again now, just tyre noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 May, 2010, 06:18:13 pm
a new Topeak saddlepak to the Trek.If it's raining in the morning when I get up earlyish I wii swiftly fit a clip-on mudgaurd to the rear wheel:I don't want to be having a wet arse
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 07 May, 2010, 07:14:52 pm
I fitted a bottle cage.  Been meaning to do that since January!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 07 May, 2010, 08:05:19 pm
Fitted an Onza Buzz Saw 26T stainless steel inner ring to a triple.  Unlike the previous ring, it doesn't have recesses for the bolt heads -which caused a problem, until I replaced the spacers on the other side that I fitted to improve shifting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 07 May, 2010, 08:40:28 pm
Started on mudguards and then remembered that 40 something year old British bikes don't have metric threads. Tomorrow I shall be squiring a tap and die set so I can finish the job.

It looks better with guards though, they help to fill the massive gap between the tyres and frame a little,
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: xpc316e on 07 May, 2010, 09:14:27 pm
I, along with three colleagues, spent the whole morning fettling thirty children's bikes prior to their doing Bikeability training.  We fixed countless loose bottom brackets on BMXs, useless brakes, wobbly headsets, under-inflated tyres, etc.  As we worked I remarked, "I can't believe this - I am being paid to tinker with bikes."

Came home and fitted carbon bars to my Dahon Jetstream P9.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 08 May, 2010, 03:13:04 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 07 May, 2010, 08:40:28 pm
Started on mudguards and then remembered that 40 something year old British bikes don't have metric threads. Tomorrow I shall be squiring a tap and die set so I can finish the job.

It looks better with guards though, they help to fill the massive gap between the tyres and frame a little,

Done that. I cannot believe that I have managed so long without a set.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 08 May, 2010, 03:15:26 pm
VAR lever arrived in the post so it seemed like a good idea to try it out. Tyre removed and refitted multiple times. It works  :thumbsup:

My life closely resembles that of a rock star I think you'll agree.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 08 May, 2010, 03:19:02 pm
Quote from: Pippa on 08 May, 2010, 03:15:26 pm
VAR lever arrived in the post so it seemed like a good idea to try it out. Tyre removed and refitted multiple times. It works  :thumbsup:

VAR - an absolute requirement if you are a Marathon Plus user.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 08 May, 2010, 03:22:31 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 08 May, 2010, 03:19:02 pm
VAR - an absolute requirement if you are a Marathon Plus user.

Unless you have thumbs like Guy.




The Gorilla.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 08 May, 2010, 03:30:29 pm
Palms and thumbs for M+ tyres.  :thumbsup:
Mmm, banananananas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 May, 2010, 10:47:19 pm
New gears, brakes (inc levers for both) & wheels on the Woodrup.  Sadly, gave up trying to remove the chainset after I couldn't shift the bolt.  :(

I want to put a triple on it, so the BB will probably be gone ere long.

I managed to get the road mech to cope with the 48-36 chainset and 12-28 cassette. :thumbsup:

Need new sprockets, but I'm sure I can sort that, now I've got a hub that'll handle a seven.  May go for an 11-28 for a higher top gear...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 May, 2010, 02:06:46 am
The adjustable boom and all things drivetrain-related on the sexy new darkside loveliness (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33007.0), on the basis that if I'm going to muck about with the chain to work out how long it should be, that's easier when said chain is clean.  Obviously this deteriorated into a strip-down and cleaning of the chainset, cassette and rear mech, too.

Also tweaked the front brake which was rubbing a bit; transplanted the Garmin mount and Smart/Ixon-compatible light bracket from the Folding BSO; added some sensible pedals (the old SPD/platform ones Charlotte found for me to ride it home have an interesting 'feature' whereby the serrated platform mates with my shoe in a way that feels remarkably similar to being clipped in, until it really isn't); tightened a couple of mudguard bolts.  There may also have been polishing  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 10 May, 2010, 09:25:30 am
Fitted new cassette, gear cables (outer and inner), Brake cables, jockey wheels, bar tape and pedals to son's Fort. Set up gears.  I'm not fond of Campag.  >:(

Trued my front wheel and tightened every spoke; the whole wheel was loose.

Abortive attempt to fit a triple to the Ribble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RichL on 10 May, 2010, 10:37:06 pm
New chain, mudguards and rack on Spesh Tricross fixed. Mmm... toe overlap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 12 May, 2010, 08:26:47 am
New 105 brake blocks all round on the blue bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Giraffe on 12 May, 2010, 08:43:02 am
Decided to do something about slipping 4th. on the hack/shopping bike. Cleaned a handful of clag off the transmission to find that chain, ring and block were a little worn. Looked at 4th. sprocket to find that it had become the five-and-12-half-tooth model.
New block, chain, rear mech and v. good 2nd.-hand ring (I hate putting new stuff on this bike, especially as the whole lot cost around 25 quid!).
Haven't tried it on the road yet, but seems OK.
Oh, also did pedals and wheels, so the bike should have a bit less 'drag'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 12 May, 2010, 09:06:17 pm
fitted new monster chainring to speedyfixie, hoping an 85" gear will help get up and down the '10' faster than my brother (on gears) next week

damn you, alcohol-fuelled bets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 12 May, 2010, 09:18:01 pm
Discovered that the Red Baron is unwell (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33155.0).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 May, 2010, 09:19:15 pm
Continued faffing with mudguards on the Dave Yates.  I'm not sure I can be bothered to trial them tonight, so I might ride it to work tomorrow instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 May, 2010, 09:25:07 pm
After weeks and weeks of waiting for replacement handlebars for the Pino, I learnt today that Hase had sent the wrong bloody ones.

Bum!

However, I have a friend who has not so much a garage but a workshop, as he has a fleet of Landrovers to support. And he haz l33t welding skillz.

So he welded the crack in the old bars.  Hah!

(faint hearted readers worry not - these aren't namby pamby aluminium Stupid Lite handlebars, but gert big steel ones).

I have now deployed the Hammerite can to good effect and will refit the bars on the morrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 May, 2010, 09:49:22 pm
Modified the wiring of a Speedzone Elite computer mount, so that the cadence sensor emerges from the back of the mount, rather than a bifurcation at the end of the cable.  Contrived a means to fit it to the Streetmachine.  Bemused passing students while measuring the wheel circumference.

Discovered that at least two optical drives don't work (this is normal - I kill optical drives just by looking at them), but managed to persuade the EeePC to boot from a SD card, and installed Ubuntu 10.4.  Really must invest in some USB flash drives in late-noughties sizes, the one I usually use is about 6 years old and too small for the install image.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 13 May, 2010, 08:40:10 am
Quote from: groucho on 12 May, 2010, 08:26:47 am
New 105 brake blocks all round on the blue bike.

And I am sure that their gentle rubbing on the wheel rims were are contributory factor in my failure to catch the club peloton after I dropped my water bottle last night.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 May, 2010, 11:07:06 am
Built up a Sturmey-Archer AM medium ratio hub destined for Charlotte's Brompton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 15 May, 2010, 11:15:33 am
put cranks on, fit gear cables, fit seat and post, fit pedals.

just going to fit brake cables, fit bar tape, adjust everything, check everything again, then go for a pootle to start getting it all just so.

Then I'm going to take pictures
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 15 May, 2010, 11:54:08 am
I've fettled the shed. I now have a new set of large draws for cycling stuff and have labelled the little tiny draws with things like "valve bits", "cable bits" etc. etc. In theory I should now be able to establish much more quickly that I don't have the "bit" that I need to complete the job.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 15 May, 2010, 11:55:23 am
My right knee with ice packs and compression.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 May, 2010, 07:34:15 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 01 May, 2010, 05:46:08 pm
Stoker's Brevet has just had a major fettle:

Broken spoke in rear wheel replaced which entailed removing the cassette, full clean of cassette, repair punctured tube, fit new Gatorskin * OUCH - why are they so fucking tight ??? *.

Mechs cleaned and adjusted, new chain, brakes adjusted.

Replacement Spesh Dolce with ti rails fitted and Ortlieb saddle pack with integral light installed.

Now, back to my personal grindstone...

   

Having fettled Stokers audax machine two week past, it was the turn of mine today.   It has been in hibernation and is expecting a frame transplant but I'm still awaiting a couple of bits before that can go ahead.

Anyhoo, new cassette and chain, brakes adjusted, pedals attached, and, a Vaude bag bought from Sgt. Pluck to replace the naff and nasty Carradice junior.   Tyres inflated, all is ready for a spin in the morning.   8)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 15 May, 2010, 08:16:13 pm
Took the cranks out and gave the bottom bracket seals a good clean to de-grit them.  Added a bit of lube to make a better seal.  Degreased the cranks fully.  Installed a new chain and rear cassette.  Washed bike too.  Re-tensioned the rear dérailleur.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 15 May, 2010, 08:38:21 pm
Found a broken spoke on my Fixed when I was going out to get the shopping.

Dragged the Dawes Giro out of the shed to find that the chain was seized up. Lack of oil after putting it away wet last year  :-[

A harty dose of WD40 to free up the links, and a splodge of oil on top and it was running again.

Very weird to be riding something with a freewheel again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 May, 2010, 08:34:50 am
Repainted an old stone chip on the frame that had started to rust :o  Took all back to bare metal then a couple of coats of Naval Jelly followed by 5 coats of matching Humbrol modelmakers paint.  (I still can't believe how good a match it is!) 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kevinp on 16 May, 2010, 08:45:06 am
Bought some new brake cables from Wilkinsons at £1.00 each, they better be worth it ! fitted them to the single speed and it now stops :)

The cables are quite good as they come with a nipple on each end to fit either road or mtb and they feel pretty smooth, damn sight cheaper than £4.99 for one inner from local bike shop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 May, 2010, 12:13:33 pm
Quote from: asterix on 16 May, 2010, 08:34:50 am
Repainted an old stone chip on the frame that had started to rust :o  Took all back to bare metal then a couple of coats of Naval Jelly followed by 5 coats of matching Humbrol modelmakers paint.  (I still can't believe how good a match it is!)  

I have that joy always:being colour blind is not altogether a disadvantage ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 16 May, 2010, 01:24:21 pm
The brakes on my Peregrine (and I cleaned it :D)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 16 May, 2010, 02:00:46 pm
Put the final finishing touches to the Planet-X Ti Pro Road I'd been building up out of the remains of my old summer road bike. Yesterday was tape the bars, bolt the bottle cages on, fit the powertap computer mount and wiring loom.

Today I stuck a 12-21 cassette (9 speed) on the powertap wheel and took it for it's maiden voyage  :thumbsup:

I'd forgotten how much slicker ultegra is than 105 (at least in 9 speed versions). The shifting is sooooo nice  :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 16 May, 2010, 05:06:04 pm
Added seat post and saddle to new frame.

Now has
Headset
Stem
Wheels
Seat post
and Prop stand.

Now back to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 16 May, 2010, 07:22:46 pm
Fiddled with my bottom bracket to try and cure a creaking under pressure.

Failed, due to the crap installation done by Planet X.  After looking at the expected components from the FSA web site, I'm missing a number of O seals and similar washers.  



Edit.

I've also found that as I've got carbon cranks, there should be pedal washers.  Guess what - they're not fitted either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 May, 2010, 07:56:45 pm
Quote from: jogler on 16 May, 2010, 12:13:33 pm
Quote from: asterix on 16 May, 2010, 08:34:50 am
Repainted an old stone chip on the frame that had started to rust :o  Took all back to bare metal then a couple of coats of Naval Jelly followed by 5 coats of matching Humbrol modelmakers paint.  (I still can't believe how good a match it is!)  

I have that joy always:being colour blind is not altogether a disadvantage ;)

In my case howeverr, being tone-deaf does not allow me watch programs such as the x-factor without suffering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 16 May, 2010, 09:43:35 pm
Quote from: Adam on 16 May, 2010, 07:22:46 pm
Fiddled with my bottom bracket to try and cure a creaking under pressure.

Failed, due to the crap installation done by Planet X.  After looking at the expected components from the FSA web site, I'm missing a number of O seals and similar washers. 

Oh dear, that is not good. I must take mine apart to have a look.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 16 May, 2010, 09:44:35 pm
Took the forlorn blue DRibble winter bike out of the shed. I've being thinking of selling it, but a quick wash, and the replacement of some of the crappy parts with less crappy ones from the parts box, has changed my mind. Flipping the stem so that the position pretty much matches my other machines had made it a lot more comfy, as has transplanting my original and very well worn in 1989 Brooks Colt onto it.

I'll be using it to commute across the Fylde when I don't fancy riding the Langster, or when the wind is howling so badly across the plain that I actually need gears. It'll get a test ride tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 May, 2010, 09:49:40 pm
Emergency roadside fettling of my rear mudguard after one of Birmingham's finest stealth potholes caused one of my (admittedly cheap and nasty, but otherwise surprisingly dependable) panniers to partially unhook in such a way that the end of the mudguard was caught by the tyre.  The mudguard folded up, jammed the wheel and wreaked minor amounts of havoc with the wiring to the rear lights.  Luckily I managed to skid to a halt gracefully, while avoiding any traffic entanglements.  Typically, this happened about 3 minutes from home, after riding back from the AGM camping weekend.

Fortunately, I will be needing to invest in some proper panniers which are compatible with the thicker tubing of the SMGT's racks anyway, so I foresee something with an Ortlieb-style mounting in the near future...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PrettyBoyTim on 16 May, 2010, 09:54:20 pm
I put a new roof on the garden shed. Also attached the new macerator to my Mum's loo. Very unlike me. I'm not great at DIY.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 17 May, 2010, 07:35:05 am
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3357/4609033827_396744fc42.jpg)

Fitted the front seat / restpad / windscreen on the front, and the buggycarrier on the back. Despite the difference in size, in our circumstances, this bike can carry more than the Madsen with it's vast bucket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 17 May, 2010, 08:11:39 am
Replaced the duct covers and insulation after repairing a mystery pinhole in the feed to the shower, titivated 2 steam engines, and gave one of them a run.  Oh, and on car maintenance, gave a a serious dose of looking at.  As in, yeah, well, its covered in bird shit, and its dirty, but hell, I'll go and fix a steam loco instead...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 17 May, 2010, 11:13:01 am

first oil change on my Rohloff hub, I had postponed it for a couple of months, since it only
have done about 1000 km, but what a difference some fresh oil makes.  :thumbsup:

switched pedals from  Time atacs to platform on my everyday hack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 17 May, 2010, 03:17:23 pm
New electrics throughout on my Brompton: SON dynohub (front) feeding an IQ Cyo, and the spare (Standlichghtht) output of the Cyo now wired into the existing rear light.

However, that Standligchghtdght output seems to revert to zero of your Earth Volts as soon as the front wheel stops turning.  So I'll still use a Cateye rear light as well.

I now need to wait until darkness falls before taking this out for a test-ridelight.

Removed, and filed in the large black two-wheeled filing cabinet (the one the council send their minions round to collect every fortnight) the AXA bottle dynamo from the Brompton.

Spotted a broken spoke on the back wheel.  Chiz.  Not Chain side.  Woo-Hoo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 18 May, 2010, 10:14:13 am
I've just cut and fitted the joists for the bike loft I am building. Living on a building site is very dusty and not good for bikes so this will keep them out of harm's way.  (From Mrs A's perspective they the joists for the ceiling over the temporary kitchen which is how I got to do it).  Shan't do any more today as I am off for a bike ride; it's been 2 weeks since I did more than just cycle into town.  Tomorrow I will put up more joists, this time for the bathroom ceiling and order 2m3 of sand for screed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2010, 10:42:00 pm
Built a Brompton wheel for another YACF administrator, who will no doubt examine it with a practised eye and pronounce it crap  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 20 May, 2010, 10:44:59 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 17 May, 2010, 03:17:23 pm
New electrics throughout on my Brompton: SON dynohub (front) feeding an IQ Cyo, and the spare (Standlichghtht) output of the Cyo now wired into the existing rear light.

However, that Standligchghtdght output seems to revert to zero of your Earth Volts as soon as the front wheel stops turning.


You need a rear lamp mit standlicht !!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 20 May, 2010, 10:49:16 pm
Adjusted bar angle and moved STI levers and reinstalled bar tape, then test rode and did the whole thing again, then test rode and did it again.

I am satisfied now.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 May, 2010, 12:26:37 am
Quote from: rower40 on 17 May, 2010, 03:17:23 pm
However, that Standligchghtdght output seems to revert to zero of your Earth Volts as soon as the front wheel stops turning.  So I'll still use a Cateye rear light as well.

Yeah, that's a feature.  The rear light output of the Cyo is switched by the Cyo's switch (or sensor gubbins if it's a senso model), but doesn't provide any standlight power - the rear light has to do that bit itself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 May, 2010, 06:36:22 am
Whereas the Supernova E3 does power a rear standlight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 22 May, 2010, 02:11:14 pm
Fitted a Record threadless headset.  Had trouble with the plastic part, but got it pressed down enough eventually wth fingernails.  Seems to work well, though I've yet to ride it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 22 May, 2010, 02:49:55 pm
I have redone the bars, again, and the tape.  I think I have got it right this time.
I have also fitted a new rear gear cable to the TCR and outer and fitted a new Krylion on the rear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 May, 2010, 03:08:35 pm
Ran a b@st@rd file over the business surfaces of my Koolstop Salmons.

Cleaned and lubed the chain.

Polished the bike and gave all the non-black bits a thin coat of baby oil.

Going to the seaside tomorrow  :D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 22 May, 2010, 04:25:42 pm
Finally finished rebuilidng the Mal Rees tourer. Hooked up new Canti brakes, having bought a job lot of stepped ferrules for the somewhat elderly frame. Piccies to follow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 22 May, 2010, 05:43:36 pm
Washed TCR too  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 May, 2010, 09:47:51 pm
Built another Brompton wheel, this time for Mrs Z's bike because the factory wheel (with as much tension as a rubber band) had started breaking spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 23 May, 2010, 11:23:43 pm
CTF committed bikicide.  Dawes 101 is no more.  The good bits that were added in an attempt to make a nice bike have joined the bits box.

New bike sprouted handle bars and brakes and shifter and derailleur. Still needs lots of work.  Mudguards need stays shortening.  Front done but back looks wonky. Need to get cable shortening/bleeding tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 24 May, 2010, 02:21:47 pm
Yesterday...Sorted out the shaver light above the sink in our bedroom. The pull-cord switch had stopped working and the light was hard wired into the mains with a cable into the back of a socket. Idiots.

Warn neighbours of impending doom.
Put in earplugs.
Throw main breaker on fuse box.
140dB house alarm goes off.
Unscrew front plate of socket.
Cut wires from light, and pull out cable.
Wrap remaining ends in insulating tape (couldn't get enough access to unscrew them completely as it is in the back of fitted storage space).
Screw faceplate back on.
Reset main breaker on fuse box (no loud bang or smoke - good sign)
Reset alarm.
Remove earplugs.

Now it was isolated I could have a look at the light. It turned out the cord was caught around a wire inside so I taped that up away from the cord and put it back up. Trimmed the wires and fitted a plug on it.

The light has only been broken for 16 months. That's not bad for my levels of DIY enthusiasm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 May, 2010, 09:32:35 pm
Stripped a Sturmey FW down to its component parts.  Fascinating mechanism.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 May, 2010, 09:45:09 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 24 May, 2010, 02:21:47 pm

The light has only been broken for 16 months. That's not bad for my levels of DIY enthusiasm.

That's very quick.
At chateau jogler "soonest" is typically 24 months plus time for R.A. & M.S. approvals :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 25 May, 2010, 12:20:03 pm
Repaired 4 inner tubes. Felt mean by cutting the patches in half! Is this acceptable? How many times should one repair a tube?

Nevertheless the Sabbath received a new tube. O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 27 May, 2010, 01:17:05 pm
Quote from: Adam on 16 May, 2010, 07:22:46 pm
Fiddled with my bottom bracket to try and cure a creaking under pressure.

Failed, due to the crap installation done by Planet X.  After looking at the expected components from the FSA web site, I'm missing a number of O seals and similar washers.  



Edit.

I've also found that as I've got carbon cranks, there should be pedal washers.  Guess what - they're not fitted either.


I've now discovered I've got crap in my ball bearings!  Due to the missing seals, the left external cup of the bottom bracket had got all yucky, causing the noise.  At least, I think that's the reason.

I've got to clean them out, but I'll think about a new BB.  Now, should I go for the normal one (http://www.cyclexpress.co.uk/Products/BB_8000_Mega_Exo_Bottom_Bracket.aspx) at £34.25, or a ceramic one (http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=6271&cPath=746) for £149.99.  The ceramic is 45% lighter, but does anyone have any experience of them, and if they're worth such a large amount of money?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 May, 2010, 01:54:00 pm
I got my Woodrup out for a quick spin at lunchtime, unburdened by commuting stuffs.

And...the faerie had got there first.

It's my own fault, really.  It's my only bike that doesn't wear Marathons of some flavour (blizzards, fwiw).  And I had said last night that I oughtn't to commute on it, as there was a risk of p*nct*re.  And I didn't put in the order for new tyres for the Orbit & Woodrup the other night because I was waiting to do something else instead.

Oh - and I'd packed the wrong size tube, too :-[

Marathon Plus 23s?  I think so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 May, 2010, 06:37:55 pm
Relocated bar-ends on the Cannondale M800 mtb,changed the saddle & pumped up the tyres.
Fitted a Brooks B17 to the Langster.
Repaired a p*nct*re on Mrs. Jogler's Trice recumbent.
Wiped clean the tandem frame & checked the tyre pressures & brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 27 May, 2010, 07:29:00 pm
Spent an hour or so pumping up tyres, swapping lights and ensuring the wheels still turn on my Sequoia, which I haven't ridden for about a year, due to the problems with the Planet X covered above.  It feels like a tank, but it still rolls OK, so I'm sorted for the FNRttC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 May, 2010, 08:42:33 pm
Rebuilt the SMGT's front wheel with a SON.  My first proper from-scratch wheelbuild (the closest I'd previously come was replacing all the drive-side spokes on a rear wheel that had had a dérailleur vs spokes incident), and thanks to the wisdom of Sheldon, a surprisingly uneventful one.  I was fully expecting to have cocked up the spoke length calculations, but it went together perfectly.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 27 May, 2010, 09:54:41 pm
Stripped the rubber off my Garmin and am regluing it with double sided sticky tape.  Will see how it holds tomorrow, but the rubber is quite slack, so the alternative - proper glue and cutting out a slice of rubber to take up the slack - is likely. 

For reference, the gack cleans off with alcomahol. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 27 May, 2010, 10:05:12 pm
Quote from: Adam on 27 May, 2010, 01:17:05 pm

I've got to clean them out, but I'll think about a new BB.  Now, should I go for the normal one (http://www.cyclexpress.co.uk/Products/BB_8000_Mega_Exo_Bottom_Bracket.aspx) at £34.25, or a ceramic one (http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=6271&cPath=746) for £149.99.  The ceramic is 45% lighter, but does anyone have any experience of them, and if they're worth such a large amount of money?


If you can consider even consider the ceramics, you should buy them
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 May, 2010, 03:22:54 pm
I've fitted a Pashley bell to the tandem. AH informs me that such things are de rigueur in Germany.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 May, 2010, 03:27:54 pm
I think we might have something similar on Tina: weighs more than the bike, louder than Big Ben, pisses people off for miles around  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 May, 2010, 03:38:58 pm
Interestingly the two tones form a descending minor 3rd (E♭ to C) which are the first two notes of Colonel Bogey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvWLMkxSwIo) tune.

Does anyone manufacture a bell which does the next 6 notes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 May, 2010, 03:43:17 pm
I think we might need to tune our bell in, it doesn't play any tune I can recognise. Mind you I did buy it off eBay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 28 May, 2010, 03:58:23 pm
Front mech on my Rockhopper - now shifts properly (in the shed at least)

Thanks Zoidburg :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 28 May, 2010, 04:01:10 pm
Bar end shifters and band on cable stops( mostly courtesy of Clarion :thumbsup:)  and a well broken in B17 onto the Holdsworth.

All tweaked and working as a quick day ride bike, am looking forward to a nice long ride on Sunday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 May, 2010, 08:54:32 pm
Lights, computer and their respective wiring to the SMGT.  This took me all afternoon, including a trip to the Little Sheddy Shop to see if they had any non-stupidly sized washers (they didn't, but they did have a stupidly sized one that fit) to help securely attach the Cyo bracket to one of those daft bottle cage braze-ons on the front of the dérailleur post.  This took me all afternoon, and my legs ache from all that sitting on the floor, my hair-drier has now exceeded its total runtime for 2009 and I never want to see another spade connector or bit of heatshrink again.

IQ Cyo goodness:
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2205.sized.jpg)

4DToplight Multi (Battery powered standlight.  I like the redundancy.):
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2211.sized.jpg)

Wheel I built yesterday with SON Delux:
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2202.sized.jpg)

Power socket on lowrider for battery charging gubbins (parallel with dynamo output):
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2209.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 29 May, 2010, 06:57:03 pm
Kim, That's just beautiful.  Recumbents love to be fettled.

I spent 5 hours assembling a borrowed rowing boat.  It had been split (first time in several years) to go on the trailer, so I had to clean all the sealant and gunk off the joint, coat in vast quantities of vaseline, then bolt the two halves together.  I then sorted out 8 sets of shoes, 8 seats, 16 riggers, and fettled the rudder strings.

We haz an Octuple!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2010, 07:07:38 pm
Finally bought a pair of sora brifters for a triple front and an eight rear.  £14 is a steal in my opinion even though there is something wrong the front brifter.  Should be anything to serrious as the shifters look in really good nick.

Now to look at how to install replacement cables
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 May, 2010, 07:30:51 pm
Put the FW hub back together, forgot the compensating spring, took it apart and put it back together again.  Next time maybe I'll use the instructions instead of just guessing.

Still not sure how to get the trigger - which has a lever that comes lower than the body in "1" -  onto straight bars.  It's designed to go on the bend of North Road or dropped bars.  Somehow it will have to hang in front of the bars like the Brompton plastic shifter.  It will work 3 or 4-speed hubs ("1" is redundant on a 3-speed) , so it can stay permanently fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 29 May, 2010, 09:22:09 pm
Swapped my Thompson stem on the TCR for an ITM one that is 2 cm shorter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2010, 10:47:14 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 29 May, 2010, 07:30:51 pm
Put the FW hub back together, forgot the compensating spring, took it apart and put it back together again.  Next time maybe I'll use the instructions instead of just guessing.

Still not sure how to get the trigger - which has a lever that comes lower than the body in "1" -  onto straight bars.  It's designed to go on the bend of North Road or dropped bars.  Somehow it will have to hang in front of the bars like the Brompton plastic shifter.  It will work 3 or 4-speed hubs ("1" is redundant on a 3-speed) , so it can stay permanently fitted.

Actually where are the instructions from?  Have a few to get back together an they are missing a few bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 May, 2010, 03:47:00 pm
Front nearside brake on Mrs. jogler's Trice recumbent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 30 May, 2010, 05:37:35 pm
It's been one of those days.. :(

My clever plan for putting up ceiling joists was not so clever.  On further consideration it was clear that the joists would act as horizontal struts coupling the gable end to the A frame with utter rigidity if not ruthlessness (trust me, you want a bit of slack between your gable end and your A frame).  I'd have put them crosswise, but ensuring a strong and level ceiling would have been extremely fiddly and all at height.

Plan B is to dispense with hangers at one end and merely to rest the joists on a plate, incorporating noggins to prevent unwonted movement.

Probably wasted a day undoing some work, but I'll be able to sleep better on windy nights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 May, 2010, 06:50:34 pm
I've just been helping TGL swap his rack on the Galaxy

*proud dad* :D

And I've sorted a  few other niggles, too :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 31 May, 2010, 10:40:07 am
V-brakes on the tandem.
Now I want to source & fit a q.r. device to the drum-brake cable adjacent to the actuating arm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 31 May, 2010, 09:16:21 pm
My wonderful other half bought be a wheel building course at Edinburgh Cycles for last years birthday. I went last week and a stack of parts has now been transformed into new wheels for my Langster  ;D

I'm hooked. Wheel building definitely appeals to my OCD tendencies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 May, 2010, 09:18:11 pm
A friend's BSO, which was in dire need of new cables, and now features two surprisingly functional brakes; fully inflated tyres; a stiff but working front shifter and a rear shifter that allows use of the full range of gears as long as you don't look at it too hard when it's in 1st.  That grip-shifter really was the worst piece of cheese I've encountered for absolutely ages though: two concentric rings of plastic with a pingfuckit in the middle  :facepalm:

In exchange, they defeated the bulk of the triffid population of our back garden  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2010, 09:50:12 pm
Modifying a very valuable NOS 60s Sturmey-Archer 4-speed shifter to work with flat bars.  The problem with them is that the lever comes lower than the body of the shifter in "1" and hits the bar.  They were all designed to go on the curve of dropped or North Road bars.

What I've done is to file off the heads of the three rivets holding on the bar clamp, allowing the clamp to be removed.  Then I punched out the remains of the rivets.  Then I prised open the shifter body to get the bits out.

The next thing is to get an M5 hex head bolt and drill the central rivet hole to 5mm.  Then file off two sides of the hex head to make a captive bolt that will sit in the base of the shifter.  Press it all back together again and it will hang just in front of the bars on a 22mm P-clip and the lever will have full travel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 31 May, 2010, 09:52:12 pm
^^^^^^
that's a PROPER fettle that is
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2010, 10:04:40 pm
If it goes back together again!  Fortunately the innards are incredibly hard steel and will withstand any amount of prising to get the body open.  There are also lots of useful diagrams on Tony Hadland's site.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 01 June, 2010, 01:05:18 pm
Quote from: rdaviesb on 31 May, 2010, 09:16:21 pm
My wonderful other half bought be a wheel building course at Edinburgh Cycles for last years birthday. I went last week and a stack of parts has now been transformed into new wheels for my Langster  ;D

I'm hooked. Wheel building definitely appeals to my OCD tendencies.

Not ocd, its the satisfaction that only some people will notice how perfect the wheels are
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 June, 2010, 09:44:05 pm
Stripped the Brompton  :o

And blunted three drills on those sodding rear hinge bolts.  It looks as if I've drilled them deep enough to get the heads off, but no.  I'll have to buy some better drills tomorrow.  Everything else came off/out easily, even the FAG BB which can be a bit of a bugger IME.

I'm giving away my SEEKRIT PROJEKT, aren't I?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 01 June, 2010, 10:10:20 pm
Stem, bars, tape for the Yukon  :) I'd say that took me 3 hours. Tomorrow will be almost my first ride on this bike so far this year  :-[ ; the fixed bug has bitten deep.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 02 June, 2010, 12:13:52 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 01 June, 2010, 09:44:05 pm
Stripped the Brompton  :o

And blunted three drills on those sodding rear hinge bolts.  It looks as if I've drilled them deep enough to get the heads off, but no.  I'll have to buy some better drills tomorrow.  Everything else came off/out easily, even the FAG BB which can be a bit of a bugger IME.

I'm giving away my SEEKRIT PROJEKT, aren't I?

Do you haz the reaming tool then?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 June, 2010, 12:17:05 am
Quote from: Kim on 31 May, 2010, 09:18:11 pm
A friend's BSO, which was in dire need of new cables...

Received this comment to an LJ post on the subject earlier:

Quote
Seriously, it is now a joy to ride. Stuff that was a chore has become nearly effortless. I spent most of my journey to and from work grinning insanely, and whooping and shrieking on the hills. I guess this is what cycling is supposed to be like?

Job's a goodun  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 June, 2010, 06:45:00 am
Quote from: Tewdric on 02 June, 2010, 12:13:52 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 01 June, 2010, 09:44:05 pm
Stripped the Brompton  :o

And blunted three drills on those sodding rear hinge bolts.  It looks as if I've drilled them deep enough to get the heads off, but no.  I'll have to buy some better drills tomorrow.  Everything else came off/out easily, even the FAG BB which can be a bit of a bugger IME.

I'm giving away my SEEKRIT PROJEKT, aren't I?

Do you haz the reaming tool then?

Not for £200!  The local dealer can do it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 02 June, 2010, 11:46:51 am
Pedal induced creaking returned yesterday. I had throught my external bb was on its way out, but having removed, checked and reinstalled, I knew it wasn't that. I knew my pedals were fine... then I noticed that when I stood up, the creaking stopped. Got home and greased the seatpost, but it still creaked. Took off the saddle and greased the rails, clamp and bolts. Silence has returned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hilldodger on 02 June, 2010, 12:04:44 pm
I've just started to go through checking/fixing ALL our event bikes. That must be 80ish bikes :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 02 June, 2010, 12:19:58 pm
I've been playing with my new toy, picked it up last night  :)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/YakDiver/seacruiser.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 June, 2010, 12:29:58 pm
Have you tried adding water?

(It's ok I am only envious)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 June, 2010, 01:11:40 pm
Without a paddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 June, 2010, 01:23:55 pm
Quote from: numbnuts on 02 June, 2010, 12:19:58 pm
I've been playing with my new toy, picked it up last night  :)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/YakDiver/seacruiser.jpg)

I have an ambition to paddle the north & south coast of Cornwall/Devon using such a craft,carrying camping gear for overnight stops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 02 June, 2010, 08:48:05 pm
Threaded most of a new rear wheel.  Now I just need to wait for the spokes I order to arrive so I have a 36 rather than 35-spoke wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 June, 2010, 09:47:09 pm
Last week I cleaned out the bottom bracket on the Etape.
I had forgotten to tighten the crank bolts and all I've been riding it on is with the centre bolt holding the crank on.  I found this tonight as I'd noticed over the last few days the pedaling action was harder ( self tightening nut? ) and there was a horrendous creaking aluminium noise.
Stupid me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 June, 2010, 02:06:21 pm
Roof racks & cycle carriers.
The Mondeo now has 3 roof-mounted cycle carriers:needed for this weekend's journey to Kerriemuir
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 June, 2010, 04:50:14 pm
Found the wiring problem on the audax bike preventing juice reaching the rear light.  Temporary fix twisting bared bits of wire together and binding with insulating tape.

All ready for my evening trundle now.   8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 June, 2010, 08:07:14 pm
Where Bosch and specialist stainless steel drills failed, two Wilko 48p HSS drills triumphed and the Brommie rear triangle is off.  The bushes come out easily using the method in Tewdric's link (see the Folders board).

I still have no idea what colour it should be.  My head says get the hard 2-pack epoxy finish, but it only comes in boring or yicky colours.  My heart says flam red, but I'm not sure it's up to the knocks that a Brompton gets.  OTOH, the forks and rear triangle will be bare metal and scratch-proof.  Oh, did I just give more away?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 03 June, 2010, 08:55:15 pm
Replaced a broken spoke on my fixie and retrued the wheel. The way the rim responds when doing this is a great feeling.
Now I need to get onto the job of replacing the drop bars on my tourer with some bull bars and putting some bar end shifters into the ends of the bull bars. I have all the bits but not the time yet, but I hope to go off for a few days in ten days so I'd better get on with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 June, 2010, 09:08:20 pm
Just fitted a 26x11/4 tyre.  Just need a chain sorting and the Rudge is on the road

*excited*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 June, 2010, 09:12:03 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 June, 2010, 09:08:20 pm
Just fitted a 26x11/4 tyre.  Just need a chain sorting and the Rudge is on the road

*excited*

do they make them that small? I am used to a min of 1.75" * 26" tyres.....

2.1" was my more usual....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 June, 2010, 09:16:36 pm
This is a different 26".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 03 June, 2010, 10:24:41 pm
I had another p today.  A slow release one so I rode home and changed it there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 June, 2010, 10:50:20 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 03 June, 2010, 09:12:03 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 June, 2010, 09:08:20 pm
Just fitted a 26x11/4 tyre.  Just need a chain sorting and the Rudge is on the road

*excited*

do they make them that small? I am used to a min of 1.75" * 26" tyres.....

2.1" was my more usual....

I've a pair of Paselas in 26 x 1.25".  They're a nice ride, though I'm not sure they're substantially different to 26 x 1.5".

The hard part is finding innertubes.  GLG Cycles in Thornaby had one innertube in stock which was narrow enough, and that was the only place to have any, out of several shops I tried.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 03 June, 2010, 10:55:21 pm
hang on I nearly forgot. Yesterday, since I heard about todays appointment I fettle up my Merckx for the Snow Roads. Cleaned the chain and everything else. I also repaired a puncture on my Dolan which has been there since I crashed it in March and fitted a chaintug (had to modify latter for fat track ends). Needed to get the Dolan ready in case I didn't make The Snow Roads, the alternative was a ride to Scarborough with the LSF Folks
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 June, 2010, 11:54:14 pm
YAHC (Yet Another Halfords Cock-up) x 2.

Lass at work asked me to help repair her puncture.  Fair enough, since she hadn't brought a pump.  In passing, she mentioned that she wasn't sure how to work the gears.  Gripshift, so I showed her the correct actions to perform.  I quickly realised that the rear mech tension was non-existent, so she could only use the smallest sprocket at the rear.  All sorted now, and I introduced her to the joy of gears, at which she proved adept.

#2: Another work colleague said that she'd been riding along with her family, when the drive packed in and the pedals suddenly kept turning, without any resistance.  Ah, said, I, I know what that'll be.  The pawls in the freewheel will have seized, so all you need to do is turn the bike on its side and drizzle some oil in the right place, everything will work again.

Halfords had quoted her £35 to fix it - £17 for the new freewheel block, and £18 to fit  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 04 June, 2010, 05:30:34 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 June, 2010, 08:07:14 pm
Where Bosch and specialist stainless steel drills failed, two Wilko 48p HSS drills triumphed and the Brommie rear triangle is off.  The bushes come out easily using the method in Tewdric's link (see the Folders board).

I still have no idea what colour it should be.  My head says get the hard 2-pack epoxy finish, but it only comes in boring or yicky colours.  My heart says flam red, but I'm not sure it's up to the knocks that a Brompton gets.  OTOH, the forks and rear triangle will be bare metal and scratch-proof.  Oh, did I just give more away?

Will it have the battery seatpost option and "Cancellara crankset" mod fitted ready for the BWC?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 June, 2010, 06:51:19 am
Quote from: clarion on 03 June, 2010, 09:16:36 pm
This is a different 26".

Ah, I am guessing by the age of the bike you are talking Imperial 26" whereas, of course, me being a child of the 70's I would be talking Metric 26" :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SandyV on 04 June, 2010, 06:52:11 am
Not me and not today but I'm still excited and impressed that VeloYellow has fixed the shower so that the cold tap works again! Chap - eau!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 June, 2010, 10:07:36 am
Quote from: tiermat on 04 June, 2010, 06:51:19 am
Quote from: clarion on 03 June, 2010, 09:16:36 pm
This is a different 26".

Ah, I am guessing by the age of the bike you are talking Imperial 26" whereas, of course, me being a child of the 70's I would be talking Metric 26" :)

There's at least three different 26" sizes.  Sheldon knows more than me (http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html)

Anyway, here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33983.0) is more info about what I fettled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 June, 2010, 11:18:08 am
Oh yeah.  And, when I got to work, I changed my tyres.  There's a bit of talc on the floor of the upstairs office now ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 June, 2010, 11:20:12 am
Quote from: clarion on 27 May, 2010, 01:54:00 pm
I got my Woodrup out for a quick spin at lunchtime, unburdened by commuting stuffs.

And...the faerie had got there first.

It's my own fault, really.  It's my only bike that doesn't wear Marathons of some flavour (blizzards, fwiw).  And I had said last night that I oughtn't to commute on it, as there was a risk of p*nct*re.  And I didn't put in the order for new tyres for the Orbit & Woodrup the other night because I was waiting to do something else instead.

Oh - and I'd packed the wrong size tube, too :-[

Marathon Plus 23s?  I think so.


Actually, I got Paselas.  I need to commute in before changing them. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hilldodger on 04 June, 2010, 12:02:16 pm
Quote from: Hilldodger on 02 June, 2010, 12:04:44 pm
I've just started to go through checking/fixing ALL our event bikes. That must be 80ish bikes :(

Now all done ;D (although our mechanic did some of them)

Just started loading three vans to head out tomorrow and begin a mad june full of events all over the country :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 June, 2010, 10:25:42 am
I haven't done it, the LBS are, I have got the BB taken out of the DY, and the headset is being serviced (both a bit rough)

Now to decide if I keep the 6 speed Suntour SVX or go modern 105....hmmmm decisions decisions....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 05 June, 2010, 11:25:34 am
Mrs G is complaining of a sore back on her commuting ride. As a first stage,  I've fitted an adjustable stem to raise the bars. I hope that works.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 June, 2010, 04:12:07 pm
Fitted an adjustable stem to the Fuji .  Annoyingly, this involved filing about 3mm off the 1" to 1 1/8" converter shim (no-one makes 1" A-stems any more).  Then I went and rode 31 miles in the heat, but the S3X didn't slip even up the big hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 05 June, 2010, 06:01:10 pm
Tubus front rack fitted to the Aravis  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 05 June, 2010, 06:47:11 pm
Took the rubbish old bell off the Dahon D7, replaced it with the bell off the Pashley Paramount and put a new one on that after spraying it liberally with TF2 inside and out in the hope that will stop it from rusting too soon.

Booked the Pashley in to LBS for a service - I don't do much complicated fettling myself although I will have a go at replacing the headset on the Dahon when the parts arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 05 June, 2010, 08:26:22 pm
Fitted a new spoke to the fixed, and broke another while I was truing the wheel, so fixed that as well. A general all round tighten up on all the spokes, and it's as true as I'm going to get it.

Flipped it back around to the 69" gear as well.

Was going to fit the IQ Cyo to it, but the delivery I got from SJS the other day was missing the bracket.

Fitted the cadence sensor from my new Garmin Edge 705 and that seemed to work OK.

Looking forward to having a spin out on it now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Henry on 06 June, 2010, 09:03:15 am
<Yesterday>

Took the bits off the Thorn XTC frame (which when seen naked is obviously even more in need of a respray than I thought).

Attempted to fit them to the Surly LHT frame with the aim of riding it today. Best laid plans scuppered by the Surly's narrower seat tube (so the front mech needs a shim) and the fact that the Surly fork crown just has an unthreaded hole through it, so I need a long M6 bolt to hang the light and front mudguard off.

Order in to SJSC, who are remarkably useful (if reassuringly expensive) for this sort of thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 06 June, 2010, 01:30:21 pm
Tightened a loose chain ring bolt, put the last noggin between some ceiling joists, sealed a dusty concrete floor with pva.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2010, 01:39:03 pm
Battles with the wisteria to get it down to first floor window level, so it doesn't take the roof off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kevinp on 06 June, 2010, 03:31:27 pm
Built this up today, with the frame I painted during the week and the components off my normal bike.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/kenderworld/Bikes/IMG_9293copy.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 June, 2010, 05:24:52 pm
Good one, kevin!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 06 June, 2010, 05:39:54 pm
Fitted the chain,idler wheel and brake callipers onto the project recumbent. Chains were £4 each from Asda.

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4674745775_b59b0a647e.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 June, 2010, 06:15:13 pm
I like the built in jacket hanger. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 June, 2010, 07:07:46 pm
Part 1.  CTF is having a very slow fettle building up his new bike. If CTF get frustrated he gives up then tries again another day.  The idea being is that CTF does a good job rather than a bodge.   So Yesterday using all the correct tools, CTF discovered driving barbs into hydraulic hose is not so difficult after all.  Well CTF thought so.  CTF starts to bleed the newly shortened brakes.  Almost straight forward until you get to the step when you have done and discover at this point you need three hands.   CTF tries again an discovers that perhaps CTF was over confident about the new bit of hose.  It is leaking.  CTF steps back and will try again next weekend. (I should be preparing an Audax but ....)

Part 2. CTF got Pink, Blue and White bike back from the probationary not so LBS. They had failed to remove the bottom bracket.  CTF fits his TA lock ring tool and with a tap with CTF's new nylon hammer the ring moves and CTF removes it. CTF wonders why not so LBS failed here.  CTF removes that side of the Bottom bracket without difficulty.  CTF tries to remove second side but fails.  CTF decides Pink, White and Blue bike needs repsraying so he decides this is a problem, for Argos.  CTF takes all the component of the frame except the the wheels which CTF keeps so he can push the bike. Pink, White and Blue bike will acquire a new name soon. Orange bike?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2010, 08:57:07 pm
Built the FW hub onto a Brompton rim.  Will do proper tensioning and truing tomorrow.  According to the local CTC septuagenarian*, the FW is totally reliable although the huge cable tension in super-low gear (that'll be about 40" then) is hard on the shifter ratchet.  My shifter is NOS though, and the 47" "normal low" gear will get me up anything except Smalldean Lane.


*he would have been about 12 when this particular hub was made...now that is scary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 June, 2010, 04:52:17 pm
Removed the pannier rack from the Langster.
Re-tapped the ends of the bar tape on the Trek.The ends became loose & scraggy as I rode the P4T on Saturday.I reckon the hot weather softened the glue on the tape.

Secured the rear brake outer cable (using a tie-wrap)to the frame where it passes under the saddle.It was rubbing on the inside of my left thigh on Saturday & has "pilled" the lycra of my bib-shorts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 June, 2010, 07:37:48 am
Did my first ever headset fettling last night, on a threaded steerer on the DY.  Stripped it down, cleaned all the grease and gunk out, inspected the races, which were near as dammit perfect, so just re-greased and rebuilt.

Now it runs smoothly with no notchiness :)

Next is to get a shim for the stem and a greoupset...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 09 June, 2010, 02:59:55 pm
working at home today, and not much enthusiasm for work so have replaced headset on bike 2 and removed, re-greased and reinstalled bottom bracket bike 4 (and the creak seems to have stopped!  Result!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 09 June, 2010, 03:01:38 pm
Does oiling the chain count as fettling?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 June, 2010, 03:52:05 pm
front & rear mudgaurds while out riding.In fact I fettled the damned things several times >:( Very much a mixed blessing today they were
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 09 June, 2010, 05:15:02 pm
Removed, cleaned and refitted the chain to my Merckx. Cleaned it's sprockets, chainrings and mechs.

Shockproofed my Garmin (http://mseries-mseries.blogspot.com/2010/06/shockproof-your-garmin.html)

Revived a Qualcast lawnmower. <- It just worked for me, but I'll claim it anyway.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 09 June, 2010, 05:37:14 pm
Sort of half got my cycle computer xferred to my audax bike from my tourer but got struck by apathy when I could find any cable ties or the instructions (have now found the latter on line, pity I can't print some cable ties off too.).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 09 June, 2010, 08:04:04 pm
Tightened my chain this morning - a little overdue as it's been needing it for a good few days.

I was faster on the post-work ride than I have been for a while. I wonder if the two facts are related...

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 10 June, 2010, 04:57:13 pm
Finished cleaning my Merckx. Trued it's rear wheel, adjusted it's brakes.
Cleaned my Dolan, adjusted it's rear mudguard, removed it's lights.
Scavanged a piece of foam from the handle of a paint roller to use as padding on the mount for my GPS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 10 June, 2010, 05:00:29 pm
Tightened a few bolts on the shopper.  Replaced the lamp batteries.  Sawed off the propstand to EXACTLY the right length  :thumbsup:

Realised I'd got swarf all over the chain   :o ::-) :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 10 June, 2010, 07:37:08 pm
Built a rear wheel for my Orange tourer, and gave it a test run.

It's a nice Shimano Parallax XT hub, but it makes a right racket when I freewheel.  Such a contrast to my silent LX hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 June, 2010, 08:37:52 pm
Fitted a new B&M Cyo (cheaply imported from Germany) to the 50s clubman for the FNRttS.  That silly bracket clears the lower headset cup by less than this much: ||
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 11 June, 2010, 08:08:39 pm
I gave the Thorn its 13000 mile service. This included replacing the Rohloff oil (amazingly, there was still a fair bit of the last lot in there) and replacing a pair of these

(http://s.wiggle.co.uk/images/ergon--GP1-med.jpg)

because I had worn the others out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 June, 2010, 08:20:18 pm
Re-fitted the cycle carriers to the roof bars on the ovloV.
I'm intending to go to Upton Magna tomorrow.
There is a cunning plan
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 11 June, 2010, 08:23:36 pm
Today I took a pair of secateurs in the pocket of my saddlebag and pruned the hedge by the gap where it was getting so overgrown I could hardly get through each morning.

Coincidentally I'll be fettling a pair of Ergon grips similar to those (but with the little bar ends) on to my Dahon tomorrow - assuming I don't get bogged down with the headset replacement that is!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 11 June, 2010, 09:58:49 pm
Was just doing a saddle-swap when I tore the head out of the seatpost on my fixie!   :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 11 June, 2010, 10:20:46 pm
Quote from: andygates on 11 June, 2010, 09:58:49 pm
Was just doing a saddle-swap when I tore the head out of the seatpost on my fixie!   :'(
What?

How?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 11 June, 2010, 10:50:10 pm
Must be rusted in. I haven't touched that bike in 9 months.

AND my vuvuzela is hiding.   :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 11 June, 2010, 11:30:44 pm
Quote from: andygates on 11 June, 2010, 10:50:10 pm

AND my vuvuzela is hiding.   :-\

There is one place that every vuvuzela should hide and that is stuck where the sun don't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 11 June, 2010, 11:32:18 pm
The lawnmower that I revived on Wednesday is now defunct. Had to mow using the push one. Nice, in an eco-retro kind of way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 June, 2010, 12:06:18 am
Nothing.  But I did stop and offer a spare tube and the loan of a pump and some tyre levers to someone on the roadside on the way between two of my sites today.  He didn't need them, because he had all the necessary with him, but it was quite nice to be able to offer.

And I was able to tell him all about the different routes that he was considering.  Sounded like I knew what I was talking about and everything!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 June, 2010, 08:32:23 pm
Right.

Checked rear wheel on the Mercian for a puncture. Possible leaky valve.

Washed Mercian and Pino.

Did the Sheldon shake for the Pino.

Fitted cable tie cable clips to the Pino.

Adjusted the hub gear on same.

Did Sheldon shake on Mercian.

Mrs. Hall arrived home to announce that The Boy's spare bike has nasty creak from pedals. Cured by removing BB, wrapping  threads in PTFE and reinstalling.

Did Sheldon shake on the Boy's spare bike.

Watched while The Boy replaced the brake blocks on his unspare bike.

Swept up crud from floor of garage.

Sat down, knackered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 12 June, 2010, 09:43:40 pm
Failed in my attempt to replace the headset on the Dahon, but the old one was fine on inspection and no longer squeaks now that I've cleaned it up a bit.

Fitted the Ergon grips with mini bar ends.  They weren't supposed to be used with a twist-shift but I cut about 1.5" off one and works and feels ok even if it doesn't look perfect.  Went for a quick spin round the block and adjusted the saddle as best I could - would like a new one really but will have to wait now until next month.  I'm loving the Ergon grips.

Fitted an England flag to the rack of my commuter.  ;D  God Bless whoever it was who invented cable-ties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 13 June, 2010, 04:22:16 pm
Added a new light bracket to my fixed, and put some wires and plugs on so that I can swap the light and dyno-wheel between the two bikes.

Fiddled with the brakes a bit and tightened the chain up again. Too tight at first (as usual).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 13 June, 2010, 04:28:20 pm
Investigated the knocking noise coming from my back wheel when I was out with otherdave this morning.
I thought it was possibly the rear hub.
No, it was yet another f*ing defective Michelin Speedium (Speedium? Ha!) tyre. I bought three at the same time and they've all developed bulges in the carcass. Don't buy them folks, they're crap.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 June, 2010, 04:45:25 pm
Swapped rear lights between the Trek & the Langster
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 13 June, 2010, 05:38:41 pm
Some back seat fettling for me today, with Mrs Dan doing the real work.  ;D
Miss Dan the Younger had a new bike to assemble, Miss Dans swapped bells, Mrs Dan's seat clamp was loose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 13 June, 2010, 08:09:00 pm
Fitted the seat on the project recumbent. Almost finished now. All that remains to do is fit the front changer and learn how to ride the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 13 June, 2010, 08:54:29 pm
I've been plagued for some time by an increasingly annoying grinding noise from my bottom bracket.  Seeing as nowhere on the internet has in stock the FSA type required by my Planet X, my LBS managed to locate the actual ball bearing sets themselves.  I therefore hammered out the old ones and put the new ones in.

Result - blissful silence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 June, 2010, 10:25:33 pm
I:
Filed down a cassette spacer for the Woodrup
Replaced the new cassette
Fitted new Paselas
Adjusted both mechs for new cassette position
Replaced brake blocks
Fitted toeclips to the Rudge
Adjusted brakes
Raised saddle
Removed crank from Orbit and checked BB tightness.

Butterfly fettled her lovely Trek 5.0 Pilot, fitting pedals and Barley, adjusted saddle, and pumped up the tyres so we could go out for a ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 13 June, 2010, 10:55:45 pm
I sewed a strap back onto my rear-rack stuff-sac.  The needle didn't want to go through the strap and the fabric of the stuff-sac, so I had to use a thimble in its intended role.  When did anyone here last use a thimble?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 13 June, 2010, 11:26:18 pm
Been playing musical wheels with tyres.

Fixed the rear-wheel puncture I picked up on Friday. Inspection reveals the puncture probably came about partly due to the tyre being extremely worn - its profile is now more square than round. So I've moved its 28C front partner to the rear and stuck a 25C Pasela on the front that I fortunately happened to have in the garage.

Will have a nice cup of tea before looking at prices of new Conti GP 4 Seasons.

Note to self: don't forget to change the tyre size setting on the bike computer before leaving the house in the morning.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 13 June, 2010, 11:37:19 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 13 June, 2010, 10:55:45 pm
When did anyone here last use a thimble?
I mended a tent bag using one a couple of months back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 13 June, 2010, 11:48:53 pm
Finally got round to replacing the drop bars on my tourer with some bull bars. Have put some bar end shifters in the ends of the bull bars so they are pointing forward. Replaced the rear derailleur with an XT Shadow. Put some Bar Phat under the tape. And dead chuffed with the result. I now have gears which index again and no problems with fitting bar bags.
I'll try and post some pictures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 14 June, 2010, 08:11:30 am
I started preparing my oldest bike as a duo-speed for its trip to the seaside next Sunday. Unfortunately I couldn't find a pair of sprockets 4 teeth apart with acceptable numbers to go with the only pair of chainrings I found that fitted. I've had to actually buy two new singlespeed sprockets of an Ebay trader.

I am planning to make it a winter bike though so it isn't all waste.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 June, 2010, 09:02:28 pm
Part-fettled two Thule cycle carriers,a length of s.a.a.,two U-bolts,nuts & washers onto the ladder bars on the olvoV.
This to carry a Ken Rogers trike to York Rally.
It's a work-in-progress & won't be finished untill tomorrow or Wednesday 'cause work keeps interferring with play-time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 June, 2010, 09:03:32 pm
Nothing 'cos the downtube cable guides haven't arrived yet :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 June, 2010, 09:05:23 pm
fitted spd pedals to mrs. joglers Trice recumbent so that she has a mobile seat for getting about at York Rally.
The clips & straps previously fitted allowed her feet to slip out,particularly when stationary(as one is when at the al-fresco bar ;))
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 June, 2010, 09:05:59 pm
now I'm going to fettle some cake ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 June, 2010, 10:52:03 pm
Vast quantities of this (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34406.0).

I'm sick of fettling.  Every time you fix something, six more problems show up like those skellingtons in Jason and the Argonauts.  If I wanted to be covered in cuts, blisters and oily grime, and spend hours chasing ball bearings round the carpet, getting blobs of grease in awkward crevices and bemoaning the lack of a Bigger Hammer, I wouldn't have studied electrical engineering.  Washing your hands *before* you go to the loo is just wrong, dammit.

If I wasn't so exhausted, I'd go for a bike ride.

Fneh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 15 June, 2010, 12:21:03 am
Fettling Mrs J's tri-bike that I borrowed for the K&SW.  The gear changes had become very heavy and a little unreliable, owing to rain and mud ingress, so some new cables.  Put her own wheels back on it, and took off the SON and lights.  A little gentle cleaning, and hopefully good as new.  She'll kill me if it falls apart under her on Saturday!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 June, 2010, 07:03:54 pm
Quote from: jogler on 14 June, 2010, 09:02:28 pm
Part-fettled two Thule cycle carriers,a length of s.a.a.,two U-bolts,nuts & washers onto the ladder bars on the olvoV.
This to carry a Ken Rogers trike to York Rally.
It's a work-in-progress & won't be finished untill tomorrow or Wednesday 'cause work keeps interferring with play-time.

tis done;job's a gud un
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 15 June, 2010, 07:54:50 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 14 June, 2010, 08:11:30 am
I started preparing my oldest bike as a duo-speed for its trip to the seaside next Sunday. Unfortunately I couldn't find a pair of sprockets 4 teeth apart with acceptable numbers to go with the only pair of chainrings I found that fitted. I've had to actually buy two new singlespeed sprockets of an Ebay trader.

I am planning to make it a winter bike though so it isn't all waste.

It's good to go. I think I shall take it to work tomorrow to make sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 15 June, 2010, 08:11:30 pm
After the weekend's wet and swampy paddle, I've spent the evening painting Fabsil on all the nylon bits of the Inflatable Volunteer.  And sundry luggage with the spare.

mm fyouuuuuuuuuuuuuumesezeeesssssssssssss
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 June, 2010, 08:32:31 pm
Found some Wellgo clipless pedals in the bitsbox so put them on the trike to try them.Not too clever with Shimano cleats but will persevere with adjusting for a few days & look out for a bargain pair of new Shimano's at the York Rally.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 June, 2010, 12:12:11 am
Well finally putting the raliegh yukon together as a fixed gear.  The twisted spoke wheels have finally been trued, well as I type.  Just to get a bottom bracket and lock ring and its good to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 16 June, 2010, 08:00:25 am
A friend's BSO... Its not actually that bad, being made of a decent class of cheese.  At least the (plastic) V brakes work, and it doesn't have boingy boingy stuff at either end.

I cannot fathom the front changer twistgrip, though.  He said he couldn't get the front changer to obey, and sure enough, we had granny ring and middle ring, but no big ring.  When I heaved on the downtube cable, it changed into big ring just fine.  Frienmd was muttering that he couldn't turn the twistgrip further (bike upside down at this point), so I first assumed the cable was way too loose.  I adjusted it, then found the twistgrip wasn't actually rotating past the "2" marker toward the "3" marker, and it was bloody tight moving it at all.  I can't find any damn moving parts in it really.  I can't get it completely apart, but its had gallons of lubricant sprayed in there to no affect.  its a no-name object, so I presume its a throw away job, and replace with another slightly better one?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 16 June, 2010, 08:11:10 am
Finely adjusted metal bottle cages with brute strength tool!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 16 June, 2010, 01:11:48 pm
My finger, with a plaster to stop the leaking red stuff. This was after attempting to fettle my front mud guard, at 20 mph.

Jamming my finger into the spokes wasn't a good move.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 June, 2010, 01:12:45 pm
You're not the first, and you won't be the last...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: aisha on 16 June, 2010, 03:34:33 pm
Dismantled, cleaned and regreased my DMR V8 Pedals, despite being only 5months old they had started to make awful sounds.
The Wellgos I had previously were better!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 June, 2010, 08:00:27 pm
More work on the tandem (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34406.msg647635#msg647635), including a game of musical tyres.

Minor blood loss, one dead hacksaw blade.  In a much better mood that I was the other day, mainly on account of having something bike-like to show for it.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 June, 2010, 03:19:43 pm
Quote from: jogler on 15 June, 2010, 08:32:31 pm
Found some Wellgo clipless pedals in the bitsbox so put them on the trike to try them.Not too clever with Shimano cleats but will persevere with adjusting for a few days & look out for a bargain pair of new Shimano's at the York Rally.


the Wellgo's weren't reliable so I have taken them off & fitted a pair of Shimano spd's..Good as gold :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 June, 2010, 03:35:12 pm
The elusive gear cable ferrules finally turned up, so new gear cable on the SMGT.  Old one was rather knackered, so hopefully this will solve the hysteresis issue and make the indexing work properly.  Test ride in a bit...

ETA: Yup, that's improved things massively.

Also fettled the gears and mudguard of my friend Postman Piers's hybrid, as he's stopping off here overnight as part of an epic 4-day sunburn and sustrans ride from Sheffield to Bristol.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 June, 2010, 08:30:20 pm
Took the S3X apart, seeing as it's run in and all.  Very simple inside, and nothing to be scared of.  No pawls, only one (large) spring loose inside, and a planetary gear unit which is all riveted together so you can't lose bits or get the planets incorrectly timed.

When I've cleaned it up I'll do a "how to" - it's a lot easier than an AW.

As far as the design is concerned, it's fairly simple.  In top gear, the six-armed clutch drives the planetary unit, but neither of the suns are clutched to the axle, so the drive goes straight through the planet cage to the shell; the drive side is ALWAYS the left.  In middle gear the clutch is lfted out of contact with the planet cage and into contact with the gear ring.  Simultaneously a small two-pronged key is dragged up the inside of the axle against the pressure of what used to be called a compensating spring in the old 4-speeds.  This locks the smaller sun gear in position, so the drive goes into the gear ring, through the closer-ratio planets and into the planet cage/shell.  In low gear the key is dragged further up the axle, locking the larger sun gear and declutching the small sun gear.  This brings the wider-ratio planets into play and gives you a lower ratio.

The weak point is fairly obvious - the little axle key is really quite shiny where it locks the small sun, and hopefully it will be available as a spare.  I'm not quite sure how to get it out of the axle (it's trapped by the compensating spring) and will clean it in situ this time.

The design is vaguely familiar to anyone who's stripped an FW or S5 hub, but in those hubs the sun gears slide along the axle and clutch themselves via dog rings.  In the S3X they stay put and the little sliding key does the job instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 19 June, 2010, 05:14:42 pm
Jammed a wrong cable in me brake lever ::-) :-[

Removing jammed cable from Campag brake lever? (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34688.0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 June, 2010, 05:52:41 pm
The S3X is all back together and working perfectly - but now I know it's clean of running-in swarf.  The wheel it's built into is horrible though - it's a particularly crappy Open Pro with a gert hop at the weld (I'm NEVER buying Mavic again), the spokes are a bit too long (DT Revs elongate a lot under tension, which the spoke calculators don't allow for) and the tensions, while all adequate, are far from consistent.  I messed with it for ages and then settled for something reasonably true, with the spokes carefully untwisted.  I think I'll have to find an alternative brand of rim which has a slightly bigger ERD.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 20 June, 2010, 08:41:32 pm
Cheep crappy back wheel broke another spoke on the way to York station. I had to carry my bike around the station. Then because of some muppet getting into trouble on the train it was over 10 minutes late while the police sorted him out, leaving me 2 minutes to get to my connection at Doncaster, carrying the bike.

I sat at the side of the tram stop at Sheffield putting a spare spoke into the wheel and attempting to true it. It was quite fortunate that it was a spoke I could change without taking the sprocket off the back. I did it all on the bike.

That's 3 broken spokes now, I'm glad it didn't do it Friday night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Charlotte on 20 June, 2010, 09:15:30 pm
Nearly finished the steerer swop and recable on the Red Baron.  One hell of a job, because all the cable routing is internal, but I left the old inners in place so I could thread new outers over them, then put some fresh cables through.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 June, 2010, 09:23:39 pm
A cable disc on an Apollo double bounce BSO.  (I was cycling with a bunch of Scouts this weekend). This lad had buggerall in the way of front brake action. I twiddled the cable adjuster and got the fixed pad as close as possible to the disc, but not much improvement.

Moving the moving pad mount closer to the disc helped a bit, bit it still wasn't earth shattering.

Am I missing a trick here?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 20 June, 2010, 09:25:57 pm
I was just checking over the commuter for tomorrow morning and noticed a bulge on the rear tyre. On closer inspection, it had worn through to the canvas in half a dozen places and looked as though a BIG BANG was imminent.

New tyre fitted, old tyre binned. Phew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 June, 2010, 09:37:15 pm
Replaced a steel Brompton mudguard stay with a titanium one.  They seem to weigh almost exactly the same  ::-)  At least it won't go black and skanky after a few years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 20 June, 2010, 10:14:11 pm
Bit of a fettle fail on the trike. Finally got round to having a go at replacing the bars, stem, brake levers and cables. Discovered that the odd bits I have been collecting don't go together - bars were outsize, stem wasn't, Ahead adaptor was too big for the standard headset, generally useless really. Ordered some parts that will fit, and settled for pumping the tyres up ready for opting out of Bike Week*.

Did son's bike instead - dug around and found replacements for dodgey front and rear mechs, and tuned brakes. He's now riding further and hillier to work than I am...

Then replaced broken angle bracket holding rear lamp onto fixed bike, and tightened cranks onto axle. Hopefully they'll stop creaking now.

*General perversity really. As I ride to work all year anyway, last year I decided to switch to three wheels and so disqualify myself for most of Bike Week ;D Still got the free breakfasts anyway :D - when I turned up at the Council event last year, a unicyclist came from the other direction at the same time, so we averaged out to two wheels each ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 June, 2010, 05:34:28 pm
Today I have suuccessfully feetled the following caravan parts.....
the water pump is now working reliably.It was working only intermittently during the weekend in York.A loose wire needed clamping.
the hot water tap in the kitchen sink was leaking.The gland nut needed tightening.
the jockey wheel was screeching enough to wake the dead.Stripped down the axle,regreased & re-assembled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 22 June, 2010, 09:58:07 pm
A long overdue clean and minor tweaking for the ridgeback horizon.
Looked at my newish brooks, but decided to leave it alone until I can check what I've done straight after - its comfy enough, although better in the drops than on the hoods.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 22 June, 2010, 09:59:51 pm
Quote from: jogler on 22 June, 2010, 05:34:28 pm
Today I have suuccessfully feetled the following caravan parts.....
the water pump is now working reliably.It was working only intermittently during the weekend in York.A loose wire needed clamping.
the hot water tap in the kitchen sink was leaking.The gland nut needed tightening.
the jockey wheel was screeching enough to wake the dead.Stripped down the axle,regreased & re-assembled.

You didn't try the obvious improvement of torching it then?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 June, 2010, 10:03:15 pm
Now then, Tewdric.

That caravan is a good place to sit out of the slicing wind of the Knavesmire to eat luvly cake served by the wonderful Marj. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2010, 12:55:46 am
Various bits and pieces on Red (recently unidled of this parish)'s Dawes hybrid.  Front brake's still only really rated for Lincolnshire, due to some uninvestigated combination of naff pads and a manky rim, but the wheels are now true; the chain is visibly made from some form of metal; the gears are indexing properly and he's now got a rear light, second bottle cage and a computer that works.

I haven't sent him the invoice for £590 quid yet.   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Red on 23 June, 2010, 01:59:22 am
See, if only the handbrake cable had gone in Brum instead of Bristol, you could have fixed Jeremy Car with a chunk of old innertube and cable ties, Kim! ;)

I fear my dad will be suspicious upon seeing the improvements and accuse me of trashing the old one and attempting to replace it with a new one... :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 23 June, 2010, 11:52:20 am
New front ring and sprocket on the Thorn. Had to take the wheel to the LBS to get enough force on the sprocket to remove it. They let me borrow their vice and chain whip (I have no vice and my tool's only little).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 23 June, 2010, 12:43:45 pm
I replaced the halogen Lumotec headlight on the Pashley with an LED DLumotec headlight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 June, 2010, 07:15:17 pm
The tandem...
removed stoker's flat bars & fitted drops with hand-hoods
refitted the bar-end shifter which operates the Arai rear drum brake.
hung the Ortlieb waterproof front & rear panniers to the racks & an Ultimate 5 bar bag onto a klik-fix mount
experimented with loading the tent & expamats onto the rear rack platform
fitted a suspension seat post in the stoker's seat tube.
fitted toe clips & straps x 4
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 23 June, 2010, 08:41:07 pm
A  replacement flag

(http://twitpic.com/1zbnsd)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 23 June, 2010, 09:03:38 pm
Hedge trimmers.

First hedge trimmer "blew up". Took other half out in lunch hour to buy a new one.

Got a text 20 minutes after I got back to work. "I've chopped through the cable on the new hedge trimmer"

I sit down tonight to take the hedge trimmer apart and cut out the chopped through part of the cable, which I do easily enough. Then I look at the old hedge trimmer. Exactly the same, cable chopped through.

Do the same to that one, replace that cable up to the chopped off bit.

We now have two hedge trimmers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 June, 2010, 09:22:51 pm
His 'n Hers hedge trimmers then :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 24 June, 2010, 07:50:48 am
Rechargeable hedge trimmer.  You know it makes sense....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 24 June, 2010, 09:06:44 am
Quote from: Wombat on 24 June, 2010, 07:50:48 am
Rechargeable hedge trimmer.  You know it makes sense....

I did look, but the ones I saw were quite heavy already, even without the battery pack.

Quote from: jogler on 23 June, 2010, 09:22:51 pm
His 'n Hers hedge trimmers then :thumbsup:

His 'n His more like, Jane's now refusing to cut any more hedges in case she chops through the cable again. At least we're RCD'd up to the hilt, so no damage there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 June, 2010, 08:12:25 pm
Fitted gel pads & bar tape to the tandem's stoker bars.Road tested & approved by g.d..
Fitted a bar bag to the stoker's bars which is not ideal.There is a compromise to avoid clashing with stoker's knees,pilot's backside & opening the bag whilst on the move.More experimenting needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robbo6 on 24 June, 2010, 08:41:22 pm
New MKS pedals with clips and straps on the Mercian, old T.A. pedals into store.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 June, 2010, 08:52:38 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 23 June, 2010, 08:41:07 pm
A  replacement flag

 Twitpic - Share photos on Twitter  (http://twitpic.com/1zbnsd)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 June, 2010, 08:58:52 pm
Noticed my saddle was slightly loose when I got it out of the bike shed at lunchtime.  So I got my multi-tool out and sorted it out.  Then this evening I went to the rescue and anti-fettled a couple of bikes, then cleaned the dust of the humber estuary off the Very Lovely Valencia and got some assistance to tweak the front mech to get rid of the niggly slight rubbing noise and restore her to silky silence.  Then taught somebody else how to get a tyre off.

That makes me sound almost useful, doesn't it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 24 June, 2010, 09:52:00 pm
Moved the idler on the recumbent further forward, so that it is more in line with the chainrings. Also fitted a mirror on the handlebars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 25 June, 2010, 09:24:38 am
Replaced tractor tyres on Sabbath with Conti Grand Prix 22mm. WhEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 June, 2010, 09:37:39 am
I fettled a BMX last night with Our Kid.  OK, so it's nothing marvellous, but it works, and he went to get the track nut to replace the cheese ones bought at Pearsons.

He rode off on it last night.  At least he's riding...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 25 June, 2010, 11:33:06 am
Fixed yet another broken spoke on my back wheel. That's 4, and I've only got one spare left.

At least it was ridable this time (just) with the back brake on its widest setting.

My bodgy attempts at truing the wheel haven't been good for it though. It's quite wobbly from side to side (3mm in places), and it's got a lump in it.

I need to take it off the bike and give it a good going over, but I think it's a bin filler. It was quite a cheep wheel bought as a "will I like this" taster for trying fixed. I would have expected it to do more than 1000 miles though, it's not even managed that.

Not even sure about keeping it as a spare when my new one comes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 25 June, 2010, 11:49:50 am
The new rear wheel supplied with my Ribble lasted 250miles before breaking multiple spokes and pringling.

Fitted new bike computer to Son's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marj on 25 June, 2010, 03:51:27 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 June, 2010, 10:03:15 pm
Now then, Tewdric.

That caravan is a good place to sit out of the slicing wind of the Knavesmire to eat luvly cake served by the wonderful Marj. ;)

 Thank you Clarion, you are so kind  :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 25 June, 2010, 03:56:35 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 24 June, 2010, 08:52:38 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 23 June, 2010, 08:41:07 pm
A  replacement flag

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What's that young lady doing on my Q?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 June, 2010, 03:59:58 pm
Quote from: Marj on 25 June, 2010, 03:51:27 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 June, 2010, 10:03:15 pm
Now then, Tewdric.

That caravan is a good place to sit out of the slicing wind of the Knavesmire to eat luvly cake served by the wonderful Marj. ;)

 Thank you Clarion, you are so kind  :-* :-* :-*

It's not just cupboard love ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marj on 25 June, 2010, 05:46:02 pm
Quote from: clarion on 25 June, 2010, 03:59:58 pm
Quote from: Marj on 25 June, 2010, 03:51:27 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 June, 2010, 10:03:15 pm
Now then, Tewdric.

That caravan is a good place to sit out of the slicing wind of the Knavesmire to eat luvly cake served by the wonderful Marj. ;)

 Thank you Clarion, you are so kind  :-* :-* :-*

It's not just cupboard love ;)

As if  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 June, 2010, 06:19:25 pm
Saddles....
taken a standard brown B17 off the Langster & fitted it to the tandem pilot's seatpost
fitted a black  narrow B17 to the Langster

Quote from: jogler on 24 June, 2010, 08:12:25 pm

Fitted a bar bag to the stoker's bars which is not ideal.There is a compromise to avoid clashing with stoker's knees,pilot's backside & opening the bag whilst on the move.More experimenting needed.

used a Topeak bar extender off the stoker stem to get the bar bag in a position which does not clash with pilot's backside & gives easy access to the bag zip.Needs approval by the stoker which can't happen untill Sunday evening 'cause g.d. has gone to Guide's camp for the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 25 June, 2010, 10:41:52 pm
Fixed puncture on next door's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 June, 2010, 12:13:52 am
I removed a quantity of Lincolnshire from my rear mech.  It's shifting properly without scary grinding noises in the hill-climbing gears again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 June, 2010, 10:56:17 am
Sorted (I think) the rear wheel problem and (I know) replaced the lamp on Butterfly's bike currently on loan to a friend.  Need a new rubber for the bottle dynamo :-\

Only the second time I've used a soldering iron in about fifteen years! :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 June, 2010, 02:41:17 pm
A theme develops.

I connected Butterfly's Cyo to her hub dynamo (at last), and fixed the new rubber - thanks, Hope! :thumbsup: - to my own front light.  It was a bit embarrassing to ride last night with a Smart aimed too high because it fouled the barbag mount.  I don't think I dazzled anyone, but I could have done with more light on the road in front of me :-\

Today was supposed to be tandem fettling, but the bits didn't come from SJS :( :( :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 June, 2010, 04:15:20 pm
The mixer tap on the bath.Resurrected my destroy-it-yourself skills technique to cure a leak on the c.w. inlet connection.
It was an almighty struggle to get a grip on the fittings with the tap being so close to the wall so I cut the hard-connected copper pipe back & fitted some new flexible pipe as final connections. :thumbsup:
Bodgit & Scarper Limited for all your domestic plumbing requirements ;D

I'd rather be cycling 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 26 June, 2010, 10:08:13 pm
Like jogler, I've been plumbing today. We have an old sink and water heater in the bedroom that we don't use. The heater has developed a leak so I decided to cut off the pipe to the bedroom and fit a ball valve. Used a pipe freezing kit instead of turning off the mains. Obviously did it wrong cos as soon as I started cutting through the pipe, water sprayed everywhere. Turned off the mains, finished cutting the pipe and fitted the valve. Turned mains on again and water started spraying everywhere... Turned off mains, investigated and refitted valve. Realised problem was I hadn't closed valve properly. D'oh!

Bedroom now rather damp but the leak is cured.

Was planning to fettle mudguards ahead of tomorrow's ride but short of time and forecast is that I won't need them anyway so just took them off for now. Cue dark clouds appearing mysteriously overnight...

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 27 June, 2010, 12:18:33 pm
Fitted new front mud guard to Red bike.  The old mudguard one snapped last week for no reason except age.

I seem to have lost interest in new Pink White and Blue bike.  Must get it sorted out one day.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 June, 2010, 01:08:21 pm
Took rack off the Ridley, fitted same to Dave Yates.

Tried removing the chain ring bolts from the Ridley to fit new middle chainring, got 3 out, the other two are just not shifting (Think I need a bigger flatblade screw driver to do the job properly)

Once I get the chainring off I will need to fit the new one, chain and cassette then the Ridley should be ready to ride again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 27 June, 2010, 01:20:06 pm
Cleaned MTB and freed up two jammed zips on my rack bag they seems to be covered in oxidisation like verdegree (sp) that green stuff
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 June, 2010, 06:28:01 pm
Quote from: numbnuts on 27 June, 2010, 01:20:06 pm
Cleaned MTB and freed up two jammed zips on my rack bag they seems to be covered in oxidisation like verdegree (sp) that green stuff

Rub some beeswax along the length of the zip, it helps them to run smooth and helps to stop this happening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 June, 2010, 06:29:17 pm
Or spray some furniture polish...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 June, 2010, 06:35:11 pm
Furniture polish is ok, if real bees are not available, but it tends to wear off too quick, IME.

Anyway back to fettling, fitted the computer to Dave then found out the sender unit battery is flat :( Grrrr geuss it's a trip to Maplin tomorrow for a new one.  I'll do both at the same time, just in case.  Also fitted the phone case so it is fully commuted up now, barring mudguards, which seem a little pointless at the moment...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 June, 2010, 08:09:46 pm
Removed the Carradice Barley & q.r. Bagman from the Langster & refitted a pannier rack with a Prima Rackpack.
The Barley/Bagman relegated to the subs. bench.

Adjusted the rear hub cones on the Langster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 27 June, 2010, 08:35:43 pm
Quote from: jogler on 27 June, 2010, 08:09:46 pm
Removed the Carradice Barley & q.r. Bagman from the Langster & refitted a pannier rack with a Prima Rackpack.
The Barley/Bagman relegated to the subs. bench.

Adjusted the rear hub cones on the Langster.
Are sure it has cones?

I would have thought cartridge bearings so you can only tighten down on the central shim inside them, any play beyond that means a new bearings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 June, 2010, 09:05:24 pm
Both tourers ready for the off early tomorrow.

I noticed that Stoker's cassette has a very slight amount of play in it.   Will need to keep a weather eye on that one... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kevinp on 27 June, 2010, 10:14:57 pm
After hearing some clunking noises coming from the BB yesterday, I thought I better check it today and yes the bottom brackets gone so have ordered a new one today.
Re trued two wheels on an MTB I was given last week, it also needs a new screw on seven speed cassette as the other one spins both ways then a good clean and put it up for sale.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 28 June, 2010, 09:31:21 am
Yesterday afternoon I successfully bled new Pink White and Blue bikes rear brake.  Still need to find and fix leak in front brake.

This morning I fitted bottle cages and was mysteriously a few minutes late for work.     
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 28 June, 2010, 01:30:34 pm
Modified a 1993 Motobecane racer with a higher stem and a mtb flat handlebar
then I switched tires, tubes and rim tape. Rim tape was original plastic and  crumbled
when I tried to remove it.

Now my father have the oddest looking bike in town, but he can ride it without any pain & problems. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 28 June, 2010, 01:47:24 pm
Fitted my new back wheel (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34571.msg656531#msg656531).

Wow what a difference. I knew my old wheel was a bit untrue, it having broken several spokes and being subjected to my trueing efforts, but this was just so smooth. What a nice ride.

Plus I can use my back brake again  :thumbsup:

I think my old wheel is a bin filler. No way I'm ever going to ride that again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 June, 2010, 02:29:00 pm
Swapped seatposts between the Cannondale M800 & tandem front pin to give a flatter saddle (B17 standard) position on the tandem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 29 June, 2010, 04:35:42 pm
I found out why my road bike was changing gear all by itself: the power-link in the chain had a broken plate :o. Come to think of it, I did hear a loud(ish) bang but since that was followed by other gear silliness I took no notice of it.

Anyway, bike has shiny new chain and shiny cassette thanks to this stuff (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=35029.msg656348#msg656348) :thumbsup:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 29 June, 2010, 06:17:13 pm
New computer mount on the mountain bike to replace the one I borked on Sunday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 29 June, 2010, 08:15:10 pm
I sort of fitted my Hope Vision 1 light today, but the rubber grommet thingies they supply aren't thick enough for my bars :(

It fits, but it doesn't inspire confidence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 29 June, 2010, 09:07:41 pm
Got 5mm movement out of my ruined seatpost, which is enough to let the WD-40 get in overnight.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 30 June, 2010, 01:39:38 pm
Swapped the camper longflap on my tourer/commuter for my barley. In the summer when I routinely carry fewer layers, the longflap sags rather forlornly. They barley has a small hole in the bottom where it rubbed on the tyre of my roadbike - the curse of being small. I have fettled the bag support on the fixed with some parcel tape to prevent it happening there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keepontriking on 30 June, 2010, 01:41:13 pm
Just fixed my second rear wheel Brommie puncture within a week. >:(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 30 June, 2010, 01:43:51 pm
Tightened a headset, hoping to get out for a sneaky test later on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 30 June, 2010, 01:57:26 pm
Quote from: andygates on 29 June, 2010, 09:07:41 pm
Got 5mm movement out of my ruined seatpost, which is enough to let the WD-40 get in overnight.   :thumbsup:

Proper Plus Gas, much better at getting in there, but it does mean going to a car accessory shop or tool supplier to buy some.  I bought a 2 litre tin, and use it from a little squeezy bottle.  Excellent for unsticking rusted railway engines or bell fittings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 01 July, 2010, 10:13:30 pm
Gratuos Vilens did the job - I had to drill the pin, insert a long mongo bar, and hit it wi'ammer a bit.  Out it popped!

For that bitsa retro feeling, it's now sporting an old Dyna-Tech seatpost and a swaybacked old B17 that I've laced up.  I resisted the temptation to Swallowize the poor thing... for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kevinp on 02 July, 2010, 10:24:18 am
Fitted a new bottom brkt and chain, makes a big difference, currently getting all the parts required to make a home made xtracycle should be fun :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 July, 2010, 11:28:34 am
Earlier this week, I received a new spoke from SJS.  Last night, thanks to Aunty C's marvellous tuition, I managed to lace it in the wheel and reuse the old nipple, thus not having had the fag of removing a PaselaTG.  Tensioned up (but only roughly trued), I went for a swift ride int he dark with Butterfly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 02 July, 2010, 11:36:42 am
Quote from: clarion on 02 July, 2010, 11:28:34 am
I went for a swift ride int he dark with Butterfly.

This thread is useless etc etc... ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 July, 2010, 01:38:47 pm
I did check the camera before we went out, but the battery was low :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 02 July, 2010, 09:20:34 pm
Just finished cleaning the bike and checking it over prior to tomorrow's ride.  I'd fitted a new rear tyre and deflated and removed flints from the front tyre before pumping it back up.  Everything was seated fine, and I was just doing the last pump (oo-er), when the tyre exploded forcing the rim off, and producing a big cloud of talc. 

It had split along the seam.   

I am now a bit more deaf than I was before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2010, 09:41:06 pm
So far, I've trued up my new rear wheel, fitted a sprocket and got it back on the Carlton, fettled the computer and adjusted the brakes.  That's back on the road now :thumbsup:

This evening, I've fitted cables to the tandem,  Butterfly has helped free off the EBB, I've respaced the disc brake caliper, and am just pondering on what I do next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 03 July, 2010, 10:24:07 pm
I changed the left pedal on my solo machine and at a stroke obviated the annoying tick which has been haunting me, and annoying Auntie Helen, for the last thousand miles or so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 July, 2010, 10:48:49 pm
I'm very proud of this one.

I put a chamfer on a LH Sugino XD crank (£20 the set from Spa) so it would fit the TA Axix 103mm bottom bracket.  I don't have a lathe, and the square hole would make using one difficult anyway, so I stuck it on a spare BB cartridge, put that in the Workmate and then turned the crank with one hand while working a file with the other.  Then I polished it with wet and dry for a matching satin finish.

It's beautiful, and it now clears the LH cup nicely (about 1mm clearance) when tightened onto the axle.  The RH crank was already OK because *some* Sugino XD RH cranks have additional machining (done after anodising!) to make them work with Sugino's own 103mm BB; depends whether they're sold for "fixed" use or not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 04 July, 2010, 05:26:14 pm
I've been changing this.

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4760963878_38f9f72cbe.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78317074@N00/4760963878/)

To look like this instead.

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4760964402_b6af66d633.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78317074@N00/4760964402/)

I've still got the bar tape to do, but I'll do that when I've had a bit of a ride to check that the brake levers are in the right place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 04 July, 2010, 06:00:29 pm
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4761075880_a7560216e6.jpg)

New bar tape. Bit of a change from black.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 July, 2010, 07:35:54 pm
Took the SPDs off the Brompton cranks and fitted them to the modified Sugino XD cranks.  The curvature seems the same and the chainline is identical, so hopefully won't affect the fold.

Pleasingly, the Suginos + chainring bolts + 52T ring are 10g lighter than the Brompton crankset with a swaged 54T ring.  Received wisdom was that the Brompton crankset is very light and most replacements will be heavier.  I wanted to lose the swaged one after hearing about them stripping under starting torque, and anyway new chainrings are cheaper than new RH cranks.  The bottom bracket, on the other hand, is going to save about 1/4 lb over the Brompton unit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 04 July, 2010, 10:29:18 pm
Today I finally got round to installing the fixings for the sail shades. For the eye bolts that are going in the wall, I decided to use chemical anchors in the end. Not entirely sure I did it right, but I guess I'll find out soon enough...

The biggest part of the job was measuring up so I knew what size shades to order. Very fiddly task. But at least now I can actually order the shades, only a year after we had the deck built that they're going over - we might even have some summer left by the time they arrive.  ::-)

On the bike fettling front, switched the Brooks/Barley combo back over from the Black bike to the commuting bike - simply a case of lifting the whole seatpost assembly out of one bike and sticking it in the other.

It's not that I don't have the right ratio of seatposts to bikes, just that I managed to strip the nut for the saddle clamp bolt on the Black bike while swapping over the saddle on Friday evening.  :facepalm:

It's very lucky both bikes take the same size seatpost, even if they have different saddle clamp arrangements. Of course, if I had the right ratio of Brooks saddles to bikes (ie 1:1) I wouldn't need to swap the saddle over when I want to use the Black bike for long rides (the saddle it came with is only suitable for rides less than 50km).

Quote from: rogerzilla on 04 July, 2010, 07:35:54 pm
I wanted to lose the swaged one after hearing about them stripping under starting torque

Like this (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29215.msg535508#msg535508), you mean?

It's not nice when it happens.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 05 July, 2010, 11:29:11 am
Saturday emergency fettle when the puncture fairy spotted a three year old tyre. Replaced and descended dangerous puncture inducing hill without incident.

Sunday.  Inspect rear wheel.  More tyre fettling required.   Checked tightness of crank bolt and chainring bolts. Creek is much reduced.  Removed some of the dirt from the bike.  Bike now ready to do what I did on Saturday.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 July, 2010, 01:00:00 pm
Fitted a Tor Tec expedition rack to the rear of the tandem ready for a little expedition
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 05 July, 2010, 01:15:50 pm
Tandem fettling aplenty chez me too, Jogler.

I have removed the stoker's braking privileges, and put a drag brake on the cap'ns bars using a bar end shifter (courtesy of someone here).

I've tweaked the (long fitted, never tested) maguras. Can't seem to get the sponginess out of the rear brake, but it doesn't seem to have deteriorated since the first (very extended) fitting/adjusting 12 months ago, so I'm going to hope that the difference in sharpness between the front and rear is not down to air in the hydraulics, but due to the length of the cable to the rear brakes.

I've moved the shifters (yet again). They were originally on the dt, but I put some campag ergos on a few years ago. However, when I fitted the maguras, the shifters went back to the dt. I moved them again yesterday to the stem (I don't like reaching down to the dt to shift gears on the tandem).

I suppose I'll need to bear this in mind while getting the hang of the maguras - unless I want twin punctures in my chest!

The last thing to do is, I think, replacing the current stem with an adjustable one (also procured, courtesy of this forum - apologies for not crediting people, but it's so long since I started all this that I have completely forgotten where the bits came from). The current one is a little low down, even with being as high as I think is safe.

Nearly ready for the Pie Run...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 05 July, 2010, 01:28:56 pm
Quote from: jogler on 05 July, 2010, 01:00:00 pm
Fitted a Tor Tec expedition rack to the rear of the tandem ready for a little expedition
:thumbsup: 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PeteB99 on 05 July, 2010, 10:58:36 pm
Faerie visitation tonight on the hybrid but only half a mile from home.

Fitted the 2 new Marathon tyres I bought a couple of weeks ago with new inner tubes.

Less than a week before n+1 bike arrives :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 05 July, 2010, 11:33:06 pm
Flipped the stem on the Madison up and finally the ride is right.  Almost perfect.  The ride is a little noisy, so I have chainline to check yet...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 06 July, 2010, 08:06:30 am
Not actually fettled it yet, as I have to get the necessary bits from Hubjub, but looked down to see a wobble in the chainring. The Langster has shed a chainring bolt, which is I suppose better than the bottom bracket being bent or the crank buggered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 06 July, 2010, 11:00:15 am
Quote from: mrcharly on 14 April, 2008, 10:16:24 am
30m of cat 5e cable, through 3 walls and along a wall behind pyrocanthus bushes. I think I'm leaking.

Hmmm.  One of my next jobs is ethernet to the SICRUT BWNCWR.  Not particularly looking forward to it..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 July, 2010, 07:55:04 pm
Fitted some Eazy-Wheels to the Brompton rear frame.  They're a bit narrower than the previous eBay wheels (which will be for sale once I've cleaned them - they solve the heel/calf clearance problem).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 July, 2010, 08:30:23 pm
Stopped and tweaked the front deraileur outer limit screw on the way to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 07 July, 2010, 08:09:18 am
Fitted bottle cages and toe clips with straps (retro-tastic) for the stoker on the tandem. Failed to change my pedals as I haven't got the right size spanner. So will have to ride the tandem (solo) to work tomorrow and get the workshop boys to do it. Rubbish!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 07 July, 2010, 08:15:25 am
Replace three broken spokes in the utility bike - don't know how long they've been broken ;D

Removed the worn-out cassette from the "best bike" and replaced it with a shiny new one.

Sorted out Mrs Julesh's computer which seems to had acquired so piece of nonoense collaborative software that was stealing about 90% of the processor cycles
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 July, 2010, 12:31:49 pm
Stopped on route to work and tweaked the indexing on cog 2.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 07 July, 2010, 12:41:58 pm
Don't you have little tweaky things on the downtube stops you can tweak while  still riding?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 July, 2010, 12:43:26 pm
Levers, you mean? ;) :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 July, 2010, 01:05:48 pm
I fettled a dirty caravan into a clean caravan
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 July, 2010, 01:11:43 pm
Quote from: jogler on 07 July, 2010, 01:05:48 pm
...fettled a dirty caravan...

*goes to check Profanisaurus*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 July, 2010, 01:18:42 pm
you may prefer to regard it as a mobile cake-stop
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 07 July, 2010, 02:32:57 pm
Quote from: jogler on 07 July, 2010, 01:18:42 pm
you may prefer to regard it as a mobile cake-stop
:D :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 July, 2010, 02:43:54 pm
It's no good.

I'm not interested.

Unless...

...Is there Marj? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 July, 2010, 03:56:31 pm
I have a  :thumbsup: from thy bride.
 :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 08 July, 2010, 09:26:16 pm
I replaced the Pletscher rack on the Pashley with a Zefal Raider rack.  The Pletscher had too much stuff on top what with the springy thing and the slots for their own accessories.  The new rack is simpler so my panniers fit much better now and I prefer the colour (black now, not silver).

The rack didn't go on without a few swearwords though.  It seems just about all the screws and bolts were difficult to get to so I had to do them up 1/6 of a turn at a time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 July, 2010, 10:52:49 pm
I have defeated the chain tubes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 08 July, 2010, 10:56:28 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 06 July, 2010, 08:06:30 am
Not actually fettled it yet, as I have to get the necessary bits from Hubjub, but looked down to see a wobble in the chainring. The Langster has shed a chainring bolt, which is I suppose better than the bottom bracket being bent or the crank buggered.

New chainring bolt has not sorted it completely. I think the crank is buggered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 11 July, 2010, 10:36:11 pm
I have just replaced the 107mm BB on my Madison with a 103mm BB, which I think is what should have been fitted in the first place.  Success!  Lovely ride, now, and almost completely silent; only becomes noisy when I slow right down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 12 July, 2010, 11:47:25 am
The Roberts I bought off Bledlow of this parish (the bike I rode on the May WARTY) is now a pile of bits! All the oily bits are now shiny ready to re-fit/sell on/whatever and the frame and forks will soon be sent for refurbishment.

Although not my work, I have also had the rear wheel serviced at my LBS. The hub no longer has any play and the Campag freehub is again loud enough to wake the fish*.

*(c) Naggers
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 July, 2010, 03:00:18 pm
Molished a disc-brake-guard from an old spoke, to keep panniers from interfering with the rear brake mechanism when the suspension on the Streetmachine is compressed, after discovering that the brake only worked smoothly when I was sat forward waiting at junctions.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2242.sized.jpg)
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2247.sized.jpg)

Simple and effective.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 13 July, 2010, 03:03:18 pm
Very elegant. :thumbsup:

Drawn up plans for anchor rigging for the kayak here. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 14 July, 2010, 08:40:58 am
The dishwasher.

It's an ancient Bosch and is very temperamental. The tablet dispenser broke years ago so we put the tablet in once the prerinse stage is over. But recently, stuff in the top drawer has not been washed properly and I couldn't work out what the problem was - until yesterday.

The rotating spray has somehow become unbalanced and one end is fouling the drawer. I rebalanced it by the simple method of finding a piece of metal sent to me once with a package of cycle componentry whose purpose I never discovered and lashing this to the light end of the rotating arm. It worked!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 14 July, 2010, 07:03:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 July, 2010, 03:00:18 pm
Molished a disc-brake-guard

Thank you Kim.   Along with "Jibble" you have again enriched my vocabulary  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 14 July, 2010, 07:08:24 pm
Bolted a Minoura Spacegrip to the fork crown of my Thorn (as suggested by Cunobelin).

With a few layers of inner tube wrapped around it this should enable me to use my Hope Vision 1 for the Dun Run and my big bar bag.

Pic of Cunobelins set up below.

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b60/Cunobelin/Fuji2008_0503001.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 July, 2010, 07:46:02 pm
Attempted to fettle Lycra Man's BB, but unfortunately:
1) the one on his Ridgeback Genesis 06 was nothing like the one I had
2) It was different to all the other Genesissssss I had found on the web, even the ones going back to when they were first launched
3) I couldn't remove the cranks for him as the axle was hollow, not solid so the crank extractor had nothing to push against.

So I re-assembled the bits, spent a good while chatting to him then he headed off back home....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 14 July, 2010, 08:06:48 pm
Tried to fit a freehub body designed for something else to a Chorus hub.  But the hole has a pair of flat sides that don't fit the round axle :(  Just bought it as a spare, but fancied fitting it now as it's lighter than the original.

Cheeky plug: Freehub body for sale (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=35642.0).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 14 July, 2010, 09:26:34 pm
I just fettled some Trek bar-end lights onto the Kaffenback.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/TrekFlatBarEndLight.png)

I expected that removing the existing bar ends would be a faff, but they came out (breaking on the way) relatively easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 14 July, 2010, 09:40:00 pm
Cleaned, degreased and regreased the Pompino, in readiness for this weekend's 600.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 14 July, 2010, 10:04:43 pm
Applied some lube to the chain of the Etape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 July, 2010, 10:26:37 pm
Done lotsa stuff on the Solo, Orbit, Rudge, Carlton and tandem...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 14 July, 2010, 10:32:45 pm
Flipped the stem on the Mixer down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 July, 2010, 09:54:44 am
Quote from: andrewc on 14 July, 2010, 07:03:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 July, 2010, 03:00:18 pm
Molished a disc-brake-guard

Thank you Kim.   Along with "Jibble" you have again enriched my vocabulary  :)

Molishing and mantling Stuffs are traditional pastimes in the uk.rec.sheds newsfroup.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 15 July, 2010, 12:39:17 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 15 July, 2010, 09:54:44 am
Molishing and mantling

Ah. The penny drops... I get it now.  :facepalm:

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 15 July, 2010, 01:22:54 pm
Got the parts - rope, shock cord, pulleys and a crab - for making an anchor trolley, a sort of looped washing-line arrangement that lets you move the an anchor up and down a kayak. 

Why would you anchor a kayak? Traditionally, for fishing, photography... or diving. :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 15 July, 2010, 01:33:40 pm
Failed to remove lock ring from Centaur cassette, as part of swapping from Chrina wheels to Fulcrum 3. With bloodied knuckles I went t'netweb and purchased new cassette in order to have an easily swappable summer and winter wheelset!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 July, 2010, 02:45:26 pm
Fitted flat bars and appropriate controls to the front of the tandem.  Swapped the evil saddles of death for slightly less evil saddles of mediocrity.  It's now an extra-long gear cable and a decent rear wheel away from actually usable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 15 July, 2010, 05:00:06 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 14 July, 2010, 07:08:24 pm
Bolted a Minoura Spacegrip to the fork crown of my Thorn (as suggested by Cunobelin).

With a few layers of inner tube wrapped around it this should enable me to use my Hope Vision 1 for the Dun Run and my big bar bag.

Pic of Cunobelins set up below.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/SpacegripOnForkCrown.jpg)

That's a good idea.  I wonder where I put my old discarded SpaceGrip, and do I have a suitable hole in the crown of the Kaffenback?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 17 July, 2010, 06:19:06 pm
A really nice morning spent working on the bikes.  Stripping the Planet X down, cleaning it fully, fitting new STI's and front dérailleur, moving the old ones onto the Sequoia, and then polishing everything up to a shiny finish.  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 17 July, 2010, 08:27:27 pm
Well, yesterday now.

Cleaned my chain  :o

Not something I usually do, but it was so mucky I was having trouble seeing the links. Dunked it in a bottle of white spirit and shook it up. Left it to dry, nice clean chain.

Cleaned up the sprocket and chain ring, had a cursory wipe down over the rest of the mucky bits. Adjusted the chain line slightly to match the new wheel a bit better. It's about 43-44mm now (should be about 45mm, but I'm running a 7 speed chain and it sounds OK)

Put the non-dyno hub wheel on, and took the front light off. Rotated the Caradice Quick Release thingy around on the seat post so I can fit my smaller bag on.

Pumped up the tyres.

All ready for the ride I went on today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 July, 2010, 08:51:03 pm
I fine tuned the Very Fast Brompton wheel, because it will be needed next Saturday night, assuming I get the main frame back from the dealer, who has had it for a week just to press and ream the sodding bushes, which takes about 10 minutes.  At the moment  I have a fully-assembled rear triangle, fork and stem/bar assembly but nothing to join them together.

The good news is that my failed weight saving plan to use a Ti bottom bracket and Sugino cranks wouldn't actually have saved any weight at all.  The BB would have saved only about 80g compared to the FAG standard item, and by using alu crankbolts and losing the ugly plastic chainguard I'm within 15g.  The cranks weighed just the same.

The big weight savings come from the SPDs, the folding tyres, the light (for a 3-speed) hub and the current lack of mudguards - I should be under 22lb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 17 July, 2010, 09:01:31 pm
Checked the wheels on the touring Surly. I wish I hadn't used black alu nipples when I built them in the first place... but this time none of them had seized and both wheels only needed the most minor of tweeks.

Fitted the barbag handlbar clamp thingy, using a new wire, which always makes the job a hundred times easier.

Footled a bit with adjusting the pannier hooks.

Cut the legs on the propstand to a length that is only just long enough. Eeeek.

Swapped tools around a bit, to make my ideal touring kit complete.

Soaked my helmet all day in a bucket of water with miltons. It is now drying and awaiting its new pad set. The stink from the old pads was appalling.

OT fettling: We finished our woodburning stove installation and have been basking in the rosy glow of real flames this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 July, 2010, 09:50:16 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 17 July, 2010, 09:01:31 pm
Soaked my helmet all day in a bucket of water with miltons.

You really shouldn't post stuff like that on this forum, with its legion of hair-trigger Finbarr Saunders clones...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 July, 2010, 10:08:14 pm
I adjusted my propstand so it was of some use ;D

Stopped various mudguards from rubbing.  And tightened a whole load of bolts shaken loose by the potholed streets of Sarf Lahndan.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 18 July, 2010, 10:38:17 pm
Temporarily "fixed" my Barley, replacing the broken strap with 3x5mm zip ties. I'll be continuing to use a bungee cord as secondary support until I get a Bagman - which will be sooner than anticipated thanks to the kindness of a fellow yacfer. :thumbsup:

Also fettled my CV today - fingers crossed that will have the desired effect...
d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 July, 2010, 06:20:28 pm
Removed the cleats from my kindly-donated-by-a-YACFer cycling shoes, in preparation for my first attempt at a proper ride using clipless i.e. the Dun Run on the back of Wowbagger's tandem.  No, it does make sense, honest! 

I haz no clipless pedals, and am far too chicken to make the jump at the mo anyway.  So the shoes have only been worn for our trial run on the tandem - 10 minutes round the block at Woolly's most excellent birthday party - and about 10 miles or so on my bike, with flat pedals where they slipped something horrible.  It seems to me to be a remarkably bad idea to attempt a 100+ mile ride in them, without wearing them in a bit, so I've taken the cleats off (and carefully stuck all the bits in a Very_Safe_Place) so that I can wear them sensibly for the commute this week :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 19 July, 2010, 06:22:26 pm
I have screwed the cleats onto my wedding shoes and I'm going to take them for a trial run later :).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 19 July, 2010, 06:24:04 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 19 July, 2010, 06:22:26 pm
I have screwed the cleats onto my wedding shoes and I'm going to take them for a trial run later :).

Only on YACF would one read this and think it normal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 July, 2010, 06:47:36 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 19 July, 2010, 06:24:04 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 19 July, 2010, 06:22:26 pm
I have screwed the cleats onto my wedding shoes and I'm going to take them for a trial run later :).

Only on YACF would one read this and think it normal.

Don't know what you mean, sir.  Perfectly logical and reasonable.  I mean, you have to wear wedding shoes in a bit, or they could ruin your day!

;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 19 July, 2010, 06:49:47 pm
Cleat-fettling is one of my favourite activities. I may well have partaken of a little on our wedding night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 July, 2010, 08:44:46 pm
Minor cleat adjustment on right foot to toe in heel out more.
Minor cleat adjustment on left foot to move cleat away from crank by a bees dick.

Whilst swapping Dinotte onto Etape for wet ride in tomorrow and checking tyre pressures the rear tube blew at the valve and tube connection.  Cue fitting another tube and more pumping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 July, 2010, 10:51:51 pm
Put the Brompton together and finally, at 2230, rode it round the block.

Managed to tighten the Chris King headset without marking the finish, and used a torque wrench and lots of threadlock on the rear pivot bolts.  Oh, and glued the seatpost bush in place, which was surprisingly easy.  The stuff about them needing to be reamed to size at the factory is bollix, because it slides perfectly when the QR is open and clamps perfectly (with minimal finger pressure) when closed.  Pleasingly, the dealer has got the rear bushes just right on this one; I reckon the ones on Mrs Z's bike are a little tight.

Currently built up without mudguards and running 54 x 15 on an AM hub.  4-speed shifter so can also run the FW rear hub (or, in fact, the old trusty AW) with a simple wheel swap.  Does all that titanium make it faster?  Er...no, I can't actually tell the difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 July, 2010, 01:09:18 am
As I walked home from a largely unproductive hospital appointment this morning, I passed a skip.  Sadly it was freshly-delivered and therefore empty.  Then I passed another, which was being filled with disappointing bricky rubble.  Then, as I crossed the end of our road, I happened upon a Useful Looking Bit Of Wood lying sadly on the pavement. Naturally, I picked it up and took it home to play with.   :D

And with the aid of a spare IQ Cyo bracket (I needed the longer one to clear the brakes on my Dawes), a silly washer from my growing collection and a couple of Royal Mail's finest pre-worn elastic bands, turned some of it into an experimental mount for the cheap and nasty MD80 clone (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mini-DV-DVR-Sports-Webcam-Camera-MD80-Spy-cam-30fps-/260624139636?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item3cae68c574) I acquired on ebay some time ago:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2250.sized.jpg)

Preliminary testing showed that the camera's pointing a bit to the right of the bike's axis.  On closer inspection this turned out to be simply because I'm shite at woodwork.

It also showed that sticking video cameras on the front of the SMGT's boom like that isn't as utterly insane as you might imagine, and there really isn't a significant vibration problem.

...and it obtained excellent footage of a truly stunning left-hook which took place while approaching a mini-roundabout, at speed, in the primary position:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/stuff/lefthook.jpg)

 >:(

I cunningly pressed the stop button while waiting at traffic lights, so the file was correctly written to disflash before the useless internal battery gracelessly ran out and corrupted the filesystem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 July, 2010, 05:03:47 pm
Mr Wiggle provided a pair of these (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/DMR_V12_Flat_Pedals/5360030591/) and they now adorn my Thorn.

And I note that the bugger has knocked the price down by a fiver since I bought them!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 20 July, 2010, 09:19:40 pm
I've fitted a new saddle to the bike now that the silly distance rides are over for a wee bit. Hopefully my butt will be happy with the change.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 21 July, 2010, 08:02:15 am
I fitted a new chain on the Sabbath, whilst listening to 6Music, the whole process took 45 mins.
At least my frustration did not lead me to start again unlike I am Koot's live session!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 July, 2010, 09:10:13 am
Swapped the wheel round on the singlespeed to make it fixed.  Replaced the rather overchunky KMC chain with a PC-1.  Nothing flashy, but does the job well, and, when I look down, it makes me smile. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 21 July, 2010, 09:57:16 am
I just fettled a new door mirror onto the passenger side of my car, where someone driving with the care so typical of London, had managed to destroy the previous one.

Once I found the right tool (an 8mm socket) it was less than five minutes to complete.  The little rubber boot which goes over the lever doesn't seem to want to stay in place, but I suspect it never did before either!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 July, 2010, 04:21:26 pm
Hopefully, one very borked primary school notwork.

But I suspect not.  I made it work again, but am far from convinced that I have resolved whatever broke it in the first place.  Oh, for some network monitoring and testing tools beyond staring at blinky lights combined with judicious use of ping and happening-to-be-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time....  a clue where everything is patched wouldn't go amiss, either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 21 July, 2010, 04:42:02 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 21 July, 2010, 04:21:26 pm
... Oh, for some network monitoring and testing tools beyond staring at blinky lights combined with judicious use of ping and happening-to-be-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time.... 

Wireshark?  (aka Ethereal)

That at least will tell you what's happening on the bit of network you're connected to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 July, 2010, 05:49:56 pm
Something else to put on my list of things that I must find out about soon.... which is getting awfully long.  All this cycling malarkey is good for your work-life balance, but truly dreadful for state of the to do list!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 22 July, 2010, 04:53:05 pm
fitted new wheel bearing and cones to road and MTB bike,
runs really smooooooooth now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 July, 2010, 08:02:18 pm
Cleaned and lubed the chain on the 'bent in preparation for the Dunrun.  Removed a substance of horsey origin from the lowrider rack and rear wheel.

Dismantled the tandem's old rear wheel, in order to keep the rim, undamaged nipples and non-drive-side spokes for whenever they come in useful.  The rest is getting chucked (knackered hub, stuck freewheel).

Sorted out my growing collection of spare spokes.  They are now bundled  according to length and labelled.   :thumbsup:

Treated my Stupid Knee to a day of rest and anti-inflammatories.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 22 July, 2010, 09:58:15 pm
Prefettle for the Dunwich bike. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 22 July, 2010, 10:03:29 pm
This is a bit shocking.  With suitable grownup assistance, tuition and (much) assistance I have removed the cranks and the cartridge BB from the boy's bike.  Then fitted a new one.  And some new brake blocks.  And cleaned and greased the headset bearings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 22 July, 2010, 10:11:31 pm
Glueing tubs. Relearning old skills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Manotea on 23 July, 2010, 04:09:30 pm
Just fettled a rather tired looking Dawes Horizon back into life. Swapped out a pair of silver 38cm bars with a pair of black 44cm  PlanetX bars (thanks Thing1) and replaced the weinmann levers with a pair 'aero' Cane Creeks. New brake cables and bar tape complete the steathy front end look. I took off the crappy mudguards but left the rack on, then finally I checked out the gears  (2x7 with downtube shifters). Might yet still fix it as the frame has horizontal dropouts.

Pro-tem, Master Manotea will ride it for the summmer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2010, 12:50:59 am
Front mudguard mountings on the SMGT, which barakta noticed were a bit slack while I was packing stuff earlier.  They're somewhat corroded and probably in need of replacement at some point, and the little Simon Legg in the back of my head was telling me to remove the whoe thing just to be on the safe side, but I was able to improvise with some M6 star washers to make them stay put.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 July, 2010, 12:12:04 am
Mirror, new saddle, gear adjustments, brake adjustment and front racks(ish) for the tandem.  New saddle for Butterfly's soot bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 July, 2010, 09:06:34 am
Yesterday put some bling bar ends onto the TCR ( Hope ) and fitted some flashy Stronglight iron chainring bolts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 25 July, 2010, 01:31:47 pm
Put on 32-559 Continental Sport Contacts instead of the 35-559 Vredestein Perfect Moiree.
New front brake pads for the Avid BB7. I didn't log when I last replaced them, but it's probably 8000km ago.
Cleaned the chain and the chain tubes. I was flying again today.
Also: sram890 chain is now 3300km old and still fine. I reckon it will last at least another 1200km, so replacement just before Mille Miglia.

4500km isn't a lot? My 3 previous KMC chains didn't get over 2000km...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 26 July, 2010, 12:09:41 pm
Re-attached rack, Tick.
Re-attached bars. Tick.
Re attached brakes. Tick.
Re-attached rear mudguard. Tick
Re-attached saddle, height unchecked. Tick.
Re-attached front mudguard. Fatal Error No Secu-clips.

To do
Buy Secu-clips - ordered
Attach front mudguard
Attach lights
Attach bottom bracket.
Attach crank.
Attach chain.
Ride into sunset. The end.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 26 July, 2010, 06:25:00 pm
New seat and clamp onto spare Brommie to replace the one eaten by meeces.
Pumped tyres as well as can be expected by vintage hand-pump.
Noted all the other rodent-damage:
Noted tin-worm on rear triangle of frame, causing enamelled paint to blister and crack
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 26 July, 2010, 06:43:07 pm
Oiled chain.

Being a fixed that were it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 26 July, 2010, 06:44:59 pm
Nothing - both bikes are running so smoooooth  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 26 July, 2010, 08:35:02 pm
I have removed the Spoon from my fixed roadie and replaced it with the original San Marco saddle.  The San Marco isn't kind to my posterior but the Spoon isn't right for a road bike; too wide at the front, too soft for an aggressive riding posture.  Frankly, it was not doing kind things to my genitalia.  I'll take the hit on my sit bones while I find a better road saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 26 July, 2010, 08:49:34 pm
A pleasant hour or so, going through a big pile of punctured inner tubes, and then repairing them, as I'd ended up using my last unopened long valve version on the FNRttC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 27 July, 2010, 10:06:36 pm
I took my neice's bike to the shop for some urgent brake fettling. (The front one was almost totally useless, apart from as a siren to warn of her approach). Whilst in the shop I purchased some lights and a computer because she did so well today, despite the brake issues, so the fettling was attaching same to the bike. She was really happy with the result :D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 27 July, 2010, 10:10:10 pm
Fitted the saddle back onto Valencia after its brief foray into tandemland.  Can't decide if I've got the angle quite right, so I'll just have to go to work on my bike and test it out.  Shame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 28 July, 2010, 07:46:29 am
Quote from: arvid on 25 July, 2010, 01:31:47 pm
Put on 32-559 Continental Sport Contacts instead of the 35-559 Vredestein Perfect Moiree.

The Conti Sport Contacts belong in the RANT thread. I put the Vredesteins back on. I was 7 minutes faster to work today. After some searching I found a test where the Sport Contacts are actually slower than Marathons... Marathons aren't exactly fast tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 29 July, 2010, 05:02:11 pm
I tested the newly arrived ferrule by attaching to cable outer.  Then I removed it and put it back in its packet. Right ferrule for the job.  Saturday major fettling session booked. Possibility of bringing N-p to N where N is the number of bikes and p is the number of bikes in pieces.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 29 July, 2010, 05:25:12 pm
Spds on the Brommie, got some new 'bars to try too,
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 29 July, 2010, 05:36:43 pm
Installed a Thomson Elite seatpost onto the Etape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 July, 2010, 06:26:27 pm
Fitted a bell to the stoker's handlebars on the tandem
Fitted a bottle carrier to the handlebars of mrs. jogler's lectrikery bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 July, 2010, 07:26:36 pm
Sacrificed a Nokia charger to repair my Nokia charger  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 July, 2010, 08:33:33 pm
Managed to get superlow gear working on the Brompton with an FW wheel.  The bad news is that low gear ("2") now slips into normal ("3") sometimes.  As the internal parts all looked good and unworn, it's almost certainly a spring problem; I went through this with an AM last year.  Does anyone have a matched set of post-1950 four-speed springs?  The pre-1950 ones (which I have) make for very high cable tension and mine are definitely not a matched set.

Otherwise it's back to the old faithful AW wheel for the Hills Of The North.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 July, 2010, 06:44:17 pm
Cleaned the original number plates for Mrs Z's car, which I found in the roof of the garage.  They're going back on soon (DVLA always reallocate the original mark unless it was saleable by them, which WU51 O** probably wasn't).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 30 July, 2010, 06:46:49 pm
Put zefal gizmos on the Holdsworth so I have a second bottle cage.  Not sure black plastic goes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 30 July, 2010, 07:31:24 pm
Super-glued some velcro to the Grasshopper seat foam where it was peeling off.

Didn't glue fingers together - Result :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 30 July, 2010, 11:06:15 pm
Taping up a battery to eliminate an annoying rattle in a light, then it's home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: padbeat on 31 July, 2010, 12:59:52 am
The advance party mustered this evening at the Scout Camp where we're spending the next week.

"Justin, can you bring your toolkit, puncture repair kit and pump?"

Hmmm... I thing it'll be fettle-o-rama for the first day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 31 July, 2010, 07:22:05 am
<OT>I'm fettling my Scout camp kit for this week away too. We're heading for Essex. You?</OT>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 31 July, 2010, 03:15:19 pm
I have just fitted a new saddle to my tcr2.  A selle italia turbomatic gel flow team edition.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 02 August, 2010, 09:44:32 am
Cleaned the Dawes with baby wipes. I was just going to do the chain and sprockets, but ended up doing the whole bike. It was filthy, and now isn't.

I switched the wiring for the dynamo light, so that the dynamo runs the right way around now.

Changed the chain. I was just going to take it off and clean it, but on checking it against a new chain I'd bought it was very worn. So new chain installed.

Took the front mudguard off because it was rubbing and I couldn't get it to stop. Fed up of it.

It's nice to have a clean well oiled bike, but I don't know how long it will stay like that.

Still need to change and adjust the front brake pads, but it's all ready for next Sunday now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 02 August, 2010, 10:12:47 am
Quote from: hulver on 02 August, 2010, 09:44:32 am
Cleaned the Dawes with baby wipes.




You love that bike, dont you ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 02 August, 2010, 10:38:37 am
Fitted a new temperature sensor to radiator on car.

*official* way of doing this is to remove radiator from engine, due to sensor being a stupid shape and hard to get to.

So I hacksawed off most of it, undid the rest - then hurriedly screwed in new one while filthy water poured down my shoulder and run under my back. I hate cars.
   
Then later replaced jockey wheels on Son's Fort, and discovered he's somehow managed to bend the gear hanger since I fettled most of the bike 2 months ago.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 August, 2010, 10:42:00 am
I have removed what is left of the front mudflap on the Longstaff after most of it went awol somewhere on the M1 southbound carriageway during a highspeed journey home on Saturday evening.
I should have let the front wheel spin with the computer on ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 02 August, 2010, 12:51:43 pm
Saturday
Fitted front mudguard with the new secuclips.
Fitted bar ends.
Moved brake levers to comfortable position.
Realigned disc brake with washers. Front wheel turns freely now.
Inseerted bottom bracket.
Attached crank.
Attached chain tensioner.
Fitted IQ Cyo.  Spin wheel dazzled.
Attached rear lamp - short problem to be resolved.

So if I add a chain Blue Bike  Pink White and Blue Bike  Orange and Grey bike can be ridden again.  But I plan to change the chainring and sprocket to a slightly easier gear.  72" is a bit much for a couple of hills on my commute.  So I plan to use a much smaller chainring and a slightly smaller sprocket to get something like 65". (I know the smaller sprocket will increase the gear but it also gives me a bit more clearance from the chain tensioner).

To do
Change chainring
Change sprocket
Add chain

Job 2 - Pink White and Blue Bike
To do
Find leak, fix leak and bleed front brake.
Fit bottom bracket
Fit crank
Fit pedals
Fit chain
Adjust gears.

N+1 complete, N=3 plan N+1 = 4.







Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 02 August, 2010, 05:00:35 pm
Stripped, cleaned and greased my front & rear hubs.  Sadly the rear hub is toast as the freewheel has stopped working, probably due to being left in the shed unused & neglected for about 4 years.  Shopping for a new shimano ultegra rear hub now & I'll ask marmite geoff to build the new one for me.  The front hub is running lovely now though  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 August, 2010, 10:17:01 pm
Finally got round to re-fitting the timing chain on the tandem, and jibbled about with the nasty tensioner to make it significantly less crap.

Applied a subtle blend of psychology and extreme violence to the stoker's pedals in order to remove them, and replaced them with a set that have PowerGrips fitted, using actual grease on the threads.

Tied the front and back pedals together with elastic so that they stay the right way up (not sure where I learned about this trick, but it ought to solve at least 80% of the annoyance of PowerGrips).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 02 August, 2010, 11:40:26 pm
A roof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frank9755 on 04 August, 2010, 02:53:19 pm
Fitted new rear mech to audax bike. 
Was using a second hand one from eBay but it was never quite right and looked ever so slightly twisted.  This one works a dream!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 August, 2010, 03:08:08 pm
Fitted two small( to suit 20" wheels) Agu Quorum panniers to the rear rack of mrs jogler's lectrikery bike.
For one rason & another they are semi-permenantly secured to thje rack with tie wraps.This will help to protect the paintwork when the frame is folded.
I have put patches,glue,tyre levers,multi-tool,spare tubes & pump in the panniers so that everything* needed to cobat the ppppppppp fairey is available.

*the front wheel nuts are 15mm:rear wheel nuts are 18mm ::-) so I shall put a small adjustable in there also.

Made sure her Trice is equiped in the same way
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 August, 2010, 12:51:02 pm
Major fettling day:

Replaced bearings in Ambrosio Zenith rear hub on audax bike with some stainless steel ones.   This proved to be surprisingly easy once I had found a socket of the right size to use as a drift to ease the drive side bearing home.   The non-drive side pops out/in easily enough.  I note that the bearings were still well sealed, no signs of water ingress in the hub at all, and that a good clean and re-grease of the freewheel ratchet was not essential but undertaken nevertheless.

I have observed though that these is still a smidgeon of deflection in the back wheel.   Perhaps I'll get round to replacing the bearings in the cassette carrier in the next week or three. 

Time for a nice lunch now with Mlle PB who has taken a day off from the mill.

After lunch I have a tandem and a bent to fettle.   The latter may be a prelude to n-1 as I just never get round to using it.     
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 August, 2010, 01:09:01 pm
I'm about to go and clear out the gullies in the garden - they tend to fill up with crud in about 3 years  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 August, 2010, 09:37:29 pm
Got round to part 2, the tandem, but not to the bent.

A few weeks ago I posted this (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34405.0).  I've been so busy that I've only just got round to sorting this.   The rear tyre had given way between tread blocks and a split about 1cm long had formed.   It is my guess that the inner tube forced itself through the gap, thus the cause of the rather loud bang.

Anyhow, MH now has a lovely pair of M+ in 700cx35 which were acquired via ebay for a tenner each a couple of months back.   She is now resting contentedly in the workshop.

The bent will have to wait for next week.   Anybody know of any good deals for three 9 speed chains?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 05 August, 2010, 11:31:55 pm
Didn't fettle anything, but I did anti-fettle (as in remove from a scrap bike) a set of pedals, a suspension seatpost, a saddle and an adjustable stem.  And dismantle some other bits pre-scrappage.

And I acquired a spare new brake cable, appropriate for either mine or the boy's bike, to live in my tool kit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 August, 2010, 12:32:09 am
Reattached and reversed the polarity of the zip on the little bag my pump/puncture repair kit lives in.  I don't see what's so hilarious about wearing a head torch when sewing black zips onto black fabric with black thread, but apparently it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 August, 2010, 09:40:21 pm
I drilled a 6mm hole in the stainless steel brake clip of a rear Brompton mudguard, because SKS had forgotten to do it at the factory  ::-)  Only needed three drill bits and a small round file.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 August, 2010, 10:17:20 pm
Fitted my new Ultegra front dérailleur to the TCR.
Stripped the two front hub bearings from the Mavic Cosmic Elite wheel and ordered a new set from Boca Bearings USA.  Hybrid ceramics too. [insert I've got wood smiley]
Removed the old and tired padding from both my Dinotte rear head lamp base and also the base of the battery pack and installed some really Gucci padding I got with a totally unrelated to bikes purchase.  Sorbethane type black padding - ace a mundo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 August, 2010, 04:40:16 pm
Put the mudguards (with titanium stays!) and Marathon Pluses back on the Brompton, because it has to do Proper Transport Stuff for a while.  Back to the AW hub since the FW isn't quite right ("2" can be made to slip, and I think I need a better-matched spring set) and I also fitted a NOS 1970s 3-speed trigger like this one (http://velobase.com/CompImages/Shifter/C079A781-220A-4C3E-B7DD-222C3C39DF86.jpeg), which is lovely to look at and to use.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 07 August, 2010, 04:56:26 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 August, 2010, 04:40:16 pm
I also fitted a NOS 1970s 3-speed trigger like this one (http://velobase.com/CompImages/Shifter/C079A781-220A-4C3E-B7DD-222C3C39DF86.jpeg), which is lovely to look at and to use.

That is lovely. My one is a more recent version of that, with a plastic shell, which isn't quite as nice but is still preferable to the ugly thing new Brommies come with these days.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Steve Kish on 07 August, 2010, 04:57:02 pm
Serviced four pairs of Shimano pedals (3 x Spuds & 1 Look-style Road) and spent many happy hours listening to BBC Radio 7 whilst fitting my new Veloce Ergolevers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 August, 2010, 04:58:48 pm
I changed a hitherto unknown lady's tube and inflated the same to 95 psi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 07 August, 2010, 05:58:06 pm
Gear oil change of the Rohloff, since it got to 20.000km last week.
My sram 890 chain did 4100km. (More than the previous 3 KMC chains together)
Replaced it with a new one. Turned the front chainwheel around, and the Rohloff cog too. Replaced the tensioner wheels. Cleaned quite a lot. Maybe I should do that more often, especially the chain tubes.

When I write it down like this it doesn't seem to take all afternoon. Anyway, another week of commuting and then off to Italy for a little ride. The bike should be ready for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 07 August, 2010, 06:45:37 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 07 August, 2010, 04:58:48 pm
I changed a hitherto unknown lady's tube and inflated the same to 95 psi.

Unknown generally?  A cycling anchoress, perhaps?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 07 August, 2010, 07:37:48 pm
Tents to ensure that there are whole sets for summer camp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 07 August, 2010, 08:13:08 pm
I've finally got around to dismantling and fettling the bent.   Lots of 'different' fettling techniques required as this is a Sachs dual drive hub and the previous owner had applied many bodges which I've blissfully remained unaware of until today.   

Had fun pulling it apart today though.   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 07 August, 2010, 08:54:50 pm
New brake pads on the front wheel ready for the Phil Liggett ride tomorrow. Checked the back as well, plenty of wear left in them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 08 August, 2010, 12:03:35 am
I've just replaced the pads on the front. There was uneven wear - the right pad being quite close to the mark. I replaced them both and this required some considerable adjustment before the wheel would spin freely.

Because the back rim is a Rigida Andra tungsten carbide jobbie, it requires the Swissstop blue blocks, and they wear for ever. We've done nearly 10000 miles on the tandem using those and there's still plenty of wear left on only the second set of blocks we've fitted. They've had almost 2 years' use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 August, 2010, 05:02:39 pm
Two tyres. One a normal tyre on a normal rim, the other also a normal tyre but on a plastic rim (with solid plastic spokes and hub, all moulded in one) designed for the Continental tubeless system. An ordinary tyre with tube fits when you haven't got a tubeless one, but it's a bugger to fit.

And then the three-speed hub, but it's still a bit jumpy on 2nd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 08 August, 2010, 06:44:40 pm
Er...

(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/smutchin/b1edbd52.jpg)

What do I do now?

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 08 August, 2010, 06:51:52 pm
Looks like there's a funny old bent coathanger hanging off the saddle.  You could ditch that...   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 August, 2010, 06:57:07 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 08 August, 2010, 06:44:40 pm
Er...

(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/smutchin/b1edbd52.jpg)

What do I do now?

d.

Get a respray, quick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 09 August, 2010, 03:22:18 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 08 August, 2010, 06:44:40 pm
Er...

(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/smutchin/b1edbd52.jpg)

What do I do now?

d.

Turn the box the right way up?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 09 August, 2010, 11:19:51 pm
I put Shyumu's scratched old pedals on my tourer.  So I can go off on my own for a few days tomorrow.

  Face the pain, face the pain    ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keeks on 10 August, 2010, 04:47:38 pm
Replaced the rear gear cable. As my gears weren't right and I was adjusting like mad to no avail. Turned out the cable outer casing had slipped into the Tiagra shifter............cheap replacement cables from Tescos  >:( my fault for being a tight ar*e
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 August, 2010, 05:23:40 pm
Fitted some new cleats to a pair of 12 year+  old shoes.The original cleats came out sweet as a nut :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 August, 2010, 09:11:01 pm
Attached the brake torque arm and mudguards, and pumped up the rear tyre on my son's new-to-him bike. Tomorrow I need to get rim tape for the front wheel as the spoke heads are cutting holes in the tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 10 August, 2010, 09:18:28 pm

New bars on the Brommie,  a bit lower and feel a lot stronger. Look better too
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 10 August, 2010, 09:26:21 pm
Cleaned my copy of The Beatles , The Beatles. or the White Album' in mono. First pressing and about £30 +.  Don't think it's been looked at since 1968 ?
It looks clean :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 10 August, 2010, 09:47:55 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 08 August, 2010, 06:57:07 pm
Get a respray, quick.

There's nothing wrong with the paintwork that a bit of Muc-off can't cure. Or are you saying you don't like the colour?

Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 09 August, 2010, 03:22:18 pm
Turn the box the right way up?

Very good.  ;D

I gave it a good clean today, Roger will be pleased to note. All that black gunk around the track-ends is gone.

Also took apart the headset and cleaned that too, as mentioned elsewhere. Then put it all back together again.

I also fitted the fork-crown-mounted cable hanger for the front brake and fitted the new Kool-Stop dual-compound brake pads. Hey presto, braking-related fork judder entirely eliminated!  :thumbsup:

But it is now missing a back brake - had to cannibalise the cable for the front brake after a misunderstanding in the LBS the other day left me without a spare brake cable. Grrr.

And I haven't restored it to full commuting garb yet - mudguards, lights etc. Just enjoying it looking nice and shiny in its minimalist set-up. And I've put the offroad wheels on it rather than the commuting wheels* - think I might look for a nice trail to take it down tomorrow, just for once to enjoy it as the cyclocross bike it was intended to be.

d.

*The commuting wheels are Schmidt-hubbed front, fixed rear, shod with Conti GP4S. The "offroad" wheels are just the ones it came with, shod with the Vittoria cyclocross tyres it came with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 August, 2010, 08:22:51 am
I managed to get my Shimano dynohub lights working. The hub was fine, but the connectors were somewhat knackered. In the end I had to drill through the connectors and feed the wires through. I was going to solder in place, but the little cover that Shimano supply seemed to be adequate to hold things in place.

I broke the wire run with some car-type spade connectors & plastic covers. It ain't pretty, but it'll help if the fairy comes to visit.

The silver lining from the hub connectors being knackered manifests itself in two ways: 1) I found out the hub is a 3.0W, not the 2.4 one in the brochure, so I could wire up a rear light. 2) That means I can get myself a nice new B&M LED light to replace the halogen one fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 August, 2010, 04:12:36 pm
I trued the wheels on Little Cudzo's new (to him) bike. They were so loose they rattled in the rims. Went to bike shop for rim tape, they didn't have any and suggested I get insulating tape from the electrical shop next door. So I did! Just stuck it over the existing rim tape which has holes coinciding with every spoke nipple.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 August, 2010, 04:37:24 pm
Resurrected our sewing machine (a no-frills but otherwise lovely 60's Singer), which had been gathering dust at mother-out-of-law's house since we moved to London 4 years ago.  After a fair bit of de-gunking, some oil and reattaching of pingfuckits in the correct order, it finally works properly.  Well, other than the electric bits, which are a currently a potential deathtrap (puns not intended), but that's the easy bit.

ETA: Used the above to fettle the waist of my YACF jersey.  I'm the wrong shape for elasticated waists; they keep riding up.  And on the 'bent, you have to do an awkward and not entirely knee-friendly shuffle to pull them down again.  Just back from a test ride, seems much better.

Note to anyone else thinking of doing this: those jerseys were built by Germans.  Unpicking the stitching around the elastic will take about three times longer than overhauling and remembering how to thread a sewing machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 August, 2010, 05:27:31 pm
3 lawns
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 11 August, 2010, 10:04:25 pm
Refurbished the cabling that connects my Solidlights 1203D to my Schmidt SON with the shiny new spade connectors and shrink wrap purchased from Maplin today.

Mmmm, Maplin... It's like Rymans for electronics geeks.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 August, 2010, 05:38:35 pm
Fixed - I hope - the SRAM Dual Drive on the HP Spirit. Merely a cable adjustment, but I hope it works.

Also replaced the front disc brake cable on the Avid BB& on the Spirit and the V-brake cable on the Orbit Orion.

Took the Carradice SQR Tour off the Orion as it wouldn't fit with the rack in place & I need the rack for the rear light. Sold the Carradice in 16 minutes on here!

Fettled an old inner tube-derived method of stopping the Hope 1Vision from wobbling on the Spirit.

Was thinking of getting the bar grips off the Orion, but rain stopped play. Wanted to fit the riser bars I bought off Mcbludgeon. Am now getting ready to pack for the short Suffolk trip.

Amazing what gets done when the missus & kids depart for foreign shores :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 August, 2010, 11:21:47 am
I have tranferred two cycle racks from the Volvo to the Mondeo,which has a tandem rack permenantly fitted,roof bars & put the tow-ball mounted rack & light board in the boot so that I can carry 3 bikes tomorrow evening & on Monday transport a recumbent.

and prepared the spare bedroom to the degreee that it will accommodate 2 yacfers tomorrow night
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 13 August, 2010, 12:16:05 pm
Not fettling per se, more a case of determining that I don't need to fettle! ;)

I've been checking various set-up dimensions of my Langster against my Bikefitting sports setup drawings. Despite being slightly too long in the effective top tube length, the reach and saddle-to-handlebar drop are spot-on.

I just need to rotate handlebars a small amount, so that being on the drops is more comfortable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 14 August, 2010, 01:47:23 pm
Removed two evil looking sharks tooth shaped flint shards from the front and back tyres of the E-Bay bike. They should have been punctures - but weren't. Hooray for modern tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 14 August, 2010, 02:28:54 pm
Tarted up Mini-J's Islabike with new cables, grips, shifter, mudguards and a spot of TLC ready to pass down to Nano, now that Mini has grown out of it.

It's astonishing how much destruction a 4-8 YO boy can wreak on an unsuspecting velocipede.  I even had to straighten the hanger.

By contrast, Mini's one is still absolutely pristine, nearly a year on.  It gets ridden just as much, but she doesn't deliberately crash it, or hurl it to the ground to go and play football.

Pico can have Nano's without pedals as a balance bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 14 August, 2010, 03:28:51 pm
As I chopped and rejoined umpteen pieces of dirty chains to find optimum length and puzzled the best way to bodge a s/s tensioner from a rear mech ....I thought "why oh why don't you just BUY a new bike, you tight git?"

And then I rememberd 1. I can't really afford to and 2. I don't know of one that would suit my purpose even if I could.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 August, 2010, 06:01:48 pm
I fettled the ingrowing toenail on my big toe.    :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 15 August, 2010, 02:15:29 pm
Replaced worn out disk brake pads on the tandem. Stuck it on the turbo, and pedalled for for a short while with the brake slightly on to get it good and hot (and smelly). Pads now bedded in.

Ordered more spare pads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 15 August, 2010, 02:38:35 pm
Put the Nelson onto the Etape along with the Carradice Bagman as I am working in Salisbury tomorrow so I need to take clothes to wear as I no longer run a locker at that station.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 15 August, 2010, 02:43:14 pm
Brooks grips and a 14 tooth sprocket on the Brommie. And a little bit of tension in on of my B17s. Its 7 years old and thats first time I've had to do that :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 August, 2010, 02:50:24 pm
A lycra burn on my elbow.A leftover from yesterday's ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 15 August, 2010, 08:34:48 pm
Fitted yesterday's 's act of n+1 with some pedals.

Stripped down the other road bike so that I can give all the bits a good clean over the next few days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 August, 2010, 07:59:49 pm
I replaced the gear cable and adjusted the rear mech on the black bike. It was working a bit better but still not properly, so I fitted a new chain too, as the old one was a bit worn out. In doing so I partially broke my brand new, only-opened-the-packet-for-this-very-task, chain splitter.  :( But I seem to have got the gears working pretty well.  :) I also took the opportunity to lower the saddle slightly - my legs seem to be losing flexibility  :( - and pull a bit more cable through the rear brake. Nice and taut now, I'll probably have to adjust the front to match! Oh, and I discarded all the little rubbery rings from all three unsheathed cables that run along the top tube - they never did anything much and were rotting away, contaminating the cable inners with a stickiness.

A good fettling day, I feel, for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 16 August, 2010, 08:05:44 pm
Flipped the wheel on the Langster to put it back on the larger (69") gear. Cleaned the chain as well, and oiled it. Still sounds a bit gratey somewhere. Don't know if it's the chain, bottom bracket or the hub.

Have to see what it's like after a bit of a run out.

Fitted my new saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 August, 2010, 08:39:28 pm
Fitted panniers & a bottle cage to my "new-to-me" recumbent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 August, 2010, 12:29:50 am
& then some lights.Just got back from a few miles in the dark to test the lights.They are good enough to be seen by other road users.The Alpkit headtorch did a good job of throwing sufficient light onto the tarmac.
It rained while I was out: in shorts ::-) but it's still plenty warm enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 17 August, 2010, 11:13:04 am
Predictably, I wanted to be in early (for me) today, but the gear cable broke, and I had to replace it.  I fairly quickly found a spare cable, and the tools I needed, an Allen key, and Phillips screwdriver.  When I got the old cable out, the outer's ends were badly distorted.  Could I find the cutters?  Could I buggery.

Eventually I found them, tidied things up, put it back together and rapidly adjusted it.

I ended up getting into work an hour later than was ideal. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 17 August, 2010, 12:33:18 pm
Giving some special attention to  the new chain on my fixie has now rendered the bike ghostly silent; I am now spooking pedestrians even more than before (clearing my throat at them seems to make them jump more than a bell).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 17 August, 2010, 09:31:01 pm
Fitted hybrid ceramic bearings to my front Mavic Cosmic Elite wheel.
Fitted Scwalbe Durano Plus tyres to the Etape in replacement of the Michelin Krylions that have basically run out of life.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 17 August, 2010, 09:59:05 pm
Fitted new brake blocks.  Hurrah!

Then realised that I need to 'loosen up' the brakes, as with fresh pads if I reëngage the brakes (Campag) the wheels won't spin.  Ar5e!

I don't want to learn a new fettling skill tonight, or at any point this week. I'm too stressed for that.  *sigh*
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 18 August, 2010, 11:16:32 am
Quote from: Grub on 17 August, 2010, 09:31:01 pm
Fitted Scwalbe Durano Plus tyres

Where did you get them? I'm having difficulty sourcing some at the moment - online retailers claiming to have them in stock all appear to be liars.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 August, 2010, 02:03:57 pm
Last weekend I fettled, in a very minor way, my mate's bike. All I did was raise the saddle and slide it along the rails a little to make his position better and then raise the bars to match. The v brake cables were only just tightened, so I adjusted and tightened the cables. I also turned round the bracket on the rear half mudguard so it wouldn't spray his arse quite as much.

Now, none of that was very tricky (except the last bit, which was fiddly) and took me 20 minutes tops. All I needed was a couple of allen keys and an adjustable wrench. I was amazed that he wouldn't even think of tackling those jobs himself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 August, 2010, 02:09:52 pm
I have FAILED to fettle because none of my local lbs's have stock of a mirror:stalk mounted with a clamp for securing to handle bars :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 19 August, 2010, 01:50:34 pm
New pads on my Rockhopper. Top marks to the guys at Moose. I went in thinking it needed to be bled, they had a look and diagnosed worn pads, lent me the tools to do the job in the shop and talked me through how to do it when I got stuck :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 19 August, 2010, 01:57:22 pm
Moose Cycles are good. I'm sure I did a review of them on acf.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 August, 2010, 03:34:51 pm
Installed replacement Magic Smoke in my bench power supply, which is now working again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 19 August, 2010, 08:34:49 pm
I fitted a bell to the recumbent whilst at Parsley Hay
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 August, 2010, 07:53:06 pm
I finally got around to fitting my new saddle to replace the old, cracked one. I took it out for a ride of about one and a half hours. Much comfier, while also being lighter and somehow seeming to allow freer pedalling. Or perhaps that last was the effect of pumping up the tyres!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 21 August, 2010, 08:21:15 pm
Fitted new bearings into rear hub on Bob Jackson. Resolved occasional clicky noise from bar / stem interface on same (seems to be a regular 3 monthly job).

Looked at VN Yukon. Decided to leave bottom bracket alone until I am more certain where occasional clicky noise2 is actually coming from. Adjusted out the slight play in the rear hub. Put wheel back in again. Noted again that it needs trued slightly. Will adopt watchful waiting approach. Cleaned and oiled chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 August, 2010, 08:25:12 pm
Tightened the alarmingly loose headset on the Brompton (loose headsets don't actually affect handling, but they can go on to wreck themselves or the head tube, due to there being rocking motion where there shouldn't be).  Not my fault - the cups hadn't been fully seated into the head tube, and I didn't do that part of the job.  The locknut and adjusting collar were still tight against each other and hadn't moved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 August, 2010, 08:29:16 pm
Different saddles are different heights from rails to seat top. Obvious really, and my new San Marco is lower than my old Selle Royal, so I raised the seat post slightly to compensate. Still can't work out exactly what is making that annoying creaking noise though - either saddle clamp or seat post in tube, but I can't isolate it to one or the other and both are v tight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 21 August, 2010, 09:17:13 pm
Are you sitting down.
I cleaned my bike. *gasp*
Chain cleaned, mudguard repaired, all back together slick and lovely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 21 August, 2010, 09:23:40 pm
Defiler!

I took the front pannier rack to the LBS and made puppy eyes; to get me out before I started weeing in the corners, they dug out a fitting kit from one of their bitsa boxes (the biggest U-bolts ever, must have been for something's frame tubes!) and lo, the rack is fitted and It Is Good.

So, of course, I've asked them to put a set of Ortleib Front Rollers aside until payday.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 21 August, 2010, 10:20:36 pm
Quote from: boab on 21 August, 2010, 09:17:13 pm
I cleaned my bike. *gasp*

Same here - gave the BLACK bike a very overdue wash. Partly prompted by reading something scary about the long-term effects of grime on carbon. Oops.  :-[

I've discovered that I like external bottom brackets - much easier to take the chainset off to clean the frame properly round that area. And indeed to clean the harder-to-reach bits of the chainset itself.

I've also discovered that replacement links for 10spd chains are flipping expensive.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 22 August, 2010, 12:45:41 am
I replaced the crappy Alexrims R500s that came with my Madison (http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsbruce/4746305806/in/set-72157624385105316/).  The Halo Aerorage Track (http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsbruce/4913701328/) wheels are much nicer, but cost nearly two thirds of what I originally paid for the bike.

Also replaced two links on the chain, where it had been damaged when a spoke popped out of the old wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 22 August, 2010, 01:55:53 pm
Yesterday I started to route the shifter cable through to the rear when I reached the bottom bracket I found the cable guide was missing. So todays ride of new bike is put off again.  (I ordered the frame over a year ago, I will get impatient soon).

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 August, 2010, 05:07:58 pm
I have adjusted the handlebars on the Langster so that the drops are horizontal & the hoods slightly further away to give a more horizontal spine position.This is only possible due the the diminishing waist-line lard content.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 August, 2010, 07:08:04 pm
Adjusted both the hi & low limit screws on the rear mech of mrs. jogler's lectrikery folder.She can now select top & bottom gear 'cause the chain does not pass over the sprockets into the chainstay or the spokes.
I think this may be a regular fettle .The cable route under the BB is such that the folding action stretches the outer sleeve :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 August, 2010, 12:58:08 am
Various fettling of the SMGT before I do rather a lot of riding on it over the next week:

Removed the remaining Rutland mud from various non-obvious crevices.

Checked the wheels were true.  (They were.)

Cleaned the chain and associated sprockety things.  Noted that the chain(s) is now due to be replaced.  That's going to be expensive.

Gave the rear indexing a tweak.  It's incredibly sensitive to adjustment - I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it's the shifter's fault.

On a hunch that I have rogerzilla to thank for, stripped, cleaned, re-greased and adjusted the headset.  The grease was in a horrific state, so it's just as well that I did.  Discovered that, perhaps counterintuitively, it's a lot less awkward to determine whether the bars are straight than on an upright, as you can easily sight both the stem and the front of the wheel against the frame, rather than having to do complicated things with tape measures or relying on asymmetrical shoulder ache.

Replaced the cable-ties securing various bits of electrical wiring that I had to remove to achieve the above.

Replaced the foam grip on the left side (you can buy it by the metre for butterfly bars, so I have enough for several spares), which had several cuts in it, presumably from transporting it by train at some point.  Replaced the front gear cable inner, which had to be removed in the process (to get the shifter off), and frayed.

Stuck some fresh batteries in the Radbot.  Must get some hybrid AAAs for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 23 August, 2010, 02:55:29 am
Quote from: boab on 21 August, 2010, 09:17:13 pm
Are you sitting down.
I cleaned my bike. *gasp*
Chain cleaned, mudguard repaired, all back together slick and lovely.
Ah bollox. Mudguard repair did not survive car journey, darn it.
Anyone got a spare black rear 'guard suitable for 25s?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gruff on 23 August, 2010, 03:54:27 am
The car...

New brake pads at the front end, and alternator and power steering pump drive belts renewed. Found some rather tired looking suspension/link rod bushes which may need replacing, but we'll see if the man from Del Monte MOT says "yes!" before I get stuck into them.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gruff on 23 August, 2010, 09:57:42 pm
The car... again.

New exhaust (most of). The old one didn't want to give up though, bloody thing bit me and gave me 3 stitches. Me, my hammer and chisel had the last laugh though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 24 August, 2010, 02:58:40 pm
Fitted 2 new michelin pro 3 race tyres to my winter bike and adjusted the mudgaurds.  It just needs a new saddle and a slightly longer stem now and it will be perfect. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 25 August, 2010, 09:47:47 am
Emergency fettling.  As mentioned in "on the commute" thread a bad thing happened to Audax "Red" bike which was pretending to be commuting bike.  Coincidently when I arrived home the last pieces I needed to relaunch commuting "orange and grey" bike had fallen through the letter box earlier.  

So I stick new ISIS bottom bracket tool in vice place TA Carmina crank old, 130BCD, spider and engage the lock ring in the vice.  I pull the crank the wrong way.  Try again.  Remove lockring. The old spider will not come off so I tap it with my rubber hammer and it falls to the floor.  

Putting the new 110BCD spider was tricky. Always a tight engineering fit but the crank has been out in all weather and a little corrosion is inevitable.  So after many taps with the hammer I got it low enough for the lockring to engage.  I then used the lockring to pull the spider fully onto the crank.

With the newly arrived chain ring bolts I attach the 41 tooth ring and attach the crank to the bike.  Fit a new chain as it is getting dark.  I ride the bike up and down the street. It works, the lights don't. The saddle and handle bars are at the wrong height and the lights are not working.  I did not expect to sort all this out last night but the bike can be ridden safely now.
    

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 25 August, 2010, 10:18:44 am
Fitted roof bars and bike rack onto the car ready for 'grand depart' to Falmouth on Friday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 25 August, 2010, 12:40:49 pm
I put a new Bontrager tube in the back wheel of the roadrat and pumped it up to 7 bar.  I don't normally use these tubes but I'd needed a spare during Mille Cymru and that's all the ATB shop had

I turned my back and started doing something else and there was a loud bang

The tube had exploded

I won't be buying Bontrager tubes again, even if it's all the ATB shop has  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 August, 2010, 12:55:43 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 25 August, 2010, 12:40:49 pm
I put a new Bontrager tube in the back wheel of the roadrat and pumped it up to 7 bar.  I don't normally use these tubes but I'd needed a spare during Mille Cymru and that's all the ATB shop had

I turned my back and started doing something else and there was a loud bang

The tube had exploded

I won't be buying Bontrager tubes again, even if it's all the ATB shop has  ;D

A few months ago I bought 4 of the same with the same result >:(
I would have to give up cycling if only Bontrager tubes were available.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 25 August, 2010, 07:22:13 pm
Rode home in the rain today, so took advantage of the free water and wiped the worst of the mud off the bike when I got home.  :thumbsup:

Tomorrow when it's light no doubt I'll find out which bits I missed.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 August, 2010, 02:50:17 pm
My dynamo USB charger, which I discovered wasn't working when I arrived in Bristol on Monday for a few days of riding.  Fortunately(!) this wasn't a problem, in the end, as the now legendary chainringshark injury meant I only did about 40 miles of pootling around Brizzle and spent the following two days with my leg up next to a convenient mains socket.

Turned out that one of the zener diodes had been frazzled when my bench power supply exploded (while I was doing some current measurements on it) last week and had shorted out.  I foolishly didn't notice this until the only electronics tools I had to hand were the dynamo itself, the screwdriver that lives in my glasses case and a Mk 1 eyeball and tongue.  I simply refuse to add a soldering iron and multimeter (though thinking about it, I do have a lightweight racing multimeter somewhere) to the touring kit.  The cassette lockring tool is gratuitous enough.

I've replaced the offending diode and bypassed some broken track with a nice big blob of solder, and it's working again.  This is good, as my phone batteries are rubbish, and it's Mildenhall this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 26 August, 2010, 04:05:41 pm
Fixed a handlebar bag on the back of the Brompton, and going round to my daughters later to fix 2 p*nct*res on Grandaughters bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 26 August, 2010, 04:11:44 pm
Given all the rain that has fallen on the bike I decided the chain would benefit from a large drop of oil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 August, 2010, 04:18:16 pm
Packed lots of bike stuff up to take up north tomorrow, ready for the pootle with CJ, LG, SteveGT and co.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 August, 2010, 07:07:17 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 25 August, 2010, 12:40:49 pm
I put a new Bontrager tube in the back wheel of the roadrat and pumped it up to 7 bar.  I don't normally use these tubes but I'd needed a spare during Mille Cymru and that's all the ATB shop had

I turned my back and started doing something else and there was a loud bang

The tube had exploded

I won't be buying Bontrager tubes again, even if it's all the ATB shop has  ;D
Bontrager tubes are v bad indeed. When I was living in India it was them or unheard of Indian ones. I preferred the latter.

Coincidentally (kind of) I accidentally caused the death by sidewall explosion of the Continental tubeless tyre on Mrs C's weird blue bike. There is no recommended pressure marked, but I can now confirm for the benefit of anyone who has them, that it is less than 60psi. I also discovered that for some reason there was a tube inside. Still is, come to that...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 26 August, 2010, 07:37:13 pm
Fixed a Hebie kick-stand on to the rear axle of the Pashley.  The instructions made it sound so easy ...

Ok it wasn't too hard but removing one plastic adaptor piece to replace with the other to fit the stay required a lot of expletive.  I only then found that actually the one which was fitted in the first place was the best size.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 27 August, 2010, 10:57:26 am
Last night fixed the tube on the back wheel of the winter bike for the third time this week
Also fitted a new rim tape, the state of the old one wasn't helping
Then I decided that the wheel needed retruing

That's two hours of my life I won't get back...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 27 August, 2010, 08:16:21 pm
Bit of a squeak from my headset, so I took it apart and regreased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 28 August, 2010, 03:37:43 pm
I noticed that the chain ring and spider were not in line with the crank.  So this morning I removed the spider and noticed that there was an indentation. In the twilight on Wednesday evening I was wondering why there was no key location.  In this mornings bright sunlight my error was obvious.  Replacing the spider in the right orientation corrected the wonkyness and now
the chain ring turns in a regular circle.

Bikes N-incomplete = 2.  When I get hold of bottom bracket cable guide N=3.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 August, 2010, 07:28:36 pm
Re the exploding tubes thing - if the tube goes BANG! it's because it has escaped from the confines of the tyre. Check your tyre seating, or check for holes in the tyre casing.

Anyway today's fettling:

Cleaned to DETH the rear mech on the Pino. Dropped a jockey wheel bolt on the garage floor, took half an hour to find it.

Fixed (with hammer) the indicator chain on the 3 x 7 hub. This had borked on last night's FNRTTC, and despite TimO's tender ministrations with a pair of pliers only lasted as far as Rochester.

Cleaned the chain.  On reassembly it was running as rough as a fence post. hmm. Possibly put it down to no lubrication, but unlikely.

A closer look revealed the real cause. When I rejoined the chain I managed to loop it under the chainstay. Whoops.                             
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 28 August, 2010, 07:58:11 pm
Much cleaning and oiling today.

And finally got round to replacing the broken rear mudguard on the Tempo, so probably the weather will improve now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 29 August, 2010, 11:21:33 pm
It was pointed out to me on the Mildenhall 300 that I was somewhat hunched up on my bike. It was suggested a layback seatpost would address this. I found a Titec Hellbent in my size for £25, and it's gone in. As I was fettling, MrsM suggested that she'd like her stem raised, so I flipped it and twisted the weird sleeve adapter thing on her Dolce. She said it was much better after, so it was all good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Manotea on 30 August, 2010, 09:47:23 am
Just loaded 42x14 (81") and setting off for Richmond Park.

I may be gone a little while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 August, 2010, 12:08:39 pm
yesterday, new saddle on the tagalong (TLD was sliding around too much on the solid plastic old one) and an aborted attempt at replacing the pedals on same (bought junior pedals with 1/2" axle, needed adult ones with 9/16" axle).

Today went and swapped the pedals and got a Taya Sigma link for the MTB, as found gears skipping, upon closer inspection found the link where it had been joined had not joined properly so the rear plate was not connected to the rest of the link! Hence the gear slippage....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 30 August, 2010, 01:45:18 pm
New syphon system in the toilet. Diaphragm went on the last one and it was easier to replace the whole thing this time (old syphon kept as a spare and I'll fashion a new diaphragm from some plastic).

Took an hour to get the water inlet pipe attached without leaking though, why do bloody plumbers fit them with rigid pipework when it would be so much easier to have a length of flexible hose to connect the standpipe to the water inlet.

Also had to make a 55mm spanner from a piece of wood so I managed to use a power tool (jigsaw) in order to solve a plumbing problem. Always a winner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 August, 2010, 04:29:34 pm
Seam-sealed my small tent (they're not taped 'cos it's cheap).

Did a lot of car cleaning, waxing etc so Mrs Z's car is fit to view (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=37188.0).  I've even sprayed the scuff under the front valance (which tends to catch on tall facing kerbs if you forget; so many people complained about it that they raised the front of the subsequent model).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 30 August, 2010, 04:33:55 pm
Fitted a new chain to the Moulton. After nearly 20,000 miles the old chain had stretched by just over 4cm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 30 August, 2010, 05:50:44 pm
Sea anchor from an old Ikea bag, coat-hanger, staples and a carabiner.  Kayak now sits still in the water when I tell it to, hands-free for photos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 30 August, 2010, 05:58:44 pm
Put spoke reflectors on both bikes.

Took the B17 off the Ribble Winter Audax and put it on the Orbea Elorrio.  Also tightened up the front brake on the Orbea and solved the creaking problem (greased the tapers).  This bike is now ready to return to regular commuting duties: bigger tyres for a softer ride, and heavier bike requiring more effort => training.  :thumbsup:

The Ribble now has a B17N.  The brakes have been adjusted and the rear mudguard has been put back on.  I've swapped out the 13-23 cassette for a 13-28 and fitted a new chain.  I've also put on a new, long-cage rear mech.  That's where things stand at the moment.  I may even have the mech working before I go to bed this evening...
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 August, 2010, 06:01:54 pm
Cleaned, lubed, pressured both bikes.
Then I took a picture for a change  ::-) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 August, 2010, 07:50:37 pm
The chain on Regulator's Trice.  It couldn't cope with his new toy (or leaving the parking brake on).

My leg.  It was definitely ten stitches.   ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 30 August, 2010, 10:08:34 pm
Upgraded Gripshift to thumbshifters on a friend's bike, and very pleased they were too with the result. It then turned into a fix-up-lots-of-other-niggly-issues session. I'd forgotten how easy 6 speed indexing is to adjust correctly!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 30 August, 2010, 10:16:13 pm
Gave the Dahon a cursory wash ready for the Prostate charity SW Challenge Ride next weekend.  Pumped up the tyres on the car, Ironed three pairs of trousers and three t-shirts and installed Mandriva Linux on the new netbook so it can dual-boot Windows 7 which it came with should we ever need to.  Cooked a chilli-con-carne and mapped the section of NCN254 which I rode on Sunday on openstreetmap.org .  Still a few sections left to map though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 31 August, 2010, 01:43:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 August, 2010, 07:50:37 pm
My leg.  It was definitely ten stitches.   ::-)

Ob: SWMBO *glare*  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 31 August, 2010, 04:03:00 pm
Removed front wheel from the DY, fitted new wheel (obv swapping tyre in the process).  Attempted to pump up tyre on new wheel, nothing, took tyre off and tube out to find I had nipped it whilst fitting! GAH! Put new tube in and all is good with the world. I blame Conti CityContacts....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 31 August, 2010, 08:43:36 pm
Am just giving myself a round of applause as (with a little help from No1Son and No2Son) I have replaced the broken mudguards on the fixie.
How did it manage to take almost 2 hours? I'm exhausted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 August, 2010, 10:00:05 pm
One bottle cage fitted after broken one removed from TCR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 31 August, 2010, 10:16:04 pm
Replaced chainset, BB, gear cable and brake cable inners on the winter road bike. Cleaned, un-gunged and lubed the brake calipers.

It never shifted properly with an old campag square-taper triple and shimano long-cage mech (105 9sp STIs), it would always miss gears around the middle of the block and the Q-factor was too wide so the chainline was rubbish in the big ring. The chain also used to occasionally skid on the inner ring when changing down.

It's now got a cheapo octalink 105 50/39 chainset (£30 from chain reaction  :thumbsup:), octolink BB and short-cage 105 mech. Snappier than a snappy thing now so should feel much more like my summer bike  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 September, 2010, 05:40:08 pm
Just fitted the new handlebars to the tandem: Butterflies on the front (thanks again, MacBludgeon) with some nice new foam grip material (I've stocked up, as I now have several bikes using it) and Thorn uber-long stoker bars on the back.  They are impressively long.  I'm leaving angles and grips until I have the stoker available for testing.  It almost looks like a real bike now.

Also fitted a Smart/Ixon fork-crown bracket to the spare bolt on the front of the Streetmachine, so I can have extra lighting to ward off badgers on slow, dark climbs.  After much head-scratching, it appears the braze-ons aren't completely straight with respect to the bike's axis (understandable, they're intended for mounting a bottle cage, not lighting, so the thread being a couple of degrees out wouldn't normally be noticeable), so I had to bend the bracket slightly to compensate.

And re-wrote a chunk of the code that broadcasts Twitter messages to our house IRC channel and scrolly LED signs, in light of the need for OAuth support.  This wasn't particularly fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 02 September, 2010, 06:05:15 pm
I ironed an OS landranger map.  It was given to me, and was folded a bit off, and the offness has just got worse, so I ironed out the old creases, and ironed in new ones in the right places.

It's the first time I've had the iron out in about a year!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 02 September, 2010, 06:13:52 pm
Switched tyres and inners between the Dawes (winter bike) and the Montague.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 September, 2010, 09:10:41 pm
I have fettle-failed to attach some sort of stem arrangement to the front deraillieur post on the 'bent so that at least one but ideally two lights can be fitted.Currently contemplating an embryonic PlanB
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 02 September, 2010, 10:51:52 pm
I've just been playing with my new chain wear measuring tool. It is going to be expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 02 September, 2010, 11:29:51 pm
My new or old Shimano 105 Golden Arrow got a good clean and come up like new with a bit of eldow grease. Cant wait to fit it on my new (old) restoration road bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 September, 2010, 11:19:51 am
Quote from: Arch on 02 September, 2010, 06:05:15 pm
It's the first time I've had the iron out in about a year!

Hmm, you've got me wondering where my iron is!  I know where the ironing board is, because it's a big relatively bulky lump, and takes up almost as much room as a bike frame, but the iron is more stealthy, and has probably gone to ground somewhere.  What's the most likely habitat of an iron, and what should I use to coax it out? A suitably crumpled shirt?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 03 September, 2010, 12:05:38 pm
I've started to sand down my old LILAC ribble bike frame to convert in to a fixed wheel.
I may get it powder coated though if I can get a reasonable price.

Edit: just been quoted £30 for a powder coat  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 03 September, 2010, 01:46:42 pm
Well I finished today (at 1 am) even if I started yesterday:

Remove old split, patched-with-sticky-tape bar tape, Reposition gear cables so that they run outside bar tape (for easier access as well as less snaggy cable-run) Replace gear cables (and outers where necessary), Replace drivetrain (shiny HG70 11-30 8 sp cassette, chain, front inner chainwheel (39T instead of 42T), and rear mech (not strictly necessary, old mech is more or less the same except for knackered jockey-wheels). Adjust indexing, add spanky new (v cheap) blue-with-gold-flecks cork tape.

Admire. Then kick self for having got bar tape wrong side of gear cable in 2 places Doh! (Excuse: it was late and listening to Laura Marling (http://www.myspace.com/lauramarling) on 6 Music stopped me from seeing what my hands were doing underneath the bars!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 September, 2010, 03:11:56 pm
Fitted a sensibly sized chainring to the tandem.  This involved power tools and minor blood loss.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 03 September, 2010, 03:20:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 September, 2010, 03:11:56 pm
Fitted a sensibly sized chainring to the tandem.  This involved power tools and minor blood loss.

Have you been channelling nutty again?  ::-)
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 03 September, 2010, 04:14:55 pm
Quote from: TimO on 03 September, 2010, 11:19:51 am
Quote from: Arch on 02 September, 2010, 06:05:15 pm
It's the first time I've had the iron out in about a year!

Hmm, you've got me wondering where my iron is!  I know where the ironing board is, because it's a big relatively bulky lump, and takes up almost as much room as a bike frame, but the iron is more stealthy, and has probably gone to ground somewhere.  What's the most likely habitat of an iron, and what should I use to coax it out? A suitably crumpled shirt?

You can have my iron - I know exactly where it is.  Sitting on a shelf in the cupboard under the stairs, where it has resided since the last time it was used.  Spring 2003.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 September, 2010, 04:25:01 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 03 September, 2010, 03:20:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 September, 2010, 03:11:56 pm
Fitted a sensibly sized chainring to the tandem.  This involved power tools and minor blood loss.

Have you been channelling nutty again?  ::-)
 

Never mind Nutty, where's the pics.  Gore, gore, gimme gore!!!   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 03 September, 2010, 04:55:41 pm
fixed rear p*n*t*r* on winter bike, I hit a big pot hole whilst racing a kid on a scooter last night  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 03 September, 2010, 04:58:47 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 03 September, 2010, 04:25:01 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 03 September, 2010, 03:20:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 September, 2010, 03:11:56 pm
Fitted a sensibly sized chainring to the tandem.  This involved power tools and minor blood loss.

Have you been channelling nutty again?  ::-)
 

Never mind Nutty, where's the pics.  Gore, gore, gimme gore!!!   :D

Reminds me of a lovely little ditty from my medieval reënactment days:

"Blood makes the grass grow. Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 September, 2010, 05:30:28 pm
Resurrected & pitched a dutch tent with sun canopy extension.

The original intention was to erect it so that we cuold take piccies to accompany a "for sale" advert.
It was last used approx 8 years ago when it was a new purchase for a two week holiday in Cornwall .Keeping it in a warm dry garage has kept it in excellent condition.

We have rapidly moved onto PlanB which is not to sell & use it to camp on the Sclilly Isles next year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 04 September, 2010, 11:54:01 am
I moved the stem and tightened the headset.  The fork no longer wobbles and is a tiny bit stiffer.

The big problem I had with Orange bike was the completely wrong wiring.  The LBS had connected the Ground cable wrongly at the hub generator.  I consistently followed this through when I connected the rear light.  When Orange bike was Pink White and Blue bike this worked.  However after painting, commuting bike  set up no longer worked.  Cleaner connection meant a short circuit and the rear lamp would not work.  This had me puzzled so I checked the dynamo and noticed the Black cable in the earth connection. I checked documentaion for IQ Cyo and realised this was wrong.  I corrected the wiring throughout and it all works.

Next job on this bike:
Learn to build wheels.
Build new front wheel.
  
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 04 September, 2010, 12:13:12 pm
New bar tape  8) and a proper hunt for the source of the slow, slow puncture
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 September, 2010, 04:04:55 pm
Cleaned and relubed the touring bike ready for camping.  And got a narwhal T-shirt in the post.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 04 September, 2010, 04:09:02 pm
I've fixed a wardrobe, chest of drawers, TV unit and some bookshelves. All were falling apart and rescued from my daughter's "new" flat in Leeds - en route to the tip. It's amazing what some backing hardboard, pinned and glued to the backs will do!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 September, 2010, 04:30:06 pm
Side light to the caravan.Very hi-tech job that...changing a bulb ;D

The folding shelf on the side of one of the folding chairs used in the caravan awning.I had help from two friends.Mr. Hammer & Mr. Spring Clamp.Only quality bodges done here by Bodgit & Scarper Ltd ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 04 September, 2010, 04:41:42 pm
New cables on a friends bike. It's an old uncared for Peugot.  Weinmann 500 sidepulls on chrome rims,  and a Sachs Huret derailleur which takes the chain across the 5 speed block as soon as you touch the lever. Doesn't seem to be any way of adjusting it ?  H & L adjusters but nothing else ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 04 September, 2010, 05:09:10 pm
Fitted a toeclip and toestrap onto the right hand pedal of my recumbent. Setting off is much easier now and if I don't set off cleanly first time, then at least my foots ready for another try.

Not confident enough to fit the other clip and strap onto the left hand pedal yet  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 04 September, 2010, 05:28:22 pm
Degreased the MTB chain and drive train.  Then washed it and re-lubed anything that required it.
Examined the front axle as I thought I felt some play on Friday but I think it was the skewer that was not tight enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 September, 2010, 05:46:35 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 04 September, 2010, 04:41:42 pm
New cables on a friends bike. It's an old uncared for Peugot.  Weinmann 500 sidepulls on chrome rims,  and a Sachs Huret derailleur which takes the chain across the 5 speed block as soon as you touch the lever. Doesn't seem to be any way of adjusting it ?  H & L adjusters but nothing else ?
Er...it's non-indexed.  You have to do it by feel, and it is Not Easy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fin on 04 September, 2010, 07:00:51 pm
Eventually got round to replacing brakes and cables on the tandem and for the very first time in nearly 30 years of bikes and their maintenance and lots of other bodges and desperate measures - I cut through the front brake outer with the inner cable still inside.  Do I feel stupid ?   >:(  :-[  :'(  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 04 September, 2010, 09:08:29 pm
Quite a lot of fettling here.

#2 son has landed a part time job in town, just 6 miles away. He wants to get motorised ASAP, but in the meantime will be using the family community bike, Skippy (rescued from a skip). It's fixed gear, and officially In a State.

New mudguards, new set of Marathon Plus, brakes front and rear, and saddle. The two years of coastal commuting, courtesy of #1 son, didn't do it any favours.

Also - the  chainring was completely shot - not any teeth left, just some bumps.

Didn't manage to finish. It's a work in progress...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 05 September, 2010, 09:48:00 am
Major refettle of the front of the bike:

Bontrager RaceLite 80mm stem
Eaton EA70 bars
Lizard Skins bar tape in yellow

And fixed the tension on the front (and only) brake.

Tis now a very yellow and black themed bike.  I shall look even more like a wasp.

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/4959871434_e1bd5aabba.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsbruce/4959871434/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 06 September, 2010, 07:39:57 am
It's only after fitting the new chain to my fixie that I realised quite what an appalling state the old one must have been in.

Which, to be fair, is hardly surprising given that it was 4000km old and hadn't ever been cleaned.

I must have removed a link from it at some point though...

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 September, 2010, 05:53:41 pm
I tried to fit a new tyre to the blue bike. But it's wierd plastic wheels defeated me and snapped one of my hitherto trusty tyre levers, which I've had for over twenty years. Well, at least I got some use out of them.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 September, 2010, 07:40:06 pm
Filled and fired up the Coleman 550B stove.  My little cleanup has paid dividends because it now settles to a blue flame in about five seconds, as quick as the one in this video:


      YouTube
            - Coleman Exponent Multi-fuel
    (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EBeOr27WpI)

The roaring noise is much better in real life.  It should get through the camping weekend on a tankful, but I'll take a bottle of white gas just in case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 September, 2010, 08:14:46 pm
Replaced the Rohloff gear shifter cables on my Thorn.  Lovely smooth shifting again  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 08 September, 2010, 08:24:05 pm
Finished fettling Skippy earlier, in time for #2 son to use it for commuting to his evening job. I test rode it at lujchtime. There's nothing quite like test riding a newly fettled fixer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 08 September, 2010, 11:06:35 pm
Fixed a puncture on a rear tyre. 13" diameter tyre, 5 inches wide on a 6 inch diameter rim. Bloody hard to get off the rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 08 September, 2010, 11:15:14 pm
Headset on the tourer needed tightening a tad.  Well, maybe half a tad.  I re-greased it while I was in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 September, 2010, 02:36:47 pm
Fitted a chain guard to Mrs Cudzo's Funny Blue Bike. This involved using my crank extractor, which is fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 September, 2010, 04:09:37 pm
Caravan stuff......
New roof-vent panel
Greased door hinges
New water pump & associated rocker switch & fuse.
New hi-cupboard door hinge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Regulator on 09 September, 2010, 04:32:08 pm
Quote from: jogler on 09 September, 2010, 04:09:37 pm
Caravan stuff......
New roof-vent panel
Greased door hinges
New water pump & associated rocker switch & fuse.
New hi-cupboard door hinge.

New special cupboard just for CAKE?  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 September, 2010, 04:37:34 pm
Attacked the worlds heaviest bike.  Decided it requires too many bits for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 September, 2010, 04:40:24 pm
Quote from: Regulator on 09 September, 2010, 04:32:08 pm
Quote from: jogler on 09 September, 2010, 04:09:37 pm
Caravan stuff......
New roof-vent panel
Greased door hinges
New water pump & associated rocker switch & fuse.
New hi-cupboard door hinge.

New special cupboard just for CAKE?  :P

I have been asked  previously if the caravan itself is a mobile cake-cupboard  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 September, 2010, 04:58:28 pm
It turns out the chain guard is fouling the chain. This is because it is designed for a larger chainwheel (it is a wheel, not a ring) and the metal diameter piece clashes with the inner face of the chain as it passes over the teeth. It seems some measuring is required, and some hoping for something that fits.

In contrast, I have sewn on six shirt buttons and impressed myself with my ability to thread a needle.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:07:38 pm
I've made one of these,
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/4974859146_97e3b1c964_b.jpg)
so that Pippa can store her bikes without me making holes in her walls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 08:26:02 pm
I see you're going with the Kim/barakta approach to choice of bike storage location, there :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:27:58 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 08:26:02 pm
I see you're going with the Kim/barakta approach to choice of bike storage location, there :)
You wanna put your bikes in my front room?  :P

4 x bike in a 1.2 sq. metre footprint = happy  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 09 September, 2010, 08:31:10 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:07:38 pm
I've made one of these...

I like that. What did you use for the wheel channels?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 08:34:35 pm
Nice job.  We've got eight bikes in the dining room - could you sort us out with summat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 09 September, 2010, 08:36:06 pm
*does little happy dance*

Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:27:58 pm
4 x bike in a 1.2 sq. metre footprint = happy  :)

Conveniently 1.2 sqm is exactly the corner of space I have in my spare room   ;)

But but but. I only have 3 bikes to hang from it. Which I guess means I have room for n+1   :D

*does even more happy dancing with clappy hands*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 09 September, 2010, 08:36:41 pm
That reminds me, need to re-arrange furniture in the hope of finding a better place to store bikes.  Especially if I add to the stable.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:41:16 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 09 September, 2010, 08:31:10 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:07:38 pm
I've made one of these...

I like that. What did you use for the wheel channels?
These. (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Saris_Bike_Trac_Rack/5360018955/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 08:42:45 pm
*vaguely wonders if we have the ceiling height to hang a gaspipe tandem vertically*

Possibly, but severe risk of Nutty-style bike storage injuries getting it down.

And it's no good for the 'bent.  It'd be like living in a Crosscountry train.

And n+1 is by all accounts going to be a trike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:43:04 pm
Quote from: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 08:34:35 pm
Nice job.  We've got eight bikes in the dining room - could you sort us out with summat?

Thanks.
Yes.
Ask me about the cost of the steelwork before proceeding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:46:05 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 08:42:45 pm
*vaguely wonders if we have the ceiling height to hang a gaspipe tandem vertically*

Possibly, but severe risk of Nutty-style bike storage injuries getting it down.

And it's no good for the 'bent.  It'd be like living in a Crosscountry train.

And n+1 is by all accounts going to be a trike...
If you have the headroom, the answer is (obviously) yes.
But you'd not be able to rely on the Saris rack to keep the un-hung wheel in check.
That doesn't mean that it cannot be done (wiv ally section, an' pop rivets, an' stuff)  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 08:48:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:43:04 pm
Quote from: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 08:34:35 pm
Nice job.  We've got eight bikes in the dining room - could you sort us out with summat?

Thanks.
Yes.
Ask me about the cost of the steelwork before proceeding.

;D I guessed that might be the limiting factor ;)

Perhaps you could pop over for dinner one evening, and you could advise :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 09 September, 2010, 08:51:27 pm
Quote from: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 08:34:35 pm
Nice job.  We've got eight bikes in the dining room - could you sort us out with summat?
11
 :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 08:52:18 pm
11?  Have you sneaked in n+1 or so when I've not been looking? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 08:55:22 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 08:46:05 pm
If you have the headroom, the answer is (obviously) yes.
But you'd not be able to rely on the Saris rack to keep the un-hung wheel in check.
That doesn't mean that it cannot be done (wiv ally section, an' pop rivets, an' stuff)  :)

Indeed.  It's just that, thinking it through, the geometrically diverse nature of our stable doesn't really lend itself to this kind of storage.  Hanging things from pulleys would be a better approach, I think, but I'm not doing anything that structural to the landlord's shoddy ceiling.  I think we'll have to stick to the current strategy of allowing the living room to evolve into a not-so-seekrit bunker little by little.  That should be good for at least n+3 - it's not like we wanted to be able to see the telly anyway...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 09 September, 2010, 09:00:08 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 09 September, 2010, 08:36:41 pm
That reminds me, need to re-arrange furniture in the hope of finding a better place to store bikes.  Especially if I add to the stable.

I've told Emily that there'd be no problem if we just ditched the sofa.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:03:07 pm
Quote from: dasmoth on 09 September, 2010, 09:00:08 pm
I've told Emily that there'd be no problem if we just ditched the sofa.

Genius!

A recumbent trike is practically furniture...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 09:03:47 pm
I am led to believe LeeW uses his trike as an armchair
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 09 September, 2010, 09:11:15 pm
Quote from: dasmoth on 09 September, 2010, 09:00:08 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 09 September, 2010, 08:36:41 pm
That reminds me, need to re-arrange furniture in the hope of finding a better place to store bikes.  Especially if I add to the stable.

I've told Emily that there'd be no problem if we just ditched the sofa.

My sofa gets used, but not so much the matching chair.  As it matches the sofa, and came with the flat, I'm stuck with it.  Things will be a bit simpler when my mate in SG finally arranges to collection of all the stuff I've been storing for him.  That should provide enough space for some serious re-arranging.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:18:25 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 09 September, 2010, 09:11:15 pm
As it matches the sofa, and came with the flat, I'm stuck with it.  Things will be a bit simpler when my mate in SG finally arranges to collection of all the stuff I've been storing for him.  That should provide enough space for some serious re-arranging.

Because it's still a sore point, but I hope to one day see the humorous side, we were stuck (and I do mean that literally, they wouldn't fit through the corridor to the rest of the flat, where they could have been less in-the-way) with these hideous and uncomfortable fake leather monstrosities in the front room of our London flat:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/21Bvr/IMG_0757.sized.jpg)

Turns out that vertical storage works almost as well for naff landlord furniture as it does for bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 09 September, 2010, 09:26:31 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:18:25 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 09 September, 2010, 09:11:15 pm
As it matches the sofa, and came with the flat, I'm stuck with it.  Things will be a bit simpler when my mate in SG finally arranges to collection of all the stuff I've been storing for him.  That should provide enough space for some serious re-arranging.

Because it's still a sore point, but I hope to one day see the humorous side, we were stuck (and I do mean that literally, they wouldn't fit through the corridor to the rest of the flat, where they could have been less in-the-way) with these hideous and uncomfortable fake leather monstrosities in the front room of our London flat:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/21Bvr/IMG_0757.sized.jpg)

Turns out that vertical storage works almost as well for naff landlord furniture as it does for bikes.

You've got a rack in your living room.

:little geek moment:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 09 September, 2010, 09:29:31 pm
Quote from: clarion on 09 September, 2010, 09:03:47 pm
I am led to believe LeeW uses his trike as an armchair

Some ideas on setting up saddles and handlebars suggest that people would like to use their armchairs as cycles...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:31:53 pm
Quote from: hulver on 09 September, 2010, 09:26:31 pm
You've got a rack in your living room.

Well, not any more.  The great thing about living in not-London is that for half the rent you can afford enough space to devote an upstairs room to computers and stuff, and use the living room to store bikes.

But yes, turns out that vertical storage works even better for electronics than it does for bikes or naff furniture.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 September, 2010, 09:34:36 pm
These posts demonstrate a few reasons why the next place in which I live shall be rented unfurnished. Unless I manage to become rich / spendthrift / investment clever / grown up and actually buy a place, in which case it shall of course also be unfurnished (probably for too long time).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 09:36:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:18:25 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 09 September, 2010, 09:11:15 pm
As it matches the sofa, and came with the flat, I'm stuck with it.  Things will be a bit simpler when my mate in SG finally arranges to collection of all the stuff I've been storing for him.  That should provide enough space for some serious re-arranging.

Because it's still a sore point, but I hope to one day see the humorous side, we were stuck (and I do mean that literally, they wouldn't fit through the corridor to the rest of the flat, where they could have been less in-the-way) with these hideous and uncomfortable fake leather monstrosities in the front room of our London flat:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/21Bvr/IMG_0757.sized.jpg)

Turns out that vertical storage works almost as well for naff landlord furniture as it does for bikes.

I am much more interested in the contents of the small drawers seen to the left of your pic and, as such, will be zooming in with enhancement to ascertain their contents  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:44:05 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 09 September, 2010, 09:34:36 pm
These posts demonstrate a few reasons why the next place in which I live shall be rented unfurnished. Unless I manage to become rich / spendthrift / investment clever / grown up and actually buy a place, in which case it shall of course also be unfurnished (probably for too long time).

The sad thing was that that was supposed to be an unfurnished flat.  That (combined with about as barakta-friendly a commute as you were likely to get) was why we rented it - we already owned plenty of furniture, appliances, etc.  The usual tedious crap involving uninformed letting weasels, a change of landlord and so on meant we didn't find out about them (or the biohazardous fridge) not being the previous tenant's property until we moved in.  By which time we'd just signed a contract and were generally feeling grateful that scummy northerners such as ourselves[1] were being allowed to rent anything in That London.


[1] I think the only reason the weasel went ahead with the letting was that he noticed I was born in Brent while photocopying my passport.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:46:27 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 09:36:18 pm
I am much more interested in the contents of the small drawers seen to the left of your pic and, as such, will be zooming in with enhancement to ascertain their contents  ;)

An almost-complete set of preferred values of resistors :thumbsup:, along with assorted capacitors, ICs, connectors and miscellaneous pingfuckits of a loosely electronic nature.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 10:01:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:46:27 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 09:36:18 pm
I am much more interested in the contents of the small drawers seen to the left of your pic and, as such, will be zooming in with enhancement to ascertain their contents  ;)

An almost-complete set of preferred values of resistors :thumbsup:, along with assorted capacitors, ICs, connectors and miscellaneous pingfuckits of a loosely electronic nature.

Bollox!
There goes an evening's photo-enhancement and entertainment for me  ::-)
I know, I need to get out more....  :D
P'rhaps on the bike....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 09 September, 2010, 10:02:52 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 10:01:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:46:27 pm
An almost-complete set of preferred values of resistors :thumbsup:, along with assorted capacitors, ICs, connectors and miscellaneous pingfuckits of a loosely electronic nature.

Bollox!
There goes an evening's photo-enhancement and entertainment for me  ::-)

You could still work out what she's missing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 09 September, 2010, 11:29:29 pm
We used to have a rack in the dining room of a house we rented in St Albans.  A big one.  It was rather taller than me - although that's not saying very much, I suppose.  Possibly about TimO height? 

It was getting chucked out from work, and you can't let something like that just go in a skip, can you?  There were lots of plans and projects which sadly never came to pass, and then we moved back north and ended up camping out at my mum's for nearly a year and our housemate (who was also my boss at the time) moved to a shoebox in Luton, of all places, and none of us had space for it.  I seem to remember that it went to live with an uber-geek friend, who used to come and visit us for Sunday lunch using a combination of train and unicyling, in Milton Keynes.  Although I should probably clarify that he didn't transport it home on either a train or a unicycle.

I wonder where it is now?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 11:47:05 pm
Ours went in a skip.  And then, a little bit later when nobody was watching, it went in the back of barakta's dad's Vectra estate.

...And has made a very good home for a couple of servers; a router (by which I mean "seriously ancient computer that refuses to die in an lightly-fettled industrial rackmount case running BSD", rather than the sort of thing you get from Netgear); 24-port switch; patch panel; a UPS that thanks to a summer of intensive cycling now weighs more than I do (also rescued from a skip); $ky box, VCR (defunct); assorted small boxes of blinkenlights and what used to be an unmanageable tangle of wires.

It's fully SWMBO-approved, too.  Not just because she's as big a geek as I am, but because it actually makes things tidier, quieter and more reliable.    :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 September, 2010, 12:00:22 am
Quote from: Jurek on 09 September, 2010, 10:01:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 September, 2010, 09:46:27 pm


An almost-complete set of preferred values of resistors :thumbsup:, along with assorted capacitors, ICs, connectors and miscellaneous pingfuckits of a loosely electronic nature.

Bollox!
There goes an evening's photo-enhancement and entertainment for me  ::-)
I know, I need to get out more....  :D
P'rhaps on the bike....

Admit it. You were hoping for a set of cable ties, in colour and length order.

Plus some baby oil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 September, 2010, 12:02:45 am
Those are downstairs.  Well, not the baby oil, but several bulk boxes of Mates lubricant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 10 September, 2010, 06:27:31 am
Over the last few weeks my bed has been getting progressively squeakier. So earlier today I used my 3am insomnia to tighten all the bolts.
:thumbsup: much better. I can toss and turn in relative silence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 September, 2010, 03:13:57 pm
I have unfettled the Funny Blue Bike's chain guard, i.e. removed it, as there appears to be no way to get it to fit properly. Mrs Cudzo will just have to tuck her trousers in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 September, 2010, 05:08:12 pm
A kickstand onto the recumbent & transferred my stuff from a Carradice Prima rackpack into a new CarrDura rack bag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 11 September, 2010, 12:11:13 pm
Just pumped up the tyres on my commuter bike - only 40 psi, rather than 85 psi, so I guess that's why it's been hard work the last few weeks.  I also re-greased one of the front brake arms as I'd noticed it was sticking on a bit. 

That's this year's maintenance done on that bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 11 September, 2010, 12:26:30 pm
Winter gearing sorted.

E-bay bike: 49/19 (68")

Pompino: 44/17 (68") and 44/19 (61")

I'm expecting it to be hateful and spinny for a while, unitl I get used to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 11 September, 2010, 04:37:50 pm
I cleaned a pair of unused wheels so that future N+1 would look better when I start it.

As I was cleaning I decide to wash Orange bike's rear end because it got quite dirty this week.  I was worried by the extreme angle on the prop stand braze-on.  At 45 degrees the bike leaned over too far putting far too much load on the stands pivot area.  I thought it might break.  No that did not happen.  However the metal of the braze-on was far too soft and it bent outwards in an alarming manner.  I was surprised.  All I could do was bend it back.  Actually I bent it back to where I thought it should of been now the bike stands nearly vertical and the stress on the stand is much reduced.
  
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 11 September, 2010, 09:27:17 pm
Fitted the dyno-hub wheel to the commuter. When I first spun the wheel, no lights, bugger! I wobbled a couple of connections with no improvement. Then I thought if it's both lights (front and back) then it's probably the connection at the wheel. Took this apart and cleaned it all up and the lights work ok now. I leave home at 6.30 am and it has been a bit dull a couple of mornings this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 12 September, 2010, 06:39:17 pm
Put new Conti GP 4 Seasons on the Ribble.  A bit pricey, but I like them.  But when they've reached the end, they really are finished.  The previous went from fine to shedding rubber overnight.  Come the Spring I'll get in another pair to have to hand for next time.

I've also had another go at the new rear dérailleur.  What a PITA!  ::-)  Without chain I had 8 of 9 gears.  With the chain on I've got 4.  This will do for now — I've run out of patience for this evening.  But at least I'll be back on a bike tomorrow!  :thumbsup:

I think I've earned myself a drink.  :smug:
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 September, 2010, 07:17:56 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 12 September, 2010, 06:39:17 pm
.......  But when they've reached the end, they really are finished.  The previous went from fine to shedding rubber overnight.  

I have discovered this about all the Conti's I have used, you know EXACTLY when to replace them because you suddenly go from zero visitations to one (at least) every ride.

I still wouldn't do without them though...

Back on topic, tightened the seat bolt on the trailer bike prior to a pootle around my home town with the CrinklyPride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 12 September, 2010, 07:22:40 pm
Fettled the Globe city into trailgator towing mode (removal of rear rack and mudguard) in preparation for Oscar's dad's led ride this morning.

Just fettled it back into commute mode, since I'll need it tomorrow (I'm out for beers in London tomorrow, so won't be taking the folder.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 12 September, 2010, 07:53:13 pm
I think I've fettled the triple changer into submission.  More or less.  The large chainring and smallest sprocket makes a little noise when under pressure, but it's rare to find me doing 30mph+ on the flat, which seems to be what you need to do to achieve much noise.  There's also a little noise when in the middle chainring and larger sprockets, but that probably means you're either pulling away, and about to change sprocket anyway, or huffing your way up a hill, in which case noise is a minor issue!

Triple changers never seem to work perfectly, they always seem to be a bit of a bodge, and require the smallest adjustment to each elemenr, and the slightest accidental nudge will send the entire mechanism off into noisy-chain-fall-off-buggery-land. :-\ >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 12 September, 2010, 08:03:55 pm
Put another layer of liquid rubber over the crap lead we have on our conservatory. The lead has been leaking for years, apparently, and one smear of the rubber stuff appeared to fix it. However, there was heavy rain recently, and one drip came through. Went back up today, and found the likely cause.

The whole roof needs replacing in the next few years, so ICBA with replacing all the lead only for it to have to come off again when we get a new roof "system" fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 12 September, 2010, 08:12:24 pm
Cotterpins and loose balls and third hands, oh my.  An old ebay Carlton came a'visiting and brought noms.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 12 September, 2010, 08:13:13 pm
Swapped a worn rim for a new Open Pro. Now I have my hub dynamo back on the front of the Longstaff fixed, all ready for winter commuting. It's a pain that it's already dark at 6:30 am.  :-\

I was pleased that I managed the rim swap in about 30 minutes.


Also swapped the butterfly bars back to straights on the Ridgeback Alfine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 13 September, 2010, 04:49:58 pm
Added a little more visibility to the winter bike:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/DR3-1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/DR2-1.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 September, 2010, 04:51:14 pm
You can be as visible as you like, but you won't be seen unless someone's looking >:(

But...

Shiny! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 September, 2010, 05:00:23 pm
'Found out today why my gear changing has been a little ad hoc of late when, on the way home this morning, the gear cable became two  ::-).

Some roadside fettling resulted in a singlespeed  conversion to a ratio which would get me home.

A trip out to these bods (http://www.thecycleteam.com/) meant a new cable (and a spare),
the former of which is now fitted and doing its job sweetly :thumbsup:

Quote from: Andrij on 12 September, 2010, 06:39:17 pm
I've also had another go at the new rear dérailleur.  What a PITA!  ::-)  Without chain I had 8 of 9 gears.  With the chain on I've got 4.  This will do for now — I've run out of patience for this evening.....

Andrij - do you still want me to pay you a visit, With Toolz?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 September, 2010, 05:11:44 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 13 September, 2010, 05:00:23 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 12 September, 2010, 06:39:17 pm
I've also had another go at the new rear dérailleur.  What a PITA!  ::-)  Without chain I had 8 of 9 gears.  With the chain on I've got 4.  This will do for now — I've run out of patience for this evening.....

Andrij - do you still want me to pay you a visit, With Toolz?


Y(will soon)HPM
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 September, 2010, 03:15:06 pm
Fettled one of these

Busch & Muller Cycle Star Mirror Long Stem


onto the bars of the 'bent

Right turns will be safer:for me: now :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 September, 2010, 04:48:16 pm
Not bike related, but happy life related.....

Sorted out my firewall/router/web proxy/email box.

Turned out Squid had decided NOT to use it's disk cache so was now storing all it's junk in memory.

An easy way to reclaim 200M of RAM.

My wife is now a happy bunny 'cos t'internet is running how it should, well barring the problems we are having with our ADSL supplier, but that is the subject of a rant.. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 15 September, 2010, 05:04:40 pm
Nowt. Because I couldn't find what I wanted in the extraordinarily disorganised displays in bloody Evans in Reading, & the staff refused to pay any attention to a mere customer, preferring to talk on the phone, or to each other.

I'll have to wait until it arrives from Wiggle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 September, 2010, 08:24:35 pm
A bit of playing around with a b0rken train set (Thanks, Southern  :thumbsup: ::-)) and a functioning taxi  :-[ took me down to Corridori (http://www.corridori.co.uk/) from where I collected a pair of these:


(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/4993946988_e54c19f068_o.jpg)



from the inimitable Paul Smith who, in his customary way, went the extra mile beyond that which one might expect from an LBS. (Thanks Paul  :thumbsup:)

Sadly, the wheels are Pippa's and not mine.
I did (briefly) consider spinning her some sort of yarn that I had been mugged on my way home - but experience leads me to believe that she would've  seen right through such a tissue of lies.
So instead I spent an enjoyable couple of hours this afternoon, swapping over the cassette, re-adjusting the gears, fitting tubes & tyres and tweaking the brakes in order to make things Just So on Pippa's Van Nic.

Gotta say, apart from being the blingiest wheels it has been my pleasure to tamper with (ver' ver' light y'know) - I reckon they'll be the dogs wotsits to ride on.

They just need some bling skewers to go with them  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 15 September, 2010, 09:19:53 pm
Those are rather nice. I shall look forward to seeing them in the metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 15 September, 2010, 09:52:46 pm
Replaced the very slow puncture on my commuter (slow enough to last four days and about 60 miles loaded down with camping gear with only occasional pumping).  I cleaned my chain while I was at it.  It was a bit of a wrestle to get the wheel out, as I haven't touched it for nine months or so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 15 September, 2010, 11:46:49 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 15 September, 2010, 08:24:35 pm
A bit of playing around with a b0rken train set (Thanks, Southern  :thumbsup: ::-)) and a functioning taxi  :-[ took me down to Corridori (http://www.corridori.co.uk/) from where I collected a pair of these:


(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/4993946988_e54c19f068_o.jpg)



from the inimitable Paul Smith who, in his customary way, went the extra mile beyond that which one might expect from an LBS. (Thanks Paul  :thumbsup:)

Sadly, the wheels are Pippa's and not mine.
I did (briefly) consider spinning her some sort of yarn that I had been mugged on my way home - but experience leads me to believe that she would've  seen right through such a tissue of lies.
So instead I spent an enjoyable couple of hours this afternoon, swapping over the cassette, re-adjusting the gears, fitting tubes & tyres and tweaking the brakes in order to make things Just So on Pippa's Van Nic.

Gotta say, apart from being the blingiest wheels it has been my pleasure to tamper with (ver' ver' light y'know) - I reckon they'll be the dogs wotsits to ride on.

They just need some bling skewers to go with them  :)

When will you collect the rest of the spokes?  ;)
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 16 September, 2010, 03:46:56 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 15 September, 2010, 08:24:35 pm
A bit of playing around with a b0rken train set (Thanks, Southern  :thumbsup: ::-)) and a functioning taxi  :-[ took me down to Corridori (http://www.corridori.co.uk/) from where I collected a pair of these:


(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/4993946988_e54c19f068_o.jpg)



from the inimitable Paul Smith who, in his customary way, went the extra mile beyond that which one might expect from an LBS. (Thanks Paul  :thumbsup:)

Sadly, the wheels are Pippa's and not mine.
I did (briefly) consider spinning her some sort of yarn that I had been mugged on my way home - but experience leads me to believe that she would've  seen right through such a tissue of lies.
So instead I spent an enjoyable couple of hours this afternoon, swapping over the cassette, re-adjusting the gears, fitting tubes & tyres and tweaking the brakes in order to make things Just So on Pippa's Van Nic.

Gotta say, apart from being the blingiest wheels it has been my pleasure to tamper with (ver' ver' light y'know) - I reckon they'll be the dogs wotsits to ride on.

They just need some bling skewers to go with them  :)

I really like the mavic skewers, not the greatest thing to look at but a very positive locking action.
Those wheels would look nice on my TCR  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 16 September, 2010, 03:52:35 pm
I bought a shim for my seattube the other day so i've just changed the seatpost to a proper 27.2mm & while i was at it i changed my bars & stem too.  I've used the old components from my TCR that now has lovely blingy carbon to upgrade the heavy/cheap stuff that came with my defy 4.  The winter bike has been put on a diet  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 September, 2010, 10:57:08 pm
Toe clips and straps. With a twist.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 16 September, 2010, 11:00:56 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 September, 2010, 10:57:08 pm
Toe clips and straps. With a twist.  ;)

You are Nigella AICMFP
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 September, 2010, 11:06:23 pm
One of the screws on my non-cheese Minoura Space Grip kept falling out. Diagnosis was a stripped thread, so a bit of drilling and not too clumsy tap wielding later, I've replaced the M4 screws with New! Shiny! More available in my bits box! M5 screws.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 16 September, 2010, 11:33:31 pm
I've been attacking my winter bike's frame with a hacksaw and a rotary tool with grinding attachment.* :demon:

* Earlier this week, I had discovered that the front derailleur mounting tab was FUBAR - it had cracked, and it wasn't possible to securely reattach the front mech because as soon as the bolt was done up beyond finger tight, the tab just split wide open.

Given how much it would cost to get a new audax/winter training frameset, headset etc., I figured it was easier just to replace the 39T inner ring with a 42T ring and run the winter bike as a nine-speed.

So today, I decided to do something about the mangled derailleur tab...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 17 September, 2010, 12:52:42 am
Fitted a new 50 T chainring, jockey wheels and cassette. I was also going to fit the new chain, but decided to leave that task for tomorrow after spending far too long faffing around dropping chainring bolts and jockey wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Palinurus on 18 September, 2010, 07:15:34 pm
Fixed commuter got a new chainring, sprocket and chain and a new set of tyres.

It was hard work getting the sprocket off. Went back for one last try before giving up and it moved.

Chainring bolts were stuck. I thought to myself- this is a surefire way to skin my knuckles. Immediately did.

Four knuckles; each with it's own toothmark.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 18 September, 2010, 08:10:28 pm
Built a new 32-spoke wheel for the front of the trike ( I wanted the 36-hole dynohub out of the old one.) Some fun was had because I didn't have spokes of the right length so used 16mm nipples on one side and 14mm on the other. It worked in the end, but after the first tightening, the rim was about a centimetre off centre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Manotea on 19 September, 2010, 10:01:47 am
New sprocket, new chain, adjusted gears for Master Manotea's MTB ready for departure to college.

Every time I've collected it in the past its come back in bits. Pearls before swine doesn't come close.

The place will be a lot quieter and neater with him gone. Sob.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Henry on 19 September, 2010, 10:08:07 am
<yesterday>

Removed a set of seized-in cleats with rounded-off hex sockets from my winter boots, by hacksawing slots in all the bolts and taking a gurt big screwdriver to them.

It was hard work. Learn from my mistakes and give some love to your cleats now and then, people.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Martin109 on 19 September, 2010, 10:34:12 am
<also yesterday>

Replaced the old Sachs/Huret front derailleur from Bertie the tandem with one of  these (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/suntour-x-1-bottom-pull-286-mm-clamp-band-on-non-compact-triple-front-derailleur-prod1677/).  Great value at £9.99!

Amazingly, it appears to be working right from the word go, which is a great relief, as I couldn't get the Sachs/Huret to manage all three TA chainwheels.

I had also previously fitted rivets to the TA 52T outer, which I think in general has helped the change from middle to outer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 19 September, 2010, 10:56:16 am
Restrung , polished and lemon oiled the fingerboard on my new (to me) guitar.

Trying not to move too much to fettle my knee ;)  which seems to be improving quite well. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 19 September, 2010, 05:17:26 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 19 September, 2010, 10:56:16 am
Restrung , polished and lemon oiled the fingerboard on my new (to me) guitar.

Trying not to move too much to fettle my knee ;)  which seems to be improving quite well. 
 

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 19 September, 2010, 05:22:26 pm
Relocated my dynamo-driven front light so that the "spot" is close to the kerb & Fettled the strap on both of my Cateye thingybobs so that they grip the bar tightly & remain so:somethiung which both of them failed to do convincingly on Friday night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 19 September, 2010, 10:01:36 pm
Just about to head to bed when I remembered hearing a grinding noise from rear brakes yesterday.

I intend to cycle to work tomorrow so whipped the pads off and there be metal there, not entirely sure if it's bits of metal from road/rim embedded in pads, I don't think they're worn quite enough to expose the core metal but who knows?

Had my old front pads in bit box as still a fair bit of life on them when I replaced front end. Will do for now until I order some fresh ones.

Wondering whether to stick with cheapy pads from Halfords or get something better/more expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Palinurus on 20 September, 2010, 12:56:10 pm
Quote from: John Henry on 19 September, 2010, 10:08:07 am
<yesterday>

Removed a set of seized-in cleats with rounded-off hex sockets from my winter boots, by hacksawing slots in all the bolts and taking a gurt big screwdriver to them.

It was hard work. Learn from my mistakes and give some love to your cleats now and then, people.

Hmm. I'm going to have to do the same: cyclocross coupled with cleat neglect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 20 September, 2010, 02:04:19 pm
Patched Mrs Bs punctured inner tube wot she replaced on her morning ride yesterday.

I think I will die of excitement. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 September, 2010, 08:10:49 pm
Tightened the chain on the Inbred, had a good look at the brake pads and decided they'd do another couple of weeks.  This set lasted 3 months on the now smoothed-off ceramic rims - the first set lasted 3 days!

Still haven't dared inspect the Hewitt to find out what's broken  :-\  Symptoms: heavy creaking when pedalling out of the saddle, also steady clicking with each wheel revolution when not pedalling (so not the BB), worse when braking or leaning hard on the bars, became permanently worse after heavy braking (with about 40lb of luggage) down Combe Hill.

I reckon the front dynohub is wrecked...do you think the axle will fall into halves when I undo the skewer?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 20 September, 2010, 08:54:17 pm
Schmidt onto Etape.  Supernova E3 front and rear onto Etape too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 20 September, 2010, 08:57:12 pm
Quote from: Grub on 20 September, 2010, 08:54:17 pm
Schmidt onto Etape.  Supernova E3 front and rear onto Etape too.

* sigh *

A couple of weeks ago, it was the Swallows gathering on the wires. Now this.

The unmistakable signs of oncoming winter. Migration, and Grub fettling for the winter commute :(.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 21 September, 2010, 09:08:02 am
Swapped wheel with broken cassette with wheel with complete cassette.  Pumped tyre and went to work.  Noticed that mysterious creak from BB area has disappeared, now I will never find out what caused it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 September, 2010, 11:02:19 am
I have delegated a" reproof-a-Barbour-baseball-cap" fettling session.
That's a" fettle via management "  skill ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 September, 2010, 11:06:33 am
Swapped the Cyo onto the audax bike ready for that 'get home in the dark' moment this evening.

Bloody rear light aint working   :(

Now sorted   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 21 September, 2010, 12:37:00 pm
Fitted full SPDs to the Moulton, put the double-sided SPDs from the Moulton on the Dawes.

Ps. SJS Cycles have a real bargain on SPDs (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-shimano-pd-m520-spd-pedals-black-prod10227/) at the moment...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 21 September, 2010, 01:29:18 pm
Replaced the pawls in my Centaur hub.

5 years' use had deepened groove in each pawl and they were not poking out very much, resulting in an alarmingly quiet Campag freewheel - almost silent in fact.

(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/20100921_2369.jpg)

New and old:
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/20100921_2370.jpg)

It is now reassuringly deafening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: padbeat on 21 September, 2010, 03:58:39 pm
I have purchased a kitchen from B&Q to be built this Thursday and Friday (with a professional joiner to do the worktops. Today's actual fettling has been limited to swapping old plastic light switches for shiny new brass ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 September, 2010, 04:17:40 pm
Nowt.  But I did take my bike to the LBS who apparently tightened her cones and her disk rotor centrelock on the front wheel.  Since I wouldn't know where to start, it seems like a good plan to delegate - I was quite pleased to have worked out where the problem was, even if I didn't know how to fix it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 September, 2010, 06:17:49 pm
Finally got round to fitting the new chain(s) to the Streetmachine.

Obviously this involved giving the chainrings, dérailleurs, cassette and so on a good clean.  While I was at it I thought "Hmm, if I thread a bit of string down the chain tubes, I can pull some tissue soaked in degreaser through them and clean off the worst of the grime".  This worked surprisingly well, but I was baffled by the sheer quantity of hair that came out.  I mean, seriously, wtf?  I can imagine the odd hair getting snagged while fettling, but it was like I'd just unblocked a Dyson or something.   ???

Anyway, that done, I joined and measured the new chains, and put it all together.  Then took it off again because I'd got caught up in untangling the chain and forgotten to thread it through the front mech.  But everyone makes those sort of mistakes.  It's a tradition, an old charter, or something.

Sorted now, though.  Next mission: headset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 September, 2010, 08:29:11 pm
Heard a clunk on the way home on the TCR and then my front dérailleur started to rub and not shift correctly.
Whilst fettling I heard a louder crack.
I have now obviously split the front dérailleur braze on mount.

I think I'll try and get a yellow / gold one as a replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 September, 2010, 09:40:11 pm
Fitted mudguards and refitted pedals to my Trevor Jarvis Flying Gate - ready to ride the refurbished beast .... this is the MASSIVE 28" frame machine that I bought in a moment of weakness.

It's been powder coated and lacquered in purple - looks spectacular!   (As the powder coat man said ... the colour is the same as Subaru drivers have when they get their car wheels refinished ... )

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 September, 2010, 10:06:53 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 20 September, 2010, 08:57:12 pm
Quote from: Grub on 20 September, 2010, 08:54:17 pm
Schmidt onto Etape.  Supernova E3 front and rear onto Etape too.

* sigh *

A couple of weeks ago, it was the Swallows gathering on the wires. Now this.

The unmistakable signs of oncoming winter. Migration, and Grub fettling for the winter commute :(.


Well a mate at work is taking the plunge and going the dynamo hub route for the darker months and he was wondering which mounts I use.  So I thought it was nearly time to fit them anyway and with the rain on Thursday I thought it would not hurt to be more obvious.
Now I've broken the TCR I will be able to ride it in a day earlier for him to see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 September, 2010, 03:49:37 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 September, 2010, 06:17:49 pm
Next mission: headset.

The postie was in banging-on-the-door rather than ninja mode this morning, and came bearing the replacement headest.

First thing on the fettling agenda was of course the doorbell, which had drained its batteries.

That done, I set about with the greasy hammery contortions that replacing a headset on a recumbent while disconnecting the bare minimum of cabling from the fork involves.  Took a while, as I was being extra-careful, but there weren't any disasters.  Was bloody glad I'd had the sense to invest in a bag of spacers along with the headset, as, predictably, the stack height wasn't quite the same as the old one.

That's all back together now, and I'm going for a test ride just as soon as my spine recovers from all that sitting on the floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 22 September, 2010, 03:56:23 pm
My usual trick is discovering that I've managed to reassemble with a cable on the opposite side of the frame/forks than the old set-up, and having to decide whether  it's easier to take the cable off or the forks to sort it out.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 22 September, 2010, 09:02:00 pm
I now have magic double Dura-Ace shifters working on my (triple) Sequoia!

The rest of the bike is 105, but seeing as I'd bust the front shifter and I had a spare set of Dura-Ace sitting on my shelves doing nothing*, I decided to fit them.

All the gears work fine on the big chain ring, and then when I drop onto the middle chain ring, the top 8 gears are OK, and once I move onto the second largest sprocket at the back, it automatically drops on to the inner chain ring, for a bit of instant "go really slow" cycling.  I went out for a little 5 mile ride going up hills and was constantly changing gears with a big grin on my face.





* What do you mean, not everyone has such items lying around..........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 23 September, 2010, 02:42:23 am
Needed a case/sock thingy for my minty Nokia 6500

A nintendo DS game card case was the exact right dimensions down to the mm so I spent all of a quid in the plastic crap shop known as pound land.

5 minutes with a craft knife to remove all the unwanted card holding gubbins inside it and hey presto a scratch free phone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 23 September, 2010, 01:58:03 pm
Quote from: Clandy on 21 September, 2010, 12:37:00 pm
Ps. SJS Cycles have a real bargain on SPDs (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-shimano-pd-m520-spd-pedals-black-prod10227/) at the moment...

...and rather bizarrely a pair of SM-SH51 cleats also costs £17-99.  So, set of cleats or set of pedals with cleats. ???

(...although I prefer SM-SH56 Multi-Release Cleats, which are only £15-99).

Quote from: Kim on 21 September, 2010, 06:17:49 pm
... Then took it off again because I'd got caught up in untangling the chain and forgotten to thread it through the front mech.  But everyone makes those sort of mistakes.  It's a tradition, an old charter, or something.

Even more amusing with recumbents, you can put the chain back on such that you need to pedal backwards to go forwards.  Been there, done that. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robbo6 on 23 September, 2010, 02:03:29 pm
Put a new Izumi NP chain on Mme. BB's Orion.
She was coveting my CP Brampton chain, which never made it to production.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 23 September, 2010, 02:27:10 pm
What haven't I fettled yet today? The loose front axle nut (Pitlock) that I only noticed at the end of my commute when locking up my bike. Thank heavens for lawyer lips1.

1. Unlike some I don't gnash and wail at the idea of them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 25 September, 2010, 07:59:44 pm
I swapped a disc hub for a disc dynohub, using shorter spokes, of course.  However, they had previously been laced into a snowflake wheel, so were all bent to hell.

The thing now seems to have a pringle-mind of its own, so I've tightened everything up and left it to "settle" overnight.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 25 September, 2010, 11:49:44 pm
Short version: dismantled my SRAM 3spd rear Brompton wheel for cleaning, and in doing so, broke a small but vital component, rendering the wheel useless.  :facepalm:

Longer version. (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33086.msg730038#msg730038)

Note to self: in future, don't play with bike parts you don't understand just a few days before said bike parts are due to be pressed into service in a race.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 September, 2010, 07:20:19 am
I haz fettled the garage, so we now have:

A rack for hanging 4 bikes on, along with 4 hooks for other stuffs
A mirror, with hooks for hanging up helemts and bags.

Chucked loads to stuffs out, so we can actually get into the garage now :)

Hmmmmm, wonder if I could get away with n+1 now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 26 September, 2010, 11:36:01 am
I fitted a new set of mudguards to a bike with lots of clearance but disc brakes in the way F&R.

Jesus. What a job.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 September, 2010, 03:46:00 pm
I'm trying to fettle the 3-speed-with-backpedal-brake Sachs Torpedo hub on Mrs Cudzo's Funny Blue Bike. I've had a look at some diagrams on Sheldon's site, and my mind is boggling.  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 26 September, 2010, 04:12:09 pm
I have removed the bike carrier and the 8-ball gearknob from the kaput kamper prior to its visit to the flenderizer.   :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JohnP on 26 September, 2010, 04:20:20 pm
Refitted the original Scott sub20 bars, stem, levers, pedals, saddle and donated the bike to daughter's partner.  Makes room for my new Trek 7.5fx, solves SWMBO's aversion to n+1 and gets SWMBO a free session at the hair salon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 26 September, 2010, 04:23:50 pm
Put a set of drop bars on the fixed bike to replace the cut down bull bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 26 September, 2010, 08:11:39 pm
Took shoe with broken cleat.  As expected the allen key could not remove it. So drill drill drill.  Brake bit.  drill drill drill Bit of bolt stuck on bit.  Cut finger.  Remove bit of bolt.  drill drill drilll.  Success, cleat removed.  However the flattened upper was too much for the well used shoe and it seperated from the sole.  A few steps to the bin and a need for a new shoe.  :( 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 September, 2010, 08:36:15 pm
Just whacked a bigger CPU, a better graphics card and extra memory into the pc that is connected to the Tacx i-Magic.    Seems to be motoring along nicely   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 26 September, 2010, 09:11:13 pm
I finished putting together a SS MTB.  I nicked the idea of using a v-brake arm as a chain tensioner off Mr Nesbitt, and I had to scrape a hole big enough to fit a bolt through and get the chainline right.  Then I fitted the headset and forks, set up the brakes, and took it for a ride.

It was most succesful, except that the chain unshipped as I was careering across tree roots through Seven Woods.  Hopefully a one-off.

Still to do: fit a more permanent saddle and seatpost, probably get a longer stem, and replace the redundant cogs with spare spacers from another old cassette.  Oh, I also need to file down the teeth on the smallest sprocket, as they're slightly catching the bolt attaching the v-brake (or I could find an old cassette with a smallest sprocket of 11 teeth).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 26 September, 2010, 09:21:32 pm
Emptied and removed my crumbling chest of drawers of cycling bits from the garage and replaced with a newer, bigger, shinier model.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 September, 2010, 08:27:50 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 September, 2010, 03:46:00 pm
I'm trying to fettle the 3-speed-with-backpedal-brake Sachs Torpedo hub on Mrs Cudzo's Funny Blue Bike. I've had a look at some diagrams on Sheldon's site, and my mind is boggling.  :o
She says it is reasonably fettled. She can now get all three gears, but there seems to be still a bit of brake drag in 3. I don't understand why it should only occur in one gear and not the others. Chain is now nicely tensioned though!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 27 September, 2010, 11:04:33 am
Yesterdays' fettling was oil and oil filter change on one car, and an oil and oil filter change and set of rear brake pads of the other car.

Made more interesting by teaching 12 y o (step) daughter how to change the oil and filter and explaining how the brakes work... :)



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 30 September, 2010, 01:25:16 pm
I had to repair a puncture today. Nowt so unusual in that, but it was down to a faulty repair I did a while ago. The patch was leaking. Never had that before, thought the patches were quite old and I did do it quickly. Reconnected the hub dynamo too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 September, 2010, 02:25:03 pm
Today I reflectorised my spokes, thanks to the goodness of Yacfers.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 30 September, 2010, 07:17:10 pm
Cannibalised one of the reflecty-dangling bits on my Timbuk2 bag so I could use the clip on the main strap.

It was either that, or import one from California!  $2 for the part, plus $7-50 postage (estimated), plus taxes!

Does anyone stock Timbuk2 accessories in the UK?

S
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 30 September, 2010, 07:27:39 pm
Thought I'd clean up the fixie a bit before going to work on it tomorrow. Everything going well until I noticed 2 cracks in the head tube  :demon:
Tried to convince myself it was only the coating cracking, but it isn't, I've loosened off the head set and it's definitely a crack.

Am on the look out for a new frame, just when I was thinking I had hardly spent anything on bike related stuff recently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 September, 2010, 09:08:18 pm
I've just pulled off my drive side crank from the Dawes Lightning.  I have now removed the inner ring and can play around with it in freewheel mode minus brakes until I get enough dosh to get a rear wheel.  A bit of fun anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RW on 30 September, 2010, 09:42:52 pm
Put new tyres on the Airnimal - Schwalbe Duranos.  Cleaned the chain and gears and gave it a jolly good wash.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 01 October, 2010, 12:21:41 am
Washed the wheels on the gt arrowhead in anticipation of a wash of the frame and then reassemble with a new chain.  then see what else it needs from its sitting around.

Took the wheels off friends Raleigh pioneer thing that needed a clean and a fettle.  then noticed that the gears are worn and the cranks too, hey ho hopefully something cheap will appear as my spares box has nothing suitable.  So hopefully someone will have some bits around to help me.

Started to take the Raleigh apart to clean in preparation for sunday full on ride to brighton but now I look at it and think maybe I should do something more with it.  Its so nice and comfortable....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Manotea on 01 October, 2010, 12:35:15 am
Swiss Hat and I applied vast amounts of leverage and eventually managed to get my old veoce BB out. We ended up fixing the BB tool into an engineering vice and rotating the frame. Well, SH rotated the frame whilst I clung on to the desk and vice to stop them turning as well. Anyway, job done. Now to fit a new back wheel and chainring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 01 October, 2010, 01:31:02 am
During the last week I have done my first on-the-road repair using a cable tie   :D  and I have also fitted a new element to my electric grill using my multi-tool. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 October, 2010, 01:35:38 am
Top tip: don't fit a new element to an electric grill using cable ties.    ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 01 October, 2010, 01:39:19 am
Quote from: Kim on 01 October, 2010, 01:35:38 am
Top tip: don't fit a new element to an electric grill using cable ties.    ;)

Thanks for the tip  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 October, 2010, 08:06:43 am
I fitted a couple of Clas Ohlson coat hooks to the side of my stairs to act as some heavy duty keys hooks (ie they're about to be overloaded!)

They work so well, I'm going to get a couple more. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 01 October, 2010, 08:13:53 am
Quote from: Manotea on 01 October, 2010, 12:35:15 am
We ended up fixing the BB tool into an engineering vice and rotating the frame.
I've broken the jaws on a couple of Record bench vices doing that >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 01 October, 2010, 11:33:41 pm
Loads of fettling tonight. After my fixie frame cracked at the head tube, I got another rough looking bike which had been in the shed at work for ages but which seemed to be OK for what I wanted.
Got it home and found it has a 27" front wheel and a 700 rear. My dual pivots from my fixie don't have enough drop so I've had to stick with the brakes on it (pretty poor ones) and the cranks are held on by nuts rather than bolts. I am missing the left hand one, so will visit my LBS tomorrow.
The head set hasn't responded to being greased, it is still notchy.
Still the bike will do for a while until a better frame turns up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 October, 2010, 05:32:12 pm
Fitted mudguards to the purple bike, then found I had 3 loose spokes on the NDside of the rear wheel, so with the aid of a brake block set close to the rim, I set about tighteneing them and keeping the wheel true (it hadn't gone out of true, which I think is testament to the rim, a Rigida Flyer, it only went out of true when I over tightened a couple of the loose spokes).  they must have been loose for a while, as they were REALLY floppy, not just a bit slack, but REALY REALLY slack....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 02 October, 2010, 06:56:25 pm
Refitted generator wheel + IQ Fly for the winter. Made a huge difference coming home last night in darkness. Noticed play in genny hub  bearings so \I need to do them next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 02 October, 2010, 07:29:04 pm
After a break for the worst rain since Noah was doing summat I got to fettle the BSO featured here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=38624.0).

In typical fashion I couldn't simply clean the brakes and call it done. Oh No!

Full fettle from front to back. Refit front fork bush and seal. Remove clean and refit headset, front and rear calipers - absolutely caked in grease. Clean regrease and adjust both hubs. Spend an entertaining hour cleaning the grease from the freewheel, rear mech and the rest of the drivetrain. Two new cables and the brakes not only function the gears work also.

Told my mate to tell the owner that if he greases the bugger again I'm going to make him clean it first if he wants me to lay a spanner on it!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 October, 2010, 07:42:40 pm
Took apart the Dawes Lightning once more.  Headset first.  Took the balls out, cleaned everything, re-lubed and re-installed.  Then removed the seat and seat post and tried to see what other posts I had that might fit.  None.
Looked closely at the post and found it to be a Ti Sturmey Archer - so took off the seat and put a Brooks with Ti rails on.  Fitted the back brake as I have not got my new wheel yet.

Took her up the road in single speed freewheel mode.  Made me smile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 02 October, 2010, 09:22:33 pm
My luverly Denon stereo that miraculously is now working properly again  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 03 October, 2010, 02:39:17 pm
I have just had to true my Mavic Aksium rear wheel as it was ever so slightly wobbly.
Mavic wheels are rubbish! You wouldn't have thought it would need truing yet, it's only had 44 months of hard (ab)use!!       ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 03 October, 2010, 03:42:12 pm
Tempo eventually restored to roadworthiness, although not without pinching a brake pad holder from another bike.  Ah well, I don't need gears for the next few months, do I.

Added brake pad holders to the ever-growing list of things I should probably hold in stock...  (also, tried copperslip on the grub screws this time).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 03 October, 2010, 05:57:42 pm
Cleaned all the muck off the Planet X accumulated from the trip to Dunwich, and then rode up and down the street pleased that the grating noise had disappeared. 

Then my foot slipped off the pedal (I was wearing trainers rather than my SPD shoes) and I hurt myself rather a lot.  It's a good job I didn't want any more children anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 03 October, 2010, 07:13:50 pm
Brakes on both road bikes, simple tightening up job on the defy & new pads fitted to the tcr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 October, 2010, 07:30:43 pm
Stripped a fully built up bike to f&f to package them for despatch - about 16 mins ... is that a record?

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 03 October, 2010, 08:16:32 pm
I put the Brompton into the garage so that the mud on it will dry, flake off, and leave me with a self-fettled pristine clean machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 October, 2010, 09:01:26 pm
Your optimism needs fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 03 October, 2010, 10:10:38 pm
I fixed (http://windywandering.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-we-fix-it.html) 'Bob'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 04 October, 2010, 12:53:48 pm
Yesterday I unblocked a drain   :sick:

I think I deserve a Pompino for that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 October, 2010, 08:41:32 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 04 October, 2010, 12:53:48 pm
Yesterday I unblocked a drain   :sick:

I think I deserve a Pompino for that.
I don't think it's technically possible to give a GURL a Pompino  :o

I fitted a new mudguard clip (courtesy of Tewdric) to the clubman so it's ready for the FNRttS...the last long ride of this year, probably.  And there's a raspberry crumble cooking in the oven because the Little Misses came home from my parents with a big bowl of slightly gooey raspberries.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 October, 2010, 08:47:41 pm
I finally got around to trimming the absurdly long loop of gear cable inner that has been coiled up, protruding from the rear derailleur, ever since I changed it a couple of months ago. It was in June, IIRC. I've even fitted one of those little caps to stop the cable fraying (further). Should I mention that I only got around to this today because I ground to a sudden halt when the coil got somehow looped round the jockey wheel, jamming the chain?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 04 October, 2010, 10:16:44 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 04 October, 2010, 08:41:32 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 04 October, 2010, 12:53:48 pm
Yesterday I unblocked a drain   :sick:

I think I deserve a Pompino for that.
I don't think it's technically possible to give a GURL a Pompino  :o

Explanation:Google Translate (http://translate.google.co.uk/translate_t?hl=&ie=UTF-8&text=Pompino&sl=it&tl=en#)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 05 October, 2010, 08:51:12 am
But you can have fun trying...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 05 October, 2010, 10:04:31 am
Quote from: clarion on 05 October, 2010, 08:51:12 am
But you can have fun trying...

I have no idea what to say. O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 October, 2010, 08:29:49 pm
Removed my broken bottle cage from the frame. The result of flappy trousers only secured on the chain side, strong winds and a weak weld.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 October, 2010, 09:04:15 pm
Did a bit of voodoo ergonomics on barakta's stoker bars.  We appear to have success, in that after an hour's riding her right arm is now suffering more than her left, and her arse is suffering more than both.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 October, 2010, 11:19:28 pm
I forgot that on my way to work, the front brake started making some metal-on-metal time to replace pad sounds.  A quick fettle of a set of spare pads onto the bike made sure things were OK on the way home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 06 October, 2010, 08:22:45 am
Mrs Dan ran over some glass on Monday. Replacement tube also went down. Yesterday evening I spent some time looking for bits of something nasty in the tyre. Tube still went bang (properly bang, just spinning the wheel). Dan's diagnosis - that tear in the tyre, maybe 5mm, pokes into the tube. Time for a new tyre. Time to do an emergency child-seat-ectomy and fiddle with light brackets on my old Trek to make today commutable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 06 October, 2010, 08:27:33 am
Last night: attached my Lumicycle twin halogen lights (that I've not used for ages) upside down to an Acor accessory bar.  Flippin' hell, they're bright.

Had to drill a new hole in one of the light cans to move the switch to where I can get my fingers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 October, 2010, 08:49:28 am
finally got my replacement MTE light back from the ebay seller, so fitted it to the Ridley.

Tonight might be the night for a dark ride.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 October, 2010, 09:38:45 am
Nice smooth ride into work.  I enjoyed every bit.  And added a couple of km on the end so that I can reach my annual target today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 October, 2010, 10:13:57 am
Quote from: clarion on 06 October, 2010, 09:38:45 am
Nice smooth ride into work.  I enjoyed every bit.  And added a couple of km on the end so that I can reach my annual target today.

Wrong thread? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 October, 2010, 10:22:11 am
Yes.  That should have been in On The Commute.  No idea what happened there.  Possibly reality interface issues at the competence filter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 October, 2010, 10:23:01 am
You mean you haven't had your first third cup of coffee yet then :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 October, 2010, 10:31:44 am
Quote from: robgul on 03 October, 2010, 07:30:43 pm
Stripped a fully built up bike to f&f to package them for despatch - about 16 mins ... is that a record?


No. A record is a round thing with a hole in the middle . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 October, 2010, 10:42:49 am
No.  A Record is an old Raleigh model.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 06 October, 2010, 12:44:04 pm
just going out to clean my chain
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 06 October, 2010, 01:50:59 pm
Moved my IQ Fly from bodged fork crown bracket to front brake boss. Then checked my front brake cable...which was found frayed down to three strands. Changed that double quick. Hurray for autumn riding!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 06 October, 2010, 07:56:10 pm
A nasty creaking noise that I could feel through the pedals when I was putting power in this evening. Groan. Nothing obviously loose or broken. Gave the bottom bracket a little tighten. I'll see how it is tomorrow.

My headlamp isn't going back together now I've put fresh batteries in. You may see me in what have you bought today soon.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 October, 2010, 06:23:05 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 06 October, 2010, 07:56:10 pm
A nasty creaking noise that I could feel through the pedals when I was putting power in this evening. Groan. Nothing obviously loose or broken. Gave the bottom bracket a little tighten. I'll see how it is tomorrow.

Still nasty and creaky. Looking down I think I see the chain moving side to side as well as round. I've fettled an appointment at the LBS on Monday. So, a pretty weak sort of fettle.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 07 October, 2010, 06:29:13 pm
Sometimes it's wise to recognise the limits of your fettlepower and fettle by delegation. Failing to do this can lead to a nasty accident, an unsatisfactory bodge, or... something the likes of which Nutty has nightmares of!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 October, 2010, 08:54:20 pm
yes ... or the shame of bringing your incompetence to the bike shop to fix. Done that.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 07 October, 2010, 10:35:55 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 07 October, 2010, 08:54:20 pm
yes ... or the shame of bringing your incompetence to the bike shop to fix. Done that.  :-[

"What these marks on the inside of the crank spider? That was where I was trying to hit it off using a screwdriver and hammer. Well, if you think cutting a new thread would be a better option by all means let's go with that."

That sort of thing?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 October, 2010, 11:06:11 pm
I gave Auntie Helen minor assistance in the eradication of her puncture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 08 October, 2010, 12:52:35 pm
Last night I placed my square next to the lock nut of my hub and adjusted my vernier caliper to assess the distance to the middle of the flange.  I subtracted this from 50mm which gave me the distance fromt the centre of the hub to the flange. I repeated this from the other end. I measured the distance from opposite spoke holes.  Now I have everything I need to bung in a spoke calculator and order my spokes. Click click click.

Have I messed up?  I measured the spoke hole diameter as 70mm. This morning I looked at the entries for the other hubs of similar type to DH-T665 in spocalc.xls they were 74mm wide. Eeek.  I better check when I get home. I might have ordered the wrong spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2010, 04:09:25 pm
Not really fettling, but I've charged some batteries and discovered a cunning use for bungee cord.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 08 October, 2010, 04:14:10 pm
What Kim?
What?
What?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2010, 04:17:58 pm
Attaching one's titanium bling to one's silly-shaped bicycle in a secure and reasonably aerodynamic manner, freeing space in the rack bag for Other Stuff, such that panniers should be unnecessary for this weekend's rides audax folly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 08 October, 2010, 06:39:43 pm
Finally got round to adjusting that ergonomic grip from ungernomic to ergonomic. Yay, no more numb hand..?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 October, 2010, 10:12:56 pm
Quote from: andygates on 08 October, 2010, 06:39:43 pm
Finally got round to adjusting that ergonomic grip from ungernomic to ergonomic. Yay, no more numb hand..?
It was ungermanic, but now it's thoroughly teutonic?  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 08 October, 2010, 10:33:28 pm
I took my coffee grinder (Gaggia MDF) apart and cleaned out several years' stray grounds from it, and managed to put it back together properly. There's nothing like a clean, smooth-running machine!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 09 October, 2010, 10:41:05 am
Quote from: Adrian on 07 October, 2010, 10:35:55 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 07 October, 2010, 08:54:20 pm
yes ... or the shame of bringing your incompetence to the bike shop to fix. Done that.  :-[

"What these marks on the inside of the crank spider? That was where I was trying to hit it off using a screwdriver and hammer. Well, if you think cutting a new thread would be a better option by all means let's go with that."

That sort of thing?

Yes, that sort of thing, or ... after I stripped the threads I found that the pedal didn't stay in properly, then I ordered a replacement crank on the net but it turns out that it goes on a different sort of bottom bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 09 October, 2010, 04:30:08 pm
Replaced the 48T chainring on my fixie with a 50T one of these:


(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/18494STRONGLIGHT_L.jpg)
 (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/stronglight-track-1-8-inch-130-mm-pcd-black-chainring-prod18494/)

Back up to 70" gear (50:19, 170mm cranks, 622-25 tyres).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 09 October, 2010, 08:45:55 pm
New bearings in my Goldtec rear hub.

Again.  I must be really hamfisted at fitting the damn things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 09 October, 2010, 10:05:57 pm
The garage door!!   Put a new cable on it, and adjusted the other  so it opens now and I can get my bikes out.  Can move the couple in the shed back into the garage now :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 10 October, 2010, 10:35:16 am
After putting together my N+1 http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=39104.0 (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=39104.0)
I went to buy lights(some cheap Axa LED with 2xAAA in both front and rear) and speedo(Cateye Enduro 8), and a spare tube. While fettling the valve of my front tube burst so I had good use for the spare immediately. I wasn't too impressed with the rim tapeplastic on the front wheel, so later I went back for two more tubes and rim tape. Will apply them when I will replace the tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 10 October, 2010, 04:32:54 pm
I fitted the roof rack and bicycle carrier to my car, so I can get the bike oop north for the Friday Night Ride to Somewhere Random (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=38025.msg743994#msg743994).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 10 October, 2010, 06:36:28 pm
Finally replaced the broken rear carrier on my work bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 10 October, 2010, 06:57:13 pm
I spent 90 mins tinkering with the Brompton.  Located broken spoke, removed rear wheel, deflated tyre, turned tyre-levers into pingfuckits as the Schwalbe fought back, replaced broken spoke, rounded the flats on the cheese-flavoured spoke nipples, put it all back together (noting how loose and sloppy the hinge was in a lateral direction), scraped mud off, cleaned, cleaned, cleaned, cleaned, pumped rear tyre.

All to turn a 8-minute walk to the bus stop into a 2-minute ride.   For a bus that was 15 minutes late. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 10 October, 2010, 06:59:03 pm
Fitted a dual pivot calliper to my road bike. Only the back to do now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 10 October, 2010, 07:39:59 pm
Oh dear.  Idiot at work.  I wanted to loosen the spokes gently so the rim in good condition would stay round and true.  Alas I had never used a spoke key before. I gradually half turn by half turn worked my way around the wheel several times.  It did not seem to be getting easier.  Then the penny dropped.  The spoke attachs to the underside of the nipple. This idiot was turning it the wrong way Duh.  So now the wheel has been relaxed it is no longer true. I can safely cut the spokes now that there is no tension and salvage the rim.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 October, 2010, 08:33:00 pm
Swapped mudguards for Raceblades on my commuter.  They're the ones off TGL's Trek, so they've done a few miles, and fit in with the shabby look.

I had to trim them a bit to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mAsTa RiDaH on 10 October, 2010, 08:46:52 pm
Fitted a decent idler to the 'bent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 October, 2010, 02:04:32 am
Broke more stuff on the raliegh then proceeded to break stuff on the cannondale.

Well I say break, I thought rear skewers were supposed to be quite strong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 October, 2010, 03:24:37 pm
At the risk of sounding terribly middle class....

Oiled the decking, twice

Replaced the shelving either side of the BBQ, as the old stuff had warped and busted....

Adjusted the mudguards on the purple bike so that I don't kick them each time I turn.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 11 October, 2010, 09:16:34 pm
Took pedals off Old Fixie and put them on New Fixie.

Felt a bit bad for Old Fixie who now has no pedals. So didn't take the saddle off Old Fixie, left the armchair on New Fixie and ordered new saddle and pedals. Old Fixie will get new pedals and New Fixie new saddle. This is as close to anthropomorphism as I get.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 October, 2010, 09:47:22 pm
Replaced another broken spoke on the Ridgeback.  Seems like I am destined to rebuild this wheel one spoke at a time :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: _lou_ on 12 October, 2010, 08:46:01 pm
Replaced a freewheel by dismantling it, and spilled the balls of the bearing all over the floor. I wish I had a magnet to collect them all... The new freewheel doesn't make the crack sounds the other one used to, but still is a lot noisier that the fixed cog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 12 October, 2010, 08:54:01 pm
Quote from: boab on 11 October, 2010, 09:16:34 pm
Took pedals off Old Fixie and put them on New Fixie.

Felt a bit bad for Old Fixie who now has no pedals. So didn't take the saddle off Old Fixie, left the armchair on New Fixie and ordered new saddle and pedals. Old Fixie will get new pedals and New Fixie new saddle. This is as close to anthropomorphism as I get.



LOL! This is exactly how my brain would work, and explains why I haven't purchased N+1 yet ... I would feel guilty and disloyal to N!  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 12 October, 2010, 10:40:29 pm
Fitted new front brake blocks to Pompino. It stops again. Retrued front wheel so it also doesn't rub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 October, 2010, 10:01:09 am
Stopped off on the way home and fitted new tyre & tube to Butterfly's bike which is currently being used by a friend.  Also sorted out the front brakes, but they needed new pads.  Wish I'd known, as I had to stop to pick up the new tyre. :-\

And it still needs some work/parts on the dynamo lighting.

When home, I tried to fit the Bobnutz to my fixed, but they're too small ???

Never mind, I fitted the propstand, and put a new chain on Butterfly's tourer and trimmed the gears.  Think it needs a new cassette now, because one of the sprockets is skipping.  I thought the idea behind cassettes was that you could replace individual sprockets.  Doesn't work out like that... :-\

Tried adjusting the brakes, but the lack of ferrule on the cable means it's hard to adjust at the hanger.  Should be easier when I've taken the barbag fixing off.

Sounds like I'll be busy tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 October, 2010, 02:02:30 pm
Last night Charlotte helped me (read: I played Igor to her Dr. F) do some work on my Ribble.  As I was replacing the levers we took the opportunity to redo break and gear cables, inners & outers.

I now have a full range of gears.  :thumbsup:  Just need to make some minor tweeks over the next few days.

Thanks, Charlotte!  :-*
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 October, 2010, 02:06:33 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 13 October, 2010, 02:02:30 pm
Last night Charlotte helped me (read: I played Igor to her Dr. F) do some work on my Ribble.  As I was replacing the levers we took the opportunity to redo break and gear cables, inners & outers.

I now have a full range of gears.  :thumbsup:  Just need to make some minor tweeks over the next few days.

Thanks, Charlotte!  :-*
 

Good news.
So was the prognosis on the LH lever correct?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 October, 2010, 02:21:14 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 13 October, 2010, 02:06:33 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 13 October, 2010, 02:02:30 pm
Last night Charlotte helped me (read: I played Igor to her Dr. F) do some work on my Ribble.  As I was replacing the levers we took the opportunity to redo break and gear cables, inners & outers.

I now have a full range of gears.  :thumbsup:  Just need to make some minor tweeks over the next few days.

Thanks, Charlotte!  :-*
 

Good news.
So was the prognosis on the LH lever correct?

Yes,* everything shifting more or less as it should. 

There's a noticeable difference in the shifting with these levers.  The previous set-up was much 'softer'.  Not sure if this is just due to worn bits or a combination of worn bits and different levers (changed from Xenon to Mirage).

*It was the RH lever.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 October, 2010, 03:40:18 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 13 October, 2010, 02:21:14 pm
*It was the RH lever.

Durrrr !  :facepalm: Yes.

But it was LH when the bike was upside down  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 October, 2010, 03:41:36 pm
He was trying to ride the bike upside down?

Ah well, there's most of your problem just there, y'see... ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JohnP on 13 October, 2010, 04:53:02 pm
Noticed that "nerd" at lbs had fitted the barbag clamp security wire the wrong way round the stem - stopped the bag tilting upwards but allowed an unhealthy degree of droop.

Replaced it with a piece of mtb brake cable and it now works as designed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JohnP on 13 October, 2010, 04:56:50 pm
I seem to have become the local kiddie bike fettler.

Knock at the door.
"hello, Sam's grandad.  My bike's making a clunking noise."

BB loose in frame; back wheel buckled; only 4 spokes tensioned; brake adjusters rusted solid.

Seems he only got the bike 2 days ago - the totter must have seen him coming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 October, 2010, 05:14:09 pm
Quote from: clarion on 13 October, 2010, 03:41:36 pm
He was trying to ride the bike upside down?


But that way the tyres last forEVAH!  ;D
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 October, 2010, 06:34:38 pm
But you get a bald patch on your head!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 October, 2010, 08:58:45 pm
Is that how Roger....

*decides against continuing*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Barnsdale on 13 October, 2010, 09:01:52 pm
Swapped my SPD pedals for cages and fitted toe clips and straps - not for that retro look but so I can ride in civvies.  Worked well until I tried to release my foot by twisting it out instead of sliding it backwards...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 October, 2010, 09:56:14 pm
Tightened my chain.

Removed broken barbag bracket from Butterfly's Galaxy

Cleared the weeds off the trailer, dug the mud out of the hitch, pumped the tyres up & checked the light.  Actually, found the flag, too.

Swapped the skewer on my tourer for the trailer one.

Refitted babbage engine to Butterfly's Galaxy

Tidied up the cable for my computer sensor, having moved it to accommodate the stand.

That's not too bad for an evening, given that I've also cooked dinner & washed up and put a loaf on...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 13 October, 2010, 10:57:25 pm
Quote from: clarion on 13 October, 2010, 09:56:14 pm
Tightened my chain.

Removed broken barbag bracket from Butterfly's Galaxy

Cleared the weeds off the trailer, dug the mud out of the hitch, pumped the tyres up & checked the light.  Actually, found the flag, too.

Swapped the skewer on my tourer for the trailer one.

Refitted babbage engine to Butterfly's Galaxy

Tidied up the cable for my computer sensor, having moved it to accommodate the stand.

That's not too bad for an evening, given that I've also cooked dinner & washed up and put a loaf on...

Teacher's Pet  ::-).

 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 October, 2010, 08:44:30 am
Finally received the correct mudguard stays and fitted them to the refurbished Trevor Jarvis Flying Gate.

The maiden voyage on the CTC Weds run was excellent ... the short(er) wheelbase makes for a more responsive ride than my conventional machines - a bit different when honking, but fine.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 October, 2010, 11:04:08 am
Cleaned years of muck and rust off the Dawes Kingpin that has lain, unloved, at the FiL's house since Mrs T abandoned it.

Fitted new tyres and tubes

Fitted nice new grips

Cleaned and oiled the chain

Put it all back together again and took it out for a spin, FUN!

Just need to fiddle about a bit with the gears now so that they select properly.

Then taking it through to York on Saturday for CrinklyLion's sis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 14 October, 2010, 12:17:34 pm
Got spoking wrong.
Failure 1. Valve hole in wrong place.
Failure 2. Leading spoke in wrong direction.
Undo it start again.

Lesson do not spoke wheel when tired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 October, 2010, 03:16:55 pm
An 18 metre long  conifer hedge which is now only 3 metres high but is also flush-faced with square corners.
Done with one of those petrol driven h.d. strimmers on the end of a long pole.A proper boys-toys thing :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 15 October, 2010, 09:38:14 am
Put 2 Duranos on instead of the late-to-retirement Gatorskins.
Changed some brake pads
Wiped some dirt off

Actually adjusted my gears myself!!!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 15 October, 2010, 09:50:42 am
Quote from: tiermat on 14 October, 2010, 11:04:08 am
Cleaned years of muck and rust off the Dawes Kingpin that has lain, unloved, at the FiL's house since Mrs T abandoned it.

Fitted new tyres and tubes

Fitted nice new grips

Cleaned and oiled the chain

Put it all back together again and took it out for a spin, FUN!

Just need to fiddle about a bit with the gears now so that they select properly.

Then taking it through to York on Saturday for CrinklyLion's sis.

Hurrah hurrah!  Birdy's getting a bike! 



(CL does a little happy dance.  Then realises someone might be watching and pretends she was just dusting or something....)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 15 October, 2010, 10:22:33 am
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 14 October, 2010, 12:17:34 pm
Got spoking wrong.
Failure 1. Valve hole in wrong place.
Failure 2. Leading spoke in wrong direction.
Undo it start again.

Lesson do not spoke wheel when tired.


Fixed.

Valve between non crossed spokes.
Outside hub spoke is the braking spoke.

Next steps - Learn to true and dish



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 15 October, 2010, 09:47:55 pm
Attempted to fit rear mudguard to the fixed. Gave up. Hopefully it's dry tomorrow....

Attempted to fit rack to the fixed. Gave up.

Had dinner. Had second helping.

Reassessed the rack situation. Fitted it but there's only one horizontal bar thingy attaching the rack to the seat seat.

Eat the final dredges of dinner.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 16 October, 2010, 10:25:21 am
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 15 October, 2010, 09:47:55 pm

Reassessed the rack situation. Fitted it but there's only one horizontal bar thingy attaching the rack to the seat seat.


Mine's the same as found out after a while the second bar was stopping the brake releasing properly.

Kept having trouble with the brake not releasing enough when I put new pads on, toook rack off to get to brake, dismantled and cleaned and greased the brake. Put it together and worked fine, rack back on and problems again. So did it all again.

Took far too long to see that rack support was pressing on the brake arm  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 October, 2010, 11:08:54 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 16 October, 2010, 10:25:21 am
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 15 October, 2010, 09:47:55 pm

Reassessed the rack situation. Fitted it but there's only one horizontal bar thingy attaching the rack to the seat seat.


Mine's the same as found out after a while the second bar was stopping the brake releasing properly.

Kept having trouble with the brake not releasing enough when I put new pads on, toook rack off to get to brake, dismantled and cleaned and greased the brake. Put it together and worked fine, rack back on and problems again. So did it all again.

Took far too long to see that rack support was pressing on the brake arm  ::-)

I have exactly this problem with the Langster.I solved it by invoking the mantra n+1 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 October, 2010, 11:10:25 am
Quote from: jogler on 16 October, 2010, 11:08:54 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 16 October, 2010, 10:25:21 am
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 15 October, 2010, 09:47:55 pm

Reassessed the rack situation. Fitted it but there's only one horizontal bar thingy attaching the rack to the seat seat.


Mine's the same as found out after a while the second bar was stopping the brake releasing properly.

Kept having trouble with the brake not releasing enough when I put new pads on, toook rack off to get to brake, dismantled and cleaned and greased the brake. Put it together and worked fine, rack back on and problems again. So did it all again.

Took far too long to see that rack support was pressing on the brake arm  ::-)

I have exactly this problem with the Langster.I solved it by invoking the mantra n+1 ;)

Same problem here, solved on one bike by judicious bending of the rack arm, on the other by just using one arm instead of two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 16 October, 2010, 06:11:58 pm
Fitted a new chain to the Planet X Ti Sportive. Always a bit tricky to be sure of the length when you broke the previous one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 16 October, 2010, 06:19:48 pm
Fitted red (Hudz) hoods to my Centaur levers.  8) They're not on the bike yet but I thought this job would be easier this way.

Also put the cleats on my new winter boots - just waiting for some horrible weather now so I can try them out...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 16 October, 2010, 06:22:43 pm
Replaced the pads on my front brake, the old pads having worn away to nothing.  Since I only have the front brake, that was a problem...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 October, 2010, 07:00:27 pm
Sorted the tandem.  TGL washed it, then I retaped the stoker bars, adjusted the front & rear derailleurs, and adjusted the rear brake (which is tricky, cause there's no in-line adjuster).  Oh - and I changed the routing of the gear cables.

Also fitted mudguards to TGL's fixed & redid bar tape on my fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 October, 2010, 07:14:20 pm
Replaced the components damaged on the Streetmachine after Wednesday's crash: New bar-end shifters (just as well, a bearing ball pingfuckited out of the old one when I unscrewed it); new gear cable inners (occupational hazard of replacing the shifters); new brake levers (managed to abuse the damaged one's adjuster with mole grips to the point that I could get away with not replacing the cable); new pedals (old ones seem to be only cosmetically damaged, but they're going on the tandem which is aesthetically nasty and badly in need of proper SPDs).

Also did a full clean and lube of the drive train, removing the usual hairballs from the rear mech, replaced a section of gear cable outer that wasn't quite the optimal length, and of course adjusted the brakes and gears.  Gave everything else a thorough inspection in case I'd missed any other damage - couldn't spot any.

Got the bell ringing briefly, but the mechanism keeps jamming.  Will probably invest in a new one that can be mounted outboard of the handlebars as a sacrificial (and occasionally useful) cheap thing to take the impact in crashes.

Didn't manage to injure myself at all, but did cause considerable amounts of pain and foul language by accidentally kneeling on my left knee while fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 October, 2010, 08:09:11 pm
Refitted mudguards to HK's S&S bike (not needed when in Oz) and fitted a GPS mount. Fitted a Terry Butterfly saddle and Bagman to HK's Ti bike. Replaced gear and brake cables on my bike, along with new brake levers (can't get replacement hoods anymore).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 17 October, 2010, 08:38:35 am
I've been mostly fettling flat packed boxes into box shapes, then filling them with various stuffs.

The conclusion is that I have too much stuffs.

Most of the boxes now have "Books. Heavy" written on the outside of them.

In fact, I have one box of CDs, one of DVDs and CDs. Nearly all the others (I bought 30 boxes, I have about 10 left) have got "Books" written on the outside.

I still have some more books to pack.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 17 October, 2010, 12:18:40 pm
At the moment I am a useless wheel builder.  The first attempt to true the wheel resulted in a local radial fault. I tried to pull it out but the applied tension was very high and did not move the high section..  So I loosened every thing off and started again.  This time the rim started off untrue but I removed the wonkiness and made a wheel that is not quite as true as my first attempt but I have ridden worse.  Although it looks good in the forks I know that spoke tensions are all over the place.    The riding will reveal if there is a problem or not.  I real regret the retirement of my tame wheelbuilder.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 October, 2010, 02:01:07 pm
Winterised the Inbred for the next six months' commuting.  This involved cleaning the drivetrain, refitting the Marathon Pluses, regreasing the brake bosses and smearing everything rustable with vaseline.

(http://www.peeble.com/winter.jpg)

The bike hasn't actually been washed since Easter  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 17 October, 2010, 04:38:33 pm
I've fettled the inside of a pannier - the one in which the eggs broke on the way home from the shops.
 :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 October, 2010, 05:32:38 pm
Enzyme time? Deodorising carpet puke? (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=39460.0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 17 October, 2010, 11:14:49 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 October, 2010, 02:01:07 pm
Winterised the Inbred for the next six months' commuting.
I won't quote your picture because it makes the thread unnecessarily big, but that shot reminds me of a question (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=39488).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 17 October, 2010, 11:18:10 pm
Disconnected the ring main in the kitchen before the walls are knocked out in the next few days. Also ran some speaker cable round the new living room before the plasterers get here on Monday so its all hidden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 17 October, 2010, 11:25:59 pm
Straightened the right STI lever and replaced the ripped up bar tape on my Planet X after last Sunday's tarmac interface.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zoidburg on 18 October, 2010, 12:45:37 am
No money for new bar tape to replace a worn though section on the fixie.

Electrical tape to the rescue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 18 October, 2010, 01:24:58 am
Fitted my new Durano Plus tyres this evening. The front wheel has an Open Pro rim and the tyre went on quite easily once I'd put some air in the tube to help it hold its shape. The rear wheel has a Rigida Chrina rim and it was a bloomin' nightmare to get the tyre on. Almost as bad as getting a Marathon Plus on a Brompton wheel.

I just hope they live up to their billing in respect of puncture resistance, cos I'm not going to want to be removing/refitting that too often.  :-\

They're very attractive tyres, though - very black, with the only colour being the Schwalbe branding in large, bold, white lettering.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 October, 2010, 02:08:44 am
Picked up a frame, well bike minus rear wheel in hackney.  Think its a falcon judging by the gears on it.  Nice  long drop outs so maybe a polo bike maybe not, got to decide,

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 18 October, 2010, 02:11:50 am
Put a KlickFix mount on the handlebars of my fixie.  It looks a bit odd when I have a handlebar basket resting very snugly between the drops, but it means my Mixer isn't the only bike I can do some shopping in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Nuncio on 18 October, 2010, 12:28:20 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 18 October, 2010, 01:24:58 am
The rear wheel has a Rigida Chrina rim and it was a bloomin' nightmare to get the tyre on. Almost as bad as getting a Marathon Plus on a Brompton wheel.

I've just moved to a Rigida Chrina on the front after going through my third Open Pro in about 18 months.  I use Conti 4 Seasons and am finding it so much harder to get them on the Rigida, compared to the Open Pro, that I'm regretting having switched, however much more durable they turn put to be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 18 October, 2010, 01:23:46 pm
New forks on Enigma. But I need to get the steerer tube cut down, so I'm off to AW Cycles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 18 October, 2010, 01:53:10 pm
Quote from: Nuncio on 18 October, 2010, 12:28:20 pm
I've just moved to a Rigida Chrina on the front after going through my third Open Pro in about 18 months.  I use Conti 4 Seasons and am finding it so much harder to get them on the Rigida, compared to the Open Pro, that I'm regretting having switched, however much more durable they turn put to be.

You might want to avoid Durano Plus then - the tyres I've just replaced were Conti GP 4 Seasons and they were remarkably easy to get on and off the Chrina compared to the new tyres.  :-\

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jezhiggins on 18 October, 2010, 02:08:35 pm
Fitted collosally study Tubus rack to the back of the tandem so that stoker Harry (fully 7 years old now) no longer fears messenger bag in the face when we're out and about.

Also fitted mudguards to Harry's new Islabike Beinn 24.  Once I'd managed to extract all the fittings from the packaging it was actually pretty straightforward. 

Given my meagre fettling skills (I worked in Halfords as a teenager), I think that's pretty good.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 October, 2010, 09:34:27 pm
Put the mudguards, lights and chain back on the Brompton.  It took two and a half hours  ::-)

The crud of the BWC had caused one of the allegedly-sealed Tacx jockey wheels in the chain tensioner to seize.  Also, fitting the mudguards involves a wholesale brake readjustment (the calipers have to come right off) and I also put the SON-XS front wheel back on.

There wasn't a drop of oil left on the chain after the race - all washed right off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 October, 2010, 10:11:07 pm
I collected my Hope rear wheel from the LBS on Saturday and re-installed it onto the Etape this evening.  Washed the cassette, degunged the jockey wheels, tightened and fettled the gears, superglued a large cut in the Schwalbe Durano Plus rear tyre and did some general cleaning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 October, 2010, 10:28:32 pm
Actually it was yesterday, but because I know you lot wouldn't want to miss out:

Dug what I suspected (correctly) to be a small stone out of the scabby mess that is my elbow using a pin and some tweezers.  Fortunately it had been well-greased when fitted, so came out without too much fuss or blood loss.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 18 October, 2010, 11:59:44 pm
Just tried adding some more preload to my (external) bottom bracket cups to see if I could dial out the play that has reemerged after finding that they'd gone floppy last week. Having stretched the definition of fingertight, I've got the play out, but I can feel slight graunching. Feeling the outer seals with the cranks off, I can feel a lot of play compared to when I checked them at about 8000k. They're now at 11000km, so they've done better than many others external BBs. Replacements were £17 including P&P, so I don't feel sore about that sort of life expectancy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 19 October, 2010, 08:59:14 pm
Tried tightening my headset only to find the thread of the top nut (or whatever it's called) is now swarf.  Off to lbs tomorrow for a new one and if that doesn't work some smaller spacers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 19 October, 2010, 10:23:49 pm
Fettled my commuter this evening, having collected it from the bike shop post-crash.  (A post will soon appear in the commute thread about the journey home.)

Having asked the shop to build up a dyno-hub wheel with the NOS Shimano hub I had gathering dust, I added a B&M Topal light.  It's no Cyo, but more than good enough for London commuting — and considerably better than what I used to use.  As I've switched to a dyno-hub, I've also had to switch to a wired computer.  Now running one I picked up at Aldi, having resorted to using the previous Cateye magnet as the Crivit one doesn't seem strong enough.  Also adjusted the position of the new brake levers and installed the bar-end caps correctly.

Must take and post a picture over the weekend.

I love riding my Ribble Winter Audax, but can't wait to get back to a regular commute on the Orbea Elorrio.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 20 October, 2010, 09:31:42 am
Well done.  Glad you're back awheel :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 20 October, 2010, 10:37:32 pm
Went to replace rear brake blocks. Should be a quick job, I picked up a pair of fribrax holders and blocks from the cycle rally. Fit one. Start to fit other - silly me, I've put them on wrong sides. Except I haven't. The Fibrax stall sold me a pair of right-hand block holders.  :facepalm:

Fortunately I have a semi-corroded shimano holder and it happens to be left side. Different height, so one side drags on rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 20 October, 2010, 11:02:53 pm
I've helped TGL fit RaceBlades to his road bike.  He did it though. :thumbsup:

I redid the bar tape on Butterfly's Galaxy.  I removed the old cassette and found I couldn't fit the new one :-[

I removed the freewheel from the rear hub of my fixed.  Unsullied purity down there now. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 20 October, 2010, 11:11:26 pm
I am about to try and index the gears on my daughters new bike. I have never done this before so it could go badly ... however I cannot make it any worse than it is already!

I have decided the best location for my new workstand in my house is probably in the lounge where I can watch TV and surf the net at the same time  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 October, 2010, 01:55:55 am
Hmm I have discovered something odd. I had attributed the chain 'jumping' sometimes and failing to engage the teeth of the cassette down to the poor indexing. Having fiddled around and indexed it (I think) correctly though it seems that one of the links of the chain is a bit stiff, causing it to sometimes walk off the sprocket or sometimes along the top of the teeth.

I've now given the chain a good oil. Is this something that will put itself right with a bit of use? This is a pretty cheapo Raleigh bike for my daughter. I'm thinking I might even have to ride about on it some myself before I give it to her, although it has a 14" frame so I will look oooopid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 October, 2010, 03:13:57 am
Always keep a stock of chains.  Parker international and KMC chains
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 21 October, 2010, 05:24:19 am
If one of the links is a bit stiff and oiling it hasn't helped, then bending the chain very gently across the length of the chain, so that the relevant link is in the centre to force apart the plates slightly, should free it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 21 October, 2010, 07:59:34 am
Quote from: Feline on 21 October, 2010, 01:55:55 am
...one of the links of the chain is a bit stiff...
Traditionally fixed with a link spreader on a chain tool, but may depend on what type of chain you have? Nine-speed etc. chains don't work so well with chain tools. I haven't thought about using link spreaders on those.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 October, 2010, 10:49:01 am
Fitted new brake blocks to the front brake of the black bike, the one that gets used every day. Not entirely sure if the long bit was supposed to go in front of the brake arm or behind it, as the diagram on the back of the packet was rather ambiguous, but gave them a quick test and they seem ok. Don't know how long they'll last as they're only as thick when new as the worn out ones I've removed.  :-\ Should have fitted the rears too, but it's so cold, wet and windy that I came back indoors.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 October, 2010, 04:31:18 pm
I have fettled front & rear lights,a Raceblade rear mudgaurd,a Bagman QR bracket & Barley saddlebag onto the full carbon Trek.
The whole thing is noticeably lighter than the Longstaff-in-audax-mode so I shall use the Trek on my November 200km audax
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 October, 2010, 06:05:56 pm
Shiny new Wilko's finest £1.20 "I 8> MY BIKE" bell onto the SMGT, for musical accompaniment and as a sacrificial component to protect the left lever/shifter in a crash.

Obviously, having fettled that, I had to take it for a quick test ride...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 21 October, 2010, 09:20:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 October, 2010, 06:05:56 pm
Shiny new Wilko's finest £1.20 "I 8> MY BIKE" bell onto the SMGT, for musical accompaniment and as a sacrificial component to protect the left lever/shifter in a crash.

Obviously, having fettled that, I had to take it for a quick test ride...
Have you fettled it to fire missiles when rung?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 October, 2010, 09:30:13 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 21 October, 2010, 09:20:16 pm
Have you fettled it to fire missiles when rung?

I'm never going to live that down, am I?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 21 October, 2010, 09:46:11 pm
I fettled a pair of Wellgo cleats onto a new pair of Shimano MT91 shoes, so they can get a bit worn in before I use them on longer rides (like tomorrows FNRttC).

Of course I forgot that I'd been tightening up the pedals because the old cleats on my other shoes had become progressively less useful.  I almost had a couple of pedal moments on the way into work. :-\

Before I left work I loosened the pedals off almost entirely, so the cleat release is now dead easy, which is about right for London commuting.

Interestingly, after 10000+ miles of mostly commuting, the left hand pedal is definitely more worn out than the right hand one, and releases more easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 21 October, 2010, 10:17:51 pm
I added some spokes back into the crashed wheel and with 18 pulling spokes in place stepped on my splined lever to undo the lockring on the dynamo hub to release the disc rotor.  I then removed all the spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 October, 2010, 10:41:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 October, 2010, 06:05:56 pm
Obviously, having fettled that, I had to take it for a quick test ride...

Does it ding-a-ling nicely?

And how did the knee fare?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 October, 2010, 10:51:26 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 21 October, 2010, 10:41:57 pm
Does it ding-a-ling nicely?

It's quite a cheerful little bring-bring, yes.


Quote
And how did the knee fare?

About as well as could be expected, see the good news thread (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=12.msg754689#msg754689).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 22 October, 2010, 03:16:18 am
Thanks Adam and Drosall for the advice on my daughters kinky chain!

Tonight I wiggled the stiff link around some, then plucked up the courage to break out my so far never used little chain breaker from my topeak multitool. Pushing the pin in half a turn where it was slightly sticking out more on one side has cured the problem.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 22 October, 2010, 07:59:04 am
The movement of the pin probably helped.

At risk of telling you what you already know, the middle slot on the chain tool is the spreader slot. There's no support at the back, unlike the other slot. Therefore, if you put a stiff link in there, when you push the pin through, the back plate tends to move out. With the other slot, the back plate is held in place, so the pin goes through the back plate as well.

Hence the two plates of the link get moved apart slightly and a stiff link is freed. Stiff links are common after putting a chain together, so you often have to follow up use of the rear slot with use of the middle slot to free the link that you have just made.

In the middle slot, an eighth of a turn or less is usually enough - it really needs very little. You don't want the link to be too loose or to have too little pin projecting through each side plate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 October, 2010, 08:46:42 am
I just fettled Talisker with a fresh cat collar, since he managed to loose his previous one sometime yesterday.

That one had lasted a couple of months, so about par for the course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 October, 2010, 09:35:26 am
Quote from: Kim on 21 October, 2010, 09:30:13 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 21 October, 2010, 09:20:16 pm
Have you fettled it to fire missiles when rung?

I'm never going to live that down, am I?

Live it down?

My dear, you are celebrated for it! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 22 October, 2010, 05:02:03 pm
Quote from: drossall on 22 October, 2010, 07:59:04 am
The movement of the pin probably helped.

At risk of telling you what you already know, the middle slot on the chain tool is the spreader slot. There's no support at the back, unlike the other slot. Therefore, if you put a stiff link in there, when you push the pin through, the back plate tends to move out. With the other slot, the back plate is held in place, so the pin goes through the back plate as well.

Hence the two plates of the link get moved apart slightly and a stiff link is freed. Stiff links are common after putting a chain together, so you often have to follow up use of the rear slot with use of the middle slot to free the link that you have just made.

In the middle slot, an eighth of a turn or less is usually enough - it really needs very little. You don't want the link to be too loose or to have too little pin projecting through each side plate.

Yeah, I used the right slot, but only because I watched the video at Bicycle Tutor - Bike Repair Video Tutorials (http://bicycletutor.com/stiff-chain-link/) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 22 October, 2010, 07:23:32 pm
Am in fettle-prep mode.

Bikes in house? Check
Hair tied back? Check
Trimmed fingernails? Check
A Clue what you're doing?
Ahh bugger. A flaw.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 22 October, 2010, 07:24:04 pm
Quote from: TimO on 22 October, 2010, 08:46:42 am
I just fettled Talisker with a fresh cat collar, since he managed to loose his previous one sometime yesterday.

That one had lasted a couple of months, so about par for the course.

Have you tried attaching it with a staple gun?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 October, 2010, 09:01:08 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 22 October, 2010, 07:24:04 pm
Quote from: TimO on 22 October, 2010, 08:46:42 am
I just fettled Talisker with a fresh cat collar, since he managed to loose his previous one sometime yesterday.

That one had lasted a couple of months, so about par for the course.

Have you tried attaching it with a staple gun?

I like my skin too much to attempt that. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 October, 2010, 02:51:35 pm
Just fettled barbags & panniers onto the tandem for tomorrow's Random ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JohnP on 23 October, 2010, 04:37:19 pm
Bike fell over yesterday, quite heavily by the sound of it (I was indoors at the time but heard it).  Problems with the rear mech now; it doesn't like changing on to the small sprocket.  If I position it by hand and then work up the casette the cage eventually touches spokes.  It then won't change back to small sprocket again.   Can't decide if the cage is deranged or if the hanger is bent.  Looks like a small job for Sunday morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 October, 2010, 05:35:08 pm
Margaret Hilda:

I've swapped the Captain's seatpost for an inline one to shorten the cockpit.   I've also lubed the chains, put air into the tyres and swapped the rear saddle as the previous stoker was not Mlle PB and uses a different perch.

Oh, thought that I'd better put some pedals on too.  they help, apparently!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 23 October, 2010, 07:11:01 pm
I pumped someone else's tyres up and then stopped her brake block cutting a plot in the sidewall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 October, 2010, 07:29:29 pm
Quote from: jogler on 23 October, 2010, 02:51:35 pm
Just fettled barbags & panniers onto the tandem for tomorrow's Random ride.

I read that as airbags
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 23 October, 2010, 07:56:42 pm
Put a new brake lever on Vorsprung Jnrs old Peugeot

But the cable is so frayed I will have to get a new one before it works again
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 24 October, 2010, 03:52:59 pm
Cleaned a considerable build up of mud and grime from the ridgeback.
I ought to swap the chain over too ... next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyH on 24 October, 2010, 05:14:34 pm
Borrowed a bike for my wife, sorted that out. Got my mercian on the road and gave it a try - new tyres, bar tape. Then looked at the Giant. Filthy after yesterday and both tyres seem to be softer than they should be. And flat at the bottom. >:( Put it back in the shed. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 24 October, 2010, 08:34:14 pm
Let the remaining CO2 out of the front tyre of my Planet X and refilled it with proper air the way the good lord intended it to be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 October, 2010, 08:45:00 pm
I had to secure my saddle to the seat post when we stopped at Stoney Cove for bacon butty & chips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 October, 2010, 09:09:00 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 24 October, 2010, 08:34:14 pm
Let the remaining CO2 out of the front tyre of my Planet X and refilled it with proper air the way the good lord intended it to be.

Bugger.  That reminded me that I forgot to mention to whoever's wheel I filled with my C02 inflater on the FNRttC, that it'll likely drop pressure quite fast.  Ho hum, I hope they realise it's because of the C02 and not another hole. :-\

It was someone I recognise from previous rides, but not someone I know the name of (admittedly a rather large set of people!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JohnP on 24 October, 2010, 09:44:14 pm
Fitted a new front v-brake to grandson #2 bike and a new rear mech hanger to my bnike.  Mine now changes gear again without spoke ping and his now stops again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 25 October, 2010, 07:36:29 am
Quote from: TimO on 24 October, 2010, 09:09:00 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 24 October, 2010, 08:34:14 pm
Let the remaining CO2 out of the front tyre of my Planet X and refilled it with proper air the way the good lord intended it to be.

Bugger.  That reminded me that I forgot to mention to whoever's wheel I filled with my C02 inflater on the FNRttC, that it'll likely drop pressure quite fast.  Ho hum, I hope they realise it's because of the C02 and not another hole. :-\

It was someone I recognise from previous rides, but not someone I know the name of (admittedly a rather large set of people!)

I didn't know that.  Why isn't CO2 any good at permanently inflating tyres?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 25 October, 2010, 07:39:53 am
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 25 October, 2010, 07:36:29 am

I didn't know that.  Why isn't CO2 any good at permanently inflating tyres?

Think it's because the rubber is more permeable to CO2 than it is to air.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 25 October, 2010, 08:26:26 am
^^^ Well you learn something new everyday!  Thanks   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 25 October, 2010, 08:55:52 am
Quote from: PaulF on 25 October, 2010, 07:39:53 am
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 25 October, 2010, 07:36:29 am

I didn't know that.  Why isn't CO2 any good at permanently inflating tyres?

Think it's because the rubber is more permeable to CO2 than it is to air.

Not permeable, soluble apparently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 25 October, 2010, 09:15:45 am
Discover old rim right size for my huge supply of spokes.  Lace.  Correct plan but made error. re-lace according to plan.  Tension, True, True, True, nearly regular.  Check dish big change required.  Change made check dish.  Worse! I pulled it the wrong way.  Goto bed.  Tonight slacken off and start again because it would be far too tense if I just pull it the other way  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 October, 2010, 11:14:14 am
not today, but most of yesterday. Tried making a bar to mount the lights on, kind of succeeded using a couple of rear reflector brackets, the barrel of a knackered 12 year old MT Zefal pump and lots of innertube (for packing)

Once mounted though I found it wobbled too much, due to the weak point, which is where one of the light brackets attaches to another, no triangulation, thus no real support.  So after about 3 hours fettling (spread over the day, with multiple re-designs) I removed the bodge and re-fitted the lights to the bars, where they were for the last Friday night ride...

Next thought is to find some plastic figure of eight brackets and try them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 October, 2010, 02:22:21 pm
gave up on the light bar thingy and decided to wash bikes instead, so the ridley and the DY have had their baths.

Then picked far too much metal out of the brake blocks on the Ridley, something I had done to the DY a couple of weeks ago.  I also realised that really I need to replace the blocks at the rear on the Ridley.

Also need to get 2 new tyres for my car :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 October, 2010, 04:34:33 pm
Put a new alternator belt and wipers on the car.  The alternator bolts put up less of a fight than the last time I did it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 October, 2010, 06:29:33 pm
Replaced the handlebar grip on the Streetmachine that got bitten by a Virgin train on Friday night.  Strategic application of copious lube and harsh language enabled me to get the new one on without removing the shifter, which made things a lot simpler, if overly reminiscent of trying to apply a condom to an oversized banananana.

On a hunch, investigated the rotational alignment of the boom.  This is a complete arse of a job, as there are lots of points on the bike that look like a useful reference (chiefly the bolts on the dérailleur post, various bits of seat and the low-rider luggage racks), but aren't actually to be trusted.  Logic, and the official instructions, suggest that the best approach is to sight the bottom bracket spindle against the rear axle.  Which is impossible without significant dismantling of the racks.  However a Mrs Miles inspired solution of replacing the rear QR skewer with an appropriately sized (and checked for straightness) knitting needle vastly simplified the job.

Turns out that it wasn't quite straight (in a direction consistent with the bike falling hard on the pedal during the diesel incident), but I'm not sure if the mis-alignment was enough to explain my knee issues.  Obviously the sensible way to test that would be to ride a known-good bike for a decent distance, but my elbow still isn't happy with uprights.  I'll try taking it out tomorrow and see how things go knee-wise.

While I was at it (in the sense of "in the living room, with a screwdriver handy"), I investigated the suspiciously non-functional (since I changed the batteries last week) doorbell, and brought it back to life by scraping a slightly corroded battery contact.

I also cleaned the cooker (which doesn't count as fettling, but is virtuous and therefore ought to go on record).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 25 October, 2010, 07:54:47 pm
Nothing today, but on Saturday restored the Enigma to proper rideability (computer, bars adjusted correctly, brakes adjusted) after the restoration of forks to it, & replaced the rack with one with a built in plate for mounting lights. It now has a mount for a Cateye TL-LD1100 solidly screwed to it. No excuses for anyone who runs into me now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 25 October, 2010, 11:08:48 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 25 October, 2010, 02:22:21 pm
gave up on the light bar thingy and decided to wash bikes instead, so the ridley and the DY have had their baths.

Then picked far too much metal out of the brake blocks on the Ridley, something I had done to the DY a couple of weeks ago.  I also realised that really I need to replace the blocks at the rear on the Ridley.

Also need to get 2 new tyres for my car :(

Nah, just sell the car and buy a bar extender with the proceeds.   ;)

Is that what they call a learning experience Tiermat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 25 October, 2010, 11:29:36 pm
As I left work today the colleague who used to ride a retro looking single speed was on a BSO. Unfortunately the bike had been stolen from the station.

As I walked past he was just tightening the quill stem, saying it had been loose, when I noticed I could see the wedge poking out the top of the headset. I then saw the Max marks ~5cm above the headset.  :o

Swiftly released the quill lowered it and then tightened it before going to catch my train home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 26 October, 2010, 08:19:09 am
Quote from: matthew on 25 October, 2010, 11:29:36 pm
As I left work today the colleague who used to ride a retro looking single speed was on a BSO. Unfortunately the bike had been stolen from the station.

As I walked past he was just tightening the quill stem, saying it had been loose, when I noticed I could see the wedge poking out the top of the headset. I then saw the Max marks ~5cm above the headset.  :o

Swiftly released the quill lowered it and then tightened it before going to catch my train home.

And this morning he will be blaming you because it hurts his back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 26 October, 2010, 08:52:35 am
Quote from: Adrian on 26 October, 2010, 08:19:09 am
Quote from: matthew on 25 October, 2010, 11:29:36 pm
As I left work today the colleague who used to ride a retro looking single speed was on a BSO. Unfortunately the bike had been stolen from the station.

As I walked past he was just tightening the quill stem, saying it had been loose, when I noticed I could see the wedge poking out the top of the headset. I then saw the Max marks ~5cm above the headset.  :o

Swiftly released the quill lowered it and then tightened it before going to catch my train home.

And this morning he will be blaming you because it hurts his back.

He rides ~3miles on a BSO, and that would be why I offered to assist with specifying a replacement if required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 26 October, 2010, 07:47:12 pm
Fitted new toe-clips and straps to new pedals.   :)   I'll fit the pedals to the cranks tomorrow - it's too dark outside now.  :(

The VP toe-clips I bought from SJSC are quite neat - they have reflectors to replace the ones removed from the pedal to get to toe-clip on.  They're not expensive either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 October, 2010, 08:04:04 pm
Replaced a bracket on my rear dynamo light.

It's mounted to the carrier with two small B&Q angle brackets. It never ceases to amaze me how a little piece of plastic and wire weighing grams can cause metal-fatigue failures in metal brackets. I've lost several that way.

This time I've tried a wider bracket in the hope that it will be stronger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 26 October, 2010, 08:26:28 pm
Mthly chain removal and scrub in white spirit and lube for the single speed "Lotus Specialized"! The 900 mile mark approaching for my 50 quid bike. I really can't be bothered with any of the others unless riding with other folk (rare).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 October, 2010, 01:16:44 pm
Tried fettling these to the Trek...

A pair of Crud RoadRacer MKII mudgaurds for the Trek (actually mrs. jogler bought them for me)....

major fail >:(

A pity my patience is not as voluminous as mrs. jogler's generosity

Still,I had £30-worth of temper tantrum ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 27 October, 2010, 01:37:46 pm
I swapped a tyre and inner from a front wheel to a front wheel with dyno hub.

Obviously, I somehow punctured the tube during this simplest of tasks.

Grrrrrrrrrr.  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 27 October, 2010, 04:36:08 pm
Replaced the brake pads & adjusted the V brakes on my neighbours old falcon, put some air in his tyres moved his brake levers so he can reach them properly, adjusted his light so it will no longer move out of position & oiled his chain.  He is well into his seventies & still going strong  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 October, 2010, 06:05:18 pm
I've fettled the Trek into audax winter mode.
At the back a  Raceblade  mudgaurd,Barley saddlebag on Bagman QR brkt,lights.
At the front maptrap,computer & lights on handlebars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 27 October, 2010, 09:49:31 pm
Just got a Pompino and the wheels have deep section rims and I can't get my track pump onto the valves so replaced the rear (I only had one inner tube) with a long valve tube. Was getting worried about having pinch flats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 27 October, 2010, 10:04:26 pm
I fettled a short stem onto the bike that I'm going to use as a winter commuter. It involved a trip to Corridori and the marvelous Mr Smith to get a spacer :). It now has a short stem, thudbuster seat post, Specialized saddle and ergo grips and bar ends. Just waiting for a pair of Marathon Winter tyres and it's done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 October, 2010, 11:50:04 am
Just spent a shed load of cash and half an hour replacing the batteries in my house's main uninterruptible power supply. Manhandling 60kg of greige (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=39885.msg760332#msg760332) box out of the back of the cupboard where it has sat for the last decade wasn't much fun.

Is it really too much to ask that we can have a reasonable mains power supply that doesn't drop out for a few seconds several times a month? It's not as if we live in the back end of nowhere. I suppose I ought to be thankful that we no longer get the regular 30 minute - 2 hour outages that prompted the purchase of said supplies, and that I got twice the estimated service life out of this set of batteries.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 October, 2010, 07:55:25 pm
Ber thankful you haven't gone as far as a home diesel generator.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 29 October, 2010, 09:52:11 pm
I have one of these (http://uk.dahon.com/accessories/2010/biologic-reecharge) attached to my bike and it works

Yay! The world is now my oyster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 29 October, 2010, 09:56:01 pm
Today I fettled the house. I started by cleaning the bathroom, thereby blowing a fuse in the non-waterproof shower ::-). I stripped 2 beds, dragged a chest of drawers upstairs and filled them, sorted out some clothes, cleaned the rest of the bathroom, hoovered everywhere except the kitchen and the dining room, cleared and cleaned the coffee table, cleared and cleaned a work surface in the kitchen and folded one of the folders in the dining room to make space to take the bike count in there up to 13 including the tandem (there were 11 anyway). This means that I haven't been for a bike ride today for the first time since we got married :(.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 October, 2010, 10:06:00 pm
Quote from: boab on 29 October, 2010, 09:52:11 pm
I have one of these (http://uk.dahon.com/accessories/2010/biologic-reecharge) attached to my bike and it works

Yay! The world is now my oyster.

Phwooarrr!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 October, 2010, 10:11:59 pm
Quote from: boab on 29 October, 2010, 09:52:11 pm
I have one of these (http://uk.dahon.com/accessories/2010/biologic-reecharge) attached to my bike and it works

Yay! The world is now my oyster.

Oooh, I like the looks of that! Let us know how you get on with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 29 October, 2010, 10:22:30 pm
Amongst many various fettlings that I won't bore you with....

Put heatshrink tubing on the brake levers.  Mmm, toasty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 October, 2010, 10:52:35 pm
You used to be able to buy faintly embarrassing plastic sleeves in various colours.

Which fell off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bloomers100 on 30 October, 2010, 04:41:29 pm
Squeek elimination session.

Sprayed wd40 under Rolls saddle onto rails, and some 3 in 1 into spd part of pedals, seems to have done the trick. Monday morning will tell. I was spurred to do something about it by rule 65

http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/#65

although I realise I am breaking rule 34.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 30 October, 2010, 06:42:02 pm
Pinned together a new timing chain for the tandem.  It's very shiny.  Also, new brake pads (again...), somewhat-fettled gears, and a concerted (but not wildly successful) attempt to eliminate the creak from the saddle.

Also replaced a 19T sprocket on the Tempo with 18T.  I hope I don't regret this next weekend...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 30 October, 2010, 06:48:41 pm
Pumped the forks, changed the seat angle tightened chain and moved the bars on my new Swift. Needs some fine tuning but a great ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 30 October, 2010, 08:32:22 pm
A few months ago when refitting the engine cover on my car I broke one of the screws leaving half in the hole. I fitted the cover but was not happy leaving it like that so today I drilled out the broken half and fitted a new screw. All went well and I am pleased with a good job. I have learnt that when tightening said screws I only do them hand tight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 30 October, 2010, 09:10:50 pm
Had a look at Mrs Bs MTB, because she complained the rear changer wasn't working. I'm not surprised. A continuous cable between the shift lever & the derailleur is normally needed for correct functioning.

Broken cable removed, replacement will be fitted tomorrow, when I hope to be less feverish & feel better. She's not too well either, so doesn't mind waiting.

[Edit] finally got round to doing it, three days late.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 31 October, 2010, 10:35:19 am
Just cut a piece of corraplas to size/shape & dropped it into the base of the Barley to prevent sagging on the Bagman which was obscuring the seat post-mounted rear light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 October, 2010, 03:15:09 pm
Finally replaced my rather asymmetrically-worn cleats, using a subtle blend of psychology and extreme violence.

Have experimentally filled the new bolt heads with hot-melt glue, on the basis that it might protect them from the worst of the grit, yet be reasonably straightforward to pick out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 31 October, 2010, 04:40:33 pm
Quote from: jogler on 31 October, 2010, 10:35:19 am
Just cut a piece of corraplas to size/shape & dropped it into the base of the Barley to prevent sagging on the Bagman which was obscuring the seat post-mounted rear light.

My Barley - which sits on an SQR frame - has two bits of foam board - one as a base, one as a backboard (tucked under the dowel rod) - keeps it in shape nicely.

Have to confess that the tip came from ChrisN some while ago

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 31 October, 2010, 08:44:12 pm
I've removed the anti-vibration seat mounts from my Windcheetah due to 3/4 of them having broken.  This required plus-gas dismantling lubricant, mole grips, socket-fitted allen keys and copious swearing.  That kept the trick-or-treaters at bay.

I've now ordered replacements from Farnell, and run into their "Minimum Order £20 if paying by Credit Card" craziness.  How else do you want the money?

Some major fettling will be needed to return this trike into working state.  The last time I rode it was in last winter's snow, so the chain is exploring new realms of Ferrous Chemistry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 01 November, 2010, 12:56:28 pm
Saturday I finished building the hub from my first built failed wheel into the old rim from the worn out hub.  I believe I did a much better job.  I was not confident that my first wheel build was any good and its failure confirmed that.  This is my second wheel build.  The rim is very true and round.  The spoke tension is even and the dishing appears within tolerance of the tool.  This is definitely better than a machine built wheel but is probably short of the standards of the best hand builders.  I am pleased with my second attempt.

Today I took the wheel to work and inserted it into the wheeless bike ready for this evenings commute.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 02 November, 2010, 06:15:25 pm
New cassette fitted so I now have matching wheels (Askium race) on my winter bike, unfortunatley I hit a cat last night & I'd braked so hard the cable had slipped so I have adjusted the brakes & also adjusted the gears.  And don't worry because the cat survived, I've never seen a moggie run so quick  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 02 November, 2010, 08:35:06 pm
10 speed Centaur Ergos fitted to the Holdsworth, and they work perfectly with the 8 speed shimano cassette   :thumbsup: also with Honey brown bar tape to match the saddle.

Looks and works a treat
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 02 November, 2010, 09:34:40 pm
Got connected using a 3 dongle from Mandriva Linux.   ;D  Works ok except google mail not working for some reason.

Would prefer to be fettling the bicycle but am in London for a training course at the moment.  >:(  I even didn't get myself sorted to hire a Boris Bike while I'm here so I'm doubly annoyed - it would've been great for lugging my laptop across town.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 03 November, 2010, 03:05:12 pm
Yesterday I fitted a new saddle to the Allez.  The previous model, a Selle Italia Filante Gel Flow, was a nice saddle but rather thin at 130mm or so.  I've installed a Specialized Gel Avatar 143, we'll see how this one goes.  It felt alright on the turbo yesterday, tonight is it's first training ride.  It's got a wider hole in the middle than the Filante has, which gives me high hopes for numbness-free riding.  :thumbsup:

The Pompino's BB is making some truly alarming noises, so a new one is on order from CRC.  This annoys me - BBs aren't shiny and spinny like new wheels, they aren't extra comfy like new saddles or extra powerful like new brakes, yet they're still quite expensive.  It feels like spending £30 on a meat and potato pie or something else equally boring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 03 November, 2010, 05:03:47 pm
The new bike has mudguards and a rack now.  Also, the rack has a light bracket on it.

It's taken me all after noon  :-[

Nice to spend some time in the garden tho.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 03 November, 2010, 07:58:22 pm
Delved into a big box of brake bits....in attempt to improve stopping power of the winter s/s (tho' it's proving to be an all and any weather ride). Built for cantis, forks just about OK for Vs, so that was easy. Rear spacing wrong for Vs, so testing Suntour XCE wide arm cantis. Means odd brake levers (should have kept the old Dia Compe dual-use!), but hey it's a bitsa.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 November, 2010, 05:51:15 pm
Today applied proofide and fitted my new brooks saddle that arrived this morning.

Also fitted my schmidt dynohub wheel and my cyo senso plus light to the canti bolt. Seems to be working great on the workstand. Need to take it for a test ride this evening to see if the angle is right and if this location is going to work. It doesn't interfere with my bar bag which is great  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 05 November, 2010, 10:16:30 am
I fitted a bb to my Mercian. This fitting involved a hammer and locktite, but there ain't no way that is coming loose now.
The 80s spangly tart lives!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 November, 2010, 07:42:15 pm
We started the day by going up to Corridori, where the wonderful Paul Smith found us a narrow cassette spacer for Butterfly's Galaxy, fitted it & trimmed the gears.  He also replaced the front gear cable (we'd asked for the cable to take it home & fit, but he sorted it on the spot).  He also trimmed the mudguard stays. 

So, with that one done (bar wiring up the rear light :-[ ), I could get on with some other bikes.

Ridgeback Cyclone.  Butterfly's planning to use this one for winter, so I cut down the bars & refitted the grips & bar ends.  I also raised the bars a bit, and adjusted both front & rear mechs.  Runs really well.  Just need to fit the Marathon Winters when they arrive.

Took the pedals & Bagman off Butterfly's Trek Pilot for winter storage.  Sadly, the XTR pedals on the Galaxy seem to have been a bit damaged, so I swapped the M520s onto that.

Cycleman's Anthrotech is currently with us for TGL to use while injured.  I swapped the chain onto the bigger ring, adjusted the chain tube, adjusted the boom, added some chain links, removed & refitted the light bracket, fitted a saddlebag, and TGL was away. :thumbsup:

There's more jobs to be done, but that was a good few hours well spent. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 06 November, 2010, 11:49:09 pm
Put the 'winter' tyres on Mlle PB's thorn Brevet and in the process discovered a second broken spoke on the rear wheel, non-drive side yet again.

Slightly worrying but at least I have a bag of spares from when I bought some for the last spoke fail.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 07 November, 2010, 10:41:35 am
I fitted a chain tug to my Madison.  It's been impossible, since I was sideswiped by a van, to get the tension right with hands alone; I think the knock reduced the clearance between the stays by just enough to make a wheel jam at a certain point.  And it has worked; no more slackness of chain!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 07 November, 2010, 10:51:02 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 06 November, 2010, 11:49:09 pm
Put the 'winter' tyres on Mlle PB's Thorn Brevet and in the process discovered a second broken spoke on the rear wheel, non-drive side yet again.

Slightly worrying but at least I have a bag of spares from when I bought some for the last spoke fail.

 

Front tyre was flat this morning.   Took tube out and discovered a pinhole puncture almost dead centre tread and about 4 inches round from the valve.   Having Park patched it, I have also found the offending item and removed it from the 'summer' tyre.   This was not too onerous because I always line up the middle of the tyre label with the valve stem.   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 07 November, 2010, 12:45:21 pm
Cleaned the chain.

Sharpened it.

Well, it is on a chain saw, what do you expect?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 07 November, 2010, 12:55:35 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 07 November, 2010, 12:45:21 pm
what do you expect?

Exactly, this thread wasn't a "What bike stuff have you fettled today?", that thread would be best started in Freewheeling rather than The Pub.

Pleased the DIY $DEITY by:-

Fixing the strap on Mrs G's work bag. No power tools, but I did use a hammer.
Also glued part of the plastic covering back on to the side of the kitchen worktop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 07 November, 2010, 01:08:20 pm
Swapped the cog on my Swift from a 16T to an 18T. Should mean a little less walking :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 07 November, 2010, 01:32:47 pm
Having a rest because my fourth attempt at fixing a puncture has failed. I'm now on the second tube and cannot, for the life of me, find what is causing these holes. It's a Marathon Pus tyre, which is as tight as hell on the rim. At least one of the punctures might have been caused by my cack-handed tyre wrestling and metal levers.

Chill, gordy. Have a cup af coffee and then mark rim, tyre and tube positions before dismantling again.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 07 November, 2010, 01:47:12 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 07 November, 2010, 01:32:47 pm
It's a Marathon Pus tyre

Nice...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 07 November, 2010, 01:52:00 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 07 November, 2010, 01:47:12 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 07 November, 2010, 01:32:47 pm
It's a Marathon Pus tyre

Nice...

 ;D :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Heron on 07 November, 2010, 01:52:55 pm
Changed chainring, chain and cog. Now trying to go uphill on 44x17...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 07 November, 2010, 03:34:42 pm
I changed my 20t sprocket on the Pashley for a 22t.  3rd gear ( the direct one) for me now is 42x22 so it should be a doddle going up hills in first now!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 07 November, 2010, 04:13:58 pm

i have replaced my Schwalbe stelvio plus today, now Im trying a Continental Touring Plus.

It was a nightmare to get on, much worse than Schwalbe  Marathon Plus tires  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 November, 2010, 04:22:08 pm
Mowed the lawn and then ran the lawnmower out of petrol, brushed all the grass off, changed the oil and put it away for winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 November, 2010, 04:51:34 pm
Feeling mildly off colour today, so rather than ride I stood about in the cold playing with bikes.  ::-)
Gave Mrs Dan's BSO a going over before lending to a friend. There's a worrying sideways movement on the sprockets.
Changed the chain on my Ridgeback.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 07 November, 2010, 05:01:20 pm
Been removing and cleaning all the bits on the Ribble, prior to installing them on the Kinesis. Forks now fitted, but I've stopped as the RH hollowtech bearing won't screw in ....the bb faces have paint on them, and I think a bit of that (it's very hard powder coat) is lodged in the thread: I havn't tried the LH bearing yet. I've sent an email to Kinesis asking if they usually face their BBs - I suspect that the LBS can sort in about 5 minutes, but I don't think they should have to. Otherwise, it's a nice looking frame!
*Yes, turning bearing in the correct direction :)*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 November, 2010, 05:37:49 pm
I've just been working on the Anthrotech again after there was a derailleur explosion.  Fitted a spare Deore.  Looks nice, but I must mention it to Cycleman before I give it back, because it's the opposite way round.  But it holds the chain tension a lot better than the previous mech.

Also diagnosed the sticky chain problems as there being a standing twist in the chain tube, and a couple of pins proud.  I took a couple of links out & replaced with a spare powerlink.  Much smoother.  Just need to replace a brake cable, and we're pretty much done there.

Put the Woodrup to bed, and sorted out the tourer for commuting tomorrow, anticipating that gears might be handy if we're to have fierce weather.

I've also built up the R&K light bracket that fits under my barbag, in the hope that it won't wobble so much.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 08 November, 2010, 08:53:03 pm
A slight fettling failure on Friday evening only became apparent while doing 70 mph down the A38 on Sunday morning:



(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1052/5155183872_27ae723638_z.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 November, 2010, 09:06:13 pm
Epic FAIL! :o :o :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 08 November, 2010, 11:13:31 pm
(Last night) built a new rim onto the front wheel of my commuting fixed. You could feel the strong curvature of the braking surfaces on the old one. MA3s don't have curved braking surfaces...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 09 November, 2010, 12:38:10 am
Went back to a 100mm stem on the fixed bike, in search of the perfect configuration.  Much better stem than the piece of cheap chrome that came with the bike, though: Syntace F119.  Put some black Fizik bar tap on while I was at it.  Bike looking slightly less garish now.  Only slightly ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 November, 2010, 07:34:20 am
insomnia-

stripped and cleaned three font hubs and regeased them and then reassembled them.  Stripped three rear wheels and then rebuilt one as the other two need to have the freehubs taken off to get get to that inner race.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 November, 2010, 03:00:49 pm
  Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #3827 on: November 07, 2010, 06:07:41 PM » Reply with quote | Modify message | Remove message 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last weekend I gave up in frustrattion trying to fit R.R.2  'gaurds to my Trek. I might try again considering I prefer having mudgaurds fitted.
Did it take you much time Grub?Much of a faff or not?


    __________________________________________________________


Inspired by Grub's success I fitted my own R.R.2 'gaurds this morning with only a little creative faffing needed to the rear mudgaurd adjacent to the front mech.They don't look too shabby.
I also relocated the map trap & front lights;all in preperation for Sunday's audax ride
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 November, 2010, 03:51:11 pm
 
   & I've just laminated the route sheet relating to Sunday's audax ride.
Does that qualify as fettling?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 09 November, 2010, 07:19:00 pm
I declare myself the world's most useless puncture fixer.
I'm down to my last bike!
Everything else is propped up on slowly deflating rubber.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 November, 2010, 09:12:46 am
Marathon Plus.  You know it makes sense ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 10 November, 2010, 10:33:15 am
Received a Continental trainer tyre from Wiggle this morning and gave it a good try out. They really are a LOT quieter than using a road tyre.

Now enjoying my complimentary Haribo.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 10 November, 2010, 12:39:26 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 08 November, 2010, 08:53:03 pm
A slight fettling failure on Friday evening only became apparent while doing 70 mph down the A38 on Sunday morning:
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1052/5155183872_27ae723638_z.jpg)
Bad man! You made Coronation Chicken come out my nose!

Dropped bike today.  Front mudguard bridge - one of those riveted-on ones, well corroded and biffed over time - pulled through and free.  Couple of zipties and all was well.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 10 November, 2010, 01:48:02 pm
I laced up the open pro/hope last night.  For the second time.  The first attempt at the weekend wasn't even vaguely true so I took it to bits.

My living room now features a wheel building stand and will do until full lateral/radial/dish nirvana is achieved
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 10 November, 2010, 05:00:19 pm
Good fettling: changing the Marathon Slicks to Land Cruisers - Both Schwalbe of course. Also rewired the rear dynamo-driven rear light.

Bad fettling: losing the Pitlock security nut so the front wheel will need some work to remove next time. AND I had the chance to replace it with a Q/R skewer I bought specifically for the purpose.

Abbot Ale Reserve has a lot to answer for!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 10 November, 2010, 05:09:21 pm
Swapped the On-One seatpost and saddle for a new seatpost and worn-in Brooks B17.  Went for a test ride.  I almost couldn't believe the difference, it was like a different bike.  I bloomin' love that saddle.

Changed the Schwalbe Delta Cruiser on the front, to a Marathon Plus.

Removed the Delta Cruiser from the back tyre.  The rest will have to wait as I'm going to bed for an hour before work.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 November, 2010, 10:11:39 pm
As a friend of ours has unexpectedly had to return to the country, we've recommissioned the bike she'd previously borrowed.

I fitted the dynamo wheel (previously shod by Butterfly), and fitted a shiny Cyo.  Then linked up the rear light.  Butterfly reset the computer.  Now we just need to wait for the foam for the butterfly bars to be delivered, and it'll be top.

As for my own bike, I fitted the new spoke in the shop I bought it (Thank you , Apex :thumbsup:).  The wheel went back reasonably true just with that, so I could adjust back in the rear brake which had been useless since this morning.

So when I got home I needed to true it properly (well, more properly).  I decided to swap the brake blocks.  They were totally worn out.  Then I cleaned the bike and stuck on some of the black reflective stickers.

Looks good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 November, 2010, 05:11:13 pm
Swapped the tyres on my hybrid for knobblies, on the basis that by the time I'm likely to use it again I'll probably need them.  This dictated major fettling of the cupboard under the stairs in search of said knobblies.

Decided it would be a good idea to check the trueness of both wheels while I was at it - something I've failed to get round to doing properly since I bought the wheels.  A couple of rear spokes needed a little tightening, but they were otherwise spot on, which is reassuring.

On re-fitting the rear wheel, I was noisily presented with an opportunity for a thorough reassessment of the mudguard alignment.  The guard had become bent after a pothole / cheapo pannier interaction on the way back from the CTC AGM resulted in the mudguard folding over and acting as a surprisingly effective spoon brake, causing an unplanned emergency stop (and decision to invest in some better designed panniers).  While I'd managed to bend it back to more-or-less its original shape at the time, it was not within the tight tolerances dictated by 700x38 cross tyres.

Out of interest, does anyone know if you can get spares of those rubber end caps you get on SKS mudguard stays?  I've lost a couple to toe overlap related incidents, and it's bugging me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 November, 2010, 07:08:07 pm
I'll have a look in the garage - I've probably got some on old guards. Nowadays I trim the stays short and flush - saves gouging my legs when I lose the caps.

edit: got 4, PM me with your address if you want me to pop them in the post
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 12 November, 2010, 04:54:07 pm
Finished bodging modifying wife's old BorYueh rack to take a Cateye light mount so she can use new LD1100.
Swopped her Cateye EL-450 for a new Saik. 
Changed position of Smart R1 bracket on my seatstay so not obscured by Carradice which I'm planning to use on FNRttC.
Fitted spare Cateye bracket on my seatpost (for when Carradice comes off) - as I've ordered an LD1100 for myself (£15 @ Amazon).
Think I will order another Saik so I don't have to keep nicking wife's.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 12 November, 2010, 05:00:10 pm
I have adjusted the handlebars so they are more comfy in the drops, fitted some respo reflective stuff to the end of my mudguard, fitted my new raleigh astrum & adjusted the gears on the winter bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 November, 2010, 05:26:37 pm
A burglary tool out of two spokes and some gaffer tape.  I didn't manage to get it to work before the locksmith turned up and saved the day with power tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 November, 2010, 06:08:59 pm
Replaced Campag cones, bearings and cups. Crossing fingers that I don't need to replace the freehub bearings too. One of these days Campag will design a reasonable freehub, but I won't hold my breath.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 12 November, 2010, 07:08:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 November, 2010, 05:26:37 pm
A burglary tool out of two spokes and some gaffer tape.  I didn't manage to get it to work before the locksmith turned up and saved the day with power tools.

Funnily enough, I've seen the suggestion for using bicycle spokes as lock picks in the past, because they're inflexible and the ends can be shaped appropriately.  The down side is that forming them into the necessary shape is also a bugger because of that same inflexibility!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 November, 2010, 09:21:15 pm
I made a burglary tool out of a walking stick, on the advice of the locksmith who got us in the first time we were locked out. It worked, too, when it happened again ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 12 November, 2010, 10:41:28 pm
Spent a satisfying autumn evening getting things up to my requirements.

No annoying mudguard noises today, thank you.

(http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/lindagordinho/Fixed006.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 12:41:08 pm
I just fettled a pair of red brake hoods onto my new n+1 (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.3825), my Planet-X SL Pro Carbon Red bike.  It wasn't as hard as I expected, although I had to be careful to get them the right way around.  From the outside the right and left hoods look the same, but internally there are various little blobs which fit into the changer mechanism and hold the hoods in place.

The colour is a pretty close match to the bar tape, which is good.  It certainly looks a lot better than with white hoods.

I'm still not sure whether to fit white or black pedals.  It's a shame Shimano doesn't do M520s in red. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 13 November, 2010, 12:46:02 pm
I've got our pink folder out of the garage and pumped the tyres all ready for a massive six mile ride to collect a hire car.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 November, 2010, 03:01:35 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 12:41:08 pm
I'm still not sure whether to fit white or black pedals.  It's a shame Shimano doesn't do M520s in red. :)

That's what the little pots of Humbrol enamel paint are for!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 13 November, 2010, 03:14:54 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 12:41:08 pm

I'm still not sure whether to fit white or black pedals.  It's a shame Shimano doesn't do M520s in red. :)

How about these: (http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/large/NR-PDL-R-ANGLE.jpg) from Nashbar (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_174681_-1_201497_10000_200410)

I've been using a pair, albeit in blue, for over a year with no problems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 November, 2010, 03:37:04 pm
Fitted my new dynamo wheel and Cyo.  I went to Maplins to get the bits; they didn't have them.  But they did have lots of crappy gadgets. ::-)

I managed though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 November, 2010, 04:11:06 pm
Maplin have definitely moved into the niche that Tandy used to operate in; a few components and lots of toys  :(

But, I guess nowadays it's pretty tough to survive selling components to the public when all the things that you used to make yourself are now so much cheaper bought ready-built from China. At least they still do have the component counter, even if the range is now about 1/5 of what it used to be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 November, 2010, 04:36:23 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 13 November, 2010, 03:14:54 pm
How about these: (http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/medium/NR-PDL-B-ANGLE.jpg) from Nashbar (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_174681_-1_201497_10000_200410)

I've been using a pair, albeit in blue, for over a year with no problems.

Hmm...  How close a match is that blue with the colour of a blue Ribble, in real life?  I may have to buy a pair.  If I do, I only have PaulF to blame!  :P  ;D
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 13 November, 2010, 05:00:48 pm
A new headset onto the Carlton. Let's hope this one is capable to staying put. I shall aim to find out tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 November, 2010, 05:03:54 pm
Re-arranged the Topeak extender,map trap & computer to accommodate the Hope Vision 1.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 13 November, 2010, 05:18:05 pm
Nothing remotely cycle-ish.  Rewired the central heating system into a nice purpose made wiring centre instead of the mess it was in.  Also fitted the new external letter box on the wall alongside the front door, in preparation for the arrival of the new front door wot don't have a letter box in it.  Repainted a restored bridge for the garden railway.

I wonder if the "putters through letter boxes of utter garbage" - folk, will pay any attention to the "Addressed mail ONLY" sticker on it?  I am not interested in your crappy takeaway or pizza dump!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 13 November, 2010, 05:37:52 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 13 November, 2010, 04:36:23 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 13 November, 2010, 03:14:54 pm
How about these: (http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/medium/NR-PDL-B-ANGLE.jpg) from Nashbar (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_174681_-1_201497_10000_200410)

I've been using a pair, albeit in blue, for over a year with no problems.

Hmm...  How close a match is that blue with the colour of a blue Ribble, in real life?  I may have to buy a pair.  If I do, I only have PaulF to blame!  :P  ;D
 

I'd say the pedals are a bit darker than the Ribble - but I'm not good at colour matching and haven't seen the Ribble in ages ;)

I think our commutes cross so when I'm back in the country and commuting we could do a comparison?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 November, 2010, 05:55:17 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 13 November, 2010, 05:37:52 pm
I'd say the pedals are a bit darker than the Ribble - but I'm not good at colour matching and haven't seen the Ribble in ages ;)

Point taken.  :)

Quote from: PaulF on 13 November, 2010, 05:37:52 pm
I think our commutes cross so when I'm back in the country and commuting we could do a comparison?

Sounds like a plan.  I'll drop you a line once I return from holiday (early December).
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 13 November, 2010, 05:56:50 pm
Fitted new selle italia turbomatic gel flow team edition saddle on to winter bike, both bikes now have matching saddles, also fitted the bagman & carradice :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 November, 2010, 07:58:12 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 13 November, 2010, 05:00:48 pm
A new headset onto the Carlton. Let's hope this one is capable to staying put. I shall aim to find out tomorrow morning.

That'll be nice :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 13 November, 2010, 08:03:48 pm
At work today, I finished making the front lamp bracket for my recumbent.

Have fitted it this afternoon and it's a bit overengineered.

I could probably hang the bike from the ceiling by it and then swing from it without the bracket breaking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 November, 2010, 08:10:09 pm
I put new grip on Butterfly's butterfly bars on her Orbit Orion.  Actually, it's being borrowed by a friend atm, but it looks much better now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 08:18:50 pm
Quote from: Blade on 13 November, 2010, 08:03:48 pm
I could probably hang the bike from the ceiling by it and then swing from it without the bracket breaking.

Ah, you need to give it to Kim to test on the nation's railways, they'll pretty much do this sort of testing for you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 November, 2010, 08:20:40 pm
I put the winter wheels on the car and then waxed it.  Sorry not bike related  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 13 November, 2010, 08:57:21 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 08:18:50 pm
Quote from: Blade on 13 November, 2010, 08:03:48 pm
I could probably hang the bike from the ceiling by it and then swing from it without the bracket breaking.

Ah, you need to give it to Kim to test on the nation's railways, they'll pretty much do this sort of testing for you.
Even the railways would struggle to damage it.
I've made it from M.O.D. spec. aluminium. We had some left over from a job making additional armour for armoured vehicles which were no longer bullet proof (as discovered in Iraq).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 13 November, 2010, 08:58:58 pm
Quote from: Blade on 13 November, 2010, 08:57:21 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 08:18:50 pm
Quote from: Blade on 13 November, 2010, 08:03:48 pm
I could probably hang the bike from the ceiling by it and then swing from it without the bracket breaking.

Ah, you need to give it to Kim to test on the nation's railways, they'll pretty much do this sort of testing for you.
Even the railways would struggle to damage it.
I've made it from M.O.D. spec. aluminium. We had some left over from a job making additional armour for armoured vehicles which were no longer bullet proof (as discovered in Iraq).

Aha!  Depilated unobtainium!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 November, 2010, 09:15:36 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 08:18:50 pm
Ah, you need to give it to Kim to test on the nation's railways, they'll pretty much do this sort of testing for you.

I think you're confusing me with Rower40.  Or Charlotte.  Or something.

*My* light brackets have thus far proven to be railway-proof, though I can't say the same about other components.

Hanging the bike from the ceiling and swinging from it is the standard CrossCountry Trains experience, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 13 November, 2010, 09:30:13 pm
Shuffled my lights to allow me to fit my new GPS to the handlebars. And the a quick test ride to try out the GPS.

So far so good although still need to refit the switch for my lights and not sure if it'll fit, sure I'll find somewhere for it, expect I can sling it on toptube if all else fails.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 November, 2010, 09:42:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 November, 2010, 09:15:36 pm
Hanging the bike from the ceiling and swinging from it is the standard CrossCountry Trains experience, though.

I think this type of event is what I was alluding to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 14 November, 2010, 12:59:39 pm
Gave the Trek a bit of TLC in readiness for commuting into Abingdon, going to make an interesting change from the roads around snowdonia
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 November, 2010, 01:04:19 pm
It'l be ideal for riding fixed ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 14 November, 2010, 01:06:37 pm
Well she 's slowly coming round to the idea of n+1 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 November, 2010, 01:12:22 pm
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 14 November, 2010, 06:17:05 pm
I've almost finished assembling the Kinesis T2 (pics to follow).
It'a taken longer than expected as I had to take the frame to Samways to have the bottom bracket bearings installed, as I gave up due to there being paint on the faces of the BB shell, and a tad on the start of the threads. I did email Kinesis about the problem, and received a rather offhand reply about it being due the thicker than previously applied powder coat. I like a thick paint job on my frames as much as the next person, but should Kinesis be selling frames which need a visit to the LBS to make them usable?? I like the frame, and at £225 (plus forks) it's not that expensive, but......  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 November, 2010, 06:19:44 pm
It used to be standard practice that new frames needed to be 'prepared' by a bikeshop e.g. threads cleaned and surfaces faced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 14 November, 2010, 06:30:11 pm
Yes indeed - they said that they don't usually take the paint off the faces of the shell, and in any case I think that the cutting of the threads in the shell will determine the correct fitting of external BB bearings more than anything else. If there's a few bits of (very hard) powder coat in the thread, however, you're stuffed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 November, 2010, 06:39:32 pm
I prefer to face BB shells whenever the BB rests against it (Phil BBs don't). There is too much play in BB threads to rely on just the threads for bearing alignment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 14 November, 2010, 06:56:28 pm
...but I know that I can't use my facing tool unless the threads are clean, it needs to be screwed into the shell. If there's significant paint on the threads (as it sounds like clifftaylor has), which stops the facing tool from being used, you're rather stuffed.

I certainly don't have any tools for chasing a BB thread out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 November, 2010, 07:06:00 pm
Powdercoating is a bastard on cutting edges. Any decent bike shop should have the tools to tap the BB threads and face the shell but many shops refuse to work on powdercoated frames because the customer won't pay enough to resharpen the cutters and still make a profit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 November, 2010, 07:35:10 pm
I've just filled a small Topeak aero bag with inner tube,tyre levers,patches,glue,multi-tool,zip ties, Victorinex knife & surgical gloves.It has a Smart LED light attached.This will be swapped from bike to bike for short rides to ensure that I am never without the bare necssities(que a Jungle Book ear worm)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 14 November, 2010, 08:09:04 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 November, 2010, 07:06:00 pm
Powdercoating is a bastard on cutting edges. Any decent bike shop should have the tools to tap the BB threads and face the shell but many shops refuse to work on powdercoated frames because the customer won't pay enough to resharpen the cutters and still make a profit.

It did cost 15 of your English pounds, but no questions asked, know what I mean.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 November, 2010, 08:11:59 pm
Not a lot.  But I did just teach Dearly_Beloved how to remove a rear wheel (which I know how to do since you lot taught me).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 14 November, 2010, 09:35:46 pm
Tried to fettle a rear SKS full mudguard onto my bike as decided the pannier rack alone wasn't quite enough (though is much better than nothing).

But it just won't fit, the spring on the rear brake stops me from being able to adjust the guard/bracket upwards enough to allow the requisite clearance between the tyre and guard.

Ho-hum, half an hour or so wasted with nothing to show for it but mucky hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 15 November, 2010, 12:54:55 pm
Now the leaves are all down, I just fitted - in a very Heath Robinson sort of way - some mesh over my guttering to stop the leaves getting in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 16 November, 2010, 04:58:49 pm
Fitted tyre n tube to spare wheel for turbo usage.  Dried & cleaned all my tools as the toolbbox had slipped in the shed, opened & somehow got a little wet  ??? I will buy a lock for the box tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 17 November, 2010, 07:40:27 pm
Showed my mate Geoff how to build wheels.  He is now the proud owner of a front wheel he built himself and he's back next week to finish off the rear one. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:06:10 pm
Today I bought this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/peugeotbike.jpg)


It was very cheap and the plan is to try it on my new turbo trainer. All I have to do now is get it working and find out what size the wheels are to get it a rear tyre and tube since the tyres are both knackered!

It has an ancient bottle dynamo and light on it, I'm wondering if they still work  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 November, 2010, 09:06:56 pm
The road?  The barrier?  The cyclist? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:08:38 pm
wrong link, fixed it now  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 17 November, 2010, 09:10:47 pm
Quote from: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:06:10 pm

find out what size the wheels are to get it a rear tyre and tube



27x11/4, I bet ya!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:11:25 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 17 November, 2010, 09:10:47 pm
Quote from: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:06:10 pm

find out what size the wheels are to get it a rear tyre and tube



27x11/4, I bet ya!

Ahhh thanks, I was having trouble finding a tape measure and the tyres are too knackered to read!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 17 November, 2010, 09:12:34 pm
You do know I'm not a proper cyclist, right?   :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:15:11 pm
Im gunna see if my spare Alex rim will fit on the front. It came with a spare rear wheel as the one it has now is buckled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 17 November, 2010, 09:18:41 pm
You know, that's really a very nice bike. You will post pics when it's finished, won't you?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Simonb on 17 November, 2010, 09:19:01 pm
I've fettled myself a new mail server!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:19:38 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 17 November, 2010, 09:18:41 pm
You know, that's really a very nice bike. You will post pics when it's finished, won't you?

Yeah, although my handiwork won't be up to general forum standards, I have no clue how to fettle a 1980's bike  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 November, 2010, 09:20:27 pm
If it is 27", you may well have problems fitting it on the trainer.  Not insuperable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:23:50 pm
Quote from: clarion on 17 November, 2010, 09:20:27 pm
If it is 27", you may well have problems fitting it on the trainer.  Not insuperable.

My turbo trainer says it can take up to 28" wheels, but I haven't assembled it yet!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 November, 2010, 10:00:39 pm
I just fettled the lid mechanism of the kitchen bin, which had suffered catastrophic corrosion due to tea (nothing good can come of that stuff, I tell you) and ineffectual (you guessed it) self-tapping screws.  It's now held on with some M5 stainless allen bolts and nylock nuts, so should be good to ride in all weather conditions without stinking the kitchen out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 November, 2010, 08:52:58 am
Quote from: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:06:10 pm
Today I bought this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/peugeotbike.jpg)


It was very cheap and the plan is to try it on my new turbo trainer. All I have to do now is get it working and find out what size the wheels are to get it a rear tyre and tube since the tyres are both knackered!

It has an ancient bottle dynamo and light on it, I'm wondering if they still work  ;D

That looks like a Peugeot Triathlon - 501 tubed machine - excellent steed, I have two of them  - built early 1980s ... and yes, 27 wheels (mine have been changed to 700s for a better quality wheel and range of tyres)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 18 November, 2010, 05:02:24 pm
Quote from: robgul on 18 November, 2010, 08:52:58 am
Quote from: Feline on 17 November, 2010, 09:06:10 pm
Today I bought this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/peugeotbike.jpg)


It was very cheap and the plan is to try it on my new turbo trainer. All I have to do now is get it working and find out what size the wheels are to get it a rear tyre and tube since the tyres are both knackered!

It has an ancient bottle dynamo and light on it, I'm wondering if they still work  ;D

That looks like a Peugeot Triathlon - 501 tubed machine - excellent steed, I have two of them  - built early 1980s ... and yes, 27 wheels (mine have been changed to 700s for a better quality wheel and range of tyres)

Rob

Awesome, thanks Rob :) I'd better get shopping for a 27 tyre and tube ... I could possibly stick my spare front 700mm wheel on then and take it on a test ride!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 18 November, 2010, 05:04:19 pm
Quote from: Feline on 18 November, 2010, 05:02:24 pm

Awesome, thanks Rob :) I'd better get shopping for a 27 tyre and tube ... I could possibly stick my spare front 700mm wheel on then and take it on a test ride!

I don't think the brakes would reach. You need some pretty deep drop brakes to swap from the 27" to a 700C wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 18 November, 2010, 05:12:31 pm
Quote from: hulver on 18 November, 2010, 05:04:19 pm
Quote from: Feline on 18 November, 2010, 05:02:24 pm

Awesome, thanks Rob :) I'd better get shopping for a 27 tyre and tube ... I could possibly stick my spare front 700mm wheel on then and take it on a test ride!

I don't think the brakes would reach. You need some pretty deep drop brakes to swap from the 27" to a 700C wheel.

Oh. Maybe I should start researching what kinds of brakes I could fit it with too! Might be nice to keep it looking retro with original bits though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 18 November, 2010, 08:54:38 pm
We have a very similar looking Peugeot which mrs_e has used for several holidays (not so much regular use). 

I never tried to sort out if the rims were nominally "27" or "700" - they fit a 700 tyre, BUT, they had no bead, so a modern clincher tyre randomly blows off if we put a reasonable pressure in it.  Have a look at the inside of the rim to check.
Rims were also steel, so poor braking.  And they rust, making the braking slightly better but rather cyclic and unpleasant...

If you want to ride it, I recommend replacing rims.  The rest of the bike worked fine, but benefited from replacing components with modern ones when poss.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 November, 2010, 12:24:06 am
I took my rear wheel off again and changed another spoke.  It seemed to take ages to get it straight again :(

Still, I'm back on fixed tomorrow :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 12:44:53 am
My Mo. I fettled my Mo  :thumbsup:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 19 November, 2010, 07:13:10 am
Quote from: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 12:44:53 am
My Mo. I fettled my Mo  :thumbsup:.
I can't wait to "admire" it in the flesh this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 19 November, 2010, 10:31:50 am
A new wheel for the Pomp; SA S2C 2-speed/coaster brake with kick activation.  All cable-free :)

(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bosphorus/s2cwheel.jpg)


Hub from ebay; Exal LX17 rim & Sapim Race DB spokes from Spa.  Very nice, but very heavy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 05:35:17 pm
Quote from: boab on 19 November, 2010, 07:13:10 am
Quote from: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 12:44:53 am
My Mo. I fettled my Mo  :thumbsup:.
I can't wait to "admire" it in the flesh this weekend.

For a donation, I'll let you play with it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 19 November, 2010, 05:39:27 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 05:35:17 pm
Quote from: boab on 19 November, 2010, 07:13:10 am
Quote from: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 12:44:53 am
My Mo. I fettled my Mo  :thumbsup:.
I can't wait to "admire" it in the flesh this weekend.

For a donation, I'll let you play with it...
I'll bring the wax.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 05:41:54 pm
Quote from: boab on 19 November, 2010, 05:39:27 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 05:35:17 pm
Quote from: boab on 19 November, 2010, 07:13:10 am
Quote from: Chris S on 19 November, 2010, 12:44:53 am
My Mo. I fettled my Mo  :thumbsup:.
I can't wait to "admire" it in the flesh this weekend.

For a donation, I'll let you play with it...
I'll bring the wax.  ;D

 :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 November, 2010, 05:44:50 pm
Some thorough rim and tyre inspection, followed by refitting the rear wheel with a nice new tube (I'd forgotten how much easier it is when you can feel your fingers), after yesterday's puncture fiasco.

Since I had to dry out the contents of my emergency toolkit, I took the opportunity to restock it a bit, including a bit of nice fresh sandpaper, seeing as we seem to have a mysterious surplus of the stuff.

This took all of about 20 minutes, including the time taken to track down the presta-schrader adaptor which ran off and was in dire peril of being eaten by the sofabed.  I have been utterly exhausted since.  Bloody lurgy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 November, 2010, 06:17:56 pm
Quote from: Mal Volio on 19 November, 2010, 10:31:50 am
A new wheel for the Pomp; SA S2C 2-speed/coaster brake with kick activation.  All cable-free :)
orus/s2cwheel.jpg
....
Hub from ebay; Exal LX17 rim & Sapim Race DB spokes from Spa.  Very nice, but very heavy.

Neat, so just the one cable for the front brake then (I can't think of a way to get rid of that!)

What sort of gearing have you got on it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 November, 2010, 06:20:39 pm
Quote from: hulver on 18 November, 2010, 05:04:19 pm
Quote from: Feline on 18 November, 2010, 05:02:24 pm

Awesome, thanks Rob :) I'd better get shopping for a 27 tyre and tube ... I could possibly stick my spare front 700mm wheel on then and take it on a test ride!

I don't think the brakes would reach. You need some pretty deep drop brakes to swap from the 27" to a 700C wheel.

All depends on the frame clearances - mine worked on one of the Peugeots with the original brakes (just) but I fitted new Alhonga deep drops for about £20 (dual-pivot so a bit more power)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 19 November, 2010, 06:48:11 pm
Quote from: TimO on 19 November, 2010, 06:17:56 pm
Neat, so just the one cable for the front brake then (I can't think of a way to get rid of that!)

Yep.  It's been minimalist for a while, with just one brake and a fixed rear.  The front brake failed though, and I remembered that one wasn't enough ;)

More info here

Members' bikes (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg777520#msg777520)

Quote
What sort of gearing have you got on it?

43x19, and it has a 33% reduction when you kick back, so something like 61/44"

Lowsville.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 19 November, 2010, 07:21:56 pm
Oh yeah, and to fit that wheel to the bike required cold-setting the frame from 135 to 120.   I used a f'off big G-clamp, and it was easy as.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 20 November, 2010, 12:29:43 pm
Proud of myself, used my spanking new tensiometer to sort out my rear wheel (that completely lost it on the way up to Coventry). Did it on the bike, took a while, and would probably benefit from final trim in a building stand but it is not bad, true to within .4 mm I think.

Pumped up the tyre to ride and discovered a sidewall cut that would have left me rather stranded had it gone en-route as I wasn't carrying a boot. All in all, I'd say I got a flucky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 20 November, 2010, 01:59:06 pm
I have connected the remote control/wireless headphones to the tv.
My hearing is deteriorating :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 November, 2010, 03:24:37 pm
the Langster.
Fitted an LED rear light & red reflector to the seat post & a Raceblade rear mudgaurd:the latter not to the seat post.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 21 November, 2010, 04:41:01 pm
I've fitted an old immersion heater timer to the supply for the storage heater in the boy's shed.

Hopefully the damn expensive thing will only pull juice during the cheap hours of darkness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 November, 2010, 05:11:10 pm
Hot water :o
you spoil him ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 21 November, 2010, 05:26:46 pm
Quote from: jogler on 21 November, 2010, 05:11:10 pm
Hot water :o
you spoil him ;)

 ;D

It's OK - since he started his tree surgeon business, he keeps us stocked to the rafters with wood for the stove. The house is toasty and the oil boiler is hardly running at all.

Win, win, win.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 21 November, 2010, 05:32:37 pm
Car stereo, hilariously wrongly. :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 November, 2010, 08:35:55 pm
Replaced bearings, cups and a cone in a Campag Daytona front hub. Will be checking out a Dura-Ace front hub after dinner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 November, 2010, 09:17:50 pm
Had a £2 9-LED torch from Tesco that I've attached via a drilled p-clip to my front fork pannier bolt hole for a bit of low down light.

The idea being that a bit of low down light should shadow obstacles a bit more clearly.

A cheap experiment, ideally I'd have one each side but can't find said torch in Tesco anymore, though did see some in B&Q a couple weeks ago (just under £5 each though!) so will decide if a second is worth it after testing the current one tomorrow.

Or I could stop buying cheap lights and just save up for a dynohub'd wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 21 November, 2010, 09:29:57 pm
On Friday evening, as the Cyo light I'd bought had turned up in the post, I spent a quick 10 minutes bodging it onto the handlebars, for the FNRttC, then fitted the dynamo wheel (which I'd previously used a year or so ago with my converted Tesco lights).

Together with the twin Hopes blasting away, I was like a ray of sunshine along the dark lanes of Sussex.  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 November, 2010, 09:44:43 pm
Just fettled back to commuting mode.

I notice that nobody's cleaned my bike >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 21 November, 2010, 10:07:33 pm
A new spoke to get the Cotic back into commuting service
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 November, 2010, 11:00:11 pm
Put mudguards on the winter bike. Had to change the rear tyre to a 23 from 25 to stop them rubbing (crud catcher clip ons). Should be hay for Tuesday now.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 22 November, 2010, 01:57:14 pm
I cleaned the bathroom.  Yawn.  Probably ought to go and fettle the kitchen.... dontwanna!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 22 November, 2010, 03:16:07 pm
The usual nightmare fettle session yesterday afternoon:

Intented task list:
1. Wash bike
2. Install old mudguards with rear dynamo light installed (and front to match of course!)
3. Make/fit mudflaps

Actual:
1. Wash bike
2. Notice rear wheel is out of true
3. Assemble wheel building stand
4. Attempt to true wheel, realise it's fubarred and the rim is nearly gone
5. Remove cassette, rim tape, and losen all spokes ready for rim transplant
6. Order new rim online
7. Change tire on spare rear wheel (turbo tire to other)
8. Change tire again from 28 to a 25 as less clearance due to dynamo lamp cable run
9. Spend an hour fudging mudflap fitting
10. Finally clean and re-lube chain ready for morning commute

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 22 November, 2010, 04:49:04 pm
Last night I finally got the open pro/hope wheel to a state which I like to think of as "built"

I seem to be having problems with getting rid of spoke twist however so what will happen is that it will be installed on the bike, bike will go round the block and then the wheel will come off again for a full retruing

Perhaps next time I need to use more oil on the eyelets
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 November, 2010, 06:41:17 pm
You can get rid of some of the spoke twist by pressing the axle onto the ground whilst holding the rims.  Obviously do this too hard and you'll pringle the wheel, but you'll get a certain amount of "pinging", which is essentially the twist releasing.  You will however, as you say, then need to retrue it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 November, 2010, 07:17:39 pm
Removed a pair of right hand cups from two differing frames.  Both needed to be bolted in to a vice bolted to the metal framed table.  Then removed the drive side cranks from two differing bottom brackets, which took a three legged puller and alot of time and being careful.

Both cranks stripped the puller thread so its removing the cranks was a really difficult.  

Then removed and replaced a six speed freehub and finally regreased a rear hub to put back together to get a raleigh back on the road for a friend, probably regrease the headset too and reinstall some brakes on the bike too.  Actually get the bike together with new twist gear changers and brake levers.

Looked at the car as it seem to be leaking gearbox oil, think that it could be serious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 November, 2010, 09:23:05 pm
It was a right workshop in our kitchen this evening.

My fixed needed the wheel tweaking and a few other adjustment.

TGL's fixed needed the mudguard refitting (the tapping M5 into 2BA trick didn't work :( )

We also gave him some decent brake blocks.

I noticed his rear wheel could do with some love, but didn't have time.

Butterfly's Orion (being used by our friend Terrie) needed a seatpost swap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 November, 2010, 01:44:24 pm
The yacfYorkMildenhallmobilebrew&cakestop caravan has beed cleaned & tidied internally & externally,drained down & had it's winter p.j.'s fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 November, 2010, 03:07:51 pm
I have just fettled a minor miracle by re-arranging the bikes in the garage to make enough floor space for one of the bikes to be attached to the turbo trainer :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 November, 2010, 04:51:12 pm
I've attached the Langster to the turbo & attached some Aero Profile Air Stryke aero bars to the Langster.
A very quick test-pedal suggests that this set-up will demand a rather efficient in-circles pedal action with much benefit from pulling on the up-stroke.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 25 November, 2010, 10:09:01 pm
Change of bars. With the associated bracket fettlage, cable outer shortening and filing, bar taping, that took quite some time. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 November, 2010, 01:18:11 pm
Just fitted a shiny new hole-free Marathon Cross, so I'm off for a quick asthma attack before the ice sets in...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 26 November, 2010, 09:06:27 pm
Fitted new Crud guards - but realised that the rear is just not going to work well on a Yukon, so took it off and reverted to the SKS - but fitted an unused Crud "tail", using a little Crud screw and nut, into the hole where my reflector used to be : mudflap!

Edit: I've thought of a way of doing it that would be very neat indeed, so I may yet fit the rear one.  
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 26 November, 2010, 10:13:33 pm
I have fettled one tiny little corner of the living room.  That particular teetering pile of crap has now gone, although some of it has become a different teetering pile of crap (which I will need to move before bikes can come in or go out, so tonight!).  Unfortunately it has taken about two hours.  At this rate my living room might be tidy in time for Christmas.  2011.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 26 November, 2010, 10:17:09 pm
Helped my mate Geoff finish his very first pair of wheels!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 27 November, 2010, 07:56:27 pm
Up at 6am (as soon as I saw the SNO to a depth of 3 inches) to remove the stubs of the anti-vibration mounts that support the seat on my Windcheetah.  Put the new mounts on, fitted the seat, pumped the tyres, and zip-tied a mudguard to the rear rack.  Which makes the back end a lot more tricky to pick up by the rear rack, as the mudguard is now in the way.

Not sure if the Windcheetah should be renamed the SNOLeopard or the Slushpuppy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 November, 2010, 08:07:29 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 27 November, 2010, 07:56:27 pm
Not sure if the Windcheetah should be renamed the SNOLeopard or the Slushpuppy.

Hmm, by which logic Kettwiesel + studded tyres == Iceweasel?   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 27 November, 2010, 08:10:28 pm
Cleats onto new boots and studded tyres onto the Surly.

I have a seized rear brake to fix too but I became to cold to finish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 27 November, 2010, 09:10:13 pm
I've put another DVD writer into my Mac Pro.

So now in my Mac Pro I have 3.5TB of disks, 12GB of RAM and two DVD drives, one of which works properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 November, 2010, 09:35:51 pm
A temperature/PIR module for the dining room, and associated wiring and code to make it work.  The computer now knows about the cold room in the middle of the house.

Release upgrades on various Ubuntu boxen.  Mostly painless (so far).

Random acts of cleaning, including picking up all the washers and important pingfuckits from the living room floor so I could finally hoover up all the splinters from last week's lock incident.

The hoover, when it got a bit too enthusiastic and decided to ingest about a metre of string.

Photographed the old network switch with a view to putting it on eBay (if anyone's interested in a 24 port 100M fanless rackmount switch, let me know).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 27 November, 2010, 09:37:49 pm
I recharged the batteries in my B&M rear light because the little green batteries ok light went out last week.  I also pushed lumps of ice out from between the tyre and mudguard.  I was surprised how much snow was still attached to the frame.  Too cold to do anything else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 27 November, 2010, 10:07:54 pm
The trek mtb is going to become commuter again for the winter, so fettled the brakes and moved light bracket over. Black on front wheel spokes is flaking and I may order ice tyres.
Quick check over the ridgeback before tomorrows ride as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 28 November, 2010, 10:45:53 am
Moved the speed and cadence sensor from the fixed onto the bike that's currently occupying the trainer.

Having a "distance" to work to is a better motivator.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 28 November, 2010, 02:54:14 pm
I changed the tyres of the Brompton. The folder Kojaks are off now, and the Marathon Pluses are on.
Is there some central place for tyre circumference measurements?
I have my own notepad list of measurements, but I think some online list of measurements would be very helpful with date, tyre pressure and measurerer included.
According to me the Marathon Plus 35-349 is 1315mm at 6.5bar (today)
The folding Kojak 32-349 is 1285mm at 8.0bar (somewhere last month)
The Stelvio Light 28-349 is 1287mm at whatever their max pressure is (also last month)

I have four more, but those are 559 (26" ATB) for my recumbent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 November, 2010, 03:38:00 pm
General greasing of headsets and building a bike up from parts for a friend
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 28 November, 2010, 04:53:42 pm
Finished redecorating daughter the younger's bedroom. an oydessey which started last November and has along the way entailed the replacement of the roof, and the repair or replacement of all our windows. Remind me never to want to do a job properly again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 November, 2010, 05:50:31 pm
Replaced gear cable and barrel adjuster of HK's bike (bodged to finish Mille Miglia). Discovered a dodgy noise in the headset, postponed for another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 28 November, 2010, 07:05:47 pm
Pumped up my forks. Too cold for anything else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 29 November, 2010, 11:05:26 am
The uber commuter's brakes restored into a working state again.
It's now also proudly wearing a set of studded tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 29 November, 2010, 11:19:41 am
Fitted cables to and set up front and rear brakes (which involved drills, solder and cutters). Fitted and adjusted front derailleur cable. Taped handlebars. Trued rear wheel.

Shame I don't have any pedals to put on the thing. <sighs, drums fingers, wonders how long delivery from Ireland will take>.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 November, 2010, 07:58:40 pm
Predictably, fitted the studded tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 29 November, 2010, 08:02:44 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 29 November, 2010, 11:19:41 am
Fitted cables to and set up front and rear brakes (which involved drills, solder and cutters). Fitted and adjusted front derailleur cable. Taped handlebars. Trued rear wheel.

Shame I don't have any pedals to put on the thing. <sighs, drums fingers, wonders how long delivery from Ireland will take>.

I presume you have plenty of grease at the ready for when the pedals finally arrive? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 29 November, 2010, 08:53:34 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 29 November, 2010, 07:58:40 pm
Predictably, fitted the studded tyres.

Fitted lights to the bike with studded tyres and then re-fitted its rear mudguard above the brake bridge for greater clearance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 29 November, 2010, 09:06:19 pm
Transferred lights and saddlebag from my commuter bike to my mountain bike in anticipation of getting up tomorrow to snow-covered roads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 November, 2010, 10:29:57 am
I just fettled the Nokian Hakkapeliittas onto the commuter, the rear wheel is making an odd wooshing sound, but I think it's the little bits of rubber left over from the mould rubbing on the mudguards (the rear guard is slightly closer than the front because of the brake bridge).  They'll get tried out in anger very shortly!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 30 November, 2010, 09:53:56 pm
Schwalbe Snow Studs fitted to MTB.

Light brackets shifted over to MTB, will have to buy another pair of brackets rather than moving them each time I change bikes as I can see them fatiguing rapidly (plastic collar that need forcking open to go round bars).

Normally carry battery for front light in my saddlebag on the roadie but don't have one on the MTB so using the supplied bracket, was possible to just pull the battery out without depressing clip so added some tape to pad it out and seems to be secure.

Now to sort out a backpack for tomorrow as have no pannier rack on MTB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 30 November, 2010, 11:27:17 pm
Replaced my Gatorskin 25s with Marathon Plus 28s.  I don't believe studded tires are going to be useful in London as yet.  If that changes, I do believe I will try out the cable ties thing on the back wheel, for a mad giggle.

Tight clearance.  29s would have gone in, 32 - no way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 December, 2010, 11:28:04 am
Quote from: itsbruce on 30 November, 2010, 11:27:17 pm
... I don't believe studded tires are going to be useful in London as yet. ...

You're obviously not in South London then.  There's at least 8 inches of snow in Croydon, which is now somewhat icy.  Actually I reckon the tread on my studded tyres is proving more useful than the studs, but the studs are going to have some impact where the roads are clearer, so they'll potentially have a thin sheen of ice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 01 December, 2010, 07:41:36 pm
Looked clear around Olympia, from my limited observation. I was walking to and from Baron's Court tube. Pavements clear too. I wouldn't have bothered with winter tyres if I had been riding, and several people went by on road bikes with 23Cs or similar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 December, 2010, 10:06:22 pm
Yesterday the demarcation line was around Clapham Common, north of there was virtually clear of any snow, southward it got progressively whiter.

When I left South Ken about an hour ago, it was still clear of any snow there, but seemed to be very lightly drizzling, whereas Croydon still has over 8 inches or so, and is currently got a little snow covering up any bits which had been cleared.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 December, 2010, 10:17:06 pm
Trued four wheels (built by others) and now have got to regrease one hub tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 03 December, 2010, 06:12:24 pm
The HDD in the Sky+ box was doing odd things, swapped it for a spare 120GB drive I had lying around. 3 times as much space now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 December, 2010, 12:35:41 am
The phones, which appear to be suffering from an outbreak of gremlins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 December, 2010, 01:45:39 am
I must get round to fettling my phone too, it stopped working about a year ago. I haven't missed it much, it's nice never being bothered by telesales people, wrong numbers and my mother.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 04 December, 2010, 06:06:22 pm
Finally got around to swapping out the 700c x 35 Marathon Plus tyres with less than 50 miles on them for some 700c x 32 standard Marathons.   The Plusses are now lazing in the bath after a quick rub down before being packaged for postage on Monday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 04 December, 2010, 07:43:19 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 03 December, 2010, 06:12:24 pm
The HDD in the Sky+ box was doing odd things, swapped it for a spare 120GB drive I had lying around. 3 times as much space now!

Interesting! Two questions - was it easy to do? and are the fans on all the time now?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 04 December, 2010, 08:10:42 pm
SKS mudguards onto daughter's Carrera Subway. Took all afternoon, cutting stays to length with hand vice & junior hacksaw (I think they put the same length stays in all kits). Look good though, and kept me warm doing that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 04 December, 2010, 08:44:30 pm
Quote from: Jaded on 04 December, 2010, 07:43:19 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 03 December, 2010, 06:12:24 pm
The HDD in the Sky+ box was doing odd things, swapped it for a spare 120GB drive I had lying around. 3 times as much space now!

Interesting! Two questions - was it easy to do? and are the fans on all the time now?

I used this page:

Digital Spy - Sky+ Upgrade FAQ – 14th February 2009 - Sky+ - Digital Spy Forums (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=2661444)

1) Easy? Yes, although...

The Pace box I have had 3 Torx screws on it securing the case. I just undid them with a pair of pliers and threw them away. I haven't bothered fitting replacements as the case is quite a snug fit anyway.

In my case, the drive itself was held in a caddy with bolts that can be undone with a 2mm allen key, and then the caddy was attached to the drive with normal crosshead/philips screws. If you're lucky you'll be able to undo the crosshead screws without needing to undo the allen key bolts, but with me the allen key bolts stopped me undoing the screws so I had to them first and remove the drive.

The 40GB drive I took out was thinner than the normal 3.5" drive I replaced it with, but there's still space for a normal height 3.5" HDD.

As the link says, as long as you're on a recent enough EPG (v5 as almost all will be now) then they'll have the right magic to handle drives with slightly longer spin-up times (as 7200rpm drives do).

2) I was replacing the drive with a different Maxtor drive, so I was able to use the utilities linked on that page to turn off Write Verify and enable Quiet Mode.

Maximum space the Sky+ box can use is 500GB (even with bigger drives), the page linked has more info on this.

I have a bunch of 250GB drives spare but I knew the 120GB definitely didn't contain anything. Being new to Sky+ we don't rely on it now, so my only desire was to make it work again (the 40GB drive was knackered and causing recordings to pause and stop playing back).

I put the new drive in, the box took a bit longer to start up and it's been usable ever since. I didn't have to do anything special to make it start using the new drive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 December, 2010, 10:13:00 pm
I swapped the rear Marathon Plus on my tourer for something a bit chunkier I found in the back room.  Not sure what it came off, but it works OK.  Fiddled with the gears, too, to very little effect ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 December, 2010, 10:16:41 pm
Regreased a hub and ordered a cone spanner to let me regrease another couple of hubs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 05 December, 2010, 10:44:24 am
Changed the BB in the Dawes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 05 December, 2010, 11:35:21 am
Currently fettling the stoor aff the tap o' the kitchen cupboards.   :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 05 December, 2010, 11:40:36 am
Brake blocks F&R.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 December, 2010, 04:53:50 pm
Pssssssssst!  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 05 December, 2010, 04:58:26 pm
Finally picked up a replacement wheel for my road bike (the old one was donated to my mtb) from the lbs, refitted the cassette and sorted the indexing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 05 December, 2010, 05:20:47 pm
Finally got round to putting on the 'winter' tyres (nothing special, just a bit more tread, mostly to cope with the debris and mud on the roads, not the ice).

S
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 05 December, 2010, 05:35:09 pm
Replaced a shot light fitting in the kitchen

Fitted a ceiling speaker and wall mounted amplifier.

Failed miserably to get the wireless network to play nice.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 05 December, 2010, 05:37:39 pm
Last night I refitted the rear shock on my Giant Trance after its recent service.  It should have been a five minute job with a bolt at each end.  Unfortunately it had been assembled with the bushes swapped top to bottom and they were a good tight fit to swap back.  I then discovered that the new bottom bush that had been supplied was too long to fit in the frame and needed grinding down a bit. >:(

I took the bike out today and it was definitely worth the effort but I am sure that the company that did the servicing will appreciate my feedback. :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 05 December, 2010, 06:17:08 pm
Is there a confession box on this forum??? I feel I might need one….Oh and what is the policy on excluding members who commit blasphemy ?

I’ll explain (although this is not for the faint hearted….): Forgive me father for I have sinned….

Yesterday, the conditions being what they were, I went out on my Giant Rock MTB. I brought the bike in new March this year and have used it less than a dozen times as I much prefer road riding. So, really with less than 300 miles on the clock, I didn’t really expect any major problems.

Wrong… over the last few miles I noted that the pedals were a bit loose and there was a strange noise coming from the bottom bracket…. Not again I thought as twice recently I have managed to strip the nut holding a pedal on to the bottom bracket (different bikes both time).

Easy repair job I thought; just get the right allen key and Bob is you Mums brother….wrong. The nuts were on tight as thy would go. So, off to t’internet to do a bit of research and…as I know you knew from the start, my bottom bracket had failed and needed replacing.

So, and here comes the confession…off to Halfords the bike and I went…. Its now booked in for a bottom bracket replacement. Why didn’t I do it myself? Well, I don’t have the tools and to be honest, it looked too complicated for me to do.

I’ll go and stand in the corner.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 December, 2010, 06:44:37 pm
It isn't the fact your getting it repaired for you i find shocking, it's that you chose Halfrauds to take it to  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 December, 2010, 07:10:10 pm
It's a bit like having a supermarket shelf stacker do brain surgery on you,is it not?

no offence intended to s'market shelf stackers :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 05 December, 2010, 07:27:37 pm
Quote from: Feline on 05 December, 2010, 06:44:37 pm
It isn't the fact your getting it repaired for you i find shocking, it's that you chose Halfrauds to take it to  :o

Quote from: jogler on 05 December, 2010, 07:10:10 pm
It's a bit like having a supermarket shelf stacker do brain surgery on you,is it not?

no offence intended to s'market shelf stackers :)

My elder son was employed assembling new bikes for customers at a branch of Halfords when doing work experience as a 14 year old. He is most offended by these outrageous slurs. Looking back on it, I just hope that no one died.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 05 December, 2010, 08:48:33 pm
I've just fitted some Panracer FireMUD pro tyres to the MTB, will have a ride down to the pub by the canal later for a couple.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 05 December, 2010, 09:01:51 pm
Fitted a fully-enclosed chaincase

Hebie makes your bike complete : Chainglider 350 38/42/44 (http://www.hebie.de/Chainglider-350-38-42-44.hebie350chainglider.0.html?&L=)

to the pub Pompino.  Looks ace.  Pics & ride report tomorrow !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 05 December, 2010, 09:04:48 pm
Quote from: Mal Volio on 05 December, 2010, 09:01:51 pm
Fitted a fully-enclosed chaincase

Hebie makes your bike complete : Chainglider 350 38/42/44 (http://www.hebie.de/Chainglider-350-38-42-44.hebie350chainglider.0.html?&L=)

to the pub Pompino.  Looks ace.  Pics & ride report tomorrow !

Saw your recent post mentioning these. What actually holds the chaincase in position? Looks like a really good job, I wish (mildly) I had a bike that would suit one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 05 December, 2010, 09:07:27 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 05 December, 2010, 09:04:48 pm
Quote from: Mal Volio on 05 December, 2010, 09:01:51 pm
Fitted a fully-enclosed chaincase

Hebie makes your bike complete : Chainglider 350 38/42/44 (http://www.hebie.de/Chainglider-350-38-42-44.hebie350chainglider.0.html?&L=)

to the pub Pompino.  Looks ace.  Pics & ride report tomorrow !

Saw your recent post mentioning these. What actually holds the chaincase in position? Looks like a really good job, I wish (mildly) I had a bike that would suit one.

Oil, it seems.

And it's ILLEGAL to use them in conjunction with Campag Record Pista cranks if that's what you were thinking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 05 December, 2010, 09:54:58 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 05 December, 2010, 09:04:48 pm
. What actually holds the chaincase in position?

It just kind of floats, as Tewdric says.

The problem with chain cases is general is that they're a sod to fasten to the bike unless you have the braze-ons and brackets of a Dutch roadster.

There's a little bit of noise from the thing, but that may be because the clearance between the ring and the frame is tight and the chaincase is jammed in there. I've ordered a longer BB.  No worse than a bottle dynamo though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 05 December, 2010, 10:02:06 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 05 December, 2010, 09:07:27 pm
And it's ILLEGAL to use them in conjunction with Campag Record Pista cranks if that's what you were thinking

 :) Wouldn't dream of it - hence "I wish (mildly) I had a bike that would suit one". Really good idea for a single-speed or hub gear commuter though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 December, 2010, 10:59:52 pm
I just screwed a couple of Clas Ohlson hooks into the side of my staircase to hold keys and whatnot on.

I didn't drill quite a big enough a pilot hole, or use some soap on the threads, and consequently I've got a bit of a blister on my palm now.  Ouch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 December, 2010, 08:10:02 pm
My dynamo failed tonight.  Well, it didn't fail, but there were no photons coming out of the light.  To give credit to the Standlicht, it was still glowing when I got home over an hour after leaving work.

I found the problem.  A ziptie had cut through the cable and sawn it as I turned the forks. :(

I've had to shorten things quite a bit, but I think I have a better routing now.

So glad I have a little back up light (Vision One) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 09 December, 2010, 09:51:44 pm
I have cleaned a little pink flowery raleigh until it is really quite shiny.  Someone walked into the workshop and said 'blimey that's clean!'.  I mean, not like Rogerzilla clean or anything, but pretty clean :)  And treated the chain to a drop of oil, because ot was very thirsty looking.  Then I got someone else to true the rear wheel because that is mystic voodoo stuff, and I tweaked the brakes and dropped the bars and saddle.

Someone's Christmas present is ready :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 December, 2010, 09:53:28 pm
Went to regrease a pair of HK's latest model XT hubs (M770) and found that three cones and the cup in the freehub were pitted.  It seems that the replacement parts total is somewhat more expensive than a replacement pair of complete hubs.  So, ordered a pair of hubs to strip to keep these wheels operational and we score a pair of nice QRs.  If anybody want M770 hub cups or shells, let me know and they are yours.

Shimano has a very stupid and wasteful pricing policy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 10 December, 2010, 04:51:09 pm
Fitted some SKS Cromoplastic mudguards to the Croix de Fer.  I am pretty pleased with how they look but it took me absolutely ages to do.  The job was not helped by having to avoid the disk brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 10 December, 2010, 05:09:57 pm
Fitted a bottom bracket spacer to replace the mount for the chainguard I removed a few days ago.  To be honest it was working ok without the spacer, and nobody will notice the difference but at least I know it's right now!  :)

No doubt the chain will get a bit grubbier now but it will be a lot easier to get it off and clean everything without the chain guard in the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 December, 2010, 05:18:51 pm
Tightened up the headset on my Dawes by a gnat's crotchet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 10 December, 2010, 05:39:10 pm
Fixed my IKEA bedside lamp that has had an infuriating intermittent fault for a while. It would cost £34.99 to replace.

Walk to Maplins, 5 minutes with soldering iron and a screwdriver, total cost £2.39.

I like fixing things.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 December, 2010, 04:43:28 pm
Added a fullway ball valve to the upstairs shower (the gate valve doesn't work; they're hopeless in a hard water area because the seat gets full of scale which the brass disc can't crush) as a temporary solution to stop the thing dripping when it's turned off.

It needs replacing but that will mean digging it out of the wall, filling the hole, retiling (I saved a load of tiles from the original bathroom job) and then fitting a new shower on the surface, which I should have done in the first place.  But I decided to be a fashion victim and go for a recessed valve.

Top tip: don't buy a Newteam or Showerforce shower; it could be fixed simply with a new valve cartridge but 8 years on, that spare part is deleted from the catalogue.  As showers generally take many years before developing problems, not carrying spares once the model is out of production is rather unfriendly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 11 December, 2010, 11:37:28 pm
Unfettled my Mercian - stripped it down and took it to Mercian for a respray.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 12 December, 2010, 01:48:22 pm
Put a new chain on the MTB, pumped up the studded tyres. Seems to be fit now in case we get ice/snow next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 12 December, 2010, 01:55:58 pm
Back to road tyres for the Cannondale.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 December, 2010, 02:02:32 pm
Helped Pingu put a new wheel on the commuter, to replace the one I put a bum-shaped dent in a couple of weeks ago  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lotum on 12 December, 2010, 02:56:12 pm
Finished converting one of my fixies into a cyclocross bike. There's way too much snow here for effective fixed-wheel riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 12 December, 2010, 02:57:40 pm
Put an SQR block on the Pompino and made a new lamp strap for my slightly decrepit saddlebag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 December, 2010, 03:00:42 pm
Quote from: Lotum on 12 December, 2010, 02:56:12 pm
Finished converting one of my fixies into a cyclocross bike. There's way too much snow here for effective fixed-wheel riding.

You must be laughing about our complaints about a tiny bit of snow.  You know what it's like when there's real snow!

Have fun with the Cyclo-cross bike! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lotum on 12 December, 2010, 03:37:02 pm
Quote from: clarion on 12 December, 2010, 03:00:42 pm
You must be laughing about our complaints about a tiny bit of snow.  You know what it's like when there's real snow!

Have fun with the Cyclo-cross bike! :thumbsup:

Hi Clarion,

As they say, everything is relative! On one hand, I may be laughing, but on the other hand I envy you guys for your mild winters and long summers. And it's not just the snow, it's also that sometimes it can be really c-o-l-d here. I once had a p*ncture when it was -30°C and a gale was blowing. There was no way I could fix that on the spot. The cyclo-cross bike has 700x35C Schwalbe Marathon Winters (studded tyres) on it, and I'm hoping that they are p*ncture-proof. *touches wood*

Lotum
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 12 December, 2010, 09:00:30 pm
Trying to get a bigger gear on the pub/bad weather hack. It's and 8sp.
Took a file to a 7sp cassette, ripped the biggest cog off it, used the smallest cog and some old beer can to make up a spacer the right size.

Seems to work on the turbo trainer/fettling stand, will see how it does on the road next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 13 December, 2010, 09:27:48 am
A nice alloy chainguard on the wife's Cooper Reims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 13 December, 2010, 01:39:40 pm
Stuck validation labels on brevet cards. Not going to post them until the end of the month because I am a bad organiser of Christmas mail.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 December, 2010, 08:41:14 pm
My son claimed his bike had a rear puncture. Took wheel and tyre off and looked at tube. They both looked Ok so pumped the tube up. Couldn't find any leakage.

Got spare tube out that I thought fitted his bike but discovered it only does up to a 45mm tyre and he has 47mm. Don't have a tube that size so refitted the original one, it stayed up while I cycled round the block but I nearly came a cropper since I forgot that it is a large frame and my son is 6'2".

If it goes flat overnight I will need to visit my LBS for a new tube tomorrow. I asked my son tonight if he would like me to teach him how to repair a puncture. He said 'no thanks, I can just push it home for you to repair'.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 13 December, 2010, 08:50:52 pm
Think yourself lucky.  When I was a kid one of the boys next door confessed he had purposely run over a drawing pin once just so he could watch his dad fix the puncture!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 December, 2010, 09:00:56 pm
Quote from: Feline on 13 December, 2010, 08:41:14 pm
Got spare tube out that I thought fitted his bike but discovered it only does up to a 45mm tyre and he has 47mm.

Fairly sure that counts as 'close enough'.  Might be slightly more prone to further visitations than would be optimal, but certainly fine as an interim measure.  That rubber's quite stretchy.

A 26" tube in a 700c wheel, less so.  Don't ask how I know this.


Today I have fettled a 1-wire interface (http://www.maxim-ic.com/datasheet/index.mvp/id/3834) and, more specifically, the software to drive it, into a state of basic functionality.  Now waiting for some sensors and associated bits and pieces to turn up before I can do anything interesting with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 December, 2010, 09:11:10 pm
I put the old wheel back on my fixed.

And mended the p*nct*re in the tube on the other.

And tweaked the bearings on the hub.

Sadly, as I was fool enough to mangle a link of my indicator chain, I had to do the first thing on this list :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Quisling on 13 December, 2010, 09:30:57 pm
I removed some excess oil from my chain with my trousers ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 13 December, 2010, 09:36:49 pm
Turned an old wheel into a fixed wheel, like this (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1342.msg17982#msg17982)

Part of the conversion of a knackered c1992 bike with all the original equipment (even chain  :o)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 14 December, 2010, 12:16:51 am
Took apart and fixed a 'nonfunctional' microsoft intellimouse - they were going to throw it in the bin at work - just needed the damaged bit of cable cutting out and wires soldering back together.

Installed ubuntu on pc for daughter for xmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 14 December, 2010, 06:57:38 pm
Fitted one of these:

An Lun 3 LED Rear Light for Mudguards (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/an-lun-3-led-rear-light-for-mudguards-prod23754/)

to my audax bike.

Dressed a brace of pheasants I was given at the weekend.

Scored a bnib Brooks B17 Special for the Brommie for 45 quid, the seller having mis-labelled it as the womens' version.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 December, 2010, 07:43:42 pm
Obtained the right inner tube for my son's bike and showed him how to change a rear wheel puncture. He seemed quite interested which shocked me. I almost looked like I knew what I was doing giving him a demo  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 15 December, 2010, 12:30:32 am
Adjusted the tension on my headset as the bike was steering like a tank, it was much better tonight just need to move the levers inwards a little & it should be spot on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Quisling on 15 December, 2010, 08:16:35 am
"Adjusted" the trailer hitch on my everyday/shopping bike to fix it after flipping the trailer following a kerb clipping incident. D'oh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 15 December, 2010, 06:48:07 pm
Not today, but at the weekend: I had not been quite happy with the lever position on Bob Jackson's bars. I had some new Brooks bar tape, (bought relatively bargainously, yet still spendy) so carefully proceeded. I spent a hell of a long time making numerous almost imperceptable changes. Until they were right. Then carried out an absolutely perfect job on the bar tape. Utterly textbook bar tape.

After 3 days riding, they are wrong. Not just wrong, but wronger. Somehow :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 15 December, 2010, 06:55:24 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 15 December, 2010, 06:48:07 pm
Not today, but at the weekend: I had not been quite happy with the lever position on Bob Jackson's bars. I had some new Brooks bar tape, (bought relatively bargainously, yet still spendy) so carefully proceeded. I spent a hell of a long time making numerous almost imperceptable changes. Until they were right. Then carried out an absolutely perfect job on the bar tape. Utterly textbook bar tape.

After 3 days riding, they are wrong. Not just wrong, but wronger. Somehow :'(

That is the price you pay for chasing perfection. If you had set your sights on OK they would be just that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Quisling on 16 December, 2010, 01:19:37 pm
1. Designed and ordered a bespoke fitted tarpaulin cover for my trailer box from local company.
2. received email from Chain Reaction advising bar bag rack has been sent :thumbsup:
3. ordered new Easton seatpost for MTB.
4. Dismantled old wheelbarrow inner tube with view to making something useful, but probably ugly.
5. Looked at some old/spare spoons and forks and thought, "Mmm, DIY spork?" I'm beginning to see the logic in becoming a Dremel owner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 17 December, 2010, 03:42:40 pm
Wheeled/carried all the bikes out of the garage onto the driveway.

Swept all the dust, dead leaves and spiders from the floor of the garage.

Chopped up the cardboard box in which my Grasshopper was delivered (over 3 years ago), and put all the bits that would fit into my recycling bin.

Started to set up heap of no-longer-needed metal and components.  Hope to turn heap into $$$.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 18 December, 2010, 04:11:11 pm
A batch of Welsh cakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 December, 2010, 04:42:27 pm
Opened up my shiny new Extreme 600 battery charger (http://www.batteryvault.co.uk/extreme-lcd-fast-aa--aaa-battery-charger--usb-charging-236-p.asp).

It is, if there was ever any doubt, made of China's finest nasty plastic and shoddy soldering.  This does make it surprisingly lightweight, though.  The hinged cover isn't going to stand up to any kind of abuse either, but does serve to keep AA cells in place if you shake it around.

Sadly, there isn't a potentiometer for the LCD contrast (which could do with a tweak, you have to hold it at an angle to see the screen properly), but I did succeed in disconnecting the refresh/charge mode button.  It's a simple pushbutton that, as the name suggests, puts it into a total discharge / recharge cycle.  For fairly obvious reasons, I'm happy to sacrifice the refresh capability in the interests of the button not being accidentally pressed while it's rattling around in a pannier.

It's now having a trial run on an assortment of mismatched cells that were lying on my desk.  It appears to do the Right Thing if temporarily deprived of power mid-cycle (important if it's going to run off dynamo power without an intermediate battery).

ETA: Seems to have tried to cook one of the cells.  That's suboptimal.  Might have been duff already, of course - the other two charged fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 December, 2010, 09:37:18 pm
Waiting for the bread machine to finish, I thought about putting the E6-Z onto my Orbit so I had big brightnesses out front.  But I could only find one of the spacers, so instead I swapped the fork crown bracket for another I'd got hold of which didn't foul me straddle cable.

Oh, and I've put the second CX tyre on my tourer.  It looks splendid.  Just need to recalibrate my computer.

What I haven't fettled is the washing machine, which has thrown a paddy, and is flashing an error message at me, which I cannot decode, even with the assistance of the intertubes :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 December, 2010, 04:17:49 pm
Mrs Cudzo has fettled a ginger cake. It looks and smells yummy but we are not allowed to eat it till Christmas. She said that if you make it earlier the taste improves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 19 December, 2010, 04:34:10 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 19 December, 2010, 04:17:49 pm
Mrs Cudzo has fettled a ginger cake. It looks and smells yummy but we are not allowed to eat it till Christmas. She said that if you make it earlier the taste improves.

Surely if you have a bit now, then a bit at Christmas you'll be able to make a comparison easier?   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 December, 2010, 04:56:33 pm
Pulled the axle, cones and suchlike from a brand-new XT front hub to put them in an existing wheel. When a 14mm Allen key arrives, I'll be able to do the same thing (+ cassette body) to an XT rear hub. Isn't it a bit silly that a complete hub is cheaper than a pair of cones?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 19 December, 2010, 11:41:09 pm
Finally got around to fixing the power supply on the old Toppy Freeview PVR - replacing the failing electrolytic capacitors.
Actually I only supervised, I got my son to do the work. I'd shown him some months ago the problem on the supply using a scope when he was learning about power supplies for his intermediate radio amateur exam, but I didn't have the caps on hand to fix it. I thought that at 13 he really should be doing this kind of stuff rather than me doing it in the evening quiet time once everybody has gone to bed.

He was pretty impressed when it went back together and worked  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 19 December, 2010, 11:51:46 pm
Built a pair of wheels for the bike that I am putting together, as my wife puts it, to fit my winter tyres. Also fitted the headest, which I have never done before, so I fiddled a bit and took a while to get the cups lined up.

Still doing it in odd minutes, so looking like I may not finish it till the snow has gone :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 21 December, 2010, 08:24:57 am
Mostly built a wheel truing jig, need to add a datum stick thingie. Bit of steel and wood from around the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 21 December, 2010, 01:04:20 pm
Got a man in to fettle the lack-of-hot-water
At least, I hope he has, I smell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 21 December, 2010, 01:05:56 pm
Bloody freehub on the MTB that's froze, again ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 21 December, 2010, 02:08:56 pm
Quote from: boab on 21 December, 2010, 01:04:20 pm
Got a man in to fettle the lack-of-hot-water
At least, I hope he has, I smell.

Sommat frozen?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 December, 2010, 02:10:31 pm


Quote from: Si_Co on 21 December, 2010, 01:05:56 pm
Bloody freehub on the MTB that's froze, again ::-)


Spray it with Jack Danial's that has first passed thu' one's bladder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 December, 2010, 02:12:50 pm
Repaired HK's punctured Brompton tube. I'm very glad she washed the bike in the bath before I had to take the wheel off. Washing bikes is right up there with cleaning chains in my "don't want to do" list.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 December, 2010, 10:10:16 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 19 December, 2010, 04:34:10 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 19 December, 2010, 04:17:49 pm
Mrs Cudzo has fettled a ginger cake. It looks and smells yummy but we are not allowed to eat it till Christmas. She said that if you make it earlier the taste improves.

Surely if you have a bit now, then a bit at Christmas you'll be able to make a comparison easier?   ;)
Yes - with the gingerbread dinosaur-shaped biscuits!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 21 December, 2010, 10:23:08 pm
Small computer room at work which isn't my bloody job but seems to have become my bloody job so it might as well be less crap than it was before.  I finally got speakers wired into some of the Dell monitors, recabled a load of stuff, killed the stupid security shit that the nice-tech-lady put in, didn't lose the battle with the computer security cages+key.

It is now in a state which is less bad than before and which I have at least a small chance of being able to run training sessions in.  Hopefully Boss will get off my tail and stop CCing me into the passive aggressive emails to $colleague whose job it actually is (albeit with some good reasons he can't do it all) cos it's sorted. 

I'm not a sysadmin, network wrangler or hardware monkey - honest!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 21 December, 2010, 10:38:53 pm
Replaced DELL 9150 motherboard and power supply.  There were so many many ways I could have messed up, but it seems to be working so far :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 December, 2010, 10:50:42 pm
Quote from: Biggsy on 21 December, 2010, 10:38:53 pm
Replaced DELL 9150 motherboard and power supply.  There were so many many ways I could have messed up, but it seems to be working so far :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: That is good news!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 22 December, 2010, 03:42:17 pm
Changed the oil of my Rohloff after just 3000km, since it locked in 8th gear after just 10km out in the -5°C cold last saturday. In August or so I have ridden through some water that might have gotten in it somewhere somehow. If this doesn't solve it, it's a warranty issue...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 22 December, 2010, 04:57:10 pm
They used to have summer and winter oils for the hub.

When my Rolhoff locked it was due to the cables ceasing not the hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 22 December, 2010, 05:59:02 pm
I checked the cables when the problem occurred: they moved fine. Getting the shifter bolt round with a spanner? Hard work, and no audible clicks.
The problem has occurred a couple of times before when the bike had been stationary for weeks, but after changing gears with a spanner it was fine again then.

I had my cables cease a couple of times, but I felt those coming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 24 December, 2010, 06:18:25 pm
I've wondered for a while why the front wheel on the hack mtb rubbed occasionally. Took it off and checked - it ran true, but a little play in the hub. On removing the quick-release I discovered the axle was in not one, not two, but three pieces. Fitted another wheel until I can get a replacement. Also changed the rear cantilevers to V, to match the front - involved changing lever and cable. Shortened bars by approx three inches and fitted nicer bar-ends. Bodged a bracket for the left hand changer, which was integral with the old lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 24 December, 2010, 07:13:22 pm
A spacer from a Shimano rear hub with a round file so that it becomes a spacer for a Sturmey Archer S2C hub. That should make it near enough symmetrical.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 27 December, 2010, 08:54:34 pm
Finished rebuilding a Retro MTB - a Raleigh Peak - about 1994 I think. K2 Cromoly tubeset, lugged frame. Blue with orange transfers (worn off thank goodness).  7 speed XT gear train with Xt thumbies.  :thumbsup:

Bought it for £15 from a local charity shop. :shock:  If I hadn't bought it the local chavs would probably have bought/stolen it and wrecked it within a couple of days.  :demon:


Had to fit new bottom bracket, saddle and handlebar grips and swapped the bar-ends. Readjusted/serviced headset and rear wheel bearings. Frame has been stripped of components, washed down with degreaser, and T-Cut.

The XT brake levers had had the rapid-fire gearshifters sawn/snapped off so I filed the raw edges smooth and blended in and resprayed them satin black. also sprayed the stem as it had surface rust and seatpost as paint was worn.

The front wheel is not original - a Vuelta Airline on Acera hub.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/grave1.jpg)

I bought the purple LX equipped version of this bike, new, BITD, but it got nicked from my garage.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 28 December, 2010, 11:07:37 am
As requested, son received BMX upgrades on the 25th. Spent yesterday morning undoing his attempt at aheadset replacement. Now then, lad...

Tip #1: pay attention when you dismantle things, that way you have a cat in hell's chance of understanding how to reassemble them.
Tip #2: if you have a bit left over, it's probably supposed to be fitted somewhere.  ::-)
Tip #3: your mates are probably wrong. They usually are.
Tip #4: the allen key on top of the steerer does not need to be tight, it's for bearing adjustment as I told you. Which is why the star nut failed and I had to spend 90 minutes digging it out from underneath.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 28 December, 2010, 11:17:41 am
I am channelling Kim as I head, once more, unto the breach, to get the light & charger working off the dynohub again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 December, 2010, 02:48:35 pm
a Surly chain tug onto the Langster
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 29 December, 2010, 10:15:37 pm
Quote from: boab on 28 December, 2010, 11:17:41 am
I am channelling Kim as I head, once more, unto the breach, to get the light & charger working off the dynohub again.

and almost 36 hours later finally get the buggers working.

(Desperately trying to rid my head of the sexist stereotype thoughts that if there was a competent man in the house it would've been done in less than 5 minutes. Just putting my apron and curlers back on...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 December, 2010, 10:17:45 pm
Quote from: boab on 29 December, 2010, 10:15:37 pm
Desperately trying to rid my head of the sexist stereotype thoughts that if there was a competent man in the house it would've been done in less than 5 minutes.

The corollary to that being that it would have been done in less than 5 minutes if there were a competent woman in the house...   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 29 December, 2010, 10:23:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 December, 2010, 10:17:45 pm
Quote from: boab on 29 December, 2010, 10:15:37 pm
Desperately trying to rid my head of the sexist stereotype thoughts that if there was a competent man in the house it would've been done in less than 5 minutes.

The corollary to that being that it would have been done in less than 5 minutes if there were a competent woman in the house...   ;D

Indeed. But my therapist has told me to stop dwelling on my negatives, and you live so far away!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Quisling on 29 December, 2010, 10:44:22 pm
I've fettled my garage and made more room for the bikes, fitted a new light to one bike and pumped up some tyres ready for action. Win win win  :thumbsup:

And I fixed my Dyson. Well, I say fixed but there is duct tape involved....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 29 December, 2010, 10:51:51 pm
Quote from: Quisling on 29 December, 2010, 10:44:22 pm

And I fixed my Dyson. Well, I say fixed but there is duct tape involved....


It isn't a proper Dyson until bits of it are held together with tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 29 December, 2010, 11:37:33 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 29 December, 2010, 10:51:51 pm
Quote from: Quisling on 29 December, 2010, 10:44:22 pm

And I fixed my Dyson. Well, I say fixed but there is duct tape involved....


It isn't a proper Dyson until bits of it are held together with tape.

I reckon Dyson must using the same plastic as CatEye did for their EL500 lamps - it has similar properties to toffee brittle, and will fracture if you so much as give it an old-fashioned look.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 30 December, 2010, 01:14:40 pm
Replaced the cartridge bearings in Brompty's bottom bracket (TA Axix Ti one).

Discovered that one of the rubber seals is missing - very weird, I really can't imagine having left it out on reassembly whenever I last had it out, but I must have done.  Might explain why the RHS bearing felt notchy and nasty.  So, spare cups ordered - all to get a rubber seal - ouch.  £30 lesson learnt!

New chain on Brompty as well - winter had taken it's toll and chain wear tool was showing .75%

Maybe after lunch, I will get onto the Pinarello - again, a new chain for him.  New jockey wheels too.  And new brake blocks for the rear, riding in the snow and slush had worn them past the grooves - oops.

Girlfriend's Cannondale needs new Jagwire cable set installing and bars retaping. 

Plenty enough to be getting on with.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 December, 2010, 01:20:49 pm
Tidied the garage, fitted brake cable to the fixie (which had prompted the garaged tidy, I had lost the little plastic bits for the Tourney brake levers).  Emptied the wheelie bin into black bin bags ready to take it to the tip.

Cleared up a mountain of "magic snow".  NEVER EVER EVER EVER buy a Moxir girlz magic snow chalet then let a 6 yr old loose with it.  polystyrene beads everywhere!!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 December, 2010, 01:36:46 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 30 December, 2010, 01:20:49 pm
Cleared up a mountain of "magic snow". 

I remember the dressing room after the Ramones... ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 December, 2010, 01:38:25 pm
I tightened & trued TGL's rear wheel on his Carlton last night.  I'm much happier with it now, though he might be faster :-\

Got my Orbit back into riding mode.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 30 December, 2010, 03:12:46 pm
Quote from: drossall on 19 December, 2010, 11:51:46 pm
Built a pair of wheels for the bike that I am putting together, as my wife puts it, to fit my winter tyres. Also fitted the headest, which I have never done before, so I fiddled a bit and took a while to get the cups lined up.

Still doing it in odd minutes, so looking like I may not finish it till the snow has gone :-[

Finally finished building the new Pompino ;D

It's taken ages, pottering at it bit by bit. As I said, didn't finish till the ice and snow had gone. Now waiting for more...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 30 December, 2010, 04:51:35 pm
I did very well today

Not only did I finish fitting the bottom bracket to my commute bike but I also got something sorted out that has been an issue for years

My 2007 PBP bike had a B17 on a Use Alien seatpost.  When I got it the seat angle wasn't perfect and I kept meaning to alter it.  But the design of the Use Alien is utterly bizarre and initially I couldn't figure out what to do. 
In the end I got used to it and it became fine for long rides.
Undoing the obvious bolt seemed to have no effect.  At some point in the last 3 years I found an official manual for it online and this explained how it was supposed to work.  Last year I tried to shift the seat but the bracket on the Use Alien was frozen

I got a new bike but transfered the old saddle / seatpost to it.  Now the seat angle was totally wrong making riding 100km+ literally a pain in the arse.  So I took the seatpost off today and after 30 minutes of hitting it with a mallet, making a jig out of wood to hit it, spraying it with wd40, levering it with a screwdriver etc etc it went "ping" and came to bits.

I reassembled it with grease on all the touching parts and altered the saddle angle, it seems a lot better now.  Also it seems that with a spot of grease on it adjustment of the saddle is actually pretty easy to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 December, 2010, 06:34:21 pm
Just stuck the front licence plate on my Aston Martin DB5!   :thumbsup:

(ok, its a 1:32 scale airfix model, not the real thing!)

Pic here:

Aston Martin DB5 (http://www.brianinnesphotography.co.uk/temp/IMGP8056.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 30 December, 2010, 06:39:45 pm
 :D That's a cool model Brian  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 December, 2010, 06:42:27 pm
That reminds me, HMS Belfast is lurking under the bed. I'll get round to building it one day.

Today I have:

Made a stop cock key out of a lump of hardwood and a piece of re-bar.

Made sure the water was fully on before calling Southern Water to investigate the ongoing low pressure we have.

Fitted lights to Mrs. Hall's bike.

Remodelled the home made light mount for my fixer. <flash of inspiration> the new one is more or less permanently bonded to the bars, to stop it slipping around.

Fitted a new rear axle to the fixer. One without flats on the threads so it does up properly, rather than squirm around. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 December, 2010, 06:43:52 pm
The house.  It's now reasonably dust-free, and you can see the floor.   :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Quisling on 30 December, 2010, 06:45:57 pm
Garage fettling continued with a sort out of tools, and plumbing bits I'd be hanging onto in case they might ever be important.

Conclusion - way too few serious bike tools so would be unable to tackle any "basic" job like a bottom bracket replacement.  Most of my bike tools are only fit for a 1983 Raleigh Olympus.  Shopping list started.

Also, found a plastic pump peg and fitted it to a bike.  Felt like I'd earned a cup of tea by this stage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 30 December, 2010, 07:54:37 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 30 December, 2010, 06:42:27 pm
That reminds me, HMS Belfast is lurking under the bed. I'll get round to building it one day.


I was looking at that this afternoon and wondering would the Scenic look better painted in dazzle camouflage or is this a bad idea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 31 December, 2010, 03:18:44 pm
Just put the Langster back on the turbo.The few pedal strokes clearly indicate too many mince pies etc have been eaten lately.It's less than comfortable down on the drops with frontgut/thigh interface ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 31 December, 2010, 08:01:12 pm
Changed the drops on the TSR for bullhorns (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/IMG_TSRnewbars0350.jpg).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 01 January, 2011, 07:02:41 pm
Just made a big dent in the pile of holed inner tubes that has moved house with us twice.  I've run out of patches now; time to stop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 02 January, 2011, 03:47:10 pm
Tightened up the cassette on the Roubaix as it was rattling.  Fitted a stem with more rise to the Roubaix and moved the saddle back a bit.  Took Mrs V's bike for a spin to try and find the source of the "gear rattle" but it started snowing so I retreated to the kitchen and a cup of tea
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 January, 2011, 05:45:15 pm
Quote from: Mal Volio on 01 January, 2011, 07:02:41 pm
Just made a big dent in the pile of holed inner tubes that has moved house with us twice.  I've run out of patches now; time to stop.

Maybe I can help.  Patches (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_sk7OycjdI&feature=related)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 03 January, 2011, 06:07:58 pm
Swapped the pedals on the mtb / commuter to flat/SPDs for extra Mrs Dan compatibility and to give them a go myself (usually use crank brothers).
Straightened a back wheel and STI after a small off. I then adjusted the other one as I've had a spot of thumb ache.
A bit of back to work checking and pumping up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 03 January, 2011, 06:13:16 pm
I've taken a round file to some spacers from old Shimano hubs to make them fit the SA S2C axle.

I have also sat down with a couple of bags of nuts and bolts and sorted them into different sizes etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 03 January, 2011, 06:24:53 pm
I blew up the tyres on my daughter's commuter and struggled to get the rusted chain lubricated. I'm not sure I managed the latter. The bike has been pretty much unused for a month due to holidays and snow. I think I'll have to go back with a new chain one evening this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 03 January, 2011, 06:25:16 pm
I've cut my hair.
(Or should this be in the "Weight Loss Discussion Thread"?)
My head now looks like this: O:-) White bits round the edge, shiny on top.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 03 January, 2011, 09:00:34 pm
Finished off a pair of wheels for my new winter bike which will be based on RobGuls old Galaxy frame.  I can't decide whether to go with drop randonneur bars and bar end shifters or risers and deore shifters.  It's for winter lane audax pootling hence 32c tyres on ST19 rims, but I will use it with a baby seat too, so there are pros and cons with either approach.  Hmm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 03 January, 2011, 09:03:19 pm
Reflectors front and rear on my MTB, I've got lights but can't hurt to have them on too.

Mount for the rear one was too small to fit round the seatpost and fit bolt through so have two zipties onstead of a nut and bolt. Feels like it'll do the job though will keep an eye on them wearing out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fossil on 03 January, 2011, 10:42:41 pm
Upgraded from a dual fuel Colman lantern to THE NorthStar
But the reflector did'nt fit  ::-)
 
so squeezed out the captive nut , broke off and filed the flange bits and now it hold's on the reflector  :thumbsup:

 Well chuffed  , only took two mins
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 January, 2011, 07:40:48 pm
I've molished a Hobby Boards 1-wire hub (http://www.hobby-boards.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25_27&products_id=34):

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_2572.sized.jpg)

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/stuff/1wiretest.png)

This involved some bastard-fiddly SMD soldering (that's micro-pingfuckit wrangling, to non electronics geeks), which I've never been fantastically good at.  It also involved extracting one of the diodes from underneath the spring contact of the DC in jack, where it had managed to rattle to during shipping.  In spite of this, it worked first time.  Pictured above driving three busses of DS1820 temperature sensors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 January, 2011, 08:37:42 pm
I must have had a fettling failure when I last mended my son's rear puncture because he complained his tyre fell off the wheel as he rode to school this morning :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 04 January, 2011, 08:40:38 pm
Look on the bright side, Feline, more fettling tonight !!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 January, 2011, 08:46:44 pm
Quote from: Feline on 04 January, 2011, 08:37:42 pm
I must have had a fettling failure when I last mended my son's rear p*nct*r* because he complained his tyre fell off the wheel as he rode to school this morning :(

That still beats the tyre explosively parting company from the rim and the remains of the tube ending up entangled in the brakes and cassette...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 January, 2011, 09:34:55 pm
I got my S3X back in action, thanks to a part from Old Bike Trader, and some valuable advice from young Mr Zilla. :thumbsup:

Now I've got to sort some bikes out & mend a p*nct*re.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 January, 2011, 09:36:15 pm
Not strictly fettling but I've just done an inventory of all the battery powered lights I own.
Sixteen :o.In readiness for the purchase of an appropriate number of the various rechargeable  battery sizes & a charger,probably a WizardOne as recommended elsewhere on the forum
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 05 January, 2011, 12:40:08 am
I need to repair a couple of lights, but the superglue was rock solid in the (unopened) bottle >:(

But I did repair the tube, which hadn't got a second p*nct*re, but a Cure-c-cure patch lift off.  I much prefer Tip-Tops, but they are difficult to find. :-\

Also sorted a loose headset, but didn't get the stiff stem freed off :(  Need to give it more attention. And, when I've done that, I need to redo the bartape on that bike.

It never ends...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 January, 2011, 03:33:21 am
Quote from: Tail End Charlie on 04 January, 2011, 08:40:38 pm
Look on the bright side, Feline, more fettling tonight !!!!

Hehe, in true feline nocturnal stylee I fettled it at 2am  ;D

There was a hole in the tube, I had only replaced it a couple of day ago  :o I think Continental city tyres must be pretty carp but that is what his Kona Smoke came fitted with. At the rate it's getting through tubes I might have to buy him some more robust tyres soon!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 05 January, 2011, 10:35:01 pm
By following this Youtube Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz-3PfboKTw), I have successfully replaced a 50g 24-tooth sprocket with a 275g 26-tooth brushed aluminium vision of loveliness.

The circlip had exceptional ping-youch-fuckit potential.

It had better be a vision of loveliness, because an extra 225 grams (that's half a pound in old money) is a lot for two extra teeth.

I'll put the wheel back in the bike tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 06 January, 2011, 01:32:44 pm
I've just replaced the brake blocks on the tandem (those Swissstop blue don't half last - 6000 miles out of that set), I've put Mrs. Wow's saddle back on (she's a shade taller than my last stoker, the lovely Crinklylion) and put some handdlebar foam on the stoker's bars. That KY jelly's good stuff. Does it have any other uses than bike fettling?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 January, 2011, 01:49:35 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 05 January, 2011, 10:35:01 pm

It had better be a vision of loveliness, because an extra 225 grams (that's half a pound in old money) is a lot for two extra teeth.


50g for 24t cog?  Are you sure about that measurement?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 01:50:25 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 06 January, 2011, 01:32:44 pm
That KY jelly's good stuff. Does it have any other uses than bike fettling?

Conductive gel for homemade electrocardiogram pads.  Feel free to ask how I know this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 06 January, 2011, 01:53:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 01:50:25 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 06 January, 2011, 01:32:44 pm
That KY jelly's good stuff. Does it have any other uses than bike fettling?

Conductive gel for homemade electrocardiogram pads.  Feel free to ask how I know this.

How do you know this?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 January, 2011, 04:42:21 pm
Put a new battery in a Cateye Micro wireless computer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 06 January, 2011, 05:14:27 pm
Just fitted a tyre boot to the rear tyre.  Where the cut was you can see the white of the boot inside, no bloomin wonder I've had 2 punctures in the last 2 outings.  The rest of the tyre is in perfect nick  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 05:15:35 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 06 January, 2011, 01:53:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 01:50:25 pm
Conductive gel for homemade electrocardiogram pads.  Feel free to ask how I know this.

How do you know this?

I molished one for a GCSE project, and it mostly worked.  I highly recommend it if you have a love of finicky op-amps and covering yourself in micropore tape.

It's also really cool to be able to put the operating theatre anteroom nurse in their place when they mis-read geekiness as anxiety when they connect you to the "special telly for monitoring your heart".   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 06 January, 2011, 08:04:03 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 January, 2011, 01:49:35 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 05 January, 2011, 10:35:01 pm

It had better be a vision of loveliness, because an extra 225 grams (that's half a pound in old money) is a lot for two extra teeth.


50g for 24t cog?  Are you sure about that measurement?
Yup.  Just measured it again on an antique balance.  It's closer to 50g than to 55g.

However, it's not a conventional cog.  It's a belt-drive sprocket for a Nexus hub, and it must be made of extremely-lightium, as it's *goes off to hunt for ruler* 87mm diameter, and 13mm deep. The central web is only 3mm thick, and has lots of holes drilled in it.  Let's see if my camera can do it justice:
(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm63/rower40/Temporary/PICT0682.jpg)
The lugs where the sprocket drives the innards of the hub have been graunched by ten months of commuting.  The smart black anodising has given way to metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 06 January, 2011, 08:49:46 pm
Fitted a B&M rear light, the day after fitting a Cyo. Process started with some angle iron, files, hacksaws, pillar drills, an arc welder and some spray paint.

I fear I may have over-engineered it a touch.

Dyno-hub commuting for me soon, shame it relegates the recumbent to a summer bike, but ho hum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 January, 2011, 08:56:09 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 05:15:35 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 06 January, 2011, 01:53:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 01:50:25 pm
Conductive gel for homemade electrocardiogram pads.  Feel free to ask how I know this.

How do you know this?

I molished one for a GCSE project, and it mostly worked.  I highly recommend it if you have a love of finicky op-amps and covering yourself in micropore tape.

It's also really cool to be able to put the operating theatre anteroom nurse in their place when they mis-read geekiness as anxiety when they connect you to the "special telly for monitoring your heart".   :facepalm:
Please reassure me - they used this phrase because you were only ten years old at the time?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 11:47:53 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 06 January, 2011, 08:56:09 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 January, 2011, 05:15:35 pm
the "special telly for monitoring your heart".  :facepalm:

Please reassure me - they used this phrase because you were only ten years old at the time?

26, IIRC.

Though (crossing the threads somewhat) it was in Yorkshire...


This evening's fettling has been mostly beating the bootloader on an old Netgear router into submission so I could put dd-wrt on it for use as an access point.  Which is about as fun as it sounds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 06 January, 2011, 11:59:05 pm
Fettle failure. A mile into the ride to work, the left crank on my new Pompino started to feel loose. It had only done 13 miles from new. A mile from work, it fell off. I rode in to the office on one leg. Bike now sitting in work shed as I couldn't really ride it home like that.

Tomorrow I take along a socket spanner and Allen key socket, and a new bolt. Hope the crank is not too damaged...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 07 January, 2011, 10:49:32 am
Not sure if there is a "What have you failed to fettle today" thread but if there was....

Well, after watching serveral YouTubes on how to do it and reading Parks webpages, I settled down to change the  sram cassette on my Boardman.... how hard can it be to get the old one (done about 1 200 miles) off????

The answer to that is BL**DY IMPOSSIBLE. The thing feels like its glued on as it won't move a micro millimetre.

Not sure what to do next (The LBS scares me!). Any tips gratefully received.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 07 January, 2011, 11:07:08 am
Waxed, edged and tuned Miss Ham's skis to 1+3 to try to improve the carving of a competent all mountain but characterless women's ski (Scott Realm 154). She's off tomorrow with Uni for a(nother) week, this time in Tignes.

Considered prepping both mine & Mrs H's as well, rather than preparing them for storage, on the basis that might make a  February jaunt while still unaffordable, more likely.

Thought snow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 07 January, 2011, 11:21:44 am
Quote from: essexian on 07 January, 2011, 10:49:32 am
Not sure if there is a "What have you failed to fettle today" thread but if there was....

Well, after watching serveral YouTubes on how to do it and reading Parks webpages, I settled down to change the  sram cassette on my Boardman.... how hard can it be to get the old one (done about 1 200 miles) off????

The answer to that is BL**DY IMPOSSIBLE. The thing feels like its glued on as it won't move a micro millimetre.

Not sure what to do next (The LBS scares me!). Any tips gratefully received.


It should be relatively easy, no matter what mileage it's done. I assume you are trying to remove the locking ring, not trying to unscrew the cassette (like you'd do with an old freewheel)? How are you trying to do it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 07 January, 2011, 11:24:32 am
I dropped a frame and forks off at the LBS for fitting of lovely new Campag headset 8). Should be ready later today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 07 January, 2011, 11:47:30 am
Quote from: MattH on 07 January, 2011, 11:21:44 am

It should be relatively easy, no matter what mileage it's done. I assume you are trying to remove the locking ring, not trying to unscrew the cassette (like you'd do with an old freewheel)? How are you trying to do it?


Yes, trying to undo the locking ring using a chain whip and a cassette locking ring removal tool. It does look so easy on YouTube so I guess I am doing it wrong. I will give the whole lot a good clean just in case its got mud etc on the threads or something and try again. If not...perhaps I might have to buy a whole new bike.....  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 07 January, 2011, 12:14:13 pm
Assuming you are unscrewing the right way (conventional thread, go anti-clockwise on the ring), then it may just need some more welly. The rings are not smooth, they have ridges underneath that stop them vibrating loose, so it can take a bit of effort to get them to move.

The worst I've had was when I'd let a guy at Halfords replace the wheel bearings for me. (Actually, I was very grateful to him - I was in Shrewsbury having ridden up from Basingstoke that morning, it was January, snowing, and I had to get to Bangor that evening. The bearings had gone really, really noisy about 15 miles before Shrewsbury. He dropped everything and fixed it for me). He'd cranked the lockring up really tight, I needed a hammer tap on the lockring tool to free it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 07 January, 2011, 02:05:12 pm
Hold the removal tool in place with the skewer. Use longest spanner/adjustable you have and stamp on it. Use an extender tube if less than a 12" spanner.  For ones that have been in a long time I have a 1/2" drive 18" breaker bar - I've never come across one that that won't shift. They do give way with a horrible screech/creak sometimes - don't worry about it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 07 January, 2011, 02:11:20 pm
Thanks for all the advice.

I have tried again and twice have broken my chain whip.  >:( I have now been told to stop trying as the swearwords were upseting the neighbours.

Its going into the LBS tomorrow who will no doubt take it off with their little fingers making me look a complete fool. Sigh.

Don't know if its just me, but when I had a couple of BSO's, I didn't worry about repairs like this: I would just run the bike into the ground and buy a new one. Moving up to higher spec bikes is just a pain at times (a replacement bottom bracket, new chain and new cassette on two bikes in a month).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 07 January, 2011, 03:09:19 pm

Been sharpening all my kitchen knifes with the gizmo I got for Christmas.
It works really well, now I'm certain I will cut my self, because  I'm the proud
owner of 7 super sharp knifes  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 January, 2011, 04:14:29 pm
Quote from: essexian on 07 January, 2011, 02:11:20 pm
I have tried again and twice have broken my chain whip.  >:( I have now been told to stop trying as the swearwords were upseting the neighbours.

Your cassette appears to have metamorphosed into a freewheel (which seem to do this sort of thing as a matter of principle - I've never succeeded in getting one of those off without wrecking the hub or breaking a load of spokes).  LBS seems like a good idea.  Make sure the lockring's nicely greased when you re-fit it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 07 January, 2011, 04:23:20 pm
Fitted new BB, new cassette, new brake blocks front and rear, on the Moulton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 07 January, 2011, 05:32:54 pm
Jeeez this is more of a rant than a fettle, my son came home today with another puncture. That is 3 punctures in 5 days of riding. WTF  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 January, 2011, 08:57:53 am
Quote from: Feline on 07 January, 2011, 05:32:54 pm
Jeeez this is more of a rant than a fettle, my son came home today with another p*nct*r*. That is 3 punctures in 5 days of riding. WTF  ???

A combination of worn out tyres and the weather?

Today I have fettled a SKY+HD as a replacement for SKY+, now watching "Custom My Ride" in glorious HD....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 08 January, 2011, 04:03:29 pm
Fitted new mudguards to the Brompton. No more wet arse misery. Yay!

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 January, 2011, 04:27:31 pm
Fitted a 19tooth cog to the commuting fixie, should be a little less tiring for me :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 January, 2011, 04:29:42 pm
A couple of dead tubes are now more useful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 08 January, 2011, 06:50:42 pm
Not strictly fettling, but took the bike back to the LBS for its first quick tune-up (more because they told me to when I bought it, than because I felt it needed it).

Took them all of ten minutes - short enough to be able to do it for free, long enough to leave me wandering around the shop for enough time to spend money on stuff!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 08 January, 2011, 09:47:21 pm
a new cycle needs a check after a couple of weeks to tighten cranks and parts that may loosen or need adjustment  . this does not take long but can save you having problems later :) 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 08 January, 2011, 10:20:05 pm
Yup :) I think that in the end, all it needed was a smidge of adjustment where the cables had stretched while bedding in, and a quick check over of everything else. It did also give the guy to observe the slight battle scars, from where I've fallen off it already!  :demon:

I wasn't moaning about it, after all it just needed to be done. I had to go into town anyway, and it gave me a chance to stare longingly at things I can't afford. It's amazing how quickly the n+1 bug bites, isn't it?!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 January, 2011, 11:38:01 pm
Another feline fettling first!

Cleaned my bike straight after my ride today as it was filthy. This evening fitted new brake pads all round- might sound silly but I had never done this before. Most amazingly, I seem to have fitted the R and L the right way round with the 'L forward' label etc. facing the right way. Even better they seem to work too  ;D

Gave the bike a good lube, although for some reason I cannot find my wet lube anywhere so had to use the wax one which I wouldn't usually use in the winter. I think the wet lube is in the same mysterious place as my Muc-off. Rather that search further I have ordered some more. Washed the bike in Pantene shampoo for greasy hair since I had heard fairy liquid was salty (or something).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 January, 2011, 11:46:08 pm
Tesco value car shampoo.  As the name suggests, it's a basic salt-free detergent that's just right for this sort of thing,  and a lot cheaper than Pantene.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 January, 2011, 11:49:58 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 January, 2011, 11:46:08 pm
Tesco value car shampoo.  As the name suggests, it's a basic salt-free detergent that's just right for this sort of thing,  and a lot cheaper than Pantene.

Awesome  :thumbsup:

Is there any reason other than cost not to use shampoo? It seemed to do a very good job of getting all the random gunge-mixed-with-vegetation out of my jockey wheel  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 January, 2011, 11:54:39 pm
Not that I can think of.  It's pretty good for getting oily grime off your hands/legs, too.

That said, at risk of crossing the threads (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=42362.0), bikes seem to be able to go a lot longer between shampooings than I do :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 09 January, 2011, 12:03:41 am
I was naughty and washed mine with fairy liquid today  :-[

The worst thing is that I have all of the potions, gummins and apparatus to wash, wax, polish and generally fettle a bicycle, because I also own a motorbike. Unfortunately the above-mentioned stuff is 80 miles away at my mum's house, while the motorbike hibernates for the winter. Down here, the bike lives in my living room and all I have is a bucket and an old washing-up brush!

My penance will have to be to get up early in the morning and get myself to the shops for suitable supplies, so I can wash it properly in future...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 09 January, 2011, 12:16:37 am
Fettled the oil level and washer jets on the car today pending my mot tomorrow. Thinks it's going to fail anyway as boot hinge area is rather rusty  :(

Aaaand coming home from the cinema this evening (Tron 2 is rather good btw) I remembered one of my number plate lamps doesn't work. So will be up early to fit that before I go for test but have the horrible feeling it's a problem with the wiring coming through the boot hinge that I mean to sort a while ago and forgot about.

Feeling quite annoyed at forgetting about it as I'll have just wasted the mot fee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 January, 2011, 01:25:18 pm
Cleaned the chain and sprockets on the Inbred, fitted new brake pads, pumped up the tyres and tightened the headset slightly.

Tomorrow is my first time on the bike after 3.5 weeks off (one week of snow, the rest with flu).  I am afraid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 January, 2011, 02:04:52 pm
I have removed the aero bars from the Langster.It was less than comfortable using them due to toomuchjoglerinthemiddle & not using them made them a nuisance ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 09 January, 2011, 02:45:52 pm
Three bikes now have freshly lubed chains.  That's it really.  I was going to do some proper bike cleaning, but as the roads seem to have been gritted again, I'll leave it.
I like to build up a protective patina over the winter months.

Well, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.  :)

Yes, I know.  I'm a dirty bugger.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 09 January, 2011, 03:28:41 pm
Drilled out my old cleats.  Filed down the stubs, turned the plates around and fitted new cleats (generously greased, but they always are at first).   Top tip, that forum.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 09 January, 2011, 05:06:22 pm
Just fitted Crud Roadracer guards to GillP's bike. Came to attach the last extension tip to the rear guard and found I was missing one nut. They now sport one bright shiny silver nut where there should be a black plastic one. I've e-mailed them to ask why they include some spare parts but no spares of the smallest, most easily lost bits. (I didn't lose the nut, it wasn't in the packet). They also offer any spare part just for the cost of a first class stamp which is pretty good but makes it even more baffling that they don't pop a couple of spare nuts and bolts in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 January, 2011, 12:21:32 pm
That is irritating. When fitting mine, one of the nuts stripped (and I'm pretty sure it was just poorly made rather than me being ham fisted). A spare would have been welcome; as it was, I just roughened the mating faces of the guards and glued them, then a bit of glue to hold the nut in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 10 January, 2011, 12:24:55 pm
Actually that's a really good tip Matt. I might glue all the extension bits in place as I'm a bit suspicious of those nuts working lose. I can't see why the guards can't be fitted as one piece apart from maybe the centre join on the back guard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 10 January, 2011, 05:11:14 pm
Quote from: toekneep on 10 January, 2011, 12:24:55 pm
Actually that's a really good tip Matt. I might glue all the extension bits in place as I'm a bit suspicious of those nuts working lose. I can't see why the guards can't be fitted as one piece apart from maybe the centre join on the back guard.
My first set, I was sure I'd tightened all the nuts up. However the first ride I did I got home to find both stick on bits missing from the rear guard. The nuts had come loose and they'd fallen off with me noticing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 10 January, 2011, 05:37:10 pm
Adjusted Mrs Dan's front mech. Not sure what had happened before I got there, but I had to rotate the whole thing as it was interfering with the big ring in top gear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 10 January, 2011, 07:21:11 pm
Fitted bar tape to the fixie, some old school black benotto style tape

Going to attack the Raleigh rear derailleur and figure out why its sticking and generally put it back together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 10 January, 2011, 07:54:28 pm
Laced up 20+ year old Mavic rims to an Shimano Ultegra (c 1987) front hub, and a new Deore LX rear hub. Roughly round, and I'll true them later this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 10 January, 2011, 08:02:47 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 January, 2011, 11:46:08 pm
Tesco value car shampoo.  As the name suggests, it's a basic salt-free detergent that's just right for this sort of thing,  and a lot cheaper than Pantene.

As reported elsewhere (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=35029.0) by me, a cleaner/degreaser I bought from Screwfix has more than a passing resemblance to Muck-Off. When my current bottle of MO is empty (soon) I will fill with a 50% diluted solution of aforementioned cleaner and give it a proper test.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 10 January, 2011, 08:04:12 pm
New gear cables on the Ridgeback. The old ones were well past their best and my gear shifting had been sluggish to say the least.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 January, 2011, 08:08:46 pm
Fitting a GPS mount to one of the bikes - Garmin mount says it'll only fit 'standard' handlebars (up to 25.4mm diameter) but the fixed has oversized bars, so what to do? Dig an old handlebar extension out of the bits box and fit the bracket to that instead. Job's a good'un.

However, the fact that it took me three attempts to correctly fit something that only has two 'valid' orientations(!) is indicative of the kind of day I've had  :-\ (start at chaotic, work up from there)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 10 January, 2011, 08:39:56 pm
The server backup, the AV setup for assembly, and some lastminute youtube keepvid-ing for said assembly.  On my day off.  And answered questions about interactive whiteboards and visualisers.

It's a good job I like my end users.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 10 January, 2011, 08:56:41 pm
Tyres and tube check after a puncture today. Again, I can't find whatever caused it.   >:( >:( >:( :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 January, 2011, 08:58:15 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 10 January, 2011, 08:39:56 pm
It's a good job I like my end users.

-50 BOFH points.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 January, 2011, 09:37:23 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 January, 2011, 08:58:15 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 10 January, 2011, 08:39:56 pm
It's a good job I like my end users.

-50 BOFH points.
Sacking offence, IMO  ;D
I'm not allowed to talk to clients, even the techie ones - I just sit behind my bank of screens (http://www.flickr.com/photos/interzen/4257283620/in/set-72157623043056093/#/) and glower at people :)

To paraphrase Dogbert: "These people are trying to use your network - they should be punished for their arrogance!"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 10 January, 2011, 11:35:48 pm
Oh dear - so the fact that I quite often take them cake is probably a bad thing too?

In fairness, I'm not (and never have been) a BOFH.  I'm just a french and theatre studies graduate (and bar maid, and part time voluntary shepherdess) who accidentally ended up being a helpdesk monkey, somehow got put in charge of quite a large project and let loose on quite a big network then a left IT via call centres and parenthood and PGCEs before accidentally ending up out of my depth back in IT(ish)  again.  Or something...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 January, 2011, 11:47:20 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 10 January, 2011, 11:35:48 pm
Oh dear - so the fact that I quite often take them cake is probably a bad thing too?
Not necessarily - given that both the guys I share the office with are about 7 stone lighter than me, I often take Forbidden Foodstuffs[tm] into work. To quote Homer Simpson: "The sphere is the most perfect shape in the universe, strive to attain it" :-)

Matters were made worse today by a large box of Christmas and New Year comestibles arriving from our German office. Said box contained a lot of lebkuchen. Yum! Shudder to think what my blood sugar level is now, though ...

Simon (BSc, PhD, BOFH)

EDIT: I'm also fettling one of my iPhone apps and wondering why Apple hate their developers so much.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 January, 2011, 12:11:31 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 10 January, 2011, 11:35:48 pm
I'm just a french and theatre studies graduate (and bar maid, and part time voluntary shepherdess) who accidentally ended up being a helpdesk monkey, somehow got put in charge of quite a large project and let loose on quite a big network then a left IT via call centres and parenthood and PGCEs before accidentally ending up out of my depth back in IT(ish)  again.  Or something...

That's how it happens, though.  It's all going perfectly well until one day you're the only person in the building with shepherding skills[1] and knowledge of how to make some godforsaken windows box suck slightly less hard...   ;)


[1] Sheep, goats, SCSI, they're all basically the same thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: toekneep on 11 January, 2011, 07:52:22 am
Quote from: toekneep on 09 January, 2011, 05:06:22 pm
Just fitted Crud Roadracer guards to GillP's bike. Came to attach the last extension tip to the rear guard and found I was missing one nut. They now sport one bright shiny silver nut where there should be a black plastic one. I've e-mailed them to ask why they include some spare parts but no spares of the smallest, most easily lost bits. (I didn't lose the nut, it wasn't in the packet). They also offer any spare part just for the cost of a first class stamp which is pretty good but makes it even more baffling that they don't pop a couple of spare nuts and bolts in there.

Had an e-mail from Peter at Crudproducts full of apologies and asking for my address so that he can put spares in the post.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 January, 2011, 08:47:32 am
Quote from: Kim on 11 January, 2011, 12:11:31 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 10 January, 2011, 11:35:48 pm
I'm just a french and theatre studies graduate (and bar maid, and part time voluntary shepherdess) who accidentally ended up being a helpdesk monkey, somehow got put in charge of quite a large project and let loose on quite a big network then a left IT via call centres and parenthood and PGCEs before accidentally ending up out of my depth back in IT(ish)  again.  Or something...

That's how it happens, though.  It's all going perfectly well until one day you're the only person in the building with shepherding skills[1] and knowledge of how to make some godforsaken windows box suck slightly less hard...   ;)


[1] Sheep, goats, SCSI, they're all basically the same thing.

You forgot cats....

Or is that for advanced shepherds only (or should that be catherds?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 January, 2011, 02:39:26 pm
Herding of cats and bisexuals is an advanced-level course that often leads to insanity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 January, 2011, 04:21:32 pm
The rear wheel of the tandem, which suffered a mysterious deflation last week.  Absolutely no sign of a hole in the tube or any offending nastiness in the tyre, and the rim tape was behaving itself, so I'm going to put that down to either a slow leak from the valve or aliens.

Horizontal dropouts really are a pain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 11 January, 2011, 05:32:56 pm
Got 2km into a ride this morning when my freehub died so I walked/scooted home, then stripped down and cleaned the Chorus hub. Pawl spring had broken in two, replacement ordered...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 11 January, 2011, 05:40:51 pm
All morning fettling today. :thumbsup:

First I fitted my IQ Cyo from another bike to my Pompino. This involved drilling and tapping a hole in the fork crown. Great to have the Cyo in action again.

(Both quick releases in my dynohubs had seized, mental note to check more often).

Then fitted some butterfly bars which I'd got from a member of this parish to my runaround bike. Haven't ridden it yet, but I'm interested to see how this works out.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 11 January, 2011, 09:46:18 pm
In the space of not very long : -

our 13 year old washing machine (needed de-grunking though the whole outflow side)
the microwave that was dead
replaced a Fiat Punto's starter motor
drilled out a sheared rack bolt from Mrs hatler's Orange
got the granny ring working on the same bike

(It's about 20 years since I did any real car fettling.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 January, 2011, 10:06:07 pm
I swapped Butterfly's SPDs back from the folder to her Galaxy.  And put an extra bottle cage on with a Minoura bracket.  Swapped that bottle cage over from my Ridgeback so she had two matching ones, and I put an older one on the Ridgeback, making it even less desirable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 11 January, 2011, 10:17:39 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I collected my frame and forks from the LBS today. New headset installed and BB shell faced. Lovely. I see a busy weekend coming up :thumbsup:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 January, 2011, 10:24:18 pm
Quote from: Woofage on 11 January, 2011, 10:17:39 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I collected my frame and forks from the LBS today. New headset installed and BB shell faced. Lovely. I see a busy weekend coming up :thumbsup:.
And your bar-ends were posted this morning, so that'll be further fettling potential for you ... :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 11 January, 2011, 10:42:23 pm
Quote from: interzen on 11 January, 2011, 10:24:18 pm
Quote from: Woofage on 11 January, 2011, 10:17:39 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I collected my frame and forks from the LBS today. New headset installed and BB shell faced. Lovely. I see a busy weekend coming up :thumbsup:.
And your bar-ends were posted this morning, so that'll be further fettling potential for you ... :)

8). They're for a different bike though. A bit of an experiment, you might say.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 11 January, 2011, 10:47:37 pm
Went to finish off my latest project only to find I have a 31.8 band on derailleur to fit to a 28.6 seat tube, and the only shims I have are 34.9-31.8 and 34.9-28.6.  Doh!  It will have to wait another few days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 11 January, 2011, 11:41:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 January, 2011, 04:21:32 pm
The rear wheel of the tandem, which suffered a mysterious deflation last week.  Absolutely no sign of a hole in the tube or any offending nastiness in the tyre, and the rim tape was behaving itself, so I'm going to put that down to either a slow leak from the valve or aliens.

Horizontal dropouts really are a pain.

I could have written all this about my Cotic Roadrat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 12 January, 2011, 04:12:26 pm
Just got my back wheel plus new cassette back from Back to Bikes in Stafford following my failure to remove the old cassette.

When asked how they got the old cassette off (I had tried for three hours), the bloke said there were some things best not asked.....  :o

Just put the wheel back on and all seems fine with it.  Money (five quid) well spent!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 January, 2011, 04:19:45 pm
No fettling, but I note that tyre is still fully inflated.  Curiouser and curiouser.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 12 January, 2011, 05:27:15 pm
Tightened my adjustable stem.

I'm beginning to wonder if riding a low-maintenance bicycle is just a little too dull!  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 12 January, 2011, 08:17:53 pm
Quote from: interzen on 11 January, 2011, 10:24:18 pm
And your bar-ends were posted this morning, so that'll be further fettling potential for you ... :)

Received 8). Cheers :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 January, 2011, 08:18:37 pm
The passenger side door of the car - to actually get it to shut so I could drive it the garage to receive its Last Rites.

Currently fettling the work bike so I can ride down to the garage tomorrow to retrieve the tax disc, the roof bars/bike rack and the brand new Midnight Oil CD that I realised is in the player.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 January, 2011, 08:19:26 pm
Quote from: Woofage on 12 January, 2011, 08:17:53 pm
Quote from: interzen on 11 January, 2011, 10:24:18 pm
And your bar-ends were posted this morning, so that'll be further fettling potential for you ... :)

Received 8). Cheers :thumbsup:
Holy crap - another one! Methinks someone has given Royal Mail a bit of a talking to in light of the Christmas debacle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 January, 2011, 10:43:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 January, 2011, 04:19:45 pm
No fettling, but I note that tyre is still fully inflated.  Curiouser and curiouser.
Presta valve that doesn't always screw down tight and hence leaks when out of line?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 12 January, 2011, 11:00:44 pm
I solved the mystery of my son's apparently spontaneously puncturing back tyre. I found a tiny metal spike impaled in it. In future I will not rely on eyesight alone to check the tyre, although I couldn't see it I could feel it when I turned the tyre inside out to inspect it really closely. Puncture now repaired again, I have amassed a pile of tubes to patch now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 January, 2011, 11:08:58 pm
Quote from: drossall on 12 January, 2011, 10:43:26 pm
Presta valve that doesn't always screw down tight and hence leaks when out of line?

Seems likely.  If it goes down again, I'll bubble-test the valve.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mondobongo on 13 January, 2011, 12:25:25 am
Just taken off pedals cleaned and regreased threads and put them back on. One of my best buys ever a big f**k off pedal spanner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: newtoncap on 13 January, 2011, 08:18:36 pm
Replaced rear brake shoes which were worn down and replaced broken rear mudguard.  Fiddly but happy with results!  Why is it always the rear mudguard that breaks? 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 January, 2011, 08:23:34 pm
More RAM added to the PC - humming along quite nicely now.

Next on the agenda: fitting crudcatchers.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 January, 2011, 08:28:20 pm
Got around to fitting a new heatsink/fan combo and PSU to the MythTv box, after a spectacular fettling fail on Tuesday night.  During the day I noticed that the Mythtv box kept shutting itself down, power it back up and it shuts down again after ten minutes.

So disassemble, ready to replace PSU (with one out of the garage), found fan on CPU jammed.

Replace fan, fit replacement PSU anyway, can't harm.

Rebuild, take it out of house (all fettling done on dining table), place in understairs cupboard, plug it in.  First attempt to power it up failed as I hadn't flicked the switch on the PSU.  Second attempt (after flicking switch) resulted in a loud BANG and the RCD tripping....

This time it works however, and has been ticking away nicely for the last 40 minutes, so all good so far :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 13 January, 2011, 09:32:58 pm
Pumped the tyres up on the old Dahon D7 so I could get to work while the Pashley is oos.  I fairly flew in to work.  I was just beginning to think what a great folder the D7 is when I turned a couple of corners on to the estate and discovered a headwind.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 14 January, 2011, 08:55:13 am
Since the snow is gone here, Wednesday I switched from Marathon Winters back to Perfect Moirees. With the Marathon Winters, my fenders don't fit. So I put those back on as well. I noticed my front brake was a bit odd. The free play seemed to have disappeared.
Yesterday evening when I was out for a ride I noticed my front brake wasn't doing a lot, and by the time I got home I had gotten an idea why.
I just solved it. I have cable operated disc brakes. The cable goes a bit past the brake. The mudguard stays went over it, and clamped the brake cable...
I could and should have noticed this while fettling, but it's on the left of the bike, and the left of the bike is against the wall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 14 January, 2011, 12:44:55 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 13 January, 2011, 08:28:20 pm
Got around to fitting a new heatsink/fan combo and PSU to the MythTv box

One of my "To Do" items is to sort out quieter cooling for our Myth box. It's pretty quiet anyway, especially after I unplugged the CPU fan (not really needed on an Atom processor) but the case/psu fan still whines a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 January, 2011, 03:38:18 pm
The cleat positions on my still soaking wet shoes.  I note that my cunning plan of filling the bolt heads with hot-melt glue last time I replaced the cleats seems to have worked: once the glue's picked out, the allen key went in all the way, securely and without a fuss.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 14 January, 2011, 04:29:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 January, 2011, 03:38:18 pm
The cleat positions on my still soaking wet shoes.  I note that my cunning plan of filling the bolt heads with hot-melt glue last time I replaced the cleats seems to have worked: once the glue's picked out, the allen key went in all the way, securely and without a fuss.   :thumbsup:

Good tip. I just had to take the angle grinder to the last bolt simply because I couldn't get the key in. The other three had come out good as gold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 January, 2011, 04:50:58 pm
I'm still uncertain about the long-term durability of the glue plugs, but these had been in there for about 3 months, including a couple of miles of walking home because I didn't have the right size spare tube with me, so they do seem to last more than 5 minutes.

It's important to make sure the glue fills the head of the bolt properly, it took me a few goes to get the knack - squeezing hard at point-blank range.  Seems best to leave a slightly convex blob (that will quickly get worn flat) that overlaps the edges of the hole, but don't over do it, otherwise it'll peel.

While your at it, remember to grease the threads!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 14 January, 2011, 05:04:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 January, 2011, 04:50:58 pm

While your at it, remember to grease the threads!

Always
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 15 January, 2011, 08:55:14 pm
I stripped and rebuilt a Campagnolo hub. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14289721@N03/sets/72157625814387016/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 16 January, 2011, 01:43:13 pm
Started yesterday, finished today.
Changed buggered Conti 4 Seasons for a used but not out Michelin Krylion.
Removed heavy as lead old 128mm axle and cup and cone and replaced with Shimano Hollowtech BB.
Removed old black compact 172.5 cranks and replaced with 175 Tiagra Hollowtech 2.
Ditched old 50t ring for a used but not out 52t ring.
Moved pedals and cadence sensor bits.
Replaced buggered section of chain.

End result - chain line improved, bike is now slightly lighter too.  Off for a test ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 16 January, 2011, 02:19:45 pm
I had to briefly bugger about with the saddle on the Red bike.

When I first got it, before Christmas, I had a quick fiddle, and thought that the saddle was at the correct height and orientation, but getting it out today, to try things out properly, it was far too low.

A quick fettle with some allen keys, and it's probably OK.  It may need to go up slightly, but it works OK as it is, and it's easier to get on and off, which is useful with a new bike which I'm not entirely used to riding yet.  I'll probably bump it up another half an inch eventually.

I may need to adjust the gears, but I'll wait a hundred miles or so, to give things a chance to bed in, and for the cables to do any final stretching.  The chain jumped off the chainring at one point, and a couple of times the rear gears did one of the change up and immediately change down of their own accord things, which suggests that the cable adjuster needs to be shifted very slightly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 January, 2011, 02:37:48 pm
Completed the long running saga of mending the garage SECRIT BUNKER door. A couple of weeks ago I got one of the guys at work to turn a new wheel from acetal. I drilled and tapped the end of the formerly broken spindle so it could be screwed on. Yesterday saw the abortive attampt to rehang the door so it didn't scrape on the concrete. Today, with the help of The Boy, saw a succesful attempt, involving wedging the door in place with a suitable piece of wood while I drilled new holes.

It is true. I am a fettling god.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 16 January, 2011, 02:41:06 pm
I washed my MTB it's all nice and clean now.....until tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 January, 2011, 02:58:18 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 16 January, 2011, 02:37:48 pm
[...]

It is true. I am a fettling god.
ITYM "a modest fettling god"  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 January, 2011, 03:02:52 pm
Some Asterisk scriptage to run out of cron and make calls on our BT line using the inclusive minutes in the middle of the night.  Should stop BT from charging us for Caller ID on the (not uncommon) months where we don't make any outgoing calls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 January, 2011, 03:18:08 pm
Currently having fun and games with Objective-C ... on the plus side, my iPhone GPS app will now bail out gracefully if it finds itself unable to get any GPS data (eg. if the phone is in flight mode) rather than collapsing in a smoking heap of ruin.

Next up, getting a database backup from a server whose uptime seems to be in the nanosecond range ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 16 January, 2011, 09:22:08 pm
Oversized Marathon Plusses removed, Gatorskins back on, at least until I find some better commuting slicks.  The bike is going to seem so light, tomorrow :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 January, 2011, 10:50:25 pm
Brake blocks changed on tourer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 16 January, 2011, 11:04:31 pm
A new hearth ready for a range. 22 inches of concrete. Full body exercise mixing it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 16 January, 2011, 11:16:04 pm
New gas pipe. Having been laid low with a bite of stomcah gripe I finally gotround to pressure testing the installation. Not the standard drop test, but the blow in as hard as you can and see if it holds pressure while you have a cup of tea/overnight. It failed the first so it was hunt the leak time with soapy water. Found leak, fortunately in a very accessible joint, and it now seems to hold pressure. Will check when I go to bed, and if it is fine int he morning, time to call the profssionals to swear at it and connect the boiler up again.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 January, 2011, 11:42:30 pm
Quote from: itsbruce on 16 January, 2011, 09:22:08 pm
Oversized Marathon Plusses removed, Gatorskins back on, at least until I find some better commuting slicks.  The bike is going to seem so light, tomorrow :)
You need some of these: Panaracer RiBMo Tyre Review - BikeRadar (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/tyres/product/ribmo-tyre-32125)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 17 January, 2011, 08:56:02 am
Fettled my new Knog Dry Dog onto the fixie, found, when riding to work this morning, that it is a shade too far forward.  Cue lunchtime fettling to prevent heal rub.

Prepped and painted 3 walls and a ceiling of the spare room, which is going to become TLD's bedroom. (the fourth wall is going to be a different colour, but the colour TLD chose was too BLUE....)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 17 January, 2011, 09:21:56 am
Quote from: interzen on 16 January, 2011, 11:42:30 pm
Quote from: itsbruce on 16 January, 2011, 09:22:08 pm
Oversized Marathon Plusses removed, Gatorskins back on, at least until I find some better commuting slicks.  The bike is going to seem so light, tomorrow :)
You need some of these: Panaracer RiBMo Tyre Review - BikeRadar (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/tyres/product/ribmo-tyre-32125)


Not sure I do, after all.  I'd forgotten how nicely grippy the Gatorskins are in the wet, while being OMFG so much ligher than the M+.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 17 January, 2011, 09:23:17 am
Quote from: itsbruce on 16 January, 2011, 09:22:08 pm
Oversized Marathon Plusses removed, Gatorskins back on, at least until I find some better commuting slicks.  The bike is going to seem so light, tomorrow :)

Fixed a broken spoke in the rear wheel and so switched from 35mm Winter Marathons to 28mm Marathon+

They are 200g lighter and roll better so the bike is gonna seem like a rocket etc.  Never thought I'd think of fitting Marathon+ as a performance boost

Adjusted the amount of slack in the gear cable as the Alfine has been playing up

Worked out why / where the latest mysterious annoying noise was coming from.  The new cheap(er) 1/8" chain has a joining link that sticks out and this is hitting the chainring guard.  It stopped raining before I could get this sorted so I had to rush down to the woodshed and get busy with a chainsaw
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 17 January, 2011, 09:24:35 am
Quote from: itsbruce on 17 January, 2011, 09:21:56 am
Quote from: interzen on 16 January, 2011, 11:42:30 pm
Quote from: itsbruce on 16 January, 2011, 09:22:08 pm
Oversized Marathon Plusses removed, Gatorskins back on, at least until I find some better commuting slicks.  The bike is going to seem so light, tomorrow :)
You need some of these: Panaracer RiBMo Tyre Review - BikeRadar (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/tyres/product/ribmo-tyre-32125)


Not sure I do, after all.  I'd forgotten how nicely grippy the Gatorskins are in the wet, while being OMFG so much ligher than the M+.


They must have changed Gatorskins since I used them a few years ago, they were not so good in the wet then, especially the 25mm version
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 17 January, 2011, 09:33:29 am
I've never had a single problem with them on tarmac.  Wet drain covers and paving stones a different issue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 17 January, 2011, 08:25:40 pm
Fitted a chain catcher to te Roubaix, trued a wheel that was marginally out, and went through all the cleated shoes in the house pulling the bolts, cleaning, regreasing and refitting, but too late for one in my winter shoes, which has siezed solid  :( Luckily they aren't an expensive pair (being winter shoes purely by virtue of having been bought in a big size so I can fit thick and/or waterproof socks in them rather than them being goretex), but they were the ones that had prompted the "must get around to looking at my cleats" session when I noticed that they were getting quite worn and I thought I'd throw some new ones on.

Ah well, I'll continue to use the old cleats for a while, then see if I can drill out the seized bolt or turn the plate around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 17 January, 2011, 08:27:15 pm
Put a spacer into the non drive side of the fixed wheel to obtain a better chain line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mondobongo on 18 January, 2011, 11:36:45 pm
Cleaned and refitted BB after riding through a couple of lakes on Sunday. Successfully trued a rear wheel for the first time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 18 January, 2011, 11:48:33 pm
Lots of pens I've meant to use and have ignored/forgotten, which now (all but one) work. Damn procrastination fountain pen thread...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 18 January, 2011, 11:55:58 pm
I appear to have anti-fettled Valencia  ::-)

ETA - although I think I've found what the problem is...
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1360.snc4/163253_496973216838_551606838_5794816_5542210_n.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 January, 2011, 12:51:50 am
Ah.  Oops.  At least it's an easy fix with a pair of wire cutters and some indexing-fu (or CAKE equivalent).

And the cable was probably thinking about fraying anyway, so better that happens while bike-wrangling at home than halfway up an optical illusion or whatever[1].


[1] An excuse I've honed to perfection through repeated tyre-swapping induced punctures and similar acts of anti-fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 January, 2011, 01:04:03 am
Unfortunately I have neither cutters nor indexing-fu.  At least I found what was causing the strange noises ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 January, 2011, 01:08:03 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 19 January, 2011, 01:04:03 am
Unfortunately I have neither cutters nor indexing-fu.  At least I found what was causing the strange noises ::-)
I've already given you Indexing-fu 101 via PM :)
Get yourself a pair of Park cable-cutters - they're not cheap, but have myriad uses around the home for things other than bikes. Especially if you like cutting things into little pieces ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 January, 2011, 01:44:08 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 19 January, 2011, 01:04:03 am
Unfortunately I have neither cutters nor indexing-fu.

That's where the CAKE comes in :)

Indexing-fu is a skill well worth developing, at least to mediocre levels, as it's the sort of thing that can come in handy when you're out on a ride and have to deal with a cable or mech hanger problem Deaf person who has no idea his indexing is way off fellow rider on a poorly maintained BSO.  I'll happily demonstrate the never-fails patience-is-a-successful-subsitute-for-mechanical-aptitude technique some time if there isn't someone more convenient to teach you.

Once you have indexing-fu (and its less fiddly relative, brake-tweaking-fu), there's nothing to fear from cables.  Armed with some decent cutters and a couple of spare inners (a quid a pop from Wilko!) in case it goes horribly wrong you can fix anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 19 January, 2011, 09:22:37 am
Brake-tweaking-fu is a doddle (unless we're talking about cantis).

OTOH, indexing-fu is a mystical and dark art.  To date I have learned which bits to adjust, but repeatedly fail to get teh desired result.  Perhaps a blood sacrifice is required first?  Would an AL driver be OK, or will mowing down a careless pedestrian lemming suffice?

Until I master indexing-fu I will rely on beer-fu (a cousin of cake-fu).
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 January, 2011, 10:51:12 am
Yesterday, I managed to fit new tyres to TGL's road bike.  Hilarious fun, as they were very determinedly folded.

Then I did a quill stem transplant on hos fixed.  Sadly, the current bars wouldn't fit, so I had to find the old stoker bars from the Super Galaxy tandem.  They didn't fit.  So I searched further and found the old stoker bars from the Orbit tandem.  They are a bit old, but fit perfectly, giving a slightly narrower profile and a shallower drop, which should suit him.  Better bar tape on there now.  Hope he doesn't have another off.

Then I sorted out my commuter, tightened the chain, and tweaked the cable a bit so the S3X didn't get neutral too easily.  The inner cable that came with the gear was really brittle, and has lost strands already, after just a coupleof adjustments. :(

Oh - and I cleaned that bike with baby wipes.  In the hall, since we had a guest and I couldn't use the kitchen, or open the kitchen door to wash it outside :-\

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 January, 2011, 11:11:30 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 18 January, 2011, 11:55:58 pm
I appear to have anti-fettled Valencia  ::-)

ETA - although I think I've found what the problem is...
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1360.snc4/163253_496973216838_551606838_5794816_5542210_n.jpg)

If you need some gear outer and a borrow of a pair of cable cutters, I can bring them into work tomorrow for you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 January, 2011, 12:25:05 pm
Thanks Tiermat,

I'm being a wuss (who wants her bike back).  Booked into the LBS who will get it sorted by tomorrow, at no notice, because they are lovely.   And because I feed them cake....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 19 January, 2011, 01:02:20 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 18 January, 2011, 11:48:33 pm
Lots of pens I've meant to use and have ignored/forgotten, which now (all but one) work. Damn procrastination fountain pen thread...

Aye, put some daily users through an ultrasonic clean. Ground myself another custom nib. Lubricated the piston of one of my test pen bodies. Probably some other stuff too...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 January, 2011, 04:24:55 pm
When I walked in and said "She's broken," the tame mechanic at the corner shop said, "that's not brok... ah, yes it is, isn't it.  Hmm....".  He then looked at it and said "Ah, full length and internally routed.  Thanks for that!".

And we figured out what happened (probably) - there's a marked kink in the cable (about 6" from the shifter), so it's probably got caught on something, which has pulled it sharply and broken it at the far end.  It was fine when I left Darlo, and wrong (probably) when I was in York so I'm blaming the train!

I can pick her up tomorrow lunchtime  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 January, 2011, 07:16:43 pm
Result CL  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 19 January, 2011, 07:20:01 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 19 January, 2011, 11:11:30 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 18 January, 2011, 11:55:58 pm
I appear to have anti-fettled Valencia  ::-)

ETA - although I think I've found what the problem is...
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1360.snc4/163253_496973216838_551606838_5794816_5542210_n.jpg)

If you need some gear outer and a borrow of a pair of cable cutters, I can bring them into work tomorrow for you.

One of the most common faults with bike builds is mechanics cutting too-short an outer for the bit that enters the derailleur.  It should leave the mech in a straight line, not at an angle.  I tend to go over the top the other way, as it makes for smoooth changing and you can take a bit of cable off should the inner lose its ferrule and fray.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 January, 2011, 07:37:39 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 19 January, 2011, 07:20:01 pm
One of the most common faults with bike builds is mechanics cutting too-short an outer for the bit that enters the derailleur.  It should leave the mech in a staright line, not at an angle.

Well said.

This is especially important where the shifter is of a kind (bar ends, twist grips) that's conducive to applying somewhat more force than strictly necessary for getting into the lowest gear - the force has to go somewhere, and if the cable isn't entering the ferrule/mech in a straight line, that's the weak point.

One of the first things I did to improve the shifting on the StreetMachine was to lengthen this section of cable (which was low-level knackered in a manner not entirely unlike the picture above).  Being a 'bent, it's fairly crucial to be in a low gear when you stop if you ever hope to get moving again, so stopping at short notice in traffic tends to result in some fairly brutal bar-end-shifter yankage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 January, 2011, 09:48:54 pm
Washed my bike this evening, it was really filthy after last weeks rain and riding in cow shit on my commute. It is now drying in the kitchen and will get lubed before I go to bed  :thumbsup:

I hope there isn't ice in the morning, I want to go for a ride with the Bristol Thursday old time cyclists tomorrow
   Home
 (http://www.btotc.btik.com/Home)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 January, 2011, 10:58:06 pm
As penance for my wimping out to the LBS with Valencia, I have just cleaned the second filthiest bike* you have ever seen (using the patent Kim 'wash the wheels in the bath when they aren't looking' method).  And polished it all shiny.  And oiled the chain.  And removed the gigantic lunp of glass from the rear tyre, and fixed the puncture that it caused.  And stood on said piece of glass, and punctured my foot.  Disadvantage of fettling in front of the telly in the nice warm living room!

Now I need to see if I can find an appropriate size spanner to sort out the rattly mudguard.

Then I need to clean the bath and the living room floor!



*the filthiest bike ever, which belongs to Dearly_Beloved, is still standing next to the window, looking at me reproachfully.  Its time will come.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 20 January, 2011, 02:26:07 am
After lubing my bike I got in a fettling mood and took off the IQ cyo, which seems to have developed a switch fault after the recent rainfall and wired up my other one instead (I have 2 of these since one will go on my new bike). The new one works fine confirming it is not the hub dyno at fault. I will have to return the faulty one for repair, when I turned it upside down some water ran out of the switch area. I have a nasty feeling this light cannot cope very well with being mounted on the canti bolt because it is at the side of the mudguard and so is getting some upwards spray underneath it. I have mounted the new one on the fork crown for now (which means I can't use my bar bag). I'm glad I have found this out when not riding a long Audax.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 20 January, 2011, 07:09:28 am
A storage heater back to life!  :smug:

Turns out there's a thing called a fusible link, which is a heat-operated fuse.  When the temperature goes too high, the link melts and power is cut.  The 22-year-old heater had a sufficient build-up of fluff on the thermostat that it couldn't release, so the fusible link fusibulated, killing the heater.  Multimeter play revealed that it was this part; a rough scrub cleared the problem blockage; a fiver to a parts dealer online got a replacement link and I have a warm bathroom again for the first time since before Christmas!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 20 January, 2011, 02:51:46 pm
I've repaired yesterday's puncture.
It proved to be easier than I expected
Quote
The only negative is that changing a rear p*nct*r* looks like it will be an almighty faff because of the way they've had to fit all the gubbins for the torque arm, chain tensioner and the spacers to get the chain line correct.

and the only tricky part was getting the wheel back in because the tyres are very tight in the frame.


Strange puncture though; there was a large hole on one of the seams of the tube with no signs of anything in the tyre.
At the opposite side of the tyre there was a huge staple stuck in but it wasn't penetrating the tyre or the tube.
I've fixed the hole that I found in the tube and I've pumped it up and it hasn't gone down yet.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 January, 2011, 03:18:53 pm
Quote from: Feline on 20 January, 2011, 02:26:07 am
I will have to return the faulty one for repair, when I turned it upside down some water ran out of the switch area. I have a nasty feeling this light cannot cope very well with being mounted on the canti bolt because it is at the side of the mudguard and so is getting some upwards spray underneath it.

Ugh, that's a bit suboptimal.  I admit I've wondered about how easily water could get in through the cable entry if it were mounted on the fork crown without the protection of a mudguard immediately below it.

Sounds like it's either going to need a little mudguard of its own, or a re-think of the mounting strategy.  Some sort of handlebar bracket, maybe?  I know there's a rather nifty bracket that takes the place of a headset spacer, but I assume that'll be blocked by the bar bag too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 20 January, 2011, 03:30:51 pm
In order to swap a 16t s/s freewheel for an 18t  s/s freewheel I first had to clean the Langster.Hellsteeth it were filthy:must get some mudgaurds for it.
So,having fitted the 18t s/s  f/wh. I notice when putting the wheel back on a part of my chaintug has gone a.w.o.l. So the tug is un-usable  >:( Only had at xmas :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 January, 2011, 03:34:02 pm
De-creak-ified a bottom bracket and fitted a couple of mudflaps, carefully shaped with a heatgun to match the mudguard profile.  Fitted a new saddle and seatpost to one of HK's bikes, along with a SS rear mini-rack to replace the Bagman and a couple of associated rear lights.

Considering combining a Dahon iPhone mount with a proper Jubilee clip so that it stays at a steady angle on the bars.  This might involve some serious Dremel work on a stupidly expensive bit of plastic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 20 January, 2011, 04:13:00 pm
Fettled last night. Front mudguard stays. They had fallen off completely - rivets gone at the guard end, plastic bit broken at fork end. Used cable ties to fasten stays to guard, then removed bolt from fork, drilled hole in remaining plastic on stays, cable-tied stay to fork through the mudguard eyes. Apart from not being emergency QR anymore, as good as new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 20 January, 2011, 05:42:22 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 January, 2011, 03:18:53 pm
Quote from: Feline on 20 January, 2011, 02:26:07 am
I will have to return the faulty one for repair, when I turned it upside down some water ran out of the switch area. I have a nasty feeling this light cannot cope very well with being mounted on the canti bolt because it is at the side of the mudguard and so is getting some upwards spray underneath it.

Ugh, that's a bit suboptimal.  I admit I've wondered about how easily water could get in through the cable entry if it were mounted on the fork crown without the protection of a mudguard immediately below it.

Sounds like it's either going to need a little mudguard of its own, or a re-think of the mounting strategy.  Some sort of handlebar bracket, maybe?  I know there's a rather nifty bracket that takes the place of a headset spacer, but I assume that'll be blocked by the bar bag too.

Yeah it's a bit of pain. On today's ride a friend held his Caradice bar bag up against my new setup and it seems this would give the necessary clearance for the light on the fork crown as it sits a bit higher than the Ortleib and isn't quite so deep. If necessary i will change my bar bag because I don't really fancy fettling something imaginative so close to the front wheel spokes in case of epic_fail_flying_over_handlebars situations. I think my only other option with the Ortleib is to get hold of a much much longer bracket that can place the light right at the front end of the mudguard level with the bag. I haven't seen anything like this for sale anywhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 21 January, 2011, 01:55:48 pm
Alfine gears were very sticky this morning.  Anything below gear number 6 wasn't possible without getting off the bike and wiggling the cable at the back.  Having a lowest gear of  73" isn't good on the Blackdowns in the morning.  i imagine partly due to the cold.  But squirting a helping of 3:1 into the join at lunchtime will probably help matters on the way home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 January, 2011, 03:57:41 pm
Fitted a set of 28mm tyres to HK's work bike and swapped the 25mm tyres to the spare wheels. Fitted new axle, cones, bearings, seals and freehub body to spare rear wheel. Fitted rear mudflap to one of HK's bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 January, 2011, 04:01:11 pm
Put the blinds and curtains back up in spare room (which is to be TLD's bedroom)

Did the first coat of SPARKLY PURPLE on one wall in same room.

Stripped and cleaned my Gaggia.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 January, 2011, 04:03:44 pm
Last night, during TGL's turbo session, I swapped the too-small spare tube out of my 700x35 cross tyres on the tourer for a properly sized tube.  Makes life feel more secure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 21 January, 2011, 04:58:06 pm
I fettled an axe today, does that count?

New handle, nice leather hanging strap and a polish and sharpen of the head. And it still works afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 21 January, 2011, 08:21:46 pm
Any hints for polishing tired alloy/alluminium?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 21 January, 2011, 09:58:01 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 21 January, 2011, 08:21:46 pm
Any hints for polishing tired alloy/alluminium?

I'm sure I remember Kyuss discussing polishing on here and also on Cycle Chat. Not that it helps you much, but it's a start.

Edit: I found these two threads which might help you. Here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=32470.0) and here. (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29347.0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 January, 2011, 11:57:08 am
Fitted a Mr. Crud RoadCatcher MKII front mudflap to the Langster.Used half of the rear mudgaurd fitted 'twixt chainstays & seatstays behind the seat-post.This should keep the bike & me a bit cleaner.
The other half of the rear wheel is covered by a clip on Tortec gaurd to allow easy wheel removal from horizontal drop-outs if needed.
Refitted the Surly chaintug.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 22 January, 2011, 12:34:46 pm
Tidied up the cables on the Moulton. Rewrapped the Brooks bar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 22 January, 2011, 02:01:56 pm
I'm fettling graphics.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 January, 2011, 08:32:46 pm
Fitted some lights to the Langster
2@ front
2@ rear + reflector

& one of those triathlon bags that fits at the headtube/top tube junction.Handy for onthego snacks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 January, 2011, 10:03:45 pm
Having spanged my front mudguard on the Little Willy today (caught it on a bit of hub cap debris and pulled the rivets through), I did a fine roadside repair with the aid of an Opinel No. 7, rivet head removal for the use of, and a cable tie.

When I got home I drilled the bracket out and reattached the mudguard using a couple spare stay bolts (they've got nice flat heads y'see).

And I replaced the gear cable on Mrs Hall's nexus equipped bike. Only 5 minutes spent looking for dropped widgets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clandy on 22 January, 2011, 10:43:53 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 21 January, 2011, 08:21:46 pm
Any hints for polishing tired alloy/alluminium?

When I restored a beetle I used Autosol to return tired alloy to a polished gleaming finish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 23 January, 2011, 12:41:14 am
13 inner tubes
(plus 8 chopped with dead valves, snakebites etc, and 16 left untouched now I don't use 18-23 tubes any more)

Finally got round to testing the use of a shaving razor for getting rid of awkward mould lines. I might have to add a Bic to my puncture kit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 23 January, 2011, 11:43:17 am
Whilst it sometimes seems like a good idea to remove a bit of mould line, I've found that proper feathered patches can generally deal with it OK.  I wouldn't bother carrying a razor just for that purpose, and on group rides I've often got a lot of toolage in my pannier!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jezzasnr on 23 January, 2011, 07:21:45 pm
The (painfully slow) Colnago build up continues.
(http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx256/jezzasnr/6cfbe1e5.jpg)
(http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx256/jezzasnr/0da09af1.jpg)
I've had a few episodes in the past with drops / shifter positioning so I was determined to take my time & get it right. So, I set the bike on the turbo outside the kitchen window, put the bars & shifters on & spent the day looking & adjusting whilst cooking. I'm happy with the results, so have tightened it all up now. Hopefully add a few more bits next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 23 January, 2011, 09:36:15 pm
Trued up a pair of wheels for Mrs RdB's build in progress tourer. Fitted new brake blocks to folder. Oiled chain on the Langster. Repaired the pipe to the outside tap that had split in three places, then stripped and re-polished a rather disreputable Cinelli 1A stem which can now go to a new home.

If the ***** tile company had delivered on Friday as promised none of this would have got done, but I would have finished the hearth. As it is, I've got until Thursday, as that's when the chimney is being lined and the wood burner gets fitted. There will be much evening fettling in this house next week......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 23 January, 2011, 09:49:54 pm
Quote from: jezzasnr on 23 January, 2011, 07:21:45 pm
The (painfully slow) Colnago build up continues.

Shimano on a Colnago?  :o

I can hear the outraged splutterings of cycling stylistas nationwide...  ;D

 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 January, 2011, 10:43:40 pm
On Lewes station, I adjusted my gear cable stop.  Having lost my other two gears, I climbed into Lewes with an 84" gear :-\

Once home, I adjusted it again, then trued my rear wheel, and replaced the rear brake blocks, which were a mite thicker than my last ones, so I had to slack off the cable to get them to fit.

I cleaned the chain as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 24 January, 2011, 09:50:20 am
I changed the tyres on the Roubaix

Tyre Change &laquo; Audaxing (http://audaxing.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/tyre-change/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 January, 2011, 02:53:43 pm
Installed new Magic Smoke in the power supply for the scrolly LED sign that lives in our bedroom.  I can't really complain, it was rescued from a skip at some point in the late 90s, spent several years amongst barakta's dad's collection of tqt and was put into service by me in about 2004.

It's been surprisingly odd not having the comforting red glow of a clock at night, not to mention the problem of telling the difference between the alarm clock and the doorbell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 January, 2011, 05:36:37 pm
The Langster has had a lot of attention today

attempted to mend yesterday's p*nct*r* 3 times & then the tube split at the valve stem.

Fitted new tube but this punctured due to something inside the tye which I hadn't spotted.Applied patch but the seam split when re-inflated.

Fitted second  new tube.It's remained inflated for 30 mins now so I think.......

Removed bottle cage from downtube & fitted to seat tube.

Fitted pump cradle to down tube to carry new Zefal pump.A proper old fashioned pump with a flex. threaded hose.

Modified a mimi-pump cradle to carry a 15mm ring spanner & fitted it to the seat tube with the repositioned bottle cage.

Fitted a new Topeak saddle pack & filled it with anti-fairy kit,levers,multitool,knife,latex gloves,tie wraps & inner tube.

Fitted new rear light to the tab on the saddle pack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 January, 2011, 11:28:55 pm
As reported in "have you been out today?", the tandem developed a graunching noise. Only apparent when putting power down, and not constant. I could feel it through the pedals, but the noise seemed to come from the back wheel.

Tonight I stripped the 3 x 7 hub down and cleaned all the gubbins within. I nearly didn't bother with the bearing race tucked inside the cassette carrier, but it kind of came loose as I was poking around. And lo! one of the balls was broken.

Very reassuring to find the cause. New balls tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 24 January, 2011, 11:32:25 pm
New cleats onto the SPD shoes.  I got fed up of inadvertently pulling the old ones out of the pedals, so finally raided the tuit drawer for a round one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 January, 2011, 12:42:55 am
cleaning brake pads, washing and picking out bits as the grinding noises are getting annoying.

Then replace the brake calipers and chain as well as giving the bike a clean.  Should replace the deraileurs as well but as avoidance I'm sure it will work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 January, 2011, 09:19:07 am
Mended punctur* on way home in the ticket hall at Tooting station.  Not sure if that counts as fettling proper.

Once home, I fitted a new front brake cable to Butterfly's Galaxy, which involved redoing the bar tape :-\  Interestingly, it is the first brake cable I have ever seen snap anywhere other than at the nipple in the lever.  It actually broke where it met the cable clamp on the brake, indicating that perhaps the diverter outer had been collecting water.

I replaced the frayed gear cable on my fixed,  tightened the chain, and tried to make the cable stop more secure.  But the nipple on the end of the barrel adjuster broke off as I tightened the cable grip :o

Need new parts; time for another call to Old Bike Trader.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 27 January, 2011, 09:48:29 pm
My Pompino is cross with me. I have not fettled it in any way whatsoever during the last three months. In that time it has endured Skoggtm Factor 10 audaxes in Norfolk and Suffolk, and any number of local utility rides through waves of goop, slush and animal waste.

So, it should hardly be a surprise to me that, on the ride to and from Tesco today, the chain sounded like a bag of old rusty nails.

This coming weekend will be a fettlefest for the Pomp. It may even look blue again afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 27 January, 2011, 09:52:05 pm
This morning I fired up the Dremel and ground down the tabs on a 9-sp cassette so that the sprockets now slot onto an old 8-sp freehub body. Now my 15-year old Shamals will finally index properly with the levers!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 27 January, 2011, 09:52:23 pm
I fettled some cake from a shop, and gave it to people with significantly better fettling skills than I (admittedly, this is not hard) and one of them fettled the indexing on the Very Lovely Valencia and I got gears back for the journey home having been single-speed in a rather-too-high-gear all day.  Cake-based economy ftw!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 January, 2011, 10:24:47 pm
Fettled the new shorter cranks and respective chainrings onto the SMGT.  This required a bit of front derailleur-fu and a bit of precision chainring guard bending.

Extended the boom to compensate, making sure to apply strips of insulating tape first to simplify rotational alignment.

Arsed about with the crank position sensor cadence magnet until it deigned to stay put.

Took it all out for a test run and un-fettled my knee.   :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 28 January, 2011, 08:46:35 am
The new gear cables (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg824729#msg824729) have certainly improved shifting, but I really should have attended to the chain while I was at it. It's looking 'orrible. A little job for the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bloomers100 on 28 January, 2011, 12:47:54 pm
Took the drops and modolo morphos shifters of Mrs B's Thorn Nomad and replaced them with On One Feegle bar and Deore brakes and rapid shifters.

First time for something like this for me, it appears to have gone okay, hope she likes it and uses the Thorn more, she was nervous of the narrow drops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 28 January, 2011, 01:04:45 pm
fixed the rear mudguard which had lost a cable tie this morning
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 January, 2011, 03:44:47 pm
The Langster has had yet more attention*
Removed an 18t s/s freewheel & an 18t sprocket.
Fitted a 16t s/s freewheel & 17t sprocket.
Re-fitted the wheel running on the fixed side:66"

*I may as well sell the rest of the fleet considering the lack of interest/use they have recieved lately
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 28 January, 2011, 04:58:54 pm
Quote from: jogler on 28 January, 2011, 03:44:47 pm
I may as well sell the rest of the fleet considering the lack of interest/use they have recieved lately

N - x?

Cue the forum equivalent of a Bateman "The man who..." cartoon...  :o ;D :demon:

 ;)

Joking apart, I sorted out the gear indexing and brake lever position on my winter bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 January, 2011, 07:18:57 pm
I just cleaned my bike and adjusted it's brakes ready for tomorrows Glastonbury 100 miler Audax. A local club friend has given me a Carradice bar bag with a map case on top that will actually work above my Cyo light mounted on the fork crowns, so I switched over the Ortleib bracket for this one. A bit of bodging was required because the bracket isn't designed to fit my oversize bars. I have attached it with only 2 screws rather than the 4 it comes with, but the little cable that goes round the stem should actually bear the weight, and since my bar bag will pretty much just contain bananas and baby wipes[1] it should hopefully be fine.

[1] What more could I possibly need on a 150km Audax ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 28 January, 2011, 10:38:40 pm
X Windows on my laptop back into working order.

An upgrade of the X components meant that it would no longer start, and after recompiling "all the usual stuff"1 it still wasn't working.

Turned out that recent X needs a different option setting in the kernel's i915 driver.

You learn something new every day.

1. it's Gentoo Linux ... this kind of thing is normal :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 January, 2011, 10:31:37 am
Quote from: Oaky on 28 January, 2011, 10:38:40 pm
1. it's Gentoo Linux ... this kind of thing is normal :)

LOL, Indeed.  "emerge --update world" is a recipe for spending the rest of the week trying to get a server working again. :o :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 29 January, 2011, 05:24:48 pm
The dishwasher....

It started leaking just before Christmas so was put on my "must do at once" list....and promptly forgotten. The only time it re-entered my thoughts was when I got home from my Saturday morning ride last week to find SWMBO had removed it from under the work unit and was fiddling around with its insides whilst still plugged in... So, being a man, I promptly took over (well had a cup of tea first) and decided to see why it was leaking.... it must be something major.... nope, the outflow pipe had a hole in it! Doh!

So, ordered a new one and spent 20 mins this afternoon fitting the new one. Easy job which really shouldnt have taken me six weeks to sort. I am quite good at DIY but very, very, very lazy!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 29 January, 2011, 05:47:59 pm
Some minor adjustments to my new Trek Pilot.  I'm really pleased it's so comfortable 'out of the box'.  I only rode it 6 miles today though - will give it a proper run on thursday weather-permitting, then have a go at my local club 100k audax on Sunday.

Also really pleased my Blackburn mirror fits nicely to the handlebar - it's not much use when I'm on the hoods but fine when on the tops or down in the drops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 January, 2011, 05:53:10 pm
A quick fettle of the Arkel Randonneur rack, to a better position than I had last week for the Night Ride to Bognor (hopefully).  I had forgotten that when I took it off to clean the bike, I should have cleaned the rack as well.  It was more than a little grubby, since it was effectively a mudguard, and protected my rear and back from the minor road gunk that the damp, but not freshly rained on roads threw up.

I've also swapped out one of the water bottle holders for the Street Cuff mount, which is probably more useful this time of year, when voluminous amounts of liquids aren't quite so essential.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 January, 2011, 07:11:48 pm
Purple Extreme for The Chain.
Johnson's Baby Oil for most of the rest of it, taking great care to avoid braking surfaces.
That is all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2011, 07:19:52 pm
Some more fiddling with 1-wire stuff, now I have the prototyping adaptors for using surface-mount chips on breadboard.  It all seems to be working as intended.  Need to throw some code together to do something useful...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 29 January, 2011, 08:03:12 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 January, 2011, 07:11:48 pm

Johnson's Baby Oil for most of the rest of it, taking great care to avoid braking surfaces.
That is all.


We had an almost full bottle of JBO donated for the scout's jumble sale this morning. After thinking "who the hell gives away an almost full bottle of baby oil" I thought "I know someone who could put this to good use"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 January, 2011, 08:05:35 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 29 January, 2011, 08:03:12 pm
..."I know someone who could put this to good use"

Hummers?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2011, 02:06:52 am
Quote from: Kim on 29 January, 2011, 07:19:52 pm
Need to throw some code together to do something useful...

W00t!


kim@willow:~/documents/programming/1wire$ time java OneWireBus
Found temperature sensor at: /10.CFB613020800
Found hardwired ID chip at: /81.3ADC2E000000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.E46808000000/main/28.6C47D1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.E46808000000/main/28.DC62D1020000
Found 8-bit IO at: /1F.E46808000000/main/29.36AA09000000
Found 4k RAM + counter at: /1F.E46808000000/main/1D.2F510F000000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.426708000000/main/28.A222D1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.426708000000/main/28.E232D1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.426708000000/main/28.CD65D1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.426708000000/main/28.E74AD1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.576708000000/aux/28.DC33D1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.576708000000/aux/28.324DD1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.576708000000/aux/28.4D69D1020000
Found temperature sensor at: /1F.576708000000/aux/28.7F47D1020000
Temperatue at /10.CFB613020800 is:      25.0625
Temperatue at /1F.E46808000000/main/28.6C47D1020000 is:      24.3125
Temperatue at /1F.E46808000000/main/28.DC62D1020000 is:        24.25
Temperatue at /1F.426708000000/main/28.A222D1020000 is:       24.125
Temperatue at /1F.426708000000/main/28.E232D1020000 is:      24.1875
Temperatue at /1F.426708000000/main/28.CD65D1020000 is:       24.125
Temperatue at /1F.426708000000/main/28.E74AD1020000 is:      24.0625
Temperatue at /1F.576708000000/aux/28.DC33D1020000 is:       24.125
Temperatue at /1F.576708000000/aux/28.324DD1020000 is:       23.875
Temperatue at /1F.576708000000/aux/28.4D69D1020000 is:       24.125
Temperatue at /1F.576708000000/aux/28.7F47D1020000 is:       24.125
PIO at /1F.E46808000000/main/29.36AA09000000 are: 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
IO states at /1F.E46808000000/main/29.36AA09000000 are: 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
IO latches at /1F.E46808000000/main/29.36AA09000000 are: 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
Counters at /1F.E46808000000/main/1D.2F510F000000 are:     68092061,    67716534

real   0m9.458s
user   0m0.160s
sys   0m0.065s


 :thumbsup:

*comments code and drags self to bed*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: microphonie on 30 January, 2011, 10:47:58 am
Drive train on commuter hybrid is knackered & I haz no mech-fu so transfered dynohub wheel, light mounts & pannier mount (eventually) across to the Club Tour. Had to replace one badly frayed rear tyre on the CT and after lots of swearing it all works fine, except:

Marathon Plus 1 vs. Crank Bros Speedlever 0  :'(

Have to say I saw that coming as the Speedlever is rather fragile. Might have to invest in a Var lever or these Park Tools  heavy duty monsters  (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tools-tl5c-heavy-duty-steel-tyre-levers/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 30 January, 2011, 11:45:33 am
Quote from: microphonie on 30 January, 2011, 10:47:58 am
Drive train on commuter hybrid is knackered & I haz no mech-fu so transfered dynohub wheel, light mounts & pannier mount (eventually) across to the Club Tour. Had to replace one badly frayed rear tyre on the CT and after lots of swearing it all works fine, except:

Marathon Plus 1 vs. Crank Bros Speedlever 0  :'(

Have to say I saw that coming as the Speedlever is rather fragile. Might have to invest in a Var lever or these Park Tools  heavy duty monsters  (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tools-tl5c-heavy-duty-steel-tyre-levers/)

I always think these Brooks ones look rather fetching Evans Cycles | Brooks Wheel Kit | Online Bike Shop (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/brooks/wheel-kit-ec017871?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=froogle)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: microphonie on 30 January, 2011, 12:23:15 pm
Quote from: Feline on 30 January, 2011, 11:45:33 am
Quote from: microphonie on 30 January, 2011, 10:47:58 am
Drive train on commuter hybrid is knackered & I haz no mech-fu so transfered dynohub wheel, light mounts & pannier mount (eventually) across to the Club Tour. Had to replace one badly frayed rear tyre on the CT and after lots of swearing it all works fine, except:

Marathon Plus 1 vs. Crank Bros Speedlever 0  :'(

Have to say I saw that coming as the Speedlever is rather fragile. Might have to invest in a Var lever or these Park Tools  heavy duty monsters  (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tools-tl5c-heavy-duty-steel-tyre-levers/)

I always think these Brooks ones look rather fetching Evans Cycles | Brooks Wheel Kit | Online Bike Shop (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/brooks/wheel-kit-ec017871?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=froogle)

Nice. Have also been getting alternatives from  this thread  (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=42272.0).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 January, 2011, 06:09:16 pm
A new chain on my commuter, after two years of near-daily use.  It was also the second bike on which I've used that chain.  Too soon?

(I only replaced it cos that was easier than cleaning it)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 January, 2011, 06:58:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 January, 2011, 02:06:52 am
Quote from: Kim on 29 January, 2011, 07:19:52 pm
Need to throw some code together to do something useful...

W00t!

kim@willow:~/documents/programming/1wire$ time java OneWireBus
Found temperature sensor at: /10.CFB613020800
...
IO latches at /1F.E46808000000/main/29.36AA09000000 are: 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
Counters at /1F.E46808000000/main/1D.2F510F000000 are:     68092061,    67716534

real   0m9.458s
user   0m0.160s
sys   0m0.065s

 :thumbsup:

*comments code and drags self to bed*

Oooh, very neat. :thumbsup:

But why go to bed, it was only 2am, that's not really late when geekage is being undertaken. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: redshift on 30 January, 2011, 07:05:55 pm
Round to Mum & Dad's for the grand de-jungling of the shed.  Find that shed is goosed, and mostly being held upright by the contents.  Two trips to the tip and the first wave of junk is gone...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 30 January, 2011, 07:17:13 pm
After yesterdays audax I fixed the rear light on the carbon bike so it doesn't slip down the seat stay, added a route sheet holder and fitted spoke reflectors on the wheels

I know I am supposed to fit the route sheet holder before the audax but hey, I was busy.  It's (more) ready now for the next one
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 January, 2011, 07:44:02 pm
I gave the chain on the Langster a scrape with a wire brush & a wipe with an oily rag
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2011, 07:54:33 pm
Quote from: TimO on 30 January, 2011, 06:58:32 pm
Oooh, very neat. :thumbsup:

owfs (http://owfs.org/) is doing all the hard work driving the 1-wire interface, my code's speaking to owserver on its TCP port.  Which is a good painless approach for doing anything IOish in Java.

I especially like the way owserver will cache values where appropriate - run that test again within a minute or so and it'll only take about 200ms (the temperature sensors take the best part of a second to sample when polled for the first time).  Means you can have multiple processes reading sensors for their own reasons and it won't overwhelm the bus with duplicate readings.


Quote
But why go to bed, it was only 2am, that's not really late when geekage is being undertaken. ;D

Had to get up in the morning.  Or an approximation thereof  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 January, 2011, 11:01:29 pm
I got some Marathon Plus back onto my tourer. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 30 January, 2011, 11:03:08 pm
A lavatory. New flushing mechanism.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 30 January, 2011, 11:09:41 pm
The rear light that came fitted to my Brompton.

It's borked.

Last time it stopped working, a little tweaking of contacts & removal of a touch of corrosion fixed it. Not now. Contacts are shot, & the body seems about to fall apart.

Hey-ho. I've had my moneys worth from it, & a new one won't break the bank.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RW on 30 January, 2011, 11:16:51 pm
It's been a week of fettling on Polly's bike.  I've almost finished fitting 150mm cranks and very shiny TA chain rings.  Someone very strong put it together.  Last week I bent two hex keys taking the drive side crank off.  The hefty socket set hex key rounded the bolt.  Midweek two hours of drilling and hammering did the trick.  Today I put it back together - more or less.  I gave the chain, cassette and jockey wheels a soak in white spirits and they're now as shiny as the new rings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 January, 2011, 07:18:10 am
Recharged lights yesterday for the commute week ahead.
Looked at the grime on the bike and thought about washing it.
Thought was as far as I got.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 31 January, 2011, 07:55:02 am
(yesterday) was supposed to be installing printer driver on friend's PC but spent all day updating to Vista SP1 and dozens of updates which the user had been ignoring since the day they bought it.  Removed a trojan.  Left friend with instructions on how to install drivers and a warning to keep up to date with updates.

I'm so glad I don't do this sort of stuff for a living any more.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 January, 2011, 10:53:58 pm
Replaced a snapped gear cable.  Tutted at the state of the sections of outer :-[

I also rewrapped the bar tape for one side of my bars.  The downside of bar end levers :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 01 February, 2011, 06:11:48 pm
Kim is fettling her shoes and it looks like a year 7 technology project.  I am evidently feeling less ill as I find this greatly amusing and am considering photos to share with you all :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 02 February, 2011, 12:14:31 am
Finally assembled the single speed and found that the wheels were a little out of true, noted whe purchased but didn't think about it.  Went to true them today and noted that there were two spokes on the rear (a low number of spooked rear) that were loose so tried tightening and found that they were too long.  Not by a little bit but by a over 12 mm.  so off to get the two spokes and tighten up the front now both wheels true.  Now to collect a set of dia compe cherry brakes and all will be sorted. The bike will be on the road in its new life guise.  Suspect the frame is a little too big for me.  I hope not as it looks really nice.

Finally finished assembling the road bike but not road tested

The hybrid crank is buggered, not the bottom bracket the actual crank has play in it.  So off to find another hopefully cheap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 02 February, 2011, 12:18:51 am
Quote from: barakta on 01 February, 2011, 06:11:48 pm
Kim is fettling her shoes and it looks like a year 7 technology project.  I am evidently feeling less ill as I find this greatly amusing and am considering photos to share with you all :D

We definitely need the pics  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 February, 2011, 12:24:15 am
Quote from: Feline on 02 February, 2011, 12:18:51 am
We definitely need the pics  ;D

Too late.  I banned her from taking photos because I felt they would reveal my embarrassing lack of mechanical-fu (or because I was filing white plastic and it looked like I had the worst case of dandruff in recorded history).

I've cleaned up now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 02 February, 2011, 12:50:10 am
Quote from: Feline on 02 February, 2011, 12:18:51 am
Quote from: barakta on 01 February, 2011, 06:11:48 pm
Kim is fettling her shoes and it looks like a year 7 technology project.  I am evidently feeling less ill as I find this greatly amusing and am considering photos to share with you all :D

We definitely need the pics  ;D

Kim was mean and wouldn't consent to photos, not even just ones of her hands+fettlage.  Spoilsport!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 02 February, 2011, 12:58:00 am
Quote from: barakta on 02 February, 2011, 12:50:10 am
Quote from: Feline on 02 February, 2011, 12:18:51 am
Quote from: barakta on 01 February, 2011, 06:11:48 pm
Kim is fettling her shoes and it looks like a year 7 technology project.  I am evidently feeling less ill as I find this greatly amusing and am considering photos to share with you all :D

We definitely need the pics  ;D

Kim was mean and wouldn't consent to photos, not even just ones of her hands+fettlage.  Spoilsport!

Oh that's sad :( Of course fettlage pics are really an excuse for forumites to check out your interior decor and kitchen appliances I have heard  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 February, 2011, 12:59:34 am
Oh, that's easy: Our decor is all landlord-issue magnolia, and I'm sure at least some of our kitchen appliances have already appeared on here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=41880.msg806294#msg806294).  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 02 February, 2011, 01:14:16 am
Quote from: Feline on 02 February, 2011, 12:18:51 am
Quote from: barakta on 01 February, 2011, 06:11:48 pm
Kim is fettling her shoes and it looks like a year 7 technology project.  I am evidently feeling less ill as I find this greatly amusing and am considering photos to share with you all :D

We definitely need the pics  ;D

Foot fetishist.

Also trued/retensioned the twisted wheels i built on the fixie as it was getting a bit noisy.  I thought it might as the twisted spokes settles down.  They don't tell you that in any of the how too guides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 02 February, 2011, 08:20:30 am
I built my first wheel from scratch last night  :thumbsup:

Nothing fancy - a cheap on-one 135mm fixed-fixed hub (reduced to a tenner in their sale!), DT-Swiss DB spokes onto a used but hardly worn Alex ACE-19 rim from my pile of "that'll come in useful one day" bits.

Quote from: Lynx on 02 February, 2011, 01:14:16 am
Also trued/retensioned the twisted wheels i built on the fixie as it was getting a bit noisy.  I thought it might as the twisted spokes settles down.  They don't tell you that in any of the how too guides.

I bult using the Roger Musdson e-book. It tells you how to check for this as the wheel tightens ("flags" of tape on the spokes), and that one of the stress relieving methods (pushing the rim) can sort it out.

We'll see how well I did on the build once I've put it on a bike and ridden it for a bit - which involves stripping all the gear stuff off first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 02 February, 2011, 08:56:40 am
I fettled my garden shed clean yesterday, found 55p (yay, I'm rich!) in my Carradice Camper Longflap, popped the workstand up and got my lemond etape racer bike working smoothly, and even managed to fettle more rear clearance on the rear crud racer mk2 but feeding it over the rear brake rather than under it.  It might even work with 25mm tyres!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nicknack on 02 February, 2011, 10:14:26 am
Here is usually a fettle-free zone since I bought a bike that rarely needs it (Koga Miyata Silver Ace). However, after a couple of thousand miles something finally got through the puncture resistant rear tyre - in 2 places. Glass, I suspect - there was a triangle of glass still embedded in the smaller hole. Anyway, one of the splits was big enough to warrant a new tyre, so I decided it was time for a Marathon Plus.

I'd only ever taken the back wheel off once before and had forgotten what a rigmarole it was (hub gears and roller brakes). From beginning to end just changing the tyre and tube took about 2 hours! Admittedly some of that time was taken up with searching on the net for the easiest way to do this (never did find anything useful), but even so that was a stupid amount of time. Oh well, it's the penalty for having a bike like that. If I had to do it again tomorrow I could probably get it down to about 15 mins, but, probably, by the time I have to do it again I'll have forgotten the procedure. I still think it's a great bike though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 February, 2011, 10:15:50 am
If you've fitted Marathon Plus, you probably won't have to take the wheel out till the tyre is worn out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nicknack on 02 February, 2011, 10:19:25 am
That's what I'm hoping. My BikeE's got one on the back and it's never been off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 02 February, 2011, 02:18:50 pm
I just gave my Alfine gears a tweak.  I think I had them setup wrong but now they are right.  We'll see when I'm riding home
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 02 February, 2011, 04:05:02 pm
The Pompino has forgiven me. It is blue again, rather than a delicate shade of Skogg. Chain is no longer scrunchy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 02 February, 2011, 10:03:39 pm
Fresh brake blocks. Yikes, the bike is really mucky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 02 February, 2011, 10:19:17 pm
Quote from: clarion on 02 February, 2011, 10:15:50 am
If you've fitted Marathon Plus, you probably won't have to take the wheel out till the tyre is worn out.
Didn't work for me on the EM fixed ride last Saturday >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 03 February, 2011, 04:03:05 pm
One of my neighbour's had an electric bike delivered today & I have just assembled it for him, fitted the forks, handlebars, seatpost & saddle, mudguards & lights, & 2 new inner tubes because the ones provided did not fit any type of pump I've ever seen  ???  He struggles to get up hills on a normal bike so he should now be able to get back again out for a few bike rides with his granddaughter :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 03 February, 2011, 10:15:25 pm
An upstairs toilet that drains in under 5 minutes.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 February, 2011, 10:20:46 am
just done the roof racks on the Mondeo to carry a trike & a DF

coffee break now

next up,the backseat & boot(currently full with work-related stuff: transfer into the Volvo) to make room for passengers & luggage  DONE THAT

then a towball-mounted  Witter cycle carrier DONE THAT(to carry another DF & possibly a 'bent)

then transfer a pannier rack from the Longstaff to the Langster so that I can use a Carradice Prima racktop bag to carry cake,food,lights etc  on tomorrow's ride. DONE THAT


It's all go innit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 February, 2011, 11:56:39 am
Quote from: jogler on 04 February, 2011, 10:20:46 am
just done the roof racks on the Mondeo to carry a trike & a DF

coffee break now

next up,the backseat & boot(currently full with work-related stuff: transfer into the Volvo) to make room for passengers & luggage  DONE THAT

then a towball-mounted  Witter cycle carrier DONE THAT(to carry another DF & possibly a 'bent)

then transfer a pannier rack from the Longstaff to the Langster so that I can use a Carradice Prima racktop bag to carry cake,food,lights etc  on tomorrow's ride. DONE THAT


It's all go done innit?

& now I've just noticed that the pointy bit atop the caravan ariel is through the roof of the caravan cover ::-)  I think I'll secure a tennis ball on the pointed mast & relocate the cover.An application of gaffer tape will patch the hole in the cover,I hope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 04 February, 2011, 01:27:54 pm
I fettled a scratch out of the screen of my ye olde worlde Nokia 5140i, then a applied a nice coat of Pledge Multi-Surface wax to make it look good as new!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 04 February, 2011, 06:30:32 pm
15 laptops imaged, and a new AV installation done and deployed to clients, plus a few other bits and bobs.  Engineer on site all day, and a lovely chap he was too.  Rides a Trek Madone :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 February, 2011, 01:45:44 am
Think I shall strip and soak bits of the midget bike as no one seems to want it any more.  Unloved again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 05 February, 2011, 08:34:22 pm
New trigger shifter and cabling for rear derailleur on the Marin, plus set-up.
Brake levers and new inner cables on the fixed, including trimming and filing the outers. I'll leave the bar tape for tomorrow evening, I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 05 February, 2011, 08:41:51 pm
Been messing about tightening forks, prolly tightened bearings too much now cos forks wont fall one way or the other. I am beginning to have a horrible feeling that steerer is a bit bent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 February, 2011, 06:22:41 am
Yesterday I oiled my old leather jacket with neatsfoot oil.  It is currently hanging in the garage to let the "biker smell" dissipate, but it looks good.

(incidentally this is true, and not related to Gideon over there on the left)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 06 February, 2011, 06:41:50 am
Got someone coming to view our Madsen, so gave it a wipedown, an checked everything was adjusted, then fixed two punctures. Thats 4 for the week in our house, 3 being on my tourer. Loads of tread on the tyres, so guessing its a run of bad luck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 February, 2011, 11:21:50 am
Quote from: jogler on 04 February, 2011, 10:20:46 am
just done the roof racks on the Mondeo to carry a trike & a DF

coffee break now

next up,the backseat & boot(currently full with work-related stuff: transfer into the Volvo) to make room for passengers & luggage  DONE THAT

then a towball-mounted  Witter cycle carrier DONE THAT(to carry another DF & possibly a 'bent)

then transfer a pannier rack from the Longstaff to the Langster so that I can use a Carradice Prima racktop bag to carry cake,food,lights etc  on tomorrow's ride. DONE THAT


It's all go innit?


I have reverse-fettled Volvo/Mondeo stuff
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 06 February, 2011, 05:27:29 pm
Turned this Raleigh Pursuit (obtained from Toby of this parish)

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5421982450_4feea1f573.jpg)

Into this

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5421981962_d5fda4df0b.jpg)(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5422224826_1bb1387d98.jpg)

Removed the downtube shifters and gear mechs.
Built a fixed wheel on an old Alex Rim (from my old singlecross) using an on-one hub. The rim is black, the brightness in the photo is the Marathon tyre's reflective strip in the camera flash.
Modified the dropout on the RH side to allow the wheel to have a bit more adjustment F-R.
Removed the excess chainring.
Stripped, cleaned and regreased the front hub and (old style) bottom bracket.
Fitted new chain.
Replaced the pedals with some old Time ATACs.
Cut down the front mudguard stays to make it fit without big bends in the stays.
Replaced the saddle with the one that came on my MTB that's been kicking around the garage for years.
Replaced the brake cables with black rather than bright yellow outers.
Put new bar tape on.

Amazingly, the chainline was absolutely perfect without doing any fiddling with BB lengths!

Still to do - replace the mudguards altogether with the black SKS guards off my Audax MK3 (they are getting a bit tired now, so I'll put new ones on the Audax bike). Replace the chainset with a nicer one from the spares box.

Took it out for a quick spin this afternoon - lovely  :thumbsup:
This is low-end Raleigh, but I always fancied one thinking the stealth black looked cool. It'll make a nice hack bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 February, 2011, 06:06:54 pm
Nice, very nice.

Fettled the skip find (Raliegh Rapide) so removed seized chain, has seized cranks with very worn teeth so  have to decide what to do with it.  Maybe another hack?  Hopefully the frame will fit me.

Have washed a few greasey items by soaking in warm water and pink degreaseant that way they can go either back on bikes I have dismantled to fettle or in to the spares box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 February, 2011, 06:56:18 pm
The garden. Sadly neglected for various reasons for over a year. Several bags to the garden waste tip later it looks much better. Just need to work on the lawn moss next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 February, 2011, 07:45:46 pm
Unpacked two bikes from their S&S cases. Looks like a replacement Octolink BB will be ordered soon, along with some SPD pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 06 February, 2011, 07:49:03 pm
Quote from: MattH on 06 February, 2011, 05:27:29 pm
It'll make a nice hack bike

Certainly will, very nice.

Me: Brooks bar tape. Very pleased with the end result, but not one of my favourite jobs. Considering how much the stuff is, an extra 10 cm per side surely wouldn't send them into the red.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 February, 2011, 08:01:55 pm
An organ.

From a van, to a kitchen.

I'll leave it to PaulR to fill in the details.

Suffice it to say it was an unexpected (albeit not entirely unwelcome :thumbsup:) interruption to my Sunday afternoon/evening.

Trust me when I tell you it was heavy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 07 February, 2011, 12:17:33 am
New innner tube on the youngest's stabiliser bike.  Took about 20 mins to dig through all the chainguards and stuff to get the wheel out and tyre off.  Had to do it all over again half an hour later as the new tube turned out to have a manufacturing defect in the shape of a pin-prick hole.

New mudguards on the commuter, leading to cobbling a new extension out of an unbroken piece of the old ones, leading to discovery that the bike needed a bit of a clean, leading to discovery of a shocking amount of play in the shimano hub dynamo, leading to discover that the cones only have about a 2mm spanner flat on them, leading to the kids learning some new vocabulary over the next 45 minutes.

Cleaned the audax bike, and lubed it up.

Cleaned the chain on Mrs J's tri bike.

Fettled the brakes on bikes of offspring numbers 1 and 3.

New stays on the front mudguard of "The Black Thing".

Failed utterly to swap headlingts over between TBT and Audax bike.

Failed even more utterly make any progress on the spare-parts-tandem.

Failed to swap out the knackered Marathon+ on the commuter.

Amazed to discover that chains on all the above are still within tolerance.

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.  I never want to see another seized 5mm bolt again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 February, 2011, 07:12:31 am
Kitchen taps.  They no longer drip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 February, 2011, 08:56:53 am
Quote from: Grub on 07 February, 2011, 07:12:31 am
Kitchen taps.  They no longer drip.

Wanna do my bath taps
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 February, 2011, 09:09:22 am
Quote from: JJ on 07 February, 2011, 12:17:33 am
... leading to discover that the cones only have about a 2mm spanner flat on them ...

Which is why we have cone spanners. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 February, 2011, 09:17:08 am
Softer 17mm cone spanners just get mashed by the short flats on Shimano dynohub cones. I had to buy a second (more expensive) 17mm cone spanner to work on HK's Shimano dynohub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 February, 2011, 10:22:19 am
Last night:

Cleaned three bikes

Checked my chain carefully to see if I could find the odd tinking noise

Oiled three chains.
 
Checked all three chains for wear

Sorted out (as far as is possible) the cotter pin on TGL's fixed.   

Checked my brake blocks for wear and grit
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TOBY on 07 February, 2011, 01:46:38 pm
Quote from: MattH on 06 February, 2011, 05:27:29 pm
Turned this Raleigh Pursuit (obtained from Toby of this parish)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5421982450_4feea1f573.jpg

Into this

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5421981962_d5fda4df0b.jpg

Replaced the brake cables with black rather than bright yellow outers.

It'll make a nice hack bike.

I can't believe you ditched the yellow cable outers  :o

Looks great  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 07 February, 2011, 02:11:41 pm
Quote from: TimO on 07 February, 2011, 09:09:22 am
Quote from: JJ on 07 February, 2011, 12:17:33 am
... leading to discover that the cones only have about a 2mm spanner flat on them ...

Which is why we have cone spanners. ;D

Err... 2mm they other way. I exaggerate a bit, but not much, and they are also only about twice the thickness of a human hair across!

Quote from: LWAB
a second (more expensive) 17mm cone spanner

is clearly what I needed, but I think I made matters worse by doing it up good n' tight last time ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 07 February, 2011, 02:27:28 pm
Quote from: TOBY on 07 February, 2011, 01:46:38 pm
Quote from: MattH on 06 February, 2011, 05:27:29 pm
Replaced the brake cables with black rather than bright yellow outers.

I can't believe you ditched the yellow cable outers  :o

Looks great  :thumbsup:

My son said the same. But he's 13 and has very suspect taste  :) Of course, if they hadn't been faded then I'd have left them on!

Took it out for the first real ride today - only about 10 miles round trip to the bank in the next town, but lots of fun and a nice quiet, smooth ride. The 83" gear seems about right too for the minimal hills here (I was running the same in Sweden last time I had a fixed - but there my 25km commute had a grand total of 125m climb).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 February, 2011, 03:49:25 pm
I've clipped an SKS Raceblade over the back wheel.Saturdays ride indicated that a pannier rack was insufficient to prevent a mud*-stripe up the back.

*there was probably a high % of cowshit :we passed a wet lane across a farm entrance ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 07 February, 2011, 04:24:24 pm
Cleaned the drivetrain on my commuting bike.

By removing the main component and placing it under a running tap. ;D  Then getting busy with a sponge and scrubbing brush and bucket of water on the sprockets.

To suppress the annoying clicky noise that I get when I release the brake levers, I glued two little patches of rubber to the levers.  This time I didn't superglue my fingers together. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 07 February, 2011, 04:27:41 pm
Put an uphanger thing on my girlfriend's bike to stop the awful judder she was getting since she changed to Koolstop pads - one of these:

(http://spacycles.co.uk/smsimg/17/1809-5136-main-uphanger-17.jpg)

Works a treat - stops perfectly with no judder at all.  Amazing what a difference it makes.

Hopefully slightly less ear-ache about juddery brakes will follow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 February, 2011, 07:55:02 pm
Quote from: TOBY on 07 February, 2011, 01:46:38 pm
I can't believe you ditched the yellow cable outers  :o
You used to be able to buy lengths of any reasonable colour (red, blue, yellow, white, black,...) from the drums hung up in any self-respecting LBS. We all use bar tape in colours to match the bike; I can't really see why you wouldn't for cables too.

It's indexed gearing that did it, of course; cables come pre-packaged in Henry Ford colours.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 08 February, 2011, 09:58:24 am
Fettled a popped seam on a pair of specialized full finger gloves.  Make do and mend and all that. I knew those home economic lessons at skool would come in useful one day!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 08 February, 2011, 10:11:30 am
Quote from: drossall on 07 February, 2011, 07:55:02 pm
Quote from: TOBY on 07 February, 2011, 01:46:38 pm
I can't believe you ditched the yellow cable outers  :o
You used to be able to buy lengths of any reasonable colour (red, blue, yellow, white, black,...) from the drums hung up in any self-respecting LBS. We all use bar tape in colours to match the bike; I can't really see why you wouldn't for cables too.

It's indexed gearing that did it, of course; cables come pre-packaged in Henry Ford colours.

Hmmm, I could probably do with replacing the inners and outers on my Lemond racer.  White outers would look nice seeing as it's a black frame with white logos.......   :thumbsup:  Pity you can't get the cheap outer cable in any other colours apart from henry ford colours :-/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 08 February, 2011, 02:29:19 pm
Fettled by proxy....

On the way home from school at lunchtime, SmallestCub announced that his very yellow Puky like-a-like-a-bike needed some air in the front tyre.  So I checked, and concluded that the 3 year old was indeed not wrong.  Since it has woods valves and I knew I didn't have an appropriate adapter at home, we popped into the corner shop where they not only did the honours with the track pump, they also donated a spare adapter for us to take home with us.  I do like York Cycleworks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 February, 2011, 05:19:10 pm
Chains, epic de-skogging of.  Also de-skogging of components that come into contact with said chains.  And asociated acts of lubrication.  And an abortive attempt at removing oily black stain from the carpet where I accidentally sat on my dirty rag (suspect trousers may have suffered a similar fate, but they're well-worn and two sizes too big so I don't really care).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 10 February, 2011, 06:25:08 pm
Fitted some rather snazzy new mudguards to the Holdsworth

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/P1020501.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/P1020500.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/P1020499.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/P1020498.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 February, 2011, 10:04:04 pm
Just finished emergency fettling of the bathroom door latch, which we noticed was being a bit funny yesterday, but barakta went for a bath and was daft enough to close the bathroom door anyway and got herself trapped.   :facepalm:

Cue some rather fiddly digging around in the sheared cheesy mess of the mechanism from the difficult side of the door frame in order to release the latch, while communicating with hearing-aid-less barakta via the light switch.  Fortunately, I was only halfway through working out how best to encode "lower dental floss out window for tools" in light flashes when I managed to get it open, saving the embarrassment of not realising that I simply would have had to slide a note under the door.

The remains of the offending mechanism were ceremonially removed with my biggest bastard mole grips and deposited in the bin.  There's no need for it anyway - there's a perfectly functional bolt for the rare occasion that someone wishes to lock the door.

Let this be a lesson to you all: Always keep a screwdriver, textphone and morse code lookup table in your bathroom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 February, 2011, 10:13:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 February, 2011, 10:04:04 pm
Let this be a lesson to you all: Always keep a screwdriver, textphone and morse code lookup table in your bathroom.

That reminds me of an article in an early 1990s copy of QST (a US amateur radio magazine). The author's wife wasn't keen on his installing radio gear in the house, so he built a HF transceiver into a waterproof box installed into the toilet cistern - so he could lock himself into the smallest room and communicate around the world  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 February, 2011, 09:59:17 am
Quote from: Kim on 10 February, 2011, 10:04:04 pm

The remains of the offending mechanism were ceremonially removed with my biggest bastard mole grips

a quality bit o' Brummie engineering  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 11 February, 2011, 04:05:14 pm
took the rear wheel out of the antrotech and removed the parking brake which was cleaned lubed and refitted . fitted a new parking brake lever, replaced the wheel, reset the gears and it all works again  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 February, 2011, 04:10:14 pm
Changed the worn-out pedals on my Frezoni, fitted a mudguard flap and second front light to HK's work bike, fitted new jockey pulleys and new BB and crank to HK's MTB. Now ordering a new BB for HK's S&S bike to get that back on the road. I think she rides them too much!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 12 February, 2011, 05:33:28 pm
That Holdsworth is rather nice
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 13 February, 2011, 08:31:55 am
Quote from: Kim on 10 February, 2011, 10:04:04 pm
Let this be a lesson to you all: Always keep a screwdriver, textphone and morse code lookup table in your bathroom.

Frankly, in your household I'm very surprised to hear these weren't already in your bathroom...  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 February, 2011, 02:50:38 pm
Well, for what it's worth I've put a Morse chart up on the back of the bathroom door.  Prior experience with practising fingerspell while on the loo suggests this will eventually be effective.

(We've been saying we should learn Morse for ages, if only for emergency phone-in-voice-mode situations, and for use in bed.  Deafblind manual is far too fiddly, as it requires access to hands.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 13 February, 2011, 03:54:23 pm
Morse pillowtalk.  You nerds. :thumbsup:

Rear brake fettle here, as part of a whole-bike post-wintering.  Removed and cleaned the v-arms, regreased the nubs and reassembled; replaced the entire cableway from the lever, keeping it as short as sensible (the last one had a couple of inches of flab); chased escaping ferrules around my lair with old HDD magnets; brake now actually stops in a crisp and pleasant way!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 13 February, 2011, 04:40:50 pm
Cleaned the Trek after last weeks Flapjack Audax - I wonder when this 'new bike syndrome' will wear off?

Cleaned the Dahon so lbs won't have to work on a mucky bike tomorrow when they replace the headset bearings for me.  Noted the rust on chain - sprayed it liberally with TF2 - that will have to do for now.

Commenced replacement of rip-off mobile 'phone contract with payg.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 February, 2011, 05:46:30 pm
Stripped a Pashley Pickle tricycle to frame, forks, mudguards, chain-guard ready to take to the powder coat man tomorrow - it's a real miracle of miniature (well, for a 17"and upwards inside leg) cycle engineering.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 February, 2011, 05:55:43 pm
The Pickle uses the same fork crown as the early Moultons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 13 February, 2011, 06:37:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 February, 2011, 02:50:38 pm

(We've been saying we should learn Morse for ages, if only for emergency phone-in-voice-mode situations, and for use in bed. 

Been reading too much Iain Banks?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 14 February, 2011, 01:43:46 pm
Yesterday admittedly, but still well within the last 24 hours: turned the Paddy Wagon upside down in the shed, cleaned about half a pound of greasy grimy black gunk off the chain, sprocket and chainring, wiped the chain down with a cloth, oiled, wiped it down again, tensioned the chain, flipped bike back over.  That's the half-yearly maintenance done.

Now I must try to remember where I left the giant adjustable spanner that Jurek used last weekend when he came round to help with some organ removal work...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 14 February, 2011, 02:55:54 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 February, 2011, 05:55:43 pm
The Pickle uses the same fork crown as the early Moultons.

With a longer handle so you can get vinegar on your fingers.

edit: FTFM -  With a longer handle so you can don't get vinegar on your fingers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 14 February, 2011, 04:25:35 pm
Quote from: PaulR on 14 February, 2011, 01:43:46 pm
Now I must try to remember where I left the giant adjustable spanner that Jurek used last weekend when he came round to help with some organ removal work...

... Last seen still attached to the webbing. With a half-hitch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 February, 2011, 04:39:33 pm
Dismantled HK's MTB, now need to get headset bearings, a new seat-post, a replacement derailleur limit screw and new spokes to rebuild the rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 14 February, 2011, 11:02:09 pm
Gatorskins off, Krylion Carbons on. Liking it so far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 February, 2011, 08:36:58 pm
krylions are 'sposed to be rather nice if you can find em
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 15 February, 2011, 08:40:46 pm
Fitted a BB7 to the front of my tourer. Feels a bit spongy at the mo' but I'll give the adjustment another go tomorrow and then give it time to bed in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 16 February, 2011, 09:08:04 am
I will be swapping the no longer round and slightly cracked campagnolo ambrosio rim for a DRC STII one that is clean, round and has yet to suffer the ministrations of Perthshires potholes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 16 February, 2011, 11:49:32 am
A projector, and another projector, and some tracking software, and a webpage.  And some other stuff, but I've forgotten already....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 16 February, 2011, 11:51:16 am
I'm fettling images for a website.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 16 February, 2011, 12:47:05 pm
My spokes arrived on Monday so I spoked the wheel.
I originally intended to true the wheel on the weekend but I could not resist. So I am slowly getting closer to the wheel I want to build.  At the moment I think I am between a machine built wheel and one made by a master wheel builder.  I can improve it so I will but it takes me loads of time.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 16 February, 2011, 01:17:36 pm
I just replaced the G4 bulbs in our cheapo kitchen downlighters and a right feckin' faff it was too. Broke one of the not cheapo Philps bulbs into the bargain!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 16 February, 2011, 06:47:19 pm
fettling wee bits of fuzzy felt to make some miniature carpets and mats on the 1/24 scale Merc Benz 540K i'm fettling together!  I need smaller fingers!

-edit-- an hour later, bits of felt stuck to my nose to the model, and it doesn't look too bad, if a little too fuzzy..... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 16 February, 2011, 08:43:50 pm
New chain on my fixie. This was my first fettling experience beyond dealing with a puncture.

I was dead impressed I seemed to manage without too much swearing  :thumbsup:

I have, however, just noticed all the little black footprints around the flat where I managed to get a big blob of black gunk from the expired chain onto the sole of my foot  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 February, 2011, 09:51:56 pm
I cleaned my bike, and it seems the neighbours were all mightily impressed because I did it on the workstand on my front drive at the time they were all coming home from work. They all seemed to want to know what the thing my bike was mounted on is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 February, 2011, 10:08:02 pm
Cleaned & oiled my chain.

Shhhh!  Don't tell my skoggy frame, or it might get jealous :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 February, 2011, 10:35:59 pm
Pingu put new brake blocks on my bike for me. I 'helped', and then dispensed tea & cake :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 February, 2011, 11:12:52 am
A puncture.Fail.
Yesterdays puncture,when tested in a bucket of water,revealed no air bubbles :o
So I refitted the tube.
Checked this morning & the tyre is flat.Checked again for bubbles in water.No Bubbles :o
Sod it.Fitted new tube & relegated suspect tube to the "to be cut up for packers &thelike" stock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 February, 2011, 02:57:44 pm
Fitted a new BB to one of HK's bikes. I finally feel like I'm getting ahead of the game and the end of the maintenance backlog might be in sight.

Repacked HK's MTB headset, fitted a replacement seatpost bolt and will be respoking the rear wheel after dinner. Just need to replace the front wheel and seatpost, restring the cables and fit Ergon grips and it can finally be used again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 18 February, 2011, 03:01:17 pm
Quote from: Pippa on 16 February, 2011, 08:43:50 pm
I have, however, just noticed all the little black footprints around the flat where I managed to get a big blob of black gunk from the expired chain onto the sole of my foot  :facepalm:

Dark carpeting FTW!  Though a drop cloth of some sort is probably a better idea.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 18 February, 2011, 05:19:58 pm
Or, indeed, laminate flooring.  Although we discovered that laminate flooring+marathon winters=need to be veeeeeeeeery careful parking the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 February, 2011, 01:42:57 am
I have had a bike electronics fettle-fest.

Moved my IQ Cyo onto a longer fork crown bracket to clear the brake cable.

Fitted a wire with piggy back spade connectors to my dyno hub, and a Tamiya connector on the other end just under my bars.
Fitted the other half of the Tamiya connector to my new Dahon Reecharge USB charging thingy that now lives inside my bar bag because it is fugly.

Cut open and soldered the data wires together inside a Garmin mini USB cable so charging it doesn't send it into PC mode.
Discovered how to use my self amalgamating tape to seal it all up.

I am considering adding a mini switch somewhere so I can turn the charger on and off more easily than disconnecting the Tamiya connector, but it all works very well as it is  :thumbsup:

I managed not to cut myself with the stanley knife I was using but I did burn my thumb on my soldering iron. I burn myself on the damn thing every time I use it, which so far is twice  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: giropaul on 19 February, 2011, 08:21:12 am
Quote from: Feline on 19 February, 2011, 01:42:57 am
I have had a bike electronics fettle-fest.

Moved my IQ Cyo onto a longer fork crown bracket to clear the brake cable.

Fitted a wire with piggy back spade connectors to my dyno hub, and a Tamiya connector on the other end just under my bars.
Fitted the other half of the Tamiya connector to my new Dahon Reecharge USB charging thingy that now lives inside my bar bag because it is fugly.

Cut open and soldered the data wires together inside a Garmin mini USB cable so charging it doesn't send it into PC mode.
Discovered how to use my self amalgamating tape to seal it all up.

I am considering adding a mini switch somewhere so I can turn the charger on and off more easily than disconnecting the Tamiya connector, but it all works very well as it is  :thumbsup:

I managed not to cut myself with the stanley knife I was using but I did burn my thumb on my soldering iron. I burn myself on the damn thing every time I use it, which so far is twice  :facepalm:

Your bike sounds more complex than my car. Will you also be fitting an electric motor in the bottom bracket as per the Cancellara allegations?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 February, 2011, 11:47:38 am
Fettled a new RJ45 plug onto the network cable that goes into the lounge, stopping the annoying cable drop out we have been experiencing for the past few weeks....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 19 February, 2011, 12:14:39 pm
Fitted the Brompton Rear Frame Clip Retro-fit Kit, hard suspension block, and easywheels.
Replaced the rear brake pads of the bent (after 7653km, I <3 disk brakes).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 19 February, 2011, 01:17:22 pm
I found a combination of spacers that fits my sprocket in place on the new hub.  Added rim tape.  Added tube and tyre.  If I can remember how to ride a bike I may go out later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 19 February, 2011, 02:30:26 pm
Fitted a Blackburn rack to my Trek Pilot.  If I'd known what a faff it is I'd have paid the lbs to do it for me!  On the Pilot the rack screws to the inside of the fork stays which makes it really difficult getting the bolts in straight.  The rack might look ugly, but it's not ever coming off now it's on there!

I robbed the rear light off the Pashley to go on the new rack too.  I really must stop stealing - there'll be nothing left of the Pashley but the frame soon!

Of course now I have the rack I really need to go shopping for a rack pack.  There's always something to shop for!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 February, 2011, 07:54:26 pm
Finished HK's rear MTB wheel, fitted a new cassette and the last of the spare chains and fitted the handlebars. Not too far off finishing it now and then just the tandems to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 19 February, 2011, 08:07:50 pm
The recent rain had turned almost all paths into quagmires/swamps full of that special Sustrans-branded Mudd(TM), which has a trans-normal affiliation to bikes.  The very nice man at Loughborough (Great Central) station allowed me to use the hose-for-filling-coach-water-tanks to de-skogg the Trek.

It's not true that belt-drive doesn't need lubrication.  It makes nasty squeaking noises when bone-dry.  That DHMO stuff quietens it splendidly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 20 February, 2011, 10:22:53 pm
I tightened TGL's chain, then had a look at my brake cable which was jammed.  I'd inspected the brake cable end last night, and it was fine, so I hoped it would be OK.  Sadly not.  It was stuck in the outer cable.  And I can't find any outer cables in the house :(

On the other hand, I got my old Galaxy out and ready for commuting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Androcles on 20 February, 2011, 10:29:03 pm
Fixed front mudguard after the stays came adrift last Thursday, cleaned a proportion of Derbyshire out of the rear guard and discovered significant oil reserves clinging to jockey wheels.

Also doused son's chain with lube as it had been quietly fossilising over the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2011, 10:31:44 pm
Strung gear cables for HK's MTB. Not far to go now. Been eyeing up the tandems for the next batch of fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 February, 2011, 12:50:06 am
Fitted a tyre and tube to a new wheel. Schwalbe Durano Plus's seem to go on pretty easily, I was expecting a struggle but there was none  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 21 February, 2011, 12:59:59 am
Pinch puncture on the rear wheel of my Ribble (trying to slalom through road detritus on the A10). Spent far too long looking for the direction arrow on the tire for direction of rotation before remembering that slick tires don't need them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 21 February, 2011, 09:39:42 am
Sat

Un-jam upstream mooring pole from the riverbed. 3 hours. Add another length of scaffold pole to existing length and hammer 5ft of scaffold pole into ground. 1 hour.  Get home and discover my hands are so knackered, I can't even lift a glass.

Sun

Start to jack land end of gangplank up (bank has slumped by 2ft, taking gangplank with it). Discover hi-lift jack has rusted and isn't working. Oil, spanners and swearing - jack now working. Get gangplank lifted by nearly 2ft. Spend one hour clearing debri from canoe's mooring lines. Matchboard and varnish side of cupboard. Go home, get take-away. Hands not too knackered to lift beer bottle. Watch Sean of the Dead and discover hip has seized completely when trying to stand up.

Now if only I could lift this cough off my lungs, I could get back on bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 February, 2011, 09:41:36 am
Fairly big fettle session over the weekend.

Repaired one of the hutches where the guinea pigs had been eating the door frame.

Put my SON28 into a new OpenPro rim - the old Sputnik rim was getting badly worn, and it won't comfortably take the narrower tyres needed to fit into my Roubaix. I realised I'm not going to have time to get a SONdelux and build it before next weekend's ride, so brought forward the rim change on this hub slightly.

Started to put the Roubaix into audax mode - not strictly necessary yet for early season rides, but I want to ride it as close to possible to PBP spec all year to iron out any niggles and my first qualifier is next Saturday.
Removed the tribars, which meant moving the computer.
Put in wheel with dynohub.
Fitted IQ Cyo front light.
Removed quick release clamp for my seat pack and replaced it with a bagman expedition QR.
Realised that some of the leather straps on my Nelson are coming adrift, so sewed them back on.
Spent some time playing with rear light positions - the seat post fitting currently on there gets partially blocked by the saddlebag. Need to sort some clamps for the rear light and make a routesheet holder (my current audax bike has one custom moulded from Polymorph to fit the stem, with a bulldog clip lined with rubber embedded in it to hold the laminated sheets).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2011, 09:44:56 am
Quote from: MattH on 21 February, 2011, 09:41:36 am
and make a routesheet holder (my current audax bike has one custom moulded from Polymorph to fit the stem, with a bulldog clip lined with rubber embedded in it to hold the laminated sheets).

Ooh. Pics please. How is the polymorph block held onto the stem?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 February, 2011, 10:47:56 am
I'll take a pic later. Imaging a roughly desert-spoon shaped piece of polymorph, placed on the stem so the "handle" runs down the stem, and the inverted bowl of the spoon cups the bar clamp area of the stem. The clip is embedded in the bowl part, with a piece of inner tube glued inside, so it grips the laminated route sheet well. The routesheet then sits straight on top of the stem.
The "handle" part is actually quite wide, and curves slightly around the stem. Being moulded, it nestles perfectly in place. Then two cable ties are put around the handle and stem clamp it down.
There is no backboard for the sheets - laminated A4 folded into quarters to read on the bike is quite stiff enough, and means I don't have to take the holder off when I'm not audaxing as it doesn't get in the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 21 February, 2011, 11:35:10 am
I've got some route sheet holder fettling to do too.

This weekend was a typical nightmare fettling session. Have downgraded my 10 speed drivetrain to 8 speed (campag shifters and shimano rear end) to take the JTek shiftmate out of the cable run which was just too exposed to crap and grime for winter use. Lubed my spangly clean chain with my newly aquired bottle of ChainL No5 and noted odometer distance as it claims 1000 miles between applications.

Then noticed that two spokes had popped in my back wheel. Hang on, no, not spokes, but nipples sheared off in the rim eyelets as the spokes were obviously just too short for comfort. Took at least 45 minutes to stick new nipples in and true it up. Then ordered the correct size spokes from Spa so now have yet another wheel to build up.

Finally got around to fitting my new Selle Anatomica saddle and still trying to get the position just right but I won't pass comment on that until it's at least done a couple of 200+ audaxes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 February, 2011, 11:38:43 am
I too need to sort my bike in readiness for this weekend's audax,particularly something to hold a routesheet.
I am considering a waterproof bag on a neck loop or someway to wear it on my forearm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 21 February, 2011, 11:48:52 am
Another server cabinet with my cooltool.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 21 February, 2011, 06:03:13 pm
Feline's new Sabbath!  It is LOVELY. 

Prepare to drool when she posts the piccies later..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 February, 2011, 06:08:56 pm
Bar bag brackets.
Who'dathunk that something so simple could be so bloody infuriating ... and I've got another 4 bikes to do  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2011, 07:43:16 pm
Following the Great Hub Gear breaking as reported here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg863133#msg863133), I unmantled the borked hub. As it was jammed to buggery I had to apply an amount of percussive maintenance to separate the planet gear carrier from the spindle. Closer inspection revealed 5 teeth broken off the sun gear, the remains of which were the jamming everything together. One of the planets has a bust tooth as well. 

I have a suitable spare hub for cannibalisation, but no circlip pliers, so furthe progress will have to wait until tomorrow when I can blag a pair from work.

I never cease to be amazed by the simplicity of  a three speed hub gear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 February, 2011, 02:11:00 pm
HK's MTB now has mudguards, a rack, new seat-post, saddle from her work bike and new brake pads, brake cables and grips. Just need to sort out rim tapes and a front wheel and tyre to finish it off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 February, 2011, 02:44:53 pm
In readiness for this weekend's sceduled 200km audax I have prepped the Trek by refitting from other bikes....
a Bagman Q.R. Expedition
a Carradice Barley
a Topeak bar extender
a Polaris maptrap
pumped up the tyres(partially deflated due to lack of use  :-[ )

just need to prep. myself now :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 February, 2011, 11:26:46 pm
Tyres. Lots of tyres.

Took the studded tyres off the work bike, mainly due to a distinct lack of snow, and refitted the Panaracer RibMos. Given that getting these tyres onto Shimano factory rims requires thumbs of steel and a good vocabulary of curse words, I'm pleased to report that there were 100% fewer demolished tyre levers (and thumbs) than the last time I did this.

Also solved the seatpost-related (non)issue on my new tourer, but that's another story entirely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 February, 2011, 03:44:34 pm
Quote from: jogler on 22 February, 2011, 02:44:53 pm
In readiness for this weekend's sceduled 200km audax I have prepped the Trek by refitting from other bikes....
a Bagman Q.R. Expedition
a Carradice Barley
a Topeak bar extender
a Polaris maptrap
pumped up the tyres(partially deflated due to lack of use  :-[ )

just need to prep. myself now :-\

Let us know how you get on :thumbsup:

Today, I've dug around in the attic and sorted out some bits for to sell.

I've also rescued the SS MTB from its gradual reversion to rust in the yard (I haven't touched it since December).  Chain cleaned and oiled, chainring bolts re-tightened, brakes fettled and broken spoke replaced. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 February, 2011, 03:46:16 pm
Added another bottle cage to the Trek
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 February, 2011, 06:50:38 pm
While running testdisk on my flaptop, so I can re-create yet again the MBR on my external drive, I noticed my lap was getting v. hot. And then the laptop shut down.

Armed with a teeny crosshead screwdriver and an Opinel No. 7, I opened it up,jibbled (thank you Kim) the fan, cleaned accumulated gunk out of the airways and reassembled.

Downloaded a temperature monitor doofus.

Rebooted. Fan works. Temp stays normal. Trowsis do not get burnt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 February, 2011, 09:43:01 pm
Nothing.  I went for a bike ride instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 February, 2011, 11:18:51 pm
Just swapped the Marathon Plus on my Ridgebacks for Durano Plus.  They are tight.  But they look good. :thumbsup:

And I came home via OldBikeTrader, so I've got some bits to repair the cable run.  That might be tomorrow night.  Fettling is very painful right now, but satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 February, 2011, 11:22:24 pm
Fixed Morag's bike so the brakes don't stay jammed on. Just needed some lube working into the pivots.

She should be out for the knapp run tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 24 February, 2011, 01:17:38 am
Fixed the slow running sink drain in my kitchen. Waste trap was clear. Investigated further on and found the 90 deg bend dropping from the trap was clogged with debris.

Why was it clogged? Because the inside surface of the bend has come away creating a ledge inside the pipe to trap stuff!

Also noted that the pipe out of the bend had been cut very shoddily; by a drunk monkey by the look of it. Aka the plumber who installed my boiler. Fucking cowboys.  >:(

So I need to replace that bend. And note to self: if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 February, 2011, 01:20:56 am
The bathroom, fettled into a state of cleanliness.

I'm still contemplating the kitchen....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 February, 2011, 01:30:05 am
you don't sleep much do you CL
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 February, 2011, 01:36:42 am
I can fall sleep pretty much anytime.  And pretty much anywhere.  And there isn't enough sleep in the world for me - I could (and at various points in the past not infrequently have) sleep for 12 hours a day quite happily.


But I rarely sleep enough.  I suspect it's a habit I've picked up from my mum (she's always a bit last minute about stuff too).  Plus I benefit hugely from a bit of time in the day with nobody around me, which in the school holidays in particular doesn't happen until everyone else has gone to bed.  And of course the kitchen still needs cleaning....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2011, 01:41:57 am
Sleep is what mornings are for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 February, 2011, 01:46:26 am
It must be said that weekend/holiday mornings have vastly improved since the SmallestCub got big enough to get himself up and to the the loo unaided, and the EldestCub got big enough to make breakfast for them both.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 24 February, 2011, 09:10:43 pm
In the middle of an uber-fettling session, I'm currently taking a beer break.

So far today, I've replaced the rear bearings on the SS MTB, after even earphones failed to drown out the horrible grinding noise coming from that direction.  It was a mess inside there, but now all smoo-oth.  Must sort out the front wheel sometime too, since they're of an age.

I also modified the chain tensioner a tad, but it's proving more hassle than it's worth, and since I reckon I have enough stuff, I'll probably put some gears on there.

That done, I set about solving the Mystery of the Grinding Noise on my Dave Yates.  Replacing the rear hub bearings a couple of weeks ago hadn't solved it, nor had slackening the chain.  Thankfully, a new chain has done the trick, so we once again have silent running.

Then, I set about the tourer.  Cleaned the chain, swapped the cassette, changed the rear tyre, tried to service the rear hub bearings, but I need a more substantial cone spanner.  Took off the cranks and out the BB, packed them with copaslip and replaced them, then re-indexed the gears and changed the rear tyre.  Next, the front end.

Once I've done that, I've my nephew's bike to repair.  After a once-over, the main issues are a shattered non-drive side BB cup, a broken rear rim, a stretched, rusty chain, serious signs of corrosion around the fork crown.  I might have to teach him the merits of preventive maintenance :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 24 February, 2011, 09:58:38 pm
I have a very shiny chain on a very dirty bike.
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/DSC00209.jpg)

Spin-tastic.


(Turned out I'm not quite as incompetant as it appeared yesterday)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 February, 2011, 10:16:19 pm
Yesterday, I made a trek out to SE London to get a couple of little Sturmey Archer bits.

Tonight I fitted them, and now my fixed is all luvly and luvly again :D

Had a ride round town, and feel like I might be able to ride to work tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MSeries on 24 February, 2011, 10:20:40 pm
I unstressed a wheel that I tensioned on Tuesday and laced on Sunday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 February, 2011, 10:35:26 pm
I got the bike computer out of the packaging. And decided I just couldn't be arsed, and  would rather watch Gray's Anatomy dvds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2011, 10:38:08 pm
Sorted that bottom bracket out, and put all my tools away.  And hoovered the stairs (which, some of you may recall, was re-classified as "dangerous use of power tools" after a hair entanglement incident, and therefore counts as fettling rather than housework).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 24 February, 2011, 10:39:12 pm
I sprayed lots of TF2 on the chain of my Dahon to mask the squeaky sound.  I should really replace it - I have a new chain so that's a job for Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 February, 2011, 10:41:44 pm
Sturmey-Archer toggle chains, plus assorted other bits of faffing around with canned gears.

As a result, my Dave Yates now has three properly functioning gears rather than 2 + 'floating neutral', and my Marin can now shift between 4th and 5th without making terrifying graunching noises (combination of slack cable and muck in the cassette joint)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2011, 10:42:22 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 24 February, 2011, 10:35:26 pm
I got the bike computer out of the packaging. And decided I just couldn't be arsed, and  would rather watch Gray's Anatomy dvds.

Does this mean that at some point in future arsedness will return and the spoke magnet will have gone AWOL?


Actually, Gray's Anatomy and bike computers have a lot in common.  They're both a lot less interesting to watch than you expect them to be, and prone to exciting unexplained developments when you're not paying attention...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 24 February, 2011, 10:52:03 pm
Yesterday I swapped marathon winters for commuter tyres on the mtb.
Technically, yes, I swapped the tyres. Getting the rear one to stay inflated hasn't happened yet. Its rather tight, broke a tyre lever and after three flats yesterday I gave up, with hands too sore to post in the rant thread (and filthy to boot). I've been out today so haven't tried again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 25 February, 2011, 05:21:53 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2011, 09:44:56 am
Quote from: MattH on 21 February, 2011, 09:41:36 am
and make a routesheet holder (my current audax bike has one custom moulded from Polymorph to fit the stem, with a bulldog clip lined with rubber embedded in it to hold the laminated sheets).

Ooh. Pics please. How is the polymorph block held onto the stem?

The block is made by making a ball shaping lump, pressing it into the stem and then pushing one of the metal arms of the bulldog clip into the polymorph (and smoothing the polymorph over the top of it).
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5476308505_b75b285151.jpg)

A cable tie or two hold it in place - it won't rotate or move up and down the stem as it is moulded to sit there perfectly. This clip isn't quite finished - it needs a small piece of old inner tube gluing inside the jaws to grip the routesheet better.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5476308607_667dbef331.jpg)
My older one (on my Audax Mk3, as used for the last two or three years) has the clip mounted directly over the handlebars, with the piece that runs down the stem a little longer and using two cable ties to secure. On that bike the GPS and computer sit on the tribars, so there is more handlebar space. Here I had to move the clip down the stem a bit to clear the GPS - I'm running without tribars on this bike as I want to get used to that for PBP.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5476308379_93ca5c5e5d.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 February, 2011, 06:26:27 pm
I finally installed the front mech hanger onto the TCR and put a new cable in at the same time. Then washed both the TCR and the Etape. Both are now fit to ride at a moments notice depending upon the weather to determine which is the better option.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jezzasnr on 26 February, 2011, 08:22:11 am
The winter/work/utility fixie was in need of some drive chain attention.
I'd been using a 1/8" sprocket & chain with a std big ring from a mtb in the middle ring space on the chainset. It had had it's day with teeth close to shark fin shape!
So, new goldtec 34t 1/8" chainring & 13t sprocket for the back.

(http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx256/jezzasnr/4860dbfd.jpg)

(http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx256/jezzasnr/8dbb6ec6.jpg)

All looks & feels nice solid.

Out for a spin later, providing the sink fitting / plumbing all goes to plan.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 February, 2011, 12:14:15 pm
I'm sooooooo close to turning Margaret Hilda into scrap metal.   Before Chirsitmas I swapped over the tyres for some of a smaller profile.   Not much, 35's to 32's whcih makes the difference between catching the frame and not catching the frame for the rear.

The wheels with new tyres have been sitting separate to the bike since the swap over - the bike resting on the stand.  

I need to fettle tourers today so I thought 'I'll just put those wheels on, move her out of the way and get on with the job.

1/2 an hour later and I'm almost beside myself with frustration and rage.  The bloody back wheel will not go back between the dropouts.  It seems to have grown by about 5mm and I just don't seem able to force the dropouts apart enough for it to drop back in.

I have to leave it before I do lose control and do some permanent damage to her.   >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 February, 2011, 02:32:59 pm
Well, I went back to the workshop equipped with a long lever.   She surrendered without struggling   :D

I'm going to have to look closely at that back end in a couple of weeks though.  I don't want to be stuck on the road miles form home and unable to get my back wheel back in.   Maybe a tad of cold-setting might be in order...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 26 February, 2011, 03:04:17 pm
I replaced the rusty chain on my Dahon folder.  I was quite shocked how much the old one had stretched in comparison, but then again it wouldn't surprise me if the previous owner hadn't changed it from new.

I also cleaned the original chain from the Pashley by scrubbing it thoroughly in the sink in hot water and muc-off.  I was amazed at how well it scrubbed up.  I'll save it as a special treat for when I do the Toggle Chain Tour in June.

I'm not very experienced with the chain tool so I'll have a play with some of the spare bits of chain now.   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 February, 2011, 04:15:19 pm
Fixed a mute Wii, cable must have got damaged when we swapped TVs just after Xmas, and it hasn't been played since, until TLD and her mate wanted to play Just Dance, which is a bit tricky with no sound! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 26 February, 2011, 04:31:46 pm
Ditched the inner tube and the tyre changed fine. Then fitted bike seat to Mrs Dan's bike. Stopped short of cleaning the bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 26 February, 2011, 06:26:46 pm
Plied my brother with coffee, soup, biscuits while between us we bled the hydraulic brakes of the Grasshopper.  This made exactly NO difference to the braking performance - i.e. the wheels would not do more than 1/4 of a turn when spun with the brakes (nominally) off.  Much faffing with Q-tip and hydraulic oil, and a cone spanner to rotate the sticking calipers, and suddenly they're working splendidly.

Next tuit-pending task; to de-winterise the Windcheetah.  Remove rear wheel cable ties, re-attach head cushion velcro, re-attach parking brake, possibly a new chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 February, 2011, 06:45:08 pm
Cassette and brand new goldie lookin' chain went into the ultrasonic tank using Teh New Chemicalz (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=44368.msg865735#msg865735) (foul stinking ammonia based stuff - these really have come out of satan's bum).

With disappointing results  :( requiring deployment of Fairy Liquid and a small brush to mechanically remove the remains of greasy residue.

Tomorrow I shall look for a citrus based de-greaser with which to replenish the ultrasonic tank.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 26 February, 2011, 06:49:14 pm
I'm about to fettle my Pompino ahead of tomorrow's riding.

Time to give her a clean up and replace the chain. Adjust the brakes and true the rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 26 February, 2011, 06:51:39 pm
Quote from: simonp on 26 February, 2011, 06:49:14 pm
I'm about to fettle my Pompino ahead of tomorrow's riding.

Time to give her a clean up and replace the chain. Adjust the brakes and true the rear wheel.


Nooooooo - don't clean it! It'll make mine look even worse than it is. And is is quite bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 February, 2011, 07:21:02 pm
I am going absolutely nuts, I haven't yet been able to take my new Sabbath September on it's maiden ride as I spent 3 days away just as soon as it was built and now I am having to work long days friday saturday and sunday. I am now home from work and have had my dinner so I think I am going to fit it's Cateye computer, Garmin bracket and Cyo front light tonight so that when I get home from work tomorrow evening I can finally take it out for a spin  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 26 February, 2011, 07:52:34 pm
Can you carry luggage on that there September or does it bend?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 February, 2011, 08:29:32 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 26 February, 2011, 07:52:34 pm
Can you carry luggage on that there September or does it bend?

I can carry luggage :)
The bagman fits so I have a Barley on the back now, and it does have rack mounts at the back. I didn't buy this bike for touring though, I would use it for lightweight credit card touring only probably!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 February, 2011, 09:38:19 pm
In the interests of completing tomorrow's trip to Coventry without  a) use of buses  or  b) bike theft  I gave the much-neglected folding BSO a once-over.  Wheels really need truing, and I couldn't be arsed with that, but I did make the brakes work properly and persuade the seatpost to stay put.  I'll put some air in the tyres in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 26 February, 2011, 10:31:16 pm
At the end of the summer ( luckily ) my Hayter 480S mower's belt drive failed.
I took it apart and figured out which parts to order.
I finally got around to fixing it all back together today.
On the third attempt I figured out the parts that were replaced were because they part they all attached too is worn hence it all fell off in the first place. 
Back to the drawing board on Monday and I'll ring Hayter again and take some advice.

I had great fun though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 26 February, 2011, 10:33:32 pm
New filters fitted to the hoover.  New ceramic coals placed on our new-second-hand gas fire.

Man my life sucks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 February, 2011, 10:38:34 pm
Hoover maintenance (and by extension, accessory and spares purchasing) counts as cleaning-by-proxy and is therefore virtuous.  Trufax.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 February, 2011, 09:31:02 am
Quote from: interzen on 24 February, 2011, 10:41:44 pm
Sturmey-Archer toggle chains, plus assorted other bits of faffing around with canned gears.

As a result, my Dave Yates now has three properly functioning gears rather than 2 + 'floating neutral', and my Marin can now shift between 4th and 5th without making terrifying graunching noises (combination of slack cable and muck in the cassette joint)

I'm still having trouble with Mrs. Hall's Nexus 8 speed. I cleaned the cassette joint a week or so back, but the problem (delayed down shift, graunching noise) returned last night. Should there be any lubrication on the cassette joint?  The other thing that happens is the cable-outer ferrule will dislocate from the socket in the lever, throwing the indexing off until it's relocated.  Any ideas?

Meanwhile, fettling yesterday included cleaning the transmission on the pinkmagenta bike and fitting new gear cables. Cleaning a winter's worth of crud off the fixer. Can now see it has a Goldie Looking Chain. Pumping up the tyres on Mrs. Hall's no. 2 bike, looking at the chain and hoping no-one I know sees it. Stretched doesn't come close.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 February, 2011, 10:54:54 am
Fitted a replacement headlamp bulb in the Mondeo.A classic example of how not to design something.
Remove radiator grille :o
Remove complete light assembly from vehicle ::-)
Remove rear panel from light assembly :facepalm:

gives access to bulbs

reverse the process
in the rain
FFS Ford,get a grip >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 February, 2011, 12:58:16 pm
Quote from: jogler on 27 February, 2011, 10:54:54 am
Fitted a replacement headlamp bulb in the Mondeo.A classic example of how not to design something.
Remove radiator grille :o
Remove complete light assembly from vehicle ::-)
Remove rear panel from light assembly :facepalm:

gives access to bulbs

reverse the process
in the rain
FFS Ford,get a grip >:(

Swap you, in our family we have a Megane CC and a Scenic.  You need 10' long arms with 5 elbows in each just to be able to get at the back of the light unit (that is without completely dismantling the front end of the car). Designed by Oran-utans me thinks :)

Anyway onto my fettling today:
Cleared garage
Took a load of useless tat to skips
threw once-a-mouse in the bin (Lord Dashworth had left it under a pile of wood that went to the skips)
removed old BB from a Raliegh frame I bought last year
Fitted 105 BB to same frame then realised I only had a compact chainset for that BB, so removed BB and fitted an ISIS BB and a Truvatic double chainset.
Fitted rack back onto Ridley
Found that Knog DryDog still not able to go far enough back so will have to resort to using Creak2Peak panniers and seperate neoprene laptop case.
Fitted childseat to the Giant awaiting pick up from CL's other half.
Now just need to find some flat pedals for Giant so I can reclam the spds on there...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 February, 2011, 02:23:35 pm
Citrus based degreaser was acquired from Halfwits / Bike Hut (Currently on buy one-get a second one at half price, offer).

Goldie lookin' chain had a 20 minute ultrasonic session, and has emerged as if it has been kissed by the sparklefest fairy  :thumbsup:.

A massive improvement over yesterday's grease gala (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg869011#msg869011).

EDIT - fitted it all back onto a freshly cleaned bike, and adjusted the headset and brakes, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to try it out to see whether I can get away without changing the cassette  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 February, 2011, 04:58:03 pm
Took apart two cotter pinned cranks with no problem, the third decided to  just round the threaded bits.  I used the proper vice method,
Arse

Now how to get the pins out?

Changed the fuel filter on the laguna as I hope that the filter was clogged and hence the noisy injectors but doubt it.  Think it need some injector cleaner and diesel straight in to the filter and that will probably be better, but I shall wait and see, another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jezzasnr on 27 February, 2011, 05:31:20 pm
A good day!!
Bathroom basin fitted, plumbed in, found the bits i'd lost yesterday and all working!
New battery cover for digi camera arrived yesterday, fitted today. All working like new.
I'm not touch another thing today. Weekend luck quota now exhausted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 27 February, 2011, 06:11:22 pm
Quote from: jogler on 27 February, 2011, 10:54:54 am
Fitted a replacement headlamp bulb in the Mondeo.A classic example of how not to design something.
Remove radiator grille :o
Remove complete light assembly from vehicle ::-)
Remove rear panel from light assembly :facepalm:

gives access to bulbs

reverse the process
in the rain
FFS Ford,get a grip >:(

Rover 75 Headlight bulb, (dip beam, the one that is used all the time so actually needs replacing.)

Do not open bonnet.

Turn steering to full lock, turning away from side with failed bulb.

Undo fastner, no tools needed, on front surface of wheel arch, and remove access plate.

Remove rubber cover on back of light unit.

Pull off connector from bulb.

Release clip and remove bulb.

Admittedly, you get your hands dirty, and most of the procedure is done by feel, but it's well under 5 mins and no tools needed. It just shows they can get it right if they want to.

And on the same car, changing the handbrake cable start with removing radio!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 27 February, 2011, 06:29:22 pm
Quote from: Lynx on 27 February, 2011, 04:58:03 pm
Took apart two cotter pinned cranks with no problem, the third decided to  just round the threaded bits.
That was your mistake. You're only supposed to fit two cranks to each bike.

Quote
Now how to get the pins out?
Drill them (carefully).

(http://www.rossall.plus.com/cotter2.jpg)(http://www.rossall.plus.com/cotter1.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jane on 27 February, 2011, 07:16:37 pm
Quote from: Feline on 26 February, 2011, 08:29:32 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 26 February, 2011, 07:52:34 pm
Can you carry luggage on that there September or does it bend?

I can carry luggage :)
The bagman fits so I have a Barley on the back now, and it does have rack mounts at the back. I didn't buy this bike for touring though, I would use it for lightweight credit card touring only probably!
My Sabbath has carried a Camper Longflap stuffed with kit enough for a weeks camping. (I will admit I travel light, but still a decent load).  It has also hauled a trailer (albeit only a lightly loaded one).  It coped fine.  I hope you have as much fun on yours as I have had in the last two years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 February, 2011, 07:54:50 pm
Quote from: jane on 27 February, 2011, 07:16:37 pm
Quote from: Feline on 26 February, 2011, 08:29:32 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 26 February, 2011, 07:52:34 pm
Can you carry luggage on that there September or does it bend?

I can carry luggage :)
The bagman fits so I have a Barley on the back now, and it does have rack mounts at the back. I didn't buy this bike for touring though, I would use it for lightweight credit card touring only probably!
My Sabbath has carried a Camper Longflap stuffed with kit enough for a weeks camping. (I will admit I travel light, but still a decent load).  It has also hauled a trailer (albeit only a lightly loaded one).  It coped fine.  I hope you have as much fun on yours as I have had in the last two years.

Thanks Jane, that's very good to know! Once I have done PBP I may well consider taking my September on holiday around the UK :)
Did you buy the bigger support for your longflap or was it OK on the standard Bagman? I might well buy one of those 1kg tents for super-lightweight camping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 27 February, 2011, 08:03:45 pm
Not sure if it counts as fettling but chopped up a huge quantity of waste wood into log burner sized chunks using the sliding mitre saw I bought yesterday. It even has a laser ! Top fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2011, 08:54:20 pm
Succeeded in getting a PIC to talk to the 1-wire bus via a DS2408.  I can now instruct LEDs to blink on and off in complicated sequences from the comfort of my terminal window.  Next job is to dig up my notes from 2004 and cobble together a PCB design, then an altogether more reliable (not to mention versatile) alerting system will be a Small Matter Of Programming.   :thumbsup:

Which will mean I'll be able to get to work on building version 2 of my highly efficient dynamo charger, with added magic smoke retention circuit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 01 March, 2011, 11:37:29 am
I'm assuming that that ^^^^ make sense....

I have cleaned the remainder of the Yorkshire Wolds landscape off my bike, and taken her to the corner shop.  I had to clean her first, she was embarassingly filthy.  They are going to do disc-brake-magic, hopefully.  And wield a pedal spanner (which, together with a workstand, I don't currently have access to) to clean and grease the pedal threads because the funny click is back.  And possibly fit some new tyres.  I decided to stick with the cheap and cheerful bontrager racelite hardcases - they've lasted a year, probably somewhere between 3annahalf and 4 thousand miles and I've had 2 visitations.  I have said that if they agree that they need replacing that I think I should swap the 32s for 28s because the mudguard clearance is a bit tight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 01 March, 2011, 06:04:24 pm
I've fitted a rear light to new bike and pumped the tyres up in preparation for tomorrow's ride to Haslingden and Accrington. If I decide to take it.
There will be hills but there will also be some tracks.
I've also put some hot-melt adhesive into the cleat bolts on my shoes (thanks Kim  :thumbsup: ).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 March, 2011, 11:24:45 pm
Quote from: Deano on 24 February, 2011, 09:10:43 pm
In the middle of an uber-fettling session, I'm currently taking a beer break.

So far today, I've replaced the rear bearings on the SS MTB, after even earphones failed to drown out the horrible grinding noise coming from that direction.  It was a mess inside there, but now all smoo-oth.  Must sort out the front wheel sometime too, since they're of an age.

I also modified the chain tensioner a tad, but it's proving more hassle than it's worth, and since I reckon I have enough stuff, I'll probably put some gears on there.

That done, I set about solving the Mystery of the Grinding Noise on my Dave Yates.  Replacing the rear hub bearings a couple of weeks ago hadn't solved it, nor had slackening the chain.  Thankfully, a new chain has done the trick, so we once again have silent running.

Then, I set about the tourer.  Cleaned the chain, swapped the cassette, changed the rear tyre, tried to service the rear hub bearings, but I need a more substantial cone spanner.  Took off the cranks and out the BB, packed them with copaslip and replaced them, then re-indexed the gears and changed the rear tyre.  Next, the front end.

Once I've done that, I've my nephew's bike to repair.  After a once-over, the main issues are a shattered non-drive side BB cup, a broken rear rim, a stretched, rusty chain, serious signs of corrosion around the fork crown.  I might have to teach him the merits of preventive maintenance :-\

Tourer now dealt with - stem removed, slight corrosion wet 'n' dried off, repacked in copaslip and replaced.  Same with the seatpost.  Headset re-greased.  Front mech... well, looked at.  It seems a bit stiff, so I sprayed some WD40 around the pivots and worked it in a bit.  Really, it was only finding the top cog that was an issue, and a 52-tooth big ring is probably a bit unnecessary on a touring bike, and it sees very little use, except when chasing down ferry timetables and shortening the time spent on busy A-roads.

Finally, I replaced the front tyre (1.25" Paselas rather than 1.6" Marathon XRs, for road and audaxing purposes) and fine-tuned the brakes for evil stopping power.  Job jobbed.

I still have the nephew's bike to deal with  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 March, 2011, 11:19:16 am
Only fettling I did last night was to measure the chain wear on my fixed.

:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 March, 2011, 11:22:58 am
charged batteries and lights ready for another night ride tonight (did 20 miles last night, got back as lights severly dimming)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 March, 2011, 11:31:28 am
Cleaned my bike of Saturday's mud, repaired or tossed four tubes and fitted windy-provided limit screws to HK's MTB, along with new grips. Just need to sort out a front wheel, rear rim tape, pedals and possibly some brake levers and it's a goer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 02 March, 2011, 12:06:50 pm
My bike ride reporting script to report my Eddington number (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Eddington#Eddington_number_.28cycling.29). (almost, see below)

Via a simplistic, but O(n^2) :-[ SQL query... it's quick enough for now though (i.e. instantaneous)

Code: [Select]
echo "<table class=\"stats\">"
 
sqlite3 -html bike.sq3 <<EOF
select cast (t.distance as integer) as eddington_number from times t
where cast (t.distance as integer)<=(select count(x.distance) from times x where x.distance>=cast (t.distance as integer))
order by -t.distance limit 1;
EOF
echo "</table>"
running through the ordered query, maintaining the cumulative count outside of SQL qould be more elegant, I guess, but ICBA for now.

I also define my number based on single rides, not miles per day... although a single ride might have a (potentially long) break in it, so the distinction's not that absolute.  It does mean that some days where I did two distinct rides of e.g. 20 miles,  count (twice) into my "20" or more bucket, but not at all into my "40 or more" bucket (which the day-based definition on the wikipedia page would imply).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 March, 2011, 06:44:06 pm
A roadside fettle no less to reconnect the front mech cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 02 March, 2011, 06:49:14 pm
On Sunday I serviced the commuter. Thorough clean, new cables (inner and outer) new pads on rear brakes, thorough lube, measured chain wear, and according to my Park Tools chain wear measurer it's now complete!! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 March, 2011, 09:52:15 pm
Quote from: clarion on 02 March, 2011, 11:19:16 am
Only fettling I did last night was to measure the chain wear on my fixed.

:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[

Well, with the help of the junior mechanic, I got the chain changed, geartrain cleaned and everything readjusted, and it's running a lot better, but still isn't quite right in bottom gear, which is a shame. 

Nice bike tho :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 03 March, 2011, 02:55:10 pm
I've just finished making this sail for my sit on top kayak
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/YakDiver/flatearthsail01.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 03 March, 2011, 05:07:25 pm
What do you get if you cross a Mirror dinghy with a giant banana?     ;D ;D ;D


Quote from: numbnuts on 03 March, 2011, 02:55:10 pm
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/YakDiver/flatearthsail01.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 03 March, 2011, 05:14:34 pm
Er, the wheels seem to have fallen off.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 03 March, 2011, 05:25:07 pm
Not really a fettle, more of a fiddle.
I tried the dyno hub wheel from the MTB on the new bike to see if it would fit. It did  :thumbsup: despite the 35mm tyre (25mm on new bike) and there would be room to spare for a guard.
OK, it points to too much clearance for a fast bike, but I quite like the versatility and it would save me having to get a new dyno-wheel if I wanted to do long night rides.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 03 March, 2011, 05:57:20 pm
F2H and I built up his new Enigma Etape:

(http://www.reb.co.uk/f2h.jpg)

Very nice it is too - beefy titanium frame, Campag Centaur / Comp Triple groupset, Open Pro rims on a record rear hub and Son front.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 03 March, 2011, 05:59:40 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 03 March, 2011, 05:57:20 pm
F2H and I built up his new Enigma Etape:

(http://www.reb.co.uk/f2h.jpg)

Very nice it is too - beefy titanium frame, Campag Centaur / Comp Triple groupset, Open Pro rims on a record rear hub and Son front.

That is very very nice! It doesn't look totally unlike my new bike, especially on that road and that stand  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 March, 2011, 06:01:27 pm
Those titi Enigma's look like sexonabike.
I wonder if I sold all my other bikes & had one of them if it could satisfy all my cycling needs :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 03 March, 2011, 06:03:19 pm
I successfully tightened up my gear cables now they have had a bit of use, and it is all shifting perfectly ready for the Gospel Pass on Saturday  :thumbsup:
I also fitted a Garmin cadence sensor to the new bike last night. I discovered that on my smallest gear I can do a cadence of 70 up a steep hill and do only 3mph! I am not sure I would ever need a lower gear than this even with a load.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 March, 2011, 10:10:03 pm
I just replaced the dodgy Continental Ultra Sport tyre on Red, which acquired a slash a couple of weeks back.  In the process I found that the Specialized inner tube also had a dodgy valve, and would no longer hold pressure.

So, one Tyre that lasted less than 200 miles, and an inner tube, that did about 20, both in the bin. :-\

I've put a Michelin Pro3 Race on the rear now, with a Continental inner tube (which I've found pretty reliable, unlike their tyres).

The bike looks a little strange, since the Pro3 has red sidewalls and grey tread, whereas the Ultra Sport on the front has grey sidewalls and red tread, but I think I can live with that!

I also adjusted the rear gearing, since I realised that it wouldn't reliably go onto the largest sprocket, the reason being, that the entire system was one sprocket out, and at the other end, the end stop avoided the chain coming off and wrapping itself around the axle.  Well done on that adjustment, Planet-X. (It's not obvious with SRAM Double Tap changers, since there's little indication that you're at the end, aside from a slight difference in the feel of the lever when you push it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 04 March, 2011, 11:33:30 am
Quote from: Tewdric on 03 March, 2011, 05:57:20 pm
F2H and I built up his new Enigma Etape:

(http://www.reb.co.uk/f2h.jpg)

Very nice it is too - beefy titanium frame, Campag Centaur / Comp Triple groupset, Open Pro rims on a record rear hub and Son front.

At first I thought that it was another picture of Feline's bike, then I read the decals.
That does indeed look lovely  :thumbsup:

Tewdric, do you assemble bikes for
a) Love
b) Sex
c) Cake
d) Beer
e) All of the above ?  ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 04 March, 2011, 01:10:12 pm
All of the above.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 March, 2011, 01:32:18 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 04 March, 2011, 01:10:12 pm
All of the above.

Plus training mini-Tewdric in the ways of expert fettleage  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 04 March, 2011, 02:33:36 pm
I see Tewdric seems to be using the Pro Bike Display Stand, and I think Feline was using the same one.  How well do they work?

I've got a Topeak Lineup Bike Stand, and it's OK, but doesn't always seem that secure, and is quite a bit more complex than the Pro Bike one.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/TopeakLineupStand.png)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 March, 2011, 02:44:05 pm
Quote from: TimO on 04 March, 2011, 02:33:36 pm
I see Tewdric seems to be using the Pro Bike Display Stand, and I think Feline was using the same one.  How well do they work?

My bike was on Tewdric's stand!
It seemed to work very well and is incredibly small and space saving. I am tempted to get my own to use when cleaning the bikes etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 March, 2011, 03:09:07 pm
I've got a Revolution Tune-up Mini, which is vaguely similar, but supports the bike by the chain/seat stays, so the wheel's free to rotate.  Stable enough for gear-fettling and so on, but the whole lot will keel over if you put a loaded pannier on the bike.

Given that it's cheaper than the Pro Bike one, it probably wins, unless you really only want something for storage, or there's something non-standard about the chainstays.

That Topeak looks like it's going for some kind of over-engineering award...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 March, 2011, 03:17:50 pm
I've got the Revolution stand.  Workse very well, but the hooks are pretty wide (for oversize stays, I suppose), and can catch spokes if you're not careful (I'm not :-[ )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 March, 2011, 03:57:15 pm
I just re-fettled my Garmin bracket from the stem to the bars because the bar clamp was preventing me plugging my Reecharge into the Garmin's port at the back. I don't expect I will need to charge the Garmin on the move tomorrow but it will be nice to have the option just in case. My Garmin battery doesn't seem to last as long in the extreme cold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 04 March, 2011, 04:02:37 pm
I've just done this (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=44562.msg872256#msg872256) in preparation for tomorrow's Cheam & Morden Hilly 50 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=43136.msg836621#msg836621).

Yes, I'll stop on a dime. (Who would've thought it?).

Yes, it squeals like a stuck pig. (It could be a lonely ride tomorrow  :-[)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 March, 2011, 04:07:46 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 04 March, 2011, 04:02:37 pm
I've just done this (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=44562.msg872256#msg872256) in preparation for tomorrow's Cheam & Morden Hilly 50 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=43136.msg836621#msg836621).

Yes, I'll stop on a dime. (Who would've thought it?).

Yes, it squeals like a stuck pig. (It could be a lonely ride tomorrow  :-[)

Isn't fairly liquid a bit salty though?
I quite like having squeaky brakes, they are good for warning peds and dog walkers you are incoming!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 04 March, 2011, 04:09:34 pm
Nothing but I did buy a router at lunch time and tomorrow I will be making slots in stuff !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 04 March, 2011, 04:34:49 pm
Quote from: Feline on 04 March, 2011, 04:07:46 pm
I quite like having squeaky brakes, they are good for warning peds and dog walkers you are incoming!

In another life I used to drive a crane, the sort which tugs dead artics away from the roadside. The squealing brakes on that were far more effective than the air horns for clearing everything from its path.

I'm not sure the Fairy liquid is going to feature permanently - I think the noise will drive me nuts.
What'll happen when it rains?
I'll leave a trail of bubbles?

Doh!  :facepalm: I forgot - I don't go out in the rain  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 04 March, 2011, 05:06:53 pm
I was given a couple of barely-used but grubby Specialized FatBoy tyres a few months ago.  One of the few reviews of them on the web was by some bloke called Roger Cantwell who reckoned that they are unsuitable for commuting as they are prone to glass punctures.

I fitted one to the rear of the commuter bike on Tuesday evening, pumped it up to 100 psi and took it for a ride around the block.  Two hours later I checked it and it was still OK.  In the morning it was as flat as a pancake and would not inflate.  I didn't have time to investigate so, shock horror, I had to use the C2W bike to cycle to work.

Wednesday evening showed that the sidewall had failed disastrously.  I inspected the second tyre, decided that it looked in much better condition, fitted it but only pumped it up to 65 psi.  Everything looked OK so I used it for the 7 mile trip to play badminton.  I didn't notice anything untoward but I probably wasn't at my most observant on the way home after rehydrating.

On Thursday morning I noticed a rather worrying bulge in the sidewall so let a bit of air out and set off to work.  It felt pretty horrible but I just took it steadily.  On Thursday evening I was intending to use a couple of business cards to locally boot the tyre before cycling home but closer inspection showed that the area was probably too large.  I considered letting more air out to reduce the bulge but that would mean more once-per-rev cyclic loading which would probably kill it.  Then I remembered the roll of insulating tape in the seatpack.  A few minutes later and I was on my way:

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5016/5496793847_e1927b20b6.jpg)

It survived the 4.5 mile trip home in remarkably good condition but they are now in the bin as I have no intention of pushing my luck !

I suspect that they had either been UVed to near death or left flat for a very long time.  However, there was no sign whatsoever of any glass punctures which just goes to show that you shouldn't believe everything written in product reviews by these so-called experts.   :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 04 March, 2011, 05:17:25 pm
Quote from: TimO on 04 March, 2011, 02:33:36 pm
I see Tewdric seems to be using the Pro Bike Display Stand, and I think Feline was using the same one.  How well do they work?

I've got a Topeak Lineup Bike Stand, and it's OK, but doesn't always seem that secure, and is quite a bit more complex than the Pro Bike one.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/TopeakLineupStand.png)

They're very useful for wash stands.  Cheap at Edinburgh Bicyle Cooperative.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 04 March, 2011, 05:18:52 pm
Quote from: Feline on 04 March, 2011, 03:57:15 pm
I just re-fettled my Garmin bracket from the stem to the bars because the bar clamp was preventing me plugging my Reecharge into the Garmin's port at the back. I don't expect I will need to charge the Garmin on the move tomorrow but it will be nice to have the option just in case. My Garmin battery doesn't seem to last as long in the extreme cold.

Your electrofettlery is putting us all to shame!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 04 March, 2011, 05:19:00 pm
Quote from: jogler on 03 March, 2011, 06:01:27 pm
Those titi Enigma's look like sexonabike.

I slightly misread that sentence, first time round.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 March, 2011, 06:20:57 pm
Fitted a mudguard flap and Anlun mudguard light (only slightly more useful than throwing it away) to HK's MTB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 March, 2011, 08:38:51 pm
Gave the Dawes a thorough cleaning (taking care not to damage the bath), swapped the knobblies for Marathons, and performed a thorough brake inspection, with a view to not dying on the Hilly 50.

While I was doing that, I took the opportunity to stick a new tyre that I've had in the cupboard for a while now on the front of the Streetmachine.  The old was starting to look a bit dubious, and I dug some impressive bits of glass out of it.  Took the opportunity to give the wheel (which I re-built with new spokes and a SON about 2000 miles ago - my first proper wheel build) a once-over in the truing stand while I had it off, and was delighted to note it was almost perfect.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: F2H on 04 March, 2011, 11:20:49 pm
Many thanks to Tewdric for putting together my new machine. You are kindness itself for giving up the best part of a day to help a complete stranger.

The bike is lovely. I took it out for a couple of hours today and it is as comfortable as I had been hoping, but it is also surprisingly nippy and I was beaming the entire time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 04 March, 2011, 11:30:21 pm
Is Tewdric  Yacf's  most prolific bike constructor?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 05 March, 2011, 05:42:33 pm
Stitched a hole in my 3/4 thermal bib shorts, and started stripping down my Dawes Horizon for it's pre spring clean up and service.

Rear rack removed (according to the kitchen scales the rack weighs 590g, and the light which was on it 100g)
Mudguards front and rear removed, nearly  :sick: at the gunk from the tyres on them... 

Bottle cages removed, bolts on the third bottle mount on the downtube removed, rack bolts on the front fork removed,  seat post removed; and with the aid of a length of Scrotesoiler pipe and a tin of TF2 spray lube gave the inside of the frame a nice squirt of teflon spray lube. 

Whether that will do anything rust protection wise I can't say.  Still can't do any harm though!

Left the seat post out for the frame to air, then the next job will be to remove and refit the bottom bracket with fresh copperslip, give the front chainrings + rear sprocket, then give the frame a nice spit and polish, then refit all the components giving all the bolts fresh copperslip!  :thumbsup:

I must say the Dawes looks quite sleek without the rear rack.  and it'd look nearly like a cyclecross bike if I were to fit cross tyres  Will I fit the rack again?  Or shall I replace the rear rack &  Carradice Prima rack bag with something like a nice shiny new Carradice Barley?  Hmmmmm.....

A nice couple of hours fettling this afternoon!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 05 March, 2011, 05:49:03 pm
I've cut an end off a non functioning torch and punched out the switch mechanism. I then reduced a penny washer in size until it fitted inside it and then bolted it to the light boss on a pair of front forks. This has given me a small stub of tube approximately handlebar diameter on which to mount a front light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyH on 05 March, 2011, 06:10:39 pm
Got the Enigma ready for it's 1st Audax. Pixeo light to rear mudguard, swapped the stem from 100 to 110mm and lowered the bars by another 2mm. I think I'm about there now. Mounted an RSP death ray laser to the rear post pack. This is for when there are only cars behind me.

Then cut a piece of travatine to make the worktop over the cistern unit in the bathroom. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 05 March, 2011, 06:30:49 pm
Refitted the crank that fell off my Swift last weekend - i managed to put it back when it happened but it was dark and i wanted to remove the dirt that got in.. Noticed it had a puncture so fixed that and adjust dteh spds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 March, 2011, 11:19:57 pm
Given that I couldn't ride today, I tried to get some fettling done.

I replaced the rear brake cable on the Orbit.  I also replaced the worn out rear wheel and fitted the new one with the singlespeed conversion.  Only to find out that it is off-centre :(  Needs rebuilding with the right length spokes, I guess.

Adjusted the brakes on another couple of bikes.

Considered getting the tandem out, but there wasn't the room, so left it for (yet) another day...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 06 March, 2011, 11:25:44 pm
Cleaned the boy's bike.  Apparently it's a bike-week-type-thing this week, and so he really wants to take his bike to school tomorrow (normally scoots on a Monday/Tuesday and cycles the rest of the week) and apparently there's a prize for having a clean, well maintained bike.

I think he should get a prize for being the only kid in school that ever rides more than 2 miles and for being able to deal with turning right and roundabouts and stuff, myself, and sod whether the bike's shiny so long as it works.

But it is nice when it's shiny :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 06 March, 2011, 11:30:49 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 06 March, 2011, 11:25:44 pm

 apparently there's a prize for having a clean, well maintained bike.


And you've cleaned the bike hoping that it is flour, eggs, butter and sugar?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 March, 2011, 11:41:10 pm
I pumped up the tyres on my dog walking bike today. I have been meaning to do this for weeks, but I keep my track pump in the house and that bike lives in the garage, so I kept forgetting. They were down at 15 PSI  :o

I had been thinking that bike was incredibly heavy and sluggish but it was actually quite nippy today, I gave the dogs a good 12mph run for their money. There are 8 legs in the air now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 07 March, 2011, 10:10:02 am
I cleaned my wheels and fitted new cassette and tyres.
Fitted forks, stem, bottom bracket, cranks, seat post.

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 March, 2011, 01:54:25 pm
Just attacked the pressure vessel on our central heating with a track pump.  Maybe the system won't keep losing pressure now.

Turns out that it's surprisingly difficult to operate a track pump while standing at the top of a ladder, at least without the recoil hitting you in the face   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 07 March, 2011, 04:45:16 pm
A poorly milling machine.  Serves me right for buying a cheap Chinese one instead of a British one that is ten times the price and made to strange units no-one understands, or a German one that is even more expensive than that, but will never fall apart.  I've had to order a conversion kit from the USA, where the kit is dimensioned in inches, to fit the obviously metric milling machine...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 07 March, 2011, 06:40:17 pm
I fettled my lawn into submission today, and then swept all the moss and leaves off the front drive. My next job was going to be washing 2 of the bikes, but by the time I got back from my ride with the dogs it was getting dark and wine o'clock so that's a job for another day :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 07 March, 2011, 06:44:09 pm
Clipped a stone with rear tire. Damage to sidewall resulting in a big bang.  Booted tire using a Lidl Peanut Choc bar wrapper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 08 March, 2011, 11:05:03 am
Bottom bracket removed from my 2008 Dawes Horizon.  The bottom bracket is clean as a whistle, still running smoothly, so I'll put fresh copperslip on the threads, then put it back in!  Cranks are currently awaiting a good clean up, as do the front chainrings (binning the plastic big ring guard in the process).

 :thumbsup:


Hmmmm, looks like the upper headset cup on the Horizon has a wee crack in it..... 
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5508561533_c842e55a5b_z.jpg)
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/5509160330_798d4c0bd2_z.jpg)

A job for the LBS I think!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 March, 2011, 02:00:59 pm
Hacked a Dahon iPhone handlebar mount to replace the crappy plastic wormdrive clamp with a SS ziptie.
EDIT: SS tie couldn't get tight enough without an expensive tool. Luckily a pair of beefy plastic zipties have made the mount better than new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 March, 2011, 09:51:46 pm
Spent the evening mucking about with unobtanium quantum accelerators.  Or at least unholy combinations of power MOSFETs and the like to try out various permutations on a magic smoke retention circuit for version 2 of my dynamo charger.  Worryingly, the mechanical relay based solution seems to be winning, at least on component count and lack of unexpected scary sparks.   :o

Sadly, the really elegant solution requires chunky depletion-mode MOSFETs, which do appear to be unobtanium.   >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:00:22 pm
I now have Dura Ace nuts ;D.






Track nuts!! You smutty lot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 08 March, 2011, 10:15:19 pm
Congratulations.Did you get them on the NHS or did you go Privates?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 08 March, 2011, 10:17:52 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:00:22 pm
I now have Dura Ace nuts ;D.

And this guy has a Record Cock:

(http://www.thebigworld.co.uk/blogimage/biggest_cock_in_the_world.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 March, 2011, 10:21:59 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:00:22 pm
I now have Dura Ace nuts ;D.






Track nuts!! You smutty lot.

TTIUWP  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:31:54 pm
Feline, well if you're really sure then click away.

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 08 March, 2011, 10:34:44 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:31:54 pm
Feline, well if you're really sure then click away.

(click to show/hide)

Nice nuts.

Bike could do with a clean....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 March, 2011, 11:24:17 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:31:54 pm
Feline, well if you're really sure then click away.

(click to show/hide)

Very impressive nuts  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 March, 2011, 12:21:40 am
Breaking stuff, does that count?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 09 March, 2011, 04:59:08 pm
Replaced chainring, cog, tensioner wheels, chain tubes, chain, and cleaned the bike.
Doesn't sound like 3.5 hours work, does it?
Now it's ready for the big 2yr/25000km checkup on friday.

Oh, and if you have a recumbent, and put 3 chains together and grab the bit you didn't need last time as reference to shorten it, it might be a good idea to check whether the new chains have the same amount of links... I think I can get away with it, but I expect to remove some more links.
My former SRAM 890 has 114 links per chain, this KMC X1 has 110.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 March, 2011, 05:48:49 pm
Now that my Alfine-ised Surly is now 99.9% complete (still waiting for chainguard, though) I've been fettling things like bar-end and brake lever positions, saddle angles etc. as well as the third bottlecage under the downtube which is held on using a Zefal 'Gizmo' and shouldn't really be as tricky to adjust as it turned out to be.

The almost final result now looks like this: The Bat Bike | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/interzen/5512722492/)

I like. Rather a lot :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 March, 2011, 05:54:11 pm
Ooh, nice   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 March, 2011, 05:59:26 pm
Very nice, and very black   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 March, 2011, 06:02:17 pm
Quote from: Feline on 09 March, 2011, 05:59:26 pm
Very nice, and very black   :thumbsup:
Hell yeah!
The lads in the LBS christened it the Bat Bike, and I suggested we try and sneak a Batman logo in there until one of them pointed out that in The Dark Knight, logos are notable by their absence. Works for me.

A spare set of decals are on order so it can make the transition from 1x1 to 1x11  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 09 March, 2011, 07:50:01 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:00:22 pm
I now have Dura Ace nuts ;D.

To go with my new nuts I've now got a Pro stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 March, 2011, 08:14:01 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 09 March, 2011, 07:50:01 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:00:22 pm
I now have Dura Ace nuts ;D.

To go with my new nuts I've now got a Pro stem.

Awesome, I hope it's a nice firm one  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 March, 2011, 08:46:03 pm
Interzen, could you do a Batman logo in black to go on the black bike?  That would be kewl.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 09 March, 2011, 09:47:54 pm
I just fettled a new pair of SPD cleats onto my Speciaqlized defrosters (shoes).  For the last couple of days the right hand one has been coming out of the pedals far too easily, so they needed doing.

Removing them, I found that one of the "washers" was broken, which could have resulted in that cleat coming loose, and which would in turn would have resulted in a clipless moment, when I would not have been as easily able to get that foot out of the pedal. It's just as well that I did this!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 09 March, 2011, 09:53:10 pm
Quote from: Feline on 09 March, 2011, 08:14:01 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 09 March, 2011, 07:50:01 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:00:22 pm
I now have Dura Ace nuts ;D.

To go with my new nuts I've now got a Pro stem.

Awesome, I hope it's a nice firm one  ;D

Next you'll be asking him how long it is!   ::-) :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 09 March, 2011, 10:26:40 pm
The spiky bits on an underwired bra, using some heatshrink.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 09 March, 2011, 10:33:28 pm
Ironing on denim patches to the warn areas on my Nelson longflap, then stitching them in to be extra safe. I hate sewing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 March, 2011, 10:37:33 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 09 March, 2011, 10:26:40 pm
The spiky bits on an underwired bra, using some heatshrink.

Oooh, top tip there...

Heatshrink >> bra shopping.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 09 March, 2011, 10:38:09 pm
Quote from: Adam on 09 March, 2011, 09:53:10 pm
Quote from: Feline on 09 March, 2011, 08:14:01 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 09 March, 2011, 07:50:01 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 08 March, 2011, 10:00:22 pm
I now have Dura Ace nuts ;D.

To go with my new nuts I've now got a Pro stem.

Awesome, I hope it's a nice firm one  ;D

Next you'll be asking him how long it is!   ::-) :o

All I'll say is I've upgraded by 10 mm because I felt the old one was a bit too short.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 09 March, 2011, 10:39:28 pm
Also fitted SPD pedals to my Yuba, and then got swarf in my finger when trying to make sure there was nothing in the threads of the cranks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 10 March, 2011, 03:15:13 am
I just lubed my chain.

New approach to the 3am waking- do stuff.

It's bloody freezing. Next time I'll get dressed first, rather than going out to the bike shed in my pjs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 March, 2011, 09:24:17 am
Well, it's productive, I suppose, but sleep would be better...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 10 March, 2011, 09:41:29 am
Quote from: Kim on 09 March, 2011, 10:37:33 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 09 March, 2011, 10:26:40 pm
The spiky bits on an underwired bra, using some heatshrink.

Oooh, top tip there...

Heatshrink >> bra shopping.   :thumbsup:
Indeed

The discomfort one goes through to get a decent cleavage .  .  .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 10 March, 2011, 02:51:23 pm
Just assembled a BSO for my neighbours granddaughter to ride. Ellswick something or other, now there's a name from the past!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 March, 2011, 03:26:48 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 10 March, 2011, 09:41:29 am
Quote from: Kim on 09 March, 2011, 10:37:33 pm
Heatshrink >> bra shopping.   :thumbsup:
Indeed

The discomfort one goes through to get a decent cleavage .  .  .

I don't think I'll ever get a decent cleavage.  But not being stabbed is still a worthy goal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 March, 2011, 04:34:21 pm
Quote from: αdαmsκι on 09 March, 2011, 10:38:09 pm


All I'll say is I've upgraded by 10 mm because I felt the old one was a bit too short.

If only it was always so easy  ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 March, 2011, 05:32:45 pm
Removed the "old" car stereo out of the Scenic in anticipation of getting my new toy tomorrow.

Obviously this WAS completed with the requisite cutting of finger[1]....

Now all I need to do is pack my bags and throw them in the car ready for the morning, 4 hours in work then a trip up to Rotherham  :o

[1] - Tiermat's law states that no car stereo fitting, or removal is complete unless a limb or appendage has been cut or damaged in some way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 10 March, 2011, 05:38:15 pm
I rebuilt the front wheel from my audax bike with the newly-fettled Schmidt hub, fitted new Krylion Carbon 25c tyres, and changed and re-taped the bars.  All ready for the Cheltenham Flyer now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 10 March, 2011, 05:40:27 pm
Raised the bars on my tourer with a steerer exender. Of course, nothing's that easy as this made the gear and brake cables too short. Went to the LBS and took a guess at what length of outer for each I needed which of course ended up not being enough. Went back for more. Then ran out of electrical tape etc etc.......

Job's nearly done now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 11 March, 2011, 12:53:42 pm
Put a new chain on my TT bike. Since I Dremeled a 9-sp cassette to fit an ancient 8-sp hub (1995 Shamals) I needed a narrower chain. Minor adjustments to the stop screws and it's nice to finally get the indexing perfect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 11 March, 2011, 01:51:46 pm
Got the Shimano Alivio 8 speed rear derraliur stripped down, cleanded up and nearly put back together!  Started it at 10am, should get it finished by 2:30pm.  Lucky I'm not charging my own time or labour as it'd probably be cheaper to by a shiny new one.... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 March, 2011, 05:10:08 pm
I put up my Keter plastic shed. It was a piece of cake & well designed, UNTIL we got to the roof. It felt like the designers had got bored on a Friday afternoon and thought, "sod it, it's time to go home, so let's quickly finish the design by getting them to screw the roof on". All the rest of it had custom fittings, but the roof was simple screws. Effective enough, but crude. The roof panels were about 5mm too long as well. Nevertheless, the two of us got it up in 2.5 hours and it looks good.

I might risk the Dahon folder in there, but there's no space for any other of my bikes and I wouldn't trust it anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 March, 2011, 05:21:19 pm
Refitted a Bagman q.r. to the saddle & Topeak extender/map trap to the handlebars of the Trek in readiness for an audax ride.
These things were removed last week for pootling round the local lanes where I dont't need a saddle bag or a map-trap 'cause a seat pak & local knowledge are sufficient.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 March, 2011, 05:27:28 pm
Regreased HK's new front hub, destined to be built into her old MTB.  Once the Sapim spokes arrive, build the wheel and then finally 'job done!'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tatanab on 11 March, 2011, 05:35:19 pm
Clean transmission, fit new chainring, couple of sprockets and chain.  Fit new rim to front wheel - trying out an Exal XR2 because it is cheap and all this work is on the hack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 11 March, 2011, 09:00:38 pm
Fettled a tiny Tcl script to convert vnotes (the format of the memopad application on my Samsung phone) to plain text (i.e. strip a few uninteresting fiends and decode the quoted-printable encoding of the body).  this allowed me to convert just over a year's worth of my collected train time statistics so I could update this particular edifice of saddo geeky OCD-ness (http://www.oakden.org/mark/one/index.html).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 March, 2011, 11:23:43 am
Fitted a solar powered PIR light to the rear of the shed I put up yesterday, not as a security measure, more to illuminate my arrival from the pub down the back alley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jezzasnr on 12 March, 2011, 03:53:50 pm
Bar taped the Colnago.
Tomorrow we ride!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyH on 12 March, 2011, 05:28:22 pm
Was supposed to be doing a 200k audax today, but got up feeling lousy with dodgy guts. So I moped around 'till about 10 then felt a bit better and:

Cleaned the fish tank
Fixed a tap
Planted up one of the raised veg beds with spuds spinach and onion sets
Started making an extension to the bed for peas
re-fitted the automatic watering system to MrsH's newly potted strawberries
fixed the tube that deflated on last weeks 200
put new tyres on the bike
adjusted the mudguards
cleaned it

Pretty productive in the end. Should be able to go cycling tomorrow  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 March, 2011, 08:06:15 pm
Two rear wheel flat tyres, both on other people's bikes, at the Windsor Origami Ride. Tomorrow's job is cleaning my Brommie, after a couple of muddy bridlepaths on the Heathrow boundary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 12 March, 2011, 09:36:39 pm
Repaired/reattached the rudder to my R/C plane, set it up on the new (to me) transmitter and replaced the broken saddleclips holding the undercart on. Well did most of it though the tx set up was done by my grandfather with me checking things were lined up.

All ready to fly tomorrow assuming we have decent weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 March, 2011, 12:24:46 am
Norralot.

But I'm currently watching Kim fitting bike computers to my bike, and the boy's islabike :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 13 March, 2011, 11:01:11 am
Fitted brand new SKS mudguards to my Specialized Sequoia.  I was impressed that they now seem to come with a built in reflector on the rear one, and a mudflap on the front.  Clearly aiming for the audax market.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 13 March, 2011, 12:27:30 pm
I flipped my wheel (Not A Euphemism) to 83" for a flat 200 tomorrow.

I only had one chain in the Box of Chains that would work for the dropout/chainring/sprocket combo.

(http://www.ivytodd.com/images/blingchain1.jpg) (http://www.ivytodd.com/images/blingchain1.jpg)

Way too blingy for audax I'm sure - and I've no previous experience of half-link chains, so it may be a disaster.

Also fettled new mudguards and new front brake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 March, 2011, 12:36:24 pm
It's only a 200, you can always walk home. ;D

(Of course failures always occur at the least convenient point, when you're furthest from home!)

83", yikes that's a high gear.  I don't think I'd want to ride that, even on the flat. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 13 March, 2011, 07:13:38 pm
A cupboard full of mink poo  :sick:

I'd taken the steps out of the narrowboat, as they get in way of fettling the starter motor. So the mink had come in via the engine bay and settled down in a cupboard. Erupted out of cupboard over my hand as I knelt down to work on engine.

Did anyone here know that mink shit where they sleep? I didn't. No wonder they stink.

Cupboard now ripped out, contents in the bin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 March, 2011, 07:35:41 pm
Patched rear tube, thoroughly cleaned and adjusted the derailleur on the Brommie. Tomorrow's job is to refurb the Audax and racing tandems (likely to be a few days work) and to build HK's front MTB wheel and to fit new brake cables for her MTB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 March, 2011, 10:34:25 pm
Given the lowrider a wash, as an avoidance of cleaning tidying the flat.  Then taken two other bikes apart and given then a wet wipe clean,  Taken all the bearing out to give them a clean and a proper regrease.

God I lead an interesting life  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Androcles on 13 March, 2011, 10:34:40 pm
Cleaned my bike and son's bike after riding the Silverhill Trail this morning.  The trail surface is OK but in the dry everything gets covered in dust and in the wet everything gets covered in fine grinding paste.

Also reset bar and brake hood position back to where they should be, and re-wrapped the centre sections of bar tape with a layer of memory foam underneath the cork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 13 March, 2011, 10:38:49 pm
Having winced at the prices of decent computer desk/workstations, I've customised my current Babbage bench with some extra shelving. Now the monitor is at the correct height for proper posture, the scanner fits on the desktop, and there's decent storage for printer consumables etc.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 March, 2011, 12:03:17 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 13 March, 2011, 12:24:46 am
But I'm currently watching Kim fitting bike computers to my bike, and the boy's islabike :)

This.

Because staying up till 2am mucking about with cable ties and wheel circumference tables, followed by being woken at barely-daylight-o'clock by an enthusiastic child climbing into your bed with an assortment of lego is good training for audax.  Or something.  ::-)

Today's ride appeared to demonstrate that the fitting of a bike computer (with cadence, no less!) resulted in a ~100% increase in the Cub's power output   :thumbsup:


ETA: I forgot, I also fettled the strap anchor on a CrossCountry Dangly Bike Space.  The self-tapping screw securing it had self-untapped.  I note they're far too tiny for the amount of force they're expected to support.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 March, 2011, 08:04:33 am
In between fettling with my computer hardware, plastic model making (Italeri 1930s Mercedes Benz 540K), I've been fettling one of these into shape, a wooden owl press-out kit! 

http://www.woodentoysuk.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_36&products_id=94&zenid=b4k55uemfnjrg396bk383nbsp7 (http://www.woodentoysuk.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_36&products_id=94&zenid=b4k55uemfnjrg396bk383nbsp7)  Not quite as easy as it looks, especially figuring out which bit goes where in the small instruction sheet.

I've now fettled the stoor from behind the couches, hoovered the laminate floor, and giving it a nice mop with hot water with a dash of vinegar.  Lovely shiny floor, if a bit vinegary smell...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 15 March, 2011, 09:59:03 pm
Many club members have left their BSOs in various states of disrepair in dark and disreputable corners (is there any other kind?) of the Rowing Club.  These are ostensibly for coaching rowing crews, with the coach riding up and down through the park.

One of these bikes has now given up its future to donate parts to all the others; tyres, wheels, brake blocks, a non-bent rear axle.  I've got 6 bikes into a working (for a pootle-up-and-down-the-park value of "working") state, with exactly £0 expenditure.  I spent much of the time pumping tyres.

Having broken tyre levers and discovered new vocabulary while removing/fitting tyres to my own fleet ("Yes, Brompton, that means YOU"), I'd forgotten how easily 26x1.9 tyres come on and off.

Just one or two more BSOs to do tomorrow.  One will need PlusGas to free off a pedal spindle (all that's left of the pedal ::-)), and the other needs new brake blocks, and all other brake bits lubed.  The missing bits can all be sourced from the donor bike.

Another comparison between these vehicles and mine; I've never ever had to tighten wheel bearings or headsets, but all of these BSOs have wheels that wobble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 March, 2011, 11:46:13 pm
My Ebay purchased Sram 3 x 7 was retrieved from the clutches of the Royal Mail and I eagerly opened the box. Bugger, it's different to the one I currently have. And seeing as The Plan wasto swap the innards of the new one into the shell of the borked one and therefore avoid having to rebuild the wheel, I was perplexed.

A bit of spannerage revealed the innards were the same (FSVO same, as it transpires in the next sentence) and I soon removed them for transplant. And then bugger, I couldn't tighten the cone nut down, as the bearing arrangement was different and the axle wasn't threaded far enough.

Look at Screwfix online for die set. Remember mate who has a brace of Lardrovers and consqequently garage full of fettling kit and ring him. Then remember, bugger, the thread is a funky M10.5, not a proper one like M10. Chance of him having a die are slim.  End up taking the whole shebang round there where after a bit of faff, lathe work and an exchange of bottles of Black Sheep he turns down the non threaded part so the nut will fit.

And we're good to go for the FNRTTC. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 March, 2011, 11:47:17 pm
If only all fettling jobs were so straightforward ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 16 March, 2011, 01:19:26 am
I sewed the side pocket strap (buckle end) back on to my Nelson Longflap tonight.
Inbound it's easy as you can use the original holes in the leather, but it's difficult to hit the holes in the outbound direction so a pair of pliers was required (Leatherman, appropriately). The needle was so much scrap by the time I'd finished.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 March, 2011, 03:42:46 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 15 March, 2011, 11:46:13 pm
And we're good to go for the FNRTTC. 

Glad to hear it was all straightforward, like.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 March, 2011, 05:56:13 pm
Re-located the front dynohub fed Basta Pilot front light on the Longstaff using less metal work to support it than previously.
Packed musthaveatalltimes stuff into a Carradice CarraDura rack pack & lashed it to the rear pannier rack.
I think the Longstaff is ready to audax :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 16 March, 2011, 06:04:14 pm
With a bit of cut & pasting, I've now got uploaded into the GPS a .jpg file showing the train times back from Southend (if I don't cycle back).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 16 March, 2011, 07:19:35 pm
Got my Dawes Horizon back from the LBS today with a nice shiny FSA cartridge  bearing headset, and I treated the bike to a new Sram PC850 chain, a new set of catridge cantilever pads to upgrade from the stock Tektro CR520 pads, and, a new pair of rubbers!

Decided to go for Bontrager Racelite Hardcase tyres in 700x32C tyres, looked a good combination of fastness and p-fairy resistanceness.
Got the frame cleaned up, a couple of stone chips on the chain stay touched up with kurust, front wheel bearings cleaned out and regreased and front tyre fitted!  A productive afternoon.  Quite nice to be working in the back garden, although it got a bit chilly when the sun went away at 4:30pm....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 16 March, 2011, 08:21:05 pm
Not nearly enough  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 March, 2011, 08:32:09 pm
I fitted cleats to my new Shimano SPD sandals, and used my new glue gun to put hot melt glue in the allen screw heads of these and my Sidi boots. This should hopefully render these cleats removable when they wear out.

I also washed both my best bikes, the Fuji was in a truly disgusting state as I shamefully hadn't yet cleaned it after the very wet Wye Wednesday 200k Audax in Feb. The Sabbath had it's first ever proper clean and is gleaming like a new bike again now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 March, 2011, 08:38:36 pm
My CV.

See threads passim.

'nuff said.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 March, 2011, 11:10:42 am
(last night)

Refitted the rear wheel to the Pino (see just up there ^ about getting the hub to work).

Test ride. Bad noises. Look at chain, which appears to be encrusted in teh GUNGE and CRUD of centuries. Get jiggy with white spirit inna soup carton. Chain is now semi clean and does useful things like go round chainwheels instead of continuing in a tangential trajectory.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 17 March, 2011, 11:16:08 am
Lights for a verdigris coloured bike for Southend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 17 March, 2011, 02:47:10 pm
I've just fitted the tabs for my Karrimor panniers onto the Rohloff bike for tomorrow's and Saturday's trip Clitheroe-> Kettlewell, Kettlewell-> Horton in Ribblesdale.
I'm still going to try to pack everything into a rack bag but I suspect that I shan't succeed.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 17 March, 2011, 02:51:43 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 17 March, 2011, 11:16:08 am
Lights for a verdigris coloured bike for Southend.

Set phazers to 'stun' AAA's for my rear lights for the above ride put on charge.

EDIT - Oh, and I've hoovered the bike.

Some of you will be puzzled by the last sentence. And some of you will know it to be true.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 March, 2011, 05:00:58 pm
My midnight fettling involving fitting my new Kool Stop salmon brake pads was a success, and my brakes were very excellent on today's ride  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 17 March, 2011, 05:43:56 pm
Fettling my Dawes Horizon back together after getting it's headset replaced at lbs.

Fettling the front chainrings nice and clean...
Fettled two of the chainset outer-to-middle chainring nuts and bolts into 3 pieces rather than two.  *tink* as the head sheared off the captive nut.....
Managed to get a set of 5 M-Part chainring bolts from another LBS, but as luck would have it on fitting them they are about 3mm to long....  Out with the hacksaw I think tomorrow!

Also removed the rather rust looking cassette from my Dawes Horizon rear wheel  :-[, luckily I was able to get an 11-32 sram cassette! Heres hoping that'll fit to the shimano hubbed rear wheel.....

Looks like it'll be the middle of next week by the time I get the Dawes back together!   >:(


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 17 March, 2011, 06:43:09 pm
Quote from: Feline on 17 March, 2011, 05:00:58 pm
My midnight fettling involving fitting my new Kool Stop salmon brake pads was a success, and my brakes were very excellent on today's ride  ;D

Now give the braking surface a wipe with Fairy Liquid (thank you, mrcharly) and see how much more effective (but screechy  :() they are.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 17 March, 2011, 06:47:54 pm
Removed the rear mudguard and packed the bike into it's Pro-race travelling bag ready to take home.

Don't know why I bothered bringing it this week, I haven't used it at all....

Oh well maybe next week :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 March, 2011, 07:29:39 pm
Fitted one of these


   Wiggle | Cateye Rear Carrier Mounting Light Spares
 (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-rear-carrier-mounting/)

to the rear rack of the Longstaff & the tandem.

Now I can use one of these

Cateye  - Tl-ld1100 - Tl-ld1100 (http://www.cateye.com/uk/product_detail/359)

on either the Longstaff,the tandem or the swb recumbent
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 March, 2011, 08:22:46 am
Quote from: BrianI on 17 March, 2011, 05:43:56 pm

Also removed the rather rust looking cassette from my Dawes Horizon rear wheel  :-[, luckily I was able to get an 11-32 sram cassette! Heres hoping that'll fit to the shimano hubbed rear wheel.....

Yes, they do.  Leastways I've got one on one one of my bikes. And I've got a Shimano cassette on a Sram hub on another.

Final tandem fettling last night - adjusted the brakes (must fit some new pads soon), freed up the kick stand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 18 March, 2011, 02:51:29 pm
New hacksaw blade makes short work of trimming an 8mm chainring bolt down to 5mm!   ;D
Now got the cranks & chainrings on, tektro cr520s refitted front and read, new brake cables and nicely lubed outers.
Still to do: new bar tape, service rear hub + clean up cassette block, fit new gear cables, fettle gears and brakes, check headset for tighness, clean up and refit mudguards + rear rack, check all bolts for tightness, re-fettle gears and brakes, fit Bontrager Race Light Hardcase 700x32C tyre to rear wheel, then I should finally have a working touring  bike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 18 March, 2011, 06:00:03 pm
I just refettled my position on Red, which bizarrely I thought was too low, but using a ruler on the Kaffenback, I realised that I had raised it about 2cm too high, and too far forward.  Admittedly, because of Red's somewhat racier frame, I can't move the seat too far back without making the reach a bit too far, so the saddle position is a bit of a compromise.

If I do bugger up my knee again on tonight's FNRttC, it won't happen until later in the ride, and I won't be TECing by that point, so it won't matter if I have to slowly drop backwards a bit.

I've also fitted the Dinotte rear to Red, which is a bolt on solution, so I wouldn't generally use it, since it leave the light permanently(ish) attached to the bike, and is prone to theft.  I've also had to use the extension cable to get to the battery in the top bag, so I can't run both the front and back Dinottes together (which I'm unlikely to need unless I have a double double failure).

Now I just need to load up the GPX and pack the bag with a careful selection of small light tools, spares and munchies. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 20 March, 2011, 10:54:18 pm
On my fixed, a new Sugino 103mm bottom bracket and a Brick Lanes Bikes track crankset to which I attached a 50T Miche Advanced Track Chainwheel which I happened to have lying around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 20 March, 2011, 11:45:01 pm
Not today, but yesterday I finally had half an hour to sort out the Pomp. Not a moment too soon... oh the shame...  :facepalm:

(http://www.ivytodd.com/images/dirtypomp.jpg) (http://www.ivytodd.com/images/dirtypomp.jpg)

No - I hadn't been using it off-road; it really was that grimy from on-road riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 March, 2011, 12:49:59 am
Some Veroboard.  Two of the tracks just de-laminated to spite me.  I think that's a subtle hint that I should give up and go to bed.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 21 March, 2011, 02:20:08 pm
Just raised the seatpost on the Orbea 5mm as it now has a different non- Brooks saddle.  Brooks saddles are "taller" than most other saddles so the new saddle a Specialized Atavar is too low.

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5546970520_5eaf59dc6f_b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/36911087@N05/5546970520/)
orbea (http://www.flickr.com/photos/36911087@N05/5546970520/) by vorsprung2009 (http://www.flickr.com/people/36911087@N05/), on Flickr

Also put old Continental 4 Seasons 28mm tyres on the bike at the weekend to replace the dead Pro Race 3.  I went through the stock of old "worn- but still some use" tyres in the garage and picked the best two 4 Seasons.  28mm 4 Seasons are about 26.5mm really so fit on a racing bike.  They are a nice ride, pity they are so puncture-ish.  Reckon they should be ok for a month or two of commuting though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 22 March, 2011, 03:02:16 pm
At the weekend fitted new gear cable to the Trek, all ok Sat and Sunday, out last night for a quick loop and the damn derailleur's skipping everywhere, stop invert bike cycle through gears ok, get back on and skipping again - cue major tantrum, phone the Mrs to come and get me, continue fettle tantrum at home, think i may have bent the ruddy mech hanger.

So it's an early finish tomorrow to drop it off at the LBS cause if it don't work next time I want a ride in the sunshine it's going to be introduced to Messrs Grinder and Lump Hammer.

/rant over
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 March, 2011, 03:19:22 pm
patience is a virtue my son :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 22 March, 2011, 03:22:37 pm
Tis not a quality I'm renowned for, bike was >< close to going over the fence into Weeton barracks last night
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 March, 2011, 03:24:00 pm
Quote from: jogler on 22 March, 2011, 03:19:22 pm
patience is a virtue my son :demon:

I knew Patience.  I don't remember her wasting much time being virtuous :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nicknack on 22 March, 2011, 05:34:35 pm
Nearly finished tarting up the old Dawes  (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=44426.msg867148#msg867148)I got as a freebie from Valiant. Just got the bar tape to do and I really ought to have a bash at straightening the back wheel. I took it out for a short spin. It's a while since I rode anything like this - very twitchy and a tad scary compared to my usual steed. I'll post some pics when I get round to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nicknack on 23 March, 2011, 11:07:53 am
And here are the pics.
Before:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/old.jpg)

After:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/new.jpg)

All bearings dismantled, cleaned, regreased. Coat of Hammerite on frame. New saddle, seatpost, bar tape and cables. Total cost about £40. I'll probably stick new tyres and tubes on it at some point but the old ones seem to holding the air, which, considering Sam said it had been sat there for 11 years, is pretty amazing. The old pedals will probably have to go too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 March, 2011, 07:11:22 pm
I've swapped front lights around on the Longstaff to give a better illumination of the kerbside & less dazzle to oncoming traffic,plus changed the rear LED.The one used the other night was intermittently going off of it's own volition.ICBA to fettlefix&cure it so replaced it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 March, 2011, 07:14:35 pm
Fiddling with the saddle position on the Bat Bike and being reminded why I'm not that big a fan of Thomson seatposts, even if they do look very nice indeed (doubly so in black).

Also, gear cable tweakage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 23 March, 2011, 07:23:06 pm
I replaced the cassette and chain on my mountain bike.  It's amazing how quickly it gets through them in the winter mud and gloop.  I also adjusted the bar height on my pootling bike and tightened the headset, which had come loose.  I then gave the Brommie its periodic pump, clean and lube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 23 March, 2011, 07:42:15 pm
Some web stuff, most of a laptop, some user-training, a printer, a couple of backups, some unhappy AV software, an interactive whiteboard, a couple of user accounts, a quote, kicked a supplier who hasn't done what they said, some software installation, some speakers, a codec problem, and a few other bits and bobs.  Quite a lot.  Not enough.  Tomorrow is another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 March, 2011, 08:01:24 pm
The Roubaix bottom bracket area was creaking a little, so it got stripped, cleaned and regreased so it is ready for The Dean (the manual for the ceramic BB states that is has a service interval of 100 hours  :o ).

I was very pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy a job it is, but am not sure about the need to carry a torque wrench and tube of grease around long rides in order to service it on time :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 March, 2011, 08:13:26 pm
I had to fettle my pond today, it wasn't really on today's jobs list, but I started the day looking out of the bedroom window and hardly being able to see the fish the water looked so green. I made a mental note that I needed to change the UV bulb in my filter as these supposedly only last a yearish, and plug in my blanket weed controller gadget.

I went to boil the kettle for my 11'ses and looked out the window again and to my horror the pond then had hardly any water in it  :facepalm:
The pipes sometimes get a bit brittle over a cold winter and then split when the pressure is high in the system in spring, and this is what had happened .... pumping 5000 litres of pond water out into the garden. I looked at my mud-loving dog and saw that he looked browner than usual  ::-)

So I never got my 11 o'clock coffee, instead I rushed out to turn the pumps off, fettle a new pump-filter pipe and while I was at it decided it would be a really good time to scoop the crap out of the bottom since there was only 8 inches of water in there rather than the usual 4 foot. Fortunately it was a nice warm day for wallowing in the pond for 2 hours. The pond is now topped up with 3 rainwater butts worth of water and the rest conditioned tap water. The fish seem quite happy again now  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 March, 2011, 08:18:56 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 March, 2011, 08:13:26 pm
...I made a mental note that I needed to change the UV bulb in my filter as these supposedly only last a yearish...

I've no experience of UV lamps in a pond application - however, I do know they have an extremely finite life, and stop doing the UV thing, in other circumstances.
So, probably not so much 'supposedly'....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 March, 2011, 08:25:09 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 March, 2011, 08:18:56 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 March, 2011, 08:13:26 pm
...I made a mental note that I needed to change the UV bulb in my filter as these supposedly only last a yearish...

I've no experience of UV lamps in a pond application - however, I do know they have an extremely finite life, and stop doing the UV thing, in other circumstances.
So, probably not so much 'supposedly'....

This is good to know that I am not wasting £10 a year replacing it  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 March, 2011, 08:26:53 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 March, 2011, 08:13:26 pm
I went to boil the kettle for my 11'ses and looked out the window again and to my horror the pond then had hardly any water in it  :facepalm:
The pipes sometimes get a bit brittle over a cold winter and then split when the pressure is high in the system in spring, and this is what had happened .... pumping 5000 litres of pond water out into the garden. I looked at my mud-loving dog and saw that he looked browner than usual  ::-)

This sounds like one for the "what has your dog rolled in today" thread  :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 March, 2011, 09:37:09 pm
Finally finished HK's MTB front wheel and set up the front brake. HK diagnosed and replaced the dodgy bike computer transmitter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 23 March, 2011, 11:00:24 pm
New A530s on the fixed bike.  I've left the cleat tension a little higher than on the old ones.

And yay, I managed to free the old A530 from the old drive-side crank.  These will now go on the Mixer and I will put the M324s away, a failed experiment that left scars on my shins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 March, 2011, 08:18:29 am
I read that as A380's itsbruce :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 24 March, 2011, 06:48:21 pm
\o/ Dawes Horizon finally put back together after a major service / rebuild.  Hopefully I'll be able to give it a test ride tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 25 March, 2011, 12:18:11 am
I changed the angle of the U lock holder on the seat tube.
Bloody fantastic. Which I'd done it years a few weeks ago when I bought the lock.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 25 March, 2011, 09:56:11 am
Swapped some pedals around:

- Took off the really low-end double-sided SPDs from the steel blue bomber
- Took the PD-A520s off the carbon audax and put them on the blue bomber
- Put the PD-A600s that Santa gave me on the carbon audax

Only surprise was that the A600s take an 8mm Allen key from the reverse side and not ye olde pedal spanner.  I have some Dura Ace SPD-SLs that are also Allen key only and have found them a pain to remove - much easier to use the big pedal spanner, hold the back brakes on and whack with the hammer :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 25 March, 2011, 08:06:14 pm
Quote from: Plug1n on 25 March, 2011, 09:56:11 am
Swapped some pedals around:

- Took off the really low-end double-sided SPDs from the steel blue bomber
- Took the PD-A520s off the carbon audax and put them on the blue bomber
- Put the PD-A600s that Santa gave me on the carbon audax

Only surprise was that the A600s take an 8mm Allen key from the reverse side and not ye olde pedal spanner.  I have some Dura Ace SPD-SLs that are also Allen key only and have found them a pain to remove - much easier to use the big pedal spanner, hold the back brakes on and whack with the hammer :)


Make sure that you have greased the threads of the ones that are Allen key only and consider taking them off and cleaning from time to time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 25 March, 2011, 09:23:52 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 25 March, 2011, 12:18:11 am
I changed the angle of the U lock holder on the seat tube.
Bloody fantastic. Which I'd done it years a few weeks ago when I bought the lock.



And I found that the holder for my nearly 2kg kryptonite new york 3000 can be dissasembled, rotated through 90degrees, and then fitted to a horizontal bar instead of vertical. Vertical bars are in very short supply on a 'bent trike. The only downside is with the weight of the lock it tends to try to rotate on the bar. Solved by pre wrapping bar with self amalgamating tape. Very grippy stuff that tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 25 March, 2011, 10:33:34 pm
Quote from: tonycollinet on 25 March, 2011, 09:23:52 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 25 March, 2011, 12:18:11 am
I changed the angle of the U lock holder on the seat tube.
Bloody fantastic. Which I'd done it years a few weeks ago when I bought the lock.



And I found that the holder for my nearly 2kg kryptonite new york 3000 can be dissasembled, rotated through 90degrees, and then fitted to a horizontal bar instead of vertical. Vertical bars are in very short supply on a 'bent trike. The only downside is with the weight of the lock it tends to try to rotate on the bar. Solved by pre wrapping bar with self amalgamating tape. Very grippy stuff that tape.

The only downside to my mod is that I've moved the lock backwards (it's also a Kryptonite) and it puts even more weight over the rear wheel. Since the bike has a Rohloff, that's a lot of weight although I only notice the distribution when I pick the bike up.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 26 March, 2011, 06:26:48 pm
Fitted my front pannier racks, which involved a bit of adjusting to clear the newly fitted disc caliper.
Swapped the rear wheel to my heavy duty touring one.
Ready for camping trip next week, off to Brecon Beacons area.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 March, 2011, 11:37:09 pm
I wiped my bike down, cleaned and re-lubed the chain, tightened the gear cables slightly and pumped up the tyres.

I then printed out a miniature route sheet, laminated it, punched a couple of holes in it and tied it to my stem with a reusable zip tie. I was toying with the idea of of cooking a stem-shaped chunk of Fimo modelling stuff with a bulldog clip embedded in it and channels for zip ties, but since I couldn't find any bulldog clip in the house this fettle will have to wait until I buy a suitable one. I have discovered that route sheet holders don't need a rigid base if you laminate the route sheet. Finally I have found a use for my laminator other than making 'missing cat' posters when required.

Ready for Barry's Bristol Ball Buster 200k in the morning :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 March, 2011, 02:27:30 am
Not proper fettling, but I've persuaded a bluetooth keyboard to (more-or-less) work with my Android phone.  This is a very very good thing, as touch screens are a work of Stan, and this means I can now use it to carry out conversations in realtime.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 27 March, 2011, 04:59:40 pm
The bike1 is now in its summer rig.  Slick(ish) tyres, no lights, small bag for keys, phone &c under saddle.   :thumbsup:

S
I know, only the one, I'm not a 'proper' cyclist!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RW on 27 March, 2011, 06:46:34 pm
Put a gear cable on my 1970 Moulton Mk 3.  It's now got three gears that work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 March, 2011, 06:51:24 pm
Patched the tube that was replaced during the Dean yesterday. Feeling too lazy to do much else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 27 March, 2011, 08:47:46 pm
Part 2 of the fettling commenced yesterday. I realised that the North Road Bars I'd put on Verdigris I* would be more suited to Verdigris II. So I took them off complete with front brake and took them to Brighton where I fitted them to V II. This evening I reversed the procedure and have now fitted the Nitto ones onto V I.  As an example of multitasking I have had a chicken roasting at the same time.


* I have decided to follow Tim O's policy of naming bikes by colour. I now have, in order of acquisition:

Black I, the Univega Sno bike.
White, the Inbred
Grey I, the Langster
Black II, the Cotic Roadrat
Grey II, the Planet X Ti Sportive
Purple, the Dave Yates frame I bought from Charlotte
Verdigris I, the Carlton S3X
Verdigris II, the Doug Hartley S2C

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 27 March, 2011, 09:00:44 pm
Raised the bars on my Orbit a cm or so, put the front Schwalbe Land Cruiser on the right way (after the LBS fitted it wrongly) and then failed to get the Shimano dynohub wiring to work properly and gave up when summoned to pick up Little Miss AWL.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 27 March, 2011, 09:44:57 pm
Chain break fixed and rolling again in under ten minutes.  The Carradice multi-tool has a lovely chain tool (though its bamboo scales get feculent and vile in seconds). 

I have suddenly developed a great love of rubber gloves in my kit. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 March, 2011, 09:59:07 pm
Last night, I changed the rear brake blocks on Butterfly's Galaxy, and refixed the mudguard.

Tonight, I was trying to track down & eliminate the ticking noise on my fixed (I know! ::-) ), and found that three chainring bolts weren't as tight as they might be, though only by a gnat's, so I don't think I've found it necessarily.  I did check the crank bolts too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 March, 2011, 10:05:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 March, 2011, 02:27:30 am
Not proper fettling, but I've persuaded a bluetooth keyboard to (more-or-less) work with my Android phone.  ...

Interesting, was there a particular issue (and solution) ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 March, 2011, 10:15:57 pm
Quote from: TimO on 27 March, 2011, 10:05:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 March, 2011, 02:27:30 am
Not proper fettling, but I've persuaded a bluetooth keyboard to (more-or-less) work with my Android phone.  ...

Interesting, was there a particular issue (and solution) ?

The conspicuous absence (or at least, incompleteness, depending on version) of bluetooth HID support in Android, mainly.  I can only assume they were smoking the same stuff as when they forgot to put a 'move to folder' function in the mail client, or caldav support in the calendar.

Discovered an app (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=925474) that fills in the gaps, but it seems to require a full killing-off and restart whenever you disable/re-enable bluetooth.  I can live with that, as it seems otherwise reliable, and it supports all the punctuation characters on the Fn keys properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 28 March, 2011, 07:07:31 pm
The Muddy Fox which has previously been single speeded has now had its rear tyre changed to a smooth training tyre, and the Tacx skewer and cadence sensor seem to have magically appeared, as if from nowhere, and the rear wheel clamped in the trainer. It would have been rude not to see if everything still went round and round, only I'm not sure which was creaking more, me or the bike. (Those who met me on Sunday are aware of the curious line in scaffolding and footwear I have at the moment). I am now left wondering if it was entirely wise. Feet up with a beer is clearly in order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 March, 2011, 07:22:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 March, 2011, 10:15:57 pm
The conspicuous absence (or at least, incompleteness, depending on version) of bluetooth HID support in Android, mainly.  I can only assume they were smoking the same stuff as when they forgot to put a 'move to folder' function in the mail client, or caldav support in the calendar.

Discovered an app (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=925474) that fills in the gaps, but it seems to require a full killing-off and restart whenever you disable/re-enable bluetooth.  I can live with that, as it seems otherwise reliable, and it supports all the punctuation characters on the Fn keys properly.

Interesting.  I'll keep that in mind, if I'm desperate to use a BT keyboard, but the slight issues which you've outlined, and the requirement for a rooted phone put me off trying it.  Possibly they'll actually include this in Android correctly, eventually!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 March, 2011, 08:19:17 pm
Epic fettling fail!
Assembled a double garden swing seat and one of the critical pieces turned out to be so significantly bent as to make one of the legs 6" off the ground. Considered every possible bodge but ended up taking the damned thing apart again as it will have to go back :(

Oh joy, I will then have to assemble one again (it has a total of 10 different sized bolts that you need to carefuly identify before you begin, numbered pieces and instruction with no words only diagrams). I am pretty expert at assembling flat pack furniture, even do it for friends sometimes, but this thing was not easy. What a waste of my time!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 28 March, 2011, 08:58:00 pm
Mostly vegetation in the garden
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 March, 2011, 10:19:09 pm
I have put brand new Marathon Plusses on the tandem. It was quite a fight.

(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/10119-1/DSC06407.JPG)

This shows how necessary it was.

One of the retired tyres (not the one in the photo) was the specimen very kindly donated by Tubbycyclist, of this very parish, in April 2007 when we were lejogging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 March, 2011, 10:24:34 pm
Quote from: Feline on 28 March, 2011, 08:19:17 pm
... and one of the critical pieces turned out to be so significantly bent ...

Can't you just take the one bent piece back?

In the past with similar instances at places like Argos, they've been quite happy to just get one out of stock and give me just the missing / broken bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 March, 2011, 10:29:23 pm
Quote from: TimO on 28 March, 2011, 10:24:34 pm
Quote from: Feline on 28 March, 2011, 08:19:17 pm
... and one of the critical pieces turned out to be so significantly bent ...

Can't you just take the one bent piece back?

In the past with similar instances at places like Argos, they've been quite happy to just get one out of stock and give me just the missing / broken bit.

I am going to try this tomorrow, but I don't want to make 2 trips for fuel-losing reasons so I will have the shole lot semi-assembled in the car incase they want it all back!
There were also 2 missing screws for the canopy and this seemed not to fit also, I am wondering if the whole box was under a container-load of weight coming from China or somewhere meaning it is squished out of shape!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 28 March, 2011, 10:30:49 pm
I've just changed the clip in pedals from the Rohloff bike to the MTB. Not a difficult job since they're EZY easy remove jobbies.
Rohloff bike is going to the LBS tomorrow to see if they can fix the broken spoke before Friday and I'll need the clip in pedals for a ride tomorrow and Thursday evenings on the MTB.
With luck, I shall change them back on Friday.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Valiant on 29 March, 2011, 05:49:24 pm
Quote from: nicknack on 23 March, 2011, 11:07:53 am
And here are the pics.
Before:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/old.jpg)

After:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/new.jpg)

All bearings dismantled, cleaned, regreased. Coat of Hammerite on frame. New saddle, seatpost, bar tape and cables. Total cost about £40. I'll probably stick new tyres and tubes on it at some point but the old ones seem to holding the air, which, considering Sam said it had been sat there for 11 years, is pretty amazing. The old pedals will probably have to go too.

Nice job!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mikeluke on 29 March, 2011, 08:06:49 pm
Removing annoying Shimano STI brifters and replacing with idiot-proof bar end friction shifters from Dia-Compe as well as cheap and cheerful Tektro brake levers on my new Dave Yates Super Randonneur. Also fitting skinny GP4000s race tyres ready for the Elenith. Have to finish it next week as still waiting for parts so for now it's stuck in my kitchen :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 March, 2011, 12:02:03 am
Decoded the regular knocking noise from somewhere in the house to be a motorised valve actuator on the central heating trying, and failing, to move as it should.

Further investigation found that it rattled when it shouldn't.  The other valve did this a few years ago, so I hada good idea what it was, and opening the case confirmed that a wee plastic nubbin had broken off, leaving the return spring untethered. A suitable diameter brass rod was cut to length and a groove filed in it for the spring to sit in.  I mixed up a dab of Araldite and glued the rod into a handy hole in the casing. Araldite should be cured tomorrow, until then it's extra jumpers.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spokenword on 30 March, 2011, 04:11:32 pm
After 10,000 miles new ball bearings in front and rear hubs, new headset bearing races, M+ removed and last summers  Paselas back on now that hedge flailing seems to have ceased.
Sprockets stripped and cleaned but when I went to remove the chain I broke the chain breaker! Rack bag removed and panniers back on. Brakes stripped and lubed, I'm amazed that the Swiss blue brake blocks didn't need replacing after this mileage.
Two weeks until the first tour of the year so is this enouhg or should I replace the bottom bracket bearings, casette and chainrings?
Guss who's been "aquiring" bargain parts all winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 March, 2011, 04:30:15 pm
Fitted some Swisstop green pads to the Ridley, then of course had to go out on a ride to make sure they were ok.

What a difference from stock Shimano pads!  the Ridley actually stops when it should now, not 3 weeks later!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 March, 2011, 05:56:18 pm
Rebuilt the motorised valve mentioned up there ^. Araldite has cured nicely, no bits left over, no electric shocks, The Boy helped me, the heating works, Mrs. Hall is happy.

A Good Result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 30 March, 2011, 06:04:33 pm
I put up a 40m stretch of irrigation pipe at the kids' school this afternoon, plus the small bore piping for 11 baskets and troughs. Got caught in the rain and ended up with cold fingers, but it was all worth it for one of Karen on reception's smiles...

Still have to go back once the baskets and troughs are put up to install the drippers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 08:33:25 am
I cleaned each of the cogs of a 13-26 cassette, individually. I also found my Kryptonite lock and proceeded to test
the unlocking/locking mechanism and twisted the key in the lock.  :facepalm:
Where in the UK can I get a new key(s)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 31 March, 2011, 08:58:13 am
I've completed the handlebar exchange between Verdigris I and II by fitting brake levers to V I. It is good to go
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 31 March, 2011, 09:33:09 am
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 08:33:25 am
I cleaned each of the cogs of a 13-26 cassette, individually. I also found my Kryptonite lock and proceeded to test
the unlocking/locking mechanism and twisted the key in the lock.  :facepalm:
Where in the UK can I get a new key(s)?

Locks & security Q&A (http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3818)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 10:04:56 am
Quote from: tiermat on 31 March, 2011, 09:33:09 am
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 08:33:25 am
I cleaned each of the cogs of a 13-26 cassette, individually. I also found my Kryptonite lock and proceeded to test
the unlocking/locking mechanism and twisted the key in the lock.  :facepalm:
Where in the UK can I get a new key(s)?

Locks & security Q&A (http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3818)

Cheers  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 31 March, 2011, 10:23:31 am
I've fettled nearly a whole bike last night - feel a bit of a wally though - couldn't work out what was going on with the Royce bottom bracket cups.

I couldn't get either cup in at all - I thought it was because there was still a bit of paint overspray in the threads.

I was trying the cup marked R.H. in the right-hand side, and the cup marked L.H. in the left-hand side - neither would go. 

Farted around for ages - until it finally twigged - R.H. did not mean right-hand side, but right-hand threading (i.e. goes on the left-hand side)!

What a wally!  Though to be fair, it's not clearly labelled, and maybe needs a little note in the instructions.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 31 March, 2011, 11:48:06 am
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 08:33:25 am
I cleaned each of the cogs of a 13-26 cassette, individually. I also found my Kryptonite lock and proceeded to test
the unlocking/locking mechanism and twisted the key in the lock.  :facepalm:
Where in the UK can I get a new key(s)?

Anywhere, you can open them with a screwdriver!

Have that bunch of scrotes actually updated their design now, so they are secure.  I had one of the screwdriver openable ones, and Kryptonite's couldn't care less attitude meant they will never again sell me any of their products.  I use Abus now...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: huggy on 31 March, 2011, 12:11:58 pm
I currently have the front wheel off to repair a puncture  >:(, picked up on last night's trip to a country pub  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 31 March, 2011, 02:20:10 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 31 March, 2011, 11:48:06 am


Anywhere, you can open them with a screwdriver!

Have that bunch of scrotes actually updated their design now, so they are secure.  I had one of the screwdriver openable ones, and Kryptonite's couldn't care less attitude meant they will never again sell me any of their products.  I use Abus now...

Kryptonite don't use the tubular pin tumbler lock design any more, so aren't vulnerable to that trick now.  They weren't the only manufacturer to use it before, but for whatever reason, they were the only ones to be hit with a class action suit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 31 March, 2011, 10:39:47 pm
Replaced a tube on a friends langster as well as brakes pads and a brake cable.

Then managed to brake spokes on a wheel.  I was trying to straighten.  Arse

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 01 April, 2011, 12:35:13 pm
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 08:33:25 am
I cleaned each of the cogs of a 13-26 cassette, individually. I also found my Kryptonite lock and proceeded to test
the unlocking/locking mechanism and twisted the key in the lock.  :facepalm:
Where in the UK can I get a new key(s)?

http://www.supermansparessupplies.com
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 01 April, 2011, 04:42:17 pm
Batteris charged, lights adjusted in preparation for tonight's ride to Blackpool.
I've also checked the tightness of the mud-guards and rack. I wouldn't like them to fail tonight  ;) .

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 April, 2011, 04:48:32 pm
Replaced a broken spoke on my tourer.  4,000 miles, many fully loaded, isn't too bad for me, but still disappointing.  I loosened the tension on the spokes before re-truing the wheel, hopefully it'll last longer!

I also took the opportunity to replace one of the rack bolts as it was knackered, and cleaned the drivetrain.  I had to go and find a spare rear derailleur to remind myself how it went back together :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 April, 2011, 06:45:09 pm
Refitted the rear BB and cranks (trued the big ring) to the road tandem after drilling a hole in the shell. Next is sorting out the front BB shell so the eccentric rotates nicely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 01 April, 2011, 07:33:39 pm
A puncture  >:(.

I fixed it in a graveyard. It was warm, and sunny, and pleasant. If you have to change a tube - you may as well make it fun. It was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 01 April, 2011, 07:36:02 pm
Stripped the nipples on two wheels then greased as the nipples as  6 nipples had broken and a spoke on one wheel and the other was just hard to turn and broke a spoke.  Oh well shop tomorrow for a spoke or two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 01 April, 2011, 07:43:54 pm
Took off tub with a slow puncture. Annoyingly the puncture is where the valve is.

Got out another tub, applied glue and fitted to wheel. Also trued up wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 02 April, 2011, 03:37:39 pm
Removed three thorns from the front tyre of Mlle PB's tourer and restored wheel to good health.

Fitted a shorter B&M front lamp bracket to Mlle PB's tourer thus lowering her front lamp slightly reducing obstruction when barbag in place.

Re-fettled the rear lamp on my audax machine as it had developed a dodgy connection (again).

Spent an inordinate amount of time getting my Crapag rear 9 to work across all nine once again.   It likes to default to eight, skipping the smallest but one in the process.   This is the year when I abandon the Crapag experiment and revert back to reliable and predictable Shimano loveliness.   I like Crapag ergos but I loathe things that just don't work properly.   No debate necessary   :)       

Fitted the Pixeo auto to Mlle PB's audax machine replacing her rear mudguard reflector with the new lamp.

General check over and lube job on both audax machines.

Made a list of the pre-disposal fettling to be done to the four machines which have been designated surplus to requirements.

Made a list of all less-urgent fettling required for audax and touring machines.

Time for coffee...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 April, 2011, 06:39:17 pm
g.d.'s Isla bike needed.....
tyres inflating to sensible pressure
rear mudgaurd adjusting to prevent rubbing on tyre
rear mech adjusting to get chain onto largest sprocket
saddle highering

all done,no probs..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 April, 2011, 07:06:54 pm
Washed the Ridley

Drank coffee and discussed bikes with assorted YACFers, which led to a trip to the LBS to purchase:

1" Aheadset
triple chainset
BB for above
front mech for above
shifter for above
2* grey Swalbe durano tyres

first and last are for my bikes, the rest are for converting Mrs T's Raliegh Metro from a single chainring to a triple, and to go from 46t to 42t.

On my return I removed the offending items and fitted BB, cranks and mech.

Now just need to fit shifter, run cable and adjust everything :)

This is all as a mothers day pressie for my lovely wife :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 02 April, 2011, 08:00:53 pm
The very least that she deserves! Actually, isn't a nice set of ergon grips and barends missing from that shopping list?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 April, 2011, 07:28:06 pm
I've fettled cycle carriers between cars so that the Volvo will accommodate 3 bikes on the roof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 April, 2011, 07:33:51 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 02 April, 2011, 08:00:53 pm
The very least that she deserves! Actually, isn't a nice set of ergon grips and barends missing from that shopping list?

Ssssssssssssssssssshhhhh!!!!

they are the one thing the LBS don't stock, although she has found them on wiggle, along with a new saddle :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 April, 2011, 07:36:17 pm
can she not find a new bike with them on? :demon: ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 April, 2011, 07:38:00 pm
Quote from: jogler on 05 April, 2011, 07:36:17 pm
can she not find a new bike with them on? :demon: ;D

Don't you start, CL nearly had her convinced that she wants a Valencia.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 April, 2011, 07:42:25 pm
Only nearly?You mean CL failed?
That's a first :demon: ;D

dons tin & flak jacket ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 April, 2011, 07:50:55 pm
Quote from: jogler on 05 April, 2011, 07:42:25 pm
Only nearly?You mean CL failed?
That's a first :demon: ;D

dons tin & flak jacket ;)

YES! i think cake and coffee intervened.... :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 April, 2011, 08:14:41 pm
I fettled a puncture on my dog walking bike. By gods it's annoying mending a puncture on a bike without a QR skewer. I must get round to changing it since I have a spare one somewhere. I hate those punctures where there is nothing to see in the tyre even when you identify the exact location it must have happened. It was fine after a ride though.

I really had to resist the urge to fettle sheep feet on my ride, whenever I see a lame sheep I really want to turn it over and fettle it's hooves with my hoof knife, despite the fact I have done no cloven-hoof fettling in over 18 years!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 April, 2011, 10:15:41 am
I fettled the lid of Little Cudzo's new dabha, so he can actually open it to get at his sandwiches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 April, 2011, 10:21:44 am
They last longer if he can't, you know...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 April, 2011, 10:30:20 am
But he can still get to the biscuits and the pear in the other section. It's just the sandwich section that had a very tight lid, and I don't want him to fill up on biscuits alone. Anyway, is this preserving sandwiches from children lark a trick you learnt from Butterfly's work?  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 06 April, 2011, 12:44:47 pm
Quote from: Feline on 05 April, 2011, 08:14:41 pm
I really had to resist the urge to fettle sheep feet on my ride, whenever I see a lame sheep I really want to turn it over and fettle it's hooves with my hoof knife, despite the fact I have done no cloven-hoof fettling in over 18 years!

I thought it was just me. I don't even have a foot-trimming knife anymore, but whenever I see lame cows I think 'Take me to your crush' and my hands get twitchy for blocks, shoes, slips and bandages. I love to dig out an abcess.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 06 April, 2011, 07:35:24 pm
Put cleats on my new SH-MT60s.  I may even go so far as putting new pedals on the bike as well.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 April, 2011, 08:00:40 pm
Molished a low profile saw horse, ready for Operation Cutting Up All Those Logs I Mentioned The Other Day.

Said saw horse consists of an off cut of railway sleeper with four holes bored in it with a hand auger. My, that's a satisfying tool to use. The holes are arranged in pairs, splayed away from each other. Lumps of broom handle are then inserted into the holes, such that I have two almost V shapes to grip a variety of diameter of logs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 April, 2011, 09:22:03 pm
Lubricated the chains of one each of HK's and my bikes, fitted taillights to a Bagman and a R&K bag frame, tightened a headset by the smallest amount I could physically do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 April, 2011, 10:18:05 pm
Cleaned the Sabbath which was truly disgusting after sunday's Nutty Nuns 200k in which it rained for 3 hours creating skoggy roads. There was an inordinate amount of mud (or is it cow shit?) caked around my BB, mudguards and brakes  :o
It is now back to it's usual gleaming state  :D

I got sunburned a bit while out in the garden doing stuff for most of the afternoon!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PH on 06 April, 2011, 10:36:25 pm
Quote from: Feline on 06 April, 2011, 10:18:05 pm
There was an inordinate amount of mud (or is it cow shit?) caked around my BB,

Fettling some mudflaps will stop that, if it's getting on your BB it's also getting on your chainset and into your chain.  There's a good thread on here somewhere with a choice of designs and styles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 April, 2011, 10:38:12 pm
Quote from: PH on 06 April, 2011, 10:36:25 pm
Quote from: Feline on 06 April, 2011, 10:18:05 pm
There was an inordinate amount of mud (or is it cow shit?) caked around my BB,

Fettling some mudflaps will stop that, if it's getting on your BB it's also getting on your chainset and into your chain.  There's a good thread on here somewhere with a choice of designs and styles.

I have a mudflap on my front guard already. I think the mud was pretty much everywhere on Sunday, I even had it in my ears  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 07 April, 2011, 12:46:59 pm
Fettled a spare DSLR body cap into a pin hole "lens" for my camera.  I wonder what sort of picture it will take?   Should be an interesting afternoon shooting with the pinhole lens up and around Dunfermline Glen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 07 April, 2011, 04:30:34 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 05 April, 2011, 07:50:55 pm
Quote from: jogler on 05 April, 2011, 07:42:25 pm
Only nearly?You mean CL failed?
That's a first :demon: ;D

dons tin & flak jacket ;)

YES! i think cake and coffee intervened.... :)

In what way is a fail the the lovely Mrs Tiermat rode (I do believe) the furthest she's ever ridden despite 2 years off the bike, and wants to come out and play more on bikes?  She completely deserves lovely comfy new grips, I reckon.  Coffee and CAKE ftw!  ;D 

(And anyway, she dosn't want a Valencia - they only sell the eectric assist version now, I do believe.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 April, 2011, 04:57:12 pm
Put the rear wheel back onto the Pashley postie bike. Bit of an oily faff, but sorted now.

Anyone wanna buy it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 07 April, 2011, 06:00:37 pm
Put some threaded steerer carbon forks that I picked up a cycle jumble on the Alan R/303

This may be bad form as it is no longer a symphony in shiny aluminium, but .....

It took me a few months to get round to doing the switch but this has been a very lucky purchase:

- I didn't have measurements but the steerer column, rake and axle to crown length were all right to within a single mm!

- I got them cheap (~£25?) because there were some scratches, but these turned out to be paint on top of the lacquer that came off with a rub of the finger nail, overall condition was brand new/never fitted

- The crown race on the old forks came of easily, well just right & not too easily - so no problems with reuse

Whole job took me about 40 minutes in the late afternoon sun

I haven't got any lights on this bike, so it will probably be tomorrow lunchtime....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 07 April, 2011, 09:01:36 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 07 April, 2011, 04:57:12 pm
Put the rear wheel back onto the Pashley postie bike. Bit of an oily faff, but sorted now.

Anyone wanna buy it?

What sort is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bloomers100 on 07 April, 2011, 09:46:12 pm
New 105 sti levers and rear mech on the Cannondale, whole process went like a dream.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 07 April, 2011, 10:04:58 pm
Quote from: bloomers100 on 07 April, 2011, 09:46:12 pm
New 105 sti levers and rear mech on the Cannondale, whole process went like a dream.

Any bits left over? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 April, 2011, 10:07:35 pm
Refitted eccentric, front BB and cranks to the Audax tandem, adjusted the captain's saddle and worked out what handlebars and stem are needed. Time to be ordering some new bits tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 07 April, 2011, 10:52:25 pm
New tyres arrived today (hurrah!) so fitted those in preparation for this weekend's jollies.  Also fitted new cleats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 08 April, 2011, 09:37:47 am
07:00 - my usual departure time.  Perfect time to put new pedals on the commuter, no?  Of course it is!  Thankfully I remembered to loosen them up a bit, as combined with new shoes/cleats, it could have spelled disaster.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 April, 2011, 09:30:26 pm
I moved some bikes around in the dining room, and found a tandem!

Got the gears working better, and swapped the rack for one which fits better.  Now I have to spend some time truing the rear wheel and fitting the rear light bracket and the GPS holder :)

We might go for a ride on it tomorrow :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 08 April, 2011, 09:34:54 pm
Fitted new brake and gear cables and bar tape to the Giant Carbon TCR.  I also replaced the headset on the Galaxy pootling/commuting/baby carrying bike.

The audax bike is mid-fettle.  I've just rebuilt the front wheel now that the hub dyno has come back from some TLC at the Schmidt factory.  The frame is at Argos for a respray.  I have a new groupset waiting to be fitted.  The wheels have new tyres fitted and I just need to service the rear XT hub.  I will be putting a Tubus Vega rack and Arkel rackpack back on in place of the Barley and Bagman - they are lighter, allow more saddle rail adjustment and fit a Road Morphe pump, as well as allowing fitment of a decent rear light/reflector.  I appreciate that this might not represent the majority view! :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: daimountaingoat on 08 April, 2011, 09:41:32 pm
Finally got round to putting my new wheel on with its shimano dynamo hub and fitted my B&M cyo senso front light and rode it on a test run of 35kms in the dark. Very pleased with the lights performance. So got to get out in the dark a bit more now to get used to night riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 08 April, 2011, 10:35:39 pm
The neighbour's buddleia. It was overhanging far too much. It now overhangs much less, & I have some future firewood.

It'll still serve as cover & a perch for birds checking out my bird feeders, a source of food for tits (I often see blue tits eating the seeds), & a barrier to too much oversight of my back windows from the houses behind.

Who said bikes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 08 April, 2011, 10:52:29 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 08 April, 2011, 09:34:54 pm
 I will be putting a Tubus Vega rack and Arkel rackpack back on in place of the Barley and Bagman - they are lighter, allow more saddle rail adjustment and fit a Road Morphe pump, as well as allowing fitment of a decent rear light/reflector.  

I recently fettled a pair of aluminium brackets to allow me to fit my preferred B&M Toplight Flat hanging from the bottom of the rear rail of my bagman. That acts as a good light & reflector, with the cable to the dynohub taped underneath one of the bagman rails (to avoid rubbing from the saddlebag), running up to the saddle, then down the seatpost.

On this bike (Specialized Roubaix) it would be difficult to fit a rack properly. The next fettling job there is to cut the cable and fit a connector under the saddle, so I can remove the bagman quickly when I don't need it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 08 April, 2011, 10:56:54 pm
Quote from: clarion on 08 April, 2011, 09:30:26 pm
I moved some bikes around in the dining room, and found a tandem!

Got the gears working better, and swapped the rack for one which fits better.  Now I have to spend some time truing the rear wheel and fitting the rear light bracket and the GPS holder :)

We might go for a ride on it tomorrow :)

*bounce*

 :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 April, 2011, 05:09:31 pm
Just fitted cleats to barakta's bike shoes.  Now all she needs is a bike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 09 April, 2011, 05:20:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 April, 2011, 05:09:31 pm
Just fitted cleats to barakta's bike shoes.  Now all she needs is a bike...

*more bounce*  :D

I hope Barakta is as excited about her bike as I am ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 April, 2011, 05:29:13 pm
A pedant writes:

I thought it was a very very cool trike.


Meanwhile, fettling today has included:

Fitting a new chain to my mate's chain saw. By heck, that made short work of the oak logs. And then I wielded the maul and they're all split and stacked.

Then took out and then put back the BB from my fixie in an attempt to locate the graunching feeling through my feet as I ride it. BB seemed OK. Swapped pedals with the Magenta Bike (incurring small amount of blood loss in a classic spanner slip hand onto chainwheel injury. As I did it thought about moving the chain onto the big ring). Graunching continues. Stripped down the bearings. A bit of pitting in the cones. I'll fit new ones when ICBA and hope that sorts it.

Fettled the brakes on my BIL's bike, as he's managed to get a job after being signed off for a long time and lives across town.  By heck, a third hand is useful when working on cantilever brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 09 April, 2011, 11:43:37 pm
Shifting has been a bit vague on my Aravis. Realised I haven't degreased the drivetrain in >700km, so did that first, but no improvement. I then noticed that the jockey wheels were so worn, they could easily allow a shift to be missed. I had an old 8speed XT mech in my spares box, so cannibalised the wheels (ooh ceramic) off that. Shifting is nice and snappy now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 10 April, 2011, 12:14:47 am
Took the suspension forks on the MTB apart and emptied the water out.

Added some oil and cleaned them up a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 April, 2011, 03:50:05 pm
Finished off (apart from replacing grips and saddle) Mrs T's Raliegh.

It has gone from a 6 speed to an 18 speed!

Moved the saddle up a bit and she is talking about cycling to work tomorrow, if the weather is ok, fingers crossed!

Now to fettle the spare room into an office and to print out a metric fuck load of forms for a job and company formation....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 10 April, 2011, 03:55:57 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 10 April, 2011, 03:50:05 pm
Finished off (apart from replacing grips and saddle) Mrs T's Raliegh.

It has gone from a 6 speed to an 18 speed!

Moved the saddle up a bit and she is talking about cycling to work tomorrow, if the weather is ok, fingers crossed!

\o/ 
Another one.  Resistance is futile :)

Quote
Now to fettle the spare room into an office and to print out a metric fuck load of forms for a job and company formation....

Uggh.  That sounds suspiciously like organisation and paper might be involved.  Much sympathy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 April, 2011, 04:45:27 pm
DIY first (removing the built in cat perch bed), then paperwork and cabling....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 April, 2011, 04:55:43 pm
Cleaned the Van Nic and the Bianchi. My word, it's a while since the Italian Tiwanese one saw any soap and water.

The Bianchi's drive train did not receive the same ultrasonic tank treatment as did the Van Nic.

That drive train is lovingly preserved by the means of continually adding oil for five or so years.

That just leaves me with the grubby task of de-greasing the Van Nic's chainrings, prior to refitting the gubbins which makes it GO!  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 11:21:54 am
I have carefully eyed up the cheap'n'cheerful seatpack that the Mother-in-Common-Law bought me for Christmas, and decided that it won't fit a tube and a not-very-waterproof.  Then contemplated the cheap'n'cheerful one that I got for Dearly_Beloved from Aldi last year, concluded that it is indeed a little larger and engaged in a little light bicycle accessory theft.

I now have a level of luggage that permits the carrying of no cake - well, I will do once I take the rack off later this week.  His Leggship might almost approve.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 11 April, 2011, 11:47:40 am
I oiled my Sabbath's jockey wheels to get rid of the annoying squeak I noticed last week following cleaning the bike (maybe cleaned it too well!). It is now running silently again  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2011, 02:04:22 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 11:21:54 am
I now have a level of luggage that permits the carrying of no cake - well, I will do once I take the rack off later this week.  His Leggship might almost approve.

 :o

You're not supposed to take his advice seriously, you know.  You're supposed to turn up with as many mudguards, racks and cakes (hell, maybe even mudguards made of cake) as you feel necessary, complete a ride without a mudguard-based gravitational or aerodynamic disaster, and then proceed to consider yourself a FNRttC veteran and therefore entitled to gratuitously ignore the luggage advice (and optionally load up on adjustable spanners and lump hammers in case other riders require assistance).  Or something.   ;)

Top tip: spare tubes can be attached to the bike using cable tie technology if you're really pushed for space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 02:10:05 pm
In fairness, I think this time he means it.  I've had a couple of emails telling me so.  Like, to me, not to the mailing list....

(haven't taken the mudguards off mind)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 11 April, 2011, 02:16:38 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 11:21:54 am

I now have a level of luggage that permits the carrying of no cake - well, I will do once I take the rack off later this week.  His Leggship might almost approve.

Yeah put ya rack back on  :). I may bring two pannier bags and a saddle bag just for laughs. Not sure what cake Im bringing as yet ? I'll tell him I need the bags for the Blackpool rock, candy floss and kiss me quick hat I wanna bring back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2011, 02:29:34 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 02:10:05 pm
In fairness, I think this time he means it.  I've had a couple of emails telling me so.  Like, to me, not to the mailing list....

I've had a few of those in the past, too.   ::-)

I'm sure you'll be fine, no matter what you carry.  It's not like you're lugging camping gear up Tan Hill or anything.


Quote
(haven't taken the mudguards off mind)

Quite right.  I think encouraging people to remove perfectly well-fitted mudguards is dubious advice at best.  They're only going to want them back again for commuting on Monday, and fitting mudguards is a Black Art that I don't think people should be dabbling in more than necessary.  It's a safety (and sanity) issue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 02:57:47 pm
Well, he sort of advised in a perfectly pleasant and reasonable manner.  So I don't see any reason not to do as much as I can to go along with the rules.  His ride, isn't it?  And bear in mind that last time I rode with his Mr Legg was Cleethorpes last year.  I've done quite a lot of miles and climbed a few hills and got a bit faster since then, but he's got no way of really knowing that.  And, especially on the daytime recce run for Cleethorpes (on which I got an exclusive preview of the ride, because Simon really did go the extra mile, or 67 miles, to make sure I was up for it) I genuinely was slow and struggled with some of the lincolnshire hills.  I fully expect to be one of the slowest there on Friday too.  So he's allowed to be nervous! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2011, 03:07:11 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 02:57:47 pm
And bear in mind that last time I rode with his Mr Legg was Cleethorpes last year.  I've done quite a lot of miles and climbed a few hills and got a bit faster since then, but he's got no way of really knowing that. 

That was the basis of my point.  You now have a much better idea of your ability than he does, so you make the decision as to what's reasonable.  Personally I find the difference made by non-camping amounts of luggage gets lost in the noise, and that having enough extra clothing to avoid getting seriously cold when stopped is far more important.  Of course, I can't imagine that's something you're going to be worrying about :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 03:34:03 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 April, 2011, 03:07:11 pm
...having enough extra clothing to avoid getting seriously cold when stopped is far more important.  Of course, I can't imagine that's something you're going to be worrying about :)

Presunktly.  I don't actually need to carry a load of spare clothes - if it was cold enough for me to be feeling cold it'd be icy and the ride would likely be off.  I am in two minds about whether to wear gloves (almost always too warm, even for Whitby in October) or mitts.  And I can quite happily tootle off and do 30 miles without eating breakfast, so I don't think I need to worry about taking food (even cake, other than out of social niceness) if I've had the whole day to stuff my face and there's a proper cafe stop halfway there.

If I felt the need to break the roolz because, for example, I was susceptible to getting cold and needed several spare layers or I had specific dietary needs, needed to be sure of having appropriate food to eat and knew from experience that cafe could rarely provide this then the rack would stay on and the rack pack would be coming with me.

But I don't, so insisting on keeping it would be arsey and stubborn.  And of course, I'm neither of those things ever, am I?

;)

I just cleaned my bike and removed the rack.  Valencia looks naked  :o!  Now trying to work out where I can fit the rear lights....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 April, 2011, 05:39:52 pm
I fettled the wiring of my Shimano dynohub that should have been fixed by the LBS when I had the wheel made up. They really cut a lot of corners and rigged up a very Heath Robinson bracket for the Cyo light. I drilled through the Pompetamine fork to allow me to attach the bracket straight to the fork. I shall be using the other Leamington Spa LBS next time!

I still have some soldering and wiring length work to do, but that will have to wait till Wednesday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 11 April, 2011, 05:51:45 pm
gave the TinOne its Spring clean:


(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/tinone2011.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 April, 2011, 07:09:23 pm
Rewaterproofed a garden shed and fitted some Keo pedals to the Audax tandem. Once some new bits arrive, I can finish it off and start on the racing tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 11 April, 2011, 09:21:52 pm
I am just working out how to fettle my dhb arm warmers after epic arm warmer phail on my ride tonight. I am sure they stayed up when I last wore them back last summer but now they are over an inch too big. I am getting my sewing machine out to fettle them!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/YACFbaton015.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 April, 2011, 09:25:59 pm
Assembling a specialised sirrus as a single speed to lend to a mate.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 11 April, 2011, 09:30:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 April, 2011, 02:04:22 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 11:21:54 am
I now have a level of luggage that permits the carrying of no cake - well, I will do once I take the rack off later this week.  His Leggship might almost approve.

 :o

You're not supposed to take his advice seriously, you know.  You're supposed to turn up with as many mudguards, racks and cakes (hell, maybe even mudguards made of cake) as you feel necessary, complete a ride without a mudguard-based gravitational or aerodynamic disaster, and then proceed to consider yourself a FNRttC veteran and therefore entitled to gratuitously ignore the luggage advice (and optionally load up on adjustable spanners and lump hammers in case other riders require assistance).  Or something.   ;)

Top tip: spare tubes can be attached to the bike using cable tie technology if you're really pushed for space.

There is one good reason for the disapproval of cake in large quantities. Where the  being carried is so great that some people don't buy food from people who have gone to the bother of being open to serve us in the middle of the night and eat their own in cafes. That aside, a bit of cake is usually more than welcome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 09:40:33 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 11 April, 2011, 09:30:32 pm
some people don't buy food from people who have gone to the bother of being open to serve us in the middle of the night and eat their own in cafes.
See, that'd be just rude.  Although I did eat a slice of my own cake outside the cafe near the Humber bridge whilst waiting.  Good thing too really, since by the time I got to the front of the queue I had time to buy a coffee, drink about 1/3 of it, and then we were off!

Quote
That aside, a bit of cake is usually more than welcome.
As I've said elsewhere, on this one anyone who wants a cake should shout up, I'll happily make it and they can carry it themselves.  Although, obviously, some people have been on a cake promise for nearly a year and will be getting a cake whether they want one or not....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 11 April, 2011, 09:43:14 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 09:40:33 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 11 April, 2011, 09:30:32 pm
some people don't buy food from people who have gone to the bother of being open to serve us in the middle of the night and eat their own in cafes.
See, that'd be just rude.  Although I did eat a slice of my own cake outside the cafe near the Humber bridge whilst waiting.  Good thing too really, since by the time I got to the front of the queue I had time to buy a coffee, drink about 1/3 of it, and then we were off!

Quote

It would and, regrettably, I have seen it done. Having said that I have seen people produce home-made cake and offer some to cafe owners with very positive results.
That aside, a bit of cake is usually more than welcome.
As I've said elsewhere, on this one anyone who wants a cake should shout up, I'll happily make it and they can carry it themselves.  Although, obviously, some people have been on a cake promise for nearly a year and will be getting a cake whether they want one or not....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 11 April, 2011, 10:44:11 pm
Two brand new Continental Gatorskin Ultras and inner tubes fitted. Was getting more and more punctures on my 3-4 year old Michelin Pro Race 2s, not that they were worn really but had a number of 'patched on the inside' cuts that were nipping at the inner tubes.

Though to be fair to the Pro Races my last puncture was most definitely a spoke head getting the tube so 2 rolls of Velox cloth tape were applied as well.

Not entirely certain I haven't pinched the rear tube whilst getting the last bit of bead over the rim. No bang or quick pssshhh but seems a tad softer at the rear during my lean on the bike test. May just not have pumped it up quite as high as the front so will leave overnight and poke them in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 April, 2011, 06:14:04 pm
The front mech on the tandem because last week it wouldn't change from the middle ring to either the big ring or granny ring.
Met with only limited success in that it will not go to big ring but will select granny & middle ring which will do for the FNRttC Manc/B.pool onna tandem with g.d..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 April, 2011, 06:19:31 pm
The saddle position on the Bat Bike.
Something didn't feel quite right on the ride home last night, and I put it down to the fact that it has 175mm cranks rather than the 170s I'm used to. Nope, turns out that the saddle was about 15mm lower than it should have been, hence many complaints from knees and lower back.

I also noted with some satisfaction that the saddle is breaking in nicely after less than 100 miles - whether this is down to having a saddle made from particularly compliant cow hide or just being a fat bastard is currently an open question.

And I still need to put the Schmidt-equipped wheel onto the S3X-machine ...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 12 April, 2011, 06:22:38 pm
Cleaned both TCR and Etape.
Installed a better seat onto Son1's Kona Cindercode so he could ride into town to be with his mates.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 April, 2011, 06:24:25 pm
Transferred g.d.'s saddle from her Isla bike onto the tandem.
Removed pedals/clips & straps from front of tandem & fitted Shimano spd pedals
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Steve Kish on 12 April, 2011, 10:28:05 pm
Quote
I am getting my sewing machine out to fettle them!

Sew them to a short-sleeved vest and wear this inside your polka-dor YACF one. :thumbsup:

Decent fettle re-spoking (well, actually re-nippling) my rear wheel, as I was getting a bit fed up with the chewed-up nipples that seem to have grown roots and attached themselves onto my rims! ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 April, 2011, 11:26:33 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 03:34:03 pm
Now trying to work out where I can fit the rear lights....

Hmmm.  I'm coming to the conclusion that I may have to put my rear light on me. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 13 April, 2011, 08:19:28 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 12 April, 2011, 11:26:33 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 03:34:03 pm
Now trying to work out where I can fit the rear lights....

Hmmm.  I'm coming to the conclusion that I may have to put my rear light on me. 

If you do, think about the angle you sit at. Many is the time that one can see lights attached to rucksacks pointing skywards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 April, 2011, 08:22:47 am
Not today (all I have fettled today is a coffee and a bowl of Mini-bix), but yesterday I removed the last remnants of the built in bed out of the spare bedroom, then bought and built a desk.

Oh and fitted the new saddle to Mrs T's bike and adjusted the brakes on the Ridley
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 08:38:35 am
Quote from: Adrian on 13 April, 2011, 08:19:28 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 12 April, 2011, 11:26:33 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 03:34:03 pm
Now trying to work out where I can fit the rear lights....

Hmmm.  I'm coming to the conclusion that I may have to put my rear light on me. 

If you do, think about the angle you sit at. Many is the time that one can see lights attached to rucksacks pointing skywards.

Rucksack?  But that would allow me to carry stuff.  That wouldn't be in the spirit of the thing at all! :)

The problem is that the seat stays on the Very Lovely Valencia are really very slope-y.  Small size, compact frame.  So fitting a Smart in a way that isn't unpleasant for the TECs (who will likely be the only people behind me) is challenging.  Add to which the cable routing for the rear mech is straight down the top of the drive side seatstay....  I might be able to fit one on the other seat stay and get the angle not horrific without risk of it all going horribly wrong and fouling the disk rotor, maybe.  Or I might go to the corner shop and get a couple of those rubber band LED ones that may be more amenable to unlikely placement, and clip a smart kidney (less offensively bright if it's the wrong height and moving around) on a jersey pocket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 13 April, 2011, 08:48:54 am
You need an NeverReady NiteRider.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 April, 2011, 09:12:43 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 12 April, 2011, 11:26:33 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2011, 03:34:03 pm
Now trying to work out where I can fit the rear lights....

Hmmm.  I'm coming to the conclusion that I may have to put my rear light on me. 

FYI the rear rack will remain on the tandem to accommodate lights & a rackpack.So that's me due for a bollicking about midnight on Friday ::-)
C U there :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 09:39:36 am
In fairness, I believe that it's pretty unheard of for people to actually get told off for turning up with such things.  Just make sure your bike is properly roadworthy, tyres are good, brakes are fine and dandy etc.  And make very very sure that any mudguards and racks that just accidentally got left on are really securely attached!  There have been people, I understand, in the past who didn't pay enough attention to such matters and it caused problems.

(And Kim's concept of mudguards made of cake is still tickling me)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 April, 2011, 10:30:12 am
I have a fettling FAIL.  I got a new pair of shoes at the weekend.  Northwave, they are, and rather nice.  Very comfortable.  last night, I fitted a pair of new cleats to them (none came with the shoes), and so put the shoes on this morning to ride to work.

I just couldn't clip the right one in at all.  It was odd, as if the pedal wasn't gripping it, rather than it not going in. 

Either way, I had to go back in and change for my trusty old Lidl shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 03:34:31 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 08:38:35 am
The problem is that the seat stays on the Very Lovely Valencia are really very slope-y.  Small size, compact frame.  So fitting a Smart in a way that isn't unpleasant for the TECs (who will likely be the only people behind me) is challenging.

Here's a method that you could probably make work, using the rack braze-ons you've just freed up, if you're able to scrounge the necessary bits:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2643.sized.jpg)

That's the business half of a SMART/Radbot mount on the end of a pan-head M5 screw (fitted backwards, from inside the drop-out, so that the weight of the lamp tends to tighten the screw in the braze-on).  Couple of 10mm nylon spacers to get the necessary stand-off (it would be simpler on the left side of the bike).  Nylock nut on the outside, washers to taste.  And a Mk 1 cable tie with just the right tension to prevent the bracket from slowly rotating about the screw causing droop (this is an unsuspended part of the bike, so it bounces around more than most).

Pay no attention to the angle apparently being set to blind whoever's following - the front wheel is currently upstairs in the truing stand doing dynamo SCIENCE duty, so the bike's resting on the forks.


Needless to say, my racks are staying attached, because the rear has all the lights (and wiring) on it, and I'm suspicious that there's going to be a real risk of fork damage if I get into the habit of popping the front racks on and off.  Simon can be happy that I left the 50 tonnes of German recumbent at home.   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 April, 2011, 03:42:54 pm
If you try this, make damned sure that when the chain is on the smallest sprocket, it still clears the bolt head (and with a bit of an allowance for wobbling of chains as it changes).  Even with a pan head, I know that on some of my bikes there isn't that much clearance.  You often have to be quite selective with what bolts you use to hold a mudguard and/or rack on, since it must not protrude more than a fraction past the dropouts. :-\

Get it wrong, and you'll have fun detangling the jammed chain, and possibly have to replace (remove) some links, which is the sort of thing which is annoying when you're a long way from hot water and soap to dehorrible your hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 04:49:44 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 April, 2011, 03:42:54 pm
If you try this, make damned sure that when the chain is on the smallest sprocket, it still clears the bolt head (and with a bit of an allowance for wobbling of chains as it changes).

Good Point Well Made.

The pan head leaves plenty of clearance there, in fact there may well be room for a normal allen head - I just happened to have sufficiently long screws in pan head in my box of bits.  That's HPVelotechnik for you - It wouldn't surprise me if they'd actually thought about this sort of thing at the design stage.

But I've fitted racks to other bikes where I've actually had to dremel down the screws by a couple of mm to avoid snagging the chain when used in the normal manner.  If you haven't got room for a pan-head, that pretty much scuppers this approach, as it's just asking to un-screw itself.  Although while we're in one-off botch territory, you could always adjust the limit screw so the derailleur never reaches the small sprocket.  I don't see it getting a lot of use on this ride...


And this, kids, is why racks and mudguards are a good thing.   :)

In fact, come the revolution, there's going to be a rule banning anyone tall enough to have sufficient exposed seatpost for both a decent saddlebag and a rear light from commenting on the necessity of racks.   :demon:

Actually, on that point, fettling a loop of fabric onto the saddlebag for a Smart to clip onto might be less hassle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 April, 2011, 04:52:53 pm
Could you not just fit a tiny saddlebag with a loop on it for a rear light? My miniscule Fizik one has a light loop on it and just has room for tube and tyre levers inside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 05:10:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 04:49:44 pm
In fact, come the revolution, there's going to be a rule banning anyone tall enough to have sufficient exposed seatpost for both a decent saddlebag and a rear light from commenting on the necessity of racks.   :demon:

+1!

I have found an old cheap'n'nasty rear light in one of the Teetering_Piles_of_Crap that can be persuaded to fit on the seatstay in a non cable-fouling manner and adjusted to point back and down a bit.  It's far from brilliant, but it's better than being entirely reliant on something clipped to clothes.

Quote from: Feline on 13 April, 2011, 04:52:53 pm
Could you not just fit a tiny saddlebag with a loop on it for a rear light? My miniscule Fizik one has a light loop on it and just has room for tube and tyre levers inside.
But then I'd have to buy a tiny saddlebag.  I went and looked at them, before remembering the cheap and nasty saddlepacks that we had lurking, and there really isn't a lot of space between the saddle and the rear mudguard, and there isn't a huge amount of saddle rail to play with so several of the options (mainly bontrager and ortlieb) in the corner shop didn't fit anyway.  I'm reluctant to spend 30 quid on something that I'm only likely to use if I go on a FNRttC.  Plus, Saturday afternoon, the rack's going back on!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 April, 2011, 05:35:05 pm
Have you taken your mudguards off?  Could be worth trying to mount the light on the guard.

Or, try cable-tieing a light to the saddle rails.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 05:42:54 pm
Quote from: Deano on 13 April, 2011, 05:35:05 pm
Have you taken your mudguards off?  Could be worth trying to mount the light on the guard.

In the absence of a Pixeo or similar light designed for the purpose, I reckon that's inviting the sort of failure that is no doubt the basis of Mr Legg's fear of mudguards.

If it comes to that, I say put the rack back on and plead safety.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 April, 2011, 05:49:44 pm
You're probably right, Kim.  The wobblability is the main reason I've never mounted a light on the mudguard.

What about threading a long M5 bolt through the light and mounting it on the braze-on for the rack at the top of the seatstay?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 13 April, 2011, 05:56:12 pm
Sorted (hopefully) my Sora sti levers as the left hand lever was sticking a little making it difficult to get into the big chainring & replaced the front brake pads on the winter bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 05:56:29 pm
Quote from: Deano on 13 April, 2011, 05:49:44 pm
What about threading a long M5 bolt through the light and mounting it on the braze-on for the rack at the top of the seatstay?

Ooh.  Or bolt a bit of plastic pipe to it in whatever orientation works, then attach the light bracket to that in the usual manner.  Standard darkside bodge, that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 06:00:05 pm
But I've got a light that can sort of be fitted, and shouldn't be antisocial, and will probably do for one ride even if it is a bit crap.  And, when the corner shop is open tomorrow, I'll go and pick up a coupe of rubber band emergency lights or something.

Rather than looking for a nice elegant solution I'd rather bake some chocolate cake, go for a bike ride and ignore it.  Does that make me a bad person?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 April, 2011, 06:03:42 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 06:00:05 pm
But I've got a light that can sort of be fitted, and shouldn't be antisocial, and will probably do for one ride even if it is a bit crap.  And, when the corner shop is open tomorrow, I'll go and pick up a coupe of rubber band emergency lights or something.

Rather than looking for a nice elegant solution I'd rather bake some chocolate cake, go for a bike ride and ignore it.  Does that make me a bad person?

Not at all, and on a group ride like you're doing it probably isn't vitally important that you have any rear light at all, since there will always be a rider behind you and they will have a good enough front light to see you!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 06:05:50 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 06:00:05 pm
Rather than looking for a nice elegant solution I'd rather bake some chocolate cake, go for a bike ride and ignore it.  Does that make me a bad person?

Sounds like an elegant solution to me.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 April, 2011, 06:07:22 pm
Priorities, CL :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 13 April, 2011, 06:15:35 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 05:10:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 04:49:44 pm
In fact, come the revolution, there's going to be a rule banning anyone tall enough to have sufficient exposed seatpost for both a decent saddlebag and a rear light from commenting on the necessity of racks.   :demon:

+1!

+ another one. Also, all lights will come with a bracket that will fit seat stays and is adjustable to any angle.

*has spent hours fitting lights to small bikes and children's bikes >:(*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 13 April, 2011, 06:44:20 pm
Crinkly:- re-fit the rack and put the light securely on it. It sounds like the best way.
If it helps, my bike still has its guards and rack plus it has knobbly tyres and a Rohloff. I don't think that Simon was impressed with any of these "features" even if it's got me to Blackpool twice already  ;)

My fettling today consisted of fitting a Thudbuster ST to this ^ bike.
It will, presumably, also not meet the ideal spec for a FNRttC bike but, with the holes that are to come, I might be able to smile serenely and smart-arsedly knowingly when we arrive on the Prom.

From today's largely off-road ride, it appears to be remarkably effective  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 April, 2011, 07:12:39 pm
I can't believe the amount of rack and guard prejudice on these FNRttCs! Does this mean I would not be welcome with my Bagman and Carradice??  :o
Im working a night shift friday anyway so I can't come, but still, I might want to at some point!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 13 April, 2011, 07:20:52 pm
If it's full of cake, then you'll be very welcome.  :P :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 13 April, 2011, 07:24:10 pm
Flipped the wheel on the Dawes, for Sunday's audax. East of the Meridian y'see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 13 April, 2011, 07:25:33 pm
Quote from: Feline on 13 April, 2011, 07:12:39 pm
I can't believe the amount of rack and guard prejudice on these FNRttCs! Does this mean I would not be welcome with my Bagman and Carradice??  :o
Im working a night shift friday anyway so I can't come, but still, I might want to at some point!

Simon was a bit of a cycling fashionista on ACF, and he is probably still is today. Comes with the territory of being a Colnago owner, I suppose.  :demon: ;) :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 13 April, 2011, 07:27:06 pm
Quote from: Feline on 13 April, 2011, 07:12:39 pm
I can't believe the amount of rack and guard prejudice on these FNRttCs! Does this mean I would not be welcome with my Bagman and Carradice??  :o
Im working a night shift friday anyway so I can't come, but still, I might want to at some point!
The two that I did, I had a bagman and camper longflap, so you'd be fine. And race blade mudguards too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 07:27:20 pm
Well, I took rack and guards to Cleethorpes.  Twice.  And His Leggship still spoke to me afterwards  :)

But historically there have been, I believe, some incidents where mudguard/rack fettlage caused significant delay to the ride, which is far from ideal when there's upwards of 70 people standing around in the cold waiting for people.

I actually think that, given the frankly ridiculous amount of work that the rides must be for Simon and the way that the usual suspects turn out month after month to waymark and TEC, the 'rules' such as they are are eminently reasonable.

Quote from: Adam on 13 April, 2011, 07:20:52 pm
If it's full of cake, then you'll be very welcome.  :P :-*

So Adam, does that mean you want a cake?  If so, you'll have to collect it from me in Manchester, otherwise it's getting left on the Town Hall steps!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 07:27:37 pm
Quote from: Feline on 13 April, 2011, 07:12:39 pm
I can't believe the amount of rack and guard prejudice on these FNRttCs! Does this mean I would not be welcome with my Bagman and Carradice??

As I've said before, I think there's a fair element of Simon coming across badly online.  Obviously what he's trying to avoid are people with poorly-maintained bikes (and there have been a few) turning up and having a catastrophic wobbly bolt type problem resulting in injury or a prolonged fettling stop.  Fair enough really.

The problem is that in order to get the message through to the sort of people inclined to do that, you're going to risk upsetting those with perfectly well-maintained mudguards and racks, who are either going to get annoyed at the suggestion that they should be removed, go to extreme lengths to comply with the request, or simply not bother coming.

I don't know how you win this one.  If I were in Simon's position I'd probably end up pragmatically doing much the same thing, if a bit more tactfully - there's a world of difference between "if in doubt, remove them, you'll be fine" and "mudguards are evil, don't bring them".  He's got enough on his plate with all the usual organisation (I don't imagine the rides go as smoothly as they do without a fair bit of work behind the scenes) to want to worry about other people's bike maintenance.

Practically, plenty of us turn up with all the usual audax-level mudguards and luggage and do the rides without him batting an eyelid.  It's just the newbies who get the mudguard lecture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 13 April, 2011, 07:50:29 pm
Spot on Kim  :thumbsup:


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 April, 2011, 07:53:58 pm
In terms of weight, mudguards and racks add little to a bike, and even less compared to the overall weight of cyclists and rider.

I can think of one occasion when someone's mudguard did cause problems on a FNRttC, when the bolt holding it onto the top of the fork came loose.  This was exacerbated because his LBS had made a dire job of fitting the wheel, so we had a problem getting the wheel off so that we could tighten up the bolt holding the mudguard on (several of my bikes have mudguards held on like this, but I know I can get the wheels off of them!)

Simon rarely criticises my rack and mudguards, but (i) my panniers are often stuffed full of tools and spares, many of which have been used on the rides & (ii) I can keep up with most riders even hauling that load along (excepting Claud on the run into Whitstable, who left me in her dust!).

Of course, if I'm feeling like a fast ride, I can use Red, who has neither conventional rack nor mudguards, and nowhere to fit them! (although I do have an Arkel Randonneur rack for a top bag).

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/RedBike_ArkelRandonneur.png) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/RedBike_NightRideMode.jpg)

Having said all that, on most FNRttCs, you often don't need to carry tools and spares, unless you've got unusual requirements (like small wheels), although you're likely to be scowled at if you have no ability whatsoever to deal with a puncture!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 08:04:03 pm
Now that's just showing off the extremely luxurious amounts of seat post real estate you have, and I may hae to sulk  at you ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 April, 2011, 08:45:25 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 08:04:03 pm
Now that's just showing off the extremely luxurious amounts of seat post real estate you have, and I may have to sulk  at you ;)

I've actually got two lights mounted on the seatpost now, the Cateye you can see in that shot, and a couple of Cateye mounts bolted together, to hold a Dinotte rear. ;D

I've got more seatpost than that visible on the Pompino!  (but that frames a bit too small).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 13 April, 2011, 08:52:02 pm
Yesterday I mended someone else's puncture whilst awaiting the Kilchoan - Tobermory ferry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 08:56:52 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 April, 2011, 07:53:58 pm
In terms of weight, mudguards and racks add little to a bike, and even less compared to the overall weight of cyclists and rider.

The argument I never had to use on my second (or third, I forget) FNRttC was "Yes, I know I've added about 300g of front racks.  I've also removed a nett 200g of adjustable stem and lost approximately 10kg of flab.  I don't think they'll be slowing me down."


And yes, look at all that seatpost!  Luxury!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 13 April, 2011, 09:17:03 pm
My bike will be fully racked & mudguarded, so his Leggeship can moan at me if he likes..... ;)      Does he have a special disapproval of Rohloffs and front racks ?  If so I may bring Mr Nomad, just to say hello...

I've personally found the mounts supplied with Smart & Radbott lights to be excellent. Easily adjustable to the correct angle and with enough rubber packing they are secure on skinny seatstays.

The back of a h****t is a good place for a flashing light when riding in traffic, but probably antisocial on this sort of thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2011, 09:29:23 pm
The smarts fit nicely on the rack - well, apart from that I've been meaning for a while to add a bit more padding to stop them swinging round in a way that alway terrifies other people who don't realise how gigantic my rack is (oy - stop sniggering at the back!) because it's disk-compatible, so the lights can rotate completely around and still clear the spokes although obviously this would lead to distinctly sub-optimal illumination.  It's not the skinniness of the stays that's annoying, it's the cable routing down the drive side one and the angle.  But it'll be reet.

I have just fettled the third dishwasher load of dirty pots.  The housewifely thing is starting to wear a bit thin....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 April, 2011, 09:56:56 pm
CL,you need to see reply # 96 on the FNRttC thread :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 14 April, 2011, 12:15:35 am
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 08:56:52 pm


And yes, look at all that seatpost!  Luxury!

Surely that's a sign of a (more) compact frame ?



Quote from: andrewc on 13 April, 2011, 09:17:03 pm
Does he have a special disapproval of Rohloffs



I'm guessing that he would disapprove of the weight  ;).
I picked up his bike after the daylight ride reccy and it seemed to weigh 2/3s of bugger all.
That, and the extra friction in my lower gears, is my excuse for him being much, much quicker up the hills on the night reccy  :P


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 April, 2011, 12:25:29 am
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 14 April, 2011, 12:15:35 am
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2011, 08:56:52 pm


And yes, look at all that seatpost!  Luxury!

Surely that's a sign of a (more) compact frame ?

Some of us have very compact geometry frames, and still can't fit a light on the seatpost.  Well, not one that would serve any purpose anyway.  Of course, TimO is probably rather more than a foot taller than me.....  the saddle on his bike is about armpit height on me!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 April, 2011, 12:57:28 am
In the last few days, whilst under the pretext of 'gardening', I have managed to change the wheels on the full susser. Alex rims on Commencal hubs, new Promax discs with new Sunrace cassette and Maxxis 'Ridgeline' folding tyres. WTB Speed V saddle is an experiment.

The roadified DynaTech MTB has finally had its new cro-mo fork fitted and that did dump a sh1tload of dead weight! I think the old fork was actually cast steel. Not cutting the steerer until I'm happy with the bar position. Photos in Members Bikes when I get the chance . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 14 April, 2011, 05:51:35 am
Mr. Legg did once make a disparaging remark about my Rohloff but he was wearing his Revolutionary Communist hat at the time, describing it as 'conspicuous consumption'. As Julian pointed out, this was not an especially convincing line of attack given that he was sitting astride a frame constructed entirely from combusted fairy farts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 April, 2011, 12:42:38 pm
I have applied the boab principle, namely "why DIY when you can GAMI*?", and been to the corner shop where, in exchange for 8 quid (and a cake and some  chocolate flapjack, although they didn't know they were getting that until after I'd paid) they swapped the mudguards mounted reflector for a smart  mudguards mounted light.

Jobsagoodun.


*get a man in
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 14 April, 2011, 01:41:14 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 14 April, 2011, 12:42:38 pm
I have applied the boab principle, namely "why DIY when you can GAMI*?", and been to the corner shop where, in exchange for 8 quid (and a cake and some  chocolate flapjack, although they didn't know they were getting that until after I'd paid) they swapped the mudguards mounted reflector for a smart  mudguards mounted light.

Jobsagoodun.


*get a man in

I tend to call it GSI- Get Someone In- hence my employing Debbie the Decorator a few years ago.

I'll be interested to see your new light CL- sounds like something that every bike with mudguards should have  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2011, 07:12:51 pm
New ATA cable in a flesh-eating server which appears to be otherwise devoid of hardware problems.

Gave the Dawes a much needed clean, chain lube and brake-fettle.  And a thorough mudguard bolt inspection, so as not to embarrass myself on the FNRttC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 15 April, 2011, 04:17:11 pm
Hung up the laundry on the radiators so I'll have something to wear later.

Charged batteries and put them in lights and put lights on bike.

Charged spare batteries.

Crammed some stuff into the minimalist luggage.

Topped up the tyres (which were embarassingly under pressure!).

Filled a water bottle and stuck it in the bottle cage, because 9 times out of 10 I set off and then remember that I've forgotten to do this.

Put all the zillion train tickets and a bit of money in my family railcard wallet and stuck it in a plastic ziplock bag.  My purse, on its own, would almost fill the luggage.

And now I'm going to go for a spin round the block to check if the seat-stay mounted cheap and nasty light catches at all when I pedal.

And then I'm going to go kip for a couple of hours.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 April, 2011, 04:45:47 pm
Train tickets!  Excellent point!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 April, 2011, 06:22:56 pm
1) cleaned the BBQ (with a manly pressure washer)
2) ripped the hall table from it's moorings (with a manly hammer and wrecking bar)
3) drank a bottle of Fursty Ferret, and am now most of the way through a bottle of Copper Dragon..

That's enough fettilng for one day, me thinks :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 April, 2011, 07:30:39 pm
Got the one front panel and the side panel of the garden shed a coat of "Peely wally cheap milk chocolate" wood treatment.  It said on the tin of wood preservative that the colour was "Rustic Brown" not "Peely wally cheap milk chocolate".....    :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2011, 07:53:42 pm
Patched a Brommie tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 15 April, 2011, 07:58:42 pm
Five jobs became one today  :thumbsup:

I put a 19-tooth sprocket on my Dave Yates for the hills on Spring into the Dales, and I didn't need to lengthen the chain, or faff with the mudguards to get it to fit.  And since I now have a 63" gear on one side and a 72" gear on the other side, all I have to do is flip the wheel for the following week's flatter-than flat Arrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 April, 2011, 08:18:32 pm
shaved my legs, first time this year. the excuse - massage after london marathon.. ::-) bike wise, installed a front road wheel on my bso (to replace a stolen 26" wheel). rear brakes will do for the time being.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: welshwheels on 15 April, 2011, 09:52:47 pm
fitted a rack to my mtb  :thumbsup:  no more rucksack on my back  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 April, 2011, 09:54:44 pm
Fettled the Audax tandem: fitted 10sp shifters, 9sp rear mech, 8sp cassette and most of 3 chains. Refitted mudguards and rear rack. Replaced front brake pads and rebuilt the front caliper. Only a few things left to do: tyres, stoker bars and saddle, captain's stem and bar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 18 April, 2011, 05:34:06 pm
Rebuilt candy pedals.
Replaced hinges on garden gate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 18 April, 2011, 07:17:28 pm
Sorted the creak on my single speed. My awesome power has loosened the LH crank :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 April, 2011, 07:24:14 pm
My supposedly lightweight camping kit :)

Going to load the bike up tomorrow and take it for a test ride down to Skipwith Common and back tomorrow - a nice mix of road, cycle track and off-road bits that look like they've been bombed from high orbit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 April, 2011, 08:05:45 pm
Had a go at eliminating crank creaks in a couple of HK's Audax bikes. Needed and ordered XTR BB tools and another chainring nut tool. Chainring peg spanners are bloody useless, why do manufacturers persist with them when better designed chainring nuts are available?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 18 April, 2011, 11:18:11 pm
Fitted a new SLX rear derailleur and chain to my son's Luath roadbike. As the SLX doesn't have an adjuster on it, and the Luath doesn't have frame cable adjusters for front or rear, I also fitted a pair of Ritchey adjusters to his STIs so we can now finely tweak his shifting.

I consider it quite a success that a young lad has ridden enough to wear out a chain  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 April, 2011, 01:29:42 pm
The traditional post-audiology-appointment tactical re-tuning of barakta's BAHAs.  The new ones go to 11  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 19 April, 2011, 03:34:26 pm
I appear to have stopped the annoying click click noise that has been coming from my right side crank/BB which has been doing my head in for the last 600 or so miles  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 April, 2011, 03:38:03 pm
I have also cured my annoying noise, it was a regular squeak occurring only when I pedalled and was worse in the rain. I narrowed it down to the zip tie that secures my cadence sensor magnet to the left crank rubbing on my Shimano sandal! I did the zip tie up bastard tight and it's gone away  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 19 April, 2011, 03:57:42 pm
On a very unproductive day, all I've done is cut the grass & stick my new saddle onto the seatpost and then stick the seatpost into the requisite hole on the Pompino frame.

It's a start, but I'm waiting for all the rest of it to show up from various sources.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 April, 2011, 04:59:54 pm
Not today, but yesterday, I fettled my brain into accepting that not ALL drivers on motorways are psychos....

A small, but significant, step.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 April, 2011, 05:10:21 pm
Plants.

After making an unexpected (and wholly unintended) visit to a garden centre, I've just spent a rather relaxing hour repotting a whole bunch of plants I never knew I needed.

Now that I've done this, I fully expect the weather to take a turn for the bleurgh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 April, 2011, 05:46:45 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 19 April, 2011, 04:59:54 pm
Not today, but yesterday, I fettled my brain into accepting that not ALL drivers on motorways are psychos....

A small, but significant, step.

\o/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 19 April, 2011, 08:04:33 pm
After a day not-charging my batteries, a molly-guard for the charge/discharge button.   :facepalm: :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 April, 2011, 08:32:16 pm
Worked on the Audax tandem, fitted stoker bars, trued both wheels, changed tyres and suchlike. Further progress was stymied when I pulled the fork out. Some more thought needed and possibly some more purchases.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 20 April, 2011, 12:27:24 pm
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5628289063_8c624f2f40.jpg)

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 20 April, 2011, 03:07:53 pm
Saved getting on for a hundred quid ...having bought new kitchen sink taps for a fiver on th' 'bay and fitting 'em myself. I reckon the main skill in plumbing is being a contortionist!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 April, 2011, 03:10:34 pm
Quote from: oncemore on 20 April, 2011, 03:07:53 pm
I reckon the main skill in plumbing is being a contortionist!

And having tools with the ability to phase through solid matter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 20 April, 2011, 03:30:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 April, 2011, 03:10:34 pm
Quote from: oncemore on 20 April, 2011, 03:07:53 pm
I reckon the main skill in plumbing is being a contortionist!

And having tools with the ability to phase through solid matter.

A bucket-o-water helps too, for when one sets the sub-floor alight with a blow-torch  :facepalm:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 20 April, 2011, 03:31:31 pm
New tyres on the carbon Giant, in case I decide to ride it on Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 April, 2011, 01:25:42 pm
In order: removed EVERYTHING from the bathroom and deep cleaned the floor

Swept and deep cleaned kitchen floor

Used pressure washer to clean wheelie bin

Used same to clean the fixie

Now need to remove everything from the worktops in the kitchen and re-oil them (it's over a month since I did it and Mrs T refuses to)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 April, 2011, 01:26:52 pm
Yowser, that's a bit productive!

I have cleared half of 'the board of doom'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 April, 2011, 01:32:31 pm
The next thing(after the worktops) is to tidy the garage.....

Hmmm, might take a bit longer than expected, and I can't start it yet, as the drive is all wet outside the garage, as it is where I cleaned the bin and the fixie.

Time for coffee then :)

I suppose I should be doing work, but awaiting info from another person to be able to do that :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 21 April, 2011, 02:58:42 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 21 April, 2011, 01:25:42 pm
In order: removed EVERYTHING from the bathroom and deep cleaned the floor

I also gave the bathroom a much needed remove everything and wipe down this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 21 April, 2011, 05:14:52 pm
fixed 2 punctures. The first I attempted to patch, then 4 or 5 miles down the road it was going again so I guess the tube is terminated.  Then I stuck a new tube in - my last one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 April, 2011, 05:26:47 pm
More gardening type things.

Going to blag some knackered old rims from the LBS and build a little polytunnel kind of thing for my chilli seedlings (and other small plants). Just need to remember where I put all that old polythene sheet  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 April, 2011, 06:47:56 pm
Following on from garden-related fettling, I moved onto some gen-yoo-ine bike-related fettling ...

I've fitted a 23T sprocket to the work bike in preparation for a possible FNRtSWH (Friday Night Ride to Somewhere With Hills) - this means that I've probably got low enough gears to get me over the North York Moors, but not enough of a top-end to prevent me from getting murdered on the flat/downhill bits. Unfortunately, the job isn't quite complete on account of me not having a spare 3/32" chain (plenty of 1/8" chains, but they don't play nice with the chain tensioner)

Easy come, easy go, etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 April, 2011, 07:33:42 pm
I just fettled my seat post, I'm not sure if the hot weather had anything to do with it, but on my ride today my bike felt somehow weird. At the end I looked at it and realised the seat post looked about 4" shorter than it should be! It must have been slowly sinking into the seat tube as the day wore on. Recorded a max of 28C today  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 April, 2011, 07:48:05 pm
Fettled the chain, indexing, brakes and rear light bracket on the Streetmachine, so it's all ready for the FNRttC.

Also replaced the tube on my hydration thinger with some shiny new stuff I got on ebay for about a quid.  Less effort than scrubbing it.

I *think* I've eliminated the worst of the seat-squeaks by doing the QRs up Bastard Tight, but that generally lasts until a significant change in temperature.  I think I'll give up on the whole idea and replace them with proper bolts and nylocks, it's not like I ever need to adjust it on the road.

Slightly alarmed by what appears to be a hairline crack forming round one of the spoke nipples in the rear rim.  Not sure if that's too much spoke tension (doesn't seem like it), an effect of CrossCountry dangly bike spaces (I'm thinking the loading/unloading process, more than hanging from the rim), or just plain bad luck.  While I do have a spare 26" rim, it's not a very good one, and I think I trust a wheel that's evidently done hundreds of miles in its current state more than I trust one I've just rebuilt and not had time to abuse.    >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 21 April, 2011, 07:52:52 pm
Nothing, but I got my freshly repainted Audax frame back from Argos.  It is very shiny!

I know what I'll be doing tomorrow....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 April, 2011, 07:53:37 pm
A replacement screen into a laptop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 April, 2011, 08:29:14 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 April, 2011, 07:48:05 pm
While I do have a spare 26" rim, it's not a very good one...

And we can add the wiring to the shower, which was suspiciously dead when I came to rinse the bath out just now.  Problem turned out to be a seekrit extra RCD that I'd forgotten about, and clunked the test button of while digging out and peering at the afore-mentioned spare rim.  Shame I didn't realise this before I'd taken things apart and probed them with a multimeter.

 :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 April, 2011, 08:34:53 pm
I have anti-fettled a number of dead BSOs into their component parts for recycling whilst drinking coffee and eating flapjack and gossiping.

It was really rather therapeutic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 April, 2011, 08:37:28 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 21 April, 2011, 08:34:53 pm
I have anti-fettled a number of dead BSOs into their component parts for recycling whilst drinking coffee and eating flapjack and gossiping.
So, SWMBO was right ... women really can multitask  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 21 April, 2011, 09:01:35 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 21 April, 2011, 07:52:52 pm
Nothing, but I got my freshly repainted Audax frame back from Argos.  It is very shiny!

I know what I'll be doing tomorrow....

Rubbing it with baby oil?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 21 April, 2011, 09:04:33 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 21 April, 2011, 09:01:35 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 21 April, 2011, 07:52:52 pm
Nothing, but I got my freshly repainted Audax frame back from Argos.  It is very shiny!

I know what I'll be doing tomorrow....

Rubbing it with baby oil?

I'll probably build my bike up too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 21 April, 2011, 09:22:33 pm
Is it as shiny as the Mercian I have just got back from, er, Mercian?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 21 April, 2011, 09:24:26 pm
Quote from: drossall on 21 April, 2011, 09:22:33 pm
Is it as shiny as the Mercian I have just got back from, er, Mercian?

I suspect it might be.  It's very shiny.  I'll put some pics up once it's built tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Manotea on 22 April, 2011, 11:43:30 am
New ATAC cleats. This is a bigger deal then it sounds...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 April, 2011, 12:05:23 pm
This:

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/5643150152_740181e8dc.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/interzen/5643150152/)
Alfine-8 plus 23T sprocket (http://www.flickr.com/photos/interzen/5643150152/) by interzen (http://www.flickr.com/people/interzen/), on Flickr

and this:

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5642583893_d1a7ec7f12.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/interzen/5642583893/)
B&amp;M IQ Cyo headlight (http://www.flickr.com/photos/interzen/5642583893/) by interzen (http://www.flickr.com/people/interzen/), on Flickr

The bike is now ready for a possible FNRtSWH1, but it remains to be seen whether or not the rider is ...  :-\

1 - Friday Night Ride to Somewhere With Hills
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 22 April, 2011, 05:49:55 pm
Mrs P's been at it again:

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5643847816_86f0a5c477_z.jpg)

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 22 April, 2011, 05:58:36 pm
What a woman  :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 25 April, 2011, 12:43:35 am
Quote from: Tewdric on 21 April, 2011, 09:24:26 pm
Quote from: drossall on 21 April, 2011, 09:22:33 pm
Is it as shiny as the Mercian I have just got back from, er, Mercian?

I suspect it might be.  It's very shiny.  I'll put some pics up once it's built tomorrow.

Sadly I spent most of this afternoon cleaning parts, so I only actually got as far as refitting the headset:

(http://www.rossall.plus.com/mercian/Mercian_respray_front.jpg) (http://www.rossall.plus.com/mercian/Mercian_respray_rear.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 25 April, 2011, 08:40:16 am
I put my Pompino together. I got as far as the bar tape and was just about to put the brake cables back and fit the Sturmey Archer 3-speed controls when I realised that the outer cables were too short (I've fitted a bar riser, that's why!). I swapped around a bit and have a back brake, but no gears or front brake. Looks like a trip to the LBS tomorrow, as I suppose they'll be shut today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 25 April, 2011, 02:58:53 pm
Also just put up an 8ft trampoline in the back garden. It was scorching in the sun & the "easy assembly" claims were bollocks! 3 hours it took, more or less. The instructions left a lot to be desired and a few simple touches by the makers would have made it so much easier.

The turf was out of stock at the local nursery, which is just as well, as I'm all gardened out for today...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 April, 2011, 03:38:57 pm
Bunged a Bagman Expedition on to the Trek & transfeered stuff from a rackpack to a Barley plus fitted a Topeak bar extender & Polaris maptrap in readiness for an audax later in the week.

Removed a 17t sprocket & 16t freewheel from the Langster & fitted an 18t sprocket & 18t freewheel to try that ratio on the rollers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 April, 2011, 06:31:16 pm
We put the tandem back together - it's been in two parts for more than a week -, tensioned the chains, which involved removing a link from the front one, and lubed them. We also fitted the clamp for the Hope Vision 1 to the solo machine Mrs. Wow is riding to MV's on Thursday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 April, 2011, 06:41:51 pm
De-creaked the cranks on two of HK's bikes and tweaked her mother's shopping bike. About to swap my Brommie's brake levers and fit bar ends.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 April, 2011, 08:45:58 pm
Removed and checked forks and reinstalled them.  TCR for the remainder of the week now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 April, 2011, 12:44:56 pm
Yesterday I tried to fettle the curtains in the bedroom wot I use when visiting Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.).  The loop thingies which slide along the track are about thirty years old and consequently have suffered much from UV light, and have mostly b0rken.  By the time I'd finished removing them, they were all b0rken.  Getting the new ones into place is a convoluted process, viz.


Bah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 26 April, 2011, 05:28:12 pm
After finding a loos cassette (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46708.msg924150#msg924150) yesterday my LBS gave* me a used spacer and I now have a wobble free cassette and, fingers crossed, smoother shifting.

They were doing a sterling job of 'free' work when I was there; the 2 people ahead of me both got jobs done for free as well: lubing a bearing on a buggy and inflating a tubeless (!) tyre on a childs buggy. There were 2 people tehre buying bikes as well so I didn't feel so bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 26 April, 2011, 05:33:05 pm
New bar tape on the Dave Yates fixed - some of this stuff:  Fizik Bar Gel plus tape (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=27915) which actually feels quite promising. Time will tell, although I do like the feel of it rather more than the old 'marSAS foam + tape' combo.

Finally managed to find a front lamp bracket for the Bat Bike, too. Now all I need is some kick-ass lights for off-road use :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 April, 2011, 05:34:36 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 26 April, 2011, 05:28:12 pm
After finding a loos cassette (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46708.msg924150#msg924150) yesterday my LBS gave* me a used spacer

They were doing a sterling job of 'free' work when I was there; the 2 people ahead of me both got jobs done for free as well:

I think you should name & fame this lbs 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 26 April, 2011, 05:46:10 pm
have upgeared my skinny fixed - 48 x 14 = 90 inches.  Bring on the first TT of the season... :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 26 April, 2011, 06:19:09 pm
I just removed the cassette lockring using a Stein Mini Cassette Lockring Removal Tool.  It's one of the species which you fit to the bike, and then use the pedals to unscrew the lockring, but it worked OK, albeit with me ending up with utterly black hands.  Recommended, if a mite expensive, since the only place I've found to get them recently is somewhere in the USA, like Harris Cyclery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 April, 2011, 08:01:37 pm
My son had a puncture in his rear tyre yet again this morning, so rode off to school on my purple womens frame BSO instead  :o

I took a look at his bike and it was filthy so gave it a good clean and fitted the Marathon Plus tyre I had bought a while back to put on if he punctured again. It involved a minor struggle to get on but nowhere near as bad as I was expecting!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/KonaSmoke001.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 26 April, 2011, 09:52:41 pm
I've put a hole in my new Arkel bag!

Don't worry.  It's a nice tidy eyelet hole for the solar panel's plug, and it is covered entirely by the map-trap.  That way, the batteries sit in the bottom of the bag where they belong, leaving room for route sheet next to the panel and not tying up any of the zippers.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 April, 2011, 01:35:25 am
Barakta's hair.  It's a bit more shoulder/wrist-friendly to maintain now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 April, 2011, 01:54:58 am
Quote from: Kim on 27 April, 2011, 01:35:25 am
Barakta's hair.  It's a bit more shoulder/wrist-friendly to maintain now.

 :o Barakta entrusts you with hair fettlage?

No one in this house other than the dog will let me fettle their hair any more  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 April, 2011, 02:05:02 am
Quote from: Feline on 27 April, 2011, 01:54:58 am
:o Barakta entrusts you with hair fettlage?

Strangely enough, yes.  She also trusts my cooking, hearing aid fettling and Linux administration skills.   :o

For those who haven't met her, she's in the same long-hair-because-it's-less-effort camp as I am.  Fettling is therefore reduced to lopping a few inches off a couple of times a year (which is hardly rocket surgery) and occasionally dying it interesting colours.

Indeed, we actually have a reciprocal arrangement, though it's been a long time since my hair was an interesting colour.  While barakta may look scary with sharp implements, she hasn't drawn blood yet.  Which is more than can be said for some professionals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 27 April, 2011, 12:14:07 pm
Quote from: jogler on 26 April, 2011, 05:34:36 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 26 April, 2011, 05:28:12 pm
After finding a loos cassette (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46708.msg924150#msg924150) yesterday my LBS gave* me a used spacer

They were doing a sterling job of 'free' work when I was there; the 2 people ahead of me both got jobs done for free as well:

I think you should name & fame this lbs 8)

Was Smith Brothers in Wimbledon
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Doosh on 27 April, 2011, 01:49:06 pm
Just about to go and have a look at the headset, if it's shot I'll fit the new one from my boxa bitz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 April, 2011, 03:58:09 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 27 April, 2011, 12:14:07 pm
Was Smith Brothers in Wimbledon

Oddly enough I used a bike shop in Wimbledon yesterday, which is hardly local for me (a 13 mile roundtrip), but I knew that Evans in Wimbledon was open until 8pm, whereas whilst there are several bike shops closer, by the time I'd cycled around them all, and found them closed, so would Evans have been.  It was easier to just cycle there in the first place!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 April, 2011, 04:34:33 pm
Isolation valve on a domestic central heating pump has been successfully fettled from a state of having a very minor intermittent weeping leak to a definate & constant drip drip leak ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 27 April, 2011, 04:38:16 pm
jogler, is that fettling?

Finally removed the snow tyres from the Uber commuter today. It now has it's marathons and mudguards back. Used a piece of old tyre between the mudguard and frame to stop any more metal from the base of the monostay getting worn away.

Fitted a shorter stem and ladies saddle too. And now it's on loan... which means I only have one bike??  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 April, 2011, 04:47:08 pm
Ed,tools+fiddling =Fettling :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 27 April, 2011, 04:55:33 pm
As we all know, wireless speedos next to LED lights are full-of-FAIL.  So I had a cheap Cateye wired speedo, which ceased working a few weeks ago.  The contacts where the speedo clips into the bracket were open-circuit, even though the reed switch in the detector could be heard to click when a magnet was brought near.

A multimeter, with probes pushed into the ends of the two wires, made a reassurring beep beep beep noise when the wheel was turned.  But no such noise when the multimeter probes were placed on the contact patches of the bracket.

These contacts are made of a flat bit and a spikey bit.  The spikey bit is meant to pierce the insulation of the wire, but one of them had somehow ceased to be electrically connected.  So I took the contact out, pulled a bit more wire through the bracket, then shoved the contact back in again, spiking through the insulation.  Success.  (For now...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 27 April, 2011, 09:21:42 pm
Got my bike back from LBS today & immediately had to take it back because the brakes weren't adjusted, which was the main reason for taking it there! Also, the chainline was poor and the chain was trying to jump off the sturmey archer sprocket. I seem to know more about them than LBS, and all it needed was to reverse the sprocket so the dish was facing the right way. Any mechanic worth his/her salt should have known that & fixed it in 2 minutes. As it was, without the right tools, I fixed it in <15 mins.

The gears need some fine tuning, but it's 99% ready now. Pompinos are very twitchy compared to Orbit Orions, aren't they?

And the LBS all but stripped one of the rear wheel bolts...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 27 April, 2011, 11:02:48 pm
I knew there was a reason I don't send my bikes to the LBS (other than just being tight-fisted!)

It's pretty annoying when you're paying a professional and they mess it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 April, 2011, 12:23:26 am
I fettled my Sabbath some today, swapped the stem from 90mm to 80mm and slightly adjusted my bar angles. Then tightened the gear cables a bit and adjusted the brakes.
Club ride this evening confirms I think I have finally cracked it, it felt spot on and even made me feel fast! I think the bike is now ready for the 300k in 9 days time, I hope I am too  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 April, 2011, 09:22:35 am
Sorted the carpet doorbar in the bathroom, the reason it kept kicking up when you walked out of the bathroom is that it was only held in place with one nail!

A slack handfull of screws and a hammer soon sorted that!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 28 April, 2011, 12:46:26 pm
I've put my audax bike back together following a minor fettle:

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5664377018_2374506539_z.jpg)

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5664377028_d7a3753488_z.jpg)

It's been stripped right down, the frame's been blasted and resprayed at Argos, the front Schmidt hub has been back to the factory for a service, it has a new Sram Apex groupset, new 3TTT Morphe bars and stem, and the remaining kit is a Thomson seatpost and Brooks Team Pro Titanium saddle, XT rear hub, Open Pro Ceramic rims (wheels built here), Edelux front light on Schmidt mount and Pixeo rear mudguard light.  Just the luggage, bottle cages and GPS to put on and it'll be ready for the Brevet Cymru!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 28 April, 2011, 02:07:49 pm
gert-lush that is Tewdric
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 28 April, 2011, 02:59:43 pm
I've been unfettling a load of concrete which comprised part of my patio at home.  It involved a disc cutter, and then a Kango 900 which turned my arms to jelly.  After several hours of abusing said concrete, with the aid of a friend, some of it condescended to break into bits.  Why on earth did the folk who had my house 25 + years ago, think it was clever to build a patio on top of a patio on top of a patio?

There were 3 layers of garden path, too... Over the years we have removed 2 full sized skips of concrete, 2 midi sized ones, a Hippo bag and a 2 axle Ifor Williams trailer full.  There is still about 10m2 of patio to go.  This morning's effort was purely to clear enough space for me to build the step up from the proper patio level (i.e. 150 below damp course level) up to lower lawn level...

All of this was in my 10 year plan I formulated when I bought the house (25 years ago).  Oh well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 April, 2011, 03:12:11 pm
Wombat, we had something similar in our last house, we gained a good 2" in each direction in the bathroom when we stripped the tiles, there was tiles on tiles on tiles (repeat ad nauseum), so much so that one chuck I removed would have taken my toes off if I hadn't been wearing my steel toecaps when it fell off the wall, onto my foot!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 28 April, 2011, 03:16:07 pm
Trying to fettle a "Highlander Ranger 3 season" sleeping bag, an ex army goretex bivvy bag, self inflating sleeping mat + extra water bottle + f00d into a longflap camper saddlebag.....  Can't seem to roll up the sleeping bag in the bivvy bag to a thin enough roll to fit under the extended lid of the camper longflap...  Not really keen on using two panniers, although that'd solve the problem of lack of compressibility.....   ???

In the end got the lot into a pair of ortlieb rear roller classic panniers.  Not so heavy as such, more not very compressible sleeping bag / bivy sack!

Gear finally packed, just breakfast munchies to sort, then off into the hills for a sub overnight bivvy camp.   :thumbsup: (I'll make sure I pack a camera too!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LEE on 28 April, 2011, 04:13:32 pm
Tonight I shall be fettling a new 10spd 105 rear mech onto my Condor Fratello.

I spent too long trying to get the gears to index properly and finally took it to my LBS who, after a fully needed replacement of chain, cassette and a middle chainring (they were embarrassingly worn out), spectacularly failed to index the gears any better than me.

A long evening spent fettling basically convinced me that the pivots on the rear mech are shot.  There is so much play in them (after only 18 months and 5000 miles) that the cage/jockey-wheel are a long way off being parallel to the sprockets.  By unscrewing the mech slightly and packing one side of the hanger interface with a few mm of cardboard I got it parallel...hey presto..it works a treat.

Now I have a new mech on my desk and the difference is obvious.  The pivots and bearings on this one are totally free of play. 

I guess it doesn't matter so much on my old 7 & 8 speed setups and I'm slightly regretting getting 10spd now as it appears everything relies on tighter tolerances, wears faster and costs more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2011, 04:17:01 pm
Jibbled pannier fittings to fit the narrower rack and re-attached the propstand to put the Dawes in touring mode.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 April, 2011, 04:17:10 pm
Replaced rear tube, chain and freewheel on my Frezoni and about to replace the wornout bar end levers. I'll replace the rear tyre after this weekend's Severn Across but before the Texas 1200.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 April, 2011, 05:32:15 pm
I just fettled the front carrier onto the Kaffenback, and tested it, with two 1L bottles of detergent and nine cans of cat food in each pannier (which is hopefully more than I'll carry in them), and they seem to work fine.

The steering when pushing the bike, or in very slow motion, is decidedly heavy, but so long as I'm doing a reasonable speed, it's surprisingly stable.  I intend to put only light stuff in the front panniers, and keep the heavier stuff for the rear.

I've also put an Exposure light mount on a Paul light mounting where I mounted the front pannier.  I'll test that out later on, once it's dark, and I can adjust the light position.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyH on 28 April, 2011, 07:24:37 pm
Took an angle grinder to a Topeak RX beam rack and fettled the QR bit onto a Tortec Velocity rack. I like the Topeak bags but I'm not so keen on stuff that clamps round the seatpost. (The rear bag & rack came from BrianI of this parish, I've forgotton who I bought the barbag off, but it was a YACFr  :thumbsup:)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_m6kcha3N9og/TbmHswyqhbI/AAAAAAAAAW8/6T-X9ktXY9k/s640/IMAG0213.jpg)

Then put the bar bag on. This may be the PBP setup. The front & rear bags come off without much involvement from the brain, and valuables would go in the barbag, which is tiny and turns into a bumbag.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_m6kcha3N9og/TbmHfurQbAI/AAAAAAAAAWw/ovkypXOB3Is/s640/IMAG0215.jpg)

Finally cut the handles off the rear bag and messed around with the powermonkey solar bit.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_m6kcha3N9og/TbmH8NLQaII/AAAAAAAAAXM/N_e66e6osWo/s640/IMAG0210.jpg)
Just need an elegant solution for the front lights now. Which may well be an Ixon on a fork crown bracket or the hope on a Minora space bar below the bar bag, plus a Fenix.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_m6kcha3N9og/TbmIF1H9F8I/AAAAAAAAAXY/wvKxxPVcAYE/s640/IMAG0208.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: токамак on 28 April, 2011, 11:34:59 pm
Started with this:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_W3XR9pTyyzo/TbnpUtuPoMI/AAAAAAAAAPw/zLam0KyYmz0/CIMG1337_640x480.JPG)
Currently have this:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_W3XR9pTyyzo/TbnpUoqI5RI/AAAAAAAAAPs/d_QnTGSYwqQ/CIMG1338_640x480.JPG)
Which tomorrow will receive this:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_W3XR9pTyyzo/TbnpScjc8wI/AAAAAAAAAPo/ZToliFw2WjI/CIMG1336_640x480.JPG)

I've got the day off work and that little lot should keep me occupied for a while... ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ed_o_brain on 28 April, 2011, 11:59:24 pm
Enjoy your fettling tomorrow Tokamak.

Here's my steed in latest guise:
(http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p96/edd_o_brain/Cycle/DSC_0001.jpg)
This evening I've added the rack and swapped the no name rear brake caliper for a tektro one which matches the front. Believe it or not, these are much better than the original brake calipers in which the springs weren't strong enough.

The old rear calliper is free to a good home.

I'd like to swap the front mech and chainset out for a triple. Will that work with the existing down tube shifter?
I should have a play about really and work it out for myself, but I was just wondering if anyone had experience of doing similar?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 29 April, 2011, 10:50:00 am
Started the day with a bit of plastering - French plaster, and it's rubbish - goes off faster than a galloping horse and I only bought it 2 days ago.  Decided to do something more enjoyable so I fixed a puncture in my tourer.

Next I will attach panniers to go and do some food-shopping.  A very pleasant 12 mile trip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 April, 2011, 12:09:44 pm
Quote from: ed_o_brain on 28 April, 2011, 11:59:24 pm
I'd like to swap the front mech and chainset out for a triple. Will that work with the existing down tube shifter?

Yes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 29 April, 2011, 03:15:20 pm
I mended a puncture at the breakfast table. Pippa located the guilty flint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 April, 2011, 05:36:14 pm
Trimmed my Brompton's barends, fitted a rear light to one of HK's bikes, swapped Campag cassettes, replaced brake and gear cables and handlebar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 29 April, 2011, 07:36:16 pm
Replace rear brake pads. Fixed puncture in spare inner tube. Fitted new front and back tyres.

Which leads me to a rant. I did have krylion carbon 25 on the front and zaffiro pro on the rear. KC measured 25mm fitted, and zaffiro 24mm.

Replaced with Rubino Pro III. Measures 24mm on front and 23 on rear (Open sport front rim, Chrina rear).

What is it with manufacturers and lying about tyre sizes? I know they do it to get the weights down compared to competitors, I just wish they'd stop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 01 May, 2011, 09:42:09 pm
Finally put the tube and tyre on the front of the road bike,

Replaced the pads on the front of the fixed as they were low and then noted I have several punctured tubes to repair but no small patches, whonder here to get some from tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 May, 2011, 11:15:20 pm
Big fettle on the Roubaix. Replaced the section of Crud Racer that broke on the Buckingham Blinder. I think this was due to the dynamo light I'd mounted on the bottom of my bagman hitting it if it bounced enough (hadn't realised there was quite so much vertical movement there with a fully loaded bag). I modified the bracket I made to place the light further back and higher up (both of which move it further away from the tyre). I knew there was a good reason for riding my shorter rides with full kit to check everything would be good on longer ones, rather than riding with minimal gear for a lighter, faster ride!

Also changed the gearing ready for the Welsh rides, so new chain, bigger cassette and mid length cage rear derailleur.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 02 May, 2011, 12:40:32 am
Finally fitted the bottle cage to the fixie,  Its only been since christmas and not been in the same room till now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 May, 2011, 08:01:11 am
Cleaned the patio

Swept the drive

Re-orged a woodpile

Moved our backup green bin

cut down a dead tree

Washed the deck

All ready for Mrs T's birthday BBQ on Saturday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 May, 2011, 09:06:02 am
^^^
what :o already at 8 o'clock of a morning :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 02 May, 2011, 03:30:20 pm
Starting stripping down the MTB so that I can give the headset to my BIL (with a reminder that WD40 is not appropriate for headset bearings) and flog the rest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 May, 2011, 03:41:29 pm
Swapped a B17 Narrow from the Langster onto the Trek & fitted the Swallow off the Trek to the Langster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 02 May, 2011, 04:59:18 pm
Fettled the seat upwards on my cheapo Claud Butler bike then gave the dogs the workout of their lives around Cheddar reservoir at an average 15mph. There are 8 legs in the air now, none of them mine  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 May, 2011, 07:59:33 pm
Oiled the front rim on the Hewitt (yes, really) and fitted new SPD cleats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 02 May, 2011, 08:41:38 pm
Fitted new grips to the flat bar bike, then collected by its owner....Finally

Now to regrease, the headset and bottom bracket on another bike.. then take off the old bar tape and put on some more bartape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 02 May, 2011, 08:46:35 pm
yesterday added extra SQR block (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45006.msg881630#msg881630) to MTB  (cheers Aidan) and then went en famille exploring the old railway track (aka Sustrans regional route  44) out of Didcot.

today removed dynamo and IQ fly from commuting bike, now that daylight lasts 14 hours per day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 02 May, 2011, 08:48:48 pm
new cables and a bit of a clean for posh bike.  Need to get some brake blocks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 May, 2011, 08:57:29 pm
The various parts of my body which have succumbed to a combination of sunburn, allergic reaction, friction and staphylococci over the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 May, 2011, 08:58:35 pm
Digging, planting, weeding, more digging, more planting and more weeding.

Got my tomatoe, basil, chive, bean and squash seeds planted.

Spent >30 mins getting a tree stump out of the ground.

Now have 2 full green bins and a full black bin, black bin collections this week, but green not for 2 weeks :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 May, 2011, 09:14:12 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 02 May, 2011, 08:58:35 pm
Digging, planting, weeding, more digging, more planting and more weeding.

Got my tomatoe, basil, chive, bean and squash seeds planted.

Spent >30 mins getting a tree stump out of the ground.

Now have 2 full green bins and a full black bin, black bin collections this week, but green not for 2 weeks :(

after dark,swap green bins with your neighbour :demon: ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 03 May, 2011, 09:00:06 am
I fitted a stem that I was going to flog, cos I thought it was too long, to my MTB. However, with a little bit of fettling, it seems to be just about right if I turn the Tioga bars round a bit. Now I can try the bridleway to Kenilworth Castle with the right tyres. Doing it on 700x38s earlier in the year when it was muddy was not the best idea!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 May, 2011, 06:59:15 pm
Fitted 9sp Ergos and rear mech to one of Rocco's bikes, new gear and brake cables and retaped the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 May, 2011, 07:06:36 pm
An new isolation valve adjacent to the domestic central heating pump.Currently leak-free.Crosses fingers & hopes that comment is NOT the kiss of death  :facepalm:
Purging the bleedin' rads etc. is not going well though:the system is most definately airlocked :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 03 May, 2011, 07:09:48 pm

Replaced saddle on my "fun"bike to a mismatching turquoise one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 May, 2011, 07:19:13 pm
Radiator pipe, which I accidentally un-fettled with the hoover earlier this afternoon.  Points to barakta for spotting the damp patch on the carpet.

Also cleaned the house (see above).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 03 May, 2011, 07:23:38 pm
Helped my mate finalise his conversion from flats to drops with a nice Shimergo setup.

I Dremeled a front mudguard bracket (rear still to do) and got that on. Located suitable washers so my new brake shoes would fit the callipers without the studs running out of thread ::-).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 03 May, 2011, 09:59:27 pm
'Tidied' desk (shoved mess in drawers) and moved half the furniture out of the spare room to aid the installation of radiators tomorrow. Lifted corner of carpet to find out for my Dad which way the floorboards run to find the underlay backing on the carpet is perished and goes everywhere :facepalm:

Also fettled my face to no longer feature a beard. It feels weird.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 03 May, 2011, 10:04:23 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 03 May, 2011, 09:59:27 pm
'Tidied' desk (shoved mess in drawers) and moved half the furniture out of the spare room to aid the installation of radiators tomorrow. Lifted corner of carpet to find out for my Dad which way the floorboards run to find the underlay backing on the carpet is perished and goes everywhere :facepalm:

If you have proper floorboards then it might be worth seting them free:
(http://www.floorsanderhire.com/img/hire-sander-man-img.jpg)

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 03 May, 2011, 10:06:51 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 03 May, 2011, 10:04:23 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 03 May, 2011, 09:59:27 pm
'Tidied' desk (shoved mess in drawers) and moved half the furniture out of the spare room to aid the installation of radiators tomorrow. Lifted corner of carpet to find out for my Dad which way the floorboards run to find the underlay backing on the carpet is perished and goes everywhere :facepalm:

If you have proper floorboards then it might be worth seting them free:
(http://www.floorsanderhire.com/img/hire-sander-man-img.jpg)

 ;D

The weekend from hell. It must have been 10 years ago but I still shudder whenever I think about it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 03 May, 2011, 10:25:12 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 03 May, 2011, 10:04:23 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 03 May, 2011, 09:59:27 pm
'Tidied' desk (shoved mess in drawers) and moved half the furniture out of the spare room to aid the installation of radiators tomorrow. Lifted corner of carpet to find out for my Dad which way the floorboards run to find the underlay backing on the carpet is perished and goes everywhere :facepalm:

If you have proper floorboards then it might be worth seting them free:
(http://www.floorsanderhire.com/img/hire-sander-man-img.jpg)

 ;D

I'm not sure if they are proper or not, under the carpet is 4-5mm hardboard, luckily a small 'hatch' came up to show a) the floorboards and b) that where the desk leg sits is no floorboard just a bit of this hardboard crap over a hole, the removed section of hardboard wasn't even supported at both ends  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 May, 2011, 11:11:41 am
Fettled a rear pannier rack onto g.d.'s mtb in readiness for cyle camping on Cannock Chase.
This involved the judicious use of a hacksaw to lob-off remove part of the horizontal spline which was fouling on the seat post due to the short chainstays.
One of the setpin heads broke off as it was being screwed into the braze-on at the top of the seat stay,leaving the threaded shaft firmly screwed in but protruding too far out to clamp the pannier arm in place.Zip ties FTW.
Adjusted the clamps on a pair of Ortlieb small Daypacker panniers & attached to the rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 May, 2011, 03:12:45 pm
Removed a pair of Nokia 26x1.5 City Runners from the Cannondale mtb & replaced with a pair of Continental 26x1.6 Goliath's;the latter having knobbly shoulders which are better suited to the surfaces likekly to be enjoyed on Cannock Chase whilst the lightly treaded faces will not generate the tarmac buzz as do conventional knobblies.
Needed to fettle clearance on the (already fitted) mudgaurds.Also moved the brake blocks closer to the rims.
While being refitted one of the inner tubes failed in that valve stem came away from the tube at the reinforcing patch.That's so dissappointing.That tube has only been on the bike since 1992 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 04 May, 2011, 03:25:49 pm
Nothing, because I don't have the tools with me that I need to do the urgent fettling that needs to be done to the front brake of my Brompton.

Must remember to do it when I get home tonight.

And must remember to ride home slowly. Had a few interesting moments on my way to work this morning when I wasn't able to stop quite as quickly as I'd have liked.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 04 May, 2011, 03:36:47 pm
The fabric-covered plastic headband of my coveted ReeVu unobtanium helmet is now broken in 6 places.

LBS sold me (£9.99) a replacement helmet headband for some other brand of lid.  With some minor fettling of the velcro/superglue/foam padding variety, I've molished an acceptable means of holding said helmet onto my head.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 May, 2011, 04:22:29 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 04 May, 2011, 03:36:47 pm
The fabric-covered plastic headband of my coveted ReeVu unobtanium helmet is now broken in 6 places.

LBS sold me (£9.99) a replacement helmet headband for some other brand of lid.  With some minor fettling of the velcro/superglue/foam padding variety, I've molished an acceptable means of holding said helmet onto my head.

The superglue bit is worrying, do you really need it to be THAT firmly attached to your bonce? :) :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 04 May, 2011, 05:23:58 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 04 May, 2011, 04:22:29 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 04 May, 2011, 03:36:47 pm
The fabric-covered plastic headband of my coveted ReeVu unobtanium helmet is now broken in 6 places.

LBS sold me (£9.99) a replacement helmet headband for some other brand of lid.  With some minor fettling of the velcro/superglue/foam padding variety, I've molished an acceptable means of holding said helmet onto my head.

The superglue bit is worrying, do you really need it to be THAT firmly attached to your bonce? :) :D
It's because velcro is getting less and less capable of finding hairs on my head to hook onto.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 May, 2011, 10:04:44 pm
I played with my new toy, a Park Tools chain cleaner. I cleaned the chain of my Sabbath until it looked shiny and brand new, then washed the bike and dried the chain and applied Prolink Gold lube very liberally to it.

I then washed my Claud Butler dog walking bike (the first time I have ever washed it in nearly a year!) and also cleaned it's chain. I solved the annoying rattle when I realised it was the silly plastic chain guard rubbing on the crank. I was tempted to take off the chain guard but didn't, because I often ride this bike in civvies and it stops my boot cut jeans going into the chain. I decided not to use Prolink gold on that bike since it gets lubed rather infrequently and so I gave it a good soaking in Finish Line green.

I discovered my son fettling his bike too  :o He had taken off the mudguards to make it look cool (how cool can a Kona hybrid fitted with Marathon Plus tyres actually get hehe).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 May, 2011, 10:15:20 pm
Quote from: Feline on 04 May, 2011, 10:04:44 pm
I discovered my son fettling his bike too  :o He had taken off the mudguards to make it look cool (how cool can a Kona hybrid fitted with Marathon Plus tyres actually get hehe).

It's not so much that the bike isn't cool - but the idea that *removing* the mudguards will somehow increase its coolness   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 04 May, 2011, 10:19:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 May, 2011, 10:15:20 pm
Quote from: Feline on 04 May, 2011, 10:04:44 pm
I discovered my son fettling his bike too  :o He had taken off the mudguards to make it look cool (how cool can a Kona hybrid fitted with Marathon Plus tyres actually get hehe).

It's not so much that the bike isn't cool - but the idea that *removing* the mudguards will somehow increase its coolness   :facepalm:

Perhaps he has an ambition to do a FNRttC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 May, 2011, 10:48:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 May, 2011, 10:15:20 pm
Quote from: Feline on 04 May, 2011, 10:04:44 pm
I discovered my son fettling his bike too  :o He had taken off the mudguards to make it look cool (how cool can a Kona hybrid fitted with Marathon Plus tyres actually get hehe).

It's not so much that the bike isn't cool - but the idea that *removing* the mudguards will somehow increase its coolness   :facepalm:

I have to admit it does look good without them. I wouldn't presonally want to ride it in the wet like that though. He uses it to commute to school in the next village daily and also to his Saturday job, so next time it rains he will get got  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 May, 2011, 10:50:20 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 04 May, 2011, 10:19:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 May, 2011, 10:15:20 pm
Quote from: Feline on 04 May, 2011, 10:04:44 pm
I discovered my son fettling his bike too  :o He had taken off the mudguards to make it look cool (how cool can a Kona hybrid fitted with Marathon Plus tyres actually get hehe).

It's not so much that the bike isn't cool - but the idea that *removing* the mudguards will somehow increase its coolness   :facepalm:

Perhaps he has an ambition to do a FNRttC.

I will suggest that to him  :thumbsup:

I mentioned over dinner that my N+1 might end up being a fixie, and he responded 'oh awesome, can you get one that will fit me too?'. Unfortunately I am 5'8" and he is 6'3" so it might be hard to get one that could do both  of us.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 May, 2011, 04:40:52 am
Finally reassembling a old school raliegh winner that I collected from the tip, with a bit of wire wool and cleaning, new tyres, cables and brake blogs now is as good as new. 

Now to sell to fund the campag bits for sale on here to build in to the perfect bike I have always wanted (531 with brifters and a triple to climb ditchling beacon)...all this to keep me entertained.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 05 May, 2011, 12:54:11 pm
Lat night - the headset on the Trek, complete strip down. The presecnse of the EU salt mountain in there explained all the cracking noises, a quick spin round the park revealed a silent bike while leaning heavily on the bars :thumbsup:

Should have done this months ago, it's been driving me nuts on hills
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 May, 2011, 02:40:55 pm
6Kg of pork ribs into 1/2 gallon of BBQ sauce, will leave them overnight then cook them really sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowly tomorrow, ready to bbq on Saturday.

Removed all the junk and food crumbs from the dining table and then re-oiled it.

Went to collect a fridge from my aunty and installed it in brick store, left it a few hours, switched it on, left it a couple more hours now it contains 6 bottles of wine and 24 bottles of Stella (as well as a Kg of mushrooms, 6 peppers and pack of fine beans).

Emptied the upstairs bins ready for bin day tomorrow.

I will be glad when it is Sunday and I don't have to worry about what visitors will think of the house :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 05 May, 2011, 03:54:20 pm
Started off well.  Painted what I needed to paint, being very careful not to get white enamel paint on the freshly tiled dark grey floor.

Can you guess the rest? :-[ :-[ ::-)

I am now having a little cry.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 05 May, 2011, 04:35:59 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 05 May, 2011, 02:40:55 pm
I will be glad when it is Sunday and I don't have to worry about what visitors will think of the house :)

They will, of course, think that it is lovely.  Although not as lovely as the birthday girl :)

Quote from: Lindagordinho on 05 May, 2011, 03:54:20 pm
Can you guess the rest? :-[ :-[ ::-)

I am now having a little cry.

oh dear..... I can't offer advice about dealing with DIY, because I refuse to even think about such stuff at the moment since it would only remind me of the frnakly ludicrous to-do list round at ours, and that would be depressing.  Would some cake help at all?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 May, 2011, 04:39:38 pm
The doors of the workshop.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 06 May, 2011, 08:59:40 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 05 May, 2011, 04:35:59 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 05 May, 2011, 02:40:55 pm
I will be glad when it is Sunday and I don't have to worry about what visitors will think of the house :)

They will, of course, think that it is lovely.  Although not as lovely as the birthday girl :)

Quote from: Lindagordinho on 05 May, 2011, 03:54:20 pm

I fixed it, with a little fettling with an oily rag.  As you do.

I rock
Can you guess the rest? :-[ :-[ ::-)

I am now having a little cry.

oh dear..... I can't offer advice about dealing with DIY, because I refuse to even think about such stuff at the moment since it would only remind me of the frnakly ludicrous to-do list round at ours, and that would be depressing.  Would some cake help at all?

Tiermat's house is lovely!  What on earth is he worried about?

I fixed my fettling disaster, by fettling it.  With an oily rag. 

I rock   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 06 May, 2011, 09:46:48 am
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 06 May, 2011, 08:59:40 am
Tiermat's house is lovely!  What on earth is he worried about?

I dunno.  Strange boy!

Quote
I fixed my fettling disaster, by fettling it.  With an oily rag. 

I rock   :smug:

\o/

I haz fettled a plenty of interactive whiteboards/AV systems.  Mostly using the tried and tested "Is it plugged in?  Is it switched on?  Shall we turn it off and on again?" system.  Always happens after the jollydays.  Now to try and find where the power lead for That Laptop has walked to this week....  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 06 May, 2011, 02:03:43 pm
I disconnected my cooker from teh mains, and cleaned it for collection.  New cooker is in place, but doesn’t come with its own length of 6mm T&E flex.  I have to go to B&Q or some such place and buy 10m, of which I’ll need to use less than 2m, to wire it in.

There is some somewhat disconcerting blackening on the back of the face plate for the connection unit.  I think I’ll be replacing that, especially given that it has a hole in it (so stuff dropping down the back of the cooker ends up inside the connection unit potentially) and one of the face plate screw holes is broken/missing.

I guess 10 years like that and it hasn’t killed me so it can’t be /that/ bad…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 May, 2011, 04:56:40 pm
New brake cable inners.
Lubed gear cables.
Tightened up a surprisingly loose headset  :o :o :o

All on the Bianchi.

Meanwhile a heating engineer fettled my boiler and I have hot water, for the first time in nearly a week :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 May, 2011, 05:36:50 pm
I did a bit of last minute pre-audax fettling.
I got fed up this week of my Dahon Reecharge interfering with my Cateye and Garmin cadence sensor, so today I have moved it from the head tube to inside a small Topeak bar bag I had in my mahoosive store of bike accessories. I think the bike looks better with the fugly reecharge hidden away. I can stash a bit of food for chomping as I ride in this bag too.

I then fitted my awesome route sheet holder (a bulldog clip) to handle on the bar bag lid.
There is plenty of room for the Garmin and Cateye either side of the bag bracket, and I can see no evidence of any electrical interference going on now. This is pretty weird because the reecharge is no further away from them than it was before, just located in front of them and not below. I will be banking on the Reecharge working on tomorrow's 300k since my Garmin is likely to run flat 12-14 hours into the ride without it, and I am reckoning on it taking me 18 hours to complete!

I printed out, cut up and laminated my route sheet.

Finally topped up my chain with heaps of Prolink Gold. The height of bicycle geekiness ... I counted the links in my chain as I lubed them. I was curious to know if I can get away with a normal length chain to replace this one which was extra long, and I can (I have a long rear mech and 32t largest cog in my cassette, however my biggest chainring is 42t so this seems to cancel out the extra length requirement)  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 May, 2011, 06:04:26 pm
New pads for my rear brakes and swapped the 'winter' sprocket (18T) for a summer (16T) one to cope with my fitness level.  I'll pay for it I know :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 May, 2011, 07:19:34 pm
Fitted a replacement rear mudguard to HK's coupled bike and decreakified my BB. Just about to dismantle both bikes into their S&S cases for tomorrow's flight to Texas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 07 May, 2011, 02:01:46 pm
By judicious use of force, an allen key & pliers for leverage I've removed the ATAC cleats from my Shimano sandals without having to resort to powertools  :thumbsup:

The offending (offensive?) items are now soaking in a bukkit of Milton sterilising solution .  Now to find where I've hidden the new cleats....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 May, 2011, 02:19:30 pm
I fitted the Crank Brothers reflector platforms to my Smarty pedals. They are plastic and I thought they were too rigid to fit and would break if I forced them, but they snapped into place nicely without snapping themselves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 07 May, 2011, 05:38:11 pm
54L of Scottish Water's finest tap supplied H2O  into my tropical fish tank along with the required amount of  chlorine remover + bacterial  start up KEMICALS!

Now got the pump whirling away merrily to itself,  the heater happily heating the water to ~24oC,  the filter filtering,  and the lighting unit plugged   into a timer switch to come on between 11am and 11pm :thumbsup:
I'd take a picture, except the waters kind of cloudy!  Hopefully the pump & filter will sort that out over the next day or so, then planting up time!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 07 May, 2011, 06:42:28 pm
Local tesco shopping basket, the handle come loose from the right hole so I realigned and wedgied it while waiting in the queue. I wished I'd had a proper multitool on me for giving it a bit of a bend that it needed to remain in correct fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 May, 2011, 06:49:11 pm
Quote from: barakta on 07 May, 2011, 06:42:28 pm
Local tesco shopping basket, the handle come loose from the right hole so I realigned and wedgied it while waiting in the queue. I wished I'd had a proper multitool on me for giving it a bit of a bend that it needed to remain in correct fettle.

Tesco just don't know a good customer when they see one......

Every little helps  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 07 May, 2011, 07:00:10 pm
Half a fettle to put the spacers inboard of the locknuts on verdigris II. Only half because the nuts on the non-drive side are bigger than the spanners I have with me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 07 May, 2011, 07:10:27 pm
Did a bit of work on the Thorn Nomad in preparation for next weekends Scottish camping trip.  Cleaned & lubed most of it.  I'm waiting for an oil change kit from Thorn, and may treat it to a new chain & brake cables in the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 May, 2011, 09:22:37 pm
BrianI: sounds good. I seem to remember feeding my tank before it had fish too.

I unbunged the drain on the fridge so its not leaking on the floor any more, sorted the garage a bit, ran an allen key over my bike so nothing rattles on next weeks FNRttC (I'm leaving guards and rack on) and tried out my new low-torque wrench on recently rebuilt candy pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 May, 2011, 09:27:34 pm
Sorted the back mudguard on the Pedersen so it's (a) in the right place and (b) stands a chance of staying there.

Swept and tidied the front half of the garageSEECRIT BUNKER.

Two bags of rubbish and the scrap metal box to the tip.

Fitted new axle and cones to the fixer. Graunching feeling through my shoes continues. Suspects are bottom bracket or chain ring. Pedals have been eliminated from my enquiries by swapping them over a couple of weeks back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 07 May, 2011, 09:30:57 pm
Actually it was yesterday, but...

Fettled the wheels from Interzen onto Mlle PB's Brevet.   She gave it a try and was well chuffed.

Thanks Interzen.   Nice set of wheels.   8)  :thumbsup: 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 May, 2011, 07:54:11 pm
New ATAC cleats on my Shimano sandals.  The sandals are a bit worn, and the cleats protrude a bit. Not good on smooth or shiny surfaces !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 May, 2011, 09:48:13 pm
Got my Sabbath out of the car to have a look at what went wrong with the rear brake last night. Turns out the bolt holding it on (but only just!) had come very loose and there also seemed to have been some unexplained cable movement. At least this explains why it jammed on to one side, and I was able to get it tightened back up and all aligned properly again. I could have done this on the road but would have been tricky in the dark and pouring rain. I think I need to start checking bolts are tight before long rides, my check list only included brake pads, cable condition and tyres up to now. I ride so many miles in the week that I had just assumed everything on the bike would be fine. We live and we learn!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 08 May, 2011, 10:03:22 pm
Today I have fettled the rear derailleur on my Thorn audax mark 3. It has done 5,400k in a year. It needed a 15 second twiddle of the cable adjuster. That apart from a set of brake blocks is all it has needed. A properly-built bike. It cost £1,300. Best money I ever spent*



*Well obviouly apart from all the money spent on beer since I was 18, which could have bought a second house or funded a round-the-world trip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 May, 2011, 10:07:41 pm
Quote from: martinbrice on 08 May, 2011, 10:03:22 pm
Today I have fettled the rear derailleur on my Thorn audax mark 3. It has done 5,400k in a year. It needed a 15 second twiddle of the cable adjuster. That apart from a set of brake blocks is all it has needed. A properly-built bike. It cost £1,300. Best money I ever spent*



*Well obviouly apart from all the money spent on beer since I was 18, which could have bought a second house or funded a round-the-world trip.

Beer money is never wasted  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 08 May, 2011, 10:10:30 pm
DId a conversion to Astra clutch pedal and cable on my Saab 900. Now much smoother and with a more sensible biting point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 08 May, 2011, 10:19:20 pm
Quote from: Feline on 08 May, 2011, 10:07:41 pm
Beer money is never wasted  ;D
Going off at a tangent, I entered the Severn Across for the price of about three pints of crap fizzy foreign yellow beer from a central London pub. One was a high point of the year. The other was not. Audax: what's not to like?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 08 May, 2011, 10:25:48 pm
Mudguards on, cabled up. Just tape and chain to do :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 08 May, 2011, 10:32:16 pm
Replaced the soil stack to the upstairs toilet. I love working up ladders on VERY windy days ....not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RW on 08 May, 2011, 11:13:54 pm
A new bottom bracket on Polly's Trek.  I took the opportunity to change a couple of chainrings, she's now got 46, 35, 24.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 08 May, 2011, 11:46:43 pm
today has been a great avoidance day, the mixte frame is stripped with all the dirty bits soaking away and the brakes were cleaned of gunk.  Tried to take the rear suntour two pronged hub off and broke the tool, twice. Including the headset and the bottom bracket !

Finished repairing the the puncture on the baby winner and deciding if I should take it back and give it to someone else who will use it, and not just get a puncture and let it sit there till I appear.

Tightened chain and front wheel on fixie should stop clicking now


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 May, 2011, 12:34:01 am
Oh managed to forget recovering a selle royal saddle from an old raliegh that will go back on it once I finish rebuilding it as a single speed but facing up to the fact that it is too big for me and should sell it once finished.

Looking at campag brakes/shifters to hopfully build the bike I have always wanted, a 531 with integral shifters and 7 or 8 speed depending what wheels I have.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 09 May, 2011, 06:38:15 am
Last night I fettled the TCR ready for today's commute.
It was late, after dinner.  I had been too busy earlier.
The family wanted to watch the Freeview+ Doctor Who from Saturday night so I was 'told' to come inside.
I didn't put the TCR away.
It then pelted down just at the exciting point so I had to rush out and put her away.

Bike fettling should not be rushed - not even for Dr Who.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 09 May, 2011, 11:25:32 pm
Changed the front gear cable on my Sora brifters due to it going sproing on my commute in this morning. The other cables are still all the originals (as was the one that broke) from when I bought the bike in 2006 so not bad going.

Will probably change all the other cables at the weekend as was lucky to have the least worst choice break on me.

Ride home was a bit spinny but at least I wasn't stuck pulling out form junctions, etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 10 May, 2011, 09:44:51 am
(http://woofage.co.uk/cycling/narwhal_1.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 10 May, 2011, 09:58:02 am
Quote from: Woofage on 10 May, 2011, 09:44:51 am
(http://woofage.co.uk/cycling/narwhal_1.jpg)

Love it!

But the state of those borders!!!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 10 May, 2011, 01:44:55 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 10 May, 2011, 09:58:02 am
But the state of those borders!!!  ;D

Drifts of cottage garden plants :). I agree, they look a bit ragged in the photo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 10 May, 2011, 01:50:42 pm
I discovered this, earlier.
Astoundingly, I managed not to fall over in the discovery.

(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-05-10113819.jpg)
Am now cannibalising shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 10 May, 2011, 01:55:04 pm
Quote from: boab on 10 May, 2011, 01:50:42 pm
I discovered this, earlier.
Astoundingly, I managed not to fall over in the discovery.

(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-05-10113819.jpg)
Am now cannibalising shoes.

For some reason that reminds me of A Clockwork Orange.

I have fettled my aunt's butt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 May, 2011, 02:48:06 pm
boab, glad that didn't end badly.  I've had a couple of those incidents. :-[

I now carry spare bolts with me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 May, 2011, 02:51:01 pm
I have fettled Asterisk and an assortment of textphones.  Asterisk was working fine.  I think the M6000P is going senile, and the Screenphone is broken by design (but we knew that already).

I think I'm going to do something marginally less frustrating and try to work out where I put those spare chainring bolts now, and perhaps remove quantities of Cheshire cowpats from the crevices of my bicycle.


ETA: Spare chainring bolts found using blind luck.  Unfortunately they're also the stupid kind.  So I've done the existing ones up Bastard Tight and re-trued the middle ring using Fine Adjustment Tool.#1.  All is now as it should be.

The bike is now lovely and clean, and I've given the brakes a supplementary tweaking while I was at it.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 10 May, 2011, 05:18:17 pm
Looks like I'll need to fettle a new pre filter pad into my tropical tanks filter.  Which will require popping out to a local aquarium / garden shop after dinner to purchase the aformentioned pre filter pad.  Why don't fish tank manufacturers supply at least 1 extra set of pads, rather than just the bare minimum?

However my cunning plan is to buy a large bulk bag of filter material in a roll for few earthling pounds, rather than the manufacturer branded ready cut to size filter pads for a few more earthling pounds for 3 pads!   :o

Oh, and I'll need to give my wallet a cashectomy so I can fill my motorised vehicle with nasty petroleum chemicals seeing as the nasty petroleum chemicals are low indicator is now on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 May, 2011, 05:20:29 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 10 May, 2011, 05:18:17 pm
Oh, and I'll need to give my wallet a cashectomy so I can fill my motorised vehicle with nasty petroleum chemicals seeing as the nasty petroleum chemicals are low indicator is now on.

Money saving top tip:  Save money on expensive fuel by disconnecting the wire to the low fuel indicator.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 10 May, 2011, 06:03:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 May, 2011, 05:20:29 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 10 May, 2011, 05:18:17 pm
Oh, and I'll need to give my wallet a cashectomy so I can fill my motorised vehicle with nasty petroleum chemicals seeing as the nasty petroleum chemicals are low indicator is now on.

Money saving top tip:  Save money on expensive fuel by disconnecting the wire to the low fuel indicator.

heh, that'll be fun until I run out of go go juice on the M90 tomorrow. (I probably could cycle to my voluntary work, however a 20 mile round cycle trip and a day's hard labour isn't quite a good combination. Especially when one spends the day laying cobbles.....)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 10 May, 2011, 06:10:02 pm
This morning I swapped over the pedals of the Kaffenback, the older pair need dismantling and new bearings.  The previous pair had worked OK for over 12000 miles, which isn't too bad.

I managed to get one pedal off with an allen key, but I had to resort to using a pedal spanner on the right hand pedal, which was a bit tighter.  Greasing the threads well, is worth doing when fitting them!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 May, 2011, 07:11:39 pm
Quote from: boab on 10 May, 2011, 01:50:42 pm
I discovered this, earlier.
Astoundingly, I managed not to fall over in the discovery.

(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-05-10113819.jpg)
Am now cannibalising shoes.



Ooh, ooh done that  :o
I had to remove my shoe to get off the bike  :hand:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 May, 2011, 07:17:24 pm
I managed to get the rear wheel off the bike for its rebuilding.
The process involved lots of grunting, wrenching and, just maybe, copious swearing.

The offending mudguard bolt that was taking up space and jamming the wheel has been removed and the guard re-positioned. There was some drilling of the frame required   :o
Hopefully, the world is now a slightly better place.


It's just occurred to me; if I'd let the tyre down, things would have been much easier  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 10 May, 2011, 08:41:04 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 10 May, 2011, 07:11:39 pm
Quote from: boab on 10 May, 2011, 01:50:42 pm
I discovered this, earlier.
Astoundingly, I managed not to fall over in the discovery.

(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-05-10113819.jpg)
Am now cannibalising shoes.


Ooh, ooh done that  :o
I had to remove my shoe to get off the bike  :hand:

... and possibly relevant after discussions on the Not A Royal Wedding Camping Weekend, NSTN, I hope Rob has sorted out his shoes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 10 May, 2011, 09:46:40 pm
I gave my bike a good clean, it was a bit plastered in shit after last saturday and amazingly there was rust on my chain in a few places despite having Prolink Gold applied twice last week  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 May, 2011, 09:49:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 10 May, 2011, 09:46:40 pm
....  there was rust on my chain in a few places despite having Prolink Gold applied twice last week  :o

Remove it, and kill it.

Quickly!
 :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 May, 2011, 10:00:07 pm
Quote from: boab on 10 May, 2011, 01:50:42 pm
I discovered this, earlier.
Astoundingly, I managed not to fall over in the discovery.

(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-05-10113819.jpg)
Am now cannibalising shoes.


Do you need more bolts? I'm sure some lurk within the bits box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 11 May, 2011, 12:33:12 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 10 May, 2011, 10:00:07 pm
Do you need more bolts? I'm sure some lurk within the bits box.

I believe I may have a delivery tomorrow, but thanks for the offer.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 May, 2011, 04:15:18 am
Fixed the rattle on my front wheel after noticing a lose locknut.  Oh well

does car fettling count?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 May, 2011, 03:03:11 pm
Managed to discover that our garage does have a back wall to it after all. Had a tidy up so that I could get to the Pashley bike I'm passing on to Polar Bear.

I put my bamboo bar grips onto the Pompino properly and found out that the Kilkfix bracket needs a bit of inner tube on the bars to fit better. Also, the Karrimor barbag bracket doesn't seem to click home, but that was without any load, so I hope it works better next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 11 May, 2011, 04:48:51 pm
Working from home, so at lunchtime switched the tube on the rear of the Orbea because it has a faulty valve.
Drenched the Orbea chain in Progold, just got another large bottle of it

Also checked the Roubaix tyres for nicks and flints and checked the blocks
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Majorbloodnok on 11 May, 2011, 04:56:49 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 May, 2011, 09:49:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 10 May, 2011, 09:46:40 pm
....  there was rust on my chain in a few places despite having Prolink Gold applied twice last week  :o

Remove it, and kill it.

Quickly!
 :P


with Purple Extreme.. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 May, 2011, 07:51:14 pm
The light/mudguard bracket on my Dawes, which was starting to go a bit slack.

Fitted nasty £5 B-Twin mudguards to the tandem.  They're probably about £5 better than nothing.

Assorted cleaning and tidying up of camping kit.

Oh, and I unintentionally fettled my knee by taking the Dawes for a test-ride.  It's tracking properly now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 May, 2011, 08:21:29 pm
Quote from: Majorbloodnok on 11 May, 2011, 04:56:49 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 May, 2011, 09:49:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 10 May, 2011, 09:46:40 pm
....  there was rust on my chain in a few places despite having Prolink Gold applied twice last week  :o

Remove it, and kill it.

Quickly!
 :P


with Purple Extreme.. ;)

It's the only way to be certain.....  ;)

New bar tape and under-tape padding on the Van Nic - why did that take about six attempts to get it right???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 11 May, 2011, 08:41:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 11 May, 2011, 08:21:29 pm

New bar tape and under-tape padding on the Van Nic


I bet that is on the list with mudguards, compact chainsets, and cassettes that go beyond 23.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 May, 2011, 09:16:44 pm
Last night I washed the tourers & oiled chains.

Tonight, I removed the broken bottle cage from my Orbit :-\

Then swapped the front tyre on Butterfly's Galaxy and fettled her mudguard (again)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 11 May, 2011, 10:04:48 pm
Fresh front brake blocks on the ridgeback and a careful check of the tyres pre FNRttC. Kool stops were clearly better than the Shimano ones I swapped out, which I know isn't news to many of you. Mrs Dan then came home with fish and chips, which means I didn't engage in marginal faffing with the b-spring adjustment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 May, 2011, 10:20:24 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 11 May, 2011, 08:41:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 11 May, 2011, 08:21:29 pm

New bar tape and under-tape padding on the Van Nic


I bet that is on the list with mudguards, compact chainsets, and cassettes that go beyond 23.

I have no idea what it is you are talking about.  :P and double  :P  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 11 May, 2011, 10:26:50 pm
The leg bandaged one's list of bicycle bits that are considered beyond the pale.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 12 May, 2011, 05:31:46 am
The starter motor on the Honda engine fitted to my son's wood chipper.

(Removed, tested fine, reassembled with better connections - hey presto!)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 May, 2011, 05:03:48 pm
I fixed my dynamo charger.

And molished a present for barakta.  One day I hope she'll have something to attach it to:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/kitchen_pr0n/IMG_2672.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 12 May, 2011, 05:20:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 May, 2011, 05:03:48 pm
I fixed my dynamo charger.

Think you could fix mine? I think I've borked it...  hurtling down downs on Down to Downs has blown out the bits.

There'd be CAKE in it for you...

I've put pedals (with straps, natch) on the Dawes.
I'm researching Ladies Cycling Outfit c1963. Soon we'll be ready to roll our stylish stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 May, 2011, 06:28:03 pm
Quote from: boab on 12 May, 2011, 05:20:00 pm
Think you could fix mine? I think I've borked it...  hurtling down downs on Down to Downs has blown out the bits.

Possibly.  I can certainly have a poke around the innards and try to work out where the magic smoke has escaped from if you like...


In other fettling news, I've just chipped/abraded away and re-grouted around some of the tiles in the bathroom.  It clearly wasn't the first attempt at a re-grouting.  Since taking the tiles off, drying the wall out properly and starting again from scratch isn't an option, doing a half-decent grouting job to at least keep any more water from getting in seemed prudent.

I really hate grouting: even 1980s NASA couldn't make grouting seem cool, there's no way our bathroom's going to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 May, 2011, 06:29:57 pm
The VeloVision iPhone app and new brake pads on the Marin.

In that approximate order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 12 May, 2011, 06:46:33 pm
Last night - put proper brakes on the Pompino.  The supplied cantis (Froglegs) were terrible - partly because the pads weren't adjustable in any real way.  Never had any real confidence in them.

Put on Deore XT mini-Vs with Travel Agents - very pleased with them indeed.  The bike stops properly.

I did front and rear - I haven't used the rear brake very much, but I like having it there.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/5712666922_1304a64257.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/5712666922/)
The commuter bike finally has brakes which have the ability to stop the bike! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/5712666922/) by marcus_jb1973 (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcusjb/), on Flickr

Next fettling for the fixie might be bullhorns.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 12 May, 2011, 08:01:15 pm
The laptop is now running Natty Narwhal, but in 'classic' mode.  I tried Unity for a day... and HATED it.  Sure, I'd probably get used to it after a while, but I don't think it's worth the hassle.  If I was coming from a Mac background and had a higher spec machine I might, but I mainly work with Windows and the display on my laptop is rubbish.

Next on the list is the bike...
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 May, 2011, 09:02:41 pm
Converted the Fuji back to a track bike with 52 x 20 gearing.  The Goldtec washers have fallen apart and I'll need some new ones; in the meantime I've used an M8 and an M10 washer stacked together, which do the job but are fiddly to centre.

Can't ride it until I get a brake lever, but they're on order.  I went for Tektro in the end 'cos they're cheaper than Shimano and have a QR (in case I ever find a nice Campag brake to make it a Shimano-less bike).  I'll have to remove the actual lever from the LH hood to save weight - I only want the LH one for a handhold.

EDIT: can't find any washers on the Goldtec site, but I see they finally do polished silver hubs.  Not anodised, so they'll look like poo after one winter.  And the font on the personalised headset top caps is Comic Sans  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 May, 2011, 09:09:51 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 12 May, 2011, 09:02:41 pm
And the font on the personalised headset top caps is Comic Sans  :facepalm:

Ugh.

A font that should only ever be use ironically (see my post above).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 12 May, 2011, 09:10:12 pm
Put a new chain on the Rohloff & drained and replaced the oil.  Lovely & quiet.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mark on 13 May, 2011, 03:59:32 am
The Bridgestone MB-3 has gotten cleaned, all the rust sanded off and painted over with primer paint, new shifter and brake cables, new cotton handlebar tape with shellac, new crankset (chainset to rightpondians) and new BB. I used thread lock to hold the bolts in place for the smallest chainring, and it held them so firmly that I rounded out an allen wrench fitting trying to remove them. Between the cost of replacing worn chainrings and the cost/aggravation of dealing with the rounded out bolt, I decided to just replace the crankset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 May, 2011, 05:20:30 am
Fettled a ridgeback POS  touched in the scratch marks on the paint.  Adjusted the rear axel so there is no play.  Should be read to dispose of as its owner can't be arsed and just moans at me about it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 May, 2011, 07:56:33 am
Tried to fix the dodgy headphone socket on my cheap Ebay mp3 player. No joy. Something else is borked.

But....

Fixed the display on my other cheap Ebay mp3 player, so  it actually displays stuff. A small bit of unidentified crud was shoring out two lines on the flexi do dah.

Yay! I can have my BBC radio play archive in the motor today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 May, 2011, 01:52:51 pm
The Longstaff was making a terrible racket  :o Sounded as if either the BB or rear hub were disintegrating.It can be difficult to isolate the source of noise when travelling.
Got it onto the workstand & suspected the jockey wheels were floating too much & allowing the chain to rub on the inside of the cage.I decided to clean the crap off the mech,cassette,chain etc while wearing those condomgloves to prevent filthy hands.So a spray of WD40,some finish line dry lube,wire brush interaction with chain & cassette & ready for the spannering.A quick spin of the pedals to wipe off excess lube & ............
silence :o
That's the most constructive bit of low tech fettling I've ever done :thumbsup:

Actually,while I was riding across Mull a few weeks ago Deano did suggest that the drive train would benefit from some lube.

repaired a puncture,same bike.The P.Fairy must work on a flavour-of-the-month basis.Not had a puncture in several years & suddenly it's 3 in 3 weeks ::-)

The dynohub fed front light wasn't working due to a broken wire behind the on/off swith contact plate.Another simple,successfull fettle.

yesterday the Langster got caught in the rain thus the saddle got wet.It dried overnight & this morning I gave my Swallow a dollop of proof hide.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 May, 2011, 01:12:58 pm
About to psych myself up to fettle the rather messy house into a tidy house.  I may be some time.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 May, 2011, 02:40:27 pm
Someone's chain, the lockring on my front brake rotor and precision percussive adjustment of my chainring guard after a Pendolino un-adjusted it.

That's a pretty high fettle count for a FNRttC, given that I wasn't riding at the back.

And the Shimano lockring tool is now statistically more important for me to carry on rides than a pump.  There's something not quite right about that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 14 May, 2011, 02:44:12 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2011, 02:40:27 pm
And the Shimano lockring tool is now statistically more important for me to carry on rides than a pump.  There's something not quite right about that.

I carry one of these (http://www.m-gineering.nl/nbtg.htm) when touring.  It works.  I know this as I have used it to fettle the bike of a stranded tourist in Shetland 4 years ago.   I even use it as my default cassette remover now simply because it is so effective.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 14 May, 2011, 02:46:15 pm
Cable and indexing of rear deraileur on TCR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 May, 2011, 02:50:54 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 14 May, 2011, 02:44:12 pm
I carry one of these (http://www.m-gineering.nl/nbtg.htm) when touring.  It works.  I know this as I have used it to fettle the bike of a stranded tourist in Shetland 4 years ago.   I even use it as my default cassette remover now simply because it is so effective.

Not much cop on a centerlock[1] disk brake rotor (which I reckon is probably *more* likely to need to come off for spoke replacement than the cassette), though.

I carry a standard lockring tool and a small adjustable spanner.  I figure if the spanner doesn't give enough leverage, finding something to use as an extension, or a bigger spanner, will be relatively straightforward.  And an adjustable spanner is a useful thing to have, especially when riding with others.


[1] Disc brake SON only comes in centerlock
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 14 May, 2011, 05:23:07 pm
I converted marginally less than two non-functioning hackbikes in to one working one *  , some bits in the bin , and a sad looking residue.

* well it got me up and down the road a few times after I had finished
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 14 May, 2011, 05:46:05 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2011, 02:40:27 pm
Someone's chain, the lockring on my front brake rotor and precision percussive adjustment of my chainring guard after a Pendolino un-adjusted it.

That's a pretty high fettle count for a FNRttC, given that I wasn't riding at the back.


That is high when compared to my count of nothing, given that I was riding at the back for the whole ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 14 May, 2011, 05:54:21 pm
Fitted the Kilkfix bracket to the Pompino using bits of inner tube as shimming material. That inner tube must have come in useful 20+ times since its original demise.

Looked at the Orbit Orion and decided to leave it till tomorrow. Only a tube replacement (another inner tube to cannibalise!) and removing the rear wheel to replace a spoke and true it. I might replace the Schwalbe Land Cruisers with the Marathon Plusses while I'm at it, especially after the 1.5 miles in 3 hours puncture-related debacle on the Banbury stretch of the Grand Union a few weeks ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 15 May, 2011, 03:42:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2011, 02:50:54 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 14 May, 2011, 02:44:12 pm
I carry one of these (http://www.m-gineering.nl/nbtg.htm) when touring.  It works.  I know this as I have used it to fettle the bike of a stranded tourist in Shetland 4 years ago.   I even use it as my default cassette remover now simply because it is so effective.
Not much cop on a centerlock[1] disk brake rotor (which I reckon is probably *more* likely to need to come off for spoke replacement than the cassette), though.

I carry a standard lockring tool and a small adjustable spanner.  I figure if the spanner doesn't give enough leverage, finding something to use as an extension, or a bigger spanner, will be relatively straightforward.  And an adjustable spanner is a useful thing to have, especially when riding with others.

I've got a Stein Mini-casette lockring tool, but I'd only carry that in the toolkit on the Kaffenback, not with Red.

I shall have to check my options on the Peregrine, since I think it's got centerlock hubs (I should check, and finish building the bike!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 15 May, 2011, 05:09:00 pm
Refitted the brake lever on my son's bike, cleaned the drivetrain on my Peregrine - some parts are actually silver, and tightened the hub on my Swift.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 15 May, 2011, 05:44:53 pm
Fitted new rear deraileur on bil's bike. New brake blocks, then general maintenance, oil the chain, re-grease pedals etc.
Feel good factor in myself has risen dramatically as this bike is his to and from work machine and its been off the road for a week, costing him a fortune in train fares. Something he can not afford given two children with a third on the way  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 May, 2011, 06:36:06 pm
A bit of wind in OrangeGina's tyres and fitting of the bracket for the Biologic iPhone case holdermajig. Physio's finished with, I'm getting back on fixed and it's forecast to be windy all bloody week  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 15 May, 2011, 08:02:14 pm
Refitting the plastic boxes fitted on my trailer,as they were rattling away whenever I went over a bump.  I ended up fitting 2 new wooden support struts underneath and then securely screwing the boxes onto them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 May, 2011, 09:26:19 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 14 May, 2011, 05:46:05 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2011, 02:40:27 pm
Someone's chain, the lockring on my front brake rotor and precision percussive adjustment of my chainring guard after a Pendolino un-adjusted it.

That's a pretty high fettle count for a FNRttC, given that I wasn't riding at the back.


That is high when compared to my count of nothing, given that I was riding at the back for the whole ride.


To be fair, you did stand around very helpfully while Teef got busy with his CO2.

Today I have mostly fettled the 3 x 7 hub on the Pino. Today's ride was enlivened by Odd Noises From The Gears, so when we got home I took it apart. The washer that helps retain the planet gear carrier has snapped. Oops. Fortunately I have spares. As the hub was NOS, the grease therein was extremely sticky, possibly gunging up the shifting. I dismantled it into its component parts and chucked it in a saucepan of water and Fairy liquid and left it to simmer for 20 minutes. The smell was not appreciated by the rest of the household. Tomorrow - new grease and reassembly is the reverse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 17 May, 2011, 02:43:12 pm
Norralot.  But I paid someone else to fettle the islabike yesterday.... our £35 service included tightening the cassette, adjusting the gears, adjusting the headset, adjusting the brakes, checking the tyres, lubricating the cables and stripping and regreasing the rear hub.  Oh, and fitting a rear mudflap.  You'll be disappointed to learn that it is not made out of a fairy liquid bottle.  And they only charged me 15 quid to sort mine, which involved fitting a new set of pads for the front disk brake and tightening the LH BB cup again - what do I do to them?

I must bake sometime this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 May, 2011, 03:43:57 pm
The cleat angle on my sandals.

Now, should I go for a test ride, or should I clean the cooker?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 17 May, 2011, 03:52:06 pm
Oh, what a dilemma.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 May, 2011, 03:56:19 pm
I think that's what's known as a no-brainer  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 17 May, 2011, 04:04:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 17 May, 2011, 03:43:57 pm
The cleat angle on my sandals.

Now, should I go for a test ride, or should I clean the cooker?

Socks n sandles ?

After crashing myself and the bike again, luckely the skip bike on the way to town I zipped tied  the rear mud gaurd together.

Nothing I can do for the totally destroyed frame fit Topeak Master Blaster pump of what I had for 8 years or the chunk missing from the STI.

I'm bruised but OK
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 17 May, 2011, 04:06:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 17 May, 2011, 03:43:57 pm
Now, should I go for a test ride, or should I clean the cooker?

The cooker, obviously. How could you enjoy a bike ride knowing the cooker needs cleaning?  :demon:

My kitchen table currently has my Roubaix back wheel on the truing stand - whilst cleaning it post-BCM I found that it was reasonably significantly out of true. Not good, it's only done a couple of thousand miles. Still, I got it close to being right whilst having my lunch break, and will finish it off later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 17 May, 2011, 05:32:02 pm
I just fettled an inner tube into explosive decompression trying to fit a Marathon Plus!

The new (2ndhand) bike workstand works a treat, though needs some fettling itself to be completely stable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 May, 2011, 07:59:39 pm
Quote from: Feline on 17 May, 2011, 03:56:19 pm
I think that's what's known as a no-brainer  :D

Quite.

Tiny amount more tilt and the pressure isn't all concentrated on my big toe, so I reckon that's a success.

I've got a roast chicken in the oven, and have just had a go at the hob with some industrial degreaser, so success all round.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 18 May, 2011, 10:14:48 am
Got 3CXsoftphone working with VOIPTalk.

Now I can join confcalls without tying up the landline, and without having to concetrate REALLY hard to hear what other people are saying over the tinny speakers in our DECT handsets.

Win allround I would say
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 19 May, 2011, 12:26:26 am
I put a pair of carbon bars and Ergon grips on the Ridgeback for Mrs. Wow's delectation. It now has an extremely upright riding position and means that there will be little weight on her wrists when we go to Denmark next week. It reminds me very much of a lot of the bikes that ancient Germans were riding last year on the Radweg alongside the Mosel and Rhein.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 May, 2011, 12:48:42 am
Got the right idea about bikes, those Germans.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 19 May, 2011, 01:14:00 am
Just a pun@**^e. and attatched a HUGE cat/dog basket to the skip bike shopper
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 May, 2011, 01:25:52 am
Quote from: YahudaMoon on 19 May, 2011, 01:14:00 am
Just a pun@**^e. and attatched a HUGE cat/dog basket to the skip bike shopper

Interesting, I take my dogs out with the bike daily but never thought about bringing along the cats for the ride too  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 19 May, 2011, 05:28:46 am
Quote from: Feline on 19 May, 2011, 01:25:52 am
Quote from: YahudaMoon on 19 May, 2011, 01:14:00 am
Just a pun@**^e. and attatched a HUGE cat/dog basket to the skip bike shopper

Interesting, I take my dogs out with the bike daily but never thought about bringing along the cats for the ride too  ;D

Ha ha. Its not for cats n dogs, well not real ones anyway  :)
On the commute today (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26458.msg945735#msg945735)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 19 May, 2011, 07:20:09 am
Last night I worked out a way to attach my unused handlebar bag to my rack as a trunk pack. Not only does it weigh about half of my pannier bag the smaller size means I should end up carrying less. Not big enough for longer Audaxes but will do for commuting and 100ks.

Of course I then stayed in bed too late to ride to work today, so I fettled myself a mushroom and cheese omlette for brekkie  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 May, 2011, 01:21:57 pm
Quote from: Feline on 19 May, 2011, 01:25:52 am
Interesting, I take my dogs out with the bike daily but never thought about bringing along the cats for the ride too  ;D

Talisker doesn't like being transported by bike.  He pretty much equally dislikes the car.  Trams and trains are OK though, he just peers out the window at the world going by!

If I could find a good vet next to a tram stop, things would be much easier!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 19 May, 2011, 04:14:07 pm
Have removed charger parts and am preparing to fettle a kimbaratu cake for services offered.
Should be in the post first thing...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 19 May, 2011, 04:19:27 pm
New set of forks on the Soma. Put a set of Surly Pacer forks on. Mmm springy n comfy!!!!  Took me an hour from start to finish, including a new headset.  Just need to repair the wire to the Dynamo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 19 May, 2011, 04:23:45 pm
Patched two tubes, changed Rohloff oil, readjusted brakes, tried to improve chain line. Cleaned the bike a bit. Found out the headset is loose, for which I don't have tools to fix. Noticed my very expensive KMC X1 chain is still fine after 5300km. Which is a new record I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 19 May, 2011, 08:51:50 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 07 May, 2011, 07:00:10 pm
Half a fettle to put the spacers inboard of the locknuts on verdigris II. Only half because the nuts on the non-drive side are bigger than the spanners I have with me.

Having fetched it home, I find that they are bigger than any spanners I own. I think it is going to require a 22mm or perhaps 7/8" cone spanner. Perhaps I shall leave it alone, although having loose spacers is just wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 21 May, 2011, 09:31:44 pm
Gave my bike a good clean in preparation for tomorrow's long ride. I've just bought a bottle of the famed Prolink lube, which for best results, needs to be applied to a clean and dry chain.

Being the impatient type, yes I could be seen sitting cross-legged in the hallway drying the chain with a hairdryer...  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 21 May, 2011, 09:32:23 pm
New chain for the geared bike.  Relieved to find it runs nice and smoothly on the old cassette -- I was worried that I might have worn things a bit too much on the Severn Across.

I now have marginally more faith in 10-speed kit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 22 May, 2011, 01:29:50 am
Quote from: Rhys W on 21 May, 2011, 09:31:44 pm


Being the impatient type, yes I could be seen sitting cross-legged in the hallway drying the chain with a hairdryer...  ;D

I'm impressed/surprised that you've got a hair dryer  ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 May, 2011, 06:53:35 pm
Boab's ReeCharge, which had indeed suffered a magic smoke escape as a result of hurtling down downs on Down to Downs.

Turns out that the dynamo rectifier/regulator unit lacks any kind of overvoltage protection whatsoever - I strongly advise ReeCharge owners disconnect (a switch a la Feline seems like a *very* good idea) the regulator from the dynamo when not charging the battery and before doing any fun descents.  A couple of chunky 25V zener diodes back-to-back across the input wouldn't be a bad idea, either.   >:(

Also, the battery unit evidently isn't quite as waterproof as it looks.   :-\

I've botched it with some spare smoke I had wafting about in a drawer, and it appears to pass the black&decker + truing stand test.  I shall obtain some correctly specified magic smoke in order to restore the full charging efficiency.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 22 May, 2011, 07:18:19 pm
New Ultegra rear mech onto the TCR yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 May, 2011, 08:00:23 pm
Last week, I packed two S&S bikes for the flight to England, unpacked and cleaned them before repacking them to go on Eurostar. Unpacked them, rode 400 km and repacked them for the multimodal (coach, car, RER, Eurostar, taxi, railway, underground and minicab) trip back today. I think bike unpacking can wait till tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 22 May, 2011, 10:13:33 pm
Yesterday I audaxified my black bike - I shall be turning up to next week's 600 on a full carbon frame with mudguards (Crud Roadracer II), Brooks B17, Carradice Barley, Schmidt SON & Solidlights.

That should irk the purists.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 May, 2011, 10:18:25 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 May, 2011, 06:53:35 pm

<top notch charger fettling>

I've botched it with some spare smoke I had wafting about in a drawer, and it appears to pass the black&decker + truing stand test.

IRTA "Blackadder" and thought it was either a very cunning plan or, less likely, involved a turnip shaped like a thingy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 22 May, 2011, 10:21:22 pm
5 yr old's chain was a bit slack, so did that, plus replaced a missing cable ferrule. Tweaked the mount on the RSP Astrum rear light so that it can be mounted sideways but not point out to the side.

Awaiting a delivery from Rose.de, so got a bunch of other jobs that need doing that will have to wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 May, 2011, 12:09:36 am
Quote from: citoyen on 22 May, 2011, 10:13:33 pm
Yesterday I audaxified my black bike - I shall be turning up to next week's 600 on a full carbon frame with mudguards (Crud Roadracer II), Brooks B17, Carradice Barley, Schmidt SON & Solidlights.

That should irk the purists.

d.

no sandals?
can you grow a beard in a week?
 :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 23 May, 2011, 12:12:31 am
Sandals + beard + full Radio Shack kit. :demon:

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 May, 2011, 08:00:22 am
Quote from: citoyen on 22 May, 2011, 10:13:33 pm
Yesterday I audaxified my black bike - I shall be turning up to next week's 600 on a full carbon frame with mudguards (Crud Roadracer II), Brooks B17, Carradice Barley, Schmidt SON & Solidlights.

That should irk the purists.

That's also turning into a surprisingly common type of bike on them nowadays.


Quote from: citoyen on 23 May, 2011, 12:12:31 am
Sandals + beard + full Radio Shack kit. :demon:

That made me think of someone riding along trying to put together one of those "101 Electronic projects" kits with the plastic board and springs for connecting wires/components that Tandy/Radio Shack used to sell  :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 23 May, 2011, 10:01:50 am
I had an absolute trogglehumper with the rear brake on the Warpig at the weekend (Tektro IO mechanical disc).

I noticed on Friday that with the brake fully applied the wheel was still able to turn merrily.

Faffed about for ages doing every adjustment known to man. Nada, zilch.  In the end I stripped it down, dissed off the cable and reassembled everything.

It now works brillliantly but I'm none the wiser, which is most irksome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 11:53:23 am
I did some epic fettling last night at work but not of a bicycle kind.
Locum on the previous shift managed to lock the only set of keys to the office where lots of vital bits of our stuff is in the office. Having determined that the lock was definitely not pickable or credit-card-able I investigated the outside of the building and discovered the window of the office was open. Shame about the 3" spaced steel security bars inside it really. We could see the bunch of keys on the desk 30 foot from the window on the other side of the room. Receptonist, nurse and sheepish looking locum vet look at me and say 'well that's that then, we are stuffed'.

Not one to be put off by dilemmas like this (I mean we could see the damn keys just not reach them) I considered going knocking on Bristol doors asking if anyone had a fishing rod. However Brislington isn't really the kind of place where you would expect a very high hit rate to that kind of question. So I got every mop handle in the building and molished a 30 foot pole using zip ties and unscrewed a hook from a wall to tie to a dog lead on the end of it. It took 10 minutes of 'fishing' through the window to snare the keys and safely retrieve them  ;D

The locum asked me if I was that tenacious at retrieving oesophageal foreign bodies endoscopically, and I had to admit I that I am!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 23 May, 2011, 01:01:14 pm
"retrieving oesophageal foreign bodies endoscopically"

Is not a phrase one often encounters on the interwebs  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 23 May, 2011, 02:24:44 pm
Quote from: Gandalf on 23 May, 2011, 01:01:14 pm
"retrieving oesophageal foreign bodies endoscopically"

Is not a phrase one often encounters on the interwebs  :)

That's true. ;D

Feline; please tell us that you don't use mop handles for that.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 May, 2011, 02:29:20 pm
Having skimmed over the last line while scrolling the window, I was disappointed to discover that you didn't retrieve the keys or otherwise unlock the office using an endoscope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 02:57:30 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 23 May, 2011, 02:24:44 pm
Quote from: Gandalf on 23 May, 2011, 01:01:14 pm
"retrieving oesophageal foreign bodies endoscopically"

Is not a phrase one often encounters on the interwebs  :)

That's true. ;D

Feline; please tell us that you don't use mop handles for that.


I'm pleased to report that I don't, I have a special flexible friend for that purpose  ;D


Quote from: Kim on 23 May, 2011, 02:29:20 pm
Having skimmed over the last line while scrolling the window, I was disappointed to discover that you didn't retrieve the keys or otherwise unlock the office using an endoscope.

Sadly my endoscope is only 1.5m long :(
It is also too fat to fit through a keyhole. A bronchoscope could do that but is way too short for this kind of thing.
I managed to work a whole weekend of nights without using the blood lactate meter on myself once ... the restraint!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 May, 2011, 03:21:39 pm
Lowered the bars on my MTB and patched a set of tubes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 23 May, 2011, 04:10:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 May, 2011, 06:53:35 pm
Boab's ReeCharge, which had indeed suffered a magic smoke escape as a result of hurtling down downs on Down to Downs.

Turns out that the dynamo rectifier/regulator unit lacks any kind of overvoltage protection whatsoever - I strongly advise ReeCharge owners disconnect (a switch a la Feline seems like a *very* good idea) the regulator from the dynamo when not charging the battery and before doing any fun descents.  A couple of chunky 25V zener diodes back-to-back across the input wouldn't be a bad idea, either.   >:(

Also, the battery unit evidently isn't quite as waterproof as it looks.   :-\

I've botched it with some spare smoke I had wafting about in a drawer, and it appears to pass the black&decker + truing stand test.  I shall obtain some correctly specified magic smoke in order to restore the full charging efficiency.   :thumbsup:

If only I understood any of that!
Thank heavens for Kim... Shout if you need more cake... that I can fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: giropaul on 23 May, 2011, 05:35:58 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 02:57:30 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 23 May, 2011, 02:24:44 pm
Quote from: Gandalf on 23 May, 2011, 01:01:14 pm
"retrieving oesophageal foreign bodies endoscopically"

Is not a phrase one often encounters on the interwebs  :)

That's true. ;D

Feline; please tell us that you don't use mop handles for that.


I'm pleased to report that I don't, I have a special flexible friend for that purpose  ;D


Quote from: Kim on 23 May, 2011, 02:29:20 pm
Having skimmed over the last line while scrolling the window, I was disappointed to discover that you didn't retrieve the keys or otherwise unlock the office using an endoscope.

Sadly my endoscope is only 1.5m long :(
It is also too fat to fit through a keyhole. A bronchoscope could do that but is way too short for this kind of thing.
I managed to work a whole weekend of nights without using the blood lactate meter on myself once ... the restraint!
I have seen someone use a mop handle to clear an eosophageal obstruction in a cow - not a good plan though as there is a high risk of rupturing the eosophagus. I used my arm - full length, down a cow several times for the same puropose (better than full-length in any other entrance to a cow, that I have also been in up to my armpit many times  :) )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 05:44:59 pm
The insides of a cow is the warmest place to stick your arms onna farm in winter  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 23 May, 2011, 06:38:42 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 05:44:59 pm
The insides of a cow is the warmest place to stick your arms onna farm in winter  ;D
you put both arms in?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 06:40:54 pm
Quote from: boab on 23 May, 2011, 06:38:42 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 05:44:59 pm
The insides of a cow is the warmest place to stick your arms onna farm in winter  ;D
you put both arms in?

In alternation, unless it's a really difficult calving, or a uterine prolapse!!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 23 May, 2011, 06:46:30 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 06:40:54 pm
Quote from: boab on 23 May, 2011, 06:38:42 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2011, 05:44:59 pm
The insides of a cow is the warmest place to stick your arms onna farm in winter  ;D
you put both arms in?

In alternation, unless it's a really difficult calving, or a uterine prolapse!!  ;D

Or just get two cows surely?  :D Or some gloves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 23 May, 2011, 07:54:43 pm
Did the clean and gear tune on Mrs Dan's bike that she's been asking for. The wind grew to "unsafe to use a bike stand" levels and started to contain rain, so it was a bit of a rush but I don't think it is any worse than when I started.

Sorry, no animals or makeshift implements were used.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 23 May, 2011, 07:58:56 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 23 May, 2011, 06:46:30 pm

Or just get two cows surely? 

Would that not be ever so slightly dodgy?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 24 May, 2011, 07:21:42 am
Quote from: Adrian on 23 May, 2011, 07:58:56 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 23 May, 2011, 06:46:30 pm

Or just get two cows surely? 

Would that not be ever so slightly dodgy?

But your hands would be warm, which is the point no?  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 May, 2011, 03:32:53 pm
I've just installed a correctly specified voltage regulator and reassembled boab's ReeCharge with a copious amount of water-repellent PTFE contact grease.  It's working nicely on the bench, but I suppose in the interests of being thorough I'll have to wire it up and go for a couple of hours' ride to test it properly in real-world conditions.  Such a shame...   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 May, 2011, 03:54:50 pm
My heart bleeds for you...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 24 May, 2011, 05:13:51 pm
nothing on the bike, but today I've been sail making
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 May, 2011, 08:01:58 pm
Back and showered.  ReeCharge appeared to work flawlessly throughout, and is showing two of three charge-level blinkenlights, which I suppose is about right for two hours of mostly slogging against the wind, given the battery capacity and the poor efficiency of the regulator (and that I deliberately unplugged it for the Fun Bit).

The regulator module shows no signs of Magic Smoke leakage, and the battery pack is currently charging my phone  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 24 May, 2011, 08:02:42 pm
The arduous task of putting the Lidl spoke reflectors onto two bikes! And noticing the Pompino has a puncture. This is rather annoying, as all I've ridden it since putting the tyre on the right way is 50 yards up the road & back to test the Sturmey gear settings. Pinch puncture? Meh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 24 May, 2011, 09:31:18 pm
Brompton now has a working tail-light, fed off the rear-light feed from the IQ Cyo, which in turn is fed from the SON dynohub.

Slightly concerned as to how long the standlight function works for.  There's no separate switch.  So there might be times when I arrive at a railway station at night, and need to turn the light off for fear of inappropriately stopping a train.  I'll prolly have to fold and cover the bike.

It's really rather amazing, for those of us brought up on Ever-Ready Night Rider and similar D-cell-driven Lucas-prince-of-darkness lights, that a slow walking pace on this setup can generate enough light to make car drivers dip their headlights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 24 May, 2011, 09:53:11 pm
New shiny grips on the commuter. Orange clamps for added bling and actual grip not shiny bare metal!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 24 May, 2011, 10:09:58 pm
Helped a lass from work fit her new wheels, tyres, tubes and rear cassette.  Then fettled gears and brakes and front mech.
A very enjoyable 2 hours of fettling saw one very happy new cyclist.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 May, 2011, 10:14:03 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 24 May, 2011, 09:31:18 pm
It's really rather amazing, for those of us brought up on Ever-Ready Night Rider and similar D-cell-driven Lucas-prince-of-darkness lights, that a slow walking pace on this setup can generate enough light to make car drivers dip their headlights.

*nods*

I'm suspicious that supercapacitors use quantum tunnelling to store their charge on plates the size of a double-decker bus in a parallel universe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 May, 2011, 11:08:06 pm
I've fettled my office desk in a state of tidyness less untidyness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 25 May, 2011, 06:51:01 am
Quote from: Kim on 24 May, 2011, 10:14:03 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 24 May, 2011, 09:31:18 pm
It's really rather amazing, for those of us brought up on Ever-Ready Night Rider and similar D-cell-driven Lucas-prince-of-darkness lights, that a slow walking pace on this setup can generate enough light to make car drivers dip their headlights.

*nods*

I'm suspicious that supercapacitors use quantum tunnelling to store their charge on plates the size of a double-decker bus in a parallel universe.
Or that Cateye actually use the eyes of cats to obtain more light for a given amount of electricity. :'(  :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 25 May, 2011, 11:05:58 am
Quote from: Kim on 24 May, 2011, 08:01:58 pm
Back and showered.  ReeCharge appeared to work flawlessly throughout, and is showing two of three charge-level blinkenlights, which I suppose is about right for two hours of mostly slogging against the wind, given the battery capacity and the poor efficiency of the regulator (and that I deliberately unplugged it for the Fun Bit).

The regulator module shows no signs of Magic Smoke leakage, and the battery pack is currently charging my phone  :thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 May, 2011, 11:13:36 am
the mtb in readiness for the Cannock camping trip

Fitted a rear rack.The short chainstays meant I had to alter the fittings on the panniers to avoid heel/pannier contact.
Fitted low riders to the front forks.The diameter of the forks required huge diameter P clips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 May, 2011, 11:56:59 am
and also;removed straps & toeclips,replaced with spd's to allow Shimano sandals with cleats to be worn.All the DF bikes now have spd's fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2011, 03:32:02 pm
Drains, which are now draining properly.

I *love* unblocking drains.  It's my favouritest thing in the whole world.

I think I discovered a new species of slime mould.  And then exterminated it.  While making dalek noises (which are compulsory when operating a plunger).


(This post may contain sarcasm or traces of sarcasm)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keepontriking on 26 May, 2011, 06:09:53 pm
The shed roof.

...or rather some new felt, which is now holding the rest of the shed together.

Have needed a new shed for several years but I reckon this year is its last  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 May, 2011, 09:04:19 pm
Replaced a couple of spokes on TGL's tourer, bought earlier today by Butterfly.  Got the wheels satisfyingly round again. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 26 May, 2011, 09:04:56 pm
A Gilles Berthoud saddle on to my Bob Jackson. First (pre-ride) impressions: ver' ver' nice indeed  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 26 May, 2011, 09:08:33 pm
I've thought about replacing the bar tape on my lejog steed, but thought better of it. Perhaps tomorrow. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 26 May, 2011, 09:20:55 pm
Quote from: keepontriking on 26 May, 2011, 06:09:53 pm
The shed roof.

...or rather some new felt, which is now holding the rest of the shed together.

Have needed a new shed for several years but I reckon this year is its last  :'(

That was me a few weeks back, through I had to replace all the roof boards and most of the fascia as well. Whoever had thrown this edifice together was a graduate of the "when in doubt use even larger nails" school of carpentry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 26 May, 2011, 09:24:46 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 26 May, 2011, 09:04:56 pm
A Gilles Berthoud saddle on to my Bob Jackson. First (pre-ride) impressions: ver' ver' nice indeed  :)

Ooh ooh...

We wantz piccies..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 May, 2011, 09:28:08 pm
fitted an SQR bracket to the seat post of the mtb to which will be added a Carradice Camper Longflap which will contain the tent, with poles attached to the lid via toe-straps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 26 May, 2011, 09:41:31 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 26 May, 2011, 09:24:46 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 26 May, 2011, 09:04:56 pm
A Gilles Berthoud saddle on to my Bob Jackson. First (pre-ride) impressions: ver' ver' nice indeed  :)

Ooh ooh...

We wantz piccies..

Will do. I've already got the Carradice Bagman on though  :)

Very solid and nicely finished item, along the lines of the Team Pro, much thicker leather than a Brooks. I think I'm going to like it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 26 May, 2011, 11:32:13 pm
Changed my chain** and the sprocket on my Alfine hub. Had a few chainslips recently, which looking at the sprocket is not very surprising.


**actually I haven't fitted the new chain yet, because the spare I thought I had was actually the one I've just taken off. Two new chains on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 May, 2011, 01:17:13 pm
a bar bag onto grand daughter's bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 May, 2011, 04:14:37 pm
a joint effort to fettle a caravan.......
removed p.j.'s.
flushed & sanitised water system
gas cooker works
fridge works on gas & elecrtic
dusted & hoovered top to bottom
lights work
battery o.k.
hot water sysstem  o.k.

roof mounted ariel broken :( needs replacing to make the roof waterproof otherwise I wouldn't bother.

need to check tyre pressures & road lights.
gas fire(very rarely used)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 28 May, 2011, 04:16:55 pm
^ stop showing off, you're making me look bad.....thank goodness SWMBO is unlikely to see this thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 28 May, 2011, 04:40:31 pm
Fitted mudguards to the Boardman Team CX and a new saddle (Charge Spoon). Off out for a shakedown ride once the rain stops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 May, 2011, 05:55:15 pm
organised the CD collection into alphabetical order.I need to get a life :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 28 May, 2011, 06:09:48 pm
Quote from: jogler on 28 May, 2011, 05:55:15 pm
organised the CD collection into alphabetical order.I need to get a life :-[

Yeah, but how did you file bands starting with 'The...' ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 May, 2011, 06:17:10 pm
ignored "the"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 May, 2011, 06:21:24 pm
Shiny new firmware onto my phone.  10 minutes work, including backups, and several hours of tweaking to get the new one working the way I like it.

ETA: And I've discovered the obligatory bug in the phone app (it only plays ringtones through once).  Oh well, it's not like I use it for phone calls ever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 28 May, 2011, 06:22:23 pm
Quote from: jogler on 28 May, 2011, 06:17:10 pm
ignored "the"

So where do you file The The?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 May, 2011, 06:23:25 pm
Who
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 May, 2011, 06:26:48 pm
Finally reassembled my S&S-coupled Frezoni. Several packing/unpacking cycles in close succession had damped my enthusiasm for fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 May, 2011, 07:01:53 pm
Washed lots of dirty bike parts in warm water and washing up liquid.

A friend helped me today by stripping the threads off a pair of cranks.  Now how to get them off as my puller won't fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 28 May, 2011, 08:30:48 pm
Finally got around to cleaning my bike after the Irish Mail 400km last weekend.
Took the rear mech to bits and removed all the sheep shit
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 29 May, 2011, 05:55:04 pm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 May, 2011, 07:57:18 pm
a F.F..  Failed Fettle.

Not succeeded in fettling roof racks to accommodate a 'bent on the top of the car.Too late today to carry on but will try again tomorrow.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 May, 2011, 09:20:50 pm
Just some lights and a wedgepackthing, but I took that off again when I realised I have nothing to carry in it atm. The annoying thing about this late 70's technology in '80s incarnation is a few of the bolts are metric but most are imperial. I don't have any tools that fit properly!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SandyV on 30 May, 2011, 01:21:21 pm
On the weekend - 53 parts into one barbeque.  As instructions were written by a sadist this involved putting all 4 legs and both sides on twice!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 May, 2011, 05:26:12 pm
Sandy, BTDTGTTS :)

Today's fettle was a new front gear cable (inner and outer) onto the bike I got from Aidan yesterday.

I can now change into the big ring! \o/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2011, 05:37:48 pm
Gave the Dawes a once-over, and have set it up with cross tyres and a shiny new full set of Ortliebs for this week's camping fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 30 May, 2011, 06:43:10 pm
Crikey - you've fettled your bike, jogler has done his packing.... I haven't even thought about where the sleeping bags are, and have no kim-friendly cake in the house!

Perhaps I should start to get organised.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2011, 06:45:28 pm
Well it was pissing it down, so I opted for the other way to get exercise from a bicycle...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 30 May, 2011, 06:54:01 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 30 May, 2011, 06:43:10 pm
Crikey - you've fettled your bike, jogler has done his packing.... I haven't even thought about where the sleeping bags are, and have no kim-friendly cake in the house!

Perhaps I should start to get organised.
I've not started yet either.  Except I've found my tent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 May, 2011, 08:02:40 pm
Fettled an ortlieb bar bag to the mtb.This camping lark has reminded me of a simple fact.
You need the same amount of kit for 3 days as 3 weeks
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 May, 2011, 08:27:14 pm
Larger gear and shorter chain onto the über-commuter.  Dithering over whether to leave it double-fixed (I'd never bother changing the cog), or to smack a freewheel on there for offroading fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim on 31 May, 2011, 09:31:17 am
Proper mid-ride bodge on Sunday - it involved a cable tie and a stick found in the gutter until we acquired a new bolt to make the rack firm once more. And yes there was a pannier upon the bodged rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 31 May, 2011, 12:21:35 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 30 May, 2011, 06:54:01 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 30 May, 2011, 06:43:10 pm
Crikey - you've fettled your bike, jogler has done his packing.... I haven't even thought about where the sleeping bags are, and have no kim-friendly cake in the house!

Perhaps I should start to get organised.
I've not started yet either.  Except I've found my tent.

I haven't decided which tent. It could be a late one today... the list looks like this:
No probs, eh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 31 May, 2011, 12:30:03 pm
My list is fairly similar.

But also includes sort out beds for the visiting M-I-c-L and cousin, who will be here in a couple of hours.  And a trip to the pubbe  :D

Sleep's for lightweights anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 May, 2011, 01:14:07 pm
After I finish my lunch and a cup of caffiene for motivation, I am going out the front to fettle the weeds that have overcome the front garden.  I apologise to all those audaxers that ride by and look at the mess and promise that soon it will look more pleasing to the eye again.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 31 May, 2011, 02:46:44 pm
Continuing the bike conversion:


Just waiting for the BB and sprocket to be delivered, then I'll be finishing it off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 May, 2011, 04:10:10 pm
Update - her front garden looks well neat and tidy now  ;D ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 31 May, 2011, 07:51:21 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 26 May, 2011, 09:24:46 pm
piccies..

I added a few photos to the FG gallery:

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22914.msg956919#msg956919 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22914.msg956919#msg956919)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 31 May, 2011, 08:15:23 pm
O
Quote from: itsbruce on 31 May, 2011, 02:46:44 pm
Continuing the bike conversion:

  • Added tubes and tyres to the wheels.
  • Wheels onto frame.
  • Front brake attached.
  • Stem/bars inserted into headset.
  • Seatpost inserted.

Just waiting for the BB and sprocket to be delivered, then I'll be finishing it off.


BB and cranks fitted. Chainline on the cranks measures up just right.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 31 May, 2011, 09:05:52 pm
I thought it would be clever to pull a massive thistle out of the ground without gloves. It wasn't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 01 June, 2011, 08:00:41 pm
Removed  the rear wheel of Mrs Dan's bike. Confirmed that the lack of going round was due to the axle being in two pieces. Put bike into garage and sighed. I'll be in "what have you bought today" later in the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 01 June, 2011, 08:21:59 pm
I gave my Sabbath a nice Muc-off bath this afternoon. When I rode into Bristol for the YACF meet last night I had forgotten my previous outing to Weston-super-Mare in high winds had resulted in a sandblasted drive train. There was a definite grinding going on in all the moving parts. All the offending sand is now washed out (although I am still finding it behind my ears).

I have now parked my Sabbath in the middle of the lounge where I can gaze at it lovingly while deciding which of Raminphrikesh Pharghangitalivati's suggested improvements to make to it. He is absolutely right about me having too many head set spacers, I had left the steerer long until I decided on a final length to cut it down to and never got round to making a decision. I'm going to spend the next week making micro-adjustments getting everything (hopefully) just right for my 600.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 June, 2011, 09:02:10 pm
I just quickly fettled a new rear gear cable onto the Kaffenback before cycling home.  On the way in, I realised that the cable was fraying within the changer.  I could tell from the way that it was gradually loosing gears (as the frayed cable gradually unwound), and sometimes the lever wouldn't move (as the frayed bits got in the way of the changer mechanism).

Luckily, being of a paranoid frame of mind, I always carry at least one spare brake and gear cable in my tool kit.

It'll probably still need some slight tweaking of the adjusters, as I cycle home, but it's fairly close to being correct.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 June, 2011, 10:44:15 pm
New batteries in the rear light and tightened the handlebar catch on the Brommie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 June, 2011, 10:45:06 pm
Stripped my Orange for to flog on fleabay, in preparation for the other frame being repaired by Kevin Winter.  Yay!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 01 June, 2011, 11:55:02 pm
downgraded from marathon+'es 25c to gatorskins 28c on my commuter for summer months. time will tell if this was a good move.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 02 June, 2011, 07:03:44 am
Yesterday, I did the handlebars on the new project.  Brake cable and housing installed, then cork handlebar tape applied.  I did this at work and was observed by our head of Electrical/Mechanical Engineering (well, I was using his vice to hold the quill stem), who was gratifyingly impressed and made comments of the "these skills are dying out" nature.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 June, 2011, 09:15:02 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 01 June, 2011, 08:00:41 pm
...the axle being in two pieces. ....


That is one more than the required amount, and a bit more than the average </expertmechanicalknowledge>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 02 June, 2011, 07:05:58 pm
It was such a nice afternoon I took Sabbath and tools out into the garden for a fettlefest. I've lowered the stem (although not cut any off the steerer yet until I am sure it is right), altered the bar angle slightly, very slightly raised the saddle, fitted a new Durano Plus tyre to the front wheel, and changed the rear bit of brake cable outer for a slightly longer bit because I was a bit worried it might have been this that loosened the rear brake on the Old Roads 300 as it was quite a tight fit. The new Dura Ace brake cable set I bought has silver outers, which looks good against the Ti frame (well IMO anyway). I'm not sure that I would want to stick silver outers on all the front cables though. The set is really for the Fuji when I get it some drops soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 June, 2011, 08:43:40 pm
Last night I installed a new Hope headset into the TCR.  Tightened it up a bit too tight though as the commute to work today was very responsive / and unforgiving of lazy riding and steering.  On the way home I stopped and loosened it slightly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 03 June, 2011, 12:02:17 pm
This morning I successfully fettled the seat post binder bolt which came with my second-hand Champion Mondial but which is too large for the frame and obviously not the original.  I replaced the nut with a shorter one from a rear brake that I happen not to be using ;) Worked just right and I didn't have to cycle to work with my knees by my ears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 03 June, 2011, 12:13:08 pm
Built a shed before work
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 04 June, 2011, 11:48:09 am
Managed to remove 2 bottle holder bolts that had rusted so much that an Allen key wouldn't bind.

As I have a mini-pump holder fitted underneath the bottle holder, the only bolts I had which are long enough are titanium stem bolts - should solve the rust problem for a while :)

A bit ironic though, the bottle holder came free with a bottle from Tesco and a Halfords mini pump, fitted with Ti!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 June, 2011, 12:06:19 pm
Adjusted the front panniers on the mtb so that the clip-on rail is more horizontal & adjusted the rear brake so that it now stops on a tanner with minimum lever travel
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 04 June, 2011, 12:38:48 pm
Put a new front mech on old hybrid bicycle and put a new saddle on, with a non-quick-release bolt (you can guess what happened there :) )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 04 June, 2011, 03:31:05 pm
Put new wheel and rear brake blocks on Mrs Dan's bike, cleaned it up a bit and checked the gears.
A little cleaning of dust and drool from my new bike, as you do.
Chiseled truly shameful gunk build up from my runabout old MTB. I've been using it this last week and the indexing seemed off, but I think it was mostly just muck in the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 June, 2011, 04:47:29 pm
Quote from: jogler on 29 May, 2011, 07:57:18 pm
a F.F..  Failed Fettle.

Not succeeded in fettling roof racks to accommodate a 'bent on the top of the car.Too late today to carry on but will try again tomorrow.



Plan B got the 'bent on the roof & held almost upright by one of the Thule bike racks.Plan C will be to fettle a method of providing more security by strapping the 'bent to one or both of the upright posts on the Pendle tandem rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 04 June, 2011, 05:00:22 pm
Quote from: jogler on 04 June, 2011, 12:06:19 pm
adjusted the rear brake so that it now stops on a tanner with minimum lever travel

Do you mean a sprazi ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 June, 2011, 05:05:36 pm
a tanner is slang for a sixpence*piece,approx. a little larger than a 5p piece IIRC

*pre-decimal money coin

ETA what's a sprazi?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 04 June, 2011, 09:42:12 pm
Loosened the seal / bearings on my pedals (candys) a bit. I thought I'd done them up to the specified torque after a rebuild a while back, but they felt stiff when I was fettling before. Now I'm worried that they'll fall apart.  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 June, 2011, 09:59:37 pm
Marathon fettling session today.

We cleaned the Woodrup, Butterfly's Galaxy, her Orion, her Trek, my Ridgeback and TGL's Trek.  Oiled chains on all.

I trued wheels on the Ridgeback, the Woodrup and TGL's Trek.

Adjusted the saddle height on TGL's Trek.

Swapped saddle & seatpost from the Cyclone to the Orion, meaning that Butterfly has the Thudbuster on the Orion now.

Sorted out Butterfly's Raceblade-a-likes so they didn't hit the back of the forks/rest on the rear brake caliper respectively, which also meant we could fit them closer to the tyre.

Changed the chain on the Orion.

That's all.

I didn't get round to fixing the new 'guards to Butterfly's Galaxy.  Another day, maybe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 05 June, 2011, 06:15:18 pm
New chain on mrs_o's bike (blingy-looking nickel-plated Wipperman 808).

Replaced a broken spoke on my foldie-fixie, retrued wheel (ish  ;)) and tightened all the spokes ~1/4 turn.  Replaced the original moulded V-brake pads on the front with new Avid rim-wranglers.

Stripped cranks off the commuter so I could tighten up the BB which was creaking a bit.  noticed the drive side crank bolt wasn't as tight as it should have been so that could've been the source of my noise, I guess.  All tightened up to the RFT torque setting now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 June, 2011, 06:29:57 pm
Lights and lighting accessories, mostly.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 June, 2011, 05:54:17 am
Some garden chairs.

We called in at my parents house on the way back from our wedding anniversary night away, my mother told Mrs T that she had recently got some nice teak garden chairs from the auction, in the hope that my dad would have time to clean them up to sell on.  My dad had different ideas, and didn't think he would have the time, so my mum asked us if we wanted to buy them, for what they paid for them (£60 for the pair)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d28ByQ1z2U8/TexcGbo1DII/AAAAAAAAA1M/ErKbGMy7vcQ/s640/P1000707.JPG)

Obv. the one on the lef tlooked like hte one on the right to start with, prior to the application of a power washer.

Looking at them now, in the back garden, they both need some teak furniture renovator and then oiling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 06 June, 2011, 07:20:13 am
Mmmm, good move Tiermat!  Those are very nice garden chairs indeed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 June, 2011, 01:01:52 pm
Fitted a Cateye Mity 8 I speak thy sloth device I had in my bits box for eighteen months to orange bike which has been without a computer ever since it became orange.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 June, 2011, 01:07:53 pm
^Cleaned one of those chairs using outdoor furniture renovator, let it dry then oiled it.

I now smell of Linseed oil....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Majorbloodnok on 06 June, 2011, 01:11:29 pm
^ those chairs look lovely IMO.  Be even better if sitting on my patio.

Fitted a new (new to me) Sram Force rear mech to the Sabbath.  Just the front to do when it arrives later this week.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 06 June, 2011, 01:14:37 pm
Did a spoke transplant onto a new rim. Wheel now fully laced, just needs final tightening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 June, 2011, 02:10:26 pm
The rear light on the saracen with a torn up piece of rail ticket.

For some reason the positive terminal nipple on duracell batteries is too short to contact properly with the, errrr, contact.  A bit of train ticket jammed down behind the contact metal pushed it closer to the battery, and thus power flowed through the two batteries and out to the led at the correct time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 June, 2011, 03:19:59 pm
In the absence of a lathe[1], I made good use of a hand drill, small diamond file and the data collected during a fondle of rower40's equipment on last week's mild touring trip (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46943.msg961487#msg961487), to molish this:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/keys/IMG_2697.sized.jpg)
(why yes, that is my only vice)

Muhahahaha!   :demon:


[1]
Quote from: Conversation in bed last night
K: It's a shame I don't have a lathe, really.
b: Or two, then we could send faxes.
K: Actually, if we had 3 phase power and lathes with synchronous motors, we could send faxes without the timing issues that Rex and Tim had...
b: Yeah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 June, 2011, 03:23:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 June, 2011, 03:19:59 pm
In the absence of a lathe[1], I made good use of a small diamond file and the data collected during a fondle of rower40's equipment on last week's mild touring trip (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46943.msg961487#msg961487), to molish this:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/keys/IMG_2697.sized.jpg)
(why yes, that is my only vice)



OK, I'm impressed with the crisp and square edges and I've given it due thought.
So tell. What izzit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 June, 2011, 03:27:02 pm
A means of escaping from the Pendolino bike compartment, with steed, when the train manager forgets you're there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 June, 2011, 03:29:42 pm
Tis easily identifiable as the sort of 'cheat' coach key to circumvent the norty train companies' annoying habit of having shallow holes with a pin central.

Should also work for a standard coachkey opening, I think, as I suspect that our Kim has the nous to bear that in mind. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 June, 2011, 03:36:40 pm
Quote from: clarion on 06 June, 2011, 03:29:42 pm
Should also work for a standard coachkey opening, I think, as I suspect that our Kim has the nous to bear that in mind. ;)

Yes, it started off as the standard tapered key - I've cut it down for portability and modified it for the sneaky pinned electronic version of the lock, but I'm hoping it'll still work on the normal ones (not that I've ever needed it on a normal train, but there's always a first time).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 June, 2011, 03:38:47 pm
The Swiss Army knife of coach keys, then.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 June, 2011, 03:40:27 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 06 June, 2011, 03:38:47 pm
The Swiss Army knife of coach keys, then.  :D

Interestingly, it is possible - if extremely fiddly - to activate the door release on a Pendolino using a SAK.  Don't ask how I know this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 06 June, 2011, 03:43:39 pm
Changed my steering from quantum to classical by cleaning & greasing the headset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 06 June, 2011, 08:25:26 pm
I've been fettled and prodded, along with the bike.

Bike fitting at The Bike Whisperer in Ealing - it was very interesting indeed having someone observe and measure how you ride a bike.

The changes were fairly minor to the bike itself (saddle a little forward and down, bars rotated down slightly), but big changes to the shoes (new insoles, shims and cleats moved backwards and in).

All a little risky the week before my 600km qualifier (which has led to Scherrit making some of the adjustments smaller than he normally would, but I will go back to complete everything after the 600km), but the bike felt very, very good indeed riding home!

A fun afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 06 June, 2011, 10:40:22 pm
Moved the Polar off the stem and onto the left of the bar, more directly over the speed sensor.  I've been having problems with it cutting out mid roll.  Ensured the sensor was aligned and then lost the small nut that holds it on.  Shed rummage located an old Cateye one so hopefully that will do the trick - magnet wise.  Small test roll in rear garden worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 June, 2011, 01:51:11 pm
I have had the alloys off the old car switched onto the identical new one which has steel wheels. At the same time, I had two new tyres fitted.

If the showers stop, I shall fit the Slime inner tubes onto the Orion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 June, 2011, 04:39:13 pm
Took the cross tyres (and a large quantity of Cannock Chase) off the Dawes and put sensible road tyres back on.  With hindsight, this should probably have waited until I didn't have a whopping great blister in the middle of my dominant thumb (a side-effect of yesterday's fettling, that I reckon justifies owning a lathe on health & safety grounds).  Have you ever tried to fit a tyre wrong-handed?  I don't recommend it.

That done, I dug out the gas meter again, as thanks to some joined-up thinking by nPower they want me to scrawl this week's readings on a card and leave it in the window (barakta told a meter reader to sod off last week) to corroborate the ones I submitted online the week before.

I then fettled the tandem into working order in readiness for the epic trip to the Country Girl so that barakta may collect the YACF baton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 07 June, 2011, 05:13:57 pm
The fairy visited.  First time EVER on a road bike - was the commuting fixie.

I was already running late to a meeting, so my heart sank when I saw the flat as I picked the bike up to head into town.

As It had been fine when I arrived home on it on Thursday, I assumed it was a slow p***ture, so opted to pump and pray.  Just about worked - I stopped in High Street Ken to use the track pump outside Cyclopedia and made it into town in time for the meeting.

Finished meeting and fixed the p***ture and rode home.

I haven't had a visit in a couple of years (ever since I stopped using the Kojaks on the Brompton), forgotten how annoying they can be.

This has been a week of firsts - I fell off a road bike for the first time ever as well.  (should point out I've only been riding drop bar bikes for 18 months or so).  Low speed coming off wet flagstones onto dry ones - bike went from under me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 June, 2011, 08:17:39 pm
The 'bent has an oversize diameter front mech post.By virtue of robbing peter to pay paul I have freed-up a Topeak bar extender which has a bracket diameter sufficiently large to go around the mech post.
This provides a stable fixing for a front light,or two, making night riding on the 'bent possible :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 June, 2011, 12:51:17 am
I've just discovered that you can't lock out a suspension-fork-shaped-object using cable ties.  If you feel like testing this yourself, make sure you keep you chin well clear of the bars...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 08 June, 2011, 11:43:29 am
Took a hack saw to the seat clamp on the track bike as the Allen head was stripped. The bolt went ping and flew across the drive hitting my neighbour's car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 June, 2011, 03:50:32 pm
Reattached the protective rubber bit to the corner of an Altura Orkney using a needle and thread, needle-nosed pliers and a lot of patience.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 June, 2011, 05:14:03 pm
Fixed a rattling rear mudguard and realligned all the brakes. Changed the Cyo bracket for a shorter one so the cables don't annoyingly touch the back of the light.

Got friend armed with torque wrench to check I hadn't done up various stem and steerer bolts too bastard tight when I had the headset off last week. My arm doesn't have a calibration for 5N.m, things I do up usually seem to end up at 10N.m I am told. I might have to get my own torque wrench one of these days.

The same friend has kindly fitted my new 26t chain ring to the Fuji and my new tubus rack, so it is now ready to be loaded with panniers and gear for camping at the Sem Fed. He said the Shimano 105 chain set was a beggar to get the chain ring off, the bolts appeared to be glued in and very tight. I didn't attempt this myself because I lack the necessary toolage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 08 June, 2011, 06:23:38 pm
Mostly fettling cobbles into place....   :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 08 June, 2011, 09:23:36 pm
Chain off, deep drivetrain cleaning session. I now have a very mucky bath and a very clean rear wheel (sans tire and tube as it is having a rebuild tomorrow), chain and chainset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 08 June, 2011, 09:36:34 pm
I've installed Inkscape and fussed it into playing well with my tablet.  Well, I was getting a bit down on actual drawing (skills, y'know) and I like this crisp modern styling.  No, I have not also downloaded colour reference sheets for all of the My Little Ponies: Friendship Is Magic main characters.  #creepyfanart

The nice thing about Inkspace is that I can (allegedly) import a picture - like a scanned or photographed sketch, or a bit of clip art - in as a layer to draw over.  So I can get all Bezier on my wibbly wobbly lines.  Booyah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 June, 2011, 11:19:33 pm
summer'ized my audax bike - removed mudguards, two lights, swapped brooks b17 to fizi:k, increased gearing by 8%. the bike is now good for faster rides up to 200km in dry conditions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 08 June, 2011, 11:26:42 pm
Fitted the E-Werk to the bike, soldered on the spade connectors etc. 

Should keep phone and gps all charged up (via a portapow battery pack).

Power to the people!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 June, 2011, 12:05:23 pm
Put up 6 hanging baskets at my kids' school. Quite high up a  couple of them too!

Also set the timer for the irrigation system - just in time for the hosepipe ban :)

Had to put a jubilee clip on the connector to the timer as it was leaking. Irrigation piping is not very flexible!

Cut the grass.

Charged the motorcycle battery, which proved MUCH fiddlier than I expected. Very small terminals has yer average motorbike battery.

Finally fitted the Slime inner tubes to the Orion, which was as straightforward.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 10 June, 2011, 01:17:09 am
Cleaned / de-oiled & oiled all the mechanics on the audax bike. Fitted some new 23mm Panaracer Stradus Sport Tourguard tyres & put the old Conti's Gatorskins on the skip bike shopper as the skip bike tyres were getting pun***** on a weekly basis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 10 June, 2011, 02:36:24 pm
Due to the smell & the number of flies hanging around it, I had to clean the garden/food waste wheelie bin today. Not a pleasant job at all. Lots of compacted food waste at the bottom which needed a good blast of the hose to dislodge it all. I'm charging the drill at the moment to put holes in the bottom to drain the gunge that causes the stuff to coagulate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 June, 2011, 04:42:45 pm
Fitted a replacement Status ariel to the yacf mobile cake wagon caravan thus making the roof water/weatherproof again so that the caravan can be used again :thumbsup:
One more obstacle overcome making attendance at York Rally more likely :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 June, 2011, 05:45:45 pm
Just finished re-twiddling the hook positions (and annoying diameter spacer things) on my Ortliebs to fit the Streetmachine.  Got halfway through setting up the front panniers when I realised they were in fact the back ones.  I academically knew that a Streetmachine was designed to carry four full-size panniers, but hadn't realised it worked quite so well - they only hang a couple of inches lower, which should be fine if you keep to NSTN-approved surfaces and refrain from cornering at R17.   :o

I suppose this means I could combine the Back-Rollers with the Altura Orkneys and a rack bag for serious kitchen-sink-carrying potential, though I'm struggling to think of why I'd want to.

And to think people scoff at microscopic granny rings...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 June, 2011, 05:08:40 pm
Just  brought my poor Decathlon mtb back into rideable state.

I'm not sure the bike is worth the money or the effort, but I'm feeling rather satisfied now  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 June, 2011, 05:26:47 pm
Fitting and proofing saddles - OrangeGina now has a rather natty B17 Mandarin and the Bat Bike has a Brooks Flyer with the BFO springs. Downstairs now reeks of Proofide ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 June, 2011, 05:47:11 pm
Car fettling today. MrsH has a new (to us) Mini Clubman, so I needed to fit a bluetooth car kit. Of course, the facelift models from about 2007 onwards changed the dashboard, so rather than a pretty standard job of pulling out the stereo, routing microphone and control head cables and connecting them between the stereo and the speakers, the entire dashboard needs to be disassembled. This is the car that is specifically excluded when installation companies quote a standard fitted price for car kits. Some won't touch it at all.

It turned out to be quite straightforward, just needed attention to detail and about 30 screws removing. I was glad I've invested in a set of plastic tools for prising panels off, and found a document on the net showing roughly what order things had to be removed in (albeit this was for the LHD model, and an "interesting" use of English!).

It ended up taking about three hours to do the complete job, and it all went back together properly, doesn't appear to rattle and I have no bits left over  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 11 June, 2011, 06:21:30 pm
Put my bling Thomson stem back onto the TCR and refettled the Hope headset.
Moved the computer mount from the bars back to the stem on the Etape.
Micro adjusted the front mech on the Etape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 11 June, 2011, 11:24:41 pm
Swapped to new model candy pedals on the mountain bike, which are much smoother to turn, don't leak grease and look much less tatty. Also swapped cleats as the old ones were getting just a bit too easy to release.
Found my glentress seat pack has four uncovered bolts inside that I hadn't noticed. Couldn't find any domed nuts to put over them, so something to look for tomorrow. That's a bit poor - they'd go through a spare tube or waterproof quite easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 12 June, 2011, 12:58:13 pm
Bought a Kashimax Rain Tail (http://www.tokyofixedgear.com/products/96-Mudguards/3346-Kashimax---RF-100-Rain-Tail/) on Friday and fitted it.  Had plenty of opportunity since to prove that it works very well.  Cycling home at lunchtime today, I noticed very quickly when I left a cafe without extending it.  Looks a little odd when extended but slots away invisibly under the saddle when not needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 12 June, 2011, 06:33:45 pm
Welded new deck supports on rear of narrowboat. Was quite proud of myself; first butt joints, first vertical butt joints and it stood up to me jumping up and down on it.

Stopped before I completed everything, because me, the boat and the welder were soaked from the rain, and I was getting a kick off everything I touched when I started welding. When 75A starts making it's way through the welding gloves, it's time to turn the welder off and pack up, kids.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 June, 2011, 07:44:51 pm
VArious bike related fettles today.

Front brake on the Saracen
fitted front mecn on Holdsworth
removed cassette from wheel that was on Dave Yates and fitted it to wheel for Holdsworth
Decided that I would rather have wider bars and Ultegra shifters on Holdsworth, so fitted one to t'other.

Now need a band to be able to fit the cable guides to the Holdsworth, fit tyres and the usual end of build fettles and she will be ready to go.

Non-bike related fettles include fixing the draNon-bike related fettles include fixing the drawer in the garage, to stop parts falling out of the back of it and sanding down the second of the chairs shown above...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 13 June, 2011, 06:53:41 pm
I have just taken my creaking and squeaking Specialized saddle off the Etape and fitted my Brooks.
I then gave her a well earned wash.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 June, 2011, 09:26:54 pm
I did the 2:30am "climb into the attic to sort out the leaking cold water tank that was causing water to run down the light fitting onto our bed" fettle this morning. At 2:30am.

Quite lucky really, it wasn't going long enough to cause any damage and after shifting a load of junk around could dry out up there and be back in bed by 3:30. If it had happened whilst we were out, or whilst I was away and MrsH in on her own it would have been disastrous rather than annoying..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 June, 2011, 04:35:02 pm
Had a meeting to go to yesterday evening, which for various reasons was held in the garden of a Pubbe. So whilst people got on with the business of the meeting, I fettled the brrakes on a friend's Carrera. Said bike is 3 years old and the front V brakes weren't re-centring after braking. Soon diagnosed to a dislodged spring on one of the arms. 

I also spotted, and corrected the UPSIDE DOWN BRAKE PAD.  It's been like that from new apparently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 14 June, 2011, 08:49:07 pm
Today I haz been mostly fettling the airing cupboard. This has involved rebuilding the partition walls from scratch, owing to the woodwork being too shonky to fit plasterboard.

The person who had originally thrown the airing cupboard together seems to have measured most of the cross-pieces by eye, working on the theory that if they were within 5-7mm of the required length, and the cuts were within 15 degrees off-square, it was "good enough". He'd then nailed it together with everything from 2" lost-head nails to 4" brads, and in a final stroke of bodging genius, he'd clad the er... assembly... with hardboard!  :o ;D :facepalm:

I'd reclad it with pine cladding a few years back, but that was only a temporary measure, so I took the opportunity to rebuild it properly as part of the post-window installation redecoration blitz.

Just got to fit the new skirting board, and then the fun and games with joint filler, tape and corner beading starts...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 June, 2011, 08:55:26 pm
Quote from: spesh on 14 June, 2011, 08:49:07 pm
The person who had originally thrown the airing cupboard together seems to have measured most of the cross-pieces by eye, working on the theory that if they were within 5-7mm of the required length, and the cuts were within 15 degrees off-square, it was "good enough". He'd then nailed it together with everything from 2" lost-head nails to 4" brads, and in a final stroke of bodging genius, he'd clad the er... assembly... with hardboard!  :o ;D :facepalm:

This is exactly the sort of reason why I don't do woodwork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 14 June, 2011, 09:09:02 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 June, 2011, 08:55:26 pm
Quote from: spesh on 14 June, 2011, 08:49:07 pm
The person who had originally thrown the airing cupboard together seems to have measured most of the cross-pieces by eye, working on the theory that if they were within 5-7mm of the required length, and the cuts were within 15 degrees off-square, it was "good enough". He'd then nailed it together with everything from 2" lost-head nails to 4" brads, and in a final stroke of bodging genius, he'd clad the er... assembly... with hardboard!  :o ;D :facepalm:

This is exactly the sort of reason why I don't do woodwork.

Fortunately, next door is empty, so at least there have been no complaints about the drilling and hammering noises, not to mention some fairly sulphurous swearing.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 June, 2011, 07:24:00 pm
Repaired a 'mystery' puncture* on the Van Nic today and decided to clean the rims of the grot acquired on last Friday's abandoned Dun Run Freeview Preview.

Note to self: Don't liberally chuck around the cellulose thinners when your hands have small cuts and grazes.
Cellulose thinners will make these cuts seem Much, Much Larger.
Beyond your wildest nightmares. Ouchy! Ai!  ::-)

*Wasn't there when I returned from Erith. Was there 24 hours later.  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 15 June, 2011, 07:35:50 pm
I've just split my bike to atoms lubed and semi reassembled it.( no wheels & handlebar)

I learned the advantage of being a short legged person, I don't need to remove or lower my
seatpost and saddle to get my bike into my travel bag  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bloomers100 on 15 June, 2011, 07:55:41 pm
Maybe OT but I replaced the battery and dock connector on my broken iphone 3GS.

Sadly I broke the glass  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 15 June, 2011, 08:37:04 pm
Seat angle x 4 times.  3 on commute and 1 when I got home.
Front computer speed sensor replaced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 15 June, 2011, 09:22:02 pm
Decided to take a link out of the chain on my fixed wheel bike. Also managed to shift a recalcitrant sprocket from hub of same. That was all no problem.

Then I had to realign my rear mudguard - Jaysus. Thought I was going to burst a blood vessel at one stage:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v138/Chickenhawk66/fuuuuuuuuu.jpg)

Job's a goodun though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 June, 2011, 10:08:22 am
Have just sat down after assembling a bannister rail with 8 spindles using pegs and glue.  I did the dry run and it all went perfectly but as usual as soon as the glue goes on the components start to fight back and you end up with spindles and glue all over the place.  But I beat the little bastards in the end..

And the end result is more satisfying than getting a mudguard aligned - I just live with them if they are a bit out and not rubbing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Doosh on 16 June, 2011, 12:06:05 pm
Totally stripped it down to bare frame and forks yesterday tea time ready for it's trip to the blasters and powder coaters, which should hopefully be today if my Dad has enough time to come and pick me up and take me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 16 June, 2011, 12:27:43 pm
Brought the bits with me to refit the Crud Roadracer guards to my bike on the train this morning. Good thing too, as by the time I got off the train, it was pissing down.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 June, 2011, 12:39:31 pm
Another layer of tape on The Beast's handlebars.

Tuesday night's pub run was enough to convince me that the gel padding that comes with the fizik Bar:Kit is a bit shit, really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 June, 2011, 01:00:33 pm
nuffink yet today as:
a) the stuff hasn't arrived :(
b) I am about to go out on a SBA(c)CrinklyLion
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 June, 2011, 02:00:44 pm
Will be having my teeth fettled in about an hour ...  :-X :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 16 June, 2011, 02:55:05 pm
Fitted a Lidl cheapo computer to the Pompino. Also decided to fit the rear rack I've had for ages. After I'd fitted the stays' nuts, the horizontal bars looked like being a problem, but they fitted so easily & the rack top ended up perfectly horizontal at the first attempt. I was amazed. First time? Can't be right!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 June, 2011, 06:00:33 pm
Took me all afternoon, but I've molished a shiny new rear wheel for the Streetmachine...

There were hairline fractures in the rim suggesting that the spokes were going to pull through at some unfortunate moment[1], so I replaced it with a nice Exal ML21[2] (recommended as being a decent A719-alike in 26"), with proper eyelets.  While I was at it I decided that 32 spokes were silly, so switched to the 36 holes befitting the rear wheel of an uber-tourer.  This meant a new hub, so I got a M756 (the older XT disc hub with the steel axle, so as to avoid naff bearings).  Sapim Strong spokes throughout.

I took it slowly, paying extra attention to keeping the spoke tension reasonably equal, and it magically turned into an almost perfectly true wheel without any particular effort.  Just needed some jibbling around to get the dish right, and to even things out as much as possible around the weld.  I gave it plenty of abuse with a spanner and re-trued, then fitted it to the bike and did 5km of the local area's best speed bumps and potholes.  The new hub is lovely and quiet, and thanks to placebo effect, the marginally reduced drag makes the bike go faster  :thumbsup:

It still appears to be true, so hopefully it won't give me any problems on the FNRttC (I'm working on the principle that a newly built wheel is about equally likely to cause problems as one that's had hairline fractures for ages, but if something does go wrong with the new wheel, it's more likely to be the sort of thing that can be fixed at the roadside).



[1] I'm attibuting blame 50/50 between me overdoing it on the tension when I replaced a load of spokes and CrossCountry dangly bike spaces.

[2] This appears to be significantly more of a bastard to fit a Marathon to than the previous rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 June, 2011, 12:28:44 am
A friend's phone had died. Wouldn't turn off when needed, so she pulled the battery. Wouldn't turn on again after.  She got a replacement upgrade thing, but all her numbers were stuck on the old one.

A bit of filed down RS trim tool action on the teeny torx screws, followed by a spot of prizing apart and I got the back off. I could then switch the switch and turn it on. Plugged into my laptop and backed it up.

Then more unscrewy action and I found a crack on the switch actuator. A dab of superglue and it's all good.

And a final result was that I found the screw I'd dropped earlier in the proceedings.

Fear mi l33t fone fixing skillz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 June, 2011, 01:54:22 pm
I thought it was just headwind, tired legs and generally being crap, but it felt a bit harder than it ought to riding in.  Quick inspect before opening up this morning showed that the wheel wasn't centred in the brake caliper.  I thought the caliper might have slipped (years of sidepulls, y'know ;) ).

I had a look before I needed to go out to the bank, and found that, in fact, I'd snapped a spoke.  I thought it'd be a great idea to go get a spoke at OYB, then, after the bank, get a butty and go do some truing in the park.

Of course.  Mid-June.  Naturally, it's been raining all morning. :(

Still, got the spoke.  Without a nipple.  i didn't need one, but I wish they'd asked. :-\

Gentle riding round without using rear brake much, then back to work, tipped the bike upside down and fitted the new spoke.  It does look a bit long, but might be OK. :-\

It was nice to see that as soon as I had the new spoke in, the wheel was pretty much round again.  Must have been built well the first time round.  Thanks :thumbsup:

Then a few minutes adjusting spokes.  No truing stand, no sign of dishing tool or tensiometer.  But a pleasing few minutes getting the rim straight enough for riding.  It isn't perfect, but it barely deflects now.  What fun. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 18 June, 2011, 10:41:55 am
Gave Mrs Man's bike a pre L2B clean, lube, wheel true, fresh brake blocks, tyre pump and check things that should be tight are and vice-versa while shower dodging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 18 June, 2011, 11:38:25 am
Changed some cartridgre bearings on a front wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 June, 2011, 01:43:06 pm
Fettled 3 bikes.Re-arrenged lights & racks so that all 3 bikes are kitted out for night riding & carrying a bit of luggage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 18 June, 2011, 04:03:02 pm
I had a big crater pothole and wheel going bang moment on the way home yesterday and I found I'd broken a rear spoke. So new one fitted, although it feels a bit thinner and less robust than the originals  :-\

Also a very good clean of the cassette including the dreaded WD40 and a toothbrush while it was off the wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 18 June, 2011, 04:31:04 pm
New wheels on and new cables all round.

Although I just held bits and pieces as the master did the work.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 18 June, 2011, 05:06:03 pm
Cables and backstop onto Holdsworth, adjusted brake and checked the the shifters work.
Tyres and tubes on

Just needs a chain now and bars taping up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 18 June, 2011, 05:14:52 pm
Hmmm, that tile at the edge of the bath looks a bit loose and rather damp in the grout.  A bit of poking later ended up with the it coming off in one piece rather easily, and a whole load of damp tile adhesive underneath it.... :-o  Hopefully a quick patch up will do until I get enough ££ to redecorate the bathroom next year. (Taking bath out, and replacing with a shower cubicle).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 18 June, 2011, 06:06:29 pm
Replaced the four rusty bolts that secure the handlebars to the stem.  I looked for them on the net and they seemed to come in a bewildering array of colours but not very specific dimensions - and at about 6 or 7 quid a set.  Went to Screwfix and got some stainless steel ones.  £3.50 for 50!  Just need some more bikes, now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Manotea on 18 June, 2011, 08:12:08 pm
Having covered it in sand on the Seething600 whilst dealing with innumerable punctures, I cleaned my chain today. White spirit in a 2L milk bottle container and  give it a good shake. The whole exercise took about 10 minutes. Hardcore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 18 June, 2011, 08:33:18 pm
Laid and wired! Sadly, track, not me....

(http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p56/wasnti/Railway/NewLH.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 June, 2011, 09:10:25 pm
Swapped front brake blocks on Butterfly's Galaxy, and felt how worn her rear wheel is.  I have advised a new one.

Looked at her soot bike to sort out a chain skipping issue.  Couldn't find the misalignment I thought might be the culprit, but a look at the shape of the sprocket teeth told me the story :(

Off to get a new chain and cassette in the morning :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 19 June, 2011, 12:15:40 am
The new chain fitted last week was a bit long so I made it too short and had to faff with the mudguard. Greased the saddle rails and hopefully I've got a nice quiet commuter for a few months bit. New levers, cables, outers and BB done the week before.

I also fitted the sprocket bought from Sgt Pluck last year. If levers and pedals count separate then there's five things on that bike bought from forummers, plus a back light recommendation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 June, 2011, 01:23:08 pm
Fettle fail.

Replaced skylight - check.
Re-laid slates - know my own limits.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 June, 2011, 06:35:08 pm
As noted in the "have you been out today" thread, I was over at a feed station on the BHF L-B ride, fully intending to help my friends cook a zillion burgers.  Shortly after I arrived aridr was spotted walking. My vociferous friend The Cheery Chippy hollered at him and suggested I could fix it. I had a few tools on board, a puncture repair kit and a brace of 700c tubes and that was all.  Our friend was pushing something towards the BSO end of the things and had no tools, no pump, no tube.  This meant I had to patch his, which took much longer than I'd like.

The next punter was a chap whose front tyre (700C x 25) had parted company from its bead. Hmm. I cast my eye along the line of bikes, selected one and removed the front wheel. "We'll take the tyre off here" I told him. A brief look of panic, then he twigged it was my bike. Tee hee.

I phoned home and had The Boy bring me a slack handful of 26 inch tubes and my folding tyre.

After that I had a more or less constant stream of customers, some grateful, some less so.  Best was a bloke on a venerable Peugeot "racer", 27 inch steel rims, in need of a tube. I dug one out and let him get on with it.  A minute or two later: "Is it clockwise or anti-clockwise to undo the nuts?" I gave him a clue and then watched in amazement and admiration as he removed two spoons from his tool kit, tyre removal for the use of.

Home now, thumbs hurting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RW on 19 June, 2011, 06:48:08 pm
Adjusted the cones on my S3B sturmey archer.  Before I could do this I had to put a right angle bend in a Poundland spanner, because the cone is recessed within the brake hub.  That was *much* easier than I anticipated.  All working - short test ride to the malt shovel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 June, 2011, 06:53:27 pm
That's a lorra lorra fettling, Tim!

As it happens, we helped a lass on the L2B.  She was riding a singlespeed down Garratt Lane, and had somehow trapped her chain between the sprocket and the spokes.  Not being on my fixed, I didn't have my wheelspanner with me, so we used brute force to pull it up and over the teeth.  The chap from Rosie Lee's cafe (where we had been breakfasting when we spotted the lass) helped us.  He was strong, and I knew what to do, so between us, we did it.

Back home, we swapped a couple of saddles/seatposts, swapped two cassettes and one 10-spd chain (I thought for a while that the powerlink wasn't going to latch :( ).

I haven't got round to replacing my front gear cable yet :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 19 June, 2011, 06:56:47 pm
Quote from: Ham on 19 June, 2011, 01:23:08 pm
Fettle fail.

Replaced skylight - check.
Re-laid slates - know my own limits.  :(

Were the sky hooks holding up the skylights ok?  ;)

This morning, fettling a new tile onto bathroom wall,
this afternoon, fettling together a £30 Chiminea from Poundstretcher.  I now have the desire to Burn Things!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 June, 2011, 07:00:17 pm
Just washed the Etape after that shite weather last week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 19 June, 2011, 09:13:31 pm
Arse.  I needed to do a big shop at Brixton market, so I took out the geared bike, for the first time in weeks.  Decided to take it for a wee evening spin just now - and discover a puncture in the rear wheel.  Easy to find the culprit - sharp piece of stone that looks as if it fell off somebody's pebble dash (not much of that around here, though).  Sorted, but that was a late evening run cut very short :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 June, 2011, 09:17:44 pm
I think / hope I have just fettled the head off the mole that has been enjoying destroying my back garden and lawn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 20 June, 2011, 12:13:50 am
Quote from: Jaded on 18 June, 2011, 04:31:04 pm
New wheels on and new cables all round.

Although I just held bits and pieces as the master did the work.  :thumbsup:

Goodness it rides sweetly. Like a new bike.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 20 June, 2011, 01:06:08 pm
On Saturday I had the trailer behind me.  I opted out of the 1 in 11 route to my house and decided on the  easier bus route.  I was not concentrating and rode straight past it so I took the super easy route instead but it has a cycle path barrier.  After much fiddling I get thorugh it.  When I get going again there is a noise from the back wheel.  The disc brake is rubbing.  I get home disconnect the trailer which connects by the skewer. This revealed the problem. On the non-trailer side the quick releaseses spring was caught under the hubs axle.  It started to rain so I put the bike in the shed and forgot about.

This morning the wheel is not turning at all.  So I try to remove the wheel, still stuck, get pliers pull the wire out.  The wheel falls out.  I add a spare spring to the QR and refit the wheel. Job Done. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 20 June, 2011, 11:23:32 pm
I dropped the bars by one spacer's worth on the new bike. There's only 1/2 a spacer below the bars now. It felt pretty good on this evenings venture out (actually, I didn't give it a second thought so that's probably a good thing). Before I know it, I'll be inverting the stem  ;) .
I also put a second bottle cage on the bike and moved the pump to the side of the seat-tube.
Finally, in this blitz of fettling, I took the Marathon tyres off the spare wheels ready for one of my mates to use to replace the failing front Marathon on his (newish) Galaxy.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 21 June, 2011, 07:34:18 am
Started to rebuild my Henry Burton (Team Raleigh)

Windy Wandering: Rebuilding the 'Burton' (http://windywandering.blogspot.com/2011/06/rebuilding-burton.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 June, 2011, 02:25:49 pm
The holdsworth is nearly ready, have adjusted gears, fixed an issue with a squished QR spring (which was stopping the rear wheel seating correctly) and added bar tape.

Had a quick ride around on it, it is lovely, if more upright than I am used to.

and it is RED
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 21 June, 2011, 06:09:59 pm
Well, really it was yesterday.

I took my pompino's headset apart, cleaned and greased everything, and put it back together again and the worrying creaking has stopped.  The whole headset assembly looks a bit bodged, so I've ordered a new headset (and some tools I need).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 21 June, 2011, 06:24:27 pm
A or The Mole came back this morning.  I may have decapitated it again with my sharp spade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 June, 2011, 06:48:41 pm
I have removed the Thule bike racks from the roof bars on the Volvo.

Last week I noted that one of the wheel clamps was missing from the spine of one of the racks.This morning one of the wheel straps was almost becoming dis-engaged from the ratchet buckle.
Neither of these things would become detached of their own volition & I have concluded that someone is interfering with the racks.
The car has not been far enough down the drive to activate the security light which may be a factor.
The racks will now not be permenantly fitted:only when needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 21 June, 2011, 06:51:08 pm
Quote from: jogler on 21 June, 2011, 06:48:41 pm
I have removed the Thule bike racks from the roof bars on the Volvo.

Last week I noted that one of the wheel clamps was missing from the spine of one of the racks.This morning one of the wheel straps was almost becoming dis-engaged from the ratchet buckle.
Neither of these things would become detached of their own volition & I have concluded that someone is interfering with the racks.
The car has not been far enough down the drive to activate the security light which may be a factor.
The racks will now not be permenantly fitted:only when needed.

You sneaky b****r.  I was coming back for the rest tonight!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 June, 2011, 07:09:47 pm
^^^^
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 June, 2011, 02:25:56 pm
Front mudguard on the Etape. Clearance was too tight. Went out on Sunday, & mud from a mucky road got stuck under it. Every puddle from then on produced wet mud on wheel noises. Yeugh.

Trouble was, to move it up required bending the bracket which fits the guard to the brake bolt. Didn't have ideal tools, but got it done, & now have about 5mm extra clearance, which should do. More is possible, but would need more complex fettling.

New MTB brake blocks all round before the weekend. Mrs B noticed the difference, & was pleased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 22 June, 2011, 06:14:00 pm
Have changed the oil on my motorbike and gone out for a quick spin, ten miles or so. Of course when i get back the oil level window is now showing that it's in fact overfull. Fingers crossed I've not borked anything.

It'd be rather useful if the Halfords oil bottles had graduations (in addition to the clear bit down the side of the bottle) to see how much you've used.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 22 June, 2011, 06:59:09 pm
New chain fitted to the Etape.  New Schwalbe Durano Plus tyre on the rear wheel too.
Fixed 3 punctured tubes too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 June, 2011, 07:12:15 pm
What I hope will be the final working prototype of the input/rectifier stage of my super-efficient dynamo charger.  Now with magic smoke retention and solar input.  Managed to cram it into the existing case along with the USB output gubbins for some proper road testing.

Next step: Li-poly battery, charging and management of.  As chips to do the hard work are off-the-shelf parts, this should involve a lot less circuit design and a lot more bastard-fiddly SMD soldering of expensive tiny things[1].  And probably a bit of microcontroller-fu.  But certainly no more spinning wheels by hand in a truing stand.  That was getting tedious.


[1] Unless you're TimO, in which case they're really quite cheap tiny things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frere on 22 June, 2011, 11:18:43 pm
There being a dearth of leather top tube protectors, searched for, bought and having received from eBay, a nappa leather hide, awl, waxed linen thread & needles suitable for threading through the said hide, proceeded to spend three hours sewing on the said hide cut to size for protecting top tube and chainstay of my best bike, an Argos in british racing green (what other colour?), just wanted to protect it from scratches as best as I can from being placed against posts, walls etc. Matches the Brooks saddle and front mudflap just fine.

Frere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Doosh on 22 June, 2011, 11:22:25 pm
Frame and forks are back from the painters today (woo hoo!) it was raining off and on most of the afternoon so I just used a break in the weather to get the fiddly bits done (headset cups, fork crown race, remove masking tape and protective bolts from threads etc) so all I need do tomorrow is bolt everything on. Should be done for not long after dinner I reckon, then I'll have transport back. At last  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 June, 2011, 12:32:50 pm
I finished fettling what used to be my study (not that I have ever done any work in there). I demolished a desk and took it to the tip to make more space for indoor bike parking. Took about 1000 out of date clinical journals for recycling to make room for boxes of bike accessories and tools. It is now officially the bike room  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 23 June, 2011, 12:37:23 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 June, 2011, 12:32:50 pm
It is now officially the bike room  ;D

<jealous!>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2011, 05:23:25 pm
Just had the rear wheel (which I built last week) off the Streetmachine and given it a once-over in the truing stand.  It was still true, but I decided to give it a little bit more spoke tension, in anticipation of dangly bike spaces tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 23 June, 2011, 05:32:43 pm
Fitted the shiny rear view mirrors to my non-shiny motorbike in the hope I'll be able to see more than my elbows from now on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 23 June, 2011, 05:37:25 pm
Battery lights and clip-in pedals refitted to Rohloff bike in preparation for tonight's ride with Chorlton PostDoc and tomorrow night's piss-up Adult Social Ride.
I'll probably fit flat pedals for tomorrow's ride  ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 June, 2011, 05:54:48 pm
Quote from: RossBD on 22 June, 2011, 02:30:11 pm
I went to fit a new seatpost last night. Turns out, not all seatposts are the same size.  :-\

Unfortunately not.  Virtually nothing on bikes is universally dimensioned, although for many things certain dimensions are more common than others.

Quote from: Sheldon Brown on Seatposts (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#seatpost)
...Seat posts come in a wide range of diameters, from 21.15 mm to 31.8 mm. Low end department-store bicycles are typically 21.15 mm (13/16"). Most bicycles with one-piece cranks, including most BMX machines use this size. Bicycles with standard-size (1 1/8" / 28.6 mm o.d.) seat tubes usually have seatposts between 25.4 (1") and 27.2 (1.07") in diameter. Seatposts typically come in sizes with even-numbered tenths of millimeters (26.0, 26.2, 26.4...).  ...


Quote from: Kim on 22 June, 2011, 07:12:15 pm
... a lot more bastard-fiddly SMD soldering of expensive tiny things[1]. ...

[1] Unless you're TimO, in which case they're really quite cheap tiny things.

Oddly enough, we very rarely use surface mount on some of our designs.  The current ICUs (Instrument Controller Units) are largely SMD designs, because of the preponderance of surface mount components in modern digital design, but the power supplies are mostly through hole components, and the stupidly expensive components I'm actually sorting through at the moment, are all through hole bits for a power supply.

Luckily I'm almost done with this, only five more components to hunt down, and I'm done.  Less than a hour with a bit of luck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jane on 24 June, 2011, 06:12:49 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 June, 2011, 12:32:50 pm
I finished fettling what used to be my study..........It is now officially the bike room  ;D
The same fate has befallen my daughter's bedroom. Fortunately, as she left to study art at Glasgow, when she comes home she loves the fact that her old bookshelves are now artistically adorned with a range of chainrings, cranks, and other assorted old bike parts (artistically arranged by her on last visit home) tools, and against the walls  a 1930's Terrot, a 1970's Mercian ( not mine unfortunately, doing it up for a friend), and her white and gold refurbed 70's Raleigh fixie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: giropaul on 24 June, 2011, 07:29:45 pm
Quote from: jane on 24 June, 2011, 06:12:49 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 June, 2011, 12:32:50 pm
I finished fettling what used to be my study..........It is now officially the bike room  ;D
The same fate has befallen my daughter's bedroom. Fortunately, as she left to study art at Glasgow, when she comes home she loves the fact that her old bookshelves are now artistically adorned with a range of chainrings, cranks, and other assorted old bike parts (artistically arranged by her on last visit home) tools, and against the walls  a 1930's Terrot, a 1970's Mercian ( not mine unfortunately, doing it up for a friend), and her white and gold refurbed 70's Raleigh fixie.

She won't be the first to see bike bits as art!

Google Images (http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://goodtobefrank.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/picasso-1943-stierkopf-xl.jpg&imgrefurl=http://goodtobefrank.com/uncategorized/shift-perspectives-to-see-possibilities&usg=__uQ_62bAvIAteMvlIWFs_pnUKBvY=&h=800&w=786&sz=33&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=mXg6223fjYVC-M:&tbnh=122&tbnw=143&ei=M9cETpLfAsrAhAeQn5TcDQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpicasso%2Bbull%2Bsaddle%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1429%26bih%3D691%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=301&vpy=204&dur=16219&hovh=226&hovw=223&tx=87&ty=87&page=1&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0&biw=1429&bih=691)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 25 June, 2011, 12:24:22 pm
My new saddle arrived yesterday so I fitted it to the light bike. So far, so good.

Unfortunately my Topeak saddlepack wouldn't fit on the bike: if I put the mounting on the saddle where it would clamp, the bag was pushed into the seatpost. If the bag was in the correct place, the clamps wouldn't fit the saddle rail.
After much head scratching (there may also have been some mild cursing), I hit on an idea; remove the bracket from the bag and reposition it to give more clearance. Genius.
Power tools were deployed. Then, when I'd finished pretending to shoot everything, I drilled a couple of new holes through the fabric and the shell of the bag. Small holes first, then bigger ones matching the drill bits to the size of the original holes. Or I would have if the battery hadn't gone flat. Slightly less mild cursing ensued.
Undeterred, I broke out a file and started enlarging the holes. You know how it goes; file, file, match bracket to holes, file, file, match etc. Ad fucking infinitum. Cursing was definitely not mild by this time.
Eventually, when the holes were much larger than necessary and, it has to be said, not particularly round, brackets and bag were joined together in a mildly acceptable way.
A trial fitting on the bag wasn't entirely satisfactory; the tail of the bag covers the pimpy light that I also purchased for the saddle. I didn't mention it earlier ? It's a pimpy light that clips into the back of the saddle. In future I will only get saddles that offer this feature, no matter how uncomfortable they are.
Then I looked at the clock. Holy shit it was 17.00 and I needed to be in the pub for the ride by 18.00. I hadn't eaten or showered and there were bits of plastic and nylon covering the floor, desk and table, to say nothing of the macho power tools, files, screwdrivers etc strewn around with gay abandon.
The next 30 minutes were a maelstrom of bunging stuffs in the microwave, the bike bag (different stuffs in each), pumping tyres, vacuuming, choosing of clothes and showering. The tools were left where they had landed been placed.
Out of the door and climb on the bike. Climb off the bike and go back inside to get the raincover for the bag. Out of the door and climb on the bike again. Climb off the bike and go back inside to get shoe covers.
Finally, climb on the bike and pedal off to the pub trying not to think about the stack of Important ThingsTM that hadn't got done during the extended fettling session.
In summary, I spent fucking ages getting really pissed off and ended up with a less than satisfactory result. Is it any fucking wonder that I don't like DIY.

What I could have/should have done was to take the bike and bag to the LBS and say "Please make this fit". They would have done so with grace and speed. And that sad smile. It wouldn't have cost me anything apart from a small loss of pride and I would have still had half my afternoon to do stuffs with.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 25 June, 2011, 04:15:25 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 June, 2011, 12:32:50 pm
I finished fettling what used to be my study ......... It is now officially the bike room  ;D

How long before the space in there is insufficient to store bikes and work on them
 - and you start eyeing up one of the larger rooms in the house to do a swap ?  ;) :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 26 June, 2011, 12:27:56 pm
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p148/AdrianC_No1/Misc/IMAG0149.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 June, 2011, 03:59:11 pm
Given my epic tourer fettle fail last year I've been in the workshop today giving everything the once over.   Mlle PB's Dawes 1Down now has Tubus Tara lowriders and all else is well with the bikes.   I think we're all but ready to tackle our Hebridean end-to-end adventure starting on Friday.

It gave me the opportunity to do a bit of a sort out in the workshop too.   It's looking too tidy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 26 June, 2011, 05:01:35 pm
Hope ceramic bottom bracket in gold onto the TCR.
Loverly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HTFB on 26 June, 2011, 05:14:10 pm
Do not try to cut modern compressionless cable outers without the proper tools. It can be done but really you have better things to do with your time.

More significantly, I fitted a new chain and gearblock. The chain is no longer slipping over the rear gears, which is good; instead it is slipping over the front rings, which is not good at all.

I think the chainset must date from when I had the bottom bracket reamed in about 2001. Maybe it's not unreasonable that it's had enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 27 June, 2011, 12:16:09 pm
Yesterday I placed new vice part in workstand then gripped pink white and blue bike with it.  First job was to reposition two spacers  from under the stem to on top the stem.  As I removed the headset top bolt I suddenly remembered as the fork starts to drop that it would be a better idea not to use the newly repaired stand for this job.  Anyway when I had  moved the spacers my handle bars were magically two cms lower where I wanted them.  Quick test ride says job done.

Second job tighten bolt on mudguard lamp. Straightforward.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 June, 2011, 07:19:28 pm
Unblocked the drain just outside the kitchen window...

 :sick: does not even start to cover it....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 27 June, 2011, 09:58:52 pm
I noticed that the rear mudguard on V1 was loose this morning so I clipped it back into place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 June, 2011, 10:22:51 pm
Oiled my chain.  A good while after I should have :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 June, 2011, 10:25:39 pm
No personal fettling, but simonp true'd my son's rear wheel on his 'new' retro bike and adjusted his brakes  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 June, 2011, 10:27:32 pm
Oh - TGL fitted a pump bracket to Terrie's bike :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frere on 27 June, 2011, 10:35:36 pm
Admiring Adrian's handiwork.

Frere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 27 June, 2011, 11:17:10 pm
A list of the bits I'll need to move the Alfine hub off my soon-to-be-retired Marin Point Reyes and onto OrangeGina the Genesis.

Turns out that a new set of non-turn washers was only the beginning - need to find a tidy way of mounting a Rapidfire shifter onto a set of drops, for a start. Flat bars are good, but I really want to keep the shallow drops already on the Genesis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2011, 03:23:56 pm
Built a couple of wheels to replace the Frezoni's current set. Shimano dynohub and Ultegra rear hub, Sapim DB spokes and DRC rims. Built up OK, we'll see how they are in use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 28 June, 2011, 04:10:27 pm
Fettled by proxy at the LBS - new cassette and chain (with discount) fitted, indexing adjusted, disk rotors trued and brakes adjusted.

Apparently that took them 1/4 of an hour.  Either they are really rather quick, or a cake discount was applied to the labour charge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 28 June, 2011, 04:13:15 pm
Wrapped a 20" wheel to post off to a buyer. Feck, what a palaver! It was certainly not the tidiest bit of packaging I've ever seen, but it should get there intact.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 28 June, 2011, 10:26:08 pm
Minor tweaks on a Rockhopper I'm borrowing for a few weeks - evening up spring tension on the v-brakes, and setting the front mech low limit so that the chain will drop on to the granny ring. Can't do much about what I think is insufficient fork travel - it's probably a full strip down and spring swap job.

I miss my old custom S-Works...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 29 June, 2011, 07:55:26 pm
I am about to install my new Syrius Specialites TA outer ring onto the Etape.
It was looking lovely on the kitchen table, all resplendent in black and silver and Son2 even commented on how nice it looked.  ;D  For him to acknowledge bike stuff as cool is an achievement.  :thumbsup:
There is still time.

(http://www.specialites-ta.com/images-rte/produits/Plt-Syrius-48-34_263.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 29 June, 2011, 08:01:36 pm
I fettled the Carradice Super C panniers onto my Fuji ready to do some load carrying practice. I am planning on going to the Sem Fed Le village fédéral et la permanence - 73ème Semaine Fédérale Internationale de Cyclotourisme - Flers 2011 (http://www.sf2011-flers.org/Le-village-federal-et-la) in August with panniers full of tent and stuff for a week of riding with CTC friends and stuffing my face. I am considering riding to Weston-super-Mare tomorrow to visit a large supermarket then ride back with stuffed panniers as an experiment. It is only about 10 miles each way but the mild lumpiness may prove a challenge fully loaded. I'm planning to ride to Portsmouth to catch the ferry for the Sem Fed so I need to know I can manage the 180k fully loaded in a day!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 29 June, 2011, 08:15:36 pm
Gutted.  I've just found out they come in blue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 29 June, 2011, 09:35:25 pm
Cobbles. Lots of Cobbles.  Laying cobbles. Lifting cobbles. Selecting the right shape cobble to fit . Selecting the right height of cobble. Bedding the cobbles into sand so they don't wobble about.  Getting the right level of the cobbles so they will tie in with the level at the wall.     :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 29 June, 2011, 09:37:14 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 29 June, 2011, 09:35:25 pm
Cobbles. Lots of Cobbles.  Laying cobbles. Lifting cobbles. Selecting the right shape cobble to fit . Selecting the right height of cobble. Bedding the cobbles into sand so they don't wobble about.  Getting the right level of the cobbles so they will tie in with the level at the wall.     :o
Are you trying to re-create Paris-Roubaix at home?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 June, 2011, 02:46:20 pm
I've fettled the garden by curing the grass of the disease known as cyclist-lawn.It could almost have qualified as a SSSI.It has made thousands homeless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 June, 2011, 04:47:37 pm
I've fettled the Longstaff into readiness for tomorrow night's ride to Tan Hill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 June, 2011, 04:51:56 pm
Quote from: gerwinium on 29 June, 2011, 09:37:14 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 29 June, 2011, 09:35:25 pm
Cobbles. Lots of Cobbles.  Laying cobbles. Lifting cobbles. Selecting the right shape cobble to fit . Selecting the right height of cobble. Bedding the cobbles into sand so they don't wobble about.  Getting the right level of the cobbles so they will tie in with the level at the wall.     :o
Are you trying to re-create Paris-Roubaix at home?

heh, no. Just a bit of voluntary work at a local nature reserve, relaying the wonky cobbbled courtyard into a nice flat cobbled courtyard for a nice picnic area for the punters.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 June, 2011, 04:53:28 pm
A few lengths of Dacron B50 into a nice Flemish Twist Bowstring:

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6058/5887597645_a669efe05f_m.jpg)   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 June, 2011, 06:51:13 pm
The mind-buggeringly expensive JTek bar-end shifter arrived today, so that's now been fitted to the Genesis in preparation for its Alfine-isation. The shifter is a nice enough bit of kit, but I'm not sure if its '£80 nice' ... that said, I much prefer the method of fitting (it slides over the end of the handlebars and is clamped in place) to that of Shimano bar-ends.

Unfortunately, progress was somewhat hampered by the fact that I'm currently lacking a) an appropriate set of anti-turn washers (on order from the LBS) and b) appropriate inner and outer cables for the shifter, which is odd as I generally try to keep a couple of spare cables in the bits box.

Still need to source some orange bar-tape, too ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 30 June, 2011, 07:03:24 pm
Quote from: jogler on 30 June, 2011, 04:47:37 pm
I've fettled the Longstaff into readiness for tomorrow night's ride to Tan Hill.
Ditto but replace "Longstaff" with "Genesis".  Rear wheel now turns without the disk brake making scraping noises.  Tightened the brake cables.  And huge amounts of sticky-back reflective plastic cut into strips and wound/laid around/along the frame tubes to try to a) tone down the ORANGE and b) to be instantly recognisable in night-time flash photography.

Embargo on photos till tomorrow night.  Retain some mystery...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 June, 2011, 07:15:31 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 30 June, 2011, 07:03:24 pm
Quote from: jogler on 30 June, 2011, 04:47:37 pm
I've fettled the Longstaff into readiness for tomorrow night's ride to Tan Hill.
Ditto but replace "Longstaff" with "Genesis".  Rear wheel now turns without the disk brake making scraping noises.  Tightened the brake cables.  And huge amounts of sticky-back reflective plastic cut into strips and wound/laid around/along the frame tubes to try to a) tone down the ORANGE and b) to be instantly recognisable in night-time flash photography.

Embargo on photos till tomorrow night.  Retain some mystery...

Tone down the orange? Burn the blasphemer!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Doosh on 30 June, 2011, 07:22:57 pm
Intended to change the front hub bearings, but on removal decided just to thoroughly clean, re-grease and re-assemble with the old ones. Runs pretty good even if it does need the cones replacing.

It's obvious to see what caused the notchy/noisy running and the damage to the cones, the cones were gorilla tight  ::-) WTF is it with people and bearings? do they think the tighter they are the better they run or what, nearly every bearing I've ever adjusted/cleaned/replaced has been over tight. Fecking numpties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 June, 2011, 07:45:22 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 30 June, 2011, 07:03:24 pm
Quote from: jogler on 30 June, 2011, 04:47:37 pm
I've fettled the Longstaff into readiness for tomorrow night's ride to Tan Hill.
Ditto but replace "Longstaff" with "Genesis".

Ditto but replace "Genesis" with "Stupidly heavy recumbent".


Quote
Rear wheel now turns without the disk brake making scraping noises.  Tightened the brake cables.

This, and a fair amount of jibbling about with the calliper centreing to gain some more wear adjustment.  Disc brakes can be fiddly bastards at times.


Quote
And huge amounts of sticky-back reflective plastic cut into strips and wound/laid around/along the frame tubes to try to a) tone down the ORANGE and b) to be instantly recognisable in night-time flash photography.

But not that.  I've got more than enough comedy retroreflectives already.

Also, cleaned and lubed about 6 miles of chain.  And fitted it three times:  First time I accidentally made it möbius, and it jammed on the idler.  Then barakta came home at just the wrong moment while I was refitting it and I dropped the end and had to re-thread it all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 30 June, 2011, 11:35:02 pm
In the spirit of bike fettling in preparation for a silly ride to Tan Hill, I fitted one of my dyno hub wheels to the light bike. It fits with loads of clearance despite the 35mm tyres compared to 25mm on the original wheel.
One disappointment is that the Philips dyno light (off the MTB where the wheel also came from) won't fit on the fork crown because of interference with the brake and gear cables. I've had to fit the Supernova E3 from the heavy bike.
It's surprising how much difference the heavier wheel/tyre makes to the bike when I pick it up and the front end looks higher than ever. I must resist the temptation to change the rear tyre to even it up..........

Tomorrow, I'll fit the beam rack to the bike to carry stuff (I'm probably going to take full waterproofs, just in case).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 June, 2011, 11:37:47 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 30 June, 2011, 11:35:02 pm
In the spirit of bike fettling in preparation for a silly ride to Tan Hill, I fitted one of my dyno hub wheels to the light bike. It fits with loads of clearance despite the 35mm tyres compared to 25mm on the original wheel.
One disappointment is that the Philips dyno light (off the MTB where the wheel also came from) won't fit on the fork crown because of interference with the brake and gear cables. I've had to fit the Supernova E3 from the heavy bike.
It's surprising how much difference the heavier wheel/tyre makes to the bike when I pick it up and the front end looks higher than ever. I must resist the temptation to change the rear tyre to even it up..........

Tomorrow, I'll fit the beam rack to the bike to carry stuff (I'm probably going to take full waterproofs, just in case).



You've been reading "Slow"Coach's doom-laden predictions about the climate at Tan Hill, haven't you?

I'll be carrying a hefty waterproof too, though.  I haven't looked at a weather forecast yet, it's just part of the kit :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 01 July, 2011, 12:35:07 am
Have replaced the headset on my Pompino.  A brief test ride suggests the creaking may now be fixed.

Proper test will be commuting tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 July, 2011, 09:02:51 am
Last night, as I picked up my bike to set off home, I noticed a bit of play.  I checked the headset, and it was fine, so I checked the front wheel (Nexus dynamo hub).  It was very wobbly.

I took it out, noting that the tyre didn't get past the brake blocks as easy as i expected, and tightened the cones by hand.  It's still rough, but not waggly (and it's replacement is ordered ;) ).  Then I saw the reason why the brakes were tricky - the new blocks (fitted last week) were coming out of the channel in the holder.  So I took them out, refitted, and readjusted the cantis.  Lovely braking now, even without allowing for the fact that the front rim is a bit out of true and I can't adjust the spoke nipples (long story; not my build).

This morning, I have oiled two chains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 July, 2011, 02:38:31 pm
I fitted the Crank Brothers' Smarty pedals and the new Sturmey Archer thumb shifter to the Pompino. That meant I had to fit the cleats to the new Shimano shoes. All done smoothly and no more false neutrals with the SA hub now &  a nice positive shift too. All that remains is to learn how to use SPD pedals!

I also rotated the bars on the Dawes MTB to gain a bit of height and reach. It's a last throw of the dice for the Dawes. If it doesn't feel comfy after this, it's goodbye. If it does, a new front shifter is on the cards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 July, 2011, 04:31:19 pm
Changed 28mm slicks to 32mm marathons for tonight's ride up Tan Hill. Also changed mudguards (now have the ones with the pixeo on), removed the rack, re-trued the front wheel and changed some rusty bolts for stainless steel ones.

New pedals arrived but the old ones aren't budging at the moment  :( I'll hit the threads with some WD40 (and find longer 6mm allen key) when I get back tomorrow and see if that persuades them
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 01 July, 2011, 07:20:43 pm
Moved the mudguard stays on the front of the Peregrine to the low rider bosses so they don't foul the brakes. Only taken me 2 years!

Then over to Hatler's fettleorium where he was kind enough to lend me a chainring tool plus give me a new bolt to replace the one I'd lost and another to replace the one I broke :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 01 July, 2011, 11:35:56 pm
Pompino cleaned and has new chain.

About to go out and get it onto the sprocket, and then I’ll transfer the SQR mount from my Yukon as the spring in this one has gone.  Barley detached the other day so it needs fixing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 02 July, 2011, 03:51:39 pm
Sprayed waterproofer at my barbag (where I keep my camera). That should keep the sunny weather here for a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 02 July, 2011, 07:27:21 pm
Adamski was struggling to take one of his pedals off. I did it for him  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keepontriking on 02 July, 2011, 08:13:43 pm
Fitted a wireless computer to the claret Brommie.

Pretty boring day really.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 02 July, 2011, 09:16:12 pm
A new modem/router.  All my devices are now happily connected, wired and wireless.

Now perhaps I can move on to the server...
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 July, 2011, 08:41:17 pm
A reason I need to do some fettling tomorrow.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/5898423758_4b169241ce_z.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 03 July, 2011, 09:20:18 pm
Replaced a bottle cage which dismantled itself on its third ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 03 July, 2011, 10:54:51 pm
A clean drain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 04 July, 2011, 03:32:55 pm
Taken the dynohub and lights off the light(weight) bike and replaced the original wheel.
I've also fitted the Deda Dog Fang in the "easiest bit of bike fettling evah, official".
Typing this has just reminded me that I have some Wiggle supplied Haribo  ;D

I'm still undecided about whether to take rack off the bike since the forecast for tomorrow's York-Hull FNRTTC reccy involves lots of heavy rain. Pity that I've unpacked the (uneeded) waterproofs from the weekend's ride.

Later I shall fix the puncture on the Brompton that I've borrowed for our holiday.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 July, 2011, 06:58:38 pm
Tyres and tubes for my bike, a wooden tyrannosaurus skeleton for my son.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 July, 2011, 06:59:46 pm
New glasses.  Because they were shoddily assembled and I reckoned that I could do a far better job at setting the nose-knobblers to fit round the annoying asymmetrical bony bit on my nose than the junior optiquack could in the 5 minutes or so they'd be inclined to devote to the task.

Added Loctite to all the screws while I was at it.  Why don't they do that routinely?  Seems like a no-brainer.

I can now cycle in HD.   8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 July, 2011, 12:29:15 pm
I have trued my front wheel. Not a huge success, but there has been an improvement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 05 July, 2011, 05:36:53 pm
Oh, I nearly forgot:  I changed gear.  48 teeth reduced to 46 to help ease my way into advanced middle age. 

Does anyone want a 48 tooth chainring, 130mm BCD for a 1/8" chain?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 05 July, 2011, 05:43:31 pm
I put my wormery together today. The rain arrived as I started, but actually helped out as it wet the packing paper.

The worms seem to have survived the journey OK and I put them on top of the coir bedding, my own compost & some soil. I fed them some of the pre-packed food and I'll need to leave them a while, maybe 2 - 3 weeks, before giving them my food/organic waste to devour & turn into compost & liquid fertiliser.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 July, 2011, 11:22:59 am
Front & rear brakes on marj's lektrickery bike.It now does a reasonable facsimilie of slowing when pulling a lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 July, 2011, 02:15:17 pm
Have cleaned the Ridley, and then lubed and polished it.  I noticed, as I took it out for a ride this morning, that it was looking particularly weather worn (read dirty :) )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 07 July, 2011, 11:22:01 am
Patch onna patch onna reserve reserve tube!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 July, 2011, 05:38:01 pm
Fitted cross tyres back onto the Dawes in preparation for some mild off-roading at the weekend, and did some plumbing (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36358.msg990770#msg990770).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 July, 2011, 05:53:30 pm
Been fiddling with a couple of bikes that might be ready for a ride with Panoramix next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 July, 2011, 11:00:36 pm
transfered parts from my audax frame to a new race frame. took almost 2hrs without a bike stand.. just back from a quick test ride :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 July, 2011, 11:11:48 pm
Removed cranks and one cup of the BB (the other wouldn't shift :-[ ).  reassembled.

I hope it's OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 08 July, 2011, 07:42:18 pm
Put a brand new stone Brooks Team Pro (Honey) on my commuting bike.  The saddle is meant for my tourer, but considering its ... firmness, I've decided to work on breaking it in a bit before I get the bike.  I even went so far as to Proofhide the thing.

In comparison, my first Brooks experience (B17, black) went like this:
* receive B17 on Wednesday, unpack and mount on Ribble that evening
* commute Thursday & Friday
* FNRttC (Brighton)
No problem!

I think this one may take a bit more time.  :-\
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 08 July, 2011, 09:37:47 pm
Deep cleaning session on the MTB today, which involved stripping down quite a lot of it. The cranks were a minor PITA to remove, owing to them having the Octalink interface with the BB axle, so my old-skool crank puller wouldn't work until I indulged in a spot of improvisation. And of course, none of my legacy cartridge BB tools would fit over the BB axle, chiz.  ::-)

On the plus side, SRAM cassettes are completely strippable, the main part is held together with one screw that has a 1.5mm hex socket, and I haz hex keys in that size, so I can clean it more thoroughly than by the usual "flossing" method.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 July, 2011, 12:13:41 pm
The lawns...again :o
This stuff grows too quickly.What's the cost I wonder of astro-turf?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 July, 2011, 07:58:57 am
Quote from: spesh on 08 July, 2011, 09:37:47 pm
Deep cleaning session on the MTB today, which involved stripping down quite a lot of it. The cranks were a minor PITA to remove, owing to them having the Octalink interface with the BB axle, so my old-skool crank puller wouldn't work until I indulged in a spot of improvisation. And of course, none of my legacy cartridge BB tools would fit over the BB axle, chiz.  ::-)

Octalinks can be a PITA, as you say, but the solution is relatively simple.

Take the cap off, drop a 5p piece into the hole, then use a standard crank puller.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 10 July, 2011, 08:10:33 am
Quote from: jogler on 09 July, 2011, 12:13:41 pm
The lawns...again :o
This stuff grows too quickly.What's the cost I wonder of astro-turf?

Cut knees.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 10 July, 2011, 04:21:17 pm
A hole in the interior trim panel so that a cable tie attached to a little metal rod can be pulled to open the back of the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 10 July, 2011, 06:53:04 pm
Temporarily hooked up desktop pc to doonstairs telly so I can check an email I got last week about appointment this week.

I'll be looking forward to getting my spare room / office / airfix studio back to normal as it's currently in the process of being laminated and the contents of the spare room currently strewn over the rest of the house.

Adrian: yay for cable ties!  Imagine a world without them...   :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 July, 2011, 06:54:15 pm
Nothing yet, but shortly I'm going to do battle with the OrangeGina's Alfine hub to find out where 3rd gear has disappeared to ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 July, 2011, 07:27:43 pm
Quote from: interzen on 10 July, 2011, 06:54:15 pm
Nothing yet, but shortly I'm going to do battle with the OrangeGina's Alfine hub to find out where 3rd gear has disappeared to ...

<stock_answer>

Have you looked under the sofa?

</stock_answer>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 July, 2011, 07:35:18 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 10 July, 2011, 07:27:43 pm
Quote from: interzen on 10 July, 2011, 06:54:15 pm
Nothing yet, but shortly I'm going to do battle with the OrangeGina's Alfine hub to find out where 3rd gear has disappeared to ...

<stock_answer>

Have you looked under the sofa?

</stock_answer>
I think it might have bailed out on the A19 somewhere between Shipton and Huby during this morning's impromptu 5-up time trial ... also, I'm leaving the fettling until tomorrow 'cos I'm absolutely cream-crackered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 July, 2011, 09:29:26 pm
Tried and failed to fix a puncture on one of the borrowed Bromptons.
I ended up with more holes in the new tube than the old one contained  :-[
I'm going to the LBS tomorrow to get some new rim tape and a new tube.

Tricky bleeders these small tyres.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 July, 2011, 10:09:32 pm
Well, we were unexpectedly home this afternoon, so we got the tandem out for a spin.  Then, because we could get into the dining room, we hoovered, threw away some rubbish, sorted some others, and I thought of another way to solve the issue with the green tandem - which worked!

I also replaced a section of pole for our Hilleberg.

And hooked up Cyo to Schmidt on the SuperGal tandem :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 11 July, 2011, 06:26:47 pm
New rim tape fitted to the punctured Brompton and the puncture repaired. Eventually, by looking at the other one, I got the wheel back on with all the nuts in the correct places  ::-)
After a quick lube and tyre inflation, both were test ridden. They seem to go OK but there's an annoying ticking on both in the "high" gear.
Finally I fitted small battery lights front and rear and practised folding them.
I may have had to refer to the Brompton video  :-[

We may be seen early tomorrow morning scurrying between Euston and St. Pancras en route to Montpellier  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 July, 2011, 06:45:19 pm
I think I might have found OrangeGina's missing 3rd gear ... will know for sure tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Doosh on 11 July, 2011, 06:50:40 pm
Fixed (another  ::-)) puncture before going out earlier. Must have picked it up on the way back from the night ride on Sat/Sun, luckily it was a slowish one and only made it's presence known about a mile from home so I managed to coast most of that and just chuck it in the shed until this morning.

Found loads of little bits of glass buried in the tyres though, they've obviously been picking up for a while and only now working their way through to the tube. Got some replacements on the way so hopefully things should calm down after changing them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 11 July, 2011, 08:28:18 pm
A VDO X2 cycle computer for the new steed.  As it's wired, and there will be plenty of other wires on the bike (dynamo lights and an E-werk), I'll be posting it up to Hewitt's with some other bits I've ordered.  I'm sure they'll make a much cleaner job of dealing with all the wires than I ever could.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 July, 2011, 09:47:03 pm
Fitted a little 1/2W flasher to the front of the tourer as I have cut it a bit close with the light a couple times recently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 July, 2011, 12:25:23 am
Fitted both front racks to my tourer, and the USB charger thing, and worked out what length BB was required ( I now have several spares in various wrong sizes). I also stripped the rear wheel, and took the hub and rim down to the LBS to build into a wheel.  I thought about re-building it myself, but ICBA so IGAMI.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 12 July, 2011, 09:11:54 pm
Poked my blocked outside drain with a length of broken Port Orford Cedar Arrow shaft to see if giving it a little poke would help it drain.

Drain still blocked.   :sick
/me waves a bit of wooden stick with poo on the end around  yacf

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 12 July, 2011, 09:46:01 pm
Fitted new bell ("dring-dring" instead of "ping")

Fitted new Brooks B17 (brown) saddle, having smothered the underside in Proofide.

Had another go at fettling the headset.  Almost every other bolt on the bike has a torque rating, but not the stem clamp bolts.  (So I guessed at 10Nm; the handlebar clamps are 5Nm, and smaller)

Torqued up all the rack, mudguard and bottle cage bolts.

And Grr.  I have no idea how, but there's now a scratch across the new saddle.  Not very deep; probably my carelessness/clumsiness in holding an Allen key or something when handling the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 12 July, 2011, 10:59:33 pm
After several days of extreme frustration, I managed to fettle an ADS1217 ADC into working.

We're using it to talk to a magnetometer on a CubeSat and I need to be able to provide the guys who are writing the flight code with some useful code examples and details of what and what not to do. Since I couldn't get it to work reliably myself, that was going to be interesting!

I got it to reliably give me a checksum and the values of it's internal registers.  Tomorrow I'll have to get it to consistently do conversions.

After several days of the danged thing playing silly buggers, it's very good to have a degree of success. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 12 July, 2011, 11:59:16 pm
I set about butchering my Spesh today, after settling the insurance claim to include the wreckage of the bike.  

It's bin day tomorrow, lots of parts are sitting in a black bag out back.  
I've kept the Alu frame to recycle next week, and the rear wheel as it looks salvageable.  I'm not sure I need it or want to true it, so it may find another worthy home.
A few parts for sale to a friend on a very cheap junk basis
Some other non load-bearing parts to keep: bar tape, outer cables, steerer spacers etc.  

RIP Specialized.  We've been through a lot together and shared many special moments.  I've pulled my way up Ventoux, Hardknott, Honister, Kirkstone and Winnats by hauling on your bars, dripped sweat onto your top tube during French and English coast to coasts, lain beside you in the open for a quick rest on York-Cambridge-York and shivered in your clutches on may a windy day.  You've frustrated me when your gears haven't worked and you've thrilled me when we've made it through a tight apex. Last time I rode you, we flew: we dropped other, lesser pairs and we were looking forward to many happy miles with each other. Now I've dismantled you, you're a few parts in my loft, waiting to be hacksawed and melted down.  We never thought it would end like this.

Farewell, I won't forget you.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3496/3830239368_c14b223528.jpg)

(In other news, I fitted a longer stem to the Wilier.  That's right Spesh, I'm already getting intimate with your replacement.  I'd feel slightly dirty except that really I'm loving it.  Oh how fickle is human nature!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 13 July, 2011, 12:15:09 am
Or. Thats sweet. I'm nearly in tears. At least you seen it to the end. I always end up having mine nicked. I think I have only ever sold one bike.

And another I seen out that is also a silver / grey Secialized like the one you have just lost, though mine awaits the recycle bin and sits in the shed with all the other rubbish and dead bike parts.

At least you still have all those lovely memories. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 13 July, 2011, 10:03:11 am
Door locks.

My door locks (rented house) were sticking and not opening easily. I took them apart, straightened up some bent bits and re-greased all the slidey bits. Put it all back together again, including the pingfuckit spring that I eventually found out how to put back in again.

Nice smooth lock action now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 13 July, 2011, 10:24:36 am
Quote from: YahudaMoon on 13 July, 2011, 12:15:09 am
Or. Thats sweet. I'm nearly in tears. At least you seen it to the end. I always end up having mine nicked. I think I have only ever sold one bike.

Make sure you don't get one stolen just before L-E-L next time!

I've sold three, two of which I've ridden and one of which just passed through my loft.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 13 July, 2011, 10:49:59 am
I took my yellow SJS frame to the dump the other day and the bent Dave Lloyd one too

I did LEL on the yellow SJS.  When I was recovering from my broken collar bone and unemployed I went out on it every day and rode up the canal

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/3400506661_fe3a1b92b4_o.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 July, 2011, 07:50:02 pm
My son's GF has bought a cheapo road bike. It is a very bright lime green colour with fairly basic spec, but not bad for something she bought with her own money. I fitted my old Selle Italia womens gel saddle to it for her since the man's one was very uncomfortable, and altered the angle of the bars. Then removed the plastic chain ring protector because the chain kept jamming in it. It seems lots of the kid's friends now come here for me to fettle their bikes  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Efrogwr on 13 July, 2011, 09:15:55 pm
Our septic tank: the second chamber, which is full of stones to allow a large surface area for the bacteria to work. The lad had put his foot through the top. I've never seen such rubbish concrete; poorly bonded sand and cement, with almost no reinforcement, and the shuttering left in...I found several sheets of corrugated iron, a lot of rotten hardboard, pieces of wood, a milk bottle, a length of aluminium tube, a pushchair and a car wheel with a tyre on it. Then I fell in.
That's the first two feet. I'll have another go tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 13 July, 2011, 09:17:06 pm
Quote from: Efrogwr on 13 July, 2011, 09:15:55 pm
Our septic tank: the second chamber, which is full of stones to allow a large surface area for the bacteria to work. The lad had put his foot through the top. I've never seen such rubbish concrete; poorly bonded sand and cement, with almost no reinforcement, and the shuttering left in...I found several sheets of corrugated iron, a lot of rotten hardboard, pieces of wood, a milk bottle, a length of aluminium tube, a pushchair and a car wheel with a tyre on it. Then I fell in.
That's the first two feet. I'll have another go tomorrow.

Oh, god, say it wasn't full of its usual contents?!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 13 July, 2011, 09:42:44 pm
Quote from: Efrogwr on 13 July, 2011, 09:15:55 pm
Our septic tank: the second chamber, which is full of stones to allow a large surface area for the bacteria to work. The lad had put his foot through the top. I've never seen such rubbish concrete; poorly bonded sand and cement, with almost no reinforcement, and the shuttering left in...I found several sheets of corrugated iron, a lot of rotten hardboard, pieces of wood, a milk bottle, a length of aluminium tube, a pushchair and a car wheel with a tyre on it. Then I fell in.
That's the first two feet. I'll have another go tomorrow.

I think you need to look at you family's diet :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 July, 2011, 09:48:20 pm
Keeping up the run of gratuitous bike butchery, I finally took the hacksaw to my beloved blue 'n orange Marin today - it suffered a cracked frame a few years ago, but a friend's son managed to reweld it for me (he restores cars as a hobby, so has the kit to weld alloy) but the crack appears to have opened up again.

It's destined for the tip at some point, but not until I've drifted the perfectly good FSA headset out of the headtube - it'll get included with the now 'spare' carbon 'cross forks which will probably end up being flogged.

I also found OrangeGina's missing 3rd gear ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Efrogwr on 13 July, 2011, 10:22:33 pm
We eat a lot of spinach...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 July, 2011, 10:43:07 pm
A rear mech whilst audaxing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 14 July, 2011, 02:05:14 am
Quote from: Mr Bunbury on 13 July, 2011, 10:24:36 am
Quote from: YahudaMoon on 13 July, 2011, 12:15:09 am
Or. Thats sweet. I'm nearly in tears. At least you seen it to the end. I always end up having mine nicked. I think I have only ever sold one bike.

Make sure you don't get one stolen just before L-E-L next time!

I've sold three, two of which I've ridden and one of which just passed through my loft.
Why do you have bicycles going through your loft, is it a new kind of extream sport then ! ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 14 July, 2011, 04:26:54 pm
Replaced the brakes arms on the fixie as the promax ones on there are poor, so spleaced with other promax ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Efrogwr on 14 July, 2011, 04:30:58 pm
Day 2 in the septic tank. Not as much fun as yesterday; a sunlounger, a piece of exhaust pipe, a radio aerial and a lot of the usual were the only finds. I'm now down to five feet, but haven't found the bottom...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 July, 2011, 04:35:19 pm
Not much really, just put the tyres back on the wheels for the Ridley, after getting them back from the LBS.  Bearings now nice and smooth and they should be nice and true.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Priddy on 14 July, 2011, 04:41:21 pm
Last night I had to repair my mud-guard after getting a twig stuck in my spokes that managed to snap them in half. Fortunately I cycle with a fair amount of gaffa-tape available on the bike. Think I will be replacing it soon though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 14 July, 2011, 04:48:24 pm
Replace (original) tyres and tubes on the Kona Africa. The tyres that came off weighed 860gm - vs 575gm for marathons in the same size. The inner tubes were 'thorn-proof' ones - haven't seen those in years. Replaced with normal tubes. Reckon it's taken 1.5Kg off the bike weight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 July, 2011, 10:28:12 pm
In light of the impending Dun Run, I got in from a 100k ride today and did some fettling.
Took my chain off, cleaned the bike, fitted new chain, Carradice bagman expedition, Carradice camper Longflap, my new pixeo mudguard light and mount for my new Lezyne pump. The Sabbath is now in cycle camping mode ready for Saturday :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 July, 2011, 10:58:51 pm
handlebar stem started making clicking noise on my commuter. unscrewed handlebar clamp, cleaned and greased bolts, put back together - silence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 July, 2011, 11:23:52 pm
Quote from: Feline on 14 July, 2011, 10:28:12 pm
In light of the impending Dun Run, I got in from a 100k ride today and did some fettling.
Took my chain off, cleaned the bike, fitted new chain, Carradice bagman expedition, Carradice camper Longflap, my new pixeo mudguard light and mount for my new Lezyne pump. The Sabbath is now in cycle camping mode ready for Saturday :)

It sounds to me like you need N+1 to save the mode changeover faff...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 July, 2011, 11:26:38 pm
Fitted new wheel & new cassette to Butterfly's tourer.  Adjusted gears to change indexing from seven to eight sprockets.  Adjusted brake to accommodate slightly wider rim.

I put my saddle height up a bit on the Orbit and the fixed.  And fettled the bikes generally.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 July, 2011, 11:34:18 pm
Finished chopping the Marin into little bits.
Just got to drift the headset out and then its off to the great bikeshed in the sky.

Farewell, old friend - 16 years isn't a bad run, especially with a lump like me aboard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 15 July, 2011, 01:39:20 am
Quote from: MattH on 14 July, 2011, 11:23:52 pm
Quote from: Feline on 14 July, 2011, 10:28:12 pm
In light of the impending Dun Run, I got in from a 100k ride today and did some fettling.
Took my chain off, cleaned the bike, fitted new chain, Carradice bagman expedition, Carradice camper Longflap, my new pixeo mudguard light and mount for my new Lezyne pump. The Sabbath is now in cycle camping mode ready for Saturday :)

It sounds to me like you need N+1 to save the mode changeover faff...

This was a once only change over from the smaller bagman sport to the larger expedition. I can use the larger one for my Barley too so it will now stay on the bike and I can just change bag depending on the size I need  :thumbsup:

My other bike has a rack for carrying more stuff in panniers, but I'm hoping to do the Dun Run with a light camping load in the camper longflap. If I do a LEJoG then I would probably use the Sabbath with longflap too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 July, 2011, 01:48:34 am
*tuts* This cycling without huge amounts of luggage thing.  It'll never catch on.   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 July, 2011, 05:29:50 pm
Test fitted the Blackburn front rack to the Saracen, needs more thought before real fitting (designed for road forks, not MTb forks, which have less rake)

Now working on a "Battleflag" for next week's camping/concert expedition, made using a 6.99 flagpole from an internet supplier (think sea fishing rod without the eyelets) and a 1m length of sparkly pink polyester from Boyes.  Designs are downloaded from t'internet then drawn on using coloured permanent markers.

All great fun, so far we have a choice of Zebra, Fox, 2 different dragons and a narwhal.

What should we put on there?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 15 July, 2011, 06:44:59 pm
New bars and bar tape on the Cayo.

The tape is this

Mike Giant Velvet Ribbon  (http://www.cinelli.it/scripts/accessori.php?Id=5&lang=EN)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Manotea on 15 July, 2011, 06:53:19 pm
Fitted my new-to-me LB2 Solidlights ready for the DunRun. Yes, the Cyo is brighter but the solidlights non-beam is deffo more fixed friendly on a winding descent, ISTM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 July, 2011, 06:55:26 pm
Is there a winding descent on the DunRun?  I think I must have been short-changed last year.   >:(

(I suppose it's relative, on fixed.)


ObFettle: Chain lube and indexing tweak on the SMGT for the DunRun.  Brakes got a fiddle last week, and everything else is still spot-on from the pre-Tan-Hill fettlefest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 17 July, 2011, 09:38:23 am
Blue Ride-On cables added to the Etape.  Sweet shifting restored.  And colour matching outers as well.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 17 July, 2011, 08:41:46 pm
Put the Roubaix back into PBP mode from 24H TT mode - put the bagman back on, re-ran the rear light dynamo cable, removed the tribars, flipped the stem, put the computer and GPS back onto the bars, refitted route sheet holder (not needed for PBP but am riding an audax next weekend).
I also took the opportunity of the bike being on the workstand to give the bottom bracket bearings a re-grease - quite a regular task as it's supposed to be done every 100 hours or whenever the bike has been ridden in the rain!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 July, 2011, 11:21:21 pm
Put my hybrid back into commuting mode, wheels re-trued, tyres changed over and saddle put back on (it's sharing a clamp with the mtb at the moment)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 17 July, 2011, 11:36:29 pm
Full clean and polish for the Bob Jackson which has been filthy for months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 19 July, 2011, 04:27:27 pm
Because of this, which I spotted while at a campsite in southern Belgium, and which didn't get any better by being bounced over several stretches of cobbles,
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/nocensure/20110719_1356.jpg)

I've interrupted this summer's extended tour to come home and get a different bike ready for PBP. As it happens I have a Mercian frame in my garage which hasn't been touched since being renovated and resprayed,
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/nocensure/20110719_1367.jpg)
so I'll be swapping bits over, and for those bits which aren't compatible, scouring the deepest recesses of my garage.

Today I tackled the bottom bracket. Some serious hardware was required to remove BB from the damaged frame
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/nocensure/20110719_1355.jpg)
and a bit of a bodge to stop the extractor slipping off the splines
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/nocensure/20110719_1364.jpg)

but eventually it came out and there was no trouble fitting it to the Mercian
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/nocensure/20110719_1365.jpg)

Next challenge: stem & handlebar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 19 July, 2011, 04:32:12 pm
Changed the gearing on my mtb to a slightly more sensible* 32:18 for Saturday's attempt on the South Downs Way.

In as sensible as doing the SDW on singlespeed can be ??? Was planning to do it on gears but there's a delay in getting my new rim...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 19 July, 2011, 06:25:33 pm
Fixed the D-lock to the frame of the hackbike.
Fitted the new Weeride childseat to the hackbike (no more commuting by train!)
Found the lights that fit the mounts on the hackbike and removed my B&M Ixon that I was using.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 July, 2011, 10:38:16 pm
I had some seriously creaky bars on my hybrid so taken the whole setup (bars, stem, quill adapter) out and re-greased everything. Now nice and quiet :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 12:24:13 am
A Schmidt-powered USB port using bits from Maplins.  It cost £2.70, and it works  :o.  Still need to find a neat way to have it connected in parallel with the lights, albeit not in use simultaneously.  It does give significant load even when it isn't doing anything, so I expect that's what the other £67.70 are for when you buy the Dahon one.
A new rear mech, after I broke the cable adjuster off in the body of the old one.  When I have time I'll fettle that back into operation.  It'll need some careful drilling, a replacement scavenged off another defunct mech, and maybe a teeny tiny stud extractor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 20 July, 2011, 12:26:45 am
Changed the worn out old cleats on my cycling shoes for new ones. A very long overdue task - as in something I should have done at least a couple of years ago.

It took the best part of two hours, most of which was trying to hammer the end of the allen key into the worn bolt heads...

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 July, 2011, 12:31:02 am
Quote from: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 12:24:13 am
A Schmidt-powered USB port using bits from Maplins.  It cost £2.70, and it works  :o.  Still need to find a neat way to have it connected in parallel with the lights, albeit not in use simultaneously.  It does give significant load even when it isn't doing anything, so I expect that's what the other £67.70 are for when you buy the Dahon one.

Having had a good fondle of the innards (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=40524.msg952080#msg952080) of the Dahon one, I can say that while it doesn't present a huge load when idle, it does so at the cost of its own blue smoke.

(I assume you've got zener diodes limiting the voltage, and therefore dissipating significant power when it's unloaded.  That's one better than Dahon.  Though from experience they're liable to eventually overheat and fail short-circuit.  Think about cooling.)


Ob-fettle:  Soaked my Shimano sandals in sterilising fluid for the benefit of humanity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 12:44:54 am
It's a rectifier, a capacitor, a regulator and a usb socket, all wrapped up in some old inner tube.  The regulator claims to have thermal shutdown, so it shouldn't hurt itself, but if it gets too  hot I may have to bolt it to the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 12:54:43 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 July, 2011, 12:31:02 am

Having had a good fondle of the innards (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=40524.msg952080#msg952080) of the Dahon one, I can say that while it doesn't present a huge load when idle, it does so at the cost of its own blue smoke.

(I assume you've got zener diodes limiting the voltage, and therefore dissipating significant power when it's unloaded.  That's one better than Dahon.  Though from experience they're liable to eventually overheat and fail short-circuit.  Think about cooling.)


Ob-fettle:  Soaked my Shimano sandals in sterilising fluid for the benefit of humanity.

That was interesting to read.  Perhaps I'll go get a 15 or 18 Volt zener.  I'm actually using it with one of those Pico battery packs rather than plugging it directly into anything expensive, so that might act as a bit of a buffer.  I also don't know what the capacitor will take because I just accepted what the ackneyed youf proposed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 July, 2011, 01:23:33 am
Quote from: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 12:44:54 am
It's a rectifier, a capacitor, a regulator and a usb socket, all wrapped up in some old inner tube.  The regulator claims to have thermal shutdown, so it shouldn't hurt itself, but if it gets too  hot I may have to bolt it to the frame.

Thermal shutdown will prevent it being damaged by excess current, but it will still have an upper limit on the input voltage.  You can get several tens of volts out of a hub dynamo on a fast descent - I assume 100V to give a reasonable margin for error.

Quote from: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 12:54:43 am
I'm actually using it with one of those Pico battery packs rather than plugging it directly into anything expensive, so that might act as a bit of a buffer.

A good idea generally, I think.  I find that even gadgets that are happy with their power source randomly disappearing and reappearing when can waste more power going in and out of charging mode than they put into their battery if you're riding slowly or in stop-start traffic.


Quote
I also don't know what the capacitor will take because I just accepted what the ackneyed youf proposed.

The voltage rating is usually printed on the case, but anything's possible if an ackneyed youf was involved.  I haven't seen a proper beardy-old-guy-behind-the-component-counter at Maplin for years.  In fact, I don't think I've been in one since the time the Stratford (London) branch were discontinuing cable ties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 20 July, 2011, 08:45:02 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 July, 2011, 01:23:33 am
I haven't seen a proper beardy-old-guy-behind-the-component-counter at Maplin for years.  In fact, I don't think I've been in one since the time the Stratford (London) branch were discontinuing cable ties.

Maplin are a sad shadow of their former selves, but even in their mid-80s heyday they weren't that great. I remember going into the Hammersmith branch wanting 10 470R 1W carbon resistors. They had two in stock. I asked if they'd be restocking for the following weekend, they told me that they never had as many as ten in stock - this is for something with a retail value about 50p total, and that would take zero room to store; they had a rack of little drawers, but the one for 470R 1W resistors was only restocked to 5 so was 95% empty.
The catalogue was a useful reference for IC pinouts, back when they used to sell a good variety of them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 11:29:15 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 July, 2011, 01:23:33 am
I haven't seen a proper beardy-old-guy-behind-the-component-counter at Maplin for years.  In fact, I don't think I've been in one since the time the Stratford (London) branch were discontinuing cable ties.

There's a place called Gee's, up Mill Road in Cambridge, which not only has a proper beardy-old-guy, but he knocks things down off high shelves with a stick, they come in un-labelled shabby boxes AND there's a sinister old lady knitting in the corner.  What more could you want?

Quote from: MattH on 20 July, 2011, 08:45:02 am
Maplin are a sad shadow of their former selves,

But almost opposite my work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 20 July, 2011, 12:00:29 pm
Quote from: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 11:29:15 am
There's a place called Gee's, up Mill Road in Cambridge, which not only has a proper beardy-old-guy, but he knocks things down off high shelves with a stick, they come in un-labelled shabby boxes AND there's a sinister old lady knitting in the corner.  What more could you want?

I spent far too much of my formative years in that kind of establishment. Looking at piles of surplus electronics scrap, wondering what I could make out of it. I remember buying an ancient, heavy (valved) oscilloscope from New Cross Radio in Manchester, and lugging it back up the hill to Oldham in a rucksack on my bike, wondering if my back would last longer than my rear wheel  :)


Quote from: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 11:29:15 am
Quote from: MattH on 20 July, 2011, 08:45:02 am
Maplin are a sad shadow of their former selves,

But almost opposite my work.

Oh, I still use them - with the demise of all the old TV repair shops (and, if you wanted to spend 10x the going rate for two resistors carefully packaged on a piece of card, Tandy) there really aren't many other places where you can buy components over the counter. But I can't have been the only one who spent hours browsing the semis section of the catalogue to find inspiration for something new to make. All of that has been overtaken in both general life and the Maplin shop by the ready-made Chinese tat, that makes it generally unviable financially to DIY and make your own tat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Efrogwr on 20 July, 2011, 09:35:34 pm
Quote from: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 12:24:13 am
A Schmidt-powered USB port using bits from Maplins.  It cost £2.70, and it works  :o.  Still need to find a neat way to have it connected in parallel with the lights, albeit not in use simultaneously.  It does give significant load even when it isn't doing anything, so I expect that's what the other £67.70 are for when you buy the Dahon one.
A new rear mech, after I broke the cable adjuster off in the body of the old one.  When I have time I'll fettle that back into operation.  It'll need some careful drilling, a replacement scavenged off another defunct mech, and maybe a teeny tiny stud extractor.

You may not need to drill! I recently unscrewed a broken adjuster with a very small Torx key (just big enough to jam in the cable passage).
Hope this helps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 11:29:57 pm
Quote from: Efrogwr on 20 July, 2011, 09:35:34 pm
You may not need to drill! I recently unscrewed a broken adjuster with a very small Torx key (just big enough to jam in the cable passage).
Hope this helps.

It's got to be worth a try!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 20 July, 2011, 11:39:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 July, 2011, 01:23:33 am
Thermal shutdown will prevent it being damaged by excess current, but it will still have an upper limit on the input voltage.  You can get several tens of volts out of a hub dynamo on a fast descent - I assume 100V to give a reasonable margin for error.

<snip>

The voltage rating is usually printed on the case, <snipmore>

Well, I bought a 20V diode from A-Y but the biggest he had was 1.1W.  Then I found I had one left over from an aborted lighting project that is 15V and 5W, so I stuck that on and left it dangling in the breeze.  Then I looked at the capacitor and saw that it is 100 <upside down h> Farhads.  Is that micro Farhads?  But more importantly 10V, so I don't really expect it to last very long.  I saw 14.5 V on the multimeter, just spinning the wheel.

So long as it doesn't take too much else with it, it'll be no great loss.  I've mounted it all behind the seat stay, and if it sets fire to the Brooks, I'll be cross. :P

PS, thanks for your advice Kim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 21 July, 2011, 12:03:05 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 July, 2011, 01:23:33 am
... I haven't seen a proper beardy-old-guy-behind-the-component-counter at Maplin for years. ...

The Maplins on Kensington High Street has a bearded bloke hidden away down in the basement, although I haven't really challenged his depth of knowledge of useless arcana.  He seems marginally more knowledgeable than the average oik that you tend to find in these establishments.

The Maplins catalogue was a useful reference back in it's time, and in that time, Tottenham Court Road used to have many shops usefully full of random packets of mysterious TTL, and multicoloured and sized LEDs, cheap edge connectors, and Towers Transistor Selectors.  Proper electronics, not like these FPGA'ed and ASIC'ed stuff we get now. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 21 July, 2011, 12:17:12 pm
An SPD shoe.

Years ago, I bought a pair of Scott SPD shoes, & did something which in hindsight was foolish: I fitted the cleats which came with them. They had only a small two hole plate to bolt the cleat to, with no reinforcing plate. The shoes themselves appear to have steel reinforcement in the sole, but that broke on the left shoe last night, when un-clipping. Fatigue, I presume. Just in front of the cleat

Since my only other pair of shoes are, to be frank, a bit crap, & generally only worn for off-road rides where their superiority for walking on rough & slippery ground can come in handy, I've done an emergency fix to keep the shoes usable for the time being. I've replaced the two-hole plates by four-holers, & added a thin reinforcing plate (all from my box of bits) on the left shoe, between the sole & the cleat, across the crack. I'd clamp it with another pair of bolts in front of the crack if I could, but there isn't quite room. There's still a bit of flex, but it means I don't need to rush to get new shoes before Sunday. I can make sure I get a decent pair.

Ripped a nice Trek mitt last night, as well. Pulling 'em off when sopping wet. Like the shoes, I've probably had my money's worth out of that pair, but still . . .  I liked 'em. Better than my Altura ones (which are OK, just not as nice).

My favourite shoes: why were they only pair in the house with two hole shoe plates & no reinforcement? Bah! Rant at self!

I also rubbed some Proofide into my Rolls & B17N. The Rolls needed it badly after the filthy wet ride on Sunday. Nice & black & shiny again now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 July, 2011, 09:07:44 pm
Disc brakes on the SMGT, which decided to rebel after I got to Ipswich after the Dun Run.  Front is no longer making hideous scraping noises when I turn left, and the rear isn't rubbing and squeaking (until next time it rains, anyway).  Given the seized front adjuster and less than optimally true rear disc, I suspect a set of BB7s may be in my future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 July, 2011, 10:02:27 pm
Re-greased the seat post on my hybrid - losing the squeaky bars allowed me to hear the squeaky seat post. Now waiting to find next squeaky bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 22 July, 2011, 09:37:29 pm
After Wednesday evening's less than stellar performance, I've just been fettling my brakes.  After close inspection I noticed the weren't positioned as well as they could be.  (I'm *sure* they were fine last time I looked.)  The Pads now make much better contact.  Also wiped down the rims, log overdue.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 23 July, 2011, 03:16:31 pm
Rear wheel on my old hybrid bike. It was mildly pringled and was running into the brakes. Also cleaned 2 bikes, not sure if that counts as fettling or not :).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 24 July, 2011, 09:38:48 pm
Nothing yet...

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/00000000-Misc/CIMG4931.jpg)

but I will be;  85km of self-destruction ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 July, 2011, 09:42:48 pm
Had the headset cups drifted out of the head tube of my old Marin, which has now completed its journey to the great bike shed in the sky.

I thought about putting a new set of pads on the rear brake of the Genesis, but it didn't really get much past the 'thought' stage. Need to do 'em before Friday night, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 July, 2011, 10:46:33 pm
Crikey.  Lots of fettling.  Ths evening, besides washing the bikes and cleaning chains, I swapped my new front wheel into the Orbit.  I've ridden a fair way with the old one, which has self-loosening cones, an untruable rim, and is juddery over 30kph :-\  I haven't had a chance to check out the new one yet.

I improved the front shifting of Butterfly's tourer.  Oh yeah - last night, in the dark atop the North Downs, I had a failed attempt to sort out her seatpost, but the bolt was crossthreaded, so I had to swap the bolt and 'nut' from a different seatpost when we got home.

I also fettled the fixed for commuting this week - especially that all-important front brake.  I've been commuting on the tourer last week, partly because I was too lazy to sort the fixed out.

I noticed that my gear cable outers all need replacing as well.  I need to order some more stuff...  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 25 July, 2011, 08:17:21 pm
Fitted my Alfine hubbed wheel to the Swift once I'd got the 'ring of doom' fitted it was plain sailing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 July, 2011, 03:45:03 pm
Quote from: TimO on 23 April, 2008, 04:20:24 pm
...correction, the fridge/freezer looks good where it is.  It almost killed me getting it there.  At one point I almost had to use my mobile phone to ring up someone 10 miles away, to come and get me out from underneath it. :-\

At some point I want to rearrange things, but that will require me moving a fridge/freezer, washing machine, dish washer, and tumble dryer, then shifting a kitchen unit, 6 foot of counter top, and reposition a couple of double way sockets and their wiring.  Somehow I don't fancy doing that this afternoon, mainly because the shifting of white goods turns out to be a major hassle!

 :o When they told you not to ride your bike for weeks did they also not mention shifting heavy stuffz around the house? :O
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 26 July, 2011, 07:19:37 pm
I fitted a new stem (a short one with a 30 degree rise for maximum comfort) to my Trek Pilot today.  First time I had fettled an Ahead style headset - really impressed with how easy it was.

I was particularly pleased that I had this cheap torque key thing which came with my rooftop bars - it was the right size for the bolts on the Ritchey stem so it saved me paying 12 quid for the Ritchey torque key thing.   :thumbsup:

(http://www.zen146624.zen.co.uk/pictures/Cycling/torque-key.jpg)

Had it been a carbon steerer tube I would have been a bit more picky, but this thing I should hope is good enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 26 July, 2011, 07:30:12 pm
OrangeGina now has a nice set of new brake pads on the rear brake (Ashima pads, which contain traces of orange :) ) which is probably just as well, since there wasn't a huge amount of the old pads left. Really should have fettled that when I fitted the Alfine wheel.

Also been website fettling so that the testers of the Velo Vision iPad app will actually have something to download!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 26 July, 2011, 08:49:16 pm
Quote from: Feline on 26 July, 2011, 03:45:03 pm
Quote from: TimO on 23 April, 2008, 04:20:24 pm

...correction, the fridge/freezer looks good where it is.  It almost killed me getting it there.  At one point I almost had to use my mobile phone to ring up someone 10 miles away, to come and get me out from underneath it. :-\

At some point I want to rearrange things, but that will require me moving a fridge/freezer, washing machine, dish washer, and tumble dryer, then shifting a kitchen unit, 6 foot of counter top, and reposition a couple of double way sockets and their wiring.  Somehow I don't fancy doing that this afternoon, mainly because the shifting of white goods turns out to be a major hassle!

 :o When they told you not to ride your bike for weeks did they also not mention shifting heavy stuffz around the house? :O

Did you look at the date of that post? ;D

Quote from: TimO on 2008-04-23T16:20:24Z
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 July, 2011, 10:10:33 pm
Quote from: TimO on 26 July, 2011, 08:49:16 pm
Quote from: Feline on 26 July, 2011, 03:45:03 pm
Quote from: TimO on 23 April, 2008, 04:20:24 pm

...correction, the fridge/freezer looks good where it is.  It almost killed me getting it there.  At one point I almost had to use my mobile phone to ring up someone 10 miles away, to come and get me out from underneath it. :-\

At some point I want to rearrange things, but that will require me moving a fridge/freezer, washing machine, dish washer, and tumble dryer, then shifting a kitchen unit, 6 foot of counter top, and reposition a couple of double way sockets and their wiring.  Somehow I don't fancy doing that this afternoon, mainly because the shifting of white goods turns out to be a major hassle!

 :o When they told you not to ride your bike for weeks did they also not mention shifting heavy stuffz around the house? :O

Did you look at the date of that post? ;D

Quote from: TimO on 2008-04-23T16:20:24Z

Inna word, no, I didn't  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 26 July, 2011, 10:47:57 pm
I have managed to assign static IP addresses to all of my devices, and I didn't even need to gewgel or call a friend!  :thumbsup:  Still have lots more to do in setting up the home network, but I'm slowly getting there.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 July, 2011, 09:50:14 am
Last night, I spent another couple of hours with the Slowest PC In The World removing cack that was installed when I bought it and will never need.

At the same time, I was truing up Butterfly's front wheel on her tourer.  Took a full turn on every spoke to get to tension before I could start tweaking. :o  No wonder she said it felt funny.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 27 July, 2011, 04:11:19 pm
Flipped the stem back down on the Yukon.  It was comfortable "up", but not very aerodynamic.  Will see how it feels and decide whether to keep it like that, return to square one, or take it even lower by moving spacers.
Put new chain on - didn't need it, but wanted to have spare link to carry in the tool kit, it being an Audax bike after all.
Then parcelforce turned up with the mudguards, so I put those on too.   Now I know what I'm doing with SKS Chromoplastics, it's all a lot less fraught, but still a lengthy job.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 July, 2011, 11:54:56 pm
I have finally finished fettling my Fuji for it's impending trip cycle camping to Flers in France for the Semaine Federale next week.

The Fuji started life in 2010 as a hybrid, mostly road bike but with flat bars. I rode my first few audaxes on it, but have always found the angle the flat bars put my wrists at gets uncomfortable after a while. Adding mini bar ends helped, but made me very non-aerodynamic in a pretty upright position with hands much wider apart than my shoulders. I was worried about taking my Sabbath to France in case of theft or damage so close to PBP, so I decided to bite the bullet and change it's bars to drops.

So my latest fettle-fest involved a new chain, new brake pads, new stem, new bars, new Shimano 105 STI shifters, new brake cables, new gear cables, re-indexing the gears, new Spesh bar Phat bar tape, and a new replacement IQ cyo light (the previous one drowned). I've adjusted my new Super C panniers to sit nicely over the rear axle whilst avoiding heel strike. refitted Garmin and Cateye brackets. Moved my small bar bag from the Sabbath since it houses my Dahon Reecharge. I will be using that to keep all my electrical bits charged up while on the Sem Fed.

The Fuji now looks something like a proper road bike, and was very nice to ride on it's test ride earlier. it will be getting a more extensive test ride on Friday when I ride it to Portsmouth with camping kit to get the ferry  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 28 July, 2011, 02:14:44 am
Cleaned Valencia, who was still filthy after last week's trip down Shark Lane, and gave EldestCub's islabike a lick and a promise. I now have a grubby living room floor, filthy nails, and smell of finish line green. I can think of worse situations :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 July, 2011, 12:33:27 pm
n+1 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frere on 29 July, 2011, 06:48:09 pm
Finally more or less finished my best bike, picked it up this morning from Jake's Bikes, and spent a couple hours fitting the dynamo lights. Been for a quick ride to make sure it works. The toplight can be seen a long way, not sure yet about the efficiency of the Cyo senso plus but then again it was around 4pm. May take it for a quick poodle this evening just to see how it is.

Dropped off the BET at the same time as picking up the best bike, to finish stripping it completely, make some decisions later then it goes to Argos.

Frere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 30 July, 2011, 05:34:34 pm
Learnt how to and then adjusted the centring on the front brake on the inbred. It took considerably longer to do the learning than the doing, and now I don't have a metal on metal noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 July, 2011, 07:51:32 pm
My rear Hope hub Mavic CXP23 is nearly worn through on the rim braking surface.  I've ordered a ceramic Open Pro so today I took the old wheel off ready to take to the LBS.  I then put on my spare factory built Mavic Open Sport rim - and noticed it was out of true !!  So I took both wheels into the LBS and he quickly trued the spare.  Top bloke.  For free.  So I bought something anyway  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 30 July, 2011, 07:55:31 pm
Quote from: Grub on 30 July, 2011, 07:51:32 pm
My rear Hope hub Mavic CXP23 is nearly worn through on the rim braking surface.  I've ordered a ceramic Open Pro so today I took the old wheel off ready to take to the LBS.  I then put on my spare factory built Mavic Open Sport rim - and noticed it was out of true !!  So I took both wheels into the LBS and he quickly trued the spare.  Top bloke.  For free.  So I bought something anyway  ;D

You're going to have to come for trip over the bridge and get to grips with wheelbuilding one of these days..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 30 July, 2011, 08:08:58 pm
Fettling of the file server continues, in spite of some difficulties (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=50215.0).

While that's been going on in the background, I've added security cables to my four new Ortlieb panniers. 
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 30 July, 2011, 10:15:37 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 30 July, 2011, 07:55:31 pm
Quote from: Grub on 30 July, 2011, 07:51:32 pm
My rear Hope hub Mavic CXP23 is nearly worn through on the rim braking surface.  I've ordered a ceramic Open Pro so today I took the old wheel off ready to take to the LBS.  I then put on my spare factory built Mavic Open Sport rim - and noticed it was out of true !!  So I took both wheels into the LBS and he quickly trued the spare.  Top bloke.  For free.  So I bought something anyway  ;D

You're going to have to come for trip over the bridge and get to grips with wheelbuilding one of these days..

I was talking to the LBS about this today.  He was tutoring me  ;D  But I have not made any firm commitment, yet  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: corshamjim on 30 July, 2011, 10:56:36 pm
I wasgoing to give the Trek a mild fettling ready for the Wiggle Mendip next month, but realised my cold frame was in the way of where I wanted to put the fettling stand and the compost bin was where I wanted to put the cold frame so ...

I took three trailer loads of compost bin and contents to the allotment, spread some compost around the garden, put some stones down where the compost bin was and moved the cold frame.  Phew!

I might get around to the fettling proper tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 31 July, 2011, 09:41:49 pm
pretty loud ticking noise emerged from bb area on yesterday's rutland300 audax. i was fearing the worst (bb shell delaminated from a composite), took it easy, no out of saddle action - still clicked though.. disassembled everything today, cleaned, regreased, put the new chainring and chain on, tightened everything up, tested - result!! (phew..)
but. heard occasional squeeks once or twice a minute.. back home found the culprit - upper jockey wheel (xt with ceramic sleeve) was running dry. cleaned, put a drop of lube - silent and smooth again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 01 August, 2011, 10:49:31 am
On Sat arvo I took the end plate off the electric motor for a water pump. Then discovered that the brushes were blind-riveted to the plate, so I couldn't put them back on the commutator.
   
2 hours later, motor was reassembled. It involved cunning application of sewing thread led out through bolt holes, delicately-poised springs and sweat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 August, 2011, 12:52:45 pm
Have cleaned and re-oiled the kitchen worktops, hoovered then cleaned the kitchen floor, and sorted through my T-Shirt collection, filling a bin bag in the meantime with charity shop stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 01 August, 2011, 01:08:44 pm
Realigned the calipers on my Peregrine and got rid of the squeaking
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 01 August, 2011, 07:44:36 pm
New axle bearins in a Novatec hub. Godammit one of them was hard to shift. I always hate having to knock the first one (if not both) with the axle especially if it's a hollow alloy one. Getting the new ones in was fine as I have drifts for that bearing size.

All feels lovely now  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 August, 2011, 12:59:20 am
Around the time barakta appeared and said she'd spotted the kitten again, I was fettling bikes.

I'd cleaned two chains and cassettes, stripped and de-gunked a thoroughly horrid rear derailleur, and swapped the road tyres back onto the Dawes.  I think I was about to investigate the mysterious squeaking noise on the Streetmachine.  But then there was a kitten.  The squeaking noises can wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 02 August, 2011, 06:50:22 am
Non slip gritty carbon lube to the bars of my TCR held by the Thomson stem.  For the last couple of weeks since installing the Gore Ride On cables the bars have been slipping down as I ride.  Hopefully this will sort it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 August, 2011, 09:08:08 am
I've stripped the gear cables and bar tape off my tourer.  Still have a nagging thought that my rear cable might be a tandem one because of the length of run. :-\

Oh well, it'll all be rebuilt in one manner or another by Friday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 August, 2011, 09:15:30 am
finished tidying the garage so that our esteemed guests at the weekend can use it for bike storage...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 03 August, 2011, 10:45:39 am
Not today, but on the weekend.

I did a wiped joint on a split water pipe. The pipe was galvanized steel on a water heater, very thin. The split was 2cm long and on a bend.
I tinned round the split with electrical (flux-cored) solder. Then built up semi-molten blob of solder and 'wiped' it over the split with a stainless-steel butter knife (solder won't stick to stainless).

It sealed the joint, on a pressurised system. Was very chuffed with myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 03 August, 2011, 10:57:52 am
Well I finished after midnight so I gouess it was toaday :)

New rear spoke for the Vantage, and fixed a puncture in the fornt tyre.

While the tyres were off a long period of truing - I hadn't realised quite how pringled the wheels had got  :-[

I think the punture protection has just about given up my my Marathons now - is 3k about the right distance for this?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 03 August, 2011, 11:01:15 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 03 August, 2011, 10:57:52 am
Well I finished after midnight so I gouess it was toaday :)

New rear spoke for the Vantage, and fixed a puncture in the fornt tyre.

While the tyres were off a long period of truing - I hadn't realised quite how pringled the wheels had got  :-[

I think the punture protection has just about given up my my Marathons now - is 3k about the right distance for this?

Marathon Plus last 10,000 miles+, dunno about normal Marathons.  3k doesn't sound that far.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 03 August, 2011, 11:36:42 am
Thanks. There's a lot of rubber left (and a resonable amount of tread) so I guess I've just been unlucky the last few weeks.

I've checked the tyres over and there's no glass/thorns slowly working there way through but I've had 4 punctures in three weeks, having had one in the previous 10 months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 03 August, 2011, 07:52:21 pm
Lowered the saddle a touch.  Yes, that confirms it as the source of the ankle problem (having it too high, that is).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 03 August, 2011, 08:10:04 pm
I'm in the middle of building an audax bike for my brother in law.  He's gone for a Thorn Audax mk3 frame in Tonka yellow, which I do like.  I built the wheels (Chrina on XT) last week and I'm just waiting for the chainset and BB and I can finish it off.  He's gone for 105 STIs, front triple and mech, with XT 10 speed rear cassette and mech, which is a nice combination.  Finishing kit is Pro PLT (my god the seatpost saddle clamp is a PITA..) and a Brooks saddle.  It should be a very cool ride.  Expect him to pop up in here anytime soon once he gets the bug.....

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 03 August, 2011, 08:12:54 pm
Moved the Polar base unit from the stem to the top tube, just behind the stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 03 August, 2011, 08:17:52 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 03 August, 2011, 08:10:04 pm
I'm in the middle of building an audax bike for my brother in law.  He's gone for a Thorn Audax mk3 frame in Tonka yellow, which I do like.  I built the wheels (Chrina on XT) last week and I'm just waiting for the chainset and BB and I can finish it off.  He's gone for 105 STIs, front triple and mech, with XT 10 speed rear cassette and mech, which is a nice combination.  Finishing kit is Pro PLT (my god the seatpost saddle clamp is a PITA..) and a Brooks saddle.  It should be a very cool ride.  Expect him to pop up in here anytime soon once he gets the bug.....

And pictures will follow?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 03 August, 2011, 08:27:17 pm
I have a very comfortable existing but incorrect brooks B17 on my new tourer which clashes more than a bit (honey and very dark blue frame). Looking for a suitable black replacement ......Strewth prices are just becoming OTT. ........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 03 August, 2011, 11:23:29 pm
As Kim will testify (having made a valiant attempt to fettle it in the dark before the Planets/Stars/Meteors ride), the rear derailleur on my Grasshopper was a bit worse-4-wear.  I attempted to thread a new inner cable, but the outer was doing its Black Knight ("None Shall Pass") impressions.  I squirted some aerosol teflon in at one end, and a huge cloud of ferrous dust emerged from the other.

So, new outer, new inner, with a variety of lubricants.  How to adjust a recumbent rear mech?  You need shed-slave #1 to hold the back wheel off the ground, shed-slave #2 to turn the pedals, and shed-slave #3 to move the shifter, while the chief fettler adjusts the cable.

Answer: Skyhooks.

(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm63/rower40/Light%20Fettling/PICT0874.jpg)

(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm63/rower40/Light%20Fettling/PICT0871.jpg)

Then, only when I'd got the rear mech adjusted perfectly, did I realise that the right-hand bar end now had no neoprene grip on.  An abortive attempt to slide the grip over the shifter.  I CBA to disconnect the cable in order to re-thread it under the grip, so it's now on the outside.

Still not made any progress on the steadily-tightening rear brake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 August, 2011, 11:31:57 pm
Given sufficient - and by sufficient I mean absolutely slopping in the stuff - IPA (the contact cleaner, not the beer), one of those grips can be made to slide over the shifter and cable with all the elegance of a giggly schoolgirl applying a condom to a banananana.


Meanwhile, I've also been recumbent fettling:  Upgraded the disc brakes to BB7s.  Mainly because there was an alarming amount of rust in the vicinity of the siezed adjuster on the front caliper (and after the other week, I don't want to think about that shearing on a fast descent), but also in the hope that I might finally banish the squeaking noise from the rear.

Skyhooks would have been useful for the initial alignment of the front caliper, but the generally superior design to the low-end Tektros they replaced made adjustment surprisingly easy.  Of course, they're still mechanical disc brakes, which are fundamentally an apparatus for conversion of annoying rubbing noises to awesome stopping power.  Nevertheless, chucking the bike down a few hills and braking hard seems to have stopped the rubbing, and brought the braking performance up to almost the same level as the Tektros.  I'll have another tweak in the morning and see if I can do better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 03 August, 2011, 11:46:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 August, 2011, 11:31:57 pm
Given sufficient - and by sufficient I mean absolutely slopping in the stuff - IPA (the contact cleaner, not the beer), one of those grips can be made to slide over the shifter and cable with all the elegance of a giggly schoolgirl applying a condom to a banananana.
Alas, I am bereft of all the pre-requisites - viz: another grip, IPA (the contact cleaner; I've had a plentitude of sufficiency of the beer), giggly schoolgirl, condom, banana.

Of course, I could remove the inner gear cable, slide the outer inside the grip and back into place in the shifter, then re-thread the inner.  Too Much Like Hard Work.  Maybe tomorrow.

I've an aversion to using solvents or soap-based products to put grips on.  In rowing, one uses the grip to rotate the blade about its axis; an action called "squaring" and "feathering".  The rubber grip MUST not move relative to the blade.  So the only lubricant that is used to put grips onto oars is Hot DHMO.  Fill the grip with hot water to soften the rubber, then push the blade handle down into it.  The water squirts out all the way around, and if all goes well, the grip cools down onto the blade.  If you get it wrong, there's a centimetre still to go, with no water left in the teat at the end of the grip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 04 August, 2011, 12:45:59 am
The left pedal on my Enigma. Roadside adjustment. Turn the little screw to make it looser.

Due to my formerly good cycling shoes now being one good shoe & one (the left) totally fucked shoe, I had to wear my crap cheap emergency backup shoes. The crap shoes have relatively unworn cleats. The formerly good shoes were not good in one respect, i.e. their cleats had been very heavily used. I'd therefore tightened up the pedals . . . which made them too bloody tight for me to unclip the crap shoes easily, nearly leading to considerable embarrassment at a traffic light en route to the start of the ride this evening.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 August, 2011, 10:09:35 pm
I've just returned from a couple of hours at a Bike Kitchen session in Bristol Bike Project. This is a scheme where every Thursday evening you can go along and use their tools and benefit from other people's help and experience to fettle your bike. You can also fettle the project's bikes, which are sold in some kind of social scheme, and earn one yourself - I'm not sure how many bikes you have to prepare in order to earn your own. This all happens very near my house.  :)

I intended simply to replace my left crank which had detached itself on Sunday at Mangotsfield - something I could do myself, except that all my tools are still in Poland. But as I was there they suggested I do a bit more, so I replaced my front brake cable inner and outer. They didn't have a rear to suit (they only had for flat bars) so I greased the rear - never realised what an enormous difference it would make.  :thumbsup:

This was the first time I've used a workstand. It's convenient! I can report that theirs are not from Lidl.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Doosh on 04 August, 2011, 10:58:54 pm
Drive train was due it's periodical clean/degrease so I had it all off and in it's white spirit bath followed by copious amounts of hot water and fairy liquid until sparkling and free of spirit, dried it all on the line and then refitted and lubed up. Runs like a dream (although to be fair it wasn't running badly, I just like fettling and couldn't think of anything else to do).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 August, 2011, 11:58:40 pm
New cleats (bought at Decathlon, Flers) onto my new Mavic scorpion shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 05 August, 2011, 07:36:27 pm
Just a blocked toilet
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 06 August, 2011, 06:31:33 pm
Put some trekking bars, single-sided cleats and new front brakes on my hybrid bike. Results : http://twitpic.com/61ykc6
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 06 August, 2011, 06:36:32 pm
A giant hybrid of a friend.   I ran the chain through the chain bath twice and it was still all shitty.   The v brakes had been adjusted by slackening off the arm tension screws so when you pulled the levers it was like stirring custard.

Clean, lube, adjust and tighten stuff, new brake pads.  It's a totally different bike now.   :thumbsup: 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 August, 2011, 06:56:18 pm
New pads frontband back on the Swift plus degreased the chain and waxed it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 August, 2011, 11:31:20 pm
Red of this parish's trekking bike, which wiped out at 60mph (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2177.msg994792#msg994792) a few weeks ago, and got less that ideal amounts of attention from the LBS when asked to give it a once-over.

This involved a strip down and extremely paranoid inspection of the handlebars/stem area (the end of the flat bar took the brunt of the impact, it seems), and re-assembly with copious amounts of grease, thus curing an annoying squeaking noise.

The LBS claimed to have trued the wheels.  This probably explains the dishing of the front wheel.  Sorted that.  Jibbled about with the brakes to make them line up properly.

The indexing adjustment was fairly obviously out on both dérailleurs (though, fortunately, the rear mech hanger wasn't bent), and a bit of limit screw tweaking was needed.  I can't believe the bike shop even looked at the drivetrain.

Bent the rear rack back into alignment.  It wasn't massively out, but enough to mean the light aim was off-axis.  It's not going to be carrying vast touring loads, so I'm not too worried about it failing.

Tutted and sighed at the mudguards in a manner akin to Mr Legg.  While they claim to be SKS, the fittings are much cheaper and nastier than those I've had the pleasure of tweaking.  Self-tapping screws into plastic!  Just say no!

Dismantled the fork suspension lock-out lever thingy, with the usual consequences:

Quote
"Arrgh!"
"Ping?"
"Fuckit!"

It had suffered a cheese failure again.  In a last ditch attempt to get it working, I resorted to epoxy.  This appears to have done the trick, but Kim's Law Of Adhesives applies, and I fully expect the whole thing to need replacing at some point in the future.  Had the usual fun trying to get the spring back in under compression without losing either it or the (now freshly greased) pingfuckit.

Suspension lockout working, I checked the headset adjustment and straightened the handlebars WRT to the wheel.  Suspect they'd succumbed to Helpful Dad rather than crash damage.


We then got distracted by the kitten, ate far too much curry and didn't go for a test ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Red on 06 August, 2011, 11:44:42 pm
Muchly thankful to Kim for the bike fettling. :thumbsup: Muchly not impressed with the LBS. :facepalm: And, more importantly than failing to do a test ride, we failed to eat celebratory CAKE! :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 06 August, 2011, 11:50:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 August, 2011, 11:31:20 pm
We then got distracted by the kitten, ate far too much curry and didn't go for a test ride.
You almost manage to make all this sound a bit bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 07 August, 2011, 08:59:59 am
Quote from: Red on 06 August, 2011, 11:44:42 pm
Muchly thankful to Kim for the bike fettling. :thumbsup: Muchly not impressed with the LBS. :facepalm: And, more importantly than failing to do a test ride, we failed to eat celebratory CAKE! :o

You forgot about the CAKE!? Wow...

Anyway, you're all set for FNRttC, including Legg-incompatible rack and mudguards  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 August, 2011, 10:29:14 am
I noticed a really annoying aluminium creak whilst on the Etape on Thursday, each time I really put some effort in so traced it to the cranks.
On Friday morning I had a few minutes before I was due to leave so I took a look and found that all the chainring bolts were loose.
I started to wonder if I'd done them up correctly after fitting the the new Stronglight chainring a little while back.  Then I established that all had the same play in them and were just that little (mm) too large and were not holding the chainrings together tightly enough.
So I set to take them off and replace them with another set.  Got 4 done and then the 5th would not budge.

Today I am getting out the drill to remove this last one.  The rear is so burred now that I can't remove it the correct way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 07 August, 2011, 10:47:20 am
finally replaced the old, rusty, stuck on-one cantis on the pompino with new avid shortys, and treated the old girl to a new chain and a bit of a spruce up while I was at it.

Awesome - feels like a new bike :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 August, 2011, 10:51:54 am
Quote from: mike on 07 August, 2011, 10:47:20 am
finally replaced the old, rusty, stuck on-one cantis on the pompino with new avid shortys, and treated the old girl to a new chain and a bit of a spruce up while I was at it.

Awesome - feels like a new bike :)

I love that feeling  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 07 August, 2011, 01:21:53 pm
Pre holiday drive to South of France oil and filter change on the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 August, 2011, 01:36:01 pm
A shiny new fixed sprocket for Custard The Other Genesis.
I now have a gear that I can turn over1 without feeling that my knees are going to explode :)

1 - 67"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 07 August, 2011, 01:38:43 pm
Added a rack to the hybrid bike (now named Frank as in Frankenbike).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 07 August, 2011, 03:08:50 pm

Rebuild my city cruiser, new frame, headset and hydraulic brake have been fitted( All blue).
But I'm still looking for a blue seatpost & saddle so I can keep my colour code correct..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 August, 2011, 03:21:51 pm
Chainring bolts are well tough.
Finally, with one broken drill bit, it is done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 August, 2011, 03:28:18 pm
I am sitting under a B & Q gazebo in Jan's cousin's garden which cousin's husband and I have just erected. It's cool and breezy with occasional rain here in Kirklees. This is all in aid of Jan's Uncle Eric's  88th birthday party.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 08 August, 2011, 11:22:34 am
On my ride this morning I lost the top 4 gears on my Alfine hub resulting in some comedy pedalling for the last 3 miles.

Up on the stand I could see that the nipple on the end of the gear cable had fitted itself properly. Unfortunately this had the effect of lengthening the gear gear cable hence my loss of gears. Slipped the nut down the cable refitted it and indexing spot on!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 08 August, 2011, 12:15:47 pm
For the first time in about four years my front garden does not looks as though it might be concealing an entire platoon of ninety-year-old Japanese infantrymen.

I cheated, though, and paid a Little Man to do it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 August, 2011, 12:31:30 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 08 August, 2011, 11:22:34 am
On my ride this morning I lost the top 4 gears on my Alfine hub resulting in some comedy pedalling for the last 3 miles.

Up on the stand I could see that the nipple on the end of the gear cable had fitted itself properly. Unfortunately this had the effect of lengthening the gear gear cable hence my loss of gears. Slipped the nut down the cable refitted it and indexing spot on!
Word to the wise - if, at some point in the near future, you find that 3rd (and possibly 4th) gears are starting to play funny buggers then the cable tension will need a tweak even if the yellow markers on the cassette joint are  aligned. Tightening the cable by half a turn usually does it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 08 August, 2011, 03:00:37 pm
(http://audaxing.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/wpid-imag0057.jpg?w=500)

Made the RSP Astrum light fit on Roubaix seat stays with the magic of metal putty.
Metal putty is great!  Why didn't I discover it before?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 August, 2011, 10:59:14 am
I've changed the gear cables on my tourer.  It was quite late last night before I could get to it.  The cables went in well, though I'd had to buy a new downtube cable stop for the front changer.  Then I put on some new bar tape.  And marvellous it looks, too.

Then I noticed one set of gel pads still on the side :-[

Ah well, I shall redo the left side of the bars tonight, then ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 August, 2011, 11:11:51 am
I expect to be riding after sunset over the next three weeks so sorted brackets etc for lights on the Trek & the Langster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 August, 2011, 11:17:02 am
Quote from: jogler on 09 August, 2011, 11:11:51 am
I expect to be riding after sunset over the next three weeks so sorted brackets etc for lights on the Trek & the Langster.
Ditto - Assuming I follow through on my plan to do York-Cambridge-York over the bank holiday weekend I need to fettle some sort of backup/auxilliary lighting onto OrangeGina. I have yet to decide what form this will take, however.

Need to sort out some retina-ripping lighting for Custard The Other Genesis as well, in order to satisfy my desire to indulge in some crepuscular bridleway bashing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 09 August, 2011, 09:37:25 pm
I've pumped up the tyres on the tourer and lubed the chain since I'm not sure which bike I'll be using on the Mid-Peak Grimpeur tomorrow.
I want to use the light bike but the forecast is horrible and I think that I'll need the guards (and the bigger bag to carry waterproofs).

Both bikes are ready to go and there is a pile of tools ready to go onto the bike that I select in the morning.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 09 August, 2011, 10:41:00 pm
Put a newly obtained Tubus Logo rack on the commuter.  Thought I had an adaptor for mounting a Cateye light onto the rear plate - I don't.  Guess I'll be visiting On Your Bike or Evans during my lunch break tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 10 August, 2011, 10:48:24 pm
Put a new spoke in the back wheel of the tandem. The wheel is true and hopefully fit for our trip to Brittany next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 August, 2011, 04:52:36 pm
IxonIQ, which appeared to have battery dodginess.

Charged the cells properly in a individual-channel charger, but the cake tin battery contacts were playing silly buggers when I replaced them in the light.

Got pissed off.

Pressed the pin out of the battery compartment hinge using a vice, a small Allen key, strategically placed fingers and some foul language.

Prised the cover off the compartment containing the electronics (it's secured by a tab on either side, and can safely be attacked with a flathead screwdriver).  Noted yet another set of spring contacts between the battery clips and PCB (making a total of 12 spring connections to go wrong).  Soldered wires direct to the PCB in the appropriate places and applied some volts.  And there was light.

On the basis that I'm much happier wielding a soldering iron than I am attempting to molish intricate shapes out of spring steel, I decided to tape the AA cells together, solder the terminals in the appropriate places, and violently strip out all the superfluous gubbins from the battery compartment.  Had a minor "Electron Band Structure In Germanium, My Ass (http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~kovar/hall.html)" moment attempting to solder to the terminals of AA cells.  Cranked soldering iron up past "Ow! Fucking bastard!", "Will solder high-current spade connectors", "What's that smell?" and "You didn't need insulation anyway" to "Fires of Hades" and completed the job.  Discovered that, astoundingly, this battery pack will fit securely within the compartment, so no need for plan B (which involved Tamiya connectors and a drill).  Successfully replaced the hinge pin using the corner of the desk and more foul language.

I now have a reliable light with a non-field-replacable battery, rather than an unreliable light with a non-field-replacable-if-you-want-it-to-work battery.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/kitchen_pr0n/IMG_3069.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 August, 2011, 10:34:06 pm
I cleaned half the kitchen. Which I didn't think was bad going given that I had a houseful of chiddlers, had to do lots of advanced peace-keeping negotiating over various Wii games and managed to cook lunch for 5, a roast dinner for 7 and bake (with some assistance from a 7 year old) a large batch of flapjack in between.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 August, 2011, 02:53:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 August, 2011, 04:52:36 pm
IxonIQ, which appeared to have battery dodginess.

...

I now have a reliable light with a non-field-replacable battery, rather than an unreliable light with a non-field-replacable-if-you-want-it-to-work battery.

Thanks for posting that. I've been considering doing exactly this for a while now; I don't use the IxonIQ because I cannot rely upon it, but it used to be a very good light. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to remove the hinge pin, or if it would go back in again once it has been removed.

Ideally I'd like to put a small connector on the battery pack to enable replacement in the field, but the run time of the light is good enough to make it useful even without that. I was also considering the option of an external battery pack velcroed to the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 13 August, 2011, 02:54:04 pm
Put single-sided SPD pedals on my folding bike last night. They're definitely FTW.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 August, 2011, 03:02:11 pm
Owing to currently being in 'panic before PBP' mode, I suddenly got nervous about not being able to have a backup light on my bars because of my bar bag. This IQ Cyo has never let me down, but what if it did? I could ride by power of my head torch if I had to, but if a PBP official spotted me with only that for a front light I would get a massive time penalty and not be allowed to continue like that.

So I decided to dispense with the bar bag and have put my Dahon Reecharge hub dynamo powered charging system into my small Topeak frame bag that sits on the top tube just behind the stem. It's all working fine, and there is room to stick 4 energy gels in there as well. My bike looks better without the bar bag anyway, and I don't need a route sheet for PBP.

I will have a bit more fettling to do next week when my new set of gear cables arrive, and I will re-tape the bars at the same time. Then I have to attempt to take the Sabbath apart some to fit it into the bike bag that hasn't arrived yet. Eeps!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 August, 2011, 04:01:55 pm
Quote from: MattH on 13 August, 2011, 02:53:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 August, 2011, 04:52:36 pm
IxonIQ, which appeared to have battery dodginess.

Thanks for posting that. I've been considering doing exactly this for a while now; I don't use the IxonIQ because I cannot rely upon it, but it used to be a very good light. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to remove the hinge pin, or if it would go back in again once it has been removed.

Getting the hinge pin moving requires a surprising amount of force, not helped by the curvature of the light body giving you very little to push against.  Hence the foul language.  Once it's moving it's reasonably easy, though.  And pushing it back in again is fine (and seems secure).  Note that the pin has a 'head' - push from the thin end.


Quote
Ideally I'd like to put a small connector on the battery pack to enable replacement in the field, but the run time of the light is good enough to make it useful even without that. I was also considering the option of an external battery pack velcroed to the frame.

Agreed.  Lacking a small connector, and with the Exmouth Exodus tonight, I just soldered straight to the battery.  Some of those small spade connectors used in dynamo wiring should fit within the case, I reckon.

If you re-assemble without the battery holder, and prise the contacts off the plastic between the battery compartment and PCB (you'll need to do this on at least the ones that you've soldered wires to anyway, and it leaves a convenient hole for the cable to exit by), there should be plenty of room for a pack of AAs (in a 'diamond' configuration rather than a square - It'll makes sense when you try to get the lid close).  I removed the remaining rear battery contacts for completeness.


The alternative that occurred to me was to fit a Tamiya connector, with a small notch (perhaps with grommet to keep the water out) for a cable to lead to an external battery pack.  As the Ixon's only really a backup, I preferred the battery being internal, though.

Potentially useful factoid: it appears to give full output from a 5V source.  So while you probably ought not to use a pair of lithium-ion cells in series directly, it could run from a generic USB power pack thinger.


ETA: Modified Ixon performed flawlessly on the Exmouth Exodus.  I will investigate senible in-line connectors and perhaps treat it to a less tired set of cells.  I'll write this up properly for The Knowledge at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 13 August, 2011, 05:10:11 pm
See todays ditty in Teh Rantz.

BTW having to undo wheel nuts x 2 then having to do one of them up again so that the spindle does not turn whilst trying to undo the other side. Then finding anti-slip washers plus mudguard stays plus tab washer acting like lawyers' fingers, leads me to yearn for a 75mm OLN quick release. And that was just to undo the front wheel $DEITY knows what's involved if you get a faerie visit on the rear.

Halfrauds still suckz
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 13 August, 2011, 08:03:43 pm
I finished off building my brother-in-law's new audax bike and assembled a push-a-long trike for my 18-month old!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 August, 2011, 10:59:41 am
Quote from: Tewdric on 13 August, 2011, 08:03:43 pm
I finished off building my brother-in-law's new audax bike and assembled a push-a-long trike for my 18-month old!

Nice! Start em young :)
Next he needs a mini Audax Cymru jersey!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 August, 2011, 11:33:31 am
Today's only fettle so far: fitting a bar-bag bracket onto OrangeGina and discovering that I don't have the necessary bits to do the same on Custard The Other Genesis ('standard' clamps on oversize bars don't go, no matter how much you swear at them)

Now debating whether I can be bothered to ride down to the LBS to pick up the long-awaited bash-guard for the Surly or just sit in front of the telly drinking coffee and watching Scrapheap Challenge. Decisions, decisions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 August, 2011, 11:49:55 am
Yesterday was bike fettling day, mainly cleaning most of Shark Lane off the 4 bikes we took there last Saturday (and a double layer on the Ridley as I used it on Thursday night).

New gear and brake cable on the Saracen, thought about a front wheel transplant to the scott (as the Saracen may be going to another home soon, one where a dynohub probably will not be used) but procrastinated a bit and decided to leave it.

Have found the 1" aheadset that needs fitting to the Raliegh and am contemplating going to B&Q for a bigger clamp to fit said headset (or a metric fucktonne of washers 'n' a piece of threaded bar).  Will just need a cassette and a rear mech and will have 95% of a bike then.  The Raliegh is not a to be ridden bike, but a to sell bike.

Have also done 3 weeks worth of washing, needed to, I was running out of grots.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 August, 2011, 03:26:59 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 14 August, 2011, 11:49:55 am

Have also done 3 weeks worth of washing, needed to, I was running out of grots.

Week 1 normal

Week 2 back to front

Week 3 inside out

Week 4 inside out, back to front

Week 5 errr, how do you work a washing machine ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 August, 2011, 03:29:58 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 14 August, 2011, 03:26:59 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 14 August, 2011, 11:49:55 am

Have also done 3 weeks worth of washing, needed to, I was running out of grots.

Week 1 normal

Week 2 back to front

Week 3 inside out

Week 4 inside out, back to front

Week 5 errr, how do you work a washing machine ?
You are a pre-incarnation of Dave Lister AICMFP  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 August, 2011, 03:33:54 pm
You will be glad to know that the (new) world order is restored.

Mountain of clean grots now residing on the bed, before being transferred to underwear drawer.

However, cooking tapas is taking priority over that chore...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 14 August, 2011, 07:38:36 pm
A bunch of fettles at Tea Stop One between pouring tea for the Exodus:

One broken spoke "keep you going" retension.  You know, this is such a common fix that everyone should learn it.  It's not mojo: find the broken spoke and secure it in place (a bit of gaffer tape, zip tie, etc).  Slack off the two spokes whose nipples are next to the broken one about half a turn.  Tighten the two next outside (ie: going around the rim, tight-slack-broke-slack-tight). That almost always gets you going; the rest is finesse.

One shonky indexing in new kit.  Cable stretch.  Ain't no thing.

One tyre boot made from a bit of lemonade bottle held in place with gaffer tape.  The rider'd knocked their brake block onto the tyre before descending the Gorge, braked hard all the way down, and it ate the sidewall.  The boot held over the blown-out section, but the rest of the ruined sidewall herniated twenty miles later and he blagged a replacement.  Remember kids: tyre boots must not be stretchy. 

And one that I didn't do but loved to see: a broken seatclamp meant the saddle was free-range.  By packing the space between the frame and the seat-tube-mounted lamp bracket with much gaffer tape, the thing simply could not sink, and the rider had a huge grin after expecting to DNF.  Over the ride, it squidged a bit, natch.  One to remember!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 14 August, 2011, 08:13:13 pm
Not me personally, but a fair chunk of today's ride was spent watching some serious roadside repairs. Somebody dropped a chain, so we pulled into a layby to wait for him to get back. After ten minutes I rode back to see what was up and he had the large chainring in his hand and 5 chainring bolts on the floor! The chain had slipped behind the seatstay, and not wanting to risk another gouge on his new Cervelo he took the chainrings off to get at the chain. A few miles later someone else fluffed a shift which resulted in his chain twisting 90 degrees (seen them snap, never seen one twist like that). Took about 6 links out and he got home in the little ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 14 August, 2011, 10:15:01 pm
An empty loft and a considerably less full garage. Dismantled "the wall of wool". Sorted through all the boxes removed from the loft, recycling a fair bit (found a load of childhood stuff that's being kept though).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 August, 2011, 11:18:03 pm
Quote from: andygates on 14 August, 2011, 07:38:36 pm
And one that I didn't do but loved to see: a broken seatclamp meant the saddle was free-range.  By packing the space between the frame and the seat-tube-mounted lamp bracket with much gaffer tape, the thing simply could not sink, and the rider had a huge grin after expecting to DNF.  Over the ride, it squidged a bit, natch.  One to remember!

Ah, nicely done, and not too far off my "spill Guinness on it" suggestion.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 16 August, 2011, 11:24:35 am
I've just fitted new tyres and brake shoes ready for PBP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 16 August, 2011, 11:36:38 am
Cassette and chain, gear cables, brake cable, one tyre, bar tape. Another tyre and front blocks to do tonight - and adjust a pedal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 16 August, 2011, 01:17:52 pm
Durano plus on my bike at work - blimey those tyres are slippery. Had to use a cable tie to hold it in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 16 August, 2011, 01:58:15 pm
My saddle was creaking like a couple going at it hammer and tongs on a creaky bed. So I put some oil on the rails to make my bike more stealthy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 August, 2011, 07:01:27 pm
Swapped ice tyres off the Ridgeback hybrid for Marathon Plus (one nabbed off the hybrid tandem); fitted stem extender; changed the stiff & rusty chain for a lovely new one; fitted new, longer cage mech; tried to adjust the rapidfire gearing to accommodate the Megarange cassette.  *sigh* :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 August, 2011, 07:58:54 pm
About to oil the chain on the fixie and adjust the brakes to stop squealing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 August, 2011, 10:21:09 pm
More of an un-fettle. Dismantled the Sabbath to pack it up for PBP, put a new tyre on the back wheel, and some 3M spoke reflectors on the new front dynamo wheel. The frame is now on my dining room table clean and polished waiting to go into the bag  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 August, 2011, 10:29:03 pm
Quote from: clarion on 16 August, 2011, 07:01:27 pm
Swapped ice tyres off the Ridgeback hybrid for Marathon Plus
Confident of an ice-free August at last?  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 August, 2011, 10:32:19 pm
I'm being bold. ;D

Seems like the gears work better than I'd feared, anyway :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 16 August, 2011, 11:10:51 pm
Quote from: Ian H on 16 August, 2011, 11:36:38 am
Cassette and chain, gear cables, brake cable, one tyre, bar tape. Another tyre and front blocks to do tonight - and adjust a pedal.

Two pedals. SPDs. God, they're fiddlesome things. All finished and ready to wheel on to the ferry on Thursday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 August, 2011, 11:53:13 pm
Quote from: Lynx on 16 August, 2011, 07:58:54 pm
About to oil the chain on the fixie and adjust the brakes to stop squealing.

Arse brakes still squeal but less than before.  Oh and adjusted the brookes saddle this time adding tension and not undoing it.  Yes I'm that bright.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 August, 2011, 12:48:37 am
Quote from: Lynx on 16 August, 2011, 11:53:13 pm
Arse brakes still squeal but less than before.

Those'll be the ones discussed on a FNRttC a few months back that allow single-brake BMX bikes to be road-legal, where the rider overhangs the saddle and lowers themselves onto the rear wheel to apply braking force?  I can imagine squealing would be a common side effect...   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 19 August, 2011, 08:45:46 pm
Dismantled, cleaned and remantled the (t)rusty old Deore XT mech on Dave (10 years, 19,000 miles).  It's being slow at pulling the chain tight and buggering shifting as a result, and as suspected the pivot bolt spring chamber was full of granular rusty gack.  Strip, clean, grease, reassemble and (inpasta*) that'll be good for a couple more years.





* Like inshallah, without angry desert wights, and with meatballs. :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 August, 2011, 11:11:02 pm
Fitted my new wheels and took the rear rack off of my Vantage, ready to test everything tomorrow.

Also fitted a new cassette and chain :D SPARKLY :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 August, 2011, 11:17:09 pm
A new BB for the  Van Nic courtesy of the inimitable Paul Smith of Corridori Cycles (http://www.corridori.co.uk/) today.

TBF, Paul fitted the new BB and then went to make The Tea while I faffed with re-fitting the old chainset (Is this tight enough, Paul? ;))

Gentlemanly service from that esteemed establishment, as usual  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 20 August, 2011, 07:53:07 pm
Indexing..... again. It seems chain wheels are a tad bent. Tried the turn em through 180 deg trick but no joy. This bike has a few hundred miles on it if that as I have mainly been using my touring bike. Ho hum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 20 August, 2011, 09:33:35 pm
Fitted butterfly bars to my hybrid, moving the shifters, bell and computer across from the flat bar they were on and wrapped the bar with tape (after working out how that could work).

Also re-trued both wheels and re-oiled chain
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 August, 2011, 01:21:41 am
Yesterday, but replaced the 45A double-pole isolator switch on my friend's shower.  The pingfuckit responsible for the latching operation of the pull-cord wossname had broken, which is bad news after a hot >100k ride to get there.

Being somewhat covered in road grime, squished insects and so on, my natural response was to sigh and ask for a screwdriver.  Various options were presented, including sonic - though that was sadly unable to rectify the fault - so I soon had the switch off with a conventional one and important springy bits flying across the room.  I deemed the cause of failure to be snappy plastic death.

All things being equal (and bearing Kim's First Law Of Adhesives in mind), jumping back on the bike to the nearest DIY emporium for a new switch seemed like the sanest option at that point.  The guy on the till was amused by a sweaty cyclist buying what was obviously the component that stood between them and a shower.

Bit of screwdriver-twiddling and job's a good'un.  Part P allows for like-for-like replacement.  Especially when you're starting to smell like a dead badger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 August, 2011, 09:22:30 am
New boa things and ratchet straps on my Sidis.

Yesterday I started the build of N+1, which will end up being, on aggregate N-1.

Now going to sort through the garage for stuffs to sell :( I have far too much stuff (and bikes) so need to clear some space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 August, 2011, 12:59:22 pm
New crankset and front mech fitted to the InBred

New cleats on my boots (in time for autumn/winter)

Still waiting for other bits to be delivered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 23 August, 2011, 01:55:22 pm
Not done yet, but tonight I will be fettling the chain on the vantage after making it too short when I put it on this weekend.

I accidentally put it in big-big this morning and it's all seized up :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 23 August, 2011, 02:53:04 pm
Bonty race lite hard case tyres to replace the bonty race x lite hard case tyres which were looking rather badly bit cut up, especially a couple of big cuts to the sidewall....  No P. though, still better safe than sorry!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 23 August, 2011, 03:53:35 pm
Removed a rather inflexible leather mudflap & replaced it with an elbow patch! Glued it on & it stayed on on a short ride. An inch shorter, but it'll stop the mudguard getting knocked out of its stays every time I go up/down a kerb. Minor fettling, but it'll stop numerous stops to reseat the mudguard stays!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 09:53:28 am
Quote from: Kim on 21 August, 2011, 01:21:41 am
... Part P allows for like-for-like replacement.  Especially when you're starting to smell like a dead badger.

... and especially when it would be impossible to tell that you'd replaced it anyway!

I've just fettled a new inner tube onto the front wheel of the Kaffenback, which has a very slow leak, which is going to take some time with a sink to spot where the hole is. :-\

I've got a backlog of tyres which need repairing.  I must sit down and do them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 10:14:14 am
Quote from: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 09:53:28 am
I've just fettled a new inner tube onto the front wheel of the Kaffenback, which has a very slow leak, which is going to take some time with a sink to spot where the hole is. :-\

... and I'm about to do it again, the tyre just *banged* off, and took the inner tube out.  An 8" hole is probably irreparable isn't it? ;D

Damn, I'm going to have to use a "possibly OK" inner tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 24 August, 2011, 05:01:18 pm
Quote from: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 10:14:14 am
Quote from: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 09:53:28 am
I've just fettled a new inner tube onto the front wheel of the Kaffenback, which has a very slow leak, which is going to take some time with a sink to spot where the hole is. :-\

... and I'm about to do it again, the tyre just *banged* off, and took the inner tube out.  An 8" hole is probably irreparable isn't it? ;D

Did you find what made the hole? Is Croydon noted for particularly alarming thorns?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 August, 2011, 05:23:59 pm
Avid BB7 Roads to the InBred.

Just need cables and cassette to arrive now then I can finish it off :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 05:29:00 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 24 August, 2011, 05:01:18 pm
Quote from: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 10:14:14 am
Quote from: TimO on 24 August, 2011, 09:53:28 am
I've just fettled a new inner tube onto the front wheel of the Kaffenback, which has a very slow leak, which is going to take some time with a sink to spot where the hole is. :-\

... and I'm about to do it again, the tyre just *banged* off, and took the inner tube out.  An 8" hole is probably irreparable isn't it? ;D

Did you find what made the hole? Is Croydon noted for particularly alarming thorns?

The hole was made by the tyre coming off the rim, and releasing 100psi of pressure in an inner tube, that couldn't hold that pressure by itself.  That was an oldish tyre, and on inspection I decided to replace it with another old, but not as heavily used tyre.

I don't know what made the original hole, but it was a very slow leak, and I checked the tyre for anything.  I removed a couple of possible bits of glass, but none of them was clearly and obviously the cause of the puncture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 August, 2011, 06:47:16 pm
Fettled Topeak tri-bag into the waterproof version of same using strategic layers of gaffer tape.  My tris will now stay dry, or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 August, 2011, 06:55:36 pm
Put the spoke reflectamajigs onto the two Genesii today - I don't think the ends of my thumbs will ever be the same again.

To elaborate: the reflectors sat securely on the spokes on OrangeGina's Shimano factory wheels. No problems there - however, the spokes on Custard's stock wheels are a bit narrower, so whilst the reflectors would start a ride near the hub, as I intended, they'd work their way outwards over the course of the ride. The fix: a bit of insulating tape round the spoke where I want the reflectors to sit - they sit there all right, but I practically skinned my thumbs to get the bloody things on.

Now the cabbies have something else to aim at.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 August, 2011, 09:28:31 pm
We have twice applied the C spanner to the S and S couplings in order to take the tandem on a south west train.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 24 August, 2011, 10:05:08 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 24 August, 2011, 05:01:18 pm
Did you find what made the hole? Is Croydon noted for particularly alarming thorns?
Some people, predominantly yoof, did scatter a bit of glass about a couple of weeks ago. A shard or two (hundred thousand, or perhaps million) remain on the roads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 August, 2011, 10:12:18 am
fitted 3 out of 4 cables, now just waiting the cassette and I can fit the fourth...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 26 August, 2011, 10:16:37 am
Stripped out and replaced the rear suspension bushes on the Moulton in the kitchen. Who needs a vice to press-fit bushes when you've got a long nut and bolt and some oversized washers?  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 26 August, 2011, 02:29:04 pm
I've put some new Ergo grips on the Thorn. The old ones were worn out quite badly, and I further damaged one on some chain-link fencing at Colchester station on our way to Denmark in May.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 27 August, 2011, 01:36:49 pm
Stage 1 of the Orangification of the Genesis Day-One Alfine.

Boring Grey Gear Cable replaced with ORANGE one, held in place by ORANGE zip ties.

Stages 2 (re-wiring) and 3 (Brake cables) will have to wait until (2) I find an on-line retailer who is not out of stock of orange auto electrical wire and (3) I have the components and confidence to apply fresh bar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 27 August, 2011, 04:33:17 pm
Fettled some dead plant leaves and sooked1 out some algae from my tropical fish tank.

Might even fettle some charged AA batteries into my £10 ebay Pivot and Tilt external flash and try and take a nice piccy of the tank.
1 Using syphon gravel cleaner, not a sooky hose to my mouth.   :sick:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 27 August, 2011, 11:37:09 pm
Tried to track down the annoying creak the tandem has developed over the last few weeks.  One likely candidate: one of the machine screws clamping the stem to the steerer won't tighten down, thread in the stem seems to be damaged.  Even if it isn't causing the creak, I'm glad I found that!  Now to see if I can get hold of a replacement 1 1/4" stem before we head off to Stone on Friday.

Also removed the majority of the 1/2 tonne of mud that's been caking the MTB for rather longer than I care to admit.  I swear I spend longer cleaning that bike than riding it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 27 August, 2011, 11:47:05 pm
I made a scratting pole.   :thumbsup:

Scratting is the process where you turn whole apples into rough chunky salsa prior to pressing into juice.  We had too many apples to use kitchen tools, so it was unto the Cradle of Mankind we went: one African yam-pounding analogue by way of a big wooden pole with plenty of weight behind it. 

(Cut a 2x4 in half, bolt the halves together with coach bolts to get a 4x4; apply apples and a rubber trug and gravity)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 29 August, 2011, 09:20:31 am
(yesterday)
Rearranged utility room, then realised that the wall i was going to put bike hanging brackets on is plasterboard and so not suitable.
Removed old broken case electric shower. Rummaged in boxes to find right angle compression joint. Realised electric need moving 5cm left, through tiles. 6:30 on a Sunday is not the time to start this.
Put PC together and then created space in beer supply.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 August, 2011, 12:50:20 pm
Attached the suicide lever I removed several months ago, having decided that the normal lever actually works better with it there, because it takes up a small amount of slack in the lever. Depending on DHL doing what they told me they would, or rather depending on DHL UK running to DHL Poland's timetable, some major assembly is in order for later today. No sign of them so far though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 September, 2011, 09:27:52 pm
I just replaced the two year old On-One grips on my Kaffenback (surely they should have supplied Planet-X ones?!), which were getting "sticky" with some Yeti ones, which are probably a decade old, but were in my spare bits box.  Proper grips should make tomorrows commute and the FNRttC better. :thumbsup:

Somewhat miraculously, they fitted almost perfectly, and didn't require me to start buggering about moving the levers (which would have had a knock on effect on computer, GPS, light mounts etc).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 September, 2011, 09:33:30 pm
Finally reassembled the bikes after PBP (grotty from all the rain) and HK even washed one of them. My bike will probably get cleaned tomorrow. Just in time to get grubby during this weekend's On and Off Shore 200.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 September, 2011, 09:40:49 pm
The holes in that front-roller, with gaffer tape, pending the arrival of the appropriate patch kits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 September, 2011, 09:46:17 pm
Picked up some yellow reflective tape from Clas Ohlson when I was in Leeds on Saturday.

Now, if I'm riding Custard The Other Genesis, any driver who catches me in their headlights is going to wonder what the hell they're looking at ;D Sadly, I can't find any orange reflective tape for OrangeGina :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 01 September, 2011, 09:51:22 pm
New stem for the tandem.  A quick test-ride suggests creaks may finally be gone <fingers crossed>.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 September, 2011, 09:53:30 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 September, 2011, 09:46:17 pm
Sadly, I can't find any orange reflective tape for OrangeGina :(

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REFLECTIVE-TAPE-ORANGE-50MM-x-10M-WEATHERPROOF-STRONG-/270801366449 any good?

Many similar items on ebay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 September, 2011, 09:56:23 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 September, 2011, 09:53:30 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 September, 2011, 09:46:17 pm
Sadly, I can't find any orange reflective tape for OrangeGina :(

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REFLECTIVE-TAPE-ORANGE-50MM-x-10M-WEATHERPROOF-STRONG-/270801366449 any good?

Many similar items on ebay.
Some of the chevron tape looks interesting.
Y'know, for the "gay barbershop pole" look ;D

(just ordered some of the 50mm wide stuff)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 September, 2011, 10:04:11 pm
I have fettled most of my beloved old black bike back into bikeness from parts in a bag in a box along with some shoes and stuffs. It got dark before I got around to the rack, and it's also still lacking one pedal and one crank - due to my lack of tools.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 September, 2011, 11:27:33 pm
Both front brakes on the trike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Efrogwr on 01 September, 2011, 11:53:49 pm
A bike for Mrs E. I found a secondhand VN Euros in her size. As it didn't have bars, gear levers, saddle and seatpost, it seemed like a good idea, especially as I would need to change some bits to fit her. The bike was in good condition, so I fitted the parts needed, a shorter stem, new cables, cassette and chain. I finished just as she got home, and spent half an hour adjusting the saddle. The fit is very close to being right, but she may need a shorter stem. We're looking forward to an outing at the weekend.
I had to do it; she's got a titanium plate in her arm...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 September, 2011, 04:06:35 pm
The rack onto my black "trecker" and, with the loan of a multitool from a passing globetrotter, the left crank arm too. Then the last few bits and it's all ready to go now.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 September, 2011, 04:40:06 pm
A road sign.
In Mitcham.
While most of you slept.
Maybe.
Proper reflectives an' everyfink.
Maybe. (http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6106457362_a8c0d22025_b.jpg)


Marshals take note.
Like the Advent calendar.
Your days could be numbered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 September, 2011, 06:40:46 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 02 September, 2011, 04:40:06 pm
A road sign.
In Mitcham.
While most of you slept.
Maybe.
Proper reflectives an' everyfink.
<comic book guy>
Worst. Limerick. Ever!
</comic book guy>

Doesn't even pass muster as a haiku, either ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 04 September, 2011, 04:02:59 pm
Was due to take part in the local 13 mile Cycle Challenge Ride today. To make it some sort of challenge I intended to ride the event on my re-cycled recumbent, but it was raining this morning and the recumbent has no mudguards.
To avoid getting my back and shorts soaked through the mesh seat back I taped strips of duct tape onto the seat back. Worked a treat :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 04 September, 2011, 07:07:06 pm
New rear cassette, jockey wheels, middle chain ring and chain. The old ones were all getting a bit spikey. Gave the bike a bit of a clean as well. I got quite dirty though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 05 September, 2011, 10:48:09 am
I changed the tyres on MsCharly's Mercian.

That should have been a simple job, except that:

B*** **** have fitted a 130mm oln in a 126mm frame. Again.

The cassette smallest socket fouls the chainstay when the wheel is most of the way forward in the dropout.

So it takes two people to get the wheel out, one to pull the rear triangle apart, one to pull the wheel out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 05 September, 2011, 11:57:23 am
A yesterday-success-fettle getting mudguards and Topeak Super tourist DX pannier rack (after the demise of a standard one after 2 months) onto the Pometamine around the discs, along with some enabling 700x28s replacing the naff Schwalbe Kojaks (38s) it came with, ending up with no-worse toe overlap than I started with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 September, 2011, 09:34:02 pm
Over the last three days I have identified and eliminated a rattly mudguard (one loose stay), squeaky chain, need to grease cranks and pedals, and a loose seat post caused by a worn-out pitlock type bolt on the clamp. Now I just need to work out exactly what is making that creaky noise which seems to be coming from saddle rails/seat post area - or possibly it's the bottom bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 September, 2011, 10:00:33 pm
The Girl's Young Man has bought himself a KMX trike. It suffered a bit in transit, snapping the three screws that hold the gear hanger on. He's got some money back from the dealer and tonight, using a selection of tools I borrowed from work we managed to fix it.

Drilled out the old ones,  failed to get them out with a stud extractor, bust the M3 tap, drilled out a bit more, tapped to M3.5, fixed with electicral box faceplate screws.  Not a bad job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 05 September, 2011, 10:03:08 pm
Gave the commuter a bit of a clean and put on a saddle (TeamPro courtesy of Sgt Pluck).  The saddle that had been on the commuter was transferred (and always intended for) the new bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 September, 2011, 03:22:21 pm
Taped bars

Moved rear brake cable

Fitted beam rack

Happy-ish now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 07 September, 2011, 03:29:59 pm
I really should de-grease / oil  my chain. I think my mojo has gone again
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 September, 2011, 04:13:05 pm
I put my tourer back into touring mode this afternoon to get used to how it feels before October's tour(and I had a front puncture anyway)

Fitted front and rear racks
Replaced cheese-metal bolts on front rack with stainless ones(eventually)
Put 35mm tyres on

Remembered I'm doing a FNRttC on Friday :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 07 September, 2011, 04:16:06 pm
FRONT and REAR rack on a FNRttC.

You are taking the ***********

 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 September, 2011, 04:29:27 pm
Quote from: YahudaMoon on 07 September, 2011, 04:16:06 pm
FRONT and REAR rack on a FNRttC.

You are taking the ***********

 :)

Don't forget full guards as well :)

I'm not sure I'll actually put all 4 panniers on it for the ride - although it is flat and would make a good training run  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 07 September, 2011, 04:30:52 pm
Lol. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 September, 2011, 07:37:07 pm
Quote from: YahudaMoon on 07 September, 2011, 04:16:06 pm
FRONT and REAR rack on a FNRttC.

You are taking the ***********

 :)

I had front and rear racks, and mudguards on my bike for last Fridays FNRttC.

I survived. ;D


I just put a Knog Nerd 12 computer on the Kaffenback.  It seems to work OK, even when the Exposure lights are fitted. :thumbsup:

I've cable tied the pickup on, so there's no risk of it shifting, falling off, or being lifted.

I'll probably leave the display fitted, unless I'm leaving the bike somewhere particularly iffy, like outside Sainsburys.

It's backlit, so I'll actually be able to see the display on night rides now. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 September, 2011, 07:48:24 pm
Quote from: TimO on 07 September, 2011, 07:37:07 pm

I'll probably leave the display fitted, unless I'm leaving the bike somewhere particularly iffy, like outside Sainsburys.


Sainsbury's is regarded as rather upmarket round here, must be different in the smoke :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 September, 2011, 07:51:57 pm
Everywhere is iffy in Croydon
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frere on 07 September, 2011, 08:00:28 pm
Installed a Carradice bar bag with klick kluck w/e its called attachment to handlebars, and packing panniers. Using two front panniers on rear rack, plus bar bag plus elastic webbing for waterproof jacket & helmet for when it rains (helmets keeps my hearing aids dry, about the only time I wear one), more than plenty room for 3 days ride starting early Friday morning, aim to finish Edinburgh Sunday lunchtime for a curry or something. Staying in B&B's en route. Front panniers packed already, put inside rear panniers, as friend is borrowing the rears for his stuff. Train booked, cycle reservation made for going up to Newcastle tomorrow.

Frere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 September, 2011, 08:06:42 pm
Removed 1000 miles of crud from the drivetrain of the Streetmachine.  Fiddled about with the gears and got them indexing properly, though I'm not 100% sure the shifter isn't slightly damaged - it feels stiff at the bottom end of the range.  Might just be crud in the cable, though (I don't have the foresight to carry condoms to keep my USS bar-end shifters dry in poor weather).  Gave the brakes a tweak.  Decided I couldn't be arsed trying to eliminate the seat squeak - the weather's only going to get cold and set it off again.

Should be okay for a couple of 100k rides this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 08 September, 2011, 01:36:06 pm
Removed the quick release device for the Barley from my seatpost because the Barley was mouted too high and the buckles stuck into my bottom.  Also took he opportunity to raise the saddle slightly. Maybe too high now, I wiil see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 08 September, 2011, 01:50:08 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 14 August, 2011, 03:26:59 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 14 August, 2011, 11:49:55 am

Have also done 3 weeks worth of washing, needed to, I was running out of grots.

Week 1 normal
Week 2 back to front
Week 3 inside out
Week 4 inside out, back to front
Week 5 errr, how do you work a washing machine ?

Week 5 - Go commando until White Goods Technical Expert returns from foraging. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 08 September, 2011, 01:57:23 pm
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 08 September, 2011, 01:36:06 pm
... mounted too high and the buckles stuck into my bottom ...
Methinks you're on the wrong website. :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 September, 2011, 06:50:59 pm
The hedge.  Again.  Bloody thing keeps growing back.  Damn inconvenient, if you ask me.

The whole process was made significantly less painful by my investment in a stiff-bristled broom from Aldi, which barakta notes, and I quote: "has a basher!"


Then I got hedge clippings all over the floor when I removed my sandals.  Fail.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 September, 2011, 08:44:21 pm
I stopped my fixed from having a stub axle by replacing the cheese nut with crappy threads on the non-drive side with a new nut from Re:Cycling.  That nut cost £3, but it meant I got home easier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 September, 2011, 08:44:52 pm
Still need to raise the saddle slightly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 September, 2011, 10:53:07 pm
Still not entirely convinced my re-bolted seat post clamp is holding, but it could just be that my legs are growing. Or at least stretching. Or maybe it's just down to different shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 September, 2011, 08:24:44 am
Raised the saddle on my fixed en route this morning.  Feels better.  I'm not sure if it's been slipping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 09 September, 2011, 11:19:19 am
Performed my first ever successful gear fettle!   :smug:

Been having some issues with slippage and unevenness in the gear changes, esp round 4th (ok going down 5-4, but not so much going up 3-4), so I had a look online at just exactly what it was I was meant to do and went out and had a look...my little yellow lines were in fact not lined up properly, so I lined them back up again!  I *think* I found a new 1st gear in the process, though that could just be that I was on the flat where I don't tend to use it!   ;D

I'm expecting them to be a little funky as they bed in, but this feels better 

I also changed the angle of my saddle as I keep slipping off to the front!  Hoping that I now don't slip off to the back instead  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 10 September, 2011, 11:20:25 am
I've had to carry out an emergency fettle on my back fence. A 12 foot length of it is falling over into the street at the side of my garden because a post has snapped at ground level. I got worried about the angle it is now leaning and the high winds we are expecting. I've had to prop it up with posts at an angle on the pavement behind it, which is not ideal but if I don;t it will be down soon and I am working nights this weekend so unable to do a proper repair until Monday at the earliest. I've put a car red warning triangle at the foot of my props in the hope that this will prevent someone trying to sue me if they walk into them. Not much more I can do  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 10 September, 2011, 09:08:48 pm
Swapped the front wheels over on the tractor to increase its stability, and mastered the complexities of 3-point mountings and power couplings so I could take off the grass topper, move the box thing into the barn and reattach the topper :)

I learned that the jack & wheelbrace from a 2005 Toyota were useless for this, but the ones from an Audi A4 were ideal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 10 September, 2011, 09:14:09 pm
Fettled mucky pea gravel out of fish tank and replaced with tesco's play sand seeing as I'm looking to add cat fish in the tank soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 10 September, 2011, 09:41:23 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 10 September, 2011, 09:14:09 pm
Fettled mucky pea gravel out of fish tank and replaced with tesco's play sand seeing as I'm looking to add cat fish in the tank soon.

Do catfish like sandcastles then?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: YahudaMoon on 10 September, 2011, 09:47:03 pm
Finally got round to de-oiling oiling my chain and mechs
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 11 September, 2011, 12:27:43 am
I have sucessfully converted a 9-speed derailleur mech into a piece of modern art. Doing this a long way from home was, perchance, a little foolish.
The new one needs fitting but that should be straightforward
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 11 September, 2011, 05:49:44 pm
The tandem has a granny ring again  :thumbsup:.  Seems as though the front mech (band-on type) had rotated round the tube a bit.  At least, loosening the clamp and twisting things back seems to have helped immensely.  Now wondering exactly how long it's been out of whack.

One day, derailleur fettling will come naturally to me, and it won't take two weekends to sort out a problem like this.  One day...

Also, knocked the EBB out of its shell, wiped it off, and applied a little grease before reinserting.  A quick test-ride suggests that the persistent creak may finally be gone!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 September, 2011, 06:49:06 pm
the Ken Rogers trike.
Having failed to sell it I'm going to use it thru winter for local trips.The shops,bank,Strawberry Farm et al.

Fitted some double sided pedals,a Brooks B17 retrieved from next door neighbour who has had it a while,on trial.Another convert :thumbsup:
It's currently running a 16t single sprocket on freewheel & a 42t chainring.I want a lower gear & having discussed the proceedure for fettling/removing the dual drive rear axle with Gordon (a.k.a. Gordy) to get at the sprocket,I shall take the soft option & fit a smaller chainring.
Need to fit some lights & luggage: a roundtuit exercise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Efrogwr on 11 September, 2011, 07:12:20 pm
A shorter stem and a pair of Crud Raceguards fitted to Mrs E's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 September, 2011, 09:15:12 pm
Adjusted seatpost height & saddle angle on a borrowed Carlton.

Fitted Bagman support

Examined S3X set up on said bike for clues as to what might be wrong with mine.urano P

Got an idea.

Swapped cracked, pitted and worn Durano Pluses on Ridgeback for new pair.  One puncture in their overextended and very hard life IIRC.

Swapped chain for new PC-1

Stripped down cable set up for S3X (on my bike, not the borrowed one).  Found that the cable stop didn't fit in new location.  Made note for SJS order.

Cleaned Ridgeback

Repaired another Bagman and fitted it to Orbit

Stripped off cranks & removed BB from Orbit

Cleaned BB & BB shell thoroughly

Used epoxy to relocate BB

Refitted cranks

Removed rear mech cable.  Shortened cable outer slightly to get rid of badly frayed section.  Reconnected.

About to go and fit a new chain.  Wish me luck.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 September, 2011, 11:12:28 pm
Done the chain.  Took the opportunity to lock the mech out of the smallest sprocket, because it makes the chain foul the stay (long story, already related).  Lever straightened.  How did that get wonky?

Replaced the saddlebag straps with sections of toestrap earlier cut & sealed over the stove.  I screwed them in loops to the dowel.  Works well.

Went for a shakedown ride.  Glad I did.  The Cyo was a bit dim, and no surprise because the connector wasn't on the dynamo contacts.  I'd given mine to a friend, who had lost hers on the road.  I've ordered some spares, but tonight I raided one off the Ridgeback, since that's not going anywhere.

Last of all, I needed to get a computer sorted out.  I dropped mine down the side of a train at Victoris station, so I took one from my Dawes Super Galaxy and reprogrammed it.

That's enough for today, so I can go to bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 September, 2011, 03:48:29 pm
Fitted rear reflectors (several),lights & brackets,bottle cage & saddle bag ( Carriadice Camper Longflap) to the trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 September, 2011, 04:21:07 pm
Removed the SPD cleats from my shoes. Three reasons for this: 1) my SPD pedals are on the MTB which is still in Poland, 2) the cleats make it slightly tricky to get into the toe clips as they catch on the pedal cage, 3) yesterday I lost one of the bolts out of the sole of the shoe. Replaced the gap with the ridged plastic piece that the shoes came with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 12 September, 2011, 04:25:38 pm
I fitted a rack. It took ages. Why are racks (and mudguards) such a flipping pain?

I've built a whole wheel in time it took to fit that bloody rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 September, 2011, 04:32:04 pm
I remember it taking a long time when I first fitted the guards and rack that are on my Giant. I had to remove them to ship it back to myself (that does sound absurd - why didn't I just ride it a 2000km tour home?) and was surprised to find that refitting them was quick and easy. I'm not sure if the difference is simply having done it before, or maybe it was just that this time the guards already had their stays attached?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 12 September, 2011, 04:44:59 pm
Stripped the rear Ambrosio Zenith on the audax machine fully expecting to replace dodgy no brand stainless steel 6001 2rs bearings I fitted last year.   Not a bit of it.   It is the original bearings in the freehub that have self-destructed.  I still swapped the bearings out for some skf labelled stainless steel replacements.   It will be interesting to see just how good or otherwise they really are.

Need to order some of the right size bearings for the freehub and some circlip pliers.   

I'm currently unable to use the bike.   Ho hum.    :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 September, 2011, 04:47:41 pm
Yesterday, whilst riding to York I had a lonely as no-one could stand the squeeking of my disc brakes (at least I think that's why no-one wanted to ride with me :) )

So today i have backed them off one notch each side and all is quiet again and the brakes still work! \o/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 12 September, 2011, 08:49:11 pm
Just fitted a new tyre well it's an old one really that was replaced for pbp.  The one i've just taken off has about 70% of the tread worn off  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 September, 2011, 08:52:12 pm
I've swapped the cassette on my Orbit, so I don't have to avoid any sprockets tomorrow.  Thanks to Butterfly for getting it for me :-*

Then I had a go at adjusting my rear brake blocks to reduce the squeal (well, yes, they are Koolstops, since you mention it).  Not sure how that went, as some things happened while I was doing it :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 September, 2011, 03:01:37 pm
Tried to fit the brake-boss mounting front rack to Custard The Other Genesis. After much grunting and cursing, largely due to the fact that the strip of metal (spring steel  :facepalm:) from the fork crown to the rack interfered with the front tyre no matter how hard I swore at it, I gave in and will fit it to the Surly instead.

Also, during the course of aforementioned grunting and cursing, ParcelFarce turned up with the rear rack I'd ordered from SJS so I fitted that as well. Took me about 5 minutes  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 September, 2011, 03:59:42 pm
An Ortlieb bar-bag bracket to the trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 14 September, 2011, 04:07:45 pm
A pair of luscious Carradice Super C front panniers  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 14 September, 2011, 07:44:49 pm
Price of those has gone up a tad this year strewth..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 14 September, 2011, 11:08:35 pm
A B&M Seculite to go with an IQ Fly on my winter commuter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wonky on 14 September, 2011, 11:20:54 pm
A bike lift using screw in hooks and eyes, and some lengths of electrical flex.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 16 September, 2011, 05:54:42 pm
Quote from: Mal Volio on 10 September, 2011, 09:08:48 pm
Swapped the front wheels over on the tractor to increase its stability, and mastered the complexities of 3-point mountings and power couplings so I could take off the grass topper, move the box thing into the barn and reattach the topper :)

I learned that the jack & wheelbrace from a 2005 Toyota were useless for this, but the ones from an Audi A4 were ideal.

Did you ever post pictures of your tractor ?
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who's interested  ;)



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 September, 2011, 06:22:53 pm
Custard The Other Genesis now has a front rack and I now have what is effectively a fixed-gear/singlespeed touring bike :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 16 September, 2011, 06:35:29 pm
New bars ( courtesy of Peliroja) fitted and taped. Test ride completed. Verdict :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 September, 2011, 05:14:02 pm
Been into work and swapped the 'new' chainset onto the tourer.  Noticed that the BB shell needs re-bodging. Rode to train and am now heading home.  I set out earlier in sunshine, but arrived at work in the rain.  Left work in the rain and the sun has come out before the train has left the station.  Hope it holds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 17 September, 2011, 11:48:12 pm
Step 1.  Remove RH crank bolt.
Step 2.  Screw in crank extractor and tighten until crank is loose.
Step 3.  Remove broken crank, spider and chain ring.
Step 4.  Place ISIS bottom bracket tool in vice.
Step 5.  Place crank's lockring on ISIS bottom bracket tool
Step 6.  Pull crank anti-clockwise and remove lock ring.
Step 7.  Place chain ring on bench press down to release spider from broken crank.
Step 8.  Take rare opportunity to tranfser all oil and dirt from chainring and spider on to hands. Also known as cleaning.
Step 9.  Remove pedal from other bit of broken crank.
Step 10.  Place new crank on spider add copperslip and tighten lockring.
Step 11.  Place new crank on bottom bracket and screw in crank bolt.
Step 12.  Add more oil to hand when replacing chain.
Step 13.  Screw pedal into crank.
Finally admire new crank made oily with the magic hands created in Step 8 and 12.
Wind round to see if the wheel still turns.  Success.
Wash hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 September, 2011, 03:38:45 pm
 3 lawns,two front brakes on the trike & a tarp
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 September, 2011, 07:29:28 pm
fettle-fail
cooker door 1 : jogler 0
 :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 September, 2011, 08:40:56 pm
Quote from: jogler on 18 September, 2011, 03:38:45 pm
3 lawns,two front brakes on the trike & a tarp
You put brakes on a tarp?
Colour me impressed ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mikeluke on 18 September, 2011, 08:54:29 pm
Winter tyres on my Dave Yates together with a smarter closer setup for my full length mudguards and an extra long mudflap for my rear wheel. Ready for my RRTY campaign to continue through the cold :)

Next job, rebuilding my fixed gear commuter bike onto a Surly 1x1 frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 September, 2011, 11:43:00 am
First coat of clear lacquer on the Ultegra levers I bought a little while ago.

The levers are mechanically sound, just scruffy looking (or were) so I cleaned all the old lacquer off with T-Cut then cleaned down with Isoproponol then mask up and spray.

Will check later, think each lever will get 4/5 coats to prolong life.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 20 September, 2011, 09:31:50 pm
Replaced the brake bridge and chainstay bridge clips on my rear mudguard with cable ties. That is one annoying rattle dealt with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 20 September, 2011, 09:44:17 pm
New mudguards on the Soma. I'd forgotten what a horrible bloody job that is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 22 September, 2011, 02:36:30 pm
Changed the batteries in a rear Cateye light, only after I figured out how to take the bloody thing apart without resorting to violence!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 22 September, 2011, 04:01:24 pm
Quote from: groucho on 22 September, 2011, 02:36:30 pm
Changed the batteries in a rear Cateye light, only after I figured out how to take the bloody thing apart without resorting to violence!

The bloody thing has come on and will not switch off! Gonna leave it to dry out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 22 September, 2011, 04:05:17 pm
By that time, you'll need new batteries  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 22 September, 2011, 04:31:37 pm
The central heating thermostat. My daughter was complaining it was cold and on inspection I realised the screen on the thermostat was blank causing the heating not to come on at all. I tried rechargeable AAAs and they got stuck because are slightly bigger than normal AAAs. Had to prize them out with a screwdriver and tweezers and stick in some normal AAAs  :facepalm: At least the heating now works!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 22 September, 2011, 04:49:14 pm
Replaced a spoke in my hybrids rear wheel. Has only taken me 2 years to get round to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 22 September, 2011, 08:58:48 pm
Finally got around to rebuilding my Sabbath after it's return from Paris in a bike bag. It's now ready to go and clean, although I had forgotten how low my brake pads were so need to get some new Kool Stop Salmons on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 23 September, 2011, 10:37:34 am
Quote from: geraldc on 22 September, 2011, 04:49:14 pm
Replaced a spoke in my hybrids rear wheel. Has only taken me 2 years to get round to it.

Replaced a spoke in my hybrid's rear wheel. Has only taken me 2 months to get round to it.

About 10 other non-driveside spokes were loose too, all tightened up and the wheel is back in some semblance of trueness.

It's now much less sluggish than it was before (the wheel was out of true and rubbing on the brakes and mudguard).

Reminds me, I should fit spoke reflectors to it now that it's soon going to be dark for my commute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 September, 2011, 11:06:32 am
Just fettled some MKS clipless pedals onto the trike.I'm hoping this will allow me to get some pull on the upstroke when going uphill to make it easier on the currently overgeared single speed drive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 23 September, 2011, 11:43:02 am
Yesterday I replaced the snapped/worn through O-ring on one of my Crud Road Racers and reset the brushes by super glueing rubbers spacers between the guards and the brushes.
Today I need to replace one of the screw/nut combos since one fell off last night.
Arse.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 23 September, 2011, 04:46:08 pm
Various small bits & bobs on the Pompino. Fitted the bottle cage, took off the bar raiser & horrible adjustable stem and put on the all-in-one riser/stem I got from Cyclesense. That saved me >200g & looks better too. As it's not a removable faceplate (?) stem, I had to take off the various bits of bar furniture. Dug out the Kalloy seatpost & Selle Royal saddle I bought for it and fitted them. The positioning of the various bits needs fine-tuning, but that'll have to wait until I've cold set the rear frame. In other words, it's all going to have to come off on Sunday!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 24 September, 2011, 05:25:06 pm
Front lowrider rack affixed to the hybrid. For when the rear rack and trailer alone just aren't enough! :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 September, 2011, 06:57:28 pm
Failed to fettle the boiler, which is cycling when the hot water is run continuously, resulting in lukewarm baths and an unhappy barakta.

Detailed investigation revealed that it wasn't a thermistor or electronics problem, so by elimination I reckon the heat exchanger over-temperature thermostat is kicking in and shutting everything off.  Presumably this will be due to an accumulation of gunk™ in the heat exchanger, which would be entirely in character, and undeniably a Plumbing problem.

Sigh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 September, 2011, 08:48:34 pm
Raised my saddle height about 1cm. I think it's about right now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 September, 2011, 09:14:54 pm
Made a significant contribution to the mending of someone else's puncture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 25 September, 2011, 02:14:28 pm
The mounting bracket for my Ortlieb bar bag (on the Hewitt).  I've fettled it so well I now have to buy a replacement.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 25 September, 2011, 03:51:44 pm
Stripped down the rear end of the Pompino in readiness for tomorrow's cold setting operation. Took off the rear v-brake, as the new hub will have a coaster brake - something I'm not that fond of, but I hope I'll get used to.

I also took the wheel off the Orbit as it has the same hub I'll be fitting to the Pomp, albeit without the coaster brake. That's now made me wonder if it's the same OLN, so I'll disappear off to the SRAM site next to see... Hmmm, old technology, so not on the site. The seller says 130mm OLN, which is the same as the freewheel version & sounds right, but it'd be nice to confirm that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 25 September, 2011, 03:53:25 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 24 September, 2011, 09:14:54 pm
Made a significant contribution to the mending of someone else's puncture.

I've done that several times, usually by stepping back and letting them get on with it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 September, 2011, 04:16:15 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 25 September, 2011, 03:53:25 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 24 September, 2011, 09:14:54 pm
Made a significant contribution to the mending of someone else's puncture.

I've done that several times, usually by stepping back and letting them get on with it.

Indeed, standing and watching people fix mechanicals (while wearing a decent head torch) is something I do fairly often on night rides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 25 September, 2011, 04:35:51 pm
Comprehensively filled polly in every room in the house.
Emptied some boxes.
After a cup of tea I might tackle the bike bits chest of drawers, which has started to collapse in on itself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 25 September, 2011, 06:40:11 pm
Dynamo wheel and Cyo back onto the fixed commuter. It seems very early in the year to need them, but last week was really dark at 6:30 AM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 25 September, 2011, 07:53:16 pm
I helped fettle SimonP's front and back garden. There was shredding action and a trip to the recycling centre involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 25 September, 2011, 08:03:49 pm
Quote from: Feline on 25 September, 2011, 07:53:16 pm
I helped fettle SimonP's front and back garden. There was shredding action and a trip to the recycling centre involved.

Would you like to visit us? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 25 September, 2011, 08:57:50 pm
To strip the threads on one wheelnut, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to strip both looks like carelessness.

 :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 25 September, 2011, 09:01:58 pm
Sorted the front mech on the Holdsworth while out today. For some reason it only wanted to play on the two outer rings. Or maybe it's been like that for a while and I've just not needed the granny ring!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 September, 2011, 09:11:27 pm
I had a good go at the fixed this evening.  I've done over 100km on it this weekend, so I reckon it's back on the road for the commute. :thumbsup:

Changed blockas and adjusted rear brakes, then trued front & rear wheels, though I have to say that those Chrinas are rather good rims, and stay round & such rather well :)

Then a tug on the wheel to keep the chain tension up.  I've found that, given the hub's own virtual lash, it is even more important to avoid slack chain on an S3X than an ordinary fixed.

Oh - and I've got as far as it being an S2.5X I think.  The bottom gear has been engaging since I dealt with the cable routing issues, though it still slips a bit.  I'll see how it is tomorrow, though it isn't as crucial as the top two. 

I might be able to return Adrian's bike soon! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Simonb on 25 September, 2011, 09:14:03 pm
A door. And a sink. I hated every second of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 September, 2011, 05:04:51 pm
A conifer hedge that required a petrol-driven motorised boys'ntoys reciprocating industrial trimmer.I won :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 26 September, 2011, 06:17:49 pm
My eyebrows.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 September, 2011, 10:29:30 pm
swapped 28mm gatorskins to 25mm marathon+'s on my commuter. winter is just around the corner, innit.

when doing the swap, noticed that rear gatorskin's sidwall is about to fail..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 27 September, 2011, 02:15:15 pm
a quote, and measuring up, for a new back door.  combined with the recently acquired new back gate with a proper lock, and the recently relocated bike bunker, and the soon to be added ground anchor, this is another step towards bike storage in the back yard.

so that i can store extra bikes in the living room, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 September, 2011, 02:19:04 pm
Swapped cabinets in the hallway.

Took TLD's passport for renewal.

Made a light bracket for the Inbred.

Now I need to work out how to fit mudguards, still....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 27 September, 2011, 02:38:54 pm
Chopped up an old halogen front light, with a dremmel to make a bracket to fit my new (cheap secondhand bargain) GPS onto a handlebar light bracket.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/GPSmount1.jpg)

The result after sanding & polishing, adding a bit of mousemat backing to cushion the GPS, and a SVGA cable screw to attach (needs to be loosened to change batteries):

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/GPSmount2.jpg)

 :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 September, 2011, 03:11:00 pm
Open rubber-band surgery on my eTrex.  I'd post photos, but there isn't a lot to see.

With luck, it should remain waterproof until such a time as the new models are a bit more familiar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 27 September, 2011, 03:15:10 pm
Some ortlieb panniers. Well, one ortlieb pannier. What I thought would be a simple job, took me far longer than it should. I was late for work, and the pannier is still too far forward so I keep hitting my heal on it.

The bit on the bottom that is supposed to anchor the pannier to the rack won't go any further in the direction it needs to in order for me to change where it sits on the rack. :(

I'm not sure how to fix it.  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 September, 2011, 03:25:39 pm
Depending on your particular breed of Ortlieb, the runner that the hook on the bottom attaches to may be invertible, to give a new range of positions?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 27 September, 2011, 03:50:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 September, 2011, 03:25:39 pm
Depending on your particular breed of Ortlieb, the runner that the hook on the bottom attaches to may be invertible, to give a new range of positions?
Yes it is, and I've already inverted it. I had to in order to get it to fit at all.

I think I might need to change my rack, or modify it in some way to move it further back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 September, 2011, 03:53:54 pm
My HRM has suffered an arrest
I think the wireless computer has killed it

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have recussitated my HRM  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 27 September, 2011, 04:13:08 pm
The bracket on the bow (rhymes with cow) of my boat takes a Cateye light.  Either I could fit the Single-shot plus, and blind everyone else on the river, OR fit a more sensible light.  I turned the house upside-down searching for my EL-200, before remembering that it was on the bike I lent to a friend.  And she's on a course this week, and won't be back till Monday.

So off to the bikeshop, to buy a small+cheap+cheerful+cateyemountcompatible light.

Only when I got it to the club, and unpacked it, did I find that they've changed the bracket arrangement.  An old light will fit on the new bracket, but the new light won't fit on the old bracket.

I've now molished, using a variety of Tower-of-Hanoi-style washers, a new fitting for the light.  Expect to hear the familiar sploshfuckit sound soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 28 September, 2011, 10:56:06 am
I nearly forgot the computer for the bike I have today - I haven't ridden it since we toured and the computer was upstairs. Having fetched it, I thought that it was a bit faint, but I put on the bike, where it did nothing in particular for most of the ride in, apart from a couple of seconds, a mile or so in, when it went from sleep mode to awake and recorded 0.02 of a mile, before dosing off again.

I dropped my charge at nursery, before riding along to Herne Hill to obtain a battery from the hardware shop there. Having consulted the online manual, it is now ready to record the nursery pick up :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 September, 2011, 11:03:05 am
:thumbsup:

I have to confess I didn't think to fettle the computer last night, though we did swap the rack with my tourer (the Orbit looks a bit odd with a modern-style rack on it ;D ), repair a puncture (well, swap a tube and put the rim tape straight so it didn't nip again), and check the gears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 28 September, 2011, 11:34:09 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 27 September, 2011, 02:15:15 pm
a quote, and measuring up, for a new back door.  combined with the recently acquired new back gate with a proper lock, and the recently relocated bike bunker, and the soon to be added ground anchor, this is another step towards bike storage in the back yard.

so that i can store extra bikes in the living room, of course.
Brill! Do you want a small wheeled tandem? You could put some crank shorteners on it. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 28 September, 2011, 11:36:01 am
I've even set the right time on the computer I fettled :). That makes it unique amongst my bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 September, 2011, 12:05:57 pm
I wish I knew how to do that on mine. It's about 2h30 fast, for some reason, and I've left the manual in Poland, but brought over with me the manual for the computer that's on the MTB which I left there.  ::-) But who cares, I've got a watch!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 28 September, 2011, 12:40:54 pm
On the Audax Mk3 - replaced the chain and, whilst it was off, cleaned up the rear derailleur which was both a little loose and sticking a bit on the b-pivot. Then retweaked the gears. I'm toying with the idea of replacing the ergos on this with down tube, aerobar (actually down tube shifters with a profile bracket to mount on the aerobars, so I can try both positions) or bar end shifters. I don't particularly like the look of bar end shifters.
The reason is that the Campag ergos give me thumb pain (old injury) towards the end of very long rides (800k+), my SRAM shifters are quite heavy, which gives a good feel on short rides but was difficult to shift towards the end of PBP when my hands were tired and weak.

On the Pursuit fixie - replaced the old style bottom bracket which had damage on the bearing face so never ran smoothly with a Shimano cartridge. This involved drilling out the rivet holding the unused cable guide under the BB shell as it fouled the cartridge. Then put on a circa 1984 vintage Solida chainset rather than the pressed steel Raleigh "custom" one. I was worried about the Raleigh one folding under acceleration after I removed the inner chainring (something I hadn't though about until I butchered it to remove it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 28 September, 2011, 12:57:07 pm
Yodel delivered an Ebay purchase - Edinburgh Revolution trailer - a copy of the BOB Yak.  Unpacked and assembled and trial fitted it to the bike.  Not ridden with it yet as it means carrying trailer and then bike down steep outside staircase (it's a case of bikes live in the hall or in a very insecure garage belonging to the landlord).  The trailer looks very well made and has the advantage over the BOB in that it can be folded.  I want to bodge a mount on the trailer to take a light and a Cornish flag will be an improvement on the nondescript one supplied  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 29 September, 2011, 08:47:44 pm
Just installed my elevador de bicicletas in the garage. A holiday souvenir from an Adalucian brach of Aldi, a snip at 6.99 Euros. I hope this should help me carry out some advanced gear fettling at the weekend.

Juan
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 September, 2011, 08:50:50 pm
Is that a rope and a pulley?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 29 September, 2011, 08:55:25 pm
Taking apart my old fixed Schwinn to sell the frame.  It's always a little sad, breaking up a bike you used to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 29 September, 2011, 08:57:23 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 29 September, 2011, 08:50:50 pm
Is that a rope and a pulley?

That's the one. I am sure that you can get them in the UK as well but I'm always too late for those sort of things so I thought I would get it when I saw it. In a nearby Lidl they also had shedloads of the maintenance stands and still had plenty after a week - but too big to bring back. I understand from the CTC forum they are usually gone within hours in the UK.

Juan
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 September, 2011, 10:14:00 pm
I got a phone call earlier from Apex Cycles to say that their chivvying of the distributor yesterday had paid dividends, and my 24t chainring had arrived.

Fortunately, the closing off of Clapham did not prevent my getting to Apex after work, or I would have been very downhearted.  But now I have fitted the chainrings to the spider, and swapped over from the cheapie 2nd hand crank that Apex had furnished me with to get me home.  Now I have replaced the original 48-34-24 with 50-36-24, which gives me a slightly higher top end, and a higher middle ring spread so I can use the rear mech for sequential changing through my commuting gears, as well as keeping my climbing gears for loaded touring.

So my Orbit is back on the road!  I still aim to get an EBB fitted and go for hub gears/fixed, but, for now, it is back to its 3x7* configuration, and I am looking forward to riding my old friend tomorrow and Saturday. :)

Just been out for a shakedown, and I am reminded why I keep coming back to this bike again and again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 September, 2011, 07:49:03 pm
Today I audaxified my bike in preparation for tomorrow: oiled the chain, adjusted the brakes, replaced the failing batteries in the rear light, raised the saddle another bit and added a second bottle cage in acknowledgement of the hot weather. All things that needed doing anyway, except for the bottle cage. And then I noticed my bars were not quite in line, so I moved them round on the steerer. Not sure how that happened.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 30 September, 2011, 08:06:02 pm
Planted reflectors on spokes and of course managed to lose one along the way....strewth..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 September, 2011, 08:07:24 pm
Quote from: clarion on 29 September, 2011, 10:14:00 pm
Now I have replaced the original 48-34-24 with 50-36-24, which gives me a slightly higher top end, and a higher middle ring spread so I can use the rear mech for sequential changing through my commuting gears, as well as keeping my climbing gears for loaded touring.

That there is a damn fine set of chainring sizes, if I do say so myself :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim on 30 September, 2011, 09:04:56 pm
Bar tape applied. Just need to get hold of a new in line adjustor bolt where the cable enters the rear mech and I'll have this one back on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frere on 30 September, 2011, 09:35:26 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 30 September, 2011, 07:49:03 pm
Today I audaxified my bike in preparation for tomorrow: oiled the chain, adjusted the brakes, replaced the failing batteries in the rear light, raised the saddle another bit and added a second bottle cage in acknowledgement of the hot weather. All things that needed doing anyway, except for the bottle cage. And then I noticed my bars were not quite in line, so I moved them round on the steerer. Not sure how that happened.

oiled the chain - with what lubrication if I may ask?

Frere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 October, 2011, 01:31:14 pm
Replaced the hub and freehub bearings in my Ambrosio Zenith rear hub on the audax bike.  There was a lot of tool improvisation but all went well  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 01 October, 2011, 03:08:36 pm
New additional lock on garage door, and just about to go fit a bling carbon seatpost  to the Focus, then get the Holdsworth sorted for a very early start tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 October, 2011, 06:33:10 pm
Most of the way through long overdue fettling of the Challenge Hurricane. Swapped out the ageing and knackered grips and shifters and now need to look at dubious chain routing and chain tube routing. Put nice new Dual Drive shifter and rear mech on.

More tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 01 October, 2011, 10:08:43 pm
My first attempt at a road bike has had huge problems with a cheap FSA chainset (rings are actually bent) and hence poor indexing. I am thinking about replacing with Stronglight and changing gearing as well so I can get up them there audax hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 01 October, 2011, 11:54:25 pm
Bought a cheapie corded hedge trimmer, attempted fettling of a hedge that's not been touched in the two years we've lived here...

And it was ok, for the thin stuff at least. Needed the loppers for the thicker stuff but once I get it back to where I want it maintenance cuts will be far quicker. The fettle fail was when my longarm loppers lost a bolt. Not ideal, and quite suprising as they are nylock nuts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 02 October, 2011, 07:13:10 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 01 October, 2011, 06:33:10 pm
Most of the way through long overdue fettling of the Challenge Hurricane. Swapped out the ageing and knackered grips and shifters and now need to look at dubious chain routing and chain tube routing. Put nice new Dual Drive shifter and rear mech on.

More tomorrow.

Finished fettling the bent and took some photographs.  I now need to learn yet again how to post pics and get over into For Sale...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: welshwheels on 02 October, 2011, 07:27:43 pm
fettled an extra set of lights to the single speed work bike thingy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 02 October, 2011, 08:41:47 pm
Attempted to remove stem from my old mixte (converting from drops to flat bars). Managed to get the stem to move, but cannot get it out. It appears to want to go round and round, but not up or down. ::-) ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 03 October, 2011, 08:41:13 am
Saturday morning removed rear wheel from Royal with aid of elevador de bicicletas and took it into LBS (Woods of Headcorn)by MTB to replace broken spoke. Picked it up after lunch and refitted. Removed and refitted M+ tyre without too many problems, although it was impossible to get back on the rim without levers. LBS appeared to be doing a roaring trade in mending punctures which I found a bit strange but good news if it keeps them in business. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 03 October, 2011, 10:41:34 am
Finally diagnosed the clicking I was getting when I pedalled. Eliminated shoelaces, loose EBB, loos chainring etc.. Finally some comedy bone footed pedalling narrowed it down to the left side. Crank bolts were tights I borrowed a pedal from another bike. Silence!

So at £22 a pair are Shimano M520's a disposable item or does anyone actually service them?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 October, 2011, 10:49:38 am
Finally fitted the bashguard onto my Surly 1x11 last night - the guard itself took its time in actually arriving, and initial the distributors sent the wrong size. Even after they sent the correct item, it laid unregarded in its packaging until last night, when I was struggling for something to do and thought 'sod it' and did the deed.

Can't say I'm overly taken by the look of the bash guard (clear polycarbonate with black bits - would have preferred all black) but it does look much better than a 'bare' chainring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 October, 2011, 10:52:31 am
Fitted the PlanetBike Cascadia 'guards to the InBred, well the back one aas I still need to go to the local farm supplies place and get the P-Clips for the front one.

then I fitted the Ortlieb bar bag, so nearly all set up now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 October, 2011, 05:31:20 pm
Having adjusted my brakes on Friday, I had to do it again today.  :o I pulled hard-ish but from a low speed on the front brake, and the cable pulled through the link. Oh dear. Strange and lucky thing is this happened at the top of a hill, rather than going down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 03 October, 2011, 06:07:35 pm
Yesterday, in the pub, I helped a friend change his tyres. One of the original tyres had delaminated on the ride so he went to the LBS and bought two new ones.
We chose the pub on the basis of good beer AND space in the beer garden to work on the bike.
The essential details: TT Landlord (2 pints) and Panaracer Crosstowns (2 of).


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 October, 2011, 06:23:27 pm
Quote from: Frere on 30 September, 2011, 09:35:26 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 30 September, 2011, 07:49:03 pm
Today I audaxified my bike in preparation for tomorrow: oiled the chain, adjusted the brakes, replaced the failing batteries in the rear light, raised the saddle another bit and added a second bottle cage in acknowledgement of the hot weather. All things that needed doing anyway, except for the bottle cage. And then I noticed my bars were not quite in line, so I moved them round on the steerer. Not sure how that happened.

oiled the chain - with what lubrication if I may ask?

Frere
Park CL-1 "synthetic blend chain lube with PTFE"
Bought on the basis of most ml for the least £ in LBS, thanks to a sale on Park products.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Androcles on 03 October, 2011, 08:38:09 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 03 October, 2011, 10:41:34 am
Finally diagnosed the clicking I was getting when I pedalled. Eliminated shoelaces, loose EBB, loos chainring etc.. Finally some comedy bone footed pedalling narrowed it down to the left side. Crank bolts were tights I borrowed a pedal from another bike. Silence!

So at £22 a pair are Shimano M520's a disposable item or does anyone actually service them?

Never gone as far as "servicing" mine but an all-over spray of GT85 usually works when they get a bit clicky.

Today's fettle: washing machine.  I thought I had the lack of drainage sorted yesterday but the 5p coin in the pump impeller was just a (noisy) red herring.  The real blockage was something nasty where the drain tube met the U-bend  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 03 October, 2011, 08:44:27 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 03 October, 2011, 10:41:34 am
So at £22 a pair are Shimano M520's a disposable item or does anyone actually service them?

The plastic tool to unscrew the bearings is about 3 quid - if you only do this and repack the innards with decent grease every six months or so they'll last pretty much for ever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 October, 2011, 09:14:03 pm
Swapped Adrian's wheel back to his bike and put mine back on, er, mine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 04 October, 2011, 10:51:33 pm
I located the sock that had sneaked through the unfeasibly small holes in the washing machine drum and had partially jammed it.
Extraction involved lying on the floor with one arm and my head in the drum while using, alternately, tweezers, long head pliers and normal pliers. I also had a bike light inside the drum to provide illumination.
There were varying degrees of grunting and swearing.
I won't get those two hours of my life back. I presumably won't get back the hours that I'll need to spend tomorrow to extract the rest.
One thing I do know; Helen won't be wearing that sock again.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 October, 2011, 08:33:51 pm
assembled my fixie today to get my legs (and brain) trained before this sunday's bash (http://www.cyclechat.net/topic/88475-herne-hill-velodrome-sun-9th-oct-11am-1pm/) at herne hill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 05 October, 2011, 11:28:11 pm
More sock extraction.
Yesterday's work had made my side rather tender. I only realised this when I stuck my head and shoulder into the drum. Ouch.
Extraction was less fruitful today and there is still quite a bit of sock visible behind the drum.
More fun tomorrow......................

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 06 October, 2011, 08:15:58 am
Judicious application of Fernox LX goes a long way to curing buzz from a lamp bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 October, 2011, 10:27:00 am
fettled the caravan water storeage & drains to zero level in preperation for winter hibernation.Now need to give it a quick clean & put it's jimjham's on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 October, 2011, 10:39:42 am
Have you ensured you have removed all the cake?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 October, 2011, 11:18:42 am
is the Pope catholic ? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 06 October, 2011, 12:52:46 pm
Removed wheels from Coventry Eagle, removed tyre and tube from rear (wheel) ready for delivery to LBS for truing on Saturday. Stripped down front hub ready for weekend bearing replacement, assuming I can get some replacement bearings.

I think I’ll use this as my short-range winter thrashabout until I get something a little more modern.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 October, 2011, 01:02:34 pm
Managed to track down the annoying 'loose bolt' sound on the front rack of t'other Genesis. After much bolt-tightening and application of thread lock it turned out it was the noodle for the front brake rattling against the rear end of the rack whenever I went over a bump  :facepalm:

The cure? A little bit of insulating tape around the top of the noodle to dampen the noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 October, 2011, 05:26:55 pm
The Stupid Seat Mounts on the Streetmachine.  This is an older deisgn that's inherently squeaky, unless you take the quick releases off and clean all the surfaces thoroughly before doing them up Bastard Tight every few months.  Hopefully this will keep the noise down until such a time as I can obtain some appropriately sized nuts and bolts (I never adjust the seat angle, and nuts are more conducive to Bastard Tightness than external-cam QRs).

Oiled the chain, too.


ETA: I've no idea how I forgot!  There was a spider nest in the bloody seat bracket!  Presumably related to the spider that covered my bike in webs over the course of the Mildenhall Rally.  I wondered where the cotton wool had come from, prodded it and *spiders* came out.  I then did what anyone would do in that situation, which was to a) scream like a girl  b) obliterate the nest with extreme prejudice and  c) hope that the ones that escaped are fenland spiders and therefore won't be able to climb stairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 06 October, 2011, 06:31:57 pm
I just fettled some code into submission.  Yay.  :thumbsup:

For over week, the code I'm running on a small microcontroller has been crashing unpredictably, and I couldn't work out why.  I thought it was something to do with the faux printf statement, but after starting hard at it's code, I didn't think that was it, although it seemed to be related to printing stuff out over the Serial/USB interface.

Today I worked out that it was running out of RAM.  Even though it has 32k of Flash memory for the code, of which I haven't quite used half yet, it only has 2½k of RAM, and for some bizarre reason static strings eat up RAM, so every print statement with a static string in it was gradually eating the RAM up. :-\

Odd, but now I've dug out some convoluted code that allows me to print out and store static strings in the program code, so I'm freeing up a fair chunk of that 2½k and it's working happily. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 October, 2011, 09:33:41 am
Last night a friend came round with her new bike - a rather shiny Specialized Dolce.  We refitted her lights so they weren't strapped over the brake cables ::-) , fitted a rack temporarily, bodged the slightly inadequate temporary Bontrager computer, and then helped her buy some stuff from Spa, and put together a priority list for when she sees Corridori.

It's her first road bike, so it's going to take some getting used to, though she does ride distances, and, since she lives near Richmond Park, is likely to get fitter and faster very quickly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 07 October, 2011, 12:05:30 pm
Repaired the map trap with super glue and parcel tape.

Felt all Kim-ish, till I considered she'd probably support the join with rivets and Ti plates and use sugru for a better mounting system.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 October, 2011, 01:32:37 pm
I, er, replaced the bolt which had fallen out of my rack mounting on the way to work. :-[

And tightened all the other bolts :-[ :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 07 October, 2011, 03:51:11 pm
Tried to stop my creaking bars creaking. Failed. They still creak.

If they break on the ride tomorrow... well - it's been nice knowing you all...  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 07 October, 2011, 03:56:15 pm
My rhino.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 October, 2011, 03:57:43 pm
Quote from: clarion on 07 October, 2011, 01:32:37 pm
I, er, replaced the bolt which had fallen out of my rack mounting on the way to work. :-[

And tightened all the other bolts :-[ :-[

Did that with mine yesterday, must remember not to go off-road with a rack attached.

Hopefully fixed my bolt losing woes though, as I replaced the bottom ones with longer ones so that I could put a nylock nut on the end to stop them rattling out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2011, 03:59:49 pm
I replaced the electric blanket with a new one (making beds totally counts as fettling).  Because I'd killed the heating element on my side of the old one by being too fat, and some things just aren't worth botching.

This means I won't have to use barakta to warm my feet this winter.   :thumbsup:


Anyone want a double electric blanket that only works on one side?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 07 October, 2011, 04:05:09 pm
Carbon seatpost and clamp fitted! Mmmm plastic goodness
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 07 October, 2011, 04:36:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 October, 2011, 03:59:49 pm
I replaced the electric blanket with a new one (making beds totally counts as fettling).  Because I'd killed the heating element on my side of the old one by being too fat, and some things just aren't worth botching.

This means I won't have to use barakta to warm my feet this winter.   :thumbsup:


Anyone want a double electric blanket that only works on one side?

Sounds like what we need ;D -Nutty probably does too!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 07 October, 2011, 04:36:58 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 07 October, 2011, 03:57:43 pm
Quote from: clarion on 07 October, 2011, 01:32:37 pm
I, er, replaced the bolt which had fallen out of my rack mounting on the way to work. :-[

And tightened all the other bolts :-[ :-[

Did that with mine yesterday, must remember not to go off-road with a rack attached.

Hopefully fixed my bolt losing woes though, as I replaced the bottom ones with longer ones so that I could put a nylock nut on the end to stop them rattling out.

I use thread lock on my mudguard and rack bolts.  Should not shake loose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 October, 2011, 04:38:28 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 07 October, 2011, 04:36:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 October, 2011, 03:59:49 pm
I replaced the electric blanket with a new one (making beds totally counts as fettling).  Because I'd killed the heating element on my side of the old one by being too fat, and some things just aren't worth botching.

This means I won't have to use barakta to warm my feet this winter.   :thumbsup:


Anyone want a double electric blanket that only works on one side?

Sounds like what we need ;D -Nutty probably does too!

While I don't like to be prescriptive, I don't approve of your sharing a blanket with Nutty.

Especially tonight - the sleeping bag's not big enough!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 08 October, 2011, 07:49:43 pm
Fitted the SRAM hub gear wheel to the Pompino. This involved much teeth grinding, mainly because I was incompetent. The main thing is that the cold setting Robgul of this very parish performed was most satisfactory - thanks Rob!

The shifter needed some work too, but worked first time. Having a coaster brake means one less cable, but will take some getting used to. It also means that wheel removal has an added complication.

Oh, the Slime inner tubes I fitted in the spring proved to be a PITA, as they don't deflate enough now to be easily put back on. There's just too much air in them.

Anyway, I now have the bike ready, but couldn't do a proper test ride, as I had my son's mates round this afternoon and had to look after them. I suppose that counts as fettling.

EDIT: It had a test ride today which went well once I has sorted out a couple of pesky pinch punctures. The SRAM hub is vastly superior to the SA one and the whole set up is very smooth. It even managed a bridleway OK, albeit a dry, smoothish one.

The riding position needs tweaking and the rear mudguard fitting - meaning yet another rear wheel removal. I'm tempted to leave the rack off, but practicality means it'll probably go back on.

All in all, £150 well spent as it has transformed the bike from one I knew could be better, so I didn't ride it much, to a much faster, lighter & sleeker roadster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 October, 2011, 05:15:10 pm
The Surly now has a proper lighting bracket, courtesy of that nice Mr. tiermat - means I should be able to see where I'm going should I decide to take said bike on Thursday night's pub run ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 October, 2011, 05:29:48 pm
Stripped the Saracen

Fitted a triple to the Holdsworth, then spent an hour fettling the front shifting (took that long 'cos the cable slipped and I didn't notice :( )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onb on 09 October, 2011, 05:45:00 pm
Best bike cleaned lubed brakes realined and bike now put way till next year when warmer times return,guarded bike cleaned and lubed after a wet and grimy ride yesterday ,just wants new brake pads fitting once Ive got a few more miles out of the cheese type pads that came on the recently aquired  callipers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 09 October, 2011, 06:21:06 pm
Classic ex skip Coventry Eagle back on the road. Front wheel bearings replaced ( 17 out, 20 in - the more the merrier I always say). Back wheel trued by LBS, derailleur stripped cleaned and adjusted, sprockets cleaned, chain cleaned and lubed. Brakes adjusted, needn't have bothered - still crap.

Bike now feels quick and lively despite being unlovely bottom of the range model. Running on Conti Ultra Sports it feels much more nimble than Raleigh Royal on M+. Good fun! 

Kentish lanes now resound to the silken whirr whirr graunch clackety-clackety-clackety spang clunk tsk tsk tsk of Simplex derailleur as I tear along a blur of Lidl lycra, rust and pitted chrome.

30 mile shake down this afternoon, all going well until spoke in front wheel broke at 25 miles. Bugger.

Juan
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 October, 2011, 06:26:15 pm
Front panniers on, including sawing out a head on a stripped cheese-metal bolt (so now all the bolts are stainless :))

Also loaded up the bike with the kit I'll be taking off to Scotland next week and took her out for a spin. It's amazing how much better she handles when loaded front and back, compared to rear panniers only :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 October, 2011, 06:44:26 pm
Just spent an interesting half hour trying to stop the front disc rotor on the Surly from rubbing against the pads. I knew that oddly-shaped bit of red plastic served some purpose  :facepalm: It's the pad spacer - stick it in the caliper, squeeze the lever a couple of times and the pistons in the caliper will behave itself ... think this will be my only dalliance with hydraulic discs; Pugsley will have cable-operated discs, oh yes ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 09 October, 2011, 07:43:46 pm
Stripping and cleaning and greasing my latest Saracen - 1992 Tufftrax Elite. First bike work this year I think. Nice Tange double butted frame. Winter bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 09 October, 2011, 08:56:03 pm
I managed to fix the Alfine hub drive on my commuting bike

Last thursday the chain slipped into the gap between the spocket and the wheel and damaged some of the spocket/join stuff.

I managed to get off the jammed join and sprocket.  There was damage to one of the seals in the part of the hub where the chain had fallen and the centre part of the hub was worn by the experience.  I put it back together again and had to fit a new chain as well as the chain had got severely stretched during the slippage.

I don't quite understand how the stretching happened, it didn't seem that loose when I set off and it seems unlikely that it was caused by 20 seconds of hard pedalling

Bike is running loverly again with a new chain.  I couldn't quite see where/how to refit the damaged seal so that is now missing....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 09 October, 2011, 09:09:22 pm
Fettle fail. One of my 17mm spanners is in the van, at the garage, out of town.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 October, 2011, 01:01:21 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 09 October, 2011, 06:21:06 pm
Kentish lanes now resound to the silken whirr whirr graunch clackety-clackety-clackety spang clunk tsk tsk tsk of Simplex derailleur as I tear along a blur of Lidl lycra, rust and pitted chrome.
Wonderful description.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 10 October, 2011, 01:09:54 pm
i've fettled nowt.  actually, that's not true - i put the seat up a couple on inches on smallestcub's balance bike.

but, in what appears to be becoming a tradition, there may have been some dark o'clock fettlage in the den by kim (with a little light barakta assistance) and the very lovely valencia is no longer sporting the deeply unstylish fashion faux pas that is a set of riser bars with barends since they have been swapped for slightly narrower (with the option of further trimming if i want) flat bars.  suddenly i have (relatively speaking) acres of space for stuff on my bars.

just got to wait another 3 weeks for a test ride...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 10 October, 2011, 03:21:25 pm
Put the finishing touches to the Pompino. Put the mudguards & rack back on and some 3M spoke reflectors on the new rear wheel.

Realised that the bottle cage doesn't match the new green/black colour scheme & debated switching with the Orion, but that would make the Orion look silly, so will have to get a black bottle cage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 October, 2011, 04:05:08 pm
Installed a new flood light to the front of the garage.Not certain the dusk & duration settings are yet optimum
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 10 October, 2011, 06:39:03 pm
Put the low-rider rack on the front of the tourer.  Realised that thefront mudguard no longer fitted, so I swapped it for the SKS one from the dead Pompino.  This was harder than it sounds.

My touring bike now looks like a cut-and-shut, as the front mudguard, rack, and bottle cage are new, shiny and black; whereas the rear guard, rack and cage are silver and very, very worn/bashed.

 :thumbsup:  I like that.  It's a good look.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 October, 2011, 06:42:51 pm
LG, if you want a shiny, new, never fitted rear mudguard, give me a shout, I have a pair in the garage with no stays.  I bought them for a long dead project, and I would gladly let you have it for free.

ETA my fettle today, minor one, put the Carradice Super C on the Holdsworth, then thought about how to fit the SQR slim to the OnOne....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 10 October, 2011, 06:54:55 pm
Blasted.

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20111010%20-%20Monster/DSC00001.jpg)

Meh :(

CHING! :( :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 10 October, 2011, 07:09:23 pm
Quote from: iddu on 10 October, 2011, 06:54:55 pm
Blasted.


Meh :(

CHING! :( :(

What happened there?!  Were you shot at by automatic weapons?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 October, 2011, 07:12:44 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 10 October, 2011, 07:09:23 pm
Quote from: iddu on 10 October, 2011, 06:54:55 pm
Blasted.


Meh :(

CHING! :( :(

What happened there?!  Were you shot at by automatic weapons?
Looks like someone was wildly enthusiastic with a shot/bead blaster. And I mean wildly enthusiastic ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 11 October, 2011, 03:45:26 pm
Quote from: interzen on 10 October, 2011, 07:12:44 pm
Looks like someone was wildly enthusiastic with a shot/bead blaster. And I mean wildly enthusiastic ...
Yeahbut, they'd never admit it ::-) Unless I borrowed the blaster ;D

Now, do I decide to keep it (one of less than a dozen or so worldwide) going, or (N-1)+1 it :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 October, 2011, 03:52:52 pm
Quote from: iddu on 11 October, 2011, 03:45:26 pm
Quote from: interzen on 10 October, 2011, 07:12:44 pm
Looks like someone was wildly enthusiastic with a shot/bead blaster. And I mean wildly enthusiastic ...
Yeahbut, they'd never admit it ::-) Unless I borrowed the blaster ;D

Now, do I decide to keep it (one of less than a dozen or so worldwide) going, or (N-1)+1 it :-\
I'd say that the lowest tube is a lost cause, largely because of that bloody great hole near the weld - the others could probably be patched up in an acceptable manner, though. Depends on how hung up you are on the cosmetic aspect (it sort-of reminds me of my sister's first car, which seemed to consist of filler holding occasional bits of metal together ;) )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 October, 2011, 03:53:17 pm
It's been necessary to breakout the anti-Fairee kit
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 October, 2011, 03:54:20 pm
I can't make out what it is was. :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 11 October, 2011, 04:18:23 pm
Quote from: clarion on 11 October, 2011, 03:54:20 pm
I can't make out what it is was. :-[
Rear end of a (Trice) Monster...

Quote from: interzen on 11 October, 2011, 03:52:52 pm
I'd say that the lowest tube is a lost cause, largely because of that bloody great hole near the weld - the others could probably be patched up in an acceptable manner, though. Depends on how hung up you are on the cosmetic aspect
Aye , that's the killer.  Since it was up for respray anyway, cosmetics is irrelevant. Trouble is, if it's not hamfistedness, and (in all possibility, due to hanging from rear wheel) if it has rusted inward out, then the whole rear triangle is suspect (main tube is OK).

Owd' Fred, whose working 'is socks off until after Xmas, is the only one (@ ICE) that remembers how to make 'em.
Yow :o
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 October, 2011, 04:20:54 pm
:( :( :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 11 October, 2011, 07:29:09 pm
I've fitted the Orange brake cables.  The electrical cables are still black - not taken the plunge of re-wiring yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 October, 2011, 08:00:34 pm
The Surly is now shod with a pair of Schwalbe Big Apples, meaning that I should at least be able to keep up on the Thursday pub ride (assuming the conditions are conducive to riding without mudguards). Said machine is also sporting one of the 3-watt LED headlights that On-One are knocking out for £20 at the moment - whilst it's not bright enough to cause small animals to spontaneously combust at 50 yards, it'll do for commuting and the like.

Also discovered that the Alfine-11 cassette joint is slightly different to its 8-speed brother, and in a good way - there's a tab on there which makes releasing the cable a lot easier if the rear wheel needs to be removed; beats the hell out of using an old spoke, that's for sure.

I've also discovered that a 13" MacBook Pro will *just* fit in an SQR Tour seat pack. I really need to get the new racks for the Surly ordered  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 12 October, 2011, 10:55:23 am
Bar tape on small-hatler's new bike. This is a first for me. Very satisfying (though I think I could have done it better).

Bike should be on show early Saturday morning, in the Ditchling area.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 October, 2011, 02:07:07 pm
Attacked the Pino to see just why the chain keeps coming off in first gear. BB is slightly overlength, chain ring is comprehensively shagged, with pointy teeth. Being a chain ring with pins and ramps, getting the chain offline, as happens in first gear, derailing is more likely.  And measuring the chain I reckon it was about twelve and three eighths for twelve links. Oops.

Shiny single speed stainless surly chain ring on order. New chain on order. New cassette on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 October, 2011, 04:42:32 pm
M6 nylocks arrived, so I've replaced the QR's on the SMGT's seat brackets with proper bastard-tight bolts.  Hopefully that should banish the squeak for good, and the corresponding reduction in weight should make me a lot faster  ;D

Also pumped up the tyres on the Dawes and upgraded the cable tie that stops the rear light bracket from moving.  First cable tie snapped off unexpectedly as I was tightening it up with pliers, so I now have a delightful 2cm gash in the middle of my forehead.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 October, 2011, 05:06:42 pm
^^^^^
piccies? ;D

mudflap fettling:it's a work in progress & low patience-threshold stops play for today ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 October, 2011, 05:09:13 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 October, 2011, 05:06:42 pm
^^^^^
piccies? ;D

Not now, I've got a headache.

Swelling seems to be going down, and it's quite a clean cut, so hopefully it won't be too obvious when it stops bleeding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 October, 2011, 05:15:21 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 October, 2011, 05:09:13 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 October, 2011, 05:06:42 pm
^^^^^
piccies? ;D

Not now, I've got a headache.

Swelling seems to be going down, and it's quite a clean cut, so hopefully it won't be too obvious when it stops bleeding.
The fettling gods have had their blood sacrifice.
I've got quite a nice compression injury on the heel of my hand as a result of it being in the wrong place when I was snugging down the headset spacers on the Surly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 October, 2011, 06:49:41 pm
today i have fettled many things, for i was back at work with a wednesday vengeance.

and now i am fettling tea for hungry boys.

and then i shall fettle a tired and achey elbow with quality painkillers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 12 October, 2011, 06:51:33 pm
I unfettled an SRAM double tap shifter off my Sabbath to go back to Fudge's cycles for them to find out why it's b0rked, and hopefully send a replacement under warranty. I'm not entering any more 200k audaxes in the meantime because it was hard work riding a hilly one on my heavier Fuji :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 October, 2011, 07:12:50 pm
I'm currently fettling my MacBook Pro - bloody thing has decided to kernel panic  >:( (I think I know the root cause, I'm just waiting for the bloody thing to boot up)

Bikes can wait - I have work to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 October, 2011, 08:22:14 pm
Quote from: Feline on 12 October, 2011, 06:51:33 pm
I unfettled an SRAM double tap shifter off my Sabbath to go back to Fudge's cycles for them to find out why it's b0rked, and hopefully send a replacement under warranty. I'm not entering any more 200k audaxes in the meantime because it was hard work riding a hilly one on my heavier Fuji :(
How heavy is your Fuji, out of curiousity? Hope they sort out the shifter for you. And I thought 200km was an afternoon's stroll for you.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 October, 2011, 09:19:41 am
Finally managed to shoe-horn Gingerbread onto my X10mini.

Lots of false starts, rooting the phone then getting one version of GingerDX onto it, which was made for the X8, so the buttons were too big, finally found a proper one with the right size screen settings and all is well....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 October, 2011, 10:58:49 pm
Fitted a new flush handle lever assembly thinger to the toilet.  The old one had gone a bit slack where the rod from the handle went through the plastic lever arm, with the result that it would often half flush and require an annoying thumb-twiddling wait while the siphon wotsit got ready for another go.  Or the flush failure would go unnoticed by insufficiently cautious deaf toilet users, who shall remain nameless, but won't be getting any sympathy from me when a giant hairy spider leaps out at them from behind the seat in the dark.

In spite of using tin snips to modify the lever so as to avoid comedy self-opening cistern action, I managed not to injure myself on this one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 October, 2011, 11:10:04 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 12 October, 2011, 08:22:14 pm
Quote from: Feline on 12 October, 2011, 06:51:33 pm
I unfettled an SRAM double tap shifter off my Sabbath to go back to Fudge's cycles for them to find out why it's b0rked, and hopefully send a replacement under warranty. I'm not entering any more 200k audaxes in the meantime because it was hard work riding a hilly one on my heavier Fuji :(
How heavy is your Fuji, out of curiousity? Hope they sort out the shifter for you. And I thought 200km was an afternoon's stroll for you.  :)

I'm not really sure how heavy the Fuji is, but it's significantly heavier (perhaps 150% the weight) and less comfy than the Sabbath, has 28mm tyres and has a touring rack on. A 200km is a pleasant stroll on the Sabbath but somehow feels more like work on the Fuji. With the days getting shorter it's nicer to ride a bike you can get round in 9 hours on. Of course the Fuji is good for getting fit on for this reason and I used that on the Sem Fed before PBP. When I hopped on the Sabbath in Paris it then felt like I was flying  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 October, 2011, 11:39:14 pm
"With the days getting shorter it's nicer to ride a bike you can get round in 9 hours on."

Hey, it took me 7 hours to do the Tasty Cheddar 100km! But only 4:30 of those were spent riding, so I reckon that for me shorter, cooler days probably mean faster riding. Less incentive to lounge...

Oh, and 150% of your Sabbath's weight, well 150% of zero is still nothing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 14 October, 2011, 10:05:59 am
Quote from: iddu on 11 October, 2011, 04:18:23 pm
Quote from: clarion on 11 October, 2011, 03:54:20 pm
I can't make out what it is was. :-[
Rear end of a (Trice) Monster...

Quote from: interzen on 11 October, 2011, 03:52:52 pm
I'd say that the lowest tube is a lost cause, largely because of that bloody great hole near the weld - the others could probably be patched up in an acceptable manner, though. Depends on how hung up you are on the cosmetic aspect
Aye , that's the killer.  Since it was up for respray anyway, cosmetics is irrelevant. Trouble is, if it's not hamfistedness, and (in all possibility, due to hanging from rear wheel) if it has rusted inward out, then the whole rear triangle is suspect (main tube is OK).

Owd' Fred, whose working 'is socks off until after Xmas, is the only one (@ ICE) that remembers how to make 'em.
Yow :o
(click to show/hide)

At that price I'd got to one of the custom builders and see what they quote you for a repair/rebuild based on what's left.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 14 October, 2011, 10:07:33 am
Replaced both sets of disc brake pads on the commuter yesterday.
Also pumped the tyres up to full recommended pressure.

Yow! Super fast to go, super fast to stop. Why didn't I do this earlier???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 October, 2011, 03:42:06 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 October, 2011, 05:06:42 pm
^^^^^
piccies? ;D

mudflap fettling:it's a work in progress & low patience-threshold stops play for today ::-)

Finished this off.Used a couple of plantpot offcuts.The bike looks like it belongs to Bill or Ben,the Flower Pot Men.
Weee'ed
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 15 October, 2011, 09:56:24 am
Picked up re-spoked Coventry Eagle front wheel from LBS first thing, refitted and ready to go. Unfortunately now off to town to buy suit for work. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 October, 2011, 09:59:20 am
Just about to go out and sort out the utility room/beer fridge room/tool dumping ground.

The garage is looking in some sort of order now (read you can get into it without killing or seriously injuring yourself), so the utility room is next on the list, then the shed, but the shed will have to wait as it's too big a job for one person in a weekend!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 15 October, 2011, 02:44:44 pm
Filling in the hole in the bow of the scull I normally use as it was dented last Sunday by collision with another club boat. I wasn't involved, and keep being asked 'why are you repairing it then?'. If they had seen the usual excresences that most of our ham-fisted cretins leave as a repair, they wouldn't need to ask.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 15 October, 2011, 02:46:33 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 15 October, 2011, 09:56:24 am
Picked up re-spoked Coventry Eagle front wheel from LBS first thing, refitted and ready to go break another one.

 ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 October, 2011, 03:13:00 pm
Right now, I'm fettling the my iPhone apps so that they'll work with iOS 5.

The upgrade hasn't just thrown a spanner into the works, I think its dumped an entire foundry in there ... and its such a nice day for a ride, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 October, 2011, 04:09:18 pm
Fettled the caravan to a shiny appearance & then covered the'van with winter jimjams.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 15 October, 2011, 06:32:17 pm
Quote from: Marco Stefano on 15 October, 2011, 02:46:33 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 15 October, 2011, 09:56:24 am
Picked up re-spoked Coventry Eagle front wheel from LBS first thing, refitted and ready to go break another one.

 ;)

Au contraire, mon brave. When I said to the bloke in the shop 'Same time next week then' he replied that it should all be OK now. Which makes me wonder what he knows that I don't. Just back from quick 20 mile thrash round the lanes, arrived back with pretty much all I went out with. Job's a good 'un! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 October, 2011, 07:06:17 pm
Our friend has been round (and woke us up this afternoon!).

But we had lots of bits for her bike, so I swapped the tyre & tube off her front wheel onto the dynohub wheel, and fitted the Cyo to the brake bolt.  Then fitted new rack,  computer (wired - I'm not that thick ::-) ), bottle cage and rear light.  Then made a list of things to be attended to by the lbs when she goes in.

It's a very nice bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rdaviesb on 15 October, 2011, 11:35:21 pm
Replaced cheapo plastic STI adjusters on the Enigma with much nicer brass knurled variety
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 15 October, 2011, 11:37:49 pm
Replaced the touring triple with a tiny little mtb triple. Getting it on the bike was easy, getting the derailleur in the right position so that it shifted gear but didn't foul on the chain stay was a nightmare - but it works :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 15 October, 2011, 11:43:24 pm
Had the best day of fettling for a long while, nothing major but made, fitted flaps to and got commuter ready for another couple of months of neglect and stuck a new screw up in the shed for hanging the stand off/on. Killed my chain whip so didn't end up cleaning behind my sprockets.
I also took my audax sticker off my mudguard as it was fraudulent, be nice to earn the right to stick another one on there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 16 October, 2011, 02:20:47 pm
In an almost-deserted rowing club (everyone over in That Snottingham for their "small boats" head today) I replaced a rear brake inner cable and rear brake blocks on one of the club BSOs.

Emergency stops on that bike now no longer need to be booked in advance, on a form filled in in triplicate, lost, found, recycled as firelighters and buried in soft peat for two years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 October, 2011, 06:12:19 pm
About ten miles from home Mlle PB's front mech cable broke in the shifter.   I fettled the mech onto the middle ring to get her home then set about replacing the broken cable when we got home.

Biggest problem was extracating the broken nipple and small clump of frayed cable strands.   Took me about ten minutes having removed both upper and lower covers so I could get a butchers inside.   All fixed, fettled and working perfectly except for the fact that the damage also included the snapped off end of the little red indicator window arm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 16 October, 2011, 07:59:38 pm
Fitted Lidl panniers to Royal, adjusted to clear brake calipers and feet, filled with random stuff from garage and went a few miles up the road as a try-out. No problems, and they don't appear to alter the handling too much. Brilliant! Just got to wait for next summer now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 October, 2011, 08:11:13 pm
Cleaned* and oiled the chain, pumped up the tyres. Tightened bolt securing front mudguard to brake bridge so it won't twist and took the opportunity to raise it a bit so it doesn't matter even it does. Must get around to sorting out the motion sensor on the back light.

*Ok, wiped with a bit of old newspaper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 16 October, 2011, 08:27:15 pm
The left crank on my Orbea - it keeps coming loose.  :(  Can't figure out why, but I'm thinking it may be time to replace the crankset (done just over 12,000km).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 October, 2011, 10:06:22 pm
New shiny cassette, new shiny chain ring, new dull finish chain for the Pino, as referenced up there ^ a bit.  While i was doing it my chum Jan came round. He'd bust a spoke on the way up Ditchling Beacon on the FNRTTC. We had a go at replacing it, but my wheel voodoo skills are lacking, so he's taken it to a shop for truing.

He mentioned that he thought the bearings in the back wheel were worn, as he got a grindy sensation when pedalling. The cone was slightly worn, but nothing major. He then said it only happened in some gears, and he tended to stick in the middle ring and not use the whole of his cassette. Hmm. I changed onto the big ring and the chain wouldn't mesh. odd. Measured it. Twelve and a quarter inches. I could lift enough chain off the big ring so I could get my finger into the gap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 October, 2011, 10:30:33 am
I have replaced the lightbulb in the bathroom.  This is a non-trivial thing, as the shade is a huge heavy thing which has to be screwed on properly as otherwise it will fall off and, depending on whether one is in the bath or not, land upon the hapless bather's head or fall into the tub and shatter into a million razor-sharp pieces.  The last time this happened, we tossed a coin to determine who should remove the million razor-sharp pieces from the bath and who should be tasked with obtaining a new one.  I lost and consequently has to go to the Neasden branch of IKEA on a Saturday afternoon >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 October, 2011, 01:18:53 pm
Drainage!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3131.sized.jpg)

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3132.sized.jpg)

No longer shall the shoddy work surface deliver all washing-up-related splashes to a pool on the floor via the timer of the washing machine and a rusty puddle under the microwave  :thumbsup:

(I'm not entirely sure whether this counts as genius or insanity.  I'm assuming the former, as I foresee increased levels of domestic bliss on account of the reduced wetness of the kitchen floor - the basis of most of our bickering.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 20 October, 2011, 01:40:53 pm
I think it's brilliant that you have found a way to improve your domestic bliss through careful use of a large Blu-Tack sausage  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 20 October, 2011, 02:12:14 pm
Quote from: MattH on 20 October, 2011, 01:40:53 pm
I think it's brilliant that you have found a way to improve your domestic bliss through careful use of a large Blu-Tack sausage  cock :thumbsup:

FTFY ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 20 October, 2011, 03:06:33 pm
Sewed a button on me winter coat.  Kim wins  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 20 October, 2011, 03:33:35 pm
Today I de-wormed the cats.  This is also a non-trivial thing.  First off we got pills to give them orally - they were cheap - but whilst it might have worked on one cat, trying it with the other one would have been like trying to wrestle an eel that could easily turn into a bramble bush.  So they got spot-on which if warmed to blood temperature (in a pocket) they don't even notice.  We also get to keep our popularity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 October, 2011, 03:48:31 pm
A chin strap to a Barbour waxed baseball cap.Marj's domestic engineering skills & craftwork tools made easy work of it with a  professional looking finish.
A vast improvement on what would otherwise have been a joglerbodge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 October, 2011, 05:15:20 pm
Re-retightened my headset. Hmm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 October, 2011, 05:22:18 pm
Trying to find the source of some front-end play on the Surly.

Pretty sure it's not the headset stack, since that's done up tighter than a gnat's chuff. Fingers were pointing at the centre-lock disc mounting, but it seems to be done up pretty well snugged down and there's no play on the rotor.

The only other cause I can think of is pad movement - if this is the case then I'm not sure whether there should be since my disk-brake-fu is lacking. Still, I've heard of far worse excuses to ride out to the LBS tomorrow to buy some stuffget it seen to. Maybe cake will be consumed on the way ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 October, 2011, 06:18:26 pm
Drivetrain clean and lube, brake tweaking and new foam hand grips (one was knackered from train/glove abrasion) on the SMGT.

I also packed some clothes and stuff for the weekend, including (and I triple-checked) some trousers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 21 October, 2011, 06:42:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 October, 2011, 06:18:26 pm

I also packed some clothes and stuff for the weekend, including (and I triple-checked) some trousers.
Good to know :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 21 October, 2011, 07:01:44 pm
I've swopped saddles between the light bike and the tourer.
It's amazing how much heavier the comfier, cheaper saddle is. It's gone onto the light bike.
If it proves as comfortable as I'm hoping, I'll be buying a new one of the same type (Fizik Pave Sport) and selling the lighter, more expensive saddle.
I've also lubed the bike and put my clothes out ready for an early departure (07.00 on a Saturday counts as early for me).
Last job is to pump up the tyres on Helen's bike although I might wait 'til she gets here and suggest that she gets on with it.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 22 October, 2011, 10:04:43 pm
Sorted the brakes on Mlle PB's mtb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 23 October, 2011, 08:49:51 am
Yesterday I fettled my new trekking poles.
Fettled the horrible plastic grips and they now sport Campagnolo bar tape!   ;D   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: welshwheels on 23 October, 2011, 09:37:27 am
adjusted rear wheelbearings on mtb and ordered some http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=230673546521 for the commute  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 23 October, 2011, 09:54:15 am
The awful smell from under the kitchen sink, I hope.

So humane mouse traps didn't catch a single little blighter went we had a visitation from little furry rodents. We gave up on them and laid poison. No more mice.

Except for the poor little chap who'd somehow crawled into the kitchen cupboard and got into the humane trap (presumably still smelt the peanut butter) and laid down to die (the trap was just lying on it's side open).

I hope that is what the smell is/was as I've had all the kick boards off the bottom of the units and looked everywhere for anything else that can be making the smell. Drains and macerator are the next target if the smell doesn't disappear. Everything smells of bleach currently though.

Glad I held off having breakfast until after this task though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 October, 2011, 09:57:35 am
Years ago the office I shared with two other designers was right next to the loading bay. If it rained heavily, water seeped through the breeze blocks separating us and got the carpet wet. The room started to stink really, really badly and we got approval to have the breeze blocks sealed and a new carpet. As we emptied the room out we found the dead mouse wedged by the (warm) radiator  :sick:
(we didn't say anything though, so we also got a nice new stain free carpet)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 October, 2011, 12:34:41 pm
Today I have been mostly fixing the kitchen lighting.  Before breakfast I took the face plate off the wall switch to locate and tighten a loose screw which had been causing an excess of DARKNESS by the oven. Left the juice on of course.

After a mediocre kipper it was off to B&Q and Homebase to hunt down G4 capsules and funny length thin fluorescent (T5) tube.

Then the fun of writhing around on my back poking the G4 pins into their weeny holes while the fittings remain stuck to the bottom of the cupboard and then twisting the covers without grippage into place. The T5 was easy. All done, light where it should be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 October, 2011, 05:34:30 pm
Quite a bit actually, have swapped 2 freehubs over (having never done one before). The Hope one was dead easy, the only tools required were a vice or pair of pliers to pull out the end cover. Pawls and springs held in freehub body. The Mavic was a bit more difficult - cue one pawl going "sproing"!  But not far and after 5 mins I sussed how they were recessed and got the freehub body back on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 23 October, 2011, 06:27:18 pm
A bit of play removed from the Holdsworths headset and new bottle cages on the Focus. That was enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 23 October, 2011, 07:32:53 pm
Changed FSA chainset on my road bike to Stronglight. BB bracket size is exactly the same size but can I now get the indexing right.........Nah and now new cable required tum ti tum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 23 October, 2011, 09:13:40 pm
Replaced the One-One Mungo moustache bars on the Bob Jackson Vigorelli with 48cm Noodle drops. 

Partly because it's the first chance I've had in months to get hold of the wide Noodles, but mainly because I want to do some longer distances on this bike and the moustaches have turned out to be better for commuting but less happy on longer rides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 October, 2011, 09:21:38 pm
Regreased a Brommie front hub, changed a MTB tube (failed seam), a 700C tube (very slow leak) and pumped up the 1952 Claud Butler's tyres. HK fitted cleats to new SPD shoes. I'll get round to cleaning a couple of bikes once this lurgy has departed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 24 October, 2011, 07:59:50 am
Quote from: BrianI on 23 October, 2011, 08:49:51 am
Yesterday I fettled my new trekking poles.
Fettled the horrible plastic grips and they now sport Campagnolo bar tape!   ;D   :thumbsup:

Thanks for reminding me!  I need to graft a tripod screw and base onto mine.  I'm not paying the earth for a purpose made tripod/pole, so fettling one into a pole/monopod will do fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 24 October, 2011, 08:04:37 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 23 October, 2011, 12:34:41 pm
Today I have been mostly fixing the kitchen lighting.  Before breakfast I took the face plate off the wall switch to locate and tighten a loose screw which had been causing an excess of DARKNESS by the oven. Left the juice on of course.

After a mediocre kipper it was off to B&Q and Homebase to hunt down G4 capsules and funny length thin fluorescent (T5) tube.

Then the fun of writhing around on my back poking the G4 pins into their weeny holes while the fittings remain stuck to the bottom of the cupboard and then twisting the covers without grippage into place. The T5 was easy. All done, light where it should be.

I was doing kitchen lights too.  Fitting a couple of GX53 downlighters, to replace the duff 3ft fluorescent tube fitting, the ballast had died on.  Contemplated getting a LED tube instead, which would have been much less hassle.  It wasn't cutting the two 90mm diameter holes, but fighting the cable across, considering the spot above seems to be a "Clapham Junction" of roof timbers.  Its very near the eaves, of our chalet bungalow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 24 October, 2011, 10:42:58 pm
More a "What do you need to fettle tomorrow" post.

Switched the bike lights on this evening, and there was a 'bang' noise, a lack of light, and a smell of burning.

So I disconnected the battery in a hurry.

I need to attack the wiring loom with a fully-fledged combat-hardened multimeter (none of this lightweight touring multimeter stuff here!); then IF I can source a 6V rechargeable battery, then I'll re-wire the lights into proper parallel.  Do I just go for AA-cells?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 October, 2011, 10:54:52 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 24 October, 2011, 10:42:58 pm
Switched the bike lights on this evening, and there was a 'bang' noise, a lack of light, and a smell of burning.

*cough*fuses*cough*


Quote
IF I can source a 6V rechargeable battery, then I'll re-wire the lights into proper parallel.  Do I just go for AA-cells?

AA NiMHs or Li-Po battery packs as molished for RC cars would be the obvious choices, I reckon.  Actually, given that sticking a Tamiya connector on a battery holder is trivial, you could do both.

Parallel wiring would allow you to switch one of the front lights off for extended runtime.  Bonus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 25 October, 2011, 01:19:23 pm
I used to have a fuse.  But the connections to it were more fault-prone than the rest of the system, so I removed it about 2 weeks ago. :facepalm: :-[ ::-) :facepalm: :-[

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 25 October, 2011, 01:28:15 pm
I connected the wires from the front (IQ Cyo) lamp to the rear (Seculight) lamp.  Span the front wheel nothing happened.  Turned front lamp span wheel and both lamps lit up.  Success.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 25 October, 2011, 02:19:46 pm
The Car.

The rear water jets aren't spraying water. I searched online and found a few places saying that there was a filter next to the bottle which often got clogged up.

After gaining restricted access to the bottle, I removed part of it, and another part. The part I removed first was the sensor for the water level, which promptly fell to bits leaving the rubber seal inside the water bottle. I eventually managed to remove that and put the rubber bit back on and the sensor back in the bottle. This was accomplished by sticking bits of twig into the bottle while closing one eye and trying to look inside the bottle at the same time, furtling around with the stick and my finger in a confined space.

Not the most calming of activities.

Then tried removing the pump and the lines to the sprayer jets. No sign of a filter, just a non-return valve to stop the water going back into the bottle when you stop spraying.

Fiddled about with those looking for any sign of a filter, but no joy. Wondered if it was the motor or the valve that was faulty. Plugged the hoses back on the other way around, and the front still sprayed (when washing the back window) but still no water to the back.

Tryed blowing through the pipe, but that was impossible.

Plugged it all back together again. No better now than before, and I bet some bits will fall off it now because I've fiddled with it. Front works, back still dry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 October, 2011, 02:24:24 pm
Try narrowing it down by seeing if water will emerge from the hose when disconnected from the jets, non-return valve or wherever.

Non-return valves do fail.  Should be easily blow-tested when removed from the line.

Attacking the jets with a pin can often be effective.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 25 October, 2011, 02:58:22 pm
Quote from: Kim on 25 October, 2011, 02:24:24 pm
Try narrowing it down by seeing if water will emerge from the hose when disconnected from the jets, non-return valve or wherever.

Non-return valves do fail.  Should be easily blow-tested when removed from the line.

Attacking the jets with a pin can often be effective.

Water comes out of the pump for both jets. Removing the jet from the rear of the car and checking it, the jet is clear. No water comes out of the pipe.
Connecting the front jet to the rear connection gets water, which I think rules out the non-return valve as well.

Looks like a blocked pipe to the rear jet.

Great.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 October, 2011, 03:22:03 pm
Ugh.

I'd probably try rodding it with something.  Single core electrical cable is the first thing that springs to mind, mainly because I've got a couple of reels of it here of about the right diameter.

Or attach a presta valve with a jubilee clip and attack it with a bike pump.

Or send some specially trained earwigs in to nibble away the obstruction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 25 October, 2011, 03:27:49 pm
Removed a pair of ancient (1992) Campag Athena brakes to sell to a mate as part of a self-financing deal with rafletcher of this parish to replace them with brakes that actually work.  :thumbsup:

(Lest you think I'm being unkind to my chum, he has been lusting after my old brakes for years.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 25 October, 2011, 03:40:05 pm
Quote from: Kim on 25 October, 2011, 03:22:03 pm
Ugh.

I'd probably try rodding it with something.  Single core electrical cable is the first thing that springs to mind, mainly because I've got a couple of reels of it here of about the right diameter.

Or attach a presta valve with a jubilee clip and attack it with a bike pump.

Or send some specially trained earwigs in to nibble away the obstruction.

Attacking it with a bike pump was going to be my next move :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 26 October, 2011, 03:11:13 pm
The car again.

Eliminated all other reasons apart from a blocked pipe to the rear washer spray.

Fitted a track pump to the back hose, after disconnecting it from the pump. Tried to pump air from the spray end back toward the water bottle end.

No joy. Got the pressure up to 70psi which is all I could do before the track pump came off. Did that several times. Completely blocked.

Tried to use a brake cable as rod to break up any blockage. Couldn't get it very far into the pipe before it stopped. However, there is a junction point some way behind the engine, so it could be the join to that I hit.

Tried again with a thinner gear cable. I was able to get this further into the pipe, but also hit a blockage that I couldn't get past.

It's blocked.

Looks like the next step (if I choose to do so) is to replace the pipe, or remove the pipe and find the blockage in it.

As the blockage appears to be just at the point where the pipe is behind the dashboard, I think I might be leaving it.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 October, 2011, 03:33:21 pm
I fettled a Bagman.  I fitted one to my Woodrup in advance of the Veteran Car run, so I don't need a bar bag, so I don't have the problem with a light mount, so.... well, you get the picture.  And I rode in with Butterfly this morning, but there was a rattling started after I left her.  I thought I maybe hadn't tightened the clamp enough, but it was our old friend a rod working loose.  I don't have the right size allen key, so, rather than go for a longer ride, I opted to head for Apex Cycles*, a very friendly bike shop, who happily loaned me their allen key.  Rather than tighten it up, though, I recalled that someone on here had mentioned that an M5 bolt would fit, so I swapped for a couple I happened to be carrying.  Must remember to replace them in my toolkit.

* I did head up to Borough High St (via far too many speed bumps for the nerves of someone with only one rod attached to his Bagman) before turning back
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 26 October, 2011, 08:02:03 pm
Say goodbye to droopy Carradice misery! Bagman thingy fitted to Royal, that's another half pound added. ::-)

Fitted new blue plastic bottle cage to new blue Cannondale R500, did I mention I have a new Cannondale? That's another 48g added ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 26 October, 2011, 08:07:00 pm
A new design of Photon Producing Equipment!

The first one in years that doesn't use 12V 1.2Ah Lead-Acid batteries.  4 AAs in a holder, connecting to the bike via 2-pin remote-control-racing-car-battery-connectors, a fuse (!), the same switch as before, and just one front and one rear light (*).  It's not as bright as my previous set-up, (I used the 12V-fitted belt-drive bike as comparison), but a current consumption of 140mA from 2100mAh batteries gives a theoretical burn time of 15 hours.  It's easily bright enough to be road-legal.

Orange wires throughout.  Mostly orange cable ties.  Photos will follow as soon as it's light enough for my camera to work.

Given how easy that was, I'll probably install a compatible system on most of the fleet.  Then I can carry a number of 4-AAbattery holders - I've already made 3 PP3-to-battery-connector leads.

(*) The aforementioned "bang" destroyed one of the connected tail-lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 26 October, 2011, 08:07:48 pm
Pedals.
Stripped down the right-hand pedal on the Yellow Genesis to discover that the axle was bent. Would go a long way to explaining why riding home last night felt distinctly strange, although I've no idea how it came to be bent in the first place.

Now hoping I can find somewhere that'll sell me a replacement axle rather than a new pair of pedals.

Anyone got an axle for a RH ATAC Alium that they don't need?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 26 October, 2011, 08:08:42 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 26 October, 2011, 08:07:00 pm
Orange wires throughout.  Mostly orange cable ties.  Photos will follow as soon as it's light enough for my camera to work.
If an external light source is required for photography, then the whole setup isn't nearly orange enough. If it ain't visible from orbit, you just ain't trying hard enough ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 26 October, 2011, 08:55:28 pm
A new Marathon fitted to the rear wheel of the Thorn Raven Sport Tour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 26 October, 2011, 09:15:25 pm
A rear rack on the road bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 27 October, 2011, 08:54:14 am
While I was changing the tyre yesterday I noticed how worn the brake blocks were.

(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/13885-2/photo.JPG)

New and old.

The worn ones were put on when I built the wheel - 9000 or so miles ago. Swissstop Blue may be expensive but they are worth it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 27 October, 2011, 06:13:46 pm
Photos of yesterdays light-molishing can be found here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg1077560#msg1077560).

Don't everyone click it at once.  The internet might run out of Orange.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 27 October, 2011, 06:15:32 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 27 October, 2011, 06:13:46 pm
Photos of yesterdays light-molishing can be found here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg1077560#msg1077560).

Don't everyone click it at once.  The internet might run out of Orange.
I wholeheartedly approve ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 27 October, 2011, 06:55:04 pm
Just fitted a new 50t outer chainring looks like I need a new chain & cassette too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 27 October, 2011, 07:04:23 pm
Fitted New 2032 battery to Suunto bike pod.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 28 October, 2011, 01:37:07 am
A borked Barley:

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20111028%20-%20Misc/DSC00009.jpg)

->

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20111028%20-%20Misc/CIMG5227.jpg)

->

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20111028%20-%20Misc/CIMG5228.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 28 October, 2011, 01:38:51 am
'n' a thing of beauty...

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20111028%20-%20Misc/DSC00010.jpg)

->

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20111028%20-%20Misc/DSC00011.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 28 October, 2011, 02:14:01 am
I spent a couple of hours of "Le puff, le pant, le gasp, le phew! as I managed to emlty enough useless junk out of the garage to get the car in there as United Fucling Utilities are closing my street to car parking from the 31st August to the end of April next year and there is nowhere practical or safe to park, let alone the spaces inthe udeable areas that are taken by people that work intown and would rather park free in somebody elses residential steet and get the bus to town than use a Fucking Car Park :hand: One side of the road has double yelow lines from the fire service wanting clearer access to the road, all flats, and we weren't offered the "Residents Parking Only" rule for the side that parking is still legal.  Still we're poor people and we shouldn't cause inconvenience to ignorant people that are obviuosly more important than residents. :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 October, 2011, 03:46:19 pm
Did a spare tubes audit, and to prevent future manufacturer=>size assumptions, un-boxed the ones that were in boxes and labelled and clingfilmed them all in a consistent manner.

On account of the glut[1] of 20" and 26" (both valve types) and general unexplained shortage of 700c, I patched the one that suffered a visitation on the Sands Of Doom on Wednesday afternoon and swapped it for the known-good one on the bike.  I also charged some batteries, and resisted the urge to clean anything.


[1] I recall panic-buying 26" presta tubes just before the Dun Run, when it turned out that all my spares were schrader, which explains some of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 October, 2011, 04:09:48 pm
I've puts lights & luggage (audax kit) onto the Longstaff in readiness for a ride to Si_Co's place tamorrow.
That should be sufficient to test the recently painful knee & general fitness or lack of same in prep. for a planned 200km audax in the near future
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 October, 2011, 04:19:36 pm
Nothing as work has been a right royal bitch today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 October, 2011, 04:31:05 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 28 October, 2011, 04:19:36 pm
Nothing as work has been a right royal bitch today.

what,onna Friday POETS day  :o

others in your org. clearly don't understand the principles of WFH :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 October, 2011, 05:12:43 pm
Quote from: jogler on 28 October, 2011, 04:31:05 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 28 October, 2011, 04:19:36 pm
Nothing as work has been a right royal bitch today.

what,onna Friday POETS day  :o

others in your org. clearly don't understand the principles of WFH :demon:

The normal ones[1] do, it's just the others, which include a) a cockney b) a Polack, c) people in India as well as the need to have 54 servers ready for Monday[2]

[1] total number of these? 1!!!
[2] despite the servers having been built since July.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 29 October, 2011, 08:33:25 am
This weekend I will be mostly fettling the electrical installation of a financial institution in the City. Obviously I will not be doing this on my own and have enticed several contractors to join in with the promise of servicing trannies. I just hope they won't be disappointed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 October, 2011, 03:01:03 pm
Just did some open-Jag surgery.
The MIL came on, reading the code it was a lambda sensor failure. The XJ has four of them (V8 engine with twin exhausts), and it was obviously not going to be the one that you can see easily - it was the bank2 pre-cat one, which means that rather than simply removing a plastic cover and having access, you have to remove that cover, then drain the coolant reservoir and disconnect the four pipes and sensor wiring. Remove the reservoir, disconnect another couple of coolant pipes and some wiring to allow access to the exhaust heat shield, remove that and its bracket, then you have just about enough room to reach down and put a lamda wrench onto the sensor - but almost no way to get leverage on it, and only a couple of cm of space to move it.

It ended up taking about 90 minutes (pretty much what I'd expected) including fettling a coolant syphon using an old antifreeze bottle and a one-man brake bleeding kit. I fitted the cap with two hoses onto the bottle, removed the connectors on the other ends of the hoses, then I could put the long one into the coolant reservoir, suck on the other to get a vacuum in the bottle to start the coolant being sucked over, then stop and let gravity do the rest - without risking a mouthful of nasty chemicals.

It all went back together and appears to be working  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 29 October, 2011, 04:46:25 pm
Popped into the LBS so he could beat my crown race on fully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 29 October, 2011, 04:51:42 pm
Fitted a Sram Force chainset and front mech to the audax bike.  An upgrade from Apex.  Front shifters are still at the Parcelfarce depot pending them realising I have now paid the £8 customs duty.  Buying from the US saved £100 though, so no bother.  They will be fitted on Tuesday.  I'm sticking with the Apex rear cassette and mech and the non-series slightly-longer-drop brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 29 October, 2011, 05:17:32 pm
Quote from: interzen on 26 October, 2011, 08:07:48 pm
Anyone got an axle for a RH ATAC Alium that they don't need?

Yes.

YHPM
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 October, 2011, 05:44:29 pm
Quote from: MattH on 29 October, 2011, 03:01:03 pm
Just did some open-Jag surgery.
The MIL came on, reading the code it was a lambda sensor failure.
You cut open your mother-in-law's jugular?  :o

Seriously, what is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 29 October, 2011, 06:19:52 pm
fitted granny ring to a chainset. now i have a super compact 42/34 with direct drive (34/34). hopefully this will help me to get up the hills in the saddle (i won't be able to get out of saddle until my broken arm recovers fully).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 29 October, 2011, 06:44:56 pm
Replaced all cables and brake pads on my Thorn. But not finished, 2 grub screws seems to have corroded and is stuck.
Replaced worn down bar tape   with full length foam grips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 October, 2011, 08:09:54 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 October, 2011, 05:44:29 pm
Quote from: MattH on 29 October, 2011, 03:01:03 pm
Just did some open-Jag surgery.
The MIL came on, reading the code it was a lambda sensor failure.
You cut open your mother-in-law's jugular?  :o

Seriously, what is it?

Malfunction indicator lamp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malfunction_indicator_lamp), something like
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Vw_engine_check.jpg/220px-Vw_engine_check.jpg)
Though it should probably be replaced with an animation of pounds notes flying away from you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 29 October, 2011, 08:25:08 pm
Finally, finally, sussed why my trek front mech would not index properly. After reading that the BB installed would be 110mm found that the bottom bracket factory fitted to the bike was 120mm plus. Sora front mech could not hack the distance to the outer ring. Install nice new 110mm/68 BB, and kaboom everything works. Simples! Easy when you know how, this fettling lark, strewth....... ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 October, 2011, 09:01:32 pm
Added a light bracket, lock bracket, pump bracket, bell and insulating tape to a friend's bike, and put blingy new wheels on Butterfly's plastic bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 October, 2011, 10:46:20 pm
Re-built junior's mountain-bike BSO after he seems to have killed it to death.

Came home a couple of weeks ago, saying 'it didn't work'.
The rear mech was entangled in the spokes, because the hanger was snapped.
The horrid twist-grip changer was smashed beyond recognition.
Both wheels were bent to the point of not being able to rotate.

I never got the full facts of what happened, but the bike had clearly taken a hefty blow to the RHS.

So wheels trued, cheap twist-grip changer from fleabay, and a new hanger from LBS where the BSO came from.

All fixed up, and ready for another day of destruction.

--
F
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 October, 2011, 12:09:37 am
I took all the touring equipment off of the Vantage, and put the 28mm tyres and thin mudguards back on. I had to saw a head in two bolts, one of which I've now removed, but the other is still stuck fast in the front pannier boss :(

I've also had to do a bodge job on my car seatbelt this evening. The ratchet clutch has gone on the tensioner (or at least is stuck) so I've takena  the panelling apert and finally managed to get the belt out by pulling it forwards rather than the normal upwards. As I can't do this every time I get in the car I've fixed the seatbelt to my length using YACF badge. I've now got enough movement to drive comfortably (one spin of the belt holder before it hits the ratchet) and a working belt. Only problem is it now doesn't retract past the badge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 October, 2011, 05:22:36 pm
Changed over the grips on the Kaffenback because the old ones which I replaced the really old ones with, had a tendency to be a bit "sticky".  That turned out to be unusually easy.  It now has nice bright yellow ones which don't really match the sand frame, but are at least colourful!

Foolishly thinking things were going well, I attempted to remove the freewheel off of the snow bike, so I could fit a slightly smaller one, and make the gearing tolerable for any use this year.  Since I've used that freewheel, and it's a cheap and cheerful one that doesn't fit any removers I've got, it seems to be impossible to drift off with a screwdriver and hammer. :(

What I should really do, is clamp the inside of the freewheel in a vice, and turn the wheel to loosen it, but I don't currently have access to a decent sized vice.

Plan B is, well, being planned ... I'll think of something. ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 October, 2011, 08:24:48 pm
After a bit of buggering about with a pair of maul grips, I managed to get a decent purchase on the freewheel interior, and it was then easy to apply enough force to unscrew it. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 31 October, 2011, 12:16:23 am
This was my big fettle for last week. My son impressively bought a second hand retro road bike from a bike recycling project with his own cash back in the summer.

Before-fettle pics of his BSA Shadow:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/chrisN1001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/chrisN1003.jpg)

Although in working order, it's brakes were lousy and the levers were short MTB style ones mounted right near the stem on the tops. He reported some hair raising descents of Cheddar gorge down on the drops and unable to reach the brakes even if he had wanted to  :o
So to reward him for his new found cycling habit I bought him some new Shimano brake levers, cables, Spesh bar phat tape and gel (since he liked mine so much). I fitted the spare SRAM Apex front brake I had, but was unable to fit the rear one because the drop wasn't deep enough to reach the rims. I might get him a matching rear brake in deep drop for Christmas!

The finished article:
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6057/6296205655_21a78fdd99.jpg)

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6296199291_6088c1996d.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 31 October, 2011, 02:11:45 pm
Sunday searched tool box found chain ring bolt spanner.  Removed old chain ring.  Added new Surly stainless steel chain ring. Tighten chain ring bolts to maximum extent but they are not tight. So try again with new single speed bolts next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 October, 2011, 10:08:58 pm
Adjusted my rear hub bearings again to stop the wobble but allow it to run smoothly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 31 October, 2011, 10:29:59 pm
New bearings in my hybrid's rear hub (did the front yesterday). Note to self: next time, make a note of which spacers go where on the axle before dismantling everything! ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 November, 2011, 02:05:48 pm
Bike
Put tribar mounted downtube shifters onto the steel audax bike, new gear cables throughout and retaped the bars after pulling the old outers from the ergos. Couldn't find the rather nice brake levers I've got sitting in a box somewhere from before I went to ergos, so left them on. Just trying out some alternatives for shifting over the winter when I'll be wearing thick gloves and also want to try something other than ergos as they aggravate my iffy thumb on very long rides. Reaching for the levers on the tribars seems pretty similar to reaching for them on the downtube, with the advantage that I can also shift when in a tuck.

Car
Got around to sorting out the reversing sensor failure that means when put into reverse it just beeps for three seconds to tell you it is faulty rather than telling you far you are from things. It's been like that for a couple of years, I don't really need it (neither MrsH nor myself tend to hit things when going backwards), but that beep was annoying. Realised that you can actually listen to the sensors to find the faulty one, then got a replacement one for a very few quid off ebay. Two minutes under the car and it is working again - should have done it ages ago, and fixing it was easier than finding out how to disable the sounder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 09:35:10 pm
Put a second set of lights (these are person-dynamo powered, ie I wind the front one up for a minute or so and it certainly lasted the whole hour I was out!) on the new bike, along with attaching the bracket for the Garmin I got on Ebay shortly after I successfully got the bike!  I figure I'm more likely to do routes where I need the Garmin on the lighter bike than on the lovely Geraldine!  I also popped a bottle holder on there, which actually took the longest as I struggled to get the nut back in!

Also went through and checked my spare innertubes and discovered that though they fit the new bike, they've got a different valve thingy.  They never used to have different valves when I was a kid, I'm sure, so now I have to figure out which are in fact better, work with my pumps and are therefore useful!   ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 01 November, 2011, 09:47:08 pm
Today I got my Sabbath back on the road, after a month b0rked in the study. OK, it has yet to actually get out of the house, but now it could do if I feel like riding it!

Put on new SRAM Apex R shifter (warrantly replacement from Fudges Cycles, I seem to have wore out the last one after only 8 months). I had left the metal band on the bars when I removed the b0rked one so was able to run the cables and screw on the new lever without messing up the bar tape. Replaced a brake cable while I was at it. New gear cables run and gears reindexed.
QR Bagman grub screws tightened.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 09:51:30 pm
Quote from: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 09:35:10 pm
Also went through and checked my spare innertubes and discovered that though they fit the new bike, they've got a different valve thingy.  They never used to have different valves when I was a kid, I'm sure, so now I have to figure out which are in fact better, work with my pumps and are therefore useful!   ???

Presta valves (the thinner ones) can be made to fit rims with holes for Schrader (the car type ones), and there are little collar things you can get to help do this.  Vice-versa, not so much.  As a general rule, Presta is usual on road bikes and Schrader on mountain bikes.  Hybrids and folders and things can go either way.

I'm not sure either is particularly better, other than Presta allowing for narrower rims on racing wheels.  Most bike pumps can be used with both types, but switching between the two often involves removing and replacing a pingfuckit in the head, which really isn't the sort of thing you want to have to do at the roadside in the pissing rain.

While I've tried to standardise on Presta valves for my bikes, I still have enough Schrader tubes hanging around that I have to pay attention.  But I have three different wheel sizes to worry about, too, so moving luggage/toolkits between bikes involves a certain amount of paying attention anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 01 November, 2011, 09:52:33 pm
Quote from: Feline on 31 October, 2011, 12:16:23 am
This was my big fettle for last week. My son impressively bought a second hand retro road bike from a bike recycling project with his own cash back in the summer.

Before-fettle pics of his BSA Shadow:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/chrisN1001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/chrisN1003.jpg)

Although in working order, it's brakes were lousy and the levers were short MTB style ones mounted right near the stem on the tops. He reported some hair raising descents of Cheddar gorge down on the drops and unable to reach the brakes even if he had wanted to  :o
So to reward him for his new found cycling habit I bought him some new Shimano brake levers, cables, Spesh bar phat tape and gel (since he liked mine so much). I fitted the spare SRAM Apex front brake I had, but was unable to fit the rear one because the drop wasn't deep enough to reach the rims. I might get him a matching rear brake in deep drop for Christmas!

The finished article:
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6057/6296205655_21a78fdd99.jpg)

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6296199291_6088c1996d.jpg)

That looks like a good job but how come the cat's now a dog; some kind of up-grade?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 09:56:34 pm
Downgrade, surely?  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 09:57:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 09:51:30 pm
Quote from: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 09:35:10 pm
Also went through and checked my spare innertubes and discovered that though they fit the new bike, they've got a different valve thingy.  They never used to have different valves when I was a kid, I'm sure, so now I have to figure out which are in fact better, work with my pumps and are therefore useful!   ???

Presta valves (the thinner ones) can be made to fit rims with holes for Schrader (the car type ones), and there are little collar things you can get to help do this.  Vice-versa, not so much.  As a general rule, Presta is usual on road bikes and Schrader on mountain bikes.  Hybrids and folders and things can go either way.

I'm not sure either is particularly better, other than Presta allowing for narrower rims on racing wheels.  Most bike pumps can be used with both types, but switching between the two often involves removing and replacing a pingfuckit in the head, which really isn't the sort of thing you want to have to do at the roadside in the pissing rain.

While I've tried to standardise on Presta valves for my bikes, I still have enough Schrader tubes hanging around that I have to pay attention.  But I have three different wheel sizes to worry about, too, so moving luggage/toolkits between bikes involves a certain amount of paying attention anyway.

Dagnabit, I hadn't even considered whether they'd fit the rims!  Gah, this bike stuff is more complicated than it looks!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 01 November, 2011, 09:59:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 09:56:34 pm
Downgrade, surely?  :P

Hmm. Didn't think it through; re-grade perhaps!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 10:03:57 pm
Quote from: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 09:57:59 pm
Dagnabit, I hadn't even considered whether they'd fit the rims!  Gah, this bike stuff is more complicated than it looks!!

The other thing, which I would have added to the above if editing posts hadn't just been disabled, is that you can get screw-on adaptors to enable a Schrader pump to fit a Presta valve.  It's the sort of thing that's worth having in your toolkit just in case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 01 November, 2011, 10:07:20 pm
Quote from: Peter on 01 November, 2011, 09:59:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 09:56:34 pm
Downgrade, surely?  :P

Hmm. Didn't think it through; re-grade perhaps!

We have all kinds of grade here, it's a bit like a zoo!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/res021.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 November, 2011, 10:26:09 pm
Quote from: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 09:57:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 09:51:30 pm
Quote from: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 09:35:10 pm
Also went through and checked my spare innertubes and discovered that though they fit the new bike, they've got a different valve thingy.  They never used to have different valves when I was a kid, I'm sure, so now I have to figure out which are in fact better, work with my pumps and are therefore useful!   ???

Presta valves (the thinner ones) can be made to fit rims with holes for Schrader (the car type ones), and there are little collar things you can get to help do this.  Vice-versa, not so much.  As a general rule, Presta is usual on road bikes and Schrader on mountain bikes.  Hybrids and folders and things can go either way.

I'm not sure either is particularly better, other than Presta allowing for narrower rims on racing wheels.  Most bike pumps can be used with both types, but switching between the two often involves removing and replacing a pingfuckit in the head, which really isn't the sort of thing you want to have to do at the roadside in the pissing rain.

While I've tried to standardise on Presta valves for my bikes, I still have enough Schrader tubes hanging around that I have to pay attention.  But I have three different wheel sizes to worry about, too, so moving luggage/toolkits between bikes involves a certain amount of paying attention anyway.

Dagnabit, I hadn't even considered whether they'd fit the rims!  Gah, this bike stuff is more complicated than it looks!!
And then there's the possibility you might have Dunlop valves...

Those are the ones you probably remember from your kidship, when you had a pump with a flexy tube that screwed onto the valve. A Presta pump will fit these and vice versa as they are in fact the same size, just the Presta don't have the screw thread but have a kinda locknut thingy instead.

But Schrader are incompatible with both.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 November, 2011, 10:29:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 09:51:30 pm
I'm not sure either is particularly better, other than Presta allowing for narrower rims on racing wheels.  Most bike pumps can be used with both types, but switching between the two often involves removing and replacing a pingfuckit in the head, which really isn't the sort of thing you want to have to do at the roadside in the pissing rain.
Only Kim could have a replaceable pingfuckit in her head!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 November, 2011, 10:32:12 pm
Actually, that's barakta.  She has two.  They're made of titanium and have a ~2mm torx head.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 01 November, 2011, 10:37:31 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 01 November, 2011, 10:26:09 pm
And then there's the possibility you might have Dunlop valves...

Those are the ones you probably remember from your kidship, when you had a pump with a flexy tube that screwed onto the valve. A Presta pump will fit these and vice versa as they are in fact the same size, just the Presta don't have the screw thread but have a kinda locknut thingy instead.

But Schrader are incompatible with both.

Hmmm, I suspect that's the valve I used to use, but my pump has always been a solid metal one that my mother bought before I was born...

Yes, I have other pumps now, but I still have that one!  It doesn't seem to fit the Presta ones though.

I'm getting a headache!  LOL
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 November, 2011, 10:41:22 pm
It should "fit" but it might not seal well enough to actually get any air in, because the Prestas don't have that screw thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 02 November, 2011, 09:24:10 am
Today (well, I started last night but it was very thoroughly today by the time I finished) I have fettled the book collection.  2 large bags of ones I don't want for the charity shop, and all the rest (and those who have seen my house may well appreciate what a shocking concept this is) are IN the bookcases rather than in heaps and pile and sturdy bags in front of said bookcases.  They are now, naturally, in alphabetical order.  I also have one and a half empty bookcases....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 02 November, 2011, 09:42:35 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 02 November, 2011, 09:24:10 am
Today (well, I started last night but it was very thoroughly today by the time I finished) I have fettled the book collection.  2 large bags of ones I don't want for the charity shop, and all the rest (and those who have seen my house may well appreciate what a shocking concept this is) are IN the bookcases rather than in heaps and pile and sturdy bags in front of said bookcases.  They are now, naturally, in alphabetical order.  I also have one and a half empty bookcases....

:thumbsup:

There's something very satisfying about sorting out books onto shelves.

Alphabetical by Author? How about books by the same Author? I used to go with time order, with earlier books first. But then with different sized books that got awkward. Now they're just in some sort of order that fit on the shelves. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 02 November, 2011, 09:43:27 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 02 November, 2011, 09:24:10 am
Today (well, I started last night but it was very thoroughly today by the time I finished) I have fettled the book collection.  2 large bags of ones I don't want for the charity shop, and all the rest (and those who have seen my house may well appreciate what a shocking concept this is) are IN the bookcases rather than in heaps and pile and sturdy bags in front of said bookcases.  They are now, naturally, in alphabetical order.  I also have one and a half empty bookcases....

 :o :o :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 November, 2011, 11:39:38 am
Re-wrapped the bars on the OnOne, as the original wrapping was done in a bit of a rush and was starting to gape a little bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 02 November, 2011, 07:46:12 pm
Just fitted new, sexier pedals to Cannondale and returned those removed to the Royal. But it's dark and it's raining so I can only look and dream.... :'(

But it's the weekend soon, and.... it might not rain?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Nuncio on 03 November, 2011, 08:01:53 am
Several months and several hundred miles worth of intermitent and worrying creaking from the back end has been stopped by the use of a seat post bolt. I noticed it was missing yesterday.  I must have removed it in an attempt to unseize the seat post, and forgotten to put it in.  So I did PBP without a seat post bolt. Anything to save weight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 03 November, 2011, 08:12:57 am
Good job the seat post was seized in place then  :)
Did all that riding do anything loosen it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 03 November, 2011, 08:48:14 am
By proxy... my position on the tourer.  Saddle has been lowered and repositioned.  Swapped the 110 stem for a 100 and lowered the bars a tad.

At some point in the next few days I need to tweak the brakes and shifter cables. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Nuncio on 03 November, 2011, 11:01:14 am
Quote from: MattH on 03 November, 2011, 08:12:57 am
Good job the seat post was seized in place then  :)
Did all that riding do anything loosen it?

It's been seized for a long time now, fortunately at a height I'm happy with.  Kind of you to express it as 'all that riding' rather than 'all that weight'.  To answer your question: I guess enough to cause the noise, but not enough for any movement. I'm almost tempted to continue without one and see what happens - easier than getting out the hairdryer and bag of ice, or saw, or buying a vice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 November, 2011, 11:20:13 am
Quote from: Peter on 01 November, 2011, 09:52:33 pm

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6296199291_6088c1996d.jpg)

That looks like a good job but how come the cat's now a dog; some kind of up-grade?

Never mind that. Which animal needs a hole on an interior door? 

My own fettling was a couple of days ago.  We had a short break on a narrow boat, which had one of those new fangled flat screen TVs with DVD player. The DVD player didn't and wouldn't eject the DVD I'd put into it. Further investigation showed that the TV had been dropped (gert cracks in the casing, screen not level, rattling noise). So armed with a Eurohike SAK-alike and a sharp kinfe I and The Boy removed as many screws as possible, got the DVD out and put it back together. Couldn't getthe DVD play to play thobut.

We also, briefly, consdidered rewiring the speakers such that the fader worked in a logical front=front of boat, rear=rear of boat fashion, rather than the entertaining front =front right & left rear fashion it was set up with. But the collection of knives didn't include one thin enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 03 November, 2011, 12:46:20 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 03 November, 2011, 11:20:13 am
Quote from: Peter on 01 November, 2011, 09:52:33 pm

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6296199291_6088c1996d.jpg)

That looks like a good job but how come the cat's now a dog; some kind of up-grade?

Never mind that. Which animal needs a hole on an interior door? 


Heh, I've made a cat sized hole in 2 of my downstairs doors so the cats can walk through doors and the dogs can't get in the hall or upstairs. The other door always has a collie head through it when I answer the door, and you should see the look on the face of the delivery drivers the first time they see it and then see it move, they think this is a house of horrors :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 November, 2011, 02:43:48 pm
In preparation for the Whitby ride, I've removed a suspicious quantity of grinding paste from the chain of the Streetmachine, and all the Sand Of Doom from the one off the Dawes for good measure.  I couldn't face cleaning the rest of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 November, 2011, 02:47:34 pm
Quote from: Feline on 03 November, 2011, 12:46:20 pm
Heh, I've made a cat sized hole in 2 of my downstairs doors so the cats can walk through doors and the dogs can't get in the hall or upstairs. ...

Makes sense.

I wish I could think of an easy way of doing the opposite, so something that Kai can get through, bet Zev can't.  Possibly a cat sized door on a seesaw, so a heavier cat can get through, but a lightweight one can't. <insert head scratching and thinking smilie here>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 November, 2011, 03:47:02 pm
I've seen a similar thing for feeding critturs at the local nature reserve.  I think the one they wanted to feed was the red squirrel, while the porkier grey tipped the balance and didn't get any grub.


<thinks>  Then it would lose weight and be able to feed, so put on weight and be unable to feed.

Hmm, has anyone done hysterisis calculations for a seesaw?

</thinks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 November, 2011, 04:28:28 pm
I fettled the spare battery holder bought from Maplins to fit in my Hope Vision 1, by gluing three layers of cardboard onto the end of the plastic case so it no longer rattles around in the light body, losing contact and breaking the circuit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ran doner on 03 November, 2011, 10:21:25 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 03 November, 2011, 04:28:28 pm
I fettled the spare battery holder bought from Maplins to fit in my Hope Vision 1, by gluing three layers of cardboard onto the end of the plastic case so it no longer rattles around in the light body, losing contact and breaking the circuit.

Just been trying to hack fettle one of the maplin battery holders and i've given up.

I've sawn, filed, ground away at the push on terminals and cant get the sod to work.

Any chance of a piccy ?

It looks so simple yet ... >:(

Might have to resort to buying off the professionals.

Anybody got any links to reliable/cheap online retailers selling the battery holder that
doesnt have the extra terminals on it and will just work ?

TIA
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 November, 2011, 10:29:48 pm
I've done nothing whatsoever to the terminals. I've simply glued three layers of cardboard onto the other end of the battery holder, to take up the slack that in the Hope own version is filled by the foam pad on the back.

If you're having trouble with the terminals, note that they will fit in any way up but only connect one way - but I expect you'd noticed this!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ran doner on 03 November, 2011, 10:45:53 pm
Umm.

I tried it as is and got nothing.

Figured it was sitting to far out because the terminals on the holder
made the whole length about 3-4 mm longer than the original and
maybe the spring loaded pins weren't hitting anything. Maybe i just
went to far. It does feel OK.

I'll try some solder on the holder and see if that does the trick else its back
to maplins.

I just glued the foam to the underside of the screw on cap so its always in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 04 November, 2011, 04:08:18 pm
A tubeless tyre onto my mountain bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 November, 2011, 04:42:10 pm
I'v fettled the Trek into audax mode,
map trap
lights
Barley
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 04 November, 2011, 06:54:17 pm
I have just mackled a lamp-bracket for an Ultrafire Fenix-style torch, using a redundant bracket from a jiggered re-chargeable lamp and a velcro strap from a cheap pump attachment.

1. Exploded view of bracket

(http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/dismantled bracket.JPG)

2.  Strap-trap

(http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/strap -trap.JPG)


3.  Final assembly

(http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/final assembly.JPG)


I used double-sided tape to stick a strip of rubber along the top of the "strap-trap" to make the lamp as secure as possible.

I am ridiculously pleased with this and it compensated for failure to fit new head-set bearings, owing to them being the wrong size, having been carefully measured by a not-so-LBS.

Will have to take bearings back tomorrow and RIDE BACK IN THE DARK!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 November, 2011, 07:37:13 pm
Quote from: Peter on 04 November, 2011, 06:54:17 pm
1. Exploded view of bracket

(http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/dismantled bracket.JPG)

That's an excellent illustration of the single point of failure self-untapping screw which I've moaned about at length in the past.  (The brackets are usually fine for a year or two before it goes, and are at least easy to obtain replacements for.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 04 November, 2011, 09:26:23 pm
Yes, Kim, that has occurred to me and when I've stopped feeling pleased with myself, I'm going to try running the strap straight through the hole, to trap it on the bars.  But I might also try drilling the other end and getting a longer self-tapper, or even a bolt in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 November, 2011, 09:49:24 pm
Quote from: ran doner on 03 November, 2011, 10:45:53 pm
Umm.

I tried it as is and got nothing.

Figured it was sitting to far out because the terminals on the holder
made the whole length about 3-4 mm longer than the original and
maybe the spring loaded pins weren't hitting anything. Maybe i just
went to far. It does feel OK.

I'll try some solder on the holder and see if that does the trick else its back
to maplins.

I just glued the foam to the underside of the screw on cap so its always in there.
I think what you need is probably HF29G in Maplin speak. There's also HF94C which is described as 4AA battery box long. And I remember they do a version with wires attached to the terminals, too. But they don't have any illustrations online, so I'm not sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 05 November, 2011, 10:59:41 am
Just back from replacing tyres and tubes on the Cannondale. A pair of beautiful blue Schwalbe Luganos; I had expected the fitting to be a bit of a struggle, as with most new tyres, but no problems at all although I did have to deflate one and fiddle about to get the bead to engage the rim properly by the v/v. Probably because I'm not used to such skinny wheels. Anyway it all looks very smart! I just hope they don't peel off as easily as they went one the first time I lob it into a corner...

I pumped them up using my new mini pump (Barbieri CarbOne - recommended) well partially anyway, certainly to get you home pressure. This worked a lot better than I had anticipated but I got bored before I got tired and used the track pump. So I won't have to lug around that SKS Piccolo, that was really tiring me out!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 05 November, 2011, 05:05:36 pm
I fettled the audax bike today - replaced the Sram Apex chainset, front mech and shifters with Force.  It still has the Apex rear giving 50/34 at the front and 11/32 at the back, with well thought-out gaps and narrow Q factor.  It all works very well.  I've also replaced th rack and rackpack wth my Carradice Barley as I now have a Mini Morphe pump that will fit in the bag, but can still pump a tyre u to a decent pressure.  I'm using a Thomson bent-back seatpost which keeps the Barley just far enough out of the way to avoid the neeed for a Bagman.  With the straps on the tightest settings it's solid enough too.  I'll see how it does on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Maverick on 05 November, 2011, 07:08:29 pm
PID'd my Rancilio Silvia espresso machine today. I bought this a couple of months ago and after a couple of weeks I had got to grips with it and by temperature surfing I was producing ok espresso with the occassional brilliant one and (more frequently) some truly awful brews. I still needed the espresso fairy to be awake and paying attention to get really good shots. I reckoned I really needed the machine to have better control of the water temperature so I bought a PID kit from www.auberins.com (http://www.auberins.com) which was delivered about 10 days later.

I set about fitting it today. It came with very comprehensive instructions and after about hours careful work later it was fitted. It doesn't look too bad and could (almost) be part of the original machine.

So, after this evenings meal, it was time to try it out. It came preset to 105ºC which is supposed to give a brew temperature of 97℃ and this is where I left it. Ms Maverick pronounced her double shot as excellent. By the time I had ground my shot and refilled the basket the machine was back up to temperature. My shot was also rather good so the upgrade has been declared a success :thumbsup: I reckon I will now be able to produce consistently good shots and be able to work towards consistently excellent ones. Some experimentation with temperature is recommended as individual machines apparently can vary by as much as 2℃ so that'll be a good excuse to drink too much espresso over the next week ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 05 November, 2011, 08:37:06 pm
Prepped some bikes for a trip to Brighton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 05 November, 2011, 09:15:05 pm
Replaced the cracked screen in a netbook (last night).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 05 November, 2011, 09:56:59 pm
Quote from: clarion on 05 November, 2011, 08:37:06 pm
Prepped some bikes for a trip to Brighton.
:thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 November, 2011, 10:20:01 pm
After a brief foray with square ball bearings in the rear wheel of the fixer, I decided to return to the more traditional spherical sort.

This has the twin benefits of the bike not sounding like a cement mixer and running as smooth as a smooth thing.


Also prepped the Pino for similar reasons to those outlined by our Tyke correspondent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 November, 2011, 05:11:56 pm
The excellent Kirby[1] Zip Brush (a sort of air-powered vibrating brush thing that goes on the end of the vacuum hose, and is utterly awesome at cleaning stairs), which had been performing in a less than excellent manner, presumably due to Long Haired Lesbian Syndrome[2].  I eventually summoned up the guts to prise the retaining knob off the end of the turbine rotor assembly thing, at which point the individual elements can be slid off the shaft.  As can the several  'washers' made of tightly compacted and slightly singed human hair that were acting as a brake.  A smear of grease on the plain bearing, and push it all back together, and the original tubo-vibrating evilness (and associated stair-cleaning performance and hair-snatching ability) was fully restored.  Win.



[1] Before anyone expresses concern: eBay bargain, we did *not* buy it new.
[2] As named by a similarly afflicted friend of ours.  Her stock reply to the surprisingly frequent question of "What do long-haired lesbians *do*?" was "We spend an awful lot of time unclogging the hoover[3]."
[3] It was actually a Dyson, which no doubt exacerbated the problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 November, 2011, 08:17:27 pm
Finally fitted the snow studs (which don't have as massive knobblies as I remember) to my hybrid and removed the guards so that they fit as this winter's first frost is forecast tonight.

Also tigtened up the screw holding the dérailleur onto the bike - which made for much smoother shifting :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wonky on 06 November, 2011, 08:53:19 pm
Fitted the new mudguards. Snow studs are in next months budget.
Also tightened the screw holding on the gear hangar.

And given my steed an overdue clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ran doner on 06 November, 2011, 09:57:08 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 04 November, 2011, 09:49:24 pm
Quote from: ran doner on 03 November, 2011, 10:45:53 pm
Umm.

I tried it as is and got nothing.

Figured it was sitting to far out because the terminals on the holder
made the whole length about 3-4 mm longer than the original and
maybe the spring loaded pins weren't hitting anything. Maybe i just
went to far. It does feel OK.

I'll try some solder on the holder and see if that does the trick else its back
to maplins.

I just glued the foam to the underside of the screw on cap so its always in there.
I think what you need is probably HF29G in Maplin speak. There's also HF94C which is described as 4AA battery box long. And I remember they do a version with wires attached to the terminals, too. But they don't have any illustrations online, so I'm not sure.

Bought the same type again and it worked first time. Thanks for the help  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 November, 2011, 10:02:10 pm
Very glad.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 07 November, 2011, 09:52:50 am
It is bike related but after 4 days of trying, I finally managed to get the alarm I had fitted to the garage and my garden office working. I have no idea where the fault was but after wiring and rewiring the system a number of times, I walked away with it saying it must be faulty and I would have to return it to the retailer......only to find it was working fine when I tried it for one last time a couple of hours later!  :facepalm:

A six foot high garden locked garden gate, three locks on the door, an alarm system and several D locks...my bikes should be safe now....... (OMG wish I hadn't said that!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 November, 2011, 10:57:31 am
More of a too fettle when I find a tool for it.

I'm going to tighten the quill stem bolt on my hybrid, as the steering is rather worryingly loose (read 20o off true after climbing a bit of a hill standing up). It's the one bolt I didn't think to check during yesterday's fettling session :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 November, 2011, 06:07:05 pm
Removed half of Dudley and more than a little Clent Hill from the Dawes, cleaned and lubed the drivetrain, and fitted the shiny new Marathon Winters for their specified run-in.  Was pleased to note that the mudguard clearance requirement was pretty much identical to that of the Marathon Cross they replaced, which meant a lot less fettling than anticipated.

Top tip: When spinning a wheel by hand to inspect that all is running smoothly, do not use manual braking on a studded tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 07 November, 2011, 06:13:22 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 November, 2011, 06:07:05 pm
Top tip: When spinning a wheel by hand to inspect that all is running smoothly, do not use manual braking on a studded tyre.

Oooh oooh ow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 07 November, 2011, 10:13:18 pm
Finally got a round tuit and fettled the new bb router - I've been putting it off because it involved use of a stepladder, but my borrowed internet connection has been very very flaky so I thought I'd better sort it out.  The interwebs just got a whole heap faster!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 07 November, 2011, 11:33:14 pm
I have replaced my Michell Tecnoarm with a Hadcock 242 (http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/hadcock/hadcock.html).   This involved having Michell (http://www.michell-engineering.co.uk/) machine me a new armboard for the Orbe (http://www.michell-engineering.co.uk/turntables/orbe/).  When this arrived I couldn't fit the 2nd phono plug through the pillar hole so had to file a slot  :facepalm: 

It's now bolted on, and with only a very rough setup sounds rather good. Fine tuning to follow.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 November, 2011, 11:03:01 am
Grouted the bathroom floor.  Oh, the glamour!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 08 November, 2011, 12:03:12 pm
Did this a while ago, but forgot to log it. Moved a rack to my Giant Escape Mini (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14062.0). No fixing point for the top of the rack,  and was too cheap to buy the seat clamp with built in fixing point. So decided to swap parts around on my bikes, fettling is more fun when you risk 2 of your bikes. Removed the quick release seat post from the Giant, swapped it with the seat clamp on my Yuba Mondo. Then got a file out and increased the holes in the aluminium stays, and then attached the stays to the seat bolt, through the gap in the clamp. Not explaining it very well, so photos instead...

Voila

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6047/6325735188_dd0eaef8a7.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77272293@N00/6325735188/)

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6093/6325735576_04fe168b78.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77272293@N00/6325735576/)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 09 November, 2011, 11:54:03 am
A mandatory fettle of the rear wheel, when I popped into my GPs to pick up a prescription, and got that hiss - phtt - hiss - phtt - hiss - phtt a couple of hundred feet short of there.  Just enough pressure to get there, went in and got the prescription first, so it didn't end up covered in black finger prints.

Took the wheel off and inspected the tyre, I couldn't find the flint (or whatever) but that tyre is looking extremely old now.  It looked a bit iffy a couple of months back when I had a fairy on one of Andrij's Thames Meanders, but it looks more than a thousand miles the worse for wear now (which is about what it's had in that time), and even in the 1/8th of a tyre I checked (because that's were the hole was) I found a couple of large slashes and half a dozen small slashes.  If the rest of the tyre is like that, it won't be long before I have another visit from the fairy.

So, tyre replacement fettling this weekend (after the FNRttC, which I'll do on Red so no risk of a similar problem).  I doubt I'll have the time or energy to replace it tonight, but it's reasonable to risk another commute tomorrow.

I'm not sure how far that tyres done, somewhere between 5000 and 10000 miles, so it's not unreasonable to put a new one on.  Marathon Supremes are quite expensive though, so I don't rush to change them at the first sign of a problem!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 11 November, 2011, 07:37:36 pm
My Thorn is now the proud owner of new cables and the cabley gubbins that attaches to the hub. It works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 November, 2011, 08:46:22 pm
Got the Ridgeback back into working order - adjusted chain tension etc.  And had to rebuild track pumps to get air into the tyres :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 November, 2011, 04:46:21 pm
I've just fettled a new rear mech hanger onto Junior#2's MTB, for the second time in as many weeks!

He's very rough with his bike.

<note to self: always have 2 spare hangers.. >

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 12 November, 2011, 07:37:05 pm
I've taken apart & fixed my exposure lights battery charger, Kim would be proud  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 12 November, 2011, 07:53:17 pm
I have actually been sticking cyclist road signs up today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 12 November, 2011, 07:55:03 pm
I finally got round to putting the left hand bracket and mirror on my Trice. The mirror has been waiting for about 2 years and it was only a chance that I was looking for something else that I found it again!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 November, 2011, 08:55:59 pm
I helped the Things diagnose an issue with chain tension on their tandem in the middle of the night.

And one of my own to do with cable tension.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 November, 2011, 10:09:06 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 12 November, 2011, 04:46:21 pm
I've just fettled a new rear mech hanger onto Junior#2's MTB, for the second time in as many weeks!

He's very rough with his bike.

<note to self: always have 2 spare hangers.. >




Could you get hold of one of the metal mech protectors they used to sell mountain bikes with years ago, like this (http://www.daycockscycles.co.uk/product/Rear_Derailleur_Guard_Short_Black_GG06) one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 November, 2011, 10:42:41 am
After this abberation

2) went without tyre levers,puncture repair kit,spare tube & multi-tool.That's NEVER happened before.

last week,I've just spent half an hour making sure that the Longstaff,Trek & Langster have this stuff on board.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 November, 2011, 11:40:14 am
Stripped down the Ridley, well as far as I can, as I seem to be unable to find my Shimano crank dust cover remover!

Polished the frame, front half, rear half to be done when I can get the crankset off.

Now need to get new cables, outers and bar tape.

Looking shiny-ish so far, will look really shiny when I have finished (until I have ridden it about 5 miles then it will look all muddy again.

Oh and I found out that the forks are full carbon, not carbon blades with ally steerer, and the reason the headset was loose was that the butt expander plug had worked loose.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 13 November, 2011, 05:40:27 pm
Starter motor on narrowboat.

Engagement solenoid was firing, but the motor itself didn't turn over. Removed motor, dismantled it, discovered that the bush bearing was seized at one end. Freed up and lubed it, then spent an hour reassembling motor. Ended up making little clips out of old spokes to hold the brushes back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Emily on 13 November, 2011, 05:57:27 pm
Changed the tyres on my Marin today, from what-it-came-with to Marathons.  First time I've ever done that... which led to first time I've ever made an inner tube explode ::-) 

So I got to practice taking tyres off and putting them back on three times instead of two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 13 November, 2011, 06:19:27 pm
As November's arrived the Winter bike ready for tomorrow's commute
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 13 November, 2011, 07:32:59 pm
As much as I'm enjoying my new Hewitt Cheviot, I finally got around to getting my Orbea Elorrio back on the road.  Today I put on a new chainset.  Comparing the teeth on the old and new chainrings, I must confess the change was long overdue (~12,000km).  I also put new brake blocks on the rear.  The front ones could be replaced as well, but as I'm planning on putting a disc brake on the front decided to save a few shekels.

Next I'll be trying to sort out the regular clicking I've been getting on the Cheviot.  Could find it last time I had it up on the stand, but it's there when pedalling. ???  Shifting also seems to be a bit off, which *should* be sorted with a bit of cable tweaking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 13 November, 2011, 09:30:02 pm
Having had a fettle fail during the week when replacing the rear tyre after putting a new innertube in after my first visitation, I decided to have another go this evening.

Finally, after much fiddling, taking a few more bits apart than already done and watching a slightly more useful video on Youtube (so many even though I searched for the Nexus 8 didn't look anything like mine), I got all the bits to behave and she's back together!   :thumbsup:

I'm feeling really rather proud of myself, as that was blinking complicated!   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 November, 2011, 09:38:34 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 12 November, 2011, 10:09:06 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 12 November, 2011, 04:46:21 pm
I've just fettled a new rear mech hanger onto Junior#2's MTB, for the second time in as many weeks!

He's very rough with his bike.

<note to self: always have 2 spare hangers.. >




Could you get hold of one of the metal mech protectors they used to sell mountain bikes with years ago, like this (http://www.daycockscycles.co.uk/product/Rear_Derailleur_Guard_Short_Black_GG06) one.

Yes, thanks, I think that may be appropriate in this case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 November, 2011, 08:31:14 pm
Today I have been mostly mantling a Trice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 14 November, 2011, 08:33:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 November, 2011, 08:31:14 pm
Today I have been mostly mantling a Trice.

Is it there yet?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 November, 2011, 08:48:53 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 14 November, 2011, 08:33:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 November, 2011, 08:31:14 pm
Today I have been mostly mantling a Trice.

Is it there yet?

Details and pr0n in the relevant thread (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45696.msg1092353#msg1092353).

I've done all the major assembly, and some random easy accessory bits and pieces.  Need to fit the chain and sort out the adapted controls and associated cables tomorrow.  And no doubt lots of tweaking.

I'll probably have to borrow the tyres from my folding BSO for a test ride, as it seems likely that London Recumbents will want the current (incorrect) ones back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 14 November, 2011, 09:08:43 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 13 November, 2011, 07:32:59 pm
Next I'll be trying to sort out the regular clicking I've been getting on the Cheviot.  Could find it last time I had it up on the stand, but it's there when pedalling.   

I've always found pedal-rate clicks and creaks *incredibly* difficult to pin down.
As soon as you change your body-position to listen from a different angle, it always stops.

The usual suspects are:

Pedals: Take them off, grease them, re-fit them tightly.
Seat-post. Does it stop if you stand up?. Remove, clean,grease, and re-fit.
The saddle itself.
Bottom Bracket coming loose.
Flex in the frame & Front Mech postion issues causing chain to touch the cage at certain points of the revolution under power.
Shoes.  Sometimes they are the source of clicks and creaks.

And never forget:
Something on yourself.
I had a bear of a time finding a pedal-rate click-click.
It went away when I stood up.
Turned out to be coins / phone in a front pocket of my jacket getting tapped by my leg every revolution.

--
F
 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 November, 2011, 09:10:01 pm
Fettled Butterfly's cassette on her fast bike, which was a shade loose and making horrible noises on Friday night.

Also tightened up my BB on the fixed.  And refreshed the RaceBlades.

Ah yes, Feanor, you've reminded me: I should sort out the creak on my Woodrup before tucking it in for hibernation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 November, 2011, 12:43:17 pm
Today I has mostly been fettling luggage and luggage accessories. To whit, I've transplanted the rear rack of the Yellow Genesis onto the Surly, and moved the SQR block that was on the Surly onto the Genesis. Once I've got my cash-flow sorted out (ie. when I actually have a cash-flow) I may well get a Bagman for the Genesis - Camper Longflap+SQR is a bad combo as the bag sways around a lot.

Fitting the rack was not exactly straightforward, as I had to bodge together some method of offsetting the leg of the rack so it didn't foul the rear disc caliper. Nylok nuts FTW ;) All of this means that not only can I pick up the remaining odds and ends that I've left at (soon-to-be-ex)place of work, but I can also see how the new Big Apple slicks perform on the pub ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 15 November, 2011, 02:25:42 pm
Fitted Avid BB5s onto my Dawes MTB. I should've moved into the sunny back garden instead of doing it all on the sunless front drive. Also had to fashion a cable for the rear one.

Discovered that they BB5s were supplied with 185mm rotors instead of the 160mm ones specified. Had to reuse the ancient ones on the Dawes. Harrumph!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 November, 2011, 03:10:54 pm
Just spent the best part of an hour fitting brake cables to my Ridley.

Front brake - 5 minutes, bish, bash, and indeed, bosh, done.
Back brake, fit, remove re-fit, try different outer at rear, try removing end caps, fit, refit, fit refit (repeat ad nauseum) they gave up and re-used the old rear bit of outer.

Couldn't face doing the gear cables right now :(  A job for tomorrow, I think.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 November, 2011, 03:14:35 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 15 November, 2011, 02:25:42 pm
Discovered that they BB5s were supplied with 185mm rotors instead of the 160mm ones specified. Had to reuse the ancient ones on the Dawes. Harrumph!
On the off-chance that you're using centre-lock discs, it may interest you to know that On-One are doing the Deore RT52 rotors (160mm) for the princely sum of a fiver each.

EDIT: A linky: http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/BSSHRT52CR/shimano_deore_rt52_centrelock_disc_rotor
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 15 November, 2011, 03:54:30 pm
Quote from: interzen on 15 November, 2011, 03:14:35 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 15 November, 2011, 02:25:42 pm
Discovered that they BB5s were supplied with 185mm rotors instead of the 160mm ones specified. Had to reuse the ancient ones on the Dawes. Harrumph!
On the off-chance that you're using centre-lock discs, it may interest you to know that On-One are doing the Deore RT52 rotors (160mm) for the princely sum of a fiver each.

EDIT: A linky: http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/BSSHRT52CR/shimano_deore_rt52_centrelock_disc_rotor

Thanks for the tip. Nope, I'm not on centerlocks, just the 6-hole version. Good price though...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 November, 2011, 04:20:48 pm
Just done the easiest fettle ever on one of the Trek F400 folders,ready for it's new owner.
Disn't need to adjust brakes or gears:working sweetly.
All that was necessary was to put some air in the tyres.

A trip round the block to test it all reminded me of just how much fun these are to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 November, 2011, 05:02:01 pm
Quote from: jogler on 15 November, 2011, 04:20:48 pm
Just done the easiest fettle ever on one of the Trek F400 folders,ready for it's new owner.
...
A trip round the block to test it all reminded me of just how much fun these are to ride.

i used to go on my folder to work every now and then just for the grin factor it gives. that second look of disbelief while overtaking a "committed" roadie - priceless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 November, 2011, 05:03:15 pm
Quote from: jogler on 15 November, 2011, 04:20:48 pm
Just done the easiest fettle ever on one of the Trek F400 folders,ready for it's new owner.
Disn't need to adjust brakes or gears:working sweetly.
All that was necessary was to put some air in the tyres.

A trip round the block to test it all reminded me of just how much fun these are to ride.

<excited>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 November, 2011, 05:07:34 pm
Yay!  No more oily bits!  It's time for some nice clean finger-burny soldering iron stuff.  Then it's cable-ties all the way down...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 November, 2011, 01:04:33 pm
flipped the stem to raise handlebars 2cm - easier to ride one handed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 November, 2011, 01:06:33 pm
Fitted the chain and the rear gear cable to the Ridley.  Took a bit of time as the cable end slipped over the top of the mechanism in the lever, so the cable wouldn't shift the mech to start with.  then it took me a bout 5 minutes to fish the end out of the lever so I could seat it properly...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 November, 2011, 06:31:56 pm
Fitted the 'Bender Fender' I ordered from Charlie The Bikemonger to the Surly.

Definitely one of those "why the hell didn't I think of that?!" products which works far better than its looks would suggest and isn't as unsightly as a Crudcatcher or similar. I used zip-ties to attach mine, since the velcro strap provided was a bit of a faff and I only plan to remove it if I fit mahooosive tyres and even then I'm not sure it'll be necessary.

The only problem is that for some reason I thought they came in pairs, so I'll need to order another one for the rear wheel  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 16 November, 2011, 08:48:48 pm
When I bought my Cannondale road bike a couple of months ago the chap noted that he thought that the brake blocks could do with changing. I thought that it was time I took a look; well they look OK to me, certainly worn but it appears that they have a good deal of life in them yet. The front ones were obviously more heavily worn than the back so I swapped them over (Matthew 20:16 refers) . If anyone knows of any reason I shouldn't have done this then I would be grateful if they could point out the error of my ways before Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 16 November, 2011, 09:18:02 pm
My Schwalbe Marathon Plusses arrived today, so I have popped them onto the lovely Geraldine the Pilen.

Having had epic fettle fail on the first attempt at replacing the rear wheel (notably reattaching the bits and pieces for the Nexus hub), I was rather nervous about attempting it again, but once I'd figured out how it actually did work, it was remarkably easy.     ::-)

I had more difficulty with the front wheel-I had to unattach the hub brakes, which wasn't immediately obvious either and my google-fu failed me spectacularly!  I couldn't find a single video or description for how to remove it...probably because once you figure it out, it's so easy you can't quite believe you didn't see it from the start!   ;D

So I have lovely new tyres on my lovely bike and I didn't swear once!

Which considering how the rest of my day has gone, is a definite bonus!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 16 November, 2011, 10:55:28 pm
My bedroom.  I even hooved under the bed!  There's still some stuff to rehome in what will be the camping cupboard, and a stray bookcase without a home, and 4 boxes of videos awaiting a decision.  But all tidy and clean, ready for me to put fresh bedding on tomorrow for some friends who are coming to stay for a couple of days while they wait to move house.

Oh, and a load of old IT shite.  But a clean and tidy bedroom is much more exciting.

Now just the bathroom, kitchen and living room to do  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 November, 2011, 11:06:26 pm
I fettled my kitchen cupboards!

I have a new App called Prep & Pantry that scans barcodes and creates an inventory of groceries and records their sell by dates. I now know exactly what is going out of date next in every cupboard, fridge and freezer. Where the system could potentially fall down is if someone else uses something up and throws its packet away without me scanning the barcode to destock it.

If I make the effort to use this it could drastically reduce food waste and over-buying. I had to dump a few things in the food recycling waste, the worst of which was a packet of pancake mix that went out of date in 1998  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2011, 11:48:27 pm
My house fettling here. The floor, mainly. I was amazed to discover my son's room has carpet underneath the lego, dinosaurs, marbles and aeroplanes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 November, 2011, 10:38:04 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2011, 11:48:27 pm
I was amazed to discover my son's room has carpet underneath the lego, dinosaurs, marbles and aeroplanes!

my son was like that.
He grew up to be a proper clever scientist.
he'll be reet :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyH on 17 November, 2011, 11:42:12 am
Did the back half of the enigma last night. Cassette off & cleaned. New chain. New brake blocks. Chainset off, dismantled & cleaned. Frame cleaned. It's immaculate. The front half is still fithy though, I ran out of time.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 17 November, 2011, 04:24:28 pm
I swopped saddles on the light bike (new Fizik back on to replace the old Fizik from the tourer that in turn had originally been on the MTB. That clear ? ).
I also replaced the Gatorskins on the light bike with the Vittoria Paves that I'd had on order for a couple of months.
The 'Skins came off very easily but the first Paves was tricky to put on; they kept popping off as I went round the tyre. In the end I used a piece of insulation tape to hold the bead. It was either that or grow a 3rd arm.
I must have sussed it for the second tyre 'cos it went on with recourse to outside help.
I'll try them tonight although, atm, the roads are dry. The 'Skins worried me in the wet and damp. I just wish the Pave's treads weren't green.

Big up to the 'Skins; despite their wet grip issues, they've done 2800 miles and this is the only time I've had to remove them. They also still look like new.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 November, 2011, 04:35:58 pm
The tyres from hell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 17 November, 2011, 04:37:42 pm
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 10:04:56 am
Quote from: tiermat on 31 March, 2011, 09:33:09 am
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 08:33:25 am
I cleaned each of the cogs of a 13-26 cassette, individually. I also found my Kryptonite lock and proceeded to test
the unlocking/locking mechanism and twisted the key in the lock.  :facepalm:
Where in the UK can I get a new key(s)?

Locks & security Q&A (http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3818)

Cheers  :thumbsup:


Finally got round to a bit more research into replacing the key above ;D

and found out this :-

You may order keys through the Kryptonite web site: www.kryptonitelock.com or e-mail for information to letters@irco.com.

Disc-style keys for U Locks, Disc Locks and keys for our Heavy Duty Motorcycle cables are $6.00 USD each. Keys for the smaller bicycle cables are $3.00 USD each.

If you wish to order keys by mail, please send an International Money Order in US Dollars to:

Kryptonite, 437 Turnpike St, Canton, MA 02021 USA.

Our telephone number is 001-781-828-6655 and fax number is 001-781-821-0780.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 17 November, 2011, 10:48:04 pm
Quote from: groucho on 17 November, 2011, 04:37:42 pm
You may order keys through the Kryptonite web site...
I've got the keys but lost the (very large) lock. Do you think that they could help? :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 20 November, 2011, 07:43:15 pm
a new 20" tyre & inner tube to the trailer ( a.k.a. the Zanderwaggon ) to  replace yesterday's blow-out damage
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 20 November, 2011, 07:51:45 pm
Put the other Bender Fender on the Surly - it now has a matching pair, and the one on the rear covers enough area that it's seriously minimise the 'wet arse' blues that comes from riding a 'guard-less bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 November, 2011, 07:55:52 pm
New shifter (the previous one self-destructed on the way back from Mordor Central after the FNRttC) and gear cable on the Streetmachine, plus a bit of brake tweaking, so it's now back on the road.

Also tweaked the front brakes on the baraktacycle, which are starting to bed in properly, and did some more voodoo ergonomics (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45696.msg1097696#msg1097696).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 21 November, 2011, 11:26:15 am
Butchered my On-One Inbred:

sus forks out, Kona P2s in
original wheels out, other wheels with 12-26 cassette and road tyres in
'orrible saddle out, nice Brooks B17 in

So, I haz another general purpose do-it-all bike. Just need to get some mudguards now and take the rack and lights etc off my Ridgeback, which will be retired for some much needed TLC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 21 November, 2011, 01:09:04 pm
Added new chain with some links removed.  Whipped the sprocket and removed lockring. Turned the sprocket around and moved spacer other side to improve alignment.  Rode bike to check it all works.  It did. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 November, 2011, 05:27:05 pm
New "antirust" chain on the commuting fixie.  Also replaced the cracked rear mudguard - hey, that one lasted almost two years, why are they so crap - and swapped the FibreFlare for a more aggressive Smart 1/2 watt, which is better for fog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 November, 2011, 06:16:40 pm
Re-proofed five (count 'em) jackets using Nikwax's double whammy product.

The excitement in this house knows no bounds.

Bring on the rain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 22 November, 2011, 06:21:46 pm
Tried and failed to upgrade the graphics card in Mlle PB's pc.  I think that's is too new   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 22 November, 2011, 10:43:31 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 22 November, 2011, 06:16:40 pm
Re-proofed five (count 'em) jackets using Nikwax's double whammy product.

The excitement in this house knows no bounds.

Bring on the rain.

2011/12, driest winter on record.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 22 November, 2011, 11:06:13 pm
I haz fettled my scribbly notes into something I can actually hand in tomorrow for my OU assignment. I had all bar one question done before tonight so was mostly just copying into neat, shouldn't take long I thought  :facepalm:

It has taken ages but it's done now so I can sleep finally.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 23 November, 2011, 09:32:19 am
The Kitchen.

Re-arranged an Expidit shelf so the it sits upright rather than lengthways. All so we could fit the turbo trainer and a bike in the kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 November, 2011, 10:00:34 am
Fixed the central heating - we noticed on Sunday when some family came around that it didn't come on when manually pushed (so far we've managed without, it's been a nice mild autumn though I am now wearing long sleeves working at home during the day). The programmable timer/thermostat appeared to be working, but actually the batteries were very low so it would show the clock etc. but not have enough power to turn on relays to start things happening.

This is one of those cases of watch the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves. Saving pennies by not replacing the controller batteries was saving me pounds on the gas bill. Guess that'll change now  :(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 November, 2011, 10:43:17 am
I've fettled rear brakes & mudgaurd on the Cannondale to obviate rubbing of both against tyre wall resulting from Saturday's broken rear axle which occurred under extreme stress whilst standing on predals going uphill.Twas a mighty twang & unelegant dismount ::-)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 November, 2011, 11:17:25 am
Quote from: Adrian on 22 November, 2011, 10:43:31 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 22 November, 2011, 06:16:40 pm
Re-proofed five (count 'em) jackets using Nikwax's double whammy product.

The excitement in this house knows no bounds.

Bring on the rain.

2011/12, driest winter on record.


The steps I took yesterday will probably ensure that it stays that way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 23 November, 2011, 07:25:02 pm
Just put a new set of pots in the Strat , am now off to swap bars and bar tape on the Holdsworth!   Oh! and put a new back tyre on. Busy busy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 23 November, 2011, 08:09:28 pm
New head set, stem and front mech for the TuffTrax and lengthened all the 'bar to first stop outers so that I can experiment with different front ends.

Torn between a Spa Ti Tourer and a slihghtly modded Tuffty at 1400 quid less. Really. If the Ti were more than a lb or so lighter I'd probably be more decisive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 November, 2011, 11:30:58 pm
Pumped up the tyres on the Claud Butler 'dog walking bike' from 15 to 70 PSI. I had been wondering why the bike was handling like a big heavy slug, I thought it was just me  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 24 November, 2011, 12:19:27 am
I made a couple of improved versions of my Brompton Saddle bag design today.  Much better to use then my first one but possibly still a bit more development needed.

At the weekend Arch did a bit of chain cleaning following the Sheldon Brown Chain Cleaning Method (http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html).

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0171.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0172.jpg)
 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 November, 2011, 12:28:58 am
Never mind that, that's a really good bolt on the right there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 24 November, 2011, 08:28:17 am
Quote from: Kim on 24 November, 2011, 12:28:58 am
Never mind that, that's a really good bolt on the right there.
It's an M24 bolt IIRC.  I have a bag full of them, with nuts and washers, that I found at the scrap metal yard. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 24 November, 2011, 09:03:33 am
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 24 November, 2011, 12:19:27 am
At the weekend Arch did a bit of chain cleaning following the Sheldon Brown Chain Cleaning Method (http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html).

 ;)

I hope that you remembered to match-mark it before disassembly - Sheldon is a bit gash in that respect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 November, 2011, 09:47:33 am
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 24 November, 2011, 12:19:27 am


At the weekend Arch did a bit of chain cleaning following the Sheldon Brown Chain Cleaning Method (http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html).

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0171.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0172.jpg)
 ;)

only luuuurve would justify doing that
 Arch is a  O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: groucho on 24 November, 2011, 10:43:05 am
Quote from: groucho on 17 November, 2011, 04:37:42 pm
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 10:04:56 am
Quote from: tiermat on 31 March, 2011, 09:33:09 am
Quote from: groucho on 31 March, 2011, 08:33:25 am
I cleaned each of the cogs of a 13-26 cassette, individually. I also found my Kryptonite lock and proceeded to test
the unlocking/locking mechanism and twisted the key in the lock.  :facepalm:
Where in the UK can I get a new key(s)?

Locks & security Q&A (http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3818)




Finally got round to a bit more research into replacing the key above ;D

and found out this :-

You may order keys through the Kryptonite web site: www.kryptonitelock.com or e-mail for information to letters@irco.com.

Disc-style keys for U Locks, Disc Locks and keys for our Heavy Duty Motorcycle cables are $6.00 USD each. Keys for the smaller bicycle cables are $3.00 USD each.

If you wish to order keys by mail, please send an International Money Order in US Dollars to:

Kryptonite, 437 Turnpike St, Canton, MA 02021 USA.

Our telephone number is 001-781-828-6655 and fax number is 001-781-821-0780.



Ordered 17/11/11
Delivered 23/11/11
 :thumbsup:
Cheers  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 24 November, 2011, 04:55:45 pm
Fitted a new set of fully adjustable Humpert butterfly bars (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/humpert-ahs-premium-adjustable-handlebars-600-mm-wide-254-mm-clamp-prod24407/) to the Moulton.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/PB241124.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/PB241125.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 November, 2011, 07:33:08 pm
Endura tights, in which I discovered a potentially embarrassing hole on the Whitby ride.  I've since obtained a marginally[1] more Kim-shaped replacement, but those have turned out to be wholly unsuitable for lying down on the job, on account of a lumpy waist band and knobbly back pocket.

*sigh*



[1] Tight around the quads, rather than about 12" too long.  Does nobody make cyclist-shaped cycle clothing?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 24 November, 2011, 07:59:40 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 24 November, 2011, 12:19:27 am
the Sheldon Brown Chain Cleaning Method (http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html).


Also known as the OCD chain cleaning method.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 24 November, 2011, 08:14:47 pm
I am currently glueing the heel back on my slipper. It's not very exciting but the glue smells nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 24 November, 2011, 09:04:12 pm
Reassembled the stupid remote control for conservatory light and fan.  Again.  Loaded with blu-tac and cardboardy packaging grot to try and keep the LCD display connected this time.  Anybody who thinks a remote control for a mains powered light instead of a wired in switch is a good idea should be shot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Androcles on 24 November, 2011, 09:25:52 pm
Moved the feet on my laptop wheelie-case outboard by 15mm to try to stop it falling over all the time.  You would think that a case for a laptop heavy enough to need wheeling around would be better balanced by design.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 24 November, 2011, 09:46:33 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 24 November, 2011, 09:03:33 am
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 24 November, 2011, 12:19:27 am
At the weekend Arch did a bit of chain cleaning following the Sheldon Brown Chain Cleaning Method (http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html).

 ;)

I hope that you remembered to match-mark it before disassembly - Sheldon is a bit gash in that respect.

Before you all think I've gone stark staring mad...

I was reducing the chain to bits for a craft project. Well, MFWHTBAB reduced it, I cleaned the bits...

And then sorted them. I likes sorting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 November, 2011, 11:48:00 pm
Two bedrooms, several beds, much laundry.  And one corner of the living room.  I now have a large quantity of surplus cables from underneath the inch thick layer of dust that was behind the TV.  AFAICT 90% of the wire tangle that was back there served absolutely no purpose whatsoever.  And it seems that the video actually works after all if it's plugged in and connected up, so maybe I won't throw out all the vhs just yet.

Now I should probably go and do the next bit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 November, 2011, 11:10:18 am
I've put all my bidons in soak in a milton fliud/water mix.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 November, 2011, 11:18:21 am
Quote from: jogler on 25 November, 2011, 11:10:18 am
I've put all my bidons in soak in a milton fliud/water mix.
I think I'm going to have to have some of mine shot  :sick:

Still, it's a nice day and I need to get some bleach so a ride to Te$co isn't out of the question.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: keepontriking on 26 November, 2011, 05:48:37 pm
Started trying to shine up a Campag Pista Crankset from the 1970s.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 November, 2011, 08:08:13 pm
Tidied up (read: replaced with one of appropriate length) the front gear cable on the baraktacycle.  This involved proper mechanical engineering and stuff.  Am now knackered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 November, 2011, 10:22:08 pm
bit of wheel truing on the hybrid. If I can find my tyre levers I will be taking the studs back off for a bit as well
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 November, 2011, 12:01:15 pm
Yesterday, after getting home from Oxford armed with a wheel courtesy of Rogerzilla, I fitted it to my Ridgeback.  Sadly, the fulcrum lever wouldn't fit around my tubes, which was a surprise, but I recabled the way I had the old one, and had the fun of an S3X which actually has three usable gears! :o

Thanks Roger :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 27 November, 2011, 01:00:04 pm
Fitted marathon plusses and new rear brake calipers to hybrid bike. I think it is now mostly made up of "replacement" components.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 27 November, 2011, 01:07:11 pm
Quote from: gerwinium on 27 November, 2011, 01:00:04 pm
Fitted marathon plusses and new rear brake calipers to hybrid bike. I think it is now mostly made up of "replacement" components.
The best bikes generally are ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gerwinium on 27 November, 2011, 01:19:30 pm
Quote from: interzen on 27 November, 2011, 01:07:11 pm
The best bikes generally are ;)

This one's halfway between commuter bike and bike that I practice fettling on. I think it's safe to say I'm not a "natural" mechanic, so it's useful to be able to try it without creating major havoc :). I've not had any major disasters, mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 27 November, 2011, 05:22:12 pm
Fitted new foam grips to the MTB. I picked up four lengths in a pack from Poundland or somewhere like that last weekend and one length did two grips - great value!

After this morning's run on the Cannondale I decided that this weekend was probably going to its last outing of the year as the weather must deteriorate soon. So a good clean with the bike hung up and the wheels off. Then chain and sprockets cleaned and oiled  I'll give the mechs a bit of adjustment later in the year.

It will probably be dry with bright sunshine next weekend and I'll be out on it again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 28 November, 2011, 02:16:00 pm
Just finished washing and servicing the whole bike it is all nice and clean now shame to take it out
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 November, 2011, 05:41:29 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 24 November, 2011, 11:48:00 pm
Two bedrooms, several beds, much laundry.  And one corner of the living room.  I now have a large quantity of surplus cables from underneath the inch thick layer of dust that was behind the TV.  AFAICT 90% of the wire tangle that was back there served absolutely no purpose whatsoever.  And it seems that the video actually works after all if it's plugged in and connected up, so maybe I won't throw out all the vhs just yet.

Now I should probably go and do the next bit...
How long do we have to wait till VHS reaches the cult status of archaic media technology, like vinyl?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 28 November, 2011, 09:18:42 pm
New (to me) brake levers on the fixed, with concealed cabling which will make it all look a lot tidier. New cable outers (gold blingy ones) and inners.

Handlebar tape will be done in a couple of days once I am sure the levers are in the right position.

I also fitted one of the Buddyflaps Cass brought me back from the US. Easy enough to fit, very reflective. Will see how they perform. Have some for the audax bike to do. I will do the rear first, the front will take a little more work as I need to drill out the rivets that hold the stay on. Hopefully they will raise a small smile from anyone behind me as well.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6420802437_8531bc8a28.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6420802437/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6420802437/) by marcus_jb1973 (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcusjb/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 November, 2011, 12:32:00 pm
I've removed all traces of the Monsal Trail from g.d.'s Islabike in readiness for it to be sold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 29 November, 2011, 01:29:49 pm
Fitted the second of my Aplkit headtorches to my LAS helmet, so I have one on each helmet.

Looked in the garage, got scared and closed the door again.  A job for Thursday I think :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 November, 2011, 07:17:12 pm
New marathon + onto the steed.

Took a bit of persuading, but I can be very persuasive whan armed with TOOLS.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 November, 2011, 10:22:44 pm
Straightened the wheel on the fixed :-[

Oiled the chain

Put the saddle up to a sensible height (or just above).

Pumped the tyres up, and found out why it had felt sluggish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 November, 2011, 10:26:46 pm
Molished a bracket so that the turbo trainer would work on barakta's Trice.  Removed the pannier rack side bits to make it fit.  Cleaned up some breeze blocks to prop the front wheels on.

Added the Tamiya socket that's been sitting on my desk for the last couple of days to the dynamo wiring.

And spent about an hour tweaking the seat/boom setup with a view to improving her knee and hip stability, with a fair bit of success.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 29 November, 2011, 10:31:18 pm
Replaced the rear gear cable on the commute bike this evening after it snapped on the way to work this morning.

Why did I ignore the slightly strange feeling shifter and the drifting indexing over the last week ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 01 December, 2011, 02:12:45 am
I bought a set of Sturmey Archer twist grip gear shift bar grips, in white, and fitted them to Tiddles the Bromptom.  I needed to replace the cable inner as the existing one and the one that came with the shifter was too short.
I will make a couple of black leather bindings to cover the white plastic grips tomorrow and then post photos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 01 December, 2011, 09:11:27 am
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 01 December, 2011, 02:12:45 am
I bought a set of Sturmey Archer twist grip gear shift bar grips, in white, and fitted them to Tiddles the Bromptom.  I needed to replace the cable inner as the existing one and the one that came with the shifter was too short.
I will make a couple of black leather bindings to cover the white plastic grips tomorrow and then post photos.

Have you seen Toy Story?  I'm suddenly reminded of that box of stuff under the nasty kid's bed, all made up from random parts of different toys. I imagine you wheeling a new bike into your hall, and Granville and Tiddles turning to it and it recoiling....

(Of course, those random toys turned out to be friendly, so it's alright...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 December, 2011, 10:06:43 am
Broke down a wardrobe ready for the new bedroom furniture coming for TLD's bedroom.

Hopefully the new furniture will be carried up stairs by the delivery men....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 December, 2011, 12:09:41 pm
I've fettled an 18t freewheel onto the Langster to run it as a 63" single speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 01 December, 2011, 03:37:00 pm
Here we go.

Right hand grip, the left one is the same but without the shifter.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0190.jpg)

Added a patch of reflective tape to the end and then stretchd a bit of inner tube over it to cover the rough hard plastic.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0191.jpg)

I cut a couple of bits of leather and hemmed the outer edge.  Left and right are different sizes.  ???
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0192.jpg)

I used the sewing maching to punch the rows of holes and then loosely sewed up the leather.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0193.jpg)

The leather was slipped over the grip.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0194.jpg)

I slowley stretched the leather to close the gap and pulled the threads tight.  It took about 3 goes to fully tighten the threads.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0195.jpg)

It ends up like this.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0197.jpg)

Both sides done with the stitching underneath.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0198.jpg)

Close up of the shifter.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0199.jpg)

The cable routing using the tube from a V brake noodle.  Also new flashy front light.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0200.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 03:56:13 pm
^^^ That looks pretty sweet - I especially like the inventive use of a V-brake noodle :)

I'm about to embark on an uber-fettle which will involve changing the tyres on Custard The Other Genesis from 35mm to 32mm so I can fit a pair of mudguards, plus the fitting of a rack and lights to same to get it ready for commuting duties next week.

I also need to sort out where I'm going to keep Pugsley when he turns up in March - another shed may need to be bought  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 01 December, 2011, 04:32:26 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 03:56:13 pm
I also need to sort out where I'm going to keep Pugsley when he turns up in March - another shed may need to be bought  :o

Inter "2 sheds" zen?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 04:48:40 pm
Quote from: hulver on 01 December, 2011, 04:32:26 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 03:56:13 pm
I also need to sort out where I'm going to keep Pugsley when he turns up in March - another shed may need to be bought  :o

Inter "2 sheds" zen?  ;D
Possibly.
However, I have no plans to write any symphonies in the shed ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 01 December, 2011, 08:35:10 pm
Now that the Orange Bling is the proud wearer of a pair of BB7s, there comes the minor matter of cable tension.  The tektro lyras did, to their credit, have threaded adjusters, but the BB7s don't.
The LBS didn't fit the in-line adjusters, but they did give me them in a little plastic specimen bag.  So I've fitted the first one (on the front), with a bit of trepidation as it meant cutting through the lovely orange cable.  And then a new inner, because the additional length of the adjuster meant the inner wasn't long enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 01 December, 2011, 08:39:43 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 01 December, 2011, 03:37:00 pm
I slowley stretched the leather to close the gap and pulled the threads tight.  It took about 3 goes to fully tighten the threads.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0195.jpg)

In another age, you could have been a ladies maid, doing up corsets.

No, I'm not getting a corset. :hand:

Lovely job on the grips!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 December, 2011, 08:44:46 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 01 December, 2011, 08:35:10 pm
Now that the Orange Bling is the proud wearer of a pair of BB7s, there comes the minor matter of cable tension.  The tektro lyras did, to their credit, have threaded adjusters, but the BB7s don't.

Dunno about your previous brakes, but one of the great things about BB7s compared to lesser disc brakes is that cable tension is adjusted separately from pad position.  IME once the outers have bedded in, the cable tension hardly ever actually needs tweaking - you just take up the pad wear on the clicky knobs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 08:53:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 December, 2011, 08:44:46 pm
Dunno about your previous brakes, but one of the great things about BB7s compared to lesser disc brakes is that cable tension is adjusted separately from pad position.  IME once the outers have bedded in, the cable tension hardly ever actually needs tweaking - you just take up the pad wear on the clicky knobs.
That's good to know, since the Pug has BB7s fitted as standard and I'm going to leave them on rather than replace them with hydraulics (a cable operated brake is more likely to work at temperatures south of -20C)

I have just finished my Genesis uber-fettle - full set of spoke reflectors, large quantities of Clas Ohlson's finest reflective tape (including some yellow which almost matches the frame colour) and upgraded lighting fore and aft. I am officially ready to tackle a commute on roads which will take me to one of York's larger shopping areas where the roads are paved with fuckwitted drivers. I have no plans to pave the road with my not insubstantial bulk.

Oh, and there's the ludicrously orange jacket ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 December, 2011, 09:01:44 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 08:53:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 December, 2011, 08:44:46 pm
IME once the outers have bedded in, the cable tension hardly ever actually needs tweaking - you just take up the pad wear on the clicky knobs.
That's good to know, since the Pug has BB7s fitted as standard and I'm going to leave them on rather than replace them with hydraulics

Standard BB7 setup procedure starts with clamping the almost-completely-slack cable in the clamp thingy.  The idea is that as soon as you touch the lever, the arm starts to move.  This is reasonably achievable by direct manipulation of the cable clamp point if necessary, as there's no tension to worry about when you do it.

You then go on to dial both pads in using their respective clicky knobs, which is slightly more voodoo, but once you get it right, taking up pad wear is simply a function of turning them in by another click every now and then.


Quote
(a cable operated brake is more likely to work at temperatures south of -20C)

Is it really?  I've heard enough stories about cables getting wet and freezing.  No idea about hydraulics, admittedly, but I assume the oil's fine at those temperatures.  I can imagine seals and things misbehaving with really extreme cold, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 09:10:50 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 December, 2011, 09:01:44 pm
Is it really?  I've heard enough stories about cables getting wet and freezing.  No idea about hydraulics, admittedly, but I assume the oil's fine at those temperatures.  I can imagine seals and things misbehaving with really extreme cold, though.
Research is currently ongoing, but what I've found out thus far points at running a cable-operated disc with no grease etc. is the way to go at low temperatures - hub gears are a no-no too, so I'm looking at running singlespeed with fixed as a backup. Quite a few Alaskan riders seem to ride brakeless in the winter, which sort-of makes sense but I'm not *that* hardcore by a long shot

There's method in the madness, since I'm hoping to do the Arrowhead 1351 in either 2013 or (more likely) 2014 - -20C in Minnesota in January is heatwave territory ;)

1 - http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 01 December, 2011, 09:21:51 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 09:10:50 pm

There's method in the madness, since I'm hoping to do the Arrowhead 1351 in either 2013 or (more likely) 2014 - -20C in Minnesota in January is heatwave territory ;)

1 - http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php

I really want to do that one day, if only for the excuse to buy a Pugsley!

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L1oShaLl5Zs/TTs-Ch5cCTI/AAAAAAAAAY0/hc4Vj0GSym4/s1600/KICX3013.JPG)

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 01 December, 2011, 09:25:15 pm
I've put three Michelin Dynamic Sport tyres onto the trike.

They have white walls. WOW!   8)  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 09:30:45 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 01 December, 2011, 09:21:51 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 December, 2011, 09:10:50 pm

There's method in the madness, since I'm hoping to do the Arrowhead 1351 in either 2013 or (more likely) 2014 - -20C in Minnesota in January is heatwave territory ;)

1 - http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php

I really want to do that one day, if only for the excuse to buy a Pugsley!

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L1oShaLl5Zs/TTs-Ch5cCTI/AAAAAAAAAY0/hc4Vj0GSym4/s1600/KICX3013.JPG)

 ;D
<little moment> ;D
The hand-fettled studded tyres look pretty badass as well.

Alpkit and Genesis sponsored a couple of guys doing the 2011 (I think) Arrowhead which they did on fairly standard MTBs set up as singlespeeds - http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/blog/16/02/10/arrowhead-135-the-race

I'm still hoping that Alpkit will make the frame bags these guys used generally available - for something like the Arrowhead a bar-bag and a Barley just isn't gonna do it :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 December, 2011, 04:58:52 pm
Shortened the chain on the baraktacycle, having established the boom extensions required for both of us to ride it properly.  It's now a lot less slack.

I note that whatever the powerlink-alikes supplied by ICE are, they're a lot more bastardly to undo than the SRAM ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 December, 2011, 09:19:38 pm
I found that my front tyre, which I had pumped up on Wednesday, had only 20psi. No time to investigate, so I just pumped it up again, and it's held all day today.

I also had time before it got dark, in between other things, to tighten the mudguard bolts that were allowing the rear 'guard to rattle a little.

Considered removing remains of SWAN* from the bottom bracket area, but decided that was excessive.

*Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon, Newport.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 December, 2011, 04:19:07 pm
Got the decos out of the attic..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 December, 2011, 10:16:36 pm
Aye, our tree's finally standing straight in its wonky pot - in fact it turned out to be a wonky pot in a straight pot, but straight pot too big - and looking all green and red and silver and spangly and starry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 04 December, 2011, 10:26:40 pm
I have (as far as I can tell) successfully installed Windows XP on my MacBook using Virtual Box!

I haven't needed it til now-3 or 4 years of happy Mac ownership, but the new course I'm doing only provides the course material in Windows   :facepalm:  Thus, that's all it's likely to be used for!

It was surprisingly easy so far, so I probably missed something!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 December, 2011, 02:18:28 pm
Shower botchery:

One Wilko posh straps-to-the-taps-with-velcro-so-it-doesn't-pop-off shower thingy and a 1/2" BSP coupler (from a hydraulic hose supplier on eBay), combined with the hose and showerhead from the existing landlord-issue 7500W pissy electric shower, to give an extra-long hose.  This is required because the bath is installed the stupid way round, with the curved end against the wall (so you have to stand forward of the splash screen with the shower aimed diagonally, and water inevitably ends up running off your elbow onto the floor, but never mind).

This means we can now shower in a torrent of lovely hot water from the combi boiler, rather than shiver in a lukewarm electric trickle.  I'm firmly of the opinion that happiness is measured in litres/minute, especially when you've just got in from riding in the cold and can't feel your fingers/toes/arse properly.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 06 December, 2011, 10:09:43 pm
Snow Studs on, mudguards off (they rubbed on the studded tyres last year and have fairly useless semi-broken and non-adjustable fixings. I have new Tortec ones to go on, but having looked at the clearance between chainstay bridge and tyre, I've decided not to try, so the hybrid's staying guardless for now!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 December, 2011, 04:32:54 pm
Snap with the snow studs (yesterday rather than today).

Mine fit under the guards, but I had to pull all the little molding bits off the tyre to stop them catching.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 08 December, 2011, 02:54:06 pm
I've changed the oil in the Rohloff. It probably wasn't due since it's not 12 months and it's only done 2500 miles.
I started yesterday evening and left the flushing oil to drain overnight. I was amazed at how dirty and black the oil was when it came out.
One tip for the replacement oil; shake it very well since there is a small amount of black solid (molybdenum ?) which settles out on the bottom of the container.
I'm hoping that the hub will now be a little less "sticky" but I'm not holding my breath.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 08 December, 2011, 04:55:40 pm
I've changed the stem on my audax bike - the previous 3TTT two-bolt was slipping a bit in the 'bars.  Hopefully the Pro 4-bolt replacement will be fine. 

I have also fettled the sticky front Hope Mono Mini disc on Mrs Tewdric's Santa Cruz.  It needed a full strip down and piston clean to unstick but is now sweet as a nut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 08 December, 2011, 10:41:10 pm
Thermite remote-firing igniters.  :thumbsup: :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 09 December, 2011, 01:36:17 pm
I reattached the bright yellow bar tape to my commuter bike last night.  A combination of inadequate fitting by me in the first place plus heavy rain had made it come unstuck
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 09 December, 2011, 02:26:13 pm
I've sorted me flaps.

Suckers rejoice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 09 December, 2011, 02:32:31 pm
Quote from: fboab on 09 December, 2011, 02:26:13 pm
I've sorted me flaps.

Suckers rejoice.

Ooo...

Post a pic to the flap thread?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 10 December, 2011, 04:40:43 pm
Carbon seatpost fitted to Cannondale this morning; with the Ti Books Swift it looks blingissima. I weighed the original alloy one and the carbon offers a whopping 50g weight saving over (or rather under) the alloy one. Which exactly compensates for the weight of the lightweight bottle cage. If I carry on buying lightweight components like this the bike will soon weigh the same as it did when I started! That's progress!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 10 December, 2011, 06:25:01 pm
I fettled one of these earlier:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0203.jpg)

Then I fettled another one, slightly bigger:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0204.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 10 December, 2011, 06:40:40 pm
Not so much today, but today I finished, thanks to the info in here

http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36893.0 (thanks Lee)


dissolving the seized seat post and handlebar stem (quill to ahead converter) in a friend's very neglected Overbury'sMTB frame that I'd foolishly offered to fettle.


Nice feeling given that his LBS had said " beyond repair "  ;D

Got through 2 kilos of caustic soda crystals at some very bubble inducing concentrations!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 10 December, 2011, 07:26:07 pm
Fitted a mirror to the bathroom wall - the Ikea fitting was so loose I had to pad it out with handlebar tape to keep it in place!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 10 December, 2011, 08:33:48 pm
Yay! \o/

I haz fettled a new Pressure Relief Valve into my gas boiler so it no longer piddles all the primary circuit's pressure out the spout over the course of a few hours.

So far, the tell-tale poly bag tied onto the vent has remained empty!

So perhaps I won't have to get up at early-o'clock tomorrow of frob with the fill-loop to make the heating come on.

<Note to self: In future, DO NOT use the manual knob on the PRV as a means of de-pressurising the system.   Whilst this works, it disturbs the cheap seal, which may never seal again. >
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 10 December, 2011, 08:46:26 pm
Nothing.  I had to go Christmas shopping   >:(
I was planning to fit the studs to the MTB while the sun was out, then wash the fixed and take a picture for Tewdric - so he can sleep at night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 December, 2011, 10:51:49 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 10 December, 2011, 06:25:01 pm
I fettled one of these earlier:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0203.jpg)

Then I fettled another one, slightly bigger:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0204.jpg)
Call the vice squad!  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 10 December, 2011, 11:45:05 pm
Spent, er, the entire day building and testing my pyro firing box.  I really need a better soldering iron.  These little butane jobbies are field-expedient but suck compared to even a cheapo mains unit.  Still, I have triple-safe heavy 12v making incandescence at a safe distance, which is what is required.   :thumbsup:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6489328527_80f81c97f4.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andygates/6489328527/)
Ready to misbehave. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andygates/6489328527/) by andygates (http://www.flickr.com/people/andygates/), on Flickr

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 10 December, 2011, 11:53:55 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 December, 2011, 10:51:49 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 10 December, 2011, 06:25:01 pm
I fettled one of these earlier:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0203.jpg)

Then I fettled another one, slightly bigger:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0204.jpg)
Call the vice squad!  :)

And what do they do?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 11 December, 2011, 01:15:02 am
Quote from: Peter on 10 December, 2011, 11:53:55 pm
And what do they do?
It is the mk1 and mk2 chain link riveter for Arch's bike tyre belts.

There will need to be a mk3 version for use with less then three hands, probably magnetic.
 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 December, 2011, 03:03:16 pm
Fitted the studded tyres to the commuter. This involved some swearing and some thumb bashing.

Also stuck a little ikea reflective ghost sticker on the rear mudguard. Just because.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 December, 2011, 03:12:49 pm
The laundry mountain.

Altho, because I've been a bit less crap that usual of late it was more a laundry 'may-contain-traces-of-Deano-flat' hillock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 11 December, 2011, 06:14:13 pm
a music bike, again... (Based on a Brox compact.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 11 December, 2011, 08:28:49 pm
Having commuted without mudguards last week on mainly wet roads, I was determined to find a way to get my new mudguards and Snow Studs to cooperate; using a bolt with a low-profile head to fix the guard to the chainstay bridge seems to have fixed the clearance issue. Three hacksaw blades later, the guards are fitted!

Oh, and I added two sets of fairy lights to the one already on the bike. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 11 December, 2011, 09:23:39 pm
Winter tyres on. I think the nasty creak is from the BB or ageing chainrings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 11 December, 2011, 09:24:55 pm
Replaced front wheel and corrected previous issues with fixed visual standards.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RJ on 11 December, 2011, 10:36:19 pm
The winter bike.  New (expendable) chain, replaced front gear cable.  Old-school thumbie means no need to re-index, which is just as well as the barrel adjuster is seized solid  :-[

Still pondering studded tyres - cost comes in at about a month-and-a-half's worth of bus tickets, assuming I commute to the office every day (which I won't, as I've got very workable and walkable alternative locations)  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 12 December, 2011, 11:01:45 am
Fixed my computer with super glue and silicone grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RJ on 12 December, 2011, 01:11:34 pm
Quote from: RJ on 11 December, 2011, 10:36:19 pm
The winter bike.  New (expendable) chain, replaced front gear cable.  Old-school thumbie means no need to re-index, which is just as well as the barrel adjuster is seized solid  :-[

Still pondering studded tyres - cost comes in at about a month-and-a-half's worth of bus tickets, assuming I commute to the office every day (which I won't, as I've got very workable and walkable alternative locations)  :-\

... and am now about to replace the (slightly too worn) cassette  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 12 December, 2011, 01:26:45 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 11 December, 2011, 08:28:49 pm
Three hacksaw blades later, the guards are fitted!

I have just bought another packet of junior hacksaw blades.  The front guard is on but needs further hack-age
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 December, 2011, 02:39:12 pm
I've put some spoke reflectors on the Trek & the Langster.

I was going to fit a (n Ortlieb) bar-bag bracket to the handle bars of the Longstaff but decided not to because...

ICBA to relocate the front B&M light&bracket
I still might sell the Longstaff  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 12 December, 2011, 02:48:11 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 December, 2011, 02:39:12 pm
I've put some spoke reflectors on the Trek & the Langster.

I was going to fit a (n Ortlieb) bar-bag bracket to the handle bars of the Longstaff but decided not to because...

ICBA to relocate the front B&M light&bracket
I still might sell the Longstaff  :-\

The head tube on the Specialized Roubaix is so tall that it will take a medium sized Ortlieb with a light on the fork crown
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 December, 2011, 08:58:25 pm
OK, so mudguards installed on steed, seem to be fine.   Considering a commute tomorrow.

Ahh...
Since going into the seekrit bunker and coming back out, the weather has taken a significant turn for the worse.   Wind has kicked up, and it's pissing down.  Much as I'd like to test the mudguards, perhaps not.   Will see how it is tomorrow.   Otherwise it pushed back till Thurs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Redjeep! on 12 December, 2011, 09:14:52 pm
Ok, so not strictly fettling, but I've just spent the last hour on my turbo in the utility room reading this thread. ;D

I could claim mitigating circumstances as my laptop is sat directly infront of my handlebars on a nicely fettled bridge/ laptop mount between the washing machine and tumble drier made from an old shoebox (Mizuno Wave Ascend trail runners, to be exact).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 12 December, 2011, 10:21:03 pm
New handlebars on the commuter. With all the associated refitting and adjusting of levers and brackets. The tedium was made bearable by the existence of 3M self amalgamting tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 13 December, 2011, 11:54:49 am
Quote from: Redjeep! on 12 December, 2011, 09:14:52 pm
and tumble drier made from an old shoebox

I took your post to mean that you had a carboard tumble drier. I then got thinking "Is it powered by the trainer ? That would be neat."  :facepalm:

Decaf tea doesn't always hit the spot...................
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 13 December, 2011, 12:21:15 pm
Mountain bike cleaned, chain lubed, topped up the fluid in the rear tyre, chain tightened, brakes checked ready for Sunday's race.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 December, 2011, 08:38:15 pm
I've fettled some air into the Longstaff 'cause I'm in  danger of riding it tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 17 December, 2011, 09:00:19 pm
New chain and cassette on the commute bike.  I splashed out £20 on a new crankset but once I had removed the crud from from the current one I decided that it would probably last a while longer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 17 December, 2011, 09:03:36 pm
David had a double visitation on Wednesday night and walked several miles home. He did not identify cause of first deflation so spare tube deflated soon after it was fitted.
David put new (Michelin Airstop) tube into wheel after finding causative flint fragment.
I said I'd patch tubes. Didn't bother with first (spare David had carried for many months1). Valve was about to leave tube but was still airtight at this point. There was loads of moulding flash, which would have needed to be shaved off. B**tard tube bore no markings allowing me to Name and Shame. Tube met bin PDQ.
Other tube had no flash, was clearly marked Kenda with vital statistics easily legible and was patched without difficulty.
1) I suspect it may have been part of a job lot of Specialized I bought from Wiggle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 17 December, 2011, 09:23:24 pm
Winter bike (Hewitt Chiltern) cleaned indoors with wetwipes (cos it was chuffin' cold outdoors and
shed is too small). Cleaned and lubed chain (still between 50%-70% wear) tightened mudguards,
removed cassette with NBT2 and gave each cog a jolly good cleaning before re-assemble, visual
check on tyres for nicks, etc. Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 18 December, 2011, 08:16:30 am
I am hoping to get the latest build up actually rideable today.  I have all the bits, the fork/headset/BB/chainset/mudguards are already on.  In theory it is doable.  It's very cold in the garage however

Also the ice tyres need to go on the commute bike following the Torvil and Dean fun on Saturday morning
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyUncle on 18 December, 2011, 03:26:50 pm
Just swapped my SPD only pedals for SPD and platform pedals, as I’ve just started working close to home I can now start to commute by bike.

This now leaves the dilemma of what to do with a spare set of pedals...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 December, 2011, 03:27:50 pm
Quote from: CrinklyUncle on 18 December, 2011, 03:26:50 pm
This now leaves the dilemma of what to do with a spare set of pedals...

Keep them for n+1, obviously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyUncle on 18 December, 2011, 04:40:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 December, 2011, 03:27:50 pm
Quote from: CrinklyUncle on 18 December, 2011, 03:26:50 pm
This now leaves the dilemma of what to do with a spare set of pedals...

Keep them for n+1, obviously.

The dilemma is of which n+1 to get :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 December, 2011, 06:00:06 pm
pssst,d'y wanna folder?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 18 December, 2011, 07:21:27 pm
Spent a couple of hours in the garage this afternoon cleaning the mud off the Royal and the Coventry Eagle. Chains, sprockets and mechs cleaned and oiled.

Made apple and blackberry crumble so hands now really clean; slight hint of WD40 in crumble, although not unpleasant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 December, 2011, 09:19:05 pm
Washed the bikes we rode out on today.  You'd think we'd been off-roading on mud, rather than keeping to tarmac (mostly within the M25).

And I've prepared my fixed for commuting.  Just need to prepare myself, now. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 December, 2011, 01:22:39 am
Keeping within the M25 was your mistake. It's much more enjoyable out on the surface, at least you get some sunlight.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 19 December, 2011, 05:39:12 am
The valve in the rear tube of the MTB winter tyre.  It had a slow leak.  Now hopefully that is resolved.
Ice warning today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 19 December, 2011, 06:12:26 am
Yesterday: seat post mounted pannier rack onto the winter bikes and moved light fittings to the rack. Changed the chain for a fresh one as the old one had rusted solid, apparently putting bikes away wet and salty isn''t the best plan  :o Found out the outer cable for the rear mech had snapped but lickily had a new cable on my box of bits.

Glad I did it as it's rather frosty this morning and not sure how icy the lanes will be. Will potter in on the mtb and see what I reckon for using the road bike tomorrow. Rather use the road bike as it's lights are far better but it's the bike I'd least like to come off of.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 19 December, 2011, 10:23:46 am
Yesterday
Fitted grabon foam, shifter and brake levers on bars of 1x9

Put bars on bike

Realised I should have routed cables under foam.  LHS now has normal bar tape for the top part of bar and RHS doesn't go under tape...ie a mess  ;D
Attached brakes.  Wondered why brakes don't work and remembered that the little bits were supposed to be attached in the bit of the levers that moves...dooh
Stopped for lunch
Put cassette on old wheel, found old skewer, put wheel in frame
Attached dérailleur and ran cable to it.  Moved cable to other half of guide under BB as it was fouling the rear mudguard.  Fitted chain.  Tweaked gears.
More arsing around with mudguards
Cleaned Roadrat and replaced plastic "fittings" with some metal ones I'd found in the spares box when looking for bits for the 1x9
put new pedals (M540) on 1x9
Took Ti seatpost and custom Brooks off best bike (hanging in a hook hibernating for the winter), measturing centre BB to top of saddle first (83cm)  Found old seat collar in a box set up seatpost on 1x9
Put 28mm Ultremos on 1x9 wheels.  Pumped up rear but front resisted efforts.
Was going to stop for tea and CAKE but then heard the weather forecast for ice in the morning so put Winter Marathons on Roadrat

Then I did stop for tea and cake.  I was going to fix the front tyre ( duff inner tube maybe ) but CBA.  So the 1x9 is pretty much nearly operational, just one tyre away from a test ride.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 19 December, 2011, 10:32:33 am
I too have hung the best bike up for winter hibernation & re-arranged the others so that the (anticipated) most frequently used are the most accessible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 December, 2011, 01:35:35 pm
Tidied the garage a bit, so at least I can get at the Inbred and the Ridley.

Recent N+4 have taken their toll.....

However on Wednesday it will be N-1 so I fettled that bike so that the chain didn't slip and the brake didn't rub on the tyres.

There will, I think, be a happy little boy in NTR when he collects that bike (it was a bargain, especially as I had so little to do to it to make it rideable again)

Went to the LBS and  bought a 20*1 3/8 inner tube and tyre for TLD's N+1 (a 20" road bike complete with SA 3 speed hub and mudguards).  Might get around to fitting them tomorrow.  Brake levers (Cane Creek SLC-5c and crosstops) on order for this bike.

Now just need to re-tape the bars on the Ridley and sell the Elswick and the Pug and Universal Harmony will be achieved again :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 19 December, 2011, 05:20:45 pm
I have fettled a neighbour's uPVC window that didn't close.  Hinges bent, applied a vice and a hammer and all is well again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 December, 2011, 05:39:32 pm
More Central Heating fettling is in-progress.
After sorting out the major problems causing pressure-loss in the heating loop, I now want to fix the issue of a small pressure-loss over the period of a week or so.
There is a small leak someplace that's not find-able without destroying the house.

So I've designed and now have the parts for my Fill-O-Matic.   A valuable addition to our modern life-style.

It's basically a pressure regulator that takes the mains cold and regulates it down to 1 bar, to continually keep the loop at a minimum of 1 bar.
However, that in itself could feed a catastrophic leak continuously, causing a flood.
( and be contrary to water regs... )
So there's a solenoid valve, and a SPDT timer module, and a double check-valve too.

What I do is intercept the switched-live from the timer / zone valves that normally fires the boiler, and feed it to the timer module.
This activates the solenoid for 5 seconds, then drops out and fires the boiler as normal.
So when the heating comes on, there's a 5-second delay as the Fill-O-Matic brings the loop up to 1 bar as per the PRV setting, then the timer times out, the Fill-o-Matic shuts off and the boiler starts.
This is an anti-flood system that only flows water for 5 seconds, twice a day ( when the heating comes on ).
The timer is edge-triggered, and only activates the Fill-o-Matic as the heating goes from off-to-on, when the system should be cold.

It's just a box-o-bits at the moment, tho I did have the timer and solenoid working on the bench today at work, when really I should have been faking checking the paperwork for an audit tomorrow.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 December, 2011, 05:53:09 pm
I've spent most of the day turning a shiny new PogoPlug into an expensive PINK brick.  This is suboptimal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 December, 2011, 06:10:36 pm
<clickety-click> <ok> That wasn't *anything* like as rude as it sounded.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 19 December, 2011, 06:27:12 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 18 December, 2011, 07:21:27 pm
Spent a couple of hours in the garage this afternoon cleaning the mud off the Royal and the Coventry Eagle. Chains, sprockets and mechs cleaned and oiled.

Made apple and blackberry crumble so hands now really clean; slight hint of WD40 in crumble, although not unpleasant.

My Dad always used to say "When baking a sponge, and you want to check if it's it's ready, insert a knife into the sponge. If it comes out clean.... insert all your other knives!"

(of course, if it comes out clean, as opposed to having sticky mixture on it, the sponge is done)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 19 December, 2011, 10:40:33 pm
Swapped the drive pulley on a Nordlicht 2000 dynamo. Unlike almost everyone else, I get on better with metal ones, but they do wear out eventually, so I usually have one or two spares in my tool box.

Five minute job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 December, 2011, 11:56:06 pm
I've spent most of the evening fettling music onto Finale so that we can have some backing music for Midnight mass. I really hate writing music on a computer without a midi keyboard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 20 December, 2011, 09:52:05 am
I've evicted the cable monster from the corner of the room where power, cable and telephone all enter the house, only to provide a new habitat on the shelf above.

Power has to be supplied to TV, Tivo Box, Cordless phone, Cable Modem and Wireless router.  Phone wire to Cordless Phone base station.  Cable to splitter, thence to Tivo box and Cable Modem.  Ethernet wire from Cable Modem to Wireless router. HDMI lead from Tivo Box to TV.

And I haven't even installed a DVD player yet.  I'm going to de-commission my 1980's hi-fi, if only to lessen my copper consumption.  I'd already thrown out all my cassette tapes, I have a total of 6 records, and the CDs can be played on the DVD player (when I get a new one).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 20 December, 2011, 11:04:47 am
Round 2:
Into the garage to investigate Orange Bling's reluctance to change gear.  Found that one strand of the cable had started to unravel itself from its friends, and was snagging the outer for the entire length, and jamming the lever's mechanics.

New cable, and job's a fish.

Then the minor matter of returning Orange Bling to its design colour, rather than the organic wet brown caused by yesterday's 30+ miles on Sustrans' finest leaf-mulch in the seasonally-adjusted splatting rain.

Finally, I took a broom to the garage floor.  Radio-Carbon dating proves that some of the dead leaves have been there since before the last Ice Age.  Then I watched the wind blow the leaves, dust, and brown sludge that had been cleaned off Orange Bling straight back into the garage again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 December, 2011, 11:10:05 am
I've just turned Mrs Wow's front tyre round. There was a time when Panaracer Paselas had a direction arrow but they've removed it without changing the thread pattern. It probably makes no practical difference but it does offend my aesthetic sensibilities. Besides, aren't PPs a joy to get on and off the rim?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 December, 2011, 11:13:46 am
Removed (temporarily) two bikes from the garage.

Taped the bars on the Ridley, a job that has been waiting for $FARTOOLONG to be done.

Adjusted brakes on same, and fitted the Charge Spoon Ti railed saddle.

Took it out for a little spin to check all ok.

Looked at mountain of bits and tools, and that is all I did, look at them!

Switched off light and closed door, maybe the tool fairies that keep stealing my tools will tidy them up for me?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 20 December, 2011, 08:24:01 pm
The Etape ready for an early morning commute as we have a raid going down.
I would normally ride the fixed but I broke a spoke coming home tonight  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 20 December, 2011, 08:32:03 pm
Hi Fi moved downstairs, to provide music while fettling. It wasn't getting used in the living room.
Marathon winters swapped onto old MTB. Front one got a lot easier after I'd punctured the first tube. Rear eventually submitted.
General oil of Ridgeback before putting in the shed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 20 December, 2011, 08:41:14 pm
Put the nearly new wheel from Mr Bunbury into Mrs B's bike, first swapping the 23mm tyre he'd left on it for the 28mm from the wheel I was removing, because Mrs B prefers them a bit fatter. Couldn't keep the old inner tube in, because the new rim is too deep for its short valve. It can go on the front, which currently has a long valve tube but doesn't need it.

Never had a bike with mismatched rims in the house before.

Runs quietly & cleanly compared to the old one, & I think I can get away without re-positioning anything, because it changes OK, but I need to give the changers a good clean, & I think it needs a new chain. The cassette on the new wheel looks as if it'll be perfectly happy with a new chain - as expected, from what Mr Bunbury said. New brake blocks needed at the back, as well. Then she'll be ready for some longer & faster road rides than her MTB is good for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 20 December, 2011, 10:34:23 pm
swapped front and rear tyres around, and while the wheel was off, decided to swap fixed cog to a freewheel. it will suit me better on overcrowded central london roads. ideally i should install rear brake as well, but this can wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 December, 2011, 01:31:49 am
Removed the rack and the saddle from the little islabike, still need to take the pink stripy saddle off the trailerbike (which is where the isla saddle is destined to go) to put on in its place.  For tomorrow is n-1 day in the den, as Ben the Beinn 24 is going to its (iirc) third forum home.  And it's new owner is, like any true cyclist, fairly attached to her favourite saddle.

But it's OK, we're getting n+1 at the same time :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 December, 2011, 06:36:00 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 21 December, 2011, 01:31:49 am
But it's OK, we're getting n+1 at the same time :)

Cosmic balance, innit, if that wasn't happening then the stars would collide, or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 December, 2011, 08:09:41 am
Cleaned enough gubbins to return my hitherto 3 speed Brommie to 6 speeds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 21 December, 2011, 08:53:02 am
Road tyres, mudguards, rack and lights put on cross bike ready for the ride down south for Christmas. Mudguards took a bit pf playing with zip ties but will be worth it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 21 December, 2011, 04:20:14 pm
I applied a few well directed drops of 3-in-one to the more orange looking chain links on my winter hack.

Does that count as fettling ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 21 December, 2011, 08:55:25 pm
I have just married 2/3 of the frame mount for my pump to the bar mount for a broken bell to make a torch/headlight mount. 
Sugru was used. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 December, 2011, 03:26:43 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 December, 2011, 05:53:09 pm
I've spent most of the day turning a shiny new PogoPlug into an expensive PINK brick.  This is suboptimal.

And un-bricked.  This required the molishment of an appropriate serial interface, and vast amounts of voodoo bootloader-fu.  It's now happily running Arch Linux from a USB flash drive.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2011, 11:10:05 pm
I fettled the floor. The kitchen floor is not, it seems, intended to be beetroot coloured.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 23 December, 2011, 11:41:51 pm
I am in the process of fettling the freezer, and liberating it from the ice monster that lurked within.  And cleaning the fridge, while it's switched off...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 December, 2011, 11:47:51 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 23 December, 2011, 11:41:51 pm
I am in the process of fettling the freezer, and liberating it from the ice monster that lurked within.  And cleaning the fridge, while it's switched off...

In the middle of winter?  But that means the stuff won't defrost and leak oily sauce all over the floor while you battle the ice monster...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 December, 2011, 12:57:02 am
One better than that - the freezer contents got packed into a cool bag and sent on holiday to my mum's freezer to clear the battle ground!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2011, 12:58:41 am
Gosh, that's far too organised.  The one time we sent the contents of our freezer on holiday was due to barakta brutally stabbing it to death[1] on a Friday afternoon...



[1] Defrosting the freezer is now my job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 December, 2011, 01:13:29 am
And job jobbed.  I am celebrating with Church's ginger beer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 24 December, 2011, 01:38:41 am
Downtube Cable stops. I know I fitted you when the bike was upside down but you could have reminded me that before I put the cables in and figured out something wasn't right!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 24 December, 2011, 03:28:36 pm
I've removed the little bits of grit that were slowing the flow of water into the water tank in the loft. After that I pushed the whistle that was blocking the Dyson TM hose out with a straightened out clothes hanger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 24 December, 2011, 05:04:23 pm
I had to fix a puncture first one this year  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 24 December, 2011, 05:51:48 pm
Fitted 90mm stem provided by finch OTP to the Cannondale. It fits!, it fits!

Repaired tube in warmth of kitchen after visitation during this morning's run. Not my first one of the year by a very wide margin!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 24 December, 2011, 07:32:16 pm
Just put the last touches to the very second hand 26" wheeled road bike that I've been doing up for miss J's prezzie. By some miracle her brothers have kept the secret.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 December, 2011, 10:19:46 pm
Topped up my tyres from a shamefully low 40-something to a slightly more appropriate 100-ish.  And straightened the very slightly skew-iff saddle that I only noticed t'other day wasn't quite straight, which has probably been a bit wonky since the bike last got serviced a month or so back - the lbs have to put the saddle up a load to expose enough seat post to get her in the workstand.  In my defence I haven't really been riding.  Then threw some spare batteries in my bag and went for a bike ride.  Valencia was a bit more sprightly with correctly-inflated tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2011, 10:21:47 pm
Other people's Windows boxes, as per the seasonal tradition.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 24 December, 2011, 10:24:08 pm
Fettled the front derailleur, quick clean and lube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 24 December, 2011, 10:24:17 pm
Dynamo light on Winter bike faulty. Taken off, ready to be posted to Germany. Spring/Summer bike made ready
for next couple of months riding (has exactly same wheels/lighting/mudgard/handlebar dashboard/saddle set-up).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 December, 2011, 10:26:40 pm
A duck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2011, 10:28:50 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 24 December, 2011, 10:26:40 pm
A duck.

Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 26 December, 2011, 10:38:15 pm
Tweaked handlebars a little. Better, may tweak again.
I moved quite a lot of mud off my bike and onto the drive. I'm hoping for rain to sort the drive. The bike will need a proper cleaning still, but I bunged a bit of oil on and put it in the warm and dry to try and keep the rust at bay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 December, 2011, 11:49:15 pm
Have just finished fettling a pair of Michelin Krylions onto a set of new Ksyriums.

T'was a bit of a battle, but no blood was drawn.

Also, the shimano cassette went on with no major protestations as I'd managed not to loose the mavic spacer!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 December, 2011, 05:35:07 pm
Re-adjusted from first principles the brakes on barakta's trike in order that they may be correctly balanced and not rub excessively.  After much faffing about, I worked out a reasonably straightforward way to balance them: chock the front end of the trike up, strap the lever in an about 2/3 of the way on position, then twiddle adjusters until the wheels feel about equally stiff to turn by hand.  This seems to work much better than which-wheel-stops first or anything else I tried.

The nature of the dual-pull lever design is such that it's not entirely symmetrical in its operation of the two cables over the very first part of the travel where there's very little tension in the cables.  Given that the cable runs aren't symmetrical either, I tried swapping them round to see what would happen, and it did improve matters somewhat.  Adjusting the brakes so they're not too bitey helps, as well.  None of this is especially critical, though, as the braking needs to be extremely unbalanced before the Trice will pull to one side, but I'd rather it worked properly.

That done, I replaced the disc-brake-shaped-object on the front of the tandem with the old Tektro one with the seized adjuster that I've been marinading in WD40 for several months, without success.  It's an arse to adjust for wear, as you have to start faffing with the cable clamp, but it should at least do some actual stopping.

ETA: Glued a cracked Smart 1/2W rear light back together with epoxy, before the crack becomes a split.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 27 December, 2011, 05:52:10 pm
Have you thought of using an inline cable adjuster (http://www.farnhamcycles.co.uk/Shop/p/30191-shimano-spares-inline-brake-cable-adjusters-pair/)? There are various ones available, including jagwire and m:part if you don't fancy Shimano.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 December, 2011, 05:56:58 pm
Quote from: MattH on 27 December, 2011, 05:52:10 pm
Have you thought of using an inline cable adjuster (http://www.farnhamcycles.co.uk/Shop/p/30191-shimano-spares-inline-brake-cable-adjusters-pair/)? There are various ones available, including jagwire and m:part if you don't fancy Shimano.

That's not a bad idea actually.  It's a mountain bike lever, so there's some adjustment already, but that would give a bit more range (it's a naff disc brake where the pad wear is taken up by adjusting cable tension).  And I just happen to have an m:part one in my box-o-bits.   :thumbsup:

I've decided not to do anything that involves spending money on the tandem, as it's a BSO and we're never going to be able to ride it seriously, but re-purposing stuff I already have is allowed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 27 December, 2011, 06:15:52 pm
Re-soled a pair of shoes and while I waited for the adhesive to dry, I cleaned the mud off the Coventry Eagle. An enjoyable hour in the garage, although that may have been mainly due to the glue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 27 December, 2011, 06:39:15 pm
Replaced the chain on My mtb. I have learned that it was the bike least used this year. It was put in a corner in January
without removing all the salt and muck. The chain was dead.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 December, 2011, 09:30:58 pm
Replaced the brake pads and installed some Poundland grab-on type stuff on the road bike. As the new bars are compact, shallow drop type, it dwarfs them a bit and the whole thing looks a bit sausage-like. It's only a temporary measure, until I work out exactly where I want the hoods - I don't like naked bars so decided to splurge on the £1 foam before fitting the real bar tape (which cost £2-odd!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 December, 2011, 10:00:36 pm
<sigh>

Xmas presents.
Of the electronic sort.

Every year it seems I have to repair some item of junk before it will work.

This year, it's an iThing docking station, in the shape of a panda.
The loudspeakers are the eyes of the panda, but have fallen out in transit, lending it a creepy appearance.
Dismantling requires the usual plastic-clip fu and much swearing.
Re-mantling is the same.
But we're done now, and it works.

<edit> and now junior comes bearing his iThing which is claiming it's locked out for 10,000 years.   Deep joy.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 December, 2011, 10:14:18 pm
My Sabbath was truly filthy after some skoggy-lanes riding last week, so it very mucho deserved it's Christmas bath  ;D

Before:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/IMG_0152.jpg)

After:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/IMG_0153.jpg)

Of course the bath then got it's Christmas clean, I never use that bath and shower really myself since I have my own, and the kids usually have to clean their own bathroom  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 December, 2011, 10:19:51 pm
I rewrapped some loose bartape on my tourer.  Oddly, it had come astray right down at the end by the gear lever, so I had to redo the whole thing.  I found the double-sided tape, but I also found a couple of tears in the bartape.  It'll have to do.  What I didn't find was the black insulating tape.  It's always in the right place except for when I'm doing bartape.  Had to make do with white :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: plum on 28 December, 2011, 11:02:54 pm
There's another thread where I described the sad end that became my shifter after my own clumsy botch job of a repair left it dead.

But at least today I managed to replace it, every single cable on the bike. inner and outer, and retape the bars. None of which I have ever attempted before. hurrah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 December, 2011, 11:08:40 pm
Replaced a spoke on the road MTB wheels. The dead one has been recycled as a bath trap unbunger following a bit of gentle bendology.
Replaced the pedals on the MTB - noticed last night that the bail on one of the SPD clips was no longer extant. It had ceased to be. It was missing in inaction. ANd doing a job as effective as a single hand clapping.
Swapped clipless pedals onto the youngests bike in preparation for a trip to the part to try out his new clipless pedals.
Undid the nuts at the bottom of the suspension fork so the water in the forks could drain away. Retightened nuts.
Broke the dishwasher shelf (or at least one of the clips that holds it up.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 29 December, 2011, 06:09:54 pm
Swapped the Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase 700x32C tyres on my Dawes Horizon tourer for 700x32C Continental City Contacts.  Also swapped the Brooks B17 for a spare Bontrager saddle from my road bike.  Might be interesting to see if the bike is more comfy without the B17, as since I've not done much in the way of cycling in the latter half of this year I think my bum is now non Brooks compatible.

And managed to crack my shed window today as well.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul Rainbow on 29 December, 2011, 07:10:59 pm
Fitted some Christmas pressies to the fixer, new Spa cycles Aire leather saddle and a Carradice Barley. All looking great, can't wait to get out for a spin!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 29 December, 2011, 08:11:57 pm
Fttled brakes on the dawes.

What started as a small job of adjusting a cable ended up with:
Cable replacement
Trip to shop to buy 2 pairs brake blocks
True both wheels
Sand rust off brake posts and refit brakes.

 ::-)

Still, I did manage to find 10 minutes to make a lynx can meths stove.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul Rainbow on 30 December, 2011, 02:33:01 pm
Just boarded up the Velux window that exploded last night  :o

A quick google revealed its a rather more common problem that you might think! Anyway just the inside pane shattered and apparently they will come and replace it FOC. Luckily no one was standing underneath when it happened.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 30 December, 2011, 03:12:02 pm
I *finally* freed the stuck stem on my mixte! ;D After various unsuccessful attempts over the last few months, I decided to make a proper effort over the Christmas break, and left it standing upside down with the offending bit soaking in Plusgas a few days ago. A quick blow to the expander bolt with a hammer and flat bladed screwdriver, and it actually came loose. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 December, 2011, 03:27:12 pm
The parts list for the Pugsley.

My Cunning PlanTM to transplant the Alfine-11 off the 1x1 has been thwarted by the realisation that the rims on the Pug are 32h whereas my Alfine-11 is 36h :facepalm: I've seen the future - it has a 32h Alfine-8 in it ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 December, 2011, 06:12:21 pm
Lidl weather station shaped object - the outdoor sensor needed new batteries and the terminals cleaning up. It is now wrapped in clingfilm which will hopefully keep the worst of the dampness out.

Oh and Mint Linux onto my desktop in dual boot which took more fiddling round with than I expected but works nicely now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 30 December, 2011, 07:37:28 pm
I have been puzzled for a little while by the peculiar handling of my Raleigh Royal. 'They're great frames' I would recall people saying as I hurtled hedgeward or went round a corner in a series of straight lines. In comparison, my ex-skip Coventry Eagle corners as if on rails. When I checked the steering, lifting the front wheel by the bars, it felt fine; finally I twigged that I should check it under load and when I leaned on it and turned there was a definite notchiness to it.

So, away from work early today and straight into the garage. With the bike suspended from the rafters I stripped down the head bearings expecting to find the races visibly brinnelled. No evidence of that, but no evidence of much lubricant either. Cleaned everything up, bearings looked fine. Rebuilt with new wonder lubricant: grease. And everything feels... well actually I can't feel anything, which is sort of what I had hoped. A happy hour spent in the garage; the worst bit was adjusting the mudguards to prevent them rubbing on the tyre after rebuilding everything. I'll try to get out tomorrow to test my handiwork.

The Royal came to me by way of Marco Stefano OTP. Well that's his Christmas present for next year sorted - a big can of Castrol LM!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 31 December, 2011, 10:36:17 am
Cateye computer fitted to Royal after yesterday's steering overhaul. I am hoping that this will give nore reliable readings than the wireless unit that it replaces. I'll probably fit the wireless unit to the Cannondale...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 31 December, 2011, 06:34:10 pm
Fitted some odds and ends to the bikes. Couldn't fit the mudguards to the Thorn tandem, as I don't have bolts long enough to fit through the forks. I can now ride the Pompino without a pannier, as I have fitted the Kryptonite lock mount donated to me very generously by Mr Bunbury of this parish.

Whilst doing all those fiddly jobs, I realised that I need to try out my new £1 bottle of bike cleaner I got from Poundland.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 31 December, 2011, 07:18:46 pm
A hub until it didn't spin :( which cued a frenzy of tyre and wheel swapping. Next Year I'll learn how to adjust a Shimano hub....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 31 December, 2011, 11:11:50 pm
After several hours of confusion, annoyance, and fiddling, I've fettled the Wireless PTZ (although it doesn't Zed) camera that I got today into working as advertised.

This wasn't how I planned to spend the last night of the year, but eventual success isn't a bad way to finish!

It's a £40 wired/wireless camera, with a built in web server, IR illuminator, and PTZ.  The Pan and Tilt works OK, but it doesn't actually have a Zoom, so it's really just a PT camera!

What drove me up the wall, and eventually I sorted out after fiddling with just about every debug feature on my router (and it turns out that there are a lot!) was that it actually needs the real, raw psk key, and not just the passphrase that every other bit of WiFi kit I've ever used has been happy to accept.

Having converted the passphrase and SSID into a 64 digit hex psk, and cut and pasted that into the config page, voila it worked.

I've now got to put it somewhere that it can view the back garden and cat flap, so I'm thinking mounted on the top of the window in Zev's old bedroom, so it pans down, rather than up.  It won't work at night, even with the IR illuminator, because the IR will reflect off of the glass.  I could possibly put an IR source outside to do the same things (and which would be much more easily waterproofed), but I think that's a feature for later on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 December, 2011, 11:25:18 pm
Put my new Blackburn EX-2 rack on.  It was meant to be an EX-1, but what the hey!  Looks Right. 

And I put the new, black Hope Vision on too. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 01 January, 2012, 11:54:12 am
It was yesterday, but new chain and cassette on the cross bike. This gives me much lower gears which I was glad of on my ride yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 January, 2012, 05:28:52 pm
Soft modded the Wii, it had been already done, but a forced update that came with a game TLD got for Xmas b0rked it, so a re-application of said softmod was required.

All now working again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vistaed on 01 January, 2012, 05:30:05 pm
Mud tires on the mtb.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 01 January, 2012, 05:55:18 pm
Managed to get an old HPX pump lubricated and unjammed - because a pump fell off yesterday. I heard a clattery noise on a roundabout, but didn't realise that my pump had fallen off until I got home. Fool.

I've also ordered another two HPXs today - they seem to be getting harder to find. I hate mucking about with pumps.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 01 January, 2012, 07:13:22 pm
Cateye computer re-calibrated and set up this afternoon. I think. A child of nine etc...

And resoled another pair of shoes. I'm really enjoying this but then there is a lot of glue involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 01 January, 2012, 07:16:57 pm
Third day of constructing greenhouse on the alotment. Making a greenhouse from recycled double glazed window sashes takes longer than you think - especially in winter when it gets dark early.

After I do the washing up, I'll be retensioning the spokes on the front of the fixie so that I can go out for a ride (unless it starts raining again).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 01 January, 2012, 09:00:40 pm
I fixed the front door bell. A friend came to visit and spent ages knocking on the door  before phoning rather than use the doorbell as it hadn't been working..

It works now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 January, 2012, 03:22:16 pm
Stripped the POS fixie and re-fitted everything to a Raleigh Criterium frame.

Needs a tensioner though, as the DS drop out is not slotted.....

Off to On-one I go :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 02 January, 2012, 04:16:48 pm
I still can't get the Cateye wired speedo to work.  The heavyweight touring multimeter (TM) shows the contacts on the bracket going alternately short- and open-circuit as the magnet passes the sensor, but the speedo, when clipped into the bracket, doesn't "see" this.  I've enlarged the contacts with dollops of solder, but it still doesn't work.  The speedo works fine when clipped into an identical bracket on a different bike.

New speedo and bracket tomorrow.  Seems a good date to start from zero miles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 02 January, 2012, 04:39:18 pm
Orbea Elorrio
In spite of the mild winter, I need to commute more on this (heavier) bike.  Following some lbs fettling (front disc brake) and minor disaster (lost both bottom rack bolts), to day I have:
* put spoke reflectors on new front wheel
* added Ortlibe saddle bag
* re-bolted rack.  Thankfully holes weren't stripped!

Hewitt Cheviot
* replaced most of the white-ish cable ties with green or black ones, depending on their location (me, vain? ::-) )
* adjusted front rack - for some reason lbs mounted it with the rails at an angle
* fettled front panniers to fit on the rack; swapped security cable on one of the to the other side (silly me installed the cables on the same side of each bag, rather than opposite - now they're mirrored)
* moved security cable on one rear pannier - see above
* added bar bag mount
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 02 January, 2012, 04:56:08 pm
The Cannondale's been off the road with a baffling mech line-up problem.  Not any more.  Reassembled the mech pivot bolt without trapping the grobbly nudger, and lo, it all lines up nicely.  Hope to go for a test spin round the bounds tomorrow, lurgy permitting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 January, 2012, 05:12:05 pm
Quote from: andygates on 02 January, 2012, 04:56:08 pm
the grobbly nudger,

excellent technospeak mr.gates :thumbsup:

thanks to some old fashioned bartering with Gordy otp involving light brakets,Ortlieb stuff & cakeandmincepies I have been able to relocate the front dynamo light, fit a bar bag & a Minoura bar extender (in an un-orthadox manner) to the Longstaff

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 03 January, 2012, 07:23:38 pm
A brief fettlage of various lights 'n stuff.  Collected the drive belt for the Trek from the LBS - turns out they'd had it for months.  New speedo on Orange Bling, suitably calibrated and tweaked.  Battery-powered tail-light on seatpost of Brompton, to cater for the stopped-in-traffic Lucas-Prince-of-Darkness moments caused by the standlight-facility of the IQ Cyo only driving the front light, not the back.

I have to work 8am-8pm Fri through Wed (*) at the new video arcade(**) Signalling Centre in Didcot, so the Brompton needs to be ready for the nocturnal commute.

(*) Some rather welcome clocking-up of Time-Off-In-Lieu. :thumbsup:
(**) This is what the signallers call our computer-based signalling systems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 January, 2012, 07:25:17 pm
The  BT junction box which connects me to the outside world - only following this afternoon's biblically proportioned horizontal rain, it didn't. At all. No landline. No broadband  >:(

Gandalf, this is the time for you to look away. Pick a thread, any other thread you like. Go on.

Investigation showed the (indoor) junction box to be full of water  :o and the terminals which capture the incoming pair of wires to be sooty or corroded or both.

Following some tissue-based dabbing to soak up the excess, the hair drier was deployed. After about 15 minutes of which, I re-established contact with the mothership.

Tomorrow, I shall venture forth armed with a squeezy gun loaded with silicone sealant.

I'll show that naughty water with it's invasive and conductive ways.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 January, 2012, 09:05:11 pm
I've just (as in about 2 minutes ago) finished a fettle which involved an Alpkit Gamma head torch, a helmet and more zip-ties than the mind can comfortably envisage.

Met, your Testagrossa helmet is a fine piece of kit for those of us who have big 'eads but the design of the visor is such that attaching any kind of lighting to the helmet becomes a pain in the arse of monumental proportions.

Note to self: buy more zip-ties ....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eck on 03 January, 2012, 09:11:42 pm
Quote from: interzen on 03 January, 2012, 09:05:11 pm
Note to self: buy more zip-ties ....
HTH (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=31801.msg1119189#msg1119189)  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 January, 2012, 10:21:33 pm
Jurek, that's the second time you've mentioned your hairdrier lately.  Do you use it for styling your hair, too? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 January, 2012, 10:24:32 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 January, 2012, 10:21:33 pm
Jurek, that's the second time you've mentioned your hairdrier lately.  Do you use it for styling your hair, too? ;D

Only when approaching a *special* weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 04 January, 2012, 05:41:50 pm
Finished re-assembling Mrs B's road bike.

Nearly new back wheel from Mr Bunbury, complete with nearly new cassette; new chain; new inner & middle chainrings from Spa Cycles (Stronglight - they fit early 90s Shimano Deore cranksets perfectly, unlike any current Shimano rings I can find); previously unused crank bolts from my bits box in place of the rusty old ones, enabling the use of the same big allen key for crank bolts on multiple bikes, & making the socket on the reverse end of my crank puller redundant; a pair of new brake blocks & other brakes adjusted; new chainstay protector; gears & brakes stripped down & cleaned.

She hasn't expressed gratitude yet. Maybe I should disassemble it again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 January, 2012, 06:26:48 pm
Just tried another approach for fettling a mirror (£5 B.Twin Mirrycle-alike, giving much wider field of view than the Cyclestar) on the right hand side of the baraktacycle.  Looking good so far, but we'll have to see how it goes on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 04 January, 2012, 06:33:19 pm
Two_Flat_Erics Ridgeback Panorama. Gone are the drop handlebars and sti's, replaced with new brake levers, rapid fires and butterfly bars.
Looks nice, athough for a change I have run the cables over the top of the stem then down instead of under the stem then in front of the headtube. I will see how we get on like this.
Thats the last of our bikes that have needed to lose the drop handlebars.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 05 January, 2012, 03:30:52 pm
All Brooks saddles have had their annual profide treatmeant  :thumbsup:
The last saddle I did was a B17 Special, I think, with large copper rivits. When I flipped the bike over I was astonished at the beauty, by comparison to the standard B17, of the copper coated rails on the underside. What a pit all this is hidden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 January, 2012, 02:10:13 pm
>100 days to go, but to help me sleep (i.e. to stop me worrying about stupid things) I have:
a) measured my bike bag (yes it will flod up enough to fit in the left luggage lockers @ BCN
b) measured my bike (yes it does fit into the requisite size for Jet2's large hold luggage (6' * 3'))

All I need to do now is weigh it (There is a 20kg weight limit, something tells me I am nowhere near that, as it's not a DH monster bike, but still those little demons keep chirping away in my mind)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 January, 2012, 05:03:48 pm
Brake blocks, tyres, chain. I replaced the rear blocks and toed in the new ones, then noticed the fronts are toed out. I left them that way as they seem to do ok, although I suspect it might be simply due to wear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 06 January, 2012, 05:14:29 pm
I've been doing a bit of carpentry today.  As someone had thrown out a load of tongue and groove I thought I'd do some improvements to the dog shelter.
Unfortunately I appear to have taken my saw to Brum, so I've been using Mrs. B's pruning saw.  Not easy as it cuts the wrong way round.  On the pull instead of on the push.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 06 January, 2012, 07:07:41 pm
Quote from: Basil on 06 January, 2012, 05:14:29 pm
Unfortunately I appear to have taken my saw to Brum, so I've been using Mrs. B's pruning saw.  Not easy as it cuts the wrong way round.  On the pull instead of on the push.
Hold the other end? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 07 January, 2012, 04:50:38 pm
I don't know if it counts as fettling, but I've cut up a couple of tyre offcuts (leftover from belt making) into shaped to make into keyring fobs.

MFWHTBAB has also kindly trimmed* and washed some more bits of sidewall for belt loops/other keyfobs.

*when it comes to using a craft knife, his massively strong hands outrank mine by about eleventy million.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 January, 2012, 04:54:58 pm
Put the Xmas pressie mudguards on the Pomp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 07 January, 2012, 06:35:21 pm
An extended fettle of the Alleged Witcomb. As it had been fitted with tubes with Schrader v/vs I changed these for a couple with prestas which at least enabled me to inflate the tyres to a reasonable pressure. While doing this I noticed that the back wheel bearing was practically seized, presumably tightened up as I released the wheel. On stripping it down it became clear that the bearing hadn't seen the light of day since the Suez crisis judging by the complete absence of lubrication. The balls were stuck into the races with a hard varnish-like substance - petrified grease I take it. It is a measure of how well these components were originally made in that they all cleaned up pretty well with a soaking in WD40 and a good wipe; rebuilt with plenty of Castrol LM they feel pretty good and fit for further service.

So, a quick run up the road on the A/W. By the end of the drive the bars had rotated around 30 degrees so I returned to the garage to go over every bolt to ensure tightness and tried again. I only managed a few hundred yards as the chain was skipping as it's a bit err... so I'll have to adjust the tension on the derailleur and I need to make further adjustments to the gears as it appears to be selecting them itself at random. But in that short distance the ride felt pretty good - comfortable (despite the crap plastic saddle) but lively. So I'm encouraged. I wanted a project and it looks like I've got one! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 January, 2012, 06:57:05 pm
An easy swap of the quill stem on the Thorn Tandem. I bought a longer, adjustable one off eBay and it seems just right. I thought I might have to replace the cables, but the reach on the new stem is shorter and it seems to have compensated for the extra height.

I need to fit (& find) new stoker bars that are better for the kids and swap the cranks for the kiddy ones I got with the tandem & then she's a runner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 08 January, 2012, 05:43:18 pm
As the rear hub of the Alleged Witcomb had not been touched for many years I assumed that that the front would probably be similar. It was, so stripped, cleaned and rebuilt. For the first time in living memory I stripped down a wheel bearing and found an even number of ball bearings - proof positive that it had not been apart since manufacture I should think.

I noticed on my brief spin yesterday that the brakes had been transposed - sorted that out. And whilst doing that noted that the nuts on the steering head were all loose but something for next weekend I think. There is a sticker on it that says 'Handbuilt Lightweight Cycles', I can quite believe this, it certainly appears to have been assembled without using spanners....

Cleaned car prior to MoT during week, made apple crumble... I'll be glad to get back to work tomorrow for a rest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 January, 2012, 05:27:31 pm
My dog walking bike was a bit slow the other day so pumped up it's tyres ... from 15 PSI to 75 PSI  :facepalm:

Checked the rack pack to see what was in there. A staggering 5 tyre levers, 2 pumps, 3 spanners, 3 multitools, 2 tubes and a set of patches! Took the supernumerary ones out.

Fitted a spare Garmin bracket to it's bars so I can record the impressive speed my dogs can run at. 10mph average today over 8 miles  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 January, 2012, 05:34:28 pm
Helmet/headtorch fettle #2 ... various odds and ends of adjustment so that the head torch points more or less in the same direction that I'm facing rather than attempting to blind passing bats and aircraft.

Seemed to work a treat for tonight's ride home, although some complete plank still claimed he didn't see me despite the fact that I was wearing my extremely orange jacket and riding a matching bike  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 January, 2012, 07:06:48 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I - shock horror - washed my bike! It was necessary after yesterday's ride, in the middle of which I had to stop to spend 15 minutes (it felt like half an hour but was probably more like a quarter) removing leaves, grass, mud and horse shit from between mudguards and tyres, around brake bridges and so on, so that the wheels would actually turn.

I'm hoping for rain tonight to finish the job off for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 January, 2012, 07:46:53 pm
I have de-fettled a bike,ie:- removed various accessories from the swb 'bent in preperation for pics to be used in a for-sale ad..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 09 January, 2012, 09:44:57 pm
swapped deep drop caliper with one of these (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13438.msg1126674#msg1126674). highly polished, lightweight and brakes well (you can see my priorities ;D). i'll swap the front one later. ideally i should replace inner&outer cables as well, but that's one of my least favourite fettles with the bike, therefore can wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 09 January, 2012, 10:01:41 pm
Having problems with my front deep drop Shimano caliper if you're getting rid? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 January, 2012, 11:19:04 pm
Finally managed to compile and load an arbitrary kernel module on the Pogoplug (which turns out to be a V3, which is the same hardware as a Pro, and therefore most hacking guides should be considered harmful), which means I'm a lot closer to getting it to do something useful.

Went for a shower to discover the bath tap appeared to be suffering from some sort of polarity reversal on its threads, so took it apart and put it back together a couple of times with the appropriate precision violence and plumbing related swearing.  This allowed water to come out in a controlled manner, so I am now (belatedly) clean, and will track down a replacement in due course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 10 January, 2012, 08:29:34 am
Quote from: drossall on 09 January, 2012, 10:01:41 pm
Having problems with my front deep drop Shimano caliper if you're getting rid? ;D

i'll be keeping them, but you can get deep drop brakes at ribblecycles (http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Brakes-Road-Shimano-R450-57mm-Brakes/SHIMBRAR340000000000) with 58% discount if you spend over £35. good deal imo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 January, 2012, 10:22:48 am
Sorted the rear shifting on the InBred, so now I have very low gearing as well as the rest of the gears.

Next job the front brakes.....

Not going in the garage until towbar man has gone though :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 January, 2012, 10:31:35 am
Quote from: tiermat on 10 January, 2012, 10:22:48 am
Sorted the rear shifting on the InBred, so now I have very low gearing as well as the rest of the gears.
I had to do a bit of that on the way in this morning ... quite an interesting experience given that I was riding up Malton Road at the time.
Gotta love inline cable adjusters.

Still, now that 4th gear has decided to rejoin us, I now have a full complement of 8 canned gears. This is, as they say, a result  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 10 January, 2012, 04:30:39 pm
I had to fix a puncture first this year, I only had one last year
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 January, 2012, 06:20:43 pm
Replaced the tappy bit in the bath tap mentioned above.  Had another abortive attempt at dismantling the hot tap on the basin, which has been in need of a new washer for ages.  Used enough precision violence that it's now in need of a new tap, for which I have obtained the relevant bits.  Will wait until barakta isn't around and needing running water and stuff before attacking it, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 10 January, 2012, 06:24:46 pm
I "Layed a Hedge" today on our college field trip:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6674221787_f484145665_z.jpg)

Basically saw most of the way through the stem of a leggy hedge.  Bend down the still attached hedge at the almost sawn through stem.   This creates a hedge with more hedgyness at the bottom. 
Ideal if you require a warm hedge to sleep in on an overnight bicycle ride.....

The actual reason we done this was so the baby sheeps which will soon be in the field next to the hedge will get a bit more shelter from the wind

An informational video on the process:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Andv7a0NPEc
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 10 January, 2012, 08:16:40 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 10 January, 2012, 08:29:34 am
i'll be keeping them, but you can get deep drop brakes at ribblecycles (http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Brakes-Road-Shimano-R450-57mm-Brakes/SHIMBRAR340000000000) with 58% discount if you spend over £35. good deal imo.
Ooh good tip, thanks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 January, 2012, 11:12:55 pm
I've taken the suspension seat post off the tourer and replaced it with the original alloy one.
It's all in the interest of losing weight from the bike. I've been looking threateningly at the rack.
I'll have a test ride tomorrow to see if I've done a good thing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 10 January, 2012, 11:52:55 pm
Removed chainset & bottom bracket from the old time trial frame and fitted it to the new frame, along with new front mech. Removed cassette and tyre & tube  from old ksyrium tt and fitted it to new tt wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 January, 2012, 09:25:28 am
New chain for the workhorse.  Tightened the crank bolts, too.  I think that was the creaking I had last night - most embarrassing. :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 January, 2012, 05:59:42 pm
New taps!  Proper plumbing, with isolator valves.

Only significant leak was blood, not water, so that counts as a success.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 January, 2012, 06:00:30 pm
Can you not fit a stopcock to the bloodflow?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 January, 2012, 10:09:53 pm
I fitted some bone bridge pins to replace the nasty plastic ones on my acoustic guitar.  They're a narrower taper but they fit better  ???  I suspect the Chinese labourers who make Tanglewood guitars just bung in whatever pins they can get hold of, regardless of whether the bridge wants 3 degrees or 5 degrees.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 11 January, 2012, 10:44:40 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 10 January, 2012, 06:24:46 pm
I "Layed a Hedge" today on our college field trip:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6674221787_f484145665_z.jpg)

Basically saw most of the way through the stem of a leggy hedge.  Bend down the still attached hedge at the almost sawn through stem.   This creates a hedge with more hedgyness at the bottom. 
Ideal if you require a warm hedge to sleep in on an overnight bicycle ride.....

The actual reason we done this was so the baby sheeps which will soon be in the field next to the hedge will get a bit more shelter from the wind

That really is EXTREMELY cool :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 12 January, 2012, 12:18:14 am
I've just fettled the Fuji since I want to ride it tomorrow and yesterday it lacked something important, the ability to stop properly!
Fitted some new BeTwin 3-zone brake pads all round, these have replaceable pads unlike the normal V brake pads that you have to wastefully throw the whole thing away each time. They seem to work really well testing them inside the house. They claim to be good in all conditions and anti-squeal, we will see.

Fitted the new seatpost (carbon) I bought this bike in the sales because the existing 30cm one was right on it's upper limit which I don't like. This one is a 40cm and I now have a goodly amount of post down the seat tube. I'm wondering if this might improve the ride quality of this bike since it is alu framed and a little bit rigid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 January, 2012, 07:24:49 am
Quote from: BrianI on 10 January, 2012, 06:24:46 pm
I "Layed a Hedge" today on our college field trip:
You do realise that we have a professional hedge-layer on the forum?  You can swap tips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 January, 2012, 09:14:31 pm
Quote from: Feline on 12 January, 2012, 12:18:14 am
I've just fettled the Fuji since I want to ride it tomorrow and yesterday it lacked something important, the ability to stop properly!
Fitted some new BeTwin 3-zone brake pads all round, these have replaceable pads unlike the normal V brake pads that you have to wastefully throw the whole thing away each time. They seem to work really well testing them inside the house. They claim to be good in all conditions and anti-squeal, we will see.
From Decathlon?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 12 January, 2012, 10:00:03 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 12 January, 2012, 09:14:31 pm
Quote from: Feline on 12 January, 2012, 12:18:14 am
I've just fettled the Fuji since I want to ride it tomorrow and yesterday it lacked something important, the ability to stop properly!
Fitted some new BeTwin 3-zone brake pads all round, these have replaceable pads unlike the normal V brake pads that you have to wastefully throw the whole thing away each time. They seem to work really well testing them inside the house. They claim to be good in all conditions and anti-squeal, we will see.
From Decathlon?

Yeah, I got them in Flers whilst at the Sem Fed but didn't get round to fitting them in France. I cam back with all sorts of extra stuff in mai panniers  ;D
Test rode them today, verdict on the brakes, very good at stopping, a little bit squealy but that might be my fitting and because they are brand new. New carbon seat post was definitely more comfy. Can finally have the saddle at the right height on this bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 13 January, 2012, 09:10:49 pm
At long last I sorted out my bottom bracket, that is to say my 1987 British Eagle Touristique's bottom bracket.   And the chainset.

The old BB was too long with a 119 mm spindle now reduced to 107 mm  (no idea why it was too long).  The chainline was painful.

The old chainset was a stronglight 66 for which it is now hard to get new rings.  I had a 47/30 set up so changing up or down was an excessively dramatic exercise.

Now (courtesy of Spa cycles excellent service) got a stronglight with 48/36 TA rings, 175 cranks instead of 170 (just to match my other bikes).  Test riding indicates a very significant improvement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 13 January, 2012, 09:25:05 pm
Having had odd twinges in my knees the last few rides, I finally decided to do something about the saddle that's been too low for quite a while...

It went up almost 2 inches and I felt a LOT better for the rest of the ride home...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 January, 2012, 10:02:50 pm
Baraktagloves!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3326.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 January, 2012, 11:28:16 pm
That is utterly, completely, and totally awesome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 14 January, 2012, 07:31:12 am
The Specialized cycling shoes I bought myself for Christmas had perfect-length laces - if you wanted the bow to be tied above the knee.   The flappy amount of extra lace would catch in someone else's chain.  Who is riding on the other side of the road.

New laces purchased - which happen to be exactly half the length of the original ones - and they're just long enough.  This means the original ones can be bisected into four spares.  With a bit of molishing of an aglet or two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 January, 2012, 10:20:05 pm
I've been mainly riding the soot bike this winter because it's been so mild and the roads not covered in expensive-transmission-eating-salt. Now that the cold is setting in, and I realised it's likely to be poor weather on my annual trek up to Bangor (North Wales) at the end of January, I did a servicing and winterising fettle on my steel audax bike.

So, fitted the bikebuddy I got for xmas so I can carry a flask (I'm determined not to be riding for several hours overnight with nothing to drink because my bottles are frozen this year). That still needs a bit of a fettle for the other cage as, despite there being loads of room on my huge Audax MK3 frame both bottle cages are towards the bottom of their tubes, so they foul each other when I put a flask in the bikebuddy.

Swapped my Chorus carbon ergos for some brake-only levers obtained from a forummer, which meant fully rewrapping the bars (but managed to resue the tape, which was in good nick). I'm experimenting using down-tube shifters mounted on an adapter on my tribars, which seems to be going quite well (I have thumb problems and sometimes have issues with the ergos, plus when wearing really thick gloves they can be a bit fiddly). It seemed silly leaving expensive, fragile levers on there - especially as I'd keep absent mindedly operating the shifting lever or button.

Swapped out the rear wheel (which was a 24 spoke deep rimmed desperation buy when my XT hub self destructed on last January's trek to north wales). I put on the Ultegra/Open Pro wheel that has been doing good service on the Roubaix, after giving it a bearing service (everything was fine, so just regreased), two minutes on the truing stand to check it and putting a 28mm tyre onto it.

It does seem a bit crazy to be taking a steel bike out on salty roads, leaving a corrosion-proof plastic frame at home...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 January, 2012, 10:31:06 pm
Quote from: MattH on 14 January, 2012, 10:20:05 pm
So, fitted the bikebuddy I got for xmas so I can carry a flask (I'm determined not to be riding for several hours overnight with nothing to drink because my bottles are frozen this year). That still needs a bit of a fettle for the other cage as, despite there being loads of room on my huge Audax MK3 frame both bottle cages are towards the bottom of their tubes, so they foul each other when I put a flask in the bikebuddy.
I'd be interested to know how you get on with the bikebuddy.

Quote
It does seem a bit crazy to be taking a steel bike out on salty roads, leaving a corrosion-proof plastic frame at home...
Yeah, but isn't it mainly bits and bobs, transmission and odd nuts and bolts, that are prone to corrosion rather than the frame itself, which is covered up in a nice layer of paint? At least, that's what I've always thought/hoped...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 15 January, 2012, 05:41:42 pm
Stripped down steering head of Alleged Witcomb. After cleaning off the almost solid congealed grease I was surpised to find that the races and balls appeared to be almost new. So it appears that in the past the bike has been done up to some degree and then left in a shed for 20 years. Later a load of random bits were added in order to flog it on Ebay. Anyway, it all cleaned up OK and I rebuilt it with fresh grease. Hopefully I will be able to get it into useable condition in the next few weeks; actually I don't think it would take a great deal to achieve this, it's just finding the time to do it - but so far so good.

Put blue leather toestraps on Cannondale - very smart!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 15 January, 2012, 07:39:11 pm
Saturday I cleaned the Hope hub single speed whose wheel was destroyed in a crash. Removed the rotor and sprockets and cleaned some more.  Stuck 36 DT double butted spokes into the holes and attached them 3 cross into to a  Mavic A317 disc rim.

Today I tensioned it started to true it.  It is true enough for a disc wheel but I will continue when I am in a perfectionist mood.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 15 January, 2012, 09:00:32 pm
Loving those gloves!   :thumbsup:

The ongoing Cannondale transmission woe reached a head today: after stripping and cleaning the old mech - 10 years, 20,000 miles - it was still skipping in small cogs under power, even with new cogs'n'chain.  I surmised that the springs were all just old done things, and it was time for a new toy.

Enter the new Deore XT mech, which is reverse-pull, which will drive me bonkers until my fingers re-learn how to shift.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 15 January, 2012, 09:13:23 pm
fitted a cateye  computer, that I found in the garage :) onto the commuter bike so I can record this year's milage. Shame it's not got an ave speed function, but as I didn't even know I owned it, I can't complain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: border-rider on 15 January, 2012, 09:15:40 pm
I put antisocial lights on the TinOne, and changed the sprocket for one a tooth bigger.  I put bigger tyres & shorter cranks on it last year, and it was feeling a bit over-geared.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 15 January, 2012, 09:28:52 pm
Mudguards onto cross bike. Fiddly as anything but now its done I can if I choose ride it into work tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 January, 2012, 09:39:01 pm
I have removed the remains of my old BB from the mountain bike. Only one of the two cartridge bearings was even partly in evidence, explaining some of the multidimensional rotation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 January, 2012, 10:32:54 pm
Yesterday I fettled a friend's iron as the flex needed replacing.

Problems Challenges encountered included:

Torx screws x 2

Security Torx screw x 1. This necessitated the buying of New Tools

Barbed crimp connectors jammed into a connection block. Judicious screwdriver frobbing got them out of the block, but I couldn't undo them.  Cut the old wires off and soldered new bits on.

Then when I thought it was all over, I couldn't transfer the plug from the old flex to the new , as it was moulded on.  Robbed one from an unsuspecting domestic appliance.

Another gadget saved from landfill.     
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 January, 2012, 11:58:58 am
The brakes on the Longstaff.
On Saturday's ride it was necessary to give a fortnight's notice of any intention to come to a halt ::-)

a 5 minute fettle = properstoppers :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 16 January, 2012, 12:26:50 pm
Bar end plugs in the rather nasty apple corers on the bmx.

Looks a bit less alarming now.

Ought to head in to the workshop to look about replacing the freewheel.

Maybe after this coffee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 January, 2012, 08:08:47 pm
Off the bike: a Lego hydrofoil and a plane ticket.

Bike related: crank bolt, head bearings, brake blocks repositioned, had a go at truing the front wheel and - gasp! - washed the rims. It was a bit cold for wheel truing today but it seems ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 16 January, 2012, 09:31:24 pm
Roadification of my previously under-used ex-MTB On-One Inbred now complete. Its first proper outing will be tomorrow's orchestra rehearsal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: welshwheels on 17 January, 2012, 08:42:25 pm
just changed pedals on the commuter back to flats for the first time in about ten years !!as my bloody dog chewed the mesh part of my one and only pair of spd compatible shoes GRRR!!!!! sampson  my little cocker spaniel friend you are a pain in the arse
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 17 January, 2012, 10:26:47 pm
The babysitter's chain :o

I hope that's not a euphemism ;)

She brought her bike in when she came round this evening and it was a mess. So before we went out I lubed it and wiped it down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arry_b on 17 January, 2012, 10:33:12 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 17 January, 2012, 10:26:47 pm
So before we went out I lubed it and wiped it down.

What were you saying about euphamisms? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 January, 2012, 10:33:45 pm
babysitter's chain... lubed and wiped it down...
It wasn't a euphemism before but it sure is now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 January, 2012, 04:56:44 pm
I was unhappy with the position of my rear lights.

(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e81/GruuB/Picture007.jpg)

I have 3 miles of bad A class road on the new commute and now that I am also back to shifts, I expect drink drivers and scroats on the back roads I navigate through too.

So today I moved the lights further back and made them more secure.

(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e81/GruuB/Picture006.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wonky on 18 January, 2012, 11:22:43 pm
Last evening I fettled a half dozen bikes at the scouts. There is a group scouts &cubs ride planned for half term, and partly for educational purposes, partly for insurance purposes, they are spending a few weeks doing cycle maintenance with the boys. As I have most of the tools, and a little bit of knowledge I ended up taking the lead.
One of the scout leaders works for a council parks department, and finds abandoned bikes all the time, so he brought in an abandoned MTBSO for us to coax back to life. Flat tyres, dry rusty chain, limited gear range, wobbly bearings. It can be fettled though. He brought a new innew tube, but as the tyres were M+ , I decided to just pump them up and see how we go.

Most of the scouts bikes were quite new, and generally well adjusted. One was so new, it had only been ridden from his house to the hall, once, that night. Spotless tyres. (I've ordered him to get it dirty by next week).

After some fettling of the MTBSO (needs much more work), I decided that we would then round things off by ensuring that every scout would leave that evening with functioning brakes and properly inflated tyres.
Not one machine in the building (apart from mine and Parsley Jr's) had more than 25 psi, and most were lower than that.
I quickly got into a routine of checking the brake adjustment, showing the boys how to find the reccomended pressure, measuring the px with a digital gauge, and getting them to abuse the track pump  until the required pressure was reached.
One BMX needed more attention than most. It was shiny and new, but father xmas had epically failed to assemble the front brake properly. One block was 90 deg to its correct orientation, and the cable assembled so that the brakes could not touch the rim. The boys drifted off ti the main hall to do something with tents while I was left to sort it out.
Front brake fettled, I moved to the rear, when a scout leader came for a chat. Now in autopilot mode, I let down the remaining pressire in the tyre, so I can straighten the valve stem, and reinflate to the required 60 psi. What I haven't noticed due to chatting, is that the bead had partly slipped off the rim. I only spotted this whilst releasing the pump. 'Bugger' says I, and start to gently telease the pressure. Too late

B A N G

Inner tube shredded. Every man and his dog is there to investigate. Very embarrased Parsley is quickly realising that there is not going to be a spare 20 inch tube available. This is the only BMX in the room.
Apologise to owner and promise to replace tube the following day. Mind is racing as to how I'm going to explain this to the parents (especially as i'd been criticising their bike building skills moments earlier)

I pull the tube out and take a photo of the size markings.leader with the park-found BSO says 'those numbers look familiar'
Turns out he'd been into halfords that day and bought a random inner tube intended for the park-bike that was actually the exact size needed for the BMX!!!

The gods were smiling on me last night!! 5 mins later and the BMX was better than new.

Mission success, half a dozen scouts bikes with inflated tyres and working brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 18 January, 2012, 11:47:14 pm
A lovely happy tale Parsely  :thumbsup:

Tonight I fettled a head set mounted bell and my new Carradice zipped small saddlebag to the Fuji.
This bag is a perfect size to hold 2 tubes and tools, saddle cover, inhaler, waterproof jacket, small alarm lock and wallet. I'm very pleased with it. Currently on sale at SJS for £25 http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/carradice-zipped-roll-bag-black-with-white-straps-2ltr-prod11634/

(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/11634.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 19 January, 2012, 02:45:21 pm
Good work Parsley  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 January, 2012, 03:01:51 pm
I had to do an emergency fettle on the commute in today.

I'm not sure of the exact order of failure, but I think what happened was that I lost one of the chainring bolts, and consequently under force (I was pulling away at a slight uphill on the Streatham one-way system) the chainring gave way and folded, and then the chain broke, since the buckling destroyed a link.

Luckily there was no impatient traffic behind me, and I had enough impetus to roll to the other side of the traffic lights and get off.

In the end, I took the front changer out of action altogether, releasing the cable, and cable tying that out of the way to the water bottle holder, put the chain onto the large chainring (the middle one folded, which is the one that gets used 99% of the time, and almost exclusively when on my commute), threw away one link, and remade the chain.

It's a Rohloff chain, so it should be fixed using their special tool, but I only had an emergency one on a multi-tool with me, so that'll have to do.

Using the large chainring, I'm mostly using the very large sprockets to minimise the force through the chain, but this means that the chainline is appallingly bad.

I reckon it'll get me home, but that's it until I can sort that bike out.

The chain and sprocket were fairly well worn anyway, so I think I'll have to replace the entire drive train.  It was a bugger last time to find a suitable chainring (because of thickness issues and the bolts), but since then I've sourced some slightly large chainring bolts (and I need to replace the one that fell out anyway, I only found one half of it), so I should have a marginally easier time.

On the other hand, the Kaffenback is in need of a major overhaul anyway, so my current cunning plan is to take next week off, and build up the Singular Peregrine frame as a commuter (which is what I bought it for).  This does mean I need to find the few things which I haven't already acquired asap.  I think all I need is a headset, a stem, and the spokes.  I should have everything else already.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 19 January, 2012, 04:17:09 pm
bad luck Tim and a good excuse to change the bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 January, 2012, 06:34:26 pm
Yep this is a definite opportunity to build up N+1!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 19 January, 2012, 09:14:28 pm
Have patched the tube in my saddlebag to bring my complement for Saturday's audax to three. Though the 'glue' wasn't looking super so may only have two that actually work.

And have sorted the routesheet into my GPS so I should know where I'm going wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 January, 2012, 09:37:01 pm
That's quite an impressive in-motion disaster.
Quote from: TimO on 19 January, 2012, 03:01:51 pm
It's a Rohloff chain, so it should be fixed using their special tool, but I only had an emergency one on a multi-tool with me, so that'll have to do.
Reminds me I need to get a (standard!) chain tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 19 January, 2012, 09:44:57 pm
I've frobbed (*) the red adjusting wheels on the Orange Bling's new Avid BB7 brakes.

The brakes used to be good.  They can now stop a runaway house.  Pulling on the levers WILL stop the bike - I just have to make sure I'm still attached to it when it does so.

(*) Turn it till it rubs the disk, then back one click.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 January, 2012, 11:47:08 pm
The computers in my younger son's classroom.  Which involved nicking from elsewhere in the school, with approval from on high, a couple of machines with rather less sand etc in them than the non-functional doorstops that were there.  Then a warranty HDD swap on one of the 'working' machines when it turned out not to be.  Then finding out that the software build failing was due to the network point being a notwork point, tracking down which comms cab that terminated in, finding the keys for it and the ladder to reach it (must make them give me ladder training one of these years), some mild swearing about incompetent ppl not actually rack mounting stuff in said cab such that a patch panel was actually loose and resting on some cables, repatching some stuff and looking for blinky lights in the right places (I bloody hate patching), then doing the software build and app allocation.

That's needed doing awhile.

And for the first time since he started school m'boy will have 2 functioning PCs in his classroom!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 January, 2012, 12:54:59 pm
Unblocked the kitchen sink  :sick: To be fair, it was probably me, making lamb mince thingy last night that blocked it anyway, but it is now unblocked.

@CL, if you think that is bad, remind me one day to tell you about the weirdest patch cabinet I have had to get to (which included having to go through an underground tunnel and climb a ladder)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 20 January, 2012, 01:23:04 pm
Quote from: TimO on 19 January, 2012, 03:01:51 pm


On the other hand, the Kaffenback is in need of a major overhaul anyway, so my current cunning plan is to take next week off, and build up the Singular Peregrine frame as a commuter (which is what I bought it for).  This does mean I need to find the few things which I haven't already acquired asap.  I think all I need is a headset, a stem, and the spokes.  I should have everything else already.

If you're stuck I've got a stem you can have and a set of wheels you can borrow for a couple of weeks!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 January, 2012, 01:56:42 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 20 January, 2012, 01:23:04 pm
If you're stuck I've got a stem you can have and a set of wheels you can borrow for a couple of weeks!

Well, the reason I haven't got a stem, is that I need to measure things, and decide what size I want, and the wheels are going to be hub geared and disc braked, so yours probably aren't suitable!

Thanks for the offer though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 20 January, 2012, 02:03:45 pm
Quote from: TimO on 20 January, 2012, 01:56:42 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 20 January, 2012, 01:23:04 pm
If you're stuck I've got a stem you can have and a set of wheels you can borrow for a couple of weeks!

Well, the reason I haven't got a stem, is that I need to measure things, and decide what size I want, and the wheels are going to be hub geared and disc braked, so yours probably aren't suitable!

Thanks for the offer though.

Sorry should have said "the wheels from my Peregrine"! Got an Alfine and an XT hubbed one - I'm in mid transfer from derailereur to hub gear so the offer still stands as I'm off the bike for a couple of weeks anyway

What hub are you going for?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 20 January, 2012, 05:08:53 pm
Shower doors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 21 January, 2012, 02:57:34 pm
Brakes on the Langster. Just about to wrap the new bars, then maybe take it out for a test ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 21 January, 2012, 04:50:28 pm
More minor fettling on the Thorn Kiddyback Tandem. I don't know if it was originally fitted, but the stoker's seatpost was too long to fully slide in for Little Miss AWL. The angle grinder was crudely effective in rendering it about 100mm shorter. She had her first ride and was a bit scared, but was asking for more once we got back. The extended stem makes the steering rather fidgety for my liking. Another rethink required, maybe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 21 January, 2012, 05:56:23 pm
I am still faffing about with the Alleged Witcomb. I had noticed that the chainwheel was running a little out of true, bent I suspect by someone trying to prise the crank off the taper. After a little judicious levering with a large shifter and a big bent screwdriver this appears to have improved as far as I can see by eye. I have a DTI somewhere so if it still feels a bit wonky I will try to measure it a bit more formally and see whether I can improve matters further.

The BB feels OK but there are signs around the cranks that it has led rather a hard life at some point, probably while being 'maintained' - animals!

I have a bit of a bad back at the moment so I don't think I will get much more done this weekend although I might get the wheels back on tomorrow morning if I feel up to it. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 January, 2012, 07:25:19 pm
My 'desk'

7 1/2 hours....

(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/409556_10150533125601839_551606838_8528224_1458616498_n.jpg)

(http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/406805_10150533125916839_551606838_8528226_1238984983_n.jpg)

(http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/396456_10150533126066839_551606838_8528228_2098288598_n.jpg)

(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/394547_10150533126286839_551606838_8528229_155282835_n.jpg)

I don't know whether to laugh or cry right now....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 January, 2012, 08:04:54 pm
Gosh, well done.

Did you find anything interesting in there?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 January, 2012, 08:22:01 pm
40 quid in a birthday card from my Granny?  Who died in the summer of 2009....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 21 January, 2012, 08:35:00 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 21 January, 2012, 08:22:01 pm
40 quid in a birthday card from my Granny?  Who died in the summer of 2009....
Be thankful it wasn't a cheque!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 21 January, 2012, 08:44:36 pm
She knew me very well.  We had that experience once before.... and from that year onwards it was always crisp folding cash!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 21 January, 2012, 08:47:19 pm
Just fitted new brake pads front & rear.  Might be able to stop now  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 21 January, 2012, 09:02:43 pm
\o/ to the destruction of the first TPoC of many.  Could you hear your desk cheering "YES YES I'm FREE!!"?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 21 January, 2012, 09:54:33 pm
Reasonably big fettle of the Claude! New chain set with a slightly more hill-friendly configuration, which necessitated replacing the bottom bracket. Tightening of the headset, adjustment of the handlebars, new Brooks saddle and non-bouncy seat post. New brake pads on the rear-unfortunately I'd bought the wrong sort so the fronts will have to wait til I get the right sort! New Marathon Plusses for good measure, and we found the slight rub-a not entirely true back wheel was to blame!

I did very little of this apart from holding things still, shining lights and being in the way! The lovely Charlotte did most of it in exchange for home made soup and promise of not-beer!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 21 January, 2012, 10:29:47 pm
Got our bed back from the strippers* and waxed it. Rather like proofiding a really big and hard brooks. We'll be on a bed instead of a student-style mattress on the floor again tomorrow.

* of paint
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 22 January, 2012, 03:54:46 pm
(Did this 3 days ago, and it's still working)

Fixed a dripping kitchen tap by coating the innards (including 1/4-turn ceramic discs) with Chapstick lip salve - just the right consistency and non-toxic, presumably.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 January, 2012, 04:24:43 pm
Some wheel fettling with my new tacx truing stand. The tourer now has a dead straight front wheel but I snapped a spoke on my mtbso front wheel :(

Looking at the rest of the wheel I'm trying to decide whether to fix it or give up on the wheel, or maybe even the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 22 January, 2012, 06:05:59 pm
Cleaned the Pompino after a lot of commuting and yesterday's 200 km audax. Surprised the wheels still spun considering how much mud was on the 'guards..... And discovered the bottom bracket is trashed. It is about 18 months old, tho guess it has done a few kilometers in that time. New BB has now been ordered from On One.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 22 January, 2012, 06:48:48 pm
More Witcomb. Wheels back on, this took a bit of fiddling about as the are not particularly true, a bit pear shaped too. This might be something for the LBS to take a look at.

Yesterday's straightening of the chainwheel seems to have been successful. So I adjusted the brakes and went for a spin up the road. Not too bad but there's a way to go yet.

Steering felt rather clunky after last week's rebuild so I stripped it down and rebuilt it with the top caged bearing the other way up  ::-) Great Improvement.

The front mech needs adjustment so I think I'll have to refer to Sheldon for this, it isn't something I'm that familiar with. Most of the five gears are available but a bit more adjustment needed there.

I thought I would be able to swap over the seatpost and Brooks from the Coventry Eagle but the original is 1'' and I have been using a longer 25mm replacement that I am just able to tighten the clamp bolt to accomodate. These are too small for the Witcomb which according to its rather knackered alloy post is 26.2mm. I could do with something longer than the original so I'll have to take a look online to see what's available. Anyway, onwards!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 January, 2012, 08:49:07 pm
Stripped the brakes, levers, bars, stem and wheels off my rockrider 5.1. Moved the bars from there to the claud butler hybrid. I'm about to go through n-1 :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 January, 2012, 09:19:26 pm
Patched my jeans.  Tory Britain, eh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bloomers100 on 22 January, 2012, 09:24:38 pm
This weekend completed the faff of fitting guards to my new (to me) Surly Steamroller using p clips, gonna try a beam rack and rack pack for tomorrow's commute. Also discovered this weekend that the tooth in my left hand 105 STi on the tourer is broken in half. New shifter ordered from merlin for £35, well cheap. Fettling for next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 January, 2012, 09:28:19 pm
Yesterday's fettling included:

Cleaning the pink magenta bike almost unto DETH.

Cleaning the chain on said bike so it's now the colour of Fe rather than Fe2O3.

Found a manual online so I could tighten the handlebar hinge on the Bendy Bike. Yay! No more excessive unnerving flex.

Pumping up a slack handful of tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 January, 2012, 10:51:50 pm
Replaced batteries in several lights and tweaked a Brompton derailleur by tightening a bolt, after a little head scratching.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 22 January, 2012, 11:39:00 pm
I mended a puncture. In fact, the problem was caused by an old patch beginning to leak. I tore it off to reveal a split in the tube about a quarter of an inch long - it wasn't like that when I patched it! I slung that tube out. I'm actually quite pleased because the Schwalbe Marathon I put on the bike quite some time ago is still a virgin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 January, 2012, 02:34:03 pm
The Langster;in readiness for Feb 4th

It was running 63"(18t) single speed so changed the sprocket to 16t to give 72"-ish fixed.A short ride up the hill demonstrated that that's a little ambitious for a 40 mile run.
The return downhill removed any doubt:my knee will not cope at them rpm for any amount of time ::-).
So change to 16t free wheel/ single speed & try again.No I don't think so.
So back to plan A = 18t(63") single speed.The uphills should be manageable & the knee can rest on the downhills.
Plus I'll have my 24" gear with me.
But my knee  now aches ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 January, 2012, 03:52:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 January, 2012, 02:26:31 pm
Carefully examining tyres for signs of damage.  Mr Legg would approve.

Found and removed another smaller shard that was defeated by the Marathon Plus's protective layer on the front left wheel.  The other wheels had nothing more ocuous than a small pebble and some bird poo.

Patched both punctured tubes, re-fitted the tyre and tweaked the mudguard to be a bit more in line with the other (the aysmmetricality was bugging me whenever I rode behind barakta).  I somehow managed to fit the M+ without tools, injury or harsh language, so I expect that one will be flat again by morning.

Checked the balance of the front brakes while I was at it.  Seems okay.

And trued the rear wheel, which had a minor wobble.  As predicted, the dishing isn't quite symmetrical.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 23 January, 2012, 04:21:42 pm
Some video footage of cats and dogs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 January, 2012, 04:26:58 pm
My son just came home from school sad that his rear tyre is showing canvas through it. It's his restored old BSA so my stock of nice road bike tyres won't fit, but a look in the garage miraculously revealed a brand new 27 x 1 1/4" tyre hanging on the wall that I had forgotten about. New tyre installed and son very impressed by my ability to produce replacement bike parts instantly  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 24 January, 2012, 12:07:23 pm
Sun

Replace jockey wheels on Ribble (tacx sealed bearing, very impressed).
Replaced broken drive-side spoke, trued wheel.  Surprised to see large cuts in Durano Plus - some right through blue layer.

Corrected dishing on mercian rear. It was 6mm out!
Replace 6 of the missing studs from Marathon Winters.

Stuffed up my sandals  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 24 January, 2012, 02:49:22 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 24 January, 2012, 12:07:23 pm

Stuffed up my sandals  :facepalm:

RIP sandles :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 January, 2012, 09:51:20 pm
This.
(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/400373_10150540790526839_551606838_8551155_78213300_n.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 January, 2012, 09:53:19 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 24 January, 2012, 09:51:20 pm
This.
(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/400373_10150540790526839_551606838_8551155_78213300_n.jpg)

 :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 January, 2012, 09:56:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 January, 2012, 09:53:19 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 24 January, 2012, 09:51:20 pm
This.
(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/400373_10150540790526839_551606838_8551155_78213300_n.jpg)

 :o

+1 &  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyUncle on 24 January, 2012, 10:23:05 pm
Just finished building my first wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 24 January, 2012, 10:24:34 pm
Quote from: CrinklyUncle on 24 January, 2012, 10:23:05 pm
Just finished building my first wheel.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 25 January, 2012, 12:10:34 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 24 January, 2012, 09:51:20 pm
This.
(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/400373_10150540790526839_551606838_8551155_78213300_n.jpg)

Awesome, your very own computer desk away from the main table!!  Win!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 25 January, 2012, 12:21:45 am
Washed and lubed the Fuji which had become more of a chunk of mud than a bike.

Played with my Sugru for the first time. Made feet for a battery storage rack and 2 little cable holders stuck to the side of my PC case (to hold iPhone and Garmin/ digital camera cables). This stuff has immense possibilities for bike fettling. I have all the colours so I might experiment with colour matching things next  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frere on 25 January, 2012, 12:25:26 am
Quote from: Feline on 25 January, 2012, 12:21:45 am
Washed and lubed the Fuji which had become more of a chunk of mud than a bike.

Played with my Sugru for the first time. Made feet for a battery storage rack and 2 little cable holders stuck to the side of my PC case (to hold iPhone and Garmin/ digital camera cables). This stuff has immense possibilities for bike fettling. I have all the colours so I might experiment with colour matching things next  :D

including pink? :P

Frere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 25 January, 2012, 12:35:33 am
Quote from: Frere on 25 January, 2012, 12:25:26 am
Quote from: Feline on 25 January, 2012, 12:21:45 am
Washed and lubed the Fuji which had become more of a chunk of mud than a bike.

Played with my Sugru for the first time. Made feet for a battery storage rack and 2 little cable holders stuck to the side of my PC case (to hold iPhone and Garmin/ digital camera cables). This stuff has immense possibilities for bike fettling. I have all the colours so I might experiment with colour matching things next  :D

including pink? :P

Frere

Yes, it comes with instructions how to mix every colour including pink!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 January, 2012, 02:36:36 pm
Adjusted the hooks on the new panniers so they fit my rack.

Have fitted the map case to the bar bag

Have hung up two cages so the birds can feed on my fat balls.

Now just need to fit the right spacers to my panniers so that they don't rattle on my rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 January, 2012, 02:47:46 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 25 January, 2012, 02:36:36 pm
Have hung up two cages so the birds can feed on my fat balls.
:o

I've just coughed coffee all over my keyboard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 January, 2012, 04:32:04 pm
Quote from: interzen on 25 January, 2012, 02:47:46 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 25 January, 2012, 02:36:36 pm
Have hung up two cages so the birds can feed on my fat balls.
:o

I've just coughed coffee all over my keyboard.

& I've decided to make no comment ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 25 January, 2012, 04:47:58 pm
Only me.  I had a hair cut.  And then another and another and another and another and another ....

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 25 January, 2012, 06:43:34 pm
I just replaced a broken ceiling rose and light fitting in my daughters bedroom. It had been on the list of jobs to do for ages while she coped with just 2 desk lamps. It's good to tick off some long standing jobs  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 25 January, 2012, 06:58:32 pm
Oh, not much.
Just a bit of willow weaving :thumbsup:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6761603291_25601a9e73_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6761603281_4aabdbd7cf.jpg

Willow Weaving ftw.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 25 January, 2012, 07:47:48 pm
Attacked three fixies:

New bottom bracket on the Pompino.

Tried to fit new sprocket on another fixed, but after removing the lock ring realised that it was a Miche cog holder that wouldn't shift, so gave up.

Sorted out the bottom bracket on the third fixie. Was going to fit the 'guards, but couldn't be bothered.


Quote from: Pippa on 16 February, 2011, 08:43:50 pm
I have, however, just noticed all the little black footprints around the flat where I managed to get a big blob of black gunk from the expired chain onto the sole of my foot  :facepalm:

Just done the same :facepalm:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 25 January, 2012, 09:14:39 pm
Just had a rethink of my audax setup (for short hilly ones at least, long ones I'll probably still carry all the spares and junk) and saved myself just over 2kg  :thumbsup:

But my new approach requires bungieing (sic) my waterproof to my pannier rack. Which gets covered in grot. So tried to fit my rear sks mudguard to match it's front end companion.

And it fouls on the return spring for the rear brake. Can't see anyway to move the spring out the way, and don't think a new brake would help would it? Surely the clearance is going to be similar given the fixed distance between rim and brake mount.

Do I just cut a small hole for the spring, or split the mudguard into a two parter and bypass the brake entirely? And bodge something to stop grot flinging round the brake onto my waterproof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 January, 2012, 09:29:01 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 25 January, 2012, 09:14:39 pm
or split the mudguard into a two parter and bypass the brake entirely?

I did this on my Langster so that the 'gaurd behind the brake is a rear SKS raceblade:easily removed via 4 rubber bands.Takes literally seconds.The 'gaurd in front of the brake is the front half of a Crud Roadracer Mk 2 rear 'gaurd,IYSWIM, which is secured using re-usable tie wraps aroud the brake bridge & seat post.
Put your waterproof in a plastic bag?

hth
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 25 January, 2012, 09:38:23 pm
Quote from: jogler on 25 January, 2012, 09:29:01 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 25 January, 2012, 09:14:39 pm
or split the mudguard into a two parter and bypass the brake entirely?

Put your waterproof in a plastic bag?

hth

How blindingly obvious, what a ninny I am. Should keep the worst of it off. And even in a split guard doesn't stop everything it'll stop more than gets stopped now.

Unless of course the mudguard funnels and concentrates the flow. Maybe a bridging guard of plastic bottle. Will mean the brake gets covered but keep me cleaner at least.

Even with a pannier rack I somehow get a muddy back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 January, 2012, 12:37:30 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 25 January, 2012, 09:38:23 pm
Quote from: jogler on 25 January, 2012, 09:29:01 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 25 January, 2012, 09:14:39 pm
or split the mudguard into a two parter and bypass the brake entirely?

Put your waterproof in a plastic bag?

hth

How blindingly obvious, what a ninny I am. Should keep the worst of it off. And even in a split guard doesn't stop everything it'll stop more than gets stopped now.

Unless of course the mudguard funnels and concentrates the flow. Maybe a bridging guard of plastic bottle. Will mean the brake gets covered but keep me cleaner at least.

Even with a pannier rack I somehow get a muddy back.

You could also zip tie some stiff plastic (cut up an empty plastic bottle of something) to the underneath side of your rack to make it impervious to water and mud coming up from underneath?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 26 January, 2012, 01:09:48 am
When looking at New Leatherman Tool that Brother Sprogs got me for ta Birthday present it is a good idea to put brain into gear! When trying to close the, EXREMELY SHARP, knife blade press on the back, the side that isn't Razor SHARP, as the pointed end  MEKS BLUD GUSH :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 January, 2012, 01:15:06 am
Ouch. You ok now PD? I hope it wasn't to big a slice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 26 January, 2012, 01:23:21 am
Small cut right on the printy tip bit of my middle finger. Just Gushed with blood for about 20 minutes, went through three plasters before they started to hold the cascade back.  Stoopid Dog!

Two Tea Towels have gone into the washing machine a bit sharpish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 26 January, 2012, 09:07:05 am
Oh, I've done that. You are in good company.
I was with kids on a school trip, doing green woodworking. Using my own knife, whittling away, pushing knife with thumb on back. Kids asks a question, I look up, answer question, push with thumb . . . . whoops, I'd turned knife around. Gave kids a good laugh, anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 January, 2012, 10:30:22 am
Was hitting the end of a demolition bar early last year with a 5kg masse and got my finger in between.  Fortunately I had a glove on so after a bit of pain I carried on until blood started emerging through the glove.  My forefinger is still a funny shape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 January, 2012, 10:38:06 am
That's more disfettling than fettling, isn't it?

I have a large scar om the base of my thumb from where I had been up a Tallascope on a muddy bank, banging on the top of a wavy piece of box steel with a lump hammer because someone had not listened to me ( >:( )*.  The waving was not very well coordinated, given the exposed nature of the hill and the high wind, and, consequently, one of my mighty whacks landed firmly on my thumb instead of the scaff base plate I was using to distribute the force of the blow so as not to deform the box steel too much.

It hurt.

* Don't ask.  No, really, don't.  It's twenty five years ago, and I'm still very angry about it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 January, 2012, 06:13:45 pm
I spent a good half hour forcing a tough thorn out of my front tyre. It protruded at least half a cm beyond the inner casing. Eventually I succeeded in pushing it out from inside with my thumb and grabbing the top as it came up with a big pair of scissors. I've made a mental note to get some long-nose pliers.  :) Unusually for me I've decided to put the patched tube back into the tyre. I'm pretty confident it will still be holding in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 26 January, 2012, 06:37:40 pm
12 helpdesk tickets :)

But I still have far too many :(

Altho' I am still utterly thrashing my colleagues in the stats  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 26 January, 2012, 06:48:21 pm
Quote from: Feline on 26 January, 2012, 12:37:30 am
You could also zip tie some stiff plastic (cut up an empty plastic bottle of something) to the underneath side of your rack to make it impervious to water and mud coming up from underneath?

I use an offcut from a roll of black plastic DPC ............ mmmmmmmmmmmm Stylish !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 January, 2012, 06:53:21 pm
I used a piece of cereal packet tied on with string for a snow mudguard last year. Dedicated follower of fashion me :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 January, 2012, 06:54:46 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 26 January, 2012, 06:53:21 pm
I used a piece of cereal packet tied on with string for a snow mudguard last year. Dedicated follower of fashion me :)

A proper bodge would have been to use billyband, it's more durable innit?

For those who are now thinking "WTF is billyband?", its bailing twine
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 26 January, 2012, 08:44:22 pm
Trivial stuff.

We have a couple of little rear lights sitting around, with belt clips that also fit the right sort of seatpost fitting bracket. We have more lights than we have unobscured places to put the right sort of brackets, so I put one of the lights on the back of Mrs B's rack bag, which has a loop for a belt clip. The belt clip isn't secure enough on that for my taste, so I fixed the light on with a cable tie.

The inner tube from Mrs B's retired back wheel wouldn't go in the new wheel, because the rim is deeper & it has a short valve. I was going to put it in the spare tube collection, but realised that there's now only one wheel it'll fit on any of our bikes, so decided to put it on that wheel. That way, all the 700C spares will fit all our road wheels. So, off comes Mrs B's front wheel - and eventually, after a hell of a battle, the tyre. I think it hadn't been off the wheel for at least two years, & probably longer. No patches on the tube.

A bit easier putting it back than taking it off. I'm hoping that will have loosened it up a bit, because I don't fancy doing that on the road, especially not if it's cold, dark, & raining.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 January, 2012, 09:26:34 pm
Pumped up tyres, oiled chain, charged flatteries.  It'll do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 27 January, 2012, 02:06:50 am
Finally got and fitted the screws, I lost the originals, that attach the Topeak Extended gadget holder to the bars on the Sherpa so I can have a front light that actually SHOWS above the handlebar bag!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 January, 2012, 09:29:57 am
Just fitted cleaats to my new winter boots.

Should ward off the snow and ice demons for a bit longer :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 27 January, 2012, 12:20:42 pm
Installed my Carbon Stryke tri bars.
Moved the Lumi LED4 and Joystick2 onto a Topeak BarExtender off the tri bars so now the lights are lower down, more protected and very central.
Now just cleaining and general maintenance / lube etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 January, 2012, 11:21:57 pm
Mudguards and rack to the new Pompetamine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 28 January, 2012, 05:39:39 pm
Wheels off the Witcomb and with tyres removed taken to the LBS for truing. They do look to be quite far gone but hopefully they will be able to make some improvement to them. These are 27'' and I intend to convert to 700c in the longer term. I think.

Replanted miniature apple tree in back garden after its extraction from the front garden by local herbert the other night. The rootball looks fairly intact so fingers crossed that it will survive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 28 January, 2012, 06:33:03 pm
This morning was a massive fail as I couldn't remove the jammed pinch bolt from the frame of my Swift.

Greater success this afternoon fitting the Alfine hub and Versa shifters to my Peregrine. Gave up when it got too cold to hold things! Just need to bar tape one bar and cut teh cables to length and I'm good to go!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 29 January, 2012, 12:53:12 am
I found an old pair of low riders that I thought I'd use on the Sherpa until I can afford a new set. I offered them up to the braze ons on the forks and they were nowhere near! I scratched my head a while and cussed a bit but I couldn't figure it out so I put them away and came back for a coffee. I got one of those niggling feelings in my head, that I must be missing something. Went back out and looked again. I have only had the bike built up for a week or so and I realise that I have mounted the front mudguard stays to the Low rider braze ons, I have of course cut the stays now so they wont fit in the correct bit ::-)  Didn't want to use front panniers for a few months yet anyway O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 29 January, 2012, 05:58:00 am
Moved the computer back a bit as when I am tucked in on the tri bars I can't see the time.
Installed the new cranks on the fixed.  Had to use father in law's bench grinder to decrease the end of the axle to slide off the right hand cup.  It was very very scoured - Tiagra cheese  ::-)
The new ratio is a little kinder so hopefully I will be able to climb a little quicker now.  Had to take out two chain links too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 January, 2012, 11:10:58 am
A fettle fail.
I attempted to fit a Klik Fix bracket to the Langster but the bar diameter is too big.I'll not be using an Ortlieb bar bag on this bike untill I've acquired an Ortlieb bar bracket:which is frustrating because the Klik Fix braket works with the Ortlieb bar bag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 29 January, 2012, 11:24:17 am
Not so much fettling as un-fettling  :(

Completely stripped my Pearson Carbon Audax to send back and see if a repair is possible http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55984.0 (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55984.0).

FWIW, the stripped frame with gear hanger is 1355gm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 29 January, 2012, 12:20:47 pm
Quote from: jogler on 29 January, 2012, 11:10:58 am
A fettle fail.
I attempted to fit a Klik Fix bracket to the Langster but the bar diameter is too big.I'll not be using an Ortlieb bar bag on this bike untill I've acquired an Ortlieb bar bracket:which is frustrating because the Klik Fix braket works with the Ortlieb bar bag.

I have a spare Ortlieb one of them if you want it. There is an oversized bar version of the Klik Fix too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 29 January, 2012, 08:00:55 pm
Pictures onto walls
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 29 January, 2012, 08:09:37 pm
Scheduled for fettling tomorrow: the rack on my Etape. I've finally found out what's causing the little squeak on bumpy roads, & that's it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 January, 2012, 08:52:22 pm
Tweaked HK's Condor (wheels, gears, lowered bars slightly) and shortly to tackle various Brompton bits. My Frezoni can wait for another night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 30 January, 2012, 01:18:35 pm
Ugraded broadband contract, with Our_Favourite_Telco, such that I no longer get charged for exceeding my "so tiny it is risible" download limit. 

At least the person on the phone didn't seem to be an utter plank and the process was relatively painless.  Let's see if they get it right, eh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2012, 04:48:34 pm
My trusty Sennheiser HD25SP headphones, which are about 16 years old and have suffered all manner of abuse, including various drops and cable-yankages, being rained on and made to monitor numerous acts of frankly dire live music.  In that time they've had a new cable and a new set of ear pads, but I appear to have warded off a Trigger's Broom situation by precision re-bending of the spring contacts on the drivers (and some precision wire-wrap-wire-fu to repair the insanely delicate magnet wire when I inevitably broke it while working out how to open the first one up), thus curing the intermittent connection on both sides.

They appeared to have fared better than my hearing  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 January, 2012, 07:32:12 pm
The RH Sora STI on my Bianchi. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55079.msg1149894#msg1149894)

Finally, today, following around 30 (I dunno - I've lost count) assemblies and dis-assemblies of the mechanism, (Shimano's online exploded view is woefully inadequate for anything more than removing the lever from the hood, and the only other online information (http://www.instructables.com/id/Servicing-repairing-Shimano-Sora-Shifters/) available doesn't cover full re-assembly) I managed to restore the lever to working exactly as Shimano had intended (In fact, probably better, as I replaced some of the shot bearings within - which weren't even mentioned in Instructibles -  with higher grade ones from RS).

Which is good, because it means the Bianchi can become a loaner to my friend who had her Fratello nicked last week (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=56035.msg1146694#msg1146694) until her insurance coughs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 30 January, 2012, 10:57:12 pm
Replaced the MTB chain. The new one was exactly the right length so I just had to remove the open outer plates to use a quick link instead of the breakable shimano pin nonsense.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 January, 2012, 11:41:19 pm
Put a new 7sp cassette and spacer on my old tourer wheels so that I could put them on my hybrid to replace the cheap freewheel wheels. Also fitted the snow studs as it looks like I'm going to need them
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 January, 2012, 04:46:42 am
Tri bars off the fixed.   Nelson and Bagman QR off too.  Super C on.  The new 105 cranks look really good as they are black and my stealth element has increased.  50 t x 19 now instead of 52 - yesterday the hills were just that little bit easier  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 31 January, 2012, 01:05:49 pm
I have just proofided my brand new Brooks in all it's nooks and crannies with a toothbrush. Just letting it sink in for a while before I polish it off and go for a ride on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 January, 2012, 01:09:39 pm
Just remember which is which before you brush your teeth - or do they need proofiding too?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 January, 2012, 02:11:11 pm
Trued a not-very-wonky trike wheel, for SCIENCE.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 31 January, 2012, 05:14:21 pm
At college on a Practical Habitat Management field trip:  unfettled some baby christmas Pine trees which were daring to grow in an area of sand dune.  Why?
Well, sand dunes are a rare habitat with good biodiversity and conservational potential - if left to it's own devices the baby christmas Pine trees would start to grow, eventually turning into a forest of christmas Pine trees. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 31 January, 2012, 09:29:13 pm
On the way home I stopped and moved a gas canister out of the tool bottle and put it into the side pocket of the Super C.
It was rattling and so fecking annoying.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 January, 2012, 09:30:34 pm
I've also been unfettling a pine Christmas tree. Out of the window then removing metric gallons of needles from the floor and other surfaces. Some have knitted themselves into the carpet rather firmly. It was actually a spruce, I think.

Also fettled a new cassette onto my wheel, with the tools and help of Smurphboy. Derailleur tuning time tomorrow, and probably the day after as well.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 31 January, 2012, 10:51:57 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 31 January, 2012, 09:30:34 pm
I've also been unfettling a pine Christmas tree. Out of the window then removing metric gallons of needles from the floor and other surfaces. Some have knitted themselves into the carpet rather firmly. It was actually a spruce, I think.

Also fettled a new cassette onto my wheel, with the tools and help of Smurphboy. Derailleur tuning time tomorrow, and probably the day after as well.  :)

Hmmm, derailleur shouldn't need fettling for a cassette swap. Ahhh, but you had a diff cassette, didn't you. Should have said, ive got a work stand you could have used!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 January, 2012, 11:17:00 pm
The other reason it needs fettling is cos I was twiddling it this way and that in a vain attempt to get it to work on the worn out cassette. Anyway, I'll see how it goes tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dinamo on 31 January, 2012, 11:28:09 pm
Changed the worn out tyres on my Dawes Horizon to a pair of slicks -Vittoria Rubinos   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 02 February, 2012, 01:23:50 am
Checked the forecast for the next few days then fettled my winter tyres onto the Pompetamine:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/2011-10-15iPhone4S013.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/2011-10-15iPhone4S012.jpg)

Clearance behind the BB was fairly tight with the SKS guards so I moved the end of the guard to infront of the bridge rather than behind it and secured with a couple of zip ties. As bodges go it is pretty neat and secure ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 February, 2012, 01:31:20 am
I have what I'd describe as 'barely adequate' clearance for Winters on my hybrid (a fair bit more with the non-studded cyclocross tyres I use off-road, and positively silly amounts with normal 28mm Marathons).  Fine for a little bit of mud or slush, but it'll quickly jam up with proper fluffy snow.  I'm working on the principle that we're not going to get very much of that...

The great thing about studs is you really know if the mudguard is rubbing.   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 February, 2012, 09:25:51 am
Replaced the tube in the front wheel of the InBred (it appeared to have a very slow puncture), turned the tyre around (easier said than done as it is a 700C Big Apple), cleaned the contacts on the dynamo and tightened loose bearings on the rear wheel.

Now just waiting for a delivery of a new rear wheel from MacB, then I'll swap over the cassette, disc and tyre.tube, hopefully ready for the ride tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 February, 2012, 03:02:26 pm
My gears are now changing smoothly and swiftly and my chain is no longer skipping under load. Somehow the bike also feels lighter - I expect this is because I've taken a load of crap out of the pannier but I can always tell myself it's the increased efficiency of new chain and cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 02 February, 2012, 03:05:30 pm
I cleaned my bike, in preparation for tonight.  And broke it.   >:(  FFS

There's a reason I leave its characterful patina as it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 02 February, 2012, 04:07:18 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 02 February, 2012, 03:05:30 pm
I cleaned my bike, in preparation for tonight.  And broke it.   >:(  FFS

There's a reason I leave its characterful patina as it is.

:(

What's up with it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 03 February, 2012, 02:52:41 pm
Unpacked and built up this:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/chrisfixie.jpg)

It is the fixie of my son's dreams for his 18th birthday tomorrow (not to my taste but it's what he wanted!)
A 'blue bazoo' from State Bicycle Co.
He wanted no brakes on it but I am not prepared to let him do this so have fitted the front brake. I don't think there is much chance of him climbing Cheddar Gorge in order to rapidly descend it anyway looking at the way it is geared! It is very light though.
I am very tempted to try and ride round the block on it but the large frame could be my undoing so I won't. He is lucky to be so lanky, the bike has absolutely no toe overlap  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 February, 2012, 02:17:12 pm
Rear derailleur removed & cleaned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ray 6701 on 04 February, 2012, 03:43:02 pm
Just fitted new boa laces to my Spesh s-works bg road shoes after 1 broke last week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 04 February, 2012, 04:22:03 pm
Feline - I'd never heard of State Bicycle Co. That Blue Bazoo is really rather nice...

Put the winter tyres onto my On-One ready for next week's commuting :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 February, 2012, 04:57:57 pm
New right pedal, chain and cogs on my Brommie, along with dismantling and greasing the brake calipers plus new cables and tightened a BB cup. New batteries in the front light too. Must get into working on HK's Condor soon.

EDIT: New chain and cassette on the Condor, tightened the headset and fitted a longer mudflap on the rear mudguard. Just need to fit the ex-rear mudflap to the front guard to finish it off tomorrow. Then onto the Audax tandem and tweaking a couple of other bikes. Hopefully I am now starting to get ahead of the degradation rates for the fleet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 04 February, 2012, 05:10:59 pm
A happy hour or so spent at the kitchen table (special dispensation due weather) stripping and cleaning Weinmann brakes (ex fruitcake OTP) to be fitted to the Witcomb when it is converted to 700c. Polished with Autosol they gleam and look smashing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 February, 2012, 05:52:06 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 04 February, 2012, 02:17:12 pm
Rear derailleur removed & cleaned.

Replaced. Also put on a new chain & cassette, replaced the rear gear cable and put a new front mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 February, 2012, 10:42:27 pm
Marathon Winters fitted to my Orbit. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 February, 2012, 01:24:47 am
New smart mudguard light on the tourer. Then a strip down and clean of the rear mech and a new chain.

Bikes now shiny and polished as well :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 05 February, 2012, 03:24:13 pm
I've had a Marathon Winter tyre on the front of the commuter for the last week, as I had a puncture in the other wheel, so as I couldn't be bothered to change the inner, I put on the spare wheel with the winter tyre.  Today I fitted the rear one, and put on new front brakes, and went for a little ride in the snow.

I really need some sort of magic tyres you can instantly raise or lower the pressure, as you need around 35 psi to reduce the slippy effect on icy ridges of snow due to car tyre tracks, but then as soon as you get onto clear main roads, you need 85 psi or it's really hard work.    :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 February, 2012, 06:08:34 pm
I fettled an embarrassing hole out of barakta's trousers.

(She wasn't wearing them at the time.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 05 February, 2012, 08:28:14 pm
Fettled the commuter:
* programmed '2nd bike' into the computer
* gave the wheels a bit of a clean
* swapped the Marathon Plus Tours for Snow Studs
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 February, 2012, 02:27:55 pm
Replaced the, On-One built, rear wheel on the InBred with the, Big Al built, Hope hubbed wheel bought from MacB.

Chalk - Cheese, 'nuff said.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 February, 2012, 02:42:45 pm
Not today but in the last few days:

- replaced bottom bracket on the Swift and refitted cranks
- fitted new wheel and chain
- 'Alfinised' the Peregrine; Alfine wheel and Versa shifters

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 February, 2012, 02:43:25 pm
More of a fettle-by-proxy, but the LBS have just told me that they've re-built Pugsley's rear wheel - I didn't hear any screams or gnashing of teeth, so I guess having the build an 'offset' wheel didn't cause too many problems :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 06 February, 2012, 02:54:52 pm
Dull work-y stuff.  On my day "off".  Grr...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 February, 2012, 03:11:15 pm
Quote from: interzen on 06 February, 2012, 02:43:25 pm
More of a fettle-by-proxy, but the LBS have just told me that they've re-built Pugsley's rear wheel - I didn't hear any screams or gnashing of teeth, so I guess having the build an 'offset' wheel didn't cause too many problems :)

If we are doing fettling by proxy, today I have stripped the hall stairs and landing of wallpaper and re-papered the lounge.

OK, OK, so I am paying someone else to do it, but the intention is there! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 February, 2012, 06:57:50 pm
Fettled a new Cateye strada onto the Orbit tandem. It's pilot is coming to visit on Thursday so it will be getting it's maiden voyage  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 06 February, 2012, 10:14:49 pm
Thought it was time to actually have working brakes again.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6832177059_2ceb4a1b5d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77272293@N00/6832177059/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 06 February, 2012, 10:55:34 pm
Put the repaired wheel & new chain on the Pomp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 01:29:02 am
Fitted pump and bracket to the Pompetamine.
Fitted a 3rd bottle cage, big loud bell and Garmin bracket to the back of the tandem. I plan on knowing where I am going from the back seat!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 07 February, 2012, 09:06:25 am
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 01:29:02 am
Fitted pump and bracket to the Pompetamine.
Fitted a 3rd bottle cage, big loud bell and Garmin bracket to the back of the tandem. I plan on knowing where I am going from the back seat!
It's the best plan! I have been known to pin my map to clarion's back. Just don't try to turn the tandem towards a possible tea stop without telling the pilot first. DACKHWKT*

*(Don't ask clarion's knees how we know this) :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 07 February, 2012, 05:12:54 pm
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 01:29:02 am
Fitted a 3rd bottle cage...

I think you'll find 5 (with a spare on the rack) is the required number ;)

(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6222/6395059907_3c58197301_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/6395059907/)
Getting ready (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/6395059907/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 07 February, 2012, 06:35:47 pm
One of those bottles is still on my windowsill y'know.  I should probably post it to you guys or summat. Or you could ride over to collect it sometime :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 07 February, 2012, 06:50:07 pm
You could get another three bottles on there in cages below the cross tubes below the stoker.  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 February, 2012, 06:54:24 pm
Fitted the Goldie Lookin' Chain to the VN.

Then hoovered the bike prior to wiping it down with baby wipes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 07:28:19 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 07 February, 2012, 05:12:54 pm
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 01:29:02 am
Fitted a 3rd bottle cage...

I think you'll find 5 (with a spare on the rack) is the required number ;)

(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6222/6395059907_3c58197301_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/6395059907/)
Getting ready (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/6395059907/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

Cor you have more bottle cage bolts on that than the orbit has!
Fortunately (although my bad) I hardly drink anything on the bike so I can generally manage with 1 bottle. I don't think I actually started on my 2nd bottle at all on PBP! I might just stick a camelbak inner bit on the rack  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 07 February, 2012, 07:35:39 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 07 February, 2012, 06:35:47 pm
One of those bottles is still on my windowsill y'know.  I should probably post it to you guys or summat. Or you could ride over to collect it sometime :)

We'll be in York - some time early Easter Saturday. All being well  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 07 February, 2012, 07:37:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 07:28:19 pm
Fortunately (although my bad) I hardly drink anything on the bike so I can generally manage with 1 bottle.

Well - FWIW, the stoker on This Machine doesn't drink much either. Two of those bottles at the back are for my Beer Supply.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 09:07:35 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 07 February, 2012, 07:37:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 07:28:19 pm
Fortunately (although my bad) I hardly drink anything on the bike so I can generally manage with 1 bottle.

Well - FWIW, the stoker on This Machine doesn't drink much either. Two of those bottles at the back are for my Beer Supply.

You could fit a whole keg on the rack  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 07 February, 2012, 09:14:01 pm
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 09:07:35 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 07 February, 2012, 07:37:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 07:28:19 pm
Fortunately (although my bad) I hardly drink anything on the bike so I can generally manage with 1 bottle.

Well - FWIW, the stoker on This Machine doesn't drink much either. Two of those bottles at the back are for my Beer Supply.
You could fit a whole keg on the rack  :thumbsup:
That's for my supplies of CAIK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 07 February, 2012, 10:29:09 pm
I rode half my commute today with a dreadful noise coming from the back wheel. Yet another bearing had collapsed (shredded itself) in the Surly SS hub. They don't take long to change, but I'm glad I bought a dozen spares on eBay a while ago.

I think those bearings are too small for the load that I impose.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 08 February, 2012, 10:11:52 pm
Fettled by proxy.

After 14 months of intermittent effort trying to true the rear wheel off my road bike after shaking it to pieces on the way to Coventry, I gave up. Handed it to my LBS for £15. Went to collect.

"You know, that was really difficult" quoth the mechanic.

Yes, I knew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 08 February, 2012, 10:16:32 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 07 February, 2012, 07:37:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 07 February, 2012, 07:28:19 pm
Fortunately (although my bad) I hardly drink anything on the bike so I can generally manage with 1 bottle.

Well - FWIW, the stoker on This Machine doesn't drink much either. Two of those bottles at the back are for my Beer Supply.
I need 1 for water, one for tea and one for Pimms :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 February, 2012, 11:49:10 pm
Took delivery of a new seatpost for the mixte. It fits, and lets me get the saddle high enough! :thumbsup:

Fitted new gear and brake cables to said bike. A few bits left to do before it's "finished", but it's coming along:

(http://i40.tinypic.com/17zfup.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 February, 2012, 12:01:17 am
I like mixte frames, they combine elegance and function.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 February, 2012, 12:20:57 am
I fitted Powergrips to my son's fixie pedals. I discovered that if I actually followed the instructions the strap rubbed on the cranks on every rotation, so I fitted them the other way round and they worked perfectly. I can only think that the instructions must actually be wrong, they are certainly not rocket science to fit once I worked out how they actually function. He went for an 11pm test ride and gave them a big thumbs up  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Frere on 09 February, 2012, 12:25:15 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 09 February, 2012, 12:01:17 am
I like mixte frames, they combine elegance and function.

Indeed. Have always caught my eye, mixtes. On the lookout for one now that GF wants to take up cycling :)

Frere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 February, 2012, 12:36:05 pm
I've fitted an Ortlieb barbag bracket(many thanks to Feline) to the Langster & subsequently fitted a Topeak bar extender in a vertical manner so that it carries my front lights below the bar bag.

I have dispensed with the top tube mounted  Topeak triathlete bag & will fit this to another bike.

Next on the agenda is the fitting of a computer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 09 February, 2012, 11:19:25 pm
New rear brake blocks and gear cable onto the MTB.
Installed the SKS Commuter mudguards too.  Damn things came with bolts / nuts missing.  Good job I had spares in the bike draw.
I can feel an email coming on to Wiggle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 February, 2012, 10:16:22 pm
Not so much fettled as over-fettled. There was too much slack in my brakes and now they're dragging a little, which is somewhat of a pain uphill. Still, better than it was. I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 February, 2012, 11:43:44 pm
Got around to putting a longer stem on Adam's road bike. Which of course meant that the brake cables were now too short, so had to replace the section of outers underneath the bar tape and the inners.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 11 February, 2012, 08:10:25 pm
Fitted a new chain and some lights to the mixte. The chain took much, much longer than it should have done - perhaps degreasing the freewheel in the cold outside beforehand wasn't the best idea, as it made my fingers rather numb when trying to join the chain back together. Never mind - it's almost ready for commuting now (snow notwithstanding - the 27" wheels can't take spiky tyres), pending fettling of gears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 11 February, 2012, 08:22:51 pm
Out in the garage at 0830 this morning to remove the bars and stem from the Coventry Eagle for use on the Witcomb project. Despite only spending about 15 minutes out there my hands were frozen stiff by the time I had finished. Back into the warm kitchen, glue residue cleaned off battered but serviceable Cinelli bars, the Mavic stem cleaned up pretty well with Autosol but is similarly battered - I hadn't noticed it before but it has a groove worn on each side, presumably from rubbing brake cables. I don't think that these items can have been part of the original Coventry Eagle build - they appear too well used. I often speculate about the lives these various components have led but as I got the bike for a skip 20 years ago it will remain a mystery. Anyway they they will be characterful parts for the Witcomb.

I now have some Campagnolo shifters and front mech provided by eck (for which many thanks!). The mech has been well maintained and was clean so needed nothing much more that a wipe over with a rag. The shifters had not been used for some time but stripped down, cleaned and rebuilt they look great. So now I need a derailleur, and a saddle, some better pedals, maybe a Campagnolo crankset, and I've always fancied a ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: oncemore on 11 February, 2012, 09:34:30 pm
Laced front of a new set of wheels for the TuffTrax. Deep-V rims - awfully glad made with one of those long nipple drivers from an old spoke, otherwise there'd be a dozen nipples rattling around in the rim!

Realised that while I had spokes for the front, none for the rear, so that will have to wait a few days.

Interrupted planned work on my model rail layout!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 February, 2012, 11:58:24 pm
Putting a GPS mount on Vince, as well as pumping the tyres up a bit and oiling the chain, all in preparation for the Dickens Ride tomorrow.

I'm also charging the front and rear lights, batteries for the GPS, and the camera battery.  I should probably plonk the phone on charge as well.  Luckily none of that requires much effort on my part!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 February, 2012, 06:02:08 pm
Lots of boring but overdue bike maintenance type stuff:

First job was to investigate the dodgy shifting on the Dawes.  This quickly deteriorated into a full cleaning mission, in order to locate the components that might be in need of adjustment.  It turns out that the chain is actually metal-coloured, and that the rear mech works a lot more reliably when freed of a wattle-and-daub-like substance composed of a mixture of Yorkshire's finest mud and several metres of human hair.  Gave the front mech a generous squirt of WD40 while I was at it, which loosened things off splendidly.  It can have a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner when the winter salt season is over.  Needless to say, it was a 30 second job to tweak the indexing back into shape once everything was clean.

De-skanked and inspected the brakes, making note that the fronts have some life left in them yet, but a spare set of blocks would be a sound investment.

Inspected the tyres, noted 3-4 missing studs on the rear, but a full set on the front.

Investigated the mysterious electrical fault in the rear light that I managed to cure the other week by taking it apart and putting it back together again.  Decided it was probably gremlins.

Topped up many tyres.

Gave the Streetmachine a once-over, discovering a strange issue with the rear brake which turned out to be the cable having been snagged at some point and pulled taught under the seat.  Sorted that out.

Took the seat pad off and threw it in the washing machine in the hope of removing assorted deposits of mud, CAKE, tissue and condensed arse cream.

Looked at the bodgy velcro and gaffer tape arrangement on the seat, and decided that can wait until I'm feeling more enthusiastic about cutting and sticking.

Came to a similar conclusion about the fairly knackered handlebar grips on the Dawes.  Will have a foam-fettling session with barakta at some point, as she wants her left handlebar tweaking.

Extracted the batteries from several rear lights and put them on to charge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 12 February, 2012, 08:13:14 pm
White cloth bar tape (this has got to be the world's most useless thing) removed from the Witcomb's no-name bars which after cleaning up are transferred with it's Milremo stem to the Coventry Eagle. The Mavic stem and the Cinelli 65 bars to be transferred to the Witcomb.

I had thought that I would cannibalise the C/E for parts prior to disposal but I think that I am likely to end up with enough bits and pieces to keep it going for a bit longer.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 12 February, 2012, 11:08:27 pm
The above-zero temperature led me to venture outside to clean the road bike for the first time this year :-[. It looked as though it had been off-roading in the mud. :o Now somewhat cleaner (though not perfect!), chain lubed and mechs/brake pivots squirted with GT85. Also got the mixte's gears working ready for the commute tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 February, 2012, 08:12:52 am
Last night, I got my new commuting tyres - Marathon Plus 25s.  Didn't get a chance to fit them last night.

Over breakfast, I was looking at the cuts in my front tyre, so decided to fit the M+ before I went out.  Of course, it was a wrestling match, but I think I did ok. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 14 February, 2012, 01:57:11 pm
Bought new mudguards at 9am and fitted them to the tandem whilst it was hanging on the tailgate rack. We were riding on an old rail track at 10 am and I didn't want my stoker or the kid on the tag-a-long to get plastered.

It worked! But they now need adjusting properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 February, 2012, 04:09:56 pm
I can haz bike storage

(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/429441_10150591622021839_551606838_8688194_1355056951_n.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 February, 2012, 04:15:29 pm
Quote from: clarion on 14 February, 2012, 08:12:52 am
...decided to fit the M+ before I went out.  Of course, it was a wrestling match, but I think I did ok. ;D

Spoke too soon.  I set off for work, had a fright from an artic, then stopped and noticed a bulge in the tyre near the valve, where the bead wasn't seated properly.

I went back home, calmed down after the incident, and tried to refit the tyre.  The problem was the thick rubber at the base of the valve stopping the bead sitting down into the rim.  I used the last of my brand new tubes, finding that the Specialized tube has a more flexible valve base.  Got it fitted, but I was late for work, so I rode to Croydon and took a train. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 February, 2012, 04:19:32 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 14 February, 2012, 04:09:56 pm
I can haz bike storage

(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/429441_10150591622021839_551606838_8688194_1355056951_n.jpg)

what happened with the steel bike box?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 February, 2012, 04:22:12 pm
Oh, I still need to clear the back yard properly and fit a ground anchor.  Then I will have bike storage capacity in excess of my bikes.  What a nightmare!

(I should also point out that the post above is a bit of a mild fib unless we are allowing fettling-by-proxy since it wasn't me wot did it)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2012, 05:43:30 pm
That, and who'd keep bikes outside in the cold when they could have them in the living room?   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 14 February, 2012, 10:57:36 pm
I fitted a Goddam Fascist set of Cheap, deservedly s, Bir Yueh rider racks to the Thorn Sherpa.  Simples?
Took me half an hour to figure out that they will not fit to the fork braze ons for said items and that I had to resort to U bolts, Mole grips, Juior hacksaw and the sort of atitude and cussing that would even uset Kim! Got a ride though as I need to be calmer tomorrow when I hit the U bolts with the ANGUL GRYNDER!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 February, 2012, 10:19:13 am
Kim doesn't cuss.
Think boab
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 15 February, 2012, 10:12:39 pm
I've just taken the Schwalbe winter tyres off the Pompetamine and refitted the 35mm normal ones. Also took off the chain ring with a view to fitting a 34t replacement, but On One have the wrong BCD listed on the bike's build spec and it looks like it is 130 BCD not 110 so I need to swap this new ring for a different one  :facepalm:

Refitted original chain ring to ride it tomorrow. On the up side I am getting faster and faster at changing this bike's tyres and getting the back wheel in and out past the disc and the hub cable. I also now have mad skillz at removing and replacing chain rings  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 February, 2012, 10:38:54 pm
I have made not one but two meccano vehicles. Genuine Polish meccano, in fact, made in China and fettled in Britain, but received as a pressie by Little Cudzo last week. So we did a bit of dune-buggy racing in the afternoon.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 February, 2012, 02:57:03 pm
Started attaching my new pedals, but couldn't get the old left one off. Right is fine, but left's seized solid. Yes, I do remember it's a l/h thread. Enlisted Friendly Builder (supplier of damp-proof membrane for mud flaps "Take as much as you want, the landlord's paid for it"!) as he, unlike me, has muscles. No go. Not surprising as I remember when trying to remove it for packing to ship it, FiL, who must definitely has Muscles, couldn't do it either. In fact we've (all three of us, I'm reckoning) ranted off the edges of the axle. So it's soaking with WD40 for a few hours till a pair of mole grips can hopefully do it. Well, they've been on there 13 years so whatever grease they were assembled with, if any, has probably all evaporated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Maverick on 16 February, 2012, 04:47:55 pm
Fettling fail! Set out to fit new bottom bracket and chainset for super low gears on the Mercian (46/36/26 to 12-28). 110mm Stronglight J400 as recommended as the correct BB by Spa is way, way too short - outer ring is in line with the 3rd largest rear cog and the inner ring on the chainset fouls the chainstay. Humph! 115mm BB now ordered - anyone need said 110mm BB? No ride today 'cos I spent my time messing with this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 16 February, 2012, 07:09:52 pm
Washed the fixed.  Lubed the chain that was starting to take on a red tinge.  Tightened the rear cones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 16 February, 2012, 08:03:43 pm
When we took the load box off the Maximus to run it up for a service last week, one of the bolts failed to come out of the elastomer bung top plate, and instead sheared the plate away from the elastomer, and no amount of WD40 and me applying the socket and pliers, as well as a certain amount of percusive spanner action would shift it.

Today a stronger colleague gripped the plate with pliers, and I wielded the socket, and eventually it came loose. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 16 February, 2012, 08:27:00 pm
Finally bitten the bullet and soldered the Tamiya battery connectors dreckly to the 4xAA battery holders - because the last one snapped off its PP3 connector.
All I need now is some Epoxy or potting compound to make it less Dalek and more Borg.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 February, 2012, 10:09:46 pm
Swapped Ice Spiker tyres off the Cyclone and fitted new rear wheel shod with Marathon Plus.

Swapped Marathon Winter for Pluses on my Orbit.  Replaced brake blocks. Cleaned.  Refitted guards.  Yet to adjust computer.

Freed off EBB on tandem and tensioned the timing chain.

Swapped brake blocks on my fixed.

That's probably it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 February, 2012, 01:40:25 pm
The coffee machine coffee holding thingie, the technical name of which eludes me. It was really clagged up internally, so I dug out the faux Dremmel and buffed it up. 2+ years of coffee remnants to be rid of. I made a cup after & can't say I noticed the difference, though the flow was faster. I made the same empty resolution as I did years ago to clean it out more often.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 18 February, 2012, 02:13:36 pm
Moved some spacers to above the stem on my MTB.

Assembled some Swedish flatpack (at least I didn't have to buy the stuff :))

Now about to remove old sealant from the shower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 February, 2012, 02:53:56 pm
I built up an Alfine 11 wheel while HK fitted cleats to her new pair of shoes. Just about to de-creak my Frezoni, add some bits to a frame and rebuild an Ergopower lever. We'll see if I get to the tandem this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 February, 2012, 05:32:05 pm
Managed to access the motorbike battery and put the charger on it. I was pleasantly surprised to see it still had some charge after 3+ months lying idle.

Swapped the bars on the tandem, but ran out of steam when I realised the cables would be too short. Still have the kiddy cranks to fit to it. I suspect I will relinquish all that to the LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 18 February, 2012, 05:40:31 pm
Rebuilt my Pearson with the replacement frame following the broken dropout http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55984.0 (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55984.0).

A lot slower to put back together than strip down. 

Really a completely different frame (Taiwanese carbon rather than Italian carbon) but I think I am going to be happier with this one.  It has a proper headset not the mickey mouse glued-in job from before and the mudguard clearance at the back is fine for 28s without the need to resort to cable ties.

Only surprise is that the rear brake cable run is exposed with cable stops on the top tube, won't be able to velcro a battery pack on the top tube.

Biggest problem was that the gear cable stops on the down tube are further forward than before, necessitating a bit of rejigging and cutting, but the existing cables just fitted because I chose a smaller frame.

Did all the build using my turbo-trainer as a stand - my back hurts!  Time to look for a portable workstand maybe.

Will post a picture in the Gallery someday, so everyone can wonder at all the head set spacers :)

Hope to test ride tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 February, 2012, 06:10:59 pm
Glad it's all back together.  That sounds like a happy ending to me. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 18 February, 2012, 08:56:00 pm
Some plastic 'n' paint 'n' glue:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6898340593_182f7a0579_z.jpg (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6898340593_182f7a0579_z.jpg)    ;D

Tamiya scale model kits ftw!   :thumbsup:

and some words into a college essay. (boo)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 19 February, 2012, 04:58:18 pm
Does partially dismantling an MR2 count as fettling?  Well anyway, that's what MFWHTBAB and I have done this afternoon. 

This morning, we cleared the hallway out.  :thumbsup:

So that we could fit the tractor in it....  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 19 February, 2012, 05:18:14 pm
A replacement spoke on the drive side of an Alfine 8 speed. Which led, as these things are wont to do, to a new gear inner. The orange outer had filled up with water, and the inner was rusting in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 19 February, 2012, 06:28:46 pm
Stem and bars ex Witcomb transferred to Coventry Eagle. Brakes stripped down and rebuilt; they now feel as if they are working better and make rim - block interface noises but do not make any appreciable improvement in slowing the machine...that's not really true they are much better than they were  - but they are still crap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wonky on 19 February, 2012, 07:31:09 pm
BB serviced with new ball bearings. Getting the cup off this time was very hard work. I really must invest in some copper slip, something I keep forgetting to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 February, 2012, 07:45:27 pm
Improved the grip arrangements on barakta's left handlebar, and finally got round to removing the portable gravel driveway Marathon Winters from the Dawes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 February, 2012, 07:55:00 pm
Fitted HK's MTB with an Alfine 11, changed my Brommie's rear tyre and brake pads and fitted cleats to my new shoes. The Audax tandem might get done after the Kennett Valley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 February, 2012, 09:03:46 pm
New cable and outer for the front mech on the pink magenta bike. It's ever so exciting being able to use all three rings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 February, 2012, 04:50:55 pm
Fettled a mirror (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=48359.msg1169344#msg1169344) for the left side of barakta's trike to match the one on the right.  And spent a couple of hours on a SEKRIT fiddly sewing project with the previously-fettled Singer and a general inadequacy of spare bobbins.  Managed to burn myself with the glue gun in the process, which is a first; hot-melt glue usually seems to run in the margin where it hurts like a bastard but doesn't do any lasting damage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 21 February, 2012, 07:02:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 February, 2012, 04:50:55 pm
Managed to burn myself with the glue gun in the process, which is a first; hot-melt glue usually seems to run in the margin where it hurts like a bastard but doesn't do any lasting damage.

Hmm, similar here today.

Fettling some skis in anticipation of the Easter ski-fest, and I find a big gouge in the p-tex base of one.   P-tex base repairs use a p-tex repair gun ( a hot but hollow soldering-iron type thing which you insert a stick of P-tex about the diameter of a pencil into.  The hot-end melts the p-tex, and extrudes it out as you force the stick into the iron. )

I *always* and up with a minor burn, just like I seemed to do when molishing null-modem cables back in the day in the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 21 February, 2012, 08:10:38 pm
BB shell chased and faced (LBS did a fine job), BB fitted, cranks fitted, front and rear mechs fitted but not adjusted.

Forks, headset and bars next - I need to sort out my cockpit - still not sure on bar width.

But never mind that, look at my super ORANGE seat post  ;D

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b8KIV-dYmtw/T0P3nfOpQUI/AAAAAAAAgH8/aFx-diH5wl8/s640/DSC00681.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 21 February, 2012, 08:15:18 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 21 February, 2012, 07:02:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 February, 2012, 04:50:55 pm
Managed to burn myself with the glue gun in the process, which is a first; hot-melt glue usually seems to run in the margin where it hurts like a bastard but doesn't do any lasting damage.

Hmm, similar here today.

Fettling some skis in anticipation of the Easter ski-fest, and I find a big gouge in the p-tex base of one.   P-tex base repairs use a p-tex repair gun ( a hot but hollow soldering-iron type thing which you insert a stick of P-tex about the diameter of a pencil into.  The hot-end melts the p-tex, and extrudes it out as you force the stick into the iron. )

I *always* and up with a minor burn, just like I seemed to do when molishing null-modem cables back in the day in the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all.

FWIW as I'm sure you know about them, I find the repair candles work well. What I do though, apart from cleaning and keying the surface is to warm it first with the iron. Quick wipe with isopropyl and Robert is the brother of your mother.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 21 February, 2012, 08:36:24 pm
I used the p-tex candles for a while, but found they were not up to bigger repair jobs.   They do work well for minor dings etc, but I'd certainly advise a p-tex gun for bigger repairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 February, 2012, 09:13:04 pm
Retapped a thread on the bit of bolt that is stuck in my front fork boss, and put a nut onit. If it won't come out then at least I can now use it to hold racks on with :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 February, 2012, 10:44:44 pm
Tickled up the rear wheel of HK's Brommie after a mouthbreather in a Merc knocked her off while she was stopped at traffic lights. Must find a new rear mudflap sometime soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 February, 2012, 12:43:57 am
Nasty.  Hope she's ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 February, 2012, 06:34:05 am
Just some bruises. Unfortunately she didn't leave similar damage on the moron's Merc to encourage him to be more careful of cyclists in future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 22 February, 2012, 06:50:49 am
Quote from: smurphboy on 21 February, 2012, 08:10:38 pm
But never mind that, look at my super ORANGE seat post  ;D
Mmmm - shiney... *drools*

You have three four options:
1) Please tell me where I can get one.
2) Prove to me that it's a different diameter from the Genesis Day-One seat post, and therefore won't fit.
3) fasten it in with a tamper-proof left-hand-thread unobtainium 7-sided Torx bolt.
Or
4) never go on a forum ride with me - or if you do, never let your bike out of your sight.

Could I press you for option 1?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 22 February, 2012, 07:08:17 am
I may be able to help save smurphboy's seatpost.

It looks like a charge chopstick seat post. I have one in brown on my brown pomp. It is available in a series of colours (including orange by the look of it!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 22 February, 2012, 05:56:40 pm
My dog walking bike occasionally gets slow punctures because of the off-roady type surfaces I'm riding it on, the latest of which I cannot find the leak in the tube to save my life. The bike also has fairly crap tyres it came with. So I stuck a new tube in and fitted a new Marathon Plus tyre I had lying around in the garage. The next puncture it gets in the rear wheel it will get a Marathon Plus on that too! I then went out in the rain with the dogs, which mattered to them not one iota since they both had a good swim anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 22 February, 2012, 09:16:55 pm
Kate called round this evening to see if my dyno wheel would fit on her bike (Dawes Horizon). We weren't sure if my disc hub would fit but it did  :thumbsup:
She's borrowing it for a tour she's doing in California next month and she'll use it to keep her 'phone charged.
Prompted by this thread:- http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55583.0 , she's also bought a bargainacious Dahon Recharge and we fitted that to her bike as well.

While she was here, I put my chain checker (this one:- http://www.parktool.com/product/chain-checker-cc-2 ) on the chain. It's completely knackered, the pins on the checker weren't tight even when they were at their widest. I fear that she will have a big bill before she goes on her trip.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 22 February, 2012, 09:47:20 pm
New chain on the Orange Bling.
I'd understood that non-derailleur chains lasted longer; not this one.  It's done only 3000 miles or so, in 9 months.  Some of that distance, thobut, was on extremely claggy S*str*ns surfaces.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 February, 2012, 09:51:49 pm
A new battery into my new(to me) car. It starts properly now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 23 February, 2012, 07:10:14 pm
Quote from: marcusjb on 22 February, 2012, 07:08:17 am
I may be able to help save smurphboy's seatpost.

It looks like a charge chopstick seat post. I have one in brown on my brown pomp. It is available in a series of colours (including orange by the look of it!)

It is. But you can only get it in orange, I think, from Wiggle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 23 February, 2012, 07:20:07 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 22 February, 2012, 06:50:49 am
Quote from: smurphboy on 21 February, 2012, 08:10:38 pm
But never mind that, look at my super ORANGE seat post  ;D
Mmmm - shiney... *drools*

You have three four options:
1) Please tell me where I can get one.
2) Prove to me that it's a different diameter from the Genesis Day-One seat post, and therefore won't fit.
3) fasten it in with a tamper-proof left-hand-thread unobtainium 7-sided Torx bolt.
Or
4) never go on a forum ride with me - or if you do, never let your bike out of your sight.

Could I press you for option 1?

Do not click here (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/charge-x-wiggle-chopstick-seat-post/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 24 February, 2012, 08:53:37 am
Just about every time I have a fettling session I find something on the garage floor that I'd lost during a previous session.  This morning I found a washer.  It's said that the sea always gives up it's dead, my garage does the same with tiny bike parts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2012, 02:25:56 pm
Funnily enough, I just found a washer on the bathroom floor.  The plumbing kind...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2012, 05:28:01 pm
For the first time in several metric yonks, I fettled some CAKE.

Need to apply an oven-specific fudge-factor, but not bad for a first attempt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 24 February, 2012, 05:31:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 February, 2012, 05:28:01 pm
For the first time in several metric yonks, I fettled some CAKE.

Need to apply an oven-specific fudge-factor, but not bad for a first attempt.
Oooh!  CAIK with Fudge!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 24 February, 2012, 05:32:32 pm
I like "metric yonks". Do they differ much from Imperial yonks?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 24 February, 2012, 07:45:51 pm
Quote from: smurphboy on 23 February, 2012, 07:20:07 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 22 February, 2012, 06:50:49 am
Quote from: smurphboy on 21 February, 2012, 08:10:38 pm
But never mind that, look at my super ORANGE seat post  ;D
Mmmm - shiney... *drools*

You have three four options:
1) Please tell me where I can get one.
2) Prove to me that it's a different diameter from the Genesis Day-One seat post, and therefore won't fit.
3) fasten it in with a tamper-proof left-hand-thread unobtainium 7-sided Torx bolt.
Or
4) never go on a forum ride with me - or if you do, never let your bike out of your sight.

Could I press you for option 1?

Do not click here (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/charge-x-wiggle-chopstick-seat-post/)
Never.  NSFBB.  (Not safe for bank balance).  Thanks!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 February, 2012, 07:50:12 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 24 February, 2012, 07:45:51 pm
Quote from: smurphboy on 23 February, 2012, 07:20:07 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 22 February, 2012, 06:50:49 am
Quote from: smurphboy on 21 February, 2012, 08:10:38 pm
But never mind that, look at my super ORANGE seat post  ;D
Mmmm - shiney... *drools*

You have three four options:
1) Please tell me where I can get one.
2) Prove to me that it's a different diameter from the Genesis Day-One seat post, and therefore won't fit.
3) fasten it in with a tamper-proof left-hand-thread unobtainium 7-sided Torx bolt.
Or
4) never go on a forum ride with me - or if you do, never let your bike out of your sight.

Could I press you for option 1?

Do not click here (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/charge-x-wiggle-chopstick-seat-post/)
Never.  NSFBB.  (Not safe for bank balance).  Thanks!
I felt the same way when I looked at it (and with all the sincerity of someone who has a very flash Thomson seatpost on t'other Surly) - I quite like the mostly-orange-with-a-few-black-bits look of my Genesis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 24 February, 2012, 08:37:12 pm
Just cleaned and lubed the minging drivetrain on my Boardman CX in prep for the Kennet Valley 100 tomorrow. Was a proper chain-off job. Filthy, filthy stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 24 February, 2012, 11:17:44 pm
Yesterday's fettle was a new stem on the Pompetamine. All my road bikes have now ended up with 80mm stems, so at least I am consistent. This one has a 17 degree rise because On One cut the steerer tube a wee bit short. I'm now very happy with my riding position on it and the Brooks saddle is breaking in nicely :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 25 February, 2012, 11:57:23 am
Pedals, four of em  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 February, 2012, 04:06:11 pm
Lubricated the chain on the Langster to dispense with that 'orrible f.o. colour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 25 February, 2012, 05:07:27 pm
Commute bike now has Marathon Plus instead of Marathon Winters.

Weight saving 1lb per thee
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hbunnet on 25 February, 2012, 06:04:49 pm
Adjusted eccentric bottom bracket to take up chain slack. It refused to move but came free when given a sharp dunt  with a shoe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 25 February, 2012, 08:02:44 pm
On the fixed I've been using one of my Carradice saddlepacks.  But it is the site with a small zip access panel at the back and I struggle to get my lunch in and or to get stuff out.  Tonight I found a Super C in the shed that I had forgotten about - doh.
So I have installed that now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 February, 2012, 08:05:55 pm
Tried to fettle a very nice Tubus 'Logo' rack onto Pugsley.
Unfortunately, comically wide tyres and a rack whose sides slope inwards mean that this particular fettle was doomed to failure - might have to buy a Surly rack instead. Bummer :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Henry on 25 February, 2012, 08:24:55 pm
I fixed a R&K Klickfix plate onto a Carradice zipped roll, so it will clip onto the front of my bike when I haven't got enough things to merit using the barbag.

I had to unpick the stitching of the leather panel that takes the 'horizontal' strap, and remove it. If Carradice Bag Lady reads this.... it wasn't one of yours. Don't tell Christine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 February, 2012, 01:46:27 pm
I seem to have accidentally fettled the whole bike!

Yesterday, I noticed my chain was worn beyond the ability of the chain-wear tool to measure it!
The casette has had a few chains now, so time to fit a new chain and cassette.
LBS had requisite items in stock ( not the cheapest ), but it let me get to work.

Old chain and cassette off, and the front chainrings look like they could do with a good clean.
So off come the cranks and chainset is stripped down to indiviual chainrings for cleaning.

Since the cranks are off, I might as well remove the BB and give things a clean and re-grease.

Oh, and the brake pads need replacing so let's do that too.
Might as well remove the calipers for a deep-clean.

And so one thing led to another, and before I knew it, the whole bike was pretty much stripped!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 February, 2012, 02:22:47 pm
I have relocated the computer on the Trek from handlebars to stem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 February, 2012, 03:33:07 pm
Some words into what resembles an essay on legislation and designation protecting landscape and buildings in the countryside.   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 26 February, 2012, 03:50:19 pm
Arch mentioned a need for a trailer today.  I have been a bit lax and not made one for her yet.  Anyway no sooner mentioned, on the way back from Aldi, then done as soon as we got home.

We had an old kiddie trailer and so that was stripped down to the basic flat frame.  Then while Arch stripped the fabric for useful stuff I fitted a cargo net to the frame.  It is held with a bit of cord so that it can be retensioned in the future.  Arch will find a bit of correx for it as a floor when needed.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0008-1.jpg)


I also fitted a cycle computer too.

I had to make up an aluminium bracket that was shaped a but like a number '2'  to hold the sensor and then make an 'L' shaped bracket to hold the magnet as there were no spokes to clamp it to.
The wiring for the sensor had to be extended with a bit of old speaker wire that happened to be exactly the same as the sensor wire and then the computer mount was screwed in place with a small wood screw.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0005.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0006-1.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0007-1.jpg)

I now know that at 7mph I am bouncing out of the seat on my electric tractor! ;D
I wasn't quite at full throttle in top gear but close.  On a flat smooth road I might get up to 10mph but not before I fit a bullet proof chain guard over the chain.

Here's a video of Arch test driving it.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/th_Roadtest05250212.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/?action=view&current=Roadtest05250212.mp4)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 26 February, 2012, 03:59:31 pm
 ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 February, 2012, 05:31:09 pm
I really thought you were going to drive into that wall when you turned, Arch!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 26 February, 2012, 06:23:12 pm
Finally fitted a rear rack to the Pugsley - a Tortec Expedition rack which is the correct colour (black), has a sensible load limit (35kg) and doesn't have sides that slope inwards, meaning that it will coexist peacefully with comically wide tyres.

However, the offset rear end made fitting it bit of a palaver and a number of plastic shims and other odds and sods were required to get it to clear the rear disc calliper but we got there in the end. All I need to do is sort out my lighting rig and I'm ready for Extreme Comedy Off-Road Actiontm

Also fitted clipless pedals for 'regular' use - I'll keep the spiky trials pedals for winter use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 26 February, 2012, 08:03:53 pm
The most sensible bike to fit the tag along to was my inbred, so I did that and we went for a ride.
The tag along doesn't allow me to use my (biggish) seat pack, but the fitting is the same as Mrs Dan's basket. However, I resisted the suggestions to put a wicker basket behind the saddle.
Fitted a new, not so big, front tyre.
Front brake was squeaky (first real ride after a big clean). Couldn't get rid of the rubbing by aligning, so have ordered new pads as they were looking a bit thin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 February, 2012, 08:37:55 pm
Fitted a headset and bidon cage to the fixed frame and another to the Audax tandem (along with a new fork). Found that the secondhand fixed wheel (bought sight unseen) had clapped out cones, so have ordered replacement cones.

Rewrapped the gel pad and handlebar tape on a Canadian crutch.

Found the reflective tape (to fit to mudflaps) and the makings of a front mudflap for HK's MTB, so something still to do tonight. Rebuilding the Campag Ergolever can wait for another evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 26 February, 2012, 09:01:29 pm
Changed tyres from 25c to 23c (for clearance) and fitted some SKS Bluemels. Was not helped by the fact that the threads on the front eyelets appear to be stripped. >:( Cable ties to the rescue, though they don't look as neat as the bolts on the rear...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 26 February, 2012, 09:31:23 pm
I finally decided to do some maintenance on my commuter bike.  As the chain had about ½ kg of grot on it and was severely stretched, and the cassette was last changed 3 chains ago, I decided to replace both. 

The lockring on the cassette was completely rusted on, so I had to soak it in WD40, and hold the tool in a workbench to unscrew it.  The only 7 speed cassette the LBS had was a 12-32 ratio one which is a bit of overkill, but at least it (currently) looks nice and shiny. 

I suppose I should have also cleaned the rest of the bike, seeing as it was last washed about a year ago...........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 February, 2012, 11:55:19 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 26 February, 2012, 03:50:19 pm
Here's a video of Arch test driving it.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/th_Roadtest05250212.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/?action=view&current=Roadtest05250212.mp4)
Cooler than ice cream!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 27 February, 2012, 11:56:55 pm
I have just built a wheel. It's the old hub (Schmidt) but new spokes and nipples and a lovely new Rigida Andra Carbide rim. It's for my Thorn.

Edit: and I've just been out for a test ride. After the initial "ping-ping-ping-ping-ping" in the first couple of revolutions, it revolved gracefully. I didn't really try out the Swissstop Blue brake blocks because when they are new they are always a bit anti-social, especially at 1 o'clock in the morning.

Hopefully that wheel will last a good long time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 02:35:40 am
I did a spot of tandem fettling ready for it's first Audax on Saturday.

Swapped both QR seatpost clamps for Hope non-QR ones. We felt these are better for security plus are less likely to slip and I can use a torque wrench to get them tight enough but not too tight.

Fitted a Garmin bracket to the front for Simon's etrex.

Put some bar gel underneath the hood rubbers of my stoker bars because they were a bit hard in a thin rubber-on-plastic way.

Put some 3M spoke reflectors on.

I needed a water solution because the orbit has 3 bottle cages, 2 of which Simon needs, and I really can't physically reach any of them while riding. So as an experiment I ordered the new 3 litre insulated Camelbak pack, an extension tube and a bendy wire sucky-end that can hold itself in any position. This Camelbak looked suitable for rack mounting because it is not a bag with shoulder straps, but has 2 loops on each side. It seems to fit very well zip-tied upside down on the rack so the tube exit is at the lowest point. It has a QR tube attachment and a big zip so you can easily remove the bladder for cleaning and filling leaving the rest on the bike. It seems to work extremely well!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/camelbak.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 06:31:06 am
Feline, which model Orbit do you have?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 February, 2012, 10:06:36 am
with Feline & Simonp riding it,it will be the ICBM version ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 February, 2012, 11:06:23 am
Whilst out on the InBred yesterday I noticed that 1) I couldn't change up to the big ring and 2) if I pedalled backwards it wouldn't go, the top side of the chain just went slack.

So this morning I got it out of the garage and looked.

tonnes of sticky gunk all over the chain and middle chainring were the cause (and a small amount on the jockey wheels).

A good clean of drive train has produced a bike than can do what it couldn't do yesterday \o/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 11:34:56 am
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 06:31:06 am
Feline, which model Orbit do you have?

It is the Pegasus Sport 700 one, the only mods so far are the drop stoker bars, Brooks B17's and a SON front hub :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 11:58:08 am
Quote from: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 11:34:56 am
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 06:31:06 am
Feline, which model Orbit do you have?

It is the Pegasus Sport 700 one, the only mods so far are the drop stoker bars, Brooks B17's and a SON front hub :)

Very nice.  We have an Orbit Routier which I think is the same frame.  Have you only just got yours?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 12:10:00 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 11:58:08 am
Quote from: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 11:34:56 am
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 06:31:06 am
Feline, which model Orbit do you have?

It is the Pegasus Sport 700 one, the only mods so far are the drop stoker bars, Brooks B17's and a SON front hub :)

Very nice.  We have an Orbit Routier which I think is the same frame.  Have you only just got yours?

Yes, we have had it 3 weeks but only actually ridden it 3 times because Simon has only been here one weekend since it's delivery. We are hoping the Gospel Pass on Saturday won't be beyond us as tandem n00bs! I am also hoping I can get it on the roof of the car, I haven't even installed the roof bars yet. Riding 40 miles to the start I suspect would be a step too far at this stage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 12:25:12 pm
Quote from: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 12:10:00 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 11:58:08 am
Quote from: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 11:34:56 am
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 06:31:06 am
Feline, which model Orbit do you have?

It is the Pegasus Sport 700 one, the only mods so far are the drop stoker bars, Brooks B17's and a SON front hub :)

Very nice.  We have an Orbit Routier which I think is the same frame.  Have you only just got yours?

Yes, we have had it 3 weeks but only actually ridden it 3 times because Simon has only been here one weekend since it's delivery. We are hoping the Gospel Pass on Saturday won't be beyond us as tandem n00bs! I am also hoping I can get it on the roof of the car, I haven't even installed the roof bars yet. Riding 40 miles to the start I suspect would be a step too far at this stage.

We have a Pendale tandem carrier which makes transporting it by car very easy, once you've got it up there which is a two person job.  I'm afraid our Routier (Tina the Tandem) doesn't get as much use as I'd like given both my stokers are increasingly less keen on cycling.  Which is a shame as tandeming is the best form of cycling in my humble opinion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 February, 2012, 02:14:05 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 12:25:12 pm

We have a Pendale tandem carrier which makes transporting it by car very easy, once you've got it up there which is a two person job.

Depends on the height of the car I guess. All of the tandems I've put on the roof of our car (inc. tandem trike) have been a single person lift. Get the balance right and have all the ties ready.  Neville Frost used to have a Mercedes camper van with custom made rack on the top. It was quite a long way up. He'd grab the tandem, balance a foot on the worktop in the van and Spoing!,the tandem was in the rack.

Quote
  Which is a shame as tandeming is the best form of cycling in my humble opinion.

This man speaks da troof.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 02:18:32 pm
I confess I haven't tried getting it up singlehanded  :o  I have got it down by myself (stop sniggering at the back  ::-) )  There is always help at hand which I have gratefully accepted rather than risk my back, the bike and the car's paintwork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 02:20:47 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 02:18:32 pm
I confess I haven't tried getting it up singlehanded  :o  I have got it down by myself (stop sniggering at the back  ::-) )  There is always help at hand which I have gratefully accepted rather than risk my back, the bike and the car's paintwork.

My car is a Zafira so the roof is rather high up, I was thinking of sticking a couple of plastic garden chairs inside to stand on during the manoeuvre!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 02:23:46 pm
Quote from: Feline on 28 February, 2012, 02:20:47 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 28 February, 2012, 02:18:32 pm
I confess I haven't tried getting it up singlehanded  :o  I have got it down by myself (stop sniggering at the back  ::-) )  There is always help at hand which I have gratefully accepted rather than risk my back, the bike and the car's paintwork.

My car is a Zafira so the roof is rather high up, I was thinking of sticking a couple of plastic garden chairs inside to stand on during the manoeuvre!

Good thinking Batwoman!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 February, 2012, 02:51:50 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 28 February, 2012, 02:14:05 pm
All of the tandems I've put on the roof of our car (inc. tandem trike) have been a single person lift. Get the balance right and have all the ties ready.

same here on both points.We used to have a Fiat Ulyssese which was a high line roof but the current Volvo AWD is a little lower.
I do carry a caravan step in the car to avoid the need to step on the door cill of the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 28 February, 2012, 02:54:58 pm
We use a Helton Carrier which makes life simple (though I must say, watching the video again now - he does make a meal of it in the demo - I can get ours on in about 3 minutes flat!).

It's important not to be complacent just because the bike lies down though - it wouldn't have gone under the entrance to the car park at the start of the South Bucks Winter Warmer - lucky we remembered it was there in time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qlMTlbLyFo
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 February, 2012, 04:51:21 pm
I've patched two inner tubes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 29 February, 2012, 10:57:05 am
Not today but late last night I stripped everything but the bottom bracket from my Roubaix. It's surprising how heavy a mid-range groupset is.

I could not free my pedals from their cranks, however. I wish they were fitted with a spanner as my Park pedal spanner makes removal a doddle, but they're fitted with allen bolts and I'm struggling to get enough leverage without knacking my hand (I am aware which way around the threads are - it's not that)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 29 February, 2012, 12:32:33 pm
Last night I attempted to spoke a new wheel.  I did one side then discovered my spokes were too short when I started on the other side.  I do not have the required size in my spoke collection so something expensive is likely to happen today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 February, 2012, 01:28:48 pm
Quote from: JT on 29 February, 2012, 10:57:05 am
Not today but late last night I stripped everything but the bottom bracket from my Roubaix. It's surprising how heavy a mid-range groupset is.

I could not free my pedals from their cranks, however. I wish they were fitted with a spanner as my Park pedal spanner makes removal a doddle, but they're fitted with allen bolts and I'm struggling to get enough leverage without knacking my hand (I am aware which way around the threads are - it's not that)

Can you not slide a suitable bit of pipe onto the allen key for added leverage?  Or harness Ted the Celebrity Dog to them and get him to pull?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 February, 2012, 01:33:21 pm
Allen bit and appropriate set of adaptors from a socket set to enable it to fit a sturdy 1/2" drive automotive torque wrench...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 29 February, 2012, 02:05:35 pm
These are carbon cranks so I don't want to risk anything that might damage them at the moment of free'ing.

Think I'll just have to MTFU.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 February, 2012, 02:34:30 pm
Using hex bits on a decent 1/4" square drive bar will give you much more controlled torque than trying to horse on a short allen key ( which will likely just bend ).

Holding the crank in place will be the hardest thing now that it's off the bike.
When it's on the bike, you can arrange things so it's held in place by careful positioning, geometry, and the chain.

You'll need to clamp it in a vice, but protected in some way so as not to damage it.
Or arrange to have the allen key clamped in the vice with a stub pointing up, and then fit the crank onto it, and apply force to the end of the crank, but the crank will be a bit short for the kind of torque you will need.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 29 February, 2012, 02:38:04 pm
A 6mm allen key is never going to bend! I tried removing the pedals before I removed the chainset.

At the moment the plan is to fit new pedals to the new cranks.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 February, 2012, 02:48:59 pm
Quote from: JT on 29 February, 2012, 02:38:04 pm
A 6mm allen key is never going to bend!

It will, once you get a cheater-bar on it to apply higher torque!
I've twisted one till it looked like a bit of kid's candy!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 February, 2012, 02:50:32 pm
Possibly a silly question - but have you tried using plusgas or WD40 and leaving them for a while? Worked for me on some very stubborn pedals - a couple of days of giving them a copious spray with WD40 whenever I passed the garage and the next time I tried to free them they came straight out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 29 February, 2012, 03:00:24 pm
I still think I'd struggle to bend one of Lidl's finest allen keys.

Not tried WD40 yet. The pedal threads had grease applied to them when they were fitted a couple of years ago. I used to swap them willy nilly with SPDs so I'm surprised they're so stuck.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 29 February, 2012, 06:47:16 pm
I've just done a bit of fine-truing to the wheel I built on Monday. Test ride now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 29 February, 2012, 10:23:33 pm
Tonight I did some more spoking.  I removed the too short spokes mentioned above and added them to another new wheel that wanted that size.  So I now have two one sided spoked wheels awaiting the arrival of 284mm spokes to do the other side.  My bedroom now contains three incomplete wheels.  The third requires a little more truing. It is laterally perfect and centred but it is not round oops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 01 March, 2012, 07:44:29 pm
Fixed Mrs B's road bike lighting, for the moment, with bits from the remnants box. Replaced the knackered back of the Lumotec Halogen headlight with the spare back (front was stolen) I had sitting around. Pieced together a new cable from  spare dynamo cabling, a jack plug & some heatshrink sleeving to link the light to a Smart BL201H battery, & weatherproofed the plug with more sleeving & a bit of old inner tube.

I'm toying with buying a drop-in LED to replace the 6W halogen bulb. It'd give slightly more light, & the battery would last all night. I could rejuvenate the old Smart lights the same way. But I have spare halogen bulbs, including a couple of 6W ones which have never been used.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 02 March, 2012, 08:41:46 pm
I did a major drivetrain / brakes / wheel-bearings re-fettle last Sunday.

On my ride home tonight, the headset bearings indicated in strong terms that they were disappointed at not geting an invite to the party.  What started as a difficult-to-pinpoint clickety-creak which was neither at crank-rate nor wheel-rate turned into a full-on choral works by the time I got home.   Holding the bike up in the air and turning the 'bars creates a sound no-one with an ounce of mechanical sympathy can bear to hear.   Like a crying child, only worse.

Looks like tomorrow is another fettling day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 02 March, 2012, 11:49:39 pm
We fettled roof bars onto the car, installed the tandem rack, then put the tandem up there. It wasn't much fun getting it there so the plan to take it down again changed into leaving it there for tomorrow. I then had to climb onto the roof of the car to put Brooks covers onto the saddles and Simon had to retrieve his Garmin from the bars with it up there. Not very well planned really  ;D
God knows how we are going to get it down again when we get there tomorrow, or how we are going to get it back up there for the return journey!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 March, 2012, 08:54:58 am
^^^^^
keep one of these


http://www.towsure.com/product/Fiamma_Caravan_Step

in the car.Makes a world of difference
hth
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 March, 2012, 01:52:38 pm
The Cannondale atb has recieved some attention in readiness for cycle camping duty.

Fitted a Klik Fix barbag bracket to the bars.This brkt will accommodate the Altura barbag it came with or an Ortlieb Ultimate 5 barbag  :thumbsup:

Made a T bracket comprising a stem (the vertical part) & 120mm x 28mm dia wooden dowel (the horizontal bit;part of a broom handle).Fiited this as an inverted T from the indigenous stem to carry lights below the level of the underside of the bar bag.

Fitted an SQR bracket to the seat post.
Fettled a bracket to the rear pannier to accommodate a rear light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 03 March, 2012, 03:27:34 pm
Put the new crankset on Boris the Boardman without a problem....... then tried to index the front derailer and discovered that I needed three hands to do so.

As I wasn't born with a third paw, Boris is now in the capable hands of my local LBS who no doubt have a tech monkey who will fix it in no time.

Worrying isn't it when the LBS know you by first name! (It would be even more worrying if they knew your credit card number without you taking it out of your wallet!!!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 03 March, 2012, 03:37:41 pm
Does washing the bike count as "fettling"?

Embarrassed at how much crud I had to scrape from the rear mech. I'm a terrible fettler. Oh the shame of it all...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 March, 2012, 04:59:17 pm
Quote from: essexian on 03 March, 2012, 03:27:34 pm

Worrying isn't it when the LBS know you by first name!

I was once told by the owner of my lbs that I was a specific item on the business plan that he had submitted to his bank manager :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 03 March, 2012, 05:16:36 pm
Fitted new stem, bars and brake cables on the Cougar, new bar tape, changed the saddle over and took it for a spin to Sydenham.  All running very nicely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 03 March, 2012, 05:34:33 pm
Came out of the pub in naburn to find a completely flat back tyre.  The large metal staple straight through the puncture protection band on the fairly decrepit bontrager racelite tyre may well explain this.  Fortunately the rain had stopped and the sun was shining and it gave me an opportunity to show CA how to change a tube in a somewhat leisurely manner. For the first time ever I got the tyre back on with thumbs alone... which probably means that I really need a new tyre tbh.  And getting completely filthy in the process is simply karmic justice for having STILL not cleaned half of shark lane off my bike, a fortnight after that ride....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 03 March, 2012, 06:06:09 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 03 March, 2012, 05:34:33 pm
Came out of the pub in naburn to find a completely flat back tyre.

Just like I did on Wednesday...

Perhaps there's something nasty by the bike parking area!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 March, 2012, 06:10:23 pm
I blame the asteroid belt...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 March, 2012, 07:09:59 pm
Earlier in the week I noticed the house was cold. Hm. Central heating was U/S.

Check pressure. OK.

Hm.

Check wireless room stat. Possible flat batteries (although no flat battery icon). Change batteries. Still not going.

Hm.

Demand hot water. Boiler fires. Good.

Pull off actuator on CH flow valve and turn by hand. House gets hot. Good.

Replace actuator and use wee lever to move valve.  Jibble room stat some more. House gets hot. Good.

Turn stat down and BANG valve actuator closes v v quickly.  Hm.

Call plumber friend who says he'll pop in Friday night.  He forgets.

Heating can be jury rigged using wee lever on actuator.

Just now: Take actuator off, jibble stat. Actuator works better when lying in my hand. Hm. Suggest motor isn't frobbing the gnurly thing.

Take cover off actuator. Scratch head. I'm going to have to switch off and disconnect it to disect it.

But what's this?  The two screws that hold the motor firm in the body are loose. Half a turn each and lo! motor frobs gnurly thing with joy and precision.  Valves goes back and forth like a good 'un when I jibble the room stat.


The heating, she lives!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 03 March, 2012, 08:18:30 pm
Quote from: Feline on 02 March, 2012, 11:49:39 pm
We fettled roof bars onto the car, installed the tandem rack, then put the tandem up there. It wasn't much fun getting it there so the plan to take it down again changed into leaving it there for tomorrow. I then had to climb onto the roof of the car to put Brooks covers onto the saddles and Simon had to retrieve his Garmin from the bars with it up there. Not very well planned really  ;D
God knows how we are going to get it down again when we get there tomorrow, or how we are going to get it back up there for the return journey!

Don't bother. Get someone to make a backdrop of your planned ride on a long strip of paper, and wind it from one roller to another behind you, as you sit on the tandem atop the car, and pedal in a carefree manner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 03 March, 2012, 08:22:15 pm
The pollarded elder at the bottom of our garden had a severe haircut. The electric chainsaw made light work of it, but I now have to call in the council's shredding bloke to get rid of the waste wood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 03 March, 2012, 08:35:43 pm
Fettled Arch's trailer coupling.

She tried it today and the clamp part wouldn't grip the chain stay.  The handle part had run out of threads and wouldn't close the clamp any further.  Also the clamp had lost its rubber facing and so it was metal on paint.
We added a bit of tyre rubber and set off to deliver a vice (metal clamping gripping thing, not alternative source of income).

I then added some washers under the handle to extend the useful threads and it gripped better for the return ride.

Back at base I dismantled the clamp and added some inner tube to the jaws to soften the faces and then greased the moving parts.
On reassembly I found the safety strap had a twist in it.  Took it apart and refitted without the twist.
Then noticed the attachment bolt looked upside down, nut on top.  Dismantled and reversed the bolt and reassembled.
Then noticed the whole clamp was upside down and the bolt was right the first time! :facepalm: Dismantled again and turned the clamp over so the handle was now back on the top and reassembled.
The dismantled again to replace the grease that got wiped off from the previous refettling and reassembled.

'tis done now and looks good. :thumbsup:

Must make note of orientation of folded draw bar and trailer chassis, when next working on it crouched in the corner of the hall floor, before dismantling.

I miss working in my own workshop!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 03 March, 2012, 08:39:19 pm
 :-*

I did think as I looked into the hall* that you looked like you were having fun in your playpen...

*well, tiny area between main room door and flat front door.

The trailer is great, and will make collecting junk tyres and inner tubes and stuff much easier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 04 March, 2012, 04:02:02 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 03 March, 2012, 08:22:15 pm
The pollarded elder at the bottom of our garden had a severe haircut. The electric chainsaw made light work of it, but I now have to call in the council's shredding bloke to get rid of the waste wood.
If you have a local Scout camp site, they may be grateful for it. It's not so easy these days to find enough wood for camp fires.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 04 March, 2012, 06:20:40 pm
Been mainly website fettling today but just nipped into the garage and swapped the free hub on my Ksyrium wheel to the Campy version, then fitted the Campy cassette. I also fitted the new brakes and the front derailleur. Then tried fitting the new ergo levers but have probably borked the clamp nut as I didn't realise that the stupid Italians had switched to using Torx bolts instead of Allen bolts. I'll have another crack at that tomorrow.

Yesterday I removed the pedals from my old cranks!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 04 March, 2012, 06:56:26 pm
Spent an hour cleaning the mud off the Royal after this morning's run and then searched through my tool box to see if I had a suitable easy-out to remove sheared crank bolt from Witcomb and was chuffed to find I had a brand new set (with dinky little rack) still sealed in polythene from years back - it's always worth looking - but a job for next weekend. And then...started fettling the Campag GT derailleur kindly provided by Giraffe OTP - a happy hour at the kitchen table with a pile of rags, WD40 and Autosol, listening to The Smiths. Life really doesn't get any better that this!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 March, 2012, 06:59:20 pm
Replaced a rear light on my Brommie and fitted a replacement rear mudflap to HK's Brommie (and cleaned the jockey pulleys and dug glass out of the tyres). Fitted a bigger sprocket and longer chain to a friend's Dahon. Currently fitting replacement cones to a Sovus fixed hub before refurbing an Ergolever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jimbhoy on 05 March, 2012, 10:10:18 am
Fitted a new rear mech, new cassette, new rear wheel, new BB, 2 new Chainrings, new chain, 2 new tyres and new rear brake blocks all to my Van Nic last night, looks all lovely and shiny again, if only it would stay that way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 05 March, 2012, 10:18:08 am
Quote from: drossall on 04 March, 2012, 04:02:02 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 03 March, 2012, 08:22:15 pm
The pollarded elder at the bottom of our garden had a severe haircut. The electric chainsaw made light work of it, but I now have to call in the council's shredding bloke to get rid of the waste wood.
If you have a local Scout camp site, they may be grateful for it. It's not so easy these days to find enough wood for camp fires.
Good idea, but it's all too green for that, I'm afraid. Plus, I'll use the chippings as mulch. Warwickshire charge £20 for an hour's chipping which is very much worth it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 05 March, 2012, 02:58:45 pm
Quote from: Feline on 02 March, 2012, 11:49:39 pm
We fettled roof bars onto the car, installed the tandem rack, then put the tandem up there. It wasn't much fun getting it there so the plan to take it down again changed into leaving it there for tomorrow. I then had to climb onto the roof of the car to put Brooks covers onto the saddles and Simon had to retrieve his Garmin from the bars with it up there. Not very well planned really  ;D
God knows how we are going to get it down again when we get there tomorrow, or how we are going to get it back up there for the return journey!
There's never a really low bridge around when you need one, is there?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 March, 2012, 03:29:04 pm
I've fettled & faffed with luggage.
Barbags,tribags,panniers,saddlebags.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 March, 2012, 04:10:04 pm
I just mantled a trailer (Carry Freedom Y large).  20" wheels now outnumber everything else by a significant margin in our fleet - make of that what you will.

Can anyone suggest an adhesive for securing that skateboard grip tape stuff to wood?  This one was heavily discounted on account of minor damage, so there are a couple of peely edges that would benefit from sticking back down.  I expect hot glue or Araldite would probably work (it works on most things), but if the panel have any better suggestions they'd be appreciated.

Next mission will be to obtain a moderately sturdy plastic box to go on top of it.  Then I'll be able to transport all manner of silly things by bike, and not have to get up early in the morning to do a tip run every time we hire a car.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 March, 2012, 05:39:47 pm
Quote from: jogler on 05 March, 2012, 03:29:04 pm
I've fettled & faffed with luggage.
Barbags,tribags,panniers,saddlebags.

& rack bags & Ortlieb map cases.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 March, 2012, 01:11:07 pm
A week ago I discovered that 282mm spokes were not quite enough for the long side of my wheels.  Yesterday 284mm spokes arrived and the long side of my wheels now contain spokes. When I have an evening without half a bottle of wine in me I will tension and true these wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 March, 2012, 01:13:07 pm
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 06 March, 2012, 01:11:07 pm
A week ago I discovered that 282mm spokes were not quite enough for the long side of my wheels.  Yesterday 282mm spokes arrived and the long side of my wheels now contain spokes. When I have an evening without half a bottle of wine in me I will tension and true these wheels.

???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 March, 2012, 01:18:24 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 06 March, 2012, 01:13:07 pm
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 06 March, 2012, 01:11:07 pm
A week ago I discovered that 282mm spokes were not quite enough for the long side of my wheels.  Yesterday 282mm spokes arrived and the long side of my wheels now contain spokes. When I have an evening without half a bottle of wine in me I will tension and true these wheels.

???

Original message edited.
Probably why I got the wrong size in the first place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 March, 2012, 01:19:18 pm
Ah ok :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 06 March, 2012, 01:43:26 pm
Work Stuff.  Not enough stuff - there's not enough hours in the day to fettle all the stuff that I need to fettle - but stuff.

And I think now I shall attempt some head-fettling by riding home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 07 March, 2012, 09:36:03 pm
I have fettled a foot pedal controlled router! :thumbsup:

The router is 110V and switching the transformer on and off bypassed the router's soft start and electric braking. I didn't really want to modify the router switch as I would like to remove it from the router table and use it hand held sometimes.

So I fettled some wood, a brake cable and a brake lever.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0057.jpg)

The pedal now works the switch as if hand held. A spring under the brake lever keeps it in the up position.

I just need to put a cover over the foot switch so it isn't accidentally activated, and fit an isolator switch to the transformer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 07 March, 2012, 10:10:04 pm
Moved my seat forward on the Fixed so now it is nearly the same as the Etape - as that is sooooo cooomfy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 08 March, 2012, 12:11:59 am
Tried and failed to get a solid tyre on a (Remploy) wheelchair front "caster" wheel.  Nightmare!  It makes the most difficult bicycle pneumatic tyre and rim combination seem deliciously easy.  I will resume when my 12" tyre lever arrives.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 08 March, 2012, 01:40:27 pm
...Got it on, with the help of cable ties, a 12" lever, and a bit of the old ultra-violence.

I will have no sympathy for people complaining about fitting bike tyres!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 March, 2012, 02:37:28 pm
Just remembered I needed to fettle the front mech on the InBred.

So went out, released the cable, adjusted the low limit screw in a bit then tried thightening up the bolt.

It got so far then just slipped.  Bugger, thought it was just the bolt that had stripped threads (which I replaced last week).

So looked for a new bolt, all too long.

Try a bolt and washers to fettle it, first attempt had 4 washers and looked a mess.

I then found some of my M5 stainless bolts that are just slightly too long, fixed with 2 washers and all now working (looks like it is only the middle bit of the thread in the mech that is buggered, so the first bit and last bit grip ok).

Now all I need to do, just to be certain, is to find another 6603 front mech to replace that one (I don't fancy being stuck in the middle of France or Spain with no front shifting)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 08 March, 2012, 02:50:45 pm
I've just finished the new wheels for the soot bike - DT RR465 rims on Ultegra hubs, with Pro 3 light tyres and latex tubes.  They look fantastic and the shirt spin I just did felt very good.  Anyone need a pair of low mileage ksyrium Elites?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 March, 2012, 02:54:50 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 08 March, 2012, 02:50:45 pm
I've just finished the new wheels for the soot bike - DT RR465 rims on Ultegra hubs, with Pro 3 light tyres and latex tubes.  They look fantastic and the shirt spin I just did felt very good.  Anyone need a pair of low mileage ksyrium Elites?  ;D

Fungus has just wrecked so, maybe he would be interested?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 March, 2012, 03:23:53 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 08 March, 2012, 02:50:45 pm
... the shirt spin I just did felt very good. 

Be careful to hang them up to dry straight afterwards to minimise ironing ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 March, 2012, 03:31:21 pm
I experimentally turned barakta's trike into Luggage.  I seriously wouldn't want to lug it anywhere in that state, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 08 March, 2012, 03:33:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 March, 2012, 03:31:21 pm
I experimentally turned barakta's trike into Luggage.  I seriously wouldn't want to lug it anywhere in that state, though.

Does the capitalization imply little wooden legs and a foul temper?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 March, 2012, 03:39:19 pm
One out of two isn't bad, I suppose.

Little wooden legs would be so much easier...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 March, 2012, 03:41:12 pm
It's not a practical carrying option; it's camouflage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 March, 2012, 04:00:31 pm
Quote from: clarion on 08 March, 2012, 03:41:12 pm
It's not a practical carrying option; it's camouflage.

Exactly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 08 March, 2012, 06:31:13 pm
it will fit in a large bike bag with wheels or on top of a carry freedom city trailer  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 March, 2012, 06:53:24 pm
Got home from work just as the Nice Lady next door and her two Small Boys got back from the park. One Small Boy had an important question to ask me:

"Tim, can you fix my bike?"

A small, plastic wheeled bike with stabilisers. The chain had come off. Putting it back on wasn't made easy by the presence of a chain guard.

Open SEECRIT BUNKER to obtain tools and light.

"That's where Tim mends his bikes"

Dismantle bike, find chain link is missing the safety clip thing. Rootle in box of bits for replacement. Find one, fit it. Tighten chain. Reassemble.

Small Boy has huge grin.

Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 08 March, 2012, 07:04:27 pm
First stage of the Pugsley build, fitted the freewheel! This will be incremental as the parts are all coming from different places.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 March, 2012, 08:41:45 pm
Great stuff, Tim!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 08 March, 2012, 08:51:23 pm
New pads onto the front brake of my bike, I was going to put the old front ones onto the back but decided the amount of extra life in them wasn't worth it and it was all rather mucky.

Will just pick up some new pads for the rear next time I'm in Halfords.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 08 March, 2012, 09:34:09 pm
New wheels onto my bike...

My winter wheels with the Marathon + got a sidewall gash the other day, and tho I got home after replacing the tube, I'd not use the tyre for another long run into the wilds, so I'm waiting for new M+ to be delivered.

But I need to do a commute tomorrow, so I've rather prematurely put the summer wheels on, with their Krylions.

Took it for a spin round the block, and it don't half feel fast again!   
Like the feeling you get when you take heavily-laden panniers off, or a heavy rucksack, and it feels like you're floating! Woo!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 08 March, 2012, 09:56:18 pm
Got the Etape ready for the commute.  Carradice and one light transferred, plus tools and computer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 March, 2012, 07:06:25 pm
Molished another Garmin USB charge only (no data) cable. I found one exactly the right length to run from the Dahon Reecharge battery pack in my tribag to the Garmin so this gets rid of a few inches of excess cable. My previous cable also had one of those chunky round things on it, which was less than streamlined. I didn't even burn myself on my soldering iron, and did an awesome solder thanks to some lovely lead solder a friend gave me when I was lamenting the unavailability of leaded solder these days.

I have a new Deuter tribag from CRC which is perfect for the job of holding the battery pack because it has a top zip that opens from the front allowing the cables to exit there. I fell out with the velcro on the Topeak bag, it was such a pain to open and close quickly. This bag is probably not fully water proof, but the Reecharge battery is so no worries there. The worse that can happen is my Harribo and tissues get soggy in there.

Also fitted a new QR Bagman to the Sabbath, I had cannibalised the previous one for the Pompetamine. Carradice have improved the design of it, the support rail now doesn't have grub screws (hoorah!) and has a lip that bends upwards at the rear giving the Barley much more support. It also comes with the ridgid plastic rod that can replace the 2 loops, although I didn't fit this to the Barley. Well done Carradice for improving the design  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 09 March, 2012, 09:24:11 pm
We just did some final fettling on a couple of rings...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6821643316_59c8a322a1.jpg)

MFWHTBAB made mine out of yew, and three little brass screws from an electrical fuse box.  I plaited MFWHTBAB's out of inner electrical cable, and the gold coloured wire mesh from around a bottle of wine.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 March, 2012, 09:25:43 pm
Quote from: Arch on 09 March, 2012, 09:24:11 pm
We just did some final fettling on a couple of rings...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6821643316_59c8a322a1.jpg)

MFWHTBAB made mine out of yew, and three little brass screws from an electrical fuse box.  I plaited MFWHTBAB's out of inner electrical cable, and the gold coloured wire mesh from around a bottle of wine.


 :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 March, 2012, 09:28:00 pm
Nice one Arch  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 09 March, 2012, 09:52:42 pm
I've accidentally turned my Roubaix into a fixie.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 09 March, 2012, 09:56:23 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 09 March, 2012, 09:25:43 pm
Quote from: Arch on 09 March, 2012, 09:24:11 pm
We just did some final fettling on a couple of rings...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6821643316_59c8a322a1.jpg)

MFWHTBAB made mine out of yew, and three little brass screws from an electrical fuse box.  I plaited MFWHTBAB's out of inner electrical cable, and the gold coloured wire mesh from around a bottle of wine.
Those rings are lovely.  How beautiful.  Your rings express the people you are.  This is as it should be.

Congratulations you two.   :)


 :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 March, 2012, 09:57:38 pm
Quote from: Arch on 09 March, 2012, 09:24:11 pm
We just did some final fettling on a couple of rings...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6821643316_59c8a322a1.jpg)

MFWHTBAB made mine out of yew, and three little brass screws from an electrical fuse box.  I plaited MFWHTBAB's out of inner electrical cable, and the gold coloured wire mesh from around a bottle of wine.
Those are happalicious rings!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 March, 2012, 10:16:52 pm
Utterly and completely beautiful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 09 March, 2012, 10:18:41 pm
Fab :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 10 March, 2012, 10:10:23 am
Fantastic rings, really sweet.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 10 March, 2012, 11:05:26 am
I haven't fettled anything as beautiful as Arch's rings, all I've done is fettle the car into our new Team Car ...

(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l160/stevenr_01/utf-8BQnJhaW50cmVlLTIwMTIwMzEwLTAwMDQwLmpwZw.jpg)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l160/stevenr_01/utf-8BQnJhaW50cmVlLTIwMTIwMzEwLTAwMDQxLmpwZw.jpg)

We've had mini people carriers before but never carried bikes on one so I was anxious to know how easy it would be to get Tina the Tandem on the roof.  In actual fact it wasn't too hard though it was a two person job as it has always been.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 10 March, 2012, 11:40:47 am
Got my commuter back on the road, mainly so I could run some errands this morning.*  This involved swapping the winter tyres (which I never really needed) for the Marathon Tours and putting on new inner tubes (popped both when taking the winter tyres up to full pressure - obviously they weren't seated properly).  15km was more than enough to prove the Hewitt is a smoother ride, but the Orbea is still lots of fun. L)

* There's no way I'm using the Hewitt to run errands and leave it unattended!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 March, 2012, 12:07:54 pm
Good stuff, OD!

Andrij: It feels good to get an old friend back on the road, doesn't it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 March, 2012, 01:43:10 pm
The home network back into some semblence of order after it all going down when the sparky switched everything off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 10 March, 2012, 01:52:25 pm
When out to clean the bike and noticed I had a front puncture >:(, then a split in the tyre :o so one hour later nice clean bike, and chain and new tyre  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 10 March, 2012, 04:59:31 pm
Too many scary moments on last night's 30 miles (including chain dropped just as I was kicking off to cross the A41), so on the old steel hack:

- New 7 speed freewheel
- New SRAM PC850 chain
- New OBP brake pads on the front

Probably £15's worth but would be 4 times that on my 10 speed bikes, still the most cost effective cycling for me without going single speed.

I see a lot of rust on this frame so will have to do something serious shortly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 10 March, 2012, 05:20:31 pm
Disassembled the System X hub and established the bearings were fooked.  Ordered new ones via the LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 10 March, 2012, 06:22:31 pm
I am recovering from a heavy cold so was restricted to light pottering duties today spending a happy few hours in the garage.

Removed the cranks from the Witcomb using the £5 puller purchased from Amazon and then managed to chase out the broken crank bolt with a fairy chisel so I didn't have to resort to drilling it and using an easy out. The BB appears to be new, which is a bit of good news. Replaced the centre pull brakes with a set of Weinmann deep drop units courtesy of fruitcake and fitted the Campag shifters and front mech courtesy of eck. Now this looks much more like it! I'll pop round to the LBC tomorrow and nag them about my wheels. I am struggling a bit with the seatpost - the bike came with at 26.8 dia alloy post that was in poor condition and a very tight fit, a 1'' post dropped straight down the tube but luckily came out again. As an interim measure I bought a shim but despite carefully measuring it with a vernier this proved to be too tight so I think that the tube, or at least the end, is probably oval. I've taped up the 1" post to a reasonable sliding fit and I'll try to get a more accurate measurement from that.

After all that I retaped the bars on the Coventry Eagle. As this is essentially a skip bike I bought the cheapest that I could find - a fiver from Amazon. It proved to be surprisingly good quality and loads of it.

So, I feel that I have had quite a productive day - hopefully I'll feel fit enough to go out tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 10 March, 2012, 07:10:45 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 10 March, 2012, 11:05:26 am
I haven't fettled anything as beautiful as Arch's rings, all I've done is fettle the car into our new Team Car ...


We've had mini people carriers before but never carried bikes on one so I was anxious to know how easy it would be to get Tina the Tandem on the roof.  In actual fact it wasn't too hard though it was a two person job as it has always been.

As that's a C-Max, you can should you want, get a bracket from Ford that fits onto one of the rear seat securing points (seats out totally) into which you can place the front forks of a solo. With luck you can get two solos in the back "kneeling" like that, though you may need to lower the seatposts so the saddle clears the roof lining.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 10 March, 2012, 09:23:26 pm
A bit of minor fettling to Red, a quick clean, oiled the chain, pumped up the tyres, adjusted and tightened the rear light fitting, all in preparation for a night ride to Ramsgate (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=56676) to watch things be blown up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 10 March, 2012, 10:55:51 pm
In attempt to reverse the accidental fixie-ing of my Roubaix I dismantled the free hub on the Ksyrium and promptly lost a tiny spring from one of the pawls. Couldn't find the bugger anywhere.

And does anyone else struggle to cut cable outers to the right lengths?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 11 March, 2012, 08:07:59 am
Thanks rafletcher, I will investigate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 March, 2012, 11:58:21 am
OD, if you want to try one out, I have the Thule version, which doesn't fit my FRV (but does fit a Renault Scenic), you are more then welcome to see if it fits your car.

Anyways on to my fettling today.  Yesterday the sparky came to fit a light on the landing.  Upon fitting it he found it wouldn't work.  Said fitting was taken down and original rose re-fitted.

I spent last night pondering the issue and this morning broke out the MK V heavy duty multimeter (known as a Fluke to it's friends), a length of flex and a plug.

After checking voltages everywhere, I tried the suggestion I gave to the sparky yesterday, which was "Are you sure it doesn't need more than one lamp in to work?"  Sure enough, after fitting 14 halogen lamps it worked!  I guess the "transformer" isn't, it's more like a phone carger, i.e. doesn't do anything until it sees a load on it's output side.

This has cost me £200 as Mrs T insisted we went and bought a new fitting.  The upside is that TLD now will have a new light fitting in her bedroom :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 March, 2012, 04:35:03 pm
Fitted some Schwalbe Ultremos to one pair of Shimano 6700 wheels, then fitted the wheels, with Halo hex nut skewers, to the Ridley.

The Ridley looks rather pimp now, muddy, but pimp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 11 March, 2012, 05:16:37 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 11 March, 2012, 08:07:59 am
Thanks rafletcher, I will investigate.

Here you go...

http://www.fordpartsuk.com/shop/ford_cmax_interior_bike_rack_f_1233833_c_356.htm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 11 March, 2012, 05:22:52 pm
Quite a bit over the course of the weekend  :thumbsup:.

I bought a used Planet X bike last year, and when I got it home it was so filthy (I had to use a screwdriver to chip filth off the jockey wheels!) I ended up completely stripping it. I had intended to re-use the SRAM Force groupset, but the brakes were such poor quality (2-3 year old, and the fixing screw for the QR was corroded enough to make it easy to round out, whereas my 10 year pld Shimano RX100's show no sign of corrosion)  I decided I'd revert to Campag. I also had to replace the BB, and headset, and fitted a Dedaccia fork. I'd done most of it, but then winter came...

Anyway this weekend saw me finally finish the cables off, set up the front and rear mechs, fit the chain, seatpost and saddle, and take it for a shakedown trip down the lane  :)  All good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 11 March, 2012, 05:35:37 pm
I have washed and inspected both the Etape and the TCR for a week of commuting. I don't think it is light enough or warm enough for the TCR yet - so as the fixed is awaiting new bearings, I think I will armchair it all week on the Etape.  Bliss  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 11 March, 2012, 07:01:59 pm
Decided to have a look and work out why my right pedal was ka-klunking hard enough to feel through my foot all the way to work and home again Friday.

I assumed the pedal was knackered and was hoping that were true rather than the crank or BB being the problem.

Got the crank arm in the right place, applied the pedal spanner and gave it a gentle push to check it wouldn't slip off when I stood on it (pedal hasn't been removed in ages so was ready for it to be a bugger to shift), well the little push span the spanner easily  ???

Could it just be that it had somehow worked loose? Cleaned and regreased thread, wanged it up tight and a ride round the block and I think it's all alright again, I love it when fixes are that easy  :thumbsup:

Just wait for something else to go wrong Monday :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 March, 2012, 11:56:21 pm
Removed my back wheel to mend a puncture and took the opportunity to lighten the bike considerably - by cleaning out the mud from the inside of the 'guard. Then I removed the V-brake arms from their posts and greased them a bit till they all pivot smoothly and evenly. I really need to adjust the rack so that it no longer presses down on the top of the mudguard - and onto the tyre - but I'm not entirely sure if this is possible, as it's designed for 26" wheels and I'm using it with a 700c wheeled bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 12 March, 2012, 06:38:53 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 11 March, 2012, 05:16:37 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 11 March, 2012, 08:07:59 am
Thanks rafletcher, I will investigate.

Here you go...

http://www.fordpartsuk.com/shop/ford_cmax_interior_bike_rack_f_1233833_c_356.htm

Thanks and thanks to tiermat as well.  On consideration I'm not sure I'd achieve much by having an improved in-car carrying set up.  The beauty of carrying bikes on the roof is that you have room for people inside!  Although fuel consumption goes down the toilet.

My next project is seeing if I can somehow adapt the Pendle tandem carrier to accommodate a solo.  I have some ideas which I will explore shortly, hence leaving the roof rack on the car rather than removing if after the trial run at the weekend. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 12 March, 2012, 05:48:27 pm
The same bloody puncture that I fixed on Saturday  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 March, 2012, 08:08:35 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 12 March, 2012, 06:38:53 am

My next project is seeing if I can somehow adapt the Pendle tandem carrier to accommodate a solo. 

My Pendle tandem rack carries a solo more frequently than it carries a tandem.When the car is back from the garage I'll take some pics & post them here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 12 March, 2012, 08:10:38 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 March, 2012, 08:08:35 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 12 March, 2012, 06:38:53 am

My next project is seeing if I can somehow adapt the Pendle tandem carrier to accommodate a solo. 

My Pendle tandem rack carries a solo more frequently than it carries a tandem.When the car is back from the garage I'll take some pics & post them here.

That would be immensely helpful.  I have a cunning plan but yours might be even more cunning.  If so, I shall shamelessly nick it  :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 March, 2012, 08:35:04 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 12 March, 2012, 08:10:38 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 March, 2012, 08:08:35 pm
Quote from: Oscar's dad on 12 March, 2012, 06:38:53 am

My next project is seeing if I can somehow adapt the Pendle tandem carrier to accommodate a solo. 

My Pendle tandem rack carries a solo more frequently than it carries a tandem.When the car is back from the garage I'll take some pics & post them here.

That would be immensely helpful.  I have a cunning plan but yours might be even more cunning.  If so, I shall shamelessly nick it  :-*

It's ridiculously simple & you are welcome to nick it. I'll start a new thread in the "Tandem" board in FREEWHEELING when I've got the pics.I expect to have the car back tomorrow or Wednesday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 12 March, 2012, 08:39:42 pm
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 13 March, 2012, 10:11:05 am
I'm have a mare with the cadence sensor on the Etape. I can't figure out if the sensor is knackered or whether the cabling for the dynamo hub run lights is causing interference in the signal.  Moving and fiddling with the position doesn't work.  I have the cables neatly tucked out the way so I hope that is not the issue.  So today I have taken the sensor off the TCR to see if that solves the issue for me.

Also re-tweaked the gears as last night I noticed some indexing issues.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 March, 2012, 02:38:31 pm
I am currently repairing a puncture in one of the inner tubes on marj's trike.It's actually a slash rather than a hole & it's on the inside of the tube,suggesting damage by a spoke head but they all seem to be flush below the rim tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 March, 2012, 02:51:13 pm
Is the rim tape still in one piece? I blew a tube up quite spectacularly just after a long fast decent on last years KTTR ride because the rim tape split and cut the tyre.

Which reminds me, I used the same wheel all winter with a bit of insulation tape over the split - must really buy some more rim tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 March, 2012, 03:29:54 pm
The rim tape is intact.
The repair has failed so I've put a new tube in which can't be the wrong thing to do:however marj now has a wheel with a presta valve & two wheels with schrader valves.I shall have to ensure that a pump connector/adaptor for each type is kept in her rack bag on that machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 March, 2012, 05:35:30 pm
I've molished over-engineered a trailer box:

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36088.msg1185928#msg1185928


ETA: And I've dismantled our long-suffering microwave (bought by my maternal grandmother in 1986, inherited by my parents in 1991, taken to university by me in 1999, keypad botched my me and Hananananah the Astrononononmer in 2005), and determined that it works absolutely fine as long as you disconnect the magnetron.   :(

So it looks like the trailer will be getting its first mission sooner than anticipated...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 March, 2012, 09:29:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 March, 2012, 05:35:30 pm
I've molished over-engineered a trailer box:

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36088.msg1185928#msg1185928


ETA: And I've dismantled our long-suffering microwave (bought by my maternal grandmother in 1986, inherited by my parents in 1991, taken to university by me in 1999, keypad botched my me and Hananananah the Astrononononmer in 2005), and determined that it works absolutely fine as long as you disconnect the magnetron.   :(

So it looks like the trailer will be getting its first mission sooner than anticipated...

Oh cool, that trailer looks splendid!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 13 March, 2012, 11:01:07 pm
I have resurrected a 1994 Alivio Rapidfire RH shifter. 10 years of 'no maintenance' left it non-functioning and the bike stuck in top gear. Only needed a cable.

I'm never going to sell people bike bitz if I keep fixing stuffs . . . <grumble, grumble>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 13 March, 2012, 11:12:09 pm
I replaced the old & rather yellow halogen bulb in the front light (a B&M Lumotec) on Mrs B's road bike, & made a new cable to plug it into a battery. Neatly (well, mostly) heatshrink sleeved, including around the female spade connectors which connect it to the light.

I finally got round to putting up the new hook for the clothes line, so it now depends from a girt big 'ook firmly attached to a preservative-soaked piece of timber which is securely bolted to the garden wall at a few points, instead of hanging from the old broken pole held up by being jammed behind the compost bin. I plead temporarily buggered right hand for the delay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 March, 2012, 11:15:11 pm
Quote from: jogler on 13 March, 2012, 03:29:54 pm
The rim tape is intact.
The repair has failed so I've put a new tube in which can't be the wrong thing to do:however marj now has a wheel with a presta valve & two wheels with schrader valves.I shall have to ensure that a pump connector/adaptor for each type is kept in her rack bag on that machine.

a further attempt to repair the tube was successfull
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 March, 2012, 02:46:34 pm
Fitted new cleats to my Sidis.

All my shoes, bar one pair, now have new cleats.  The ones on the Sidis hadn't done any more than about 3500miles, but most of it had been commuting or stop-start miles so my favoured foot (right) had too much play.

I shall be wearing them tonight, so watch out for reports of a comedy clipless moment in the York area.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 14 March, 2012, 04:55:01 pm
The recycled Dawes Scorpio.

Put a saddle on (always helps).
Replaced the fork crown mount for the Cyo, which had been plundered for the Tandem.
Flipped the wheel to 52/16 fixed, ready for the Old Squit 200.

Rain is now forecast for Saturday, and this bike is wearing last season's tyres. I'd better take an extra inner or two methinks...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 March, 2012, 10:13:28 pm
I did a spot of tandem-lift for car roof fettling. The bar clamp didn't fit the oversize bars because the clamp was not long enough. So I chopped off it's bolt with my Dremel and added a long-bolt extender and a length of M6 studding to extend it. I then fettled the roof bars to bolt the mounting brackets through the rubber strips with longer bolts than the thing came with to make it all nice and neat and secure.

Adjusted the saddle angle some since it wasn't quite right on the Gospel Pass audax and caused me to comment 'cadence!' a few times.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 16 March, 2012, 10:30:25 am
Slightly rotated my bars up on the Etape and then moved the shifters down onto the curve and realigned the gel pads before reapplying the same bar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 March, 2012, 10:48:38 am
Just washed about 3 tons of mud off the InBred, should be a bit faster now :)  Oh and adjusted the rear mech on the Ridley as I had shifting issues yesterday (I really should learn that you can't just go swapping wheels and not check the shifting end to end :) )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 16 March, 2012, 12:00:03 pm
More Sardar related stuff.  A good lube to areas that seem to like that sort of thing, minor tinker with front pads to sort out annoying squeal that was starting to develop.  New blocks on rear.
Now in local village after test run for papers and breakfast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 16 March, 2012, 12:57:50 pm
New bottom bracket, which I paid a king's ransom for this morning at LBS.

Installed the new Hope headset which I've had sitting for over a week.

Had a bear of a time removing the old crown race.   The blades of the crown race puller just couldn't get under the race, and just clamped onto the side of it.   Eventually resorted to very carefull use of the ANGLE GRINDER, which did a perfect job of grinding a section down to 1 micron thick, which then showed signs of cracking.  The grinder never touched the alu steerer.   A tap with a centre-punch then had it spinning, and it then came off easily.

Both BB and headset now silky smooth again  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 March, 2012, 01:39:49 pm
Adjusted the position of the rack so it no longer presses on the mudguard - quite so much. I really need a different rack with slightly longer legs as this one is designed for a 26" wheel bike - I originally bought it with the intention of using it on a mountain bike that I was going to use for a trip across the Western Ghats, but events got in the way of that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 16 March, 2012, 01:59:58 pm
New cleats. I'm surprised the old ones fitted at all, they were that worn. I should have done it before, but I couldn't face the bottom of my shoes after wading through the shit alleys of Varanasi. 

Getting the bolts out was a pain, but it's done, and of course as I've been wearing those shoes nearly constantly for six months, the tread's worn very thin and the cleats don't 'alf stand proud of the shoes. Not much walking for me, then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 March, 2012, 02:08:36 pm
Commissioned tandem No2 of 3 (soon of 4, then back to 3 again probably).  Just need to oil the chain and not worry about the various rusty bits of brightwork and, er, handlebars. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 16 March, 2012, 02:21:20 pm
Quote from: clarion on 16 March, 2012, 02:08:36 pm
Commissioned tandem No2 of 3 (soon of 4, then back to 3 again probably).  Just need to oil the chain and not worry about the various rusty bits of brightwork and, er, handlebars. :-\

You must have a very big shed ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 March, 2012, 02:23:48 pm
I've just fettled a jam doughnut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 16 March, 2012, 02:40:37 pm
It's a polytunnel ;D.

And one tandem is in the hall. There are 10 solos in the dining room, including 2 folders and one belonging to my niece and 2 in the kitchen - there will be 3 in there when clarion returns :).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 March, 2012, 02:44:42 pm
And the polytunnel's your bedroom - gotta getya priorities right!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 March, 2012, 02:57:39 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 16 March, 2012, 02:40:37 pm
And one tandem is in the hall. There are 10 solos in the dining room, including 2 folders and one belonging to my niece and 2 in the kitchen - there will be 3 in there when clarion returns :).

I hope barakta's paying attention to this.  Especially as I've managed to stow the trailer vertically, that means there's no space-related reason not to commit n+1.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 16 March, 2012, 03:54:43 pm
I've been playing with the frame I picked up from tiermat yesterday.

So far:
Filed flats a front axle to fit the narrower slots on the front fork
Cleaned up the chrome fork (it's amazing how quick a bit of aluminium foil and water does that :))
Switched a spacer on the rear axle to get it to 130mm so I could fit that.

Now I'm going through all the bits I want to buy and trying to decide how I want to finish it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 March, 2012, 04:19:13 pm
And now I have a little space in the garage I have been fettling my fixie back into shape.

Fitted the headset
Fitted the wheels
I had already fitted the crankset at an earlier point
fitted seat and seatpost.
fitted bars and stem.
Went to fit the chain and realised that:
1) it has a quicklink in it (I used a chaintool to split it when I took off the old fixie)
2) it's too short, the chainstays are obviously longer on this than on the old fixie.

I guess I need to add "visit Halfords for chain" to my list of things to do tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 16 March, 2012, 06:15:58 pm
A friend came round this morning in case she needed help fitting her new tyres to her bike.
Her existing tyres had become rather puncture prone: 3 last weekend and 2 the w/e before that................

It turned out that she'd been supplied with 23mm Duranos instead of the 25mm that she'd requested so we ended up fitting the 25mm Gatorskins that I'd removed 'cos I didn't like their grip in the wet. Apart from a bit of mud, there was no indication that the Gators had done 2800 miles and they went on like a dream. Cathy did the back wheel and I did the front and she would have had no difficulty in doing both; she was astonished at how easy Gators are to fit. If only they had grip, they'd be the perfect tyre.........

After that I fiddled with the newly returned light bike to set it up for tomorrow's attempt on Mow Cop (which Cathy is also attempting).
I've put a battery saver in a tri-bag to power the GPS (it cut out a couple of times last week so I'm hoping that external power will keep it running) and I've manged to get a waterproof in the saddle wedge-pack along with a spare tube and some of the the tools; levers, spanner and patches are in the tri-bag.
Last thing was to fit the newly purchased Tesco rear light to a seat-stay so that I've got some proper rear light redundancy. The bike now has a Mars 3, Tesco rear plus a Fizik Blink and a bar-end light. Four should be enough, right ?  ::-)
The Tesco will get left behind tomorrow.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 16 March, 2012, 06:21:42 pm
The on-going process of giving my Ribble Blue his annual fettle is on-going. Son of Oscar is now no longer coated in a fine film of Suffolk. Once his wheels have returned from being professionally fettled we should be good to go audaxing. Can't wait!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 16 March, 2012, 07:57:39 pm
Replaced the SKS-supplied bolts on my Bluemels mudguards (nasty galvanised things - I'd managed to deform one of the bolt heads almost to the point where it wouldn't come off) with proper stainless nyloc versions. They aren't quite the right size (10mm heads vs 8mm) but they fit the threads, and are much easier to tighten. (I couldn't tighten the stock ones properly, resulting in the stays moving around sometimes.)

I think the source of my recurrent rear wheel punctures might be the mudguards - I didn't get any before I fitted them, then got 4 in two weeks. Tomorrow's fettle will involve attempting to fix the guards so that it no longer happens...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 16 March, 2012, 08:39:07 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 16 March, 2012, 02:40:37 pm
There are 10 solos in the dining room,

Do you have matching place settings for them all?

I was riding in with a view to riding home today, so got the ridgeback out of the shed to make a change from riding Mrs Dan's bike - its first outing this year. Tightened the headset (not much, just felt a little give) and put air in the tyres. On the way in I had to stop and re-seat the same 5cm section of tyre twice. So this afternoon I got a new tyre as that doesn't seem right. The bike is still at work, as having gone into town I picked up Mrs Dan's birthday present, which wasn't going to fit on the bike.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 17 March, 2012, 02:53:21 pm
Giving "Lauren" the Lemond Etape a nice fettle and clean before tomorrows ride, which will be the first outing of the year on her.

 :thumbsup:

My other bike, "Dawn" the Dawes Horizon is needing some brake and rear tyre fettling.....   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 17 March, 2012, 03:49:14 pm
Installing the new bearings into the fixed wheel then lubing and ensuring it is right for next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 17 March, 2012, 04:58:26 pm
Quote from: jogler on 13 March, 2012, 03:29:54 pm
The rim tape is intact.
The repair has failed so I've put a new tube in which can't be the wrong thing to do:however marj now has a wheel with a presta valve & two wheels with schrader valves.I shall have to ensure that a pump connector/adaptor for each type is kept in her rack bag on that machine.

I did a fortnight's tour in France on my old Trice with both Schraeder and Presta valves, for which I got some light hearted stick. I reckoned I wasn't trying hard enough, should have had a Woods in there too...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 March, 2012, 05:10:02 pm
the tear has subsequently been repaired successfully but ICBA to swap the tubes over.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 17 March, 2012, 05:30:00 pm
Went round to a mate's house for coffee.  At 34 he doesn't know how to fix a puncture and refuses to learn, which means when his kids get a flat, their bikes become unusable.   :facepalm:

He dropped the usual hints, so rather than sort it for him (again) I summoned his 9 year old and did a full teaching session on fixing punctures.  I made him sort it himself.  He then rode round the garden on a bike he'd fixed himself, looking a good 2 inches taller.  (I adjusted the rear brake for him too, which made his life a bit easier).

I told him if he learns to fix stuff himself, he'll be able to go anywhere in the world on his bike.

Result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 17 March, 2012, 06:53:37 pm
I have fettled the back of my helmet, cutting off some of the pointy bit to fit my Exposure Flash light onto it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 March, 2012, 07:07:28 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 17 March, 2012, 05:30:00 pm
I told him if he learns to fix stuff himself, he'll be able to go anywhere in the world on his bike.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 March, 2012, 07:19:26 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 17 March, 2012, 05:30:00 pm
Went round to a mate's house for coffee.  At 34 he doesn't know how to fix a puncture and refuses to learn, which means when his kids get a flat, their bikes become unusable.   :facepalm:

He dropped the usual hints, so rather than sort it for him (again) I summoned his 9 year old and did a full teaching session on fixing punctures.  I made him sort it himself.  He then rode round the garden on a bike he'd fixed himself, looking a good 2 inches taller.  (I adjusted the rear brake for him too, which made his life a bit easier).

I told him if he learns to fix stuff himself, he'll be able to go anywhere in the world on his bike.

Result.
In other words, you have fettled not a puncture but a child's life.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 March, 2012, 07:52:36 pm
:)

Did you remember to tell him to show his Dad (lot's and lot's of times) as well ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 17 March, 2012, 08:05:07 pm
As the others have said; Yay Lindagordinho. :thumbsup:

I've just laced up the front wheel on n+1 and tensioned initially, but I still need to true it properly.  Then the rear wheel ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 March, 2012, 08:17:25 pm
Fitted a Spanninga SPX to a rear mudguard, spaced the rear dual-pivot brake and fitted both mudguards to the Audax tandem. Doesn't sound like much but getting sufficient clearance for the front Mini-V brake cable involved a little thought. Fitted SH pedals to the front cranks. Just need the stoker's pedals, headset spacers and some barrel adjusters to arrive and I can string the gear and brake cables. Almost a rideable bike!

Tomorrow's jobs include cleaning bikes and fitting reflective tape to various mudflaps. Might even start on the racing tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 17 March, 2012, 08:29:46 pm
I fettled a slightly futzed (control circuitry burned out so it's full on as long as it's connected to a power source: no choice of settings, no on-off switch) Magicshine MJ-838 light head so that I could use it with batteries with 2.1mm DC sockets, & switch it on & off. Cut off the 2.5mm plug, & wired it up to an old Vistalite Nightstick external switch with some heatshrink sleeving to insulate & weatherproof the join.

I discovered in the process that the Nightstick switch wiring is a horrible bodge. Instead of twin core, it's coaxial, frigged to fit a switch clearly designed for twin core.  :facepalm:

Still, it works now. Not a bad beam, that MJ-838. Supposedly the same maximum output as my old Dinotte 200L, but I think it lights things up better, & for £22 it's an inexpensive way to use sound old batteries.


Stripped, cleaned & lubricated the gear & brake levers I was recently given by GrahamG (thanks, mate) for Mrs B. Got to get a couple of gear cables & some grips & then I can fit straight bars & stem to match (from my bits box) to her road bike, as she'd like.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 17 March, 2012, 08:31:08 pm
Fitted new B17N (courtesy of tyrelever) to new alloy seatpost and thence to Witcombe. My careful measuring with an old undersized post, tape and vernier calipers paid off and I was treated to the satisfying sound of the post sliding into the seat tube with a light push. The saddle looks smashing. Success, happiness.

Fitted new hoods to Wienmann levers donated by Marco, they put up a slight struggle but were eased on with the help of teepol. Went to fit levers to Cinelli bars, apparently too small. In an attempt to replicate my earlier triumph I measured everything carefully with calipers. The bars are too big; the markings on the levers confirm they are too small. Failure, gloom.

Attempt to buy bigger levers via classifieds (please disregard). Go shopping.

Return from shopping, drink beer, watch rugby.

Log on to YACF to select new components from range of jumbo-sized levers offered by fellows. Find only message from LW&B telling me to pull myself together. Return to garage, ease lever bands with aid of vice, hammer and old seatpost. Fit levers. It takes about 10 minutes. Success, embarrassment.

I was thinking the other day that over the past few months I have used my vernier calipers more that in the 20 odd years I have owned them. Perhaps I should rely less on those and more on the hammer.

BTW. Top work Lindagordinho!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 March, 2012, 08:48:42 pm
Fitted some more bits to the criterium frame. Now it has a BB and a not very pretty but functional crankset, and it doesn't have a seatpost as the spare 27.0mm one I had was just slightly too tight a fit.

Also fettled the back wheel better so that the axle is properly aligned with the hub and the wheel is dished much closer to the centre of the dropouts.

Hopefully all the finishing bits should be arriving during next week so I can build her up next weekend :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 18 March, 2012, 10:35:16 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 17 March, 2012, 07:52:36 pm
:)

Did you remember to tell him to show his Dad (lot's and lot's of times) as well ;)
He probably will anyway. Perhaps it'll shame his father into learning to do it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 18 March, 2012, 10:49:33 am
Quote from: Juan Martín on 17 March, 2012, 08:31:08 pm
BTW. Top work Lindagordinho!

+1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 March, 2012, 10:53:25 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 18 March, 2012, 10:49:33 am
Quote from: Juan Martín on 17 March, 2012, 08:31:08 pm
BTW. Top work Lindagordinho!

+1

+2
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 18 March, 2012, 11:07:47 am
Fitted a chain to the Pugsley. It is very purple

Just need brakes to make it rideable
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 March, 2012, 12:41:11 pm
Repaired a split pipe ( frost damage ) on the outside water tap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 March, 2012, 03:24:33 pm
Having set off on the new (to me) Dawes Audax machine the (new) front mudguard started to rub the tyre ... roadside removal and strapped across the Carradice to continue the ride, 30 miles or so.

Back home and had to remove the bracket, fabricate and new one with shorter dimensions and rivet it back to the mudguard - all now seems well....

.... except for the slow in the front tyre of one of the other bikes, buggered if I can find it  ???

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 March, 2012, 03:33:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 18 March, 2012, 03:24:33 pm


.... except for the slow in the front tyre of one of the other bikes, buggered if I can find it  ???

Rob

dicky valve maybe?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaston Lagaffe on 18 March, 2012, 03:55:15 pm
Finally took my old computer off the bike so I could fit the cadence sensor for my Garmin Edge 500.

Every time I tightened the cable ties it stopped reading the magnet >:(

All sorted now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 March, 2012, 04:18:16 pm
Quote from: jogler on 18 March, 2012, 03:33:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 18 March, 2012, 03:24:33 pm


.... except for the slow in the front tyre of one of the other bikes, buggered if I can find it  ???

Rob

dicky valve maybe?

... copious amounts of spit show no indication of a fault .... but if it goes down again I'll bin the tube.

The tyre case did have a large flinty piece in it .. but if that had caught the tube it would have been a BIG hole ... tyre has now been demoted to the "may be useful sometime in the future" pile.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 March, 2012, 04:21:52 pm
With the fine carpentry skills of my father-in-law, I now have a wedge of wood, painted black, that is attached to the rear of my seat post, secured by a cable tie and with a nifty groove along the edge to make it 'fit' nicely.  The other end is pushing the side of my Nelson away from my hamstrings.  Two large cable ties secure the Nelson to the Specialized saddle rails.  Looks well good and is much lighter than the Bagman SQR I was using previously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 March, 2012, 04:35:14 pm
Quote from: GruB on 18 March, 2012, 04:21:52 pm
Looks well good and is much lighter than the Bagman SQR I was using previously.

The SQR is a weighty bracket in relative terms such as when used with a Barley.I use my SQR with a Camper Longflap which will carry a volume the weight of which justifies the need for the strong but heavy SQR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GruB on 18 March, 2012, 04:38:36 pm
If I was doing an audax then I would use the Bagman.  However, for commuting, the journey in requires the carrying of copious amounts of food.  The journey home is mainly an empty bag.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 18 March, 2012, 04:47:48 pm
Hoorah for wooden bits on bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 18 March, 2012, 05:59:08 pm
Attached some posh new brakes blocks to the Ribble and re-installed the chainset and crank. I'm hoping the wheels will be back on Tuesday as we have 205k to do on Saturday. Moving the brakes levers to try and reduce the reach and re-taping the bars will have to wait a little while. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 18 March, 2012, 06:23:27 pm
After today's ride I spent a happy hour in the sun giving the Royal a really good clean, until I found a broken spoke! Aaargh!!! As it appears that this is going to be a common occurrence - this is perhaps the third or fourth over the past 12 months - I think I am going to have to learn to replace these myself. Cycling around the salt-laden roads this winter certainly seems to have taken a toll of the unpainted metal fittings, I think I'll have to carry out a full strip down over the summer and remove all of the rust, ready for it to all re-appear next winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 March, 2012, 08:56:44 pm
Reassembled a couple of ancient Sheaffer fountain pens with new ink sacs, O-rings etc.  They're "Touchdown" pens, which are quite funky - you dip the nib in ink and press down a big extendable plunger, which flattens the ink sac by pressurising the barrel, expelling air and any old ink, then automatically releases the pressure at the bottom of the stroke so the sac can refill.  In a strange mixture of the old and modern, the materials you need are shellac (beetle secretion!) and french chalk, but pure silicone grease which is far better than the buffalo grease or whatever they used in the 1950s.  I went one step further by using PTFE tape on the barrel threads to keep it airtight (the factory used some unidentified gunk).

Next on the list is a Sheaffer Snorkel pen, which goes one step further by having an extendable tube to avoid having to dip the nib into the ink (and wipe it afterwards).  They are a bit harder to rebuild.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 March, 2012, 09:20:29 pm
Replaced a gear cable on a rapidfire pod.  Never done that before, and it wasn't obvious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 20 March, 2012, 02:13:05 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 19 March, 2012, 08:56:44 pm
Reassembled a couple of ancient Sheaffer fountain pens with new ink sacs, O-rings etc.  They're "Touchdown" pens, which are quite funky - you dip the nib in ink and press down a big extendable plunger, which flattens the ink sac by pressurising the barrel, expelling air and any old ink, then automatically releases the pressure at the bottom of the stroke so the sac can refill. 

I had one of those as a birthday gift 49 years ago
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 March, 2012, 01:05:13 pm
Two more lots of washing (A house-husband's lot is never done), dinner for tonight AND
2 sets of name stickers, one on the InBred and one on the Ridley.  It struck me it's the cyclist's equivalent of vanity plates :)

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-b2E45WbEtb8/T2h-Z9u6vUI/AAAAAAAABrQ/zlwIsXqWWYg/s852/2012-03-20+12.56.11.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 20 March, 2012, 08:02:11 pm
... but much cheaper :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 March, 2012, 08:40:17 pm
Quote from: drossall on 20 March, 2012, 08:02:11 pm
... but much cheaper :thumbsup:

At £5.95 + postage for enough for two bikes, much much cheaper :)

Doesn't stop me being called a tart on FB for them though :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 20 March, 2012, 08:40:30 pm
Quote from: jogler on 18 March, 2012, 10:53:25 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 18 March, 2012, 10:49:33 am
Quote from: Juan Martín on 17 March, 2012, 08:31:08 pm
BTW. Top work Lindagordinho!

+1

+2

 :-[

Aw, ta guys  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 20 March, 2012, 08:41:31 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 20 March, 2012, 08:40:17 pm
Quote from: drossall on 20 March, 2012, 08:02:11 pm
... but much cheaper :thumbsup:

At £5.95 + postage for enough for two bikes, much much cheaper :)

Doesn't stop me being called a tart on FB for them though :)

Tart.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 20 March, 2012, 08:45:05 pm
Tart Tiermat
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 20 March, 2012, 09:02:36 pm
Coming home, I felt that my trailer was having an undue effect on my bike's handling, but it's only the second time I've used it and thought it might be the way it was loaded. On inspection however, the spring that forms the articulation had become dislocated from the drawbar, meaning I was pulling the trailer with the safety strap...

So I've fettled it back into place, and slightly closed up the loop that holds the spring to the bolt that goes through the drawbar, in the hope of it not coming off again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 20 March, 2012, 09:52:22 pm
I built a polishing tumbler for Arch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Simonb on 20 March, 2012, 09:56:33 pm
Not today. But on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I fettled and scorched and sanded the paint off a flight of stairs.

The rest can remain carpeted.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 March, 2012, 10:24:42 pm
Saturday and Sunday I transformed a 20" wheeled folder from a rusty, one brake, flat tyred hulk, locked up on the street in Brighton and acquired through Freecycle, to a rather neat and tidy looking folder with working brakes and no rust on the chromed handlebars. All very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 20 March, 2012, 10:40:33 pm
I finished fettling my dog. He now has nekkid legs and feet to match his nekkid body. Luckily for him it's quite warm out this week really!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 21 March, 2012, 10:38:37 am
Quote from: Feline on 20 March, 2012, 10:40:33 pm
I finished fettling my dog. He now has nekkid legs and feet to match his nekkid body. ...

Why is it impossible to read that without thinking of David Rose's infamous tune (http://tinyurl.com/46pow98). ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 21 March, 2012, 09:26:53 pm
Spent this evening truing a thirty year old Weinmann/Maillard  rear wheel for my new pub-velo  After three hours effectively rebuilding the thing, it pringled when I stressed it. It obviously wasn't mann enough to take 160kgf driveside..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 March, 2012, 09:28:46 pm
Of course it wasn't. Too damn tight for a standard section rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 21 March, 2012, 09:36:51 pm
The rim was so out of shape in its natural state, that the tensions were all over the place to get anything approximating true, so it's probably better that it failed on the floor and not out on the road. Just bought a bluddy freewheel for it though!

Anybody got a cheep rear wheel?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 March, 2012, 09:40:06 pm
Just bend the rim straighter and true it again. As long as the pinned joint isn't permanently deformed, it'll be fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 21 March, 2012, 09:44:05 pm
Cheers LittleWAB. The joint is fine, so I might just do that. But I'll leave it a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 21 March, 2012, 11:17:59 pm
Last week I tried to turn the trolley wheels around on my Brompton.  One side was fine, the other side was stuck and a bigger screwdriver just sheared the screw.  Today I drilled out the screw and retapped the hole.  The trolley wheel is now back on with a stainless steel screw.

I also reinstalled the OS on my laptop, that was an all day job for some strange reason....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 March, 2012, 11:33:15 pm
I cleaned the tandem and made some (more) bar adjustments. It is hard to get it just right when the pilot isn't here to test ride it  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 March, 2012, 08:43:45 am
Fitted cantilever brakes and headset spacers to the fixed, lubed the Frezoni's chain and fitted headset spacers and headtube barrel adjusters to the Audax tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 March, 2012, 09:41:08 am
Fitted brakes, bars stem shifters and front and rear mechs to the n+1. It's starting to look like a bike now.

I had to abandon the shiny new quill stem as I couldn't get it round the curve on the bars I have (it got very wedged and I had to resort to hitting it with a mallet to get it off), so the bikes got the adaptor and ahead stem from my hybrid atm.

The threads in the mech hanger wouldn't take, so I drilled it out to 12mm and fitted the framesaver. What I missed before tightening everything up was that the framesaver nut is a little longer than the witdth of the dropout, so even when tightened up to the point I couldn't get the mech out again it was still wobbly :facepalm:. I've squeezed some epoxy in and it's set overnight, so hopefully that will be strong enough to hold the mech straight (well they use epoxy for holding carbon-fibre together so it should be).

Now just need to fit the cables, chain and bar tape and it's ready to go :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 22 March, 2012, 09:42:37 am
Oi, mcshroom, get your camera ready for when it's finished will you?  We need pictures of the finished article  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 22 March, 2012, 09:45:46 am
Had to fit a Carradice Bagman to replace my broken SQR system.
I'm impressed with how tightly the bag lashes to the saddle and how rattle free everythign is, but less impressed with how the increase in height means that the bike has an alarming amount of "sway" when out of the saddle.

I definitely preferred having everything set as low as possible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 March, 2012, 09:47:20 am
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 22 March, 2012, 09:42:37 am
Oi, mcshroom, get your camera ready for when it's finished will you?  We need pictures of the finished article  :P

Camera battery on charge as we speak - hopefully it will all be finished tonight :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 22 March, 2012, 01:49:21 pm
Fitted a new Charge Spoon to the Holdsworth, the whole fleet has them now.

Also pimped the Holdsworth with name stickers, as well as getting it ready for it's first outing this year (checking it all works and pumping up the tyres).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 22 March, 2012, 03:00:31 pm
The blue Ribble (Son of Oscar) is back on the road following his annual fettle and clean.  The good news is the new B17 looks very hansom, the bad news is that I shall need to wear two pairs of padded shorts to endure our 200k on Saturday.

According to the professional fettler SoO's hubs are nearly shot, as are his rims.  I'm hoping they will last this year giving me time to save up for new wheels including a dynohub and light.  The rear tyre is also pretty knackered, I have a new Durano Plus on order so hopefully the knackered boot will survive Saturday, if it doesn't I have my folding spare to call on.

Next up on the workstand is Arthur, the Dahon Cadenza who needs his chain tightening.  Then it will be Claud for his annual fettle and clean.  Then, for the first time ever, Tina the Tandem might get some attention  :o  Unlike your typical Essex girl she has been incredibly low maintenance since we got her in June 2007.  Mind you, she's only done 1769 miles in that time - shameful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 22 March, 2012, 08:53:38 pm
After viciously pruning the elder at the bottom of our garden, I've been rendering the branches down to twiglet sized bits. Only the thicker boughs are left, so the council wood chipping service is coming round tomorrow to turn all of it into something useful for the garden. I spent the twilight hours carrying everything down to the back gate in readiness. Lots and lots of fiddly little trips, but worth it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 March, 2012, 08:56:32 pm
Removed various components from the SMGT, cleaned them until they looked like bike parts rather than blobs of congealed grime (it's not had more than a bit of air in the tyres since I failed to make it to the AUK AGM, and it wasn't exactly clean then), and put them together again with appropriate lubricants where needed.

This took ages and will, no doubt, have failed to cure the squeak.  But clean bikes go faster, right?

Looking promising for Northampton-London on Saturday...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wonky on 22 March, 2012, 09:30:50 pm
Changed a spoke.
Thats three times that I've remived the freewheel now, and three times I've hit my hand with the hammer in the process.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 March, 2012, 09:42:11 pm
Fitted a bar bag. This means no more night riding for me as I no longer have anywhere to mount my front light.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 March, 2012, 09:04:14 am
Did an axle swap between the Pugsley and the Swift. Both are single speed but the Pugsley had a QR, the Swift was nutted. As I had to do the QR up more tightly than I like to stop the wheel slipping under braking and  the Swift has a vertical drop out and works fine with a QR  it seemed sensible.

Time will tell...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 23 March, 2012, 11:56:35 am
Finished :D

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5coI3jcdS68/T2xkPd1o3JI/AAAAAAAAA3I/_ZywsdGBus8/s640/Photo0145.jpg)

Added brake and gear cables, taped the bars, fitted the pedals and it's ready to roll :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 23 March, 2012, 12:07:34 pm
I'll be doing TT bike fettling later... found a rear wheel puncture, needs the stem slamming and the saddle tilting back a gnats knacker. After that I need to MTFU and learn how to ride fast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 March, 2012, 12:11:28 pm
I have fettled part of the school garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 March, 2012, 12:17:32 pm
 :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Sorry, that was for Mcshroom's Raleigh
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 March, 2012, 12:32:48 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 22 March, 2012, 09:42:11 pm
Fitted a bar bag. This means no more night riding for me as I no longer have anywhere to mount my front light.  :(

see here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/6862147950/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/7008281033/in/photostream
hthhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/6862164426/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/7008279081/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/7008277797/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/7008275577/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/7008274547/in/photostream/

hth

ETA I made a dogs breakfast of the first attempt so added more pics.Hope they paint sufficient words.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 March, 2012, 12:45:17 pm
The space bar type thing underneath the bag? I could use something like that but I think it would have to be above the bars for me as I've not got enough steerer showing. Should be able to work something out though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 23 March, 2012, 09:37:38 pm
What are the odds that if I go de-fettle the mudguards from the bike, the weather will turn on me?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 March, 2012, 10:39:32 am
@Dibdib >100% is the answer :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 24 March, 2012, 11:21:49 am
Quote from: tiermat on 24 March, 2012, 10:39:32 am
@Dibdib >100% is the answer :)

Proof! I left them on (more from laziness than fear of The Rain) and I've just been out in glorious sunshine.

They're pretty naff looking though so I'll probably de-fettle them some time this weekend. Apologies in advance to anyone subsequently rained on because of my bike-vanity.

Edit: mudguards now de-fettled and I even summoned the bravery to flip the stem on my Tricross so it isn't quite so high. I'm only a novice fettler so I'm sure it'll all fall apart tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 24 March, 2012, 04:30:37 pm
The seal around my bathtub... on the nicest day of the year so far.  >:(  In hindsight, I should have invited the landlord around to show him how to do it properly.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 March, 2012, 04:34:41 pm
The laundry mountain and the coffee shortage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 24 March, 2012, 06:15:04 pm
Today I have managed to:


Now I'm having a glass of wine before baking a cake.

Anyone that knows me would think me getting even one of those jobs done over the course of a weekend quite surprising so am feeling good about having a productive day. Let's hope the momentum continues.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 24 March, 2012, 06:26:04 pm
I fettled a repair to the fencing at Arch's work following a break in.

It'll do until I get back with the welder and 'hot glue' it back together. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 March, 2012, 07:13:54 pm
Fitted handlebars, Ergolevers, pedals and front Ride-on gear cable to the Audax tandem, prepped the Frezoni for tomorrow's ride, finally put reflective tape on HK's Condor rear mudflap and fitted BB, cranks, pedals, handlebars, levers and mudguards to the fixed.

Now to fit bearings to the fixed rear wheel and to research clamp-on chainstay cable stops for the Audax tandem to let me finish installing the rear Gore gear cable. Just the brake cables and handlebar tape to finish the tandem then. The fixed isn't too far behind, then the racing tandem. Don't know what I'll do with myself after that!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 24 March, 2012, 07:21:12 pm
An Alfine 11, some pedals, 2 saddles, 3 bottle cages and a pump. And a small girl's chain and chain guard that cheered her mum up immensely :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 March, 2012, 08:44:32 pm
I just fettled some lights onto the Carry Freedom trailer.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/CarryFreedomLights_thumb480.jpg)

The piece of wood is mounted via a couple of wood screws in countersunk holes through from the top.  You can barely see them, because they're black, so they disappear against the black sand-paper type finish.

Neither of the light brackets is quite horizontal (the risk of just quickly doing it by hand), but they're close enough!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 24 March, 2012, 08:58:58 pm
Swapped the tyres on the car for the summer tyres now the threat of blizzard and snowdrift has receded. Tightened up the handbrake so it actually works.

Swapped the 10 speed chain off the 9-speed winter bike and put it back on the summer bike. Put new 9-speed chain on the winter bike.

All good fun really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 March, 2012, 10:08:38 pm
... and I just refettled the lights in my previous post to be further out, since I looked at that photograph and thought "Why did I not just put them out near the edges?".  They ended up a bit straighter this time as well. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 24 March, 2012, 10:19:16 pm
I put up more hooks for clothing and a string for my rosettes in Esmeralda the lovely horsebox, then molished a cargo net type thing from a haynet to prevent things falling out of the luton onto the horsey  :)

We've got riding camp in a few weeks, so it's time to get it ship-shape!  Squeee!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 March, 2012, 10:05:32 pm
I just partially fettled the box I bought earlier (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36088.msg1194696#msg1194696), by fitting two of the Carry Freedom rubber feet to it.  I've used some Unibond Repair Express putty stuff to cover the bolt ends inside the box (lacking any Sugru).

I'll need to fit a reflector, but I don't have one yet.  Ebay looks to be the easiest and cheapest place to get a reflector from.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 March, 2012, 11:45:19 am
I've just flipped the Langster from 63" single speed to fixed at 63" which was too spinney downhill so I've changed the sprocket to give 67" fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 March, 2012, 02:51:16 pm
Just sorted out the indexing on barakta's trike (I did a quick roadside job to allow for some cable stretch the other night, but it was rattling in a couple of the gears yesterday).  It seems to be reluctant to change from the 8th to 9th sprocket, even with the gear cable disconnected and the limit screw all the way out.  Don't suppose anyone has any clever ideas?  The hanger doesn't appear to be bent (and I'm at a loss to explain how it might have come to be).

ETA: Seem to have mostly resolved this by thoroughly lubricating the parallelogram and voodoo B-tension adjustment.  I suspect the slightly bonkers 9-32 cassette has a lot to answer for.


Also, improved my lip-salve holder on the SMGT (these things matter when you can't use your pockets).  It occurred to me, as it all fell apart the other night, that botching things with elastic bands was silly, given that stems are /designed/ to clamp handlebars.  So I simply wrapped the outer tube with some self-amalgamating tape to get the diameter right, and clamped it solidly in place using the handlebar clamp bolts.  Sorted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 26 March, 2012, 03:16:48 pm
at the weekend: fitted new computer-controller stepper motors to an old equatorial telescope mount, which involved using a crappy rymans craft knife to trim off some excess plastic from the shroud that covers the right ascension drive (and in the process cutting several bits of finger) and then (after a ride to Bognor) played with plastic wood to re-fit some brass hinges on the door of an ancient linen press and then fitted tensioners to the curtain pulls in our bedroom.
much happiness all round
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 26 March, 2012, 04:41:00 pm
I intended to make a couple more bags today, but realised that I have the vice, the jig, the stapler and the staples at home, but all the inner tubes and linings were left at St Nicks for the week, since I'm displaying there again next weekend.  :facepalm:

So instead I got on with trimming, washing and prepping tyres for assembly into belts, and I have 20 to get on with now.

Might have a break from rubber now, and play with some leftover umbrella scraps to make edgings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2012, 09:39:02 pm
Does the rubber of the belts mark light materials at all or is the muck from my tyres purely dirt and not rubber?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 March, 2012, 09:40:06 pm
On Saturday, I finally got around to investigating the sticking gears on my Audax bike, ready for Sunday's Start of Summertime Specials. After changing up on the rear, I was having to grab the cable along the down tube and yank it to get any effect.

Happily it turned out to be a corroded cable (cheap), and not a worn Ergo lever (expensive).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 26 March, 2012, 10:01:10 pm
Heard a dull clunk from the rear of the pub bike this morning which was followed by some pings and a rapid involuntary stop.

Appeared that my rear rack (Blackburn EX-1) had decided to fail on a weld and spring merrily into the spokes. Only three broken so bending them, and the rack leg, out of the way I rode off in a cautious manner for another 6 miles before getting to my LBS for some spare spokes. They only had the size I  needed in black so the wheel now has a raffish devil-may-care look. As these were all drive side I  took the time to clean a winter's worth of crud off the block while it was off so it's now shiny again.

Finally replaced (it was a lovely day to be fettling in the sun) the squeeky suspension seatpost with a shiny new standard one.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 26 March, 2012, 10:13:08 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2012, 09:39:02 pm
Does the rubber of the belts mark light materials at all or is the muck from my tyres purely dirt and not rubber?

Hmm. I don't think they'll mark light materials, but I have to admit I've only ever worn mine with jeans, which are black, blue or a mid brown.

Some tyres have a light backing anyway, and the inside tends to be smoother and less grippy than the tread side, so it's less 'rubbery'.

I scrub the tyres with a nail brush, which seems to get the muck off. My hands don't get visibly dirty handling them after that.

I guess I should put my website in my sig....  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 March, 2012, 10:17:30 pm
Brand new tyres, moving at sufficient velocity, will happily mark (and indeed melt) cheap nylon carpet.  DAHIKT.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 March, 2012, 10:29:37 pm
ITIKHYKT :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2012, 10:38:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 March, 2012, 10:17:30 pm
Brand new tyres, moving at sufficient velocity, will happily mark (and indeed melt) cheap nylon carpet.  DAHIKT.

Also stopping tyres spinning by hand in a workstand is fine but not so much with studded tryes :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2012, 10:40:47 pm
Quote from: Arch on 26 March, 2012, 10:13:08 pm
I guess I should put my website in my sig....  ;)

You should you should. I am indeed asking because I am interested in the idea  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 26 March, 2012, 10:43:02 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2012, 09:39:02 pm
Does the rubber of the belts mark light materials at all or is the muck from my tyres purely dirt and not rubber?
I have just rubbed a freshly cut up tyre on my white tea towel.  It left a very faint dirty mark.
I then rubbed my well worn belt on the same tea towel, no marks.
I have just tried a couple of belts I haven't worn much, no marks.

I reckon the black filth on my hands from cutting up the tyres are nearly all down to road grime and maybe a tiny bit of abraded rubber.  Once washed and scrubbed they seem to be fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 March, 2012, 05:09:02 pm
I did some car cleaning.The Volvo looks like someone owns it & the Mondeo doesn't look like a scrap yard refugee.
I also started fettling my camping kit for the forthcoming weekend but got side tracked into organising luggage&kit for other bikes; so that the Trek & Langster each have their own saddle pak with faireekit,tools etc permenantly attahed:obviating the need to swap stuff around.I recollect doing this last year but for whatever reason it didn't work out correctly.For example the seat pak on the Langster didn't have a spare split link in it.DAHIKT.
I also sorted rack pak & kit on the Longstaff for tomorrows W.W.ers ride.
That leaves the Barley/Bagman combo I use for audax rides & other 150km+ rides which I'll sort before my next 150 or 200km audax.
The camping kit still needs sorting.Thursday I reckon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 March, 2012, 06:46:41 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2012, 10:38:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 March, 2012, 10:17:30 pm
Brand new tyres, moving at sufficient velocity, will happily mark (and indeed melt) cheap nylon carpet.  DAHIKT.

Also stopping tyres spinning by hand in a workstand is fine but not so much with studded tryes



ITIKHYKT too :facepalm:

Today I wrestled some guards onto the new steel bike ready for Saturday and fitted a second bottle cage using some of those zip-tie bolt thingies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 27 March, 2012, 07:16:49 pm
Every single open ticket and newly reported problem/request for the site I was in.  I left and went to another site because I had finished my to do list.

OK, I have another 5 to do lists, some of which represent a frankly silly amount of work and time.  And that's just the work-y stuff, I don't actually log the stuff I have to do in the Rest Of Life on the helpdesk (well not yet, anyway) but I _finished_ a to do list.

I can't remember the last time that happened.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 March, 2012, 09:36:24 pm
I fettled my lawn, edged it, dug out dandelions and generally pruned and tidied some garden stuff. I also accidentally tested the electric fence around the pond ... Simon had commented he didn't think it was working yesterday but it gave me a hell of a kick when I was trimming some grass at the pond edge. It is certainly keeping dogs and herons out of the pond effectively  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 27 March, 2012, 11:23:34 pm
Early this evening, Cathy came back round for help in removing the Gatorskins that I'd loaned her while she returned the wrong size Ultremo ZXs and then help in fitting the correct size tyres.
It was really easy; I sneezed and the Gatorskins came off and then I coughed and the Ultremos were on the rims. The hardest part was pumping them up.
While I was changing the front tyre, Cathy did the rear. I now think that she has the confidence to do her next tyre change on her own  :thumbsup:

Then we went for a lovely ride in the fading sunlight before she bought me a pint of Ginger Marble in Bar.
All good fun  :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 28 March, 2012, 05:12:45 pm
Changed the rear caliper on my CBR600 as the piston was sticking. Could I bleed up the new caliper so it actually stops the bike in less than 50 yards? Answer - no. Have left it in the hope that a crack team of motorbike brake fairies will get it to work while I'm sleeping tonight. If by any chance this doesn't happen, then I'll have to attack it again tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 March, 2012, 06:41:51 pm
Quote from: jogler on 27 March, 2012, 05:09:02 pm

The camping kit still needs sorting.Thursday I reckon.

No Wednesday Wheelers ride today so fettled the camping kit.

Loaded it onto the Longstaff & had a test ride. :hand: Too much weight too high up at the back 'cause I don't have a front pannier rack on this bike which will carry enough luggage for hostelling or B&B-ing,but not camping kit with all the weight at the back.It didn't feel at all convincing.
I dusted off the Cannondale mtb & transferred all the gear into 2 rear panniers,2 front panniers,a Carradice Camper Longflap,an Ortlieb barbag & tri-bag on the top tube.It seems like a lot of luggage but it allows the weight to be sensibly distributed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 28 March, 2012, 09:20:58 pm
The new Schwalbe Durano Plus is on the back of the Ribble.  I am quite pleased that I have worn out a tyre from lots of riding.  Granted the road crap to be found in these parts has helped knacker it but the tyre has still seen a two or three thousand miles  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 March, 2012, 10:42:05 pm
I just fettled a spare Smart light onto the back of the trailer, with a slightly novel use of a spare bit of mounting and some bolts.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Trailer/BoxLight_thumb320.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Trailer/BoxLight.jpg)

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Trailer/BoxLightDetail_thumb320.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Trailer/BoxLightDetail.jpg)

I'm hoping that one of the two parcels that the Post Office failed to deliver to me today will turn out to be the Triangular Reflectors, because then with a last bit of fettling, the trailer and box arrangement will be complete, and ready for some testing to Sainsburys or Asda.

(The observant will notice that the first photo has extra Zev action for free, although she then proceeded to avoid being photographed in any usefully photogenic fashion!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 March, 2012, 11:37:38 pm
It's a box isn't it?  Surely all you have to do is take the lid off and wait for cats to jump in?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 29 March, 2012, 06:42:28 am
Quote from: TimO on 28 March, 2012, 10:42:05 pm
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Trailer/BoxLight_thumb320.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Trailer/BoxLight.jpg)

I'd really like a trailer.  The restraining issues are (a) I/we don't need one (b) There isn't much room in the garage, mainly cos the car trailer, which we do need, takes up about 30% of the available space (c) The Current Mrs R would go loopy.  Shame.  I will just have to content myself with drooling over other people's trailers.  At least your looks like it will wipe clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 March, 2012, 01:14:20 pm
Carry freedom Y-frames pack flat, you know...   :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 29 March, 2012, 01:19:21 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 March, 2012, 01:14:20 pm
Carry freedom Y-frames pack flat, you know...   :demon:

I think constraints (a) and (c) are sufficient to thwart my trailer owning ambitions.

Today I am working from home so found enough time to fettle a VAT return and clean Claud's chain.  As usual I forgot to get changed (for the chain cleaning) so have got my nice(er) clothes a bit dirty.  This will no doubt get me into trouble  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 March, 2012, 01:43:40 pm
My trailer may pack flat, but that box doesn't, and it's quite large (referred to as being about the size of a small coffin by my colleagues!)  I've yet to work out exactly where I'm going to store it, rather than sat in front of the TV as it currently is.  I will probably store the trailer bits inside the box, that does at least mean I don't need to bother removing the "handle" from the remainder of the frame, because inside that box it will make no difference. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 March, 2012, 05:47:20 pm
I've fettled my daughter's Marin mtb so that it is fit for cycle-camping use by my grandaughter.Rear pannier rack & barbag brkt. fitted:just enough to carry two small Ortlieb panniers & a barbag.
Thus she will not be lugging a lorra weight.
That's what grand dad's are for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 29 March, 2012, 06:44:06 pm
Busy afternoon: decided that I had too high a gearing on the Peregrine since I fitted the Alfine so swapped the 46T chainring for a 39T; then adjusted the bearings on  the Pugsley and Swift since there was a little play since I swapped axles between them; finally put some more Stans in the Swift's back tyre as it had all dried up.

After all that I decided I was too tired to ride so fettle the cap off a bottle of Spitfire :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 March, 2012, 06:53:42 pm
The bedroom wall and the kitchen drain, neither of which were particularly fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 29 March, 2012, 06:57:36 pm
New boots on the Tricross. I realised that seeing as I never ride it off-road, I might as well have something less resembling a MTB tyre. Gone from the stock 700x32 Borough CX to some *reads label in bin* 700x28 Armadillos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 29 March, 2012, 08:06:04 pm
Fettled my nice new Brooks B68 S Imperial onto the Pompetamine temporarily to break it in for the tandem which I cannot ride alone (well not as stoker anyway). First breaking in ride was 50 miles into Bristol to meet the BTOTC for a ride to the pub. This saddle is absolutely the most awesomely comfortable saddle I have ever sat on! This is just as well since it will be doing an Easter Arrow in a weeks time  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 29 March, 2012, 08:29:18 pm
Back from work and into the garage to whip the back wheel off the Royal in order to replace broken spoke at the weekend. Mildly horrified to find three broken spokes - how did I ever miss that? Two broken at the hub and one at the nipple.

Anyway, onwards. Gear cluster and M+ tyre removed without too much of a struggle. I think this repair is rather beyond me now as several of the other spokes don't feel to good; so it's off to the LBS first thing on Saturday morning. Perhaps I need some new wheels after all...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 29 March, 2012, 10:55:21 pm
I spent the morning detarring.

Removing Stockholm tar that some kind soul had spilled all over my box of goodies in the tack room proved slightly less stressful than I'd feared by the simple fact that I tend to keep my things in blue IKEA bags inside the box.  This meant that I have lost the use of several blue (and now tarry) bags, but that most of my things are in fact untarred.  What is damaged can probably be salvaged, apart from the box itself which looks as though it's had an explosion of the tarry variety.  The dead mouse was a minor bonus...

Surgical spirit does, in fact, break down tar surprisingly well.  But I ran out!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 30 March, 2012, 06:45:08 am
Quote from: Feline on 29 March, 2012, 08:06:04 pm
Fettled my nice new Brooks B68 S Imperial onto the Pompetamine ... This saddle is absolutely the most awesomely comfortable saddle I have ever sat on! ...

Glad you're liking your Imperial.  I fettled my B17 Imperial off my Ribble and on to the Dahon folder as I wasn't getting on with it.  A new standard B17 is on the Ribble and even in it's unbroken state seems more comfy. To be fair the Imperial is better on the Dahon than it was on the Ribble, no idea why.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 30 March, 2012, 01:28:55 pm
Some parts for the Thorn.

A new front tyre (the old one had done more than 10000 miles), a new chain (the old one had done more than 10000 miles as well) and I reversed the chainring. I also put 10ml Rohloff oil into the hub.

It's amazing how these things catch you up. I'd no idea that it was so long since I'd done this work. If I'd realised, I'd have bought a rear sprocket and replaced that as well. I tried to remove the old one to turn it round, but it was too tight for me. I'll probably take it to Richardsons and get them to remove it, as I did for the last one. My chain whip isn't long enough to put the necessary force on, and neither is my big spanner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 30 March, 2012, 01:51:28 pm
Yesterday I fettled my boss's bike. I put some air in the tyres (that'll be a novelty for her - one was at 20 psi! :facepalm:) and made the saddle level, having checked that the jaunty angle wasn't really what she was after -'No, I hate it, it's hideously uncomfortable but I didn't know it could be changed', was her response!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 30 March, 2012, 01:54:04 pm
Yesterday The Current Mrs R and Twinkle Toes got fettled as both came home with considerably less hair and I suspect TCMR was considerable poorer.  I gave my approval to their new looks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 March, 2012, 02:14:06 pm
I fettled my desk with a pile of old Drug Tariff books propped underneath.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 March, 2012, 03:21:53 pm
I read that as Drug Traffic
 ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 March, 2012, 04:00:21 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 29 March, 2012, 08:29:18 pm
Back from work and into the garage to whip the back wheel off the Royal in order to replace broken spoke at the weekend. Mildly horrified to find three broken spokes - how did I ever miss that? Two broken at the hub and one at the nipple. ...

I'd watch that wheel a bit carefully for a while.  Having had several broken, the others may have been a bit excessively stressed, so you may well find even more decide to break.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 March, 2012, 04:14:00 pm
I have spent most of today building a cabin bed complete with (so far) futon underneath.  Once finished it will also have bookcases and desk.

Enough for today though asI have had to assemble the same section 3 times due to mistakes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 March, 2012, 04:23:26 pm
only 3 times.
I reckon you are doing very well.In my book that's expert DIYing ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 30 March, 2012, 04:33:02 pm
Quote from: jogler on 30 March, 2012, 04:23:26 pm
only 3 times.
I reckon you are doing very well.In my book that's expert DIYing ;)

Indeed.  I can attempt a job 3 times and still bugger it up!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 March, 2012, 04:35:17 pm
I have an NVQ Cockup from Bogdit & Scarper Ltd
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 March, 2012, 04:47:16 pm
Jogler, I must have an Phd in flat pack then.

:D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 30 March, 2012, 10:17:46 pm
New wheels arrived for the hybrid, so put them on the bike (the 130mm frame springs apart easily enough to mount the new 135mm hub, so have resisted the urge to try out the threaded rod so far!). Also fitted some new gear cables and gave the whole bike a bit of a clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 30 March, 2012, 10:42:27 pm
Boss and I went to deliver stock to the charity pop-up shop, and offered a hand with setting up (they open on Monday). We were set the task of screwing some little eyes into the sides of some shalow shelves, to hold elastic across, to display greeting cards behind.

We were offered a bradawl to make guide holes with, but it turned out to be more like a tiny screwdriver, so didn't work at making small holes. We thought for a bit, and I remembered we had three large headed nails with us (part of an un-needed display item). We just needed something to hit one with, to make a slight hole in the wood.

Hammer? No. No hammer.  Tried hitting it with the wrong end of a Stanley knife. No good.

Boss looked out at gravelled and paved backyard...

So I ended up putting eyelets in, screwed into holes made by banging a nail into the wood, with a rock.

<grunt>

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 31 March, 2012, 05:23:44 pm
Sort-of fettled the tandem's rear hub, which had worked fairly seriously loose over the last few rides.  Left-hand cone was completely seized, so ended up doing all the adjustments on the right side, inside the freehub body.  Not my idea of fun.  But eventually got it only-marginally-too-tight.

Recommendations for a good sealed-bearing hub with a 160mm axle option, anyone?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 31 March, 2012, 05:32:51 pm
Replaced my half-flat-half-SPD pedals with some proper SPDs, and put a bottle cage back on the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 31 March, 2012, 06:21:00 pm
Off to the village first thing by mtb to drop in Royal's rear wheel at LBS to replace a number of busted spokes. They report that they a doing a roaring trade in wheel repairs at the moment due to the state of the roads round here.

Close inspection of the Royal's transmission showed everything to be well clogged with black gunge from a winter's riding. Cassette stripped down and cleaned as was the rear derailleur - it looks like new now with very little wear apparent. Chain and chainwheel cleaned, the middle chainwheel looks pretty worn but will probably do for a while yet. While the bike is off the road an suspended from the rafters in the garage I may as well strip down and rebuild the wheel bearings and give the brakes the once over - a job for tomorrow.

I bought a pair of 25mm Vittoria road tyres to replace the M+ I have been using during the winter and had intended to swap them over as part of this service but the weather forecast sounds like winter hasn't finished with us yet so the M+s may have to go back on.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 31 March, 2012, 06:31:13 pm
With the aid of Dez we fettled a tree, the best part of one anyway, into a car and I fettled the bits from the car to the back garden and thence into firewood for use winter 14/15. Indi helped/hindered as was his whim! Get the rest of said tree tomorrow.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RW on 31 March, 2012, 06:49:01 pm
I drilled out the sheared bolt on the eccentric bottom bracket housing of the Dawes Discovery Twin.  The threads on both bolts were stripped so I drilled them out to fit an M7 tap.  I've never used a tap before and I was surprised at how easy it was.  Trouble is I've had to resort to eBay to get M7 Allen bolts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 31 March, 2012, 10:37:08 pm
Decided today that I really had to change the ancient FAG bottom bracket on the Gazelle (built up with whatever was in the shed).
Removed the left crank, fine. Screwed the remover into the right-hand one and it went in easily but at an angle. took it out, refitted it and still it was strangely cocked. It wouldn't go in straight.

So I attempted extraction and of course it pulled out bringing curved needles of thread with it.

Next step: rummage in box to find pullers. Re-jig a three arm one so that two arms are offset to fit a five arm crank. Off it comes, no problem.

The FAG bearings are still as smooth as new, but there is noticeable sideways play. Bottom bracket removal accomplished, I have another root around in a different box to find a selection of bottom brackets and a couple of cranksets.

Decide the biopace one's no good. The other is an old TA triple with separate drillings for the inner rings, one of which has stripped, but it's fine as a double. Checking, I think I can get away with using the Campag track bottom bracket - old but unused.

Reassemble and, yup, just enough clearance. Adjust the front mech then tidy up and clean up. Then it's a case of rding in circles outside the house and fine-tuning the gears, before a brief dash down to the road and up the hill.

Everything works, and no money spent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2012, 12:30:38 pm
Attached a bar extender to my, er, stem so that I can have both bar bag and front light. Took several rounds of adjustment before I got it in a satisfactory place and I'm still not entirely happy with it. Above the stem would be handiest but I'm not happy with the idea of that big pokey lump in such a place. Under the stem is fine, but then I have to fit the light upside down under the extender, otherwise it's obscured by the bag. This is not a problem beam-wise but does make it tricky to attach and to switch between brightness levels, so I may yet move it above the stem - or maybe onto the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 April, 2012, 05:38:27 pm
Various garden tasks, principally lifting and disposing of 25 old slabs in preparation for the new ones arriving on Tuesday. Surprisingly warm in the sun out there.

Put up the outside sensor for my Lidl weather station. Seems to be working OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 April, 2012, 06:46:57 pm
Brought the audax machines out of hibernation.   Usual lube and inflate plus changed the bar grips for Mlle PB on her flat barred Thorn Brevet.    Checked over my airborne Carpe Diem and formulated a plan to change it from campag to the much more serviceable and reliable Shimano, and, to swap from drops to flats.   

Put a new pair of Schwalbe Marathon HS308's on my tourer and locked it away for a month or so.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 01 April, 2012, 07:43:08 pm
More fettling of the Royal. Steering head bearings tweaked, front wheel bearing stripped down, cleaned and rebuilt, front brake cable inner replaced. Brakes overhauled, replacement blocks ordered. I just need a back wheel and it will be like new bike.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 01 April, 2012, 07:48:17 pm
I cleaned a bike.


You can pick yourself up of the floor now. It was in preparation for n-1, and has gone off to live with a clubmate for a bit. If she likes it, I'll get cash, if she doesn't, we wont be eating next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 01 April, 2012, 07:49:24 pm
In an attempt to identify the source of a worrying loud creak, I was checking around the BB area of the fixed conversion, looking for cracks when I noticed a link in the chain was coming apart.  :o
After a little search, I finally managed to find my old chain tool and attempted to put the link back together.  All that happened was that I bent the plate out of shape.  Bugger.  So I dug out one of those short lengths you keep in your box for some reason after fitting a new chain and dismantled a side plate from that.  (no idea if it's a compatible make or size  ::-) )
Bent that one too.  >:(
Third new plate seems to have worked.  (I'm crap with chain tools)

So, now back to the creak.  I decided that one of the few possibilities left was the seat post.  I'd never taken it out since acquiring the machine a couple of years ago, which in retrospect, was rather lax of me.  Bugger me! It was almost solid.  Thank god I tackled it now.  If I'd left it another couple of months, I'd have been in one of those "Help.  Stuck Seatpost" threads.
Eventually, twisting side to side became twisting side to side and up.
And up, and up, and up, and "Bugger me, how long is this bloody seatpost?" 
Pulling and twisting eventually became pushing and twisting as the saddle passed chest height.
With a snow field beginning to form on the top surface of the B17 and with eagles lazily circling and beginning to build an eyrie  in the bagman support,the tube finally popped out.
Off to the shed for the hack saw.  Hmm.  Broken blade and no spares.  Not surprising really, as that had been the situation the last time I wanted to use it.  (And will be the next  :facepalm:)

So I cleaned the post up, covered it in loads of grease, popped it back in and went to the pub.

The chain seemed fine under stress on a short but very sharp hill and the absence of creak was lovely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 01 April, 2012, 08:23:28 pm
I spent about 5 hours wielding a mattock in my back garden. Am now quite tired and sore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 01 April, 2012, 08:42:47 pm
Have fettled myself up a blog, to chronicle my cycling exploits and to hopefully motivate myself to do more fun and interesting things on the bike (and not just ride to work and back)  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 01 April, 2012, 08:59:47 pm
Nowt - but fettling-by-proxy with a bit of tweaking of the brake levers and the barends on the Very Lovely Valencia led to a much more elbow-friendly setup, and meant I only had to walk up one particularly stabby bit of the hills from Ingleton to Ribblehead.  Hurrah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 01 April, 2012, 09:05:39 pm
Diagnosed Mrs Dan's rubbing brakes as a dodgy rear hub (that I'll get the shop to look at). Trimmed cable outers to look tidy but not stop shifting when I put the bar bag on with my new cable cutters. Swapped the winter tyres off the trek to Marathons and the mud tyres off the inbred to XR4s (probably overkill, but they don't fit at the front so I thought I'd try them at the back). Apologies if you were hoping for more sun next week.

... having done all that I realised that my only cleated shoes are at work so I didn't do more than ride Miss Dan the Younger to a party on the tag-a-long.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 02 April, 2012, 03:14:36 pm
Car fettling. The remote unlock on my car failed last week, meaning that I had to use a key (oh no, how will I cope?), but more irritatingly had to turn on the ignition quite quickly after opening a door otherwise the alarm would go off. Some diagnostic work showed it to be the security module in the car, rather than key fobs  :( Just to add to the problem, there was a facelift update to my model that ran for about a year before it was completely replaced - and the security module was one of the parts updated. This meant that a second hand one has to come from the same actual year as my car, rather than any of the previous 6 years that the car was made - making them more than a little awkward to find rather than having the choice of half a dozen on eBay.

Luckily I'd had an eBay search watching out for a new electrochromic wing mirror glass as mine on the passenger side started leaked ages ago, and the driver's side power fold wasn't working properly due to corrosion. A driver's side complete mirror (again awkward as mine has power fold, memory and electrochromic glass) popped up from someone just about to start breaking a car of my age, a few emails back and forth showed that he had the correct security module too, and we negotiated a very agreeable price for both.

I've just replaced the security module in my car and reprogrammed it to accept my key fobs, replaced my driver's side complete mirror assembly, swapped out the body coloured back from my old mirror to the "new" one, then taken my old driver's side mirror glass and put it into the passenger side (they are the same part).

My car now locks remotely again and has two fully functioning mirrors, for less than the price of a single new mirror glass  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 02 April, 2012, 03:40:30 pm
The roof of the mini-shed/garden tool store. One of those self-assembly kit things, cost thruppence or thereabouts & you gets wot you pays for. Nasty cheap flimsy bit of roofing felt provided to keep the rain off split where something had been sat on it, & assembling it according to instructions led to water soaking half the back (made of wood chips glued together, so not weatherproof on its own), instead of being deflected away. A neighbour has the same model, assembled by a handyman who substituted a roof cover of more sturdy material (offcut from another job), & arranged it better, & she's had no trouble.

Flashband for the rips, & some snipping & fitting of a couple of little blocks of wood to keep the cover angled away from the back. Now I can look forward to the predicted rain with equanimity.

Next, I must do something about the fungus growing where it had got wet.

Have got flashband bituminous primer on both cuffs of the once nice fleece I bought in Sydney. Ah well. It was already too shabby to wear for anything except gardening or slouching around at home, & it's dark enough blue that black doesn't show up much.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 02 April, 2012, 05:57:23 pm
retaped the bars on my mercian in prep for the Arrow. Existing tape had slid and left large patches of bar Aluminum.

No problem, I bought some cheap tape from the cycle rally last year.

Ah, now I know why it was cheap. It's too short. Normal drops, and the bloody tape runs out 2" from the stem. didn't even come with any little bits to pad behind the brake levers.

Decided to fix my bottle cage, it keeps coming apart. Mix up the manly araldite, shove in holes, push bottle cage back together.
Put bottle cage on bike 2 hours later. erm, shouldn't the holes line up with the ones in the frame?  Oh, shit, I've glued it too short.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 02 April, 2012, 09:32:29 pm
A Dell Mini Inspiron netbook. The fiddlyist laptop I've ever worked on.

The screen had stopped working. It sometimes gave a brief glimpse of something, but disolved to a white screen most of the time.

Taking apart the laptop itself and checking all the connections didn't do anything. As a last chance before giving up, I took apart the screen as well, which is something I've never done. I re-seated all the cables on that and put it back together.

It worked! Even the mouse, keyboard and wireless care all still worked. And I didn't have any left over bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 03 April, 2012, 08:33:10 pm
Wirless computer thingy fitted to Cannondale. No more estimated trips for me. I see a disappointing weekend looming - I could have sworn that was 40 miles etc. Having said that it once logged my max speed at 50+ mph so I could be pleasantly surprised.

Ran M8 x 1 die down a M8 x 1.25 BZP set screw to bodge create a bolt for the fork leg lamp bracket on the Witcomb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 03 April, 2012, 09:01:40 pm
Quote from: hulver on 02 April, 2012, 09:32:29 pm
It worked! Even the mouse, keyboard and wireless care all still worked. And I didn't have any left over bits.

Congrats! It's a great feeling isn't it? I'm sure you're now secretly telling yourself that you are quite simply a genius at this sort of thing too!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 03 April, 2012, 11:25:14 pm
I just fettled my dogs. I clipped Google's nails, went to get the dustpan to sweep them up, but he was eating them all up by then. Gave them their kennel cough vaccines up their noses and injected them with their other vaccines. A couple of dog treats later and they had forotten all about it  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 04 April, 2012, 10:58:46 am
A visitation to CA's front tyre. With a view of Ben Nevis mind...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 05 April, 2012, 11:00:28 am
My desk.

I found a use for Reader Digest Condensed Novels.  A stack of four, with three old copies of TSO's fascinating Drug Tariff* propped up the panel perfectly. 



* I keep looking forward to the new instalment.  The plot is episodic, and the characters, which aren't really fleshed out, don't develop much.  At least some of them do interact, though.  The subtle changes between volumes (generally numbers increasing faster than you might expect) makes this a difficult modernist read.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 05 April, 2012, 12:55:28 pm
After the Rohloff shifter jammed on Sunday, I removed the gearmech box from the hub and found that it was full of crud (amd the shifter was still very stiff thus ruling out a hub fault. I hope).
I left the mechanism to soak overnight in GT85 and, while it's a little easier to move it, it's still stiffer than I think it should be.
New cables required methinks..................

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 05 April, 2012, 01:47:11 pm
Our 2012-13 budget.  In spite of our best efforts, don't think we can get it into eight figures.  Now need to draft the narrative justifying the 45% increase compared to last year.  This should be fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 April, 2012, 04:23:49 pm
I fettled a new SKS mudguard on to the front of the tandem, and made a mudguard flap out of a transparent laminated A4 sheet with reflective stickers on it. Re-wrapped my stoker bars with Spesh bar phat over the top of the stuff JD tandems had put on to make it all extra spongy.
Fettled new Caradice Super C front panniers onto the tandem rack. Tyres pumped and chain cleaned and lubes. All ready for the Arrow  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 April, 2012, 09:56:38 pm
When do you leave for your Arrow? I presume early Saturday. And who else is in your team btw? (Waddaya mean I volunteered last Wednesday?!  :o)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 05 April, 2012, 10:17:12 pm
I encased a slider potentiometer into a laminate of cherry, oak cherry with a curly fly lead poking out of one end.  Started it yesterday and finished shaping it today and then waxed it.

It is the hand held remote speed control for my electric tractor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 06 April, 2012, 12:46:36 pm
I pulled out my rear tube which seemed to have either a slow puncture or a dicky valve. Couldn't find an obvious hole so dunked it in the bath.

Given the size of the bubbles and the hole I'm surprised it was such a slow puncture. Stuck a different tube on the bike (though this is one I've had on the side as a not sure about) and will let the first tube dry off before I fix it.

I then stuck my new Toplight Line Plus (birthday present  :thumbsup:) on my bike, did think I going to have to go to B&Q to get a strip of metal to make a bracket as my rack hasn't got one.

A rummage in my odds-n-sods box turned up an old aerial mount that I'd taken out the loft as kept catching my self on it when climbing up there. Decided junior hacksaw would take too long to cut it so just bent it back and forth till it snapped (finally used my vice that I bought from Lidl/Aldi ages ago). As luck would have it the mount had three holes in exactly the right place to fix the light to bracket to rack without any drilling.

Have left the excess of cable coiled up for now as the cable run I've done so far is awful but enough to test it. It works but doesn't seem super bright, however it's not exactly dark in the kitchen fettling room this morning so will hold judgement for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 06 April, 2012, 01:41:36 pm
I have dug out a pair of agricultural tyres for my tractor.  :thumbsup: Massively deep chevron tread but the wheels need a coat of paint.

I also decided to assemble a 5" 'engineering' vice my Dad bought from Aldi over a year ago.  The swivel base needed fixing as the bolt holes didn't line up.  A quick go with a round file to oval the holes and that was fine.  I then found the female thread was next to useless.  The thread is so off centre that the thread is thin on one side of the casting.  Also the threaded bit of casting is only held with one 3/8" bolt to the body of the vice.  That will shear off with little effort as it also has to be loose to allow the vice jaw to to be wound in and out.  Tightening it only make the vice jam up!

I don't know what Dad paid for it when he bought it but it is only worth scrap value.  Totally worthless as a tool! ::-)

I sprayed some paint on an old inner tube yesterday to see how it stands up to being flexed.  Looks ok so far. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 06 April, 2012, 03:52:38 pm
The shredder (affectionately known chez moth as "the nommer").

After its last binge, we both assumed that the motor had burned out.  Today, I finally got around to opening it up to check the diagnosis, and found the compartment around the motor packed solid with paper.  A good clear out seems to have cured this case of indigestion.

Not entirely sure how the paper all got there.  We'll try not to overfill the bin in future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 06 April, 2012, 06:27:47 pm
Popped down to the LBS in the village by mtb to pick up the rear wheel from the Royal that had a number of spokes replaced. Completed the big annual service, stripped and rebuilt wheel bearing, fitted cassette and changed M+ winter tyres for slicky Vittorias for the summer. Refitted wheels to bike and replaced brake 'blocks' ( blimey!, these modern brakes are a bit of a faff aren't they? They appear to be adjustable in at least five dimensions!) Tweaked everything up and oiled the chain and I'm all set for an afternoon run across the Weald. The bike feels lovely and tight and very sprightly and quick on her new tyres. The brakes, that were pretty good before, are now terrific - obviously designed to handle heavy breaking when fully laden with camping gear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 April, 2012, 06:58:04 pm
The Audax tandem has finally been completed, Gore gear cables, brake cables and handlebar tape. A shakedown ride on Sunday and I can start thinking about working on the racing tandem. Hopefully I can use up one of the (Shimano compatible only x 4!) brake cables that doesn't fit into a Campag Ergo lever, of course.

HK's Ti bike was slightly tweaked for tomorrow's ride, before it get loaned to a forumite.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 April, 2012, 12:35:21 am
Quote from: Juan Martín on 06 April, 2012, 06:27:47 pm
blimey!, these modern brakes are a bit of a faff aren't they? They appear to be adjustable in at least five dimensions!

That's where disc brakes come in.  Cable discs have only three adjustments: 'stoppiness', 'rubbiness' and 'surprise endo factor'   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 07 April, 2012, 07:04:21 pm
The green Nomad hasn't been cleaned or fettled for ages  :-[

 Racks & mudguards off & cleaned, frame cleaned, brakes removed, cleaned & lubed. Headset lubed, S&S couplings undone, dismantled cleaned & lubed.  Old style Time Atacs stripped & relubed (they didn't need it, proper seals on those babies). Seatpost removed & lubed, Brooks Proofhided.

I couldn't get the cranks off, so was unable to lube the EBB shell.  A beefier crank puller will be ordered next week.  New tyres are on order and I think I'll replace the brake cables as well.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 07 April, 2012, 07:09:16 pm
Stripped the rear Hope Mono Mini on Mrs Tewdric's Santa Cruz, cleaned the pistons and put it all back together.  Then discovered the disc was lightly warped so fixed that too.  Mrs Tewdric is a happy bunny now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 07 April, 2012, 07:10:04 pm
Stinky tired hungry audaxers.  Into clean(er) and (in some cases) freshly laundered well-fed audaxers wot have slept.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 April, 2012, 07:27:11 pm
UR Florence Cyclo Nightingale AICMFP
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 07 April, 2012, 07:53:49 pm
A tulip, some lavender, a big bulb (hyacinth?) and some bluebell type things, into my little patch of garden. And various dandelions etc out - although I happen to think dandelions are actually rather pretty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 07 April, 2012, 11:24:42 pm
I fettled a hole in Arch's thumb! :-[

She had her hand on the turny bit of my vice and I let go of the handle.  As it slid through its hole in the vice it nipped the skin on the palm side of Arch's thumb and took a bit of skin off. :facepalm:  It would have been a blood blister but it is a long slit hole that leaks.

Sorry honey. :-*

I will fit some 'O' rings to cushion the nippiness of the handle when it drops. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 08 April, 2012, 09:41:03 am
I think I'll live. It seems to have stopped bleeding now at least.

It did sting a bit...   :'(

 :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 08 April, 2012, 07:42:31 pm
Having obtained a new set of pedals for the Not Witcomb project bike, I swapped over the pedals on a number of bikes in the fleet it descending order of crapness. Now left with huge pair of mtb pedals that appear to based on some medieval instrument of torture.

Carried out a huge sort out of tools in the garage from various tool boxes and discovered many wondrous things. Made up a couple of tool boards to enable spanner sets to be hung on the wall in an organised fashion. Then I did another for pliers and allied intruments. It all looks very tiddly and I'm pleased!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 08 April, 2012, 08:52:15 pm
I have fettled an old SIP 140A arc welder.  I fitted a 5" fan to the back of it, repaired the current adjuster mechanism, re-terminated all the cables and found a face shield.  Just need to find the spare welding gauntlets I had somewhere and aadd a chipping hammer, of which I seem to have many.
I will then donate it to St Nick's where Arch works.

I still have another 140A arc welder the same, a 180A arc welder and a 130 A mig welder to be getting on with so I won't miss it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 08 April, 2012, 09:13:21 pm
You could always set up the National Welding Museum...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 April, 2012, 09:15:24 pm
Oooh, how do we not have one of those already?   8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 April, 2012, 09:16:45 pm
They made one, but welded up the doors so nobody could get in ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 08 April, 2012, 10:05:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 April, 2012, 09:15:24 pm
Oooh, how do we not have one of those already?   8)

A quick google suggests the USAians have one.

We should set one up. Would there be a soldering annex?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 08 April, 2012, 10:27:33 pm
I have not managed to fettle a rear mudguard onto my bike. I have poked and drilled and ziptied and unziptied and filed and pliered(eded) and sworn and reziptied but the mudguard is still on the floor next to the bike.

I am giving up for now and going to bed and will try again in the morning.

(And then I will fettle the stairs which have mysteriously gained some oil marks all the way up them which I am sure is mere coincidence given that I've been fettling in the kitchen  :-[)

Frustrating afternoon/evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 08 April, 2012, 10:51:40 pm
Quote from: Arch on 08 April, 2012, 09:13:21 pm
You could always set up the National Welding Museum...
I'd need a TIG set and oxy acetylene to complete the mix...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 09 April, 2012, 12:47:27 pm
The shifter box won't go back onto the Rohloff.
I've had several attempts over the weekend and I've used all of the swear words that I know (and combinations thereof...........).
My future involves an embarassing trip to the bike shop and, probably, expensive new components  :(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 April, 2012, 01:09:24 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 12:47:27 pm
and I've used all of the swear words that I know (and combinations thereof...........).

give boab a call,she is the expert in these matters ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 April, 2012, 05:11:40 pm
I have converted 2 knackered old cabinets and contents therein to a nice shiny rolling tool chest with butchers block top.  75% of my tools now reside in this vision or organisation, just need to empty the other toolbox (that is in the other shed) into same.

Also done numerous tip trips today with the rubble from getting the garden path re-done.

Now I need a curry and beer.

Oh! and a shower :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 April, 2012, 05:18:47 pm
Replacement BB in the Brommie, greased the suspension block and tightened a couple of screws in the RH pedal, all in pursuit of an annoying creak. Now to tackle a BB creak in the Frezoni and possibly to replace the front tyre. My Moulton can wait till another day but I might cast an eye over HK's Brommie brakes tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 09 April, 2012, 05:43:58 pm
Quote from: jogler on 09 April, 2012, 01:09:24 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 12:47:27 pm
and I've used all of the swear words that I know (and combinations thereof...........).

give boab a call,she is the expert in these matters ;D

I thought she only knew one but compensated by using it frequently.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 09 April, 2012, 05:59:21 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 05:43:58 pm
Quote from: jogler on 09 April, 2012, 01:09:24 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 12:47:27 pm
and I've used all of the swear words that I know (and combinations thereof...........).

give boab a call,she is the expert in these matters ;D

I thought she only knew one but compensated by using it frequently.
'friad so.
In my mouth, it's a noun, a verb, an adjective & an adverb.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 10 April, 2012, 02:18:11 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 08 April, 2012, 08:52:15 pm
I still have another 140A arc welder the same, a 180A arc welder and a 130 A mig welder to be getting on with so I won't miss it.
I found another 140A welder, an EasyWeld brand in orange. :thumbsup:

That's five welders in the house vs seven or eight winches and an electro-hydraulic crane! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 April, 2012, 03:27:17 pm
Just removed the mudguards and rack from the InBred.

Fitted new, lighter and stiffer rack to InBred.

Need to do a packing of bike in Visqueen dry run at sometime between now and Sunday night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 10 April, 2012, 03:37:56 pm
Quote from: fboab on 09 April, 2012, 05:59:21 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 05:43:58 pm
Quote from: jogler on 09 April, 2012, 01:09:24 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 12:47:27 pm
and I've used all of the swear words that I know (and combinations thereof...........).

give boab a call,she is the expert in these matters ;D

I thought she only knew one but compensated by using it frequently.


'friad so.
In my mouth, it's a noun, a verb, an adjective & an adverb.
(click to show/hide)

We were discussing swearing in Iran, and I was defending English swearing. Iranian curses tend to be of the "may your family be plagued with boils unto the tenth generation" variety. English swearing is much more visceral and satisfying. There isn't an Iranian equivalent of "the fucking fucker's fucking fucked it".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bloomers100 on 11 April, 2012, 11:51:52 am
Replaced sealed bearings on the back wheel of the steamroller (Surly not heavy road flattening equipment). Was on the verge of buying a new wheel so happy wiv me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bloomers100 on 11 April, 2012, 11:57:20 am
That said £12.99 per side seems a bit steep from LBS for the replacement bearings, am I right?  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 11 April, 2012, 03:41:57 pm
I fettled a heat sink for the speed controller on my tractor.
It is the full of holes end of a 60"x17"x5/8" bit of Aluminium I had lying around cut off at about 9".  Will need to get some heatsink paste for it next time I am out shopping.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0197.jpg)

I also fitted a 'Cyclist's' cup holder to it. :thumbsup:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0199.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 April, 2012, 04:53:43 pm
Removed 3 sets of pedals, and fitted 2 pairs of same (one pair was on a chainset that I had taken off a bike and needed to fit them to a different bike).

Found numerous items for packing up for next week.

Realised I may have missed off an important part when I dropped off the kit with Torslanda. EEEEK!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 11 April, 2012, 04:59:46 pm
Tested two old (the newer one is 11 years old) originally 4.5 amp hour 6 volt rechargeable batteries, by connecting 'em up to 12 watts of lighting & waiting. They should both have been pretty well fully charged.

1. Lasted 2 1/2 hours, which is good. Either the lights are drawing slightly less than they're supposed to, or the battery has slightly more capacity than it was originally rated at.

2. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. I can't get it to light anything up. I plugged everything it failed to light up into 1), & they all worked. Oh dear. It was lighting things up last week, though one of the things it was lighting up was a battery low indicator, much earlier than expected (hence the test).

In case it wasn't actually charged up, I'm now recharging 2), & I'm doing it with the charger I used for 1) (the batteries are the same make, same type) in case it's the charger.

This battery may be heading for the recyclers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 11 April, 2012, 05:00:09 pm
Investigate horrible noises coming from Brompton rear hub. Discover they're caused by loose cone rubbing on hub shell.

Dismantle hub. Discover fragments of metal inside - apparently remnants of some kind of bearing retaining cage. Pingfuckit. Hang on, I think I'm supposed to have ten bearings but I only have nine...

Give everything a good clean. Look at it in bemusement and wonder how it all goes back together.

Have a cup of tea and a sit down.

Sigh heavily.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 April, 2012, 05:57:24 pm
Fitted new brake pads, rear wheel. While I was doing that I thought I should have another look at the slightly uneven tensioning of the Vee brake arms. Checked both sides had the pin in the same hole, fiddled with the tension-adjusting screws, got it as right as it would go. I reckon part of the problem is slight corrosion in the cable inner, so as I had a spare cable I decided now was the time to fit it. Removed the old one and... unfortunately I don't have (or no longer have) a cable-cutter. Tried to do it with the sharp bit of a pair of pliers, which worked pretty well but there's always one strand that won't cut and then starts to unravel as I push it through the casing. So it's off to LBS first thing tomorrow to buy proper cutters.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2012, 06:35:34 pm
Just installed the pingfuckits on my Ortiebs to make them fit the racks on the Dawes, and fitted the sides to the rack on barakta's trike (which is one of those annoying three-handed jobs, but unfortunately they have to come off for it to fit the turbo trainer) so it can take panniers.

I've refrained from cleaning any transmission components, because prior experience of circumnavigating Rutland Water has taught me to expect mud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oscar's dad on 12 April, 2012, 07:50:55 pm
The Ribble is fully fettled. I am quite pleased with the newly taped bars complete with lots of gel pads. Shame I will have to wait until next week to try the new bars out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 April, 2012, 09:35:46 pm
I've been fettling Butterfly's new toy:

Fitted rack (swapped from her Galaxy which got a new (cheaper) one and the mudguards reattached by a different method
Mudguards fitted
Brake rub sorted
New bottle cages
Exposure light mount
Computer fitted & set

And my tourer:
Old computer problem diagnosed
New computer fitted & set

And TGL's tourer:
Fitted bottle cages from Butterfly's bike
Removed remains of old coputer
Fitted new computer and set.

And I've fitted new hoses and twinheads to both trackpumps

Kneeling and standing up has been challenging, though.

Oh - and I've taken my Ridgeback to Corridori to fettle.  That one's a bit beyond me ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 April, 2012, 10:39:39 am
Fettled in the InBred into flying shape, this involved turning the bars, removing the seat and post (it wouldn't go down far enough) turning the Cyo 90degrees so that it wouldn't get bashed, removing pedals and letting the tyres down.

Prior to that though I thought I had better look at the brakes as they seemed a little woolly last night.  When I looked at the rear one, I wondered why the stationary pad was so far away from the disc.  I thought I would re-set them up, only to find one of the fixing bolts loose!  that'll do it then :)  All set up right now, spare pads going with me just in case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 13 April, 2012, 11:45:02 am
The most essential of maintenance - picked about 30 pieces of glass/flint out of my tyres and super-glued them ready to ride ~400km tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2012, 12:06:55 pm
Small boys' scooters.  This has made them :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 April, 2012, 12:15:00 pm
Saddle clamp bolts.
I found out the hard way that one of the retaining bolts on the 1x1's seat post had worked loose, meaning that when I pulled up sharp at a set of lights the saddle, with me on it, kept going. Fortunately, there were no witnesses.

Thomson seat posts are really very nice, but the two-bolt clamp setup is a monumental pain.

Tonight I'll be fettling the Pugsley for a bit of off-road action on Sunday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 13 April, 2012, 09:21:46 pm
Today Arch and I:
Installed an mains electric doorbell system running new wiring from the consumer unit to the transformer, the bell and the push.
Fixed a door knocker on the same door as the doorbell.
Fixed a loose under unit light whose mounting clips had opened out, a bit of heat from a lighter and some pressure sorted it.

Then, 30' up a scaffold tower:
Made and installed a bit of 'L' shaped soffit to an internal corner of the roof.
Dismantled and reorganised the top end of a soil stack to position a spigot in the right place.
Drilled a pilot hole through the wall for the 4" core drill.
Drilled partway through the wall with a core drill from the inside (see photos and video below).
Dislodged the bricks so removed them instead and opened up a bucket sized hole.
Installed a new 8' length of soil pipe from the stack to the new bathroom.
Refitted the loose bricks into the big hole in the wall.

Then after dinner this evening:
Made an 8' length of anti pigeon spikes for the aforementioned soil pipe using some mini trunking lid and some spokes from dead umbrellas, and some galvanised wire.

Arch drilling the hole:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0206.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0208.jpg)
And some video:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/th_MOV_0207.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/?action=view&current=MOV_0207.mp4)

Women using big tools rock! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 13 April, 2012, 09:28:03 pm
 :-*

I should point out that MFWHTBAB did most of it and I helped. He did all the stuff up the scaffolding, I passed tools to him out of the window, and removed a couple of the bricks from the inside.

Tomorrow, if it's not raining, and I feel brave, I might climb the scaffolding, just to see what it's like.

Or I may get halfway and have to be unclamped and winched to safety....

Not only did I drill a big hole, I drilled 140 little ones in the pigeon spike stuff.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 April, 2012, 10:32:28 pm
Quote from: bloomers100 on 11 April, 2012, 11:57:20 am
That said £12.99 per side seems a bit steep from LBS for the replacement bearings, am I right?  :o

Standard cartridge bearings? Yes, that is steep. Next time go to your local industrial bearing supplier, either quoting the model number or taking the old one in. Should be much cheaper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 April, 2012, 12:29:54 am
replaced the (5th) chain on my commuter/tourer and decided that cassette could do with changing as well. it's not worn out yet, but i fancied different ratios and had a spare cassette in my parts box. i noticed that rear axle feels rough (only after 9000 miles?..), so took the hub apart, bearings still round and smooth, but the freehub side cone is pitted in one place. cleaned, repacked with grease and put it back together - should be good until winter. when the time comes i'll replace the whole axle including new cones - from the hub received from interzen today. <-- top man!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 April, 2012, 03:49:48 pm
fettle fail: tried to remove mudguards (and removed), but sheared bolts on both sides! i've tightened them 2.5 years ago so they don't rattle loose, and they didn't. but now when i needed to loosen them they both broke off. anyone knows tried and tested way to remove the buggers without damaging paint and frame threads?

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DCCxmVaCMBc/T4mMhGWHJsI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/K5KMm_cgQ_A/s640/IMG_0055.jpg)

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vpv9bDkIBpE/T4mMhCcKZ2I/AAAAAAAAB8c/LpLrjkjaCpI/s640/IMG_0061.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 April, 2012, 03:56:54 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 14 April, 2012, 03:49:48 pm
anyone knows tried and tested way to remove the buggers without damaging paint and frame threads?
I can think of two possible ways: if there's enough of the bolt shaft showing, and judging from the bottom photo there might be, you could try cutting a slot (or better still, two slots) to take a screwdriver and attempt to remove it that way. Or, go at it from the other side with varying sizes of drill bit and a large side-order of patience. Given that you sheared the bolts trying to remove them, I think the screwdriver method may be a non-starter but it's worth mentioning anyway.

If you want to 're-use' the eyelet, either retap the thread or get some helicoil inserts (motorbike-related emporia seem to be a good bet for these)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 14 April, 2012, 05:34:26 pm
I fettled my fixed from this.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7076900261_2c0091c227.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78317074@N00/7076900261/)

To this

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/7076899819_93940b1734.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78317074@N00/7076899819/)

And found a broken spoke while I was doing it, so no test ride :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 14 April, 2012, 06:41:53 pm
restored the hewitt to 14 speed, it had be a 7 speed for quite a while.

I use v brake noodles to route the gear cable away from the bar bag, however the cable had frayed and then pulled the plastic sleeve from the noodle into the mechanism.  :o

Therefore the rear brake cable came off and the lever was removed and partly dismantled to remove both the plastic and the cable.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2012, 08:56:28 pm
New brake cable (inner). Huge improvement in braking performance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 14 April, 2012, 11:34:07 pm
The drain from my washing machine, so that it'll actually allow water through again!

Yesterday when I came home there was an awful lot of water on my garage floor.  I started a short wash to identify where it was coming from as I couldn't tell if it was inlet or outlet and the outlet pipe was overflowing like mad on entering the drain.  I checked the piping I could get to, but there was no issue there.  I couldn't get to the rest as there was too much Stuff in the way, so I continued the checking tonight and found the block.

Just in case though, I've left a bucket under the outlet for when the washing machine runs tomorrow, as I won't be here.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 14 April, 2012, 11:47:39 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 12:47:27 pm
The shifter box won't go back onto the Rohloff.
I've had several attempts over the weekend and I've used all of the swear words that I know (and combinations thereof...........).
My future involves an embarassing trip to the bike shop and, probably, expensive new components  :(

There was a trip to the LBS and, thankfully, the mechanic had lots of difficulty and he eventually resorted to removing the other side (ie the outside) of the clicky box.
There was a lot more crap in there. When he'd removed all of that, replacement was very easy.
I'm not sure that I have all 14 gears (I could only count 13 on the ride back home) but at least it's running again, complete with chain tensioner.
No new components, expensive or otherwise, were involved in this operation  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Redjeep! on 15 April, 2012, 12:47:01 am
Going to have to replace the starter motor to my ride on lawn mower. Lawnmower wouldn't start. Checked electrics and seemed to be the starter so removed and tested it and it won't budge even with 12v across the terminals.

Now have to wait a week for the shop to get me a replacement. Ah well, better than cutting the grass.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 15 April, 2012, 06:38:38 am
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 14 April, 2012, 11:47:39 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 09 April, 2012, 12:47:27 pm
The shifter box won't go back onto the Rohloff.
I've had several attempts over the weekend and I've used all of the swear words that I know (and combinations thereof...........).
My future involves an embarassing trip to the bike shop and, probably, expensive new components  :(

There was a trip to the LBS and, thankfully, the mechanic had lots of difficulty and he eventually resorted to removing the other side (ie the outside) of the clicky box.
There was a lot more crap in there. When he'd removed all of that, replacement was very easy.
I'm not sure that I have all 14 gears (I could only count 13 on the ride back home) but at least it's running again, complete with chain tensioner.
No new components, expensive or otherwise, were involved in this operation  :thumbsup:

If that was you in Ken Fosters yesterday, that's a lovely machine.

Shiny new wheels purchased from the above purveyor yesterday, I'd forgotten that bicycles roll without being pedalled, a quick spin yesterday and it felt like a whole new machine, completely stripped the headset down as well and some horrible noises have disappeared  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 15 April, 2012, 01:19:44 pm
Fettling Ubuntu Linux onto my old laptop. No real reason, except that I'm pondering building a media server to wire up to the telly and I could do with refamiliarising myself with linux :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 April, 2012, 01:29:24 pm
A lawn,bird bath,bird feeding table & some potted plants.Made my dodgy knee painfull it has :(
Nothing to do with yesterday's lumpy 157km audax;oh no ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 April, 2012, 12:07:36 pm
The boot lid on the V70.
It can now be opened so that the car realises it's full potential* again.








* marj's Trice can be transported inside the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 16 April, 2012, 01:59:12 pm
Quote from: Si_Co on 15 April, 2012, 06:38:38 am

If that was you in Ken Fosters yesterday, that's a lovely machine.



I was in there (as I seem to be most Saturdays  :-[ ).
Which one was you Si ?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 April, 2012, 02:06:51 pm

Quote from: Chocolatebike on 16 April, 2012, 01:59:12 pm

Which one was you Si ?



I'm rather looking forward to my son's reply to that question ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 16 April, 2012, 08:15:19 pm
I've had a fettle of all 3 bikes!

Geraldine the lovely Pilen had loose front brakes since I replaced the tyres and due to the hub it wasn't an entirely simple procedure.  Managed to hook the thingy back on the whatnot and hey presto, they worked.  Adjusted the gearing as it'd slipped a little too.  I've just realised I forgot to pump the tyres up though!

The Claude also had issues with the front brake, the kick stand was loose and the saddle had shifted a little, so everything tightened and adjusted appropriately.  I really must get some new brake blocks for the front tyre, to go with the rear I changed the other week!

And then I moved onto the BSO...I've been thinking about taking it to riding camp so I thought I'd see if I could get it running sufficiently to use.  After a great deal of fiddling, molishing and generally faffing about, I actually managed to get all the gears running smoothly, got the brakes to a usable state (though they squeak to buggery)!  I have a rideable mountain bike!   :o 
Some lights and mudguards and I'll be able to use it as well!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 April, 2012, 08:33:12 pm
I fettled my Claud Butler dog walking bike. This is the most neglected of my bikes, hardly ever gets cleaned and is used the most frequently. I moved it's saddle up 2 inches (I'm sure it must have been gradually slipping down for about a year) and adjusted it's V brake pads inwards rather than replace them which won't be too far off. Now I can stop again and it isn't hurting my knees. Down side for the dogs was that I rode faster and they got less sniffing and sheep turd-eating time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 16 April, 2012, 09:09:17 pm
An online application for Students Award Agency Scotland, for a student loan.   Fingers crossed, otherwise, no college for me
in september.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 April, 2012, 09:39:44 pm
another fail dammit! ;D

screw extractors are on order..

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-efcUKb23zbg/T4yBDb1kEnI/AAAAAAAAB8w/pNaNKcG0cYk/s640/IMG_0070.jpg)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a6Sm8CtzXv4/T4yBDUPF26I/AAAAAAAAB80/5iR4s1p2ohY/s640/IMG_0076.jpg)

(check your mudguard bolts, especially if you have steel screws in alloy frame)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 April, 2012, 09:46:59 pm
Grass and mud out of various camping kit, and then out of the carpet.

Anyone else tried hoovering with an LED head torch?  It's awesome.  Well, as awesome as hoovering gets.  You can properly see the dirt, especially on badly lit (is there any other kind?) stairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 16 April, 2012, 11:12:24 pm
Converted a 120mm Halo hub to 130mm (change of axle, longer cone nuts).  Added a new 19 tooch 3/32" sprocket.  Replacement for the rear wheel that was pretzelled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 17 April, 2012, 09:02:56 am
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 16 April, 2012, 01:59:12 pm
Quote from: Si_Co on 15 April, 2012, 06:38:38 am

If that was you in Ken Fosters yesterday, that's a lovely machine.



I was in there (as I seem to be most Saturdays  :-[ ).
Which one was you Si ?

The scruffy one in the camouflage trousers and tatty night vision jacket with the silly length ponytail. I will confess to having bike envy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 April, 2012, 02:29:43 pm
Gave the Dawes a quick and dirty drivetrain clean-and-lube, trued the rear wheel (which took a substantial twig between the spokes while fully loaded on Sunday) and swapped back to road tyres.

Re-attached the trailer hitch and pumped up the trailer tyres in preparation for a Tesco mission.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 17 April, 2012, 02:36:03 pm
Started fettling lights to use a new (to me) 4.5AH battery I've been given to replace an ancient one that's just died, when I thought I should test whether it had taken the charge I'd put into it.

It's doing a Norwegian Blue act. Oh dear. I'll have to buy something now.

I'm not completely surprised, now I know how many years it'd been left without use or charging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 17 April, 2012, 02:44:52 pm
Quote from: Si_Co on 17 April, 2012, 09:02:56 am


The scruffy one in the camouflage trousers and tatty night vision jacket with the silly length ponytail. I will confess to having bike envy.

Can you be a little more specific ?  ;)

(Sorry, I didn't notice you...............)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 18 April, 2012, 07:45:38 pm
Orange Bling's gears were playing up.  So I replaced the gear cable, lubed the inside of the Orange  cable outer, and sprayed some aerosol slippery stuff all around the inside of the Versa 8 shifter, and the hub gear selector.

Then when I put it all together, a bizarre fault appeared.  Gears 1-4 worked fine.  But when I tried to select 5th, it wouldn't latch at the shifter, and released straight back to 4th. So I couldn't get gears 5-8.  On unhooking the cable from the hub selector mechanism, the shifter could pull the cable 7 times; but on reassembling it, the extra spring tension in the hub meant that the 4-5 transition wouldn't latch in the shifter.

So I put my trusty centre-punch in the hole on the selector mechanism, and gave it a short nudge just at the same time as shifting from 4 to 5.  This time it latched.  Gears 6-8 then worked fine.  A few repeats of this, and the 4-5 gear shift started working with only a little extra push on the shifter.

I STILL prefer hub gears to that derailleur stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 19 April, 2012, 01:48:46 pm
Ooh, that's better.  I replaced the alarmingly ineffectual Ambrosio front brake calliper on my Pearson with an ageing Shimano (A550?) from the Pogliaghi, and fitted Koolstop salmon pads.  I can now stop without having to stress my knees with leg-braking.  Lots of black grime everywhere after three successive heavily-rained-upon commutes.  A pair of 650s is on its way from Ribbleworld - about £47 compared to the standard £70 or £80.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 20 April, 2012, 02:15:30 pm
The bracket that came with the EBC rack is too short for the Pugsley :(

So I got some aluminium strip from eBay and in my lunch hour made this:

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/6950001012_189b070364_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/6950001012/)
Pugsley Rack Bracket (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/6950001012/) by paulfulford (http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/), on Flickr

:D :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 April, 2012, 05:10:06 pm
Took the chain off barakta's trike and removed large quantities of grass and mank from the drivetrain.  Bonus points go to SRAM for unambiguously labelling their jockey wheels.  Negative points to the chain molisher (it's not marked with a recognisable brand) for the surprising number of stiff links - unless I'm mistaken and these could be caused by a lack of mechanical sympathy somehow?

I'm beginning to understand why darksiders are generally unenthusiastic about non-toothed idler pulleys:  The idler on the SMGT does almost nothing to the chainline in most gear combinations, and shows hardly any sign of wear after some 8000 miles.  The one on the trike is significantly worn with a chain pattern after about 350 miles!

Re-fitted the mirrors (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=48359.msg1169344#msg1169344), which I enhanced with epoxy yesterday.  Should solve the droop problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 April, 2012, 06:12:50 pm
Very minor fettling of left-shoe cleat position. It certainly wasn't loose though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 April, 2012, 07:10:02 pm
I just fettled a set of RaceBlades onto Red in the face of a somewhat indeterminate forecast tonight.  I can have them off in about ten seconds should I decide not to bother with them.

I also pumped the tyres up to 120psi, although they weren't far off of it, from the last FNRttC, when I found that I needed to pump the rear up.  That had been following a fairy fix, and CO2 fill, which inevitably left the tyre almost flat a few days later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 20 April, 2012, 08:45:56 pm
Attached some more bits to the long-suffering hybrid:

- changed the nasty too-soft-and-too-wide-at-the-front saddle for a Madison breeze
a second bottle cage (using some zip-tie things, as it doesn't have fittings)
- a rear mudguard light in place of the reflector
- a kickstand, mainly so that I can park it indoors without having to touch up the wall paint at regular intervals ::-)
- moved the spoke reflectors from the old wheels to the new ones. I now have 36 spoke reflectors per wheel, reflective sidewall tyres, reflective mudguards and reflective wheel rims! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 April, 2012, 04:19:10 pm
The front mech on the Trek.
It was reluctant to change up onto the big ring towards the end of yesterday's Perm.
I suspected a dosing of Nantwich area cowshit,Sweetenham mud  & general grit & crap was not conducive to efficient opreation so I've hosed it down,cleaned it out & lubricated it & the cable.
I've also adjusted the outer limit screw (cue doo doo doo spooky music)
Better now though not smooth as silk:but the chain does engage onto the big ring :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 April, 2012, 11:57:15 pm
This morning, as we (finally) set out for our ride, we dis overed that TGL's freewheeling preferred to be fixed.  We quickly swapped for the Carlton fixed.

This evening, I applied a chainwhip to see how jammed it was.  Unpromising at first, it then yielded, and I worked it till I was confident it was free to move.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 22 April, 2012, 01:35:27 am
My FartsmoanTM.

I have a new SIM for it and I've put a sticky screen protector on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 April, 2012, 06:58:41 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 17 April, 2012, 02:36:03 pm
Started fettling lights to use a new (to me) 4.5AH battery I've been given to replace an ancient one that's just died, when I thought I should test whether it had taken the charge I'd put into it.

It's doing a Norwegian Blue act. Oh dear. I'll have to buy something now.

I'm not completely surprised, now I know how many years it'd been left without use or charging.
I had a stroke of genius. The battery was wrapped up with some circuitry & a switch. I thought I'd look inside the pack (unfortunately, had to be destructive: it wasn't designed to be opened up), where I found a PCB, some wires, & a pack of five Nimh cells of an unusual (to me) size, about the same proportions as an AA but bigger, soldered in series.

I wired up a pair of old 6W halogen lights to the pack to see how long it'd last. OVer two hours! That means it's still holding over 4 amp-hours!

It now (since yesterday) has a DC power socket wired to it, & is wrapped in plastic. I also have a little Magicshine battery bag (it fits snugly) to hang it off a top tube with.

I also wired a switch from an old set of Vistalite Nightsticks to a cable with attached plug, so (when I've wired two sockets to it in parallel) Mrs B can run both the dynamo headlight with a LED in it that's fixed to her road bike, & one of my two Magicshine MJ-838s with fried circuitry (control switch defunct, but still lights up if you put a current through it) simultaneously.

All this fiddling around with lights wouldn't be cost-effective if I was busy, but being time-rich & income-poor at the moment, it makes economic sense, as well as giving me a sense of satisfaction at putting old & discarded things to good use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 22 April, 2012, 07:16:03 pm
Not today, but yesterday: replaced this component on the mtb I inherited from a friend:-
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fJMIqt9M84E/T5LzykTmYBI/AAAAAAAAAxU/DRHeM1lIfNU/s834/2012-04-21_18-45-05_875.jpg)
So it now looks like this:-
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yobQ4uw8PBk/T5Lz5mMSWFI/AAAAAAAAAxY/hghHwE8rMm4/s834/2012-04-21_15-12-02_555.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 22 April, 2012, 07:28:59 pm
Collected project bike wheels from LBS and temporarily fitted an old pair of Michelin Pro Something tyres I had hanging in the wall of garage. What a struggle! I had to use a tyre lever to get the first bead on the front wheel - it was so tight I checked whether the shop had fitted 27" rims. The back was a bit easier, and in the end they both went on and inflated OK - fitted to bike - which now looks like ...a bike! Progress!   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 April, 2012, 11:33:51 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 20 April, 2012, 06:12:50 pm
Very minor fettling of left-shoe cleat position. It certainly wasn't loose though.
Feels much better now - but I need to tweak the right shoe!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 23 April, 2012, 12:32:56 pm
In best 'Game of Thrones' tones:

Today, we ride for the North.
(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/536632_10150762087659451_554494450_9094652_472663571_n.jpg)

(Although actually, we wont be riding for anywhere, as I have yet to persuade anyone with 2 functioning forelimbs to repair my flat tyre. Bloody ungrateful wotsits)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 23 April, 2012, 12:58:48 pm
After you BAKED with only one functioning arm an' evryfink?  Shocking.  I'd do it, but I think I'd be a bit late home for the school run if I did....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 April, 2012, 01:02:23 pm
Built the bike back up, having disassembled it to get it on an aeroplane yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 23 April, 2012, 07:05:50 pm
Using nothing more than a tape measure and my 6.2 times table (Ok, a calculator), I've positioned the Lidl spoke reflectors to give the illusion of an eccentric wheel.  The reflectors on the spokes nearest the valve have been moved as close to the hub as the crossing spokes allow, and then all the others moved in ratio.

Only took an hour.  It looks quite good, but now I've got the back wheel to do. Once the ironing's done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 April, 2012, 07:16:42 pm
Saddles.
OrangeGina's saddle required the attentions of a Brooks tensioning spanner (something that was long overdue, I suspect) and the underside of Pugsley's saddle was given a generous coating of Proofide.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 23 April, 2012, 07:17:14 pm
Anything to avoid fixing your other bikes  :P

I hope someone gets pics or video tho.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 23 April, 2012, 07:17:54 pm
1 of 2 work laptops.  I discovered #2 doesn't have WinXP SP3 on it and I've deleted my local copy.  Guess what I'll be downloading tonight...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 April, 2012, 07:28:02 pm
Quote from: barakta on 23 April, 2012, 07:17:54 pm
1 of 2 work laptops.  I discovered #2 doesn't have WinXP SP3 on it and I've deleted my local copy.  Guess what I'll be downloading tonight...
Ubuntu? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 24 April, 2012, 11:42:34 am
Quote from: rower40 on 23 April, 2012, 07:05:50 pm
Using nothing more than a tape measure and my 6.2 times table (Ok, a calculator), I've positioned the Lidl spoke reflectors to give the illusion of an eccentric wheel.  The reflectors on the spokes nearest the valve have been moved as close to the hub as the crossing spokes allow, and then all the others moved in ratio.



I thought about doing this (if I've understood you correctly) but my method would involve cutting the reflectors to make a more regular spiral.
I concluded that I would make it look really crap and I would get extremely annoyed doing it.
So I didn't bother.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 24 April, 2012, 12:23:28 pm
Bugger.

I went to remove the broken rear mudguard from my Brompton, so I could fit the new one I've bought, & found that I need a thin-bladed open-ended spanner of about 12mm. I have small adjustable spanners, but they can't get past the washer & brake either side of the nut.

Time to go tool-hunting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 April, 2012, 12:48:08 pm
Have removed the front wheel from the InBred to take it for trueing, thanks airport baggage handlers!

Have stripped old, knackered bits of secret project #2, fitted short reach brake levers, but think I need some slightly wider bars to fit cross-tops too.

Have made a shopping list, off into town now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 24 April, 2012, 03:55:59 pm
Fettled my Dawes Horizon into Summer Mode.  (It was either that, or get on with college work.....)

Off with the rack & Carradice Prima Rack Top Bag, and on with the Carradice Barley & SQR.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 April, 2012, 06:02:55 pm
Moved the bar extender from under the stem to above, so I can turn the light on and off easily on the move as well as being able to spot, in brightly lit town centres, when it's turned itself off. Trouble is now the bar bag will cut off half the beam.  :facepalm:

Replaced front brake cable. Silky!

Used my new Lidl-Barbieri chain cleaner. Filthy, it was! Now the chain is drying in the sun before I lube it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 April, 2012, 06:22:16 pm
Removed pedals, cranks, chainset and indeed chain from the Dawes, discovering that the bottom bracket was in fact a bit wibbly in the process.  Removed the bottom bracket in order to measure it, which involved a 2ft torque wrench and a visit to Sheldon's website to check what was widdershins threaded, but minimal ultra-violence.  Ordered a new one and reassembled (after cleaning) in order to have a working bike to collect the replacement from the delivery office, fitting a new chain in the process.

I suppose 7000 miles isn't bad for a cheapo bottom bracket, especially given that the bike is mostly used for load carrying and sensible off-roading.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 24 April, 2012, 06:36:00 pm
A click stand for Mrs Miggins and a flag staff for the Yuba for the BIG ride on saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 April, 2012, 06:41:49 pm
The yellow Genesis - it's now in single-speed monster-cross mode
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 24 April, 2012, 07:44:08 pm
I fettled my lawn mower. I was commenting how crap it was to a friend today and while doing so wondered whether that could be because in 15 years I've never sharpened it's blade. Blade inspection revealed it was like trying to chop off grass with a fireside poker. So I dremmelled it into a Samurai like edge then mowed the lawn with it. Worked a treat, except for the heavens opening just before I had finished making me fear electrocution as there was no way I was putting that mower away until I had finished. I'm soaking now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 April, 2012, 08:06:49 pm
Gate latch :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 April, 2012, 09:29:29 pm
Having, (gasp!) cleaned Mrs. Hall's bike, thus relieving it of several tons of SKOG, mud and associated detritus, I decided the rear mudguard was too short to be useful.  Clues to this included mud on top of the pannier rack and mud up the back of Mrs. Hall's waterproof.

Rummaging in the SEECRIT BUNKER I unearthed a busted mudguard of a larger cross section. See kids, throwing stuff away is foolish. Junior hacksaw, file and drill were employed gainfully and then I zip tied beautifully crafted mudguard extension into place.  His Leggship would be so proud!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 24 April, 2012, 09:55:15 pm
Quote from: interzen on 23 April, 2012, 07:28:02 pm
Quote from: barakta on 23 April, 2012, 07:17:54 pm
1 of 2 work laptops.  I discovered #2 doesn't have WinXP SP3 on it and I've deleted my local copy.  Guess what I'll be downloading tonight...
Ubuntu? ;D

Sadly not, is for students' exams so needs M$ Word on a doze of some flavour.  SP3 wouldn't install, 4 conflicting won't uninstall virus checkers so i ditched it. 

Tried to pass the buck and failed -

Found 1 laptop with no power chord - cheap no name shit so it's not branded and I've got a box of cables and no time/space to sort. Makes #6 in filing cabinet drawer of shame (laptops I can't fix quickly).

2 laptops with ubunty on them already - but can't use these for exam machines (that would be unfair).

Eventually found a really old but newly imaged laptop but it had no office so at 4:45 I was installing office.

I have no idea how much crap "update me" is going to pop up and I'm past caring. I have no network, no image server, no training (I'm not actually IT or a proper geek) and a very time compressed real job involving complicated humans who are much harder to fettle.

I don't know where 3 of my laptops have gone which is also annoying!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 April, 2012, 10:00:39 pm
Quote from: barakta on 24 April, 2012, 09:55:15 pm
SP3 wouldn't install, 4 conflicting won't uninstall virus checkers so i ditched it. 

That's why AV software is a cure worse than the disease.

And having multiple AV products on a single machine is exponentially worse.

Badness increases exponentially with the number of AV/firewall/security products installed.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 April, 2012, 10:49:22 pm
And all security products eventually turn into Norton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 24 April, 2012, 11:56:05 pm
One of them was Norton  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 25 April, 2012, 01:25:30 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 24 April, 2012, 03:55:59 pm
Fettled my Dawes Horizon into Summer Mode.  (It was either that, or get on with college work.....)

Off with the rack & Carradice Prima Rack Top Bag, and on with the Carradice Barley & SQR.

 :thumbsup:

Oops.  I appear to have broken the weather.  Now raining cats and dogs.....   ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 April, 2012, 08:13:48 pm
New bottom bracket on the Dawes.  Drivetrain clean and lube on the Streetmachine (removing a quantity of hailstones and Clent hill mud from the chain tubes), plus brake adjustment and tyre inspection pre-FNRttC.  Drive-side chain tubes are finally dying, not bad for 6200 miles plus whatever Charlotte did on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 April, 2012, 08:42:57 pm
Checked the Trek for tomrrow night,
adjusted front & rear brakes,air in tyres,ensured all the lights work & have sufficient spare batteries,torn the necessary pages out of a Phillips 3 miles to one inch road atlas,packed the necessary spare tubes,patches,glue,tyre levers,pump & other 24hr-ride kit into a Barley saddle bag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 April, 2012, 10:48:02 pm
New chain and cassette on the pink magenta bike.

In other news, my scrap metal bin has had its contents increased by a load of rusty old tat.

I feel the two events are related.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moose57 on 26 April, 2012, 11:30:07 pm
A Raleigh Ogre Max MTB for a friend. A steel framed monster from I guess the 80's or 90's, with an oversize down tube!!! It weighs a ton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 26 April, 2012, 11:51:36 pm
Some late-night fettling of the hybrid, having realised that I might actually ride it to Hull if the weather doesn't improve significantly in the next 24 hours: new brake pads and tweaking of the front mech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaston Lagaffe on 27 April, 2012, 11:20:55 am
Finally got around to dropping my front mech after switching to compact last summer.

Works perfectly now, why didn't I do it earlier!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 27 April, 2012, 02:57:58 pm
Last night I fettled Linux Mint 12 onto my laptop, replacing Ubuntu 12.04b.  It took two attempts (cursor issues the first time) but after a second install and an update everything appears to be working well.  The first attempt was an 'upgrade from U12.04 to Mint', which would have preserved installed software.  Sadly this didn't work well so the 2nd attempt was a complete, fresh install of Mint.  I don't mind reinstalling software that much, but remembering all my Firefox add-ons will be a pain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 27 April, 2012, 03:46:28 pm
Quote from: Moose57 on 26 April, 2012, 11:30:07 pm
A Raleigh Ogre Max MTB for a friend. A steel framed monster from I guess the 80's or 90's, with an oversize down tube!!! It weighs a ton.

One of these (along with hitting 17 and wanting a car) was the cause of me giving up cycling:

(http://is03.thegumtree.com/image/big/119875539.jpg)

Oh yes, that's (cheap, girder-heavy) steel. And the size of that downtube! I think the Mini I bought was lighter...

Back on topic: today I have fettled a new front light onto the bike, and replaced the air in the tyres which appears to have escaped me over the last few weeks. I thought they felt a bit soft, they were down to about 85 psi. Back up to 120 now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 28 April, 2012, 06:02:21 pm
Roberts forks mounted (less bearings) onto frame of project bike just to check. As this is a 700 fork, the long reach calipers that I bought to accommodate a 700 wheel in a 27" fork are now too long - I probably still need the long reach one at the back but I'll need something more conventional at the front. Fortunately there appear to be any number of spare single calipers on EBay, courtesy of the fixistas I presume.

As these forks do not have much rake, the wheelbase has been shortened by almost 3". This is rather more than I had anticipated and I now have an issue with toe overlap.  :facepalm: Whether this will be a problem or not I don't know, so I think I'll carry on and build it up and if it proves nasty I'll put the original forks back on or get something a little more rakey. Or wear really tight shoes.

I can't help thinking that by the end of this process I am going to end up with enough parts to build another two bikes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 April, 2012, 07:50:06 pm
I put on 4 tyres without the aid of levers. I felt like a proper cyclist. Only slightly marred by one of the tubes going bang, but that was a fatigue explosion rather than my ineptitude.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2012, 11:21:08 pm
Emergency fettling of my tights while I was still wearing them in the Crinkly Den in the time it took everyone to wrangle their bikes before leaving for the Minster.  They were torn in a freak accident involving a malfunctioning vacuum toilet on a CrossCountry Voyager on the way to York last night.

The FNRttC itself was impressively free of mechanicals, so no fettling opportunities there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 April, 2012, 09:10:39 pm
After a pingfuckit moment, I've just applied a small tactical quantity of black scotchlite to one of barakta's (black) BAHAs.  When she came back from the bath, I gave her a torch and she was able to spot it lying face down in the folds of a black jumper from across the room, so that appears to be a success.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 April, 2012, 09:16:11 pm
Moved my bar extender from on top of the stem back to under it, attached front light and went for nighttime test ride. Seems passable but difficult to get lined up. Of course I actually did this yesterday not today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 April, 2012, 09:23:44 pm
Crikey.  Well, we restored the Circe to its child-carrying duty format.  Then we swapped the bars on Butterfly's fast bike, which involved several adjustments to get the height, angle and brake position just right.  And a trip to Sutton to get a new stem.  They didn't have that, but they did have shims so we could use the old lightweight stem.

And I redid the cockpit of the Ridgeback so that the gear lever was the right way up and the brakes were more reachable.  Causes some new issues, but it is riding well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 29 April, 2012, 09:30:51 pm
Moulton fettling today:
* cleaned - not to rogerzilla standards, but that will come soon enough (mike, did you know the miche hubs have red bits?!?)
* removed one bottle cage
* fitted rear light to seat post
* mounted bike computer, including cadence sensor
* added bell
* swapped rear skewer for a QR one
* raised bars a bit
Still need to fettle positioning a bit, but figure I'm fine for the FNRttC next weekend.

I would have fettled new grips onto the Orbea (commuter) but - in spite of bringing the grips home Friday - I can't find them.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 30 April, 2012, 12:28:55 am
cleaned the innards of ksyrium sl freehub body; replaced rear brake inner cable and cleaned the whole bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 May, 2012, 02:37:04 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 30 April, 2012, 12:28:55 am
cleaned the innards of ksyrium sl freehub body;

Ditto.
Also emptied the tank of my ultrasonic cleaner.
At the bottom was three years worth of what it had removed from my chains and sprockets.
It was not nice.  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 01 May, 2012, 08:13:49 pm
A nice bit of foot path fettling today on a college field trip.

Footpath repair on Schiehallion, with the creation of an anchor bar http://www.snh.org.uk/uplandpathwork/3.3.shtml (http://www.snh.org.uk/uplandpathwork/3.3.shtml)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/BrianInnes/AnchorBar_IMG_0729.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/BrianInnes/AnchorBar_IMG_0732.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/BrianInnes/AnchorBar_IMG_0734.jpg)

All hand fettled with aid of pinch bars, mattocks, a Ladies' Spade1, some shovels, fellow classmates and path restoration gurus from the John Muir Trust.

1  That is the technical term for a narrow spade used for digging trenches etc. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: welshwheels on 01 May, 2012, 09:13:27 pm
Removed the front suspension forks of my commuter and replaced them with on one rigid steel forks forgot to order the adapter for the disc brakes  :facepalm: so have to use the car tomorrow and wait for chain reaction cycles to deliver
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 04 May, 2012, 03:23:08 pm
Today I have changed the rear tyre on my commute bike from M+ to GP4S, shortened the seatpost by about 150mm, changed the heavy saddle for a Ti Flite that has been languishing pointlessly in the shed, wiped some winter gunge off the bike and then wondered whether it's worth removing the rear mudguard to shave more ounces off the total weight.  Then I stopped because I knew you'd be wanting an update.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 04 May, 2012, 06:05:23 pm
Fitted a new White Industries freewheel to my Pugsley to replace the el-cheapo Dicta one that self destructed when it got wet. Now I have lovely clicky goodness.

The Dicta freewheel is great if you only want to ride in the dry and don't want to remove it ever. I had to resort to hammer and chisel and eventually a vice to remove.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 04 May, 2012, 06:29:42 pm
I re-aligned my handlebars. I only noticed that they weren't pointing straight ahead last night and I've probably done ~400 miles with them like that  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 04 May, 2012, 06:42:31 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 04 May, 2012, 06:05:23 pm
The Dicta freewheel is great if you only want to ride in the dry and don't want to remove it ever. I had to resort to hammer and chisel and eventually a vice to remove.
The more I read about fat bike riders in general, the use of hammers, chisels and, in extremis powertools seems to be standard operating procedure :)

Right now, I'm fettling (or rather, de-fettling) tyres by cutting the beads off them prior to giving them to Arch at some point next week so she can perform handicraft-type things on them.

Once I've done that, I've got to do a few tweaks on the yellow Genesis to get it into full-on single-speed monstercross mode in preparation for a ride on Sunday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 May, 2012, 07:19:51 pm
Pingu tightened the cranks on my bike. It's not making a horrible creaking noise now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 05 May, 2012, 10:54:03 pm
I have fettled the tandem back into shape having let the chain get a bit too slack. It needed a replacement timing chain, the quicklink in the old one was obviously an 8-speed and I was replacing it with a 7-speed so much swearing ensued before I reverted to classical chain joining methods.
Lube and adjust bearings on the smallest's MTB.

had fn trying to not ride on road and to go down paths on which I had not been. Some ancient roadways that are all but forgotten - the Logan was a great singletrack descent that I didn't quite dare to do without feathering the brakes. Now to add bits to OSM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 07 May, 2012, 04:11:15 pm
Bars and stem back to the way they used to be. I'm not as flexible as I'd like to think I am, and I was starting to suffer (shoulder/neck ache) by about half-way through the FNRttC.

I'm still not convinced, though. At some point (perhaps at n+1 time) I probably should spend some money on a proper bike fitting session with someone who knows what they're doing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 May, 2012, 04:24:06 pm
This:

(http://www.interzen.co.uk/d1yellow.jpg)

Mudguards and racks came off, 'cross tyres went on and a switch from fixed to singlespeed for some off-road monster-cross action. The reflective bits are a hold-over from commute mode and, if truth be told, I can't be bothered to remove them. The gearing (42x17) is still a wee bit steep for off-roading, but I've got a 38T chainring on order which ought to fix that.

There are a few other upgrades in the pipeline, which might well include a White Industries 2spd freewheel and a new chainset, but for now it'll do ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 04:34:54 pm
Yesterday, actually, but roadside fettling of the SpaceGrip on barakta's trike:  The bolt holding the tube to the supporty thing had worked alarmingly loose for no apparent reason, and required annoying amounts of disassembly to get at.  Then I discovered that the Allen keys on my multi-tool weren't long enough to reach the offending bolt head.  Fortunately the slightly cheesy Aldi special multitool that I'd put in a basic tool kit for barakta's rack bag had long enough ends, and I was able to do the bolt up Bastard Tight.

I'll keep an eye on it, and apply threadlock if it looks like it's going to make a habit of it.  But, TBH, I'm somewhat underwhelmed by the sturdiness of the SpaceGrip, especially for mounting on the front of a recumbent where it will inevitably be subjected to excessive force by idiots with no mechanical sympathy.  I wonder if SJS do something more substantial that would fit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Redjeep! on 07 May, 2012, 04:36:06 pm
Made a foam roller.

Was at the physio last week and he diagnosed an IT band issue, He gave me some stretches to do and it seems that using a foam roller like this

http://www.achillesheel.co.uk/running-accessories/s/tp+therapy/the+grid+roller/roller-orange (http://www.achillesheel.co.uk/running-accessories/s/tp+therapy/the+grid+roller/roller-orange)

is really effective. However there's no way I'm spending £40 on one, so I made one out of a strong cardboard tube, originally from a roll of industrial polythene sheeting, some laminate flooring underlay and white electrical insulation tape. Turned out well. Total cost probably about 50p.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 07 May, 2012, 04:54:22 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 May, 2012, 04:24:06 pm
.... The gearing (42x17) is still a wee bit steep for off-roading, but I've got a 38T chainring on order which ought to fix that.

Unless its very flat you may find 38:17 a bit steep still. I run 34:18 on my Swift and 32:20 on the Pugsley which are about right for the flat South.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 May, 2012, 04:55:03 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 04:34:54 pm
I wonder if SJS do something more substantial that would fit...
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-accessory-bar-t-shaped-105-mm-extension-0-deg-prod11040/

Only works for given values of 'would fit', though.
I've got one of the 45deg versions on one of the Surlys and it's very well made. I've steered clear of SpaceGrips and their ilk ever since a Swing Grip died of extremely premature metal fatigue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 05:06:40 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 May, 2012, 04:55:03 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 04:34:54 pm
I wonder if SJS do something more substantial that would fit...
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-accessory-bar-t-shaped-105-mm-extension-0-deg-prod11040/

Only works for given values of 'would fit', though.

Ooh, not bad.  The dérailleur post seems to be a little wider than 1 1/8", but probably within botchability range, and the T-bar could be shortened if necessary to clear the cranks.  I'll bear that in mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 May, 2012, 05:10:21 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 07 May, 2012, 04:54:22 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 May, 2012, 04:24:06 pm
.... The gearing (42x17) is still a wee bit steep for off-roading, but I've got a 38T chainring on order which ought to fix that.

Unless its very flat you may find 38:17 a bit steep still. I run 34:18 on my Swift and 32:20 on the Pugsley which are about right for the flat South.
There's flat, and there's York flat :)

By the time I'm fit enough to tackle Dalby on a singlespeed, I should hopefully have fitted the 2spd freewheel and a Surly 'Mr Whirly' or similar chainset which will give me suitably low gears. For the sort of stuff I'm riding immediately hereabouts, 38x17 should be good enoughTM. I've got 18T and 20T freewheels in the bits box, just in case - because my favourite bits of track are separated by significant stretches of road, I don't want anything too spinny.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 May, 2012, 05:16:15 pm


Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 04:34:54 pm


I'll keep an eye on it, and apply threadlock if it looks like it's going to make a habit of it.  But, TBH, I'm somewhat underwhelmed by the sturdiness of the SpaceGrip, especially for mounting on the front of a recumbent where it will inevitably be subjected to excessive force by idiots with no mechanical sympathy.  I wonder if SJS do something more substantial that would fit...

Me too. Although I have 4 of them doing service on various bikes I remain sceptical about their reliability/durability & have started to replace them with

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/topeak-bar-xtender-handlebar-extension/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Dynamic%20Search%20Ads%20Cycle&referid=googwig

And one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/minoura-sgs-spacegrip-accessory-bar-prod23658/

which is the latest incarnation of the Spacegrip: a huge inprovement over the original

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 07 May, 2012, 06:54:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 04:34:54 pm
Yesterday, actually, but roadside fettling of the SpaceGrip on barakta's trike:  The bolt holding the tube to the supporty thing had worked alarmingly loose for no apparent reason, and required annoying amounts of disassembly to get at.  Then I discovered that the Allen keys on my multi-tool weren't long enough to reach the offending bolt head.  Fortunately the slightly cheesy Aldi special multitool that I'd put in a basic tool kit for barakta's rack bag had long enough ends, and I was able to do the bolt up Bastard Tight.

I'll keep an eye on it, and apply threadlock if it looks like it's going to make a habit of it.  But, TBH, I'm somewhat underwhelmed by the sturdiness of the SpaceGrip, especially for mounting on the front of a recumbent where it will inevitably be subjected to excessive force by idiots with no mechanical sympathy.  I wonder if SJS do something more substantial that would fit...

Will one of these help?

(http://az15862.vo.msecnd.net/dbr/ProductImages008/p8041m01_800.jpg)

Acor Single Bracket Carbon Bar Extension (http://www.dotbike.com/p/8041)

I've got one and it's very sturdy. Holds GPS and light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 07 May, 2012, 07:03:05 pm
A new rear tyre on the commuter bike. The old one was bald and I was getting a wheel related vibration from the rear which I think was caused by that. If it ever stops raining then I'll take it out for a quick spin.

Also gave the bike a much needed clean, wheels and chain off, scrub down and relube. The bottom of the bath was disgusting by the end! Trying some new ceramic wax lube in the hope that the chain won't get so dirty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 May, 2012, 07:10:54 pm
The Topeak Bar-X-tender is definitely better than the older CheeseGrips, but I haven't seen a new one in the flesh, so don't know if they're any better.  That Acor unit looks a lot more solid than any of the above.

I just fettled a paw protector onto the doors of the cat carriers, so that curious paws can't get to the spokes on the trailer.  It's made from a 4L milk carton, so there wasn't quite enough plastic to make it full height, but I think that Kai would have to be particularly limber to get his paw extended any distance out the top, and I don't think Zev is big enough to get her paw out very far at all, at that height (I think I've convinced myself of this!)

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/ZevAndKai/small.php?file=DSCF0506.JPG&size=480) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/ZevAndKai/DSCF0506.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 07:32:20 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 07 May, 2012, 06:54:18 pm
Will one of these help?

Acor Single Bracket Carbon Bar Extension (http://www.dotbike.com/p/8041)

Not really, it needs to be at 90 degrees to the bar it's clamped to for the standard mounting-things-on-the-front-of-your-recumbent botch:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/sprint/IMG_3274.sized.jpg)

The SpaceGrip is the right size and easy to work with, but in addition to withstanding the usual vibration, anything mounted in this position (including, unfortunately, lights and GPS receivers themselves) will eventually be used by someone with no mechanical sympathy as a convenient point to lift the trike by or as something to lean against while getting in/out of the seat.   :facepalm:

Bolts working loose is one thing, but I'm sure that metal band is going to shear catastrophically at some point.

On the SMGT, I have this handy stem-with-an-accessory-bar, inherited from Charlotte:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2205.sized.jpg)

It seems likely that the SJS accessory bracket linked above will do the job with a bit of clamp-abuse.


(In both cases, clamping accessory brackets to the USS handlebars themselves isn't a sane option, for various reasons).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 May, 2012, 07:43:26 pm
My old Trice had a small bit of tubing welded onto a flat piece, welded onto the main boom between my legs, specifically to hold a computer.  It was something like a £10 option to get Peter Ross to put it on the bike, but it was a great idea, welded on when the rest of the frame was built, and powder coated at the same time.  It would easily hold a GPS today, instead of a computer, and was much closer and more easily visible.  I don't know why more recumbents don't have something similar built on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 May, 2012, 07:46:50 pm
The up-front side of Barakta's derailleuer(sp) post looks like some sort of WMD 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 08:03:41 pm
Quote from: TimO on 07 May, 2012, 07:43:26 pm
My old Trice had a small bit of tubing welded onto a flat piece, welded onto the main boom between my legs, specifically to hold a computer.

The black tube with the cadence sensor on the Streetmachine is HPVelotechnik's effort.  Okay for a computer (or a remote gas-operated Barbie horn) but not really room for a GPS.

I've actually molished something similar from the leg of a pound shop camping stool to do the same job on the trike, you can see the end of it below the back of the Cyo.

Seat angle and sturdiness of thighs seem to make a lot of difference to the feasibility of GPS mounting further up the boom (see discussion of Charlotte's heatset mounted Garmin bracket in this thread (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47238.0))  Having it quite far forward means the screen's at a good angle for visibility, as long as you mostly use the data display or turn-by-turn navigation, and don't expect to be able to press buttons while moving.  Mounting to the bars is much better for button-pressability, and there seem to be some good options for out there for trikes (or at least those which don't have all the controls cluttering one lever).  We decided that given barakta's hand issues, she wasn't going to be operating a GPS while riding anyway, so it was better to put it where she could see it.

On a vaguely related note, I see that ICE are now doing an adaptor to change the angle of a boom-mounted bottle cage, so it faces the rider for easy access.  I expect something similar would work well for a GPS (they already do a computer mount that fits the same bosses):

http://www.icetrikes.co/explore-our-trikes/adventure/accessories (scroll right to the bottom)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 07 May, 2012, 08:47:33 pm
Those SJS brackets are very sturdy, to the degree that I wouldn't want to have to bend it much to accomodate a tube much bigger than the design 1 1/8 inch - but hopefully that's close to what you have if they've designed the trike to fit a standard 28.6mm band on front mech.
If it fits you'd be fine picking the trike up by it - it's not going to bend under a light load like that!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: giropaul on 07 May, 2012, 09:24:01 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 07:32:20 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 07 May, 2012, 06:54:18 pm
Will one of these help?

Acor Single Bracket Carbon Bar Extension (http://www.dotbike.com/p/8041)

Not really, it needs to be at 90 degrees to the bar it's clamped to for the standard mounting-things-on-the-front-of-your-recumbent botch:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/sprint/IMG_3274.sized.jpg)

The SpaceGrip is the right size and easy to work with, but in addition to withstanding the usual vibration, anything mounted in this position (including, unfortunately, lights and GPS receivers themselves) will eventually be used by someone with no mechanical sympathy as a convenient point to lift the trike by or as something to lean against while getting in/out of the seat.   :facepalm:

Bolts working loose is one thing, but I'm sure that metal band is going to shear catastrophically at some point.

On the SMGT, I have this handy stem-with-an-accessory-bar, inherited from Charlotte:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2205.sized.jpg)

It seems likely that the SJS accessory bracket linked above will do the job with a bit of clamp-abuse.


(In both cases, clamping accessory brackets to the USS handlebars themselves isn't a sane option, for various reasons).

Is this for military use? I'm sure that I can spot a ground to air missile on there somewhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 07 May, 2012, 09:25:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 07:32:20 pm
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/sprint/IMG_3274.sized.jpg)

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/SMGT/IMG_2205.sized.jpg)

It seems likely that the SJS accessory bracket linked above will do the job with a bit of clamp-abuse.


(In both cases, clamping accessory brackets to the USS handlebars themselves isn't a sane option, for various reasons).

You both have better eyesight than me! I wouldn't be able to read anything mounted way down there. I have the garmin on the (purely decorative) LH USS and AH's computer is between my thighs (oo err missus) on the boom. I also have no mechanical sympathy, as I picked the front up by the light yesterday.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 09:48:46 pm
Quote from: jogler on 07 May, 2012, 07:46:50 pm
The up-front side of Barakta's derailleuer(sp) post looks like some sort of WMD 8)

It's the Saik light (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=38096.0) that does it.  £5 eBay special, with the beam shape and battery life that you'd expect.  However, being battery powered, it outperforms the Cyo on Sustrans' finest awkward corners and at barakta's current climbing speed, so it's worth having as a backup.

It's also good for aiming the rocket launchers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 08 May, 2012, 12:51:31 pm
LBS fettled my forks, that they'd fitted & which had done less than 2000 miles.

I noticed there was play on Sunday morning. I tried tightening it, but no go. The star nut was so loose it was winding up the steerer. Took it back to shop this morning, where without me having to suggest they should do it for no charge, or even asking to see the receipt, they replaced the star nut on the spot, checked the bearings for play (none), & gave me back the bike. "It failed, we fix it."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 May, 2012, 01:07:01 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 08 May, 2012, 12:51:31 pm
LBS fettled my forks, that they'd fitted & which had done less than 2000 miles.

I noticed there was play on Sunday morning. I tried tightening it, but no go. The star nut was so loose it was winding up the steerer. Took it back to shop this morning, where without me having to suggest they should do it for no charge, or even asking to see the receipt, they replaced the star nut on the spot, checked the bearings for play (none), & gave me back the bike. "It failed, we fix it."

Good shop :thumbsup:

Everyone will have something fail at some point, how they respond when it does separates the cowboys from the honourable ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 08 May, 2012, 03:40:16 pm
I fettled my Boss's puncture. Her husband is away and I don't think it would be done until his return otherwise. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 May, 2012, 03:43:27 pm
I realise I didn't mention the most important bit of fettling I did at the weekend (in amongst tightening screws and pretending that rod brakes can be adjusted).  I poked around in a dark seat tube and somehow made it so that the seatposit fitted in down far enough on the lovely purple bike. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 May, 2012, 03:46:48 pm
Quote from: clarion on 08 May, 2012, 03:43:27 pm
I realise I didn't mention the most important bit of fettling I did at the weekend (in amongst tightening screws and pretending that rod brakes can be adjusted).  I poked around in a dark seat tube and somehow made it so that the seatposit fitted in down far enough on the lovely purple bike. :)

 :thumbsup: a very very important bit of fettling
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 08 May, 2012, 07:25:37 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 08 May, 2012, 01:07:01 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 08 May, 2012, 12:51:31 pm
LBS fettled my forks, that they'd fitted & which had done less than 2000 miles.

I noticed there was play on Sunday morning. I tried tightening it, but no go. The star nut was so loose it was winding up the steerer. Took it back to shop this morning, where without me having to suggest they should do it for no charge, or even asking to see the receipt, they replaced the star nut on the spot, checked the bearings for play (none), & gave me back the bike. "It failed, we fix it."

Good shop :thumbsup:

Everyone will have something fail at some point, how they respond when it does separates the cowboys from the honourable ones.
Yep. They're on the other side of town & there's an LBS round the corner. You can see why I make the trek.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 09 May, 2012, 09:01:23 pm
My Pearson's bottom bracket got infected with the grinding crunchies last night.  Today I dropped into Psychosurgery on Pentonville Road to buy a gorgeous metallic baby blue Crank Bros bb.  While I waited, one of the staff demostrated, with reference to my chain, what a properly maintained chain should look and feel like.  On arrival home I swiftly removed the crunchy old raceface bb and slotted the new one into place, where the gorgeous metallic blue will never be seen.

There's immense pleasure to be had in fettling when the right tools are there and there's no great rush and you know the ironing can wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 May, 2012, 09:06:51 pm
Quote from: Peewit on 09 May, 2012, 09:01:23 pm
My Pearson's bottom bracket got infected with the grinding crunchies last night.  Today I dropped into Psychosurgery on Pentonville Road to buy a gorgeous metallic baby blue Crank Bros bb.  While I waited, one of the staff demostrated, with reference to my chain, what a properly maintained chain should look and feel like.  On arrival home I swiftly removed the crunchy old raceface bb and slotted the new one into place, where the gorgeous metallic blue will never be seen.

There's immense pleasure to be had in fettling when the right tools are there and there's no great rush and you know the ironing can wait.

Lovely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 10 May, 2012, 08:39:19 am
I just fettled the rear brake on Vince, that had shifted and was rubbing slightly.  This will aid me in an hour or so, when I have to fettle a couple of cats back to the house from the cattery. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 10 May, 2012, 06:34:43 pm
I've been fettling some bits of Simonp's house over the past couple of days. Now I'm home I need to start fettling my own house too!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 May, 2012, 07:27:21 pm
Put the Midge bars onto Old Yeller ... they might look a bit weird, but initial impressions are that they're really rather nice.
Some minor tweaking of the brake lever positions might be required before I apply bar tape1, but all good so far.

1 - and before I do this, I need to decide: black or yellow bar tape? Since the bike is meant for predominantly off-road use, I'm thinking black might be better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 May, 2012, 07:53:20 pm
I've fettled the Pendle tandem rack OFF the Volvo.It needs wire brushing & repainting with Hammerite & some new stainless steel nuts,bolts & washers;the tandem rack.....not the Volvo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 10 May, 2012, 08:52:19 pm
Quote from: Feline on 10 May, 2012, 06:34:43 pm
I've been fettling some bits of Simonp's house over the past couple of days. Now I'm home I need to start fettling my own house too!

Last time I was at Simonp's house, it was definitely in need of some fettling  ;D.

Of course, that was at least two years ago. He's a changed man since then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 10 May, 2012, 08:55:40 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 10 May, 2012, 08:52:19 pm
Quote from: Feline on 10 May, 2012, 06:34:43 pm
I've been fettling some bits of Simonp's house over the past couple of days. Now I'm home I need to start fettling my own house too!

Last time I was at Simonp's house, it was definitely in need of some fettling  ;D.

Of course, that was at least two years ago. He's a changed man since then.

I didn't realise you had seen it! If you have then you realise the scale of the clearance and redecoration task at hand  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 May, 2012, 08:58:02 pm
Boabwording chain tubes.  All sorted now, I hope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 10 May, 2012, 10:31:07 pm
Quote from: interzen on 10 May, 2012, 07:27:21 pm
Put the Midge bars onto Old Yeller ... they might look a bit weird, but initial impressions are that they're really rather nice.
Some minor tweaking of the brake lever positions might be required before I apply bar tape1, but all good so far.

1 - and before I do this, I need to decide: black or yellow bar tape? Since the bike is meant for predominantly off-road use, I'm thinking black might be better.

Black and yellow splash! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Erudin on 11 May, 2012, 03:45:14 am
Hammered the bearings out of the american bottom bracket cups on my BMiX singlespeed bike that gets left out in all weathers whilst at work. The axle was seized to one of the bearings after 5 years of neglect, made use of a metal drain cover in the road to hammer it out, ordered replacement 6204 bearings from ebay for £3.20.

(http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8514/img0624h.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/406/img0624h.jpg/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 May, 2012, 08:20:54 am
Quote from: Erudin on 11 May, 2012, 03:45:14 am
Hammered the bearings out of the american bottom bracket cups on my BMiX singlespeed bike that gets left out in all weathers whilst at work. The axle was seized to one of the bearings after 5 years of neglect, made use of a metal drain cover in the road to hammer it out, ordered replacement 6204 bearings from ebay for £3.20.

(http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8514/img0624h.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/406/img0624h.jpg/)

Nahm that'll buff out, surely? soak in diesel for a couple of weeks, re-pack with grease and you'll be good to go :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 11 May, 2012, 11:04:02 am
Quote from: zigzag on 03 May, 2012, 03:10:36 pm
bought 1/8" 44t 110bcd chainring for my 3-speed folding bike to increase top speed (it had 38t 'ring before). ended up putting this 'ring on my runabout bike which had 48t chainset, <- which went onto my folding bike, providing it with 51/68/91" gears. ss runabout bike is now spinny 44x18. just need to buy 1/8" chain now as the old one is too short. z510 or pc1?

yesterday  - put a chain on a folding bike and did a test run. 91" gear is great for going fast, but now i need some drop or aero bars as an upright position is not compatible with fast riding. can't wait! (http://www.londonnocturne.com/foldingbikerace.php)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 May, 2012, 11:25:20 am
Assuming I can find something suitable, there'll be an 80mm stem going on the single speed, 'cross-ified Genesis tonight - for anyone who's interested in the old one (which is 100mm) it's on the FTGH thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 11 May, 2012, 07:19:23 pm
Rear end of Brompton.

Fitted new rear mudguard, including transferring little roller from old wheel. Much easier to do this with the wheel out, & taking it out reminded me of just how worn out the tyre was. Can't complain: it's been there since new (2003?), without ever having let a fairy through. Schwalbe make 'em tough. Thought it was also a good opportunity to replace the worn down (though not quite out) brake blocks, & once I'd taken off the old tyre (why, oh why, did I buy another one the same, instead of a Kojak?), I realised the base of the valve stem was showing signs of perishing, & I'd better replace the tube while I could do so without re-fighting the Battle of Marathon. Then I looked at the disgusting state of the bits I'd taken off & decided that the wheel & everything round it needed a good clean before being reassembled.

It was only going to be the mudguard . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 May, 2012, 07:29:25 pm
Quote from: interzen on 11 May, 2012, 11:25:20 am
Assuming I can find something suitable, there'll be an 80mm stem going on the single speed, 'cross-ified Genesis tonight - for anyone who's interested in the old one (which is 100mm) it's on the FTGH thread.
Or not, as the case may be - seems that the LBS had pretty much every length of stem except 80mm ::-)

So, an appropriate stem has now been ordered and I had to make do with putting the bar tape on instead.
This means there's now potential for a dual fettle next week involving the fitting of carbon forks and the new stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 11 May, 2012, 09:32:50 pm
Mrs. Wow's bottom bracket, which no longer clicks each time her left crank reaches the top of its travel; I succeeded in removing the sprocket form the tandem's Rohloff, which is a personal best. I have cleaned and reversed all the chain rings on the tandem, and ordered some more. I bought a new rear chain for the tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 12 May, 2012, 01:34:16 pm
Have put the washing machine on twice so far, and mowed the lawn. Thinking about some strimming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 May, 2012, 02:35:55 pm
Quote from: simonp on 12 May, 2012, 01:34:16 pm
Have put the washing machine on twice so far, and mowed the lawn. Thinking about some strimming.
Twice? You ain't even trying ;) (think I'm on the 4th or 5th load ATM  :o)
A bit of gardening is a definite possibility, though, and the gravelly bit down the side of the house could do with some weedkiller.

Bloody typical - the only two decent days we're likely to get for a while (if yr.no is to be believed) and I've got so much stuff to take care of that bike time is at something of a premium. Gah!

Actually, I tell a lie - I did manage to get Old Yella's bars taped; the stem will be replaced on Tuesday, with a bit of luck:

(http://www.interzen.co.uk/d1bars.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 12 May, 2012, 09:00:17 pm
Quote from: simonp on 12 May, 2012, 01:34:16 pm
Have put the washing machine on twice so far, and mowed the lawn. Thinking about some strimming.

Am now on 4th washing machine load. Have strimmed. And cleared a large amount of weed and moss. And some roots. Shredded a pile of roots I previously removed. Threw away some old rotten wood from the garden. Tidied and swept the garage.

Next up, making a curry for dinner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 13 May, 2012, 12:35:17 am
Sanded down some filling Feline did on Wednesday. Started hacking at some stuff with a bolster but decided 11pm was a bit noisy, so stopped and instead got on with putting a shelf up.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 13 May, 2012, 11:47:10 am
After the second chain-off incident in as many weeks, I used a Brooks saddle cover, a 3/8" ratchet-driver with 15mm socket, and a 4mm allen key to remove the (large) bit of slackness from the chain.

Put saddle-cover on saddle
Invert bike
Loosen rear wheelnuts
Put a few turns on the dropout positioning bolts
Tighten wheelnuts
Check wheel still rotates
Uninvert bike
Remove Saddle Cover

Total time: 3 mins.
Writing it up: 4 mins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 May, 2012, 12:15:17 pm
Quote from: rower40 on 13 May, 2012, 11:47:10 am
After the second chain-off incident in as many weeks, I used a Brooks saddle cover, a 3/8" ratchet-driver with 15mm socket, and a 4mm allen key to remove the (large) bit of slackness from the chain.

Put saddle-cover on saddle
Invert bike
Loosen rear wheelnuts
Put a few turns on the dropout positioning bolts
Tighten wheelnuts
Check wheel still rotates
Uninvert bike
Remove Saddle Cover

Total time: 3 mins.
Writing it up: 4 mins.

... having a chain that doesn't jump off - priceless timeless ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 May, 2012, 01:13:59 pm
Put new gear cables on and moved the wonky lever that's been in the wrong place for over a year!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gaston Lagaffe on 13 May, 2012, 01:50:22 pm
Shiny new chain, just got to cut the grass, and take it for a spin to check it out
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 May, 2012, 04:38:52 pm
What haven't I fettled could possibly be the question today.

Garage tidied
Purple mudguards sized up, but need some cutting and shaping to fit, so left for another day.
new disk pads on the On-One
rack made for hanging up of surplus sets of bars (surplus at the moment, but due to be used to find the right fit for Mrs T's new bike)
change tyres on the fixie
found new chain for fixie
found that new chain for fixie is too short, I need a 114 link one, not a 102 link one.
Fixed puncture caused by removing Marathon from fixie wheel.
cleaned chain on the On-One, due to it lagging a bit on Thursday night.
Pumped up the tyres on Mrs T's town bike
removed the wheels from the Paul Donohue, and put frame away for now.
spent an hour removing seat post from the new bike (note to seller, try using some grease :) )
I am sure there is more I have done, but I can't remember what :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 13 May, 2012, 04:42:06 pm
Cleaned dishwasher.
Hacked some drywall off window surround in order to replace it.
Replaced duvet.

Lurgy is slowing me down today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 14 May, 2012, 01:44:11 pm
I molished a post-holder-holder for posting and then posted it. So soon Butterfly should have a stopthethievingscrotesfromnickingmysaddleandbars bolt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 14 May, 2012, 01:52:41 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 14 May, 2012, 01:44:11 pm
I molished a post-holder-holder for posting and then posted it. So soon Butterfly should have a stopthethievingscrotesfromnickingmysaddleandbars bolt.

Yay!  :-* :-* :-* :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 May, 2012, 02:14:15 pm
Yesterday I failed to fettle the brakes on CrinklyCub's BMX hack bike, due to a lack of replacement parts.  It's got one of those infinite bar rotation thingies in the rear brake cable, which means you can't simply replace the knackered inner, and was desperately in need of new noodles, fore and aft.  And the front wheel's got a kink in the rim, presumably after losing a fight with a kerb, so even after truing the wheel it was still rubbing somewhat.

Since we were on a roll, I then helped CrinklyLion get a seatpost stuck in her mountain bike.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 May, 2012, 02:27:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2012, 02:14:15 pm
Since we were on a roll, I then helped CrinklyLion get a seatpost stuck in her mountain bike.   :facepalm:

Eeek! Is it not 27.2 then? Or is the post I brought round not 27.2?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 May, 2012, 02:33:54 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 14 May, 2012, 02:27:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2012, 02:14:15 pm
Since we were on a roll, I then helped CrinklyLion get a seatpost stuck in her mountain bike.   :facepalm:

Eeek! Is it not 27.2 then? Or is the post I brought round not 27.2?

Not having my lightweight racing micrometer with me, there was no easy way to tell.  It started out like it was going to fit with a bit of encouragement past the clamp, so we encouraged it.  And then after an inch or so it became really obvious that it didn't.  And then my shoulder made a horrid crunching sound (with associated pain) as we tried to get it out, so we decided to quit while we were behind and let someone with a bit more strength (or at least more stable shoulders) have a go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 May, 2012, 02:44:40 pm
Bugger!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 May, 2012, 03:12:18 pm
This actually took place yesterday, but: in a fit of pique I took the extremely bling Thomson stem off my Surly 1x1 and put it onto Old Yella so I could take it for a quick test ride. Unfortunately, whilst it looks very bling indeed and 90mm is a good stem length for the Surly, it's still a smidgeon too long for the Genesis (and the well-being of my back) - hopefully the 80mm stem I ordered should arrive at the LBS tomorrow, whereupon it will be fitted and given a suitable test-ride on the (mostly) off-road work route on Wednesday.

Also posted the now surplus-to-requirements 100mm stem to Mr. plumtree

Finally, if Charlie the Bikemonger's order turnaround time is as quick as it usually is then I'll likely be putting a 16T sprocket onto the 'spare' fixed wheel later on this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 14 May, 2012, 04:04:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2012, 02:33:54 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 14 May, 2012, 02:27:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2012, 02:14:15 pm
Since we were on a roll, I then helped CrinklyLion get a seatpost stuck in her mountain bike.   :facepalm:

Eeek! Is it not 27.2 then? Or is the post I brought round not 27.2?

Not having my lightweight racing micrometer with me, there was no easy way to tell.  It started out like it was going to fit with a bit of encouragement past the clamp, so we encouraged it.  And then after an inch or so it became really obvious that it didn't.  And then my shoulder made a horrid crunching sound (with associated pain) as we tried to get it out, so we decided to quit while we were behind and let someone with a bit more strength (or at least more stable shoulders) have a go.

I have a spare black alloy 27.0 seatpost lying around at home if that would help. I had a very similar experience to your mtb post fitting when trying to fit that into the raleigh (which takes a 26.8 )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 May, 2012, 04:10:17 pm
If I'm thinking of the right bike, then most Treks use 27.2mm seat posts nowadays.
Of course, if I'm not thinking of the right bike then what follows is likely to be complete bollocks.

Having said that, some seat posts can be a very tight fit - I found this out the hard way when I was building up my Surly 1x1; it took a 27.2mm post but required a bit more, ahem, encouragement than I'm used to giving (to the point where I emailed Surly to find out if the 1x1 really took a 27.2mm post or they had changed it and not updated the spec)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 May, 2012, 04:18:31 pm
Not the trek, the rattle can red scott.  I've stuck it in a cupboard to think about another day when I have two fully functioning arms again (the Elbow has been playing up muchly since Hull!) and some focussed anger to vent on percussive and violent seat post removal  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 May, 2012, 04:26:42 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 14 May, 2012, 04:18:31 pm
Not the trek, the rattle can red scott.  I've stuck it in a cupboard to think about another day when I have two fully functioning arms again (the Elbow has been playing up muchly since Hull!) and some focussed anger to vent on percussive and violent seat post removal  ;)
Just keep reminding yourself that I still owe you a tenner and I rarely come out in daylight - that should do the job I reckon ;)

FWIW, my money would be on 26.8mm - I went through the same palaver with my old Marin. I might have the old seat post kicking around somewhere if you want to try it at some future point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 14 May, 2012, 04:28:46 pm
Actually I'd completely forgotten that tenner.  You could totally have got away with it!

I haven't forgotten that I owe assorted ppl funds, just been too crap to get it sorted!  In fact, that shall go on my fettle list for tonight.  I WILL sort at least one of those out!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 May, 2012, 04:29:53 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 14 May, 2012, 04:28:46 pm
Actually I'd completely forgotten that tenner.  You could totally have got away with it!
Nah, I'm too honest  O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 14 May, 2012, 06:09:57 pm
Quote from: interzen on 14 May, 2012, 04:10:17 pm
If I'm thinking of the right bike, then most Treks use 27.2mm seat posts nowadays.
Of course, if I'm not thinking of the right bike then what follows is likely to be complete bollocks.

Having said that, some seat posts can be a very tight fit - I found this out the hard way when I was building up my Surly 1x1; it took a 27.2mm post but required a bit more, ahem, encouragement than I'm used to giving (to the point where I emailed Surly to find out if the 1x1 really took a 27.2mm post or they had changed it and not updated the spec)

Getting a seat post into my Surly was very stiff. Quick application of anti seize and it slipped in really easily.

Off course that won't help if you got an over sized post stuck in there...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 14 May, 2012, 08:26:18 pm
Not today, but yesterday I cleaned up a quill stem from the shed, for the n+1 project. It's shiny now! :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mobbsy on 15 May, 2012, 09:54:46 am
Garage tidied, tyres pumped 4, mojo still not located  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 May, 2012, 10:19:48 am
It's about 100 metres down your road.  Get on your bike & go find it ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 May, 2012, 10:24:58 am
Quote from: Mobbsy on 15 May, 2012, 09:54:46 am
Garage tidied, tyres pumped 4, mojo still not located  :-[
Probably hiding in the same place as mine. Let me know when you find it ...

(plans to ride in today thoroughly ruined by a hypo whilst I was asleep - I feel like death as a result  >:()
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Erudin on 15 May, 2012, 04:05:25 pm
Put the replacement bottom bracket bearings into my BMiX singlespeed using a headset press after packing them full of grease, and fitted a new chain and Dicta freewheel supplied by Charlie the Bikemonger.

(http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5148/img0724cb.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/img0724cb.jpg/)(http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/222/img0727tr.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/442/img0727tr.jpg/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 May, 2012, 04:21:51 pm
In light of a phone call from the LBS earlier, it looks like I'll be putting a new chainring and stem onto the yellow Genesis tonight  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 04:26:01 pm
Nothing today, apart from emptying my bank account (yet again).

Can you believe how much short cranks, suitable for a child's bike, are?  Most expensive I have found so far are ~£250!!!!

The ones I really like are £150, but I think we might end up with a cheaper option (like sending off a set of Truvativ cranks to Mike burrows or buying a set of Stronglight Impact Kids (unfortunate name bearing in mind my car/pigeon interface issues earlier))
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 May, 2012, 04:31:07 pm
These:

http://www.highpath.net/highpath/cycles/shorteners.html

or these:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-crank-shorteners-prod239/?src=froogle

Whereas both would fall into the 'functional but fugly' category, they're both cheaper than a pukka set of short cranks (and Chris Bell's stuff tends to be very well made). Highpath also do crank shortening as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 15 May, 2012, 04:31:35 pm
tiermat, I have two kids trek bikes sat in a shed, both with two-position cranks.

If I can get them home this weekend, strip the cranks, do you want them?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 04:34:32 pm
Interzen, I have discounted shorteners because 1) the Highpath ones look fugly and b) the Thorn ones won't work with HT2 cranks (which I would use if using shorteners)

MrC, if they are half-decent, then that would be very kind, but if they are just unbranded ones I am not sure they would look right with the build.

FWIW this is the frame (some people did see it the other weekend)

(http://iloapp.mikewoodmountain.co.uk/data/_gallery//public/5/1335982910_resized.jpg?width=853&height=640)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 May, 2012, 04:41:08 pm
For something like that, I'd be looking on fleaBay for a TA chainset (or something similarly spiffy) and then sending it off to Highpath for shortening  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 04:48:28 pm
I am still weighing up my options, this is one:

(http://hilarystone.com/images/sale%20images/Chainsets%20double/Shimano-600New-52-42.jpg)

£42 from Hilary Stone, plus cost of shortening.

or this:

(http://hilarystone.com/images/sale%20images/Chainsets%20triple/Shimano-500CX-triple.jpg)

Depending on if I want double or triple....

I am more confused now than I was first thing this morning.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 15 May, 2012, 04:50:18 pm
I had a set that were 155 from Mildenhall Rally a couple of years ago. They had been professionally shortened and were fine :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 05:00:56 pm
Cool, do you have any more info, butterfly? Like what make/model they were and who did the shortening.

I guess, as the pilot of that there tandem you will also be the best person to ask what length you set the crank shorteners to so I have an idea of what to get them cut down to.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 May, 2012, 05:23:09 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 04:26:01 pm
Can you believe how much short cranks, suitable for a child's bike, are?  Most expensive I have found so far are ~£250!!!!

Yes.  Anything less than 160mm that'll take proper chainrings is unobtanium.  TBH, you have to shop around a fair bit for 160 or 165.   >:(

Crank shorteners work, but bugger up the Q factor.  This may or may not be a problem.

SJS do proper cranks in a variety of sizes, (I got my 155mm triple for the bent from there) but they're not cheap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 15 May, 2012, 05:33:14 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 05:00:56 pm
Cool, do you have any more info, butterfly? Like what make/model they were and who did the shortening.
Umm, no - clarion may know. I think they are still around somewhere, so I he could look.

Quote

I guess, as the pilot of that there tandem you will also be the best person to ask what length you set the crank shorteners to so I have an idea of what to get them cut down to.....
I had the shorteners set at the shortest hole since that is what they are normally set at. I've no idea what length that is but I clarion could measure it. I think they were quite short for TLD, although she did cope! Those shorteners are really good though :).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Domestique on 15 May, 2012, 05:38:02 pm
One marathon plus on the rear wheel of a Brompton. Thats enough for today. I will tackle the front wheel in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 15 May, 2012, 06:01:39 pm
Not bike related: currently fettling Diablo III onto my PC for an evening of new-game-goodness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 May, 2012, 07:39:47 pm
I've just finished a double fettle, of sorts - took the Thomson stem off the Genesis and reunited it with the Surly 1x1, whilst fitting a new ProLite 80mm stem and a 38T Surly chainring1 to the Genesis - old 42T ring now consigned to the bits box. All I need now is for the 16T fixed sprocket to turn up and Robert is indeed your mother's male sibling.

1 - "No shifting ramps or other BS", quoth the blurb. Whatever, it looks bloody fantastic!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 15 May, 2012, 08:14:22 pm
Bit of a fettle-fest for me today,

fitted new SPD pedals to the touring bike, Shimano PD-M520's for those who are interested. Cheap as chips at £18.99. Fitting the cleats to my cycling shoes was interesting involved some drilling and swearing to get the old well mangled cleats off.

Fitted a fibre flare to the box on the back of my carry freedom trailer. Drilled the box and stuck a couple cable ties through. can still change the batteries but it's going nowhere in a hurry.

Fettled the dishes also, well washed up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 May, 2012, 08:17:29 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 15 May, 2012, 08:14:22 pm
fitted new SPD pedals to the touring bike, Shimano PD-M520's for those who are interested. Cheap as chips at £18.99. Fitting the cleats to my cycling shoes was interesting involved some drilling and swearing to get the old well mangled cleats off.

Fill the bolt heads with hot-melt glue.  Straightforward to pick out later, leaving an undamaged bolt you can actually use an allen key on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 May, 2012, 08:50:48 pm
Refitted my lockring and chain half way up Banstead Road :-[

This evening: Tightened up my chain, adjusted gear cable, trued wheels, adjusted brakes, found brakes didn't return properly, doused them in WD40, got pissed off, got the tourer out.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 15 May, 2012, 11:46:13 pm
Turned the tandem upside down and took it's chain and back wheel off. That's as far as I got today as had to go in to work this evening. I need to swap the not very well fitted rear mudguard it came with for a nice new SKS one and fit both new chains ready for the BCM600 this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mobbsy on 16 May, 2012, 10:30:42 am
Quote from: clarion on 15 May, 2012, 10:19:48 am
It's about 100 metres down your road.  Get on your bike & go find it ;)

Sun shining in Leeds right now so on the advice of Clarion I shall do exactly that, left or right out of the drive?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 May, 2012, 10:58:56 am
I favour the Left. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 May, 2012, 11:15:43 am
Mobbsy, go left, and if you haven't found it after 10 miles, turn around, go back and try the right.

Today I have fettled:
Fitted a Brooks to the InBred
Moved the Garmin mount on same
cleaned and re-greased the headset on the Ridley.

This PM I shall, hopefully, be stripping down the Flying Scot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 16 May, 2012, 02:35:53 pm
Fully re-sheathed & cabled the whole bike.

Glad I did, the brake cables had several broken strands at the nipple end, concealed inside the shifters.

Gearchange noticably snappier.

Since this involved removing the bar tape which was a bit the worse for wear anyway, it's now got proper black tape instead of the original white.   I'm mostly happy with this, but the bar-ends where the plugs go in are a bit untidy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mobbsy on 16 May, 2012, 03:00:01 pm
Quote from: clarion on 16 May, 2012, 10:58:56 am
I favour the Left. ;D

As do I, and indeed after a 25k loop I found it.
Interzen I saw yours out there too  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 May, 2012, 11:03:53 am
Quote from: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 04:48:28 pm
I am still weighing up my options, this is one:

(http://hilarystone.com/images/sale%20images/Chainsets%20double/Shimano-600New-52-42.jpg)


I have the 52-42 crank that came with the raleigh at home. They look quite similar to the first set there (I'll have to check them when I get home) - would you like them back? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 May, 2012, 11:04:59 am
I've got one of those!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 May, 2012, 11:33:33 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 17 May, 2012, 11:03:53 am
Quote from: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 04:48:28 pm
I am still weighing up my options, this is one:

(http://hilarystone.com/images/sale%20images/Chainsets%20double/Shimano-600New-52-42.jpg)


I have the 52-42 crank that came with the raleigh at home. They look quite similar to the first set there (I'll have to check them when I get home) - would you like them back? :)
Alternatively, I stumbled across this on the SJS website:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/alloy-compact-double-34-50-170-mm-steel-rings-chainset-prod13441/

At that price, it's worth ditching the rings and sending the cranks off for shortening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 17 May, 2012, 12:44:20 pm
PC fettling:

Changed the CPU cooler (heatsink and fan) from the original one that came with my Intel i7 for an Akasa (quite a cheap one).  The PC at light duty is now so quiet that all I can hear is my tinitus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 May, 2012, 02:13:18 pm
I have, hopefully, rid the walls of mould.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mobbsy on 17 May, 2012, 06:12:06 pm
Rear shock off Santa Cruz Superlight for despatch to Mojo Suspension tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 May, 2012, 06:22:04 pm
Just finished putting a 16T fixed sprocket onto the yellow Genesis - it now has 38x18 (free - low enough for off-road round here, but may need 20T for Dalby) and 38x16 fixed (for general tooling around and maybe even an Audax or two when my mojo turns up)

Now hunting for my tape measure so that I can measure up my Dave Yates fixed and get some idea of what size Pompino frame I'm likely to need - I have a project in mind involving a Sturmey S2 Duomatic hub  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 May, 2012, 08:53:31 pm
The tandem now has a new SKS rear mudguard, 2 shiny new chains, a mudguard light (as a spare) and a new rear rack light.
I had to get to grips with how eccentric BBs work to fit the timing chain, which was a first for me.

This was the first time I have used my springy-hookie tool thingy:
(http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/150/10221.jpg)
 for holding the 2 ends of the chain together while fitting Connex/power links etc, and it made the job sooooo much easier and quicker. IMO this gadget is worth it's weight in gold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 17 May, 2012, 09:00:37 pm
Goodness me. I can't believe you've worn out the chains already! What have you been lubing them with, carborundum paste?  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 May, 2012, 09:25:33 pm
I have a neat foldy chain holding thingy in my tool pot.  Not needed it yet. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 17 May, 2012, 09:29:53 pm
I can now confirm that Campag 10-speed rear mechs work faultlessly with 9-speed chains and levers.

Also the fixed has a shiny new 1/8 chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 May, 2012, 09:34:16 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 17 May, 2012, 09:00:37 pm
Goodness me. I can't believe you've worn out the chains already! What have you been lubing them with, carborundum paste?  :D

The timing chain was at 1% and the other one 0.75%! We were using Purple Extreme lube initially but found it just wasn't lasting long enough and needed reapplying during a 400. So now using Finish Line Ceramic which is messier but much longer lasting. I think the night after the Gospel Pass 150 when we left the tandem on the roof of the car in the rain because we were too knackered TBA to get it down caused some rust which probably didn't help the chains mucho!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2012, 09:36:56 pm
The timing chain, as on a fixed, doesn't really need to be replaced at low percentages of wear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 May, 2012, 09:43:29 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2012, 09:36:56 pm
The timing chain, as on a fixed, doesn't really need to be replaced at low percentages of wear.

We decided since we were unsure of the quality of the supplied chain, and it didn't have a special link in it, that replacing it with a known entity and then keeping the few spare links to carry with us as spares was a good idea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 18 May, 2012, 01:28:12 pm
Tiermat, try posting a wanted topic on the Retrobike forum. 

As for me, I've replaced the cruddy grub screws on my Bagman with some decent 4mm Allen bolts, it's now rather more sturdy.  Proper job  :thumbsup:

EDIT: Tiermat, how about these (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/junior-155mm-34-46-road-cyclo-cross-crank-chain-set-/130533486625?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item1e6466f021) 155mm cranksets on ebay, £49 or £25 without the rings?

Also, 145mm ISIS (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SINZ-Expert-ISIS-Crank-Arms-145mm-110-BCD-NEW-/320604931780?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4aa58b06c4)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 18 May, 2012, 01:38:56 pm
In preparation for some potential Welsh rain tomorrow I have fettled some bespoke YACF mudguard extensions for the tandem. My last creation made from an empty laminated sheet worked well so this time I added the personal touch.

Front:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/Photos/929dbb87.jpg)
Rear:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/Photos/8991e883.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 May, 2012, 01:40:39 pm
Quote from: Feline on 18 May, 2012, 01:38:56 pm
In preparation for some potential Welsh rain tomorrow I have fettled some bespoke YACF mudguard extensions for the tandem. My last creation made from an empty laminated sheet worked well so this time I added the personal touch.
I used to have something similar on my old Dave Yates tourer - instead of the YACF logo it had a warning sign with "WIDE LOAD" underneath it ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 May, 2012, 08:53:21 pm
Quote from: Feline on 17 May, 2012, 08:53:31 pm
The tandem now has a new SKS rear mudguard, 2 shiny new chains, a mudguard light (as a spare) and a new rear rack light.
I had to get to grips with how eccentric BBs work to fit the timing chain, which was a first for me.

This was the first time I have used my springy-hookie tool thingy:
(http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/150/10221.jpg)
 for holding the 2 ends of the chain together while fitting Connex/power links etc, and it made the job sooooo much easier and quicker. IMO this gadget is worth it's weight in gold.
For a cheapskate version get a bit of old spoke about 3 inches long. Bend a hook into each end. Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 May, 2012, 09:34:48 pm
Anyway, on to my fettling. The Girl's bike (Pinnacle Willow - is this the first bike named after a lesbian witch?) got a puncture the other day, so she got a lift home.  Unfortunately this has spanged the gear changing, so the bike fettling skills of Dad were called upon. Initial inspection showed the mech hanger is bent.

Get part number, clearly written on mech hanger.
Look it up on Evans' frankly poor website - only three mech hangers shown, none of which are the right one.
Phone Evans Crawley shop asking for availability of a BGRD-1. They don't recognise that number, can I bring it in to see?
Phone Evans Gatwick warehouse. Youth on the other end tells me "Computer says no". I suggest this is suboptimal as the bike is Evans own brand.
Grump.
Ride down to the Crawley branch with bent mech hanger in pocket, ready for a row.
Show part to nice young lady, who toddles off to the workshop and comes back with the requisite part.
I am now happy. 
The part is only a fiver.
I am even happier and thank her.
Ride back home and discover the mech (Shimano Alivio) is bent too.
Grump.
Ride to Evans.
Young man says the cheapest they have on "the computer" is a Campagnolo one. Ah. Send him off to the workshop where he returns with a Sora mech. Ah.
Ride off to Halfords. Nothing with the right cage length. Or price.
Grump.
Lunch.
Phone up LBS in Horley (5 miles away). No stock, can get one in for Tuesday. Plus bonus explanation as to why Shimano have put their prices up.
Phone up not so LBS in Redhill (10 miles away). Young assistant says he can do me an Acera. Set off on bike - it's a nice day after all.
Arrive Redhill.
LBS owner tells me Acera 8 speed might not work properly, so does me a deal on a Deore. Top bloke.
Young assistant in LBS is an Ex Evans worker. He explains that the mech hanger I was after (1) isn't on the Evans system, which is crap and (2) gets supplied as a spare with the bike, tucked in back of the wee book. Apparently the Wandsworth branch has a drawer "this big" full of them.
Ride home.
Fit new mech.
Adjust cable.
Phone The Girl to tell her.
Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 19 May, 2012, 09:39:51 pm
 8) Dad :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 May, 2012, 09:57:18 pm
When I got home I dealt with a few things which had made themselves apparent during today's ride. First I tightened the screws on the handlebar bag mount, which had begun to bounce alarmingly over rough ground and speed humps. Then I swapped the plain metal Massload bottle cage from the down tube to the seat tube and the black Tortec one the other way. The reasoning for this is that the Massload holds my thermos flask so I can have tea whenever I feel like it  :D, but it's too loose in the Tortec - It rattles quite a bit in the Massload, I'll have to fettle something out of an old inner tube to dampen it, I'm not sure it would even stay in the Tortec over bridleways and stuff - and I can take a bottle out and put it back into the cage on the down tube while pedalling, but if it's on the seat tube I have to freewheel. As I won't ever be pouring out tea while moving, it's more convenient to have the water bottle on the down tube and the thermos on the seat tube. This also gave me the opportunity to clean the tubes underneath the cages - they get surprisingly muddy - and swap the mini-pump holder that's mounted on the down tube cage bolts from the left to the right, so that it doesn't get knocked out when I'm carrying the bike up or down steps, as happened today.

Having done those two little jobs, I adjusted the saddle angle. I had a sneaking suspicion it would be more comfortable with the nose a tad higher - but now of course it feels too high! I suppose I should give it a proper trial to let me get used to it, rather than just down the hill and up again, but it was late and I was tired. Finally I considered cleaning the bike but thought better of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mobbsy on 20 May, 2012, 07:46:16 pm
Put a shorter stem on son1 new road bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 20 May, 2012, 08:08:12 pm
Went round to a mate's place with a heavily loaded pushchair (tents, track pumps, assorted tools and cleaning products/chain lube, that king of thing) to make use of her lawn for a test pitch of the new Laser Comp prior to the Arran trip.  Whilst I was there I tackled her daughter's bike, which I bought for £12.50 a couple of years or so back and gave her a year and a bit back.  Front wheel off, rim tape/tube/tyre refitted properly so that the valve wasn't squint in a pump-restricting manner, wheel back in and both tyres up to a rather more respectable psi.  Drive train cleaned (ish) and the brakes adjusted to not rub when riding and actually stop the bike when deployed.  And the saddle put up by a generous couple of inches.

(http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/403564_10150888396326839_551606838_9354432_215735229_n.jpg)

The track pump was then put to use getting the rest of the tyres in the shed up to rideable pressures
I probably need to start looking out for her next bike :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 20 May, 2012, 08:11:56 pm
Crinkles.  You rock.  You know?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 20 May, 2012, 08:35:30 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 20 May, 2012, 08:11:56 pm
Crinkles.  You rock.  You know?
That
Definitely!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 May, 2012, 09:47:27 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 20 May, 2012, 08:11:56 pm
Crinkles.  You rock.  You know?
Rock and fruit cake, I gather.

Today I re-fettled my saddle angle. Put the nose down a bit, having raised it yesterday. Pushed it a tad back as well.. I did this on the cycle track/lay by place above the roundabout at the end of the Severn Bridge, with my on-board 6mm allen key. Such places should be used.  :) It's much comfier now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 May, 2012, 10:34:55 pm
Fettled the Arkel Randonneur rack off of Red, and took lots of piccies to send to Arkel, and see what they say about the damage.

Put a Bagman QR Sport onto Red as an experiment, and fitted a CatEye rear light mount to the back of the Bagman (so I've got two rear lights on Red).

I took the rear wheel off of Vince to try and work out what's causing the rear wheel movement and slight clickyness.  I thought that the cones may need adjustment, but inspection shows that the axle has started to bend, and I suspect under pedaling force things are moving slightly.  Having had prior periods of replacing solids axles repeatedly, I decided that it's probably not going to survive in future (and the bearing surfaces may already be a bit damaged), so bit the bullet and ordered a cheap(ish) replacement wheel with a QR axle.  That'll get fettled on in a few days (hopefully).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 May, 2012, 11:01:48 pm
Checked how parallel the rear dropouts are?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 May, 2012, 11:06:00 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 May, 2012, 11:01:48 pm
Checked how parallel the rear dropouts are?

Yes, they appear fine, and it's a big heavy steel frame, so it would be damned hard to damage that, and I haven't had a fall on it, so I don't think that's the problem.

I've never had much success with solid axles, I just seem to be able to bend them easily, although the main problem I had was with an early Trice, where the dropouts were stupidly thick aluminium, but still far too flexible.  A QR axle solved the problem there, after I'd replaced the solid axle two or three times!

It was a cheap bike, so it's hardly surprising that the rear axle wasn't up to too much.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 May, 2012, 11:07:52 pm
Looking (without proper tools) is nowhere near accurate enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 20 May, 2012, 11:12:41 pm
Quote from: TimO on 20 May, 2012, 10:34:55 pm
Fettled the Arkel Randonneur rack off of Red, and took lots of piccies to send to Arkel, and see what they say about the damage.

Damage you say? I've got one of these... Should I be worried?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 May, 2012, 11:37:57 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 May, 2012, 11:07:52 pm
Looking (without proper tools) is nowhere near accurate enough.

Yes, but I don't have the proper alignment tool (damned expensive last time I looked).  As I said, I've no reason to think it's damaged.  I've abused far more fragile frames a great deal more than this one, without damaging the dropouts.

It's far more likely that it's just the axle being a bit weak, a cheap solid axle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 May, 2012, 11:42:53 pm
Quote from: smurphboy on 20 May, 2012, 11:12:41 pm
Quote from: TimO on 20 May, 2012, 10:34:55 pm
Fettled the Arkel Randonneur rack off of Red, and took lots of piccies to send to Arkel, and see what they say about the damage.
Damage you say? I've got one of these... Should I be worried?

It was moderately loaded, but just within what they say is reasonable, 6kg.  That was probably as heavy a load as I've ever had on there, but it ripped the main bolt through the slotted part, and basically made it unusable.  I've been using it, mostly on FNRttCs, for around twelve months, so probably only around 1000 miles of use.

This was about five miles into a FNRttC, but I managed to continue, because someone with a more conventional rack carried my top bag, and someone else carried her pannier (his rack was narrow, so couldn't take a top bag).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 21 May, 2012, 12:48:19 pm
Fettled a new Conti touring plus on to the front wheel of the tourer.  The M+ that has now been on there for several tens of ks of kms is looking a bit gashed and gouged, and they're just too stiff for me to get them on and off in the dark/rain/cold.  So I've got a 32 on the front, for peace of mind, and a newish 35mm M+ on the rear.

I'll change the rear one when we get home next week, just 'cos it looks odd.  When I commute regularly again I'll put M+ back on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 21 May, 2012, 09:31:02 pm
I fettled a trailer this evening.

First though I changed the MTB tyres that were on the quick release wheelchair wheels I had used for my heavy good trailer.  The MTB tyres were a temporary measure and I finally got around to fitting, with great difficulty, a pair of Schwalbe City Jets.

Then I had a look around for some light weight stuff to build a light weight trailer to go with Tiddles, the Brompton.

I started with an old aluminium rucksack frame.  The 'shelf' bit at the bottom was removed and put on the front side so that the concave surface becomes the trailer bed.
I then had a route around a load of old aluminium tent frames for some 'stuff'.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0391.jpg)

I cut the bent bits to make them shorter at the short end and so that they would interlock with a sleeve.  One of the bent bits was flattened at the long end for later.  The two long straight tubes are the axle tubes, one to fit inside the other.  The smaller one was drilled to take the locating balls from the quick release spindles from the wheel chair wheels.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0392.jpg)

The flattened piece was then wrapped around one of the cross members of the rucksack frame and riveted in place to form one half of the central draw bar.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0393.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0394.jpg)

The other bent piece was then riveted into the short tube and holes drilled to take the turn screw and the snap release button.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0395.jpg)

This is the axle with the holes drilled.  The smaller one was jammed into the larger one and a rivet fitted in the centre to locate it.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0396.jpg)

The front of the draw bar and the ends of the axle were then secured to the frame with stainless steel cable ties, pulled tight with the proper tool.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0397.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0398.jpg)

A quick assemble to check it all looks ok.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0399.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0400.jpg)

And dismantled.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0401.jpg)

I am now gluing some oak together to make the coupling for the Brompton seat post.  It will be a wooden version of the aluminum one I fettled for a friend's Brompton.  If it doesn't work I will make a proper aluminium one with a quick release airline fitting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 May, 2012, 09:36:01 pm
Ingenious! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 21 May, 2012, 09:45:06 pm
Thank you.
It is so light that I think if I filled the tyres with helium it would float! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 May, 2012, 10:01:17 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 21 May, 2012, 09:45:06 pm
It is so light that I think if I filled the tyres with helium it would float! ;D
In the spirit of scientific enquiry, there's only one way to find out ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 21 May, 2012, 10:11:27 pm
And bearing in mind that MFWHTBAB's engineering projects are generally weighed in cwts, even more remarkable! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mobbsy on 22 May, 2012, 06:07:44 am
Now that's fettling MFWHTBAB :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 22 May, 2012, 11:35:01 am
That trailer looks brilliant! What will you be using it to transport?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 May, 2012, 11:42:08 am
I haven't actually done it yet, but assuming that Charlie the Bikemonger has come up with the goods and the freewheel I ordered has turned up, I will be fettling a freewheel onto the S3X fitted to my Dave Yates ... recreating a close-ratio AW3, the expensive way  :o

There's method in the madness, however - I only ever really used the one gear on the S3X in 'fixed' mode, and since it has a threaded driver which will 'officially' take a threaded freewheel (as in S-A acknowledge that it can be done) I might as well give it a go in 3-speed 'free' mode and see how it fares on a longer ride.

It's not that I've gone off riding fixed, far from it, but the prospect of doing Audax-style distances on fixed isn't really doing it for me at the moment and it seems a shame to have the DY cooped up in the shed as it's a lovely bike to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 22 May, 2012, 06:34:34 pm
Quote from: Feline on 22 May, 2012, 11:35:01 am
That trailer looks brilliant! What will you be using it to transport?

I'm almost willing to bet that within a year it'll have been used to transport something unfeasibly large home from a carboot sale. Possibly a winch. He likes winches. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 23 May, 2012, 12:20:51 am
Quote from: Arch on 22 May, 2012, 06:34:34 pm
I'm almost willing to bet that within a year it'll have been used to transport something unfeasibly large home from a carboot sale. Possibly a winch. He likes winches. ;D
This is more then likely.  I have seven winches already so one more would hardly make a difference, like having lots of cats.  :smug:

Quote from: Feline on 22 May, 2012, 11:35:01 am
That trailer looks brilliant! What will you be using it to transport?
What we could do is test it, in the same way we tested my last trailer. :thumbsup:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC01730.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 23 May, 2012, 12:23:18 am
Not in MFWHTBAB's league, but I just fettled a Tubus Tara rack onto my tourer after receiving a big box from Germany today :)

The stuck bolt was still a problem and it's ended up with one bos being held on with a nut and a cable tie but it's all solid
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 23 May, 2012, 01:02:56 am
Quote from: Kim on 15 May, 2012, 05:23:09 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 15 May, 2012, 04:26:01 pm
Can you believe how much short cranks, suitable for a child's bike, are?  Most expensive I have found so far are ~£250!!!!

Yes.  Anything less than 160mm that'll take proper chainrings is unobtanium.  TBH, you have to shop around a fair bit for 160 or 165.   >:(

Crank shorteners work, but bugger up the Q factor.  This may or may not be a problem.

SJS do proper cranks in a variety of sizes, (I got my 155mm triple for the bent from there) but they're not cheap.

Bit late in the day, I'm afraid, but I used Miche Young cranks for my kids' bikes. I think one set was 155 and one 165mm.

Yes - Here (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/miche-young-chainset/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&referid=googwig&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=RTC_miche&utm_adgroup=MC_Miche_Chainsets&utm_term=miche%20young%20chainset%20broad) they are. £45.

ETA Actually, they may be a bit modern-looking for your project?

Further edit: this is what they look like on son's 24"-wheeled Peugeot...

(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b330/TimC_1955/Bikes/DSC00902.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 23 May, 2012, 11:47:45 am
Quote from: Arch on 22 May, 2012, 06:34:34 pm
Quote from: Feline on 22 May, 2012, 11:35:01 am
That trailer looks brilliant! What will you be using it to transport?

I'm almost willing to bet that within a year it'll have been used to transport something unfeasibly large home from a carboot sale. Possibly a winch. He likes winches. ;D
Here we go (for illustrative purposes only as the hitch isn't made yet.)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0412.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0410.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0411.jpg)

And a test of strength.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0415.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0416.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 May, 2012, 11:50:42 am
It seems stronger than I had expected.

One thing that occurs to me is what happens with unladen trailers.  They bounce.  And such a lightweight one might bounce more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 23 May, 2012, 11:56:27 am
But it is so light I could flat pack it and carry it on a rack.
I am working on a rucksack based front rack for the Tiddles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 May, 2012, 12:41:01 pm
Bet those big wheels reduce the bounce effect a fair bit, though, compared to more typical bike trailer wheel sizes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 23 May, 2012, 04:15:13 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 23 May, 2012, 12:20:51 am
What we could do is test it, in the same way we tested my last trailer. :thumbsup:

So, basically you're saying that if it can carry an Arch, it can carry anything?

Exactly how far away, in having things hurled at you terms, from Arch are you? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 23 May, 2012, 05:49:43 pm
Quote from: TimO on 23 May, 2012, 04:15:13 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 23 May, 2012, 12:20:51 am
What we could do is test it, in the same way we tested my last trailer. :thumbsup:

So, basically you're saying that if it can carry an Arch, it can carry anything?

Exactly how far away, in having things hurled at you terms, from Arch are you? ;D
I am at a safe distance and Arch will know what I mean, so stop stirring!.  ;D
Besides I sat on/in it and it took my 85kg weight so that is well in excess of an Arch.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 May, 2012, 05:51:54 pm
Quote from: TimO on 23 May, 2012, 04:15:13 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 23 May, 2012, 12:20:51 am
What we could do is test it, in the same way we tested my last trailer. :thumbsup:

So, basically you're saying that if it can carry an Arch, it can carry anything?

Exactly how far away, in having things hurled at you terms, from Arch are you? ;D
A comfortable distance, I'd say, unless Arch happens to be visiting ;)
Still, if you want a more stringent load test (me=123kg, currently), I'm more than happy to volunteer ;D

My own fettle: having received the extremely click-tastic ACS freewheel from Charlie the Bikemonger1 today, I've fitted it to the S3X on my Dave Yates giving me, in effect, an expensive remix of the AW3 - we'll see how it goes; if I like it I may well leave it as-is and stick to 'regular' one-gear fixed; if not, I've got a spare freewheel.

The only real change is slightly lower gearing (45x16 with the freewheel, as opposed to 45x14 in fixed-mode)

1 - Today's sticker was "Hello, I'm a bicycle!" - I'm trying to fight an overwhelming urge to stick it somewhere on the car :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 May, 2012, 05:53:30 pm
Fine tuned the ride position on the Pugsley, but too hot to test it ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 May, 2012, 06:39:11 pm
Quote from: interzen on 23 May, 2012, 05:51:54 pm
Today's sticker was "Hello, I'm a bicycle!"

That's for recumbents.  To pre-empt the inevitable shouts of "What the fuck is that?"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 23 May, 2012, 07:21:41 pm
I managed to destroy a bottombracket today.  >:(
So New bottombracket fitted and replaced crankset.
I found a couple of carscratcher bar end plugs, so now my "funbike" is meaner than ever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 23 May, 2012, 07:58:42 pm
Quote from: TimO on 23 May, 2012, 04:15:13 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 23 May, 2012, 12:20:51 am
What we could do is test it, in the same way we tested my last trailer. :thumbsup:

So, basically you're saying that if it can carry an Arch, it can carry anything?

Exactly how far away, in having things hurled at you terms, from Arch are you? ;D

Good point....  ;D

So, please note, I was right, and within 18 hours, about the winch...

(although it wasn't from a car boot sale, I think he swapped an old MR2 for it, Jack and the Beanstalk style...) ;)

I wondered about the bouncing too. Perhaps it should incorporate a water based ballast system, in plastic bottles or something. As a real load was added, the water could be drained away.

Actually, only today I saw a van towing a trailer which was basically a large oil drum lying horizontally, with a wheel each side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 May, 2012, 09:28:17 pm
Modified the bracket (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=48359.msg1169344#msg1169344) of the spare mirror I had squirrelled away after one of the ones on barakta's trike randomly fell off (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=48359.msg1237749#msg1237749) on this afternoon's ride.  I'm hoping it'll turn out to be a freak failure, as they were otherwise working well.   :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 24 May, 2012, 09:42:53 pm
Assembled a seatpost a stoker stem and bars, then: replaced the stolen seatpost on the Circe and pumped up it's tyres and rode it to work :thumbsup:

Wooooooooooo!
 
(did I mention that I am happy? ;D)

I said 'I think this is one of the best bikes in the world.'
Elder Charge (who was stoking for a change) said 'it's the BEST bicycle in the WHOLE world!' :thumbsup:

He's right, you know :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 24 May, 2012, 10:01:22 pm
You're really not helping with the tandem lust, y'know.... or maybe you are  ;)

I have implemented stage one of cleaning The Very Lovely Valencia.  She was, not to put too fine a point on it, absolutely minging.  Degreaser and brushes and buckets of water in the front street in the last of the evening sunshine have returned her from grubby grey and gunky to nearly black and not embarrassingly filthy.  Stage two will be completed in the living room, a thorough dry down (and baby wipes into some of the nooks and crannies that I missed) and some chain lube for the first time in a shamefully long time.... I'm a bad bad bad bike owner and I don't deserve her.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 24 May, 2012, 10:41:26 pm
I finally got around to fettling the trailer hitch.  I gave up on using Oak and decided to keep it simple.

I cut and carved a lump of aluminium to shape and drilled a 1/4" BSP hole in the centre and drilled and tapped an M6 through hole across it. It is asymmetric so that there is more movement upwards then there is downwards.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0423.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0424.jpg)

I think the next one I make will be turned in the lathe into a full hourglass shaped roller.  It will be easier and look nicer.

I then bent a strap of 1/8" thick aluminium and drilled it with two 6mm holes. and fitted an airline QR fitting.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0425.jpg)

The hitch fits on the seat post and allows for Yaw and Pitch. The airline fitting allows for Roll.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0426.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0427.jpg)

It is a much neater solution then the one I did for a friend, which was a little more chunky.


The trailer end is done but I forgot to take photos.
I turned a bit of steel to 17mm OD with a 1/4" BSP internal thread. The steel was then pressed into a bit of the tent pole tubing which was then riveted to the end of the trailer drawbar. The steel is a tight fit but is also drilled with a 5mm hole to take a M5 bolt that will secure the safety strap fittings, when I get them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 May, 2012, 10:46:17 pm
Very pretty.  Does it not rattle against the seatpost/clamp without a trailer attached, though?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 24 May, 2012, 10:48:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 May, 2012, 10:46:17 pm
Very pretty.  Does it not rattle against the seatpost/clamp without a trailer attached, though?
It might do.  My friend added a loop of 6mm rope under his to stop the bouncing noise.  I might add an O ring.  I also have some 'slick tape' so I might make a snugger fitting one with slick tape on it so that it moves but doesn't rattle.

It could do with being all nylon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 24 May, 2012, 10:56:42 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 24 May, 2012, 10:48:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 May, 2012, 10:46:17 pm
Very pretty.  Does it not rattle against the seatpost/clamp without a trailer attached, though?
It might do.  My friend added a loop of 6mm rope under his to stop the bouncing noise.  I might add an O ring.  I also have some 'slick tape' so I might make a snugger fitting one with slick tape on it so that it moves but doesn't rattle.

It could do with being all nylon.

You have to get friendly with a lot of GI's to get that much nylon!

Very neat, anyway! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 May, 2012, 11:31:32 pm
Meanwhile today I have been mostly mucking about with adhesives:

Firstly the epoxy on that mirror mount (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=48359.msg1169344#msg1169344), which had formed a nice drip-shaped blob overnight that required filing off.

Then the computer mount on the Streetmachine.  This has had a mildly irritating intermittent contact on the ground pin in extremely hot conditions (basically once the thermometer hits 30 or so, as it's inclined to do in direct sunlight on days like today).  Cause is the stainless steel pin in the mount having melted slightly into the plastic, recessing itself by a gnat's crotchet, when I re-soldered the wiring to swap the sensors around for recumbent-appropriate cable lengths.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/comp_repair/IMG_1400.sized.jpg)
(Photo for illustration purposes only: this is the normally-wired one on my DF bike after I repaired it.)

I dug out the hot glue protecting the contacts, performed some imprecise soldering iron voodoo and sealed it all back up again.  Also replaced the band of inner tube that prevents the computer falling out of its bracket when accidentally kicked, as it was perishing (presumably as a result of exposure to UV).

That done, I applied silicone seam sealant to the end of the upper vent zip seam reinforcement bit on the Akto, from which a quantity of water was found to leak during the heavy rain last Friday night (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=53970.msg1234340#msg1234340).  I also sealed the seam for the tie-back loop for the outer door (on advice from andrewc, who had his leak from that point) and the upper two loops from which the inner hangs, where I observed a small number of unexplained drips (probably condensation, but might as well be sure) during the same rain incident.

That done, I proceeded to test the computer bracket fettling with a bike ride.  No problems with the computer, but it was insanely hot and I ran out of water on the way back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 25 May, 2012, 09:18:24 am
Quote from: PaulR on 09 May, 2012, 09:01:23 pm
My Pearson's bottom bracket got infected with the grinding crunchies last night.  Today I dropped into Psychosurgery on Pentonville Road to buy a gorgeous metallic baby blue Crank Bros bb.  While I waited, one of the staff demostrated, with reference to my chain, what a properly maintained chain should look and feel like.  On arrival home I swiftly removed the crunchy old raceface bb and slotted the new one into place, where the gorgeous metallic blue will never be seen.

There's immense pleasure to be had in fettling when the right tools are there and there's no great rush and you know the ironing can wait.

My Pearson's gorgeous metallic baby blue Crank Bros bb got infected with the clunks and clicks of outrageous fortune the other night, just two weeks after its purchase.  I dropped into Psychosurgery in Holborn to get it replaced with a good old fashioned square taper bb (and therefore also a new chainset).  Very helpful service.  On arrival home I swiftly fitted the new UN55 and chainset.  Nobody will know that there is no gorgeous metallic blue hidden down there.

There's immense pleasure to be had in fettling when you think you've now got a component that will last for a good while and there's nothing other than the second semi-final of Eurovision on telly.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 25 May, 2012, 10:40:24 am
I have fettled air using my air guitar track pump...air into

the Langster
marj's electrickery bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 May, 2012, 11:53:53 am
Getting the trailer out to put it on Red to go and collect a new wheel for Vince, it had had a visit from the Fairy.  Since that's only the second time ever, I can't complain too much!  It came off, and the hole was found easily, and repaired, since that was faster than searching for the one spare inner tube I've got somewhere.  The tyre's a bit sad, after a decade or so, it's starting to perish a bit, so I may have to consider getting a new one.

Then of course, when I put the trailer on Red, the mounting fouled on the raceblades, but it only took ten seconds to remove the rear one, so not much of a fettle!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 25 May, 2012, 09:12:57 pm
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0433.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0432.jpg)

It does stand with the wheel folded but the camber of the road and the weight of the front bag were against me.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0429.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_0430.jpg)
Tracks ok, not as tight as the Ratrike trailer but this handles more like an artic.  Managed 20mph in traffic though.

Doesn't bounce much either and it was tested on a patch of cobbles.
The hitch is quiet but the little pegs and pins that are part of the rucksack frame rattle.
Arch weighed it at 4kg against 7kg for her trailer.  Most of the weight seems to be in the steel inset and QR airline fitting in the hitch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 25 May, 2012, 09:16:32 pm
I now have trailer envy. I think, when he's not looking, I'll fill the tubes with lead shot...  :demon:

No, seriously, it's fab, and riding behind it, it looked pretty stable. Plus, the big spoked wheels make cool shadows on the road!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 May, 2012, 10:07:07 pm
Sorted out the cable tension on the S3X - it now shifts a lot better than it did, but I still think I'll have to put an inline cable adjuster on at some point. Also moved Pugsley into his (temporary) new home in the shed, at least until I've finished clearing out the kitchen.

Various other bits of canned gear maintainence might also have taken place :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 26 May, 2012, 06:53:20 pm
Fitted new platform pedals, courtesy of interzen, to runabout mtb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 26 May, 2012, 07:53:35 pm
A mystery wet patch appears!

Use: Gooseneck Webcam.

(https://p.twimg.com/At1BqszCAAACbQ4.jpg)

It's super effective!

Dashed off to get a jab saw so I can gain access to that crawlspace and reconnect the disconnected joint.  Will fix tomorrow, meanwhile, no shower. Mmm, an excuse for stinky soap-dodging.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 26 May, 2012, 08:15:46 pm
Blue Meanie had 2 flat tires.  First was a simple fix. I fixed the second but it went down again!  On inspection there appeared to be a part of the tube that was abraded and another puncture had appeared here. Binned that tube & replaced with a new one.

He got new brake blocks all round as well, which meant I had to adjust everything again. I _hate_ adjusting cantilevers !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 May, 2012, 08:40:20 pm
Took apart and reassembled the Sram 3 x 7 hub from the Pino in an attempt to track down the clonking noise I have recently been blessed with. Pitting in one cone (easy to fix with a new cone, if I can get one) and small bit of pitting in a bearing cup (not so easy). Ah well.

Then when refitting the wheel, had a dose of the clumsys and dropped it. And it landed toggle chain down. And snapped the lug on the rod wot the toggle chain joins to. And we've got a  tandem club ride tomorrow. And it was five twenty five.

Oh dearie dearie me.

Phoned Darth Ian at Future, who had a rummage in his bits drawer to no effect.

Got jiggy with a file, and filed a new lug on the rod, which is just a bit of M5 or M6 studding. Then rummaged in the box of teeny things to find a 2mm drill bit. Faff around and finally drill a hole in the lug.

Unsquish the ends of the rivet that was in the broken lug, so the chain can be separated and tease it into position in the new lug. Thwack with hammer to rivet it shut. Refit to wheel. Refit wheel to tandem. 

Job done. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2012, 08:42:44 pm
The Hedge and assorted other front-garden triffids.  Figured I couldn't get more allergic than I was already.

It's now safe to use the front door wearing shorts and sandals without being stung.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 26 May, 2012, 09:10:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 May, 2012, 08:42:44 pm
The Hedge and assorted other front-garden triffids.  Figured I couldn't get more allergic than I was already.

It's now safe to use the front door wearing shorts and sandals without being stung.
Well that's the weather buggered then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2012, 09:17:06 pm
It's okay, there's still an impassable jungle out the back, preventing us from getting to the last known location of the barbecue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 26 May, 2012, 09:23:06 pm
I have just attacked the green stuff and can relax for another week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 May, 2012, 09:33:55 pm
Pro3 tyres, B17S Imperial saddle and Keo Carbon pedals onto HK's non-coupled Roberts. Adjusted cantilever brakes, pumped tyres, dug a kilo of flints out of the same tyres, replaced a couple of missing chainring bolts and wiped most of the grime off the chain of HK's MTB. Swapped HK's Keo cleats and helped adjust her MTB cleats.

Eliminated a persistent creak from my Moulton's rear suspension, fitted a rear Conti Grand Prix, a B17 Select and adjusted the brakes.

Nearly ready to put together my S&S Frezoni and to track down a nagging creak in my Brompton's BB. Perhaps tomorrow, after a nice ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 May, 2012, 09:55:43 pm
Did my final OU assignment for the current module  :thumbsup: Just need to submit it now but will sleep on that in case anything comes to mind.

Then as the other half was watching Eurovision I decided to dig out and fix my stash of holed inner tubes. Fixed four (though I forgot to sand prior to glueing the first two so they may need redoing) and the last two didn't provide an obvious hiss when pumped us so they may be ok. Will test in the bath tomorrow.

The inner tubes were definitely a good job done as I only had one spare prior to this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 May, 2012, 10:24:15 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 26 May, 2012, 09:23:06 pm
I have just attacked the green stuff and can relax for another week.

Forgot to say: Mrs. Hall mowed, or started mowing, the lawn.

Sometime after I fettled the lead on the mower, which is now not as long as it once was.

Whether the two events are connected I cannot say.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 26 May, 2012, 10:47:34 pm
Quote from: Adrian on 26 May, 2012, 09:10:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 May, 2012, 08:42:44 pm
The Hedge and assorted other front-garden triffids.  Figured I couldn't get more allergic than I was already.

It's now safe to use the front door wearing shorts and sandals without being stung.
Well that's the weather buggered then.

Following on, I've removed the mud-guards (OK Crud Road-Racers) from the light bike.
That'll be the final nail..............
I also took off the lights. They don't weigh much but there are hills to be climbed tomorrow.
Steep hills.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2012, 10:55:29 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 26 May, 2012, 10:24:15 pm
Forgot to say: Mrs. Hall mowed, or started mowing, the lawn.

Sometime after I fettled the lead on the mower, which is now not as long as it once was.

I narrowly avoided an embarrassingly similar incident with the strimmer earlier.  Whoever decided that orange was a good colour to make cables show up on grass ...had properly functioning red receptors, I suppose.  If I didn't resent every penny spent on gardening equipment I'd replace the cable with a sensible yellow or white one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 27 May, 2012, 10:04:13 pm
Kim: will the contrast improve if the weather lasts?

It is bikeability for Miss Dan the Elder next week, so her bike got a check over.
Then I tried to arrange a bike to take the tag a long and panniers to get Miss Dan the Younger to school and me and stuff to work, and for Mrs Dan to do the pick up with. That was quite a lot of faff - we have a shortage of flat racks, but I think we have something that will work, with an extra spacer below the hitch on the seat post.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 May, 2012, 01:03:59 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 27 May, 2012, 10:04:13 pm
Kim: will the contrast improve if the weather lasts?

In Kent, maybe.  Around here the triffids just get bigger...


Obfettle-by-proxy: Lent a spanner to a cyclist who was having horizontal dropout related wheel alignment issues on the towpath earlier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 May, 2012, 04:30:41 pm
I am not quite in fettling condition myself but my son is fettling his fixie. He is a total fettling-n00b so every little bit of the task is a first for him. So far he has worked out how to use my chain breaker and removed the old chain, washed the bike nicely, and has the rear wheel out and the lockring off. He is now attempting to get the sprocket off, although all I can hear from outside is groaning. I think he has now worked out he needs to turn it anti-clockwise having first tried the other way.

If he succeeds then he will next have to suss out how to make his new chain the correct length and use a Connex link to join it. It would be soooo much easier for me to do these things for him than stand back and let him try, but he is off to Uni in October and I am trying to make sure he has a handle on important life skillz  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 28 May, 2012, 10:32:39 pm
I am in mid fettle (suspended).  Recently I squeezed my wallet dry and a new CD player and Tuner appeared.  I plug them into my amplifier and cds played. Now for the radio.  Oh dear no antenna in the box.  The instruction booklet suggest I fit a roof aerial as hifi tuners always do.  I disagree I live in a good location. So for FM reception I had an old wire dipole from the old tuner.  So off to Maplins I go and acquire plugs and 75 ohm coax.  Two mistakes made.  The FM required an inline socket not a plug.  The impedance for the dab aerial I am to fettle should be 50 ohm oops.  I connect the wire FM aerial to the plug and a socket-socket adapter and plug it in.  The tuner pops up on Radio 3 and announces and the display shows a full strength signal. See outdoor aerial not needed here.

Now for the dab section.  This is a little trickier.  DAB is vertically polarised.  I could make a simple wire half wave dipole from wire and pin down the wall.  That would be the sensible thing to do.  A bee flies into my bonnet.  I had a quick look around the www to see if there was anything nice out there, in my opinion there was not. So I decide to fettle one out of brass tube.  So I toddle around the corner from work to the local metal stock holder. I ask for a length of brass round tube.  We look at the racks of non-ferrous tubing. I say I am flexible on tube diameter. I had asked for 1/2" but the tube we found had thick walls which was bad for the support I hope to use. He had nothing better.  Try that copper tube he suggests.  I think Ok it seems the best I am going to get.  He ask how much I want I say 2 pieces 35cm.  He takes the dark brown 'copper' tube and slices the required length off it.  He brings it back and shows the new cut ends. It turns this was brass after all. He said that tube had probably been on the rack for twenty years to get that colour.  I take the bits to the office to pay.  He makes a figure up, eight quid.  I give a tenner.  He hands me a fiver in change "that's close enough."  The plan is to clean the brass.  Shorten them to say 31.6cm. Get some wooden dowel with the same outer diameter as the tube.  narrow the top and bottom to the inner diameter of the tube.  I can now connect the tubes together.  Drill down and across the centres and run the coax though the middle, Solder the core to the upper brass and solder the sheath to the lower half. Run the coax down the middle of the lower brass tube though and out the side of another piece of dowel which will be stuck onto a wooden base.  Result one free standing half wave dipole better looking than anything I can buy.

As I said fettling was interrupted.  I still have a bad left hand from the crash two months ago.  So I clean the brownness off the brass. This revealed some serious scratches. Some serious polishing was required.  I replaced the deep scratches with finer scratches and the brass is at a stage where it does not offend.  Unfortunately although the hard work was done by my right hand the left hand which held the tubes became very sore.  So I need to rest before I restart.  Next weekends are reserved for bike stripping carefully preserving part and bolts for reattachment after the frames are repaired. So this project is on hold for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 May, 2012, 11:00:13 pm
Just replaced the Decathlon own brand cheap and cheerful slightly knobbly tyres on Vince with an old Nimbus Armadillo.  It's not exactly the best tyre in the world, but a bit smoother and easier rolling, and cheap (ie nothing, they were just sitting there perishing).  Of course, since I'm at work, I had to pump it up with the mini-pump, rather than the track pump at home, but I've got it reasonably solid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 28 May, 2012, 11:09:25 pm
I've been fitting a new kitchen door today - one of a pair "freecycled" from a neighbour's forecourt on Friday morning (Brand new, still in their packaging, and yes, there was a note saying "please take", so it's above board). It's been trimmed and all the holes and rebates for the door furniture have been drilled and chiselled out - it's currently on a pair of saw horses in the dining room, waiting for the second primer coat to dry. I'll get a gloss coat on the long edges and probably one face later tonight, and it'll be ready to hang tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 29 May, 2012, 12:00:34 am
I fettled an ominous clicking noise into the axle of my tractor today. :(

I was dragging this log out of some brush,
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0455.jpg)
And with the wheel spin and bouncing a clicking noise started up so I stopped pulling.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0456.jpg)

I will have to mantle a stronger axle, my way, as my molished bits don't break :thumbsup: but the bits from Ebay do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 May, 2012, 01:45:44 pm
Your tractor is cool! Mrs Cudzo's father also has a home-molished tractor, but his is grey-painted metal and lacks the, um, aesthetic qualities of your plywood(?) construction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 29 May, 2012, 05:50:38 pm
I fettled my pond. Cleaned the main pump and filter and got in to retrieve some large rocks that have fallen in over the winter. I then did a partial water change using the contents of 2 rain water butts. My Koi seem rather happy with their improved water quality  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 29 May, 2012, 08:12:20 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 May, 2012, 01:45:44 pm
Your tractor is cool! Mrs Cudzo's father also has a home-molished tractor, but his is grey-painted metal and lacks the, um, aesthetic qualities of your plywood(?) construction.

Thank you.  The wood is English Oak and Ash with some temporary phenolic panels until I can find some more reclaimed English Oak.

Any photos of the home-molished tractor? :thumbsup:

I removed the transaxle to find the source of the click.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0458.jpg)

The gears looked fine when I opened it up. ???
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0459.jpg)

Then I opened up the differential.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0460.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0461.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0462.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0463.jpg)

Opps!
 ;D

I think all the shrapnel jammed the diff and so I still had all the gears and drive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 29 May, 2012, 09:30:14 pm
Hillbilly cogs: only a few teeth left!

I've been fettling my phone.  I managed to crack the glass in a drop, and after some badgering, got Moto to agree to a warranty fix.  But 10 working days plus postage is way too long to be without my Precious, and the nerds all say that replacing the digitizer glass is easy, so for £20 from ebay I got the bits and it took an hour tops to swap the bad part out.

I'll call that £2 per day of not-lost use and well worth the money.  :thumbsup:

(and I now have T5 and T6 torx drivers AND a soft pry tool!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 May, 2012, 09:41:26 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 29 May, 2012, 08:12:20 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 May, 2012, 01:45:44 pm
Your tractor is cool! Mrs Cudzo's father also has a home-molished tractor, but his is grey-painted metal and lacks the, um, aesthetic qualities of your plywood(?) construction.

Thank you.  The wood is English Oak and Ash with some temporary phenolic panels until I can find some more reclaimed English Oak.

Any photos of the home-molished tractor? :thumbsup:
Yes - but I'm not sure where...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 29 May, 2012, 09:52:23 pm
I welded the diff!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0464.jpg)

Won't corner so well but.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 May, 2012, 09:54:23 pm
Scrapheap Challenge tastic!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 May, 2012, 09:26:40 am
Impressive!

My fettling was notable only because I did it in a small space jammed against the front door by the Circe, and after arriving home late.  I adjusted both brake and gear cables to make it much more ridable again.  :thumbsup:

Still need to do something about the slack spokes on my tourer. :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 30 May, 2012, 08:22:53 pm
Added a fan to my PC - in a place where a fan isn't meant to go (a much better place than where one is meant to go).  Thank you foam tape* for such wonderful wedging and acoustic acoupling.  Brackets?  Screws?  I don't that shit.  :smug:

* www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150711575442
* www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270731069597
(I no connection with sellers, other than a happy customer)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2012, 08:27:17 pm
The rear mudguard stays on barakta's trike, after I crashed into it.   :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 30 May, 2012, 10:42:24 pm
Fitted new fork to little miss hatler's new (eBay) MTB. V satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 30 May, 2012, 11:47:47 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 29 May, 2012, 09:52:23 pm
I welded the diff!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/EV%20Tractor/DSC_0464.jpg)

Won't corner so well but.....

There's diff locks and diff locks and that is certainly locked :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 31 May, 2012, 12:15:25 am
Possibly this should be in 'Vroom' but WTF?

There is a trend in modern vehicles to add a 'tactile' rubber coating to ABS plastic on dash, door handles and other contact points for a 'luxury feel' or something. After a while - approx 8 years if it's a 90s VW, about 6 if it's an E46 BM (Yes, Roger, that means you) or 36 months if it's French  :o this coating starts to peel.

Not only is it an unsightly mess, Citroen charge the earth for replacements. While I think on Volvo were just as bad . . . Anyway, today I found a solution. I've been splurging on *bay a bit recently and one of the 'bargains' I got was some carbon fibre effect vinyl for about 3 quid for 2 metres from China. When 'er indoors managed to break the bloody door pull this morning I was less than impressed but it spurred me to try recovering it. With the assistance of some scissors and a hair drier I managed to complete the job without creases. Not easy given that the surface is a double curvature. Obviously this looked odd and I had to do the other three.

Pleased with the results, if anyone wants a pic then I'll post some but this isn't really the place for carboned up barry boys, is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 31 May, 2012, 08:38:34 am
Quote from: Kim on 30 May, 2012, 08:27:17 pm
The rear mudguard stays on barakta's trike, after I crashed into it.   :-[
Opps! :facepalm:
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 31 May, 2012, 10:17:36 am
Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 04:34:54 pm
But, TBH, I'm somewhat underwhelmed by the sturdiness of the SpaceGrip...
Oldy (square tube) or newy (open metal frame)? Latter is much more solid.

I'd threadlock the tube clamp once appropriately aligned, anyway...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 May, 2012, 10:50:45 am
There is also the Topeak Bar X-tender (I think that's the spelling they use) which seems to be reasonably tough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 31 May, 2012, 10:54:10 am
Had to fit a washer/spacer on to a pair of mavic wheels as the 9 speed cassette wasn't wide enough. Weird, never had that before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 31 May, 2012, 11:02:04 am
Quote from: GrahamG on 31 May, 2012, 10:54:10 am
Had to fit a washer/spacer on to a pair of mavic wheels as the 9 speed cassette wasn't wide enough. Weird, never had that before.

That is 'cos wheel manufacturers are gearing (pun intended) up for the groupset manufacturers moving to 11 speed.

I had the same issue with the 6700 wheels I fitted to the ridley, never had it before, but now you need to add a small spacer behind the cassette.  this spacer is not supplied with either wheel or cassette!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 31 May, 2012, 11:06:27 am
Quote from: GrahamG on 31 May, 2012, 10:54:10 am
Had to fit a washer/spacer on to a pair of mavic wheels as the 9 speed cassette wasn't wide enough. Weird, never had that before.

Yes, this is normal.

If you are fitting a Shimano 9-speed cassette onto a Mavic M10 freehub, then you need to use the Mavic-supplied ( 3mm, IIRC )spacer.  ( This is because the Mavic freehubs are wider than Shimano ones, to allow them to accept Campag cassettes, AIUI. )
Mavic supply the spacer with their M10 wheels / hubs.

Furthermore, replacing a shimano 9-speed cassette with a 10-speed one requires that you also fit the Shimano supplied 1mm spacer, since oddly enough, a 10-speed cassette is narrower than an 8 or 9 speed one, due to a recess in the cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 31 May, 2012, 01:12:59 pm
I have had my pressure washer out and cleaned off a lot of the paving in my garden, and cleaned all my bins. I forgot how noisy the thing is, it's a good job I didn't leave this to do over the bank holiday weekend since it would have disturbed the neighbours. I am having a good spring clean out there this week!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 31 May, 2012, 01:37:22 pm
Pedals and saddle on to HK's shiny which I plan to ride (for 20 minutes at a time, only, honest, Katy) this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 May, 2012, 01:40:01 pm
Quote from: iddu on 31 May, 2012, 10:17:36 am
Quote from: Kim on 07 May, 2012, 04:34:54 pm
But, TBH, I'm somewhat underwhelmed by the sturdiness of the SpaceGrip...
Oldy (square tube) or newy (open metal frame)? Latter is much more solid.

The older one.  Ideally I wouldn't load it with more than a computer and a light with an external power source.  And certainly not on a bike where people are likely to use it as a lifting point.  The new one does look much better, but that solid bracket from SJS wins, given the lifting problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 31 May, 2012, 05:58:56 pm
Quote from: fboab on 31 May, 2012, 01:37:22 pm
Pedals and saddle on to HK's shiny which I plan to ride (for 20 minutes at a time, only, honest, Katy) this weekend.

*stern teacherly stare over the glasses*

And how long was madam planning to leave between times?  Hmmmm?

I have fettled some 4/5 year old children into people who might one day use an IT suite without making the IT technician want to tear her hair out.  This is a Good Thing, since I am their school IT technician.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 31 May, 2012, 06:18:03 pm
Got someone who's better at it than I am to fettle the front wheel of my Brompton.

Three broken spokes when I set off. I decided to risk riding it (gently) to his house, because the wheel didn't seem to be in imminent danger of collapse, & it's only about a mile & a half. Four broken spokes when I got there.  :-[ Luckily I had six spare spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 31 May, 2012, 06:19:27 pm
Spring fettling of the Missus 'old' (2006) Spesh Dolce - new tyres on redeployed wheels, new bars, stem, seatpost, saddle & bag, and chainset. Still awaiting rear mech, and during fettling I discovered it needs a new headset too.

(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b330/TimC_1955/Bikes/IMG_0175.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lardy on 31 May, 2012, 08:57:50 pm
Finally made myself one of these (out of an old number plate, bicycle pump mounting clips, and using a borrowed hot air gun):


(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7308609332_b1fb0d9c58.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/p-dimensional-space/7308609332/)


(Remaining piece of perspex with corresponding surplus mounting hole.)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/7308610346_387a676ca9_n.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/p-dimensional-space/7308610346/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 01 June, 2012, 01:46:05 pm
Today's fettling queue...

(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b330/TimC_1955/Bikes/IMG_0176.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 01 June, 2012, 02:26:44 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 31 May, 2012, 11:02:04 am
Quote from: GrahamG on 31 May, 2012, 10:54:10 am
Had to fit a washer/spacer on to a pair of mavic wheels as the 9 speed cassette wasn't wide enough. Weird, never had that before.

That is 'cos wheel manufacturers are gearing (pun intended) up for the groupset manufacturers moving to 11 speed.

I had the same issue with the 6700 wheels I fitted to the ridley, never had it before, but now you need to add a small spacer behind the cassette.  this spacer is not supplied with either wheel or cassette!

Joy! So that means I can fit the new Dura-Ace 9000 series gruppo to my £600 bike!

Very sensible of Mavic to pre-empt this even on their shimano free-hubs, am most impressed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mobbsy on 02 June, 2012, 07:47:31 am
son1 and son2's mountain bikes made 'road' worthy for a day trip to Dalby Forest on Sunday. I think they are ready for the red route. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 02 June, 2012, 05:42:43 pm
A repair to the clamping plate on a three bike Thule tow hitch mounted carrier.
It had shattered into three pieces which is mildly disconcerting.
I have welded it back together untill I can source a new one.
To be fair, I am pretty sure the breakage occurred when parked up and hit by another vehicle.
[img=http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8352/dsc0165peh.th.jpg] (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/dsc0165peh.jpg/)
.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 02 June, 2012, 06:09:05 pm
Got my kite photography rig sorted - new suspension hanger, stronger everything, experimented with using a phone in cam mode but cams are better with CHDK.  Now, finally, I give a damn about holiday weather. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 June, 2012, 07:47:41 pm
I made a poker at the forge, where I went to take some photos for the website (we deliberately overheated some steel to get a shower of sparks when it was hit). It has a pointed end (forged by me and the two Miss Zs), a sort of shepherd's crook on the end (everyone did a bit of that) and some twists about a third of the way down, again a joint effort.

Having seen the location, I think he might actually make a living from it.  I was worried it was tucked away and off the beaten track, but it's basically on the main square.  He's getting two days' training a week from a retired blacksmith (who can make some very intricate stuff) and practising the rest of the time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 June, 2012, 08:02:10 pm
Yesterday, finished off a fixed wheel yesterday.

Today, replaced the tyres on HK's mother's Roberts. Fitted a new front tyre to HK's Brompton and fixed the rear brake. Swapped round the tyres on my Brompton and cleaned it. Enough for one afternoon.

Tomorrow, planning on knocking over a few more bike jobs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 02 June, 2012, 08:11:45 pm
Another busted spoke on the Royal - must get round to replacing these wheels... And a bell fitted, my riding tends to be rural and this should be more effective than the polite cough I have to give as a warning of my presence when approaching horses from astern. Actually the horses don't seem to mind but some of the riders get a bit arsey.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 June, 2012, 08:27:16 pm
Borrowed a chain tool from ChrisS and repaired someones bike.. Hopefully it lasted long enough for him to get to somewhere when it could be properly fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 June, 2012, 08:53:10 pm
Used nail polish remover to clean away the glue that sticks the velcro closures on to my bar bag's map case. It was some kind of hot melt glue with a melting point around 25C - warm melt! Stuck it all back together with Uhu, works fine.

Various faerie visitations. Possibly time for a new tyre, meanwhile the newly installed Continental tube (old one had valve failure) looks odd - yellow valve cap clashes horribly with black bike!

Cut valve out of tube to make some kind of wrap around thermos flask so it no longer rattles in bottle cage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 02 June, 2012, 08:57:30 pm
Computer he no work. Wire into mounting bracket came out while I was trying to find out why, thus giving me the answer. Fixable, but I couldn't put my hands on a small enough cross head screwdriver, so looked among the bits, & hey presto! A spare Sigma cycle computer mount. Now working perfectly despite the ancientness (2nd millennium?) of the mount.

Moral: never throw away any bike part.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 02 June, 2012, 10:37:55 pm
not strictly today, but today I finished.

Having retrieved the Brompton (that I was given by a friend a while ago and have not until now fettled) from FiL's barn

no pics, but this week it's had...

a good clean
new narrow cloth rim tape (thanks to info on here), marathon pluses, new presta inner tubes and rim valve adapters
re-greased the front hub
re-greased the headset
new inner brake cables and outers reclaimed from the bits box
sturmey cable, toggle, and shifter (which were missing) reclaimed from the bits box, and not having a cable stop/clamp of the right size, the local farm supplies store came up trumps with a jubilee clip  ;D
removed, cleaned, and after cleaning up the chain tensioner, refitted the chain
chainstay bridge is slightly rusty so some epoxy  temporarily solved that
fitted my tan brooks B17 ti ( :thumbsup: ) and re-greased the seat post

ideally at some point it'll need a new pair of rims but at the moment it's perfectly serviceable and I celebrated with a short ride down the phoenix trail on it accompanied by  my 10 year old daughter  :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 June, 2012, 10:54:52 pm
I'm surprised you greased the seatpost. Bromptons have a plastic sleeve in the top of the seat tube. The seatpost tends to slip down while riding if there is any oil or grease on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 03 June, 2012, 09:04:58 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 June, 2012, 10:54:52 pm
I'm surprised you greased the seatpost. Bromptons have a plastic sleeve in the top of the seat tube. The seatpost tends to slip down while riding if there is any oil or grease on it.


 :facepalm: oh, I'd not noticed that. It didn't move whilst riding yesterday, but I was thinking having a greasy seatpost didn't really fit in with the  design/folding ethos. Opps. Still, easily remedied! Thanks LWaB....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 June, 2012, 09:16:02 am
If you took the chain tensioner apart, does it now seize if the pivot bolt is tightened completely?  If so, you've dropped a washer off inside.  Everyone makes that mistake the first time they do it but it's easily fixed.

Contrary to Internet "wisdom", a worn seat tube bush is usually very easy to replace.  Breaking out the old one is a bit tedious, since it never comes out in one piece, but once you've cleaned up the inside a new bush can generally be popped in with a few dabs of flexible glue.  Mine certainly didn't need reaming in situ and it works much better than the original factory job, moving very freely when the QR is open but gripping the post securely without much force needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 03 June, 2012, 09:30:44 pm
Cleaned my Yukon Fixed. It looks nice and clean again ready for getting wet and dirty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 June, 2012, 09:43:08 pm
Swapped a rim onto a dyno wheel, unpacked the Frezoni and dug out half a pound of glass and stones from some tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: steveh on 03 June, 2012, 10:19:27 pm
Finished setting up N+1 (Ribble Evo Pro Carbon, Shim 105 compact) yesterday, only to find seatpost too long for correct seat height for my short legs.
Checked forum, bright and experienced types say "cutting excess off carbon post he no problem" so did that this morning.
Father in law supplied suitable sanding / polishing materials so will finish it tomorrow.
New chain and computer on Yukon this morning.
Steve
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 04 June, 2012, 03:08:24 pm
I decided to give the Thorn Nomad a fettle.  I've had this for 5 years and some jobs have _never_ been done  :-[

Removed the cranks.  Driveside came off with no problems.  Non driveside required 2 kettles of boiling water, a 12" spanner & lots of foul language.

Removed the bottom bracket.  The driveside required so much force that it caused the EBB insert to slip, damaging the insert at it's thinnest point.  Going to need a new one.  :facepalm:

Tried to remove the sprocket from the Rohloff (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=58714.msg1244835#msg1244835)  :facepalm: :facepalm:

Sometimes I wish I was lazy & left everything to the LBS.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2012, 10:29:46 am
I'm mid-fettle of a bottle cage. Again! Having swapped the Massload from down tube to seat tube recently, I'm now replacing it with the spare Tortec. Reason: the Massload has pointy ends which can sometimes catch on the ends of my baggy just-below-the-knee-length shorts when pushing off. The Tortec has a much smoother shape. I'm currently allowing the relevant tube area to dry  :), having removed the old cage and washed the tube underneath it.

Mind you, yesterday my baggy shorts caught on my mini-pump, mounted by the side of my down-tube bottle cage, and knocked it to the ground, just as I was about to pull away onto the roundabout at the junction of the A38 and Bristol's northern ring road.  ::-) Fortunately, it wasn't that busy - bank holiday benefit! Might have to sort out that pump fitting too...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 June, 2012, 04:56:07 pm
Have had a busy weekend, in no particular order I have:

Made Paella
drunk beer whilst eating said Paella
Stripped and rebuilt the Flying Scot, Ridley and the fixie.
Ridley now has most of a 6700 groupset (it will have all of a 6700 groupset when finished, including wheels)
The Flying Scot now has all Shimano groupset (a mix of 105 and Tiagra)
The fixie now has a chain and brakes that work.
The next step is to finish the Ridley (chain, cables and adjustments), fit gear cables and a 10 speed cassette to the Flying Scot and then start on dismantling and re-matnling the InBred (which is getting the 6600 stuff off the Ridley)
Oh and the Holdsworth is now fully 6600 10 speed, due to a bargain buy from a retro-biker of some shifters, brakes and mechs, hardly used, for £120.
Plants all planted out, tidying up done and ready for another week at work :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 05 June, 2012, 05:07:36 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2012, 10:29:46 am
I'm mid-fettle of a bottle cage. Again! Having swapped the Massload from down tube to seat tube recently, I'm now replacing it with the spare Tortec. Reason: the Massload has pointy ends which can sometimes catch on the ends of my baggy just-below-the-knee-length shorts when pushing off. The Tortec has a much smoother shape. I'm currently allowing the relevant tube area to dry  :), having removed the old cage and washed the tube underneath it.

Mind you, yesterday my baggy shorts caught on my mini-pump, mounted by the side of my down-tube bottle cage, and knocked it to the ground, just as I was about to pull away onto the roundabout at the junction of the A38 and Bristol's northern ring road.  ::-) Fortunately, it wasn't that busy - bank holiday benefit! Might have to sort out that pump fitting too...
Might it not be easier to fettle your wardrobe?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 June, 2012, 05:25:38 pm
A bit more fettling on the yellow Genesis (now completely rackless and SQR'd up) and cleaning of same after yesterday's rather mucky ride.

Also drew up a 'to do' list of stuff that needs to be done on the two Surlys (new, longer chain for Pugsley, plus conversion to singlespeed of the 1x1 which may see the Alfine-11 getting flogged)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 05 June, 2012, 05:42:30 pm
Coventry Eagle's steering and brakes stripped down and rebuilt. I little brinelling on the bottom race but I think it should last the summer - I should have the makings of a complete headset by the time I get the forks fitted to the project bike. The brakes are not in terribly good condiftion and won't bear another strip and rebuild but they are working at the moment - time for a look on EBay perhaps. Oh the difficulties in running a worthless bike! Chain and mechs thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. Considering its weight and its low end build it's a surprisingly sprightly machine, and with its relaxed geometry and  1 1/4'' tyres quite a comfortable ride on our rough rural roads (alliteration). I'll be sad to see it go when that time finally comes.

Repaired a couple of p*nct*res collected over the weekend due to a thorn through the cover. Must remember to check for the cause... 

A run out on the Cannondale this morning meant that it needed an extra special clean - now v sparkly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 05 June, 2012, 06:25:39 pm
Stopped the buzzing noise coming from my front mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 June, 2012, 06:56:02 pm
Quote from: De Sisti on 05 June, 2012, 06:25:39 pm
Stopped the buzzing noise coming from my front mudguard.

A common problem... (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2152578/Anyone-bee-cycle-ride-Swarm-insects-settle-bike-basket-bringing-village-stand-still.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 05 June, 2012, 10:06:24 pm
Finally took the plunge.

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20120605%20-%20Misc/CIMG5538.jpg) ->

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20120605%20-%20Misc/CIMG5539.jpg)

No plingfuckits were harmed in this production; yet to test if fettlings made it better or worse...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 June, 2012, 10:14:15 pm
Switched the M520s on my Vantage for A520s. Hopefully this should give my foot a bit more support on longer rides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2012, 10:58:01 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 05 June, 2012, 05:07:36 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2012, 10:29:46 am
I'm mid-fettle of a bottle cage. Again! Having swapped the Massload from down tube to seat tube recently, I'm now replacing it with the spare Tortec. Reason: the Massload has pointy ends which can sometimes catch on the ends of my baggy just-below-the-knee-length shorts when pushing off. The Tortec has a much smoother shape. I'm currently allowing the relevant tube area to dry  :), having removed the old cage and washed the tube underneath it.

Mind you, yesterday my baggy shorts caught on my mini-pump, mounted by the side of my down-tube bottle cage, and knocked it to the ground, just as I was about to pull away onto the roundabout at the junction of the A38 and Bristol's northern ring road.  ::-) Fortunately, it wasn't that busy - bank holiday benefit! Might have to sort out that pump fitting too...
Might it not be easier to fettle your wardrobe?
They're new shorts! Besides, the new bottle cage provides a far smoother bottle withdrawal and replacement - seriously, I'm stunned there can be such difference in such a seemingly trivial item (bought about a year ago when they were half price in LBS  :thumbsup:) - and although my mini-pump is decent enough, this way I can get myself a new! shiny! much more betterer! Topeak Morph thingy. Or similar...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gordon taylor on 05 June, 2012, 11:02:41 pm
I fettled this today:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c22/gordon1314/IMG_3216.jpg)

 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2012, 11:33:07 pm
Yep, you've definitely earned yourself a  8) there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 06 June, 2012, 04:56:53 pm
Collapsible trolley rated at 90KG... (http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/49647/2078545280101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

But did this even when fully locked out, with the first slab...
(http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/48023/2608659220101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

Cut some leftover ex-greenhouse aluminium...  to be a tight fit.
(http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/47699/2146979600101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

(http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/49833/2411173520101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

Job done -  Moved x32 slabs (600x600x50) using this... with no further problems   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 06 June, 2012, 07:45:17 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 05 June, 2012, 11:02:41 pm
I fettled this today:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c22/gordon1314/IMG_3216.jpg)

 8)

Nice!  What's the diameter of the ends?

A colleague and I tried to fettle the winch we use to get paper sacks into the big skip, as it's started to be very hard to pull the chain in the down direction. As the bolts holding it to the gantry are rusted solid, this meant trying to dismantle it above our heads, while standing on top of the nearly full skip of paper. Thanks to gravity, the bits that fell out were not so much pingfukkits as thudfukkits, but we managed not to lose any among the catalogues and Daily Wails.

Eventually we got it all back together, no worse than before, but no better....  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 June, 2012, 10:29:49 pm
Away at Scout camp with Mrs Hall, we found the air bed pump was still at home. Bought a cheap replacement that had a teeny outlet tube. And the inlet to the air bed is huge. Cut a wine cork in half and bored a hole in it then chamfered the outer edge to get a perfect fit. All with my mora clipper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 06 June, 2012, 10:59:16 pm
Quote from: Gordy on 05 June, 2012, 11:02:41 pm
I fettled this today:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c22/gordon1314/IMG_3216.jpg)

 8)
Very nice!  :thumbsup:
I ought to make one of those, or similar, but I don't have big enough logs that aren't rotten.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 06 June, 2012, 11:32:33 pm
Topped up corrosion inhibitor in my central heating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 June, 2012, 06:36:08 am
Stripped down, cleaned and reassembled my brakes - with new blocks, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 07 June, 2012, 07:53:39 am
Quote from: andyoxon on 06 June, 2012, 04:56:53 pm
Collapsible trolley rated at 90KG... (http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/49647/2078545280101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

But did this even when fully locked out, with the first slab...
(http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/48023/2608659220101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

Cut some leftover ex-greenhouse aluminium...  to be a tight fit.
(http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/47699/2146979600101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

(http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/49833/2411173520101458909S600x600Q85.jpg)

Job done -  Moved x32 slabs (600x600x50) using this... with no further problems   :thumbsup:

My one of those very definitely says 50Kg...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 07 June, 2012, 12:38:04 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 07 June, 2012, 07:53:39 am
My one of those very definitely says 50Kg...

This is it... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-42514-Folding-Cap-65kg-42x48x99cm/dp/B0015A0ZNQ/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1339068792&sr=8-3-spell
http://www.rolsontools.com/search.asp?page=1&id=1107&tt=4&ct=2&searchKey=hand%20truck

Says 80kg in spec.  Slabs weigh ~40Kg each so should have coped.   Yeah, probably designed for bags etc..., but it was perfect for the slabs; just had to 'walk' them on and then off again. Bought it about 5 yrs ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 07 June, 2012, 12:48:33 pm
Mine was from axminster power tools about the same time, it does appear to be identical in every respect. other than my tyres are smooth, not grooved.  Mine does tend to "toe in" when pulled, but is fine when pushed.  It too, has been abused somewhat. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 07 June, 2012, 01:04:06 pm
Have not used it that much previously (not had a hard life), so IMO the specified rating on ours at 80kg is significantly over stated, should be more like 35kg.  Just a design issue really, as my 'fix', enabled it to cope fine.  I tried 2x slabs at once, but it creaked and so I thought better of it...  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 07 June, 2012, 01:15:12 pm
In view of the likely weather tomorrow night, I've refitted mudguards to my bike.
Mr Legg probably won't approve but I'd rather keep the water and gravel out of my arse thank-you very much.

I'm leaving the battery charging and tyre pumping until tomorrow.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 June, 2012, 03:46:01 pm
Quote from: Chocolatebike on 07 June, 2012, 01:15:12 pm
In view of the likely weather tomorrow night, I've refitted mudguards to my bike.
Mr Legg probably won't approve but I'd rather keep the water and gravel out of my arse thank-you very much.

I'm leaving the battery charging and tyre pumping until tomorrow.



I'm seriously considering taking the tourer as a pre LonJOG shakedown. That would mean full guards and front and rear racks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 June, 2012, 04:24:09 pm
I'm hoping most of the other riders also choose to fit mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 June, 2012, 04:28:16 pm
I'll be not un-fitting mudguards.  Indeed, I'll be bringing the recumbent, which has excellently behaved mudguards, and paradoxically appears to fit in the Stupid Car less awkwardly than the upwrong tourer.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 June, 2012, 04:46:29 pm
I have mudguards on my Orbit.  As a novelty, I have new brake blocks, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 June, 2012, 07:46:23 pm
old ones out - new ones in

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fJFFC6s5K0Y/T9D1ejZ7CTI/AAAAAAAACGE/1r-KsCIhq6U/s512/IMG_0252.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 June, 2012, 11:20:23 am
Fixed a server that a hardware engineer had replaced the main board on then neglected to rebuild the array, which is part of his job, not mine!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 June, 2012, 12:31:11 pm
Fettled nothing today.

Still hoping for the delivery I've paid a premium for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 08 June, 2012, 04:09:38 pm
OK, all charged up, lubed up and pumped up.

Now to start on the bikes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 08 June, 2012, 05:44:32 pm
Quote from: clarion on 08 June, 2012, 12:31:11 pm
Fettled nothing today.

Still hoping for the delivery I've paid a premium for.
Has it arrived yet?

I have fettled a plastic toe cap to protect my exposed toes from any further contact/impact injuries.
It is a cut off laundry liquid bottle jammed onto the end of the plaster* cast.  I will add some air holes so it can 'breath' a bit.

I did also stress my calf pushing it on.  Should have braced the cast and not just pushed against my foot. :'(
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0484.jpg)

*I'm not sure it is plaster, it feels more like a plastic and resin mesh .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 08 June, 2012, 05:50:22 pm
You will take your foot out before you put the holes in, won't you?  ;)

BTW, Tom (my boss) says he's disappointed you haven't got a proper cast he can write a facetious message on. He's threatening to send you a sticker to put on it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 June, 2012, 05:54:20 pm
A great fettle there MFWHTBAB but commiserations on the injury. Modern casts are indeed not plaster of Paris but instead a synthetic resin stuff that 'activates' when you soak the rolls in water, get really hot and then set as they cool down and dry out. They are much lighter and stronger than plaster and less messy to apply and to cut off. They are also less sensitive to getting soggy when wet while you are wearing them, but if the padding underneath gets wet it won't be the most comfortable feeling ever. GWS!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 08 June, 2012, 06:04:44 pm
Quote from: Arch on 08 June, 2012, 05:50:22 pm
You will take your foot out before you put the holes in, won't you?  ;)

BTW, Tom (my boss) says he's disappointed you haven't got a proper cast he can write a facetious message on. He's threatening to send you a sticker to put on it!
;D

Yes I removed my foot prior to cutting holes with a Swiss Army Knife. :thumbsup:

Quote from: Feline on 08 June, 2012, 05:54:20 pm
A great fettle there MFWHTBAB but commiserations on the injury. Modern casts are indeed not plaster of Paris but instead a synthetic resin stuff that 'activates' when you soak the rolls in water, get really hot and then set as they cool down and dry out. They are much lighter and stronger than plaster and less messy to apply and to cut off. They are also less sensitive to getting soggy when wet while you are wearing them, but if the padding underneath gets wet it won't be the most comfortable feeling ever. GWS!
Cheers.
It looks like good fettling stuff.  Hmmmm, must see if it is commonly available. :D
Shame the chap fitting it threw away most of a roll that he didn't use on my leg.  I could have used that to make the toe cap and it would be matching.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 09 June, 2012, 01:29:17 pm
A very basic fettle. In the car park in town saw a friends daughter trying to fit a brand new Orbea road bike she had just bought into the back of her 1 series BMW. It didn't fit until I demonstrated how quick release wheels work :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 09 June, 2012, 01:53:02 pm
My Mac died last night with an 'invalid sibling link' which is 'not a good thing ™'. Managed to recover the data, reinstall the OS and as a 'precaution' order a replacement. Now watching it download a couple of shed loads of updates.

Swapped the suspension fork on my Swift for a rigid one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 June, 2012, 01:59:52 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 08 June, 2012, 06:04:44 pm
Yes I removed my foot prior to cutting holes with a Swiss Army Knife. :thumbsup:


Wasn't that a bit drastic, it was only a damaged toe :o ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 09 June, 2012, 04:03:21 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 09 June, 2012, 01:59:52 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 08 June, 2012, 06:04:44 pm
Yes I removed my foot prior to cutting holes with a Swiss Army Knife. :thumbsup:


Wasn't that a bit drastic, it was only a damaged toe :o ;D
;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 June, 2012, 04:06:02 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 09 June, 2012, 01:53:02 pm
My Mac died last night with an 'invalid sibling link' which is 'not a good thing ™'. Managed to recover the data, reinstall the OS and as a 'precaution' order a replacement. Now watching it download a couple of shed loads of updates.

Swapped the suspension fork on my Swift for a rigid one.
I've got my old Mac Mini up on fleaBay. Just sayin', like ;)

Today's fettle was putting a CrudGuard on the yellow Genesis - I don't want to fit 'full' mudguards, but at the same time I don't want to get nearly as filthy as I did on Wednesday night as a result of running no 'guards of any description whatsoever.

Needed to snip a bit of the front section away so that it wouldn't rub on the fork, but job's a good 'un otherwise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 09 June, 2012, 05:27:07 pm
After six years the bartape on my bike is looking a tad (lot) ratty so added some more, decided to apply the new over the old in an attempt to increase the padding/comfort.

Well I've done one side and it's a tad fiddly isn't it? Never done it before so wasn't sure how much to overlap and misjudged it a little as ran out near the end but this worked out ok as there's no way the GPS mount would have fit over a double thickness of tape.

A bit meh round the curve of the drops but not too bad.

Going to leave the other side till I've done a test ride in case I find the bars too fat with two layers on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 June, 2012, 05:29:33 pm
Started painting the rat-bike fixie (notice the subtle change from POS to rat-bike? That's 'cos it's got a new frame :) )

Going for a Aussie-team inspired BRG and gold colour scheme, not too bothered about the finish etc so painting it in Hammerite.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 09 June, 2012, 08:01:21 pm
I had considered going at the project bike's Stronglight chainset with a tube of Autosol but a happy hour spent with a can of WD40 and a rag cleaned up the original finish and it looks great so I think I'll leave it like that. Built up various flavours of Weinmann brakes from numerous bits that I have collected recently.

Fitted the Carradice zipped roll to the Royal as a bar bag; the steering felt a bit odd during a brief spin in the afternoon but re-routing the back brake cable sorted that out. Odd clicking noise noted during the ride traced to several loose spokes on the rear non-drive side - presumably after lbs replaced spoke last week, hmm....went round them with a spoke key - now better. This is something I need to learn to do for myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 June, 2012, 08:53:01 pm
You will have to bear with my excitement, it was my first BB replacement so I was learning on the job!
Yay, I got the non-driveside crank off
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/9589f445.jpg)

And the rest of the chainset too
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/8ede166c.jpg)

Removed the old cups and cleaned the threads etc
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/4114370c.jpg)

Bing bling
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/c008e663.jpg)

Washing up
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/b3e01657.jpg)

Installed bling
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/5952b939.jpg)

Chainset back on (OMG, I am not sure I am capable of tightening a bolt to 48NM. My torque wrench only goes up to 30NM anyway!)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/98268594.jpg)

New chain
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/e0130b6e.jpg)

Test ride went great  ;D

The hardest bit of the whole job was fitting the GPX conversion kit to the non-driveside Hope cup. Hitting my new ceramic BB with a piece of pipe from the garage with a hammer wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my precious bling, but was unfortunately necessary to get the job done!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 June, 2012, 03:27:18 pm
I've brought my drowned Ixon back to life, after it gave up and got stuck in a permanent ineffectual flicker at the worst possible moment on yesterday's apocalyptic FNRttC.

I suspect the water got in through capillary action where the lens meets the body - the battery compartment seemed mostly dry, but the optical stuff was nicely misted up.  Either way, I opened it up, removed the switch cover, poured in a generous serving of isopropyl alcohol and sloshed it around (which immediately restored it to a flashing mode it's not supposed to have).  I shook it dry and cut one of the wires to the soldered-in battery pack, then left it on a radiator overnight.

Re-soldered the battery connection this morning, and it's working fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 June, 2012, 05:41:03 pm
I fettled a lorra lorra limestone mud off the Longstaff.It looks like someone owns it again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 June, 2012, 07:26:11 pm
More paint applied (badly) to the rat-bike fixie.

2 HDD added to the drobo. Now I have a total of 6TB of storage.

Bigblue backed up, once to the drobo and currently backing up to the external WD drive I bought, then bigblue will be wiped and rebuilt with Fedora17 (or might just go for RHEL6, as I have the media and a license, and all it does is serve up files via various flavours)

Cleaned the inside of my car.

Not bothering with Mrs T's as she is getting anew one in 2 weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 June, 2012, 07:33:23 pm
A whole set of waterproofs I'd decided were surplus to requirements before Friday night (as long as you are warm then you're fine right ::-)). Now all clean and reproofed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 June, 2012, 07:41:11 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 10 June, 2012, 07:33:23 pm
as long as you are warm then you're fine right ::-)

Yees.  Annoyingly only applies if you can stay warm.  Which means if your knee goes or you have a mechanical or whatever, you're going to end up huddled in a ditch burning your mudguards for warmth...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 10 June, 2012, 10:10:02 pm
Checked the tyres on all three bicycles.

Orbea Elorrio
tweaked front disc brake
swapped original alu seatpost (14,000km+) for a cf one I picked up a while back
swapped TeamProTi for B17

Moulton TSR30
swapped B17 for TeamProTi

Hewitt Cheviot
confirmed BB is gefukt (see rant thread)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 June, 2012, 10:24:48 pm
Fitted the parts the Bridgwater Bandits should have delivered Friday >:(

New cassette and chain, and Enduro computer.

Not changed the tyres yet, as the current ones aren't worn as much as I thought.  Probably when I return from a wee trip to Nottinghamshire...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 10 June, 2012, 10:34:37 pm
Cleared overgrown border. Lots of digging. Grouted patio slabs I re laid a few weeks ago (been waiting for a dry day...).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 June, 2012, 11:00:06 am
Tidied workbench

Removed frame from bike bag and placed it on said workbench

Removed wheels from fixie then placed the frame on the frame :)

Then removed chainset, chain and BB to allow me to access the parts hidden by said parts for painting

Applied more paint (hammerite)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 12 June, 2012, 04:55:58 pm
I've fixed the mud-guards on the light bike after the back one came loose near Bolton on Friday night.
Re-mounting the front guard to take it closer to the tyre involved a sharp drill bit, my finger and some blood.
Still, at least the finger prevented a hole in the tyre. So that's good.

I also took the opportunity to clean the bike and I've re-lubed everything.
Surprisingly, there wasn't a trace of rust on the chain despite the amount of water thrown at it recently and it was still running as sweet as a jelly baby nut.

Finally, I re-proofed my leg-warmers

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 June, 2012, 04:58:19 pm
Less gaff tape this time?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 June, 2012, 05:06:30 pm
Replaced the tube on the front of the tandem.The deflation was beyond repair.As I suspected t'other day the valve sleeve was delaminated from the tube wall.That tube has only been in there about 12 years iirc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 12 June, 2012, 05:08:00 pm
Quote from: clarion on 12 June, 2012, 04:58:19 pm
Less gaff tape this time?

Yes.
There's still some but it's much more carefully attached.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ferret on 12 June, 2012, 11:31:46 pm
after spending a rather pleasant day at Tewdrics I am now the proud owner of some rather nice hand built wheels and I am a couple of steps closer to understanding the dark art of wheel building,

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 13 June, 2012, 12:41:41 am
Two bottle cages to the Fisher 229 in preparation for our departure for 'Parts Furrin' on Saturday, along with a Topeak RX rack with dedicated bag. JIC I have also added a CREE torch (and a Cateye 'Triple Shot' courtesy of Interzen) for standby duties should we get pissed be out after dark and have to find our way home . . .

Also fettled the Falcon City 6 I picked up for Crinkly Lion on Saturday.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 June, 2012, 12:55:15 am
New chain and bigger cassette fitted to the tourer. While I was at it I also decided to fit the new rear mech I've avoided fitting for a few months. Looks nice and shiny now ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 June, 2012, 07:27:34 pm
I've fitted some flat pedals & toe clips to the pilot's cranks on the tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 June, 2012, 09:30:29 pm
I fettled the lawn into submission, this is the first time I've mown it this year where it hasn't been so long it's repeatedly clogged the mower up, so I must be winning the war. Did some weeding/bramble removal also.

I am about to start an epic garage-fettle, and have acquired a new bike rack and steel shelving for this purpose. I have a ground anchor and mahoosive chain to fit also. Next on the list to get is replacement 5 lever mortice lock for the back door and an alarm system since the garage isn't currently covered by the house alarm. At present it is patrolled by dogs (and cats) though  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 13 June, 2012, 10:17:59 pm
Adjusted the position of the shifters on the new bars and retaped the bars. If I've got the position right I may splash out on some new bartape as this is it's 4th retaping!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 13 June, 2012, 11:49:46 pm
Changed the starter motor in my car. Well, to be accurate I passed tools to my Dad whilst he did it  :-\ ;D

Then after dinner I thought I'd quickly change the front tube on my bike as it was unexpectedly flat this morning. Had a real bear of a time getting the tyre off and on again. It's normally tough but took ages today for some reason.

Was disappointed to find the puncture was dead in the middle of a previous patch and I think it's the third or fourth time I've had a hole in the same spot. Couldn't feel anything sharp and whilst the rim tape needed moving to cover a couple of nipple holes the actual puncture appeared to be between two spokes  ??? Hopefully I didn't pinch the tube getting the tyre back on as can't be arsed to do this all again in the morning.

Ho hum, at least the car is working now if I do need to use it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 June, 2012, 12:02:53 pm
So far today:

Fettled rhs bar tape on Dawes Horizon which was a bit wrinkled / loose.  All nice and neat now

Stripped wheels / mudguards off same bike, and gave wheel / mudguards and frame a really really good clean.  All nice and shiny now. 
Man with shiny Dawes is  :smug:

Fitted new brake blocks to the same afore mentioned bike. 

-- edit -- All put back together again!

Looking forward to a nice spin on it tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 June, 2012, 09:32:42 am
Not fettled so much as diagnosed.

As mentioned before, I swapped my cassette and chain for exactly the same items new, but found (the hard way) that I needed to fit a very thin spacer to make it fit.  Then I found out (the hard way) that I needed to adjust my mech to stop the chain going into the spokes :-[

But there's been a light ticking when I pedal.  It sounds like a spoke, so I've checked three times, but they are all intact (if scraped (see above :-[ ) and evenly tensioned.  Still the ticking.  Bototm bracket packing up again?  Don't think so.  Chain catching in the mech?  Nope.  Stiff link?  No.

Finally tracked it down.  The everso everso thin spacer has pushed the cassette far enough out that when the chain is on the middle ring and (second to) smallest sprocket*, it is catching just slightly on the tips of some of the teeth of the bigger ring I fitted last year.

So, to everyone I ride with tonight, I am sorry, it will tick quietly if I'm cruising along between about 25-35kph.  But, if it's raining, I promise you won't hear a thing.  And I'll work out a solution another day.**



* Don't ask.  I may end up ranting about a well-respected bike shop.  And we don't want that, do we?

** Ultimately, the solution for this bike will be an EBB and a hub gear, but, till i win the lottery, it's a long way off :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 June, 2012, 12:40:13 pm
Alas, too wet and windy for going cycling today.

So I took photos of my newly built bike:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 15 June, 2012, 01:44:36 pm
I've cleaned most of Kent off my bike, using the better part of a packet of baby wipes. I also pumped up the tyres and removed quite a lot of grot from the brake blocks. I put it outside and degreased the chain and left it to drip for a bit.

Then I cleaned most of Kent from the kitchen floor :thumbsup:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tom_One on 15 June, 2012, 10:30:08 pm
Cleaned my rear derailleur and fitted new jockey wheels. Hoping my new chainset, chain and cassette will come in the post tomorrow  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 16 June, 2012, 10:44:36 am
Sourced generic rear wheel with 7 speed hub from the LBS as a temporary replacement on the Royal. The plan being to rebuild on the original hub when I get hold of a jig. Cassette fitted as I had hoped without resort to a spacer but hub was 130 OLN rather than the 127mm of the original. I had suspected that it would be but thought that I could 'simply' spring it in. Which is what I simply did though it was a bit of a struggle, and I'm not looking forward to trying to do that in the dark, in the rain (with an owl, in a hole, up a tree) should that be necessary. Should...hah!

But for a basic wheel it feels fine, and what it lacks in lightness it makes up for in circularity, or something. Hope to have a longer run out later today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 16 June, 2012, 12:14:29 pm
This morning when I wanted to go to the market I found out my shopping bike had a flat rear tyre, so I went on the Brompton since I didn't need much anyway.
In the process of moving my home server data to a VPS (1.4GB at 1Mbit) I decided it was time to patch the tyre and the one that was stung last week by a huge spine. I was also going to replace the Kojak rear tyre back to the Marathon Racer that had the spine in it and wasn't easily removed on the spot. I successfully removed it the day after.

The patching went fine. Then I replaced the Kojak with the Marathon Racer. Just before I reached the target pressure of 6.5 bar the tube went empty. While trying again to find the cause of this, my SKS Rennkompressor decided not to kompress any more.
I opened the pump to see what was wrong. Apparently one of the rubbers wasn't attached to the pump handle anymore. I got this out of the pump cylinder with a bit of outer cable and put it back where it belonged. I then found out that the tube had a puncture on an earlier patch, so I threw it away.

I put in the freshly patched tube and pumped. Then I put the rear tube of the shopping bike back in and pumped. I'll have to check both again later today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 16 June, 2012, 12:26:52 pm
Built the rear wheel for my forthcoming N+1 - Deore hub and Rigida Spitnuk rim using a mix of Sapim Race and Strong spokes.  I also managed to fit a Marathon Plus Tour to it without swearing!

<edit>  It weighs over 5 lbs on it's own!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 16 June, 2012, 04:00:44 pm
Butter, sugar, eggs, coffee, walnuts, self raising flour, elbow grease.

Fettling a cake! :thumbsup:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0490.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0491.jpg)

Photos of post heat treatment effects, if successful, later! ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 16 June, 2012, 04:02:58 pm
It's so much easier baking when one has a MFWHTBAB to do the elbow grease bit! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 16 June, 2012, 04:17:41 pm
Just cooling down before icing.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0492.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 16 June, 2012, 04:51:34 pm
Ooh! That looks nice :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 16 June, 2012, 05:13:39 pm
Thank you, it has been maybe 10 years since I last baked a cake, definitely 5 years since I baked biscuits.

We are going to be good and leave it until tomorrow before icing and decorating with walnuts for Arch's birthday. :thumbsup:

Then I will make another one so that she can take one to work to thank them for lending me a wheelchair until I am mobile again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: madcow on 16 June, 2012, 10:38:02 pm
New chain, cassette, rear mech on Sabbath. Fitted almost new tyre on rear wheel as close inspection found tread coming away from casing. This is usually the way these tyres (Bontrager  hard case race lite) die.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 16 June, 2012, 10:55:37 pm
Some serious gardening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 17 June, 2012, 01:18:54 pm
CAKE!  ;D

A mix of coffee icing was made and some cat brains added.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0494.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0495.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0496.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0497.jpg)

Just have to wait until it is nicely set. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 17 June, 2012, 02:46:41 pm
Had to change inner tube and tyre before my ride tyre had a small split  >:(, gets home and had to change a rear wheel on my neighbours car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 June, 2012, 04:56:23 pm
Helping at one of the refreshment stops for the BHF L-B ride. Mended umpteen punctures, mostly snake bites. Loaned my track pump out a dozen times. People are so poorly equipped on these rides. First repair of the day was a slipping seat post, where the frame wouldn't close any further. Sliced a bit of beer can up with my trusty Opinel to make a shim. Worked well.

Had one unsolveable problem - bloke rocks up with a full sus BSO that had started making rubbing noises. he thinks it's the brake and the suspension needs adjusting. Logic suggests it's not the cause. Closer inspection reveals the wheel is loose, so I go about adjusting the cones. Which keep twisting when I apply a spanner, on account of the axle being broken.  Oops.  Put it all back together, do the QR up tights and tell him to ride carefully to the next repair stop. 

Gave away a tyre off my bike (again).  Called up Mrs Hall to rummage in the bits box for a LH crank, as we had a rider with a stripped thread. Mrs. Hall found one and brought it over. The rider was going to have Strong Words with her LBS on Monday, for not fitting her pedals properly.

Refiited a tyre to my bike, and as the tube from it had been inadvertently donated to The Cause used a tube I had repaired earlier. Which then failed so I got a lift home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 17 June, 2012, 05:55:41 pm
We fettled a whole cake into bits of cake.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/DSC_0500.jpg)
And very nice it was too! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 17 June, 2012, 06:08:04 pm
I'd just like to point out that the bit on my knee is not my slice, but the leftover bit after 5 slices were taken out....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 June, 2012, 06:23:42 pm
Not today, but a quarter to midnight on Friday.

The crew were gathered at HPC for the start of The Fridays' LONJOG Tour. And Sahar had trouble with her front light. The Cateye mount had lost its screw that allows it to swivel left to right but also holds the cradle onto the mount.

Scratch head.  No screws small enough in my Box of Bits. Scratch head again. What I need is a cable tie. 

Foom! Jurek appears. Has he got a cable tie? Yes he has. Several.

We fit two, tight, crossed.

Like this:

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4x57CztF1jc/T94MzfTP57I/AAAAAAAADXY/4e5Hx_vM-qM/s800/IMGP8562.JPG)

It lasted the whole day, at least. This snap was taken at breakfast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 June, 2012, 06:43:45 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 17 June, 2012, 04:56:23 pm
Helping at one of the refreshment stops for the BHF L-B ride. Mended umpteen punctures, mostly snake bites. Loaned my track pump out a dozen times. People are so poorly equipped on these rides.

you are a true gent, Tim. i agree that the condition of a lot of bikes is beyond beggars belief. riding alongside such "machines" the whole route can cause a long term depression. dry squeaky chains, rubbing brakes, under-inflated tyres, skipping gears... i rode into one guy whose chain jumped off the granny ring on a climb, luckily it was a low speed collision and no damage to the bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 June, 2012, 07:45:19 pm
Quote from: Arch on 17 June, 2012, 06:08:04 pm
I'd just like to point out that the bit on my knee is not my slice, but the leftover bit after 5 slices were taken out....

if you say so  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 June, 2012, 07:53:17 pm
New cable inner and outer for rear derailleur. With the last section of cable now longer and routed outside of the rack stays! A quick test indicates that all works as it should and is wonderfully light. Proper test tomorrow. Most difficult bit was working out which way round to reassemble the bits of grip shift!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 17 June, 2012, 08:57:46 pm
Quote from: jogler on 17 June, 2012, 07:45:19 pm
Quote from: Arch on 17 June, 2012, 06:08:04 pm
I'd just like to point out that the bit on my knee is not my slice, but the leftover bit after 5 slices were taken out....

if you say so  ;)

Yeah, I does sez so!  :P

We've just baked another, a plain Victoria Sponge, for me to take back to York and share at work. MFWHTBAB has enjoyed baking, and is talking of doing more next weekend.

He may have to reinforce the floor at some stage, if I'm eating homemade cake every weekend!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 17 June, 2012, 10:11:21 pm
Swapped a very old conti top touring rear on the commuter. It was down to the marrow.

Cleaned chain, ring and sprocket.

I then proofhided the stable (4 saddles in use). There's something about applying proofhide to a leather saddle that makes me think of 'fluffing', IFYKWIM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 17 June, 2012, 10:13:49 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 17 June, 2012, 04:56:23 pm
Helping at one of the refreshment stops for the BHF L-B ride. Mended umpteen punctures, mostly snake bites. Loaned my track pump out a dozen times. People are so poorly equipped on these rides. First repair of the day was a slipping seat post, where the frame wouldn't close any further. Sliced a bit of beer can up with my trusty Opinel to make a shim. Worked well.

Had one unsolveable problem - bloke rocks up with a full sus BSO that had started making rubbing noises. he thinks it's the brake and the suspension needs adjusting. Logic suggests it's not the cause. Closer inspection reveals the wheel is loose, so I go about adjusting the cones. Which keep twisting when I apply a spanner, on account of the axle being broken.  Oops.  Put it all back together, do the QR up tights and tell him to ride carefully to the next repair stop. 

Gave away a tyre off my bike (again).  Called up Mrs Hall to rummage in the bits box for a LH crank, as we had a rider with a stripped thread. Mrs. Hall found one and brought it over. The rider was going to have Strong Words with her LBS on Monday, for not fitting her pedals properly.

Refiited a tyre to my bike, and as the tube from it had been inadvertently donated to The Cause used a tube I had repaired earlier. Which then failed so I got a lift home.

That's a lot of karma, there. :thumbsup:

The universe says 'thanks'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 17 June, 2012, 10:26:44 pm
Today was topless gardening day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 17 June, 2012, 10:29:29 pm
I changed the inner tube on the tandem's rear wheel. The tyre was flat but it turned out to be a small leak from an old patch.

The side-walls of the Marathon Plus had cracked where the wheel was resting on it so I've just ordered a pair of Marathon Supremes form Winstanley Bikes, who seem to be charging less than anyone else. Even so, they are £35 a tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 June, 2012, 01:07:50 am
Shockingly, given that Piers traditionally has a comedy bike failure[1] on the Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride, the only bit of fettling I've done today was to provide Meegat with a bit of Mk 1 gaffer tape to secure a wobbly mudflap, and botch Piers's ineffectual car GPS mount thingy with a hair tie.


[1] This year he had a not-so-comedy legs failure, instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 18 June, 2012, 01:31:37 am
Poor Piers!

I fettled a mudguard with a cable tie this morning so it didn't flap around on the back of the car  :-[

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 18 June, 2012, 02:28:57 am
I fettled the hall and under-stairs cupboard. This might sound minor but was a few years overdue.

I now have a total of 12 pairs of outgrown football boots in varying states of mudiness to clean and donate to charity  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 June, 2012, 10:22:23 am
You've got a whole team there!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 18 June, 2012, 12:37:43 pm
Put the Salsa back together : seatpost/saddle mounted, wheels back on, rear derailleur back on frame, stem and handlebar back.
Gear and brakes adjusted so the bike work properly again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 19 June, 2012, 09:26:17 pm
Last Saturday I defettled my commuting bike that died in a crash in December. Next Saturday I will take it to the necromancers in Bristol (Argos) and bribe them with wads of cash to create a zombie bike. Be afraid, very afraid.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 19 June, 2012, 10:45:37 pm
I fettled an annoying and worrying squeak out of existence.  I started getting a pedaling synchronised squeak that I initially thought was shoe pedal contact, but no.  Then I got worried it was a crank coming off (and oddly enough I wasn't carrying a suitable spanner I could use to tighten that up), but it wasn't that, luckily.

Eventually I worked out that it was the seat, moving slightly as I pedaled!  (I've had this before, but probably not for a decade).  A quick tightening of the clamp bolt, and problem solved. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 20 June, 2012, 12:24:42 am
I fettled another cake tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 20 June, 2012, 08:26:01 am
Yesterday evening while avoiding the football I spent a happy couple of hours in the garden making components for my new workbench.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 June, 2012, 10:09:03 am
Yesterday I used the Rogerzilla aluminium foil trick (I'm sure he didn't invent it but I first heard of it when he mentioned it here) to remove some rust from various nuts and bolts. It works pretty well, better than I was expecting - and it's a good use for old cottage cheese pot lids!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 20 June, 2012, 10:51:13 am
Upgraded the memory in my Mac Mini from 2GB ("recommended for general e-mail and web browsing") to 8GB. It now flies along faster than a fast thing that flies really fast :D 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 20 June, 2012, 02:51:07 pm
Working from home today, so spent half an hour at lunch time swapping a 90mm stem for a 100mm - will try out the new super-aero position tonight :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 June, 2012, 04:30:28 pm
Almost nothing, which is suboptimal given I spent most of the day volunteering on a Dr Bike stall.   :facepalm:

Bad choice of location[1], mostly.

I did at least help a guy who'd just fixed a puncture put his wheel back on straight on the way home.

And I've just re-set the boom, seat and handlebars on the trike, so barakta can go out for a pootle.


[1] ie. Birmingham
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 June, 2012, 07:21:58 pm
I have stuck some lengths of old inner tube round a thermos flask to stop it rattling in the bottle cage. Fits snugly now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 20 June, 2012, 07:48:15 pm
Applying proofide to new saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 June, 2012, 10:21:49 pm
I just fitted some new SPD cleats to my shoes.  Actually, that was the easy bit, the challenge was getting the old ones off.  I had to hammer a sacrificial Allen key into a couple of the bolts, since they'd slightly deformed.  I also managed to slice my finger open on one of the discarded bolts, because they'd been so worn down, that the heads ended up razor sharp along the edges.

Now I'll probably have a clipless moment on the way home ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 20 June, 2012, 11:12:59 pm
Cut and installed plasterboard lining for the window reveals in my spare room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 June, 2012, 09:21:52 am
Quote from: simonp on 20 June, 2012, 11:12:59 pm
Cut and installed plasterboard lining for the window reveals in my spare room.
Fitted chain tugs to the 1x1 and Pugsley - normally I'd not bother, but the canned gears tend to get a bit stroppy if the wheel gets pulled too far out of track, especially the 11-speed. This is a Bad ThingTM, especially off-road.

Also, did some more fiddling with my prototype Arduino-based GPS logger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 21 June, 2012, 09:29:22 am
finally cleaned the chain on my Ti bike to try and reduce the graunching...  The bike shop warned me that the stuff frothed up a bit, but it's done a fair job!

this is it after I've laughed, then run and got the phone to snap a pic -
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/bikes/IMG_0112.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 June, 2012, 09:37:01 am
Quote from: mike on 21 June, 2012, 09:29:22 am
finally cleaned the chain on my Ti bike to try and reduce the graunching...  The bike shop warned me that the stuff frothed up a bit, but it's done a fair job!

this is it after I've laughed, then run and got the phone to snap a pic -
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/bikes/IMG_0112.jpg)
Bloody hellfire, it's Return Of The Thing ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 June, 2012, 12:16:04 pm
drain cleaner froths up like that dontyaknow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 21 June, 2012, 12:40:26 pm
Pumped tyres up. Hmm. If they were that soft when I did my 35 miles at 19mph then I could have gone a fair bit faster with some more air in them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 21 June, 2012, 03:26:58 pm
Replaced oil in the Rohloff hub and tires on my Thorn.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 21 June, 2012, 04:58:41 pm
Quote from: mike on 21 June, 2012, 09:29:22 am
finally cleaned the chain on my Ti bike to try and reduce the graunching...  The bike shop warned me that the stuff frothed up a bit, but it's done a fair job!

this is it after I've laughed, then run and got the phone to snap a pic -
Pink Foam

Won't using Cremola Foam make the chain and cassette a little sticky?   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 June, 2012, 11:34:59 am
A laminator.
Not at all difficult;only needed the application of the correct profanities in the right places in the correct sequence & the cack-handed use of a drewscriver.
No percussion was necessary in the making of this fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 22 June, 2012, 02:33:00 pm
The four-foot nettles in my garden  :-[ have had a thorough spray of weedkiller in preparation for paving the whole thing later in the summer.

I have a not quite 20 foot garden and the people I back on to have 30-40 foot leylandii.  I have no hope of getting grass to grow, I have tried for about 10 years.  So now it's going to be paving slabs with a bark area for the muttley.  That way I might actually use it!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 June, 2012, 08:31:11 pm
Swapped tyres on the Orbit for brand new Marathon Plus.  Inflexible as ever.

I'd earlier had to repair two p*nct*res.

I also decided to upgrade the jockey wheels in my mech, which proved rather more difficult than I had imagined. :(

Just as TGL and I set off to catch the train, we discovered that his freehub wasn't free at all (again), so, in the rain, I had to remove all the luggage, get the hub moving by hand, then complete the job with liberal quantities of GT 85.

He really needs a new wheel, I suppose.  As do I, since I found a gouge in the rim edge - possibly from the screw this morning. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 23 June, 2012, 07:53:33 pm
Completed construction of new workbench, using waste materials and general dunnage from the garage, much of which I have been carting about for years. I knew it would come in handy!

I just need to decide which end to fit my vice and we're away. Hours of happy fitting!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 23 June, 2012, 09:19:25 pm
Following on from an earlier rant about the bearings going on my fairly new Cheviot (3,000km) today I have installed new bearings and cranks.  While I was swapping chainrings over also took the opportunity to give them a bit of a clean.

Went out for a short test ride and all seems to be in working order.

Tomorrow, under another forumite's watchful eye, I shall be fettling some Brooks honey bar tape onto the Cheviot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 23 June, 2012, 10:23:33 pm
I have:

 - removed Pompino’s chain
 - cleaned sprockets, chainring, cranks, frame, wheels
 - re-trued both wheels using my new wheel truing stand
 - checked rear wheel bearings for play. There is a small amount of play but didn’t have cone spanners handy to investigate further
 - fitted new KMC stainless chain
 - removed Philips LED light bracket
 - removed multi-bracket and moved GPS mount to where LED light bracket was, and moved speedo to bars
 - adjusted angle of bars

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 June, 2012, 01:57:21 pm
Put about the eighth set of new SPD cleats on my 1999-vintage Sidi Dominators.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 24 June, 2012, 04:17:25 pm
Managed to get the bonnet open on my car with the aid of WD-40 applied in just the right spot and sorted out the oil and washer fluid (the only two user-serviable items on a 1-series...)

Stripped my headset down and the less said about that the better - that needs at least new bearings and seals.

Luckily, managed to swap my mtb pedals without much trouble!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 24 June, 2012, 04:37:47 pm
Got the batteries on the electric tractor on charge.

Fettled a bit of Kingspan foam into a box file for Arch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 June, 2012, 05:05:59 pm
Cut a 40 gallon oil drum in half, using a Lidl's reciprocating saw. Easy as an easy thing.

The plan was to install the newly separated halves into two existing altar fires, Scouts for the use of, replacing the rusty old ones. This plan failed as (a) the dexion framework was rusted solidly together and (b) the existing units have a half a half oil drum added to the end, forming a water tank. Rather nifty, but as it's all welded together, dismantling is going to be more than a 5 minute job.

The need to get on with this project, which has been on the go for at least 5 years, when I procured the empty oil drum, was brought home to us on Friday night. Barbecue for 100 people and lo! it was seen that the bottom of one of the existing drums had rusted out.  Some bright spark bridged the hole with an aluminium baking tray lid. Add charcoal, light barbecue. Wait a bit and watch in wonder as molten aluminium drips onto the ground.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 June, 2012, 06:37:38 pm
Regreased a couple of Campag hubs that were submerged on the Moors and Wolds 400 (no real need). Swapped the clapped out B17 off my bike for another B17 Select (gave up on the French saddle a while ago).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 24 June, 2012, 07:18:02 pm
Vice fitted to new bench, and strip light fitted above. The only bits that I have had to buy for the project are a couple of alloy edging strips for the ends of the 40mm laminate top left over from kitchen refit a few years ago. Reserves of useful timber now sadly depleted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 24 June, 2012, 08:45:53 pm
Swapped the flat bars for (just lying around and probably not permanent but good enough for a test ride) drops on the new (to me) Mercian.

Then removed the campag cantis and pedals and replaced with shimano ones (the cantis because I don't have any drop bar brake levers compatible with the campag cantis).

Changed the rather cumbersome nut and bolt seat pin polt for an altogether more svelte job.

Popped on a Brooks and went for a spin.

Unshipped the chain twice (front mech since adjusted) and the brakes needed a tweak, but everything else is lovely. Interestingly, the bike feels quite lively, though I thought it was very much a tourer. Could be the fact that it's completely unladen.

The chain is a link or two too short: can't engage big/big (I know one shouldn't, but I like to have the option in case I have a mad moment. Currently the drivetrain siezes up if I try. Not good.).

Just waiting for the colour-co-ordinated rack promised by the seller, and some panniers too. I'll be happy if he can also find the original bars and levers. I've ordered an inner chain ring because, strangely, the original has gone missing.

Oh, and some bar tape.

Otherwise, it's good to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 26 June, 2012, 03:14:48 pm
I swapped the FSA Gimondi chainset from the Pompino onto the Orbit, discovering in the process that the BB was shot, so had a quick spin out to get a new one. Found that the Orbit's chainset won't fit the Pompino due to foulage, so it'll be broken up for bits soon. I managed to get the adjustable stem off the Pompino frame after a struggle.

Replaced the Mezzo folder's rear sprocket with a 24t one to radically lower the gearing.

Fitted the kiddy cranks to the Thorn tandem and fixed the front derailleur so I can get all three rings now. Still struggling to get the Islabike Beinn's tyres back on the rim. Rain stopped play!

Isn't working from home great?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 June, 2012, 08:00:09 pm
Changed both the front brake pads and holders on the vantage. The holders because I'd managed to fit the retaining clips in too tightly last time and they wouldn't come out :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 26 June, 2012, 11:57:21 pm
Massaged oil into lots of nipples...
:
:
:
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 01:12:02 am
Took rear wheel off Pompino to investigate play. Arse. Largest come spammers I own are 17mm. I need 18mm. Ordered a pair from Parker.

While I had the wheel out I changed both tyres, both heavily worn. Ideas for a replacement hub 135oln to the 52mm chainline that these have appreciated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 June, 2012, 01:23:49 am
Quote from: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 01:12:02 am
Took rear wheel off Pompino to investigate play. Arse. Largest come spammers I own are 17mm. I need 18mm. Ordered a pair from Parker.

While I had the wheel out I changed both tyres, both heavily worn. Ideas for a replacement hub 135oln to the 52mm chainline that these have appreciated.

My idea remains a new frame with a 120oln  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 01:25:04 am
Shiny. But I have found some possible cheaper hubs than I was looking at which would make a much cheaper option than replacing the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 June, 2012, 01:26:41 am
Quote from: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 01:25:04 am
Shiny. But I have found some possible cheaper hubs than I was looking at which would make a much cheaper option than replacing the frame.

But the brown one does look very nice. Your frame is second hand and getting on a bit in miles anyway. You deserve a new one  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 27 June, 2012, 09:02:18 am
I supervised the wife in taking apart her Dave Yates frame-building course frame to back for a re-finish (twas an iffy paint job).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 27 June, 2012, 09:14:05 am
Quote from: Feline on 27 June, 2012, 01:26:41 am
Quote from: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 01:25:04 am
Shiny. But I have found some possible cheaper hubs than I was looking at which would make a much cheaper option than replacing the frame.

But the brown one does look very nice. Your frame is second hand and getting on a bit in miles anyway. You deserve a new one  ;D

Official N+1 largesse alert - get in there my son... ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 27 June, 2012, 09:32:28 am
I have a Goldtech fixed/fixed on my Pomp - still silky smooth after 35,000km, and unlike On-One fixed hubs, still available in 135.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 27 June, 2012, 09:35:02 am
filled a skip, mended some holes and painted them, put up a new gate and fence panel. Fixed a bit of code. Extracted an interview with Mrs J from the radio. Filmed some dogs, cats, a lizard and a snake. It's been a busy couple of days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 10:56:57 am
Quote from: iddu on 27 June, 2012, 09:14:05 am
Quote from: Feline on 27 June, 2012, 01:26:41 am
Quote from: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 01:25:04 am
Shiny. But I have found some possible cheaper hubs than I was looking at which would make a much cheaper option than replacing the frame.

But the brown one does look very nice. Your frame is second hand and getting on a bit in miles anyway. You deserve a new one  ;D

Official N+1 largesse alert - get in there my son... ;D

At most this will be a new frame. £99.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 June, 2012, 11:28:46 am
Upgraded the firmware on our BE router. It goes like this:

Download upgrade file.
RTFM
Can't find reference to *nix.
Find wizard for windows and Apple.
RTFM again.
RTFM again.
Find page for *nix users.
Need to download this package, do that command line stuff, sacrifice these chickens.
Decide to hook router up to laptop wot is running windows instead.
Use wizard.
Upgrade fails.
Use wizard again.
Upgrade fails
Use wizard again.
Success.
Note that settings have resorted to default.
Restore settings from backup (despite this being part of the backup anyway)
Think all is  well.
Realise WLAN settings are not restored.
Input WLAN settingsa byhand.
Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 27 June, 2012, 11:34:11 am
Quote from: Chris S on 27 June, 2012, 09:32:28 am
I have a Goldtech fixed/fixed on my Pomp - still silky smooth after 35,000km, and unlike On-One fixed hubs, still available in 135.

What's the chainline on that hub, 42mm? I'd need to change the BB. However, also they can be converted to 120mm at a later date allowing me to use the same wheel with a 120mm frame when this one really needs replacing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 June, 2012, 07:14:54 pm
It depends on the age of the Goldtec, but mine is 46mm with a Dura-Ace or EAI sprocket (works perfectly with a Sugino XD double crank - the triple is a different forging - and 107mm Shimano BB).  I think the newer ones have a much narrower chainline.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 June, 2012, 07:17:36 pm
Removed the jet from the Coleman stove, blew it out with carburettor cleaner and refitted it (you get a leak down the threads and a small extra flame if you haven''t done this for a while, which can make pans sooty).  Also oiled the pump plunger.

Among white gas stoves, the brass bling and utter simplicity of a SVEA 123 appeals to me, but the Coleman is far easier to light, especially when it's warm weather and the heat from your hands wouldn't be enough to prime an SVEA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 27 June, 2012, 07:37:12 pm
On the commute I realised my ride position on the Pugsley was too low so at lunchtime I twisted the bars so that the 'rise' was rising rather than pointing forward. Much more comfortable on the way home.

Then found out that the forks for my Swift had been serviced so I took the rigid ones off and put the suspension ones on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 June, 2012, 07:54:33 pm
The house.  We now have something called 'floor'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 27 June, 2012, 09:12:03 pm
Quote from: MFWHTBAB on 24 June, 2012, 04:37:47 pm

Fettled a bit of Kingspan foam into a box file for Arch.

Only just spotted this, and feel I should point out that this was at my request for a project, and not the crappest present ever.... ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 June, 2012, 09:54:25 pm
I managed to swap the cranks over on Butterfly's Van Nicholas.  It seems to be a success. :D

I recommissioned my fixed in an emergency as my Orbit is out of action.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 28 June, 2012, 11:31:20 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 27 June, 2012, 07:14:54 pm
It depends on the age of the Goldtec, but mine is 46mm with a Dura-Ace or EAI sprocket (works perfectly with a Sugino XD double crank - the triple is a different forging - and 107mm Shimano BB).  I think the newer ones have a much narrower chainline.

Thanks; I want to make sure it will work with a 135mm frame for chainstay clearance. It's 52mm at present (On-One 135mm hub) and there isn't clearance to move the chainset in by 10mm (current Goldtec is 42.5). However, I just measured and the chainring is at about 47mm and the sprocket at 52mm, as best I can tell. So I can get a 42.5mm chainline, I think, with the correct BB (chainset is a BLB 1/8"). So it looks like Goldtec win because when I do replace the frame eventually I can convert to 120mm track standard without having to replace the rear wheel *again*. Only concern is there doesn't seem to be a lot of space between the chainset and the BB at present, so I'm not sure how narrow it can go.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 June, 2012, 11:34:07 am
Nothing yet, but just about to go out to the garage and fix the front disc brake on the InBred, fit a 10 speed cassette and chain to the Flying Scot and other things that need doing....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 June, 2012, 02:42:35 pm
Update

Front brake found to be ok, if a little squeely, rear VERY squeely, but I found it had gone out of adjustment, so the pads were touching at the bottom before the top.  Ran through the BB7 adjustment guide and really tightened the bugger down.  Lets see if it squeels now :)

Whilst there I finished off the Flying scot (10spd cassette, chain, gear cables and bar tape) and then the Ridley (bar tape and adjustments and finally pedals).

Put the Pinarello back together, found the seat needed to go down so spent an hour trying to get the seat post out so I could move it.  Needless to say it went back with a large glob of grease attached :)

Managed to cut my finger whilst fitting bar tape to the Ridley, really must get a good pair of scissors for the garage.  Stanley knives are not really designed for cutting bar tape.

Only bike left to fettle in the garage is the fixie, but that can wait (needs a few more coats of gold paint on the lugs before re-assembly.

ETA: And upgrade the InBred to 10 speed, but that is a long term job as I use the InBred most.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 June, 2012, 02:55:22 pm
 :o

How many bikes do you have nowadays, Phil?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 June, 2012, 02:59:20 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 June, 2012, 02:55:22 pm
:o

How many bikes do you have nowadays, Phil?

Easy answer (and the one Mrs T would give) is, too many :)

Truthful answer, (this is between the 3 of us) is 11 plus two frames, another frame on it's way and one frame currently residing with Mr Yates, oh and a bike that RichForrest is still looking after, which I must get down to MK to collect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 June, 2012, 03:39:56 pm
We could do a pub run where we each borrow a bike  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 June, 2012, 03:42:27 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 June, 2012, 03:39:56 pm
We could do a pub run where we each borrow a bike  :D

Sounds like a plan, there are just 2 caveats though....

1) no-one, but no-one is allowed to ride the Carlton (apart from the lovely Mrs T that is, obviously)
2) The Paul Donohue is a frame, forks and wheels only at the moment :)

On the serious side, if you need a bike to get about on when you get back (one which hasn't had the attentions of an Indian road-side welder) then just let me know, I am sure I can find something for you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 28 June, 2012, 05:43:17 pm
I've done the deed, and ordered a wheel build from betd with Goldtec 135mm track hub. I think all I need now is an UN55 107mm BB, and then more fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 28 June, 2012, 06:06:33 pm
Am I allowed to report on last night's fettle?  The kind Professor Biggsy had sent me a campag brake adjuster bolt thingy and so I was able to complete the setting up of son #2's bike, a gorgeous Orbit America with a campag groupset, now with flat bars and flat pedals, briefly also with flat tyres because the original rim tape on the dinky 26" wheels had perished and gave way under 120psi. A bit of tightening up of bearings, shifting of stem and adjustment of brakes and we were done.

Son #2 rode it up and down the street at about 9.30 and declared himself to be absolutely delighted with it.  It may be a bit over the top as an occasional runabout but it fits him perfectly and he says it's amazingly easy to ride compared to his clunky 24" wheeled monster from decathlon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 28 June, 2012, 06:42:12 pm
Finally got round to fettling a lead with a DC plug, a switch & two DC sockets for Mrs B, in time for tomorrow night's Reading-Portsmouth ride.

She can now simultaneously use the unswitched LED light that fixes on a dynamo headlight bracket on her road bike & is dim by modern standards (but bloody bright compared to what I or anyone I knew had 20 years ago) & the slightly futzed Magicshine light (accidentally connected up wrong way round: burned out the switch circuitry, but not the LED), & thus have adequate lighting for an all night (with my extensive battery collection, which will all be charged & ready) ride on unlit roads. Huzzah!

There's even a back-up - a Light & Motion Stella 120.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Roadie on 28 June, 2012, 06:55:19 pm
Bought a topeak joe blow pump and inflated
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2012, 07:01:49 pm
Replaced the Shimano bar-end shifters on the Streetmachine with the Microshift ones I bought a while ago.  Not ridden it yet, but they seem to work well enough - if anything the indexing is slightly better.  Changed the bar grip foam while I was at it.  Cleaned the worst of the Knavesmere mud off, and re-lubed the drivetrain.

Also replaced the brake pads on the front of the Dawes, managing not to lose the retaining pingfuckits in the process.  Looks like it's going to want a new cable and a fresh noodle next time round, which is fair enough.

Am now insanely sweaty.  Might as well have gone for a ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 June, 2012, 07:31:07 pm
Yesterday evening had a proper look at my dragging brakes. Realised they needed grease not on the pivot but on the bearing (or should that be bushing?) between springy bit and brake arm. Presto, smooth(ish) action. But one arm on the back is not sitting straight on its mount - I can't work out why but it looks kinda terminal.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 June, 2012, 08:06:06 pm
No bike fettling today, other than adjusting the chain tug that I fitted to the yellow Genesis.
Most of the fettling has been of the electronic type, prototyping my GPS logger1 and writing the code that makes it work.

1 - before anyone asks 'Why?', the answer is 'because I can' ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 28 June, 2012, 08:28:56 pm
Quote from: interzen on 28 June, 2012, 08:06:06 pm
No bike fettling today, other than adjusting the chain tug that I fitted to the yellow Genesis.
Most of the fettling has been of the electronic type, prototyping my GPS logger1 and writing the code that makes it work.

1 - before anyone asks 'Why?', the answer is 'because I can' ;D

Ah, I am reminded.

A belt! Will PM you...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 29 June, 2012, 01:47:38 pm
I just replaced the front Conti Ultra Sport tyre on Red with a Michelin Pro3 Race.  They're both red tyres, but the Conti had a red tread, whereas the Michelin has a red sidewall.  The Conti had reached my pissed off threshold with the number of visitations I've had with it recently.  The tyre still seems to have plenty of tread, but it's just not very tough.  When you're getting far more front wheel visits than on the rear wheel, you know it's time to change.

Just to make sure that the amount of redness increases slightly (since I replaced the red Arkel TailRider with a black Carradice Barley), I've replaced the black SPDs with some red Ritchey Comp V4 Mountain pedals.  The SPD came off with 6mm Allen key (and some brute force from a pedal spanner on the left pedal, where the Allen key was bending alarmingly), but the Ritchey pedals need a 9mm key!

The old red tyre has been put aside for recycling by Arch at some point, when I can get it up to York without spending silly money on posting it!

I will also shortly be taking Zev off to the vets for some fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 29 June, 2012, 02:57:33 pm
A quick tyres / rack / sqr / rackbag / saddle bag switcheroo on the Dawes Horizon.

Off with the Bonty Race Light Hardcase, Carradice SQR & Barley saddle bag, and on with Conti City Contacts, rear pannier rack and carradice rack bag.   :thumbsup:

Soon to be used on long day rides!  ;D  (I find the rack and rack bag more stable than the sqr and saddle bag...)

However, the rear wheel bearing sounds a bit noisy...   :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 June, 2012, 12:34:04 am
Today I molished large parts of a humonguous Lego Star Wars TIE Defender. Little Cudzo did the other parts and most of the playing.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 June, 2012, 10:40:13 am
I put a new battery in the car, since the old one was original, 10 years old and had pretty much zero chance of working in the first frost of October.

It was *%^ing heavy.  85Ah and rated for 800A.  If you put it on your bike with a suitable 12V motor, it would get you from Hackney to Dunwich at a brisk touring pace.  It weighs as much as a week's camping kit, though, so handling would be compromised.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 June, 2012, 04:43:14 pm
A car battery charger.The + & - leads each had a broken wire where they were clamped into the crocodile clips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 04:53:52 pm
Quote from: TimO on 29 June, 2012, 01:47:38 pm

The old red tyre has been put aside from recycling by Arch at some point, when I can get it up to York without spending silly money on posting it!


 :thumbsup:

Cheers!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 June, 2012, 05:07:27 pm
Quote from: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 04:53:52 pm
Quote from: TimO on 29 June, 2012, 01:47:38 pm

The old red tyre has been put aside from recycling by Arch at some point, when I can get it up to York without spending silly money on posting it!


 :thumbsup:

Cheers!
Now I am reminded! This popped up in one of my Google+ streams - methinks it would appeal to Arch and MFWHTBAB ... a time-lapse Triumph Spitfire engine fettle :)

http://youtu.be/daVDrGsaDME
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 30 June, 2012, 05:27:53 pm
Quote from: interzen on 30 June, 2012, 05:07:27 pm
Quote from: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 04:53:52 pm
Quote from: TimO on 29 June, 2012, 01:47:38 pm

The old red tyre has been put aside from recycling by Arch at some point, when I can get it up to York without spending silly money on posting it!


 :thumbsup:

Cheers!
Now I am reminded! This popped up in one of my Google+ streams - methinks it would appeal to Arch and MFWHTBAB ... a time-lapse Triumph Spitfire engine fettle :)

http://youtu.be/daVDrGsaDME
http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=60939.0 (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=60939.0)
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 05:29:05 pm
Spot on, it's brilliant!

 :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 June, 2012, 05:29:58 pm
Quote from: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 05:29:05 pm
Spot on, it's brilliant!

 :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good, innit?
The ending demands a sequel of some sort ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 05:35:11 pm
Quote from: interzen on 30 June, 2012, 05:29:58 pm
Quote from: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 05:29:05 pm
Spot on, it's brilliant!

 :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good, innit?
The ending demands a sequel of some sort ;)

Yes, I want to see what those bits make! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 June, 2012, 05:38:10 pm
The InBred, it is now sporting a 10 speed cassette and shifters!

Shifting is a little on the rubbish side, but I put that down to worn chain and cassette, shall replace both at the first opportunity.

Tidyed the shit tip that is my garage, so I can now fit more bikes in! win-win, I'd say :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 30 June, 2012, 09:33:18 pm
I have a (non cycling) insulated water bottle with a spring loaded valve. Recently the valve had been making a bid for freedom so I heated a knife on the gas hob to bend part of the valve to thwart  it's escape.


Tomorrow's fettling plans include removing molten plastic from the cutlery....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 01 July, 2012, 10:57:21 am
(Last night) Got the inbred out of the shed, found two flat tyres. Sorted them. Turned bike over and found the headset was flapping in the breeze. Couldn't get it to tighten. Went to bed, after midnight, rather dejected.
(This morning) Re-checked what to do, which I think is what I did last night. Double checked first ride photos to see if that little spacer was always above the stem (it was). Re-tightened. Is fine.  ???  :thumbsup:

I'm a little worried at how loose it was, I suspect I should take it to the LBS for a service sooner rather than later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 July, 2012, 06:24:08 pm
Quote from: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 04:53:52 pm
Quote from: TimO on 29 June, 2012, 01:47:38 pm
The old red tyre has been put aside from recycling by Arch at some point, when I can get it up to York without spending silly money on posting it!
:thumbsup:

Cheers!
I even washed it off in the bath (I was bike fettling in the bathroom, as you do ...), so I don't end up with grubby tyre marks all over the house, as it inevitably gets moved about!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 01 July, 2012, 06:27:08 pm
Quote from: TimO on 01 July, 2012, 06:24:08 pm
Quote from: Arch on 30 June, 2012, 04:53:52 pm
Quote from: TimO on 29 June, 2012, 01:47:38 pm
The old red tyre has been put aside from recycling by Arch at some point, when I can get it up to York without spending silly money on posting it!
:thumbsup:

Cheers!
I even washed it off in the bath (I was bike fettling in the bathroom, as you do ...), so I don't end up with grubby tyre marks all over the house, as it inevitably gets moved about!

Oh yes, a bath full of tyres, inner tubes or old umbrella fabrics is becoming a regular occurance for me.... ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 July, 2012, 06:52:26 pm
Quote from: Arch on 01 July, 2012, 06:27:08 pm
Oh yes, a bath full of tyres, inner tubes or old umbrella fabrics is becoming a regular occurance for me.... ;)

Am I the only one who thought "Rule 34 ..." ? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 01 July, 2012, 09:46:40 pm
Moving swiftly on....

This evening m'boys and me have fettled the laundry mountain.  SmallestCub announced at the end 'That was fun!'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 01 July, 2012, 10:34:21 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 01 July, 2012, 10:57:21 am
(Last night) Got the inbred out of the shed, found two flat tyres. Sorted them. Turned bike over and found the headset was flapping in the breeze. Couldn't get it to tighten. Went to bed, after midnight, rather dejected.
(This morning) Re-checked what to do, which I think is what I did last night. Double checked first ride photos to see if that little spacer was always above the stem (it was). Re-tightened. Is fine.  ???  :thumbsup:

I'm a little worried at how loose it was, I suspect I should take it to the LBS for a service sooner rather than later.

Was OK during the ride, but a hint of movement detectable once home. My saddle came loose on the rails today as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 02 July, 2012, 12:45:28 am
I fettled some industrial-strength shelving units for my garage. They had seemed like a good idea at the time being incredibly reasonably priced for 2 units of 100kg each from an Amazon trader. Fully built they are solid as a rock and exactly what I had intended. The stages of getting from flat-pack to assembled though didn't quite go according to plan.

I should probably explain, that when friends of mine want to assemble flat-pack furniture (even in one case an entire kitchen) and decide to 'get a man in', I am that 'man'. These shelves however were on a whole new plane to previous offerings. Their assembly was supposed to be 'tool-less'. The reason I rammed a screwdriver into my thumb and then proceeded to slash my wrist with it must have had something to do with needing to use tools to force it together. Stemming the flow of blood with masking tape from the garage I proceeded to beat the thing into submission with a hammer.

After 3.5 hours of hell and 2 glasses of wine (these were necessary to preserve sanity) I had some lovely new shelves to arrange and drool over my power tools on. I need to leave a review of these on Amazon .... maybe better to wait until I am not pre-menstrual.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 July, 2012, 11:14:20 am
Yesterday I gave my helmet & straps a thorough scrub.Now I'm going to attempt to re-adjust the straps to fit comfortably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 02 July, 2012, 11:22:21 am
Last night, a successful mudguard fettle. Looks like I may need them today :(

Front (noting the rearrangement of the stay angles at the guard):
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iT4wktaZ-D4/T_F1VkFxYJI/AAAAAAAAhxU/aFNBfLZ5ZJU/s640/20120702_075727.jpg)

back:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fMyIKZDza98/T_F1Wpjl4uI/AAAAAAAAhxg/pBnob8vC85Q/s640/20120702_075813.jpg)

still not over happy with the guard under the pannier rack, but it works

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9iRY1BBGqTs/T_F1V-Qm2gI/AAAAAAAAhxc/JteW7TeMJSo/s640/20120702_075756.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 July, 2012, 11:32:04 am
Another coat of gold smoothrite on the lugs on the fixie frame.

It's as near dammit is to swearing ready to be rebuilt now (after the gold paint has gone off).  The paint job is not perfect, but that is the idea, it will eventually be covered in stickers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 02 July, 2012, 04:16:30 pm
Cone spanners arrived, so this evening I'll be having a look inside the hub of my Pompino's back wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 02 July, 2012, 05:08:59 pm
Back to the project. Roberts forks with steerer thread extended by Wobbly John fitted with new headset - no problems. Attempt to fit Stronglight cranks but will not pull onto taper, in fact end up damaging internal thread in spindle - but recoverable. Measure dimensions of taper with vernier, whip crank off Coventry Eagle and measure that - they're different and Stronglight crank will fit Coventry Eagle without problems. Further investigation using CTC Viscount victims' enthusiasts thread indicates that early Viscounts used proprietary taper ...arghhhh!!! But suggest fitting threadless BB and give part details, so all is not lost. So this afternoon strip all components from frame and spent a frustrating hour or so trying to drive the BB spindle out despite using bigger and bigger hammers it hasn't moved by any discernible amount and I am surrounded by pieces of splintered timber. I'll stop now. I think I need to find someone with a hydraulic press.

Actually I am now coming quite close to abandoning this and transferring the parts that I have collected onto a more conventional frame...but I would like to see how the Viscount goes. I'll go away and think about it for a bit... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 02 July, 2012, 06:51:41 pm
Quote from: Feline on 02 July, 2012, 12:45:28 am
I should probably explain, that when friends of mine want to assemble flat-pack furniture (even in one case an entire kitchen) and decide to 'get a man in', I am that 'man'. ...

After 3.5 hours of hell and 2 glasses of wine (these were necessary to preserve sanity) I had some lovely new shelves to arrange and drool over my power tools on.
These statements seem to go together. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 July, 2012, 07:49:16 pm
Have reapired Mrs T's laptop by replacing the screen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 02 July, 2012, 10:54:34 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 02 July, 2012, 06:51:41 pm
Quote from: Feline on 02 July, 2012, 12:45:28 am
I should probably explain, that when friends of mine want to assemble flat-pack furniture (even in one case an entire kitchen) and decide to 'get a man in', I am that 'man'. ...

After 3.5 hours of hell and 2 glasses of wine (these were necessary to preserve sanity) I had some lovely new shelves to arrange and drool over my power tools on.
These statements seem to go together. ;)

Millions of Ikea customers already know this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 04 July, 2012, 01:52:22 am
Re-indexed the Sabbath. The chainline moved about 1mm with my BB replacement so things were not quite perfect with the limiter screws. They are now  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 04 July, 2012, 08:33:23 am
I am making a press. I knew that those short lengths of 6'' steel channel would come in hady one day, but drilling 11mm holes  through it with a 500W hand drill to take the studding takes a while - I have to keep stopping to wait for the motor windings to cool down.

I hope to attempt to press out the BB spindle this evening. If that doesn't work I will use the press to compress the Viscount frame into a small cube to use as a paperweight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 04 July, 2012, 01:01:54 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 04 July, 2012, 08:33:23 am
If that doesn't work I will use the press to compress the Viscount frame into a small cube to use as a paperweight.

"snorts"

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 July, 2012, 07:30:28 pm
Was chucking it down, and barakta didn't want to ride, so I finally got round to replacing the bar grips on the Dawes (which have been knackered for at least a year, after getting ripped on a barbed wire fence, scraped while loading into a car and licked to death by cows, as well as general wear and tear).  As I was armed with an aerosol can of IPA fitted with a straw, this was accomplished quickly and easily, without any harsh language.

Then, on a hunch, I gave the pedals a wiggle, and found subtle but easily detectable play in the bearings.  I've swapped them for the ones from the tandem, and will see if that eliminates the mysterious clicking[1].


[1] Happens under right pedal load in time with the cranks.  Not the bottom bracket (had play, now replaced). Sounds like a chain (was at 1% wear, also replaced).  Happens in all gears.  Not saddle or bars.  Not the SPD mechanism itself.  Happens with two pairs of shoes.  Not the crank bashing the cadence sensor.  Crank angle at which the click happens has slowly migrated back from 90 degrees towards TDC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 04 July, 2012, 08:48:43 pm
Completed press this evening after returning from work. It looks well butch. Set up the Viscount frame supported by timber blocks with the BB spindle between the faces of the press and cramped it up, pressing the spindle through a 20mm conduit fitting that just fitted against the inner bearing race. It was under a fair bit of compression without moving so I gave the top of the strongback a light tap with the shaft of a club hammer and it moved with a satisfying spang! I had to press the shaft right through both bearings - it's certainly a well made arrangement, shaft came out in good condition with no damage and the bearings drifted out without any problems...I had expected the inside of the frame and the spindle to be corroded but it all looks like new. I am puzzled about the history of this frame - it's got to be 30 or 40 years old but under the crappy paint  - it seems to be in very good nick.

Anyway, I have taken some measurements of the BB shell and will drop a line to Spa Cycles to see if they can recommend a threadless BB that will be suitable.

And hurrah! I'm feeling very pleased with myself! I thought you would like to know that.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 04 July, 2012, 10:20:54 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 04 July, 2012, 08:48:43 pm
Completed press this evening after returning from work. It looks well butch. Set up the Viscount frame supported by timber blocks with the BB spindle between the faces of the press and cramped it up, pressing the spindle through a 20mm conduit fitting that just fitted against the inner bearing race. It was under a fair bit of compression without moving so I gave the top of the strongback a light tap with the shaft of a club hammer and it moved with a satisfying spang! I had to press the shaft right through both bearings - it's certainly a well made arrangement, shaft came out in good condition with no damage and the bearings drifted out without any problems...I had expected the inside of the frame and the spindle to be corroded but it all looks like new. I am puzzled about the history of this frame - it's got to be 30 or 40 years old but under the crappy paint  - it seems to be in very good nick.

Anyway, I have taken some measurements of the BB shell and will drop a line to Spa Cycles to see if they can recommend a threadless BB that will be suitable.

And hurrah! I'm feeling very pleased with myself! I thought you would like to know that.

Me, yes. I am delighted to know this. I am, frankly, not sure what it is that I know, but you seem to have done a lot of work.

If you CBA I would love to see a pic of your press. A pic of the whole thing in progress would not only be interesting, but would probably warrant a thread of its own.

Whatever, vaya con dios, snr JM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 04 July, 2012, 11:52:08 pm
I put some Schwalbe Marathon Supremes on the tandem and took it for a brief solo ride. Jan and I are going to put it through its paces tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 05 July, 2012, 12:59:50 pm
Quote from: Paul on 04 July, 2012, 10:20:54 pm

If you CBA I would love to see a pic of your press.

The press that I made was just a couple of bits of channel section steel – one 6’’ and one 4’’ drilled to accept a couple of 12’’ lengths of 10mm stud to draw the two sections together. This was a lot heavier than it needed to be but it was what I had available in the garage. I have an engineering background so I am reasonably well equipped with hand tools and odds and ends that I have accumulated over the years – although I must admit I was surprised to find that I had a new 15/32” HSS drill bit.

I haven’t been taking photos of the build but I will start doing this and look to post them somewhere – perhaps we need to Project Bike thread.

The project started when I bought an overpriced heap on EBay – as one does. This purported to a Witcomb but I was always sceptical – it turned out to be some form of Viscount Aerospace. Most of the original bike was junk and these components are being replaced with mainly secondhand bits. I haven’t recorded my progress as the project has always been about two weeks from completion since I started it just after Christmas. But it’s fun and it’s interesting solving the problems as they arise – and I suppose it’s not the end of the world if I hit an insurmountable problem or bust something essential.

I am newly enthused with the project. I saw a beautiful Mercian Pro-Lugless at the weekend and on learning that it is about £4.5k’s worth of bike looked at the similarly lugless Viscount with new eyes. Sadly, there the similarity ends, but now I have my model!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 05 July, 2012, 04:05:58 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 July, 2012, 07:30:28 pm
Was chucking it down, and barakta didn't want to ride, so I finally got round to replacing the bar grips on the Dawes (which have been knackered for at least a year, after getting ripped on a barbed wire fence, scraped while loading into a car and licked to death by cows, as well as general wear and tear).  As I was armed with an aerosol can of IPA fitted with a straw, this was accomplished quickly and easily, without any harsh language.

Drinking your India Pale Ale straight from the can through a straw? I suppose that works if it gets you tipsy enough that you actually enjoy removing bar grips :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 05 July, 2012, 07:03:08 pm
Helped dad fettle the framework for the decking in my sisters back garden.
I'm hoping she will be pleasantly surprised by the erection so far.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 06 July, 2012, 11:16:11 am
This morning:  Wordpress 3.4 onto an apache2 server on my linux box, so I can work on my new fangled photo gallery / blog before unleashing it to the world.

Will probably be working on sisters decking this afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 July, 2012, 11:36:25 am
The firmware for my mk.2 GPS logger.
If it keeps raining, I think I'll find out whether or not Pugsley really does float ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 July, 2012, 12:09:25 pm
Quote from: interzen on 06 July, 2012, 11:36:25 am
The firmware for my mk.2 GPS logger.
If it keeps raining, I think I'll find out whether or not Pugsley really does float ...

It does

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hVeI5s75lU&feature=player_detailpage

About 55s in
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 July, 2012, 12:20:17 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 06 July, 2012, 12:09:25 pm
Quote from: interzen on 06 July, 2012, 11:36:25 am
The firmware for my mk.2 GPS logger.
If it keeps raining, I think I'll find out whether or not Pugsley really does float ...

It does

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hVeI5s75lU&feature=player_detailpage

About 55s in
Bloody hell.
Wonder if the guys at Surly have seen that!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 07 July, 2012, 06:56:41 pm
Steering sorted on Coventry Eagle by replacing bearings and crown race with less worn ones from used spares box. Now much better.

Cut and filed the mudguard eyes off the rear drop outs of the project - there are none on the forks so having them on the frame is a needless affectation - and it now looks much more sleek.

Gently filed away frame tubes that project into BB shell to create clearance that threadless BB will presumably need. I dropped Spa cycles a line with an enquiry regarding the dimensions of a threadless BB that they stock but no reply as yet. I am reluctant to nag them about this in case they are spending their time furiously bailing - a possibility given the heavy weather that has been experienced over the last few days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 July, 2012, 09:16:51 pm
Various small tasks to transfer the good stuff (Avid BB5s) from the old Dawes MTB to the newer Specialised (sic). Dug around in the parts bins for a bottle cage and spacers. Put the half-toeclipped pedals on the Thorn tandem. Put the Zefal 'guards on the Specialised, but doubt if the clearance is enough. Nowt big achieved, but still a couple of hours expended.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 07 July, 2012, 09:59:30 pm
A failed fettle today - ended up having to turn the bike upside down to retrieve a lost hex bit, with everything still in its original state.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 07 July, 2012, 10:16:02 pm
Fettled the fixie back together after the frame returned from surgery at Mercian. It's very purple and very sparkly  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 July, 2012, 10:19:30 pm
Quote from: matthew on 07 July, 2012, 10:16:02 pm
Fettled the fixie back together after the frame returned from surgery at Mercian. It's very purple and very sparkly  ;D

Ooh! Will there be pics?! :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 07 July, 2012, 10:50:30 pm
I fettled the new stainless steel Tubus front rack onto the tandem, then fettled the Carradice QR pannier hooks onto the Carradice front panniers then tried them out on the bike. All looking good so far, we might try a loaded ride on it tomorrow to check out the handling  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 08 July, 2012, 12:16:07 am
15 exceedingly heavy paving slabs have been fettled from stables to home (with yard owner's full consent)...we managed between the two of us to get 8 of them into the back garden, the other 7 only made it as far as my driveway, but they're so sodding heavy it'll take someone extraordinary to nick em before we recharge and move them the rest of the way tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 July, 2012, 04:06:40 pm
Did the annual Proofide thing on 11 leather saddles, only 9 of them Brooks. Cleaned my Brommie and the Frezoni in a gap between showers. HK cleaned her Brommie in the bathtub.

Looks like I need to sort out a Brompton chain and cogs for her shortly, along with new brake cables and bellows. Think I'll finally have to replace the Stronglight roller bearing headset on my Frezoni, perhaps reusing a Chris King headset converted to threaded, after stripping off the ugly blue anodising.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 08 July, 2012, 07:39:34 pm
So farewell then Coventry Eagle...

This morning I fixed yesterday afternoon's p*nct*t*re and after inflating  the rear wheel to about 70 psi, went for a brief spin up the road. After a short while there was a BLAM! clunkety clunkety clunkety indicating that the tire had blown off the rim again. The machine is in such poor condition that it is impossible to keep it in a usable - or indeed safe condition without spending money on it and I think it is best to call it a day before I hurt myself. So this afternoon spent an hour or so stripping it down for useable parts and components, the frame and wheels will be delivered to the tip on the next trip to Maidstone. Despite being stripped down until only the frame forks and BB remains, I am surprised how heavy it is - no wonder I have been getting so fit over the last year.

Unfettling rather than fettling and it's the end of an era, but now I have a space in the garage for n+1.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 08 July, 2012, 08:01:35 pm
Finally got round to sowing some seeds. Gonna be a late harvest this year  :-\

Also started to hang a picture on the wall but my drill is so crap that it takes at least two or three battery charges to drill 50mm into masonry  ::-) Though in it's defence the first two goes were with batteries that had sat for a while and part discharged.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 08 July, 2012, 08:03:49 pm
Fettling fail. I couldn't manage to put either set of tyres onto my son's Islabike Beinn 24. Brute force was considered, but I suspect that'd cause pinch flats... Hmmm. That's two failed attempts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 08 July, 2012, 08:21:30 pm
AWL - I pulled a muscle and swore and ranted the first time I tried to change a tube on the EldestCub's beinn 24.  I recommend the application of gin  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 08 July, 2012, 08:30:17 pm
I got this on the road.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7529320290_3d564c4dd1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/7529320290/)
IMAG0565 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/7529320290/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr

It is a raleigh Pacer with 451 chrome rims. I needed a new seat pin bolt (robbed from the tourer for the occasion.) and will need to acquire a replacement seat pin of the right size but longer. (not sure quite what the right size is until I get a new battery for the electronic callipers.)

Main problems are chrome rims, cheap and nasty hubs, and long drop crappy brakes with quite strong springs. An Islabike rides so much nicer. And costs much much more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 July, 2012, 08:32:34 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 08 July, 2012, 08:03:49 pm
Fettling fail. I couldn't manage to put either set of tyres onto my son's Islabike Beinn 24. Brute force was considered, but I suspect that'd cause pinch flats... Hmmm. That's two failed attempts.

Quote from: CrinklyLion on 08 July, 2012, 08:21:30 pm
AWL - I pulled a muscle and swore and ranted the first time I tried to change a tube on the EldestCub's beinn 24.  I recommend the application of gin  :)

Sounds like those things should come with VAR levers as standard!  And gin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 July, 2012, 08:41:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 July, 2012, 08:32:34 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 08 July, 2012, 08:03:49 pm
Fettling fail. I couldn't manage to put either set of tyres onto my son's Islabike Beinn 24. Brute force was considered, but I suspect that'd cause pinch flats... Hmmm. That's two failed attempts.

Quote from: CrinklyLion on 08 July, 2012, 08:21:30 pm
AWL - I pulled a muscle and swore and ranted the first time I tried to change a tube on the EldestCub's beinn 24.  I recommend the application of gin  :)

Sounds like those things should come with VAR levers as standard!  And gin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtbT8EOgtKM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtbT8EOgtKM)

Looks a bit better than the VAR lever, but doesn't seem to be available in the UK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 July, 2012, 08:45:08 pm
cleaned two bikes, inspected and lubed the chains, inspected (i.e. picked out glass'n'stuff) and topped up tyres with air.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 July, 2012, 08:50:39 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 08 July, 2012, 08:41:59 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtbT8EOgtKM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtbT8EOgtKM)

Looks a bit better than the VAR lever, but doesn't seem to be available in the UK.

Nice.  Same principle, better ergonomics.  Fair bit bigger than a VAR though, and doesn't look like it'll take the tyre off, so probably more of a workshop tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interested on 09 July, 2012, 03:15:27 am
Replaced a cone on a Shimano 3N71 dynamo hub with the help of an copy of "Trinity Bicycles" guide to overhauling dynamo hubs. The cone (wire side) had been worn so much that the ball bearings had cut it in two.

Some random notes;
The cones are identical on both sides of the 3N71 hub, so even though Shimano officially only sells spare part cones for the non-wire side (part number Y-20D 98020), the wire side cone can be replaced too.

The cones and part numbers are identical for both the 3N70 and the 3N71.

Bending the internal wire as little as possible is a must, it breaks easily and bending it seems to be a certain way of eventually breaking it in two.

I had to file the notched metal plates to make them fit into the wire slot.

Measure how much of the axle is sticking out on both sides, that will help when assembling the hub again.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 July, 2012, 09:05:18 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 08 July, 2012, 08:21:30 pm
AWL - I pulled a muscle and swore and ranted the first time I tried to change a tube on the EldestCub's beinn 24.  I recommend the application of gin  :)
Being in a somewhat tetchy mood, for no good reason, yesterday, I decided that enough profanities had passed my lips and just hung the wheels up on the wall - again. No gin, nor beer required. The Continental MTB tyres were even worse than the generic road tyres. Luckily, there is a BSO MTB for son to use in the meantime.

I shall investigate Kim's magical VAR levers and see if they do the trick.

Update: VAR levers ordered from SJS. £10 (inc. P&P). I'm in the wrong business.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 July, 2012, 01:47:35 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 09 July, 2012, 09:05:18 am
Update: VAR levers ordered from SJS. £10 (inc. P&P). I'm in the wrong business.

Worth every penny in swearing, blisters and pinch flats, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 09 July, 2012, 01:57:42 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 08 July, 2012, 08:30:17 pm
I got this on the road.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7529320290_3d564c4dd1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/7529320290/)
IMAG0565 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/7529320290/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr

You are much younger then I thought!
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 July, 2012, 02:04:23 pm
That was one I made about 11 years ago..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 July, 2012, 02:09:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 July, 2012, 01:47:35 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 09 July, 2012, 09:05:18 am
Update: VAR levers ordered from SJS. £10 (inc. P&P). I'm in the wrong business.

Worth every penny in swearing, blisters and pinch flats, though.
The cul-de-sac will consider it money very well spent if it merely eliminates the language emanating from my general direction yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 July, 2012, 07:14:22 pm
Tredz having informed me that there would be "a slight delay" in my order as they were "awaiting a restock", I decided I wouldn't wait any longer for the brakes I'd ordered to arrive but get some used ones to tide me over so I can at least get back on the road. I found what seem to be a decent pair of early V-brakes, made a firm called Saccon, for a whole fiver in Jake's Bikes, where to my surprise I was served by the Israeli woman who had ridden into me at the end of May! I don't think her colleagues are going to let her forget that story now they've heard it. Then I found a pair of threaded oversize 700c forks at Bristol Bike Project for a princely £15. I've fitted the brakes, given them a quick test run, and they work nicely. They don't quite have the ultimate power of the Dia Compes they've replaced but they're much smoother and, most importantly, they spring away from the rim when the lever is released.

I'll leave the forks till I have a good dollop of time and gumption and either I've got some other bike to ride or the present pair have seized up totally.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 July, 2012, 10:18:15 am
Have just disassembled a 6510 shifter so that I can paint the cap and lever.

this is a pair I bought from (IIRC) Tewdric a while ago that had a bad case of the lacquer worm.  Attempts at polishing came to nought and I have a plan for those and a frame I bought recently.  A very famous colour scheme may come into it....

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 July, 2012, 11:03:42 am
I've had a think about my problems with the S3X.  The SA lever doesn't pull far enough, I think.  So I've swapped over to a Shimano lever as a test.  Fixed gears on a friction shift - what could possibly go wrong? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 July, 2012, 11:08:43 am
Quote from: clarion on 10 July, 2012, 11:03:42 am
I've had a think about my problems with the S3X.  The SA lever doesn't pull far enough, I think.  So I've swapped over to a Shimano lever as a test.  Fixed gears on a friction shift - what could possibly go wrong? ;)

You damage your other shoulder and wrist?

It'll be reet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 July, 2012, 11:12:43 am
a laminator
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 10 July, 2012, 12:21:34 pm
I've gone into 'fettling overload'

Wheels, pedals, saddle and seatpin removed from the Bob Jackson. Saddle, pin and pedals going onto the borrowed tandem. Wheels going onto the black Henry Burton to convert to fixed. The Bob Jackson to have the wheels from the 'Burton' and be converted to gears for the winter (and saddle etc. to be replaced) when the Henry Burton Aravis will be stripped and the frame sent for a re-spray. There's an old Raleigh frame to be sprayed an built up for a winter fixed/hack. Got my dad's bikes coming to me (1 road bike and 1 mtb) to be altered and adjusted for my son's - on top of that I'm preparing a base so that I can build a nice new bike store and convert the old concrete block shed into a workshop.

Nothing like keeping busy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 July, 2012, 01:26:59 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 10 July, 2012, 11:08:43 am
Quote from: clarion on 10 July, 2012, 11:03:42 am
I've had a think about my problems with the S3X.  The SA lever doesn't pull far enough, I think.  So I've swapped over to a Shimano lever as a test.  Fixed gears on a friction shift - what could possibly go wrong? ;)

You damage your other shoulder and wrist?

It'll be reet.

And it was.  For whatever reason (and impact may well be one), the gear lever liberated from my Orbit, which I have been using in friction mode for years, when switched to index gives me two positions either end and a long sweep in the middle. 

Step 1  Top gear

Step 2 False neutral (approx)

Central section: Middle gear

Step 3 False neutral (approx)

Step 4 (and this is where the sweep angle of the indexing is greater than that of the SA lever) Bottom gear.

Now, I've not given it an extensive test, as I had to stop a couple of times to cough and allow the chest pain to subside, but I did try tentatively standing on the pedals in bottom gear, and starting off on a hill.  No slip.  Promising.

There's plenty of space in the middle, but, if I put the lever about half way, it is secure, so nothing to worry about there.

I hope this is the end of the problem.  Certainly, if the positions are the two extremes and the middle on the Shimano lever, that would be fortuitous, and I'd just use friction.  I don't see the cable tension overhauling this lever the way it can the SA one.  So long as I remember two clicks to change gear, I'm sound.  And, as changing gears most of the time is no clicks for me, that's OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 10 July, 2012, 08:35:50 pm
I have a choice of 5 speed freewheels for the project, one from the old Coventry Eagle and one that came with the 'Witcomb'. The C/E looks the favourite for this part of the world with a greater spread of ratios. Both removed and into a bucket of degreaser overnight for a good clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 July, 2012, 07:45:34 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 09 July, 2012, 02:09:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 July, 2012, 01:47:35 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 09 July, 2012, 09:05:18 am
Update: VAR levers ordered from SJS. £10 (inc. P&P). I'm in the wrong business.

Worth every penny in swearing, blisters and pinch flats, though.
The cul-de-sac will consider it money very well spent if it merely eliminates the language emanating from my general direction yesterday.
The VAR lever arrived today and was immediately put to use on the Beinn wheels. It must be a dodgy size, as I had problems getting the first bead on! Anyway, with the VAR I got the tyre on, but it took small increments to lever it all on, but it worked! Result, thanks Kim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 July, 2012, 10:51:02 pm
Finally got round to removing the pig-iron chainset and BB from the Raleigh and replace them with the stronglight ones I bought months ago (shiny 8)). Also switched out the OEM rear brakes for cartridge ones and re-tensioned the front and rear brake cables.

Finished by fettling the mudguards (again) to try and remove the rubbing when I'm climbing out of the saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 12 July, 2012, 07:29:00 pm
Fettled a set of mudflaps out of BrianI patented sections of 4 pint milk carton covered with tesco value duct tape.
They look rather nice and shiny, with go faster red reflective stripes on them!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 July, 2012, 10:39:36 am
Swapped the crappy factory-fit barrel adjuster for a better SA one on one of our Dahons.

Repair pending since the Brum bike factories ride :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 13 July, 2012, 01:16:56 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 08 July, 2012, 08:41:59 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtbT8EOgtKM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtbT8EOgtKM)

Looks a bit better than the VAR lever, but doesn't seem to be available in the UK.
"Simson/Simpson Tyre Mate" - several UK retailers...

Plastic, so apart from size not too bad to carry on the road.

Edit: The VAR workshop ones were metal, and had a slight hook on the lip to stop the tight bead slipping off the plane surface - You could get anything on using one of those ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 14 July, 2012, 06:53:18 pm
Back to the project...after much measuring and thinking, I ordered a YST threadless BB to replace original press fit version. This was fitted yesterday evening without problems after filing away he ends of the frame tubes that project into the lugless BB shell to allow the new BB to centre. Stronglight cranks fitted - drive side without problems; non drive side doesn't seem to want to pull on the last couple of mm but it seems stable enough so I'll investigate that later.

Built the bike back up today, everything went on fairly quickly - using the maintenance stand certainly makes things easier. After an hour or so I was cabling up the mechs thinking that I could probably get out for a run on it soon...and so adjusting the rear mech I couldn't get it to go up to 1st gear, chain too short? cable stretch? something like that? eventually found the cable was slipping through the clamp - which wasn't clamping as its thread had stripped. Removing the mech from the frame I found that clamp bolt wouldn't turn out, so I hacksawed the head off the bolt and drilled it out; cable now clamped temporarily with BA nut and bolt - which is a bit of a faff but I'll tap it out to some convenient size later.

And it all seems to work - at least in the maintenance stand. It hasn't stopped raining here since midday and I don't really fancy being stranded a couple of miles up the road in the rain if something busts, so perhaps tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 July, 2012, 09:01:13 pm
Fitted the new V-brakes which I picked up this morning. Yikes but they're powerful! Had to do a bit of fettling to the spring in the lever too. Then I ran a magnet over my bike and discovered that a few shiny bits that look like steel are actually polished alloy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 14 July, 2012, 10:06:27 pm
At last! New chain on Brompton. I'll do the sprockets on Monday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 15 July, 2012, 03:12:06 pm
We've been up to the attic/eventual master bedroom and sorted a pile of mixed scrap timber into unusable and 3 or 4 types of usable, and pulled out all the old nails from the re-usable stuff.   

It was a bit dusty. But at least we earned our cake and ice cream afterwards. And I'm learning how to use a crowbar effectively.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 July, 2012, 05:05:07 pm
Quote from: Arch on 15 July, 2012, 03:12:06 pm
And I'm learning how to use a crowbar effectively.

Short hard swipe to stun the headcrab, then finish them off with the magnum...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 15 July, 2012, 08:20:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 July, 2012, 05:05:07 pm
Quote from: Arch on 15 July, 2012, 03:12:06 pm
And I'm learning how to use a crowbar effectively.

Short hard swipe to stun the headcrab, then finish them off with the magnum...

errrrrrrrrrrrr. Thanks...

Moving on, this afternoon we went out and split some logs, so I've been wielding an FBH.

(******* Big Hammer)

Now, I'm struggling with fine motor control in my hands....  Luckily, today's dinner was knife and fork, not chopsticks!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 15 July, 2012, 08:58:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 July, 2012, 05:05:07 pm
Quote from: Arch on 15 July, 2012, 03:12:06 pm
And I'm learning how to use a crowbar effectively.

Short hard swipe to stun the headcrab, then finish them off with the magnum...

Nice  :thumbsup: My usual approach is to panic, flail around, bounce off doorways whilst running backwards and accidentally blow myself up with grenades.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 July, 2012, 09:16:04 pm
Roadside repair - one arm of Mlle PB's front V's jammed in the 'on' position.   Loosened off the stud bolt, freed and wiggled the spring furiously whilst adding some oil.   A few minutes later it started working again so I replaced the spring properly and tightened the stud bolt.   

By the time we'd got home my occasional slight 'tick' from the cranks had become a noticeable clunk every revolution.   A quick grab and wriggle shows the bottom bracket to have expired.   Bloody crapoctalink!  :-\   First XT bottom bracket that I've managed to expire since I've been fitting them in 1998.   Worth mentioning that this is octalink and that the square taper jobbies from 1998 seem to be going as strongly and reliably as ever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 15 July, 2012, 10:08:35 pm
I've just dismantled* a perfectly good front wheel that's carried me for many thousands of miles of happy riding.  I feel rather guilty... :(

The Rigida CSS rim will be rebuilt next week with a shiny new SON hub.

*Mr Thorn's wheelbuilder appears to be a fan of Threadlock or something similar. The nipples were gungy....

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 July, 2012, 10:37:54 pm
Yesterday, regreased a Campag hub and glued a Vittoria Corsa CX Seta and a Clemont Criterium to carbon rims. Removed a leaky Sonderklasse, what a pity.

I need to get a Campag spoke key (square?) for Bora internal nipples to sort out another wheel, along with some tub tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 15 July, 2012, 10:46:25 pm
Quote from: iddu on 10 October, 2011, 06:54:55 pm
Blasted.

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20111010%20-%20Monster/DSC00001.jpg)

Meh :(

CHING! :( :(

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20120715/DSC00007.jpg)
THE SHINY is back; only taken 9 months :facepalm:

Gotta be flame red - makes it go faster, yes?  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 July, 2012, 10:23:48 am
Today I have manily been tapping and facing a bottom bracket, my first one! I chose a POS ebay purchased frame to try it out.  Glad to say that, apart from taking a little bit off the BB guides (part of the tapping kit) it all went well  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 16 July, 2012, 07:19:31 pm
Since Mrs B now has a dazzling new light -

Unfettled the permanently (until now) attached front light on her road bike. It was a dynamo light with a 1 watt LED in it. Put the LED in a torch. Anyone want two Lumotec dynamo lights (sans dynamos) with only one lens between them? Selection of halogen bulbs to fit also available.

Removed the bracket for Smart BL201 lights from her MTB (they've been running off newer, smaller batteries than the original one, & with 1 watt LEDs in - but now totally unnecessary).

Unfettled the switched splitter cable which I'd fettled for her so she could use that & a slightly buggered (controls fried - came on full if plugged in, no choice of levels, no on/off switch) minimal (200 CL) Magicshine from one battery.

Wired up the switch (assembled from salvaged bits: switch from a defunct Smart BL201 battery pack, casing from a defunct switch from a pair of Smart BL201 front lights) from the splitter to the aforementioned Magicshine light. It'll do for round town, emergency light, & so on. Ten times what we used to think bright 20 years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2012, 09:37:16 pm
It was only fitting a pump holder under the bottle cage, but - why did this not occur to me earlier? It's so obvious! Now that my bike's living in the kitchen I can fettle while I cook.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 16 July, 2012, 09:41:06 pm
Stripped down my tourer at last, as I finally found the tools. I need a new BB tool.. Apart from the driveside crank, which had taken a ding which made getting the extractor in place a tricky operation, it all came apart quite easily. Benefits of greasing all the bolts in the first place.

It's looking quite sad*, so I might treat the frame and forks to a powder coat job, provided I get a decent quote from the place up the road. Dunno what colour to go for, mind.

*Bits of stickers and nail varnish covering various scratches and scrapes, not to mention the appalling job I made of painting the seat tube in the first place. And the welded chainstay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 17 July, 2012, 09:23:04 am
If you get it powder coated Deano, and need the BB threads chasing and the BB facing, bring it over here and I can do it for you, I have the tools to do it now :)

What BB tool do you need? I might have a spare one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 July, 2012, 09:40:51 am
It is better to put sacrificial cups in the shell to stop powder coating getting into the threads. It kills taps in short order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 17 July, 2012, 10:20:40 am
Cheers, guys. I've an old set of adjustable cups I used when I sprayed it myself for just that job.

T: the threads seem fine, it's just the cheapo Shimano BB remover tool I have is made of cheese, and kept slipping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 July, 2012, 07:55:24 pm
Raincoat for a BAHA (http://www.cochlear.com/uk/baha-bone-conduction-implants):

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/baha_cover/IMG_3615.sized.jpg)

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/baha_cover/IMG_3617.sized.jpg)

It's a bit of a fast and dirty prototype - the elastic is far too heavy duty, and some of the stitching is crap.  But it should keep the weather off much more effectively than a Buff.  (Hats aren't an option, as barakta's abutments are helpfully positioned exactly where the band would sit.)

If it works okay, I'll molish another out of a lighter material, in the hope that it might be vaguely usable on the internal mic without feedback.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rig of Jarkness on 17 July, 2012, 08:05:36 pm
Yesterday I replaced the jockey wheels on my Croix de Fer.  After 18 months of use, having gone through 3 chains, 2 cassettes and both chainwheels it was about time.  And boy what a difference it's made, on today's commute every uphill change in gradient brought a smile to my face as I effortlessly clicked up through the sprockets.  As good as new !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 18 July, 2012, 08:35:42 am
Last night adjusted headset on Viscount using giant novelty spanner bought specially for this purpose – I have never needed to use on of these before but couldn’t tighten this bearing, Dia Compe I think, without one.

Installed pair of new Vittoria Rubinos, the worst part of this was getting the Michelin something pro tyres off the rims – it was quite a struggle. These are meant to be pretty good tyres I understand but I would hate to try to remove them by the side of the road; glad to see the back of those.

Adjusted and centred rear brake calliper – now squeakless, at least in the garage.

Adjusted rear mech as I couldn’t get it to lift onto the largest sprocket, presumably this is due to cable stretching as it settles down rather than pulling through the clamp bolt.

So quite a productive evening – and by this time it was dark so I am hoping for some good weather this evening for a brisk run out with the Viscount after work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 18 July, 2012, 05:43:58 pm
A new zip into the front of Arch's favorite black jeans.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 18 July, 2012, 06:33:44 pm
 :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 18 July, 2012, 09:19:23 pm
I haz fettled my road bike from Tiagra 9-spd to Ultegra 10-spd.
That was pretty much a whole-day job.

Since I stripped the entire groupset back to a bare frame, it got a very good clean, including the removal of bits of dead frog, I think.
Last thing was the new bar tape, and we're ready for a shake-down tomorrow on the commute.
Spent a bit of time on the cable tension adjustment, and the shift is very snappy and precise.
Rather more nicer than the tiagra.

I did notice the black sram 10-spd powerlinks take a bit more oomph to do up than the old 9-spd gold ones.
LBS sold me a nice pair of special pliers to un-do the slippery little buggers easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nmcgann on 18 July, 2012, 10:15:32 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 18 July, 2012, 09:19:23 pm
I haz fettled my road bike from Tiagra 9-spd to Ultegra 10-spd.
That was pretty much a whole-day job.
......
That's one of the fettling jobs I've put off for about a year - ultegra 9spd -> ultegra 10spd on my best bike.

Probably time to do it now that 11 speed is on the way  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 July, 2012, 11:09:32 pm
This evening I have fettled a cow-orker's Pinnacle (Evans own brand) MTB.

New forks, Suntour XCR, after the old ones wore out. New disc pads, the rear caliper needs fettling as the piston won't retract fully. The brake hose has a fierce kink which may be restricting the return but even when I cracked the bleed valve the piston still stuck out, the fronts went in with no drama. Refitted the chain, shortened it to the correct length and threw away the Shimano joining pin. It wasn't difficult to locate, it fell out!

Gears fettled too, it now has some.  ;D New cables, given everything a good clean and lube.

Open question to the floor. Why the flipping flip do people insist on buggering about with the limit screws when the indexing goes out? Sorted with araldite!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 July, 2012, 12:03:37 am
Quote from: torslanda on 18 July, 2012, 11:09:32 pm
Open question to the floor. Why the flipping flip do people insist on buggering about with the limit screws when the indexing goes out? Sorted with araldite!

Because they're ignorant of how dérailleurs work and the limit screws are sitting there looking big and obvious and screaming "Look at me, I'm an adjusty thing!"?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 July, 2012, 10:49:07 pm
Right.
Did the shake-down ride on the road bike today, following the total strip-down and re-build to 10spd ultegra components ( bought from this very place ).   

But the chainset was a Dura-Ace tripple, which is 30-39-52, an unusually large 52 big chainring, somewhay reminiscient of my youth when we had 42/52 on our 10-speeds.
I was using it with a 12-25 at the back same as I used with my old 30-39-50.

That's a mighty big jump from 39 to 52.
Often required double-shifts.
But *much* more usefull than I expected.

I was barreling along some sections much quicker than I usually do, and I found this big ring much more usefull than I expected.
Here's my ride in this morning, and after the hill, the flat-with-general-downhill-trend was just fantastic.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/200780017

The whole bike was really shifting today, and the gear-change was as snappy as you could hope for.
Way better than the Tiagra it replaced.
Happy bunny  :)

But he 52-ring is, TBH, fugly.  A vast expanse of bare metal.
But it works very well, so I don't care.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: microphonie on 20 July, 2012, 05:55:23 pm
Completely failed to fettle my Sansa Clip+ mp3 player so it's currently on its way to Brno for a warranty replacement.

Managed to drag & drop too much music onto it & locked it up completely. The pc refused to acknowledge its existence so was unable to follow the displayed instruction to delete 90Mb of content.

Clip+ owners beware as it's a frequent issue apparently.

Impressed with the customer service though - no quibble re offering a replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 20 July, 2012, 06:07:24 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 19 July, 2012, 10:49:07 pm
The whole bike was really shifting today, and the gear-change was as snappy as you could hope for.
Way better than the Tiagra it replaced.
Happy bunny  :)

That’s excellent :) I found that the 39T middle ring was a very useful size; with a 12-25 or 27 on the back it meant, for me anyway, that I could spend a lot of my general not-fast riding time with a nice chainline.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 21 July, 2012, 03:05:54 pm
The sprockets on the Brompton, since (as expected) the new chain is skipping. Weeelllll . . .  the old one was on there for more years than I care to count.

The old ones came off pretty easily, but getting the circlip on to hold the new ones in place was a nightmare. Since I'd discovered while taking the wheel off that I needed a new gear changing chain, I took the wheel with me to the LBS when I went to buy that, & the bloke who sold me the chain fitted the circlip for no charge. A few seconds . . . . . when I'd struggled for ages.  :facepalm:

That bike's had new back tyre, rear mudguard, chain, sprockets & gear changing chain in the last couple of months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 July, 2012, 05:36:41 pm
I retaped my stoker bars on the tandem because they were a bit too fat with 2 layers of tape on. Now wearing just Spesh bar phat and I did a spot-on job  ;D

My new click stand arrived for the tandem so I tried it out and put its bracket under the bottle cage bolts (which is basically a pump bracket). The click stand holds the bike up incredibly solidly. I'm really pleased with it as a means of parking the tandem next to our tent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 21 July, 2012, 07:06:37 pm
I acquired some forks from a Roberts road bike for my Viscount (formerly Witcomb) project , the steerer was too long but I couldn't bring myself to cut it down to suit the frame - I may want to use then on something slightly larger in the future. The exposed thread on the stem looked a bit naff sitcking out the top of the headset but all of the alloy headset spacers I looked at were too bulky; so I decided to make a steel one. A 1" electrical conduit coupling looked about the right diameter. So I nicked obtained a coupling, cut it to length - about half,  and opened it out with a half-round file - this was a bit fiddly as it got to size as the wall thickness was pretty thin. But I eventually got it until it just slipped over the end of the steerer, then cleaned off the paint and shined it up with emery tape and Autosol and fitted it in place with an old locknut and it looks...well I think it looks good and certainly better than the clumpy great alloy things. This would have been much easier with a lathe. I found myself looking at lathes on EBay - oh dear.

Also, more derailleur fettling, more brake fettling etc etc. What am I going to do with myself when I finish my project...actually I already know the answer to that.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 July, 2012, 08:07:38 pm
Check / lube and inflate for the audax machines which have come out of holiday hibernation for 64 mile round trip to visit my sisters tomorrow.

Both our rear wheels required a visit from the red spokey.

My tourer:

Removed ES70 bottom bracket and ordered replacement.   Left the remaining maintenance for Wednesday morning.

Mlle PB's tourer:

Replaced rear mudguard which broke in June 2007 whilst touring in Shetland.   My duct tape fu had come to an end.   To be fair, the rear guard which I put on today is the matching pair for the front one which I put on to replace the savagely busted front one in 2007!!!

Both sets of V brakes needed removing, de-sanding and lubing before being replaced with new cable inners.   I need to do this to mine on Wednesday too.

General rub over clean for all frames, wheels etc.

I also lined up everything for my pending Campag to Shimano switch for my audax machine.   I only need rim tapes and handlebar tapes as the front and rear mechs, lovely new wheels (courtesy of Mike), new cassette, chain, Ultegra STI's (courtesy of Tiermat) and the Jagwire cable set are now waiting eagerly for two weeks today.   :)     
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 21 July, 2012, 08:09:10 pm
Bread, of both leavened and unleavened types - flatbreads to have with curry for dinner, and a large bloomer now sitting on the side waiting for us to have room left after the curry!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 21 July, 2012, 08:41:14 pm
Lots of weeds out of the garden.
Lots of water out of the tent.
Some bread (to a seventeenth century recipe which involves pea flour, amongst other things).
Tomorrow will involve fettling the tent back into its bag and onto the shelf in the garage where it belongs.
Ditto for the rest of the camping stuff.
More weeding.  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 July, 2012, 08:57:31 pm
Undercoat on the New! Shiny! doors to the SEECRIT BUNKER.  Primer on hinges for same.

Helped The Cheating Czech fit some sexy Kysrium wheels to his bike.  Slight problem when his 8 speed cassette rattled around on the >8 speed freehub. Solved by judicious application of a cassette spacer ring I found in the box of bits.

Tried to stop the rattle on Mrs Hall's bike, but it seems its a feature of Nexave roller brakes.  Did manage to clean her chain thobut and add suitable lubricant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 July, 2012, 09:11:27 pm
Curry, cake, and did battle with a Marathon Plus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 21 July, 2012, 09:34:48 pm
The shiny new SON hub & old faithful Rigida CSS rim have been joined in wedlock.  It's laterally true, the dish is OK, but there are a few issues with the radial truing.  I think I'll leave it until tomorrow and listen to the Proms on R3 instead  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 21 July, 2012, 09:55:50 pm
Staying at my parents so a few tasks:

* Trimmed the back gate by 1/4" so that it shuts withouth the application of a boot.

* Fitted a batten on the far side of said gate so that now it can be shut it doesn't open the other way.

* Raised bolt on same gate so that it can now be secured.

* Applied same treatment to bolt on front gate

And as this is a cycle forum did some bike related stuff too:

* Adjusted the Alfine hub on the Peregrine so that it shifts properly again

* Juggled saddles between Peregrine, Swift and Helios.

* Failed to find appropriate seatpost for hack MTB :( 27.2 is too big. Destined for scrap, non name shopper's too small and teh one I know fits I've put in storage :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 July, 2012, 10:26:33 pm
Swapped a 15t sprocket for a 16t one on the fixed.  I think gearing down isn't a bad idea atm.

The amount of road grime I wiped off that bike! :o :o :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 July, 2012, 07:11:37 pm
Basil will be pleased to hear (or not, seeing as it doesn't actually make any noise): the doorbell.  I broke the wireless transmitter thingy while attempting to replace the corroded microswitch, got fed up and installed a good old-fashioned bell-push using wire.

I may obtain some sort of bell to act as feedback for the user, as it's currently reliable but silent - which risks inadvertently training people to knock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 22 July, 2012, 09:15:36 pm
Put Ghengis back together, he's been in bits since I had to send the rear wheel back to Mr Thorn for some TLC  :-[.   Finished the front wheel build & rode it to the parents & back.  10 miles & it didn't pringle on me.  None of those little tinkle noises either.   I'll stick it back in the jig shortly to see if it needs any tweaking.

Did a temporary mount of the Axa Nano & BM Toplight.  Front light works, rear light works, I plugged the iPhone in and got the charging "ping" closely followed by the message that "charging is not supported with this device". Too slow ?   I'm not planning to charge it directly anyway.

A proper cabling job will be done in the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 22 July, 2012, 09:18:40 pm
put a couple of bolts into my Aldi seatpack to replace the rivets which had rusted away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: smurphboy on 22 July, 2012, 09:59:15 pm
I've been prepping my 29er for touring (Devon C2C next weekend) so changed the tires for 38mm commuting tires (replacing the 2.2 inch Crossmarks). Also swapped out my grips for white blingy ones and moved my brake lever in a smidgeon.

Test fitted my seat pack and bar bags so I can work out what to pack where on the bike. Hopefully my frame bag will turn up tomorrow and I can do a full trial fit and test ride before the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 22 July, 2012, 10:08:12 pm
I got Dads bike into good working order and did the same with Mums too. She's threatening to drag him out while they've got a bit of time off.
Nice to be able to give a little back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 July, 2012, 10:10:47 pm
Oh excellent!  He can be Brad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 July, 2012, 10:12:51 pm
Quote from: clarion on 21 July, 2012, 10:26:33 pm
Swapped a 15t sprocket for a 16t one on the fixed.  I think gearing down isn't a bad idea atm.

It was a good idea at the moment.  I think I'll get a bigger sprocket for touring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 23 July, 2012, 09:27:51 am
Quote from: Kim on 22 July, 2012, 07:11:37 pm
Basil will be pleased to hear (or not, seeing as it doesn't actually make any noise): the doorbell.  I broke the wireless transmitter thingy while attempting to replace the corroded microswitch, got fed up and installed a good old-fashioned bell-push using wire.

I may obtain some sort of bell to act as feedback for the user, as it's currently reliable but silent - which risks inadvertently training people to knock.

On a similar front, I had been putting off fettling our (secondary) doorbell, as I had convinced myself it was going to be a pain. We have a wired push button bell, but years ago, I had molished a wireless bell push into a very useful back-of-the-house-and-garden repeater, and it was this repeater that had stopped functioning. So when I un-insulation-tape-wrapped the little parcel that was the push button, hidden away under the stairs, and finally remembered that there were a couple of lithium cells that drove it, I was happy. Slightly red faced, but happy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 23 July, 2012, 10:46:43 am
Quote from: Kim on 21 July, 2012, 09:11:27 pm
Curry, cake, and did battle with a Marathon Plus.
Who won?

IME it's not a foregone conclusion with them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 July, 2012, 10:47:15 am
I bet the curry won... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 23 July, 2012, 12:47:51 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 21 July, 2012, 09:55:50 pm
* Failed to find appropriate seatpost for hack MTB :( 27.2 is too big. Destined for scrap, non name shopper's too small and teh one I know fits I've put in storage :(

What size do you need? I might have a 27mm that you can have for cost of post.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 July, 2012, 01:03:59 pm
Quote from: Paul on 23 July, 2012, 12:47:51 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 21 July, 2012, 09:55:50 pm
* Failed to find appropriate seatpost for hack MTB :( 27.2 is too big. Destined for scrap, non name shopper's too small and teh one I know fits I've put in storage :(

What size do you need? I might have a 27mm that you can have for cost of post.

Thanks, YHPM
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 July, 2012, 01:24:08 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 23 July, 2012, 10:46:43 am
Quote from: Kim on 21 July, 2012, 09:11:27 pm
Curry, cake, and did battle with a Marathon Plus.
Who won?

IME it's not a foregone conclusion with them.

No score draw.  The tyre broke a VAR lever - which I'm more than a little miffed about - and was found to have a mysterious bulge in the sidewall, rather than any kind of seating issue, so is getting replaced.


The curry and cake were both nom, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 23 July, 2012, 01:41:05 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 July, 2012, 07:11:37 pm
Basil will be pleased to hear (or not, seeing as it doesn't actually make any noise): the doorbell.  I broke the wireless transmitter thingy while attempting to replace the corroded microswitch, got fed up and installed a good old-fashioned bell-push using wire.

I may obtain some sort of bell to act as feedback for the user, as it's currently reliable but silent - which risks inadvertently training people to knock.

Now I, knowing full well the molishing capabillities of the occupants, was quite happy to assume that I was pushing a silent bell with all sorts of clever tronic stuff happening within.

Which is why I stood there pushing a button that wasn't working for some time.

Random callers would probably need some sort of sound feedback, though, to disuade them from pushing the button 8 times in quick succession before beating on the door.

Oh, and thanks for the loan of the chain tool.  It's amazing how much easier it is to use an un-bent one.  :thumbsup:
Took the fixed on a trial run to the pub.  The repaired chain seemed to hold up OK.  Although I was rather trepidous honking up Franklin Way.  Sort of trying to push hard, but without pushing hard.  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 24 July, 2012, 09:06:37 am
This morning (only because I'm disorganised)  ::-)
* new pads in the front BB7 on the tourer.  A case of better safe than sorry - don't want to have to replace then somewhere in the Pyrenees.
* air in both tyres.  Amazing how much easier the bike moves when the tyres aren't 15-20 psi below recommendation  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 July, 2012, 10:50:13 am
The garage door.

I came to close it and the handle moved an alarming amount outwards.

To be fair the garage is ~20 years old and the plates holding the handle in place are only thermoplastic, so they were going to crack and fail at some point.

they have now been replaced with nice shiny SS penny washers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2012, 04:39:29 pm
New tyre onto barakta's trike (to replace the one with the suspicious bulge).  Moderate swearing required.

Also, a Thorn accessory bar to replace the self-unscrewing SpaceGrip.  This required more abuse than I would have liked to get it to fit round the dérailleur post, with the result that there's no way in hell a bolt is going to fit through the clamp.  Fortunately, the springiness of the metal is sufficient that, having removed the arrangement of nut, bolt and 2p coin that I used to spread it, the clamp is holding itself on bastard tight without a bolt.  Certainly stronger than the SpaceGrip ever was - when shoved it drags the trike (and the turbo trainer it's currently attached to) across the floor rather than rotating around the post.

I also shortened it by 15mm on each side (trivial hacksaw job) for better shoe clearance, and did some sugru-fu to mount the computer neatly on the upward strut, leaving the top clear for Garmin, reflector and a battery light.

ETA: Cleaned and re-adjusted the rear mech on my Dawes.  It now has the full 9 gears again.

Installed new batteries in both my bike computers.  They were giving low battery warnings in warm weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 July, 2012, 04:42:05 pm
Those of you who know me, please sit down.

I have washed my bike!!!!

I am sure there was still remnants of Normandy clay on there....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 24 July, 2012, 04:45:59 pm
Figured out and fettled bike storage inside my Punto.

One cheap bike bag which I had bought years ago, and a pair of wheel bags.

Flop back seat of Punto down.

Lower saddle and remove wheels of MTB.  Put frame in bike bag, wheels in wheel bags, and shove the whole lot in the back of the car!   ;D

Much cheaper than buying a towbar & towbar rack!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 July, 2012, 04:47:31 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 24 July, 2012, 04:42:05 pm
Those of you who know me, please sit down.

I have washed my bike!!!!

I am sure there was still remnants of Normandy clay on there....

1066 vintage?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 24 July, 2012, 08:48:19 pm
MKS track pedals fitted to Viscount project - that looks more like it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rower40 on 24 July, 2012, 09:34:31 pm
One thing led to another...
Avid BB7s on Orange Bling needed tightening. While doing that, I noticed 3 spokes whose heads had sheared off - even though the hook was still holding into the hub. So that got me searching the garage for the spare spokes I'd bought for that wheel.  After 2 hours of tidying, throwing out old stuff (I don't feel too guilty about throwing out halogen lights etc) and sweeping, I didn't find them, but I did find others of the right length.
Replaced the broken spokes (including removing brake disk, gear actuator), trued wheel.
Mended punctures on trailer and Grasshopper.
Removed Heath Robinson wiring from Grasshopper.

Will tackle stage 2 of garage clearance tomorrow, after the (brim-full) Wheelie Bin gets emptied.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 24 July, 2012, 10:13:05 pm
I fettled my gardens, front and back. Its garden waste wheelie bin day tomorrow so the plan was to fill it. I managed that along with a pile of vegetation more than 6 foot cubed that won't fit in! I will need to do a trip to the recycling centre in the car to get rid of it all tomorrow. At least my lawn is mowed and mahoosive shrubs radically pruned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 25 July, 2012, 01:02:37 am
I fitted my new bottom bracket and rear wheel to Pompino. Now have silent chain as chain line is correct. LBS had failed to do this right previously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 July, 2012, 01:07:11 am
New SPD cleats on the waterproof shoes. I was just going to realign the old ones but got a bit carried away
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 25 July, 2012, 01:12:10 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 25 July, 2012, 01:07:11 am
New SPD cleats on the waterproof shoes. I was just going to realign the old ones but got a bit carried away

Waterproof shoes?  What's with the waterproof shoes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 July, 2012, 01:17:54 am
I have a pair of goretex lined cycling shoes (http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a12617/sh-mt60-mtb-multi-sport-adventure-grey.html?lg=en) - very useful in the rain as except for the standard design flaw* they don't let your feet get wet :)

I also have some mesh breathable ones, but listening to the rain hammering down outside I don't think I'll be wearing them tomorrow

*big hole in top to allow foot in
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 25 July, 2012, 05:19:53 pm
Whipped the bottom bracket out of the pompino as it sounded unwell over the last few days.

Made note of bearing numbers and reassembled it all. Quick spin around the block and it is silent. So not sure if I have solved the issues with some magic cleaning and greasing, or whether it will get noisy again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 July, 2012, 06:39:07 am
Finally got around to fixing DNS issue on the home network.

A couple of years ago, I updated my firewall (fedora linux based, home brew) and it forced a change from BIND to unbound.  I attempted to get BIND working then, but obviously had a Friday afternoon moment with it, so kept unbound running and archived the config for BIND.

After getting really really hacked off with unbound dropping packets and just not responding for hours on end (even after restarts) I decided enough was enough.  I restored the BIND config and found ALL the typos (yes there was many many typos, told you it was a Friday afternoon job).  Now all fixed and no glitches yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 July, 2012, 08:50:48 am
Yesterday - fettled front derailleur, replacing cracked outer cable and tensioning the whole lot so the cage no longer rubs on the chain in big ring and smallest sprockets. Did this half an hour before heading out on the Wednesday evening ride, but all was well.

Also - dusted and hoovered!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 July, 2012, 12:24:11 pm
Fettle-by-proxy, I GAMI to clean the oven.

Nearly two hours later he has nearly finished!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 July, 2012, 04:01:35 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 26 July, 2012, 12:24:11 pm
Fettle-by-proxy, I GAMI to clean the oven.

Nearly two hours later he has nearly finished!

now THAT'S what I call executive delegation :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 July, 2012, 05:10:11 pm
This afternoon I thought I'd be really clever and try swapping the 135mm OLN axle from my dawes horizon to the hub on a set of old 130mm OLN hubs which I last used on my Lemond Road Bike.

2 hours later, ended up confused over which spacer goes where to respace the 130mm hub to 135mm. Tried it in the Horizon only to see the wheel way off to one side, and the rear mech miles out of adjustment.

Decided I'd be best just putting things back to normal, putting the 135mm oln axle back into the rear wheel of the dawes horizon. 

Ended up even more confused about what spacer goes where, and I've probably mixed up the spacers from the 135mm and 130mm oln hubs.

So I now have a Dawes Horizon with a non functioning rear wheel.    :demon:

<<sigh>>

/me throws teddy out of pram....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 July, 2012, 05:23:13 pm
The additional spacer goes on the non-drive side but the wheel will require redishing afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 July, 2012, 05:55:24 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 July, 2012, 05:23:13 pm
The additional spacer goes on the non-drive side but the wheel will require redishing afterwards.

lol @ me   ::-)  Wish I'd just left the darned thing alone now!  yacf numpty of the year award to me I think..... 

Ah well, at least I have a functioning MTB to get out to play with tomorrow!   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 July, 2012, 06:25:53 pm
I've just adjusted the position of the shifters on my handlebars.

Following a shifter upgrade a week or so back, I was becoming aware that the bike was uncomfortably asymmetrical, and I was sitting in a slightly twisted orientation.  You don't notice it at first, but after a couple of hours you do.

Placing a straight-edge over the hoods of the shifters revealed that they were far from equally aligned on the bars, even though it looked OK by eye.
So a re-fettle using a straight-edge, and it's *much* more comfortable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 26 July, 2012, 10:58:43 pm
Quote from: Feline on 24 July, 2012, 10:13:05 pm
I fettled my gardens, front and back. Its garden waste wheelie bin day tomorrow so the plan was to fill it. I managed that along with a pile of vegetation more than 6 foot cubed that won't fit in! I will need to do a trip to the recycling centre in the car to get rid of it all tomorrow. At least my lawn is mowed and mahoosive shrubs radically pruned.
It's organic material. Chop it up a bit & pile it up somewhere & it'll turn into nice humus (eventually), & by discarding it you're taking nutrients out of your garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 26 July, 2012, 11:45:55 pm
I washed a not inconsiderable amount of Gloucestershire off my Thorn and fettled the stoker bars on the tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 July, 2012, 12:05:03 am
Quote from: Bledlow on 26 July, 2012, 10:58:43 pm
Quote from: Feline on 24 July, 2012, 10:13:05 pm
I fettled my gardens, front and back. Its garden waste wheelie bin day tomorrow so the plan was to fill it. I managed that along with a pile of vegetation more than 6 foot cubed that won't fit in! I will need to do a trip to the recycling centre in the car to get rid of it all tomorrow. At least my lawn is mowed and mahoosive shrubs radically pruned.
It's organic material. Chop it up a bit & pile it up somewhere & it'll turn into nice humus (eventually), & by discarding it you're taking nutrients out of your garden.

I have 2 compost bins on the go that are both pretty full at the moment. No other space to store things. Some of these branches have 'trunks' 4 inches thick and would take years to rot down. They are now deposited at the council recycling site and my garden is back to being tidy(ish)  :D This lot filled the whole car with vegetation sticking into the back of my head. The car has gained more resident spiders.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/66bada06.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 27 July, 2012, 11:54:50 am
Stripped, cleaned, regreased, and replaced the bearings in the old Suntour freewheel on my Eddy Merckx.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 July, 2012, 12:02:21 pm
Sprayed the tourer's chain with GT85 to get to work without squeaking too much :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 27 July, 2012, 04:48:12 pm
Last night I busted my broken spoke replacement cherry and did a bit of truing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil on 29 July, 2012, 03:43:55 pm
Fitted my new mudguards while watching the racing.  It took an unreasonably long time. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 29 July, 2012, 06:10:08 pm
Over the weekend fitted Campag 980 mech to the Viscount Project bike. As with all of these jobs it wasn't straightforward. I bought the mech through the CTC classifieds when it arrived it had a hanger bolt but no nut, presumably this is meant to fit onto a threaded hanger on the frame, the Viscount hasn't got one of these, relying on a pressed steel hanger. Measuring the thread with Vernier calliper and thread gauges, both indispensible during the project,  this proved to be M10 X 1mm. This is a bit of an odd size but searching by google indicated that this size half nut is used to secure hydraulic brake lines as they pass through car bulkheads - 20 years ago I would never have found that out! So, I nipped round to the motor factor in the village on Saturday morning and bought one for 40p. The hanger needed a bit of hand fitting to make it fit and I had to enlarge the bolt hole in the hanger slightly with a file. Even with a half nut the clearance between the nut and the sprocket was tight so I sliced the nut in half with a hacksaw and filed it to size. Put it all together and it works a treat!

What I should have done of course is to tap the hanger out to M10 X 1 and use the halved half nut to lock it. I have another hanger so that's what I'll do when the time comes to build it up for the last time. I'll need to get hold of a suitable tap though.

Ran it round for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon and today spent an hour or so today making adjustments, experimenting with spacers and the like to improve the chain line - which isn't that bad to be fair. The rear wheel axle could do with being a bit shorter, it's a bit of a struggle to getthe wheel in and out with this mech fitted - I expect it would be fine with a QR rear wheel - but that's not what I've got! I suspect I will need to develop a knack for doing it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 29 July, 2012, 06:55:05 pm
My Garmin: Got a map of France to work. :)  Now to work out routes/tracks...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 29 July, 2012, 07:15:12 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 24 July, 2012, 04:45:59 pm
Figured out and fettled bike storage inside my Punto.

One cheap bike bag which I had bought years ago, and a pair of wheel bags.

Flop back seat of Punto down.

Lower saddle and remove wheels of MTB.  Put frame in bike bag, wheels in wheel bags, and shove the whole lot in the back of the car!   ;D

Much cheaper than buying a towbar & towbar rack!   ;D

However can't be bothered with the faff, so ordered a Saris Bones 2 rack...   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: why1040 on 29 July, 2012, 07:32:54 pm
I've got the Saris Bones 3, and it's fantastic.  I find it very easy to use-it took a bit of setting up the first time, to get the legs in position, but now it's really easy and it holds the bikes nice and securely.  I always use some extra rope/bungees because I'm paranoid, but it has been used with just the built-in attachments and it was fine.

:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 29 July, 2012, 07:39:47 pm
Yay!  Well done, Andrij.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 29 July, 2012, 09:26:53 pm
I fettled "the world's best guacamole" (unlikely, but I'm flattered) & some salads, trimmed crusts off toast and sliced lemons for 75 guests and spent two hours washing up at my dad's birthday party.

I think I've consumed more calories this weekend than I did doing the Cambrian, and not a single km pedalled.

My fettling was as nought to my sister, who put together a cake the like of which we'll never see again. Photo to follow. I only wish she lived in this country...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 July, 2012, 08:17:20 pm
Quote from: robust bitch oab on 29 July, 2012, 09:26:53 pm
I fettled "the world's best guacamole" (unlikely, but I'm flattered) & some salads, trimmed crusts off toast and sliced lemons for 75 guests and spent two hours washing up at my dad's birthday party.

I think I've consumed more calories this weekend than I did doing the Cambrian, and not a single km pedalled.

My fettling was as nought to my sister, who put together a cake the like of which we'll never see again. Photo to follow. I only wish she lived in this country...

Is it as good as this guacamole?
(click to show/hide)
  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 July, 2012, 08:36:55 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 26 July, 2012, 05:10:11 pm
This afternoon I thought I'd be really clever and try swapping the 135mm OLN axle from my dawes horizon to the hub on a set of old 130mm OLN hubs which I last used on my Lemond Road Bike.

2 hours later, ended up confused over which spacer goes where to respace the 130mm hub to 135mm. Tried it in the Horizon only to see the wheel way off to one side, and the rear mech miles out of adjustment.

Decided I'd be best just putting things back to normal, putting the 135mm oln axle back into the rear wheel of the dawes horizon. 

Ended up even more confused about what spacer goes where, and I've probably mixed up the spacers from the 135mm and 130mm oln hubs.

So I now have a Dawes Horizon with a non functioning rear wheel.    :demon:

<<sigh>>

/me throws teddy out of pram....

/me calmy puts teddy back in pram.

With the aid of shimano rear hub exploded diagrams, and a vernier caliper I have managed to re space the 130mm wheel out to 135mm! 

The Dawes Horizon certainly looks odd with 622x13 rims with 25mm tyres on.  Looks like a Land Rover with comedy boy racer low profile tyres.....   :D

However I have no real plans for touring now, so I figured I may as well improve the briskness of the dawes by swapping the heavy touring wheels out for slightly lighter & faster road wheels.   Just to redish the rear wheel a couple of mm to the non drive side   :)

Next plan is to take a bash at wheel building!     :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 July, 2012, 06:02:48 am
Pingu put on a new crank for me after the old one turned out to be made of cheese and the pedal stripped the threads :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 31 July, 2012, 09:19:52 am
Hung the washing out.

Installed Fedora on the replacement for Bigblue (called babyblue as it's ickle).

Bike fettling imminent...

Oh and a purchasing trip to get supplies for dinner (due to having two guests to tea tonight)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 31 July, 2012, 05:29:03 pm
Quote from: marcusjb on 25 July, 2012, 05:19:53 pm
Whipped the bottom bracket out of the pompino as it sounded unwell over the last few days.

Made note of bearing numbers and reassembled it all. Quick spin around the block and it is silent. So not sure if I have solved the issues with some magic cleaning and greasing, or whether it will get noisy again.

Well it turned out to be a temporary fix - the BB soon got noisy again.  So a new BB was procured (from On-One as they are about the only people to sell 103mm axle BBs) and has been fixed today - so hopefully silence now.  The seals on this new one (Token) seem to be rather more substantial than the last one, so hopefully this one will last more than 18 months of irregular commuting duties.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: madcow on 31 July, 2012, 07:19:09 pm
new chain and cassette on Mrs Ms Madone.

Adjusted brakes on tandem ready for son and GF to ride at Semaine Federale.

New rear tyre on my Madone= last one split sidewall on some roughstuff. (yes I know , Madones are not ideal rough stuff bikes.)
With a bit of plastic inside the casing it was hardly noticeable but better safe than sorry. GP 4 season as well, shame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 31 July, 2012, 08:14:47 pm
Quote from: why1040 on 29 July, 2012, 07:32:54 pm
I've got the Saris Bones 3, and it's fantastic.  I find it very easy to use-it took a bit of setting up the first time, to get the legs in position, but now it's really easy and it holds the bikes nice and securely.  I always use some extra rope/bungees because I'm paranoid, but it has been used with just the built-in attachments and it was fine.

:)

The Saris Bones 2 arrived today.  A quick test fit on the boot of the punto and it seems quite sturdy & secure!   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 31 July, 2012, 08:58:51 pm
Cyclo bag loops fitted to Brooks Swift on Cannondale so I can carry a small bag of essential tools and err..kit for repairing err... things without having to remember to put them in my pocket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 01 August, 2012, 11:09:52 am
Swapped the old brake levers for Tektros with hidden cables on the Merckx. Also visited my parents at the weekend and found some old ESGE mudguards in Dad's shed. So now it's a bit more practical:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/P1020053.jpg)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/P1020055.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/P1020059.jpg)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/P1020058.jpg)

 A week ago it looked like this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/P1020035.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 August, 2012, 11:19:17 am
Merckx goes utility! With a mixture of new and old components - I like the big, round, '70s reflector.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 August, 2012, 11:28:36 am
That looks pretty good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 01 August, 2012, 11:37:44 am
Thanks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 01 August, 2012, 02:32:22 pm
Quote from: robust bitch oab on 29 July, 2012, 09:26:53 pm
My fettling was as nought to my sister, who put together a cake the like of which we'll never see again. Photo to follow. I only wish she lived in this country...
Here it is:

(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/facebook_-800217933jpg.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 01 August, 2012, 02:34:08 pm
A battery box of 5 hybrid rechargeable AAs as a temporary replacement for my defunct Schmidt.  Road/endurance test tonight ahead of riding down to Chichester after work on Friday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 01 August, 2012, 04:44:58 pm
New tyres on the tandem, chain cleaned and lubed and GT85 sprayed inside the front seat tube to stop the creak. All ready to head to France now  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 01 August, 2012, 09:56:55 pm
Cabled up the new B&M rear light on the Nomad in preparation for the weekends night swim....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 August, 2012, 01:10:48 pm
The brakes on Marj's elctrikery bike.Clear evidence that she is using more than previously :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 August, 2012, 03:26:12 pm
I'm still not really capable of fettling anything myself, so I've taken my Ridgeback Solo for some tlc and tourerising chez Corridori.

I explained the gear cable calibration twice just in case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 02 August, 2012, 04:43:34 pm
Some cheap plastic toy handcuffs belonging to the lad next door were a casualty in this afternoon's game of cops and robbers.

I channelled Granny Annie and successfully "invisibly mended" them. Appropriate colour gaffer tape ftw!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 02 August, 2012, 07:48:17 pm
A boat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 August, 2012, 08:12:02 pm
Put my hammerited tubus rack back on.
Will need to sort out my gear cables *properly* and while I'm at it sort my left lever so it's level with the right (something I've been meaning to do for over a year) but that'll have to wait til next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 02 August, 2012, 08:48:38 pm
A quick fettle on my nice Decathlon B'Twin Rockrider 5.3 mtb.

Gave the rear gear cable a tweak as the rear mech had been slow to change gear.   Fettled the brake levers so they are pointing down ~ 45 degrees, and gave the tektro IO cable disc brakes a quick tweak to tighten them up. 

 ;D

Also fettled some bits of bike inner tube on the boot clips on the Saris Bones 2 rack - they fit a lot more secure now! 

Looking forward to heading towards Pitmedden forest tomorrow!   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 02 August, 2012, 11:09:34 pm
I drilled (with a hot bit of metal) holes through the clips on two Cateye TL-LD170s so I could thread something through to tie them on to the little light loops on the back of my & Mrs B's rack bags, to stop the little buggers jumping off on bumps.

They're handy emergency back-up lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 02 August, 2012, 11:55:35 pm
Yesterday, but never mind. New rim on a rear wheel, as the old one had concave sides that comfortably fitted my thumb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 August, 2012, 01:02:02 am
Tweaked the position of my left SPD cleat after it gave me some discomfort on Tuesday's ride. Not really sure whether it's better as today's ride didn't have the same long stretch without any stops or unclipping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 04 August, 2012, 08:21:20 pm
Just cleaned and re-fitted the chain to my Dave Yates for tomorrow's J38. I only had dry weather chain lube.

*checks forecast for the Dales*

*listens to clap of thunder*

Oh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 05 August, 2012, 08:50:00 pm
I've been working on my friend's tandem. Added a drag brake, got rid of the v-brake on the front that wasn't working (because it was with aero levers  :facepalm:) and fitted a cantilever and faffed about with the front seat clamp area as it wasn't locking the seat pin. Also added my saddle and pedals.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7719091500_3618c023ff.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719091500/)
Tandem (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719091500/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7719078430_11657a6328.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719078430/)
IMG_9865 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719078430/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7719077174_db4ac8156a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719077174/)
Drag Brake On (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719077174/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7719070906_a60ee087e3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719070906/)
Drag Brake Off (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719070906/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7719064874_3caf00ff18.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719064874/)
Drag Brake (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/7719064874/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 August, 2012, 01:02:18 pm
removed the tyre from the heavy fixie front wheel and fitted it to the lighter fixie front wheel, then fitted same back onto fixie.

Just need to do the rear now.

Planning on going to see my older brother this PM to see how the painting went, so I can clear some space in the garage (4 frames, including a tandem, need painting)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 06 August, 2012, 01:03:35 pm
Just the cat flap which a visitor had pushed out
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 06 August, 2012, 01:10:42 pm
Trying to clean up a bedside lamp rescued from my Grandad's, before he could skip it.  It was made in a factory in Cobham apparently.  It's a beautiful marble and brass thing (though deeply unfashionable) and absolutely filthy.  Warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush has brought the marble up quite nicely, but I'll need something specialist for the brass bits.  I think they're lacquered which makes it harder. 

Also waiting for the cooker repair man.

And listening to music.  And the rain outside.  It's really quite a nice way to spend the day, though not at all what I had planned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 06 August, 2012, 01:33:49 pm
Door handles and lights.

I've swapped and changed almost every light in our house. The ones we inherited where either old and rusty, horrible or just plain broken. Almost every room now has a new light fitting and bulbs in it.

I've also been around removing, cleaning and greasing door handles and latches, and replacing outside door locks on our new house. There's nothing like taking something that is hard to use, squeeky and horrible. Fettling it with grease and turning it into a smooth silent joy to use. All the doors now open quietly and close without having to slam. A gentle click as the close.

Makes for a much nicer house when you don't have to fight with the door to go into a room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 August, 2012, 03:58:31 pm
I have refitted the bar tape that came undone during the course of last Saturday's Clum/Hum ride.

I also incurred a snakebite puncture on the off-road section & have just repaired it using a self adhesive patch.
I was given a slack handfull of these patches at CTC York Rally 2011 & due to a previous poor result with a different type of s.a. patch I've not had much faith in them & they have resided in the bottom of the bitsbox for 14 months.
Now that I can do the repair in the comfort of the gazeebo & am not pressed for time as I might be during the course of an audax ride,I decided to try one the s.a. patches.
It's worked a treat thus restoring faith sufficiently to put some in the seat pak :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 07 August, 2012, 01:17:42 am
Chain was graunching in a horribly gritty way, so I - gasp! - cleaned it. Then I went a bit far and washed various other bits of the bike, using a - splish - watering can!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 07 August, 2012, 10:33:45 am
Kona Caldera being turned into a pedal-powered version of a BMW GS for the use of Mrs Marco, with the addition of 1.95" Schwalbe City Jets and a huge Tortec Transalp rack. Just mudguards to transfer from the old bike, with P-clips to attach to suspension forks; 700c guards, but I'll see how they look.

Also (following information gleaned from this wonderful parish) fitted new Ortlieb fixings to a 19-year old pair of enormous Karrimor panniers that Mrs Marco uses abuses on local shopping trips. Worked a treat, so another few years use out of those for £20.

And, and... After thinking about a Carradice rack pack and getting detailed info on size from here (thanks Biggsy) I bought a Barley.  ???  How does that happen? Anyway, looks lovely (if slightly squiffy) on the Hewitt.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 07 August, 2012, 11:36:24 am
Since I'm waiting for a delivery from Parcel Faorce, I thought I'd fettle the dust bunnies out from under the bed, hoover the stairs and general house fettling.

Hopefully the above parcel will arrive promptly, so I can fettle the nice new Vittoria Rubino Pro 3 Tech Folding Tyre 700x28s onto the Dawes Horizon and get out for a spin!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 07 August, 2012, 08:03:26 pm
Re-wound bar tape on mine.
New gear cable outer on mini-hatler's road bike. Then the clamp on the stand started playing silly buggers (with mini's bike clamped in) so had to dismantle that and run a tap and die over the clamp threads.
Adjusted head set on mini's.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 August, 2012, 11:02:10 pm
Switched the bars on my hybrid back to butterflies. Looks like it's going to be commuting again until I fix the rear wheel on the tourer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 August, 2012, 02:24:43 pm
Replaced the bars on the Purple Bling so that Mrs T can join us on a run to the pub.

This involved:
Removing STIs and crosstops
taking bars and stem off bike (quill stem so easier to remove bars if all off bike)
remove old bars
fit new bars
fit STIs and crosstops
realise that new bars are same width as old ones, so repeat steps 1 thru 3 then fit wider bars and continue from step 6 (obviously omitting this step the second time around)
adjust everything
re-fit bar tape.
Stand back and enjoy.

During this I did find a use for a 20eurocent piece.  Couldn't find any 2p pieces to do the bolt and 2p bit trick on the stem, so a 20eurocent was used....

I then fitted front and rear lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 09 August, 2012, 08:23:36 am
Quote from: tiermat on 08 August, 2012, 02:24:43 pm
During this I did find a use for a 20eurocent piece.  Couldn't find any 2p pieces to do the bolt and 2p bit trick on the stem, so a 20eurocent was used....

 ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 August, 2012, 09:21:59 am
Quote from: fuzzy on 09 August, 2012, 08:23:36 am
Quote from: tiermat on 08 August, 2012, 02:24:43 pm
During this I did find a use for a 20eurocent piece.  Couldn't find any 2p pieces to do the bolt and 2p bit trick on the stem, so a 20eurocent was used....

 ???

Quill stems, i.e. not front loading ones with caps, invariably are too small/tight to get the bars in without scratching them to hell.  So you use a bolt and a coin, usually put in the wrong way, but in my case I needed a nut too as the stem isn't threaded, to open out the stem clamp to get the bars in with damage.

ETA: Thusly: (http://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/stemopened.jpg?w=512&h=361)

http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/inserting-a-handlebar-into-a-stem/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 09 August, 2012, 09:59:33 am
Tried to replace the sealed bearing cartridges on my fixed wheel.

One of the cone nuts is stuck fast, but I managed to get the bearing out on that side by whacking the axle from the other end. The axle is now out with the cone nut and bearing cartridge still attached.

Once the axle was out, I tried to knock out the bearing cartridge on the other side but have only succeeded in removing the inner race and bearings. The outer race is still in the hub.

I am now sitting down with a cup of tea and crying.

I was alarmed at how much rust was inside the hub, given that it's supposed to be sealed.

d.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 August, 2012, 10:10:13 am
Fitted guards and a rack to the raleigh ready for tomorrows audax. The rack is now held on at the top using copper earthing clips as I couldn't find small enough normal p-clips anywhere.

I think it's sulking in the corner now as it looks more like a tourer than a road bike. Later I'll try to fit the fork-crown mount for the Ixon (if I can find it)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 09 August, 2012, 10:15:53 am
Quote from: tiermat on 09 August, 2012, 09:21:59 am
Quote from: fuzzy on 09 August, 2012, 08:23:36 am
Quote from: tiermat on 08 August, 2012, 02:24:43 pm
During this I did find a use for a 20eurocent piece.  Couldn't find any 2p pieces to do the bolt and 2p bit trick on the stem, so a 20eurocent was used....

 ???

Quill stems, i.e. not front loading ones with caps, invariably are too small/tight to get the bars in without scratching them to hell.  So you use a bolt and a coin, usually put in the wrong way, but in my case I needed a nut too as the stem isn't threaded, to open out the stem clamp to get the bars in with damage.

ETA: Thusly: (http://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/stemopened.jpg?w=512&h=361)

http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/inserting-a-handlebar-into-a-stem/

fuzzy learns moar fettling skills :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 09 August, 2012, 10:24:45 am
(couple of days ago now)

I have finally learnt why the lockrings on schraeder valves are so hated amongst cyclists.

I've never had a deflation on the tandem - but I was changing tyres, so wanted everything replacing.

Locknut - seized solid on there.

Took masses of WD40, 2 pairs of pliers and about 20 minutes to get the bugger off - I am just so glad I found the issue at home, to have to do that at the side of the road in a rain storm with limited tools - well, it would be game over!

Needless to say, lockrings have been removed from every wheel now (anything I have fettled over the past year or so had no lockrings as I have heard so many people say they are evil and unnecessary etc.).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 August, 2012, 01:54:27 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 09 August, 2012, 09:21:59 am
ETA: Thusly: (http://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/stemopened.jpg?w=512&h=361)

That makes me feel so much better about inventing that method (nut and all) independently the other week, to botch a Thorn accessory bar onto an ICE derailleur post.   8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 10 August, 2012, 12:17:07 pm
I went out just to do the gears as they were a bit out, did that so I thought I'd do the brakes front OK did the rear and then noticed the wheel had a slight buckle sorted that so I ended up cleaning the whole bike  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 11 August, 2012, 09:32:21 pm
Just completed the de-campagification of the Carpe Diem.  Early morning spin on Shimano dressed ti loveliness awaits   :thumbsup:   8)   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 August, 2012, 09:35:40 pm
Re-trued the back wheel I hammered yesterday. Thankfully all the spokes look ok (they're black so it's a bit harder to get hold of replacements). The rim has a very small nick on it but nothing that's going to affect the wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 August, 2012, 05:13:49 pm
Took a front brake disc off the car, saw some moron had used an angle grinder on the hub, so I put it back together until I can get a proper garage to fit a new hub - I'm not fitting a brand new disc to that one.

Fitted a new stem to Miss Z the elder's bike and also (finally) managed to get a decent headset adjustment when I realised that my Vise-Grips would fit the knurled adjustable race (they didn't even mark it).

Took the Coleman stove apart, took out the cleaning wire, cleaned the generator and jet with carburettor cleaner, washed the burner out and put it all back together again (contrary to urban legend, it is quite possible to get the wire back in after removing it).

Cleaned out the rabbit.

Cut the grass.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 August, 2012, 06:25:08 pm
I have Shimano part number fatigue :(
Decided to replace the front mech on my mtb commuter. Pingu says 'get any bottom swing bottom pull', so i got one he linked to. Now I only have access to 2 rings cos it doesn't bloody reach the big ring  >:( >:( >:(
So I decided to look for another new one, better quality this time.
My brain bloody hurts. And I still haven't ordered one.  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 12 August, 2012, 08:34:43 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 11 August, 2012, 09:32:21 pm
Just completed the de-campagification of the Carpe Diem.  Early morning spin on Shimano dressed ti loveliness awaits   :thumbsup:   8)   ;D

OK, so let me elaborate:

Off came the Campag Daytona / Centaur / Veloce 9 speed transmission replaced with Shimano Ultegra sti's courtesy of tiermat.   Rear mech is an experiment at the moment, an XT rapid rise*.   Front mech is a triple Dura Ace 9 speed snaffled from ebay.    New Jagwire cables, replaced the Morphe Randonneur bars with some slightly wider courtesy of Tewdric.   Rear wheel is an Ultegra with a Rigida Chrina rim courtesy of Mike.   I fitted an SRAM pg970 11-32 cassette and pc970 chain snaffled in a less-than-half-price sale some months back from CRC.    The rear Tektro Oryx brakes were replaced with some Tektro frogleg look-a-likes (and work mcuh better than the Oryx).

Took the bike for a spin this morning and really enjoyed it.   Now need to do a rim transplant on the front wheel and all will be complete.

*  Managed a few confused gear shifts but will persist for a few weeks before deciding whether or not to ditch and replace with a conventional version.
   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 12 August, 2012, 11:08:45 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 09 August, 2012, 10:10:13 am
Fitted guards and a rack to the raleigh ready for tomorrows audax. The rack is now held on at the top using copper earthing clips as I couldn't find small enough normal p-clips anywhere.

What size do you need? I've got some unused 13mm Tortec ones around here somewhere I think (my bikes have 16mm seatstays). You're welcome to them if they'd fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 August, 2012, 11:12:53 pm
I've used 15s, which are very slightly too big so 13s might fit. The copper ones seem to work fine though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 13 August, 2012, 03:18:41 pm
Put mudguards back on my cross bike for tomorrows commute, the last two days have been dry enough not to bother!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 August, 2012, 08:13:21 pm
Fitted a longer seatpost to Miss Z the elder's bike so she can get another year out of it (I put a bigger stem on at the weekend).  Her next bike is likely to have 26" wheels  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wonky on 14 August, 2012, 08:52:35 pm
Swapped out the adjustable Bottom Bracket with a cartridge job. The old BB developed a nasty creak on the way home, and inspection revealed a large amount of play. Tightening it up to so tight that I could hardly turn the pedals still left some side play.
The new Cartridge BB goes in nice and clean, no grease to play with, and spins freely with no play.
 A quick test run and the bike feels like one half its weight.

Why didn't I do this before??? Half a day cleaning, re-greasing and adjusting vs 15 mins swapping a cartridge. What's not to like?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 15 August, 2012, 08:47:40 pm
I didn't mean to buy any bits for my new project bike before I had the frame in the garage and was able to go over it and measure everything but...put in a low bid for a Gipiemme fluted seatpost the other night on Ebay and of course won it. Arrived today in rather tatty and scored condition but an hour in the garage with emery cloth, 000 wire wool and Autosol and it looks much better - I just hope it fits! it should as long as the frame tubes are what is claimed. (I baulk at spending £40 or whatever the going EBay rate is for the Campag equivalent...but that doesn't mean that I won't at some point!)

I have put in similarly low bids for various other components...oh deary me what have I started?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 16 August, 2012, 07:10:27 pm
Got around to looking at an old mini-ITX server that gave me some good service when it was hosted in Harbour Square a few years ago, but ended up a bit underpowered and then went unreliable (running for 10 minutes or so then dying) so I pulled it and replaced it with a HP ProLiant. Needing to rationalise my servers at home (no longer really need four of them, especially as they are 333MHz PII or slower) I just dug this out, looked inside and realised that the problem was a seized CPU fan and some bulging caps.

Replaced all of them, and it's back to life ready to have a new OS installed - at which point I found that the VIA C3 processor is too old to have a current Ubuntu LTS or CentOS build installed  :(  (booting it up brought up FC2 - which shows how old this system was).

Currently trying out BlueOnyx (CentOS5.8 based) as I'd like to let Adam manage some of his domain stuff without giving him root on a bare server. It's a bit of a blast from the past, having used Cobalt RaQ systems 10 years ago (BlueOnyx is an updated version of the RaQ 550 OS, after Sun open sourced it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 August, 2012, 07:52:43 pm
Not so much fettled as observed with the intention to fettle. The rear mudguard on my Sabbath is now in 2 pieces. I have a spare set bought in a sale last year hanging ready on the study wall. Should be an easy job given I can reuse the same stays. The poor bike needs a damn good clean too after all the horse shit I've ridden through today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 16 August, 2012, 09:08:24 pm
Took mudguards and carriadice bagman off my cross bike ready for tomorrows ride in the hills. So sorry folks if it rains!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 17 August, 2012, 11:25:58 am
Sorted out network printing! I started by trying to do it thus:

Windows (7) > Samba > CUPS
With this I could print a test page but nothing else.

Poked around the internets a bit and found the best way is to cut out Samba and go straight to the CUPS service.

So I tried:

Windows (7) > CUPS

It works! \o/ as an added bonus you don't need to re-attach if the client is shutdown/put in sleep mode! Win all round I would say.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 17 August, 2012, 02:40:16 pm
Nettles. Well, that is if 'fettling' includes digging 'em up & ripping as much of the bloody roots out of the ground as I could.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 19 August, 2012, 06:27:09 pm
Put the new rack on my bike (must remember to weigh my panniers before the commute). The bike was filthy, so it got a good clean, fresh chain, brake blocks and a new light that I've had sitting about for ages. The front shift is still being sticky and I spent too long trying to get it changing cleanly. It'll do for now, although I suspect it'll stand another tweak at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 21 August, 2012, 08:27:45 am
Last night cleaned bike in preparation for Mildenhall WARTY; the futility of this will be appreciated by those attending. I appeared to have had a visitation on my return from Sunday evening's run, sorted that. Faffed about with different sizes of clamps bolts for Hanlon Project's stem, ordered (hopefully) suitable S/S versions from EBay...err...that's it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 August, 2012, 08:45:39 am
Fiddled about with a borrowed tandem on Sunday afternoon after a fun ride. Straightened the gear hanger and a couple chainrings, fiddled with the front changer and managed to get all 8 cogs indexed while reducing it to just 2 useful final drive chainrings. That should be sorted with a new rear BB next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 21 August, 2012, 09:05:58 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 August, 2012, 08:45:39 am
Fiddled about with a borrowed tandem on Sunday afternoon after a fun ride. Straightened the gear hanger and a couple chainrings, fiddled with the front changer and managed to get all 8 cogs indexed while reducing it to just 2 useful final drive chainrings. That should be sorted with a new rear BB next weekend.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 21 August, 2012, 02:56:22 pm
Seeing as it was too wet and thundery today, I put my pinny on fettled the stoor and crumbs oot of the kitchen cupboards, wiped the doors down and cleaned the shelves.  Still the lower row of cupboards & drawers on the sink side of the kitchen to do, and sort out all the collection of gubbins beneath the sink... I'll leave the rest till another day as I'm out of elbow grease.....   :P

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 August, 2012, 08:27:37 pm
Fitted a new PSU to the firewall, and got it all working again.

The hallway no longer resounds to the hum of a PSU fan....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 22 August, 2012, 08:34:05 am
Last night rebuilt bootfair MKS quill pedals with new grease and fitted replacement dustcaps from Wiggle. Gave then a good going over with a bronze brush and an oily rag and they're as good as 20 years old. Anticipating a damp weekend, put a good coat of dubbin on the Viscount's saddle; must remember to buff it off before riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 August, 2012, 10:40:35 am
Quote from: Juan Martín on 22 August, 2012, 08:34:05 am
Last night rebuilt bootfair MKS quill pedals with new grease and fitted replacement dustcaps from Wiggle. Gave then a good going over with a bronze brush and an oily rag and they're as good as 20 years old. Anticipating a damp weekend, put a good coat of dubbin on the Viscount's saddle; must remember to buff it off before riding.
This post doesn't really belong on the internet, does it? It should be typed in good old Courier & duplicated (slightly smudgily) in a club newsletter.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 22 August, 2012, 10:48:49 am
Blimey, you're right! The dubbin's a real giveaway, I sound like a right old fart! 

Cos I am...(weeps)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 August, 2012, 03:53:39 pm
Not today, but Monday.  I'm at the Tandem Club rally at the moment, and Monday was the Hill Climb competition. Mrs. Hall doesn't get here until tonight, so I paired up with a Vigorous Youth on a borrowed Cannondale. We shot away from the start only for the timing chain to come off. It was, as they say, a bit slack.  We tried adjusting the eccentric but the damn thing wouldn't budge. (We completed three runs with the chainm as it stood). Fast forward to the evening, where armed with a selection of mallets, lumps of wood, bits of metal etc we still couldn't shift the eccentric. It's a two piece design, where a wedge is pulled against the main body, jamming it in the housing. Loosening the bolt and clouting it had no effect of the wedge.

Lightbulb moment: screw a suitable short bolt in from the other side and give it some thing to pull against and we should be able to pull the wedge free, rather than resort to hammering it from the other side. Suitable short bolt was a bottle cage bolt, something to brace against was a headset spanner with neatly positioned hanging hole, just the right size for the bolt to go through. End of spanner bore down on the bottom bracket, leaving the wedge free to move. Which it did.  A right result.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 22 August, 2012, 04:08:54 pm
<Smashie and Nicie mode on>
Bodgetastically Fetelicious there mate ;D
<Smashie and Nicie mode off>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 22 August, 2012, 09:15:13 pm
Ghengis the Nomad now has new brake blocks & cables.

I have a stab wound in my left thumb. An Opinel is perhaps not the best tool for cutting cable ties... :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 22 August, 2012, 09:31:10 pm
tsk how many times errr......... :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 August, 2012, 09:33:52 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 22 August, 2012, 09:15:13 pm
Ghengis the Nomad now has new brake blocks & cables.

I have a stab wound in my left thumb. An Opinel is perhaps not the best tool for cutting cable ties... :facepalm:

Cable cutters are much better for this use. Kitchen carving knives are very bad - DAHIKT
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 22 August, 2012, 09:42:01 pm
Have decided to give midfoot cleat positioning a go as longer rides do give me rather a lot of achilles pain.

Of course all I've done is move the cleats right back against the stops and not touched the saddle position but thought I'd risk it as my new saddle should be arrived tomorrow so I'd just have to do it all again anyway.

Probably should move back in increments rather than the whole cm plus in one go but I never said I was sensible.

Once I've got the position sorted I'll break out the glue gun as I had to drill impacted clay out of the bolt heads  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 August, 2012, 09:45:58 pm
That job is made easier by the tool for getting boy scouts out of horses hooves on a Swiss Army Knife.

I found that my Achilles pain was coming from a twisting motion due to poor cleat allignment for my foot. If you have no success with moving the cleat back, it may be a sensible next step :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 23 August, 2012, 07:15:03 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 22 August, 2012, 09:45:58 pm
That job is made easier by the tool for getting boy scouts out of horses hooves on a Swiss Army Knife.

I found that my Achilles pain was coming from a twisting motion due to poor cleat allignment for my foot. If you have no success with moving the cleat back, it may be a sensible next steap :)

You may be onto something re the twisting as whilst I do get it in both legs the left is far more severe and that's the foot that comes out for junctions and stopping. Far more twisting going on there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 August, 2012, 07:00:14 pm
New bearings in the Streetmachine's headset.  It had gone notchy in spite of extreme care tightening it up.  I'm wondering whether I should just consider the things a wear item, as the SWB design puts a *lot* more weight on the headset than a DF bike would, and the steering doesn't have a lot of travel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RW on 23 August, 2012, 08:24:30 pm
Regreased the springs of my HMV145 gramophone.  I must add that it was with a lot of help - it would be more accurate to say I was watching and learning from a very generous member of the talking machine forum.  At least I now feel confident to tackle the job on my own next time.  It's surprising how much spring there is inside a gramophone.  It's all back together and working very smoothly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 August, 2012, 08:33:25 pm
New rear mudguard on the Sabbath September to replace the broken-in-half one. Chain came off for a clean while the back wheel was out.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/2012/8A12E0A7-519B-4BA5-A1DC-F61B413A1CC0-445-000000CEBB8024C4.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 August, 2012, 08:37:46 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 August, 2012, 08:33:25 pm
New rear mudguard on the Sabbath September to replace the broken-in-half one. Chain came off for a clean while the back wheel was out.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/2012/8A12E0A7-519B-4BA5-A1DC-F61B413A1CC0-445-000000CEBB8024C4.jpg)

SKS 35mm?  I break them in six months.  They do, as you say, snap in half, usually at a stress riser like a rivet.  Useless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 23 August, 2012, 08:39:56 pm
What are you using instead?

Quote from: rogerzilla on 23 August, 2012, 08:37:46 pm
SKS 35mm?  I break them in six months.  They do, as you say, snap in half, usually at a stress riser like a rivet.  Useless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 August, 2012, 09:06:24 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 23 August, 2012, 08:37:46 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 August, 2012, 08:33:25 pm
New rear mudguard on the Sabbath September to replace the broken-in-half one. Chain came off for a clean while the back wheel was out.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/feistyfeline/2012/8A12E0A7-519B-4BA5-A1DC-F61B413A1CC0-445-000000CEBB8024C4.jpg)

SKS 35mm?  I break them in six months.  They do, as you say, snap in half, usually at a stress riser like a rivet.  Useless.

Yep. To be fair this guard has done more than 8k miles. I have a little stock of them that cost me £20 in a sale last year so I don't mind too much. The broken one randomly broke where there was no stay, bridge or hole, clean in half! I see them as a disposable item like an inner tube. At least to replace them you can re-use the same stays so it's a very quick job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 August, 2012, 09:16:54 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 23 August, 2012, 08:37:46 pm
SKS 35mm?  I break them in six months.  They do, as you say, snap in half, usually at a stress riser like a rivet.  Useless.

The only problem I've had with them is the rivets pulling through - so I end up with the guards held on by cable ties running through the old rivet holes to the brackets for the stays. That includes my Audax bike, which has done many, many thousands of km without issues other than looking a bit ratty now (and the fragile reflector breaking off very quickly). The ones I break with monotonous regularity are the Crud Roadracers - the middle section on the back breaks after a few months. Unfortunately I think they are probably still the best there is for protecting bikes with minimal clearance.

Having said that, I'm trying out some Zefals on my hack bike - cheaper (£17), and seem just as good as the SKS.

My fettling today - built up some Ikea bookcases, supervised my son putting a new seatpost on his bike (he's grown, and the original post on his Islabike Luath 700 wasn't long enough as when he first got it I had to saw off the end to let it go low enough). Then I cleaned my Roubaix following a sandy outdoor velodrome session on Tuesday, and replaced the groaning bottom bracket. Not impressed with that, it's only lasted 18 months, has been religiously greased as per SRAM's instructions (every 100 hours!) with magic blue grease and it's still seized up on the drive side.
Continued the bike fettling with a clean of MrsH's bike, and re-indexing the gears.

Then I modified my ReadyNAS Duo network storage device, pulling out the original fan and mounting a larger, quieter one on the back via a 60mm to 80mm fan adapter - which mean making some metalwork modifications to feed the fan power cable in through the Kensington lock hole and also to allow the side panels to go back on with the adapter in place. It is now running 10 degrees cooler and is just about silent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 23 August, 2012, 09:43:53 pm
Put my Spa brooks-a-like on my bike. Had a quick go setting the position and a quick spin round the block but then had to go play squash. Not sure I've got it right but will have allen keys on the commute tomorrow anyway so will fettle as I go.

Since I got in I've transplanted my saddle bag over to the new saddle but doesn't look quite right and think it may catch my legs when riding. Will see tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 23 August, 2012, 11:16:32 pm
Some mud-guard fettling for me today as well; I put some of the "old style" XL Raceblades on Cathy's Surly.
Since I'd already fitted some to one of my bikes, it only took a few minutes and they did look very good indeed. So good in fact that she thinks that she'll leave them on permanently rather than fit them when it looks like rain.
Given that she lives in Manchester, that might not be a bad thing (I thought I'd say it before either Crinkly Lion or Kim did  ;D ).
Next step for her, I think, is to get hold of the "Rear nose" piece of a Crud Road Racer to cover the gap between the brake bridge and the BB. I'd done did this on my bike (the "Crack O' Doom bike) and it worked really well.

Cathy was so grateful that she then proceeded to rip my legs off on our regular Thursday ride. She also bought me a pint at the pub stop  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 23 August, 2012, 11:21:00 pm
Sanded down some filling work I did the other evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 August, 2012, 07:39:04 am
Some fettling on cow-orker's Boardman hybrid commuter.

Rear wheel bearings had lost *all* their grease, and the cones were loose enough to allow about 2 inches of lateral play at the rim!   Full strip-down, clean, re-grease and re-assemble.   Running smoothly now.

SRAM Truativ GXP external cups BB sounds like broken bolts, so stripped that down, inspected, and re-assembled whilst new one on order.   Discovered how the GXP BB system works.   Looks like Shimano system, but is different.   No pre-load is applied to the bearings: it actually clamps the spindle to the NDS bearing inner race using a stepped profile spindle.   Quite clever.

Re-threaded chain the right way through the rear derallieur.   Yes, he'd been riding it with the chain clattering over the little metal tab between the jockey wheels!

Other than the BB, it's in reasonable fettle now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 August, 2012, 12:19:36 pm
Quote from: simonp on 23 August, 2012, 11:21:00 pm
Sanded down some filling work I did the other evening.
DIY dentistry?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 August, 2012, 03:48:40 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 24 August, 2012, 12:19:36 pm
Quote from: simonp on 23 August, 2012, 11:21:00 pm
Sanded down some filling work I did the other evening.
DIY dentistry?  ;D
Probably less painful on the wallet than the Real Thing.

I've just finished rejiggering the Other Surly (ie. not Pugsley) into off-road touring/bikepacking mode - this mainly meant switching the saddle to a 'normal' B17, fitting an SQR bracket (surprisingly tricky given that the Thomson seatpost has a kink in the middle) and generally faffing around with canned gears and hydraulic brakes.

Very shortly I will be doing a bit of measuring up in preparation for ordering a frame bag, but fudging the dimensions so that it'll fit on the 1x1 and Pugsley, although not at the same time obviously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 24 August, 2012, 09:05:48 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 24 August, 2012, 07:39:04 am
Rear wheel bearings had lost *all* their grease, and the cones were loose enough to allow about 2 inches of lateral play at the rim!

What? Really? How was the bike rideable?

Do you think the kit is poor quality, or is it a complete lack of maintenance?

But even if the latter, 2 inches is hard to imagine.

I ask because I've been thinking that the Boardman bikes look like decent VFM. I'm beginning to wonder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 August, 2012, 09:20:40 pm
Quote from: Paul on 24 August, 2012, 09:05:48 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 24 August, 2012, 07:39:04 am
Rear wheel bearings had lost *all* their grease, and the cones were loose enough to allow about 2 inches of lateral play at the rim!

What? Really? How was the bike rideable?

Do you think the kit is poor quality, or is it a complete lack of maintenance?

But even if the latter, 2 inches is hard to imagine.

I ask because I've been thinking that the Boardman bikes look like decent VFM. I'm beginning to wonder.

Complete lack of maintenance.
I think it's quite a decent machine.

It was only rideable because it has disk brakes, and the play at the disk was less severe than it would have been for a rim brake.   Nonetheless, he did say the rear brake lever had a bunch of play which required pumping.  No shit.

He'd 'cleaned' the rear wheel about a year ago by running it through our industrial parts cleaner, which is basically a de-greasing solvent thing.   This had washed the grease out of the bearings.   He did not re-lube anything.   It's been running dry all that time.   The drive-side locknut had come loose, and the cone had backed out by about 2mm, causing the gross play.   The rubber seal had come away, allowing water in, and the whole thing was full of rusty water.    Surprisingly enough, the cups, cones and balls were actually re-useable after a clean-up and re-grease.

The wheel having 2" of play was nothing to the fact he'd been riding with the chain threaded incorrectly through the rear derailleur.  The clattering was a sound to behold.

The headset had developed enough play to give a nasty clunk every time you used the front brake.   Trivial tweek sorted that.
Oh, and the rear mech hanger was both loose and bent, causing the indexing to be a little ,er, vague.   Sorted too.

Other than awaiting a new BB, it's running nicely again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 24 August, 2012, 10:16:18 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 24 August, 2012, 12:19:36 pm
Quote from: simonp on 23 August, 2012, 11:21:00 pm
Sanded down some filling work I did the other evening.
DIY dentistry?  ;D

Tonight I had a play with my new dremel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 August, 2012, 10:24:43 pm
You know what? I was supposed to have a filling on Wednesday but the dentist *&^%$£"! cancelled in the morning - no nurse, or something (Belloc was right, obviously, but for the wrong reason!) - so next time you're down these parts visiting Feline, bring your dremel and I'll be your patient!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 25 August, 2012, 12:03:28 pm
Tried, but mine Fettling Fu is obviously AWOL/I'm being blonde...  :-[

Following http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxOfgqiiZtY&playnext=1&list=PL38D344774BE41D0A&feature=results_main, to fix G-springs & carrier in a Centaur 9-sp r/h.

Get to ~5:53, and I don't get ANY click action in response to activation - what am I missing; not winding spring up far enough(*)? Some other trick?

(*) 5:23 - rubbish; no way that stays there of its own violition ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 August, 2012, 12:33:27 pm
Fitted roof bars and brand new tandem rack to Binky on the driveway. A lot of "lifting tandem, need to adjust rack, take tandem down, adjust, put tandem up, etc". It is a bit slow and tiring without a second set of hands. Luckily it is a pretty light tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 25 August, 2012, 01:22:07 pm
Quote from: iddu on 25 August, 2012, 12:03:28 pm
Tried, but mine Fettling Fu is obviously AWOL/I'm being blonde...  :-[

Yup, was being blonde  :facepalm: Nothing wrong with it, just couldn't get enough leverage while mounted in vice...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 26 August, 2012, 01:27:42 pm
New tires and tubes on the Raleigh. It's not much, but at least it's rideable - I really didn't trust the old rubber! Now to consider taking it for a "long" (for me) ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 26 August, 2012, 07:18:36 pm
As the weather has been getting quite a bit damper I removed the Schwalbe Stelvios and refitted the Schwalbe Marathons. Felt like riding on balloon tyres… so now the Stelvios are back on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 August, 2012, 07:35:13 pm
Car came back from service / repair at garage last week with a strange vibratory rattly noise from somewhere in the engine bay.

Found out it was a loose grommit on the air intake pipe support bracket, easily fixed with duct tape and cable ties till I order a new rubber gromit for a couple of £!   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 26 August, 2012, 07:56:55 pm
Set up my Grandson's Dawes Rocket that he had for his birthday yesterday.

As well as pumping up the tyres, adjusting the saddle and fitting the pedals I found the gear cable sans nipple and badly frayed, brake blocks set too high rubbing on tyres and the wheel nuts  loose.  Chain was as dry as a very dry thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 26 August, 2012, 09:49:43 pm
Continuing with sanding, filling etc. Off to paint a skirting board in a sec.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 26 August, 2012, 09:52:41 pm
Blimey, removing decals is boring work.

I might have to invest in a cheap hairdryer (surprisingly enough, this bald guy doesn't own one)  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 26 August, 2012, 11:02:45 pm
Lovely day here today, so did we go out on the bikes? No  :(

Re-routed phone and ethernet cables so they are now hidden rather than running along the skirting (which involved channels in the walls).
Painted the outside of all our fences with wood preserver - took 18L of the stuff (16 panels). Got some complimentary comments from our neighbours as apparently the last lot in our house didn't do anything (as we can see from the state of the fence, and the very-nearly out of control Leylandii that we've been gradually chopping back).

Fitted T&K brackets to the gable end so I could finally fit the VHF/UHF colinear on a 3m mast, and moved the TV aerial to that mast so I could pull down the rusting wobbly bracket that was screwed to the fascia board ready for when I paint the soffits and fascias.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 August, 2012, 07:41:52 am
Yesterday, replaced the rear BB on a tandem to get decent changes on all 3 rings. Put pedals on, taped the bars and fiddled with the handlebars and seat positions on another tandem.

Today, replacing the gear cables and casings and downtube cable stops on the first tandem. Should be good to ride after that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 August, 2012, 10:03:00 am
Sorted the back door. It had been binding and is a cheap aluminium thing. After some investigation I discovered the hinges effectively clamp on to the aluminium channel, so with the aid of an assistant with  a crowbar of aristotelian proportions, I slackened the hinges, used a drift to reposition them a little and tightened them up again. Job done, except it now binds lightly at the top. Anno domini will fix that.

Oh, and whoever decided that nylon bushes in a custom extrusion were a smart way to put a door together deserves to be shot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 27 August, 2012, 01:50:33 pm
Blimey, stripping frame stickers is boring work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 27 August, 2012, 03:34:56 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 27 August, 2012, 01:50:33 pm
Blimey, stripping frame stickers is boring work.
Use a hairdryer (seriously!) - softens up the adhesive and makes them somewhat easier to remove. A lot depends on the condition of the underlying adhesive, though; old stickers are always going to be a real pig to remove.

Today I has mainly been fettling the Other Surly ready for some fairly serious mileage, and during the fettling I realised something ... NEEDS MOAR CARBON! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 27 August, 2012, 03:50:26 pm
Quote from: interzen on 27 August, 2012, 03:34:56 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 27 August, 2012, 01:50:33 pm
Blimey, stripping frame stickers is boring work.
Use a hairdryer (seriously!) - softens up the adhesive and makes them somewhat easier to remove. A lot depends on the condition of the underlying adhesive, though; old stickers are always going to be a real pig to remove.

Today I has mainly been fettling the Other Surly ready for some fairly serious mileage, and during the fettling I realised something ... NEEDS MOAR CARBON! :)

Yeah there's absolutely no chance in the world that I'm going to own a hairdryer. Slap 'ead, me.

But all is sorted - the back of an old IDE cable is perfect for lifting the stickers without scratching the paint, and WD40 did a great job of cutting through the tacky residue. Operation Out-Of-The-Eighties is underway :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 27 August, 2012, 05:09:55 pm
Rack back on the Hewitt, and adjusted R&K fixings on Altura panniers to suit. Removed grime due to wet WARTY from same bike.

Chain now not slack on Pompino, and a lot quieter. Removed and lubed On-One cantis, but they are still a bit sticky. Rack now largely redundant and a different diameter to that on the Hewitt, so not easily transferable... May be put onto Ms Marco's Subway for added utility bike look. And utility, come to that.

New wooden bath panel building from scratch continues apace. And that pace is... s...l...o...w.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 27 August, 2012, 08:18:16 pm
The Viscount needed a major clean after the weekend's abuse around Suffolk and Cambs (My shoes are still damp by the way), it took a couple of hours but it now looks much happier with itself ...but still tatty.
 
Decided to start preparing the Raleigh Royal for the winter so after a bit of a general spruce up I fitted the NOS Bluemell mudguards that I bought via EBay a few months ago. They are as blue as their name suggests and the jury is still out on the effect, it certainly lift's the Royals rather sombre appearance but perhaps it needs some blue bar tape...The sun was still shining so I couldn't bring myself to fit the Marathon pluses just yet, that'll be a job for another week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 August, 2012, 08:31:15 pm
Repaired the hole in the footprint of the tent ready for the Small Is (http://www.smallisfestival.org.uk/smallis) festival next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 27 August, 2012, 09:24:17 pm
The Ti bke and Mrs V's Super Galaxy now have new 9 speed chains on them
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 August, 2012, 09:53:26 pm
Repaired Tuesday's puncture
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 29 August, 2012, 11:31:26 pm
Been improving rear visibility:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/P1020107.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/P1020109.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 August, 2012, 02:49:12 pm
I have attempted to stop my dyno light from switching itself off.

Cut the cables and restripped a length to go in the connector.
Cleaned connectors at other end
replaced magic-goo in light with new magic-goo (otherwise known as artic silver)

Cleaned all solid connections with a fibre pen.

Fingers crossed for the test ride tonight, if it stops working again I will be on the Ridley tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 30 August, 2012, 10:21:23 pm
Halfway through cooking dinner and the stove died.

It seems that we have somehow managed to empty TWO 23.5kg cylinders of propane since Sunday night. W. T. F?

Luckily we managed to collar our camp rep before she went to the pub went off duty and at 10.15 or so we were up and running again. 

How you use that much gas in 4 days I'll never know, obviously ignoring the possibility that someone skimped the initial inspection and made it SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 August, 2012, 12:11:13 am
Something leaking?

Today I have been mostly computer-fettling, but also found the time to rotate some inner tubes (I like to put recently patched ones on a bike, to prove the patch doesn't leak), tweak the headset adjustment on the Streetmachine and re-dye my hair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 August, 2012, 09:22:15 am
Minor saddle-height fettle on Obi the Surly1
It's currently wearing the saddle off my Dave Yates - I'd forgotten how comfortable it is.

1 - Obi 1x1 .... geddit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 31 August, 2012, 02:49:10 pm
A little experiment . . .

(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/WP_0000402.jpg)

Not sure if it will actually work yet cos I haven't got a bike with me to check the positioning.

Wotcher fink?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 August, 2012, 03:09:58 pm
Worfa try   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 31 August, 2012, 03:11:35 pm
I hope that plank has plenty of no-more-nails on its underside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 August, 2012, 03:12:39 pm
Surely securing the plank is achieved by the plonking of stuff?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 31 August, 2012, 03:15:45 pm
Ballast? Counterweights? That kind of thing....

EDIT: Just a thought.... but given that most bodywork these days is only marginally thicker than the foil of a Kit-Kat wrapper, how do you think that heavy braking is likely to impact on where the hinges are fitted with the tailgate in the up position ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 August, 2012, 03:25:53 pm
CAKE, I assumed.   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 31 August, 2012, 03:30:04 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 31 August, 2012, 02:49:10 pm
Wotcher fink?
Looks awesome! I think I can see a little snaggette though. How do you close the boot when you're towing a bike?  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 31 August, 2012, 03:32:35 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 30 August, 2012, 10:21:23 pm
Halfway through cooking dinner and the stove died.

It seems that we have somehow managed to empty TWO 23.5kg cylinders of propane since Sunday night. W. T. F?

Luckily we managed to collar our camp rep before she went to the pub went off duty and at 10.15 or so we were up and running again. 

How you use that much gas in 4 days I'll never know, obviously ignoring the possibility that someone skimped the initial inspection and made it SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM . . .

I call that unlikely in the extreme, given that we used to make one 19kg cylinder last about 2 months, cooking for a family of 5 on a huge commercial cooker.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 31 August, 2012, 04:00:05 pm
Mr Charly. My thoughts perzackerly! Been static caravanning for many, many moons and I can't remember the last time we ran out of gas (Granted our parents' static has been on mains gas for the last decade but you know what I mean...)

To the others, you'll see how it goes when I can try a bike in there. It isn't a tow bar!

The plank is oak and fits exactly in the recess as shown. There are two steel seat belt stanchions for the 3rd row which locate in slots cut in the plank. The centre seat folds flat and there is no tunnel so the back wheel of the bike goes between the two front seats and the bike faces the back window minus the front wheel. What I don't know yet is whether the fork mount is far enough forward to let the tailgate close.

If it works as advertised then the plan is to add another either side for transporting bikes inside the vehicle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 31 August, 2012, 04:03:17 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 31 August, 2012, 04:00:05 pm
To the others, you'll see how it goes when I can try a bike in there. It isn't a tow bar!
Oh I get it. You put the bike on the bar and Mrs. T steers and encourages you to pedal and you push the car.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 31 August, 2012, 04:28:13 pm
Quote from: delthebike on 31 August, 2012, 04:03:17 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 31 August, 2012, 04:00:05 pm
To the others, you'll see how it goes when I can try a bike in there. It isn't a tow bar!
Oh I get it. You put the bike on the bar and Mrs. T steers and encourages you to pedal and you push the car.  :thumbsup:

Yeah! That's it. I'm super-low-gearing the full-susser so we can push the car round and save fuel . . .  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 31 August, 2012, 04:57:49 pm
It will work.
VoE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 31 August, 2012, 05:56:12 pm
New brake pads on the front of the tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 31 August, 2012, 06:08:51 pm
Nothing on the bike, but I made a astronomy dew heater for my eyepiece and it works real well  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 31 August, 2012, 06:12:41 pm
A dropper seatpost on the Kona  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 August, 2012, 06:25:15 pm
Glad to hear it Mr S. Have you adjusted the rear pads too?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 31 August, 2012, 06:33:20 pm
Re-jigged the Bianchi to fit me (as opposed to it fitting my niece- who appears to have taken a shine to it) so that I can do a certain ride to Felpham tonight.

All that remains is to re-jig the alarm clock now  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 31 August, 2012, 06:37:02 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 August, 2012, 06:25:15 pm
Glad to hear it Mr S. Have you adjusted the rear pads too?

No. Did they need it? I'll look at them tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 31 August, 2012, 08:32:14 pm
Just tire pressures and chain lube for my first ever club run tomorrow. Eeek.

...And a quick ghetto-clean with a rag and some WD40 - can't be turning up with a dirty bike, can I?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 01 September, 2012, 05:12:28 am
Quote from: Chris S on 31 August, 2012, 06:37:02 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 August, 2012, 06:25:15 pm
Glad to hear it Mr S. Have you adjusted the rear pads too?

No. Did they need it? I'll look at them tomorrow morning.

Ah, I remember - toe-in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Thing2 on 01 September, 2012, 06:01:55 am
Dobbin (the tandem).
Replaced the Marathon XR with a M+ on the front wheel (to match the rear). Replaced the bolt holding the front mudguard together with a lower profile bolt - in retropsect, I should have dug out the riveter! Fettled my seat height and put the double bottle cage mount back on my seatpost.
Yesterday I refitted the front racks, put the handlebars back together and tightened up the headset. Put the rear rim brake cabling back together and fettled the stokerbars and seat heights.
We are ready for touring   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 September, 2012, 02:46:04 pm
Quote from: Thing2 on 01 September, 2012, 06:01:55 am
...... - in retropsect, I should have dug out the riveter! .......

Not still in boxes, are you? ;)

Oddly enough the mudguard on the Pomp was on the receiving end of a thorough rivetting (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=62540.msg1303338#msg1303338) from me yesterday, on account of the originals having succumbed to teh rotten :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 01 September, 2012, 09:39:53 pm
I gave my lawn a good fettle. Mowed, edged with half -moon cutter, dodgy bits top dressed and reseeded. Apparently September is the best month to reseed and patch your lawn  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 September, 2012, 09:49:43 pm
Fancy doing ours?  I'm sure there must be some forumites who could lend you a machete...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 01 September, 2012, 09:51:25 pm
Looks like I'll be lending my car to mum for a couple of weeks, so rack and panniers fettled back to the bike. The weather had better be nice next week!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 02 September, 2012, 01:13:00 pm
Finally got to the bottom of an irritating pedal-rate creak-click which only came on under load, like when climbing.
It co-incided with my groupset upgrade a couple of months ago, and I was suspecting the pedals, cranks, chainring bolts, BB.

I swapped out each of these items in turn, and went for a short grimp up the road ouside my house.
None of these things.
Still creeeak-click every pedal revolution.

Beginning to worry about cracked frame.
All the replacement cranks and BB off, and it's just an empty shell at the BB.
Stood astride the bike, and give it a gentle flex to the left and right with the handlebars.
Creak-Click!
I wasn't flexing the BB area.   It was something on the front of the bike.
I now needed to find out what it was, as if it was a cracked handlebars or stem, I needed to know about it now!
Headset seemed to be fine.
To eliminate the front wheelbearings, I swapped the front wheel.
That fixed it.

Closer inspection of original front wheel....
The little conical spring on the skewer had become bent and distorted.
It no longer recessed into the serrated nut, but rather got jammed between the serrated nut and the fork drop-out.
This meant the serrated nut was not clamping properly onto the fork drop-out.

Replaced the bent spring, and *silence*!
Bike now fully re-assembled, and silence continues.!
That's a new one to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 September, 2012, 02:06:00 pm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 September, 2012, 02:08:08 pm
Quote from: Feline on 01 September, 2012, 09:39:53 pm
I gave my lawn a good fettle. Mowed, edged with half -moon cutter, dodgy bits top dressed and reseeded. Apparently September is the best month to reseed and patch your lawn  :thumbsup:
Ah yes, I almost forgot - trimmed the hedge in the front 'garden' now that I know that the birds nesting therein have gone. Started attacking the ivy with glyphosate, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 02 September, 2012, 06:11:04 pm
Fettled the mudgaurds on the Clubman. The original stays were made of some incredibly soft and bendy steel so I replaced them with cut down S/S stays from the old set I removed from the Royal the other week that are a heavier gauge; this worked a treat. It also appears to have de-rattled the bike quite a bit too which is a must on the lousy roads round here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 02 September, 2012, 09:16:58 pm
Now we're home I've had a chance to test the prototype:

(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/WP_000042.jpg)

and it works . . . kind of.

The tailgate touches the brake levers so we need to move the fitting back about 100mm.

I hope that's the end of the 'tow bar' speculation.  :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 02 September, 2012, 09:48:49 pm
It's amazing how far people will go to not get wet when cycling
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 02 September, 2012, 10:44:52 pm
Filled the bottom of door posts on the garage door. Did some surface preparation indoors. Relaid spare room carpet. Helped neighbour prune his tree. Dismantled and put away hifi kit, speakers etc to enable painting in living room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 02 September, 2012, 11:10:40 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 02 September, 2012, 09:48:49 pm
It's amazing how far people will go to not get wet when cycling

Usually York or NTR  ;D  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 September, 2012, 09:38:01 am
Quote from: torslanda on 02 September, 2012, 09:16:58 pm
Now we're home I've had a chance to test the prototype:

(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/WP_000042.jpg)

and it works . . . kind of.

The tailgate touches the brake levers so we need to move the fitting back about 100mm.

I hope that's the end of the 'tow bar' speculation.  :-*
You need to try it with a few different bikes, just to be sure - I can lend you Pugsley if you like1 ;D

1 - Frighteningly enough, with some judicious dismantlement, Pugsley will fit in the back of a Hyundai i10.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 September, 2012, 04:49:59 pm
I have just fettled the storeage layout of the bikes in the garage & guess what;there is now enough room for....... :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 05 September, 2012, 05:05:24 pm
Quote from: interzen on 03 September, 2012, 09:38:01 am
You need to try it with a few different bikes, just to be sure - I can lend you Pugsley if you like1 ;D

1 - Frighteningly enough, with some judicious dismantlement, Pugsley will fit in the back of a Hyundai i10.

As Tiermat will testify, I currently have an embarassingly large collection of bicycles to try in the car but thanks for the offer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 05 September, 2012, 05:16:03 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 02 September, 2012, 01:13:00 pm

That's a new one to me.

I started having to put a touch of grease on the inside of my fork dropouts with the schmidt hub due to annoying creaking - took me AGES to work that one out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 05 September, 2012, 05:18:41 pm
Took the Aksiums off the Roubaix, removed the tri bars, raised the bars a cm and took off the SLR saddle

Transferred the cassette to the hand made wheels

Put the hand made wheels on, the Cyo and the B17

Put on a bar bag.

I'm glad I left the generator powered rear light in place during the time trial.  Obviously the huge aerodynamic drag from that explained my less than stella time.

Now I can do a pub run tonight and a perm at the weekend  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 September, 2012, 05:22:10 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 02 September, 2012, 09:16:58 pm
Now we're home I've had a chance to test the prototype:

(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/WP_000042.jpg)

and it works . . . kind of.

The tailgate touches the brake levers so we need to move the fitting back about 100mm.

I hope that's the end of the 'tow bar' speculation.  :-*

Is it a quirk of the piccie or is your right hand STI lever lower than your left one?   I always manage to fit one lower and have to adjust later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 05 September, 2012, 05:52:16 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 05 September, 2012, 05:18:41 pm
I'm glad I left the generator powered rear light in place during the time trial.  Obviously the huge aerodynamic drag from that explained my less than stella time.

How have you got your dynamo powered light mounted? IIRC you use an SQR Tour bag on the Roubaix, but don't recall seeing anything other than battery rears on it (probably not taking enough notice).

I have been using a B&M toplight flat mounted on the bagman on mine, but haven't been 100% happy with the bagman so have started using an alloy seatpost rather than the swanky carbon one. That lets me use either an SQR Tour or my Nelson Longflap on an SQR upriser. The problem is that there is nowhere to easily mount the toplight, so I've been using battery rears instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 05 September, 2012, 07:12:04 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 05 September, 2012, 05:22:10 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 02 September, 2012, 09:16:58 pm


and it works . . . kind of.

The tailgate touches the brake levers so we need to move the fitting back about 100mm.

I hope that's the end of the 'tow bar' speculation.  :-*

Is it a quirk of the piccie or is your right hand STI lever lower than your left one?   I always manage to fit one lower and have to adjust later.

I don't think so. It all seems level. I'll ask the lad, when I can get him off the bloody bike!  ;D

He wants to ride to school on it. Have to think that one through.

Er, No!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 05 September, 2012, 09:51:48 pm
I've botched rather than fettled but I'm rather pleased with the result !
My tourer has Avid BB7s, curved seatstays and the caliper mounting on the end of the seatstay.
This means that the final length of brake cable is also curved and it tends to stick.
The spring on the caliper (if there is a spring) isn't strong enough to overcome the friction causing the brake pads to rub slightly.

If you're with me so far, my ingenious solution was to use one of those stretchy rubber bands supplied with bike computers to pull the caliper back.
I hooked it over the pivoting bit then wrapped it round one of the mud-guard stays. It was just about strong enough to pull the cable tight and withdraw the pad so I put another one on for good measure.

I'll ride the bike tomorrow to see how/if it works on the road.

The longer term/proper fix is probably a new brake cable.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 September, 2012, 01:14:45 am
Bugger - wen't to fettle the gears (that I haven't managed to get to work right since touring in June) on my Vantage tonight, and found out why it won't work. I couldn't work out why the rear mech was hanging away from the bike at the rear end, now I know. There's a crack clean through the rear dropout on the drive side, through the mech hanger hole, meaning the chanstay and seatstay were being held together by the wheel QR only :(

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Np5NTBfXVvA/UEfsjljvG7I/AAAAAAAABMA/1dPa6pgTh_Q/s640/Photo0286.jpg)

It'll be back to the bike shop tomorrow. I think I have a 5 year warranty on the frame, but considering the knocks around the dropout area I'm worried that I'll be told it's crash damage (which if it is then the only crash it's had was nearly two years ago)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 September, 2012, 01:31:12 am
Oh bugger!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 September, 2012, 02:07:51 pm
Loadsa rubbish to the tip, toilet seat fettled so there is no lean (and removed and cleaned at same time) bath tap now runs hot (I think it was an airlock in the tap).

Just need to mop the bathroom and kitchen floors now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 06 September, 2012, 02:46:50 pm
Application form for a more operationally exiting role withing my force.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 06 September, 2012, 03:00:28 pm
Just swapped the rapid rise XT rear mech on the audax bike for a standard XT rear mech.   I just could not get used to using the levers the other way round.

Will add it to my 'bits for sale' thread at some point.

I now need to go and fettle parcels to send to eager waiting YACF'ers who have offered to buy secondhand bike bits from me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 September, 2012, 03:30:46 pm
Quote from: fuzzy on 06 September, 2012, 02:46:50 pm
Application form for a more operationally exiting role withing my force.

oh noes you're not leaving are you :hand:
 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 06 September, 2012, 03:41:15 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 02 September, 2012, 09:16:58 pm
Now we're home I've had a chance to test the prototype:

(Picture)


 :).

I thought you had a Volvo?

Boxy but good (Tandem on the top, two solos on the back, one inside):

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8036/7943685160_ff4021ac61.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/7943685160/)
volvo packed and ready to roll (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/7943685160/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 06 September, 2012, 03:45:30 pm
Quote from: jogler on 06 September, 2012, 03:30:46 pm
Quote from: fuzzy on 06 September, 2012, 02:46:50 pm
Application form for a more operationally exiting role withing my force.

oh noes you're not leaving are you :hand:
 ;)

 ;D

Possibly I am though, in about 18 months. If however, I can get a more exiciting 15 months out of it, why not :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 06 September, 2012, 04:25:29 pm
Quote from: MattH on 05 September, 2012, 05:52:16 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 05 September, 2012, 05:18:41 pm
I'm glad I left the generator powered rear light in place during the time trial.  Obviously the huge aerodynamic drag from that explained my less than stella time.

How have you got your dynamo powered light mounted? IIRC you use an SQR Tour bag on the Roubaix, but don't recall seeing anything other than battery rears on it (probably not taking enough notice).

I have been using a B&M toplight flat mounted on the bagman on mine, but haven't been 100% happy with the bagman so have started using an alloy seatpost rather than the swanky carbon one. That lets me use either an SQR Tour or my Nelson Longflap on an SQR upriser. The problem is that there is nowhere to easily mount the toplight, so I've been using battery rears instead.


I have  B&M Seculite Plus that is supposed to be mud guard mounted.  I used a spd shoe plate and a pclip (http://audaxing.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/bm-rear-light-bodge-up/) to mount it on one of the stays

The shoe plate is just a rigid bit of metal to move the bolt on the Seculite away from the stay so the body doesn't foul it

It is also possible to put any type of fixing onto a curvy stay like the Roubaix has using metal putty to pad it out to a circular profile (http://audaxing.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/fettling-for-pbp/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 06 September, 2012, 05:56:32 pm
Ah, thanks! I'd seen that before and assumed it was a battery light.

Incidentally, I've had great success running the cable for the rear light underneath the top tube, just using a good quality wide black PVC insulation tape (i.e. proper stuff, not some from a six rolls for a quid pack) running the entire length of the cable and then securing it against the brake cable at each end. It gives a very neat and almost invisible cable run rather than cable tying on the down tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 September, 2012, 06:15:06 pm
Cleaned and lubed the chains on the Streetmachine (which had the squeaks) and Trice (still full of Mildenhall mud).  That's about 5 normal chain cleaning sessions worth of work.  Plus all the swearing because of the annoying idler arrangement on the Trice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 06 September, 2012, 09:09:36 pm
Proofided my saddle.

Checked through my new OU course materials to make sure it's all there.

Installed the software for the course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 08 September, 2012, 10:57:44 pm
I just fettled the surround system back into operation, since it was packed up before I last moved! (four years ago)

Part way through the process I thought I'd lost the power supply for the electrical to optical SPDIF converter, but then realised that I didn't need it anyway, because that was necessary for an old DVD plater, which has since died, so now all my sources are optical anyway.

I've got the Xbox and Bluray player plugged into the two optical inputs of the surround sound decoder, and the speakers in the right places, and wired up with the correct polarity.

I'm not sure where the manual for the system is, so I'm going to have to live with the basic functionality of the remote control, and without tweaking the speakers for optimised operation, or the configs loaded into some of the remote buttons.  Even with a stereo source though, it still sounds a lot better than it used to!  I need to dig out something which I now has a good 5.1 DTS track.

Having tried to use the Kinect sensor with my sole flat screen TV (i) I need a bigger TV and (ii) I need a bigger living room!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 08 September, 2012, 11:02:28 pm
Painted stairwell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 08 September, 2012, 11:54:10 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 06 September, 2012, 03:41:15 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 02 September, 2012, 09:16:58 pm
Now we're home I've had a chance to test the prototype:

(Picture)


 :).

I thought you had a Volvo?

Boxy but good (Tandem on the top, two solos on the back, one inside):

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8036/7943685160_ff4021ac61.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/7943685160/)
volvo packed and ready to roll (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/7943685160/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

No, mate. I believe it is you who has that honour.  ;D

The transmission went South in a big way and the repair was going to be about 4K FFS!  :o

In a bit if a rush we traded it for a C4 Grand Picasso which, so far, has proved pretty much faultless.

It isn't as solid as the old tank but as you can see from the pic, it takes bikes upright.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MalRees on 09 September, 2012, 12:03:31 am
The moustache bar experiment is over...... the tourer now sports a pair of ITM marathon bars which I found in the table sale at Mildenhall. One side is all cabled up, the other will be completed tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 September, 2012, 10:33:36 am
Having got in from work this morning and realised my dogs fur is so long he can't see me, I fettled his face with the clippers. He has been running around excitedly ever since and is now trying to hump my collie presumably because he can now see her. He has also just jumped in his water trough in his excitement and has soggy hairy wet paws. Having made him look really stupid now I will have to carry on fettle the rest of him to match before we dare go out in public.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 September, 2012, 12:23:02 pm
Re-cabled the front light on the Inbred, removing the (potentially) faulty Nexus switch.

Now need to take it for a longish ride to see if it still switches itself off.  If it does then it's the hub or the light.  Fortunately I have replacements for both to do a determine which is at fault.  I am hoping it was the switch, if not then I am hoping it is the hub, as I bought it less than a year ago, from the LBS so repair/replacement will be easy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 09 September, 2012, 02:16:33 pm
Removed the mudguards & Paselas from Ghengis and refitted him with a pair of old faithful Vredestein Spiders.   Chunky munky's at 1.9" but I used them for my tours of Iceland and India and never had a visit from the fairy, so hopefully my US trip will be the same.  It's going to be mostly on road, but a few jeep tracks may be included.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 September, 2012, 03:57:06 pm
Turned Butterfly's hybrid into a singlespeed beside the road after the derailleur hanger broke.

On a happier note, a few days back, we Fettled TGL's old Trek road bike, and passed it onto our nephew, who is very excited.

Oh - and I think I sorted out the chainline on my fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 September, 2012, 06:17:03 pm
Well, the singlespeeding lasted down the hill to Arundel, down to the seaside including roughstuff, and back to the station.

Sadly,.coming out of croydon on the bike route, there is a sharp S bend, and we heard a couple of clicks as the swinging chain caught the bigger sprocket.  Just as we stopped to sort it out, the chain gave up under the tension. :(  Waiting for the train to take is a couple of miles home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 September, 2012, 06:36:00 pm
Got me Dad's bolster chisel and lump hammer and cut a bit off the slab that was being forced up by tree roots and rubbing on the bottom of the back gate. Took a bit of bashing, mainly 'cos I didnt trust my aim enough to really let fly with the hammer, but the result is satisfactory.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 September, 2012, 08:31:13 pm
New 3sp cable, chain and cogs on HK's Bromption and new batteries in the rear light of my Brompton. I suspect there is a dodgy connection/ corrosion as it is dimmer than HK's. No doubt a new rear light will be purchased down the line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 September, 2012, 09:17:12 pm
Mid ride bodgery to fix The Boy's front mudguard. The wee aluminium bridge thing finally gave way, having been hanging on by a thread for a bit. Application of a screwdriver, to make a gap between it and the mudguard, followed by threading of two cable ties, which I'd fortuitously picked up as I was packing the bag this morning, and we were on our way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 September, 2012, 02:07:56 pm
I finally got round to a reasonably quick and dirty conversion of my hybrid to singlespeed as I couldn't get the bike to shift properly (which was probasbly due to the large clouds of dust that came out of the gear cables on removal :-[)

It now has a 16t sprocket in a cassette conversion, and no gear shifters, with the chain on the 38t ring of the front triple, but I'm using the rear mech as a tensioner and the front mech is set on the middle ring as I didn't get round to splitting the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 12 September, 2012, 12:24:54 am
well, it finally happened - my first mechanical in y e a r s! o the way home i was pulling away from the traffic lights and the chain unshipped to the inside of ss freewheel. strange i thought as the chain wasn't slack and the chain tug was still in place. put the chain back on, checked the tension - all good; started pedaling and the chain fell off completely! still can't figure out why would this happen: chain (sram pc1) was fairly new, link that fell apart was joined in a factory.. scooted home as i don't carry tools on my commute. fettle-wise, replaced the dodgy link.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qD_f79HkNP8/UE_CeaHqhcI/AAAAAAAACZA/lCc27Wlunvs/s640/IMG_0496.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 12 September, 2012, 05:32:36 pm
Muguards on MTB, new disc rotor, bled brakes. Think its ready for the kielder100 this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 September, 2012, 10:08:32 am
This:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/415628_10151028648826636_180091030_o.jpg)

Also fitted appropriate bracketry to the other three bikes and put the mud tyres on the 1x1 in preparation for tomorrow's ride1

1 - although given how my legs are feeling today I may do something a bit more gentle tomorrow and hit the Moors on Sunday instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 14 September, 2012, 12:40:54 pm
I've fitted a new seatpost to the Thorn. One of these:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/SPMAXMALL/maxm_alloy_seat_post

A joy to be able to micro-adjust the seat angle with two bolts, rather than just guess with the one. Thanks to Mike for pointing me towards this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 September, 2012, 06:39:27 am
Tweaked the gears and swapped stem and pedals on HK's Moulton. Found that my Brommie's rear light was unreliable, so ordered another. Some fiddly work needed today on Ergolevers, then pack a couple of bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 16 September, 2012, 11:25:29 am
Fitted the Philips Saferide seatpost mount and Saferide "lumiring" to the Equilibrium.

(not today - actually last weekend)

Overall, I'm really chuffed.  This light is a mahoosive surface at the back of the bike (only the outer ring lights up, the inner part is a reflector).  Even looking down from a riders position this is nicely visible from the top and from the sides.  I'm hoping as much or more light goes back down the road. 

I'd really like to see one of these from behind in action from the follower's perspective.

No flashing, just on or off and gives over 5 minutes stand light.

(https://fxsssa.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pCn1Gt1biWQCgKwbA8CKn3stVq3XgW85L4BmTg3F903bWNfwmLlFKfw9cP6pQZHYEAC_r6rlJN2eeyhZvKUbWd0SzqafPRq2D/IMAG0025.jpg?psid=1) and (https://fxsssa.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p-Uv8y1fWZY-v9V9HpaghUaJIfHfYAR1Bz3o-19guvnPqsmXSSZU_V2xagF9Gq6H88dMa7co7zcHOiin7g-TP66npo19Q5Umh/IMAG0026.jpg?psid=1)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: AndyK on 16 September, 2012, 11:46:51 am
This was Thursday, but never mind. Made a lens hood out of kitchen foil and duct tape for the Chinese LED lamp. Works well, combined with the Fresnel lens I now get a good spread of light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 September, 2012, 02:11:09 pm
Just put a new 9-speed chain on the orange Genesis - seems that the old 1/8" chain and the bling new Surly chainring weren't exactly getting along.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 16 September, 2012, 08:08:42 pm
I just fettled the front garden clear of weeds, and made a start on the back garden, although that's going to take several goes.  At least I can get to the shed now, although I wouldn't want to take a bike that way, the tyres would end up full of bramble thorns!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 September, 2012, 09:30:11 pm
I removed the S2C from my commuting bike and fitted the spare S3X.  Slightly botched shortening the chain, but it's OK.  Refitted the propstand.  It seemed to fit better this time.  Oh - and I managed to put the rear brake back on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 17 September, 2012, 10:02:59 am
Under Expert Tuition - I built a wheel. My first evah!  :thumbsup:.

In other news - I need to learn to tell the difference between 32 and 36, and read labels on items I buy  :facepalm:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 17 September, 2012, 11:00:31 am
Yesterday.

After the 5th in as many months unauthorised emptying of the garage located chest freezer at the outlaws, I molished and hung a new garden gate complete with 2 bolts and a latch thingy. To reinforce the gate security I bodged two pairs of gravel board brackets into 'cups' which were mounted on the walls inside the gate. Thes cups were fitted with two planks of wood between them as a further hindrance to burgling scumbags trying to force the gate.

Next is to get a more secure door on the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 17 September, 2012, 11:11:23 am
Just cleaned the egr valve on my van.

It was full! 

The carb cleaner ate through doubled nitrile gloves and I'll now have black fingernails for a couple of weeks!!


On the the plus side the van is running nicely now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 17 September, 2012, 11:39:20 am
De-fettled stuff I don't need (including both racks) from the hybrid, in an attempt to shed some weight from it in preparation for KTTR next weekend. I've got it down to, er, 15kg. :-\ Oh well, at least I've got very low gears!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 September, 2012, 05:05:11 pm
Moved the bars up a little so the forward-facing bits before it goes into the drops (what do you call that section?) is horizontal. A short test ride indicates this will be more comfortable - I felt like my hands were sliding forwards whenever I used them before - but possibly at the cost of braking from the drops. Hmm, I'll have to defer judgement till a longer ride or ten.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 September, 2012, 05:38:19 pm
I'm about to fettle the cassette off of the raleigh which now is missing half of the 5th cog ???
I've never managed to shear a rear sprocket before (obviously don't know my own strength :))

At least that explains why 5th gear was skipping on the way in this morning
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 17 September, 2012, 08:54:38 pm
I've flipped the stem of the tourer so that it's much less vertical almost horizontal.
A quick ride up and down the road suggests that the position feels very comfortable although I'm aware that the the test will come after 50+ miles.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 17 September, 2012, 09:21:27 pm
We fettled Google’s arse.

(I say ‘we', but I just held the head end).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SandyV on 17 September, 2012, 10:02:38 pm
The swimming pool!  New hose, cleared leaves and skimmer box build up, and added chemicals so it can look after itself for 2 weeks. I feel quite handy (not usual for me)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 18 September, 2012, 09:33:06 am
Today, as I rode to work, I fettled a suddenly flat tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 September, 2012, 09:42:53 am
I rapidly fettled TGL's bike for commuting duty.  Tyres pumped up, brakes adjusted, mudguard sworn at until it was clear all the way round (it's very close clearance).

Then, after I'd ridden down the road, I raised the saddle about an inch.  I thought TGL had longer legs than me, but maybe not.  Or maybe his position isn't very good.  We'll have a look when I give it back to him.

The chain needs some love.  I'll give it credit for sticking to its line, which is something I normally find a very admirable quality for a chain.  But this is a derailleur drivetrain, and it needs to be degunked a bit and oiled so it changes smoothly.

I shall be using this bike for touring at the weekend, and it will be carrying a heavier load than it has before (at least in our household), so it will be interesting to see how it handles.  I shall be sans barbag, so it may be a bit back heavy.  We'll see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 18 September, 2012, 01:47:51 pm
Last night a problem solving session resulted in a further fettle. Annoyed with myself on this one.

Replaced middle chainring on Sunday (on the Sunday) and didn't have time for a full road test.

Big ring no longer selectable.

Last night I set about sorting it. Adjust stops, re-tension cable, all to no avail.

Doh !   New ring is 42t whereas old one was 40t. The slight increase in diameter of the ring meant that the front mech was catching it before it could go far enough to get the chain onto the big ring.

Had to raise the mech up the seat tube a tads to get it all working, but the mech is now quite a bit higher in comparison to the big ring than all the books recommend.

Should I be worried ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 September, 2012, 12:16:18 pm
One of the MagicLightUK lenses into the chinese copy Magiclight that I bought last week, not just have to do the other one and fit the brackets to both.

it was surprisingly easy job and the seal seems fine, these lenses being about the same thickness at the outer edge as the original.  Much cheaper and easier than ordering them from the US.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 20 September, 2012, 02:11:06 am
Quote from: hatler on 18 September, 2012, 01:47:51 pm
Last night a problem solving session resulted in a further fettle. Annoyed with myself on this one.

Replaced middle chainring on Sunday (on the Sunday) and didn't have time for a full road test.

<snip>

Doh !  New ring is 42t whereas old one was 40t.

Had to raise the mech up the seat tube a tads to get it all working, but the mech is now quite a bit higher in comparison to the big ring than all the books recommend.

Should I be worried ?

I'm kind of mystified as to why that should be. Is your chainset 30 inner, 50 outer? If it is that would imply that the biggest gap that can be accommodated on the front mech is a step of 10 with a max overall capacity of 20. Hence 28/38/48 would work as would 30/40/50 and 32/42/52 but your (I'm guessing) 30/42/50 is too big a step in the middle.

Doubtless there'll be a real tech head along shortly to tell me I'm talking bollocks <Grumpy on> It's what usually happens <Grumpy off>

Meanwhile: Last night (Tuesday) a friend of the eldest appears at the door and asks Mrs Torslanda, she of the horned helmet and heavy metal breastplate, 'Is your husband in' (The kid's 11!) It turns out he has a decrepit heap BMX in need of a fettle, The chain is broke, there's a flat tyre, it's got no brakes - all the usual stuff.

Polite kids being rare around here (Kin'ell! You should here the way they treat the staff in the local takeaways!) he'd asked so politely I just couldn't say no. Break out the tools. Lose a link, mend a puncture - and like that!

Tonight (Wednesday) he's back. With a lever (broke) and a brake cable. He'd fed it thru the eyelets, bless him, but it still had both its nipples. I thought 'I can't let him ride this' and gentle questioning told me he had BOTH brakes. I pulled a junker off the heap at the bottom of the garden and set to work. An hour later and he owns a working BMX with TWO - count 'em! - brakes, a grip on either side of the bars - Luxury! and the puncture fettled properly. And I've cannibalised a junker so it's cost me precisely bugger all!

A short while later he's back. his mum wants to know what wine we like! I think I'm going to have to start charging people . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 September, 2012, 06:56:13 am
Quote from: torslanda on 20 September, 2012, 02:11:06 am
Quote from: hatler on 18 September, 2012, 01:47:51 pm
Last night a problem solving session resulted in a further fettle. Annoyed with myself on this one.

Replaced middle chainring on Sunday (on the Sunday) and didn't have time for a full road test.

<snip>

Doh !  New ring is 42t whereas old one was 40t.

Had to raise the mech up the seat tube a tads to get it all working, but the mech is now quite a bit higher in comparison to the big ring than all the books recommend.

Should I be worried ?

I'm kind of mystified as to why that should be. Is your chainset 30 inner, 50 outer? If it is that would imply that the biggest gap that can be accommodated on the front mech is a step of 10 with a max overall capacity of 20. Hence 28/38/48 would work as would 30/40/50 and 32/42/52 but your (I'm guessing) 30/42/50 is too big a step in the middle.

Yup, it was a 30/40/50 Shimano 105 and is now 30/42/50. I too am surprised at how close the tolerances are.

I had a 30/39/52 chainset all ready to go if this fettle had failed, so even with this I would have had to raise the mech.

A very frustrating Monday evening spent on a 'simple' job.

And nice work on the BMX by the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 September, 2012, 07:32:15 am
Some ham sandwiches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 20 September, 2012, 09:21:09 am
Thanks, Hatler. It helps the old self esteem.

Silly question. Is the alternative chainset the same bolt pattern? If it is then rob the middle from that to make a 30/39/50?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 September, 2012, 09:26:09 am
Quote from: torslanda on 20 September, 2012, 09:21:09 am
Thanks, Hatler. It helps the old self esteem.

Silly question. Is the alternative chainset the same bolt pattern? If it is then rob the middle from that to make a 30/39/50?

Surely you end up with the same problem, just moved one across then?  FWIW the Inbred has a 22/32/44 chainset on it and uses a Ultegra 6600 triple front mech.  Works fine when chain and chainset clean, but is reluctant to change to the outer ring when gunked up (which usually after one ride).  I have no problem on the Holdsworth which is the same groupset, but with a Ultegra 6600 triple chainset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 September, 2012, 09:51:17 am
Quote from: torslanda on 20 September, 2012, 09:21:09 am
Thanks, Hatler. It helps the old self esteem.

Silly question. Is the alternative chainset the same bolt pattern? If it is then rob the middle from that to make a 30/39/50?
Not a silly question at all. It is, and I did consider that, but didn't fancy despoiling a virgin chainset. And, by the time the old chainset had been fettled it seemed easier to sort out the 'slight' adjustment problem rather than go through two further dismantlements and one remantlement.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 September, 2012, 09:52:30 am
Quote from: tiermat on 20 September, 2012, 09:26:09 am
Quote from: torslanda on 20 September, 2012, 09:21:09 am
Thanks, Hatler. It helps the old self esteem.

Silly question. Is the alternative chainset the same bolt pattern? If it is then rob the middle from that to make a 30/39/50?

Surely you end up with the same problem, just moved one across then?  FWIW the Inbred has a 22/32/44 chainset on it and uses a Ultegra 6600 triple front mech.  Works fine when chain and chainset clean, but is reluctant to change to the outer ring when gunked up (which usually after one ride).  I have no problem on the Holdsworth which is the same groupset, but with a Ultegra 6600 triple chainset.
Indeed. The mech would have needed raising slightly to accommodate the larger big ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 September, 2012, 05:00:21 pm
A lawn & a Volvo

One is short & green
The other is very very clean
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 22 September, 2012, 05:13:02 pm
I can't remeber the last time I cleaned a car properly, it's too easy to let the Lithuanian Mafia car wash do it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 September, 2012, 05:21:30 pm
I reckon it's the first time in 5 years I've cleaned the car myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 22 September, 2012, 06:35:50 pm
New chain on the Pugsley and a PDW front mudguard, looks like I'll get a chance to test it in the morning ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 22 September, 2012, 07:36:24 pm
Cross bike had mudguards removed and tyres changed ready to race a cross race tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 September, 2012, 08:18:43 pm
New cassette fitted to the raleigh (the 5th cog now has 16 teeth again, not 9and a VERY big gap) and a new chain. Degunked everything and then fitted a new cable after trimming the cable guide and fitting a new end to it.

Now deciding whether to add a rack for next week or to turn the hybrid back into a geared bike for a ride
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 22 September, 2012, 10:23:07 pm
I fettled my lawn (again). I recently did it but some random birds seemed to eat all of the new grass seed. This time I mixed a huge bucket of top dressing soil with seed and spread it over all the patchy areas after I had mowed it. Then I added some temporary electric fence extensions to prevent canine hooligans running over the repaired bits until they have established. So long as I remember to water the seeded bits if the weather is dry this time the job should be a good-un.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 September, 2012, 03:49:52 pm
Replaced falling apart Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow saddle with a new edition of the same. Replaced 2 sets of brake blocks. Thought 'Oh my god these dual pivot brakes are a gazillion times less of a PITA to adjust than v brakes'. Then got a sore back and a raging thirst so saved the new commuter mudguards for another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 25 September, 2012, 08:58:23 pm
Following on from elsewhere, I started attaching my new Carradice SQR block.
Fitting it to the bike wasn't too difficult but could I get the bag, an SQR Tour, on ? Could I buggery.
There followed much head-scratching and increasingly frequent cursing until I finally managed to get it all to work.

In no particular order, I had to move the saddle forward slightly on the rails so that the reduced rear overhang allowed the bag to pivot upwards a little more. A double layer of inner tube on the back of the seat-post also helped to give a few more mm clearance.
Despite this, it's still quite a wrestling contest to get the bag to clip on properly.

This is largely why I hate working on the bike; I seem to have the correct stuff but it always seems to not quite fit like I think it should.

I'm not happy about having to move the saddle since it seemed about right after some experimentation with this (newish) bike.
I'll test-ride the bike tomorrow.
If it works, I should be ready for the Carlise-Newcastle adventure on Friday night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 September, 2012, 09:12:37 pm
Put new shiny new front wheel from Spa on my commuter. Attempted mudguard replacement - see the rant thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 September, 2012, 10:43:29 am
Switched the QR in the rear wheel of the raliegh to a shimano one, then found out that it wasn't gripping as soon as I hit the first hill (the wheel is a self modified 135-131ish mm job and the shimano 135mm axle wasn't clamped even with the nut screwed all the way onto the thread).

It took about 100 yards before I was turning round with a very scuffed tyre wall where the wheel had shifted in the dropouts as I went to climb the hill. Now put the old cheap one back in and it's holding fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 September, 2012, 02:47:38 pm
Mcshroom, I have a number of spaes in the garage, I'll throw one in the pannier for Friday night for you.

Today I have been building up the Condor that arrived earlier.

It's tiny!!!!

650C wheels, 46cm frame (531 natch) and a lovely purple colour at the front, white at the back.

A suitable 105 groupset from 1988 was obtained from, of all places, Gran Canaria, a stem is on it's way tomorrow so we might have a working small sized road bike up and running tomorrow night! Bars will be from the stock in the garage.

This one is deffo for sale, it's not much different, size wise, from the Paul Donohue.  The Donohue will take 700C wheels though, so extending it's useful life.  Watch the for Sale thread :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 September, 2012, 03:21:52 pm
Thanks for the offer TM, but I have plenty of skewers. I was just trying out an internal cam one as Sheldon suggests they are better.

THe current one should be perfectly ok :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 September, 2012, 03:29:23 pm
Internal cam ones are better.  But only if they have enough thread.

I have cut extra thread onto a skewer successfully, but it's a hack for fitting trike/trailer wheels in the truing stand rather than anything load-bearing.  Not sure it's a good idea generally.

Obfettle: re-attached the rubber hub cap things on the Carry Freedom wheels and secured using a combination of super glue and Mk 1 cable ties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 September, 2012, 03:51:50 pm
I have fettled the Langster in readiness to sell it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 26 September, 2012, 04:16:05 pm
Quote from: jogler on 26 September, 2012, 03:51:50 pm
I have fettled the Langster in readiness to sell it.

 :o

Finally had enough of fixed?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 September, 2012, 04:21:35 pm
Quote from: hulver on 26 September, 2012, 04:16:05 pm
Quote from: jogler on 26 September, 2012, 03:51:50 pm
I have fettled the Langster in readiness to sell it.

 :o

Finally had enough of fixed?

It's a reluctant sale;it's hardly used & I have an n-1 schedule in readiness for a house move with less space for bikes & the like.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 26 September, 2012, 05:07:37 pm
Quote from: jogler on 26 September, 2012, 04:21:35 pm
It's a reluctant sale;it's hardly used & I have an n-1 schedule in readiness for a house move with less space for bikes & the like.

Shame, but you've always had a bit of a love/hate thing going on with that bike. I can see why you'd be getting rid of it if you've got to reduce your stable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 September, 2012, 05:14:55 pm
Quite right.I love riding it but hate the fact that I've never found the commitment & fitness needed to get the best out of owning it.
I have long considered it the most expendable of the fleet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 September, 2012, 08:56:52 pm
re-greased stem plate bolts on my commuter bike and also inspected cleat bolts on three pairs of shoes - all fine and none seized
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 27 September, 2012, 08:35:14 am
The back wheel on G G G G G Granville now sports a Marathon Plus. Drama free.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 27 September, 2012, 09:12:41 am
The Petmate Deluxe Fresh Flow water fountain.

OK - if I had read the instructions, it did say that this should be done every month - but who reads the instructions??

The poor thing was less of a fountain, more of a hint of a trickle.

Needless to say, the pump intake was covered with cat hairs - after 12 months it would be wouldn't it?

It is now a raging torrent - so much so that Bear seems a little concerned about it (having only lived in this household for three or so months, he has only seen it diminish from a gentle flow to the aforementioned hint of a trickle).

I have now actually downloaded the instructions and it does describe monthly cleaning regimes involving removing the pump's impellar for a soaking in vinegar.  That might be a bit extreme - but I will pull the thing to bits again tonight and have a look at the impellar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 September, 2012, 02:51:45 pm
This:

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XcdvixuZHdo/UGRW8og7GCI/AAAAAAAACnQ/n6Jjyz5l50A/s791/20120927_143725.jpg)

From a F&F and a bag of bits into a fully working bike.

Condor somethingorother (no name on bike), 531 (I assume unbutted as it's welded with no lugs), Size, SMALL! 46cm CtC seat tube.
Mavic CD 650C rims
Miche hubs
Vittoria tyres (although those are rather shot and need replacing)
1050 groupset (including BioPace rings! :) )
Tektro brakes
3TTT bars
ITM stem, although that might be a bit long (it's 120mm)

Just needs pedals and bar tape now and it's ready to rock'n'roll sell :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 September, 2012, 04:00:35 pm
I have fettled the tandem ready for selling
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 27 September, 2012, 09:02:33 pm
Just the usual pre-FNRttC fettle - kick the tires, hose it down, take the rack off, and put fresh batteries in everything. looking forward to tomorrow night now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 September, 2012, 03:36:41 pm
Saddles.
A Swallow to the Trek & a B17 standard to the mtb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 28 September, 2012, 06:41:46 pm
Sorted out some outside lighting wiring. The previous owners of our house had some innovative ideas on electrical wiring - including using those cheap little circular 6A junction boxes to connect the outside flood lights. Two of them were screwed  next to each other (as one wouldn't have had enough terminal capacity) to one of the outside walls, with weatherproofing provided by a bit of PVC tape stuck over the holes that had nothing coming into them. The cables weren't even routed to only come in through the bottom holes or with drip loops, so rain water could run straight down them and into the connections  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 29 September, 2012, 05:17:09 pm
Just finished fettling together an el-cheapo fancy dress costume at my archery club, in the Monty Pyhton Knights of the Round Table medieval theme.

One old grey wooley jumper, a cheap white sheet from Matalan, some thick black thread1, a grey hat, and a pair of black arm warmers.  Grand total ~ £7 since I already had the grey wooley jumper etc.  Still smells of Sharpie pen though......  Oh, and 90p for a tesco sewing kit....

[embarrassing pic]
(click to show/hide)

[/embarrassing pic]   ;D

1  Actually black bowstring serving thread
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 September, 2012, 05:19:48 pm
Don't forget the coconuts!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 29 September, 2012, 08:56:14 pm
Given Ghengis his annual oil change then used the S&S couplings to dismantle him into littler pieces.   The pieces have now been wrapped in a very fetching pink closed cell foam prior to him being put into his flight case.  I'll do this tomorrow, it's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle and I can't remember how I did it last time !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 29 September, 2012, 09:11:44 pm
Brakes on cross bike to ensure they are ready for the 3peaks tomorrow. Not that I expect them to do much after the first hill.

I also tidied the bike room a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 29 September, 2012, 09:13:13 pm
Good Luck, A.!  Are you doing Venetian Nights next weekend?  If not, why not?! :)

P.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: welshwheels on 29 September, 2012, 09:22:52 pm
new bottom bracket new chainset new chain new cassette new rear wheel handbuilt from sjs  all on the commuter /do everything bike surprising how much cheaper 8sp stuff is these days !!   a test ride tomorrow me thinks  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 September, 2012, 09:23:10 pm
Cleaned my Brompton and swapped the LH crank and pedal with the ones taken off HK's Brommie. Then dismantled and fixed the broken hinge pin from my pedal.

Tomorrow's jobs are reassembling 2 packed Moultons and refurbing a worn Ergolever or 2.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 29 September, 2012, 10:41:17 pm
Attempted to fix David's deflated tube. Found it to be irreparable.
David has new resistance band for home gym.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RJ on 29 September, 2012, 10:45:24 pm
I *should* have replaced chain, cassette and chainrings on the tourer.

Instead, today I have mainly fettled bread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 September, 2012, 10:48:43 pm
I fettled an embarrassing puncture just minutes after being volunteered for TEC duty on the FNRttC.  This was, however, the only mechanical that required our attention.

I later patched the punctured tube for want of something to do while hanging around for 50 minutes on Clapham Junction station.  This confused the natives, somewhat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 30 September, 2012, 10:58:27 am
"Have you found the hole yet?" said the journalist to the gynæcologist (on a train after an LCC ride).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 September, 2012, 01:13:45 pm
Swapped over Butterfly's Galaxy from drop to flat bars.  This involved new stem, adapter, bars, grips, bar ends, levers and cables (one of which runs through the top tube, which was fiddly).  We'll need to trim the bars a bit, but it seems to be a big improvement. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 September, 2012, 04:20:35 pm
Assembled HK's Moulton and removed an excess chain link. Next, assembling my Moulton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 30 September, 2012, 05:35:29 pm
New gear chain and cassette on the tandem (52/11 top gear... Mmmm, knee-melting goodness).

Puncture fixed on Dawes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 September, 2012, 08:48:56 pm
I just partly fettled the back gate.  It's never worked properly since I moved in, bits of the surrounding wood structure had rotted away, and were providing no support, so it jammed, and was difficult to open and close.

I removed some of the old wood, replaced it, and rehung the bits which are just about acceptable, including the gate, which whilst a bit grotty, is tolerable for the time being.  I rehung the gate on the other side, which is better supported, but of course means reversing all the hardware.

By this time it had gotten dark, and even with a work lamp, it was difficult to finish stuff, so I got enough screws in for the gate to be supported OK, and screwed a spare piece of wood across the unhinged side, so it can't be opened without a fair bit of aggression (which the old gate certainly wouldn't have withstood anyway!)

I'm going to have to replace (or more likely shift) one bit which I put back, because it isn't in the right place to mount the bolts and latch to.  Luckily I had to buy two six foot sections of wood, so I've got plenty to finish it off with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 30 September, 2012, 09:28:31 pm
The Tifosi is now more like a bike, and less like a collection of bits.

Took the wheels, bars and stem off the old road bike, cleaned them a bit and moved them to the new frame. Next up (but not today): chain and cables. Hoping to have it ready to ride this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 01 October, 2012, 11:24:33 am
Finally fitted the replacement saddle to the Very Lovely Valencia.  Well, I've had it for months....

And took the tatty old one and fitted it to the red bike, where it looks perfectly at home.  Then did a bit of very approximate height adjustment.  Now if I fit the tagalong, we can ride to school in the morning.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 01 October, 2012, 11:38:34 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 01 October, 2012, 11:24:33 am
Finally fitted the replacement saddle to the Very Lovely Valencia.  Well, I've had it for months....

And took the tatty old one and fitted it to the red bike, where it looks perfectly at home.  Then did a bit of very approximate height adjustment.  Now if I fit the tagalong, we can ride to school in the morning.....

Yay! :D


I held stuff and acted like Jemimah (kept out of the way) yesterday whilst Clarion converted my Galaxy to flat bars. I am very excited to get it back on the road and fitting me :thumbsup: 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 October, 2012, 11:39:39 am
I'm almost as excited about it as Butterfly! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 October, 2012, 01:32:38 am
Musical inner tubes.  Why is it always faster when nobody's watching you?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 02 October, 2012, 01:41:47 pm
My broken specs.   ;D Perhaps "fixed" is a better word than fettled..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 02 October, 2012, 03:06:45 pm
I fitted a double socket without electrocuting myself
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 October, 2012, 03:28:04 pm
who did you electrocute?
 ;) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 02 October, 2012, 05:12:29 pm
Fettled MTB for the evening ride I'm leading tomorrow, because I still don't trust my back on a drop barred bike, regardless of how doped up I am.

Roughly cleaned & perfunctorily lubed transmission & found that the gear changing is actually working OK.  :facepalm: I think that says all that needs to be said about how neglected poor Kona has been recently.

Much-needed new rear brake cable & blocks. Tyres (semi-slicks already on, fortunately) pumped up to road pressure.

And the piece de resistance, to save my back from lugging anything, a rack! (The MTB has rack eyelets). Wiv a bracket for a rear light 'n all! I've had the rack sitting around unused for ages, largely because it had no light mountings, but I thought I'd rummage through my bits & see what I found. One plate with all the holes needed, a spare Cateye bracket for my LD1100 which I can fit on that plate, & a couple of little clamps (probably also Cateye, perhaps designed for seat stays) which with the aid of some old inner tube, fix the plate pretty firmly to the back of the rack. Sorted!  :thumbsup: Not pretty, but effective, & perfectly acceptable for a temporary bodge.

Of course, while looking for my little bag of cable ends to finish the brake fettling. after doing everything else, I found a bunch of small p-clips which would be much better for fixing the light mount than the current things. Ah well. Can't be arsed to changed it now. Maybe one day I'll turn that bodge into a permanent fit, & then I'll use the p-clips.

I really ought to organise my random bike bits & fixings collection better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 02 October, 2012, 06:10:24 pm
The inimitable sound of rim destruction. I put new brake blocks on, but it's probably too little too late.

Now to fettle this mountain into a several of piles of nice smooth things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 02 October, 2012, 06:14:28 pm
You iron?  I am sooooo humiliated!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 02 October, 2012, 06:19:11 pm
Quote from: Peter on 02 October, 2012, 06:14:28 pm
You iron?  I am sooooo humiliated!



I'm pretty certain that's mining and smelting she's describing ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 October, 2012, 08:17:42 pm
The bed in our holiday accommodation.   :-[   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 04 October, 2012, 08:53:35 am
two new tyres. Swapped the Swalbe 2.25" Marathon XR's on my touring bike to 2" Marathons, makes quite a difference.

Rejiggled the stem height to try and make same bikes cockpit a bit more comfortable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 October, 2012, 04:05:29 pm
Fettle-failed to replace the bulb in the dynamo powered front light.
Bought  a supposedly like-for-like from Maplin's but it was slightly differnt physically so didn't fit properly within the light.

While poncing about with this I've lost the battery cover off the back of my mp3 player

 ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 06 October, 2012, 07:34:06 pm
Attempted to fettle rear brake. May have made it worse. Will test up and down the road after dinner and hope it's alright for tomorrow's 100k.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 06 October, 2012, 08:01:46 pm
I've been helping MFWHTBAB, who is building a pedal powered smoothie maker for St Nicks. Part of today's process was hacksawing 64 knobbles off one side of a knobbly mtb tyre...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 October, 2012, 08:09:23 pm
Stripped and declagged a Coleman 424 two-burner camping stove.  It came half full of stale unleaded  :sick: and hadn't been used for years according to the seller, but it fired up right away even if the flame was a bit yellow from time to time due to the horrid old petrol.  They're amazingly robust things.

Needs a new generator to complete the job, and the one I have is for a 413 and therefore too long  :facepalm:  Then it'll run like new; barring a rusted-out tank or a really buggered needle valve, they always come back to life perfectly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 October, 2012, 08:42:11 pm
This:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/486689_10151054231981636_2109593051_n.jpg)

Fitting it was surprisingly non-trivial, compared with how easy it was to fit a crudguard on the yellow Genesis (which, admittedly, has bosses on the downtube for same).

I might just have pulled off the impossible and made Pugsley less aerodynamic than before ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 October, 2012, 08:50:17 pm
Is that enough wing area to take off ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 October, 2012, 08:52:32 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 06 October, 2012, 08:50:17 pm
Is that enough wing area to take off ???
Not with me on board it ain't, weight loss notwithstanding.

Not even if I filled the tyres with helium (now there's a thought ...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 October, 2012, 08:55:16 pm
Quote from: interzen on 06 October, 2012, 08:42:11 pm
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/486689_10151054231981636_2109593051_n.jpg)

The utter brilliance of that image is when you spot the brake rotor and realise the scale...   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 October, 2012, 09:00:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 October, 2012, 08:55:16 pm
Quote from: interzen on 06 October, 2012, 08:42:11 pm
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/486689_10151054231981636_2109593051_n.jpg)

The utter brilliance of that image is when you spot the brake rotor and realise the scale...   :thumbsup:
I call it the Pugsley EffectTM
Probably worth pointing out that it has a pair of Moonlander forks which will quite happily accept 4.8" tyres.

(and it's a 160mm disc rotor, in case there are folks who haven't worked that out already)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 October, 2012, 01:24:33 pm
I just finished rehanging my rear gate, although a lot of the wood is still rotted, and needs replacing (it may be easier ultimately just to rebuild the entire gate).

It's good enough for the time being, and at least it opens now, without needing to be propped up so it doesn't fall over!

I should probably pour some wood treatment over it, so it's all the same colour, to stop the new wood rotting in double quick time, and to hide some of the state of the old wood.

I didn't bother putting the latch back, because it's more of a faff, and I can live without it.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Random/RehungGate1_thumb320.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Random/RehungGate1.jpg)

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Random/RehungGate2_thumb320.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Random/RehungGate2.jpg)
Horrible rotted bit, where the latch used to be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 October, 2012, 02:32:04 pm
The Coleman suitcase stove lives!  Unable to wait for a new generator, I took the old one apart and cleaned it out.  It runs completely cleanly and boils a litre of water from 20 deg C in 3.5 minutes.

These things are ingenious because they never run with a dirty yellow flame, unless there is something wrong or they're being operated by an ignoramus.  There is a fuel/air tube in the tank that gives an atomised mixture - like a carburettor -until the generator has warmed up, at which point you turn the "lighting lever" down and let it run the normal way, drawing in atmospheric air after the jet.   All other white gas stoves either need preheating (SVEA, MSR etc) or flare up for 10-20 seconds until the generator is hot (Coleman single burner stoves).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2012, 02:50:18 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 October, 2012, 02:32:04 pm
There is a fuel/air tube in the tank that gives an atomised mixture - like a carburettor -until the generator has warmed up

I'd idly wondered about whether something like that would be practical while reading one of these threads before.  Puts the faff/lethality level in line with liquid-feed LPG stoves.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 October, 2012, 04:19:54 pm
Mudguards. Again. So, 3rd time lucky (after I went to EBC with the old one to make sure I got the right size this time) I got the mudguard fitted eventually.
Then I decided the wheel is making a funny rumbling noise. Guess that means I need to service the hub now  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 October, 2012, 04:34:39 pm
Bit of brake caliper tweakage on the Surly - by the end of today's ride the front disc rotor was rubbing so badly you could probably have heard me coming in Hull. No sign of asymmetric wear on the brake bads so I gave the caliper a little tweak.

Quick spin round the block, job's a good'un.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 07 October, 2012, 05:16:53 pm
We have all but finished the smoothie maker! We've even run a test smoothie!  :thumbsup:

Now, to paint it. Red, because red smoothie makers are fastest.

Oh, did I mention, it's a recumbent?  ;D

(well, semi recumbent. Ish.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 October, 2012, 05:19:23 pm
Quote from: Arch on 07 October, 2012, 05:16:53 pm
We have all but finished the smoothie maker! We've even run a test smoothie!  :thumbsup:

Now, to paint it. Red, because red smoothie makers are fastest.

Oh, did I mention, it's a recumbent?  ;D

(well, semi recumbent. Ish.)
TPIUWP ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 07 October, 2012, 05:25:32 pm
Oh ok, then...  ;) Bit of a faff to upload pics for me at the moment, so here's a link to some pictures on Cyclechat:

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/tea.39457/page-1401#post-2082492

And the first episode of the latest cookery TV sensation, Workshop Wecipes!

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/tea.39457/page-1402#post-2082624

At least if it's cold next weekend, we could make soup instead!


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 October, 2012, 05:33:08 pm
Oooh! It folds, too .... I like  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 07 October, 2012, 06:22:13 pm
Indeed it does!

Part of the 'brief' was for something that could possibly be transported to events on a bike trailer.  We haven't quite tried that, but the main thing is that it works! And for anyone too small to reach the pedals, it works quite well cranked by hand too!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 07 October, 2012, 06:24:28 pm
Oh, and it's now Pillar Box red....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 08 October, 2012, 12:54:21 pm
Yesterday I fitted my partly new dynamo wheel, adjusted the brakes, removed the front reflector, offered IQ Cyo to where it would be fitted found a suitable bolt then discovered I didn't have any nuts.  FAIL.  At least I have good front braking now.

Next weekend I will have a nut bolt and lighting will be attached.  Also I hope to fit a new rear wheel, the current one is at the point of failure.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 October, 2012, 01:13:27 pm
yesterday i stripped down and cleaned the drive train on G G G G Granville and also gave him a general de gunge including the brakes as there was a trace of cringeworthy grinding on the last ride home.

he is now well and truly in stealth mode.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 October, 2012, 10:46:38 pm
Baby fettle - took two links out of the chain on my singlespeeded hybrid so now the chain doesn't slip under pressure :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 October, 2012, 10:51:34 pm
I took Butterfly's rejuvenated Galaxy to the lbs because I couldn't get to the bottom of the problem with the lighting issue.  Unfortunately, they were too busy to do it before we head off on Friday, so I came home (at least that gave me a chance to ride a bike on an otherwise avelopic day).  So I dug the big stand out and got down to a systematic examination of the wiring.  Actually, I soon tracked the problem down, and the Cyo shone out beautifully :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 October, 2012, 10:01:27 pm
I've swapped the saddle on my new Ridgeback for the old Spoon I'd put on my folder.  Then I went to take the pedals off the folder, but realised I'd already raided them, so took the ones off the tandem.  Riding with clips & straps in London may be fun, but it's not a very practical option full-time IMO.

Fitted & set up a computer.

Nicked TGL's Bagman (he hasn't ridden his bike in ages - he won't notice), tealeafed his Hope to set next to mine on the bars, and we're ready to roll.

I want to fit a barbag, but I'll need to sort an answer for lighting.  I've got a spare dynohub, but it was ripped out in the crash, so I want to check it and get it built into a different wheel.  I've also got a Cyo, but not a bracket.  Oh - and I've got a Basta Pilot and a pair of E6s, should I desire to go all retro on it. ;D

I'm more excited than I've ever been over a fat tyred bike. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JT on 09 October, 2012, 10:22:18 pm
My Long Haul Trucker's getting a bit of a makeover. Tonight I fitted the new saddle to the new seat post, freed and removed the old seat post, removed the old bars and stem, fitted the new stem (with matching spacers) and new bars. I should finish the job tomorrow evening with a bit of luck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 09 October, 2012, 10:30:53 pm
The cheap Chinese knock-off phone glass I fixed my phone with died - lost a section of touch - so I've replaced it with a reconditioned original. Cost, bobbins, time, about the same as fixing a puncture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 10 October, 2012, 01:00:51 am
Tonight I have fettled the rear (dynamo) light on my work bike.
Diagnosed as a failure of earthing - the bolt in the back of the light failed to electrically connect to the nut holding it on to the mudguard and hence the nudguard bridge & stay. Sorted with the application of a dremel wire brush attachment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 October, 2012, 11:15:17 am
Took the cassette joint off the orange Genesis - it's now officially 'up on the blocks' until the replacement arrives at my LBS, since the original can be charitably described as 'knackered'.

Also fitted a new set of pads to the rear brake and reacquainted myself with the main reason why I hate working on brakes of any description (filthy, fiddly and generally faffy)

Tonight's main job will be cleaning all the crap off the 1x1 in preparation for .... getting it all muddy again at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 October, 2012, 11:40:39 am
Quote from: clarion on 09 October, 2012, 10:01:27 pm
I've swapped the saddle on my new Ridgeback for the old Spoon I'd put on my folder.

Is this my cue to mention the B word wrt to saddles ;D



Quote from: clarion on 09 October, 2012, 10:01:27 pm
I want to fit a barbag, but I'll need to sort an answer for lighting. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/sets/72157627688370414/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/sets/72157627688366840/

hth

Might you be interested in buying the barbag with the integral underslung light bracket shown on the tandem?
I might be inclined to sell it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 October, 2012, 01:56:08 pm
I have an underslung bracket for my favoured Carradice barbag, but it's too close to allow the Hope unless I turn the light's bracket round and have the bag at a steep angle.

The answer will inevitably be, as I say, a dynohub wheel (I've got a spare hub from the Orbit, but it needs a new wheel building) and the spare Cyo on the fork crown (though I need a new bracket for it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 October, 2012, 01:30:27 pm
I have finally (after about 6 months) gotten around to taking the Swisstop Greenflash pads off the brake calipers I took off the Ridley and fitted them to the new, 6700 calipers I put on the Ridley (don't worry I wasn't riding it without brake pads, it had the standard Shimano ones on, see below what less than 200miles gives you with these pads)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-szh3UJmdWOQ/UHa2ZqAPSRI/AAAAAAAACrE/PwpdhlqBx8k/s852/20121011_130613.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 October, 2012, 01:35:11 pm
I fettled a large bike box into a number of smaller bits of cardboard so I can make the necessary templates to get frame bags made for the various bikes (1 each for 1x1, Pugsley and the Genesii)

Evidently, offering to cut a big cardboard box1 into lots of little bits and cart it away is a sure-fire way to make your LBS very happy indeed.

1 - the box in question was from a Koga e-bike of some description. Even by bike-box standards it was bloody enormous.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 October, 2012, 03:48:52 pm
Good point. I'm moving house soon and I may just ask my mates at the LBS if they want any bike boxes 'disposed of' :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 October, 2012, 03:53:58 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 11 October, 2012, 03:48:52 pm
Good point. I'm moving house soon and I may just ask my mates at the LBS if they want any bike boxes 'disposed of' :)
I'm sure that they'll be more than happy to let you take them away - even though they're cardboard, their size generally makes them a monumental pain in the arse when it comes to recycling.

Anyhoo, I have fettled the frame bag templates and the first one (for a 'partial' frame bag for the Genesis, kind of like the Revelate 'Tangle' bag) has been sent off to Alpkit, so hopefully within a few weeks I'll have a nice new frame bag with orange stitching and yellow lining  8)

Once I get my compensation cheque cashed I'll get the templates for the 1x1 and Pugsley bags sent off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mattc on 12 October, 2012, 01:04:13 pm
Pre-holibbobs fettling this morning - oil chain, put "nicer" wheels on, new front blocks (Wrynose here I come), nothing tricky ...

I've dropped a brake block screw thingy on the garage floor. Nothing under an inch, not in Hi-Viz, gets found down there.  :facepalm:

(Scavenged one off another bike. Can you buy these? There's a whole thread about them somewhere ... )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 October, 2012, 03:25:51 pm
Both far too much, and not nearly enough.

Story of my life, that....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 13 October, 2012, 02:36:24 pm
Changed seats on the new bike. The Roubaix was just a tad brutal on the nether regions. Put a Ronin Evo on it now. Managed to remember the settings and tweaked the nose a bit lower.
Great success.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 October, 2012, 02:41:57 pm
Tyre fettle-ing.

Removed excessively worn rear Marathon* & replaced with a partly used tyre which the Marathon replaced in 2009 so that I started an e2e with new Marathons.


* A few weeks ago I incurred my first puncture for several years & I reckon it was a sharp of some sort penetrating thru' exposed canvas.
I've been riding on this iffy tyre ever since (including the night ride to Rollright Stones) & decided I have pushed my luck far enough. :hand:
So ..tyre changed but not to F1 time-standard ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 October, 2012, 02:51:52 pm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 13 October, 2012, 02:59:20 pm
This:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8047/8082678714_2aa5dc88b3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8082678714/)
Stand in tandem (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8082678714/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

Having broken the loan tandem last week, we needed to fettle the other loan tandem back to road-condition pretty smartish. New brake pads front and back, new timing chain, some saddle swapping.

Good to go!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 13 October, 2012, 03:34:38 pm
My least favourite annual ritual, the fitting of the mudguards - when out yesterday, conditions were such that I achieved mud on my, er, protective headwear. Also general pre-winter clean and grease.
I'm sure there was a time when I enjoyed this sort of activity, but these days I'm happy when it's done......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 13 October, 2012, 03:51:57 pm
Trying to fettle some college work on environmental awareness.  Failing miserably. 
Successfully fettled together an old motherboard, cpu, ram, video card and hdd together with an elcheapo £30 atx case and power supply into a htpc style thing for watching iplayer, etc on tv.  Hopefully i'll get mame / scumvm working on it too!   ;D  Elcheaopo psu is a bit noisy though..... Seems to have a jet engine for a cooling fan.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 13 October, 2012, 04:34:00 pm
Just "fettled" an essay for an OU psych subject.  :smug: Now to crack on with the next subject.  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 October, 2012, 04:42:59 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 13 October, 2012, 03:51:57 pm
Trying to fettle some college work on environmental awareness.  Failing miserably. 
Just don't hand it in and claim that you're saving trees by doing so - can't get more environmentally aware than that ;)

(but yeah, writer's block really sucks)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 October, 2012, 04:45:20 pm
We stopped half way along an off-road cycle route.  Butterfly raised her saddle a bit.  I raised my saddle and bars, rotated the bars so the top part is flat, and tightened my map holder.

I still need to replace the thin 90s bar ribbon with something modern and padded.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 13 October, 2012, 06:03:56 pm
Not having been out for a few weeks I was keen to get out this morning, but all togged up and doing some last minute prepping of the Royal, the heavens opened..and so while I waited for it to clear changed the rear tube on the Clubman that appears to have a slow thingummy...still raining heavily. I had thought that the Clubman's BB was a little on the tight side so having just got hold of a pin spanner I decided to adjust it while I waited for the rain the ease. Slackening it off didn't seem to make that much difference so I decided to strip it down and rebuild it. Found it all to be in good condition so bearings cleaned and repacked with fresh grease and bearing re-assembled. The Raleigh has the same BB, Tange I think, as was fitted to my old Coventry Eagle so it was a good job that I hung on to it when I scrapped the frame a few months ago. Still raining at 11.00 so gave up the idea of a morning ride as I had to go off victualling with the memsahib, we've nothing in you see.

Later, started to rebuild a bookcase that I have been refurbishing for about two years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 October, 2012, 11:09:55 am
Quote from: BrianI on 13 October, 2012, 03:51:57 pm
Trying to fettle some college work on environmental awareness.  Failing miserably. 
Successfully fettled together an old motherboard, cpu, ram, video card and hdd together with an elcheapo £30 atx case and power supply into a htpc style thing for watching iplayer, etc on tv.  Hopefully i'll get mame / scumvm working on it too!   ;D  Elcheaopo psu is a bit noisy though..... Seems to have a jet engine for a cooling fan.....

Alas, fettling failed at trying to get ye olde worlde Nvidia GF4 MX440 AGP video card working under Xubuntu 12.04  it seems that the Xorg which ships with (x)Ubuntu is not compatible with the required legacy nvidia drivers.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 October, 2012, 12:06:01 pm
The firmware for this:

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_4C5aB3__SI/UHqbciJxWMI/AAAAAAAAAe8/UtJOImZtymw/s647/P1000779.JPG)

I call it the poor man's SPOT tracker. I think I've managed to curb its voracious appetite for batteries, but time will tell. Hilarity may yet ensue if my trip to the US comes off next year and I have to get it through customs  :o

Now to work on the Android app which goes with it - a far less enjoyable task 'cos I hate Java programming.

Oh, and I finally finished cleaning the 1x1 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 14 October, 2012, 12:34:21 pm
A gutter.  It's had a leaky joint for years, and at last this morning I went up a ladder to investigate, and found that whoever had installed it had fitted the joint bracket an inch or so too far to the right.  A bit of damp swearing and ladder teetering resulted in a repositioned bracket and a gutter that no longer drips over the centre of the door into the garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 October, 2012, 06:18:50 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 14 October, 2012, 11:09:55 am
Alas, fettling failed at trying to get ye olde worlde Nvidia GF4 MX440 AGP video card working under Xubuntu 12.04  it seems that the Xorg which ships with (x)Ubuntu is not compatible with the required legacy nvidia drivers.....

This should be under the "things that make you feel old" thread. I remember those being state-of-the-art expensive cards  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 October, 2012, 09:32:48 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 14 October, 2012, 11:09:55 am
Alas, fettling failed at trying to get ye olde worlde Nvidia GF4 MX440 AGP video card working under Xubuntu 12.04  it seems that the Xorg which ships with (x)Ubuntu is not compatible with the required legacy nvidia drivers.....

I haven't been able to get those working in Ubuntu for several releases now.  It's what broke our MythTV frontend (you need the binary driver for S-Video output).  Nouveau might be acceptable on the desktop, on the basis that hardware of that vintage probably isn't doing anything too strenuous.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 October, 2012, 09:08:49 am
Quote from: Kim on 14 October, 2012, 09:32:48 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 14 October, 2012, 11:09:55 am
Alas, fettling failed at trying to get ye olde worlde Nvidia GF4 MX440 AGP video card working under Xubuntu 12.04  it seems that the Xorg which ships with (x)Ubuntu is not compatible with the required legacy nvidia drivers.....

I haven't been able to get those working in Ubuntu for several releases now.  It's what broke our MythTV frontend (you need the binary driver for S-Video output).  Nouveau might be acceptable on the desktop, on the basis that hardware of that vintage probably isn't doing anything too strenuous.

Meanwhile I've fettled my xubuntu 12.04 running Samsung NC10 into iPlayer etc duties by attaching it to tv via VGA.  Add wireless keyboard & mouse, and Kim's your auntie!   :thumbsup:

More fettling today - nuddy housework, and also fettled my Canon A590is camera with the CHDK firmware - just need to fettle a usb remote release now, then I'll have an idea set up for digiscoping! 
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/A590IS (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/A590IS)
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/USB_Remote (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/USB_Remote)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 15 October, 2012, 02:08:47 pm
Yesterday I fettled the new, correct legth spoke onto G G G G Granvilles rear wheel. After refitting the wheel and doing a bit of truing, I discovered that the rim had split around a different spoke hole to the one I had been fettling :facepalm:

Moral to this story is check the rim before fannying around with wheel related stuufs.

As a result I had to search the Dungeon Dimensions (the sheds and the garage) until I found a rear wheel that would accept the cassette from G G G G Granvilles dead wheel.

This turned out to be the rear salvaged from Knuckles when he was killet by the Tosco van (G G G G Granville was his replacement).

The dish on the Knuckles wheel is different to that on G G G G Granvilles so I had to do a bit of messing with brakes. It is also a slightly narrower profile (Knuckles was a Saracen road bike with 23mm tyres) so the 32mm Marathon+ took a bit of fitting (no profanity and my thumbs are fine!).

It got me to work this  morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 15 October, 2012, 04:52:55 pm
The mobile phone contract, and the insurance renewal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 05:10:53 pm
Musical tyres.  Knobblies onto the Dawes in anticipation of sensible off-roading on a fairly appropriate bike, and Marathon Pluses onto barakta's trike, in anticipation of shite weather that isn't conducive to paper-thin slicks.

My hands hurt.

Also de-hairballed the hoover, in anticipation of actually using it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrkwr on 15 October, 2012, 05:55:34 pm
Thought I'd better have a look inside both my tyres after finding filthy wet inner when mending p*nct*re at w/end. Ugh

Replaced both tyres having found both sidewalls perishing, and also replaced the sodden (and starting to rot) rim tape.

Or as the fitting instructions with the Vittorias put it: "1. Fit a good quality paranipples belt" !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 15 October, 2012, 07:09:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 05:10:53 pm
Also de-hairballed the hoover, in anticipation of actually using it.

I can't believe you don't have a Robot (http://www.irobot.com/global/en/home.aspx) for this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 October, 2012, 07:17:56 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 15 October, 2012, 07:09:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 05:10:53 pm
Also de-hairballed the hoover, in anticipation of actually using it.

I can't believe you don't have a Robot (http://www.irobot.com/global/en/home.aspx) for this.
I imagine she wants to actually clean dust up rather than move it around a bit ...
All that said, Roombas are pretty ripe for, shall we say, extra fettling.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 07:20:18 pm
Yeah, robot hoovers - apart from their tendency to turn evil in the presence of pot plants or dog poo - require that you keep the floor vaguely tidy.  I also bet they're rubbish at clumps of long human hair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 15 October, 2012, 07:22:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 07:20:18 pm
I also bet they're rubbish at clumps of long human hair.

It's fine. They supply a tool for that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 October, 2012, 07:26:08 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 15 October, 2012, 07:22:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 07:20:18 pm
I also bet they're rubbish at clumps of long human hair.

It's fine. They supply a tool for that.
A Dyson?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 07:26:56 pm
*snork*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 October, 2012, 08:04:28 pm
Not today but at the weekend, put the shiny copper Brooks Team Pro S (bought in the summer at a good discount) on the Tifosi. Now comtemplating moving it to the hybrid (which gets used a lot for short trips) to break it in...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 October, 2012, 07:08:03 pm
A deep clean of all of the transmission components from the cracked Van Nicholas (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=62132.msg1289876#msg1289876).

Today, I've been advised that VN are expecting a consignment of frames next week, amongst which should be the replacement for mine.
There is no breath-holding going on here ::-).

I have a brand new, full, unused, end to end Ultegra transmission but, having been nominated for the SE Londres Tightwad-of-2012 award, I figured I'd see if I can eek a few more miles out of the old one just by giving it Teh Shiny.

Lots of water-soluble and drain-happy solvents and de-greasers have been deployed  :thumbsup:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 October, 2012, 07:18:30 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 15 October, 2012, 07:22:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 October, 2012, 07:20:18 pm
I also bet they're rubbish at clumps of long human hair.

It's fine. They supply a tool for that.

I would worry for Kim's wiring, my Roomba ate the cable of my fibreoptic christmas tree for christmas  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 October, 2012, 08:40:41 pm
swapped the wheels wheel and handlebars on my folding bike (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg1230097#msg1230097). rear was a sturmey-archer srf3, new one - shimano coaster brake ss hub. the new wheel is nice and silent, braking is superb (and will be in all weathers), gearing around 71". the only annoying thing that the hub seems a bit draggy*. front wheel didn't fit as the axle oln is bizarre 84mm instead of standard 74mm for dahon-type folding bikes. this will require some modifying which i'm not doing today. went out for a test ride** - all good!

* now after a bit of research i found out there is a spring loaded alignment plate in the hub that may cause some drag - i'll have to look into that

** (which was waiting in an ambush for a group of roadie-type commuters, chasing them down, slowly overtaking and smiling, then accelerating into the distance.. O:-))
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 16 October, 2012, 08:47:16 pm
Removed yet more links from my single speed chain to try and remove the slip on the system going up steep hills. I think the chain's now tight enough to not need a tensioner. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 17 October, 2012, 07:41:03 am
Molished a ski vice into existence with the aid of some bits of wood and an old inner tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 17 October, 2012, 06:12:30 pm
The aeroplane's FMS database.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 October, 2012, 07:25:22 pm
Last night, I lopped off another section of the handlebars on Butterfly's Galaxy.  I think it's right this time. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 October, 2012, 09:12:19 pm
So no more Milky Way?  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 18 October, 2012, 08:54:05 am
"tick, tick, SPUNG..." :(

Seatpost bold sheared; luckily it's overlength with an end-cap, so it could be rotated out from the opposite side, without needing application of a stud extractor.

That'll be a [stand up ::-)] 2 mile ride to the LBS at lunchtime & mini-fettle then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 October, 2012, 10:46:44 am
Last night, I removed the thin plasticky bar tape from the Romany, and fitted some of the new, wide bar tape from Specialized.  I'm not especially convinced by it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 18 October, 2012, 03:54:47 pm
New rear rack, mudguards, and B&M Toplight, brake tec, plus rear light for the galaxy. The mudguards are black Bontragers with slide stays which made them very easy to fit.

edit: now with pictures.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tJ3YTgTEiIk/UIFAu8X3sbI/AAAAAAAAHK0/_qw2cl9JmSA/s640/pa198152.jpg)

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m_PfznbNKbE/UIFA1FkW3FI/AAAAAAAAHLM/dOo0vYZ59eo/s640/pa198156.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 October, 2012, 04:11:36 pm
My bank balance ...  :o

Pending a few frame measurements and the like, it looks like n+1 is go, go, go!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 18 October, 2012, 04:14:31 pm
Quote from: interzen on 18 October, 2012, 04:11:36 pm
My bank balance ...  :o

Pending a few frame measurements and the like, it looks like n+1 is go, go, go!

Well what's it to be? Krampus?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 October, 2012, 04:20:57 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 18 October, 2012, 04:14:31 pm
Quote from: interzen on 18 October, 2012, 04:11:36 pm
My bank balance ...  :o

Pending a few frame measurements and the like, it looks like n+1 is go, go, go!

Well what's it to be? Krampus?
Sadly, no, although as I've just posted on the fatbikes forum I'm considering building a set of 'Krampus wheels' for the Pugsley for summer use.

It will be a singlespeed 29er though, at least initially, based around a Genesis Fortitude Adventure frame and forks. Whilst there is a singlespeed Fortitude available, the frame lacks things like the third set of bottle bosses and Anything cage mounts on the forks, plus I can get a good deal on the frame/forks from my LBS.

The downside is that my Dave Yates will have to go - sad, as it has served me extremely well, but other than commuting I don't do a lot of road riding nowadays and I'd rather see it go to a good home than sit in the kitchen gathering dust.

Project time!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 October, 2012, 09:11:20 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 October, 2012, 08:40:41 pm
swapped the wheels wheel and handlebars on my folding bike (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg1230097#msg1230097). front wheel didn't fit as the axle oln is bizarre 84mm instead of standard 74mm for dahon-type folding bikes. this will require some modifying which i'm not doing today.

fettled the front wheel so it fits standard 74mm forks, the bike is more or less finished (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22914.msg1338287#msg1338287) (mudguards and lights to be added soon)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 19 October, 2012, 12:33:03 am
Swapped the forks on the MTB and a few other bits. The headset was digital so after the boy in the LBS had ordered in the right (read on dear reader) headset from the original manufacture he said 'it should be possible to just swap the bearings if the cups are OK' 

So the old forks come off. No worries there. new forks have the steerer cut down to size (pipe cutter - very easy to get a good finish). and then I look at the bearings. The OEM ones are steel cups (semi integrated with balls in races. The direct replacements are cartridges with aluminium cups. The two are incompatible. This makes life a bit more fun. Clean everything up. Find a suitable drift (an old bit of frame tubing from a previous ecapade is about right.) Find The Persuader (tm) and apply persuasion. retrieve the bearing cup from under the heap of bikes at the other end of the garage. Repeat, the other way round and I now  have an unrideable bike.

OK, time to apply appropriate persuasion. The Persuader is a bit fierce for direct application to aluminium cups so I construct a suitable working surface from axle stands and substantial bits of solid timber. Applying persuasion to the back side of the timber allows the right sort of coaxing to gently ease the cup into place. Clunk click, job pretty much done except to use the top cap to ease the crown race onto the fork crown. I think I may have some readjusting to do in a few days time. Brakes swapped over and forks pumped up - time for a ride.

Oh my giddy aunt. Moving from cheap coils to air is quite some experience. It feels like a totally different bike. Love it, love it, love it.

Swapped the handlebar grips and also put the road tyres back on my son's bike but that is by the by.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 19 October, 2012, 10:03:15 am
Took the 105 BB out of the Roubaix, cleaned the chainrings/cranks/that bit behind the cranks on the frame.  Started putting nice shiney new red Hope BB in but ran out of time before work.

105 BB is moving to the Roadrat, which is on short commute duties.  The Roadrat BB is on the way out so it's getting the old Roubaix BB
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 19 October, 2012, 10:17:17 am
And tteh first commute on shiny new bouncy bouncy analogue forks. Lovely. Not sure how much air I need to put in them at the moment. A bit more than there is right now I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Carradice bag lady on 19 October, 2012, 06:00:14 pm
Quote from: delthebike on 18 October, 2012, 03:54:47 pm
New rear rack, mudguards, and B&M Toplight, brake tec, plus rear light for the galaxy. The mudguards are black Bontragers with slide stays which made them very easy to fit.

edit: now with pictures.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tJ3YTgTEiIk/UIFAu8X3sbI/AAAAAAAAHK0/_qw2cl9JmSA/s640/pa198152.jpg)

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m_PfznbNKbE/UIFA1FkW3FI/AAAAAAAAHLM/dOo0vYZ59eo/s640/pa198156.jpg)
[/quote

Nice bag !!!!!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 19 October, 2012, 08:07:53 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 15 October, 2012, 09:08:49 am
Quote from: Kim on 14 October, 2012, 09:32:48 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 14 October, 2012, 11:09:55 am
Alas, fettling failed at trying to get ye olde worlde Nvidia GF4 MX440 AGP video card working under Xubuntu 12.04  it seems that the Xorg which ships with (x)Ubuntu is not compatible with the required legacy nvidia drivers.....

I haven't been able to get those working in Ubuntu for several releases now.  It's what broke our MythTV frontend (you need the binary driver for S-Video output).  Nouveau might be acceptable on the desktop, on the basis that hardware of that vintage probably isn't doing anything too strenuous.

Meanwhile I've fettled my xubuntu 12.04 running Samsung NC10 into iPlayer etc duties by attaching it to tv via VGA.  Add wireless keyboard & mouse, and Kim's your auntie!   :thumbsup:

More fettling today - nuddy housework, and also fettled my Canon A590is camera with the CHDK firmware - just need to fettle a usb remote release now, then I'll have an idea set up for digiscoping! 
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/A590IS (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/A590IS)
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/USB_Remote (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/USB_Remote)

Now fettled a manual installation of the Nvidia 96.43.23 legacy drivers for my GF4 MX440 onto the htpc!   http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-ia32-96.43.23-driver.html (http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-ia32-96.43.23-driver.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 19 October, 2012, 09:07:28 pm
Fixed the visitation that cut my Wednesday night ride short. First puncture within 100 miles on my new shiny Durano Pluses. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 19 October, 2012, 09:18:35 pm
Is the tyre itself OK?  I was a bit worried from your text that it might be a bit dramatic!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 October, 2012, 09:19:57 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 19 October, 2012, 09:07:28 pm
Fixed the visitation that cut my Wednesday night ride short. First puncture within 100 miles on my new shiny Durano Pluses. >:(

That's very unlucky (if not a pinch flat). My current rate on punctures on Durano Plus's is 1 per 12,000 miles!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 19 October, 2012, 09:29:23 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 19 October, 2012, 09:18:35 pm
Is the tyre itself OK?  I was a bit worried from your text that it might be a bit dramatic!

Seems to be! Still confused as to what caused it - felt as though I'd run over some sort of wire/chain thing (it seemed to rattle against the spokes), but couldn't be bothered exploring the cycle path in the dark to find out! Whatever it was, it's not in the tyre now. I think. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 October, 2012, 09:36:56 pm
Quote from: Feline on 19 October, 2012, 09:19:57 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 19 October, 2012, 09:07:28 pm
Fixed the visitation that cut my Wednesday night ride short. First puncture within 100 miles on my new shiny Durano Pluses. >:(

That's very unlucky (if not a pinch flat). My current rate on punctures on Durano Plus's is 1 per 12,000 miles!

Barakta had a puncture (glass, right through the protective band) within 100 miles on a brand new Marathon Plus.

Given sufficiently bad luck, anything's possible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 19 October, 2012, 09:47:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 October, 2012, 09:36:56 pm
Quote from: Feline on 19 October, 2012, 09:19:57 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 19 October, 2012, 09:07:28 pm
Fixed the visitation that cut my Wednesday night ride short. First puncture within 100 miles on my new shiny Durano Pluses. >:(

That's very unlucky (if not a pinch flat). My current rate on punctures on Durano Plus's is 1 per 12,000 miles!

Barakta had a puncture (glass, right through the protective band) within 100 miles on a brand new Marathon Plus.

Given sufficiently bad luck, anything's possible.
I had a puncture the first week on the tandem on Marathons. A sharp enough flint will do it. (Where the flint came from in Streatham is another question.) 2200 miles later, I haven't had another one. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 October, 2012, 09:51:08 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 19 October, 2012, 09:47:30 pm
Where the flint came from in Streatham is another question.

Sounds like the natives are coming perilously close to discovering FIRE.   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 October, 2012, 09:52:32 pm
I swapped brake blocks on both touring bikes.  Butterfly got some shoes with replaceable pads.  I got some Koolstop Eagles.  When they're worn out, I've got some more shoes to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 19 October, 2012, 09:56:58 pm
Chain, brake blocks, gear and brake inner cables on my mates Orbit.   

Air in the tyres of the tourers for tomorrow.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 19 October, 2012, 10:28:29 pm
Currently working on this

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8082390096_693bdc3db7.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8082390096/)
supercourse 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8082390096/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

It now looks like this

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8090319935_06535c773a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8090319935/)
IMG_9927 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8090319935/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

A set of Raleigh Supercourse decals currently winging it's way to here from Australia :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 19 October, 2012, 10:38:17 pm
It's the Cragg Vale hillclimb on Sunday: time to commence Operation Lightweight!

Replace the saddle with a less comfortable but lighter model.
Remove the bottle cage and bolts.
Remove the inner ring.
Stop the mech down to stop me using the 25 sprocket (I got up there in 53x25 yesterday, so I'll be able to race up in 53x23)
Replace the 110mm stem with a 120mm model.  This is actually heavier, but the top half of the climb is shallow and I almost decided to fit tribars.  This at least will stretch me out a bit.)
Remove the light bracket from the seatpost.
Clean and lube the gears.

Later: Replace front wheel with the deep section carbon jobbie.
Maybe later: Replace rear tube with a shorter valved model.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 October, 2012, 10:46:50 pm
Very pretty Raleigh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 October, 2012, 07:34:25 am
Nice looking Raleigh, windy, but why get the decals from Aus? Did H Lloyds not have them?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 20 October, 2012, 08:08:18 am
Quote from: tiermat on 20 October, 2012, 07:34:25 am
Nice looking Raleigh, windy, but why get the decals from Aus? Did H Lloyds not have them?

I did look, but found a full set of originals (for a later model) on ebay. Lloyds had some but not a full set, the price difference was neither here nor there so I went for the ebay purchase.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 20 October, 2012, 06:45:55 pm
You know how these small jobs always seem to get bigger.

Added drops and drop bar brake levers (and blue bar tape) to the claud butler to make it closer to my image for a singlespeed. I was going to change the BB to adjust the chain line but the bottom bracket refused to budge so I'll have to get some better spacers instead. I also decided the blue tape looked better with a black saddle so switched the seatposts and saddles between the horizon and the claud butler.

The fettling took a bit longer as I had to swap the bars off of the tourer with the new ones due to the levers not fitting over the new bars, but I'm reasonably happy with the result.

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fUPfBNQH4k8/UILVm6B0OuI/AAAAAAAABRc/wDR6dV2mO2s/s640/DSCF1239.JPG)

Now to put some white bar tape onto the horizon's bars and fix the rear puncture it's developed while parked in the hall ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 20 October, 2012, 08:06:20 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 20 October, 2012, 06:45:55 pm
You know how these small jobs always seem to get bigger.

Getting home at 11:45 last night I remembered that the back light was err suboptimal. No worries. It's a single nut on the inside of the mudguard. Five minute, tops. 45 minutes later the hacksaw is out to cut through the body of the old light. After that it WAS a five minute job. Except that it led to freeing up a slow-to-release back brake and centering a mudguard. Ah well. It was nice to have a good light in the fog at 6 this morning.

Today, new Cinelli bar tape. That always cheers me up for some reason. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 20 October, 2012, 09:28:21 pm
Was the turn of the old Claude Butler Dalesman ("Made in Brigg, England") to get some TLC as it's not been ridden much in the past year.

New brake shoes and some jolly cantlilever adjustments.

Swapped the old SPD clones for real Shimano trekking pedals - the new master plan is that now that I'm losing weight and going faster I'll use this as the commuter (in place of Harry the heavy Halfords hybrid) as well as for its usual tourer/kitchen sink audax role.

Was going to rewrap the bars but I'm doing this in black and could find any matching insulation tape so that can wait until tomorrow.

"Dad, why's there one of your bikes in the Kitchen?"

"Cos your mum's in Italy and what she doesn't know won't hurt her!"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 October, 2012, 10:37:23 pm
While putting a slice of cake in my Carradice Barley, I decided it was really time I sorted out its slightly lopsided hang. This involved unthreading one strap, rethreading it, changing it again, eventually removing the bolt-on loop from that side, threading the strap through it and then bolting it onto the saddle rail the other way up. And cutting one of the bolts down with a hacksaw. It's now lopsided the other way, but I prefer it like that.  ;D Maybe I should get a Bagman?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 20 October, 2012, 11:08:55 pm
Today I have replaced the bars, stem and crosstop levers on my Peregrine, with associated brake re-cabling. The front had new inner & outer cables, the rear cables were rethreaded. Both layers of bar tape were re-used, but I turned it round (centre to end) so that a fresh edge was exposed.

The new stem is 31.8 clamp, hence the new bars & top levers. It is also substantially ugly (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=64522.0). All part of my campaign to make the touring bike lighter, by removing the need for a lock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 October, 2012, 01:57:57 pm
I've fettled the front mech on Marj's Trice so that gear changing on the chainrings is as smooth as a silk worms fart. :thumbsup:
The Trike is now ready for selling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 21 October, 2012, 03:53:32 pm
Three pairs of skis. One rear mudguard replacing one that cracked up. Half a crankset.

Would have been a whole crankset but I discovered that the Octalink BB needs a different puller (actually plug so I can use my normal puller) and that fettling a penny into the right size might be a valiant effort but is fated to fail. Interesting fail, but fail none the less.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 October, 2012, 04:10:02 pm
The final stages of stripping down my Dave Yates audax frame in preparation for going to a new home at some point in the near future.

The rear wheel with the S3X hub will likely end up on the yellow Genesis, the pedals are now adorning Pugsley and the front wheel with SON dynohub is now up for sale, as are the brakes and a rather nice set of TA track cranks. Everything else was either put back into the bits box or binned, depending on its condition.

It's a bit like saying farewell to a faithful old retainer, but the new toy ain't going to pay for itself and nice as the Yates is I'd rather it got some use rather than gathering dust in the kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arvid on 21 October, 2012, 05:46:52 pm
Changed the hub oil of the Rohloff. Someone told me "once every 5000km is unnecessary, once every 10000km is fine if that's once a year". I only got about 7ml oil out of it now, that should be 25ml. I think I'll go back to changing it every 5000km.
And why does the old oil always smell so horrid?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 21 October, 2012, 06:21:48 pm
This morning, a bit of work on the Pat Hanlon project bike. BB stripped down, generally pretty manky but cleaned up OK. I had a bit of a struggle removing the fixed cup, as is often the case; I ended up holding the flats of the cup in the bench vice and rotating the frame. That this is lightly stamped de in Engl while all of the other parts of the assembly are stamped Campagnolo suggests others may have struggled with this in the past. Anyway it all cleaned up OK and was reassembled with fresh grease. I am getting on quite well collecting parts for the project and hope to have it roadworthy although in tatty unfinished condition for next summer.

Later, more fettling of the bookcase that is now re-assembled and awaits refinishing. All in all quite an enjoyable and productive day given the lousy weather that we have got here at the moment.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 21 October, 2012, 08:24:46 pm
Claud Butler Dalesman again. Did the bars and decide that as they were previous covered with foam grips and that I'd replace these instead of wrapping them. Couldn't find any grips in the LBS but found some in Halfords. Decided to take the opportunity to swap the brake levers while they were off the bars so that the left lever operates the front brake like in the rest of the world and so I can safely decelerate and signal right at the same time. Swapped the wheel QR's with some Allen key operated ones as this is being promoted to the pub bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 October, 2012, 09:12:12 pm
Quote from: Jules on 21 October, 2012, 08:24:46 pm
Decided to take the opportunity to swap the brake levers while they were off the bars so that the left lever operates the front brake like in the rest of the world and so I can safely decelerate and signal right at the same time. Swapped the wheel QR's with some Allen key operated ones as this is being promoted to the pub bike.

Bonus being if some arse pinches your pub bike he/she may come unstuck under heavy braking  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 October, 2012, 09:23:54 pm
I've moved all mine over to left operating front too. The other advantage being that brake components (and frames sometimes, with braze on cable stops - like my old Singlecross) are generally designed for left hand front operation. Cable routing is just a bit neater without odd bends in the outers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 21 October, 2012, 09:41:17 pm
bike storage room: chaos -> order
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 October, 2012, 10:30:51 pm
Yesterday. Stripped down the red fixer as far as possible and took the resultant junk to the tip. Kept saddle, brake levers, front wheel, tyres.  This was the one I was riding when I got knocked off in January(?).  A bit of a wobbly moment when I found scratches on bits I though were previously unscathed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 21 October, 2012, 11:53:19 pm
Quote from: Jules on 21 October, 2012, 08:24:46 pm
Decided to take the opportunity to swap the brake levers while they were off the bars so that the left lever operates the front brake like in the rest of the world and so I can safely decelerate and signal right at the same time.
Has it escaped your notice that the rest of the world ride on the other side of the road, and can also normally only use the rear brake when signalling across the road?
The point of using the rear brake in such circumstances is that if you brake any harder than is easily possible with the rear brake whilst one hand is off the bars signalling, you'll fall off. Falling off in the middle of the road when there's traffic nearby is not generally recommended.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 October, 2012, 12:19:44 am
Except when it's a bike where you brace against the deceleration with your feet of course.  You can be as one-handed as you like on those.

Anyway, the brake lever thing is a non-argument.  The only truly correct way round for the brake levers is the way your muscle memory expects them to be in an emergency.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 October, 2012, 07:51:30 am
TBH, I didn't find that to be a problem. Perhaps it's because I'm not the most svelte of cyclist, but in the changeover period I never felt at risk of falling off, even under emergency braking (but then my muscle memory does this thing where I back off the brakes slightly if the bike goes unstable). The first bike I did it on, my Roubaix build, has very good brakes which are more than capable of locking either wheel. I really did it as an experiment as I'd been using opposite handed braking on pool bikes abroad without issues, and on that build I thought I'd try it out as it made the cable runs slightly neater and as-designed for both components and frame.

For a period I had different bikes with different routings, as I replaced bar tape and/or cables on each of them I re-ran the cables. Only the hardly used MTB now has English standard braking. I can't say I have big feelings one way or another about the efficiencies or safety of either way of cabling them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jules on 22 October, 2012, 08:02:01 am
Quote from: andrew_s on 21 October, 2012, 11:53:19 pm
Quote from: Jules on 21 October, 2012, 08:24:46 pm
Decided to take the opportunity to swap the brake levers while they were off the bars so that the left lever operates the front brake like in the rest of the world and so I can safely decelerate and signal right at the same time.
Has it escaped your notice that the rest of the world ride on the other side of the road, and can also normally only use the rear brake when signalling across the road?
The point of using the rear brake in such circumstances is that if you brake any harder than is easily possible with the rear brake whilst one hand is off the bars signalling, you'll fall off. Falling off in the middle of the road when there's traffic nearby is not generally recommended.

I have - I  spend much of my cycling year in Italy. Trying to remember what country I'm in when braking hard is some mental overload I can do without.

IME falling off anywhere is a bad idea but years of operating bicycle brakes has given me the skill  to use these with crashing. YMMV  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 09:35:22 am
I used to have my brakes continental-style.  But when I got my fixed, I took too long getting round to changing it, so I've left it be, now I'm OK at resetting the pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 October, 2012, 10:01:00 am
What do you mean "resetting the pedals"? I think I know what you mean, but I can't see what it has to do with left/right brake levers.

Generally, I agree with Kim on this - whichever way round you're used to is best. And if you're equally used to each way, then lucky you!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 10:23:11 am
When I stop (which is frequently on my commute), I need to put my pedals back into the best position for setting off again (which, for me, is the right pedal near the top).  I do this by steadying myself with the left foot on the ground.  I then squeeze the front brake so I can raise the rear wheel without the bike running away.  Once the wheel is just clear of the ground, I can then move my right foot (still clipped in) into position.  I now use my right hand to do this automatically.  If my brakes were the other way round, I'd not do it so cleanly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 October, 2012, 10:51:37 am
I thought that was what you meant - it's the thing I often find awkward about riding in normal shoes, which I do when I'm riding round town and the ride is a short means of transport so I'm dressed for the destination* - but I didn't see what it had to do with brake levers. All clear now!

*Of course when I was still using toe clips it was not an issue, but it doesn't make it worth going back to them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 22 October, 2012, 11:36:07 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 22 October, 2012, 10:51:37 am
*Of course when I was still using toe clips it was not an issue, but it doesn't make it worth going back to them.

why is it an issue without toeclips? just set the pedal where you want before stopping and putting the foot down
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 October, 2012, 11:37:14 am
Or hook the pedal up with your toe (that's what I do anyway)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 22 October, 2012, 11:56:16 am
Quote from: zigzag on 22 October, 2012, 11:36:07 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 22 October, 2012, 10:51:37 am
*Of course when I was still using toe clips it was not an issue, but it doesn't make it worth going back to them.

why is it an issue without toeclips? just set the pedal where you want before stopping and putting the foot down
They are talking about riding fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 October, 2012, 11:59:42 am
Yes - so you set the pedals where you want them, apply lots of pressure backwards to hold them there and come to a skiddy stop like all the cool fixie riders do  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 12:00:15 pm
IANAHipster
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 October, 2012, 01:33:35 pm
But it also solves the problem of remembering which brake to pull when re-aligning the pedals - as you won't have any  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 04:06:42 pm
I suspect becoming a Hipster might cause more problems than it solves.  For one, I don't want to move to another part of London.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 October, 2012, 04:11:04 pm
By coincidence, I was talking yesterday to a man in his 70s or 80s who said he had ridden fixed (including the predecessor of the S3X) since the 1950s, but now only rode gears because he "doesn't like to be fashionable".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 04:13:22 pm
The predecessors of the S3X were the TF (two speed) and the ASC (three).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 October, 2012, 04:15:17 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 04:06:42 pm
I suspect becoming a Hipster might cause more problems than it solves.  For one, I don't want to move to another part of London.

Yeahbut the 6" wide bars would give more room for n+1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 October, 2012, 04:17:27 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 04:13:22 pm
The predecessors of the S3X were the TF (two speed) and the ASC (three).
The ASC he rode. Still has it, built into an old stainless steel rim - didn't trust alloy at the time. He didn't name it but said 3-speed and it was much closer ratio than the S3X.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 October, 2012, 04:19:58 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 22 October, 2012, 04:17:27 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 October, 2012, 04:13:22 pm
The predecessors of the S3X were the TF (two speed) and the ASC (three).
The ASC he rode. Still has it, built into an old stainless steel rim - didn't trust alloy at the time. He didn't name it but said 3-speed and it was much closer ratio than the S3X.
Sounds like the ASC, then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 23 October, 2012, 09:00:38 pm
I have the sewing machine out.
School trousers first, then we will have a looksee at some saddle covers.

(I could've done that frame bag for you interzen. Easy peasy. It'd be dark blue with white birds on, and so even more bespoke)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 October, 2012, 09:19:32 pm
I serviced my rear hub tonight. I was all pleased with myself until I realized (too late) that Pingu had already removed all the nuts from one end of the axle, but I did it again on the other side. So he had to spend quite some time unfucking it up. My bad :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 23 October, 2012, 09:38:21 pm
Quote from: boabacca on 23 October, 2012, 09:00:38 pm
I have the sewing machine out.
School trousers first, then .....

....assorted kit bags.

But what is it with small boys and school trousers??
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 23 October, 2012, 09:40:46 pm
Quote from: JJ on 23 October, 2012, 09:38:21 pm
Quote from: boabacca on 23 October, 2012, 09:00:38 pm
I have the sewing machine out.
School trousers first, then .....

....assorted kit bags.

But what is it with small boys and school trousers??
Small boys should stay in shorts. Knees repair themselves. This is teenage girl, moving from bootcut to straight legs. Fashion, I believe it's called.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 October, 2012, 09:49:24 pm
Quote from: boabacca on 23 October, 2012, 09:40:46 pm
Small boys should stay in shorts. Knees repair themselves. This is teenage girl, moving from bootcut to straight legs. Fashion, I believe it's called.

When I was in infants/juniors, my mum would buy my brother and myself new long trousers at the start of the school year. Obviously we went through the knees fairly quickly, so she'd chop the legs off and hem them to make shorts - meaning that we spent every winter wearing shorts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 October, 2012, 10:11:27 pm
I replaced the ping bell on the MTB. There was some amusement in the LBS when I asked if they had any spare ping bells (they have a huge box of not wanted on my racer bells). The customer thought it was amusing. I pointed out that it was a bell that went ping, rather than the other sort that went rrring, or the imaginary ones that pedestrians ask after[1]


[1] Where's your f'ing bell?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 23 October, 2012, 11:40:20 pm
Just been out to winterise my Cotic X. Dynamo wheel and light moved from the Dawes (I bought the disc hub dynamo). Schwabe snow tyres easy to get on the Mavic open pro Front dynamo wheel but a bit of a PITA to get on the cotics rear, Alexrim wheel. Mudguards moved out to accomodate to larger studded tyres and new brake pads on the front. Finally brakes adjusted and a wee ride down the road to ensure all squeeks and rubs and rattles taken care off. Bring on winter - lovely crisp mornings with the sun rising and frosty country tracks through the Dalmeny Estate on the way into work. :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 24 October, 2012, 12:18:22 am
Quote from: MattH on 23 October, 2012, 09:49:24 pm
Quote from: boabacca on 23 October, 2012, 09:40:46 pm
Small boys should stay in shorts. Knees repair themselves. This is teenage girl, moving from bootcut to straight legs. Fashion, I believe it's called.

When I was in infants/juniors, my mum would buy my brother and myself new long trousers at the start of the school year. Obviously we went through the knees fairly quickly, so she'd chop the legs off and hem them to make shorts - meaning that we spent every winter wearing shorts.

On the whole I agree, but it's not my decision in practice and it's easier to keep sewing than to fight!  In any case, today it's the crotch that has given way, owing to clambering and cycling activity.  I guess I'd rather that than have them wear through at the arse through sitting!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 24 October, 2012, 12:22:05 am
Oh, I'm not saying that wearing shorts in the snow was character building and everyone should do it. I'd much rather my mum had sewn a patch on them! We never inflicted shorts on our kids for school.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 October, 2012, 09:20:19 am
Trued the rear wheel on my Romany with the new spoke.  Bit frustrating because there's no adjuster on the brake cable hanger.

Tightened my lockring on the Solo (well, as much as I could without removing the wheel)

Tried to adjust Butterfly's brakes on her Orion, but foiled by V-brake cheese.  Made it safe to ride so she could get to bike shop this morning.

Forgot to change battery in Rapid 3 rear light.

Still need to true the rear wheel on the Solo, and adjust the brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 24 October, 2012, 09:39:09 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 23 October, 2012, 10:11:27 pm
I replaced the ping bell on the MTB. There was some amusement in the LBS when I asked if they had any spare ping bells (they have a huge box of not wanted on my racer bells). The customer thought it was amusing. I pointed out that it was a bell that went ping, rather than the other sort that went rrring, or the imaginary ones that pedestrians ask after[1]


[1] Where's your f'ing bell?

My stock to [1] is: 'in the same place as your f'ing brain'  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 October, 2012, 01:44:46 pm
Project RatBike continues apace. (donated Raleigh Record being converted to a fixed).  Last night I dreamt of Mandaly removed the srsly stuck fixed cup from the bottom bracket shell, using the fantabulous Sheldon Brown nut and bolt method. A severe amount of grunt was required.

Fitted the BB salvaged from the dead red fixer and chainset from the same source. Squinted at the chainline. Not too bad, will run a straight edge over it later. Fitted tyre from dead red fixer to donated rear wheel. Found that he bead was kinked and poking out where the dead red wheel had been mangled.

To do: order brakes, order new tyre, order mudguards.

It's almost a year since the red fixer became the dead red fixer. I wonder if I'll remember how to ride one?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 25 October, 2012, 01:57:27 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 25 October, 2012, 01:44:46 pm
It's almost a year since the red fixer became the dead red fixer. I wonder if I'll remember how to ride one?
It's a lot like riding a bike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 October, 2012, 01:58:50 pm
Quote from: boabacca on 25 October, 2012, 01:57:27 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 25 October, 2012, 01:44:46 pm
It's almost a year since the red fixer became the dead red fixer. I wonder if I'll remember how to ride one?
It's a lot like riding a bike...
But with rather less margin for error ...

I fettled the front brake on the orange Genesis earlier on - it no longer shrieks like a shrieky thing when I so much as look at the brake lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 26 October, 2012, 01:36:36 pm
My headlight brackets have arrived and I've put the IQ Fly on with the handlebar clamp type. I think tomorrow will see me change the Pompino wheel for the new SON28 wheel, remove and refit a 622-28 Marathon+, and fettle the Seculite on, still to decide if I want the Seculite on the rear rack or mudguard.  ???
At some point in the future I'll drill the fork and mount the light on the heavy duty crown mount type bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 26 October, 2012, 06:00:40 pm
Been fettling the new(er) bike. Shake down ride completed. Ok.. I installed a GPS mount and tinkered with the conspicuity lights.
And slightly raised the seat.  :thumbsup:
That required an Allen key so I guess that's "fettling". :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 October, 2012, 07:28:58 pm
Took one bike outside and cleaned it, even to the extent of taking off the front wheel so I could get at the dead leaves and mud that have jammed inside the mudguard under the fork crown.

Took the other bike outside and fitted a new chain and pedals. Not that there was anything wrong with the old pedals, which in fact were pretty new - they'd only been on there since March, but I just figured I'd prefer these. Must be getting fussy.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 26 October, 2012, 11:12:33 pm
I replaced a spoke. This had to be the most awkward one, being drive side of the rear wheel.
So I had to remove the cassette. All the tools were to hand but the £$%&£&%£ would not budge. I applied brute strength, craftiness, carefull percussive persuasion and eventually, with much swearing I got a result!

(click to show/hide)

Buy cheap, buy twice.. Oh well, back to my original slightly stronger and thicker ones. And after even more cursing and swearing (because it is rather chilly in the garage right now) it all did what it should, and spokes were fettled in short order.

I may be shopping soon for a new chain whip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 October, 2012, 02:31:23 pm
Finally removed the troublesome BB from the project frame (that I've had hanging around since, er...May)!

The winning combination turned out to be a very large spanner and one of these (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/pedros-bottom-bracket-socket-holder/). (Yes, I know I could make one much cheaper, but it was convenient. It helped me remove another difficult (though nowhere near as bad), BB the other day too, so it's my new favourite tool!)

I fear no bottom bracket now. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 October, 2012, 02:40:36 pm
I'm glad that sort of tool works as I'll be trying my own Heath Robinson version of one of those tomorrow. How long was the spanner?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 October, 2012, 02:46:41 pm
About 42cm, so pretty long!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 October, 2012, 02:48:17 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 27 October, 2012, 02:46:41 pm
About 42cm, so pretty long!

Hmm - I may need a bigger spanner :-\

I'm hoping that putting my not inconsiderable weight on my current one will work though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 27 October, 2012, 03:23:08 pm
Fitted a Cyo to the tandem:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8127379801_6599a857fe.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127379801/)
2012-10-27 12.28.51 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127379801/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

One of the many attentions to detail that drew us to the Longstaff; braze-on cable guides for dyno-lights:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8127382493_6717c298bf.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127382493/)
2012-10-27 10.37.50 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127382493/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

Also fitted industrial Randonneur grade flaps:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8127407914_028a3e95b5.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127407914/)
2012-10-27 12.37.09 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127407914/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

and a Cateye bracket:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8464/8127408622_3697dcb4d2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127408622/)
2012-10-27 12.28.20 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8127408622/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 October, 2012, 04:29:12 pm
Now that is a mudflap I want to draft.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 27 October, 2012, 07:57:17 pm
Fettled the fish tank today.
Removed the internal filter / pump / heater unit with the aid of a bread knife to slice the silicon holding the filter box to the tank glass.

Carefully chopped up the old media from the filter, and placed it into the nice shiny new external canister filter (Eheim Ecco Pro 200)

Hooked up the intake / outlet hoses into the tank, stuck the heater to the tank using suckers, then turned everything back on!  And it all works!   ;D

It's surprising how much room the internal filter box took up in my 70L tank... 

Found hunners of snail eggs in the bottom of the internal filter box, which would explain why my outbreak of snails.....   ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 October, 2012, 03:25:38 pm
I just fettled a green neon illuminator to the downstairs hallway light switch, so I should have a nice green glow when I come in at night, and minimise the amount of fumbling (and occasionally cat standing on) that is involved!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 28 October, 2012, 04:59:31 pm
I fettled a current transformer by cutting the primary out of a small 230 - 15V transformer and replacing it with 10 turns of wire.

I now know that a mixture of compact fluorescent lamps and halogen lamps fed by electronic transformers take current that is mainly harmonics.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 28 October, 2012, 05:37:22 pm
With the clocks going back the time has come to change the Royal's tyres for Marathon Pluses for winter duties. I wasn't looking forward to doing this but the tyres went on with much less of a struggle than I had anticipated. However, the temporary reserve rear wheel that is 130mm OLN rather than 127 proved to be an absolute pig to refit - I remember it being a bit fiddly when I fitted it in the summer but not as diffiucult as I found it this afternoon. I suspect it might be a little easier with the machine upside down rather than in the maintenance stand, but I really must get on and rebuild the original wheel.

And then some leaf sweeping and further bookcase fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 October, 2012, 06:11:08 pm
Sort of a fettle by proxy today. Took the fork for the green Genesis to the LBS to have a star nut fitted - the conversation went a bit like this:

Me: Can you put a star nut in these forks?
LBS: Certainly - did you bring one with you?
Me: <quizzical look> Eh? I don't have one.
LBS: What about the one that came with the headset?
Me: Arsebiscuits  :facepalm:

Ah well, at least I've got one for the spares box now ... I just put the box for the headset (containing star nut) on a shelf and forgot about it. The reason that the star nut wasn't fitted at the same time as the headset is because I wasn't sure if the steerer tube would need cutting down - as it turns out, it didn't.

Still, at least the forks are fitted 'properly' now.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 28 October, 2012, 08:59:09 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 27 October, 2012, 02:31:23 pm
Finally removed the troublesome BB from the project frame (that I've had hanging around since, er...May)!

The winning combination turned out to be a very large spanner and one of these (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/pedros-bottom-bracket-socket-holder/).
I'm feeling thick. What BB is it for and how does it work?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 October, 2012, 09:09:04 pm
I pumped up the tyres on my Woosrup and gave it a once-over before heading out for a ride.

Later, I cleaned my Woodrup (called Whsh) and Butterfly's Galaxy (called Lily) ready to put them away.  Baby wipes thing.  I know I should do the chains, but it's cold and dark and I'm tired and not got any shoes on.  It'll do.

I corrected the time on the bike computer on my Romany, but not on Whsh, partly because I had a quick changeover this morning, and partly because it's unlikely to turn a wheel till BST comes round again #vanity :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 October, 2012, 09:23:27 pm
That reminds me, there's one clock I didn't change.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 October, 2012, 10:15:52 pm
Quote from: drossall on 28 October, 2012, 08:59:09 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 27 October, 2012, 02:31:23 pm
Finally removed the troublesome BB from the project frame (that I've had hanging around since, er...May)!

The winning combination turned out to be a very large spanner and one of these (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/pedros-bottom-bracket-socket-holder/).
I'm feeling thick. What BB is it for and how does it work?

Cartridge BB (I believe, that's what my screw and washer combination is for) and it holds the removal tool in place by screwing into the crank bolt holes on the axle so you can but more force on the tool to turn it.

My fettling today was all on the single speed. I fitted the velosolo spacer kit so the chain now runs straight, put a light on the rear mudguard and fitted some experimental mudflaps made from card, duct tape and bits of old brake cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 29 October, 2012, 11:47:42 am
Quote from: MattH on 24 October, 2012, 12:22:05 am
Oh, I'm not saying that wearing shorts in the snow was character building and everyone should do it. I'd much rather my mum had sewn a patch on them! We never inflicted shorts on our kids for school.

Funny ole' world isn't it. As kids we spend ages thinking of excuses not to be forced to wear shorts for school.

Now I'm (allegedly) a grown up, I was the envy of my nick when I go the OK from the area commander to wear cargo shorts on bike patrol.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 October, 2012, 06:24:42 pm
Pretty much everything gear-related on the back on the Streetmachine, which is now indexing properly for the first time in ages ('twas one of those combination of factors things).

Rainlegs, now hardshell recumbent seat friendly.

Some of baratka's trousers, while I had the sewing machine out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 October, 2012, 08:04:34 pm
Fitted the brake calipers (BB7s) to the green Genesis - not cabled up yet, though, since I still lack a front wheel and the necessary cableage.

It's now starting to look more like a bike and less like a diamond-shaped assemblage of iron pipes painted green. Still got do decide which tyre to run, though ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 30 October, 2012, 08:37:15 am
My ride home last night was interupted by an episode of chain suckage or similar which, after sorting, left the drivetrain sounding as if it was leaning towards the FUBAR end of the "How is Your Bike Running" spectrum (HiYBiRun).

On making it home to Fuzzy Towers I was able to get some decent light on to the situation and discovered that one of the inner links had twisted making the chain run 'pissed'.

Bike shop shut- TGFPL :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 October, 2012, 12:14:02 pm
Swapped the bouncy castles on the Romany for the Marathon Racer 30s I got at half price from PX.  Bike feels a lot livelier now (even if I don't).  I remembered to alter the computer.  I've got a new computer coming, but it's probably at work, where I'm not today, along with the bracket for the Cyo, to go with the dynohub I fitted last night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 October, 2012, 12:16:02 pm
Oh - and I've just sorted out a load of various bits which were colonising the side in the kitchen.  Some have been sorted into appropriate boxes.  Others haven't.  There is a space on the side. :thumbsup:

I'm just not sure where the kitchen table is now :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 30 October, 2012, 03:58:30 pm
Finally I have got around to fettlin' the SON28, IQ Fly, and Seculite onto the Pompino.  :thumbsup: I now await some darkness for a proper test ride (it all works indoors but does it point to a sweet spot on the road?  ???)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 October, 2012, 05:33:56 pm
Fsh tank fettling 101:

Before:
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6098/6244494962_d15717388a_b.jpg)
After:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8138943017_4c8e816fb1_b.jpg)

More playsand substrate to make up for the extra space in the tank now the internal filter has been replaced with an external...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 30 October, 2012, 07:26:04 pm
After the Dusk 'til Dawn my freewheel was less willing to freewheel, stripped it down, flushed out the gunk and it's as good as new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 30 October, 2012, 07:37:50 pm
Quote from: delthebike on 30 October, 2012, 03:58:30 pm
Finally I have got around to fettlin' the SON28, IQ Fly, and Seculite onto the Pompino.  :thumbsup: I now await some darkness for a proper test ride (it all works indoors but does it point to a sweet spot on the road?  ???)
'Twerks!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 October, 2012, 10:42:39 pm
Project RatBike is done!

Took advantage of Mrs. Hall being away and dragged workstand, bike and misc tools into the kitchen, wot is warm.

Fitted brakes (well done APC, Spa Cycles carrier of choice, for having the smarts to leave them with a neighbour when I was out), fettled brake cables to length. Fitted black mudguards, black bar tape, black seat post, rear light (red), old bar bag (black) and front light.

It works.

I may ride it to work tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Fohat on 31 October, 2012, 04:43:52 pm
Read Graeme Obree's training book, where he says "standardise all bikes".

Yesterday tried fitting a secondhand chainring to my commuting / turbo bike. No chance, nothing budged at all, except lots of skin off my hands. Even used proper tools for the job (most unusual for me)

Today tried changing more ebay sourced chainset and chainrings on road racing bike. Lovely jubbly. Everything greased and back together in no time.

The main reason for the discrepancy maybe that the latter bike lives in my bedroom, the former lives in the garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 31 October, 2012, 05:42:52 pm
Quote from: Fohat on 31 October, 2012, 04:43:52 pm
Read Graeme Obree's training book, where he says "standardise all bikes".

Yesterday tried fitting a secondhand chainring to my commuting / turbo bike. No chance, nothing budged at all, except lots of skin off my hands. Even used proper tools for the job (most unusual for me)

Today tried changing more ebay sourced chainset and chainrings on road racing bike. Lovely jubbly. Everything greased and back together in no time.

The main reason for the discrepancy maybe that the latter bike lives in my bedroom, the former lives in the garden.

Are you creating yourself an Obree standardised den of pain to train in?  ;D
I haven't yet worked up to destroying my TT by removing its controls and fan or purchased a rear wheel computer to measure my suffering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 31 October, 2012, 10:16:20 pm
Quote from: Fohat on 31 October, 2012, 04:43:52 pm
Read Graeme Obree's training book, where he says "standardise all bikes".

HOW MANY WASHING MACHINES MUST DIE???!???!!


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 November, 2012, 08:25:02 pm
Got various bits which I needed for jobs on the Romany, so now I have a new computer, barbag fixing and a Cyo fitted.  All working very well :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 01 November, 2012, 08:29:41 pm
cyo fitted to LHT, and a slightly longer stem.  Quick trip round the village and it feels I feel much better  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 November, 2012, 09:07:35 pm
Fitted a disc rotor to the newly acquired front wheel for the green Genesis. Also adjusted the front caliper so that the front brake actually works when I pull the lever rather than all the time. Just need the remaining bits1 to turn up so I can finish the job.

1 - saddle, bash guard, freewheel, pedals and, finally, after much thought, tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 November, 2012, 09:14:17 pm
Swapped stem on Butterfly's Galaxy for a slightly shorter one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 November, 2012, 10:09:18 pm
Quote from: clarion on 01 November, 2012, 09:14:17 pm
Swapped stem on Butterfly's Galaxy for a slightly shorter one.

You and Mike swapping stems?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 02 November, 2012, 10:48:20 am
Pre-Whitby ride fettling:

(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/812/dsc01145ko.jpg)

I should probably do more pressing things, such as fettling gears. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 02 November, 2012, 05:39:09 pm
Taking Tim's cue, moved the new MTB into the lounge room to fettle the pedals. Bloke's away in Gatwick so he's not here to whinge about a bike in the lounge. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 02 November, 2012, 05:56:03 pm
Not quite today.

Went to a friend's house with assorted tools to see if the symptoms one of his bikes is suffering are, as I thought, a dead (or near as dammit) bottom bracket.

Oh yes. So, cranks off nice & easy - & then realise I don't have the right BB tool with me.  :facepalm: It's a 1980s Raleigh MTB, with an old-style lockring with slots in. I have the tools - but they were in my toolbox at home.

Ah well, it'll probably need some penetrating oil to loosen it up first. We'll have a go at it when he's given it a soaking. No hurry, since he'll need a new BB. We've established what he needs, so he can buy that while he's waiting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 November, 2012, 07:15:27 pm
More green Genesis fettling, thanks to two of my On-One orders arriving today.

The chainset now has the bash-guard fitted, and now that I've found my chainring bolt tool after turning the house upside-down (almost literally ...) I can tighten the chainring bolts up. Also fitted the tyres - On-One Smorgasbord 2.25 up front, Geax Saguaro 2.2 at the back; good for 'good to soft' going, I can swap the tyres round if it looks like it's going to be a particularly manky ride.

Not particularly lightweight as singlespeeds go, but its built for endurance rather than speed - even with the saddle fitted (B17 Standard, natch) it should come in sub-24lbs.

Not much left to do now: saddle (waiting for me at LBS), grips (on back-order) and freewheel (also on back-order)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 03 November, 2012, 11:46:39 am
I've just re-attached an Alpkit headtorch to my magic hat in readiness for some after-dark riding.I don't often wear a mag-hat but they are useful for attaching a light to in the hope of diminishing a SMIDSY & my risk aversion is also diminished in winter time when wearing a mag-hat seems more pertinent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 November, 2012, 12:10:18 pm
This:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/530899_10151090532896636_716520466_n.jpg)

Will shortly be heading off to the LBS to pick up the saddle and whatever remaining bits have arrived. If the freewheel has turned up then there's a strong possibility of a quick run round the block later on1 :)

1 - maybe a bit further if the grips have arrived. Not holding out much hope though, as the disties were apparently shut for stocktaking on Thursday and Friday ... and the order was placed on Thursday  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 03 November, 2012, 06:33:04 pm
Fitted a new rear tyre. Hutchinson Fusion 3 as the LBS didn't have the recommended Durano Plus in stock.

Then took it off again as pumping up resulted in hissssssss, thought it might be a pinch flat as I did have a bunch of tubes herniating all over the place when easing the bead over the rim (I'm used to rigid rather than folding tyres). Further inspection revealed the new hole being dead centre of an old patch so don't think it was a pinch.

Hole was on the interior of the tube though which indicates sometihng up with the rim/rim tape. Couldn't feel or see anything so will have to see what happens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 November, 2012, 06:40:12 pm
I have stopped myself from fettling some new brake lever hoods (as delivered from SJS cycles today) onto the VN replacement as I think this could compromise my chances of riding down to Brighton tomorrow with the veteran cars.

It involves a lot of arseing about including removal of bar tape and all cables (which I have only just fitted). ::-)
Meh!

If it is peeing down tomorrow, then that's what I'll be doing.
And making pea and ham soup.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 03 November, 2012, 10:39:33 pm
major fettle (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=64970.msg1349033#new) for minor annoyance
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 November, 2012, 01:51:51 pm
Fettled front derailleur so I have the use of 3 gears instead of 1 hopefully. For how long, I dunno.
Replaced rear cable outer before it disintegrated - had to use a hammer anna screwdriver to get the end out of the cable stop.
Put winter tyres on. Adjusted front brake to fit fat tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 04 November, 2012, 01:55:06 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 03 November, 2012, 10:39:33 pm
major fettle (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=64970.msg1349033#new) for minor annoyance
Bloody hellfire .... EPIC win!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 04 November, 2012, 02:46:54 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 30 October, 2012, 07:26:04 pm
After the Dusk 'til Dawn my freewheel was less willing to freewheel, stripped it down, flushed out the gunk and it's as good as new.

But that sadly didn't completely solve the problem :(. I took the cranks off and gave the cranks a spin tried to give the cranks a spin. Bottome bracket is dead after about 6 months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 04 November, 2012, 03:33:08 pm
Very minor fettle on the Dave Lloyd today: a new pair of GP 4 seasons from Ribble were fitted, and the ugly alu spacer under the stem has been replaced with £2.99 worth of carbon.  Now I just need to find a chance to ride the blimmin' thing: you'd have thought that taking a week off work might present opportunities but, alas, there has been huge Other Stuff to do.. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 04 November, 2012, 03:39:58 pm
About to fettle my rear tyre AGAIN! Don't know whether this is a pinch or not yet but have to patch some tubes first as have not a single unholed one at the mo.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 04 November, 2012, 03:43:11 pm
gave up at the lack of dry roads and and put summer bike onto the turbo trainer.... We're virtually guaranteed 3 months of sunshine now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 04 November, 2012, 03:58:06 pm
When does fettling stop being fettling, and become tweaking?

Fitted new hoods to the VN today, which necessitated removal of the bar tape and the cabling, inner and outer, all of which I fitted the other day - as well as the levers themselves.
Why didn't I think of changing the hoods before I did all the cabling? ::-)

Never mind, at least now it should feel like I'm holding a new bike, and the lengthened brake outer by the seat post should leave Zigzag less vexed.

I wouldn't say no to a bit of dry weather in which to ride it....

Also fettled 4 litres of pea n' ham soup in the kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Henry on 04 November, 2012, 04:19:08 pm
I hate having unused bits on a bike. Everything must earn its passage.

So the combined gear 'n' brake units on the singlespeed were swapped for brake-only levers, which my new excellent LBS (Eastgate Cycles in Gloucester) had in stock when I called in yesterday. Much neater. New cable inners plus outers, and we are ready for winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 04 November, 2012, 07:10:02 pm
Following on from last week's success removing the bottom bracket from the project frame, today it was the turn of the headset cups. First I made a tool using a piece of old steel handlebar and a hacksaw (I knew there was a reason I'd kept those bars!). Then I used the tool. Cups came out. :thumbsup:

Frame now just about ready to be powder coated - the only thing remaining is to remove the headbadge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 04 November, 2012, 07:40:01 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 04 November, 2012, 07:10:02 pm
Frame now just about ready to be powder coated - the only thing remaining is to remove the headbadge.

...and that's done. The project can proceed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 04 November, 2012, 07:42:28 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 04 November, 2012, 07:40:01 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 04 November, 2012, 07:10:02 pm
Frame now just about ready to be powder coated - the only thing remaining is to remove the headbadge.

...and that's done. The project can proceed...
Ooh, exciting!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 04 November, 2012, 09:17:38 pm
Cleaned some of the crap of the more important bits of the bike.. Like braking surfaces they where a bit coated in muck.

Must also not use quite so much back brake or I'll be wearing out another rear rim before it's time again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 November, 2012, 11:49:47 pm
The local weather is saying that it will be cold overnight and then rain first thing, so I've just fitted the snow studs. Get ready for a heat wave everyone :)

[eta] As predicted ths morning was warmer than yesterday ::-). I took the geared bike instead
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 06 November, 2012, 11:58:54 am
giraffe has been fettling here. Two new Schwalbe Kid Plus tyres + 1 inner tube for my wheelchair yesterday, kitchen sink outlet today.
More fettling will follow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 06 November, 2012, 12:21:57 pm
Attempted fettling today.
Tried to fit the pannier rack which I no longer use on my Dawes Horizon tourer, onto my Btwin rockrider 5.3 mtb.

Looks like I'll need ~ 40mm of spacers so that the rear rack leg clears the tektro io disc brake caliper......  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 November, 2012, 01:17:17 pm
1993 Dawes Galaxy got a new back wheel from LBS and can be ridden again.   Sunday I fit the B&M IQ Cyo in place of the front reflector.  On Monday morning I frantically search for the rear lamp that I can attach to my coats lamp loop.  The Dawes' rack does not a allow a lamp to be fitted. I went to work.  In the evening I rode along the pavement until I reached the station and took the train home.  A more thorough search for the lamp failed. 

This morning I decide to swap the rack.  So I remove the Tortec Ultralite rack from the bits and pieces of one of my broken bikes.  I planned to attach a dynomo lamp but to my surprise screwed to the rack was the lamp I had been looking for the previous day. Nice quick job to exchange racks. I now have rear lighting on the available bike I prefer to commute on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 06 November, 2012, 04:05:31 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 06 November, 2012, 12:21:57 pm
Attempted fettling today.
Tried to fit the pannier rack which I no longer use on my Dawes Horizon tourer, onto my Btwin rockrider 5.3 mtb.

Looks like I'll need ~ 40mm of spacers so that the rear rack leg clears the tektro io disc brake caliper......  :-\

Curiously, after playing with my nuts and vernier caliper, a pair of the nuts of the end of q/r skewers will be just what the doctor ordered!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 November, 2012, 08:20:28 pm
After a post-work trip to the LBS, I've fitted a pair of Ergon grips and a Hope seatpin collar (replacing the horrible Genesis-supplied quick-release job) onto the green singlespeed - for all intents and purposes it's now done, all that remains are a couple of shakedown rides to get the riding position dialled in before the trail-bashing can begin in earnest.

Fun times ahead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 November, 2012, 05:32:24 pm
Front gear cable on the Dawes.  It's been misbehaving slightly since the tunnel ride, but became obviously a symptom of a springy cable yesterday, when I had two heavy panniers of shopping and neglected to bring a multi-tool.  Fortunately I got home without it snapping.  Even more fortunately, I eventually managed to extract the fraying end without having to dismantle the shifter.

This was unreasonably exhausting.  Sodding lurgy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 November, 2012, 05:37:34 pm
Various bits and bobs on the singlespeed after the first shakedown ride earlier on1 - nothing drastic, just little adjustments like saddle height, brake lever positions and so forth. Given that it has almost the same geometry as my 1x1, despite being a 29er, it was comfortable to ride pretty much straight off the bat once you've factored out the apparent frictionless-ness of a new B17 ...

1 - 15 miles of mud, ankle deep in places. I might have to wheel Pugsley out for a rematch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 November, 2012, 10:42:54 pm
I lubed the chain, pumped up the tyres, fitted the GPS and battery and charged the lights.
200km audax tomorrow so I'll certainly need the lights.
There may also be grumbling ride posts if my previous audax experience is anything to go by............

Seriously, I'm really hoping to enjoy tomorrow's ride.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 11 November, 2012, 07:54:19 am
New brake cables and bar tape on my commuter, its been overdue!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 11 November, 2012, 11:48:05 am
Played around with the bar height on the Tifosi. I now have an even dafter number of spacers above the stem. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 November, 2012, 12:07:52 pm
Cleaned various bits of bridleway off the singlespeed, adjusted the brakes and fitted the computer that previously adorned the fixed ....

... which is now fitted with a rear-wheel/cadence computer so I can quantify my suffering when I'm using the turbo :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 11 November, 2012, 12:19:01 pm
I have fettled the output temperature control on my Vaillant CH boiler so it now has a respectably high target temperature. Replacement of the broken control dial will have to wait until Summer , or when I next see the guy who installed the boiler for me and I can prevail upon his good nature (as it is of course not his responsibility to fix it for me).
No fettling done on bikes though. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 11 November, 2012, 04:07:49 pm
Cleaned and lubed the new Trek 8000 after it's first proper ride (Rutland).
Removed the crud catcher and installed instead a Topeak front mudguard. :)
Should test it again at Rutland on Wed.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 November, 2012, 04:17:43 pm
I fiddled about with the gears on my commuter again. The rear seems to have a bit of a satellite delay going between 2 of the cogs for some unknown reason. Couldn't figure it out. Front derailleur seemed to be working OK but I expect it will be crap again when I actually use it in anger tomorrow.
Took last week's grip shift bodge of 2 dumb grips held on with cable ties off, cost they were stabbing me in the hand.
Replaced with judicious use of electrical tape and then 2 layers of heat shrink tubing liberated from work, which didn't shrink with my hair dryer but did using my card makers heat gun... looks pretty good now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 November, 2012, 04:24:21 pm
Stripped one bike, polished another bike frame and generally re-arranged the garage.

I have decided I really really need to rationalise the fleet now, I ride the Inbred and Ridley mainly and occasionally ride the Holdsworth.

The rest are just sat there doing nothing.

I did consider starting to strip down the Holdsworth as it going to be replaced shortly by another red bike, but decided against it, as I am out of storage space for bits....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 November, 2012, 11:00:45 am
After deferring it all last week, I took the rear wheel off the fixed, tightened the lockring, checked the chain alignment (it is fine, after all), and refitted with a less embarrassing chain tension than previously.  And I oiled the chain.  Runs an awful lot better now.  For the moment.  Till London grut gets into it. :(

I adjusted the rear mech on Butterfly's Galaxy, so the indexing is now spot on. :)

Need to get my Romany's rear wheel built.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 12 November, 2012, 02:24:30 pm
On Friday I couldn't find my headphones, so my ride in was accompanied by a really annoying squeak. So, I tightened the chain, as it was slacker than my a whores knicker elastic.
Unfortunately this meant the rear wheel enjoyed permanent contact with the mudguard making a really annoying rubbing sound.
So on Saturday I flipped the wheel to a meagre 63" which gives me mudguard clearance all round. Shame. I'd rather have found the headphones. I'm not sure tonight will be a very good test, as I have neglected to bring a jacket with me (I got a lift in) and will have to ride as fast as I possibly can to avoid freezing getting very cold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 12 November, 2012, 02:53:50 pm
A corn, with a Dremel. Perfect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 12 November, 2012, 09:02:28 pm
Charged batteries for lights, dark both ways on the commute now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 12 November, 2012, 10:36:32 pm
Replaced all the NDS spokes in the back wheel, after a 3rd one broke in the middle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 12 November, 2012, 10:46:41 pm
Just converted the fixed to a 58" with a Sturmey freewheel. I can/will get up anything Wales can throw at me with a heavy loaded rack and bar bag now. I know I will, I'm not getting off and walking............. I'm not!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 14 November, 2012, 01:30:09 pm
This moorning before work I eemoved old brakes from handle bars of Zombie bike 1. Which returns from the grave on Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 14 November, 2012, 07:30:12 pm
Quote from: boabacca on 12 November, 2012, 02:24:30 pm
On Friday I couldn't find my headphones, so my ride in was accompanied by a really annoying squeak. So, I tightened the chain, as it was slacker than my a whores knicker elastic.
Unfortunately this meant the rear wheel enjoyed permanent contact with the mudguard making a really annoying rubbing sound.
So on Saturday I flipped the wheel to a meagre 63" which gives me mudguard clearance all round. Shame. I'd rather have found the headphones. I'm not sure tonight will be a very good test, as I have neglected to bring a jacket with me (I got a lift in) and will have to ride as fast as I possibly can to avoid freezing getting very cold.

Replacing the piece of washing line you were using with An Actual Chain should help.

Hope it's OK tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 14 November, 2012, 09:19:05 pm
Does changing a tyre count as fettling?  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adrian on 14 November, 2012, 09:45:21 pm
Quote from: reddo on 14 November, 2012, 09:19:05 pm
Does changing a tyre count as fettling?  :facepalm:
Was the tyre in place at the start in a serviceable condition and inflated?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 14 November, 2012, 11:46:21 pm
I need to fix a puncture tomorrow.
The bike that hasn't moved for a few weeks has a flat.
Thankfully it's the front (and the first there in 5000+ miles).

OK, this thread isn't "What do you need to fettle tomorrow ? "



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 14 November, 2012, 11:52:05 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 06 November, 2012, 11:58:54 am
giraffe has been fettling here. Two new Schwalbe Kid Plus tyres + 1 inner tube for my wheelchair yesterday, kitchen sink outlet today.
More fettling will follow.

He fettled my brakes, he secured an armrest, he's painted the porch and the porch floor...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 15 November, 2012, 12:59:53 am
I fettled my front garden and drive. It's been so moist this summer I had to scrape great clods of moss off the tarmac then scrub it with a stiff brush. The front of my house is looking slightly more presentable now. I nuked the weeds with Screwfix path and drive cleaner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 15 November, 2012, 12:51:01 pm
Quote
Was the tyre in place at the start in a serviceable condition and inflated?

No... Not really. It was before the ride though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 16 November, 2012, 02:40:24 pm
Mrs Miggins' bedside cabinet. A very nice oak affair that she treated herself to earlier this year.
It was not her finest hour spilling nail varnish remover over it.
Never mind, stripped back and re-polished without too much drama.
These things happen when you try to be girlie, still, she's up to her elbows in garden mud again now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 16 November, 2012, 04:16:28 pm
Today I’ve been sewing and soldering
Made a nice fishing rod case to carry two rods and a bag to put my chair in.
Then made a star diagonal heater for my telescope I feel quite chuffed  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 November, 2012, 05:52:04 pm
Molished a replacement trailer hitch pingfuckit (by cutting a likely looking bolt to length and scrounging up a nut from somewhere) as one had gone AWOL and I wanted to use the trailer.  Naturally, the offending pingfuckit was lying innocently in the middle of the living room floor wondering what all the fuss was about when I got home.  Have inserted the spare into the unoccupied bolt hole on the other side of the trailer frame to ensure that, by having a spare, they don't go missing in future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 November, 2012, 06:05:39 pm
Modified some used SKS mudguards to fit a bike with no/minimal clearance - front is cut flush with the bolt bracket to fit behind the fork crown, rear is split across the brake bridge with a bracket made from an old rack fitting ... and, of course, both are fitted with my homemade Brooks lookalike leather mudflaps made from an old music case.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 November, 2012, 06:50:32 pm
Fitted a chain and cassette to HK's Moulton before she headed towards Wales this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 16 November, 2012, 07:18:49 pm
Bullshit. You took it to Halfords, didn't you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 16 November, 2012, 08:30:00 pm
A puncture in the tandem's rear tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 November, 2012, 08:58:47 pm
Quote from: Spirit of Flatus on 16 November, 2012, 07:18:49 pm
Bullshit. You took it to Halfords, didn't you.

Not all folk take your approach to maintenance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 16 November, 2012, 09:19:56 pm
I have recently mahoosively neglected all of my bikes.
Today I washed all 3 road bikes (in Muc-Off car shampoo) and lubed their chains.
Replaced the rear tyre on the Fuji that had a slow puncture with a part-worn Durano Plus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trio25 on 17 November, 2012, 01:38:15 pm
Cleaned and regreased headset on the cross bike, removed a crown race from a set of forks and fitted on another....stopping fo lunch but lots more to do!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 17 November, 2012, 02:14:55 pm
I (OK, not me, it was Sleepy in the end) removed my shoe from the pedal where it spent last night.
And then visited the bike shop "Heart Of Wales Bikes" where a very nice man found a couple of spare cleat bolts and gave them to me, for the small price of a ten minute chat about bikes and cycling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 17 November, 2012, 03:13:01 pm
Bloody hell BOAB, that wasn't you chatting to a chap in an AA van at Pentrecwrt (between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn) was it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 17 November, 2012, 03:44:49 pm
Serviced my MTB for the winter
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 17 November, 2012, 05:16:17 pm
Fully dismantled the Phoenix (formerly Viscount Aerospace and the Witcomb that wasn't) ready to have the frame powder coated. So unfettling really. Only took about an hour to be stripped completely with all of the components cleaned and neatly stowed away for the rebuild.

A useful observation (perhaps). As the forks are not to be coated I was able to build up the headset on the steerer and stretch an old sock over them, securing it over the drop outs. This should keep all the headset components in one place and protect the finish on the fork while it is in the parts bin. Neat eh? 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 November, 2012, 05:53:51 pm
Minor fettles all round:

Brake pad adjustment on the singlespeed in preparation for off-road throwdown tomorrow - given how much it rained last night it could get very interesting, and if it rains again tonight then there's a very good chance I'll take the Pugsley instead. Also made a frame-bag template for the singlespeed, even though the frame-bag won't actually get ordered until pay day.

Fitted a Bender Fender onto the front of the 1x1 since I transferred the Crud Guard onto the singlespeed. Note to self: buy more zip-ties.

Put a second wheel magnet on the rear wheel of the yellow Genesis so that the computer will be (fully) functional in singlespeed mode; as things stand now, I'll get cadence data either way, but the magnet that came with the computer was fitted on the 'fixed' side of the wheel so I could quantify my suffering on the turbo.

I'm now debating whether or not to fit a Bagman on the singlespeed, since it'll give me a bit more clearance than I currently have with the SQR. Decisions, decisions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 17 November, 2012, 06:15:13 pm
Took my old ERA Euro Profile lock cylinders out, and put in some new Yale Anti-Snap, Anti-Bump ones.  It took slightly longer than I thought, because whilst I could just slide the old ones out, the new ones needed the handles to be removed first, because of one of the security features of the new cylinders.

After that I partly treated my garden gate, before it got so dark that I couldn't see to apply the treatment (and I ran out!)  I need to pop to B&Q and get another can so I can finish it in the morning, oh and some thinners, so I can clean the brush (and my hands).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 17 November, 2012, 08:52:19 pm
Put the new deep drop brake on the back of the Ti bike.  I'd put the front on on a few weeks ago but was short of time so skipped the back one.
Had to remove one of the rack attaching arms that tie the rack to the top of the chainstays as it fouled the new brake
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 November, 2012, 08:59:20 pm
I retightened and trued the ridiculously slack rear wheel on my Solo.  I have no idea how the spokes got so bizarrely loose (none are broken), but it is reassuring to know that the trouble I had getting past Wimbledon Common last night wasn't just the feeble headwind.

I then swapped the front wheel on Butterfly's Van Nicholas for the front wheel which had been on her Trek, in a search for comfort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 November, 2012, 04:03:29 pm
I changed the floor in the chicken coop. This involved preparing the floor by cutting to size and painting. Then detatch the walls from the old floor, jack up the walls, slide the new floor in, lower away and reattach walls to base.

I can only get to two edges of the coop and had to trim some greenery to get space to slide in the floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 November, 2012, 06:41:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 November, 2012, 04:03:42 pm
Barakta will be pleased to note that I've re-balanced the brakes and tracked down the source of the annoying intermittent rattling noise [on her trike] (standlight capacitor is loose inside one of the rear lights, but intriguingly the standlight appears to still work  ???).

On closer investigation with the required tiny screwdriver, it turns out that the Pixeos contain a pair of 0.47F supercaps.  One had failed at the spot-weld where the upper leg attached, leaving it dangling by the lower leg, which sheared off its solder joint and started rattling about inside the case.  An attempt to solder to the cap itself was as futile as I anticipated (once it got decently hot, the magic smoke escaped), so I've removed the offending item.  The standlight still works, but with presumably about half the duration.  It's the one on the left side, so that'll do until I come across a suitable replacement.

On fine-tuning the brake adjustment, I've just discovered that all the disc rotor bolts on the right side were seriously loose.  Having tightened them up, the ones on the other two discs were found to be suboptimally tight.  I suppose it's a bit like chainring bolts in that once one works loose they all start to go?  That the brakes are set up for a very light touch on the lever (and are therefore a bit grabby) probably doesn't help.  I'll keep an eye on them, and if they don't behave I'll attack them with some more vicious threadlock.

I also applied a strategic cable tie around the cables for the rear dérailleur and front brakes.  This should hopefully thwart a rare failure mode where changing up while applying full right steering lock would sometimes cause the gear cable outer to jump out of the shifter and wedge itself at an an angle, resulting in confusingly wrong indexing until you worked out what was going on and straightened it out by hand.  I'm not overly enamoured by ICE's routing of this cable anyway, but can't see any obvious way to improve it without causing a snagging risk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 November, 2012, 06:51:43 pm
Quote from: clarion on 17 November, 2012, 08:59:20 pm
I retightened and trued the ridiculously slack rear wheel on my Solo.  I have no idea how the spokes got so bizarrely loose (none are broken), but it is reassuring to know that the trouble I had getting past Wimbledon Common last night wasn't just the feeble headwind.

As a result of this, my bike was running a whole lot better today (even if the rider wasn't).  Brakes much better adjusted today as well. :thumbsup:

Quote
I then swapped the front wheel on Butterfly's Van Nicholas for the front wheel which had been on her Trek, in a search for comfort.

A happier Butterfly today with that wheel.  I think we might be getting to the bottom of the problem without having to replace the forks :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 18 November, 2012, 11:36:26 pm
Finally got a stubborn bolt out of the rear mudguard/rack eyelet of the hybrid (by using a hacksaw and flat blade screwdriver, having managed to round off the allen key socket when I last tried removing it). This meant I could reattach the rack.

And slightly cleaned the other bike. It's not really clean at all, but the wheels now go round (lots of mud between mudguards and tyres, left to solidify for a week :facepalm:) so that'll do for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 18 November, 2012, 11:57:39 pm
I tried to fettle the rear shifter on my mountain bike when it failed on the way to a Trailquest event.  I failed, return home, and resuscitated my old mountain bike.  This involved pedal swap, rear wheel swap, front tyre inflation, chain lube, front and rear derailleur freeing and map board swap in record time.  It did not involve sorting out the sticking front brake so that was reserved for emergency use only.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 November, 2012, 09:56:04 am
Just a catch up over the weekend.

Silvered up the tourer - new bars, stem, spacers amd seatpost added. Then put some new pretend leather bar tape on as the tape on the old bars disintigrated when I tried to remove it.

Removed the outer chainring from my singlespeed and fitted new shorter crank bolts. Also lengthened the front mudflap to a useful length using more cardboard and duct-tape. I'm now quite happy with the length, so at some point I may get something a bit prettier than duct tape and cardboard to replapce the prototypes.
Finally - tightened the SS's headset (found a big enough spanner) which removed the creak I thought was coming from the bars.

Now riding in I've just found that the crank bolts need tightening again though so that needs sorting tonight.

Also did a bit of bike cleaning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 November, 2012, 10:02:51 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 19 November, 2012, 09:56:04 am
... the rank bolts ...

There's your trouble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 November, 2012, 10:05:01 am
Yep pretty much :)

rank = crank of course :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 19 November, 2012, 12:12:47 pm
I've packed up my Super C rack bag to send to Carradice for replacement of the now weak velcro straps. Popping down to the Post Office after lunch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 19 November, 2012, 12:24:18 pm
Quote from: Basil on 17 November, 2012, 03:13:01 pm
Bloody hell BOAB, that wasn't you chatting to a chap in an AA van at Pentrecwrt (between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn) was it?
Nah. Have I got a doppelganger??
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 19 November, 2012, 12:38:17 pm
Although I like orange I was not pleased to see my chain display that colour so I added a generous squirt of oil to it. A mile along the road the orange had gone with a bit of the chain :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 19 November, 2012, 12:40:51 pm
Not really.  I Didn't see the face.
Full-on roady ladies are quite a rare sight on that road, so I guessed it was probably a visitor from afar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 20 November, 2012, 10:41:15 am
Had some rivets come out of a leather saddle (not Brooks) and had the rivets sent gratis by the manufacturer but no success at installing them. Finally found a saddler who thought she could do it. So a few miles drive, a short walk up a 20% grade to a tumbledown farm and into an outbuilding where there is every product for horse-tack care you can imagine. Plus, halter ropes,bits etc and a couple of dozen beautiful custom saddles (horse). Turns out the saddler is a'Master Saddler', registered at the Guild Hall and she has all the leather/tools etc right there. She hums and haws about the saddle and sets to work. 15 mins later she has put 4 rivets in, used various punches, hammers etc and hands it over. It's done, it's good and she didn't want payment as she 'was only playing'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 20 November, 2012, 01:03:18 pm
I've just fitted a new computer to my MTB
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 20 November, 2012, 02:45:53 pm
A couple of college assignments!     :D
Now off to play in the garden shed, as it's needing a tidy, and bikes a fettling!
"winter" tyres to be put on the tourer, Conti city contacts, to keep the Vittoria Rubino Pro 3's for summer, and rack to be fitted.

 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 November, 2012, 11:11:23 pm
New keyboard on barakta's laptop.  The original had been eaten by the previous owner's dog.

(I was pleased to note that the keyboard doubles as a simple panel so you can get to the fan without a fuss.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 21 November, 2012, 08:15:49 pm
Lots of tyre changing and puncture fixing for me this evening.
I replaced the Vittoria Paves on the Dirty Disco by 28mm Marathon Supremes. They went on very easily.
Then I swopped the Ultremo ZX on the back of Helen's Burls with an Ultremo DD. It went on OK. The DD was noticeably heavier than the ZX.
Finally I repaired the puncture on the front of the Rohloff bike. The first puncture on that tyre in ~6500 miles. I found the hole in the tube but I couldn't see anything in the tyre that might have caused it. I've left the wheel off the bike with the tyre pumped up just in case it punctures again. The tyres are 35mm Marathon Extremes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 November, 2012, 10:24:05 am
Stuck an inch-thick block of wood under the front wheel of the turbo bike - lo and behold, levelling the bike out stops my hands from going numb after about half an hour.

Interestingly, Tacx will sell me a shaped block of plastic which will perform the same function for about £18  :o ... my way is cheaper and works just as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 22 November, 2012, 10:52:57 am
A database, or more precisely, a replicant database.

Work's DB was playing up, not replicating properly.  Spent 2 days trying to fix tables etc then just decided to backup the schema, blast away the data and let it catch up itself.

All hunky dory now (though how we got duplicate primary keys is anyone's guess as this replica is supposed to be read only!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 22 November, 2012, 01:21:29 pm
Right, sit down everyone, are you ready?

I have washed the Inbred!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 22 November, 2012, 01:23:20 pm
Don't bring it on the pubbe run tonight then.  You know what that means.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 22 November, 2012, 03:06:28 pm
Changed the grips on the MTB. A mate used Ergons and he swore by them so I thought I'd give them a go. Checked the sag as well and adjusted that.
Cleaned the bike too.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 22 November, 2012, 10:16:48 pm
Front wheel bearings.

I changed the wheels on my bike a couple of weeks ago.
Put the Winter wheels back on.
These are the original old Shimano R500, with M+ tyres.

On last weekend's 200k, I was aware of much unpleasant noise from the front.
Thought it may have been mudguard rubbing, but no.
Spinning front wheel gave nasty noises.
It lasted the ride, tho.
And a couple of commutes too.

Stripping down the hub found the grease a little washed out as expected, but also THREE missing ball-bearings!  2 missing one side, and 1 on the other!

Now, the last person to strip these was me.
I've no idea what's going on.
I suspect I lost at least 1 of these upon dismantling the hub, but I can't find it.
I've shaken out the rags and all that.

So to the LBS and a new bag of 3/16 bearings, and all is now well and silence is restored.
But did I really build it up with missing ball-bearings last time?
Looks like I did.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 23 November, 2012, 07:41:45 pm
Speaking of balls,
today I fettled my pair of hairy ones into some caves for my tropical fish:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8212098984_e4f9e10be2_n.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8064/8212098850_dbd3292391_n.jpg)

 ;D

Hairy nuts, 69p each at Tescos.

Coconut Cave with plant glued on the top, £20 from local fish shop!    :o

Currently boiling my home fettled coconut caves to get the tannins out, then they'll be fine and dandy!   :D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 24 November, 2012, 03:50:31 pm
New Genetic Cranium 1" alloy headset fitted to the Hanlon project bike. I removed the old one, quite a good Cobra Italia, but well worn, the races drove out of the head tube with no difficulty, and replaced the crown race on the forks. The new bottom race was a loose fit in the head tube, so supporting the race on an old steerer tube held in the bench vice I put a series of centre punch marks around the alloy fitting suface which brought it to a light interference fit in the head tube. The rest of the bearing set went on and was adjusted without difficulty and it looks good, quite in keeping with the age of the machine and excellent value at around a tenner. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 November, 2012, 03:53:04 pm
Bathroom door.  It now closes all the way, and the lock can be engaged.

Barakta has promised not to lock herself in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 24 November, 2012, 04:12:13 pm
Shed roof, which became partially denuded in Thursday night's winds. Initial plan was to patch the top strip to last the winter, but had to buy 10m of roofing felt from Wickes & so did the lot. Bit of a job on my own, but last tacks went in just as light drizzle started. Now tired & achey, not used to this, but pleased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 24 November, 2012, 09:30:31 pm
I did our shed roof some years back. It still seems fine, but sadly the shed is falling out from under it. New shed time >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 November, 2012, 09:33:51 pm
"Hairy cave".  Another example of how the Internet has destroyed my brain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: longers on 24 November, 2012, 11:30:43 pm
I made shiny shoes.

(http://i46.tinypic.com/30u487a.jpg)

(http://i50.tinypic.com/34xhnat.jpg)

there's some on the sides too but I didn't do a "before" pic.

(http://i46.tinypic.com/t4wt4m.jpg)


Edit: I meant to add last night that I used to work with a bloke who'd make jewellery out of coconut shells while we had gaps in our workload. It looked brilliant.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 November, 2012, 02:34:36 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 22 November, 2012, 10:16:48 pm
... But did I really build it up with missing ball-bearings last time?
Looks like I did.

Nope.  I've had this happen in the past.  The balls have just broken, for whatever reason, and then the bits have either been spat out of the bearings, or been ground up enough that you don't notice the bits left in the grease.

Once you've lost one this way, then the bits of debris, and slightly more poorly supported bearing, probably exacerbates this, and causes others to more rapidly disintegrate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 25 November, 2012, 04:28:28 pm
This afternoon, I have been sorting out this mess:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8217738960_af8bdfc9c8.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8217738960/)
2012-11-25 11.29.46 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8217738960/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

The after-effects of a 200km audax in 6 hours of heavy rain, on salty November roads  :(.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 25 November, 2012, 07:05:58 pm
A bathroom which is smooth and clean enough to paint.
The mud flaps for the folder arrived, but are as-yet un-fettled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 November, 2012, 10:10:56 pm
I've just put some lights under my stairs, and at that end of the hallway.  It has a single light fitting at the other end, but that doesn't really throw light the entire length of the hall.  It's a bit of a bodge, just using standard flex and some tacked up cable clips to hold the flex, rather than ripping the ceiling and/or floor up, to get to the existing cable, and put new in.  Since that would have been a massive exercise, and would also have involved pulling up the carpet, I decided a bodge was adequate for the time being.  It's not massively ugly, since most of it is under the stairs anyway!

This has now shown how untidy and grubby it is under the stairs, so I really need to do a lot more tidying. :)

I'm now wondering about ripping out the single light fitting at the other end, and putting in a multiple fitting, that'll throw more light around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 November, 2012, 10:51:27 pm
The cupboard in the hallway, the hinge came adrift from it's moorings during the week so an application of araldite and cocktail sticks saw to that.

Whilst I was on a roll I decided to finally get around to vapour sealing the manhole cover in the garage, which, after a suggestion from loadsabikes, took a whole tub of grease to sort out!

Then it was on to dinner.

If only these work DB servers were as easy to fix!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 26 November, 2012, 11:58:47 am
Quote from: tiermat on 25 November, 2012, 10:51:27 pm
The cupboard in the hallway, the hinge came adrift from it's moorings during the week so an application of araldite and cocktail sticks saw to that.


Olympic gold standard innovation :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 27 November, 2012, 01:28:48 pm
I have surgically removed a bit of broken plastic from the pcb in my Vaillant CH boiler , so now , using a Bryant & May extra long match stick , I can once again control the output temperature of my CH boiler.
If only Vaillant made their control switches as strong as match sticks !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 27 November, 2012, 02:07:07 pm
I've done a lot today, wrote my Christmas cards, burnt two CDs for a friend, made a bracket to lock my telescope box up in the garage and made a dust cover to put over my new printer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 27 November, 2012, 02:15:03 pm
Last night as I rode home, my front wheel suffered ANOTHER visitation (3rd in a week). The visitation was in the same area as the prvious two. I put this down to:

a) The cut in the tread of the otherwise pristine tyre.
b) The lubricating effetc that rain has on sharps as well as the soul.

I therefore cut a small section of carcass from a retired tyre and, as my impact adhesive has gone walkabout, gaffer taped it to the inside of the otherwise pristine tyre, over the inside of the cut.

So far so good :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 27 November, 2012, 03:39:53 pm
Supernova E3 Pro light. Ready to install.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 27 November, 2012, 04:14:05 pm
Just about to swap tyres.

Found those I'm about to install have been sitting in the spare room/Mrs B's office since April 2007, according to the date on the invoice that fell out of the parcel.

And the shop they came from closed down by the end of that year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 November, 2012, 04:25:10 pm
Nothing but I have adopted a project bike.   A chap who died recently was in the process of making what he termed a turtle bike.   It is a bog standard mixte framed machine with the rear wheel replaced with a 16 or 20 inch jobbie.   The idea is to have a rear mounted basket or box and his idea also works around the load being lower for more stability.   

I think that I'll finish the project which will please his widow and daughter if only for the sheer novelty basis.    It came with a superb wicker basket which may eventually find its way onto my postie bike project...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 November, 2012, 04:29:08 pm
I bought some mudguards - sks raceblade longs. They have an ingenious quick release system that clips onto tabs that sit on your wheel skewers - no rubbing on the frame. The other q/r tabs are bolted on under the brake calipers, or at least they would be if I could have shifted the fixing bolt for the front one (the rear was OK).  It looks like the front one will be a cable tie bodge job.

But so far so good. There was a missing screw but I have emailed SKS and enquired for a replacement so I can fit the front mudflap.

Test run tonight on the club run.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 November, 2012, 04:35:14 pm
I tweaked my indexing (yes, me, indexing! :o ) last night so rode in clickclick rather than friction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 27 November, 2012, 05:44:10 pm
You use those newfangled gear things?  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 November, 2012, 06:57:57 pm
PB, you'll want short cranks. The BB will be quite a bit closer to the ground. You'll also want to boost the fork rake, otherwise the front wheel will 'flop' horribly every time you turn the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 28 November, 2012, 08:10:52 am
Thanks for the advice LWaB.   When I get round to it I might just start a blog, partly for the benefit of the family, but mainly because it is such an odd concept in my eyes.   I'm sure folk have done similar but I haven't tried searching for these yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 November, 2012, 08:52:31 am
I put a cat tree (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=50285.msg1364544#msg1364544) together for the mogs.  It works fairly well, but does move alarmingly when Zev gets into the uppermost "bed".  It's designed to jam between the floor and ceiling, but is exceptionally hard to adjust tightly, because you have to twist a piece of threaded rod with nothing to grip onto.

I think I'll have to work out a more solid way to support the top, or eventually there will be a very surprised cat!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 28 November, 2012, 09:00:03 am
Quote from: TimO on 28 November, 2012, 08:52:31 am
I put a cat tree (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=50285.msg1364544#msg1364544) together for the mogs.  It works fairly well, but does move alarmingly when Zev gets into the uppermost "bed".  It's designed to jam between the floor and ceiling, but is exceptionally hard to adjust tightly, because you have to twist a piece of threaded rod with nothing to grip onto.

I think I'll have to work out a more solid way to support the top, or eventually there will be a very surprised cat!

Is there enough space to run two nuts down the rod and lock them against one another ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 November, 2012, 10:36:54 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 28 November, 2012, 09:00:03 am
Quote from: TimO on 28 November, 2012, 08:52:31 am
I put a cat tree (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=50285.msg1364544#msg1364544) together for the mogs.  It works fairly well, but does move alarmingly when Zev gets into the uppermost "bed".  It's designed to jam between the floor and ceiling, but is exceptionally hard to adjust tightly, because you have to twist a piece of threaded rod with nothing to grip onto.

I think I'll have to work out a more solid way to support the top, or eventually there will be a very surprised cat!

Is there enough space to run two nuts down the rod and lock them against one another ?

Yes, I wondered about doing that, but they've bashed the end of the rod slightly, presumably to stop the nuts from coming off (they were pre-fitted, unlike in the instructions).  I could file the end clean, and do as you've described, but as it is, the adjustable section is quite small anyway, and it's quite difficult to get room to adjust it (due to the proximity to the ceiling).

It may be easier to just add on a support section, to hold one of the near top sections to the adjacent wall.  this would have the advantage of not being able to loosen off, as the adjustable rod may be prone to doing, with repeated leaps on and off.  The adjustable bit would then become redundant, and I could possibly remove it (replacing the nuts with nyloc ones may also help with this, at the cost of winding them onto the rod becoming really tedious).

It's a shame really, because overall the design is pretty good, but the final bit at the top lets the rest down, and could have been designed a lot better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 November, 2012, 11:22:04 pm
The time for studded tyres is at hand. Two snow studs fitted to the SS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 November, 2012, 11:28:19 pm
Our home server, which had a failing disk, and lost its ~600 day uptime in the recent Silly Oak powerpocalypse.

Two new disks, 5 new fans, a thorough clean, and the usual OS maintenance stuff that doesn't get done because it involves a reboot.  Tedious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 November, 2012, 11:49:07 pm
I had an epic fettlefest this afternoon on the Pompetamine.

Replaced the broken rack bolt.

Fitted new 23t Nexus sprocket to replace the 20t one, giving me some lower gears to deploy when I'm knackered. The 'snap ring of DOOM' as it has been described was indeed fiddly to refit, but when I refitted it the second time having realised I put the sprocket on back to front I had much less difficulty. I now seem to have the knack. I may never need this new skill again.

New chain since the original is now too short.

Did the 1000km service for the Alfine 11 hub, changing it's oil as per Auntie Helen's wonderful advice.

New 28mm Schwalbe Durano Plus tyres front and rear.

ANT+ Garmin cadence sensor. I had to fit this below the chain stay rather than above since the cable for the disc brake inconsiderately runs along the top of the left one. I hope this doesn't have any unintended consequences. Fitting this upside down would have made it impossible to line up both spoke and crank sensors if it wasn't for using a neodymium magnet on the crank bolt instead of the supplied naff tie on thing. It would seem the neodymium only needs to be in the same room as the cad sensor to work. I'm using these on all my bikes now.

Fitted new Chinese cheapo Cree front light to the bars with battery pack strapped under the saddle, and a Fresnel lens to the light for better beam pattern.

Fitted laser line light to the seat post. The light itself will be mostly hidden by my saddle bag or rack bag, but the downward pointing lasers work extremely well. It's always good to have a 2nd rear light on the bike anyway.

Fitted new Madison saddle. This is an experiment to try out this saddle as a possible contender for use on the tandem. It will also be handy for riding to the gym without cycling shorts on.

Test rode it round the block. Everything seems to be working well, no annoying disc rub or anything like that either  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 30 November, 2012, 04:34:48 pm
Some Longstaff tandem fettling:

New disc pads on the rear.
New chain.
Adjusted front brakes.
Adjusted gears.
Lubed pedals. Somebody's cleats have been creaking. It's annoying. Not pointing fingers. We're a no-blame culture on our team1.

This evening I may fettle the ice bike. Studs on. Guards on.

===============================
1OK, it was me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 30 November, 2012, 05:12:12 pm
Offloaded the uncomfortable sofa bed via Freegle. Replaced the space with some uncomfortable wire basket seats, but at least it seems I have regained half the room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 30 November, 2012, 08:29:00 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 30 November, 2012, 05:12:12 pm
Replaced the space with some uncomfortable wire basket seats, but at least it seems I have regained half the room.

few bikes could fit there instead
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 30 November, 2012, 10:45:01 pm
I think I want to fettle my Galaxy back into shape this weekend and put ice tyres on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 01 December, 2012, 08:37:58 am
Last night:

Fixed a bog roll holder with bits of seatpost and Minoura Space Grip tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 01 December, 2012, 04:39:11 pm
New rack-compatible mudguard on old MTB.

But it isn't compatible with the light fitting plate I'd bodged onto the back of the rack. I can make do with seatpost mounted lights for the time being, but I've got to sort out something better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 December, 2012, 04:52:05 pm
Some Pugsley fettling - mainly involved fiddling with tyre pressures until I found something that gave me sufficient traction on ice whilst at the same time not making me feel seasick when things get bumpy. This is surprisingly tricky.

In the end, 17psi gave a good balance between grip and bounciness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 December, 2012, 05:57:29 pm
Dirty tyre swapping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 01 December, 2012, 06:43:26 pm
Started butchering an old and wonky B17 into a swallowesque shape for the Pat Hanlon. So far so good, I still have a saddle and all of my fingers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 01 December, 2012, 07:51:09 pm
The MTB: snow studs, brakes and drivetrain.

This involved an emergency dash to tesco by Mrs S for a new first aid kit after I stuck my finger in moving disc rotor
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 December, 2012, 07:52:04 pm
Well done.  A lesser fool would have stopped a spinning studded tyre with their hand...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrkwr on 01 December, 2012, 09:39:35 pm
Reattached a bottle cage with zip ties mid-audax when the thing sheared
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 02 December, 2012, 04:52:55 pm
Stage 2 of the Brooks butchery. After soaking the remains of the side skirts in water overnight I pulled it into its new shape with cable ties and cramped it up in a woodworking vice to dry out and hopefully hold its new shape. I now need to make up a metal plate to join together the remains of the skirts underneath the seat. It looks pretty good so far, so fingers crossed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 December, 2012, 05:27:36 pm
Quote from: Si_Co on 01 December, 2012, 07:51:09 pm
The MTB: snow studs, brakes and drivetrain.

This involved an emergency dash to tesco by Mrs S for a new first aid kit after I stuck my finger in moving disc rotor

I was going to buy you some gloves for Xmas but I don't expect to find any with only four fingers on one glove..so it will have to be socks ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 December, 2012, 05:32:21 pm
The front mech on the Trek.
Chain rattle has been an annoying distraction on the last couple of rides but today I found a roundtoit.
The chain was rubbing on the inside of the outer plate in certain combinations of sprocket/chainring.A fettle of the limiting screws & the drivetrain is as silent as an angels fart :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 02 December, 2012, 07:17:40 pm
I had to reinflate a tyre on Red using a CO2 cartridge, because the small valve on the tyre I installed after the last fairy visit wouldn't work with any of my pumps (either track or mini).  I'll swap it over for one of the many more reasonably valved inner tubes at some point, but today I'd already wasted too much time on other things to want to go through all the faff of changing the inner for that alone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 December, 2012, 07:43:55 pm
No mudguards on my commuting bike have ever lasted more than a year.  Today another rear guard cracked or, more accurately, the chainstay bolt sheared through the plastic.  This was probably caused by jumping a kerb in order to beat a set of traffic lights  ::-)

Fixed with two penny washers, but it won't last all that long based on previous experience.  I may have to get metal ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 03 December, 2012, 08:04:58 pm
Not quite today, but I replaced the Pompino's 23mm Ultragatorskins with 28mm Touring Plus from Mrs Marco's old hybrid. They are still fairly thin in section, nothing like the 28mm Panaracers on the Hewitt. Despite watching the Spa videos, heating everything up and doing it in the kitchen, it was a struggle and not without the assistance of tyre levers. Warmed me up a treat, though.

Anyway, with all that gearing up, & talk of chainwheels on another thread, I ordered another larger On-One sprocket. £10 & several days to change gear - this could catch on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 03 December, 2012, 08:31:40 pm
Pulled a wheel apart to take out a failed SON, cleaned everything up and rebuilt with a new Shimano dynohub - which is conveniently almost exactly the same size as a SON. Put a new Marathon+ onto that, so it is ready for winter riding and as it is only a lightly worn rim it looks like a new wheel.

Now to test the Shimano dynohub and decide if it is worth getting the SON repaired (out of warranty) or pay about the same to get another new Shimano.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tomsk on 03 December, 2012, 08:56:38 pm
Upper body work-out [putting Marathon Winters on the Kona mtb ;D] 3rd winter of use & no p#nct*res, JB Dunlop be praised. And more importantly no ice-related offs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 December, 2012, 11:43:31 pm
I cleaned the Solo and tightened the frankly very slack chain.  I need to remember to put the 'guards back on tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 December, 2012, 05:01:00 pm
Installed the nano-Dyson's (real model number DC-34) charging station in the kitchen.

I know people knock Dysons but I really like this one, it's small, last a long time on one charge and powerful.  Usually you have to do the "pick 2 out of 3" thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 05 December, 2012, 05:40:25 pm
Put the Marathon Winters on the tourer. 

Blood loss:  minimal

Swearing:  minimal

Damage to wooden flooring:  moderate  :(

Muck on rug:  moderate

Well it's freezing outside and the kitchen floor is too dirty to sit on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 December, 2012, 05:38:46 am
Well done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 06 December, 2012, 02:41:58 pm
Loctite arrived and I duly fettled the Eezy Wheels onto the Brompton.  :thumbsup: They work fine but the "brake" bung doesn't owing to the SQR on the seat post raising the bung by 75mm and making it too short to reach the ground.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 06 December, 2012, 03:12:30 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 05 December, 2012, 05:40:25 pm
Put the Marathon Winters on the tourer. 

Blood loss:  minimal

Swearing:  minimal

Damage to wooden flooring:  moderate  :(

Muck on rug:  moderate

Well it's freezing outside and the kitchen floor is too dirty to sit on.

And today I have repaired the puncture I made in the tube yesterday while doing the above.

At least it was the front tyre.  I'm not massively confident about the repair, those muc-off patches seem a bit shoddy to me, but they're all I could find 'cos Crusty's been tidying up.

Sigh.

I hate my wimpy girl-thumbs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 06 December, 2012, 10:00:02 pm
Mudguards onto snow bike. Clearances tight especially with wobbly m/g mounting using zipties and wobbly wheels due to rather loose spokes with corroded nipples.

Got rear mech moving but you have to shift 3 clicks past where you want and then back once chain actually moves. Serves me right for packing the poor thing into the shed covered in slush/salt last winter and only unearthing it now.

Considering if it's worth new mech and wheels, would allow me to upgrade to dynamo and discs but is it worth it? Especially for a frame not really designed for actually riding anywhere (is a dirt jump/trials bike repurposed with some Schwalbe snow studs)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 December, 2012, 10:23:02 pm
I stuck the Schwalbe Winters on the Pompetamine last night and was very glad I had today. Some lovely sheet ice to test them out on. There were a few patches other people on the BTOTC ride had to get off and walk but I could ride  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 06 December, 2012, 11:00:18 pm
I'll just fix the flat on the nicer bike he said. It'll only take a few minutes he said.

45 minutes later the tube and tyre are changed. A Durano Plus is as hard to get on a Chrina rim at the Hamsterskin it's replaced.

I need stronger thumbs, I hope the puncture protection is as good as expected because doing that out on the road would have sucked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 07 December, 2012, 05:47:11 am
I had new tyres (Conti Reflex Tour+)for the tourer delivered to the office, so rode that bike in yesterday and replaced the old tyres before heading home.  It took nearly an hour.

Took ages to get the old tyres off - the difficulty was akin to M+!  I was rudely reminded that I need to undo the front rack to take the front wheel out (I use security skewers and the rack blocks access).  Sorted out the second tyre, put wheel back on, tightened the skewer, but while tightening the last bolt on the rack I realised I hadn't reconnected the dynohub - and it was out of position.  ::-)  Undo the rack, re-position the wheel, connect dynohub, secure wheel, put rack back in place, then finally cycle home.

The front rack has now come off the tourer.  I don't see myself needing to use front panniers any time soon.  The rack will go back on as and when needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 December, 2012, 04:51:56 pm
Christmas lights onto the Dawes and baraktacycle, as it's Critical Mass this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 08 December, 2012, 07:43:52 pm
Made up a plate from a piece of scrap alloy to fit under the now swallowesque B17 to hold the remains of the side skirts together under the seat. The butchered saddle is now nearing completion and I am quite pleased how it is turning out although it would probably have been easier with a B17N.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 09 December, 2012, 02:30:18 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 06 December, 2012, 03:12:30 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 05 December, 2012, 05:40:25 pm
Put the Marathon Winters on the tourer. 

Blood loss:  minimal

Swearing:  minimal

Damage to wooden flooring:  moderate  :(

Muck on rug:  moderate

Well it's freezing outside and the kitchen floor is too dirty to sit on.

And today I have repaired the puncture I made in the tube yesterday while doing the above.

At least it was the front tyre.  I'm not massively confident about the repair, those muc-off patches seem a bit shoddy to me, but they're all I could find 'cos Crusty's been tidying up.

Sigh.

I hate my wimpy girl-thumbs.

I hate my wimpy boy thumbs, too; I can't do it either.  :-[  Wrestled with a pair of Conti Touring+ last weekend; fingers crossed not to have to do that in winter on the road.

Swapped cogs on the Pompino's flip-flop hub (48 x 18/16 to 48 x 19/18) with the aid of the tool-less removal system using the doubled chain*; works very well. Fitted second SQR block to it as well.

* I wrote 'doubled chin' first; I probably used that too.  ::-)  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 09 December, 2012, 04:29:03 pm
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8067/8257216063_1c20c4158c_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/83697226@N02/8257216063/)
Butchered Brooks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/83697226@N02/8257216063/) by JuanM58 (http://www.flickr.com/people/83697226@N02/), on Flickr

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8224/8257215407_b8c9185f91_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/83697226@N02/8257215407/)
Brooks Underside (http://www.flickr.com/photos/83697226@N02/8257215407/) by JuanM58 (http://www.flickr.com/people/83697226@N02/), on Flickr

I wanted a Brooks Swallow for my current Pat Hanlon project bike but haven't been able to acquire a secondhand one was put off by the cost of them new (actually I was quite put off by the secondhand cost!). I remembered that I had an old and rather wonky B17 fitted to my MTBeater I decided to have a go at butchering it into a swallow-like shape over the last couple of weekends. I am quite pleased with the result - it certainly seems to have straightened out the saddle into a more usable shape. I am not sure whether it is quite finished yet, I may trim away a bit more leather and chamfer the edges a little more but I think I'll try to use it first, I can always take more material off but it would be difficult to replace it. This started off as a B17 Standard and I had to pull it around a bit to get it into the shape that I wanted; I think that this would probably be a little easier with a B17N as it has a narrower cantle plate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 December, 2012, 05:16:49 pm
That looks very well done JM

 DIY 10 out of 10  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 13 December, 2012, 04:25:55 pm
I've fixed the Fenix and fitted the spiky front tyre.  It's such a luxury to have plenty of light and grip!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 December, 2012, 05:36:45 pm
Fitted my Salsa 'Minimalist' rack to the green Genesis -  there's too much interference between the the handlebar sling and the brake cables so I'll have to go down the front rack route, at least for the time being.

Perhaps more surprising was the fact that I loaded the bike up with my touring kit and can still lift it, so I must be doing something right :) (or, more likely, I've forgotten something essential)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 December, 2012, 10:54:34 pm
Serviced the hub for my tourer, for when I go a-touring. After 10,000 miles and an axle swap, it was in surprisingly good nick.

And I finally got around to tuning the brakes on my green bike, which have been distressingly unresponsive for a month or three...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 December, 2012, 06:28:04 am
Quote from: Deano on 13 December, 2012, 10:54:34 pm
And I finally got around to tuning the brakes on my green bike, which have been distressingly unresponsive for a month or three...

That'll be why the disappeared down that icy hill so quickly then! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 December, 2012, 01:42:06 pm
Back wheel fettled into a new project.

Original tyre just a touch too big, so needed to go and buy some smaller ones (first were Hurricanes at 42mm, second set M+ at 32mm).

Now need a stem and I can fit everything else.  Typically the forks are 1" steerer and it's Ahead, so don't have ANY stems that fit :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 14 December, 2012, 01:52:03 pm
Could you shim a 1 1/8 stem? One of my quill-ahead converters came as a 1" and had a shim to take it up to 1 1/8. It's not even noticable in use
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 December, 2012, 01:54:42 pm
I should say OR shims.... :(  I was in the LBS earlier, had thought to ask but completely forgot whilst I was there!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 14 December, 2012, 07:29:41 pm
Fettled some tinsel and a little Christmas tree on to the bike in preparation for tomorrow's ride. Annoyingly, I appear to have lost my multicoloured fairy lights. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 December, 2012, 09:47:47 pm
I fettled simonp's bedroom. I am hoping the cats don't decide to jump on the windowsill in the next couple of hours until the undercoat is dry. I have turned his house into a mini zoo with 2 cats and 2 dogs for the weekend  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 14 December, 2012, 10:07:51 pm
I have replaced the front mech. So I should be in full christmas tree collecting mode tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 15 December, 2012, 01:11:55 pm
Fitted a computer to Migg's trike and adjusted her panniers to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 16 December, 2012, 08:21:45 pm
Swapping the studded tyres on Vince back over to slicks, and trying to find the cause of the multiple punctures in the rear wheel, that defeated me on the way home last week (resulting in me resorting to stopping every ten minutes or so to pump the tyre back up).

Of course, ice and snow will now inexplicably appear in the forecasts!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 16 December, 2012, 08:58:52 pm
New cones on the front Record hub after I unwittingly managed to shag the last pair.

New cleats on the road shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 December, 2012, 09:08:03 pm
Miscellaneous bits of fiddling on the Green Machine after yesterday's (off)road test - nothing drastic, just little odds and ends like tightening of bolts etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 December, 2012, 03:50:48 pm
Painting Miss Z the elder's bedroom.  I also had it in the back of my mind that I ought to check the wiring to the electric sockets (I had some trouble making the connections when I replaced a cracked socket years ago, because the builders left no slack in the cables), but it turned out to be perfectly secure.

Also went to the tip to dump/recycle the old carpet, a set of BMW brake discs (very heavy), some old engine oil and a load of Blue Willow crockery which attracted zero interest on fleaBay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 17 December, 2012, 04:02:01 pm
De-fettling the kitchen tiled floor using a man-toy SDS drill and chisel. Very noisy and dusty, but infinitely faster than doing the downstairs cloakroom which had the same kind of tiles and we did manually with hammer and chisel a couple of months ago. The builders have been in for a few days taking down the wall between the kitchen and the pokey utility corridor (which involved sorting out the gas pipe for the hob, which came up from under the concrete floor up that wall), putting in power where we need it in the kitchen, replacing the fuse box with a consumer unit, separating out all the wiring sensibly so a fault doesn't take out the whole house and providing the paperwork for the Part P regs for the kitchen wiring and the house wiring check.

My christmas break is going to involve fitting the new kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 17 December, 2012, 05:42:45 pm
The rear brake on my MTB felt spongy and not very good so oiled the cable and now I can lock the rear wheel up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 December, 2012, 08:21:05 pm
On Saturday morning, I fettled the Circe so I could pilot and Butterfly stoke.  In the evening, I fettled Elder Cub's BMX brakes so they actually worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 17 December, 2012, 10:14:52 pm
Yesterday, with tweaks today - mud flaps on the rather inadequate mudguards on the folder. That should ensure dry weather for a bit :thumbsup:  ... all I need to do now is clean off the mud I picked up beforehand  ::-)

One is of the semi-rigid bend a couple of tabs round the guard sort, which gets knocked a bit easily for my liking, but the guard ends before being at 9 o'clock. That may need re-fettled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 December, 2012, 12:14:40 am
I started to recycle an old cassette as a christmas tree sculpture. Unfortunately I was being rather cackhanded about it and rapidly decided to give up before I set the garage on fire. 9-speed cassette sprockets deform quite dramatically under heat. Take 2 at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 December, 2012, 07:31:26 am
Yesterday got a txt from a friend. She'd dropped her laptop and it had stopped working and could I pop in on the way home to have a look.

I pop in and have a look.

Power on, BIOS screen runs. Then error message about missing OS. Hmm. Could be borked. 

But what's this? The cover for the HDD is missing, and has been for some time. The HDD protrudes from the side of the laptop , perhaps further than it should. Push it back in and FOOM!, the laptop, she works!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: billplumtree on 18 December, 2012, 08:53:32 pm
This year's batch of damson gin

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8gbBb4k_0mY/UNDVg7HV6jI/AAAAAAAADg4/hAspU3aHjPk/s512/DamsonGin.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 18 December, 2012, 09:00:08 pm
Hurrah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 December, 2012, 10:35:04 pm
Rearranged furniture and stuff, threw out lots of old cardboard and stuff, to make more room for bikes, books, clothes and other items. Oh, and people. Tightened a seat post clamp, having worked out it was not the saddle clamp creaking. Patched a puncture. Washed my bike to the cleanest it's been since probably early October. And we have a ginger cake, but I didn't make it and it's not for eating yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 December, 2012, 02:37:38 pm
Dish washing, clothes washing, last of Xmas shopping (if I haven't bought you a present now, you aren't getting one!)

Tomorrow is present wrapping day half hour, then onto trying to decide if I do flat bars and 8speed Nexus or drop bars and Ultegra on the new project (I don't really want to shell out shedloads of money on it, so buying some versa levers is out!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 December, 2012, 07:31:47 pm
I fettled Simon's powertap wheel onto my Fuji, and paired his Garmin Edge that I have also abducted to replace my duff-batteried one with my HR monitor and cad sensor. If I actually ride tomorrow I will be able to collect a stupid amount of data just to prove how epic crap I really am  ;D

I was caught red handed washing a bike wheel in the kitchen sink by non-cycling daughter and declared 'not normal'  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 December, 2012, 07:36:35 pm
Yeah, that's weird.  Normal people wash them in the bath.   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 19 December, 2012, 07:50:12 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 December, 2012, 07:36:35 pm
Yeah, that's weird.  Normal people wash them in the bath.   :D

Yeah you have a point there, it didn't really fit so I got water everywhere then had to wash the worktop. At least that's its annual clean sorted!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 December, 2012, 07:53:03 pm
Tell her you're doing "grits" for tea.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 December, 2012, 12:55:20 pm
The jogler fleet has,during the course of 2012,been extensively reduced thus creating a lot more space in the garage.
This morning I have fettled said garage to give space for the rollers & turbo to be used so that I can become a fair weather cyclist but begin a steady return to fitness during the winter months without riding outside.
 :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 December, 2012, 01:31:11 pm
That sounds like a plan.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 21 December, 2012, 02:48:39 pm
I made some homebrew power grips.

I used some flat pedals I forcefully removed from my slightly broken Brompton and some nylon belt from a pair of crag hopper trousers.  Sourced a pile of nuts and bolts from a scrap bin at work.

They seem to work ok, will give them a proper try before I buy some actual power grips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 December, 2012, 01:12:21 pm
hmm. my commuter bike was running 160mm tektro disc brake (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iB3pyGLQgWA/UNb7UtLXZ5I/AAAAAAAACiI/RemtHjjVvJk/s640/IMG_0504.jpg), which was fine and performed very well over the years - no real need for an upgrade. however, ctc january sale meant that a 180mm avid bb7 brake found it's way to my household. i thought it will be a ten minute job to unbolt the old rotor and caliper and putting the the new one in, with new inner cable. which it was, however i wasn't happy with the end result (spot the fail):

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rH30KW_2MWc/UNb7UkZ2XaI/AAAAAAAACiM/EhKo_yeJzDg/s640/IMG_0507.jpg)

initially i thought it's me being thick and not knowing what i'm doing, but after careful examination of online images it appears i've been sent a wrong size fork adapter (for 200mm rotor instead of 180mm), therefore the caliper sits 1cm higher than it should, doh. an email was sent to crc asking for correct part (i don't expect a quick response due to current holiday season). i installed a shimano 160mm rotor from spares box on the old 160mm fork adapter, that'll do for now. after a short test ride it seems that the new brake will be an improvement, after it's run in (and especially with 180mm rotor once i get the adapter).

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UJ9LQQrOvKE/UNb7Up4DFtI/AAAAAAAACiQ/vWWA_M0e91c/s640/IMG_0509.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 24 December, 2012, 11:06:17 am
Laced a DT Swiss RR465 on an Ultegra 6500 hub

In the hope that Santa will bring the truing stand tonight :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 24 December, 2012, 09:49:07 pm
The kitchen. We had a builder in removing an internal wall and sorting out power, I'd already removed the old floor tiles and adhesive last week. I started on Saturday ripping out most of the old one, then running new hot & cold water pipes with a more sensible routing in the new room layout, with connection points for the dishwasher and washing machine in the right place. I did my first "proper" plumbing using soldered connections too - something I've been meaning to try for ages, and as MrsH has a torch anyway (she used to use it for her glass making before upgrading to one that takes both propane and oxygen) it was cheap to have a go and is very easy.

Then putting in cabinets, modifying where needed to go around the protrusions into the room from service ducts (soil pipe etc.), redoing waste waster all the way to the outside (first time using solvent weld rather than compression - very easy too) and finally temporarily refitting the old worktop, cut up appropriately so that we have a working sink and hob until the real one gets made after christmas.

Probably not the most sensible time to rip out the kitchen, but it did give a very firm deadline for having it work again, which we managed. Now there's just the ceiling to replaster (which my builder will do once he's back off holiday), finish the high cupboards (which I've left to give him clearance to the ceiling) and putting down a new floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 December, 2012, 09:54:56 pm
I finished the wheel I started yesterday. It is very, very true.

(Oh yes it is!)

I went to the LBS fir a tyre, a chain, rim tape and an inner tube and have taken the gears off the Mercian. I had a brief pootle and it just demanded to be ridden further, but the weather has had other ideas. Beside all of that, I am totally knackered after only 4 hours' sleep, courtesy Mrs. Wow's trip to A & E.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Redjeep! on 26 December, 2012, 04:55:11 pm
Spent the morning fettling an old valve guitar amp that we bought for £25 at a market not knowing if it worked or not as it had no valves. Took the plunge and ordered the valves off eBay before Christmas and fitted them today. Works perfectly. 160 watts of pure overdriven valvey smoothness  ;D ;D.

Spent the afternoon sorting my spanners and hanging them in size order in my shed. Not an@l at all.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 27 December, 2012, 03:54:02 pm
Nothing like the above fettles. Picked up bike from the LBS after it's first service. They left the seat way too high to get the bike in the car. So had to loosen it off. In the meantime, managed to snap the mudguard off.
Bike seat back where it should be and guard to be refitted "later".
ie when I can be arsed...  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 27 December, 2012, 09:41:47 pm
External filter intake hose full of gunk   :sick:
Fettled it clean again with aid of flexible camelback cleaning brush.....
Remind me not to use the same brush to clean camelback in the future.... :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 December, 2012, 12:40:58 pm
A bit of a disaster. I was swapping the brakes from summer to winter bike. I knew the front bolt was seized so sawed through the brake at the front to then push the bolt back through. Except it is an alloy steerer and the bolt has decided to be firmly attached. Even the efforts of some gentle persuasion didn't work (except to bruise a finger in collateral damage) and so I have decided to temporarily retreat, charge up the drill  and, using the 5mm nut as a guide, drill out the bolt at least part way so I can then persuade it out the rest of the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 28 December, 2012, 02:30:53 pm
Mair fish tank fettling.

Tesco play sand substrate had gone a touch foostie*, so I thought I'd replace it with some fresh sand.
£3 for a 15kg bag of Argos play sand, a couple of hours rinsing the new sand, sooking out the old sand, and replacing it with fresh and job done ;D

* Had gone rather black, horrible and smelling of sulphur in places....   :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 28 December, 2012, 02:33:12 pm
Book shelves above my desk in the office.   All my reference materials are now close to hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 December, 2012, 02:59:28 pm
This 'ere Babbage Engine.

I was getting sick of the noise that the (admittedly rather old) spinny hard disk was making so I've fitted an SSD instead - big improvement in responsiveness and the noise, or rather lack thereof, is very noticeable  :thumbsup: Haven't noticed any significant decrease in boot time, but since I was more concerned about 'quiet' rather than 'fast' I can live with that.

Next step is to relegate the old, spinny disk to NAS duty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 28 December, 2012, 04:16:18 pm
Also fettled the fall out shelter cupboard-under-the-stairs.
Rather than it being stowed out the door with several outdoors jackets, a couple of pairs of wellingtons, umpteen pairs of waterproof troosers and odd gloves and fleeces, all the appropriate outdoor gear is relocated to it's proper place, and it's now usable again, making for easier weekly meter reads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 28 December, 2012, 04:21:11 pm
Had a quick check of tyre and shock pressure on the Anthem in case I go to Dalby in the morning.  All three road bikes are in fine fettle so I've got a whole heap of choice depending on the weather and whatever I fancy doing :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrkwr on 28 December, 2012, 10:52:33 pm
The 30+ year-old rear derailleur on the Holdsworth seems to have given up the ghost (can't say I didn't get my money's worth I suppose), so as I've been wondering about a SS/fixed conversion anyway, decided to rip off both derailleurs and levers etc., and shorten the chain to fit the most plausible combination I could find between the 50/40 on the front and a very wide-spaced block on the back. Ended up with 50x21 or 64.3" (according to SB). A quick test ride, seems OK, though glad I could freewheel downhill.

Assuming I get on OK with this after a week or so, I'll buy a proper rear wheel, a flip/flop seems like a good idea. Suppose I'll also have to change the chainset too? Any suggestions for cheap-ish wheels, preferably in 27" to match the front one and the brakes? I saw this, looks like it ought to do the job? - http://singlespeedcomponents.co.uk/singlespeedkits/27-silver.html

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 December, 2012, 12:03:41 am
My hammerology worked! Removing the foks from the bike allowed me to position the hammer, a drift, the recalcitrant bolt stub and the forks in a dynamic disequelibrium such that by hitting drft A with hmmer B bolt C could be persuaded to part company with forks D.

It also drew my attention to the requirement for grease in the lower crown race bearings, andall was duly administered, fettled, wiped and tidied up. I ahd taken a tape measure with me and measured the comfortable summer bike, then readjusted the winter bike to match (basically slid the saddle forward an inch.) Much better all round.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 29 December, 2012, 07:19:58 pm
Fitted new brake levers, shifters, cables and tape to the ridgeback ... nearly (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=62776.msg1385992;topicseen#msg1385992). In preparation for this, the bike got a really good clean (in the rain) and, while I was at it, a front mudflap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 30 December, 2012, 08:44:22 pm
Fitted a proper floor to the loft of the garage/workshop/bike-store. 72 sq feet of chipboard flooring (and I need another 2 sq foots to finish it  >:() with noggins added between joists on panel joins and edges of 'hatch'. This is to to give me more space to store crap camping gear, bike spares, etc.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/loftstore.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 December, 2012, 09:26:32 pm
Good work :thumbsup:

I've boarded, er, half (ish) of ours :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 30 December, 2012, 11:07:00 pm
I've only boarded less-than-a-quarter of ours, but that's the only bit it's possible to walk in.

I need to get a light wired in next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 30 December, 2012, 11:28:27 pm
Complete replacement of the drive train on my 'work' bike. Nothing done to it for two years and 7,000 miles except for an occasional squirt of Slidex 68 (machine lube)
Feeling VERY smug that I Copperslipped everything last time. Everything came apart easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 31 December, 2012, 12:02:56 am
I made a python script which joins together messed-up tcx files and corrects the distances in the track points so that they display correctly on garmin connect. It’s a particularly dumb file format.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 31 December, 2012, 01:49:50 pm
Clean and polished shoes for all the family. (Doesn't happen often.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 31 December, 2012, 02:42:03 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 30 December, 2012, 08:44:22 pm
Fitted a proper floor to the loft of the garage/workshop/bike-store. 72 sq feet of chipboard flooring (and I need another 2 sq foots to finish it  >:( ) with noggins added between joists on panel joins and edges of 'hatch'. This is to to give me more space to store crap camping gear, bike spares, etc.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/loftstore.jpg)


Is it easy to get your stuff in and out of the loft? You must have some large aperture to get in there; no?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 31 December, 2012, 04:14:12 pm
I got the 8ft x 2ft chipboard flooring up there between the rafters which are on 500mm centres (the 'rafters are 9 ft up and I was working on my own with just a light step-ladder  :o). A steel ladder, vertically up to a 600mm unpanelled 'hatch', will be fixed in place after I have built some racking behind it. A 700c wheel fits through the hatch. If I ever need to get anything larger up there, the sides are open.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 31 December, 2012, 04:26:11 pm
put my project ss bike (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61613.msg1387071#msg1387071) together, then took it apart. this was to compare the measurements against the blueprint, cut the chain to the right length and generally to see how the bike looks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 31 December, 2012, 04:44:01 pm
The rear hub on the tandem started making a lot of noise yesterday. Previous experience with Hugi tandem hubs suggested ignoring these noises is not a good idea.

I needed a wee bit of LBS assistance getting the free-hub body off (there's a knack, and I didn't have it) but once inside it was clear the incredibly expensive DT-Swiss grease on the star ratchets had turned into what looked a lot like Marmite.

They looked a lot better after some TLC

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8077/8330622054_c4364cc182.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8330622054/)
clean ratchets (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/8330622054/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 December, 2012, 07:01:11 pm
I hope that's solved the problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 December, 2012, 07:33:08 pm
My brovvers's  new telly. The picture was carp on some channels. He CBA fettling it so while he makes snosige rolls I rummaged around the back and found that the aerial coming out of the back of the PVR was going into the venerable VCR and the aerial going into the fancy new telly was coming from the venerable VCR.
Seems to be working better now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 31 December, 2012, 07:38:11 pm
Mudguards and gps mount fitted to the Ridley. All ready to ride tomorrow now.

About 5 loads of washing (sadly neglected due to a run of illness and injury over Xmas)

Spanish style soup/stew for dinner.

Now fettling my way through the last few bottles of San Miguel
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 31 December, 2012, 07:41:08 pm
Quote from: clarion on 31 December, 2012, 07:01:11 pm
I hope that's solved the problem.
At best it will delay a recurrence. They're not really up to the task
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 December, 2012, 08:13:29 pm
Not good to hear, at the price.  I know you ask a lot more of your hubs than we do - distance, speed etc, but they haven't done well.  Fingers crossed for a solution of some kind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 31 December, 2012, 09:29:51 pm
Quote from: simonp on 31 December, 2012, 12:02:56 am
I made a python script which joins together messed-up tcx files and corrects the distances in the track points so that they display correctly on garmin connect. It’s a particularly dumb file format.

And today I made a GUI for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 31 December, 2012, 10:19:42 pm
Gave the green bike a bit of a clean (not too much, though: it's only going to get dirty again! ;)). Pumped the tyres up and lubed the chain. Hopefully ready for tomorrow now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 31 December, 2012, 10:23:31 pm
Quote from: clarion on 31 December, 2012, 08:13:29 pm
Not good to hear, at the price.  I know you ask a lot more of your hubs than we do - distance, speed etc, but they haven't done well.  Fingers crossed for a solution of some kind.

Owning a Hugi hub, in my experience, is a lot like owning a old beat-up VW camper.

If they make dreadful noises - treat them to a lot of TLC, and £££ - and they will feel better. If they run well, then thank them for their forbearance. They especially like the lube that's £12.50 + p&p for a 20g pot  :o.

None of this precludes the possibility that they will throw a huff and dump you in the middle of nowhere with only a £100 cab fair back to a railway station for your troubles.

There's a lot to be said for Taiwanese mass-produced stuff that Just Works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrkwr on 01 January, 2013, 10:27:07 pm
Well yesterday rather than today, but embarrassed to discover that the grating sound from rear brakes wasn't road grit and general muck picked up on the dirty/flooded Bristol YACF ride on Saturday as I'd assumed at the time, but the noise you get when you let the blocks wear down to the metal. Now trying to decide if I've irretrievably b*ggered the rim ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 January, 2013, 10:49:01 pm
I've just fitted some red 3M tape on the rear stays of the Raleigh. There were traces of a previous application of similar stuff but it was really worn out and broken up. Now the stays are much shinier :)

Also switched the wheels over to a set I bought from Tewdric months ago* which have made the bike feel a kilo lighter :)





*Chrina rims with a deore front hub and tiagra rear
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 01 January, 2013, 10:57:03 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 31 December, 2012, 10:23:31 pm
Quote from: clarion on 31 December, 2012, 08:13:29 pm
Not good to hear, at the price.  I know you ask a lot more of your hubs than we do - distance, speed etc, but they haven't done well.  Fingers crossed for a solution of some kind.

Owning a Hugi hub, in my experience, is a lot like owning a old beat-up VW camper.

If they make dreadful noises - treat them to a lot of TLC, and £££ - and they will feel better. If they run well, then thank them for their forbearance. They especially like the lube that's £12.50 + p&p for a 20g pot  :o.

None of this precludes the possibility that they will throw a huff and dump you in the middle of nowhere with only a £100 cab fair back to a railway station for your troubles.

There's a lot to be said for Taiwanese mass-produced stuff that Just Works.

A friend of mine would agree with you. His Hugi hub failed on him while he was leading a group on a camping tour, several hundred Km from home.  I can't remember if he bodged a fix or had to buy a new wheel.  I don't think he was very impressed with Hugi's response to the problem either.

I've just fettled my Silca track pump.  Removed and cleaned the sticking return valve, regreased the leather washer and put it all back together. Working again  :thumbsup:

Now where's my Blow-Up Betty got to....?   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 01 January, 2013, 11:35:57 pm
Nesting conductive gloves for simultaneous cycling and smartphonenavigationing    :thumbsup:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8220/8335823728_3a4d486f8d.jpg)


(not that I had to stop every 2 minutes this afternoon and keep taking my gloves off or anything...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 January, 2013, 11:43:51 pm
I fitted some brackets to the underside of the trailer, for attaching rope, bungees, luggage straps etc.  Originally the only place to fit such was to the four holes that Carry Freedom drilled into it for alignment with the rubber stoppers on the bottom of whatever box you're carrying, but that isn't always convenient, or easy.

I found a metal bracket, that I believe is for bolting bits of wood into concrete with a sliding screw for adjustment.  The long hole is a perfect attachment point. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: handcyclist on 03 January, 2013, 07:31:58 pm
Finally, almost a year to the day since I bought it in the Evans sale, I fitted the Ortlieb bar bag to the seat strut on the Shark (my handcycle).

This freed up the saddlebag that was bungied on there, so that went under the Brooks on the Univega, freeing up a pocket on the panniers that was previously stuffed with tools and spares. This is a useful extension to the panniers' bottle carrying ability.

It's best not too rush these things ;).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 January, 2013, 07:45:29 pm
Just bodged a rear light onto the 29er, as I plan to ride it to work tomorrow.

Bodge is the operative word here, since the slope of the seat stays is such that any light needs a fair bit of jiggery-pokery in order to point in vaguely the correct direction as opposed to, say, guiding aircraft or illuminating passing bats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 03 January, 2013, 10:31:44 pm
MrsH was absolutely delighted when I discovered that our remodelled kitchen (silly little adjacent utility room removed to make one much larger kitchen) is big enough to have a bike on a workstand being fettled by me whilst she makes our evening meal without falling over me! Much more sociable than doing it in the garage...

Anyway, did a bit more on the old steel audax bike, getting it ready for (hopefully) some serious miles in the next few weeks. Removed the Campag brake levers that I've not been too happy with and replaced with the Shimano Ultegra ones I found again when we moved house. Then rewrapped the bars.
New brake outers and inners, including re-heatshrinking the dynamo wiring to the brake outer, and replaced the rear pads. There is a special place in hell reserved for whoever made the design decision to hold road bike brake inserts in place with tiny little screws made from cheese with totally inadequate allen key slots.
Fitted a new bike computer to it.
Replaced a failed spring in the profile aerobars flip-up pads with one from my dwindling supply of spares.

Just waiting for a band-on mech clamp to arrive before I replace the front mech and bottom bracket (have been using an XT one on this bike, which needed a wider BB to allow it to shift onto the small ring of the triple, which in turn has given it a pretty rubbish chainline).

Once the weather clears up and I bring the Roubaix out to play again, this frame is going to need a strip down and respray.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 04 January, 2013, 12:07:00 pm
 Cutting the steertube with 3 cm and fitting a new computer.
Replacing the tires with 32mm Marathon +
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 04 January, 2013, 12:11:01 pm
New rear pads on the Disco.
The previous pads (OEM supplied with BB7s) had done 1695 miles on the Disco and the 6285 miles on the Ti (before it broke).
I'm quite pleased that they lasted so long.
The front pads still have a lot of material on them.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 04 January, 2013, 12:29:10 pm
A draft of the Budget & 3-yr Business Plan for the contract I'm leaving next week.  Shame I couldn't get the total up to eight figures, but it's still quite healthy. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: icenutter on 04 January, 2013, 01:06:00 pm
Fixed snakebite puncture on the way to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 04 January, 2013, 07:07:03 pm
I fitted some new chain ring bolts, reattached my bar tape and applied Purple Extreme to the chain.

After dinner I will have to replace the spoke I broke: a bit annoying as I only built that wheel just before Christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 04 January, 2013, 08:01:04 pm
Fastened the EldestCub's bonehead lights (the ones that turned up in his Santa stocking) onto the bmx.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 04 January, 2013, 08:33:41 pm
I removed a substantial quantity of the River Welland from the bottom bracket area of my mountain bike.  I should probably have done this immediately after last Sunday's full speed ahead session through the floods rather than waiting until today.  I also persuaded the cranks to rotate somewhat better than they were doing but they still don't feel right.  I have ordered a whole new crankset as the rings needed replacing too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 January, 2013, 09:04:53 pm
I retightened the screw that holds on the jockey wheel on the chain tensioner as I think it's supposed to guide the chain, not the chain hold it on the spindle :-[

Now about to try and cure the squeal from the tourer's front brakes and re-index the gears on the raleigh after switching wheels a few days ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Henry on 04 January, 2013, 09:08:50 pm
Quote from: MattH on 03 January, 2013, 10:31:44 pm
MrsH was absolutely delighted when I discovered that our remodelled kitchen (silly little adjacent utility room removed to make one much larger kitchen) is big enough to have a bike on a workstand being fettled by me whilst she makes our evening meal

I think I might be worried about cross-contamination.... She might spill food on the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 04 January, 2013, 10:06:12 pm
New gear levers on Miss Dan the Elder's bike. It is still quite stiff, but I hope she finds it easier tomorrow.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 05 January, 2013, 10:03:33 am
Unsuccessful attempt to replace the gas hob in the kitchen.  I thought it was all on compression fittings but late father in law seems to have welded it in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: handcyclist on 05 January, 2013, 02:42:24 pm
Fitted my new Fenderbot to the Ridgeback. All good.

Of course, while the bike was on the stand I noticed how grubby the chain had become so spent half an hour de-gunking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 January, 2013, 01:21:07 pm
As the front tyre appears to have become a thorn magnet I decided to swap the tyres on the Inbred, from 50-622 to 55-622 (from 2" to 2.15")

They now look MASSIVE! Although, obviously, not as massive as the ones on IZ's Pugsley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 06 January, 2013, 01:23:12 pm
Just changed the rim cylinder lock barrel on the front door.   Have some concealed bolts to install now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 06 January, 2013, 02:37:29 pm
Put v brakes, levers & handlebar tape on the Pompino.

Put mudguards back on Van Nick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 06 January, 2013, 03:35:14 pm
Adjusted the position of the brake levers on my fixed wheel, so I can ride on the hoods in more comfort. Hopefully this will lead to me riding it more frequently.

I also fitted it with a spiffy new Carradice Pendle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 06 January, 2013, 03:54:30 pm
Broke two sets of tyre levers.

And caused a small but exciting flare in the hearth by tossing an empty tube of glue in there.

On the plus side, I can give No2Daughter a lift home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 January, 2013, 04:01:32 pm
Quote from: boabacca on 06 January, 2013, 03:54:30 pm
Broke two sets of tyre levers.

Glad it's not just me who does that...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 January, 2013, 04:12:07 pm
Adjust the bearings on an Alfine hub which involves removing the disc to access the cone. As I had to remove the locknut to remove the disk (Shimano Centrelock) as my cassette tool - they're the same fitting -  I then realised that I couldn't refix the disc once I'd tightened the locknut. So it's off to the LBS first thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 06 January, 2013, 04:48:20 pm
Adapter leads, made from some of the contents of my electric bits box.

1) 2.5mm DC power plug to PP3 clip, so I can plug my Dinotte light into my collection of Vistalite Nightstick batteries
2) PP3 clip to 2.1mm DC power socket, so I can plug my Magicshine light into a 6 x AA battery box which I happen to have, filled with six matching AA Nimh batteries I also happen to have.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 January, 2013, 05:42:30 pm
Chain n' tyre check on the Pomp pre next week's commute.

Chain slack (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=67034.msg1391199#msg1391199), now rectified.
Tyres deflated, and crud removed.
Jeez, these Armadilldo Roubaix are cutting up badly. Well before their retirement date.
Londres roads, eh?  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 January, 2013, 05:57:54 pm
Yesterday:

Cleaned nearly to DETH: 1 x Magenta Mercian, 1 x RatBike fixie.

Cleaned and lubed chain from RatBike.

Fixed front wheel visitation in fixie.

Went flint mining in tyres of bikes listed above.

Today:

Cleaned Mrs. Hall's bike.

Cleaned and lubed her chain.

Flint mining in tyres and superglued large cut in same.

Visited Mr Hall (Sen) and replaced blind in "my" room that a visiting niece had borked.  General consensus was that it's better for me to go clambering on desks and step ladders than Mr. Hall (Sen), who, despite exhibiting the Peter Pan gene, is 85.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 06 January, 2013, 07:14:09 pm
Swapped bracket for broken light for bracket for new unbroken light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 07 January, 2013, 10:31:45 am
Put the chain glider back on the Thorn in preparation for a few official visits with my new Scouting role.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 January, 2013, 01:39:24 pm
Stem and brake work last night: -

 - Flipped the stem (down) on the horizon (which now makes the seat feel too low ???)
 - Put new "baby bear's" stem on the raleigh (130mm was too long, 100mm was too short, 120mm is just right :) )

 - Replaced the rear pads (and blocks) on raleigh
 - Played around with toeing and stopped kool stops from sqealing so much on horizon (not perfect though)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:18:46 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 06 January, 2013, 01:21:07 pm
As the front tyre appears to have become a thorn magnet I decided to swap the tyres on the Inbred, from 50-622 to 55-622 (from 2" to 2.15")

They now look MASSIVE! Although, obviously, not as massive as the ones on IZ's Pugsley.
I think this must be a general 'thing' with larger 29er tyres - I've got 2.2s on the green Genesis and they look bloody enormous1

1 - except when I stand the bike next to Pugsley, obviously2 ;D
2 - although there's possibility that Pugsley might get more comical as I'm currently considering running a Big Fat Larry3 tyre on the front for Severe Bogtrotting duties.
3 - a mere 26x4.7"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 08 January, 2013, 03:35:23 pm
Quote from: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:18:46 pm
- although there's possibility that Pugsley might get more comical as I'm currently considering running a Big Fat Larry3 tyre on the front for Severe Bogtrotting duties.
3 - a mere 26x4.7"

So half 'extra-fat' then :)

Will a BFL fit in a standard Pugs fork?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:40:28 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 08 January, 2013, 03:35:23 pm
Quote from: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:18:46 pm
- although there's possibility that Pugsley might get more comical as I'm currently considering running a Big Fat Larry3 tyre on the front for Severe Bogtrotting duties.
3 - a mere 26x4.7"

So half 'extra-fat' then :)
Interesting question - a 'regular' bike with a fat front-end seems to be referred to as 'half-fat', so what do you call a fat-bike with an extra-fat front end? Half-morbidly-obese? Half-lardy?

Quote
Will a BFL fit in a standard Pugs fork?
Not sure - mine has a Moonlander fork anyway ;)

I'm sure I've read somewhere that someone has managed to put BFLs on a stock Pugsley but I'd imagine that chain clearance at the back would be a major issue unless you're running SS/fixed/IGH.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 January, 2013, 03:54:31 pm
Quote from: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:40:28 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 08 January, 2013, 03:35:23 pm
Quote from: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:18:46 pm
- although there's possibility that Pugsley might get more comical as I'm currently considering running a Big Fat Larry3 tyre on the front for Severe Bogtrotting duties.
3 - a mere 26x4.7"

So half 'extra-fat' then :)
Interesting question - a 'regular' bike with a fat front-end seems to be referred to as 'half-fat', so what do you call a fat-bike with an extra-fat front end? Half-morbidly-obese? Half-lardy?

Pearshaped? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 08 January, 2013, 04:09:19 pm
Quote from: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:18:46 pm

.....Severe Bogtrotting duties.


This may help

(http://www.absurdstories.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/kebab-270x300.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 January, 2013, 01:43:18 am
Unblocked the toilet.  Because that's just what you need at 1am when you've got to get up in the morning.

This is, hopefully, unrelated to the above post.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 09 January, 2013, 06:31:43 am
Clean and oil of the drive train on G G G Granville yesterday afternoon as, due to a stupid o'clock start, I finished and got home in daylight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Efrogwr on 09 January, 2013, 01:17:52 pm
Quote from: interzen on 08 January, 2013, 03:40:28 pm

Interesting question - a 'regular' bike with a fat front-end seems to be referred to as 'half-fat', so what do you call a fat-bike with an extra-fat front end? Half-morbidly-obese? Half-lardy?


Sesquifat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 09 January, 2013, 05:17:58 pm
Testing & refreshing Nimh batteries.

Interestingly, giving 'em a blast in the unintelligent Maplin "1 hour superfast" charger seems to wake up some dozy batteries. Exhibit A: ancient Uniross 1.6 Ah battery, refused to take more than 0.5 Ah until given a good much faster than recommended charging, just went through a BL700 test series & is charged to 1.4 Ah. Exhibit B: an apparently dead (the BL700 showed it as 'null' before it was blasted by the Maplin) Vapex 2.9 Ah (but never took more than about 2.7 Ah when new) is now charged up to 2.0 Ah. Not as good as new, but certainly a useful battery again. Lights things up.

Exhibits C & D charged up to 90% of nominal capacity, but they'd not exhibited any problems anyway.

Only 11 more suspect AA batteries to go. Where did they all come from?

Also stuck a DC socket onto a 4 D cell battery box, on a whim. I can now power lights with ancient (from the battery pack of a now defunct Smart BL201H bought on 4th April 1999 from Ribble - I just found the receipt lurking in a box) NiCad 4.5 Ah D cells if I want to. They still seem to be taking pretty well a full charge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 January, 2013, 07:35:20 pm
With help from here and the Seagate forums I made an external disk drive work with my Humax PVR. FWIW, I reformatted it from NTFS to FAT32, though the latter detail means bugger all to me. As a result, I do not need to use a USB stick to save files.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 09 January, 2013, 08:58:04 pm
Tried to fettle my Bagman2 onto my bike, obviously wouldn't fit with the pannier rack in the way but that's fine, it's for the new bike once I get it.

Shifted the pannier rack just to see and the Bagman won't quite fit, fouls the mudguard. It's a shame and a bit of a surprise as 5'6" isn't that short is it?

Annoyingly I've got the Expedition version as that was recommended for the Nelson but the Sport version which I think would do to support the bag is a crucial 2cm shorter and would fit fine  :facepalm:

So, faff returning this one? Get a Sport as well and maybe shift the Expedition to my Sno bike which is 26" wheeled? See if I can cope with the saddle a teensy bit higher?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 09 January, 2013, 09:37:28 pm
Bolted the Fenderbot to Blue Meanie's rear end. 

Ghengis is looking reproachfully at me from the back of the bike pile.   I still haven't finished putting him back together since I got home from the US in November!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 10 January, 2013, 12:50:31 pm
Presumably called Ghengis because it has no connection with the Great Khan Genghis (pronounced Jenghis, with a silent h, it being an Italian transliteration of the Mongol name Tshingis).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 January, 2013, 01:00:52 pm
Would now be a good time to pearoast the video of the German Eurovision entry from Dschinghis Khan?

No.  Thought not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 10 January, 2013, 01:10:32 pm
Re-fettled the workshop/garage again in the hope of creating a bit more space. Not sure that I achieved much.
Time to modify the rear mudguard on the Miggins Trice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 10 January, 2013, 01:44:08 pm
Not today but late yesterday arfternoon I popped into THE LBS for a minute. I discovered that the workshop was snowed under and got roped (as in the willing victim version of roped) into putting on an apron and mucking in. I fettled the following-

New rear tube and rim tape, reposition rear light, fit new front light to Trek hybrid.

New rear tube, fettele of rusted and stiff drive train, reposition rear brake blocks, inspect and quote for full future refurb of neglected, dumped in the garden for 10 months BSO.

New tube in 12" kiddie bike wheel (boy, are some of those ickle tyres a B'stard to remove and refit!).

Assembly and PDI of Ridgeback kids bike for shop floor stock.

Engaged my MFI Flatpack Assdembly (Hons) degree with resident mechanic in the unpacking and assembley of Ice Adventure trike. Lent a hand (in the trike assembly version of shoving a finger on a half tied knot to help stylee) to get the major structure assembly complete.

I only wanted to get the price of a new helmet  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 January, 2013, 01:52:11 pm
Last night I noticed my front mudguard seemed a bit flappy.  Once home, I saw it was cracked, and the bottom part came away in my hand.  I fitted new RaceBlades, which took rather less time than retrieving them from the depths of the dining room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 10 January, 2013, 10:22:32 pm
Re-installed the rear mudguard on the Trice from being mounted on the rack to being mounted on the swing arm.
It now hugs the tyre.
Also made a nice deep mudflap so it should now be safe to ride behind said trike without having to wear a chemical suit! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 January, 2013, 10:40:06 pm
Had a go at the heap of concentrated neglect that is the Streetmachine, which has been quietly rusting since that metric century in early December.

Chain is in a fairly poor state, lacking in important bendyness.  Would probably recover with a bit of work, but since it's nearly due for replacement and I managed to obtain some half-price replacements I may take the easy option.

Cassette off and de-gunked.  Wheel scrubbed.  Chainrings cleaned in situ.

Replaced cables (inners and outers) throughout.  This took bloody hours as I was being careful to do a neat job, and it involved lots of mucking about with cable ties, intubating the bar grips using an allen key as a laryngoscope, that sort of thing.  Rerouted the cable for the parking brake so it doesn't snag at extreme steering lock.

New brake pads on the front.  Gave both BB7s a thorough clean.

General cleaning.

My knee now aches from sitting cross-legged, and I need new thumbs.


Still to do:
Re-fit chain.
Adjust both disc brakes.
Sort out the chain tube retaining spring thingy, which isn't working as it should.
Try to reduce the incessant squeak from the seat brackets.
Replace corroded speed sensor magnet.
Fuck about with the indexing on the rear mech until it actually works as it should, abnormally good deal on Alfine 11 or eventual heat death of the universe. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=67084.0)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 11 January, 2013, 09:46:31 am
Just delivereed the Viscount frame to the powder coating workshop a few miles away in Pluckley. Although they are conveniently close, less conveniently they are never open when I am home so I had to wait until I had a day off to drop it in. Hopefully I will be able to build the bike up in its completed form for summer riding. Need to sort out some transfers though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 12 January, 2013, 05:48:33 pm
Carefully measured the Chrina rim to calculate the rim diameter then very carefully measured the Campag front hub. Then did it again. Then fed all the numbers into the spoke calculator thingy. then... Carefully measured the Chrina rim to calculate the rim diameter then very carefully measured the Campag front hub. Then did it again. And again. Then I ordered some spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 12 January, 2013, 06:03:25 pm
Fitted some Tektro CR720 (http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_products/01_prodetail.php?pid=5&sortname=Brake&sort=1&fid=2) brakes to the fixer on the basis of a recommendation from Clarion :thumbsup:.

What a world of difference from the Oryxs which were previously on there.

I dread to think what the original On Ones were like :o, given that Joth fitted the Oryxs as an upgrade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 12 January, 2013, 06:41:49 pm
I think I've finally managed to replace the bottom bracket on my fixed. It has only taken 9 months  :facepalm:

Test ride is planned for tomorrow assuming the rest of the bike hasn't rusted/seized up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 12 January, 2013, 07:12:06 pm
Quote from: Pippa on 12 January, 2013, 06:41:49 pm
I think I've finally managed to replace the bottom bracket on my fixed. It has only taken 9 months  :facepalm:

Test ride is planned for tomorrow assuming the rest of the bike hasn't rusted/seized up.

Hurrah!

*Attempts to devise reason to lead unsuspecting people up over Westferry Circus*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 12 January, 2013, 10:08:39 pm
Quote from: Pippa on 12 January, 2013, 06:41:49 pm
I think I've finally managed to replace the bottom bracket on my fixed. It has only taken 9 months  :facepalm:

Test ride is planned for tomorrow assuming the rest of the bike hasn't rusted/seized up.

My bold.
Reckless risk-taker.... ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 January, 2013, 10:12:45 pm
HK's Condor has had the rear hub regreased (cup is on its way out), mudguard light replaced, brakes adjusted and mudguards tweaked.

The replacement dynohub wheel build is stalled for lack of 8 x DT 12mm nipples (the ones with machined flats). I'd forgotten that some places don't supply nipples when you buy spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 12 January, 2013, 11:02:15 pm
MFWHTBAB and I have sanded plaster, filled holes, and painted the first undercoat in the guest room.

I can't lift my arms very much now.... ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 13 January, 2013, 09:11:51 pm
Ultimately nothing really.

First I spent a good 40 minutes roaming round the house searching for my spoke key, which it turns out was in the second place I looked but hiding  :facepalm: In the end I didn't actually adjust any spokes  ::-)

Then I de-stiff-linked the chain on the sno bike (thank god for latex gloves), still comes off the chainring when backpedalling from time to time but the ring does have a couple snapped off teeth so can forgive this.

Tried to work out why it looks like the cassette is moving on it's axis when the wheel is spinning, think the wheel is just a bit buckled but corroded nipples mean sorting this is out.

Should have just gone for the original plan of stealing the wheels off my girlfriend's bike but was trying to save time.

Haven't actually test ridden to see if the odd tightening of the bottom bracket/cranks when pedalling (relieved if I coast for a few seconds) has been sorted, did have the cassette off and back on tight so that's not loose, ran out of time to fiddle with cranks/bb though.

Finally I partially broke my Polar speed sensor when trying to open it (Polar's policy is don't replace the batteries, just buy a new sensor unit instead) but changing the battery hasn't made it work again so guess it's just dead, the other speed sensor works so it's not the head unit. Considering just getting a couple of wired computers for the sno bike and new bike.

Bleh, a whole lot of movement and motion for not a lot of effective action. Jerome K Jerome was right about overhauling bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 13 January, 2013, 11:51:04 pm
Quite proud of myself

Laced and pre-tensioned my first wheel today (Alfine 11 hub into 20 inch rim for the trike)

Now I've just the easy bit to do - tensioning and truing. :)


Oh yes - due to the nasty weather on the way, I also had put the cheap and nasty rear dérailleur purchased as a chain tensioner onto the trike to replace the one that got mangled when the hanger borked. So I now have a 7 speed dérailleur on a 9 speed cassette. Still, it will suffice until the new wheel is finished.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Notsototalnewbie on 14 January, 2013, 10:13:14 am
I rarely darken the door of this thread due to general incompetence in most things fettling but at the weekend I swapped my friend’s pedals for some spds I had hanging round my box o’ bike bits. She has cycled for years, is fairly fast and recently got flat-bar road bike on insurance after her last bike’s frame was written off by a dooring. We went for a little pootle around the block and she got the hang of them very quickly.

She’s now asking where she can get cleats for her own shoes (she’s using an old Lidl pair of mine which have become one with their cleats sadly) so the cycle home must have gone ok :) If anyone has any spare cleats to sell do shout (good old M520 pedals)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 14 January, 2013, 07:27:48 pm
Wiggle have Shimano cleats (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-spd-mtb-cleats/) at £12 a throw at the moment, and this includes the SH51 and SH52 standard release, as well as the SH56 multi-release ones, which may be more appropriate for a nervous beginner (they're all £12 on ChainReaction (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10969) as well.  I've linked to the SH56 only, but the others are easily found).

(The SH51 and SH52 seem to be mostly interchangeable, but some pedals can be fussy.  If you using something fairly bog standard like an M520 pedal, I think the SH51 would work OK, but you may want to check).

Alternatively, the Wellgo (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=17267) ones, on ChainReaction are only £7, and work as well as the bog standard release SPD cleats, in my experience.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 January, 2013, 07:43:47 pm
Pugsley ;D

Lubed the chain, checked the brake cables, fitted an Ay-up lighting bracket and let the tyres down to 12psi.

All set for tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 January, 2013, 10:14:56 pm
I swapped the Romany's tyres for the Marathon Winters.  This also included removing mudguards and front rack, adjusting gears and brakes, and whoops!  I need to pop back and retighten the lamp bolt.

TGL was very helpful :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 14 January, 2013, 10:23:22 pm
I also swapped tyres over for some Marathon Winters last night, and tightened up the brake cables, since the adjusters had been adjusted to their maximum amount.

Depending on how the weather evolves, I may swap those over for some Marathon Pluses next weekend!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 January, 2013, 10:47:20 pm
my audax bike will gradually become a tt/audax bike. took the 11-34 cassette and xt mech off and installed a new 11-28 cassette with ultegra mech. next - decide which chainrings to install (52/39, 52/36, 50/36 or 50/34).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 January, 2013, 10:52:51 pm
Good call - my fastest ever 10 was on my Audax Mk3 - with tribars, mudguards, dynohub, rack and carradice!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 15 January, 2013, 05:44:59 am
I'm about to fettle some tyres - finally putting Marathon Winters on the commuting bike.  It's only taken me two months.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 15 January, 2013, 06:31:27 am
Quote from: Andrij on 15 January, 2013, 05:44:59 am
I'm about to fettle some tyres - finally putting Marathon Winters on the commuting bike.  It's only taken me two months.  ::-)

Cue a sudden and total thaw  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 15 January, 2013, 09:09:42 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 15 January, 2013, 06:31:27 am
Quote from: Andrij on 15 January, 2013, 05:44:59 am
I'm about to fettle some tyres - finally putting Marathon Winters on the commuting bike.  It's only taken me two months.  ::-)

Cue a sudden and total thaw  ;D

Took ages, but did it.  Then came a hissssssssing sound as I pumped up the second one (snakebite, I assume).  I couldn't risk it taking just as long the second time around and didn't want to risk possible ice on the other bike, so resorted to the Tube.  It was journey's like this morning's that really test my love for my fellow man.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 January, 2013, 12:36:33 pm
Fettled my studded tyres too this morning (would have been more sensible to do it last night, rather than faffing around in the morning when I really didn't have time! ::-)).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 15 January, 2013, 01:25:28 pm
I threw the rubberless rear brake blocks on my commuter away and stuck some Swissstops in.  The brake retards as soon as I touch the lever opposed to doing nothing when it was fully pulled.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 January, 2013, 06:54:15 pm
spoke washers, flat -> conic (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61613.msg1399324#msg1399324)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 January, 2013, 06:57:04 pm
Failed to fettle the kitchen tap.  The tappy bit is seized solidly in the body, and removal of the tap from the plumbing has more recursive dependencies than a KDE application - mostly involving rusted screws and semi-rotten chipboard.  Fuck, as they say, that.  It can deteriorate to a point worthy of calling a plumber, and then it's the landlord's problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 January, 2013, 07:56:00 pm
overhauled the squealing hub, with the help of Mr.Litt's instructions (http://www.troubleshooters.com/bicycles/1speed/1speed_overhaul.htm). the hub was squealing because of the (normal) friction between the spring and inner wall of clutch, as seen in photos. aiui, this is a part of break-in process, but really not impressed by the inefficiency of the design. why not put a bearing between the clutch and the spring? the (stationary) sturdy spring rubs the (rotating) clutch while pedaling - how clever is that? anyhoo, the hub is quiet now and while at it i've swapped the sprocket to lower the gearing from 72" to 67". some photos here (https://picasaweb.google.com/zigzag510/CoasterBrakeOverhaul?authkey=Gv1sRgCOOV6vCA_OaxRw#slideshow/5834496435775067218).

edit: this was the first overhaul after ~400km from new
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 January, 2013, 10:04:55 pm
I tried tp fettle my drive chain, so far I have succeeded in removing the chain, removing the drive side crank and one of the chainring bolts, the others, well it ain't happening. Not helped by not having the proper tools, I thought I had a screwdriver wide enough for the back of the chainring bolts but nope.

Attempted bodging with other items including spanners, a knife and a trowel. I have started to 'round' the back of one of the bolts so am leaving well alone now as I'm getting frustrated and grumpy. Oh, and whilst flailing at it I think I've put a line of chainring tooth holes in the lino  :facepalm: Haven't looked under the newspaper I put down yet.

Will see if Halfords sell the right tool (website indicates no unless I'm missearching) tomorrow otherwise it looks like I won't be riding Saturday's audax whatever the snow does or doesn't do.  :demon:

I should have just ordered a bolt tool whilst getting the parts, idiot.

And of course I've skinned a knuckle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 January, 2013, 10:07:19 pm
Swapped a friend's Cyo for a new one after she broke the wires.  The new one has DRL and an unusual Standlicht.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 17 January, 2013, 10:11:33 pm
I recharged the batteries for my rear light. Glimmer increased to safe enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 18 January, 2013, 09:41:06 am
Finally managed to source and fit a new 13-28 9-speed Campag cassette to my winter bike. Just in time for the snow to make the roads impassable (to me, at least). So probably another week off the bike. Still, I have a 700-year-old house to fettle instead...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 18 January, 2013, 10:02:13 am
Quote from: TimC on 18 January, 2013, 09:41:06 am
Finally managed to source and fit a new 13-28 9-speed Campag cassette to my winter bike. Just in time for the snow to make the roads impassable (to me, at least). So probably another week off the bike. Still, I have a 700-year-old house to fettle instead...

I'd have thought on your salary you could have afforded a new house....   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
The only new house I'd want is one I'd designed myself...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 18 January, 2013, 10:21:44 am
Me too. In fact, I'd quite like one right now. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 19 January, 2013, 01:55:55 pm
Fettled the bloody car's horn.  >:(
Feckin' thing's been in the shop several times all to no avail.
So I pulled the bloody fuse.
(Temporary fix so the wretched thing doesn't go off at random moments whilst driving!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 January, 2013, 02:39:37 pm
My new, lightweight, lithium-polymer-powered Bluetooth-o-matic GPS logger and the firmware thereon:

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VHToY94kT5E/UPqv5wS9vqI/AAAAAAAAAx8/OpI-MhQ_z5E/s786/P1000978.JPG)

It even has the obligatory blue LED-of-Doom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 19 January, 2013, 05:33:44 pm
No cycling for me today as roads icy and weather miserable so I spent a cosy couple of hours in the study building up the front wheel for the Hanlon Project bike. I was assisted by one of those nice American chaps on Biketube, which was really helpful as this is first wheel that I have built. I am using a Chrina rim on a Campag Nuovo Tipo hub with Sapim Race spokes...and it went pretty well and it all feels tight and true. I'll get the rear hub measured up and some spokes ordered with a view to building the rear wheel next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 January, 2013, 05:43:43 pm
Fettled my fleet (3 in number, at the last count) of Crumpler bags.
Introduced brass eyelets in strategic places for the cable-tying of key-clasping karabiners (amongst other details).

I should've really set about the Scott, but I know that until I find some handlebars for it (contemplating c/f bar/stem onepiece arrangement), it not really going to progress.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 19 January, 2013, 06:16:16 pm
Just stripped Mlle PB's Thorn Brevet ready for replacement top tube and respray.   Bought in 2005, first time done anything more than routine maintenance.  Came apart with no issues.   

Now fettling a cuppa  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 19 January, 2013, 06:32:31 pm
Quote
Now fettling a cuppa 
  ;D

I'm fettling some sparkling wine.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 January, 2013, 06:38:00 pm
Had a bike cleaning session, and fettled the trike back to barakta-shape.

Realised that one of the spare L-brackets I had left over from making new mirror mounts had the same hole spacing as bottle cage braze-ons, so cold-set it to a sharper angle in a vice, drilled the holes out to M5 and gave it a coat of paint.  Instant, cheap and somewhat overweight ICE bottle cage riser (http://www.icetrikes.co/explore-our-trikes/sprint/accessories).   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 19 January, 2013, 07:25:25 pm
now barakta will trip o0ver it while getting on  ;).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 January, 2013, 08:05:11 pm
She's good enough at that already.

We're sceptical about whether it's worth bothering with, but seeing as I had a suitable bit of metal lying around...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 January, 2013, 08:21:20 pm
I swapped over the broken SJS light bracket which made my ride home Lessthanfun for a more substantial one which the nice woman in Brixton Cycles sorted out for me.  And she let me fit it in the shop, which was kind, since it was a bit busy, and they normally insist on fettling outdoors.  But it was a bit cold for al fresco spannering.

There were two customers being won over by Disc Truckers, one having a quick release beaing explained ::-) and a chap waiting for his shiny Salsa Vaya to be fettled.  Happy people and bicycles - marvellous!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 19 January, 2013, 09:12:05 pm
Sorted the handbrake on the car - the cable stop was loose so I had to get the car in the garage which meant finding room, then get the right tools in place, and struggle with it at near ground level when my shoulder is being particularly painful. I learned to not trust a jack, as I managed to roll the car off it when I released the handbrake.
Eventually got it all sorted with much pain and bad language. But it is now happy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 January, 2013, 09:19:40 pm
As mentioned in the "have you been out today" thread, I replaced a slack handful of dodgy dimmer switches at a friend's house. The smell of magic smoke from one of them was quite strong. The electrics in the house were "interesting". Six MCBs, labelled in faded pencil, then crossed out and labelled again. Finding the right one was a matter of turning one off and looking to see if the lights were off. Turning the one off that controlled the downstairs lights didn't turn off the juice to the first switch, which operated some lights, umm, downstairs.  I was ready for this, and deployed a multimeter (neither light weight nor racing, I'm afraid).  The right MCB controlled those lights AND the 13A sockets in that room.

And then to the loo. Liquid had been seen on the floor, blamed at first on the inaccuracies of a Small Boy, but further investigation determined it to be water coming from the extractor fan. There's a lot of crud in a bathroom extractor fan. Poking around in the loft and a bit of jibbling suggested that the seal where the fan flue exited the roof was banjaxed. A job for someone else another day. However, the water was dripping around the fan motor. As the fan was used as a junction box for the light, merely disconnecting it wouldn't work, so a junction box was obtained, the fan wiring withdrawn into the loft and terminated in the junction box.

All this achieved kneeling on joists, wrapped in fibe glasss and with feet protruding from the loft hatch. Passing Small Children held conversations with those parts of me they could see.     A really enjoyable day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 January, 2013, 09:38:31 pm
Finished HK's Condor's replacement dyno wheel. Just need to dig out a rim tape and swap the tyre and tube over. Then disassemble the front wheel to use up the rim on the rear wheel as the current rear rim is nearly worn out. The 8 year old dynohub is starting to make funny noises, so will be going in the bin. The rear hub is isn't likely to make it to next year (a cup starting to die).

Tomorrow is probably headset and fork time. New fork in my TSR (custom headlight braze-on), so the headset needs to be swapped to the new fork. While I've got the tools out, I'll swap the brinelled Shimano headset (with M-Part adaptor) on one of HK's Roberts with a Chris King. I'll think about polishing up the old Chris King from HK's tandem to go on my Frezoni but suspect that time will get away from me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 20 January, 2013, 01:12:49 am
Fettled my Christmas present Edelux onto the Sabbath, and the Cyo from the Sabbath onto the Pompetamine. I had to bar mount it because the On One forks are not drilled all the way through the crown.

I then fitted a new Cateye to the Sabbath and moved the slightly fugly Cateye commuter from the Sabbath to the Pompetamine.

Fitted a new Bagman 2 to the Fuji. It is a very solid looking Carradice support  :thumbsup:

Replaced the straps on my Barley and small roll bag with the new plastic bracket things that attach quickly to the QR Bagmen. They make changing bags over much quicker.

Swapped Garmin Edge 705 brackets for 800 brackets on 2 more bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 20 January, 2013, 10:20:22 am
Failure of central heating to start traced to airlocked pump. Duly fettled. Phew!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 January, 2013, 10:23:45 am
Fitted 8 remote control led lights to TLD's wardrobes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 20 January, 2013, 10:31:36 am
Quote from: Feline on 20 January, 2013, 01:12:49 am
Fettled my Christmas present Edelux onto the Sabbath, and the Cyo from the Sabbath onto the Pompetamine. I had to bar mount it because the On One forks are not drilled all the way through the crown.

The bike I've got a deposit on has a drilled crown but I don't think all the way through, think it's a threaded insert.

Shop seemed to think I'd be fine with both the mudguard and a light mounted there, is this not the case? I guess I can bar mount if needed but already got a fair bit going up there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 January, 2013, 02:00:36 pm
Fitted a rear mudguard to TLD's bike, ready for next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 20 January, 2013, 02:33:19 pm
Quote from: Feline on 20 January, 2013, 01:12:49 am
Fettled my Christmas present Edelux onto the Sabbath, and the Cyo from the Sabbath onto the Pompetamine. I had to bar mount it because the On One forks are not drilled all the way through the crown.

What did you use to mount the cyo on the bars? The only bar mount I've been able to find is quite expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 20 January, 2013, 03:26:50 pm
laced my first wheel today (a dry run)! now, for the front wheel - do i do the mirror image on the other side (say, outer spokes are trailing) or do i flip the wheel and lace it the same as the other side? i understand practically either way is ok.

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n2QQXqEn9jk/UPwLMHjluII/AAAAAAAACpk/M9syuyA6S8Y/s640/IMG_0827.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 January, 2013, 05:23:23 pm
Swapped the latch from the non-closing bedroom door to the non-latching bathroom door.  Thus preventing it from slipping open (it no longer jams solidly, thanks to previous fettling) at night and letting all the heat out.

I should put some sort of wifi-enabled device in there, in case something goes wrong and barakta manages to lock herself in without a hearing aid again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 20 January, 2013, 05:43:58 pm
Beer bread fettled (slightly undercooked but v nice)

Soup and sausages mid fettle.

Need to change saddle on Sno bike but don't fancy manhandling the thing from shed to kitchen especially as it's snowy and wet from my ride earlier. Maybe wrap up and do it with headtorch in shed. Should only be a five minute job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 January, 2013, 06:04:22 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 19 January, 2013, 09:19:40 pm
... The right MCB controlled those lights AND the 13A sockets in that room. ...

I hope you pointed out that this was decidedly dodgy (more or less so, based on exactly how it's wired up).  Depending on exactly how dodgy, it could burn the house down (eg lighting cable used as part of a ring main).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 January, 2013, 04:24:16 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 20 January, 2013, 10:31:36 am
Quote from: Feline on 20 January, 2013, 01:12:49 am
Fettled my Christmas present Edelux onto the Sabbath, and the Cyo from the Sabbath onto the Pompetamine. I had to bar mount it because the On One forks are not drilled all the way through the crown.

The bike I've got a deposit on has a drilled crown but I don't think all the way through, think it's a threaded insert.

Shop seemed to think I'd be fine with both the mudguard and a light mounted there, is this not the case? I guess I can bar mount if needed but already got a fair bit going up there.

It's drilled on the back only, so unless you can molish some kind of a bracket that attached behind the fork, went up between the fork blades then held the light up in front then I can't see how that could work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 January, 2013, 04:29:04 pm
Quote from: hulver on 20 January, 2013, 02:33:19 pm
Quote from: Feline on 20 January, 2013, 01:12:49 am
Fettled my Christmas present Edelux onto the Sabbath, and the Cyo from the Sabbath onto the Pompetamine. I had to bar mount it because the On One forks are not drilled all the way through the crown.

What did you use to mount the cyo on the bars? The only bar mount I've been able to find is quite expensive.

One of these from SJS (who are actually my LBS!)
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/schmidt-handlebar-fitting-dynamo-headlamp-bracket-prod9884/
(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/thumbnail/9884.jpg)

They are for up to 26mm bars but I have used zip ties through the bolt holes to firmly secure it to my larger bars. It's a good bracket because it allows you to make side to side adjustments using the same curved washers you get on brake block bolts. It only took seconds to fit  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 January, 2013, 04:40:22 pm
That's what I had on my commuter until I fitted the barbag.  A great bracket.  There's a twin-armed equivalent so you can run another light beside it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 21 January, 2013, 05:24:07 pm
Quote from: Feline on 21 January, 2013, 04:29:04 pm
One of these from SJS (who are actually my LBS!)
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/schmidt-handlebar-fitting-dynamo-headlamp-bracket-prod9884/
(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/thumbnail/9884.jpg)

They are for up to 26mm bars but I have used zip ties through the bolt holes to firmly secure it to my larger bars. It's a good bracket because it allows you to make side to side adjustments using the same curved washers you get on brake block bolts. It only took seconds to fit  :thumbsup:

Thank you! I've ordered one of them now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 January, 2013, 08:46:53 pm
Quote from: Feline on 21 January, 2013, 04:24:16 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 20 January, 2013, 10:31:36 am
Quote from: Feline on 20 January, 2013, 01:12:49 am
Fettled my Christmas present Edelux onto the Sabbath, and the Cyo from the Sabbath onto the Pompetamine. I had to bar mount it because the On One forks are not drilled all the way through the crown.

The bike I've got a deposit on has a drilled crown but I don't think all the way through, think it's a threaded insert.

Shop seemed to think I'd be fine with both the mudguard and a light mounted there, is this not the case? I guess I can bar mount if needed but already got a fair bit going up there.

It's drilled on the back only, so unless you can molish some kind of a bracket that attached behind the fork, went up between the fork blades then held the light up in front then I can't see how that could work.

Ah, the one I've got is drilled on the front...I think...gawd my memory is awful at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 January, 2013, 01:59:44 pm
Just stripped and cleaned the drivetrain on the Inbred.

Discovered that the 105 (5600) BB was fubar'd.  Replaced with 6600, see if that improves things.  No play in bearings, just stiffness at the 6 o'clock position.

Needed to re-fettle the rear brake after I put everything back together as the rotor was catching, for some strange reason, and making a pinging noise that sounded like something in the spokes.

Also managed to snap the Halo hex-key skewer as I was fitting the wheel, so a new QR was put in it's place.  I have had enough of those pieces of junk now, shall remove and replace any I have.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 January, 2013, 02:09:09 pm
This morning I have been mainly fettling Babbage Engines: first of all the necessary reconfiguration that came as a result of the Great Fibre Upgrade. Tedious, but necessary - I may even be able to use Xbox Live without it turfing me off at random intervals now.

Now I'm working on speeding the OpenStreetMap-serving server up a bit, which is working up to a point. (Un)fortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to shell out for another solid-state drive as the database is disk-I/O bound (given that the disk is one of the spinning-rust variety, this is a Bad Thing)

I may even manage to fit in some bike-fettling later on as the singlespeed needs a few minor tweaks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 January, 2013, 02:18:21 pm
I have the reconfig of networks to do on Friday (as well as sorting stuffs out to go to Chathill, weather permitting), as our ADSL is being swapped over to Fibre then.  Bye bye TalkTalk, hello PlusNet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 January, 2013, 02:30:59 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 23 January, 2013, 02:18:21 pm
I have the reconfig of networks to do on Friday (as well as sorting stuffs out to go to Chathill, weather permitting), as our ADSL is being swapped over to Fibre then.  Bye bye TalkTalk, hello PlusNet.
I decided to stick with Sky - had no issues with their ADSL over the past 3-4 years apart from a router self-destructing (but then it was one of the known, crappy ones - the replacement was much better) so I reckoned that going with their fibre offering was worth an extra tenner a month. Currently getting around 28-29Mbps, although I'm interested to see how this will change once the ankle-snappers get home from school and descend on XBL.

In fact, much of this morning was spent drinking tea and talking shop with the OpenReach guy who came to do the modem/faceplate installation :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 January, 2013, 02:35:09 pm
I am not that bothered about throughput, just want a reliable, stable connection.  The ADSL dropping out anywhere upto 10 times a day started to get a bit boring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 January, 2013, 02:54:44 pm
Re-fitted the mirrors to barakta's trike with the new improved uber-strong mounts, as well as the bottle cage riser that I made with the left-over bracket.  Looks good, and it's nice to have the mirrors an inch or so further inboard - which means they're no longer the widest point - but the proof is in the potholes, as it were.


ETA: Bottle cage riser rapidly dismissed as being a stupid idea for people with skinny legs, and removed.  Much as I suspected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 January, 2013, 03:03:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 January, 2013, 02:54:44 pm
Re-fitted the mirrors to barakta's trike with the new improved uber-strong mounts, as well as the bottle cage riser that I made with the left-over bracket.  Looks good, and it's nice to have the mirrors an inch or so further inboard - which means they're no longer the widest point - but the proof is in the potholes, as it were.
Maybe some pothole vigilantism is called for?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2265927/Pothole-fix-pleas-Swanage-Who-exasperated-motorist.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

(apologies for the Daily Fail link - I got it via Charlie The Bikemonger's mailing list)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 January, 2013, 03:07:05 pm
There aren't enough creme eggs (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61324.msg1389578#msg1389578) for all of them...

To be fair, the mirrors will probably last longer if I don't roll the trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 23 January, 2013, 09:17:11 pm
I attempted again to fettle the chainrings off of my bike. Got three of the four remaining bolts undone with my new chainring bolt tool. Alas I did slip and put a nice chainring tooth shaped divot in the pad of my middle finger. Just in the perfect place to get lots of solvent in tomorrow  :facepalm:

The fourth bolt isn't coming undone, there's not much material there for the tool at the best of time but once you knacker it slightly  :hand: However I have a spare bolt in my puncture kit so started drilling the last one out.

I say started as despite the drill going throught the bolt more easily than I expected I am hamstrung by the crap batteries in my drill. Now one was only half charged and expected to die quickly but I'm sure the other was put away with a full charge and it lasted about 30 seconds  ::-) Next time lidaldi have drills I'm buying a new one.

My finger hurts and I still can't work out where the spare chainring bolt came from.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 January, 2013, 11:23:09 pm
Replaced tube following a puncture on the way home (my studded tyres seem far more susceptible than the usual Marathons, though riding through some broken glass I hadn't noticed probably didn't help). Used most of a pack of baby wipes to clean filthy bike a bit. It's still not clean but I couldn't be bothered with any more. Replaced brake pads as old ones were worn right down despite not having done not many miles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 24 January, 2013, 11:05:19 am
First go at lime plastering. It's different, isn't it...?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Redjeep! on 25 January, 2013, 06:45:56 pm
Just built a small valve headphone amp. Done all the electronics, including designing the layout on veroboard, but haven't cased it up yet. Sounds great.

Did I mention it's valve  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 January, 2013, 08:23:28 am
Repaired the zip on one of my Tarmac Pro overshoes.


I'd lost the zip arrester - the metal lump which stops the slider coming off the bottom end.......
So I managed to get the slider back on and the teeth to engage.
Got jiggy with a needle and thread and fabricated a new 'arrester'.
Soaked it in very thin superglue, gave it a shot of activator to make it into a solid object.
Backed it up with some quick n' dirty issue from a hot melt glue gun.
And we're good to go!
And it's not even nine o'clock yet.
Don't know how long it'll last - but it should work for long enough while the undersized ones  I ordered from Parker International get exchanged.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 January, 2013, 05:16:42 pm
A pot of vegetable soup using the pressure cooker which I got from my sister as she was too feert to use it.

10 mins in the pressure cooker, job done!   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 26 January, 2013, 05:24:29 pm
Put a new chainring on my Swift it's not very round

(http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/ftp/product/250/onekey%20ring%20center%20lock.jpg)

o:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 26 January, 2013, 05:42:27 pm
New lights and saddle on the ex-Iddu Carpe Diem.  It's starting to feel like my bike now!

A quick test ride suggests that the B&M Luxos will be a fitting successor to the Cyo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 January, 2013, 06:28:17 pm
I've been brushing neatsfoot oil onto the edges of mike's "unrideable" saddle since Thursday night.  The darker colour has almost penetrated to the bit I'll actually sit on now.  As Spa seem to have made the underside and top of the leather impermeable, oil can only get in at the skived edges.

It look better in a darker brown anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 26 January, 2013, 07:00:56 pm
Tyre fitted to the wheel I built last weekend for the Hanlon Project.As this was the first wheel I have built I used a Chrina rim rather than something vintage; it was a bit of a struggle getting the new tyre on, certainly not possible with fingers alone but it went on OK in the end. And then, built up the back wheel and have just finished truing it...tomorrow I need to knock up a plywood gauge for dishing - I think I have worked out in my head how to do it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 January, 2013, 08:08:08 pm
New chainrings onto crank after finally drilling the last stubborn bolt out. Took a number of battery changes to do it.

New ones on using the old bolts, I fear they are a touch too short but will hopefully suffice for the time being, will order some more tomorrow. Worth getting new even if the length isn't too critical as the old ones are a tad corroded and don't want them getting stuck again.

My legs did not like sitting on a foot stool hunched over and my thigh keeps trying to cramp.

Next jobs (for tomorrow) are to clean both mechs, change the jockey wheels and swap to a new shiny and bigger cassette, then to reindex.

Then finally I'll be able to ride the nice bike, just in time for it to be really windy tomorrow unlike the nice calm of today  :facepalm:

To reduce the space the short chainring bolts had to cover I left out the little brass coloured washers between the outer ring and the crank, good idea or terrible idea?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 January, 2013, 08:18:55 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 26 January, 2013, 05:24:29 pm
Put a new chainring on my Swift it's not very round

(http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/ftp/product/250/onekey%20ring%20center%20lock.jpg)

o:
What in god's name is going on there?
 ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 January, 2013, 10:08:31 pm
Ashaman42, removing those washers means that the chain may rub on the big chainring when running middle ring (or inner ring if a double) to the smallest cogs. You may need to tweak your derailleur limit screw a little. The spacers compensated for a thinner chainring or laterally offset chainring teeth. Your new chainrings may not need the spacers to properly space the chainrings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 26 January, 2013, 10:15:45 pm
Aimed some 3-in-1 at my drive train then went out for a ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 January, 2013, 10:40:06 pm
Thanks LWaB, I may be ok as these chainrings (stronglight) seem fatter than the old ones, or at least the mounting tabs are. I've kept the (very very thin) washers anyway so worst case I put them back in.

Ended up doing a bit more fettling today in the end. Mechs off and cleaned, far from spotless as life's too short but got the worst off so as to avoid knackering the new bits too quickly. And new cassette in place. Will leave remounting the mechs and putting the new chain on till tomorrow.

And of course, no matter how carefully I've laid out newspaper and tried to work around anything I have ended up with some grunge on my socks and then up the stairs...the light coloured stairs  :facepalm: Luckily this seems to irk me more than it does the better half.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 January, 2013, 11:02:37 pm
Remember the Sram 3 x 7 on the Pino? The one that wouldn't engage top range? Well it still does it. I even talked to Chris Juden about it a couple of weeks ago, with no bright ideas forthcoming.

Today I took it all apart again and reassembled it. But changed the gear ring assembly for a spare and greased the axle, which it slides on. Can't tell whether it works yet, as I banjaxed the shifter cable and need to delve into the Grip Shift to untangle it. That would have been this afternoon's challenge, but instead I spent time trying to track down the reason for a crackly phone line. _That_ could well be down to BT, according to their on line line checking thang.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 27 January, 2013, 12:00:06 pm
Mechs back on, new chain fitted (not sure on length, think a tad long but should avoid small-small anyway).

Gears adjusted on workstand, big sprocket being a tooth or two over recommended max for mech seems to be ok, luckily not even needing much b-screw adjustment (cos b screw is reluctant to move far).

Will road test after shopping, expect a tad more adjusting but hopefully not too much.

Might find another quick link as this one seemed very easy to undo. Either change it or at least put a spare in saddlebag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 January, 2013, 02:36:54 pm
Yesterday, a few of us helped Crusty to fettle his shiny Hewitt.  Using loadsabikes' extensive range of excellent tools made the whole activity much more fun. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 January, 2013, 03:02:51 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 26 January, 2013, 11:02:37 pm
Remember the Sram 3 x 7 on the Pino? The one that wouldn't engage top range? Well it still does it. I even talked to Chris Juden about it a couple of weeks ago, with no bright ideas forthcoming.

Today I took it all apart again and reassembled it. But changed the gear ring assembly for a spare and greased the axle, which it slides on. Can't tell whether it works yet, as I banjaxed the shifter cable and need to delve into the Grip Shift to untangle it. That would have been this afternoon's challenge, but instead I spent time trying to track down the reason for a crackly phone line. _That_ could well be down to BT, according to their on line line checking thang.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Well. That was interesting. Shifter cable was stuck in its housing. Unmantling the Grip Shift was a pain, but easy when you know how (slide it off the bars first, so the prongy bits can collapse. The cable was rusted and frayed to bits. Quick trip to Evans for replacements. Fitted the whole lot and Spang!", broke the shift key in the 3 x 7. Arse. Remove wheel, remove gubbins from hub, shake out two bits of shift key. Rootle in bits box for already-dead-but-not-fully-cannibalised gubbins. Remove shift ket and pop it into the right hub. Put wheel on bike. Pump up tyre. Spin down roiad. Stuff me. All 3 x 7 gears are there. Oil chain in celebration.

(Occam's Razor would suggest that the cable was the fault, but I'm certain it didn't work properly on the bench, when I was changing gear by pulling the toggle chain. Who cares.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 January, 2013, 03:14:25 pm
Excellent news.  You're obviously a better fettler than you thought.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 27 January, 2013, 05:55:10 pm
First thing this morning made up a dishing gauge using a length of PAR softwood and couple of lengths of dowelling - it was a bit Mk.1 but worked well enough. Rear wheel duly dished using gauge and truing stand - no real problems. Wrestled new Vittoria Rubino onto Chrina rim, inflated and fitted to the Hanlon frame and it looks fine so I took the frame for a quick wheel round and some pics for the build record. I actually only need a chain and I could complete the build but I am in no hurry to get it on the road until the weather impoves - or at least lessens. I'll start building it up for the summer ( :thumbsup:) over the next few weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 January, 2013, 08:29:25 pm
I just took the Marathon Winters off, and put a pair of Marathon Plus tyres onto Vince.  That'll start the snow falling again!

It was a bit of a slog to get the Pluses on, but not because they were particularly tight, but because they're so stiff that it was difficult to get that last bit on, without the other end of the bit that wasn't on tending to move away.  In the end I used a VAR lever just to hold the "open" part of the tyre in place, and let me push the bead over onto the rim.

All sorted now, so with lovely brand new tyres, the risk of a fairy visitation ought to be low (I'll be back on here tomorrow, describing how I had twenty seven puncture in one commute. ;D).

The lower rolling resistance of these tyres, compared to the Marathon Winters, should make for a marginally easier commute on the morrow, assuming the cold stays off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 January, 2013, 09:49:42 pm
I've got the fixed out.

Watch it snow tomorrow.  Not during the night, cause I could swap bikes.  No, during the day while I'm 20km from studded tyres. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 27 January, 2013, 11:45:54 pm
Quote from: TimO on 27 January, 2013, 08:29:25 pm
I just took the Marathon Winters off, and put a pair of Marathon Plus tyres on...
+1, although mine aren't new - I was just swapping back to my regular tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 27 January, 2013, 11:54:43 pm
Cleaned, degreased and purple extremed both my bikes and mini' s islabike. Struggled to fault find mini's front sti eventually found the furrell had slid up the outer cable meaning that the outer was stopping the ratchet working, a quick snip and it was as good as new.
Needs an inline adjuster though.
Mini now very impressed with her smooth drivechain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
Pre-fettling: I think I'll start sorting out the bike my dad gave me tonight.

Things I need to do (not necessarily in order of fettlage):

* Fit some tyres that are slightly less terrifying than the 20 mm Maxxis jobbies on there at the mo'. I've some Rubino Pros in 23 mm that are a bit wider and lighter and gripperier.

* Fit new different handlebars. The 40 cm ones on there at the mo' are just too narrow for my gorilla-esque shoulders. I think they're 40 cm, anyway. They might be 42 cm. Either way, they're going, and I'll fit some 44 cm ones. I should probably buy some new handlebars, as I did a lot of miles on the ones that are (hopefully) in the attic.

(Phanta, if you're reading, the old ones are silver - are you still after a pair of silver handlebars?)

* Fit a different saddle. I've a Charge Spoon which will be a mite more comfy than the nasty plastic effort that's on there. I'm not generally picky about saddles (it's all about the arse)... apart from this one.

* Fiddle with the front mech. It favours the big ring, and the chain catches the front mech in all but the two largest rear sprockets when it's on the inner chainring (racing double, so 52/42).

* Sort out the cable run to the rear brake, which has a bit of slack in it. Tiermat's diagnosis was excess brake outer leading into the brake. Hopefully I have a few offcuts I can use to replace it.

* Plus general fettlage. It was my dad's clothes horse for about ten years, so I might check the hubs and BB, and I'll certainly be servicing the headset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 January, 2013, 03:52:59 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
* Fit new different handlebars. The 40 cm ones on there at the mo' are just too narrow for my gorilla-esque shoulders. I think they're 40 cm, anyway. They might be 42 cm. Either way, they're going, and I'll fit some 44 cm ones. I should probably buy some new handlebars, as I did a lot of miles on the ones that are (hopefully) in the attic.
If you do need a new set of bars, let me know before you buy any - I've still got the bars that came off my old Dave Yates (25.4mm clamp, may be 44cm - I'll measure them) which you're welcome to have as I'm unlikely to use them.

Alternatively, if you want a set of shallow(er) drops with a 31.8mm clamp then I'll soon have a pair doing nothing when I replace the bars on the orange Genesis (again, I think they're 44cm but I'll double check)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:57:45 pm
Too late! I've done and gone and bought some :facepalm:

Thanks anyway :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 28 January, 2013, 07:02:14 pm
Opened, examined and re-greased the tandem rear hub, after yesterday's floods. Seemed fine, but best to check.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 07:20:47 pm
Which brand of hub?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 28 January, 2013, 07:22:43 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 07:20:47 pm
Which brand of hub?

Guess  ::-).

I'm beginning to dislike it less - you can at least fix it when it complains!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 07:24:19 pm
Which it does quite a lot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 28 January, 2013, 07:29:09 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 07:24:19 pm
Which it does quite a lot.

In fairness - only once on the Longstaff, and I think that was my fault as I degreased the cassette on the bike, so probably degreased the freehub internals too. It became very noisy, and responded 100% to treatment.

Tonight's inspection was purely precautionary,  it hadn't actually started making any noises.

But these hubs are definitely NOT "fit and forget".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 07:43:27 pm
That is a fail for an Audax machine, in my books.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 08:20:56 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
* Fit new different handlebars. The 40 cm ones on there at the mo' are just too narrow for my gorilla-esque shoulders. I think they're 40 cm, anyway. They might be 42 cm. Either way, they're going, and I'll fit some 44 cm ones. I should probably buy some new handlebars, as I did a lot of miles on the ones that are (hopefully) in the attic.

That'll explain it. I measured the old bars - 38 cm centre to centre! No wonder they felt narrow. I'm definitely blaming those things for my off-road diversion during the twisty descent into Coverdale off the top of Park Rash.

At the risk of this degenerating into an anti-Halfrauds rant, I think speccing a bike for a six foot bloke with such narrow bars is utterly daft. Only freaks like MSeries (he's not old school, he's original) want bars that skinny.

It's not just that, either. There's hardly a speck of grease in the whole bike. The quill stem came out easily - phew! - but it would have only needed a couple of rainy rides or a few years in a damp garage to seal the damn thing solid.

Still, I'm lucky the old man kept it in his spare room, where the damp couldn't get at it. I've greased the headset and the front hub. I'll do the rear hub next, then decide if I can be bothered to take out the BB and grease it. I probably should.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 January, 2013, 08:42:16 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 07:43:27 pm
That is a fail for an Audax machine, in my books.
FTFY.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 28 January, 2013, 08:49:07 pm
Had to refettle my gears on the ride in today, nothing like sprinting for a green light and the shift to the big ring putting the chain up and over the ring onto the crank.  :facepalm:

Luckily had enough steerage way to pull to the side of the road and have a peruse. Bit of limit screw adjusting followed by a second readjust a bit later and all seems well.

Except an occasional skip in gear four and a chain that looks a tad too long, might take a couple links out as I sized it big ring to big sprocket anna inch, rear mech looks too folded back on itself though, expect that's because my sprockets go from 28 tooth to 24 for the second gear. Perhaps I'll size it big ring - gear two.

Of course if I do that I'll somehow, despite never doing it normally, try and shift into big big and knacker everything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 28 January, 2013, 09:50:07 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 08:20:56 pm


That'll explain it. I measured the old bars - 38 cm centre to centre! No wonder they felt narrow. I'm definitely blaming those things for my off-road diversion during the twisty descent into Coverdale off the top of Park Rash.



Was that on our ride last year?  I don't remember you going off-road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 09:53:00 pm
Quote from: interzen on 28 January, 2013, 08:42:16 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2013, 07:43:27 pm
That is a fail for an Audax machine, in my books.
FTFY.

Not a fix IMHO. Some machines can justify being babied. My track bike ran with oiled hubs and superlight tubs that were shellacked on. An Audax bike shouldn't be that unforgiving.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 28 January, 2013, 10:43:25 pm
Swapped the studded tyres back to normal Marathons. That'll bring on the snow. ::-)

Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
(Phanta, if you're reading, the old ones are silver - are you still after a pair of silver handlebars?)

I am, once I get round to sorting out the project frame if it hasn't rusted away in the shed - but 38cm's too narrow I think (I've got 40cm on the other bike). Thanks anyway, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 29 January, 2013, 09:09:47 am
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 28 January, 2013, 09:50:07 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 08:20:56 pm


That'll explain it. I measured the old bars - 38 cm centre to centre! No wonder they felt narrow. I'm definitely blaming those things for my off-road diversion during the twisty descent into Coverdale off the top of Park Rash.



Was that on our ride last year?  I don't remember you going off-road.

You don't remember me waiting for you on the grass and saying "I nearly came off there"?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 29 January, 2013, 09:12:05 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 28 January, 2013, 10:43:25 pm
Swapped the studded tyres back to normal Marathons. That'll bring on the snow. ::-)

Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
(Phanta, if you're reading, the old ones are silver - are you still after a pair of silver handlebars?)

I am, once I get round to sorting out the project frame if it hasn't rusted away in the shed - but 38cm's too narrow I think (I've got 40cm on the other bike). Thanks anyway, though.

I'll never get rid of 'em, will I? Unless a tiny person (or MSeries) wants some curly bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 January, 2013, 09:33:02 am
Quote from: Deano on 29 January, 2013, 09:12:05 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 28 January, 2013, 10:43:25 pm
Swapped the studded tyres back to normal Marathons. That'll bring on the snow. ::-)

Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
(Phanta, if you're reading, the old ones are silver - are you still after a pair of silver handlebars?)

I am, once I get round to sorting out the project frame if it hasn't rusted away in the shed - but 38cm's too narrow I think (I've got 40cm on the other bike). Thanks anyway, though.

I'll never get rid of 'em, will I? Unless a tiny person (or MSeries) wants some curly bars.
Handlebars can be surprisingly difficult to shift - the table in my office at home is testament to that ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jane on 29 January, 2013, 12:37:28 pm
Quote from: Deano on 29 January, 2013, 09:12:05 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 28 January, 2013, 10:43:25 pm
Swapped the studded tyres back to normal Marathons. That'll bring on the snow. ::-)

Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
(Phanta, if you're reading, the old ones are silver - are you still after a pair of silver handlebars?)

I am, once I get round to sorting out the project frame if it hasn't rusted away in the shed - but 38cm's too narrow I think (I've got 40cm on the other bike). Thanks anyway, though.

I'll never get rid of 'em, will I? Unless a tiny person (or MSeries) wants some curly bars.
What are these bars- I need some narrow ones for my daughter- she has very narrow shoulders, so 38cm is about right.  Although getting them down here might be a problem.  Not that easy to wrap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 29 January, 2013, 12:44:23 pm
Jane - I could probably get them as far as Hertford this weekend with a bit of cunning....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 29 January, 2013, 02:15:20 pm
I'll have a closer look when I take them off. They're just some bog standard traditional-drop bars from a Halfords Carrera.

You're welcome to them - otherwise they'd probably get hoyed into the attic, or down to the local bike rescue.

If we can't work out a way to get them down to London, I have ordered some new bars, so I should have a suitable box to post them in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 January, 2013, 03:16:24 pm
The downstairs loo was slow to empty (water rising high in the bowl when flushed) so I had a proper look this lunchtime. Sure enough, blocked drain - lifting the manhole cover outside it was half full of disgusting water  :sick: Pulled up the other three covers (yes, really - there are four access points to the drain along the front of our house) to find that three were full, one on the end had just had a dribble of water, so I guess the blockage was between that one and the next along.
Dug out the drain rods and had a good prod, but couldn't find where the pipe exited the full hole in that direction. Then realised that that empty one just serviced the drainage from the drive (the pipe from it did head towards the other three though, in my defence!), and the one I assumed was blocked actually had one exit pipe running away from the drive along the front of the house and two entry points at 90 degrees from inside the house.  So the drain runs the in the opposite direction to what I'd thought, and the blockage was at the other end  :facepalm:

A quick prod with the rod at the exit from the one at the other end of the house and there was a very satisfying rush of water and poo draining at speed  :thumbsup: Gave it all a clean and scrub with a rod mounted circular brush whilst I had the covers up to make sure it is properly clear, and now I know how the drains work in this house (I'd not looked before, other than a cursory glance when we moved in to check that they were clear).

It's a bit of a smelly job, but very satisfying. And I didn't get covered in the contents either, even from backsplash when hosing things down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 January, 2013, 03:19:07 pm
Quote from: MattH on 29 January, 2013, 03:16:24 pm
A quick prod with the rod at the exit from the one at the other end of the house and there was a very satisfying rush of water and poo draining at speed  :thumbsup:
Not often you see those words together in the same sentence ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 January, 2013, 03:21:07 pm
Quote from: interzen on 29 January, 2013, 03:19:07 pm
Quote from: MattH on 29 January, 2013, 03:16:24 pm
A quick prod with the rod at the exit from the one at the other end of the house and there was a very satisfying rush of water and poo draining at speed  :thumbsup:
Not often you see those words together in the same sentence ;)

You obviously haven't experienced the same kind of gut reactions that I get after long audaxes  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 January, 2013, 03:29:41 pm
Quote from: MattH on 29 January, 2013, 03:21:07 pm
Quote from: interzen on 29 January, 2013, 03:19:07 pm
Quote from: MattH on 29 January, 2013, 03:16:24 pm
A quick prod with the rod at the exit from the one at the other end of the house and there was a very satisfying rush of water and poo draining at speed  :thumbsup:
Not often you see those words together in the same sentence ;)

You obviously haven't experienced the same kind of gut reactions that I get after long audaxes  :)
Not for quite a few years, no.
It's a state of affairs I'm more than happy to maintain.

(I was going to slip in a reference to the Legendary Singletrack Picolax Thread, but despite being excruicatingly funny it doesn't exactly give an impression of there being a satisfying rush of water and poo ;D )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 29 January, 2013, 04:35:32 pm
Oh god.  This is really embarrassing.
On arrival back in Brum today, I remembered I needed to replace the brake pads on the commuter.
I've only set the camber the wrong way round.
FFS!  I've only been doing this for $lots years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 January, 2013, 07:35:16 pm
Not directly, but....

Phone goes. It's my friend the Cheery Chippy. "How are you?" I ask. "Not too good. I need some advice"

Cycling through darkest Sussex en route to Golden Cross, he's hit a pothole at speed and punctured. The self adhesive patches aren't and he's puzzled by the foil on one side, plastic on the other proper patches. I talk him through what to do. Being a Cheery Chippy the presence of sandpaper is more or less guaranteed, so prepping the tube is easier. Keeping it dry in the pissing rain is more of a challenge, but he takes a liberty with a wheelie bin. Job done.

I text him later to remind him to carry spare tubes on his next trip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 29 January, 2013, 10:40:37 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 January, 2013, 03:49:51 pm
Pre-fettling: I think I'll start sorting out the bike my dad gave me tonight.

Things I need to do (not necessarily in order of fettlage):

* Fit some tyres that are slightly less terrifying than the 20 mm Maxxis jobbies on there at the mo'. I've some Rubino Pros in 23 mm that are a bit wider and lighter and gripperier.

* Fit new different handlebars. The 40 cm ones on there at the mo' are just too narrow for my gorilla-esque shoulders. I think they're 40 cm, anyway. They might be 42 cm. Either way, they're going, and I'll fit some 44 cm ones. I should probably buy some new handlebars, as I did a lot of miles on the ones that are (hopefully) in the attic.

(Phanta, if you're reading, the old ones are silver - are you still after a pair of silver handlebars?)

* Fit a different saddle. I've a Charge Spoon which will be a mite more comfy than the nasty plastic effort that's on there. I'm not generally picky about saddles (it's all about the arse)... apart from this one.

* Fiddle with the front mech. It favours the big ring, and the chain catches the front mech in all but the two largest rear sprockets when it's on the inner chainring (racing double, so 52/42).

* Sort out the cable run to the rear brake, which has a bit of slack in it. Tiermat's diagnosis was excess brake outer leading into the brake. Hopefully I have a few offcuts I can use to replace it.

* Plus general fettlage. It was my dad's clothes horse for about ten years, so I might check the hubs and BB, and I'll certainly be servicing the headset.

And done! I still need to set the saddle height, and I think the bars are too low, but otherwise it's ready to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 January, 2013, 11:11:42 pm
Connected a reservoir to a solenoid valve. Hot glue on a brass adapter isn't very good, until you then heat the brass with a soldering iron to remelt the glue and then it works really well.

Connected the solenoid to some electrickery and it behaves. Next stop will be to get it working with the arduino and do some water drop photos. That requires intercepting the flash output signal from the camera, triggering the solenoid and then triggering the flash at an appropriate time delay. I'll hopefully be able to get double drops working.

..d
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 January, 2013, 09:12:35 pm
Last night I fitted mike's no-longer-concrete Spa Cycles Wharfe saddle to the Hewitt, and today I used it to commute.  It's no worse than the Brooks Team Pro, and maybe a little better-shaped.  I think it will break in fairly quickly now, and it can go on the Inbred when I have fixed* it.

I have used my remaining supply of neatsfoot oil, though.


*whih, in this instance, means unfixing it, as it's going over to a coaster-braked 3 speed.  IYSWIM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 31 January, 2013, 01:55:41 am
Finally fixed the puncture I got on Xmas eve
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Nuncio on 31 January, 2013, 10:45:47 am
Also called Holey Night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 31 January, 2013, 10:21:38 pm
New EAI sprocket to the fixer.  Ooh, it isn't half quiet. The old one was ver' ver' shagged.

Tried also to flatten the lump in the rim by percussive maintenance. Some success, but it's got a flat spot on the circumference. <goes off to see where I can buy Alex rims>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 01 February, 2013, 01:05:28 am
Changed a light bulb.  Swapped a rather old and somewhat tired energy saver job for a shiny new cheap as chips energy saver job. You can now switch on the light in the Cubs' room and see where you're going straight away, instead of having to wait three minutes. 

I would have put a new one in the hall light too, but I can't reach it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 February, 2013, 01:22:26 am
Mauve alert!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 February, 2013, 12:08:49 pm
I'm looking at simplifying powering my GPS and phone on long rides. Whilst the new B&M light looks interesting for providing USB power from the dynamo, I want to see how people get on with it in the field before splurging. I'm sure that long term something similar will be the solution, but up to dynohub USB chargers haven't seemed mature enough to spend money on. My current system is to use a couple of LiIon power packs (3300mAh and 5000mAh claimed), plus an AA battery case in case of problems.

A flash of inspiration pointed me to a couple of hardly used (half a dozen cycles) 4S 4000mAh LiPo flight packs I've got sitting around for when I play radio on hilltops. Parallel them up (OK with LiPo as long as the packs are equivalent and ideally similar age and usage - as these are), put a monitor circuit on to cut the power when they are empty to avoid overdischarge killing the cells, and a high efficiency DC-DC to give 5V out. Together the packs will give 14.8V nominal with a capacity of 8000mAh, equivalent to around 20,000mAh at 5V once losses in the DC-DC are taken into account. If my calcs are correct that should run my Garmin 705 for a week 24h/day, so no need to keep an eye on battery levels for LEL.

I've built the Y cables for the main power out from the packs and for the balance charger, it's all happily charged and running a power thirsty transceiver. Knowing it should work and actually connecting together a couple of packs with a high energy density for the first time are two different things! I did this outside with the packs in a fireproof LiPo charge bag. This will also be useful for using with the radio, as it'll save having to swap packs during operation.

Next step is to measure the efficiency of the DC-DC I intend using and wait for the stuff to turn up to automatically monitor the charge state of the cells and shut off when empty, then sort out an enclosure for mechanical safety.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 February, 2013, 12:24:11 pm
Quote from: MattH on 01 February, 2013, 12:08:49 pm
Next step is to measure the efficiency of the DC-DC I intend using and wait for the stuff to turn up to automatically monitor the charge state of the cells and shut off when empty, then sort out an enclosure for mechanical safety.

FWIW I found the Recom R-78B5.0-1.5 (RS have them) rather good for this sort of thing.  It's a drop-in replacement for a 7805 (no external inductors or anything to worry about), so it's about as mechanically neat as it's likely to get, while being 92-94% efficient and good for 1.5A.  Short circuit protection too, which is a useful bonus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 February, 2013, 03:09:07 pm
Interesting, thanks! I'll test the one I have here (actually a properly built one for giving 5V from a car or truck supply - "properly built" being not a cheap Chinese car charger), but it is a bit bigger that the Recom unit, having extra protection that won't be needed, so I may well go that way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 February, 2013, 03:25:26 pm
I am building a pond.  I built a bit more of it today.

We have a large-ish pond already right where we want a patio but unfortunately it is placed so you fall into it straight out of the french windows.  It was built by a koi carp enthusiast worried about koi carp rustlers and  I think he'd really have liked to have built it indoors.

The koi went long ago and a large frog colony has moved in.  The new pond is mainly for frogs after we fill the old one in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 01 February, 2013, 08:40:40 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 07 January, 2013, 10:31:45 am
Put the chain glider back on the Thorn in preparation for a few official visits with my new Scouting role.

You have one of these?

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-chainglider-for-rohloff-15-17t-for-38t-black-prod22354/?src=froogle

I assume you don't know the horror/comedy story of one of these cutting right through a Rohloff hub? I know SJS sell them, but their bloke Rohloff Dave doesn't recommend them. I bought one once, but I couldn't get it to fit as my chainstays were too short and I sent it back. It wasn't from SJS, but the guy who sold it to me (can't remember the company) said he'd actually seen Robin Thorn stomping indignantly over the the Hebie stand at the cycle show, with a small remnant of amputated hub shell, complete with sprocket, in his hand.

I've heard pretty good things about them when they're attached to single speeds & fixed, but not Rohloff.

My fettling today has been the fixing of two punctured tubes that have been hanging around for some weeks and the rebuilding of my Mercian's back wheel with the DT Swiss Alpine spokes. It was beautifully true and tight in the truing jig, but it must wait until tomorrow for its test ride. I have followed Roger Musson's book to the letter and also referred to Sheldon Brown and Jobst Brandt. I will be mightily pissed off if this one proves to be as fragile as the last effort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 01 February, 2013, 08:50:56 pm
It's off again, some sort of trouser clip works much better.

I've not noticed any damage to the hub, but the tiniest bit of damp inside it an it starts making a horrendous noise, even if I pack it full of grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 01 February, 2013, 08:53:25 pm
Tightened the rather wibbly left hand SORA STI which was a bit wobbly on the handlebar...   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 February, 2013, 09:59:52 pm
Right!  It'll snow tomorrow.  Guaranteed.  I swapped the Marathon Winter back to Marathon Racers on the Romany, since broken spoke on fixed is a length I haven't got a spare for :-[

It involved a bit of bike cleanage, and fitting some RaceBlades to replace the bodged-on 'guards the bike had before.  Looks grand.  Oh yes - needed to reset the computer for the smaller tyres.

Also fitted new knobs to TGL's wardrobe, which means he can close and open it now.  Only took a year or so. :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 01 February, 2013, 10:07:01 pm
Quote from: clarion on 01 February, 2013, 09:59:52 pm
Also fitted new knobs to TGL's wardrobe, which means he can close and open it now.  Only took a year or so. :-[

Is this Wobbly John's effort for the 2013 velocifurniture championships?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 01 February, 2013, 10:48:10 pm
I have fettled the laundry mountain.  What's more I did so at a stage before ropes and crampons were required to summit it, which is quite organised for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 February, 2013, 02:42:21 pm
This:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/P1000982.JPG)

or, more specifically, this:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/P1000981.JPG)

The fight with the Snap Ring of Doom was relatively short, thanks to deft application of a pair of flat-bladed screwdrivers, and the aftermath is such that Pugsley is now running a 23T sprocket instead of the previous 19T (which I thought was 20T) - the net result is a set of wall-crawling gears which fare rather better in deep snow/mud/etc. than the previous setup.

Given that the wheel is now all the way forward in the dropouts and the chain is now rather tighter than I'd like I'll probably need to put another link in at some point. Shall probably have to fiddle with the rear brake caliper, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 February, 2013, 02:57:35 pm
Modified one of Mr Carradice's "saddle pack" bags to work as a front rack bag on my tourer.  Removed straps, drilled some holes and fitted a plate for it to bolt to the small front rack.  Just the job for the windproof jacket and a few bits and pieces.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 February, 2013, 04:32:19 pm
I cleaned my chain :-[

And fitted my new propstand.  I need to hack some off, but I'll need to dig in the dining room to find the hacksaw, and I don't even know if we have a decent blade for it. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 02 February, 2013, 06:29:00 pm
Moved my handlebars up another spacer back to the top of the steerer tube, where they started 6 years ago. Will see if that eases the neck pain on longer rides.

And new brake pads on the front.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2013, 06:50:53 pm
Swapped the front wheel on HK's commuter MTB with a loaner wheel while I disassemble the current wheel to fit a dynohub. Changed the oil in HK's Alfine 11 using the kit advertised in here. Went flint-mining in both tyres; the Big Apple had virtually none, the Nimrod Hardcase was full of glass.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 02 February, 2013, 08:16:18 pm
Another wheel rebuild. The original back wheel from the Royal had been languishing in the corner of the garage since the LBS deemed it 'too far gone' and flogged me a cheap temporary replacement for a 100k last 'summer'. This was to have been my first rebuild so I had bought some Sapim plain guage spokes from Spa months ago but have only got round to completing it... and it has turned out OK, true enough but with mebbe a slight bump. Trued and dished using my Mk1 guage I swapped the M+ from the temp wheel; bunged it on the Royal a had a quick belt up the road in the late afternoon dusk before the rugby. Seems OK to me and a better ride than the temp. Tomorrow will tell if I can find time and gap in the weather to get out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 02 February, 2013, 08:22:02 pm
polished the spokes and built the second (rear) wheel for a single speed bike (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61613.0). it wasn't straightforward - i've tensioned, trued, stress relieved [repeat], then after squeezing the spokes one last time.. pringle!! ???
undone nipples two turns each, re-tensioned, stress relieved - round and true :thumbsup: no better lesson than first-hand experience!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PAC on 03 February, 2013, 04:59:15 pm
New front dérailleur cable and rear brake cables fitted today :) exciting stuff!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 February, 2013, 05:31:06 pm
Finally got chance to collect the Genesis from York. Next stop Cambridge for the Freddie Grubb :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 February, 2013, 05:47:18 pm
New chain on the Mercian. Hopefully before the cassette was stuffed.  And new front mech cable & outer. Ah. Silky smooth once more. I always get caught out by that gradual deterioration in shifting performance as the cable wears.

Found a screw in a mech in the scrap bin to replace one of the limit screws on the front mech that had made a bid for freedom somewhere.

But, more excitingly, I've been cutting a lump of MDF into 115mm wide strips and gluing wet'n'dry paper to them.  Charlotte will know why.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 February, 2013, 06:02:33 pm
Today nikki and I (along with various others) have been mostly playing with golf balls and microcontrollers... And gaffer tape, of course, lots of gaffer tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 February, 2013, 06:08:58 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 03 February, 2013, 05:31:06 pm
Finally got chance to collect the Genesis from York. Next stop Cambridge for the Freddie Grubb :)

Gosh, I thought you'd had it back a while.  Many many thanks for the loan, and a shame I couldn't give it back to you in person.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 February, 2013, 06:11:51 pm
I just fitted a can crusher to the kitchen wall, which works fine for drinks cans, but I need to open up something like a can of beans, and test it's supposed ability to crush those as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 03 February, 2013, 06:47:04 pm
New set of pedals for the tourer, since it's likely to be needed tomorrow.

Commuter has new bars and brake levers, but still needs a bit more work before it's back to two usable brakes.  Blast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 February, 2013, 08:46:27 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 February, 2013, 06:08:58 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 03 February, 2013, 05:31:06 pm
Finally got chance to collect the Genesis from York. Next stop Cambridge for the Freddie Grubb :)

Gosh, I thought you'd had it back a while.  Many many thanks for the loan, and a shame I couldn't give it back to you in person.

Due to workand rl issues I hadn't had chance, until today to go and get it. It way way surpasses my expectations.

Not bad for £200, is it.

No problem on the loan, you are more than welcome, I, too, would have preferred to collect it from you in person.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 03 February, 2013, 10:21:39 pm
The connection between my XP desktop and network printer. Again.  Pretty certain I had done it when I first bought the printer but could find no trace of a driver on that box.  Got as far as downloading drivers for the linux laptop (which has been rebuilt a few times recently) but I'm in no mood for anything more complex than 'double-click' right now.  I think that shall be Monday's IT adventure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 04 February, 2013, 07:13:47 am

https://vimeo.com/58852347 (https://vimeo.com/58852347)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 04 February, 2013, 09:24:38 am
Not today but yesterday,

Sound desk, for a production using a schools equipment, fettling of buttons, settings, and making of leads.

How many ways are there to break an XLR connector, apparently loads, ran out of solder... twice.

Seriously every time we go to this venue I end up repairing the multicore, it's easier to just hire one in than have to fix theirs each time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 04 February, 2013, 09:54:56 am
put a new tube in the right front of the trice after the old tube failed .discovered a broken spoke at the same time so replaced it  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 04 February, 2013, 01:35:52 pm
yesterday I ended up doing workshop duty.

3 PDI's (1 x 16" wheel kids bike, 1 x 20" wheel kids bike and 1 x 24" wheel kids bike). Fuck me but are V brakes a git to adjust to not rub at all on bikes where ickle hands mean not a lot of free movement in a brake lever :o

Also did some gear change work on a couple of pop in jobs. One was a twist grip shifter which was very stiff. Turned out to be corrosion on the inner cable. Whilst threading the new cable I was rewarded with the mother of all pingfuckit moments. Evidence of why keeping the workshop floor clean is a must ::-) Managed to get it all back toegether and shifting sweetly. Whilst sorting that, a Brommie appeared before me with the complaint that, after repairing a rear puncture, he couldn't shift into low gear on his 3 speed SA. A quick check revealed that he had not completely screwed the connector between the cable and the little chain thingy that sticks out of the axle (RZ- what is that bit called again?) together. A quick adjustment, talking him through it as I did so, followed by a request he ride it round the car park to test it and he was happy as Larry.

Not fettled SA stuff since I was a chidler with a 3 speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 February, 2013, 01:41:06 pm
Indicator chain is the word you are looking for, if my memory serves correctly, and yes it is the thing most people get wrong when putting SAs back together (after puncture etc).  Either they don't do it up far enough or they slacken off the locknut and forget they have done that so the shifting is all wrong when they put it back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 04 February, 2013, 01:55:16 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 04 February, 2013, 01:41:06 pm
Indicator chain is the word you are looking for, if my memory serves correctly, and yes it is the thing most people get wrong when putting SAs back together (after puncture etc).  Either they don't do it up far enough or they slacken off the locknut and forget they have done that so the shifting is all wrong when they put it back.
Also known as 'toggle chains' for some reason unknown to me.

All of which reminds me that it's time to fettle the S3X wheel onto the yellow Genesis seeing as I'll likely be doing some long(ish) road rides in the near future. This in turn means I need to get myself a fulcrum clip1 as the Genesis lacks an appropriate braze-on on the chainstay.

1 - Yet Another Sturmey-Archer Pingfuckit
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 February, 2013, 02:12:56 pm
For some reason, as kids we called them "monkey chains". No idea why. Has anyone else heard that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 February, 2013, 06:36:33 pm
I need to find a toggle chain with a short prong bit, if that makes any sense, for a bit of bodging on one of our folders.  It's hard to find the dimensions of the parts in question.

Anyway, last night, I fettled one folder for the commute (since abandoned).  Then replaced the missing spoke on the fixed, and found how much floppier a Mavic Open Pro is than an A719 or a Chrina.  I seemed to be able to get the rim round or straight, but not both. *sigh*

I've compromised.  It's not ideal, but it seems to be OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 04 February, 2013, 06:47:58 pm
New gear shifters on the Miggins Trice.
I have changed the less than precise twist grip type for a shiny new set of Dura-ace bar end shifters.
Now of course, I will have to relocate the mirrors. I have ordered a selection of exotic materials with which to experiment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 04 February, 2013, 07:30:39 pm
I've just fettled Europe(!)
One of the nice folks testing my latest project pointed out that my map of Europe had (and I quote) 'a blank bit underneath Belgium'.

Turns out I'd forgotten to import the data for Luxembourg. Oops!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 04 February, 2013, 08:31:38 pm
Haven't fettled yet but have a pending fettle. Worked out why the toe in was off on my new pads and why they were squealing so much. I got them on the correct sides but one of them is upside down  :facepalm:

And I need to shorten by chain by a link of two but that can wait as it's not crucial.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 February, 2013, 10:13:20 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 04 February, 2013, 06:47:58 pm
Now of course, I will have to relocate the mirrors. I have ordered a selection of exotic materials with which to experiment.

£5 Decathlon mirrors as discussed in the baraktacycle thread.  Gave up on the bracket that's made of cheese, in favour of sturdy 8mm stainless ball studs from a supplier of gas lift gubbins, mounted on L-bracket clamped to the inside of the mudguard stay (M5 bolt, penny washer, couple of bits of inner tube).  With the top of the 'L' pointing inwards, they don't add anything to the width of the trike.

I need to do more photos...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 05 February, 2013, 10:07:58 am
Yes please Kim.
I must locate my local Decathlon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 February, 2013, 11:40:14 am
Stripped the Fenton ready to go off for painting.

Now to go and see the guy to find out how much he will charge (I know how much PC and paint from other places is)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 05 February, 2013, 12:02:42 pm
Well. That at least explains why we were struggling to select the big ring last ride out on the Longstaff.

When I checked it just now, with granny selected, there was a lot of slack cable. "Strange for that to suddenly happen like that", thinks I. I put the hex key into the head of the cable clamp bolt, and off it came - sheared clean off before I even got a chance to turn it; it was merely "resting" in there, and the cable had stayed in place by dint of good fortune and friction. Bugger.

So - unless I can drill out the stub of the old bolt, that'll be a new front mech I guess. Yay  >:(.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 February, 2013, 02:16:11 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 February, 2013, 10:13:20 pm
£5 Decathlon mirrors as discussed in the baraktacycle thread. 

I need to do more photos...

Quote from: loadsabikes on 05 February, 2013, 10:07:58 am
Yes please Kim.
I must locate my local Decathlon.

Added to the baraktacycle thread: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45696.msg1413742#msg1413742

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/trike_mirror/IMG_3710.sized.jpg) (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45696.msg1413742#msg1413742)

No handlebars needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 February, 2013, 02:54:14 pm
I have also tried aligning the Avid Shorty 6's on the Genesis.

Boy, they are a bitch to get right, aren't they?  I think maybe one of the screws is stripped, which won't help anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 05 February, 2013, 03:10:49 pm
Power engineering for me today.
Built a 4-gang Schuko board to IEC C14 cable so I can plug foreign things into my big UPS without messing around with plugtop adaptors.
Built a 6-gang UK board to IEC C14 so I have both raw mains and UPS power on my desk.
Replaced the damaged Schuko plug on my Schuko to 4-gang UK board that I use when travelling (that always impresses people when we are fighting for power sockets in a meeting room, and the UK contingent can get by with a single outlet).

Pulled the baby UPS apart to check why it no longer provides backup power - confirmed a dead battery (charging voltage is OK, battery won't charge on a dedicated charger, it is about 8 years old so not unexpected). New battery on order. Nowadays this is only keeping our DECT phone system, the PVR and the network switch in the living room alive during power outages, so it's not too critical.

Managed to skin my knuckles breaking the glued seal holding the two halves of a wall wart radio charger together (that also had four screws, so the glue was a bit of overkill). Chopped off the bit of output cable that was breaking where the strain relief ends and reconnected it all having drilled the failed cable out of the moulded relief. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 February, 2013, 09:23:18 pm
I worked out why I can't get a decent amount of tension into the chain on Vince, so it keeps on jumping off, and it turns out that the chain has stretched enough that the axle hits the back of the (horizontal) dropouts!  So, a quick fettle with the chain tool on my emergency tools multi-tool, and the chain is shorter, and I can actually put tension into the system. :thumbsup:

For a nice bonus, the brake blocks aren't rubbing, so I haven't bothered to move them.  They could probably do with fine tuning, but at this time of day, I can't be buggered if I don't need to.  I'll look at them at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 05 February, 2013, 10:05:06 pm
I just spent a mere 2 1/2 hours replacing the door seal on my washing machine.

If there's any other DIY job that is more fekking annoying and frustrating than that I'd like to see it (and get someone else to do it)!  >:( >:( >:(

Not helped by Hotpoint seemingly having decided to weld (literally) the front of the machine onto the rest of the body so you have to fettle the damn thing on whilst bending ones hands and arms through seemingly impossibly small gaps without being able to actually see what your fingers are doing.

Grumble grumble grumble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 February, 2013, 12:46:33 pm
Busy one today:

Cleaned some of the metal bits off the Fenton

Stripped and re-greased the front hub for same (made a lot easier by the fact the locknuts were doing what they were supposed to be doing, so one side didn't move at all!)

Fitted lights and Charge Spoon to the Day One.

Adjusted seat height on Day One

Adjusted rear brake on Day One.

Fitted and adjusted the Front Rollers to the rear of the Inbred.

Washed up

Took the bin out

I am *supposed* to be working!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 February, 2013, 12:57:51 pm
More of a pending fettle-by-proxy.

I've just emailed the LBS to book the yellow Genesis in - not only will it be wearing the S3X hub at Easter (itself a fettle-in-waiting as the necessary S-A pingfuckits haven't arrived), it'll be rocking a set of carbon forks too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 February, 2013, 03:18:40 pm
And this afternoon's fettle has been to make a new belt out of a buckle from a Dragon belt that the webbing all frayed on and a Vredestein Fortezza 650c tyre I had lying around in the garage.

Good it is, even if I say so myself, but my hand hurts from where I was holding the scissors to cut the tyre...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 07 February, 2013, 03:51:30 pm
Not done it myself, but had King's Cycles in Taunton tweak the gears on my Brommie.  Thanks to Gordon for a quick (and cheap) job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 February, 2013, 04:03:09 pm
And final fettle of the day, but a fettle-by-proxy, our dishwasher now works.

I am both :) and :( about this, the last 3 days we have spent 10 minutes after dinner, as a family, washing and drying and chatting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 February, 2013, 09:10:06 pm
I've just done my final fettle of the day - I've put an extra couple of links into Pugsley's chain; it's now 'sensibly tight' rather than 'insanely tight' and, better yet, the wheel isn't all the way forwards in the dropouts. Didn't even have to adjust the rear brake caliper that much either, so double win.

I'm now going to write a list of bits I need from the LBS tomorrow - lots of little bits and pieces so I'm writing a list so that I don't forget anything vital1.

Then I'm going to bed on account of being absolutely knackered, but sound in the knowledge that I'm off work until next Wednesday :thumbsup:

1 - the success of this plan is, however, dependent on me remembering to take the list with me in the first place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 08 February, 2013, 12:03:06 am
2 birthday cakes  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 February, 2013, 12:08:01 am
Lubuntu onto this box. So it must be working.  Except the sound doesn't and the screen appears a bit fuzzy. Sound means a lot of command line tweaking. I think the fuzziness is down to not using the proprietary drivers for the graphics card.  More investigation needed.

Oh, and I must set up an email client and then find a way of attaching it to the gazillion bytes of mail I've got backed up. Somewhere.

And get nfs working. (unknown filesystem type 'nfs')

Apart from that it went like a dream.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 February, 2013, 12:19:10 am
Fitted the new Cyo and front wheel to the tourer :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 February, 2013, 10:10:12 am
Not personal fettling but, yesterday I spent some time watching in awe as my LBS mechanic transformeda dawes bike of indeterminate age from a non functioning mess into a serviceable steed.

The chain neede to be cut of with bolt croppers in 3 sections as it had siezed and would not progress through the rear mech. The seat post and stem needed to be 'persuaded' out with a soft faced hammer. The bottom bracket removal needed two people- the mechanic on the spanner, which was backed up by a lenth of pipe to increase the leverage, and me standing on the handlebars (bike inverted into dyding fly mode) to get sufficient weight for him to work against. A genius at work :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 08 February, 2013, 01:11:23 pm
a change from fake plastic plants to some nice real amazon swords in my fish tank.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 08 February, 2013, 01:36:15 pm
No fettling on the bike, but in the kitchen just made 36 mince pies  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 09 February, 2013, 04:25:02 pm
Just dremelled the steerer tube down to normal height, I had 35mm of spacers above the stem stopping the garmin from clicking in unless I unfastened a light.

Naturally I did the correct procedure of measuring once and cutting twice!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 09 February, 2013, 05:02:02 pm
No cycling fettling, just persuading an old PC I built several years ago, but died from corrupted files in XP, back into action.  I'd forgotten just how out of date XP is when in virgin condition.  It didn't recognise the wifi card, or the sound card (on board).  No wifi card driver disc was evident, and its 15 yr old owner did not recall having to set it up when I supplied it, so after peering at the card with a torch and magnifying glass, we googled for its driver on another PC and got the driver.  Eventually managed to persuade it to talk to the router, and then Internet explorer started getting in the way, so we download chrome on a stick and installed that.   Did 72 Windows updates, then realised we had no sound, so found a disc of motherboard drivers including sound, so installed that, and lo and behold, it was f***ed. Obviously we should have installed that before we did windows updates.  Had to reinstall XP, and I think it is working now, but I've left them to it!

That was not fun...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 February, 2013, 06:20:08 pm
Today I have fettled two large lengths of roughly sawn 2-by-6 into two large smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom lengths of 2-by-6 and enough wood shavings to keep a pair of guineapigs happy for about a week.

I now no longer seem to be able to work a knife and fork properly, and everything tastes slightly of wood.


ETA: Oh, wooden snot too.  Marvellous.  Note for next time: botch up some better dust extraction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 February, 2013, 08:49:45 pm
Our nephew came round with the Trek he'd got off TGL.  He had a broken spoke.  Then, yesterday, he got a puncture.

Anyway, we set to and stripped the bike down.  The spoke had broken because the chain had dropped off the big sprocket, and had mangled all the outer ones on drive side.  We went up to Corridori, where we bought seven drive side spokes (and one non-drive side), a new rim tape, and an inner tube.

Back home, he cleaned up the drivetrain while I replaced most of the spokes.  I got him to fit the last.  Then, I was going to true the wheel, but there was a slight diversion while I cleaned and rebuilt the rear brake.  Then, it was truing the wheel, which went better than I expected.  Rim tape, tube and a replacement tyre from our cellar fitted, cassette replaced, and wheel back on.

Next, the front brake, which was sticking and not releasing.  I stripped and cleaned it, but realised there was more to do, so we replaced the knackered cables, and used the opportunity to straighten the brake levers, reset the bar position, and replace the bar tape.

Almost done, I had a look at the front mech, which wasn't changing well.  I adjusted the cable and the end stops, but realised that the cable was going to need replacing before long.  No time to do it today, so we added that to a list of jobs to do in a few weeks, including replacing the cassette and chain, and fitting a rack so he could carry his large folders to college without getting backache.

Dark now, I realised he didn't have any decent lights for getting home (which would be mainly by train anyway), so I loaned him my back up Lezynes (lucky lad), and he went off home.

A loooong day, but I think he learned a lot about bikes, cycling, and fettling while we were busy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: francisbarton on 09 February, 2013, 09:33:01 pm
Bit of an epic fettle there Clarion!

I was just about to set off on a ride this morning when I noticed my rear wheel was rubbing on the blocks. Then I noticed I had four broken spokes. I'd wondered what those loud cracks were that I'd heard over the last week or so. Weird: they were all driveside & trailing. First time I've had any problem with that wheel.
Anyway, down to the LBS to get some replacements, fit, true, general clean-up and a good ride in the afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 February, 2013, 09:36:32 pm
Good going there Clarion.

Having been frightened off fettling Xubuntu onto that box over there ---->, this evening I'm putting the actual release version of raspbmc onto my Pi. Going frighteningly well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 09 February, 2013, 09:53:12 pm
Fettling-by-proxy: Went to walk-in centre and got some prescription painkillers for mysteriously damaged nerve in left arm.  :(

Fettling-by-self-and-feeling-very-chuffed-with-self-as-a-result: Had my first Android rooting experience and both the phone and I survived to tell the tale! GPS now working without the aid of a SIM card  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 February, 2013, 09:54:41 pm
Thanks guys.  I just wanted to make sure my nephew would continue cycling and get a decent idea on how to do fettling properly (his dad's a bit of a bodger :( )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: agagisgroovy on 09 February, 2013, 10:17:37 pm
Fixed up a BSO, kindly donated by my grandmother for uni commuting purposes  :). Seat pin was rusted through, had to saw/hammer it out and bodge it with a bolt. Then pumped up the tyres, cleaned it and oiled the chain.
There was a decent old Raleigh hiding in the back of their shed too - steel rims, suicide levels etc. Would need some TLC but it also has horizontal dropouts  ::-), unfortunately it belongs to my aunt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 February, 2013, 10:18:56 pm
Glad you've got a bike sorted.  I suspect a Raleigh fixed might be much more nickable :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 10 February, 2013, 12:01:59 am
Attached trailerbike to the red bike.  Fitted assorted lights to assorted bikes and then we made use of 'em :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 February, 2013, 01:42:32 pm
Just finished setting up my dad's new computer (nothing major, just a few driver updates) - it didn't take too long because he's not had the chance to fill the hard disk full of crap  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 10 February, 2013, 05:00:02 pm
New chain, jockey wheels (lesson learnt, blingy ceramic bearing jockey wheels don't like winter in the UK), brake blocks (Swissstop Green natch), new cassette and a good clean of chainset (all rings off and clean).

So I should have a drive train that works very nicely again. And brakes that stop me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 10 February, 2013, 06:23:41 pm
A lousy day today, cold with sleety rain then rainy sleet, so I didn't feel like going out. Spent the afternoon at the kitchen table stripping down, cleaning and polishing Campag GS brakes for the Hanlon Project bike. The cable clamp fell apart when the clamp bolt was loosened so I will have to make a replacement when it's warm enough to spend an hour at the bench, otherwise they look pretty good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 10 February, 2013, 11:53:13 pm
I fettled the arduino into a water dropper and was able to capture some 'awseome sauce ' [tm, peter,11] pictures of colliding water drops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 February, 2013, 04:17:47 pm
Decided to bite the bullet and fit the mudguards to the 1x(11) in the absence of anything better to do.

Front mudguard is now fitted, with a surprising lack of faff given that there's a gert big disc caliper in the way. I suspect that fitting the rear won't be quite as trouble free ...

I think a few more cups of tea are required before continuing :)

EDIT: Job done ... until I realised that I'd forgotten refit the Big Apples  :facepalm:

EDIT EDIT: Job definitely done now - the 1x(11) is now wearing 2.1" Big Apples. One inner tube was sacrificed to the gods of fettling during this process. I lost track of how much tea I drank but I fear my kidneys might have floated away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 12 February, 2013, 02:22:33 pm
instant pancake mix into things which have a remarkably similar look and texture to expanding foam......    :facepalm:  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 February, 2013, 09:32:19 am
Haven't done it yet, but it's on the to-do list for when I get home from work1:

After giving my fellow pub riders a private premiere of Symphony for Disc Brakes in B-minor last night, I think I need to adjust the brakes on the singlespeed - they sounded like someone was taking a chainsaw to a cage full of monkeys and I swear that if I'd fiddled with the brake modulation I could have played a few tunes to keep people amused.

1 - I have to get there first, though, as I'm currently waiting for UPS to (re)deliver my Raspberry Pi  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 14 February, 2013, 10:54:13 am
A pair of cheeky little brackets to take the bottle cages on the Trice.
They are now slung just under and either side of the seat. Out of the way of the riders arms and easily accessable when underway. Sweet :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2013, 12:45:39 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 14 February, 2013, 10:54:13 am
A pair of cheeky little brackets to take the bottle cages on the Trice.
They are now slung just under and either side of the seat. Out of the way of the riders arms and easily accessable when underway. Sweet :thumbsup:

In the splatter zone, though, so worth using bottles with lids.  Which isn't a problem on a trike as it's so easy to ride no-hands.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 14 February, 2013, 02:39:10 pm
Used some of the Sugru donated by interzen to re-cover my downtube shifters

One side red, one side black.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 February, 2013, 06:03:28 pm
I fettled a Bagman 2 support to Simonp's Van Nicholas, the new plastic connector thingy to his Barley, and a wireless Cateye too. I then pumped his tyres up and mine. I made him set up his own clock and wheel diameter on his new Cateye though because that must be my most hated fettle ever, the user interface on Cateyes is totally demented!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 February, 2013, 07:30:32 pm
A couple of bits of corrugated plastic, some duct tape, some elastic cord & a clip into an audax route card holder upperer!   ;D
2 layers of correx used, one at 90 degree to the other for maximum strength.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8110/8474471098_43a4c0ec8b_z.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8474471032_37815b7d5e_z.jpg)
Secured to stem & bars by short lengths of elastic cord, tied through the bottom layer of correx.

 :D

Must road test it tomorrow, before sundays ToEL audax
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 February, 2013, 08:05:57 pm
Brakes  >:(

Spent the last hour trying to sort out the shrieky brakes on the green Genesis. I think I've got it sussed, and it was a combination of the caliper bolts not being quite tight enough and glazed pads. Both relatively easy to fix on their own, but repositioning the brake caliper afterwards was a pain in the arse of quite epic proportions.

I really can't be bothered to go out and road test them now, although a quick blast round the block indicates that I've silenced the banshee, at least until it starts raining again  ::-)

If I can't sort things out to my satisfaction then I may just bite the bullet and fit hydraulics (I originally chose cable-operated disc brakes for their field servicability)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2013, 08:55:19 pm
A bit of roadside brake and gear tweaking on the Streetmachine which got new cables and brake pads back in January when I was in no state to ride.

Also, after a while I noticed a weird clattery sound with every 7th turn of the pedals.  Stopped and investigated, and sure enough, the rear mech was skipping at one point on the (new) chain.  Closer inspection revealed a bit of metal sticking out sideways on one of the links.  Assuming I'd cocked up the join, I was amused to discover it was in fact a small rare-earth magnet that had attached itself to the chain during fettling, and had been going around on the non-sprocket side for about 20km, nudging the uper jockey wheel on each pass.  Removing the magnet restored the transmission to what passes in the recumbent world for glorious silence, as I'd also fettled the chain tube attachment springs for minimal interference.

Indexing's still rubbish, but I think that can wait until after this weekend's audax.  I'm used to compensating with a bit of hysteretic shifter-fu at the top end of the cassette, and don't want to break anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 15 February, 2013, 04:18:35 pm
Fitted some crud  roadracer mrk IIs to my BMC streetracer bike today.  VERY close fit - in fact had to abandon plans to use the full coverage on the rear wheel to protect the chainset. Just not enough room (the 4 mm allen key thing wasn't a go - doesn't fit).  Anyway, chopped off 5 mm from the zip tie faster and it worked beautifully - don't know why they tell you to use a hacksaw - a pair of scissors did for me.
Front guard is rubbing slightly still though - will need to fettle that more when I get home (loosen off the front zip tie I think).

Anyway, should be good for the next Audax now so I don't get any more shit for not having mudguards. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 February, 2013, 06:19:45 pm
I've done a de-fettle and a tweak ...

The de-fettle was taking the BB7s off the 29er in preparation for an upgrade to hydraulics. Said bike is now running in what I'd call 'York College Hipster Fuckwit Mode' or, if you prefer, singlespeed-no brakes1

The tweak was on the newly carbon-forked yellow Genesis - the mechanic at the LBS had refitted the Ay-Up lighting bracket  backwards2 :)

1 - yes, really. The temptation to stop and smash some sense into the offending riders is overpowering.
2 - to be fair, this is *extremely* easy to do.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 February, 2013, 07:38:25 pm
Gears, as outlined here (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=67084.msg1420836#msg1420836).

After returning the shifter to the Dawes, replaced the associated cable (inner and outer).  Interestingly, this was in a far better state than the front gear cable was when I replaced it a couple of months ago.  I suspect it's because of my habit of downshifting to the granny ring when stopping, and back up again once up to speed.

Need to get some fresh noodles and re-do the brake cables at some point.  The rear is looking a bit tatty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 February, 2013, 11:37:10 am
Started dismantling and cleaning the Inbred ready for its rear wheel rebuild and Sturmey-Archer conversion.

The fixed sprocket didn't look too good after 3.5 years commuting (about 8,000 miles, and it's probably had four or five chains in that time).  Unlike the Hoxton poseurs, we have gritty mud on our lanes and it grinds everything down.

(http://www.peeble.com/eai15t.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 16 February, 2013, 06:29:39 pm
More fettling of the Campag GS brake calipers destined for my Pat Hanlon rebuild. When I offered up the rear calliper to the frame, the pivot bolt was too long and moreover was mysteriously stamped 'Japan'. As it was the better than the other alternatives lurking in the brake spares box I decided to lengthen the thread using my Lidl tap and die set - which worked fine - I don't think the dies are high speed steel so I had to use them fairly gingerly - but for under a tenner I can hardly complain. When I stripped down the callipers to give them a clean last weekend, one of the cable clamps fell in half; searching the garage for a suitable piece of scrap steel to make a replacement I found an old Ikea curtain pole bracket which was not only the correct thickness but also had the right size hole in it to take the clamp bolt. Sometimes, just sometimes...things go in your favour! An hour of fiddly hacksawing and filing produced a replacement; so I think I have a stopping solution. I now need to concentrate on a going solution!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 16 February, 2013, 06:37:01 pm
Rewrapped the bar tape on the Peregrine. For some reason I never get bar tape right the first time round but subsequent rewrappings work fine ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 February, 2013, 08:20:09 pm
Shiny new cleats on my commuter shoes.
Really *must* remember to back off the pedal spring tension tomorrow so I don't have any incidents on Monday....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 16 February, 2013, 08:20:44 pm
Tried to get Ribble back on road.

New chain; Check

New Cassette: Check

New small chainring; Check

Oh, hang on, it's 110BCD and the spider is for 130bcd   . . . . :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 February, 2013, 08:29:26 pm
Laboriously dismantled the rear wheel, because I want to re-use the rim (no brake, y'see, so no wear) and spokes.    Then cleaned it all and separated the spokes into inside and outside spokes, which is fairly easy by eye (get this wrong and they will probably break quickly in the new wheel).

/dons dusty engineer's hat

The Goldtec hub cracked because of galvanic corrosion between the spokes and the shell, no doubt accelerated by road salt.  The outside spokes have eaten deep into the shell, with crusty aluminium spreading outwards and flaking off the black coating (I think it's anodising, but it could be paint).   The damage to the shell is deep enough that the flange could have cracked almost anywhere around its circumference.

The failure occured on the LHS because (although it's a totally symmetrical flipflop wheel, so mechanically both sides are identical) the RHS was protected by oil spatter, and there is very little corrosion there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 16 February, 2013, 11:21:20 pm
Finally changed the MTB rear gear cable and all the outers. ANd cleaned bits up whilst I was at it. I must find a new stock of aglets, my little bag of same has gone walkies, presumably with the hiding things pixie.

Cabled the church AV system. HDMI is so much nicer than VGA for long runs. This meant a fair bit of grovelling under floors. My weekends spent wriggling through hles under the dales asa student were not wasted. Having taken the obvious route of laying everything out above ground and checking it worked (which it did, first time :) I could then go wriggling and duly connected it all up. A little bit of fettling to do when the wall plates arrive, but apart from that it is a job well done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 February, 2013, 11:42:02 pm
I found and resolved the chain noise on the Dahon, tightened the chain, and checked the gear adjustment.

Trued the wheels on the Solo, tightened the brake levers to the bar (they stick out, so take a bit of bashing whenever I lean the bike against anything), cleaned and adjusted the brakes, then removed the old computer in anticipation of receiving the new one.

Dug out the Romany, and sawed off the ends of the stand.  Tried to swap the light bracket, including drilling out the Gino mount for a wider bolt, but I didn't have a fork crown bolt long enough, so I put the old bracket back.  I need to pump the tyres up in the morning before I go out. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 February, 2013, 12:04:11 am
Changed from the Ultegra headset (converted to threadless with M Parts bits) on HK's S&S bike to a Chris King. A nice bit of kit. I might have to get around to fitting the other one to my bike. The Stronglight roller bearing headset is getting to be a pain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 17 February, 2013, 11:43:20 am
The project is finished! :D (Well, apart from bar tape)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 17 February, 2013, 03:47:05 pm
An enormous pot of bigos (hunter's stew) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigos), which is currently simmering away (and will do for a few hours).  Good things I like the stuff, as I appear to have made enough to last me an entire week, at least!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 February, 2013, 04:02:42 pm
The yellow Genesis:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/dayone-yellow.JPG)

It's now in Audax mode, albeit still without the S3X hub (still waiting for a few important bits, like sprockets, to turn up). This setup will suffice for rides up to 600km, I think - any more and I'll be carrying my bivvy bag in a handlebar sling (and a spare battery for the Ay-Ups)

Loving the carbon forks, too - the stock steel forks did a mighty fine job of soaking up road buzz, but the 32mm tyre/carbon fork combo knocks it up a notch, which is a definite win given the state of some of the roads round here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 February, 2013, 04:08:20 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 17 February, 2013, 03:47:05 pm
An enormous pot of bigos (hunter's stew) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigos), which is currently simmering away (and will do for a few hours).  Good things I like the stuff, as I appear to have made enough to last me an entire week, at least!
I think we might have a contender for the ultimate Yorkshire pudding filler  ;D :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 17 February, 2013, 05:02:02 pm
New pedals and mirror mount for the Grasshopper.  At long last, the poor thing is ridable again!  (...although might benefit from bleeding the brakes at some point...).  Now to work on getting my 'bent legs back, and find a spot for a GPS.  Hmm...

Also, a bit more measuring up in the hope that project New Bike Shed might actually happen soon...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 17 February, 2013, 05:18:50 pm
Quote from: interzen on 17 February, 2013, 04:02:42 pm
The yellow Genesis:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/dayone-yellow.JPG)

It's now in Audax mode, albeit still without the S3X hub (still waiting for a few important bits, like sprockets, to turn up). This setup will suffice for rides up to 600km, I think - any more and I'll be carrying my bivvy bag in a handlebar sling (and a spare battery for the Ay-Ups)

Loving the carbon forks, too - the stock steel forks did a mighty fine job of soaking up road buzz, but the 32mm tyre/carbon fork combo knocks it up a notch, which is a definite win given the state of some of the roads round here.

zat looks good!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 February, 2013, 05:32:54 pm
Quote from: marcusjb on 17 February, 2013, 05:18:50 pm
Quote from: interzen on 17 February, 2013, 04:02:42 pm
The yellow Genesis:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/dayone-yellow.JPG)

It's now in Audax mode, albeit still without the S3X hub (still waiting for a few important bits, like sprockets, to turn up). This setup will suffice for rides up to 600km, I think - any more and I'll be carrying my bivvy bag in a handlebar sling (and a spare battery for the Ay-Ups)

Loving the carbon forks, too - the stock steel forks did a mighty fine job of soaking up road buzz, but the 32mm tyre/carbon fork combo knocks it up a notch, which is a definite win given the state of some of the roads round here.

zat looks good!
I'm hoping it'll look a lot better when it has a colour-coordinated saddle :) (it's on order - a B17s in 'ochre'). I'm also thinking that a black seatpost would look good too - I've got a Thomson Elite on one of the Surlys and I love it, so I'm gradually moving all the bikes over to Thomson posts. Expensive, but worth it.

I've also been seeing if it's possible to get a set of carbon 'cross forks in orange for the other Day One ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 17 February, 2013, 05:38:25 pm
The Harry Quinn project is awaiting me to get to the powder coaters, so I took advantage of the good, no great, weather and dug up what I could of the brambles and weeds at the bottom of the garden without doing too much damage to the bluebells, I hope. Back-breaking stuff, so an hour sufficed!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 February, 2013, 05:39:53 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 17 February, 2013, 05:38:25 pm
The Harry Quinn project is awaiting me to get tot he powder coaters, so I took advantage of the good, no great, weather and dug up what I could of the brambles and weeds at the bottom of the garden without doing too much damage to the bluebells, I hope. Back-breaking stuff, so an hour sufficed!
I should have done some garden fettling today but it's difficult to source napalm on a Sunday :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 February, 2013, 05:49:52 pm
Adjusted the pedal tension, hopefully for the avoidance of new cleat induced clipless moments tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 17 February, 2013, 06:59:11 pm
Quote from: interzen on 17 February, 2013, 05:39:53 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 17 February, 2013, 05:38:25 pm
The Harry Quinn project is awaiting me to get tot he powder coaters, so I took advantage of the good, no great, weather and dug up what I could of the brambles and weeds at the bottom of the garden without doing too much damage to the bluebells, I hope. Back-breaking stuff, so an hour sufficed!
I should have done some garden fettling today but it's difficult to source napalm on a Sunday :)
I suspect my efforts will be in vain unless I keep on top of the nettles and brambles, so to speak. I'm going to try lavender there to further encourage the masses of bumble bees I managed to attract last year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 February, 2013, 07:49:35 pm
Swapped the fork on my Moulton to a new one with custom dynolight boss; cleaning and regreasing the headset at the same time. I can see that this headset will not last much longer, quite surprising given the long headtube. I think I'll need to fit a Brompton bracket to get enough clearance between the Cyo and the front rack..

Removed a suspension creak from my Brompton and replaced the batteries in a couple of HK's tailights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 17 February, 2013, 09:42:27 pm
My home improvement misadventures, Fit The Umpteenth.

The intention was to get started on putting in a gravel-filled trench around the kitchen extension, on account of the numpty who had laid out the paving in the back yard raising ground level too high with respect to the damp-proof course.

What actually happened was that I spent today taking up all the paving slabs between the kitchen extension and the boundary wall, and uncovering a perfectly serviceable concrete floor that was more-or-less the required distance below the DPC.

Assuming that the concrete doesn't cover the entire back yard under the paving, I can see a major re-paving job in the future...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 17 February, 2013, 09:50:34 pm
Washed the crosser thoroughly, fitted new star nut, and then sprayed thick oil over anything that looks vulnerable and put it in the shed where it will stay until about November.

Washed the Rourke, checked headset and carbon steerer for damage (creak coming from somewhere when out of saddle)

Got Bastardos out of the shed. fitted pedals, retensioned chain, and fitted new front guard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 February, 2013, 12:01:47 pm
More garden fettling in more great weather (this is half term, isn't it?). Chopping up and cleaning up after yesterday's efforts and some ornamental grass shearing. I even managed a post-work capuccino on the garden bench in the sun after with a bit of carrot cake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 18 February, 2013, 12:12:25 pm
Sudden realisation yesterday that if I was going to cycle to my physio appointment then I had best at least put some air in the tyres of a bike.

Therefore the fixie got the marathon winters put back upto ~80psi having dropped them down during hte snow a couple of weeks ago. Whilst at it I also pumped up the tyres on the Van Nic, and found what state the chain was in. I hadn't cleaned the bike after my Morecombe - Scarborough ride last October!!  :-[  :facepalm: The last day of which included the first snowfall of this winter. The chain was orange, full of stiff links etc. Fortunately there was a spare 10speed chain in the cupboard so at 10:30 last night I was busy fitting that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 18 February, 2013, 02:08:29 pm
Put a mudguard bridge on Nib's bike. The original fitting was a hole drilled through the mudguard with a bolt into the frame. The mudguard had rusted out around the bolt.
He no longer has the sound of mudguard on tyre as he goes along!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 February, 2013, 09:41:55 pm
One of the lads (*) who has started coming along to the church garden project has a bike which apparently was needing the rear brakes fixed. I had a look tonight. It was a low end bicycle, one step above a BSO (ie cheap but not cheese components) that has seen better days. I replaced the rear brake cable and got that working, but it still needs new gear cables, gear outers, end caps for the cables, new front outer and cable and some lights. And some front shifters. Then it should be a lot more pleasant to ride. So it is roadworthy but single speed (28/12 - just don't, OK). Once the relevant bits arrive, coupled with stuff from the spares box, he should be very happy with it.

(*) generic term. Generally unfit for work 40's/50's barely scraping by but doing a few bits of gardening here and there. CV/BP issues so has the complexion of a slightly greasy ash tray.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 February, 2013, 10:11:06 pm
Good on you for helping him out
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 February, 2013, 11:11:25 pm
Well, it should be far more serviceable in a couple of weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 February, 2013, 11:20:31 pm
The 500GB hard disk on this machine, which was claiming all sorts of nonsense. Wouldn't let the machine boot, couldn't mount it when I ran a live CD. Sorted out the partition table using TestDisk. Mounts now and the data is still there. Phear mi leet haxor skillz.

(Just have to work out why Grub is locking up and preventing the machine booting now) 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 February, 2013, 10:47:32 am
Stripped all extraneous pieces from the Day One, ready for the ebay buyer's dad to collect on Saturday.

Trying to decide if I ride the Ridley tonight or the Inbred.  If I take the Inbred I will need to change the tyres, if I take the Ridley it just needs a quick looking over and packing of saddle bag (including lights).

The Ridley might just win :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 February, 2013, 12:36:49 pm
And the Ridley has won, tyres checked, batteries fettled and seatpack packed.

Then I moved onto fixing the dryer, the door wasn't closing properly.  Upon closer inspection I found a loose screw (and it wasn't mine!).  One of the plastic door hinge guides had broken into umpteen pieces.  Easiest way to fix it was to just swap the hinges over so the door opens the other way, something I had wanted to do for a while anyway as it now opens on left, the same as the washer, so that you don't have to contend with two door to lift the washing over when putting it in the dryer.

And it all works onceI have put it back together! Will wonders never cease?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 19 February, 2013, 12:39:18 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 19 February, 2013, 10:47:32 am
Stripped all extraneous pieces from the Day One, ready for the ebay buyer's dad to collect on Saturday.

Trying to decide if I ride the Ridley tonight or the Inbred.  If I take the Inbred I will need to change the tyres, if I take the Ridley it just needs a quick looking over and packing of saddle bag (including lights).

The Ridley might just win :)

Where you off to MrT?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 February, 2013, 12:49:45 pm
Heading upto the Darlo to meet up with that fast Northern Bloke (TM Crinkly) for a bike ride.

I need to get some more miles under my wheels, if I am going to get the most out of Catalonia, which is about 8 weeks away! :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 19 February, 2013, 01:56:19 pm
Have fun  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 February, 2013, 03:00:38 pm
Thank you, LG, I am sure we will.

Having a fettlesome day today I have now:

Put the old duvet up in the loft (ready for visitors)
moved stuff around in the office
cleaned the viewfinder on my Nikon, we found at the weekend that, somehow, it had gained a load of dust and grot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 19 February, 2013, 03:40:11 pm
A cheeky little bracket to take the garmin on the Trice :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 19 February, 2013, 05:09:54 pm
Now't yet - but just ordered in some carbon stuff for DIY bit blinging. This could be a disaster / experience.

Sticky fingers all round :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 19 February, 2013, 05:31:26 pm
Aarrgh. Mare cassette/chain issues. New bike, new (KMC) chain, new (SRAM) 11-28 cassette. Chain is the correct length, Ultegra shifters working perfectly, but lots of graunching from the back end in the mid gears. Fine in 11/12/13 or 22/24/28. Bum. Fettling so far fruitless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 February, 2013, 05:37:31 pm
I've been intermittently varnishing bits of $SEEKRIT_WOODWORK_PROJECT.  Not the sort of thing that you can do in a hurry, or easily parallelise with other tasks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 February, 2013, 05:48:45 pm
Emergency fettle on the yellow Genesis as a result of my earlier collision ...

... fortunately looking OK apart from some scuffing on the brake levers (and some rather more extensive scuffing on the rider)

It would appear that On-One's handlebars are surprisingly resilient ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 February, 2013, 07:36:59 pm
I mounted a twin arm fitting on my Romany, with a Paul Gino adapter so I can use the Hope alongside my Cyo.

Then a new computer on the Solo.

Considering having a fettle of the 5-speed Dahon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2013, 02:10:34 am
Swapped the saddle on HK's Condor from a Terry Butterfly to a Rivet Cycle Works (via Carradice) Pearl. It is designed by somebody that HK has ridden with in the USA and built by Gyes (who does the Spa saddles and a host of others). The leather looks much better than the Spa (or Brooks) saddles and the arrangement is much better than the Selle An Atomica. The cost of the Bike Show ticket was offset by the show discount on this saddle; suits me.
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=other&product_id=124

Also swapped the Smart tailight on the Condor's rack with a Phillips battery jobbie, recently purchased in VeloPlus.
http://www.philips.co.uk/c/Bicycle%20bulbs/saferide-srrblrbbx1/prd/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 20 February, 2013, 11:02:59 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2013, 02:10:34 am
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=other&product_id=124

Why do I get the feeling that bouncing up and down on that slot could cause painful pinches?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 20 February, 2013, 01:22:36 pm
I don't know.  There are plenty of saddles with cutouts which don't.  And, if you're bouncing up and down on your saddle, you might want to avoid Merton's roads in future ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 February, 2013, 06:54:02 pm
I have an imperial brooks with a slot in and it doesn't pinch me at all. In fact it's much more comfy and I am tempted to cut slots in my other Brookses!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 21 February, 2013, 06:57:57 pm
I borrowed an imperial from HK last year and did not enjoy the experience.
Clearly the smaller bums can cope with slots that larger posteriors cannot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 21 February, 2013, 07:03:12 pm
It has been a half term week &, thus far, not a drop of rain, so I have been a-gardening for a while every day. The beds have been de-weeded, the hedges and bushes trimmed and, a job I wasn't looking forward to; the compost bin* emptied and its contents scattered. It has been moved to behind the shed where it should get more sun to speed it along. After all that effort, the garden looks a tad tidier, but it hasn't made an obvious difference.

*judging by the results of 4 years composting, not a very good one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 February, 2013, 09:01:53 pm
Finally got around to fitting the rear section of an SKS Raceguard Long to my Roubaix, having now broken three rear sections of Crud Roadracer guards. I've left the front bit of the rear Roadracer in place to protect the front mech. Hopefully this will be a bit more reliable than the Roadracer, it looks good so far - though makes taking the rear wheel out a bit more tricky.

I'm leaving the front Roadracer on precisely for that reason; the Raceguard attaches to the QR, so needs more thought when dropping a wheel in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 22 February, 2013, 10:31:44 am
yesterday: helped to fettle young neighbour's bmx bike into rideable state. both inner tubes were punctured into sharp nipple heads, now covered with electrical tape, new inner tubes (26") fitted and pumped, rusty chain lubed. only one 14mm axle nut in the front though, another missing, but he was fine with that. oh, and no brakes :facepalm:. i now wonder whether it was a good idea to make it half-rideable (he was very happy with it though!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 22 February, 2013, 12:35:26 pm
I sold my first bike at the shop on 30th december 2012. Due to supply and demand issues, the bike wasn't delivered until this week. Yesterday I built it :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 February, 2013, 05:00:16 pm
Quote from: MattH on 21 February, 2013, 09:01:53 pm
Finally got around to fitting the rear section of an SKS Raceguard Long to my Roubaix, having now broken three rear sections of Crud Roadracer guards. I've left the front bit of the rear Roadracer in place to protect the front mech. Hopefully this will be a bit more reliable than the Roadracer, it looks good so far - though makes taking the rear wheel out a bit more tricky.

I'm leaving the front Roadracer on precisely for that reason; the Raceguard attaches to the QR, so needs more thought when dropping a wheel in.

And, of course, today the front one failed under the fork crown :facepalm: Ah well, I have the front Raceguard Long sitting here ready to be fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 22 February, 2013, 06:44:33 pm
My last bit of college homework for the current term!   :thumbsup:
Now I can relax and enjoy our field trip to Abernethy (the forest in Speyside, not the wee village in Fife)
Fingers crossed we should get to play with petrol and matches fettle some heather moorland with some heather burning! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 10:38:18 am
Finishing touches to the project - added a freewheel and bar tape.

Next up: I should clean several months' worth of muck from the Tifosi, and replace the severely frayed (it's down to a couple of strands) front gear cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 February, 2013, 10:50:52 am
More brake fettleage, but in a good way.

Just done the 'pad swap drill' on the green Genesis and, pretty much as I suspected, the procedure for changing pads on the new Deore hydraulics is .... exactly the same as the old ones. Which is nice.

The fact that M595 and M596 brakes take the same type of pad is an added bonus, meaning I won't have to keep several zillion different types of brake pad round the house - it's bad enough dealing with 4 different sizes1 of inner tube.

I may even do another brake bedding-in run later if I can get my arse into gear.

1 - 26er, 700c, 29er and phat. The tyres on the 29er are wide enough that using larger 700c tubes isn't practical except in emergencies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 February, 2013, 12:40:59 pm
After cleaning the oven didn't solve the nasty burning Bakelite smell, I think I've tracked it down after a bit of dismantling.  One of the wires to the programmer (under the hub) is browned and charred on its underside only, and this is the closest wire to the actual oven,  I suspect the insulation is beginning to break down in effectiveness and heat is starting to impinge on that wire.  It only smells when the oven has heated up considerably, not just because power is going through it.

I shall make a thick pad of rockwool and aluminium foil as a heatshield and tuck that under the programmer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 23 February, 2013, 02:33:11 pm
Just replaced the duff dynamo on the Brommie with a gleaming new AXA bought for peanuts on fleabay.  It'll do the job until i can afford a Schmidt setup (which will be when I can sell the Hewitt).  Not tried it at night yet, but it gives a good light in the kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 February, 2013, 03:04:41 pm
Fettling big style by proxy.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8238/8500794096_e09f925cca_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8500794096/)
Clearing timber (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8500794096/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr

The cycle path clearance going ahead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 February, 2013, 03:06:34 pm
What's the digger for?  The path's already up to Sustrans standards :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 February, 2013, 05:06:47 pm
It's not a Sustrans path. And there is not one, but two diggers. And men with chainsaws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 February, 2013, 05:23:37 pm
Following a power loss/engine dies on idle set of symptoms, I extracted the fly by wire throttle from teh Zafira, gave it a good talking to with a toothbrush and some EGR cleaner and the car now runs like a charm. And I didn't have any bits left over, and I had to buy a new tool (set of female star sockets) to get the job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 February, 2013, 05:37:22 pm
Re-assembled a double wardrobe, bed and chest of draws for a friend who has just moved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 February, 2013, 05:43:17 pm
Fettled the close coupled WC in the bathroom.A new diaphragm was needed in the syphon.Job done,no bother.
A major plus point was that no water escaped to anywhere it didn't belong :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:22:26 pm
Some failed fettling attempts: first I tried to attach a bottle cage to the project, with hose clips as it doesn't have braze-ons. It was too difficult so I gave up. Then I attempted to tighten the worryingly loose spokes in the Tifosi's rear wheel, only to find that most of them appear to be seized and won't turn. Bah. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 February, 2013, 06:31:38 pm
New chain fitted to the fixer. + all the subsequent inherent adjustments to tugs, brakes, mdgrds et al.

Made the fixer 0.5kg lighter.

I cleaned it.

Debating whether or not I should set about the Bianchi. I have new Ksyrium wheels, most of a 105 groupset (courtesy of MacB) to fit - all that'll remain of the original is the frame, saddle and bars.

Or should I make some pasta al arrabiatta, backed up with rocket n'carrot salad and coleslaw?

Hmmmmmm???????
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 February, 2013, 06:32:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:22:26 pm
Some failed fettling attempts: first I tried to attach a bottle cage to the project, with hose clips as it doesn't have braze-ons. It was too difficult so I gave up. Then I attempted to tighten the worryingly loose spokes in the Tifosi's rear wheel, only to find that most of them appear to be seized and won't turn. Bah. ::-)

no braze-ons needed with these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/zefal-zefal-gizmo-bottle-cage-prod20567/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 February, 2013, 06:33:29 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 23 February, 2013, 12:40:59 pm
After cleaning the oven didn't solve the nasty burning Bakelite smell, I think I've tracked it down after a bit of dismantling.  One of the wires to the programmer (under the hob) is browned and charred on its underside only, and this is the closest wire to the actual oven,  I suspect the insulation is beginning to break down in effectiveness and heat is starting to impinge on that wire.  It only smells when the oven has heated up considerably, not just because power is going through it.

I shall make a thick pad of rockwool and aluminium foil as a heatshield and tuck that under the programmer.
And...that's fixed it  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:36:00 pm
Quote from: jogler on 23 February, 2013, 06:32:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:22:26 pm
Some failed fettling attempts: first I tried to attach a bottle cage to the project, with hose clips as it doesn't have braze-ons. It was too difficult so I gave up. Then I attempted to tighten the worryingly loose spokes in the Tifosi's rear wheel, only to find that most of them appear to be seized and won't turn. Bah. ::-)

no braze-ons needed with these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/zefal-zefal-gizmo-bottle-cage-prod20567/

I'm afraid I discounted those because they aren't shiny enough :-[  (I have some Elite ones very similar to that on another bike, but they don't seem to make them in colours other than black). I think I may have to concede to function over form, though!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 23 February, 2013, 06:48:09 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 February, 2013, 06:31:38 pm
New chain fitted to the fixer. + all the subsequent inherent adjustments to tugs, brakes, mdgrds et al.

Made the fixer 0.5kg lighter.

I cleaned it.

Debating whether or not I should set about the Bianchi. I have new Ksyrium wheels, most of a 105 groupset (courtesy of MacB) to fit - all that'll remain of the original is the frame, saddle and bars.

Or should I make some pasta al arrabiatta, backed up with rocket n'carrot salad and coleslaw?

Hmmmmmm???????

What, no wine?  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 February, 2013, 06:50:18 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 23 February, 2013, 06:48:09 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 February, 2013, 06:31:38 pm
New chain fitted to the fixer. + all the subsequent inherent adjustments to tugs, brakes, mdgrds et al.

Made the fixer 0.5kg lighter.

I cleaned it.

Debating whether or not I should set about the Bianchi. I have new Ksyrium wheels, most of a 105 groupset (courtesy of MacB) to fit - all that'll remain of the original is the frame, saddle and bars.

Or should I make some pasta al arrabiatta, backed up with rocket n'carrot salad and coleslaw?

Hmmmmmm???????

What, no wine?  :o

What are you shaying? My besht friend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 February, 2013, 06:53:55 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:36:00 pm
Quote from: jogler on 23 February, 2013, 06:32:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:22:26 pm
Some failed fettling attempts: first I tried to attach a bottle cage to the project, with hose clips as it doesn't have braze-ons. It was too difficult so I gave up. Then I attempted to tighten the worryingly loose spokes in the Tifosi's rear wheel, only to find that most of them appear to be seized and won't turn. Bah. ::-)

no braze-ons needed with these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/zefal-zefal-gizmo-bottle-cage-prod20567/

I'm afraid I discounted those because they aren't shiny enough :-[  (I have some Elite ones very similar to that on another bike, but they don't seem to make them in colours other than black). I think I may have to concede to function over form, though!

There's a chap at Mildenhall every year who has classy metal clips.  Called 'Hard To Find' or something like that.  I guess he does mail order as well, but I'm not sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 February, 2013, 06:56:14 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:36:00 pm
Quote from: jogler on 23 February, 2013, 06:32:23 pm
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/zefal-zefal-gizmo-bottle-cage-prod20567/

I'm afraid I discounted those because they aren't shiny enough :-[  (I have some Elite ones very similar to that on another bike, but they don't seem to make them in colours other than black). I think I may have to concede to function over form, though!
I may have a couple in the bits box if you want to try them - I had a set on the 1x1 when it was first built so I could mount a fuel bottle on the downtube; I had doubts over their ability to stay in one piece over rough ground so took 'em off pending a frame respray and adding an extra set of bottle bosses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 February, 2013, 06:57:40 pm
Quote from: clarion on 23 February, 2013, 06:53:55 pm
There's a chap at Mildenhall every year who has classy metal clips.  Called 'Hard To Find' or something like that.  I guess he does mail order as well, but I'm not sure.
Francis Thurmer - he's usually at York, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 February, 2013, 06:59:31 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:36:00 pm
Quote from: jogler on 23 February, 2013, 06:32:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 06:22:26 pm
Some failed fettling attempts: first I tried to attach a bottle cage to the project, with hose clips as it doesn't have braze-ons. It was too difficult so I gave up. Then I attempted to tighten the worryingly loose spokes in the Tifosi's rear wheel, only to find that most of them appear to be seized and won't turn. Bah. ::-)

no braze-ons needed with these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/zefal-zefal-gizmo-bottle-cage-prod20567/

I'm afraid I discounted those because they aren't shiny enough :-[  (I have some Elite ones very similar to that on another bike, but they don't seem to make them in colours other than black). I think I may have to concede to function over form, though!
Velo Orange have some shiny silver ones (and lots more shiny silver stuff, as I'm sure you know):

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/water-bottles-cages/bottle-cage-clamp.html

I don't know who their UK distributor is, though, and it's a bit expensive for what it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 February, 2013, 07:01:16 pm
Quote from: Deano on 23 February, 2013, 06:59:31 pm
I don't know who their UK distributor is, though, and it's a bit expensive for what it is.
http://freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtripe/Bits.html - Accessories page, £2.50 a pair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2013, 07:07:00 pm
Quote from: interzen on 23 February, 2013, 07:01:16 pm
Quote from: Deano on 23 February, 2013, 06:59:31 pm
I don't know who their UK distributor is, though, and it's a bit expensive for what it is.
http://freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtripe/Bits.html - Accessories page, £2.50 a pair.

Ooh thanks - they're in stock at last! I remember looking for those and not finding any in the UK (this was last year when I was accumulating bits). Off to order. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 23 February, 2013, 07:39:54 pm
Much to cold and icy here in Kent to go out first thing as I usually do at the weekend so I sat at the kitchen table to strip, clean and fettle the Campag N Record derailleur destined for use on the Pat Hanlon. So a couple of hours spent cleaning the crud of ages from every nook and cranny using variously a bronze brush, emery cloth, Autosol and WD40. The only real problem I had was when I came to rebuild it, the mainspring tended to push the locating pin out of line such that it was difficult to assemble without crossing the thread - so that bit took about half an hour in itself. But it was OK in the end and it looks bright and shiny and as good as...well, 40 odd years old.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 February, 2013, 09:46:29 pm
Quote from: Juan Martín on 23 February, 2013, 07:39:54 pm
<...>But it was OK in the end and it looks bright and shiny and as good as...well, 40 odd years old.

a picture is worth a thousand words, just sayin' :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 February, 2013, 11:46:21 pm
A bit more work on building up the spare fixed, after loadsabikes kindly ground down the head tube a little for me to make the new forks match on stack height.

With no garage, fettling today meant doing up a few bolts, then finding an excuse to go indoors again for a bit to warm  up.

Just needs BB, cranks and chain, then the dynamo fitting, the headset adjusting, saddle height setting, and the stem swapping for a shorter one, and all should be well :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 24 February, 2013, 01:34:45 pm
Quite a bit of fettling today.  Reattached a damaged gear cable to the rear derailleur on my road bike but cannot really get enough tension into it for full shifting - needs a new cable but the bike is rideable provided I stay on the flat.  Rear wheel is out of true also due to the chain coming off on the inside on Friday and having heavy contact with the spokes.  I've left that one for the time being.

Had serious gear/chain skipping issues with my other bike yesterday on the GP audax so attempted to sort this out.  Tensioned up the rear gear cable properly this time and twiddled until it seemed to be changing well on all gear combinations.  Gave the bike a good clean also.
Took it out for a test run and it's still skipping seriously on two cogs whilst changing apparently properly on the stand. 
I did ride it on one chain for about 4000 miles though - I've ordered a new rear cassette as I think this is the problem now.  Will be rideable until new cassette is delivered - will have to avoid my usual favourite gears though.

Gave the missus' bike a clean and fitted a rear mudguard.  Can't do the front as it has a strange one-side only set of eyelets on the front fork.  Will probably move the raceblade front guard from my Trek to her bike and fit the bolt-on guard to the Trek which I know does have front fork eyelets for mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 February, 2013, 01:40:14 pm
Replaced the reflector on the yellow Genesis' rear mudguard with a Cateye AU-100 I happened to have lying around. Means I can now take the light brackets off the seat-stays and transfer them onto the green Genesis, which doesn't have mudguards anyway.

Later on I'm planning to pre-fettle Pugsley's cockpit since I've finally decided that the stock bars are too wide and the stem is a bit too long for comfort - this will entail fitting of a shorter stem and a set of On-One Mary bars, which I have grown to love on the singlespeed.

I'm also seriously considering taking a hole-saw to Pugsley's rims ...

I also need to fit assorted Sturmey-Archer pingfuckits to the yellow Genesis in preparation for fitting the wheel with the S3X hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 24 February, 2013, 04:37:03 pm
A catflap  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2013, 04:50:11 pm
Quote from: dasmoth on 24 February, 2013, 04:37:03 pm
A catflap  :thumbsup:

Is it connected to the internet?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 February, 2013, 05:07:58 pm
Breathed some new life into the Bianchi today.

Bargainsome Ksyriums from Merlin cycles, fitted.
Hollwtech triple, BB and cassette courtesy of S.Pluck, fitted. (Hammer and block of wood were required - a first)
105 rear mech and 105 STIs courtesy of MacB, fitted.

I'm going to leave connecting the cableage until another time as I am anticipating it'll be something of a faff given that a couple of things Don't Seem Quite Right.
Namely:
I thought I should've put two spacers behind the cassette, but if I did there wouldn't be enough threads left exposed for the lockring thread to engage - so I only fitted the one ???
I've a feeling this might prevent the chain from accessing the smallest sprocket.
Secondly, the 105 front mech. (clamp) I bought from MacB wont fit my seat tube, so I've left the old Sora  :sick: mech on there. Just unsure how well it'll work with the 5700 (no washing line) shifters.

Gotta say the replacement chain I fitted to the fixer yesterday is running lovely and quiet.
Unlike its predecessor.

Right. Next up. Food fettlin'

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Littlesox on 24 February, 2013, 09:03:17 pm
2 new Michelin Grand Tours (even with white walls) fitted to the Raeigh Pioneer......................................I'll get my coat
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 24 February, 2013, 09:12:05 pm
Tea and cakes for 94 hungry cyclists, including some of this parish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 25 February, 2013, 09:33:34 am
The house.

Started out as a number of small jobs. New towel rail, some hooks. New curtains and a curtain rail.

Curtain rail would look better higher up. Unfortunately the horrible intricate coving is in the way. 1/2 an hour with a chisel and the coving is gone. Another hour with some filler and the wall and ceiling are smooth again. Then fitting the curtain rail. All went well until screwing the last support to the wall, where all 3 of the screwheads sheared off. Only under hand power by me.

Thanks B&Q, great quality there. Of course I'd screwed them far enough into the wall that pulling them out was impossible. So, hammered them into the wall, and managed to drill some more holes close enough that the minor difference in distance between the left and the right support can't be detected.

More filler, and it's looking good again. Curtain rail up and curtains hung.

Moved some pictures around, and the living room is looking much more homely. :)

A full days decorating. We both slept well last night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 February, 2013, 07:18:56 pm
The Bagman on the green Genesis.

I've been having problems with the fittings catching the rear tyre, particularly over rough ground, so I moved 'em, thus:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/P1000993.png)

Hopefully this will do the trick, and has the advantage of giving me more clearance:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/P1000994.png)

Strategic application of some Correx sheet will not only give the bag a bit of support but also stop the worst of the mud etc. getting flung upwards.

Shall have to wait until tomorrow to find out if it works - if it doesn't, then I might have to bite the bullet and fit a rack.

EDIT: Worked like a charm  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 February, 2013, 08:34:17 pm
Got the Sturmey SRC3 and made a few measurements.  Chainline will be spot on.  The coaster brake arm will be more of a challenge since it is a bit too long for me to use one of the slotted disc caliper holes on the frame, which was my original intention, but a bit too short to use the supplied chainstay clamp without fouling the disc mount.  The best solution is probably to drill another hole in the brake arm and use a set of of V-brake cup-and-cone washers to allow the bolt to orient itself, because the arm isn't parallel to the disc mount at that point.  The arm is too thick for me to consider bending it, and the paint would come off anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 27 February, 2013, 10:06:27 am
Replaced my first rear cassette today a nine speed SRAM cassette on my Trek hybrid ;D  Turns out its an easy peasy job and a good use of my new toolkit.

On the flip side Wiggle sent me the wrong damn cassette.  So I've gone from an 11-34 (thus giving me a nice 34 x 34 granny gear) to an 11-26 which means that my hybrid now features higher gearing, at the low end, than my road bike  :-\  The bike is so desperate for a new cassette that I don't want to waste time sending in back and getting the correct one so I'll just have to MTFU up those hills from now on.

This higher gearing issue will be mitigated somewhat when my road bike has its rear cassette replaced from an 11-28 to an 11-25 (coming soon!).  I may miss that 34 x 34 gear though...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 February, 2013, 01:21:08 pm
I've moved my saddle forward 65mm & lowered it by 6mm

ETA my original text was much much longer & went into detail of the whyfor's but my ITPhilistinery pressed the wrong button,I lost it & ICBA to type it all again.
In essence my use of a Bagman & sandals may be the cause of my left knee problem :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 February, 2013, 04:28:32 pm
I managed to get the second lock ring off the rear hub from the Fenton today, after heating it up on Saturday then dropping it in a tin of cheap motor oil and leaving it there for a few days.

Now all I need to do is get the cogs off, not easy to do when you don't have a bench vice :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 February, 2013, 06:24:42 pm
Put a new seat on the downstairs chodbin to replace the cracked one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 27 February, 2013, 06:51:38 pm
New front pads on the Disco.
The old ones had done 8600 miles and they probably could have done another 1000 miles but, since I'd already removed them, I decided to stick the new ones in.
They're Clarks "semi-metallic high performance disc pads" so it'll be interesting to see if there's any difference to their performance to the standard BB& pads that I've just replaced.

From the bullshit blurb on the back of the pack:- "The coefficient of ceramic means that......."   :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 27 February, 2013, 07:02:53 pm
Glued a better USB memory card reader onto the side of my desk.  "Meh" to internal card readers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 February, 2013, 07:04:39 pm
Quote from: Biggsy on 27 February, 2013, 07:02:53 pm
"Meh" to internal card readers.

I don't understand why decent ones are so hard to come by.  It's not like there's no demand for the things...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 February, 2013, 07:14:26 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 27 February, 2013, 06:51:38 pm
New front pads on the Disco.
The old ones had done 8600 miles and they probably could have done another 1000 miles but, since I'd already removed them, I decided to stick the new ones in.
They're Clarks "semi-metallic high performance disc pads" so it'll be interesting to see if there's any difference to their performance to the standard BB& pads that I've just replaced.

From the bullshit blurb on the back of the pack:- "The coefficient of ceramic means that......."   :facepalm:
I get abiout 30,000 miles from a set of pads, but I don't drive in town much.  I'm fairly impressed with the quality of the Textar pads and discs I last fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 February, 2013, 07:15:20 pm
I bought a secondhand fujitsu branded one from t'bay for my desktop machine for reading various memory cards.   It doesn't have a usb input but the box has plenty of them anyway.   

It seems to be really quite good.   Plugs into a usb header on the mainboard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 February, 2013, 07:27:48 pm
Measured my setup.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 27 February, 2013, 07:28:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 February, 2013, 07:04:39 pm
Quote from: Biggsy on 27 February, 2013, 07:02:53 pm
"Meh" to internal card readers.

I don't understand why decent ones are so hard to come by.  It's not like there's no demand for the things...

Some of the latest ones may be good (?), but it'd be further for me to reach anyway (even if I had a spare bay for it).  (Spare bay space used up with an extra 120mm fan fettled in with foam).

My new card reader is an Integral USB 3.0 job (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251232419355?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649).  It's faster (with top class cards) even in USB 2.0 mode than my previous best reader - which proves that USB 2.0 devices could be faster if only the manufacturers bothered.  Also doesn't need an adapter for Micro SD.  Recommended.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 27 February, 2013, 07:33:59 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 27 February, 2013, 07:14:26 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 27 February, 2013, 06:51:38 pm
New front pads on the Disco.
The old ones had done 8600 miles and they probably could have done another 1000 miles but, since I'd already removed them, I decided to stick the new ones in.
They're Clarks "semi-metallic high performance disc pads" so it'll be interesting to see if there's any difference to their performance to the standard BB& pads that I've just replaced.

From the bullshit blurb on the back of the pack:- "The coefficient of ceramic means that......."   :facepalm:
I get abiout 30,000 miles from a set of pads, but I don't drive in town much.  I'm fairly impressed with the quality of the Textar pads and discs I last fitted.

It's a Dirty Disco Roger.
I should have been clearer  ;D

Hell, even with (occasional) left-foot braking, I've got 40,000 miles out of the car's pads and they're only about 50% worn. It's a diesel Outback.
I'll get someone to replace them, I gave up working on cars a long time ago.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 27 February, 2013, 09:23:47 pm
Heather moorland burning for capercaillie and pine regeneration on an epic college field trip!

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 February, 2013, 10:22:27 pm
Fitted a Cyo to my Moulton's custom fork boss by way of an upside-down Brompton headlight mount. I think it might just be the perfect position.

Swapped HK's front MTB rim into a Shimano dynohub and fitted her refurbed dyno Solidlight to a cantilever fork crown mount.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 27 February, 2013, 10:57:08 pm
A bit of Correx-fu on the singlespeed:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10679433/P1000996.JPG)

This performs a number of functions:



It ain't pretty, but it is effective.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 February, 2013, 12:07:01 am
Broke out the jigsaw and cut out the MDF for my daughters art project. 'Design a clock' was the brief then cut out the shape and paint. Why she had to chose the bastard child of Cthulu and Medusa as a shape beats me, but cut out it was. She will have a fun time sanding down all the rough edges tomorrow.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8251/8514458999_8346124e44_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8514458999/)
Rachel's clock base (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8514458999/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr

A bandsaw would have been better, as would a scroll bit for the jigsaw, but you make do with what you have.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 28 February, 2013, 03:55:36 pm
Took the Marathon Winters off. Replaced the missing studs. Put the Marathon Pluses back on.

Swore a bit. There was much blud. And we're all out of swarfega.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 February, 2013, 03:57:54 pm
You need some :-* Tell Crusty I sedso.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 28 February, 2013, 03:59:44 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 28 February, 2013, 12:07:01 am
Broke out the jigsaw and cut out the MDF for my daughters art project. 'Design a clock' was the brief then cut out the shape and paint. Why she had to chose the bastard child of Cthulu and Medusa as a shape beats me, but cut out it was. She will ...

A bandsaw would have been better, as would a scroll bit for the jigsaw, but you make do with what you have.

Wow that's really nice! Not even any blud? How come?

You've done that before, haven't you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 February, 2013, 03:59:54 pm
I've fettled the car today for the first time in a loooong time.Got rid of all the salty grime,inside & out.It looks all shiny for a change.There's a lorra area to a Volvo estate. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 February, 2013, 11:20:52 pm
I disfettled a wheel.  It needs rebuilding.  Tomorrow, I plan to disfettle another.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 28 February, 2013, 11:44:29 pm
Flipped the sprocket on my rohloff. 10,000k, treated it to its 2nd chain, and also flipped th chainring.
Got an oil change kit in the garage ready for the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 March, 2013, 08:41:21 pm
Half-hearted attempt to fettle the front derailleur on the Tifosi. Can now use the middle and small rings, so that'll do until I can be bothered to have a proper go (the big ring doesn't get much use anyway). I hate fettling gears, because I'm terrible at it. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 March, 2013, 11:25:52 pm
Replaced the brake cables (including noodles) on the Dawes.  Now understand clarion's objection to the pressed steel thingy on V-brakes.  Vaguely wondering if there's room to cram a set of Maugra hydraulics in there when the b0rkedness reaches critical level.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 02 March, 2013, 12:22:24 am
Fitted a new rear spoke and managed to hit the right tension by sound alone :o

Also switched the squealy, juddery koolstops for some clarks pads on the front which has made braking instantly more pleasant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 March, 2013, 11:17:23 am
Checked the wiring ready for the new cooker and thank $DEITY, it's 6mm sq all the way from the fusebox to the connection point behind the cooker, including the bit I put in in 2003.  I thought it might have 2.5mm sq somewhere due to the age of the house and the general muppetry of Bovis Homes' electrician.  The new cooker can take almost 7kW compared to the old one's 3.5kW.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 March, 2013, 11:18:51 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 02 March, 2013, 12:22:24 am
Fitted a new rear spoke and managed to hit the right tension by sound alone :o

Also switched the squealy, juddery koolstops for some clarks pads on the front which has made braking instantly more pleasant.
Unfortunately the red Clarks pads embed rim chips and cause damage.  Kool Stops are OK if massively toed in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 02 March, 2013, 01:29:47 pm
I've just repaired a punctured  inner tube on my daughter's bike.That was patch number 6 :o

I've also lubed the chain,pedal axles,both mechs & adjusted the brakes.They were in dire need.

I've also added a spare inner tube to her seat pack (she has been out & about without one) & ensured that it contains glue,patches,tyre levers,surgical gloves & a mini tool.There is a mini pump attached to her seat tube.

She has,as yet,not much clue how to efficiently use all this stuff BUT if she does have a problem any passing Samaritan who offers to assist will at least have all that is necessary to get her mobile.
Other than that she will probably do her E.T. thing.....ring home ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 March, 2013, 01:49:52 pm
Quote from: jogler on 02 March, 2013, 01:29:47 pm
She has,as yet,not much clue how to efficiently use all this stuff BUT if she does have a problem any passing Samaritan who offers to assist will at least have all that is necessary to get her mobile.

This was my logic for teaching barakta how to repair punctures.  Her chances of getting a tyre on without assistance or injury are slim, but if she has the kit and knows what to do, she can instruct any helpful person with the tricky bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 March, 2013, 06:02:38 pm
Today was a day for prodding things with sticks. I went to look at the work the boys had done to the cutting (photos in a thread near you soon). The ditches were looking fine but starting to form small weirs where sticks and rocks had restricted the flow. Obviously increasing the water level and slowing th eflow is a bad thing for drainage, so instead of just muttering to myself I prodded things with sticks. Very satisfying seeing the levels drop and stuff start to dry out. I do need to go back with a shovel and suitable root cutting tools (and maybe a pickaxe or two.

The best one was the weir at the bottom. I had wondered why it was there. So I poked it with a stick. All of a sudden realisation dawned with the sound of rushing waters. It was a grid to catch rubbish, not a weir. The levels dropped 30cm :)

Many photos coming online, I'll do a thread with some before and after. The best bit was after I had got to the top, had my cup of tea and piece, and was making my way back. A family who live locally (one of the three within a mile) had wandered down to take a look. I explained the project and they were really keen - it would mean they could walk to the village without needing to go along the main road (narrow and twisty and no verges)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 March, 2013, 06:06:51 pm
Removed a kitchen worktop that had been in place for 11 years to trim an inch off one end (the new cooker is going to have to sit slightly offset compared to the old one because the doors open differently).  All back in place, and the cobwebby  bits behind have been hoovered.  Just needs silicone around the edges and, then it can cure overnight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 March, 2013, 06:09:45 pm
Reverse-fettling, more like (or deconstruction, if you prefer)

Taken Pugsley's rear wheel to bits in preparation for it to be rebuilt as a singlespeed (there's a black, 32H Alfine-8 hub up for grabs as a result) and also took the 29er singlespeed wheel I bought yesterday to pieces in preparation for being rebuilt with a 'proper' fixed hub (Surly 'Ultra New'), with the singlespeed hub going onto Pugsley. Once all that is done, the Deore hydraulics on the 1x1 will be fitted to Pugsley and the 1x1 frame will go into storage until I work out what to do with it.

Also did a stem swap - the 29er now has the bling Thomson stem and the 1x1 has the On-One job. Unfortunately, I could move the Thomson seatpost over as it's too long and someone at Genesis, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the Fortitude Adventure frame should have a crimped seat tube  ::-) The Thomson post is nice enough that I'm not going to cut it down (but it might end up on Pugsley)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 02 March, 2013, 06:24:31 pm
Not exactly fettling, but today was the first outdoor clothes drying day this year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 02 March, 2013, 06:33:38 pm
Outdoor clothes drying, re-cord bamboo blind (not easy), replace washing machine cold feed hose (having summoned an repair person, as I'd not noticed that was where the leak was  :-[)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 02 March, 2013, 06:45:47 pm
Gave the speed sensor on the Mercian a bit of a twist so the wheel magnet wasn't hitting any longer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 03 March, 2013, 12:32:31 pm
Shimmed some door hinges with cardboard to prevent the doors drifting closed or open.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 March, 2013, 01:57:45 pm
Emptied all the crap out of the soon to be ex-Pingumobile.

I haz done outdoor drying too. I'm very sad but it makes me \o/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 March, 2013, 02:11:45 pm
Stem swappage - singlespeed now has the bling Thomson stem, 1x1 has the rather less bling On-One job; the Thomson has a bit more rise, so should be a better fit for my riding position on the 29er.

Will shortly be getting medieval on Pugsley's rear wheel in preparation for its rebuild.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 March, 2013, 04:26:48 pm
I cleaned my chain on the commuter y'day as well. It were all rusty  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 March, 2013, 04:44:10 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 February, 2013, 05:07:58 pm
Breathed some new life into the Bianchi today.

Bargainsome Ksyriums from Merlin cycles, fitted.
Hollwtech triple, BB and cassette courtesy of S.Pluck, fitted. (Hammer and block of wood were required - a first)
105 rear mech and 105 STIs courtesy of MacB, fitted.

I'm going to leave connecting the cableage until another time as I am anticipating it'll be something of a faff given that a couple of things Don't Seem Quite Right.
Namely:
I thought I should've put two spacers behind the cassette, but if I did there wouldn't be enough threads left exposed for the lockring thread to engage - so I only fitted the one ???
I've a feeling this might prevent the chain from accessing the smallest sprocket.
Secondly, the 105 front mech. (clamp) I bought from MacB wont fit my seat tube, so I've left the old Sora  :sick: mech on there. Just unsure how well it'll work with the 5700 (no washing line) shifters.

Gotta say the replacement chain I fitted to the fixer yesterday is running lovely and quiet.
Unlike its predecessor.

Right. Next up. Food fettlin'

Almost finished the job today, having bought a front mech from MacB which wouldn't fit.
Then bought another from Merlin Cycles which fitted.
But it was for a double, not a triple  :facepalm: I finally bought the correct item from €v@n$ yesterday.
Fettling ensued this morning after eggs benedict.
Shakedown ride this afternoon - the only thing flagged up as a schoolboy error was not having given the cable anchor bolt on the front mech enough of a torquing for it to grip the cable successfully - easily diagnosed and sorted.
All that remains is to apply some bar tape and to remove the stickers from the wheel rims, and I'll have a fair weather commuter.

Now, how about some fair weather? Hmm?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 03 March, 2013, 04:48:23 pm
Punc*ure fixed in MrsMikes bike.  I swear that's the only reason she asks me to join her when she goes out, although it has given me loafing rights while she makes the tea this evening.

Now painting over the wet stains on the walls and ceiling to try and fool the surveyor next week.  They've only been there since we had a leak 3 years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 03 March, 2013, 06:03:30 pm
Ok, if the South East suffers SNOW apocalypse next week blame me. I just changed the Marathon Winters back to the Conti City Contacts, including the new rear when I saw the carcase showing on the one I took off last November.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 March, 2013, 06:34:20 pm
Puncture int he front wheel of the car. So I swapped the two front wheels for the two summer wheels with most tread on. Threw out an old sofa.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 03 March, 2013, 06:54:56 pm
Some hooks in the shed for hanging the trailer wheels and random other wheels/tyres on. The bikes just about fit in there without resorting to house storage now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 03 March, 2013, 07:12:49 pm
Re fettled some of my audio collection, using flac instead of mp3.

Thats the Tangerine Dream done, 2.8gb for 8 cds.....   :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 March, 2013, 07:16:41 pm
Cleaned Project Ratbike, fitted new wheelnuts (shiny!), tightened chain, straightened RH brake lever which has been a gnat's crotchet out of true ever since I built it.

Cleaned Mrs Hall's bike, which was incredibly filthy, tightened the chain on that too.

During this I banged head on roof of SEECRIT BUNKER, which didn't improve my hangover.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Trull on 03 March, 2013, 07:50:32 pm
Cleaned both infernal combustion engines, fitted new lizard creek brake levers to tourer, new tape, cables and casings. Found missing li-ion batt pack ready for commute at 1200lumens...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 03 March, 2013, 08:02:21 pm
Properly cleaned two cars this morning. They were so dirty that they are both pounds lighter than they were yesterday, so I think that counts as fettling. Possibly even performance enhancement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 03 March, 2013, 09:23:27 pm
Well that's not supposed to happen:

(http://img4016.photobox.co.uk/06768950256c97fae821346505e166d19601efe44f7d9aaed23ae1738da8a3bbad15ed8b.jpg)

I broke a spoke at half distance on yesterday's Kennet Valley 100km, crossing the A4 leaving Hungerford. I managed to limp back after setting my brakes wide, with an annoying noise as the tyre rubbed on the mudguard for 30 miles.

Fixing it means removing the freewheel. It was a bit stuck. I only used a 12-inch spanner, and that happened - and it's the genuine Shimano tool. Luckily, I had a Park one as well, because I mistakenly bought two at different times. I had to put that in a bench vice, and two of us turned the wheel off the freewheel. Clearly Park tools are much more substantial than Shimano ones.

Now for the actual spoke.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 March, 2013, 09:58:51 pm
Quote from: drossall on 03 March, 2013, 09:23:27 pm
Well that's not supposed to happen:

(http://img4016.photobox.co.uk/06768950256c97fae821346505e166d19601efe44f7d9aaed23ae1738da8a3bbad15ed8b.jpg)

Well I suppose it's either that or the remaining spokes in the wheel (which happened to me when I tried to remove the freewheel from a BSO wheel once)...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 March, 2013, 10:06:44 pm
That is marginally suboptimal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 March, 2013, 10:08:28 pm
Quote from: clarion on 03 March, 2013, 10:06:44 pm
That is marginally suboptimal.

S' fu***d.

Time to go shopping....

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 March, 2013, 10:11:48 pm
Shimano removers are generally a match for Park removers but a vice is a much kinder way of applying torque; no eccentric loading (twisting) as applied by a spanner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 03 March, 2013, 11:29:35 pm
The Park one didn't fail when I applied the same spanner. It didn't remove the freewheel either, but at least it didn't fail. My strength did. That's when I got the vice out.

Not having a garage, I have a vice mounted to a work surface, stacked away in case of need. It's a pain to get out, so I always try the spanner first.

Quote from: Kim on 03 March, 2013, 09:58:51 pm
Well I suppose it's either that or the remaining spokes in the wheel (which happened to me when I tried to remove the freewheel from a BSO wheel once)...

Or the vice. I've broken the jaws on two Record vices doing bike jobs.

In this case, there were two of us turning the wheel. Only way to shift it. I did build the wheel myself :thumbsup:

Quote from: Jurek on 03 March, 2013, 10:08:28 pm
S' fu***d.

You sure? I was going to try Evostick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 04 March, 2013, 09:29:50 am
Over the last week I have disasembled 20 years worth of ivy growth over a 3 meter length of 6' wall and bagged most of it up for disposal at the local recycling centre. Some went in the green waste wheelie bin which was taken away on Tuesday. The bin is full again.

This is in preperation to disasemble the formerly ivy clad wall and try and recycle the bricks. We are having our perimeter wall extended to wall in ALL of our property. This preperation will also include the hiring of an electric concrete breaker to further disasemble a 1.5m X 3m concrete slab and a section of wooden fence/ roofed bin shed against our outbuilding. Some of that is going to be loadsa fun :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 04 March, 2013, 08:23:53 pm
Fettled the mudguards to the fixed. The clearances are huge and they look a bit silly. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 04 March, 2013, 11:34:12 pm
Hmm. I'd forgotten that the rims on the above Audax bike are semi-aero, so the spokes are shorter than I normally use, and I haven't got spares. No good LBSs near work, and mail-ordering a couple of spokes is silly >:(

Fortunately, I'd also briefly forgotten that I have a spoke-thread milling tool :thumbsup: Job done.

It came from the old Madison Freewheel catalogue of 25-30 years ago. Strictly, it belongs to a retired colleague, who very generously recognised that he probably wouldn't be using it again, and offered it to me on permanent loan. I've just seen the current cost of them :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 04 March, 2013, 11:38:04 pm
Started to rebuild the Raleigh

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8102/8528803409_49a8690c2b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8528803409/)
P3049270 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8528803409/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 March, 2013, 11:45:13 pm
A routesheet for the Rollright Stones ride.  Hopefully there'll be a minimum of gettings-lost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 05 March, 2013, 06:17:02 am
Chain's a bit radiatory.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 March, 2013, 12:45:39 pm
Fitted a different rear wheel to the Dave Yates*

Put M+ tyre on same
Fitted rear mech and BB and chainset.

Found I need a smaller diameter front mech clamp, I have 2*32mm ones, but need a 28.8/29mm one :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 05 March, 2013, 03:13:41 pm
I fettled 15m of drainage ditch. It is now substantially deeper and with a lower water level at the upper end than it was an hour previously. Hopefully continue the good work later in the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 05 March, 2013, 03:51:23 pm
Apair of long tubular handles to bolt to the lathe to assist in getting it on to the trailer to bring it back to the bunker at last.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 05 March, 2013, 07:19:34 pm
Built my first ever wheel!  Hope Pro 3 hub, Sapim Race spokes onto a 28H H Plus Son Archetype rim with Vittoria Open Pave Evo CG tyre.  Seems to be round and looks great.  Without skewer, the bare wheel weighs just under 800g.

Have a matching back wheel to do next (32H 3 cross though). 

These are a little birthday treat to myself - a lighter set of fastish wheels for summer riding.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8532260658_6bf56000a6.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 06 March, 2013, 08:30:09 am
After work yesterday I found I finally had time (and light) to fettle the new back wheel onto G G G Granville.

I am very happy with the difference getting back to a touring width rear wheel makes to the effectiveness of the brakes. The temporary roadie wheel I used seemed to effect the power that I could get into the cantis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 March, 2013, 08:37:21 am
Re-wired the front light on the Mercian so I can see when I ride home tonight :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 06 March, 2013, 09:16:47 am
That wheel is stunning Marcus - hopefully one day I can manage such a thing  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 March, 2013, 11:31:46 am
Performed a hard reset on my 1990s era Catseye Enduro computer. It no longer tells me I'm comfortably cruising along at 60 mph, but at an entirely reasonable 25 kph.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 March, 2013, 11:54:01 am
Nice job, marcus!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 March, 2013, 02:40:26 pm
I have erected a tent on the back lawn.It qualifies as fettling 'cause I had to attach the guy lines.

I have fettled the front mech on Emily's Trek to provide a gear change as smooth as an angel's kiss & centred the rear caliper brake to obviate an annoying rubbing of brake block on rim.

I have also filled Marj's bike with electrons.

Next on the agenda is to raise the saddle on my daughter's bike.

My bike is to be ignored.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 06 March, 2013, 04:49:20 pm
Quote from: jogler on 06 March, 2013, 02:40:26 pm
I have erected a tent on the back lawn.It qualifies as fettling 'cause I had to attach the guy lines.

I have fettled the front mech on Emily's Trek to provide a gear change as smooth as an angel's kiss & centred the rear caliper brake to obviate an annoying rubbing of brake block on rim.

I have also filled Marj's bike with electrons.

Next on the agenda is to raise the saddle on my daughter's bike.

My bike is to be ignored.

Erections are not fettling
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 March, 2013, 05:17:30 pm
Depends......who/how/where :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 06 March, 2013, 06:12:38 pm
Over the weekend I had attempted to remove the five-speed Shimano block from the old Viscount/Phoenix, swap this for a six speed and use the five speed for the Pat Hanlon. My Shimano freewheel remover proved to be the wrong size, and puzzled I put a query on the Forum and half an hour later not only had the solution but also the offer a suitable removal tool from plug1n. Sometimes this place is just brilliant! Many thanks plug1n.

So, on leave today, removed five-speed block using aforementioned tool, no problem. Fitted six speed block to Phoenix, no problem. Fitted five speed block to the Pat Hanlon's Campag NT hub - axle will not turn because there is insufficient clearance and the cone lock nuts foul the splines on the inside of the freewheel. I very nearly had a complete solution then but this is a bit of a showstopper! But never mind - Regina five speed block ex Coventry Eagle (RIP) fitted temporarily just to prove to myself that I am not going bonkers. It seems fine but the ratios aren't quite what I wanted so I'll need to look out for a Regina or I suppose Campag five-speed block, but no real hurry I suppose.

Also fitted new balls to Pat Hanlon BB. I haven't really got any excuse not to build this up now, I am pretty sure I have sufficient bits so I may see if I can get her on the road over the weekend if the weather stays good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 March, 2013, 06:35:55 pm
The rare and expensive Campag freewheels had aluminium cogs and were only available in 6 and 7 speed, from memory.

I am surprised the locknuts fouled the Shimano freewheel. I only found that happened when the wrong locknuts were used or the axle was bent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 06 March, 2013, 06:44:24 pm
The Shimano six-speed block, which is later and takes a Uniglide remover is fine - there is plenty of clearance but the earlier one, which is about 3mm smaller diameter just catches the corners of the nut with the splines. Unfortunately there is not enough room to fit the six-speed block to the Hanlon without deforming the frame. The Regina that I have temporarily fitted seems fine so that's probably the way to go, a five-speed Regina with more appropriate ratios.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 March, 2013, 07:00:48 pm
Just replace the locknut with a different Campag locknut to solve the problem forever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 06 March, 2013, 09:00:30 pm
Thanks LWB, I'll give it a go!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 06 March, 2013, 10:56:58 pm
Finished the wiring for the church AV system so it is now all running to patch boards, all the cables work and the boards and boxes are labelled.

At last - no more wriggling under the floor for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 06 March, 2013, 11:03:44 pm
Ooh you can come and do ours. I keep having to run cables around for cameras and things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 March, 2013, 01:24:07 pm
Don't faint...

I have washed the Inbred

Replaced the tyres (for Hurricanes)
scrubbed the chain
removed the mudguards
fettled a puncture into the rear tube (now need to replace it :( )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 March, 2013, 02:15:35 pm
...and now I have removed the old name sticker and put a new one on the seattube.  Why the seat tube? Well in the old position, on the top tube, when I put the bike on the rack on the car the clamp scraped it off.

I also stuck down one corner of the Catalan flag I have stuck on the top tube, but I think that will need replacing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 07 March, 2013, 10:31:48 pm
Quote from: jogler on 06 March, 2013, 05:17:30 pm
Depends......who/how/where :demon:

Did you use a tool tho'?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 08 March, 2013, 08:12:17 am
There's a lot of fettling going on in 'Chez Windy' at the moment. Yesterday I constructed a fence and then did a bit more work on the Raleigh

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8538033399_77200fabef.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8538033399/)
P3089318 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8538033399/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 08 March, 2013, 08:36:00 am
Cor!  Rubber Luvva duck!

That looks really rather smart Windy.   Brooks saddle and matching Brooks bar tape perchance?   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 March, 2013, 09:27:55 am
Looking good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 March, 2013, 09:59:40 am
Very nice :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 March, 2013, 10:56:57 am
Love the white tyres! I wonder how they look after a few miles of muddy roads - I'm considering getting some when I get the fixed a proper paintjob.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 March, 2013, 11:00:08 am
Yesterday I cleaned the Tifosi a bit in preparation for tomorrow (I don't think it's been without a layer of mud and grime since I built it :o) and fettled the gears and brakes into some sort of usable order. Then noticed the front tyre was distinctly squishy, so pumped it up and hoped for the best. Came downstairs this morning to find it totally flat. That's tonight's fettling, then... ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 08 March, 2013, 11:06:15 am
Quote from: windy on 08 March, 2013, 08:12:17 am
There's a lot of fettling going on in 'Chez Windy' at the moment. Yesterday I constructed a fence and then did a bit more work on the Raleigh



Not a very big fence judging by the bits of timber left over in that pic.  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 08 March, 2013, 12:39:31 pm
Just fitted a new set of (much wider) handlebars to the road bike.  Looking forward to the cycle home tonight to test them out  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 March, 2013, 02:23:46 pm
I fettled a puncture.

When I went out the the garage the tube I had put in the rear of the Inbred was flat, again.

So I took the tyre off, found were the hole in the tube was, then checked the tyre.

No sign of anything in there, so thought I had better check the tyre I had taken off, just in case.

A bloody great thorn was sticking through the tread! That'll be the cause then :)

Now sorted, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 08 March, 2013, 08:14:19 pm
I have taken a few days leave, always a bit of a gamble at this time of year; I had hoped to get out early today but the rain that was forecast for later in the day started early and hasn't let up all day. So, a happy few hours spent in the garage building up the Pat Hanlon frame for which I have been collecting parts for a few months. I have mainly used Campag components, a mixture of N Record and Gran Sport - I haven't put all of my poshest bits on yet but despite the tatty condition of the frame she look lovely and will be a pretty little bike when finished. I am hoping for better weather tomorrow and am looking forward to a trial run and will put up some pictures if the light improves. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 March, 2013, 08:25:12 pm
Attempted to fix the Tifosi's puncture. Managed to puncture two spare inner tubes in the process, taking me down to my last spare. I'm going to have to try and repair a couple of tubes as emergency spares for tomorrow (I'm not very good at this). :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 08 March, 2013, 08:27:05 pm
New bar tape onto girlfriend's bike - I must love her, because I hate doing bar tape.

Came out pretty well though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 March, 2013, 09:51:39 pm
I fettled my drains with my new drain rods. My collie was trying to eat the rancid fat I scooped out of one inspection chamber  :sick:
The drains are no longer blocked but not as free running as they should be. It got dark so I will have another go tomorrow. I would rather avoid the drain jetting sharks who charge £300 for sticking their hose down there if possible!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 March, 2013, 02:22:19 pm
Having picked up the Surly sprockets I ordered from the LBS (16T cassette sprocket for the S3X, 15T fixed sprocket for the 29er's fixed wheel) I'm about to embark on the fettleage required to put the S3X and all the trimmings onto Old Yeller.

The Surly sprockets weren't cheap, but by golly the quality is fantastic - almost seems a shame to use them. Only almost, though :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 March, 2013, 06:54:25 pm
My daughter's bike.......

Removed knobbly tyres & fitted some Nokia semi-slicks
Removed Crudgaurd from downtube & Crudgaurd from seatstays/chainstays.
Fitted front & rear standard mudgaurds.
Removed redundant barbag bracket from handlebars.
Fitted an offset pump bracket to the downtube using same fixings securing the bottle cage.
Repaired puncture to rear tube.

I also gave it a quick rub&clean all over before & during 'cause I would have got filthy otherwise whilst doing the fettling.

It's now far less an atb( the bike has not seen any serious off-roading for a decade) & more of a commuting hybrid.

Next time I ride with her I expect not to get showered in skog & she might appreciate not having wet feet,a dirty streak up her back & a soggy-nappy derriere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 10 March, 2013, 06:25:33 am
I assisted Nibs to put mudguards on his Cube Hybrid, then removed the chain from my Mercian only to find that Shimano don't include the fitting pin with the new one.   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 10 March, 2013, 09:03:32 am
PB - Bar tape yes but I've never been a fan of Brooks Saddles.

Phantasmagoriano - The white tyres are 'self cleaning' in that they seem to be keeping white. The same tyres are on my friends tandem, we rode through wet tar last year, I spent ages cleaning one of the tyres, but didn't get round to the other before the next ride. When we returned from that ride the tar was gone and both tyres looked the same.

I finished the bike yesterday - photos will be on member's fixed soon :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 10 March, 2013, 10:06:53 am
That's a very posh carpet in your workshop Windy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 10 March, 2013, 05:54:34 pm
Swapped the stem on Crusty's Hewitt for the shorter one off the dead Pomp.

Swapped his tyres for my nice Conti touring plus.

So far, so good.  If he can drag himself away from the balls on the telly he might even see if it rides better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 10 March, 2013, 06:12:24 pm
Fitted replacement chain and cassette on my mountain bike.

Saved the powerlink from the old (9 speed) chain.

Removed the right hand handlebar plug from my Cannondale road bike (9 speed) and taped the old powerlink inside the handlebar plug.

Replaced handlebar plug.

Last year on two events I was asked if I had a powerlink by riders attempting to repair broken chains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 10 March, 2013, 06:32:03 pm
I have now fitted the new chain to the Mercian. Then I re-tensioned all the spokes in the front wheel and trued it up. Just need to wait for the WD40 I sprayed on the nipples to drain out of the section. Doh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 10 March, 2013, 06:37:00 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 10 March, 2013, 10:06:53 am
That's a very posh carpet in your workshop Windy.

I have to be careful not to get oil on it - Mrs W would kill me if I did!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 10 March, 2013, 06:45:10 pm
Quote from: Deano on 10 March, 2013, 05:57:49 pm
But Chelsea just equalised!!

Did she?  Is that good?  Who's Chelsea?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 10 March, 2013, 08:20:19 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 10 March, 2013, 06:45:10 pm
Quote from: Deano on 10 March, 2013, 05:57:49 pm
But Chelsea just equalised!!

Did she?  Is that good?  Who's Chelsea?

Bill Clinton's daughter.

For my part, I fettled a suet pudding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 March, 2013, 09:44:47 pm
As readers of the I carried this on my bicycle (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11163.300) thread will be aware, I've been fettling this on and off over the last couple of weeks:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3787.sized.jpg)

Still got some sanding and of course loads of varnishing to do on the headboard, but that's the one time it's all going together before it goes in the bedroom, where you'd need a cassegrain estate agent lens to even stand a chance of fitting it all in frame.

Design brief was "Shoulder-friendly euro kingsize[1] bed, easily dismantled and transported, low foot end, no buttplugs[2], no welding in the living room, if wood try to match the drawers, better than Ikea".  Which is pretty much unobtanium in the shops, unless (oddly) you're really into faux leather.

Custom sprung slats and associated gubbins courtesy of bedslats.co.uk.  Frame courtesy of the lumber section of Wickes, various hand tools (none of which are a circular saw) and an awful lot effort and bad language.  However, it appears to have paid off.  Thanks to excessive over-engineering and presumably a fair bit of luck, it seems sturdy and wobble/creak free.  While being easily dismantled and re-mantled using nothing more than an allen key and a mallet.

In the process I have learned how to use a plane; how not to use a plane; how to cut a mortice joint; why circular saws are important; that millimetre-precision and careful labelling of chiral parts is optimism; how to remove PVA glue from carpet and bloodstains from untreated wood; and that given sufficient time, patience and rigorous attention to pilot holes, even a woodworking idiot like me can molish useful things from dead vegetables.


[1] 160cm wide by 200cm tall, because a standard double simply isn't wide enough, and larger British sizes are all about tall people.
[2] Our current bedframe has rather unfortunately shaped knobs on, that can be awkward to squeeze past in the less than generously sized bedroom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 March, 2013, 10:04:37 pm
A flat pack table and four chairs, a TV unit and some lights. It's starting to look more like a home.

more stuff arriving tomorrow and Wednesday :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 March, 2013, 10:14:42 pm
Flatpack?  That's cheating  :P

(And I say that having spent another afternoon sanding and varnishing, and am now unable to feel my hands properly.  Which is just as well, as they seem to be falling to bits.  :-\)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 March, 2013, 10:37:28 pm
I do have to put together nearly a whole house's worth of furniture at once though. Still got a bed, some cabinets, plumbing in a washing machine. Also need to buy something more comfy to sit on than these dining chairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 11 March, 2013, 10:39:00 pm
Fixed a puncture.

Probably not worthy of note in itself, but I got the bike to the top of these stairs (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=64734.msg1345525#msg1345525) first.

Cleaned bike. Borked front brake. Fixed front brake.
Started bodging a rear light mount then realised what the time is...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 12 March, 2013, 12:36:08 am
Kind of built a wheel.
The "kind of" being that I actually supervised my son building his first wheel, a front XT dynohub/Open Pro one that he'll be riding on the 'uts 200k on Saturday. I'd intended just doing the lacing today, but we're actually most of the way through the truing. It's up to tension, all even and stress relieved. Just a final minor tweak tomorrow and it'll be ready to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 March, 2013, 05:36:44 pm
Emily's bike....
Fitted a minipump & bracket ( smilar to this  http://www.tweekscycles.com/bike-accessories/mini-pumps/blackburn-mountain-air-anyvalve-pump ) to the down tube using the same fixings as the bottle cage

Fitted a Topeak seat pak similar to this

http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/survivaltoolwedge2

without the proprietary toolkit.In it I put 2 inner tubes,2 prs surgical gloves,patches & glue,2 tyre levers,tie wraps,multi tool,small folding blade knife & rain cover.
I fitted a bracket to the light loop to carry one of these

http://www.cateye.com/uk/products/detail/TL-LD650/

All done using stuff from the bitsbox :thumbsup:

I repaired a puncture in the rear tube of my bike.That's four tubes across three bikes repaired in approx two weeks.I think the fairy has taken up residence in our garage ::-)

Also rationalised a variety of front & rear lights to fit Claire's,Emily's & my bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 12 March, 2013, 07:00:41 pm
Fitted cycle computer and front racks to the Thorn Sherpa. It is a bright red shiny glorious red with added redness, underneath the black gaffa tape* I spent a few evenings covering it with. Just need the blue brake blocks for the carbide rims to arrive and bung them in and it's ready to go.


*Why did I buy a red one? Cos it was on offer and was exactly the bike I have always wanted. It's a redundancy present to myself. The cheap wheels it came with are going into cardboard boxes, and stored in the loft. If/when the carbide rimmed 36 spoke wheels made by a mate (inc Shimano dynohub BTW) are molished on tour, I can call phone home and ask for an unused wheel to be posted to me inside The Box I Made Earlier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 March, 2013, 08:42:33 pm
Just finished the final coat of varnish on the headboard.  That's it!  No more woodjbex!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3788.sized.jpg)

Mattress due to arrive on Thursday, so tomorrow's mission is to tidy the bedroom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 13 March, 2013, 09:14:27 am
Fixed a p*ncture (in a Marathon Plus!!). The inner tube had managed to get itself in a 'Z' shape inside the tyre, and had thus stretched after numerous reinflations so the overlap was about 10" long! Bin that tube, no point in fixing it....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 March, 2013, 10:35:44 am
Quote from: TimC on 13 March, 2013, 09:14:27 am
Fixed a p*ncture (in a Marathon Plus!!).

BTDTGTTS
the tyre was several years in service & the penetration was on a patch where the rubber tread had worn away ::-) so not too shabby all things considered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 March, 2013, 10:37:47 am
Gave the S3X a quick tweak before I left for work.

Whether it'll get ridden tonight is another matter entirely, as I think the lurgy has finally caught up with me  >:( (apropos of which: snot-laden co-worker, just fuck off home, OK? Or better still, just fuck off ...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 13 March, 2013, 10:59:37 am
Attached a replacement motor to the declination axis of my elderly telescope mount, getting the brass gears to mesh closely without binding, tightening everything up, connecting the power and the controller and then proceeded to tell the mount to point, in turn, at Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.  The only one it refused to was Jupiter, due to it being below the horizon. 

Of course, this was all done indoors and after sunrise, and with no telescope involved, so I've no idea how accurate it is.  But it merrily whirs around at 2000 times the speed required to track the sky as the earth turns under our feet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 March, 2013, 11:22:23 am
I have cleaned the windows!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 March, 2013, 11:23:43 am
I have delivered my Mum's Mother's Day present.

What's that? It was on Sunday? I know! I was ill though, so it got delayed until today...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 March, 2013, 05:07:34 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 March, 2013, 09:44:47 pm
As readers of the I carried this on my bicycle (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11163.300) thread will be aware, I've been fettling this on and off over the last couple of weeks:

Epic fettle there Kim, you made the bed literally  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 March, 2013, 06:33:33 pm
Quote from: Feline on 13 March, 2013, 05:07:34 pm
Epic fettle there Kim, you made the bed literally  ;D

Housework's so much more interesting when it involves sharp objects and power tools...   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 13 March, 2013, 06:37:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 March, 2013, 06:33:33 pm
Housework's so much more interesting when it involves sharp objects and power tools...   ;D

Can we just give Kim the "most quotable YACFer" award and be done with it...?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 13 March, 2013, 07:45:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 March, 2013, 08:42:33 pm
Just finished the final coat of varnish on the headboard.  That's it!  No more woodjbex!

Neat job, very professional looking.  :)
Can I ask how the total cost compared to flat-pack? Just vaguely. I've considered trying furniture before but always concluded it wasn't a way to save money. More a way to get exactly what you want.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 March, 2013, 08:34:02 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 March, 2013, 05:36:44 pm
Emily's bike....
Fitted a minipump & bracket ( smilar to this  http://www.tweekscycles.com/bike-accessories/mini-pumps/blackburn-mountain-air-anyvalve-pump ) to the down tube using the same fixings as the bottle cage

Fitted a Topeak seat pak similar to this

http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/survivaltoolwedge2

without the proprietary toolkit.In it I put 2 inner tubes,2 prs surgical gloves,patches & glue,2 tyre levers,tie wraps,multi tool,small folding blade knife & rain cover.
I fitted a bracket to the light loop to carry one of these

http://www.cateye.com/uk/products/detail/TL-LD650/

All done using stuff from the bitsbox :thumbsup:

I repaired a puncture in the rear tube of my bike.That's four tubes across three bikes repaired in approx two weeks.I think the fairy has taken up residence in our garage ::-)
Also rationalised a variety of front & rear lights to fit Claire's,Emily's & my bikes.

the bloody tube was flat again today ::-)
Removal & inspection reveales a second puncture.An old ( don't assume there is only one pucture in the tube ) lesson relearned,the hard way.Again  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 March, 2013, 08:43:51 pm
Quote from: tom_e on 13 March, 2013, 07:45:39 pm
Neat job, very professional looking.  :)

That's because you can't see how much I've had to botch some of the corners on account of wonky wood.  The top ends of the headboard are tapered slightly on account of the aggressive planing required to make them line up, and the side pieces have a slight twist to them.  But that's the sort of thing you only actually notice if you squint along the end.

OTOH, there are some mortice joints that I'm rather pleased with that are completely hidden from the outside.


Quote
Can I ask how the total cost compared to flat-pack? Just vaguely. I've considered trying furniture before but always concluded it wasn't a way to save money. More a way to get exactly what you want.

It was about 200 quid for the materials and consumables (wood (mostly PSE), detachable corner and central strut brackets, bolts, dowels, screws, sandpaper, glue, filler, varnish, etc).  Probably another 100 on tools I didn't already have (power sander, workbench, plane) and the extension arm for the bike trailer, but I get to keep those for other projects.  The sprung slat units were about 400, on account of being the uber-posh version.  But anything less would be a false economy, given that we're both fairly shouldery.  Indeed, beds with good quality sprung slats don't come in cheap.

And of course several afternoons of work to put it all together.  Skilled woodworkists with proper space to work in would probably be a fair bit quicker, as I spent a fair bit of time triple-checking measurements and testing techniques on off-cuts, as well as cleaning up and juggling things around.

So yeah, not really a way to save money, unless you have a specific requirement that's hard to find, or particularly enjoy doing woodwork.  I expect this to survive house moving an awful lot better than the average Ikea product, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 March, 2013, 04:33:05 pm
Made the bed!
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3803.sized.jpg)

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3810.sized.jpg)

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3812.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 14 March, 2013, 09:51:46 pm
I spent the afternoon building a new ledged and braced gate panel, to replace the FLB interior door that a previous home owner had installed as a back gate, and which was now somewhat rotten. The size of the shed and a concrete washing line pillar precluded normal garden gates, and the reviews of self-build gate kits from DIY chains tended to be indifferent, mainly suggesting that one would be well advised to use screws in place of the weedy nails supplied in the kit. As the gate kit plus screws was going to be around £60ish, I figured that there wasn't anything wrong in using pre-treated 19mm x 100mm planks and organic-coated exterior screws to make a gate panel for half the price.  :smug:

I managed to get away with one measurement error on the timber that formed the two braces, but the size tolerances of the planks resulted in the panel being 13mm wider than the ledge pieces when everything was screwed together. Still, that's what circular saws are for...  :D

Now I just need to break up the old gate into manageable pieces to take to the recycling centre - given that two of the frame members no longer fit together, that shouldn't be too difficult!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 14 March, 2013, 10:52:38 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 March, 2013, 04:33:05 pm
Made the bed!
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3812.sized.jpg)

Impressive molishing, flatpack is my limit.  :thumbsup:

Many happy sleeps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 14 March, 2013, 11:31:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 March, 2013, 04:33:05 pm
Made the bed!

Excellent!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 March, 2013, 03:15:38 pm
Kim - a tip.  Get a short length of 4" fencepost,cut a slot in the top and use it to make a central leg for the bed.  It makes the whole thing far more solid.  Otherwise the central beam will sag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 16 March, 2013, 03:19:06 pm
Sowed umpteen types of seeds in preparation for the spring. Two types of sunflower, two of tomato - though both of the cherry variety, various herbs and some foxgloves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 March, 2013, 03:20:51 pm
I rebuilt the Sturmey-Archer SRC3 around the longer axle from the USA, courtesy of the Things.

It is now ready to be built into a wheel, then the Inbred can live again.  The coaster brake arm is going to need precision bending to get it closer to the seatstay, as the hub is shipped for 116mm spacing but is now 135mm (the chainstay has a disc mount which gets in the way, so the clip has to go on the seatstay).  And the chainline is spot on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 16 March, 2013, 03:55:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 March, 2013, 04:33:05 pm
Made the bed!


 :thumbsup:

Excellent wood fettling Kim!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 March, 2013, 04:04:50 pm
A Raspberry Pi onto the back of my 'main' monitor:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/484175_10151299030071636_1464230357_n.jpg)

Won't win any prizes for aesthetics, but it's out of the way and will soon be serving webs to the outside world once I've finished a few little odds and ends. I'll be ordering another VESA mount case for the 'media centre' Pi which, I note, has just been dispatched by Farnell  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 March, 2013, 04:20:47 pm
Fitted a new thermostatic shower cartridge to a friend's shower.

That bit was easy. 

Challenges overcome on the way:

Working out which valve was likely to shut off the water to the shower.
Finding it was stuck.
Working out which stopcock fed the cold tank in the loft.
Finding it wasn't that one.
Tying up ball valve with tactical use of string and offcut of broom handle.

And then the really big one. Removing the o ring  seated in a groove at the back of the shower fitting. "A crochet hook may be useful" sayeth the instructions. No crochet hook. Knife, bent safety pin, bent pointy thing from drawer, small screwdriver. Swearing. Lots of swearing. And about an hour.  Finally managed to cut it, then full it out with a pair of forcep things.

Fit new o ring (without it falling down hole in fitting).
Fit new cartridge.
Test for leaks.
Won't switch off.
Tie up ball valve again, RTFM again, reassemble right way round.
Test for leaks.

All good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 16 March, 2013, 04:51:25 pm
Nothing like Tim's impressive achievement.

Have wrapped and put in cardboard boxes a cheap set of wheels for the expedition bike. They will live in the loft until either I break a wheel on a trip and they can be posted out to me, or I sell the bike, in which case the lucky buyer gets a set of brand new unused wheels with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 16 March, 2013, 06:05:04 pm
Fixed the puncture on the fixed, tightened the chainring bolts and attached a bottle cage. Finally got round to tightening the headset on the hybrid. It still needs regreasing, but it'll do until I can be bothered to strip it down properly. Then did some fettling on the BF's to-be station bike (an even mankier hybrid) - new brake cables and a general clean (next up: new chain and new gear cables, but that can wait until tomorrow as I was fettling outside and my hands got cold). Was going to swap the bars on the Tifosi for blingy silver ones, but that can wait until tomorrow too.

Then I cleaned the outside drain. :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 16 March, 2013, 06:28:25 pm
We've made a workshop!

MFWHTBAB spotted some worktops in the IKEA bargain section yesterday, so today he put them on some shiney metal legs he happened to have knocking about, and fitted them in the bigger guest room. I now have about an acre of worktop space, and loads of room for storage.

When I've settled on the best place for things like the vice and punch/rivetter and stuff, we fix them, and he'll put some sockets in at bench height for things like the Dremel.

<happy dance>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 16 March, 2013, 07:03:29 pm
Removed Regina 5 speed touring block and fitted Maillard road block, courtesy of nuovo_record OTP, to Campag hub for the Hanlon. On fitting the wheel onto the bike I was puzzled to find that the chain was rubbing on the seat stay when in 5th; this had not been evident with the Regina block. I finally realised that as the Maillard's 5th gear has a larger diameter, 16 teeth to  the Regina's 13 the chain was running closer to the seat stay and touching it. Swapping round some of the spacers on the hub moved it over a millimetre or so on the axle and appears to have solved the problem with the chain now clearing the stay. I've said it before - whenever I am working on one of these projects it's always the things that I hadn't imagined would be a problem that end up catching me out, but I suppose that solving the puzzle is part of the fun.

Also replaced heavily worn derailleur backplate on Campag 980 for the Phoenix with one sourced from bike jumble today. Of course, as it was 20p from the junk box it was a little bent, but being from a Gran Sport or similar and made of brass I was able to persuade it back into shape and I ended up with a good solution. Now we just need some better weather and I will be able to see whether all of this stuff actually works - it all looks pretty good on the stand!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 16 March, 2013, 07:41:25 pm
My Thorn Nomad has languished unused since I got back from the US in November.  Today I swapped the chunky expedition tyres for some Paselas and refitted the cranks, pedals, rear rack & lights.  One of the V brakes required a minor fettle as well.  A few adjustments to make tomorrow and he'll be ready for the camping season  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 16 March, 2013, 08:26:52 pm
Lots of things in the garage.  Fitted new drop handlebars onto Rebecca's Puch Mixte along with a Brooks saddle, another Brooks saddle onto the stoker seat post on the tandem, fitted lots of hooks into the roof beams to hang the less well used bikes up out of the way, and cleared some space on the shelving racks to properly organise all the bike bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 March, 2013, 08:52:49 pm
Quote from: jogler on 13 March, 2013, 08:34:02 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 March, 2013, 05:36:44 pm
Emily's bike....
Fitted a minipump & bracket ( smilar to this  http://www.tweekscycles.com/bike-accessories/mini-pumps/blackburn-mountain-air-anyvalve-pump ) to the down tube using the same fixings as the bottle cage

Fitted a Topeak seat pak similar to this

http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/survivaltoolwedge2

without the proprietary toolkit.In it I put 2 inner tubes,2 prs surgical gloves,patches & glue,2 tyre levers,tie wraps,multi tool,small folding blade knife & rain cover.
I fitted a bracket to the light loop to carry one of these

http://www.cateye.com/uk/products/detail/TL-LD650/

All done using stuff from the bitsbox :thumbsup:

I repaired a puncture in the rear tube of my bike.That's four tubes across three bikes repaired in approx two weeks.I think the fairy has taken up residence in our garage ::-)
Also rationalised a variety of front & rear lights to fit Claire's,Emily's & my bikes.

the bloody tube was flat again today ::-)
Removal & inspection reveales a second puncture.An old ( don't assume there is only one pucture in the tube ) lesson relearned,the hard way.Again  >:(


It was flat again this morning :o.
Repaired it & it was flat again this afternoon. :o
On each occassion the puncture was in a different place.Each previous patch has held successfully.There is something odd occurring & atm ICBA to persevere with it.
It's appropriate to buy a new tyre & tube plus some patches & glue 'cause I've lost faith in this tyre.

If I subsequently discover the problem & cure it I'll use the currently problematic tyre as a spare.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 16 March, 2013, 09:36:51 pm
Do you align the tyre with the wheel each time, or just fit it randomly?

If you always line the printing on the tyre up with the valve, you'll know precisely which part of the tyre is causing a flat (or, at worst, which two parts if you lose track of which way around the tube was when you remove it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 March, 2013, 09:44:59 pm
Yes,alignment  of tyre on rim & mark the tyre in a location corresponding with the site of the puncture to ensure internal inspection of the correct part of the inner casing.I also ensure the tube is fitted the same way round,IYSWIM,within the tyre.
That's why the situation is so frustrating
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 March, 2013, 10:00:47 pm
Something loose rattling around in there.  Or the fairy really has it in for you.  Probably the latter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 16 March, 2013, 10:02:07 pm
I've bee doing unimportant fettling of computers rather than more pressing bike fettling jobs, again.  ::-)  Installed Windows 7 on two old laptops that I wasn't sure would run W7 ok or at all.  The large number of drivers it comes with (or gets through updates) helps a lot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 16 March, 2013, 10:05:17 pm
In that case I'd be checking the rim tape (is it worn and failing in multiple places?) and the tyre bead - is it steel and failing with sharp bits sticking out under pressure?
Or does Emily or Claire have a really sadistic sense of humour and a pin?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 16 March, 2013, 11:33:18 pm
Quote from: MattH on 16 March, 2013, 10:05:17 pm
In that case I'd be checking the rim tape (is it worn and failing in multiple places?)

I've checked that.It's fine

Quote from: MattH on 16 March, 2013, 10:05:17 pm
the tyre bead - is it steel and failing with sharp bits sticking out under pressure?

that's currently the prime suspect

Quote from: MattH on 16 March, 2013, 10:05:17 pm
Or does Emily or Claire have a really sadistic sense of humour and a pin?

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 March, 2013, 11:44:24 am
I have cleaned my Carradice bag and it's currently drip drying all over the kitchen floor in preparation for reproofing. Hope I've rinsed all the soap out (I used hand soap to wash it) as I don't want it intefering with the wax.

Whilst in the shoe cupboard for newspaper I spied my tin of proofide so am going to check my emails to work out when my saddle last got treated and do it if needed, normally done every six months or so right?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 March, 2013, 03:42:59 pm
Saddle proofided.

Chocolate banana cake in oven.

Bath hot tap fixed (again, something not quite right but the actual fix only takes a few minutes, just takes weeks of using a spanner to run the bath before I get round to it each time  ::-))
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 17 March, 2013, 03:44:41 pm
It being the day of the lord, I have moved a church pew upstairs and built a belfrey


(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/P1010713_zps449db7a8.jpg)



So no far no bats - probably hibernating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 17 March, 2013, 05:16:16 pm
Removed half a metric fuck-tonne of Essex and Cambridgeshire from the tandem, after yesterday's Wet Wet Wet Uts ride. The 11T sprocket was skipping under heavy load yesterday; looks like six months of wet, skoggy, flinty, icy, shitty winter audaxing has done it for the transmission.

Better get new chains and cassette ordered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 March, 2013, 05:25:59 pm
Clippered my hair and beard, stray long hairs still attached but will go over them later with some scissors.

A bit of tidying in the spare room but didn't amount to much more than moving things around a bit. Chucked a couple emptry boxes though which freed a bit of space up.

Defragging hard drives currently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 17 March, 2013, 05:39:56 pm
Lousy weather again and I'm still feeling a bit under the weather so no cycling for me today, so I spent a few hours in the garage. 7-speed HG touring cassette fitted to Royal. I had to fiddle about with spacers to get everything...well, spaced I suppose but after a bit of tweaking it all seems to work OK. It sounds a little noisy when running on the smallest sprocket; I can't see any reason for this but suspect that it might be something to do with the small number of teeth, 11 - barely enough to go all the way round! Also took out the jockey wheels and gave everything a good clean - everything is filthy after all of this dreadful weather.

Back to the Hanlon, I wasn't entirely happy with the adjustments I had made to the rear hub yesterday so a little more fettling and cone adjusting moved the hub over slightly on the axle and that feels much better. The tolerances on this frame are very close and everything needs to be just so for everything to work properly. One thing that I am having a problem with is getting the band-on shifters to stay in place - placing a slice of inner tube under the band didn't seem to work so using a tip from Classic Lightweights I put some contact adhesive inside the band, allowed it to dry before refitting it. So far so good, but if this doesn't work I an seriously considering drilling a hole in the underside of the down tube a putting a pop rivet in or something like that as a stop; it sounds a bit drastic and isn't something that I really want to do but...

Now I need some decent weather for a good test run!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Littlesox on 17 March, 2013, 07:17:40 pm
Just fitted 2 new Gatorskins to the Giant under the auspices of "Just going to check that guttering above the garage dear".

Looks like I got away with it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 17 March, 2013, 07:52:00 pm
Sewed some little velcro dots on to the home-made bar bag,  Should keep the route sheet holder in place a bit more reliably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 March, 2013, 09:33:44 pm
raised the handlebars on Rachel's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 March, 2013, 09:43:45 pm
Cleaned the Romany.  Then cleaned the Solo.

Horrid weather, so it was all baby wipes in the kitchen :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 March, 2013, 10:40:48 pm
Swapped fridge and washing machine (not helped by non-standard outlet hose) for new.

Swapped rims on HK's Moulton. The brakes had to be re-adjusted for the new (same model) rims, so definitely justified.

Pulled the rear tyre off HK's Condor to sort out a slow release of air and will probably purchase a new tyre for her French sojourn at the end of week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 17 March, 2013, 10:43:24 pm
An ET1.   I hope the fucking bastard on the receiving end is meted out some real justice for once - not the Cameron/Clegg justice that has come to epitomise the divide between the needy and the haves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 17 March, 2013, 11:09:50 pm
Refitted the shelf in the under-sink cupboard so that it can be removed without recourse to violence should I need to change the taps again (Saturday's plans were thoroughly rogered owing to needing to deal with a mixer tap that was spraying water out of bits it shouldn't have when I turned on the cold tap).

Caulked the slate sleeving for the kitchen air vent and fitted a new interior vent which can be removed for cleaning or during decorating.

Moved stuff out of the side return lean-to and lugged it upstairs or into the shed, in preparation for tomorrow's fettling job, which is removing the lean-to roof and joists to facilitate ladder usage by the insulation installers. Going by what I've seen of the lean-to construction so far, this could be interesting, in the Chinese sense...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 March, 2013, 06:25:25 pm
Took out the cooker.  It is now on the patio pending collection when the new one is delivered tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 March, 2013, 06:38:25 pm
Failed to fix a leaky radiator valve.  Stupid microbore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 20 March, 2013, 10:32:27 am
I've not fettled anything yet today.

But..... I have these......
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8090/8574670088_1ee7c52c63.jpg)  (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8574671268_a87016fe91.jpg)

A new Aksium wheelset and a pair of brand new Schwalbe Marathon Pluses!!!    :o

Let battle commence!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 20 March, 2013, 10:46:01 am
Quote from: FatBloke on 20 March, 2013, 10:32:27 am
A new Aksium wheelset and a pair of brand new Schwalbe Marathon Pluses!!!    :o
Let battle commence!!!
The last time I tried to fold M+'s I put a kink in the bead on both sides of the tyre! Tyre still fits but I'm a bit worried by it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 20 March, 2013, 11:43:22 am
Et voila!!!!!     :D

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8573577857_99cd9af788.jpg)

They actually put up less resistance than England last weekend!    :-\

However, I seem to have lost the use of both hands and am in dire need of a cup of Typhoo!!! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 March, 2013, 05:10:09 pm
Fixed the control on the shower so it now turns all the way to hot, and not just to lukewarm.

Whilst I was at it I removed the head and applied liberal amounts of viakal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 March, 2013, 05:13:28 pm
Quote from: FatBloke on 20 March, 2013, 11:43:22 am
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8573577857_99cd9af788.jpg)

An interesting choice of puncture guard thickness to number of spokes ratio...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 20 March, 2013, 05:14:37 pm
Some potential summer1 pub-ride routes - it's about all I have the energy for at the moment.

1 - 'summer' being defined more by the amount of available daylight than the appearence of the sun and warmer temperatures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 20 March, 2013, 06:29:45 pm
Replaced the Bontrager Isozone handlebars on my Trek with a MTB handlebar I got off a chap on CTC's forums.

Now my new Ergon grips are actually fixed properly to the bars - MUCH better  :thumbsup:

Are Trek the Apple computer of the biking world with their 'special' apparel that isn't compatible with other manufacturers?  I'm rather displeased that in order to change my handlebar grips I also had to change the handlebars  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 20 March, 2013, 10:18:40 pm
Today I Made a new silencer for the vintage rotovator I am restoring for a neighbor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 March, 2013, 06:35:54 pm
I fettled myself. Simonp watched in horror/amusement as I took out my own stitches. Saved a trip to the doctors  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 March, 2013, 07:41:07 pm
Quote from: Feline on 21 March, 2013, 06:35:54 pm
I fettled myself. Simonp watched in horror/amusement as I took out my own stitches. Saved a trip to the doctors  :thumbsup:

Isn't Simon terrible when it comes to blood or am I misremembering? If he is then why did he watch the crazy foo?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 21 March, 2013, 08:06:55 pm
Strewth doctor heal thyself and all that no............... ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 21 March, 2013, 08:50:52 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 21 March, 2013, 07:41:07 pm
Quote from: Feline on 21 March, 2013, 06:35:54 pm
I fettled myself. Simonp watched in horror/amusement as I took out my own stitches. Saved a trip to the doctors  :thumbsup:

Isn't Simon terrible when it comes to blood or am I misremembering? If he is then why did he watch the crazy foo?

Think you have mixed me up with someone else. On the Denmead 600 in 2010, I stopped to go the assistance of a teenage kid who had face planted his bike and was standing at the side of the road with blood and snot pouring from nose and mouth, and pooling in his hand, where he was catching it. I wasn’t bothered in the slightest by the blood.

I refused to do it for her, though, since I’d have left half a stitch inside her.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 March, 2013, 08:58:15 pm
Quote from: Feline on 21 March, 2013, 06:35:54 pm
I fettled myself. Simonp watched in horror/amusement as I took out my own stitches. Saved a trip to the doctors  :thumbsup:

TPIUWIP.

(Barakta was most upset when I removed the stitches from my leg (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=37199.msg707853#msg707853) without letting her watch)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 March, 2013, 09:48:03 pm
Quote from: simonp on 21 March, 2013, 08:50:52 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 21 March, 2013, 07:41:07 pm
Quote from: Feline on 21 March, 2013, 06:35:54 pm
I fettled myself. Simonp watched in horror/amusement as I took out my own stitches. Saved a trip to the doctors  :thumbsup:

Isn't Simon terrible when it comes to blood or am I misremembering? If he is then why did he watch the crazy foo?

Think you have mixed me up with someone else. On the Denmead 600 in 2010, I stopped to go the assistance of a teenage kid who had face planted his bike and was standing at the side of the road with blood and snot pouring from nose and mouth, and pooling in his hand, where he was catching it. I wasn’t bothered in the slightest by the blood.

I refused to do it for her, though, since I’d have left half a stitch inside her.

Ah just me getting muddled then, nothing new there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 March, 2013, 11:23:18 am
Having had the TL-LD170 on my rack bag go dark on a ride on Wednesday night, & discovered later that the batteries are perfectly good, but the light had failed (yeah, well - it's old & very heavily used), I was fretting at my lack of a backup rear light, being paranoid about rear light failures - especially after one has just happened.

So, I looked in the bits box, & found an ancient Smart rear light, unused for years because the bit that fixes to a bracket had broken. I also found a belt clip. It occurred to me that if I took the remains of the broken attachment clip off the back of the light, the nice flat surface remaining could be glued to the belt clip, then hung on the loop on my rack bag.

Some minutes hacksawing & filing later, & a short wait for the glue to harden up, I tried it. Fits nicely.  :thumbsup: The light isn't super-bright, but gives a nice wide area red glow.

Sometimes it's worth putting up with the complaints about not throwing stuff away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 22 March, 2013, 02:54:15 pm
I'm painting a couple of Picasso's one Monet three door and the skirting and I hate the smell of paint  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 22 March, 2013, 06:07:16 pm
Loadsabikes fettling new steering column for a forumite. Not a very good  picture due to phone camera time lag shake but gives general idea. 0.3 mm reduction of part length and other requirements

(http://imageshack.us/a/img15/5552/imag0163xq.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/imag0163xq.jpg/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 22 March, 2013, 06:58:41 pm
Fettling fail. Turns out that there's a ruddy great rivet in the BB shell of my project singlespeed (holding a no-longer-required cable guide) so the cartridge BB I've acquired won't fit.  And I don't have the requisite tools to fit it anyway.

But still, I've started - slowly - reassembling it - mostly just so that I can strip it down again and do it properly next time, sans bodges. Realising that I actually have a lot to learn before this bike will be rideable again!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 March, 2013, 10:06:23 am
Quote from: Canardly on 22 March, 2013, 06:07:16 pm
Loadsabikes fettling new steering column for a forumite. Not a very good  picture due to phone camera time lag shake but gives general idea. 0.3 mm reduction of part length and other requirements

(http://imageshack.us/a/img15/5552/imag0163xq.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/imag0163xq.jpg/)

and.. postie has just dropped it through my door! *happy dance*

thanks loadsabikes :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 March, 2013, 10:18:50 am
Test fitting of some snow chains ahead of going skiing next week :) I now have scars to prove it.

As advised I planned a trial fitting before I left. Didn't expect to be doing it in the snow but "dry and warm" days have been a rarity this year
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 March, 2013, 01:58:46 pm
Just swapped the PSU from the home server, which had big yellow sparks coming out of it. Now wondering why it isn't back on-line
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 23 March, 2013, 02:04:46 pm
Bloody, flippin drive snow clearing & it's nearly BST!

I have to drive to Luton Airport tomorrow, so got the car ready. I wasn't expecting to have to top up the screen wash anti-freeze :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 March, 2013, 02:13:16 pm
The, what will go down in the history books as The Battle of THoFC's firewall, battle is finally over.

Shiny! New! Hard drive fitted, unable to image direct fromthe old disk to the new I gave up and did a rebuild.

The majority of config files just copied across and worked, but one major webapp is defunct, and the web server has had some major config changes in the 4 release versions of the OS between old disk and new.

The one thing I thought would give me the most pain (shorewall), went without a hitch!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 March, 2013, 02:25:52 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 22 March, 2013, 06:07:16 pm
Loadsabikes fettling new steering column for a forumite. Not a very good  picture due to phone camera time lag shake but gives general idea. 0.3 mm reduction of part length and other requirements

(http://imageshack.us/a/img15/5552/imag0163xq.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/imag0163xq.jpg/)

Myford Super 7?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 March, 2013, 02:58:20 pm
installed improved steerer tube (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=69831.0) on my folding bike, credit to loadsabikes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 23 March, 2013, 04:01:08 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 March, 2013, 02:25:52 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 22 March, 2013, 06:07:16 pm
Loadsabikes fettling new steering column for a forumite. Not a very good  picture due to phone camera time lag shake but gives general idea. 0.3 mm reduction of part length and other requirements

(http://imageshack.us/a/img15/5552/imag0163xq.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/imag0163xq.jpg/)

Myford Super 7?

Yep, old and faithfull friend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 March, 2013, 04:14:38 pm
Quote from: jogler on 23 February, 2013, 05:43:17 pm
Fettled the close coupled WC in the bathroom.A new diaphragm was needed in the syphon.Job done,no bother.
A major plus point was that no water escaped to anywhere it didn't belong :thumbsup:

An action replay.
The new diaphragm had become detached from the matrix due to one of the plastic pop rivets going awol.
Mini tie-wraps ftw  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 March, 2013, 04:35:22 pm
In my branes I have fettled bike storage which will revolutionise the amount of floor space I will gain as a result.
All I need to do now is acquire the wood and metal and make some noise with tools.
I sense I visit to Mr. Wickes, perhaps tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 March, 2013, 04:40:39 pm
Various bits of Raspberry Pi fettling - my designated web-server is now acting as a proxy for the GBFO server so it can now serve OpenStreetMap data properly whilst at the same time not exposing aforementioned GBFO server to the big bad Interwebs  :thumbsup:

Next task is to download the necessary files to get the tiles on the server up to date.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 March, 2013, 05:43:02 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 23 March, 2013, 01:58:46 pm
Just swapped the PSU from the home server, which had big yellow sparks coming out of it. Now wondering why it isn't back on-line

Simple explanation as usual. Plugged the wrong network cable into it. Doh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 23 March, 2013, 06:31:47 pm
Picked up an ebay purchase of a virtually unused balance bike, for grandson.

Fettling consisted of stripping & greasing both wheel bearings & headset (why do they assemble these dry?); rebuilt them so there is no longer loads of play  >:( ; re-seating both tyres so that they are concentric with the rims ::-) ; adjusted brakes; lowered saddle and polished the dust off it.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 March, 2013, 08:45:16 pm
Cleaned the Tifosi a bit, and actually remembered to lube the chain this time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 23 March, 2013, 08:45:56 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 23 March, 2013, 04:01:08 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 March, 2013, 02:25:52 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 22 March, 2013, 06:07:16 pm
Loadsabikes fettling new steering column for a forumite. Not a very good  picture due to phone camera time lag shake but gives general idea. 0.3 mm reduction of part length and other requirements

(http://imageshack.us/a/img15/5552/imag0163xq.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/imag0163xq.jpg/)

Myford Super 7?

Yep, old and faithfull friend.

Jurek, your recognition of lathes appears to match my lorry recognition (although I bet you can't identify them by sound alone as I sometimes can).
Hhhmm. Perhaps I (we ?) should get out more  ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 23 March, 2013, 10:37:22 pm
A slightly tidier bedroom; quesadillas; multiple arduino systems involving rangefinders, touch sensors, LED strips and mp3 shields in various combinations; tomorrow's breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I now need to try and fit some of those into a rucksack...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 March, 2013, 09:36:38 am
Quote from: Andrew Br on 23 March, 2013, 08:45:56 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 23 March, 2013, 04:01:08 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 March, 2013, 02:25:52 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 22 March, 2013, 06:07:16 pm
Loadsabikes fettling new steering column for a forumite. Not a very good  picture due to phone camera time lag shake but gives general idea. 0.3 mm reduction of part length and other requirements

(http://imageshack.us/a/img15/5552/imag0163xq.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/imag0163xq.jpg/)

Myford Super 7?

Yep, old and faithfull friend.

Jurek, your recognition of lathes appears to match my lorry recognition (although I bet you can't identify them by sound alone as I sometimes can).
Hhhmm. Perhaps I (we ?) should get out more  ;)
There was a time (~ the 70's or earlier) that I could identify most cars and some commercial vehicles by sound alone.
Then we started making more efficient / effective exhaust systems, effectively gagging them until all that is left to hear is the anodyne tyre noise we have today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 24 March, 2013, 08:38:15 pm
On advice from this parish, I took a power drill to the bottom bracket shell of my project frame. Scary but successful.

Unfortunately now I'm having second thoughts about building it as a singlespeed, and I'm considering spending a chunk of cash on a bunch of geared bits and bobs  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 24 March, 2013, 10:13:32 pm
The tumble drier now works again. The dodgy capacitor has been replaced (which requires removing almost everything else from the drier first) and now starts and stops to order.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 24 March, 2013, 10:20:57 pm
We fettled the dog. He is now nekkid again  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 March, 2013, 10:21:42 pm
Fitted new pads to the front cantilever brake of HK's MTB and flint mining both tyres.

Fitted a new BB and old Specialized triple crank to HK's S&S-coupled bike in place of the Octalink BB and cranks. Should be less like pedalling a horse now.

Fitted a new Cyo to my Frezoni, so I can use my dynohub again.

Tomorrow's main job is changing all the cables in both of our Moultons, ready for the Easter Arrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 24 March, 2013, 10:34:46 pm
Mudguards onto new bike, Bagman 2 onto same which required moving the saddle possibly a touch too high and bending the rack, hopefully not weakening it too much.

Stuck my mtb front lights on new bike, positioning is a pain as the crosstop levers will only let the lights sit in one orientation, think it'll do until I get the dynamo wheel and lights sorted.

I've got a rear light on the right hand seatstay, not ideally positioned but should do especially as not intending to ride in darkness tomorrow, tried to bodge in onto the bagman but my one half successful attempt saw the the light extended too far from the fixing and the whole lot drooping down when I bounced the back wheel.

A frustrating afternoon as nothing quite went right and awkward standing and crouching means my back hurts. Ho hum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 25 March, 2013, 01:56:25 pm
Just been fettling with my cleats as I've acquired a knee injury.

Discovered a bolt missing from the right hand cleat (right knee injured  ::-)).  Have replaced it and altered its positioning slightly.  Hopefully will improve the post-ride condition of my knee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 25 March, 2013, 06:41:13 pm
A green cone that was in an inconvenient place. It was easier to move than the one I moved last summer, because the clay & stones under the topsoil were easier to dig, having had months of being saturated. But it wasn't fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 March, 2013, 07:36:44 pm
Knocking the sealed bearings out of a front hub.  As the hub is out of the wheel, heating it to 100 deg C in an oven alters the job from being impossible to relatively easy.  The bearings weren't too bad, but after four filthy winters' commuting it seemed a good idea to change them while I had the chance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 March, 2013, 07:44:02 pm
Following on from yesterday's problems (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg1447768#msg1447768), I investigated the rear brake on the trike, and found this under the seat:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/ice_on_ice/IMG_3818.sized.jpg)

Yeah, that'll do it.  I'm blaming the comedy off-roading on the North Birmingham ride (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=65145.msg1396559#msg1396559) (sadly that photo lacks enough resolution to show whether the cable was damaged at that point).  On inspection water had got in through the split, the whole thing was soaking wet and covered in a black rust-like substance and there was a curious double-kink in the inner cable.  I'm astounded it worked at all.

New cable fitted, routed above the gear cable (curving in from the right) in the hope it'll be less prone to snagging on things if it's slightly higher up.  Re-adjusted the pads on the rear disc brake while I was at it.

Re-fitted the rear muguard, with extended rubber flap courtesy of loadsabikes.  Put the original flap aside as a spare for the fronts.  Left the Marathon Winter on for the moment.  It may be my best chance to do any more cycling...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 25 March, 2013, 07:53:07 pm
Fitted new spade connectors to my SON, and a new mudflap to the rear of my Dave Yates. Ready for the Arrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 March, 2013, 07:59:51 pm
installed a secret weapon on my underdog easter arrow bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 March, 2013, 08:15:31 pm
Quote from: Kim on 25 March, 2013, 07:44:02 pm
Following on from yesterday's problems (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg1447768#msg1447768), I investigated the rear brake on the trike, and found this under the seat:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/ice_on_ice/IMG_3818.sized.jpg)

Yeah, that'll do it.  I'm blaming the comedy off-roading on the North Birmingham ride (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=65145.msg1396559#msg1396559) (sadly that photo lacks enough resolution to show whether the cable was damaged at that point).  On inspection water had got in through the split, the whole thing was soaking wet and covered in a black rust-like substance and there was a curious double-kink in the inner cable.  I'm astounded it worked at all.

New cable fitted, routed above the gear cable (curving in from the right) in the hope it'll be less prone to snagging on things if it's slightly higher up.  Re-adjusted the pads on the rear disc brake while I was at it.

Re-fitted the rear muguard, with extended rubber flap courtesy of loadsabikes.  Put the original flap aside as a spare for the fronts.  Left the Marathon Winter on for the moment.  It may be my best chance to do any more cycling...
In this weather it's advisable to leave bikes parked with the gear cables slack.  If there is water between the inner and outer, it can freeze while you're in work/the cafe and you then can't get a smaller chainring or a smaller sprocket.  Spring tension isn't enough to move it.  DAHIKT.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 March, 2013, 08:34:07 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 25 March, 2013, 08:15:31 pm
In this weather it's advisable to leave bikes parked with the gear cables slack.  If there is water between the inner and outer, it can freeze while you're in work/the cafe and you then can't get a smaller chainring or a smaller sprocket.  Spring tension isn't enough to move it.  DAHIKT.

Excellent advice, but to clarify, this cable loop hangs about 4 inches from the ground, and was presumably snagged at speed by one of the many sturdy towpath twigs we encountered in January (one destroyed andrewc's rear mudguard) pulling it back against the cable tie - kinking the cable and splitting the outer - rather than being burst by water freezing (yesterday's the first time it's been out in sub-zero temperatures).  The Sprint is a road trike, and not really designed for that sort of abuse.  The lesson here is that if you're touring on a trike with cables like this, it's probably worth carrying an in-line cable adjuster in your tool kit to botch it back together with.

It's the lowest point of the frame though, so gets plenty of spray off the front wheels.  Once open, it didn't take long for the cable fill with water - much more than you'd get from heavy rain on the levers.  That explains why the other cables are fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 March, 2013, 01:11:40 am
I had fun unfettling our knackered rear tandem wheel tonight so the hub can go off for a rebuild. Having watched Shane Sutton on TV demolish a wheel in super quick time with bolt cutters I decided to emulate him. It was indeed a fast technique  :thumbsup:

Knackered Alexrim DA19:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8591388626_0e2d619031_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/8591388626/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/8591388626/) by Lara Feline (http://www.flickr.com/people/felinelara/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 March, 2013, 12:33:51 pm
Fitted:

New rear wheel
chain
rear mech

All to the Dave Yates.  Adjusted everything and sorted the brakes (may need to revisit them once test ridden).

Now just need to remove the M+ from the old rear wheel (and tube, of course) and fit them to the new rear wheel.  Once pedals are on I can test ride it!

YAY!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 26 March, 2013, 02:01:54 pm
Quote from: Feline on 26 March, 2013, 01:11:40 am
Knackered Alex rim DA19:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8591388626_0e2d619031_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/8591388626/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/8591388626/) by Lara Feline (http://www.flickr.com/people/felinelara/), on Flickr
Knackered indeed! What did you do to it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rhys W on 26 March, 2013, 05:54:52 pm
Took off my Chorus cranks and got to use my neat new Park bearing puller & drift to put new bearings on. While the cranks were off I touched up a couple of tiny dings (on the cranks and the frame) with lacquer, then T-cut & Mer to make everything shiny again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 26 March, 2013, 06:13:23 pm
Quick run to the LBS after work to pick up a BB tool and some grease.

Project bike now has a bottom bracket fitted, and cranks and pedals too!

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8592211487_5e7aa45cbe.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dibdib/8592211487/)


Still missing a few bits though  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 26 March, 2013, 06:18:32 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 26 March, 2013, 06:13:23 pm
Still missing a few bits though  ::-)
Not surprised if that's the donor bike in the corner!  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 26 March, 2013, 06:21:24 pm
Quote from: delthebike on 26 March, 2013, 06:18:32 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 26 March, 2013, 06:13:23 pm
Still missing a few bits though  ::-)
Not surprised if that's the donor bike in the corner!  :facepalm:

Oh that one needs fixing too  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 March, 2013, 06:24:55 pm
Yeah, that rear wheel looks well dodgy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 26 March, 2013, 07:53:10 pm
Fitted new wheels from Rose, new 11 - 34t cassette, cyo and associated bits, swopped out tyres etc and can now see and climb up trees! Wondering if I should have got the SON mmm maybe next time. Must say quite impressed with Rose and responses to emails etc and all for less than the price of many Led front lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 March, 2013, 09:59:09 pm
Needed to consolidate the relationship between pedals, saddle & bars on the Scott (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg1441709#msg1441709) to ensure it is in keeping with my other bikes.
Fitted a stumpy 60mm Deda Elementi stem, from Wiggle, in poncey white.
Should be interesting to see how this handles....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2013, 10:53:59 pm
Stuck some new Wellgo spd pedals on the new bike, couldn't be bothered to change the saddle today. Not even sure if I'm cycling in tomorrow as have Uni work to do in the evening.

Still need to rewax my Carradice but it's meant to be dry tomorrow so can probably get away without.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 26 March, 2013, 11:03:00 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 26 March, 2013, 02:01:54 pm
Quote from: Feline on 26 March, 2013, 01:11:40 am
Knackered Alex rim DA19:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8591388626_0e2d619031_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/8591388626/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/8591388626/) by Lara Feline (http://www.flickr.com/people/felinelara/), on Flickr
Knackered indeed! What did you do to it?

2800 miles, some of it fully loaded touring on the back of our tandem  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 March, 2013, 11:25:05 pm
Cleaned a chain (always a horrible job, regardless of method) and refitted it to my Moulton. Replacement of my Moulton's chain and cassette can wait for a while longer. HK's Moulton has 2 taillights fitted again.

Recabling of HK's and my Moultons (and retaping bars) is tomorrow night's job and they should be ready for the Arrow after that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 27 March, 2013, 12:54:37 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 March, 2013, 09:59:09 pm
.......
Should be interesting to see how this handles....

I'd advise against sneezing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 28 March, 2013, 03:54:51 pm
I've finished   :) …....painting my flat took me a total of 29 hours
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 March, 2013, 03:59:36 pm
Pumped up my tyres and oiled the chain for tonight's TNRttC...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 28 March, 2013, 04:01:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 March, 2013, 03:59:36 pm
Pumped up my tyres and oiled the chain for tonight's TNRttC...

Was supposed to be joining this but STUFF got in the way. Hope you all have a great (and not too cold) ride!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 March, 2013, 11:59:12 am
I finally found the correct size roundtoit & fettled the cold tap on the bathroom whb. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 29 March, 2013, 12:48:14 pm
I washed the bike.  I am now fettling my fingers with warm water.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 29 March, 2013, 01:09:07 pm
Decided to give the hybrid a proper service, since it won't be needed for commuting duties until Tuesday. Started stripping parts off the frame to clean them but have stopped for a bit as it's too cold, and none of the bits are yet clean enough to come in the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 March, 2013, 03:25:33 pm
Started yesterday and finished today - some bike storage space - to reclaim some of the badly needed floorspace in my flat.
And yes, it is going to make egress into the back garden *interesting*
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8096/8599717399_81189a95fc_b.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 29 March, 2013, 04:09:18 pm
Stripping my  cracked titanium frame,  (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28886154@N07/8581407954/) in readiness to put the components on a Spa Cycles
Reynolds 725 frame (that I'm about to order). that I've just ordered.


(Edit: Oh, and I took my car to the jet was and returned home to give it a good waxing).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: dasmoth on 29 March, 2013, 06:08:56 pm
Shelves.  Lots of shelves.

I'm hoping that this will eventually lead to a decline in the number of teetering stacks of books scattered around the house, but this theory remains to be tested!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 29 March, 2013, 07:07:42 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 March, 2013, 03:25:33 pm
Started yesterday and finished today - some bike storage space - to reclaim some of the badly needed floorspace in my flat.
And yes, it is going to make egress into the back garden *interesting*
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8096/8599717399_81189a95fc_b.jpg)

Make sure the chain rings don't 'get you' when you duck under those  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 29 March, 2013, 07:32:08 pm
Stripped down, lightly cleaned and oiled a Smiths 8 day wall clock. The clock was running a bit slow so having consulted Google and Youtube and purchased the correct lubricant from Ebay, I decided to attempt some maintenance myself. An enjoyable couple of hours spent at the kitchen table, and reassembled the clock still works but time (hah!) will tell whether this has been successful.

And then some adjustments to the front mech of the Hanlon; it's still too cold to spend much more than an hour in garage at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 29 March, 2013, 07:42:12 pm
Hopefully, my automobile!

Past week or so I've been plagued with the car (2007 Fiat Punto) having a terrible time starting from cold. Culminated in me getting the home start breakdown cover on Wednesday the car wouldn't start at all.  Of course, once the breakdown man came, the car started first time and intermittent faults found on the OBC for the alternator and coolant temp sensor.....

Anyway, with the power of Greyskull google internet search, I found a thread on a fiat forum suggesting corroded and poor earth connections between the battery, chassis & engine could be the cause of these electrical gremlins and trouble starting.  So a bit of time this afternoon with socket set, sandpaper & copperslip, and nice clean well greased earth connections.  Only connection I couldn't fettle was the connection from the negative terminal of the battery to the bell housing of the gear box - too difficult to access as clutch slave cylinder in the way....

Fingers crossed this will cure all the problems! 

Curiously though, I found that with the car switched off, there is a drain of 250mA from the battery....  Must figure out what it causing this drain.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 29 March, 2013, 07:46:06 pm
Fitted a replacement freehub on my mountain bike.

 Never changed one before, surprisingly easy, although a very dirty job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 March, 2013, 08:02:39 pm
Quote from: Feline on 29 March, 2013, 07:07:42 pm
Make sure the chain rings don't 'get you' when you duck under those  ;D
It has already happened.
 ;)
 :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 30 March, 2013, 09:49:59 am
Quote from: Kim on 28 March, 2013, 03:59:36 pm
Pumped up my tyres and oiled the chain for tonight's TNRttC...

Funnily enough, that was exactly the only fettling I did on Thursday as well!

Quote from: Jurek on 29 March, 2013, 03:25:33 pm
Started yesterday and finished today - some bike storage space - to reclaim some of the badly needed floorspace in my flat.
And yes, it is going to make egress into the back garden *interesting*
...

Putting on my Safety Coordinator hat, I really hope that that isn't the only exit in that direction, should a fire block access to the main entrance.  Having to move bikes out of the way, in the dark, with smoke making breathing "interesting" would make for a (slightly) novel obituary in the local rag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 March, 2013, 04:24:38 pm
I fettled a new lock into my back door to replace the one I didn't get keys for when I moved in. It's nice to know I can get out the back now, but not so nice to know how easy it was to snap the old lock. I think the front lock is going to need an anti-snap lock if they are that crap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 March, 2013, 04:50:10 pm
Mother's lawn.
To within an inch of its life.
The surreal part of it was that it was snowing, while I was wearing a pair of mother's mahoosive reactolites (to protect my eyes from the airborne detritus, aloft courtesy of the strimmer) - the closest thing mother has to a pair of EN166 safety goggles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 March, 2013, 06:06:03 pm
See the Folders board.  The Brompton has a new crankset and BB to replace the cheesy (but not cheap) stock items.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 30 March, 2013, 06:16:27 pm
More clock fettling today. This time an old brass cased clock marked on the dial P. Orr & Sons Madras and and undernesth that, Made in Paris - at a guess I would say that this is late 19th century. Interestingly enough, a quick look on Google showed that Orr's are still a going concern, which is more than can be said for Madras. It must have looked smashing when it was new with white enamel dial, brass case and blued steel hands. I carefully removed the hands and then the works from the case after a really good looking over with a magnifying glass to ensure that I understood how it came apart. Inside it all looked in pretty good order but had been subjected to enthusiatic lubrication, so I spent a couple of hours soaking up as much of the excess oil that I could with bits of rag and cotton buds and refitted one of the taper pins that was causing the frame to be a little loose. I cleaned up the case removing years of excess brasso residue and after putting a spot of oil on each of the pivot points reassembled it. My 10ml bottle of oil will last several lifetimes at the rate I will be using it. And so far so good, after a few hours running it appears to be going pretty well.

Yesterday's attempt to sort out the slow running Smiths 8 day wall clock appears to have been fruitless and despite my ministrations it still loses about half an hour in 24. I'lll give it a bit of thought and do some research but I may need to get a grown-up to help with this. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 30 March, 2013, 07:41:48 pm
Fixed a front P***ture on the ebay Subway, and fettled the bearings whilst the wheel was in the kitchen. Surprisingly, they had grease in, but it seemed to be something dark & sticky, like Castrol LM, or malt extract... All good inside though, so cleaned, re-greased & re-assembled. Did the same to the rear wheel.

Bought a new Connex chain for it today & new brake cable inners, but it is too cold in the garage for much more tinkering about.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 March, 2013, 11:40:37 pm
Clocks on the bike computers, microwave and oven.  Barakta's done the Satan and backup Satan.  Pretty much everything else understands time zones, and the iPhone thingy can fend for itself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 30 March, 2013, 11:44:31 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 March, 2013, 11:40:37 pm
Clocks on the bike computers, microwave and oven.  Barakta's done the Satan and backup Satan.  Pretty much everything else understands time zones, and the iPhone thingy can fend for itself.

Jeez, by the time I change clocks on bike computers the hour is usually about to change back again!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 March, 2013, 11:53:47 pm
Bike computers are one of the few non-networked things with a clock that I tend to actually use as a clock with any regularity, so I tend to keep them reasonably accurate.  The microwave I've ranted about before as being the most inaccurate digital clock I've ever seen - including one hacked up in electronics class with an uncompensated RC oscillator.  The oven was, as ever, more of a challenge in cryptanalysis than a clock-adjustment exercise.

Satans are fairly important though.  The only thing worse than being an hour late for work is having your brain rattled twice in the same morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 31 March, 2013, 12:36:50 am
Do Microsoft understand Daylight Saving Time yet? Last time I looked, they hadn't got it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 31 March, 2013, 10:54:02 am
Quote from: Feline on 30 March, 2013, 11:44:31 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 March, 2013, 11:40:37 pm
Clocks on the bike computers, microwave and oven.  Barakta's done the Satan and backup Satan.  Pretty much everything else understands time zones, and the iPhone thingy can fend for itself.

Jeez, by the time I change clocks on bike computers the hour is usually about to change back again!

Same here! They're right for half the year, which is good enough...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 31 March, 2013, 10:57:02 am
don't leave out digital cameras while you're at it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 31 March, 2013, 12:13:06 pm
Wrestled Fettled a Marathon+ onto the rear rim.What a struggle :o which came as a suprise 'cause the old one came on & off without the use of tyre levers:thumbs only needed.
The new one needed tyre levers & was on & off like a bride's knickers due to the first two attempts resulting in pinch punctures to the tube :(
At least I got the tyre on with the rotation arrow arrow facing the correct direction.
However I now see that the front tyre (Marathon+) was fitted (by the lbs) ::-) with the rotation arrow the wrong way.It's never been off the rim to deal with a puncture* so it's been like that since April 2009 when the bike had a bit a refurb just proir to E2E.
I'm dis-inclined to change it round atm due to extremely sore thumbs.
Now that the bike is road worthy again I might spend more time riding than fettling.

*I hope that's not the kiss of death.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 31 March, 2013, 02:45:59 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 31 March, 2013, 10:57:02 am
don't leave out digital cameras while you're at it

I leave mine on GMT all year round.  Caused great fun when we went to new zealand, as the time code on the photos I took with my phone were on NZ time, and the camera ones were on GMT.  Great fun getting the order correct...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 31 March, 2013, 03:08:44 pm
(Got Chris to) put pedals on the shiny so I could test my theory (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg1452230#msg1452230)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 31 March, 2013, 05:50:06 pm
I removed my brake with a hammer.  Cleaned the boss with an abrasive pad.  Replaced the brake plus some grease.  The brake now springs back like I want it to.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 31 March, 2013, 07:00:09 pm
The front lawn! And some roses pruned too! And then, changed the bars, stem and brake levers on the Hanlon - sorting out the cables was extremely fiddly in to cold of the garage with frozen fingers but eventualy managed to complete the task without accidental amputation of fingers by cable cutter. The change of bars makes the bike feel much more comfortable and it is surprising how a stem just a few mm longer makes the riding position feel much less cramped.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 31 March, 2013, 09:20:30 pm
Continued the hybrid's major fettle: serviced the headset and both hubs, before attempting to fit the Tektro mini-V brakes I've had in the spares drawer for a couple of years (yet another too-cheap-to-resist-but-don't-actually-have-a-use-for-it purchase). Refitted the mudguards and wheels to check clearances and realised the mini-Vs weren't going to work, so took them off and refitted the old cantis with new pads and cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 01 April, 2013, 07:39:11 pm
Continuing the ebay Subway fettle, removed old chain & cleaned off grime from everything. Fitted (eventually) new Connex chain (all LBS had for 7 speed); lots of comedy routing through coiled rear mech on USD Subway whilst looking at RWU rear mech on Hewitt. Much brain fade in cold garage. Tightened loose chainwheel bolts (seems to have a threaded steel granny ring).

Wouldn't like to fit a Connex connector on the road, what a faff. How one is supposed to do it without tools I don't know. Needed judicious concave bending to get it to work (it was convex out of the packet). Not convinced about the connector; we'll see.

Removed brake cables & binned old inners, oiled inside outers. Need new noodles too (after viewing the noodley appendage thread) so back to other LBS on the way home tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 April, 2013, 07:49:22 pm
For future info, 5,6,or 8sp chains all fit on 7sp drive trains :)

I removed the mudguards from the raleigh as I couldn't stop the back wheel rubbing. When all the rain turns up then sorry - it was me.


I've now established it was rubbing where a spoke had completely slackened off and the wheel was egg shaped. My spoke key is hidden in the bottom of a removal box somewhere so I've had to tighten it up with a pair of pliers.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 01 April, 2013, 08:28:09 pm
I baked cookies, and the new recipe work much better than the last one which only results in a baking tray shaped mass of cookie dough (not entirely a bad thing mind).

Bike wise all I managed was the trimming of mudguard stays and fitting of end caps after dire warnings of leg manglement in the event of a crash.

Just need to do the same to the back and both ends of the old bike. But given that the old bike doesn't even have a saddle fitted right now and I rarely have people riding behind me that can wait till tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 April, 2013, 08:33:46 pm
Just about finished my replacement audax machine.   Stripped the old one and have transferred most parts.   Swapped the forks and headset on the replacement frameset too.   Just need a couple of gear cables to finish the job.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 April, 2013, 08:37:45 pm
Refitted the Terry saddle back on HK's Condor. The Rivet saddle is staying on her Moulton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2013, 11:53:56 pm
Helped nikki perform open bearing surgery on a squeaky pedal.  We managed not to lose any bearing balls.  It may even work...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 April, 2013, 12:33:41 am
Not a great deal. (Ok, rejibbled this computer so it more or less works).

More importantly, I heard "fettle" used at the weekend inna metal casting stylee. Visited Blists Hill open air museum, where amongst other things, they have a cast iron foundry, where a chap was explaining and showing the making of moulds and explaining the casting process.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 April, 2013, 10:47:34 am
I re-tensioned the spokes in the back wheel of the Mercian as, after 12 years they were all a little bit floppy and making irritating noises when ridden.
I also took the opportunity to reposition the saddle further forward - A down side of the parallelogram bouncy seat pins - if you put on weight, you move further back!
Lastly treated the saddle to some proofide, you could hear it being sucked into the leather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 03 April, 2013, 03:40:51 pm
A bed that was in one piece was made into two pieces; and a bed that was in many, many pieces was made into one piece.

The former taken to the tip in instalments and the latter bounced on a bit for quality control purposes.

Team-fettled pedal returned to crank.



Right, what's for lunch?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 03 April, 2013, 06:40:56 pm
Mini-fettle for Teh Pink BSO Of Potentially Embarassing Nasty DETH, including such novel things as:

* brakes which vaguely slow the bike down
* brake cables which aren't wrapped twice around the head tube
* handlebars which always point the same way as the front wheel
* wheels which have air in, and are actually attached securely to the bicycle

Thank goodness my sister never actually rode the thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 03 April, 2013, 06:46:55 pm
Minor fettle on the Brompton 2 speed trim as it was hunting on the commute into London.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 April, 2013, 09:05:12 pm
I'm normally fairly competent with mechanical stuff. Today I changed the toner cartridge on the laser printer. Out came the old one. Unwrapped the new one. Inserted it. Thought. "This looks a bit small. Oh well, they've probably just trimmed down the shape to save plastic.." Paper feed error. Bad blue words. Hmm.. Try reinserting it. And again. More bad words.
Take another look at the one I pulled out. The toner cartridge sits in a little carriage that then slots in to the printer. (BL-2030). Once I had realised this and swapped the carriage it all began to work (I skipped the first bit about a brand new USB A cable not working and finding a new filing place in the bin straight away.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 03 April, 2013, 09:43:06 pm
An aeroplane. Sorted the Oxygen, Anti-ice (TKS for the geeks) and toilet sorted. Ok. I rang engineering to get the experts out...  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 April, 2013, 10:34:09 pm
Today I mostly fettled a Chinese meal for my family.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 April, 2013, 11:40:24 pm
Quote from: reddo on 03 April, 2013, 09:43:06 pm
An aeroplane. Sorted the Oxygen, Anti-ice (TKS for the geeks) and toilet sorted. Ok. I rang engineering to get the experts out...  ;D

"Can you come and fix the loo?"
"Bog off"
"Yes, that's why I need it fixed."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 04 April, 2013, 08:22:15 am
Not entirely sure what I did could be classed as fettling, but it was not pleasant...  After trying 37 times to phone home, and wondering why 'er indoors was on the phone all day, she phoned from her mobile (see, it does have an "on" switch), and said "there's something wrong with the phone".  She had contacted Virgin by email, as her phone won't allow one to use the keypad in-call (in theory it does, but it doesn't in practice).  I ask if she has checked everything. she says yes.  I get home, phone virgin, arrange for an engineer, Mrs W says she will be home tomorrow afternoon, then cops a strop when she realises they and I mean afternoon, as in, after noon, not at some nebulous time after 2pm.  I look at phones myself, and unplug them all, then plug in basic phone.  it works fine.  I plug in DECT phones, it works fine, I plug in main phone, it doesn't.  Embarassing call to Virgin, where I have to admit that my wife had not, after all, checked our phones. Engineer visit cancelled, main phone binned.

Investigate ever growing stack of huge cardboard boxes, and there is a knock on the door, another cardboard box from Yodel.  I spend ages de-fettlnig cardboard boxes to reveal most of my new speakers, i.e. rears, front, and sub.  No centre front, or stands as yet, but then deliveries weren't supposed to start till Friday.  Realised they need bananana plugs, I do not have any.  Google.... Maplins don't have any, either (well, one in each of about 5 branches in a 100 mile radius).  Give up and order from Amazon.  clear up massive pile of slashed and flattened cardboard boxes, and realise that sub is BIG, shit, where will it fit?  Major fettle of audio shelves, and CD racks commences, I remove one CD rack only for the next 2 sections to follow and fire CD's all over the floor.  Pick up CD's in un-ordered stack, make my sandwiches for work today, and open a bottle of old tomcat, and rapidly unfettle that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 04 April, 2013, 09:02:45 am
Last night, at 18:45 SWMBO and I finally polished our last brick each from the garden wall I have spent the last 10 f*****g freezing days carefully unfettling. We now have a mahoosive pile of complete polished bricks and a corresponding not mahoosive pile of polished 2 piece bricks and pieces of brick.

This is adjacent to the 2 meter by 4 meter expanse of earth that was beneath the recently unfettled 110 mm concrete slab around which my builder is going to glue the recently polished bricks.

My back, forearms and hands are having a lot to say about the recent abuse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 April, 2013, 09:10:11 am
A curtain rail, last night.

Well I was the assistant, as I ended up calling my Dad to come and help.

It is possibly the worst type of curtain rail to fit, it being 1) in a bay 2) needed fixing to the top of the bay and 3) made up of two, overlapping pieces.

Took us the best part of two hours.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 April, 2013, 08:00:39 pm
Sorted out the rear indexing on barakta's trike.  This involved removing the inner cable (which had frayed unattractively at the end after comedy off-roading on the parking field at Midlenhall last year), noting the pleasing absence of water or corrosion, trimming the ends of the outer and fitting new ferrules.

Replacing the inner was a fiddly bastard of a job, and the sort of thing that earns gripshifters a bad name:  For reasons that make good sense on a USS recumbent, the SRAM X9 shifter has the cable exit parallel to the bar.  This means that when threading a new cable, you have to get it in the right hole (easy with enough light) wiggle it round the mechanism (trivial) and then it somehow has to make a 90 degree bend before wedging itself nicely against the side of the barrel adjuster.  For the benefit of anyone attempting similar - and noting that the manual is suspiciously lacking in clarity on the matter - the technique I eventually found to work was to remove the barrel adjuster entirely, then make a kink about a centimetre from the end of the cable and to wiggle it in and out slightly while rotating it anticlockwise.  When it feels like the end has caught on something and frayed, push a bit harder and it'll emerge from the other end of the shifter.  Then you simply have to thread it through and re-fit the adjuster.  If the end *has* frayed, trim the damaged bit off before threading it through the cable outer.

That done, I re-adjusted the gears and noted a pleasing improvement in shifting accuracy, as well as reduced 8th-9th sluggishness, which is something it's always suffered from a bit.


I also touched up the varnish on the bed frame, where I'd inadvertently chipped it by doing a two-person lifting job in a confined space single-handed.  And assorted tidying up of tools and pingfuckits, which is a kind of proto-fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 04 April, 2013, 09:54:48 pm
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8397/8620399584_00e39d4445.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8620399584/)
P4049510 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8620399584/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

Finished this. I had to put a longer stem on it. I also changed the saddle and pedals, gave it a clean and service and finally taped the bars today. It was my dad's, one of the last things he said to me was that he wanted his bikes to go to my boys. I'm taking it down to Surrey next week to pass on to my eldest when I visit for his masters graduation :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 05 April, 2013, 08:45:47 am
Quote from: windy on 04 April, 2013, 09:54:48 pm
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8397/8620399584_00e39d4445.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8620399584/)
P4049510 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/8620399584/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

Finished this. Taped the bars today. It was my dad's, one of the last things he said to me was that he wanted his bikes to go to my boys. I had to put a longer stem on it and I'm taking it down to Surrey next week to pass on to my eldest when I visit for his masters graduation :)

Your eldest is lucky his Grandad had a good taste in steeds and the right idea about what to do with them.

Nice stuff Windy :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 05 April, 2013, 01:00:05 pm
^ + 10

Went to fit new cassette to mercian. Looked at Ribble. Oh, Sh!t.  New chain on before holiday, only ridden twice. No need for lube, it is lubed at factory, right? Wrong. Chain red and white seized mess. Brand new effing chain, only ridden Leeds and back twice.  Much scrubbing with oily wire brush, chain sorted. Discover broken spoke, drive side of course. Fix that, adjust brake, discover pads are worn out and pad-allen-key bolt is seized. Bollocks, I'll have to do with worn pads until I can replace them.

Replace cassette on Mercian.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 05 April, 2013, 05:17:50 pm
Start off by fitting the new brakes to the carbon thing to get that ready for summer. All went swimmingly.

Then swap the studded tyres for the winter ones and readjust the front mech as the front gears were out of alignment.

Adjusting this turned out to be problematic.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8105/8621265109_4ee64a4ae5_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8621265109/)
not quite right (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8621265109/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr

Not pleased, that was the second XT mech to fail with a material failure in a few months (one the binder bolt sheared, this one is somewhat different.)

Oh well, order a shiny new one online.

Clean and lube the winter bike. It really is red white and blue underneath.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 April, 2013, 09:08:50 pm
I fettled my pond electrics. Added a new switched junction box and turned on my main pump and filter. The Koi can have their first feed of the year tomorrow (although its a bit cold so they will have to eat a wheatgerm based pellet until it gets warmer). I've missed feeding them and they have recently looked mighty pissed off if this is a possible mood expression for fish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 April, 2013, 09:20:42 pm
I think I'd be pissed off if I were a fish.  Though not as much as a camel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 April, 2013, 09:46:53 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 April, 2013, 09:20:42 pm
I think I'd be pissed off if I were a fish.  Though not as much as a camel.

Yes, I think I would also be pissed off if I was a camel, regardless of what the weather was like  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 05 April, 2013, 09:50:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 05 April, 2013, 09:46:53 pm


Yes, I think I would also be pissed off if I was a camel......

You'd get the hump ?


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 April, 2013, 10:16:53 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 05 April, 2013, 09:50:50 pm
Quote from: Feline on 05 April, 2013, 09:46:53 pm


Yes, I think I would also be pissed off if I was a camel......

You'd get the hump ?

Twice, if I was a dromedary!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 06 April, 2013, 10:02:21 am
For the first time this year I have put some washing on the line in the garden.

This is not an admission that I hardly ever do the washing - no-one has put any washing on the line in the garden in 2013. I have reloaded the washing machine and I think there's a realistic chance that we might have a completely empty washing basket by the end of the day, and lots of dry, clean washing.

I am also going to have a klitz on the bitchen. If there's time afterwards, I shall start on the tandem's drive train, inspect the paintwork and touch it up with Hammerite so that it is presentable for the wedding we are to attend in the Netherlands next month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 06 April, 2013, 10:06:14 am
I hope that's just a typo Wow. Otherwise we need diagrams I reckon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 April, 2013, 11:40:53 am
a garden seat
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 06 April, 2013, 04:44:17 pm
Finally fitted new Tektro CR720 cantis (bought 2 months ago from bikepacker OTP) to the Pompino, to replace the standard On One-badged droopy ones. Looks much better. Not as bad to set up as I thought*, but then I have the same brakes on a Hewitt & so had a pattern to follow.

On footling slowly up & down the road it seems like a good improvement. Need to go for a short ride around now to check & bed them in, as I have some miles planned tomorrow.

*This statement may be revised if I find they squeal like a stuck pig at proper speeds & I have to try harder at fettling them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 06 April, 2013, 04:46:37 pm
Satan is now ready to ride   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 April, 2013, 05:29:36 pm
Put one of 3 blinds back up (the others are in awkward places so need to gami for those).

Cable clipped a mains wire back in place.

A metric shitload of ironing (Mrs T did a metric shitload and a half).

Now waiting for pizza :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 06 April, 2013, 06:06:12 pm
Swapped Hanlon front mech for slightly slimmer one - a Record I think. The Gran Sport one I originally fitted has a flanged cage that ran very close to the crank, sometimes too close. And then, replaced the chain with a new one. For some reason this took me a looong time, because I kept dropping things, making it too short, making it too long, rivetting my watch strap to it and so on...in fact most of the basic chain fettling mistakes...although I didn't run it the wrong side of the seat stay...I'll save that for next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 06 April, 2013, 09:00:59 pm
Finally finished servicing the hybrid. It's now clean and the gears work! :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 April, 2013, 09:04:28 pm
I fettled the garden. It's shocking that I had done absolutely nothing out there so far this year, but with the low temperatures not much had grown anyway! I emptied and moved a compost bin, scrubbed and moss treated the paths, patio and deck, replanted some tubs, weeded some borders and turned on the main pond pumps, UV and filters. I even fed the fish today since it was over 10C!

On the down side I discovered my cats have anhialated the felt roof of the shed which has been leaking and rotting merrily. I am planning to demolish this and take the wood for recycling over the coming weeks. The question is whether I can do without a shed and store things in the garage or not. There's a load of clutter in there I could probably get rid of. I think there are also rodents breeding in there! Another slight flaw in this plan is the shed is currently holding the fence up. A post rotted so I strapped it to the shed for support last year.  Another thing that needs fixing, oh crap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 April, 2013, 11:26:00 pm
Removed some slack from my chain.  Anyone need any slack?  No?

Replaced my ridiculously worn cleats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wascally Weasel on 07 April, 2013, 08:05:40 am
Fettled the early morning train service in West London.  If only you knew just how much work goes into making it a bit less crap than otherwise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 07 April, 2013, 08:44:32 am
Friday night I fettled a dog fang to the tandem. This had a side effect of smearing filthy chain oil, via my hands, on pristine white travelodge bed linen, and then filthying the travelodge bathroom, and using to destruction the supplied teeny bar of soap.
It was worth it though, no chain shippage yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 07 April, 2013, 01:49:22 pm
Flipped the stem on the Wilier.  Well, it's worth a try.

Just need my lungs to behave now so I can ride it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 April, 2013, 02:01:34 pm
More garden furniture & the plumbing to the outside water tap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 07 April, 2013, 03:48:41 pm
A bit of fettlage by debit card.

Just ordered a set of electrics & 15w flourescent bulb for my DIY Moth trap   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 07 April, 2013, 04:57:41 pm
Chopped the grass to the back garden its soaking wet and water table is still very high.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 07 April, 2013, 05:29:17 pm
A pretty busy day for me. Pitched my new Lidl tent in the hall (it's a small tent rather than a large hall) just to check that it's all there. Sat in it and had a coffee. The thing that surprised me most was that it went back into the bag from whence it came without me having to swear at it. Seems pretty good to me  :thumbsup: Fitted decals and chainstay protector to the old Aerospace frame I had powder coated a few months ago; when it got a bit warmer in the afternoon I sprayed the decals with clear lacquer - I hope to be able to build this up next weekend so I'll post some pics when complete. Then gardening and a bit of spot of exterior painting. Work tomorrow; I doubt that that will be anywhere near as productive nor as worthwhile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 April, 2013, 05:32:02 pm
I fettled one of my handlebar mount-only Aldi computers, since it's difficult to fit a GPS, lights and computer all on the handlebars. With a little help from a stanley knife and some glue, it now fits on the stem! Will see how it holds up before attacking the other identical computer's mount.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 April, 2013, 05:36:16 pm
Yet more tidying out of "stuff that might come in useful but never has" from the shed to make room.  Thank goodness for the new big recycling bins we have - saves loads of trips to the tip!  I did, however restrain myself from ditching the wax melter my wife insists she will use for batique... it's been on the shelf for 6 years at least  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 April, 2013, 10:20:31 am
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 07 April, 2013, 01:49:22 pm
Flipped the stem on the Wilier.  Well, it's worth a try.

Just need my lungs to behave now so I can ride it.

What Wilier do you have?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 08 April, 2013, 10:49:29 am
Quote from: fuzzy on 08 April, 2013, 10:20:31 am
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 07 April, 2013, 01:49:22 pm
Flipped the stem on the Wilier.  Well, it's worth a try.

Just need my lungs to behave now so I can ride it.

What Wilier do you have?

Triestina.  2010.  Small.  Red and black and white.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 April, 2013, 10:59:13 am
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 08 April, 2013, 10:49:29 am
Quote from: fuzzy on 08 April, 2013, 10:20:31 am
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 07 April, 2013, 01:49:22 pm
Flipped the stem on the Wilier.  Well, it's worth a try.

Just need my lungs to behave now so I can ride it.

What Wilier do you have?

Triestina.  2010.  Small.  Red and black and white.

Nice.

I was asking as I have an Izoard XP which was subject of a recall inspection- concerns over the steerer tube on some forks. Mine was OK.

http://www.wilier.it/en/warning-notice-for-all-izoard-xp-owners/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 April, 2013, 12:33:51 pm
The back brake on the Dave Yates, to try and remove the squeeking noise.

shall have to road test it now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 09 April, 2013, 06:17:21 pm
Fettled a chain tug so that it will take an Alfine anti-rotation washer. Quick test ride and job's a good un.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 April, 2013, 10:49:35 pm
Put the new front mech on the MTB ready for work tomorrow. Discovered that the lower jockey wheel is gubbed[1]. Found a spare on a broken mech in the metal recycling pot. That was gubbed too. Hey ho, to CRC we go. Plink clickety click and it should be here on Thursday.

[1] Having actually cleaned it it cound now move side to side enough that the chain would skip and jam in the derraileur cage. Easily fixed by a bit of bendology, it now doesn't jam but the wheel doesn't sit straight so the chain is not runnign properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 10 April, 2013, 06:12:23 pm
Swopped the rear tyre on the amazon onto a spare wheel. Now to pop a new spoke in the old wheel and re-true.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 10 April, 2013, 07:47:40 pm
Put Milly back together today, after her five weeks "cruise" from New Zealand. This made me think about all the times I put our bikes back together over the last year as we started a new leg on our journey. Sadly there isn't any point in fettling the Tank today cause I'm still off the bike, five month counting...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 10 April, 2013, 07:58:33 pm
Replaced the sticking pull cord light switch in the bathroom with a new one. Luckily the baseplates were the same so that saved faffage.

Dismantled the downdraft heater on the bathroom wall and replaced it's pull cord with the one from the light switch.  The old one was worn down to a few fibres and I've been terrified of it it snapping in the on position.  Took advantage of the case being open to give it a severe de-fluffing.

Powered everything back on and found I'd lost my broadband.  The BT hub & router didn't want to talk to each other.  had to power cycle them individually before connecting them back up.  Now working again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 April, 2013, 08:58:15 pm
Quote from: woollypigs on 10 April, 2013, 07:47:40 pm
Put Milly back together today, after her five weeks "cruise" from New Zealand. This made me think about all the times I put our bikes back together over the last year as we started a new leg on our journey. Sadly there isn't any point in fettling the Tank today cause I'm still off the bike, five month counting...

:(

Hope you get it sorted soon, H.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 10 April, 2013, 09:04:57 pm
Stared at wheels with a view to summoning wherewithall to swop out bearings.  ::-) Note to self buy magnetic screw driver.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 10 April, 2013, 09:45:02 pm
I've laced together my first ever wheelbuild  :thumbsup:

Going to leave the rest till tomorrow as I'm tired and likely to make mistakes but so far so good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 April, 2013, 09:52:43 pm
New seat post clamp fitted to the Horizon to replace the one that went bang. Now back to 2/3 bikes in service
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 April, 2013, 10:14:50 pm
Cleaned the house and did some server-wrangling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 10 April, 2013, 10:43:03 pm
Just off to the tube-drawer in the garage, in search of one that will take 130PSI for the opening evening 10 tomorrow.  Then I can cut up the several that have just gone bang, to make bungies of them.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2013, 11:14:35 am
A significant pre-fettle of the back yard, in the form of dragging all the assorted shite that's needed getting rid of for ages out and using it to create a reasonable facsimile of some installation art on the Big Blue Sofa of Doom out in the alley, ready for the cooncil's Bulky Item Collection service that I booked.

ETA - and I just checked.  In a massive failure to appreciate my artistic efforts (what could the still shedding Christmas tree symbolise?) but, it must be said, also in a most efficient manner and to the great benefit of the neighbourhood they have been and the outdoor TPoC has gone  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2013, 12:20:38 pm
That reminds me, I need to do the same for the old mattress that's been kicking about in the dinig room for the last few weeks.  I booked a bulky item collection for the middle of a snowpocalypse, so decided it probably wasn't worth putting out.

I'm reasonably sure it won't fit on a Carry Freedom Y-frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 April, 2013, 12:34:50 pm
Pingu has been inspecting my middle ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 April, 2013, 12:53:39 pm
I think I might be spending my Saturday frotting the tourer that has lain unloved in the shed for the last......5 years (!) to see if I can get it to some sort of rideable state  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 11 April, 2013, 06:23:45 pm
My Mark 1 Moth Trap:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8539/8640991304_6de6817605_z.jpg)

Wooden box a gift from a fellow mother and the UV black light & electrics & ballast from the innernet.

I wonder what delights of moths I'll find tomorrow?   ???   :)

It's like xmas eve!

 ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 11 April, 2013, 09:27:25 pm
Shimergo rear indexing on the Hewitt. Most times it is absolutely fine, sometimes it goes all automatic on me. Set up H & L limits & marginally tweaked cable following rather detailed Park Tools instructions.

Seems great upside down. What could possibly go wrong?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyUncle on 12 April, 2013, 12:10:53 am
Started the pink bike build tonight, the front wheel has been laced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 April, 2013, 12:13:49 am
Woo hoo!  Now _that_ is exciting :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 12 April, 2013, 08:51:06 am
Quote from: BrianI on 11 April, 2013, 06:23:45 pm
My Mark 1 Moth Trap

[...]

I wonder what delights of moths I'll find tomorrow?   ???   :)


My Dad's into the moth trap thing.
On the theme of finding moths the next day: if you're storing them in the fridge for the purposes of later photography, on behalf of anyone else in the household, can I request that you clearly mark the container.  :o :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 12 April, 2013, 09:59:26 am
Quote from: Kim on 11 April, 2013, 12:20:38 pm
That reminds me, I need to do the same for the old mattress that's been kicking about in the dinig room for the last few weeks.  I booked a bulky item collection for the middle of a snowpocalypse, so decided it probably wasn't worth putting out.

I'm reasonably sure it won't fit on a Carry Freedom Y-frame.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/7987975357/" title="loaded by davidmamartin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8458/7987975357_c296c67da5.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="loaded"></a>

It is possibly a bit bigger than a Y frame - 60cm wide IIRC
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 12 April, 2013, 11:30:12 am
Quote from: nikki on 12 April, 2013, 08:51:06 am
My Dad's into the moth trap thing.
On the theme of finding moths the next day: if you're storing them in the fridge for the purposes of later photography, on behalf of anyone else in the household, can I request that you clearly mark the container.  :o :facepalm:

My colleague had a hawk and we would occasionally provide  a bulk load of the results of the household mouse traps. "Don't open the container labeled 'Mice Cream' in the freezer"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 12 April, 2013, 01:03:44 pm
A large box arrived yesterday from Germany containing a rim. This has now been fettled into something generally wheel shaped. Still need to get the spokes tensioned though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 12 April, 2013, 01:54:55 pm
Failed to fettle my T25 LLE Multivan back to life - suspect dead ECU. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 12 April, 2013, 04:13:37 pm
Playing on the lathe and mill and have produced a rather pretty spoke driver for deep rims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 12 April, 2013, 04:21:36 pm
Got the innards out of the e-reader with relatively little loss of life.  Just need to put the new battery in now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 12 April, 2013, 05:43:18 pm
Quote from: nikki on 12 April, 2013, 08:51:06 am
Quote from: BrianI on 11 April, 2013, 06:23:45 pm
My Mark 1 Moth Trap

[...]

I wonder what delights of moths I'll find tomorrow?   ???   :)


My Dad's into the moth trap thing.
On the theme of finding moths the next day: if you're storing them in the fridge for the purposes of later photography, on behalf of anyone else in the household, can I request that you clearly mark the container.  :o :facepalm:

Well, I live alone, so I can keep moths in the fridge without any problems!   :thumbsup: 

Quite an interesting haul, this morning.
4 Common Quaker
1 Hebrew Character

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 12 April, 2013, 08:00:15 pm
Rack and mudguards off the Tricross, in anticipation of possibly tagging along with Swindon Road Club in the morning (if I get my fat arse out of bed in time).

I thought taking a power drill to my project bike was nerve-wracking - I didn't think I'd end up doing it to my "nice" bike.

Removal of the rear mudguard was an effin' nightmare - I can't imagine many more inconvenient places to round off a silly-small hex-key bolt head than in the chainstay bridge. I've ended up drilling the head off the bolt and wrapping the rest of it in electrical tape until I figure out how to fix it properly with my limited fettling-fu.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DrMekon on 12 April, 2013, 08:24:21 pm
Fitted Salmon Koolstops to my fixed, which had less than a mm left on the rear pads and not much more on the front. I don't think I'd have got another ride out of them - lucky to get away without braking on the cartridges.

Must not leave it so late next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyUncle on 12 April, 2013, 09:41:48 pm
Quote from: CrinklyUncle on 12 April, 2013, 12:10:53 am
Started the pink bike build tonight, the front wheel has been laced.

and now it has a friend:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8103/8644053382_905776e3d2_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/74277693@N03/8644053382/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 13 April, 2013, 03:08:11 pm
Some minor fettling on the boothatch bike rack to see if it fits the new jalopy, and to coat the metal hooks with electrical tape in case the paintwork protectors go missing.

Unfortunately it sits a lot lower on the new saloon than it did on the old hatchback, and I don't think I can get away with it. For the sake of sorting electrical gubbins and a lights/plate board, I might as well grit my teeth and buy a roof rack.

I'd better pre-warn my credit card...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 April, 2013, 03:13:27 pm
Have packed the Inbred, ready for it's holiday.

This meant removing:
Front wheel
Bars and stem
Seat and seatpost

Then wrapping it in Visqueen.

Now onto repacking panniers!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 April, 2013, 03:15:14 pm
Changed the oil and filter on the Pikey Old Beemer (which passed its 9th MoT yesterday at 125,000 miles with no advisories...amazingly).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 13 April, 2013, 03:57:27 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 13 April, 2013, 03:15:14 pm
Changed the oil and filter on the Pikey Old Beemer (which passed its 9th MoT yesterday at 125,000 miles with no advisories...amazingly).

I hope my Pikey Not-so-old Beemer has the same astounding run of form!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 13 April, 2013, 06:04:14 pm
Started to build up the Viscount framed project bike, she's looking very smart in her new livery. I just need to fit the chain and adjust the gears, fit the  seat post, saddle and pedals  and adjust the brakes - but having experience of Weinmann callipers this could take some time. Oh, and tape the bars. Probably only a couple of hours work but its still cold in the garage and I'm a bit tired. The weather is meant to improve tomorrow so I hope to be able to go out for a test run. I used this bike a good deal last summer in her original tatty condition and the frame has a really nice feel to it and was comfortable even over reasonably long distances; I haven't changed much from last year's spec other than go-slower Mafac levers and a six speed Shimano block replacing last year's 5. Looking forward to it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 13 April, 2013, 06:08:00 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 12 April, 2013, 05:43:18 pm
Quote from: nikki on 12 April, 2013, 08:51:06 am
Quote from: BrianI on 11 April, 2013, 06:23:45 pm
My Mark 1 Moth Trap

[...]

I wonder what delights of moths I'll find tomorrow?   ???   :)


My Dad's into the moth trap thing.
On the theme of finding moths the next day: if you're storing them in the fridge for the purposes of later photography, on behalf of anyone else in the household, can I request that you clearly mark the container.  :o :facepalm:

Well, I live alone, so I can keep moths in the fridge without any problems!   :thumbsup: 

Quite an interesting haul, this morning.
4 Common Quaker
1 Hebrew Character

 ;D

Picutres! We need pictures! Ooh I do like a good moth! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 13 April, 2013, 06:09:38 pm
New cables & noodles on Subway beater, and Odyssey pads from BMX brakes on the rear - squeal like a good 'un, so that will appeal to the noisy teenage user. Indexed gears too; SRAM rear mech a little wobbly, but seems serviceable.

Adjusted gears on Kona Uber-Shopper; rear fine, but front mech sticky to the point of stuck. Removed, cleaned, blasted with WD40 & worked with screwdriver until freed up nicely. Replaced in probably not quite the same position, so more adjustments tomorrow.

A good afternoon in the garage; spring is here so able to fettle in flip flops.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 13 April, 2013, 07:50:59 pm
The tandem is supended from the garage rafters. Its wheels are in the house. It has had:-

a good clean, involving removing things like V-brakes to get all the grot from around them, and re-greasing their pivots;
rusty bits where the original paint has flaked off, mostly around the bottom brackets, have been painted with Hammerite (this bike is an example of a really crap paint job by Thorn);
the cranks have been removed and throughly cleaned, and new chain rings have been fitted;
the pedals, which made fottball-rattly noises when spun rapidly, are now smooth, thanks to the generous application of 3-in-1;
the Rohloff sprocket has been removed, re-greased and reversed - that sprocket has done very few miles.

Jobs still to be done:-

fit new chains. This will involve ensuring that the eccentric bottom brackets give as short a chain as possible;
refit the Cateye computer bracket, which I dislodged when the rope suspending the tandem pulled the cable ties apart;
get Mrs. Wow on the back and go for a ride.

Those last three will probably have to wait until Monday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 April, 2013, 12:13:42 pm
Due to the house being the Argument Room today(again), I repaired to the garage to do some fettling.

I made sure I had the last few bits (like tyre levers) in my bags ready for Thursday, then started on a dry run of TLD's road bike build.

34cm bars fitted, 7 speed Microshift shifter fitted and then I decided to call it a day, as the arguments moved outside.  So I am now hiding in the office, Mrs T is sulking in the kitchen and TLD has gone to see Granddad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 14 April, 2013, 01:06:13 pm
It's blowin' a hoolie outside Nikki Towers today which reminded me of the threat of kites for the Giant Chocolate Fudge Cake walk. I've just removed the dust and cobwebs from the Bag o' Kites. It's been a while...

Some observations:
1) Don't empty a bag full of kite kit by turning it upside-down from standing height unless you are sure the lines have been properly tied off on the winders.

2) Kites breed if you leave them unattended - where did that 3rd one come from?!

3) It all looks more complicated than I remember!

4) Sometimes things come with printed instructions inside the packaging - you don't always have to immediately google for stuff  :facepalm:

A few repairs made and knot tying skills refreshed. Bring it on!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 14 April, 2013, 02:17:57 pm

This

Quote from: jogler on 29 March, 2013, 11:59:12 am
I finally found the correct size roundtoit & fettled the cold tap on the bathroom whb. :thumbsup:

again.
This time it was a FULL-MONTY FETTLE.A completely new complete valveanevryfink.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 April, 2013, 06:30:58 pm
Cleaned up Miss Z's Specialized Hotrock 16 for sale (£70 to you, guv).  It didn't take much work, having never been ridden in the wet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Littlesox on 14 April, 2013, 06:37:07 pm
Have an old Raleigh Pioneer Classic languishing in the shed.

Pullled it out and started fettling this afternoon.

Need a couple of tubes and some TLC and will use it to tootle down the shops/pub/local etc.

Caught a couple of hoodies eyeying up the Marin outside Sainsburys when I came out.

I would rather lose an old Raleigh than the Marin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 14 April, 2013, 09:33:12 pm
Just finished fettling a bookshelf which should allow me to get rid of more removal boxes find all my books again :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 14 April, 2013, 09:40:08 pm
I just swapped over the rear tyre on Red, since the old tyres was getting a little sliced up, and prone to punctures.  The new Vittoria Open Pave Evo CG tyre is green rather than red, so doesn't entirely colour coordinate, although it should be a bit more tolerant of abuse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 15 April, 2013, 12:09:49 pm
I put all the boat's ropes through the washing machine whilst Mrs Wunja was out of the country.

Sorted all of the tents and associated gubbins for Cub camp in two weeks time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 15 April, 2013, 12:45:32 pm
A mobile phone contract and a sofa delivery date.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 15 April, 2013, 01:42:24 pm
Just fetteld 3/4 of a pack of oat cakes with marmite nom nom nom.

Closely followed by the remaining 1/4 pack of oat cakes with hunney nom nom nom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 15 April, 2013, 06:44:41 pm
Front brake fettle on the Tricross, including a new brake inner to replace the frayed old one (a much simpler and less daunting job than I'd expected) and a general readjustment.

As mentioned in the "Wot did you buy?" thread, I also picked up an innatoob for the Pink BSO. I haven't fettled it onto the bike yet, as I fear it's still a deathtrap and it having a p*nct*re is the least of its worries.

Next on the list is probably to fettle a large pizza into my face.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 15 April, 2013, 07:20:55 pm
Just put together a workmate type thingy to aid further fettling.

It's a B&Q own brand and it is cheaply made from crap materials. But it was only £17 and for the sort of jobs I'm going to use it for I think it will suffice.

Just need to drill an additional hole in the top (and get some wing nuts and bolts) and I'll be able to use it as a mount for my Lidl vise I bought ages ago that currently gets used on the kitchen floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 15 April, 2013, 08:35:32 pm
Just fettled a tent into a pannier, always either used a hammock or just tied it on the rack.

As I'm only out for one night I figured I'd try it inside one of the front panniers for a change, now where do I put the poles?

I did all this very quietly as wife to be the lovely bobbette  is in bed with a migrane.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 15 April, 2013, 09:57:43 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 15 April, 2013, 07:20:55 pm
Just put together a workmate type thingy to aid further fettling.

It's a B&Q own brand and it is cheaply made from crap materials. But it was only £17 and for the sort of jobs I'm going to use it for I think it will suffice.

Just need to drill an additional hole in the top (and get some wing nuts and bolts) and I'll be able to use it as a mount for my Lidl vise I bought ages ago that currently gets used on the kitchen floor.

The common method of using an engineers vice in a Workmate is to bolt (using countersunk or recessed bolts) the vice to a slab of 18mm ply with a bit of 4" x 2"(or 2" x 2") timber glued & screwed to the bottom. The ply sits on the top of the Workmate while the timber is clamped in the jaws. The vice can be securely held, yet can be quickly released if you want to use the Workmate in the normal mode.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 15 April, 2013, 10:24:36 pm
I have now put the wheels back on and have fitted the chains to the tandem. It's still suspended form the garage rafters. It really looks a good deal more splendid than it did before i started. I'm really looking forward to our nephew's wedding next month. We must find some appropriate ribbons with which to decorate it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 16 April, 2013, 07:27:47 am
Quote from: Wobbly John on 15 April, 2013, 09:57:43 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 15 April, 2013, 07:20:55 pm
Just put together a workmate type thingy to aid further fettling.

It's a B&Q own brand and it is cheaply made from crap materials. But it was only £17 and for the sort of jobs I'm going to use it for I think it will suffice.

Just need to drill an additional hole in the top (and get some wing nuts and bolts) and I'll be able to use it as a mount for my Lidl vise I bought ages ago that currently gets used on the kitchen floor.

The common method of using an engineers vice in a Workmate is to bolt (using countersunk or recessed bolts) the vice to a slab of 18mm ply with a bit of 4" x 2"(or 2" x 2") timber glued & screwed to the bottom. The ply sits on the top of the Workmate while the timber is clamped in the jaws. The vice can be securely held, yet can be quickly released if you want to use the Workmate in the normal mode.

That is a fine plan, I will do that instead of drilling holes in the workmate.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 16 April, 2013, 10:47:25 am
The bog's cistern.

It wasn't flushing and has been a damned nuisance for ages. Not surprisingly, when I took it apart I discovered a hole in its diaphragm.

I fished in the recycling bin for the good-quality thick polythene in which Mr. Thorn packs his chain rings, cut a circle and a couple of holes in the right place, fitted it and I am flushed with my success.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 16 April, 2013, 07:31:03 pm
Given the Tricross its first "proper" wash of the year. Well, if I turned up on my first audax on a dirty bike... it just wouldn't do, would it?

It's currently drying outside the back door, and I'll be back out there to re-lube all the movables in a bit. It's nice to have a shiny bike again  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 16 April, 2013, 08:25:22 pm
Just fettled a thin 11mm open ended spanner from an old plate spanner to accurately adjust the Weinmann callipers on the Phoenix - Uri Geller. I have a number of these picked up at boot fairs for a few pence each and they often come in useful for creating special tools. Top tip! (Probably) Oh, and then I tweaked the brakes a little.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 16 April, 2013, 09:40:17 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 16 April, 2013, 07:31:03 pm
Given the Tricross its first "proper" wash of the year. Well, if I turned up on my first audax on a dirty bike... it just wouldn't do, would it?



Before we did our first evah audax, I told Helen that there was a rule that all bikes had to be clean at the start.
Apparently that made me a bad person.
Unrelated to this, she hasn't done an audax since.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 16 April, 2013, 09:49:46 pm
Killed at least 18 toolbars out of one colleague's Internot Exploder and sorted her bookmarks out for useful work bookmarks. Added an annoying public calendar to another colleague's outlook by the method of keep clicking on the fucking things and poking buttons till it randomly worked properly...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 17 April, 2013, 05:33:58 pm
A raised vegetable bed for Mrs Miggins garden and teak oiled the garden chairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 April, 2013, 06:35:48 pm
I replaced 4 taps. It saved changing a washer in one of them, and now I have funky lever operated taps instead of crap plastic ones. Nothing leaked while I was doing it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 April, 2013, 06:58:41 pm
Fancy doing the ones in our kitchen?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 17 April, 2013, 07:52:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 17 April, 2013, 06:58:41 pm
Fancy doing the ones in our kitchen?

+1

I fettled a new front wheel - Schmidt SonDelux on a H Plus Son Archetype rim.

I'm rethinking my whole theories on wheels - why does someone who weighs 60Kg who's only broken 1 spoke in their life really need 36 spokes in a wheel?

Saves 130g from my other Dynohub wheel - when combined with the matching rear wheel, it's nearly 300g lighter.  Sure it makes some difference - rotational weight and all that.  Actually on my regular laps around Richmond Park, I am fairly consistently 2-3% quicker on the lighter wheels (but, to be fair, the tyres are different (Vittoria Open Pave Vs. Conti 4 Seasons))

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8658893490_cfe8243780.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 April, 2013, 08:44:44 pm
Swap the tyres over and see if you correctly guess what happens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 17 April, 2013, 09:05:31 pm
I dropped the bars on the Dirty Disco by one 2cm spacer.
On a quick ride around the block (well to the off-license), it seems pretty good.
I hope that I have the same opinion in Hull on Saturday morning.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 April, 2013, 09:42:49 pm
Recently I have fettled the garden, most of a laptop, the house a few times and even a contract. Fairly decent by my standards! I've even washed the bike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 19 April, 2013, 12:03:15 pm
Various bits of pre-FNRttC fettling. I still haven't decided which bike to take, so I'm fettling both of the options. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 19 April, 2013, 07:35:31 pm
Replaced the touch screen on my son's smart phone...... again!  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 19 April, 2013, 07:38:30 pm
New bar bag and swanky new fork-leg light mounts (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=70647.msg1466290#msg1466290) onto bike, and roof bars onto car :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 19 April, 2013, 08:14:10 pm
Replaced the headset on the CdF.

I honestly intended to do it in a controlled and gentle manner but in the end my percussive streak won the day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 20 April, 2013, 02:35:16 pm
Dismantled, cleaned and lubed rear BB7 disc brake. New brake pads. Almost completely non-functional after 2 winters of slush and salt :P
Also had to dismantle, lube, rebuild and re-pad front V-brakes again....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 20 April, 2013, 07:45:48 pm
Stripped and re-cabled the drum brake on the back of the recently acquired tandem, daughter can now contribute towards the braking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 April, 2013, 10:30:12 am
I have removed the DIY chin strap from this 15 year old

http://www.barbourbymail.co.uk/Barbour-Wax-Sports-Cap.html

in olive

& added it to this

http://www.barbourbymail.co.uk/Barbour-Wax-Sports-Cap.html

new one in Black after Marj has craftily inserted two hollow rivets using her craft tools & skills.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 21 April, 2013, 04:19:09 pm
Having buggered my front left speaker on my surround sound (By the usual method of seeing how loud a new amp could go - during the take-off of Apollo 13  ;D )..........

I took the main drive unit out mainly to see how easy it is to change for  a new one. Then noticed that the "clicking" noise is due to the main cone becoming detached from the spider  (http://www.webervst.com/spterm.html#spider)at the base.

Careful application of some hot melt glue later, and I seem to have a fully functional speaker again. Not sure what the bodge will do to the speaker frequency characteristics - but at first listen, there is no obvious reduction in repro quality. So we'll give it a go, and see if I've saved myself £45 for a new drive unit.

Hot melt glue FTW  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 April, 2013, 04:51:41 pm
Yesterday I fixed the car handbrake. Today I threatened the washing machine with a screwdriver (dodgy door interlock) and it is now behaving.
 
Edit: to nearly the end of the cycle, now it is misbehaving again. New part on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 21 April, 2013, 05:39:21 pm
Cut about eight inches off the bottom of the ridiculously long seat post that was fitted to the Phoenix, and from the gash section fettled a lamp bracket to fit on the rear brake pivot. Whenever I am working aluminium alloy with hand tools it always feels more like carving or whittling than anything else - but it seems to work pretty well although the rear of the bike is beginning to look a little crowded with bidon, pump and rear lamp all clustered under the seat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 21 April, 2013, 07:36:21 pm
Finally removed the last bits from my frame that will become my lilac Harry Quinn. Still can't decide whether to go S/S or not. Given my knees, probably not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 April, 2013, 08:16:44 pm
Bent the raliegh's dérailleur back straight (using the allen key in the mech bolt method). Now trying to summon the enthusiasm to refit with new dérailleur and mess around with the indexing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 21 April, 2013, 10:37:41 pm
Took the winter tyres off the commuter / do-it-all bicycle (the Orbea) and put M+ back on.  Also put in a new tube on the front - CBA to fix p*nct*r*s at the moment.  This bike hasn't been touched since I put the winter tyres on and snake-bit the front tube.  ::-)

It's good to have two usable bicycles once again.  Now just need to sort out the Moulton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 21 April, 2013, 11:12:20 pm
I actually got around to using the TV mount I bought some time back, and the TV is now mounted swung out from the side of the bay window.

It works very well, but I'm very nervous that the entire thing will collapse, destroying both the wall and the TV. :-[

The fibre optic cable feeding audio from the TV to the audio decoder is now too short, so I'm either going to have to get a longer one, or live with having to switch the audio feed whenever I change to a different HDMI source.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 21 April, 2013, 11:40:14 pm
New radiator fitted. Third time lucky with the PTFE tape. Hmm, fingers crossed we're still dry in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 April, 2013, 12:03:41 am
Quote from: tom_e on 21 April, 2013, 11:40:14 pm
New radiator fitted. Third time lucky with the PTFE tape. Hmm, fingers crossed we're still dry in the morning.

That's another one on my 'to do' list. I'll probably get round to it about the time it starts cooling down for winter again :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 22 April, 2013, 09:23:26 am
Heh, this one was prompted by refitting kitchen worktops.  With one worktop leaning against the wall in another room waiting for the rad to be done, I couldn't ignore the job anymore...

Seems ok this morning.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 22 April, 2013, 06:32:49 pm
Removed the cranks and bottom bracket from the Pugsley, applied Copper Slip and reconstructed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 22 April, 2013, 07:31:42 pm
Quote from: jogler on 21 April, 2013, 10:30:12 am
I have removed the DIY chin strap from this 15 year old

http://www.barbourbymail.co.uk/Barbour-Wax-Sports-Cap.html

in olive

& added it to this

http://www.barbourbymail.co.uk/Barbour-Wax-Sports-Cap.html

new one in Black after Marj has craftily inserted two hollow rivets using her craft tools & skills.

I bet that 15 year old waxed cap has some character about it.....   :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 April, 2013, 11:17:57 pm
I've been playing a game of musical tyres. The Raleigh's Krylions are now on the Dawes, the Dawes' Marathons are now on the Claud Butler and the CB's tyres are, er, in a box.

The Raleigh got brand new 23mm Krylions in red (which are obviously going to be faster), though I now need to dig out another tube after nipping the rear one while persuading the tyres onto it's chrina rims (not as nightmarish as I'd expected actually).

Now I'm considering riding up and down the street on the Dawes to hit my MCL target for the day (I need 330m).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 April, 2013, 09:22:06 am
I fettled a back wall onto a dinning shelter to use as the cooking tent on camp this weekend. Trying to run 4m2 through the sewing machine was not fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 23 April, 2013, 08:49:17 pm
Phoenix front wheel bearing fettled this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 23 April, 2013, 10:20:29 pm
Failed to remove some chainrigs  :( Have ordered a tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 24 April, 2013, 12:26:13 am
Shortened front speaker cables to half their original length, split amp end of cable and fit new banana plugs, and re-configure amp in bi-amp mode.

Upgraded laptop’s RAM (2011 MBP) to 16GB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 24 April, 2013, 08:08:06 am
Took my 9 year old B17 apart
The top had twisted to the left.  It was quite noticeable at the nose.  Once it was unclamped and off the bike the problem looked worse.  To fix it I completely slacked off the tension, removed the bolt and had the rails flapping loose.
The reason it was happening was that the metal shoe in the nose had splayed out.  So I squeezed it with pliers and tapped it with a hammer.  On reassembling it looked fine.

Good for another few years

I affectionately applied some Proofride
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 April, 2013, 08:19:07 am
Replaced all brake blocks on my Moulton (rims might make till the end of the year), fiddled with the rear light and tightened the front derailleur cable on HK's Moulton. It seems that the inline adjuster is not holding, so did it the old-fashioned way for now and will investigate changing the friction in the adjuster threads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 24 April, 2013, 01:55:15 pm
Changed the wheels on my Racelight Tk3 from Shimano RS10 to Mavic Aksiums, out of interest. Also changed the bottom bracket from a rubbish (but bling) Token heap-of-crap to a nice (but boring) Ultegra. The Token one had such poorly cut threads, the right hand cup had self-destructed and filled the BB shell with bits - had to get LBS to clean it up with a very flash tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 24 April, 2013, 02:34:48 pm
I put the cranks and chain back on Dylan's bike. he was fed up of scooting behind Louis.

Dylan (4 in June) got on the bike and - with a little push - cycled happily away as if to say "I told you I was ready".

 ;D

Replaced the v brake on the front of the Me 'n' U 2 with a second hand magura hydraulic rim brake: henceforward known as the dog chain, because it has the same effect on the bike as a fixed chain has on a charging dog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 24 April, 2013, 08:49:55 pm
Replaced the knackered rear mudguard on Blue Meanie with a shiny new one. 

I'm on one of Mr Legge-Bandages nocturnal perambulations on Friday, and you know how fussy he is that your bike is properly set up  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 24 April, 2013, 08:58:53 pm
This evening I started the giant post winter clean of the Royal. More to do; this should keep me occupied for some time. Hopefully by the weekend I will have hacked of sufficient crud to allow me to service the bits that still move.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 25 April, 2013, 12:53:13 pm
I am currently fettling my pond.

I'm more than doubling its size to 10,000 litres. I have so far half filled a skip with earth. I discovered my wheelbarrow wheel actually has a valve and is much easier to push without a flat tyre! My back is complaining a bit about the manual labour. I can't take too long doing this as my fish are in a paddling pool on the patio and my biggest Koi has so far jumped out twice and been rescued by Simon  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 26 April, 2013, 08:48:21 am
Last weekend I bought one of those chain cleaning gizmos from Lidl, one of those ones with a little tank for degreaser and three rotary brushes that clips onto the chain. I didn't expect it to work very well but for a few quid I thought that it might be worth a go. I used  it on the heavily fouled chain of the Royal last night  and was surprised to find that in fact it worked really well. Good news: I now have a gleaming chain; bad news: I can now see that it is actually quite worn and probably needs replacing. Hmmm...a partial victory then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 26 April, 2013, 01:49:44 pm
At least you won't get your hands dirty when you replace it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 26 April, 2013, 01:55:38 pm
A new front lamp bracket for the Mrs Miggins Chariot.
Whilst checking the water system on the camper, I was pleased to locate a missing Exposure rear light hiding in one of the cupboards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 26 April, 2013, 07:49:15 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 23 April, 2013, 10:20:29 pm
Failed to remove some chainrigs  :( Have ordered a tool.

Yay! New tool did the trick  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 26 April, 2013, 08:13:47 pm
i just dealt with what I thought was a Fairy visitation in the rear wheel of Red, which I thought I'd solved for a while by using a Vittoria Pave clincher (supposedly the Marathon Plus of road racing bicycles).  After careful checking of the tyre and inner tube, it seems to have been a fault in the valve of the inner tube, and nothing to do with the tyre at all. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 April, 2013, 03:05:07 pm
Converting an old and rather brassed Sturmey-Archer 3/4 speed trigger into an ASC trigger. Basically, you knock out a rivet, take out the ratchet, and file 3/32" off the "L" detent (the ASC needs the normal amount of cable pull from H to N but needs 1/32" more pull from N to L (which means 3/32" at the trigger because of the way the cable is wrapped).  Very easy.  Also worth "sharpening up" and undercutting the M detent slightly to avoid any possible slipping in use.

The alternative, which is to file off the "M" position altogether and use H, L and B (bottom), is a bit less satisfactory as it gives excessive cable slack in top gear.

I might spray the faceplate of the trigger silver to smarten it up a bit before I put it back together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 April, 2013, 04:16:22 pm
Washing machine brushes replaced. This required variously trying to find the correct sized socket with which to remove the old ones. Then trying to find the pack of spade connectors I had somewhere to replace the one that was inadvertently broken mid fettle. The machine is back together though the first full load flashed up an error - possibly due to the brushes having to be installed the wrong way round and allowed to wear into shape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 April, 2013, 05:21:54 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 27 April, 2013, 04:16:22 pm
Washing machine brushes replaced.

Today we by-passed the fettle stage & replaced the entire machine.The man from the Pru  said the 17 year old* duff machine was beyond recussitation.

*not bad value-for-money for a freebie :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 27 April, 2013, 08:20:06 pm
Next week, my Mum comes to visit at MFWHTBAB's house for the first time, so we were sorting the spare room (moving his drawing board out, and the single bed in), and decided we need a little bedside table in there.

Casting about, MFWHTBAB spotted a wooden box/drawer thing we'd picked up from the side of the road when we went taking photos around Trafford Park for our model railway project. It's greasy, and grubby and, well, just a box.

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0342.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0342.jpg.html)

He rustled up a top and a shelf, while I got the worst of the oil off it.

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0346.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0346.jpg.html)

And with one coat of paint, it's looking promising.

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0348.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0348.jpg.html)

Tomorrow, more paint, and a drawer for the top section.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 April, 2013, 11:22:29 am
We have had a move round in the office wrt desk-tops,printers et al.

Why does all the wiring end up like a rat's nest no matter how carefully & tidily it was arranged when we last did this exercise?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2013, 11:28:32 am
Second law of thermodynamics, innit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 28 April, 2013, 12:33:29 pm
Full of a cold - so no riding this weekend it seems (meaning I will fall around 50 miles short of a 1000 mile month annoyingly).

Booted up a tyre that had got an unlucky sidewall cut within 600km.  Should serve okay as a rear tyre.  I am loath to bin it (at £50 a go!). 

I am trying to summon up the energy to strip off the handlebar tape and redo all the cabling on the bike.  None of my favourite jobs really (cabling and taping).  But I suppose it should be done......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 April, 2013, 02:36:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 April, 2013, 11:28:32 am
Second law of thermodynamics, innit.
There is one tidy and neat conformation. There are almost an infinite number of disordered conformations. Restraining a system in a consistent ordered state requires an input of energy to combat the inevitable gain in entropy as systems move to the disordered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 April, 2013, 02:41:28 pm
Why do I never think about using cable ties to tie the cables ???

It's about the only use I don't use them for :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 April, 2013, 02:43:09 pm
Fettled a couple of chains, added a new rear mech to the Raleigh after epoxying the frame-saver bolt back in and changed one of the front cable outers. Also got round to refitting the rear tyre without trapping the tube :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 28 April, 2013, 04:08:12 pm
So, MFWHTBAB wandered off and found a drawer to fit the top section of the cabinet. Well, I say fit, his words were:

"Well, it's too long and too deep..."

So I said "But apart from that it's perfect eh darling?"

"I'll make it fit", he said.

And he did.

Then I gave it a coat of colour to liven the whole thing up:

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0350.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0350.jpg.html)

And with the little brass handle refitted, it's rather sweet!

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0354.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0354.jpg.html)

It just needs some runners to guide the drawer in straight, and then we'll put it in place and fill the base with an amusing selection of books and tractor magazines.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 28 April, 2013, 04:10:00 pm
Total cost of project, by the way: £0

All done with odds and ends we had around the house :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 April, 2013, 06:12:30 pm
That is fabulous.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 28 April, 2013, 06:20:53 pm
Fettled draft of college dissertation!
 :thumbsup:

And printing off Learning Outcome 3 for Ecology and Ecosystems.

I'm on an absolute roll of college work fettling today!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 28 April, 2013, 06:53:48 pm
Quote from: clarion on 28 April, 2013, 06:12:30 pm
That is fabulous.

Thank you!

Just shows what you can do with even the least promising materials! 

It's installed now, with a small library of improving books in the bottom part:

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0360.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0360.jpg.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 28 April, 2013, 07:55:38 pm
That looks excellent! Top recycling!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 28 April, 2013, 08:29:52 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 28 April, 2013, 06:20:53 pm
Fettled draft of college dissertation!
 :thumbsup:

Well done, it's a nice feeling to have a draft done, I remember!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 28 April, 2013, 10:51:41 pm
Replaced the bottom bracket on the commuter, cleaned the chain, greased the pedals and then spent an hour cleaning the floor!
Hopefully I should be about twice as fast as usual on the way to work tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 April, 2013, 11:03:11 pm
Quote from: Arch on 28 April, 2013, 06:53:48 pm
Quote from: clarion on 28 April, 2013, 06:12:30 pm
That is fabulous.

Thank you!

Just shows what you can do with even the least promising materials! 

It's installed now, with a small library of improving books in the bottom part:

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0360.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0360.jpg.html)

*like*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 April, 2013, 11:14:23 pm
The spice rack in my kitchen is a recycled bit of Mass Spectrometer packaging crate. As are the garden tool stores :) The garden ones are suffering a little from Anno Domini so I will have to persuade them to get some more Mass Specs.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 29 April, 2013, 09:38:43 am
Quote from: David Martin on 28 April, 2013, 11:14:23 pm
The spice rack in my kitchen is a recycled bit of Mass Spectrometer packaging crate. As are the garden tool stores :) The garden ones are suffering a little from Anno Domini so I will have to persuade them to get some more Mass Specs.

At least you know you can analyse your spices.  I like it!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 29 April, 2013, 12:27:01 pm
Collected some 2nd hand paving slabs from the reclaimation yard to lay as a base for my beehives in the orchard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 April, 2013, 01:44:01 pm
Unfortunately the Mass Spec was merely rather expensive packaging for the spice rack and they wanted me to recycle it appropriately as an analytical instrument. Do I claim the worlds most expensive recycled spice rack (at about half a million GBP - comes with a free mass spec)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 29 April, 2013, 01:48:54 pm
Fettled the Inbred back into rideable condition (pedals always help in that situation, I find)

Fettled my brain into Infrastructure Architect mode ready for interview this PM.

Uploaded a load of photos and wrote the first two days of a ride report.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 29 April, 2013, 06:59:47 pm
Some further fettling of my new pond. The dig is now done and I am building a little wall round the edge of it to raise it out of the ground and prevent ground water run off.

I think I will sack myself as a quantity surveyor. I ended up needing a second skip for soil because I failed to realise that 7 cubic metres of soil becomes much bigger when you have dug it out of the ground and won't fit in the same volume of skip as the hole it came out of. I also bought 6 bags of sand and 2 of cement and have now realised I actually need 16 bags of sand and 4 of cement. I hope I don't run out of bricks or coping stones  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 29 April, 2013, 07:01:45 pm
Replaced three inners, two brake and one gear on my son's mtb.   It needs the front caliper shimming and a replacement chain too but that will have to wait for another day. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 29 April, 2013, 07:51:32 pm
Quote from: Feline on 29 April, 2013, 06:59:47 pm
Some further fettling of my new pond. The dig is now done and I am building a little wall round the edge of it to raise it out of the ground and prevent ground water run off.

I think I will sack myself as a quantity surveyor. I ended up needing a second skip for soil because I failed to realise that 7 cubic metres of soil becomes much bigger when you have dug it out of the ground and won't fit in the same volume of skip as the hole it came out of. I also bought 6 bags of sand and 2 of cement and have now realised I actually need 16 bags of sand and 4 of cement. I hope I don't run out of bricks or coping stones  :facepalm:

When we laid the concrete floor in MFWHTBAB's parents' bathroom, we were one bag of cement and two of ballast short, leading to a dash to B and Q to get it before the rest set too hard to make a good join.  A little research online showed that whereas a standard bag of stuff in the building trade is 25kg and marked as such, B and Q are selling bags marked "Large" with no weight, and are in fact about 22kg.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 29 April, 2013, 09:58:35 pm
For a little project at work (went in on my day off, I did), I made this:

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SueArcher/IMAG0369.jpg) (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/SueArcher/media/IMAG0369.jpg.html)

Also, one from a John Smiths can, and a couple of others...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 30 April, 2013, 08:25:01 am
Quote from: Arch on 29 April, 2013, 07:51:32 pm
Quote from: Feline on 29 April, 2013, 06:59:47 pm
Some further fettling of my new pond. The dig is now done and I am building a little wall round the edge of it to raise it out of the ground and prevent ground water run off.

I think I will sack myself as a quantity surveyor. I ended up needing a second skip for soil because I failed to realise that 7 cubic metres of soil becomes much bigger when you have dug it out of the ground and won't fit in the same volume of skip as the hole it came out of. I also bought 6 bags of sand and 2 of cement and have now realised I actually need 16 bags of sand and 4 of cement. I hope I don't run out of bricks or coping stones  :facepalm:

When we laid the concrete floor in MFWHTBAB's parents' bathroom, we were one bag of cement and two of ballast short, leading to a dash to B and Q to get it before the rest set too hard to make a good join.  A little research online showed that whereas a standard bag of stuff in the building trade is 25kg and marked as such, B and Q are selling bags marked "Large" with no weight, and are in fact about 22kg.

Ah thanks for the tip, I think I will go to Wickes today instead of B&Q then since the bags cost the same at both! If I get it wrong it's a long drive to the nearest town/ city to fetch more, whereas I am at work now and can get it on the way home without an extra 40 mile round trip  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 April, 2013, 09:14:18 am
Bar tape back onto Mrs T's Carlton (swapped the bars a couple of weeks ago and was waiting for some X-top levers).

Now it is ready to rock and roll, may need to replace the tape, though, for some with a bit of cushioning in it, the current tape, though liked by Mrs T has little or no cushioning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 April, 2013, 11:49:46 am
Could you fit some old inner tube under the tape to add some cushioning?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 30 April, 2013, 12:46:37 pm
Major fettling day.
Tightened the chain ring bolts on the Spare Parts bike.
New chain on the Bianchi ready for the Classico Boretti at the weekend.
Repaired Windows so it now recognises that I do have files!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 30 April, 2013, 10:08:05 pm
Built a pair of Pacenti SL23 rims onto Ultegra hubs with Sapim Laser all round except DSR are Sapim Race, I've been intrigued by the recent wider rims trend so figured I'd try some.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 01 May, 2013, 05:46:18 pm
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8560/8699570138_b54072a23a.jpg)

MA essay written, referenced, indexed, printed, partially colour printed, bound and cover-sheeted!
In duplicate!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 01 May, 2013, 07:57:12 pm
New levers, blingy white cable outers, cable inners and bar tape on the project Raleigh. It's finally starting to look like a bike again :D

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8276/8698823313_cb8c244da5.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dibdib/8698823313/)

(Confession: I've made a pig's ear of the bar tape job, but meh. I've seen worse, and I'm sure it'll get done again soon enough.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 01 May, 2013, 08:09:16 pm
Written a MovieOS interface for some of our software in preparation for a Royal Society of Edinburgh masterclass at the weekend. The sort of thing you see on Abbie's mass spectrometers in NCIS with big bold graphics. Maybe I should add a fanfare too? Learning a lot about the latest CSS incarnations.

The raw data is simply chucked back to the web client as JSON and the rest is done client side with JQuery and CSS.

And a picture or two..

Data input:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8411/8699158439_b2a2885eb6_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8699158439/)
Movie OS BLAST search (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8699158439/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
The technicolour data entry with character filtering and case insensitivity was  an entertaining challenge.

Results (from bogus data as a test):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8544/8700282212_1be1603f2d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8700282212/)
Movie OS BLAST search (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8700282212/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 01 May, 2013, 09:19:43 pm
Layed a paving slab base for the beehives in the out apiary and actually did some work on the bike powered apple scratter project.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 01 May, 2013, 09:50:51 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 01 May, 2013, 09:19:43 pm
Layed a paving slab base for the beehives in the out apiary and actually did some work on the bike powered apple scratter project.

Oooh, what's an apple scratter? Is it something for cutting up apples for juicing? Sounds like the sort of thing we need at St Nicks for when we do juicing on Apple Day...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 May, 2013, 10:58:10 pm
Using a magnifying lamp, Mk 1 fingernail and a black sock for contrast, I've tediously scraped all the tiny dots of bright yellow spray paint[1] from the lenses of my glasses, then given them a soak in the ultrasonic cleaner.  This should prove much less irritating should the day-star continue to put in an appearance on bike rides.


[1] Side-effect of some previous fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 02 May, 2013, 09:27:16 am
Not today but yesterday late afternoon I fettled 10m2 of lawn.

I did some preventative maintanance (hydrating) on it at 6:45 this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 02 May, 2013, 11:22:40 am
Quote from: fuzzy on 02 May, 2013, 09:27:16 am
Not today but yesterday late afternoon I fettled 10m2 of lawn.

I did some preventative maintanance (hydrating) on it at 6:45 this morning.
Shirly there must be a hosepipe ban by now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 02 May, 2013, 02:22:08 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 02 May, 2013, 11:22:40 am
Quote from: fuzzy on 02 May, 2013, 09:27:16 am
Not today but yesterday late afternoon I fettled 10m2 of lawn.

I did some preventative maintanance (hydrating) on it at 6:45 this morning.
Shirly there must be a hosepipe ban by now!

Not yet plus I can haz watering can ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 04 May, 2013, 06:10:35 pm
Flipped the stem on my Tifosi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 04 May, 2013, 06:18:13 pm
Swapped the knobblies for some semi-knobblies with a slick middle section and shimmed the front disk caliper on the lad's mtb.  I also dialled in the shocks to be as firm as possible.   He's cycle-commuting back from his night shift in Northampton tomorrow.

Replaced my front colander tube ready for miles tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 May, 2013, 06:30:07 pm
Stripped and cleaned the Sturmey-Archer SRC3 hub on the Inbred, since it's about run in after 250 miles.  My, there are a lot of parts inside.  It's all pretty logical though.

The brake shoes are ingenious; they appear to be very hard cast steel that has been manufactured as a continuous ring and then deliberately broken in two places, so when you're not braking they retract into a perfect ring shape again with no drag.  The same technique is used for big ends on engine connecting rods.

The braking surface is very close to the (large, SRAM style) LH axle bearing; it must get some serious heat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 04 May, 2013, 06:39:02 pm
Fitted some PDM530 spd's on the front of the tandem, I'm much happier now I'm clipped in 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 May, 2013, 08:43:13 pm
Actually finally checked the tyre preasures on the crappy hybrid as it was quite difficult to pedal.  Less than 30 psi in each wheel.  Supposed to be between 80 and 100 psi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 May, 2013, 08:59:16 pm
Because it wasn't fitting properly for one reason or another I removed the rear mudgaurd from the Longstaff in the past week.
I detest having a wet arse & having found* a pair of Crudgaurd Road Racer Mk 2 mudgaurds in the garage I decided to try them on the Longstaff having also removed the original front mudgaurd.
Not suprisingly the tyre clearancers are a bit minimalist but aesthetically they look better (black) than the old silver 'gaurds that were original equipment in 1986.
The acid test will be riding thru' the scog&cowshit in the lanes hereabouts after rainfall.

*I had forgotten I have them.I don't remember buying them.I came across them whilst looking for something else,as you do ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 05 May, 2013, 04:06:02 pm
Last nights fettling involved turning a cheap cross head screwdriver into a nipple driver using a file.
Last nights fettling, while watching Star Trek (the one with Simon Pegg), involved lacing my ambrosio evolution rim onto my shimano deore hub.
This mornings fettling involved unlacing the afore mentioned hub, since it looked all wrong, and lacing up again...

Progress so far today:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8278/8709732115_d615503fce.jpg)

And, if you look through the valve hole you see the logo on the hub!   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 05 May, 2013, 04:11:15 pm
Tensioned up and trued my new dyno wheel, first wheel build ever and I think it's ok. Not sure if I've gone tight enough but it's tighter than the spokes on the wheel that came with the bike. Just need to reset the brake caliper as the disc is rubbing. And swap tyre and tube over to the new one.

Regarding quick releases, the new hub (Shimano Alfine) came with a quick release skewer whereas the original wheel (Formula hub) has an allen key skewer, I'd prefer to use this as have heard horror stories re QR and disc brakes.

Can I just swap the skewer over, I've had a measure and they are 4.75mm vs just under 4.95mm in thickness, is this difference ok? Wheel seems to sit ok with the allen skewer.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 May, 2013, 04:28:27 pm
Yes, the skewers are interchangeable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 05 May, 2013, 04:39:02 pm
Done nothing yet but about to find out if an SRAM Red outer chain wheel will work on a Dura Ace chainset
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 May, 2013, 07:01:03 pm
fettled my  ss bike (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61613.msg1476573#msg1476573) into a rideable state and took it out for a first spin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 05 May, 2013, 07:57:54 pm
Just spent ages adjusting and readjusting my front brake to try and stop the constant schhh of it rubbing.

Almost gave up completely when I realised the zip tie I'd attached to the fork for wheel truing purposes had moved and was touching the rim  :facepalm:

Sorted first try after that, an occasional contact twixt rotor and brake pad but suspect that's a slightly out of true rotor. I can stop it rubbing but at the expense of far too much lever movement before braking occurs.

Now to fettle a pizza into my belly and after that go and test my new wheel. Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 May, 2013, 08:50:39 pm
Stuck a cassette onto a wheel. Attached 2 disc rotors. Installed brake calipers. Fitted a star fangled nut and sort of fitted a fork. (Involved some filing and sanding to get crown race on). Installed front mech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 May, 2013, 12:47:18 am
Today's fettling was installing a rack on the hybrid, so I'm not carrying a backpack making my back sweaty.

Road bike fettling, attempted removing the crank on my road bike, finally.  Its only been 17 months since I last used it.  Still need to get the drive side off.  Using the nutty method of a hammer and ball joint splitter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 06 May, 2013, 07:00:20 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 05 May, 2013, 04:11:15 pm
Regarding quick releases, the new hub (Shimano Alfine) came with a quick release skewer whereas the original wheel (Formula hub) has an allen key skewer, I'd prefer to use this as have heard horror stories re QR and disc brakes.
Whilst skewers are interchangeable, it is probably a mistake to think that an allen key skewer will grip harder than a standard Shimano QR skewer. The time I saw a disc brake eject the front wheel, an allen skewer was in use (SON hub).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 May, 2013, 07:05:57 pm
The rear caliper brake on the Longstaff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 May, 2013, 07:14:24 pm
New heating valve actuator. Despite my boasting about being able to repair these with a dab of Araldite and bit of brass rod, this one was beyond fixing.  The housing where one of the motor mounting bolts goes had exploded into a mass of plastic shards. Forty three quid and a trip to Screwfix later and all was good again. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 May, 2013, 07:23:01 pm
Finally fixed the flat on the 29er and de-fettled the 1x1 and Pugsley prior to rehoming them in the shed.

Also fettled the shed, or at least the contents thereof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 06 May, 2013, 08:19:53 pm
Just hung a new door.

Well, a 200 year old door, in fact.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 May, 2013, 08:25:00 pm
Refitted and adjusted the coaster hub.  I couldn't find my MOS2 grease so I did the brake bits with some Pagid Cera-Tec brake grease (intended for the back of car disc brake pads).  Works OK and heat shouldn't be a problem as it's rated for 1000oC.  Then i remembered I have a tube of Shimano roller brake grease kicking around, which would probably have been better.  Oh well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 06 May, 2013, 09:20:16 pm
A spot of saddle adjusting and jibbling and some minor inflation.

Tightened up the one on the tagalong to reduce the likelihood of the SmallestCub sliding off it when it unexpectedly changes angle.

Dropped the saddle on the tow-bike and tightened up a loose bar end and fiddled with the poorly seated brake cable until it seemed to behave.

Realised that the bars on the EldestCub's bmx are really badly squint, but only as we were setting off.  So chucked it back on the hook, got the road bike down, tested the brakes, did a quick visual once-over and pumped the tires up so he could take that instead.

Then, after a lovely afternoon in the park with friends, called round at theirs and raised the saddle a generous inch or so on a certain young lady's shiny red Christmas bike, as we all noticed it was way too low for her when we went out to the swimming pool on Sunday.  It's still a squeak low, but I reckon it'll be better done in stages.

Then got her big brother to sit on his bike and checked - as I thought, saddle too high, although not by as much as I expected.  The boy has delusions of grandeur and consistently sticks his seatpost way too high and it was really noticable that he was over-extending his knee when he was pedalling on Sunday.  Dropped it a squeak, and actually got him to look at it properly and make sure it was straight.

Really ought to figure out the bmx at some point.  Also the tow-bike, which fits rather better now it has mystically swapped its gigantically long stem for the shortest one you've ecer seen, needs a stern coat of looking at as there's some fearful rattles and summat not quite right at the front end going on.  Another day tho....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 06 May, 2013, 10:00:57 pm
Having discovered at an inopportune moment* that my headtorch was borked, today I stripped it down and decided that there's something in the white black blob that has gone awry.

Not being able to fix it, I soldered in a slide switch to bypass the mode selection gubbins and now have a headtorch that only works on full, but does it without me having to keep a button pressed for the duration. Also purple spots in front of my eyes. Ow.

* Weaving my way across a dark field towards the washblocks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 06 May, 2013, 10:28:33 pm
While removing the radiator for decorating, I damaged the connection on one of the valves, causing it to leak. So I had to refit the valve, which involved removing about half an inch of the pipe and using a new olive. And of course I had to do the same at the other end, and then lower the radiator brackets by the same amount...

Bloody palaver, just because I was slightly careless when removing it in the first place. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 May, 2013, 11:40:50 pm
Bent some tent pegs back to a more functional shape with the aid of a vice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 May, 2013, 01:00:59 am
Quote from: Kim on 06 May, 2013, 11:40:50 pm
Bent some tent pegs back to a more functional shape with the aid of a vice.

What was the vice?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 May, 2013, 01:09:27 am
Someone elses bike which I now wish I'd smashed with a hammer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2013, 01:09:56 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 07 May, 2013, 01:00:59 am
What was the vice?

I only have one...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 07 May, 2013, 02:04:19 pm
On Friday I fettled a new chain on to G G G Granville the commuter bike.

On Sunday, whilst fettling a customers punctured front tyre (700c road wheel) and inflating to 100 psi, my ears were set aringing, and the whole shop scared shitless by the rim letting go!

Further inspection revealed one side of his brakes had the pad down to metal, so he had worn a weak point around the rim whic I inadvertantly explouited.

Better I exploded his rim than he did it whilst descending at speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2013, 02:55:11 pm
Sewn Scotchlite tabs to the guy ropes on my Akto, in a bid to prevent nocturnal trippings-over and resulting peg damage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 07 May, 2013, 03:22:51 pm
You can get illuminated tent pegs, powered by button cells.

We also use a solar garden light to illuminate the 'responsible' adult's tent and to allow the cubs to get an orientation as they perform their numerous nocturnal wanderings to the WC.

Ifal else fails, there is alway mine tape!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 May, 2013, 03:51:56 pm
Reflective guylines are a boon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 May, 2013, 03:54:11 pm
Last Friday (Yeah, I know... ::-)) the Van Nic had some c/f forks with a carbon steerer, cut down and fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2013, 04:04:32 pm
Quote from: clarion on 07 May, 2013, 03:51:56 pm
Reflective guylines are a boon.

Indeed.  My tent was conspicuously lacking them this weekend.

Fortunately, I had some sew-on Scotchlite left over from a previous project (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45696.msg1173432#msg1173432)...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 May, 2013, 08:09:50 pm
Just replaced the stock Shimano chainring bolts on the 29er with Truvativ allen-key bolts.

Not only does their colour match the bash-guard (black) but they can be removed using a pair of allen keys (5mm and 6mm) rather than a 5mm allen key and a weird-ass spanner-type device. This is a definite win.

I think I spent more time looking for the weird-ass spanner so I could remove the existing bolts than I did actually fitting the new ones  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2013, 08:14:58 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 May, 2013, 08:09:50 pm
Truvativ allen-key bolts.

Excellent things those.  I keep meaning to obtain a set for the tourer...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 07 May, 2013, 08:34:25 pm
Fettling some painting in the oven(*) - I love the smell of VOC's in the evening, cough cough, just steppng outside...

(*) Good job SWMBO is 5,000 miles away ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 May, 2013, 08:48:52 pm
Replaced the cassette on the hybrid, in the hope that the gears will finally stop slipping. The new cassette (a HG20) is much uglier than the one it replaced (HG50, I think). It's quite possibly the ugliest cassette I've seen. :-\ But it was cheaper, and they all end up looking the same once they're coated in grime anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2013, 10:54:41 pm
Just molished a server.  In the screwdriver sense.

Basic Debian install just finished, I'm going to leave it running overnight to sort its RAID out and bring any cooling issues to light (it's a slightly awkward case) before getting round to the clever stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 08 May, 2013, 01:56:16 pm

Between audaxes now so stripped drive train off the Longstaff, ready for some new components and a proper deep clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 08 May, 2013, 02:13:50 pm
After the Brevet Cymru, cleaned the best bike.  When I checked the chain discovered it was at the lower end of the "replace now" range - so it could limp on for a bit.  But as the next outing is the Bryan Chapman, I just changed it.  And while I was at it I took the cassette to bits and cleaned it too.

Also the rear wheel now has new 3M spoke reflectors on it.  The old ones had got very oily and black.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 08 May, 2013, 08:53:36 pm
Light fettling of back brake on Phoenix. Weinmann 730 calipers and spring fitted to late model pivot bolt from a spare 500. This makes it a little easier to adjust providing you have a 4mm socket driver and three hands. Anyway...it's a bit better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 May, 2013, 09:49:51 pm
A few tweaks to the Nomad before next weeks tour. Adjusted the EBB to tighten the chain, refitted the front rack and adjusted the front mudguard.

I also managed to snap one of the wires connecting my dynohub to the light, so had to fix this as well  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 09 May, 2013, 09:19:03 am
(yesterday) cut the steerer tube on the new forks, still left a tad longer just in case - the handlebars sit 1cm higher than i'm used to on my audax bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 09 May, 2013, 01:05:13 pm
(The day before yesterday)
Took wheels off Thorn Audax and gave it a through clean because there was sand all over it after riding through Dunkirk. Cleaned chain thoroughly, washed bike, cleaned brake pads. Tried and failed to remove rear cassette lockring using IceToolz chainwhip and Large Spanner. Sprayed rear cassette lockring (hereafter to be known as RCLR) with GT85.

(Yesterday)
Used Black & Decker workmate with vice attached to hold the Shimano thingy for removing RCLR, and put chainwhip handle into four feet long old roofbar from an earlier car. Put foot on workmate, push end of long bar. Break chain end off the chainwhip. Repair chainwhip. Take wheel in car to nice chap at LBS. Hand it over, he confidently puts Shimano RCLR remover into Huge Vice and yanks very firmly on chainwhip tool. Chain breaks. I go to another LBS with Huge Workshop employing three people. Hand over wheel. Nice chap produces Hugest Spanner Ever Seen and Massive Professional Chainwhip Tool. Bends over wheel and grunts. Attaches Huge Metal Bar to handle of Hugest Spanner Ever Seen. Bends over wheel and grunts. Hands it back to me. I go home and fettle a small container full of GT85 and sit RCLR in a bath of GT85 overnight.

(Today)
Am about to go and see what we shall see. Am out of ideas, frankly. Will have another go then take it to LBS with Huge Tools. If this not worky, What Does The Team Think?

I think I must have done it up too tightly and not put any Copperslip on it when I did a through clean a year or so ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 May, 2013, 02:01:16 pm
How long a lever do you have attached to the spanner you refer to?
When Nicknack and myself attacked his freewheel (yes, freewheel and not a cassette) his spanner had at least four feet, maybe five, of lever attached to it (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45070.msg883740#msg883740).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 09 May, 2013, 03:28:14 pm
About four feet, it is an old metal bar that fitted across the roof of a Rover Montego, so about the width of a car. And the bike shop chappie had a big spanner and put a long metal pipe on it, about three feet long. Am at wit's end, TBH.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 09 May, 2013, 03:34:35 pm
if it's steel lockring and steel freehub body, try soaking it with plusgas rather than gt85, and give it a day or two to work in
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 09 May, 2013, 06:16:44 pm
Aha - Plusgas, I hadn't thought of that, thanks for the tip. However, a chum who used to be an engineer in a huge factory with massive paper-making machinery told me yesterday that if they had metal that would not budge they gave it some heat, so everything expanded and that seemed to work. So after a night of soaking in GT85 and another unsuccessful trip to LBS, I brought it home and gave it full welly with a camping gas stove, to the point that the oil and grease particles in the cassette were in flames and I had to blow them out. Gave it five minutes. Bunged it in the vice to hold the removal tool, wrapped the chain whip round and gave a light tug. Came off a treat. Couldn't believe it. Am now waiting for it all to cool down, and the feeling of euphoria to pass. But Plusgas goes on the shopping list.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 09 May, 2013, 06:41:28 pm
All cables and outers replaced on the audax bike.

New fancy Dura Ace down tube stops installed (with spinny knob/lever that work, unlike the frankly nasty ones Condor fit). 

The only trouble is that this means new bar tape - not a favourite job of mine!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 09 May, 2013, 09:39:13 pm
We have just changed over to a metered water supply and given Mrs Miggs love of her garden and the need to irrigate the same, I have installed a system to store and re-use the grey water.
Basically, all water waste from the bathroom now empties into a water butt with an overflow into the normal drainage system.
The butt is fitted with a submersible pump connected to a hose reel. This can either be used to water the garden, or,if not required, can transfer grey water to a secondary 1000 litre holding tank for later use.
Should also be good for washing the car or running the jet washer. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 09 May, 2013, 09:51:54 pm
I spent an hour cleaning the tandem.

Degreasing the cassette.

Getting up close and personal with a toothbrush and some white spirit.

Getting inside the mudguards with a brush and lots of soap and water. Stripping and regreasing the Temperamental Hub from Hell.

I just LOVE cleaning bikes.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 09 May, 2013, 10:05:30 pm
Feel free to enjoy _any_ of the CrinklyBikes next time you're here, Chris....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 10 May, 2013, 02:05:16 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 09 May, 2013, 09:39:13 pm
Should also be good for washing the car or running the jet washer. :thumbsup:

I would suggest a filter on the inlet to the pump. Hair and scum will block jet washers really quickly!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 10 May, 2013, 06:46:20 pm
Got the Tifosi out of the shed, where it's been lying neglected since I last rode it (in, er, March :-[). The chain is all rusty and stiff. I'm not sure tomorrow's audax is going to be much fun...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 May, 2013, 08:09:24 pm
The "super"drive in my 2009 macbook pro has been getting more and more temperamental, reading some disks and not others - and getting far less likely to read a disk than to read it now. Reading around, they are well known for failing, and spares are a bit rocking horse. So with a bit of time on my hands this afternoon and a CD I wanted to rip I stripped it all down and manually cleaned the lens.

It's now working perfectly  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 10 May, 2013, 09:51:20 pm
Emergency new rear gear cable on the Tricross. It had managed to fray - nae, explode - inside the shifter, which obviously was delightful.

Cue stressing that it was the shifter that was screwed, much wrestling to get the dead cable out of the shifter, an emergency drive to Go Outdoors, etc.  :facepalm:

Still, all sorted now. Phew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 10 May, 2013, 11:01:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 10 May, 2013, 06:46:20 pm
Got the Tifosi out of the shed, where it's been lying neglected since I last rode it (in, er, March :-[). The chain is all rusty and stiff. I'm not sure tomorrow's audax is going to be much fun...

...and now I've lubed the chain. It'll have to do. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 11 May, 2013, 12:04:32 am
Cycling home today, I was flagged down by someone pushing their MTB near Lancaster gate, he asked if he could borrow my pump, which I produced, only to discover that the adapter bit that converted it from Presta to Schraeder was jammed together, and we couldn't reassemble it in schraeder mode. I do hope he found someone with a pump and got home ok. He said he had 10km to get home with a flat front...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 11 May, 2013, 08:11:37 am
He'll get his own pump now then.............. s'all a learning curve.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 11 May, 2013, 01:10:01 pm
Replaced the bar tape on the Genesis Flyer.  This was my first ever attempt at bar taping and the badminton racquet handles that I am used to retaping don't go round corners or have sticky-out bits on them.  It looks and feels OK but only time will tell...

Took the snow tyres off the backup MTB as I reckon we are safe for a couple of months.  Discovered that the front axle has snapped  >:(

Can't bring myself to buy a replacement axle for more than 50% of the price of a new hub, skewer etc so fortunately managed to spot some slight pitting on the bearing cups.  Have now ordered a new hub and am mentally preparing myself for a teach-yourself-hub-transplants session.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 11 May, 2013, 11:21:27 pm
Removed old DT-shifters and brakes from tourer, spent ages getting dried tape gum off the handlebars, and installed STI shifters and new Bont. cork bar tape.  Adjusted everything, but need to road test tomorrow. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 May, 2013, 11:25:45 pm
Put up a curtain rail and curtains in my bedroom and assembled a couple flatpack bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 11 May, 2013, 11:42:11 pm
A floor onto a bathroom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 12 May, 2013, 11:00:56 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 11 May, 2013, 11:25:45 pm
Put up a curtain rail and curtains in my bedroom and assembled a couple flatpack bits.
Got a man in to take flatpack to dump and put up living room curtains.
I fettled low carb ice cream cake to repay this favour but we decided on manufacture that it was a bit too egg-y for him to risk (uncooked 2 eggs + 4 yolks) so he didn't even get cake :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 12 May, 2013, 12:05:28 pm
Fitted a £7.99 Hope Universal Handlebar Mounthttp://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23533 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23533) to my Magicshine Clone - Result!  Good riddance to the rubber bands.

Great instructions at http://faqload.com/faqs/bicycle-components/misc/magicshine-and-clone-better-bar-mount (http://faqload.com/faqs/bicycle-components/misc/magicshine-and-clone-better-bar-mount).

You do need to cut the groove but this was 2 minutes work with the edge of an old file.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76172667/IMAG0043.jpg)

The mount comes with 2 thicknesses of pad for standard and oversize bars.  A nice thing is that the thicker pads allow a brake cable to pass underneath the mount, i.e. between the mount and the bars, without pinching the cable.

Also the whole thing is far enough forward to allow my Garmin Edge 705 to easily slip in and out of its mount on my 90mm stem.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 12 May, 2013, 04:48:14 pm
Not today but on Thursday-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC03084.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC03084.jpg.html)

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC03082.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC03082.jpg.html)

7 panels, 2 doors, 3 edge/ corner fittings, 126 self tapping screws, 18 bolts, 4 rubber bungs and 2 1/2 hours.

Fuzzy can haz bunker :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 May, 2013, 04:59:15 pm
We may need something such as that when we move house.Would you like to share details?.PM if you wish.TIA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 12 May, 2013, 05:03:35 pm
Found the service manual and threatened the church portable PA system with screwdrivers, multimeter and a healthy dose of blind ignorance. Plodded my way through the dismantle, troubleshooting, remantling sections without quite managing to electrocute myself.
The read the small print in the service manual which mentioned something about never letting the sleeve of the l speaker cable come in contact with ground. Swapped the speaker cables for some with non-metal connector bodies and hey presto it works again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 12 May, 2013, 05:06:23 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 May, 2013, 04:59:15 pm
We may need something such as that when we move house.Would you like to share details?.PM if you wish.TIA.
Ditto- although the house move has already happened.
Is it long enough for a tandem?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 May, 2013, 06:48:53 pm
fuzzy's shed seems to be an Asgard (http://www.asgardsss.co.uk/). loadsabikes showed me his (different model but same brand) when I visited a while back. I'm impressed, and planning to replace my collapsing wooden shed with one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 May, 2013, 07:00:49 pm
I can see the Asgard logo in the second pic but cannot find Fuzzy's model on the website
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 12 May, 2013, 07:17:07 pm
dismantled two-speed brommie wheel; fwiw the parts are of good quality but the factory build leaves a lot to be desired (insufficient/uneven tension in the spokes, no stress relieving, loose swarf inside the rim, dry alloy nipple threads etc.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 12 May, 2013, 07:22:28 pm
More tandem fettling.

After 5600 winter/spring moar winter kilometers, boy did it need it  :o.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 12 May, 2013, 08:27:50 pm
Got around to sorting out the low voltage detection circuit to protect the huuuuge capacity LiPo pack (made by connecting RC aircraft packs together - equivalent to 27,000 mAH @5V) I'm intending using for LEL. Now it's running my Garmin 705, to give a bit of a runtime test and also to run it down to check that the low voltage detection really does work. It appeared to do on test, but now I'm checking it under "real" conditions connected to the pack before heading on the road with it for the BCM600.

Despite my pack only having a storage charge at the moment, this could take a couple of days to discharge even with the 705 backlight on. I think it should run for about 8 days when fully charged and with normal backlight usage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 May, 2013, 09:28:41 pm
Been working on the Bike E that I acquired from Nicknack last week ... a bit of fettling and an exploratory spin up and down the road - excellent.   

Got caught out changing the gear and rear brake cables - the ones I had were waaaay too short - had to place a quick order for a set of tandem cables!   

Dilemma now as to whether I am brave enough to fit SPD pedals!

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 May, 2013, 10:18:16 pm
I switched the slipping cassette on the raleigh for a new one (it's a 12-25 - that "big cog" looks tiny :-\) and shortened it's chain to a more sensible length.

I also took the rear wheel off of the single speed with a mind to switching to lighter wheels, but then found out that the lock-ring is stuck firm. Instead I have switched the 35mm marathons for the less sluggish 28mm ones. Also discovered that both front pad holder bolts are rounded off and stuck fast so I'll need to work out hat to do with those next, but for now they are lined up well enough to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 13 May, 2013, 08:34:48 am
Quote from: jogler on 12 May, 2013, 07:00:49 pm
I can see the Asgard logo in the second pic but cannot find Fuzzy's model on the website

Mine is this one (http://www.asgardsss.co.uk/bike-cycle-storage/bike-storage-x3)

It looks slightly different in the first imags as the open door obscures the fixed front panel. Scroll through the images attaced for a better view.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 13 May, 2013, 08:38:00 am
Quote from: fboab on 12 May, 2013, 05:06:23 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 May, 2013, 04:59:15 pm
We may need something such as that when we move house.Would you like to share details?.PM if you wish.TIA.
Ditto- although the house move has already happened.
Is it long enough for a tandem?

I don't know if it will fit a tandem. The outside diameter for the length of the unit is 6 feet.

This one (http://www.asgardsss.co.uk/bike-cycle-storage/bike-storage-x4) however, is 6 feet 8 inches and may take a tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 May, 2013, 10:03:58 am
Thanks for that Fuzzy.Most helpfull :thumbsup:


Quote from: fboab on 12 May, 2013, 05:06:23 pm

Is it long enough for a tandem?


Assuming you have qr;would it work with the front wheel removed?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 13 May, 2013, 10:18:39 am
I don't have QR on the Dawes, although that's easy fixed. I'm also not sure a tandem is negotiable around my back passage (oo er missus) we certainly couldn't easily do the Longstaff last week so it may be a moot point.
I may need a SEEKRIT BUNKER.

Thanks for the link though fuzzy, there are, after all, all those other bikes that need sheltering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 May, 2013, 11:09:27 am
Quote from: robgul on 12 May, 2013, 09:28:41 pm
Dilemma now as to whether I am brave enough to fit SPD pedals!

Iff you know how to use SPDs already and can get the bike moving by pushing on the pedals reliably, recumbents (yes, I know the Bike-E isn't a very recumbent position) are mildly terrifying without them.  Your unclip instinct will work in the usual way, but you won't have to continually work to stop your feet coming off.

Go for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 May, 2013, 12:05:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 May, 2013, 11:09:27 am
recumbents (yes, I know the Bike-E isn't a very recumbent position) are mildly terrifying

I think anything else you wrote in that sentence is superfluous.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 May, 2013, 12:22:41 pm
I've been doing a major fettle this morning, with the aim of changing my gearing for BCM - so replace the cassette, rear mech, chain rings etc. (to the gearing I normally use for Audaxing, rather than the "fast" gears I had on for last year's 24H and TG's flat 600). Obviously this is also an opportunity to properly clean all the bits that are normally inaccessible.

I got to the point of putting the chain back on when the heavens opened, so packed everything away  :(

Still, I'm back indoors in time for Bargain Hunt, so it's not all bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 13 May, 2013, 12:58:45 pm
Lunchtime virtual fettling - a 50km, minimal climbing route from Swindonia to Marlborough and back for me and a friend next weekend. Will stick the track file on the Garmin tonight and try to escape early one of the evenings this week to recce the roads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 13 May, 2013, 01:02:50 pm
Timing claim tightened and both chains cleaned and lubed on the tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 13 May, 2013, 01:27:35 pm
Quote from: MattH on 13 May, 2013, 12:22:41 pm
I've been doing a major fettle this morning, with the aim of changing my gearing for BCM

I've got BCM fettling to be doing - new (old) saddle fitted after a bit of soreness on the BC, clean and re-lube with a proper wet lube that won't wash off after a few hours rain soaked riding, plus the usual tyre/brake/rim wear check.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 May, 2013, 02:29:31 pm
Bargain Hunt finished, the sun came out and my bike now has a chain and the gears nicely tweaked in. A clean drivetrain is a lovely thing  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 May, 2013, 03:50:53 pm
Quote from: robgul on 12 May, 2013, 09:28:41 pm
 

Dilemma now as to whether I am brave enough to fit SPD pedals!

Rob

after I found the courage to go with spd on the bent it was very helpfull in keeping my feet on the pedals ;D
ymmv
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 May, 2013, 03:52:45 pm
Quote from: fboab on 13 May, 2013, 10:18:39 am
I'm also not sure a tandem is negotiable around my back passage (oo er missus)

pmsl

you are a star ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 13 May, 2013, 07:26:19 pm
Quote from: jogler on 13 May, 2013, 03:52:45 pm
Quote from: fboab on 13 May, 2013, 10:18:39 am
I'm also not sure a tandem is negotiable around my back passage (oo er missus)

pmsl

you are a star ;D

I think it would be possible, but only by keeping it very upright.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 May, 2013, 10:26:25 pm
Finally got round to fettling the youngests MTB before he goes off to school with it tomorrow. He is riding with the Riderz in a school activity session. I'm not sure that he should be taking his clipless cycle shoes with him, but he is very proud that he has a biks autographed by Sir Chris Hoy.

Anyway, changed the cable in the rear brake. Changed the cable in the front then discovered that the noodle was fubar. Frantic searching ensued for that spare one I know I have somewhere. I still have it somewhere, I just don't know where. A replacement was sourced from Igor and the chain lubed and th ebike is all ready to roll. Semi slick tyres, ideal for tarmac. The bike is just big enough for him, has brakes that work, and flat/spd pedals. I thne had to make sure I could find a lock with a spare key.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 14 May, 2013, 08:45:55 am
Gatorskin 25c off the audax and new Gatorskin 28c fitted
Vittoria Randonneur 28c off the fixed and Gatorskin 25c fitted
Vittoria cross 32c off the winter bike and Vittoria Randonneur 28c fitted
Chain and chainset removed from the winter bike to start the re-build of the Black Raleigh/Burton.

I am short of a pair of wheels, I have 4 road bikes but only 3 pairs wheels (1 with 8spd cassette, 1 with 7spd block and 1 fixed) so I can only have 3 road bikes 'ready to ride'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 14 May, 2013, 11:23:36 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 11 May, 2013, 01:10:01 pm
Replaced the bar tape on the Genesis Flyer.  This was my first ever attempt at bar taping and the badminton racquet handles that I am used to retaping don't go round corners or have sticky-out bits on them.  It looks and feels OK but only time will tell...


Bar tape did not stand the test of time as I had a numpty slow speed off today that scuffed it up.



Quote from: JonBuoy on 11 May, 2013, 01:10:01 pm
Took the snow tyres off the backup MTB as I reckon we are safe for a couple of months.  Discovered that the front axle has snapped  >:(

Can't bring myself to buy a replacement axle for more than 50% of the price of a new hub, skewer etc so fortunately managed to spot some slight pitting on the bearing cups.  Have now ordered a new hub and am mentally preparing myself for a teach-yourself-hub-transplants session.

Wheel now rebuilt.  Hub transplants make my head hurt far more than rim transplants.  I was pleasantly surprised at how little corrosion there was which made the job a lot easier.  It still took me all evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 15 May, 2013, 09:32:07 am
Quote from: windy on 14 May, 2013, 08:45:55 am
Gatorskin 25c off the audax and new Gatorskin 28c fitted
Vittoria Randonneur 28c off the fixed and Gatorskin 25c fitted
Vittoria cross 32c off the winter bike and Vittoria Randonneur 28c fitted
Chain and chainset removed from the winter bike to start the re-build of the Black Raleigh/Burton.

I am short of a pair of wheels, I have 4 road bikes but only 3 pairs wheels (1 with 8spd cassette, 1 with 7spd block and 1 fixed) so I can only have 3 road bikes 'ready to ride'

...and last night I worked on the black HB/Raleigh. Chainset/wheels/gears fitted and adjusted, new brake levers/cables fitted and adjusted. Then ordered bar tape so that I can finish the job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 15 May, 2013, 10:28:15 am
I added a second Smart R1 to the left hand seat stay of my Sabbath, and with the help of Simonp trued its wheels. It's now ready for the BCM600 on Saturday, I just hope I'm also ready!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 15 May, 2013, 05:06:56 pm
Just made a new MkII set of mirror pylons for the Miggins trike. Slightly longer than before and tapered which look a lot sleeker.
Finally got around to setting up the long taper turning attachment on the lathe which made it easy.
Made a second pair for the Cycleman Trike. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 May, 2013, 05:47:56 pm
Good stuff.  I did wonder if they'd be better slightly higher up, but put it down to some height discrepancy between Mrs Miggins and myself.

Today I have replaced both tyres (and tubes) on the Streetmachine, as well as cleaned all the black goo out of the drivetrain, given the wheels a bit of a clean (including an ultrasonic bath for the spoke reflectors), fettled the brakes and put it all back together with appropriate lubrication.  Planning to avoid towpaths for the time being.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 15 May, 2013, 07:27:06 pm
ooh , i getting all excited  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 15 May, 2013, 09:49:28 pm
Modded a pair of Salmon guards I couldn't bear to part with using the fittings from a pair of Bontrager qr guards and created a my own custom aero mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 May, 2013, 11:33:18 pm
cleaned the bike and replaced worn out: chain, rear tyre and front brake pads
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 17 May, 2013, 12:41:11 pm
Its a nice sunny day today, so a spot of out outdoor bike fettling.
Fettled So Far:
MKII Wheel Dishing Gauge from a bit of hardboard, ductape, cable ties and an old spoke
Front Tektro CR520 brake fitted.
Cranks & Chainrings degunked, cleaned up and lubed ready for re fitting.
Still to Fettle:
Fit CR520s to the rear
Adjust saddle height
Drop bar angle of dangle & adjust STI positioning
Rewrap with old bar tape, then once happy with positioning, put new tape on!

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 May, 2013, 12:43:06 pm
I cleaned the Audax bike ready to get it totally plastered in shite on wet Welsh roads tomorrow. Then put on some new Schwalbe Durano tyres, which I hope don't turn out to be a bad mistake with visitations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2013, 12:57:58 pm
Unpacked both our Moultons from last weekend's 300 UAF around Strasbourg, ready for tomorrow's BCM. Fitted Conti new rear tyre and Campag cassette to mine, adjusted brake pads on both and stripped the tyre, tube and cassette from a 700C wheel to be loaned to Lars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 17 May, 2013, 03:57:42 pm
Today I have:

Fitted Alfine 11 shifter and cable to the trike. Gear change seems to work
Refitted disk brakes from the mountain bike to the trike. Shortened hoses, bled brakes.
Refitted chain set and chain guard.

Just waiting for flexible silicone chain tube joiners from ICE, then can refit chain, and will be good to go. Refurb will be complete.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: 28spoke on 17 May, 2013, 04:37:56 pm
Today, I have mostly been bleeding radiators.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 May, 2013, 12:01:11 pm
The lid of our Brabantia kitchen bin.   A couple of weeks ago the bit with the wee spigot that engages in the catch snapped off and was lost forever. If I had the proof of purchase I could have got a new lid assembly under their 10 year guarantee, but couldn't find it. New lid assembly is 25 euro.

Last night in a moment of idleness and inspiration I hatched a plan, which has just been completed. Drilled and bent a suitable bit of meccano to form a right angled bracket. Found a countersunk bolt (spare cleat bolt). Drilled suitable hole on the lid flange and bolted bracket to lid flange. Made new spigot from Polymorph and squidged it into a hole in the meccano, rather like a rivet.   It works. Hah! And hah! again. Lid goes up. Lid goes down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 18 May, 2013, 12:53:09 pm
Meccano Abuse!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 18 May, 2013, 04:21:14 pm
I've been doing tiling for the first time. Done about 35 tiles. We've stopped for a cuppa downstairs, and I haven't heard a crash of them all coming off the wall yet.

The next row gets exciting - alternate colours!

<starts book on likelihood of forgetting to alternate after four tiles....>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 18 May, 2013, 05:52:05 pm
8mm of closed cell Plastazote padding under the (new) bar tape on the fixer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 May, 2013, 06:05:13 pm
Disc Trucker build redux:
Removed wheels and fitted tyres. Then Pingu installed another inner after one of the valves came away from the tube when he touched it. Refitted wheels.
Found a spare seatpost and saddle in shed. Removed saddle from dead commuter and put it on found post. Then discovered spare seatpost was too big.
Grumbled.
Went back to shed and extracted old seatpost from dead commuter. Swapped saddle back again with further grumbling. Installed post to same depth in frame.
Had a bit of a moment when I realised I couldn't get on the bike and wondered if I'd ordered too big a frame. Shoved seatpost 95% of way into frame and breathed a bit easier.
Installed cables and set up gears.
Watched Pingu on attempt #2 to set up rear BB7.
Discovered that Avid's instructions are a load of old cheese whizz and that doing it in reverse order and then setting the caliper pads by ear is by far the most sensible option. What's the likelihood of me remembering that for next time?
Made some modifications to the cockpit.
Fitted bar grips. Had a cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot.

To do -
Put pedals on. Test ride when it's not raining felines and canines. Take mudguards and rack off old commuter and refit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 May, 2013, 06:17:18 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 18 May, 2013, 12:01:11 pm
The lid of our Brabantia kitchen bin.

The lid of our kitchen bin is also attached with bicycle bolts.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 May, 2013, 06:23:22 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 18 May, 2013, 06:05:13 pm
Watched Pingu on attempt #2 to set up rear BB7.
Discovered that Avid's instructions are a load of old cheese whizz and that doing it in reverse order and then setting the caliper pads by ear is by far the most sensible option. What's the likelihood of me remembering that for next time?

That's a reasonably fair assessment, with the disclaimer that attempting to set up new disc brakes so that they are totally rubbing-noise-free is a recipe for insanity and/or crap braking.  Better to find the point where they feel right without impeding the rotation of the wheel too much, and come back to them after a decent thrash around to bed them in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 May, 2013, 07:06:06 pm
Yes, that is true, but we did need to get them to stop rubbing enough so that we could hear what was going on in the gears/chain department :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 18 May, 2013, 07:06:21 pm
I found the 10mm allen key and removed the old cranks & BB, replacing them with the new-fangled external sort. My test ride was to the LBS to buy some cables as I noticed when getting ready for last night's ride that my rear brake outer cable has broken. I shall replace all the cables, which will be the first time they have been changed since buying the bike 27000 miles ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 May, 2013, 07:34:00 pm
I did a minor rewire of the B&M Cyo cables, dynohub end, and washed the Orbit. I think it's the first proper wash it's ever had, not counting a pressure washer rinse or two. It's a lacquered aluminium frame and buffs up quite well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 19 May, 2013, 11:39:33 am
When I tried to replace the cables I found that the noodles also needed replacing. This morning I went out to the other LBS (the one that opens on Sundays) to buy some noodles. My bike now has very nice brakes which stop as efficently as they did before, but whose levers snap back into place with a reassuring snap. There will be a pootle later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 19 May, 2013, 11:58:21 am
Indexed some gears. I'm horribly out of practice at this job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 19 May, 2013, 12:10:12 pm
My grumpiness with coffee and cake.

Now I need to fettle the cause of the grumpiness - the bearings in my Crank Bros ti Candy pedals have just let go without so much as a prior warning.   Bastards.

I've had the service kit in my spares box for a good few years in anticipation but our planned ride is scuppered due mainly to the consequences of involuntary fleet reduction last November.   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 May, 2013, 01:41:25 pm
Fettled a friend's lawn.   This required the use both her lawnmowers.

Later I shall be getting a new connector thingy and wiring it on to the now shorter Flymo mains cable.

These two events may be connected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 May, 2013, 03:18:34 pm
Mowed the lawn.
Went to the garden centre and bought a yard broom.
Swept the errr...... yard.
Thanks to the myriad of advice elsewhere on here, managed to reduce a 6 metre conifer to around 1m3 (bagable). Now I've just got to figure out how to get rid.
Given that I didn't get my head down until something like 03:00 after far too much Veuve, I think that's me mostly fubar'd for the rest of the day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 19 May, 2013, 03:36:52 pm
Pedals now fettled. 

The bearings, one tiny cartridge type sitting at the outward end are nearly as good as new.  The issue is nylon bushings at the inboard end.   Must see if these can be bought separately.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clare on 19 May, 2013, 03:42:59 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 19 May, 2013, 03:18:34 pm
...managed to reduce a 6 metre conifer to around 1m3 (bagable). Now I've just got to figure out how to get rid.

Being rather resinous, conifers burn really, really well  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 May, 2013, 04:10:23 pm
Quote from: Clare on 19 May, 2013, 03:42:59 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 19 May, 2013, 03:18:34 pm
...managed to reduce a 6 metre conifer to around 1m3 (bagable). Now I've just got to figure out how to get rid.

Being rather resinous, conifers burn really, really well  :thumbsup:
Fankoo!
Someone's already made that suggestion - but I don't really have anywhere for a bonfire of that size without sacrificing either my fence, my shed or my home. S'all a lil' bit close.
I think I did well to get the thing down on my own without suffering damage to life, limb or property - don't want to use up all of today's close shave/DETH cards - the day's not over, yet  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 May, 2013, 05:26:53 pm
Yesterday - replaced the rear tyre on the Audax bike somewhere just north of Lincoln after the tyre side wall failed.

Quite happy that after umming* and ahhing about it I did shove the spare in my rack bag.


*One of chrome's suggested corrections for this word is 'bumming'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 19 May, 2013, 08:07:23 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 19 May, 2013, 04:10:23 pm
Quote from: Clare on 19 May, 2013, 03:42:59 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 19 May, 2013, 03:18:34 pm
...managed to reduce a 6 metre conifer to around 1m3 (bagable). Now I've just got to figure out how to get rid.

Being rather resinous, conifers burn really, really well  :thumbsup:
Fankoo!
Someone's already made that suggestion - but I don't really have anywhere for a bonfire of that size without sacrificing either my fence, my shed or my home. S'all a lil' bit close.
I think I did well to get the thing down on my own without suffering damage to life, limb or property - don't want to use up all of today's close shave/DETH cards - the day's not over, yet  ;)
Our council offer a woodchipping service for £20. You get to keep the chippings whether you want them or not, but a Freecycle ad soon gets rid of them. Maybe your council has summat similar?

My fettling was to make rather a pig's ear of plumbing in a water butt.

Top tip: using tools from a 99p shop gets the results you would expect!    ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 19 May, 2013, 08:11:31 pm
Lots of cleaning of drivetrains. The Dave Yates was particularly manky, entirely my own fault for not having touched it since the Easter Arrow, and having left it in the slightly damp utility room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2013, 09:21:42 pm
I reassembled the ASC internal unit and it all spins very smoothly and freely.  I can't do any more until I get a suitable shell (I could just use a skanky 70s AW shell but I'd rather have an alloy one).  This weekend I shall be using my f-i-l's grinder to modify an old 4-speed trigger into an ASC trigger, with its special cable pull.

I suppose I could do the Dunwich Dynamo on it, if I get as far as building it into a wheel.  Internally it looks pretty unworn, just very polished on the bearing surfaces.  For general knocking around I can fit a sprocket to give 70" (direct drive), 63" (tired) and 52.5" (hill) gears.

Because the axle is so short, it can only go in the 50s clubman, which has flimsy 4mm plate dropouts and 120mm spacing.  Any thicker and there isn't enough room to thread on the axle nuts securely, even when I cheat by spacing the hub to 118mm rather than 120mm.  One day I'll get hold of another old frame and space it to 110mm, which is what these hubs were really meant for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 May, 2013, 09:41:16 pm
Myself, at my pilates class.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 20 May, 2013, 10:53:24 pm
Fitted two new Durano Pluses to the fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 21 May, 2013, 12:39:11 am
Finally, after three years of them being lost in TEH GARRIDGE, found the bayonet fitting removable pedals I bought and have fitted them to the Dahon. Bodged up a couple of ZIp tie mounted front mudguard stay mounts on the suspension forks of the Scott ATB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 May, 2013, 02:00:48 am
Deciding what to do with a puch 531 frame....its badly painted so thinking of attacking it with a wire brush attachment on a drill and then rattle can matt black.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 21 May, 2013, 10:24:12 am
Quote from: Jurek on 19 May, 2013, 03:18:34 pm
Thanks to the myriad of advice elsewhere on here, managed to reduce a 6 metre conifer to around 1m3 (bagable). Now I've just got to figure out how to get rid.

Check if your council will take away garden waste. Wandsworth does (within certain limits) if its bagged up in normal sized rubbish bags (ideally green).

A small bin type incinerator can be good if you don't have much space:
       http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garden-tools-equipment/compost-bins-incinerators/Sankey-Galvanised-Incinerator-1204-9218301

I reduced several very spiky/scratchy/stabby bushes and trees in my garden to about 10m3.

Luckily the in-laws had left their car with us when they went on holiday so over the last couple of weekends we've made 4 trips to the tip (taking one 'Midi Hippo' bag - about 1m3 - with us each time).

Still have about 2m3 to get rid of (and no car now) but the local council will take 3 bags of garden waste away per week with the usual garbage collection (it gets incinerated) so I just have to spend a few hours chopping up the 2m3 of stuff into 8" long bits to fill up green garden sacks. They'll then go out with the normal rubbish and disappear over the next few weeks.

Most of it can be done with secateurs, anything else requires a few seconds with a "heavy duty wood saw".

Garden is almost clear of nasty sharp/spiky/stabby plants which makes it a much nice place for a 3 year old to play in.

I'm on call next weekend and I have to be within 30 mins of my laptop (and a decent network connection) the entire time, so the garden is perfect. I should even be able to have time to dig out the majority of the main roots of those trees/bushes too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 21 May, 2013, 10:25:42 am
Sewed a couple of buttons on a couple of things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 May, 2013, 11:55:14 am
Last night rather than today (I fell asleep after going upstairs to get some bits)

Flipped the stem on the new Trek, reset the bars, loosened the rear brake (Evans had left it binding), lowered the seat a little, added light brackets and removed the front and rear reflectors to allow the lights to fit.

Tonight (if I don't fall asleep again) I will switch the flats for some SPDs and add a rear rack. May even get to mudguards if I can work out how they fit with recessed bolts (I've never had new style caliper bolts on a bike before)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 May, 2013, 03:32:10 pm
 The "Bar Tape" thread has reminded me that on the last occassion I rode the Trek I decided the tape needed some TLC so that my palms & wrists subsequently had some TLC.

So I have fettled bar tape .....
one layer of tape
Specialised Bar Phat gel pads strategically placed on the tops
one layer Specialised Roubaix bar tape

Feels proper comfy & it's not too shabby in appearance. :thumbsup:


I've also fettled some lights onto the Longstaff 'cause I'm expecting to be riding in the dark tonight.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 21 May, 2013, 04:56:30 pm
Today I discovered that the leaf blower I was given does not have a built-in shredder. I discovered this in rather dramatic fashion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 May, 2013, 05:12:02 pm
The GPX and routesheet for the Rollright Stones ride, to avoid Pride-related road closures, updated instructions regarding the crossing of Dogpoo Lane, and various minor tweaks (eg. the routesheet now folds properly on both sides).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 May, 2013, 01:04:13 am
Removed the drive side crank of the cannondale finally.  It involved attacking it with heat, a ball joint splitter and a hammer.  Have found that the bottom bracket is rough.  Think it was the abuse with a hammer. 

Oh well  after I ordered a few 110mm bb for a few rebuilds I'm not looking for another.  Grrr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 May, 2013, 04:53:49 pm
Has removed the BB from the cannondale, using the steam cleaner well heated the area with the steam cleaner then hit it a few times with a hammer.  Once free it doesn't run as smooth as I would like so  Square taper BB thing un53 as searching for the un7 does not have any hits.

Also cleaned my oven, it was a displacement activity.  Now having a coffee break.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 22 May, 2013, 05:15:50 pm
I've pumped the tubes/tyres up to pressure on the Trek.Does that count?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 22 May, 2013, 08:42:52 pm
Completely and utterly ungrateful computers  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 12:38:56 am
I fettled 2 wheelbarrows full of mortar and continued setting the coping stones around my new pond. Nearly finished now, it's taken me about a month because I was a bit knackered post-Audax x2 to get on with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 23 May, 2013, 01:14:31 pm
Fettle fail

Tried to fit my B17 onto the Genesis. The Genesis seatpost (OEM) has a very wierd clamp. Two bolts passing under the 'arch' of the post. Tightening them pulls the bottom end of two 'hooks' in. These hooks are over the saddle rails and pull the rails down onto another bit of Al that rests on the arch.

I tightened the bolts until there was serious risk of stripping threads. No dice, the whole assembly would slide back and forth on the arch. Put the Genesis saddle back on and it was solid with 2/3rds the force.

I don't think the seatpost is compatible with the B17. Should have just used the manky dirty one from my Mercian.

Oh well, adjusted position of Genesis saddle - nose-down, saddle further back. Not as uncomfortable as it was previously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 23 May, 2013, 01:25:12 pm
IME, Brooks saddle rails are (sometimes) narrower in diameter than the standard 7mm, which means they can slip in some seatpost clamps that bottom out before they're fully tight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 23 May, 2013, 01:42:24 pm
That might be the problem. I think the genesis clamp only works if the saddle rails are *exactly* the right diameter and spacing. Really crap system that doesn't give me much confidence, tbh. It's only virtue is lightness and a shallow height.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 23 May, 2013, 04:01:29 pm
Fettled my old Kinesis Racelight completely to bits to prep it for a respray, prolly by Argos I guess (anyone any thought on that?).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 May, 2013, 05:47:52 pm
Just been fettling various things for a 300k on Sat, and I was setting up the GPS.
The maps looked odd, lacking detail.
Some problem with the zoom level?
<fiddle fiddle frob frob>

Doh!

I've left the USA maps loaded.
It only had useless basemap data for Europe!
Put the proper micro-SD card back in, and order is restored!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 23 May, 2013, 07:24:39 pm
Tandem disc brakes.

(sucks teeth)

"Dear oh dear, they'll need replacing. Gonna cost you..."

Wet weather eats brakes  :(.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
I popped round to Cudzo's place and helped him retape his bars. I also ate his cake while I was there  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 24 May, 2013, 02:43:10 am
Up late re-gluing a tub, and unlocking a mifi router.  The first made my eyes tired, the second made them crossed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 24 May, 2013, 10:28:41 am
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
I popped round to Cudzo's place and helped him retape his bars. I also ate his cake while I was there  ;D

What are friends for!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 May, 2013, 12:21:55 pm
Quote from: loadsabikes on 24 May, 2013, 10:28:41 am
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
I popped round to Cudzo's place and helped him retape his bars. I also ate his cake while I was there  ;D

What are friends for!!

their primary role is that of cake-tester :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 May, 2013, 02:04:54 pm
Martha's Rothan.

It has been largely neglected since we bought it for her last birthday but an interest in the bicycles at Nursery has given it a new lease of life. Both tyres were ftattish and I had a devil of a job getting an HP pump between the spokes of the small wheels. One tube wouldn't inflate at all so I thought it was duff and then, when in the bike shop, a senior moment allowed the word "Schraeder" to pass my lips when it should have been "Presta". However, the bike is fine now, Martha is the owner of a fetching pink and grey Bell helmet, which was carefully fitted by the chap in the shop, and she showed a conrsiderable interest in a Hamax child seat of the sort that would look especially good on the back of the tandem.

I think that Larkfield Cycles makes a pretty good LBS for the Maidstone area.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 24 May, 2013, 02:35:39 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 24 May, 2013, 02:04:54 pm
Martha's Rothan.

It has been largely neglected since we bought it for her last birthday but an interest in the bicycles at Nursery has given it a new lease of life. Both tyres were ftattish and I had a devil of a job getting an HP pump between the spokes of the small wheels. One tube wouldn't inflate at all so I thought it was duff and then, when in the bike shop, a senior moment allowed the word "Schraeder" to pass my lips when it should have been "Presta". However, the bike is fine now, Martha is the owner of a fetching pink and grey Bell helmet, which was carefully fitted by the chap in the shop, and she showed a conrsiderable interest in a Hamax child seat of the sort that would look especially good on the back of the tandem.

I think that Larkfield Cycles makes a pretty good LBS for the Maidstone area.

Before it was Larkfield Cycles, this shop had an incarnation as a toy shop (with a sister shop at the Mid Kent Shopping Centre- hang a left just after the Sir Thomas Wyatt, off of the A20 when heading back to Maidstone). Ma fuzzy was Manageress of this shop and a fledgeling fuzzy did stints as a Saturday boy.

A fledgeling fuzzy also got sacked as a paperboy at the Martins Newsagent a few doors down from Larkfield Cycles.

Martin Square, the road upon which Larkfield Cycles stands was part of the local 'speedway'. A fledgeling fuzzy and his mates used it as part of their criterium route.

The grassed area the other side of the car park at Martin Square was where a fledgling fuzzy and his mates morped into Evel Knievel on their Choppers and modded Raleigh Jeeps.

The benches outside the shops adjacent to the car park was where a fledgling fuzzy experienced a) his first proper tongues and all snog and b) his first beer.

My old stomping ground.

Happy Days :'(  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 May, 2013, 09:33:01 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
I popped round to Cudzo's place and helped him retape his bars. I also ate his cake while I was there  ;D
That wasn't cake, that was tea bread! I have no idea what makes it bread rather than cake but it does contain tea.

Today, having taken my newly taped bars for a short test ride - tape feels good, bars also good (drops now a reality), levers mostly good but might need fine tuning - I tuned my gears, washed my bike and worked out why the cadence sensor wasn't registering. It was nothing to do with the sensor/magnet position and it wasn't a broken cable, it was that the contacts on the compo itself weren't connecting properly with the body it clicks into. This was followed by red wine and choc ice!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tonycollinet on 25 May, 2013, 10:14:38 pm
Chain tube joining bits arrived from ICE, so have refitted chain tubes, fitted chain, tensioner, refitted gear pull bolt thingy on the gear cable, adjusted alfine.

Trike is now rideable again after about 3 months off the road. Pretty thorough refurb also. Might be doing a short trip tomorrow if I get up early enough. Still have to fit new rear disk rotor and parking brake.

Brakes squeal like a rutting pig.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 May, 2013, 10:18:40 pm
Finished and fitted a lighter front wheel to HK's Moulton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 25 May, 2013, 10:20:42 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
I popped round to Cudzo's place and helped him retape his bars. I also ate his cake while I was there  ;D

I hunk we should invite Cudzo to the grand wheel building day, whenever we arrange it for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 May, 2013, 10:28:22 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 25 May, 2013, 10:20:42 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
I popped round to Cudzo's place and helped him retape his bars. I also ate his cake while I was there  ;D

I hunk we should invite Cudzo to the grand wheel building day, whenever we arrange it for.
That sounds exciting! I've been thinking of learning to build wheels - there used to be someone locally who gave lessons cheaply, but he's gone back to Belgium - all I need is a rim, a hub and some spokes! And some more dried fruit and possibly sugar...

And I have to assume "hunk" can only refer to you!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 26 May, 2013, 12:59:42 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 21 May, 2013, 10:24:12 am
Still have about 2m3 to get rid of (and no car now) but the local council will take 3 bags of garden waste away per week with the usual garbage collection (it gets incinerated) so I just have to spend a few hours chopping up the 2m3 of stuff into 8" long bits to fill up green garden sacks. They'll then go out with the normal rubbish and disappear over the next few weeks.

...

I'm on call next weekend and I have to be within 30 mins of my laptop (and a decent network connection) the entire time, so the garden is perfect. I should even be able to have time to dig out the majority of the main roots of those trees/bushes too.

3 more tip runs done by car (Zipcar). Most of the unwanted stabby trees/bushes gone now, plus a fir tree thinned out as it was starting to get a bit wide. Just one big spider plant like bush and a small palm tree to go.

Still have to dig up the remaining roots, and/or bang in some copper nails (purchased today).

Also bought some replacement shed roof felt and adhesive. Might get around to doing that today but it'll probably just be lazing in the garden listening to the cricket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 May, 2013, 01:03:06 pm
Yesterday, not today, I put up a towel rail in the bathroom.
It's great because it's the same width as my bath towels.
I've been meaning to put one up ever since I moved in here.
That was one month short of 10 years ago.  ::-)

This morning I bagged up the 6 metre conifer which I cut down last weekend, and borrowed a car to take it to the re-cycling plant in Bermondsey.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 May, 2013, 02:35:43 pm
A Kryptonite lock (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=932.msg1491059#msg1491059).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 May, 2013, 04:32:57 pm
(sort of) finished my ss build (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61613.msg1491109#msg1491109). what's still outstanding - dedicated water bottle cages, more robust saddle (leather on a current one is too delicate and no protection from brick walls), conical headset spacer. longer term - hydraulic brakes possibly?..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 May, 2013, 06:35:28 pm
Final draft of evaluation document for dissertation. (first draft had  :thumbsup: feedback, just a few amendments to do.)
Fettled together a job application too.
 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 May, 2013, 06:38:30 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 25 May, 2013, 10:28:22 pm
Quote from: Tewdric on 25 May, 2013, 10:20:42 pm
Quote from: Feline on 23 May, 2013, 11:48:13 pm
I popped round to Cudzo's place and helped him retape his bars. I also ate his cake while I was there  ;D

I hunk we should invite Cudzo to the grand wheel building day, whenever we arrange it for.
That sounds exciting! I've been thinking of learning to build wheels - there used to be someone locally who gave lessons cheaply, but he's gone back to Belgium - all I need is a rim, a hub and some spokes! And some more dried fruit and possibly sugar...

And I have to assume "hunk" can only refer to you!  :o

Wheel building's fun.  If I can give my airfix skills a run for their money and build a functional wheel, I'm sure anyone can!
(also  Roger Musson's Professional Guide to Wheel building was helpful)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 26 May, 2013, 08:28:41 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 26 May, 2013, 12:59:42 pm
Also bought some replacement shed roof felt and adhesive. Might get around to doing that today but it'll probably just be lazing in the garden listening to the cricket.

I'll sleep well tonight. Didn't help that the shed is in the corner of the garden and I had to jump over the fence to next door about 6 times (hauling the stepladder over each time).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 26 May, 2013, 09:21:08 pm
House and garden fettling in the sunshine.
The pond pump has been tripping the RCD since we had the traditional old fusebox replaced. Eventually found that it was a buried connection (using waterproof connectors) that had leaked and corroded.
Mowed the back lawn.
Removed a security light and separate PIR controlling it from the roofline at the front of the house. It didn't work - probably just a blown bulb as the PIR LED flashed with movement - but the previous owner had a fetish for security lights and we have far too many of them. The remaining lights are more than adequate, replacing the bulb in this would have been antisocial rather than useful.
Cleared a small amount of stuff from the guttering whilst I was up the ladder (only a little bit as I did this last year when we moved in).
Whilst the ladders were out trimmed the inside of our hedges ready to do the outside sometime next week - it's always fun being a couple of metres in the air on a ladder waving a petrol hedge trimmer around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2013, 09:54:40 pm
I just un-fettled our old mattress (which has been hanging around since the council didn't collect it due to extreme weather back in March) to remove the layer of memory foam, with a view to improving the hip and shoulder rating of our sofabed at some point when I'm feeling enthusiastic about sewing machines and heavy lifting.

ETA: Just remembered that earlier I swapped the saddle on my Dawes for a very similar saddle with fewer rips in it donated by Clarion OTP earlier in the year, which was put in a safe place, found again, put in another safe place because swapping saddles before a long ride is a silly idea, and finally re-discovered and fitted this afternoon.

Initial verdict is that it's basically the same as the old one, but slightly less curved, which is a Good Thing.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 26 May, 2013, 11:30:01 pm
Some TIME Xpresso cleats on my shoes to replace the SPD SL I have been using.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 26 May, 2013, 11:34:35 pm
Spent most of the day tickling a website into being. Starting to see the fruits of my labour as it comes together now.
Mostly I'm procrastinating on having to write the marketing copy for the events programme....

In a not unrelated process, I may also have molished and partly demolished a cake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 May, 2013, 01:14:40 pm
It's chucking it down outside (the only day of the BH I could have done a ride :() so instead I've fitted mudguards to the Trek. The bridge connector wouldn't fit so I've stuck the rear guard to the brake bridge using one of those sticky foam pad things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 27 May, 2013, 04:44:53 pm
I was replacing the Barrel adjuster on my gears, and the gear cable while I was at it. That went ok. Then I did a full check of the brakes while I was at it, to find that the back brake cable wasn't tight enough. Attempting to tighten it just sent the bolt spinning around.

Balls. No rear brake.

So, a trip to the LBS to get some new brakes. I changed the front one as well, as it was the same age (over 10 years old) as the rear, and I'm doing a hilly ride next weekend.

Still, it cut into my riding time, which I was a bit grumpy about.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 27 May, 2013, 07:20:49 pm
Removed chain and cassette from the Longstaff for cleaning. Whoever said the best lube for a chain is the one they preload it with at the factory was wrong. It's too sticky and gloopy, and makes for a sticky, gloopy chain that sucks badly on ring changes, and covers you in a black mess rather akin to meconium when you have to handle said chain.

Also tidied the garage a bit. Well, a lot actually - but it's a tricky exercise as there's rather too much stuff in there at the moment, and finding an optimal layout involves a great deal of tessellation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 May, 2013, 08:28:20 pm
Finished converting a very battered old 4-speed SA trigger into an ASC trigger.

(http://www.peeble.com/ascshifter.jpg)

Note how it now "overshifts" into H (the H isn't centralised in the window).  It ain't pretty, but no 4-speed shifters of this age are; they weren't made to last in a cosmetic sense, with thin chrome over the brass and a bit of red paint.  Mechanically, it's perfect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 May, 2013, 09:54:42 pm
Replaced the rear midguard on HK's Condor but need to replace the gear casing and cables in the next week. Replaced the Tacx barplug lights on HK's Moulton with reflector barplugs with integrated chainlube and pre-glued patches.

Replaced cogs, chain and derailleur cable on my Brommie but need to replace the brake cables and casings in the next week.

Picked up rear wheel loaned to Lars and need to refit tyre, tube and cassette, along with new mudguards, to the Frezoni in the next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 28 May, 2013, 08:48:35 am
Re-assembled the Mercian after its temporary use as a wheel truing stand. Stripped off all the lights of in preparation for the new Cyo to be installed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 28 May, 2013, 11:41:43 am
I've got a fettle list as long as my arm to start over the next day or two whilst the wife is away. Unfortunately step 1 is cleaning/washing grotty tourers so I may fall at the first hurdle ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 28 May, 2013, 05:05:23 pm
Having looked at my old Micromega CD transport sitting on the coffee table waiting for a laser* transplant for over a month, I finally plucked up the courage to perform the necessary surgery. Still a bit temperamental at this stage what with the tray not always fully closing on re-mantling, but by golly it pretty much works! Oh Yessss! Bringing dead machines back to life is so satisfying, isn't it? (Can I have a pat on the back please?)

*these units are tiny but the amount of micro-electronicery and stuff packed into them is astonishing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 28 May, 2013, 05:27:03 pm
Fettled a trees worth of dead leaves from the interior air blower of the Grande Punto. At least I shouldn't get showered with leaves any time I turn the fan on....
Fettled a wee LED loop onto my trusty Hi-Gear Hydropack using a wee length of webbing.  Stitched by hand.
 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 28 May, 2013, 09:00:21 pm
Kim and I fettled some solid beginnings of a periscope using sums, a tape measure, a hacksaw, sums, some soil pipe, more sums and a couple of visits to Screwfix.

Kim seemed keen that we should also do the rest of a submarine to put it in, but I'd seen these photos of homemade Chinese subs yesterday and the thought of the oil barrel one gave me the heebie-jeebies.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/05/chinese-diy-inventions/100511 (http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/05/chinese-diy-inventions/100511)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 30 May, 2013, 08:38:11 am
A seat fettling evening

Firstly removed the sheared bolt from the Ikea Poang chair and replaced it with a new (longer) bolf free from Ikea.  This needed drilling out the hole to take the extended length. I can now sit and watch TV in comfort once more.

I've been having some saddle discomfort on the Mercian - not having the same issue with the Bianchi. So I decided to swap saddles Brooks Proffesional for a Selle Italia which was the Bianchi's original that was replaced on a wim when I found a TI version in the bargin box at the LBS. Whilst doing so I discovered that the saddle was 2 cm higher on the Mercian. No discomfort this morning, but I don't know if this is down to the saddle or the position. Having a Bianchi logo'ed saddle on the Mercian is just wrong though!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 30 May, 2013, 08:51:23 am
Quote from: Wunja on 30 May, 2013, 08:38:11 am
A seat fettling evening

I thought you meant Seat, as in "car".  :facepalm:

I was about to be hurt because my car is Swedish, and yet it's not upholstered by Ikea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 30 May, 2013, 09:46:33 am
I could have said 'chair', but that wouldn't appy to the bike.

I quite like the idea of a wooden framed bendy chair in a Volvo though :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 30 May, 2013, 11:35:50 am
I finally got round to making a sensible lead for my Fenix BT10. It has a socket, & my batteries all have sockets, so they need something to connect them. I have a lead from some old Vistalite lights that fits, but it's inconveniently long for most uses (e.g. needs to be wrapped untidily round the frame), & the right-angled plug at one end is less than ideal.

So . . . got a bit of curled twin core I had lying around from some other old light (can't remember what), & stuck a DC power plug on each end. Perfect!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 30 May, 2013, 11:47:31 am
A rather elegant new set of these

(http://media1.roseversand.de/product/1850/1/8/1859582_1.jpg)

arrived through the post this morning, to replace the set damaged in a collision on 7th May. There's an added bonus in that they are 12 grams lighter than the older version!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 May, 2013, 11:54:07 am
Weight weenie!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 30 May, 2013, 12:40:40 pm
Curiously, Shimano have political motivation in their colour-coding of plastic bags. The left pedal was packed in a bag with red printing, and the letter "L" displayed prominently. The right pedal's bag was printed in blue and had a picture of Iain Duncan Smith large letter "R" on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 30 May, 2013, 12:43:00 pm
That must be confusing in the USA, where the Right are Republican, and associated with Red.  Whereas Blue is associated with the Democrats, who are...also Right.  Perhaps that's why the US goes round in circles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 30 May, 2013, 06:26:00 pm
Clean drive train for the Longstaff. Dry lube for the next ride (York Langholm York) , so cue the monsoon rains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 May, 2013, 06:53:02 pm
two eggs whisked into some milk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 30 May, 2013, 07:35:36 pm
Quote from: jogler on 30 May, 2013, 06:53:02 pm
two eggs whisked into some milk
Your cooking skills are moving along at speed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 May, 2013, 08:24:44 pm
but not as quick as my scoffing-the-bread-pudding skills ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 30 May, 2013, 11:27:24 pm
Is that not somewhat self-limiting?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wascally Weasel on 30 May, 2013, 11:55:58 pm
Tech II Shield Hardeners and some Thermal/EM damage resistance rigs.

Most of other people's technical fixes make as little sense to me  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 31 May, 2013, 12:27:32 am
Quote from: jogler on 30 May, 2013, 06:53:02 pm
two eggs whisked into some milk

I fettled a wonderful 3-egg-with-cheddar-cheese omelette for my lunch today. Although self-praise, as my late mother used to say, is no recommendation, I have yet to taste a better omelette than those I cook myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 31 May, 2013, 08:30:50 pm
A busy hour after dinner this evening - broken hinges replaced on rear door to garage, then a few jobs on the Hanlon: under-seat bottle cage fitted, 14-24 five-speed block fitted, chain oiled and brakes adjusted. I'm hoping for an early run out tomorrow, the weather looks as if it will be good! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 May, 2013, 10:47:48 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 30 May, 2013, 09:46:33 am
I could have said 'chair', but that wouldn't appy to the bike.

I quite like the idea of a wooden framed bendy chair in a Volvo though :)
I have seen a 2CV with the front seats replaced by deck chairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 June, 2013, 01:07:49 pm
Giving Mrs. Hall's Nexus 8 speed an oil bath. So far, so good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 02 June, 2013, 01:10:54 pm
Having a few unintended unclippings lately so new cleats and an extra click of tension in the pedals on the Tricross. Much improved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 June, 2013, 01:16:54 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 02 June, 2013, 01:07:49 pm
Giving Mrs. Hall's Nexus 8 speed an oil bath. So far, so good.
Hm.
That's a timely reminder that OrangeGina's Alfine is long overdue for a dunking ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 June, 2013, 01:42:57 pm
I've dusted some cobwebs off my bike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 June, 2013, 06:21:02 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 02 June, 2013, 01:07:49 pm
GivingMrs. Hall's Nexus 8 speed an oil bath. So far, so good.
Done. Used some EP80 hypoid gear oil that I had in the SEECRIT BUNKER in place of Shimano ver ver spensive magic oil.  It didn't really take me 5 hours, it's just that when I put it back on the bike, I couldn't get the lower 4 gears, so I went for a ride.

Once back and relaxed I applied a bit of logic, cleaned up the cassette joint and adjusted the cable length. 

Let's see how the user gets on with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 June, 2013, 12:38:44 pm
I cleaned out the fish tank whilst the Nevs sulked in a glass flower pot.

Next I fettled a shelf on to Boy Wunja's desk so he can add a PC to the DJ console, mixer, sampling thingy and goodness knows what other music kit he has aquired.

Finally finished the new hub dynamo front wheel and installed it together with the Cyo T lamp on to the Mercian. I wasn't impressed with the HD mounting bracket on the Cyo. Its not compatible with caliper brakes.
But the light output.... Big Grin!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 June, 2013, 02:13:33 pm
Swapped the tyres on the Brompton for M+ and the rear wheel for one with an AW hub.  The gearchange was a bit sticky after the wheel had been hanging in the garage for 3 years (I normally ride it with an AM, which gives you three useful gears rather than one useful gear and two bail-out gears) so I've given the AW 3ml of synthetic GL4 gear oil, which is quite a lot for a SA hub.  It freed up instantly but I expect 2.9ml will leak out, so it has paper towel wrapped around the spokes for now.

if you can't keep up with me on Friday given that

1. It's been half term, I'm working away most of this week, and I haven't ridden much
2. I am on a Brompton...
3. ...with the heaviest tyres known to man

then you need to work on your training regime  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 03 June, 2013, 03:20:02 pm
Removed old chain and cassette (well past 1%)  :facepalm:
Dismantled chainset, cleaned & re-assembled
Removed jockey wheels, cleaned RD, re-lubed jockey wheels, re-assembled
Installed new cassette (12-30 in place of 13-29) and new chain.
Rerouted RD cable so as to reposition gel pads under bar tape (as some hand pain after BCM600)
Re connect everything and re index gears.
Retape bars

Now typing with grubby fingers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 03 June, 2013, 10:58:22 pm
dismantled three wheels and using a hub from wheel (I), spokes from wheel (II) and rim and nipples from wheel (III) assembled a new wheel. will finalise tensioning and truing tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 June, 2013, 11:00:01 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 03 June, 2013, 10:58:22 pm
dismantled three wheels and using a hub from wheel (I), spokes from wheel (II) and rim and nipples from wheel (III) assembled a new wheel. will finalise tensioning and truing tomorrow.

Is it a very small wheel?  Such as might be needed at the weekend?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 June, 2013, 12:02:19 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 03 June, 2013, 11:00:01 pm
Is it a very small wheel?  Such as might be needed at the weekend?

yes, 20" wheel for the nocturne race ;). the only thing outstanding is one 20" presta inner tube. (and a faster tyre(s), but can't justify new tyres for 20-odd miles)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 June, 2013, 03:06:09 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 04 June, 2013, 12:02:19 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 03 June, 2013, 11:00:01 pm
Is it a very small wheel?  Such as might be needed at the weekend?

yes, 20" wheel for the nocturne race ;). the only thing outstanding is one 20" presta inner tube. (and a faster tyre(s), but can't justify new tyres for 20-odd miles)

What time is your first race?  Is it a series of heats through the evening?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 June, 2013, 03:43:07 pm
I've lubricated my mojo :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 June, 2013, 04:04:07 pm
Fettled the front light at lunchtime.

This morning, on the way to work, it slipped and lay there, looking all forlorn, atop the front Vbrake.

A quick application of the screwdriver and spanner saw it back as it should be, should stay like that until I get back tonight (I am aiming to use the InBred next week, so it doesn't matter about it not being tight enough, just tight enough for now)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 June, 2013, 04:20:02 pm
Fitted the new inner chainring onto the 2x2 project - just need to get the wheel built now, especially as the 17-21T Dingle turned up this morning  :thumbsup:

Also got halfway through putting a second layer of bar-tape on the yellow Genesis before I realised that my roll of insulating tape has gone walkies. Again. I swear to $DEITY that it has a life of its own.

EDIT: Spoke too soon - found it in the electronics toolbox rather than the bike toolbox  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 06 June, 2013, 04:40:19 pm
Quote from: jogler on 06 June, 2013, 03:43:07 pm
I've lubricated my mojo :)

Are you investigating something involving Holland? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 June, 2013, 04:47:28 pm
<The Sweeney theme music>

It's a fair cop Guv

<The Sweeney theme music>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 06 June, 2013, 05:45:22 pm
New chainring on the Raleigh project, then chain wheels and tyres fitted. It's FINALLY FINISHED WOOOO
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 06 June, 2013, 08:50:38 pm
The bike made a funny noise on the hill out of work, so I stopped at the top to investigate. No bolt holding one leg of the rack and mudguard on. Fished one out of the toolkit and put it back together. Must go and find a fresh one for the toolkit. Maybe even do a quick check over the rest of the bike.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 June, 2013, 11:16:46 pm
slightly bent the rear mech hanger further out on the Raleigh, as I don't think it's supposed to brush the spokes in bottom gear :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 June, 2013, 01:34:36 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 03 June, 2013, 10:58:22 pm
dismantled three wheels and using a hub from wheel (I), spokes from wheel (II) and rim and nipples from wheel (III) assembled a new wheel. will finalise tensioning and truing tomorrow.

finished the wheel last night; also moved tyre and tube onto a front racing wheel (14-spoke). now need to salvage few shimano freehub spacers from cassettes sitting in a spares box, also swap the saddle, pedals, chainring (if i can find it), new cables for brakes, new brake pads and possibly swap handlebars. ah, cut the chain to the right length.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 June, 2013, 01:46:23 pm
Unless you enjoy endless fettling, do not buy a £5 irrigation kit! I've just spent a lot longer than necessary on changing drippers and cutting tubes in an attempt to get a working system. It's still not right, but I've run out of bits!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 June, 2013, 02:35:00 pm
You need to get your eyes checked, AWL.  It worked perfectly for a £5 irritation kit! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 June, 2013, 11:02:00 pm
Refitted the brakes to the hybrid after noticing that the pads were a little low.  Then noticed that the promax brakes had broken.

The single speed off roader has chain line issues thought that it was down to the poorly fitted bb, but its still noisey.  Also who ever invent the plastic stem top cap should be shot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 08 June, 2013, 12:17:31 am
Fixed a couple of porous inner tubes, fitted rim tape (first time: a lot of learning with that one!), fitted new tyres (they seem a bit wonky  :(  ), fitted new chain, spotted a loose barrel adjuster, failed to sort gear indexing out.

All when I should have been packing to go away for the weekend!  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 08 June, 2013, 09:10:11 am
Quote from: clarion on 07 June, 2013, 02:35:00 pm
You need to get your eyes checked, AWL.  It worked perfectly for a £5 irritation kit! ;D
Too bloody true! They are sending me another kit, but I expect more of the same!

I have prepared the bits in advance of getting the F&F back from the powder coaters. Brake pads fitted, tyres put on the two sizes of wheel, the rear hub assembled & bearings inserted.

When you are building a bike up from a frame, it's incredible the amount of bits and pieces you have to get, as I am finding out. I think/hope I have everything now. I'm looking forward to the assembly work. No doubt my Anglo-Saxon vernacular will be exercised at times!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 03:47:43 pm
I have assisted Marj in the fettling of a caravan into summer mode ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 08 June, 2013, 06:10:47 pm
Brakes on the Pugsley: the rear pad was very unevenly worn, or rather what pad was left was very unevenly worn :facepalm: No re-aligned and for some reason the rubbing sound's gone away as well  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 June, 2013, 06:33:08 pm
A strange case of the bike self-fettling.  The Brompton now has a proper crankset* (Sugino XD), chainring and a Shimano 113mm BB that had been kicking around my toolbox for literally years; I think it's a UN53 or something.  Anyway, the BB threads were a bit tight and there were still a couple of threads of the plastic LH cup showing despite me trying as hard as possible with a big spanner and the BB tool.  Couldn't tell whether it was bottomed out against the cartridge or not, and sometimes these do get left with a few threads because the shell has been faced in the past  or they're designed fto fit either 70mm or 68mm width..

Climbing a few of the Chilterns has caused the cup to precess deeper into the shell - another few climbs and it'll be flush  :)

*if you do this, to get perfect chainline and clearance between the inside face of the RH crank and the rear triangle, the ring has to go on the inside of the spider.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 June, 2013, 07:02:47 pm
Made up various cables.  Amplifiers, for the connection of.

ETA: And conclusively broke fboab's MP3 player (after inconclusively fixing it a couple of times).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 07:03:36 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 03:47:43 pm
I have assisted Marj in the fettling of a caravan into summer mode ;D

water containers sterilized
fridge working
water pump working
oven/grill/burners working
tyres up to pressure
internal lights working
water heater working
caravan brakes working

yet to do.....check external lights
                  fill wc flush tank
                  dose wc flush tank
                  dose wc cassette
                  grease towball
                  check battery charged up from an overnight trickle charge
                  sterilize caravan internal plumbing & flush thru'
                  caravan mover operates satisfactorily
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 June, 2013, 07:08:40 pm
Fill with cake...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 June, 2013, 07:10:06 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 07:03:36 pm
                  caravan mover operates satisfactorily

How could it not?  I mean, there's little as satisfying as a radio-controlled caravan...   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 07:19:02 pm
Quote from: clarion on 08 June, 2013, 07:08:40 pm
Fill with cake...

marj is working on it

ETA it's a carrot cake


Quote from: Kim on 08 June, 2013, 07:10:06 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 07:03:36 pm
                  caravan mover operates satisfactorily

How could it not?  I mean, there's little as satisfying as a radio-controlled caravan...   :D

it was bit reluctant earlier:not enough electrons on board so the battery is now on charge
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 June, 2013, 08:24:21 pm
New RH pedal on my Brompton. Still need to change the hub gear cable and rear mudguard and get a new indicator chain.

Fitted rear mudguard and Miche cogs to my fixed, along with brake cables and handlebar tape. Just needs a tyre, chainring bolts and a Campag BB and it is good to go.

Finished fitting the new mudguards to the Frezoni, cleaned the front mech (don't use the small ring enough) and filed the bar end shifter mount to allow the 8th click to be reached. Time to get some new tyres, middle ring, headset and handlebar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 June, 2013, 09:20:48 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 07:19:02 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 June, 2013, 07:10:06 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 07:03:36 pm
                  caravan mover operates satisfactorily

How could it not?  I mean, there's little as satisfying as a radio-controlled caravan...   :D

it was bit reluctant earlier:not enough electrons on board so the battery is now on charge

Ah yes, a common problem with R/C toys...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 09 June, 2013, 12:23:32 am
There is a certain joy in moving something as big as a caravan around using a remote control.

(must add - I'm not a caravanner, but we did borrow a radio controlled one some years ago)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 June, 2013, 10:19:01 am
Quote from: MattH on 09 June, 2013, 12:23:32 am
There is a certain joy in moving something as big as a caravan around using a remote control.


Marj refers to it as "abigboy'stoy" when it's on the move.
My grand daughter loves it.She would play with it all day if allowed to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 09 June, 2013, 11:25:23 am
I seem to have fettled a brand new audible warning device on the commuter.

I was fettling in new brake pads at the time.  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 June, 2013, 12:54:34 pm
Pressure washed the drive with the Karcher I just acquired from Ham OTP. I've tried doing it with just a lance before, but the patio cleaner attachment made light work of it.

Prior to that I had a mooch round the bits drawers and found some ferrules that will come in handy come assembly time. I tidied up and sort of fixed the crap vacuum cleaner in the garage, but it stopped working properly again after a coupla minutes, so a waste of time and duct tape, methinks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 June, 2013, 01:07:30 pm
I re-roofed both of our sheds with butyl rubber pond liner.

This is somewhat experimental but an environmentally friendly option given I had a huge sheet of pond liner from my old pond I would have thrown away. Over the years I have lost count of the number of times I've bought roofing felt only to have the cats scratch through it in just a few weeks. There is something about the texture of felt they like, which I am hoping the rubber will not reproduce. If they destroy this too then I may have to start looking at expensive plastic tiles (since normal tiles are too heavy).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 09 June, 2013, 01:14:00 pm
Buy a metal shed. That'll fix 'em.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 June, 2013, 01:20:07 pm
Quote from: drossall on 09 June, 2013, 01:14:00 pm
Buy a metal shed. That'll fix 'em.

It may come to that  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 09 June, 2013, 01:39:52 pm
Barbed wire plugged to the mains would fix it too :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 09 June, 2013, 01:45:54 pm
Quote from: Basil on 09 June, 2013, 11:25:23 am
I seem to have fettled a brand new audible warning device on the commuter.

I was fettling in new brake pads at the time.  :facepalm:

Right that's the rear mech in general and the indexing in particular fettled.  Time to go out and find out in what un-amusing  way I've buggered that up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 June, 2013, 01:55:32 pm
Quote from: Feline on 09 June, 2013, 01:20:07 pm
Quote from: drossall on 09 June, 2013, 01:14:00 pm
Buy a metal shed. That'll fix 'em.

It may come to that  ;D

Enter cat, stage right, wielding a gas-axe...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 09 June, 2013, 02:43:18 pm
Oh good.  Nice little 10 mile test ride suggests that all is good.
I had seriously fallen out with the utility/commuter (the mercian), I hated riding it. 
It's amazing how having the ability to stop and functioning gears improves the mood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 09 June, 2013, 03:20:26 pm
New inner tube in the Raleigh singlespeed and then a fairly extensive session hopping on and off the turbotrainer to get bars and saddle set "just so".

Didn't have the energy to take it for a ride afterwards though!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 June, 2013, 04:29:43 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 June, 2013, 07:03:36 pm
yet to do.....check external lights
                  fill wc flush tank
                  dose wc flush tank
                  dose wc cassette
                  grease towball
                  check battery charged up from an overnight trickle charge
                  sterilize caravan internal plumbing & flush thru'
                  caravan mover operates satisfactorily

all done
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 09 June, 2013, 05:29:04 pm
Cleaned my Audax bike, which came back mud-bespattered from yesterday's Flitchbikes event. This is because that is the condition in which it started the event :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 June, 2013, 05:47:23 pm
Quote from: Basil on 09 June, 2013, 11:25:23 am
I seem to have fettled a brand new audible warning device on the commuter.

I was fettling in new brake pads at the time.  :facepalm:
I had a similar problem in the wet with the BB7s I originally had on the Genesis singlespeed - got to the point whereby I could bang out a decent, if somewhat discordant, tune just by modulating the brakes.

The downside was that 160mm disc rotors tended to sound in the 'fingernails down a blackboard' register.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 09 June, 2013, 06:03:36 pm
The new adjustable riser stem on the road bike. Sadly I couldn't persuade Crusty out on a test ride. Maybe later when he's gone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 June, 2013, 07:17:38 pm
A partial success. The SRAM Gripshifter 8-speed shifter I've had lying around for ages will replace the one on the Thorn tandem. The old one works fine, but its rubber grip is perishing and is sticky to the touch. The fail was to try to insert the old cable without partially disassembling the new shifter. The cable got mashed up in the attempt. A new one is on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 09 June, 2013, 07:26:04 pm
Attempted some tidying, need to clean the library of boxes and junk so as to make room for our new spin bike to arrive next weekend.

Got rid of a bin liner worth of stuff and it looks no different in there.  :facepalm:

Also found a clown horn style bike horn so have managed to attach that to my bagman rack just for giggles. I fully expect the cheese mount to fail in short order though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 June, 2013, 02:44:18 pm
I spent the morning resealing the bath as I discovered last night after removing the bath panel that the reason the bath mat was getting very wet  was that the shower was pouring large quantities of water through the old sealant and onto the floor under the bath.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 10 June, 2013, 08:42:42 pm
Got my the summer bike out from behind the pile of stuff, oiled the chin, freed stiff links, put in new rear brake cable, adjusted both brakes, trued both wheels.

Oh, not me. MFWHTBAB, while I cooked a biryani. He feels it's a fair exchange, so I'm happy!

This is all so that it can go over to Manchester with him tomorrow, and when I have a week off next week we might actually go for a bike ride. We've found a local Sustrans bike track we want to explore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 10 June, 2013, 10:54:27 pm
Network scanning, a locked workstation, a printer share, quite a lot of unboxing and cabling up, a backup, a jiggered power cable, multiple sets of headphones and half an it suite's worth of flashplayer.

Welcome to my day off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 12 June, 2013, 06:28:20 pm
Pre next-long-ride Longstaff fettling.

It's 800km since the chains had a clean (ie, two rides!) so they're in a diesel soak.

Had a good long look at the front wheel, which has done more than 13,000 km, including two winters. The rims are looking shot - which may partially explain the screaming wail of pain from there when we brake. I've ordered a new wheel in time for LEL. We'll have to keep fingers crossed for the next couple of rides; I'll maintain the suspension of fboab's braking embargo - she's enjoying it - it gives her something to do  :D.

Everything else looking good.

ETA: Arse. Just seen the forecast for the weekend. Needn't have bothered with the cleaning  :facepalm:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 12 June, 2013, 07:52:53 pm
The Kaffenback is nearly finished  ;D. Just fitted the (new) stem and seat post. Waiting for a few more bits to arrive before it's complete.

I have already taken it for a 20 mile test ride with some "borrowed" or old parts to trial a rough build. It's 1x9 drivetrain works superbly 8).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 12 June, 2013, 07:53:51 pm
Oh and at the w/e I plumbed in the bath and basin in our en-suite. Mrs Woofage is very happy :smug:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2013, 08:23:11 pm
Last night, replaced the rear mudguard on my Brommie. After-dinner plan this evening is to de-creakify HK's Moulton (not a euphemism).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 12 June, 2013, 08:45:19 pm
The Hugi hub was starting to mutter on the steeper climbs of the YLY600. It was quiet again on last week's 200, but there weren't any hills.

Given the published profile of the upcoming National 400, I thought it wise to service it. Silky smooth again now  :thumbsup:. Also double-checked we have spare Star Ratchets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2013, 08:50:29 pm
It is such a shit design...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 12 June, 2013, 08:53:46 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2013, 08:50:29 pm
It is such a shit design...

Yes. And yet trivially repairable at the roadside, should it fail. Unlike a sealed hub.

I'm still divided - which is why I haven't replaced it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 June, 2013, 09:33:42 pm
Beginning to sort out the front shifting. Tried to change the cable - no cigar. Removed half the bar tape and changed the cable outer so I could install the new cable at the same time. Replaced bar tape and then stopped for dinner. To be resumed on Friday night. Bike desperately needs a wash too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 June, 2013, 09:40:05 pm
Quote from: Woofage on 12 June, 2013, 07:53:51 pm
Oh and at the w/e I plumbed in the bath and basin in our en-suite. Mrs Woofage is very happy :smug:.
I have to swap out a (cracked) bath on Saturday.  Luckily it is an exact replacement and the plumbing and tiling should all be reusable.  Only gotcha is getting it to drop cleanly away from the tiles - normally a Stanley knife run deeply along the silicone sealant does the job, and then the bath can be lowered on its cradle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 13 June, 2013, 09:58:48 am
Get some silicone sealer remover first!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 June, 2013, 02:15:10 pm
Not me directly, but I got one of the blokes in the factory to cut the splayed and knackered open end off my 15mm combi spanner. I now have a 15mm ring spanner with a handle long enough to give me enough leverage to work on my fixie, yet short enough to fit in the Topeak saddle pack kindly donated by MacB OTP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 June, 2013, 02:28:56 pm
I've been mostly trying not to re-un-fettle my thumb[1], which means that:

a) I haven't been able to do much in the way of fettling the house into a habitable state before going into hospital tomorrow
b) The elusive barrel adjusters I need for the Dawes, which finally arrived this morning, will have to remain un-fitted (mole grips and harsh language will be required to remove the jammed old one) - I predict they'll have vanished to a safe place by the time I'm next able to ride a bike
c) The shiny new multi-purpose minor injury tool I bought from Aldi will have to remain un-played-with


[1] Top tip: Don't attempt to plane the edge of 3mm acrylic using a Stanley knife at awkward angles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 13 June, 2013, 08:48:47 pm
It occurred to me that I hadn't fitted all of the best parts that I had collected together for my Hanlon project and it was pointless keeping them in store if I was meant to be shaking everything down over the summer. So, Brooks Swallow and Campag twin bolt seatpost fitted; then out for a 20km loop with spanners to carry out adjustments. The Swallow, courtesy of scottlington OTP,  was immediately quite a bit more comfortable than my home-butchered B17 and the seatpost, which I admit that I had considered a solution in search of a problem, allows very precise incremental adjustments to be made. I thought it was marvellous so will now need another couple of similar ones for my other bikes. I had a lovely brisk thrash round on the Hanlon, the ride only marred by many biting insects. But on balance I am a very happy, if itchy, bunny this evening!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 13 June, 2013, 09:25:28 pm
Shiny new bits for the Hewitt!   :thumbsup:

A Tubus Tara (Ta-ra!) for the front - fine once I had got over my enthusiasm & RTFM.  ::-)  Pair of smart grey/black Ortliebs to go on it too.

Two new 32mm Pasela PTs to replace what I thought were venerable but okay 28mm originals. They were a lot more cut up than I thought, and the sidewalls were rock hard & slippery, plastic not elastic. Hewitt now looks round-the-world ready, which is more than I am, sadly.

Oh, and Wiggle? When you say Paselas are black, I assume they are all black. Most tyres are black in the tread department. What you meant to write was gum-wall, you wazzocks. They'll do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 13 June, 2013, 09:40:19 pm
Cleaned bathroom.
Finished fettling new rear wheel - Deore MB590 hub with Ambrosio evolution rim, ACI double butted spokes.  Nice and true!  Not bad for my airfix skills.
Also fitted new stem & bars to the tourer - BBB 35 deg 110mm stem with deda 46cm compact drop bars.  Bars pretty much level with saddle now, and from my initial tests on fitting seems rather comfy!   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 13 June, 2013, 10:56:00 pm
I fettled a blog post featuring lots of photos (http://npugh.co.uk/blog/building_fun/) of the thing wot Kim has been fettling with me and some others for the last few months.

She's scarily good with a circular saw, you know. Much better than she is with a Stanley knife.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 June, 2013, 11:20:56 pm
Quote from: nikki on 13 June, 2013, 10:56:00 pm
I fettled a blog post featuring lots of photos (http://npugh.co.uk/blog/building_fun/) of the thing wot Kim has been fettling with me and some others for the last few months.

She's scarily good with a circular saw, you know. Much better than she is with a Stanley knife.

Sigged.

I've just taken the dressing off my thumb and cleaned it up, and the wound is now looking generally unimpressive with no evidence of bleeding - spurty or otherwise - since last night.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 14 June, 2013, 08:52:07 am
Quote from: nikki on 13 June, 2013, 10:56:00 pm
I fettled a blog post featuring lots of photos (http://npugh.co.uk/blog/building_fun/) of the thing wot Kim has been fettling with me and some others for the last few months.

She's scarily good with a circular saw, you know. Much better than she is with a Stanley knife.

You've been working with Mr Dave Checkly :-)

I remember him from the old days of projectXpresents when we where objectX making interactive toys for the audience to play with.

(Plus climbing ladders, painting things, unloading trucks, loading trucks, drinking beer, dancing, etc)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 14 June, 2013, 09:29:52 am
Quote from: nikki on 13 June, 2013, 10:56:00 pm
She's scarily good with a circular saw, you know. Much better than she is with a Stanley knife.

Ah, but was it a PROPER Stanley knife? By which I mean a model 99E, a weapon of beauty!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 14 June, 2013, 10:14:26 am
Quote from: nikki on 13 June, 2013, 10:56:00 pm
I fettled a blog post featuring lots of photos (http://npugh.co.uk/blog/building_fun/) of the thing wot Kim has been fettling with me and some others for the last few months.

She's scarily good with a circular saw, you know. Much better than she is with a Stanley knife.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 June, 2013, 10:59:51 am
Haven't done it yet, but its a fettle-in-waiting:

Replace the existing brake hose on the front brake of the Double Fixed TrailMonsterTM with a similar, but slightly longer (about 6") hose; people keep banging on about how easy it is to bleed and service Shimano hydraulics, so I'll soon find out if they're right. On the plus side, they use mineral oil now, which is significantly less nasty than DOT fluid1

Also sorely tempted to bodge scythes, switchblades or something equally bladeiferous onto the axles of the Green Machine in light of last week's nettle-tastic bushwhacking experience  :-\ Sadly, napalm isn't very bike portable ...

1 - I have it on good authority from a Tour Divide veteran that vegetable oil can be used in a pinch. I have no desire to find out if this is true.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 June, 2013, 11:16:18 am
Quote from: Wunja on 14 June, 2013, 09:29:52 am
Quote from: nikki on 13 June, 2013, 10:56:00 pm
She's scarily good with a circular saw, you know. Much better than she is with a Stanley knife.

Ah, but was it a PROPER Stanley knife? By which I mean a model 99E, a weapon of beauty!

No.  If it had been, I'm sure my thumb would be fully intact.

It wasn't really a proper circular saw, either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 14 June, 2013, 06:00:58 pm
Quote from: interzen on 14 June, 2013, 10:59:51 am
Also sorely tempted to bodge scythes, switchblades or something equally bladeiferous onto the axles of the Green Machine in light of last week's nettle-tastic bushwhacking experience  :-\

Fit them to Pugsley instead! That would be the ultimate go-anywhere bike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 15 June, 2013, 08:37:57 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 14 June, 2013, 08:52:07 am
You've been working with Mr Dave Checkly :-)

We have!

I sort of know him retrospectively from projectX; he knows me from retrospectively having to fit light sensors to some boxes I installed on the university campus!

I have a buzz box - were you involved with making them?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 15 June, 2013, 08:56:25 pm
Quote from: nikki on 15 June, 2013, 08:37:57 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 14 June, 2013, 08:52:07 am
You've been working with Mr Dave Checkly :-)

We have!

I sort of know him retrospectively from projectX; he knows me from retrospectively having to fit light sensors to some boxes I installed on the university campus!

I have a buzz box - were you involved with making them?

I didn't make any of the buzz boxes, as I was VJ'ing with leon on that show but was involved in the group when Dave designed them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 15 June, 2013, 10:09:39 pm
Small world!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 15 June, 2013, 10:10:16 pm
I was helping run a Dr Bike session for Sustrans in Dunstable today, so overall we saw about 30 bikes.  Almost all of them came in with dodgy brakes and massively underinflated tyres.

There was only 1 bike we couldn't fix - a Frankenstein style stunt rust bucket with a broken brake detangler.  Although I told the kid not to ride it, he hopped on and rode away......... ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 15 June, 2013, 11:08:07 pm
Adam welcome to the fold of Dr. Bike'ing, sounded like a nice, easy and very normal day. Can't anything wrong with my bike I road it here just fine...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 15 June, 2013, 11:09:11 pm
Sprogs had a go at the Invisible P******e fairy's hold on my Trice front wheel. It goes totally flat after being left for a couple of days and we can not find a leak in the tube anywhere! He stripped the rim tape and did some light grinding on the spoke recess and then double rim taped it. It was fettled to a nice round 3 figure psi and given a good talking to!
Please to be crossing digits and hope it still says around the 100 psi mark when I visit it tomorrow afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 15 June, 2013, 11:14:21 pm
Replaced batteries in HRM strap, GSC-10 sensor and PowerTap hub.

Noticed broken spoke in PowerTap wheel, will replace that tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 16 June, 2013, 10:17:38 am
Quote from: Greenbank on 15 June, 2013, 11:14:21 pm
Noticed broken spoke in PowerTap wheel, will replace that tomorrow.

Done! Luckily it was non-drive-side so didn't require removing the cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2013, 11:30:54 am
The bath is now levelled and screwed to the wall.  Unfortunately, despite being nominally the same moulding as the old one, it was about 5mm higher at the plinthy bit for the taps (it's a double ended one with the taps against the wall and is therefore 1000x harder to fit than a standard bath)  which necessitated removing a few tiles.

I've tested the drain with a few buckets of water, now I just need to connect the water supply.  This is rather tricky due to the lengths of 22mm pipe involved (which have to be installed on the taps before the bath is in place; the stop valves are accessible at the front of the bath)  The pipes more or less meet the stop valves but there is always some inherent spring to deal with.  22mm compression fittings are also a bugger to seal properly although at least there is next to no danger of crushing the olives.

Worst case scenario - the tap connections shift and there is seepage from the tap tails.  The hot tap connection can be tightened (just) by crawling under the back of the bath.  The cold tap is inaccessible.

All this requires the flexibility of a contortionist, and I have the flexibility of a brick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 June, 2013, 12:00:39 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 09 June, 2013, 07:17:38 pm
A partial success. The SRAM Gripshifter 8-speed shifter I've had lying around for ages will replace the one on the Thorn tandem. The old one works fine, but its rubber grip is perishing and is sticky to the touch. The fail was to try to insert the old cable without partially disassembling the new shifter. The cable got mashed up in the attempt. A new one is on order.

There is, apparently, NO WAY* to replace the cable on a GripShitTM without resorting to disassembly. They are the work of STAN himself and I firmly believe that the only reason they get fitted in the first place is because they are bloody cheap'n'nasty.

*Confirmed with several friends/acquaintances who are all in the bike game and all struggle like buggery to replace cables whilst risking life, limb, sight and broken fingernails on the BASTIDS . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 June, 2013, 12:33:51 pm
^^ insert knife blade between stationary and rotating parts of the shifter, then insert flat screw driver, twist and they click apart
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2013, 02:03:39 pm
Bath now in and tested (by me). Pipe connections were OK after a good mullering.  The one that was seeping yesterday is OK now - it wasn't possible to tighten it properly until the nut on the other side of the valve provided something to counter it, because the manufacturers neglected to put flats on the valve body.

It is somewhat better installed than its predecessor - it is screwed to the wall and all the five feet are screwed to the floor.   The old one was kind of wedged in with pieces of wood.

Just need to make good the tiling, but that won't be done today as (a) I've been at it since yesterday morning and (b) I need some more plain white tiles.  I used most of the spares when I had to replace the shower last year.

if I never have to swap out another bath it will be too soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 June, 2013, 02:15:20 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 13 June, 2013, 02:15:10 pm
Not me directly, but I got one of the blokes in the factory to cut the splayed and knackered open end off my 15mm combi spanner. I now have a 15mm ring spanner with a handle long enough to give me enough leverage to work on my fixie, yet short enough to fit in the Topeak saddle pack kindly donated by MacB OTP.
Modded tools are  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 16 June, 2013, 02:19:31 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2013, 02:03:39 pm
Bath now in and tested (by me). Pipe connections were OK after a good mullering.  The one that was seeping yesterday is OK now - it wasn't possible to tighten it properly until the nut on the other side of the valve provided something to counter it, because the manufacturers neglected to put flats on the valve body.

It is somewhat better installed than its predecessor - it is screwed to the wall and all the five feet are screwed to the floor.   The old one was kind of wedged in with pieces of wood.

Just need to make good the tiling, but that won't be done today as (a) I've been at it since yesterday morning and (b) I need some more plain white tiles.  I used most of the spares when I had to replace the shower last year.

if I never have to swap out another bath it will be too soon.

So... you're not going to change mine, then?

Glad it went well. If it makes you feel better, you were right - we DID get soaked yesterday. Didn't take my overshoes either...  :facepalm:

As for my fettling, some air in my back tyre which seemed to half-deflate yesterday and then stop, and a tweak to my saddle position. I think it's currently too far back, and putting too much strain on my quads :-(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 June, 2013, 03:54:38 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 16 June, 2013, 12:00:39 pm
There is, apparently, NO WAY* to replace the cable on a GripShitTM without resorting to disassembly. They are the work of STAN himself and I firmly believe that the only reason they get fitted in the first place is because they are bloody cheap'n'nasty.

*Confirmed with several friends/acquaintances who are all in the bike game and all struggle like buggery to replace cables whilst risking life, limb, sight and broken fingernails on the BASTIDS . . .

I managed it recently on a SRAM X9 by making a 45 degree bend in the cable, about a centimetre from the end.  Drip of superglue to discourage it from fraying.  Remove the barrel adjuster from the shifter, so there's one less thing to snag on.  Then insert *very* slowly while rotating the cable and feeling for the kink catching on the awkward corner, at which point you just push.  Took me about an hour of swearing to develop the technique (I didn't want to dismantle it, as that would have meant re-cabling the bar-end shifter on the same bar and arsing about with all the self-amalgamating tape under the foam between the two), but reckon I could probably do it again in a fraction of that time now I know what the cable finding the hole feels like.


As for cheap and nasty, the SRAM Gripshift is light-years ahead of its competitors in cheese rating.  Yes, it's an inherently vague way to build a shifter, but they do work, and unfortunately sometimes it's the only reasonable option.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 16 June, 2013, 04:15:18 pm
My sister now has an iPhone. I offered to trim her full size SIM to size....
Put it into the cutting tool backwards and totally knackered it....
Guess what I'm sorting out tomorrow ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 June, 2013, 05:13:40 pm
Lots and lots and lots and lots of punctures.  Helping out at a feed stop on the BHF L-B ride, innit. (The Edifice for those who ride on a Friday Night).  Bought 21 700 tubes during the week, but they were all gone by half nine, so phoned Mrs. Hall to get reinforcements, and later again.  Rumour of malicious tack spreading up stream, and we certainly pulled a few out of tyres.

Also: replaced two knackered tyres, mended two busted 10 speed chains, one gear cable, pumped up many tyres, jibbled various sets of brakes, adjusted mechs, (F & R), tightened one bottom bracket, ditto crank set, replaced one cleat bolt, one seat post bolt.  Got Mrs. Hall to take one unlucky rider to Evans to buy a new back wheel, after his had been pringled in a crash.

Managed to stop for one piss.

Reinforced our slot at The Edifice for further FNRTTC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 June, 2013, 06:07:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 June, 2013, 03:54:38 pm
As for cheap and nasty, the SRAM Gripshift is light-years ahead of its competitors in cheese rating.  Yes, it's an inherently vague way to build a shifter, but they do work, and unfortunately sometimes it's the only reasonable option.
GripShi(f)t systems are a work of pure evil. Full stop. End of story.
When I was looking at off-road capable canned-gear systems, the Rohloff shifters were a dealbreaker as much as the price was. In the end, I went for the Alfine-11 which has in turn given way to double-fixed. So it goes, etc.

Anyway, today I has been mainly playing musical racks - HBFO touring rack off the yellow Genesis onto the orange one, with the fitting of a Tortec Ultralite rack to the yellow machine so I can cart stuff around without the aid of gears should I feel the need to.

Still waiting for the spokes for the TrailMonsterTM's rear wheel to turn up  >:(



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 June, 2013, 06:19:44 pm
Quote from: interzen on 16 June, 2013, 06:07:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 June, 2013, 03:54:38 pm
As for cheap and nasty, the SRAM Gripshift is light-years ahead of its competitors in cheese rating.  Yes, it's an inherently vague way to build a shifter, but they do work, and unfortunately sometimes it's the only reasonable option.
GripShi(f)t systems are a work of pure evil. Full stop. End of story.

They don't require thumbs to operate reliably.  Even extended bar-ends don't really manage that.  Electronic systems, perhaps, but not off the shelf.

Life is full of compromises when your hands don't work properly.  This is one of them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 16 June, 2013, 06:26:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 June, 2013, 06:19:44 pm
Quote from: interzen on 16 June, 2013, 06:07:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 June, 2013, 03:54:38 pm
As for cheap and nasty, the SRAM Gripshift is light-years ahead of its competitors in cheese rating.  Yes, it's an inherently vague way to build a shifter, but they do work, and unfortunately sometimes it's the only reasonable option.
GripShi(f)t systems are a work of pure evil. Full stop. End of story.

They don't require thumbs to operate reliably.  Even extended bar-ends don't really manage that.  Electronic systems, perhaps, but not off the shelf.

Life is full of compromises when your hands don't work properly.  This is one of them.

I've found the grip shift to be quite good on the rolhoff bike, but I've not had to change any cables yet.

In other fettling, an Aborted attempt to change the sprokets and chain on the thorn, Forget to get the rolhoff tool, and my chain tool is made of cheese which snapped without even doing a thing.

Off to order more tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 16 June, 2013, 07:10:42 pm
Cleaned the hybrid's chain a bit. Then decided that it might be a good idea to try and tighten the worryingly loose spokes in the Tifosi's rear wheel (several had no tension at all, and others were not much better). As I'd previously had no joy trying to tighten them with a spoke key, I took the rim tape off and attacked them from that side. The loosest spoke holes were bunged up with dirt - no wonder they hadn't wanted to turn. A bit of penetrant spray got them turning (hooray - they weren't seized after all) and I now have something resembling a properly tensioned wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 16 June, 2013, 10:50:11 pm
Pompetamine Alfine innards: On balance a fettle fail even though it works
Dahon rear spoke: Fettle success
Dahon coaster hub bearings: fettle success - as long as you count not replacing that bit of thread - NO WAY could have been a vital component
Mrs Ham kickstand: Fettle success (more of an achievement than it sounds as the chain stays are much deeper than normal)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 June, 2013, 11:26:13 pm
some mundane fettling today: cleaned the bikes, lubed the chains, inspected the tyres for embedded sharp objects and pumped them up, replaced small (11t) skipping sprocket on an audax bike, transferred the pedals from racing folding bike back to audax, charged the selection of aa/aaa batteries..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 16 June, 2013, 11:53:50 pm
Replaced some broken spokes on Vince, and generally retrued and tightened up the wheel.  Lets see if the remaining spokes have been significantly damaged.

I attempted to get the Brompton working, but the spare spokes I've got are the wrong size for the wheel (it's an old radially spoked front), and the bolts are missing from the rear wheel.  I did put the new QR seatclamp on, so I can lock the rear wheel up now, and put a new saddle on it, so it doesn't look quite as grotty.  The light mountings need modifying, to allow an Exposure front light, and a rear light which doesn't interfere with the seat pin, so needs to be moved to the rear rack.

I need to get the Brompton sorted by next weekend, so I can take it with me to Noordwijk, and not have to rely on taxis and buses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 17 June, 2013, 03:55:49 pm
Simon accepted my offer to retape his bars after he replaced his brake levers on the VN Yukon fixed. I think I've got my bar taping time down to about 10 minutes now, it takes longer to find the scissors   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 17 June, 2013, 06:05:10 pm
I've fettled the plumbing in the caravan to by-pass the not-yet-repaired water heater.Cold shower anyone?
At least we have cold water for brewing & flushing sanitation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 17 June, 2013, 07:30:32 pm
I tried to retrue a colleague's rear wheel, after he came close to pringling it in an accident.  As far as I can tell, excessive application of the front brake resulted in him going over the handlebars, and somehow bashing the rear wheel.  I managed to true it a fair amount, but several of the nipples lost their heads, I suspect due to a combination of crappy cheap wheel, and having to excessively over tighten some of them.

The wheel ended up just about round enough to cycle with the rear brake operating, although with quite a wide clearance and consequently not actually braking very well, since the lever is pulled almost against the handlebars.  I couldn't true it any more, since loss of the nipple headd had dramatically reduced which parts of the wheel I could true, and it was rapidly becoming a cascade of destruction!

I've suggested to him that a new wheel is probably a good idea, since I'd only view the current one to be in a "get you home" state, rather than being safe for long term use.  A replacement wheel from Decathlon is only £30, which just leaves the problem of finding a vice that we can use to remove the Freewheel!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 17 June, 2013, 07:48:27 pm
Funny, I had the same experience. Getting to the bike shed, was approached by a colleague who wanted to know whether I knew anything about bikes. Her rear wheel was pringled. It's not clear how; she had dropped the bike, but that shouldn't do it.

Same problem with soft metal in the spoke nipples, leading to difficulties truing. I did get it reasonably straight, then fiddled with the brake a bit to stop it rubbing too much.

At that point I noticed that the forks were on backwards and stem was way above the safety marks (Halfords Saturday job apparently), so I yanked the stem out, span the wheel round and put the stem back at a safer height.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 17 June, 2013, 09:28:15 pm
Annoyingly, I got halfway through servicing my BB7s when I realised that the torx bolts have a knob in the middle which makes them inaccessible to the tools I possess. So I'm off to buy a security torx tool. And some beer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 17 June, 2013, 11:35:07 pm
Really? Odd. Still this will get you all the security bits you need ofr a fiver: http://www.screwfix.com/p/security-bit-set-33pcs/96872?_requestid=681715#

Oh yes, and today I completed the Alfine hub fettle, and very good it is now, too.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 18 June, 2013, 10:01:18 am
Cheers, Ham - I got a couple of L-shaped T25 tools from ebay.

It does seem odd, as they're near to inaccessible until you've already stripped the rest of the caliper down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 June, 2013, 10:24:06 am
Chainring bolts.

The ones on the yellow Genesis were squeaking like a sack full of tortured mice this morning, particularly when I put the hammer down. This, coupled with a squeaky saddle (the fat bastard + Brooks effect, I suspect) and some ticking noises from the S3X made for a tuneful ride.

Unfortunately, I haven't got round to fitting Truvativ bolts on either of the road bikes so much dickery with bizarrely shaped spanners ensued  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 June, 2013, 12:20:20 pm
I've fettled the outside water tap.
Replaced all the copper pipe & fittings 'cause they were all drip-leaking.Conex fittings ftw..Not suprising considering they have suffered the expansions & contractions of a decade of winters & summers.
That part of the patio is now nice 'n dry :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 June, 2013, 03:56:16 pm
took tri-bars off the audax bike this morning - i'm not planning any long rides in near future, only shorter and more intense ones to (hopefully) gain some speed before the race in august
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 June, 2013, 09:13:46 pm
An on-going fettle. The electric lawnmower has stopped working. Investigation on Sunday pointed at the cheap two bit plastic interlock and switch. Various jibbling and application of grease failed to fix it.

Tonight we tried shaving a wee bit off the red plastic interlock knob, but no improvement.

Plan B, abandon red plastic interlock knob and molish a suitable lump from Polymorph, to sit on the trigger handle. Worked once, then I noticed that the real cause was a fatigue crack in the trigger handle. Plan C was to remove the triggery bit and screw a bit of something useful into the stump. This failed when I snapped off the trigger in an over enthusiastic way.

All is not lost. Found a place online where replacements can be bought for buttons. Watch this space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 18 June, 2013, 09:17:58 pm
After 3 visits to the Orange/EE shop I obtained a replacement SIM for my sister.
I gave up trying to download iTunes onto her Vista machine and did the rest of the iPhone setup over wifi.
Little Sis now has her first smartphone, and I'm going to have a lot of headaches explaining things...
She panics at system messages & updates. ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 18 June, 2013, 09:44:21 pm
MFWHTBAB and I built a folding saw horse so that we can saw some logs with a mate of his tomorrow. It's a cunning contraction made of offcuts of timber, threaded rod, and blue string.

Well, rope, but blue string makes me think of the Clangers.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 18 June, 2013, 10:01:10 pm
Flipped my bodgededed light bracket on my bagman as the bag kept trying to cover the light. It's in a better position now and an added advantage is that the bolt that had worked loose is now accessible without removing half the bracket to get to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 18 June, 2013, 10:31:10 pm
Changed the oil in the Rohloff on my Moulton ATB. Also lubricated the chain after a 30 mile offroad ride over the Hampshire downs on Sunday.

Discovered SJS now sell an inbetween size of bottles of oil, 250ml for £19.99, so ordered both cleaning oil and oil for the next 10 years of maintenance. I'm sure the hub will last that long, not so sure about me  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 18 June, 2013, 11:03:51 pm
Fitted a new pair of bearings to the rear wheel on the Flyer.  One of the old ones was feeling decidedly ropey and as they were only £1.36 each I decided to go mad and replace them both.  Hopefully the unpleasantly loud creaking/cracking noise will be absent on tomorrow's commute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 June, 2013, 12:15:50 am
Did some soldering-y stuff while nikki varnished things.  The trolley-with-screens-on is now wired for sound, even if it doesn't actually have screens on yet.  Strategically broke the electronics of a lighting panel thing.  With a Stanley Knife[1]. Without drawing (much) blood.  Some grub screws may have been sworn at in the process.

Have obtained possession of further shiny electronics, which I will attempt to turn into a realtime Fun conduit, just as soon as I work out how to provide the 1.21 jiggawatts (@ 5V) it requires.


[1] The circular saw wasn't available.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 19 June, 2013, 07:33:35 am
Put some tape on Campag ergo to stop inner lever rattling against the outer one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 19 June, 2013, 07:52:54 pm
If by fettling you mean sorting out the garage and chucking crap out, then yes, I've been fettling.

Also re-secured the hydraulic brake line on the MTB and pumped up all the tyres on the MTB and Sooty. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 June, 2013, 08:17:11 pm
Replaced the 16T sprocket on the S3X with a 15T, which will now give me a cruising gear of around 70" - this is a bit higher than I usually run (generally low 60s) so it'll be interesting to see how my knees react over the next few days.

Also indulged in some spoke-fu on the rear wheel of the yellow Genesis after I'd fitted the new sprocket - looks like the off-road shenanigans and running over/through things were conspiring to make the rear wheel slightly out of whack. Also (re)discovered how much I hate working with V-brakes.

Have also been fettling a spec for a potential n+1 ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 June, 2013, 08:35:51 pm
Unpacked our Moultons ready for tomorrow's UAF 1000 in the Loire. Some minor tweaking needed to a rear mech tomorrow morning and we'll be ready to start after lunch (lunch is a big deal to UAFers).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 21 June, 2013, 10:58:01 pm
Quote from: Deano on 17 June, 2013, 09:28:15 pm
Annoyingly, I got halfway through servicing my BB7s when I realised that the torx bolts have a knob in the middle which makes them inaccessible to the tools I possess. So I'm off to buy a security torx tool. And some beer.

Hmm. Well, the problem was that they aren't BB7s, they're an earlier version, BBDB type N, which doesn't match the manual I had (explains the problems I had relating the calipers to the manual). And it requires a proprietary tool to remove the lockring and fully service it. I'm torn between trying to source the tool, which doesn't appear to be available anymore, and leaving it, as it doesn't look too bad in there.

In the meantime, Mark from work came round after complaining about the racket coming from his bottom bracket. His bike is an Apollo with cheap bits, but it hasn't been completely run into the ground, and it came apart quite easily, to my relief. Well, apart from the pedals. I had to break out THOR* to loosen the LH pedal.

I replaced the cup n cone BB with a spare sealed bearing unit I had while I set Mark about cleaning the chain with white spirit.

There was nothing else urgent to do - the rear brake was considerably more worn the front, but that's because he only uses the rear brake, and the only reasonable solution I can think of is to replace the calipers, but that's not urgent, and everything else was in decent working order. The hubs could do with looking at, but they'll last ages before it becomes a problem.

This morning, he commented on how quiet it was, and how smooth the gear changes were. I did tell him that it's amazing what a difference cleaning the chain makes ;D It had been a line of rust when he brought it around..

*heavy copper hammer. From the THOR hammer company. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 June, 2013, 11:23:19 pm
Nothing. But I had an interesting conversation with the Dean of Physics and Electrickery about getting his students to molish RFID detector/loggers for tracking tagged animals in ecological surveys.

He seemed quite interested in the technical challenges.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 June, 2013, 03:13:06 pm
I've been refettling the Brompton back into a state of usefulness.  It's been sat mostly unused for several years, but I've very occasionally got it out, and things have got progressively more knackered.  I want to take it with me to The Netherlands next week, so I can use it to do the few miles from the Hotel to were I'm working (near, but not quite ESTEC).

So far I've had the handlebar end lights out, cleaned the battery contacts and replaced the batteries.  The computer needed a new battery as well (it was probably over a decade old!), which meant I had to resort to Sheldon for calibration information.  Kudos to Vetta however, that still had the manual to that computer, a C5, on their website.  I've sorted out the non-roundness of the front wheel, mounted a CatEye rear light fixing on the back of the carrier rather than the stem (where it limits the depression of the seat pin slightly, which would have been an issue for packing the bike in its bag).  Taken off the front lights mounts (which I can't remember what lights they fit!) and put on an Exposure mount so I can put the Joystick on there.  I've just stripped the front brake down, cleaned and regreased it, replaced the cable and blocks and got it working.  Even though it was working, I had a look at the rear brake, and realised that the blocks are within a hairbreadth of needing to be replaced, so I may as well strip that down and replace the cables and blocks on that as well.  I also had to put a new set of nuts on the rear wheel, since I'd been using Bob Nutz on there (to tow the Bob trailer), which had then been put on a different bike, but with the Brompton's original fittings disappearing off somewhere (now I've got replacements, I find them, of course).

I also need to see if I can git the Garmin GPS to the handlebars somehow, although I may have to resort to just digging it out of my pocket occasionally, since I'm not sure there's an easy location which is going to work, and not wander off adrift or foul the fold (although I could just put it on the main frame, although that's then quite a distance to see it!)

Sometime in the last couple of days, the rear wheel has gone flat, so there is obviously something wrong with that.  I'm very tempted to go and get a new inner tube, since I may replace the rear tyre, simply because I know it's rather old, and the inner will be similarly aged, so the rubber may be partially perished.  A tyre is cheap enough hear, and it would minimise the problems I may get on my travels (a Brompton rear wheel is a bit of a pig to get off, when on the road).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 22 June, 2013, 03:49:28 pm
dismantled the new folding bike and took some measurements, also ran a "scales test"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 June, 2013, 04:12:02 pm
Have made the twenty dynamo lights work.

The road bike is together and tested

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 22 June, 2013, 04:51:03 pm
New bar tape on the expedition tourer ready for the Alps.  It's all it needed. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 June, 2013, 09:24:06 pm
Took the superfluous links out of Spacehopper's chain, so it no longer catches on itself when in small/small.

Also cleaned away all the old cobwebs from the ceilings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 June, 2013, 03:11:33 pm
A hair dryer (yesterday), with its power lead splitting.

Does anyone do reviews of consumer products that cover ease of repair? It's not easy to assess that when buying. This one had tamper-proof screws of a kind I had not previously encountered (triangular heads (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004KFHHVQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)). First, therefore, I had to tamper-proof-proof my toolkit (again - I've already got a standard set of tamper-proof bits).

Then I had real trouble getting the case open. Then I found that the live wire was soldered in, and the neutral went into a crimp-fit connector that I had to open up and recycle.

In my book, I should have been able to unscrew one cover, unscrew two connectors, replace the lead and put the whole lot back.

Oh, and I replaced a bladed spoke on my racing wheels. I scoured London on Friday for a replacement without success, but happily an LBS round here has them, albeit at a price to make your eyes water.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 June, 2013, 03:56:00 pm
Brake fettling on the Green Machine, on account of them sounding like someone running a chainsaw through a donkey  :o

No amount of faffage seems to be doing the trick ((re)aligning calipers, cleaning rotors, sanding pad surfaces etc.etc.) so after a bit of Google-fu it would appear that the problem could well be the Avid rotors (ie. they're crap, and admittedly a hangover from when I had BB7s on the bike). Fortunately(?) an ordering screwup on Friday may well work to my advantage as I'll have a couple of new 160mm rotors within the next couple of days. Still need to get a pair of 180s for n+1 (which I intended to order in the first place) but if I can silence the brakes on the green Genesis I'll count it as a major win and I won't have to faff around sorting out returns for the 160s.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 June, 2013, 04:33:42 pm
reverted my folding bike from racing setup back to utility mode; overhauled coaster brake hub while i was at it (this needs to be done, it appears, every few hundred km while the hub is still breaking in).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 23 June, 2013, 04:55:33 pm
Cleaned and re-lubed the chain on my audax bike ready for next weekend.

General fettle on Mrs. H's bike (lube chain, pump up tyres) and fit a basket on the rear rack. Ready for her to start cycling to the tram stop now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 June, 2013, 05:25:47 pm
Dug out three bikes from the sad, festering heap.  Cleaned, lubed and fettled Butterfly's Orbit to loan to a friend of a friend, then cleaned Our Kid's old Raleigh, had a fruitless search for the old road tyres I thought we had, and I'm about to (well, when I can put the baby down) remove the chain to replace with a new one once I've cleaned the wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 June, 2013, 09:33:56 pm
Replaced brake blocks on the recumbent. I'd forgotten how much of a pain cantilever brakes are to adjust.

And tracked down the source of the grinding noise when pedalling. That'll be the unlubricated chain then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 24 June, 2013, 12:59:50 am
I took the read light off the Bendy bike to put on the Mercian. I felt a bit guilty about that so then I pumped up the Bendy Bike's tyres, oiled the chain and rubbed at the mud with a rag.
Having done that I decided to give it a ride, which meant finding another back light and bodging it on!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 24 June, 2013, 07:45:08 am
Quote from: Wunja on 24 June, 2013, 12:59:50 am
I took the read light off the Bendy bike...

Which novel are you on at present?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 June, 2013, 08:09:49 am
Not today (obviously) but yesterday.

Tidied the garage then washed 4 bikes.  They were all looking a bit sorry for themselves, especially the Ridley which had had a cursory wipe down (and oiling) after the NYD ride and then hung up.

All mu bikes are now (sort of) clean and sparkly (a good layer of Mr Sheen was added after washing and oiling)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 24 June, 2013, 08:31:30 am
Quote from: drossall on 24 June, 2013, 07:45:08 am
Quote from: Wunja on 24 June, 2013, 12:59:50 am
I took the read light off the Bendy bike...

Which novel are you on at present?

I couldn't make my mind up between the red light and the rear light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 24 June, 2013, 08:58:02 am
Quote from: zigzag on 23 June, 2013, 04:33:42 pm
reverted my folding bike from racing setup back to utility mode; overhauled coaster brake hub while i was at it (this needs to be done, it appears, every few hundred km while the hub is still breaking in).

I find it quite fun to grease a brake ....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 24 June, 2013, 09:05:14 am
Lot's of luggage fettling for the 1000km audax I'm starting in France on Thursday. Then I fell down the stairs bruising my arse and lightly spraining my ankle, nicely timed! Should be alright in a couple of days mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 24 June, 2013, 09:27:14 am
Last night (and a lot more of that time after midnight that doesn't really exist than I intended) I built my first wheel :D

I messed up the lacing pattern a bit (Sheldon's instructions are written for a drive side trailing spoke next to the valve hole and the rim was drilled for non drive side. I guessed the wrong way so the hole is not quite in the big gap, but you can get to it), and somehow reversed a drive side and non drive side spoke which made truing a pain till I worked it out but I'm just about there :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 24 June, 2013, 10:05:49 am
Heh! There must have been a bit of a wheel-building bug going round then too.
I started out only intending to replace the front disc pads, but the job went so smoothly that in 5 minutes I was done. So I took the front wheel completely to bits and rebuilt it around a new Shimano Alfine dynamo hub that I've had sitting around for far too long. As usual I screwed up the lacing more than once, but finally got it neatly together and properly dished (I hate the fact that you have to dish front disc wheels). Purists will complain that the writing on the hub shell doesn't line up with the valve hole, but this is the work bike, not intended to be a Sunday showgirl.

I really need to do the rear disc as well, but since that involves removing the rear wheel and faffing with the Alfine gear connections (not a problem, just an oily mess) I will inevitably end up replacing the sprocket and chain at the same time since the bike sounds horrible at the moment.

The ride into work today was super fast (no doubt mainly due to the pumped up tyres more than anything else), but I have realised that the computer pick-up is too close to the dynamo, so it was reading 56kph at a speed just about walking pace when I started out today. I'll move the sensor further up the fork leg which should sort the problem out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 24 June, 2013, 01:48:25 pm
Fitted new cassette chain whip and cassette spanner reversed and lockring tightened. Wheel placed back in frame.  New chain fitted. Test ride up and down the road. Green bike is ready for this mornings commute.

Seeing I have the chain whip handy I remove wheel from red bike with the slightly damaged rim. (I can not pump up tyres, another ceramic rim gone).  I remove the sprockets. This is red bikes spare wheel. I get red bikes normal wheel remove its broken cassette and put the spare cassette on. This wheel is put back into the frame and red bike is ready for emergency commutes and fun rides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 24 June, 2013, 01:59:20 pm
Gave my nice bike a strip-down and thorough clean yesterday afternoon - long overdue but finally spurred on to do it by the fact that my rear brake is no longer springing back after use. I presumed it was just clogged with dirt but even a thorough cleaning hasn't solved the problem so I'm slightly bewildered. I'm fine as long as I remember not to use the rear brake.

Anyway, got up early today to finish off refitting the chainset, rear mech and chain, and to fettle the gear indexing. And boy, what a difference it made on my morning ride! Gear changes were crisp, everything ran smoothly and quietly... and I was flying as a result. Looking forward to uploading the data later to see the numbers.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 24 June, 2013, 02:49:35 pm
Not today but, my most recent fettle, which this is the first opportunity to report, was the unblocking of the outflow from the Leopard enclosure pond. This was achieved from inside the Serval enclosure with a 3M length of steel feinforcing bar. The Leopard pool empties into the Serval pool which in turn empties into the surrounding vegetation. The unblocking was achieved with Joy the lady Serval sitting in the corner hissing at everyone and her fella Diesel occasionaly perching on my shoulder wondering WTF was going on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 June, 2013, 04:45:48 pm
Fuzzy -  ??? Are you working in a zoo now?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 24 June, 2013, 05:13:32 pm
Did a week volunteering at a Cheetah sanctuary in S.A. the week before last. They also have the Leopard, Serval, Caracal, a pair of 1 yr old Lion yobs, Meerkat and a sprinbok calf being bottle fed.

A holiday with a difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 June, 2013, 06:18:26 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 24 June, 2013, 09:27:14 am
I messed up the lacing pattern a bit (Sheldon's instructions are written for a drive side trailing spoke next to the valve hole and the rim was drilled for non drive side. I guessed the wrong way so the hole is not quite in the big gap, but you can get to it), and somehow reversed a drive side and non drive side spoke which made truing a pain till I worked it out but I'm just about there :thumbsup:

The back wheel on my Streetmachine's like that, after making exactly the same mistake following Sheldon's instructions.  I couldn't get my head round how it was supposed to be laced at the time, and now the wheel's proven itself to be reliable, I'm disinclined to take it apart just to sort it out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 June, 2013, 02:46:31 am
In addition to dismantling and remantling the baraktacycle this morning (in order that it may be disguised as Luggage, for BloodyTrains purposes), I had to re-join the rather mucky chain, which had decided to laugh at me for ranting about the difficulty of releasing KMC quick links by coming undone at the fold and un-threading itself from the chain tube.  There's probably a nice oily stain now punctuating the greyness of Mordor Central in the vicinity of the platform 11 lift.

And in a much cleaner form of fettling, I've sorted out a power supply and got a Raspberry Pi to talk to an Adafruit flexible LED bling strip (http://www.adafruit.com/products/306) using its SPI port.  Surprisingly, this was more a matter of ribbon-cable-wrangling and re-imaging the SD card (no, I can't remember what I did to it last time, but it wasn't booting properly) than cargo-cult Python (not a language I've used before).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 25 June, 2013, 08:18:21 am
Quote from: citoyen on 24 June, 2013, 01:59:20 pm
Looking forward to uploading the data later to see the numbers.  :thumbsup:

Hello? What's that? Strava KOM on the Victoria-Vauxhall Bridge dash? I say! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: agagisgroovy on 25 June, 2013, 05:26:34 pm
Washed down the walls of the hallway with sugar soap, ready to start painting tomorrow!  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 June, 2013, 05:33:29 pm
Bedded in the new rotors on the Green Machine, although this was more a case of 'riding up and down the street like a lunatic, braking occasionally' rather than a fettle per-se.

'Proper' fettling has taken place on n+1's frame, to whit: fitting the headset, seatpost collar (and seatpost) and rear caliper adapter and chasing out of various threaded bits.

That's about as far as it can go at the moment, since I'm still waiting for assorted rather vital bits to complete the build ie. chainset, forks and spokes of assorted lengths.

There's plenty of fettles-in-waiting, though, as I now have a grand total of three rear wheels to build - two of them for n+1 and one for Pugsley now that the rim tape I ordered aeons ago has finally arrived.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 25 June, 2013, 08:22:11 pm
Raised my saddle another few mm to see if I can stop this cursededed knee pain.

Oiled (well waxed really) my chain as it was squeaky. Think that's maybe the third or fourth time in 2000 miles I've got round to it  :-[ Think I might stick a new chain on at the weekend and see if the cassette is alright, that gives me time for either the chain to bed in or to order a new cassette prior to LEL.

Retaped the hole in my bagman rack to stop the qr rod pingfucketing across the road given that the small bit you push disappeared a while ago.

Decided I really must try and track down the once per pedal revolution click I've been getting for a goodly while as it's beginning to drive me bonkers. Crank bolts were tight, decided to remove pedal to chack it for play. Well it only took finger pressure on the pedal spanner to undo both pedals so I suspect that might be the problem. Have done them up nice and tight and will see what it's like tomorrow.

I'm actually still in my bike gear since getting home from work at quarter to seven but can't be bothered to go out tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 25 June, 2013, 09:21:30 pm
As the boys in the lab had been playing on a multi-zillion pixel videowall driven by many thousands of pounds worth of hardware with GenomeScroller.org, I decided to go the other way with 1 pixel per base and build a Raspberry Pi version. Simple TTL logic to switch RGB LEDs. I'd like to scale it up to many bases (easy to add onto the end of the chain with no extra programming) and high brightness 1.5W lamps (hence the darlington arrays to allow easy upgrading should suitable be available along with separate power supplies.)

Annotated pic:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3751/9138154854_f9b2798031_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/9138154854/)
gspe demo 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/9138154854/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSZPSdvYIgM
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 25 June, 2013, 09:44:13 pm
Finally got the Karate Monkey out on the road.  And off the road :)

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=72510.msg1511499#msg1511499

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 25 June, 2013, 10:42:59 pm
EldestCub bust the flex brake on his scooter yesterday.  It has had a year of heavy use....

The thought occurred that we Know People.  People who have Skills. And who have Tools.  But probably very little clue what a scooter flex brake looks like and what its dimensions are.  So tonight I have successfully removed the remaining bit of said brake, so that it can join the broken off bit, and go for a little holiday to, hopefully, meet a Maker.  Since this also involved removing the rear wheel completely to get at awkward nuts in order to undo the bolts, and I appear to have managed to dismantle and re-mantle the rear axle fixings in what looks like the correct order with zero loss of pingfuckits along the way, I'm counting that as a fettling win!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 June, 2013, 12:49:23 am
Yeah, same sort of thing as David Martin, only with a lot more current to drive a lot more blinkenlights and without all that clever genome stuff.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/the_public/IMG_3871.sized.jpg)

Proper soldered and crimped electrics let down by shoddy cardboard-and-masking-tape mechanical construction.  'tis but a prototype...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 June, 2013, 01:00:30 am
Fancy replacing a chip on a motherboard for me?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 June, 2013, 08:42:31 pm
Mid fettle of the snow bike.

Let me explain.  The snow bike is The Boy's cast off Specialized somthing or other MTB. When it snows, it gets shod with spiky tyres, otherwise it has Specialized Nimbus for easy road riding.  Now that summer's here, the time is right for dancing in the street I thought I'd finally get round to doing the tyre swap.

It hadn't been cleaned since I last used it. In the snow. In the winter salty grit.

Oh dear.

The chain is like something from an Indian rope trick - it can stand up on end. It took me 10 minutes jibbling to get it off and unthreaded.  The brake linkages are seized. The brake block bolts are furry.

Bless me father Sheldon, for I have sinned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 26 June, 2013, 10:21:17 pm
Finally tightened the stem bolt (quill stem, so only one) that holds the handlebars in place on the hybrid. Not quite sure why it took me several weeks to get round to a 5-second job. The bars don't creak any more, which is nice - now I just need to sort out the gear indexing (my least favourite fettling task, because I'm hopeless at it), which has been off since I cleaned the drivetrain the weekend before last (this seems to happen whenever I clean the chain - clearly, it just wants to be grimy).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 28 June, 2013, 12:12:34 am
After weeks - nay, months - of preparation, Kim was today finally able to engineer a situation in which she was legitimately able to tell me to "down periscope".

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/9155717366_4d770ace8a.jpg)


Quote from: CrinklyLion on 25 June, 2013, 10:42:59 pm
So tonight I have successfully removed the remaining bit of said brake, so that it can join the broken off bit, and go for a little holiday to, hopefully, meet a Maker.

Sounds like you need a Rachel. Unfortunately she's at Glastonbury ...but we'll see what we can do!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2013, 12:19:38 am
Quote from: nikki on 28 June, 2013, 12:12:34 am
After weeks - nay, months - of preparation, Kim was today finally able to engineer a situation in which she was legitimately able to tell me to "down periscope".

It would have been quicker to just build the whole submarine, like I suggested.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 June, 2013, 12:22:17 am
Quote from: Kim on 26 June, 2013, 12:49:23 am
Yeah, same sort of thing as David Martin, only with a lot more current to drive a lot more blinkenlights and without all that clever genome stuff.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/the_public/IMG_3871.sized.jpg)

Proper soldered and crimped electrics let down by shoddy cardboard-and-masking-tape mechanical construction.  'tis but a prototype...

We must exchange notes - I have plans (if I can find the funding) to try and get a few thousand 1.5W RGB LEDs to run coloured lights in this sort of pattern
http://easternblot.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/photo4-225x300.jpg along the inside of the building.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2013, 12:38:42 am
Using these: http://www.adafruit.com/products/306

We've got 7[1] 2m strips with 32 LEDs per metre, so 448 LEDs.  Weatherproof if you seal the ends (and any splices).

Easily driven by the Pi's SPI port.  The driver chip regenerates the clock and data signal for the next pair of LEDs in the chain, so thousands wouldn't be a problem, especially as you aren't going to be too fussed about refresh speed.

Main issue is power.  Needs 60mA per LED at 5V.  You have to inject power for every metre length to avoid brownouts (I'm feeding 2m lengths power from both ends, as they're arranged in a circle), so for a long linear installation you're going to need to do something clever.

I got Conway's Game of Life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway's_Game_of_Life) running on them this morning.  Looks really good!


[1]  7 pixels is the minimum vertical resolution for easily readable text.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 June, 2013, 06:07:46 pm
I've rediscovered, again, why I hate working with brakes.

After reading about how easy it is to shorten the hoses on Shimano hydraulics without having to bleed them I figured I'd do something about the redonkulously long hoses that were on the pre-bled brakes I got for Orange Bike #2.

A word of warning if you planning to do something like this: when the guides say 'don't pull the lever too hard' they mean it - a couple of squeezes on the lever and there was a pop followed by the piston dropping out of the rear caliper along with the contents of hose plus reservoir  :facepalm:

Piston went back in OK, but of course the rear brake is worse than useless and will need a refill and bleed anyway. As a result of this I'm not overly confident about the job I did on the front brake so the bike is now booked into the LBS - something I was hoping to avoid on the grounds of cost more than anything else (not that I have anything against my LBS, but I prefer to do spanner-monkey type things myself if I can)

As if things couldn't get worse, I then cut myself whilst removing the chainrings off my newly acquired Deore chainset  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 June, 2013, 12:41:26 pm
After last night's epic brake-related fail (which caused much hilarity at the LBS) I decided that I really wasn't happy with the sharp bend in the TrailMonster's front brake hose so I refitted the Easton EA70 bars - result: no more comically sharp bend in the hose and therefore less chance of something disasterous happening; the Mary bars will probably end up on Pugsley.

I'm going to take it out for a spin tonight, so I fully expect some jibbling of riding position to take place especially as I like my flat bars with a bit of back sweep and the Eastons tended to make my shoulders ache over longer distances.

Also laced up a couple of wheels for the Other Orange Genesis, which was dropped off at the LBS this morning to have the brakes re-bled and generally checked over1

1 - after last night's cockup I really don't trust myself to work on hydraulics. Given how much I dislike faffing with brakes generally this may not be a bad thing. Plus, even if I was inclined to do the job myself I'd still have to get odds and sods like mineral oil and a bleed kit from the LBS anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 29 June, 2013, 12:45:09 pm
Not me that fettled it, but just had my Strat  set up to within an inch of its life!   plays even more like a dream now. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 29 June, 2013, 12:46:08 pm
I tried to true a wheel, but managed to break a spoke in the process. I knew there was
 a reason I normally don't try to fettle wheels. :facepalm: Not having the faintest clue about what size of spoke to get as a replacement, I think it'll be going to the LBS. I'm just hoping I can get it sorted before Tan Hill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 June, 2013, 12:48:58 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 29 June, 2013, 12:46:08 pm
I tried to true a wheel, but managed to break a spoke in the process. I knew there was
 a reason I normally don't try to fettle wheels. :facepalm: Not having the faintest clue about what size of spoke to get as a replacement, I think it'll be going to the LBS. I'm just hoping I can get it sorted before Tan Hill.
If it broke at the elbow, just measure from the end of the spoke to the bend in the elbow - that's your answer. Failing that, if you know the make of the hub and rim, stick the details into http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator/ and get your answer there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 29 June, 2013, 01:03:16 pm
It broke right in the middle. :( Sadly the rims and hub are too ancient to be listed in that calculator, as well. That probably means I should get shiny new wheels, as I've been meaning to for a while...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 June, 2013, 01:07:53 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 29 June, 2013, 01:03:16 pm
It broke right in the middle. :( Sadly the rims and hub are too ancient to be listed in that calculator, as well. That probably means I should get shiny new wheels, as I've been meaning to for a while...
If its a fixed/free wheel you're after then I have one in the shed which you're more than welcome to if you can pick it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 29 June, 2013, 05:43:48 pm
Thanks, but it's a derailleur one - I'm certainly not riding to Tan Hill on fixed!   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 June, 2013, 10:30:56 am
Slotted the cable stops on HK's Moulton. Now need to fit some new wires.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 June, 2013, 09:53:43 pm
Assembled most of another forumite's new bike. Sometime soon the cassette will turn up. Once the position of the brake levers get sorted, the handlebar tape goes on and then he can take it for a spin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 01 July, 2013, 11:52:36 am
Mobile 'phone contract. Now paying £11 a month as my previous 24 year contract (including 'phone cost) has ended.

Average monthly usage:-

39 minutes
70 texts
210MB (has dropped since I got the BT Wifi app as I'm signed up to BT Fon at home)

That's £25 a month extra to the PowerTap track hub pot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 July, 2013, 12:07:24 pm
Just put the new grips on the 1x1 .... couple of laps of the quadrangle and all is good.

Or at very least better than it was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 01 July, 2013, 12:57:40 pm
Today I oiled the chain on Green Bike before riding it to work.

Yesterday I looked at Orange bike that is currently just a frame and wheels.  The headset had no spacers above it so the fork was not secure. I found some spacers in my spares box. Added then moved the stem to the required position and marked it. I remove the headset and took the fork into the shed. I introduced it to my torture devices.  I bang the star fangled nut further in.  The I clamp it to the vice and cut two cms off the end of the streerer with a hacksaw. I was glad I used a cutting guide my hacksaw was a little blunt. I replaced the fork and headset then spacers. There was a little bit of steerer still sticking out.  I find my thinnest spacer but as I am about to try it I see a bit of the headset on the ground.  I reassemble with alls parts and there is no gap.  I tighten the stem and orange bike is a tiny bit closer to being rebuilt.

Next weekend: saddle, mud guards and maybe bottom bracket and crank.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 01 July, 2013, 01:20:10 pm
Home 'phone/Broadband contract down by £12 and got BT Sport channels (Premiership footyball, rugby and FA Cup) added to Sky card for free (we don't pay Sky any money, just use it as a freeview box).

Next fettle is Home Insurance. Moving from M&S to AA to save £200+ and not having to worry about change in M&S's terms which mean bikes over £2k aren't covered automatically.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 01 July, 2013, 04:03:55 pm
swapped the front wheels back over between the fixie and tourer (they got changed over to fit the 35mm winter tyres to the commuter, Open pro's are a little too narrow). Tightened the headset of the fixed wheel and then took the front that should be in the tourer over the road to a very convenient LBS for truing. He let me put it in the jig to see how far out it was before I left it for him.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 July, 2013, 05:18:47 pm
I applied the Harry Quinn transfers to the bike frame today. I may risk lacquering them on Wednesday for a Thursday debut in Cambridge. I also put on the lilac ferrules and pedals, though the pedals do not suit the bike at all, so the Crank Brothers egg beaters may have to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 July, 2013, 05:50:46 pm
Just been playing 'musical bar-ends' - the Evans bar-ends I bought today as a replacement for the godawfully uncomfortable On-One jobs are now on the singlespeed, since their shape is slightly better suited to bars with a bit of back-sweep (singlespeed has On-One Mary bars) whilst the 'proper' Ergons off the singlespeed are now adorning the 1x1 since their shape is better suited to flat flat bars (Easton EA70s in this case)

Attempted to fettle the chainset which is going on Orange Bike #2 but that was a fail because the Truvativ broach bolts are too bloody long despite being a) supposedly for a double chainset and b) being used with a pair of heavy-duty (ie. 5mm thick) downhill rings  ::-)

Now off to order a set of chainring bolts for single ring + bash-guard - I know these work 'cos that's what I'm using on the 1x1 and the Genesis singlespeed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 July, 2013, 06:02:29 pm
I just fettled nature with some gloves and a pair of secateurs. The bramble and small tree that have been laughing at me out of the back window since I moved in are no more :demon: :D

Now I just have to fit the massive pile of stuff into the garden bin but that can wait until my hay fever settles down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 01 July, 2013, 06:04:12 pm
Today I have completely de-fettled the Mercian, removing all components from the frame.
The next step will be to do the same for the Spare Parts Bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 July, 2013, 06:07:27 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 01 July, 2013, 06:02:29 pm
I just fettled nature with some gloves and a pair of secateurs. The bramble and small tree that have been laughing at me out of the back window since I moved in are no more :demon: :D

Now I just have to fit the massive pile of stuff into the garden bin but that can wait until my hay fever settles down.
I did a bit of that yesterday - the best bit was having a very bold blackbird following me round the garden eating the ants and other crawly-leggedy things that appeared as I ripped the weeds up from between the paving slabs :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 July, 2013, 08:58:32 pm
Got the faux Dremmel out and polished up a pair of pedals that will suit the Harry Quinn better. Not ideal, but preferable. Lacquered them and fitted the toeclips with spring washers. The blue straps aren't ideal, but will have to do for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 July, 2013, 09:04:15 pm
Today's game of what-can-I-break involved fixing two punctures (one on my hybrid, the other on the BF's station bike, both on the rear wheels). I duly managed to break a tyre lever while refitting the tyre to my bike.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 01 July, 2013, 10:40:55 pm
Fettled my sisters PC & iPhone last night.  Had a puncture on the way home in the drizzle.  Doing a check for the cause of the hole (piece of glass) I sliced my finger on the edge of the tyre  >:(  It's like a paper cut,  didn't bleed much but stings whenever I straighten the finger... :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 01 July, 2013, 11:06:57 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 01 July, 2013, 11:52:36 am
Mobile 'phone contract. Now paying £11 a month as my previous 24 year contract (including 'phone cost) has ended.

Average monthly usage:-

39 minutes
70 texts
210MB (has dropped since I got the BT Wifi app as I'm signed up to BT Fon at home)

That's £25 a month extra to the PowerTap track hub pot.

Didn't you feel silly using that one all this time?

(http://media.e2save.com/images/community/2013/01/martin-cooper-inventor-of-worlds-first-mobile-phone.jpg)

I had a substantial garden fettle over the weekend, involving 30m of SWA cable and a multitude of bits, went mano el mano with bamboo and got bested by some grass.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 02 July, 2013, 06:36:01 pm
Transfer lacquering and brake fettling on the Larry Quinn. Tim Hall OTP has sent me a moon washer (not a moon cup) and it now sits where it should on the bike.

Little Miss AWL's Islabike is getting a tad small for her, so I've fitted a stem raiser using a shim and adjusted cables, etc. to suit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 02 July, 2013, 10:56:33 pm
Called in on my sister on the way home from work, mended the p******e in the rear wheel of niece's bike.

Who thought that a single speed full chain case, track end style bike should have an axle supported toy seat behind the saddle.  >:( >:(

It took an hour to fix the puncture as the combination of unshipping the chain and getting the rear wheel out far enough to remove the carrier stays was as much as the wheel could do. Oh and I had to remove the brake blocks to get the wheel out. :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 02 July, 2013, 10:57:32 pm
Helicopter tape on the not-Tifosi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 July, 2013, 08:43:51 am
My landlord had said a friend could borrow one of their BSOs last night.

I found this out as the friends arrived to collect it.

The brakes squeeled like a banshee, the front mech worked, just but the rear just refused, point blank, to do anything.

With no real time to do anything useful I doused it in oil and GT85, pulling on the cable until I got some movement, then sent them down the road with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2013, 09:21:49 am
I put the black bar tape on Our Kid's old Raleigh, to match the new tyres.  And I adjusted the brakes. 

It looks really good now.  Black a big improvement on the scuffed and grubby white it had before.  Now all it needs is a chain fixing and the gears adjusting.  Not looking forward especially to that bit, as I'm not a fan of STI, as I may have mentioned.  Friction set up is sooooo easy by comparison.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 03 July, 2013, 10:13:19 pm
Kleen! Seems like only 2 rides ago that I last cleaned this lot. Oh it was; 1000km :).

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2828/9204464264_b3cf52c81f.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/9204464264/)
kleen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/9204464264/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 03 July, 2013, 10:35:19 pm
Sewed buckle back on carradice. My life that was hard work. Much swearing and two bent needles.

Next time I'm punching holes in the leather first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 03 July, 2013, 11:11:31 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 03 July, 2013, 10:35:19 pm
Sewed buckle back on carradice. My life that was hard work. Much swearing and two bent needles.

Next time I'm punching holes in the leather first.

Hint 1 - if you are sewing it back there ARE holes

Hint 2 - Pliers
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 04 July, 2013, 10:22:47 am
Quote from: Ham on 03 July, 2013, 11:11:31 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 03 July, 2013, 10:35:19 pm
Sewed buckle back on carradice. My life that was hard work. Much swearing and two bent needles.

Next time I'm punching holes in the leather first.

Hint 1 - if you are sewing it back there ARE holes

Hint 2 - Pliers
You try finding the sodding holes when pushing back through from the canvas side. Even putting a needle through to help locate them didn't help much.

I know Carradice have standards to keep up and all, but THREE layers of cotton duck?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 04 July, 2013, 11:32:25 am
Quote from: mrcharly on 03 July, 2013, 10:35:19 pm
Next time I'm punching holes in the leather first.

That's awl you need to know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 04 July, 2013, 06:55:04 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 04 July, 2013, 10:22:47 am
Quote from: Ham on 03 July, 2013, 11:11:31 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 03 July, 2013, 10:35:19 pm
Sewed buckle back on carradice. My life that was hard work. Much swearing and two bent needles.

Next time I'm punching holes in the leather first.

Hint 1 - if you are sewing it back there ARE holes

Hint 2 - Pliers
You try finding the sodding holes when pushing back through from the canvas side. Even putting a needle through to help locate them didn't help much.

I know Carradice have standards to keep up and all, but THREE layers of cotton duck?

(http://thumb18.shutterstock.com/photos/display_pic_with_logo/231829/231829,1215085194,3.jpg)

What I did (with less layers, admittedly) was to use a couple of pins to locate and align everything. Then, wiggled the needle to find the holes, you can feel when you have picked it up, and when you are trying to poke through fabric. It was quite slow, but not especially difficult.

But you've done it now, haven't you?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 04 July, 2013, 07:13:20 pm
Yesterday I adjusted the saddle height on the SmallestCub's yellow bike (that's the one without pedals) and found the woods adapter such that I could pump up the tyres.

It is now on loan for a few days to the Smallest Superhero from next door who is in training as he has outgrown his tiny bike and hopes to progress to his big bike without stabilisers soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: daeno on 04 July, 2013, 07:19:37 pm
Adjusted the Selle SMP nose up to dead flat.

Also helped Awfers install a shorter stem on the BMC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 July, 2013, 07:27:35 pm
Fitted new cables to HK's Moulton this morning. Now to sort out my Moulton (maybe replace the rear rim) and then to pack both bikes to get to this weekend's event.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 04 July, 2013, 08:59:36 pm
Cleaned best bike in anticipation of Saturday's audax ride. Sorted out the indexing of rear gears
by use of the limit screws. Shifts very good now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 04 July, 2013, 09:55:25 pm
I have given up trying to persuade the pistons on the front caliper on the Giant XTC hardtail to retract consistently so fitted a new one.  Unfortunately it fouled on the disk so I dug out an older, slightly smaller one.

It is great !  Why didn't I do this two years ago rather than saving the front brake for emergency use only ?

Also ended up fitting a new chain, cassette and rear mech.

Definitely money and time well spent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 July, 2013, 12:01:53 am
Replaced the rear rim and tyre. Now to finish packing for the trip tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 05 July, 2013, 12:17:33 am
Replaced bottom bracket and refitted crank after previous BB fail.

Bonus points (if I say so myself) for doing the work at the pub.

More bonus points for bending a 1/2" socket wrench bar attempting to remove BB cups.

After finding that neither cup would budge, and letting everyone sturdy have a go I realised I did not have any plus gas with me.

Instead I poured Coca-Cola into each BB cup in turn and, lo and behold, that freed them up. Major smug points there!

BB replaced, cranks refitted and I was on my way home. (it lasted too!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 05 July, 2013, 09:47:00 am
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Hqo10--lZ48/UdaH4xBICRI/AAAAAAAAoB8/hK-hw4YSc5o/s800/download.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 July, 2013, 04:27:17 pm
Fitted some new tyres to the Inbred. Conti Speed Rides, same tread as their CX tyres, but with a puncture strip.

Then I broke out the soldering iron and fixed tge rear light that had a couple of dry joints.

Now all set for a nightvride on the (possibly) hottest day of the year!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 05 July, 2013, 04:32:08 pm
Replaced the cleats on my shoes. Rode to work and then readjusted the angles to match new cleats rather than old ones!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 05 July, 2013, 04:35:12 pm
Fitted the cheapo Halfords front rack/lowrider things.

Horrible design (they don't even make use of the boss that's on the forks, they have their own mounting bracket that goes round the fork blade). One bolt missing (but able to bodge it).

Good enough for the hackbike though, and for £11 (instore price match to online price) you can't argue.

Really wouldn't like to go touring with them. I only need them to take the panniers for the 1/4 mile between home and MiniGB's nursery (the Hamax gets in the way of panniers a bit) or the 3 miles or so from home to the swimming pool.

Will be on the lookout for a proper (cheap) front rack though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 July, 2013, 04:37:48 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 05 July, 2013, 04:35:12 pm
Fitted the cheapo Halfords front rack/lowrider things.

Horrible design (they don't even make use of the boss that's on the forks, they have their own mounting bracket that goes round the fork blade). One bolt missing (but able to bodge it).

I botched a set of those onto my Dawes (rigid alloy fork with no bosses).  This required fabricating custom bracket things, sacrificing the QR functionality of the wheel (no big loss, it's got a security skewer in it anyway), and fitting them backwards in order that they be even remotely upright.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 05 July, 2013, 04:39:22 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 05 July, 2013, 04:27:17 pm
Fitted some new tyres to the Inbred. Conti Speed Rides, same tread as their CX tyres, but with a puncture strip.

Without wanting to ill-wish your rides, note that is a 'puncture strip', not a 'puncture-resistant strip'.  These are Continentals, after all. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 05 July, 2013, 05:04:36 pm
Attempted to fettle gears. They sort of work - can't use the big ring, but I don't really use it anyway. Front derailleurs are horrible things to set up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 July, 2013, 05:11:31 pm
Quote from: clarion on 05 July, 2013, 04:39:22 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 05 July, 2013, 04:27:17 pm
Fitted some new tyres to the Inbred. Conti Speed Rides, same tread as their CX tyres, but with a puncture strip.

Without wanting to ill-wish your rides, note that is a 'puncture strip', not a 'puncture-resistant strip'.  These are Continentals, after all. ;)

Bugger!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 July, 2013, 06:13:21 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 05 July, 2013, 05:04:36 pm
Attempted to fettle gears. They sort of work - can't use the big ring, but I don't really use it anyway. Front derailleurs are horrible things to set up.
One of the many reasons I dispensed with derailleurs on my entire fleet a long time ago ... but I digress.

Since the weather is so nice I've decided to tempt fate and take the mudguards off the 1x1 - this does, however, make the bike much easier to pack in the car with both wheels out.

Still haven't decided whether or not to fit the off-road tyres, though - I suspect the trails might be dry enough that I can get away with slicks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 July, 2013, 09:41:27 pm
Reduced the weight of my audax bike by about 1kg by washing the mud off it  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 July, 2013, 11:39:52 pm
Swapped road bike bars from quill stem to a head adaptor stem and handlebars.  Then unwrapped the bar tape from one bike then put the bar tape on another bike.  Then took the bar tape which I took off bike a on to bike B.

Have also added a spacer to the forks single speed off roader.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 July, 2013, 04:43:06 am
Second major de-fettling this week. This time it is the spare parts bike, in preparation of a major temporary (yeah right) upgrade to Shimano 105, until the Mercian is fixed.
Just the top head cup to remove, clean and investigate some bubbles under the paint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 06 July, 2013, 07:15:54 pm
I recently acquired a Ridgeback Velocity from Woofage OTP. It's in decent nick, but I have been tweaking it a little. I swapped the stem with a higher one - also from Woofage - and realised the rear pads were almost worn out, so replaced them. The v-brakes were a bit sticky after a month outdoors in deepest Suffolk, so I removed, cleaned and lubricated the relevant bits and reassembled them using the springiest notch. I am not familiar with this type of brake and need to work out what the little adjustment screw does, as I often fail to have them set right.

I was tempted to fit the Schwalbe Land Cruisers, but that can wait till after my Norfolk trip on it next month. The Tortec rack I had on the Pompino was fitted easily enough. I'll use it on my commute this coming week and see how I get on.

Cut and strimmed the grass and finally put the water butt on a higher, firmer standing. That should stop it overflowing and make it safer.

Oh yes, I forgot that I assembled the infernal Thule high-level bike rack, but it's probably too wide for the Punto with full-size bikes on. A re-think required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 July, 2013, 07:41:25 pm
Got rid of the squeak from the from disc. Just needed to re-align the caliper, only took a couple of minutes. Wheel spinning far better now Just wish I'd done it before my 100k offroad rather than after :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 06 July, 2013, 08:49:18 pm
There is a slight downside to the N+1 thing - you do start to get a bit paranoid about the value of the bikes building up in the garage.

So I've spent some time this afternoon drilling 8 holes into my garage floor, and fitting another 2 ground anchors and affixing several metres of the finest heavy duty hardened steel chain, bought from docsquid's company, Pragmasis.  Their kit is really excellent in providing everything you need, including a pre-marked drill bit and plastic tube for blowing away the dust.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 06 July, 2013, 10:23:00 pm
Quote from: Adam on 06 July, 2013, 08:49:18 pm
There is a slight downside to the N+1 thing - you do start to get a bit paranoid about the value of the bikes building up in the garage.

So I've spent some time this afternoon drilling 8 holes into my garage floor, and fitting another 2 ground anchors and affixing several metres of the finest heavy duty hardened steel chain, bought from docsquid's company, Pragmasis.  Their kit is really excellent in providing everything you need, including a pre-marked drill bit and plastic tube for blowing away the dust.

We have 2 of those from Pragmasis too, one in the garage and one in the house  :o
My drill very nearly died a death drilling the concrete floor which was really hard!

I did a spot of midnight pre-audax fettling:
removed rattling mudguard reflector
fitted new front brake pads since there was not much left
re-indexed gears
cleaned and lubed drive train
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 06 July, 2013, 10:53:32 pm
Popped new carbon forks on my Cotic X cyclocross bike. The original, 2yr old forks had snapped and were only held on by the former for the carbon, stem/crown/fork upper. Easy to cut the stem to size with a copper pipe cutter used to get a straight cut before finishing off with a hacksaw. Minor bit of play but will resolve that tomorrow. The big change is the new fork has no mudguard mounts. :0( So I either have to bodge something or get very wet in winter....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 July, 2013, 11:44:28 pm
I dug out the Solo, swapped a locknut over from the old wheel to replace the broken one, trued the wheel despite the one slightly overlong spoke, and fitted everything back together.  I need to give it a shakedown ride tomorrow, but I think I've fixed my fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 07 July, 2013, 09:24:07 am
Quote from: Adam on 06 July, 2013, 08:49:18 pm
So I've spent some time this afternoon drilling 8 holes into my garage floor, and fitting another 2 ground anchors and affixing several metres of the finest heavy duty hardened steel chain, bought from docsquid's company, Pragmasis.

I really should get around to fitting my Pragmasis ground anchor. It's not too bad without it though as the chain is currently wrapped around thick cable that brings mains electricity to the distribution box (prior to the meters). No scrote would be stupid enough to try and cut that (and live).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 07 July, 2013, 06:37:33 pm
My Muddy Fox Sorcerer. 1980's Tange prestige loveliness.

yesterday & today

from this...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/westywagen/before_zps46470331.jpg)

to this...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/westywagen/after_1_zps7f8d1abf.jpg)[/URL]

Nitto Moustache bars and stem, old Shimano aero levers, 7 speed bar end shifters, brooks Ti B17, brooks bar tape and specialized gel pad thingies, wheels from the stash in the garage as the others rims were very worn - Exage hubs and Alesa rims  (nothing fancy but servicable / functional)
topeak adjustable bottle cage and third cage & Zefal mounts, Carradice slim and SQR.

rides beautifully!  :)



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 July, 2013, 06:48:57 pm
If anyone wants a large Muddy Fox Courier Comp to do this with, we have one in our back garden pining for a new owner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 07 July, 2013, 07:09:56 pm
Clarion, I was just wondering, how large is large.....? 

16 yo Step son is growing at an alarming rate only bettered by his 15 yo sister (and there's a spare pair of mo' bars in the bits box....)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 July, 2013, 07:59:58 pm
About 24", I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 08 July, 2013, 12:03:14 am
The spare parts bike now has a black down tube. The rust under the transfers has been rubbed back and undercoat & black topcoat (because I had black left over from the Crapocaster) have been sprayed on. Headset and bottom bracket have been carefully installed without dinging the soft paint.

(I don't have time to prep and paint the whole frame as I want to ride it on Wednesday.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 08 July, 2013, 08:38:13 am
New chain, chain ring, and brake pads on the thorn.

I've got a rolhoff sprocket to fit, but not got round to ordering the special tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 July, 2013, 08:53:01 am
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 06 July, 2013, 07:15:54 pm
I recently acquired a Ridgeback Velocity from Woofage OTP. It's in decent nick, but I have been tweaking it a little. I swapped the stem with a higher one - also from Woofage - and realised the rear pads were almost worn out, so replaced them. The v-brakes were a bit sticky after a month outdoors in deepest Suffolk, so I removed, cleaned and lubricated the relevant bits and reassembled them using the springiest notch. I am not familiar with this type of brake and need to work out what the little adjustment screw does, as I often fail to have them set right.
AWL, the little screws adjust the distance between the pad and rim. The tip of the screw rests against a stop on the brake boss. Turning the screw one way pushes the brake arm 'out'. Turning it the other way allows the spring to force the brake arm 'in'. Try watching the gap as you turn the screw, you will notice the distance increase/ decrease with your adjustment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 July, 2013, 10:51:02 am
found the flat tyre on my runabout bike, took the tyre off - the inner tube failed at the valve joint.. should i blame the heat? inner tube replaced, bike rideable again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 08 July, 2013, 11:49:14 pm
Major push on getting the Spare Parts bike re-assembled. Just the cables to instal and adjust everything.

I performed a secondary fettle on the garage door to make sure both locks engage properly, after a couple of 'gentlemen' asked if I had any old metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 July, 2013, 11:04:26 pm
Finished the Fun Factory.  This hopefully means sleep and bike rides that don't involve West Bromwich and things.

Nikki will be along with some decent photos in due course...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 July, 2013, 11:21:20 pm
Tweaked some wheels, a cassette and a rear mech, none of which were mine. Sometime soon I'll be shortening a chain to the right length.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 July, 2013, 11:43:46 pm
I fettled the lawn and the dog. The dog is actually only half fettled because the cordless clippers ran out of juice half way through. I'm now going to take him for a walk in the dark to avoid the embarrassment of being seen by anyone with him like this  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 10 July, 2013, 12:23:47 am
Quote from: Kim on 09 July, 2013, 11:04:26 pm
Finished the Fun Factory.

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/9249211041_3fee72f34f.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9249211041/)

Booting up:
http://vimeo.com/69997147


LED bling:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/9249160631_2927b50404.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9249160631/)

Secret Cinema:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3690/9251963742_8032e0b084.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9251963742/)

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/9251965176_bbfc010886.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9251965176/)

It's a periscope. Just mirrors. No tech. It's pretty cool.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/9251990512_383543a329.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9251990512/)

The Control Panel. (Feat. farty noises, modem noises, trombone noises and a miscellany of others):
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/9249197351_df81042be4.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9249197351/)

"Give me strippers and bubblewrap"
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/9251941984_489ac913d9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9251941984/)

YACF jersey being non infra-red compliant:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/9252019440_bdaf7583cd.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9252019440/)

It's taken months. Also blood, sweat and tears.
Constructed in/on/behind assorted bin stores, rooves, conference screens and other wholly inappropriate spaces.
On the other hand: best build team ever.

*passes out*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 10 July, 2013, 12:45:54 am
Congratulations to you both  :thumbsup:    So much hard work.

I notice wheels,  is there a bike towing hitch ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 July, 2013, 06:47:29 am
Good work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 10 July, 2013, 08:41:16 am
The Spare Parts bike now has two working brakes (Oh how I hate setting up canti's) and a working front deraileur. Should get to turn the pedals tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 10 July, 2013, 09:22:20 am
Quote from: nikki on 10 July, 2013, 12:23:47 am
Quote from: Kim on 09 July, 2013, 11:04:26 pm
Finished the Fun Factory.

"Give me strippers and bubblewrap"
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/9251941984_489ac913d9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikki_pugh/9251941984/)


WTF is Kim gonna do with strippers dressed in bubble wrap?

Bloody well done BTW, looks like a 'Thing' to be proud of  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 July, 2013, 09:25:48 am
Quote from: fuzzy on 10 July, 2013, 09:22:20 am
Quote from: nikki on 10 July, 2013, 12:23:47 am
WTF is Kim gonna do with strippers dressed in bubble wrap?

What anyone else would do: Pop the bubbles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2013, 11:45:37 am
Quote from: andrewc on 10 July, 2013, 12:45:54 am
Congratulations to you both  :thumbsup:    So much hard work.

I notice wheels,  is there a bike towing hitch ?

This was discussed, but we reckoned it would need a Trice to get it moving (There's an awful lot of plywood and 42" screen in there), which would make the nose weight difficult...   :D

I'm still wondering what my professional ethics lecturer would say about programming something to make annoying noises at random intervals near a reception desk, mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 10 July, 2013, 01:13:26 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 07 July, 2013, 09:24:07 am
Quote from: Adam on 06 July, 2013, 08:49:18 pm
So I've spent some time this afternoon drilling 8 holes into my garage floor, and fitting another 2 ground anchors and affixing several metres of the finest heavy duty hardened steel chain, bought from docsquid's company, Pragmasis.

I really should get around to fitting my Pragmasis ground anchor. It's not too bad without it though as the chain is currently wrapped around thick cable that brings mains electricity to the distribution box (prior to the meters). No scrote would be stupid enough to try and cut that (and live).

You're not aware of the folk who cut through live cables supplying railway lines then?  They keep doing it, and I haven't heard of scores of electrocuted theives, so I would not rely on your assertion to protect my assets, I'm afraid. Go on, fit that ground anchor, you know it makes sense!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 10 July, 2013, 01:18:14 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 10 July, 2013, 01:13:26 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 07 July, 2013, 09:24:07 am
Quote from: Adam on 06 July, 2013, 08:49:18 pm
So I've spent some time this afternoon drilling 8 holes into my garage floor, and fitting another 2 ground anchors and affixing several metres of the finest heavy duty hardened steel chain, bought from docsquid's company, Pragmasis.

I really should get around to fitting my Pragmasis ground anchor. It's not too bad without it though as the chain is currently wrapped around thick cable that brings mains electricity to the distribution box (prior to the meters). No scrote would be stupid enough to try and cut that (and live).

You're not aware of the folk who cut through live cables supplying railway lines then?  They keep doing it, and I haven't heard of scores of electrocuted theives, so I would not rely on your assertion to protect my assets, I'm afraid. Go on, fit that ground anchor, you know it makes sense!

They're stealing the highly valuable copper cable though. It's also very easy for them to trip the power on the line first; you can't do this with incoming power to a house.

I'm aware of bank robbers that tunnel through several feet of solid wall, use explosives and even smash and grab ATMs using fork lift trucks. All of which would easily defeat a ground anchor, but I don't worry about them either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2013, 01:22:29 pm
Indeed.  It wouldn't be beyond the wit of a scrote to come equipped with some insulated bolt cutters / linesman's gloves and a torch, or to successfully improvise the same from the contents of your garage.  The 240V/415V in that cable isn't going to do anything particularly unexpected, unlike the 25kV they're likely to encounter on a railway.

I note that fortuitously insulated bolt cutters were recently shown in another thread...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 10 July, 2013, 06:06:34 pm
Fettled some aerobars onto the Tricross in preparation for tomorrow's attempt at a timetrial. Surprisingly comfy on a quick spin around the block, we'll see how they fare tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2013, 07:31:11 pm
Fettled that p*ncture from Monday.  May take a broom to Luton Road, or at least go the other way for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 10 July, 2013, 10:17:00 pm
The Spare Parts bike is complete, just need to check the saddle position.

Put new mudguards on Boy Wunja's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 11 July, 2013, 05:53:21 pm
Tandem gear cable inner.

Gear changes on last weekend's Baldock 300 gradually decayed into something of a lottery, especially changes up (larger->smaller sprockets). Suspected a lazy cable - and that's what it turned out to be - the cable inner was very stiff inside the outer, at the dérailleur end of things.

New inner runs buttery smooth. Mmmm...

Lubed the chains too, which had become rather squeaky, within a couple of hundred km. I'm really not sure I'm a fan of dry-lube. It seems to need a lot more re-applications than wet-lube, even in warm, dry weather. That said, the chains are at least still silvery, and not thick black and sticky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 12 July, 2013, 10:54:34 am
attached spd-sl cleats to the shoes, set the release spring on the pedals to the preferred tension; swapped the saddle. will test the new setup when i'm back in the country week after.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 12 July, 2013, 05:28:43 pm
Fettled teh bathroom radiator, which was suffering a bit with rustage on the lower edge.
Wire brushed the loose paint / rust off, and on with a coat of hammerite satin white radiator paint.
Looks a lot better already, although needs a second coat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 13 July, 2013, 11:44:30 am
Extended the downtube shifters on the Longstaff using Sugru (donated by Deano otp  :thumbsup: ) to make them a smidgen longer but rather fatter to give a more comfortable touch.

To my colour-challenged vision the blue Sugru is not a bad match to the blue Longstaff sticker on the seat tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 July, 2013, 11:57:27 am
Pugsley-lite ;D
I needed to get the riding position dialled in but in the absence of the 'proper' front (rear) wheel I decided to use one of the Salsa Enabler's USPs ... it'll take a fat-bike wheel ..

(https://www.interzen.co.uk/landfill/media/images/P1020216.JPG)

I may well run it like this in winter, but for now it'll do to allow me to get the riding position etc. dialled in - the front brake won't work anyway since it's a 160mm rotor and the frame is set up for 180s. Oh, and there are no pedals yet either ...

(and it's a dingle-speed fixed - 36/17 + 34/19. The 'missing' wheel gives me freewheel capability should I need it)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 July, 2013, 09:32:30 pm
Rebuilt some Campag Bora wheels with Sapim CX-Ray spokes, internal nipples and nipple washers. What a pain in the arse! A fair chunk of the day to lace them up and another chunk to get them straight with even tension. Campag didn't really know how to make straight carbon rims, I guess.

Glued on 4 tubulars to variously deep carbon rims, trispoke and disk wheel. Fitted Paselas to a couple of wheels on my Frezoni and HK's Condor.

Still a fair bit of work to do tomorrow, unpacking 2 Moultons and getting them ready for LEL, new bearings to go in 2 rear hubs,  fitting Paselas to another couple of wheels and replacing the grease nipple on my TSR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 13 July, 2013, 09:34:40 pm
Fitting "new" shifters. Got all 8 gears available now.  :)

Changed gear and brake cables while I was at it, and re-wrapped the bars. The dropped the bike and scuffed the new tape. D'oh!

New pedals as well, as I needed new cleats. Adjusted the front light position slightly. I'll take it for a test run tomorrow, but that's should be it before LEL.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 13 July, 2013, 10:27:39 pm
I fettled one of these made from the top end of a broken crutch brazed onto another of my home made Brompton sockets to fit on the rear Brompton block on my bike.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_1688_zps446bf260.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/Eversley/media/Bikes/DSC_1688_zps446bf260.jpg.html)

It is for hanging a rucksack when I don't want to wear it while riding, and my usual block mounted luggage won't do.  the snaplocked strap riveted to the crutch prevents the rucksack from coming off.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_1689_zps896b5e05.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/Eversley/media/Bikes/DSC_1689_zps896b5e05.jpg.html)
The adjustment on the crutch allows taller or larger rucksacks to be hung there without fouling the mudguard or trailer hitch.

It also allows folding the Brompton without removing the rucksack, so long as it isn't too heavy.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Eversley/Bikes/DSC_1693_zps4ba9984b.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/Eversley/media/Bikes/DSC_1693_zps4ba9984b.jpg.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 14 July, 2013, 04:43:03 pm
Made another step into the closing years of the last century by fitting some second hand Ultegra shifters to replace the downtube shifters on my Dave Lloyd.  Quite a challenge for someone new to this technology, particularly when the flightdeck wiring started getting in the way of the brake cable, and when I realised I'd got the cable outers too long.  Anyway, I am now reasonably happy with the way it is set up, and a quick tour of the neighbourhood has reassured me that it's still lovely to ride.  I'm wondering about a slightly shorter stem though, as the hoods are a bit longer than the cane creek ones I had on there before.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/9282878635_80fa1357df.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/9282878635/)
[click pic to embiggen]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 14 July, 2013, 06:50:20 pm
Fettled a dinning/cooking shelter ready for the Scout camp in Kent in two weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 July, 2013, 06:56:55 pm
Changed the Brompton back to close-ratio hub and Kojak tyres for its trip to London next week.

Pumped up the tyres on the clubman; I'm going to use the ASC hub for commuting this week.

Gave the car a 1000-mile oil and filter change so I can feel better about thrashing it.  Horrible job on the Mk3 MX-5 because

1. it's low.  I don't trust trust axle stands so I jack the car, chock the rear wheels and then rest the tyres on bricks, which is ultra-safe (nothing to collapse) but means my chest is actually pressing against the undertray when I'm down there.  i want a garage with a pit.
2. there is a sump protector plate which has to come off first
3. the filter is hard to access and on the underside of the block.  When reaching for it, oil drips onto your face from the sump plug hole.
4. when removing the filter, oil spews out everywhere.

On the bright side, the new oil goes in easily through a funnel; the Skoda can only be filled very slowly to avoid overflowing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 14 July, 2013, 08:28:45 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 14 July, 2013, 06:50:20 pm
Fettled a dinning/cooking shelter ready for the Scout camp in Kent in two weeks.
I (un)fettled my thumb yesterday, mending a pole on a Scout dining shelter. We're camping in a week's time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Arch on 14 July, 2013, 10:39:27 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 14 July, 2013, 06:56:55 pm
1. it's low.  I don't trust trust axle stands so I jack the car, chock the rear wheels and then rest the tyres on bricks, which is ultra-safe (nothing to collapse) but means my chest is actually pressing against the undertray when I'm down there.  i want a garage with a pit.
I often don't trust axle stands, having had an MGB fall onto my legs trapping them on either side of the axle (though without injury), unless they are the heavy duty wide base ones on a level floor.

I really wouldn't trust bricks either preferring lumps of hardwood, like bits of railway sleepers.  I generally use proper quality car ramps.  I jack the car up and then put the ramps under the wheels with a block of wood wedged in the bars of the ramp to prevent the wheels rolling back down the ramp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 15 July, 2013, 08:29:50 am
Quote from: Wunja on 14 July, 2013, 06:50:20 pm
Fettled a dinning/cooking shelter ready for the Scout camp in Kent in two weeks.

Not KIJ perhaps?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 15 July, 2013, 08:49:36 am
Quote from: davelodwig on 15 July, 2013, 08:29:50 am
Quote from: Wunja on 14 July, 2013, 06:50:20 pm
Fettled a dinning/cooking shelter ready for the Scout camp in Kent in two weeks.

Not KIJ perhaps?

Correct.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 15 July, 2013, 09:15:27 am
Quote from: Wunja on 15 July, 2013, 08:49:36 am
Quote from: davelodwig on 15 July, 2013, 08:29:50 am
Quote from: Wunja on 14 July, 2013, 06:50:20 pm
Fettled a dinning/cooking shelter ready for the Scout camp in Kent in two weeks.

Not KIJ perhaps?

Correct.

My group the 141st Birmingham are heading to that one, I'm off to poacher though, been nabbed for subcamp staff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 09:48:56 am
Actually done yesterday (in preparation for taking the Long Way In this morning): found and eliminated the mysterious squeak/click on the 1x1 - the squeak was caused by a lack of grease (and surfeit of dust) in one of the pedal spindles and the click was sorted out by tightening up the pinch bolts on the non-drive side crank.

Silky smooth and silent this morning, apart from complaining noises from my knees ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 15 July, 2013, 09:58:55 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 14 July, 2013, 06:56:55 pm
Gave the car a 1000-mile oil and filter change so I can feel better about thrashing it.  Horrible job on the Mk3 MX-5 because

1. it's low.  I don't trust trust axle stands so I jack the car, chock the rear wheels and then rest the tyres on bricks, which is ultra-safe (nothing to collapse) but means my chest is actually pressing against the undertray when I'm down there.  i want a garage with a pit.
2. there is a sump protector plate which has to come off first
3. the filter is hard to access and on the underside of the block.  When reaching for it, oil drips onto your face from the sump plug hole.
4. when removing the filter, oil spews out everywhere.

On the bright side, the new oil goes in easily through a funnel; the Skoda can only be filled very slowly to avoid overflowing.
Get a pump and take the oil out via the dipstick hole?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 10:34:49 am
Quote from: jogler on 13 July, 2013, 11:44:30 am
Extended the downtube shifters on the Longstaff using Sugru (donated by Deano otp  :thumbsup: ) to make them a smidgen longer but rather fatter to give a more comfortable touch.

To my colour-challenged vision the blue Sugru is not a bad match to the blue Longstaff sticker on the seat tube.

what a difference half an inch makes!
so chuffed at the improvement resulting from such a small extension that I might go for a ride......in the not too distant future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 11:33:38 am
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 10:34:49 am
what a difference half an inch makes!
You owe me a new keyboard ;D

(one fettle I missed: the High Latitude now has pedals - once the 180mm rotor for the fat front wheel turns up I can take it out for a spin :) )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 11:38:08 am
Quote from: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 11:33:38 am
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 10:34:49 am
what a difference half an inch makes!
You owe me a new keyboard ;D


it's not a lot on the length but is very notice-able on the diameter at the end
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 11:39:05 am
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 11:38:08 am
Quote from: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 11:33:38 am
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 10:34:49 am
what a difference half an inch makes!
You owe me a new keyboard ;D


it's not a lot on the length but is very notice-able on the diameter at the end
It's not what you've got, it's what you do with it that counts .... or so I'm told  O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 11:41:43 am
Quote from: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 11:39:05 am
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 11:38:08 am
Quote from: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 11:33:38 am
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 10:34:49 am
what a difference half an inch makes!
You owe me a new keyboard ;D


it's not a lot on the length but is very notice-able on the diameter at the end
It's not what you've got, it's what you do with it that counts .... or so I'm told  O:-)

aye,quality rules over quantity

ETA but it's nice to have both
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 July, 2013, 12:15:10 pm
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 10:34:49 am
what a difference half an inch makes!

Barakta's got a really long one (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=45696.msg1120824#msg1120824).  It stops her wrist getting tired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 July, 2013, 12:23:04 pm
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 11:38:08 am
Quote from: interzen on 15 July, 2013, 11:33:38 am
Quote from: jogler on 15 July, 2013, 10:34:49 am
what a difference half an inch makes!
You owe me a new keyboard ;D


it's not a lot on the length but is very notice-able on the diameter at the end

So long as you've got a good grip on it, that's what counts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 15 July, 2013, 06:18:54 pm
We've no hot water coming out of our bath tap.  This situation has persisted for ... a year?  More?

Well the plumber said the washer in our bath tap wasn't replaceable.  Therefore a new mixer tap was necessary.

Now, I wasn't sure I believed him.  It's a washer.  Admittedly a posh newfangled ceramic washer on an unusual tap design.  But that can't be right, can it?

One trip to B+Q later I was armed with a new washer that might or might not have been the right size and design.  But worth a punt at £14 when a new tap is £100+.

Enter my adjustable spanner.  I broke a nail.  But I dismangled said tap far enough to see that, actually, the washer assembly probably isn't replaceable.  Damn.  Never mind.  It was worth a try.

The customer service at B+Q was so appalling I went to Homebase for the new tap, even though it's 20 miles away.  B+Q were just rubbish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 July, 2013, 06:43:15 pm
Quote from: mrcharly on 15 July, 2013, 09:58:55 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 14 July, 2013, 06:56:55 pm
Gave the car a 1000-mile oil and filter change so I can feel better about thrashing it.  Horrible job on the Mk3 MX-5 because

1. it's low.  I don't trust trust axle stands so I jack the car, chock the rear wheels and then rest the tyres on bricks, which is ultra-safe (nothing to collapse) but means my chest is actually pressing against the undertray when I'm down there.  i want a garage with a pit.
2. there is a sump protector plate which has to come off first
3. the filter is hard to access and on the underside of the block.  When reaching for it, oil drips onto your face from the sump plug hole.
4. when removing the filter, oil spews out everywhere.

On the bright side, the new oil goes in easily through a funnel; the Skoda can only be filled very slowly to avoid overflowing.
Get a pump and take the oil out via the dipstick hole?
No point.  Even the dealers use the drain plug because you have to do all this anyway, to get to the filter.  Anyway, the drain plug is more effective because you can leave it draining for as long as you like, and the initial gush* often shifts sludge that other methods fail to shift.


* :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 15 July, 2013, 08:30:37 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 15 July, 2013, 06:18:54 pm
We've no hot water coming out of our bath tap.  This situation has persisted for ... a year?  More?

Well the plumber said the washer in our bath tap wasn't replaceable.  Therefore a new mixer tap was necessary.

Now, I wasn't sure I believed him.  It's a washer.  Admittedly a posh newfangled ceramic washer on an unusual tap design.  But that can't be right, can it?

One trip to B+Q later I was armed with a new washer that might or might not have been the right size and design.  But worth a punt at £14 when a new tap is £100+.

Enter my adjustable spanner.  I broke a nail.  But I dismangled said tap far enough to see that, actually, the washer assembly probably isn't replaceable.  Damn.  Never mind.  It was worth a try.

The customer service at B+Q was so appalling I went to Homebase for the new tap, even though it's 20 miles away.  B+Q were just rubbish.

It probably is replaceable - at a price, and if you can find which of the hundred-odd designs of ceramic cartridge is the right one.

www.lunns.net is a great resource for trying to identify whether a replacement is available (pricing verges on comedy for many of them though), but to be honest replacing the whole thing's generally little more expensive especially if it's an own-brand special.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LindaG on 15 July, 2013, 08:40:52 pm
The way the assembly fits in the tap you would end up damaging the tap body to get it out. If it is possible it's a pig of a job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 15 July, 2013, 10:35:16 pm
Fuck fuckity fuck.

It's more what I fucked up today than what I fettled.

Fresh from the delight of replacing the lad's bottom bracket on his mountain bike in double quick time on Sunday morning in time for the late morning ride, I vowed to sort out the BB creak on my road bike.

Sure enough, the bearings are shot, and I had a spare pair of Hollowtech II bearings on an unused chainset.

Bugger bugger bugger. I've just stripped the thread on the starboard bearing and the shell will need to be cleaned up now.

Off to Corridori pronto.

Balls balls balls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 July, 2013, 01:11:06 pm
(yesterday) removed stabiliser wheels off my cousin's son's bike and encouraged him to ride without them - with a bit of initial support he managed just fine!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 July, 2013, 01:14:50 pm
(Also yesterday) re-attached the rubber band to my eTrex Vista HCx after fettling the internal battery contacts with wire-wrap wire to bypass the worn copper pads.  This involved both adhesives and a sharp knife, but no blood was drawn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 July, 2013, 07:28:42 pm
Stripped and regreased the pedals on the 1x1 - digits crossed, I think I've silenced the click. The pedal innards were remarkably clean, for which read 'grease free'

Also put the 180mm disc rotor on Pugsley's front wheel and took the High Latitude for a spin round the block in half-fat mode. It was interesting, let's just leave it at that. Bedding in disc brakes on a fixed is also Fun, for certain values thereof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2013, 07:32:53 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 15 July, 2013, 06:18:54 pm
We've no hot water coming out of our bath tap.  This situation has persisted for ... a year?  More?

Well the plumber said the washer in our bath tap wasn't replaceable.  Therefore a new mixer tap was necessary.

Now, I wasn't sure I believed him.  It's a washer.  Admittedly a posh newfangled ceramic washer on an unusual tap design.  But that can't be right, can it?

One trip to B+Q later I was armed with a new washer that might or might not have been the right size and design.  But worth a punt at £14 when a new tap is £100+.

Enter my adjustable spanner.  I broke a nail.  But I dismangled said tap far enough to see that, actually, the washer assembly probably isn't replaceable.  Damn.  Never mind.  It was worth a try.

The customer service at B+Q was so appalling I went to Homebase for the new tap, even though it's 20 miles away.  B+Q were just rubbish.
One of the other rubbish things about B+Q is that there's never any bike parking. Ever, in any branch I've been to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 16 July, 2013, 08:37:02 pm
Quote from: Lindagordinho on 15 July, 2013, 08:40:52 pm
The way the assembly fits in the tap you would end up damaging the tap body to get it out. If it is possible it's a pig of a job.

Based on never having seen your old tap, I'd guess that if the innards are removable, either there's a grub screw tucked away somewhere to release them, or the cartridge unscrews. It wouldn't remotely surprise me if you have to remove the tap body to get the cartridge out either - by which time you really might as well replace it ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 16 July, 2013, 10:12:25 pm
Stripped down the Subway 8 so that I could give it a good clean prior to putting up for sale...

However, I have found that a crack has manifested itself in the head tube, starting at the top. Which is a bit of a chiz, because were the frame still virgo intacta, the bike would have been viable as a cheap utility/pub bike for someone.

Dang...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 July, 2013, 10:44:37 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2013, 07:32:53 pm
One of the other rubbish things about B+Q is that there's never any bike parking. Ever, in any branch I've been to.

Same here.

The local one (which has now closed) has a single solitary lamp post in the middle of the car park.  The only other objects are David Cameron style bollards.

Homebase at least has trolley corrals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 16 July, 2013, 10:47:47 pm
My local one has some Sheffield stands. However, they've recently removed half of them to make room for more plant displays. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 16 July, 2013, 11:05:53 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2013, 07:32:53 pm
One of the other rubbish things about B+Q is that there's never any bike parking. Ever, in any branch I've been to.
Just get one of the trolley designed for large sheets of ply/plaster board etc. Pop your bike on it and take it with you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 16 July, 2013, 11:32:14 pm
Changed a 105 5701 rear mech for a newer 105 5701 as since I changed to a 12-30 for JoGLE it's been lazy shifting off the 30 and the newer one should be 30t compatible, first impressions are good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 16 July, 2013, 11:41:35 pm
A second hand PC.

That'll be a happy SmallestCub in the morning :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 July, 2013, 11:47:02 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 16 July, 2013, 11:05:53 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2013, 07:32:53 pm
One of the other rubbish things about B+Q is that there's never any bike parking. Ever, in any branch I've been to.
Just get one of the trolley designed for large sheets of ply/plaster board etc. Pop your bike on it and take it with you.

Excellent suggestion.  My local one has a ramp leading up to the doors, with handlebar height railing on the off sidet. Hook bars over railing, apply lock, job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 17 July, 2013, 07:32:58 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 16 July, 2013, 11:41:35 pm
A second hand PC.

That'll be a happy SmallestCub in the morning :D

Mission... accompished!
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1003725_10151673890826839_444625807_n.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 17 July, 2013, 08:54:55 am
De-rattled the Spare Parts bike. This involved swapping out the bouncy seat pin and replacing it with a static one and applying some oil to the metal bits under the nose of the saddle.
Installed a speed/cadence sensor for the GPS. Then spend lots of time scratching my head to work out how to match the two.
I have to say current Garmin documentation stinks! The user guide for the Garmin I use on the boat is far more detailed for what is a much simpler device.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 17 July, 2013, 09:04:59 am
I fitted my new Airzound last night. Gods, it's LOUD :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 July, 2013, 09:05:50 am
Quote from: Wunja on 16 July, 2013, 11:05:53 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2013, 07:32:53 pm
One of the other rubbish things about B+Q is that there's never any bike parking. Ever, in any branch I've been to.
Just get one of the trolley designed for large sheets of ply/plaster board etc. Pop your bike on it and take it with you.
Excellent idea! Should be amusing too.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 17 July, 2013, 03:24:19 pm
A floating anti drown ring for the chicken type water feeder that I use for the bees. They will be pleased!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SJR on 17 July, 2013, 10:14:43 pm
This week I built my my first wheels at the tender age of 48.  Cut my teeth by stripping a 1981 Staral rim from a Claud Butler Coureur.  Reused the Suzue QR hub and bought stainless spokes from spokesave.  Once happy moved on to rear wheel.  3 cross stainless plain gauge, using a Staral rim again but this time with a Sturmey Archer S2C two speed kick shift, coaster brake him.  I now have a seriously cool Handbuilt commuter.  Now looking for more excuses to build wheels!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 July, 2013, 03:24:58 pm
Just fitted new cleats to my SPD sandals.

The old ones were coming up to 3 years old (several thousand miles of riding, and rather a lot of walking, as they're my do-everything touring footwear).  I'd fitted them using copper grease on the threads and underside of the countersunk head, and hot glue in the bolt heads.

Digging out the glue was a 10-second job with a multimeter probe, and brought all the accumulated gunk with it.  Three of the bolts then unscrewed easily with an allen key.  The remaining one was a bit more stubborn and partially rounded, but succumbed to more careful use of the allen key.  At no point did I have to resort to the socket set and hammer, or (god forbid) a drill and mole grips.

I fitted the new ones in the same way, a recipe I can thoroughly recommend to the panel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 18 July, 2013, 04:05:54 pm
I fitted some cleats at the weekend. My experience was quite different.

I first had to dig out all kinds of mud and crud from the bolt holes using a stanley knife. Eventually I was able to get the Allen key into the hole deep enough to be able to turn it. Turning it required quite some force, and the squeak from the unscrewing dry bolt almost deafened me.

The final bolt in the last shoe was a bit more work. Digging out the hole went ok, but the Allen key just started rounding off the hole. Fortunately a different set of Allen keys had a key which was slightly larger, and managed to turn the bolt (to the same squeaking) and remove it.

I will be buying a glue gun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 18 July, 2013, 06:01:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 July, 2013, 03:24:58 pm
Just fitted new cleats to my SPD sandals.

The old ones were coming up to 3 years old (several thousand miles of riding, and rather a lot of walking, as they're my do-everything touring footwear).  I'd fitted them using copper grease on the threads and underside of the countersunk head, and hot glue in the bolt heads.

Digging out the glue was a 10-second job with a multimeter probe, and brought all the accumulated gunk with it.  Three of the bolts then unscrewed easily with an allen key.  The remaining one was a bit more stubborn and partially rounded, but succumbed to more careful use of the allen key.  At no point did I have to resort to the socket set and hammer, or (god forbid) a drill and mole grips.

I fitted the new ones in the same way, a recipe I can thoroughly recommend to the panel.
I wish I had :(.
One of mine is totally stuck and now I can't find the sandal to have another go at it :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 18 July, 2013, 06:17:48 pm
I've never had to replace SPD cleats. They're made of metal, and the shoes aren't, so the soles wear out first, leaving the cleats projecting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 18 July, 2013, 06:25:27 pm
Just fixed the pipes below the bath with a plunger and a release of pent up frustration :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 July, 2013, 06:29:54 pm
Quote from: drossall on 18 July, 2013, 06:17:48 pm
I've never had to replace SPD cleats. They're made of metal, and the shoes aren't, so the soles wear out first, leaving the cleats projecting.

Interestingly, that's the case on the pair of shoes I've recently condemned.

Though tbh the wear on these cleats wasn't too bad (they're nowhere near the point of randomly unclipping when I start off, as the other shoes were).   I'm hoping that new ones will stop the incessant clicking with every turn of the pedals, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 18 July, 2013, 06:33:37 pm
Quote from: drossall on 18 July, 2013, 06:17:48 pm
I've never had to replace SPD cleats. They're made of metal, and the shoes aren't, so the soles wear out first, leaving the cleats projecting.

It'll be more related to number of unclips than distance (walking in the shoes) or time.

On my commuter I unclip maybe 15+ times on my 12km commute (~27 sets of traffic lights on my commute), and I only walk 50m or so in my shoes. I have to replace the cleats once every 18 months or so (~6000km) as they start to unclip far too easily.

With the shoes I use for Audax (with stiffer soles) I'm unclipping once every 50km or so[1] and walk even less. I'm still on the first set of cleats despite them doing 10,000km of Audaxes.

I've never had to replace shoes because of worn out soles.

1. I unclip only as I'm coming to a stop; not when I think I may end up stopping, but only when I know I will be stopping. Many others I've followed on Audaxes (and my commute) seem to nervously unclip prior to junctions/etc in case they need to stop. It may be because I'm happy to try and trackstand for a bit (even when not riding fixed).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 July, 2013, 06:42:28 pm
4 pairs of ATAC Alium pedals, with the aid of a bent paperclip, a pair of pliers and copious quantities of grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 July, 2013, 06:48:52 pm
Quote from: Greenbank on 18 July, 2013, 06:33:37 pm
Quote from: drossall on 18 July, 2013, 06:17:48 pm
I've never had to replace SPD cleats. They're made of metal, and the shoes aren't, so the soles wear out first, leaving the cleats projecting.

It'll be more related to number of unclips than distance (walking in the shoes) or time.

I'd expect that, but I've usually found the left cleat becomes loose first (I put my right foot down at juctions, so that one does more clip/unclip cycles).  Maybe I pull up more on the left pedal though...

Any trike riders care to report phenomenal cleat life?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 18 July, 2013, 11:50:27 pm
I use the same shoes for commuting (five miles each way), utility riding and Audax. The soles fell to bits last time and these are heading that way. Shimano trainers both times.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 July, 2013, 09:58:11 am
Quote from: drossall on 18 July, 2013, 11:50:27 pm
I use the same shoes for commuting (five miles each way), utility riding and Audax. The soles fell to bits last time and these are heading that way. Shimano trainers both times.
I've never had this problem, but then again I tend to wear carbon fibre soled race-oriented shoes because they 'feel' much better when I'm riding fixed (ie. most of the time). I don't think I've ever worn out a pair of cleats1 but when I've had to decommission a pair of shoes its usually because the uppers have worn out or similar

1 - ATAC cleats are made of brass, or something brass-ish - even under off-road conditions they tend to have fairly impressive longevity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 July, 2013, 10:01:51 am
I slowly kill the heel counters on all shoes I own. So far this is happening faster than SPDs wearing out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 July, 2013, 02:54:34 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 July, 2013, 06:29:54 pm
Though tbh the wear on these cleats wasn't too bad (they're nowhere near the point of randomly unclipping when I start off, as the other shoes were).   I'm hoping that new ones will stop the incessant clicking with every turn of the pedals, though.

Seems to have worked.  They now only click at low cadence on hard climbs, rather than normal riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 July, 2013, 02:58:11 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 19 July, 2013, 10:01:51 am
I slowly kill the heel counters on all shoes I own. So far this is happening faster than SPDs wearing out.

I usually destroy shoes from the inside out, with heavily scuffed uppers, as I walk on my big toes[1].

Cycling shoes seem reasonably immune to this effect, as you have to walk like a physiotherapist[2] in them, which evens wear.


[1] I'm not entirely sure why.  It's not a tendon length thing.
[2] Ie. the way I was taught to walk when I got out of traction.  I reverted to the toe thing within a year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 19 July, 2013, 05:52:30 pm
I have been vintage tandem fettling. I'm thinking of selling mine, so swapped the Brooks B17 off the back for an older 'Wrights' one, and then pumped the tyres up to take it out to photograph. The gauge on the track pump doesn't work well with the Woods valves and I put too much pressure in, lifting the bead off the rim and exploded the tube.  :facepalm:

With hub brakes, gears, chain tensioners and a rack on the axle, extracting the rear wheel is a faff.  >:(

When I finally got to ride it, I had the gear cable off one of the pulley wheels so it jammed and pulled through the Sturmey quadrant shifter.  :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:

Managed to squeeze it up though and get a ride in.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 20 July, 2013, 05:19:07 pm
Alarm battery fitted. 2 week delay was due mainly to apathy and, when I tried to do it a week ago, I'd found the leaking battery had eaten the previous spade connectors. A trip to Maplin (overpriced but at least only ~19p each) for new spade connectors and 10 minutes to strip the wires, crimp on new spade connectors, fit battery and close it all up.

No tamper alarm when closing the box now (it had been going off even in engineering mode, odd but might be related to no battery.).

It doesn't seem all settled down though as it tries to trip itself on one of the sensors when I take it out of engineering mode. More investigation on that required when I get a chance. Since we don't use it it can sit in engineering mode for now.

Just need to drop the battery off at the tip tomorrow when I take the old shed roofing felt and a washing machine that's been in our shed for 7 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Woofage on 20 July, 2013, 06:25:35 pm
Young Master Woofage has a new bike :thumbsup:.

Dawes 631 frame with mainly LX groupset and built from various bits in the shed plus other stuff acquired here and there. It's far too good for him, of course, but since it's not a BSO made from gas pipe and cheese it will last him a good long time. Pics to follow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 20 July, 2013, 06:35:40 pm
A roof rack bike carrier so that it will take the Pugsely
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 July, 2013, 06:20:05 pm
Do you know, I don't even remember, but there have been five bikes involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 July, 2013, 06:29:15 pm
Flint mined my tyres.
Removed and measured brake pads (the only pain with discs is that it's not as obvious how worn the pads are, a mild concern though).
Removed and cleaned cassette.
Removed and cleaned cranks (and chainrings in situ).
Refitted above and fitted new chain.
Quick once over re various bolts such as bottle cages, bagman rack, etc.
Adjusted brakes.
Test rode a few miles to check new chain plays happily with old cassette - appears fine.

Took far longer than it ought and I ran out of latex gloves halfway through so was somewhat mucky but that's the bike essentially LEL ready.  :thumbsup: A few bits of fiddling here and there that I'd like to do but would be happy to set off as is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 22 July, 2013, 01:42:57 pm
Quote from: hatler on 15 July, 2013, 10:35:16 pm
Fuck fuckity fuck.

It's more what I fucked up today than what I fettled.

Fresh from the delight of replacing the lad's bottom bracket on his mountain bike in double quick time on Sunday morning in time for the late morning ride, I vowed to sort out the BB creak on my road bike.

Sure enough, the bearings are shot, and I had a spare pair of Hollowtech II bearings on an unused chainset.

Bugger bugger bugger. I've just stripped the thread on the starboard bearing and the shell will need to be cleaned up now.

Off to Corridori pronto.

Balls balls balls.

Phew. I got away with that one. Corridori were able to clean up the shell thread and install new bearings without a problem.

Huge relief.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 July, 2013, 03:11:05 pm
Should go and fettle the horror hybrid to clean the chain and gears and all that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 July, 2013, 08:52:48 pm
Just spent an instructive hour wielding a drill and hacksaw in the general direction of the rear wheel skewer on the Genesis singlespeed - the bloody allen bolt had rounded out so even the ball-ended allen key couldn't get a grip on the bloody thing.

Much cursing and swearing later it's now in the recycling bin with something more sensible in its place. Note to self: Halo allen-key skewers are crap - for the first time in a long time I'm sorely tempted to retrofit quick-release skewers.

Also, since I've now removed the Bagman pending sending off to its new owner I've fitted one of my spare 'Bender Fender' guards in a possibly vain attempt to keep the underside of my saddle relatively dry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2013, 07:58:00 pm
Swapped the tyres on the Dawes back from knobblies to Marathons, after Sunday's comedy off roading.  Also solved a mysterious intermittent problem with the idler pulley bearing on barakta's trike by stabbing the offending strategically wedged piece of gravel with a knife.  Which was a relief, I was worried that was going to need to buy parts from a recumbent dealer or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 July, 2013, 08:07:44 pm
More singlespeed faffage - this time replacement of the Hope seatpost collar, complete with binder bolt fashioned from what appears to be finest cheese. The following words, strategically rearranged, will nicely encapsulate what I think of it: "shit", "piece", "useless", "completely" and "of".

I've got a Thomson seatpost collar on order, but as an interim measure I've taken the rather beefier Surly seatpost collar (complete with genuine steel bolt) off Pugsley - at some point in the future, Pugsley will get a Surly Constrictor - a fat-bike deserves a fat seatpost clamp.

Tomorrow I will mostly be fitting a chaintug to the singlespeed in an attempt to stop the rear wheel from pulling out of track when I give it a bit of welly ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 July, 2013, 07:02:22 pm
A new car stereo to replace the one with a broken cd-drive. My next trick will be to remove said radio and reinstall it the right way up :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 July, 2013, 07:15:05 pm
Took the SQR brackets off various bikes (SQR Tour bag is now up for grabs - see the classifieds) and fitted the Thomson seatpost collar to the green Genesis.

All is well with the world. For now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 27 July, 2013, 08:06:03 pm
Final LEL bike fettling revealed a slightly strange rubbing noise from the back wheel. Oddly I could see nothing rubbing. Eventually narrowed it down to the tiny rubber whiskers on my brand new tyre vibrating against the plastic mudguard clamp bit. I spent ages trimming its whiskers with a pair of scissors and its silent now :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 27 July, 2013, 08:56:15 pm
taped the soles of my racing shoes with aluminium tape so they reflect the heat from tarmac and keep my feet cooler
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 27 July, 2013, 09:46:41 pm
Replaced the back tyre, after it spontaneously exploded some 16 hours after being parked in the hallway.

The downside of mudguards is that its easy to forget to check the state of the rear tyre if you don't get any punctures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 July, 2013, 11:08:25 pm
Paint onto the appropriate bits of the bathroom whilst avoiding getting it on inappropriate bits. Makes the place look much better than bare plaster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 July, 2013, 12:01:37 pm
Fixed the noisy drivetrain on the Dave Yates. It had, obviously, been like that since I built it up as the chain went the wrong side of the guide on the rear mech!

All quiet now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 July, 2013, 12:47:18 pm
Daft wazzock! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 July, 2013, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 28 July, 2013, 12:01:37 pm
Fixed the noisy drivetrain on the Dave Yates. It had, obviously, been like that since I built it up as the chain went the wrong side of the guide on the rear mech!

All quiet now :)
Strange, I never had that problem  ;D

I've been sorting out the brakes on the High Latitude - mainly bits of dickery involving getting the caliper centred, etc. followed by a rip round the village to get the brakes bedded in - even in the 'trail' gear (34x19) it goes like a bullet.

A few other bits of fiddling and it should be ready for riding to work tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 28 July, 2013, 04:40:57 pm
I've made the mistake of routing a chain wrongly like that at least twice :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 28 July, 2013, 05:45:21 pm
A photo booth, in a field.

Dressing up box, cardboard, pc, camera and double toilet tent.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/99480376@N06/

Huzzah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 July, 2013, 06:45:50 pm
*double* toilet tent?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 July, 2013, 08:12:59 pm
Not today, but Friday afteernoon.

Cast: misc friends, offspring and hangers on.
Scene: A campsite in the New Forest.
A friend produces a tent for her to sleep in. Tent once belonged to me and I'm quick to notice some of the poles, namely the ones that spoing into an arch and hold the "bedroom" walls up, are AWOL. Campsite shop does not sell poles.

Whip out Mora Frost, cut down two stunnigly straight and whippy lengths of hazel. Trim as required. Poke into sleeves in tent.

Voila! Carbon fibre tent poles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 28 July, 2013, 08:19:11 pm
The first bit of a GPX file for my next audax, the routesheet of which came in the post last week.

Can't say I'm that impressed - the first 40-odd kms are bloody A-roads, and I'm not driving all that way to piss about on dual carriageways. We've got plenty of those right here in Swindon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arch on 28 July, 2013, 08:29:45 pm
Tiling and grouting the shower. I dided it! :thumbsup:

(Not all today, its been over the course of several weekends. My first attempt at any tiling, and I'm stupidly proud of it!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 July, 2013, 04:10:53 pm
Upgraded my Nexus 7 to Android 4.3 by hand using fastboot.  This was pretty straightforward (in as much as anything involving adb/fastboot is - fine if you're happy with the linux command line, anyway), and avoided the recovery image or user data being overwritten.  Re-applied SuperSU for root, and it all seems to Just Work.   :thumbsup:

ETA: Train Times UK app seems to be crashy and MX Player unsupported in 4.3 (presumably jobs for the relevant devs), and of course I had to reinstall the .apk for the SMS app, which is absent from the stock ROM.  Otherwise seems okay so far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 August, 2013, 10:01:26 am
Desqueaked the saddle on the yellow Genesis - it required aggressive application of the tensioning spanner but we got there in the end.

It no longer sounds like I'm torturing mice when my cadence goes above 100rpm  :thumbsup:

Edit: apropos of above, I must get round to rooting my Nexus 7 this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 04 August, 2013, 04:54:55 pm
Yesterday I unpacked bags and did copious amounts of laundry.

Reattached wheels onto bike post LEL.

Tent put up in garden to dry as was packed away wet. Didn't do that last time I went camping and it ponged when I came to use it again.

BBQ emptied of ash and put away in shed. After a BBQ two weeks ago and it attempting to escape down the garden in last week's weather.

New cleats attached to new shoes. Was going to put them on the old shoes but cleat plate starting to come away from sole on old shoes so wonder if that is causing some of the squeakiness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 August, 2013, 05:21:55 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 28 July, 2013, 08:19:11 pm

Can't say I'm that impressed - the first 40-odd kms are bloody A-roads, and I'm not driving all that way to piss about on dual carriageways. We've got plenty of those right here in Swindon.
Not all A roads are created equal..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 04 August, 2013, 05:28:22 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 July, 2013, 06:45:50 pm
*double* toilet tent?

Twice as wide so you can sit side by side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 04 August, 2013, 05:46:25 pm
Stripped down, cleaned up  and rebuilt a pair of Suntour Superbe brake levers for the Mercian project; I was very impressed with the quality of these, they're beautifully made. I find few things as satisfying as some neglected component and with a little patience and elbow grease making it almost as good as new and fit for years more service.

Fitted Tange headset to Mercian allowing it to be bolted up in the bootfair bought build stand, freeing up the service stand for well... servicing. Fitted random stem bars and it really looks like I'm making progress with the frame lurking in the corner of the garage under a sheet. I need to start thinking about a bottom bracket bearing...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2013, 10:10:28 pm
Replaced a rear tube in a friend's hub-geared Dahon and made sure he could get all 5 gears. Tweaked the brakes and mudguards for optimum clearance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 August, 2013, 11:03:29 pm
I'm in full house fettling mode atm. I now have a new curtain rail and curtain in the front room, new bed-side table and desk in y bedroom and a number of canvas pictures hung up around the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 August, 2013, 11:08:54 pm
The single speed Kona lava dome had its painted clarke chain oiled as it was very squeaky.  Also realigned the single speed tensioner as it was a little out.

Managed to dismantle the track pump and put some silicone grease on the seals incase the pressure was passing the gauge.  Even took a bit of the gauge apart but couldn't see any problem.  Couldn't see anything that can be adjusted or failing as the inside gears seem fine.  But then, I wouldn't know if there was a problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 August, 2013, 11:31:38 pm
The periodic swear, curse and blood sweat and tears. Yes, time (overdue) to put new cleats on the road shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 12:58:33 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 04 August, 2013, 11:03:29 pm
...and a number of canvas pictures hung up around the house.

This sort of thing (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=37171.0)?   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 12:59:09 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 04 August, 2013, 11:31:38 pm
The periodic swear, curse and blood sweat and tears. Yes, time (overdue) to put new cleats on the road shoes.

Copper grease.  Hot glue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 05 August, 2013, 01:08:24 pm
Soldered wires from battery compartment to PCB on my GPS. Worked fine after reassembly.

Won't turn on this morning. :(

Bollocks
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 05 August, 2013, 01:08:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 31 July, 2013, 04:10:53 pm
Upgraded my Nexus 7 to Android 4.3 by hand using fastboot.  This was pretty straightforward (in as much as anything involving adb/fastboot is - fine if you're happy with the linux command line, anyway), and avoided the recovery image or user data being overwritten.  Re-applied SuperSU for root, and it all seems to Just Work.   :thumbsup:

ETA: Train Times UK app seems to be crashy and MX Player unsupported in 4.3 (presumably jobs for the relevant devs), and of course I had to reinstall the .apk for the SMS app, which is absent from the stock ROM.  Otherwise seems okay so far.

I'm puzzled (not that rare an occurence).  My Nexus 7 said "do you want to upgrade to Android 4.3?" So I said yes, and it did.  End of story.  How come you had to do manual fiddlerery?  I suspect the answer could well be in Kimese, and will leave me failing in the understanding dept, but I'll give it a try anyway...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 05 August, 2013, 01:11:37 pm
Quite pleased with my weekend fettling as I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this bike maintenance malarkey.

The old Trek Hybrid needed some TLC as I'd neglected it in favour of the roadbike of late.  So I replaced the front gear cable both inner and outer - took me about 5 mintutes!  ;D (and note to the local Evans - I put ferrules at *both* ends of the outer cable so it doesn't crush inside the shifters  >:()  I replaced the brake discs both front and back as I was getting a lot of squealing and lack of stopping when applying the brakes recently. And most pleasing to myself, I removed the bottom bracket and regreased the threads and inspected it for wear.  I have ordered a new one - I'll ride it into the ground as per most people's advice but it was definitely giving a rough feel when out of the bike.  For some reason I have found this a scary job to do but it turned out to be a piece of cake.  ::-)
I also had to replace the front gear cable on my roadbike.  I lost function in both the rear and the front derailleur on a recent 600 k audax and as I discovered - Evans had done a bodge job on replacing the gear cables when I got them to service it a week or so prior.  I shall be doing all this on my own from now on for sure  >:( 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 01:23:29 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 05 August, 2013, 01:08:46 pm
I'm puzzled (not that rare an occurence).  My Nexus 7 said "do you want to upgrade to Android 4.3?" So I said yes, and it did.  End of story.  How come you had to do manual fiddlerery?  I suspect the answer could well be in Kimese, and will leave me failing in the understanding dept, but I'll give it a try anyway...

Mine was rooted, with a third party recovery[1] installed and some minor modifications made to seekrit system files.  When the OTA update tried to install, it saw that what it was trying to install over wasn't what it expected and refused to continue.  Hence to upgrade it needed a re-image with the start-again-from-scratch version of 4.3 (or an unmodified 4.2 so the updater would work).  However, since doing that would have involved a factory reset and lost all my settings, I pulled the individual partition images out of the zip file and applied them by hand using the debugger tools, skipping the bits that overwrite the user data.  Then I just had to re-install the binary for root access and I was back where I started, but with 4.3.

Not actually as complicated as it sounds, and most of the tricky stuff is what you'd have to do to obtain root access in the first place.  If you don't care about root, this can all be safely ignored.

I should also add that an update to MX Player has been released, and it now works fine in 4.3.  There have been a flurry of updates to other apps, too.


[1] Recovery is a sort of halfway stage between the bootloader and Android itself.  Third-party ones like ClockworkMod or TWRP provide useful extra features, like the ability to make and restore full backup images of everything on the device.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 August, 2013, 01:42:24 pm
Quote from: Caerau on 05 August, 2013, 01:11:37 pm
Quite pleased with my weekend fettling as I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this bike maintenance malarkey.

The old Trek Hybrid needed some TLC as I'd neglected it in favour of the roadbike of late.  So I replaced the front gear cable both inner and outer - took me about 5 mintutes!  ;D (and note to the local Evans - I put ferrules at *both* ends of the outer cable so it doesn't crush inside the shifters  >:()  I replaced the brake discs both front and back as I was getting a lot of squealing and lack of stopping when applying the brakes recently. And most pleasing to myself, I removed the bottom bracket and regreased the threads and inspected it for wear.  I have ordered a new one - I'll ride it into the ground as per most people's advice but it was definitely giving a rough feel when out of the bike.  For some reason I have found this a scary job to do but it turned out to be a piece of cake.  ::-)
I also had to replace the front gear cable on my roadbike.  I lost function in both the rear and the front derailleur on a recent 600 k audax and as I discovered - Evans had done a bodge job on replacing the gear cables when I got them to service it a week or so prior.  I shall be doing all this on my own from now on for sure  >:(

Fettling yourself is definitely the way to go. I simply don't trust bike shops with my bikes after hearing so many horror stories e.g. bike shop taking apart SON non-servicable hub to grease bearings and destroying it etc. etc. Proper audaxers are self sufficient too. If you built it/ maintained it yourself you have a much better chance of a roadside repair  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 01:52:04 pm
Even a competent non-corner-cutting bike shop mechanic has the inherent disadvantage of not riding the bike further than perhaps round the block after fettling it.  With the best will in the world, they're not going to be able to track down every niggle in the way you can with your own bike.

And yes, self-sufficiency.

The flip-side is of course having to spend time mucking about with oily stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 August, 2013, 02:02:28 pm
Quote from: Caerau on 05 August, 2013, 01:11:37 pm
For some reason I have found this a scary job to do but it turned out to be a piece of cake.  ::-)

IME, ALL bike fettling jobs are scary, until you have done them at least once.

My current demon is wheel building, I just cannot bring myself to do it in a reliable fashion (i.e. that I could ride for 100's of miles)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 August, 2013, 02:21:39 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 05 August, 2013, 02:02:28 pm
Quote from: Caerau on 05 August, 2013, 01:11:37 pm
For some reason I have found this a scary job to do but it turned out to be a piece of cake.  ::-)

IME, ALL bike fettling jobs are scary, until you have done them at least once.

My current demon is wheel building, I just cannot bring myself to do it in a reliable fashion (i.e. that I could ride for 100's of miles)

Just be logical and start with single speed/fixed gear wheels and then it really just is follow the process.

Edit as there is no dish to worry about.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 August, 2013, 02:30:24 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 05 August, 2013, 02:21:39 pm
Just be logical and start with single speed/fixed gear wheels and then it really just is follow the process.
It's like everything else - do it enough times and you'll get the hang of it. When I first started building my own wheels, if I had to get the LBS to unscrew one of my screwups they'd let me sit in with the mechanic so I could see what he was doing - I learned quite a bit that way. Nowadays, wheel-fu is one of the few things I can claim to be relatively good at, in the sense that the wheels I built for my two 29ers haven't collapsed on me yet (even after a couple of thousand km of off-road shenanigans in the case of the green Genesis)

My biggest challenge so far has been building an offset rear wheel for the Pugsley - in fact, so much of a challenge that I've not even started it yet.

My own personal line in the sand is brakes ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 05 August, 2013, 02:39:00 pm
On Saturday, I went with my dad to Halfords to check out the bike he was thinking of buying - a Carrera Subway that was on special offer (£200, reduced from £300). He's not ridden a bike for over 20 years and has been talking about it for ages, especially since he's had his hip replaced so can no longer run, but his fear of getting back on a bike after so long has been the main stumbling block in preventing him going ahead with the plan.

They had his size in stock, so rather than wait until today for them to have time to assemble it (which may not have been the best idea anyway, thinking of the horror stories I've heard about Halfords mechanics), we took it away with us in the box and I assembled it for him, then we went to the park across the road for a test ride.

I think it's fair to say my dad's cycling skills are a bit rusty. He was fine on straight lines but cornering seemed to fox him.   ;D

But he was out again yesterday morning for more practice, and seems really keen. I'm sure it will all come back to him soon enough.  :thumbsup:

For the price, it's not a bad bike at all. I've suggested he upgrade the tyres and fit mudguards and a rack, but it's fine as it is for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 05 August, 2013, 02:45:30 pm
Quote from: Feline on 05 August, 2013, 01:42:24 pm
Quote from: Caerau on 05 August, 2013, 01:11:37 pm
Quite pleased with my weekend fettling as I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this bike maintenance malarkey.

The old Trek Hybrid needed some TLC as I'd neglected it in favour of the roadbike of late.  So I replaced the front gear cable both inner and outer - took me about 5 mintutes!  ;D (and note to the local Evans - I put ferrules at *both* ends of the outer cable so it doesn't crush inside the shifters  >:()  I replaced the brake discs both front and back as I was getting a lot of squealing and lack of stopping when applying the brakes recently. And most pleasing to myself, I removed the bottom bracket and regreased the threads and inspected it for wear.  I have ordered a new one - I'll ride it into the ground as per most people's advice but it was definitely giving a rough feel when out of the bike.  For some reason I have found this a scary job to do but it turned out to be a piece of cake.  ::-)
I also had to replace the front gear cable on my roadbike.  I lost function in both the rear and the front derailleur on a recent 600 k audax and as I discovered - Evans had done a bodge job on replacing the gear cables when I got them to service it a week or so prior.  I shall be doing all this on my own from now on for sure  >:(

Fettling yourself is definitely the way to go. I simply don't trust bike shops with my bikes after hearing so many horror stories e.g. bike shop taking apart SON non-servicable hub to grease bearings and destroying it etc. etc. Proper audaxers are self sufficient too. If you built it/ maintained it yourself you have a much better chance of a roadside repair  :thumbsup:

Oh indeed.  As I've said before I'm still a relative newbie to all this still* but my fettling is now starting to catch up with my cycling skills.  Roadbike needs a new headset too at some stage, that was the one useful discovery from Evans 'gold' service.  That I won't be doing myself as I just don't have the tools and they're not worth buying from what I gather here and elsewhere.  The headset is a black magic box to me too - not a clue what goes on in there  ;D

*I'm not sure at what stage newbiness disappears.  Can I really still claim this after 14 months, 7250 miles and a successful SR series???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 August, 2013, 03:23:23 pm
Caraeu, in answer to your last question, nah, you are still learning the ropes! :)

The one thing that brought my fettling-fu on leaps and bounds was getting "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance"*, well written by someone who knows what he is doing (he writes the "bikes and tech" column for Velonews, and runs his own shop), has great pictures to show you what you should be doing and covers most things on a road bike**

*Other books are available
**Apparently, the new edition also covers cable disc brakes and other assorted CX stuff
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 05 August, 2013, 03:45:11 pm
I use the Park Tools Big Blue book personally. :)

And yes, I think I am still learning the ropes - I suspect I wouldn't have considered someone such as myself now like that last year though (if that makes sense).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 05 August, 2013, 06:09:28 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 01:23:29 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 05 August, 2013, 01:08:46 pm
I'm puzzled (not that rare an occurence).  My Nexus 7 said "do you want to upgrade to Android 4.3?" So I said yes, and it did.  End of story.  How come you had to do manual fiddlerery?  I suspect the answer could well be in Kimese, and will leave me failing in the understanding dept, but I'll give it a try anyway...

Mine was rooted, with a third party recovery[1] installed and some minor modifications made to seekrit system files.  When the OTA update tried to install, it saw that what it was trying to install over wasn't what it expected and refused to continue.  Hence to upgrade it needed a re-image with the start-again-from-scratch version of 4.3 (or an unmodified 4.2 so the updater would work).  However, since doing that would have involved a factory reset and lost all my settings, I pulled the individual partition images out of the zip file and applied them by hand using the debugger tools, skipping the bits that overwrite the user data.  Then I just had to re-install the binary for root access and I was back where I started, but with 4.3.

Not actually as complicated as it sounds, and most of the tricky stuff is what you'd have to do to obtain root access in the first place.  If you don't care about root, this can all be safely ignored.

I should also add that an update to MX Player has been released, and it now works fine in 4.3.  There have been a flurry of updates to other apps, too.


[1] Recovery is a sort of halfway stage between the bootloader and Android itself.  Third-party ones like ClockworkMod or TWRP provide useful extra features, like the ability to make and restore full backup images of everything on the device.

Blimey, I understood all that!  I think that is more down to your explaining skills than my non-existent Android skills, though.  I have no interest in rooting the Nexus, but I do want to have a crack at my Sony Ericsson Xperia pro, but its not one of the more straightforward ones to do.  I'll probably brick it and use that as an excuse to buy a Sony Xperia Z...  I do want a phone with a substantially larger screen (rubbish sight) and with more RAM and storage (on phone, not the SD aspect which isn't a problem), preferably.  I'll rip a PC apart, no problem, but I'm chicken with phones...

As for my fettling, well I fettled 2 somewhat cleaner steam locomotives, with some colleagues, on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.  Apparently their facebook page has a picture of me stood on top of Monarch with a broom in my hand, which was stage one of cleaning.  One day I might have to face Facebook, with an otherwise unused email address/identity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 August, 2013, 09:15:03 pm
Fettling a curtain to not fettle other things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 05 August, 2013, 11:11:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 12:59:09 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 04 August, 2013, 11:31:38 pm
The periodic swear, curse and blood sweat and tears. Yes, time (overdue) to put new cleats on the road shoes.

Copper grease.  Hot glue.


Do you do stable door bolts as well?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 11:50:57 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 05 August, 2013, 11:11:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 August, 2013, 12:59:09 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 04 August, 2013, 11:31:38 pm
The periodic swear, curse and blood sweat and tears. Yes, time (overdue) to put new cleats on the road shoes.

Copper grease.  Hot glue.


Do you do stable door bolts as well?

Only when replacing an escaped horse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RJ on 06 August, 2013, 12:58:23 pm
Last night:  chain, chain rings, cassette.
This morning:  rear mech (having got the new chain the wrong side of a small tab on the cage plates  :-[)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 August, 2013, 01:01:33 pm
Played around with the straddle cable length on the brakes of the Spare Parts Bike, giving a quicker response and can no longer pull the levers back to the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 06 August, 2013, 02:04:52 pm
Over the weekend I think that I got rid of the Peregrine, swapped the pedals with another bike and tightened the chainring bolts. As there's no creak on the other bike I'm fairly sure it was a couple of slightly loose chainring bolts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 August, 2013, 01:23:33 am
Maker Night again.  This time I came prepared, and barakta and I mantled an Arduino-powered stepper motor turtle robot thingy (I did Thumbs and dodgy maths, she did the high level stuff[1]).  It worked surprisingly well.  We then added a couple of random LDRs and programmed it first to follow the light (what it actually did was home in on a cup of tea), then to act like a cockroach (it repeatedly found and hid under the table until disturbed).

(http://a.yfrog.com/img877/7001/g0lyhy.jpg)

I'll try and molish a pen mechanism for it for next time.  Maybe get an ultrasonic rangefinder, too (tea, for the avoidance of).  And sort out some grippier tyres and battery power (the existing wheels had excellent traction when running over and tangling up in the USB umbilical, but were a bit slippy on both the tabletop and the floor).


[1] It turns out that you can write Logo in any language :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 07 August, 2013, 09:44:24 am
Son's iPhone and Daughter's camera lens (which I thought was totally buggered and had ordered her a replacement - then I fixed it!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 09 August, 2013, 11:50:40 am
In response to my ever squealing front brake I fitted the cheap front rack I bought from Amazon. It attaches to the brake bolts and the fork crown, and while won't hold a lot of weight has a horseshoe shape that I figure might stop the vibrations in the fork that I think make the front brake squeal.

It flipping works, I gave the front brake some serious therapy on the way into work this morning and not a single squeal.

My disco brakes brake booster arrived this morning, so the racks coming off this evening and that's going on and hopefully it'll be goodbye brake squeal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 August, 2013, 11:58:48 am
Seatpost fettling - fitted an Easton post to the yellow Genesis last night (two-bolt clamps FTW - saddle squeakage has reduced markedly, although I think the saddle's nose bolt needs a dab of grease) and will be fitting a Thomson post to the High Latitude when I get home (Thomson seatposts FTW, end of story)

Tomorrow there may be trail testing which will likely involve riding in a generally northerly direction and getting a train home (possibly from Thirsk or Northallerton, or Darlington if I'm feeling particularly adventurous)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 August, 2013, 12:01:22 pm
If you decide on NTR, feel free to pop in for coffee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 August, 2013, 06:25:59 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 05 August, 2013, 01:08:46 pm
I'm puzzled (not that rare an occurence).  My Nexus 7 said "do you want to upgrade to Android 4.3?" So I said yes, and it did.  End of story.  How come you had to do manual fiddlerery?  I suspect the answer could well be in Kimese, and will leave me failing in the understanding dept, but I'll give it a try anyway...
I thought a Nexus 7 was a hub gear...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 August, 2013, 06:40:54 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 09 August, 2013, 06:25:59 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 05 August, 2013, 01:08:46 pm
I'm puzzled (not that rare an occurence).  My Nexus 7 said "do you want to upgrade to Android 4.3?" So I said yes, and it did.  End of story.  How come you had to do manual fiddlerery?  I suspect the answer could well be in Kimese, and will leave me failing in the understanding dept, but I'll give it a try anyway...
I thought a Nexus 7 was a hub gear...
It is, but unlike the Google1 Nexus 7 the Shimano version doesn't phone your location home to the Chocolate Factory ...

... plus the Shimano version is heavier.

1 - or, as some of my more cynical colleagues call it, 'the commercial arm of the NSA'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 10 August, 2013, 12:59:55 pm
Time for a new bottom bracket, as the old UN72 had got wobbly enough that the chain tended to scrape the front mech without careful trimming.

The 12" adjustable wasn't man enough for the job (even after overnight Plusgas), so I had to go and get a proper 32mm combination spanner.
Standing on the end didn't cause any movement, but bouncing on the end eventually did. Continuing to unscrew by foot power, the whole BB cartridge eventually emerged from the left side of the bike, leaving the fixed cup behind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 August, 2013, 01:33:43 pm
In no particular order:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 10 August, 2013, 01:51:11 pm
Fitted the brake booster to the Thorn.

NO MORE SQUEALING !!!!!!!!!!! :-)

But the mudguard is now pushed down so the fat Marathon XR's won't fit anymore. I need to either get a slightly taller booster, or give up any hope of using 2.25" tyres again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 August, 2013, 01:55:00 pm
Have just finished sorting the teetering pile of paperwork that has accumulated in the office.

We can actually get in here now, and see some flat surfaces to put stuff on!

In bad news the clock fell off the wall (I hope that is not a bad portent)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 August, 2013, 01:59:53 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 10 August, 2013, 01:55:00 pm
In bad news the clock fell off the wall (I hope that is not a bad portent)
Only for the clock, I suspect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 August, 2013, 02:25:29 pm
Used the saw blade on a Swiss Army knife to fettle some overgrown rose bushes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 10 August, 2013, 04:56:36 pm
I strugled to remove and removed a half inserted seatpost from Orange bike. It seems that the seat tube or the seat post is invisibly bent after the crash. It will not go very far in.  Certainly not to my required height.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 10 August, 2013, 05:40:03 pm
The outside tap wasn't turning off.  So I put two tap washers in it to completely jam it up so no water leaked out.
Then I went to homebase and got a new one
Fitting it took about 2 minutes, it spannered off quickly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 10 August, 2013, 09:53:13 pm
I decided to have a quick look at my gears that weren't shifting properly last time I went out. I had a quick play with them and now I have a snapped gear cable. I think that's unfettling rather than fettling though. Still, at least now I know why they weren't shifting properly  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 August, 2013, 09:35:09 am
Daignosis is part of the fettling process, Pippa :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 11 August, 2013, 10:08:08 am
Quote from: Pippa on 10 August, 2013, 09:53:13 pm
I decided to have a quick look at my gears that weren't shifting properly last time I went out. I had a quick play with them and now I have a snapped gear cable. I think that's unfettling rather than fettling though. Still, at least now I know why they weren't shifting properly  :facepalm:

One of the signs that the cable is worn out and about to snap is the indexing going wrong.  The cable would have snapped anyway.  Better it happens now than when you are on the road
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 11 August, 2013, 10:43:31 am
Well quite (to the diagnosis and better it happened in the comfort of my living room).

I think I've managed to replace said gear cable. I thought it was going to be a huge PITA and was ready to get all sweary as the frayed end was inside the shifter, but it was surprisingly easy. I won't actually know if this was a success until I get on my bike....

ETA: It works. Gears shifting smoothly. Am not really a very good fettler without supervision so am quite  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 August, 2013, 05:44:15 pm
Did some overdue maintenance type stuff on the Streetmachine.  It now has a clean squeak free drivetrain, extra-stoppy brakes and some fresh grease to leak out of the fork *glares in the direction of Bikefix*

I removed the Ventisit pad (which was starting to whiff of Eau de Audax) and bunged it in the washing machine.  Then failed to non-destructively remove the closed cell foam that fills the channel in the centre of the seat to access the mounting bolts (in a vague attempt to reduce the seat squeaking for a week or two).  Bolts tightened, and a new piece of foam cut to size, I considered drilling a drain hole, but decided that the foam would only block it, and went for the alternative approach of covering the entire channel with weatherproof tape, before attaching the velcro.  The seat isn't particularly bucket-shaped, so you don't get a proper puddle, and Ventisit tends to keep you high and dry anyway.  We'll see how it goes.

Also did some tyre inflation and battery charging on the other bikes while I was at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 13 August, 2013, 07:47:16 pm
Fixed my Avid BB7's after I all most crashed due to lack of brake power.
2 minutes adjusting and I can stop again. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 August, 2013, 08:15:10 pm
Fettled Eclipse so it behaved with compiling an Android app, then fettled the app so it worked on devices without an IMEI number. And submitted the three line patch to the app maintainer. First Android app I've worked on. Pleased to be able to identify and fix the issue in fairly short order as we want to use the app on our field courses in a month or so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 August, 2013, 08:55:51 pm
Removed a stubborn bolt from a rear rack by epoxying in a sacrificial allen key.

Button head M5 bolts that take a 3mm allen key may look nice, but this isn't the first time I've had problems with them (last time I hacksawed a groove in the head): I'm going back to ugly 4mm ones, because they seem much more resistant to rounding. >:(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 August, 2013, 09:01:20 pm
(That was possibly the dullest post ever. Is it normal to care about what sort of M5 bolts one uses?! :facepalm:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 August, 2013, 09:08:13 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 13 August, 2013, 09:01:20 pm
(That was possibly the dullest post ever. Is it normal to care about what sort of M5 bolts one uses?! :facepalm:)

Socket caps are far better for anywhere that gets sprayed with muck (or just anywhere) :)

Yes, I'm dull :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 August, 2013, 09:13:11 pm
At work, I've been outside all afternoon fettling 12 foot high whins.  ( Gorse, I believe, in Southern English ).
And I'm fair puggled.
Same again tomorrow.

This is on account of our work having some fairly strong Radioactive Sources.
I am the location RPS ( Radiation Protection Supervisor ), as well as being Lord High Everything Else.

I get a visit from the Anti-Terrorist police ( Tayside Division )(!!) every year, to check on our Source Security.
( As well as from SEPA, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, who issue our license, to make sure I can account for everything and I've not tossed it down a drain... )
Last year, we had a finding that the bushes and undergrowth on the outside of our fence might permit a Bad Dude to creep up and breach the fence unseen.
We were required to clear sight-lines down the outside of the fences.

I put in a request for the Proper People ( our Facilities Management division ) to deal with this.
They are a useless bunch of cockwombles.
A year has elapsed, and it's not done.
The Rozzers are due  back next week, and I'm not prepared to be made to look like an idiot, so I've been doing the work myself.
At least it's done properly.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 August, 2013, 10:46:43 pm
Last night, I was winding a spring and juggling lots of parts to rebuild the winder of a vintage camera.  Nearly got that cracked.

This evening, I stripped a Taron Unique to try to resolve a shutter issue.  I learned a lot about camera mechanisms, but discovered that the problem was a bit deeper, which would have required a lot of dismantling, and some rebalancing to put back together.  No time to do that before cooking tea, so I reassembled it ready to do another way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 14 August, 2013, 02:11:15 pm
Succesfully bodged in a very cheap used Scottoiler under the seat of my motorbike with Dremel and zip-ties. Much shiny-chained happiness now ensuing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 August, 2013, 11:01:56 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 13 August, 2013, 09:01:20 pm
(That was possibly the dullest post ever. Is it normal to care about what sort of M5 bolts one uses?! :facepalm:)
Of course it is!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 15 August, 2013, 12:03:07 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 13 August, 2013, 09:08:13 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 13 August, 2013, 09:01:20 pm
(That was possibly the dullest post ever. Is it normal to care about what sort of M5 bolts one uses?! :facepalm:)

Socket caps are far better for anywhere that gets sprayed with muck (or just anywhere) :)

Yes, I'm dull :-[

No, not dull.
Before LEL I mentioned to Simon I was sticking a few spare bolts in my Barley including a couple of M5. He said it was a good idea. He then packed some too and ended up having problems with one of the bolts holding his Carradice Bagman 2 to his frame going missing, it was one of the useless ones you describe. He was able to stick in a proper M5 with decent head and Allen size and carry on  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 August, 2013, 08:03:50 am
Fettled my new phone and sorted out a GiffGaff contract.  Pleasingly, I didn't have the anticipated forgotten password issues on any of the apps.

Thanks to Dibdib for the handset.

Just waiting for the number to switch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 15 August, 2013, 08:01:23 pm
Flipped1 a wheel. Only 4 5 months since I first said I would.


1: Wasn't even me, I got a man in.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 August, 2013, 09:04:45 pm
Fitted the hopefully cheese-free ATAC XC2 pedals onto the High Latitude - we'll see how well they perform at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 16 August, 2013, 06:37:47 pm
Fitted some retro Xlite titanium bars on my Brompton S2LX
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 16 August, 2013, 07:44:59 pm
Fettled the brakes on the hybrid because the pads have worn down. They're vaguely stoppy now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 18 August, 2013, 05:01:43 pm
Since it has finally stopped showering rain since we returned from France on Wednesday, much family camping kit maintenance: washing of enormous Khyam tent, peg cleaning & oiling, Trangia burner polishing (got carried away there, but it looks lovely - wonder what it will smell like hot?), etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 18 August, 2013, 06:12:26 pm
Built up a set of hybrid Weinmann 500 brakes for the Mercian project from many bits and pieces that I have, the set that I bought from Ebay although appearing in good condition had one of the rear callipers seized on the pivot and couldn't be freed so I had to use bits from the spares bin. But they look very smart fitted to the frame. Stripped down and fettled NOS GB stem that bought at a boot fair last year, clearing out 30 year old packing grease - looks smashing and will hopefully go well with the GB bars that I ordered from a Retrobiker last week. Fitted hoods to Suntour levers, a much easier task than I had anticipated. Things are coming together nicely, I need to think about some wheels now although I should be able to use the wheels from the Pat Hanlon while that is off the road suring the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 August, 2013, 07:54:00 pm
Yesterday: Emergency pre-Exmouth Exodus fettling of the front brake on the Streetmachine, after it lost most of its stopping ability and started making frog noises on Friday morning.  Still not entirely sure what was the cause (other than the traditional Welsh combination of fast descending and heavy rain), but I stripped and re-greased the BB7 caliper (discovering that the 'BB' really does stand for "contains pingfuckits"), flushed the cable out with GT85 and gave the pads a rub down for good measure.  This restored full braking performance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 August, 2013, 08:08:41 pm
This afternoon: a friend's newly purchased heavy rustic timber table (8' x 3'6") into their undersized van, out again and into their house. This required 3 adult males to lift the table and removing and replacing the table top and a door.

I offered to supply a chainsaw when they want to take the table out of the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 August, 2013, 10:03:56 pm
My youngest discovered (with some prompting) the MIT app generator. He has been happily trying to put some mobile apps together in a scratch-like language. Quite impressive how easy it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 18 August, 2013, 10:36:44 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 August, 2013, 08:08:41 pm
This afternoon: a friend's newly purchased heavy rustic timber table (8' x 3'6") into their undersized van, out again and into their house. This required 3 adult males to lift the table and removing and replacing the table top and a door.

I offered to supply a chainsaw when they want to take the table out of the house.

My grandparents had a nice big timber table in the office/family dining room of the nursing home they ran, it was included in the sale of said home. The stupid arse that bought the place removed the table via cutting it up as he didn't realise/care that it in fact dismantled. I loved that table  :'( That table meant family and home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 August, 2013, 11:11:12 pm
Nothing today, but lining up for cassette replacement later in the week. 

The Boy had been complaining how his chain was skipping, "in gear 5". We talked about chain wear.  He then cycled off to do cat wrangling for some holidaying friends, only to phone 5 minutes later. "I've snapped gear."  Once I'd worked out what the problem was, it was true, he'd snapped a gear. Sprocket 5 had snapped in half, unzipping along the weight saving holes in it, and then got jammed in the chain.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 19 August, 2013, 03:37:26 pm
Yesterday.

Cleaned off rear deck cover for narrowboat, then roughened up surfaces, glued torn-off fastening strip (10ft long!) with polyurethene glue.
Scraped weed off hull
Scrubbed windows down, to removed grunge and years of dirt.
Scraped hull sides.
Crawled into engine bay and cleaned out water and grunge.
Started to repair aft deckboards, then realised they were breaking because of inadequate support so welded in a new support bar.
Traced electrical fault with shower pump - cleaned off contacts that were causing voltage drop and hence current rise. Needs new switch (previous one melted).
Motored into town - son steered most of the way while I mended pump electrics.
Refitted rear deck cover - man that thing is tight. Needed pliers and son's strong hands to get it fitted.

I'm knackered and I banged my knee badly, dammit.

All in all it was a very productive day and I should have done some of the jobs years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 19 August, 2013, 09:13:37 pm
Memories! Thanks, MrC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 19 August, 2013, 09:42:11 pm
Yesterday.

Put the main sail on the boat
(went for very short sail)
Removed foresail to take to sail maker for repair  :'(
Cleaned cockpit of six months build up of spiders webs
Scrubbed windows down, to removed grunge and years of dirt.
Evicted many spiders
Crawled into engine bay and cleaned out water and grunge dust from the fan belt.
cleaned out drains from the lazarette locker combing
pumped water from lazarette locker and dried it out
Evicted spiders from lazarette locker

All in all it was a very productive day and I should have done some of the jobs years months ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 20 August, 2013, 10:11:29 am
What is it with boats and spiders?

We used to use ultrasonic spider-repellers when we lived onboard. They sort-of worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 21 August, 2013, 10:28:51 pm
Went round to my sisters and fitted a new light to the rack on her new bike.   Annoyingly the stays on the rack are too short, which mean that it's angled up at the rear.  It also means it's very hard to reach the V brake noodle.   I was showing her how to replace the tube on the rear wheel and had to undo the rack to reconnect the noodle.   That will have to be fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 August, 2013, 10:32:18 pm
Fitted a new tyre and tube to HK's Condor this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 22 August, 2013, 10:29:36 am
Decided to part with the boat as we haven't been using it.

Created an android app, poaching a paper field guide to sand dune plants and turning it into an interactive dichotymous key.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 August, 2013, 12:48:28 pm
Pumped up the tyres on a borrowed Roberts tandem. Adjusted saddle height (front), saddle angle (rear). Tweaked brakes a smidgeon. Apart from that it's ready to roll.  Neville really looked after his bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 August, 2013, 02:31:43 pm
A quick and dirty truing of cycleman's rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 24 August, 2013, 02:47:08 pm
Got stuck into motorbike starter motor to see why relay goes 'click' on pushing starter button. Found to be a jammed commutator brush. Will have to find a new HIIT exercise regime now as comical bump-starting in front of the neighbours is no longer necessary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 24 August, 2013, 02:57:14 pm
Curtains.

The manly bit - measuring, cutting and hanging the pole.

The less-manly bit - dealing with pleats, ruching etc.

I did the manly bit rather better than the less-manly bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 August, 2013, 04:00:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 August, 2013, 02:31:43 pm
A quick and dirty truing of cycleman's rear wheel.

Pah! Amateur.  You should have a go at my front one. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 August, 2013, 04:03:43 pm
Front and rear tyres replaced on both our Moultons and shortly will tackle the regreasing and general refurbishment of a 1970s Moulton, so an Aussie friend can ride it in a couple of weeks' time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The_Mikey on 24 August, 2013, 09:09:17 pm
Fitted a really quite large bicycle bell to the folding bike, I don't mean to be a noise nuisance but it doesn't matter how fast or slow I ride, people are too frequently surprised when I roll past them on my 20inch wheels, I feel now I can give them ample warning with a bell that shouts at them instead of the original bell that just feebly whispered 'ping' at them.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 August, 2013, 02:12:57 pm
Yesterday, but some interesting refettles of my rear mudguard on a FNRttC after one of the pinfuckets well pinfucketted somewhere after a pothole in South London.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 August, 2013, 02:55:36 pm
replaced broken plastic safety pin on the tern folding bike's main hinge - the replacement pin was sent foc from cyclemotion
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 August, 2013, 05:53:43 pm
The garden...

...all of it

Inappropriate use of mower and hedge trimmer can achieve an impressive amount in a short time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 August, 2013, 06:05:40 pm
Whereas I fettled the contents of the shed to the point where I can now reach the hooks (bike hanging, for the use of) at the end and use them for their intended purposes. Given that this is a bog-standard 6x4 shed that ought to give you some idea of how much crap was in there.

Mucho metal and miscellaneous other junk (including a disturbingly old bottle of brake fluid ...) was ferried off for recycling/tippage.

The hedge in the front garden needs another trim too, now that the resident birdies have gone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 25 August, 2013, 08:55:30 pm
Almost finished transferring parts from one frame to another. Then realised I had no spare brake cables, so I'll have to get some tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 August, 2013, 08:58:36 pm
Fettling part 2.

Trued up the back wheel on the spare parts bike and replaced the tyres due to a damaged side wall on the rear. I now have tyres with the legally required reflector for the first time since we came to NL.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 August, 2013, 09:09:00 pm
Fiddled with the mudguards on my Frezoni with some improvement to their alignment and stability. Just need to add the Pixeo and mudflaps tomorrow. Fitted a new rear Pasela tyre; the old one was down to the cords. Replaced the tube on my dynohub wheel; slow flats are a pain.

Fitted a new Pasela, tube and cassette to HK's spare Condor wheel. The old wheel's rim, bearings, chain and cassette are on their last legs, so perhaps only another month before the swap.

HK washed a pair of new-to-us old bikes and I pulled the rear tyre/ tube off (needs new tyres and tubes all round) and I fitted a new tyre and tube to the front. Another tyre ordered today but I'll need to order a couple of other things shortly. Adjusted the front brake but will have to regrease the cottered bottom bracket and headset tomorrow. A friend is going to use it in a couple of weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 25 August, 2013, 10:00:45 pm
The rain yesterday brought bucket loads of mud, crap and sharps onto the Essex and Suffolk lanes, so changed the Tk3's wheels to the autumn/spring Aksiums with Krylions - and bought the Durano Plus for the winter. Also tried to revive the boy C's old Apollo XC26 so he can take it to his mum's, but was frustrated by a strange incompatibility between Shimano Altus Rapidfire left shifter and Tourney front mech (see Q in The Knowledge). Also changed almost-ex-MrsC's wheels and tyres for something more suited to the conditions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 August, 2013, 03:57:37 pm
Fitted a new chain and cassette to HK's Moulton, ready for her last long ride of the year.

Fitted a new middle chainring and a Pixeo mudguard taillight to my Frezoni but still need to find something suitable for front and rear mudflaps.

Removed 4 dead tyres and tubes and fitted a new tyre and tube, removed a dead cottered BB and associated cranks and pedals, adjusted a front brake and removed 2 dead chains. Removed some racks, a seatpost and saddle. There is a shopping list of things to purchase: 2 rims, 3 tyres, 4 rim tapes, a seatpost, seatpost clamp, handlebars and stem, a pair of brake levers and grips, a crankset and pedals plus various cables and spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 August, 2013, 04:47:15 pm
I have tried to fettle a Wellgo wpd-823 pedal. Had an occasional clunk/click so took it apart, cleaned the ball bearings up and reassembled. Can I get the nuts/bearings done up right? I cannot.

Either they're too loose and mega play or so tight the pedal hardly wants to turns. I've tried doing the main nut up so it's right and then trying to keep that still whilst I tighten the locknut, but that just results in the main nut being far too tight.

And I've tried having both loose and using the locknut to tighten the main nut but then I'm not sure the lock nut is tight enough to prevent it working loose and having my pedal disassemble whilst in motion.

I did once manage to get the pedal to only as bad as when I started but I just had to have another go getting it better  ::-)

Bah, it's a silly game and I don't want to play anymore, I'm off to the pub then I will have another go on my return.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Squarewheels on 27 August, 2013, 11:41:19 am
Yet another puncture... :demon:.

Fixed one yesterday, and thought that the rim tape looked like insulating tape. Today's puncture was caused by said tape. New rim tape fitted, puncture fixed, need new tires I think...the Ultra Sports are awful, heavily worn after 900 miles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 27 August, 2013, 01:05:11 pm
Not today but over the weekend I spent a happy few hours in the garage fettling bits for the Mercian project. As it’s a Superlight frame I had initially started to use components selected mainly for their lack of weight but quite quickly started collecting bits that I like the look of; so it is likely to end up more as a Supermedium.

Stripped down, fettled, adjusted and rebuilt a pair of Suntour Superbe pedals, these are beautifully made and although they initially looked a bit tatty have cleaned up very nicely. Next a Campag aero seatpost that was in pretty good condition but a little marked but a good going over with a bronze brush and some 000 wire wool brought it back to gleaming condition; the same treatment was successfully used on the GB bars. I am always surprised how this method can bring back even the most unpromising alloy components and the wire wool leaves a sort of satin sheen on the surface that can be further polished with Autosol if a mirror finish is required. I have a selection of  front mechs to choose from but am currently favouring a fairly modern looking Campag (Record I think) that was provided some time ago from eck OTP; this was stripped down, cleaned and polished and the clamp bolt replaced using a 6mm button head Allen bolt, the lever being tapped to suit. A late pattern (84 I think) NRecord derailleur got the same treatment so everything is now clean and gleaming. Now I need to think about some wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 27 August, 2013, 03:23:56 pm
Three punctures fixed this am! The rain on Saturday has seriously scogged up the roads round here (North Essex/South Suffolk).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 August, 2013, 06:40:31 pm
Pending the usual riding around with an allen key to make sure the headset preload and handlebar alignment are correct, I now have a properly working suspension fork on the Streetmachine.  Replaced the headset bearings while I was at it, because it seems silly not to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The_Mikey on 28 August, 2013, 07:00:07 pm
Adjusted the saddle to prevent that crushing sensation experienced on my last ride.   :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 29 August, 2013, 09:52:03 am
I reassembled the Claud Butler hybrid after it has been sitting in bits for the last few months. It has been my winter hack for two years and neglected rather, so it's not in the best of nick.

The main things are that the headset feels rather notchy (threaded and was only finger tight for the first 18 months of it's life), the front v-brake is not springing back consistently even on the higher leverage setting, and the rear mudguard is now permanently attached by a couple of  bolts.

I've still to decide whether to put gears back on as it's singlespeeded, which bars to put on it (currently it has drops but the fit is rather contrived) and whether it's actually worth keeping. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 August, 2013, 07:44:37 pm
Yesterday, popped round a friend's house. Her 13 year old son had decided that road cycling is The Future and has managed to score a Triban 3 as an early birthday present. Good value beginner's bike and he's chuffed to bits with it. I'd read a few stories about lack of grease in the hubs leading to premature wheel deth, so showed him how to take the cones out, add grease, tighten the cones up again. Small discussion about how cup and cone bearings work, how a freehub is better than a free wheel, how not to drop bits all over the garage floor, why not to fettle in a white shirt. Great fun.

Then this evening dropped in to see the Cheery Chippy, who is off on a mini tour the week after next. Trcked down the gear skipping on his Spesh Sirus Sport to slightly out of adjustment gear cable. Nice looking bike - 10 speed Ultegra, carbon forks, carbon seat stays. Discussion about the right sized inner tube, what pump to take etc. Only a bit jealous, honest, about their trip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 29 August, 2013, 08:50:31 pm
Carried out an oil dip on a Nexus hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 29 August, 2013, 09:07:45 pm
Popped round to a coworker's after work to replace two inner tubes on his BMX. I've no idea how it took me an hour albeit I wasn't rushing  ???

Also either my pump is going (Topeak Road Morph) or the valves in the new tube are interesting. Really hard work pumping them up with the pressure in the pump tube getting up to 120+psi. Got enough air into the tubes for now though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 August, 2013, 09:51:29 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 29 August, 2013, 09:07:45 pm
Popped round to a coworker's after work to replace two inner tubes on his BMX. I've no idea how it took me an hour albeit I wasn't rushing  ???

Also either my pump is going (Topeak Road Morph) or the valves in the new tube are interesting. Really hard work pumping them up with the pressure in the pump tube getting up to 120+psi. Got enough air into the tubes for now though.

If they're Schraeder valves, that sounds like either the head wasn't pushed on far enough or the pin in the head is b0rked. </egg sucking lesson>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 29 August, 2013, 09:59:11 pm
Argh, schreader/presta, never remember which is which. Car valves is what they were, not pushed on enough certainly possible as no lockring and deep tyres meant it was a bit hard getting it firmly on there.

Still, got enough in there for now and will take the track pump in next time I drive in. He's more planning to sell than use it anyway so will do for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 30 August, 2013, 06:43:00 pm
Took a link out of my chain and finally bothered to lube it. Now charging batteries for tonight's ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 31 August, 2013, 11:51:03 am
New chain on son's bike (put away wet and rusted solid). New chain on my bike (started changing badly and was up to 3/32 over 8"). lubed the rear derrailieur - I'd neglected to do the B-pivot previously and it had become rather stiff. Still a bit creaky but better. Moved a KlickFix bracket to my daughter's bike to take the basket. Fettled a light mount onto the basked courtesy of a scrap of plastic pipe. Added some spoke reflectors to the wires just for good measure.
Might have a search for some webbing tape and a buckle and make a cinch strap for holding stuff in the basket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 31 August, 2013, 04:56:31 pm
Hmm.. that wasn't enough. Chain skips like a kangaroo. Diagnosis is knackered chainrings (after getting a new cassette at the LBS on my way out for a ride.)

ended up tippy-toeing around so the chain didn't skip. New rings on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 31 August, 2013, 05:48:35 pm
The Cube bike which gets the winter commutes has a seized headset!
It's done 2 winters and 1 SR series on this Hope headset.

Strip-down, and the sealed-bearing units are seized.
The remaining bits are all fine after removal / cleaning.

So new replacement bearing units on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 August, 2013, 06:00:38 pm
Fitted a new tyre and tube to the red Moulton, adjusted the rear suspension, gave the 3sp coaster hub a drink and took it for a test ride. Need to regrease the headset and bottom bracket at some point but they are fine for now.

Tomorrow's jobs include refurbing a couple of Ergopower levers. This'll involve some metalwork for the older lever as it is not directly compatible with the newer replacement part.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 31 August, 2013, 06:39:23 pm
Fettled a strap using bits on inner tube, a split ring, a hook made from a piece of alloy rod and some pop rivets to secure the bidon in the seatpost-mounted cage to the Hanlon as it keeps popping out and falling in the road. Success!

Fitted EBay sourced Maillard 14-21 5-speed block to Hanlon in attempt to make it a little more tractable for next weekend's Kent Lightweight Ride. Then removed it again coz its French, or rather more French than I had anticipated.  ::-). Failure!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 31 August, 2013, 11:43:57 pm
thoroughly cleaned my audax bike, inspected the tyres and other parts. there was hardly any wear on the rear tyre after 3800km (the front one looks almost new) so swapped them around - i reckon they'll be good for another 5k km (rubino pro slick tyres). chain is still good after ~6000km - stretched 0.5%. bottom bracket is the best of them all (square taper shimano un-xx) - i installed it on my first "proper" bike four and a half years ago and then kept transferring to different frames - tens of thousands kms - still as smooth as new!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 31 August, 2013, 11:52:48 pm
Cleaned the pink magenta Mercian and the Black Bike almost to deth. Sorted out the bar tape where it had escaped. Dug flints out of tyres.

Will flip a coin tomorrow morning to decide which to ride.

Edit:  Earlier I helped fettle a friends pond pump.  The cage it lives in was clogged up with green sticky gunge, so application of elbow grease and a stiff brush soon had it clean and flowing. The fountain now founts and the waterfall falls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Squarewheels on 01 September, 2013, 05:52:53 pm
Gave the Free Spirit an overhaul after it had been sat for 20 years.... :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 September, 2013, 06:01:59 pm
Fitted new front brake pads to HK's Condor. Less than a millimeter on each pad before metal contact; well judged replacement!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 September, 2013, 08:10:48 pm
Fitted a fixed cog to the empty side of the flip flop hub on my singlespeed, and then went and scared myself by trying to ride fixed for the first time since I was about 5.

Technique fettling is definitely required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 September, 2013, 08:58:51 pm
Took the rack off thebInbred and fitted a SQR.

Fitted a mudguard to the Dave Yates, lost the will to live, so shall fit the other one next week.

Now, almost, ready for Autumn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 September, 2013, 09:18:57 pm
Helped nikki resolve her wheel woes, inna Challenge Anneka stylee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 September, 2013, 09:20:01 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 September, 2013, 09:18:57 pm
Helped nikki resolve her wheel woes, inna Challenge Anneka stylee.

Blond hair, dune buggy and unfeasibly tight brightly coloured clothing?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 September, 2013, 09:28:51 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 01 September, 2013, 09:20:01 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 September, 2013, 09:18:57 pm
Helped nikki resolve her wheel woes, inna Challenge Anneka stylee.

Blond hair, dune buggy and unfeasibly tight brightly coloured clothing?

I believe the quote was "You do the map, I'll do the arse."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 September, 2013, 09:38:53 pm
Tidied and cleaned a 5-bedroom house and garden for the return of the AWL clan from Hungary after 6 weeks away. It doesn't take long for the latent slovenly bachelor to become active when one is left to one's own devices.

Luckily the empty bottles and cans were collected last Friday, so little incriminating evidence remains :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 02 September, 2013, 02:01:00 pm
Fitted Hope X2 brakes. Straight forward once I managed to fit the right bracket to the right fork in the right orientation. The rear is a very close fit.
Fitted Grips and bars ends.
Fitted bottle cages.
Drilled holes in SKS P45 mudguard. I have holes under my fork bridges so I do not use those angle pieces. I did not get it done though. I needed a longer bolt to fit the front mudguard to the fat forks.

Looking a bit more like a bike.
N = 2.6

To do:
Finish mudguards.
Fit rack. Need to buy. Old one is bent.
Fit lights. Old rear broken. Old front B&M IQ CYO on Green bike
Fit sprocket.
Fit crank. Awaiting parts.
Fit chain tensioner.
Fit chain.
Test Ride.(N = 3)



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 September, 2013, 07:46:27 pm
The local morons have been smashing glass bottles on the psyclepaths again, so I put the Marathon Plus tyres back on the commuter.  It's instantly about 3lb heavier  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 September, 2013, 07:58:38 pm
Took the Spacehopper out into the sunshine and gave it a wash. Noticed that it was in the big ring and second sprocket. So that's why it felt like hard work up the hill last night! It's only about 3 gear inches higher than the normal small and third or fourth in fact, though the chain line is not ideal. Not entirely sure how I managed to shift into the big ring without realising.  :facepalm: Changed the brake blocks - not Kool Stop Salmon this time but some bi-coloured Kool Stop variant that came as a free extra with the salmons, I'll see how they do - realigned the holders a bit and noticed the spring on the rear brake is rusty. As are various nuts and bolts. Tektro, which according to things read here do have a bad reputation for their finish. I wonder how long I can ride with a rusty brake spring? 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 September, 2013, 03:34:58 pm
Today I've cleaned the windows, which were very dirty, and bought a bottle of wine. What do you mean, buying wine isn't fettling? It's for a big occasion at the weekend (which will be enjoyable but also a nuisance).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 03 September, 2013, 05:04:57 pm
I've had a garage fettle my exhaust so the car sounds less like a boy-racer mobile

I've also raised the seat-post on the raleigh by about 4mm, which has turned it from an uncomfortable lump that needed wrestling around to once again feeling like a proper road bike :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 03 September, 2013, 05:24:03 pm
Fettled a rack to the geared road bike. Not because I particularly want a rack on it, but because it seems a better place to store the spare rack than on the shed floor, so it's freed up a little bit of space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 September, 2013, 07:04:58 pm
That'll be a variation on the old spousal-n+1-approval-not-required-for-frankenbikes-mantled-from-accumulated-spare-parts loophole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 September, 2013, 07:23:57 pm
Repaired my bosch drill with t/m wire.

Now both my drills seem to spark at the commutator :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 September, 2013, 07:31:02 pm
Oh and make sure you use contact cleaner and not brake cleaner on electrical motors.

For your knowledge, it causes flames and is a bit scary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 04 September, 2013, 03:39:59 pm
Changed Hetty's bulging bag. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 September, 2013, 04:31:14 pm
Hi Gatto, Are you related to Nutty by any chance?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 September, 2013, 08:20:15 pm
The good news: I now have new chainrings on the tractor (All purpose MTB).

Bad news: The libation was painful.

Good news: I never realised blood was so effective at removing bike dirt. I suppose a protein/lipid aqueous suspension would do that rather effectively.

And as TTIUWP..

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Squarewheels on 04 September, 2013, 09:01:16 pm
 :sick: Ouch.

'Nuff said.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 September, 2013, 08:05:36 pm
Just swapped over the 18T freewheel for a 20T freewheel on the spare singlespeed, so I can use it to tow the old singlespeed back home for scrapping/retirement/recycling.

I also had to swap the pedals over, so I can use SPDs on it, fitted an Exposure light mount, moved the Dinotte rear light fitting across, adjusted the brakes, and attempted to tighten the rear wheel spokes, but found that it needs the yellow Spokey, which I never carry, because I haven't used it in umpteen years. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 05 September, 2013, 08:24:34 pm
As work's resident repairer of all things electronic and Hi-Fi related, I've just been handed a genuine olde-world Dual CS-505 gramophone to fix.
It must be 20 years since I last fettled a Dual CS-505!

These were the 'entry level' proper turntable back in the mid '80s.
What was the other one I had to fettle back then? Rega Planar 3, I think.

Presenting complaint is 'it doesn't go round', which considering the tasks a turntable needs to perform, is a bit of a showstopper.
It's supposed to start up as you move the tonearm ( google it! ) over the record.
But as it has sat un-used for 20 years or so, all the mechanical linkages underneath had seized with solidified grease.
The linkage which was means to poke the on-it microswitch was not moving.
A clean-up and re-lube brought it back to life, with a strong smell of hot dust from the wirewound resistor on the motor control board.
Hopefully, that will just burn off and all will be well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 September, 2013, 02:26:57 pm
I have removed the clickety-clickety-clickety BB bearings from my Hollowtech 2 chainset and replaced them with non-clickety types. Since the unit was only fitted in May, as a result of my old set being bent by a man armed with a car, it's a pretty poor show that the bearings have conked out so quickly. I spoke to SJS Cycles and their man maintained that the original chainsets often had really duff bearings fitted but that the replacements were much better quality. Eric of the LBS asked if the chainset had been in water. I retorted that there hadn't been any rain since I fitted them but then I remembered this.

(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/18986-1/DSC09794.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 September, 2013, 11:28:00 pm
straightened the rim (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61613.msg1557364#msg1557364) of ss bike also installed a smaller freewheel (gear is 86" now) to see if that will make me quicker over certain routes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 08 September, 2013, 06:34:34 am
EBay sourced Royce hubs arrived yesterday morning and other than appearing to have been left in the corner of a shed for 20 years seem to be in very good nick. I spent a happy couple of hours with bronze brush, wire wool and Autosol removing the crud of ages. The rear hub is 120mm and there appears to be no scope for adjustment with these but with a 5-speed block this looks spot on with the Mercian's 122mm spacing; these are going to look smashing! Now I need to think about some rims but with 28 holes there should not be a bewildering choice, oh and I need some posh skewers too - I took a look on the Royce website but theirs are really rather spendy, as you might expect. Anyway, I am extremely chuffed with my new bits; they are indeed, in the words of alexb OTP, lush! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 08 September, 2013, 01:25:37 pm
I fettled 2 pairs of socks out of a puppy's intestines at 2am. They must have felt rather dry to swallow whole  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 September, 2013, 03:47:29 pm
Brooksed my sisters bike. She wasn't screaming at me after a gentle 16 miles .......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 September, 2013, 05:54:26 pm
Handlebar streamers! :D

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/9703272442_06f267a7b1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/natnot/9703272442/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 September, 2013, 05:56:42 pm
*Goth* handlebar streamers  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 September, 2013, 05:58:51 pm
Ready for Whitby, of course!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 08 September, 2013, 06:49:00 pm
I just fettled a bicycle carrier onto my Carry Freedom trailer, so I can use it to transport bicycle with minimal hassle. See the "I carried this on my bicycle" (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11163.msg1557650#msg1557650) thread for photos.

In the process I pumped up the tyres of the trailer, which were below 10psi!  Having said that, they don't need to be very hard anyway, so I stopped at 40psi for them, whilst pumping the Viking (which will be taking over towing duties now) up to 100psi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 September, 2013, 09:48:08 pm
Nothing myself, other than a bit of mid ride brake tweaking, but did cause a CTC Senior Technical bod to give a Stern Look to one of his tyres.  We were on a Tandem Club ride and stopped for a regroup on Epsom Downs. I was idly reading the maximum pressure allowed on Chris Juden's (for it was he) front tyre and noticed a hole in the sidewall, complete with beginnings of a herniating inner tube.  Let's gloss over the fact that he'd had it up to Vvery fast a few minutes before.  As tea and CAKE were calling, he just let it down a bit and completed the ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The_Mikey on 08 September, 2013, 10:46:39 pm
Somehow I saw fit to clean the chain, give the cassette a bath and re-index the gears on one of the bikes today, also the rim braking surface was wiped with a cloth.  The other bike received a cleaning of the derailleur pulley wheels and a drop of oil on the chain, wiping off any excess oil.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 09 September, 2013, 01:24:48 pm
Yesterday I fitted my mudguards and a rack to orange bike. You can see pictures in the knowledge  "Full length mudguards with disc brakes"  https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=75768.0 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=75768.0)
The standard attachements were not used at the midpoint.  I have screw holes under the crown and bridge of the forks so I use them instead. I drilled the holes last week. This week I cut the stays to length and attached them.  Then I attached the rack.  Oh dear. This was hard. I should of not of bought this mail order.  The rack was spaced at 100mm so it was hard work pulling it over the 135mm forks. I doubt some petite lady cyclists would have managed it. The reflector was welded on wonky. I should have sent it back.

To do.

Attach chainring to crank (awaiting bolts)
Fit bottom bracket
Fit crank.
Fit sprocket with spacers.
Fit chain

Ride
 

Today I tracked down the cause of the creak from the bottom bracket area of green bike.  The left hand crank was not tight enough.  Tightened, hit shin with pedal and the creak is gone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2013, 05:18:01 pm
Replaced the rear shock on the Streetmachine with one of dubious history but a much lower level of b0rkedness.  This involved rather more brute force and foul language than I anticipated, not helped by a critical pingfuckit rolling off and hiding under the skirting board.

The difference is dramatic.  More so than anything fork-related.  The irritating shussy-squawking noise[1] has gone, and the whole action is much much smoother, though only time will tell whether the improved damping has eliminated assorted resonant rattles (from non-drive-side chain, prop-stand and loose items in toolkit) when exposed to the wrong granularity of surface dressing.

There's food in the oven and rain on the way, so road test and preload-tweaking will have to wait.


[1] Unrelated to the irritating SRAM gripshift noise that comes from the seat mountings when I sit back, the irritating whirring noise of chain tubes in idler-intensive gear combos, the irritating squelching noise that my left shoe's been making of late, or the irritating (and largely inaudible - I must get my hearing tested) high-frequency squeak of recently-adjusted cable disc brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 09 September, 2013, 07:42:28 pm
Fitted my new season bicycle tyres - Durano Plussises 700x25 to my Dawes Horizon, which have replaced the 700x28 Vittoria Rubino Pro 3.  Now looks like a Land Rover with comedy Boy Racer Low Profile Tyres!   ;D

Oh, and at voluntary work, unfettled some birch regen from the bog... Smelly stuff!   :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 10 September, 2013, 12:57:23 pm
Destruvtively removed the cheap freewheel I'd put on my flip-flop hub a few months ago, because I've never used it and thought it would make sense to get rid of it sooner rather than later, because it was getting alarmingly rusty and I didn't want it seizing on to the hub and impossible to remove at a later date. Put a 16t fixed cog on instead, so now I get a choice of 65" or 69" gearing with less faff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 10 September, 2013, 01:27:00 pm
Living in the middle of nowhere, with roads very susceptible to poor weather depositing mud and crap on the back lanes which constitute the road network round here, it's time to accept that the summer bike and its Pro3s needs to retire till next year, and the Ultremos need to come off the mudguard-equipped Racelight Tk3. So new Durano Plus were fitted to its winter Aksiums this morning, replacing the last of my stock of Krylions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 10 September, 2013, 02:59:13 pm
Electric screwdrivers make taking 36h wheels apart soooo quick
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 September, 2013, 08:37:18 pm
Not sure if this should be a fettle or a rant.

My car has been intermittently, but more and more frequently, giving a "failsafe engine mode" warning - amber, so safe to drive, rather than red "stop NOW", and no apparent change in performance or mpg but cruise was disabled. However, there was nothing being logged that could be read with my OBD2 reader.

I finally figured it out. The brake pedal switch has two microswitches - one NO, one NC. If there is a discrepancy between them, then the ECU decides that it shouldn't  lock up the torque converter or allow cruise control, as it can't be sure if I have pressed the brake or not (a dab on the brakes has to disable them to be safe). As a result, it puts the car in failsafe mode - a mode that can also be triggered for lots of other reasons. The brake lights worked as expected throughout.

Anyway, the fix was just contact cleaner on the switches. But why couldn't the car have told me something useful as it knew the cause of the fault. It says "Check rear lights" when a brake bulb has blown, why not "Check brake switch" or similar, or even an error code ("Failsafe engine mode 5"), rather than the less than useful one it gave, which had as much information and was as useful as "something is broken" ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 September, 2013, 12:47:55 am
I just fettled the old rack off of Vince onto the Viking.  That wasn't entirely helped by the Viking lacking any fittings for a rack, but thanks to the wonder of p-clips that's sorted.  By pure random luck, I had four p-clips that just fitted (they needed a little padding out).

Clearly it won't take as much weight as a bike with proper fittings, but it should be able to hold a light to moderate commuting load (ie work clothes, lunch, minimal repair kit, and lock).  Tomorrow I'll take it very carefully, and carry enough tools that I can readjust things should they slip, but it looks promising.

I wanted to fit a pair of mudguards as well, but at this time of night, I'm just going to hope that it's not too wet tomorrow evening. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 11 September, 2013, 11:06:39 am
Fettled a .gpx file made from Memory Map (Windows) via a reasonably convoluted process into a .gpx file my Mac was happy with. Now saved onto the GPS.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 September, 2013, 11:11:20 am
Quote from: TimO on 11 September, 2013, 12:47:55 am
I just fettled the old rack off of Vince onto the Viking.  That wasn't entirely helped by the Viking lacking any fittings for a rack, but thanks to the wonder of p-clips that's sorted.  By pure random luck, I had four p-clips that just fitted (they needed a little padding out).

Clearly it won't take as much weight as a bike with proper fittings, but it should be able to hold a light to moderate commuting load (ie work clothes, lunch, minimal repair kit, and lock).  Tomorrow I'll take it very carefully, and carry enough tools that I can readjust things should they slip, but it looks promising.

... it wasn't promising.  A few miles into work, the p-clips couldn't support even a moderate amount of weight, and the rack was slipping down towards the freewheel and chain.  I decided that prudence was called for, and cycled back home, exchanging the pannier for a bag over the shoulder, and minor back pain.  I left the rack on, since it's got a rear light on it, and I think the p-clips will tolerate that much mass.

Next plan, possibly a seat post clamp with integrated rack mounting points, and/or drill a couple of holes in the track ends, which aren't track ends so much as large flat bits of steel, which I suspect would tolerate a couple of 5mm holes, without too much impact upon their strength.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 September, 2013, 11:24:32 am
Quote from: Feline on 08 September, 2013, 01:25:37 pm
I fettled 2 pairs of socks out of a puppy's intestines at 2am.
I guess when you're knitting in the small hours and you run out of wool, you have to make do with whatever you can find.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 11 September, 2013, 11:28:46 am
New keyboard please  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 September, 2013, 10:34:24 am
I have had my ears fettled today. They were well clogged up with wax and I had them syringed with nice, warm water by a very pleasant nurse. The birdsong through the park was startlingly clear on the way back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 12 September, 2013, 11:07:55 am
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 12 September, 2013, 10:34:24 am
I have had my ears fettled today. They were well clogged up with wax and I had them syringed with nice, warm water by a very pleasant nurse. The birdsong through the park was startlingly clear on the way back.

You will now find that you wonderfully silent bikes have a host of squeaks and rattles that are screaming for attention.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 September, 2013, 11:11:52 am
You mean, Ham, exactly as I did when I got my hearing aid fixed?

I never knew my brakes were making such a noise, wondered why everyone looked at me when braking, I thought it was just my l33t skillz :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 September, 2013, 05:45:08 pm
Quote from: Ham on 12 September, 2013, 11:07:55 am
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 12 September, 2013, 10:34:24 am
I have had my ears fettled today. They were well clogged up with wax and I had them syringed with nice, warm water by a very pleasant nurse. The birdsong through the park was startlingly clear on the way back.

You will now find that you wonderfully silent bikes have a host of squeaks and rattles that are screaming for attention.....
As it happens, I rode my Orbit today and heard the (normal) loud ticking noise of the SRAM hub gear for the first time in ages. I hear my clothes rustling and the noise the carpet makes as I tread on it. Amazing how these sort of health things creep up on you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 12 September, 2013, 05:55:41 pm
Attempted to fettle my least-used bike for Saturday's KTTR - I hadn't been able to use the largest rear sprocket last time I rode it (two months ago :-[) and that's the sprocket I like most of all if I need to go up hills. Unfortunately the low limit screw on the rear mech wouldn't turn, so I've doused it in penetrating fluid and left it for further exploration tomorrow.

While I was outside, I decided to clean the hybrid's chain a little bit as it's always filthy. I think I've now cleaned it at least twice this year! I also noticed yet more rust patches on the underside of the chainstays, so put some Kurust on followed by a coat of nail polish that's quite a good match for the paint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 September, 2013, 10:30:02 pm
I've spent the last week becoming semi-proficient in SMD soldering.

I got my first soldering iron as my main crimbo prezzy age about 10.
I've gained a lot of experience since, and have done soldering of things professionally for many years, using expensive solder stations etc.
So regular soldering is second-nature to me.
My fingers are burned enough that I can hold wires into RS-232 crossover leads as I solder them in.
My jeans are testament to use as tip-swipe sponges.

But SMD was always a bit of a dark art to me.
I've read deeply of the Internet and Youtube.
I haz special heat gunz, flux-in-syringes, solder-paste, and I ain't afraid to use it.
Also I has ultra-skinny solder, various special hoof-tips for the expensive solder stations, and a bunch of time.

I've spent a week with old scrap PCBs de-soldering SMD chips non-destructively, cleaning up the pads, and re-soldering them.
I can now confidently replace devices with stupidly small lead pitch :-)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 13 September, 2013, 12:50:56 pm
Yesterday evening I placed a TA Carmina RH crank with 110mm spider on my desk.  I added a TA Zephyr chain ring and five TA single ring chain ring nuts and bolts.  I applied Proloc 395 to the bolts and waived my magic spanners. I now have a single ring TA Carmina crank.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 September, 2013, 01:30:10 pm
disassembled and cleaned two cassettes (7 and 8 speed), swapped three sprockets from 8sp to 7sp which made it 30g lighter while keeping the same ratios, no difference in cassette width.

replaced the chain on the hybrid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 13 September, 2013, 07:40:55 pm
Not all fettled today, but I did try the roof on for size:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7460/9734469993_d7a33aff25_o.jpg) 

Looks like I'll need to fettle some panel gaps....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 14 September, 2013, 01:18:13 pm
About to change the truly dreadful bars (FSA Wing compact) that came with my cervelo for a pair of 3T Ergonovas. Also had to fettle the front mech as the shop mechanics were too busy (and I was too impatient) for it to be done before I left the shop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 14 September, 2013, 04:59:33 pm
Wow!
I'm a big fan of FSA wing compacts (fitted to three of my bikes).
I would've had those off you about a month ago as I was struggling to find some for the third bike.
Horses for courses......

Begun the winterising process (I can sense it's just around the corner) of the Pompino commuter today.
Fitted the Dinotte rear light as a more or less permanent feature for l'hiver. DETH by ray to those who ride behind me.
New brake blocks in the front - snapped the brake cable whilst doing so :thumbsup: Replaced it whilst in the warm/dry/carpeted  :)
New brake blocks in the rear to follow - might take the precaution of giving that a new cable too.
I have new transmission (chain, cog & ring) sitting here on the workbench, but I think there are miles still to be had from the extant one - so I might leave that well alone until it stops working.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 15 September, 2013, 12:38:03 am
An Electron Terra 1 light.

I use it for my daily commuting trip, but I'm not sure it's been charged more than four or five times. I was not happy, therefore, when it started to flicker, this plainly being caused by a cable break near the battery.

Madison could offer no repair option. I can't see that it's reasonable to throw out a good battery, lamp and charger over a broken cable.

So I took off the rubber end cap (difficult - it's glued on with something that must come from the aerospace industry - and ultimately unnecessary to remove this, but there's nothing to tell you whether it hides some securing clips or screws).

The actual housing end cap forces off quite easily.

Unsolder the cable from the circuit board inside. Cut out the broken section (the aim was to re-use the cable with its water-proof in-line connectors).

Solder back the cable. Realise you've not threaded it through the housing end cap  >:( Unsolder cable again. Thread through cap.

Solder cable back once more. Reassemble and glue rubber in place with a more reasonable house-hold adhesive, that will make it easier if a repeat is ever needed.

I believe that the problem was caused by the in-line connectors making the cable bounce around. This has caused a couple of instances of tinkling noises that I couldn't locate as well, and put down to a loose mudguard or something  :-[

Improve mechanical design, therefore, by strapping one end of connector to battery box with an electrical tie.

All ready to go :thumbsup:

I did buy a Hope as well just in case, as I need a working light for Monday. It's always good to have a spare ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 September, 2013, 02:49:42 pm
Cleaned out the computer, literally.  Even took out the CPU and reassembled it all with some fresh heatsink paste.  It was crashing after extended use due to overheating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 September, 2013, 03:29:27 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 12 September, 2013, 10:30:02 pm
I've spent the last week becoming semi-proficient in SMD soldering.

I got my first soldering iron as my main crimbo prezzy age about 10.
I've gained a lot of experience since, and have done soldering of things professionally for many years, using expensive solder stations etc.
So regular soldering is second-nature to me.
My fingers are burned enough that I can hold wires into RS-232 crossover leads as I solder them in.
My jeans are testament to use as tip-swipe sponges.

But SMD was always a bit of a dark art to me.
I've read deeply of the Internet and Youtube.
I haz special heat gunz, flux-in-syringes, solder-paste, and I ain't afraid to use it.
Also I has ultra-skinny solder, various special hoof-tips for the expensive solder stations, and a bunch of time.

I've spent a week with old scrap PCBs de-soldering SMD chips non-destructively, cleaning up the pads, and re-soldering them.
I can now confidently replace devices with stupidly small lead pitch :-)

where were you the other week?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 September, 2013, 03:52:47 pm
wrestled Cyanogenmod onto 2*Samsung devices, on a phone, the other a tablet.

This took slightly longer than expected, due to some, urm, technical issues :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 16 September, 2013, 09:26:16 am
Quote from: Jurek on 14 September, 2013, 04:59:33 pm
Wow!
I'm a big fan of FSA wing compacts (fitted to three of my bikes).
I would've had those off you about a month ago as I was struggling to find some for the third bike.
Horses for courses......


'Truly dreadful' was definitely over-egging it - in reality just a smidge too narrow and too shallow a drop, even for a compact bar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 16 September, 2013, 09:38:46 am
I like the Wing compacts, I have them on my Ridley (currently or sale) and have the standard compacts on Mrs T's Carlton.

As for my fettling, not today, but last night, I took off the summer tyres and fitted my Spring/Autumn Schwalbe Big Apples (the farmers have been out cutting hedges around Cambridgeshire so I need more puncture protection and don't need the knobbles on the summer tyres right now)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 16 September, 2013, 02:40:59 pm
Replaced the standard QR skewers on the hybrid with allen key ones, since it's likely to be spending a fair bit of time locked up outside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 September, 2013, 07:50:41 pm
Found a smaller screwdriver and took the heatsink off the graphics card, cleaned it all up with meths and refitted it with a thin layer of Arctic Silver (which I've had for about 12 years).  Now runs at no more than 54 deg C when playing video, and Linux doesn't crash any more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 September, 2013, 07:55:42 pm
A load of tedious cleany lubey type stuff, which will doubtless be rendered pointless by the state of the Tissington Trail tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 17 September, 2013, 03:48:52 pm
I have just added a line chart to my Daily Mileage spreadsheet, so when I enter a number on the spreadsheet it automatically updates the chart (and it duz it for all 12 pages. Onto the same chart!!!)

Not bad for someone with the same Excel skills as your average sea cucumber.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 18 September, 2013, 10:06:44 am
Well another bit of bike fettling experience to tick off.


I've always had a noisy freehub on the Mavic Ksyrium wheels I bought back in April.  Nice clicky noise to warn pedestrians of my approach from behind I thought.


But the noise changed from a nice ratchety sound in the last couple of weeks to an awful loud grindy noise  :jurek:


It went away after the Tamworth 200k audax of two weeks ago but I wasn't confident as the old adage of 'problems that go away by themselves tend to come back by themselves' is largely true IME and sure enough on last Saturdays Ferryside Fish Foray 200 k - it came back with renewed vengeance.


Talking to the guys on the ride one or two advised to remove the freehub and soak it in car engine oil.  So this is what I did - with a little excursion to the bike shop involved as I broke the chainwhip in my toolkit getting the cassette off.  A combination of me doing it up too tightly in the past and having a chainwhip made of Gruyere.


So anyway, one, better quality chainwhip later and an overnight soak in Castrol GTX 15W-40 and baboom - not only has the grindy noise gone but the wheel is completely silent on freewheel now  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


Only issue now is that I nearly ran a pedestrian over this morning when she ran across a road without looking  :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:


"Ring your bell she shouted" - "Look where you're bloody going!" I shouted back.  I did 'ring my bell' - not having one, I shouted 'look to your left' as I approached - I suspect if I'd rung a bell I'd have had the same reaction.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 September, 2013, 10:17:51 am
^^ interesting, i wonder what effect can a soaking in the engine oil have, as there is only one sealed bearing in the freehub body? two pawls/springs fit into the "stump" on the hub itself and can be cleaned/lubed seperately
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 18 September, 2013, 10:37:47 am
I built a wheel over the past few days.  It was about the easiest wheel I have ever built.  I reckon it went from a pile of parts to a finished wheel with a rim tape in under 2 hours.

It's an Alfine with DT spokes and a Mavic T719 rim, lots of black

When I came to fit it on the bike though, bit of a problem.  The alfine "join" which connects the gear changer cable to the hub gears just would not seat properly.  One alfine lock part snapped trying to fit it.  I thought about it and decided I must have made a mistake with reassembly last time I cleaned it.  First I tried realigning a little weird shaped washer to a better angle.  This kind of worked in that the lock part now goes on and off easily.  But when I try and fit the cable the join unscrews itself :(

Next I completely remove the weird washer and notice that it has dimples in it and there are matching dimples on the top of the hub.  So I flip over the weird washer, tighten up the overlock nuts etc.  Fortunately I can do all this without having to remove anything apart from one outer overlock nut with a wrench and a cone spanner.

After this, Hurrah!  It works.  But all this crap took such a long time that the other stuff like reattaching the mudguards, pumping up the tyres, checking the gears will have to wait until later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 18 September, 2013, 11:08:52 am
Quote from: zigzag on 18 September, 2013, 10:17:51 am
^^ interesting, i wonder what effect can a soaking in the engine oil have, as there is only one sealed bearing in the freehub body? two pawls/springs fit into the "stump" on the hub itself and can be cleaned/lubed seperately

Dunno, but it worked.  ;D. I guess the soaking just allows oil to penetrate tiny gaps in the 'sealed' bearing. Those pawls/springs are a pain as they are quite happy to pingfukkit across the room whilst simultaneously preventing the reinsertion of the free hub. Grr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 September, 2013, 12:36:10 pm
The Mavic freehub bushing is known for making a horrible racket when worn. I suspect that the oil is lubricating the bush, until enough of it leaks out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 September, 2013, 01:30:41 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 September, 2013, 12:36:10 pm
The Mavic freehub bushing is known for making a horrible racket when worn. I suspect that the oil is lubricating the bush, until enough of it leaks out.

possibly. mine is getting worn after four years of use, but still quiet. i've looked at the aftermarket bearing replacement optioninstead of plastic bushing - might go for that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 September, 2013, 01:33:00 pm
HK has the bearing on one of her Mavic wheels. The freehub will be swapped to the other 2 Mavic rear wheels as the rims wear out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 18 September, 2013, 01:53:59 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 September, 2013, 12:36:10 pm
The Mavic freehub bushing is known for making a horrible racket when worn. I suspect that the oil is lubricating the bush, until enough of it leaks out.


Well if and when the problem comes back I shall just repeat until intolerable and then replace it.  I have looked up replacements freehubs and they're about £40.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 19 September, 2013, 05:38:50 pm
A new PSU for the Under the Stairs Server.

All is good and it's now quiet even when its running!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 September, 2013, 06:10:43 pm
New glass to replace the broken panes int he greenhouse. Apart from one piece which was the wrong size so was replaced wiht an arbitrary bit of transparent correx.
In the process noticed that the roofing felt on the chicken coop was somewhat lacking in impermeability so found the old roll, trimmed it to get rid of the rotten edge (it had been standing on end int he garage for some years) and had just enough to re-roof the coop. A car full of rubbish and recycling to the dump. And peeled/chopped loads of apples for the freezer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 September, 2013, 06:13:55 pm
Tweaked the disc calipers on the 1x1 - was start to get odd rubbing sounds from the front towards the end of today's rather enjoyable mooch round the lanes. Also repositioned the rear wheel so the chain isn't quite as slack as it was when I left the pub - since I was adjusting the calipers anyway I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone.

Also miscellaneous faffage and loading up of the High Latitude for tomorrow's steamy wanderings. I'm rather looking forward to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 September, 2013, 10:13:31 pm
Some geeky stuff.
Took a perfectly good * HP 30B business calculator.
Opened it up, added a crystal and a couple of SMT capacitors to give it an accurate real time clock.
Added a small daughter board sourced from a bloke in Germany to give it a USB port, which involved some slight mods to the inside of the case and some SMT soldering/desoldering. Cut a hole in the side plastic for said USB socket.
Reassembled, flashed with open source RPN scientific software via the new USB port.
Stuck on a keyboard overlay sourced from a bloke in the US.

I now have a WP34s RPN Scientific Calculator (http://sourceforge.net/projects/wp34s/), the spiritual successor to the sadly obsolete HP 42s.


* Assuming that your definition of a perfectly good calculator is one that can work out loan repayments, but very limited scientific functions
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 22 September, 2013, 11:36:05 pm
Drilled some holes (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=75880.msg1565437#msg1565437) in the track ends on the spare singlespeed, so I could properly fit a rack to it after my previous failed attempt using p-clips.  That was the easy bit.

Getting the rack on was easy now at the track ends, but getting a bolt through the p-clips I'm still using up at the top, to secure the rack to the seat stays, was a bit of a faff.  Then getting the mudguards fitted was also the normal amount of extremely annoying.

Anyway, after a quick test ride up the road and back (just over a mile) nothing too critical is making any noises, after a quick fiddle with the mudguard fittings to solve a slight rubbing issue.

The front light could do with being raised slightly, and the rear wheel needs an overall spoke tightening (and then retruing), but that can wait until tomorrow, I've spent long enough being annoyed by it today. :)

The commute tomorrow morning will sort out any further issues!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 September, 2013, 06:55:05 am
Last night, when we got back from camping, I fettled the new wi-fi.  I got Butterfly's laptop and netbook online, and the boys sorted all their devices.  I did my phone

So the only things resisting contact inexplicably are my PC, and my laptop. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 September, 2013, 08:18:25 am
On Saturday we bought a table to fit between a built-in cupboard and a radiator in our hallway. It didn't by 2.5 centimetres. However, I am a man of courage and owner of a router. The garden is now covered in MDF dust and tha table is where it was planned to be.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 23 September, 2013, 09:38:13 pm
Planted up a metric shedload of tete-a-tete narcissi, cyclamen, muscarini, winter pansies, primroses and wallflowers into containers in the hope of some winter/spring colour and scent.

Tomorrow I'll put the rest of the bulbs into the borders in the front garden, and pop some crocuses under the lawn.  I hope the landlord doesn't mind.  But I'll not ask him.

There are some snowdrop bulbs too, they can go in that little shady corner in the front.

And if that feckin' cat digs them all up I'll skin it and use it for winter gloves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 September, 2013, 10:29:43 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 23 September, 2013, 08:18:25 am
On Saturday we bought a table to fit between a built-in cupboard and a radiator in our hallway. It didn't by 2.5 centimetres. However, I am a man of courage and owner of a router. The garden is now covered in MDF dust and tha table is where it was planned to be.  :thumbsup:

How long did it take to realise that resizing the radiator with the router was possibly not the optimal solution..?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 September, 2013, 10:31:31 pm
Threw together a quick and dirty video (no not that sort of dirty) for the students to explain how to use a data collection app in the field.

http://youtu.be/PomxKYAKDig

I haven't had time to redo the audio - might get a chance later this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 24 September, 2013, 10:07:13 am
Since I rebuilt the old Alfine wheel the gearbox hub has been slipping

So this morning I took the gearbox out of the middle of the hub, put that one in a bath of oil and put the spare gearbox in the rebuilt wheel.
I was a bit puzzled about the reassembly order of some seals and didn't quite finish putting it all back together again

Hopefully it will work now all loverly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 September, 2013, 02:37:07 pm
A forced fettle (and I'm not sure it even counts) of new tyre and tube due to the old one (and it was old) exploding in an undramatic way - more of a phut than a bang and the bike was leaning against the wall of my house at the time. So although front and rear tyres are now the same make and model (they weren't before) one is dirty and the other is shiny with a reflective strip all round it. How long that will stay reflective and why it was added I don't know, but I rather like it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 September, 2013, 02:43:33 pm
Strangely, reflective strips (and those clip-on spoke reflectors) do seem to reach a state of dirty equilibrium where they're covered in grime, but remain visible enough to do the job.  Unless you go off-road and cover the tyre in mud, anyway.

I believe they're a legal requirement in Germany.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 September, 2013, 02:49:20 pm
I thought it was NL required them? Either way, it would be a reason to produce them on this sort of tyre (trecking/city). Makes it all the odder they weren't there on the previous tyre - I guess it's worth them making two versions ??? I already have those clip on reflectors, so now I'm double shiny!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 25 September, 2013, 03:08:24 pm
Not today but Monday-

Alarm went off at 0600 as per usual. I go to the bathroom and felt major headachey, slightly sinusy and a tad squiffy. Started the morning ritual but, by 0610 was fully aware that ANY attempt to ride to work was doomed to failure. Made quick phone call and returned to bed.

1100 saw me awake again and not as bad as 0600. Got up and tried some lunch. It stayed put. Moped about for a bit then thought- fresh air is required.

Dragged G G G Granville from The Armoury and put him up on the workstand. Drive train clean and gear tune later and both G G G Granville and I were feeling proper :thumbsup:

Theraputic fettling FTW.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 September, 2013, 03:27:18 pm
Side wall reflectors or spoked equivalents are required in NL, except on racing bikes. Seems to make 28mm tyres difficult to get as they are neither one nor the other.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 September, 2013, 08:04:05 pm
Sewn new velcro straps onto my Carradice Prima.  Fiddly, but a vast improvement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 September, 2013, 08:42:24 pm
Well that tube didn't last long. It was on the bike about five hours and travelled about five metres. The split was 9 3/4 inches long, or 24.5cm in real money. Surely the highest split:lifetime ratio I've ever achieved or hope to!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 26 September, 2013, 10:13:51 am
Finished a fettle to Gutters (replaced) Roof (repaired) and Fascia & Soffit (partially replaced, part repaired)


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 26 September, 2013, 12:57:00 pm
Removed knackered tyre Schwalbe Blizzard 23mm.  Fitted not so knackered Conit 4 Seasons 25mm and new conti 28 race tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 27 September, 2013, 12:59:03 pm
Actually the conti was more knackered than I realised.  So as soon as it got light enough this morning I removed the corrosion from the left hand front brake boss of Green bike.  The front brake now springy as the god of bicycles intended.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 September, 2013, 08:59:16 am
New SPDs (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=76224.msg1567814#msg1567814) onto the fixer, last night.
All of three minutes work.
About to take them onna breakfast ride  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: padbeat on 28 September, 2013, 09:26:38 am
Since my LBS is utterly rubbish, wilfully rubbish and the second worst engineer in the 'burgh, I knew I was taking a risk getting him to re-run cables, outers and to re-true the back wheel. What can I say? It was July, I was running around like a mad thing getting ready to go away for 3 months and it was that, or leave it until I got back and deal with it then.

Cables were correctly replaced, accessible outers were replaced, internal outers may have been replaced (but I'm not convinced). But the truing ...

Yesterday, when out on the bike for the first time since he 'fixed' it, I had to pull over because the untrueness of the back wheel was getting stuipd. As it turns out, during the truing process, the LBS seems to have slackened off one of the spokes to the point where the nipple was on by about 1/2 a  thread. Imagine how happy I was having to use an hour of my 3 hours ride time taking off the wheel, the tube, the tyre and the rim tape and guddling about for the nipple which had disappeared into the rim.

What made it significanly worse was that I was outside a Little Old Lady-type tea room which had heavy traffic in and out, so I couldn't even vent properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 September, 2013, 01:13:42 pm
Just finished most of this morning up a ladder.
Removed a defective bulkhead light and fitted a 500w halogen floodlight, so now the squirrels can see what they are doing in the garden at night.
Been meaning to do that ever since I bought the place.
In 2003  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 30 September, 2013, 02:03:07 pm
Orange bike is nearly ready to use.
I added pedals.
I added a chain tensioner.
I added a chain.
I added Luxos dynamo lamp shortened the cable and attached to the dynamo.

I went for a test ride. Something is very wrong.  The backwheel is very stiff when pedalling. Cannot cycle to work like that.
Looks like N = 3 but it isn't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 September, 2013, 02:32:29 pm
Two new halogen bulbs in the kitchen fittings after the second death tripped the circuit breaker.

With the first one I had tried all sorts of methods to get the bulb out and couldn't work it out, so I removed the fitting from the ceiling for this one and found out that all I had to do was push and twist :facepalm:

Next thing to consider will be to get some LEDs to replace the halogens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 September, 2013, 02:44:18 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 30 September, 2013, 02:32:29 pm
.........Next thing to consider will be to get some LEDs to replace the halogens.
I replaced some 50w halogen uplighters recently with (I think) 4w LEDs.
The performance is not breathtaking.
They were a bit dim for the job they're supposed to do before, and not much has changed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 September, 2013, 02:45:51 pm
We replaced our halogens in the kitchen with some lovely LED lights from Costco.

They are fantastic!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 30 September, 2013, 04:39:43 pm
primed the bathroom walls and first round of paint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 30 September, 2013, 07:24:01 pm
Arranged the beautiful flowers my ex-colleagues bought for me into vases.  My house looks like someone's died.

Cleaned up after the curry 'do' last night, which took ages, but it looks great now.

Joined the gym.

Adopted two dogs at the Dogs Trust.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 02 October, 2013, 04:13:18 pm
Paid off my three (!) credit cards.

Shifted some of the boxes out of the second bedroom, as phase II of unpacking, and also getting ready for my friend to come and stay in a couple of weeks.  In the process of this, I also:-

Organised my ridiculously large quantity of cycling clothes;
Found my Garmin;
Found a book I borrowed off Deano several months ago (sorry  :-[);

Moved the enormous heavy wardrobe so I'll be able to build the Ikea bed in situ when it arrives on Saturday,

Affirmed my belief that one does not need a Bloke when it comes to moving big heavy stuff.  Although one would have been handy, don't get me wrong, and

Vacuumed the carpet.

Beer time I think.

eta:  Also I completed the second part of my root canal surgery this morning.  So accomplished all of this while drooling out of the left side of my numb face  :thumbsup: ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 October, 2013, 06:26:58 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 02 October, 2013, 04:13:18 pm
Affirmed my belief that one does not need a Bloke when it comes to moving big heavy stuff.  Although one would have been handy, don't get me wrong, and

Indeed, though sometimes you do need a second pair of hands, and sometimes the most convenient set are attached to a bloke.

Otherwise, save them for proper emergencies, like those involving drains.   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 02 October, 2013, 07:19:59 pm
Well I have now attached my 19th century house to the 21st century internet/telly.  And there is as much on telly now as there was in 1868 so I'm listening to the radio.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 03 October, 2013, 07:05:19 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 05 September, 2013, 08:24:34 pm
As work's resident repairer of all things electronic and Hi-Fi related, I've just been handed a genuine olde-world Dual CS-505 gramophone to fix.
It must be 20 years since I last fettled a Dual CS-505!

The guy I fixed this for just sent me an iPlayer link, apparently he thanked me on-air on Radio 2!

35:30 in:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03bqms7/Johnnie_Walkers_Sounds_of_the_70s_The_Man_Who_Shot_the_Seventies/

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 03 October, 2013, 09:59:58 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 03 October, 2013, 07:05:19 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 05 September, 2013, 08:24:34 pm
As work's resident repairer of all things electronic and Hi-Fi related, I've just been handed a genuine olde-world Dual CS-505 gramophone to fix.
It must be 20 years since I last fettled a Dual CS-505!

The guy I fixed this for just sent me an iPlayer link, apparently he thanked me on-air on Radio 2!

35:30 in:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03bqms7/Johnnie_Walkers_Sounds_of_the_70s_The_Man_Who_Shot_the_Seventies/

Love it - they played "Show me the way" for you, the Garmin theme song  ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 October, 2013, 11:32:50 pm
That's nice
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 October, 2013, 11:43:21 am
changed the gearing on ss bike from 86 to 69", to reduce the number of hills i'm walking on aaa ride tomorrow :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 October, 2013, 12:37:29 pm
Made some pear chutney, then some apple, damson and blackberry jelly.

Dusted the lounge

Reorganized the garage, you can actually get into it now!

Now I need a snooze!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 04 October, 2013, 12:54:28 pm
Getting the spareparts bike ready to go camping.
Adjusted the front gear mech so I can use the middle ring without chain rub.
Put The wide Schwalbe tyres back on - I thought they were Marathons, but just say 'Spezial' on the sidewalls.
They had to re-adjust the cantelever's to miss the wider tyres :( - Oh how I hate anything to do with those brakes!  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 04 October, 2013, 04:00:12 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 04 October, 2013, 12:54:28 pm
Getting the spareparts bike ready to go camping.


Oh, how lovely!

I fettled my body.  First session with the personal trainer at 0800 today. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 04 October, 2013, 04:12:50 pm
I'm about to fettle the camera so I can take some photos of the yellow bike (see classifieds thread) tomorrow when, hopefully, the sun will be out so I can take said pics outside.

The fettle itself involves making sure the battery is charged and clearing some of the cack off the SD card.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 04 October, 2013, 06:56:20 pm
Done a household budget  :-\

This is the life!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 04 October, 2013, 07:01:26 pm
I showed Valencia the track pump and finish line green. 

She's marginally less squeaky in the chain department now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 04 October, 2013, 08:50:26 pm
Just in from a happy hour spent in the garage cleaning up and overhauling a Campag headset. I have always questioned the wisdom of buying secondhand bearings but this was pretty cheap so I thought I would take a chance and it has cleaned up very nicely although I did have put a few centre punch marks in the lower housing to tighten up the race which dropped out. Anyway it looks lovely and shiny and blingy now and I have put it away for the great Hanlon rebuild; of which more, no doubt, later.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 October, 2013, 01:04:54 pm
This (well, actually last night as the time on the computer shows ...):

(https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559439_10151622387931636_1295151323_n.jpg)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/960154_10151622388306636_922341404_n.jpg)

OrangeGina's just taken a level in badass - all you need to make lights, computers and tri-bars coexist peacefully is some 7/8" basswood dowel, a drill, a couple of HBFO zip-ties and a metric fuck-ton of self-amalgamating tape.

All I need to do now is remove the mudguards, find some 'cross tyres that I get on with ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 October, 2013, 03:37:08 pm
I have attempted a fettle of the shower, it didn't work.

I guess a new cartridge and strainers are needed, I disassembled everything, gave it a good clean, a good staring at*, then put it all back together.  Then I took it all apart again, gave it another good staring at, then put it back together correctly.

*An essential part of the fettling process, I find, is staring out the object you are fettling, just in case it had any ideas about not going back how it should.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 05 October, 2013, 07:06:07 pm
Completely unfettled the Hanlon. All the components packed away neatly in a plastic box ready for polishing up later at the kitchen table on the cold, wet Sunday afternoons to come. Tatty looking F&F now sitting folornly in the maintenance stand awaiting its fate...I just wish I could make a decision about the colour. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 05 October, 2013, 07:28:38 pm
I have begun fettling fboab's Dawes Horizon tandem - prior to next weekend's Warty Shenanigans.

I needed to buy a LOT more degreaser  :facepalm:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 October, 2013, 07:49:30 pm
Just finished the great transmission switcheroo on the two Genesis MTBs. The Fortitude is now running fixed and the High Latitude is now single speed.

By far the biggest faff was swapping the disc rotors over and fiddling with caliper clearances and the like.

There may also have been some cussin' ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 05 October, 2013, 09:23:41 pm
Spent the afternoon chopping out the loosest render and plaster in the stair well. Although by render, I really mean gravel with some sand in it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 06 October, 2013, 10:32:23 am
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/10114725935_b74e090ca0.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/10114725935/)
IMG_0521 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/10114725935/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr

Finished building up a bike for my daughter - now ready for the road, but need to swap cheap sidepulls for some dual pivots.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 06 October, 2013, 11:55:44 am
With the help of a friend and a hacksaw, I managed to get the bolts out of the cleats on my shoes prior to the great pedal switch-over.
That's saved me having to buy a new pair of cycling shoes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 06 October, 2013, 12:30:56 pm
So far...

Sorted a dicky outside light switch and sorted a non working bathroom vanity light.

Removed old cranks and BB from Cotic ready for when new ones turn up next week, next going to cut the steerer to the right length and sort the stack of spacers to something a little less Thorn like ;D

Then the Holdsworth, Ribble and Soma are all   getting a full pre winter once overs ( and maybe even a wash  :thumbsup:)

Busy day , and with the wether like it is I really should be out riding, but I'm in the mood to do serious fettling!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 October, 2013, 01:39:58 pm
I fettled my wallet.  I withdrew my out of date CTC membership card and inserted a current one with a whole six months still to go.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 October, 2013, 01:57:52 pm
Tweaking of the now-a-fixed-gear green Genesis.

Had to do the brake bedding-in thing (again) which was a more-than-adequate substitute for half an hour on the turbo - even better, the riding position doesn't make my arms ache. I also discovered that dragging the brakes for a few hundred yards and then doing the 'let rip and stop sharply' thing a few times speeds up the bedding in process rather a lot.

Still going to put 180mm rotors on, although probably not until after the Tunnels Ride. There may also be some electrickery-related fettling soon as I've just got the email to say that my eWerk is now winging its way from Germany  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 October, 2013, 03:18:40 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 06 October, 2013, 11:55:44 am
With the help of a friend and a hacksaw, I managed to get the bolts out of the cleats on my shoes prior to the great pedal switch-over.
That's saved me having to buy a new pair of cycling shoes.

You know about the copper grease (to stop the threads seizing) and hot-melt glue (to fill the bolt head, so grit can't get in and erode it, but easily popped out whole with a screwdriver) tricks for reducing the stress of future cleat replacement, right?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 October, 2013, 03:23:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 October, 2013, 03:18:40 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 06 October, 2013, 11:55:44 am
With the help of a friend and a hacksaw, I managed to get the bolts out of the cleats on my shoes prior to the great pedal switch-over.
That's saved me having to buy a new pair of cycling shoes.

You know about the copper grease (to stop the threads seizing) and hot-melt glue (to fill the bolt head, so grit can't get in and erode it, but easily popped out whole with a screwdriver) tricks for reducing the stress of future cleat replacement, right?
Hot glue ... is there nothing it can't do?
(I did this with my cleat bolts, which given the sort of off-road mileage I do with the unfriendly surfaces that entails is a Very Good Idea)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 06 October, 2013, 05:37:47 pm
New chain and Chain Ring fitted to the fixie, I dread to think how many miles the chain lasted with one side of the half link no longer attached to the pin.  :o

The chain ring had the dubious position of being the only 3/32nd part of a 1/8th chain drive train and so was well worn when the cog was fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 October, 2013, 06:30:14 pm
Defettled the shower, again, this time as my dad came round to get the parts so he can go and sort out new ones (and fit them) this week, whilst I am in Cambridge.

Aren't dads great?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 06 October, 2013, 06:36:57 pm
Painted the bathroom ceiling
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 06 October, 2013, 06:58:26 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 06 October, 2013, 12:30:56 pm

Busy day , and with the wether like it is I really should be out riding, but I'm in the mood to do serious fettling!

Same here!

I fitted the new BB7s to my Roberts, and fiddled with them until I was not sufficiently dissatisfied with them, then went around town a wee bit to get them bedded in. Might have to go for a hilly ride after work tomorrow to get some big hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 06 October, 2013, 08:34:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 October, 2013, 03:18:40 pm

You know about the copper grease (to stop the threads seizing) and hot-melt glue (to fill the bolt head, so grit can't get in and erode it, but easily popped out whole with a screwdriver) tricks for reducing the stress of future cleat replacement, right?

Yes thanks Kim; I did this originally (after a tip you posted here  :thumbsup:) but the adhesive came out eventually and I didn't replace it.
Guess what will be the first thing I do with my new cleat bolts ?  ;)
Now all I need to do is to find my adhesive gun...........

I did use grease on the previous bolts and that helped a lot.
For the new ones I have some assembly paste to use instead.
The friend who helped me get the cleats off works for Kluber and it's a sample that he gave me.
Kluber also make the oil for Rohloffs but he can't get me any of that (unless I want 200l....).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 06 October, 2013, 08:59:16 pm
Fettled some biscuits anna chicken stew with mashed potatoes. While 'Slow' Coach fettled my new Ikea bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 07 October, 2013, 07:25:40 pm
The final, I hope, part of the new pedals saga.
I couldn't get the EZY widgets off one of the cranks on the Dirty Disco despite soaking it in release oil and repeatedly hitting the spanner with a hammer.
As ever in these circumstances, I made the shame-faced trip to the LBS.
They had a longer spanner but it didn't fit between the crank and the widget's collar so the mechanic ground it down to fit (it took a while...........).

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a picture of the pedal. The other piece screws into the crank and the collar at the bottom is "sprung" and it enables easy (EZY, see what they did there ?) pedal removal.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FbXvmrwVL.jpg)

This video shows the operation:-

http://youtu.be/S1aPm-WqZsQ

I have to confess to being slightly relieved that it took so much effort to get the damn thing off so I didn't get the sad smile and the shake of the head  ;)

They wouldn't take any payment so I supplied copious quantities of biscuits, crisps, fizzy pop and chocolates. And bananas. That covers most food groups I think.

In other news, I've put the hot melt adhesive gun on standby, cleat fettling for the purpose of.

Anyone want to buy 2 pairs of MKS clicky collars ?



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 October, 2013, 09:51:28 pm
I finally got round to attempting to replace some cleats, having decided that Shimano multi-release ones are horrible things. Except one of the bolt holes appears to have shrunk, or become very misshapen. It's not budging. I'm wondering whether that bit contacts the ground more when walking, so it's deformed the hole. Not sure what to do with it, so I'll just use the other shoes (which don't have the nasty multi-release cleats) for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 07 October, 2013, 09:52:52 pm
WD40?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 October, 2013, 10:12:50 pm
Fettled Eclipse on teh Mac so it would cross compile against ARM. And got the demo ChibiOS/RT for the STM32F4 Discovery board to compile. Now to get hold of a board (and the expansion board) and work on an ultrasonic recorder can start.

I'm wanting a bat recorder that can do full frequency recording up to 120+kHz. This is somewhat trivial and non-trivial at the same time. And doing it in raw means silly amounts of data (16 bit * 256 k samples per second = 4Mbit - and doing it without dropouts.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 07 October, 2013, 11:23:52 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 07 October, 2013, 09:51:28 pm
I finally got round to attempting to replace some cleats, having decided that Shimano multi-release ones are horrible things. Except one of the bolt holes appears to have shrunk, or become very misshapen. It's not budging. I'm wondering whether that bit contacts the ground more when walking, so it's deformed the hole. Not sure what to do with it, so I'll just use the other shoes (which don't have the nasty multi-release cleats) for now.

Hacksaw ?
See above........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 October, 2013, 11:48:20 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 07 October, 2013, 09:51:28 pm
I finally got round to attempting to replace some cleats, having decided that Shimano multi-release ones are horrible things. Except one of the bolt holes appears to have shrunk, or become very misshapen. It's not budging. I'm wondering whether that bit contacts the ground more when walking, so it's deformed the hole. Not sure what to do with it, so I'll just use the other shoes (which don't have the nasty multi-release cleats) for now.

Apply Plus Gas or other proper penetrating oil.
Leave it overnight.
Get a nice new, non cheese allen key. Gently (tool lovers look away now) tap it with a hammer to get it past the deformed bits and securely into the hole.
Give it some welly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2013, 12:04:48 am
I've found that hex bits from the socket set are more receptive to Persuasion than allen keys for this purpose.  You can also stack the relevant adaptors and use the BFO Torque Wrench for extra leverage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 08 October, 2013, 03:01:42 am
Do not use a torque wrench for undoing things as it ruins the calibration.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Squarewheels on 08 October, 2013, 04:38:49 pm
Cleaned the drivetrain - will be dirty by Thursday  :demon:.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 October, 2013, 06:24:09 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 07 October, 2013, 11:48:20 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 07 October, 2013, 09:51:28 pm
I finally got round to attempting to replace some cleats, having decided that Shimano multi-release ones are horrible things. Except one of the bolt holes appears to have shrunk, or become very misshapen. It's not budging. I'm wondering whether that bit contacts the ground more when walking, so it's deformed the hole. Not sure what to do with it, so I'll just use the other shoes (which don't have the nasty multi-release cleats) for now.

Apply Plus Gas or other proper penetrating oil.
Leave it overnight.
Get a nice new, non cheese allen key. Gently (tool lovers look away now) tap it with a hammer to get it past the deformed bits and securely into the hole.
Give it some welly.

That's broadly what I intend to do (with the possible extra step of epoxying in a sacrificial allen key if necessary, which has worked for stubborn bolts in the past). I didn't really have a proper go first time around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 08 October, 2013, 09:20:28 pm
I fitted the new cleats to my shoes and put the new pedals on the bike.
I then applied hot melt adhesive to the cleat bolts and took them for a ride.
When I got back, all the hot melt had gone...........
Does anyone else have this issue ?
Do you use primer or some sort of surface prep. before applying the adhesive ?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2013, 09:28:27 pm
Give the glue a couple of hours to set properly before wearing the shoes - it stays tacky for ages.  I don't do any surface prep (though the bolts are usually new), but sometimes it doesn't quite work as well as it should and needs redoing.

You want the glue to be reasonably flush with the face of the bolt - some glue on the face is fine (and will be eroded away as you walk), but try to avoid a dome forming that will help to pull the plug from the bolt head.

Nikki, our resident hot glue expert, will point out that some brands of glue are stronger (and wiffier) than others.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 08 October, 2013, 11:12:07 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 October, 2013, 09:28:27 pm
Nikki, our resident hot glue expert

Heh! I'm no expert, but I did once work with this chap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYV1xsQEkJ4

and since then I've been buying this stuff: http://www.gluesticks.uk.com/21312300-12mm-hot-melt-glue-sticks-1-kg-p-24.html

It's both more adhesive and has a bit more elastic give in it once set than the crappy stuff we used to have at school/artschool, so I find it's less prone to shearing off whatever surface it's been stuck too.

This is all good up until the point when you get it on a) a pair of corduroy trousers or b) you.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2013, 11:14:35 pm
May I add shoelaces (especially of those that you're currently wearing) as another good thing not to get it on?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 08 October, 2013, 11:25:35 pm
My inner elbow still looks like I've been shootin' up after the blob/gravity incident 4 weeks ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 08 October, 2013, 11:53:05 pm
Blimey, the fun you can have with hot melt  ;)
I've just used the sticks that came with the gun.
Perhaps I need to search out some higher spec versions with adhesion promoters in the formulation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 09 October, 2013, 10:45:24 pm
I have just replaced the "O" ring on my Topeak Road Morph pump, and given it a good greasing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 October, 2013, 12:01:55 am
I've heard it's wise to give your ring a good greasing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 October, 2013, 07:32:06 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 08 October, 2013, 11:53:05 pm
Blimey, the fun you can have with hot melt  ;)
I've just used the sticks that came with the gun.
Perhaps I need to search out some higher spec versions with adhesion promoters in the formulation.
I use Hobbycraft's finest 12mm glue sticks - it certainly sticks to Time (brass-ish) cleats like dried shit to a blanket.
Quite good as a potting compound too, as anyone who has seen one of my electronics projects will attest ;)

Anyway, today I have mostly fettled the yellow bike in preparation for shipping to its new owner - there wasn't actually a lot to it outside of removing the saddle and pedals (not part of the deal), cleaning the worst of the cack off the drivetrain and fitting a new chain.

The next step is to get it to the LBS for boxing up/shipping out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 10 October, 2013, 11:37:41 pm
A cleat/hot melt update.

I sprayed some alcohol based squirty cleaner that smells of lavender on the cleats (I didn't have any "proper" solvents at home) and then wiped the bolt hole with a cotton bud.
Then I squeezed a small amount of gel super glue into the holes before applying the hot melt.
I'm aware that this may come back to bite me but the hot melt is still there after two rides and associated walking around.

Should it turn out badly, there's always the hacksaw............

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 11 October, 2013, 01:22:55 pm
Well, having fitted the new shifters (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=76591.msg1573984#msg1573984) to Louis' bike, I knew he'd need new grips (existing one was short, to accommodate the twist grip). I found these (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/federal-contact-flangeless-grips/rp-prod88390). Cue one delighted little boy. £3.99 very well spent.

Of course, Dylan wants some too now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 11 October, 2013, 02:25:24 pm
Well my old collection of cable ties has just come into its own at long last.
First it was the trellis panels that felt the benefit, then it was the light fitting on my Jake's handlebars , then the mop head.
Time for a well deserved bike ride , if it wasn't pouring down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 October, 2013, 06:56:53 pm
Cut to size and fitted replacement bits of guttering on the front of the house for the one's that disappeared while it was stood empty. I can't find the supplier for some of the broken stuff so I've had to glue it back together. Now trying to stop shaking as I hate stretching right off the top of ladders and my ladder was only just long enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 12 October, 2013, 11:08:25 pm
Swapped tyres, tubes and cassette over from old wheels to new, then put them on the bike. Then adjusted the headset a bit to remove some play I'd noticed last time I rode it. All ready for a ride tomorrow, I hope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 12 October, 2013, 11:15:00 pm
Been a busy afternoon
Played roady for Boy Wunja who was running a disco at birthday party.
Worked on the Spare Parts bike, re attaching the rear mudguard (Decided I didn't like the self tapper so drilled and tapped for an allen bolt); changed back to the skinny 28 tyres; and adjusted the brakes.
Mowed the lawns
installed Fedora on a netpad
Phew!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 12 October, 2013, 11:32:19 pm
Phase 2 of the Big Double Compost Bin on the allotment. Turned it from a single bin made from three pallets plus a gate into a double bin made from five pallets, with a gate on one half. Phase 1 is pretty full (it has been even fuller, but has settled), & we're now ready for the time when we want to dig out the nice juicy well-rotted compost from the middle, & need somewhere (Phase 2) to put all the un- & partially broken down vegetation. For the time being, other things can be stored in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 12 October, 2013, 11:59:30 pm
Put the insulation back in the eaves after all the plumbing has been completed. If there is one thing I hate it is the game of three dimensional twister involved in crawling through the eaves where a wrong move can be painful, smelly, expensive or any combination of the above. And all done in a close environment that is very dusty with loads of glassfibre insulation.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 13 October, 2013, 05:23:54 pm
I fitted some Vavert mudguards to AWL Jr's Islabike. I think the task would have been about 50% shorter had I not had freezing cold hands. The guards themselves were a lot cheaper than SKS ones, but appear to be as good. Time will tell if the stays and fittings are stainless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 13 October, 2013, 10:20:12 pm
I cooked a big pork joint and lots of veg.  This should feed me all this week after work.  I also cooked a lamb stew.   This is now in the freezer, to feed me all next week after work.  So I can go playing COR with mcshroom and Simeon next week without having to organise too much.

Also, I fettled transport to take Crusty out for his Sunday dinner.  I also fettled corn on the cob for his tea, and watched a movie with him this evening.

It was really lovely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 14 October, 2013, 01:22:35 pm
I adjusted the level of my saddle to flattish this lunchtime.  This mornings spontaneous bump switch to 30 degrees nose up was not nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 14 October, 2013, 01:45:10 pm
Quote from: Paul on 11 October, 2013, 01:22:55 pm
Of course, Dylan wants some too now.
And now he does.

Balance is restored.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 October, 2013, 07:54:41 pm
A deft application of Pledge Multi Surface Wax floor polish, by hairy stick, to a 1:24 Revell VW T1 "Samba Bus" which had been fettled by my very own hand,  from a collection of sprues into a reasonable representation of the aforementioned vehicle:

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/10275239394_bbc21e4d19_o.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mikedrums on 15 October, 2013, 02:41:50 am
Quote from: BrianI on 14 October, 2013, 07:54:41 pm
A deft application of Pledge Multi Surface Wax floor polish, by hairy stick, to a 1:24 Revell VW T1 "Samba Bus" which had been fettled by my very own hand,  from a collection of sprues into a reasonable representation of the aforementioned vehicle:

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/10275239394_bbc21e4d19_o.jpg)
very nice
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 15 October, 2013, 10:05:13 am
You know when you do something so bodgy, that you're ashamed of it, even though it works. It's just wrong.

I did that this weekend. We've been decorating. Lots of rubbing down, filling, painting, cleaning. Certain parts of the house now look great.

However, the stop taps on the radiator in the en-suite bathroom drip. One side drips a little. One side drips a lot. If you leave it, after a few weeks they stop. Touch the tap though, and the start again.

I finally took a look at them, not wanting them to drip over the nice new floor. They were a weird configuration of tap. Nothing to tighten up, it looks like they're supposed to be sealed by the pressure in the pipe to stop dripping around the bit that turns. This wasn't working though.

So I made sure the taps were in the on position, and then sealed up the dripping bits with self-amalgamating tape. The bodgy bits are covered by the top of the tap bits, so it doesn't look bodgy, but I know it is. Plus, you can't move the taps any more (not that we want to really).

But it works. At least until we get somebody in to drain down the system and change them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 15 October, 2013, 10:37:24 am
Gued my sunglasses back together after standing on them this morning :-[

Thankfully they snapped on a bit that doesn't normally get much stress and won't rub on my face so superglue was adequate for reconnection.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 15 October, 2013, 10:50:17 am
Quote from: Ruthie on 13 October, 2013, 10:20:12 pm
I cooked a big pork joint and lots of veg.  This should feed me all this week after work.  I also cooked a lamb stew.   This is now in the freezer, to feed me all next week after work.  So I can go playing COR with mcshroom and Simeon next week without having to organise too much.

Also, I fettled transport to take Crusty out for his Sunday dinner.  I also fettled corn on the cob for his tea, and watched a movie with him this evening.

It was really lovely.

That all sounds good, Ruthie!  I'd really like to be able to come to Simeon's ride (it's not too far to ride from home) but we have our annual kids' Christmas shows all day on the Sunday, so there'll be too much to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 October, 2013, 10:57:22 am
It does sound positive.  Glad you're rediscovering your happiness, Ruthie. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 16 October, 2013, 08:28:57 am
Fitted a new chainset, shifters, chain, cassette, new cable outers and inners, re-wrapped the bars and fitted new tyres.

My parts bin has had a hammering!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 October, 2013, 09:58:32 am
In no particular order:

Went to the LBS and helped them box up the yellow bike prior to shipping to its new owner - not much disassembly required since we used a Koga bike box, which tend to be freaking enormous, and there was more than enough space to put the 'spare' wheel in too. This means that all that's required at the other end is to put the front wheel in and put some wind in the front tyre  :thumbsup:

(Re)fitted the mudguards to the 1x1 with the aid of lovingly hand-cut aluminium spacers rather than the ugly assemblage of nylok bolts and so forth - it was far less faff than I remember, especially as I didn't need to remove the rear wheel to put the rear 'guard on (although I did take time to do some deslackification on the chain)

Some minor fettling on the Fortitude in preparation for the Tunnels Ride - mainly sorting out cable runs and such for the eWerk and the lights, de-skogging the drivetrain, clearing some of the clutter off the handlebars so I can fit the tri-bars (when they arrive) and putting another wrap of tape on the curvy bit of the Mary bars. Will be fitting the new tyres (WTB Nano Race) when they turn up.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 October, 2013, 07:08:55 pm
Today I have fettled new bottle cages to my no longer so new bike. Tomorrow I shall, hopefully, be fettling cake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 October, 2013, 11:42:00 am
Another cockpit-related bodgefettle, this time on the green bike:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1374907_10151648742981636_431040792_n.jpg)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1381475_10151648743086636_350182670_n.jpg)

7/8" basswood dowel and amalgamating tape FTW - we'll see how well it performs on the Tunnels Ride next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 22 October, 2013, 06:55:35 pm
I have done battle with the paperwork mountain today.  And I have emerged triumphant. 

 :smug: :smug: :smug:

Abandon hope, all ye pizza/kebab flyers that enter here.  You shall not pass.

Oh, also, I cleaned the worst of Sunday's sheep poo out of the transmission on the MTB then sprayed most of it with wd40 before bravely facing the spiders in the old privy and hanging the bike up for storage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 22 October, 2013, 09:17:59 pm
Tomorrow is fettling day. The Longstaff has a long list of "issues" to be sorted before we strap it to the roof of the car for the long drive North for half-term, and...

my car has an exhaust problem that needs attention if we're to be able to hold a conversation without yelling, and...

thankfully I've sorted the tyre problem on the car which was making for some wayward steering, which is more than can be said for the bicycle inner tube supply thanks to three punctures in 1km on Sunday and...

my washing basket is overflowing with rank cycle kit, and meanwhile...

I'm wondering if I can get the car valeted before the weekend as it's even more rank than the washing basket, and...

I need to get GPX files, tandem kit (That Bloody Ikea Bag) and stuff ready for the weekend. Thank f*ck for four-day weeks.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 October, 2013, 09:20:31 pm
I just fettled two decent MTB tyres onto the new Bantu to replace the lead-weighted CST things that it came with. I have never needed to use as much tyre leverage on MTB tyres as those stupid things took to remove. Also realigned the brakes so that they didn't rub, which the helpful mechanics at Halfords obviously couldn't be arsed to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 October, 2013, 02:53:49 pm
An electroscope, powered by a vinyl 7" of the Frog Chorus with Paul Macartney and Rueprt the Bear (this may well have been lost on the students). A lemon powered LED. And a salt water leyden jar, which despite me being rather damp managed to produce a charge at the appropriate time.

Don't know how much understanding I managed to fettle into the students, they did get read the riot act about being responsible for their own learnign  and making sure they understood waht was in the lectures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2013, 02:57:27 pm
You can always threaten to play them the Frog Chorus if they don't....   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 October, 2013, 03:00:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2013, 02:57:27 pm
You can always threaten to play them the Frog Chorus if they don't....   ;D
Would the Geneva Conventions apply in situations such as this?
I believe they're quite specific with regards to cruel and unusual punishments.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 October, 2013, 01:38:45 pm
A few minutes ago I came back from a short test ride on my new wheels. Jockey wheels, that is! Still needs a bit of tuning but the shifting is far better - like, it does actually shift! I'm beginning to suspect there might also be a slightly bent mech cage to deal with, which presumably will require a new derailleur, so rendering the new jockey wheels surplus  :( - but it might also be an idea to replace the Grip Shift with something more mechanically accurate and ergonomically friendly!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 24 October, 2013, 02:54:48 pm
Did a bit of percussive maintenance on £7k worth of monitoring equipment.

Apparently this is frowned upon in my new workplace.

It did work though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 October, 2013, 02:55:41 pm
2lb, 4lb or sledge, Ruthie?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 24 October, 2013, 02:59:59 pm
She hit it with a nurse  :D


I sewed the light loop back on my carradice. Didn't catch the second layer of fabric either.

My life, that cotton duck is tough. Every single stitch was hard work and I thought I'd snap the (curved) needle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 October, 2013, 03:06:07 pm
A bijou tweakette to the lighting setup on the green bike, to whit:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1377191_10151657446671636_2080999490_n.jpg)

Can't see me? Shoulda gone to SpecSavers ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 24 October, 2013, 04:40:34 pm
Fettled my work email folder from 900mb to less than 100mb. All deleted or refiled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 October, 2013, 03:04:11 pm
Disassembled the green fixie

Took the Freddie Grubb apart, to take it to the LBS so they can remove the fixed cup from the BB.

Cleaned 6 months of gunk from the jockey wheels on the Inbred

Tidied the workbench

Checked the grease levels in a pair of hubs that arrived today.

All in all a good day!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 October, 2013, 06:59:17 pm
I've spent a lot of time playing musical cranks, bottom brackets and the like in order to fit one of these (http://king-meter.com/products.php?action=detail&id=41) to barakta's trike.  Even after filing down the chainring guard to make room for the sensor bracket, there wasn't actually enough space for the magnet ring.  I tried a couple of longer bottom brackets I had in the spares box (when did I become enough of a bike mechanic to have a spares box with an assortment of BB sizes in it?), which solved the problem, but scuppered the shifting.

Eventually resorted to removing the sensor from its bracket, and mounting it upside-down (it's directional) on the non-drive-side of the BB shell with the aid of a large hose clamp and lashings and lashings of self-amalgamating tape.  This seems to work a lot better (and neater looking) than I thought it would.  I wired everything up, and confirmed that I hadn't cocked up the polarity while working out how to flip it over.

Then I fitted a Marathon Plus to the new trike wheel (mild swearing, but no VAR lever required), and knobbly cross tyres to my hybrid for the tunnel ride tomorrow.

My hands are now sore and smell of grease and rubber.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 October, 2013, 08:04:19 pm
winterised my ss bike: swapped michelin pro3race 23mm tyres for spesh roubaix 25mm ones, attached crudracer2 mudguards - what a faff! at least it's good until spring now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 26 October, 2013, 08:54:15 pm
Light brackets refitted to cdf and thorough clean/oil

Spiked tyres, new gear cable, seat and seatpost fitted to Mercian. Cleaned off and winced at rust.  Ice bike ready to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 October, 2013, 04:39:49 pm
Jibbled about with torque arm mountings and disc brake rotor, and now have a mains-powered electric-assist turbo trainer wasting energy in a hilariously non-linear way.   :thumbsup:

#ProjectElectrify
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 27 October, 2013, 05:18:56 pm
Replaced broken Tamiya connector on my PedalPower SIC so I can again charge the cache battery on the move if I want to.
Then noticed the dowel on the Barley was broken in two.  HTF did that happen?  Sure it was OK last time out.  Rootle in the garage found a piece of same diameter, so fix rapidly effected
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 27 October, 2013, 05:22:54 pm
Demolished (so technically un-fettled?) the rotten wood store and took the wreckage to the tip.  With hindsight I'd probably have been better to have left it and let the mother of all storms carry it off to Oz, or just out of sight :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 27 October, 2013, 07:59:06 pm
Cleaned my bike; lubed the chain; slightly un-wonked the front mud guard; tweaked the front brake; and glued some neoprene on a lunch box.

Now pretty much ready for next weekend's Whitby ride...


Also had my first sugru experience with, as it happens, a run of bike-related fettles. Hope they work!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 October, 2013, 08:24:38 pm
A radiator and a washing machine. Also persuaded the rear wheel on my singlespeed straight now I've found the 3mm hex-key for the chain tugs. fitting an 18t rear is probably a bit too high tension really but I'll give it a go tomorrow before surrendering and swapping the chain for a longer one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 28 October, 2013, 05:16:25 pm
'Working from home' today due general breeziness and lack of trains. In between fielding emails by Blackberry I changed the tyres on the Royal, putting M+ back on for the winter and built up the front wheel for the Mercian - 28 hole Royce hub, Sapim double butted spokes and Halo Retro rim. Fitted with a 23mm Vittoria Rubino and Halo Retro skewer it looks smashing. I'll get the rear built over the weekend but I'm not in any hurry as the Mercian is meant to be my 2014 project...I've had a lovely day and as I have only had one day off in the last three weeks I don't feel too guilty!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 October, 2013, 08:05:34 pm
Changed the bars on my hybrid. Gave myself blisters getting the grips off, decided they're not worth reusing anyway. Noticed I'll need longer gear cable with these bars - it's probably just about ridable as it is, but only just. Checked that I've got spares and decided to do that tomorrow, when I'll get new grips as well.  :thumbsup: to Mrs Cudzo for not objecting while I filled up the kitchen with fettledom - no shed and it's dark, cold and wet outside - but then I had cooked her favourite soup!

Second thoughts: Maybe I'll put off changing the cables till I've got the trigger shifters I'm intending to fit to replace the grip shift. Or maybe I'll stick with the twisters and spend that money on new pedals, ooh decisions...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 29 October, 2013, 08:57:56 pm
This evening, Mercian rear wheel laced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 October, 2013, 05:39:10 pm
More work on Project Electrify:

Made a start on anti-vibration mounting the battery.

A bit of heavy-duty soldering with my iron turned up to 11 to install the battery output fuse and do a temporary lash-up of the motor power connector.  I've now had the motor running from (and regenerating into) the battery, which confuses it a lot less than the bench supply.  Good to see it actually works.

Tidied up the crank sensor wiring to run alongside the dynamo power and gear cables.

Removed the motor-wheel and re-installed the normal one, adjusted boom for my leg length, lubricated the chain, checked gear indexing and so on to make the trike ready for the Whitby ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 October, 2013, 08:59:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 October, 2013, 05:39:10 pm
More work on Project Electrify:

Made a start on anti-vibration mounting the battery.


Oo-err! nudge nudge! wink wink!   ;)

My fettling for this evening resulted in me wondering who's bright idea it was to decide to fettle wee 1/25th scale ignition leads complete with 1/25th scale spark plug boots for extra detail for a 1/25th scale plastic kit engine.....   :o

So far made the ignition leads out of 0.5mm brass wire, and wee rubber spark plug boots wee 4mm doubries off insulation stripped from the innards of an ex p/s2 keyboard extender cable....  Life times worth of scale ignition leads out of that!
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2861/10580784403_e8fdf2694d_o.jpg)

Still to black sharpie the brass wire, then carefully drill holes in the 1/25th scale engine block to fit the afore fettled ignition leads.  Should look better than the stock plastic mouldings:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5483/10580504625_fb5eda2d60_o.jpg)

Do I win a badge for the wee-est fettling for today?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 30 October, 2013, 09:19:49 pm
Loft insulation, part 1.

What was there was a bit haphazard.  Now sorted into a six inch even spread.

Part 2 is eight more inches to be applied asap.

Lofts can be unpleasant places.   Didn't we used to call them attics?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 October, 2013, 09:33:07 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 30 October, 2013, 08:59:00 pm
Do I win a badge for the wee-est fettling for today?
'Fraid not - I was fiddling with my model trains earlier (1:76 scale) although I don't have pictures to back it up ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 October, 2013, 07:30:57 am
Brommie work. The new B levers and cables for HK- quite nice but definitely new pads needed all round. Tightened pedal screws and bell bolt for me, along with chain lube. I'll need to fit the new bushes shortly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 31 October, 2013, 09:06:22 am
(yesterday)
This:
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/20131030_105315.jpg)
3 times.

I'm assuming it was using a multi-tool and not being able to get much leverage on it that stopped me from getting it tight enough to actually stay level rather than at that particular angle (which felt like it was causing me permanent damage). State of the roads can't have helped, mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 31 October, 2013, 09:02:57 pm
I finally got round to fettling the bike rack we bought for the study from bike dock solutions several months ago. It was fortunate that it's lack of instructions didn't cause me a problem with the assemblage. It's now much easier to extract any of the 5 bikes in there without having to move others, and there's more floor space to get at my other teetering piles of crap in there  ;D

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7389/10597656164_8a636faca9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/10597656164/)
study bike rack (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/10597656164/) by Lara Feline (http://www.flickr.com/people/felinelara/), on Flickr

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/10597648946_44ea20cc97.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/10597648946/)
5 bikes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/10597648946/) by Lara Feline (http://www.flickr.com/people/felinelara/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 November, 2013, 11:02:07 pm
HK has managed to just about simultaneously wear out the rear Nexave hub, rear Pasela 28C tyre, 9sp chain and 14-25t cassette on her Condor cyclocross commuter. The rim was just about at minimum wall thickness too.

Justification enough to refit the original Deore XT/ Open Pro rear wheel (half-worn but recently regreased) with a new 28C tyre, cassette and chain. At the same time, I took the opportunity to file a rear dropout to mostly correct a wheel misalignment the frame displayed from new, adjusted both XT V-brakes and topped off both Paselas. All ready for tomorrow's Upper Thames 200.

Given the wonderful weather, I must get around to sorting out mudflaps for my Frezoni, perhaps Sunday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 01 November, 2013, 11:20:41 pm
After a year or more of constant use with pretty much zero maintenance, my Brompton has undergone a deep clean, including a dismantling of the SRAM 3-speed hub and removal of gack from the internal workings. Those buggers really are not very well sealed against the elements, are they? I've packed it with plenty of fresh grease, which will hopefully act as a barrier against water ingress. In fact, I suspect it's more likely to have turned to a nasty abrasive gunk before the winter is through.

Also: new brake levers, cables and blocks fitted. Crikey. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to be able to stop when and where you want.  ;D

And I must say, the new-style aluminium brake levers (http://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brakes/848-brompton-brake-lever-set-aluminium-pair-5053099029402.html) are a huge improvement on the cheap and nasty old ones.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 November, 2013, 11:55:11 pm
The SRAM 3sp hub is much more exposed to contamination than the SA equivalent. Gordon Gekko almost got it right, "Grease is good!"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 02 November, 2013, 01:08:51 pm
Don't bikes rattle to pieces a bit while you aren't looking?

Had a quick shuftie at the current main commuter and ended up swapping chain & cassette (narrowly avoiding fixing the chain threaded on the wrong side of the derailleur cage) , trimming front bearing, changed front disc (planned - killing that darn mouse in the process), pads front and rear.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 02 November, 2013, 05:43:03 pm
Went to the tip twice, filling the teeny tiny car up with damp cardboard, and dumping it in the massive skips, whilst getting rained on.  I rather enjoyed it.

Changed the loose covers on the sofa so as to get the mucky cream ones cleaned. 

Broke all my nails and skinned all my knuckles in the process.

Most satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 02 November, 2013, 08:34:27 pm
Spent approx 7 hrs working on removing a seized car ball joint pinch bolt which hadn't been touched since the car was assembled 14 years ago.  2 blow torches, plus gas, drill bits, drifts a hammer & an angle grinder with a cutting disc, & one of the 2 ball joints is out, the bolt is partially removed and the remainder of the bolt has moved a little.  Hurrah! Loss of light delayed play so it's soaked in plus gas for round 2 tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 03 November, 2013, 06:09:40 pm
Rear wheel for the Mercian completed, so I now have a rolling chassis. 99p Ebay ITM bars cleaned up along with with period 80mm SR stem that should make a more appropriate alternative to the GB randoneur bars temporarily fitted. Looks pretty good to me. I now need to sort out some cranks; I had originally though to us a NOS Campag GS set but I am currently thinking along the lines of Suntour Superbe Pro and I think that I may have something lined up.

I know that I have all of the transmission parts to fit yet but it does feel really very light, Superlight in fact.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 November, 2013, 08:29:11 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 30 October, 2013, 09:19:49 pm
Loft insulation, part 1.

What was there was a bit haphazard.  Now sorted into a six inch even spread.

Part 2 is eight more inches to be applied asap.

Lofts can be unpleasant places.   Didn't we used to call them attics?

Part 2 complete.

Part 3 involves a suspended floor and a further 10, yes 10 inches of insulation. 

Today was messy and difficult laying the mid layer across the base layer.   Getting coverage sorted right down by the eaves with very limited space is quite a challenge.    Very rewarding though.   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 November, 2013, 06:43:36 pm
As a prerequisite for Project Electrify, I fitted new, larger, chainrings to the trike.  This involved some front dérailleur adjustment, which I somehow managed to achieve without too much swearing.  In the process I discovered that the chain was - to use the technical term - knackered.  So off it came, and after cleaning out the chain tubes, on went the stash of PC971s from the spares box.  I then spent a while mucking about with the rear disc brake, which required a little adjustment to account for the rotor being about 1mm off from where it was with the original hub.  Unfortunately, it isn't a BB7, which made this extra-tedious, as the stationary pad adjustment screw had a hub motor in the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 04 November, 2013, 07:08:05 pm
I've commenced the oil change in my Rohloff.
I've removed the plug and attached the pipe to drain it.
I'm planning on leaving it overnight and putting the flushing oil in tomorrow evening prior to riding it a short distance.
I should be finished by weekend.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 November, 2013, 09:34:04 pm
Replaced the chain and cassette on my Moulton.

Still need to fit mudguards to the Moulton, fettle the mudguard light on my fixed and to fit new brake pads on HK's Brompton. Lots of opportunities to get dirty hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 05 November, 2013, 09:38:25 pm
At some point at the weekend the broken lightbulb in the hall got replaced with one of the shiny new LED ones that was lurking on the table.  A week ago I went out to work and came back to find that Valencia's chain had become clean while I was out.  I appear to have fettling fairies in the Den...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 November, 2013, 12:10:27 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 05 November, 2013, 09:38:25 pm
At some point at the weekend the broken lightbulb in the hall got replaced with one of the shiny new LED ones that was lurking on the table.  A week ago I went out to work and came back to find that Valencia's chain had become clean while I was out.  I appear to have fettling fairies in the Den...

And it's bloody hard work flapping your fairy wings hard enough to reach that high, I can tell you.   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 November, 2013, 10:01:35 am
Bit of a fettle fail last night. I tried to switch the (too tight and bit worn) chain on the singlespeed, but I couldn't get a sensible combination with the 18t freewheel. Either the chain was too long or too tight and there wasn't enough adjustment to tension the chain right - so I've switched to the 17t again which fits but gives a higher gear than I would like.

Also the connex chain I fitted was too wide for the singlespeed quick links I had, so I've forced an old connex plate onto the prongs of the clarks connector which seems to be perfectly strong enough, so I suppose I had one success.

Hmm, anyone any experience of half-link chains? :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 November, 2013, 10:11:03 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 06 November, 2013, 10:01:35 am
Hmm, anyone any experience of half-link chains? :-\
http://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/22601/Gusset_Slink_HalfLink_Chain_Links_CHGUSHL3?gclid=CKb6nN31z7oCFUrJtAodgzEAPg

Cheaper than a full half-link chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 November, 2013, 10:32:54 am
One half link is OK.  A full half link chain is a bad idea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 November, 2013, 08:31:09 pm
Not today but Monday. Dug the beeswax out of my stem, tightened the bolt and replaced the wax with a cork. Yes, that was wax, genuine beeswax - which feels quite different from ordinary candle wax - in bike fettling. I'd put it in there when I lost the little plastic cap that fills the hole on top of my ugly hybrid stem some eight or nine years ago. Having dug the wax out to tighten the bolt, it didn't want to go back in - it was no longer one piece but friable, indeed fried friablised friated(?) - well, it was in little, rather dry pieces - so having tried bar ends (too small diameter) I found a cork from some old wine bottle (red, the stains show, and as we know, red wine is not an alcoholic drink but a health product) that fitted perfectly. And today it got tested in rain. Works on the cotton duck principle.

Tuesday: Sealed the draughty duct in the kitchen for winter. Or was that also on Monday? Anyway it's much more pleasant without the foot-level winds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 November, 2013, 08:56:09 pm
The fiddly bits of Project Electrify:  I've mounted the BMS in a proper enclosure, with an acrylic window for the cell balance blinkenlights, and made most of the holes in the enclosure that's going to contain the rest of the electronics (Watt meter and DC:DC converters for the lighting etc).  Also cut a trace and added a connector on the BMS to allow a remote low-current switch to shut down the battery via the BMS MOSFETs, rather than having a BFO isolator switch or circuit breaker on the main buss (there's still a fuse in case it all goes pear shaped).

This involved far too much careful melting of ABS using the sacrificial soldering iron (prior experience suggests that in the absence of CNC goodness, this is the best way to make awkward shaped holes in plastics).  I think barakta may be suffering from the fumes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 November, 2013, 10:00:45 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 05 November, 2013, 09:38:25 pm
At some point at the weekend the broken lightbulb in the hall got replaced with one of the shiny new LED ones that was lurking on the table.  A week ago I went out to work and came back to find that Valencia's chain had become clean while I was out.  I appear to have fettling fairies in the Den...

Can I borrow said fairies?

Fettled myself out of bed.  Washed head, and made coffee and porridge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 06 November, 2013, 10:28:41 pm
I won't know for sure until the A.M. but, I think I may have fettled a recalcitrant Exposure Joystick microswitch into some semblance of cooperation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 November, 2013, 11:37:10 pm
Mended a fiend's dish washer, FSVO mended. All I did was close one of the wee clips that hold the top rack on its rails. She knew nothing of wee clips and had thought it had been b0rked for ages.  She now thinks that I am a fettling god.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 06 November, 2013, 11:53:29 pm
I never realised that demons had time to do the washing up, FSVO demons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 November, 2013, 11:05:25 am
Does fettling computers count?  Or should that be wasting time as they aren't working still.

Fettling, more like avoiding what I should be doing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 07 November, 2013, 01:06:31 pm
Quote from: fuzzy on 06 November, 2013, 10:28:41 pm
I won't know for sure until the A.M. but, I think I may have fettled a recalcitrant Exposure Joystick microswitch into some semblance of cooperation.

It worked :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 November, 2013, 02:36:38 pm
Suspect I may have broken the replacemnt motherboard.  FFS grrrrr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 November, 2013, 04:13:10 pm
Moved to fettle another computer...well, assemble with another motherboard and power supply and even that doesn't work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 09 November, 2013, 09:23:50 am
Replaced the perished hose on the AirZound. Scared the dog by testing it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 November, 2013, 09:01:43 pm
Setup a networked printer to provide printing to all networked devices in the house, and scanning for laptops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 November, 2013, 09:04:35 pm
Cable ties, mostly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 09 November, 2013, 09:51:57 pm
I finished the Rohloff oil change.
SJS (I think) recommend going for a cup of tea while the oil drains.
I went "Large" on that and left both "drains" overnight, if not longer.
I also sneaked in 5 miles of riding while the "flushing" oil was in there.

The Rohloff has now done 5300 miles, 200 fewer than the Dirty Disco.
I've had the Rohloff a lot longer

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 09 November, 2013, 10:46:21 pm
I fettled my pond filters, complete drain down and flush to check nothing manky in any nooks and crannies to go rotten over winter. God, my hands got cold working in the water. Makes me want to consider heating the pond, but can't afford a heat pump to do it efficiently right now  :(
My fish are looking miserable at the moment, they know winter is upon them  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 November, 2013, 07:44:37 pm
The bike fettling job I really really hate. I fitted the mudguards to the inbred.

Also tidyed the garage a smidgen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 November, 2013, 08:43:45 pm
Replaced the rusty grease nipple on my Moulton with a SS nipple, filled the grease gun with moly grease and filled the suspension pivot. Replaced the pads on HK's Brompton but further brake pivot adjustments required after dinner.

Put most of the bike tools in the new big tool box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 10 November, 2013, 09:40:19 pm
Fixed the toilet flush pipe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 11 November, 2013, 08:53:21 am
Fettled a home brewing kit over the weekend, enhancing it with some extra malt and a generous dose of Fuggles, with a further dose of Goldings to add later. I was beginning to worry that it had failed to start but had another look at it this morning and there's a good 10cm of foaming yeasty head on it. All being well, I should end up with five gallons of ~5% ABV Hoppy Bastard Ale hitting peak condition just in time to see me through the seasonal festivities. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 November, 2013, 01:22:05 pm
Replaced rear brake pads on the trecker. V-brakes are powerful but setting them up is fiddly, fortunately I've now got cartridge holders on there so won't have to do it again. I hope. Also washed the wheels as they were really filthy!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 November, 2013, 02:11:30 pm
A chain  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 November, 2013, 10:03:26 pm
Installed replacement magic smoke in the battery control gubbins for the electrified baraktacycle.  Added an extra crowbar circuit and a smaller dedicated fuse on the input to the DC:DC converter for good measure.  While I was doing this, some M3 screws appeared, and I was able to secure the sockets properly in their panels.

Quadruple-checked everything with a multimeter[1], connected to the trike's wiring loom, sacrificed some chickens and powered it up.  Nothing went bang.  The bike lights lit up.  The power meter started metering power.  And the console indicated that the motor was present and reporting battery voltage.

Spurred by success, I did some more tedious mechanical fettling with a view to the electrickery not bouncing out of the enclosure into the path of a taxi on the first pothole.

Returned it to the trike, powered up, and with barakta turning the cranks and me doing the human workstand impression, confirmed that the motor was motoring, without any nasty fusy badness.  Left it switched on with the lights running for a few hours to check that nothing got overly hot.  Recharged the battery, confirming that works as it should.

Tomorrow the road...


[1] Noting that the Falco motor connects the negative buss to the axle internally, which is suboptimal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 12 November, 2013, 10:49:15 pm
Replaced a 3a fuse.  Rather mundane when compared to Kim's fett-lectrikkin'.  :-\   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 November, 2013, 10:54:53 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 12 November, 2013, 10:49:15 pm
Replaced a 3a fuse.  Rather mundane when compared to Kim's fett-lectrikkin'.  :-\   :D

To be fair, I blew three 1A fuses while testing the crowbar, so it's not that far off...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 November, 2013, 12:36:14 pm
Spent the morning in the kitchen replacing Grip Shift with Shimano trigger shifters. Seems to work ok pending imminent test ride but I get the feeling the front mech needs raising a tad on the tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 13 November, 2013, 12:41:44 pm
Last night finished installing side pull calipers on the Spare Parts Bike. Finished off with new bar tape sourced from LBS - didn't reach all the way to the ferrel  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 13 November, 2013, 04:26:05 pm
Sprayed my new pugsley frame with dinitrol 1000, so it won't disappear when it get filled with mud and saltwater
in the next 5 months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 November, 2013, 06:49:41 pm
one of those extended sessions today. the hybrid/winter bike started emitting rumbling noise from the rear wheel area last couple of months, so it could either be bearings/cups/cones or freehub body. finally got around to looking at it. the hub is deore m525 and i had another new hub (from interzen a while ago :thumbsup:) in my spares box if i needed to scavenge any parts. the freehub seemed ok, so took the hub apart to find the drive side cone pitted badly. other surfaces and all bearings looked fine and smooth. took apart the spare hub to get the cone off - errrm... it's different shape! well the hub model is deore m525a which as i found had different freehub body, cones, spacers, seals. a challenge?
options: 1) rebuild the wheel on the new hub 2) find a matching drive-side cone somewhere else 3) see if i can bodge anything from the bits i have in front of me. only how do i unscrew the freehub body from unlaced hub? pipe-wrench ftw! i then installed the new freehub body with new matching drive side cone and seals, new axle and bearings, but left the old cone and seal assembly on the nds; the oln turned out to be correct. cleaned the cassette while i was at it. put everything together, adjusted, checked indexing - all hunky dory. (it took me best part of three hours - so it better be!)

sorted! :thumbsup:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 November, 2013, 08:26:19 pm
Fettled some mudguards and a rack to the BSO hack. I even lubed the chain, which I think is against BSO rules.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 14 November, 2013, 10:56:17 am
I've just fettled my cycling shoes with warm water and bleach (a cap-full) followed by a rinse in cold water.
They're currently hanging on the line.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 14 November, 2013, 01:11:19 pm
Damage from a pannier strap vs dérailleur incident repaired: RD, chain and a new cable to the total of 45 quid :(. 

Now tied a knot in the loose strap.   ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 14 November, 2013, 01:22:58 pm
Fitted the Cyo and dynohub wheel to the singlespeed, commuting for the use of. Surprisingly the 32mm tyre fitted between the brakes and under the guards - after I'd trimmed all the injection stems off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: kombokim on 14 November, 2013, 06:22:35 pm
The wife's laptop has stopped working so I'm down for fixing that tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 16 November, 2013, 05:11:59 pm
Not today, yesterday. Move parts from old 22" Pugsley to new 18" Pugsley frame.
Men : 2
Time : 11 hours

Fatbike are still bloody unika bikes where everything changes with every new years model.

The mood was like this :
 ;D :D :) ??? :o :( >:( :-X :) :D ;D :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 16 November, 2013, 09:55:04 pm
Getting the commuting bike ready for winter, and giving it a long overdue servicing.

It started with a clean. Nice clean frame, clean chain, take wheels off ready to put winter tyres on.

Then found that the axle in the back wheel was really difficult to turn, so whip the freewheel off and fettle the hub inards. Found out that I didn't really need to take it apart and re-grease it. It was just done up too tight. Oh well, some nice fresh grease in it now, and it turns. Fitted the winter tyre to that, and added more spoke reflectors. Then same for the front wheel. Could hardly turn that by hand. Slackened off the nuts, and it went a lot easier. Winter tyre on that as well, and some new brake blocks.

Then put everything back on and oil it. Then cover it in some reflective tape I'd got.

It's quite bright now if you shine a light at it.

Just waiting to fit a bottle dynamo to it now. I think I've ordered the wrong bracket for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 November, 2013, 08:49:51 pm
Nothing. Poxy drill has decided not to work.

(adds poxy drill to list of stuff that needs fettling)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 17 November, 2013, 08:59:08 pm
Finally got round to fixing Mlle PB''s front tourer slow puncture acquired on the Tunnels Ride.    That tube looks like a patchwork quilt so a new one was deployed and all is well again.   Cleaned my tourer, also muddied and neglected after teh Tunnels ride    :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 17 November, 2013, 09:34:38 pm
what a brown bear  :o :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 November, 2013, 11:19:21 pm
Put a proper operating system (read: Debian) on the EeePC 901 and jibbled about with Arduinos a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 18 November, 2013, 07:22:01 pm
Fixed, temporarily at least, the most frequently used buttons on the kitchen telly's remote control. Huzzay for the 2B pencil.  Must hie me to Maplins for some conductive paint in the near future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 November, 2013, 08:34:37 pm
Fitted a magnetic catch to The Man Drawer, in the hope that I won't keep bashing my knee on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 18 November, 2013, 11:53:24 pm
I succombed to the ice warnings and fitte the snow studs. The front tyre took three goes (1st tube split at valve, then the 2nd tube* split ???).

Tomorrow will be noisy, slow and probably ice-free now I've gone that ::-)



*different manufacturer so not a bad batch
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PeteB99 on 19 November, 2013, 01:13:57 pm
Replaced the immersion heater element.

Not a good time to be without hot water.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 November, 2013, 11:31:23 pm
Tightened up the Solidlights on HK's Scottie, so it points in the direction intended. Also replaced a ziptie on the same bike with a hose adaptor. A much nicer way of securing a continuous gear cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 20 November, 2013, 04:35:10 pm
As an experiment, I've just put my Philips dyno-light onto the tourer.
Initially I thought that I'd take the Supernova E3 off that bike but I've decided on a further experiment: I've wired both of them to the hub.
A quick spin of the wheel lights them both up.
I'll do a longer test when I go to the pub later tonight.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 20 November, 2013, 05:32:15 pm
Prepared my wife's Spesh Dolce for winter, with Durano Plus/Slime tubes, Raceblade Longs, new brakepads and bar tape.

Looks ace!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 20 November, 2013, 11:42:48 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 20 November, 2013, 04:35:10 pm
As an experiment, I've just put my Philips dyno-light onto the tourer.
Initially I thought that I'd take the Supernova E3 off that bike but I've decided on a further experiment: I've wired both of them to the hub.
A quick spin of the wheel lights them both up.
I'll do a longer test when I go to the pub later tonight.

That's worked well; both lights seem to get up to full power at relatively low speeds.
I need to mount the Philips light further out from the fork crown so that it doesn't get tangled up in the cables for the Rohloff.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 November, 2013, 11:50:51 pm
Series or parallel wiring?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 21 November, 2013, 12:31:49 am
Parallel.
I think.
They're both connected directly to the dyno.

Interestingly (or not) E3's stand light doesn't stay on as long as it did before.
The Philip's standlight is very effective and lasts a lot longer.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 November, 2013, 11:45:26 pm
Dismantled my sadly discontinued Logitech MX610 mouse (lefty edition) to investigate the microswitches with a view to doing something about the contact bounce on the left right primary mouseclick button.

It didn't respond to lashings and lashings of IPA, so I unsoldered and swapped the left and right switches.  Pleasingly, feeding the part number of the microswitch into google revealed that it's a reasonably common part for which spares are available, so I ordered a bag of them.  Also new PTFE feet, as the old ones never quite stick back properly after you've removed them to get at the screws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 22 November, 2013, 10:43:53 am
Replaced the internals of my rear Ergoshifter. The ratchet had worn, as you can see in the picture below, which meant that an upshift would send the chain straight o the smallest sprocket on the cassette. I've had the shifters about 3 years and this is the second time this has happened - as you can see, the ratchet is made of plastic so it will wear. These are 2011 Veloce shifters so they use the Power Shift mechanism, which unfortunately is supposedly not user serviceable so I couldn't just get a new ratchet wheel, I had to buy a whole new set of internals for £40. Not impressed.Fortunately, I managed to get a set of 10 speed Ultra Shift Centaur ergos for my best bike a free months ago, so I won't have to choose between 11 speed and Power Shift for the foreseeable future.

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2863/10949673395_056fa543de_z.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 22 November, 2013, 09:25:59 pm
^^ i bet Tullio is spinning in his grave with this kind of "engineering" coming from the company bearing his own name ;D.
good work mr B.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 November, 2013, 11:13:58 pm
I suppose that 3D printers will mean that if people are going to insist on making critical pingfuckits out of cheese, we will at least be able to molish new ones.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 November, 2013, 12:49:39 pm
Yes, good fettling of an unfettlable part by Bunbury and good use spotting by Kim. (3D printers are pretty expensive aren't they? Perhaps we could club together and buy a YACF 3D printer? :D)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 November, 2013, 01:01:22 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 November, 2013, 11:13:58 pm
I suppose that 3D printers will mean that if people are going to insist on making critical pingfuckits out of cheese, we will at least be able to molish new ones.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Oddly enough, I was thinking along broadly similar lines although whether the usual feedstock for 'consumer'-grade 3D printers (usually ABS or PLA) is actually up to the task is another matter entirely.

About the only thing stopping me from considering such a thing is the fact that I don't use gears  :P (and even if I did, I wouldn't use STIs and their ilk)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arno on 23 November, 2013, 09:35:54 pm
Updated the Lemond Fillmore with: Shorter stem, new chain,  new MX-30 freewheel as a backup to the fixed side,  105 caliper brakes, awesome and well moduled stopping power compared to was fitted as standard (all those deaths in London kind of made me think about the safety of my equipment, and I don't know how to lock the rear-wheel with the legs).   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 25 November, 2013, 12:07:06 pm
Well Saturday really:

changed over to the Marathon Winters (should delay the onset of snow in the south east) and new brake blocks front and rear on the commuter.

Church yourth worker came round, sorted brakes, gear indexing, saddle height etc. on a loaned bike for his year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 November, 2013, 12:12:45 pm
Last night.
Boy Wunja: "There's something wrong with my back wheel. Can you have a look please?"

Wunja looks and finds 3 broken spokes and a tyre worn down to the canvas. Fortunately I had 3 spokes that fitted with a bit a filing. and an old Panaracer Passala that went on. I seem to have run out of 28mm inner tubes, so will have to do some further fettling to get it right.....

Actually the Panaracer will need to be replaced with something much heavier so I can keep up/ahead of him.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 25 November, 2013, 01:04:58 pm
Last Friday a pair of Continental Top Contact Winter II tyres 37-622. Perfect for the next ten weeks I think. So off comes the 28-622 Contact I normally use from my front wheel. Not a moment too soon the rubber was see through.  It was difficult to get off these tyres are hard enough to put off and on even in warm weather. Yesterday the tyre was cold and was very awkward.  I thank the puncture fairy that I did not need to do this at the road side. The larger softer tyres went on easily. So I offer the wheel to the frame.  It slots in and I tighten the quick release. I push the bike forward and can feel the tyre rubbing against the mudguard. The tyres are too large.  I had carefully cut the mudguards stays to length to be a good match for the 28mm and optionally 32mm.  35mm might have worked but 37mm was bit too much. I found another 28-622 Contact in the shed at fixed to the front wheel.

My brother was given two Contact Winter II tyres, one un boxed, as an early Christmas present.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 November, 2013, 03:17:56 pm
Turned my not quite North Road bars upside down. What they really need though is a longer stem rather than fancy angles.

Quote from: Wunja on 25 November, 2013, 12:12:45 pm
Last night.
Boy Wunja: "There's something wrong with my back wheel. Can you have a look please?"

Wunja looks and finds 3 broken spokes and a tyre worn down to the canvas. Fortunately I had 3 spokes that fitted with a bit a filing. and an old Panaracer Passala that went on. I seem to have run out of 28mm inner tubes, so will have to do some further fettling to get it right.....

Actually the Panaracer will need to be replaced with something much heavier so I can keep up/ahead of him.
:D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 November, 2013, 03:19:33 pm
Fitted new buttons to my mouse, and one of barakta's.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 November, 2013, 03:59:28 pm
At the weekend, I removed the front wheel of my fixed, removed the front tube totally unnecessarily and replaced it.  All so my dear little sister, The Soprano Cyclist, can be a bit more savvy when she goes on her trip to Wales in the new year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 November, 2013, 05:24:01 pm
Teaching her how to fashion an emergency flotation device?  Good thinking...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 November, 2013, 12:37:04 am
Fettled the hybrid as the front wheel is flucked after being knocked off or forced into a curb by a bus.

By fettled, I disconnected the front brake, till i find another front wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 28 November, 2013, 10:38:47 am
Put some Proofide on the new Brooks Proffessional saddle that has been sitting under my bench since I thought Brooks was going belly up in 2000. Attached it to a seat pin.

I really need the new frame to come. there is a limit to what I can do without it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 28 November, 2013, 09:22:36 pm
Cleaned the fixed, sort of. I wouldn't normally bother, but ever since I put mudguards on a fee weeks back, mud has kept filling up the gap between guard and tyre making it difficult for the wheels to go round.

 :o So disgusted was I at the sheer amount of encrusted mud, that I took the guards off again. All they seem to be doing is keeping the mud exactly where I don't want it. It was cleaner before I fitted them. :facepalm: They're staying off for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 November, 2013, 10:27:30 pm
Replaced the wheels on the hybrid of crapness with a pair of tubs that I had lieing around.  Having no idea when the tubs were attached.  Well they lasted less than a mile till the rear came off the rim.

Ow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 29 November, 2013, 12:01:15 pm
Changed the filters and cleaned the radix on my Dyson with a little help from YouTube. Now it's like a totally new vacuum cleaner.

Dyson quoted my wife £70 for a service, it cost me £18, £10 for the filters and £8 for a long torx driver that I can use next time
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 November, 2013, 04:54:25 pm
Finally picked up the pair of WTB Nano Race tyres from the LBS and fitted them to the green bike.

Despite reading horror stories about them being difficult to mount, I actually found it rather easy - the biggest problem was getting the folding bead to sit still in the first place.

Once my digestive system has settled down a bit more (yay for norovirus ::-)) I'll take them out on my normal off-road route and see how they perform. In addition, since I still have 10 days of holiday to take before the end of the year a mid-week trip to Dalby could well be on the cards too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 November, 2013, 05:25:13 pm
Thanks to my previous Craplin effort going terminally floppy during the high-temperature soldering of the power cables on the baraktacycle, I've finally bitten the bullet and invested in a proper soldering iron (actually an SMD rework station with integrated thermostatic soldering gubbins, because I reckon that'll cause less frustration and burnt fingers in the long run).  So naturally, in the best spirit of "don't turn it on - take it apart", after a cursory attack on an old graphics card to confirm it was all working properly yesterday, I removed the outer case, bashed a couple of holes in the side with a punch, and tapped them out to M4 in order to mount the hot air gun thingy holder on the *other* side.  It's somewhat incongruous that they've supplied the most over-engineered soldering iron stand I've ever seen (complete with reversible looroll-style solder dispenser) but not considered that people might have a preference for handedness of the hot air gun holder.   ::-)

This means it can sit on the sensible side of the desk, but won't accidentally melt its own mains lead or any dangling oscilloscope probes.  It's also less tangly.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 30 November, 2013, 08:32:42 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 28 November, 2013, 09:22:36 pm
Cleaned the fixed, sort of.

And today I sort-of cleaned the not-Tifosi. I hope this cleaning lark isn't going to become a regular thing. :demon:

Last time I rode it, sometime in mid-October, I went down a rather muddy canal path, so the mechs, cassette and large parts of the frame were bunged up with crusty mud. It probably would have been better to clean it at the time, rather than throw it in to a corner and forget about it, but never mind. :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 01 December, 2013, 09:59:34 am
Just replaced the Conti. 4 seasons on my roadbike. They have done 4 trips and have 6 cuts. :'( might be glueable though.
Put Schwalbe Marathon plus 32mm on it instead, hopefully they will last all winter. Readjusted the mudguards
cleaned & lubed the chain and adjusted the brakes.

Time for a testride I think.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 01 December, 2013, 07:13:59 pm
What I was intending to do today was drain the CH system, un-install the defunct radiator in the passage 'twixt dining room and kitchen*, cap the feed and return pipes with stop ends, refill the system and dose with inhibitor.

So far, so good...

What I hadn't got planned for today was dealing with the plumbing emergency that arose because of a compression fixing which looked like it hadn't been that well fixed in the first place.  >:(

Oh well, the laminate flooring was due to be replaced in the near future anyway...  ::-)


* It looks like the TRV had jammed closed, but I hadn't been too fussed about the lack of heat from it because it was too close to the thermostat, and was too large for the volume of the passageway anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 December, 2013, 08:32:51 pm
Some Brommie fettling.
Rear tyre and tube on HK's, so inevitably required de-gunging the chain tensioner.
Fitted a replacement plug for the non-folding pedal on mine. One of these days (very soon), I'll have to tackle the swingarm bushes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 01 December, 2013, 08:37:19 pm
I've put the tandem on the stand, ready for fettling.

Some deep cleaning needed, new chain, new outer chainring, new rear gear cable.

What's the best way to properly clean a rear mech? Remove and soak in solvent?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 02 December, 2013, 11:44:34 am
Over the weekend....

Friday I had to collect Boy Wunja's bike from school because 'The air was coming out faster than I could pump it up'. Funny how the tube stayed inflated for the hour and half of fettling I did. Anyhow, on the way home I took the opportunity to buy a heavy Sri Lankan tyre from the hardware store, to replace the temporarily installed Panasala.

When the bike was in the work stand I noticed that there was a lot of play in the cranks. Took them out cleaned all the old grease off and looked at the wear. All acceptable, but there was an odd wear line in the centre of the axle. Pointed a torch into the BB shell and saw something coming out of the down tube. I gripped it with some long nose pliers and pulled... about 45 cm of wire hawse came out. There must have been some sort of seat pin based lock on the bike at one time. Also cleaned and re-greased the front hub. Slight pingfuckit event when some of the loose ball bearings decided to go exploring the garage floor.

Its really nice working on a bike where you can dismantle and lubricate the bearings.

On Saturday I laced up the front wheel for N+1, and attached the stem and brake leavers to the bars.

The N+1 frame in now in the Netherlands and should be delivered today or tomorrow.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 December, 2013, 06:34:31 pm
I stretched a slightly undersize fez.

Do I win the Internet?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 December, 2013, 06:40:17 pm
Yes. Fezes are cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 December, 2013, 09:35:25 pm
Started to fettle my Dave Yates. Got as far as fitting the old bars and the new bar tape, shortening the chain and fitting a smaller sprocket, then it all fell apart at the rear mudguard.

My various cable tie bodges have held together for two years, but when you're using cable ties upon other cable ties, it's probably time to buy some new mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 December, 2013, 11:21:59 am
I turned my upside-down bars upside-down again, which means they are now the right way up again. Still need a longer stem really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 04 December, 2013, 12:43:09 pm
My fathers computer stopped working.  I fixed it by turning it off and on again.  I then gave it a complete virus scan just in case. This weekend I will download new drivers for the video card.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: contango on 04 December, 2013, 02:02:18 pm

I've been fiddling with a dead clock I bought on ebay (I knew it wasn't fully working when I bought it). So far I've managed to get it to run for about an hour before it stops, so tweaked one of the pivot holes. So far it's been running for about 45 minutes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 December, 2013, 09:31:40 pm
Baby sitting this evening (blimey, it's been a while since I've done that), I noticed a pool of water in front of the fridge. Removed food to reveal condensate tray full of water and over flowing. Scouted around for a suitable pokey thing and found a wooden chopstick. Poked this in the drain hole and the water ran away. Mopped up and replaced food. Made hot choc for my charges. Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 December, 2013, 09:57:33 pm
Having looked at tomorrow's weather forecast and decided that the chance of it being anything less than very wet is rather slim, I fettled new mudguards (in stealthy matt black) to the not-Tifosi. I cheated and reused the stays from the old ones, though, thus avoiding the need for hacksawing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Trull on 07 December, 2013, 10:12:45 pm
Put the Schwalbe Winters back on… after a junked rear wheel issue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 December, 2013, 10:17:35 pm
My new Nexus 7 - this involved rooting it and (re)installing the various apps that I habitually use. I lost all my Angry Birds scores though :(

Also fettled my old Nexus 7 by putting it 'beyond use' prior to being sent for e-waste recycling. This involved judicious application of several small screwdrivers and a 7lb lump hammer; the screen now looks like that of my original iPad 1 (you had to be there). The bits still smell of Tango apple shower gel ...

Bike fettling? Nah - when I wasn't destroying buggered fondleslabs I was out riding, unless zip-tying a Christmas lobster to my tri-bars counts as fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 07 December, 2013, 10:20:54 pm
In more breaking mud-guard news, I put the Raceblade/Crud Catcher mash-ups back on the front of the (very) Dirty Disco in anticipation of a muddy Chorlton Wander tomorrow.
Ordinarily I'd have used the permanently mud-guard shod Rohloff bike but it broke a spoke yesterday and I can get the tyre to rub on the frame if I try (not very hard).

Radcliffe here we come.
There will be beer later  ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 December, 2013, 01:13:00 pm
A cot.

It's a bit bigger than I expected. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 08 December, 2013, 01:47:15 pm
Cleaned chain and adjusted limit screws of latest addition to the ever growing flock of bikes.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/carrera-TDF-road-bike-/261343945398
(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/carrera-TDF-road-bike-/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/z/v7oAAOxyTjNSkf0Z/$_12.JPG)
It's not bad for a piece of cheap Halfraudsery, my guess is that it probably hasn't had more than 100 miles on the clock.
Destined for #1 son to take bake to Uni after Christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 December, 2013, 02:47:38 pm
What I haven't fettled today was a bike.  :-[  I wanted to get riding this morning, but I woke up with a stabbing pain in my calf, and it hasn't gone :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 08 December, 2013, 04:52:19 pm
A Chrissymas tree. And decorations. And lights, flashing ones.

On my bike.

SMIDSY that you bastards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clifftaylor on 08 December, 2013, 05:04:27 pm
Not really fettling as such, but after a couple of hours around rural Derbyshire, there  was so much mud and shite on the bike that I had to hose it down when I got home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 08 December, 2013, 09:21:48 pm
Replaced the chain on #1's mtb.  He had managed somehow to break two outer plates.  Replaced shimano with sram.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 08 December, 2013, 09:46:59 pm
Junior #2 is getting a gaming laptop thingy for xmas.
I've just spent all evening setting it all up so it 'just works' out-of-the-box.

This involved:
Anytime-upgrade from win7 home to Ultimate;
Joining the homenet domain;
Ripping the unwanted crap out by the roots;
Setting up his e-mail for our home domain;
Installing orifice;
Going round the windows update carousel till I'm dizzy;
Installing Steam and having it download the Entire Internet;
Installing iTunes and having it download the remaining parts of the Internet that Steam missed.

Finally, I have just finished taking an image of the machine.
Because I Just Know it will be required.

Time for bed.





Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 08 December, 2013, 09:58:04 pm
I fettled bangers and mash for team brum prior to them fettling 2 bikes anna trike into/onto the car and heading off, pausing briefly beforehand to use their natural advantages in height and levels of head torch equipment to get Christmas down out of the loft.  I haven't, however, fettled the Christmas tree - it'll come to no harm having an extra day of sitting in a bucket out in the yard.  And I iz too tired!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 December, 2013, 10:37:40 pm
Mrs. Hall reported a rear wheel puncture on her hub geared, roller braked bike on Thursday, could I fix it please.  Later report escalated it to "6 inch gash in rear tyre". Hmm.

Inspect offending wheel today, tread had parted from carcass over at lest 6 inches of circumference. Specialized All Condition Armadillo. Nice tyres but this has  happened to me before. Anyhoo, found a spare (25mm rather than the fitted 28mm) and bunged it on. Tightened up chain too, as it was a Bit Slack.  Issued "this bike is filthy" notification.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 December, 2013, 10:46:44 pm
By strange coincidence, I fettled Christmas out of CrinklyLion's loft :)

Other fettling this weekend involved giftwrapping some electrons, a game of put-the-pingfuckit-back-on-the-Dual-Drive and upgrading the self-righting-pedal elastic on CL's new tandem to the goth bike compliant version.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 08 December, 2013, 11:04:34 pm
Continued fettling the Croix de Fer

Fettling was stopped when the lighting battery went flat, a problem when the garage is off the grid
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 December, 2013, 09:07:21 am
Not today, but over the weekend.  A quantity of vodka into:
1) Blackberry
2) Sloe
3) Christmas
4) Pear
flavours, and a small amount of rum into the same as 1).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 December, 2013, 08:02:24 pm
Hardly fettling, but I moved the hybrid's saddle back all the way on the rails, from a midway position, and lowered it a smidge to compensate. That 3~4cm of movement has amazingly improved the way the bike feels now that it's got ridiculously swept-back bars. I'll probably be wheelying up proper hills though!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 12 December, 2013, 08:45:19 pm
Fitted a couple of new 35 c paselas which was surprisingly tricky as they did not want to hop on the rim and the rubber compound is sort of sticky. Managed eventually with persistant thumbs. For some reason Shimano dynamo connection refused to budge on front wheel. Much faffing, a minor rewire and touch of vaseline later, all is well. Also followed  tip for tracing any future p.......e locations in tyres  by placing logos over valve stems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 12 December, 2013, 08:50:22 pm
I fitted some LED valve cap light thingies to the fixed. Disco bike! :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 13 December, 2013, 09:03:16 am
I put a new battery in the kitchen clock.

I'm wondering about the wisdom of putting alkaline Duracell batteries in such things, as the use by date was 2008 and lots of gunky stuff had come out of it which had to be cleaned up. I put a cheap Panasonic battery in which last 5 minutes in most applications.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 15 December, 2013, 04:34:21 pm
Months ago, I bought a bar mount for my Garmin. So long ago that i've hoyed out the packaging.

I'm convinced I checked that it was compatible, but my Garmin has an SD card slot, and the new back which fits the mount doesn't have space for this. Too late to send it back, even if I could remember where I bought it...

Anyway, a bit of chopping and rasping, and it now fits! A bit of leccy tape is good enough to cover the gap, for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 December, 2013, 05:03:04 pm
Quote from: Deano on 15 December, 2013, 04:34:21 pm
Months ago, I bought a bar mount for my Garmin. So long ago that i've hoyed out the packaging.

I'm convinced I checked that it was compatible, but my Garmin has an SD card slot, and the new back which fits the mount doesn't have space for this. Too late to send it back, even if I could remember where I bought it...

If we're talking an eTrex 'x' then you've got the right mount, but instead of using the replacement back, you're supposed to screw the clip which should have been supplied with the eTrex into its existing, waterproof back.  It should then fit the handlebar part.  The replacement back for a pre-'x' eTrex can be safely left in the Man Drawer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 15 December, 2013, 05:06:53 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 December, 2013, 05:03:04 pm
Quote from: Deano on 15 December, 2013, 04:34:21 pm
Months ago, I bought a bar mount for my Garmin. So long ago that i've hoyed out the packaging.

I'm convinced I checked that it was compatible, but my Garmin has an SD card slot, and the new back which fits the mount doesn't have space for this. Too late to send it back, even if I could remember where I bought it...

If we're talking an eTrex 'x' then you've got the right mount, but instead of using the replacement back, you're supposed to screw the clip which should have been supplied with the eTrex into its existing, waterproof back.  It should then fit the handlebar part.  The replacement back for a pre-'x' eTrex can be safely left in the Man Drawer.

Aye, that sounds about right. It's an etrex something-or other. Unfortunately I bought it second hand and the seller didn't send that bit on. It would explain the compatibility issue, mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 December, 2013, 05:12:18 pm
Yeah, the clip was pretty much unobtanium as a spare part (though I think someone here linked to a supplier at one point).  I managed to persuade Garmin to send me one for free, pleading "I fell off my bike and landed on it.  The unit still works, but the back is broken."  Dunno if they still have any now they've been discontinued, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 15 December, 2013, 05:15:50 pm
My Roomba. Returned home to find it sulking in a corner.

Upon pressing the "Oh No!, What's wrong?" button, it remonstrated with me about my neglectful ways, and that its brushes were well and truly clogged.

And it wasn't lying  :sick:. Thing is - I don't have any hair!
(Stops sort of pointing fingers).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 15 December, 2013, 07:33:25 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 December, 2013, 10:17:35 pm
I lost all my Angry Birds scores though :(

Not just me, then (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ricelabs.angrybirdsbackup&hl=en_GB)

Quote from: Chris S on 15 December, 2013, 05:15:50 pm
My Roomba. Returned home to find it sulking in a corner.

Upon pressing the "Oh No!, What's wrong?" button, it remonstrated with me about my neglectful ways, and that its brushes were well and truly clogged.

And it wasn't lying  :sick:. Thing is - I don't have any hair!
(Stops sort of pointing fingers).

That might have been just me.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 15 December, 2013, 08:00:20 pm
General wiping and chain cleaning & lubing on a Pompino, two Subways and a Caldera. No-one else in the house does any bicycle fettling. The worst things at the moment are rims & brakes; I am wiping both after every ride at the moment, they just get so grimy & gritty that I wince when braking. Suddenly my huge pile of rags is dwindling...

The chain on the Caldera is looking decidedly sorry, so cue purchase of new (before Mrs Marco snaps it whilst hauling 50kg of shopping), and tools for cassette removal as I have a feeling that it will need replacing as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 15 December, 2013, 08:01:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 December, 2013, 05:12:18 pm
Yeah, the clip was pretty much unobtanium as a spare part (though I think someone here linked to a supplier at one point).  I managed to persuade Garmin to send me one for free, pleading "I fell off my bike and landed on it.  The unit still works, but the back is broken."  Dunno if they still have any now they've been discontinued, though.
Garmin list them (https://buy.garmin.com/en-IE/GB/shop-by-accesories/mounts/mounting-clip-for-etrex-c-cx-hc-and-hcx-series/prod1466.html).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 December, 2013, 08:57:59 pm
de-gunked my runabout bike, installed full mudguards, bodged a front mudflap ending at 1" above the floor, swapped the saddle, replaced worn out brake pads, picked out embedded debris from the tyres, lubed the chain.

phew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 15 December, 2013, 09:19:56 pm
Lights onto tree.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 15 December, 2013, 09:29:22 pm
(Christmas) lights onto bike ;D

(After putting lights onto tree)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 15 December, 2013, 10:17:12 pm
Replacement handlebars onto sisters bike.   It was supplied with a simple flat bar, which caused wrist & shoulder pain, so I've replaced it with the same risers I've got on the Thorn, fitted with some ergonomic grips.

Managed to rip a piece of skin off my hand while wrestling the old grips off.  Ouch  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 December, 2013, 10:42:05 pm
Tinselled bike. (Also installed a mudflap on the rear, but that's not festive). Refitted the flashing valve caps, which I'd temporarily removed for yesterday's rainy ride as I don't really trust their water resistance. Tomorrow I'll dig out the fairy lights and continue the tatting...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 December, 2013, 09:56:13 am
Mostly house-fettling over the weekend, in preparation for having the new boiler put in ...

... the bike-related angle is that I moved the High Latitude and the 1x1 into the shed so that the heating engineers have access to the kitchen radiator so they can drain the system down.

Also fettled the shopping lists of bits for Pugsley and the new Croix de Fer (which I won't get until March :( )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 December, 2013, 10:01:21 am
Quote from: zigzag on 15 December, 2013, 08:57:59 pm
de-gunked my runabout bike, installed full mudguards, bodged a front mudflap ending at 1" above the floor, swapped the saddle, replaced worn out brake pads, picked out embedded debris from the tyres, lubed the chain.

phew.

the mudflap does indeed work as tested on wet commute this morning - clean shoes, clean bb shell and chainset :thumbsup:

it should slow down chain wear as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 16 December, 2013, 10:49:55 am
Started cleaning the gunge from the shed bike donated to my girlfriend by her brother.

It's a Specialised Rockhopper of some vintage the good news is most of the gunge appears to be axle grease them being a fairly agricultural family and the bits underneath appear to be in reasonable nick.

I've got some shiny bits and bobs to fit hopefully this be a lot nicer to ride than the full suspension BSO her ex had given her that could be used to anchor the QE2 it's so heavy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 17 December, 2013, 01:17:13 pm
On Sunday I finally got round to replacing the bar ends on my commuting bike.  I had been puzzled for weeks why I could not tighten the old ones so the left one did not slip.  Eventually I observed the clamp had split so there was no way tightening it would securely hold the bar end.  So the bits box was raided and Pink White and Blue bike lost another component. Serves it right, for not having any parts on it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 17 December, 2013, 01:33:20 pm
Had a moment of fettling stupidity at the weekend.

On starlit nights, when I'm not cycling, I like to look at stars, galaxies, nebulae, planets and such like through a telescope.  This telescope (well, these telescopes - the n+1 principle applies here as well) sits on a venerable ancient Japanese mount of great solidity and precision, and this mount is driven by two little servo motors, and those two servo motors are controlled by a handset that looks like this:
(http://www.astromart.com/images/classifieds/780000-780999/780673-1.jpg)
Inside this handset is a 3.6V lithium thionyl chloride battery that helps the handset remember what I told it about what time it is and where I live.  In the 17 or so years since this handset was made, the original battery has at last expired, and so I have had to disassemble it, renew my limited soldering skills and fit a new battery.  Serious problems came to the surface when I found that the new battery is a couple of mm longer than the original, and the circuit board needed trimming to accommodate it.   All seemed fine at first - the handset fired up, I put the data into it.  But why is my hand burning?  Aha, muggins had managed to bridge the gap between the circuits on opposite sides of the board, and the battery was shorted and was discharging so fast that it was cooking.  I bet I've drained 10 years of battery life in the few seconds it took me to twig. 

A bit of refettling seems to have done the trick.  And it's set to be cloudy until 2014.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 December, 2013, 10:03:27 pm
On a similar theme, barakta wanted to have a play with my soldering iron, so I dug out the bits for the traditional electronics newbie circuit...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_3995.sized.jpg)

It worked first time, and it's a reasonably neat job for someone who hasn't soldered anything for at least a decade.

Then, to prove a point, I had her add a reverse polarity protection diode using lead-free solder rather than the 60:40 she'd successfully made the rest of the circuit with.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4003.sized.jpg)

You can spot the corner where it all went a bit wrong...


(We also discovered what happens when you forget you've got a lump of blutac holding the board still and somebody gets the hot air gun out to make the I-can't-believe-it's-not-solder a bit more cooperative for the dexterity-impaired newbie.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 21 December, 2013, 01:11:56 pm
I've just re-oiled the chain on the (now clean) Dirty Disco after yesterday's mud-fest.
I also took the opportunity to tweak the brake pads closer because the lever travel had become rather long.
Finally, I've charged the lights.
Nothing can stop me tomorrow  :)



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 22 December, 2013, 01:38:41 pm
Tried to sort cantilever brake squeal on front via toe in etc without success. hrrump
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 22 December, 2013, 05:03:04 pm
I CLEANED my cycling shoes and boots.

 :o :o :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 22 December, 2013, 05:20:16 pm
This weekend, brakes for project bikes. I obtained a pair of Campag Record short drop callipers from EBay to replace the Weinmann 500s currently fitted to the Mercian Superlight. These were a pretty good price as they weren't identified as Record. They looked a little tatty on arrival but as ever with Campag kit cleaned up nicely. The cable clamp on one of the callipers had been replaced by something that looked fairly convincing but didn't actually clamp the cable; a similar component from a GS set broke when I was assembling it last year so perhaps this is a weak point. I fettled a replacement from a piece if Ikea curtain pole bracket, as I did last time; better than new! Fitted to the Mercian they look very smart; and tbh I only need to fit a chain and I'm away, but look at the weather! Roll on summer!

Having got my eye in with the Record set, I stripped down and rebuilt the GS set from the Hanlon, the frame currently away being finished. All cleaned up very nicely including the tradional Ikea replacement parts; ready to fit when the frame returns in the New Year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 December, 2013, 08:43:37 pm
Rebuilt a rear wheel with new spokes, adjusted the bearings, swapped bells on HK's commuter bikes and adjusted a threaded headset. Fitted SPD cleats to some new shoes. Changed the rear tube of HK's MTB which is well overdue for a new chain and needs a replacement cantilever straddle cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 22 December, 2013, 09:56:52 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 22 December, 2013, 05:03:04 pm
I CLEANED my cycling shoes and boots.

 :o :o :o

I cleaned my cycling boots on Friday and I need to do so again.
When I've done that, I think I'll introduce them to "Mr Dilute Bleach" since they don't smell too good.
I shall report how effective it's been.

After I've done that, I must re-fit the front and rear mudguards on the dirty, Dirty Disco.
I ran out of time yesterday; I couldn't get them on without rubbing.
It'll help the bike and the boots.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 23 December, 2013, 09:45:51 am
Fitted a roof box to the new (to us) car ready for the Christmas trip to my brothers. What I thought would be a half hour job ended up taking me three hours to do, in the freezing cold.

First step, hack into our new car with a stanley knife to expose the mounting holes.
Unscrew the bolt from the hole.
At the second hole find that it's not actually a metal bolt, but a plastic one. Find this out when it breaks leaving half the plastic still in the hole.
Do the rest of the holes.
Go back to the second hole and try and put a wood screw into the plastic so you can pull it out with some pliers.
Break the wood screw, leaving some bits of it embedded in the plastic bolt.
Get a drill out and try and drill out the plastic. Yes, you're now drilling the roof of your new car.
Finally extract the bit of wood screw.
Lever out a big chunk of plastic from the hole.
Try and screw the bolt in, and it doesn't work. Worry that you've fucked up the bolt hole in the roof of your car with the drill.
Find another shard of plastic in the hole. Lever that out with a small screw driver.
Bolt the roof bar mounting onto the roof.
Actually mount the bars to the roof.
Find that you were supposed to screw that bit onto the mounting before screwing it to the roof, because now the covers won't fit.
Unscrew the mountings from the roof again, screw on the other bit and tighten everything back up.
Finally go and have a hot cup of tea in the warm, and wonder where your day went.
Be glad you didn't try and do this just before setting off to your brothers' house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 23 December, 2013, 11:36:09 am
Hulver, you just made Christmas a bit easier for you and yours doing that.

Enjoy your cuppa, and have a little medal from me and a  :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 23 December, 2013, 12:17:45 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 23 December, 2013, 11:36:09 am
Hulver, you just made Christmas a bit easier for you and yours doing that.

Enjoy your cuppa, and have a little medal from me and a  :-*

Cheers Ruthie. I hope you have a good Christmas yourself!  :thumbsup:  :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 23 December, 2013, 04:21:34 pm
Too wet and windy for my planned birthday ride so I serviced my MTB forks. Full service: lowers, aid spring and damper. Hopefully be able to give a test ride tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 23 December, 2013, 06:05:08 pm
Happy Birthday, PaulF! Fingers crossed for the test ride tomorrow.


I appear to have successfully fettled a working Raspberry Pi NAS.
Next: bite the bullet and buy some big hard drives, then get in the habit of using them!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 23 December, 2013, 06:49:38 pm
Quote from: nikki on 23 December, 2013, 06:05:08 pm
I appear to have successfully fettled a working Raspberry Pi NAS.
Next: bite the bullet and buy some big hard drives, then get in the habit of using them!
Buy yourself a good book.
Or several.
You'll have plenty of time to read them when you're transferring stuff to/from the NAS. DAHIKT.

The Pi has many good qualities, but being a NAS server is not one of them, largely on account of the extremely brain-damaged decision to have USB and Ethernet hanging off the same chip and fighting each other for the bandwidth.

Greg Kroah-Hartmann's rants to this effect on LKML are worth the price of entry alone.

As for discs, WD Green series are what I used in mine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 24 December, 2013, 02:26:47 pm
If speed were my main design criterion I'd probably have taken a different approach, but it's all win in terms of learning and using things that were otherwise gathering dust on shelves.   :thumbsup:

Hmm, I do have a lot of books I've got to read over the next fortnight, though :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 25 December, 2013, 12:49:42 pm
A bit by proxy - I fixed a front wheel slow puncture on my son's mountain bike, whilst he had the bike up on a workstand in the kitchen putting on the new handlebars, stem and grips he got for Christmas. He's now off riding it somewhere.

I've been pretty pleased with that bike; he had a reasonable spec focus MTB I won from Wiggle back in 2009, which he'd outgrown. The components were all still good, so rather than a new bike I bought him frame, forks and front hub (needed for the new forks). He then did the strip down and rebuild (under guidance), including transplanting the old front rim onto a new hub - so now he not only has a bike he loves, but knows it intimately as he ran every cable and tightened every bolt himself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 25 December, 2013, 04:44:32 pm
I went out for a pootle around the lanes earlier and performed a Christmas miracle on the way back for a lad who was kitted up with all the racing gear, an assortment of slime-filled inner tubes, and a brace of pumps ...but no puncture repair kit.

We couldn't find the hole in one of the inners, but found two in the other one so I got that patched up with convenient items from my bar bag.

I watched him trying to inflate the tyre for a bit and then provided him with a better pump, too.

He gathered his surplus inner and the pumps back up into his jersey pockets and then vanished off in the direction of the Lickey Hills. Hope he made it!

I've spent the rest of the afternoon basking in the warm glow of what's either virtuous Christmas spirit or total smugness!  :smug: 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 25 December, 2013, 08:57:29 pm
Yesterday . . . .
New front tyre on my Enigma, to replace the one which had a fatal interaction on Sunday morning with the fragments of a discarded Lambrini bottle (oh, the shame! To be brought low by such as that!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 December, 2013, 11:46:18 am
Using the chisel-pointy attachment, I vacuumed out the crud that was contained in the rear mdgrd of the pompino.

It seemed like a good idea as
a) The bike was indoors (as it usually is when I'm not on it)
b) It was upside down
c) The rear wheel was out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 December, 2013, 12:11:49 pm
I've pumped up some tyres, refitted some guards, added a Carradice, removed the Carradice, and put a bike under a tarp. 

But it's progress.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 26 December, 2013, 12:40:07 pm
 :thumbsup:

Nice one clarrers mate!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 26 December, 2013, 01:55:32 pm
Quote from: nikki on 25 December, 2013, 04:44:32 pm
I went out for a pootle around the lanes earlier and performed a Christmas miracle on the way back for a lad who was kitted up with all the racing gear, an assortment of slime-filled inner tubes, and a brace of pumps ...but no puncture repair kit.

We couldn't find the hole in one of the inners, but found two in the other one so I got that patched up with convenient items from my bar bag.

I watched him trying to inflate the tyre for a bit and then provided him with a better pump, too.

He gathered his surplus inner and the pumps back up into his jersey pockets and then vanished off in the direction of the Lickey Hills. Hope he made it!

I've spent the rest of the afternoon basking in the warm glow of what's either virtuous Christmas spirit or total smugness!  :smug:

Excellent! I really enjoyed reading that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 December, 2013, 04:50:14 pm
Just switched a few extension cables and fuses round under my parents Christmas tree after the tortoise decided to wee on the plug and short it out (The tortoise is currently chomping away on lettuce, completely oblivious to the upheaval)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 26 December, 2013, 08:39:57 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 26 December, 2013, 01:55:32 pm
Excellent! I really enjoyed reading that.

I have to admit, this image came to mind as I got the first puncture repair kit out of my barbag and then opted for the second one from the seat bag  ;D

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 December, 2013, 02:40:21 am
Coming perilously close to making a Raspberry Pi do something useful, I've done about 50% of the work on building a hardware prototype for our next-generation alerting/monitoring/heating control/etc system.  It's got some rough and ready power regulation (linear regs from the drawer rather than the switching PoE stuff the final version should have), a mutable[1] audio power amplifier, addressable RGB blinkenlights[2] and an as-yet unfinished I2C <-> 1-wire interface.

RS232 driver (for LED matrix signs and WYSE terminals), some GPIO buffering and the rest of the 1-wire stuff still to come, as will assorted sensors, MOSFET driver for the strobe etc, when I complete the relevant shopping list.  Giving serious thought to the capability of having a local backup battery, too (PoE injector will be on a UPS, but I only want to do this twice and there's always the unforeseen).

Then I won't have an excuse not to write the software for the bloody thing.   ::-)

If I ever finish that, it'll be a simple matter of physical design, molishing half a dozen of them and we'll be able to retire the crufty crap that's served us well but buggily since 2004.   :facepalm:


[1] The analogue audio output on the Pi is ludicrously noisy, so shutting the amp down under software control avoids low-level buzzing noises during SD card access.
[2] Overkill, but a drop-in solution that avoids having to commit to any particular blinkenlight encoding scheme.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 27 December, 2013, 06:08:01 am
Quote from: nikki on 26 December, 2013, 08:39:57 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 26 December, 2013, 01:55:32 pm
Excellent! I really enjoyed reading that.

I have to admit, this image came to mind as I got the first puncture repair kit out of my barbag and then opted for the second one from the seat bag  ;D

(click to show/hide)
Ah... Now were we on our way to Waitrose at that point, or had we already been? I can't quite tell if I have a bottly of red in those panniers or not. I'm as sure as hell that I had only one puncture repair kit though: you wouldn't catch me taking simething on tour that I didn't think I needed!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 December, 2013, 02:26:25 pm
Finally got around to fitting some 'guards. Was easier than I though, as I've changed the disc brakes from BB7's to TRP Hy/Rd's, which are much lower profile, so only some minor spacing with washers and a short bit of tube (made from an old brake "nut") was required and the stays curved nicely clear of ant obstruction. Now to finish setting up the indexing on the rear gears and I'll be good to go - once I've fitted cleats to my Northwave winter boots as well AND the gales have stopped!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 27 December, 2013, 08:10:42 pm
Took the opportunity of MrsH de-fettling the Christmas decorations to go and do fettling in the garage. The motorbike has a dash lamp out on the speedo, so I wanted to replace them all with LED lamps (much clearer to read the instruments) and also extend the cabling on the heated grip controller to put it in a better place. Both of these need the front fairing to come off, including the windscreen, instrument panel surround etc.

Job done now, but I'm starting to see the attraction of naked bikes with no fairings...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 December, 2013, 08:41:15 pm
Finally got round to hooking the CD drive parts up to a microcontroller and seeing if I could get it to go. Not sure what the power rating on the stepper motor is but it was getting rather hot when driving a coil continuously so I should probably put some resistance inline with it. It did (as always) necessitate buying some new parts but that is always the case, is it not?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanN on 27 December, 2013, 09:45:05 pm
Over the last few days (where I could grab an hour) have fitted a 12-32 cassette and replaced my derailleur with a 9 speed long cage MTB one to suit. A dodgy knee and pretensions to 400K+ made me want a bail-out option!

New chain. New rear gear cable and housing. Stripped and greased rear hub. (in reverse order)

The new dynahub needs wiring in now  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 27 December, 2013, 09:54:12 pm
2 shelving units and a camera obscura.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 27 December, 2013, 10:12:50 pm
Quote from: nikki on 27 December, 2013, 09:54:12 pm
2 shelving units and a camera obscura.

cooooooooooooooool :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 27 December, 2013, 10:37:29 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 27 December, 2013, 10:12:50 pm
Quote from: nikki on 27 December, 2013, 09:54:12 pm
2 shelving units and a camera obscura.

cooooooooooooooool :thumbsup:

Hedging my bets because I'm not sure which of those is getting you excited ;)

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/11592361903_2a3879a33c.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 27 December, 2013, 10:52:47 pm
Quote from: nikki on 27 December, 2013, 09:54:12 pm
2 shelving units and a camera obscura.

Surely that should have been yesterday?

Todays' ought to be:-

3 French hens, 2 shelving units and a camera obscura.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 December, 2013, 11:19:42 am
We have had teh broken end of a knife for some time. I finally got round to reshaping it to make life easier.
from this:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/11601253293_8ebd77cdd6_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/11601253293/)
pre-chestnut knife (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/11601253293/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
to this:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/11600972045_5b360f7388_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/11600972045/)
Chestnut knife (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/11600972045/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr

Much better for scoring and suchlike purposes.
It could probably do with a bit more extreme shaping to make a better 'hook'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 28 December, 2013, 11:48:11 am
Quote from: Wowbagger on 27 December, 2013, 10:52:47 pm
Quote from: nikki on 27 December, 2013, 09:54:12 pm
2 shelving units and a camera obscura.

Surely that should have been yesterday?

Todays' ought to be:-

3 French hens, 2 shelving units and a camera obscura.

He's a right proper romantic that true love, ain't he!   ::-)


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 December, 2013, 10:04:30 pm
I just prepared the commuter to use it tomorrow, on The Fridays last ride of the year, which is a bit anomalous because it's not on a Friday, not a night ride, and a lot shorter than the other rides (this one is planned to be around 12 miles).

I had to move the seat pin mounted rear light higher up, so it wasn't obscured by a rack pack, and shift the front light mount slightly sideways, so I could put a GPS mount on the stem.

I've also got batteries, and lights plugged in charging, which is not necessarily essential, since cycling back from All Bar One shouldn't take much more than an hour, even if I manage to get more inebriated than is sensible.  Still, paranoid preparations don't generally cause too many problems. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 December, 2013, 11:17:56 pm
I had planed to do a tour de garage on the rollers but a rather poorly timed oven breakdown has left me doing other things. I will be fettling an oven shortly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 29 December, 2013, 03:59:40 pm
Repurposed an old cable previously used for ISDN and phone as a network cable. A task not simplified by having 4 white wires, which were unidentifiable once separated from their twisted pair and not helped by a crimper stripper that partially cut through wires.
Now trying to find a Linux media server that will stream to an xbox.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 29 December, 2013, 04:04:50 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 29 December, 2013, 03:59:40 pm
Repurposed an old cable previously used for ISDN and phone as a network cable. A task not simplified by having 4 white wires, which were unidentifiable once separated from their twisted pair and not helped by a crimper stripper that partially cut through wires.
Now trying to find a Linux media server that will stream to an xbox.

Twonky ftw. Iirc the Xbox will work as a upnp receiver, so twonky wins hands down.

For my part I have connected a sound bar to the TV, increasing the sound quality exponentially! Whoever thought the best place for speakers on a TV is on the back, facing backwards, needs shooting!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 December, 2013, 05:09:41 pm
A pile of cargo-cult Arduino code that doesn't work.    >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 December, 2013, 05:34:30 pm
Taking a hammer and chisel to the pleistocene deposits inside the oven. I can actually see enamel in places now.. The replacement element should be delivered on Tuesday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 29 December, 2013, 10:55:21 pm
I removed huge chunks of East Anglia from the tandem, courtesy of five days of the Rapha Festive 500.

Degreased the drive train, checked brakes and stuff. It needs a proper strip-down and deep clean, but as ever - another audax looms on the calendar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 December, 2013, 11:06:26 pm
Started fracking the burnttoacrisp grease layer in the oven. Tempted to try a blowtorch and paint scraper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 30 December, 2013, 07:45:17 am
Quote from: tiermat on 29 December, 2013, 04:04:50 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 29 December, 2013, 03:59:40 pm
Repurposed an old cable previously used for ISDN and phone as a network cable. A task not simplified by having 4 white wires, which were unidentifiable once separated from their twisted pair and not helped by a crimper stripper that partially cut through wires.
Now trying to find a Linux media server that will stream to an xbox.

Twonky ftw. Iirc the Xbox will work as a upnp receiver, so twonky wins hands down.
Result!
I had previously used Twonky with a Streamium box, but it was a long way out of date. New version worked fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: closetleftie on 30 December, 2013, 09:04:52 am
Yesterday: Bodged mudguards onto a frame with plenty clearance but no mudguard mounts. (Planet X XLS 'cross bike). Took blimmin ages and lots of cable ties. Secure and rattle-free but cosmetically not great. I will have to have a bit of a think.  :-\

I also cleaned & re-oiled the drivetrain on my commuting bike. Standard Operating Procedure at ours is to do this outside the back gate with a hose, cold water anna bucket. But Mrs L and the kids are away. It was cold. And the house bathroom is effectively next door to the garage....  ;D



Today I will mostly be fettling the laundry and a stack of paperwork that's been building up for months.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 30 December, 2013, 09:40:56 am
Fettled my mountainbike into a singlespeed version when the mech hanger snapped.  In the middle of a field.  In the mud. 30 minutes into yesterday's 3 hour trailquest.

It was dark by the time I got home and hosed off the results of my mud rustling so I haven't checked the rest of the bike over yet for further damage.  Hopefully the frangible hanger has done its job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alexb on 30 December, 2013, 05:55:18 pm
Cleaned the transmission on the commuter, then pumped up the tyres last night. I was so glad of it today!
I also spent about two hours carving butter knives as a warm-up project for some spoon carving in the new year. All these fallen trees need to be used up somehow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 December, 2013, 10:50:51 pm
Just finished fixing The Boy's laptop, wot had died from a poorly fan. Scored a replacement off Ebay for a few quid and using the excellent Lenovo hardware guides removed this, undid that, dropped the other and put the new fan in. Note, not a complete cooling module, just the fan, so some amateur metal working was required.  Even put new heat sink paste on.

Tools used: Tiddly cross head screwdriver, slightly larger cross head screwdriver, small pliers, Mora Clipper knife. No swearing, one glass of red wine.

Only two bits left over, both of which The Boy had removed earlier.

I call that a result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 31 December, 2013, 10:21:08 am
Nearly finished  cleaning the oven. It has been soaking in a high strength hydroxide gel with a few surfactants (oven pride) overnight and, with the aid of a paint scraper, I have managed to get the worst of the concretions off. As it is a floor standing cooker/hob, doing all of this at floor level is hard work, especially trying to remove black gunge off black enamel in a dark oven.

Just the grids to go, then when the new element arrives I should have a fully working oven again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 31 December, 2013, 04:05:05 pm
Set the church clock going again, the normal winder is away for the Holiday period and had stopped the clock rather an ask someone else to wind it for the duration. Had to get the hands and chimes back in line with each other but it is now set and ready to ring in the new year.

The went through the sound desk channels for each of the radio mics to reset the EQs to the resonant frequencies of the mic --> Desk --> amp --> speaker loops so hopefullt they won't be 'ringing' quite so much in the future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 31 December, 2013, 05:01:17 pm
Finished cleaning the oven. The grids shine like new (mostly) and much of the enamel inside is visible. Back in place, burned in and now happily roasting the joint we would have had on Sunday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 31 December, 2013, 06:49:33 pm
Fitted some Tektro 520 cantis to the front of the Horizon, which will hopefully fix the judder issue it had with the Oryx's it had on there before. Also changed the bar tape and saddle from white to brown.

It looks like the rear mech has got bent when I bashed it the other day so that might need replacing with a new one soon, and it needs a new chain and cassette fitting. I also think I'll fit the front rack as a statement of intent for the coming year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 01 January, 2014, 09:20:46 pm
Lots of fettling - seeing as it's been raining for more than 24 hours without a break.

On Rebecca's single speed Brompton, I've been fitting the Kinetics 8 speed conversion.  It all works, although I've found the chain fouls the rear triangle as it folds, so I need to get a slightly longer bottom bracket.  Although whilst browsing for that, I've also seen some options for fitting a front dérailleur as well, which has got me planning more changes.

On the Circe Helios, I've fitted the Brompton front bag fitting I got for Christmas, so that I can carry even more stuff on it.

On my Planet X Ti Sportive, I've fitted another Christmas pressie, which was a USE Alien Ti seat post, which replaces the naff looking Alu one which was all scratched.  It was a real pain to fit though.  But it looks very nice & bling.

For the commuter bikes for myself and Rebecca, on a spare set of wheels for both bikes, I've sorted out and fitted studded Marathon Winter tyres, ready for when the snow hits, so I just have to swap the wheels over rather than risk breaking fingers trying to swap over tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 January, 2014, 09:31:24 pm
Fixed a window (as in, glass thing that lets the Outside in) and wrote Hello World on some new hardware.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 January, 2014, 11:50:18 pm
Defettled fairy lights. Managed to scratch frame in the process (cable tied on a bit too tightly). The price I pay for being festive... ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 01 January, 2014, 11:58:07 pm
Removed the car battery to charge it overnight. Currently looking at bluetooth multicast for an interesting idea..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 02 January, 2014, 08:07:54 am
I finished* building the Croix de Fer last night. Opened the garage door to find it was raining, so first ride has to wait.

*Still some accessories to add and looking for a load carrying rack in black.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 January, 2014, 05:30:37 pm
Bluetooth multicast in principle is great, in practice won't work. Today I fettled the church sound system along with the lead sound person. We managed to rationalise, tidy up, remove a stage box, reroute the outputs so that the main outputs are all from the same source rather than aux channels, recalibrate the hearing loop and soldered far too many XLR connectors. Then blew the fuses in the foldback amp so that required trips to Maplin to source replacements.

And we have laid plans for the next round of improvements.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 02 January, 2014, 05:50:05 pm
Replaced irredeemable electric shower and only had to make 3 trips to Plumbase: 1st to buy 15mm elbow; 2nd to replace same with a different version; 3rd to replace second with first*.

'Revived' bath taps: both taps now work without the application of HULK.

Kitchen mixer tap no longer rotates (in a way it was not intended to).

Under sink drawer now 'dampened', reducing the number of things that can be slammed in anger by 1.

Phew!

(*I imagine I now feature in a league table of numpties at my local branch.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 04 January, 2014, 11:14:50 pm
Dismantled light for Feline’s s/h microscope. Applied multimeter to various bits, and decided the LED is dead, so ordered a hopefully suitable replacement and a 2.54m 2-pin latch connector to hopefully replace it. Total materials cost 3.71.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 January, 2014, 11:53:54 am
Cleaned and oiled the Dave Yates ready for a return to bike commuting this week.

Stressing now about losing my garmin and a pair of sunglasses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 January, 2014, 02:46:16 pm
Fiddled with gear and brake cables for someone OTP, in between swapping tyres and replacing a straddle cable and adjusting canti pads on HK's MTB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 January, 2014, 04:15:34 pm
cleaned the bike.

assessed the damage to the bike caused by riding through floods (water level up to bottle cages). front hub feels rough, rear hub less so, bottom bracket seems fine (but expect it to fail soon as it is standard shimano ht2), pedals will need servicing, freewheel was making horrible grinding noise with brown oily water coming out of it. so took the sturmey-archer freewheel apart, cleaned, greased and lubed, put back together - it purrs as a happy cat now.

took the tyres off and drained both rims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 05 January, 2014, 04:35:08 pm
Did it rain? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 January, 2014, 07:25:35 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 05 January, 2014, 04:15:34 pm
<...> freewheel was making horrible grinding noise with brown oily water coming out of it. so took the sturmey-archer freewheel apart, cleaned, greased and lubed, put back together - it purrs as a happy cat now. <...>

now illustrated (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=79210.0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 05 January, 2014, 07:30:22 pm
Currently attempting to re-attach rack and mudguards to the Tricross. As the last time I removed them I completely borked the lower mounting point for the rear guard, it'll be a drill-holes-in-the-guard-and-ziptie job.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 07 January, 2014, 09:04:20 am
Fencing last night and a new starter arrived at the club by ‘well-used’ mtb. Advising her not to leave it in the foyer as we are in a bit of a dodgy area I wheeled it into the hall. The front end felt a bit rattley and I suspected a spectacularly loose headset until I picked it up to carry it across the wooden floor and the front wheel dropped out. Front skewer was undone by at about half a dozen turns. Tyres were barely above atmospheric pressure but luckily had Schrader v/vs and I had a footpump in the car. Five minutes of light fettling had the bike feeling a little better although the gears were knackered and I had neither to tools nor the time to improve this. Hopefully she had a slightly safer ride home. My good deed for the day.




Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 January, 2014, 10:19:12 am
Removed the hydraulic brakes on the 1x1 (which will be fitted to Pugsley once the caliper adapters arrive) and fitted the new stem/Midge bar combination - it's now running in what I would like to think of as hipster mode. The stem/bars off the 1x1 are now on the fatty - the stem will stay, but the EA70 bars are living on borrowed time (will be replaced with Mary bars)

Rounded things off by fitting a new rear light to the orange Genesis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 January, 2014, 05:47:26 pm
.... aaaand the 1x1 is now wearing a very natty pair of Hayes CX-Expert mechanical disc brakes. Will probably take a few rides to wear a bit of life into them, but I can do that on Friday whilst I'm waiting for someone to come and pick my car up.

Will hopefully be fitting the hydraulics to Pugsley tomorrow (rotor arrived this morning, as did a dispatch email for the caliper adapters) although it'll be rather longer before I do a test ride on account of not having built the rear wheel yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 07 January, 2014, 09:45:02 pm
Checked the front pads on the bike. Of course being discs they're a bit harder to check, but I thought I'd be 'quick' and balance the bike on my hip with the front wheel dropped out (ie cut corners by not bothering with either the workstand or turning the bike upside down).

Needless to say this was a right load of faff and ended up getting the workstand anyway  ::-) Front pads are all right for tomorrow at least, I'll assume rears are ok too as use them less.

I have a pair of pads in the bits box so will fit those to the front tomorrow and order a couple more pairs. And check the rears properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: closetleftie on 08 January, 2014, 10:32:11 am
I seemz to have fixed a squeaky creaky Brooks.  :smug:

Bike upside down on the workbench overnight, with a few drops of Finish Line lube dripped onto the nose bolt, as well as between the metal bits of the nose bolt and the leather. Blessed quiet again this morning.  :thumbsup:

I think it was too little lube to do the leather any harm. With hindsight I may have been better off melting a bit of Proofide and using that. Oh well, I'm sure my sweaty behind is more noxious than a bit of synthetic oil!  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 January, 2014, 11:04:33 am
Quote from: closetleftie on 08 January, 2014, 10:32:11 am
I seemz to have fixed a squeaky creaky Brooks.  :smug:

Bike upside down on the workbench overnight, with a few drops of Finish Line lube dripped onto the nose bolt, as well as between the metal bits of the nose bolt and the leather. Blessed quiet again this morning.  :thumbsup:
Might be worth giving the nose bolt half a turn as well - this, plus judicious application of 3-in-1, managed to silence the saddle that used to adorn my now-departed yellow fixed. Just as well, 'cos when the cadence went up and I started to bounce around in the saddle it sounded like someone was torturing mice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 January, 2014, 06:22:24 pm
Hastily replaced the brake pads on the fixed when I realised quite how worn they were. :o :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 January, 2014, 07:17:41 pm
Pugsley now has hydraulic brakes ....

... still got to make a start on the rear wheel, though  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 08 January, 2014, 11:18:26 pm
Put a new cassette on the winter bike. That is the last of my Campag 9-speed spares. When that one wears out it will be time to swap levers for the 10speed and bring it into the century of the Fruitbat and in line with the other bike.

Found the faulty speaker lead that was blowing the church monitor amp (after having the local shop check the amp out thinking it had blown).
New lead (this time with speakon connectors), and decommissioned the old lead by pulling the plug off. Don't ever be tempted to use a PA lead as an emergency rope.
Amp will now happily go to 11 without complaint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 09 January, 2014, 12:38:12 am
New LED and pcb header components arrived in the post today, so fixed Feline’s microscope light source.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 09 January, 2014, 01:30:48 am
Also this:

commit e46da0ea8f0ebca9e826b570381d0b00ccd31296
Author: Simon Proven <null@null.com>
Date:   Thu Jan 9 01:28:18 2014 +0000

    Make weights <30kg be ignored to work around JenM

diff --git a/yacf-weights-graphing/yacfUser.py b/yacf-weights-graphing/yacfUser.py
index f655776..5b8c4f4 100644
--- a/yacf-weights-graphing/yacfUser.py
+++ b/yacf-weights-graphing/yacfUser.py
@@ -28,7 +28,9 @@ class yacfUser:
 
     def addWeight(self, year, week, weight):
 
-        self.weights[year*52+week] = weight
+        if weight >= 30.0:
+
+            self.weights[year*52+week] = weight
 
     def addWaist(self, year, week, waist):
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 09 January, 2014, 10:28:52 am
Quote from: David Martin on 08 January, 2014, 11:18:26 pm
Amp will now happily go to 11 without complaint.

Boy Wunja quickly learnt that driving the church PA at eleven doesn't go down well with the congregation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 09 January, 2014, 05:51:39 pm
Replaced a split riser at the bottom of the stairs. I'm now contemplating the next fettling job as displacement activity before I get down to the weapons-grade DIY in the stairwell and landing...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 11 January, 2014, 11:13:59 am
after half an hour of swearing I've figured out why the new 9 speed mech wouldn't index properly on the MTB i'm roadifying for a friend. 

I'm off to buy a 9 speed cassette... I'm a fool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: daeno on 11 January, 2014, 11:19:48 am
K-Edge chain catcher and Kool-Stop pads on the Colnago
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 January, 2014, 02:13:49 pm
Spent the morning fettling the finances. One of the accounts hadn't been updated in Ace Money since Sept.  :-[ Refunded the 'rainy day account' with the money raided from it to buy the car in spring. Pondered likely damage involved in new kitchen. Parked idea for a bit.
Bought some flights to Amsterdam and then looked for Thalys tickets to Brussels, which aren't on sale yet. Hope they're going to be a bit less expensive than they appear!
Paid deposit to hotel for summer holiday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 January, 2014, 03:18:04 pm
A couple of wraps of self-amalgamating tape around the saddle rails on the Pompino, just at the contact points where the Kryptonite Mini D-lock hangs.

I figured there'd be a little less rattling if the hanging point had a softer surface. (Can't stand a rattly bike).

The self-amalgamating tape was treated to a further sacrificial wrap of electricians insulating tape, to prevent it from amalgamating with the plastic coating on the D-lock.

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/11888098685_37ebb9a89b_o.jpg)

I also replaced the brake outer cable  - the short one by the seat post clamp - as the D-lock had been swinging into it and generally destroying it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 January, 2014, 04:21:44 pm
Brakes.
Specifically, the CX-Expert mechanical discs1 that now adorn the 1x1 - a bit more of a faff than setting up hydraulics, but at the same time far less of a faff than V-brakes. The net result is that I don't have to pull the levers most of the bars to stop, which is a good thing.

At the same time, I discovered that I'd cabled the brakes up in the 'European' style (ie. front brake on the left) - if it were on a geared bike I'd probably swap it round, but since it's on the fixed I'll probably not bother. There's also the fact that I've just finished putting a second layer of tape on the bars ...

1 - those who know me well enough will also know of my intense dislike of BB7s. Additionally, the Genesis Croix de Fer is specced with CX-Expert brakes so I figured it'd also give me a chance to get a feel for them before the bike arrives in March. So far, I'm impressed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 11 January, 2014, 05:15:23 pm
Took the Aero-bars off the best bike ready for a ride tomorrow. Found another club, so I'm trying a ride with them. I hope I can keep up, I've not been on the bike all year, and only done commuting since LEL.

Fitted the side-wall dynamo on the commuting bike, and fitted the rear light, only to find that the stand light function on the front light doesn't supply and electrons to the rear. Either I've wired it up wrong, or I'm wrong in thinking that it did that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 January, 2014, 05:20:39 pm
In the long run, SFA. Beating brains against a WAP to no avail, inspected a blow-out flat & lost interest (bloody cold workshop). Oh, I bought a camera for the wife but that's not fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 11 January, 2014, 05:37:35 pm
A day writing introductory tutorials on web database programming (basic LAMP stack) for an undergrad practical. It did require a brief foray into the museum to photograph 120 year old dead things
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 January, 2014, 05:41:00 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 11 January, 2014, 05:37:35 pm
A day writing introductory tutorials on web database programming (basic LAMP stack) for an undergrad practical. It did require a brief foray into the museum to photograph 120 year old dead things

That's the way I feel right now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 11 January, 2014, 09:36:53 pm
Changed the front pads on the bb5s, a right faff it turned out to be. The old pads came out easily enough but getting the new full thickness ones in was a bit of a fiddle. Haven't had time to centre the caliper or bed the pads in so will make sure I have the appropriate tools with me on tomorrow's ride and take it easy till I know I can stop properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 11 January, 2014, 11:14:30 pm
Rebuilt a wardrobe that my grandfather built (he was a carpenter and later a teacher of woodwork, the wardrobe was pre-war as I understand it). Everything went together pretty smoothly. Even used (mostly) the original screws. It now has our clothes in it, along with another wardrobe and tall-boy of his that didn't need taking apart. Very satisfying.
And a first coat of paint in Miss Dan the Younger's new bedroom as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 11 January, 2014, 11:30:53 pm
Installed a new tonearm on my turntable.   Made slightly stressful by the fact that the instructions supplied by the manufacturer are totally inadequate, as they expect their stuff to be installed by trained dealers.   Got it roughly sorted and sounding very good.  Fine tuning to follow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 January, 2014, 11:37:40 am
More fiddling with the 1x1.
Now that I've got the brakes sorted out, the cockpit needed some attention so that the BarFly mount for the Garmin would play nicely with the Ay-Up lighting bracket, the latter being kind of essential as I'm planning to commute on this bike for the forseeable future.

It works. Sort of. Getting the lighting head off is a bit of a faff (and probably not doable if wearing gloves) but on the plus side the GPS mount stops the lighting head from bouncing around too much on less than ideal surfaces.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 12 January, 2014, 02:22:07 pm
Vacuum cleaner was playing up. Took it apart, cleaned the filter. Still not picking up. Ran water through the hose as a last resort, nothing came out the end, so blew down it, massive clumps of hair mixed with pine needles came out.

Vacuum cleaner running like new again. Woohoo!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 12 January, 2014, 04:39:01 pm
removed cartridge bearings from the front hub of ss bike (left side bearing seized up after riding submerged) and ordered a pair of skf replacement ones.

lubricated moving parts of a d-lock with finish line dry
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 12 January, 2014, 06:01:51 pm
Replaced the gear cable on Boy Wunja's commuter bike, then started clearing out crap no-longer required items from the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 January, 2014, 06:32:41 pm
Took my bike to pieces and reassembled it without the skog and floodwater.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 12 January, 2014, 09:29:36 pm
Yesterday, but who's counting?

Replaced cassette & chain on my old MTB. Only really worth reporting because of what happened as I prepared to loosen the lockring on the cassette - it came off in my fingers! No tools needed. I think only the gunge from dirty tracks was holding it on.

I think that may explain why the smallest cog became mysteriously unavailable towards the end of my last ride on that bike, last week.

One more thing. Why, oh why, did I buy a Shimano chain? I hate that foul invention from the deepest pits of Beelzebub's realm, the horribly misnamed 'quick-link'. KMC & SRAM can get it right. Why, with the immense technical resources at its disposal, has Shimano produced such a vile, finger-breaking piece of shite? In the end, I broke it trying to get it on. Then got out the chain tool to fix the chain together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 15 January, 2014, 12:22:32 am
Transferred my chest of upgraded bits, widgets and old socks for cleaning into a new, narrower, one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 January, 2014, 01:41:26 am
Cleaned my 2 (new to me) le creuset frying pan outers with a knife. stanley knife and soaking in caustic soda.  So the outside took a few goes as my hands kept hurting.  The insides I am cleaning with the wire brush attachment on a drill.  Might attack the enamelled outers with the brass wire brush to see if I can get it all clean and grease free.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 January, 2014, 02:05:25 am
Or I may have ruined the expensive coating on the pan...opps
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 January, 2014, 10:36:01 pm
knocked in sealed bearings into front hub. the seals make the bearings quite draggy, but should free up after few hundred kms.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 16 January, 2014, 02:20:17 pm
I have replaced one of these

(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/16460.jpg)

with this

(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/7776.jpg)

recycling the bits that aren't in the new kit from the old part. This is an essential item when one wishes to change gear using one's Rohloff hub. The steel cable in the kit is the bit that wears out and it's a finer gauge than standard gear cable. The one that came with the bike lasted 19000 miles until the cable frayed, the second one 10,000 miles.

It's a faffy job and counter-intuitive. When building up from the kit you actually have to assemble the bits on the wheel as it's a right pain wrapping the cable around the brass worm gear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 January, 2014, 03:55:42 pm
Nowt. Got my teeth fettled instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 January, 2014, 03:02:33 pm
Fetishists look away now...

Brutally sacrificed a pencil to the front door, until I can get some proper lock lubricant.  Worked surprisingly well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 17 January, 2014, 09:10:56 pm
Flat pack drawers. In conjunction with now having an actual bed, my bedroom is starting to look like a bedroom, rather than an untidy corner of a particularly tasteless charity shop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 18 January, 2014, 08:35:14 pm
Tried to fettle the new commuting bike. New frame. Old components moved across from another bike. Took the frame to the LBS at lunchtime and got the headset fitted, steerer cut down and the frame stamped by the local police who were there. Took it home and did bottom bracket, saddle and seat post, handlebars, brake levers, crankset, pedals. Looked at toe overlap and stroked chin and cided to focus on something else instead. Got stuck on the canti brakes for the rest of the afternoon. Still not working. Given up. Thought about throwing bike over balcony. Thought about buying new different bike. Drinking wine instead and bike on balcony out of the way. Might never get used now. Grump.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 18 January, 2014, 08:39:42 pm
As I was fed up having plastic crates containing 350+ LP's on the living room floor I have spent part of today obtaining ans assembling some Swedish Expedit shelving.  The cubes are the perfect size  :)      Transferring all the LP's to it leaves me 3 free cubes, enough for another few years I hope.

Before I could put this in place I had to move the Billy bookcase & contents into the bedroom, where he will have 2 other full bookcases for company  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 January, 2014, 10:53:10 am
Packed half the stuff I sold on eBay that has been paid for. Just 2 more things to pack, but I need some cardboard and bubble wrap to do them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 19 January, 2014, 04:48:53 pm
Yesterday, new SRAM chain for the Caldera Uber-Shopper; no replacement of cassette but it appears to be absolutely fine. I think the OEM chain was poor quality compared to the rest of the drivechain and has proved sacrificial. So, OEM chain changed in 2014, and I only bought it new in 2004. Ahem.  :-[  I plead low mileage, Your Honour.

Today, full SKS mudguards for same; the usual three-dimensional puzzle and fun cutting stainless stays with a hacksaw and without a vice. Rear one on well after a bit of rack juggling. I am attempting to mount the front one on the OEM Marzocchis using P-clips, but since the clips are relatively high to clear the disc mountings, the stays will need judicious bending and cutting and I ran out of time and impetus.

Also a little fiddling with the Twenty; gear adjustment has always been tricky on this, and is better after much cleaning & oiling of toggle chain and gear cable. Not quite right, but better. One day I will take the hub apart and remove 44 years of suspected grunge, that should improve things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 January, 2014, 08:17:42 pm
Quote from: Pippa on 18 January, 2014, 08:35:14 pm
Tried to fettle the new commuting bike. New frame. Old components moved across from another bike. Took the frame to the LBS at lunchtime and got the headset fitted, steerer cut down and the frame stamped by the local police who were there. Took it home and did bottom bracket, saddle and seat post, handlebars, brake levers, crankset, pedals. Looked at toe overlap and stroked chin and cided to focus on something else instead. Got stuck on the canti brakes for the rest of the afternoon. Still not working. Given up. Thought about throwing bike over balcony. Thought about buying new different bike. Drinking wine instead and bike on balcony out of the way. Might never get used now. Grump.

So it's going well.
Izzit?
*runs away*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pippa on 19 January, 2014, 09:26:52 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 19 January, 2014, 08:17:42 pm
Quote from: Pippa on 18 January, 2014, 08:35:14 pm
Tried to fettle the new commuting bike. New frame. Old components moved across from another bike. Took the frame to the LBS at lunchtime and got the headset fitted, steerer cut down and the frame stamped by the local police who were there. Took it home and did bottom bracket, saddle and seat post, handlebars, brake levers, crankset, pedals. Looked at toe overlap and stroked chin and cided to focus on something else instead. Got stuck on the canti brakes for the rest of the afternoon. Still not working. Given up. Thought about throwing bike over balcony. Thought about buying new different bike. Drinking wine instead and bike on balcony out of the way. Might never get used now. Grump.

So it's going well.
Izzit?
*runs away*

Thankfully, it is done. Got new brakes this morning. Much easier. Then had problems with the crankset (bent) and guards (rubbing). But we got there eventually. Bike looks, erm, different.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 19 January, 2014, 10:41:27 pm
Bike seat onto the bike. Baby into the seat :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 January, 2014, 10:45:29 pm
Now you need puddles to splash through!  :thumbsup: Shouldn't be much of a challenge...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 19 January, 2014, 10:47:37 pm
 :)

Ah bless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 20 January, 2014, 02:12:57 pm
Spent most of the weekend fettling small curtains. 2 completed four in progress 3 more to start.
Bearing in mind that I no nothing about driving a sewing machine (Its like a band saw that joins things together) I'm quite proud of this achievement and not throwing an iron through the window.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 20 January, 2014, 04:18:53 pm
I've cleaned the appropriately named Dirty Disco, lubed it thoroughly and adjusted the brakes.
I also re-jigged the front mudguard (Race-blade XL) to, hopefully, stop it moving and rubbing on the tyre.
Since I've also moved the saddle up a little I need to ride this bike for the rest of the week to see if the position is OK 'cos I'm audaxing at the w/e.
I'd really like to be riding the new bike, more because it's new rather than the Disco is in any way deficient. It's not  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 January, 2014, 04:22:25 pm
I changed me valve caps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 January, 2014, 08:29:42 pm
A few things:
Fitted front and rear mudflaps on both Moultons
Adjusted headset on HK's Moulton
Replaced gear cable outer and Pixeo on HK's Condor
Replaced front tyre on my fixed
Finished a Klickfix/Rams Etrex 30 adaptor
Washed my Brompton but still need to sort out new gear cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 January, 2014, 11:39:52 am
The battery for my Ay-Ups.
Bit of a passive fettle, in a way - the charger's LED light was blinking green at me, which apparently indicates a battery fault which can in turn usually be sorted via full discharge and then recharge. I did this last night - got home at 5pm and left the lights switched on; despite still burning brightly by the time I went to bed at midnight I thought 'sod it' and put the battery on charge.

Woke up this morning to be greeted by a steady green LED on the charger - fully charged and fault (presumably) gone  :thumbsup:

I also sorted out the cabling and whatnot for Pugsley's new transmission pending arrival of front and rear mechs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 January, 2014, 11:53:31 am
Quote from: T42 on 20 January, 2014, 04:22:25 pm
I changed me valve caps.
I hope you gave sufficient consideration to colour coordination, weight saving and achieving the most aerodynamically efficient configuration.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 21 January, 2014, 05:56:55 pm
I started with 3 A1 sheets of mountboard and a small rectangle of lino

About 4 hours' worth of laser cutting and 30 mins with a lino tool later I now have lots of smaller pieces of mountboard and some thinner pieces of lino.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 21 January, 2014, 08:32:02 pm
Finished fettling together my front dynohub wheel - Shimano XT dynamo hub with Ambrosio evolution rim and ACI double butted spokes.  A straightforward build, wheel is nice and true.
So to fit it tomorrow and try it out with my B&M Cyo RT Senso Plus!  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 January, 2014, 10:25:54 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 15 January, 2014, 02:05:25 am
Or I may have ruined the expensive coating on the pan...opps

Yep the pans are supposed to have a black coating, some of which peeled off when soaking in caustic soda.  Oh well wire brush it all clean and then re season.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 21 January, 2014, 11:19:23 pm
The chuck on my electric drill. It would seem that, if you don't oil them for 30 years, they behave roughly like a bicycle would :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 January, 2014, 11:38:43 pm
Replaced the rear tyre on my Brompton and broke a Sturmey barrel adjuster due to corrosion. New component ordered but will be trundling around in 3rd hub gear for a couple of days (still got the derailleur). I need the workout, probably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 January, 2014, 12:10:48 am
Today I have been mostly ineptly molishing schematics in Eagle.

I used to know how to use this thing...   :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 January, 2014, 01:25:56 pm
Brakes on my LHT. Minor adjustments.

Got a chunk of software ready to go out the door. Is that fettling?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 24 January, 2014, 01:46:27 pm
The extractor hood in the kitchen. It vents to the outside, but has vents on top as well. If you want it to go outside, you seal off the vents at the top. The tape had come loose, so needed changing. Cue lots of de-stickyfying, de-greasing and cleaning, before application of some hopefully heat resistant tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 25 January, 2014, 06:57:08 pm
Stripped down cleaned and rebuilt a pair of 1950s Normandy HF hubs destined for the next classic project (probably). Bought from a retrobiker who was sadly clearing a deceased mate's shed. I was gruntled to find that a) they had been built with new balls and cones and b) that the nexus 7 predictive thingy recognises gruntled as a word. Cleaned up very nicely and respaced to 120mm, I think I can just about squeeze in a 5 speed block. And it is threaded for a fixed sprocket on the other side; it's the coolest thing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 26 January, 2014, 01:55:48 pm
A much needed clean and chain swop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 26 January, 2014, 02:08:12 pm
finally mended the turbo and fitted the evil orange tyre to the spare wheel.  Now all i've got to do is get on the damn thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 26 January, 2014, 02:20:05 pm
Quote from: Marco Stefano on 19 January, 2014, 04:48:53 pm
Yesterday, new SRAM chain for the Caldera Uber-Shopper; no replacement of cassette but it appears to be absolutely fine. I think the OEM chain was poor quality compared to the rest of the drivechain and has proved sacrificial. So, OEM chain changed in 2014, and I only bought it new in 2004. Ahem.  :-[  I plead low mileage, Your Honour.

...in which I was proved utterly wrong.  ::-)  Mrs Marco reported slippage on her first trip, so a replacement Deore cassette was bought yesterday from LBS, plus a larger adjustable wrench. All cleaned & replaced, & wonderfully shiny to match the plated chain, but that won't last. Just to prove that it worked with SRAM as well I removed, cleaned & replaced same on the beater Subway. I think that is going to need a better derailleur as it appears not to align well and can be easily misaligned (maligned?) further, but then it is bargain basement stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 26 January, 2014, 10:42:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2014, 12:10:48 am
Today I have been mostly ineptly molishing schematics in Eagle.

I used to know how to use this thing...   :-[

What is it about schematic entry packages that mean they have to operate in the most un-intuitive way possible? That includes all the pro-level stuff.

I helped my son with his MTB; he was complaining that the rear shock upper pivot was creaking as it moved, and still doing that after he'd spent ages trying to stop it, including pulling the pivot bolt, cleaning, greasing and reassembling. I helpfully pointed out it was actually his saddle creaking  :)

Other than that, replaced the electret mic element in my motorbike helmet with one scavenged from an unused old mobile phone headset - so now the intercom works again and I can talk back to MrsH rather than just listen to her. It worked out somewhat cheaper (as in free) than the eyewatering £40 + £7.50 postage a new Starcom1 headset would have cost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 January, 2014, 01:10:40 am
Quote from: MattH on 26 January, 2014, 10:42:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2014, 12:10:48 am
Today I have been mostly ineptly molishing schematics in Eagle.

I used to know how to use this thing...   :-[

What is it about schematic entry packages that mean they have to operate in the most un-intuitive way possible? That includes all the pro-level stuff.

A bad case of designed by engineers for engineers, I think.

Eagle works well enough, as long as you pretend that UI development stopped in about 1996 and take a bit of time/google to work out what things are called and where they are.  It's a lot easier to find libraries for random components on the interwebs than whenever I last used it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 28 January, 2014, 09:43:51 pm
Did some PC fettling for a blind bloke today.

The suppliers of his speech synthesising software had told him the error messages it was displaying were probably caused by his graphics driver not being installed.

Totally wrong. It's installed, it's up to date, it't the right one (or so says NVIDIA). I suggested to them that they do more investigation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 January, 2014, 10:00:43 pm
Packed some rubber under my GPS mount and renewed the cable ties.  Tracked a punk chewer to its layer, inspected tyre, 'twill fight another day. Checked rim wear on old Ambrosio wheels, rims are OK but the nasty galvanized spokes are badly out of tune. Dunno if I'll recover them or not, they're rather disgraceful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 January, 2014, 05:22:23 pm
Replaced my Brompton's indicator chain and Sturmey barrel adjuster at the weekend. Some swearing involved because of only having makeshift tools in the hotel room.

Replaced the rear tube on my B at stupid o'clock this morning since I didn't do it at late o'clock last night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 29 January, 2014, 08:25:51 pm
Minor garage-fettling, including building some flatpack shelving. It really needs a warm(ish) dry weekend afternoon to get it really sorted out including sweeping the floor and moving the motorbike to a less in-the-way position (and maybe even some electrics-fettling), but I'm getting bits and bobs done.

Hopefully will mean I'll stop keeping my bike in the living room soon!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 29 January, 2014, 10:06:20 pm
Fettling concealed cables into a new Planet X frame. I've come to the conclusion that concealed cables are the works of Stan, even when guide strings are in place. HTF do you connect a kevlar-coated very slippery cable inner to a bit of string so that you can pull it through? Much use of strange stand angles, knitting needles, magnets, screwdrivers and GNWE to get the cables through. Then - guess who cut one of them too short? Twat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2014, 10:13:23 pm
Presumably tying the string around the cable end thingy isn't an option?  It's how I use tampons to clean chain tubes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 January, 2014, 10:15:36 pm
Punk chewer frolix.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 29 January, 2014, 10:50:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 January, 2014, 10:13:23 pm
Presumably tying the string around the cable end thingy isn't an option?  It's how I use tampons to clean chain tubes.

Nope. The cable has to be drawn through open ended (ie the opposite end from the nipple) as some of the holes are only just big enough for the cable inner. The outer terminates in ferrules that inset into the frame. Tying bits of thin string to the open end of the inner is damn near impossible without creating a knot that would do a cat with a ball of wool proud!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 January, 2014, 10:58:05 pm
A vacuum cleaner can be helpful sometimes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 29 January, 2014, 10:59:30 pm
I think that I'd tape an inner wire without a nipple to the guide string.   Pull this through then use the inner as a guide for the cable outer to slide over.   When the outer is in place the inner can be withdrawn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 January, 2014, 11:06:28 pm
No good. The cable outer wasn't run internally, just the inner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 January, 2014, 11:11:24 pm
vacuum cleaner. Or after you have trimmed any fat end off the cable, dip the end in superglue to stop it unravelling and just poke it through. Assuming you have internal tubes. If there are no internal tubes then a vacuum and a wee bit of cotton and paper will put a guide string through.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 January, 2014, 12:22:50 am
Looked at a non working cusineart coffee machine, now cant figure out why it doesn't work.

There seems to be a blockage that I can't figure out where.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 30 January, 2014, 09:25:01 am
Quote from: David Martin on 29 January, 2014, 11:11:24 pm
vacuum cleaner. Or after you have trimmed any fat end off the cable, dip the end in superglue to stop it unravelling and just poke it through. Assuming you have internal tubes. If there are no internal tubes then a vacuum and a wee bit of cotton and paper will put a guide string through.

There was a guide string in place - Planet X do that bit for you. There are no internal tubes. The orifices are mostly big enough for the specially-made ferrules, but some are only just bigger than the cable inner. Supergluing the string to the inner might have worked - never thought of that. Vacuum probably wouldn't, at least not for the cable. Might work for the string, but I didn't need that. Fortunately the Fulcrum Racing Zeros I bought for the frame have a natty and very powerful magnetic probe for locating the nipples, and I used that to grab the end of the inners.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 January, 2014, 11:14:32 am
Two Schwalbe Winters (30mm) onto my tourer. They are the first tyres I've actually needed the toe-strap method to get onto the rims. Definitley not easy fitting

Also discovered that the rear rim is now seriously concave, so it looks like I might have to do the rim transplant I've been putting off for a while at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 30 January, 2014, 08:52:05 pm
Too cold to go out tonight so some more garage fettling:

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23853117/YACF/20140130tidygarage.jpg)

And new tyres/tubes (Conti GP 4Seasons) on the Tricross.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 31 January, 2014, 02:47:09 pm
I got to play with one of these:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/12236225105_a854fb9c34_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/12236225105/)
Laser cutting. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/12236225105/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr

and made a pile of these:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3686/12236336513_cecbc27b83_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/12236336513/)
IMAG1974 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/12236336513/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 January, 2014, 02:49:03 pm
Fun-a-go-go-on a stick!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 January, 2014, 02:52:56 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 30 January, 2014, 08:52:05 pm
Too cold to go out tonight so some more garage fettling:

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23853117/YACF/20140130tidygarage.jpg)

And new tyres/tubes (Conti GP 4Seasons) on the Tricross.
So neat! So clean! No oil, no dust, no fingerprints!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 31 January, 2014, 02:54:24 pm
Give it time
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 31 January, 2014, 05:15:58 pm
I haven't been fettling personally, but I've just spent the last hour or so guiding two United Utilities drain unblockers round while they worked out where the blockage was (two doors downstream from me), and how to remove the roots that were causing it. I now have fully working drains again :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 February, 2014, 12:18:40 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 31 January, 2014, 02:52:56 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 30 January, 2014, 08:52:05 pm
Too cold to go out tonight so some more garage fettling:

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23853117/YACF/20140130tidygarage.jpg)

And new tyres/tubes (Conti GP 4Seasons) on the Tricross.
So neat! So clean! No oil, no dust, no fingerprints!  :o

Yeah.  Come back next year and all the tools will be crammed on one shelf so the others can be used to store tqt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 01 February, 2014, 11:22:04 am
Wot no spiders and webs? I have monsters lurking in the shadows.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 01 February, 2014, 01:38:38 pm
Crud catcher mudguards fitted to youngests new bike (decathlon fit)  and then swapping the flat bars on the tandem back to the original drops with bar-end gears. Freezing cold but enjoyed it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 February, 2014, 04:46:52 pm
On backup bike: p*ncture repair, CatEye lamp mount added to bars, crappy Sigma taillight to rear. Not for all-nighters, just in case I'm out after sunset. Ordered a new set of pedals for it, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 February, 2014, 09:24:18 pm
New brake pads and a little bit of a clean for the not-Tifosi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 February, 2014, 09:27:49 pm
Luggage fettling - seeing if my recently acquired Alpkit Stem Cells will play nicely with the tri-bars and handlebar harness on the green bike:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t31/1559422_10151857487921636_495287260_o.jpg)

They do, with the velcro stem straps helping to keep GPS cabling and whatnot in check as well  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 February, 2014, 09:56:50 pm
The central heating timer. When we got home tonight it said it was 0445 on Weds and the flat was cold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 February, 2014, 10:02:46 pm
Quote from: interzen on 01 February, 2014, 09:27:49 pm
Luggage fettling - seeing if my recently acquired Alpkit Stem Cells will play nicely with the tri-bars and handlebar harness on the green bike:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t31/1559422_10151857487921636_495287260_o.jpg)

They do, with the velcro stem straps helping to keep GPS cabling and whatnot in check as well  :thumbsup:
Is there a bike somewhere in that picture? :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 February, 2014, 10:07:13 pm
Oh yes.
Two, if you look very carefully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 01 February, 2014, 11:39:43 pm
A VC167 coloured beanie hat for Mr Smith. It's a first draft, and a bit small, and he won't let me take a picture muttering something about being in bed and asleep.
ETA:
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-02/20140202_084225.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 February, 2014, 10:03:15 am
Does he always sleep with his glasses on?

Neat hat, but cold ears!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 February, 2014, 12:03:46 pm
Transferred all the remaining bits from the dead black bike to the ex-tiermat hack frame.  Well almost all. Managed to bugger up the feelthy chain, so gave up and will buy a new one.

Did a wee bit of filing to one of the rear drop outs to give bit more adjustment scope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 02 February, 2014, 12:32:48 pm
A witness statement.

Yes, great cycling weather but I'm working.   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 February, 2014, 03:45:27 pm
Fettled some cold weather laces (bungee with crimped loops) into a newly bought pair of boots.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/12270699716_49d0f43a33_b.jpg)
No more tying knots with cold fingers  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 02 February, 2014, 03:55:52 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 02 February, 2014, 03:45:27 pm
Fettled some cold weather laces (bungee with crimped loops) into a newly bought pair of boots.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/12270699716_49d0f43a33_b.jpg)
No more tying knots with cold fingers  :thumbsup:
How does that work then?  ??? Doesn't the boot feel loose?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 February, 2014, 04:29:45 pm
Quote from: delthebike on 02 February, 2014, 03:55:52 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 02 February, 2014, 03:45:27 pm
Fettled some cold weather laces (bungee with crimped loops) into a newly bought pair of boots.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/12270699716_49d0f43a33_b.jpg)
No more tying knots with cold fingers  :thumbsup:
How does that work then?  ??? Doesn't the boot feel loose?
What you see in the photo doesn't work -  that's just the method I use to roughly calculate the length of bungee required.
When the bungee is stretched, it criss-crosses the lace hooks conventionally.
Getting the length right, so that the boots aren't too tight on your feet and yet, not flopping about is an imprecise art, requiring a generous supply of bungee  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 02 February, 2014, 04:36:45 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 02 February, 2014, 04:29:45 pm
Getting the length right, so that the boots aren't too tight on your feet and yet, not flopping about is an imprecise art, requiring a generous supply of bungee  ;)
I see!
Or you could just get yer Mum to do them up properly with the supplied laces.   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 February, 2014, 05:35:15 pm
Quote from: delthebike on 02 February, 2014, 04:36:45 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 02 February, 2014, 04:29:45 pm
Getting the length right, so that the boots aren't too tight on your feet and yet, not flopping about is an imprecise art, requiring a generous supply of bungee  ;)
I see!
Or you could just get yer Mum to do them up properly with the supplied laces.   ;)
That would be far too easy.

Also.
You've not met my Mum........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 02 February, 2014, 07:15:50 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 February, 2014, 10:03:15 am
Neat hat, but cold ears!
I reckon a further half dozen ish rows above the diamonds will sort that. V2.0 next weekend, probably, They don't take long to knit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2014, 07:35:09 pm
A Klikfix/Rams Etrex 30 mount.

About to replace the derailleur cable on a Brommie before tomorrow's commute (DONE). I must tackle the racing tandem sometime, it is looking very forlorn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 February, 2014, 07:42:29 pm
Quote from: fboab on 02 February, 2014, 07:15:50 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 February, 2014, 10:03:15 am
Neat hat, but cold ears!
I reckon a further half dozen ish rows above the diamonds will sort that. V2.0 next weekend, probably, They don't take long to knit.

Cool idea.  Warm hat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 February, 2014, 08:30:37 pm
Gear cables, front brake blocks and chain for the pink magenta bike. I can now get all my gears! Given the length of the chain, I suspect a cassette replacement will be soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 03 February, 2014, 12:25:38 pm
I fettled the shed roof yesterday now the bicycles should get less wet. I need to wait a while for the shed to dry out a bit to see if my bodge was completely successful.  Otherwise I will need to completely renew the roof.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 03 February, 2014, 06:17:03 pm
Removed my moustache.  Tidied my eyebrows.  Saved £150.00 on my car insurance.  Saved the world.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 February, 2014, 07:10:48 pm
Three out of four isn't bad!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 February, 2014, 11:07:11 pm
A new dynamo wheel for my green bike.

A brief test ride around the block followed, with no pings and clicks from the wheel, so all is well. Pretty much, anyway. I need to check the dishing, and I need to fettle the position of the light, which cants a bit to the right.

I do enjoy building wheels. First time I've done it in years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 February, 2014, 02:11:40 pm
Brought the former-tiermat frame in to work so I could file the rear drop out in comfort and warm and with a proper file.

Took the opportunity to remove, grease and refit the brake pad holding screws.

Sadly the replacement chain has yet to arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 04 February, 2014, 11:22:16 pm
I just removed the rear wheel from the bike, stripped the tube and tyre off of it, washed it, so I don't end up black, removed the kevlar emergency spoke, and strapped the wheel to the back of the Brompton, so I can take it into work tomorrow, and use a vice to get the freewheel off.

All this, just to replace one failed spoke.  Modern freehub wheels are so much easier, but with a single speed, there no option but to go through this faff.

Surprisingly, a wheel fits on the Brompton rack, and strapped to the seatpost, remarkably well.  Three toeclips, and it seems perfectly secure.  I'll pop a picture onto the I carried this on my bicycle (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11163.0) thread tomorrow, when there's some light outside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 February, 2014, 06:15:03 pm
My god, my Fuji was in the most dreadful state.

Shamefully I stopped riding it suddenly last winter when I resumed tandem and then Sabbath September riding. I meant to give the winter mud a good clean off but somehow never got round to it. It's been languishing in the garage, chain now rusty, ever since.

This week Simon mentioned he might want his power tap wheel back. Realising he wouldn't even recognise it if he saw it (on the Fuji plastered in about an inch of mud) :-X I spent the afternoon out in the garden in a howling gale scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing the bike into submission. Later on today it will get a new chain, new tyres and new brake pads and I can stop feeling guilty about my dreadful neglect  :-[
And Simon can have his Cycleops powertap wheel back to stick on the turbo trainer bike :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 February, 2014, 06:30:39 pm
Quote from: TimO on 04 February, 2014, 11:22:16 pm
All this, just to replace one failed spoke.  Modern freehub wheels are so much easier, but with a single speed, there no option but to go through this faff.
Cassette hub, handful of spacers and a sprocket?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 05 February, 2014, 06:43:05 pm
New chainring.

Old one was so worn new chain jumped on it under pressure.

Stronglight, because unlike current Shimano ones, it fits my old Shimano cranks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 05 February, 2014, 07:06:09 pm
Pannier repairs. Not this pannier, this is completely fecked.
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/20140205_110539.jpg)

This one.
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/20140205_185803.jpg)

Why yes, I have used silver and red threads in my sewing machine rather than a more traditional matching black shade. Got a problem with that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 February, 2014, 07:12:35 pm
Obviously 95% of sewing I want to do is black.  Which is why it would make sense if the black thread lived on the sewing machine.  But the case is such that you have to remove the reel to pack it away, which means the black thread is always the one that's gone walkies and I end up doing that sort of thing quite a lot.

On a related note, I've promised barakta that I'll fettle her blue top when she goes out and buys the right purple thread for it.  Otherwise I'll just end up using a blue one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 05 February, 2014, 07:18:31 pm
I'm only slightly ashamed to admit the red thread lives in the machine, and the silver was a choice. The reason red thread lives in the machine is because since I've been un-lardy enough to shop for clothes in not-fat shops (ie since 2003) rather than making my own clothes I've bought them, as it's cheaper, and so the machine is mostly used for making Christmas Decorations. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 05 February, 2014, 08:48:14 pm
Quote from: interzen on 05 February, 2014, 06:30:39 pm
Quote from: TimO on 04 February, 2014, 11:22:16 pm
All this, just to replace one failed spoke.  Modern freehub wheels are so much easier, but with a single speed, there no option but to go through this faff.
Cassette hub, handful of spacers and a sprocket?

Whilst that's a possibility, it's inelegant, and the dishing on the wheel means that your more likely to loose a spoke on that heavily tensioned side than you would on a relatively undished single-speed or fixed wheel. Having said that, the failure of this spoke at only five hundred miles or so, doesn't exactly support the strength of an undished wheel theory. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 06 February, 2014, 03:11:10 pm
Fitted ancient Cateye HL-EL530 to green bike so I can ride home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 06 February, 2014, 05:33:29 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 February, 2014, 07:12:35 pm
On a related note, I've promised barakta that I'll fettle her blue top when she goes out and buys the right purple thread for it.  Otherwise I'll just end up using a blue one.

I've got some Cadbury's blue thread I can bring on Saturday, but if it's the burgundy blue top barakta was wearing at the time you had the conversation in front of me the other week it won't be red enough...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 February, 2014, 06:04:03 pm
Pedals.

The Tour Divide bike is now sporting an extremely nice, and mind-buggeringly light (considering), pair of carbon-bodied Time XC8s - the XC2s that they replaced will be going on the Croix de Fer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 06 February, 2014, 06:45:52 pm
I fettled some logs and planks into stove sized bits of wood.
It was hard work. No heavy lifting involved but lots of bending down and picking stuff up.
It also took an extremely long time; I've borrowed a friend's electric chain-saw and it was no-where near as effective as my petrol Husqvarna. It has less power and the chain is blunt. Much lighter and quieter though !
Before I return it, I'll sharpen the chain (and the chain on mine as well; that's why I didn't use it).
We're going on holiday tomorrow and the cottage we're renting has a wood-burner  :thumbsup:
The wood I chopped either came out of skips or was rescued from fly-tipping  ;D

Some easier but equally satisfying fettling was adapting a rear mud-guard designed for caliper brakes to fit my new disc-braked bike.
This is the item:- http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/xtreme-mudguard-mud-jack-race-rear/aid:143263
I am extremely impressed by the design; the discrete bracket stays on the bike and the guard can be removed in seconds. It also appears to offer good protection.
I'm expecting a couple of friends to order them for their bikes. Fronts as well I reckon.

Finally, I packed up two bikes into boxes to fit them in the car for the journey tomorrow.
Despite the car being a large estate, I think space is going to be at a premium because I've got so much wood in there.

Ah. Not "finally". I've still got to pack clothes and tools for the hols.

Mustn't grumble.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 07 February, 2014, 12:52:43 pm
Tomorrow I want to fettle the shed roof again as another stretch of felt failed in this weeks gales. Unfortunately there are going to be 50mph winds again so I am too scared to go up a ladder so it will be a wimpy scaredy cat fettle fail.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lady Cavendish on 07 February, 2014, 01:10:11 pm
I have fettled a flute. Next I need to the hoover its lost some suction.

One day I might fettle (or at least clean, a bike)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 07 February, 2014, 01:11:30 pm
24 mince pies  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 February, 2014, 01:16:29 pm
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 07 February, 2014, 12:52:43 pm
Tomorrow I want to fettle the shed roof again as another stretch of felt failed in this weeks gales. Unfortunately there are going to be 50mph winds again so I am too scared to go up a ladder so it will be a wimpy scaredy cat fettle fail.
 
That sounds eminently sensible to me - there's nowt big or clever about doing a Rod Hull.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2014, 01:52:16 pm
In spite of following The Rules, printing was inexplicably not working on my Debian Wheezy desktop, with our trusty Laserjet producing pages with postscript errors, rather than the documents I was sending.

After poking about in CUPS for a bit, it suddenly started working.  I don't think I changed anything.   ???

Have decided that discretion is the better part of valour, and will go with a working printer rather than understanding why it wasn't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 February, 2014, 03:21:49 pm
Replaced the dead tyre on the back of my MTB (sidewall is ripped to shreds, surprised it stayed in one piece on the last ride) with one of the Hardliner Tractor things until I get hold of something better. Also sprayed the bike down after fettling a hose onto my kitchen tap.

Anyone know any decent tyres for a mixture of muddy bridleway, hardpack and the occasional bit of sand dune?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 February, 2014, 03:28:36 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 08 February, 2014, 03:21:49 pm
Anyone know any decent tyres for a mixture of muddy bridleway, hardpack and the occasional bit of sand dune?
Hardpack/Gravel: WTB Nano 2.1s front and rear (these are the tyres I'll be running for the Tour Divide)
Mud: On-One Smorgasbord 2.25 (f) + Geax Saguaro 2.2 (r)
Dunes: fat bike ;) (alternatively, as wide a tyre at as low a pressure as you can get away with - Maxxis Ardent 2.4s or, if you really want to go nuts, something like the Surly Dirt Wizard (26x2.75) or Knard (29x3.0))

You don't need a stupidly aggressive tread to ride on sand - just something that can 'paddle' the sand out of the way (see the tread pattern on the Surly Larry/Endomorph tyres, f'rinstance)

There's no one-size-fits-all solution - if I know I'm going to face 'mixed' conditions then I use the Smorgasbord/Saguaro combo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 08 February, 2014, 03:38:49 pm
You've done well, wearing out your tyre already mcshroom,you only just got the bike!  Enjoying it then?   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 February, 2014, 03:42:12 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 08 February, 2014, 03:38:49 pm
You've done well, wearing out your tyre already mcshroom,you only just got the bike!  Enjoying it then?   :)

Oh definitely enjoying it. The tyres on the bike aren't new though, they are ones that I had on my old MTBSO a few years ago. It's not the first Continental tyre that I've killed the sidewall on. Obviously not build for heavy riders like me :-[

Right off to the LBS to see what they have in stock. For once them specialising in MTBs might be an advantage :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 February, 2014, 03:50:06 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 08 February, 2014, 03:42:12 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 08 February, 2014, 03:38:49 pm
You've done well, wearing out your tyre already mcshroom,you only just got the bike!  Enjoying it then?   :)

Oh definitely enjoying it. The tyres on the bike aren't new though, they are ones that I had on my old MTBSO a few years ago. It's not the first Continental tyre that I've killed the sidewall on. Obviously not build for heavy riders like me :-[
The main reason I avoid Continentals is that the sidewalls are made of cheese. Waffer-thin cheese at that.

I have far too many recollections of long walks home as a result of the sidewalls on Conti Top Touring tyres self-destructing to trust any of their tyres now - in fact, it reminds me that I'll need to source some alternative tyres for the Croix de Fer (I like the tread on the stock tyres, I don't like the fact that they're Contis)

Singletrack did a good article a while back on front/rear tyre combos for various conditions - that's how I ended up running Smorgasbords and Saguaros. I'll see if I can dig up a link or similar - it was quite informative.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 February, 2014, 12:31:22 am
If you could find it I will be interested in a read. I got a Schwalbe Black Jack to tide me over in the end. It looks reasonable without being massively aggressive.

In other fettling, I've done some decent work on getting the Dawes into touring shape. Front and rear racks fitted, new 11-32 cassette fitted, bent rear mech replaced and new chain fitted. Also replaced the rear blocks that were down to their last dregs. Unfortunately I worked out the wheels are now rather concave after cleaning them, so the bikes got a spare black set on  which doesn't really match, until I get round to doing a couple rim transplants.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 February, 2014, 12:49:09 pm
I agree that contis are awful for splitting side walls.

Finally replace and light fitting in the sitting room, Bodged the fitting on so will see if the GU10 LED lights with more adjustability will give more light.  Finally refitted the connections to the light fitting in the bedroom.  Both of those things have taken ages to actually do, spent more time worrying about it than doing it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 February, 2014, 10:58:29 am
I'm just off to grease my pump.

This is not a euphemism, even if it should be.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 February, 2014, 11:01:29 am
As far as MTB tyres go, there is only one worth using...

Panaracer Fire XC.

End of.... :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 February, 2014, 11:37:25 am
Actually yesterday, but I sorted out the lighting/charging system for the TD bike - after a couple of false starts, I'm now running the light (Supernova E3 Triple) and the eWerk directly from the dynamo; my attempt to chain the eWerk off the trailing leads on the light didn'tWerk, probably due to lack of current (they're used for the tail light, which I'm not fitting)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1743506_10151872609106636_1489305399_n.jpg)

Anyway, it works, but with both the light and the eWerk/cache battery being used the light will only run at full power at ludicrous speed so at some point I'll be fettling an inline switch between the eWerk and the hub so I can disconnect the eWerk without having to faff around with connectors. Also, a pox on B&M for using coaxial cable on the eWerk leads.

Finally, I did this:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/1911688_10151873071316636_1356239820_n.jpg)

You can tell it's a Surly product because of the integrated bottle openers ;) Normally I don't bother with chaintugs, but given that this bike will be ridden in some pretty hilly terrain I figured it might be a good idea and whilst the Surly TuggNut is more expensive than most, it's very well built.

All that remains is to put a bit of Sugru on the bits of the dynamo connector that the heatshrink couldn't cover, which is this evening's job now that I have Sugru to do the job.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 10 February, 2014, 12:28:20 pm
Not today, but on Sat fettled an exposure Q/R handlebar bracket onto my hope vision 1. Bucks Bikes in Aylesbury even gave me a stainless bolt to suit for free (!) which was a pleasant surprise. Also fitted a maptrap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 February, 2014, 09:00:57 pm
Pushed some Salmon Koolstop pads into the rear cartridges of the Tektros on the Pompino.
If I hadn't, I'm pretty sure that by the time I get to work tomorrow, if I braked, it'd be metal-on-metal  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 12 February, 2014, 07:24:37 am
New brake cables on the trice. The rain had finally got to the old ones  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 February, 2014, 09:43:26 am
Quote from: Jurek on 11 February, 2014, 09:00:57 pm
Pushed some Salmon Koolstop pads into the rear cartridges of the Tektros on the Pompino.
If I hadn't, I'm pretty sure that by the time I get to work tomorrow, if I braked, it'd be metal-on-metal  :o

Braking is for wimps ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 February, 2014, 10:13:25 am
Changed pedals on back-up bike. Old single-sided SPDs were horrible to engage, replaced with MTB pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 February, 2014, 10:22:02 am
Fixed my knob so it screws on properly.  The thread had stripped on a knob on my chest of drawers, so I made a makeshift rawlplug out of a bit of cable tie cut into pieces (Opinel No. 7 was the tool of choice).

My knob is now firm again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 12 February, 2014, 11:13:46 am
Unfettled a number of Molex connectors (hard disk wires) so I can make a system for swapping my dynamo lights and wheel between bikes.

I've ripped the wires from the schmidt spades twice now so something a bit more designed to be unplugged is in order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 February, 2014, 11:21:09 am
Quote from: davelodwig on 12 February, 2014, 11:13:46 am
Unfettled a number of Molex connectors (hard disk wires) so I can make a system for swapping my dynamo lights and wheel between bikes.

I've ripped the wires from the schmidt spades twice now so something a bit more designed to be unplugged is in order.

You, sir, are a genius.

I have been trying to work out to molish some wiring splitters for my dynohub.

One thing I have LOTS of are molex splitters...

Weekend project!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 12 February, 2014, 11:26:22 am

After spending hours looking for places to buy them new in quantities less than a hundred, I came across

http://www.pcbheaven.com/exppages/Reuse_and-or_extend_the_Molex_connectors/

Gives the skinny on dismantling the plugs and sockets for reuse. Chuck in some heat shrink and you should do alright.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 February, 2014, 03:23:43 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 12 February, 2014, 11:13:46 am
Unfettled a number of Molex connectors (hard disk wires) so I can make a system for swapping my dynamo lights and wheel between bikes.

Ugh.  Those molex plugs are horrid enough in computers.

Tamiya connectors are my weapon of choice for quick-disconnect dynamo wiring.  Same sort of open-so-the-water-can-dry-out-quickly deal, but better at self-aligning.

Alternatively, if it's not being exposed to the elements in the disconnected state, Weatherpack or similar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 12 February, 2014, 03:33:29 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 February, 2014, 03:23:43 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 12 February, 2014, 11:13:46 am
Unfettled a number of Molex connectors (hard disk wires) so I can make a system for swapping my dynamo lights and wheel between bikes.

Ugh.  Those molex plugs are horrid enough in computers.

Tamiya connectors are my weapon of choice for quick-disconnect dynamo wiring.  Same sort of open-so-the-water-can-dry-out-quickly deal, but better at self-aligning.

Alternatively, if it's not being exposed to the elements in the disconnected state, Weatherpack or similar.

I wanted a plug with 4 ways, otherwise I would have used a Tamiya, but also I have lots of Molex plugs and sockets lying about for modification for free.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 12 February, 2014, 03:34:27 pm
Found a rather nice Sony Discman that I had put away several years ago. Took out the corroded batteries and cleaned the terminals up with some vinegar using Q-tips and it burst into life ! Its got a line out so now I have pressed it into service as a replacement for the CD player in our HiFi stack that died a few months ago. Now to find the Discman wall art that must be in the house somewhere .....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 February, 2014, 10:37:16 pm
Lots of fettling of my Dave Yates. I noticed that the headset was rough (around about last summer), so I was after replacing it, and I bought some shiny new second-hand lights.

So I stripped the frame down and cleaned it as best I could, given that it needs a new paint job, removed and re-greased the bottom bracket, then cleaned all the crud off the chainset and chainring. That wasn't a job to be taken lightly.

I also replaced the cables and cable outers, fitted the new headset, replaced the bearings in the rear wheel, finally replaced the seat clamp bolt with something more fit for purpose than the M6 nut and bolt I've been using since 2009, added a pump peg so the Zefal sits along the top tube, shinied everything up, and - importantly - fitted some mudguard stickers. I also had to replace the aluminium shims which shim out the seat post and fork crown. This involved purchasing items in aluminium cans.

The Supernova E3 Pro is impressive.  The cable out to the rear spoils the looks a bit, but utility trumps aesthetics. The rear light mount required some bodging, most of which is covered by the red reflective tape that I bought at the Shop of Hi-Vis on DP Gupta Road in Delhi. I knew that'd come in useful.

I want to go out to check how much better than my IQ Fly the Supernova is - but it's blowing a hoolie out there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 February, 2014, 07:39:42 pm
Not exactly fettling, more putting into fettle - I hoovered the inside of my Carradice! Does anyone else ever do this, or am I the only one who gets so much dirt and bits in there?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 February, 2014, 07:44:15 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 February, 2014, 07:39:42 pm
Not exactly fettling, more putting into fettle - I hoovered the inside of my Carradice! Does anyone else ever do this, or am I the only one who gets so much dirt and bits in there?

Yep.  Usually what happens is a paracetamol or something escapes from the packet, then rattles around until the bottom is covered in gritty white powder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 13 February, 2014, 08:51:25 pm
Wee engine plumbing in

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/12507100734_788fcf426b_z.jpg)

I think I could do with micro fingers, and macro eyes.....   ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 09:02:05 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 February, 2014, 07:39:42 pm
Not exactly fettling, more putting into fettle - I hoovered the inside of my Carradice! Does anyone else ever do this, or am I the only one who gets so much dirt and bits in there?

It's not a proper Carradice if the cotton duck isn't lined with the residue of a five-year old banana (or similar).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 February, 2014, 09:14:42 pm
Quote from: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 09:02:05 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 February, 2014, 07:39:42 pm
Not exactly fettling, more putting into fettle - I hoovered the inside of my Carradice! Does anyone else ever do this, or am I the only one who gets so much dirt and bits in there?

It's not a proper Carradice if the cotton duck isn't lined with the residue of a five-year old banana (or similar).
Diet Coke also works. DAHIKT.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: shyumu on 13 February, 2014, 09:17:01 pm
Quote from: Deano on 12 February, 2014, 10:37:16 pm
Lots of fettling of my Dave Yates. I noticed that the headset was rough (around about last summer), so I was after replacing it, and I bought some shiny new second-hand lights.

So I stripped the frame down and cleaned it as best I could, given that it needs a new paint job, removed and re-greased the bottom bracket, then cleaned all the crud off the chainset and chainring. That wasn't a job to be taken lightly.

I also replaced the cables and cable outers, fitted the new headset, replaced the bearings in the rear wheel, finally replaced the seat clamp bolt with something more fit for purpose than the M6 nut and bolt I've been using since 2009, added a pump peg so the Zefal sits along the top tube, shinied everything up, and - importantly - fitted some mudguard stickers. I also had to replace the aluminium shims which shim out the seat post and fork crown. This involved purchasing items in aluminium cans.

The Supernova E3 Pro is impressive.  The cable out to the rear spoils the looks a bit, but utility trumps aesthetics. The rear light mount required some bodging, most of which is covered by the red reflective tape that I bought at the Shop of Hi-Vis on DP Gupta Road in Delhi. I knew that'd come in useful.

I want to go out to check how much better than my IQ Fly the Supernova is - but it's blowing a hoolie out there.

Oooh. Waiting to hear reports.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 10:21:08 pm
Well, I still haven't tested it during the hours of darkness, but I had a little spin out earlier today, and grabbed some photos.

The bike:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/12508888464_c52a658384_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508888464/)

Front light:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/12508525643_f877c5dbce_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508525643/)

Rear light:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/12508400055_27571d8afe_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508400055/)

And of course, the mudguard stickers:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/12508866774_2984f8e6d0_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508866774/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 February, 2014, 10:32:22 pm
Nicely co-ordinated cables, but the rims are mismatching! :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 10:34:00 pm
I know. I'm working up to a silver rim and hub for the rear, to match the front. It can wait until the rear's knackered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 February, 2014, 11:42:18 pm
And close that brake QR before you ride it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 February, 2014, 12:11:55 am
Anyway, this morning I failed to fettle a jammed chain.  My toast was toasting when I spied out of the window a woman pushing her bike on the pavement opposite. She paused, peered at the rear wheel, rummaged in her rather natty wicker basket for a tissue and tugged at the chain. This didn't have the desired effect.  My toast popped up and applied slide and Marmite.  She was still having trouble, so I found some shoes, abandoned my toast and went out to see if I  could help.

The chain was off both front and rear. I tugged it free from between the big sprocket and spokes but it was well and truly jammed between chain guard stay and frame. I offered to fetch tools to free it, but she said she only lived "just up there" and would push.  The toast was still warm when I got back in. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 February, 2014, 09:13:08 am
Quote from: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 10:21:08 pm
Well, I still haven't tested it during the hours of darkness, but I had a little spin out earlier today, and grabbed some photos.

The bike:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/12508888464_c52a658384_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508888464/)

Front light:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/12508525643_f877c5dbce_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508525643/)

Rear light:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/12508400055_27571d8afe_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508400055/)

And of course, the mudguard stickers:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/12508866774_2984f8e6d0_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508866774/)

That's not your bike, it's clean!

Or, in a nicer way...

So that's what colour it is! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 February, 2014, 09:34:27 am
^Nothing wrong with the aesthetics of that!^ Utility, when it's truly useful and purposeful, creates its own aesthetic. And your bodges are a lot neater than mine!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 February, 2014, 09:35:25 am
Quote from: interzen on 13 February, 2014, 09:14:42 pm
Quote from: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 09:02:05 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 February, 2014, 07:39:42 pm
Not exactly fettling, more putting into fettle - I hoovered the inside of my Carradice! Does anyone else ever do this, or am I the only one who gets so much dirt and bits in there?

It's not a proper Carradice if the cotton duck isn't lined with the residue of a five-year old banana (or similar).
Diet Coke also works. DAHIKT.
Chocolate and leaf mould in my case. Don't worry, some of it is worked into the fabric. Well-fed ducks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2014, 01:37:07 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 February, 2014, 09:35:25 am
Quote from: interzen on 13 February, 2014, 09:14:42 pm
Quote from: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 09:02:05 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 February, 2014, 07:39:42 pm
Not exactly fettling, more putting into fettle - I hoovered the inside of my Carradice! Does anyone else ever do this, or am I the only one who gets so much dirt and bits in there?

It's not a proper Carradice if the cotton duck isn't lined with the residue of a five-year old banana (or similar).
Diet Coke also works. DAHIKT.
Chocolate and leaf mould in my case. Don't worry, some of it is worked into the fabric. Well-fed ducks.

I've got a pair of cheap nasty (especially in the fixings department) Avenir panniers that I use for doing the shopping.  If you do the shopping in a set of panniers for long enough, they get leaked in.

And then the slugs arrive...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 15 February, 2014, 04:20:41 pm
Fettled the old bike rack on to the new roof-rack of the new car.  In preparation for transporting a bike to Slow Coach's house tomorrow so I can go out playing with him.

I'm really rather pleased with myself, doing that  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 February, 2014, 04:47:18 pm
My new shoes - Shimano M088s.
Fettling in this case means mucking around with the cleat position until I get it to a point where it's comfortable - fortunately, using my other shoes as a guide meant this didn't take long and only minimal adjustments were needed after a 30 minute session on the turbo. I'll likely use them for turbo sessions for the forseeable future until I get them broken in 'properly' - conditions outside are definitely more conducive to using the MW81s. Or waders.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 15 February, 2014, 04:54:00 pm
Aaaand the new lamp my baby brother bought for my birthday.  It just needed assembling, but it's come at the right time to replace the rubbish old BHS one that kept blowing the fuses and eating light bulbs.  And this one's so much nicer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 February, 2014, 04:55:01 pm
Ungummed a set of Y2K Tiagra shifters with WD40.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 15 February, 2014, 09:57:41 pm
A radiator.

Discovered to be leaking around the blanking plug at the end opposite the vent. There was also a tiny leak at the vent end. Was starting to rust.

With some trepidation, fearing that the whole thing might be rusted from the inside, I took out the plugs (had to buy a radiator spanner first). Huzzah! No rust inside! The water I let out was clear & clean. So, the rust must be the result of the leak, not the cause.

The thread was coated in some kind of paste, perhaps a sealant - but it didn't look as if it was doing its job. Scraped around inside & it felt a bit greasy, but the stuff on the thread was almost chalky.

So I cleaned it off both the plugs & inside, wrapped a few layers of PTFE tape round it, plus some Fernox LSX sealant just in case, & bunged the plugs back in.

So far so good. Bone dry.

Let some water out of the top radiator (it's a pressurised system) & topped it up with corrosion inhibitor while I had everything shut down. Seemed like a good idea, since it hasn't had any added for a long time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 16 February, 2014, 08:39:19 pm
Decided to investigate the crunchy sensation from the rear hub. Suspicions that it didn't correspond to the manufacturers specification were raised by the fact that the two ends could rotate in opposite directions simultaneously.  With some suitable persuasion (I found the bigger hammer) I was able to verify that it had in fact sheared in two.

Oh well, I have a spare bearing or two and have ordered the replacement bits. And swapped the tyre to the other wheel for the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 16 February, 2014, 09:28:27 pm
Transferred rails from one Selle Italia saddle to another (a rare one, that suffered a rail break).  A bit of the old ultraviolence with saw and drill needed to demolish the nose-end retainers, and hot glue to make a new one.

New seatpost as well.  Nice 2-bolt Deda.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 16 February, 2014, 10:09:04 pm
Must remember to oil my chain more. Checked the commuter tonight as I knew it was noisy Fri eve. Lots of orange rust. tut tut. All oiled and good now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 16 February, 2014, 10:59:52 pm
Quote from: Deano on 13 February, 2014, 10:21:08 pm

Front light:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/12508525643_f877c5dbce_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/12508525643/)

Er is it just me, or are those brake pads in backwards? ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 16 February, 2014, 11:10:20 pm
Well done, Mcshroom - you spotted the deliberate mistake  ;D :facepalm:

They must have been like that since last year, when I replaced the brake calipers. I obviously replaced the pads the wrong way round, the left on the right and vice versa.

Meh. It brakes pretty well. And the grub screws are in tight, so I doubt the pads will go pinging off on a descent anytime soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 February, 2014, 12:22:39 am
Fixed three punctured tubes.  It is only been a few months to get round to it.  Took only took getting a puncture in the hybrid for me to actually do some thing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 February, 2014, 02:33:20 am
And found another fairy visitation that had been repaired by a temp patch.  So rubbed the area with meths, then hot water to get the sticky stuff off.

So hopefully that is sorted and no more issues.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 18 February, 2014, 01:59:33 pm
I fettled one of the ceiling light fittings in the lounge. A valve appears to have broken on my hot water cylinder causing water to come through the ceiling and trip the RCD. The choc block was a singed black colour and the insulation tape round it slightly melted and charred looking.  :o

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/12612683713_ce5decfc5f.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/12612683713/)
Fried wiring due to water leak! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/12612683713/) by Lara Feline (http://www.flickr.com/people/felinelara/), on Flickr

So I dried it out and replaced the choc block, put a casserole dish under the leaky valve and am awaiting the plumber visiting tomorrow, but at least we have working lights and electrickery. No central heating though. Cats and dog competing for prime position in front of the fire now.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/12612702423_bed805a826.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/12612702423/)
Warm cats (http://www.flickr.com/photos/felinelara/12612702423/) by Lara Feline (http://www.flickr.com/people/felinelara/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 February, 2014, 02:06:02 pm
Quote from: Feline on 18 February, 2014, 01:59:33 pm
Cats and dog competing for prime position in front of the fire now.
Clearly the cats have won, 'cos I can't see a dog in that picture ....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 18 February, 2014, 02:45:03 pm
Quote from: interzen on 18 February, 2014, 02:06:02 pm
Quote from: Feline on 18 February, 2014, 01:59:33 pm
Cats and dog competing for prime position in front of the fire now.
Clearly the cats have won, 'cos I can't see a dog in that picture ....

Cats ALWAYS win  ;D
Rawwrrrrr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 February, 2014, 04:51:41 pm
Fiddling frustratedly with the front mech on my spare bike which, when I change from the outer to the middle chainring, drops the chain between the two rather than on to the middle. (Chain then rides on teeth rather than engaging but doesn't drop all the way down in between.)  When I adjust the cable so that the mech changes down cleanly, it won't change up again.

Feeling rather (http://ewingh.com/eje/pics/divers/gaah.gif)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 18 February, 2014, 05:45:52 pm
It might be an alignment issue
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 18 February, 2014, 07:04:46 pm
Quote from: T42 on 18 February, 2014, 04:51:41 pm
Fiddling frustratedly with the front mech on my spare bike which
[...]
Feeling rather (http://ewingh.com/eje/pics/divers/gaah.gif)
Try it on a fat-bike with an E-type front mech and you'll learn what frustration really is.

I (re)learned recently why I've been going down the fixed/single speed/IGH route for the past 15 years ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 February, 2014, 09:33:57 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 18 February, 2014, 05:45:52 pm
It might be an alignment issue

Might. Looks OK, though.  I'm almost at the point of flinging it at the LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 20 February, 2014, 03:04:39 pm
Fitted Carradice Super C saddle pack (a Kelly) to my bike, and the £4.75 ebay special top tube "pannier"
Tyres topped up, rims cleaned up, and chain lubed.

Looking forward to a nice long bike ride tomorrow!  Sarnies in Saddlepack, and see where I end up!   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 21 February, 2014, 12:40:24 pm
Our house sign has been in serious need of some TLC for a while, and I've finally got round to doing something about it. Here's what it used to look like (albeit after I'd already cleaned most of the cack off it):

(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/smutchin/A6696C6A-8AE2-4AA8-AB08-8147CEDFF71A_zpsr99ejfcw.jpg) (http://s88.photobucket.com/user/smutchin/media/A6696C6A-8AE2-4AA8-AB08-8147CEDFF71A_zpsr99ejfcw.jpg.html)

And here's what it looks like with its freshly applied first coat of varnish:

(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/smutchin/0C89E22C-928C-439E-9BB5-CB1B93365945_zpsne0gs3mm.jpg) (http://s88.photobucket.com/user/smutchin/media/0C89E22C-928C-439E-9BB5-CB1B93365945_zpsne0gs3mm.jpg.html)

Quite pleased with that. Now I just need to give it two more coats of varnish and fettle a new post to attach it to. Ideally, I'd have liked to redo the lettering from scratch and fix the kerning, but I haven't got time for such anal levels of detail.

This afternoon's fettling will be fixing the Brommie's puncture ahead of returning to work on Monday (thought I needed to go out and buy a puncture repair kit but then I found two unopened ones in the garage - win!), and getting the road bike into shape for audax season which starts next weekend for me - give it a good clean, fit two new Durano tyres, mudguards, dynohub and proper lights.

Also planning to molish a fboab-style raspberry cheesecake this afternoon. And get someone to fettle my hair if I have time.

Not too busy then. I'm supposed to be on holiday. Tch!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 February, 2014, 11:36:13 pm
Put some A530 pedals on the Trek in anticipation of trying fixed again (I'm going to try it in flats this time until I get the hang of it)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 21 February, 2014, 11:57:44 pm
Toe clips and straps, and minor adjustments, on "new" Holdsworth Mistral. It's got completely original equipment (except the obvious such as tyres and bar tape), and is in brilliant condition, but had lost the clips. Hardly appropriate to fit SPDs to such a machine, so I'm going old school  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 February, 2014, 11:59:39 pm
Replaced the axle, freehub pawls and two bearings on my rear wheel. I like hope engineering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 22 February, 2014, 03:12:49 pm
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3830/12697265125_3c9bb3dfcc_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27424426@N00/12697265125/)
IMG_1981 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27424426@N00/12697265125/) by SimonP2006 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27424426@N00/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 22 February, 2014, 07:56:16 pm
Helping fettle the new Dundee mountain bike trail.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/sets/72157641358671235/

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/12699539794_dfc8e66cc4_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/12699539794/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/12699539794/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Happy diggers
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 February, 2014, 08:16:32 pm
[insert hemlet joke]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 22 February, 2014, 10:09:54 pm
Attempted to remove the cranks from the not-Tifosi. Only got one off - the other seems rather reluctant. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 February, 2014, 12:13:38 am
Fitted a Cyo T lamp and a Garmin speed and cadence sensor to the Crois de Fer; tensioned and trued the rear wheel on the same.
Painted the bathroom ceiling.
Fitted new carpet treads on the stairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 February, 2014, 12:40:32 am
A couple of gigabytes of digital audio.  Salient thoughts in the back of my head were, in approximate order:

1) I'm glad I'm not doing this on my old Pentium II box with 128MB of RAM.

2) I'm *really* glad I'm not doing it on 1/4" tape.

3) Or cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 23 February, 2014, 08:05:55 pm
Mum told me she'd acquired a bike from somewhere, and asked if I'd take a look at it. You can imagine my trepidation.

So when I wandered out to the garage this morning, I was actually pleasantly surprised. It's an old rigid-forked Carrera Vulcan, light(ish) alu frame,  nearly all Shimano kit (even hubs), and not in too shabby nick. The tyres had seen better days but were largely usable, ditto the brake pads. All I had to fettle was a new inner tube and some air in the tyres, adjust the saddle, and away she was. The only thing wrong with it is that the gear cables are completely shot, and the indexing along with it, so new cable inners have been purchased and I'll change them next time I'm up there.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 24 February, 2014, 12:52:11 am
Finally finished reassembling the le cruessett frying pans.  So I cleaned the pans insides with a wire brush attachment and the outside by soaking the pans outers in lye. Then they were seasoned by goose fat and kept in the oven an over time whilst I cooked a few pizza and made roasts.  So the pans are now non stick as you can fry an egg with the pans and the eggs do not stick.  So finally installed the handles.

Reassembled the scooters carb after taking it apart to clean it out.  Managed not to reassemble it properly the other day but sorted it today.

Dismantled a damaged bike rack so that my seat post rack now has sides so I can use panniers on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 24 February, 2014, 08:19:03 am
Put a new tube in the Brompton's rear yesterday afternoon, ahead of today's commute. Couldn't find the cause of the puncture but did notice a bit of a weak spot in the sidewall. Hmmm. Looks like it'll hold though...

While pumping it up, I heard a slightly unnerving creaking sound, then moments later... BANG!

The "weak spot" is now a massive gash.

:facepalm:

Oh well, both tyres were well worn and needed replacing anyway. I was just hoping to put it off a little bit longer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tewdric on 24 February, 2014, 08:57:50 am
I cleaned the audax bike after the Gospel Pass on Saturday.  It took about an hour!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 February, 2014, 01:11:23 pm
Two paving slabs, yes THOSE two...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 06:19:48 pm
The doorbell push, which was cheap and lacking in weatherproofing, and had inevitably corroded.  Sticking DC up it probably doesn't help.

I obtained a new, better quality bell push, of the illuminated variety.  Removed the teeny tiny 8V tungsten lamp and replaced it with a couple of 3mm blue LEDs that I accidentally ordered about 10 years ago, along with a 120Ω series resistor.  The idea being that it'll run happily from 5V with a 100Ω pull-up, which I easily botched onto the PIC circuit that was connected to it.

When I've finished the new, improved, Rod-Hull-enabled doorbell, it'll have a transistor to turn the standby current off, so the backlight can flash for a few seconds as visual feedback to acknowledge the button being pressed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 24 February, 2014, 06:30:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 06:19:48 pm
the new, improved, Rod-Hull-enabled doorbell

Looking forward to it!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 06:38:03 pm
Quote from: nikki on 24 February, 2014, 06:30:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 06:19:48 pm
the new, improved, Rod-Hull-enabled doorbell

Looking forward to it!  ;D

Remind me to demonstrate the prototype some time.  Barakta finds it spectacularly annoying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 24 February, 2014, 07:03:34 pm
I'm contemplating a doorbell with a little light-up panel which reads "Please do not push this button again"...

...and when they do, the doorbell retreats into its own little housing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 07:05:57 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 24 February, 2014, 07:03:34 pm
I'm contemplating a doorbell with a little light-up panel which reads "Please do not push this button again"...

...and when they do, the doorbell retreats into its own little housing.

That's likely to have the opposite effect to what we're trying to reinforce, but it's just given me a genius idea:

Flash the backlight on the bell-push angrily in response to the knock sensor on the door.  For hard-of-thinking couriers.


(Can't trigger the bell directly with the knock sensor, as it false positives due to rattling from wind and other low-frequency sounds, like car doors slamming.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 24 February, 2014, 07:19:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 07:05:57 pm
That's likely to have the opposite effect to what we're trying to reinforce

I know, but it'd be a giggle  ;D

Quote from: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 07:05:57 pm
but it's just given me a genius idea:

Flash the backlight on the bell-push angrily in response to the knock sensor on the door.  For hard-of-thinking couriers.

That is actually genius. /bows
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 24 February, 2014, 08:36:02 pm
Yesterday, fettled a new fuel filter on my elderly skoda, once I'd found it hidden behind the fuel tank and exhaust heat shield and re-arranged my elbows to gain access.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 24 February, 2014, 09:09:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 February, 2014, 07:05:57 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 24 February, 2014, 07:03:34 pm
I'm contemplating a doorbell with a little light-up panel which reads "Please do not push this button again"...

...and when they do, the doorbell retreats into its own little housing.

That's likely to have the opposite effect to what we're trying to reinforce, but it's just given me a genius idea:

Flash the backlight on the bell-push angrily in response to the knock sensor on the door.  For hard-of-thinking courier


(Can't trigger the bell directly with the knock sensor, as it false positives due to rattling from wind and other low-frequency sounds, like car doors slamming.)

Make a arrow light up pointing to the doorbell or they may think the flashing light means the bell works from the knock  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 24 February, 2014, 09:23:32 pm
Get it to say. "read the sign, ring the bell. Those who don't can go to hell" in response to a knock sensor. Or have a door knocker that triggers the bell. That really would confuse them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 February, 2014, 08:22:07 pm
You need a variant of the signs at Wol's house. Something like "Please ring if an answer is required. Please knock if you're just wasting your time."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 25 February, 2014, 10:02:18 pm
New brakepads on the fatbike.
It began clicking on the last ride, thats normal on shimano discs when the pads are so worn that the spring hits the rotor.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 February, 2014, 10:38:42 pm
Minor wheel voodoo in the shape of replacing a spoke on the fixie. Hit a large pothole the other week and thought I'd survived unscathed, but closer inspection beneath the layers of grime revealed the truth.  Got the wheel rounder than it was before.

Fitted a Durano Plus to the front wheel of the pink minus green bike for much the same reason as Charlotte is doing. Managed to trap the tube, a fact only discovered at 80psi and 110dB. Fortunately the house was mostly empty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Oaky on 25 February, 2014, 11:09:39 pm
New chain, cassette and middle chainring on the commute bike.

The old chain was so worn and rusted that a) I broke it last week, actually causing a side plate to break at the hole and b) the park chain checker almost wouldn't go in because the chain was nearly worn enough for the wrong side of the tester bit to stop against the next link along  :o

It was more complicated than it should have been since older 9-speed (M-443) Deore 104 BCD spiders don't quite fit correctly with newer 9-speed Deore 104 BCD chainrings.  The tabs on the chainring are a little too long and but against some extra material on the spider.  I have upgraded my chainset spider by judicious use of a file.

I almost never use the outer and inner rings so they were in fairly good condition, but the middle ring was really severely worn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 01:22:41 am
I made a thing...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/alerter2_0_top.sized.png)

Will sleep on it and look for stupid errors in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 26 February, 2014, 09:05:45 am
Alert'O'Matic? Haven't Aardman copyrighted anything suffixed with "O'Matic"?

Looks very pretty.

My own fettling was less successful. Trying to resurrect a water damaged circuit board from a switch box, I now have 5 of the 6 LEDs working by replacing rusted resistors, the 6th LED is looking suspiciously open circuit, but I started to fall asleep which seemed like a good time to stop playing with soldering irons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 February, 2014, 11:40:57 am
Quote from: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 01:22:41 am
I made a thing...

Will sleep on it and look for stupid errors in the morning.

looks very neat. i remember the days when i used to draw the tracks with paint from a syringe, etch the board in iron sulphide, clean the paint off with acetone.. what a faff - but it was fun back then (about twenty years ago)! :) we were competing with friends who can squeeze the components onto the smallest board.i haven't looked at the technology since then, must be simple(r) now?..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 01:44:53 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 26 February, 2014, 11:40:57 am
Quote from: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 01:22:41 am
I made a thing...

Will sleep on it and look for stupid errors in the morning.

looks very neat. i remember the days when i used to draw the tracks with paint from a syringe, etch the board in iron sulphide, clean the paint off with acetone.. what a faff - but it was fun back then (about twenty years ago)! :) we were competing with friends who can squeeze the components onto the smallest board.i haven't looked at the technology since then, must be simple(r) now?..

Sort of.  You can still etch your own boards with techniques like that (I did some using photolithography for my A-level project), but because so many useful components are now only available in SMD packages it makes more sense to get them made commercially so you can get quality boards with tighter tolerances, multiple layers (the one above is a double-sided board, though it's mostly a ground plane and a handful of resistors on the back), solder resist and so on.

Which means you have to do the artwork using complex CAD software with a user interface from the 1990s.  On the plus side, auto-routing's better than it used to be (though, like a Garmin, it sometimes makes bad decisions and requires a bit of persuasion).

I'm not 100% happy with the layout of that board, but it's a trade-off between physical and thermal constraints (connectors need to be in the right places, power stuff needs to be as far away as possible from the temperature-sensitive bits), which means there's a lot of dead space centre-right.

I'm reasonably sure I've got all the power connected to the ICs this time, though :)


Quote from: Wunja on 26 February, 2014, 09:05:45 am
Alert'O'Matic? Haven't Aardman copyrighted anything suffixed with "O'Matic"?

I learned everything I know from Electronics for Dogs   ;D


Quote
Looks very pretty.

That's oshpark.com (http://oshpark.com/)'s rendering of what the top of the finished board ought to look like.  It's a nice sanity check compared to Eagle's cluttered display of the various layers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 08:30:39 pm
Right, sent that design off with a few (non-critical) tweaks.  Let's see what happens...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 February, 2014, 10:32:49 pm
Neg scanner! :D

That's taken a while, but I got there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 26 February, 2014, 11:46:12 pm
I started to put the new time-trial bike together.  :)

I've been collecting components for it for a while, purchasing based on them being:

I'm using an old Campag Record chainset, which the concensus say's requires a minimum of 105mm BB.
I scored a brand new Carbon 'Token' one off ebay for £5.99, but it's 102mm - I had a hunch I would just fit.

Guess what...





...YEAH BABE it fits!  :thumbsup:

A whole 10mm narrower Q factor than last years, Ultegra equiped bike.  :demon:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 27 February, 2014, 08:41:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 01:22:41 am
I made a thing...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/alerter2_0_top.sized.png)

Will sleep on it and look for stupid errors in the morning.

Erm. I have absolutely no idea what that does, and yet I WANT ONE!

Sigh. Just a sucker for a schematic I guess...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 February, 2014, 09:11:40 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 27 February, 2014, 08:41:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 01:22:41 am
I made a thing...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/alerter2_0_top.sized.png)

Will sleep on it and look for stupid errors in the morning.

Erm. I have absolutely no idea what that does, and yet I WANT ONE!

Sigh. Just a sucker for a schematic I guess...

I have no idea either. I think telephony may be involved somewhere, on account of the "48V un pol" connection.  Ooh, it connects to a Raspberry Pi. And a PIR sensor. And an infra red reciever(?) or is it a transmitter? And audio out. And, bless us, RS232 connection.

It's a thing to detect when the vacuum cleaner is clogged up with hair and then plays a jolly tune. Am I right?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 February, 2014, 09:27:54 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 February, 2014, 09:11:40 pm
I have no idea either. I think telephony may be involved somewhere, on account of the "48V un pol" connection.  Ooh, it connects to a Raspberry Pi. And a PIR sensor. And an infra red reciever(?) or is it a transmitter? And audio out. And, bless us, RS232 connection.

It's a thing to detect when the vacuum cleaner is clogged up with hair and then plays a jolly tune. Am I right?

Pretty much.  Well, not the vacuum cleaner bit.

It's a blinky, beepy, flashy light module.  Baraktas, for getting the attention of.  Plus some sensors and other stuff that might come in useful (like the IR transmitter/receiver).

The 48V is power-over-ethernet, because wall warts are horrid (with an external splitter as a botch around the RPi's non-POE-friendly ethernet jack).

RS232 because that's what LED matrix signs speak.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 February, 2014, 09:43:30 pm
I can't help thinking that the 8-pin connector for the DS 1-wire link on Kim's Alert-O-Matic seems a bit excessive.  ;D

The order for my PCB has gone off to Euro Circuits, so it'll be here next week (Wednesday iirc).  I need to get orders off to RS and Farnell for the parts that we don't have in the lab, which is going to mean I'll have several hundred spare bits, when the resistors only tend to come in packs of 50 (but sometimes cost less than a penny each).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 February, 2014, 10:02:00 pm
Quote from: TimO on 27 February, 2014, 09:43:30 pm
I can't help thinking that the 8-pin connector for the DS 1-wire link on Kim's Alert-O-Matic seems a bit excessive.  ;D

Well, there's power at a couple of voltages too (1-wire always ends up being 3-wire).  But more importantly, RJ45 means standard cables with connectors that tend to work.  That's a lesson I learned with the previous incarnation.

As for component quantities, I'm seriously considering just buying reels (read: a lifetime's supply) of 0805 0.1µF capacitors and 1k/10k resistors.  The price differentials are silly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 February, 2014, 10:03:15 pm
Box of bits arrived from technobots. I now have all the bits I need to build the thing (apart from the stepper motor which should arrive next week).

The laser cut MDF fitted onto the hub with no trouble, nice tight tolerances. I have to plan how to lay out the components and wire them together (arduino pro, an LM317 voltage regulator to power it from the 12V line for the stepper motor, a 293 motor controller and some optoisolators for triggering the camera. A few dip switches and push buttons for interacting with the electrickery. ANd miscellaneous other bits to make it all work. I'll just throw it together on a prototype board when I get a round tuit. I can laser cut the holes in the ABS case for the push buttons, switches and connectors.

Should be fun, and someone else is paying for it (mostly).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 February, 2014, 05:13:02 pm
Fettled the tandem.
Removed original pilot's seat post & fitted new in-line seat post & a Brooks B17.This has allowed me to replicate the set-up of my tourer.Ftw.
Removed original pilot's pedals & fitted a pair of Shimano spd's.

Fitted a pair of Zefal pump pegs to the frame so that our pump is carried in the conventional manner.
Fitted a Cateye specific light bracket to the rear pannier rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2014, 08:04:26 pm
A Farnell order.  That this counts as fettling should be readily apparent to anyone who's had to use their website.

I will, at some point when stock permits (which will hopefully be before the boards are shipped), own - amongst other things - a lifetime's supply of various SMD resistors.

Oh, and I discovered the obligatory PCB design cockup:  That audio jack footprint is completely wrong (it's for a 2.5mm jack, not a 3.5mm one).  Never mind, it's an optional feature and I'll fix it in the next revision.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 01 March, 2014, 11:13:15 am
Replaced 2 spokes in the back wheel of Boy Wunja's utility bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 01 March, 2014, 02:24:33 pm
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/12855289223_bc78631dd7.jpg)

Oh, and a light bracket and some bar tape and that, but mostly

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/12855289223_bc78631dd7.jpg)

 ;D :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 01 March, 2014, 06:21:32 pm
That's a bit bostin', Nikki.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 01 March, 2014, 07:10:14 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 01 March, 2014, 06:21:32 pm
That's a bit bostin', Nikki.  :thumbsup:

Isn't it!  ;D

Kim had a rummage in her component tray and The Cupboard last time I was over. I went away with that rather lovely badge, 2 mudguard stay nubbins and a litre of concentrated screenwash.

I'm still pondering the design for the spoke reflectors...


Thanks Kim!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 March, 2014, 07:29:49 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 22 February, 2014, 10:09:54 pm
Attempted to remove the cranks from the not-Tifosi. Only got one off - the other seems rather reluctant. >:(

Tried again. Still no joy. The tool won't come off, either, so now I have a useless bike with one crank. Gah. I wanted to ride it tomorrow, too. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 March, 2014, 07:51:48 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 01 March, 2014, 07:29:49 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 22 February, 2014, 10:09:54 pm
Attempted to remove the cranks from the not-Tifosi. Only got one off - the other seems rather reluctant. >:(

Tried again. Still no joy. The tool won't come off, either, so now I have a useless bike with one crank. Gah. I wanted to ride it tomorrow, too. >:(

On the basis that crank bolts are a lot like car wheelnuts, "take the bolt out and go for a ride round the block" would seem like a good approach.

Unless you've only got one crank and it's got a remover stuck in it, of course...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 March, 2014, 08:00:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 March, 2014, 07:51:48 pm

Unless you've only got one crank and it's got a remover stuck in it, of course...

Exactly. Not much I can do with it (it's the left hand crank, too, so I wouldn't get very far even if I tried to ride it!). Might be LBS time..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 March, 2014, 08:12:31 am
Waiting for a goddamned headache to shift so that I can get out. Sun's shining, no wind and it's Sunday, and I feel like crap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 02 March, 2014, 12:52:47 pm
I got together the pedals, bottle cage, front & rear mechs, brakes and headset that will go back on the Harry Quinn and gave them a jolly good polishing with Autosol and elbow grease. Putting alloy bits through the dishwasher made life harder, but there's a decent shine now. The stem will need to wait until it's in situ, as I think it'll be easier that way. I hope the powder coaters pull their finger out, so I can get assembling soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 March, 2014, 01:04:47 pm
De-fettled the singlespeed in preparation for its journey up north.

Plans to go out for a ride have been stymied by a throat infection - I think it was lying in wait, waiting for me to gasp down huge lungfuls of air on yesterday's fast (for me) ride before making its presence felt. The net result is an authentic 'swallowing razor blades' feeling  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 02 March, 2014, 01:25:26 pm
Fitted a new screen to my son's Samsung Galaxy Fame. I've done this for several different types of phone now and I have to say that this one was the easiest yet - nice modular design.

Haven't tried an iphone 4 or 5 yet and frankly don't want to - the 3 is bad enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 March, 2014, 04:00:54 pm
Firewall, firmware, VLANs, cables, that sort of thing.

I think the internet still works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 March, 2014, 08:22:55 pm
Cheap, 2 lever lock. The sprung latch was jammed solid, so the door couldn't close and therefore couldn't be locked.

Removed the lock from the door and dissected it. Greased the metal on metal bits, but to no avail.

The sprung latch is mounted on a bit of pressed steel which, upon closer examination, was as bent as a nine bob note exhibited a lack of lateral truth.  Held it tight in a pair of Mole grips and pressed the end against a handy garage floor. Much straighter.

Reassembled the lock. All good, no bits left over.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyUncle on 02 March, 2014, 09:33:52 pm
I made these during the week and wore them yesterday at a wedding celebration we went to.

(https://v4s2.yimg.com/sk/3667/12888722745_4bb2b73a2f.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/74277693@N03/12888722745/)

The backs are from ebay, some sugru to fix them together and the links are from the chain I used on LEL.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 02 March, 2014, 09:39:23 pm
Oooh I might have to copy that, CU.

Not that I've had an excuse to wear cufflinks in a while, but one could be invented...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: marcusjb on 03 March, 2014, 07:58:50 am
Better half's daily driver (giant hybrid). I had a new chain and cassette ready for fitting, but her gear cable snapped on Thursday (she took a different bike on Friday), so that needed fixing.

Getting a snapped cable out of 8 speed alvivio rapid fire shifters is a bit of a testing job. Much prodding and poking got me nowhere, so there was nothing for it but to dismantle the shifter with all of it's massive pingfuckit potential. It was pretty tough to put back together with a spirally spring that needed some patience to get in it's intended location.

That and incoming rain meant my audax bike didn't get cleaned and the fixed still has a flat back tyre. So some fettling to squeeze in today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 03 March, 2014, 02:58:11 pm
Not today but yesterday I finished replacing the head gasket on our Skoda felicia.  For those familiar with such things it's remarkably similar to an A series engine...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 March, 2014, 02:59:36 pm
Quote from: Moultonaught on 03 March, 2014, 02:58:11 pm
Not today but yesterday I finished replacing the head gasket on our Skoda felicia.  For those familiar with such things it's remarkably similar to an A series engine...

So you sheared several of the studs, gouged great chunks out of your hands and it still leaks oil and water into the cylinders? :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 03 March, 2014, 03:05:00 pm
^ So true! I was a bit worried as on restarting it, it still had lots of moisture in the exhaust fumes but it was residual from the failure, and cleared after a few embarrassing 'steamy' miles... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 March, 2014, 08:01:34 pm
Sadly this morning I spent 30-40 mins turning my rusted solid chain in to something flexible enough to get me to work.
Yes, I know I've only got myself to blame :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 March, 2014, 08:03:15 pm
I have a new frame, forks and headset to put together because the retailer is obviously too lazy to do so.
And they sent the wrong seat post. I don't believe they have much of a reputation for customer service. Into the garage I go.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 03 March, 2014, 08:21:10 pm
Just some flat pedals onto the Tricross - going to give this whole "commuting" lark another go.

The worst thing will be getting up earlier  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 03 March, 2014, 09:25:39 pm
Dried the tent out on the washing line.  And caught up on some of the sleep I didn't catch up on at the weekend.

One step at a time!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 March, 2014, 11:13:04 pm
Swapped the brakes onto the new frame. Put the headset in, cut the fork steerer to length and fitted the forks with a rather overlong stem. Swapped handlebars and removed the old cables, swapping the RH lever for 10 speed.  Discovered that Dolan really don't care about finishing their frames. Paint not as good as one might hope for, and all the threads and dropouts painted over. Had to scrape out the rear dropout to fit a wheel in. Swapped the derraileur over - all needs cabling now.

Added one bottle cage. Tried to (unsuccessfully) remove the old crank from the old bike. Looks like a new crankset will be happening. And new pedals as I couldn't shift those either.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jhob on 03 March, 2014, 11:23:28 pm
Fitted new compact chainset.  And then ensued an extended period of front mech fettling including use of mole grips and washering out the cage. All seems to work pretty well. Looking forward to trying out the new low gears on some of the local hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 04 March, 2014, 06:03:05 pm
I picked up the Harry Quinn frame from the powder coaters. I then spent a while dremmeling bits of overspray. After cleaning the frame with meths, I applied the HQ & Reynolds 531 decals. I then gave them a few coats of clear laquer, which looks good now.

Taking advantage of the weather, I then decided to refit the forks. Some percussive persuasion got the cups into place and the rest was fairly straightforward, especially with my shiny, new headset spanner. Replaced the brake cable with nice, slippery teflon ones. Much, much better now.

Saturday will be my next chance to put more bits on. The bars are taped, the brakes and mechs are ready and I have a chainset, chain and new cassette to get fitted. By accident, I found out the the Exage set up offers front indexed shifting. I may well see if it works. All I need to get now is a decent sealed BB and that should be it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 March, 2014, 01:51:14 pm
Fettle fail this morning. Went to tighten the cable on my tourer's front brake and proceeded to damage the cable so it splayed out and now won't go through the retaining hole on the top of the straddle.

Looking at the cable I'm starting to think that it may actually be the bike's original cable, so 4 years and over 10,000 miles old. Probably due replacing anyway then :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 05 March, 2014, 07:33:47 pm
More Harry Quinning. I fitted the bars and brakes. Relatively straightforward until I found that the front brake cable outer I had threaded through the bars was an inch too short, no matter how much I tried to get it to fit. Cue much cursing before I cut a new length and fitted that. The (white) bar tap needs a bit of TLC now, but all is in situ. I was tempted to put the wheels on to try how it rolls, but it was getting dark by then AND there aren't any tyres fitted!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 March, 2014, 07:45:29 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 04 March, 2014, 06:03:05 pm
... Some percussive persuasion got the cups into place ...

For future reference, I have a headset press.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 March, 2014, 08:00:39 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 05 March, 2014, 07:45:29 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 04 March, 2014, 06:03:05 pm
... Some percussive persuasion got the cups into place ...

For future reference, I have a headset press.  :)

As, indeed, do I.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 05 March, 2014, 11:38:32 pm
I don't, but a carpenters cramps work well for setting a headset bearing.
And with a little more care and delicacy, so does a 2kg lump hammer moved with appropriate precision and care.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 06 March, 2014, 02:32:48 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 05 March, 2014, 07:45:29 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 04 March, 2014, 06:03:05 pm
... Some percussive persuasion got the cups into place ...

For future reference, I have a headset press.  :)
Where's the fun in that? ;)
Thanks for the offers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 06 March, 2014, 03:10:57 pm
Ah yes, a technical tap with a precision hammer.  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 06 March, 2014, 11:48:29 pm
Spent two hours wrangling a laser cutter to no productive effect. However it was a useful learning experience. The smell in my office afterwards of burned plastic was not most pleasant.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 March, 2014, 12:05:50 am
Fitted card readers to a couple of PCs (with associated fan cleaning) and botched up barakta's dungarees with some botch wire.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 07 March, 2014, 06:59:27 pm
Fitted a Cateye wireless computer to the tandem. :thumbsup:
 It worked only intermittently :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 March, 2014, 12:01:33 am
Fitted a new brake cable to the front of the Horizon to replace the rather old original and retensioned the chain on the Trek District in case I decide to take that one audaxing tomorrow.

The new cable fitting took forever as I'm not used to setting up straddle wires properly and it seems to be a job designed for about 4 hands.

Oh, also gave both bikes a bit of a clean with some wet wipes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 08 March, 2014, 01:40:16 am
New winter bike assembled. Test run in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 March, 2014, 03:39:05 pm
Cleaned my bike!

This is a sure sign of:

(a) Second Coming
(b) End of World
(c) brain tumour
(d) senility.

(Students should select one or more or possibly fewer option(s) and correct the grammar.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 March, 2014, 03:46:33 pm
Lights.

Picked up a couple of Supernova lights (tail light for the Fortitude fixed, E3 Pro2 for the Croix de Fer) and an eWerk dynamo cable from the LBS a couple of days ago. Fitting the light to the Croix de Fer was relatively straightforward, but fitting the tail light on the Fortitude required some soldering and heatshrink - routing the tail light cable along the rear brake hose turned out to be surprisingly neat.

Either way, jobs done - I now have an off-road capable dynamo powered lighting/charging system on the Fortitude, a semi bad-ass headlight (and optional GPS charging capability) on the Croix de Fer and absolutely no solder-related burns.

There will be a Sugru hack on the Croix's dynamo connector at some point in order to make sure that water etc. stays out.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 March, 2014, 04:52:45 pm
lowered handlebars by 2.5cm/1" by flipping the stem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 08 March, 2014, 06:09:08 pm
I've built my first rear wheel and installed a 28mm tubeless tyre setup.  Will be test riding tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 March, 2014, 12:50:47 am
After getting intimate with some of the finer points of NTP yesterday, I've spent the last few hours writing code to drive a 7-segment LED display.  It's been a while since I've fettled one of those, but it's a vital aspect of the "1980s mission control"[1] aesthetic I'm going for with barakta's new alarm clock.  (Needless to say, it will also feature a large red 'abort' button.)  Freakishly, it worked first time. 


[1] Nixie tubes were vetoed, and screens are boring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 March, 2014, 08:32:18 am
Quote from: David Martin on 08 March, 2014, 01:40:16 am
New winter bike assembled. Test run in the morning.

Pics?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 March, 2014, 09:20:35 am
It was raining and there was too much else to do. Maybe today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 09 March, 2014, 10:27:58 am
Quote from: Kim on 09 March, 2014, 12:50:47 am
After getting intimate with some of the finer points of NTP yesterday, I've spent the last few hours writing code to drive a 7-segment LED display.  It's been a while since I've fettled one of those, but it's a vital aspect of the "1980s mission control"[1] aesthetic I'm going for with barakta's new alarm clock.  (Needless to say, it will also feature a large red 'abort' button.)  Freakishly, it worked first time. 


[1] Nixie tubes were vetoed, and screens are boring.

Banned from using Nixie tubes? I trust divorce proceedings are now underway, unreasonable behaviour and all that. Barakta has always seemed like such a nice girl too  :(



 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 March, 2014, 12:16:23 pm
Quote from: MattH on 09 March, 2014, 10:27:58 am
Banned from using Nixie tubes? I trust divorce proceedings are now underway, unreasonable behaviour and all that. Barakta has always seemed like such a nice girl too  :(

To be fair, the ban was specific to her bedside clock.  I can have as many Nixies as I like somewhere else (with the disclaimer that I shouldn't start any more projects until I've finished this one).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 March, 2014, 02:11:28 pm
I've fettled more fence into a vertical arrangement & fettled the garden furniture out of hibernation onto the patio & under the gazebo
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 March, 2014, 02:15:12 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 March, 2014, 12:16:23 pm
Quote from: MattH on 09 March, 2014, 10:27:58 am
Banned from using Nixie tubes? I trust divorce proceedings are now underway, unreasonable behaviour and all that. Barakta has always seemed like such a nice girl too  :(

To be fair, the ban was specific to her bedside clock.  I can have as many Nixies as I like somewhere else (with the disclaimer that I shouldn't start any more projects until I've finished this one).
Nixie tubes - if there were such a thing as a hipster component, they'd be it.

Never seen the attraction myself, but then I'm a sucker for OLED screens.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 09 March, 2014, 04:47:20 pm
Cleaned the bike after a shorts and tshirt ride if that counts
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 March, 2014, 07:38:14 pm
decided that Campag Xenon is cheese that isn't supposed to do more than decorate low end bikes. Broke the shift lever and now the rear mech is somewhat ambiguous about gear changes. Time to search out a decent upgrade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 09 March, 2014, 08:05:12 pm
With daughter & son-in-law, o.ver the weekend:


i.e. We worked bloody hard and are now knackered.  :smug:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 March, 2014, 10:20:40 am
Quote from: David Martin on 09 March, 2014, 07:38:14 pm
decided that Campag Xenon is cheese that isn't supposed to do more than decorate low end bikes. Broke the shift lever and now the rear mech is somewhat ambiguous about gear changes. Time to search out a decent upgrade.
Maybe that's why they named it after the noble gas: it's heavy, largely useless and only does anything under extreme conditions ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 10 March, 2014, 12:18:22 pm
Quote from: jogler on 07 March, 2014, 06:59:27 pm
Fitted a Cateye wireless computer to the tandem. :thumbsup:
 It worked only intermittently :(
Ah, so it is stoker-specific?
 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 10 March, 2014, 12:29:52 pm
Over the last two weekends I have fettled Bob (a second hand Thorn me n u2) quite a lot:

- new rear BB (at some point in his past someone fitted a BB too small, making the granny unusable because the chain would inevitably jam between it and the chain stay)
- replaced the triple rings
- fettled (with a hack saw) the rear rack struts so they do not now impede the operation of the rear v brake (which will be replaced with hyraulics too soon)
- fitted toe clips and straps to the stokers'* pedals (Suzy was not impressed by the chain ring teeth holes in dydlan's shoes :o)
- replaced the drive chain, front and rear mechs

Bob now has all the go and stop he was designed to have!

(*rare, but accurate use of an apostrophe in this word)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 March, 2014, 05:27:58 pm
In no particular order, today I have:

- Installed some extra RAM in my desktop computer.

- Installed an antistatic mat at my electronics bench (which involved sorting out the earthing, and finding lots of heavy objects to weigh down the edges until it stops curling the wrong way).

- Mucked about with NTP a bit more.

- Replaced the gear cable on the Streetmachine, which I discovered yesterday was in a state of impending doom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 10 March, 2014, 11:17:25 pm
Got the stepper motor part of the turntable project working. Decided I need to be more careful about speccing components - bog standard 1/4 watt resistors don't like having 3W through them - they get a bit toasty.
Anyhow, after cursing and swearing I managed to sort out programming the Arduino Mini Pro. Just the camera trigger part to finish and it should all be done with the prototype and on to the fully soldered version.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 March, 2014, 08:16:26 pm
I ohled a 12V air mattress inflation pump earlier, and have just molished a cable for putting the 50mumbleVDC from barakta's trike battery across the pins of its mains adaptor.

This post brought to you by a homage to rower40, ye shedde and the general forgivingness of SMPSUs
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 13 March, 2014, 08:35:26 pm
Cleaned Boy Wunja's old bike and inflated its tyres before taking it to the school's sale, hoping it will get 40 euros.

Two fettling attempts to fix a pannier rack to the CdF. Not entirely happy with the result. The rack mountings on the drop outs are 6.5 cm/2.5 inches/0.037 smoots higher than the axle leaving the rack much higher than optimal. So its now sharing the mudguard eyes. outboard of the mudguard stays because of an interaction with the seat stays.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 March, 2014, 08:40:46 pm
Quote from: Wunja on 13 March, 2014, 08:35:26 pm
So its now sharing the mudguard eyes. outboard of the mudguard stays because of an interaction with the seat stays.

My experience is that this looks like it should be a problem, but several years of heavy shopping and comedy off-roading have proved otherwise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 March, 2014, 11:54:48 pm
Simon had some new mudguards delivered today for his Van Nick fixie to replace a broken rear one ready for the Cheltenham Flyer 200 tomorrow. He didn't really have time to fit them and also get his gpx track ready for the morning.

So I kindly fettled his new mudguards onto his bike for him. It's one of my least favourite jobs although I am getting better at it these days. His guards are pretty straight and as concentric as they can be and still adjust the chain length and get the rear wheel out so I am smugly happy  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mr magnolia on 15 March, 2014, 03:19:15 pm
I've fettled nothing, but I have realised that some fettling is needed!
http://pbckt.com/pu.29ZL6E
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 March, 2014, 04:24:28 pm
Replaced the $h!tty-gritty Aztec brake blocks on the front of the Pomp with KoolStop Salmons, of which I had a consignment delivered from the USofA earlier in the week.
Soft, silent braking once again  :thumbsup:
Introduced a little tension into the chain on the same bike, so that it's not a bit slack.
Oh, and fettled a foot-stool cover and flowerbed at Mother's.
Both of which were less satisfying than the former two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 15 March, 2014, 04:28:10 pm
Just fitted new brooks honey bar tape. One section had THREE visible joins in it!  For the cost of this stuff it should be bloody perfect!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 March, 2014, 05:40:47 pm
Swopped out questionable Shimano canti pads for Kool stop dual compound, a 5 min job that took half an hour   :-[ Oh and cleaned the bike which was Sustrans off road dirty from a fortnight ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 15 March, 2014, 06:18:33 pm
Weekend off after consecutive audax weekends, so a good opportunity for some tinkering with the audax bike setup, including stopping the rattling bits from rattling, and lowering the saddle a few mm.

My Garmin measured both rides nearly 10% under distance, though this seemed to correct itself when I uploaded the rides to Strava. A bit of googling suggested this was to do with how the Edge 510 behaves when following tracks.

However, I thought I'd better also check the wheel calibration, which I'd lazily set to automatic...

Computer says: 1925mm
Tape measure says: 2100mm

ie "nearly 10%" under... :facepalm:

I expect next weekend's audax to measure somewhat closer to 200km.

PS Nixie bike computer for my hipster fixie? Yes please!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 March, 2014, 06:48:11 pm
Fitted cleats to my stoker's  new carbon soled road shoes.Next step(is there a pun there?) is to fit proper* spd pedals to the stoker's cranks on the tandem.

*atm she is using trainers & the flat side of combination pedals.
We had a short trial ride with the  cleated road shoes & the heavier spd side of the pedals always falls to the underside & trying to clip-in & also flip the pedal is a frustration too far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 March, 2014, 10:08:06 pm
Made my first bullroarer out of a bit of tree and a length of cord. Whittled to a suitable shape then got whirling. V pleased
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 March, 2014, 11:18:33 pm
Note to self. Remember to finish the job. just taking up the slack on the stem with a "I'll sort that later" and then forgetting led to a rather unexpected walk home from town. Good job it wasn't from the other end of town (Nnewells) as I had gone into town at a sufficiently tasty speed to have made an off somewhat unpleasant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 March, 2014, 10:56:28 am
swapped out drop handlebars with the flat ones on my folding bike. replaced front brake cable while i was at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 March, 2014, 11:51:26 am
A chainset.   It had been bodged to a single ring, now restored to double status.  :thumbsup:   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 16 March, 2014, 12:31:20 pm
I should add that it was my chainset the PB fettled, very generously. Top man, thanks Mike.

I hope once I left PB was not tempted to get his mole grips on the other item left in his care!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 March, 2014, 12:52:16 pm
No, just the lump hammer.

Interested 'dappled' finish on the chainstay...   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 March, 2014, 12:59:39 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 15 March, 2014, 10:08:06 pm
Made my first bullroarer out of a bit of tree and a length of cord. Whittled to a suitable shape then got whirling. V pleased

What's a bullroarer?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 March, 2014, 01:04:38 pm
Washed the weekend bike - it was still covered in the crap I brought back from last summer's holiday.
Decided the rear brake wasn't working, took it off and wire brushed the spring. Still not working so replaced the cable. Still not working so order a new one :(
My paintwork is covered in chips as well  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 March, 2014, 01:05:56 pm
One of those whirl round the head ancient communications things. As seen in crocodile dundee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 16 March, 2014, 01:16:23 pm
Parsnips, carrots, tomatoes, basil, coriander, mint, chives, peppers, dwarf french beans, mixed lettuces, strawberries, raspberries, apples & pears in various pots & plots. Warm digging in the back garden in T-shirt & shorts. Lovely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 March, 2014, 02:09:34 pm
Nix gefettelt, but found with a quiet hurrah the missing half of a pair of copper dynamo-wire tags that skedaddled from the bag the other evening and hid behind my Audax bike's back tyre. Chuffed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 March, 2014, 08:42:15 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 16 March, 2014, 12:59:39 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 15 March, 2014, 10:08:06 pm
Made my first bullroarer out of a bit of tree and a length of cord. Whittled to a suitable shape then got whirling. V pleased

What's a bullroarer?

Edit for clarity - my mobile is rubbish at quoting.  One of these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullroarer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullroarer)
  a bit tough on my hands though - must wear gloves next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 March, 2014, 08:47:27 pm
And today I molished a new wedge for a hand axe out of a bit of dead tree. A lot tighter than the old one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 16 March, 2014, 09:07:31 pm
I have a "Day Off" tomorrow - which in my company means "Stay by the phone/WhatsApp/EMail/Lync in case we need you". So I can't stray far from the above.

I need to go through a process of elimination to try and isolate the TICK TICK TICK (strong enough to make a "Ping" in the frame tubing) at the bottom of every (loaded) pedal stroke on the tandem. BB is most likely I guess, but I de-rusted the pedals with ACF-50 last week, so need to rule that out as a potential cause.

Also - I need to fettle some Ingress portals. One in particular.

Oh. And the fuel-pump on the Volvo has started whining, adding it to the "Next Service" list - which is possibly long enough to write off the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 March, 2014, 10:08:56 pm
Nearly forgot - I also adjusted the saddle height and handlebars for a Small Girl.  She then helped me pump up the tyres and went zooming off round the block. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 March, 2014, 12:04:23 am
Wired up more of the museum project. It has now almost all the wiring done and just needs some holes drilling in the enclosure, programming and testing.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 March, 2014, 12:50:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 February, 2014, 01:22:41 am
I made a thing...

From the department of fettling-by-proxy, the boards have arrived!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4063.sized.jpg) (http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4063.jpg)

Silkscreen unavoidably dodgy in places, and I know I've cocked up the audio jack (drillings for the power input look dubious, too), but it's not bad for a first attempt.  Phantasmagoriana will approve of the soldermask.

Annoyingly the 10k surface mount resistors are on back-order, which is going to limit testing.  Should be able to get all the connectors and power stuff mounted and confirm that the voltages are in the right places, though.


ETA:  Finding some of the bugs...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4071.sized.jpg) (http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4071.jpg)

Most obvious, the large electrolytic capacitor that fouls the transformer on the POE board.  Oops.  A couple of harmless cockups in the silkscreen (T1 and T2 are for some reason drawn backwards, and I've mislabelled the pins on the IR receiver).

Not a PCB cockup, I appear to have bought RJ45 jacks in a weird metric[1] size.  Will have to order proper ones.

The power stuff all works, as does the audio amp.

Further testing limited by R1 (which chip enables that fiddly little level converter directly above) being on back-order.  I might bodge a through-hole one on there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 March, 2014, 11:43:00 pm
Laid a bit of scary sharp goodness on my Frost Mora Clipper.  All nice again now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 March, 2014, 05:29:20 pm
Tried to replace a knackered rear brake with a shiny new one. Failed. Insert sense of humour failure and leaving it for the penguin to sort out.
Humph.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 21 March, 2014, 06:50:02 pm
Two hours precious riding time was expended on fettling the tandem....
 changed both pairs of pedals
 changed both saddles
 swapped the babbage engine for one that functions correctly
 applied bar-phat gel & tape to pilot's h'bars
 repaired a p*n*t*r* to front inner tube
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 22 March, 2014, 04:30:33 pm
Motobike: changed engine oil and filter. Checked and adjusted idle speed. Lubricated various pivots and exposed cables. Cleaned it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 March, 2014, 04:44:46 pm
Fettle fail.
Tried to fettle the gearing on the fixed MTBs. The starting point was:

Genesis Fortitude: 17/19T Dingle plus 34/36T chainrings
Surly 1x1: 17/21T Dingle plus 34/38T chainrings

The desired end point was:

Genesis Fortitude: 17/21T Dingle plus 32/36T chainrings
Surly 1x1: 38x17
17/19T Dingle -> bits box

However, after almost giving myself an aneurysm trying to shift the sprockets on the 1x1 (not to mention bending the chainwhip in the process) I gave up.

I also fettled the shed so that I can now get three bikes in there. Any chancer who decides to spirit away with the contents had better know the correct order in which to remove things, otherwise they'll be getting very up-close and personal with Pugsley ... which would make for an interesting cause of death: crushed by fat-bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 March, 2014, 08:22:21 pm
Penguin didn't fix my brake so I did it. Hacksawed off a short section of the bolt and it fitted perfectly. I hope I never need to use the centering adjustment screw because I couldn't get it to turn at all.
In other news, took the ice tyres off my commuter and replaced with normal, but couldn't pump them up because somebody had buggered orff with the track pump...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 22 March, 2014, 08:30:02 pm
Swapped the screen on my Nexus 7 tablet.  All fun and games until ungluing the bezel, for which I had to use ovens and hairdryers and so many shards of crystal that I am, in fact, Ogra.  But it worked!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 22 March, 2014, 09:17:35 pm

Quote from: andygates on 22 March, 2014, 08:30:02 pm
ungluing the bezel

BTDTGTTS

PITMFA
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 March, 2014, 09:27:13 pm
Swapped saddle, seatpost and pedals on one of HK's Roberts. Swapped handlebars and stem on the Longstaff and fitted some lights. Still got to replace the Longstaff's rear gear cable. Checked all the lights and finally ditched the dead ones. Assisted HK with sorting out the spare bike bits in the garage.

Still got to fiddle with my Pompino (Miche cog is giving grief) and the Frezoni and plenty to do on the racing tandem to get it running.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 March, 2014, 09:46:09 pm
Quote from: andygates on 22 March, 2014, 08:30:02 pm
... so many shards of crystal that I am, in fact, Ogra...

;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 22 March, 2014, 11:46:01 pm
Put the bracket for the other baby seat on my tourer. Not sure if it is going to work yet, the passenger is in bed, but I pumped the tyres up, just in case. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 March, 2014, 09:38:17 pm
Adjusted my Brompton's headset this morning and inflated tyres, replaced brakepads and adjusted the front brake of HK's Condor this evening, all ready for her French sojourn tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 March, 2014, 10:54:42 pm
Bit of code, bit of PCB design, bit of bathroom floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 26 March, 2014, 10:04:37 am
Put a pair of 32mm tyres on the CdF in preparation for load carrying at the weekend. Assisted Boy Wunja to put a rack on his Cube hybrid after he pranged the Goingtoschoolbike by riding into a bollard   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 28 March, 2014, 05:34:20 pm
Fitted a new saddle to Carol's tandem;stoker position
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 March, 2014, 05:44:46 pm
*Finally* got round to putting the regular marathons back on the Dawes.  Gave the wheels a bit of truing-stand love too, as well as a mildly paranoid rim inspection.

Then general acts of lubrication on the Streetmachine, with particular attention to the rear shock (a lightly-used eBay bargain I replaced the seriously knackered original with last year) which had started making interesting noises.  It responded well to unloading the spring and repeatedly frobbing the damper while dribbling fork oil around the seal.  I suspect I may have to suck it up and replace it with something new and expensive at some point.

Also pumped up all the tyres, of which the trike was in particular need.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 March, 2014, 05:45:16 pm
Changed the sprocket on my Dave Yates to give me a more usable gear for a trot across the Pennines. I also changed the chain, and finally fitted some mudflaps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Barry on 28 March, 2014, 10:51:59 pm
I have lived for five years with a huge Indian rickshaw parked in and dominating the the middle of my living room. After two long days of dissasembling (to get the thing out of the house) and rebuilding, today it got it's first outting. After a complicated, drawn out and labourious fettle with the gondola and rear axles, to adjust chain tension, I can now move through the town at a stately 5 or 6 miles an hour. It might not be fast and I might not be pretty but nobody is going to say to me, "Sorry mate, I didn't see you".

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 March, 2014, 10:54:33 pm
Quote from: Barry on 28 March, 2014, 10:51:59 pm
I have lived for five years with a huge Indian rickshaw parked in and dominating the the middle of my living room. After two long days of dissasembling (to get the thing out of the house) and rebuilding, today it got it's first outting. After a complicated, drawn out and labourious fettle with the gondola and rear axles, to adjust chain tension, I can now move through the town at a stately 5 or 6 miles an hour. It might not be fast and I might not be pretty but nobody is going to say to me, "Sorry mate, I didn't see you".

TPIUWP   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 March, 2014, 03:38:10 pm
Having had the adjuster seize into a Shimano caliper, and then shear off when I tried the water pump pliers on it (AFTER a soak in WD40)  >:(   

- I drilled out the errant adjuster and with a bit of juggling managed to "re-tap" the hole in the brake using a steel bolt - obviously the alloy brake is relatively soft.   Gentle turning/turning back and some oil as I went and it worked a treat - replaced the adjuster with one from the large box of misc bits and I have the brake back in service.   Quite pleased as it's part of quite a nice pair of retro brakes.

I was just surprised that the steel bolt was man enough to work as a tap.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 29 March, 2014, 05:45:11 pm
A long overdude fettle of #1's mtb.   It actually has touring tyres and he uses it mainly on road.   It was all fouled up with front mech and rear disk brake not working as well as the chain having a number of stiff links.   I de-gunked it and replaced the rear brake pads.   

#1 now has a broad smile across his chops!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 29 March, 2014, 06:50:25 pm
What is it with Genesis and forks?! They've managed to trump the Croix de Fer's 'godawful mud clearance on a 'cross bike fork'1 with a right doozy.

Picked up the 180mm rotors and whatnot for the Fortitude from the LBS today and started to fit them when I got home - rear went on, absolutely no problem; didn't even have to faff around with the caliper too much to get everything running nice and quiet. So far, so good.

Now for the front.

Oh sweet Jesus Herbert Walker Christ, what a mess ...

By way of background, the Fortitude is my Ride Of Choice for the Tour Divide; as such, it will be running an SP dynohub which in turn will run a Supernova E3 Triple headlight and/or a B&M USBWerk for charging duties. Said dynamo hub uses a 6-bolt disc fitting. Some bright spark at Genesis obviously decided that everyone runs CentreLock these days (maybe so, but I'm not forking out extra for the Supernova hub just 'cos it has a centrelock fitting), so if you use a 6-bolt hub .... the fork leg actually gets in the way of the rotor bolts: best case, a thunking noise 6 times per revolution as the bolt heads catch the fork leg, worst case: the wheel doesn't bloody well turn because the bolt heads hit the fork leg full on  :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:

Just to make life more interesting, the axle-to-crown measurement is 445mm - the sort of thing you find on a rigid 26er fork (rigid 29er forks tend to be 468mm or thereabouts).
Like the Salsa Cromoto.
One of which I've just ordered  >:(

EDIT: I've also fitted sintered brake pads to the 1x1. As fettles go, this was considerably more successful.

1 - it's a lovely bike in nearly all other respects, but the mud clearance with the stock fork is piss poor. I'm replacing it with a Surly Disc Trucker fork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 29 March, 2014, 10:34:43 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 29 March, 2014, 05:45:11 pm
A long overdude fettle of #1's mtb.   It actually has touring tyres and he uses it mainly on road.   It was all fouled up with front mech and rear disk brake not working as well as the chain having a number of stiff links.   I de-gunked it and replaced the rear brake pads.   

#1 now has a broad smile across his chops!   :thumbsup:

And on a whim I have prepared the audax bikes for tomorrow.   We've been using the 26 inch tourers over winter but it's time to go 700c for the foreseeable.   8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 March, 2014, 10:44:37 pm
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/13497236174_1c88d3f574.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/myGS5w)

Having determined that a) failing to connect the H-bridge motor power to the correct pin and b) connecting it to the wrong pin so it blew the arduino (and the next, and the next) was a rthar pricey way of learning from your mistakes. Even at £1.30 per board. However, it all now works and I am piecing together the rotating hardware.

And in other news, I fettled some brackets for holding race radios in a sensible place. A nice bit of laser cuttery, some waving of a hot air gun to bend things, and I have some mounts for Mitex radios that slot into the cheap windscreen mount phone holders.

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5262/13496949615_2c8c79090f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/myFoTR)
on the table and when installed in the car with a ski-pass holder for the mic
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/13497255694_de7635868e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/myGXT5)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 30 March, 2014, 08:32:38 pm
Got everything together for the turntable. The little stepper is too weak to turn it. A replacement is now on order that is much bigger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 March, 2014, 09:40:46 pm
Looked very hard at a bunch of Tamiya connectors and a couple of lengths of B&M lighting cable but felt too lazy to start anything.  Cut a shim for my seatpost rack out of an old HB grip instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 March, 2014, 09:43:18 pm
Tried to fit a Zefal gizmo universal thingie to my Dave Yates, gave up. Complete pain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 March, 2014, 06:05:53 pm
This:

(http://interzen.homeunix.org/high_lat_1x10.jpg)

It started out as a singlespeed, it being a High Latitude Singlespeed frame and all, but somewhere along the line its mutated into a 1x10 with the aid of a Cotic gear-tug, an XT rear mech, Zee shifter, an 11-36T SRAM cassette, lots of zip-ties and a fair amount of cussin' ...

... but bugger me with the rough end of a pineapple, IT WORKS! (mwaaahahahaha!)

It's due to have a pair of Salsa Fargo forks fitted ... when they eventually turn up at the LBS (not their fault, but when they ordered them from Ison they miraculously went on to back-order. Along with  the Disc Trucker forks I ordered for the Croix de Fer  ::-) )

Oh, and I fitted a 9spd XT rear mech to the Croix de Fer yesterday (10spd road shifters work with a 9spd MTB mech ... Shimano LogicTM innit?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 31 March, 2014, 06:27:41 pm
Very orange nice. That's the sort of colour I imagined my Peugeot would have been (Caygill described it as metallic orange - it was more of a seventies brown).

Is the seat tube really as curved as it appears in the photo?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 March, 2014, 07:12:03 pm
Quote from: Deano on 31 March, 2014, 06:27:41 pm
Very orange nice. That's the sort of colour I imagined my Peugeot would have been (Caygill described it as metallic orange - it was more of a seventies brown).
Genesis called it 'burnt copper', I called it 'metallic orange' and the box said .... 'metallic orange' ;D
If I was getting it resprayed I'd be tempted to go for something like this: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/karate_monkey_ops - translucent orange powdercoat  :thumbsup:

Quote
Is the seat tube really as curved as it appears in the photo?
There is a slight curve to the seat tube, yes. It's probably exaggerated by the angle I had to adopt to take the photo. It was taken in the alley behind my place, and space is a bit limited ... it has fewer weeds than my back garden, though.

Once the Fargo forks are on it, I'll be able to swap the hub dynamo wheel between this and the Fortitude - the Enabler fork is 135mm, so the 'old' SS wheel is there as a placeholder.

My flirtation with off-road singlespeed was rather short - after riding fixed for so long it just feels wrong; riding fixed off-road is probably wronger for different reasons but I prefer it ;) I'll probably keep the singlespeed wheel handy, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 March, 2014, 07:36:22 pm
Nice, looks capable of most things. What are the bars?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 March, 2014, 07:39:02 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 31 March, 2014, 07:36:22 pm
Nice, looks capable of most things.
That's the general idea  :demon:

Quote
What are the bars?
On-One Mary bars.
I find them more comfortable than 'regular' flat bars and there's a better range of hand positions too. Drops aren't (currently) doable because I'm running hydraulic brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 March, 2014, 08:18:09 pm
It seems you can now have hydraulic discs with drops, but only if your gears are Spinal Tap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 March, 2014, 08:21:11 pm
Therein lies the problem - mine only go up to 10.

Which, admittedly, is 9 more than I'm used to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 April, 2014, 01:03:06 pm
Quote from: interzen on 31 March, 2014, 07:12:03 pm
Genesis called it 'burnt copper', I called it 'metallic orange' and the box said .... 'metallic orange'

Have they ever burned copper?  Don't you end up with copper oxide, which is dark grey/black?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 April, 2014, 01:14:36 pm
Yesterday, really:  Got most of the electronics for the Giant 80s Deaf Alarm Clock built.  As it's a one-off with relatively few SMD components, I opted to use one of those excellent Whitewing prototyping boards (http://www.whitewing.co.uk/protoboard.html), rather than bother with a custom PCB.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4100.sized.jpg)
(LED display contrast is better in real life - the camera flash lights up the module, and is faster than the display brightness sensor can respond to)

I'm all out of LM317s, so the actual vibrating pad (not pictured, it's in the bed connected to the fire alarm) doesn't work yet.  I also need a power jack that fits, and to finish adding the audio amp components.

Physical construction is mostly there.  The cutout for the HDMI port at the back needs a bit more filing so the plug actually goes in, and I'm still not sure whether to go with the black acrylic for the lower panel, or the brushed aluminium that was supplied with the case.  Will want some black screws for the LCD mounting if I stick with the acrylic.

Software is still a work in progress.  I've written code for all the low-level stuff to confirm the hardware works, but need to tie it all together with clock and alerting functions, proper menu driven interface and so on.  It's working nicely as a stratum-1 NTP server, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 01 April, 2014, 01:58:35 pm
That looks brilliant, though I think it would be more appropriate to have it sitting on an atomic bomb in a Man from Uncle plot, than your bed side table.
(The countdown always gets stopped with 3 seconds to go!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 April, 2014, 02:01:49 pm
Quote from: Vince on 01 April, 2014, 01:58:35 pm
That looks brilliant, though I think it would be more appropriate to have it sitting on an atomic bomb in a Man from Uncle plot, than your bed side table.
(The countdown always gets stopped with 3 seconds to go!)

Exactly the aesthetic I'm aiming for.   8)

(The big red button aborts the alarm.  Preferably with 3 seconds to go.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 April, 2014, 06:22:07 pm
Quote from: Deano on 30 March, 2014, 09:43:18 pm
Tried to fit a Zefal gizmo universal thingie to my Dave Yates, gave up. Complete pain.

Hmm, I think I've cracked it. It feels fairly secure, but there's something about it I don't like, and the instructions are no fucking help. Guess I'll find out on the road.

Meanwhile I've also fitted a Marathon+ in 25 mm - not quite as impossible as the notoriety of this tyre suggests, though I did have to use a toestrap at first to get the head in place, and chasing the last of the head into the rim well was a bit tricky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 01 April, 2014, 06:40:26 pm
Dean, is that for the pump I usually carry for you?  I imagine the bottle cages prevent you springing it between cross-bar and BB.  I've got one but it fits my other frame only if I don't use a bottle cage.  It'll just squeeze under the cross-bar of the Harry Hall but I'm afraid I'll damage the spring so will get a shorter one.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 April, 2014, 06:50:35 pm
No, the Zefal Gizmo is a thingie which lets you fit an extra bottle cage to a frame.

http://www.zefal.com/en/bottle-cages/51-gizmo-universal.html
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 01 April, 2014, 06:50:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 April, 2014, 01:14:36 pm
Yesterday, really:  Got most of the electronics for the Giant 80s Deaf Alarm Clock built.  As it's a one-off with relatively few SMD components, I opted to use one of those excellent Whitewing prototyping boards (http://www.whitewing.co.uk/protoboard.html), rather than bother with a custom PCB.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4100.sized.jpg)
(LED display contrast is better in real life - the camera flash lights up the module, and is faster than the display brightness sensor can respond to)


Is the soldering iron resting on the temperature sensor, or is the 8th segment not connected?

As an aside, I received two parcels today. One with a stepper motor and controller (and mounting bits) and the other with 10 of 88mm high 7 segment displays, pump track timing system for the use of.

I will be delving into serial control via bluetooth and android mobile phone shortly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 April, 2014, 07:07:13 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 01 April, 2014, 06:50:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 April, 2014, 01:14:36 pm
Yesterday, really:  Got most of the electronics for the Giant 80s Deaf Alarm Clock built.  As it's a one-off with relatively few SMD components, I opted to use one of those excellent Whitewing prototyping boards (http://www.whitewing.co.uk/protoboard.html), rather than bother with a custom PCB.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4100.sized.jpg)
(LED display contrast is better in real life - the camera flash lights up the module, and is faster than the display brightness sensor can respond to)


Is the soldering iron resting on the temperature sensor, or is the 8th segment not connected?

Neither.  The temperature sensor is on an internal board roughly below the bottom right corner of the LCD.  I won't display the temperature like that in the final code (the smaller 7-segment display being for doing a countdown to the alarm going off, and for shifting the time display to when the primary 7-segment display is busy saying things like "door" or "tEL", which experience has taught us is useful to know the time in order to work out whether they're worth getting out of bed for).  Temperature is high because it's upstairs on the south-west side of the house, in a room full of computers, and it's been summer today.

Oh, just realised you think it's reading 235C, which is a plausible (if a bit low) soldering iron temperature.  It actually says "23:5C", because that module doesn't let you address the dots of the colon individually, but that's not obvious because of the camera flash.  I think the sensor gives up at 80C or so.   :)

Similarly, I caught the colon on the main clock display during the off part of the 0.5Hz flash cycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 01 April, 2014, 09:50:57 pm
Quote from: Deano on 01 April, 2014, 06:50:35 pm
No, the Zefal Gizmo is a thingie which lets you fit an extra bottle cage to a frame.

http://www.zefal.com/en/bottle-cages/51-gizmo-universal.html
The one I fitted worked well. Bit of a fiddle, yes, and you need to get the right size. I've had bottle-cage mounts put in the frame now, as it was being resprayed, but I might use the Zefals for a second bottle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 April, 2014, 10:07:47 pm
I have one of the appropriately-sized ones, and I agree, it works well.

This is the universal one, and the fitting isn't quite as certain. Still, no disasters on a wee ride round the block.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 April, 2014, 09:56:13 am
Bluetooth and Arduino and Android - awesome combination. With AppInventor you don't even need to write code for the Android side.
Bluetooth (HC-06 modules, about £5 on eBay) just drop in as a replacement for the serial port. Quality is legendarily bad so expect some units to not work and to be replaced, but when it works you can't believe it is that easy to have a smart phone controlling your gadget via your own custom serial protocol.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mike on 02 April, 2014, 01:48:38 pm
I can't find the 'I am not a smart man' thread, but this is probably appropriate for there..  I did my longest ride for ages yesterday - 60 miles in the spring sunshine.  I found it fairly hard going and couldn't understand why I was going so slowly, but put it down to a lack of miles and the winter insulation I'm carrying around.

Just been out to clean my bike and noticed the back brakes are not just rubbing to the point of stopping the rear wheel after about 2 spins, but one of the pads has moved up about 5mm so is rubbing on the tyre and has almost worn through it... And both tyres are worn right down and have dozens of bits of flint in them.

tyres changed, brake pads reset, bike cleaned, lucky stars thanked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2014, 06:51:18 pm
And finished!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4109.sized.jpg)

Audio amp, speaker, and correctly sized power jack fitted.  Finished and tested the fire alerter interface.  Now it's just a Small Matter Of Programming™

(And yes, it is that hot in here.  Bleurgh!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 02 April, 2014, 06:52:43 pm
Will it be going on YouTube?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2014, 06:58:14 pm
No, it'll be going in the bedroom.   ;D

(I may do some video when I've written the software to make it be an alarm clock, rather than just light up the displays with test data, but it won't be very exciting to watch.  It's all about the vibrating pad.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 02 April, 2014, 07:07:17 pm
But I thought this was going to be the Rod Hull one!   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2014, 07:08:59 pm
Ah, no, those are the other modules, which are still a work in progress pending various physical design decisions and another revision of the PCB.  All this will do in response to the doorbell is buzz the bed and say "d00r" on the big display.

I'll also need to design a wossname to connect to the doorbell itself at some point...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 02 April, 2014, 07:09:43 pm
Which is pretty cool in itself, I must say  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 April, 2014, 11:25:42 pm
Pretty awesome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 02 April, 2014, 11:29:19 pm
You're amazing, Kim! :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2014, 11:51:25 pm
Quote from: Butterfly on 02 April, 2014, 11:29:19 pm
You're amazing, Kim! :D

Nahh, just willing to Have A Go, in spite of being a fairly mediocre programmer, and frustratingly crap at woodjbex[1].  You can achieve all sorts of acceptably good things if you're willing to be a bit crap from time to time.


[1] And non-dead-vegetable derivatives such as plasticjbex and metaljbex.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 April, 2014, 12:11:17 am
The art of programming is to be able to wrangle enough bits into things such that they work, and knowing when to make use of the superior wrangling powers of others.

And JFDI. It's not rocket science (unless you are TimO in which case it really is rocket science)

Much modern electronics is like meccano for grown ups.

And being prepared to release the magic smoke (and the engineers magic words) on occasion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 April, 2014, 12:57:53 am
Quote from: David Martin on 03 April, 2014, 12:11:17 am
The art of programming is to be able to wrangle enough bits into things such that they work, and knowing when to make use of the superior wrangling powers of others.

Also knowing when to use Google, and when to save all your work and go for a bike ride.

I used the Raspberry Pi in order to make good use of an awful lot of other people's vastly superior wrangling (and some relevant code I've successfully pre-wrangled).  The weak link in our current alerting system is the primitive serial protocol I worked out to do the comms.  It works, but only transfers a few bytes at a time, and handles errors extremely non-gracefully.  I could re-invent the wheel badly, but better to pull in tested and familiar packages on the RPi to do all the heavy lifting, and write some high-level logic to control it all.  Much less to debug.


Quote
And JFDI. It's not rocket science (unless you are TimO in which case it really is rocket science)

Yeah, last time I did any rocket science they had a highly qualified EE postgrad (read: shit hot at terrifying maths, but had never used a soldering iron in his life) working on the electronics, so they put me on the parachute team instead.  That went about as well as could be expected...  :facepalm:


Quote
Much modern electronics is like meccano for grown ups.

This is definitely true of the digital side.  Know the relevant gotchas and you can mostly just stick things together (and with luck, do the really messy things in code).  All the pretty stuff in that alarm clock is simple interface modules hanging off an I2C buss, the real work was in the power supply (and that itself is cookbook stuff around a handful of standard chips), the fire alarm interface (fail safe relay logic) and audio amp (low-fi op-amp/transistor stuff).  I breadboarded and tested it in an hour or two, and put it together in an afternoon.

Measuring, drilling, grinding and filing the case, masking and painting the acrylic, and the endless hot-glue wrangling to hold it all together is what took several days, interspersed with a couple of evening-long hack sessions to write drivers for all the modules.  Both case and code are a bit shoddy.  But they'll do.

Actually, I think the real work on a project like this is all the time spent reading datasheets and trawling suppliers' websites for suitable parts.  Especially enclosures, which are almost impossible to specify in terms a search engine will understand usefully.  But it's mostly about knowing where to start.  Last time I started with the 16F84 because it was cheap and I was a Penniless Student Oaf.  This time I started with knowing what I wanted to achieve, and a list of things not to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 April, 2014, 08:17:43 am
The key factor here is not innate ability but experience which gives an illusion of competence by knowing what not to do. To misquote Conan Doyle, when you have ruled out the stupid, what is left must be the awesome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 03 April, 2014, 08:41:32 am
Quote from: David Martin on 03 April, 2014, 08:17:43 am
The key factor here is not innate ability but experience which gives an illusion of competence

It's a pretty good illusion of competence, though.

Thing is, I've read Kim's post. I understand all the words (well, apart from a couple, but google would help with those), and I'm no further forward.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 April, 2014, 09:19:20 am
Quote from: Kim on 02 April, 2014, 06:51:18 pm
And finished!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4109.sized.jpg)

Audio amp, speaker, and correctly sized power jack fitted.  Finished and tested the fire alerter interface.  Now it's just a Small Matter Of Programming™

(And yes, it is that hot in here.  Bleurgh!)

When you powered it up did it say "Good evening, Dave"?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 03 April, 2014, 09:32:52 am
good evening kim ? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 April, 2014, 09:44:57 am
Kim, that's pretty awesome and you are a genius as well an an awfully good person.   

To have something bespoke meeting very specific needs is really priceless.

I love the retro sci-fi look to it as well.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 03 April, 2014, 11:42:57 am
Quote from: T42 on 03 April, 2014, 09:19:20 am
Quote from: Kim on 02 April, 2014, 06:51:18 pm
And finished!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4109.sized.jpg)

Audio amp, speaker, and correctly sized power jack fitted.  Finished and tested the fire alerter interface.  Now it's just a Small Matter Of Programming™

(And yes, it is that hot in here.  Bleurgh!)

When you powered it up did it say "Good evening, Dave"?

It probably said, "Whatever you do, don't press the red button."

Aaargh - the temptation....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 April, 2014, 11:44:01 am
Where did you get the big red button?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 April, 2014, 11:55:08 am
Quote from: David Martin on 03 April, 2014, 11:44:01 am
Where did you get the big red button?
http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/big-dome-push-button-red.html
Other Suppliers Are Available ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 03 April, 2014, 11:56:26 am
Quote from: TimC on 03 April, 2014, 11:42:57 am
It probably said, "Whatever you do, don't press the red button."

Aaargh - the temptation....
Don't worry. If you did press it, it would just say, "Please do not press this button again."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 April, 2014, 12:23:58 pm
Unless it invokes the infinite improbability drive that Kim has molished. It does have a teasmade capability doesn't it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 April, 2014, 12:31:42 pm
Quote from: interzen on 03 April, 2014, 11:55:08 am
Quote from: David Martin on 03 April, 2014, 11:44:01 am
Where did you get the big red button?
http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/big-dome-push-button-red.html
Other Suppliers Are Available ...

That's the one.  In truth, it's just a standard arcade machine button.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 April, 2014, 07:48:11 am
Dang. I now have to find an excuse to buy one.  A wee bit big for the handlebars.


I deployed my own soldering iron yesterday: nothing so bombastic, just a new rearlight cable. But with the whiff of flux fresh in the nostrils who knows where it might end?  Love that smell.

...no, dear, not that kind of flux.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 April, 2014, 10:40:42 am
Many thanks. I'm sure I can find a use for that..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 April, 2014, 10:50:06 am
Quote from: T42 on 04 April, 2014, 07:48:11 am
Dang. I now have to find an excuse to buy one.  A wee bit big for the handlebars.


I deployed my own soldering iron yesterday: nothing so bombastic, just a new rearlight cable. But with the whiff of flux fresh in the nostrils who knows where it might end?  Love that smell.

...no, dear, not that kind of flux.

i know what you mean about the smell of flux, but it's best if you can avoid breathing it in as it's pretty toxic ("when the flux is heated, colophony has been known to generate fumes including aliphaticaldehydes (like formaldehyde) and hydrochloric acid and other gases containing benzene, toluene, styrene, phenol, chlorophenol and isopropyl alcohol").
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 April, 2014, 01:13:44 pm
Yes.  The lead content of (proper) solder fumes is practically nil; it's the flux that's nasty.  If you're doing electronics work and can't justify investing in proper extraction, there's an awful lot to be said for a 120mm computer fan or similar creating a gentle breeze across the bench - if nothing else, it's easier to see what you're doing when the smoke isn't heading for your eyes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 April, 2014, 01:31:27 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2di83WAOhU
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 April, 2014, 01:51:23 pm
doo, dooby dooby doo, doobe dooby doo doo doo. dum de dum de dum. dum de dum de dum. do be dooby doooo
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 April, 2014, 02:15:23 pm
Damn - some nRF24L01 modules have just arrived. That means I have to think of something entertaining to do with them.

(Funky little 2.4GHz radio transceivers with a reasonably long range and 2Mbps data rate. Be good for remote monitoring and suchlike.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 04 April, 2014, 07:34:06 pm
Replaced the exploded freewheel body on my XT 785 with a brand new one, I managed to put it together, missing a complete set of ball bearings  ::-)
Upgraded the fatbike from 9 to 10 speed at the same time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 April, 2014, 09:37:04 pm
Just finished fitting a laminate floor in my living room. It took forever but hopefully the new floor will be more bike proof than the old carpet :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 04 April, 2014, 10:32:49 pm
Please note, Marathon Winters and laminate flooring are Not Friends.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 04 April, 2014, 10:45:02 pm
The long case grandfather clock that has been in my mothers family for years and will one day be mine has returned from an Uncle on my fathers side, who happens to be a furniture restorer, today.

Shiny, polished, no bits of the case loose or missing and therefore I have secured it to my parents dining room wall, re-installed the mechanism, pendulum and weights so that for the first time in ~6 months it is running and chiming.  :thumbsup:

ding ding ding on the hour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 04 April, 2014, 11:47:08 pm
Another bike fettle - the FG3 (Fixed Gear Gravel Grinder)

(https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10154947_10151968787841636_1678444534_n.jpg)

Another layer of bar tape, sintered brake pads and a 180mm rotor up front becauseI like to be able to stop without needing to ram something first. Just ordered a pair of Conti Race King 26x2.2 tyres from CRC which will complete the ensemble.

It's my 'backup' bike for Charlie the Bikemonger's Dorset Gravel Dash at the end of May - if I don't ride the Fortitude fixed, I'll be riding this.

I also fitted a Deda Dog Fang to the Croix de Fer after managing to drop the chain .... whilst on the turbo :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 April, 2014, 07:52:02 am
Quote from: matthew on 04 April, 2014, 10:45:02 pm
The long case grandfather clock that has been in my mothers family for years and will one day be mine has returned from an Uncle on my fathers side, who happens to be a furniture restorer, today.

Shiny, polished, no bits of the case loose or missing and therefore I have secured it to my parents dining room wall, re-installed the mechanism, pendulum and weights so that for the first time in ~6 months it is running and chiming.  :thumbsup:

ding ding ding on the hour.

I restored our ancestral long-case clock 20 years ago - my sister's dog had chased her cat in behind it and the result was nasty. The door and hood were in bits, the glass had been smashed, the frame around it was sprung, and the back looked distinctly strange.

When I took the back off, I discovered that it was just a bunch of boards branded "Mildura Fruit Company, Australia", a relic of some earlier repair.  The spooky bit happened when I started on the hood.  Up until the age of three my family lived in Manchester, where the air was always full of soot from the factory chimneys. Parts of the hood were constructed of fully-closed box sections, and when I took the back off one the smell of the old smoke came out.  It took me right back there.

A local jeweller cleaned and fettled up the movement for me free of charge, but he warned me that the bearings were all shot and it probably wouldn't work for long. It went for about five years all the same.  We still have it - of course - and I've had a couple of enquiries as to price but it's not going anywhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 April, 2014, 10:47:53 am
Cut the lawn then started the spring clean of the decks. One is half done and I have stopped for coffee as my forearm hurts from holding th's jet washer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 05 April, 2014, 04:13:22 pm
Semi-stuck at home today on account of having to monitor work stuff going on in Dubai and Eindhoven.
Clouds, silver linings et al has meant it has allowed me to do things I've been putting off for a while.
To fettle the Scott and the Van Nic out of their winter hibernation.
Jurek'd the tyres.
Pumped 7bar of 2014 air into them.
Cleaned / oiled chains.
Adjusted brakes.
Deployed the bike cleaning baby-wipes.
Took up the road for a test ride.
If I'm really lucky, and DHL get their $h!t together in Dubai, I may actually get to ride one of these in The London Classic (http://www.lfgss.com/thread120089.html) tomorrow.
Fingies crossed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Furious on 05 April, 2014, 07:58:03 pm
Fitted my new Spa Wharfe saddle and leather bar tape (both honey).
Looks sweet! ...in my opinion.
Time will tell if my backside agrees.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 April, 2014, 08:02:29 pm
Decks finished and holes poked in the lawn, in a vain attempt to get rid of the moss.

Inflicted mk1 bbq sauce on TLD and Mrs T, the verdict is that it needs more work
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 April, 2014, 08:07:03 pm
Mostly Brommies today. Changed the front wheel bearings on HK's, swapped rear lights and fitted seatpost bungs on both, tightened random pedal screws, eliminated a mudguard rattle and de-gunged my rear mech.

Some assorted Moulton work still needed tonight and big wheels to be played with tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 05 April, 2014, 08:13:02 pm
Replaced a broken spoke. Only my second one, I think. Broke at rear hub, right hand flange end at the double butting change of diameter. Luckily it broke not far from home, the rim buckled a lot (28 spokes) but there was just enough space between the chain stays for the rim not to touch.

I looked through my stash of spokes and found one that fitted, although it was longer than ideal at 290mm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 April, 2014, 11:35:31 pm
Much roadside winding-in of the pads on the *rear* BB7 on the Streetmachine.  It was that kind of ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 05 April, 2014, 11:45:26 pm
Put a nice new stripey cover on the ironing board.....

It was my grandparents ironing board,  after they died I acquired it when I moved into my first flat in 1991.    It's now on it's 3rd cover,  I don't get rid of the old ones, I just put the new one on top. 

A palimpsest of smooth fabric & sharp creases.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 April, 2014, 10:08:44 pm
Swapped rear lights and trimmed a mudguard flap on Moultons. Changed headset spacers and swapped bent bars on my fixed. Scowled at the Miche fixed cog that doesn't seem to stay quite as fixed as it should.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 April, 2014, 10:13:04 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 05 April, 2014, 11:45:26 pm
Put a nice new stripey cover on the ironing board.....

It was my grandparents ironing board,  after they died I acquired it when I moved into my first flat in 1991.    It's now on it's 3rd cover,  I don't get rid of the old ones, I just put the new one on top. 

A palimpsest of smooth fabric & sharp creases.....

I really need to get an ironing board. I had to leave the last one behind when I moved house (last March :-[)

My fettling today was getting the road bike off of the turbo and back on the road. This started with removing a bent skewer (bent beyond the nut) using bolt croppers and a vice, then switching tyres and fitting the mudguards. It would work - if the new rear skewer held the wheel in place :facepalm:

[eta] the old one now won't hold it either. Now aquiring a  chain tug to try and  hold it still :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 April, 2014, 11:06:56 pm
Code.

The Giant 80s Deaf Alarm Clock™ now does evil buzzy things and controls the central heating and stuff.

I still need to write the bit that actually makes it function as an alarm clock though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 April, 2014, 11:35:31 pm
Fettled the TV by replacing the plug on the aerial lead
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JJ on 07 April, 2014, 01:37:46 pm
Swapped the bar-end shfter on the Genesis hub-gear bike for Versa sti-alike, and took the Tektro brake levers over to the gash Raleigh frame that's fast becoming a fixed wheel spare commuter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 April, 2014, 03:22:26 pm
Well it appears that the pump track timer sort of works. After trying several different ultrasonic modules till I found one that works., and adding a capacitor to buffer the power surges from the pinger. It seems moderately stable and response times were in the region of 1-2% variation.

Sensitivity seemed fine but bluetooth connection to the phone (via the MIT app inventor stuff) w  a   s       v   e  r  y        s   l  o  w.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 07 April, 2014, 09:15:06 pm
Sewed my first item of clothing! Didn't know I could do that!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 April, 2014, 09:19:50 pm
Fitted a Bender Fender to the rear of the Croix de Fer.
Granted, it's not nearly as effective as a 'proper' rear mudguard but then it isn't meant to be. What it will do is keep the worst of the crap away from the underside of my saddle.

Normally, a seatpack would perform this function but I'm going to try riding in with the new backpack tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 April, 2014, 02:51:31 pm
Recentred my front brake. I did this because at one point on Saturday's ride, I heard the brushing noise that usually indicates mud or leaves caught under the mudguard. I ignored it accordingly and it went away, or maybe I just tuned it out. But the next day I noticed the left brake block was much closer to the rim than the right and had obviously been dragging quite a bit - enough to wear a very visible groove in the rim on that side. Pulling on the lever showed the arm on that side not moving as much as the other side. So I cleaned the whole mechanism, loosened the bolt and recentred it. It seems ok now, equidistant and moving together. I'm not sure how I failed to notice the brake dragging enough to wear such a groove in the rim over about 100km - I suppose I must have put it down to headwind!  :o There are no wear markings visible in the rim so I think it's still got some life in it but it might be a good idea for me to fettle me up some wheel-molishing skills. Or else bank a piggy for a new wheel!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 April, 2014, 05:40:30 pm
Lubricated my front brake cable, which had gone a bit stictiony after Saturday's drenching.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 08 April, 2014, 07:46:06 pm
If bike cleaning counts as fettling then I did that. Three times.
Two of the bikes were used on Saturday the other was washed a while ago (Autumn ?  ::-) ).
Pleasingly neither of Saturday's bikes had dirty or rusty chains since I Mickled them with a GT85 soaked rag when we got home.

After the cleaning came the lubrication and then the oral sex I re-fitted the rear mud-guard on the new bike.
I'm hoping to fit in a bike ride tomorrow.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 08 April, 2014, 08:08:23 pm
Electricals in the front room.  Upped from 2 2-gang to 5 2-gang sockets.   All working so I've been out for an evening spin too.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 April, 2014, 08:22:31 pm
Done a minimal clean on my Brompton and the fixed. Cleaning bikes is the worst part of maintaining them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 08 April, 2014, 10:27:23 pm
Forgot to say: I found a random spring on the ground after I'd finished fettling the mud-guard.
I was working outside in the sun (it happens here) and I flipped the bike over to better access the 'guard mountings.
When I'd finished and was tidying up, there was a spring.
It might have come off the bike, it might not.
Everything "springy" related to the bike (gears) works perfectly as far as I can tell from riding it up and down and going through all the gears.

In related news, and based on today's gear testing, low/low is very low.
Even I could get up Smalldean Lane on this set-up  ::-).

I just worry that I'll find out what the spring does when I'm a long way from home and train stations.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 April, 2014, 10:40:07 pm
Spring: presumably it's not from the brakes? Or a pump? STI levers? Sprung saddle? Random pingfuckit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 08 April, 2014, 11:36:55 pm
Nothing that I can tell Cudz.
So far ............

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 April, 2014, 11:43:07 pm
Spring previously inserted into tyre by the fairy, as you'll discover in the morning?  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 09 April, 2014, 12:27:42 am
To find what the spring is for you will need to throw it away. As soon as it is beyond recovery
a) its use will become apparent.
b) you will discover that it was made of unobtainium and can only be ordered by the gross.
c) the bike won't work without it,
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 09 April, 2014, 08:06:58 am
Quote from: Kim on 08 April, 2014, 11:43:07 pm
Spring previously inserted into tyre by the fairy, as you'll discover in the morning?  :D

So far, so good  :).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 April, 2014, 09:32:16 am
I reckon you need to frame this spring suitably and start a YACF Spring of Mystery Tour, handing The Spring from forumite to forumite in the manner of The Baton. As The Baton's heading, in its own Yacfish way, from LE to JoG, TSoM could head from Wildest Wettest Westernmost Wales to Exoticest Evenest Easternmost Angular - or maybe just make its way randomly round the country or indeed the world. At some point, a YACFer will return home from handing it over to the next person to find it's the exact thing they need to mend the fault that has suddenly developed on their bike.

Or we could just have a "Most bizarre and inventive use of a spring" challenge!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 09 April, 2014, 09:35:50 am
Scraped all the mud off the 2nd best audax bike following the "valley of the rocks" 200km at the weekend
Cleaned the drive train
Took off the wheels, going to clean the rims properly next and change the tyres to a new set of 28mm Durano
Was going to strip the hub but I think that can wait until next week
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 April, 2014, 07:43:18 pm
Finally replaced one of the snap together buckle things on my Altura briefcase/pannier, which had been the victim of a carelessly driven chair.

To avoid the PITA that is sewing multiple thicknesses of nylon webbing, I put a strategic hacksaw (Jr.) cut in the buckle, which was followed with a bit of jibbling and only one sweary word. And it works!

Fettling-by-proxy. Took my ancient Camera Care Systems bag to the cobbler, who replaced the shagged out velcro. No longer will Friday Night Rides to the Coast be punctuated with warnings that my camera bag is open.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 April, 2014, 07:49:30 pm
Put the 1x1 into 'gravel grinding' mode by virtue of fitting a pair of Conti Race Kings in their 26x2.2 guise - methinks it may well get the nod over the Fortitude for the Dorset Gravel Dash, especially as the new forks for the Fortitude still haven't turned up  >:(

After much fun and games with Top Touring tyres and their amazing exploding sidewalls back in the day, I swore that it'd be a cold day in Hell before any of my bikes were shod with Conti tyres again. I guess that Satan has taken down a loan on a snowplough because now 33% of the fleet are running Conti tyres (much as I wanted to hate the tyres on the Croix de Fer, I actually like them rather a lot)

Also some pump swappage - bought a Lezyne Alloy Drive pump and a couple of brackets to go on the 29ers, with the Topeak Mountain Morph now adorning Pugsley as it's just about man enough to handle the inflation of Clown TyresTM on something less than a geological timescale.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 April, 2014, 08:54:07 pm
Surly tuggnut arrived today and was fitted to my Raleigh road bike. A test ride round the town seemed to show that it was doing it's job and the wheel is now staying put :)

Then reorganised the front mudguard fixings when i got home to stop the guard hitting the bottom of the brake calipers and remove the associated annoying rattle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 April, 2014, 12:56:21 pm
Just fitted two bike racks to the ladder bars on the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 11 April, 2014, 07:59:31 pm
New inner tube, rear mech adjustment and lever position on mum's BSO. It's worse than I first thought but that'll do - I don't want to throw money at a duff bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 April, 2014, 08:09:05 pm
Not sure if it counts as a fettle per se but I've just finished molishing a couple of cardboard templates, framebag manufacture for the use of.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 12 April, 2014, 06:21:42 pm
I fixed my printer.  All by myself.

I think I'm awesome.   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 April, 2014, 06:25:31 pm
Brakes.

I also fettled my state of mind - does that count?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 12 April, 2014, 06:44:53 pm
Quote from: interzen on 12 April, 2014, 06:25:31 pm
Brakes.

I also fettled my state of mind - does that count?

Yes.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 April, 2014, 06:46:18 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 12 April, 2014, 06:21:42 pm


I think I'm awesome.   :smug:

I know you are & have known for a good while ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 12 April, 2014, 06:47:13 pm
Quote from: jogler on 12 April, 2014, 06:46:18 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 12 April, 2014, 06:21:42 pm


I think I'm awesome.   :smug:

I know you are & have known for a good while ;)

Aw, shucks  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2014, 07:51:19 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 12 April, 2014, 06:21:42 pm
I fixed my printer.  All by myself.

I think I'm awesome.   :smug:

You are.

The printer, unfortunately, is still a printer (unless you fixed it *real good*)...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 12 April, 2014, 07:54:24 pm
I fixed it by giving its hole a little blow.

Will that do it, d'you think?  Real goood?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 April, 2014, 07:58:35 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 12 April, 2014, 07:54:24 pm
I fixed it by giving its hole a little blow.

Will that do it, d'you think?  Real goood?
This is how you fix a printer 'real good': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsBB93IqJkE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 12 April, 2014, 08:01:48 pm
I like my way better.

Because I now have hard copies of my car insurance documents.

Also my way is gentler, and doesn't end with the acquisition of a new printer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 April, 2014, 08:22:05 pm
But violence is the only language they understand - that and whatever my computer sends down the wire. (Might be the same. Perhaps it prints because the computer threatens it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 12 April, 2014, 08:25:10 pm
I may have scowled at it, sworn at it and threatened it.

Maybe that's what did it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 12 April, 2014, 08:29:53 pm
Ruthie,if ever I need fixing you will be the first person I ring ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 12 April, 2014, 09:58:59 pm
I've not done anything as awesome as Ruthie today but I suppose I'm not the only one to say that  :)

My Disco (cheapest and, hate to admit it, favourite bike) has developed two noises.
One is a creaking which started when I was out of the saddle but has now become apparent when I'm seated but pedalling* hard.
The other is a "cling, cling" from the rear (BB7 brake*).

I've no idea what the creaking noise is and, frankly, I've also no idea why the rear brake is noisy.
I took the pads out (plenty of life left) but, as the wheel rotates, the pads move at certain points of the rotation.
Visually, the rotor is prety damn straight.

I think this is a job for the LBS  :(

* See how I spelt that and that ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 12 April, 2014, 10:28:41 pm
More on the Seekrit Project
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/13806525735_818c4c50e0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/n3346a)IMAG2141 (https://flic.kr/p/n3346a) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr
With some help from my BiL we worked out stability for the ultrasound. And Feanor may recognise certain things in this picture. Then it was app fettling to get the UI working happily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2014, 10:33:34 pm
That's a hell of a scope for a kitchen table :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 12 April, 2014, 10:34:20 pm
Certainly is :) Does the job though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 April, 2014, 11:03:55 pm
Oddly enough, I have one just the same.
Funny old world.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2014, 01:24:36 pm
While I was out riding my bike yesterday, a Raspberry Pi was quietly and excruciatingly slowly recompiling its kernel.  Yes, I could have worked out how to cross-compile on a proper computer, but I reckoned audax was more fun.

The Giant 80s Deaf Alarm Clock now has a working PPS clock driver, access to its full 512MB of RAM, and can play audio without crashing.  (PPS and the other two were previously mutually exclusive).   :thumbsup:

ETA: This also enables the feature we'll never[1] use:  It can now function as a BBC Radio 4 streaming appliance (http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/blog/a-raspberry-pi-powered-radio-4-appliance).


[1] Barakta can't tell the difference between Radio 4 and people talking in another room.  Not fair to inflict that on her.  Especially with some of the unsavoury types you get on the Today programme.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 April, 2014, 01:36:11 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 12 April, 2014, 08:22:05 pm
But violence is the only language they understand - that and whatever my computer sends down the wire. (Might be the same. Perhaps it prints because the computer threatens it).
You've actually captured USB protocols in a nutshell. Well played.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 April, 2014, 05:43:14 pm
Fitted a new  mech and readjusted the other on the winter bike. Introduced daughter to the mysteries of bike cleaning, ie transfer of dirt from bike to cleaner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 13 April, 2014, 07:14:15 pm
More-or-less fettled the Cubs' room into submission.  About to stack the charity shop stuff out of the way in the loft, and as much of the contents of the camping cupboard as I can sort before I have to deal with bath-and-bed time.  Since tomorrow the camping cupboard is due to become the boiler cupboard, and needs emptying.  Then I'll need to fettle some more TPoCs, since the gas bod will need to lift floor boards and open up boxing-in in most of the house I suspect.  Since I'm not sure exactly where in some cases until they get here, I can't clear all the relevant bits of rooms.  So will likely be spending tomorrow playing TPoC tetris on a Den-sized scale....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2014, 09:17:16 pm
That sounds suspiciously like it may leave you with deterministic supply of hot water, thobut, which is always a worthwhile endeavour in my book.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 April, 2014, 10:58:25 pm
Gave the not-Tifosi a badly-needed clean, replaced the chain and cassette and took the mudguards off. The new cassette is a 12-30 rather than a 12-28, so I've now got a 1:1 lowest gear. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 14 April, 2014, 10:27:21 am
I fettled the flaking paint off one window frame with a sanding machine, and covered it in grey primer, ready for some nice new paint. The grey primer looks pretty good though.

I also changed the winter wheels off the car for summer wheels (I should have done this weeks ago), although I need some new tyres on the front.

That was a mucky job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2014, 02:45:13 pm
Made a video of a thing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ykErxyCyI

http://youtu.be/I5ykErxyCyI
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 14 April, 2014, 08:06:12 pm
And what a cool Thing it is!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 14 April, 2014, 08:40:29 pm
Excellent!  One of my brothers (who has good hearing, except when you say, "It's your round"), used to have great difficulty waking up for his heavy manual job, when he was a teenager.  His solution was to put the clock inside a large saucepan.  I moved out pretty soon after that (I hate manual work).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2014, 08:45:17 pm
In a similar vein, the standard failure mode of these vibrating things is that they escape from the pillowcase during the night, and inevitably manage to wedge themselves against the nearest plasterboard wall, which functions as a sounding board.  Wakes everyone in the vicinity *except* the deaf person.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 April, 2014, 02:11:46 am
Fettled since last here:-

Hybrid from hell, cleaned and sold... started to attack two frames wire brush attachments to then build in to new bikes.

Juggled frames in the house so I can get to frames that I'm going to do something with.

So have a kona single speed mountain bike, on working geared bike and finally hopefully a late 80's specialized as a possible fixed gear bike....now do I nick the cogs off another bike or use a worn one?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 April, 2014, 03:21:54 pm
Finally got clamav-milter working again.

It's been one of those jobs that I have put off and put off until I really couldn't ignore it anymore.

The main problem seems to have been making sure the paths and files are all correct, otherwise you get cryptic messages about them not being there (even though they are).

Anyway I have tested it with EICAR and it works, any mail comes in with a virus attached it gets nuked from orbit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2014, 03:34:17 pm
Last night was new chain and cogs on my Brommie and rear brake adjustment  and de-flinting.

Tonight is likely to involve a fixed and/or a Moulton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 April, 2014, 06:28:32 pm
A cow-orker's bike.

His rear brake had seized completely, so with the aid of the contents of my mini toolkit and the Monks Cross branch of Evans I replaced both the brakes on his bike for him. 'Cos I'm nice like that.

My random act of kindness for the day1 although the job will need to be finished tomorrow as I don't carry cable cutters and end caps as a matter of course.

1 - not really that random, given that he solicited my advice with regard to replacement brakes and asked for my assistance in getting everything set up so he could ride home with the ability to stop in a controlled manner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 April, 2014, 10:56:27 pm
Haven't actually fettled, but various parcels arrived today. 1. A replacement lambda sensor for the car. 2a. A replacement LCD screen and 2b. a replacement touch screen for th etablet that does't work as a knee pad on a bed. 3. A camera to microscope adapter. These may well be fettled in reverse order over the next few days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 April, 2014, 08:09:35 pm
Down in deepest Dorset, on my way to a weekend gathering, I drove past a couple of cyclists fixing a puncture. They seemed to have it under control and were on the wrong side of the road with nowhere to park. A quarter of a mile later I spied a pub, and went in for a spot of lunch. The cyclists reappeared, pushing one bike, carrying the other.  Hmm, perhaps they didn't have it under control after all. They walked, with bikes (!) and asked if I worked there. No, but could I help with the bike.

They were on their first long ride ever. 50 miles to Bournmouth and had punctured and then their pump didn't work. Investigation showed the pump did work, but they had punctured the replacement tube by using tyre levers to put it back on. They had instant patches but no further tubes. My spares wouldn't work as the wheel in question was 650c.  I applied myself to sticking patches on, while they had food and chatted. I showed them how to refit the tube (they hadn't grocked you need a puff of air to give it shape) and then got one of them to do the refitting of the tyre with nowt but thumbs. She did well, but I talked them both through the Pippsy shoe method.  I applied three patches to the many puctured other tube, to give them a spare. 

They were so keen, and full of the Right Attitude. Nice bikes too. They were halfway through their journey and were fairly confident they'd do it. I hope they did.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 17 April, 2014, 09:13:19 pm
Fettled a rear wheel puncture, after a big piece of glass caused a rapid deflation the other day (I was a mile from home, so walked back!).

Remembered that the rear shifting hadn't been quite right either, so tried my usual spray-it-with-GT85 approach. Then I realised that the inner cable was in a pretty rough state, so ended up replacing that too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Furious on 20 April, 2014, 11:18:44 pm
Re-wrapped my leather bar tape...

This time, the right way.
i.e. Not according to the instructions supplied.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 April, 2014, 12:56:48 pm
Did the great tyre switcheroo on the 29ers - since the Fortitude isn't going anywhere until the new forks turn up, I decided to take the WTB Nanos off the Fortitude and fit them to the High Latitude.

Since these tyres are best suited for dry conditions, there will probably be a deluge of Biblical proportions. In which case, I apologise and will refit the mud tyres which will, no doubt,  precipitate a heatwave.

ETA: Also fitted the baked soot pedals off the Fortitude.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 April, 2014, 04:00:01 pm
We put some new bar tape on Mrs. Wow's tandem bars. I don't like doing that job because even if you do get it to look neat to your satisfaction (I never have) it's always a bodge. It's topologically impossible for tape winding round a bar in a spiral to lie flat so you always end up with crinkles in your sticky tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 April, 2014, 04:01:26 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 25 April, 2014, 04:00:01 pm
<snip> to lie flat so you always end up with crinkles in your sticky tape.

Is she aware of this, or do you just mean you get cake crumbs?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 April, 2014, 04:58:47 pm
I'm sure someone will tell her!  :D

My other piece of fettling is to transfer our main current account away from the Co-op, who have pissed me off once too often, notwithstanding their complete mismanagement of the whole bleedin' caboodle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 25 April, 2014, 07:43:14 pm
N-1 :D

I set up the old man's bike (which I've had for nearly two years) for return to owner and then onto a new home. I don't need it, don't want it and hardly used it. But I could use the space.

I blagged some old bars from the local bike rescue, fitted them, and tuned the gears and brakes. That'll do. The headset could do with a service, but it's either going to someone who claims they know what they're doing, or to someone who won't notice and probably won't use it sufficiently for it to be a problem.

Oh, I also took off the very nice Open Corsa tyres. They're not having those. I was tempted to re-fit the original tyres, but 19mm tyres are a bit hardcore for someone who hasn't ridden a road bike before. I had some nowt-special-but-fine 25 mm tyres which fit under the brakes, which ought to be less of a culture shock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 25 April, 2014, 07:51:06 pm
Fettled some Raceblade Longs to the not-Tifosi: they'll be the "summer" mudguards, being significantly less faff to remove and reinstall than the Bluemels I've used until now. Tomorrow's ride to Edinburgh for Pedal on Parliament should see them being tested, if the weather forecast can be believed. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 26 April, 2014, 03:57:26 pm
Did this yesterday with an old catalogue as glossy paper to feed throguh the laser printer.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/14032228713_24e8695ffc_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nnYQHP)IMAG2167 (https://flic.kr/p/nnYQHP) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr

Having now retrieved the sharpie I can touch up the missing bits and attempt to etch it. Bit nervous as it is the first one I have ever done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 26 April, 2014, 04:13:23 pm
Stripping down of three of the fleet (the Croix de Fer, the Fortitude and the High Latitude) in preparation for re-forking sometime next week, depending on when the respective sets of replacement forks arrive at the LBS.

Which leaves me with the choice of the 1x1 or Pugsley if I want to go out for a ride (Day One is in bits as I still haven't got my arse into gear and replaced the sprocket on the hub gear), at least temporarily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 April, 2014, 04:18:04 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 26 April, 2014, 03:57:26 pm
Did this yesterday with an old catalogue as glossy paper to feed throguh the laser printer.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/14032228713_24e8695ffc_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nnYQHP)IMAG2167 (https://flic.kr/p/nnYQHP) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr

Cool.  It's been ages since I etched my own board.


Quote
Having now retrieved the sharpie I can touch up the missing bits and attempt to etch it. Bit nervous as it is the first one I have ever done.

Top tip for dealing with hot ferric chloride:  Fingers grow back, clothing doesn't.



Obfettle:  Tree.  No longer trying to climb in the bathroom window in high winds.  Need to do a proper job at some point when it isn't raining.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 April, 2014, 04:57:39 pm
Planted up some pots with flowers and strawbs.

Made a big pan of bbq sauce, ready for a week on Sunday.

Rooted an old S2, so i could sim unlock it so that a left-pondian friend can use it.

Now just waiting for pizza, parmo anf chips to arrive
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 April, 2014, 07:19:17 pm
Put a new handle on an old axe. Leastways, I started the process. Got to find a suitable lump of wood to use as a wedge now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 26 April, 2014, 10:02:12 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 April, 2014, 04:18:04 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 26 April, 2014, 03:57:26 pm
Did this yesterday with an old catalogue as glossy paper to feed throguh the laser printer.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/14032228713_24e8695ffc_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nnYQHP)IMAG2167 (https://flic.kr/p/nnYQHP) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr

Cool.  It's been ages since I etched my own board.


Quote
Having now retrieved the sharpie I can touch up the missing bits and attempt to etch it. Bit nervous as it is the first one I have ever done.

Top tip for dealing with hot ferric chloride:  Fingers grow back, clothing doesn't.


hot ferric chloride? I just did it at room temp. Done the trial board, Then discovered that marker pen is not etch resistant. SO went trying to find suitable mask but TODM nail polish was all too od and dried out.  I'll do the two copies of the board later tonight when the bathroom is kid free. Unfortunately I don't have the right sized drill bits yet. My pillar drill is a bit of overkill - I had to put a needle chuck in the main chuck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 April, 2014, 03:18:16 pm
Taken TLD's new bike frame, a random(ish) piles of parts and chucked them all in the same dierection.

All that is missingnow, is brakes, the levers arrive on Tuesday.  It goes well, but doesn't stop!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 27 April, 2014, 05:00:50 pm
Fitted tyres and cassette to my new wheels.

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h82/Paul_Fulford/imagejpg1_zpsbfd0956e.jpg) (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/Paul_Fulford/media/imagejpg1_zpsbfd0956e.jpg.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 April, 2014, 06:00:36 pm
^^^Pretty.  I guess you didn't use a DSLR...

This end I changed my eTrex mount: the device skipped off the handlebars a couple of times yesterday. Lanyard worked.

Also fettled my backside after yesterday's 200k, but I guess you don't want the details.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 April, 2014, 06:37:23 pm
Having acquired Handbag's Spesh Vita last weekend which she very generously donated (exchanged for a bunch of flowers) to my niece (who was in need of a commuter, for her new job), this weekend I have cleaned, cleaned and cleaned again.
Removed rust.
Replaced tubes and tyres.
Has anyone ever heard of lining the tyre carcass with the tread of a previously used tyre which has had it's sidewalls cut off to enhance puncture protection? It's a first for me.
Genius!
Fitted new cassette & chain and test drove to ascertain that both deliver.
Fitted new Koolstop Salmon brake blocks.
Replaced all cables, inner & outer, with Jagwire products.
Fitted a front mdgrd.
Swooned.
The rear mdgrd might have to wait.
Now, I need to rest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 April, 2014, 07:05:43 pm
TGL and I fettled a Thorn Cyclosportif, and I got frustrated that I hadn't got the bits I want for the Bon Jackson.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 April, 2014, 10:34:36 pm
Quote from: clarion on 27 April, 2014, 07:05:43 pm
TGL and I fettled a Thorn Cyclosportif, and I got frustrated that I hadn't got the bits I want for the Bon Jackson.

Wot bitz?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 April, 2014, 11:22:22 pm
Took the pump track timing system to the park for a test drive. Sorted out config and setup issues. Very impressed with the bluetooth range - about 40m.

Anyhow, sorted the firmware changes needed and the changes to the app so it runs a bit smoother.

Then fettled the links on the breadboard so the wires are much neater. Should be good to go for Tuesday, but not in my hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2014, 12:34:43 am
Soldered up two more alerting system module boards (minus a couple of the more expensive components, which I wasn't ordering until I knew it worked), put together an order for the remaining components, and designed a small PCB to interface with the central heating (which now means I have a couple more components I could have added to that order, d'oh).

SMD soldering is a lot less fiddly when you can start with the small things and work up, rather than building it up subsystem by subsystem so you can check all the voltages are sane along the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 April, 2014, 03:41:27 am
Quote from: Jurek on 27 April, 2014, 06:37:23 pm

Has anyone ever heard of lining the tyre carcass with the tread of a previously used tyre which has had it's sidewalls cut off to enhance puncture protection? It's a first for me.
Genius!


Have seen it before, on a very old road bike amd a mountain bike. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 April, 2014, 11:56:31 am
It's a very old trick, but can leave tubes prone to pinching.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 April, 2014, 12:01:41 pm
I have called a brief hiatus on PCB making as I don't have suitable transfer medium for getting mask onto the copper. Maybe I should tap up some contacts and see if I can get to use the protomat PCB miller in engineering..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 09:27:45 pm
The various things I've been using to hold my tools have been becoming progressively more tatty (spilling allen keys across the inside of the Carradice and the zips ceasing to function), so I thought I'd fettle a tool roll out of... well, see if you can guess. I really should have taken a photo of the donor before I started chopping and sewing.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/14054601695_9bd0f3a778_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/npXvqT)tools (https://flic.kr/p/npXvqT) by dean.clementson (https://www.flickr.com/people/30024450@N04/), on Flickr

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/14031463626_7e8c95bc4c_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nnUVhE)tool roll (https://flic.kr/p/nnUVhE) by dean.clementson (https://www.flickr.com/people/30024450@N04/), on Flickr

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2926/14051395012_db9551d907_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/npF5cf)tool roll on bike (https://flic.kr/p/npF5cf) by dean.clementson (https://www.flickr.com/people/30024450@N04/), on Flickr

It's quite scruffy, and my needlework is still like a broken compass, but it seems to work. I'm quite pleased with it, for something that cost nowt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 28 April, 2014, 10:30:11 pm
When did you start using midge bars (or whatever they are)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 April, 2014, 10:31:58 pm
They are a bit big for midges..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 April, 2014, 10:32:34 pm
Good idea
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 28 April, 2014, 10:33:35 pm
Quote from: T42 on 27 April, 2014, 06:00:36 pm
^^^Pretty.  I guess you didn't use a DSLR...


No, just a cassette tool and tyre levers :D

Don't even own a DSLR....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 28 April, 2014, 10:34:29 pm
Quote from: Mr Bunbury on 28 April, 2014, 10:30:11 pm
When did you start using midge bars (or whatever they are)?

Don't think they're Midge bars, too flat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 10:36:35 pm
Quote from: Mr Bunbury on 28 April, 2014, 10:30:11 pm
When did you start using midge bars (or whatever they are)?

When I needed some cheap bars to take road levers with a 26.0 mm clamp. They are Midge bars.

They're alright, but they only have one decent riding position and they're a bit too wide to tackle the anti-cyclist gates on Darlo's cycle paths.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 10:43:12 pm
Quote from: clarion on 28 April, 2014, 10:32:34 pm
Good idea

Did you ever make yours? I found this thread when I was a-googling.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3040.0
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 April, 2014, 10:47:53 pm
No, I didn't.  I used socks for a while, but they wore through quickly.  Now, I use one of those pots designed to fit in a bottle cage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 10:55:07 pm
Aye, I thought of one of those. I may still do, if this one doesn't last.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2014, 11:13:49 pm
I use one of those Alpkit stuffsacks.  It's looking a bit tatty after several years of keeping my tools together while rattling about in various bike luggage, but it's lightweight, takes up no extra volume itself and was cheap enough that I'll be happy enough to replace it with another one when it falls apart.

Beats trying to sew something out of durable fabric, anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 28 April, 2014, 11:17:50 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 09:27:45 pm
well, see if you can guess. I really should have taken a photo of the donor before I started chopping and sewing.

It's quite scruffy, and my needlework is still like a broken compass, but it seems to work. I'm quite pleased with it, for something that cost nowt.

Is it the bag you use to hold a Downmat?  A downmat that hasn't been eaten by rats, that is  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2014, 11:19:24 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 28 April, 2014, 11:17:50 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 09:27:45 pm
well, see if you can guess. I really should have taken a photo of the donor before I started chopping and sewing.

It's quite scruffy, and my needlework is still like a broken compass, but it seems to work. I'm quite pleased with it, for something that cost nowt.

Is it the bag you use to hold a Downmat?  A downmat that hasn't been eaten by rats, that is  ;)

Nahh.  If it were, it would be exactly 10mm shorter than the big allen key.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 28 April, 2014, 11:21:36 pm
Looks like a Rosebikes freebie bag to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 April, 2014, 11:23:27 pm
On the tool bottle front, I discovered a couple years back that Morrisons Value Hot Chocolate comes in a plastic pot that fits perfectly in a normal bottle cage :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 11:26:12 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 28 April, 2014, 11:17:50 pm
Quote from: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 09:27:45 pm
well, see if you can guess. I really should have taken a photo of the donor before I started chopping and sewing.

It's quite scruffy, and my needlework is still like a broken compass, but it seems to work. I'm quite pleased with it, for something that cost nowt.

Is it the bag you use to hold a Downmat?  A downmat that hasn't been eaten by rats, that is  ;)

No, jsabine has that to fix now.

Similar material, though - it was a Rose gym bag freebie. I kept the R on the white background in an effort to make it look vaguely professional. Or an effort to let someone else take the blame, either works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 11:27:08 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 28 April, 2014, 11:21:36 pm
Looks like a Rosebikes freebie bag to me.

Spot on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 28 April, 2014, 11:27:55 pm
Is that the one you used as a handbag on your trip?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 11:29:31 pm
God, no. I still have that one!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 29 April, 2014, 01:32:33 am
Quote from: Deano on 28 April, 2014, 11:26:12 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 28 April, 2014, 11:17:50 pm
Is it the bag you use to hold a Downmat?  A downmat that hasn't been eaten by rats, that is  ;)

No, jsabine has that to fix now.

I do indeed. And idleness has meant that although I've looked at it, and inflated it, and thought about it, I've not actually fixed it. No doubt I'll start to sort it about nine hours before I'm due to leave for our next camping trip (which hasn't been talked about let alone planned yet).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 29 April, 2014, 07:12:57 am
I applied patch number 31 to the inner tube on the front of my mountain bike.

Not sure how old it is but it has seen off a few tyres and I reckon that there is still plenty of life left in it  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 29 April, 2014, 12:37:54 pm
Mowed the lawn, did some washing, organised some property redistribution with Crusty.

He's doing well  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 29 April, 2014, 03:10:55 pm
Sunday - fitted a new rear wheel, tyre, sprocket and chain - Shimano Nexus 7 hub gear job.  Took me all afternoon and all evening.

Thinking back, I don't know why it took so long.  It's not thaaaat difficult.  I seem to have turned into a snail.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 April, 2014, 10:37:03 pm
Scary sharpened the iron on my Stanley plane.  Now off to read how to adjust it properly.

And because I was in a honing mood, laid some scary sharp goodness on my Opinel too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 30 April, 2014, 07:25:09 pm
Pugsley's now running a 1x10 drivetrain, albeit with a stupidly small (22T) chainring - so as well as having Clown Tyrestm I also have some fairly idiotically low gears, but then you don't need big gears on a fatty. I've ordered a replacement 26T ring, so the gearing will be downgraded from Insane to Merely Ludicrous.

Dismantling the MWOD chainset was surprisingly laborious, and I now have an impressive collection of bolts and spacers now that the outer ring and bashguard are surplus to requirements.

I've also fettled the old fridge/freezer out of the kitchen into the back garden in preparation for recycling when its replacement is delivered tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 30 April, 2014, 10:57:55 pm
Apparently my timing system fettling worked well in arbroath though there was some interference from the bagpipes. Who knew bagpipes could be used to ward off bats as well as young children?

Anyway, 1100 people watched my electronics fettling in action and it worked. I was somewhat aprehensive about handing over a prototype to someone with a  5 min 'here it is, set up like this, this is how the app works, email or phone if you have any trouble' and then him putting it into live action the next day.

Apparently today it will have been rained on in Kirriemuir. I have been working on an upgraded version with big display. They now have sufficient confidence to spend more than a few quid on sensors so we should be able to do a better with fewer false triggers. This is kind of fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 May, 2014, 12:44:35 am
Finished and tested the two in-progress alerter module boards, made up a load of extremely tedious front panel wiring, and applied bodge resistors to the cheapo PIR sensors to stop them glitching.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4139.sized.jpg)

So I'm now waiting on the enclosures, plus the remaining boards (I now have all the components to populate them when they arrive).  So other than the plugins for heating control, gas sensor and doorbell triggering, it's all mechanical fabrication left to do.  And the inevitable minor software tweaks (there are some software botches in place to integrate with the existing system that need removing, and I have a couple of ideas that may or may not be worth adding).  But the hard work is done.

I will at some point have to rip out the existing system and re-route some cat5 in order to deploy all this, but for obvious reasons I need everything to be fully built and tested first.


It's overkill, and not the most elegant of designs, but should be stable and reasonably future-proof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 May, 2014, 11:33:56 pm
Well I've replaced the shifter cable and tried to get the rear mech working on my road bike after an accidental twig/chain interface before easter. Can't get the shifting to work anything like though. Tried straightening the hanger, playing with tension and b-screw, loosening the jockey wheels and reassembling and eventually shouting at it. It's still sluggish changing both up and down gears, and seems to rub on the outer plate of the rear mech in lower gears. I think the plates are a bit bent after it all jammed up. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 02 May, 2014, 12:04:11 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 01 May, 2014, 11:33:56 pm
Well I've replaced the shifter cable and tried to get the rear mech working on my road bike after an accidental twig/chain interface before easter. Can't get the shifting to work anything like though. Tried straightening the hanger, playing with tension and b-screw, loosening the jockey wheels and reassembling and eventually shouting at it. It's still sluggish changing both up and down gears, and seems to rub on the outer plate of the rear mech in lower gears. I think the plates are a bit bent after it all jammed up. :(

Sometimes you just have to accept that 'FU'ed is actually 'FUBAR'ed . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 May, 2014, 12:19:12 am
Quote from: Kim on 01 May, 2014, 12:44:35 am
the plugins for [...] doorbell triggering

Molished, programmed, integrated.  Probably needs a case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 May, 2014, 05:16:43 pm
Helped nikki fettle her brakes, un-botched the turbo trainer to work with 700c wheels and lent it to her for physioterrorism / bike fit purposes.

Also some seat-of-the-pants lead-free SMD finger-burning with inadequate tools for a project we're working on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 May, 2014, 10:06:23 pm
Got the electrickery worked out and working for the timing system v2 using proper retroreflective light beam sensors.

Got a bit interesting trying to find the right holes in the breadboard after looking at 3W RGB LEDs.

Need to fettle the code but that should be straightforward.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 03 May, 2014, 07:49:29 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 May, 2014, 05:16:43 pm
Also some seat-of-the-pants lead-free SMD finger-burning with inadequate tools for a project we're working on.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/13911487988_1cb4975a48_o.jpg)

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/14098517194_87a22f10c7_o.jpg)

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/13911473590_5afea60fa0_o.jpg)

SMD capacitor (lightweight racing multimeter (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=82182.0) for s(c)ale)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 May, 2014, 07:57:55 pm
Did some garden fettling then moved on to tent repairs.
The Scouts cooking shelter had the plastic grommets ripped out of it during some windy weather at the Kent Jamboree last year. The 1950s Singer did the business, though it did stall when I occidentally tried to go through 8 layers of canvas! Then hand stitched traditional grommets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 May, 2014, 09:12:08 pm
Quote from: nikki on 03 May, 2014, 07:49:29 pm
SMD capacitor (lightweight racing multimeter (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=82182.0) for s(c)ale)

I think the solder's more impressive scale-wise.  (Though it's a suboptimally thick diameter for even through-hole electronics soldering.)  Reckon the capacitor was an 0603 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface-mount_technology#Packages) or so, and amply demonstrated why I reckon dealing with anything smaller than 0805 is a job that's best left to robots.

(After chasing it round the table with the probes for a bit, and failing to pin it down with both lx tape and blu-tac, I gave in and soldered a wire to each end.)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 04 May, 2014, 08:37:37 am
Put the nearly-winter wheels on my Kinesis, vice the really-winter wheels, in the hope that Spring might have sprung (on the grounds that every outing on my summer bike so far has resulted in drowned-rat syndrome).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 04 May, 2014, 02:13:24 pm
This morning I fettled the adjustable steering column on the Volvo.It is now locked into the desired position :thumbsup: after a few days of occasionally doing an impression of a wooden spoon in heavy porridge :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 May, 2014, 04:51:00 pm
Swapped the broken front shift lever for a new one and tidied up the cables. Then retaped the bars. Then redid the cables again, and retaped the bars. Then dicovered that the brake cabel outer was fubar so redid that and retaped the bars. That tape has been on and off the bars more times than an olympic gymnast.

But now it works. I couldn't summon up the enthusiasm to swap the working RHS lever for a matching new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 May, 2014, 11:11:28 pm
Yesterday have attacked a bike frame with wire wheel, now to get to the fiddly hard to reach bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 06 May, 2014, 12:04:22 am
The LED driver shift registers arrived and so I tested them, and after testing set to with a soldering iron. This is tedious work.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/13931079220_2c3358e7ed_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ne3qv3)IMAG2190 (https://flic.kr/p/ne3qv3) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr

That is two hours and one of three pairs. Two to go but they do work.

https://flic.kr/p/ntue2w

As you can see they are large 7 segment displays - 3" high digits should be good enough to see across a crowded field.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 May, 2014, 12:09:46 am
We slayed the triffids in the back garden.  Several hours and many drugs later my hands are swollen and tingly, with added bleedy bits, my shoulder aches and my eyes and lungs aren't right.  Need to go back with some sort of chemical weapons when I can grip properly and finish the job.

There's also a large pile of sharp and stingy green twiggy stuff to deal with.  Not sure what the best strategy is, given that the council no longer collect green waste.  It's an awful lot of trailer trips, and we don't have room to safely burn it.

And we now know about the bags of rubbish that someone has fly-tipped at the bottom of the garden.

I can't believe people do this stuff instead of riding their bikes...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 06 May, 2014, 11:12:34 am
Quote from: Kim on 06 May, 2014, 12:09:46 am
we don't have room to safely burn it.

Incinerator (http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Garden+Incinerator/p94173)? Twenty quid, and (given a suitably large paella pan) can also provide the heat source for outdoor paella cooking.

Shredder and compost heap is a more expensive, longer term alternative.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 06 May, 2014, 11:34:20 am
Fettle fail yesterday.

Went to sort out the rear  hub on the commuter, when I came to it everything was loose. No problem I have a Shimano tech leaflet showing the exploded diagram. Take all to bits, clean. Line up the 'sploded diagram. I have several more bits :(

do a reasonable job getting it ride-able, take in to the very nice http://www.londonbicycle.com/repair-shop-contact-details this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 May, 2014, 11:37:28 am
I find that knocking the left over parts down the back of the work bench and whistling gently usually works. Not having enough parts is more of a concern.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 May, 2014, 11:51:47 am
Another seat swap on the fixie beki. My arse is not that comfortable on a turbo saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 May, 2014, 12:28:09 pm
Quote from: jsabine on 06 May, 2014, 11:12:34 am
Quote from: Kim on 06 May, 2014, 12:09:46 am
we don't have room to safely burn it.

Incinerator (http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Garden+Incinerator/p94173)? Twenty quid, and (given a suitably large paella pan) can also provide the heat source for outdoor paella cooking.

Having thought this through a bit more last night, it occurs to me that the large pile of unused breeze blocks that's sitting out back could be used to construct something functionally similar.


Quote
Shredder and compost heap is a more expensive, longer term alternative.

I refuse to own (or indeed rent) a compost heap.  Too many bad experiences.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 06 May, 2014, 12:37:12 pm
yesterday,  a day of engine related fettling:

2 o-rings on the car to (hopefully) solve an annoying oil leak, but to get to them necessitated removing the inlet manifold  :facepalm:, and a new flasher relay to allow the flashers to actually flash

And a new 'ignition module' on the petrol strimmer as it had no spark. Still a pain to start mind... >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 May, 2014, 01:39:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 May, 2014, 12:28:09 pm
Quote
Shredder and compost heap is a more expensive, longer term alternative.

I refuse to own (or indeed rent) a compost heap.  Too many bad experiences.

It's probably wrong to mention that I put all the hedge clippings on the path and then run the mower back and forth over them and till they are all shredded and in the collecting box. Saves a lot of space and things poking through the bin bags.
Recommended not to wear shorts and open toe sandals, probably also leads to a reduced mower life expectancy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 May, 2014, 12:29:01 am
With a bit of bending and adjusting (and changing cable run) I've managed to get the raleigh back shifting again. It's not as smooth as I'd like but at least it will work until I can get round to buying a new rear mech.

Also fettled lights and a GPS mount onto it so that I can go for a decent ride tomorrow after work :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 May, 2014, 10:49:20 pm
Replaced HK's knackered 34t chainring on her MTB with a SS jobbie, centred the front wheel and adjusted both brakes.

De-gunged the LH STI lever on her Condor and tweaked the rear derailleur. May have to replace the chain and cassette soon and it looks like the Cyo doesn't switch off any more. Probably time to swap some Cyo's around tomorrow.

Pulled the tyres and tubes off HK's Ti bike.

Fitted new handlebar tape to my fixed, cleaned out the brake pads and had another go at stopping the Miche cogs from coming loose. The test ride seemed ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 May, 2014, 05:51:15 pm
Changed the oil in HK's Alfine on her Condor and swapped a couple of Cyos between bikes. Pumped half a dozen soft tyres and replaced the batteries in a Pixeo. Replaced the chain and cassette on HK's Moulton, trimmed a mudguard flap and need to replace the Campag rear mech barrel adjuster (yet another broken adjuster, travelling is tough on bikes).

Reassembled my Moulton with a new seatpost. Replaced some tyres and fitted a pump to a Longstaff. Fitted a new Cyo to my Frezoni. Still have to fiddle with a couple of rear lights and need to buy a batch of mudguard lights again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 11 May, 2014, 10:06:20 pm
Swapped the right hand lever on the winter bike so it matches the left. All works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 May, 2014, 10:08:53 am
Fettled the brakes on the Orange Blueberry, so they no longer squeel like our cats did at the vets on Saturday.

Also fitted a Crudguard to the front, one won't go on the back due to the rack.

Ready for commuting now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 12 May, 2014, 02:20:07 pm
Yesterday I replaced the worn flat tyre on the rear wheel.  Meanwhile the chain had become 'knotted'.  Sorted everrthing out. Ten minute job.  Half hour hand washing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 May, 2014, 02:31:10 pm
Decided to go a bit further with the Orange Blueberry.

Fitted Titec H-bars and lights.

I quite like those H-bars (designed by Jack Jones for Titec)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 May, 2014, 02:40:45 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 12 May, 2014, 02:31:10 pm
Decided to go a bit further with the Orange Blueberry.

Fitted Titec H-bars and lights.

I quite like those H-bars (designed by Jeff Jones for Titec)
FTFY.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 May, 2014, 02:45:59 pm
Nah, mine have a Hawaiian surf pop feel to them :)

OK, then you are right...

Oh and I have just realised I have put the brake levers in the wrong place.  Might try them where they are for a while then move if it doesn't work...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 May, 2014, 02:51:12 pm
More a question of 'what have I unfettled today?'

Since my plan to fit a Surly Troll fork (c/w bottle cage mounts on the legs) to the 1x1 has hit the buffers due to an unacceptably large difference in axle-to-crown height (Troll fork is 453mm, my 1x1 is 413mm - 4mm difference I could probably cope with, 40mm most definitely not) I'm stripping the 1x1 down so I can send the fork off to Bob Jacksons for a bit of surgery (add bottle cage mounts, remove canti tabs 'cos I don't use them, respray forks black and add Surly decals)

I seem to be doing a lot of forking about at the moment - the two Genesis MTBs should be ready within the next couple of days (Pugsley fork on the Fortitude, Fargo fork on the High Latitude) and the Disc Trucker fork I ordered for the Croix de Fer should be here fairly shortly too.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 May, 2014, 03:25:37 pm
Put the SMP in the sell-down-the-river queue and restored my venerable San Marco Aero to its rightful seatpost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 May, 2014, 09:56:08 pm
Gave the chain on the Dave Yates a clean, and waved a brush at the rest of it, though a bit half-heartedly. A clean chain was the main thing. And I had to re-tighten the chain, which was a bit slack. More than a bit, really.

And I cleaned the stem-clamp interface, as it's been a bit creaky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 12 May, 2014, 10:32:26 pm
That bloomin' drone again. I got a bit exuberant with a new control set and made it do a flip at low altitude, pinging a motor clean out of its mounting.  An hour of muttering and dainty solderwerk and all is good. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 May, 2014, 10:46:50 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 06 May, 2014, 11:51:47 am
Another seat swap on the fixie beki. My arse is not that comfortable on a turbo saddle.

Wow, how can a specialized mtb saddle and one that is so thin, thinner than the turbo saddle, be so comfortable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 14 May, 2014, 03:37:56 pm
I've finally taken the winter tyres off my bike.  :-[

It's so quiet!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 14 May, 2014, 09:05:41 pm
Replaced the burnt out brake light bulb on the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 14 May, 2014, 09:47:48 pm
In preparation for this year's jaunt to
Quote from: Noggin the Nog
the lands of the North, where the Black Rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long the Men of the Northlands sit by their great log fires and they tell a tale...
I
- replaced not-all-that-worn tyres with new marathons. No blood was spilled and I fitted one using my bare hands.
- fitted new chain and cassette. For the first time ever I used a Pamir Hypercracker to remove the old one. I must have had it 20+ years and I thought I'd better find out how to use it. The next time I use it might be somewhere in Lapland without recourse to 'how to use a pamir hypercracker' youtube videos or woollypig's blog Meet the Hypercracker (http://www.woollypigs.com/2011/10/meet-the-hypercracker/).
- fitted front low-riders pannier racks. This always turns out harder than it should be.

First trial pack and load takes place tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 14 May, 2014, 09:53:10 pm
Replaced a stripped screw on my socket set ratchet with a larger one.  Much drilling, tapping and filing was needed but it's as good as new now. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 May, 2014, 09:54:47 pm
NOT replaced the broken Campag rear mech cable adjuster on HK's Moulton. Campag has changed the adjuster thread between 8/9sp mechs and 10sp mechs. What bastard offspring of an Italian engineer thought that was the right thing to do?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 May, 2014, 07:37:31 am
An ingrowing toenail.  It was a bit nippy!   :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 May, 2014, 02:26:03 pm
Stripped, cleaned and greased the front end of the Inbred. I have only had it nearly 3 years, noticed an intermittant creaking noise this time last year and it hasn't been serviced since I built it! Dug loads of black grease and dirt out of the headset and bearings. Runs much smoother and quieter now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 15 May, 2014, 03:48:41 pm
Halfway through servicing my Eggbeater pedals, I realised I have the wrong bearings.

Off to work out which ones I actually need...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 May, 2014, 08:34:32 pm
Cleaned the not-Tifosi a bit in preparation for tomorrow's FNRttC. I didn't think it was possible for a cassette and chain to get that dirty after only a month's use! :o

Also, having looked at the weather forecast (very much hoping it's correct) I de-fettled the mudguards, except the little bit of raceblade that goes in front of the rear brake - I can't get that bit off, so it'll have to stay.

Was going to retape the bars too, but CBA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 May, 2014, 08:37:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 15 May, 2014, 08:34:32 pm
Also, having looked at the weather forecast (very much hoping it's correct) I de-fettled the mudguards, except the little bit of raceblade that goes in front of the rear brake - I can't get that bit off, so it'll have to stay.

I'm reasonably sure that my non-attendance on medical grounds will cancel out your lack of mudguards, weather wise.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 16 May, 2014, 12:00:48 am
Just fitted B&M dynamo lights to my Ice B2 for this Saturday's Southern Uplands 400. Hoping the dynamo wheel is ready on Friday night!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 16 May, 2014, 09:13:27 am
Tube on the front of my commuting bike. As I'd recently changed the tyres, I assumed that I must have done something to the tube. A long cut, on the side facing the rim. Very weird. Patched in a couple of places, but the first patch exploded when I pumped the tyre back up.

I took that off, and put another (slightly smaller) patch one. That seemed to hold, but after 5 minutes the tyre was flat again. When I examined the tube again the cut had extended out from under the patch. That tube was no good, into the bin it went.

Last spare tube now in the tyre, I hope it holds and it's not something on the rim that was causing the problem. I ran my fingers along it, but it seemed ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 May, 2014, 10:10:54 am
Fitted the new USBWerk and appropriate USB cableage to the Croix de Fer, where it will stay. There may be some positional fettling to accomodate the straps of the new framebag (when it arrives) but for all practical purposes its staying put.

The 'missing' USBWerk, which miraculously turned up last night (under the sofa, where I'm pretty sure I looked on several occasions), will resume its place on whichever of the 29ers happens to have the dynamo wheel in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 May, 2014, 05:10:58 pm
I've just finished fettling the two Genesis MTBs into rideable condition after picking them up from the LBS this morning.

The Fortitude is now rocking a 100mm, non-offset Pugsley fork which, unlike the Genesis fork they replaced, will allow a 6-bolt disc hub to rotate freely without gouging chunks out of the fork leg. In fact, there's a good 10mm clearance betwixt rotor bolts and fork :thumbsup: The High Latitude now has a Salsa Fargo fork which is, quite honestly, the epitome of awesomeness even if it doesn't have their bad-ass chilli pepper logo on it.

All I need to do now is get a pair of pedals for the Fortitude, as I shifted the scabby old ATAC Aliums onto Pugsley and the High Latitude is currently wearing the baked soot ATACs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 May, 2014, 06:09:45 pm
I've populated the final three alerter boards with all the SMD passives.  Need a rest before I do any more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 May, 2014, 10:02:43 pm
Quote from: Kim on 17 May, 2014, 06:09:45 pm
I've populated the final three alerter boards with all the SMD passives.  Need a rest before I do any more.

*nods sagely as if he knows what on earth this means*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 May, 2014, 10:04:57 pm
Quote from: clarion on 17 May, 2014, 10:02:43 pm
Quote from: Kim on 17 May, 2014, 06:09:45 pm
I've populated the final three alerter boards with all the SMD passives.  Need a rest before I do any more.

*nods sagely as if he knows what on earth this means*
Eyestrain and burnt fingers, more than likely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 May, 2014, 10:07:19 pm
Resistors and capacitors small enough to inhale (you can forget about finding them on the carpet), and therefore a job best suited to robots.  Hand-soldering them requires tweezers, a steady hand and an unreasonable amount of faith in surface tension, but isn't actually that difficult once you get the hang of it.

Once you get into a rhythm it's actually quicker than through-hole stuff, as you're not flipping the board over or trimming leads.


ETA: Halfway through the fiddly-bastard semiconductors now.  Only one TSSOP thankfully:  0.65mm pin pitch is my sanity limit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2014, 10:09:27 pm
Adjusted for more power from the nastiest-designed (but nicely manufactured) cantilever ever made. Swapped pads and tweaked a sidepull brake and removed a cycle-computer. More fettling planned for tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 May, 2014, 10:19:20 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 May, 2014, 09:54:47 pm
NOT replaced the broken Campag rear mech cable adjuster on HK's Moulton. Campag has changed the adjuster thread between 8/9sp mechs and 10sp mechs. What bastard offspring of an Italian engineer thought that was the right thing to do?
Probably someone who is related to the bastard offspring of a Japanese engineer who decided to do away with barrel adjusters completely on newer Shimano MTB mechs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 May, 2014, 10:21:52 pm
Quote from: interzen on 17 May, 2014, 10:19:20 pm
Probably someone who is related to the bastard offspring of a Japanese engineer who decided to do away with barrel adjusters completely on newer Shimano MTB mechs.

ObGrr:  Grr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: madcow on 17 May, 2014, 10:27:11 pm
Cleaned and dusted my Bob Jackson tourer and fitted the Carradice qr rack in preparation for a ride tomorrow. If it rides o.k then I have a rideable bike with mudguards available whilst I fettle the drivetrain on my Sabbath .
Also cut a scrap Open Pro rim (pulled through at spoke eyelet) off an Ultegra cassette hub, cleaned and greased the bearings to see if the cones or bearing housing were worn. All looked O.K so re-assembled with grease (steel balls were renewed just before rim was borked) and will get the hub rebuilt into another Open pro rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 May, 2014, 12:57:16 am
Finished (other than a few of the white connectors, of which I have annoyingly run out)!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4143.sized.jpg)
(The one bottom right is not like the others - buggy prototype with bodge wire and incorrect mounting holes.  Schnozzel valve adaptor for scale.)

Today's three pass the no-magic-smoke-escapes, voltages-are-sane and boots-up-and-detects-the-detectable-hardware tests.  Will test them more thoroughly when I've had some sleep.

The enclosures have disappeared into a Royal Mail black hole, which is probably for the best (else I'd be tempted to drill holes in things), and I don't really have the concentration to do any more work on the software (basically works, need a couple more features added, and some convenience stuff for deploying it to multiple units without hand-editing things).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 May, 2014, 01:40:36 am
Quote from: hulver on 16 May, 2014, 09:13:27 am
Tube on the front of my commuting bike. As I'd recently changed the tyres, I assumed that I must have done something to the tube. A long cut, on the side facing the rim. Very weird. Patched in a couple of places, but the first patch exploded when I pumped the tyre back up.

I took that off, and put another (slightly smaller) patch one. That seemed to hold, but after 5 minutes the tyre was flat again. When I examined the tube again the cut had extended out from under the patch. That tube was no good, into the bin it went.

Last spare tube now in the tyre, I hope it holds and it's not something on the rim that was causing the problem. I ran my fingers along it, but it seemed ok.

Sounds like a rim tape problem. Possibly allowing the tube to hernia into a spoke hole?

Caught me out more than once.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 18 May, 2014, 02:15:19 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2014, 10:09:27 pm
Adjusted for more power from the nastiest-designed (but nicely manufactured) cantilever ever made.

Which ones, out of interest?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 18 May, 2014, 03:58:40 pm
Swapped out the sproingy seat pin from the CdF replacing it for one that was originally supplied on the Bianchi.

Reason? The circlips on the pivots were wearing holes in my shorts! Also the replacement is black which fits the CdF colour scheme.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 May, 2014, 06:42:17 pm
Quote from: Paul on 18 May, 2014, 02:15:19 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2014, 10:09:27 pm
Adjusted for more power from the nastiest-designed (but nicely manufactured) cantilever ever made.

Which ones, out of interest?

Haven't found a photo online after a quick look. Cold-forged Dia Compe short-arm cantilevers with a double-ended straddle cable (no pinch bolt), so difficult to adjust the straddle cable length for extra power. The straddle carrier was a roller, so couldn't offset the carrier to balance arm movement. No vertical adjustment for the brake pads, just orbital angular adjustment controlled by a single 10mm nut and no way of holding the rest of it with a tool. No spring tension adjustment and only single holes on the braze-ons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 May, 2014, 08:52:46 pm
New BB in the pink magenta bike, ready for a jaunt to Paris at the end of the week.  #excited

On Thursday at Scouts we made vortex cannons. Cardboard boxes blagged from work, parcel tape ditto, bin liners.

Assemble box, leaving one end open. Cut circle in closed end. Tape bin liner over open end.  Waft, at speed, air using firmly held bin liner. Shoot paper cups over. Blast dandelion clocks to bits.

In the absence of smoke machine we burnt rolled up cardboard off cuts and filled the boxes with smoke. Blam! Smoke rings zooming down the Scout hut.

$Random_Scout: "We make some pretty nifty gadgets".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 May, 2014, 09:24:08 pm
Tighten the crank on the kona single speed.  They were a little loose....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 May, 2014, 09:40:19 pm
Replaced some gear cable casing, trued some wheels, replaced a front tyre and a tube on different wheels, replaced a front skewer and fitted a light bracket. Replaced a gear cable on a friend's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 May, 2014, 11:17:47 pm
a very satisfying work this evening: replaced square taper shimano bb which saw over 30k km (still smooth!) with a ceramic hope ht2 unit, also installed ultegra cranks sporting 45/30 chainrings. re-adjusted front mech accordingly and replaced a chain with a new one.  swapped the tyres from winter to summer ones while i was at it. did a test ride - all fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 May, 2014, 11:58:33 pm
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/14030180038_ccda8322dc_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nnNkHQ)IMAG2194 (https://flic.kr/p/nnNkHQ) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr

That is all the bits soldered together and preliminary logic tests indicate that it works. I have to program the microcontroller and see if it all starts up and is properly controllable. It makes noise, it has multicolour flashing lights, it says things and is controllable from a mobile phone courtesy of a bluetooth interface.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 May, 2014, 12:08:42 am
Yeah, but does it go 'boop'?   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 19 May, 2014, 06:44:20 am
It goes 'meep' quite loudly. Will that do?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 19 May, 2014, 10:02:09 am
Quote from: torslanda on 18 May, 2014, 01:40:36 am

Sounds like a rim tape problem. Possibly allowing the tube to hernia into a spoke hole?

Caught me out more than once.

I did think it might be that. I was waiting to see if the new tube had the same issue, but it appears to be ok. If that goes as well I'll get some different rim tape for it, as the factory supplied one doesn't seem very sturdy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 May, 2014, 10:08:51 am
Cleaned up a certain extremely orange bicycle in preparation for possible sale.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 19 May, 2014, 01:42:38 pm
Given time I would have done something to improve the sound, but for a bunch of rank amateurs given a very short timescale I think we did OK. This is our story about one of our teaching initiatives this semester. Every member of the project team has a different nationality or ethnicity - fantastic example of multiculturalism.

http://youtu.be/Z8B-hdBQHLc
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 19 May, 2014, 01:55:40 pm
New outers on my rear brake. Caliper no longer sticks!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 19 May, 2014, 03:35:19 pm
New inner tube on my Brompton, after the valve seat split while being pumped up. At least it was the front wheel.

That tube was only 11 years old. Should I complain to Brompton?

I had to use the second of the spares I bought with the bike to replace it, & now I don't have any.  Two in 11 years. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 May, 2014, 01:22:01 pm
Yesterday, replaced a rear Brompton tube before heading home. It was a lot younger than 11 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 May, 2014, 10:05:18 pm
Bled the front brake on the new Cinder Cone (I managed to lose the fluid...don't ask) and gave it a quick few thrashes round the block.  Riser bars suck; they are too wide for the average gorilla, ergonomically speaking, and it's difficult to even get the bike through the shed door.  Is this a fashion thing?  Need to get some straight ones and bar ends.  Also can't stop the front disc rubbing slightly despite using the correct procedure (and no...there isn't too much fluid in it).  May take the caliper off completely and lightly grease the cup washers on the mounting bolts to try and get it to align itself better.  The general design of the brakes is very stupid indeed (you need a £40 bleeding kit to service a £70 brake, because there is no real reservoir), and presumably is intended to save weight above all considerations of maintenance.

The Rockshox Recon fork is reasonably good; on lockout it is unobtrusive apart from the weight, when allowed to do its thing you can ride straight into kerbs, which is amusing.

General conclusion...it's got all the kit but they did XC MTBs better in the 1990s, which is probably why Retrobike exists!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 22 May, 2014, 12:11:29 pm
What are the brakes Roger?  I have fitted Avid brakes which were a bit crappy on their fit- needed to file a modicum of alloy from the caliper to get it to sit straight on the fork and therefore not rub the disc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 May, 2014, 01:57:52 pm
The use of DOT fluid is reason enough not to use Avid hydros, although if they came stock there's not much you can do about it - I've managed to lose the fluid out of a Shimano brake due to following their instructions a little too literally, but thankfully mineral oil doesn't eat through lino.

Anyway.

Today I has mainly dismantled and cleaned the orange Day One in preparation for shipping to its new owner. The shed now seems a lot more spacious now, even with Pugsley in there  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 22 May, 2014, 02:08:20 pm
New bearings in the rear wheel of my Dave Yates.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 May, 2014, 06:51:57 pm
Plumbing.  Changed the ball valve in the loft (I always do this shortly after moving into a house), which is possibly the easiest plumbing job there is; you only need two spanners and a new fibre washer.  Then tackled one of the much nastier ones: sorting out the washbasin in the upstairs bathroom.  The taps needed changing and the thing wasn't even vaguely flat against the wall, with a pronounced lean forwards (the plumber that Lovell Homes employed in the 80s was obviously not a plumber).  Took the basin off, changed the taps and then, since it had been fitted before tiling (FFS!) had to pack the pedestal upwards with small plastic wedges so (a) back of basin is flat and vertical against wall and (b) basin is fully supported by pedestal.  Then put silicone around the bottom to hide the enormous gap.  The only alternative would have been to chip off tiles below the basin and have a huge gap between basin and tiles at the top...or retile the whole bathroom.

Om the bright side, there are two tiles stored in the eaves of the garage.  They *might* be bathroom tiles, in which case I can replace the only cracked one that would be in the shower area.  When I get round to fitting a shower.

Originally the bathroom was just going to be ripped out, but despite being pampas it's in good condition and I can't be arsed, nor do I want to spend a couple of grand on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 May, 2014, 07:02:37 pm
Blisters, with some intricately-shaped pieces of aluminium as a side effect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 25 May, 2014, 12:27:43 am
An electric shower. The pump was running, but no water was coming out.

I tried cleaning the filters. I tried checking for air locks. Then I tried putting a meter on the solenoid. I was getting some inconsistent readings. Wasn't totally sure whether it was the meter, but went for it and ordered a new valve assembly. Only took a day to arrive :thumbsup:

It was tricky to get the old one out. It had a bulky coupling screwed onto it. I ended up removing various screws to get much of the shower works to move a bit and give me some manoeuvring space. The new one has a one-piece tail and fits much more easily.

All the messing around meant that a whole load of black grime from the motor brushes went everywhere.

Muc Off makes remarkably good shower and bath cleaner :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 May, 2014, 08:22:19 pm
got around to swapping a rim on my ss bike, damaged last summer (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61613.msg1557364#msg1557364). i was riding this wheel through the winter, and it felt fine, but the rim still had a buckle that was impossible to straighten. now the wheel is round, straight, true, tensioned and simply superb! :thumbsup:
i might disassemble the front wheel as well just to re-lube spoke nipples; they were dry on the rear wheel and some of them hard to undo (after riding through floods).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 25 May, 2014, 09:52:14 pm
Have fettle the brakes of the new to me folder in preparation to go to its new user.

Really should regrease the hubs and head bearings, give the wheels a quick true but all maybe another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 26 May, 2014, 10:46:27 am
A repair to the cracked edge of the cantilevered porch roof.

As it was on the underside I have clamped shuttering below and forced the cement mix in from the side. I'm not sure how long I should wait until I remove the shuttering, but fully expect the whole lot to fall down!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andygates on 26 May, 2014, 01:08:53 pm
OpenSCAD for 3D printing.

The revamped library includes a Fab Lab - 3D printers, CNC, laser cutters, and computers and boffins.  So I've been learning a CAD package for the first time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 26 May, 2014, 01:29:31 pm
I fixed Monday's puncture. Then I gave the lawn a haircut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 26 May, 2014, 01:59:49 pm
Didn't fancy a ride in the rain so built up a 36 hole retro front wheel that I have been amassing bits for:

- Pelissier high flange front hub
- DT Swiss competion spokes
- Halo retro rim

Pretty pleased with the results, although the spoke lengths that Edd gave me could have done with being a couple of mm longer.

A near match for a Peliisier rear hub with a Velo Orange PBP rim.

No plans to use it for now - need the right N+1 frame!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 27 May, 2014, 09:36:24 am
New taps on the bathroom sink. Leak free activity :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 27 May, 2014, 10:27:42 am
Bank holiday weekend fettle-fest has left me with sore thumbs:

One thorough bike clean, new chain/cassette/rear mech & rear gear cable inner.
Swapped stupidly stiff rear brake outer that prevented proper centreing of the caliper.
Two wheel builds: one rear Hope Mono RS with velocity A23 off-set rim, one front same rim but schmidt hub.
Four tubeless tyre conversions with rim strips, valves, tyres and latex fluid all installed (new territory for me - not supposed to use tyre levers to get on so hence the achy thumbs).
New B&M luxos front light swapped out for the old cracked one.
Rear rack & dynamo light removed and swapped for klickfix saddlebag thingamejig.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 May, 2014, 11:03:14 pm
MOved the seat up a couple mm on the tourer in a hope that this will keep my knee a bit happier
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 27 May, 2014, 11:49:22 pm
Mum's ADSL connection with help (aka Kim did thinking and ideas and fixed it really) from Kim over horrid-telephones while balancing netbook on lap sitting on mum's bed.  Made extra fun as my mum decided to choose THAT moment to STAND on the bed behind me and unscrew bits of lightfitting in the fanlight to change the bulb over my head (she has balance problems)... She then flicked all the dust off the fan blades into my face  >:(  Good thing I love my mum really.

Kim worked out that when Plusnet broke Mum's email they also changed Mum's ADSL password so Mum's router would no longer connect.  I had documented data from a phone conv with my mum about this password changing when I fix0red the email and had forgotten it would b0rk the router cos mum was hardly home at the time for $reasons.  This meant  Kim could fish that out my /home and send it to me to try...  Once we worked out an L a 1 it finally worked.

Phones, who thought that was a good idea? My error rate and packet loss and processing of Kim's speech was horrendous.  She has the patience of a patient thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: air dancer on 28 May, 2014, 11:58:01 am
Slapped a pair of SKS P45s onto the winter fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 28 May, 2014, 03:05:04 pm
Quote from: Air Dancer on 28 May, 2014, 11:58:01 am
Slapped a pair of SKS P45s onto the winter fixed.

Bloody hell, that's a bit premature isn't it?!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 29 May, 2014, 10:55:41 am
Quote from: GrahamG on 28 May, 2014, 03:05:04 pm
Quote from: Air Dancer on 28 May, 2014, 11:58:01 am
Slapped a pair of SKS P45s onto the winter fixed.

Bloody hell, that's a bit premature isn't it?!

days start getting shorter in less than a month, and xmas sales are just around the corner
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 29 May, 2014, 11:29:14 am
Fettled with my new Carradice Classic saddlebag rack.

The attraction with this item is the ability to swap between different bikes ( all of which have saddle loops ) in next to no time, without the need for tools.
ftw
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 29 May, 2014, 01:21:54 pm
Quote from: Vince on 26 May, 2014, 10:46:27 am
A repair to the cracked edge of the cantilevered porch roof.

As it was on the underside I have clamped shuttering below and forced the cement mix in from the side. I'm not sure how long I should wait until I remove the shuttering, but fully expect the whole lot to fall down!

That came out all right! :D

(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/2014-05-29130034_zps969cf30b.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 29 May, 2014, 01:29:11 pm
Just fitted my light to the nitto m18 rack.

Chopped the end off a Brooks spanner, drilled a hole either end put a twist in the metal to point the light central on the road. Spray painted it in silver, including the cable and I've hidden the cable under the rack. Looks nice and tidy when you're standing by it now :thumbsup:

Clutter free handlebars  8)


A low angle to show the hidden cable.
(http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k131/djb1971/3ce5ba209895bb0f8ad93ca8d4a6eede.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 May, 2014, 01:47:22 pm
Replaced lost gasket of helmet light with silicone.  The old one buggered off into the scenery when one of the catches failed early on ride 10 days ago and the front half of the unit bit the dust.

Also adjusted front brake-block toe-in.  No more judder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 29 May, 2014, 02:55:03 pm
Quote from: bumper on 29 May, 2014, 01:29:11 pm
Just fitted my light to the nitto m18 rack.

Chopped the end off a Brooks spanner, drilled a hole either end put a twist in the metal to point the light central on the road. Spray painted it in silver, including the cable and I've hidden the cable under the rack. Looks nice and tidy when you're standing by it now :thumbsup:

Clutter free handlebars  8)

A low angle to show the hidden cable.

That's a beautiful thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 29 May, 2014, 03:37:55 pm
Quote from: bumper on 29 May, 2014, 01:29:11 pm
Just fitted my light to the nitto m18 rack.

Chopped the end off a Brooks spanner, drilled a hole either end put a twist in the metal to point the light central on the road. Spray painted it in silver, including the cable and I've hidden the cable under the rack. Looks nice and tidy when you're standing by it now :thumbsup:

Clutter free handlebars  8)


A low angle to show the hidden cable.

that's the attention to detail i appreciate! just make sure the cable entry hole is sealed to prevent water ingress.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 29 May, 2014, 04:05:37 pm
Funny you should mention it. This afternoon I've sealed it, and the hole for the fixing screw. I've also ordered a pack of very small silver cable ties too :thumbsup:

On the photo the cable looks pretty visible but when you stand by the bike the cable is invisible ;D the Brooks spanner looks mingling on the pic but it's a brand new shiny one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 May, 2014, 04:59:00 pm
Alerters!

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/IMG_4170.sized.jpg)

That's the hardware finished and tested, apart from the four strobes that I'm going to nick from the existing system as I decommission it.  I have tested the strobe driver circuits, though.

I appear to have lost some work I did on the software the other night through general incompetence preparing the SD card image, but it shouldn't be too hard to reproduce.  I can now return the house to a liveable state before barakta kills me for filling it with swarf and metalworking tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 29 May, 2014, 05:40:55 pm
Kim, am I the only one who thinks that stack should have multi-jointed arms coming out of the side, terminated in pincers?

Sort of like "Danger, danger, Will Robinson" "What is it?" "I don't know, I just know it's danger"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 31 May, 2014, 05:58:27 pm
Fitted a new perch and postto the orange. It was justgoing tobe the perch, but I couldn't get the bolt undone enough to get the old one off.

Found my pdm620s to fit to the Orange, but sorting out the rear brake took precedence, so they got the bolts taken out, slathered with grease and then refitted, with help from my lovely assistant, Mrs T.

Tidied the garage a bit, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 May, 2014, 06:13:26 pm
Fettled the postage stamp that passes for our garden, a little bit. Place is heaving with snails! No wonder half the plants are full of holes. Still the man at the garden centre directed me to rough grit so we'll see if that thwarts the greedy barstewards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 31 May, 2014, 08:00:18 pm
Meine Große Bibliothek

Well, still fettling (and the state of it these last few months had been gross).  What I need to do is have some floor-to-ceiling, adjustable shelves built to take up a whole wall of my study living room.  Going 'custom' is the only way I'll be able to fit everything in an ORGANISED fashion.  It's bad enough when I have to split groups of books across shelves because of height differences, but some are split across book cases!  :o :sick: 

Must have another go at clearing out excess 'stuff' and see if I can make room for another bookcase.  Could finish ripping my CDs, box them up and put them in the loft, if there's a floor up there...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 31 May, 2014, 09:07:04 pm
If sorting shelves some of which contain books and other gubbins then I did fettling today.  Resorted my books so I can SEE what I own rather than having unstable stacks shoved in wherever will fit.  One box o crap to charidee shop and a shelf mostly for Kim's things like Trangia and stuff...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 01 June, 2014, 11:49:08 am
As we approach the longest daylight hours period of the year I fettled into operation my dynamo front light ;D
I found the correct roundtoit after only 21 months ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 June, 2014, 12:09:17 pm
Replaced and swapped various front and rear lights, fitted a QR Bagman to the Longstaff in place of the old bracket and swapped a bidon cage between bikes. Just about time to tackle the racing tandem. It needs some serious work!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 01 June, 2014, 12:30:32 pm
replaced the chain on my commuter and de-gunked the chainring and jockey wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 June, 2014, 06:22:32 pm
Because Pingu's shoulder is still sore I helped him by changing the cassette on his audax bike. I threw in a free jockey wheel scrape being as I couldn't bear to see a nearly new chain and a new cassette with such a thick crust on the jockey wheels.
Shame the Campy QR lever fell to bits when I touched it, but better now than out in the boondocks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 01 June, 2014, 07:56:16 pm
David has just decided to try the VETTA chain cleaner I bought from Two Wheels Good in 1985.
It remained unused in its box for nearly three decades...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 June, 2014, 08:09:48 pm
Fiddled with the racing tandem. Still needs a fair bit of work but it now has most of the necessary bits in place, just not hooked up. Still need to get some 10sp chains, a long seat post, thin chainring spacers and assorted minor bits and pieces.

Tweaked my Brompton's front wheel and sorted out a Campag rear derailleur.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 June, 2014, 09:29:35 pm
I have been cutting hostipal super glue out of Pingu's hair. Almost as satisfying as picking scabs  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 June, 2014, 12:11:16 am
Nearly there - just some firmware issues to sort out..

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/14323792914_9560516290_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nPKbAN)IMAG2217 (https://flic.kr/p/nPKbAN) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14137827109_5a95130689_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nxj4rP)IMAG2218 (https://flic.kr/p/nxj4rP) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 02 June, 2014, 10:51:08 pm
Fitted some titanium end caps (far better than the unusable things that come as standard) to my Eggbeater IIs, and tried to regrease my Eggbeater Is, but I could only get one end cap off...

Then I got a bit cranky. Swapped the cranks on my Roberts for some more-suitable-to-me 170s, but since the 170s have a very manly 52-tooth big ring rather than 46-tooth, I had to move the front mech. Tis a dark art, getting a front mech to work right (and I suspect the MTB cage is a bit of a stretch to a 52-tooth ring), so I've left it until tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 June, 2014, 11:00:54 pm
Quote from: Deano on 02 June, 2014, 10:51:08 pm
Fitted some titanium end caps (far better than the unusable things that come as standard) to my Eggbeater IIs, and tried to regrease my Eggbeater Is, but I could only get one end cap off...
Bugger.
That's just reminded me of something I should have done after yesterday's ride, to whit: strip down and regrease the pedals on the Fortitude, since one of them has started sounding like someone torturing mice - not good on a fixed gear, especially as the noise was driving me up the wall pretty much from the get-go.

I probably should have cleaned the bike after yesterday's ride, too, since it now appears to be covered in large quantities of North Yorkshire's finest(!) trails and sundry other rural effluvia.

Ah well, both can wait until tomorrow. Or the day after. Or the day after that ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 02 June, 2014, 11:12:06 pm
I had the squeak-squeak on the Mosstrooper last week, though I reckon it was from the cleats rather than the pedals. It was a damp old morning.

Problem solved with bangin' choons  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 03 June, 2014, 08:38:25 am
Yesterday, rather than today, but an MOT, tax and insurance for the Yamaha. Big grin back on my face :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 June, 2014, 11:58:42 am
Quote from: Deano on 02 June, 2014, 11:12:06 pm
I had the squeak-squeak on the Mosstrooper last week, though I reckon it was from the cleats rather than the pedals. It was a damp old morning.

My Shimano sandals occasionally make hamster noises.  Sometimes a fiddle with the straps helps, but usually I just have to put up with it.

Far more annoying I find is the clicking as SPD cleats shift about in the pedals on the transition from pushing to pulling and back again, which you can feel through your feet and is therefore immune to choons, bangin' or otherwise.  This seems to be a result of wear of the pedal mechanism rather than the cleat or shoe, which means it's expensive to fix.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 June, 2014, 03:40:53 pm
Another step further forward with my Freddie Grubb fixie.

Bought as a basket case some while ago, it resided with Mike, otp, for a while, then was transported up north by Chris and fboab.  It then resided in my garage, unused and unloved, still in pieces, whilst real life took over.

this week I have a bit of spare time on my hands so I have managed to:
1) cold set the rear to 130mm
2) fitted a rear wheel
3) ground out the drop outs on the forks to accept the front wheel
4) fitted a seatpost and leather Monte Grappe saddle
5) fitted bottom bracket and chainset (Stronglight Escape)

Now just need to fit the bars (On-One Midge, as on my old fixie, in fact exactly the same ones!), stem and levers (I will just remove them, en masse, from the old fixie and fit them to this one) and a chain and I will be moving.  Stopping, however will be another matter as I will need some 47-57 brakes (standard ones don't quite reach :( )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 03 June, 2014, 06:19:39 pm
Attempted to get my grease gun to emit grease, without much joy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 June, 2014, 10:05:12 pm
Quote from: Deano on 02 June, 2014, 10:51:08 pm
Fitted some titanium end caps (far better than the unusable things that come as standard) to my Eggbeater IIs, and tried to regrease my Eggbeater Is, but I could only get one end cap off...

Then I got a bit cranky. Swapped the cranks on my Roberts for some more-suitable-to-me 170s, but since the 170s have a very manly 52-tooth big ring rather than 46-tooth, I had to move the front mech. Tis a dark art, getting a front mech to work right (and I suspect the MTB cage is a bit of a stretch to a 52-tooth ring), so I've left it until tomorrow.

Spent some time getting the front mech set right, then far too long trying to get the indexing right before I remembered I'll be taking the STIs off and fitting downtube shifters  :facepalm:

I might set it up a bit more off-roady, as there's been no serious interest in it, so Plan C is to fiddle a bit to get it to fit. Stage 1 was getting rid of the 175 cranks - as I only have a chainset with 52-42-30 tooth rings, this could be hilarious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 04 June, 2014, 11:05:29 am
I havde finally got fed up enough with the periodic friction and permanent rattle from the rear mudguard/reflector assembly that I have removed the refector and realighed the bracket within the mudguard.

The removal of the reflector has reduced the mass of my Thorn bicycle by a princely 22 grammes. That's less than my beard, I reckon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 June, 2014, 03:20:41 pm
Levelled the saddle on the "new" fixie.
Found brakes for same.

Prepped the Inbred for tonights ride out, this included pumping up the tyres. The last time out on it I thought I was just lacking fitness, but the rear being at 20psi and the front at 10 will have contributed to that feeling!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 June, 2014, 03:55:06 pm
Lifted the bike onto the maintenance stand, cut a couple of zip ties then thought "mañana" and went back to the house.  Some days just aren't fettlish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 June, 2014, 04:08:17 pm
Quote from: T42 on 04 June, 2014, 03:55:06 pm
Lifted the bike onto the maintenance stand, cut a couple of zip ties then thought "mañana" and went back to the house.  Some days just aren't fettlish.

Exactly how I felt about thefixie. The bars and stem are easy as they are a straight transplant from my former fixie. I CBA, though to walk from the garage to the shed with a couple of allen keys to remove the bars from the old frame...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 June, 2014, 05:30:50 pm
Fixed a puncture on the back wheel of the fixie. Discovered two things:

1) The tyre is beyond its sell by, with canvas/threads showing at a couple of places.

2) The rim is a bit stuffed too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 June, 2014, 06:25:05 pm
Major service on the Streetmachine.  So far I've managed to:

Replaced the jockey wheels.
Fitted a new middle chainring, flipped the granny ring over, gave the big ring a wipe (yes, this says everything you need to know about my riding style), cursed the lack of Truvativ chainring bolts.
Strip, clean and lubricate the suspension fork.  Not particularly difficult, but extremely time consuming.  Anyone got any tips on cleaning gunk out of lower fork tubes?  26" ones must be a right arse.  Noticed moisture on the outside of the damping unit.   :-\
Re-fitted front brake and wiring that had to be removed for the above.
Half-arsed fettle of the front brake calliper while it was off.
Full clean and lube of cassette, chain, tubes, idler, etc.

Still to do:

Front brake - cable needs attention, would also be a good time for some new pads.
Rear brake - pads maybe?
Parking brake - cable tension (this one has no barrel adjuster).
Seat bolts - need their summer tightening, in a futile attempt to reduce the creaking.
Accessory stem - fit new non-rusty bolts.
Computer - needs a new retaining band (inner tube segment), as the current one is perishing.
Seat - needs some fresh gaffer tape to secure the foam.
Obtain touch-up paint and attend to mysterious scratch on the underside of the frame, before the rot sets in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 June, 2014, 09:28:37 pm
^^^ stoppit, you're making me feel tired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 June, 2014, 09:57:02 pm
How do you think I feel?  ;D  (And my knee is killing me from sitting on the floor too long.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 June, 2014, 11:39:52 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 03 June, 2014, 06:19:39 pm
Attempted to get my grease gun to emit grease, without much joy.

Same here, trying to figure out what I have borked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 June, 2014, 11:47:31 pm
Got the timing system to work, or at least to a point where it can be used. The wiring on the camera link is the wrong way round so the camera doesn't fire (or I'm not giving it enough time.) but apart from that it runs fine in single rider mode. The digits are a bit dim due to constant current being not quite what it says on the tin, and one segment of one has failed but when it comes back from Fort Bill I'll fettle it. ANd mayb add the second sensor to do pursuit mode. It has blinky lights, beepers and is in a black flight case with a top hat. So it must be awesome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: GrahamG on 05 June, 2014, 08:39:25 am
Fitting race blade longs to a Cervelo R3. Somethings are so wrong, they're right ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 June, 2014, 02:01:33 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 June, 2014, 06:25:05 pm
Still to do:

Front brake Did a full service on the calliper in the end.  Wasn't in too bad a state.  Re-greased the stationary adjuster threads.
Rear brake Just needed a tweak.
Parking brake Sorted.
Seat bolts - need their summer tightening, in a futile attempt to reduce the creaking.
Accessory stem - fit new non-rusty bolts.
Computer - needs a new retaining band (inner tube segment), as the current one is perishing.
Seat - needs some fresh gaffer tape to secure the foam.
Obtain touch-up paint and attend to mysterious scratch on the underside of the frame, before the rot sets in.

The rest to come when it isn't a waste of perfectly good weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 06 June, 2014, 01:47:58 pm
Replaced all the 16 drive side spokes on a Roval Fusee SL25 with Sapim CX Rays.

Decided to do this a while back after yet another of the original DT Swiss aerolite spoke broke.  That time the spoke went into the rear derailleur causing mayhem and disaster, including a bent derailleur hanger, several bent spokes & a smashed derailleur, etc.

Half of the original internal alloy nipples were seized., have replaced them all with the Sapim internal brass nipples.

I probably should have seen the sense of abandoning the wheel but thought I would have one last go.

Will give it a test ride later.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 06 June, 2014, 02:20:53 pm
My right foot (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=41407.msg1674689#msg1674689), sort of. The cast came off yesterday, but it's still a bit broken. I have to "take it easy". No cycling for bit yet then, but I can at least have a shower now (I wasn't allowed to get the cast wet, so had to take comedy baths with my foot out of the water), and wear 2 shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 June, 2014, 02:26:23 pm
Why did you have to wear two shoes in the bath ??? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 06 June, 2014, 03:17:14 pm
Patched a p*nct*red inner tube on David's Cooper Casablanca.
This is its second deflation this year.
The other bikes are shod with Schwalbe Marathons and suffer few deflations.
Chucked out one duff tube of rubber solution; used another that was suboptimal.
Must get MOAR rubber solution...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 06 June, 2014, 04:45:57 pm
The tension in the stoker's spd pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 06 June, 2014, 10:50:16 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 06 June, 2014, 02:26:23 pm
Why did you have to wear two shoes in the bath ??? ;D

Because it was 2 feet deep!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 June, 2014, 02:49:35 am
Depravo the Roadrat now has air in his tyres, slape on his chain, new juice in his brake and a Mirrycle. Soon I will attempt to ride him...

He aten't bin ridden since the week of LEL.  2009.  But his computer didn't need a new flattery :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 June, 2014, 10:47:01 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 07 June, 2014, 02:49:35 am
Depravo the Roadrat now has air in his tyres, slape on his chain, new juice in his brake and a Mirrycle. Soon I will attempt to ride him...

He aten't bin ridden since the week of LEL.  2009.  But his computer didn't need a new flattery :thumbsup:

Mr Larrington on a bike!  That *is* good news.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 June, 2014, 11:18:37 am
Looking forward to hearing news of cycling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 07 June, 2014, 02:15:15 pm
Spent Friday & Saturday fettling the garage contents. Culminating in 2 tip trips, and going through all the stuff that's not been unpacked in the 4 1/2 years since we moved here, and sorted it ready for a car boot sale extravaganza!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 June, 2014, 05:05:15 pm
Tried to get my hedgetrimmer going. I think the inertial cluch or the drive to it is borked.
Unsuccessful, but it does make a lot of noise.

I had to hand clip the hedge instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 07 June, 2014, 05:37:32 pm
I decorated a cake

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h82/Paul_Fulford/18242605-CD69-4930-83B0-AF162184F741_zps5qo85bym.jpg) (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/Paul_Fulford/media/18242605-CD69-4930-83B0-AF162184F741_zps5qo85bym.jpg.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 June, 2014, 05:56:04 pm
a major swap of parts on my folding bike - wheels, tyres (courtesy of LWaB), handlebars, brakes, pedals swapped with the lighter racing ones. i was almost late for the qualifying race :facepalm: :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 07 June, 2014, 10:25:56 pm
Replaced gear cable on left hand Campag ergo lever (2006 ultrashift). 1st bike ok. On second, once I threaded the cable through
and tightened the bolt on the front mech there was no movement of mech and no clicks in lever. Must be the G spring. Chap who
used to own a bike shop locally is due to look at it tomorrow. He told me he's fixed many in the past, but doesn't attempt the new
type (powershift).



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 08 June, 2014, 05:55:30 pm
A couple of hours general cleaning / lub on the bike I was Audaxing on yesterday.   Only 2 hours of actual pissing rain, but the bike was looking a bit sorry for itself.

A puncture repair in a gritty lay-by on a pot-holed road in the pissing rain was fine to get me in, but I'm glad I stripped it back down today.   The tyre was full of water and grit and grass and shit.  Possibly literally.   A dry clean garage-based puncture repair is a bit more confidence-inspiring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 June, 2014, 06:02:51 pm
Major fettling session after this afternoon's little jaunt in the mud:


The two almosts were due to the fettle being cut short by a downpour which is still ongoing :(

The net result of this is that I have a choice of two bikes to ride to work on tomorrow - the Croix de Fer or .... Pugsley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 08 June, 2014, 06:23:03 pm
Not today but friday night

Swapped the rack from the tandem onto Mary's hard rock.
Removed the dyno light of my Thorn in prep for fitting to the tandem

Swapped the rear tyre on the tandem for a 1.7" Marathon Plus with a schrader inner tube to match the Thorn (so I can share the dyno wheel between them). This involved carefully drilling the rim so the new tube would fit.

Swapped the mudguards to take the new bigger tyres, fitted some P60 SKS MTB guards.

Fitted the rack from Mary's Hard Rock to the tandem, and mounted a rear Dynamo light taken from a Brompton to it.

Ran the wiring and fitted lots of lovely connectors and shrink wrap including a connector so I don't have to remove (or rip off) the connectors on the Schmidt Hub.

Swapped the spd pedals to a set of flats for both stoker and pilot.

New cruiser handlebars, stem recovered from a Kona Hybrid, Ortlieb Bag mount, riser for GPS and computer, and a spangly red bell.

Finished about 1am.

Small pile of leftover parts coming to a for sale thread soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 June, 2014, 06:31:00 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 07 June, 2014, 05:56:04 pm
a major swap of parts on my folding bike - wheels, tyres (courtesy of LWaB), handlebars, brakes, pedals swapped with the lighter racing ones. i was almost late for the qualifying race :facepalm: :)

did the reverse today.. pics in bikes gallery
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 08 June, 2014, 07:04:07 pm
Norralot.

But somehow it would appear that Valencia's brakes now work.  And the EldestCub's islabike is sporting a rack, and has rather more indexed indexing, and brakes that are reliable enough to allow significantly higher speeds and much better acceleration due to the rider being confident of being able to stop again.

I wonder how that could have happened.... I'm blaming the pixies.  The Mordorian ones ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 June, 2014, 07:34:51 pm
Sorted out the seatpost and saddle to Butterfly's Galaxy, so we don't have to keep swapping it over from the tandem.

Babies do not make very helpful assistants to mechanical operations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 08 June, 2014, 08:10:22 pm
Does car fetting count?

Fettled a rocker gasket to leak more oil than before...I even used blue sticky stuff to make more of a mess.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 June, 2014, 09:13:49 pm
Just finished bludgeoning the High Latitude into fixed-gear monstercross mode by setting up the brakes, swapping the 80mm/7deg stem for the 60mm/25deg one and applying some extremely orange bar tape. Really needs another layer for off-road use, so I've asked the LBS to order some more for me :)

I then finished the job in style by shearing the bolt on the seatpost clamp  :facepalm:

Probably the excuse I needed to order a bling Thomson clamp to replace it (since the bike has a Thomson seatpost it'd be rude not to ...)

I'll finish singlespeedifying the Fortitude tomorrow assuming I'm still capable of movement - had an altercation with the ground earlier on and am a bit stiff as a result  :-\

ETA: Fettle fail on fitting the Mary bars to Pugsley. The hose for the front brake is too sodding short  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: air dancer on 08 June, 2014, 10:54:44 pm
A pair of M324 pedals.

Went well until the point where the cones and locknuts needed adjusting and tightening.  ::-)

I have an idea for some homebrew tooling to solve this conundrum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 June, 2014, 01:20:05 am
Quote from: zigzag on 07 June, 2014, 05:56:04 pm
a major swap of parts on my folding bike - wheels, tyres (courtesy of LWaB), handlebars, brakes, pedals swapped with the lighter racing ones. i was almost late for the qualifying race :facepalm: :)

Was this the nocturn?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 June, 2014, 11:16:48 am
Just finished singlespeedifying the Fortitude - pumped the rear wheel up to aid in getting the alignment right for adjusting the caliper position and by the time I'd finished the bloody thing was flat again  :facepalm: That's a job for later as my hip is still giving me grief after yesterday's off.

Swapped the saddles on Pugsley too - barely used (well, 2 rides worth) B17S will be appearing in the For Sale section soonish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 June, 2014, 11:18:14 am
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 08 June, 2014, 07:04:07 pm
Norralot.

But somehow it would appear that Valencia's brakes now work.  And the EldestCub's islabike is sporting a rack, and has rather more indexed indexing, and brakes that are reliable enough to allow significantly higher speeds and much better acceleration due to the rider being confident of being able to stop again.

I wonder how that could have happened.... I'm blaming the pixies.  The Mordorian ones ;)

*whistles innocently*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 June, 2014, 03:24:20 pm
I've been poncing about with various luggage combos in an effort to dispense with the bar bag on the tandem.

I've concluded that for various reasons the bar bag will remain but I have drastically reduced the contents therein.

I really must be firm with myself NOT to carry "stuff" j.i.c. when there is a space available ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 June, 2014, 03:40:27 pm
Quote from: jogler on 09 June, 2014, 03:24:20 pm
I really must be firm with myself NOT to carry "stuff" j.i.c. when there is a space available ::-)
Get yourself one of these: https://www.alpkit.com/products/fuel-pod - think along the lines of the Topeak Tri-bag but in a size which is actually Useful.

OK, so in true Alpkit tradition they're (currently) mostly out-of-stock but if you can get one they're rather good.  I've got a 'medium' from the first run they did and it's a fairly integral part of my bikepacking luggage now (plus I can't use a bar-bag as tri-bars and/or handlebar harness get in the way)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 09 June, 2014, 03:45:58 pm
Worked out that the creaking on the Karate Monkey was something to do with the non drive side crank

Tightened it up, resulting in blissful silence
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 09 June, 2014, 04:03:41 pm
Quote from: interzen on 09 June, 2014, 03:40:27 pm
Quote from: jogler on 09 June, 2014, 03:24:20 pm
I really must be firm with myself NOT to carry "stuff" j.i.c. when there is a space available ::-)
Get yourself one of these: https://www.alpkit.com/products/fuel-pod - think along the lines of the Topeak Tri-bag but in a size which is actually Useful.





TBH I'm currently in the love phase of my love/hate relationship with my barbags.(Ortliebs of one type or another)

I dislike having anything in my jersey pockets so the b.bag is handy for keys,phone & wallet which are always  with me en velo.It also contains stuff which weighs next to nothing such as Ibuprofen,Nunn tablets,lip salve,baby wipes,sun cream

Additionally the b.bag provides quantifiable protection to my hands from wind & rain.The waterproof map case is also a god send on those occasions when it rains & I'm using a map.

The ability to instantly remove it & rapidly refit it are attractive security advantages.

Given that I have several complete sets of luggage I cannot justify spending more £ on another tri-bag type of thing.
I'd rather spend it on some other cycle acessory ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 09 June, 2014, 04:20:01 pm
I can now stop again on the Mercian commuter.

Which is nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 June, 2014, 04:36:57 pm
Stopping is for wimps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 09 June, 2014, 04:58:55 pm
I'm not sure if this counts as fettling, but I took my Dave Yates down the local bike rescue.

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 09 June, 2014, 08:20:51 pm
Light switches and 2 way wiring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 June, 2014, 09:32:08 pm
Have found some rubber wheels for the carry case, drilled out the pressed in rods.  Found the wheels are a little too large circumference wise.  Will deal with that by trimming ;)

Took a wheel apart and will be rebuilding the rim in to another wheel with a coaster brake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 June, 2014, 10:29:14 pm
Wow, more fettling...I even did more fettling...

Finally put a small screw in to my SKS rear guard to stop it slipping....been quite a few years I have been meaning to do that.

Rebuilt hub was a bit loose and now have correctly tightened it up a bit.

Wow am amazed how much I did to avoid doing other stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 10 June, 2014, 10:26:28 pm
Finally eliminated the creaking in my Dave Yates (well, hopefully).

I was confident it wasn't the bars, but I took them off anyway, and I could still recreate the noise.

Left with few other options, and suspecting the quill stem-steerer tube interface, I stripped the headset (and replaced the brake cables in passing). It was a bit mucky in there, so a job well jobbed. There was also a bit of corrosion on the stem, which I scraped off with some wet n dry. I also gave it a quick scrape inside the steerer tube, and a liberal coat of grease.

Then, finally, I could do the bit of fettling I'd planned, which was to fit the new pedals. Time XC2 since you ask. I'm hoping to move away from Crank brothers and their niggles.

No time for a decent ride, but a quick trot out to town on them went well. And no creaking! I might ruin the clean lines of my bike by slipping an old inner tube over the top of the headset to prevent moisture creeping down the stem. With the dynohub wiring on it, and the pump cable-tied-and-toestrapped to the top tube, it's hardly a thing of minimalist beauty, so no big deal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 June, 2014, 12:31:38 am
I've made a monitor switch itself off when idle.

This shouldn't have required anywhere near as much work as it did.  On the other hand, I didn't have to resort to mains-rated relays like when this problem came up in the 90s, so I reckon I'm winning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 11 June, 2014, 08:43:35 pm
Yesterday and today I turned a pile of 15 neglected BSO's into a fleet of 8 ready to go bikes, 2 complete scrappies and 3 that need moar attention (2 new tyres, 2 replacement noodles) in preperation for the launch of the schools Thursday lunctime bike club.

Fuzzy retd. is knackered but chuffed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 June, 2014, 08:59:49 pm
Fuzzy should be proud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 June, 2014, 09:11:25 pm
I dug out the CX500 and pumped up the tyres. Phew, it's a heavy beast. Took it out for a spin round the local lanes to get used to it again. Lovely gearbox and torquey engine, especially for a 32-year-old machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 11 June, 2014, 10:20:42 pm
Mounted a GoPro onto the front of a radio controlled rock-crawler model car.  Why?  Not entirely sure, it just seemed like a good idea at the time. Frightened the crap out of the dog, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 11 June, 2014, 11:09:44 pm
Adjusted the position of the levers on the Van Nich. New chain on the Pomp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 12 June, 2014, 06:58:54 pm
Attached an Axa Vintage LED front light to the caliper brake on my tourer.  Think I maybe need to find another spacer to keep things tight.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/14404146192_12fda46432_c.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 June, 2014, 07:59:39 pm
Classic
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 13 June, 2014, 06:18:09 am
Quote from: vorsprung on 09 June, 2014, 03:45:58 pm
Worked out that the creaking on the Karate Monkey was something to do with the non drive side crank

Tightened it up, resulting in blissful silence

...but only for a few minutes

So then I used the cotter less crank extractor ( that's such a great name for a tool, had to mention it ) removed LH crank completely, lots of grease, reassemble

Same result, it was quiet for minutes and then creaking again
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 13 June, 2014, 06:18:45 am
Quote from: itsbruce on 12 June, 2014, 06:58:54 pm
Attached an Axa Vintage LED front light to the caliper brake on my tourer.  Think I maybe need to find another spacer to keep things tight.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/14404146192_12fda46432_c.jpg)

That is quite pretty
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fields5069 on 13 June, 2014, 08:31:22 am
Some fettling will be done at lunchtime. For some reason it's taking me a while to get my back wheel centred again after changing a tyre. There are no helpful bolts to stop the wheel in the dropout. I rode in today, to the "shht.......shht.....shht" sound of the mudguard rubbing the tyre. Also the 1 1/4 inch tyres I put on don't seem to leave a lot of room between the chain stays. Enough, just not as much as I thought would be there. It's a 70's racer so the tyre width is appropriate.

Also I need to buy a spoke wrench and have a go at truing the back wheel, there's a fair bit of wobble there at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 June, 2014, 11:58:18 am
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 11 June, 2014, 09:11:25 pm
I dug out the CX500 and pumped up the tyres. Phew, it's a heavy beast. Took it out for a spin round the local lanes to get used to it again. Lovely gearbox and torquey engine, especially for a 32-year-old machine.
Just don't do what I did once with mine - dropped it taking it off the stand at a petrol station, having just filled the tank to the brim.  :facepalm: Shame more motorbikes don't have shaft drive, it's actually a very convenient system.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 June, 2014, 02:47:20 pm
atom - the 320bhp beastie. the problem - overheating engine when stuck in a traffic. the cause - radiator fan is not kicking in. fan motor coil open when tested with multimeter, possibly burnt when jammed with a piece of road debris. replacement fan is on the way. and no, the car is not mine... :)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ezsoTJPJmXc/U5r-3KcT4VI/AAAAAAAADQY/Ht1Y4cOjRPA/s640/IMG_10967r.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 13 June, 2014, 05:39:26 pm
Have replaced the panaracer pasela tourguard with a continental gatorskin on the back.  A 50mm strip of tread came off the tourguard probably due to hot sticky roads.  Got home ok on the canvas.  It was near end-of-life anyway.

Have heard good things about gatorskins... ..and bad things.  I hope the nice French roads will be kind to it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 13 June, 2014, 05:42:37 pm
Attempt to install new battery in lapdancer thwarted by daunting amount of disassembly required to get old one out chiz.  I don't want to break it, y'see...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 13 June, 2014, 10:27:08 pm
Flat tyre on the Brompton! Rear wheel, too. Went straight down as soon as I got on it this morning.

I was a bit surprised, since I've had exactly one puncture on that bike since I bought it (in 2003, IIRC, so I think it's 11 years old), & the back tyre is only a year old (the original lasted 10 years). Nothing visible sticking in the tyre, no visible holes or cuts.  Took the tube out & felt the inside of the tyre - nothing. ???  So I put some air in the tube, & it gushed out through a split!

I'm disappointed that both the original tubes the bike came with have now failed. One valve seat split, & one lengthways split. Shouldn't an inner tube last more than 11 years?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 June, 2014, 10:54:56 pm
A little bit of tyre and wheel swapping.

Changed the Durano Plus on the not-Tifosi for Pro 4 Endurance (my first adventure in the world of folding tyres: I'm sure there's a knack to getting them to sit on the rims properly, but I haven't yet discovered it). Then put the Durano Plus on the not-Tifosi's old wheels, the rear of which has a SS-cog-and-spacers setup now.

Next, put the not-Tifosi's old front wheel on the fixed, and the rear wheel on the hack bike. Finally, put the fixed's old front wheel and the not-Tifosi's old rear wheel on the hack bike.

My brain is confused and my thumbs are sore. And I can't find my chainring bolt thing, so the fixed still isn't in a rideable state because there's no point putting a new chain on until I change the chainring. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 June, 2014, 11:27:14 pm
cut the broken (in an accident) mavic a719 rim "Jurek-style", to inspect the wear. the brake track was fairly concave, yet plenty of metal left still:

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NaaUtF23pQg/U5t5He1BBFI/AAAAAAAADRs/n_cQiWY4-b0/s640/IMG_0693.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 June, 2014, 12:20:02 am
A719s don't have a wear groove, do they?  (I was wondering about this while contemplating the state of mine the other day.)

Obfettle:  After yesterday's patch panel fiasco (when we next move house, it's going in the bin as a liability), today I retired the Wyse VT-120 alike that's been living on top of our fridge since the previous one died.  The kitchen computer now has a graphical interface (which will doubtless be used for managing xterms), colour, and the ability to switch itself off when you leave the room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 June, 2014, 08:57:20 am
no, they do not have a wear groove (and i don't like a groove anyway as it is impossible to clean grey muck out of them and they eat brake pads quicker. tiny drilled indicators work best, imo)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 June, 2014, 06:58:50 pm
Put another layer of bar tape on the tops of OrangeGina II's bars - today's hacking along some extremely rocky tracks convinced me that one layer of tape isn't enough. Of course, it's a different shade to the Deda Elementi tape that's already on there so I've got a nice two-tone effect  :thumbsup:

As an aside, I used Profile Designs bar tape which doesn't have sticky stuff on the back - I heartily approve of this, since it'll make life a lot easier when I get round to fitting the compressionless brake housings that turned up this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 14 June, 2014, 07:02:04 pm
Got the pump track timing system digits to shine brightly by removing the bridge that protects the unit from incorrectly applied voltage. I must redo that with properly specced diodes rather than whatever I had in the box.

Now shines brightly :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 14 June, 2014, 10:43:24 pm
Fettled a bell and a horn to the not-Tifosi. The bell was straightforward (a headset spacer job), but the horn proved tricky, as the mount didn't work with oversize handlebars and also seemed to be at a right angle to the correct orientation (and who wants a sideways horn?). I bodged it with cable ties in the end - not the best solution, but it's just for an event tomorrow and (probably) won't become a permanent fixture.

More boringly, I fitted brakes to the hack bike. I'd forgotten how trickly sidepulls were to adjust as it's several years since I last had a bike with them. I eventually got them stoppy enough, but I have a newfound appreciation for the dual pivots on the other bikes...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 14 June, 2014, 10:45:43 pm
Oh, and another liberal application of Plusgas helped me free the seized D-lock from the old hack bike outside, so I can now get rid of it and put the new hack bike in its place!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 June, 2014, 10:46:14 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 14 June, 2014, 08:57:20 am
no, they do not have a wear groove (and i don't like a groove anyway as it is impossible to clean grey muck out of them and they eat brake pads quicker. tiny drilled indicators work best, imo)

Mine had (don't run them now) a hole milled in the inside of the wall to part way through.   When the rim was worn enough, it manifested itself as a hole visible from the outside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 14 June, 2014, 11:00:28 pm
By proxy...

Finally got tired of the Moulton gathering dust, so took it to a L(to the office)BS to finally get the bottom bracket sorted (I may have buggered it up) and for a general service.  Assuming I haven't screwed things up massively, should get it back mid-week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 14 June, 2014, 11:13:36 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 13 June, 2014, 06:18:09 am
Quote from: vorsprung on 09 June, 2014, 03:45:58 pm
Worked out that the creaking on the Karate Monkey was something to do with the non drive side crank

Tightened it up, resulting in blissful silence

...but only for a few minutes

So then I used the cotter less crank extractor ( that's such a great name for a tool, had to mention it ) removed LH crank completely, lots of grease, reassemble

Same result, it was quiet for minutes and then creaking again


Ok ok I wasn't optimistic for a good outcome but I took off both cranks, the LH pedal and removed the bb

Cleaned everything, added lots of grease, reassembled very tightly....and

It worked!  two test rides later not a squeak or a creak
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 June, 2014, 11:15:59 pm
Got TGL's fixed Carlton out and remedied years of neglect to the best of our ability.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 15 June, 2014, 04:19:58 pm
Just pumped tyres to correct pressures on my Cannondale mtb & Emily's Tek roadbike.

I also fitted a spare Brooks Brompton saddle to the Cannondale.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 June, 2014, 04:43:43 pm
Sorted out the lighting/charging system on the fixed-gear 29er, which entailed swapping tyres and front wheels off the singlespeed and assorted other faffage.

A few bits of fun and games with wires and heatshrink later and it all works - with the USBWerk in the circuit there's enough of a load that the light is usable on-road, whereas with no additional load there's enough light coming out that it causes furry animals to spontaneously combust at 50 yards. This bodes well for crepuscular off-road shenanigans  :thumbsup:

I also managed to shift the Dingle sprocket on the 1x1's old rear wheel without a) bending a chainwhip and b) giving myself in a hernia in the process. Photographs were then taken prior to listing on everyone's favourite online tat bazaar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 June, 2014, 05:39:54 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 14 June, 2014, 11:00:28 pm
By proxy...

Finally got tired of the Moulton gathering dust, so took it to a L(to the office)BS to finally get the bottom bracket sorted (I may have buggered it up) and for a general service.  Assuming I haven't screwed things up massively, should get it back mid-week.

Oh what moulton is it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 June, 2014, 06:28:50 pm
I've fettled the Rules According To Kim, to include:

"Any audax control based at a garden centre or similar horticultural establishment should be bounced automatically between May and July."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 15 June, 2014, 07:06:00 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 15 June, 2014, 05:39:54 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 14 June, 2014, 11:00:28 pm
By proxy...

Finally got tired of the Moulton gathering dust, so took it to a L(to the office)BS to finally get the bottom bracket sorted (I may have buggered it up) and for a general service.  Assuming I haven't screwed things up massively, should get it back mid-week.

Oh what moulton is it.

It's a TSR 30 (doesn't dis-assemble).  IIRC, I'm the third forumite to own this particular bicycle. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 June, 2014, 07:47:31 pm
Really should get my F's rebuilt, well one straightened and the other fettled and painted in to life.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 June, 2014, 09:37:37 pm
swapped out worn shimano yellow cleats with the red ones and replaced the alloy chainguard with the carbon one. went for a test ride along thames path, beautiful sunset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 June, 2014, 10:17:45 pm
Swapped tyres on the Longstaff and tweaked a rear light. Fitted the big bag to HK's Moulton and replaced the assembly paste on the seatpost. Tightened the chain on my fixed and stole the seatpost clamp to replace a friend's broken clamp. Also put some assembly paste on his seat post, to hopefully avoid being over-tightened.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 June, 2014, 05:58:32 pm
Currently dismantling a 3 speed hub and cleaning and re greasing the bearings, then another attempt at reassembly on to a westrick hub with odd length spokes...grrrr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 June, 2014, 06:01:07 pm
I've defettled the flourishing holly bush in the front garden - with the judicious application of secateurs and some copper nails it ain't going to be flourishing for much longer  :thumbsup:

The downside is that it was entwined in the leylandii meaning I'm now itchier than Mr. Itchy from Itchytown who's currently celebrating Itchy Monday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 June, 2014, 09:14:44 pm
How can 2mm different length spokes cause so much mis match.....argh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cyclicalsmith on 17 June, 2014, 11:04:39 am
my vintage racer is now fully stripped and waiting for a new paint job....problem is i lost some of the ball bearing when taking it apart....trip to the bike shop at the weekened!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 June, 2014, 12:44:14 pm
built a front wheel for my runabout bike, actually only swapped the rim. i realised another benefit of tied and soldered spokes that you don't need to do the lacing to swap the rim (that's when taping two rims together method doesn't work).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 17 June, 2014, 02:56:40 pm
I noticed on Thursday that the rear tyre on my solo machine was flat. I investigated today and found that the only previous puncture in that tube had developed into a half-inch-long split which had reached the edge of the patch. I replaced it with another tube that has a number of patches and it seems fine. I commuted on it at lunch time and it seemed perfectly happy with 80psi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 17 June, 2014, 07:38:06 pm
Replaced the 28mm Conti SportContacts that came on my Cooper with 25mm Panaracer Pasela PTs.  Not only does it look better, it's significantly zippier :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 17 June, 2014, 11:18:20 pm
Yesterday I took Valencia to work.  She was making some very disturbing hamster squeaks :( Tomorrow I have to get to two sites and then to a Cub's school for parents' evening.  The buses do not connect these three things together at all neatly... and on Friday if I can't scrounge a lift I have to commute cos there is no bus.

I have already made a date for her to go see her long lost friends at the corner shop to discuss what kind of little nip or tuck Madam might benefit from.  But not until Saturday.

Quite a lot of spray degreaser, brake cleaner, baby wipes and finish line green later it is now just about possible to see the jockey wheels again and it turns out my bike is in fact very-dark-blue-nearly-black and gloss, not matte gray - who knew! Can't test ride her as the boys are in bed so fingers crossed that the moribund hamsters that were following me everywhere on Monday have now shuffled off this mortal coil...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 June, 2014, 11:55:45 pm
Should a 40 spoke 3 speed hub be laced as 4 cross or 3 cross?

The rim is a westwood rim 26 imperial thing and a 3 speed hub and 277 or 230mm spokes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 18 June, 2014, 09:20:01 am
Quote from: zigzag on 17 June, 2014, 12:44:14 pm
built a front wheel for my runabout bike, actually only swapped the rim. i realised another benefit of tied and soldered spokes that you don't need to do the lacing to swap the rim (that's when taping two rims together method doesn't work).

haha great :)  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 June, 2014, 03:59:10 pm
Major garden fettling today. The privet hedges had got a little out of hand, so they were well and truly pruned. Did other minor garden pruning duties and then fired up the new (to me) shredder which did great service in reducing all the prunings - including the mightily hacked virginia creeper from last autumn - to a green bin and compost bin full of waste.

The honeysuckle was due for a trim, but is in flower right now, so escaped for the time being.

Changed the oil and air filters and filled the oil up on the Honda and took it out for a spin. Busy day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 18 June, 2014, 05:17:34 pm
I have fettled these

1 x http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/delta-delta-ahead-black-stem-raiser-for-1-1-8-inch-to-1-1-8-inch-prod16189/

1 x http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/protec-ahead-converter-prod3063/

onto the tandem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 19 June, 2014, 06:22:29 am
A bearing press so that I could put new bearings into my rear hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 20 June, 2014, 08:15:03 pm
I have finally got green screen tech working on the mac.

Just as I was leaving work, the tech delivered a Blackmagic Ultrastudio mini recorder which does HDMI to thunderbolt.

Got it home, discovered I needed a mini-hdmi cable for the Nikon.

One short interlude whilst I pedal along a deserted former railway line to Maplin, they invite me to bring the bike inside so it doesn't get nicked, and a pleasant cycle home.

Plug it in.

Nada.

Download the software and install.

Reboot.
Start up.

Black screen.

Check settings on the camera

Try all the settings in the software.
Black screen.

Google.
Swear.
Google some more.

Plug the camera into an HDMI tele to see what the settings are (not what the camera says)

Hmm.. maybe I should look at system preferences? Ah! there is a black magic preferences pane.

It is greyed out and my admin account can't open it.

Swear

Google

If you can't go in through one door, create another.
Duplicate System prefs, delete a certain file and when you open the duplicate you can access every pane :)

Now I can set preferences so it takes input from HDMI rather than SDI.

Fiddle with software preferences.
And I get an image and it works.
Needless to say the software settings don't match either the settings on the camera or the settings reported by the telly.

And the software behaves so I can greenscreen my pre-session lectures (when the green screen arrives this coming week)

I think I need a gentle bike ride to recover.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 June, 2014, 03:09:57 pm
Changed the brake fluid on the towpath bike, put a new flattery in its computer and refitted the lights (including thee Fiery Beam ov DETH Hope Vision 4).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 21 June, 2014, 03:31:31 pm
Bought a fender-mounted rear light but the positioning of the screw was wrong for my bike; I wanted to re-use the hole that pins the fender in place, not drill more holes.  But with the light in it's original form, that would have covered over the GB badge.  So I drilled an extra hole in the case, covered the original hole with insulating tape and got what I wanted.

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3925/14471567784_2778dcc37c_c.jpg)

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3848/14286162038_81d1450eb0_c.jpg)

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5552/14286131320_8178c2e59d_c.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 June, 2014, 05:25:53 pm
Very nice.

Sorted out the electrickery on the box trailer. Firmly attached the mudguards. Pumped some grease into the hubs. Pumped up the tyres. Should be good for holidays now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aikon on 21 June, 2014, 05:28:15 pm
Took the winter wheels off & switched them from Velo plugs to Stans tape as the tyres were unbelievably hard to get off, then took the mudguards off, cleaned everything, checked the chain & fitted the summer wheels.

10 weeks til my next tour so I'll leave the guards off for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 June, 2014, 06:20:47 am
Fitted a new outside light on the garage wall at the end of the garden.  Then did the ultimate OCD job; cleaned out the cold water cistern in the loft.  This involved draining and siphoning it, drying it out with a cloth and bucket, leaving it for a hour in the heat and then hoovering up all the limescale.  On refilling, I backflushed the bath cold tap (which is fed from the cistern) from the mains with a hose and a tap adaptor.

The reason for all this - the tank has had a badly-fitting lid for 25 years so it's not just limescale, the bath cold tap has been blocking due to crud ingress (the hot tap doesn't because the cylinder traps any debris - not that that's ideal) and I need to fit a shower which involves tapping the tank, so it's all worth it.

As there is no prospect of getting the proper lid, I put a tarpaulin over the existing one to keep out spiders and dust.

Earlier this week I had to clean out the F&E tank for the heating system.  That was much worse as it was full of red sludge and smelt of death.  It has more Sentinel X100 in it now.  Also, both ball valves are now new (the easiest plumbing job bar none).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 June, 2014, 09:20:25 am
You forgot to install the dead pigeon.  All the best cold storage tanks have a dead pigeon...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 22 June, 2014, 10:36:55 am
Only one?  I investigated one at a previous place of work, to find it had a layer of dead pigeons floating on the top of it, and it was about 5 metres square.  We did not tell the other staff, but got it shut down that weekend and paid our engineers extra overtime to deal with it, splattered it with scary disinfectant-y stuff, and flushed and refilled. Extra double-yuck...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 22 June, 2014, 02:43:11 pm
I am part-way through mending a puncture.

I think I need to buy some more inner tubes. I thought I had a plentiful supply but I did teh Oxford ride with just the one in the saddle bag. My most recent purchase was for two, but I failed to check that they were presta rather than schraeder valves.

Anyone want a couple of 26 * 1.5 Schraeder inner tubes, unused?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 22 June, 2014, 08:44:01 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 22 June, 2014, 02:43:11 pm
I am part-way through mending a puncture.

I think I need to buy some more inner tubes. I thought I had a plentiful supply but I did teh Oxford ride with just the one in the saddle bag. My most recent purchase was for two, but I failed to check that they were presta rather than schraeder valves.

Anyone want a couple of 26 * 1.5 Schraeder inner tubes, unused?

Will they fit in 1.7" tyres if so yes please.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 June, 2014, 09:21:04 pm
Just brushed an enormous quantity of fur out of Pingu's kitteh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 08:58:18 am
Quote from: Kim on 22 June, 2014, 09:20:25 am
You forgot to install the dead pigeon.  All the best cold storage tanks have a dead pigeon...
"How he get up there?"
"Ah! Pig-ee-on."

My fettling, yesterday, was merely to patch a punctured football. The patch* doesn't stick very well on the stiff, textured plastic, but it allowed us to finish our kickaround. I think the final score was something like Son 23, Dad 21...

*How do Normal PeopleTM cope with punctures?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2014, 11:39:09 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 08:58:18 am
*How do Normal PeopleTM cope with punctures?

On a bike?  Leave it in the shed, or employ the services of a bike shop or known fettler.

On a football/airbed/inflatable boyfriend?  Throw it out and buy a new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 12:01:03 pm
Some kind of tough sticky tape might do better than a patch on a football, actually. Not electrical tape, something tougher like duct tape. Must get some!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2014, 12:05:44 pm
Duct tape isn't smooth like a puncture patch, so probably won't make an airtight seal on its own.  It would offer the patch some kick-protection, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 12:41:46 pm
Umm. Perhaps I was thinking of gaffer tape. I tend to get the two confused.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2014, 12:54:49 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 12:41:46 pm
Umm. Perhaps I was thinking of gaffer tape. I tend to get the two confused.  :facepalm:

Most people do.  Same problem (the main difference is that proper gaffer tape usually has a matt finish and makes an effort not to leave a sticky residue on your cables/actors when you peel it off, while duct tape is designed to stick more permanently) - they're both woven cloth tapes, with the non-smooth surface that implies.

I'm not sure what I'd use to patch a football.  Well, I'd probably have a go with a bit of Ortlieb PVC repair patch, because I happen to have some (when I needed some I bought several spares, because the cost of shipping exceeded that of the patches), but sticking anything flat to a spherical surface is going to be a pain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 June, 2014, 01:44:30 pm
I'd let the air out of the ball and try a) hot glue, and if that didn't work, b) a gentle touch with a soldering iron.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 23 June, 2014, 01:48:02 pm
Are the outers of footballs airtight these days? In my day they were stitched leather panels around an inner balloon, making fixing them a royal pain in the arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 June, 2014, 01:51:17 pm
Over the weekend, I fettled the following:

1Been sitting in the box for a year waiting to be united with cleats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 02:10:13 pm
Quote from: Vince on 23 June, 2014, 01:44:30 pm
I'd let the air out of the ball and try a) hot glue, and if that didn't work, b) a gentle touch with a soldering iron.
Good idea!

Quote from: Kim on 23 June, 2014, 12:54:49 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 12:41:46 pm
Umm. Perhaps I was thinking of gaffer tape. I tend to get the two confused.  :facepalm:

Most people do.  Same problem (the main difference is that proper gaffer tape usually has a matt finish and makes an effort not to leave a sticky residue on your cables/actors when you peel it off, while duct tape is designed to stick more permanently) - they're both woven cloth tapes, with the non-smooth surface that implies.

I'm not sure what I'd use to patch a football.  Well, I'd probably have a go with a bit of Ortlieb PVC repair patch, because I happen to have some (when I needed some I bought several spares, because the cost of shipping exceeded that of the patches), but sticking anything flat to a spherical surface is going to be a pain.
So that leaves duck tape - which I only recently discovered to be a real thing (I always thought it was a misreading of duct tape)!

Quote from: Dibdib on 23 June, 2014, 01:48:02 pm
Are the outers of footballs airtight these days? In my day they were stitched leather panels around an inner balloon, making fixing them a royal pain in the arse.
Mine isn't! It's only a cheap plastic thing from... don't remember where. I've no idea if it also has an inner 'bladder' like they used to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 June, 2014, 02:13:01 pm
Duck tape is just a brand name.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 02:32:58 pm
Quote from: clarion on 23 June, 2014, 02:13:01 pm
Duck tape is just a brand name.
Is it made of recycled Carradices? Or is it for tying up Little Ducks? !!!  :o :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2014, 02:57:13 pm
Actually, according to Wikipedia (hmmm) duck tape is an alternative name for duct tape because it was first made from cotton duck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape
So closer to Carradice than I thought! The duck tape I saw in the hardware shop was, though, I'm pretty sure, the brand name you mention.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 June, 2014, 02:59:01 pm
Not today, but yesterday, I fixed the hatchback on the car.

It wouldn't latch if just pushed and released, if you pushed it all the way into place it would latch 9 times out of ten.

Looking at it a bit closer the release handle wasn't returning properly.

A good squirt of WD40, followed by a squirt of spray grease solved that little problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 23 June, 2014, 04:36:44 pm
Replaced a q.r. seat post clamp with a bolt-on type.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 June, 2014, 09:51:32 pm
Started fixing the block paving near the garage (original 25 year old surface) where a few blocks had sunk quite deeply - half an inch or more.  This is an oddly satisfying job; you only need a trowel, some dry sharp sand and a big lump of wood to whack the blocks.  The sunken ones were all fairly near the edge so it was easy to remove blocks and get to them.  Probably the sub-base is thin at the points where it sunk (there are no drains in the area) but it's easy enough to add sand in future if they sink again.

Technique is:

1. Remove blocks
2. Remove any sand contaminated with soil
3. Add new sharp sand
4. Replace block (should be very slightly proud)
5. Whack hard with log/mallet several times to settle it
6. Add or remove sand as necessary - gets easier to judge it first time with experience; it compacts by a few mm only
7. When all blocks are replaced, spread dry fine sand over the top and into the cracks.  Whack, re-spread and repeat several times.
8.  Sweep and admire.  A watering can will quickly show up any remaining low points bad enough for puddles to form.

Was thwarted by the rain before doing the last sunken bit; step 7 requires very dry conditions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 23 June, 2014, 10:33:58 pm
Took me a couple of hours to remove the two old SPD cleats from one pair of shoes.  I guess I should have replaced them, oh, maybe a year a go.  Certainly before the bolts wore down to misshapen frazzles.

Here's a couple of the bolts:

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/14305678480_74af0780c3_b.jpg)

The one on the right just had enough room for an allen key to be hammered into it, after a lot of excavation.  The one on the left... that took more work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2014, 11:01:44 pm
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, until people stop having to suffer this sort of effort:

Fit the bolts with copper grease on the threads, then fill the bolt heads with hot-melt glue.  If the glue plug doesn't fall out in the first couple of rides (check!), it should stay put until the cleats need replacing, at which point you can pop it out with a small flathead screwdriver, revealing the clog-free and unworn bolt head.  The copper grease should ensure that no heroic efforts are required to get the bolts to turn.


Obfettle: Some bits of wood into a number of smaller bits of wood.  Also excavated another 10 metres of garden path, all the way to the mysterious pile of fly-tipped rubbish at the back.

Hmm, wonder if I could cover the whole garden in a few inches of hot-melt glue, to peel off when we move out?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 23 June, 2014, 11:24:13 pm
:)

The glue might have saved me having to excavate some crud (which didn't actually take that long), but it seems unlikely it would have prevented the metal from being deformed from wear (which was the real problem, as it prevented allen keys from being inserted even once the holes were cleared of junk).  Those bolts were worn flat and out of shape by repeated friction and impact on stone and metal.  The glue would be less strong than the alloy and would either change shape along with it or come out.

No heroic efforts were required to turn the bolts once I was able to insert an allen key, although for a couple I did need to use pliers to have a firm grip.

Yes, that technique does keep cleats tidier until they need replacing.  My problem was that I didn't try replacing them until quite some time after that point.  Doh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2014, 11:28:30 pm
Quote from: itsbruce on 23 June, 2014, 11:24:13 pm
:)

The glue might have saved me having to excavate some crud (which didn't actually take that long), but it seems unlikely it would have prevented the metal from being deformed from wear (which was the real problem, as it prevented allen keys from being inserted even once the holes were cleared of junk).  Those bolts were worn flat and out of shape by repeated friction and impact on stone and metal.  The glue would be less strong than the alloy and would either change shape along with it or come out.

All I know is that it works.  I assume by preventing the grit from getting to the bolt head surface in order to cause wear in the first place.  The glue doesn't have to be particularly strong to do that, as there's nowhere for it to go under pressure.

Wear of the outer face of the bolt happens as usual, but that doesn't stop the allen key from fitting.


(I should say that my longest serving set of cleats that I've had fitted with this technique are only 2.5 years old - I changed the position on all my shoes a couple of years ago to resolve a leg length issue.  Sadly, the cleats look like they're going to out-live the shoes.  But the glue's still there.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 June, 2014, 01:48:56 am
Since cleats come with replacement bolts, and old cleats do not, unless you're some kind of oddball, have to be preserved, then the cleat may be removed with the aid of for e.g. a hacksaw.  The protruding bolts can then be removed with mole grips.

If by some quirk of fate your new cleats do not come with new shiny bolts, consider switching to a sensible pedal/cleat system 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 24 June, 2014, 03:04:33 am
Paint removed from the bike frame  O:-).....skin removed from leg :facepalm: I wore eye and hand protection :thumbsup: whilst wearing shorts  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 24 June, 2014, 02:19:48 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 24 June, 2014, 01:48:56 am
Since cleats come with replacement bolts, and old cleats do not, unless you're some kind of oddball, have to be preserved, then the cleat may be removed with the aid of for e.g. a hacksaw.  The protruding bolts can then be removed with mole grips.

If by some quirk of fate your new cleats do not come with new shiny bolts, consider switching to a sensible pedal/cleat system 8)
A hacksaw would have been difficult on these shoes as they have studs on either side of the cleat area. I considered but this was less lethal. No big deal; I watched a pleasant film while I worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 June, 2014, 02:27:03 pm
Fitted a chain to the "new" fixie.

It slips, like all the others.

I think I might just give up with that idea, I haven't ridden fixed for 18 months or so, don't miss it and can live without it.

They may well be a Freddie Grubb frame coming up for sale, soon (along with a fixed wheel set and other stuff)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gus on 24 June, 2014, 04:51:45 pm
Fitted mudguards & rear rack on the Salsa touringbike
Replaced front disc pads on same bike and wondered  what the material was, 15000km and still 50% left on the old ones.
New front tyre on the Thorn tourer, removed broken front light on it and declared the rim on the rear wheel dead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 24 June, 2014, 06:13:56 pm
A very minor fettle.
Made a slight adjustment to the bar ends on the commute bike(Cannondale M800 Beast of the East atb).Turned them more towards horizontal due to a numb left wrist with them in the pre-fettle  angle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 June, 2014, 10:44:37 pm
Tweaked the ballcock on the toilet cistern.  It appears to have stopped slow dripping (eventually reaching the overflow, which explains the moss).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 25 June, 2014, 09:07:23 am
Second best bike now has new cassette, chain, bottom bracket, LH gear cable and the freehub has been serviced.  That was easy to say but it took hours.

The front dérailleur shifting is still awful with noise and losing the chain by over shifting to the big ring.  Also the rear dérailleur seems a bit stiff, I may have to give that some further TLC
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 June, 2014, 06:30:28 pm
RRDtool (http://oss.oetiker.ch/rrdtool/)-ified the fridge.

This required an epic defrost and clean, and some de-skanking of the condensate drain.  And some equally skanky programming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 25 June, 2014, 08:21:50 pm
Last night - removed my parents non functional electric double oven.

Tonight - my 88 year old father & myself managed to unbox the replacement,  hoik it onto a table so I could wire it up and then slide it back into the cabinet.   It didn't explode when we turned the power back on  :thumbsup:

Why the bastarding heck do they make the electrical connections so awkward ?  The little holes to slide the flex into before you clamp it down are too swodding small & don't get me started on the flex clamp !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 25 June, 2014, 11:54:56 pm
Built the base and a new turntable top for the photo turntable. And put a coat of matt black paint on it.

Hopefully it will still work when I plug it in.

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5495/14321934917_b2b715f5a6_s.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nPzEhn)IMAG2252 (https://flic.kr/p/nPzEhn) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr for a rather poor garage pic of it with the spray paint still wet.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 June, 2014, 06:43:48 pm
Fettled the dry solder joint on my lg blue ray, tv thing.  Guess it was why I got it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 June, 2014, 07:37:50 pm
Removed a couple of owl pellets from the washing machine drain, it sounds a bit less like unhappy washer with a grumbly tum now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 June, 2014, 09:09:45 pm
Front wheel cleaned while the hub was stripped cleaned and regreased.  Then the headset was stripped, and a billion tiny ball bearings were clean and then regreased.  All while watching the football.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2014, 10:24:23 pm
Fitted the big rack to my Moulton. Tweaked the front mech and swapped the taillight battery on HK's Moulton. Swapped the small chainring and taillight on HK's Ti bike.

Tomorrow's jobs include regreasing my Moulton's front suspension and headset and rebuilding a friend's rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 30 June, 2014, 06:55:52 pm
Picked up the keys for my new home.  Wiped down the kitchen surfaces, removed the dessicated slugs from under the sink, and mopped the floor.

Shopped for a washer-dryer and a fridge-freezer.

Tried to get a hung-over Boy to come see his new home.  Partially succeeded - he was there in body, for about five minutes, then went off to meet his mate at the pub.

Now eating ice cream.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 30 June, 2014, 07:10:29 pm
^^^^^

 :thumbsup:
 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 July, 2014, 09:12:43 am
The washing machine. Which wouldn't spin, because is couldn't drain, because the drain hose was blocked.

One of many things that I don't want to replace until we are in the UK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 July, 2014, 09:32:19 am
My laptop failed to start yesterday, dead as a wossname.  Suspected flat battery, so plugged in power brick. No response. Suspected power brick was dead, but had no way of testing it.  So to while away the hours at the World's Most Boring Exhibition, I molished a continuity tester using a Leatherman knock off, dismembered bulldog clip and the back light from my bike. Remember kids, always take you bike with you (or a Lightweight Racing Multimeter).

(The lead tested out OK and the laptop continued to sulk. It sprang into life last night)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 03 July, 2014, 09:42:03 am
That sounds more like Macgyvering than fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 July, 2014, 09:58:35 pm
I took out the wooden garden gate (which no longer opened due to the construction of a chimney behind it) and hung a metal one.  Only took an hour, including 10 minutes looking for the fricking chuck key*.


*there is a little rubber thingy on the drill to store it conveniently but this broke the day I first used it and for the last 23 years I have been looking for the chuck key before every job.  Apart from that, the drill has been utterly reliable...compare the crappy Clarke cordless one I was bought as a present, which lasted long enough to put up one curtain pole and never worked again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 July, 2014, 10:10:56 pm
I managed to get my commuting bike with S3X back on the road.  Rear brake needs attention, and the gear cable does really need changing, but it's running a lot better than I'd feared.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 03 July, 2014, 10:15:16 pm
Put the saddle up by a bit on V.  She always comes back from the bike shop with it a little low, cos I never remember to remove the marker tape that is in the wrong place on the seatpost so they always adjust it back to that when they take it out of the workstand.  Then I remembered that shorter cranks would mean it needed to go up a bit more, so did it again.  Went for a very scientific... 'about an inch an a half higher than the marker implies".  Saddle height felt OK.  Shame about the rest of me!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 July, 2014, 10:23:10 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 July, 2014, 09:58:35 pm
I took out the wooden garden gate (which no longer opened due to the construction of a chimney behind it) and hung a metal one.  Only took an hour, including 10 minutes looking for the fricking chuck key*.


*there is a little rubber thingy on the drill to store it conveniently but this broke the day I first used it and for the last 23 years I have been looking for the chuck key before every job.  Apart from that, the drill has been utterly reliable...compare the crappy Clarke cordless one I was bought as a present, which lasted long enough to put up one curtain pole and never worked again.

That's one of the things my mum taught me:  A chuck key attached to the power lead of an electric drill with a mk 1 bit of string means more faff every time you change bit, but saves time lost looking for the chuck key.

I'm generally of the opinion that cheap mains drills are useful - if slightly crude - instruments, where cheap cordless drills are an exercise in frustration.  First-order test:  Does it have a Li+ battery?  No?  Then it's flat and therefore useless.

Obfettle: I've been using my new non-cheap cordless drill, amongst other things, on pieces of Dead Vegetable.  Lots of exciting sanding to come when lungs, wrists and weather permit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 03 July, 2014, 10:26:43 pm
Over the last weekend, two clocks from not tickery to accurate tickery and clangery and one from lazy tickery to sprightly and moare precise tickery and clangery.

Yesterday a metric fucktonne of carboard box contents into a smiley speedy yet-to-be-configured computer, whilst at the same wondering on certain differences that have been adopted into the industry since the last time I made one (ok, a few years ago) such as the case (Zalman, excellent quality construction) including 3 case fans but not including a speaker, and the motherboard (again chosen for more for quality than price) having COM/LPT connectors on board, but no backplate connectors.

Today, a small bucket of Maplin gubbins into an AA-rechargeable power supply for my portable leTour viewing equipment that should last about 4 hours

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 03 July, 2014, 11:14:26 pm
Pumped up tyres and frobbed gears and brakes till they worked (for certain values of work), it'll go, and stop, ish.

Had to dig the original flat pedals w/ toeclips out of the bits box as I'd forgotten I'd borrowed a spd pedal to replace a non worky one on the commute/audax bike (which then itself broke). Test ride round the block and actually think flats/clips makes more sense as I'm not going far or fast and this means I only need one pair of shoes.  :thumbsup:

Now fettling camping gear into panniers and googling sleeping bags that pack a bit smaller than my 'hyooge when packed but not very big to sleep in' cheapy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 July, 2014, 05:54:23 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 27 June, 2014, 06:43:48 pm
Fettled the dry solder joint on my lg blue ray, tv thing.  Guess it was why I got it.

Failed so needs refettling.

Also fettled my Dual 505 record player from not working to working.  So now to sell it to fund the new motor on my systemdek.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 July, 2014, 06:18:24 pm
This:

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/gizmology.jpg)

meaning that I can now use my framebag without losing a bottle mount, even if the bottle is now mounted in the prime muck magnet position (but then that's why I use bidons with proper caps). I also think that the design of the Zefal Gizmo has changed (for the better) since I last used them. We'll soon find out if it can handle a full-on off-road beatdown.

Then, due to a horrendous miscalculation of scale which resulted in the entire battle fleet being eaten by a small dog pump bracket interfering with the framebag straps I had to do this:

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/forkpump.jpg)

Two fettles for the price of one, as it were.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 05 July, 2014, 06:23:08 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 03 July, 2014, 11:14:26 pm
Now fettling camping gear into panniers and googling sleeping bags that pack a bit smaller than my 'hyooge when packed but not very big to sleep in' cheapy.
One of these: http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/sleeping-bags/1-season/travelpak-1 plus a silk liner. Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 July, 2014, 06:24:56 pm
Earlier this afternoon my mojo had a right good fettling ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 05 July, 2014, 06:33:12 pm
I fettled the front Road Racer crud guard on the Trek insomuch as I removed it with extreme prejudice & binned it at Stoke station 'cause it was broken behind the fork crown.
So that's both road road bikes with no front mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 05 July, 2014, 10:44:35 pm
Last week, work laptop which is almost new (1yr old) which got a flat battery and would not restart even with full recharge. So I removed battery AND mains and told it that I would put it in the WEEE disposal if it didn't get with the programme.  Reinserted battery 2 days later and it booted up as if nothing had happened.  Grrr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 July, 2014, 02:27:06 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 05 July, 2014, 05:54:23 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 27 June, 2014, 06:43:48 pm
Fettled the dry solder joint on my lg blue ray, tv thing.  Guess it was why I got it.

Failed so needs refettling.

Also fettled my Dual 505 record player from not working to working.  So now to sell it to fund the new motor on my systemdek.

Have refettled the soldering again, it is not just one spot it is multiple spots.

EDIT - Still not right, can't figure it out what is wrong. 
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 06 July, 2014, 09:59:49 pm
cleaned the bike and serviced mavic freehub. i'm getting quite good at the latter - it only took me 20mins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 07 July, 2014, 10:29:19 pm
Bah. Decided to replace my chain as I've been meaning to for ages and the squeaking was driving me mad.


Very frustrating, a whole bunch of time spent for no actual progress. Even more annoyingly I had wondered if cassette would be worn so could have got hold of one ahead of time but thought I'd give it a shot.

At least I'm pretty sure it is the cassette as the two gears were skipping regardless of chainring choice and all shifting was spot on so I don't think it's an indexing issue.

New cassette reserved at Halfords, I'm sure they used to reckon reserves were ready in an hour if item was in stock but apparently I have to wait till 1pm Weds to pick it up.

Oh well, a couple more days of squeaky squeak won't kill me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 July, 2014, 10:30:38 pm
Finally got round to sorting out a second p*nct*r* kit, so I wouldn't keep failing to swap them between bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 08 July, 2014, 09:25:33 pm
I've fettled the saddle forward on the Longstaff.
To get the desired position I've removed the Campag aero seat post,which has limited movement on the saddle rails,& used a suspension seat post turned thru' 180 degress to get the lay back facing forward iyswim..
The saddle is now closer to where I want it but it is more nose-up than normal.Having tested it along & up the road a few times I'll persevere with it.

There is such a noticeable change to the overall ergonomics,felt most of all at my knees,that I'm not sure this will be a success :-\

I'll do a few rides/miles before deciding to continue or not.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 08 July, 2014, 10:01:04 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 July, 2014, 09:25:33 pm
I've fettled the saddle forward on the Longstaff.
To get the desired position I've removed the Campag aero seat post,which has limited movement on the saddle rails,& used a suspension seat post turned thru' 180 degress to get the lay back facing forward iyswim..
The saddle is now closer to where I want it but it is more nose-up than normal.Having tested it along & up the road a few times I'll persevere with it.

There is such a noticeable change to the overall ergonomics,felt most of all at my knees,that I'm not sure this will be a success :-\

I'll do a few rides/miles before deciding to continue or not.

I can't work out whether the saddle on the towpath bike is too far forward or too far back, only that it's wrong ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 08 July, 2014, 10:12:17 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 08 July, 2014, 10:01:04 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 July, 2014, 09:25:33 pm
I've fettled the saddle forward on the Longstaff.
To get the desired position I've removed the Campag aero seat post,which has limited movement on the saddle rails,& used a suspension seat post turned thru' 180 degress to get the lay back facing forward iyswim..
The saddle is now closer to where I want it but it is more nose-up than normal.Having tested it along & up the road a few times I'll persevere with it.

There is such a noticeable change to the overall ergonomics,felt most of all at my knees,that I'm not sure this will be a success :-\

I'll do a few rides/miles before deciding to continue or not.

I can't work out whether the saddle on the towpath bike is too far forward or too far back, only that it's wrong ???

Similar for me, sometimes the front of my knees hurt a bit which indicates saddle too low but my achille's tendons also sometimes hurt which (I think) indicate saddle a bit too high.

Conumdrum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 08 July, 2014, 10:31:00 pm
In the absence of a custom made frame & a bikefit there does seem to be a degree of compromise  to achieve comfort for long distance riding.
Keep calm:carry on....experimenting
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 09 July, 2014, 12:08:03 am
Quote from: davelodwig on 22 June, 2014, 08:44:01 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 22 June, 2014, 02:43:11 pm
I am part-way through mending a puncture.

I think I need to buy some more inner tubes. I thought I had a plentiful supply but I did teh Oxford ride with just the one in the saddle bag. My most recent purchase was for two, but I failed to check that they were presta rather than schraeder valves.

Anyone want a couple of 26 * 1.5 Schraeder inner tubes, unused?

Will they fit in 1.7" tyres if so yes please.

OK Dave: I am hoping to attend the Dun Run on Saturday. I will endeavour to remember to bring them with me. They are ok up to 26*2.25 apparently.

Thee rear tyre of my solo machine was flattish again today. I couldn't find a leak in the tube but I decided that the old tyre had come to the endof its life. I had another Marathon hanging in teh garage so that is now in place, with a new tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: contango on 09 July, 2014, 12:33:44 am

I found my old Sigma 28-300 hyperzoom no longer autofocusses. I can hear the motor winding but nothing happens. I don't feel like manually focussing, and don't feel like paying the £100 plus shipping both ways to have it serviced, so I took it apart myself.

So far I've identified the problem (one of the cogs is plastic, and has broken). So now I need to figure whether it's a sensible option to construct a replacement from brass, or to order the part from Sigma. I'd rather have a brass cog... it's at times like this I feel the urge to put CNC motors on my miniature lathe and get some wheel cutting tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 10 July, 2014, 02:49:33 am
Does car fettling count?

Replaced the leaky rear box on friends car.  Started at around 12.30 and was finished around 1.30.  That was taking my time, using ramps and it all came apart quite easily, but then I did replace the middle section a couple of years ago.  The rubber mounts were more difficult to get off than actual exhaust coupling.

Tomorrow will be checking the cranks on the kona as the seem to be making noises again.  Also the seat on the fixieh needs adjusting, the nose needs to be dropped slightly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 July, 2014, 09:14:15 am
Last night, on the Trek hybrid from menthel, via Ham, I:

replaced the seatpost with one that had no layback
replaced the stem for a shorter one and moved it down the steerer a bit
adjusted the front brake
replaced the pedals for some flats

TLD went out for a spin on it, photo on FB, she loves it but just has to get the hang of the dismount...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 10 July, 2014, 09:34:47 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 July, 2014, 09:58:35 pm
I took out the wooden garden gate (which no longer opened due to the construction of a chimney behind it) and hung a metal one.  Only took an hour, including 10 minutes looking for the fricking chuck key*.


*there is a little rubber thingy on the drill to store it conveniently but this broke the day I first used it and for the last 23 years I have been looking for the chuck key before every job.  Apart from that, the drill has been utterly reliable...compare the crappy Clarke cordless one I was bought as a present, which lasted long enough to put up one curtain pole and never worked again.

Whn you find the chuck key, use some tape to tape it to the power lead near the plug. It is then with the drill and doesn't need to be  unstuck before use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JennyB on 10 July, 2014, 09:50:09 am
Quote from: David Martin on 10 July, 2014, 09:34:47 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 July, 2014, 09:58:35 pm
I took out the wooden garden gate (which no longer opened due to the construction of a chimney behind it) and hung a metal one.  Only took an hour, including 10 minutes looking for the fricking chuck key*.


*there is a little rubber thingy on the drill to store it conveniently but this broke the day I first used it and for the last 23 years I have been looking for the chuck key before every job.  Apart from that, the drill has been utterly reliable...compare the crappy Clarke cordless one I was bought as a present, which lasted long enough to put up one curtain pole and never worked again.

Whn you find the chuck key, use some tape to tape it to the power lead near the plug. It is then with the drill and doesn't need to be  unstuck before use.

Right next to the plug. That way you don’t try to use it when the drill's live.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 10 July, 2014, 02:41:53 pm
Fettled but failed to remedy a defective rotary switch on the cooker.
It is an intermittent problem so we will persevere with the on/off characteristics of the existing switch.
There are 3 other hot plates to choose from & if all else fails there is a Trangia amongst the camping kit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 July, 2014, 02:52:43 pm
Brakes on the singlespeed.
Even after much faffing, the front is shrieking like a chainsawed donkey.

I've decided that the solution is sintered brake pads rather than the rather crappy stock Shimano resin pads. Thus, sintered pads have been ordered.

ETA: also some colour coordination work - there are now black zip-ties on the forks and green ones on the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 10 July, 2014, 03:00:43 pm
Just fitted some Hudz in Bordeaux Gold (gum). My black were going sticky and beyond help.

After reading reviews on their fitting and fit, I was dubious about the Hudz. They actually flew on ultegra 6700 shifters and fit better than the shimano ones :thumbsup:

More black gone from the bike too :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 July, 2014, 06:29:44 pm
Quote from: jogler on 08 July, 2014, 09:25:33 pm
I've fettled the saddle forward on the Longstaff.
To get the desired position I've removed the Campag aero seat post,which has limited movement on the saddle rails,& used a suspension seat post turned thru' 180 degress to get the lay back facing forward iyswim..
The saddle is now closer to where I want it but it is more nose-up than normal.Having tested it along & up the road a few times I'll persevere with it.

There is such a noticeable change to the overall ergonomics,felt most of all at my knees,that I'm not sure this will be a success :-\

I'll do a few rides/miles before deciding to continue or not.



I decided to re-fettle the saddle back to it's original position on the Longstaff.
Then I spent some time experimenting with various saddle bags & support brackets & lighting positions to achieve the optimum configuration for night riding.

So currently I have a Carradice Camper Longflap on a Carradice Classic Saddlebag Rack attached to a Brooks Swallow with ti. rails.
I have also re-fiited the Campag aero seat post.

Attached to the rack is one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-arc-j82s-sl-universal-rack-fitting-light-bracket-prod553/

which will carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld600-super-bright-5-led-rear-light-25000mcd-prod1956/

or one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld1100-10-led-opticube-rear-light-prod10788/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 July, 2014, 06:34:09 pm
You could do a lot worse than one of these: http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/phaart-bleep-dual-05-watt-led-rear-light - very bright head on and sideways visibility isn't too shabby either. And they're cheap.

I had another go at silencing the brakes on the singlespeed and failed.
With a bit of luck the sintered pads I ordered should turn up tomorrow whereafter it'll be the usual game of cleaning of the rotors with isopropyl alcohol, setting them on fire and then riding round the village like a lunatic to get the pads bedded in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 July, 2014, 06:41:15 pm
I've heard good things elsewhere relating to good Phaarts & as you say they are very competitive £.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 July, 2014, 06:46:51 pm
Quote from: jogler on 11 July, 2014, 06:41:15 pm
I've heard good things elsewhere relating to good Phaarts & as you say they are very competitive £.
I had one earlier, although that might have been the spam fritters I had for my tea  :P  ;D

If you're dead set on the 5-LED Cateye jobs I could probably fish one out of the bits box for you - I've pretty much given up on them in favour of the aforementioned flatulence-themed illumination devices.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 11 July, 2014, 06:49:40 pm
Quote from: interzen on 11 July, 2014, 06:46:51 pm


If you're dead set on the 5-LED Cateye jobs I could probably fish one out of the bits box for you - I've pretty much given up on them in favour of the aforementioned flatulence-themed illumination devices.

I appreciate your offer...however I do have more than enough lights of various types :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 July, 2014, 08:03:46 pm
Rumours that I've been building a canoe in the living room have been greatly exaggerated...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/Photo0825.sized.jpg)

It's a very shallow bedside shelf unit "like I had in Sheffield" to fit in the remaining gap on barakta's side of the bed, so she has somewhere sensible for hearing aid / glasses / false teeth / books / giant 80s alarm clocks and so on.  12mm ply, dowel-and-glue overkill (with a couple of cheeky woodscrews), extra wood in the base to lower the CoG.  Tactical holes for cables.

Sanding, as ever, takes far more time than it reasonably should, and my tin of varnish that was left over from the bed frame ran out after the first coat, so I'll have to get some more to finish the job.



Meanwhile, I discovered a mysteriously broken spoke on the front wheel of the Streetmachine.  Being a 20" wheel with a sturdy rim and disc brake, it could have been like that for a while.  Took it apart and replaced the spoke, gave it a bit more tension in a couple of places it seemed lacking, and re-trued.  Marked the new spoke in case others decide to go.

For future reference, if I do have to rebuild the wheel with new spokes, is it worth getting a SON serviced after ~13000 miles?  Bearings are fine, so I expect it should probably manage the same again before needing a service...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 13 July, 2014, 12:37:26 am
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2903/14635669891_f7384c2918.jpg)

Mk 2 lightweight Victorian cycling bloomers (shown here with the standard YACF-endorsed wedding footwear).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 July, 2014, 10:50:16 am
I'm doing a moderate amount of work on the commuter, having managed to live with things until it's gotten to the point where the annoyances and noises are too much for me. :)

So far I've
So, I still need to
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 July, 2014, 12:05:51 pm
Quote from: nikki on 13 July, 2014, 12:37:26 am
Mk 2 lightweight Victorian cycling bloomers (shown here with the standard YACF-endorsed wedding footwear).

Lightweight racing bloomers?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 July, 2014, 05:33:24 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 July, 2014, 10:50:16 am
<stuff>
Good to see you posting. Have I been unobservant, or have you not been around for a bit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 July, 2014, 05:43:26 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 13 July, 2014, 05:33:24 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 July, 2014, 10:50:16 am
<stuff>
Good to see you posting. Have I been unobservant, or have you not been around for a bit?

I'd noticed that too, though he's been active on Twitter.

Obfettle: More varnish.  Boring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 July, 2014, 07:32:20 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 13 July, 2014, 05:33:24 pm
Quote from: TimO on 13 July, 2014, 10:50:16 am
<stuff>
Good to see you posting. Have I been unobservant, or have you not been around for a bit?

Busy with work and stuff, and only posting very occasionally.

Quote from: TimO on 13 July, 2014, 10:50:16 am
... So, I still need to
  • Put the brakes back
  • Install the Raceblade Longs <-- Well, it's half done
  • Put on new bar tape - this bit, I'm not looking forward to!
  • Readjust everything, the brakes, the rear rack, the light mounts, the camera mount, the bell!

At a pinch, I can leave the bar tape until later.  The Raceblades are designed to fit using the quick-releases, but my commuter is a single-speed, and doesn't have quick-releases.  I've had to adapt things to fit onto the eyelets of the front forks, and the eyelets I drilled into the track ends.  This has required using multiple power tools, and a lot of swearing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 14 July, 2014, 01:03:18 am
Quote from: TimO on 13 July, 2014, 10:50:16 am
So, I still need to
  • Put the brakes back
  • Install the Raceblade Longs
  • Put on new bar tape - this bit, I'm not looking forward to!
  • Readjust everything, the brakes, the rear rack, the light mounts, the camera mount, the bell!

So, just the bar tape remains.  There's only some insulation tape holding the brake cables in place, so I need to be a little bit careful with it until the proper tape is wrapped around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 July, 2014, 08:49:02 am
Fettled my dads bike so it works. It is an abandoned supermarket special and is several sizes too big for him (but not unrideably so.)

Got the gears working by bending the rear hanger back to the correct orientation.
Got the front brakes working happily. The rear brakes now work but really need a new cable (and the whole frame and wheels are squint.)

Anyhow, it works better now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fields5069 on 15 July, 2014, 11:59:35 am
I hope the office's bicycle toolkit has an 8mm allen key in it. I seem to be tightening my cranks after each ride, and thought I had tightened them well yesterday ready for the commute. But now they creak pretty badly and I didn't think to bring the wrench part of the crank puller with me, which has a nice 8mm allen key bit. They've never creaked before, and if there's no allen key then I guess I'll just have to try to nurse the bike home and hope that I haven't trashed the cranks WHICH I HAVE JUST INSTALLED. Grr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 July, 2014, 12:18:49 pm
Quote from: fields5069 on 15 July, 2014, 11:59:35 am
I hope the office's bicycle toolkit has an 8mm allen key in it. I seem to be tightening my cranks after each ride, and thought I had tightened them well yesterday ready for the commute. But now they creak pretty badly and I didn't think to bring the wrench part of the crank puller with me, which has a nice 8mm allen key bit. They've never creaked before, and if there's no allen key then I guess I'll just have to try to nurse the bike home and hope that I haven't trashed the cranks WHICH I HAVE JUST INSTALLED. Grr.
This is one of the few jobs for which a torque wrench is Extremely Useful - all of which reminds me that I need to do the pinch bolts on the fixed off-roader. For M8 crank bolts I tend to shoot for 40-45Nm torque, which you ain't gonna get with a bog-standard Allen key unless you're built like a gorilla.

Anyway.

The singlespeed now has sintered brake pads, which means I need to go through the whole 'controlled stop from 15mph' palaver to get them bedded in. Fortunately, this is considerably easier on an off-road geared singlespeed than it is on an off-road geared fixed, especially as we don't have any convenient steep hills nearby - the railway bridge doesn't count.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 July, 2014, 10:36:15 am
Last night as I could not sleep.

Drained forks on a fazer (set to stun) and today will refill with new oil, the old oil smelt burnt and was quite thin.  Replaced the intermediate inlet gasket on a red top vauxhall engine.

Today will be spent refilling the said forks and also taking the forks out of a diversion and doing the same oil service.

Should think about a cambelt change and maybe fresh gearbox oil, but that is another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 July, 2014, 11:22:02 pm
Amazed that I struggled to get the bikes on to the centre stands :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 17 July, 2014, 10:30:24 pm
Ye Kitchenne.

We can haz beans, grinder, filters and percolator.

Normal service is resumed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 17 July, 2014, 10:34:27 pm
The contents of the shed.

It can now contain three bikes, which is pretty impressive when you consider that one of the bikes is Pugsley  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 19 July, 2014, 10:58:57 am
Since yesterday evening I have:


Coincidently all the work was finished just as the in-laws left  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 July, 2014, 11:12:33 am
Removed the failed (again) seal around my bath. Now working out if I am capable of cutting a support prop to stop that corner of the bath moving and fit it with my arm as it is atm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 19 July, 2014, 02:20:16 pm
Shameful confession

Please forgive me for the following shameful confession..... I am beyond useless at bike fettling. For example, it took me nearly an hour this morning to fit a new chain and then I only managed it by using a pair of heavy duty grippers. I spent ages also trying to get the back block off so I can replace it without luck...so I went out and brought a new wheel....while don't talk to me about balancing brakes so they don't rub. Its impossible! Sigh.

Yes, shameful isn't it.

So please help. Can anyone suggest a very good book which teaches the basics of bike maintenance? Or, does anyone know of any courses one can do: Halfords do one but you have to be under 11....don't think I could get away with that! I have tried Sheldon Brown website but frankly, it might as well be in Dutch for all I understand.

Thanks...hangs head in shame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 19 July, 2014, 02:46:22 pm
Quote from: essexian on 19 July, 2014, 02:20:16 pm


So please help. Can anyone suggest a very good book which teaches the basics of bike maintenance?

I have an early edition of this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Bike-Book-Complete-Maintenance/dp/0857331183/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405777469&sr=8-1&keywords=bicycle+haynes+manual

which synchronizes very well with my intellect where bikes are concerned.

hth

ETA  I have also found some really usefull video's on Youtube
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 July, 2014, 02:59:23 pm
I was going to recommend the Haynes Bike Book too, but you beat me to it.

If it's any consolation, I find brakes to be a monumental pain in the arse to set up  although chains have become a lot easier since I bought myself a pair of master-link pliers (these: http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TOJWPMLP/jobsworth-pro-master-link-pliers). About the only thing I don't work on is headsets, largely because I lack the necessary tools and can't justify buying (or building) them as the headsets on my bikes require very little attention.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 19 July, 2014, 03:30:00 pm
Thirded for the Haynes book - again, I have an early edition and found it really helpful.

Sheldon's site is excellent but does require some level of knowledge or understanding before you start.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 19 July, 2014, 04:49:14 pm
I have re-fitted the front air dam & tailgate internal cover panel to the Volvo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 19 July, 2014, 10:43:19 pm
Edinburgh Bike Co-Op used to do fettling classes?  Me and crusty went.  It was all right  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 19 July, 2014, 10:51:17 pm
Some LBSen do fettling classes too - I know that a couple of shops in York do, as does my LBS in Tadcaster from time to time.

Might be worth asking if it's something they'd consider doing if there's enough interest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 19 July, 2014, 11:55:23 pm
Quote from: essexian on 19 July, 2014, 02:20:16 pm
Shameful confession

Please forgive me for the following shameful confession..... I am beyond useless at bike fettling. For example, it took me nearly an hour this morning to fit a new chain and then I only managed it by using a pair of heavy duty grippers. I spent ages also trying to get the back block off so I can replace it without luck...so I went out and brought a new wheel....while don't talk to me about balancing brakes so they don't rub. Its impossible! Sigh.

Yes, shameful isn't it.

So please help. Can anyone suggest a very good book which teaches the basics of bike maintenance? Or, does anyone know of any courses one can do: Halfords do one but you have to be under 11....don't think I could get away with that! I have tried Sheldon Brown website but frankly, it might as well be in Dutch for all I understand.

Thanks...hangs head in shame.

Nope - that sounds about right to me. I spent a lot longer than an hour fettling up my first bike bit by bit. Yes, do buy a book, or search things out on you tube, or ask friends, but don't wait. Find a shop you trust, get some basic tools (you'll always never have the right one) and get stuck in.

Try. Fail. Learn. Succeed. Enjoy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 20 July, 2014, 08:59:06 am
Quote from: Paul on 19 July, 2014, 11:55:23 pm

 Find a shop you trust,


Give the Bike Shack in Stone a try.
I find him to be knowledgeable & helpful. :thumbsup:

I'm afraid I can't say the same about the "high-end"  place on the industrial estate :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 20 July, 2014, 10:39:35 am
Ta all.

I'll get the book and have a look around for courses. I see Evans and somewhere in Mordor do them so I'll investigate them further.

Not been to either Shop in Stone but as its on one of my normal routes....hate the climb up to Yarnfield.... I'll pop in and have a chat.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 20 July, 2014, 12:08:59 pm
There are these guys and gals in Brum that offer free courses for the basics: http://www.bikeright.co.uk/westmidlands/cycle_maintenance/

I was a bit sceptical at first and mostly went to keep a friend company, but I actually learned loads on the punctures one!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 20 July, 2014, 08:09:03 pm
As mentioned elsewhere, I replaced the bearings in my headset today. A remarkably quick and easy job. Ahead stems, threadless steerers and integrated headsets are rare examples of modern technology being a genuine improvement on their predecessors.

Quote from: essexian on 20 July, 2014, 10:39:35 am
I'll get the book and have a look around for courses. I see Evans and somewhere in Mordor do them so I'll investigate them further.

Also worth looking at the Park Tools website...
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 20 July, 2014, 08:12:36 pm
Cut a prop for the unsupported corner of the bath* and then resealed it yesterday evening. Appears to have been a success though I'll have to finish knocking the prop completely upright when my right arm is more useful.

*Sawing wood left handed feels very weird
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 July, 2014, 08:58:10 pm
Watching my (now 2) blind kittehs bump into each other and trying to laugh rather than cry  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 21 July, 2014, 12:36:05 am
Joint fettling project with (and for) Boy Wunja.

A large plywood box
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-07131301_zps1d604969.jpg)

Cut in half
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-07140331_zpsd23158ed.jpg)

and painted black
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-07155600_zps126a5086.jpg)

Router and drill templates
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-18124215_zps85cada8d.jpg)

to cut latch holes
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-18123135_zps61711a7b.jpg)

Attach wheels and strengthening angle strips
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-18155036_zpsb17965c1.jpg)

Finished item with contents
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-20202053_zpsa8a612f2.jpg)

In use at a street party on Saturday
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/Sound/2014-07-19180942_zps5f3e050e.jpg)
(http://)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fields5069 on 21 July, 2014, 08:08:17 am
How do I follow that?!  :-\

All I did was learn a bit more about "the bicycle", and successfully tightened a bottom bracket. :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 21 July, 2014, 08:30:39 am
Quote from: Vince on 21 July, 2014, 12:36:05 am
Joint fettling project with (and for) Boy Wunja.

<snip>


Speaking as a musician, albeit slightly lapsed ATM .... nice!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 July, 2014, 02:36:10 pm
New heavy duty cleats on the road bike shoes for the Crank Brothers Candys.   The old cleats came off without issue.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 July, 2014, 04:51:03 pm
Trying to understand how to drive my new watch.  Unfortunately my reading glasses lack the magnification to read the small print, both on the watch face and in TFM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 July, 2014, 09:33:55 pm
New handle on the back door. Parents phoning distracted me so the drill holes are slightly out of true, but it passes the important test (it works)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 July, 2014, 02:19:35 am
More car fettling.... ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 July, 2014, 06:47:07 pm
I've started on n+1 :D

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/el-mar.jpg)

Unfortunately, there are a few rather important bits that I thought I had but it turns out that I don't  ::-)

Even so, the orangeness exceeds even my expectations  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 July, 2014, 09:50:27 pm
Toilet seat ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 July, 2014, 11:01:45 pm
Fettled a trainer tyre onto a spare wheel for the tourer. THat was awkward

I think my neighbours may get upset if I gave it a try now though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 23 July, 2014, 05:27:01 am
Saddle on the Moulton.  Finally picked it up from the bike shop, noticed it felt a little odd on the way home.  Not a surprise considering the angle the saddle was at!  Sddle now level, but I should have done it last night.  I *hate* early morning fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 July, 2014, 08:04:30 pm
Bit of a fettle-tastic day today:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 24 July, 2014, 08:30:54 pm
Changed the spacer(s) layout on the newly installed bottom bracket as the chain line looked very odd and could not change to large ring (triple). Checked and rechecked Shimano and Park tool sites which indicate double spacers to the drive side. The BB is designed to have 75.5mm cc hence spacers for 68mm BB shell. Have reversed this and all is now well with the world. Is there something I am not seeing here?

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/external-bearing-crank-systems-hollowtech-ii-megaexo-giga-x-pipe-x-type-campagnolo-ultra-torque
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 25 July, 2014, 02:03:07 pm
Pretty light fettling, but very satisfying!

Replaced the side handle on my Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker.

The amazing thing was to find a spare part for something I bought ~1980.  Not the identical part- from a more recent, slightly restyled, 22cm cooker and spring fitting handle - does the job perfectly.

Incidentally, this pressure cooker came with an amazingly good cookbook.  Still frequently referred to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 July, 2014, 03:15:20 pm
Stuck an AAA battery to the bottom of my keyboard with tape, to make up for the loss of the leg it came with.
Surprisingly satisfying not having a wobbly keyboard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 25 July, 2014, 11:16:52 pm
Attempted to get the fixed back into action, having not ridden it for months - it's been sitting forlorn and chainless in the living room, ever since I took the old chain off in a fit of (short-lived) fettling enthusiasm. It needed a new chainring and chain, both of which I've had lying around for ages, but I've been riding the other bike so hadn't got round to fitting them.

Unfortunately, I only managed to get three of the chainring bolts off: having misplaced my chainring bolt tool, I'd bought another one (this time, a screwdriver-type one, as it looked more fun). It's clearly designed for double/triple chainsets, as the prong bit was too long and the remaining two screws aren't budging.

So, now I've got to buy chainring tool #3. At which point #1 will probably turn up. :facepalm: I really should get some of the allen key bolts...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 July, 2014, 07:15:45 pm
Switched the stem on the tourer to one of a more sensible length and angle (but black not silver) and lowered the saddle a bit.

Today's turbo session was much more comfortable, and I even managed to have my right hand on the bars for short periods (and change gear with it) so definitely an improvement. Just a shame about the stem colour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jogler on 27 July, 2014, 02:56:17 pm
Fettling by pictures......
Fitted one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-bracket-support-544-0980-for-tl-ld-100-110-120-500-600-ae100-prod4504/

to one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-arc-j82s-sl-universal-rack-fitting-light-bracket-prod553/

to one of these

http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=147

to carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld600-super-bright-5-led-rear-light-25000mcd-prod1956/

adjacent to one of these
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=43
in green/honey

Fitted one of these

http://www.topeak.com/products/Xtras/BarXtender

to the seat post so that it extends backwards between the seat stays to carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-tl-ld1100-10-led-opticube-rear-light-prod10788/

using one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-h34-flex-tight-bracket-22-32-mm-prod15578/

Fitted another

http://www.topeak.com/products/Xtras/BarXtender

to the stem to carry one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-uno-front-light-black-prod26387/

in it's previous incarnation  & one of these

http://www.hopetech.com/product/1-led-light/


IYSWIM
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 27 July, 2014, 03:03:12 pm
After a couple of days riding last weekend with not-quite-there and slightly noisy indexing that I couldn't get quite right, removed cassette and de-gunked until spotless, ragged down chain and reassembled before aligning at top & bottom cogs. Appears perfectly silent up & down the road; time will tell how long that state lasts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 July, 2014, 03:55:54 pm
I just sorted out the broken mounts for my rear rack on the commuter.  Because of the brake cabling, and the bolts on the two P-clips fouling in the middle, I've ended up with an symmetric arrangement, but it should be OK.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/GeneralBike/AsymRackMount512.jpg)

I could have made it symmetrical, using a long bolt through both P-clips and the rack fittings, but having done that last time, it was damned hard work to get it all together, and tightened up.  This arrangement took a fraction of the time to assemble, and caused a lot less swearing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 27 July, 2014, 06:19:26 pm
Put a Bagman QR on the Moulton to facilitate the use of a Barley (Janet).  What  brilliant bit of kit!  :thumbsup:

Wish I had it for yesterday's cycling adventure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 July, 2014, 07:00:11 pm
I got around to doing the bar tape, almost two weeks (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg1712640#msg1712640) after I started a bunch of fettling on the commuter.  During that process, I've also had to repair the rack mounting and a broken rear wheel spoke.

Commuting bikes are a continuous process of repair.  Doing 5000 miles a year on mine, with a lot more braking, gear changing (although not on this bike), and pedal cleat engagement/disengagement, wears everything out, fast.

The bar tape was the usual worry, swearing and faff, but has gone on OK.  I think you have to do it a lot more than once every few years to become good at it, but it seems to be adequate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 28 July, 2014, 06:23:10 pm
I put Marathon Plus tyre back on the Raleigh Royal’s rebuilt rear wheel…with my bare hands! How butch is that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 July, 2014, 06:44:34 pm
Triffids.  They just keep growing back, like those skellingtons in Jason and the Argonauts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 July, 2014, 07:40:21 pm
Taken secateurs, hedge-trimmer and chainsaw to the back "garden".

My brown wheelie bin is too small :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 July, 2014, 07:54:51 pm
Fitted the rear brake to n+1 - a trip to the local Evans at lunchtime yielded a caliper adapter of the appropriate size and they only charged me a fiver for it because it was 'unboxed'  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: madcow on 28 July, 2014, 10:14:01 pm
Replaced cleats on Master M's roadie shoes- red Keos with non slip bits built in.
Bit extra padding on my Sabbath handlebars-offcuts of gel bits used on Mrs M's road bike. Seems to work well under a second layer of bar tape. Carbon forks seem quite harsh on the Sabbath, even with 25mil Panaracers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 30 July, 2014, 08:32:02 pm
Completed the root canal on upper left 6, bless it  ::-)  This involved the biggest local anaesthetic I've ever had - I looked like I'd had a stroke all day.

One down, two teeth to go.

Built an Ikea bathroom cabinet.  Drilled four holes in my (rented) bathroom wall, one of which was of use  :-\

Made coffee for a dear friend who popped in to say hi.

Sorted out my contents and car insurance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 July, 2014, 09:49:20 pm
Put the plaque de cadre (dunno the English) on the bike for Strasbourg-Brest. It's a bit of stiffish plastic bearing that would be a frame number if this was PBP, but it's not and there's no number, just a legend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 30 July, 2014, 10:22:31 pm
Swapped brake pads on the MTB. Can't change the ones on the back as the screw has seized. It might be a replacement brake time if I can't shift it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 01 August, 2014, 10:44:14 am
Fitted a new socket in the kitchen, where we always charge up mobiles.

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/14800290912_9803c55279_m.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oxRmRw)

It's very neat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 01 August, 2014, 10:58:47 am
Like
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 01 August, 2014, 11:13:23 am
Ooh likey!  Where did you get that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 01 August, 2014, 12:07:38 pm
Off ebay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380950518601?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Seems well constructed.

Gets warm (but not hot) if something is drawing power, otherwise it turns itself off (for EU specified low power versions of off)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 01 August, 2014, 03:40:10 pm
Quote from: TimO on 27 July, 2014, 03:55:54 pm
I just sorted out the broken mounts for my rear rack on the commuter.  Because of the brake cabling, and the bolts on the two P-clips fouling in the middle, I've ended up with an symmetric arrangement, but it should be OK.

Lovely problem solving.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 03 August, 2014, 01:16:54 am
A Sansa Clip in paused recorder mode to Hearing Aid cable to a partly-working hearing aid set up after both my main and backup hearing aids broke on a weekend away from home.. Only have to press ON every 20 mins cos powersaving mode kicks in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2014, 08:26:24 pm
Wrestled a new rack onto the towpath bike.  Had to do some creative hacksawing to remove the old mudguard bolt.  Getting the thing to line up with the longitudinal axis of the bike requires five hands and seven elbows, so I've left it slightly offset.  Adds character...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 August, 2014, 12:40:36 pm
Not today, but yesterday.

Fitted the Frost River Gunflint Trails saddle bag to the Dave Yates.  Stuffed it full of jackets etc, to approxiamate what it will be like when full of tour gubbins then went out for a short ride.

It's fantastic, though a bagman won't work with it as it is not flat backed, like Carradice ones are, it has a bit that actually goes under the seat to even out the weight distribution (though that bit may become annoying on a long ride/tour)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 August, 2014, 12:48:07 pm
Finally wrestled the El Mariachi into such a state that I could give it a quick test-run round the village - for something that I was convinced was too small, it fits really, really well. A bit of mucking around was required to stop the rear brake from rubbing but nothing that wielding the 5mm Allen Key Of Doom couldn't cure.

Just need to sort out some bottle cages (4 of 'em - 2 on the frame, 2 on the forks), an appropriate dynamo-equipped front wheel (it's currently borrowing the wheel off the singlespeed) and retina-ripping headlight for it and we're good to go.

Even better, the gears required precisely zero faffing - these derailleur things might catch on, I'm telling you ...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: billplumtree on 07 August, 2014, 01:23:31 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 August, 2014, 12:48:07 pm
these derailleur things might catch on, I'm telling you ...

 :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 August, 2014, 03:57:44 pm
Adjusted the Towpath Bike's rack so it's a bit less wonkoid, but the mountins on the frame aten't symmetrical, which is the work of a loon.  Sawed off the useless lock-carrying bracket and lined up the bars & stem properly.  Soon I will ride him into central Londonton - first time on a bike there since 2007 :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 07 August, 2014, 04:10:14 pm
If you want to use the Towpath Bike in anger, wowbagger and I will be heading up the Lea (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=83900.0) in the not too distant future.  You are most welcome to join us.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 August, 2014, 04:51:06 pm
Quote from: billplumtree on 07 August, 2014, 01:23:31 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 August, 2014, 12:48:07 pm
these derailleur things might catch on, I'm telling you ...

 :o
It didn't last.
I spent the afternoon tinkering and the net result looks a bit like this:

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/P1020690.jpg)

Three things in life are inevitable, it seems:


'Course, the beauty of the Salsa is that if I want to put gears back on again at a later date, I can. Whether I will is another matter entirely ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 August, 2014, 09:14:06 pm
I fixed the light in the glove compartment which was always on. (Well, I removed the bulb, but I managed not to break anything or make any pingfuckits, so I call that a fix).
At least now I won't burn my fingers every time I go to pay the tolls next week, and the pèage receipts will still be legible when we get home because the thermal paper won't have gone 100% black....
Only taken me a year to assemble the round tuits...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 07 August, 2014, 09:52:21 pm
I managed to break a Klikfix bar mount. Grrrrrrrrrr, instructions say tighten cable fittings to 5nm, but this is too much and I snapped a collet cable thingy in two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 07 August, 2014, 10:20:51 pm
Customer 1 was moved onto a new 100M circuit, didn't work.  The interface on the router hadn't been configured properly & when I fixed that it still didn't work! Called a colleague for a physical check & the SFP connector on the main 1G port wasn't in all the way.

Customer 2 had a PEN test run, it found vulnerabilities,  colleague had changed all their IP addressing for them & not updated the security access-lists.  Rewrote ACL's on both routers.

Customer 3 is moving sites (tonight).  They've changed their requirements so the config on the already installed routers needs to be changed.  Colleague who is getting ovies to do the migration couldn't rewrite the configs himself, so I do it for him.  Sigh...

Customer 4 ordered a 1G circuit for a Major Event, installed at 2M for testing & setup purposes.  For some reason the order to ramp it up to 1G was never issued & they need the full 1G tomorrow.  A few emails & I got that sorted out as well.

I'm supposed to finish at 16:30.   Didn't get out until 19:00..... ::-)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 August, 2014, 11:13:06 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 07 August, 2014, 03:57:44 pm
Adjusted the Towpath Bike's rack so it's a bit less wonkoid, but the mountins on the frame aten't symmetrical, which is the work of a loon.  Sawed off the useless lock-carrying bracket and lined up the bars & stem properly.  Soon I will ride him into central Londonton - first time on a bike there since 2007 :o

And first time there after dark since 2006.  There aren't arf some mentals around on bikes these days...

Note to self: it is important to test your rear light prior to trying to use it in anger.  That way you will be able to attach it such that the switch is not concealed behind the plate to which it is bolted :facepalm:

Other note to self: the South Face of the Caledonian Road is not a categorised climb :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: billplumtree on 08 August, 2014, 01:02:51 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 August, 2014, 04:51:06 pm
  • Ripping the gears off your new toy, just because you can ...

And so the natural order of things was restored, and the universe breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 August, 2014, 12:21:51 pm
Did a pedal swap on the El Mar - riding fixed offroad with ATACs is causing various nerve-related woes which I don't seem to get when riding the singlespeed so I pulled the trigger on a set of Saint MX80 flat pedals; they replace a set of carbon ATACs (now on the Croix de Fer) so we'll see how we get on with them.

An exploratory run round the block was encouraging - plenty of grip from the studs, even in cleated sandals, which bodes well for my plan to ride in walking shoes/boots whose soles aren't worn to hell and back. I am going to have to unlearn a couple of things though, at least if I don't want chunks gouged out of my shins.

The Saint pedals look rather nice and they're certainly not as heavy as I expected them to be. Trouble is, the OCD monkey is now saying that I need a set of Saint cranks to go with the pedals  :demon: (which has a certain appeal - the Saint cranks are designed for use with 1x transmissions, Deore cranks aren't)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 09 August, 2014, 12:27:49 pm
Quote from: billplumtree on 08 August, 2014, 01:02:51 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 August, 2014, 04:51:06 pm
  • Ripping the gears off your new toy, just because you can ...

And so the natural order of things was restored, and the universe breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Whereas I've just fitted a chainguide so my formerly singlespeed mtb* doesn't keep shedding the chain now it's gone 1x10.

*Which in itself presents a problem since "my formerly singlespeed mtb" doesn't slip off the tongue as well as "my singlespeed mtb" did.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 09 August, 2014, 12:47:23 pm
Quote from: PaulF on 09 August, 2014, 12:27:49 pm
Quote from: billplumtree on 08 August, 2014, 01:02:51 pm
Quote from: interzen on 07 August, 2014, 04:51:06 pm
  • Ripping the gears off your new toy, just because you can ...

And so the natural order of things was restored, and the universe breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Whereas I've just fitted a chainguide so my formerly singlespeed mtb* doesn't keep shedding the chain now it's gone 1x10.

*Which in itself presents a problem since "my formerly singlespeed mtb" doesn't slip off the tongue as well as "my singlespeed mtb" did.
I sense a disturbance in the Force1 ....

1 - actually, this is a piece of Sith-esque hypocrisy since I do actually possess two bikes with gears - the Croix de Fer is likely to remain as a 2x10, whereas the Pugsley is currently 1x10 and could easily be converted to singlespeed - trouble is I'd need to use a silly small sprocket on account of having a silly small (26T) chainring. I like the idea of a fixed fat-bike but the cost of the bits for such a conversion is prohibitive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 10 August, 2014, 02:17:14 pm
De-studded the Saint pedals, dispensed with the spacer washers and then re-studded them - that's 20 minutes of my life I won't get back. On the plus side, my newly acquired walking/off-road shoes (Merrell Moabs) now stick to the pedals like dog shit to a beach towel.

This is good, because if the gouge in my thumb and resultant BLUD is anything to go by, I do not want those studs smashing into my shins at high velocity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 August, 2014, 06:29:56 pm
Ah yes.  In the pre-SPD Dark Ages, some varieties of road pedal were colloquially known as "rat traps".  IIRC it was the Sun Tour XC pedals which were first nicknamed "bear traps".  The shin-gouges were called "bear tracks", and were very ouchy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 12 August, 2014, 08:55:50 pm
25 meters of benching made from recycled plastics. Lots of different lengths of 'wood' and an shitload of heavy plastic leg/supports. They were delivered on pallets and bundled in bench packs. Thye were lodaded on a flatbed by fork lift. We don't have a forklift. we had to unload by hand as some of the pallets were too big for a pump truck. It wasn't until we had stripped half the bundles into individual bits that the driver told us that the bundles were per bench ::-)

It took fecking ages to sort out the components as we have 9 benches and only two are the same.

Only 15 meters left to assemble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Redlight on 12 August, 2014, 09:45:42 pm
Mine was a fairly simple task - fitting an old Bob Yuille rack onto my wife's new Ridgeback hybrid. 

Unfortunately, and not for the first time, I was reminded that undertaking any fiddly task involving small parts such as nuts and washers, is not best undertaken on a generously-spaced wooden deck  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 12 August, 2014, 10:28:05 pm
I have been fettling a bog. The flushing lever now returns to its correct position after flushing but I don't think I have yet stopped the bloody thing form overflowing. It's a much slower fill than it was, but I Just Don't Want It To Overflow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 August, 2014, 10:32:44 pm
Quote from: Redlight on 12 August, 2014, 09:45:42 pm
...I was reminded that undertaking any fiddly task involving small parts such as nuts and washers, is not best undertaken on a generously-spaced wooden deck  :-[
Or on a lawn. As I have discovered from time to time.

On one occasion, while riding an Audax, I set out to fit a light outside the HQ, and spent 20 minutes combing through the grass for a bolt. By the time I'd found it, I didn't bother with the last leg of the ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 14 August, 2014, 03:52:27 pm
Had a leaking tap. Hard water area, soft chromed (brass?) fittings. A nice channel etched in the elbow end. So out came the Dremel and a large file. Sorted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 14 August, 2014, 05:51:04 pm
Assembling a bat genome. The biggest thing we have done on our machines here (memory 1Tb).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 August, 2014, 06:23:40 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 14 August, 2014, 05:51:04 pm
Assembling a bat genome. The biggest thing we have done on our machines here (memory 1Tb).

Proof, if it were needed, that it's The Future.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 14 August, 2014, 07:12:21 pm
"Is that a real bat?"

"Of course it's not real.
Do you think I'd be working in a place like this if I could afford a real bat?"

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 14 August, 2014, 07:31:14 pm
:) Of course it is a real bat. I have a freezer full [1] of them

Strange how people never offer to cook twice in my kitchen, and rarely come back for another meal.


[1] For rather liberal values of 'full'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruth on 14 August, 2014, 08:48:13 pm
I think I like people who have bats in their freezer  :)

I'm quite pleased with my fettling today.  I had to do a bit of detective work to get curtain hooks to fit my landlord's curtain rail.  They came today, thanks to the Internet, and they are the right ones.  This was most satisfying.

The lampshade I bought at B+Q (which shall from now on be destroy-it-yourself dot com to me), turned out to be a light fitting.   :facepalm:

They took it back, and with the refund I bought a lampshade for the living room and another one for my bedroom.

I caught up on some sleep this afternoon, having finished work at 1pm, and feel much better for it.

Little achievements can be most pleasing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 August, 2014, 11:25:55 pm
My friend Frank once had a frozen penguin in his.

He was testing it in a wind tunnel and a floppy peng is just no good for That Sort of Thing :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 August, 2014, 11:38:32 pm
I've never had anything more exciting than a faulty hard disk drive in my freezer...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 August, 2014, 08:04:12 am
Quote from: Kim on 14 August, 2014, 11:38:32 pm
I've never had anything more exciting than a faulty hard disk drive in my freezer...

As a matter of interest,
?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 August, 2014, 01:32:15 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 15 August, 2014, 08:04:12 am
Quote from: Kim on 14 August, 2014, 11:38:32 pm
I've never had anything more exciting than a faulty hard disk drive in my freezer...

As a matter of interest,
  • Did it fix what ailed it, and
  • Do you thaw them out again before attempting to recover the contents

?

Temporarily.  Procedure goes something like:

Remove frozen drive from freezer.
Apply power, possibly in combination with light percussive maintenance...
Remove power.
Repeat until it spins up (there may be an optimal temperature, or just a bit of thermal expansion needed to un-jam the bearing).
Mount volume and suck as much data off it as possible before it fails again.
Defenestrate.
Chastise owner of disk (who may be yourself) for insufficient paranoia in their backup strategy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: aidan.f on 15 August, 2014, 11:01:23 pm
This has  been fettled up, Maybe some  interest  in guessing what  it actually  is for  - if  you  know keep  :-X

(http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z468/hedley_a/Fettled.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 August, 2014, 06:21:42 pm
Decided to put my old winter commuter back together using spare and cast off parts as a pub bike. First job was getting the stuck left crank off that had stripped threads, basically by carving new threads with the removal tool, and then rearranging parts that have been cast off of about five different bikes to make this: -
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qGYDffkuAsk/U_DjJA4TFSI/AAAAAAAAGuk/LMpO3L1--_U/w737-h553-no/IMG_0002.JPG)

Needs a little fettling (and could really do with a new headset), but I suppose it's N+1 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 August, 2014, 06:27:15 pm
Failed to fettle one of these:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/cycling/Photo0837.sized.jpg)


It's surprising how far someone can ride with a broken rear axle when they're a long way from the nearest pub railway station.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 August, 2014, 06:33:41 pm
I rode the whole of Hadrian's cycleway a few years ago before realizing the rear axle was held together purely by the rear skewer. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 17 August, 2014, 07:10:17 pm
New brake blocks in (cue rant about bloody grub screws made of cheese and an encomium on the subject of mini-mole grips), chain cleaned _properly_ , tyres checked for embedded sharps and other general checking over, cleaning and oiling of parts to ensure continued reliable operation of cranky old grid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 August, 2014, 08:13:08 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 17 August, 2014, 06:33:41 pm
I rode the whole of Hadrian's cycleway a few years ago before realizing the rear axle was held together purely by the rear skewer. :facepalm:

Yes, I imagine the presence of a skewer makes things an awful lot less wibbly wobbly...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 August, 2014, 12:38:05 am
I did a daily twenty-five mile round trip for weeks on my old Roockhooper with a b0rked rear axle.  That was in the Olden Days, when any fule kno that hollow axles weren't strong enough for off-road riding :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: contango on 18 August, 2014, 05:01:11 pm
Rebuilt my rather elderly 28-300 hyperzoom lens. The autofocus didn't work any more, which turned out to be the one plastic cog in the mechanism having split. The nice man at the manufacturers sent me some replacement cogs, which meant I just had to dismantle the AF assembly, fit the little cog, and then reassemble the lens.

So far it seems to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 18 August, 2014, 09:30:18 pm
I connected my new-to-me dynohub wheel and my newish Phillips light. After a bit of confusion as to which wire was which (the Phillips instructions weren't simple enough for the likes of me, but the internet had the answer) there was light! 8)

I'm not going to fit it to the bike just yet, though - it will probably go on for the Carlisle-Newcastle night ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 18 August, 2014, 11:17:36 pm
Quote from: contango on 18 August, 2014, 05:01:11 pm
Rebuilt my rather elderly 28-300 hyperzoom lens. The autofocus didn't work any more, which turned out to be the one plastic cog in the mechanism having split. The nice man at the manufacturers sent me some replacement cogs, which meant I just had to dismantle the AF assembly, fit the little cog, and then reassemble the lens.

So far it seems to work.
Blimey. Fancy fixing my DSLR?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 18 August, 2014, 11:43:32 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 18 August, 2014, 09:30:18 pm
I connected my new-to-me dynohub wheel and my newish Phillips light. After a bit of confusion as to which wire was which (the Phillips instructions weren't simple enough for the likes of me, but the internet had the answer) there was light! 8)

I'm not going to fit it to the bike just yet, though - it will probably go on for the Carlisle-Newcastle night ride.

If it's the same Philips dyno light that I have, you're going to be very pleased.
I prefer it to my Supernova E3  :o.

Sadly, I think that I'm going to have to miss the Carlisle ride; I start a new job on 1st. September and I'm not sure how that is going to pan out wrt being able to do night rides albeit I have signed up for the CC Dun Run Lite ride on 03-10-14.

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for it though.
If I'm there, hopefully the 4-5W drag from the dyno-hub will give the rest of us a chance to keep up on the hills.
Have you tightened your chain ?  ;)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 21 August, 2014, 10:35:00 pm
Built a rear wheel, sorted out the chainline, agonised over the brakes, and generally put together my (formerly interzen's) 1x1.

Too late for riding any farther than up and down the road, or for pics, but wait until tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 August, 2014, 10:46:10 pm
Shiny new brake cables on the Streetmachine, as the previous ones were in need of a bilge pump.

Then turned my attention to the rear (parking) brake on the trike.  It was also overdue for a new cable, so I took the opportunity to do a little voodoo ergonomics and see how barakta gets on with a grip shifter on the wrong side as a way of activating it (the advantage being that it's a lot less fiddly than the previous lever + velcro strap arrangement).  In the process I moved the assistance/regen level button unit over to the remaining unpopulated space on the lower crevices of the right hand bar, on the basis that at least it will be accessible by working fingers.  We'll see how it goes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 21 August, 2014, 11:42:04 pm
New bottom bracket and chain onto the 'Dale R800. Changed the BB due to an intermitant clunk when putting the power down. Clunk has completely failed to fuck off :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 22 August, 2014, 04:16:02 pm
Irritating post-FNRttC clicking noise coming from somewhere between my feet. After a little poking and prodding, it seems to have gone away - I managed to isolate it to the right pedal, and a tweak of cleat bolts and a regreasing of the pedal threads seems to have done the trick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 22 August, 2014, 07:52:47 pm
Fettled a replacement "ear" for my Polar Lights Robby the Robot model kit I'm building to replace the shoddy kit part:

Kit "ears" sink hole and mismoulded plastic ahoy:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5590/14942306121_1b6cafda7b.jpg)

Fettled a ball point pen into shape:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/14945395845_1fd2edf420_o.jpg)

Made a mould using Sylmasta Casting Kit* silicon rubber:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3924/14805858790_45f013701f_c.jpg)

Then, once the mould had cured cast a new ear using the resin from the casting kit:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3925/14978460106_85e558b192_c.jpg)

 :thumbsup:

* this is the casting kit I used: http://www.sylmasta.com/acatalog/Sylmasta-Casting-Kit-01---FREE-25ml-Clear-Epoxy-906.html#SID=6 (http://www.sylmasta.com/acatalog/Sylmasta-Casting-Kit-01---FREE-25ml-Clear-Epoxy-906.html#SID=6)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 24 August, 2014, 08:59:50 pm
Cleaned the mountain bike, replaced the rear tube that exploded.

Still needed to get a chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: air dancer on 24 August, 2014, 10:43:48 pm
Replaced all the bearings in a pair of Campag wheels, including the awkward ones in the free hub body.

Now I've got to summon the willpower to stop spinning the bloody things every time I pass them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 24 August, 2014, 10:55:14 pm
Done battle with the invading triffid brambles coming over, under and round the wall from next door this evening. 8 garden bags full of the stuff with more to add tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 August, 2014, 09:36:47 am
Reattached the handle to the fridge door which had been bodged by the kitchen fitter handyman 12 years ago. He had driven wood screws into the door, cut the heads off and then araldited the handle over them. My repair required drilling out the knackered threads and re-tapping. Then removing the door fascia from the fridge to bolt through.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 26 August, 2014, 07:13:15 am
Back wheel on my Cheviot developed a tick overnight on Saturday (by itself in the garage - how do they do that?), when both pedalling and freewheeling and roadspeed-related, but not when under load (i.e. with rear wheel raised and spun, or with weight right over front wheel - no noise.

Spokes and flanges look fine. Bearings looked fine but I cleaned and regreased anyway, and also put a drop of GT85 on each nipple, as I read that here somewhere. No test due to it peeing down; we'll see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 26 August, 2014, 11:15:38 am
Fitted the little rear lights that Kim got me on to the trice mudguard s .when Apollo return's my camera from stoke lodge  ::-)  I will take photos :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 27 August, 2014, 06:05:18 pm
Sprayed the tent with nikwax UV protector and waterproofer. Oh and cleaned out all the detritus I have accumulated this year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 30 August, 2014, 01:12:15 pm
Put new socks and shoes on the Moulton.  May take it out for a spin later to see if I can notice a difference between the aged Stelvios and the new Duranos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arabella on 30 August, 2014, 06:29:21 pm
Taken another link of out my chain, as yet another link has gone.  That's the 3rd one.  Not sure if it's 'cos it's a 9-speed chain (everything else has fewer than 9 speeds) or 'cos it's a carp chain.
I balked at retruing a very pringled wheel.  today's little jaunt happened to be the reverse of some sportive, cue peoples shiny bikes etc not paying any attention and being all over the road etc.  One of whom failed to heed the yells etc.
But seeing as I've now stopt seething I'll stop there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 30 August, 2014, 06:47:46 pm
Quote from: arabella on 30 August, 2014, 06:29:21 pm
Taken another link of out my chain, as yet another link has gone.  That's the 3rd one.  Not sure if it's 'cos it's a 9-speed chain (everything else has fewer than 9 speeds) or 'cos it's a carp chain.
Either way, if the links are breaking/failing, I'd dump the chain. I've not had a chain break mid ride, but I imagine it's not nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 30 August, 2014, 06:53:36 pm
Plastered my kitchen ceiling..

(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/P1040513_zps270bea1b.jpg)

..just need the kitchen now. And a floor. And walls.

But anyway I think i have earned an outing on the bike tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 30 August, 2014, 08:15:46 pm
Cor I wish I could do that. Looks sluverly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 31 August, 2014, 07:20:18 am
Quote from: Canardly on 30 August, 2014, 08:15:46 pm
Cor I wish I could do that. Looks sluverly.

Thank you, have had quite a lot of practice but it is still hard work.  Definitely a bike ride today..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 31 August, 2014, 11:25:42 am
Friday night, I watched while my friend Dave finished off the rear wheel for my fixer. I did turn the spoke key a bit, but it was mainly all his work. Nice job and, hurrah!, the fixer is back on the road  at long last.

Saturday, managed to  undo the lock nut on the pink magenta bike head set.  This had been seized solid, and I'm hoping the application of ammonia did the trick (dissolving aluminium oxide, like Sheldon says). Either that or I'm stronger than last time I tried.  The plan is to use ammonia to free the quill stem too, but Jobst Brandt says it's unlikely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 31 August, 2014, 04:08:23 pm
I finally removed the worn chain ring from Orange bike.  Fitted a new one.  New chain. New wheel with different hub. Old wheel is spare. Test ride resulted in failure. The chain alignment looks right but the chain falls off the rear sprocket. Then I went in for dinner.  Next weeks job, sort out alignment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 31 August, 2014, 04:45:57 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 31 August, 2014, 11:25:42 am
The plan is to use ammonia to free the quill stem too, but Jobst Brandt says it's unlikely.

Bah! What does he know?  have you tried the bigger hammer?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 31 August, 2014, 10:14:59 pm
Cleaned my new to me frame and forks and started moving things off the camping bike, giving them a quick (and halfhearted) clean and putting them on the new frame.

The brake and gear cables need replacing as the outers are split and rusting, trip to Halfords tomorrow.

Moved the handlebars over, the steerer tube is a different length. Given the spacers I have the steerer tube is ~9mm below the top of the stem, the stem itself being 40mm deep. I know the steerer needs to sit a bit lower to allow the topcap to pull it all together but is 9mm too far?

Should I try and pick up a shorter spacer to replace one of the curent ones? Current spacers are about 10mm deep and I have two of them in place under the stem (and nothing above).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: madcow on 01 September, 2014, 11:54:31 pm
On Friday, I swapped a 110mm stem for a 120mm stem on my Sabbath. Went for a ride yesterday and the difference was noticeable. I am now sitting in the right place on the newish B17,whereas previously my sit bones were just about on the metal plate at the back of the saddle.
 It still needs more miles to get comfy , but this is a big improvement.
The stem I bought was on e-bay for £2 plus postage. I reckoned on buying a cheapie to test rather than spend £20 or £30 on brand new item and find it was not what was needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 September, 2014, 04:06:50 am
Armed only with my trusty Swiss Army Knife I have swapped the BRITISH plug on my wee kettle for a USAnian one, which means I no longer have to juggle five wossnames into a 4-gang (kettle, Babbage-Engine, phone charger, USB wall wart, anbarism for USB hub).

Ancient phone is compatible with USA but not USB ha-ha; iPad will only charge from wall-wart or Babbage-Engine's USB 3.0 port, latter is already in use by external hard drive.  In case you were wondering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 03 September, 2014, 11:55:26 am
Built the 719 rim MacB gave me + a XT hub + black DT spokes into a wheel

Next steps
add disk rotor and tyre to new wheel
put bars on frame
put levers on bars
put brakes on frame + wheels
measure brake cable lengths
cut and fit cables
chainset / bottom bracket
chain and chainline
saddle, bartape, pedals
cycle up hill and hoon down it

That looks like quite a lot to do.  Wonder if I'll fit it all in this week?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 03 September, 2014, 08:26:37 pm
I got stuck due to a lack of headset spacers

Quick trip to Halfords first thing tomorrow I think
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 September, 2014, 10:39:11 pm
Barakta's hearing aid, which she'd been failing to get to work.

I simply dropped it on the floor, picked it up and applied The Knack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 September, 2014, 10:43:50 pm
Rear light bracket for the rack mounts on the seatstays.

Fashioned from a bit of metal found in the road, and means I can swap the rack-mounted light between bikes, and not have to use the rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 03 September, 2014, 11:04:20 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 03 September, 2014, 08:26:37 pm
I got stuck due to a lack of headset spacers

Quick trip to Halfords first thing tomorrow I think

If you're not in a rush I bought a pack of three 1 1/8" 5mm spacers the other day and think I only need one. Happy to chuck one or two in the post for you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 04 September, 2014, 09:04:14 am
Not cycling related, but, some very expensive holes... Bathroom has been retiled by expensive tiler and reasonably priced tiles.  Apparently the fact that the tiles are porcelain is relevant.... A £15 diamond drill bit lasted 2 holes, and was scrap.  So, thats 2 holes for the shower riser rail, 4 holes for the cabinet, 3 holes for the vestigial shower screen, and 2 holes for the shower curtain rail, and 2 bigger holes to fix the basin.  Bankruptcy looms, I think. 

I've bought a £27 diamond bit which claims to last 30-70 holes in class 5 porcelain tiles (I have no idea what class mine are) and now have the cabinet fixed. 

I hate bathroom fettling.  Oh, and the tiler destroyed the 2 week old bath by dropping a 600x400 tile on it, edgeways on.  His plumber is coming to replace it on his insurance today, and hopefully the shower screen will have arrived before the tiler has done the little tiles along the edge of the bath.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 September, 2014, 09:13:43 am
Due to work ruining my chance of getting out on the bike last night, and Mrs T being in that London for work, I fettled:

My Gunflint Trail bag onto a SQR
Some paracord into the relevant holes in the same bag.
The DY onto the turbo

Now just need to have a good old tidy up in the garage to make it a bit more accessible!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 06 September, 2014, 03:47:33 pm
I've just shortened by brake hoses by 6" each. Decided to do them without bleeding. Unscrewed, cut went to get two new olives :facepalm:

ARSE.

I could've sworn I got a few spares. I'm now balancing the hoses upright to stop air getting into the hose and the caliper and praying I don't squeeze the brake lever by accident, emptying the reservoir. They'll have to be like this until midweek now.

What a prize tit!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 06 September, 2014, 08:22:48 pm
Quote from: bumper on 06 September, 2014, 03:47:33 pm
I've just shortened by brake hoses by 6" each. Decided to do them without bleeding. Unscrewed, cut went to get two new olives :facepalm:

ARSE.

I could've sworn I got a few spares. I'm now balancing the hoses upright to stop air getting into the hose and the caliper and praying I don't squeeze the brake lever by accident, emptying the reservoir. They'll have to be like this until midweek now.

What a prize tit!

I can't get any tomorrow, all of the bike shops are shut!  This is why I use the internet for bike stuff. The only day I'm off and they're all closed!!!


On the plus side, I've fettled a new front lamp fitting on the Verenti now the racks are off (until next spring). It is fixed on the fork crown bolt and holds my lamp dead centre on the bike. I bodged manufactured it from an old stainless rear rack fitting, the flat ones wth a slot running down the centre. A bit of cutting and bending, hey presto. Luv my Dremel :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 September, 2014, 04:23:37 pm
Fixed a busted pair of acrylic framed sunnies for Diana the Ceramicist.
Crack in acrylic frame at the LH eyebrow.
She'd been unsuccessful in repairing it using 2-part epoxy.
Couldn't apply enough pressure long enough to the join for the epoxy to cure.

I managed to remove most of the epoxy.
Reduced the circumference if the lens a tiny amount by rolling / rubbing it all the way round on some 400 wet & dry, thus reducing the amount of closing  pressure required at the join.
Used very, very thin cyanoacrylate from my fridge to bond the join, letting it do its capillary thing.
Once cured, I polished the join using Solvol Autosol on a very soft mop inna Dremel.

Diana reckons she can't see or feel the join :smug:

Also fitted a new transmission to the Pompino.
Chainring (totally $#@gg€d) was replaced as was the chain and 16T sprocket.
Changed the rear tyre too, on account of a bulge at the bead that I wasn't too keen on the look of - is it just me..... I use Spesh tyres on all four bikes and they usually get binned on account of dodgy looking bulges - rather than having worn out.
Anyone else?


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 07 September, 2014, 04:31:25 pm
Some Damsons into Damson Gin, just need to wait a year for it to mature :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 07 September, 2014, 06:09:40 pm
Replaced a fence post that had rotted at the ground - the hard way.

The concrete that the old post was set in was in good condition, so I hacked out the the rotted stump using a combination of tools, finishing up with the 18" masonry drill.  It took a while and I couldn't get all the way down but probably enough.

Put some fairly liquid cement in and put a new post in, seems to be solid.

The previous time I did this, I swore never to do it again and just lift the old mass of concrete out. 

I can now hit the "post" button (sorry...)


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 September, 2014, 06:28:31 pm
Finally, after 18 months, sorted the annoying click on the Inbred. Found that the gear cable on the left hand side was clicking when the bars were turned slightly.

Loosened off the cable, cleaned out the guide with copious amounts of wd40 then applied some grease.

Silence reigns.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 07 September, 2014, 09:34:12 pm
Busy weekend of winterising bikes. Good clean, then rack, mudguards and lights on my touring bike. New mudguards on my eldests. Swapped round various bits and pieces, trip out to big als to get couple of spokes replaced. Then amazingly for me, some gardening for my my better half whose back is killing her  :'( 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 September, 2014, 07:54:24 pm
I have successfully, it seems, trued my back wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 September, 2014, 08:32:56 pm
The Carshalton Strimmer Massacre.

Apparently, we have a back garden.  Who knew?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 September, 2014, 08:39:02 pm
I've molished a little set of traffic lights[1] for the bathroom door out of assorted spare parts I had lying around.  I just need a long USB cable and to write some code to work out whether there's someone in the bathroom or not.


[1] Well, more like railway signals...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 September, 2014, 12:19:12 pm
I stripped down the Ridgeback Velocity to F&F then reassembled with a new chainset, BB, chain tensioner & brake levers, ready for the soon-to-be-built SRAM Automatix-hubbed rear wheel.

I fitted Polar Bear's dynohub front wheel and wired the new AXA sensor LED front light. It works.

All I need now is the rear wheel and my commuter/pub bike is ready.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 September, 2014, 12:36:59 pm
I'll be interested to hear how the Automatix works out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 September, 2014, 03:44:16 pm
Adjusted my BB7 disc brakes, which turned out to involve rather less wailing and gnashing of teeth than I anticipated.
At least the levers don't touch the bars anymore :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 September, 2014, 03:51:01 pm
Quote from: clarion on 08 September, 2014, 08:32:56 pm
The Carshalton Strimmer Massacre.

Apparently, we have a back garden.  Who knew?
Thanks to Qualcast and a fair bit of 1.2mmØ monofilament I, apparently, have one behind my house.
I strimmed enough to fill a rubble bag to the point where I could *just about* get a cable tie to secure the neck of the bag.
Knackered now.
Might need a little lie-down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 13 September, 2014, 04:56:25 pm
New bottombracket fitted. The righthand crank bolt sheared and rather than drill out the bolt I replaced the four year old bb. Glad it was today near home as next week I am commuting from sisters house and don't have an alternative means.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 September, 2014, 06:06:57 pm
Sorted through the gloves drawer in the garage.

Tried to clear the eml on the car, but failed, so went to see a man who can, who did!

Cooked tea for the invalid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 13 September, 2014, 09:49:29 pm
Nothing but will have to sort the maxles. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: reddo on 14 September, 2014, 12:39:57 pm
Fettled the back protector. It was a fraction too long and interfering with the helmet so I trimmed a bit off. Ta da. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 14 September, 2014, 05:39:51 pm
A bike pump (last week, actually).

We'd hired a bike on holiday for me to go out for a ride. It turned out to be a lady's MTBSO. The back tyre was flattish. Two pumps were supplied - one with no hose, and a push-fit pump which didn't get enough of a seal to inflate the tyres.

I took out the washer, and wrapped some thin plastic bag around its perimeter. The aim was to compress the washer slightly more onto the valve stem.

It worked :thumbsup:

It was only a short ride, but I enjoyed it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 14 September, 2014, 05:53:59 pm
Had to fettle the bike of a chap who joined us today.   What really pisses me off is that I offer to service their bikes but they insist on 'not' doing it themselves.   Good job I carry tools and basic spares then. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 14 September, 2014, 09:00:52 pm
Since Robby has had his primer coat, and his ears have been molished, I gave him a dry fit:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5589/15052788997_91b2af107e_c.jpg)   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 14 September, 2014, 09:04:51 pm
Danger Brian robinson ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 15 September, 2014, 01:13:32 pm
So at last I decided that it would be nice to move the pedals backward without derailing the chain or causing it to suck onto the chain ring.  So I put the bike on the stand and squirted WD40 into the deraileur to soften the globules of hardened dirty oil. I then cleaned the gunk off the jockey wheels. Finally I put a thin bit of cloth between the chain and deraileur plate and moved it along removing a slabs of muck.

Result freely running shiny deraileur. I need to clean the chain next, a lesser man might just fit a new one, then the bike will be clean for the first time in years.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 September, 2014, 08:21:13 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 14 September, 2014, 09:04:51 pm
Danger Brian robinson ?

Wrong movie and wrong robot!   :P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_B-9

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 September, 2014, 09:29:02 pm
Fixed the Sky+ box so that it now downloads box sets, catch up etc.

It was all to do with port forwarding on port 3700/UDP
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 September, 2014, 10:08:36 pm
Replaced the knackered Spanninga Pixeo mudguard lamp on Mlle PB's Thorn Audax 853 with a working one.

That's 2 that have failed now.   Will be seeking alternatives.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 September, 2014, 10:36:11 pm
Fettled the dynohub wheel and Phillips light on to the not-Tifosi, in preparation for Friday's ride. It appears to work, though the combination of the heavier hub, extra drag and Durano Plus aren't going to make for speedy riding! Will go for a short test ride tomorrow night.

I have no idea what to do with the random cables that a rear light is supposed to attach to. I don't want a dynamo rear light (too much wiring, and battery life in rear lights is pretty decent) so I might just tape them out of the way or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 15 September, 2014, 10:48:08 pm
New back tyre & tube on Brompton. Grrrr!

The 'new' (couple of years old) Marathon failed, taking a tube with it. The bead went! It wasn't spectacular. Not a complete failure, just a gentle easing over the rim, followed by a phut & sudden deflationary event. I reckon it had been doing it for a little while, inconspicuously, but has only just got to the point where the tube fails. The rubber had been abraded on the bulge. Must have been rubbing for a while, but not quite enough to slow me down seriously. Loads of good solid tread left. Terrible waste.

I wonder if I'd damaged it putting it on or taking it off.

The old (really, really old) front tyre is still looking astonishingly good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 September, 2014, 11:08:17 am
Finally got around to removing the metal tab that bolts on to the fork crown from the front mudguard - not the one on my recently mudguarded MTB* but the green bike. I'd been meaning to do this for, ooh, probably a year, in order to increase clearance under the fork crown. The imminent falling leaf season prompted me to obtain the circular tuit. Removing the tab was easy - I thought the rivets might need drilling out but the whole tab just pulled off.

However, that was where the problems began. I then put cable ties through the holes I'd made a long time ago and fastened them round the shoulders of the fork crown. My idea was that without the tab, the mudguard could be snugged tight against the underside of the crown, ensuring free passage for leaves and mud. It turned out there is more clearance under the crown than the brake arms - and this meant the front of the mudguard was forced to bend down from the crown and it dragged on the tyre. The solution was to make new holes in the 'guard so that I could move the whole thing along - as if the tab were fixed to the back of the fork crown, which I think it's what's intended, whereas it had previously been fixed to the front (between crown brake mechanism) due to the design of the brake bolt. I then tied it on with cable ties, but not so tight. This probably hasn't gained any clearance between guard and tyre compared to how it was earlier, but it has put the little mud flap (or 'beaver tail' as I read it described on one website) lower down, so hopefully keeping my bottom bracket nice and clean this winter.

Also, I've saved weight - that tab and rivets must weight at least half an ounce!

For the curious, this mudguard is described as black, but it's one of those SKS chromplastics which look dark brown with stripes in the sun.

*Motor torpedo bike?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 19 September, 2014, 10:49:01 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 15 September, 2014, 10:36:11 pm
have no idea what to do with the random cables that a rear light is supposed to attach to. I don't want a dynamo rear light (too much wiring, and battery life in rear lights is pretty decent) so I might just tape them out of the way or something.

Not being wise to the ways of hub generated electrickery I don't know if this would work but, couldn't you connect up a second front light?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 September, 2014, 10:56:31 pm
Quote from: fuzzy retd. on 19 September, 2014, 10:49:01 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 15 September, 2014, 10:36:11 pm
have no idea what to do with the random cables that a rear light is supposed to attach to. I don't want a dynamo rear light (too much wiring, and battery life in rear lights is pretty decent) so I might just tape them out of the way or something.

Not being wise to the ways of hub generated electrickery I don't know if this would work but, couldn't you connect up a second front light?

You could, but it would work better wired in series (ie. not via those connections), and only then when you're doing a decent speed (so you'd probably want some way to switch to a single light at lower speeds).  And bear in mind that two lights only gives you slightly more light than one, as the eye is non-linear, so it's only really advantageous if you want more spread for fast descents.

Basically, all that stuff that made sense in the halogen era, but the Luxos does for you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 September, 2014, 05:49:10 pm
New chain ring and chain on the fixer. It's not that the old one was worn, oh no. I just started singing "Mack The Knife" when I compared it with the new one.  You know, that bit about the shark and his teeth. Can't think why.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 24 September, 2014, 03:56:44 pm
Dad's mobility buggy had a flat about a mile away in the park. He rode home on the flat! I pumped it up, it's still inflated, but while I went round the other wheels with the foot pump another blew. I thought it was the valve giving out but after removing the wheel and splitting the rim it's where the tube has been rubbing on the rim. Three patches later and it's fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 24 September, 2014, 11:35:21 pm
On the way home on Monday, just as I was about to give it 'full beans' I thought to myself "This neither feels or sounds correct!"-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0000.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0000.jpg.html)

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0001.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0001.jpg.html)

(phone camera- sorry about the focus)

Christ knows where that came from?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 September, 2014, 11:04:30 am
I took a pair of snips and an emery board to my cast.
Not as drastic as it sounds, even if I am sick to death of the bloody thing, merely a slight 'modification' so that the edge doesn't dig into the palm of my hand when I'm lifting weights.

All good, with the added advantage that it's slightly easier to grip other things with my right hand  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 25 September, 2014, 12:43:23 pm
Good stuff.
I misread that as "cat" instead of "cast".  Got all the way through to "so that the edge doesn't dig into the palm of my hand" before I decided this was going a little bit too weird.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 September, 2014, 12:47:27 pm
Not sure I've got the wrist strength to lift a cat (or indeed swing one)

Yet  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 September, 2014, 01:55:28 pm
It'll come :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 September, 2014, 02:19:29 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 25 September, 2014, 01:55:28 pm
It'll come :)
Along with the ability to tie shoelaces - that's surprisingly difficult one-handed (and my only real stumbling block ATM)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 September, 2014, 02:30:44 pm
Ah yes, that, and the usage of loo roll.

I went for slip-on shoes for a while when my arm was out of action.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 September, 2014, 02:38:54 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 25 September, 2014, 02:30:44 pm
Ah yes, that, and the usage of loo roll.

I went for slip-on shoes for a while when my arm was out of action.
Under normal circumstances it wouldn't be a problem as I usually wear sandals.

However, if we're being brutally honest then SPD sandals aren't really meant for walking long distances (ie. several miles) in, especially if they've got cleats in them. Since I'm doing a lot of walking (odd, that ...) I've decided that for my comfort and convenience I'm going to use the Merrell walking shoes I bought for hardcore off-road riding involving hike-a-bike sections and the like. Hence laces.

Admittedly, the laces in the Merrells are very good quality but they still have the property of magically untying themselves when you least want them to  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 September, 2014, 06:17:16 pm
Quote from: interzen on 25 September, 2014, 02:19:29 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 25 September, 2014, 01:55:28 pm
It'll come :)
Along with the ability to tie shoelaces - that's surprisingly difficult one-handed (and my only real stumbling block ATM)

Ah. fuzzy, it'll be interzen you need to speak to, carelessly littering the highway with untied shoe laces, ready to leap into an unwary cyclist's rear mech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 September, 2014, 07:12:48 pm
I resent that!
I wouldn't be seen dead with black shoelaces ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 25 September, 2014, 07:34:53 pm
is that why you through it away  ;D :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 26 September, 2014, 05:07:39 pm
Slight fettling to make the Tricross a little more off-road-ready.

Mudguards off, rack off, SQR block off, tyre pressures dropped, lights charged, MTB shoe dug out of the cupboard, hydration bladder filled, baggy shorts found.

Off later to give the Croft trail a go. With no mountain bike to take, the Tricross is the best I can do. Ah well - the trail is pretty flat, and fairly novice-ready, so I'm hoping its manageable. To be honest I'm worried more about me than the bike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 26 September, 2014, 11:30:54 pm
Todays fettle was a new fork onto a Mission Cycles 24" wheeled trike to replace the deaded one deaded by a student meeting a wall at ramming speed.

One of these (http://www.missioncycles.co.uk/trilogy-wheel-p-37.html?osCsid=mmn3f9diqtgsbj30hq7kpgpve6).

Bike club will now have more students hooning about the playground :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 27 September, 2014, 04:37:55 pm
Installed a new 11-30 cassette, to go with the 50-39-30 chainset, so I now have 120" down to an improved 26" granny gear*.   :)

* according to SB: http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 27 September, 2014, 05:05:14 pm
Fitted a slick tyre to the rear wheel of the singlespeed so it's ready for use when my new turbo turns up. Managed to resist the temptation to go for a quick spin round the block - scaphoid casts aren't really conducive to the operation of brake levers  :(

I'm extremely thankful that On-One's 29er slick is so easy to fit, especially as the Geax Saguaro it replaced was an absolute pig to shift with only 1.5 working hands. On the plus side, I'll not be putting the Saguaro back on until I'm fit to ride, by which time I'll have full use of both hands, so I'll call it a win.

My plan to remove and bin the crash-damaged parts off the Croix de Fer was thwarted by an inability to hold an Allen key properly, so that'll have to wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 27 September, 2014, 07:53:45 pm
Next door's shed. With a club hammer and a pry bar.


In case anyone's wondering, this was a planned demolition.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 27 September, 2014, 08:11:43 pm
I've done the same to my shed today. We are half way through building the metal replacement, after some unplanned patching work on the concrete base.

The garden is covered in the contents of the shed. Two walls are on, but I may be the first person to store a bike in a shed before (completely) building the shed, as the bike is locked to the bare shed frame ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 27 September, 2014, 08:35:26 pm
Rebuilt the turntable & readjusted the cartridge, this involved lots of swearing,  and the headband mounted 8x loupe arrangement makes me look extremely daft!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 27 September, 2014, 09:11:05 pm
Fettled the triple to 1x9. I wasn't using those gears at the moment, and the stuff that came off weighed half a kilo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 September, 2014, 11:19:19 pm
assembled a new to me frameset in to the bike from the parts found in a spares box and borrowed from other bikes. did a test ride fine-tuning the position, might need a seatpost with more set back as the saddle is pushed right to the back now. also need to decide what size wheels to run, whether 700c or 26".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 01 October, 2014, 09:48:59 am
Last night - a new bottom bracket, an exercise in how to make the simple difficult, and a new pair of cleats.

Ahhh............ silence is golden  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 October, 2014, 12:07:36 pm
This:

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ss-turbo.jpg)

I can ride again!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ferret on 01 October, 2014, 12:29:38 pm
last night I fitted my new tyres conti GP 4 season after a rather interesting Sunday ride that ended in my OH having to pick me up and take me home,
first time that's happened ever!!!! I'll try and get some pictures of the old rear tyre,
The new tyres were a bit of a pain to fit, ok in the warmth of your own kitchen but on a dark, wet night miles from anywhere I can imagine some rather strong anglo saxon language being used :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 October, 2014, 12:30:59 pm
Quote from: ferret on 01 October, 2014, 12:29:38 pm
last night I fitted my new tyres conti GP 4 season after a rather interesting Sunday ride that ended in my OH having to pick me up and take me home,
first time that's happened ever!!!! I'll try and get some pictures of the old rear tyre,
The new tyres were a bit of a pain to fit, ok in the warmth of your own kitchen but on a dark, wet night miles from anywhere I can imagine some rather strong anglo saxon language being used :)

Easy answer to that, only ever get punctures whilst in the kitchen!!!

HTH :) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 October, 2014, 01:15:01 pm
Attempted to refit a cup n cone BB to a friend's bike. It didn't go well, on account of the threads on the adjustable cup side being shagged.  Did get to do the Sheldon Brown nut'n'bolt trick though, when I removed the fixed cup.

We managed to jibble it, using a UN5x I had laying around, as the adjustable cup on those goes in much further, and therefore past the damaged threads, than on a cup'n'cone.

Unfortunately the UN5x was a smidgeon too short, so I introduced him to Chain Reaction (evil laugh), where a suitable length UN55 can be got for eight or nine quid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 01 October, 2014, 01:41:48 pm
Painted a bastard radiator[1] twice. I actually started doing this in 2001 but got fed up with it. Job now done, but there are three more bastard radiators to do.

[1] Its of the type that have multiple vertical chambers linked together at top and bottom, meaning you have to try to paint the sides of the gaps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 October, 2014, 02:28:57 pm
I finally got my SRAM Automatix hubbed wheel back. Very nice build too, Scotts Cycles, thank you. I then fitted it to the Ridgeback and got the chain tensioner sort of sorted. A few minor adjustments to the V-brakes, then a test ride. All seems fine, except there is a tendency for the chain to hop under load in the lower gear. I suspect that it is either the tensioner being set up wrong or the rear sprocket needs reversing. I hope it's the former as the spring clip holding the sprocket on is a potential pingfuckit of the highest order.

Gearing-wise, the lower gear isn't as low as I'd like, but I knew that when I started out and the simplicity of it all should outweigh the range issue. The actual gear change is very smooth. Bodes well.

Edit: I seem to have cured the chain hopping by adjusting the tensioner and removing some links. A test ride in the dark shows the AXA 30-lumen front light to be adequate on dark towpaths, if not exactly dazzling. My 60-lumen B&M light is, well, twice as bright. The cheapo, single-LED, B&M rear battery light, on the other hand, is very bright.

It seems that the Automatix hub changes up automatically, but one seems to have to stop pedalling for it to change down. Not a major issue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ferret on 02 October, 2014, 07:27:53 pm
Quote from: Vince on 01 October, 2014, 01:41:48 pm
Painted a bastard radiator[1] twice. I actually started doing this in 2001 but got fed up with it. Job now done, but there are three more bastard radiators to do.

[1] Its of the type that have multiple vertical chambers linked together at top and bottom, meaning you have to try to paint the sides of the gaps.

you can get radiator spray paint just for that reason, makes bastard radiators less troublesome ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blazer on 02 October, 2014, 08:21:17 pm
The rear light on the Bob Jackson and a tightened a lose spoke in the rear wheel

All in preparation for Posty's social ride on Saturday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 02 October, 2014, 08:53:59 pm
I fettled a bike the other day. The brake noodle had worn a groove into the brake cable. Never seen that before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 02 October, 2014, 09:13:08 pm
I've been putting my trike together
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 02 October, 2014, 09:38:42 pm
Quote from: numbnuts on 02 October, 2014, 09:13:08 pm
I've been putting my trike together

Pray tell more.......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 October, 2014, 11:01:21 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 01 October, 2014, 01:15:01 pm
Attempted to refit a cup n cone BB to a friend's bike. It didn't go well, on account of the threads on the adjustable cup side being shagged.  Did get to do the Sheldon Brown nut'n'bolt trick though, when I removed the fixed cup.

We managed to jibble it, using a UN5x I had laying around, as the adjustable cup on those goes in much further, and therefore past the damaged threads, than on a cup'n'cone.

Unfortunately the UN5x was a smidgeon too short, so I introduced him to Chain Reaction (evil laugh), where a suitable length UN55 can be got for eight or nine quid.

UN55 arrived, but the adjustable cup has a shoulder, so didn't go in far enough to bypass the buggered threads.
Brainwave: Use adjustable cup off too short UN5x. Bah. internal diameter of this adjustable cup is smaller than that on the new! shiny! UN55, so won't fit.
Scratch head.
Brainwave 2:Refit too short UN5x, but wind adjustable cup a long way in. Fixed cup is now about 2mm away from BB shell, so chainset clearance is acceptable.

It might just work, otherwise it's time for one of those threadless BBs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 03 October, 2014, 10:32:23 am
Actually done yesterday, but I fitted the Garmin speed/cadence sensor to the singlespeed - surprisingly faffy, and probably not helped by the supplied battery being flatter than a flat thing in Flatland, but we got there in the end. I can now quantify my pain on the turbo via the workout feature on the Edge 800.

The Garmin Connect site is utter shite of the highest order, though - I wonder if it ever occurred to them that people might want to create workouts and then download them onto their Babbage Engine for future transfer to a suitable GPS. Clearly it didn't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 October, 2014, 01:59:10 pm
TH, it sounds like you should be using 1 or 2 SA spacers between the fixed cup and frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 03 October, 2014, 02:15:18 pm
Fettled the full mudguards to the not-Tifosi, on the basis that it's October and the rain is here. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrew_s on 03 October, 2014, 07:10:12 pm
I noticed the back tyre was dead when bring the bike in
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/r0oi894f2wrn3gm/dead_tyre1_zpsc4bc620c.jpg?raw=1),
so whilst I was at it, I thought I'd also change the front tyre
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/o757tcnpq6524yk/dead_tyre2.jpg?raw=1)
and check the dynohub wheel rim whilst the tyre was off.
I found the wall thickness was down to 0.7mm, so that's the next job. Unfortunately, the rim is an MA2, so I'll have to decide on a replacement and order new spokes in first, and maybe send the dynohub off to Germany for an overdue overhaul (March 1998 SON)

The replacement tyres were the bargain/cheapo Giant PR-3 700x28 (http://www.rutlandcycling.com/100416/products/giant-p-r3-road-bike-tyre---700x28c.aspx) (I paid £4 rear, £7 front)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 October, 2014, 03:31:57 pm
Some code to automagically back off the sensitivity on the combustible gas detector when bread is being baked, and for half an hour afterwards.

Because I hungrily cooked some part-baked rolls when I got home last night, completely forgetting that it doubles as a yeast activity detector, and woke barakta up with the alarm when I took them out of the oven.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 04 October, 2014, 07:11:47 pm
I put mirrors and a bell on my trike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 04 October, 2014, 09:34:38 pm
Rebuilt a Digifant throttle body from my VW van.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 October, 2014, 09:36:19 pm
Hung a towel ring in the downstairs toilet, and fixed 2 of the 3 dodgy drawers in my chest of drawers. Need to find the wood glue to fix the third one.

Also just dug my dynamo light out of hiding and fixed that to the front of the tourer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 October, 2014, 12:41:45 am
Did the washing I brought back from USAnia.  Two full loads in my 7kg capacity machine :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 October, 2014, 12:42:58 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 04 October, 2014, 09:36:19 pm
Also just dug my dynamo light out of hiding and fixed that to the front of the tourer.

IRTA "torturer" and was trying to work out why you need lighting on a turbo trainer.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 October, 2014, 04:45:32 am
Stripped the FW Evans tourer, cleaned and regreased the hubs and headset, cleaned the dérailleurs and casette, then reassembled and added a new chain.  Now need to fettle the gears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 October, 2014, 07:48:43 am
Fixed the front brake on TLD's Trek, bought from Menthal otp.

This fettling was greatly improved by having TLD helping and learning.

Started by replacing the cable, that didn't work. Replaced the noodle, ditto, so we ended up replacing the brakes themselves, all good now.

I then tidied the garage and then spent 30 mins on the turbo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 October, 2014, 09:55:30 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 October, 2014, 01:59:10 pm
TH, it sounds like you should be using 1 or 2 SA spacers between the fixed cup and frame.

I was thinking that, otherwise I guess the downward force from pedalling will be taken on the threads instead of the fixed cup shoulder/BB shell.

(goes off to rummage).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 October, 2014, 03:30:04 pm
Today I have stripped, cleaned and rebuilt the Inbred. Damage done is on the book of faces!

Whilst doing that I got a phone call from TLD damanding I go and help her as her bike wouldn't move. I refused, due to her tone. Turns out the front brake (yes the one we had fixed yesterday) had jammed and threw her off, but she didn't tell me that until later. Once she returned (she wasn't far away and Mrs T walked to get her) I saw that the return spring had come away, for some reason. I replaced the brakes with a different set, just to be certain.

I then shaved over a kilo off the weight of the Inbred by replacing the 55mm Big Apples with 42mm Conti SpeedRides.  This also means the Inbred will fit on the turbo.

Now looking at the possibility of buying a Chinerello carbon 29er frame, the frame alone on the Inbred weighs 2.8kg!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 October, 2014, 10:26:06 am
Took everything off (except the stem) the Magenta Mercian, so it can go to Derby and come back another colour. And have the stem removed.

PS, Tiermat, that frame you sold me, I rode it on a Friday Night Ride to Dunwich. And then Diss. Steady as a rock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 06 October, 2014, 07:14:07 pm
Just finished fettling my decathlon Rockrider 5.2 mtb, just as it got dark!  Fitted Avid BB5 mech disk brakes front and rear, along with avid 160mm rotors.  Trimmed the steerer down to length on the On-One 26er chromoly fork, fitted the star fangled nut, got the shorter stem fitted (bike came with 110mm stem as stock for the XL frame size I have, changed it down to a 80mm one from on-one).   :thumbsup:

Hopefully a quick test ride tomorrow!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 October, 2014, 07:46:14 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 06 October, 2014, 10:26:06 am
Took everything off (except the stem) the Magenta Mercian, so it can go to Derby and come back another colour. And have the stem removed.

PS, Tiermat, that frame you sold me, I rode it on a Friday Night Ride to Dunwich. And then Diss. Steady as a rock.

Cool!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 07 October, 2014, 09:40:00 am
Fixed a puncture on my commuting bike. Tyre was very very flat, and when I went to find the location of the puncture, it was against the rim, rather than as a result of a foreign body.

The rim tape appeared to have made a neat cut in the tube. So I covered the rim tape with some chopped down duct tape, repaired the puncture, and it seems to be holding.

Crap rim tape though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 October, 2014, 07:09:09 pm
Paracord watchstrap and hatband for my Amazon hat.

(https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Public/2014-10-07%2023.31.42.jpg?_subject_uid=79796424&w=AACh5AmXv1eLoIEuHvE5rC1ybERAXidCN28cDrW65E943g)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2014, 07:17:36 pm
Removed assorted Wales and other gunk from the Streetmachine, and performed a much overdue clean and lube of the drivetrain.  Minor brake fettling too.

And upgraded the tyres on the front of barakta's trike to Big Apples, in the hope that they'll make what laughably passes for road surfaces a bit less harsh on her hands and wrists.

Still to come: Drivetrain cleanup and brake tweaking on the Dawes, and investigate mysterious[1] clicking sound.


[1] It's the computer magnet hitting the sensor when the frame is stressed just-so.  Mystery is why it's just started doing it.  Sensor hasn't moved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 October, 2014, 02:14:22 am
After getting home this morning I heard a fairy visit.  The rain from the woolwich foot tunnel got me soooo wet that I was dripping and wet to my pants.  I could hear the visitation on the wet tyre.

Something else to deal with tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 12 October, 2014, 10:46:35 am
Yesterday I planned to take green bike to the not so LBS.  But I looked at it and sighed much is not green. Brown and Black where it should not be.  The plan was for the LBS to fit new brakes levers calipers, levers and cables Also upgrade from 7 to 9 speed. A big job I would do myself in the summer but my maintenance is done outside and I do not fancy it in the Autumn. So I removed the old seized brake calipers chucked them in the bin.  Dived back in the bin and retrieved the nearly new Swissstop brake shoes and pads. Finally I faced the horror.  Morgan Blue for the chain. Muc Off for the frame and mudguards.  So Green bike looks like a Dawes Galaxy, the chain set appears to be Shimano Exage and the rear derailleur Shimano STX. Apart from being a Dawes none of the other characteristics were obvious before.

 
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 October, 2014, 11:32:37 am
Last night we flea bombed the house, a good excuse to go to the cinema (need to be out of the house for 2 hours)

This morning I attempted to get the cd player in my car working. Major fail as the CD stacker spindle is snapped in half, hence why the rest of the mechanism just goes "whirr, click click " and doesn't see any CDs. Not a total loss, though as I managed to retrieve the 6 CDs that were in there and discovered that removing the CD player from a FRV is actually easier than it seems and doesn't need any tools!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 12 October, 2014, 09:11:00 pm
Tightening the headset and wheels on the FW evans as they have settled... Still need to sort out the front deraiiluer....can't seem to get it right. Think I need to reset the upper and lower limits as the chain could come off.  Then repaired the puncture on the fixeh bike.  Had to put a bit of tube against the tyre as there was a 3mm gash in the tread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 October, 2014, 10:30:43 pm
Removed a stuck LH Campagnolo alloy BB cup using Sheldon's method for fixed cups (http://sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html). Replaced a broken spoke on a rear wheel and retrued, plus fitting drop-out adjusters because the wheel keeps moving.

On the folder, adjusted the headset (unusual method with a 10mm Allen key, since it's a Dahon) and tried to do something about the broken spoke on that rear wheel. Failed because I don't have any spares and my attempt to cut one down and rethread it didn't work - stainless spokes are a bit much for spoke threaders designed for home took kits.

So, progress, but more to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 12 October, 2014, 11:21:42 pm
Ok figured out what was wrong with the front dérailleur, I thought the settings were correct before I replaced the chain, looks like they weren't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 13 October, 2014, 12:54:22 pm
The bedroom. Getting it ready for painting. This took a seriously long time, due to the previous application of paint flaking off, and patterns that looked like textured wall paper showing through on the ceiling. After a lot of scraping, sanding, washing and filling we put a coat of paint on, and it looks remarkably good. The second coat should make it look even better. Worth all the work I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 13 October, 2014, 01:20:05 pm
<crosses fingers>

The ticking noise in the LH pedal that developed on Friday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 13 October, 2014, 02:16:01 pm
A few days ago, really...the latest and almost final episode* in rebuilding my half-a-Kaffenback after a touch of tea-leavery (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2177.17961).

Replaced thieved stem/extender/headset (latter done by local bike repair person Andy (http://www.bike-support.co.uk/)), to cure "notchy" steering. Oddly, the forks after changing the headset were horribly loose (back/forth play) with the extender but tight without it. So, leaving everything below the stem exactly as-was, I added the extender plus an extra spacer on top, tightened everything up and...result - no play!

*Previously on this "fettle"...I've built 2 new wheels, fitted new seatpost/saddle, replaced drivetrain (new cassette, hence new chain and chainwheels). Now for the "final" long-standing tasks:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 October, 2014, 11:26:21 pm
Have reassembled the punctured tube and tyre on the bike,  have inflated the tyre too.  Lets see what happens.

Really shgould recover the seat on the bike and re adjust the front whizzy thing and look at the pump.....

But have been fettling a classic car as well....that was fun even tho it has to be ready at the end of the day as it is what I'm tooling around in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 14 October, 2014, 12:27:50 am
Ok, I can set up gears, I can do this...so why is this bike not playing ball?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 October, 2014, 06:07:42 pm
Fettled some Phantasmagoriana-compliant curtains in the computer room.  This involved both sewing machine and step ladder, yet didn't involve any injuries.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 15 October, 2014, 06:12:13 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 October, 2014, 06:07:42 pm
... yet didn't involve any injuries.
Call yourself a fettler!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 17 October, 2014, 09:44:26 pm
Gave the not-Tifosi a much-needed clean, and replaced the chain (just in time for winter! ::-)).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 October, 2014, 02:20:26 pm
fettled my dad's bike:
swapped chainset from double to compact
swapped cassette from 12-23 to 12-28
replaced all inner cables with red ptfe coated ones
re-adjusted both mechs
shortened the chain for the new gearing
replaced shimano brake pads with the rim-friendly ones
lubed pivots on mechs and brake calipers
cleaned and lubed the inner part of freehub body
replaced tyres from conti super sport to 4season
installed crudracer2 mudguards
stuck anti-rub patches to the head tube and the chainstay

the bike is ready for the winter now and rides like a dream!! :thumbsup:

p.s. also showed how everything is done, so he can do all the maintenance himself
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 October, 2014, 05:03:51 pm
Upgraded the (literally) Tesco Value shredder so it was rated for continuous operation:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4285.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 October, 2014, 03:46:01 pm
Loads more laundry.

Dinner.

Tied down the cover on the bbq.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 19 October, 2014, 03:52:24 pm
The flat.

Though I think normal people refer to this as cleaning.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 19 October, 2014, 04:01:06 pm
Hopefully the last grass cut of the year and shredded some branches I cut down a week or so ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 19 October, 2014, 11:08:36 pm
It's wasn't good weather for cycling today, so instead I put the dynamo hub & wheel on the fixed, which is now in an actually properly rideable state for the first time in about six months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 20 October, 2014, 01:30:06 pm
On Saturday I bodged the shed roof again. I was going to do it properly but the wind was getting up so I decided just a patch will have to do. No original material left on the western side now.  One day I will replace this old shed so the bicycles can have the home they deserve.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 20 October, 2014, 01:53:56 pm
On Saturday, I built the old 1980's rigid steel muddy fox mtb f&f (Tange prestige no less!) into an almost complete bicycle. I'd borrowed the bits of it for my Overbury's frame - which I've now sold in a fit of fleet rationalisation.

Whilst building it up I re-greased the cup and cone BB and fitted an old XT headset I had.

It just needs a couple of brake and straddle cables and it's good to go - for one of the older sproggles to use on family mtb jaunts.

pic of it from when it was last built - no pics this time...but it's now back to the original flat bars as he mo' bars need to go back on the tandem....

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/westywagen/after_1_zps7f8d1abf.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 22 October, 2014, 09:08:45 pm
It being That Time of Year, I've just fettled a new set of bindings onto the new skis we got for Junior#2.

He's out-grown his old pair by quit a lot.
Being last year's colour, we got them at £160 off their marked price.

I'll put off the ski servicing for a couple of months yet...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 October, 2014, 09:19:38 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 October, 2014, 05:03:51 pm
Upgraded the (literally) Tesco Value shredder so it was rated for continuous operation:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4285.sized.jpg)

Ah. We've got one of them. Is that why the fuse keeps blowing then?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 22 October, 2014, 09:23:50 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 22 October, 2014, 09:08:45 pm
It being That Time of Year, I've just fettled a new set of bindings onto the new skis we got for Junior#2.

He's out-grown his old pair by quit a lot.
Being last year's colour, we got them at £160 off their marked price.

I'll put off the ski servicing for a couple of months yet...

I'm smug in the knowledge that last year I put them away fettled covered in base renew wax, only final waxing now.

I finally fettled my ded Nexus 4 into resurrection. Word of wisdom: splitting a bonded LCD and glass digitiser is not something you are likely to get right first time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 October, 2014, 09:28:27 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 October, 2014, 09:19:38 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 October, 2014, 05:03:51 pm
Upgraded the (literally) Tesco Value shredder so it was rated for continuous operation:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4285.sized.jpg)

Ah. We've got one of them. Is that why the fuse keeps blowing then?

Yeah, there's a thermal cutoff that trips if you feed it more than two BT bills in a row, because the thermal design of the thing is - to use the technical term - wank.  The motor's surrounded by plastic with no room for convection, and those tiny ventilation holes on the underside are nicely blocked by a sheet of plastic that stops people electrocuting themselves by poking a Mega-Global Fruit Corporation Optical Media Manual Ejection Tool through the holes.

Bodging an old CPU fan on and enlarging the vent holes solves the overheating problem nicely, though since I decided that things would be less flammable with a positive-pressure ventilation strategy (rather than sucking stray paper fibres from the cutting wheels past the overheating motor and greasy gears), the airflow does serve to distribute paper dust from the hopper liberally around the room.

It's still a crap shredder, of course.  And the microswitch that tells it when paper is present is going sticky, which means it occasionally needs thumping to make it switch off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 23 October, 2014, 10:09:35 am
Quote from: Kim on 22 October, 2014, 09:28:27 pm
It's still a crap shredder, of course.  And the microswitch that tells it when paper is present is going sticky, which means it occasionally need thumping to make it switch off.

There's something about thumping stuff to make it work right that makes me feel like a proper grown up  ;D

Percussive maintenance is great.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 October, 2014, 10:24:42 am
We used to have a similar shredder branded 'Winfield' and it was workmanlike if slow.   It eventually made a horrendous buzzing and grinding noise and stopped working.

The replacement is a 'pretty' Fellowes beastie with apparently greater shredding capacity but I rarely ever shove more than two sheets at a time through.

My pet hate of shredders is that the shredded paper doesn't settle and thus every few pages one has to whip the top off and compress down the cuttings.     
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 October, 2014, 10:29:40 am
Boots are dubbined and Nikwaxed. :thumbsup:

Fettled TGL's bike the other day.  He's not ridden it yet :(

About to replace an awkward brake cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2014, 11:53:39 am
Quote from: hulver on 23 October, 2014, 10:09:35 am
There's something about thumping stuff to make it work right that makes me feel like a proper grown up  ;D

Percussive maintenance is great.

One of the most satisfying moments in my entire life is the time I helped a school friend perform a hard drive transplant on the family computer (this was back in the days when computers were worth more than we were).  Having put everything back together, we powered it up, and nothing happened.  Checked the mains was on.  Wiggled some cables.  Frobbed the switch repeatedly: still dead.  I paused thoughtfully for a few seconds then delivered a medium thump in the vicinity of the PSU, at which point it sprang to life and proceeded to work flawlessly (or a Windows 95 approximation thereof) until taken out by a lightning strike a year or two later.

The stuff of legends.   8)


Seems like a good opportunity to repost this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=insM7oUYNOE
http://youtu.be/insM7oUYNOE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 October, 2014, 09:07:24 pm
Fixed five punctures on my 1x1! I'd forgotten how many you tend to get MTB-ing in autumn. Especially along riverbanks and through woods, damn thorns.

Then I gave it a quick clean prior to taking it down the LBS for a bit of work. Shame they were too busy to take it (for me, not them), but I had a bit of crack with Ivan and I have a clean bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 24 October, 2014, 09:23:54 am
Finally started taking the crash-damaged bits off the Croix de Fer - the shifters were consigned to the bin and the handlebars (gouged to hell and back) and old front rim and disc rotor (both distinctly taco-shaped)  are off to the tip once I can drive again - only taken me 6 weeks, although in my defence this is the first time I've been able to wield an Allen key without subjecting myself to teeth-grinding, buttock-clenching agony.

Still don't have enough 'fine' control to handle a spoke key yet, so I suspect the building of the new front wheel will be entrusted to the LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 25 October, 2014, 10:57:45 am
Today, after last nights nightmare commute, I replaced shredded tyre with a new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 25 October, 2014, 04:41:50 pm
Fitted new brake blocks & tightened chain on the Pomp.

Cleared pigeon shit & what was growing from it from shed gutter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 October, 2014, 04:48:43 pm
A dining Table and 4 chairs. For once all the bits of the flat pack were there, drilled correctly and fitted together first time :)

Also got a couple of decent 4mm and 5mm allen keys. Much better quality than the usual flat pack freebies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 25 October, 2014, 05:22:48 pm
I fettled one of my On-One base layers by cutting a slit in the right cuff. It's getting too bloody cold to be gadding around in T-shirts, so even if I am still slightly deficient in the functional arm stakes then at least I'll be warm too.

Sewing the aforementioned slit back up will be a good ROM test once I've got my right hand back ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 October, 2014, 06:57:05 pm
Washed my Moulton, replaced the rear tyre and packed both of them for our redeye flight tonight. The 1200 starts Tuesday evening; hopefully both our lurgies will have sufficiently departed by then to allow us to get round.

I'm also couriering over a fixed cog and freewheel cog over for a bloke who broke his geared frame 2 days before flying out of Canada.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 October, 2014, 12:15:56 am
Fettled the Scout accounts, and it's nowhere near the end of the year. Even better, I managed to track down a previously lost £180.00.  Trebles all round! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 October, 2014, 03:20:16 am
Found a brand-new cable for Emily the SatNav in the Big Bag of Anbaric String - Bog knows what happened to the old one which I used before my holibobs unless it's hiding in a hitherto unexplored corner of my rucksack.  Plugged her into the Babbage-Engine and updated her a bit.  Then contemplated updating her maps.

You want HOW MUCH for updated maps :o. Thirty quid for Europe and another thirty for North America.  Or a hundred for a "lifetime's" supply.  Yes, she occasionally got a bit confused by for e.g. The new Sacramento bypass.  No, I'm not paying thirty sovs when a Paper-Based Solution may be had for well under a tenner.  Fucking shysters >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Trull on 26 October, 2014, 10:34:29 am
I changed over the rear q/r skewer to old stylee campag so that it fits into the turbo nicely.

Its tough - but I managed it!   :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 October, 2014, 05:23:38 pm
Finally replaced the transmission on the Van Nic.
New BB
New Ultegra triple.
New Ultegra 12 - 27 cassette
New KMC Goldie lookin' chain
Serviced the Mavic freewheel so now, like a nun's fart, it is (almost) silent (the almighty hears everything).

Forecast for tomorrow is dry - so I may use it to get to work :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 26 October, 2014, 08:25:36 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 25 October, 2014, 04:41:50 pm
Cleared pigeon shit & what was growing from it from shed gutter.
I hope you put that pigeon shit where it'd do your garden good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 October, 2014, 10:41:03 pm
New dynohub wheel and Cyo Premium added to the hybrid, after I'd found a replacement fork crown bolt for the stripped one that was there. Also put a rear rack on the bike and sorted the rear lighting ready for resuming commuting duties.

All it needs now is a new mudflap and, if I get round to it, the front mech and shifter refitting.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 28 October, 2014, 08:42:28 pm
Adapted my face-melta XML-T6 unit, to have less 'incident' light, and more useful beam shape...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 28 October, 2014, 09:24:52 pm
Yesterdays fettle splitting atoms. Well getting a very rusted chain of the cassette, it was also fun getting the chain out of the derailour, needed the help of the top boss - Mr Hammer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanN on 29 October, 2014, 04:30:15 pm
(yesterday) I re-hung a pair of doors - one of which is slightly narrower than before. Now I've done it once, it's not that difficult, but I have no intention of ever doing it again. Ever.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 29 October, 2014, 05:33:45 pm
Quote from: IanN on 29 October, 2014, 04:30:15 pm
(yesterday) I re-hung a pair of doors - one of which is slightly narrower than before. Now I've done it once, it's not that difficult, but I have no intention of ever doing it again. Ever.  >:(

electric planes make this a bit easier
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 29 October, 2014, 06:29:17 pm
So yesterday got around to fitting the new front dérailleur on the second best bike.   When the old one was off it was clearly knackered.  The clean chain was reinstalled and the cable attached.  I was hoping for an easy win.  But alas, as I started to tune up the front I noticed that the rear wheel was out of true.
But that was enough for that day. 

Today I carried on.  The rear wheel was trued.  But as I trued it I noticed that the bearings were loose ::-)  I took off the cassette, expecting to have to to fit new balls but then found that the locknut for the cones was slightly loose and so all I had to do was adjust the cones!  Hurrah!   Whacked everything back together, finished trimming the front dérailleur and it's all working again better than before

Then I replaced the handlebar tape because it was quite grotty

The bike is ready for tonight's trip to the Five Bells
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 29 October, 2014, 07:01:08 pm
Replaced the rear mech hanger on the not-Tifosi. Test ride tomorrow night (with new cassette and jockey wheels too) - hopefully it shall go to the ball Whitby!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 29 October, 2014, 10:29:18 pm
I have unstalled my old 5.1 setup in the Great Hall and have installed a 7.1 system instead.  Even MOAR squeaker cables but fewer AV ones.  Does anyone know if there's a limit to the quantity of Nectar points one can spend in one transaction at Mr Sainsbury's Emporium of Toothy Comestibles and Other Stuffs?  The DVD player is well past its prime.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 30 October, 2014, 06:24:42 pm
I made a bracket out of tubing to mount a handle bar bag to the side of my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 30 October, 2014, 11:03:11 pm
Fettled the On-One Mary bars and ESI grips onto the Genesis Adventure Fortitude. A quick spin up and down the track behind the house suggests they're going to be rather comfy  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 October, 2014, 09:22:23 am
Quote from: Moultonaught on 30 October, 2014, 11:03:11 pm
Fettled the On-One Mary bars and ESI grips onto the Genesis Adventure Fortitude. A quick spin up and down the track behind the house suggests they're going to be rather comfy  :)
They are.
Mary bars plus Ergon GP1s (or similar) are my cockpit of choice for the off-roaders (the ones on the Fortitude are Evans' GP-1 knockoffs which are surprisingly good - the El Mariachi has gen-yoo-ine Ergons)

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ss-cockpit.jpg)

 My next fettle will be fitting same to Pugsley, who currently has Easton EA70s which I really don't get on with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 31 October, 2014, 11:19:04 am
good to hear! :). Interesting to see you've taped the  rest of the bars.  I was pondering last night whether to tape inward of the brake levers. I think I'll try a few rides and see if I gravitate towards using the centre-ish section of the bars.

Quote from: interzen on 31 October, 2014, 09:22:23 am
Quote from: Moultonaught on 30 October, 2014, 11:03:11 pm
Fettled the On-One Mary bars and ESI grips onto the Genesis Adventure Fortitude. A quick spin up and down the track behind the house suggests they're going to be rather comfy  :)
They are.
Mary bars plus Ergon GP1s (or similar) are my cockpit of choice for the off-roaders (the ones on the Fortitude are Evans' GP-1 knockoffs which are surprisingly good - the El Mariachi has gen-yoo-ine Ergons)

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ss-cockpit.jpg)

 My next fettle will be fitting same to Pugsley, who currently has Easton EA70s which I really don't get on with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 October, 2014, 11:24:53 am
I tend to ride on the curves on flat and/or smooth sections (think roads or gravel tracks) - it's actually cork tape over gel padding; given the sort of off-road distances I can cover on training rides I'll take everything I can get in the hand comfort stakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 31 October, 2014, 12:48:17 pm
Put a pannier rack and the dynohub wheel on the not-Tifosi, ready for tonight's adventures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 October, 2014, 06:07:47 pm
This week I have been mostly fettling Space Marines. These are like Airfix, but geekier, much more expensive and bloody fiddly. I'm glad I haven't had to do the painting (and as for the playing  :hand:).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 31 October, 2014, 06:14:50 pm
Are space marines part of the Warhammer universe? That rings a bell from Master Moultonaught the Senior's warhammering past...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 31 October, 2014, 07:47:24 pm
Quote from: Moultonaught on 31 October, 2014, 06:14:50 pm
Are space marines part of the Warhammer universe? That rings a bell from Master Moultonaught the Senior's warhammering past...
Warhammer 40k, yes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 November, 2014, 03:16:43 pm
The kitchen bathroom and hall floor, they now look sparkly clean.

I then fettled the Calibre networked library so that it ran faster. This was acheived by a) deleting 15000 books and b) using UNCs for the path to the books, rather than mounted shares.  It is actually useable now, like the MediaMonkey install I sorted in the same manner last week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 02 November, 2014, 07:12:13 pm
Soaked the pivot points of the Horizon's front mech in wet lube and worked it backwards and forwards numerous times. It seems to have freed up the mech. Maybe I'll even be able to access the granny ring again!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 02 November, 2014, 07:37:39 pm
I fitted the new Schmidt Edelux front light and wired up the rear light. For that, I kept the Philips light in place. It's a very elegant light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 03 November, 2014, 08:41:58 am
I replaced the gear inners and outers, jockey wheels, chain and cassette on G G G Granville yesterday evening. Tidying up a patio workshop in the gloom is a challenge ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 06 November, 2014, 10:54:01 pm
Marathon Pluses on my Roberts, after the demise of the rear Pasela last week. It'll never be a light bike.

Also, sick of swapping baggage, I dug out the knackered Carradice Super C saddlepack, added some holes, and lashed it on with cable ties and toestraps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 November, 2014, 01:31:48 pm
Not normally an issue, but I have brought Bikejournal up to date - from 1 August! :o

Numbers are lower than I'd wish for, but better than they might have been.  Got over 500km in September, and almost that in October.  I'm well on the way to recovery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 10 November, 2014, 01:53:13 pm
I've made mud flaps for the front wheels on my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 10 November, 2014, 02:25:22 pm
Yesterday: new fanbelt and tensioner on the Saab 9-3. The old belt snapped after the A/C compressor seized - a know 9-3 problem and at least it happened at the end of Summer! Simple (and cheaper) solution use a non A/C aux belt and by-pass the air con for winter...  :)

I'd like to thank the designer for putting a brake pipe directly in front of the 8mm allen headed bolt that holds the tensioner on, thus preventing the use of pretty well anything to undo it! -I had to chop down an allen key with an angle grinder and then use a ratchet spanner on the 'shorty' allen key. A simple task unnecessarily made complicated!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 November, 2014, 03:22:37 pm
Quote from: Moultonaught on 10 November, 2014, 02:25:22 pm
Yesterday: new fanbelt and tensioner on the Saab 9-3. The old belt snapped after the A/C compressor seized - a know 9-3 problem and at least it happened at the end of Summer! Simple (and cheaper) solution use a non A/C aux belt and by-pass the air con for winter...  :)

I'd like to thank the designer for putting a brake pipe directly in front of the 8mm allen headed bolt that holds the tensioner on, thus preventing the use of pretty well anything to undo it! -I had to chop down an allen key with an angle grinder and then use a ratchet spanner on the 'shorty' allen key. A simple task unnecessarily made complicated!

The trouble with doing that is that the gas contains a lubricant that stops the seals wearing out.  OK, when you get the compressor replaced it will have to be re-gassed any way, but not running the compressor for at least 10 minutes a month will cause leaks in other areas, so you might find you get the compressor replaced and then the AC stops working as it should not long after.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 10 November, 2014, 03:26:42 pm
That's interesting. I didn't know that.

I'm not sure I'll be keeping the car long term so it seemed a bit premature to spend £225 on an air con compressor v plus a re-gas on a £525 quid car! So far it's done 2,000 miles on an oil and filter change, 3 windscreen wipers, 2 part worn tyres, & (ironically) an air con re-gas - but at least the air con was cold for 2 weeks in France in the summer that the car was bought for  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 10 November, 2014, 09:20:56 pm
(Yesterday) made a trike hanger.

The new shed is metal, which is good, except when you want to attach any of the various bike-hanging devices on the market, most of which bolt to a wooden batten or similar. So:

Find a bit of wood from an old broken flat-pack pine arm-chair. Bike hanger on the front, two coat hangers (of the type used in public buildings) on the back as hooks, drilling additional holes so that the top hook lies flat along the wood, and put the hooks in the channel in the frame of the shed. Needs a couple of zip ties to prevent the bottom of the wooden strip from swinging away from the shed wall. Position hook carefully so that the trike wheels take the weight of the machine, of course.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21716908/trikehanger.jpg) (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21716908/trikehangerback.jpg) (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21716908/trikehung.jpg)

OK, pretty trivial compared to some projects here, but my trike is available for use at last :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 14 November, 2014, 10:57:15 pm
Fettled some new mudguards and a rack-mounted (i.e. I can leave it on the bike and it won't get stolen unless someone's really determined) rear light to the shopping bike. Ugh. I hate mudguards. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 14 November, 2014, 11:10:18 pm
First 'proper' bike fettle in ages.

Replaced the 11T lockring on Pugsley with the 'correct' 12T lockring - means that the sprocket and spacers now actually stay put and the lockring can't be unscrewed by hand  ::-) A more interesting challenge, given the somewhat weakened state of my right hand, was adjusting the rear brake so that the pads didn't rub on the caliper - managed it with the aid of the HBFO 5mm Allen key, albeit with a little bit of discomfort.

All I need now is to be fit to actually, y'know, ride ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 15 November, 2014, 11:03:51 am
Quote from: tiermat on 10 November, 2014, 03:22:37 pm
Quote from: Moultonaught on 10 November, 2014, 02:25:22 pm
Yesterday: new fanbelt and tensioner on the Saab 9-3. The old belt snapped after the A/C compressor seized - a know 9-3 problem and at least it happened at the end of Summer! Simple (and cheaper) solution use a non A/C aux belt and by-pass the air con for winter...  :)

I'd like to thank the designer for putting a brake pipe directly in front of the 8mm allen headed bolt that holds the tensioner on, thus preventing the use of pretty well anything to undo it! -I had to chop down an allen key with an angle grinder and then use a ratchet spanner on the 'shorty' allen key. A simple task unnecessarily made complicated!

The trouble with doing that is that the gas contains a lubricant that stops the seals wearing out.  OK, when you get the compressor replaced it will have to be re-gassed any way, but not running the compressor for at least 10 minutes a month will cause leaks in other areas, so you might find you get the compressor replaced and then the AC stops working as it should not long after.

This is why I never actually turn the A/C off, unless 'er indoors objects . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 15 November, 2014, 11:18:19 am
Meanwhile, in other news . . .

A bike carrier for a customer which was so loose on the tailgate it could've qualified as a road sweeper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 November, 2014, 11:45:30 am
Quote from: torslanda on 15 November, 2014, 11:18:19 am
Meanwhile, in other news . . .

A bike carrier for a customer which was so loose on the tailgate it could've qualified as a road sweeper.

Fitted by Halfrauds, was it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 November, 2014, 12:06:27 pm
The only fettling I have done today (apart from making enough veg soup to feed the street, or 3 hungry and cold cyclists) is to take the Dave Yates off the turbo, ready for a visit by Ruthie and Slowcoach.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 15 November, 2014, 12:08:19 pm
Ooh, lovely!!! :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 16 November, 2014, 03:30:42 pm
This weekend I finally got around to fettling the recently purchased Genesis Equilibrium Disc 20.  Fitted a shorter stem (90 vs the stock 110), replaced the saddle and seatpost with the Romin Pro / Canyon VCLS 1 combo, changed the chainrings from 52/36 to 50/34, swapped the tyres (Conti Grand Sport Race 25's) to Vittoris Pave CG Open 25's, and finally fitted the mudguards. Well also fitted pump, Garmin and light brackets too.

Had to get a bit creative with the from mudgaurd stays. In their wisdom, despite fitting the very low profile TRP Hy/Rd brakes, Genesis decided to put the stay mounting points about 1/3 the way up the fork leg. On a previous bike with the mounts on the dropout, all I had to do was fettle a 10mm long spacer (the tubular bit of a brak bolt sufficed) and hey presto. But this time an amount of bending was required.

(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_0818.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_0818.jpg.html)

And as the bottom of the LH fork leg was kinked to allow the calliper to be mounted square, they also had to be bent in that plane too (plus the "rivnut" was bonded in cock-eyed too).  Not as elegant as I'd like, so may get some replacement stays and try and do a neater looking job.

(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_0821.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_0821.jpg.html)

Other than that it looks ok, and rides really nicely.  I may end up changing the bar tape though - when I build my own bikes I always add bar phat and Cinelli padded tape.

(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_0819.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_0819.jpg.html)

(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_0817.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_0817.jpg.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 November, 2014, 03:37:01 pm
Continuing the Genesis theme, I started (re)building the Croix de Fer today:

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/P1020775.jpg)

The original Genesis bars and Tiagra shifters were destroyed in the collision, so have been replaced with a set of On-One Midge bars (off my now-departed High Latitude MTB)  and some 10spd bar-ends courtesy of A Certain Manchester Bike Emporium.

Wheels aren't fitted at the moment (duh!) - the rear wheel survived but I still have to start on the replacement front wheel (which got taco'd in the crash) - unfortunately I still don't have enough range of motion in my wrist to wield a spoke key efficiently. Given the state of the chain after 10 weeks in storage I suspect a new cassette and chain will be required too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 16 November, 2014, 06:01:43 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 16 November, 2014, 03:30:42 pm
In their wisdom, despite fitting the very low profile TRP Hy/Rd brakes, Genesis decided to put the stay mounting points about 1/3 the way up the fork leg.
One of the arguments for this relates to the possibility of something getting jammed under the mudguard and causing it to fold up. This can be dangerous and is, of course, the reason for secu-clips.

With the mounting points away from the wheel hub, the guard should tend to fold away from the wheel and not be so likely to jam under the crown. This design was, curiously, quite common half a century or more ago, but seems to have been forgotten since.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 16 November, 2014, 06:52:16 pm
No pics, until it's finished:  but started to fettle the no name e-stay retro mtb to be a leave at the London Stn commuter

Swopped some 26. 1.75 Vittoria tyres onto it, with presta tubes
Removed the front mech

I then raided the bits  box for:

SKS wide mudguards
old RX100 rear mech
A old quill 531 (allegedly) stem in readiness for bars and brake levers from Mr Bunbury

Fitted the front canti from Polar Bear :thumbsup: and the rear Suntour SE brake that he sold me for 60p at Long Itch!

Fitted the used deore chainset my LBS gave me  yesterday ( :thumbsup: ) - it's used with no rings - of course like the best crack dealer - in giving me that freebie I then had to buy more - an external bearing BB and a tool to fit it! First time fiddling with an external bearing BB - I like it  :)

Then I ordered:

A front chainring from Velosolo (it's gong to be 1 x 7) - it might accidentally be gold to match the brake levers!
A chain and red brake cables from eBay!

Opps, so much for low key commuter......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 November, 2014, 10:42:16 pm
Brompton cables.  I'm reasonably sure they're the right length now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 November, 2014, 11:28:21 pm
built my runabout bike, including the mudguards! still deciding weather to keep it ss or put few more gears on.

also, installed a different set of tri-bars on my audax bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 17 November, 2014, 08:38:33 am
Quote from: drossall on 16 November, 2014, 06:01:43 pm

With the mounting points away from the wheel hub, the guard should tend to fold away from the wheel and not be so likely to jam under the crown. This design was, curiously, quite common half a century or more ago, but seems to have been forgotten since.

I understand the reasoning, but unfortunately the stay mounting points on the mudguard are positioned/angled on the assumption that a fixing point near the axle will be used, so when it isn't (as in this case) the stays need to be bent to realign them with that radius that's been assumed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 17 November, 2014, 08:52:16 am
The living room ceiling... >:( >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 17 November, 2014, 08:26:10 pm
Fettled pedals, bottle cages, pump, a shorter stem and some reflective tape to the Genesis. All ready for its maiden voyage now. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 17 November, 2014, 09:04:45 pm
The MTB was so filthy that cleaning it counts as fettling, in my book. It's only getting this much TLC because it's new, and is unlikely to get washed again quite so thoroughly for a while!

Last night was taking all the accessories off, scrubbed in the sink and left to dry overnight. This evening I've had the seatpost and seat tube apart for a wash, regrease and refit, then three sessions of kneeling next to the bath with cleaners and old sponges - two for the wheels and one for the frame and forks. Finally, dried it off and re-fitted all the accessories (with a WD40 clean and a regrease on all the threads). Oh, and I changed the pedals and refitted the Garmin mount properly too  :thumbsup:

That's now all three bikes (somewhat) clean-ish... I wonder how long that'll last!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 18 November, 2014, 09:59:24 pm
Fitted the winter tyres to my green bike. It kept the ice away last year, let's see if it does the same this year.

Not that I set out to do that - I went to pump up a tyre, having snapped the valve end off a couple of weeks ago, but it went straight down as soon as I released the pump, then when I replaced the valve core with a spare from a knackered tube and pumped the tyre up again, it was still leaking air when I released the pump. A tear in the valve.

So I thought I may as well put on the studded tyres, as the other tyres (Conti Travel Contacts) are an absolute pain to get on and off. And I'll not change back until March, at the earliest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 November, 2014, 01:19:51 pm
New batteries into 1*Mantaray watch, one animal watch and managed to break my Fossil watch.

Have found I don't have the right batteries for the Festina or the Lidl special HRM watch and can't get the back off Mrs T's Rotary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 20 November, 2014, 03:09:28 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 17 November, 2014, 09:04:45 pm
The MTB was so filthy that cleaning it counts as fettling, in my book. It's only getting this much TLC because it's new, and is unlikely to get washed again quite so thoroughly for a while!

Last night was taking all the accessories off, scrubbed in the sink and left to dry overnight. This evening I've had the seatpost and seat tube apart for a wash, regrease and refit, then three sessions of kneeling next to the bath with cleaners and old sponges - two for the wheels and one for the frame and forks. Finally, dried it off and re-fitted all the accessories (with a WD40 clean and a regrease on all the threads). Oh, and I changed the pedals and refitted the Garmin mount properly too  :thumbsup:

That's now all three bikes (somewhat) clean-ish... I wonder how long that'll last!

Pics of the clean new steed?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 November, 2014, 03:17:43 pm
I've fettled the Brompton's rear light so the standlight capacitor automagically discharges when you do the first-stage fold.   :thumbsup:

I also fettled my leaky index finger back together with cyanoacrylate glue, after accidentally stabbing it with the track destroyer.   :facepalm:

(56ohm resistor, old cateye computer sensor, rare-earth magnet and a *lot* of fiddling about.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 20 November, 2014, 03:18:54 pm
Replaced a bolt in the SPD cleat of my left shoe and tightened associated bolts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 November, 2014, 10:32:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 November, 2014, 03:17:43 pm
I've fettled the Brompton's rear light so the standlight capacitor automagically discharges when you do the first-stage fold.   :thumbsup:

I also fettled my leaky index finger back together with cyanoacrylate glue, after accidentally stabbing it with the track destroyer.   :facepalm:

(56ohm resistor, old cateye computer sensor, rare-earth magnet and a *lot* of fiddling about.)

If the blood letting is ignored, that does sound like a most excellent fettle. The light bit, not the first aid.

I put most of the bits from the fixer I broke on the FNRTTC onto a newly acquired Dave Yates frame. Thwarted by the lack of the right BB tool to remove the old one.  Even though it's not quite all there, it is very light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 November, 2014, 10:37:36 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 November, 2014, 10:32:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 November, 2014, 03:17:43 pm
I've fettled the Brompton's rear light so the standlight capacitor automagically discharges when you do the first-stage fold.   :thumbsup:

If the blood letting is ignored, that does sound like a most excellent fettle. The light bit, not the first aid.

Seems a bit wrong that a bike that pretty much exists to be carried on trains has a rear light with no off switch.  My thought process went: "I'll see if there's room to mount a push button.  Hm, actually I could use one of those reed switches from $project and wave a magnet at it so as to not compromise the waterproofing.  Or even better, use a reed switch to detect the fold...hmm, do I still have that dodgy cateye?  To the cable ties!"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 November, 2014, 06:12:06 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 November, 2014, 10:32:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 November, 2014, 03:17:43 pm
I've fettled the Brompton's rear light so the standlight capacitor automagically discharges when you do the first-stage fold.   :thumbsup:

I also fettled my leaky index finger back together with cyanoacrylate glue, after accidentally stabbing it with the track destroyer.   :facepalm:

(56ohm resistor, old cateye computer sensor, rare-earth magnet and a *lot* of fiddling about.)

If the blood letting is ignored, that does sound like a most excellent fettle. The light bit, not the first aid.

I put most of the bits from the fixer I broke on the FNRTTC onto a newly acquired Dave Yates frame. Thwarted by the lack of the right BB tool to remove the old one.  Even though it's not quite all there, it is very light.

We need pics! Out of interest was it the brown/red one you got? If so you got it at a good price
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 21 November, 2014, 09:23:37 am
4-pint milk bottle mudflap for the bakfiets forward of the handlebars' headset; not sure how vulnerable the bearings are, but it seems to be trapping a goodly amount of road crud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 21 November, 2014, 10:57:46 am
Quote from: Dibdib on 17 November, 2014, 09:04:45 pm
The MTB was so filthy that cleaning it counts as fettling, in my book. It's only getting this much TLC because it's new, and is unlikely to get washed again quite so thoroughly for a while!

Last night was taking all the accessories off, scrubbed in the sink and left to dry overnight. This evening I've had the seatpost and seat tube apart for a wash, regrease and refit, then three sessions of kneeling next to the bath with cleaners and old sponges - two for the wheels and one for the frame and forks. Finally, dried it off and re-fitted all the accessories (with a WD40 clean and a regrease on all the threads). Oh, and I changed the pedals and refitted the Garmin mount properly too  :thumbsup:

That's now all three bikes (somewhat) clean-ish... I wonder how long that'll last!

Get yourself a mobi spray cleaner (in new year sales)!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi-v-17-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod46653
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 21 November, 2014, 11:59:09 am
Quote from: Canardly on 21 November, 2014, 10:57:46 am
Get yourself a mobi spray cleaner (in new year sales)!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi-v-17-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod46653

Yikes!  :o Think I'll pass on that. My plan for the spring is to nuke from orbit fettle the back garden so that I can use the patio as an outdoor workshop/cleaning area again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 21 November, 2014, 12:09:47 pm
I use two of (similar to) these. One with muc-off or similar (in the red one), one with clean water for rinsing (in the green one). with a good pump, they have enough pressure for shifting a good amount of muck.  and no power supply  req'd, and they give the user a work out too!  ;D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenkey-Hand-Pressure-Sprayer-2Ltr/dp/B001NNAE9A/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1416571574&sr=8-22&keywords=hand+pump+pressure+sprayer

Apologies for the source...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 21 November, 2014, 12:18:49 pm
Call me old-fashioned but what's wrong with a Mk1 Garden Hose?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 21 November, 2014, 12:20:09 pm
A new kitchen mixer tap has been fettled into place, no leaks!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 21 November, 2014, 12:39:54 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 21 November, 2014, 12:18:49 pm
Call me old-fashioned but what's wrong with a Mk1 Garden Hose?


Currently no outside tap! ;D and I'll have to drill through a 3 foot think lime render encased mud wall to fit one! and I don't have a drill bit long enough! I'm waiting for Aldi or Lidl to have one cheap....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 November, 2014, 02:41:15 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 21 November, 2014, 06:12:06 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 November, 2014, 10:32:49 pm

I put most of the bits from the fixer I broke on the FNRTTC onto a newly acquired Dave Yates frame. Thwarted by the lack of the right BB tool to remove the old one.  Even though it's not quite all there, it is very light.

We need pics! Out of interest was it the brown/red one you got? If so you got it at a good price

It was indeed the brown/red one. I heart the ebay app on my phone.  Pics, hopefully, over the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 November, 2014, 07:24:13 pm
Quick and dirty build up of the Dave Yates completed. By heck, back on a full sized bike is good. To do list: Fit new bearings to back wheel. Re build front wheel with new rim and stainless spokes. Send frame to Conningsby for repaint. sort out rear mudguard. Possibly get new, less scratched chainset. Ditto seat post.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S2HyXr6ZGaU/VHDfzT4lmRI/AAAAAAAAGjE/dyvhgCAW-S0/w1043-h698-no/IMGP5624.JPG)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Oxn27a4YhKs/VHDfz118mAI/AAAAAAAAGjM/thD0OesMwxc/w1043-h698-no/IMGP5625.JPG)
 
10.8kg, according to the bathroom scales.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 22 November, 2014, 07:30:04 pm
Did two loads of washing.  Tidied the kitchen.  Changed the sheets.

Trying to see that as an achievement, because it kind of is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 November, 2014, 07:32:51 pm
Tried to do more fettling on the Croix de Fer today, but realised rather too late (ie. after I'd come back from the LBS) that whilst I have an elegant sufficiency of brake inner cables in the bits box, brake outer is notably absent  :facepalm:

So in the end I too did laundry and sundry other household chores in between buying assorted bits for n+1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 22 November, 2014, 09:05:58 pm
Used a Dremel attachment designed to decoke cylinder heads to remove 12 years of burnt stuff from the gas cooker rings. Then used a chisel bladed modelling knife to clean the oven door's window.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 22 November, 2014, 09:29:47 pm
A puncture on the Genesis. Discovered that I can get the back wheel out even with the mudguard in place, which was nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 November, 2014, 12:12:03 am
Cleaned out the rhones. This requires the manipulation of a very heavy ladder (20 rungs per section, two sections and solid enough to use horizontally. I t weighs about 50 kilos.) The house is on a hill at a funny angle.

Being creative I then designed a widget that attaches to a painters pole which would make cleaning them possible with no leaning and no repositioning of the ladder. Just got to make it before next year.

Then cleaned out the chicken coop. Oh joy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 November, 2014, 12:18:15 am
Quote from: David Martin on 23 November, 2014, 12:12:03 am
Cleaned out the rhones.

Is that Scottish for drainpipe?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 23 November, 2014, 08:47:16 am
Fettled the rear light on the Hewitt. Odd really and I'm not sure how I fixed it. Dynamo via the front iq fly, the lamp wasn't working so I put a spare on which didn't work. So I fitted both lamps onto the fixed, where they both worked.
Next a multimeter was used to check the wiring, leads were fine. Plug first lamp back on and spin the wheel and it worked, thank lucky stars and curse intermittent electrical faults.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 November, 2014, 08:52:29 am
Quote from: Kim on 23 November, 2014, 12:18:15 am
Quote from: David Martin on 23 November, 2014, 12:12:03 am
Cleaned out the rhones.

Is that Scottish for drainpipe?

Gutters
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 23 November, 2014, 06:22:21 pm
Removed a couple of Kgs of Norfolk from the tandem. Re-lubed the drive train, made things good again after yesterday's 100.

Examined fboab's #2 Son's bike where he'd wiped off the rear mech during a kerb-induced tarmac interface. Rubbed chin a little, sucked teeth and muttered "Ohh... that's gonna cost you..."

Put Borrowed Swallow back on the stand and resumed reassembly prior to it moving to pastures new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 November, 2014, 11:32:52 am
Thought I would have a look at the inbred, on which the chain had been rubbing on the front mech ever since I did a strip down, clean and rebuild.

Having spent 10 minutes adjusting the mech side to side I looked down at the BB to see that I had put the spacers in wrong.  It's a 68mm BB shell and thus needs 3 spacers to make it 73mm.  They SHOULD go 2 on NDS, one DS.  I had put them the other way around!

Once that mistake was rectified all was good.

I then tried to work out how to fit mudguards to a 26" Orange.  Might be a bit of a challenge!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 November, 2014, 11:54:30 am
I am trying to summon up the suss to fettle things in the attic, which will require a head torch and prodigious quantities of Bad Swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 November, 2014, 01:55:46 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 24 November, 2014, 11:54:30 am
I am trying to summon up the suss to fettle things in the attic, which will require a head torch and prodigious quantities of Bad Swears.

So far this has cost the nails of three fingers and one thumb and led to a Mr Larrington bent so badly out of shape that he may need the services of Mike The Pipe to get him back the way nature intended.

And I haven't even started wielding any tools yet :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 November, 2014, 02:08:38 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 23 November, 2014, 08:52:29 am
Quote from: Kim on 23 November, 2014, 12:18:15 am
Quote from: David Martin on 23 November, 2014, 12:12:03 am
Cleaned out the rhones.

Is that Scottish for drainpipe?

Gutters
As in rhines on the Somerset Levels.

Meanwhile:
Quote from: Ruthie on 22 November, 2014, 07:30:04 pm
Did two loads of washing.  Tidied the kitchen.  Changed the sheets.

Trying to see that as an achievement, because it kind of is.
Certainly it is! Can I hire you to do our kitchen before we get to:
Quote from: Vince on 22 November, 2014, 09:05:58 pm
Used a Dremel attachment designed to decoke cylinder heads to remove 12 years of burnt stuff from the gas cooker rings. Then used a chisel bladed modelling knife to clean the oven door's window.
;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 24 November, 2014, 02:24:40 pm
Rhines and Rhones?  Is there a Saone?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 November, 2014, 02:42:58 pm
No, but Beaujolais Nouveau is frequently substituted for drain cleaner.

I have prodded a few buttons on a remote control and can now listen to the anbaric wireless over teh Intarwebs, using only six metres of, er, cable.  Soon I shall add more cable, prod some different buttons and get the anbaric distascope to talk reliably to teh Intarwebs.  Hopefully this will not result in the Great Hall becoming one with Skynet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 November, 2014, 03:21:39 pm
Successfully un-fettled the washing machine.   :facepalm:

Barakta, doing her best imitation of a Soyuz crew and/or her mother (depending on how charitable you want to be), managed to terminally stab the power button with the handle of a wooden spoon last night.

Today I repositioned the fridge and contents in order to get access to the washing machine (there's an inch of overlap, due to insane landlord plumbing decisions), removed the top panel and investigated.  As predicted, a clusterfuck of brittle plastic failure.  I'd partially completed a successful bodge using hot-glue and self-tapping screws (I know!), when I managed to short something out and blow up some fiddly SMD component in the switching power supply.

On which basis I'm declaring it beyond economical repair.  While I could probably fix the electronics, it's snappy plastic all the way down, the door seal isn't fantastic and it's developed intermittent bearing noises.

So, new washing machine it is.  As we're Generation Rent, it's going to have to be Not An ISE, lest we have to give it up in a house move 6 weeks after buying it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 November, 2014, 03:26:11 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 November, 2014, 03:21:39 pm
I managed to short something out and blow up some fiddly SMD component in the switching power supply.
Self-Molishing, De?
Sado-Masochistic Design?
Switch Machine, Dummy?
Scummy Manky Destructor?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 November, 2014, 03:30:46 pm
The last three, mostly.   ;D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface-mount_technology
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 November, 2014, 08:49:46 pm
Using my Park cable cutters, a wire-stripping tool of uncertain provenance, a pair of nail scissors, two different screwdrivers, about fifteen metres of co-ax and a roll of double-sided tape I would now appear to have a reliable HD TV signal available in the Great Hall from a small set-top aerial located at the level of "where the loft floor used to be".  Further fettling may be required to extract Signal from the old loft aerial, the connection to which perished in a bizarre gardening accident circa 2003.  This may require the drilling of holes in walls, though at least they're only plasterboard.

I also need to remove some wood from the doors 'twixt bed platform and attic as, having finally wrenched the buggers open (see grumble elsewhere about finger and thumb nails), they can no longer be made to close without the application of ultra-violence.

As a result of all this I have discovered that I own a suitcase, two folding chairs, a substantial quantity of two-core mains cable and the box my desktop PC came in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 November, 2014, 09:20:49 pm
I've just fettled a pair of Marathon Plusses onto Junior's road bike for the winter,
since he's had a spate of punctures riding along the old Deeside Railway Line cycle path to the Athletics stadium.

That should slow the bugger down :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 25 November, 2014, 12:17:19 pm
Spent an enjoyable but chilly hour in the garage last night fettling bars, grips, brake levers and brake cables onto the 'to be left at the station in London' bike. the last part needed - some slightly pimpy canti brake cable hangers should arrive today and once fitted and with a bit of wheel truing it should be good to go.

Had an enjoyable brief test ride with a head torch and no brakes up and down the track behind the house. Unfortunately the cat decided to join me by running alongside me and then running across in front of me when I turned round. Not great with no brakes! :facepalm:   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 25 November, 2014, 10:04:24 pm
Hmm.  The marathon plusses ( 700x25 ) are marginal in the Blue Ribble frame.
Not width, but height.

Because of the puncture protection strip, they are slightly 'domed'.
With the back wheel in place, it's marginal clearance between the tyre and the seat tube.
In fact, due to a tiny eccentricity on the wheel or tyre ( a fraction of a mm ), the crown of the tyre lightly scuffs the closest part of the seat tube: the front mech clamp.

I'm going to pretend I've not noticed.
One or t'other will wear soon enough; it's only the tiniest of little kisses.
On the stand, it doesn't stop the wheel spinning if I give it a birl.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 November, 2014, 10:17:26 pm
Tyres often 'stretch' slightly in use (actually creep). Don't be surprised if the contact gets a little firmer after a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 25 November, 2014, 10:21:41 pm
Well, it'll slow the bugger down a bit :-)
Or I may let some wind out of the tyre and see how he gets on with a soggy back end!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 November, 2014, 12:12:41 am
Put a 4-gang extension lead under the sofa so the power cable for the laptop no longer runs over the back of said sofa.  Routed the HDMI cable from the laptop to the AV wossname under the rug so Mr Larrington no longer falls over said cable and causes expensive things - such as said laptop and Mr Larrington - to hit the floor hard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 November, 2014, 11:33:20 am
Fitted the mudguards to the Orange SS, went on no problem (barring the end of the rear one scraping on the tyre, which was solved with a heat gun!). Fitted the rack back on, too. It is now all ready for Scottish commuting.

Then fettle by proxy of the chimney, so the fettle of the wood pile from yesterday means we can have a lovely log fire going (which it now is!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 November, 2014, 09:25:04 am
Today, so far, has been batteries into 2 * watches (an el cheapo Crivit sport watch, which I will pass onto on of TLD's friends and a Festina).  Fiddly little buggers, watches, the batteries even more so, maybe I should just replace all of them with automatics? this, of course would mean buying a automatic winder watch box :) N+1 applies to watches, too!

Also got a wash on, and put the bedding into the dryer, shall check on it in an hour or so then iron it straight out of the dryer, instead of leaving it on the armchair for a couple of months, for the cats to drop fleas and eggs onto it (flea eggs, not cat eggs!)

Then I have filing to look forward to! :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 November, 2014, 10:28:44 am
Changed the pedals on my hybrid to dual sided ones so I can use SPDs with it. The bike still hanging on the workstand in my front room wearing studded tyres to ward off the ice which it has successfully for the last couple weeks. Really should move it out of the front room though :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 November, 2014, 10:54:04 am
Bedding now washed, dried and ironed!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 November, 2014, 03:17:17 pm
I am now able to access the Musical Tunes on my NAS from the AV receiver :thumbsup:  It helps if you haven't hidden the network inputs because you haven't been using them.  Anyone know how playlists work on a DLNA server?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 November, 2014, 03:19:07 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 November, 2014, 03:17:17 pm
I am now able to access the Musical Tunes on my NAS from the AV receiver :thumbsup:  It helps if you haven't hidden the network inputs because you haven't been using them.  Anyone know how playlists work on a DLNA server?

They use relative paths.

Create the playlist as a M3U, complete with relative paths, plop it in place then select it from the receiver and away you go (servers such as Twonky etc can create them on the fly, in the right format, might be worth trying to see if yours will do that then modify it to suit)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 27 November, 2014, 03:29:44 pm
A fettle-in-waiting: got an email from the LBS earlier saying that the forks for the Cross Check are now ready (headset crown race needed some 'additional persuasion'), followed by another email later saying that some sundry other bits arrived (bar tape, caliper adapter for the Croix de Fer) etc.

So tonight will be spent, in no particular order:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 November, 2014, 11:31:24 pm
A quick brake pad replacement on the not-Tifosi before heading out on an evening ride, having realised just how worn the old ones were...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 27 November, 2014, 11:32:05 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 27 November, 2014, 11:31:24 pm
A quick brake pad replacement on the not-Tifosi before heading out on an evening ride, having realised just how worn the old ones were...

What's an evening ride like at this time of year?  What time did you get back?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 November, 2014, 11:37:14 pm
Surprisingly warm! Didn't get back until 10ish but there was a lovely orange moon out there. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 November, 2014, 11:39:25 pm
Can't be much different to a day ride at this point...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 28 November, 2014, 09:00:56 am
I quite often toy with the idea but the evening is when the boys in the Novas come out to play. They don't look where they're going. The sound of abused engines being accelerated to warp speed down my street is off-putting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 28 November, 2014, 09:07:10 am
I wouldn't go out on my own into the countryside at night at this time of year, because I'd be worried that I might get some sort of disastrous mechanical (though on last Thursday's ride on the same route, there were lots of mountain rescue people wandering round doing some sort of drill!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 November, 2014, 09:26:09 am
The flip side is late night if you get out to the quiet lanes then I find you spot/hear far more animals. For example hedgehogs come out to play, and owls start calling. I also enjoy riding along the coast road out here with the sound of the waves in the background.

Audax o'clock in the morning is even quieter, but involves waking up early enough to get out for the ride which I'm not very good at :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 28 November, 2014, 09:42:16 am
I used to regularly ride from Aylesbury back to Thame on the back roads at about midnight after working late.  Was some of my favourite commuting - used to regularly but infrequently get 'fly bys' (in a Top Gun stylee) from owls  ;D


and to keep on topic  - the last bits required for the 'Leaving at a London station' bike arrived so I plan to fettle the brakes this evening....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 28 November, 2014, 09:53:20 am
Fettle fail last night :(
The Cross Check needs to go back to the LBS to have the bottom bracket threads chased out - there's a small amount of overspray in there, but the immutable Law Of Sod dictates that it's enough to stop the bottom bracket from screwing in properly.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 28 November, 2014, 10:19:47 am
My Movember was unfettled by a school receptionist as part of the KS4/5 assembly this morning. The assembly was around physical and mental health awareness as the students progress to adulthood.

Poor Kay was shaking like a leaf. At least she didn't comply with instructions from a couple of students that my eyebrows should be shaved  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 November, 2014, 12:22:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 28 November, 2014, 09:07:10 am
I wouldn't go out on my own into the countryside at night at this time of year, because I'd be worried that I might get some sort of disastrous mechanical.

Likewise.  The set of problems that I'm prepared to bodge at the roadside greatly diminishes when everything's wet and I can't feel my fingers.  I still ride the lanes, but never all that far from civilisation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 November, 2014, 02:15:30 pm
Rear tube in my Brommie. I really need to give it a proper clean, not just by brushing up against my fellow train commuters.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 28 November, 2014, 05:23:01 pm
Swapped the Conti Ultrasports on the Genesis for the Durano Pluses off its predecessor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 28 November, 2014, 05:58:12 pm
Replaced the bottom bracket on the Croix de Fer after the minor clunking that I had convinced myself was play in the pedal bearings rapidly got much worse.  I was slightly concerned that the replacement boasted 50% less seal drag than its predecessor as this probably means 50% less sealing too  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 November, 2014, 12:34:59 pm
Put air in tyres and then attacked the chain with WD40 and then wiped the chain then a drop of 3in1 oil on every link.  Now the bike is a little more silent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 30 November, 2014, 01:07:02 pm
I'm not sure if it counts as "fettling" but I attacked the worst excesses of the overgrown back garden with some secateurs, with the hope of carving out a path between garage and patio so I could hose off the MTB.

I wasn't entirely sucessful, but it's a big improvement on how it was. I'm not doing another trip to the recycling centre today in Swindon traffic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 November, 2014, 03:15:33 pm
What started off as a change the pads in the cantis on the fixer has ended up as a spoke-by-spoke clean of the bike, consuming the best part of a pack of 80 baby wipes. Not a baby in sight, and I've still to finish the original task of changing the pads  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clare on 30 November, 2014, 05:42:28 pm
I've half fettled a compost heap, had to stop when the drill battery ran out for the third time and the stupid bastard sun buggered off towards USAnia.

Managed to walk away rather than fettling Vernon's face with various lumps of wood and a battery-less drill when he suggested I was doing it wrong.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 November, 2014, 05:59:39 pm
After much swearing, rolling around on assorted floors, biting through co-ax with my bare teeth, falling off things and poor impersonations of a tool-wielding ape I have re-established communication between the AD aerial 'neath the lofty mansard and the AD in the Great Hall for the first time since the summer of 2003.  Hammer, screwdrivers (assorted), power drill, scissors, teefs, mole grips, hacksaw, wood chisel, Superglue and a 9-vole battery (not included) all pressed into service.  Tonight Larrington Towers will doubtless be struck by lightning, melting the String and frying everything anbaric in the whole place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 November, 2014, 07:06:01 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 November, 2014, 05:59:39 pm
Tonight Larrington Towers will doubtless be struck by lightning, melting the String and frying everything anbaric in the whole place.

Not necessarily: there could simply be nothing worth watching.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 30 November, 2014, 09:55:57 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 28 November, 2014, 05:58:12 pm
Replaced the bottom bracket on the Croix de Fer after the minor clunking that I had convinced myself was play in the pedal bearings rapidly got much worse.
Same job, same thought process, but on my commuting folder. Swapped the right pedal to test, and it made no difference, so turned my attention to the BB.

I've also adjusted the stem to point forward (I prefer it that way...) instead of at an angle, and put a spare rubber washer into the bolt for the bars, which will hopefully stop them from slipping round all the time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 30 November, 2014, 10:04:17 pm
A puncture in the new inner tube for FrankenErn the commuting bike
Two reports for work..  :(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 December, 2014, 09:10:05 am
Lights onto the Orange SS.

Charged batteries for same.

Found out lock, spare tubes and multitool. It is ready to rock and roll, now. Just need confirmation of start date!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 01 December, 2014, 01:09:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 November, 2014, 07:06:01 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 November, 2014, 05:59:39 pm
Tonight Larrington Towers will doubtless be struck by lightning, melting the String and frying everything anbaric in the whole place.

Not necessarily: there could simply be nothing worth watching.

Surprise!  There wasn't.  Larrington Towers still intact, thou7/87)&)&@:.)3;8;£?.£?:&£!..&£!crrrrztttNO CARRIER
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 01 December, 2014, 01:41:57 pm
Early this year (note: not earlier - though it was. It's just more accurate/less misleading to say early) a funny smell started coming from the shower. There was a leak. Or leaks. Luckily, I got to it before serious damage was done to flooring, joists, ceilings etc.

It involved demolishing the half wall they'd built in place of a screen, removing a lot of tiles, removing the (cracked) tray once I'd found out how to, reinforcing the floor, cement, 18mm ply, buying tiles that were almost, but not quite, the right size and shape as the rest, tiling, gloop (so much gloop), plumbing (by far the easiest bit), then finding buying and fitting a new screen.

It had it's maiden run this morning, and so far so good.

It took a while (about 0.75P*), but I did break my foot (in an unrelated incident), and it meant that the floor was allowed to dry out thoroughly.

Thanks to anyone here who gave advice when I was stuck (RZ (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=83055.0) for sure, possibly others). And Charlotte for the steer on the tile-cutting drill bit which I took before learning to regret not doing so. They exist for a reason (the tile specific drill bits, but RZ and Charlotte too).

Now I can get back to proper fettling.

*where P = a complete Petrocelli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrocelli)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 01 December, 2014, 02:15:59 pm
Working at home today - after a maiden voyage on FrankenErn to get some milk - I fitted a shorter stem. Nice as the 531 tiller was it was just tooo long...
Also fitted a lovely polished crane bell taken from the winter fix.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 01 December, 2014, 03:14:59 pm
I made a work stand for my trike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 December, 2014, 07:14:20 pm
Removed the remains of the Ortlieb shoulder strap from behind the fixed sprocket on my commuter, where it somehow became entangled en route to work this morning. It was a bit grindy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 01 December, 2014, 07:18:36 pm
Fitted the wheels to the Cross Check - should have tyres and whatnot tomorrow, as well as a large quantity of brake outer so I can sort out the brakes on both the Cross Check and the Croix de Fer.

Attempts to set up the CC's drivetrain were thwarted by the chainring being 1/8" and the only chain in the bits box being 3/32"  :facepalm: - a quick visit to the Evans near work tomorrow should sort that out, as a new chain is a helluva sight cheaper than buying a new chainring even at the prices that Evans charge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 December, 2014, 12:25:49 am
The LH crank on the Dave Yates fixer, to stop it falling off on the way home.  Also solved what that creaking noise was...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 December, 2014, 12:09:03 am
a fairly major fettle on my audax bike - conversion to triple (oh, the shame.. :-[). which involved new shifters, chainset, both mechs, cassette and a new chain. serviced the freehub while i was at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 December, 2014, 10:23:11 am
Installed a dishwasher, made much easier by the fact that it went where the previous one had been (and the previous one had been evicted a few months ago).

I then stripped and cleaned the coffee machine. I think it may be on it's way out, though. When it dies a full viking ship burial is on the cards for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 December, 2014, 02:24:26 pm
I put the studded tyres on my bike, and then tried to adjust my brakes, without remembering that the Avid instructions were shite and that last time I used the Park Tools website. So it took twice as long and more swearing than it should have.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 06 December, 2014, 05:10:05 pm
Ski fettling has begun.

The workbench has had all the bike-related stuffs cleared away, and the ski vices set up.
First couple of pairs edged and waxed.

Got bored and went out for a bike ride.
I'll do some more tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 06 December, 2014, 05:13:00 pm
new tyres on the 2nd best bike ( the bike I use all the time ) Marathon Supremes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 December, 2014, 06:39:28 pm
In an attempt to sort the gear ratios out, I swapped the chainset on the Brompton from a compact double to a triple.  The 74mm BCD allowing the use of a 28T chainring, rather than the 33T lower limit with 110mm BCD.  Supplemented with a 38T ring of unknown origin from the bits box and taken for a lumpy test ride, this makes much better use of the hub's 8 gears: In the small ring, I end up cruising along on the flat in about gear 6, and spend much less time hunting for the missing gear between 1&2[1].  8 spins out at about 25mph, and 1 now is low enough to be chevron-rated.  Shifting[2] to the 38T chainring steps everything up a notch, which works well for decending, or to fill in the gap between 7&8 if you're really going for it on the flat.

So I'm reasonably happy with that.  Need to sort the chainline out by a millimetre or so, though, as currently the small ring fouls the fold.  Bash ring in the outer position seems like a good option, too...



[1] The XRF8 gives you 6 evenly spaced gears, with a bigger gap between 1&2 and 7&8.  Works well if you set it up right, wastes a lot of gears if you don't.
[2] Manually; I think a front mech would be a hack too far.  With SPDs you can downshift on the fly by using your ankle as a dérailleur though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 December, 2014, 07:39:39 pm
The classy way of doing the upshift is with a champagne cork with an embedded wire hook. The cork doubles as a removeable bar plug and dirty-finger-preventer.

When I had an early SA8 on a 16" wheeled Moulton, I set it up to cruise in 6th gear, about 70".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 December, 2014, 07:54:23 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 December, 2014, 07:39:39 pm
The classy way of doing the upshift is with a champagne cork with an embedded wire hook. The cork doubles as a removeable bar plug and dirty-finger-preventer.

Ergon GP2s prevent the bar plug approach, but I'll have a think about other cunning ways of attaching a wire hook somewhere...


Quote
When I had an early SA8 on a 16" wheeled Moulton, I set it up to cruise in 6th gear, about 70".

If Sheldon's calculator's to be believed, I've now got about 49" in 6th  (and 72" in 8th).  Of course that's not the whole story, as the cranks are 160mm - the gain ratio in 6th is 3.9.

As a recumbentist with a dodgy knee, I'm rather spinny.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 06 December, 2014, 08:22:32 pm
As the weather wasn't exactly conducive to cycling, I decided to clean the not-Tifosi instead. I even took the chain off! :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 06 December, 2014, 10:56:55 pm
Does fettling my father's computer count? I don't know what he did, but it was royally fucked and I ended up leaving my parents around 4 hours later than I'd planned  >:( I told him that if he breaks it again he can keep both pieces.

Also dropped the Cross Check off at the LBS to have the steerer tube cut down, so that's a proxy fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 07 December, 2014, 06:17:39 pm
Snow studs onto a mountain bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 07 December, 2014, 07:44:06 pm
Removed the front calipers pads, brake discs and brake hoses from the Skoda truck, but couldn't  fit the replacements as the supplied hoses were wrong. :facepalm: 

Still, at least I cleaned everything up ready to fit the new bits...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 07 December, 2014, 08:37:47 pm
A few finishing touches to La Naranja after picking it up from the LBS this morning (took it in yesterday to have the steerer tube cut) - fitted a Garmin bracket and Lezyne Power Drive light up front and a Cateye Rapid Mini at the back, put some air in the tyres and job's a good'un.

Just need the bottle cages to turn up now.

Had planned to do the brakes on the Croix de Fer but completely forgot to pick up a couple of brake inners from the shop. Again  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 December, 2014, 10:10:09 pm
Geared down the singlespeed from 68" to 65". For some reason this has now led to a load of clunking noises as I pedal. The rear axle's fine, the chain's the same as before, I haven't touched BB, the cranks are on tight and the chainring bolts are all tight. I don't think the chain is worn, though it could be. Getting a bit confused now ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 07 December, 2014, 10:13:01 pm
Is it the sound of your hips spinning?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 December, 2014, 10:16:01 pm
Checked them on a different bike this morning - so no :P

It seems quiet while pedaling downhill, but the clunks start when I have to put any power in. Happens at about 2 and 4 o'clock on each pedal stroke. Also can't get it to do the same while on the workstand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 07 December, 2014, 10:33:33 pm
Bottom bracket?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 07 December, 2014, 10:34:47 pm
Can only be pawls or BB? Do you have chain adjustment?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 07 December, 2014, 10:36:04 pm
Or a pedal bearing maybe?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 07 December, 2014, 10:37:09 pm
Is there a liquorice torpedo trapped in your chainring?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 07 December, 2014, 10:38:38 pm
Is it telling you to ride fixed again?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 December, 2014, 10:39:51 pm
Or a stray rare-earth magnet attached to the chain (actually happened to me, took ages to track down)...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 07 December, 2014, 10:51:13 pm
Is it possible you've got a bent tooth? 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 07 December, 2014, 11:01:13 pm
It's amazing that he has any teeth with all those liquorice torpedoes!! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 07 December, 2014, 11:07:38 pm
Yeah, when they get caught in your teeth they can do all sorts of damage.  Specially the green ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 December, 2014, 11:21:35 pm
It's a pawl in the freewheel I think. I rigged the bike up with the brakes locked on and I could get it to make the same noise. Just tried flushing the freewheel with chain lube but it's made no difference.

Looks like my luck with Dicta freewheels may have run out. Better look for a better 18t freewheel.

Oh and Deano - er NO. It's staying free for the foreseeable future. At least until the last injury is fully healed.

And another grumble, I managed to smack myself in the nose with the pannier rack while trying to release a rear wheel nut :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 08 December, 2014, 06:54:49 am
I replaced a two pin plug with a 13 amp plug on a power drill. An auspicious moment as for the last 14 years I have been doing the opposite.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 December, 2014, 12:50:50 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 07 December, 2014, 11:21:35 pm
It's a pawl in the freewheel I think. I rigged the bike up with the brakes locked on and I could get it to make the same noise. Just tried flushing the freewheel with chain lube but it's made no difference.

Looks like my luck with Dicta freewheels may have run out. Better look for a better 18t freewheel.

can it be serviced (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=79210.0) (provided it's not worn out)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 08 December, 2014, 01:01:00 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 07 December, 2014, 11:21:35 pm
It's a pawl in the freewheel I think. I rigged the bike up with the brakes locked on and I could get it to make the same noise. Just tried flushing the freewheel with chain lube but it's made no difference.

Looks like my luck with Dicta freewheels may have run out. Better look for a better 18t freewheel.
White Industries.
Expensive, but worth it. Fully serviceable too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 December, 2014, 01:33:05 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 07 December, 2014, 11:21:35 pm
It's a pawl in the freewheel I think.

So it is telling you to ride fixed!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 09 December, 2014, 01:54:12 pm
We got our ride on mower back from its service today complete with a new flashing orange beacon onna pole to keep the elf 'n safety Nazis at bay.

The pole is a foot too tall for the mower to be stored in the 'garage' so I have had to fettle a folding pole bodge- remove 3 of the 4 bolts at the bottom of the pole (vertical bracket fixing pole to chassis), loosening the 4th slightly. Transform  forward bolt hole into a slot with a bit of hacksawage then replace forward bolt with a bolt and wing nut. Feed all the excess in the power cable from the switch end to the pole mount end and the pole now pivots backwards. I am in the process of bodging a tether to stop it pivoting too far back. When in use, the pole is pivoted forward and secured by tightening the wing nut.

Photo's will follow in The Appropriate Thread
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 December, 2014, 02:11:45 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 08 December, 2014, 01:33:05 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 07 December, 2014, 11:21:35 pm
It's a pawl in the freewheel I think.

So it is telling you to ride fixed!

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JCndvvQtABo/VAIxpJhMMYI/AAAAAAAAGz8/uLhYfB7-DBs/s576/image2.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 December, 2014, 03:49:13 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 December, 2014, 06:39:28 pm
In an attempt to sort the gear ratios out, I swapped the chainset on the Brompton from a compact double to a triple.  [...]

So I'm reasonably happy with that.  Need to sort the chainline out by a millimetre or so, though, as currently the small ring fouls the fold.  Bash ring in the outer position seems like a good option, too...

Chainline now sorted with a simple spacer.  Bash ring in the outer position definitely a good idea.  Used a 42t Stronglight effort, as though the next size down would have fitted and avoided trouser issues, it wouldn't be wide enough to press against the front mudguard stay to secure the fold properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 December, 2014, 08:59:08 pm
I just adjusted a pair of Ortlieb Panniers to fit the commuter, to replace the six year old DHB ones, which have reached the end of their usable life.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/GeneralBike/NewOrtliebPannier20141211_640.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/GeneralBike/IMG_20141211_200628.jpg)

I'm fairly sure that the panniers are adequately clear of my heels, but I guess I won't find out for sure until I've cycled a few miles back home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 11 December, 2014, 09:13:14 pm
Midge bars and a shorter stem onto my green bike, and a quick test ride round the block.

A bit too flared and the drop's too shallow, I think, for longer rides, but they do the job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 December, 2014, 09:54:58 pm
Quote from: TimO on 11 December, 2014, 08:59:08 pm
I just adjusted a pair of Ortlieb Panniers to fit the commuter, to replace the six year old DHB ones, which have reached the end of their usable life.

(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/GeneralBike/NewOrtliebPannier20141211_640.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/GeneralBike/IMG_20141211_200628.jpg)

I'm fairly sure that the panniers are adequately clear of my heels, but I guess I won't find out for sure until I've cycled a few miles back home.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 12 December, 2014, 08:34:56 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 December, 2014, 09:54:58 pm
...
  • Chain's a bit lot slack
  • I were right about that saddle

In what way were you "right" about the saddle?  Whenever I post a picture of one of my bikes, someone always comments about the saddle angle, which apparently is always "wrong" on my bikes, regardless of the fact I've been cycling with them like that, for tens of thousands of miles with no problems.

It's single-speed, not fixed, so the chain can be as slack as I want. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 12 December, 2014, 11:10:14 am
I did a right good load of fartage yesterday. Hot scrape bottom renew an'all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 12 December, 2014, 05:13:12 pm
Fitted the Portland Design Works 'Bird' bottle cages to the orange Surly:

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/P1020784.jpg)

(http://36x17.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/P1020785.jpg)

If describing them as a thing of beauty (which, in all fairness, they are) is wrong then I don't want to be right.

Maiden ride tomorrow providing the ice stays away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 12 December, 2014, 06:50:06 pm
Swapped the temporary silver stem on the Genesis for a black one, and swapped the headset spacer for one with a bell attached. The bell doesn't sound as nice as the brass one on the not-Tifosi. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 13 December, 2014, 05:02:45 pm
I used the ice bike to commute a couple of times last week.  It's my single speed with Marathon Winters on it.  Unfortunately, as my commute goes up a very steep hill and as I am not at the peak of fitness and as the ice tyres are heavy (these are the best excuses I can come up with) climbing the hill is not possible.

So I've just altered the sprocket on the single speed from a 14T to a 15T.  The most difficult bit was finding a 15T in the box of old cassettes.  The second most difficult bit was lengthening the chain. 

I live in hope that next time I will be able to romp up the hill
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 13 December, 2014, 05:51:43 pm
Stripped down and started cleaning up a very grubby pair of GB Coureur callipers for my latest rebuild.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 December, 2014, 08:00:21 pm
The church is a 1960's build with single glazed windows. Needless to say this is not very energy efficient. I spent some time today fitting stormguard secondary glazing film in a bid to reduce the heat loss. 9 x 3mx0.40m windows. Lots uf upanddown laddering. It took one essential von Krajan, Beethoven's 9th and most of his 6th to get the job done. Hopefully the heat will be retained a bit longer. So far I have managed to secondary glaze about 20sqm glass which leaves not too much to go (about 7m2) and then things should be a bit warmer and cheaper on the heating. If that works well then we will do the same to the church halls.

A back of an envelope calculation suggests that the payback time for the secondary glazing is in the matter of a couple of months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 13 December, 2014, 09:43:29 pm
Fettled the front mudguard mount on the Tricross this evening.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 December, 2014, 09:46:22 pm
Some dirty tyre swapping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 16 December, 2014, 12:21:27 am
New winter tyres on the MTB. It will now warm up. They are Schwalbe winter spikes. SHould be fine for trail and road. Not really a snow tyre but good enough all round by the looks.

And got sidetracked into stripping down the hope rear hub on the other wheels. There are four bearings on a hope rear. Two in the main body which require some ingenuity to remove without ruining the axle. And two in the free hub. The outboard one is easy to remove. It might be thought that this one would be most susceptible to failure. It was in fact the inboard one which har disintegrated. Removing the outer ring fo a cartridge hub when you have a tapered hole behind it is not easy, but it yielded to the correct amount of persuasion. It actually fractured (or had fractured). New bearings in tomorrow and a silky smooth ride awaits. Now got to find out what size bearings for the miche rear hubs..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 16 December, 2014, 07:33:12 pm
(Recently) a lamp cover. This is not exactly on the scale of stuff Kim does. However, I've had this old Cateye Exposure light for years, and it's quite a good, bright light for buzzing around town in well-lit areas. At present, I use it commuting in London on my folder, where it clips on and off constantly and easily.

The one problem is the totally-rubbish switch design. It's always getting knocked on in my bag. One day, I left it on the bike in the shed at work, and it got knocked on there too. So batteries go flat when I'm not looking.

Then I found this spare washing-machine ball. Which fits like a glove over the end with the switch :thumbsup:

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21716908/cateye.jpg)

Obviously I keep the cover in the bag, and slide it off when I actually want to use the light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 December, 2014, 07:54:50 pm
Finally fitted the Surly TuggNutTM to Pugsley.

I'm clearly so much of a torque monster that a skewer alone wasn't enough to stop me hauling the rear wheel out of track on the slightest trace of 'up'  ::-) Since the TuggNut has been battle tested on both the Genesis singlespeed and my old 1x1, I have high expectations that I will spend more time riding than adjusting the rear wheel.

Some proper fat-biking weather would be nice, but at a pinch I'll cope with going out and getting outrageously muddy at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 December, 2014, 09:23:54 pm
Started redoing the silicon on my handlebars.  Left hand's been going partially numb for a couple of months and hurt quite a bit on my last ride, so I'm taking my time and getting the silicon where it stops the nerves being pinched. Right hand's fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 20 December, 2014, 11:29:04 pm
Christmas bike lights.. http://youtu.be/oJn6xQIYZM4
http://youtu.be/GviSLctWz8U
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 21 December, 2014, 12:04:52 am
Impressive. What are they?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 December, 2014, 12:15:16 am
60 RGB LED/m fully addressable driven off an Arduino Mini. Not sure how long the 4 AA batteries will last as it draws abotu 3A (18W) at full power.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 21 December, 2014, 08:34:14 pm
I've just fettled a new battery and screen onto Junior's iPhone 5S.

I've previously done a screen on Junior#2's iPhone 5, so I knew what was involved.
Even so, it's incredibly fiddly.
I have a binocular microscope, which helps greatly.

Even after removing the screen to access the battery, the battery removal is basically destructive.
It's held in place with double-sided sticky tape which is stupidly strong.
The thin battery gets bent into a banana shape as you prise it out.

Re-assembly requires three hands as well as a magnetic screwdriver and microscope.
Also, you only get so many chances, because if you flex the screen ribbon cables more than a few times, they fail.

First re-assemble the display was messed up.
Re-doing the ribbon connectors, and it's good second time round.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 December, 2014, 08:47:50 pm
Have you tried the trick of warming it up to ease the glue?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 21 December, 2014, 09:23:00 pm
Oh, yes.

I have my SMD reflow gun, turned down to minimum.
You need a waft of this to un-stick the various ribbon cables etc to transpose all the various buttons, cameras, microphones etc from the old screen to the new one.

But the battery is a whole other ball-game.
There's no real way to get heat to the glue, other than by roasting the old Li-Ion battery, which I didn't fancy.
The videos show a method of pulling on a tab provided, which allows you to pull the sticky tape out from under the battery.
Bollocks.  The thing snaps long before there's any indication of any 'give' in the adhesive.

Anyways, it's done now, and the old battery is now probably a fire-hazard.   I should probably put it in a bucket of sand.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 December, 2014, 11:20:19 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 21 December, 2014, 12:15:16 am
60 RGB LED/m fully addressable driven off an Arduino Mini. Not sure how long the 4 AA batteries will last as it draws abotu 3A (18W) at full power.
They lasted long enough on a rainy evening to get from the pub to the pub and thence to home. A distance of about 8 miles up a wee brae. They are a bit distracting but I had no close passes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 December, 2014, 08:44:55 pm
Now with robust power supply and electrical safety...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de_4hqxCY7c
http://youtu.be/de_4hqxCY7c
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 25 December, 2014, 08:53:37 pm
^Dead cool.
Needs sound.
Of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop type.
What's in the bags?
I don't really need to know ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 December, 2014, 09:28:10 pm
Conference swag and an RS232 interface lead, I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 25 December, 2014, 09:42:12 pm
You need to edit some nerdy music over it or something Kim.  :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 25 December, 2014, 10:51:45 pm
Brilliant
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 26 December, 2014, 02:52:31 pm
The lights lasted till just after I had finished the boxing day time trial. About 2 hours total run time from 4AA. Not too shabby. I'll have to sort somehting a bit ore impressive for next year. Maybe in-wheel lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 December, 2014, 05:12:38 pm
Since Crimbleve there has been a certain amount of Fettling at Fort Larrington:

It's a wonder there was time for Christmas dinner ;). At least I haven't been forced up a stepladder with a drill in one hand, a screwdriver in the other and a mouthful of screws in order to refasten the roof over the side passage, like wot I dun last year.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 28 December, 2014, 05:36:20 pm
Quote from: barakta on 25 December, 2014, 09:42:12 pm
You need to edit some nerdy music over it or something Kim.  :-*

You need to add a lightsabre sound effect as it lights.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 December, 2014, 07:46:02 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 28 December, 2014, 05:36:20 pm
You need to add a lightsabre sound effect as it lights.  :D

Had to fudge it because the microcontroller driving the lights has no audio capabilities, but I've programmed the alerter module in the dining room (where the stairs emerge) to do that in response to the relevant message from the stairs module over the network.   :thumbsup:

Also added some code to change the light colour to be a bit more yellow (in line with our other lighting) after sunset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 December, 2014, 08:59:22 pm
Removed grips and bar ends from Butterfly's new Galaxy; fitted new ones, and adjusted levers, computer mount and bell accordingly; removed and replaced accessory bar; fitted & adjusted propstand; fitted babyseat bracket; tightened brake block.

Checked my tourer's tyres for flints & pumped them up; tightened the propstand; tightened front light bracket; fitted hooks to new(!) Carradice panniers :D

Need to go look at my brake blocks now...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 28 December, 2014, 09:06:15 pm
Have extracted the motor from the washing machine. As suspected the brushes are EOL. I have some on order but will pop down to the local white goods repair place tomorrow to see if they have some Here! Now!.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 December, 2014, 09:37:01 pm
Fettled my Pomp for tomorrow's commute and tweaked the gears on HK's MTB for her commute tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 28 December, 2014, 10:15:07 pm
Decided that, as I'm still dithering about the new frame, I had to replace the knackered headset on the fixed. That's knackered as in threads stripped and only held together by an otherwise redundant quill-mounted brake cable hanger.

LBS had an adequate alloy, needle-bearing one: one-inch threaded.

Crown race was a bugger to get off. New one impossible to fit even after heating until I'd brandished a file at the top of the crown.

Everything else squeezed together okay.

Then I discovered that the 'brake' bolt (that only holds the mudguard on) fouled the headset. So had to hunt for bits to allow the mudguard bracket to sit 10mm further back.

Eventually all done and smoothly solid feeling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 28 December, 2014, 10:32:11 pm
Swapped my brake blocks for Koolstops.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 December, 2014, 11:46:03 pm
Replaced the two broken spokes in my raleigh's back wheel which have been waiting to be fixed since June :-[

Just need to get another set of SPD pedals and it should work as a turbo bike again :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 30 December, 2014, 12:51:56 pm
A spot of wheel-swapping.

Took the usual wheels off the not-Tifosi, having established with the help of this board that they really are as worn as I'd feared. Got the old wheels off the hack bike and put them on the not-Tifosi instead (and while I had the hack bike inside, I gave the chain a much-needed oiling).

Finally, put the spare wheels from the old fixed on to the hack bike, which I'd meant to do anyway as (1) they aren't QR so they're a bit better for leaving locked up outside, and (2) the rear wheel is 120mm so actually fits in the dropouts without causing me pain and injury. I don't have a freewheel so it'll have to run fixed for a bit, but that's ok as I get a bit confused swapping between the two and sometimes forget about the freewheel anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 December, 2014, 03:31:47 pm
A solar-powered "robot". Unfortunately I was unable to fettle the weather to match.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 31 December, 2014, 10:26:45 pm
Decided to fit my new-to-me Bagman rack to my winter bike a couple days ago, turns out the support arms have been cut a tad too short to fit but think if I pack light it'll cope without them for now as the rack is partially supported by the mudguard. Must see if I can get a pair of support arms from Carradice.

Also found out that the chain had turned solid over it's time in the shed so decided to change that too. At which point I found the jockey wheels wouldn't turn at all even when cleaned up and oiled.

Did look at getting some new ones but given the rest of the corrosion on the rear derailleur I think I'll pick up a cheapie whole unit for now. And save towards a better winter bike. Something with disc brakes I think and a front chain ring bigger than 20 odd teeth.

Maybe a old trials/dirt jump bike wasn't the bestest bet for a winter rat bike but it did the job for a couple years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pickled Onion on 03 January, 2015, 11:04:42 am
I'm feeling a bit chuffed with myself. We had an expensive combination oven that was especially useful for proving dough as the oven temp started at 40º but one day the microwave stopped working. It's been gathering dust for a few years while I waited to justify the cost of fixing it - assuming it was the magnetron so call-out fee + part = more than a cheap microwave.

Anyway, time to decide whether to chuck it away  :o Why not have a quick look to see if there's an internal fuse blown.

Ignore the dire warnings about high voltage and no user serviceable parts - any scary capacitors would be discharged by now. There's one fuse and it's on the PS, so it can't be that (check it anyway - fine). No obvious signs of magic smoke escaping. Look up the magnetron part no. to see how much they are, but they're only available in Australia, there's a comment about magnetrons being open circuit when knackered. Time to check with multimeter - hang on, this doesn't look right, the connectors are not fully in, they are held up by their insulators! They must have gradually shaken loose by the fan or something.

Put it all back together, and it works perfectly! Apart from the controls needing a few hundred turns to sort out the contacts...

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2015, 11:25:51 am
Hmm.. I've got one of those. It's never occurred to me to prove dough in it....how long do you give it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pickled Onion on 03 January, 2015, 11:50:47 am
I can't remember - it's so long since it worked - it was just "until doubled in size" the first few times to work it out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 03 January, 2015, 06:51:26 pm
Just got home from skiing holliberries to face the busted washing machine.
Only half of the replacement parts had arrived whilst I was away.

The fault was a burned-out connector, damaging both the door lock mechanism and the wiring loom.
Temporary repair required, so old parts were chopped, butchered, soldered, and generally kicked into working order.

So we have a washing machine to start into the mountain of smelly kit that 4 people can make on a ski trip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 January, 2015, 02:40:18 pm
I took a bit of old inner tube, cut it lengthways and sewed it around the thready mess of plastic string that used to be the paper recycling bag handles. Hopefully to make some handles the cats won't try to eat. Only caused blud (mine) once. Then I left a large piece of tube and some small rings lying around for the kittens to investigate which are apparently the best things since the last best thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 05 January, 2015, 08:01:41 pm
I've just replaced the Koolstops on the front of my Dave Yates.

Now I'm trying to remember when I fitted them - certainly before PBP 2011. So, conservatively, I'd guess that they lasted 10,000 miles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 06 January, 2015, 08:50:35 pm
ime, chain and cassette wear ratio corresponds to brake pad and rim wear, roughly 3:1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 January, 2015, 02:50:45 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 January, 2015, 02:40:18 pm
I took a bit of old inner tube, cut it lengthways and sewed it around the thready mess of plastic string that used to be the paper recycling bag handles. Hopefully to make some handles the cats won't try to eat. Only caused blud (mine) once. Then I left a large piece of tube and some small rings lying around for the kittens to investigate which are apparently the best things since the last best thing.

er kitten photos...we are waiting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 08 January, 2015, 09:41:45 pm
(Slightly) spectacular bulb-blowing moment this evening - it managed to take both the fuse from the lamp and the breaker circuit with it.

I'm mostly impressed with a) the fact that I could fix it, and b) that I actually had the correct spare bulbs and fuses in the house. Me, grown up? Of course!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 January, 2015, 03:50:46 am
Still haven't fettled the front dérailleur on the flat bar on the current bike.  So just stick it in the middle cog and leave it like that....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 09 January, 2015, 11:38:03 am
Pumped up the tyres on the hybrid, and put a saddle on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 January, 2015, 11:59:11 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 09 January, 2015, 03:50:46 am
Still haven't fettled the front dérailleur on the flat bar on the current bike.  So just stick it in the middle cog and leave it like that....

I haven't even got round to fitting the front derailleur or left hand shifter to my hybrid, so it's been in the middle ring for months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 10 January, 2015, 09:46:39 pm
Having got all the bits together a few days ago, finished fettling Mrs B's Orbit. It is no longer fitted with worn out Shimano 7 speed Deore DX from the 1990s. It's now fitted with fully functional, either new or fairly lightly used Shimano Sora & Tiagra 9 speed.

Everything has been on it for a couple of days except the chain, cables & bar tape, & today I fitted them. When did I get so bad at it? It took me ages.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 January, 2015, 09:53:01 pm
Replaced the threshold strip between my front room and hallway with one for joining the right two sorts of floor together so it no longer has carpet gripper teeth pointing up at you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 January, 2015, 10:33:18 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 10 January, 2015, 09:53:01 pm
Replaced the threshold strip between my front room and hallway with one for joining the right two sorts of floor together so it no longer has carpet gripper teeth pointing up at you.

Cor, I did one of those the other day.  It had succumbed to the combined forces of the UberHoover and barakta's stumblyness, such that the smooth upper bit had detached from the lower plate with the teeth, forming a trip hazard.

Pondered the various options at the local DIY shed, and ended up bodging it with a single-strip one designed for vinyl, on the basis it would form the smoothest transition between carpet and step-edge.  Some muppet has glued the carpet down anyway, so the lack of teeth shouldn't be an issue.  Finished the job with high-quality wood screws rather than rusty panel pins, which should improve its long-term chances.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 January, 2015, 10:38:13 pm
Mine's been waiting since I replaced the hallway carpet with vinyl and the front room carpet with laminate last spring. The bar was repurposed from elsewhere and was hooked onto the laminate on one side but lying on top of the vinyl, trying to catch any passing feet/tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 January, 2015, 01:19:30 am
Oiled Teethgrinder's chain and wiped off some of the mud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 January, 2015, 04:45:40 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 09 January, 2015, 11:59:11 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 09 January, 2015, 03:50:46 am
Still haven't fettled the front dérailleur on the flat bar on the current bike.  So just stick it in the middle cog and leave it like that....

I haven't even got round to fitting the front derailleur or left hand shifter to my hybrid, so it's been in the middle ring for months.

Shall we have a competition on to the things I haven't done ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 January, 2015, 03:32:39 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 January, 2015, 01:19:30 am
Oiled Teethgrinder's chain and wiped off some of the mud.

I thought you said he'd had a shower :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 January, 2015, 05:50:31 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 January, 2015, 03:32:39 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 January, 2015, 01:19:30 am
Oiled Teethgrinder's chain and wiped off some of the mud.

I thought you said he'd had a shower :P

These euphemisms always stuff me up; Teethgrinder is pretty much a man-machine anyway!

HK washed her Condor commuter after riding with TG. I flint-mined various tyres and swapped out the cut and worn-out ones. The mudguard rivets on my fixed commuter keep corroding off, so replaced several of them with SS bolts and Nylocs. Replaced the slow leaky rear tube on my 1954 Claud Butler. Mostly dismantled our Moultons for repainting but still a bit more to go before they are sent off later this week. Still need to have a good look at HK's MTB commuter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 11 January, 2015, 10:33:31 pm
Not today, for today was a day of relaxation and enjoyment, but yesterday:

Removed the back wheel from the Bendy Bike wot I bought off dear jogler a couple of years back, as the tyre was mysteriously flat. No fault found, so replaced it and pumped it up. Comedy moment when I couldn't find the spanner. Eventually located stuck to the magnetic catch part of the Bendy mechanism.

Cleaned the new Moss Green Mercian to DETH. And oiled the chain taaw.

Removed the sealed bearings from the back wheel of the fixer as they are shagged. Only mild use of hammer required.  Will obtain replacements from a Bearings R Us type shop tomorrow. (6000 series with suffix letters that make No Sense).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 January, 2015, 12:09:31 am
IRTA "oiled the chain saw"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 12 January, 2015, 04:06:33 pm
A little fine truing to the rear wheel of the Miggins trike and refitting of the rear mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 January, 2015, 06:18:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 January, 2015, 12:09:31 am
IRTA "oiled the chain saw"

Close enough, seeing as I used chainsaw oil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 January, 2015, 11:30:19 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 06 January, 2015, 08:50:35 pm
ime, chain and cassette wear ratio corresponds to brake pad and rim wear, roughly 3:1

Hmm, I've not calculated it that carefully, and I'm incredibly idle about changing components that still work. Damn, I might have start a new spreadsheet ;D

Anyway, I just tried to tighten the slack-as-fuck* chain on my commuter, to no avail, as the wheel's already as far back as it'll go in the dropouts.

I was hoping to ride a different bike tomorrow, but I've just caught the forecast, and I'll stick with studded tyres, thanks.

*technical term
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 January, 2015, 09:55:41 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 11 January, 2015, 10:33:31 pm

Removed the sealed bearings from the back wheel of the fixer as they are shagged. Only mild use of hammer required.  Will obtain replacements from a Bearings R Us type shop tomorrow. (6000 series with suffix letters that make No Sense).
Obtained replacement bearings yesterday from Bearings R Us type shop in Thetford yesterday (I was up that way for work). A tenner a pop was a bit eye watering, but the Nice Lady decided I didn't need cheap Chinese rubbish, when reassuringly expensive Japanese non-rubbish was available.

Fitted them this evening with the help of two penny washers and track nuts, so the washers were bearing (hah!) on the hole of the bearing when I tightened the nuts. All good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 January, 2015, 01:55:16 pm
(yesterday) replaced the inner tube on my hybrid commuter; gatorskin vs broken glass
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 14 January, 2015, 08:12:10 pm
Washed the tourer which was filthy. Noticed wear and tear beginning to show on frame, paint finish fairly fragile. Time for a Humbrol colour match thinks. Polished my bell which came up beautifully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 15 January, 2015, 08:29:17 am
Quote from: Canardly on 14 January, 2015, 08:12:10 pm
Polished my bell which came up beautifully.

Er, shouldn't this be in NSFW?   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 January, 2015, 09:55:45 am
I wondered how long.  :)

(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m158/canardly1/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/20150115_131848_zpsmmgr8rnd.jpg) (http://s103.photobucket.com/user/canardly1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/20150115_131848_zpsmmgr8rnd.jpg.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 January, 2015, 03:36:55 pm
Oooooooh!  Shiny Thing!  Shiny Thing make everything all better!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 January, 2015, 12:33:09 am
I hope that sounds as good as it looks...   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 16 January, 2015, 08:43:02 am
Nice, but I think I prefer Nikki's 'speedo'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 January, 2015, 03:51:50 pm
I hope they'll both be at Long Itch, where they can be subjected to a ding test.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 16 January, 2015, 04:36:14 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 14 January, 2015, 08:12:10 pm
Polished my bell which came up beautifully.

You'll go blind (if you accidentally use the flash photographing that bell)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 January, 2015, 05:29:54 pm
Stuck a BG Riva saddle on the Brompton, in the hope it might be more soft-tissue-friendly than the stock Brompton one.  In the lower clamp position, this pleasingly has the side effect of lowering the seat height by almost exactly the amount I need the seatpost down from full extension[1] (at least for winter SPD boots, I may need to lower it for other shoes / flat pedals).  A brief test ride seemed promising, but you know how it is with saddles...


[1] Short cranks => higher seatpost than you'd expect for my height.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 16 January, 2015, 06:07:26 pm
Eleventy billion headsets.

Well, not really but it felt like it.  A very long day of scrambling about under desks and fiddling with audio splitters and audio settings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 16 January, 2015, 06:29:41 pm
A jungle.

Or two overgrown twiggy trees.  More needs doing, but I cleared enough to get to sort out some cover for bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 16 January, 2015, 07:09:59 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 January, 2015, 03:51:50 pm
I hope they'll both be at Long Itch, where they can be subjected to a ding test.

I think technically mine's supposed to go "dring dring". (Other novelty designs are available (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dring+dring+bicycle+bells&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=g2G5VMvHB9LY7AbqkYCIBA&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAw&biw=1269&bih=719#rls=en&tbm=isch&q=dring+dring+bicycle+bells))
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 17 January, 2015, 11:27:10 am
I tidied my bedroom.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 January, 2015, 07:44:18 pm
Spent all afternoon fettling a tree wot got blown over in the garden earlier this week into firewood.
My arms and upper body are aching from holding the chainsaw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 January, 2015, 10:49:27 am
cleaned the oxidised circuit board labyrinth inside my knog blinky light, now the rubber dome switch works first time
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 25 January, 2015, 06:34:59 pm
Switched the shiny silver seatpost on the not-Tifosi for a differently-shiny carbon one. At this rate I won't be riding it any time soon, so I may as well fettle it. ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 25 January, 2015, 07:26:11 pm
Tried twice to "seal" a rim for tubeless use -and failed  :-\.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 25 January, 2015, 10:20:09 pm
Regreased the graunching bearings in the front wheel of my Dahon folder. Found water ingress, so I don't think the hub is going to last that much longer - there's serious rust across one bearing surface. Replaced some bearings to keep it going for a while.

Then tried to adjust the brakes, and found another broken spoke in the back wheel, so replaced that and trued the wheel.

My wife has remarked on the amount of maintenance that the bike has needed, in six months since I bought it second hand. She may have a point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 January, 2015, 10:42:42 pm
I dismantled the chainset on one bike, so I could replace a bent chainring.  Since I'm setting it up as an ice and snow bike, I decided to forego the front changer for ease of adjustment.

After fitting studded tyres, I found that I had to remove the rear mudguard, and slightly true the wheel, since there just wasn't quite enough clearance otherwise.

It's all mostly done now, but I still need to spend some time adjusting the brakes and gears.

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=500&file=IMG_20150125_215237.jpg)

I also changed the front tyre on the commuter, since some road resurfacing killed it (and an inner tube) after less than 1500 mile.  Clearly even with a boot, it wasn't going to last much longer.  I'm just happy it lasted like that, for 100 miles or so, before I got around to doing this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 25 January, 2015, 11:14:51 pm
Fettled a model Strandbeest from a kit.  :D

http://youtu.be/mQV-V1i69Lw
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 January, 2015, 08:17:22 am
I cleaned my bike. First time since last August.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 27 January, 2015, 08:49:24 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 25 January, 2015, 11:14:51 pm
Fettled a model Strandbeest from a kit.  :D

http://youtu.be/mQV-V1i69Lw

Thats so awesome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 27 January, 2015, 09:26:00 pm
Purchased from ebay here (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Puzzle-Wind-Powered-DIY-Walking-Walker-Strandbeest-Assembly-Model-Kits-Robot-Toy-/331459715749?pt=UK_Toys_Creative_Educational_RL&hash=item4d2c89e2a5), if you want one. Might be suitable for the Scouts.

I'd recommend pre-curving the sails and sticking them with airfix cement, rather than the double-sided tape strips that they supply.

You've seen the full sized ones (http://www.strandbeest.com/), I assume?  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 28 January, 2015, 03:24:48 am
I'm amazed by how cheap those kits are - how complex/involved/tedious is assembly? I have an 8-year-old in mind, but not sure how patient he can be relied on to be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 28 January, 2015, 11:41:02 am
I think the kits are about £20 on Amazon, I just spotted the seller had them as I was buying other stuff from him - and I  had always been intrigued as to how Strandbeesten work. The kits from Singapore are not boxed - just packed in zip-loc bags.

The Kit is easier than it looks. There are reasonable, illustrated, instructions in English. If the 8 year-old in question can do an airfix kit, then this requires about the same level of ability.

There are 12 identical legs, comprising of a top & bottom triangle and 2 slot-together linkages. These then assemble in pairs onto 8 clip together A frames with 2 slot-together/snap on linkages to the crankshafts. A couple of retaining parts and 2 gears and the fan, and it's done.  :thumbsup:

I think there are assembly videos/reviews on youtube if you search for "Strandbeest kit"

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 28 January, 2015, 12:04:50 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 27 January, 2015, 09:26:00 pm
Purchased from ebay here (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Puzzle-Wind-Powered-DIY-Walking-Walker-Strandbeest-Assembly-Model-Kits-Robot-Toy-/331459715749?pt=UK_Toys_Creative_Educational_RL&hash=item4d2c89e2a5), if you want one. Might be suitable for the Scouts.

I'd recommend pre-curving the sails and sticking them with airfix cement, rather than the double-sided tape strips that they supply.

You've seen the full sized ones (http://www.strandbeest.com/), I assume?  :D

I've seen the big ones on youtube, I might suggest them to TDM but I'm mostly doing management now can't remember the last time I actually stood in front of a Scout Troop and I  must do something about that.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 31 January, 2015, 06:15:48 pm
Swapped the wheels on the not-Tifosi again, this time for some Shimano R501s (£60 new: I figured that if I'm going to trash wheels, I may as well trash something cheap).

I just need to ride it now. ::-) I've only actually been out on it once this year... :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 01 February, 2015, 10:08:51 pm
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/GeneralBike/small.php?file=IMG_20150201_164016.jpg&size=480)

I bodged some bits of milk bottle onto the rack, as a makeshift mudguard, since the actual mudguards wouldn't provide adequate tolerance on the rear.

... of course, the roads appear to be bone dry now, so even though it's forecast to be freezing tomorrow morning, I shouldn't need studs, and the slicks on the commuter will be fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 February, 2015, 11:26:43 am
I fitted a bell to the fixer.
I don't normally condone the use of bell, I think it's a bit rude - but it does have its use on a blind corner on the tow path I use on my way in to work.
Until this morning, I'd been shouting 'Ding! Ding!' as I approached the corner.
Today I remained silent.
It's not a 'Ting!' one - more of a 'Rrrrr Rrrring!' one.
Says 'Hovis Freewheel, Sept 23 2007' on it  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 February, 2015, 01:58:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 02 February, 2015, 11:26:43 am
It's not a 'Ting!' one - more of a 'Rrrrr Rrrring!' one.
Says 'Hovis Freewheel, Sept 23 2007' on it  :)

A fine vintage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 February, 2015, 08:22:11 am
Video of Jurek on his commute:

http://youtu.be/xTS7-9RVApE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: runsoncake on 05 February, 2015, 05:09:19 pm
Fitted a Charge Spoon today :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 06 February, 2015, 03:13:25 pm
Quite deliberately, I demolished someone else's shed today.  Smashed it to bits, I did. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 February, 2015, 03:22:13 pm
Anbaric heaters: 1  Kim:  1

Seriously, there should be some sort of standard for the blinkenlights on these things.  We've got two fan heaters, each with a thermostat, heater power selector and neon lamp.  On one of them, the neon lights up to indicate the presence of mains power.  On the other, it lights up to indicate that it's currently blowing/heating.  I've also used an oil-filled radiator recently with the same control arrangement where the neon means "thermostat below set temperature" regardless of the power setting.

Anyway, for the avoidance of doubt, exactly none of these are the correct, useful behaviour.  What you want a blinkenlight to do, first and foremost, is tell you whether you've left the heater on (and if it's currently stopped by the thermostat on account of the room being warm, it still counts as on) so you can leave the room with a reasonable assumption that it won't start up and set fire to things or waste electricity.

To that end, I've just re-wired the first one so the light comes on whenever the power level isn't set to 'off'.

I failed at gaining access to the second, for while I was equipped for stupid triangular security screws, I wasn't equipped for them being deeply recessed in a hole too narrow for my bit driver[1].  Bastards.


[1] This is known as "The SE-30 Problem", for reasons that will be readily apparent to anyone familiar with the works of the Not-Yet-Mega-Global Fruit Corporation of Cupertino, USAnia.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 February, 2015, 03:41:22 pm
(Fondly remembers all those "How To Upgrade Your Beige Toaster" articles from 80s Babbage-Mags).

Seems to me that the Mega-Global Fruit Corporation of Cupertino, USAnia haven't made much progress in the "getting into your iThing" stakes in the last twenty-five years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 06 February, 2015, 04:05:44 pm
Quote from: runsoncake on 05 February, 2015, 05:09:19 pm
Fitted a Charge Spoon today :thumbsup:

Saving the Fork and Knife for the weekend?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 06 February, 2015, 05:53:37 pm
Rebeld the brakes on the MTB. Decided that the front mech is EOL and needs replacing as it has seized with no signs of wanting to anti seize.

Broke the front shifter on the winter bike - is Campag Veloce really made of cheese or am I just ham fisted? Same part, same place three times now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 06 February, 2015, 10:29:14 pm
Tried to fettle the gears on the not-Tifosi - the rear mech is fouling the spokes in the biggest sprocket. Discovered that the low limit screw is seized and managed to round the head. :facepalm: Whilst I don't use the big sprocket especially much, I don't trust myself to not shift into it accidentally, so looks like I won't be riding it tomorrow. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2015, 04:27:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 February, 2015, 03:22:13 pm
Anbaric heaters: 1  Kim:  1

Anbaric heaters: 0  Kim: 2

Defeated the SE-30 problem with a Mk 1 power drill, re-wired the electrickery, and bodged the lid back on with only a minimum of blood loss and self-tapping screws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 February, 2015, 04:32:06 pm
Stripped down the Olmo as far as I could.

Seat post is still in place due to the binder bolt being rounded off and the BB is still in place due to me lacking the strength or care to remove it today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 February, 2015, 04:34:53 pm
Cleaned a fair portion of Blengdale and Ennerdale off the MTB
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 February, 2015, 05:33:28 pm
This afternoon I have fettled a Victoria sponge and a batch of Welsh cakes, it being Aunty Phyllis's 96th birthday tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 February, 2015, 08:56:23 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 07 February, 2015, 04:34:53 pm
Cleaned a fair portion of Blengdale and Ennerdale off the MTB

In a similar vein, seemingly half the Campsies off the not-Tifosi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 08 February, 2015, 04:37:52 pm
two of the stable have been cleaned and the commuter now has new brake blocks front and rear. However the new chain, cassette and rear mech for the tourer remain in their boxes as I didn't retrieve my cassette tool when I moved out of my parents house.

Will have to visit and recover it shortly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 08 February, 2015, 06:10:08 pm
After week away I squeezed the tyres and turned the pedals.  Commuter is ready for tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 February, 2015, 06:14:45 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 07 February, 2015, 08:56:23 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 07 February, 2015, 04:34:53 pm
Cleaned a fair portion of Blengdale and Ennerdale off the MTB

In a similar vein, seemingly half the Campsies off the not-Tifosi.

I cleaned it again. Twice in two days! :o

This time it went in the bath.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 February, 2015, 08:02:30 pm
The temperature is forecast to stay above 0oC for the next week, so I've just put the tourer back into serviceable order. New brake blocks on the front, chain thoroughly degunked and re-lubed, wheels and frame cleaned up and tyres pumped up.

Should be good for a long ride home tomorrow evening :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 February, 2015, 10:16:08 pm
Lots of fiddling about with the racing tandem, swapping the front cranks, replacing an odd chainring bolt, regreasing the rear mech and fitting Ultremo tyres. Once I purchase some tiny bearings for the thrust washer, I'll be able to reassemble the rear dual pivot. Some productive work was done to the machine, despite that setback. I'll need to get a longer seat post for it, to go along with the longer seat post for the trike.

New BB, brake pads and straddle cable for HK's MTB commuter. One of the half dozen BBs used up, which is good. I'll need to get another cog down the line but have plenty of chains in stock. The front rim will need to be replaced sometime this year and the Alfine 11 hub is probably needs new oil again.

New rear gear cable for HK's Condor. A new pair of wheels orderd; the rear hub and rim are both nearly dead. The dynohub wheel is still good and will probably end up swapping between my fixed and the Audax tandem. I can't buy the parts for the price!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 09 February, 2015, 09:48:52 am
Yesterday now... after being woken up by a knock at the door (admittedly at a reasonable-if-you-weren't-out-at-a-gig-til-after-1 10:30ish) which was the delivery of the patient. I spent about 14 hours continuing the task started on Thursday, after work, of de-skogging the most infested Win8 install I've ever encountered.

It's due to get picked up shortly and this year's Christmas tree will hopefully leave the CrinklyDen in record time, instead of lurking in the back yard looking forlorn and reproachful for many many months as happened last year and the year before, as taking it to the compost bin at the tip was the "fee" I asked for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 09 February, 2015, 04:17:15 pm
Ten o'clock last night and the Crinkly-o-matic reported 5000+ bits of malware.  Makes ian's parents look,a bit second-rate ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 09 February, 2015, 05:48:33 pm
I have dismantled a rear wheel.

Starting by tightening up the cassette lockring is not the cleverest thing I've done, but when I woke up & realised what was happening, it turned out I hadn't over-tightened it, & it came off easily enough & with undamaged threads. Handy, because although I'm disposing of the hub & probably the spokes, that cassette's nearly new, & we still have a bike it'll fit.

I'm going to have to change the cassette on Mrs B's MTB. The new one's been sitting in its box for a year, since she insisted the old one was still OK. She's now finally accepted that it's time for it, & the chain, to go to the Great Recycling Bin In The Sky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 09 February, 2015, 05:57:41 pm
Quote from: asterix on 06 February, 2015, 03:13:25 pm
Quite deliberately, I demolished someone else's shed today.  Smashed it to bits, I did.
Fun, was it?  :thumbsup:

I once stuffed a shed with paper & brushwood, then set fire to it. Excellent! It was early November, & a case of birds/stone. Various heavy bits of timber were leant against it, & even the wettest of them caught pretty well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 09 February, 2015, 07:30:35 pm
The bits of the shed I smashed up last year are still sitting on my drive. Getting rid of them isn't quite as much fun as the demolition was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 09 February, 2015, 07:37:09 pm
Tried to straighten a rear mech hanger using the Park alignment tool thingy. Not as easy as it looks on the website. But at least it's straighter than it was. I think.

Also measured chain for wear while I was at it.

No, the chain wear tool isn't broken, you dolt, it just isn't designed to measure that much stretch. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 09 February, 2015, 07:53:56 pm
I've always straightened hangers with an adjustable spanner...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 February, 2015, 08:06:58 pm
The best on-the-road way to align a bent hanger is to screw a Shimano hubbed rear wheel into the hanger. It is very easy to see if the 2 rear wheels are parallel and to align the hanger. Except for the faff of screwing the axle in and out, it is more accurate than the proper way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 09 February, 2015, 08:21:29 pm
That's a brilliant tip, LWaB.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 09 February, 2015, 08:34:50 pm
A bit of wardrobe fettling this evening.  I have discovered I own:
* 55 ties
* 10 bow ties (2 - formal wear)
* 2 cravats (only 2?!)

I'm not counting anything else.  No way.  Looking at other items, I think a general cull might be needed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 February, 2015, 08:36:49 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 09 February, 2015, 08:34:50 pm
A bit of wardrobe fettling this evening.  I have discovered I own:
* 55 ties
* 10 bow ties (2 - formal wear)
* 2 cravats (only 2?!)

I'm not counting anything else.  No way.  Looking at other items, I think a general cull might be needed...
By stark contrast I do not own a tie - of any description  ;D
ETA

Quote from: Andrij on 09 February, 2015, 08:34:50 pm
......
* 10 bow ties (2 - formal wear)
......

Genuine question.
As a tie non-owner, what are the other 8?
Novelty ones?
LED's?
Spinning?
Squirty water ones?
Srsly  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 February, 2015, 08:38:23 pm
Quote from: drossall on 09 February, 2015, 07:30:35 pm
The bits of the shed I smashed up last year are still sitting on my drive. Getting rid of them isn't quite as much fun as the demolition was.

You're obviously not using enough FIRE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 09 February, 2015, 08:40:01 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 09 February, 2015, 08:36:49 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 09 February, 2015, 08:34:50 pm
A bit of wardrobe fettling this evening.  I have discovered I own:
* 55 ties
* 10 bow ties (2 - formal wear)
* 2 cravats (only 2?!)

I'm not counting anything else.  No way.  Looking at other items, I think a general cull might be needed...
By stark contrast I do not own a tie - of any description  ;D

If you're ever in need of one, you know where to turn.  I have quite the selection.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 February, 2015, 08:43:49 pm
Your generosity knows no bounds :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 09 February, 2015, 08:45:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 09 February, 2015, 08:38:23 pm
You're obviously not using enough FIRE
Any FIRE in a garden our size would threaten the house. This is important, because there are BIKES in the house.

I have plans to shift the wood to the local Scout camp site (membership has its privileges) where copious amounts of FIRE will be possible next time we meet there. However, it has not happened yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 09 February, 2015, 09:25:21 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 February, 2015, 08:06:58 pm
The best on-the-road way to align a bent hanger is to screw a Shimano hubbed rear wheel into the hanger.

Oh, very neat!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 09 February, 2015, 11:27:34 pm
Put new mudguards on the Genesis, after snapping the rear last week (SKS Commuter - online reviews suggest they may be prone to this). New ones are Vavert, bought cheaply a few months ago from Planet X as spares. The job was made somewhat easier by reusing an old set of stays, so I could get away with not having to cut them. :thumbsup:

I swear the mudguard stays in the bits box are breeding. Or maybe I break mudguards too frequently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 February, 2015, 02:59:47 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 February, 2015, 08:06:58 pm
The best on-the-road way to align a bent hanger is to screw a Shimano hubbed rear wheel into the hanger. It is very easy to see if the 2 rear wheels are parallel and to align the hanger. Except for the faff of screwing the axle in and out, it is more accurate than the proper way.
Very ingenious
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 11 February, 2015, 12:03:03 am
That is  a great tip LWaB.

Fited the replacement front shifter to the winter bike. Trimmed the bust bit of gear cable outer that may have been the cause of some problems (why did I leave it so long to get a proper cable cutter - definitely the proper tool for the job) and it now behaves as sweetness and light.

Replaced the front mch on the MTB. That behaves perfectly too. Forgot to oil the chain after cleaning it so I could find the quicklink and to fit the bottle cage back on. Will sort that in the morning. Generally a good fettle where everything behaved properly (once I found where my t25 wrench had gone because campag are rather silly and use funny bolts.)

I may endeavour to molish a replacement lever for the front shifter out of some spare Alu strip..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 11 February, 2015, 08:30:50 pm
I have laced up a wheel. Bit loose at the moment. I may seek help in getting it properly finished.

First time ever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 11 February, 2015, 08:51:42 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 09 February, 2015, 09:25:21 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 February, 2015, 08:06:58 pm
The best on-the-road way to align a bent hanger is to screw a Shimano hubbed rear wheel into the hanger.

Oh, very neat!

In the shop I use a 10mm cro-mo axle. Remove the derailleur, refit the wheel, screw the axle into the hanger and see which direction it points.

The axle has enough exposed thread to fully engage in the hanger and the locknuts allow you to use it as a thread chaser. It's at this point you find out if the hanger is made of dural or cheese!

BTW don't attempt to 'adjust' (bend) the hanger without the wheel firmly locked in place. DAHIKT
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 11 February, 2015, 09:47:53 pm
TPoC 

©CrinklyLion
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 12 February, 2015, 09:56:35 am
A sewing machine that kept breaking the cotton.

Dismantled and reset the tension spring and housing, then adjusted the timing. I kept finding instructions to remove parts for access, but to then find that to put the part back involved complex techniques requiring feeler gauges.

Its a 1939 piece of Singer engineering that was inherited. I am in awe of their ability to create a machine from cast iron, with machinings, bushes, about 30 different bearings at a cost that was affordable. I would suspect it would cost several thousand pounds at today's prices.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 February, 2015, 10:44:12 pm
I had meant to go for a ride this balmy (well, it is for February) evening, but I made the mistake of trying some tyre swapping.

I have three nominally 28 mm tyres, all of which are a tight fit under the guards, but the Schwalbe One is the closest to 28 mm, and it was only when I fitted it to my front wheel and couldn't turn it that I truly realised how useless the headline figure is. I even tried the old cable tie trick on the front (the rear mudguard is already attached with cable ties).

I wasn't getting a ride anyway by this point, so I broke out the beer and the measuring device.

Rubino Pro: height above rim 24.8 mm - width 25.77 mm

Bontrager Hardcase: height above rim 23.55 mm - width 25.6 mm

Schwalbe One: height above rim 25.7 mm - width 25.8 mm

The Schwalbe is now on the rear, the Rubino on the front, and a quick trip around the block didn't reveal any rubbing, except under braking at the front.

On the whole, I reckon I'll stick with "25 mm" tyres in future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 February, 2015, 11:10:27 pm
You're aware of the issue of sticks, stones and debris getting stuck under close-fitting mudguards, jamming the wheel, and causing bad crashes? Modern mudguards have safety releases to mitigate this, but you still need a bit of space for safety.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 February, 2015, 11:13:48 pm
Yes, that's why I've been hesitant. I'll probably have to brush the guards out after each ride, oh joy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 12 February, 2015, 11:27:51 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 11 February, 2015, 08:51:42 pm
BTW don't attempt to 'adjust' (bend) the hanger without the wheel firmly locked in place. DAHIKT

You ripped the hanger out of its frame, didn't you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 12 February, 2015, 11:35:33 pm
Quote from: Mr Bunbury on 12 February, 2015, 11:27:51 pm
Quote from: torslanda on 11 February, 2015, 08:51:42 pm
BTW don't attempt to 'adjust' (bend) the hanger without the wheel firmly locked in place. DAHIKT

You ripped the hanger out of its frame, didn't you.

Not quite but definitely bent the wrong bit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2015, 12:01:04 am
A strip of LED lights to the underside of barakta's monitor stand, to neatly and unobtrusively illuminate the desk below.

This involved the unholy trinity of self-tapping screws, soldering iron and rather more voodoo programming than I originally anticipated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 14 February, 2015, 12:52:36 pm
Cleaned the kitchen.  Ironed the bedlinen, the shirts and my left thumb.  Did two loads of washing.

 :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gandalf on 14 February, 2015, 05:14:37 pm
New bottom bracket, chainset & cassette to commuter. Road test tomorrow to pre-empt any nasty surprises on Monday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 14 February, 2015, 11:41:45 pm
Having drunk most of a bottle of wine singlehandedly I decided to fettle my new SON rear dynamo light onto the Sabbath September.
Having shortended the wire and crimped on the terminals I said to Simon "why isn't it working?". He pointed out the little terminal going into the Edelux needed to be completely covered in heat shrink insulation not to short to the body of the lamp. The German instructions hadn't really made that clear (well, maybe they would have done if I was sober enough to actually read them).
So shuffling the heat shrink down a bit resulted in a worky light. It is very epic for it's tinyness. Very happy  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 15 February, 2015, 12:54:03 pm
The road bike, new cassette, chain, chain ring, gear cable, both brake cables, bar tape, and new pedals, and it still ticks on heavy acceleration ::-) . Now to try and find some enthusiasm to ride the ruddy thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 16 February, 2015, 08:22:20 am
Nothing today, but the weekend was a success. Saturday I decided to try again to convert one of my wheels to tubeless, having failed miserable a few weeks back (3 times) to get an Aksium One (from my Genesis Equilibrium) to seal. This time I tried an H+ Son Archetype dynohub wheel I had built a while back.  2 layers of Stans tape, cut a cross for the valve and fitted hadn tight, a bit of soap spray and popped on the tyre (Schwalbe 1 28) by hand. Valve core out and pump like crazy and....  it seated and sealed!  Ok, a bit of pressure loss but I got it up to 7 bar easily enough.  Pump off, sealant in, valve core back and pump like crazy again. I did wonder if I could get enough air in quyickly enough with the core in, but I did. Then lots of shaking and bouncing etc.  Left overnight sat it lost about 1/2 bar, so more pumping and shaking and I hung it up. Will check again this evening. But all in all a result. Just wondering if I should do the same to the Archetypes on the "Sunday Soot Bike" and fit 25's as it's a leisure ride (ie I'm too old and fat and slow to race!)

As an aside, the 28's came up at 29mm on the Archtypes.  So next fettle was the 'guards on the Equilibrium - which according the Genesis will take a 25 with 'guards and a 28 without....

I'd had 27mm Paves fitted ok, but the Schwalbes needed some work doing. I've SKS fitted, so at the front I had to cut off the top of the bracket that fits to the back of the fork crown to allow the 'guard to re raised up, and that, with a minor adjustem3nt to the stay lengths, did the trick. 2-3mm clearance.  Oh, and then I fitted a mudflap made from an old flowerpot.

I then had a look at the rear, more clearance anyway there.  But I do have an odd issue in that it seems I have to deflate the rear tyre in order to get it off the (disc equipped) bike - the tyre if inflated jams against the bridge across the stays behind the bb.  Odd.  Anyway to alleviate it a bit I replaced the 2 SKS supplied screws that fitted the bridge clip to the guard with some with a slightly smaller head. Maybe it's my fitting technique  :-\  I'll have to practice.

Then yesterday I replaced the (perfectly good) band-on 105 front mech with a braze-on one with band-on clip and a k-edge chain catcher.  Took a while to get properly adjusted but I think I managed it eventually. No chance to test ride it last evening though.  Oh, and I replaced the 50T outer ring (compact) with a 48, and replaced the 11-28 cassette with a 12-32. I really am NOT fit and wanted the lower gears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 February, 2015, 08:32:53 am
Yesterday: Jury-rigged Inlaw Paw's buggered bedroom door lock. Fingers still hurting today. See Grumble thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 17 February, 2015, 08:17:13 pm
Converted a Cree 1000Chinese Lumens light by replacing the connectors with Tamiya connectors.

So far have replaced the plugs on one each of battery, light and charger. Just 2 more batteries and one light to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 February, 2015, 10:00:02 pm
Removed, took apart, cleaned, lubricated, reassembled and refitted the front mech on the no longer pink Mercian.

I can now get the teeny ring with ease, which is handy, as I plan to ride Mad Jack's JSM on Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 18 February, 2015, 12:23:19 am
Re-assembled the wheel I laced up loosely (my first) last week. This time with slightly longer spokes.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 19 February, 2015, 11:21:33 am
Yesterday...

Riding ones bicycle is so much easier with the saddle set to the correct height.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 19 February, 2015, 04:00:14 pm
I have fitted one of these

(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/35783R.jpg)

to my Thorn. I have attached it to the Blackburn rack with cable ties, there being no facility to use the supplied bolts. It seems to be very firmly affixed. There will need to be a test ride shortly.

Annoyingly, SON have hard-wired the wire into the light, there being no facility to plug in the old cable which arrived with the Edelux and has, hitherto, been powering the Philips rear light with in-built reflector.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 February, 2015, 04:12:02 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 19 February, 2015, 04:00:14 pm
I have fitted one of these

(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/35783R.jpg)

to my Thorn. I have attached it to the Blackburn rack with cable ties, there being no facility to use the supplied bolts. It seems to be very firmly affixed. There will need to be a test ride shortly.

Annoyingly, SON have hard-wired the wire into the light, there being no facility to plug in the old cable which arrived with the Edelux and has, hitherto, been powering the Philips rear light with in-built reflector.

What's the advantage over the Philips (or was it broken or something)?  While I'm sure the build quality is as impeccable as you'd expect from SON, that looks like quite a small light source, and the absence of a reflector seems like a retrograde step...

I know there's a seatpost-mount version of that light, which makes a lot more sense - good seatpost-mounted dynamo lights being fairly thin on the ground.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 19 February, 2015, 04:35:27 pm
The Philips light is very pretty from the point of view of the light it gives out, but its mounting system leaves, in my view, a good deal to be desired. There are two bolts with flat heads which slot into the back of the light. These need to screw onto the rack's mounting plate - except the Blackburn rack of the vintage that was fitted to my Thorn when I bought it almost 9 years ago has no mounting plate.

My solution was to use p-clips (provided courtesy of the excellent Jurek otp) but, because the point at which the light needed to be mounted there was a double-thickness of rack tube, this solution was not all that wonderful. In addition, a good deal of the Philips light protruded above the level of the rack and was prone to catch on things as I manoeuvred the bike in confined spaces.

I didn't want the seatpost version as I normally ride with a saddlebag. I shall have a think about a reflector. At present I am without one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 February, 2015, 04:40:10 pm
Ah, so it's better suited to the inadequacies of the rack.  That makes sense.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 19 February, 2015, 05:14:00 pm
I have returned the old mudguard reflector to its appointed place. At the moment there is no friction between the bolt and the tyre. I have thought of a use for the dog-ends of cable ties! Reflector packing!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 20 February, 2015, 11:54:07 am
Fettled my cheap and cheerful Btwin RockRider MTB into a commuter bike - fitted a pair of Vittoria Randonneur 26x1.5s, pannier rack, and I managed to bodge rear mudguard into place by carefully bending the mudguard stays to clear the mechanical disk brake caliper!   :)

Bike weighs an absolute ton now though!   :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 21 February, 2015, 08:54:09 am
After this morning's ride was cancelled because of ice, I decided to give in and fettle the not-Tifosi on to the turbo. I can't remember how to install my cadence/speed sensor thingy, though (Decathlon cheapy for which I've lost the instructions), so it's not particularly useful at the moment!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 21 February, 2015, 10:50:14 am
Quote from: Kim on 19 February, 2015, 04:12:02 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 19 February, 2015, 04:00:14 pm
I have fitted one of these

(http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/35783R.jpg)

to my Thorn. I have attached it to the Blackburn rack with cable ties, there being no facility to use the supplied bolts. It seems to be very firmly affixed. There will need to be a test ride shortly.

Annoyingly, SON have hard-wired the wire into the light, there being no facility to plug in the old cable which arrived with the Edelux and has, hitherto, been powering the Philips rear light with in-built reflector.

What's the advantage over the Philips (or was it broken or something)?  While I'm sure the build quality is as impeccable as you'd expect from SON, that looks like quite a small light source, and the absence of a reflector seems like a retrograde step...

I know there's a seatpost-mount version of that light, which makes a lot more sense - good seatpost-mounted dynamo lights being fairly thin on the ground.

I've just done the same as Wow and bought this light. What isn't clear on the SJS site is quite how tiny and lightweight this light is. But it is amazingly bright for it's size and the light is visible from both sides really well. It doesn't dazzle upwards though. Because of it's tiny weight I've been able to zip tie it neatly to the back of my Bagman II and it hasn't moved at all with vibrations. You really have to see one to see how beautifully made it is. They do a seat post mounted version too but it is a bit more expensive.
I'm so happy with mine I'm going to get another for my commuter. All my bikes have a mudguard mounted reflector anyway so I don't need my rear light to have this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 21 February, 2015, 09:19:24 pm
Tightened up the cones on the Genesis' rear wheel, as I'd noticed it rattling a bit last time I rode it. Then I replaced the front brake blocks, though not the rear, as I couldn't find any a second set of suitable blocks in the bits box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 February, 2015, 09:58:45 pm
Fitted a new pair of wheels to HK's Condor commuter, along with new front mech cabling. The rear wheel has been retired due to wear and the front dyno wheel will passed down to my fixed wheel, which has just about worn out its dyno wheel.

Oiled my Brommie's chain after a few days by the seaside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 21 February, 2015, 11:18:19 pm
I have been preparing the Gary Fisher for its maiden squelch. I'm off to the sea wall in the morning.

I have fitted some of these

(http://www.treefortbikes.com/images/raw/TF-Ht1702.jpg)

one of these

(http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/nycewheels_2269_29407494)

but in black,

a bottle cage and a RAM mount holder for the Garmin's bayonet fitting.

The saddle still has my very old Carradice bag, dating from the 1980s, attached to it. There are two shiny chrome badges - one of these

(http://www.rennart.co.uk/images/badgecyclingexaminer.jpg)

and the right-hand one of these two.

(http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mrxfJreDbFMGp5NY6ZZ5utg.jpg)

Sadly, I don't seem to have the triangular one any more, although I still have my certificate, dating from about 1964.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 22 February, 2015, 10:14:23 am
Finally got around to switching the 44cm bars on the Genesis to some 40cm ones.

Now debating bar tape: stick with boring black, or go for the green/purple/black splash? Decisions, decisions...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 February, 2015, 01:53:34 pm
Taped my new Pacenti SL25 rims and fitted the 28mm Schwalbe 1 tubeless tyres successfully and now just need the new Hope discs (due end of next week) to finish them and fit to the Gensis Equilibrium.

Next job is to "convert" the H+ Son Archetypes on the Argon18 to tubeless as well, plus get around to see if I can build up the DT Swiss RR wheelset using Roger Mussons book. Hmmm, that'll be a challenge for me I think!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 February, 2015, 02:09:39 pm
Replaced a broken pop-rivet on my C-bag frame, that I noticed last night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 22 February, 2015, 08:12:09 pm
Managed a ride yesterday, weather today was a bit cold and blustery so I had a decent fettle of the commute / winter hack bike.

It's been looking a bit sorry for itself for a while now, so it got a total strip-down and clean-up.
Nothing actually replaced, except the brake pads.

But a long list of small niggles.
Rear mech arm sticking causing slack chain - fixed
Rear wheel bearings needing re-greased and cones tightened - done
Rear brake needed one of the pivots un-jammed - done
Bottom bracket needed removed, cleaned up, replaced to fix creaking - done
Cassette, chain , chainset  removed and properly cleaned - done
Seatpost removed, cleaned, re-greased and re-clamped.

Running much more betterer now.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 February, 2015, 10:49:19 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 22 February, 2015, 10:14:23 am
Finally got around to switching the 44cm bars on the Genesis to some 40cm ones.

Now debating bar tape: stick with boring black, or go for the green/purple/black splash? Decisions, decisions...

...and today, splash tape won. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 24 February, 2015, 11:26:43 am
Last night I set about fixing the puncture that resulted in a bike swap in the morning.

Looking at the carcass, I started asking myself if it was too worn and chunked about to re-use, with splits along the tread and so on. A little voice in my head said, if you are asking the question, then it is. So I thought I would just put it back and replace the tyre over the weekend.

Pumping it up, I ended up doing a Charles Trenet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0KWyWwVp0E)

Cat moved fast, and I can just about hear again......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 February, 2015, 05:34:35 pm
Unplanned litho-percussive bottom bracket fettling:

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8657/16486080660_a87c5b3703_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/r7Ptq1)
IMG_4828 (https://flic.kr/p/r7Ptq1) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 February, 2015, 05:47:08 pm
Replaced the wornout dynowheel (squeaky hub from corrosion and thinned out rim) on my fixed with the one from HK's Condor. Tensioned the chain and adjusted both brakes. A nasty cut means I need to replace the front tyre but that'll be sometime next week.

Tweaked the rear brake on HK's Condor. Fitted a new seatpost and saddle to my trike.

Just waiting for another seatpost to arrive to fit to the racing tandem. Tomorrow I might be up for fiddling with the rear wheel and chains to finally get the racing tandem in riding condition.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 28 February, 2015, 09:50:08 pm
Finished off (after a delay caused by injury) the first wheel I've ever built, with a bit of help getting it perfect, & fitted it to Mrs B's road bike.

[Edit]
She's now (Sunday morning) out riding it. The first time anyone's ever ridden on a wheel I built!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 01 March, 2015, 12:33:06 am
I spent the morning fettling the Sabbath ready for a 200k tomorrow I've now decided I can't ride  :(

The bike had a good clean and polish all over, new rear tyre and tube, new brake blocks, new chain, and new Fenderbot spare rear reflector light for the mudguard. I added a rubber layer under it and a nyloc nut as this kind of thing are very prone to vibration.

The bike is looking lovely and sparkly, but the weather forecast for tomorrow is looking extremely wet. Plus the ride is AAA and I have not ridden more than 40 miles in one go all year. It would be a stretch too far in adverse weather.

But I've now entered a less lumpy 200 for next weekend and another for 2 weeks after that so onwards and upwards  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 March, 2015, 11:35:34 am
Finished off the conversion of my cree lights to Tamiya connectors.

3 batteries, two lights and one charger all sorted now, with the cables all soldered to the pins, just to make sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 March, 2015, 10:23:15 am
Quote from: Bledlow on 28 February, 2015, 09:50:08 pm
Finished off (after a delay caused by injury) the first wheel I've ever built, with a bit of help getting it perfect, & fitted it to Mrs B's road bike.

[Edit]
She's now (Sunday morning) out riding it. The first time anyone's ever ridden on a wheel I built!

Similarly, last night I did the tensioning and trueing of the first wheel I've built by myself. Previous efforts have involved me sitting round while my friend Dave does the fiddly getting it true stuff. This one is all my own work, and came true quite quickly. V pleased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 March, 2015, 07:18:34 pm
The sewing machine, which was having an Epson moment, and yet another pair of barakta's trousers.  I don't know[1] what she does with them.


[1] Not actually true: What she does is buy trousers according to the size of her legs, rather than the size of her legs plus several layers of thermal underwear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 02 March, 2015, 07:45:16 pm
I went digging in the teetering cupboard of crap and have located the missing 4th pannier - I now have a complete set to go touring with next week! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 March, 2015, 07:50:37 pm
Replaced the clapped SPD copies on my fixed with the least-pretty SPDs from the Audax tandem. Also replaced the fixed's 4 chainring bolts and 1 ziptie with a new set of bolts, giving me 4 spares. About to replace the cracked front mudguard on my Brommie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 March, 2015, 05:34:14 pm
I have framed a picture and hung it in the Upper Gallery.  This took a couple of hours of swearing and further destruction to my fleet of Vikings.  They are in dry dock awaiting repairs.

I have framed another picture and hung it in the Great Hall.  This one took ten minutes, because it is exactly the right size for the frame.  The other one is 2 cm too wide and thus required the next size up.

I have eight more pictures to frame and hang up but I bought these myself so cannot whinge too much.  Though I'd just have used Blu-Tak had someone, who had better remain nameless1, not said "they'd look really good if you framed them".  Also they are USAnian and thus a funny size.

I will be the one found dead hanging umop-ap!sdn from a ladder, thus leading the Coroner to all sorts of erroneous conclusions.

1: Miss von Brandenburg
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 March, 2015, 01:22:35 pm
Swapped out the Mavic Aksiums / 27mm Pave CG's for Pacenti SL25's / 28mm Schwalbe One Tubeless on the Equilibrium. They just fir under the 'guards  :thumbsup:

Out for a test ride soon  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 March, 2015, 02:08:07 pm
Tried, and failed, to remove the seat post and the bottom bracket from the Olmo.

Gave up and decided to clean the deck then the bathroom, kitchen and hall floors.

Wondered why the house felt like an oven, realised that the thermostat had been turned up to 20 AGAIN!!! Grrrr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 March, 2015, 03:32:28 pm
Replaced back tyre, chain to bin, cleaned rear mech, put wheel back, missus says "coffee's ready".  New chain can wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 March, 2015, 03:52:06 pm
fettled suitable electrons in the right order into an arduino hooked up to an SD card and a neopixel strip to 'play' DNA sequences on the SD card as coloured lights. It was all going swimmingly until the SD card cried foul as it was being over fed on electron voles. I now have some kit I know sort of works, an SD card I definitely  know doesn't, and a hiatus whilst Mr Ebay kindly fetches me teh right sort of electron wrangling chip to make it sweetness and light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 March, 2015, 05:42:02 pm
Patched a mild firmware bug in the doorbell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 07 March, 2015, 06:27:20 pm
Finally got to deal with the issues from my off a couple of weeks back.   Removed the broken front mudguard and checked the bike over so that I can now go out for a rider tomorrow.   Need to fettle the new helmet first...  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 07 March, 2015, 08:18:18 pm
Eventually managed to release a very stuck lockring on the station bike's cassette; a process that involved bare knuckles and a lot of force in the vicinity of sprockets with sharp point'ed teeth. Sustained a nasty, painful fettling injury putting soft rubber grips on the handlebars.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 March, 2015, 09:08:17 pm
Refurb of bars with new (shorter) stem, new inner cables and fitting supplementary cross-levers to my 1975 Galaxy tourer - unridden since it was cleaned and fitted with new wheels in about January 2014 ... getting it ready for the upcoming club tour to France, Germany and Belgium.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 March, 2015, 09:23:38 pm
Cleaned the not-Tifosi. Cleaned half the Genesis, but got bored before I got round to turning it round to do the other side. I'll finish it tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 March, 2015, 09:37:34 pm
Stripped and re-greased the suspension fork on the Streetmachine, which is a tedious bastard of a job at the best of times.  Also replaced the front brake cable, as I'd severed that to drop the fork.  The other cables and a bit of drivetrain TLC still to come.  Then I can get started on the trike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 March, 2015, 10:13:41 pm
Cleaned and generally tweaked the recumbent (coming to For Sale Board near you soon)

The front mech trigger shifter wasn't playing, so I started to remove it. Realised I'd need to take the cable with it, then end of which was a bit frilly. Nevermind, I have spare that I bought just the other day.

Two things to note:  When working on the front mech trigger shifter, don't disconnect, cut and generally bugger up the cable to the rear mech by mistake. And when buying gear cables, don't buy brake cables by mistake either. Apart from that it all went swimmingly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 March, 2015, 02:58:53 pm
I sealed the broken plastic over the switch at the base of my Smart Lunar rear light using UHU. It seems to have worked; yesterday's ride had a few hours of drizzle and one of the symptoms of the leak was that the light would turn itself on and then refuse to turn off or change mode. That didn't happen yesterday.

I also cleaned the hob top.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 March, 2015, 06:38:51 pm
Handlebar grips and other four cables on the Streetmachine.  Oddly the gear cable inners weren't in too bad a nick, it's almost as if they had to be replaced halfway through a tour of Wales or something...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 11 March, 2015, 06:52:10 pm
Quote from: robgul on 07 March, 2015, 09:08:17 pm
Refurb of bars with new (shorter) stem, new inner cables and fitting supplementary cross-levers to my 1975 Galaxy tourer - unridden since it was cleaned and fitted with new wheels in about January 2014 ... getting it ready for the upcoming club tour to France, Germany and Belgium.

Rob
Have you spread the stays out a bit, to fit all those extra sprockets bikes tend to have nowadays?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 March, 2015, 08:00:54 pm
It was cold and my calf still aches, so I decided to continue the theme and fit new cables and front brake blocks to the Dawes.  Naturally cleaning all the grime out of important mechanical crevices took far more work than the actual fettling.  Remembered I now own a set of security Torx bits which fit the bolts[1] securing the rear brakes, so was finally able to take them off, clean and grease the pivots.

Drivetrain is still in a foul state, but that can wait until barakta isn't in so I can stink the house out with solvents.


[1] A weird Tektro V-brake with integrated nurse's lock which would otherwise be thwarted if the brake arm could just be unbolted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 March, 2015, 11:16:58 am
Spent the last couple of hours we have use of neighbour's kitchen to boil and blitz some chicken breast. That kitten's got a runny bum again :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: caerau on 15 March, 2015, 11:41:04 am
After a new rear wheel was inadvertently bought for my Trek Hybrid in the week I've spend the morning fitting a new cassette and disc brake rotor to the wheel since the old rotor was a centre lock and not compatible with the new one, also replaced the chain (was worn way beyond the point that it should have been replaced already) and fitted a new trigger gear shifter to the bike.


As with Kim, since the bike has been sitting unused in the garage for months the fettling took less time than cleaning grime and dust of machine.  Will now take it out for a quick spin to check everything is dandy.  Good to have it back so I can stop wearing out the wheels on the audax bike by commuting on it too.


Pleasantly surprised that the Marathon plus tyre on the old wheel came off easily and was put on the new wheel easily by hand  - was not expecting that :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 15 March, 2015, 05:05:48 pm
Cleaned Darlington off the road bike, and Cumbria off the mountainbike.  It was a right pig getting the disc-brake wheel back on.  Feeling very satisfied now, just need to think about changing the studs off the tourer.  Maybe.  Or maybe not.  Too early?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 15 March, 2015, 05:18:46 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 06 March, 2015, 05:34:14 pm
I have framed a picture and hung it in the Upper Gallery.  This took a couple of hours of swearing and further destruction to my fleet of Vikings.  They are in dry dock awaiting repairs.

I have framed another picture and hung it in the Great Hall.  This one took ten minutes, because it is exactly the right size for the frame.  The other one is 2 cm too wide and thus required the next size up.

I have eight more pictures to frame and hang up but I bought these myself so cannot whinge too much.  Though I'd just have used Blu-Tak had someone, who had better remain nameless1, not said "they'd look really good if you framed them".  Also they are USAnian and thus a funny size.

I will be the one found dead hanging umop-ap!sdn from a ladder, thus leading the Coroner to all sorts of erroneous conclusions.

1: Miss von Brandenburg

You are Uncle Podger (http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/grol/jerome/3men03.htm) AICMFP!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 15 March, 2015, 05:24:34 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 15 March, 2015, 05:05:48 pm
Cleaned Darlington off the road bike, and Cumbria off the mountainbike.  It was a right pig getting the disc-brake wheel back on.  Feeling very satisfied now, just need to think about changing the studs off the tourer.  Maybe.  Or maybe not.  Too early?

Probably not, though it was -1oC when I was moving a car late last night.(http://img.cyclechat.co.uk/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/cold.gif)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 March, 2015, 05:25:29 pm
Remounted newly trued badly pringled dyno front wheel, with which I am rather pleased. Lessons learned, make sure you have plenty of  the appropriate spoke nipples to hand, the correct tool for placing said (DT Swiss square) nipples and also use spoke keys which are the correct size!. I still like Velox cloth tape. Apply lots of patience.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 March, 2015, 05:42:11 pm
Friday - assemble 2 x freshly painted Moultons
Early Saturday morning - pack 2 x Moultons into bags for a breakfast flight to Greece
Saturday afternoon - assemble HK's Moulton (missing 2 x bidon bolts)
Sunday morning - assemble my Moulton (missing 1 bolt)
Tomorrow - get replacement bolts and start riding
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 March, 2015, 06:28:45 pm
And continuing the endless fettle session.... Cleaned and lubed the drivetrain on the Dawes.  Wiped the worst of the rust off the Brompton's chain.  Stripped and rebuilt the BB7s on the front of the trike (which after 3.5 years were surprisingly free of corrosion - it's almost as if barakta is a fair-weather cyclist or something) and gave both front wheels a once-over in the truing stand.  Drivetrain, rear brake and a zillion cables still to come.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 15 March, 2015, 09:14:47 pm
Busy few days of bike fettling:

Friday - replaced the forks on the Genesis Equilibrium due to suspect looking crack in the paint

Sunday - cup and cone tweaking on an Ultegra 6500 rear hub, cleaned the cassette as it had to come off
- replaced both Ultegra 6700 STIs on the Pearson carbon audax.  The right STI has been behaving badly for ages, the left STI blew up and seemed to eject a pivot last Thursday.  CRC obliged by delivering a replacement within 36 hours- even on the free postage.
- At the same time, replaced the M Part adapter for a band on front derailleur with the blingy carbon job from Taiwan - another 10gms saved without dieting!

Honestly, these STI things seem very unreliable.  I'm thinking about going electronic but that may be just as bad.  I've had several mouse buttons fail in the last couple of years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: loadsabikes on 15 March, 2015, 11:05:36 pm
Moved half of garage to new house.
Cycle bench and all tooling, two tool chests, three welders and a plasma cutter.
Still got the lathe and drill press to go.
Mrs Miggins just loves a bit of lathe wrestling  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 15 March, 2015, 11:10:56 pm
Took the transmission off the tandem as it's been a rough winter, and we'll be needing All The Gears next weekend.

Took off the rear mech with a view to cleaning it. Binned it.
Took off the chain with a view to cleaning it. Binned it.
Took off the timing chain with a view to cleaning it. Yup - cleaned it.
Took off the cassette with a view to cleaning it. Yup - cleaned it, but also ordered a new one.

Sigh...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 March, 2015, 11:16:59 pm
Having washed the Spacer after yesterday's (and last week's) ride(s), I decided to tackle the skitbrun brake performance by removing the brake blocks, scraping gunge out of the sipes and then filing the braking surface. I also removed a small shard of aluminium from one. I've yet to see whether this improves, worsens or does nothing to the braking.

I also did some battery juggling.

Yesterday morning, I fettled bits of the garden with the world's second bluntest secateurs. That was quite fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 16 March, 2015, 07:10:43 am
Quote from: loadsabikes on 15 March, 2015, 11:05:36 pm
Moved half of garage to new house.
Cycle bench and all tooling, two tool chests, three welders and a plasma cutter.
Still got the lathe and drill press to go.
Mrs Miggins just loves a bit of lathe wrestling  ;D

Good luck with the house move loadsabikes and Mrs Miggins - hope it all goes smoothly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 16 March, 2015, 10:09:14 pm
Spent the evening doing a major washing machine fettle.

Yesterday, I washed my cycle kit and accidentally left the key for my bike lock in an open pocket.
It managed to get jammed between the inner rotating drum and the outer drum, causing it to sound like my bike's drivetrain after a week of commuting.

Getting it out involved:
Removing the top cover, the front control panel, the door, door seal and interlock all to allow me to remove the entire front panel.
This gave me access to the drain port on the bottom of the drum.
Off with the hose, and a bit of poking around with my fingers.
No go.

Off with the rear cover plate, remove the heating element to gain access to the rear of the drum's internal space.

Ah, I can see the key.
Jammed between the 2 drums, out of reach.
With much jiggery-pokery with long pokey things, I was able to move it to a point where I could reach it with my fingers through the drain port.
After an hour of trying, I was able to poke it back up the way it had gone in, and grab it with some hook-nosed pliers.

It took a further hour to re-assemble, mostly on account of the infernal door seal and the nasty big sproing that holds it onto the drum.

Bah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 17 March, 2015, 08:22:54 pm
Tenacious lot these cyclist types  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 17 March, 2015, 09:43:38 pm
It was the only key, and his carbon dream machine was secured to a drain-pipe outside using the lock ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 March, 2015, 02:29:14 pm
I've taken the Merida-branded knobbly-ish tyres of the UTB and replaced them with Vittoria Randonneur Pros. Normally, this wouldn't count as fettling, but fitting these was a bit of a marathon (coat!). In fact, it started yesterday. Struggled and struggled. The problem was, the second bead wouldn't stay on. It went on easily, but came off even more easily! It was as if the whole tyre was too floppy. I think the problem was that they're folding tyres which have spent a long time folded and didn't want to become circular. Also, the only 26" tubes I had were knobbly sized - 2-2.5", whereas these are 1.5" tyres. That's a reduction in width of 13mm, fairly significant (I'm upping the Urban, Utility and Touring quotients, while necessarily reducing the Terrain ability), so I put the knobbles back on and went to get some skinnier 26" tubes (I'd looked before but not found any in the shops - one last shop I tried had them - thank you, Colston Bike Workshop), overtaking my son (him on foot) in both directions and getting home at least 10 mins before him. Then I hung one tyre up over a coat hanger overnight, for it to regain circularity.

And to this morning. Using the new, skinnier tubes, the first tyre went on ok. The second, which hadn't been given time to familiarise itself with its round duties, required cable ties to prevent it popping off the rim as I went round. Once all on, it stayed, and has been ridden about six miles today in search of a tent (see other thread!). Feels ok.

My, that's a lot of words about a simple tyre change!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 March, 2015, 05:34:57 pm
The hotel shower head with a Tern multitool. It now points where it is meant to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 18 March, 2015, 06:42:23 pm
Shiny new rear transmission on the tandem, to replace the one I shamelessly neglected.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7597/16856357665_20e7b6df1d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rFxeSi)20150318_172203 (https://flic.kr/p/rFxeSi) by Pelotonhound (https://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr

ETA: The new rear mech has the longest cage I have ever seen - but we do run a wide range on the tandem 51/11 to 30/34, and this is what Shimano recommended. Must be right - it's buttery smooth (on the stand at least).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 March, 2015, 06:45:27 pm
Shiny!  For now...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 18 March, 2015, 06:47:54 pm
Quote from: clarion on 18 March, 2015, 06:45:27 pm
Shiny!  For now...

Indeed. Wales at the weekend, so we know what that means, don't we?  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 March, 2015, 06:48:54 pm
Sunny days and flat roads with few gear changes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 18 March, 2015, 09:15:25 pm
Currently failing to re-fettle the rear derailleur on School Bike after it was un-fettled during a safety check by the local Dr Bike type initiative.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 18 March, 2015, 09:23:51 pm
Quote from: clarion on 18 March, 2015, 06:48:54 pm
Sunny days and flat roads with few gear changes?
<makes notes>
Clarion finally loses the plot
</makes notes>
 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 18 March, 2015, 09:31:45 pm
Just some lights onto a bike. Must remember to buy some more Planet X cheapies next time I place an order with them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 March, 2015, 10:09:35 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 18 March, 2015, 09:23:51 pm
Quote from: clarion on 18 March, 2015, 06:48:54 pm
Sunny days and flat roads with few gear changes?
<makes notes>
Clarion finally loses the plot
</makes notes>
 ;)
;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 19 March, 2015, 08:59:29 am
Fettled the newly donated to me dahon speed P8. Replaced: the lower stem as the one on there is prone to cracking, replaced two drive side spokes in the rear wheel, trued the rear wheel, replaced the frame hinge catch assembly. Annoyingly,  the two tiny circlips became pingfuckits. I found one but not the other. :facepalm:  Fitted some ODI grips from the bits box after cutting the RH one down to fit alongside the grip shift. Fitted a brooks ti B17 also from the bits box. Pumped the tyres up.

Apart from the MIA circlip it's ready for the commute.
Total cost £79  :)

future plans may include a thumbshifter, new grips, conti grand prix tyres,  and thorusa.com do some cool carbon stuff!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: gdwhite on 19 March, 2015, 09:58:09 am
Replaced the Conti tyres on my new Moulton TSR 27 with Kojaks and took the opportunity to even out the spoke tensions and de-stress. Am now wondering if I should have used Bib Apple 2.25" as replacements and whether this would have been worth it even with suspension.
Advice would be welcome.

One of those days I may even get the chance to ride it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 19 March, 2015, 10:55:29 am
Fitted the new tyre to the back of the brompton. Glad I bought 3 spare tubes as I holed the first one squeezing the Marathon Plus on the first go.

Fixed a puncture in a brand new inner tube  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 19 March, 2015, 04:27:45 pm
Replaced rear wheel, cassette, and chain on a 10sp Campag set up.
The chain installation became easier when I

a) became aware of a thing called a chain pilot pin

b) found an example of same, hiding in the discarded wrapping that came with the chain

 :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 March, 2015, 06:09:45 pm
Fettled  cheap a car mat so it stays put by cutting holes in it with a Stanley Knife to match the tabs on the floor. If this works it will be far cheaper than buying car-specific tailored mats :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 March, 2015, 06:14:02 pm
Yesterday swapped out a worn out front tyre mid-ride. It took a while to properly scrub it in, so that it didn't make squeaky noises on hairpin descents. My bum was making similar noises every time the tyre did!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 20 March, 2015, 10:30:15 am
An inflater for my sleeping mat because I refused to pay 25 euros for a cloth bag with a hole in it. I played with a few sleeping bag stuff sacks, but they aren't made of ripstop nylon so weren't much better than a net bag.
The solution was a 50 litre rubbish sack with a small corner cut off the bottom. Slip that over the valve and secure with a rubber band. AND i can use it to put all my smelly clothes in for the return from camp.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 20 March, 2015, 01:24:03 pm
A saddlebag on to the Brompton.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7650/16871381282_f06b55ff7e.jpg)

So by rights this shouldn't fit, and it' doesn't. Alas having ripped open the packaging in excitement, and also not really wanting a big carradice saddlebag or a velcro strapped weight weenie one I had to come up with some way of fixing the bracket.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/16686435499_4a89e166a6.jpg)

Cable ties, 7 of them, clamped through the middle section of the bracket between the bolts and then crossed over the penta clip and through the luggage tabs on the back. Two round the middle sideways provided lateral stability.  It doesn't move very much at all and there is no sag detected, Looks a bit tatty but then the bike is covered in gaffa tape, scratches and dings already.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 March, 2015, 09:02:37 am
Put bike on stand and removed battery rearlight, put on dynamo ditto & like a twat cut off the zip-tie (wretched system there, B&M) without tightening it enough, had to cut it off again. Then realized that I was feeling washed out: wife has flu so I reckon this is my dose arriving. Came in and collopsed.

I'll put the Cateye battery light on again, the B&M'll wait until I have an infinite supply of thick black cable ties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 22 March, 2015, 10:19:07 am
Yesterday actually - replaced the middle chainring on the Equilibrium's Ultegra 6600 chainset, new chain, and a new gear inner for the rear mech with a general clean up.

What a difference:)

By my records the chainring had done 12,000 miles and was starting to drop from middle to low under pressure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 22 March, 2015, 12:59:03 pm
Replaced the Fuego's utterly crap KMC chain (many cracking sideplates) with SRAM PC991s and golden Powerlinks, very shiny.

I am hoping that it will work on the existing relatively low mileage cassette; since there is not much hillclimbing around here, I should be able to mesh them together with moderate pressure. That and the fact that I can only exert moderate pressure.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 March, 2015, 01:08:03 pm
^^^ Interesting. I put a KMC on a week or so back and have been puzzled by a faint clicking sound ever since. Think I'll ditch it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 March, 2015, 01:11:47 pm
Gears on the Salsa.
Replaced shitty Jagwire inline cable adjuster with a decent M-Part one that works.

Apropos of this, I want to find out which Shimano engineer decided that rear mechs don't need barrel adjusters and shoot him in the face.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 22 March, 2015, 01:47:18 pm
Quote from: interzen on 22 March, 2015, 01:11:47 pm
Apropos of this, I want to find out which Shimano engineer decided that rear mechs don't need barrel adjusters and shoot him in the face.

 :o :o  This must be a fairly new "innovation" on the part of $himano coz all mine have them.  HTF are you supposed to adjust indexed gears if you're using barend shifters?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 March, 2015, 05:14:27 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 22 March, 2015, 01:47:18 pm
Quote from: interzen on 22 March, 2015, 01:11:47 pm
Apropos of this, I want to find out which Shimano engineer decided that rear mechs don't need barrel adjusters and shoot him in the face.

 :o :o  This must be a fairly new "innovation" on the part of $himano coz all mine have them.  HTF are you supposed to adjust indexed gears if you're using barend shifters?

Short answer: Inline adjuster.  Finding somehwere sensible in the line where it doesn't get spuriously adjusted is left as an exercise for the reader.

Shimano answer: You're not supposed to use bar-end shifters with MTB mechs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 22 March, 2015, 05:16:41 pm
Just about to run my paws over the tourers in preparation for our early departure to Arranland tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 22 March, 2015, 05:26:07 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 March, 2015, 05:14:27 pm
Inline adjuster.  Finding somehwere sensible in the line where it doesn't get spuriously adjusted is left as an exercise for the reader.
About 3 inches downwind of the shifter works for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 22 March, 2015, 07:35:11 pm
2 days sent fettling the sekrit bunker ready for the delivery of an unknown amount of storage units from a friend tomorrow.

3 tip runs and lots of sorting and it's still not ready :facepalm: but it was VERY messy so I guess anything is an improvement.

Once I know how mamy and what storage units I'm getting  (when they arrive tomorrow) the fettling can continue...  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 22 March, 2015, 07:47:50 pm
Replaced inner tube on rear wheel.  Discovered tyre flatter than a Shrove Tuesday pancake when carrying out routine check for tomorrow.  Irritating, but better finding out at half-five in the afternoon than half-five in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 March, 2015, 09:51:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 March, 2015, 05:14:27 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 22 March, 2015, 01:47:18 pm
Quote from: interzen on 22 March, 2015, 01:11:47 pm
Apropos of this, I want to find out which Shimano engineer decided that rear mechs don't need barrel adjusters and shoot him in the face.

 :o :o  This must be a fairly new "innovation" on the part of $himano coz all mine have them.  HTF are you supposed to adjust indexed gears if you're using barend shifters?

Short answer: Inline adjuster.  Finding somehwere sensible in the line where it doesn't get spuriously adjusted is left as an exercise for the reader.


Heh. You remember Adam's ride down to London where Mice's In Line Adjusters were getting repeatedly frobbed by her bar bag too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 March, 2015, 10:15:25 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 22 March, 2015, 09:51:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 March, 2015, 05:14:27 pm
Short answer: Inline adjuster.  Finding somehwere sensible in the line where it doesn't get spuriously adjusted is left as an exercise for the reader.


Heh. You remember Adam's ride down to London where Mice's In Line Adjusters were getting repeatedly frobbed by her bar bag too.

That and my early experimentation to find somewhere sensible to put one on the Streetmachine:  The loop under the handlebars proved to be too prone to being rubbed and snagged on things.  The radius of the curve under the seat was suboptimally tight.  I eventually settled on the nice straight run down the 'seatstay' of the rear triangle, but only with the adjuster a specific way round, otherwise the bouncing of the suspension made it lose tension over time.

I've seen other bikes with them perilously close to bar bags, though perhaps with more sturdily mounted ones than Mice's so it isn't actually a problem.

Seriously though, barrel adjuster on the dérailleur.  With a boot on it if you want to be posh, or a regular squirt of GT85 if you don't.  What's not to like?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 March, 2015, 07:46:37 am
Popped the wotsit link on my grotty KMC chain prior to replacing it, but the dogs were clamouring for their brekky so I had to leave it dangling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 28 March, 2015, 10:02:28 pm
I've fettled my Central Heating controls.

We had some major building works a few years ago, which involved the replacement of the ancient boiler.
The 'heating engineer' ( useless plumber who knew little about plumbing, and even less about the anbaric controls ) had re-jigged the wiring so that it all appeared to work,

For various un-related reasons, I have decided to take out a maintenance contract on the boiler, and that includes the controls.
So I decided to go have a look at the existing setup, and fix it as required before the initial inspection.

AAAAAAAARGH!
WTF?
It looks like it's been wired up by a monkey.
It turns out that a component was faulty ( a zone valve ) , and the idiot had rigged the wiring to by-pass the problem rather than fix it.
This caused all manner of problems elsewhere, which I'd noticed, but never investigated.

Anyways, the faulty zone valve has been replaced, the wiring corrected, and all is well.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 March, 2015, 10:13:13 pm
Chain's not a bit slack  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 28 March, 2015, 10:14:36 pm
Finished cleaning out my son's room.  I'm pleased that's done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 March, 2015, 07:59:37 pm
Continued with the long-overdue maintenance on barakta's trike:  Thoroughly cleaned the back end.  Attempted to remove the freewheel, but it's stuck solid, so I'll worry about that properly when the 11t wears out.  Thoroughly inspected the rear tyre (Marathon Plus) while I had the wheel off (which is high faff on account of the torque arm and electrickery).  Replaced the rusty bolts securing the rear brake calliper and torque arm.  Re-installed the chain that I cleaned in the last fettling session, and jibbled about with the chain tube mounts at the idler so it doesn't derail when back-pedalled (much).  Replaced the rear gear cable with a shiny new one (as karmic payback for the freewheel, the new cable inner went straight into the X9 twist shifter without any wiggling  :o), trying out an alternate routing to reduce the bend radius at the rear mech.  Tidied up some of the electrical wiring which was now flapping in the breeze as a result of not having that gear cable to secure it to.  Tweaked the rear brake.  New helicopter tape at the bottom of the cruciform to ward off scuffs.  Decided to leave the front gear cable as is - it works fine, there's no sign of damage to the inner and it's going to be a git of a job to replace on account of the way it's threaded through the bar inside a foam grip.

Just waiting on the BB7 boots so I can re-cable and balance the front brakes now, I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 29 March, 2015, 08:27:46 pm
I replaced the rear tyre on the spare parts bike after an explosive side wall failure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 29 March, 2015, 08:32:59 pm
Dug my 1x1 out of hibernation - it just needed a tyre replacing and the chain cleaning.

Nice to have it rolling again - I feel some offroad commuting is in order :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 29 March, 2015, 08:40:28 pm
A combination of 1 sling, 2 carabiners and l length of static climbing rope to make a makeshift hoist for hauling bikes and stuff into the loft.   All went well.

I have a load of climbing kit including rocks and cams, slings and carbiners, some with locking gates, most of which has had little use.   I might put it all on the For Sale to see if I can generate any interest. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 29 March, 2015, 09:12:46 pm
ran the wires for a Di2 installation successfully through my frame. Would have got further but when I started to fit my new bars found I needed an OS size clamp - that my stem didn't have  ::-)
One is now on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 March, 2015, 02:17:58 pm
Just taken the mudguards off the BlueOrange. Sorry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 31 March, 2015, 10:10:29 am
Attacking the garden after studiously ignoring it for twenty years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 31 March, 2015, 10:13:02 pm
New brake cable following this (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26458.msg1838923#msg1838923) .
Hopefully, it'll not throw me over the bars tomorrow....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 03 April, 2015, 07:57:03 pm
Swapped out the Schwalbe city lights (?) that came on my frankenbike for Victoria hyper voyagers. Getting the old tyres off involved a certain amount of swearing and watching plastic levers bend precariously, but the new ones went on fine. New tyres are 35s rather than the old 32s, but the centrepulls still have clearance - I suspect I could get 37s on if necessary, though the limiting factor might then become chainstay and guards clearances.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 April, 2015, 09:26:19 pm
As it was hoying down most of the day, I went to build a new wheel, and realised I'd bought the wrong rim :facepalm:  Ah well, I'll give Spa a call next week and see if they'd be willing to swap. If not, well, I'll probably need a spare at some point.

So I fitted some new brakes to my Dave Yates, which took a preposterous amount of time, for the front, at least. Lights, mudguards, action, wait, no, start again... The brakes are a little fatter than the old ones, and the front bolt is a little shorter, so getting to the point where it didn't drag the guard onto the tyre and the light mount didn't foul the headset took a lot of trial-and-error.

The rear brake went on dead easy, though, and as it was still raining, I gave the black bike a quick wipe down and fitted the bottle cages I bought t'other week, and as it was still raining, I dug out the green bike, converted it back to fixed, and fitted some new pedals.

By then the rain had stopped, so I went for a ride and got the green bike all mucky again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 04 April, 2015, 09:57:49 pm
Continued fettling the sekrit bunker.  :thumbsup:
Yesterday I organised:
1 filing cabinet
1 metal work bench
6 chests of drawers
3 metal cabinets
& 3 cupboards
cut some worktop that the previous owner had left onto 5 of the drawers

Today I spent 6 hours sorting stuff, filling the cabinets, cupboards, and drawers and labelling every drawer cupboard and cabinet with a dyno labeller

Total cost: lots of time, petrol for a plethora of tip runs, a curry for the friend who organised all the free storage units and £19.98 for the Dyno labeller and extra tape!

All that's left is to get Mrs Moultonaught to help sort the collection of non man cave stuff that needs putting in the loft or to charity shops, & to build some sort of bike rack for 13 (I think) solos, 1 tandem and a unicycle,  and to sort the bike bits box* (which is now a big full height metal cabinet  :facepalm:) coz I just threw everything in there without sorting it.

Pleased with progress.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 April, 2015, 11:19:45 pm
Mrs P installed a blind in the bedroom. No blood was spilt and the house remains standing  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 April, 2015, 05:14:05 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 04 April, 2015, 11:19:45 pm
Mrs P installed a blind in the bedroom. No blood was spilt and the house remains standing  :thumbsup:

And it only took 5 hours  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 05 April, 2015, 05:37:20 pm
Today I fettled The Long Unused Mountain Bike.

Initially just put air in the tyres, straightened the handle bars and oiled the chain. Seemed OK. However, I don't want off road tyres on it at the moment, so swapped for some road ones I've never heard of. Whist doing this I noticed the bearings weren't running at their best, so stripped the hubs and found one front cone is pitted. Short term I've just repacked it with grease, but it will need replacing*. Also repacked the rear hub. Moved the bottle rack to the down tube the holder for the new pump.

In other fettling news... replaced two lamp shades, new bell push, put coat hooks in the front porch, new shower curtain and repaired a old JVC turn table so Boy Wunja can <click> experience <click> vinyl <click>.

Now having a cup of tea and a rest.

* Are cones for 20 year old Shimano Exage hubs available?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 April, 2015, 05:44:20 pm
We have successfully refitted the summer lampshades to the end-table lamps at Fort Larrington with much swearing and dropping of fittings on the floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 April, 2015, 05:51:48 pm
Fitted Midge bars to the Inbred, spent far too long hunting for "lost" stuff.

Just missing a 20L Ortlieb back roller plus, now. Can find one, but not the other!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 05 April, 2015, 09:08:10 pm
Will that be found full of missing 5mm hex keys? And socks?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 06 April, 2015, 05:53:43 pm
Lowered the handlebars on the Trek a bit. Better now. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 April, 2015, 07:58:15 pm
Three trailers' worth of KRAP to the recycling centretip.

Still not found any Allen keys . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 06 April, 2015, 08:13:33 pm
In the newly organised sekrit bunker, fettled a vice onto the metal workbench with wood underneath for stabilty.

Fettled a new stem seatpost and headset onto the fix (that have been waiting to be fitted for months) and redid one side of bar tape to facilitate the stem change.

Started fettling the muddy fox from mtb to roadified mtb. Refitted the moustache bars and brooks saddle and fitted mudguards.

Fitted a rear rack to the Dahon speed P8.  The rack came from a Dahpn Visesse 7 that I rescued before it got thrown in the skip at the tip!  ;D

The vitesse 7 needs a front wheel (or the existing rim replacing), 2 tyres and tubes, a rear mech hanger bolt or a new rear mech, and 3 spokes in the rear wheel....

Mrs Moultonaught said only last week that having a folder in the boot of the cat and some days parking beat to work and riding the last bit would be nice. Ideal!  :thumbsup:

Was a joy to fettle bikes in an organised space! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 06 April, 2015, 08:17:31 pm
Just finished 4 days of lugging furniture up stairs and down, filling cracks, sanding, painting and swearing.  Still got a hell of a lot to do.  Own fault for not having done any decorating since the initial round when we moved in 14 years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 06 April, 2015, 10:23:34 pm
Almost completed assembly of Van Nic Ventus Ti machine (I bought f&f and had most of the rest of the parts in stock) - just waiting for a pair of brakes to be delivered and then have to tape the bars and it's ready for the road.  (I changed the Fizik arse-cracker saddle* that I got with the frame for a black B17, swapping the spare brown B17 with the black one that was on the CB fixie)

* may be for sale soon, with matching Fizik seatpost

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 07 April, 2015, 02:32:25 pm
Quote from: Moultonaught on 06 April, 2015, 08:13:33 pm
Mrs Moultonaught said only last week that having a folder in the boot of the cat and some days parking beat to work and riding the last bit would be nice. Ideal!  :thumbsup:

Was a joy to fettle bikes in an organised space! :thumbsup:

That's a folder I wouldn't want to stick my hand in the boot to grab :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: numbnuts on 07 April, 2015, 03:27:23 pm
I have adjusted the front brakes and the gears on my trike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 07 April, 2015, 05:15:54 pm
Nearly finished building steps up to our French doors (there was a three foot drop due to the way the garden slopes away from the house).
About three metric tonnes of concrete, forty breezeblocks, an old lintel and any old bricks and rubble I could find have gone into this so far.
The other weekend I faced them with stone (my pointing is a bit rubbish but hey ho random stone isnt easy and it was raining). This weekend I was cutting the flags for the treads but my diamond tipped angle grinder blade gave up the ghost with four flags to go :(
Will finish the whole thing next weekend if the weather holds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 April, 2015, 05:22:30 pm
* Pressure washed the patio
* Vacuumed and tidied the missus' extremely untidy car
* Emulsioned two walls in the youngest's room. Pink!
* Given meself a headache using white spirit to remove glue from the bottom of the bath.

Satisfying work, but hardly fun with the weather so sunny.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 07 April, 2015, 07:32:07 pm
Got the fixed mixte out of the storage box and pumped the tyres up.  It rode well straight from the off, which was a relief as it's not been touched in over two years.  Just need to fit some lights now and it will hopefully be my go-to errand bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 07 April, 2015, 08:00:56 pm
Fitted a loft ladder. Not to bin some of the TPoC in the loft and move some of the other TPoC from the spare room to the loft.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 April, 2015, 10:36:59 pm
* Finished the painting in the littl'un's room. Tedious. I hate decorating.
* Sanded the filler on the garden bench that I applied yesterday. In doing so, I discovered a power tool in the garage I acquired from a member of this parish that I had forgotten I had.
* Applied two coats of stain to said bench later on
* Went to Aldi to buy one of their very good parasols
(*returned later to buy a base for the above when the one I had proved not to fit)
* Hover mowered the lawn
* Chopped up a forsythia branch or several that fell victim to last week's gales
* Generally kept myself clear of pleasant though garrulous handyman I engaged to do other tasks

Opened several bottles of beers to recover from the above...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 09 April, 2015, 11:06:16 pm
3 dead trees into 3 live ones plus an extra. Judicious use of a mattock, spade and shovel saw a total of roughly 4 m2 of turf deturfed followed by the excavation of the deceased, each resulting in around a quarter of a tonne of earth digging out, followed by the putting in of the live trees into the hole (along with a goodly helping of wood ash from our bio mass burner), back filling, returfing and drenching.

My arms, shoulders and back ache like a wossname now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 10 April, 2015, 07:09:35 am
Fitted new front tyres to the trice  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 April, 2015, 02:22:48 pm
Painted my hands, clothes and the kitchen floor whilst trying to paint the kitchen ceiling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 April, 2015, 02:36:55 pm
Started building the new Karate Monkey - or rather, getting as far as I could with the bits I currently have.

This meant fitting the bottom bracket and remembering rather belatedly that the KM has a 'kinked' seat tube (by design) and discovering that my Thomson seatpost is too bloody long  :facepalm: This means that the Cross Check is now wearing the rather bling Thomson post and the Surly has an el-cheapo On-One job, at least until payday when I shall buy an appropriately lengthed Thomson post and stick the On-One post on fleaBay.

Battle will (re)commence on Monday, when the rest of the bits should be turning up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 April, 2015, 04:07:07 pm
Hacksaw?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 April, 2015, 04:27:35 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 April, 2015, 04:07:07 pm
Hacksaw?
Taking a hacksaw to a Thomson Elite seatpost is tantamount to sacrilege.

However, it's going to have to be done since although they do a suitable 'in between' size (367mm) it isn't available in 27.2mm  ::-)

It is with heavy heart and light kidneys that I shall be asking my tame mechanic to chop about 60mm off the seatpost once he's finished cutting down the steerer tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 April, 2015, 04:57:50 pm
Switched the tyres on the Merida from the stock 23mm Conti Ultrasports to a 25mm Krylion and a pro4 endurance. The Krylion is looking a little squared off so I may need a new replacement soon.

Also taped over the paint damage and dents on the Dawes' downtube, and put the wheels back on. A quick test ride suggests the dents make no obvious difference to the handling, so I think I may have escaped ok :)

Next job is to check the rear hub on the singlespeed and take the lateral play out of the wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 11 April, 2015, 05:04:43 pm
I've never got on with drops, I know folk like them but I never have so this morning I rescued the day one disk from the secret bunker and removed the drops, leavers and brakes and fitted a stubby stem, flat bars with some little bar ends and the hydraulic disk brakes I got from  Interzen a while back.

looks like this now.

(http://www.davelodwig.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-04-11-16.23.59-760x570.jpg)

I've put the brooks honey bar tape back on and managed to wrap the bar ends as well, much more comfy for me now.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 11 April, 2015, 05:38:40 pm
I did something similar with my Cross Check a few weeks ago - since breaking my wrist I've not been able to ride on drops for any significant distance without discomfort/pain/unpleasantness. The combination of Mary bars and Ergon GP-1/GC-1 grips is full of win and bereft of things that make my wrist ache.

(http://interzen.homeunix.org/blog-images/crosscheck-flats.jpg)

Looks a bit weird, but it works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 11 April, 2015, 05:41:35 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 11 April, 2015, 05:04:43 pm
I've never got on with drops, I know folk like them but I never have so this morning I rescued the day one disk from the secret bunker and removed the drops, leavers and brakes and fitted a stubby stem, flat bars with some little bar ends and the hydraulic disk brakes I got from  Interzen a while back.

looks like this now.

(http://www.davelodwig.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-04-11-16.23.59-760x570.jpg)

I've put the brooks honey bar tape back on and managed to wrap the bar ends as well, much more comfy for me now.

D.


Suitably Marmited I see!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 11 April, 2015, 06:33:34 pm
I'm taking a break from putting a coat of new plaster paint on all four walls and the ceiling of the new bathroom.   It is a completely new bathroom and there are now only two bedrooms at PolarBearTowers now.   

My next job will be tiling...

The old bathroom which is downstairs will become a cloaks and utility next year.   I have a kitchen still do do this year and there are various levels of insulation to add in three rooms plus under the suspended wooden floor at ground level.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: neilrj on 11 April, 2015, 08:24:31 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 11 April, 2015, 06:33:34 pm
<SNIP&chop>
 plus insulation under the suspended wooden floor at ground level.

This makes a staggering difference, it is undoubtably the moisture gap sealing as well as the insulation but the comfort level increase is nothing short of amazing. Heating bills are well down but we've done other stuff so can't tell just what made biggest difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 11 April, 2015, 11:00:41 pm
Cleaned the not-Tifosi a bit. Realised the rear mudguard had cracked at the brake bridge (just as happened on the Genesis a few months ago) so snapped off the back bit to stop it rattling around, until I get some new guards.

Not impressed with the longevity of SKS rear guards, so I'll be going for something different this time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 April, 2015, 09:03:36 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 11 April, 2015, 11:00:41 pm
Cleaned the not-Tifosi a bit. Realised the rear mudguard had cracked at the brake bridge (just as happened on the Genesis a few months ago) so snapped off the back bit to stop it rattling around, until I get some new guards.

Not impressed with the longevity of SKS rear guards, so I'll be going for something different this time.

Planet Bike cascadia fenders are they best I have found anywhere. The name may give you a clue as to where they originate....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 13 April, 2015, 10:42:02 am
A pair of Continental Grand Sport Race tyres (23mm) onto the Canondale- freebie benefit of attending trade shows :thumbsup:

A general clean and lube of the drive train.

All in prep for the nice weather commuting it will do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 April, 2015, 11:09:44 am
Tonight I will mainly be finishing the initial setup of the Karate Monkey.

I have beside me a box containing chainset (which will be stripped of 'stock' rings in favour of a 36T single ring, 'stock' rings will end up on fleaBay), a pair of very nice XT-level disc rotors and appropriate caliper mounts. Some time this afternoon I shall have a similar box containing bars, stem and pedals.

Just need to remember which flat surface I put the 8spd chain that was on the Salsa when I was running it as a fixed.

ETA: Yesterday I fettled 80mm off a Thomson seatpost with the aid of a hacksaw - sacrilege it may be, but the aforementioned post now fits in the KM without hitting the upper 'kink' in the seat tube (something I completely forgot about when I ordered the post  ::-))
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 13 April, 2015, 02:48:56 pm
Mrs B's chainrings. Loose bolts! Explains her rapidly deteriorating shifting.

Now properly tightened up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 April, 2015, 04:08:14 pm
A new bed!

Got up this morning and Mrs T said "We need to go bed shopping, that old one is doing my back in!" (new mattress on order, due Friday)

So goes to bes shop, enquire about bed and delivery.

Told it would be delivered this PM, just after lunch (it was, then 11AM!)

So flew back home, cleared bedroom of junk and hoovered up 7 yrs worth of cat hairs from where old bed was, just in time for new bed to arrive.

Then spent 2 hours assembling said bed.

Now need to lie down on it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 April, 2015, 07:02:59 pm
Quite a few weeks ago I made these:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7683/16514475464_54bb9196f0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rak1cA)

Here they are yesterday morning, before carrying me to Tewkesbury and back.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7585/16516714323_98608a00dc.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rawtJB)

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8810/16950706509_1507927c7e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rPSNuv)

Look at the shiny sprockets!
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8815/16949345790_727fb58538.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rPKPZQ)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 April, 2015, 07:17:59 pm
Oddly, my eye was drawn to that swiving great rusty washer ...

I myself have fettled this: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg1844838#msg1844838
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 13 April, 2015, 07:27:46 pm
My eye was drawn to the wonky front mudguard  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 April, 2015, 07:29:39 pm
Quote from: Feline on 13 April, 2015, 07:27:46 pm
My eye was drawn to the wonky front mudguard  ;D
And the mucky chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2015, 07:32:41 pm
What about the fridge walrus?  Or the absence of Marmite?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 13 April, 2015, 07:37:00 pm
Marmite's in the fridge, innit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 April, 2015, 07:38:38 pm
What about all those cable ties on the downtube (and the fork leg)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 April, 2015, 07:47:38 pm
Thanks for all your appreciative comments, dear people.  ::-)  ;)

But who needs Marmite when there's a cup of tea (though it was probably near empty by that point)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 13 April, 2015, 08:41:51 pm
Moar air in the MTB's rear shock. Yup, again.  :facepalm: A quick blast around Croft after work tomorrow will tell but methinks it's not right.

Whether it's Just A Bit Ded and can be rebuilt or whether it's Really Ded Ded, we'll have to see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2015, 10:56:47 am
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2015, 07:32:41 pm
What about the fridge walrus?  Or the absence of Marmite?
You missed a few. Here they are on the washing-up machine:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7686/17118537416_2e5518b928.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/s5GYLQ)

The egg man refused to sit sill for the photo and the Marmite doesn't get washed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 April, 2015, 11:25:49 am
Found one more thing off my list of lost things.  Now just have a Leatherman knife, an Ortlieb pannier and a BaaBaa hat to find, now.

Put a wash on (bedding).

Sorted all my bike clothing into the storage under the new bed (hence the washing of bedding).

Found the pot of spice mix that I lost whilst painting the kitchen ceiling.

Need anything loosing? I'm your man :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 April, 2015, 12:26:48 pm
No gibbon, Cudzo, and no narwhal either.

Standards are slipping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 14 April, 2015, 11:31:32 pm
We (clarion, mostly) fettled the Circe to take 2 bike seats. In the process, I broke one seat (good job it cost 99p and we had an extra one!) :-[ The fittings for Co Pilot Taxi seats could go in the rant thread. They are far too awkward. There will probably be photos of the final set up tomorrow.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 14 April, 2015, 11:35:29 pm
Actually, here's one from today, that I forgotten about:

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7608/17147250232_1ee18a027d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/s8f96o)20150414_191637 (https://flic.kr/p/s8f96o) by misssherriff (https://www.flickr.com/people/52883981@N00/), on Flickr

Please excuse the trouserless passenger, it was warm today.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 April, 2015, 11:02:30 am
It's good! But who is the second seat for?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 April, 2015, 05:36:05 pm
Much rolling on the floor and swearing has seen a tidying and labelling of all the anbaric string under the desk upstairs.  Unfortunately none of the hi-fi seems to work.  Dunno if it's the amp or the squeakers or the cables.  Further swearing required chiz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 15 April, 2015, 09:53:36 pm
Sam's cycles in moss end garden village has been fettling on my behalf friction bar end shifter's onto the trice

(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w626/cycleman1081/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0549_zpszsd8avka.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/cycleman1081/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0549_zpszsd8avka.jpg.html)
 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 16 April, 2015, 06:45:37 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 15 April, 2015, 11:02:30 am
It's good! But who is the second seat for?
No one at the moment. I put it on to show my friend (who has twins) what it can do. She wants a go when her back is better  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 April, 2015, 07:33:50 am
I've made breakfast.

Next i will go and buy a stack of timber to continue my stud wall building.  (I don't do the tin stuff now, even if it is cheaper).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 April, 2015, 09:10:45 am
Quote from: Butterfly on 16 April, 2015, 06:45:37 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 15 April, 2015, 11:02:30 am
It's good! But who is the second seat for?
No one at the moment. I put it on to show my friend (who has twins) what it can do. She wants a go when her back is better  :thumbsup:
<Thinks. You can get double prams and buggies, what about double child seats? A single seat with room for two babies or toddlers sitting side by side would make it possible to carry twins on a 'normal' bike. Of course, you wouldn't get through any Silly Sustrans Gates. Stops thinking.>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 April, 2015, 11:50:08 am
Following Sunday's mudguard-smashing stick, I've taped up the split plastic, removed the rusty washers from the mounting points, installed a spare set of releasing clips I had and done everything back up again. I haven't cut down the stays; because of the extra length due to the clips, they need to be shortened. So now my back mudguard is wonky to match the front! (albeit radially rather than side-to-side). I might even decide to replace these supposedly black but look brown in sunlight mudguards with silver ones to lighten up the bike, especially now I'm not (currently) using the black rims. Or maybe metal? For the time being, I'll see how the gaffer tape works!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 16 April, 2015, 06:02:58 pm
Dual 505-2 Deluxe record player.  Been a long time disused.  Needed a poke about in the works to get it spinning.  Emitting smoke, but that's just dust in the motor burning off ...I hope!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 17 April, 2015, 10:44:49 pm
My twins solution is a bakfiets - enough room for the girls and the double maclaren buggy required at the destination end. (Though I'm still pondering molishing some kind of pannier rack mount carrier for it to ensure passing drivers give me even more room...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 17 April, 2015, 11:14:35 pm
Removed the remainder of the mudguards from the not-Tifosi and gave it a bit of a clean. I didn't bothered putting the new guards on, because (1) I hate fettling mudguards, and (b) it's forecast to be dry this weekend!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 April, 2015, 04:32:12 pm
The elusive BB7 boots arrived today, so I finished the overhaul of the trike (that is, cabling, adjusting and balancing the front brakes).  Barakta has just done a couple of laps of the block, and confirms that it  a) lights up  b) goes  c) goes faster  d) stops  and  e) stays still  in response to the relevant controls.

The main battery is cell balancing, and the console battery (see rants passim about the wireless console gimmick) is charging, so we could in principle go for a pootle at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 April, 2015, 09:46:41 pm
World's simplest fettle I think. tightened up one cone on the rear wheel of the singlespeed so the wheel doesn't move laterally
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 April, 2015, 09:58:24 pm
IRTA "tightened up one corner of the rear wheel of the singlespeed"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 23 April, 2015, 12:14:37 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 22 April, 2015, 09:46:41 pm
World's simplest fettle I think. tightened up one cone on the rear wheel of the singlespeed so the wheel doesn't move laterally

Oh, I think I can rival that. Spent much of the Green and Yellow Fields bemoaning the fact that the zip on my (quite pricy) Gore jacket would no longer do up properly, unless I very, very carefully used a fingernail to track the slider all the way up, something that was taking at least four attempts by the end of the ride.

A second or two squeezing the jaws of the slider together with a pair of pliers seems to have sorted it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 April, 2015, 11:56:24 am
assembled a backup bike, as my main commuter bike has "disappeared" from holborn yesterday evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 April, 2015, 10:29:35 pm
Front and rear mechs. They both work now but the owner has left a hat behind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 24 April, 2015, 10:44:25 pm
Quote from: Oranj
The hub on my Ksyrium rear wheel was also starting to make binding noises when freewheeling, so that got a strip-down and a little grease reapplied to the pawls and ramps.

Next time use light mineral oil, such as hydraulic brake oil.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 April, 2015, 06:23:25 pm
Finally chopped off a bit from the not-Tifosi's steerer tube, having stripped the bike down for a much-needed big clean and service. It's only taken me three years (though it's only been on that particular frame for two)... ::-)

I should really do the same to the Trek as it looks a bit daft (and unlike the not-Tifosi, I won't be mounting a big brass bell above the stem to take up some of the space), but I don't really trust my hacksawing skills on the shiny carbon. :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 April, 2015, 04:18:21 pm
Removed all bikes, spare wheels, etc from inside the kitchen and just outside the front door to the newly installed Sheffield stands. Actually, the spare wheels are inside the Bicycle WardrobeTM, but that's equally good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 29 April, 2015, 12:04:24 am
Removed Centaur shifters from best bike ready to send off for servicing (as proved somewhat temperamental on Elenydd)
Removed Veloce shifters from second best bike 
Halfway through installing Veloce shifters on best bike  -  shifters & cables in place, still needs indexing and bars retaping.

Bought new gear cable inners in readiness for this job.  Why the f__k didnt I buy new brake cable inners too?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 29 April, 2015, 07:54:37 pm
Quote from: Somnolent on 29 April, 2015, 12:04:24 am

Bought new gear cable inners in readiness for this job.  Why the f__k didnt I buy new brake cable inners too?

Cos, at that time, your numpty index reading was a bit on the + side?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Biggsy on 01 May, 2015, 08:53:10 pm
Took apart a Pentax P80 compact camera.  Was hoping to replace a button/coin cell as the clock and all settings get reset after removing the main battery.  I failed to find such a cell, but succeeded to get quite a painful electric shock from the flash capacitor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 02 May, 2015, 03:12:26 am
Rebuilt my Planet X RT57 prior to offering it for sale. Looks so smart I'm tempted to keep it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 02 May, 2015, 11:34:10 am
New chainring and cassette on the Opera (48t....so need to swap front mech for braze on that I can drop lower) New chainring on Look.  New chainring on Ribble.  Hope hub lubed, Kysrium hub lubed, Look headset lubed.

Just can't be arsed to ride them
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 02 May, 2015, 02:04:56 pm
Finished the not-Tifosi's big strip-down and rebuild, which involved new headset, all cables, chain and a proper de-gunking of the winter grit. Have now started going through the bits box in an attempt to tidy the bike room - next up, I need to install my two-bike rack to make some more space.

Quote from: Flaatuus on 02 May, 2015, 11:34:10 am

Just can't be arsed to ride them

Same here. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 02 May, 2015, 04:53:07 pm
Plant pots.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 May, 2015, 05:49:18 pm
Flint mined my Brompton's tyres, cleaned it (including the derailleur) and lubed the chain and rear hub. I do need to replace both brake cables and adjust out movement in the brake pivots. Perhaps tomorrow.

Now onto replacing my trike's headset and possibly bottom bracket and replacing my Frezoni's headset. Luckily this is a long weekend or my bikes would never get finished.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 May, 2015, 07:22:33 pm
Wonky, isn't it? Not the drainpipe, the front rack.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8686/16725170453_49a8aca6d2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rtWStP)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 May, 2015, 08:32:15 pm
I hate bodgers with a passion.

The trike's headset was a plastic Stronglight 1" roller bearing jobbie and I had a 105 to drop in. Some bastard has filed the crown race seat to something approximating 26.0mm, so the 26.4mm crown race rattles. I'll have to find somebody with a knurling tool or bodge it with multiple centre punch marks, both with appropriate Loctite. More delay and hassle.

The steerer has a flat filed into it, rather than a keyway, and the flat doesn't go down far enough for the headset washers to rest against the adjustable race. I'll have to file a keyway into the fork so that I can adjust the headset properly.

The BB had a pair of washers under the fixed cup and the axle was pitted anyway. Pulled out the collection of Shimano BBs, one of them should fit but I've lost the tool. Something else to buy tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 02 May, 2015, 10:13:06 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 April, 2015, 10:29:35 pm
Front and rear mechs. They both work now but the owner has left a hat behind.

(http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/missinghat.gif)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 May, 2015, 11:40:28 pm
Having carefully fettled a rig to carry my camera down the drainpipes at the railway, I made a couple of minor technical errors. Firstly I hadn't ensured that it would travel in the appropriate orientation (ie the right way up.). And secondly that the batteries were charged.

So I attempted to launch my osisirean craft into the belly of the earth and ran into the aforementioned problems, with an absence of water. So no go.

Plan B. Drop the string down the pipe with a small float and pull the camera upstream. So in goes the float and meter after meter of string taken down the line, my partner in crime reported that the expected appearance of string had not occurred. Instead I withdrew the string from the pipe to discover a hairball of technicolour thread. Oh what fun. So got absolutely nowhere. I am now looking for a ROV that can carry a camera along a wet 24" pipe.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 May, 2015, 05:41:12 pm
New back wheel on my Audax steed, complete with TG-style black reflective tape on the rim (also black).  My bike now has two matching rims!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 03 May, 2015, 05:54:19 pm
The cowcatchers and front and rear buffer beams on a steam locomotive.  I hasten to add that this one is a model one, but I have also got up close and personal with the real one (and driven it)  Soon to fettle another particularly strange British steam locomotive, the last narrow gauge one built for industrial use in the UK.  Today, 'twas only a tiddler, though (still all oily and manky, though, which is the usual state of well-used steam locos..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 May, 2015, 06:51:59 pm
I went fettling ditches. When we first looked at the cutting I suggested that there was a suitable drainage ditch needing to be excavated from the slipped earth bank. Today, after the contractors had done some (but not enough) digging, I was able to go along the ditch and identify the top of the stone wall for most of it, and validate that it does exist and is mostly in good condition.

All I need is a digger and a day or so to clear it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 May, 2015, 08:19:13 pm
Replaced the headset in my Frezoni and the mudflap on HK's trike. Both trikes are now off the road because of BBs. Ordered a set of HT2 cups as HK has killed a set.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Redlight on 03 May, 2015, 08:27:55 pm
New mudguards on the Audax bike.

Should have been a simple 15 minute job.

It all went infuriatingly wrong.

Hoping LBS is open tomorrow or I may have to go to Hal--rds  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 May, 2015, 07:51:58 am
^^^ read that as Harrods before noticing the L.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 04 May, 2015, 09:11:38 am
Put a light fitting over the electric cable that has been hanging loose over our front door since we had some building work done about ten years ago :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 May, 2015, 03:24:05 pm
SQR block + Super C Audax onto my standard steed.  Nice: I have room to strap my tool kit onto the frame and leave the bag unencumbered.

Now have to fit dynamo light on seat-stay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 04 May, 2015, 05:58:54 pm
Sanded and painted the blanket box for my wedding.

It was my moms blanket box and I was given it when my sister moved away from home and no longer wanted it, so it's done pretty good service.

I could tell my sister had repainted it before me, paint on the hinges, which I've cleaned off, and 3 layers of brightly coloured random gloss.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 May, 2015, 10:25:14 pm
Installed an NFC tag containing our wifi login details on The Internet[1].


[1] In the IT Crowd sense[2].
[2] https://youtu.be/iDbyYGrswtg
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 04 May, 2015, 10:28:38 pm
A bit more work on the poly-tunnel

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t31.0-8/11022578_10153269931682486_944815572442988665_o.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 May, 2015, 10:30:04 pm
Swapped pedals, front wheel and V-brake noodle on the Audax tandem, fitted the mudguard tailight and started making the rear rack taillight bracket. Dug out the handlebar tape and gel pads for the stoker bars but still need to sort out a mount for the Cyo. The front mini-rack fills the fork crown location.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 May, 2015, 12:33:41 am
I fitted new bars to the Sabbath today, and while I was at it changed the gear cables and outers for new ones and retaped the bars. The new ones are carbon and have a nice flat shape to the curved top of the bars approaching the hoods. I am hoping they will give me an improved hand position. They were as light as air almost  ;D
I need to test ride them tomorrow and check the gear indexing under load as the next big ride is a 400 on saturday :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 May, 2015, 04:59:36 pm
Soldered up a lead and put Secula rearlight on seat stay.  Don't like it much there, it feels vulnerable.  Moved CatEye battery rearlight to other stay, but it's very close to the cassette and if I move it up it fouls the mudguard.

Grumble grumble grumble grumble grumble...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 May, 2015, 05:00:22 pm
Quote from: Feline on 05 May, 2015, 12:33:41 am
I fitted new bars to the Sabbath today, and while I was at it changed the gear cables and outers for new ones and retaped the bars. The new ones are carbon and have a nice flat shape to the curved top of the bars approaching the hoods. I am hoping they will give me an improved hand position. They were as light as air almost  ;D
I need to test ride them tomorrow and check the gear indexing under load as the next big ride is a 400 on saturday :)

Good luck with your 400, mine starts Friday (holiday here).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 05 May, 2015, 11:08:58 pm
Installed Ultegra Di2 on my new Boardman. Had to take out the PF30 BB, which is a bit of a pain - as was routing the cables. For some reason the system couldn't see the shifters to start with, but a firmware update seemed to sort it. It's bizarre connecting a bike to a PC!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 05 May, 2015, 11:12:26 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 May, 2015, 05:00:22 pm
Quote from: Feline on 05 May, 2015, 12:33:41 am
I fitted new bars to the Sabbath today, and while I was at it changed the gear cables and outers for new ones and retaped the bars. The new ones are carbon and have a nice flat shape to the curved top of the bars approaching the hoods. I am hoping they will give me an improved hand position. They were as light as air almost  ;D
I need to test ride them tomorrow and check the gear indexing under load as the next big ride is a 400 on saturday :)

Good luck with your 400, mine starts Friday (holiday here).

Thanks  ;D I am going to need it! Test ride went great- gear indexing spot on and new bars feel nice. I'm a bit worried about the weather this weekend  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 May, 2015, 11:11:44 pm
At last I have found a use for one of those B&M front light brackets, wondrously wrought by the Natives of the East from some unknown type of dairy product.  By screwing it to the deck it is now preventing one of my floor-standing speakers from going walkies whenever I nudge it on the way past.  It shouldn't suffer so much from cheese fatigue in this role.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 May, 2015, 11:33:49 pm
The racing tandem is finally operational, just needing aerobars fitted to the front. That involved redishing the rear wheel, fitting a BB spacer and some thin chainring spacers, replacing the front seatpost and saddle, fitting Campag front and Tektro rear dual-pivot brakes and running all the cables.

HK's MTB commuter now has a new chain and Alfine cog and a new rear brake cable. The front mudguard got tweaked too.

HK's Condor had the heat gun treatment to align the front mudguard.

My trike got the BB mostly sorted, though the rear derailleur mount needs to be replaced to get the top pulley closer to the sprockets. The headset is still a major headache and I strongly suspect that the rear axle bearings will be dodgy when I open them up. Probably I'll get a Trykit cassette adaptor to replace the Regina Corsa freewheel.

I just need to get some long bolts and spacers to fit dynamo headlights to both the Audax tandem and my Frezoni, along with another set of pedals and some mudflaps for the Audax tandem. That might be done next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 May, 2015, 11:03:49 pm
Frankenlamp is alive:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2015_05_12_22_44_33.sized.jpg)  (http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2015_05_12_22_44_45.sized.jpg)

(LEDs dimmed down to barely-on for photography purposes.  This one goes to 11[1].)

Running off the constant current bench supply via some awkwardly strung 4mm test leads at present.  Dedicated dimmable power supply with computer interface[2] still to come.


[1] ~1600 lumens if the spec for those COB panels is to be believed and you don't mind it running hot.  It'll spend most of it's life at a fraction of that, but it's nice to have the headroom if you've dropped a pingfuckit.
[2] The way I see it, there's going to be a microcontroller doing PWM and temperature management anyway, so it might as well have something to talk to so it doesn't get bored.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 13 May, 2015, 02:09:10 am
I too have done light-related fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 May, 2015, 06:15:48 pm
I'm stalled, mid-fettle of Junior's Blue Ribble.

It was originally built up from old 9-spd bits and bobs I had lying around.
When I got my new Carbon bike a couple of years ago, I removed the supplied 10-spd groupset and replaced it with my preferred components.
The plan was to transplant these unused parts onto the Blue Ribble ( thus making all the bikes 10-spd ).
I've never gotten around to it till today.

He's been complaining the freehub has been slipping badly, and so whilst replacing the freehub, I've decided to replace the whole old 9-speed drivetrain with the 10-speed one I've got waiting.

That went OK till I realised the old chainset was Octolink, and then new one is Hollowtec II, and I don't have any spare Hollowtec II Bottom Bracket bearings kicking around.   So I've removed the old Octolink BB and cleaned up the shell, but now I'm stalled till I can get some bearings.   I'll see if I can get anything in town tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 May, 2015, 06:26:00 pm
Frankenlamp was working quite well for a while there, but is now dead, due to a slip of an oscilloscope probe causing the magic smoke to escape from the LED panels.  :facepalm:  :(
Sometimes it's enough to drive you to doing dubiously safe things with isolation transformers, until you realise that that's just setting yourself up for other, more subtle, kinds of fail.  Maybe I should stick to software, at least with that you can make backups... <fx: hollow laughter>

Anyway, I've put a new middle ring on the Dawes, which should hopefully sort the skipping out.  It better had, as my Aldi crank remover finally broke in the process.  I'll get a Park one to replace it.

Anybody need anything else breaking?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 15 May, 2015, 06:26:50 pm
Fettling Pugsley in preparation for his final ride to the LBS tomorrow prior to shipping off to that London to his new owner.

Someone (not the new owner, unless he signs for it of course) in a central London office is going to get a hell of a shock when a Pugsley-sized box turns up on Tuesday morning  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 May, 2015, 04:10:31 pm
Finally took the studded tyres off the commuter disc trucker (it'll snow now), removed the chain in readiness for a new one and gave it a very much needed wash.
It's still waiting for me to put the wheels back on and install a new chain though  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 16 May, 2015, 04:14:39 pm
Took the retina-ripping dynamo light and sundry other wiring off the Cross Check and refitted it to the Karate Monkey.

The fact that the KM had flat front tyre might have had some influence on forcing my hand - figured I might as well do two jobs in one go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 16 May, 2015, 08:53:48 pm
Tightened the left crank on my hybrid today.  Repeatedly.  While on a bike ride.  Without the proper tool.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 May, 2015, 11:35:35 pm
Reshaped the Audax tandem's rear mudguard, fitted a pair of mud flaps, made a rear light mount for the Blackburn rack, adjusted the headset and fitted pedals and saddle for the stoker. Just need to tape the stoker bars and sort out the dyno headlight mount and it'll be ready for PBP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 17 May, 2015, 10:07:14 am
Upgraded CMinor's Cannondale Supersix from Tiagra to 105-5800 11-speed using the surplus parts from my Boardman SLS which has been converted to Ultegra Di2. I've left the FSA BB30 chainset while I ponder whether to use adapters to install the 105 chainset (as Boardman do, though that's PF30), or fit a better FSA unit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 May, 2015, 07:27:21 pm
removed the spoke protector from my new bike, also cut the whiskers off of both tyres
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 May, 2015, 11:09:49 pm
Took the cranks off the Trek so as to remove the bottom bracket so I could find out what size I need to order. Then put it all back together ready to remove it all to fit the new one once it arrives.

On refitting the cranks however I found that the crank puller I'm using had mushroomed the end of the square taper slightly - I found this out when I crossthreaded the crank bolt which now won't screw in  :facepalm: Luckily the crank bolts on my other bike are 'pointier' and got past the damaged section. This allowed me to get the cranks on which is handy for getting to work tomorrow.

It seems like the tip of the crank puller is slightly too narrow and was pushing into the bolt hole rather than onto the face of the square taper. In fact both crank pullers I have seem to have deformed ends, indicating being made out of cheese. Can anyone recommend a decent, and hopefully not too expensive crank tool please?

Yet another five minute job that took far longer than it ought to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 May, 2015, 11:16:36 pm
Some people have recommended using a 1p coin between the puller and the end of the axle, though I found it too soft and I ended up with a copper-coloured drinking bowl for pygmy shrews, of which I have none.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 May, 2015, 11:23:00 pm
I'm not sure a coin would fit through the hole in my cranks anyway but might be worth a shot. Maybe find a beefy but small washer from somewhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 May, 2015, 11:27:56 pm
Changed a wobbly, ill fitting spade handle into a nice and tight well fitting spade handle with the aid of a four inch nail, drill, hacksaw and ball pein hammer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 18 May, 2015, 12:59:40 am
I put a new chain and a new pair of brake blocks on Mrs. Wow's bicycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 18 May, 2015, 03:57:55 pm
Yesterday I finally sorted my headset chatter under braking. Although the steerer went through the stem, and I had a spacer (5mm) on top, it was just a fraction too little spacing, and the top cap was bottoming out against the steerer when I tightened the top bolt up. Swapped the 5mm spacer for a 7.5mm one, and all is good now  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 May, 2015, 04:38:38 pm
New saddle[1] onto the Dawes, to replace the one with an unfortunate hole in it.  Managed to do a quick rain-dodging 20km test ride.  Obviously an hour isn't really long enough to tell with a saddle, but it seems to be an improvement on the one I've got on the Brompton[2].  Width seems right and the pressure points are good, but the nose seems a little bit wider than it ought to be.


[1] Spesh Women's Lithia Comp, for anyone keeping score.
[2] Spesh Women's Riva
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 21 May, 2015, 10:07:09 pm
Was pootling along when the back wheel went funny, and seemed to no longer be round. Started freewheeling, when it went bang.

Got home to find a tear in the side wall at the bead. I think the inner forced its way out the gap and went bang.

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5333/17757423430_443171b763_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/t4arjW)

Binned the Michelin World tour and swapped it for the tried and tested Schwalbe Marathon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 22 May, 2015, 08:44:10 pm
not today, but yesterday I fettled some Bert and Quigley (other diy stores are available) 15mm plastic push fit pipe, assorted push fit tees, 90deg angles, end caps and poundland human vetwrap to fettle together a play stand for my cockatiel, Flynn:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8797/17357216093_c07a18c903_z.jpg)

He seems to love it, and since it is push fit plumbing, I can dismantle it and rebuild it into a different shape as and when!    :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 May, 2015, 09:38:27 pm
Replaced the strangely ridged saddle on Little Cudzo's bike with a Selle San Marco Rolls I just happened to have lying around (originally got it from a forumite but I didn't quite get on with it; he says it's a vast improvement over the original thing). This was not the simple task it should have been, due to children's bikes having crudely over-complex seat clamps (a thing of six separate parts necessitating a 14mm spanner on each end and not entirely fitting the Rolls due to its sides covering the bolts).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HTFB on 23 May, 2015, 02:46:16 pm
The arm of the sofa, which has been subject to attack either by the cat or the laptop cable. Pleased with the result, but with this much fiddling around with tapestry yarn I should at the very least have come away with something you could sell on Etsy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 23 May, 2015, 06:00:56 pm
Just finished painting my garden wall. Hot work in this weather 8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 May, 2015, 07:29:45 pm
A major fettling day.
Re-glued all the tenon joints in an Ikea chair.
Put new rawl plugs into the wall for the shower rail
Fettled the lawns and hedge
Filled holes in the walls of Boy Wunja's bed room and scraped blutack and sticky pads from the same in preparation to paint it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 25 May, 2015, 09:38:23 pm
At long last, nearly finished my Airfix "Shaun the Sheep" Tractor kit.  Only started it in February this year...   ::-)

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7779/17905000040_2384bc4a34_o.jpg)

Bitzer thinks - where has Timmy gone?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 26 May, 2015, 06:20:14 am
Quote from: BrianI on 25 May, 2015, 09:38:23 pm
At long last, nearly finished my Airfix "Shaun the Sheep" Tractor kit.  Only started it in February this year...   ::-)

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7779/17905000040_2384bc4a34_o.jpg)

Bitzer thinks - where has Timmy gone?

Grommit thinks "Ooo-er, what have I stepped in?"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 May, 2015, 03:58:51 pm
Hung two pictures. We went a little mad whilst in Costco on Saturday and bought 3 prints. All British artists, the size of the prints the majority of the cost/value will be in the frames (one is approx 30" square), but it is supporting homegrown talent. One is a beachcomber scene (replaced Nemo in the bathroom), one a beach and beach huts scene, which has gone on the stairs. The third is a fox, I have yet to decide where that is to go!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 26 May, 2015, 09:37:00 pm
Mostly the luggage on my Dave Yates, which looks proper set up now. I added an extra bottle cage under the downtube for tools, as the saddlebag I'm using makes them a bit inaccessible (and the gigantic Carradice+support was really bloody heavy). This was a bit of a bodge, as one of the Zefal thinagamibobs snapped, and I replaced it with a cable tie. Best not to ask how, but I've given it a thrash around some local offroad tracks, and nothing came pinging off. Worst-case scenario, I reckon, is I boot my tools down the road.

While I was at it, I re-mounted the Zefal Hpx under the top tube using an old Topeak mount, as the Zefal is a bit short to fit inside the frame, and my previous solution of a reusable cable tie and a toestrap was a right faff.

However, the main job (after building a new rear wheel last week, that is) was fitting one of my B17s. I think the B17N experiment is over, I never was that comfortable on the thing, and I can ride for miles on a B17 with or without special clothing. Since I'm currently N-1 until I buy a Disc Trucker, the saddle was going spare, so it'd be daft not to use it.

I just need to keep an eye on the rear tyre for this weekend's 600. I suspect I might replace it, as it looks a little worn, and the new rim is one of the super-tight Chrinas (I broke two tyre levers on it last week, one getting the tyre on and one getting it off again when I had a puncture - at least it reassured me that I could fix a puncture in the wild, though I may carry a metal tyre lever just to be sure). Mind you, there's a bit of space in the rear triangle, maybes I'll put a spare tyre in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 May, 2015, 10:51:52 pm
Put some caps on the Towpath Bike's rear mudguard stays only ten months after they ripped my trousers and leg to bits; put a bar-end mirror on said bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 27 May, 2015, 08:45:02 pm
Molished a display base from a tesco value A4 certificate frame (sans glass), PVA school glue :thumbsup: and some model railway grass flocking material!

Model finished!   ;D :smug: :thumbsup:

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7734/17984308739_fdc8524bc5_o.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 May, 2015, 12:55:52 pm
major fettle session on my new commuter bike yesterday. taken off 9speed drivetrain consisting of fsa 386evo 50/34 chainset (bottom bracket was only finger tight..), sram x5 trigger shifters and rear mech, 11-32 cassette, kmc chain, handlebar grips. installed 3x7 drivetrain: truvativ 48/38/28 chainset with un-51 bb, bar-ends near the centre for an alternative aero(ish) position, sram 3.0 twist-grip shifters and corresponding grips, sram 8sp chain, sram 3.0 rear mech, 11-28 cassette and a spacer. changed the saddle to a more comfortable one. lubed the cables, tightened the bb cable guide plate screw, which was almost fully undone. fine tuned cup-and-cone bearings, adjusted front mech, installed new flat pedals, front wheel allen key skewer.

first commute today - a great ride!

still to do: mudguards, rack and d-lock bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 29 May, 2015, 04:00:57 pm
Swapped the bars on my off-road bike, as I got new ones (birthday present) yesterday.
I like the On-One Mary's but for a longer ride the lack of variation gets tiring. I'm not about to buy new brakes for the sake of funny bars, so an On-One flat bar with cane creek bar ends it is. The brackets for my bar bag were a bit on the slope away from the stem, so a bit fiddly to get right. Not helped by me having the bar a little off centre the first time round  ::-)
All set now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 29 May, 2015, 11:38:33 pm
Fitted a C5 output lead to a 12 V dc to 240 V ac inverter. I fitted it to the dc link, to give a 360 V dc output, to run a laptop from. The modified sine wave square wave with gaps output has the same peak and RMS voltages as British mainsTM but looks completely different on a 'scope. The laptop power supply has some unfathomable objection to this ersatz mains, but is perfectly happy on 360 V dc.

(On another inverter, which had a slightly lower peak voltage, the same laptop power supply ran fine. On both inverters, the peak voltage appears to be proportional to the input voltage. Both adjusted the period of the gaps in the output, probably to get the RMS voltage correct, a fraction of a second a change in the supply and peak voltages. I suspect that the laptop power supply objected to the longer gaps in the output waveform of the inverter with the higher peak voltage. Just out of interest, and other theories, anyone?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2015, 12:06:22 am
Today I replaced the hinges on a letter holder, and stuck a bit of wine cork on the areas where the screws were sticking through the wood.  It the past the screw that stuck through the wood had been cut off.  Then replaced a push flush on a close couple loo and added a couple of packing shims to balance the loo pan as the floor isn't flat...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 30 May, 2015, 05:27:40 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 27 May, 2015, 08:45:02 pm
Molished a display base from a tesco value A4 certificate frame (sans glass), PVA school glue :thumbsup: and some model railway grass flocking material!

Model finished!   ;D :smug: :thumbsup:

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7734/17984308739_fdc8524bc5_o.jpg)

Brilliant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 30 May, 2015, 05:41:07 pm
Made an executive decision re the machine to take on the upcoming club tour to Germany, Holland & Belgium - decided to take the 1975 Galaxy instead of the 2014 Van Nicholas Yukon ... we'll show Johnny Foreigner what 531 bikes are all about!   

Minimal fettling required since the last sortie ... checked everything was working and the pannier fittings - added a new Garmin (not real, a copy) out-front mount ... test ride tomorrow and then ready for the off on 14 June.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 30 May, 2015, 05:46:31 pm
I am stunned at your resurgence, Rob. Stunned and stoked. Long may it continue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 30 May, 2015, 06:52:41 pm
Being rather taken with the convenience of my traditional Crocs, I splashed out on a pair of their deck shoes. Quite a good price and they look rather good too. However, they were a bit snug seeing as they are 10s on a pair of 10.5 feet. I did consider returning them, but had the brainwave that the plasticky/rubbery material they are made from might become pliable in hot water. It does! On the first attempt I rather overdid things and they were too long. Luckily I could mould them back a little and they now fit perfectly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 31 May, 2015, 02:56:19 pm
David patched a p*nct*re on the front tyre of his Cooper, used no tools and had pretty clean hands when he finished.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 May, 2015, 03:05:38 pm
What, not even a pump?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 31 May, 2015, 04:26:23 pm
Went and got inducted into Dundee Makerspace. A good space, bit sparse in terms of kit just yet but gradually picking up.

Burned holes in some plastic and came home happy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 31 May, 2015, 08:15:50 pm
Quote from: Kim on 31 May, 2015, 03:05:38 pm
What, not even a pump?

d'oh!
<pedant>

A pump need not be used to patch a tube...

 ;) ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 June, 2015, 02:40:14 pm
Transferred tube & tyre from coggly new wheel to uncoggly old one, put new cassette on.  P'd orf with that wheel, it was coggly new, was refettled by LBS and went coggly again 5 km from home.

Lovely warm day, one of the dogs came in and flopped down on the cool concrete floor to keep me company.  He looked as if he'd been melted, poured out and had reset in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: interzen on 02 June, 2015, 05:54:05 pm
My desk at home - much playing of tech Tetris in order to accomodate a pair of 27" monitors, a 13" laptop and a printer in roughly the same timezone.

I did consider getting one of those dual VESA mount jobbies, but decided against on the fairly sensible premise that it'd free up even more desk space to cover in crap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 June, 2015, 09:03:37 am
An Islabike Rothan.  The headset was annoyingly loose, and now pleasingly smooth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 June, 2015, 05:46:51 pm
It is astonishing how hot and sticky one can get from drilling two holes inna wall, baring the ends of two squeaker cables and wiring said squeakers into an amplifier.  And dusting the amplifier for the first time since 1996.  And putting everything away afterwards.

Now I just need a permanent means of feeding tune-o-voles into the amp for me to have no excuse for not sitting down and sorting a Several of years worth of paperwork chiz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 04 June, 2015, 08:28:45 am
Last night I put the 'Dale on the work stand and cleaned the drive train- using Fenwick's foaming chain cleaner  (http://fenwicks.info/bike/index.php/bike-cleaning/foaming-chain-cleaner)and sponge (http://fenwicks.info/bike/index.php/bike-cleaning/chain-cleaning-sponge) which I got as a freebie at a trade show. It actually works quite nicely. Spray the cleaner on the chain, leave it for a couple of minutes then run it through the sponge for a few revolutions. Wash off with a watering can then TF2 it. Jobs a good un.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 04 June, 2015, 08:34:33 pm
Was getting bikes out for other reasons, and found that the chain on one was rather rusty and didn't bend as much as usual.  :-[  Seems I went for a winter ride and didn't clean up as well as I ought to have done. So, fresh chain, and a general spruce up. Looks OK now and is rideable again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 June, 2015, 05:38:18 pm
prepared my hybrid bike for audax: swapped platform pedals to spd-sl, soft saddle into a firmer one, installed bottle cage, garmin mount, attached tribag, cleaned and lubed the chain, checked and pumped the tyres up.
cba'ed to cut the steerer tube and faff with star-fangled nut (one of the jobs that keeps getting postponed).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 07 June, 2015, 08:02:39 am
With neighbour, dug hole around rotted fence post to install a 1m concrete stabilising post. Original concrete very tough to chip away with hand tools; not as deep as we would have liked, but it should work fine.
Weirdly it is my hips & glutes that are stiff today, not shoulders & arms from chipping with a crowbar (too deep to bolsters & lump hammer).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 07 June, 2015, 10:55:54 pm
A vegetable trough

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Wqr0MDt5asc/VXS8dy21pbI/AAAAAAAAymk/CJTxcloQEwI/s640/IMG_20150607_141246.jpg)

What I find slightly disturbing that it was made in its entirety from stuff I had. This included:

Decking
3 x 3
Exterior stain
coach bolts
2" x 6mm and 2" x 5mm stainless screws

Amongst other stuff. As you do.

I think I have too much STUFFS lying around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 07 June, 2015, 11:26:59 pm
I prefer plates, even if feeding a large number of people.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 09 June, 2015, 12:02:15 pm
I have completed my container garden in my back yard :smug:

I'm really pleased with it.  I managed to resurrect the significant perennials left by the previous tenants (a clematis, two virginia creepers, and what is possibly a redcurrant - plus a leggy rose type thing), and have done my best to mask the bins with trellis/plant supports for climbers.  Pride of place goes to a gorgeous Japanese acer, which cost a fortune and had better not die.  I painted the rusty garden furniture left over from my old life, and put some solar lights in which I haven't seen in action yet because they haven't charged.  Lots of bright cheerful annuals, a geum for the bees, a Mexican orange blossom, and I am now the proud owner of a sarcococca confusa, which has been potted beautifully and hopefully will last for ever, like the one my grandparents had outside their front door.

Just need to clean up my neglected house now, and hoover up all the trodden-in compost  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 09 June, 2015, 12:51:37 pm
Nice work, Ham & Ruthie. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 09 June, 2015, 09:13:42 pm
Yesterday:
Replaced Mrs B's blown out tyre (temporarily fixed with a boot to enable her to cycle home on Sunday, by one of her fellow riders), with an old part-used Gatorskin, so she can do the Wednesday evening ride to the Bell at Aldworth (voted best pub in every geographical category it falls into).

Today:
The two new tyres I ordered for her from Tredz on Sunday night turned up. So now I have to change her tyre again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 June, 2015, 09:27:23 pm
Put a Topeak light-carrying bar-extender thinggy on me new plaskit bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 11 June, 2015, 08:50:28 pm
Used some liquid thin Cyanoacrylate to glue my very wee balls into the aircraft part of the revel 1:144 scale Virgin Galactic "White Knight Two and Space Ship Two" kit I'm building.

Superglue and uber small weighted balls ftw.

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/355/18689411696_02d5251e65_c.jpg)

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/297/18529496579_108e482989_c.jpg)

Handy things, ebay "herb" scales!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 11 June, 2015, 10:05:09 pm
Swapped the studded tyres off the tourer, at last, but in the process lost the pathetic teeny grub screw out the front brake.  Again.  I guess I'm not riding that one to Hornby Laithe bunkbarn tomorrow  ::-)

I might just dump the thing at the LBS and ask them to sort it, I've broken two nails and got very grumpy now.  But that would cost munny.  Bah.  I am no good at fettling bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 12 June, 2015, 12:02:35 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 11 June, 2015, 08:50:28 pm
Used some liquid thin Cyanoacrylate to glue my very wee balls....


This reminds me of a very unfortunate accident I had many year ago... :-\

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 13 June, 2015, 09:53:46 pm
Three duff 18v batteries into 2 good 'uns.

Built six stretchers for some canvases and installed said paintings, prior to framing. Note to self: when measuring using a steel tape measure, it is a good idea to start from 10cm ensuring accuracy. It is not a good idea to forget to take those 10cm off the final measure. Failure to do so consistently may result in having to chop out two 10cm corners.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 June, 2015, 11:33:05 pm
installed a few new parts on the audax bike: carbon handlebars, dura ace shifters, sram force 11-26 cassette, dura ace cable set, kmc x10sl gold chain. took me quite a while!
still to wrap a bar tape and apply frame protectors to a head tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 14 June, 2015, 08:51:04 pm
The frames today. Mostly very pleased with the outcome, all perfectly square, all perfectly flat, all perfect size. All perfect size, that is, except for one. Yes, the one I was taking most care over, the one that was for the best picture, the one that I cut the stretcher  10 cm too big.  The one in a solid oak frame. Yes, the one I was measuring three times and cutting once.

If anyone has seen that 2mm that I KNOW I measured, please send it back?

I haz a little routing to do (40mm depth!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 14 June, 2015, 09:16:18 pm
I shortened the strap on my guitar after reading an article called 'How to play bar chords without screaming in agony'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 June, 2015, 07:21:02 pm
Fettled a hetty back in to life.  Dismantled the thing to diagnose the issue and replaced the plug, and shortened the cable slightly inside and now it is back to life....

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 15 June, 2015, 10:36:05 pm
Failed to fettle my saddle to a better position as I'd just eyeballed the old seatpost diameter against a rule and so bought the wrong size layback seatpost  :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mmmmartin on 15 June, 2015, 10:40:29 pm
Opened a cardboard box, using a trusty knife. Inside was a pair of cable cutters from Park Tools, courtesy of those nice Wiggle people, who had knocked a tenner off the price. And I didn't even have to walk all the way to the rubbish bin to insert the tiny packet of crap sweets they sometimes give you. A bonus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 June, 2015, 10:42:26 pm
Replaced the flaky downstairs phone and associated ATA[1] with a Snom 300 on the basis that once I've sorted out the wiring and the config it's likely to give a great many years of trouble-free service.

Replaced the leaky doughnut on the semi-permanent bath-taps-into-shower adaptor.  This involved rusty jubilee clips, swearing and lashings and lashings of self-amalgamating tape.  But it's still better than the landlord-issue 7500W pissy electric shower.



[1] Linksys PAP2 with a power supply fault and a peculiar habit of blinking out "SOS" in morse on the status LEDs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 June, 2015, 10:43:25 pm
Quote from: mmmmartin on 15 June, 2015, 10:40:29 pm
And I didn't even have to walk all the way to the rubbish bin to insert the tiny packet of crap sweets they sometimes give you. A bonus.

Those are supposed to go in your saddlebag, as a reminder not to ride too long without eating proper food.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 June, 2015, 11:44:37 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 June, 2015, 10:43:25 pm
Quote from: mmmmartin on 15 June, 2015, 10:40:29 pm
And I didn't even have to walk all the way to the rubbish bin to insert the tiny packet of crap sweets they sometimes give you. A bonus.

Those are supposed to go in your saddlebag, as a reminder not to ride too long without eating proper food.

Mine never last that long. They're normally gone before I even get to unpacking whatever it is I actually bought... :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 16 June, 2015, 07:46:28 pm
In the process of converting the Orbit Orion from 7-speed hub gears to 27-speed derailleurs, I had to snip some bites out of the broad mudguards so they'd fit the Pompetamine front fork. I also had to do some impromptu stay fettling to get it to fit into the hook push-fit end bit. Fiddly. I also learned quite a lot about alternative cable runs, inasmuch as they don't have to go via the bottom bracket. That's a win in my book, as that cable guide that fits under the BB always gets clagged up.

I also assembled a fish sonar device for my neighbour. He asked rather gracelessly and once it was assembled he decided it wasn't what he wanted. He got on the phone to the supplier, so I escaped. He still had the cheek to ask me to disassemble it, but I was busy on the Orbit fettling and declined his kind offer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 17 June, 2015, 11:52:06 am
Quote from: Kim on 15 June, 2015, 10:43:25 pm
Quote from: mmmmartin on 15 June, 2015, 10:40:29 pm
And I didn't even have to walk all the way to the rubbish bin to insert the tiny packet of crap sweets they sometimes give you. A bonus.

Those are supposed to go in your saddlebag, as a reminder not to ride too long without eating proper food.
Being vegetarian, I tend to save them for when I am selling on bits.

But I haven't bought owt from Wiggle lately, so my stock may be out of date :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 17 June, 2015, 04:49:36 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 16 June, 2015, 07:46:28 pm
I also assembled a fish sonar device for my neighbour. He asked rather gracelessly and once it was assembled he decided it wasn't what he wanted. He got on the phone to the supplier, so I escaped. He still had the cheek to ask me to disassemble it, but I was busy on the Orbit fettling and declined his kind offer.
I'll give him top marks for persistence and brass neck. Whilst eating my late lunch he stood outside asking for me. When I said I was eating and wouldn't budge, but see him a little later, he stood his ground until I went outside. "I've got a replacement." was all he said. Not "I've got a replacement and would appreciate some help, please." As it happens, I'm busy, but didn't really beat around the bush in letting him know. I wouldn't mind, but he has two sons who live quite locally and go fishing with him. Get them to help you, mate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 18 June, 2015, 01:07:12 am
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 17 June, 2015, 04:49:36 pm
"I've got a replacement." was all he said.

I'd have thought "Oh. That's good" would have been a full and adequate response.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 June, 2015, 04:07:52 am
As I have learnt a good deed never goes un forgotten.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 June, 2015, 09:27:16 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 18 June, 2015, 04:07:52 am
As I have learnt a good deed never goes un forgotten.



Or 'No good deed goes unpunished'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si_Co on 18 June, 2015, 09:34:02 am
I couldn't sleep, so this morning at 0045 I got up and fettled by torch light the slight play in the headset and found a little rubber pad to stop the rattle on my new mudguard, then feeling much better went back to bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jenhunt on 18 June, 2015, 04:40:31 pm
the garden... well, fettled, or perhaps just stripped, not sure yet!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 June, 2015, 05:26:50 pm
Made a Teflon buffer to go on the end of an SQR block spring so that it doesn't scratch my saddle post. Works.

Idea is to swivel block round front of tube when I'm riding sans saddlebag, so that I can hitch a toolkit under my saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 18 June, 2015, 09:52:41 pm
Attempted to fettle Specialized Air Tool Sport (>5 years old) which will not pump (goes solid on downstroke). Have taken everything off I can from the head backwards and tried pumping as I went, and the problem is in the foot; I assume there is a buggered non-return valve in there somewhere which I cannot reach.

Bah. I hate throwing things away. SKS Rennkompressor will be ordered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 24 June, 2015, 02:43:18 pm
I'm cleaning my Orbea in advance of assorted bits of fetling, and noticed this:

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zLDuftXBnZc/VYqyxWrDhAI/AAAAAAAADE0/TrV7nsEwUVs/s800/ljw-orbea.jpg)

I'm pretty certain jockey wheels aren't supposed to have gaps in them.   ::-)  Something else to add to the fettling list...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 24 June, 2015, 09:12:46 pm
Had a quick look at the creaks coming from various bikes; one seems likely that it's the BB slightly loose in the shell. My local guru's recommended loctite, so will have to do that when I get a moment. Also if looks like the creaks on the Dutch bike are probably loose cotter pins, with which I have precisely zero  experience; am currently weighing up whether it won't just be less faff overall to stick on a cheap cotterless chainset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 June, 2015, 09:35:02 pm
Put a rearview mirror on the butterfly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 June, 2015, 11:34:40 am
Quote from: T42 on 24 June, 2015, 09:35:02 pm
Put a rearview mirror on the butterfly.

Does Clarion know?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 June, 2015, 09:23:41 pm
removed the alfine chainset from the ss bike and ht2 bottom bracket too. will install ht2 bb on my audax bike over the weekend (hopefully) to replace failed worned out hope ceramic bb.

installed fsa sl-k light crankset and 30mm bb cups to replace the alfine on a ss bike. checked the weight difference (as you do..) - 286g.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 26 June, 2015, 10:04:52 pm
Put a new battery in the Garmin heart attack monitor (after a fight with hte last screw)

Hacked back the neighbours bushes that were blocking our path and otherwise tidies the front garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 June, 2015, 08:26:39 am
Assembled newly-purchased office chair.  IKEA, your hex keys are this: shit.

Ran network cable from Grand Bedchamber to switch in Babbage-Central.  10m only just long enough; creative slack creation required.  Am expecting Neal Stephenson to pop round this afternoon to interview me about it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 June, 2015, 09:12:45 am
Reorganized the power leads under my desk so that everything important hangs on a single plug on the UPS.

Wished a pox on the designers of wall warts that block off the sockets either side of the ones they actually use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 June, 2015, 12:34:12 pm
At Scouts last night we did simple bike maintenance. M check, tyre removal,  that sort of thing.

I spied one lad's front changer cable was swinging in the breeze, adjuster not connected to the lever, outer detached from the guides on the frame.

He insisted his gears were fine. I insisted they couldn't be, and showed him how to reattach the adjuster to the lever.  I then replaced the out in its guides. So far so good.  Then trace the cable down the frame to the front mech. Which wasn't there. At all.  "Oh that silver thing? It fell off."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 June, 2015, 09:25:18 pm
adjusted mudguards properly* on the boardman commuter and trimmed the stays so they are flush with fixing tabs. swapped the cassette from 11-28 to 12-32 as the 116" top gear was too tall considering bike's non aerodynamic nature (and gears can never be too low!). now the range goes from 23" (i.e. can climb anything without breaking sweat) to moderately speedy 105".

*bent the front stay around the disc caliper in a way that it doesn't require any spacers - chuffed with the result!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clare on 28 June, 2015, 10:54:32 pm
Pins, lots of pins. 90% went in the 'dead sharps' box, the others are now sorted for size and thickness. I live a very exciting life.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 28 June, 2015, 11:15:53 pm
Submitted my work travel expenses.  It's the least user-friendly computer programme ever.  Attaching a receipt took me half an hour.

Bah.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 June, 2015, 08:13:53 pm
Discovered the source of this evening's sudden pingfuckit noise which was followed by a rather gentle ride home:
https://flic.kr/p/v5CLbg
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 June, 2015, 09:19:26 pm
We're off to Namibia and Botswana next week, much of it self-drive.
So I've spent the evening GPS-fettling.

Purchased the latest Tracks4Africa GPS maps ( my last set were from 2011 ), and loaded up all the waypoints I have stored from previous trips, and added new ones for this trip.

These trips require the most careful GPS-fettling of anything I've ever done.
It's 4WD terrain, deep sand roads and the like.
Tracks4Africa is pretty much crowd-sourced mapping, but is very good in the more remote areas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 01 July, 2015, 08:11:48 pm
Fixed the creaking BB thanks to an acquaintance who kindly came over with the tools and a big bottle of threadlocker (I paid in tea and homemade caik). Will need to get some waxoyl to chuck down the seat tube as the shell had some rust, but not too bad otherwise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 02 July, 2015, 03:44:02 pm
fixed the snake bite puncture in the front inner tube (acquired by riding over a half-brick), cleaned and lubed the chain, tightened threaded headset 1/4 of a turn
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 July, 2015, 12:39:46 pm
I got a Mudwatt (http://www.mudwatt.com) soil battery. I've hooked it up tot he internet of things so it can be followed online. Not much has grown yet - it may be another day or so till enough electrogenic bacteria multiply and produce detectable power.

The live (ish) feed is at https://personal.xively.com/feeds/1721219050
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 04 July, 2015, 07:18:43 pm
put on all the parts I got for PBP to bling up the best bike

to complicate matters the lock ring had stuck on the rear wheel (it broke my two old chainwhips) so I had to get a new chain whip

parts included

- Schwalbe One 28mm tyres
- 12 - 30 cassette (was 12-27 before)
- stainless steel connex chain
- red hope QR skewers

Adjusting the chain/cassette for the newer, bigger ratio revealed that the rear derrailluer is in a bad way.  It was soaked in degreaser for an hour but this didn't seem to help.  I've ordered up a new one.

I'll be trying out the new cassette on the climb from Lynton to Lynmouth tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 06 July, 2015, 11:01:34 pm
Put the mudguards and pannier rack on the not-Tifosi. The mudguards should be on it permanently really, given that it's my wet-weather bike (i.e. the one I ride 95% of the time ::-)), but I took them off a while back when they were rubbing. The pannier rack will come off again after next weekend's audaxing adventures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 July, 2015, 12:29:02 am
Got the maths right on the code for the soil battery. It has (allegedly) just under 23 million bacteria spewing electrons into the works, and generating real power (just).

See https://personal.xively.com/feeds/1721219050 for the current output.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 10 July, 2015, 09:17:12 am
Replaced the freehub on an Ambrosio/Novatec hub with the Anti-Bite Guard version.  Gouging on the old all-alloy freehub was not causing problems but I just dislike the thought that a component is slowly degrading.

Also popped a couple of bearings in the freezer for replacement in a Hope Ti-Glide hub later on (hoping to remove the play - tada :) )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 10 July, 2015, 09:59:21 am
Just put some new Ergo levers on my titanium bike: (well, a few days ago) ;)
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/355/18950341524_c7ab56409b.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 July, 2015, 04:33:53 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 04 July, 2015, 12:39:46 pm
I got a Mudwatt (http://www.mudwatt.com) soil battery. I've hooked it up tot he internet of things so it can be followed online. Not much has grown yet - it may be another day or so till enough electrogenic bacteria multiply and produce detectable power.

The live (ish) feed is at https://personal.xively.com/feeds/1721219050
In this case, live is absolutely the word.

Volts from mud!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 10 July, 2015, 08:27:47 pm
Fitted the Barley to the new Carradice classic rack, which works very nicely; discovered that kool-stop v-brake pad holders with replaceable pads don't have clearance to fit the centrepulls on my Eclipse after all, arse. Will have to try the thinline pads or the continental ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2015, 08:31:21 pm
Finished rebuilding the rear wheel of the Dawes, and installed it on the bike with the new rear mech and hanger.  It appears to work, but I haven't actually ridden it yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 10 July, 2015, 08:51:43 pm
Finally got round to connecting up the illuminated mirror in the bathroom.   Somebody is pleased...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 10 July, 2015, 09:07:15 pm
Neighbour's Raleigh Metropolitan is now roadworthy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 July, 2015, 10:35:34 am
Ran paraffin wax in between the leather & metal in the nose of my Selle Anatomica, which was beginning to mimic my anatomy, i.e. creaking. Also around lace-holes.

Am now scratching wax off shirt.  Sure, iron + brown paper will fetch it but haven't received anything in plain brown wrappers lately.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 13 July, 2015, 11:19:01 am
Yesterday I re-indexed my rear mech, and re-set the lower limit screw. So now I can get both my highest and lowest gears.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 July, 2015, 12:43:34 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 July, 2015, 04:33:53 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 04 July, 2015, 12:39:46 pm
I got a Mudwatt (http://www.mudwatt.com) soil battery. I've hooked it up tot he internet of things so it can be followed online. Not much has grown yet - it may be another day or so till enough electrogenic bacteria multiply and produce detectable power.

The live (ish) feed is at https://personal.xively.com/feeds/1721219050
In this case, live is absolutely the word.

Volts from mud!  :thumbsup:

And there is power from it now. Not much, but detectable and slowly rising.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 July, 2015, 12:47:04 pm
I have decided that it would be useful for the family to be able to tell where I am during the Ride London this summer, so in a few spare moments I threw together an android app (thanks App Inventor) that grabs my current location and spits it up to Xively every few minutes. This means they don't need to stand in the rain waiting for me when I have already gone past.

The app is a master of UI. It has a button that says 'Track Me'. When clicked it changes colour and says 'Stop Following Me'.
And there is a button that says 'Quit'. Both buttons are ronseal.
https://personal.xively.com/feeds/1206674515
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 13 July, 2015, 01:16:24 pm
Yesterday I attached some swinging rope to our tree, and some sitting wood to the rope, and was crowned 'best dad' by the boys.

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 July, 2015, 05:31:20 pm
I would like to attach a rope to our tree and hang the little sod who has ridden his 50 cc motorbike round and round the village all day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 July, 2015, 01:27:36 pm
Not today - I've just put up a wet tent to dry in the garden this morning - but Sunday, my stove, having won the annual ALC stove lighting competition (again), gave up.  I had to strip it down and clean it, but soon got it roaring like a Vulcan on full throttle again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 23 July, 2015, 10:28:31 pm
Dingled the Troll. Since I'd been riding it single speed on the road wheels for most of a year, it seemed a bit pointless lugging the deraileur about. 

Now has a 61" on the touring wheels for general pottering, a 47" for kiddy trailer lugging, riding alongside the kids and off road, and a single 67" on the road wheels.  See how that goes for a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 24 July, 2015, 07:53:20 pm
Put new cleats and studs on my winter boots. I think I've finally accepted that summer's not going to happen this year. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 July, 2015, 04:29:26 pm
Stripped and cleaned NSTN's old Brompton.  Underneath the (admittedly well advertised) grime it is pretty good, although the chain tensioner jockey wheels have worn away to pretty much nothing (all of £3.50 to change).  The only other essential bit I don't have kicking around is that white plastic front wheel nut cover which always falls off and costs 29p.  So all in all it's a good 'un.

I have to say though - it's not a 2009 model.  It's a 2010 model because it has matt paint and a BSR rear hub*, not an SRF3 (it's the same hub but Brompton got them branded BSR when the BWR came out).  Maybe it was bought in late 2009 and is 2010 model year?

*it will have a bog standard oil-lubricated AW when rebuilt, because they're much snappier.  And a NOS 1970s Sturmey Archer trigger.  Oh, and a SON front wheel which will double its value  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 July, 2015, 08:23:37 pm
Considered the Shutter Precision Brompton-sized dynamo?  I hear they're quite good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 25 July, 2015, 09:31:35 pm
A new Yale lock for the front door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 July, 2015, 10:09:36 pm
The Brompton looks slightly more like a bike.  It now has its headset back (with new loose bearings as ICBA to clean out cages), stem, handlebars, brake and gear levers and a firm suspension block.  The instructions for the latter are crap; they don't cover the situation where you have a bike designed for a rear frame clip but you aren't using one.  This isn't particularly uncommon as the clip is a "delete option" from new and I've never liked them as they slow down folding and have no particular function except to stop the bike looking funny whern you carry it up a short flight of stairs at St Pancras.  Anyway, it turns out that you simply follow the instructions for the type with a clip if you have the type of frame that can take a clip.  Even though you don't have one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 July, 2015, 10:28:22 pm
Meh.  The clip weighs nothing, is handy for balancing the bike on steps (especially with rear luggage) and can be switched on and off by rotating the suspension block.  Hardly seems worth not having it.  Whether it's worth having it enabled is going to depend on the cyclocross:folds ratio of your regular Brompton use, I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 July, 2015, 05:13:26 pm
New Spa-built dynamo wheel, eWerk, cache battery, IQ/Cyo. Hard to find room around front end, think battery will be bashed by bottle extraction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 July, 2015, 06:59:46 pm
Quote from: T42 on 28 July, 2015, 05:13:26 pm
New Spa-built dynamo wheel, eWerk, cache battery, IQ/Cyo. Hard to find room around front end, think battery will be bashed by bottle extraction.

Side-entry bottle cage?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 29 July, 2015, 09:17:44 pm
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/19502340403_e05ef57aa4_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/vHmAmk)IMG_2608 (https://flic.kr/p/vHmAmk) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr

Fitted the new wheels (new rear and rebuilt front) and edulux. Audax/Tourer now with dynohub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 July, 2015, 09:37:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 July, 2015, 06:59:46 pm
Quote from: T42 on 28 July, 2015, 05:13:26 pm
New Spa-built dynamo wheel, eWerk, cache battery, IQ/Cyo. Hard to find room around front end, think battery will be bashed by bottle extraction.

Side-entry bottle cage?

Yeah, could do with 2 of those.  I tried moving the battery around today but there's so much gubbins round the stem now I couldn't find a better place for it.

This is what it looks like just now:

(http://www.pbase.com/johnewing/image/160865663.jpg)

The rubber band over the cable isn't permanent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 30 July, 2015, 11:25:39 am
Fitted new toilet seat.

Only difficult bit was getting the old one off. Discovered in doing so that Mrs B's decision to replace the whole thing, not just the hinges, was correct. So corroded that I can't get 'em off the seat. The screw heads crumble when a screwdriver is applied.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 31 July, 2015, 03:34:43 pm
Replaced damaged tentpole section.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 July, 2015, 08:34:26 pm
The Brompton M3L is now fully operational again.  Despite using every trick possible with the Pentaclip to get the saddle higher on the standard seatpost, it's noticeably too low when riding, and that's with Converse All-Stars, not exactly the thickest footwear on the market.  It will have to be the extended titanium post from China  :o

The loose headset is fixed, the brakes are awesome (Kool-Stop salmon pads) and it has an oil-lubricated AW at the rear and a SON XS at the front, with Marathon Plus tyres.  The RH crank is a Sugino XD and the LH crank is a new Brompton one because the folding pedal, which I actually need toi use on this bike, doesn't fold with an XD crank - it's too thick.  It's all JIS now so a Shimano 113mm UN55 gives the right chainline.  I found an unused 44T 1/8" 110BCD chainring in the shed.  Replaced the jockey wheels on the chain tensioner, which were totally shot, chain, cables, bars, hinge clamps, mudguards (from shed), firm suspension block and fitted Eazy Wheels, which are obligatory for clearance if you have large calves.  Replaced the nasty Brompton shifter with a 1970s Sturmey-Archer trigger (the I-II-III type), which is a bit neater.  Lighting is a B&M Cyo and a Brompton rear light, which I've had for years.

It rides in the idiosyncratic manner of any M-Type - roomy cockpit and quite comfortable but you wouldn't want to race one.  It's all rather laid-back and when cornering you think you're on a Raleigh Chopper, rather uninvolved as the front wheel does its own thing a few yards in front!  But I can use it to get to and from stations this winter when I want to visit SO but daren't drive in the dark...

It looks like new because I touched up the (very few - this was one of those rare ones where the paint actually stuck) chips and rub marks.  I priced up a new one of the same specification...£1400.  Bonkers!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 August, 2015, 02:27:51 pm
Must swap-out the original Brompton brake blocks for some Koolstop Salmons, on mine....
Being a tight-wad, it'll prolly be a while... the Brommie hardly clocks any miles.

Introduced some tension into the chain on the fixer as that had become a slacker.
New Salmon brake blocks on the front. The old ones had worn so thin that if they were made of ham, you could safely feed them to a vegetarian.

Oh, and four portions of Delia's spicy chicken - so that's a couple of suppers, and a couple of packed lunches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 02 August, 2015, 04:08:56 pm
Not today but last weekend:

Replaced front brake pads on the motorbike as they've been noisy. Noted uneven pad wear. Pistons seemed stiff so decided to embark on overhauling the calipers and replacing the piston seals. Much mess and swearing later and after bleeding the brakes then bleeding again after resting overnight then the bike passed the MOT on Wednesday. Only one advisory which is that the front discs are a little warped. I think they will need doing before the next MOT. There was some of that at the last MOT but probably time to source some replacements.

Today I am putting together my PBP bike. Removing the clip ons that I used on the 12h TT. Refitting the carradice. Transferring the fast wheels I used in the 24h across and putting some GP4000S II tyres on. Trying to find a 17T sprocket to give me a 73" gear and an 18T for a 69" option. Fitting some battery lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 August, 2015, 12:37:50 pm
Added lights and a small frame bag to the lump of coal Renegade.

Next I need to find some lightweight mudguards, I think.  Also I need to fit the SQR so I can make use of my luggage.  There are rack mounts, which have been tested with loads up to 25Kg, but I don't fancy using them (they are the acrew in types), so SQR it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 August, 2015, 01:27:36 pm
Reconfigured dyno/eWok/etc cabling so that it doesn't rub up the soot.  Going to fit a dyno rearlight this pm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 August, 2015, 01:36:46 pm
Switched the flush light fitting in my downstairs loo for the dangly light fitting in the hallway. This means that I now can open the front door without bashing the lampshade. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 August, 2015, 02:01:39 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 04 August, 2015, 01:36:46 pm
Switched the flush light fitting in my downstairs loo for the dangly light fitting in the hallway. This means that I now can open the front door without bashing the lampshade. :)

...but the loo no longer lights up when you flush.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 August, 2015, 02:10:47 pm
Rear mudguard on the now-green-Mercian, following the demise of the previous one in France when trying to follow what Garmin would have us believe was a cycle path.

By reusing the existing stays the, whole exercise was accomplished in quick time with the need for coarse language or any bloodshed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 August, 2015, 04:00:02 pm
Buggered up one of the spade clips for the dyno rearlight, no spares. Crap.  Shall have to cannibalize other bike. Crap².
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 August, 2015, 07:11:02 pm
Nothing - thwarted by the lack of a 14mm allen key  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 August, 2015, 07:30:14 pm
14mm? That's a big allen key! :o

I assembled a smallish chest of drawers to hold all my random cycling stuff that currently lives jumbled together in a big plastic box - armwarmers, hats, buffs, that type of thing (I have far, far too much of this stuff).

Also replaced the not-Tifosi's big ring, and swapped the wheels from the Trek on to it by way of an experiment. I was expecting to need a spacer to fit the 10sp cassette to the 11sp freehub, but the only way it would fit was without the spacer. ???

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 08 August, 2015, 12:29:17 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 07 August, 2015, 07:30:14 pm
14mm? That's a big allen key! :o

Campag chainset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 08 August, 2015, 05:54:12 pm
After spending £5 on a 14mm hex key the fettling was done: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=91992.msg1901676#msg1901676
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 08 August, 2015, 06:38:15 pm
Fitted a new seatpost sleeve to the Brompton. And now I can't get the seatpost back in. FFS.  :facepalm:

What have I done wrong?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 August, 2015, 06:44:29 pm
Got the Pino roadworthy. Riding with the Tandem Club tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 08 August, 2015, 06:46:18 pm
An old alu bottle cage, Elite Cuissi knock off, disintegrated on Friday.  A runmage in the bits boxes turned up a pair of matching silver finish cages so the allen keys came out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 August, 2015, 11:45:14 pm
I've got one of those water bottles with a flip top lid, to keep the nozzle clean.  The other day I missed the cage and it hit the deck, rolling down the road. Sadly the hinge of the flip top bit took the brunt of the damage, melting through from friction.

I drilled a small hole in the stub of the hinge, a small hole in the now free floating cover, threaded an off cut of gear cable through to join them together and squeezed a cable end crimp on each end to keep the cable in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 08 August, 2015, 11:52:41 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 08 August, 2015, 06:38:15 pm
Fitted a new seatpost sleeve to the Brompton. And now I can't get the seatpost back in. FFS.  :facepalm:

What have I done wrong?

Try turning it round so the saddle is at the top.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 August, 2015, 08:37:07 am
Just heading out to see if rearlight connection will disintegrate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 August, 2015, 07:12:45 pm
I knocked one out.

The bearing from a Brompton folding pedal, that is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 August, 2015, 01:00:11 am
Well that took a while in the end.

Just overhauled my tourer before setting off with the CC Ecosse crew on Thursday.
Fettling involved: -

Decided I didn't feel like replacing the other cables that all seem fine, and the scruffy bar tape can wait. Time for bed I think :)



*Why does it feel like you need four hands to set up Tektro CR520 cantis?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 10 August, 2015, 11:09:43 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 10 August, 2015, 01:00:11 am
*Why does it feel like you need four hands to set up Tektro CR520 cantis?
Only four! darn you are good :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Morat on 11 August, 2015, 12:01:48 am
Yesterday I was waiting for tandem captain to finish his normal pre flight checks while feeling smug because I was on my mountain bike and captain's wife was stoking so I didn't have any jobs to do. He's a maniac for chain lube so I borrowed some on impulse to to spray to spray my seat post to see if it would cure the creak.
It did.

So that's three years of creaking seat post that I could have avoided. Ah well, I got it in  the end !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 August, 2015, 09:07:22 am
Not today, but yesterday.

Fitted a barbag bracket to the Renegade.

Moved the Garmin bracket.

Fitted a lamp bracket to the bars, so I can put the front light in a position that avoids the barbag.

Now need to order a set of Large bands for the SQR so I can fit that to the seatpost (in theory the small bands will fit, as the seatpost is 31.9, but I am not going to risk it!)

Fitted a more visible rear light to the seat post.

It's now ready for it getting dark earlier!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 August, 2015, 09:37:51 am
Decided to do a rim transplant on my old touring rear wheel last night. Was only going to lace it up but ended up doing the whole thing. Unfortunately that meant a late night so didn't have chance to install it and test this morning.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 11 August, 2015, 10:07:34 am
Quote from: Ruthie on 08 August, 2015, 11:52:41 pm
Try turning it round so the saddle is at the top.

Doh, why didn't I think of that?  :facepalm:

In the end, I resorted to attacking the new sleeve with a file. It seems to have done the trick. Remains to be seen how long it lasts, but at least I've used the proper kind of glue this time (rubber strengthened superglue rather than the bog standard thin stuff).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 August, 2015, 06:09:22 pm
Replaced the crappy curtain rail in the bedroom with an identical crappy curtain rail with a couple of decades' less UV exposure, secured with a less stingy amount of cheese-headed woodscrews.

Also replaced the bit of rusty steel angle that was supporting the shower hose alongside the bath (the taps are at the wrong end) with a length of plastic waste pipe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 11 August, 2015, 09:21:19 pm
Replaced the brake pads on the inbred. Much swearing getting the slot drop out lumpy washers back in, partly because they're awkward and partly because I always forget which way round they're supposed to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 August, 2015, 04:00:12 pm
Day before yesterday - SmallestCub's book mountain, which was mahoosive and posed something of a H&S issue due to occasional avalanche tendencies.  A large carrier bag for the charity shop and all the rest on shelves.  Also Cubs' wardrobes and drawers, with them getting rid of all the stuff that doesn't fit.
Yesterday - supervised the fettlage of four toy boxes, resulting in half a bin bag of rubbish and about the same volume for the charity bag.
Today - another 6 bags to charity and a bin bag of rubbish.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 12 August, 2015, 04:43:09 pm
Quote from: CrinklyLion on 12 August, 2015, 04:00:12 pm
Day before yesterday - SmallestCub's book mountain, which was mahoosive and posed something of a H&S issue due to occasional avalanche tendencies.  A large carrier bag for the charity shop and all the rest on shelves.  Also Cubs' wardrobes and drawers, with them getting rid of all the stuff that doesn't fit.
Yesterday - supervised the fettlage of four toy boxes, resulting in half a bin bag of rubbish and about the same volume for the charity bag.
Today - another 6 bags to charity and a bin bag of rubbish.

Will you come and sort out my shed?

 :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 12 August, 2015, 10:28:25 pm
Oh, there's still plenty of TPoCs to go here....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 August, 2015, 11:22:08 pm
Tested out a clock chip for the timing system - seems to go fine at 1Hz (within stated accuracy as far as I could tell over 2+ hours) but was a bit out at 1024Hz
which may have been the lack of a pull-up or the Arduino interrupts not behaving appropriately. Though I would have though 1kHz was not too quick for a 16MHz chip.
More testing tomorrow and a plan with a binary counter chip to subsample the clock signal if raw 1kHz is duff.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 16 August, 2015, 08:58:23 am
Spent half an hour trying to locate the source of the slow fairy visitation on the Eclipse's back wheel with no joy; no sign of damage to the tyre or tube so put it down to the valve and put a new tube in. Vittoria folding Hyper Voyagers are nice and easy to remove and fit with thumbs alone, to the point where I'm going to keep an eye on the bead to make sure it doesn't stretch much further.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 16 August, 2015, 08:20:12 pm
Poo.  I have failed to fettle our old washing machine, and have admitted defeat and bought a new one.

I've repaired the old one many times, and it's served us well for about 16 years ( since the kids were brand new and all ).
It's had about 3 new door seals.
It's had debris removed from it's drain pump.
It's had new brushes in the motor when it stopped going round.
It's had a new heating element.
It's had a new door interlock mechanism.

But now, it's lost it's branez, and the main PCB needs replacing.
It's an economic write-off.

So reluctantly, I had to agree with SWMBO, and off we trotted to John Lewis this morning.
It's funny how I can ride my bike for hundreds of K just fine, but an hour in John Lewis or Ikea has me complaining about the pain in my knees.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 August, 2015, 12:51:06 pm
We found that the economics of a new washing machine actually made sense as it can wrangle larger loads more efficiently.

Today's fettle. Sorting out the TT starting lights. I have discovered that the arduio doesn't cope well with 1kHz interrupts and 1 Hz is not fast enough so I have split the signal down with a binary counter and it works. 256 Hz clock beats, and it appears to be still bang on time after 3 hours. Strange things appeared when I left it running overnight so I'll keep it going till I need to turn it off to go home (it can run in the lab and I prod a stopwatch every hour or so) to see where the weirdness appears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 17 August, 2015, 01:24:17 pm
Actually on Saturday,

Dad and I tackled the stock of bikes for the scouts to sell at the local carnival. We got through 24 bikes, from kids bikes with stabilisers through to hybrids and suspension bikes in teenagers / adults. Some of the bikes have been donated other will have been recovered from tips.

So we check brakes (new cables if required), gears (ditto), bottom brackets and headsets, and generally give them a going over. Scrapped a couple as not economic to repair and scavenged parts from them to patch up others.

In a months time they will be sold for between £10 and £50 each depending on size, quality, etc. Should turn the scouts a sensible donation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 18 August, 2015, 12:33:50 pm
Last night I:

Took the barbag off the Renegade, left bracket there, for now, will make a decision, later as to whether I remove it completely or not.

Removed the bar extender and mounted the front light on the bars.

Fitted the SQR block to the seat post, fitted a bagman to the uplift (idea garnered from a thread on here, I forget who it was who had done the same), to support the bag.

Fitted a rear light to the bag

Removed the SQR from the seatpost, wrapped the post with two layers of inner tube (in a condom fitting stylee) to protect the carbon from the metal of the SQR. Refitted SQR.

Tried bag on bike for size and position, happy with it, but noticed sagging.

Applied time-honoured Audaxer fix to reduce sagging.  This is also know as using tiewraps.

I then went to fit an outside solar powered security light, only to find the bracket broken.  Mrs T returned this as she was going past the shop, anyway, so the new one is awaiting my attention (possibly tonight).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 August, 2015, 03:29:11 pm
In the past two days I have assisted in the removal, resealing and refitting of the headlining and dual sunroof  in a Discovery II. Diagnosed and rerouted the drive belt on a Husqvarna ride on mower. Replaced the rocker cover gasket  and changed oil & filters on the Disco AND fettled a hybrid for #1 son.

It's only the third day of our holiday...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 18 August, 2015, 05:37:36 pm
Touched up various paint chips on the Moulton ATB/tandem, mostly around the frame separation joints. It was powder coated when tandemised and the Rohloff fitted four years ago, and I found Fiat Broom Yellow (touch up kit from Halfrauds) matches pretty closely  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 August, 2015, 10:29:11 pm
Sorted all the arduino code for the TT start lights. I cannot sync the clock and get it to count down to a start at a defined point in time, rather than just a fixed delay to the start.
Now to sort the controller app to deal with it too, but that is a task for another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 August, 2015, 11:21:41 am
Realigned the brake levers so they're a little lower, in line with the tops of the bars. This is how I wanted them in the first place, it's only taken me a couple of years to get around to moving them.  :facepalm: But I haven't done it properly, just moved them within the small amount of slack in the existing bar tape, as I'm thinking of changing the bars anyway. I'll see how it feels at the weekend, hopefully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 20 August, 2015, 11:19:15 pm
The Bike Bunker. I needed to fettle the shelves so that bikes fitted under them as opposed to against them. This means I can get 3 bikes in the bunker. This makes room in the shed for me to work on TMIPIML so that she lets me buy a 29er.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 21 August, 2015, 06:10:40 pm
Swapped the wheels on our ad director's bike for him. He's been playing around with some Bora Ultras but wanted to switch back to his Cosmic Carbone Ultimates.

Imagine having to choose between two sets of £2k wheels... maybe I should have posted this in the first world problems thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 22 August, 2015, 11:03:48 am
Rim taped and installed the not-Tifosi's new rear wheel. I just need to find some motivation to actually go for a bike ride at some point - totally lost it recently. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 August, 2015, 08:53:31 am
HB-taped the arms of my office chair in an attempt to relieve nerve pressure that's affecting half of my left hand. Doc reckons it's not the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 August, 2015, 06:28:32 pm
Today I are mostly mending my Navajo arrowhead silly hippy pendant, though I'm sure it used to be longer than it is now.  Not really surprising since it consists of at least a hundred mostly very small little tiny pieces.  While playing with pliers, wire, tweezers and bad language I also got my Viking mobile out of dry dock and back voyaging to Vinland across the stormy north Atlantic Great Hall.

And I changed the oil in my profoundly obese monk deep fat fryer würg kotz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 28 August, 2015, 07:56:05 pm
.....and I changed the oil in my Rohloff hub  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 August, 2015, 04:54:25 pm
Regreased bearings on two sets of wheels. Think I lost a ball though so have had to order some more.

Put much of the old Specialised Hardrock together - still need some cables and a rear wheel (7-speed shimano.)

Cleaned the MTB. Took the glaze off the pads but the brakes still squeal. Changed the cassette and chain. Discovered I need to change the front chainring too as it skips under load.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 29 August, 2015, 10:26:34 pm
Made a current transformer from and old wall-wart. I cut away the old secondary, put a single turn as the new primary in its place, and used the old  230 V primary as the secondary. It gives about 5 mA output for 13 A input.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 August, 2015, 10:34:47 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 29 August, 2015, 10:26:34 pm
Made a current transformer from and old wall-wart. I cut away the old secondary, put a single turn as the new primary in its place, and used the old  230 V primary as the secondary. It gives about 5 mA output for 13 A input.

I did something similar a while back.

Try leaving the new secondary open-circuit with no load whilst horsing some current through the primary.
Stick your tounge on the un-loaded output, just for the LOLs.

( I didn't to that for the LOLs, for the record... )

FWIW, I was having a problem with a consumer unit tripping a 30mA RCD.
I needed to measure the actual leakage on each circuit on the consumer unit.
To do this, I got an old RCD module, removed all it's gubbins with the exception of the current transformer, which had L going one way and N going the other.   The 'sense' winding which detects the imbalance, I loaded with a 1k resistor to generate a voltage which I could calibrate to mA leakeage. Without the 1k load resistor, the sense winding output voltage could rise to silly voltages.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 30 August, 2015, 08:04:18 am
Quote from: Feanor on 29 August, 2015, 10:34:47 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 29 August, 2015, 10:26:34 pm
Made a current transformer from and old wall-wart. I cut away the old secondary, put a single turn as the new primary in its place, and used the old  230 V primary as the secondary. It gives about 5 mA output for 13 A input.

I did something similar a while back.

Try leaving the new secondary open-circuit with no load whilst horsing some current through the primary.
Stick your tounge on the un-loaded output, just for the LOLs.

As with any current transformer.......

I did make sure that the secondary had a load before putting current on the primary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 30 August, 2015, 09:37:17 pm
A first foray into the innards of Avid BB7s on the Fuego; back to component parts, clean, regrease, reassemble. I have a rattle from the rear end (of the bike) and this was one of the possibilities.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 September, 2015, 10:42:30 pm
I have reduced the mass of my head by about fifty per cent by attacking my face with a beard-seeking missile.  This is to reduce the possibility of:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 03 September, 2015, 10:46:25 pm
Pics!!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 September, 2015, 11:03:32 pm
Camera's already packed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 September, 2015, 08:37:52 pm
I converted a front top pull caliper brake to a rear bottom pull one.  I think my M6 die had a hard time but the job is a very good 'un.  No rear ones available which meant cutting extra thread on the bolt of a front one and sawing off the excess.  Use lots and lots of cutting oil!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 05 September, 2015, 01:27:38 pm
I have spent a morning removing sticking-up nails from the stairs, from which I have removed a carpet preparatory to a new one being laid.

I have been wondering why anyone would use 1.5" nails to hold down a stair carpet, or panel pins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 05 September, 2015, 03:35:51 pm
Rather embarrassing trip to the LBS.

As a result of a collision in May 2013, I was obliged to replace my damaged Hollowtech bottom bracket with Hollowtech 2 - the sort that have the bearings on the outside. The first set lasted 2000 miles, the second set 4000 miles. I put in the third set a month ago and they have already begun creaking.

It seems that the creaking was as a result of the eccentric bb which is standard on Thorn bikes with Rohloff hubs had worked itself slightly loose and that, it appears, was what was causing the creak. Erik Richardson diagnosed this when I took the bike in just now, and it seems not to have been the bearings at all, but the housing that the bearings sit in.

I should have checked this - it has worked loose on previous occasions. I was prepared to blame the (in my view) decidedly inferior system that is the Hollowtech 2 when it doesn't seem to have been that at all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 05 September, 2015, 03:44:20 pm
Logs.  Lots of logs.  I seriously underestimated the size of the load the guys were bringing me.  It's taken most of the afternoon to stack them.  My dry stone walling technique is improving.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 07 September, 2015, 11:41:08 am
Quote from: Wowbagger on 05 September, 2015, 03:35:51 pm
Rather embarrassing trip to the LBS.

As a result of a collision in May 2013, I was obliged to replace my damaged Hollowtech bottom bracket with Hollowtech 2 - the sort that have the bearings on the outside. The first set lasted 2000 miles, the second set 4000 miles. I put in the third set a month ago and they have already begun creaking.

It seems that the creaking was as a result of the eccentric bb which is standard on Thorn bikes with Rohloff hubs had worked itself slightly loose and that, it appears, was what was causing the creak. Erik Richardson diagnosed this when I took the bike in just now, and it seems not to have been the bearings at all, but the housing that the bearings sit in.

I should have checked this - it has worked loose on previous occasions. I was prepared to blame the (in my view) decidedly inferior system that is the Hollowtech 2 when it doesn't seem to have been that at all.

I have this also on my Thorn, all of a sudden a random creaking noise usually denoting that the screws holding the bottom bracket in place have come loose.

This almost always happens when I'm away in Birmingham and don't have a spanner to had often on the first day.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 07 September, 2015, 01:10:34 pm
At the weekend I fettled up the fine Freddie Grubb F&F (from Tiermat) into a fixie. This involved:
It was a complete joy to do, and I couldn't wait to ride it in this morning!

To do:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 September, 2015, 01:54:24 pm
Put a new rear tyre on the Trek, after getting two punctures in the last two rides, having to use a tyre boot to get home on Sunday and realising that the gash I'd been trying to ignore wasn't going to go away. :-\ Only 1800 miles out of it - I'd hope for at least 1000 more usually.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 September, 2015, 06:04:26 pm
Swapped the tyres back on the mountain bike.  It seems that this particular combination of rims and Ice Spikers is almost as evil for tyre removal as Marathon Plus and small wheels are to tyre fitting.  Not looking forward to having to do that at the roadside.

I suspect that rim tape may be at least part of the issue.  It's nasty plastic stuff, thicker and less cooperative than the mostly harmless Schwalbe plastic rim tape I have on other wheels.  Suspect I'll be investing in some Velox at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 September, 2015, 08:52:02 pm
Cut down the forks on the Twenty and fitted them, aloing with the bars and stem.  It looks good, the forks having a perfect amount of thread left (they're chrome BMX forks but had a very long steerer)   I was waiting for a JIS crown race to arrive.

Next job is the bottom bracket and crankset, then mudguards* and cosmetics** before I strip the old bike for wheels and a few other parts.

*these have to be fitted before the brakes as the rear brake nut obscures the mudguard brake bridge nut.  They are beautiful - steel painted burgundy to match the bike.  There is a matching almost-full chainguard.

**touch up paint and fit period Twenty decals; it's really a Raleigh Solitaire - minor differences like a fuller chainguard - but will masquerade as a Twenty as the Solitaire name and decals were naff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 10 September, 2015, 01:20:44 pm
So, after this:

Quote from: Paul on 07 September, 2015, 01:10:34 pm
At the weekend I fettled up the fine Freddie Grubb F&F (from Tiermat) into a fixie. This involved:
  • unspreading the rear stays (130mm to 120mm)
  • spreading the front fork (90mm to 100mm)
  • fitting very deep drop brakes
  • drilling and lacing the available but splaying Brooks saddle
  • recommissioning the leftovers from my last fixie (wheels, mudguards, BB, bars, stem, seat post, chainset and a very reluctant chain).
It was a complete joy to do, and I couldn't wait to ride it in this morning!

To do:
  • loosen the saddle lacing a little - I've creating a rather unforgiving perineal ridge
  • raise the stem and/or look at fitting a shorter one
  • take pics.

and then this (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=41407.msg1916724#msg1916724), yesterday I removed the broken stem. I didn't have a suitable quill to replace it with, but did have a quill to ahead converter (and compatible - if ugly - temporary stem), so couldn't see the point of removing the tape, levers and cable from one side of the bar just to remove a broken stem, so I decided to convert the broken quill stem to a front opening one with a hacksaw and big lever. Very satisfying.

(I'm still not sure that this shouldn't be in the "what have you broken today" thread, but it's a fine line)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 September, 2015, 07:39:41 am
Upon returning home I fixed the garage door (I really need to look at replacing it, from a security viewpoint), one of the latch release wires had slackened off, so a simple "undo screw, pull wire tight, tighten screw" fixed it, but I took the time to grease the runners, too.  Now it opens smoother than it ever has!

I then removed the Klickfix barbag bracket from the Jamis(stop cheering, fboab!), and fitted a Lezyne Superdrive XL.  Charged the batteries for the same.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 12 September, 2015, 04:54:02 pm
Well I've been at it since sometime before noon (albeit with a short lunch break) but I think I've resiliconed the bath what was leaking.

Think I may have cocked it up though and no way to test till it's dried so I may be doing the whole thing again tomorrow. Stripping the old stuff off (along with the mould and limescale) took forever and I think I've scratched the tub in the process. Hopefully not too badly as enamel tubs are spendy and I don't like plastic tubs.

Fingers crossed it holds up to the shower tomorrow. If I've got just a small section that isn't sound can I just squirt some more silicone in or do I need to strip it all out and start again?

Next time I've using masking tape as recommended.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 September, 2015, 05:16:39 pm
Cleaned up bike, put back mudguard & bar bag bracket back on after its recent visit to the LBS, remounted rear light, adjusted left cleat (sore ankle).

Only I didn't cos it's pissing down now, there's rain for tomorrow and ICBA cleaning the bike all over again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 13 September, 2015, 08:20:53 pm
Fitted a USAnian plug to my kettle.  If the whole of northern Nevada suffers a power outage tonight, you'll know why.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 September, 2015, 11:03:25 pm
Post-PBP, I noticed a lot of side-to-side play in the bottom bracket.

I thought it was knackered, ordered a new one and tools, then this affa I fixed it (I think) by loosening off the dust cap and bolts on the left, and smacking the drive side crank inward with the palm of my hand.

I'd like to think I'd have noticed this if it came that way new..

I've also rebuilt my pub bike after dissolving the seatpost with caustic soda. It still rides like shit. I should probably oil the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 13 September, 2015, 11:06:46 pm
1/8th turn of the nose bolt adjuster on the B17 on the audax bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 September, 2015, 08:03:19 am
Cleaned and polished my Bialetti.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 14 September, 2015, 08:08:31 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 13 September, 2015, 08:20:53 pm
Fitted a USAnian plug to my kettle.  If the whole of northern Nevada suffers a power outage tonight, you'll know why.
Nevada will be fine, due to USAnian lack of volts. Your BRITISH kettle will draw half as many amps in protest, and therefore produce one quarter of the correct power and take 4 times as long to boil.

Are you still waiting for it to boil?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 September, 2015, 08:11:50 am
No, but only because I switched it on before I went out to tonight's meeting.  It's safer for it to have a USAnian plug, though, because it can sit next to the sink rather than the laptop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 14 September, 2015, 01:37:05 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 12 September, 2015, 04:54:02 pm
Fingers crossed it holds up to the shower tomorrow. If I've got just a small section that isn't sound can I just squirt some more silicone in or do I need to strip it all out and start again?

I'd take a chance on just topping it up. Did you fill the bath (with water/heavy stuff) before sealing it (and until it dried)? It helps to make sure the seal stands up when in use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 September, 2015, 10:12:52 pm
Bwaa Haa Haa ...

I've just taken delivery of the last item of woodworking machinery I'm ever likely to need.
A 2kW 1/2" shank plunge router.

All woodworking machines are basically just fucking sharp knives attached to powerful electric motors, in different ways.

I've bought these as-required, over the years.
So drill first. This has many uses, outwith woodwork too.
Then jig-saw.
Then circular saw ( which is quite scary the first time you use it ).

Now, I have a need to do some worktop-jointing which requires the use of a router and jig.
Hurray! I've been looking for an excuse to buy a spinning-knives-of-death machine for years.

Keep well back unless you want decorative grooves on your ass!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 September, 2015, 10:43:17 pm
I have built a simple camera trigger from an infrared beam, a transistor and an optoisolator. I plan to use this to set up a photo trap for bats. With a prefocussed camera it should trigger when they break the beam.

My concern is the lag. My D80 has a lag of 0.083 seconds which doesn't sound like much, but for a bat travelling at 25 mph that is about a meter. Maybe I'll do the bulb and trigger the flash option.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 September, 2015, 10:48:28 pm
Quote from: Paul on 14 September, 2015, 01:37:05 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 12 September, 2015, 04:54:02 pm
Fingers crossed it holds up to the shower tomorrow. If I've got just a small section that isn't sound can I just squirt some more silicone in or do I need to strip it all out and start again?

I'd take a chance on just topping it up. Did you fill the bath (with water/heavy stuff) before sealing it (and until it dried)? It helps to make sure the seal stands up when in use.

I didn't but it's a metal/enamel tub with a wooden frame round the rim. Doesn't move a jot as far as I can tell and as I was sitting in it to do the siliconing I decided empty was better.

As it is one section did need topping up and I have since discovered the bit where the taps come through the tub isn't sealed completely (I didn't do that bit first time round as thought it was ok) but overall I'm happy with it.

Doing round the taps will be an arse thobut, they are in the corner of that bath and set back in a recess. No way I'm getting the gun in there so just a finger to apply. At least it's clear rather than white silicone so any unevenness shouldn't be too visible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 September, 2015, 04:28:33 pm
Got the bat trap working (an infrared beam break camera trigger) so will hopefully give that a whirl tonight.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 September, 2015, 12:21:04 pm
Because of this (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=92371.msg1901518#msg1901518) I have just replaced the freehub body, pawls, springs and main seal on the rear Ksyrium of the Van Nic.
Tomorrow I will take it down the noise-inducing Friendly Street to see whether that was in any way effective.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 September, 2015, 01:03:44 pm
Painted the office, ready for the carpet fitters.

I hate decorating, I really should have GAMI, but we didn't have the time!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 September, 2015, 02:09:48 pm
Roasted a batch of Huehuetenango (only mention it for the glorious name).

Set up the missus's trail bike on a turbo so that she can keep her duff knee supple until it's OK to run on again.

@Tiermat: sympathies. We have a wall downstairs that has been massacred by two generations of dogs.  It's been awaiting my attention for the last 12 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 September, 2015, 08:17:48 pm
I've spent the whole day replacing the worktops in the utility room, and I'm not quite finished yet.
A fair amount of that time was removing stuff from the surfaces and cupboards, in order to gain access to the screws holding the worktop down to the base units!

The new router was much in use, and it's a fantastic contraption.
With the worktop jig, it creates a beautiful machined joint which is pretty much invisible.
But it doesn't half kick out a lot of sawdust.
I have sawdust in places I didn't know I had places.

And bloody hell, worktop is *much* heavier than it looks.
<aches and pains>

More to do tomorrow, but all the ticklish woodworky things are done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 September, 2015, 10:40:41 am
An inadvertent fettle really. After an off a couple of weeks ago, which resulted mainly in RH side damage (though somehow the LH shifter go scraped too  :-\) my rear shifting had been just that little bit off. When going up the block, the change wouldn't always go first time. Thought maybe the hanger had taken a hit, but turnaround at the LBS not good enough to make sure it was done before my holiday next week. Liveable with.  However on Saturday I was just about to get on the bike, when I noticed the rear wheel moving with respect to the frame. Damn, though I, maybe the hubs collapsed (always think the worst  ::-)). As I reached down to give it a wobble or two, my hand brushed the QR lever. And it was loose  :facepalm:.  A quick tighten (of the Novatech external cam QR) and hey presto, the shifting is back to sweetness and light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 22 September, 2015, 09:24:24 am
With regard to lead times & turnaround, my attitude has always been 'how soon do you want it?' and 'I'll do my damnedest . . .'

Some people you can't help. Like the bloke who wanted his Galaxy boxed for flight.
'When are you going?'
'In about 2 hours'
'Have you got a box?'
'No'
'Bubble wrap?'
'No'
'Poly sheet?'
'No'

The next, inevitable, question concerned extraction of urine . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 22 September, 2015, 09:34:41 am
Put the low rider on the front of the tourer at the weekend, made sure my panniers fitted, and started packing stuff into them  :D

I'll stick the bar bag on when the postman delivers it, ditto the new pedals and the cleats onto my touring boots.  Finally took the plunge and switched systems.  The old cleats are wearing out, and my feet and knees are buggered, so there's nothing to lose.

Disposed of the mount for the computer, I haven't used it in two years so I probably never will.

Danced a small jig of excitement/nervousness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 September, 2015, 10:32:43 am
What cleats have you changed from/to? :)

I also fitted my front rack over the weekend, though I've not been organised enough to start packing yet, having only last night fished the panniers out of the cupboard. Tonight's job is to switch the tyres on that bike over from 28mm to 35mm ready for Saturday :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 22 September, 2015, 10:38:03 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 22 September, 2015, 10:32:43 am
What cleats have you changed from/to? :)

I also fitted my front rack over the weekend, though I've not been organised enough to start packing yet, having only last night fished the panniers out of the cupboard. Tonight's job is to switch the tyres on that bike over from 28mm to 35mm ready for Saturday :)

Shimano SPD to Speedplay frogs :)

Now, where did I put those train tickets  ???  They're sure to be in a safe place anyway  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 25 September, 2015, 06:47:24 pm
Arsebollocks.

Can't get the pedals off  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 September, 2015, 08:03:34 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 25 September, 2015, 06:47:24 pm
Arsebollocks.

Can't get the pedals off  >:(

If you are still struggling, tomorrow, bring it round here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 25 September, 2015, 09:37:09 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 25 September, 2015, 08:03:34 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 25 September, 2015, 06:47:24 pm
Arsebollocks.

Can't get the pedals off  >:(

If you are still struggling, tomorrow, bring it round here.

Thanks lovely  :-*

BUT I'M GOING ON HOLIDAY TOMORROW  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 September, 2015, 03:51:35 pm
Didn't sort Ruthie's pedals :)

Fitted a new number plate to the bike carrier for the car.

Started stripping the inbred.

2 loads of washing.

Currently ripping 7 CDs to mp3.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 September, 2015, 04:09:02 pm
Descaled and back-flushed the defibrillator coffee engine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 26 September, 2015, 05:30:58 pm
Adjusted the clutch free play on "Big Helga" and did a bit of general cleaning and fettling on it.  Said lady is my recently acquired 15 yr old BMW R850R, in remarkably good condition, but I've just frightened myself by reading the date codes on the tyres.  Oh shit, they're 10 years old....  I think very gentle riding in the dry only, is called for, till they get replaced.  It had only done about 30 miles in the 3 yrs before I got her, and she's been dealer serviced and kept in a garage all the time.  I mean, what idiot buys a genuine BMW branded replacement battery?  Bet he paid over the odds for that.  Never mind, he was a thoroughly nice chap, and delivered her on a trailer hauled by a very tidy Landrover V8 station wagon sporting a personalised reg no.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 September, 2015, 07:17:41 pm
screwed a double hook to the wall (to hang my spare wheels)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JT%2BN8WC8L._SL1010_.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 September, 2015, 03:19:14 pm
The garden  :o :o :o
I know. Unheard of, for me.
I guess that's the price for having to work  from home this weekend, and not being able to stray too far away from the pooter.
In the real world, I did manage to re-tape the bars on the Pompino and the Bianchi as both had developed terminal disassembly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 September, 2015, 06:42:06 pm
Fixed the ceiling light in Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s bedroom.  High bed + low-hanging light + habit of kicking the duvet about = broken wire.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 27 September, 2015, 07:41:31 pm
Ghastly clunking noise from bottom bracket seems to have been cured by tightening up the bb cups.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 September, 2015, 07:44:18 pm
Fettling by proxy yesterday: Donated my emergency cleat bolt to cycleman, who really needed two.

My cleat didn't come off on the way home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 27 September, 2015, 07:54:22 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 27 September, 2015, 03:19:14 pm
The garden  :o :o :o

I did a bit of pruning too   :smug:...
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/garden%20trimmings_zps5c9vvtjz.jpg)

Which took 2 trips to the allotment for a bonfire when it's dried out...

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/Trailer%20trimmings_zpsmkr6dagw.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 September, 2015, 09:28:30 pm
Mine amounted to a very full rubble bag of veggie  detritus, which I am hoping Lewisham CC will take away when they call on Tuesday morning.
The plant in question has the capacity to yield a further 2 rubble bags full of trimmings. I just need to get round to doing the trimming.. sorry, pruning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 04 October, 2015, 06:08:38 pm
Replaced the front V brake on my blue bike. I no longer scream like a banshee when stopping

And after fondling Canardlys shiny bell at Long Itch I fitted one of those as well, from Lion Bellworks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 October, 2015, 06:29:00 pm
Tidied 2 binbags full of rubbish out of the garage, while trying to find a specific chainset and a specific pair of brake levers.

Then took those bags, and one of carpet trimmings, to the tip.

Also found time to wash all my cycling merino and 2 loads of normal washing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 04 October, 2015, 07:50:56 pm
That mcshroom fettled a broken spoke - in the wild!

Am impressed  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 04 October, 2015, 09:21:27 pm
Changed a brake cable and found Mickey barrel adjuster had snapped within female housing, so will now have to wait for replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 04 October, 2015, 09:24:19 pm
A button, using a needle and thread, onto the waistband of a favourite pair of trousers which have been lounging on the chair in the kitchen for the best part of the last four weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 October, 2015, 09:44:47 pm
Relocated new "desktop" Babbage-Engine to under the desk.  Fortunately the Big Bag of Anbaric String contained a USB extension lead just long enough to allow the printer to stay put.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 October, 2015, 10:08:32 am
Isn't it the law that Big Bags of Anbaric String:

a) Don't have any cables long enough

and

ii) Are up to the brim with cables bearing long-forgotten connector types?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 06 October, 2015, 10:32:07 am
I replaced the freewheel, chainring and chain on the commuter this morning.

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?file=IMG_20151006_070918.jpg&size=128) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20151006_070918.jpg)  (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=128&file=IMG_20151006_071919.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20151006_071919.jpg)  (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?file=IMG_20151006_073815.jpg&size=128) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20151006_073815.jpg)

The drive chain does look a lot shinier now, which is more than you can say for the rest of the bike!

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=480&file=IMG_20151006_081312.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20151006_081312.jpg)

The two chains above, are aligned at the other end, and have the same number of links, so the new chain was about three links shorter than the old one!  The freewheel was quite worn too.  There's still some wear left in the chainring, but for the sake of less annoyance, and to minimise the immediate wear on the chain, it seemed sensible to replace that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 October, 2015, 01:12:39 pm
Quote from: clarion on 06 October, 2015, 10:08:32 am
Isn't it the law that Big Bags of Anbaric String:

a) Don't have any cables long enough

and

ii) Are up to the brim with cables bearing long-forgotten connector types?

3) Where ostensibly identical cables come in straight-through or crossover wiring, you'll find an implausible number of the wrong ones.

IV) Kettle leads breed if left alone in quantity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 October, 2015, 04:20:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 October, 2015, 01:12:39 pm
Quote from: clarion on 06 October, 2015, 10:08:32 am
Isn't it the law that Big Bags of Anbaric String:

a) Don't have any cables long enough

and

ii) Are up to the brim with cables bearing long-forgotten connector types?

3) Where ostensibly identical cables come in straight-through or crossover wiring, you'll find an implausible number of the wrong ones.

IV) Kettle leads breed if left alone in quantity.

There'll always be the Cable You Bought Without Checking Both Ends Of The One It Was Going To Replace.

Three metre USB 3.0, in case you were wondering...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Raj on 07 October, 2015, 07:40:12 am
After 2 weeks of wondering why the non-return valve on my old bike pump wasn't working, I found a 9mm soft rubber ball outside the garage. Stripped the pump, re-located the ball, put it all back together and  .... Hey presta !!! (see what I did there? :-)  ).

Turns out my daughter's boy friend had tried to fix an unbroken pump and left some bits out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 08 October, 2015, 07:39:58 pm
A CrinklyCub's front wheel. Now less crinkly  :thumbsup:.

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5702/22050184831_109a0347eb_z.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2015, 07:48:23 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 08 October, 2015, 07:39:58 pm
A CrinklyCub's front wheel. Now less crinkly  :thumbsup:.

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5702/22050184831_109a0347eb_z.jpg)

Is that the one that was suffering from chronic spoke deficiency?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 08 October, 2015, 08:02:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 October, 2015, 07:48:23 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 08 October, 2015, 07:39:58 pm
A CrinklyCub's front wheel. Now less crinkly  :thumbsup:.

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5702/22050184831_109a0347eb_z.jpg)

Is that the one that was suffering from chronic spoke deficiency?

Indeed (50p).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hairyhippy on 08 October, 2015, 08:47:17 pm
Cut 24 half blind dovetails  by hand to make the drawers for my new tool chest. Another 10 years and I may actually start to get the hang of wood butchery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 08 October, 2015, 09:54:51 pm
Quote from: Chris S on 08 October, 2015, 07:39:58 pm
A CrinklyCub's front wheel. Now less crinkly  :thumbsup:.

He was most peeved earlier in the week that going away at the weekend meant no swimming - apparently he wanted to go last weekend but the plan didn't come to fruition, so he was hoping to persuade me to take him.  Then I pointed out going-inna-van-to-go-camping-plans which made him less grumpy, and then he remembered that the return of said van might mean the return of the bike, and it becoming Offically His, and was remarkably cheered up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 09 October, 2015, 06:47:13 pm
https://flic.kr/p/zyJJuq

What do you get if you take a boy scout/engineer, and a nurse, cycle camping,  and then attack one of their tents with an enthusiastic Labrador?



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 09 October, 2015, 07:38:22 pm
* New Schmidt Edulex II front light.
* New theromostats for my Creada tumbledryer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 12 October, 2015, 04:50:52 pm
A bath mixer tap with shower attachment. Hot tap seized up this morning, with a naked soapy person in the bath about to spray on hot water. Not good. Much anger.

Tap assembly removed, treated with lavish doses of descaler & time, & put back together. Success! I suspect there's a bit more to it than that though (I think the valve is getting a bit dodgy, & it's a cheap & nasty thing anyway), so replacement with something better is now scheduled. Recommendations have been sought & obtained, suitable models identified & a plumber (also recommended) contacted. But it's no longer the Panic! Panic! Must do it NOW! job it seemed to be at 6 am. I think advantage can be taken of the good deals on a recommended brand currently available at Homebase, but which will probably take a week or so to arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 15 October, 2015, 12:09:22 pm
Plumbing, plumbing, plumbing!

Washing machine decided to flood the floor on Tuesday. After panicking that it might be the machine itself (only 5 years old), I did some tests (tied rags round all inlet & outlet pipes, near joints, to see which one(s) got wet. I've since found this is a standard test) & found it was the drain pipe. Bloody pipe (which also drains a handbasin) was horribly clogged. So I put drain cleaner down it - & the flooding got worse! Lumps of gunk dislodged from sides, presumably from being softened by the drain cleaner, & piling up, I found. Pipes opened up (thank any deities that may exist for modern push-fit plastic pipes!), physical cleaning added to pouring of NaOH down pipes (crystals sold by Wilko at a few percent of the price of bottles of ready-mixed drain cleaner, which reading the list of ingredients tells me is usually 5% or so NaOH. Just remember which way round to mix the crystals & water!) & a descaling session added to the mix, & all is now well. Phew!

That pipe is now scheduled for regular doses of corrosive chemicals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 October, 2015, 05:43:31 pm
Swapped in a new back wheel so as to give the old one to a chum whose wheel is cracking up.  My old one still has a couple of K in it but it doesn't match the front one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 18 October, 2015, 07:32:54 pm
Built a wood store out of pallets :)

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12079246_10153681416462486_8044557249356328397_n.jpg?oh=1a8ca803ebb3ae067505b1d33cb96689&oe=56D16EA1)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 October, 2015, 02:40:06 pm
Semi-competently spray-painted our house number and road name all over the shiny new wheeliebins, including the SEEKRIT pod that docks with the recycling bin.

Student area, can't be too careful.


Pass the salbutamol?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 20 October, 2015, 02:56:17 pm
Finally got round to dealing with the inaccessible and mostly filthy void behind the Aga (which pokes out from under the chimney breast where the range presumably once sat).  Used some left-over rigid foam, boxed it in.  Now there's just the fiddlesome job of tiling and painting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 21 October, 2015, 07:45:33 pm
My freewheel remover arrived, today, so I set to to service the back axle on my £20 bargain. Failed, dismally, to remove the freewheel. Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Incredible Hulk wouldn't be able to shift it working as a team. I decided to give up before I started breaking spokes (or tacoed the rim).

A few of the drive-side balls fell out while I was fighting so I eventually cleaned, regreased and reassembled the bearings without taking the freewheel off. Perhaps not ideal but it's better than it was and I know I'll have a struggle with it when it has to come off.

I'll try to keep it well soaked in penetrating oil and make some attempts to shift it in the hope that the problem will go away before it's no longer optional. I'll  also look out for a spare back wheel and freewheel 'just in case'. If the spares fall into my grubby mitts before I've fettled the old wheel I'll probably service that, fit it and decide what to do with the seized one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 October, 2015, 11:12:20 pm
Two methods . . .

1. Fit remover in vice, lay wheel on remover, turn the wheel.*

2. Use correct size ring spanner on the remover and give it a resounding Whack! wivva rubber'ammer . . .**

Quote
"And remember. There is no more important safety rule than to wear these, safety glasses!"
* Helps if the bench the vice is bolted to is securely bolted to the building it's in.

** Or two.  Or not. And only if you know what you're doing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 October, 2015, 11:35:08 pm
I use a long metal tube as extra leverage for removing freewheels. Luckily it's a good fit on my adjustable spanner and the extra leverage definitely makes a difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 22 October, 2015, 08:01:03 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 21 October, 2015, 11:12:20 pm
Two methods . . .

1. Fit remover in vice, lay wheel on remover, turn the wheel.*

2. Use correct size ring spanner on the remover and give it a resounding Whack! wivva rubber'ammer . . .**

Quote
"And remember. There is no more important safety rule than to wear these, safety glasses!"
* Helps if the bench the vice is bolted to is securely bolted to the building it's in.

** Or two.  Or not. And only if you know what you're doing.

I don't have a bench with a vice so I took the wheel round to my friendly garage/MOT station and borrowed theirs. Between the two of us we got exactly nowhere. His air tools couldn't shift it either. With a lifetime working in car repairs in a small village (lots of farmers who don't fix anything until it's seriously corroded and beyond repair by any normal customer's standards) even he could think of anything that could be done without risking fatal damage to the wheel. I think he's also been involved in a couple of steam/agricultural engine barn find restores. God alone knows how long their bits had been quietly welding themselves together ...

Big rubber mallet didn't shock it loose.

Quote from: mcshroom on 21 October, 2015, 11:35:08 pm
I use a long metal tube as extra leverage for removing freewheels. Luckily it's a good fit on my adjustable spanner and the extra leverage definitely makes a difference.

Didn't have any scaffold tubes (or similar) to hand. I borrowed a 2ft breaker bar. No joy.

Backing off really was the best option on this occasion, especially as it turned out that I could service the bearing without taking the freewheel off. Fiddly, but do-able. Getting the freewheel off is a 'would be nice' job, certainly not essential by any means.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 22 October, 2015, 08:07:27 pm
Non-knobbly tyres, a rack and a splash of oil on the "mountain" bike as it is playing tourer this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 23 October, 2015, 10:07:12 am
Probably my most hated house-elf job.

We live in a hard water area, and have a loo that seems to be a limescale magnet. Once in a while I ladle all the water out of the bowl and give it a long soak in limescale remover.

Yesterday was the turn of the limescale magnet. Today is the less bothersome one upstairs in the bathroom.

For those of a nervous disposition - don't worry. I have a ladle dedicated for such DIY tasks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 23 October, 2015, 04:49:10 pm
Quote from: DDCyclist on 23 October, 2015, 10:07:12 am
Probably my most hated house-elf job.

We live in a hard water area, and have a loo that seems to be a limescale magnet. Once in a while I ladle all the water out of the bowl and give it a long soak in limescale remover.

Yesterday was the turn of the limescale magnet. Today is the less bothersome one upstairs in the bathroom.

For those of a nervous disposition - don't worry. I have a ladle dedicated for such DIY tasks.

To add a certain frisson to the task, once ladled out, dry wiv bog roll then liberally dose the pan wiv Spirit of Salts. Be wearing gloves of rubber and eye protection and hold your breath as well cos the fumes (smoke in the case of well scaled up u bends) will really make your eyes water :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 23 October, 2015, 06:16:20 pm
Hmmm. Not heard of that. Will make a note for the next time we need to stock up. Even if it doesn't work any better than what we currently use it might have better entertainment value.  :demon:

Does this mean the house-elf has to get someone to give him some clothes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 23 October, 2015, 07:41:35 pm
Pingfuckityfuckityfuckit.

That was the battery holding screw on my Ice watch that was.

 :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 October, 2015, 07:45:04 pm
Quote from: Ham on 23 October, 2015, 07:41:35 pm
Pingfuckityfuckityfuckit.

That was the battery holding screw on my Ice watch that was.

 :'(

If its any consolation I did the same to one of my Briels last weekend, it's OK though my new Spinnaker watch arrived today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 23 October, 2015, 08:23:41 pm
:facepalm:

A powerful torch at a shallow angle will cause a glint of reflected light or a long shadow making it easier to find. Be patient and systematic. If that doesn't work a magnet might, or a hoover with a rag over the nozzle.

Good luck finding it. You could be in for a long evening on your knees playing hunt the tiny screw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 24 October, 2015, 05:38:02 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 23 October, 2015, 04:49:10 pm
... dry wiv bog roll then liberally dose the pan wiv Spirit of Salts ...

Spirit of Salts is basically 25% Hydrochloric Acid, so it doesn't need to be bone dry, the liquid is already 75% water.

You can also buy this from places like B&Q.

Cementone Brick & Patio Cleaner 5L for £10 (http://www.diy.com/departments/cementone-brick-patio-cleaner-5l/35681_BQ.prd)

That's also Hydrochloric Acid, although I'm not sure what concentration it is, exactly.

If you look on eBay, and other places, you'll find plenty of places that will sell you large containers of the stuff, enough to defoliate large areas of your garden (and skin!)  Sometimes described as Muriatic Acid, which is a historical term for Hydrochloric Acid.

Any thoughts on how to remove limescale stains on the bowl itself?  It's too high up to cover with those cleaners, unless I bought vast amounts.  The thought of a flush going wrong, and spilling it all over the bathroom floor doesn't bear thinking about!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 October, 2015, 05:41:19 pm
Harpic.  It's sticky and acidic.

Top tip: Don't mix with bleach.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 25 October, 2015, 08:12:59 am
Airbrushed some Tamiya X-4 gloss blue acrylic onto the Airfix 1:32 Triumph TR4A I'm building! 
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5708/22268541848_88495792e7_o.jpg)

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 October, 2015, 04:18:56 pm
transferred the parts from the decommissioned claud butler onto replacement trek frameset. made it a proper single speed as the trek frame has horizontal dropouts. mudguards as ever were a pain to adjust, but everything else went smooth. rat bike looks, decent ride.

on boardman hybrid bike - removed the original wheels and replaced with tubeless ready bontragers, which required transrerring cassette, disc rotors ant tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 25 October, 2015, 05:13:21 pm
Took the wiggle out of the back wheel on my fixer-up. It's certainly not perfect, but near enough for a first attempt (I hope).

New tyre fitted. Just need to fit new brake blocks and set it up properly before taking it for a test ride. That's enough for today, considering I've fitted a fair few house-elf jobs in and listed a few odds and ends on Freecycle/Schpock as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 October, 2015, 05:18:09 pm
Second lot of stuff out of the attic, a car full, taken to the charity shop.

Also spent some time sorting through the shelves in the dining room, so place is a bit more tidy now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 25 October, 2015, 08:10:36 pm
Adjusted the headset on the blue bike, removed the now redundant brake hanger, removed the Topeak extension bar.  Fitted the B&M bracket that DPD _finally_ delivered on Friday to my fork crown & stuck the light on that.    Removal of the extension bar also permitted the relocation of my bell to the bars from the stem.

Also fitted cleats to my new winter boots.  May need fine tuning....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 25 October, 2015, 09:06:42 pm
Replaced the chain...








...on the chainsaw, with a newly sharpened one so that I could do a bit more pruning on the eucalyptus tree in the garden.  :smug:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/New%20blade_zpsvqq8f6qs.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 25 October, 2015, 09:58:23 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 25 October, 2015, 09:06:42 pm
Replaced the chain...








...on the chainsaw, with a newly sharpened one so that I could do a bit more pruning on the eucalyptus tree in the garden.  :smug:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/New%20blade_zpsvqq8f6qs.jpg)
Smell nice?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 October, 2015, 11:14:06 pm
Fitted the trainer tyre to my carbon bike and put it on the turbo for the winter. Put the Raleigh Criterium back into working order with added dynamo front light and wheels, new A520 pedals and putting back the missing bottle cage. Dismantled the hybrid (which did have the dynamo fitted) and stuck it in the loft.

Also fitted a new shelf in the downstairs loo to hide the cleaning stuff on and fettled some sausage casserole for the freezer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 26 October, 2015, 05:03:48 pm
As promised, put new back brake blocks on my fixer-up and went for a test ride. Much better than it was. Contemplating having a wander to a nearby village to hand in some toner cartridges( if it doesn't rain) some time over the next few days.

Also contemplating changing the knobbly old MTB tyre on the front to match the new City Jet on the back. I can keep the MTB tyre as an emergency spare.

A few more house-elf jobs done.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 26 October, 2015, 05:30:37 pm
Over 3 days, I've changed the oil in my Rohloff.
Saturday and overnight I drained the old oil.
Sunday I put the flushing oil in it and rode it around a bit then, overnight, I drained that oil out.
This afternoon, I put fresh lub oil in and, while I was at it, gave the bike a bit of a wipe over.
I'm slightly ashamed to say that it was ~5000 miles since the last (and first) oil change.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 26 October, 2015, 05:54:47 pm
Topped up the oil in the rear brake on the MTB.  Some of the slippery downhills on yesterday's outing were getting a bit too exciting with the left lever to the bars and the bike still accelerating  :o

Replaced the front gear inner on the winter bike which involved stripping and rebuilding the front shifter twice (don't ask  :hand:).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 27 October, 2015, 11:56:59 am
Converted the front wheel of the Renegade to tubeless.

Then a furniture delivery arrived so I have swapped the gubbins out of the old TV cabinet into the new and unboxed a desk. Finishing the desk will take some time as I need to empty and move the filing cabinet first!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 October, 2015, 06:06:41 pm
A RH Alivio Rapidfire 9-speed shifter which had managed to disassemble itself in use.**

Kudos to the punter for rescuing all the bits!

Smugness points to Torslanda for managing 1. To molish a working shifter without any bits left over & 2. Molishing same without recourse to either youtube or dismantling a new one (which seemed like an option at one stage!)




**Just because you can doesn't mean you should or even want to do it again . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 27 October, 2015, 07:00:27 pm
House-elf stuff again. Mainly clearing up a bedroom which has recently had new plasterboard on walls and ceiling (to replace the old and very worn out fibre-board) but has not been skimmed yet.

Made a few offers on Freecycle.

Can't believe how much junk we've got. We've got to stop thinking stuff might 'come in handy'.  :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 October, 2015, 07:17:25 pm
Quote from: DDCyclist on 27 October, 2015, 07:00:27 pm

Can't believe how much junk we've got. We've got to stop thinking stuff might 'come in handy'.  :hand:

A-MEN, REVEREND!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 27 October, 2015, 07:40:15 pm
I was actually throwing away mail shots and flyers dating from 2011 today, strewth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 28 October, 2015, 09:08:44 am
Quote from: TimO on 24 October, 2015, 05:38:02 pm
Any thoughts on how to remove limescale stains on the bowl itself?  It's too high up to cover with those cleaners, unless I bought vast amounts.  The thought of a flush going wrong, and spilling it all over the bathroom floor doesn't bear thinking about!

I get under the rim of the pan by using an old tooth brush dipped in the acid pool in the bottom of the pan. Dip and scrub around the rim, rapid exit and breath for a few minutes, repeat for a while then flush.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feline on 28 October, 2015, 10:50:18 am
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 28 October, 2015, 09:08:44 am
Quote from: TimO on 24 October, 2015, 05:38:02 pm
Any thoughts on how to remove limescale stains on the bowl itself?  It's too high up to cover with those cleaners, unless I bought vast amounts.  The thought of a flush going wrong, and spilling it all over the bathroom floor doesn't bear thinking about!

I get under the rim of the pan by using an old tooth brush dipped in the acid pool in the bottom of the pan. Dip and scrub around the rim, rapid exit and breath for a few minutes, repeat for a while then flush.

A pumice stone (one of those jobs people use to get dead skin off their heels with a nice rounded end). Chemical free and surprisingly doesn't damage the enamel surface. The bad bit is you need to stick your hand in  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 October, 2015, 01:10:26 pm
Fixed a puncture and fitted new Marathon +s to the trusty rusty commuter. No swearing involved  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 28 October, 2015, 01:47:51 pm
Cleaned and checked my bike. Found a broken rear spoke, which I hope happened in the dangly bike space on the way home as I didn't notice it while riding around during the last week.

Got the next bike out, cleaned, oiled and fitted for Miss Dan the Younger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 28 October, 2015, 10:51:31 pm
Fettled mudguards. Winter is here. :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 October, 2015, 04:52:11 pm
Cheap ebay mountain bike light...

Dismantled in order to prod around in case there was an obvious R/C network that could be tweaked in order to render the flashing mode (which you usually end up going through to get to 'off') somewhat less seizure-inducing.  Gave up because, well, have you ever tried to use an oscilloscope probe while having your brains strobed out?  Yeah.  The board was also a very densely populated SMD affair (actually pretty good quality by the standards of cheap Chinese tat) with limited scope for bodging.

Spent an inordinate amount of time getting the o-rings and such lined up in order to mantle it again, obviously.

Then fettled the handlebar bracket to achieve a small degree of widdershins wonk, in order to compensate for the back sweep of the handlebars and aim the optics straight ahead.  This was somewhat more successful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 November, 2015, 12:20:55 pm
Went to clean the filthy commuting bike and replace the cracked rear mudguard but found the rear hub wasn't turning smoothly; the RH locknut had come loose.  Was fine last time I tightened the chain, about two months ago.  Anyway, the hub is now all in bits as a precaution, something I've been meaning to do for a long time.  It's a Sturmey-Archer SRC3 (3-speed and coaster brake) and it was all clean and apparently unworn inside.  Even the brake shoes look barely used; I was expecting them to be knackered after 2.5 years of almost daily use.  Currently marinading in paraffin and then it will need cleaning, drying and three different greases (!) to put it back together.  Normal grease for the bearings, special SA brown runny grease for the gears and Ceratec brake grease for the coaster brake.  I imagine it all mixes toigether eventually, but it' the thought that counts.  I have a set of three new ball races for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 01 November, 2015, 03:08:26 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 25 September, 2015, 06:47:24 pm
Arsebollocks.

Can't get the pedals off  >:(

Graeme very kindly got the pedals off for me the other day.   :D

Can't get the old cleats off now.

Arsebollocks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 02 November, 2015, 04:42:28 pm
Changed the battery in the cheapity cheap cheap rear light. It was so cheap the battery must have been a fair proportion of its value.
Was ridiculously chuffed that it I managed to screw it back together without breaking anything as it clearly wasn't designed for long term use. See ("cheap" comment above)


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 November, 2015, 04:50:33 pm
I cleaned the Birmingham off my bike on Sunday morning and fettled the gears. But it was Sunday morning – that's really the cyclist's equivalent of polishing the Mondeo, isn't it?  :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 02 November, 2015, 05:41:47 pm
I do quite a lot of footpath clearing around the parish. Arranged to meet up with another of the volunteers to tackle a double stile that had become an oasis of nettles and brambles. I arrived cleared it and wondered where he'd got to.

Turns out he was at another nearby stile, so we did two for the price of one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 02 November, 2015, 07:34:30 pm
I just put a new pair of brake pads on the front brake of the commuter.  It wasn't that long ago that I changed them last.  They can wear down at an alarming rate when the weather's been a bit wet, and the mix of water and road gunge forms a nice paste to help grind them away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 November, 2015, 08:49:17 pm
I couldn't be arsed to test ride the bike last night so I just got on it and rode to work this morning.  I made a slight adjustment to the gear cable after a mile, then decided after two miles that it had been right to begin with and adjusted it back*.  I do not actually recommend fitting a new chain, sprocket, overhauling a Sturmey-Archer-hub, fitting a new rear mudguard and then relying on it all to work first time at 7.15 the next morning, but I got away with it  :smug:

*the huge 175mm rear axle, specially imported via the Things in the USA, is supposed to take the "Mark 5" indicator but it doesn't.  A "Mark 4" isn;t right either, so I use the bog-standard short indicator and adjust so that the transition between normal and high gear is halfway between "2" and "3" on the trigger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 05 November, 2015, 10:41:45 pm
Turned a 501 Raleigh Record Sprint with terminal rust into a Peugeot Cr-Mo Competition 200*. In truth the Raleigh has been living on borrowed time for a while. When I first saw it 18 months ago the bottom bracket threads were mullered and both chainstays badly corroded. Definitely a Trigger's Broom! Which reminds me, I haven't taken any pics!

*Special thanks to mzjo OTP for the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 November, 2015, 09:00:45 am
Fettled the microwave. Well, cleaned its insides, which, given the state of them, counts as fettling a new one!  :sick: Must resume using the cover.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 06 November, 2015, 12:29:25 pm
Client needed a custom frame for her shower chair, but all the other bits - backrest, footplates, arms, seat etc could be swapped from the old frame to the new one. Stores delivered the new frame and just left it without swapping the bits over. So I went to do it myself but one of the nuts had seized, so I got the housing association's maintenance guy over to loosen it. Then I gave it a good sloosh of WD40 and put all the old bits on the new frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 06 November, 2015, 08:40:03 pm
I've just cleared away all the bike-related gubbins on my workbench, and re-installed the ski vices in preparation ski-fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 November, 2015, 08:44:45 pm
Seat post and cranks removed from the broken Raleigh. I was going to remove the BB but I can't find my tool :(

Also been looking round inside the seat tube with an endoscope :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 November, 2015, 08:16:49 pm
Went to the Tayside wood turners club. They were very nice. Offered me the chance to have a go and so I did. First time I've ever tried this. Came away with an egg cup.

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5778/22232296293_2cc42f784f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/zSAk8k)My first wood turning item (https://flic.kr/p/zSAk8k) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 07 November, 2015, 09:29:53 pm
That looks very neat and worthy of any breakfast table.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 08 November, 2015, 06:31:00 pm
Yes  I thought it was rather good too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 November, 2015, 07:33:24 pm
A bit of work on HK's Condor:
- replaced the rear brake pads with Koolstop Salmons
- replaced the dead Cane Creek headset (cartridge bearings unavailable) with an old Chris King that was lying around
- lubed and adjusted the rear mech
- replaced the chain and cassette
Ordered replacement jockey pulleys as after 8 years, they have become rather shark-toothed. Something to do during the week perhaps.

About to fit a refurbed Ergopower to one of HK's Roberts but the handlebar tape might be left for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 08 November, 2015, 08:40:47 pm
First the right, then the left. Cycling shoe upper came adrift of sole. I used the only tiny bungee I had with me, then scored post office elastic bands, and then zip ties from a fellow rider. Still ended up with single sided large platform pedals by the end.
They're now binned, after a mere 12 years. Pfft.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 November, 2015, 09:24:24 pm
Decided to go green :)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kK4S2vfMpRE/Vj-67q7lG7I/AAAAAAAALY0/-6a-XEXlvU8/s640-Ic42/20151108_205613.jpg)

The wall was painted in non-kitchen magnolia so trying to remove grease marks behind the cooker was almost impossible. Hoping this should be easier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 08 November, 2015, 09:27:50 pm
Canceĺled my match.com subscription and got a refund.  Bought a new light fitting for my new place instead.   :thumbsup:

Thought I'd better spend the money on something useful really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 November, 2015, 10:31:32 am
Quote from: Ruthie on 08 November, 2015, 09:27:50 pm
Canceĺled my match.com subscription and got a refund.  Bought a new light fitting for my new place instead.   :thumbsup:

Thought I'd better spend the money on something useful really.
Ha! My thought processes trying to make sense of that:
1. Ruthie reads a French magazine. Tres sophistique!
2. Oh, no, that's Paris-Match.
3. Ruthie had a subscription to a footy mag. I didn't know she was a football fan.
4. Ah, it's some kind of internet dating thingie.
5. Perhaps she should date a French football fan. Or perhaps, in fact, she shouldn't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 09 November, 2015, 11:29:04 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 09 November, 2015, 10:31:32 am
Quote from: Ruthie on 08 November, 2015, 09:27:50 pm
Canceĺled my match.com subscription and got a refund.  Bought a new light fitting for my new place instead.   :thumbsup:

Thought I'd better spend the money on something useful really.
Ha! My thought processes trying to make sense of that:
1. Ruthie reads a French magazine. Tres sophistique!
2. Oh, no, that's Paris-Match.
3. Ruthie had a subscription to a footy mag. I didn't know she was a football fan.
4. Ah, it's some kind of internet dating thingie.
5. Perhaps she should date a French football fan. Or perhaps, in fact, she shouldn't.

I have learned a thing or two in my life.  'I enjoy watching sport' means 'I spend hours in front of the telly drinking lager and eating Nachos."
At least if it's a French football fan they might eat a better quality snack food and drink wine, mevves? 
I've given up the whole Internet dating thing.  So very much not for me.  And when their algorithms consistently pair me up with needy freaks of nature with poor personal hygiene and a taste for controlling women it does nothing for my self esteem.  I'm going to build up my relationship with Lucy Felthouse isntead.

Today I have fettled breakfast, which was nice.  And later I'll be fettling house stuff.  Hoorah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 10 November, 2015, 04:03:29 pm
Went to my new house and washed down the shelves in the upstairs storage cupboard, where there is a  nasty nasty toilet smell that I could't trace.

I've worked out that the soil vent pipe isn't sealing properly, so I called a plumber.  I think that's what it is, anyway.  New valve needed, hopefully not too expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 November, 2015, 04:01:59 pm
I have turned three broken handheld CCTV magnifiers (http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/LowVision/Ruby) into two working ones.

Weirdly the design changed at some point so that the AAA batteries went from 4S to 2S2P.  Which means that two of the cells are inserted in opposite directions on different units.

(And yes, there is an app for that.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 11 November, 2015, 07:10:42 pm
Does anti-fettling belong here ? (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=94198.0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 11 November, 2015, 09:50:16 pm
I think anti-fettling goes here (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=41407.0).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 11 November, 2015, 09:52:27 pm
Aha !  So it does. Thank you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 12 November, 2015, 12:30:52 pm
Toilet seat. Again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 November, 2015, 05:32:18 pm
Hmm.
No heating this morning.

Turns out a DIN-rail timer module in my Auto-Fill system has failed.
This intercepts the power to the boiler, and opens a water solenoid for 10 seconds every morning, before letting the boiler switch on.
This tops up my leaky pipework to 1 bar when cold every morning, automatically.

Faulty module jumpered-out for now, and new one on order for an eye-watering £80 ish.

Fortunately, it doesn't actually need topping up every day.
It only needs topping up every other week or so, so that means the lack of auto-fill is not really such a problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 November, 2015, 05:37:46 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 15 November, 2015, 05:32:18 pm
Turns out a DIN-rail timer module in my Auto-Fill system has failed.
This intercepts the power to the boiler, and opens a water solenoid for 10 seconds every morning, before letting the boiler switch on.
This tops up my leaky pipework to 1 bar when cold every morning, automatically.

Top bodging, but dare I ask the obvious question?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 November, 2015, 05:46:14 pm
There are 2 obvious questions:

1) Why not fix the leak?

2) If it only needs topped up every 2 weeks, why bother with a robot?

The answers are:

1) The leak is un-findable.  Many attempts have been made.  Floors have been lifted. Peering has been done. It's too small to leave any evidence.  We suspect it's in the underfloor heating loop entombed in concrete, and we're not prepared to jack-hammer the entire floor just to find out.

2) I need to be sure that when we leave the house un-occupied for 2 weeks in the winter, the heating is not going to lock out for a minor under-pressure.  I don't want frozen pipes and subsequent flooding.

The auto-fill was designed to meet these needs, and has worked well till today!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 November, 2015, 05:48:24 pm
(2) is a bloody good point.  I'll add:

3) It's not just a knackered pressure vessel, is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 November, 2015, 06:02:05 pm
No, it's not, but that's a separate matter which also requires attention.

One of the first diagnostic you do when a system looses pressure is tie a bag round the pressure relief outlet.
This is a tell-tale for if the system is over-pressuring and lifting the PRV ( normally set about 3 - 3.5 bar ).
You see if the bag fills with water over time.

Well, it's not: the bag remains empty.
But the loop pressure does go fairly high, but not quite close to the PRV cracking pressure.
The internal expansion vessel in the boiler is marginal for the system volume I have here, IMHO.
It is correctly inflated with air, and the bladder is not leaking.  There's no water on the air-side.

I have an external expansion vessel on the wall, ready to plumb in.
I've just not had time to hook it in to the loop yet, because I'm reluctant to start effing about with it at this time of year.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 November, 2015, 10:04:19 pm
I wanted to adjust the height of my mixer dough hook but couldn't as it was seized. So judicious twatting it with and a spanner and ultrasonication unseized it :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 November, 2015, 10:17:31 am
Quote from: Feanor on 15 November, 2015, 06:02:05 pm
No, it's not, but that's a separate matter which also requires attention.

One of the first diagnostic you do when a system looses pressure is tie a bag round the pressure relief outlet.
This is a tell-tale for if the system is over-pressuring and lifting the PRV ( normally set about 3 - 3.5 bar ).
You see if the bag fills with water over time.

Well, it's not: the bag remains empty.
But the loop pressure does go fairly high, but not quite close to the PRV cracking pressure.
The internal expansion vessel in the boiler is marginal for the system volume I have here, IMHO.
It is correctly inflated with air, and the bladder is not leaking.  There's no water on the air-side.

I have an external expansion vessel on the wall, ready to plumb in.
I've just not had time to hook it in to the loop yet, because I'm reluctant to start effing about with it at this time of year.

I've had the stupidly thin pipe that connects to the wet side of the expansion vessel get crudded up. System comes on, water gets hot, pressure rises. Can't "see" expansion vessel on account of crud, PRV opens. Replaced stupidly thin pipe and all was well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 16 November, 2015, 12:42:49 pm
Setting off for work.  There's a subtle bump, bump, bump disguising itself in the normal road surface bumps until I pass enough smooth bits I stop kidding myself and stop for a look.

(http://tom-e.yacf.net/imgs/TyreBulge.jpg)

Suppose I'd better turn around and go home then.

Not really fettled yet, just swapped the wheels to get to work.  In anticipation of a proper fix later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 November, 2015, 02:36:51 pm
installed better cranks on my hack bike. the left crank had a defective taper and couldn't be tightened properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 16 November, 2015, 03:51:36 pm
Proofide's okay on a Berthoud saddle, isn't it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 16 November, 2015, 09:59:09 pm
Quote from: tom_e on 16 November, 2015, 12:42:49 pm
Setting off for work.  There's a subtle bump, bump, bump disguising itself in the normal road surface bumps until I pass enough smooth bits I stop kidding myself and stop for a look.

(http://tom_e.yacf.net/imgs/TyreBulge.jpg)

Suppose I'd better turn around and go home then.

Not really fettled yet, just swapped the wheels to get to work.  In anticipation of a proper fix later.
That looks like it is about te erupt with a load of parasitic mini-faeries..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 16 November, 2015, 10:04:40 pm
Moved the dynamo wheel and Cyo from my broken Raleigh to the Singlespeed ready for commuting tomorrow. It now has mismatched black/silver wheels, but  I'll have to put up with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 November, 2015, 12:41:42 pm
Molished a co-ax fly lead out of proper screened co-ax and two cheap plugs from Homebase.  Result: New! Shiny! TV works on lots and lots of channels instead of not so many, dropping to a measly two when the PSU for my Pi was turned on. 

(That was a right puzzle working out what was happening. Hot swapping two identical co-ax leads, one giving piss poor performance. The only difference was that one was tucked behind the cupboard, the other running carelessly across the piles of electro-tqt.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 09:31:13 am
The U-bend under the kitchen sink, which is really a J-bend whose asymmetry had flummoxed the jackasses who installed it 'way back. 5 minutes with a hacksaw, wishing the while that it was on a jackass's neck, reduced one of the limbs to a length where both would fit adequately into the unions.  Nasty greasy malodorous exercise, including of course the bit where I straightened up and in a forgetful moment began to wash the muck off my hands in the trapless sink.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 19 November, 2015, 09:45:49 am
Quote from: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 09:31:13 am
The U-bend under the kitchen sink, which is really a J-bend whose asymmetry had flummoxed the jackasses who installed it 'way back. 5 minutes with a hacksaw, wishing the while that it was on a jackass's neck, reduced one of the limbs to a length where both would fit adequately into the unions.  Nasty greasy malodorous exercise, including of course the bit where I straightened up and in a forgetful moment began to wash the muck off my hands in the trapless sink.

Bu$$er. You've just reminded me. I have a waste pipe to fettle. It's dropped out of its (possibly non-existent) clips and occasionally gets bunged up with stuff that's gone down the kitchen sink as the gradient is all wrong.

It's behind a kitchen sink (of course), dishwasher, a couple of other cabinets, might include/affect the washing machine. For some reason it's a job I've been avoiding ...

I suspect I'll drag the dishwasher out and prop the offending pipe up on wood blocks and/or bricks until we refit the kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 November, 2015, 11:54:19 am
Quote from: DDCyclist on 19 November, 2015, 09:45:49 am
Quote from: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 09:31:13 am
The U-bend under the kitchen sink, which is really a J-bend whose asymmetry had flummoxed the jackasses who installed it 'way back. 5 minutes with a hacksaw, wishing the while that it was on a jackass's neck, reduced one of the limbs to a length where both would fit adequately into the unions.  Nasty greasy malodorous exercise, including of course the bit where I straightened up and in a forgetful moment began to wash the muck off my hands in the trapless sink.

Bu$$er. You've just reminded me. I have a waste pipe to fettle. It's dropped out of its (possibly non-existent) clips and occasionally gets bunged up with stuff that's gone down the kitchen sink as the gradient is all wrong.

It's behind a kitchen sink (of course), dishwasher, a couple of other cabinets, might include/affect the washing machine. For some reason it's a job I've been avoiding ...

I suspect I'll drag the dishwasher out and prop the offending pipe up on wood blocks and/or bricks until we refit the kitchen.

Which reminds me, I need to find what's causing the pressure build up in my dishwasher's drainage system. There'll be a blockage somewhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 01:30:36 pm
The contraption under our sink takes the waste water from two sinks and a dishwasher and has 13 joints, all of the finger-tight-only variety.  I ran the dishwasher after fixing it and collected around 5 mm of water in the bucket I had put under the U. Damn thing always was heat-sensitive.  :(  Still, it's better than it was.  I'll put a hairdryer on the "nut" and see if I can get another turn on it.

How does God get on in Heaven, since all the plumbers are in Hell?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 November, 2015, 01:31:57 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 01:30:36 pm
How does God get on in Heaven, since all the plumbers are in Hell?

Trickle down theory.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 19 November, 2015, 01:56:02 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 01:30:36 pm
The contraption under our sink takes the waste water from two sinks and a dishwasher and has 13 joints, all of the finger-tight-only variety.  I ran the dishwasher after fixing it and collected around 5 mm of water in the bucket I had put under the U. Damn thing always was heat-sensitive.  :(  Still, it's better than it was.  I'll put a hairdryer on the "nut" and see if I can get another turn on it.

How does God get on in Heaven, since all the plumbers are in Hell?

You'd be amazed at what you can fix using oodles of ptfe tape. As for God - all cyclists know there is no 'uphill' in heaven. Water (amongst other things) only runs downhill. Heaven doesn't need plumbers. Hell does.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 19 November, 2015, 08:38:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 November, 2015, 01:31:57 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 01:30:36 pm
How does God get on in Heaven, since all the plumbers are in Hell?

Trickle down theory.

Badoom and, indeed, tish.
Take a bow Kim, that was excellent  :thumbsup:.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 19 November, 2015, 08:41:29 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 November, 2015, 01:31:57 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 November, 2015, 01:30:36 pm
How does God get on in Heaven, since all the plumbers are in Hell?

Trickle down theory.

As in theo-ry?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 November, 2015, 09:51:16 pm
Having just replaced a DIN rail timer module on my heating system, I'm looking at the overall system setup and thinking the whole control system needs to be replaced with a small SCADA cabinet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 20 November, 2015, 04:55:45 pm
It's a long way off being fettled but a small group of us paid a visit to 'Little Lane' armed with shovels and enthusiasm.

Little Lane is a disused stretch of unmaintained, unclassified highway that leads to a point close to the North Dorset Trailway. We're hoping to reinstate it as a sustainable link to the trailway for cyclists, pedestrians and horse-riders. Disused except for a few agricultural vehicles and other intrepid brave/foolish others.

Today's job was to drain a small lake that forms on it because the grips and drainage ditches are mostly blocked or destroyed. We've found both ends of a culvert that appears to have collapsed. The lake is now draining but we'll need permission from a landowner to dig up the collapsed culvert and replace it. For now, though, it sort of works.

We'll try to get it reasonably dry, then progressively improve it until we can reprofile it and start clearing the rest of the ditches.

Next week - a meeting with a landowner's agent to see if we can store council-donated road planings in a couple of disused sheds.

Work on the parish neighbourhood plan is progressing well. The latest questionnaire responses are revealing a lot of interest in Little Lane. The Right-of-Way Officer and volunteers will be holding an 'AGM' at the local pub with the intention of attracting a crowd and enrolling more volunteers for RoW clearing in general and Little Lane improvement. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 20 November, 2015, 09:04:32 pm
You may also find that you can use appropriately treated demolition material from contractors who would otherwise have to pay a landfill tax. That can be a good source of replacement track bedding. As long as it is appropriately processed after source to become product rather than waste it should be fine. (Do check the planning and environmental regulations first.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 20 November, 2015, 09:26:45 pm
Unfortunately the only local demolition, recently, was gone well before we started the improvement project. There is another brownfield site coming up for development but the lane should be reinstated long before any plans for work on the brownfield site are anywhere near ready for site clearance to start. That will be hundreds of tonnes of concrete that will have to be stripped out.

Timing is everything ...

Hopefully we'll be gaining momentum over the winter. We need money, machinery, knowledge, skill, grunt ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 21 November, 2015, 06:02:18 pm
Re shod the ice bike (a Discovery 3) with its Marathon Winters.  I'd had to swap them off in the summer so #1 son could go riding with his not girl friend.  It was the only bike I was prepared to let him borrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 November, 2015, 10:43:10 pm
Quote from: DDCyclist on 20 November, 2015, 09:26:45 pm
Unfortunately the only local demolition, recently, was gone well before we started the improvement project. There is another brownfield site coming up for development but the lane should be reinstated long before any plans for work on the brownfield site are anywhere near ready for site clearance to start. That will be hundreds of tonnes of concrete that will have to be stripped out.

Timing is everything ...

Hopefully we'll be gaining momentum over the winter. We need money, machinery, knowledge, skill, grunt ...
Local is an interesting concept. You may find that local is further than you think. Talk to your local demo folk anyhow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 November, 2015, 07:40:24 am
Took the Ti mule for a spin yesterday and realized that despite its greater weight it feels faster than the Trek.  Now in process of swapping the Trek's 700x25s for 700x23s to see the effect on speed & bum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 22 November, 2015, 11:43:25 am
Quote from: David Martin on 21 November, 2015, 10:43:10 pm
Quote from: DDCyclist on 20 November, 2015, 09:26:45 pm
Unfortunately the only local demolition, recently, was gone well before we started the improvement project. There is another brownfield site coming up for development but the lane should be reinstated long before any plans for work on the brownfield site are anywhere near ready for site clearance to start. That will be hundreds of tonnes of concrete that will have to be stripped out.

Timing is everything ...

Hopefully we'll be gaining momentum over the winter. We need money, machinery, knowledge, skill, grunt ...
Local is an interesting concept. You may find that local is further than you think. Talk to your local demo folk anyhow.


We have a company, in the parish, which handles some of the materials we'd need. There's also at least one locally based aggregate crusher and grader.

At present we'd like to keep the supplies and effort within the parish and its neighbours. This will give members of our community, and its neighbours, a greater feeling of ownership and a bigger interest in it. The local potential suppliers will be given an opportunity to contribute (or decline) before we invite potential suppliers from further afield. I doubt we'll get much done during winter anyway.

Of course, if someone from miles away tells us they want to deliver 200 tonne of graded aggregate suitable for a small road bed we aren't likely to object.  ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 23 November, 2015, 02:14:43 pm
New rear inner tube fitted. Old one had (I suspect) a valve problem. Easier to put a new tube in and keep the old one as a spare. New one inflated. If it's held its pressure by tomorrow morning I'll consider it fettled - until the next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MikeFromLFE on 24 November, 2015, 09:05:32 pm
The 'project bike' has received its eBay-sourced hub-braked front wheel.
This has rather thrown me because I wasn't aware of the need for a bespoke cable for drum brakes (Duh!) - so it's currently bodged. Equally, the shape of the fork doesn't lend itself to the standard reaction arm retaining clip, so while the current arrangement works, a bodge may be in order. So - next job replace the bodged cable with the correct cable, and replace the correct clip with a bodge.....
But. It's riding very nicely indeed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 24 November, 2015, 10:22:29 pm
Quote from: DDCyclist on 22 November, 2015, 11:43:25 am

Of course, if someone from miles away tells us they want to deliver 200 tonne of graded aggregate suitable for a small road bed we aren't likely to object.  ;D

Only a score of trucks? Almost small change :)
I want to do a similar thing locally but am waiting on the response from the new landowner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 25 November, 2015, 10:09:24 am
Our little group of lunatics volunteers (and the parish right-of-way officer) have a meeting, on Friday, with one of the land agents. He has access to some sheds, with concreted yard space, that have been condemned by DEFRA  One of the sheds has a partially collapsed roof so we might be able to do a deal.

We make that shed safe (take the roof off) in return for storage. The local kids are great, but you can bet one of them will be under it if does collapse any more than it has already. Some agricultural explosives Careful use of a chainsaw will finish it off.

Note to Admin/Mods: Perhaps we need a thread or sub to discuss projects like this one?

Added: Check the current legal status of what you want to work on. If it's already a 'highway' of any sort the appropriate party to check with might be the Council. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 November, 2015, 11:11:29 am
Perhaps you could add to David's thread on building cycle paths: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=69016.0 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=69016.0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 25 November, 2015, 11:39:37 am
Quote from: Vince on 25 November, 2015, 11:11:29 am
Perhaps you could add to David's thread on building cycle paths: (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=69016.0)
Ahh. You 'Inserted Image' when you meant to 'Insert Hyperlink'. Fortunately the URL appeared (as if by magic) when I quoted your post.

I think there's enough going on, over time, to warrant giving each project it's own thread. Whether there's enough projects, or not, to warrant giving them a sub-forum of their own is another matter.

I'll start another thread for 'my' project in the same sub-forum as David's thread.

Right now I'm off out to check some drainage and give my fixer-up a test ride. The new inner tube stayed up so I'll consider that fettled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 25 November, 2015, 11:41:58 am
Corrected. Thanks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 25 November, 2015, 06:19:19 pm
Something very, very special indeed . . .

But it's a SEEKRIT.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 25 November, 2015, 07:05:55 pm
Had to help a student with project regarding filtering oil from water.

Opened up the cartridge which obviously hadn't been used since a similar project last year - still had some water in there though. Egads it smelt worse than the time I had to open the filter on our washing machine  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 November, 2015, 10:53:16 pm
My saddle on the tandem has been giving me jip of late. I have to say that it's one of the most used B17 hammocks I have seen on a bike. I removed it today and replaced it with the well-used Brooks Flyer that used to be on my solo machine. I'm hoping that the springs will stop the discomfort - an ache and numbness in the sacrum which, one standing up from the saddle, gave an acute pain before feeling greatly relieved.

We'll see how it goes in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 November, 2015, 08:26:02 am
Replacing radiators, going from imperial to metric rads, new thermo valves and installing a magnatec filter.

Now for two joints I can't find my plumbing solder and flux....arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 November, 2015, 08:50:53 am
Brave time of year to have your heating system in bits and the necessary tools not to hand...

I have work to do on mine, but it's going to wait till after the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 November, 2015, 10:23:07 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 25 November, 2015, 06:19:19 pm
Something very, very special indeed . . .

But it's a SEEKRIT.

SEEKRITs are EXCITING!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 26 November, 2015, 11:15:20 am
Carried the remainder of my household property to my new property.  By myself.  It would've been a gorgeous day for a bike ride, but never mind.

At some point this ill health/moving house/bereavement/injury cycle has to end, surely, so I can go and do the things I really want to do  :hand:

Tired now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 November, 2015, 11:19:50 am
I bet you are. Even though the big furniture was moved, there was still a lot of stuff in some of the cupboards/rooms. Well done, and I hope you are now taking a well earned rest :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 26 November, 2015, 11:53:10 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 26 November, 2015, 11:19:50 am
I bet you are. Even though the big furniture was moved, there was still a lot of stuff in some of the cupboards/rooms. Well done, and I hope you are now taking a well earned rest :)

Thanks again for all your help mcshroom.

It was a good job they haven't collected that sack trolley yet.  I used it a lot this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 November, 2015, 07:40:17 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 November, 2015, 08:50:53 am
Brave time of year to have your heating system in bits and the necessary tools not to hand...

I have work to do on mine, but it's going to wait till after the winter.

It's not cold..I am in london ;)

To replace 6 rads, so far I have replaced on, and removed two. Managed to flood two rooms as the old ales leaked.  Also managed to drop a radiator and all the black gunk inside came out on the carpet.  3 fills of a vax cleaned the carpet and dried out the spills.

So tomorrow is a joy of attaching radiators to walls and installing new bracketry to hang radiators from
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 November, 2015, 01:06:43 pm
I fixed the toilet!

Unfortunately this meant lots of bending hands and arms into shapes that really only an octopus should be able to achieve!

Now, though the cistern fills in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 November, 2015, 01:33:22 pm
Day three of no heating.  All pipes ended up having the valves cut off. Too many layers of paint and so paint that resisted the plumbing blow torch, not even a scorch mark!  All the old radiator hangers have been removed.  Three radiators on the wall with tin foil behind them.  To radiators connected, so four to go.  These all need some pipe fetting. 

Now one more coffee before I start again...with the heaviest radiator...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 28 November, 2015, 10:16:35 pm
Plumbing here, too.

Replaced the mixer taps in the Kitchen and Utility Room which were both knackered in different ways.

The new ones are made by Gessi (http://www.gessi.com/en/catalogue/kitchen/tapware/oxygene/), a fancy Italian designer-ish brand, which required a bit of re-plumbing to get them hooked up.

All done, and with only a modest amount of leakage of swear-words.
( I think plumbing and rusty-old-car maintenance fight for top place in the Sweary League. )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 November, 2015, 10:23:01 pm
Apart from faffing with HK's trike and her MTB commuter, there was a post-dinner emergency Octalink BB replacement for her Condor, after it disgraced itself during this weekend's rides in the Midlands. Luckily one of the three spare Octalink BBs was the right size. One of the remaining BBs goes with an old unused Ultegra triple crank; the other fits nothing in this house. I should get rid of it to reduce clutter.

The Condor is ready for tomorrow's commute and the MTB might be ready for Tuesday's commute. One of these days, I'll be able to look over the fleet and not think "Must make time to fix that etc, etc."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 November, 2015, 08:19:27 am
Finally have heating.  Had hassle getting joints to seal.  Ended up have to have an take joints apart and tin the pipes before putting the pipes back together. Even required an emergency run to homebase  to get a few pre soldered joints at 5.30pm on a sunday.  Even had to buy a new blow lamp as the old one didn't want to get a decent flame. :facepalm:

Now I am getting complaints that the flat is too hot ::-)  Also the flat gets hot really quicker than before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 30 November, 2015, 09:07:44 pm
Decided after 18 months it was probably time to trim and rehang my living room door which has been hiding in the spare room since I put the laminate down. Also, after 7.5 hours driving for 3.5 hours in a meeting I felt I needed to achieve something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 December, 2015, 04:56:58 pm
Today's been all about the dangly cables.

First, in the interests of tidying up, I molished a magnetic test lead holder:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2015_12_02_14_48_50.sized.jpg)

(Normal people would simply screw such a thing to a convenient wall, but we're not allowed to do that, so I used bastard-strong rare earth magnets to attach it to the server rack.  The whole thing can easily be lifted off for access to the computer stuff.)

Observant readers will note that this was fabricated from a Useful Bit Of Wood™.  As such, step 0 of the manufacturing process involved sweeping a large pile of leaves out of the way in order to gain access to ye shedde, which is their natural habitat.  This necessitated that step 1 was to be the removal of a quantity of leaf chutney from the tread of my shoes.  It's like having your own cycle lane.


That done, I set about mounting a 6-way power strip to the underside of barakta's new robotic desk.  This was more fiddly than it looked, and involved foul language.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2015_12_02_15_58_10.sized.jpg)

There's now enough slack for the desk to go through its full 'Thunderbirds Are Go!' cycle without unplugging any computer equipment, and for the monitors to be mounted on their swing arm thingy, should the suppliers ever work out a way to mount it to the desk that doesn't involve me getting medieval on the clamp bracket with a drill press.


ETA: Appropriate end fettled onto a spare wall-wart from the box of random power supplies.  To replace the wall-wart shown in the photo, which met its demise against the horizontal strut (just out of shot) with some force when barakta experimentally lowered the desk to its minimum height.   :facepalm:

I hate wall-warts.  I particularly hate it when they're required for the operation of a little-used but sadly necessary anbaric distavox.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 December, 2015, 07:02:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 December, 2015, 04:56:58 pm
Today's been all about the dangly cables.

<snip>

I hate wall-warts.  I particularly hate it when they're required for the operation of a little-used but sadly necessary anbaric distavox.

See espcially wallwarts where the cable comes out of the top edge.  The behind the TV  electro-tqt at the new gaff requires lots of electrickery, some of it via wall warts (Pi, External HDD, phone, router, phono pre amp).  The multiway wossname has 8 sockets (hurrah) but arranged in two rows of four, head to head (boo).  Thus using a wallwart with the cable out of the top takes out two sockets in one go. Bah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 December, 2015, 07:56:15 pm
See also Great Big Fat Huge PS2->USB adaptor that blocks access to adjacent USB hole and the deeply stupid design of my old desktop machine that blocked two USB ports with the monitor cable :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 December, 2015, 11:26:45 pm
Fitted new drive belts to my aging (30 plus) cassette deck.  Bought the replacement belts from an Ebay seller who turned out to be in Portugal.  The old ones had dissolved into tarry gunk, much of which I managed to transfer to my fingers.  Only one pingfuckit left over at the end, and the deck seems to work.  I shall now be able to play cassettes from back in the day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 04 December, 2015, 02:25:42 pm
*pictures Tim Hall with massive boombox perched atop his shoulder*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 December, 2015, 02:30:04 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 02 December, 2015, 07:02:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 December, 2015, 04:56:58 pm
Today's been all about the dangly cables.

<snip>

I hate wall-warts.  I particularly hate it when they're required for the operation of a little-used but sadly necessary anbaric distavox.

See espcially wallwarts where the cable comes out of the top edge.  The behind the TV  electro-tqt at the new gaff requires lots of electrickery, some of it via wall warts (Pi, External HDD, phone, router, phono pre amp).  The multiway wossname has 8 sockets (hurrah) but arranged in two rows of four, head to head (boo).  Thus using a wallwart with the cable out of the top takes out two sockets in one go. Bah.

How about using a USB Pass-through charger to lift the offending wall wart above the plug opposite?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 December, 2015, 02:47:35 pm
My PVR has two modes ov DETH: thee Grey Screen ov DETH abd thee Green Screen ov DETH.  The latter can only be cured by unplugging the mains, saying ten von Neumanns and plugging it back in.  To this end its power bricky-thing now has "PVR" written on it in large friendly letters with a tippex-pen contraption.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 December, 2015, 03:34:27 pm
Changed the front tyre of HK's MTB commuter last night. It seems we have used up the MTB brake cables at home so I'll have to pick up a couple to set up the new V-brake tonight.

I'll need to change the Solidlight mount to clear the new cable at the same time. No doubt we have something that'll fit well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 December, 2015, 05:17:19 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 04 December, 2015, 02:30:04 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 02 December, 2015, 07:02:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 December, 2015, 04:56:58 pm
Today's been all about the dangly cables.

<snip>

I hate wall-warts.  I particularly hate it when they're required for the operation of a little-used but sadly necessary anbaric distavox.

See espcially wallwarts where the cable comes out of the top edge.  The behind the TV  electro-tqt at the new gaff requires lots of electrickery, some of it via wall warts (Pi, External HDD, phone, router, phono pre amp).  The multiway wossname has 8 sockets (hurrah) but arranged in two rows of four, head to head (boo).  Thus using a wallwart with the cable out of the top takes out two sockets in one go. Bah.

How about using a USB Pass-through charger to lift the offending wall wart above the plug opposite?

The problem has been solved.  One of the sockets on the 8 way then went to a 4 way (yes, I know), all in line abreast populated with normal plugs   The Boy, who is a smartarse, pointed out that if we moved as many of the the top exiting wall warts as possible to the 4 way, swapping them for the normal plugs, it would free up more spaces in the 8 way. IYSWIM. 

And, no, Clarion, I'm not featuring the in opening scenes from "History of the World Part 1".  <sticks out tongue>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 December, 2015, 12:13:17 pm
fettled the tacx rollers to make them quieter. bearings sit loosely in the roller sockets so i used scotch tape to remove the play and used threadlocker to attach inner bearing races to the axles. the noise is more acceptable now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 December, 2015, 01:04:47 pm
Put the studded tyres on the commuter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 05 December, 2015, 06:38:08 pm
Emergency temporary fettling of the garden fence.

It's the main fence along the back of the garden, the back lane is on the other side.
It's the original fence from when the place was built in the 1970s.
It's been slowly disintegrating, and I've been patching up the worst of it for 10 years.
But the uprights are basically rotten.

Last night's storms were just a bit too much for it, and several of the uprights gave way where they come out of the ground, and the fence was mostly heeled over at about 45 degrees or more out into the lane.

It's terminal, and will need replaced.
But in the meantime, a bunch of heaving and ho-ing, it's propped in a vaguely vertical if somewhat wonky orientation.
Several of the fence boards are now re-purposed as temporary props.

Replacement smells expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 December, 2015, 08:32:25 pm
New batteries in a mudguard taillight, new front brake blocks and new jockey pulleys for HK's cyclocross-based Condor commuter. I was hoping that the chain occasionally crawling off the lower tension pulley was due to wear but no such luck. Now hunting for the hanger alignment tool and hoping that the non-replaceable Al hanger stays together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 06 December, 2015, 09:51:08 pm
i supposose you know the trick of using a spare wheel and scewing the axle into the hanger and making both wheels parallel
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 December, 2015, 10:46:14 pm
Yes but I prefer to use the proper alignment tool, particularly when I've got one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 December, 2015, 11:29:06 am
I swapped wheels on the commuter over to a dynohubbed one and wired in the light; a rather stunningly bright B&M one with running lights and 80 lumens. This involved a Marathon Plus change that went surprisingly well. I also hacked an inch off the propstand so it won't be as precarious. All I need to do to finish off is to find the cable ties to stop the wires getting in the way of the spokes. Oh and the new rotor is thicker than the old one, so I need to recall how to adjust the BB7...

I gave up on swapping the Birdy stem over to the comfort one. I have no idea of how to tackle that and YouTube didn't come up with anything either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 12 December, 2015, 03:21:06 pm
Turn the red thumbwheel anticlockwise or use T25 key in the screw head
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 December, 2015, 04:00:11 pm
While you are at it, AWL, take the adjuster all the way out and whack some grease on the thread, it only takes a second and saves a lot of swearing later!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 December, 2015, 07:43:35 pm
Ithanyow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 December, 2015, 07:46:37 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 12 December, 2015, 04:00:11 pm
While you are at it, AWL, take the adjuster all the way out and whack some grease on the thread, it only takes a second and saves a lot of swearing later!

I find they benefit from this sort of thing on an annual basis.  Well, depending on the mileage and conditions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 December, 2015, 08:16:19 pm
Now that the freehub has arrived and I managed t get to the LBS to buy new bearings, I finished my hub overhaul today so the gym looks less like a wheel workshop.

Also finished the fuselage on my balsawood glider, shaping the nosecone from a solid block was trickier than I thought. 

The most serious part of the structure next, the wings, which have a change of angle about a third of the way out.  Study plans first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 December, 2015, 09:54:05 pm
Replaced the rear tube on somebody's Brompton at a pub stop. He will need to fit new tyres, brake pads, gear and brake cables, top derailleur pulley and rear mudguard shortly (it was already broken).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 December, 2015, 06:11:21 pm
Modified barakta's new monitor arm (http://www.posturite.co.uk/flo-dual-plus-monitor-arms-w-bar.html) for bolt-through mounting, as it inexplicably lacks this option, and mounted it to her desk (which has steel structure all along the back edge, precluding a clamp mount).  Without breaking anything.

This was easier than getting the DSA people to sort it out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 14 December, 2015, 06:20:09 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 December, 2015, 09:54:05 pm
Replaced the rear tube on somebody's Brompton at a pub stop. He will need to fit new tyres, brake pads, gear and brake cables, top derailleur pulley and rear mudguard shortly (it was already broken).


Pffft. Unserious cyclists, eh ?  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 14 December, 2015, 10:57:00 pm
New bearings in the rear hub on my Dave Yates. Might have left it a bit late, given the racket it was making last week, and the amount of swearing it took to get the old ones out...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 December, 2015, 11:18:57 pm
did a rim transplant today, tensioned, dished, stress relieved, only the final truing is left to do. spokes were 3mm too long for a new rim, but worked just fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 December, 2015, 07:55:08 pm
Put the christmas tree up. Well, it was only 10cm but it did involve molishing it from perspex first, then soldering the bits together, after which one of the others at the Makerspace showed me how to do solderless joins by making springs out of the component legs.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/581/23814139445_adcd74e973_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ChnFZ8)Tree front (https://flic.kr/p/ChnFZ8) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5630/23731693451_1d978c360b_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ca68Et)Tree back before wiring (https://flic.kr/p/Ca68Et) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5821/23731672701_bcc3801f07_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ca62uH)Battery holder (https://flic.kr/p/Ca62uH) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/713/23788036166_0b68742129_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Cf4UoA)Tree alight (https://flic.kr/p/Cf4UoA) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

The bit that pleased me the most was the battery holder design. It worked perfectly straight off.
Here is a wee video of it in action. The LEDs are auto flashy colour change built in ones. And the 'tinsel' is actually functional. I thought it was more fun to use the wires like that.

https://youtu.be/78VaooSWOpY


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 18 December, 2015, 04:53:33 pm
Don't know whether this counts as fettling, but I dug up the Xmas tree - for the 4th time in its short life - and transplanted it into a large pot ready to be decorated by the grandkids on Monday.  Perhaps because of this intermittent bonsai treatment, the tree is still less than a metre tall, but apparently in good health. One of these years we might be needing a JCB.

Not really my idea, but if I didn't do this my wife would insist on buying a 'real' tree.  Have you seen the price of them? ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 December, 2015, 08:38:55 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 December, 2015, 11:18:57 pm
did a rim transplant today, tensioned, dished, stress relieved, only the final truing is left to do. spokes were 3mm too long for a new rim, but worked just fine.

finished truing the wheel; trued another one as well while i was at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 18 December, 2015, 08:50:32 pm
Fettling wheels is very therapeutic, I find.  I took the (rear) wheel off the turbo last week; it'd been on there for years, and was old before then.  There was absolutely no lateral deviation, but I'd never been completely happy about its roundness. 20 mins or so and it was just about spot-on.  Before replacing the tyre I examined the wheel bearings, which were fine, and the freewheel body, which was just about shot.  Little sense in replacing the body - which might have been tricky anyway, as it was six-speed, so I junked the wheel.

I suppose I should/might have been annoyed that I'd 'wasted' my time, but not at all. Must spend more time building and fettling wheels in future  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 December, 2015, 09:20:18 pm
Busy-ish day for me:

1 Replaced small glass panel in front door at home after locking myself out and having to smash glass to reach lock
2 Fitted window obscuring foil to bedroom windows at a rental flat we own
3 Fitted exterior PIR lamp at 2
4 Cleaned a massive amount of slurry from Ti winter bike (courtesy of the local Sustrans NCN Route 5 old railway line) picked up yesterday when hurrying home in the rain and not using my usual on-road route
5 Fitted tyres and tubes to new set of wheels for bike in 4 - refitted one that had a dud patch in the tube.
6 While I was at it, cleaned cassette from 4 in the ultra-sonic bath machine

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 19 December, 2015, 04:35:24 pm
Swapped 12-30 cassette for an 11-32, now that they're available in 10-speed Tiagra flavour. Combined with the triple that should give me some nice low gears. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 19 December, 2015, 08:23:46 pm
The removal of forty-seven pence and one USAnian cent from the drain filter seems to have restored the ability of my washing machine to spin at mighty speeds.  It hasn't altogether removed the nasty graunching noises though, so I suspect more legal tender yet lurks in the depths of the drain pump chiz.

At least it wasn't the gearbox.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 December, 2015, 10:56:05 pm
Race blades on the recumbent, went sort of OK

Then spent two hours sorting out the consequences of a win10 upgrade
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 December, 2015, 03:00:32 pm
Just fitted a pair of tyres to a Boardman road bike. The front brake is running v-brake pads. Most of the front CXP22 rim is distributed evenly over the front forks.

When I cleaned most of the sh!te off the wheel rim I discovered what I thought was pitting in the brake surface. No. The brake pads are running so low that they have removed most of the Mavic decals and the 'pitting' is in fact a series of holes.

This customer is one of those who NEVER cleans the bike and is always far too 'busy' to get round to it.

He needs a new pair of wheels and there is no way on $deity's little blue planet that I'm pumping the front tyre up to anything like normal operating pressure.

I predict a future which will be quite short and involve a journey in a large bread van with blue lights and green stickers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 21 December, 2015, 03:13:41 pm
A stack of dead furniture into a pile of destroyed dead furniture which has now filled a 15.2 cubic meter skip to the gills (and beyond). Fuzzy aches a tad now, though the ache is offset by the afterglow of percussive maintenance ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 December, 2015, 04:47:36 pm
The bike has just been collected. He insists that I fitted the pads.

I have told him to combine sex & travel . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 December, 2015, 03:09:51 pm
cut the tongues out of my road shoes, as they were too thick and sturdy and caused excessive pressure on tarsal boss (http://www.footeducation.com/foot-and-ankle-conditions/tarsal-boss/). feels much better now O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 25 December, 2015, 06:17:16 pm
After getting two punctures in a week in my rear tyre (after 3000 puncture-free miles), I swapped the front tyre, which still has a bit of life left in it, to the rear, and put the only spare I had to hand (a Michelin Service Course - wouldn't be my first choice at this time of year, but needs must) on the front. New GP 4 Seasons have been ordered, so this is just a temporary fix.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jamesld8 on 26 December, 2015, 07:33:36 pm
Swopped out 13-29 cassette for a 12-34 cassette so that I can get up the 20% Glascwm pitch without coronary failure ::-) And the remaining 2000m ascent scheduled on a Cambrian 100 perm  :o Cleaned rear wheel and wiped mud off spokes for improved aerodynamics  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 December, 2015, 10:40:02 pm
My drinks cabinet  ;D

Took half of it to Christmas at my Bro-in-law to make cocktails, now back home.

This time ready for my dad, with the Swedish single malt and the 12 year old Hibiki making up the numbers.  8 available if you include the cask strength Glenmorangie I opened on the night of my son's birth over 13 years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 26 December, 2015, 10:53:39 pm
Cleared a load of books and other items destined for eBay out from under Mrs C's desk so I could get access to some wiring that needs finishing. It just needs plastering over but I'll do that tomorrow as it's a bit dark and I'd prefer to have that circuit switched off while I'm messing about with wet plaster around electrics. Not that that stops me from running an extension from another socket ...

Mrs C is finally, I think, starting to realise how difficult it is to get anything done in a house full of hoarded rubbish stuff that might be useful crap so we might finally get the house tidied and a lot of jobs finished.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 29 December, 2015, 12:46:36 am
had my first mechanical in ages - dropped the chain despite the chain keeper, gouged the frame all around the bottom bracket :-[. so readjusted the chainkeeper in hope that it does the job it is supposed to do. also cleaned the dirt picked up from mucky country lanes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 29 December, 2015, 02:23:05 pm
Small plastering job finally done. If it hasn't fallen out yet - which is a distinct possibiity it isn't the freshest bag of plaster on the planet.

Just googled 'old plaster'. It seems there's also a high probability it won't harden. I thought old plaster just tended to be lumpy and difficult to work. It seems it absorbs moisture and 'goes off' in its powdered form then behaves just like new plaster - except it doesn't set. Bugger.

I hate plastering. The next plastering job will be an entire room so there'll be a pro coming to do that. Wardrobe niche to build first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 29 December, 2015, 04:16:07 pm
Spent 4 hours washing and polishing the car. Didn't change to my winter wheels though.  Long range forecast is unsettled / mixed to end of Jan, so winter (hopefully) will be limited to Feb, and if it snows too much I can WFH  :thumbsup:

Did, for the first time, apply sealant wax to the (summer) wheels tho.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 29 December, 2015, 09:12:38 pm
Jet washed the patio and mowed the lawns.  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 29 December, 2015, 09:14:24 pm
At least you did it the right way round. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 December, 2015, 09:19:38 pm
Halfway to a Stirling engine, Christmas project with my dad and my daughter
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 December, 2015, 02:22:31 pm
Fettled the gears on TLD's hybrid, swapped from O2 to BT and sorted my new GPS thingy. Once the laptop finishes updating I will be putting a SD card in and grabbing the OSM for Spain (the Edge Explore 1000 only comes with UK maps)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 30 December, 2015, 02:29:33 pm
Woohoo! The plaster set! It's a bit rough (due to my plastering skills and difficult access) but it'll sand down when I decorate that room again. At least, for now, there's no wiring exposed below that socket.

Now to tidy up before SWMBO comes home from her mum's and wants to use her study ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 30 December, 2015, 02:54:18 pm
Applied final coat of paint to a bunk bed I've made ... about 45cm long, for grand-daughter #2's dolls .... her cousin GD#1 already has one I made earlier, GD#2 then decided she'd like "a bed with an upstairs" too ... Mrs robgul is about to get the sewing machine out to make a sheet, duvet and pillow set x 2.

... and I did sort out my winter cycling clothes - although they have had limited use so far this year

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 30 December, 2015, 03:54:22 pm
Aww, that sounds awesome Robgul.  Can we see pics of the finished item please? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HTFB on 31 December, 2015, 04:35:10 pm
Nothing. But I have just assembled the Park Tools Home Mechanic stand that my Beloved Stoker has given me for Christmas.

She vetoed my getting a stand years ago, in a previous and smaller flat. Back then I was a previous and smaller me, and actually cycling enough to get decent use out of one. I think its appearance now might just be some sort of hint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 31 December, 2015, 05:08:58 pm
Put new tyres and pedals on the not-Tifosi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 31 December, 2015, 05:11:26 pm
Quote from: barakta on 30 December, 2015, 03:54:22 pm
Aww, that sounds awesome Robgul.  Can we see pics of the finished item please? :)

As if by magic  - this is the one I made for grand-daughter #1 - latest version has more of an angular Art Deco-ish headboard

(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/bunks-flo-nov15.jpg)


... and sorry, I'm not open for commissions to make any more :hand:  - next project is to see if I can make a replica Isokon Donkey Mk 2  (you may have to Google that to see what I'm on about!)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 31 December, 2015, 08:16:46 pm
That is so gorgeous!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 31 December, 2015, 08:34:17 pm
Levelled the washing machine again, but it's still making nasty noises, not draining properly and being generally Wicked.  Time for some major-league spannering chiz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 31 December, 2015, 11:15:18 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 31 December, 2015, 08:16:46 pm
That is so gorgeous!

Thanks - I get almost as much pleasure out of making the stuff as they do playing with them  :thumbsup:   - I'm pondering making an old-style "soap box cart" for our 6 year old grandson  ???

There's something special about traditional toys and not the modern plastic crap from Argos or ToysRus .... the girls both have Silver Cross dolls prams and traditional rocking horses (courtesy of ebay) and we have a couple of Pashley Pickle trikes too - getting them used to proper bikes.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 January, 2016, 02:44:06 pm
This

(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1030686_zps7dkq5pwi.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1030686_zps7dkq5pwi.jpg.html)

Still needs a bit more fettling, the horizontal cyclinder amd piston needs changing, tube is rough inside and seamed, need to reduce friction there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 01 January, 2016, 03:05:31 pm
Removed an old electrical back box and replaced with another, bought the wrong filler, this is a fine filler so used some left over exterior tube filler. Next is stick some conduit up with some fake no more nails and then maybe wander in to Paris with the camera to see the lights.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 01 January, 2016, 04:22:44 pm
Sorted out one of the (two) boxes of scarves, hats and gloves that lives in the hallway.

Fixed the Bluetooth on the car (can now make and receive calls, as well as play music)

Did two lots of washing, including a load of mouldy gloves I found in the garage. Now need to bring the first load in and hang it up as it mainly wool stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 01 January, 2016, 08:00:21 pm
Fence.  Couple of new posts after Wednesday's breezes did for the old ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 01 January, 2016, 08:55:52 pm
Mrs Ham's bedroom athletics weren't all they could be.

They are slippers, what else did you think you dirty bunch?

Anyhow, she has worn away the sole, so I decided to have a go fettling. I has affixed to the surface a length of trimmed opened out inner tube, using shoe goo. I have no idea how long or effective the repair will be but it amused me sufficiently to share.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 January, 2016, 11:09:37 pm
I have bedroom athletics too :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 02 January, 2016, 12:36:34 am
What have slippers got to do with bedroom athletics?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 January, 2016, 12:28:10 pm
I though Bedroom Athletics were a non-league football team until I discovered yacf.

The sheepskin one, please.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 02 January, 2016, 03:55:31 pm
Before

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1vq_grd2O0M/VofughGwdHI/AAAAAAAA1Rw/5b_uzntKO-I/s640-Ic42/IMG_20160101_174416.jpg)

After

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UE63X67YE-E/VofuqD9B5RI/AAAAAAAA1R4/L06jec5-_kU/s640-Ic42/IMG_20160102_074604.jpg)

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 January, 2016, 05:49:19 pm
Excellent us of old inner tube there.

I have cropped my mudguard stays. This seemingly simple task has taken me all afternoon, mostly in walking to the tool shop for increasingly large cutters, culminating in BFO bolt cutters and lots of pinging. Still haven't found one ping but it's not a pingfuckit so this doesn't really matter. Except it's somewhere indoors and will doubtless be discovered barefoot. Anyway, my mudguard fits better now.

I did the last one with just a junior hacksaw.  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 January, 2016, 07:10:36 pm
My washing machine is now back in a state of poverty and seems happy to spin like a dervish while not emitting the sort of sound last heard when trying to put the Metro in which I took my driving test into first gear.

Hurrah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: runsoncake on 02 January, 2016, 07:14:49 pm
Spent far too long putting my right SPD back together today, but eventually managed it (I hope). Had to go through the unmaking of said pedal because somewhere on my ride today one of the  2 cleat bolts pingfuckited into the I knownotwhere leaving my right shoe loosely attached to the bike. Would have been an easy matter to take the pedal off and rotate the shoe off the cleat, then pry the cleat out if some overmuscular mechanic hadn't over torqued it during it's service.
Still I have discovered that Evans sell single cleat bolts for 99p each  :thumbsup: standard postage costs £1.98  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 02 January, 2016, 07:23:48 pm
Been building up the Cross-Check :)

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5684/23835252700_eb774d01d6_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CjeUdL)IMG_0476 (https://flic.kr/p/CjeUdL) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/24048301161_45fb8982bb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CD4Q76)IMG_0475 (https://flic.kr/p/CD4Q76) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 02 January, 2016, 09:32:07 pm
That looks rather nice Windy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 January, 2016, 07:14:52 pm
Installed new rear surround speakers (Tannoy Vi); moved old ones (Wharfedale Diamond 9.0) into the Chips Room.  Sound quality improvement over crappy old no-name items quite startling :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 January, 2016, 09:13:35 pm
Why such a splay on the handlebars?

I've been swapping wheels.  Giant winter bike into the shed, to go out on the road, Orbea with no mudguards onto the turbo.

Required
- wheels off Orbea, change cassette (9sp for 10sp) for the Giant
- Giant off turbo, turbo wheel off, other wheels on
- 9sp cassette on the turbo wheel, orbea onto turbo.

With one spare 9sp and one spare 10sp left over, I should have them the right way round.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 January, 2016, 03:28:58 pm
I have just fixed the first puncture of the year. Fortunately it was discovered at home. Flint shard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 January, 2016, 03:30:08 pm
Hm, I don't think I had any punctures in 2015...

ETA: Ah no.  Hawthorn vs mountain bike on its second proper outing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 07 January, 2016, 04:15:15 pm
The other day I assembled a new double bed in a spare room formerly known as a "the unsightly tip we chuck all manner of things no use to man nor ornament but might be useful one day."

The new bed is an ottoman divan.

Assembling the bed was quite straightforward, as you'd expect, other than fitting the top to the hydraulic rams. This stage was recommended as a two man task. It proved to be rather tricky for me to fit on my own, but I got it done. Fortunately I did not need to be rescued from inside the ottoman at any stage.

Today's task is to clear the room we've been using until now - the main problem being how to condense the old bed and mattress so they fit into a Peugeot 208, for their final journey, in as few trips as possible - and without ending up with dust and fluff everywhere (hence careful removal of the covering and padding). Preferably no more than one trip.

I'm taking the covering off both halves of the base. The next stage is to decide whether to cut the frames or convert them into two shelves for my shed. If I reuse the frames I suspect I might get everything else in the car. Might be a bit tight if I decide not to reuse the frames, but at least it'll have been reduced to just timber so it can be stored outside without getting too messy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 January, 2016, 04:17:10 pm
Too much £££'s-worth of Ti on the Brompton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 January, 2016, 04:45:25 pm
Plumbed a Fleabay special cassette deck into the Babbage-Engine and even found the very very hidden wossname in Windows to allow me to hear what I'm recording.  I do not know why I couldn't hear this when every other bleep, bong, sound effect and sound from audio/video comes straight out of the squeakers without needing a kick up the ronson first ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 January, 2016, 07:01:10 pm
Quote from: TimO on 02 November, 2015, 07:34:30 pm
I just put a new pair of brake pads on the front brake of the commuter.  It wasn't that long ago that I changed them last.  They can wear down at an alarming rate when the weather's been a bit wet, and the mix of water and road gunge forms a nice paste to help grind them away.

... and another set, so that's just under two months, since it's been two months and five days, but I didn't use the bike very much over Christmas and the New Year.

The mileage was probably around 1000 miles.

At least cartridge pads are fast to change, two grub screws out, slide the pads out, slide the new set in, replace the grub screws and release the cable tension to allow for the new pads.  Less than five minutes of effort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 January, 2016, 08:38:14 pm

Bleed valve on bathroom radiator is completely inaccessible to anyone without three elbows, eyes on stalks and LEDs built into their fingertips.  Bled same by undoing GBFO Hexagonal Thing at opposite end.  For my next birthday: a 22mm (?) socket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 January, 2016, 11:00:21 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 07 January, 2016, 08:38:14 pm
  • Bled a couple of radiators
  • Refilled boiler
  • Stabbed myself in the solar plexus with a screwdriver ow ouchy ow

Bleed valve on bathroom radiator is completely inaccessible to anyone without three elbows, eyes on stalks and LEDs built into their fingertips.  Bled same by undoing GBFO Hexagonal Thing at opposite end.  For my next birthday: a 22mm (?) socket.

My ex has three elbows[1], but is unfortunately a complete liability with a screwdriver.


[1] This becomes readily apparent to anyone attempting to share a bed with them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 08 January, 2016, 06:12:03 pm
Divorced my collection of Battle Mountain posters from their frames, stuck 'em down to suitably-sized pieces of plain white paper and put 'em back in the frames.  This has eliminated the unsightly brown stripe down each side and was made possible by the appearance of a branch of Hobbycraft next door to Halfrauds, selling A2 paper at 50p a sheet.

Haven't put them back up yet, because that involves ladders.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 January, 2016, 07:02:14 pm
Degunked six separate parts of the washing machine and reacquainted myself with Shimano chains. Need a new cassette new. A decent chain wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 09 January, 2016, 07:16:02 pm
Cleaned up the litter and some old leaves in my front garden.  Washed my front door.  Scrubbed my front path. Cleaned the loo.  Changed the sheets on both beds.  Went to the tip.  Did some washing.  Fixed the mirror.

Love those iron tablets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 09 January, 2016, 09:32:59 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 09 January, 2016, 07:02:14 pm
Degunked six separate parts of the washing machine and reacquainted myself with Shimano chains. Need a new cassette new. A decent chain wouldn't be a bad idea either.

You should have bought a Campag washing machine :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 January, 2016, 10:17:20 pm
We do everything at 40 degrees, so a fixie would be most appropriate.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 January, 2016, 08:05:28 am
My LG washing machine is direct drive, so I suppose that's sort-of fixed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 January, 2016, 02:12:42 pm
Finished sawing the ends off the floorboards in the loft so that they no longer butt up to the wall that thinks it's a waterfall. This involved a jigsaw, and dismantling a cupboard with a GBFO hammer and some swearing.
It's not stopping the water coming in but at least it will stop it travelling any further in....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 11 January, 2016, 06:50:30 pm
Removed from Mrs P's front tyre this evening:

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1669/24211927472_1384a2a89a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CTwsvo)
IMG_3328_001 (https://flic.kr/p/CTwsvo) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 January, 2016, 07:58:05 pm
My first successful, so far, adjustment of a front derailleur cable that had slipped.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 11 January, 2016, 09:20:47 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 11 January, 2016, 06:50:30 pm
Removed from Mrs P's front tyre this evening:

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1669/24211927472_1384a2a89a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CTwsvo)
IMG_3328_001 (https://flic.kr/p/CTwsvo) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Pah. A mere scratch. Don't know why you didn't just pump it up and carry on.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21716908/puncture_small.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 January, 2016, 10:42:10 pm
I've blinked. Just fitted the Winters to my Horizon. That should ward off the sno'n'ice for a bit
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 15 January, 2016, 03:43:05 pm
Just applied patch number 33 to my favourite innertube  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 January, 2016, 11:55:13 pm
Replaced brake pads, and fitted a new shiny saddle to the not-Tifosi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 January, 2016, 01:12:39 am
BB & cranks on a Norco NotSure - too much crap on the frame to identify it properly.

Because when you have Octalink cranks you should fit them to an FSA PowerDrive BB. Don't worry that the crank has 8 splines and the BB 10, that's just marketing hype. No, I tell you what, let's just banjo 100 quid's worth of cranks onto the wrong bb and just torque the living shit out of those bolts until the cranks turn the axle without slipping to ten past two . . . or something.

A raid of the scrap bin stash of 'usable resource' produced a usable Truvativ with matching bb. That was when i discovered that the cranks had been spining ON the bb and so had to file the burrs off befor the tool would actually fit the cups.

Never mind, it brought some money in AND we had chippy for supper. Altogether a good day.

luv'n'stuff

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 16 January, 2016, 07:13:54 am
Ah, the joys of a bikeshop mechanic ....... Memory's  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 January, 2016, 04:22:23 pm
Today, for the first time ever, I got inside an STI shifter. A flat bar one, so it's pretty simple; in fact it's only integrated in that it's in one housing with the brake lever, so hardly deserving of the name. After a new cable, cassette, chain and some tinkering, the gears are no longer clinking and clunking. More to the point, the chain's not skipping either. Seems like I probably could have done without the new cassette, it just needed a new chain – the old one was the factory original, I think, which means it was about six years old(!) (but had been in storage for a couple of years) so no complaints. And now I've got a quick link. Why Shimano persist in fitting chains without them, I don't know. And closer ratios, which may or may not be noticed in practice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DDCyclist on 17 January, 2016, 02:59:27 pm
Some temporary shelves for helping Mrs C sort out boxes of books. We're trying to reduce the amount of unnecessary crap we've  acquired. Well, I am anyway.

I used the two bases from a double divan and a couple of flat panels I've been holding onto. There wasn't enough to put a decent panel on the top. The shelves are in what will eventually be our dining room.

(http://www.rachaelrowe.com/eBayImages/mugs/Shelves.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 January, 2016, 04:11:25 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 January, 2016, 04:22:23 pm
Today, for the first time ever, I got inside an STI shifter. A flat bar one, so it's pretty simple; in fact it's only integrated in that it's in one housing with the brake lever, so hardly deserving of the name. After a new cable, cassette, chain and some tinkering, the gears are no longer clinking and clunking. More to the point, the chain's not skipping either. Seems like I probably could have done without the new cassette, it just needed a new chain – the old one was the factory original, I think, which means it was about six years old(!) (but had been in storage for a couple of years) so no complaints. And now I've got a quick link. Why Shimano persist in fitting chains without them, I don't know. And closer ratios, which may or may not be noticed in practice.
And following that, it's still slipping today.  >:( Well, it's clearly not chain or cassette and I think the indexing is ok, so the next suspect is the jockey wheels. Probably better check the indexing again though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 17 January, 2016, 06:16:55 pm
3 Course Meal for 80 people, and my first time as head cook:

Mushroom Soup
Roast Gammon, Roast Spuds, Carrots, Peas, Green beans and Parsley Sauce
Pineapple upside down cake and custard

I started at 9:45, to prepare the dessert, was joined by 3 of the team between 10:00 and 10:15. (meat in oven, soup, spuds to part boil and then swap into the oven to roast, prepare sauce and custard)

we all went to the church service at 11 and were joined by the remaining 3 members of the team after the service to carve, plate up and serve (13:00). We then wash up and finally pause to eat our lunch before cleaning down the kitchen and leaving at about 15:30.

Apart from the gas going out under the sauce so it wasn't ready when we plated up and had to be added immediately prior to serving all went remarkably well and everyone was highly complimentary. The fact that almost everyone had dessert is unusual, normally there are some who are watching their weight, diabetic or just don't want it.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 17 January, 2016, 07:27:34 pm
Quote from: matthew on 17 January, 2016, 06:16:55 pm
3 Course Meal for 80 people, and my first time as head cook:

Mushroom Soup
Roast Gammon, Roast Spuds, Carrots, Peas, Green beans and Parsley Sauce
Pineapple upside down cake and custard

I started at 9:45, to prepare the dessert, was joined by 3 of the team between 10:00 and 10:15. (meat in oven, soup, spuds to part boil and then swap into the oven to roast, prepare sauce and custard)

we all went to the church service at 11 and were joined by the remaining 3 members of the team after the service to carve, plate up and serve (13:00). We then wash up and finally pause to eat our lunch before cleaning down the kitchen and leaving at about 15:30.

Apart from the gas going out under the sauce so it wasn't ready when we plated up and had to be added immediately prior to serving all went remarkably well and everyone was highly complimentary. The fact that almost everyone had dessert is unusual, normally there are some who are watching their weight, diabetic or just don't want it.  :)

Chapeau!
And bon apetit!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 22 January, 2016, 10:13:01 am
Apropos of this rant (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2177.msg1978267#msg1978267)

A flexible tap connector onto the cistern supply, after cleaning the paint off the supply pipe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 January, 2016, 05:18:46 pm
mllePB's tourer in readiness for Clapham next week.   Two new tyres, one new tube, new brake wires, a section of new brake outer cable and a new noodle for the rear v brake.  New chain, new brake blocks, clean, adjust and lube.   

I will be attending to my tourer on Tuesday.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 January, 2016, 08:34:22 pm
new gear cable to fit.  For some reason the old one snapped clean off at the clamp bolt, so if it slips I'm buggered.

2 glasses of wine so far, I may wait till tomorrow.

EDIT
Should have left it, but I started yesterday and got the old cable out, getting the new one in today I discovered the real cause of the shifting woes which was not cable related at all.

The front mech was not straight/parallel with the chain rings.

As the shifting trouble started after my holiday last year I can only think that it must have taken a knock either in packig or in transit in the bike box.  Now all aligned and stops adjusted too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 24 January, 2016, 06:38:53 pm
Switching energy suppliers. Apparently jumping ship to The Co-Op will save me nearly £400 a year, which shows how much BG are robbing gits   >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 24 January, 2016, 07:01:27 pm
I unblocked the nozzle on the jetwasher. This involved prising open several components designed to clip together permanently, then poking a pin through the nozzle. The blockage turned out to be some variety of minute fly, which considering it had been subjected 1300 psi, was still remarkably fly shaped.
Next I cleaned the patio and garden paths.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 January, 2016, 07:09:23 pm
Washed two bikes, took the pannier rack off one, washed the bits I couldn't reach while it was on, put a new rack on that bike, transferred the rear light from old rack to new, tried to put the old rack on the other bike but I need some larger P-clips than I have. Then mended a kitchen cupboard door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 January, 2016, 06:53:20 pm
Just finished this: (a Revell 1:12 scale 2010 Ford Shelby GT500)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1565/24334757560_bef0a7d94f_c.jpg)

And I'll hopefully be starting this, soon, a 1:6 scale model kit of the Robot B9, from Lost in Space! (£50 worth of model kit!  :o)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1592/23895393683_80ba163525_o.jpg)   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 26 January, 2016, 06:55:56 pm
Corrrrr!!!!!

I got the front rack off the tourer (which involves un-bodging my ancient bolt bodge), pumped up the tyres, and also got the bar bag holder thing off. 

This involved the bonus creation of a blood blister on my right index finger, and an ouchy booboo on my right thumb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 January, 2016, 06:57:23 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 26 January, 2016, 06:53:20 pm
Just finished this: (a Revell 1:12 scale 2010 Ford Shelby GT500)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1565/24334757560_bef0a7d94f_c.jpg)

And I'll hopefully be starting this, soon, a 1:6 scale model kit of the Robot B9, from Lost in Space! (£50 worth of model kit!  :o)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1592/23895393683_80ba163525_o.jpg)   :thumbsup:

Isn't it about time that you did a bit of a gallery of all your models?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 January, 2016, 07:09:32 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 26 January, 2016, 06:57:23 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 26 January, 2016, 06:53:20 pm
Just finished this: (a Revell 1:12 scale 2010 Ford Shelby GT500)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1565/24334757560_bef0a7d94f_c.jpg)

And I'll hopefully be starting this, soon, a 1:6 scale model kit of the Robot B9, from Lost in Space! (£50 worth of model kit!  :o)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1592/23895393683_80ba163525_o.jpg) 

Isn't it about time that you did a bit of a gallery of all your models?
Would that be relevant for yacf though, it is a cycling forum after all?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 January, 2016, 07:35:38 pm
There is plenty of non-cycling content.   You are one of us so please share your interests if you'd like to.

A thread of Brian's Models in Gallery would be interesting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 26 January, 2016, 10:18:32 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 26 January, 2016, 07:35:38 pm
There is plenty of non-cycling content.   You are one of us so please share your interests if you'd like to.

A thread of Brian's Models in Gallery would be interesting.

+1!

Out of interest, can you recommend a good source for kits like this! Preferably on the nerdy side. I'd love to make myself a Millennium Falcon one day, but not the £800+ weekly magazine kit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 January, 2016, 07:00:06 am
Quote from: BrianI on 26 January, 2016, 06:53:20 pm
Just finished this: (a Revell 1:12 scale 2010 Ford Shelby GT500)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1565/24334757560_bef0a7d94f_c.jpg)

And I'll hopefully be starting this, soon, a 1:6 scale model kit of the Robot B9, from Lost in Space! (£50 worth of model kit!  :o)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1592/23895393683_80ba163525_o.jpg)   :thumbsup:

 :thumbsup:

I'm in the middle of a balsa wood glider myself, from a kit bought for me when I were nobut a lad.

Tail and fuselage done, wings pinned out, ready to start slotting in the pre-cut ribs.

It's a long-term project  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 January, 2016, 12:11:05 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 26 January, 2016, 07:35:38 pm
There is plenty of non-cycling content.   You are one of us so please share your interests if you'd like to.

A thread of Brian's Models in Gallery would be interesting.
Definitely. Although I'm not interested in models myself – never even finished an airfix kit as a kid – plenty of people would be, and if you've got a good collection and a talent for it – which you clearly have – then good to show!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 January, 2016, 05:52:59 pm
Molished an improved less-flappy mudflap for the mountain bike, then dusted off my Altura Orkney panniers and jibbled them to fit.

Other than tyres (it's currently got studs on), it's ready for the weekend.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 January, 2016, 07:39:24 pm
Finally got around to fettling MY Tax Return.   No bill and no fines so all is well with the world.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 January, 2016, 10:12:46 pm
Had to have a chuckle today. As a rule I don't loan my tools but how can you say no when a desperate fitness instructor has a spinning bike that needs a repair? (No. T'was a HE. Didn't fancy him at all . . .)

During a spin class the crank on the bike had come loose and fallen off. Someone volunteered to find an allen key and repair it. So far so good. Bolted it back into place, stood back and said 'Oh sh*t!' Both cranks were pointing at the floor.

I've offered to tender for the spinbike maintenance on a contract basis. We'll see what happens . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 31 January, 2016, 09:59:43 pm
Made a start on a jig for mounting my mitre saw on my workbench, with an adjustable support for long workpieces. I've been able to use spare bits of timber I've got left over from previous projects, so the only parts I'll need to buy in are some threaded inserts, and maybe some socket cap screws. Which, given what even the cheapest mitre saw stands cost, works out to be quite a saving.  :smug:

Next on the list are a couple of cutting guides for use with my jigsaw and circular saw...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 31 January, 2016, 10:15:51 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 27 January, 2016, 07:39:24 pm
Finally got around to fettling MY Tax Return.   No bill and no fines so all is well with the world.   :thumbsup:
I've managed to avoid doing such for the last 15 years. Looks like this coming year I will finally enter the world of tax returns rather than the corporate world of simple PAYE.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 January, 2016, 11:08:48 pm
While unpacking my bag from Clapham, I happened to notice that the wall-wart for charging my eBay special mountain bike light battery was held together with screws, rather than the usual glue or snappy plastic.  So I opened it up, cut the anode lead to the red half of the green-or-is-it-red status LED and bodged in a separate actually-red[1] LED alongside.  A quick drilling of another 3mm hole in the case, and I can now tell when the battery is charged without assistance.   :thumbsup:


[1] Longer wavelength and/or much dimmer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 31 January, 2016, 11:11:28 pm
Stripped down my Dave Yates (it's been a wet winter), looked at it, and decided that it really needs a respray. I'll book it in with the local powdercoaters this week.

Also, I fitted some new bearings in the rear wheel and returned the spare wheel to the pub bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bumper on 02 February, 2016, 05:49:51 pm
tubeless on the pickenflick.................

rear, first time with a pump.

front, after the gazillionth time with a pump, gas, ghetto inflator. MUCH sweating and swearing. I decided to get my lungs back to normal and have a cuppa. Went back at it, first time with a hand pump :facepalm:

I'll add another layer of tape to the rims, that should help them for next time. Joes stuff is okay but the filler upperer is shite. I've chopped lots off the end because it kept clogging!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vantage on 02 February, 2016, 09:34:21 pm
New brake pads on today.
Last Wednesday it had a new chainset.
The week before it had a new chain and cassette.

The only original parts on the thing are the cantilevers, headset and front mech.

I wonder if it's still a Dawes Vantage?  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 02 February, 2016, 09:42:18 pm
Turned some nylon on the lathe at work to improve my bodgetastic rear light mount. It's still a bit of a hack but it's better.

The dynamo light is attached to the mudguard, wondering about moving the backup battery light there too or if better to leave it on the bagman rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 03 February, 2016, 09:14:56 pm
Decided that it was about time that I fitted the new wheels and drivetrain to my 'second best' roadbike.
Bike is a 22 year old Cannondale R400 and the wheel rims are VERY concave and the drivetrain is well worn.
Wiggle delivered a pair of Fulcrum Quattro wheels, a Shimano sprocket set, chain and middle Campag 39 tooth last week and I've been putting off changing it all since then.
Front wheel went on O.K. except for the fact that my Durano Plus tyres wouldn't go on without the aid of tyre levers  :(
Thought I'd try the back wheel in the rear lugs before I fitted the sprockets and tyre. Wouldn't even look at it  ???
Realised that my spacing of 130 mm was inadequate for a 135 mm axle. Took the axle apart and filed 3 mm off the aluminium spacer on the non-drive side. Wheel slid in nicely  :thumbsup: Wheel still centred nicely.
Fitted sprockets and tyre (needed tyre levers again)
Once the chain was fitted, tried the indexing. No adjustment required  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 February, 2016, 09:44:53 am
Late night fettling session last night.

Replaced the brake arm I broke on the Clapham bunk barn weekend with a spare arm out of the bits box.

Also trued up a wheel including replacing a set of dodgy spoke nipples which have developed a habit of stripping their threads ???

One more went ping on the way to work this morning so I think I'm going to need to replace the lot :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 February, 2016, 12:22:05 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 05 February, 2016, 09:44:53 am
Replaced the brake arm I broke on the Clapham bunk barn weekend with a spare arm out of the bits box.

How did you manage that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 February, 2016, 01:07:06 pm
I took one arm off the boss and put the other on :P

More seriously, the black plastic bit* that the grub screw pushes against cracked, meaning that I couldn't get it to spring away from the rim.

*Tektro Oryx, not sure why they thought plastic was the best design there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 February, 2016, 01:27:31 pm
Ah, not quite the "OMG cow!" *yank* *crack* "Arrgh!" moment I was imagining, then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 February, 2016, 07:40:13 pm
I meant to post this one last week:  finally got round to popping into my lbs to collect an o ring for my ageing mk1 road morphe.   Twenty five pence and a smear of Weldtite Red and the pump is once again a good un!   :thumbsup:

I now need to ring that Torslanda chap and pay for a pair of chainrings for the tourer.    The transmission clunk from the Netherton Tunnels Rids has been identified and ring wear requires replacement.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 05 February, 2016, 11:38:35 pm
Quote from: vantage on 02 February, 2016, 09:34:21 pm
New brake pads on today.
Last Wednesday it had a new chainset.
The week before it had a new chain and cassette.

The only original parts on the thing are the cantilevers, headset and front mech.

I wonder if it's still a Dawes Vantage?  :facepalm:
Wot? You've replaced the frame, seatpost, stem, handlebars, wheels, saddle & pedals?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 06 February, 2016, 04:46:49 pm
Fettled an Old Man Mountain Sherpa (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/old-man-mountain-sherpa-rear-rack-for-bikes-without-frame-braze-ons-prod5691/) rack to my MTB, meaning I can now carry proper luggage on it. 

Rack appears well made & was easy to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulR on 06 February, 2016, 05:31:06 pm
Re-cabled the lairy Mapei-liveried Colnago Dream, fitted some slightly deeper drop brakes and scarlet bar tape and changed the stem and bars for a more period-correct ITM outfit.  Somehow I seem to have fluked it into perfect adjustment, as a quick ride around the block had the gears changing sweetly.

I've often been surprised to see people commuting on such bikes, but this one would be ideal for those rare days when I can skip mudguards!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 February, 2016, 08:34:43 pm
changed the shifters on the Orbea, the borked front and a 10-speed rear to replace the 9-speed.  9 Speed was OK, but a bit tatty and a pair was reasonably economical vs just the front.

Whilst I was at it, re-cabled and re-bar taped, changing from the original grey outers and black bar tape to red to match the highlights on the frame.

First time doing the bar tape, no real problems bu I could have been a bit neater on the first one.  Second was better.

Cables still need adjusting, and I forgot to buy a ten-speed chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 February, 2016, 09:46:14 pm
Asterisk dialplan.  Things have progressed by several major versions since I last had to get intimate with the stuff, but it's still a syntactic bucket of spiders.  Sort of thing that makes PHP look like fun.  Eew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 07 February, 2016, 01:06:07 am
I managed to finish today's late shift early enough to get home in time for MOtD (go Leicester !) and I multi-tasked by watching the games whilst fitting my new, from Germany, Schwalbe S-One tubeless tyre with a tube onto a Velocity Blunt rim.
F*ck me it was difficult (not the multi-tasking, that was OK but the fitting).
In the absence of a 3rd hand, I used cable ties to try to keep the tyre on the rim. In the end, I needed 4 of them; 2 to get the first bead over the rim  :o and the next 2 to get the other bead on  ...........
I also used the full leverage of a long Topeak tyre lever to get the final bit of tyre over the rim.
When I began pumping the tyre up, I wasn't optimistic; surely with all that levering, I'd punctured the tube.
Luckily I hadn't, although there were some interesting "pops" as the pressure increased. I stopped at 8 Bar.
The purpose of this exercise is to try to stretch the tyre a little so that it will be easier to eventually fit "tubelessly" to the intended Velocity Aleron rim.

FWIW:-
Damn, that's a sexy looking tyre.
It measures 32mm on the Blunt at 8 Bar.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 07 February, 2016, 07:40:39 am
yesterday, dad and I, replaced 7 thermostatic valves on the central heating and fitted a filter on the heating return line. Unfortunately it took about 4 hours for the system to drain and the best part of four hours to refill.

The next task is to dose in the cleaning fluid for a week or so, then drain and refill the system twice to remove the cleaning fluid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 12:13:32 pm
Quote from: matthew on 07 February, 2016, 07:40:39 am
yesterday, dad and I, replaced 7 thermostatic valves on the central heating and fitted a filter on the heating return line. Unfortunately it took about 4 hours for the system to drain and the best part of four hours to refill.

4 hours?  Do you live at Sizewell B?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 07 February, 2016, 01:15:24 pm
No, my parents house is just a 40 year old building with stainless steel pipework due to the copper cartel. Therefore the pipework is furred up and not draining properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 07 February, 2016, 03:44:18 pm
Front rack, light bracket, rear rack, bottlecage and mudguards :thumbsup:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/IMG_1131.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 07 February, 2016, 04:41:22 pm
Remolished the key safe next to my front door, seeing as nobody bothered to tell me what the combination was and the neighbours didn't know either.

A few "instructional" YouTube videos later, I was mildly disappointed (but mostly relieved, considering) to find there wasn't a spare key inside. At lesst now I've changed the code to something I'll remember.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 07 February, 2016, 05:38:31 pm
Fettled a jig that I had originally made for making guided cuts with a jigsaw that I had recently purchased, so that it could be used with my circular saw instead*. It'll allow me to make right-angle cross cuts across furniture board up to 35cm in width, and even has a remountable shelf to support the saw at the start of the cut.

* Took the jigsaw back because the wretched thing couldn't cut straight, even when using a guiding straight edge. I'm inclined to think that the shift to pendulum action saws with tool-free blade mounting is a retrograde step...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 05:58:43 pm
Quote from: spesh on 07 February, 2016, 05:38:31 pm
Took the jigsaw back because the wretched thing couldn't cut straight, even when using a guiding straight edge. I'm inclined to think that the shift to pendulum action saws with tool-free blade mounting is a retrograde step...

Hmm.  I thought I was just hopeless with a jigsaw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 07 February, 2016, 07:10:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 05:58:43 pm
Quote from: spesh on 07 February, 2016, 05:38:31 pm
Took the jigsaw back because the wretched thing couldn't cut straight, even when using a guiding straight edge. I'm inclined to think that the shift to pendulum action saws with tool-free blade mounting is a retrograde step...

Hmm.  I thought I was just hopeless with a jigsaw.

In my experience, I've found that jigsaws are perfectly okay for cutting thin material such as laminate floor planks (where the cut ends will be hidden under the scotia strips or skirting board). or for thin plywood, but anything thicker and you have to take it so slowly that you might as well be using a hand saw, unless the straightness of the cut is not too critical. I think the problem is that it's a thin blade that's only clamped at one end, unlike on a scroll saw or a band saw, where the blade is kept under tension. Of course, hand saws are only held at one end as well, but even flush-cut pull saws have much deeper blades, so will keep a straighter cut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 07:16:36 pm
Which is the point where a circular saw makes your life a whole lot less tedious, even when you include the time taken to pick sawdust out of your ears.  I seem to be surprisingly good with one of those.  Probably because they terrify me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 February, 2016, 07:23:59 pm
In other fettling news, I have had to fix the Bluetooth on my car, AGAIN. Looks like it survives about 40 hours of audio before giving up. Bloody Windows CE.

Also managed to fettle two Pis into a firewall and a file server. Then painted the bathroom with it's first coat of emulsion, to seal the new plaster. Would have done more but we can't agree on the colour!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 February, 2016, 07:28:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 07:16:36 pm
Which is the point where a circular saw makes your life a whole lot less tedious, even when you include the time taken to pick sawdust out of your ears.  I seem to be surprisingly good with one of those.  Probably because they terrify me.
Ear defenders will keep the sawdust out of your ears. Given a decent circ saw, it won't stop all the lights dimming in your postcode when you switch it on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 07:30:44 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 07 February, 2016, 07:28:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 07:16:36 pm
Which is the point where a circular saw makes your life a whole lot less tedious, even when you include the time taken to pick sawdust out of your ears.  I seem to be surprisingly good with one of those.  Probably because they terrify me.
Ear defenders will keep the sawdust out of your ears.

Good thinking.  Cuts down your victims' screaming, too.


Quote
Given a decent circ saw, it won't stop all the lights dimming in your postcode when you switch it on.

Mine's flattery powered (mainly on the basis that I already had the drill and a couple of decent flatteries).  One less cable to saw through.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 February, 2016, 07:48:03 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 07:30:44 pm
.......
Good thinking.  Cuts down your victims' screaming, too..........

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 February, 2016, 08:35:03 pm
Had another go at the tourer's rear wheel today. Didn't get much further so I've switched the tyre and cassette to an old wheel for now and ordered a bag of spoke nipples to do a complete replacement.

Also did a bit of rust removal from some of the fixings with tin foil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 08 February, 2016, 09:09:47 pm
I've just washed half of Aberdeenshire's finest mud off the commuter bike.
It has had a couple of weeks riding without a wash on account of it being so cold and horrible outside, I couldn't face going out and mucking about with water and stuff.

I'm damp and cold now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 08 February, 2016, 09:27:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2016, 05:58:43 pm
Quote from: spesh on 07 February, 2016, 05:38:31 pm
Took the jigsaw back because the wretched thing couldn't cut straight, even when using a guiding straight edge. I'm inclined to think that the shift to pendulum action saws with tool-free blade mounting is a retrograde step...

Hmm.  I thought I was just hopeless with a jigsaw.

I think the uk.d-i-y consensus is that it's not worth bothering with jigsaws under about a hundred quid, or however much the round-bodied Bosch ones start at.

Certainly my nice battery DeWalt one is a world apart from the cheapies I've tried and given up on in the past.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 08 February, 2016, 09:32:42 pm
Cheap jig saws do a job. I've laid two laminate floors with mine. I relied on the edges being hidden however, and the less said about trying to trim a door with it (using a guide) the better :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 08 February, 2016, 09:40:48 pm
After much persistence I have managed to get my basic but reliable 1TB Buffalo Linkstation up and running again.    :thumbsup:

The problem was that I could not remember the userid and password set a couple of years back.     :-[

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 February, 2016, 10:53:34 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 08 February, 2016, 09:32:42 pm
Cheap jig saws do a job.

They're good at making quick and dirty holes in chipboard so you can pass the plug for the washing machine through or peer at the gas meter without moving all the camping stuff.

I also replaced a section of the kitchen floor in our Sheffield house using one (had to trim the boards lengthwise to match the width of the disintegrated ones) without too much drama.  A circular saw would have been better, obviously, but at that point my priority was the cheapest power tool that would cut floorboards easily.  I think it cost me about 15 quid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 09 February, 2016, 12:12:58 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 08 February, 2016, 09:40:48 pm
After much persistence I have managed to get my basic but reliable 1TB Buffalo Linkstation up and running again.    :thumbsup:

The problem was that I could not remember the userid and password set a couple of years back.     :-[

All that bobbins now lives in a text file in Dropbox...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 09 February, 2016, 01:48:46 pm
Quote from: Aidan on 07 February, 2016, 03:44:18 pm
Front rack, light bracket, rear rack, bottlecage and mudguards :thumbsup:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/IMG_1131.jpg)

Oh, "little moment"...  sigh
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 February, 2016, 07:43:31 pm
Fixed the apprentice's bike, which had somehow got its rear brake cable snagged on the train and the front section of cable outer had popped out of its slotted cable stop. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 09 February, 2016, 08:23:49 pm
Bought a new 105 10s rear hub to be built onto Mavic Open Pro rim (36h). The hub was over 400g in weight (according to my kitchen scales). :jurek:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 10 February, 2016, 01:55:32 am
Been having a bit of a 'mare with a build. Kind of living proof that customers who don't know anything about bikes should just stick to riding them and not be let loose on suppliers' websites without supervision - or at least a grown up to help with the cutting out.

Bloke brings me a frame, pair of wheels and a 5800 groupset. So far so good. Except the frame has no hanger and seeing as it's a TT frame with rear facing dropouts that's not going to be easy. Check $major retailer's site and find a likely candidate, check it's for their branded frame and order it. It doesn't fit. Phone $major retailer and get the WORST 'customer service' I have ever experienced (and remember I worked in the car trade for over 30 years). Basically they're not interested. Won't deal with it over the phone and demand I email my 'enquiry'. Emailed on Friday. No response. Tried again on Monday, got the same attitude but this time with the demand for pictures. Remember, this is the company that sold the frame. Pictures sent, wait 3 hours for a response. A badly worded grammatical car crash that basically says 'We don't do this frame any more and there are no spares available. You're fucked. We don't care.'

Mailed pics & dimensions to gearmechhanger.com (fabulous people who really know their stuff) but sadly they can't help either, this thing really is a one off. So that's Monday gone, too.

I'm nothing if not a stubborn git so this morning I made a card pattern of the frame slot and transferred it to the hanger that was wrong, marked it out and made it fit. Just in case the right one should ever materialise I've made sure to modify the hanger, NOT the frame . . .

I think my 1st form metalwork teacher is probably no longer with us but I would like to publicly thank Mr. Greer for teaching me to use rasp, bastard and riffler files correctly. It fits.

There's a prize for working out which company in Preston $major retailer . . . *

Turning my attention to the tri-bars I've got some Profile AirStryke (sp) with the wrong bolts, clamps for 26mm bars on 31.8 bullhorns and 7 speed 105 d/t levers to shift an 11 speed cassette, FFS!  ::-)

The temptation to just buy the DuraAce bar end shifters and Manotea's brake levers is almost overwhelming. Maybe I should just fix this, hand him the bill and wait for the fireworks.

This one is going to run and run. Pictures if I don't lose the will to live.

*Lie
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 10 February, 2016, 03:41:44 pm
Would that be the Not-Mega-Global Railway Viaduct Company of Preston, then? :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HTFB on 10 February, 2016, 04:42:46 pm
The landline.  I have no idea how the extension with the phone plugged into it ever worked at all. Exactly one of the two wires had been stripped before insertion into the socket contacts. If the other had any bare wire showing it was an invisible spot under a feeble scratch where a wire-stripper might once have been touched gently---and no wonder if the resulting miraculous circuit was dislodged by the vibrations from downstairs' building works.

(The whole phone line is a bodge job: there isn't even a master socket, our wires have just been twisted onto BT's ones behind a panel in the common hallway. But if I don't think about this it goes away.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 February, 2016, 04:54:21 pm
Quote from: HTFB on 10 February, 2016, 04:42:46 pm
The landline.  I have no idea how the extension with the phone plugged into it ever worked at all. Exactly one of the two wires had been stripped before insertion into the socket contacts. If the other had any bare wire showing it was an invisible spot under a feeble scratch where a wire-stripper might once have been touched gently---and no wonder if the resulting miraculous circuit was dislodged by the vibrations from downstairs' building works.

Is it an IDC punch-down contact?  Those don't need the wire stripping, and tend not to work well if you do, but do require the right tool.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch-down_block
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HTFB on 10 February, 2016, 05:25:35 pm
Now you mention it, that was the bit of the wiki page that my eyes just slid over, wasn't it? It looked like a contact made of two round wires facing and rather loosely sprung into each other, nothing like the slanting sharp Us on all the pictures; and the other wire had been stripped. Possibly somebody has found a very very cheap DIY socket for numpties. As long as the phone rings (and more importantly, the ADSL works) I'm not going back in there to look more closely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 February, 2016, 09:39:42 pm
10 SPD chain and quick links arrived today for the orbeas upgrade, I f@#*ing hate replacing chains.  Just about got a smooth change, a bit noisy in the middle gears I think due to not changing jockey wheels. Weekend job.

Now waiting for cable stretch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 12 February, 2016, 03:23:12 pm
Noisy in the middle gears? You have checked the mech hanger is straight, haven't you . . . ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 February, 2016, 08:52:17 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 12 February, 2016, 03:23:12 pm
Noisy in the middle gears? You have checked the mech hanger is straight, haven't you . . . ?

No reason it wouldn't be, not dropped it. Going to eliminate the jockey wheels first as a can't work out if the noise is there or the cassette
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 12 February, 2016, 09:45:59 pm
New batteries in the back light of the Spare Parts Bike. Won't need to do that again for a couple of years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 February, 2016, 06:21:42 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 12 February, 2016, 03:23:12 pm
Noisy in the middle gears? You have checked the mech hanger is straight, haven't you . . . ?

Had a further furtle today, new jockey wheels massively reduced noise.  Top and bottom stops are now absolutely spot on. 

It's OK on the top and bottom three gears, but just not quite indexing properly on the middle 4 - a bit of a fiddle with the fine adjuster has helped a bit and you can trim it up and down to get it right eventually.  My understanding is that as long as you have the range of movement on the derailleur that's the important bit, with the indexing coming from the shifter.  This is an 8 year old Tiagra rear mech, originally on 9-speed, now 10 speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 February, 2016, 06:55:52 pm
Finally fitted the front mudguard to HK's trike, along with its lights and suchlike. After a couple of other choices didn't fit, a Berthoud 26" SS front guard was wrestled into position. Now she can get some miles in to fine tune the position before I get the correct stem and bidon cages, tweak the brake lever position, build the proper front wheel, fit a mudflap, etc.

Now to refit the Alfine 11 wheel to her MTB commuter. Happily I'm not the one washing her bikes.

Tomorrow is replacing Brompton cables, tweaking my fixed and getting my Frezoni ready for the new season. Might even finally get a spin on my trike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 13 February, 2016, 10:34:20 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 13 February, 2016, 06:21:42 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 12 February, 2016, 03:23:12 pm
Noisy in the middle gears? You have checked the mech hanger is straight, haven't you . . . ?

Had a further furtle today, new jockey wheels massively reduced noise.  Top and bottom stops are now absolutely spot on. 

It's OK on the top and bottom three gears, but just not quite indexing properly on the middle 4 - a bit of a fiddle with the fine adjuster has helped a bit and you can trim it up and down to get it right eventually.  My understanding is that as long as you have the range of movement on the derailleur that's the important bit, with the indexing coming from the shifter.  This is an 8 year old Tiagra rear mech, originally on 9-speed, now 10 speed.

I think you just nailed it. What I have found after 3 years of 'professional fettling' (i.e. actually earning money for it as opposed to enjoyment) is that every time you add a sprocket it requires another level of precision. There may be too much slop in the mech pivots for precise shifting. Whichever gear is selected the chain should run vertically through the jockey wheels and centrally on the sprocket, if it shifts reliably up the cassette from the smallest sprocket then any chattering in the middle should tune out using the cable tensioner. Chain rubbing on the inner sprocket, reduce the tension and vice cersa. If the chain is central on the sprockets and won't shift consistently then you should check for slop in the mech pivots and consider replacing the mech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 14 February, 2016, 04:26:10 pm
Changed the winscreen wiper on my car  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 14 February, 2016, 04:31:31 pm
Into what?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 February, 2016, 04:32:50 pm
Occasional table . . . ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 14 February, 2016, 04:33:05 pm
Into a non-spaghetti-trailing object that gets the rain off the windscreen  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 February, 2016, 04:36:18 pm
Joking apart I'm rather impressed. IME you either speak 'wiper blade' or you don't.

The vast majority of 'lay' people kind of don't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 14 February, 2016, 04:39:04 pm
Bladepunner II!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 14 February, 2016, 05:47:40 pm
Kitchen down lighter. This had worked well for 12 years, then stopped. New bulb was no help so I bought a new fitting. Still didn't work. Turned out to be a wire going in to the choc block connector had the screw tightened on to the insulation.
I have no idea how this went from working to non-working without being disturbed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Juan Martín on 14 February, 2016, 08:13:33 pm
A pair of wheels built up for my new single speed project. The front wheel, 27” rim and 28 hole low flange hub, needed the longest standard spokes available from sparcicles and despite using a rather tired looking 40 hole rim for the rear these have turned out rather nicely. I’ll post some pics on readers’ bikes soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 14 February, 2016, 08:33:21 pm
Yesterday: changed the oil on the rotovator and rotovated the allotment, Painted ceiling and walls of hall at Wobbly Towers.

Today: took old carpet up in the hall and preped the floor to lay oak floor. I didn't get as far as I thought I would - about half of it - just over 4 sq metres. It's difficult getting the first bit right and the adhesive is horrible to work with. I had to take one plank up again because the bloody groove wasn't cut properly.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MagnusOpus on 15 February, 2016, 12:25:12 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 13 February, 2016, 06:21:42 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 12 February, 2016, 03:23:12 pm
Noisy in the middle gears? You have checked the mech hanger is straight, haven't you . . . ?

Had a further furtle today, new jockey wheels massively reduced noise.  Top and bottom stops are now absolutely spot on. 

It's OK on the top and bottom three gears, but just not quite indexing properly on the middle 4 - a bit of a fiddle with the fine adjuster has helped a bit and you can trim it up and down to get it right eventually.  My understanding is that as long as you have the range of movement on the derailleur that's the important bit, with the indexing coming from the shifter.  This is an 8 year old Tiagra rear mech, originally on 9-speed, now 10 speed.

That right there is why I feel no need to "upgrade" from 7 speed on friction shifters!... set hi and lo stops, job done, no adjustment needed ever!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 February, 2016, 12:38:34 pm
I always set the high low stops then index accurately on either the middle sprocket for odd number ratios and one of the middle two for even number ratios.   If the shifting still fails then there is a problem somewhere between the shifter and the jockey wheels including but not specifically the b tension screw, worn jockeys, sticky / kinked cable, worn teeth, stretched / kinked / broken chain, etc., etc., etc. 

A really good clean before diagnosis usually helps when a simple fix does not reveal the problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 15 February, 2016, 01:25:02 pm
Realised last night what the problem was with my failing rear wheel nipples. I checked the spoke tension with my new tension meter and they were way over tightened :-[

Corrected now and retrued the wheel with much lower tension.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 February, 2016, 06:22:37 pm
The saga of the TT bike from hell continues unabated . . .

Come to fit the wheels. Where are the skewers? 'I think I threw them away!' FFS!  :facepalm:

Seat is a Selle Italia 'Monolink'. So is the seatpost. 31.8mm. The frame is 27.2. FFS!  :facepalm:

The bars are 31.8mm. The tri-bars are 26mm. FFS!  :facepalm:

Tempted to become an off-grid spoon whittler. Going home now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 February, 2016, 09:00:25 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 February, 2016, 06:22:37 pm
The saga of the TT bike from hell continues unabated . . .

Come to fit the wheels. Where are the skewers? 'I think I threw them away!' FFS!  :facepalm:

Seat is a Selle Italia 'Monolink'. So is the seatpost. 31.8mm. The frame is 27.2. FFS!  :facepalm:

The bars are 31.8mm. The tri-bars are 26mm. FFS!  :facepalm:

Tempted to become an off-grid spoon whittler. Going home now.

I once bought a pair of nice Mavic Aksium wheels in a pub carpark from a bloke who had been cobbling together bits and pieces until higs girlfriend told him to stop farting around adn just go out and buy a complete bike.

One of my best ever buys £90 for wheels, cassette and tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 February, 2016, 09:01:47 pm
Quote from: MagnusOpus on 15 February, 2016, 12:25:12 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 13 February, 2016, 06:21:42 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 12 February, 2016, 03:23:12 pm
Noisy in the middle gears? You have checked the mech hanger is straight, haven't you . . . ?

Had a further furtle today, new jockey wheels massively reduced noise.  Top and bottom stops are now absolutely spot on. 

It's OK on the top and bottom three gears, but just not quite indexing properly on the middle 4 - a bit of a fiddle with the fine adjuster has helped a bit and you can trim it up and down to get it right eventually.  My understanding is that as long as you have the range of movement on the derailleur that's the important bit, with the indexing coming from the shifter.  This is an 8 year old Tiagra rear mech, originally on 9-speed, now 10 speed.

That right there is why I feel no need to "upgrade" from 7 speed on friction shifters!... set hi and lo stops, job done, no adjustment needed ever!

Seems to be running OK on the turbo now.  I only changed for standardisation following a mechanical failure of one of the shifters.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 February, 2016, 09:38:14 pm
I acquired the shortest half decent looking metal kitchen tool hanger that I could find on eBay, and it was still about 2cm too long to fit in the available space.

Easy, I thought, I'll just cut the end off.  I tried to use a jig saw (hah!) and after managing to cut about 2mm into it, and more or less wearing the teeth off of the blade, I decided that this was not going to work.  I was just going to get a hacksaw and packet of blades, but it wasn't a lot more expensive to buy a very cheap angle grinder.  That took about 15 seconds, and a shower of sparks, to cut through the rod!

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?file=IMG_20160220_165934.jpg&size=256) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20160220_165934.jpg)(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?file=IMG_20160220_174757.jpg&size=256) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20160220_174757.jpg)
What 15 minutes with a jig saw didWhat 15 seconds with an angle grinder did

Once it was cut a bit shorter, the rest of the exercise was easy, and I can now hang up tools in the kitchen, without carefully selecting the ones which can share a hook!

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?file=IMG_20160220_183209.jpg&size=256) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20160220_183209.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 February, 2016, 12:45:33 pm
Replaced the backrest gas spring in the Frederick Scott Supporto chair (https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1703/25075073131_11b675d1e8_o.jpg) in which I sit, whilst stroking my fluffy white cat.
Shocked to find the date stamps in the castings place it as having been manufactured in 1980  :o
Meaning that it must've one of the earliest ones - seeing as the chair was designed by Scott in '79.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vantage on 21 February, 2016, 10:36:21 pm
The Dawes Vantage is being retired and whilst not fettled in one day, I have built a new bike. Just waiting on the new barrel adjusters for the gears to arrive and it'll be ready  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 21 February, 2016, 11:27:07 pm
Washed the dog shit off the pavement outside my front gate.   >:( ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MagnusOpus on 22 February, 2016, 02:52:51 pm
Fair bit of work done on my 80's Saracen light tourer renovation yesterday.....finally got the mudguards sorted (rear one is a bit tight for clearance)

Nice new brake cables, but made the schoolboy error of cutting the outer to size while forgetting it had the inner still in.....Doh!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 February, 2016, 08:13:14 pm
My ancient Cateye EL530 commuting light finally expired around 2 weeks ago, since which time I've been using a pair of Hope Vision 1s.
It is nice to see where I'm going, for a change, but my, aren't those clamps a faff.
Fine onna FNRTTC, where you're unlikely to need to take the lights off, but commuting, popping into the stupormarket?
Nah.

So I've invested heavily with Exposure, in more clamps, in various bar diameters, than I could possibly ever eat (5 bikes, y'see) and a brace of cleats.
What I hadn't bargained on, was the cleat shipping with an M6 x 10 CSK bolt, and the Hope having an M5 female thread.
What to do?
Popping an M5 bolt into the cleat had overtones of the proverbial sausage being thrown into the Blackwall Tunnel.
It didn't inspire anything which amounted to confidence in robust security of fixing.
Plan B: Drill into the body of the Hope  :o :o :o :o with a tapping drill (from memory, for an M6 tap this should be an M5 drill - but I checked the Zeus tables, just in case) and send an M6 finishing tap down the hole.
Digi-verniers told me the existing M5 hole was ~9mm deep. Thus the masking tape depth-gauge was set at 8mm.
Hand-held Makita fired the M5 drill into the Hope. Bad Keith once told me that ally likes WD40 as cutting fluid - so that is what I used.
Holes drilled in 2 x Vision 1 lights.
M6 female threads cut accordingly.
Result: 2 x robustly mounted, quick release lights on the commuter.  :thumbsup:
Only 4 more bikes to go.....

I'll let you know if they're still on the bike in a couple of weeks time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: StuAff on 22 February, 2016, 09:09:53 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 22 February, 2016, 08:13:14 pm
My ancient Cateye EL530 commuting light finally expired around 2 weeks ago, since which time I've been using a pair of Hope Vision 1s.
It is nice to see where I'm going, for a change, but my, aren't those clamps a faff.
Fine onna FNRTTC, where you're unlikely to need to take the lights off, but commuting, popping into the stupormarket?
Nah.

So I've invested heavily with Exposure, in more clamps, in various bar diameters, than I could possibly ever eat (5 bikes, y'see) and a brace of cleats.
What I hadn't bargained on, was the cleat shipping with an M6 x 10 CSK bolt, and the Hope having an M5 female thread.
What to do?
Popping an M5 bolt into the cleat had overtones of the proverbial sausage being thrown into the Blackwall Tunnel.
It didn't inspire anything which amounted to confidence in robust security of fixing.
Plan B: Drill into the body of the Hope  :o :o :o :o with a tapping drill (from memory, for an M6 tap this should be an M5 drill - but I checked the Zeus tables, just in case) and send an M6 finishing tap down the hole.
Digi-verniers told me the existing M5 hole was ~9mm deep. Thus the masking tape depth-gauge was set at 8mm.
Hand-held Makita fired the M5 drill into the Hope. Bad Keith once told me that ally likes WD40 as cutting fluid - so that is what I used.
Holes drilled in 2 x Vision 1 lights.
M6 female threads cut accordingly.
Result: 2 x robustly mounted, quick release lights on the commuter.  :thumbsup:
Only 4 more bikes to go.....

I'll let you know if they're still on the bike in a couple of weeks time.

Good stuff. I've been using one or both of my V1s for all nocturnal riding for some years now, and the clamps are indeed a faff, though (for me at least), it's more the adjustments to get one fitted Just So on each bike (on account of bar diameter, tape thickness, cable arrangements) that are a pain. Different for each of my four.... Fairly straightforward once adjusted for that bike, but then it's wrong for the next one....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 23 February, 2016, 02:56:57 pm
The TT bike saga is finally at an end. See the 'Wot I Have Learned Today' thread.

Totting up the bill. Wow!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 February, 2016, 03:07:37 pm
Bored lace-holes in my new Selle Anatomica X.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 23 February, 2016, 05:09:19 pm
A several of noticeboards and dry wipe boards onto classroom walls, locks into medical cabinet cupboards and a half decent packed lunch.

We have over the last week moved 5 classes into a refurbished building so, as you can expect, despite the equipment being placed precisely (to the mm) where the teachers wanted it to go, everything is in the wrong place ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 February, 2016, 09:57:04 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 22 February, 2016, 08:13:14 pm
My ancient Cateye EL530 commuting light finally expired around 2 weeks ago, since which time I've been using a pair of Hope Vision 1s.
It is nice to see where I'm going, for a change, but my, aren't those clamps a faff.
Fine onna FNRTTC, where you're unlikely to need to take the lights off, but commuting, popping into the stupormarket?
Nah.

So I've invested heavily with Exposure, in more clamps, in various bar diameters, than I could possibly ever eat (5 bikes, y'see) and a brace of cleats.
What I hadn't bargained on, was the cleat shipping with an M6 x 10 CSK bolt, and the Hope having an M5 female thread.
What to do?
Popping an M5 bolt into the cleat had overtones of the proverbial sausage being thrown into the Blackwall Tunnel.
It didn't inspire anything which amounted to confidence in robust security of fixing.
Plan B: Drill into the body of the Hope  :o :o :o :o with a tapping drill (from memory, for an M6 tap this should be an M5 drill - but I checked the Zeus tables, just in case) and send an M6 finishing tap down the hole.
Digi-verniers told me the existing M5 hole was ~9mm deep. Thus the masking tape depth-gauge was set at 8mm.
Hand-held Makita fired the M5 drill into the Hope. Bad Keith once told me that ally likes WD40 as cutting fluid - so that is what I used.
Holes drilled in 2 x Vision 1 lights.
M6 female threads cut accordingly.
Result: 2 x robustly mounted, quick release lights on the commuter.  :thumbsup:
Only 4 more bikes to go.....

I'll let you know if they're still on the bike in a couple of weeks time.
I used the bolts from SPD cleats. They seem to have done the job for a few years now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 February, 2016, 10:00:19 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 21 February, 2016, 11:27:07 pm
Washed the dog shit off the pavement outside my front gate.   >:( ::-)

We need you in Rugby ...   :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 February, 2016, 03:47:55 pm
Mudguards are not as simple as they look, are they? Bolt cutters are good at cutting bolts but then you might not be able to get the nut on. And then I had to hoover again...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 February, 2016, 04:06:24 pm
I reckon that adjusting mudguard stays is good practice for orbital rendezvous.  I wonder if Buzz Aldrin has an opinion on the matter...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 26 February, 2016, 04:10:02 pm
On a related note, I've just replaced the rear bearings on my Surly 1x1 and put the MTB tyres back on, but I left the mudguards in place as it's easier than re-fitting them when/if I do put narrower tyres back on. Also, the guards make it look like a monster truck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 February, 2016, 04:58:22 pm
Spent most of the day taking out the old home cinema set-up and installing the new.  Stringing cables where ne'er the hoover trod is not my favourite pastime.  And then the damned auto amp set-up told me had a speaker out of phase, only I didn't. Fixed it by moving one of the sofas a tad.

Fair buggerëd now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 February, 2016, 05:15:29 pm
Quote from: Deano on 26 February, 2016, 04:10:02 pm
On a related note, I've just replaced the rear bearings on my Surly 1x1 and put the MTB tyres back on, but I left the mudguards in place as it's easier than re-fitting them when/if I do put narrower tyres back on. Also, the guards make it look like a monster truck.
Photo needed! Or at least, desired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 26 February, 2016, 06:59:04 pm
Go on then:

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1483/25185764251_7f2f1ffcf7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EnzCfF)

I should find out how the guards cope with offroad sometime over the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 February, 2016, 07:09:22 pm
I'm sure it's just an illusion, caused either by it being a little further from the camera or by the straight lines of the brick wall and floor, but somehow the front wheel looks smaller than the back. But yeah, it does a slight air of monster truck about it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 26 February, 2016, 10:06:46 pm
I leant the rear farther out to get a decent photo of the Carradice.

Well, the front mudguard's come off, and on an entirely unrelated topic, I have a spare pair of these if anyone wants 'em: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/sks-bluemels-stay-clip-prod32116/  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 February, 2016, 11:03:41 pm
Decided to set up the Merida, hopefully for a ride tomorrow morning. Switched the trainer tyre for an outdoor one on the rear, retrued the slight buckle as best I could (asymmetrical wheels are tricky I discovered), and fitted a pump mount under the front bottle cage. Disappointingly it looks like 25mm tyres don't leave enough clearance for Crud Roadracers to fit, so I've fitted a less useful seatpost-mounted thing on the back for now while I decide about whether to fit 23mm tyres and the guards.

Just need to transfer over the seatpack clamp and a Garmin mount and it'll be ready to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 February, 2016, 03:48:16 pm
Quote from: TimO on 20 February, 2016, 09:38:14 pm
I acquired the shortest half decent looking metal kitchen tool hanger that I could find on eBay, and it was still about 2cm too long to fit in the available space ... to buy a very cheap angle grinder.  That took about 15 seconds, and a shower of sparks, to cut through the rod! ...

Since it worked the first time, I ordered a second hanger off of eBay, and did it all again this afternoon, albeit somewhat faster since I knew what to do.

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=320&file=AngleGridinging_20160227_1024.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/AngleGridinging_20160227_1024.jpg)   (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=320&file=IMG_20160227_151818_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20160227_151818_adj.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 February, 2016, 04:44:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 February, 2016, 04:06:24 pm
I reckon that adjusting mudguard stays is good practice for orbital rendezvous.  I wonder if Buzz Aldrin has an opinion on the matter...
He says:
Here am I floating on a tin 'guard far from the rim.
Planet tyre is black and there's nothing I can hack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 February, 2016, 06:12:50 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 February, 2016, 07:09:22 pm
I'm sure it's just an illusion, caused either by it being a little further from the camera or by the straight lines of the brick wall and floor, but somehow the front wheel looks smaller than the back. But yeah, it does a slight air of monster truck about it.

I was going to say that as well, definitely looks that way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 February, 2016, 08:48:50 pm
Swapped out the sound desk (broken analogue) for a digital one. Managed to work out how to get it to behave. Tomorrow should be fun trying it out for real.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 February, 2016, 09:01:36 pm
Put a new chainset on the winter bike, because the old Dura-Ace had silly un-obtanium non-standard chainrings which were well worn.
Although the new chainset is actually older than the one it replaces, it's much less worn and has standard chainrings which I can replace as necessary.

Also had at the hanger with the alignment tool.
On last weekend's Tour of East Lothian, then indexing was all screwed up, and at one point I shifted the mech into the spokes.
Visually, I thought the cage was well off being vertical, pointing in towards the wheel.
Putting the alignment tool on showed it to be bent more than I've ever seen using the jig.
With the alignment tool touching the rim at 12 o'clock, it was about 2 inches out on the far side of the wheel at 6 o'clock.
I've no idea how it came to be this bent; I've not dropped it.

Bendy, bendy and it's straight again.
The indexing is now spot-on once again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 28 February, 2016, 07:19:15 am
Ducking useless ducking brakes, again. Didn't work, ended up walking till I was OOT and then calling International Rescue.

Do BB7s use the same mounts & rotors and have the same pull as BB5s?  These things are a piece of shit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 February, 2016, 08:15:28 am
Quote from: fboab on 28 February, 2016, 07:19:15 am
Ducking useless ducking brakes, again. Didn't work, ended up walking till I was OOT and then calling International Rescue.

Do BB7s use the same mounts & rotors and have the same pull as BB5s?  These things are a piece of shit.

Yes. Do you need Road ones? I have a set, that were on my Inbred, that I can let you have for not a lot of money.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 28 February, 2016, 08:36:25 am
Got the pedals off the ICE B2 this morning for the chappie to pick up later this morning.

Finally, that is. I seem to have turned into my much derided workshop gorilla when it comes to tightening pedals  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 February, 2016, 10:20:29 am
Have sorted my Garmin Touring Edge so that it talks to Garmin Connect, which then talks to Strava. No everyone can see just how crap I am! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 28 February, 2016, 10:46:08 am
Quote from: tiermat on 28 February, 2016, 10:20:29 am
Have sorted my Garmin Touring Edge so that it talks to Garmin Connect, which then talks to Strava. No everyone can see just how crap I am! :)

You may want to look at the altimeter settings as NTR seems to be several hundred metres below sea level. Also you may want to look at Strava privacy zones tiermat, not sure thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 28 February, 2016, 10:47:56 am
I thought it wasseveral hundred metres below...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 February, 2016, 11:01:37 am
Quote from: Si S on 28 February, 2016, 10:46:08 am
Quote from: tiermat on 28 February, 2016, 10:20:29 am
Have sorted my Garmin Touring Edge so that it talks to Garmin Connect, which then talks to Strava. No everyone can see just how crap I am! :)

You may want to look at the altimeter settings as NTR seems to be several hundred metres below sea level. Also you may want to look at Strava privacy zones tiermat, not sure thobut.

I don't think he started at his house - but yeah, I'd set a privacy zone for those times you forget etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 February, 2016, 01:07:14 pm
Privacy zone should be set, now, hopefully
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 28 February, 2016, 01:59:48 pm
I seem to be getting better at driving the sewing machine:

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1507/25226015012_dbdd4232bd_z.jpg)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1512/25226013052_30a49c2b80_z.jpg)

Reasonably convincing, considering I've never really encountered a proper cycling cap before.
erm, how tight do these things need to be in order to stay on your head on the downhills?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 February, 2016, 02:00:35 pm
New brake cables, inner and outer, on the fixer.
New cable ferrules.
New Salmon brake pads.
Spangly new carbon fibre brake levers, courtesy of Manotea OTP (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=95807.msg1986846#msg1986846)
New bar tape.
Jury is currently out on the new levers, I can *only just*  reach them :o, and I wouldn't say my hands are particularly small. Big gloves = big hands.

Killed my Dremel whilst dressing the end of one of the cable outers - Motor continued to whirr enthusiastically but chuck on end no turney.  :(
Fair enough, I thought. I bought that over 20 years ago and it has seen plenty of daily use in a previous life of mine as a model maker.
In a fit of haste, I ordered a replacement from John Lewis last night.
Today, I opened up the dead Dremel. Well, you have to, don't you.
Immediately I could see what the problem was. Driving the back end of the chuck is a sacrificial piece of splined plastic tubing, attached to the business end of the motor. This had disintegrated.
I think it is probably supposed to, just in case whatever is in the chuck encounters something immoveable, when it is spinning at 30,000 rpm.
I binned the Dremel.
Then I looked online.....
 :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
The disintegrated part is available for the princely sum of £3.77
Part ordered.
Dremel rescued from bin, as something tells me that my >20 year old model will be better made than the one I have just purchased  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 28 February, 2016, 02:08:08 pm
New chain and customised* Shimano cassette (inc a Highpath Engineering 30T).
So now I have a 13/14/15/17/19/21/24/27/30.


*The two cassettes (12-27 & 13-25 were dead cheap).


** When the cassette and chain come to be replaced I'll stick on a 10s cassette and a
     shiftmate #1, so that I can use the my 10 Ergos with the10s Shimano.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2016, 03:16:32 pm
Quote from: nikki on 28 February, 2016, 01:59:48 pm
Reasonably convincing, considering I've never really encountered a proper cycling cap before.
erm, how tight do these things need to be in order to stay on your head on the downhills?

Depends on the aerodynamics of the peak, and indeed the riding position.

The ubiquitous Campag ones are one-size-fits-none and on my bizarrely small head very much Not Tight Enough for their large, rigidly reinforced peak (mine would go flying in normal strong wind, let alone silly descending).  The Walz ones I've invested in since are much better, which is as much about the peak folding flat against your face[1] once you exceed about 35mph as the band being decently tight.  I think the rule of thumb is that it needs to be tight enough to leave a mark on your forehead after half an hour.


[1] Some might suggest this is suboptimal...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 28 February, 2016, 03:35:56 pm
Quote from: nikki on 28 February, 2016, 01:59:48 pm
I seem to be getting better at driving the sewing machine:

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1507/25226015012_dbdd4232bd_z.jpg)

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1512/25226013052_30a49c2b80_z.jpg)

Reasonably convincing, considering I've never really encountered a proper cycling cap before.
erm, how tight do these things need to be in order to stay on your head on the downhills?

I love that!

The only ones that stay on my head have masses of elastic in the back, and the ones that perch on your head almost like a skullcap are useless.  My hair is straight and shiny and they slide straight off.

So, long-ish, lots of elastic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2016, 03:37:59 pm
Yeah, similar slidey-hair problem here.  I have to pull caps down at the back from time to time, and tie ponytails as low as possible to give them some skull to overhang.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 28 February, 2016, 05:14:35 pm
This one's just shy of forehead-marking (I've already unpicked it and shortened the elastic once - not doing it again!), but also moderately limp of peak, so fingers crossed it'll be okay.

Straight, shiny hair not an issue!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vantage on 28 February, 2016, 06:35:49 pm
I decided I didn't like the short stumpy 60mm stem on the bike so refitted the longer (90mm) one and moved the saddle 30mm forward.
It doesn't handle any worse but the bike looks better from the side I think. It has to look good of course.
Pootling along and I could hear this faint pinging noise over rougher surfaces. Looked everywhere. Rode along holding the brake cables but no difference. For over an hour it was doing my head in as otherwise the bike is completely silent when rolling along. Even the freehub makes not a fart.
Then it hit me. Lack of cable donuts on the top tube routed cables. DOH!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 February, 2016, 06:52:16 pm
Bit of position fettling on the Road bike. Saddle forward a bit, seatpost down a bit and bars spun backwards a bit. Bars have probably gone too far back, but otherwise 70km with hands still feeling fine is better than 25km yesterday with numb fingers, so getting there :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MagnusOpus on 29 February, 2016, 11:39:22 am
Spent yesterday afternoon polishing my stem....my jeans are rather stained with brasso now  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 February, 2016, 11:58:47 am
Quote from: nikki on 28 February, 2016, 05:14:35 pm
This one's just shy of forehead-marking (I've already unpicked it and shortened the elastic once - not doing it again!), but also moderately limp of peak, so fingers crossed it'll be okay.

Straight, shiny hair not an issue!  ;D
Nice cappage, Nikki! The only way to find out is to try it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 01 March, 2016, 08:01:31 am
Had to pump up the rear tyre on the folder on Friday, only four days after taking it off to replace a spoke. Set off yesterday from work to divert via a shop in Oxford Street to Kings Cross. Found the tyre was soft again. Luckily there was an Evans round the corner from the shop, with a pump chained up outside for customer use.

Got home and stripped out the tube. Found it was the previous repair, splitting under the patch. Thanked my lucky stars I hadn't had an explosive incident in Oxford Street, given that a tear in the tube was held only by that patch :o :thumbsup:

New tube duly fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 01 March, 2016, 09:27:05 am
That could have caused a security alert!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 March, 2016, 11:23:17 am
Tweaked the mudguard on HK's trike to stop the annoying rattle and corrected the dish in the salvaged front wheel. Probably time to build up the correct front wheel and fit the mudflap now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 March, 2016, 11:32:56 am
Applied percussive maintenance to the front mudguard on my fixer. The two rivets that hold the brake bridge bracket had worked loose, so after removing it, dropping the misc nuts'n'bolts, finding "a suitable drift" and asking a colleague to hold it, I twatted them with a lump hammer. Rock solid now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 01 March, 2016, 06:32:30 pm
Note to self:

When fitting a new-to-me chainset, do check that the chainring bolts are more than finger-tight.
On the ride home tonight, the chainrings were wobbling oddly.
Stopped to investigate.
One bolt gone, another about to be gone, and the others all loose.
Nipped them up at the roadside.

Back home, rummaged about in the misc pingfuckits box and found some spare chainring bolts, so all is well.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 01 March, 2016, 10:35:28 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 February, 2016, 11:58:47 am
Nice cappage, Nikki! The only way to find out is to try it...

Thanks! Initial testing seems to suggest both the cap and the new crankset/chain/cassette are all rated for the 3 miles in to the station. Which is probably all they need to be, so that's okay.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 01 March, 2016, 10:46:52 pm
Quote from: nikki on 01 March, 2016, 10:35:28 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 February, 2016, 11:58:47 am
Nice cappage, Nikki! The only way to find out is to try it...

Thanks! Initial testing seems to suggest both the cap and the new crankset/chain/cassette are all rated for the 3 miles in to the station. Which is probably all they need to be, so that's okay.  :thumbsup:

Are we now allowed to describe you as "mad as a hatter" as well as "mad as a box of frogs" ?  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 March, 2016, 10:07:32 pm
Tried to unblock the kitchen sink this evening.
Failed.
:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 02 March, 2016, 10:21:25 pm
Have you done the disgusting removing-of-the-trap yet?

The thing that involves:

1) The removal of all the bottles of un-known stuffs from under the sink;
2) Cleaning out the empty cupboard of indescribable yucks;
3) Crawling under and by breaking your arm in 3 places, trying and failing to un-do the nuts on the waste pipe;
4) Using a set of hens-legs, breaking the connection more than you intended, resulting in a face-full of dirty waste-water;
5) Placing a bukkit in the wrong place so as to cunningly miss the deluge as you create as you remove the trap;
6) Mopping up all the floodwater so as to prevent the unit rotting even more than it already has;
7) Digging indescribable crap out of the removed trap;
8) Rinsing the cleared-out trap in the sink, forgetting that the trap is removed, thus flooding the cupboard again;
9) Re-assembling it and finding it's no better than when you started?



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 March, 2016, 10:32:52 pm
Fortunately the kitchen is so new that the cupboard is relatively un-disgusting, and so was the trap. And it came apart no bother. \o/

Unfortunately I had a bit of a shower in all the water that was backed up when I took the trap apart (so 4&5 ticked), and I haven't managed to find or remove the blockage despite a trip to Screwfix and B&Q for a plunger (shit) anna 6 foot long wiggly thing to poke down the pipe after the trap. (9)
Cue visit from Mr Dyno tomoz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 March, 2016, 10:21:52 pm
After having misdrilled my mudguards, I removed a link from my chain. It was definitely too long before. Then I very slightly moved the lower front derailleur stop out, as the chain was rubbing on the cage in low-low.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 March, 2016, 11:03:04 pm
The Girl was complaining that her bike was b0rked as the derailleur was bent. Further questioning led to the fact that it was the front mech that had taken a bash when her bike fell over in their van.  Her husbad was of the opinion that a new one was required.

I spirited the bike away to my gaff, applied an allen key and twisted the mech back straight.  All good,  MTTR 5 minutes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 04 March, 2016, 07:49:11 pm
A couple of years ago I converted a Ridgeback I bought off someone OTP in Suffolk to a SRAM Automatix rear hub. I thought it would be a useful runaround, but it's sat mainly unused since conversion. Looking at the CTC site a while back, I saw an electric front wheel kit for sale for £75, minus the battery. As it happens, I had a battery sitting around, so I bought the kit and set about converting the bike.

It was a very easy conversion - mainly. My battery had different connectors to the kit, so I had to get hold of some bullet connectors and heatshrink cable. Also, the BB pedal sensor wouldn't fit properly because my BB doesn't have a flange. Glueing it on didn't work, but there's a thumb throttle that I'm using until I can get the sensor sorted.

It had its first run out and I realised the gearing was too low. I changed the 24-t rear sprocket for an 18-t one and that is much better. I'm running a 38-t chainring, but I have an FSA Gimondi chainset with a 48-t ring to fit if needed.

I've tweaked the settings so that there is no meaningful maximum speed for the motor. Well, 72MPH, but that's unlikely. I spin out at about an (illegal) 20MPH on the flat and average 17MPH on my undulating commute, plus I arrive at work rather fresher than I would normally. I neglected to fit the winter tyres, so of course the weather has been cold and frosty recently. I'll hold out unless the Arctic snap continues.

I feel a bit of a fraud sailing past others on the hills, but I have a physical job where I'm on my feet all day, so I'm worth it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 March, 2016, 04:35:08 pm
23mm tyres and Crud Roadracers fitted to the Merida.

Jury's out on the comfort of the smaller tyres, but there's far less rattle/scraping from the guards than I expected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 March, 2016, 04:58:01 pm
The dogs. Brushed them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 05 March, 2016, 06:56:01 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 02 March, 2016, 10:21:25 pm
Have you done the disgusting removing-of-the-trap yet?

The thing that involves:

1) The removal of all the bottles of un-known stuffs from under the sink;
2) Cleaning out the empty cupboard of indescribable yucks;
3) Crawling under and by breaking your arm in 3 places, trying and failing to un-do the nuts on the waste pipe;
4) Using a set of hens-legs, breaking the connection more than you intended, resulting in a face-full of dirty waste-water;
5) Placing a bukkit in the wrong place so as to cunningly miss the deluge as you create as you remove the trap;
6) Mopping up all the floodwater so as to prevent the unit rotting even more than it already has;
7) Digging indescribable crap out of the removed trap;
8) Rinsing the cleared-out trap in the sink, forgetting that the trap is removed, thus flooding the cupboard again;
9) Re-assembling it and finding it's no better than when you started?

I can laugh at this because I recognise it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 06 March, 2016, 01:30:09 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 02 March, 2016, 10:21:25 pm
Have you done the disgusting removing-of-the-trap yet?

The thing that involves:

1) The removal of all the bottles of un-known stuffs from under the sink;
2) Cleaning out the empty cupboard of indescribable yucks;
3) Crawling under and by breaking your arm in 3 places, trying and failing to un-do the nuts on the waste pipe;
4) Using a set of hens-legs, breaking the connection more than you intended, resulting in a face-full of dirty waste-water;
5) Placing a bukkit in the wrong place so as to cunningly miss the deluge as you create as you remove the trap;
6) Mopping up all the floodwater so as to prevent the unit rotting even more than it already has;
7) Digging indescribable crap out of the removed trap;
8) Rinsing the cleared-out trap in the sink, forgetting that the trap is removed, thus flooding the cupboard again;
9) Re-assembling it and finding it's no better than when you started?
We just had a bloke do most of that. We did 1) & 2). He then ripped out the entire cupboard, the taps, sink & waste pipe replaced the lot. He even turned an offcut of the new beech work surface into a nice chunky chopping board while he was at it.  :thumbsup:

No doors on it yet, but he'll be back with them, & to put new tiles on the wall & the windowsill. When the replacement tiles for the two boxes which were delivered broken arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Palinurus on 06 March, 2016, 04:27:37 pm
Attempted fettling today but succeeded in bungling, mostly.

Wanted to replace the entire transmission on the commuter. While removing drive side crank didn't screw the extractor far enough in and extracting the threads rather than the crank. Got a second extractor screwed in and made it a bit worse. Hit it with a hammer a few times to make me feel better.

Couldn't get my sprocket off either- actually I got the sprocket off because it's on one of those Miche sprocket carriers- it's that which I couldn't get off. Hit the chain whip with a hammer a few times to make me feel better. Skinned my thumb-knuckle in the process.

Sent email to LBS to book bike in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 07 March, 2016, 11:13:27 am
Tightened fan belt on old Punto. I do enjoy scrabbling round in the drive with a bunch of tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 07 March, 2016, 12:42:36 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I did finally get around to emptying my panniers on Saturday. 5471g of accumulated stuffs. I no longer have a near-empty toolbox now, and the bike feels oddly light!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Palinurus on 07 March, 2016, 01:03:39 pm
Quote from: Guy on 07 March, 2016, 12:42:36 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I did finally get around to emptying my panniers on Saturday. 5471g of accumulated stuffs. I no longer have a near-empty toolbox now, and the bike feels oddly light!

I need to do that, I've got loads of stuff that's been in my bag for ages. Also I need to prepare separate roadside repair kits depending on whether I'm riding fixed or free and just carry the one I need in my courier bag (although the downside is it's likely when I need it I'll have forgotten to switch) Currently I've got two different sized tubes- possibly three- in my bag, a big 15mm spanner, a few chain links, two chain tools...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 07 March, 2016, 02:54:58 pm
I forgot. A few weeks ago the mrs' sewing machine burst into life all by itself, accompanied by the issue of smoke from the foot pedal.

New capacitor sourced and fitted. Everything back to normal. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 07 March, 2016, 03:06:38 pm
Quote from: Palinurus on 07 March, 2016, 01:03:39 pm
Quote from: Guy on 07 March, 2016, 12:42:36 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I did finally get around to emptying my panniers on Saturday. 5471g of accumulated stuffs. I no longer have a near-empty toolbox now, and the bike feels oddly light!

I need to do that, I've got loads of stuff that's been in my bag for ages. Also I need to prepare separate roadside repair kits depending on whether I'm riding fixed or free and just carry the one I need in my courier bag (although the downside is it's likely when I need it I'll have forgotten to switch) Currently I've got two different sized tubes- possibly three- in my bag, a big 15mm spanner, a few chain links, two chain tools...

Oh yes. Why would anyone need to carry 3 spoke keys? Or 2 pairs of pliers? Or 4 spanners, all identical size? Or, or, or :facepalm:

I have made a Note To Self that tools should really go back in the toolbox, NOT into the panniers ::-) At least the bike is nearly 5 1/2 Kg lighter now :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 07 March, 2016, 11:50:13 pm
Fitted a cat flap - had to use the tools I had to hand, so lots of chiselling, but quite a nice job in a meditative kind of way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 09 March, 2016, 12:52:40 pm
I put some screw eyes into the wall, so I can pull a bicycle back against it, and give a little more clearance when it's hung up on a Cycloc Solo (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=96373.msg2001016#msg2001016).

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=320&file=IMG_20160309_115726_adj_edit.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/IMG_20160309_115726_adj_edit.jpg)

Amazingly I managed to find the correct masonry bit, and the wall plugs, with no real hassle!  The ties are just some spare straps I had lying around.  I may replace them with some more suitable velcro straps, but these work OK for the time being.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 March, 2016, 11:44:21 pm
Rebuilt the rear wheel on my singlespeed. I'm amazed it actually got me home last week considering almost all the spokes had loosened off. Explains why it was very wobbly. Also de-coked the poor thing. After a period of riding through floods it was coated in mud :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 10 March, 2016, 11:01:14 pm
Built me another front wheel - it came together really easily, I think I'm getting competent at this. Final stressing and trueing sometime tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 March, 2016, 08:20:15 am
Yesternoon, knocked together an Ikea bookcase to house all the DVDs piled on divers horizontal surfaces throughout the place.  Its main merits are (a) cheap and (b) it fades discreetly into the shadows of the erstwhile billiard room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 11 March, 2016, 09:00:11 pm
Two jobs for me today.
The 1st was to fit the replacement Schwalbe G-One to the Dirty Disco's rear wheel.
It was pleasingly easy: the "big" tyre lever was used but the tyre popped on without much effort although it wouldn't inflate with the track pump so I put special lube washing-up liquid around both beads and tried again. Result ! It popped on almost straight away and, with a few more pops, it inflated to 80 psi in no time.
Using my carefully calibrated thumb, it appears to be holding most of that pressure 4 hours later.
I haven't added the sealant yet so it's looking good  :thumbsup:.

The other job was to fit a shorter stem to the Rohloff bike.
Since I fitted the TRP Hylex brakes I've been too stretched out because the Hylex hoods are very long. Presumably that's to accommodate the hydro gubbins.
The stem that I fitted was a Giant (make, not size) borrowed from the LBS. I think it's 110mm v. 130mm (!) that it replaced.
After a short ride, I'm very pleased with the new position but I'll reserve judgement until I've ridden further than 200m.
I've a feeling that the new stem is spot on in terms of "reachiness" but it might be too much in the "upiness" stakes.

The drawback with a shorter stem is that I can't mount a battery pack beneath and a Garmin on top it.

Time will tell how successful these jobs have been.
Now to actually ride my bikes ............

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 March, 2016, 11:12:37 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 March, 2016, 10:07:32 pm
Tried to unblock the kitchen sink this evening.
Failed.
:(

Arrrgggh! Feckin thing's blocked again!

At least I know why though. Probably linked to the pile of debris from the pointing works sitting on the slates that overhang the gutter that feeds into the kitchen waste pipe.
FFS   >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 March, 2016, 03:03:55 pm
After calling out a man and getting it unblocked it was blocked again an hour later.
Pingu shinned up the scaffolding to deal with this,
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1554/25631655561_e10472f35c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/F3YWcT)IMG_6397 (https://flic.kr/p/F3YWcT) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

while I twatted the downpipe with a broom which appeared to shift something.
Hopefully that will do until the builders come back on Monday and clean it properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 March, 2016, 06:12:32 pm
Swapped out a couple of HK's wornout saddles and a couple of wornout Moulton rims. Lots more to do, including washing a couple of my bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 March, 2016, 08:51:09 pm
Quote from: Andrew Br on 11 March, 2016, 09:00:11 pm
Two jobs for me today.
The 1st was to fit the replacement Schwalbe G-One to the Dirty Disco's rear wheel.
It was pleasingly easy: the "big" tyre lever was used but the tyre popped on without much effort although it wouldn't inflate with the track pump so I put special lube washing-up liquid around both beads and tried again. Result ! It popped on almost straight away and, with a few more pops, it inflated to 80 psi in no time.
Using my carefully calibrated thumb, it appears to be holding most of that pressure 4 hours later.
I haven't added the sealant yet so it's looking good  :thumbsup:.

The other job was to fit a shorter stem to the Rohloff bike.
Since I fitted the TRP Hylex brakes I've been too stretched out because the Hylex hoods are very long. Presumably that's to accommodate the hydro gubbins.
The stem that I fitted was a Giant (make, not size) borrowed from the LBS. I think it's 110mm v. 130mm (!) that it replaced.
After a short ride, I'm very pleased with the new position but I'll reserve judgement until I've ridden further than 200m.
I've a feeling that the new stem is spot on in terms of "reachiness" but it might be too much in the "upiness" stakes.

The drawback with a shorter stem is that I can't mount a battery pack beneath and a Garmin on top it.

Time will tell how successful these jobs have been.
Now to actually ride my bikes ............

I was feeling a bit too much reachiness on my Giant today, a new stem might be in order.  Uppiness is OK though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 12 March, 2016, 11:44:05 pm
The collection of old inner tubes.

All in our possession are now sound. Three had to be patched to achieve this status, & we have three fewer than we used to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 13 March, 2016, 08:16:53 am
It looks like the copious quantities of swearing and abuse of a ball cock valve have stopped Marj's header tank over filling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 13 March, 2016, 12:01:08 pm
Stripped and cleaned the thorn, abuse as my daily commuter along the a46 had left it covered in muck, salt, and grime.

it took so long I ended up finishing the job by head torch (I must get an outside light fitted, I wonder if the landlord would notice).  I'm going to have to replace the rear rim at some point which will be exciting as I've never built a wheel before.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 March, 2016, 07:03:36 pm
Cleaned the chain and reset the rear hub on the MTB. Looks like that wheel will need replacing this year as the hub is shot. That will be after the winter though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 March, 2016, 07:10:32 pm
i was thinking long and hard which rear light should i get and how would i attach it to aero seatpost. suddenly a simple idea came into my head to attach the light (that i already have) with a piece of double sided sticky tape and a cable tie. it's very secure, hidden from the wind and the beam is parallel to the ground. :thumbsup:

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-99Vk9NoIThU/VuW2016CcwI/AAAAAAAAEuY/Myc92XYQMgEYM-ZNie0OnNLohvn_-hSSgCCo/s640-Ic42/2016-03-13%2B12.40.35.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 13 March, 2016, 09:50:27 pm
A several of bedding style plants into pots and tubs. I then went to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vantage on 14 March, 2016, 09:25:49 am
Swapped the Vittoria Hyper's for the Continental TourRide's coz I got sick of the punctures. Did a 10 mile ride. Put the Hyper's back on. I'd rather the punctures  ::-)
Found an old seat binder bolt that served as a nutsert enabling me to mount the kickstand on  ;D
A pair of P-clips has stopped the Carradice Classic sliding side to side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MagnusOpus on 14 March, 2016, 10:28:53 am
Success!

After about 5 afternoons piddling about trying to get more mudguard clearance at the brake bridge on the bike I've been building I've finally cracked it!!!!!!!!!, in spite of the hacksaw and hammer being pressed into service it doesn't even look bodgy  :)

Rest of the build went swimmingly after that, and I'm now the proud owner of a very shiny flam blue early 80's Saracen light tourer/Audax bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 15 March, 2016, 03:37:35 pm
Quote from: vantage on 14 March, 2016, 09:25:49 am
Swapped the Vittoria Hyper's for the Continental TourRide's coz I got sick of the punctures. Did a 10 mile ride. Put the Hyper's back on. I'd rather the punctures  ::-)
Found an old seat binder bolt that served as a nutsert enabling me to mount the kickstand on  ;D
A pair of P-clips has stopped the Carradice Classic sliding side to side.

I'm going to doom myself and say I've not found hypers to attract the fairy...

I will have to try that on my classic rack - it hadn't occurred to me you could stop the slide that way (duh...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 15 March, 2016, 03:58:21 pm
I removed a large lump of mud that was jamming up my crud roadracers but I couldn't see it from outside.

Thing is they've only been on for about 300k I haven't really taken them anywhere particularly muddy ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 15 March, 2016, 04:39:23 pm
You took them through that farmyard on Saturday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 March, 2016, 04:46:12 pm
Also, it's winter, and mud just spontaneously appears on bikes in winter.  My Brompton seems to have picked some up from somewhere, and it's been ages since I used it for anything other than the trundle into central Birmingham or a short trip up the Raddlebarn Road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 15 March, 2016, 07:49:13 pm
Out with Jonathan notp today. Just before we reached the cookham Costa he stops !. He has snapped the QR skewer .so I push him to Costa. Then I ride to Marlow and buy a replacement skewer ,bring it back and discover that the axle is seized. So round to Bourne end and the cycle shop there puts a new axle in .I take it back to Costa and refit the wheel and off we go again ☺. Only Jonathan could keep riding with a seized axle and not realise until the quick release snapped  ::-) .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 March, 2016, 09:03:31 pm
Fettled my on-Surly tool kit today. Managed to fit a spare tube in the wrap that hangs from top tube, leaving more space (and less weight) in the saddle pack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 March, 2016, 11:09:11 pm
I gave up attempting to fettle my front mech and took it to LBS instead, because front mechs are evil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 16 March, 2016, 10:52:52 pm
Fitted the Ewerk to my Dave Yates - not a hideous job, though I still need to tidy up the wires. While I was at it, I cleaned the chain, fitted an alternative lower gear and fiddled with the cones on the rear hub (again).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 March, 2016, 05:18:50 pm
one of the front mudguard bridges has snapped, so replaced both front and back mudguards on my hack bike (silver before, now black). as the stays were cut to size already it was much less faff than fitting them new. also installed a large and super-visible rear mudguard reflector.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 March, 2016, 05:21:08 pm
Removed the bell and Garmin mount from my handlebars then swapped their positions and refitted them. The bell now sits on the right, just outboard of the light, and the Garmin has the left all to itself. This should make it easier to operate all the buttons on the Garmin while riding. The effect on bell pinging has yet to be determined.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 20 March, 2016, 08:50:36 am
Fitted a front rack to the inbred, and got new panniers set up to attach to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 March, 2016, 05:49:20 pm
Removed some chain from the Brompton's rust.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 25 March, 2016, 08:30:54 pm
One thing leads to another.

The transmission on my winter/commuting bike has been rough in a number of ways for quite a long time.
I decided it was time to sort it out.

Now, I already knew the chainset had a worn middle chainring.
You could see the teeth moving in the chainlinks if you gave the pedals a decent shove.
It's been this way since the chain was new, some time back.

So new (to me) chainset. ( The rings for the old one are manufactured out of pure unobtanium ).
This sorted out the chain-slop on the chainset.

But in doing the chainset swap, it became clear the Hope BB bearings had also reached end-of-life.
So new Hope BB bearings fitted to the shells.
Now, the chainset is not worn and spins sweetly.

But there is a residual movement and clicking I can still feel.
The chain is very noisy on the chainwheel, but it's OK according to the Park chain gauge.
I decide to change it anyway.

So new KMC chain fitted last night.
Also fine-tuned the indexing whilst I was at it.
Now, the transmission is silent and no residual clicks and klunks.
It's like a new bike again.
100% success.

Except.
On this morning's ride into work, as soon as I hit the first very modest hill leaving the village where I live, OOMF!
Massive slippage.
New chain on worn cassette fail.
I can use any gear I like, except the gear I like.
So I had to HTFU and push a higher gear and go a bit faster in order to reach my comfortable cadence.

So new cassette on order.
It's never-ending.




Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 25 March, 2016, 08:41:07 pm
The garden fence has been painted (in part) The outside facing sections have now had a coat. Unfortunately I think a second is required and I still have to do the inside of the garden. So it will take at least another 4 solid afternoons of good weather when I would rather be on my bike.

Whoever thought those panels in a brick wall that consist of three horizontals with diagonals mounted on alternate sides needs to be up against a wall. They may look good and let the air pass through, but you have to reach between the near planks to get to the inner face of the far side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 25 March, 2016, 10:40:22 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 25 March, 2016, 08:30:54 pm
One thing leads to another.

So new KMC chain fitted last night.

Except.
On this morning's ride into work, as soon as I hit the first very modest hill leaving the village where I live, OOMF!
Massive slippage.

I found that when I had not trimmed the chain to a short enough length.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 25 March, 2016, 11:27:21 pm
My cutlery drawer.  I can now open it again!  The 2 handles of the bloody garlic press had opened and one was jamming against the cabinet when I tried to open the drawer.   

Multiple implements were tried, but in the end a sheet of cardboard was able to knock the press into a different plane so I could open the drawer.   Damn, now I'll have to tidy all the stuff on the draining board away!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 March, 2016, 11:28:41 pm
Have you made an appropriate sacrifice to Anoia (http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Anoia)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 25 March, 2016, 11:37:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 25 March, 2016, 11:28:41 pm
Have you made an appropriate sacrifice to Anoia (http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Anoia)?

 :D  Until last year I'd never read any Pratchett (just not enough shelf space),  I have since acquired a few volumes & finished "Thief of Time" earlier this week.   I've yet to encounter this deity though.....

It's not even a very good garlic press, over engineered & a pain to clean  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 26 March, 2016, 02:27:57 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 25 March, 2016, 08:30:54 pm
One thing leads to another.

The transmission on my winter/commuting bike has been rough in a number of ways for quite a long time.
I decided it was time to sort it out.

Now, I already knew the chainset had a worn middle chainring.
You could see the teeth moving in the chainlinks if you gave the pedals a decent shove.
It's been this way since the chain was new, some time back.

So new (to me) chainset. ( The rings for the old one are manufactured out of pure unobtanium ).
This sorted out the chain-slop on the chainset.

But in doing the chainset swap, it became clear the Hope BB bearings had also reached end-of-life.
So new Hope BB bearings fitted to the shells.
Now, the chainset is not worn and spins sweetly.

But there is a residual movement and clicking I can still feel.
The chain is very noisy on the chainwheel, but it's OK according to the Park chain gauge.
I decide to change it anyway.

So new KMC chain fitted last night.
Also fine-tuned the indexing whilst I was at it.
Now, the transmission is silent and no residual clicks and klunks.
It's like a new bike again.
100% success.

Except.
On this morning's ride into work, as soon as I hit the first very modest hill leaving the village where I live, OOMF!
Massive slippage.
New chain on worn cassette fail.
I can use any gear I like, except the gear I like.
So I had to HTFU and push a higher gear and go a bit faster in order to reach my comfortable cadence.

So new cassette on order.
It's never-ending.
I certainly don't follow the line that at every change of chain you should change your cassette. Nor do I follow the line that I should change my chainset at each change of cassette.
I do however work on the basis that if I am changing my chainset I do replace the cassette and chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 26 March, 2016, 02:36:05 pm
Quote from: hatler on 26 March, 2016, 02:27:57 pm
I do however work on the basis that if I am changing my chainset I do replace the cassette and chain.

I recently fitted a new chainset, BB and both front and rear mech, but I kept the existing chain and cassette because they're not that old. Seems to be working fine.

Like Feanor, this started out as an operation to change a chainring. It's worth it though - again, like Feanor, I find it feels like a new bike.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 03:01:27 pm
Fitted 3 x pairs of Exposure clamps  (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-35mm-quick-release-handlebar-bracket/)to three road bikes, thus now making all my bikes Hope Vision 1 compatible (following the demise of my turn-of-the-century Cat Eye EL530s) without the usual need to adjust-the-point every time the lights are removed / replaced.
In each instance this necessitated adjustment / replacement of the brake outer cable (in order for the cables to clear the bar-under-slung lights), and in most cases necessitated replacement of brake cable inners on account of abject ham-fistedness with the cable cutters. ::-)
Just as we go into summertime, all I need now, is to be allocated my own darkness, so that I can test the lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 March, 2016, 03:28:09 pm
Wasn't there something somewhere explaining how that works? I've got a Hope Vision 1, and it's one weakness is that the bracket is permanently fixed to the light. It's not that hard to move to another bike, but it's a nuisance. I'm sure I read somewhere about using alternative brackets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 03:39:24 pm
Quote from: drossall on 26 March, 2016, 03:28:09 pm
Wasn't there something somewhere explaining how that works? I've got a Hope Vision 1, and it's one weakness is that the bracket is permanently fixed to the light. It's not that hard to move to another bike, but it's a nuisance. I'm sure I read somewhere about using alternative brackets.
It may've been me.
It's recorded on here that I used self-amalgamating tape on the bars. The rubber blocks on the Hope clamps would make their impression in the SA tape, giving a 'key' for the next time you fit the lights.
The  trick here was to give the SA tape one wind of electrician's PVC tape. Otherwise the Hope's rubber blocks would self-amalgamate to the tape wound round the bars.
I've been using Hope Vision 1s for about 6 or 7 years. I really wish I had done this sooner. The faff-reduction is not insignificant.
If you're not removing / replacing your lights a lot, it is probably of less significance.
The cycle shed at work is the only part of our 6 acre site not covered by CCTV, and it is adjacent to Goods In (vans coming and going 24/7)  ::-).

ETA
TimO, Sgt Pluck, and possibly Roger, amongst others, use the Exposure clamp on their Hopes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 26 March, 2016, 04:03:26 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 03:01:27 pm
Fitted 3 x pairs of Exposure clamps  (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-35mm-quick-release-handlebar-bracket/)to three road bikes, thus now making all my bikes Hope Vision 1 compatible (following the demise of my turn-of-the-century Cat Eye EL530s) without the usual need to adjust-the-point every time the lights are removed / replaced.
In each instance this necessitated adjustment / replacement of the brake outer cable (in order for the cables to clear the bar-under-slung lights), and in most cases necessitated replacement of brake cable inners on account of abject ham-fistedness with the cable cutters. ::-)
Just as we go into summertime, all I need now, is to be allocated my own darkness, so that I can test the lights.
Ooo. Those look neat, and I have more than a couple of Hope Vision 1s. I may be tempted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 04:12:34 pm
Quote from: hatler on 26 March, 2016, 04:03:26 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 03:01:27 pm
Fitted 3 x pairs of Exposure clamps  (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-35mm-quick-release-handlebar-bracket/)to three road bikes, thus now making all my bikes Hope Vision 1 compatible (following the demise of my turn-of-the-century Cat Eye EL530s) without the usual need to adjust-the-point every time the lights are removed / replaced.
In each instance this necessitated adjustment / replacement of the brake outer cable (in order for the cables to clear the bar-under-slung lights), and in most cases necessitated replacement of brake cable inners on account of abject ham-fistedness with the cable cutters. ::-)
Just as we go into summertime, all I need now, is to be allocated my own darkness, so that I can test the lights.
Ooo. Those look neat, and I have more than a couple of Hope Vision 1s. I may be tempted.
They're a world of difference from the Hope clamps.
As I've mentioned, I wish I'd done this sooner.
On the other hand, I've never had a Hope Vision 1 launch road-ward whilst awheel.
It happened the other day with the new clamp, (and new light) but that was entirely down to operator error.
(It also says a lot for the robustness of the Hope, which suffered very little damage!)

If you are going down this route you should note that the Exposure cleat takes an M6 bolt.
The female thread in the Hope is M5.
You can bodge the M5 using spacers, as I understand it.
If you need an M6 finishing tap, I have one you are welcome to borrow.

ETA:
Avoiding over-drilling the depth of the tapping hole is the (buttock-clenching) key.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2016, 05:39:11 pm
So, can you explain further, are you removing the Hope lamp body from it's clamp and attaching it to that Exposure one instead?
What advantage does the Hope one have over the Exposure clamp?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 March, 2016, 05:41:46 pm
I think this (https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/151354/) is what we are talking about. From that page, advantages are that the clamp is less likely to move round the bars, the quick release, and that you can swap the light quickly between bikes while maintaining its alignment.

Disadvantage is cost,
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 06:00:29 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2016, 05:39:11 pm
So, can you explain further, are you removing the Hope lamp body from it's clamp and attaching it to that Exposure one instead?
What advantage does the Hope one have over the Exposure clamp?
Drossall's link has it in a nutshell.
I think the Exposure clamps win over those from Hope.
Big time.
And yes. Cost.
If you've 5 bikes, each running a pair of Hopes, it is spendy.
No way would I have done this while I wasn't working....

X-post with Mrs. Pingu, I think
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2016, 06:02:21 pm
Ah cool, thanks drossall.
The main issue for me is if I want to take the Hope off the bike I have to put the 2 bits of rubber I have shimming the fit somewhere safe and it's a pain putting them back on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 March, 2016, 06:09:51 pm
Quote from: hatler on 26 March, 2016, 02:27:57 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 25 March, 2016, 08:30:54 pm
One thing leads to another.
<snip tales of woe>
I certainly don't follow the line that at every change of chain you should change your cassette. Nor do I follow the line that I should change my chainset at each change of cassette.
I do however work on the basis that if I am changing my chainset I do replace the cassette and chain.

Neither do I.
That cassette has seen out several chains, and has simply got to the point where a new chain slips on it, and so it's time to change it.

The chainset was old and part-worn when it was installed on that bike.
It's done a bunch more miles, and the middle chainring has had visible ( and feelable ) slop even with new chains for some time now.
I'd been ignoring the feel of it moving for a long time, but I eventually decided it was time to swap it out.
So it's time had come too.

It's now really sweet to ride, except in my preferred gear!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 March, 2016, 09:42:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 04:12:34 pm
Quote from: hatler on 26 March, 2016, 04:03:26 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 March, 2016, 03:01:27 pm
Fitted 3 x pairs of Exposure clamps  (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-35mm-quick-release-handlebar-bracket/)to three road bikes, thus now making all my bikes Hope Vision 1 compatible (following the demise of my turn-of-the-century Cat Eye EL530s) without the usual need to adjust-the-point every time the lights are removed / replaced.
In each instance this necessitated adjustment / replacement of the brake outer cable (in order for the cables to clear the bar-under-slung lights), and in most cases necessitated replacement of brake cable inners on account of abject ham-fistedness with the cable cutters. ::-)
Just as we go into summertime, all I need now, is to be allocated my own darkness, so that I can test the lights.
Ooo. Those look neat, and I have more than a couple of Hope Vision 1s. I may be tempted.
They're a world of difference from the Hope clamps.
As I've mentioned, I wish I'd done this sooner.
On the other hand, I've never had a Hope Vision 1 launch road-ward whilst awheel.
It happened the other day with the new clamp, (and new light) but that was entirely down to operator error.
(It also says a lot for the robustness of the Hope, which suffered very little damage!)

If you are going down this route you should note that the Exposure cleat takes an M6 bolt.
The female thread in the Hope is M5.
You can bodge the M5 using spacers, as I understand it.
If you need an M6 finishing tap, I have one you are welcome to borrow.

ETA:
Avoiding over-drilling the depth of the tapping hole is the (buttock-clenching) key.
An SPD cleat bolt fits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 March, 2016, 09:59:21 am
"Might such an Exposure clamp be bodged for a Vision 4?", wondered Mr Larrington, whose example of the latter is mostly used as a high-powered torch for untangling electo-spaghetti behind the AV receiver.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 March, 2016, 11:30:40 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 March, 2016, 09:59:21 am
"Might such an Exposure clamp be bodged for a Vision 4?", wondered Mr Larrington, whose example of the latter is mostly used as a high-powered torch for untangling electo-spaghetti behind the AV receiver.

Hard to tell TBH, based on the image on CRC's website.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 27 March, 2016, 01:42:20 pm
The boy had a CD of pictures he wanted to download. The only computer in the house with an optical drive is an ancient iBook G4. He stuck the disc in and... whirr... whirrr... nothing. Computer won't even admit it's holding the disc hostage, never mind letting us eject it.

Of course, this is the generation of iBooks that don't have a manual eject switch on the drive. Tried various techniques from the internet, none worked.

Found a guide to removing an optical drive from an ancient iBook and started following it. Got as far as step 26 out of 40 before giving up - just couldn't work out how to remove the top cover without breaking it. Reassembled the iBook by retracing my steps. Eventually realised I should have kept better track of which screws came out of where...

(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/smutchin/CC77E30C-5773-4D5B-9C9F-E91DEAE341C5_zps4invaxft.jpg)

Oh well, at least the thing actually works.

Well, I say it works. It no longer has sound. And the disc is still as firmly stuck inside as ever.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 27 March, 2016, 04:39:27 pm
Removed a couple of rounded allen bolts using a torx bit and percussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyx-QoP3IsI
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 27 March, 2016, 04:48:43 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 27 March, 2016, 04:39:27 pm
Removed a couple of rounded allen bolts using a torx bit and percussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyx-QoP3IsI

No bongos, cymbals, or triangle.  Most disappointing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 March, 2016, 08:23:03 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 27 March, 2016, 04:48:43 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 27 March, 2016, 04:39:27 pm
Removed a couple of rounded allen bolts using a torx bit and percussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyx-QoP3IsI

No bongos, cymbals, or triangle.  Most disappointing.
I think I recommended that particular technique on here recently to someone who was (maybe) having trouble removing trashed SPD cleat bolts.
The triangle.
Now there's a grossly under-rated percussion instrument.
Capable, in the right hands, of musical wonders.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 March, 2016, 08:27:38 pm
Capable, in the wrong hands, of falling on the floor during a quiet bit. (DAHIKT)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 March, 2016, 08:33:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 March, 2016, 08:27:38 pm
Capable, in the wrong hands, of falling on the floor during a quiet bit. (DAHIKT)
Oh, that's bound to add interest :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 27 March, 2016, 10:13:33 pm
Over Good Friday and Saturday: took out 14 fence panels; dug/sledgehammered/5ft crowbar'd out concreted in post remains; Replaced posts with concrete 'H' ones, concrete gravel boards and replaced panels (I repainted the panels a couple of weeks ago). I had son and son-in-law's help on Satuday, as posts are too heavy to lift on own.

Son-in-law & daughter had spent the Friday taking ceramic tiled floor out of their old kitchen, an inch of screed from the dining room floor and the ceilings out of both. They have a new kitchen in another room, and are having a wall taken out to make a bigger room.

There is one more section to do, but I need to remove a tree stump which is in the way, and my chainsaw stopped working. I can't repair it at the moment, because my hands don't work after using a sledgehammer and lifting concrete posts for 2 days.  :facepalm:

Today, I fettled the best roast leg of lamb lunch evah!  :smug:

9 month old grandson loves broccoli!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 March, 2016, 10:17:30 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 27 March, 2016, 10:13:33 pm
Over Good Friday and Saturday: took out 14 fence panels; dug/sledgehammered/5ft crowbar'd out concreted in post remains; Replaced posts with concrete 'H' ones, concrete gravel boards and replaced panels (I repainted the panels a couple of weeks ago). I had son and son-in-law's help on Satuday, as posts are too heavy to lift on own.

Son-in-law & daughter had spent the Friday taking ceramic tiled floor out of their old kitchen, an inch of screed from the dining room floor and the ceilings out of both. They have a new kitchen in another room, and are having a wall taken out to make a bigger room.

There is one more section to do, but I need to remove a tree stump which is in the way, and my chainsaw stopped working. I can't repair it at the moment, because my hands dont work after using a sledgehammer and lifting concrete posts for 2 days.  :facepalm:

Today, I fettled the best roast leg of lamb lunch evah!  :smug:

9 month old grandson loves broccoli!  :o
Impressed.
I'll bet pulling on your socks tomorrow might be a bit of a struggle ;)
It was with me the other week after a day of phys.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 27 March, 2016, 10:39:21 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 27 March, 2016, 08:23:03 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 27 March, 2016, 04:48:43 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 27 March, 2016, 04:39:27 pm
Removed a couple of rounded allen bolts using a torx bit and percussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyx-QoP3IsI

No bongos, cymbals, or triangle.  Most disappointing.
I think I recommended that particular technique on here recently to someone who was (maybe) having trouble removing trashed SPD cleat bolts...

What? You suggested somebody removed cleats with bongos  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 March, 2016, 10:41:27 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 27 March, 2016, 10:39:21 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 27 March, 2016, 08:23:03 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 27 March, 2016, 04:48:43 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 27 March, 2016, 04:39:27 pm
Removed a couple of rounded allen bolts using a torx bit and percussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyx-QoP3IsI

No bongos, cymbals, or triangle.  Most disappointing.
I think I recommended that particular technique on here recently to someone who was (maybe) having trouble removing trashed SPD cleat bolts...

What? You suggested somebody removed cleats with bongos  ???
Yes.
Bongos.
And hammered in oversize torx.
Pay attention  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 27 March, 2016, 10:54:30 pm
Friday I took the lawnmower apart and fixed the pull start by winding the recoil spring up which I had forgotten to do when I installed the new pull chord.
Today I put xome  Schaller strap locks and a pick guard on my new to me Epihone Les Paul Studio.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 27 March, 2016, 11:12:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 March, 2016, 08:27:38 pm
Capable, in the wrong hands, of falling on the floor during a quiet bit. (DAHIKT)
Surely *out* of the wrong hands?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 March, 2016, 10:05:10 am
In the Motor-House at Fort Larrington is a splendid ladies Raleigh, complete with enclosed chain, three-speed gear, a basket, a bell that rings and things to make it look good, going by the name of "Miss Marple".  MM was purchased a couple of years ago for Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s visiting friend from New Toyland but she's unlikely to be back so Dr Larrington is to take on ownership, that she might pedal donnishly about the Cotswolds (or, more likely, walk about the Ctotswolds pushing Miss Marple up another bloody great hill).  Anyway, she (Miss Marple, not Dr Larrington) needed returning to Working Order.  Pump up tyres (Fort Larrington is equipped with a Joe Blow), brush off leaves, dead spiders ect. ect. and she is as good as new.

Next fettle may have to be sorting the brakes on the barrow wot Iddu otp sold me many years ago and which has scarcely turned a wheel since.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 March, 2016, 01:44:51 pm
Is it wise to name a bike after a suspected serial killer?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 March, 2016, 02:20:33 pm
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1566/25486789174_f3144b4ab4_b.jpg)
Fettled a new length of 1.6mmØ fishing line into my back-up Sidi Dragon as the old one had parted in two (you can see the bit which broke off, just by the heel of the shoe).
This included the fabrication of a tool to deal with the removal of Satan's Pin, about which the red ear lobe of ratchetyness pivots.

ETA: And fitted posh dimmer switches (the sort with a push 'on/off' and twist dim) in the kitchen and lounge, drawing room, front room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 March, 2016, 08:05:53 pm
Stopped procrastinating and started on the Streetmachine's annual service...

Step 1: Clean the drivetrain.  Sheldon shake, Tampax in the chain tubes, cassette scrubbing and all that.  Boring and messy.
Step 2: Remove and discard front brake cable and three tactical cable ties securing electrical wiring to obtain slack.
Step 3: Wash grime off hands and dig around in the computer for the fork servicing cheat notes from last time.
Step 4: Dismantle fork in situ (easier said than done, but much less hassle than removing it), cleaning all the manky grease off the inaccessible innards.
Step 5: Re-grease innards and reassemble fork.  Seriously fed up by this point.
Step 6: Hold bike in one hand, compress lower fork with the other while tightening top cap thingy with adjustable spanner that doesn't really fit in the third hand.
Step 7: Swearing.
Step 8: Victory.
Step 9: Adjust suspension, re-fit cable ties.
Step 10: Fit and adjust shiny new front brake cable.  Note rear brake feels like a sponge in comparison.

Still to come: More brake and gear cables, voodoo headset adjustment (slight looseness discovered during step 5 above), ritual de-squeaking of the seat mountings.  But first, backache.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 March, 2016, 08:17:49 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 28 March, 2016, 10:05:10 am
In the Motor-House at Fort Larrington is a splendid ladies Raleigh, complete with ...  a basket, a bell that rings and things to make it look good

Would you give it to me if you could?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 29 March, 2016, 08:46:58 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 29 March, 2016, 08:17:49 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 28 March, 2016, 10:05:10 am
In the Motor-House at Fort Larrington is a splendid ladies Raleigh, complete with ...  a basket, a bell that rings and things to make it look good

Would you give it to me if you could?

I borrowed it.  Just to make sure the gears and brakes were OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 29 March, 2016, 09:05:19 pm
Nothing.... I got the nice young man at Halfords to do it for me.......

Okay, hanging head in shame but in my defence, I don't have the tool needed and my shoulder is still playing up so it would have been a struggle even if I did.

So, one Bottom Bracket fitted within 2 hours for less than £38 all in.

I know Halfords often gets a kicking for crap service but I was most happy with the work they did for me. And yes, the cycling Gods did get their own back on me by sending heavy rain my way whilst I cycled home  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 30 March, 2016, 12:47:22 am
Quote from: essexian on 29 March, 2016, 09:05:19 pm
Nothing.... I got the nice young man at Halfords to do it for me.......

So, one Bottom Bracket fitted within 2 hours for less than £38 all in.


FOOK! I'm really not charging enough!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 30 March, 2016, 08:53:48 pm
I've just fettled a new cassette onto the commuter bike.

Hopefully, that will be the last item needing replaced.
It was slipping on the new chain.
It's outlasted several chains, so I have no complaint.

In my quest for silky smoothness, I've ended up replacing pretty much the entire drivetrain.
But it's worked.

But I can't really test it under load yet; I can't ride in tomorrow on account of several things, including having put my back out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 31 March, 2016, 01:16:30 pm
1. Gave my newly built indestructible* rear wheel (built for this summer's long tour) a few last tweeks.
2. Fitted new 40 mm tyres.
3. Found out that there isn't quite enough clearance for 40mm tyres on my tourer, no matter how long I stare at it, or fiddle with mudguards.
4. Ordered 35mm tyres.
5. Gave the chainset and dérailleur a clean and realised the middle ring is distinctly worn and wouldn't survive the 10000 km or so planned.
6. Ordered new chainring.
7. Ceased any more cleaning operations lest I find something else which needs replacing.

*I've had to buy new rear wheels on summer tours  4 times in the last 5 years. I'd prefer not to make it 5 in 6.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 03 April, 2016, 12:54:21 pm
Gears and brakes on the Trek, lordy was it mucky
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 03 April, 2016, 05:58:50 pm
20t rear Alfine sprocket and new longer chain on the genesis fortitude to drop the gearing a smidge from the 18t the bike came with (and Auntie Helen's blog was a fab handy guide... thanks AH  :thumbsup: )

new brake blocks, gear and brake cables on the Dahon.

affixed large sheets of MDF to Miss Moultonaught's bedroom wall for her to be artistic thereon  :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 April, 2016, 08:35:48 pm
This weekend I have fettled:

Central heating wireless thermostat. Wouldn't communicate with its base station, despite new batteries and the display looking all bright.  Brief bit of swappery confirmed it was the sender that was U/S. Brief bit of emery paper induced goodness and it worketh.

New draw cord in the top of a pannier. This involved threading an old brake cable through first, to act as a wossname.

The Boy and I mended Dad's garage door, following an as yet fully explained car/door interface. This involved lengths of stout wire to anchor the springy  bits, removing the door, laying it face down on the lawn and jumping on it.

My lawn. With a lawn mower. The horror.

An axe, with a newly acquired set of diamond sharpening stones.

What I have not fettled: The car. Front nearside tyre is flat. Break out jack and space saver. Loosen nuts. Wind and wind and wind to get wheel up to useful height.  Remove nuts. Wheel wont shift, glued by Al/FE corrosion I guess. Swear. Scratch head. Kick. Pull. Rock. Nada.  Company car, so will phone tyre people tomorrow and they can sort it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 April, 2016, 09:28:47 pm
Cleaned my Ribble, and generally gave it the once-over.  I took the brakes off and oiled them a bit, as they were a bit stiff, especially the rear. Same with the rear mech.

While I was at it, I replaced the chain, which didn't seem overly worn, but it probably will be after a week in the Lakes, and it's easier to replace it at home... I then spent a wee while tuning the rear mech. I think it works, test ride later in the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 April, 2016, 10:17:18 pm
List for tomorrow
Giant onto turbo as a workstang
Fettle shifting - getting on my tits today with lack of precision
Sort pedals - really getting on my tits today with 40km of squealing and groaning
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 April, 2016, 12:36:25 pm
removed the adjustable sliding buckle from the polar hear rate monitor chest strap and sowed the strap at a fixed suitable length.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 April, 2016, 07:24:51 pm
Gear fettling remarkably quick, only a small adjustment needed in the middle of the block.

Chain, derailleur, jockey wheels all need a good clean though.

£25 for a replacement pedal axle, may disassemble and clean first
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 05 April, 2016, 12:57:33 pm
I've done some dusting.

No, honestly, I really did!

This indicates the presence of a few extra spoons  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 April, 2016, 01:16:23 pm
Blimey, it must have been really dusty if you found spoons underneath the dust! (!)

(I'm leaving the dust on the corner of my desk until a team of archaeologists moves in. Maybe a TV crew too.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 05 April, 2016, 08:22:35 pm
Fitted the shiney new On One Mary Bars to the Decathlon MTBSO.  Initial tests going up and down the garden path indicates that they are going to be very comfy compared to the stock flat bars.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 April, 2016, 10:34:30 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 05 April, 2016, 12:57:33 pm
I've done some dusting.

No, honestly, I really did!

This indicates the presence of a few extra spoons  :D
Steady on  Ruthie.  I think you need a cuppa.  Anna biscuit. Or CAIK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 06 April, 2016, 07:17:30 am
Quote from: Ruthie on 05 April, 2016, 12:57:33 pm
I've done some dusting.

No, honestly, I really did!

This indicates the presence of a few extra spoons  :D

Good news :)
I can find a load of dust here if you want to keep on going ;D

I fettled the frame of a new chest of drawers last night. Tonight's fettling will be the drawers to go in it, and hammering nails in the back as it got a bit late to be hammering things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 April, 2016, 03:49:27 pm
Removed the broken Cyo R from the Dawes and replaced it with the working Cyo R from the Streetmachine.  Annoyingly the cable to the rear light was about 2cm too short (the tails on the Cyos were different lengths), so I had to extend it.

Then fitted a shiny new IQ-X to the Streetmachine.  Looks good so far, but I'll have to wait for darkness to test it properly...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 07 April, 2016, 04:24:51 pm
Last evening, not being able to ride at the moment, I decided that it was time I fixed the front derailleur on my MTB which has been rusted up since the Forum Ride around Cannock Chase a couple of years back.

Well, removing it was straightforward, as was putting the new one in place....however, add a lot of swear words here, it seems impossible to get it to change cleanly without rubbing the chain on the big ring. And yes, CBH, I do know what I am doing.

So, despite "them" doing a change within minutes on Youtube, I spent two hours yesterday trying to get it to work without luck...just off to try again. If that doesn't work I see need for a new bike.......  :facepalm:

I am so crap at bike repairs. Ask me to do plumbing: no problems: ask me to do electrical work... not an issue (as long as CBH tests the circuit first) but bikes.... :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 07 April, 2016, 08:17:06 pm
Back in work Saturday if you're anywhere near.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 07 April, 2016, 08:22:55 pm
Not actually today but Tuesday.

Smallest's hire bike at Center Parcs threw the chain off the outer ring and twisted the front mech. Wheeled it to the cycle center where they shrugged and said they had no spare bikes. Borrowed a 5mm hex and a screwdriver, fixed it there in front of them.

The guy said he had 20+ bikes to fettle and was I free! but they weren't providing lunch so I said I was on holiday...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 07 April, 2016, 08:35:27 pm
Does reproofing my Carradice courier bag and rain cape count? Hoping this will ward off further pissing miserable weather...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 April, 2016, 01:42:08 pm
I went outside to unblock the washer jets on my car (which I failed at, anyone know how to unblock jets on a 2014 Ford CMax?) and I noticed that the kitchen drain was blocked (I am running a cleaner thing through the dishwasher and the output was all backed up).

So, access cover off, no fat-berg to be seen (it usually gathers around the end of the pipe in the access hole), so there was nothing for it but to stick my hand into a gloop of unknown origin to get the water flowing again. :sick: doesn't even start to cover it, I have had to have a long shower and scrub myself down, just to make myself feel halfway clean!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 April, 2016, 01:43:17 pm
In bike fettling news, I trial fitted a alpkit compression bag to the Jamis, found it just wouldn't work, so turned the Garmin mount around and re-fitted the Ortlieb barbag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 08 April, 2016, 01:53:59 pm
Well managed, eventually to fit the front derailleur after a lot of trial and practice....having better eyesight would help as frankly I couldn't really see what I was doing!

Anyway, next on my list is to refit the brakes.... do bikes actually need brakes? Knowing my abilities, lets hope not.

And then, I have a chainring to replace....do bikes need a chainring.................  :facepalm:

This could be a long, long weekend!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 April, 2016, 02:03:58 pm
essexian, Park Tools is your friend-

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

Lots of good tutorials on there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 08 April, 2016, 02:09:52 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 08 April, 2016, 02:03:58 pm
essexian, Park Tools is your friend-

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

Lots of good tutorials on there.

Cheers Fuzzy


I don't know why that is, but when fixing bikes is concerned, I seem to be all fingers and thumbs!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 08 April, 2016, 03:06:25 pm
Quote from: essexian on 08 April, 2016, 01:53:59 pm
Well managed, eventually to fit the front derailleur after a lot of trial and practice....having better eyesight would help as frankly I couldn't really see what I was doing!

Front derailleurs are, I've found, much more complicated to fit than you'd think. I've been lucky once or twice and got it right first time. More often, however, I've been not lucky and spent ages tweaking it almost microscopically.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 April, 2016, 03:52:29 pm
The key to harmonious front derailleur adjustment is friction shifting...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 08 April, 2016, 04:28:43 pm
pedal fettling yesterday, success rate 50%.

Right is OK,
Left still squeaking

One more go IICBA, then the replacement spindle kit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 08 April, 2016, 08:45:12 pm
General cleaning and lubrication of the cranky old grid  (poor old thing was truly manky) which was sort of relaxing. This was followed by a frustrating hour plus fitting a tyre*.  Would it seat evenly? Even at 120psi?  Would it buggery.

*Finally got round to swapping back to the front wheel with the new bearings.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 April, 2016, 11:44:21 am
The Boy's Road Morph.  The reversible pingfuckit that allows you to inflate either Presta or Schraeder vales had a mangled centre pin, so would no longer work with a Schreader valve.  I cut the old bit off, made a hole in what was left of the plastic and epoxy resined a bit of steel(?) cut from a pop rivet.  Seems to work OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 09 April, 2016, 07:57:33 pm
I made the washing machine work again. ;D

I should probably fettle the bikes. All three now have dodgy bottom brackets...the drivetrain on the poor Genesis was making horrendous squealing noises on a quick trip to the shops this evening. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 April, 2016, 11:27:01 pm
The floor. Wiv a mop anna bucket.  I had to have a lie down afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 10 April, 2016, 08:37:30 am
So, next on my MTB rebuild comes the pedals. I want to replace the flats with a nice pair of SDP's. I do prefer being clipped in although I suppose its what you get used to.

So, this is an easy job as the pedals came with the bike as new so they should have been put on with that nice unlock stuff so one quick turn with the 15mm jobby and off they come. Except it didn't work that way of course. In the end, I had to use a mallet on the end of the spanner to get it to turn....on both sides  :facepalm: Again what should have been a 10 minute job took over an hour.

My next job on a different bike is to replace the chainring with a double... I had my LBS change the double the bike came with for a tribble (and yes I do know...it just made me laugh) but that never really worked. Removing the old stuff was nice and easy but.... it appears that the bottom bracket which also needs to be change just won't move....hammer time again and it's still there.

One "top tip" request please....which side should you try to remove first. I think its the drive side but having tried both sides first, I don't seem to be getting anywhere.

Oh...and the new saddle has arrived...fitting that should be fun!


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 10 April, 2016, 09:19:28 am
Never try to undo the fixed side of a BB. The floating cup acts as a wedge, locking the cartridge in place. Please remember also the drive side is a lh thread...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 April, 2016, 09:27:36 am
Nothing today, yet, but yesterday I did a load of shopping, cleaned the big deck, put a wash on (and hung it out to dry) then prepared food for 5 people to go with the cocktails that we were having.

The first task today will be to unblock the bathroom sink, not blocked by me, but one of the others who over did it on the cocktails!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 10 April, 2016, 10:11:20 am
Re - BB  the best bet is to place the frame horizontally above a well secured vice , clamp the cup tight & use the frame as a big spanner .  Try to  get a hand to equalize the force, & applie sticky plaster if you slip . Head butting a pair of handle bars hanging on  the garage wall (can)X REALLY hurts .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 10 April, 2016, 11:01:15 am
I needed to do someting about the cement mixer as most of the original paint was/had come off in large flakes.  :-[

I din't have any norange paint amongst the leftovers...

 :demon:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/Cement%20mixer_zpspaeey1v5.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 10 April, 2016, 11:08:51 am
Coolest cement mixer in town, John!

Sink now unblocked, cause was not just a lump of :sick: but added, solidified plaster left there by the builders. Towels that were used for the cleanup last night are now in the washing machine. Multimillion glasses are in the dishwasher.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 10 April, 2016, 01:18:49 pm
Painted the shed with primer, and now putting top coats of a nice white on. I'm pleased with the effect - makes our small garden look much bigger. Now hopefully the rain will hold off until it's all properly dry - forecast says yes, but bitter experience says fingers crossed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 April, 2016, 03:26:26 pm
Just finished building and hanging a bathroom cupboard. Would have been easier if the distance between the mounting bracket and the wall behind wasn't so long as to render the bolts for the hollow wall anchors useless. Luckily found some longer versions to replace them with.

Also hung a shelf in same room so everything I intend to put up in there is now up :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 10 April, 2016, 04:55:14 pm
A minor fettle-fest.

Major hack'n'bodge to remove the downright dangerous toe overlap (the stays for these (https://www.velovitality.co.uk/collections/mudguards/products/700c-fluted-stainless-steel-mudguards) wrap around and proud of the guard, bolted to the centre. The CdF has overlap anyhow, but with the added guardy-intrusion, foot could lodge on the top of the very solid assembly with unexpected consequences)

Cut down steerer on the noo bike

Changed chain and cassette on the commuter, gave it a little tlc

Wielded a pressure washer over the patio and the drains

Test packed the panniers for Catalonia (with both panniers, and all clothes including a pair of shoes. 5Kg  :thumbsup:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 April, 2016, 05:18:31 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 10 April, 2016, 11:01:15 am
I needed to do someting about the cement mixer as most of the original paint was/had come off in large flakes.  :-[

I din't have any norange paint amongst the leftovers...

 :demon:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/Cement%20mixer_zpspaeey1v5.jpg)

That is so crying out for some Carlos Fandango wheels.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 10 April, 2016, 08:24:54 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2016, 05:18:31 pm
That is so crying out for some Carlos Fandango wheels.....

Ha! I actually considered fitting some wider wheels that I have in the scrap pile!  :D

However, it only just fits through one of the garden gates as it is, and the wide wheels do not have such a sharp shoulder on them which would mean that the mixer would not fit on it's stand securely.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vantage on 10 April, 2016, 09:02:20 pm
Fitted a pair of those Tektro Power Hangers last night.
Never have I sworn at a bike component as much as I have these as they are complete and utter total BAS***DS to set up, but I now have nice powerful brakes :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 11 April, 2016, 12:40:09 am
I mostly sat around and whined a lot whilst Sister Sprogs did stuff in her garage and then came over to mine and changed some tyres that I couldn't do. The Meniere's was knocking me so bad that I had to ride a bike as I couldn't walk at all! I tried the trike but that was as bad a trying to walk.
Thanks Liz'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 April, 2016, 01:31:58 pm
Quote from: essexian on 10 April, 2016, 08:37:30 am
So, next on my MTB rebuild comes the pedals. I want to replace the flats with a nice pair of SDP's.

Shirley Williams and David Owen?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 11 April, 2016, 03:18:21 pm
Quote from: clarion on 11 April, 2016, 01:31:58 pm
Quote from: essexian on 10 April, 2016, 08:37:30 am
So, next on my MTB rebuild comes the pedals. I want to replace the flats with a nice pair of SDP's.

Shirley Williams and David Owen?

Groan.  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 11 April, 2016, 04:11:36 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 10 April, 2016, 09:27:36 am
Nothing today, yet, but yesterday I did a load of shopping, cleaned the big deck, put a wash on (and hung it out to dry) then prepared food for 5 people to go with the cocktails that we were having.

The first task today will be to unblock the bathroom sink, not blocked by me, but one of the others who over did it on the cocktails!

At first, I didn't believe it but then I got to the second mention: that's "cocktails" twice in the  same post.  You have been warned.

Northern Culture Police
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 April, 2016, 05:15:01 pm
It's just smut. ^
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 11 April, 2016, 07:47:01 pm
Quote from: Peter on 11 April, 2016, 04:11:36 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 10 April, 2016, 09:27:36 am
Nothing today, yet, but yesterday I did a load of shopping, cleaned the big deck, put a wash on (and hung it out to dry) then prepared food for 5 people to go with the cocktails that we were having.

The first task today will be to unblock the bathroom sink, not blocked by me, but one of the others who over did it on the cocktails!

At first, I didn't believe it but then I got to the second mention: that's "cocktails" twice in the  same post.  You have been warned.

Northern Culture Police
I'm imagining a pint of mild and bitter. With an umbrella.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 11 April, 2016, 07:49:27 pm
Brakes on Ozzy, turned into a bit of a ballache requiring shims to be manufactured from a 7up can
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 11 April, 2016, 09:48:57 pm
Put some air in the Very Lovely Valencia's tyres.  Which meant I could ride to work (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26458.msg2015539#msg2015539).  Between that, and the school run this morning/karate run this evening on the tandem, I might have actually ridden more than 15 miles today.  Been a while...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 12 April, 2016, 07:48:40 am
Well done crinkly lion  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 13 April, 2016, 12:07:44 pm
Cheeky buggers! :)

Any today I have sorted out the chest of drawers in the garage, finding some long lost gloves in the process.

Then I found a way of fitting the light onto the bars of the Renegade so that I don't need to remove the bar bag bracket.

Then discovered that the book I have been reading in dead tree format is on my ebook, so sorted the battery on that so I can read whilst away!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 13 April, 2016, 12:12:22 pm
Mate's rolling wreck - front changer fubar'd so I've tweaked the mech adjust screws for him as twiddling the granny ring was not fun apparently.   I've set it up on the middle chainring.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 April, 2016, 01:39:08 pm
Today has been a day of bit jobs.

Cleaned the wheelie bin :sick:

Washed a load of mud off the Renegade.

Treated the lawn with weed and moss killer.

Tidied the garage a bit more.

Now trying to decide if ruc tossut or obstinat ase is a more suitable name for the Renegade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 14 April, 2016, 02:41:20 pm
A blocked loo using the Litter Picker of Doom maneuver, 40 liters of Sodium Hypochlorite into the day tank, a pull handle from one side of a door to the other and the push plate in reverse etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 April, 2016, 02:04:05 pm
Two mattresses.
One new one (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=96798.msg2015233#msg2015233) which came inna box 1100 x 500 x 500, weighing about the same as I do.
Vacuum packed, so when I slit the packaging, it began to inhale and expand at a somewhat alarming rate.
First though, I had to rid the bed of the 16yo cotton wadding futon monstrosity. That was rolled up and bound with TonkaTM tape.
I decided to make use of the polythene packaging from the new one to smother the old one as that was leaving a trail of 16 years worth of (mostly) nocturnal toxicity behind it as I dragged it across the floor.
I borrowed Jane's Passat and managed wrestle the corpse across the back seat, Fred West stylee, before driving it to the municipal dump where, I note, they'll have nothing to do with asbestos.
After running a Geiger counter across my trussed up bundle of toxicity, they decided it should be classified as toxic domestic waste. So that's where I bade farewell to it's dubious history.
No dignity in that, whatsoever.
The entire operation has left me feeling knackered and like I have spent the morning wrestling with two medium sized children.
The new mattress is currently de-gassing in a house which is over-ventilated for this time of year. I hope it has finished doing so sufficiently by tonight, so that I can actually sleep on it.

As an item of interest..... whilst at the municipal dump, they closed all access to the dumpers for a while, so that they could have a clear-up / sort out.
Using a JCB type thing, bolted onto the front of which was something which was a cross-breed between a bulldozer blade, a shovel and a jaw-type affair.
Operating that looked an immense amount of fun, and the driver appeared to be enjoying himself.
I think I would probably enjoy his job.
For a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 April, 2016, 02:24:32 pm
Our current mattress came similarly vacuum-packed.  It may turn out to be physically impossible to get it down the stairs.  Maybe I should dust off barakta's Macintosh SE/30 and put it to work running simulations to work out which bit of wall to temporarily remove in case we ever have to move house...

Last time I helped to get a mattress down stairs like ours, the process took a couple of hours of pushing, pulling, squeezing,  shoving, pausing to get our breath back, swearing, and minor door frame damage.  By the end of it I was dripping in sweat, utterly knackered and my friend and I had exhausted our reserves of foul language.  It's the closest I ever expect to get to being a customer of a maternity ward.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 April, 2016, 03:05:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 April, 2016, 02:24:32 pm
Our current mattress came similarly vacuum-packed.  It may turn out to be physically impossible to get it down the stairs.  Maybe I should dust off barakta's Macintosh SE/30 and put it to work running simulations to work out which bit of wall to temporarily remove in case we ever have to move house...

Last time I helped to get a mattress down stairs like ours, the process took a couple of hours of pushing, pulling, squeezing,  shoving, pausing to get our breath back, swearing, and minor door frame damage.  By the end of it I was dripping in sweat, utterly knackered and my friend and I had exhausted our reserves of foul language.  It's the closest I ever expect to get to being a customer of a maternity ward.

I've previously used a combination of a tape measure and VectorWorks to assess clearance issues for inserting large furniture into small homes.
It was this method which determined that the only way my (already paid for and delivery arranged) 3 seater Robin Day Forum sofa was going to find its way into my house was going to be by removal of the lower half of the front room sash window.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 April, 2016, 04:11:30 pm
Dirk Gently would be proud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 16 April, 2016, 04:17:28 pm
Cleaned my bike after a week of weather. Noticed the massive ding in the rear wheel which had obviously been causing the rhythmic knocking under braking. Sighed, hung it up to sort out later.

I know what caused it - the same pothole between Mungrisdale and Caldbeck which took two great lumps out of my front tyre and gave me an unpleasant ten minutes' standing in the rain while I bodged a repair. It's visible on Streetview, complete with a half-arsed temporary repair from around 2009. Needless to say, 7 years later, it's a whole lot worse.

https://goo.gl/maps/hDCiG69tyzp
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 April, 2016, 04:20:50 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 April, 2016, 04:11:30 pm
Dirk Gently would be proud.
That was lost on me. So I had to look it up.
It remains lost on me. ???
Never read much any Douglas Adams. I tried, but there was no draw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 April, 2016, 04:57:02 pm
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency was originally a Doctor Who script...

(click to show/hide)

(Don't bother with the other Dirk Gently novels, they're pants.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2016, 05:23:14 pm
The audax bikes.

mllePB needed replacement guards, brake blocks and a chain, mine just needed blocks and a chain.

mllePB could do with new jockey wheels but they will wait.

Now, back to being stupidly busy this weekend... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 16 April, 2016, 06:01:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 April, 2016, 04:57:02 pm
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency was originally a Doctor Who script...

Huh - I did not know that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 April, 2016, 06:34:49 pm
Today I have mostly been sharpening a cheap spade bit after The Boy complained it was blunt and caused Much Smoke at his Scout hut last night, instead if just causing holes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 16 April, 2016, 08:26:24 pm
Cleaned then serviced my tourer / shopping bike. Four new brake pads, a new chain and new bar tape all installed in about an hour.

I need to get some new pads for the fixie and the clean it and fit the new chain that is waiting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 April, 2016, 09:48:27 pm
The long drawn-out process of fettling my trike is approaching an end.

Purchased as a just-rebuilt ready-to-ride machine sight unseen, it turned out to need a replacement bottom bracket and headset straight off. The rear drum brake was completely ineffective and the 5sp freewheel wobbled wildly. Off to Trykit to surgically remove the drum brake and sort out the crown race seat. The freewheel boss was replaced with a cassette boss and the gear hanger replaced with an index-compatible stainless one to allow the rear derailleur to actually do its thing.

A SS front brake extension was fitted, along with a long reach dual pivot from the parts box. The undersized seatpost was replaced with a new longer one of the correct diameter. All the tyres needed replacing, along with the cantilever brake pads.

The Stronglight double cranks didn't match well with JIS BBs, so I fitted an unused Ultegra Octalink crank and BB from the parts box. The Suntour ARX front mech couldn't reach all three rings, so was replaced with a NOS Sachs (also from the parts box) that needed some reshaping. The rear ARX couldn't move inboard nearly enough without the drum brake pushing the freewheel outboard, so was replaced with a 9sp Deore XT recently taken off HK's Condor. The lower limit screw is rusted in place but I can get 8 of the 9 cassette cogs (lightly used from the parts box), so no problems. An unused front mudguard from the parts box was fitted and today new SPDs.

How does it ride? Despite being stickered up as a Ken Rogers, it is a bike frame and forks with a brazed-in trike axle. Given the original rear drum brake, it was probably brazed in by Ken Rogers but who knows what the doner frame was. All I can say is that the tubing is thin-walled and the front of the frame is very flexible. The Cinelli bars and stem are too low, as expected (the frame is a bit too small), but there is a Nitto stem in the parts box for this eventuality. I just need to get a matching diameter handlebar before taping them up.

Straight roads are no dramas but I suspect that it'll be a while before I am cornering at more than jogging pace.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 April, 2016, 03:52:00 pm
Quote from: Deano on 16 April, 2016, 04:17:28 pm
Cleaned my bike after a week of weather. Noticed the massive ding in the rear wheel which had obviously been causing the rhythmic knocking under braking. Sighed, hung it up to sort out later.

I know what caused it - the same pothole between Mungrisdale and Caldbeck which took two great lumps out of my front tyre and gave me an unpleasant ten minutes' standing in the rain while I bodged a repair. It's visible on Streetview, complete with a half-arsed temporary repair from around 2009. Needless to say, 7 years later, it's a whole lot worse.

https://goo.gl/maps/hDCiG69tyzp
Never mind Streetview, it's probably attracted comments on the International Space Station.

Anyways, I also – shock, horror, gasp – have taken advantage of the sunny afternoon to take my bike outside and squirt water and innocuous seeming but doubtless harmful chemicals all over it, then slosh them off with a bucket of water and an old sock. What fun!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 April, 2016, 07:05:49 pm
Thoroughly cleaned an Alfine 11 hub, replaced the worn jockey wheels on the chain tensioner, tweaked the brake pad positions and improved the tyre alignment on HK's MTB commuter. It might be a deadheat whether the front rim or the cheap(est) Shimano dynohub will wear out first. Almost time to get a nicer Shimano dynohub, spokes, appropriate brake pads, security skewer and build up a ceramic rim.

Replaced the rear tyre on HK's Moulton with another Grand Prix. Our French trip (Fleche Velocio and touring) wore it down to the canvas, so it was probably a good thing that the UAF 200 was cancelled. Also replaced the wornout Wellgo QR SPD pedals.

Flint-mined the brake pads on my fixed and tweaked the pad positions. Replaced the very rusty Planet X axle nuts and removed the useless rattling plastic pieces within the Shimano brake levers. I need to buy a replacement plastic shroud (if they are still available) to stop pinched fingers.

Still need to replace the brake pads and handlebar tape on my Frezoni, replace both rims on my Moulton, make and fit a few mudflaps and wash a couple of bikes. Maybe during the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 18 April, 2016, 02:19:07 pm
Re-fettled yesterday's molishing of a new wheeled base for my venerable Aqua Vac, after finding that the casters I had fitted channelled the shopping trolley from Hell. V2.0 involved cutting the corner mouldings from the old base, trimming them to make them fit on the new base, and fixing via the medium of some scrap timber and shedload of self-tapping screws. It looks a bit agricultural, but the vac can now be wheeled around as before. Job jobbed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 April, 2016, 10:28:24 am
This is not really fettling, but close enough. Almost. Last Thursday I went to a talk by that there Emily Chappell. Her TCR bike was on display (at least, I think it was that one) and I noticed a rather handy looking cylindrical container attached to her bars next to the stem. Perfect for storing snacks which you can munch on the go, I thought. All her gear is Apidura so I looked on their website and found the item. £35 seems a bit steep for what it is, I thought. If I had ever learnt to use a sewing machine I'd be able to make one myself. On Friday I mentioned this to Nikki during an Adventure in Severn Beach involving driftwood light sabres, half a dozen kids constructing a teepee frame, and radioactive werebunnies under the Severn Bridge. "Alpkit have something like that only cheaper," she said. And she was right but it's out of stock while they devise a new! improved! even much more shinier! version. Then on Saturday Denise notp suggested using a climber's chalk bag held on with some cable ties. So on Sunday I looked on the interweebles, but it was hard to tell the size and form of these things. So yesterday I went into Cotswold Outdoor to avail myself of my 15% discount, saw that chalk bags are actually way too large for this purpose, and came out with a child's one for a mere £11. And five pence. The CO staff were quite intrigued by what I wanted it for. It's sitting on the front of my bars now (might be better behind them, but fits better there – I'll find out soon what it's like in use). Unfortunately it's lime green, which clashes with the bike, but hey ho, snacks away!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 April, 2016, 11:45:51 am
My left foot shoe.  Moved the cleat a whole 5 mm forward.  I'm knackered now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 April, 2016, 04:08:31 pm
Painted the fence, again. Now it is more mid grey than fake tan orange.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 April, 2016, 09:41:08 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 19 April, 2016, 10:28:24 am
This is not really fettling, but close enough. Almost. Last Thursday I went to a talk by that there Emily Chappell. Her TCR bike was on display (at least, I think it was that one) and I noticed a rather handy looking cylindrical container attached to her bars next to the stem. Perfect for storing snacks which you can munch on the go, I thought. All her gear is Apidura so I looked on their website and found the item. £35 seems a bit steep for what it is, I thought. If I had ever learnt to use a sewing machine I'd be able to make one myself. On Friday I mentioned this to Nikki during an Adventure in Severn Beach involving driftwood light sabres, half a dozen kids constructing a teepee frame, and radioactive werebunnies under the Severn Bridge. "Alpkit have something like that only cheaper," she said. And she was right but it's out of stock while they devise a new! improved! even much more shinier! version. Then on Saturday Denise notp suggested using a climber's chalk bag held on with some cable ties. So on Sunday I looked on the interweebles, but it was hard to tell the size and form of these things. So yesterday I went into Cotswold Outdoor to avail myself of my 15% discount, saw that chalk bags are actually way too large for this purpose, and came out with a child's one for a mere £11. And five pence. The CO staff were quite intrigued by what I wanted it for. It's sitting on the front of my bars now (might be better behind them, but fits better there – I'll find out soon what it's like in use). Unfortunately it's lime green, which clashes with the bike, but hey ho, snacks away!

A jelly baby pouch? :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 19 April, 2016, 11:14:30 pm
Mrs B finally accepted that the cassette on her MTB was worn out when the chain started jumping under pressure, so a new cassette & chain have been fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 April, 2016, 10:48:52 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 19 April, 2016, 09:41:08 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 19 April, 2016, 10:28:24 am
This is not really fettling, but close enough. Almost. Last Thursday I went to a talk by that there Emily Chappell. Her TCR bike was on display (at least, I think it was that one) and I noticed a rather handy looking cylindrical container attached to her bars next to the stem. Perfect for storing snacks which you can munch on the go, I thought. All her gear is Apidura so I looked on their website and found the item. £35 seems a bit steep for what it is, I thought. If I had ever learnt to use a sewing machine I'd be able to make one myself. On Friday I mentioned this to Nikki during an Adventure in Severn Beach involving driftwood light sabres, half a dozen kids constructing a teepee frame, and radioactive werebunnies under the Severn Bridge. "Alpkit have something like that only cheaper," she said. And she was right but it's out of stock while they devise a new! improved! even much more shinier! version. Then on Saturday Denise notp suggested using a climber's chalk bag held on with some cable ties. So on Sunday I looked on the interweebles, but it was hard to tell the size and form of these things. So yesterday I went into Cotswold Outdoor to avail myself of my 15% discount, saw that chalk bags are actually way too large for this purpose, and came out with a child's one for a mere £11. And five pence. The CO staff were quite intrigued by what I wanted it for. It's sitting on the front of my bars now (might be better behind them, but fits better there – I'll find out soon what it's like in use). Unfortunately it's lime green, which clashes with the bike, but hey ho, snacks away!

A jelly baby pouch? :P
Chocolate coated coffee beans are my current energy boost of choice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 20 April, 2016, 04:22:59 pm
a friend's wife's Ridgeback hybird that has been in their shed for a few years. reassembled it, cleaned it, and fettled brakes and gears back in to operation - teaching said friend as we went. He used to fettle BMX's but gears were a bit of a novelty for him maintenance-wise...  ;D very satisfying.

And started to fettle 2 Mt. Skidmore bottle cage relation brackets on to the Genesis mtb but ran out of daylight...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 April, 2016, 11:22:37 pm
Making replacement race numbers. I have now run out of eyelets and discovered that stick on vinyl letters do not stick on pu coated nylon very well. However, a carful judicious application of an iron persuades the two into closer harmony (and I did think to ensure a layer of baking parchment between iron and number otherwise TODM would have been rather upset to find a sticky vinyl covered iron.

Not quite an exact copy of the originals but close enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 April, 2016, 08:58:22 pm
Recently I found my old dead Mini Maglite, which I thought I'd thrown away. I had second thoughts about discarding it, & it has just been reborn, reassembled with some internet-bought bits into a shiny newbattered old but undented Mini Maglite, several times brighter than when new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 April, 2016, 03:34:28 pm
gave some tlc to my ss bike and got it ready for the summer season. removed the mudguards, brackets, chainguard, re-adjusted the chainline, swapped the pedals and tyres. got rid of more than half a kilo in the process.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 April, 2016, 07:01:45 pm
Fitted a Hebie 368 chain guard to someone else's bike. These things are surprisingly fiddly to fit, especially when the guard is longer than the chain stays! Had to hacksaw the end off. At least this model fits without having to remove the cranks, although that does seem to make it rather fussier about straightness. Time will tell if it loosens.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 April, 2016, 09:10:42 pm
Replaced the front rim on HK's Moulton and laced up a replacement rear rim on my TSR. I do like Veloplugs; less weight is just one reason.

Now to fit the Campag headset to my TSR after dinner, and sometime sort out HK's front derailleur mount before tackling the wornout bits of our big bikes. Eventually I'll catch up, surely?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: simonp on 28 April, 2016, 12:52:45 am
New chain on the motorbike. What a bloody time consuming fiddly job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 29 April, 2016, 09:05:40 pm
After being very unhappy with the feel and noise of the freebie spare sintered pads I got with Ozzy I fitted some kevlar ones from Disco. Much easier to set up at least. I'll report back at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 April, 2016, 03:48:32 pm
I replaced the back tyre on the neighbour's grandson's bike.  It turned out to be a 24" x 2.0" tyre (from a distance it looks so much like 26", you wonder why they bothered inventing a new size) so I didn't have a spare one knocking around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 April, 2016, 04:27:38 pm
I've murdered some triffids.  Mild rain kept the allergens at bay, but generated suboptimal amounts of mud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 April, 2016, 04:30:31 pm
Cleaned windows (Glass, not OS) outside.
Spent as a result.
Will have to find/make the time to do the inside.
My home is at least 50% brighter as a result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 30 April, 2016, 04:36:13 pm
Replaced another broken spoke in my audax bike back wheel.

Not really sure what is happening with this wheel.   Decent build with Chrina rim, sapin db spokes and ultegra hub.   Bought from a fellow forumite a couple of years back.

The wheel is tight and true but it's snapped two spokes now.   I haven't had broken spokes for decades before this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 April, 2016, 06:37:56 pm
Cleaned the chain on the Mercian, as ianrauk might see it tomorrow.  A  Olympic class bit of pingfuckitry was involved: I rethreaded the chain the wrong side of the tab on the rear mech, so resplit the chain.  This was under tension, so went Spang!  flicking half of the joining link thingy into orbit to who knows where. Arse. Off to Evans to get a new one. By heck,that's a depressing shop.  All fixed now.

Also fixed slow puncture on the Pino, which turned out to be a leaky valve core, so applied tactical PTFE. Cleaned it too, in preparation for Long Itch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 30 April, 2016, 08:41:34 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 30 April, 2016, 04:36:13 pm
Replaced another broken spoke in my audax bike back wheel.

Not really sure what is happening with this wheel.   Decent build with Chrina rim, sapin db spokes and ultegra hub.   Bought from a fellow forumite a couple of years back.

The wheel is tight and true but it's snapped two spokes now.   I haven't had broken spokes for decades before this.
A diet maybe.?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 May, 2016, 10:08:32 am
Yesterday: stripped down the not-Tifosi to the bare frame. Today's task is cleaning it (it badly needs it) and putting it back together again...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 May, 2016, 11:03:01 am
Finished and fitted the rear wheel for my Moulton. Gradually getting through the maintenance backlog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 May, 2016, 10:15:51 pm
Changed the handlebars and stem on my trike for something that fits better and tweaked the front mech  Also resurrected the Ixon for my trike, along with enough rear lights. The front mech mount on HK's Moulton is finally up to scratch too.

Tomorrow is anti-rattle tape on the Trykit mudguard and trim the seatpost, refit an Ergopower to one of HK's Roberts and retape the bars. Should fit a mudguard light to my Frezoni and some mudflaps, might even give it a clean (along with my fixed).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 May, 2016, 10:30:55 pm
Yesterday's fettling involved fitting a new light bracket for my Cyo to replace the cracked one, and switching the better 80 lux Cyo Premium from my singlespeed onto my audax bike for the older Cyo it had before. It is a much better light spread and I was a lot happier riding yesterday night using it :)

Next job is to try and work out what's going wrong with the right shifter on that bike. For some reason when I go to move up to the 3rd cog on the back it feels like I've hit a stop and it resists shifting, but levering it again allows the shifter to swing fully and move up to the second cog. I can't see why it's doing it. This is a rather well worn 2200 shifter, so it may be wearing out I suppose, but it's confusing me anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 May, 2016, 11:27:15 am
Unwrapped, checked and reassembled my bike, after its journey home. No damage found and I remembered to put the seatpost at the right height!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 May, 2016, 08:57:41 pm
Anti-rattled the Trykit mudguard, tweaked the gears and trimmed 65g off the Ritchey seatpost. Replaced the front brake pads and both mudguards (old ones were cracked) on HK's Condor. Must get round to trimming the stays properly. Fitted a mudguard light and Yokozuna brake pads all round on the Frezoni and even cleaned it (mostly). The Scott-Mathauser pads were finally getting close to the metal, after being fitted last century.

Still haven't finished cabling and taping HK's non-coupled Roberts. It'll have to be done sometime this week, so she can use it next weekend. Mudflap material to be procured and fitted to several machines.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 02 May, 2016, 11:38:38 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 01 May, 2016, 10:08:32 am
Yesterday: stripped down the not-Tifosi to the bare frame. Today's task is cleaning it (it badly needs it) and putting it back together again...

...and it's done (except the bar tape, which I'll do tomorrow). Everything cleaned and bike rebuilt. It's all shiny and I don't really want to get it dirty again!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 03 May, 2016, 03:36:15 pm
Note to self:

When you get home put some wind in the back tyre and find out why the front brake has started not coming "off" fully.

Giving the bike a bit of a wash wouldn't go amiss either ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 03 May, 2016, 05:06:35 pm
Just put a belt onto the old washing machine.  Bloody hell that was impossible....... until I realised..... CABLE TIES!

Hook belt over motor spindle, feed onto drum wheel and cable tie in place.  Turn drum wheel, slash hands to pieces on sharp metal, and .... 3 second job.

Done.


Now to clean blood off surfaces before Mrs B gets back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 May, 2016, 07:52:08 pm
I cleaned up an old BR Eastern Region guard's paraffin lamp.  It's rather cool as it has built-in red and green* glasses.  The burner has a decent length wick and it all works perfectly.  I had to resolder the brass bezel which retains the round front glass, as it had come apart.

*actually blue, of course; paraffin lamps give off a very yellowish light and "signal green" is rather turquoise (look the next time you're passing a railway at night) to ensure it can't be confused with yellow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 05 May, 2016, 10:19:35 pm
I fettled this-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0257.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0257.jpg.html)

and this-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/a76b3e70-0177-45d9-bd80-1974266c705a.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/a76b3e70-0177-45d9-bd80-1974266c705a.jpg.html)

into this-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0259.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0259.jpg.html)

A new facility to store some of the bike club steeds.

Asgard motorcycle store.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 05 May, 2016, 10:34:24 pm
I have two Asgard boxes.  They get really damp inside and the slugs moved in and pooed all over everything.

They're very secure though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 May, 2016, 10:35:41 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 05 May, 2016, 10:34:24 pm
They get really damp inside and the slugs moved in and pooed all over everything.

 :hand: :hand: :hand:


Quote
They're very secure though.

I'd think twice about burgling them, with all those guard slugs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 May, 2016, 11:28:03 pm
Put some sharp gravel all round your shed Ruthie,  apparently they don't like it spiky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 May, 2016, 01:21:06 pm
Replaced the godawful venetian blind in the Estate Office with a roller blind.  Now I can use the Babbage-Engine even when it's sunny :thumbsup:  This has only taken two hours, including the trip to IKEA, or fifteen years, depending on when you start counting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 May, 2016, 01:22:46 pm
Legend has it that a trip to IKEA was what caused Einstein to come up with special relativity...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 May, 2016, 01:27:20 pm
Pffft!  IKEA is just another shop.  My weekly trip to Mr Sainsbury's House Of Toothy Comestibles usually takes longer than my average trip to IKEA, eve factoring in the additional travelling time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 May, 2016, 01:40:04 pm
Lies.

IKEA is a special circle of hell, constructed ineptly from a bad photocopy of plans drawn by Daedalus with all the annotations redacted.  It's also where middle-aged lesbians go to break up.

They do euro-sized bedding and scrubbing brushes shaped like space weevils though.  Those are good.  They're also the go-to supplier for Billys, penniless student oaf budget 19" racks (https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack), and Brompton covers (https://youtu.be/jVmQBHwHwSQ).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 May, 2016, 01:46:05 pm
They propped open the "staff only" door into the showroom today thus removing the requirement to ascend a flight of stairs only to immediately have to come back down, which was clearly the work of a madman.  It also helps if you know where the shortcuts in the maze are.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 06 May, 2016, 01:55:52 pm
So Ikea has the distinction of being a demonstration of quantum tunnelling, and why photons take millions of years to travel from a star's core to the outside, despite it being mere light-seconds in a straight line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 May, 2016, 03:56:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 May, 2016, 01:40:04 pm
Lies.

IKEA is a special circle of hell, constructed ineptly from a bad photocopy of plans drawn by Daedalus with all the annotations redacted.  It's also where middle-aged lesbians go to break up.

They do euro-sized bedding and scrubbing brushes shaped like space weevils though.  Those are good.  They're also the go-to supplier for Billys, penniless student oaf budget 19" racks (https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack), and Brompton covers (https://youtu.be/jVmQBHwHwSQ).

Excuse me, it is where couples go to argue and break up, not just lesbians.

I like it for the hot dogs at the end but even they aren't as nice as they were.  Or jelly in the restaurant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 May, 2016, 03:59:12 pm
Taking apart a kenwood chef to see why the speed controller isn't working right, then noticed how dirty it was inside so slowly cleaning out the gunk.  We are not talking in the internals just in the behind the covers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 May, 2016, 09:47:21 pm
I dug a deep grave for SO's pet rat, who has been in her fridge since Wednesday and, for logistical reasons, is going to watch Oxford United's possible promotion game tomorrow afternoon.

Yes, it's all a bit surreal, but not quite as surreal as trying to scatter the ashes of said rat's predecessor on the Malvern Hills when we found the pet crematorium had sealed the box with wax and I had to improvise tools to get into it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 May, 2016, 09:43:22 pm
No longer working kenwood chef...arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 May, 2016, 10:39:30 pm
Send it to kenwood chef repairs they'll make it all better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 07 May, 2016, 11:18:49 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 05 May, 2016, 10:19:35 pm
I fettled this-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0257.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0257.jpg.html)

and this-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/a76b3e70-0177-45d9-bd80-1974266c705a.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/a76b3e70-0177-45d9-bd80-1974266c705a.jpg.html)

into this-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0259.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0259.jpg.html)

A new facility to store some of the bike club steeds.

Asgard motorcycle store.

Well, here is the majority of the fleet tucked up in bed-

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0260.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0260.jpg.html)

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/Photo0261.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/Photo0261.jpg.html)

Nearest the camera are two hand cycles with the rear wheels removed and stacked. Behind the hand cycles is a folded ICE Adventure and an upright trike. Against the back wall are 4 BMX's and a kiddie cruiser style bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 May, 2016, 03:47:42 pm
Refitted the front and rear lights to the Renegade, due to them having been removed for the catalonia jaunt. I also cleaned some of the mud off it, don't want to clean it all off as it encases memories!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 09 May, 2016, 06:35:35 pm
Fettled a gigantic tangle of hair which apparently happened overnight, by removimg it from the back of my gulliver with the aid of a pair of scissors :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 May, 2016, 05:40:20 pm
I dusted off the Soot bike for yesterday's commute, as a shake-down for a ride this weekend.
Put some wind in the tyres, and off I went.

After spending much time and effort getting the commuter bike's transmission silky sweet and silent,
I was disappointed with a pedal-rate ...rrrrr....rrrrr....rrrrr....rrrr...
It sounded *exactly* like the chain rubbing slightly on the sideplate of the front mech, but no amount of trimming the mech helped.
I could see it was not touching.

On the stand last night, It was clear the noise was just chain-noise, of the chain going onto the chainring.
It looked to be moving a bit rough as it ran onto the chainring, but there were no stiff links that I could feel.
It was less than 0.5 worn using the Park gauge.
So I just cleaned and lubed the chain.

Total silence on today's shake-down ride :-)

I can't believe how much noise the chain made for want of a bit of lube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 12 May, 2016, 06:40:56 pm
I wired the cable to the SP hub properly.

And Lo, there was Light.

(There was also tetchiness, heavy sighs and 'leaving you to it').
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 12 May, 2016, 06:53:10 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 06 May, 2016, 03:56:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 May, 2016, 01:40:04 pm
Lies.

IKEA is a special circle of hell, constructed ineptly from a bad photocopy of plans drawn by Daedalus with all the annotations redacted.  It's also where middle-aged lesbians go to break up.

They do euro-sized bedding and scrubbing brushes shaped like space weevils though.  Those are good.  They're also the go-to supplier for Billys, penniless student oaf budget 19" racks (https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack), and Brompton covers (https://youtu.be/jVmQBHwHwSQ).

Excuse me, it is where couples go to argue and break up, not just lesbians.

I like it for the hot dogs at the end but even they aren't as nice as they were.  Or jelly in the restaurant.

Word has it that Stan 'itself' designed Ikea stores.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 12 May, 2016, 11:52:43 pm
Interesting. I will have to test this after July 14th, which is when our local Ikea is scheduled to open. Do new Ikea shops keep to the traditional interior layout principles?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 May, 2016, 12:25:00 am
Non-Euclidean, you mean?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 13 May, 2016, 11:35:03 am
Quote from: Kim on 13 May, 2016, 12:25:00 am
Non-Euclidean, you mean?

Though I'm sure there's no truth to any rumour that Ikea name their products by randomly flicking through an H. P. Lovecraft anthology... :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 13 May, 2016, 11:57:57 am
I didn't know Yog Sothoth came flat-packed!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 13 May, 2016, 12:17:40 pm
Emergency fettling of my Ribble for tomorrow's 300 - I've neglected it for a while. I thought I might get away with just wiping the chain down, but as I suspected, the bottom bracket is fucked, so I've had to fit the spare, and I'm fitting the replacement brakes while I'm at it. Just the rear to go, and I'll probably fit a new cable while I'm at it. I might take it for a quick shakedown too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 May, 2016, 01:06:45 pm
Swapped a Cambium saddle from HK's Condor and the Keo pedals from her trike onto her remaining Roberts and fitted a QR Bagman last night and taped the bars this morning. She is set for the BCM now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MagnusOpus on 13 May, 2016, 04:40:55 pm
Started my next project last night......

86ish Saracen Conquest that I've had for some time and really love.....has lovely original nitto stem and bars.....but the bars have very little backsweep and so knacker my wrists after a few hours riding.....

Sooooo.....I'm giving her upside down North Road bars......sadly the original stem is for 22.2 bars and doesn't really have enough rise or reach.....so has to go.....I'm also giving her some new fat cream tyres....and she's in need of a good stripping and rebuiliding as she was my winter commuter this year and has been chucked in the shed ever since I got my kingfisher finished.....

Last night I started figuring out if the bars would work, and it's looking good!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 13 May, 2016, 06:32:53 pm
Just fixed my Epson scanner. After 10 years service it was intermittently failing to power up then this week refused point blank.

PSU block tested out OK so I delved into the scanner. It was ridiculous easy to take apart. No weird anti-tamper screws of glued together bits just about 10 normal philips screws to remove and the system board was out.

Flipped it over an there was the most obvious dry joint ever on the power connector. On leg was waving in the breeze !

A quick touch of the soldering iron and it was fixed.

The Aoyue 937 solder station (thanks for the recommendation Kim) now officially owes me nothing as it cost less than a new scanner would have.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 May, 2016, 08:15:28 pm
Not fettled yet, but diagnosed.

File this one under 'Numpty plumber'.

We have a PV array that came with a neat device which diverts any spare electrons into our immersion heater, rather than to the grid.

A numpty plumber installed a new shower pump last year which was much quieter than the original failed unit. It took us a while to notice that with no taps running the pump was cycling on and off, but only occasionally, and then it stopped doing it and we forgot all about it.

It started doing it again earlier this year. We finally worked out that it only did it when it was sunny.

I traced the wiring today.

The cable for the immersion heater runs through a switch, then the cunning box of electronics that determines when to use the spare electrons, and then on to the immersion heater itself. This cable should be a dedicated line straight from the consumer unit, which it was. Until the numpty plumber decided to run a new socket off this line to plug the pump into. It appears that the voltage change when the box of electronics does its stuff is causing the pump to cycle on and off.

Sheesh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 May, 2016, 11:37:43 am
More a fail to fettle. For the last 3 or 4 months I have been riding the Renegade with tubeless up front but a tube in the rear (tyre, stop sniggering back there). This was because I did the front conversion then ran out of tuits. So I found some tuits today and set about converting the rear. After much swearing, and an hour and a half I gave up and put the tube back in. I was so pissed off I washed my wife's car, instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 May, 2016, 05:48:00 pm
After building a lighter front wheel (DT ceramic rim and matching pads), HK's S&S-coupled trike is now around 12.5kg with lights, bidon cages and GPS mount. It isn't going to be the 12kg I was hoping for. A little more will come off when the Ritchey stem and lighter Keo pedals arrive but she wants some gel under the handlebar tape when it gets replaced. Even hardcore weight watching with Ti/ Al bolts, smaller granny ring and a more expensive cassette won't cut much.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 14 May, 2016, 06:03:50 pm
Summer weight duvet.    :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 14 May, 2016, 06:50:02 pm
I GAMI to fettle the cat litter tray that was the side of my house.  He fettled it with a pressure washer and a spade.

I can't believe the difference.  The smell must have been even worse than I realised because when I go out of my back door it smells so fresh, it's actually noticeable.

£30 mates-rates very well spent.  Plus two coffees and a cupcake and a big hug.

I is happy now 'cos I can sit in my back yard and drink tea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 May, 2016, 08:06:47 pm
Maybe some deterrents to try, Ruthie http://catsaway.org/cat-repellent-plants/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 May, 2016, 08:53:06 pm
I primed and sprayed an old LMS wagon "D" plate black (yesterday I wire brushed it and did it with rust converter, which worked amazingly well on rusty cast iron).  Needs the white lettering picked out with a small brush then it can go on the garden wall as a curio.

It's amazing to think there was a time when an economic way to make hundreds of thousands of numbers for wagons was for a guy to cast each one individually using its own sand mould and to use 2kg of molten iron.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 May, 2016, 01:56:09 pm
Quote from: spesh on 13 May, 2016, 11:35:03 am
Quote from: Kim on 13 May, 2016, 12:25:00 am
Non-Euclidean, you mean?

Though I'm sure there's no truth to any rumour that Ikea name their products by randomly flicking through an H. P. Lovecraft anthology... :demon:
It is from the swedish translation of the policeman spy from 'allo,'allo
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 May, 2016, 08:20:16 pm
Diagnosis and temporary fettling, part the first.

So Junior complains that the $ky TV is breaking up on some channels.
Investigates.
Signal strength rather poor, and quality worse.
Bum.

Go look at the dish and multi-switch wiring.

Hmm, the dish is looking directly through a huge tree that's just sprouted all it's leaves.
That'll be the problem.
I'm going to have to move the dish.

So I've built a wooden stand thing which I can clamp the dish to, and try it in different spots, to see where I can get a good enough clear view of the sky.

There's going to be a bunch of testing before I bolt the dish to its new spot.
And then the usual bumped heads and grazed knees from the new cable runs in the void spaces back to the multiswitch.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 May, 2016, 08:32:08 pm
Or you could fell the tree...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 May, 2016, 08:41:53 pm
No, it's a lovely big old Beech.
It's staying where it is.

A bit of dish jibbling is a small price to pay to have nice mature trees in the landscape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hbunnet on 15 May, 2016, 09:08:53 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 15 May, 2016, 08:41:53 pm
A bit of dish jibbling is a small price to pay to have nice mature trees in the landscape.
Correct
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 15 May, 2016, 09:42:03 pm
Washed the cream sofa covers.

In the process of putting them back on I skinned all my knuckles and bled all over them.

Know what?  They can stay like that  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 15 May, 2016, 10:06:48 pm
Re-pointed patio area and path leading to shed; oh, and I fixed a punctured inner tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 May, 2016, 10:49:41 pm
A non-rotating AW hub into a rotating AW. Then sufficiently fettled it into a real three speed wiv a working monkey chain'n'evryfink...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 17 May, 2016, 05:56:28 pm
A kubb set.

(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/Long%20Itch%201%202016/20160517_172221_zpspo57vs5e.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 May, 2016, 06:43:58 pm
Quote from: Vince on 17 May, 2016, 05:56:28 pm
A kubb set.

(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/Long%20Itch%201%202016/20160517_172221_zpspo57vs5e.jpg)

Heh. My work here is done.  (almost done, actually, as I still need to email Polar Bear a set of rules)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 May, 2016, 06:17:40 pm
16 pages since I last looked at this thread. My bikes are neglected.

I am Rohloffing. I have just replaced the sprocket (smug) like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD2K1lrES4E

I think the one I was putting on there must have done 8000 miles now, because I think that was the last time I replaced the sprocket, and my bike has now completed 34000 miles. The curious thing is that I have 4 new chains. I don't remember buying so many.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 May, 2016, 07:27:03 pm
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13259997_1614856458833557_2135554498821708379_n.jpg?oh=5da2db8d00fee28585b3cdb50efc39eb&oe=579AF48A)

Clean!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 20 May, 2016, 07:51:31 pm
Replaced the rear disc on the Croix de Fer.  It was down to 1.1 mm thick thin.  That explains why it was difficult getting the wheel out  :-[

Took the opportunity to strip, clean and repack the bearings.  I hate doing bearings !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 May, 2016, 08:19:53 pm
replaced the rear derailleur on my Orbea with a new-ish 105 one, but find the previously perfect length cable for the tiagra version is too short due to different cable entry.

Trip to LBS tomorrow for new cable, cable outer end thingies.  Fettling required to get the shifting right.

Reinflated the CO2 empty MTB front tyre (after previous fairy attack), also reinflated the rear - suspect slow fairy attack on that one.  Does CO2 leak out more quickly?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 May, 2016, 09:36:23 pm
Yes. It leaks through rubber quite easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 20 May, 2016, 09:43:05 pm
As a science tech, I know that balloons filled with carbon dioxide go down deflate quicker than those filled with hydrogen...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 May, 2016, 09:44:05 pm
My reference above to having 4 new chains was wrong: two of them were about 3/4 of a chain each, no doubt the remainders after having put a new timing chain on the tandem. I must have done that twice. Next time I will need to buy only one chain!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2016, 10:08:57 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 20 May, 2016, 09:43:05 pm
As a science tech, I know that balloons filled with carbon dioxide go down deflate quicker than those filled with hydrogen...
ISTR that CO2 is chemically soluble in rubber so actually dissolves through it, rather than effusing through the pores in the rubber in the way one might expect.  Helium also escapes faster than air  but that is because it is a super-small molecule (just an atom, in fact) and gets through the tiniest pore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 20 May, 2016, 10:23:39 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 20 May, 2016, 09:44:05 pm
My reference above to having 4 new chains was wrong: two of them were about 3/4 of a chain each, no doubt the remainders after having put a new timing chain on the tandem. I must have done that twice. Next time I will need to buy only one chain!
Combine them!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 May, 2016, 11:52:00 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 20 May, 2016, 10:23:39 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 20 May, 2016, 09:44:05 pm
My reference above to having 4 new chains was wrong: two of them were about 3/4 of a chain each, no doubt the remainders after having put a new timing chain on the tandem. I must have done that twice. Next time I will need to buy only one chain!
Combine them!  :thumbsup:
I shall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 May, 2016, 08:29:07 am
Wow:

Quote
My mountain bike is sweeter, but my valley bike is fatter.

The yobbos deemed it meeter, to carry off the latter..?

(The original of which, incidentally, is the only instance I've ever seen of the comparative of "meet".  Lovely Rita, meeter maid....)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 22 May, 2016, 08:03:49 am
Early start to fettling today, one load of (very muddy) mountain biking clothes on to wash, then I turned my attention to the rear wheel of the Renegade. It still had a tube in it, my previous attempt at changing it to tubeless having failed. After that failure I revisited the YouTube videos and realised that a) I need to take the valve core out for initial inflation (using a track pump) and b) DO NOT rest the wheel on the ground during inflation. So I removed the valve core and hung the wheel from the repair stand, with a bungee strap.

Success! Tyre now at max pressure, shall leave it that way for the rest of the day and stick the gunk in later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 May, 2016, 03:05:10 pm
Washed the Brompton.
Garden hose, soft car brush, hot water,  that kind of thing.
It had acquired a film of mud / cinders from being ridden along the canal tow path from Leamington Spa station to the Long Itch campsite, and back again.
And muck has no place onna Brompton.
As we all know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 22 May, 2016, 06:48:40 pm
Removed half of Cannock Chase from Ozzy and repaired the connection on the dynamo
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 22 May, 2016, 07:13:35 pm
One of the wee jobs I was going to get Dad  :'( to do, swap the hinges on the fridge / freezer doors so the opened the opposite way.

Managed to fettle it myself!   :thumbsup:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/BrianInnes/fridgeywidgey.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 May, 2016, 07:16:44 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 22 May, 2016, 03:05:10 pm
And muck has no place onna Brompton.
As we all know.

Someone really needs to tell the muck this...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 22 May, 2016, 08:14:59 pm
after 3000km swapped the tyres around, the front seems almost new, the rear is worn a tiny bit. this way i should get another 5-6000k or so from them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 May, 2016, 10:37:33 pm
Almost at breakfast on the FNRttC, I helped remove a chain from betwixt large sprocket and spokes. The usual method of swearing and pulling failed, as did poking hopefully with a screwdriver, so mmmmartin produced his NBT2 and foom! the chain was free. Then half a mile closer to the FEB we stopped again, this time to remove a badly twisted link. The word of the  day was "riving".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 May, 2016, 01:15:53 pm
Changed brake blocks on son's cantilevers.

Then got carried away and set out to replace parts on the Pompino that proved embarrassingly worn out on its last Audax. Fitted new pads where the brake blocks had once been. New chainring and chain. Freed up the corroded chain tugs.

Then got the MTB down ready for Thursday's ride with the Scouts. Discovered that rear tyre had not only a puncture but a small patch where the rubber is missing and canvas shows. Ordered new tyre (and one for spare). Fixed puncture in spare tube, will do the rear tube when I fit the new tyre.

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 May, 2016, 01:27:09 pm
I put a new switch in an LED camping lantern.
The switch, a push switch designed for foot operation, is probably worth more than the lantern, but it can out of the spares box so its free.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 25 May, 2016, 02:04:20 pm
Got a text, this morning, from the LBS to say that the seat clamp I had ordered had arrived. I needed to go to town, anyway, so went and picked it up. Nothing much happening this afternoon so I decided to fit it and my well worn Brooks, to the Renegade. All went well until I snapped the seat binder bolt!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 26 May, 2016, 08:33:20 pm
Sorted and packed the box of cycle parts that aren't quite bad enough to chuck.

So I will shortly be needing a 26mm dia seat pin, a right hand pedal, a Stronglight left hand crank with permanently attached BB axle and 3 26" inner tubes.

I did keep the Knightrider lamp and brackets. No idea why as I suspect only perfect examples will gain any value.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 28 May, 2016, 09:08:48 pm
A new fork onto the dale, this required manufacturing a bearing cup press from rebar and GBFO washers.

The trails beckon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 28 May, 2016, 09:44:30 pm
That was quick!

Pictures?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 29 May, 2016, 05:33:42 am
Here you go tors

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7410/27248667491_780a72c0e6_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/HvSxvV)

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7149/27285620856_c083e7cb18_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Hz8WsU)

Still needs the steerer cut, some chunkier rubber and Laine would quite like her brake back, the hose is a touch short on this fork anyway, but a spin round the estate and all seems good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 29 May, 2016, 12:52:01 pm
Last minute fettlage on the Thorn Nomad before taking it to France on Tuesday.

Front mudguard was damaged during my last flight, rear mudguard mounts had sheared, so a complete new set of guards. 

That was hard work,  Thorn believe mudguards shouldn't rattle & bolt them to the frame.  So a new pair of SKS had to be drilled & dremelled to fit.  There was swearing.

Chain cleaned, lubed & EBB adjusted.   Still to do is refit the front rack & do an oil change on the Rohloff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 May, 2016, 07:49:32 pm
A shedde. Yesterday I helped my grate frend Nic unmolish a shedde. Today we remolished it some two furlongs from where it originally stood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 May, 2016, 11:02:43 pm
Fettled by proxy, my lawnmower, now all tickety boo

Orbea now running silent, next in line MTB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 May, 2016, 09:33:36 am
Fixed the curtain rail, in the dining room, with a gorilla.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 May, 2016, 10:39:55 am
Quote from: tiermat on 30 May, 2016, 09:33:36 am
Fixed the curtain rail, in the dining room, with a gorilla.

Don't let the gorilla near TLD unless you have a marksman at hand (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36407643) :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 30 May, 2016, 02:16:23 pm
Started a new project, seeing as it's Bank Holiday Monday!

(https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7717/26742654394_1886272814_b.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 30 May, 2016, 08:45:14 pm
The Forbidden Planet . . . ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 30 May, 2016, 10:49:15 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 30 May, 2016, 08:45:14 pm
The Forbidden Planet . . . ?

Lost in Space, I think.

There is a guy in our village who has scratch-built a full size one (http://www.strawson.freeuk.com/b9/b9part1.htm), remote controlled.
I bought a circular saw off him.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 June, 2016, 05:06:19 pm
A metal plant stand, too tall to go in the greenhouse so chopped it's head off at the four corners and fatigued the remains welds to failure until the required bits came off in my hand. Then dremmeled the sharp bits smooth.

Surprised how much heat the fatigue-by-wiggling generated at the point of failure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 June, 2016, 10:19:39 am
Cut the Road Morph bracket off my bike (sob) to put on the Inlaw Paw's walker so that he can clip his stick to it.

Went to order a replacement and could only find one in furrin parts - SJS Cycles, bless their cotton socks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Legs on 03 June, 2016, 10:31:11 am
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13333018_10207840371101115_7745182657196531249_n.jpg?oh=3c36167a7b5c7453d2ea1ac77f8fee82&oe=57CD1AE4)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13330903_10207840369141066_3023380440417778825_n.jpg?oh=7042e4aa4240b99a4742229ea98d8874&oe=57C8493C)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339497_10207840371821133_389925212278644936_n.jpg?oh=611c553235c079e0e920023e77c35fa5&oe=57CE1A86)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13319940_10207840371941136_2156625571293559996_n.jpg?oh=cacf1c475fc20fcfcaf5cf6959f8bccc&oe=57C4A1E0)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13344726_10207840372941161_1501101872674043295_n.jpg?oh=1743a8754b77c9275f2f21f732c52dd7&oe=57C42BF9)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13319983_10207857448728045_1885853967335152057_n.jpg?oh=73b7ca1b7bf057029e9e67e814efcd54&oe=57D4691F)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13321680_10207857448768046_7607533701561486095_n.jpg?oh=1399494475f6fcdd744a997485710def&oe=57D16A07)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13322030_10207857452728145_6148208131179950573_n.jpg?oh=58fcda35e54b2eb5eca73bb7040931be&oe=57D1C4FD)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 June, 2016, 10:44:54 am
That looks like a nice job.  The wee chap looks as if he's waiting for someone to pass him the oars. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Legs on 03 June, 2016, 11:17:35 am
Thanks T42.  I'll confess that I've only really been Saw-Wielder-In-Chief on this project, and that Mrs Legs has taken on the dual roles of Architect and Principal Put-Togetherer.  She's had the week off work and now the other seat has been upholstered and the remaining cladding panels (kitchen cupboard doors to match the rest of the kitchen) have been affixed.  There's a backrest in the offing, too...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 June, 2016, 02:52:45 pm
Yebbut it's the quality of cutting that makes the piece - that and the grind of turning out n identical pieces.  I only once attempted a piece with more than 2 drawers - too boring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 03 June, 2016, 04:27:25 pm
Not me but Pcolbeck junior. Just tried buffing the very fogged headlights on his Yaris with toothpaste. I was going to get him a Turtlewax kit to do this but amazingly the toothpaste worked a treat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 04 June, 2016, 07:31:17 pm
^ Solvol Autosol also works - dunno if it is better / quicker.

Today, for m'friend Julie from Whitstable, I fettled a new front changer on to her B'Twin Triban (the H/L adjusters had fallen prey to irrecoverable corrosion).
New brake cables, inner and outer.
New gear cables, inner and outer.
Adjusted the lot so that it works.
Dealt with a shed load of corrosion in the process.
As a result, now am pooped.
Fabricating foam pads for the bars and taping the bars can wait until tomorrow.
Is it wine o'clock yet?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 June, 2016, 08:30:26 pm
Fitted a new rear tyre  and a Campag headset to my Moulton. Campag can't seem to design a really good headset but there aren't many 1" threadless options out there. Still need to fit the mudguards and discover some missing bolts to get it ready for next weekend's Bordeaux-Paris. Hopefully flooding won't get the brevet cancelled.

Fitted a lighter stem and pedals to HK's trike. There aren't too many viable weightloss options left - a lighter cassette when this one wears out and some replacement bolts is probably as far as I'll go, so it won't get under 12kg. Readjusted the brakes on HK's trike after her first spin with a ceramic rim. I'll be glad when the rim is worn in and am happy that I've got some spare ceramic pads.

I've swapped a freehub fitted with proper bearings onto a tired Kysrium, so that Thing2 has a bike to ride. I still need to fit a saddlepack and her saddle and pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 June, 2016, 08:34:51 pm
On the subject of 1" threadless headsets, Token make one that is a) cheap, b) easily available and c) reliable, in my experience.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 June, 2016, 05:59:27 pm
Looking at a numatic george to fix it.  Wonder if I should leave it as a carpet cleaner and sod the dry vacuum cleaner bit as I have a henry for that.

Then I still have to fettle the kenwood mixer.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 05 June, 2016, 06:05:28 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 04 June, 2016, 07:31:17 pm
^ Solvol Autosol also works - dunno if it is better / quicker.

Today, for m'friend Julie from Whitstable, I fettled a new front changer on to her B'Twin Triban (the H/L adjusters had fallen prey to irrecoverable corrosion).
New brake cables, inner and outer.
New gear cables, inner and outer.
Adjusted the lot so that it works.
Dealt with a shed load of corrosion in the process.
As a result, now am pooped.
Fabricating foam pads for the bars and taping the bars can wait until tomorrow.
Is it wine o'clock yet?
Bars foamed and taped.
Job done.
I swear I heard the bike say 'Wanna go for a ride'...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 June, 2016, 06:58:53 pm
Put a hammock up in the garden, which was, in short order, occupied by TLD.

So I went off to wash my bike, which led me on to washing Mrs T's car.

I then tried to read for a little bit before cooking dinner.

Worn out, now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 June, 2016, 02:43:52 pm
Quote from: Legs on 03 June, 2016, 10:31:11 am
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13333018_10207840371101115_7745182657196531249_n.jpg?oh=3c36167a7b5c7453d2ea1ac77f8fee82&oe=57CD1AE4)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13330903_10207840369141066_3023380440417778825_n.jpg?oh=7042e4aa4240b99a4742229ea98d8874&oe=57C8493C)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339497_10207840371821133_389925212278644936_n.jpg?oh=611c553235c079e0e920023e77c35fa5&oe=57CE1A86)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13319940_10207840371941136_2156625571293559996_n.jpg?oh=cacf1c475fc20fcfcaf5cf6959f8bccc&oe=57C4A1E0)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13344726_10207840372941161_1501101872674043295_n.jpg?oh=1743a8754b77c9275f2f21f732c52dd7&oe=57C42BF9)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13319983_10207857448728045_1885853967335152057_n.jpg?oh=73b7ca1b7bf057029e9e67e814efcd54&oe=57D4691F)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13321680_10207857448768046_7607533701561486095_n.jpg?oh=1399494475f6fcdd744a997485710def&oe=57D16A07)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13322030_10207857452728145_6148208131179950573_n.jpg?oh=58fcda35e54b2eb5eca73bb7040931be&oe=57D1C4FD)
Smart stuff.  :thumbsup: And you had time to fettle a toddler while making furniture!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 June, 2016, 02:46:51 pm
I'm still in the middle of some far more mundane fettling. I've fitted a new derailleur, cassette, chain and gear cable, and – nearly – got it all to work properly, with much twiddling of limit stops and B screws. Really need to shorten the chain some more but the quick link is refusing to open for what would be its third time. Not sure if this is something to be worried about (I don't usually worry about chains) and it's not too long, only longer than ideal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 08 June, 2016, 04:31:40 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 30 May, 2016, 10:49:15 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 30 May, 2016, 08:45:14 pm
The Forbidden Planet . . . ?

Lost in Space, I think.

There is a guy in our village who has scratch-built a full size one (http://www.strawson.freeuk.com/b9/b9part1.htm), remote controlled.
I bought a circular saw off him.

Oooh, that's a great website! Wish I had woodworking-fu skills....  yes, the kit I'm building is a 1:6 scale B9 Robot from Lost in Space.  Apparantly, for a fair bit of money, you can buy electronic gubbins to add sound and light to the finished kit... Shame no UK suppliers...


At the moment the build is going rather slowly...  lacking a bit of mojo at the moment.

Bike fettling wise, I've dug the suspension fork out the loft which was previously fitted to my decathlon mtbso.  Seeing as I'll eventually have a functioning touring bike for commuting purposes, it'd be fun to get my mtb back to being a mtb.  Hopefully it'll be relatively quick to fit the fork, then out for a nice evening bimble!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 09 June, 2016, 09:35:05 am
Here she is, sans rack and with "suspension" fork fitted - I believe it's a Suntour fork as supplied by btwin on their rockrider bikes.

Quite a weight difference between the suspension fork, but my postie shoulders preferred the much more comfortable ride that the suspension gave! 

The bike handled much better without the rack as well.   So perhaps if I ever go for a bikepacking trip with the mtbso, I'll invest in some frame bags!

(https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7451/26948011973_d6ac43de0f_c.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Legs on 09 June, 2016, 11:06:41 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 06 June, 2016, 02:43:52 pm
Quote from: Legs on 03 June, 2016, 10:31:11 am
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13333018_10207840371101115_7745182657196531249_n.jpg?oh=3c36167a7b5c7453d2ea1ac77f8fee82&oe=57CD1AE4)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13330903_10207840369141066_3023380440417778825_n.jpg?oh=7042e4aa4240b99a4742229ea98d8874&oe=57C8493C)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339497_10207840371821133_389925212278644936_n.jpg?oh=611c553235c079e0e920023e77c35fa5&oe=57CE1A86)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13319940_10207840371941136_2156625571293559996_n.jpg?oh=cacf1c475fc20fcfcaf5cf6959f8bccc&oe=57C4A1E0)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13344726_10207840372941161_1501101872674043295_n.jpg?oh=1743a8754b77c9275f2f21f732c52dd7&oe=57C42BF9)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13319983_10207857448728045_1885853967335152057_n.jpg?oh=73b7ca1b7bf057029e9e67e814efcd54&oe=57D4691F)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13321680_10207857448768046_7607533701561486095_n.jpg?oh=1399494475f6fcdd744a997485710def&oe=57D16A07)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13322030_10207857452728145_6148208131179950573_n.jpg?oh=58fcda35e54b2eb5eca73bb7040931be&oe=57D1C4FD)
Smart stuff.  :thumbsup: And you had time to fettle a toddler while making furniture!
Cheers, Cudzo.  Next instalment:
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339621_10207912632187597_6825762266120064549_n.jpg?oh=a14c6f7ae1ec390ed27661fad340577e&oe=58044CD1)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13344622_10207912632147596_3050227694724777929_n.jpg?oh=cd9791a5228f199105c38e25281dd82c&oe=580C8ED7)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13335809_10207912632027593_1689009353441311506_n.jpg?oh=0e4179c30438fecd67933fa93cafb61f&oe=57C5A936)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13332959_10207912638587757_106917649541024809_n.jpg?oh=3485a6776772b1a702654e81beb9fc53&oe=580F243A)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 17 June, 2016, 01:41:00 pm
My Dawes Horizon (2008, vintage) rebuild project is coming along very nicely now.

V brakes working like a charm,  Front & rear mechs fitted, bar end shifters fitted and cables connected.  Much to my amazement, they actually work!   :thumbsup:

Just need to tweak the front & rear mechs, tidy up the cables, fit the bar tape, then I may get a test ride soon!   :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Although still mudguards and rack etc to fit.  But mostly ready to roll soon!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 18 June, 2016, 08:50:05 pm
A rocket stove

First to find the things to make it from..... an old paint pot and a bit of metal

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9y9IPcCP9Jo/V2WjTp_muLI/AAAAAAAA4oo/NFCflV1rFws_J8oR2Ee1hkUNx8RzmBUcACCo/s640/IMG_20160618_135943.jpg)

Cut to size
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tSl6SQ0hxwg/V2WjXwbixAI/AAAAAAAA4no/1vGdkZ3nlwQO2hHVzRBEaEXV07yySaqoACCo/s640/IMG_20160618_140824.jpg)

bashed about a bit

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eIzo4gmS02w/V2Wjbq0ghqI/AAAAAAAA4nw/4oLPOBbSQ98kSVQNv0AuXQKxsrQuR9E9wCCo/s640/IMG_20160618_142545.jpg)

attention turns to the paint pot

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-190X8B_d8_Y/V2Wjemzf3cI/AAAAAAAA4n4/9kYlz2DdGesKGJgBKj4XW3tYnIEvLh0QACCo/s640/IMG_20160618_143728.jpg)

nearly there

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S6ITs_kUKKM/V2WjguD4eHI/AAAAAAAA4os/nz9J_8vyypgzfEv-yY3_pBGLhvYO8FOWgCCo/s640/IMG_20160618_145728.jpg)

added pea shingle and sharp sand, firebox venting
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qQF1Yjdq1Lo/V2Wjil9KJKI/AAAAAAAA4os/-himPAyCIwY7ZavfpfytlcwNLfAD044MwCCo/s640/IMG_20160618_151347.jpg)

testing testing testing.... hmm the wood needs to be shorter

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QsY1jmyjoQA/V2WjpexPfMI/AAAAAAAA4os/CHZP7-Bx5A4oxfoVgDC9tgI3ZKsYU6YWgCCo/s640/IMG_20160618_152757.jpg)

Geronimo!

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rh0_sw8sQ00/V2WjyBK3wVI/AAAAAAAA4os/SCFWTkiHfj4Gyev8JzuneJyGkwpxKMi3wCCo/s640/IMG_20160618_175118.jpg)

Tea-licious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 June, 2016, 09:52:07 pm
Replaced the wornout saddle on HK's MTB commuter, fitted a Topeak bag to HK's trike, refitted the mudguard taillight to my fixed and the handlebars to my Moulton. Deflinted several tyres and condemned a couple of them.

My trike is again in specialist care because the headtube measures about 30.0mm along one axis and about 30.4mm along the other. To be brassed up, recut and rattle canned by Trykit. I've had the thing close to a year now, enjoyed one decent ride (with a high speed front tyre blowout) and just keep finding one issue after another that keeps it off the road. So far the headset, BB, handlebars, stem, tyres, a brake calliper, derailleur hanger, both derailleurs, cables, cranks, seatpost, pedals, chain and freewheel have been changed. A little surprising on something advertised as just overhauled and ready to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 June, 2016, 09:54:18 pm
very good, I've seen a way to make one of those out of a section of dead tree

Personal fettling amounted to much head scratching over boom length and seat drilling.

I know now the former is too long, and that I drilled the latter in the wrong place.  Next fettling is to solve those two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 June, 2016, 07:49:10 am
Made my first acquaintance with Sugru, putting a blob of it on the push-button unit of a Friedland wireless bell-push so as to hang it on a cord that the Inlaw Paw can wear round his neck.  We have multiple bell units set around the house so that he can call us in emergencies, but he was always losing track of the push-button.  Now we have to make sure he puts it on in the morning, doesn't take it off and doesn't dip it in his tea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 June, 2016, 01:19:04 pm
Pingu & I dismantled the small pallet our stove came on. It appeared to be the most well made pallet in history and took a while to destroy. I don't think I will be getting pallets on a regular basis, it's too much like hard work!

Then I got the bits of wood that used to hold up our crappy alcove and took all the hundreds of screws out of them. They were quite stuck so involved the use of the z-shaped screwdriver things again. That was boring.

Then I decided I would cut some of these bits of wood up into stove type lengths. With a hand saw. I did one whole length and then I gave up and just chopped the other 2 bits in half to make for easier storage.

I see now why real wood freaks have chainsaws and such.

I'm knackered now.

Also, my neighbour has acquired a pile of about 20 pallets which she plans to build a summerhouse with. If nothing else today I have learned not to get roped into helping her dismantle them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 June, 2016, 03:49:50 pm
11 burgers - Pork, beef, Guinness & Dijon mustard - seeing as you asked. Now in the freezer.
1 haircut.
Still to come:
Delia's spicy chicken x 4 portions, two of which will become packed lunches.
3 x Smoked salmon, chillied rice, rocket, dill, dill cucumber, toms, spring onions - packed lunches.
Chain adjust and oil. Brakes adjust. Both on the fixer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 19 June, 2016, 07:06:36 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 19 June, 2016, 03:49:50 pm
11 burgers - Pork, beef, Guinness & Dijon mustard - seeing as you asked. Now in the freezer.
1 haircut.
Still to come:
Delia's spicy chicken x 4 portions, two of which will become packed lunches.
3 x Smoked salmon, chillied rice, rocket, dill, dill cucumber, toms, spring onions - packed lunches.
Chain adjust and oil. Brakes adjust. Both on the fixer.

Everything - bar the haircut - sounds delicious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 19 June, 2016, 07:55:15 pm
three course, roast pork for 81 plus the 8 cooks / servers / washers up.

biggest of the Bloomsbury lunches we've had in a while and the last till October due to building works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 June, 2016, 08:17:01 pm
Inflated some more seldom used tyres, changed a couple of cables and the rear rack and fitted a dyno headlamp and new tailight to my Moulton (the bracket on the steerer required some metalwork). Fitted a new tyre to the Moulton's dynowheel. Condemned another tyre and several taillights from the fleet. Phillips, Spannaga and B&M all seem unreliable, for various reasons. I'll be sticking to Cateye and cheapies in future, mostly.

Need to swap the captain's bars on the racing tandem with my trike, so the captain's aerobars can finally be fitted. Then fit some thicker chainring spacers, so the timing chain stays clear of the final drive chain when changing rings. The Audax tandem needs new stoker handlebar tape (still scarred from being knocked over at the first PBP control by some shit).

My Brompton needs new cables all round and new barrel adjusters on the Shimano brake levers. It'll need replacement rear pivot bushes and a paint job soon, along with a set of bidon bosses. My Moulton needs new handlebar tape, rear brake and front gear cables and possibly new rear hub bearings before PBP Audax. My Claud Butler needs a complete rebuild before l'Eroica. My trike, once back, needs a headset fitted, a mudflap and brake hoods.

HK's Moulton needs a new front mech barrel adjuster. Her trike and Roberts both need new handlebar tape. Her trike needs a mudflap, as does her Condor commuter.

Spent an amazing amount of time tidying up small bits and pieces to join their compatriots.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 June, 2016, 08:53:06 pm
Footings for a greenhouse.  This involved digging a hole, mixing concrete (thankfully with a mixer) and filling the holes in with the concrete.

Now fettling: Chorizo chilli.

Now emptying: A glass of red.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 June, 2016, 09:54:25 pm
think I've now correctly positioned the seat on the M5, having removed a section at the front to allow the brackets to sit properly without fouling the idler.

Just need to drill the other two sets of holes (next weekend) and then hopefully finish assembly.  Still need to solve the rear hub width problem though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 20 June, 2016, 09:46:11 pm
Finally fixed the flat on the camping/commute bike. I think the bit of staple/wire I pulled out was the culprit but if not it would have caused a problem soon. Deflinted/glassed both tyres.

I didn't work in my usual order by working out where the hole was first so may still have the cause lurking. Rookie error.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 21 June, 2016, 03:38:18 pm
After some numb fingers/hands in Normandy, have been tweaking saddle and bar positions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 June, 2016, 04:00:35 pm
Thanks for the timely reminder.   I need to raise the saddle a tad on the audax bike.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 June, 2016, 06:25:22 pm
Reset my tooth of blueness, in my car, as it had filled it's logs, again, thus continually dropped the connection to the phone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 21 June, 2016, 06:31:31 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 21 June, 2016, 06:25:22 pm
Reset my tooth of blueness, in my car, as it had filled it's logs, again, thus continually dropped the connection to the phone.

So you dropped a log in your car?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 June, 2016, 08:19:41 pm
Ssssshhh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 22 June, 2016, 01:15:35 pm
swapped the bushing in the ksyrium freehub with a ceramic bearing to prevent the creak of doom. as a bonus i won't need to service it every couple of thousand km's anymore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 22 June, 2016, 01:30:07 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 20 June, 2016, 09:46:11 pm
Deflinted/glassed both tyres.
I find this very satisfying. It's up there with squeezing blackheads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 22 June, 2016, 02:09:59 pm
you mean that moment when that pinprick of a stone turns out to be the tip of a multifaceted attack-sharpened shard of glass that you coax poppingly from its bed of rubber? No idea what you are talking about  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 June, 2016, 09:04:43 pm
My old MTB has fully-functioning brakes again. New blocks on the front, adjusted rear, cables lubricated.  :thumbsup:

Brompton brakes next. The others are all right for a little while, but not long, & more blocks will be needed, so I bought some. But first, the new derailleur has to be fitted to Mrs B's MTB, bar tape replaced on my Enigma, & the slow puncture in the Brompton's back tyre fixed. Not looking forward to that.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 23 June, 2016, 03:18:31 pm
Finally finished the upgrade of my mtb last night. I started it about 4 years ago  ::-)

The LX mechs are now XT, the low end shimano trigger shifter and scott branded brake levers are now the single, combined LX units, and the scott branded v brakes are the very fine XT versions, with linkage to ensure that the pads move in a straight line to the rim (as opposed to an arc).

It's all lovely, though the front mech needs a bit more fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 23 June, 2016, 04:23:15 pm
Paul, give it 6 months and you'll be swapping out those Vbrakes when the bushes wear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 June, 2016, 04:51:32 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 23 June, 2016, 04:23:15 pm
Paul, give it 6 months and you'll be swapping out those Vbrakes when the bushes wear.
Is that particular to the XT and XTR brakes with the parellelogram ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 June, 2016, 05:03:58 pm
I take that particular warning with a pinch of salt. HK has had parallelogram XT V-brakes on her Condor commuter for many years without problems. It covers a lot of miles in poor conditions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 23 June, 2016, 06:05:19 pm
Fettled the sump pump float switch in my cellar into proper operation, needed for the first time in a couple of years......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 June, 2016, 06:17:27 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 June, 2016, 05:03:58 pm
I take that particular warning with a pinch of salt. HK has had parallelogram XT V-brakes on her Condor commuter for many years without problems. It covers a lot of miles in poor conditions.
That's good to hear, thank you. If I were to get a set of these it would be for my Summer-only MTB that doesn't get used in the wet. I just need to keep a watch on eBay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 June, 2016, 06:18:04 pm
Quote from: Ham on 23 June, 2016, 06:05:19 pm
Fettled the sump pump float switch in my cellar into proper operation, needed for the first time in a couple of years......
I can see where that task could have shuffled up the priority listing this last couple of days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 June, 2016, 09:25:29 pm
I bought this:
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7523/27824587346_55f2267c3d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JoLhqA)Bwahaha! (https://flic.kr/p/JoLhqA) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

And fettled me some proto fire  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrew Br on 24 June, 2016, 12:06:58 am
Quote from: Paul on 22 June, 2016, 01:30:07 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 20 June, 2016, 09:46:11 pm
Deflinted/glassed both tyres.
I find this very satisfying. It's up there with squeezing blackheads.

I'm glad that it's not just me then.
I even Jureked a tyre that was going in the bin  :-[.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 June, 2016, 09:39:57 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 June, 2016, 09:25:29 pm
I bought this:
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7523/27824587346_55f2267c3d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JoLhqA)Bwahaha! (https://flic.kr/p/JoLhqA) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Nice. I found one of those in our cellar about 15 years ago. Stainless shank, carbon-steel head.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 24 June, 2016, 02:25:07 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 23 June, 2016, 04:23:15 pm
Paul, give it 6 months and you'll be swapping out those Vbrakes when the bushes wear.

They were the first upgrade, some years ago, and they were used when I got them. They're okay so far but, if they died tomorrow, they wouldn't owe me anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 25 June, 2016, 12:12:41 am
A wee bit of microelectronic bodgery. Ever thought what it would be like to 'see' by echolocation? With 'batvision goggles' you can. I persuaded some mugs to wander round a forest with the prototype tonight. Quite good fun. The ultrasonic sensor detects distance, and translates it to a tone through the headphones. The higher pitched the tone, the closer the object.

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7036/27272946374_661818b62b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm)DSC_4844 (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 June, 2016, 12:15:57 am
Nikki OTP has form for those.  I managed to not walk into a photocopier with them.

Obfettle:  Molished a wheelbender bike stand out of Useful Bits Of Wood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 June, 2016, 09:11:44 am
Quote from: David Martin on 25 June, 2016, 12:12:41 am
A wee bit of microelectronic bodgery. Ever thought what it would be like to 'see' by echolocation? With 'batvision goggles' you can. I persuaded some mugs to wander round a forest with the prototype tonight. Quite good fun. The ultrasonic sensor detects distance, and translates it to a tone through the headphones. The higher pitched the tone, the closer the object.

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7036/27272946374_661818b62b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm)DSC_4844 (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

You've got the basis of a new combat sport there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 25 June, 2016, 11:56:31 am
I hacked my old Carradice Camper Longflap saddle bag today!

Refitting it to my recent rebuilt Dawes Horizon, I wasn't happy with the saddlebag hitting the back of my legs.  I thought about making a spacer to increase the distance between the seat post and the back of the bag.

Then I though, since the dawes has a rack, why not bodge the carradice so that I can use the rack as a strapping point?

Wooden dowel cut to size, ends padded with offcuts of innertube, and screwed from the outside into the wood:

(https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7229/27792991332_65e3010f4f_c.jpg)

Point of no return - hole cut in the bottom edge of the bag so that I can put a strap round the dowel (as per the top straps on the bag)

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7404/27817514681_a6dd13d0bd_c.jpg)

All fitted - Nice angle of dangle!

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7227/27281865534_935b42ca95_c.jpg)

A short test ride around the block with a few things in the saddlebag, and it seems nice and secure (as much as a saddlebag can be)

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 June, 2016, 01:20:22 pm
That looks suitably disreputable.  Well done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 June, 2016, 01:54:16 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 25 June, 2016, 12:12:41 am
A wee bit of microelectronic bodgery. Ever thought what it would be like to 'see' by echolocation? With 'batvision goggles' you can. I persuaded some mugs to wander round a forest with the prototype tonight. Quite good fun. The ultrasonic sensor detects distance, and translates it to a tone through the headphones. The higher pitched the tone, the closer the object.

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7036/27272946374_661818b62b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm)DSC_4844 (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Show us the bruises!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 June, 2016, 01:55:36 pm
Quote from: T42 on 25 June, 2016, 09:11:44 am
Quote from: David Martin on 25 June, 2016, 12:12:41 am
A wee bit of microelectronic bodgery. Ever thought what it would be like to 'see' by echolocation? With 'batvision goggles' you can. I persuaded some mugs to wander round a forest with the prototype tonight. Quite good fun. The ultrasonic sensor detects distance, and translates it to a tone through the headphones. The higher pitched the tone, the closer the object.

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7036/27272946374_661818b62b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm)DSC_4844 (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

You've got the basis of a new combat sport there.
Especially when combined with:
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 June, 2016, 09:25:29 pm
I bought this:
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7523/27824587346_55f2267c3d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JoLhqA)Bwahaha! (https://flic.kr/p/JoLhqA) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

And fettled me some proto fire  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 June, 2016, 01:57:13 pm
I have half fettled the bottom bracket on Jnr's bike. Actually that's an exaggeration. Got as far as removing the r/h crank when the rain came down. Not even entirely sure yet if it's a cartridge or cup and cone type, though presumably the former as it's a 21st century bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 June, 2016, 02:15:00 pm
Seat positioning on the M5 now dialled in, will finish mounting later today
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 June, 2016, 03:34:06 pm
Had a gander at the seized motor on my old E. German bandsaw. Duh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 26 June, 2016, 08:24:26 am
Interesting one. Regular customer called yesterday morning. Could I have a look at his mate's bike, the cassette was loose. No problem.

Mavic Aksium with Campag cassette. Lockring tight, casette flopping around. It took minutes to sort out, in fact it took longer to clean the cassette.

The wheel was brand new, the shop that supplied it had been 'fiddling about' for over an hour the previous day (I think they tried gluing it on with grease) before handing it over with the cassette still loose. The customer now wants me to build his new bike for him. Must be doing something right...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 27 June, 2016, 12:57:45 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 26 June, 2016, 08:24:26 am
Interesting one. Regular customer called yesterday morning. Could I have a look at his mate's bike, the cassette was loose. No problem.

Mavic Aksium with Campag cassette. Lockring tight, casette flopping around. It took minutes to sort out, in fact it took longer to clean the cassette.
Spacer missing?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 June, 2016, 05:10:40 pm
Nope. What came off went back on. The only thing I can figure is the freehub only had 4 splines. If the spider for the bottom 2 wasn't in the groove it would allow the spider to move inwards making it look like a spacer was missing.

Meanwhile in other news I spent the afternoon mending the lid on the grease trap of a septic tank. Attacked it with a 100w soldering iron and some scrap thermoplastic as it was cracked in two. Things are a touch less fragrant in my mate's back garden and we can resume dining al fresco...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 27 June, 2016, 05:20:15 pm
Some spacers, which, combined with longer bolts, a shuffling of clamps, and half an hour spent on the roof, have enabled me to put a slight angle into the solar panels (which had to be installed flat to comply with local planning regs) so that rainwater runs off and doesn't leave the whole panel with a sun-blocking muddy residue as the entire-panel pool evaporates off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 June, 2016, 06:53:53 pm
Can you use a  repellant such as Rain X to further promote water run off?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 27 June, 2016, 07:24:40 pm
Ah. Good idea. Though they have different products for glass and plastic, so I need to determine what the surface of the PV panels is. Thank you for that thought.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 June, 2016, 03:44:01 pm
Finally got round to re-stringing a guitar that I put a new saddle on a couple of months ago.

:) Sounds good
:( Could shave another thou off the saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 29 June, 2016, 05:40:27 pm
woops! forgot I had posted the bodge to the carradice a couple of days ago, so nothing to see here!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 30 June, 2016, 12:58:19 pm
A SEVERAL of thousands of gallons of sewage into some pipes.

We had some sinks that were a bit slow to drain so, yesterday evening, Little Chris and I investigated. We lifted another SEVERAL of inspection hatches to find all were almost up to the lid in stuffs.

This morning we got the man with the van and his crewmate out and they lifted the lids on the pumping station. It was full to within about five feet of the lids.

Between us we found the float switches and got one of the pumps pumping. On emptying the pumping station, an hole about 25 feet deep and 12 feet across was revealed. That is a shit load of shit.

I think we were about 1 day away from not being able to flush a single toilet or drain a single sink. School closure time.

I used to really love the skin on custard but, after seeing the crust on top of the contents of the pumping station void, I'm not so sure any more ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Legs on 30 June, 2016, 01:08:33 pm
Quote from: T42 on 25 June, 2016, 09:11:44 am
Quote from: David Martin on 25 June, 2016, 12:12:41 am
A wee bit of microelectronic bodgery. Ever thought what it would be like to 'see' by echolocation? With 'batvision goggles' you can. I persuaded some mugs to wander round a forest with the prototype tonight. Quite good fun. The ultrasonic sensor detects distance, and translates it to a tone through the headphones. The higher pitched the tone, the closer the object.

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7036/27272946374_661818b62b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm)DSC_4844 (https://flic.kr/p/Hy1YMm) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

You've got the basis of a new combat sport there.
Possibly even better for rhubarb-thrashing than a blindfold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 30 June, 2016, 01:14:24 pm
Fuzzy

That demonstrates why level switches (like float switches) are less preferred than level gauges (like radar) in the process industry. When a float switch fails it doesn't tell you while a gauge tends to be capable of a fault signal or an obviously false reading.

just be glad you didn't have to take a pump out to repair it as well.  :-X :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 June, 2016, 02:49:42 pm
Managed to adjust the bottom bracket on my son's bike, having worked out that it was indeed an adjustable type. I was so intent on the adjustment that I forgot to put any more grease in it, which was needed really, and once I'd got it right I didn't want to undo it and have to start again. And then by the time I'd got the l/h crank back on there was a bit of play again; but only a tiny amount whereas before it was really loose. It can't be adjusted without removing the l/h crank – it has splines rather than pins – so that'll have to do. Fairly pleased as it's a job I've never had to do before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 30 June, 2016, 03:44:45 pm
Took the "old" barbag bracket off (Ortlieb Ultimate 5) and fitted a new one (ditto ditto 6), ostensibly so that I could fit the light brackets that Ortlieb make.

Found that they just foul the cables and hoses, so took the bracket off again.

At the same time I discovered why I have been finding it a bit harder than normal to pedal.  The rear brake pads were rubbing against the rotor.  This is probably due to me fitting the pads the wrong way round after the last time I inspected them.  As I happened to have a set of Superstar sintered pads sat around I replaced the pads and finned plate, having pushed the pistons back in first.  Braking back to normal, as is movement of the rear wheel!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 June, 2016, 03:47:14 pm
Oh, then I lost one half of the joining link.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 30 June, 2016, 07:46:12 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 30 June, 2016, 03:47:14 pm
Oh, then I lost one half of the joining link.  ::-)

My garden is full of those.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 30 June, 2016, 11:32:06 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 30 June, 2016, 03:44:45 pm

At the same time I discovered why I have been finding it a bit harder than normal to pedal.  The rear brake pads were rubbing against the rotor. 


I don't even have that excuse . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 July, 2016, 01:59:41 pm
My Birdy Blue had been sitting idle in the garage for far too long since I bought it off Simon OTP. As I want to use it on my summer trips, I decided to try to fit the comfort stem I bought cheaply off the CTC forum. I feared the worst; i.e. That it would be very tricky. In reality, it was a relative piece piece of cake. Even the cables, which I feared would be too short after fitting the higher stem, were fine even on the highest setting. It just entailed an upside down SFN, a couple of hex bolts and some brute force.

I'll see what tyres are available in the 18" size. The Stelvios on it lack tread for my proposed use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 July, 2016, 02:11:27 pm
Marathons might be a good choice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 01 July, 2016, 04:20:20 pm
Yep, that's what I plumped for after a rather frustrating search.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 July, 2016, 10:56:28 am
Built the first of two BBQs, one for us, the other for my younger brother. The one today was for us, it's a combined BBQs and smoker. The smoker part may get tested later!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 02 July, 2016, 05:45:34 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 30 June, 2016, 07:46:12 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 30 June, 2016, 03:47:14 pm
Oh, then I lost one half of the joining link.  ::-)

My garden is full of those.  ::-)

The spaces between my floorboards are too. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 July, 2016, 06:41:53 pm
Archaeologists several millennia into the future will discover them and puzzle; what exactly did people of the 21st century do with these small, strangely shaped pieces of metal? Why did they cast them on the earth? Could they have been an offering for the god of the soil?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 July, 2016, 12:24:25 pm
Fettled some canes and netting into a demountable fruit cage using some nifty little connectors and clothes pegs.

Also got some more bits of the M5 build done, spread the rear forks by a few mm and refitted the derailleur.  Chain this evening/afternoon, may even get a short test ride this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 July, 2016, 02:45:48 pm
GT-85: 1  Seized limit screw: 0

Only took a week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 July, 2016, 02:59:02 pm
The kitchen sink hasn't been draining as readily as it might.
I've been administering (legal) chemicals over the last couple of weeks, without avail.
I am reluctant to use the contents of a container I have in the shed, after my last experience with the bathroom sink.
This is the one I bought a few years ago from my local, friendly builder's merchant, the sale of which was closed with the words 'Don't tell anyone I sold you this'  :o

In the absence of the nuking it from orbit option, I realised I was going to have to get mechanical on the sink's ass.

Oh man! Who put this f*ing house together?
I started to remove the water trap, a circular affair, the bottom half of which pokes through a hole that someone has helpfully cut in the shelf in the cupboard.
Only the hole isn’t actually large enough to allow the trap to pass through it. :facepalm:
You find this out only once you have unscrewed it sufficiently that it starts to release its contents into the bowl I have strategically placed below it (Smart I am, like that)
So then begins the tricky process of doing up the trap (while it continues to release its contents) in order to figure out what to do next.
Once the flow is stemmed, I begin to realise that the only way the trap is going to come off is as the last item to be removed.
The first one being the removal of the sink, taps and all, from the worktop.
It is at this point that I start muttering things like ‘What cnut put this together? I’ve no intention of removing the sink!

I allowed some time to pass, and some thought to take place, before it became apparent that I might be in with a chance if I unscrewed the (home-made) shelf brackets, working from under the shelf, and dropping the shelf giving me unabated access to the trap.
This turned out to be the result I was looking for \o/
I dropped the shelf, having decided that, once the plumbing has been dealt with, I would jig-saw a larger hole in the shelf to avoid these shenanigans ever having to take place again.

The trap turned out to be mostly empty, with just a surface layer of scaly kak, so lets move down the line and open up the first rodding eye (still under the sink).
I removed the cap and Oh my! There is no bore to the pipe. It be solid. Full. With at least 16 years worth of drainskog, and probably more. Like from when the house-conversion was done in 1984.
I wasn’t going to be able to deal with this just with a long (No. 2 tool kit) screwdriver.
Out came the drain springs, and into the skog they went.
What I pulled from there was little different to excrement, but not the excrement of any creature known on this planet.
Bleargh! :sick:
I extracted what I could / was prepared to do, into the washing up bowel [sic], replaced the cap, flushed, and repeated the extracting / flush process a couple of times before moving on to the rodding eye which is outdoors.
That turned out to be less unpleasant. Thinking about it, I’m not entirely sure how it could’ve been more unpleasant.

So, now I have a sink which drains readily \o/.
I’ve jig-sawed a larger hole in the shelf (that’ll go back in exactly the same way it came out - after the water trap is back in)  and gone for the final assembly of the water trap.
Only I cannot stop it from drip, drip leaking.
Turns out that the o-ring which interfaces the two halves of the trap, is misshapen :( and will not seal.
I give the join a couple of turns of single-wrap PTFE tape (I know you’re not supposed to use this on plastic fittings, but we are talking desperation here…)
That passed the hot water seal test, but failed the cold water one :(
Drip, drip, drip.
Dismantled the trap again, removed the single-wrap, and gave the thread many turns of conventional PTFE tape and re-assembled.
It passed the hot water seal test.
Here’s the Jesus trick - After running hot water through the trap for a few minutes, when everything has expanded a bit, you can get another half turn from the fittings before running them with cold to contract everything again.
I’ve repeated the heat-up / tighten-up and cooool thing twice now, shelf has gone back in, and finally, I think we are ready to go to sea.

Only once during this process, did I do the schoolboy error of sending something down the sink plug-hole when the trap wasn’t in place. Luckily the bowl was, and caught the contents.

I think there is some justification in my enjoyment of this glass of Sauvvy Blanc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 July, 2016, 06:09:15 pm
Sounds like a satisfying,  if disgusting day  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 July, 2016, 06:51:42 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 July, 2016, 06:09:15 pm
Sounds like a satisfying,  if disgusting day  :thumbsup:
I think you've nailed it.
I think I could've probably hammered one in to it  :sick:
ETA: How is it that I am sure that you are familiar with every move in the above described process? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 July, 2016, 08:37:02 pm
My front shifter.

It packed up in the Peak District, which made some of them thar hills a bit grindy.

Got the bike home, cleaned ten tonnes of skog off it, peeled back the hood, removed the wee cover and saw no cable nipple where one should be. Did see the cable nipple wedged against the roundy gubbins.  Presumably a combination of the mech not moving (see skog above) and me changing to the small ring position allowed the nipple to get out of its recess.

Loosened t'other end of the cable, poked around with a variety of pointed instruments and got the nipple where it should oughter be.

Yay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 July, 2016, 08:45:25 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 03 July, 2016, 08:37:02 pm
My front shifter.

It packed up in the Peak District, which made some of them thar hills a bit grindy.

Got the bike home, cleaned ten tonnes of skog off it, peeled back the hood, removed the wee cover and saw no cable nipple where one should be. Did see the cable nipple wedged against the roundy gubbins.  Presumably a combination of the mech not moving (see skog above) and me changing to the small ring position allowed the nipple to get out of its recess.

Loosened t'other end of the cable, poked around with a variety of pointed instruments and got the nipple where it should oughter be.

Yay.



Sounds like a result.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 July, 2016, 09:10:21 pm
The lawn mower.
Whilst cutting the grass, there was a bang, followed by the release of a small amount of what I assumed was magic smoke from the handle/switch.

My guess was that the power lead had come loose in the switch and wires had been crossed.

However, the  next thing to happen was for a thin slug to crawl out of a hole in the switch.

Unscrewing the cover showed no damage, so I suspect either the slug or its slime caused a short.

Reset the breaker on the distribution board and all was well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 July, 2016, 12:39:22 am
That must have hurt.  Sluggenfreude.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 July, 2016, 02:55:04 am
Evil: [...] God isn't interested in technology. He knows nothing of the potential of the microchip or the silicon revolution. Look how He spends His time! Forty-three species of parrots! Nipples for men!
Robert: Slugs.
Evil: Slugs! He created slugs. They can't hear! They can't speak! They can't operate machinery! I mean, are we not in the hands of a lunatic?... If I were creating a world, I wouldn't mess about with butterflies and daffodils. I would have started with lasers, eight o'clock, day one! [zaps one of his minions accidentally, minion screams] Sorry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 08 July, 2016, 06:15:27 pm
Potd  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 10 July, 2016, 02:54:41 pm
Swapped the 35mm knobblies from the Arkose out for 28mm slicks, which are more suitable for the sort of riding I'll be doing most of the time. Also put some clip-on mudguards on it as a temporary measure until I fit some proper ones, and put a new saddle on as the stock one looks nasty. All ready for its first ride now. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 11 July, 2016, 12:01:26 am
Put the front chainset back on the, Taylor Victorian, Tandem trike, loaned it to a friend and then swapped it for an electric piano.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 July, 2016, 09:41:41 am
In 1970 a chum of mine swapped a 1953 Ford Popular for a typewriter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 July, 2016, 12:55:34 pm
Changed the bars on the Spacer. Getting the levers off the old ones was a bit of work, due to the odd kink in the drops (part of the reason I wanted to change them). Taping the new ones up went ok. At least, it feels comfy but one side threatens to unravel at the end. Feline otp once demonstrated how to do it; she's a master due to it being similar to bandaging a cat or dog's leg. Today I fear she would not have been proud of her pupil. Still, it's done and it's not a disaster (cept I forgot that I had meant to change the brake cable while it was exposed – never mind, it's still in good condition).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 July, 2016, 11:01:33 pm
i have mostly built the wood store.  It needed some fettling, specifically dismantling the roof and re-assembling it so it would actually fit properly.  Terrier nails are not easy to remove.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 July, 2016, 08:53:44 am
fettled the lid of a KT tape container into an idler guard for the M5, hopefully preventing the tendency to bite my inner thigh.

Said lid turned out just the right diameter and relatively easy to remodel with a hacksaw.

Now I have three colour schemes going on - black, silver and orange.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 July, 2016, 01:03:16 pm
Flintmined the tyres and brake pads on HK's Condor commuter, replaced the rear mudguard light, trimmed the mudguard stays and adjusted the front brake. Ordered new brake and gear levers for it as the LH XT brake lever is currently held together with a ziptie and the separate LH XT Rapidfire shifter is sticking and not responding adequately to lubrication.

Flintmined the tyres and pads on the Frezoni, stopped both mudguards from rattling and readjusted the saddle to the right height after Nick rode it at PBP Audax. I must give it a good clean and new handlebar tape soon, along with replacing the bottom bracket with a Centaur so that the BB can be handed down to the fixed.

Ditto with tyres/ pads on the fixed, tweaked the front brake pads, chain tension and rear mudguard.

Fitted a new headset to my trike but chickened out on triking round tomorrow's 200. Still need to swap the captain's bars from the racing tandem with the trike but no urgency for that. Eventually the burnt paint round the head tube needs to be touched up or repainted.

Dismantled my Moulton for some metalwork in the next couple of weeks and put the other pieces in the loft.

Removed an Ergopower from HK's Moulton to be rebuilt, probably at Condor.

Replaced a set of brake pads on HK's trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 July, 2016, 11:32:31 pm
Failed to make my BB7 achieve the combination of  a) good braking  and  b) not making a noise like a giant metallic wasp on fast descents

On roadside inspection, it appears that the problem is that as the moving pad backs away from the disc it sits diagonally at the end of its travel, causing rubbing along the bottom edge.  If you apply some pull on the lever it straightens itself out without touching the disc.

I've got a couple of ideas, but I need to be in a brake-fettling mood first...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 July, 2016, 11:36:34 pm
The F.W. Evans skip bike needs a new headset and the saddle doesn't fit my arse.

Servicing a spare bike and seems that the headset  is the same so need to strip, clean and rebuild that too.  Meh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 July, 2016, 06:40:05 pm
Stripped the fw evans bike's headset and noted that the races seem fine, the shell retinax grease is not so.... So can I find the marine grease? No so now no working bikes and still need to get and get the grease.

When to buy some new ball bearings and all the local bike shops either didn't have any or the grades were not marked.  Was thinking that an upgrade to loose ball bearings of a decent grade would sort out the issues, looks like I was wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 19 July, 2016, 12:29:59 am
Mrs B's MTB. New rear derailleur, new gear cable.

Enigma. BB opened up (with help & supervision by Someone Who Knows - & has the tools). Dodgy bearing race cleaned up & re-greased, but this is temporary. New bearings scheduled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 19 July, 2016, 08:14:55 pm
Replaced the spoke wot broke on the Border Raid. I'm mainly blaming the ludicrous amount of potholes, but crap wheelbuilding can't be ruled out. This could be the excuse I need to buy a tensiometer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 July, 2016, 08:22:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 July, 2016, 11:32:31 pm
I've got a couple of ideas, but I need to be in a brake-fettling mood first...

Achieved by it being far too hot upstairs to do anything useful.

On inspection, it turned out that the moving pad was fairly worn.  Seems to be working properly after installing new pads and re-adjusting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 19 July, 2016, 08:49:28 pm
A pair of IKEA Skubb laundry hampers:

(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8424/27801236173_ed8bd88c82_c.jpg)

Into a rather large photography light box:

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7770/28134460680_b04c64fe8d_c.jpg)

By means of some careful cutting out with a pair of scissors, some clothes pegs, and a roll of white paper!

(https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7470/28134460740_5588d14040_c.jpg)

(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8695/27800175604_09309ef31e_c.jpg)

Testing the booth:

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7503/28312406472_cf3af6645b_c.jpg)

Not bad for an hours work and two £9 Ikea laundry hampers!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 July, 2016, 09:29:07 pm
Sorted out the light/mudguard bolt on the Dawes, which turned out to be the source of the mysterious rattling I've been hearing of late due to failure of a plastic spacer (read: 6 year old bodge).  I cut a new one from a likely looking bit of aluminium tube, which seems to work nicely.

Also mantled a New! Improved! Frankenputer! for the dining room.  Top tip: Check your static DHCP allocations before recycling the Ethernet card from your old server.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 21 July, 2016, 09:33:58 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 July, 2016, 09:29:07 pm
Top tip: Check your static DHCP allocations before recycling the Ethernet card from your old server.   :facepalm:

Another related Top Top:

Never Ever Ever add a static entry to the ARP cache.

There is no good to come from that.
That's for diagnostic porpoises only.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 July, 2016, 10:01:53 pm
Bought a hacksaw.

Fettling tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 22 July, 2016, 06:26:33 pm
Wrestled a Marathon onto the Birdy's front wheel. Cue much cussing. I even had problems getting the old Stelvio off, FFS! The application of some soapy water to the rim helped out, eventually. After that effort, the removal of the Dual Drive Clickbox and rear wheel to put the other Marathon on will have to wait until tomorrow. I can't say I relish the prospect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 July, 2016, 08:52:27 pm
I refer you to my previous post.

I can now reach my pedals in comfort. Also mounted a mirror, so I just need a new shift cable and I'm good to go.

Hacksaw blade was trashed though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 July, 2016, 12:38:53 pm
Daughters combined v-brake/shifter units swapped for friction shifters and separate levers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 23 July, 2016, 01:01:29 pm
Josette the fixte-mixte is now singlespeed.  Odd, trying to ride a SS like a fixte, lifting up the back wheel to bring the pedal round is just silly but I'm still doing it  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 July, 2016, 01:37:44 pm
Stuck a boot in my dead tyre and then an early ride home  :-\
That'll teach me to check the front tyre condition but not the rear. Bikejournal says I was due a new set of tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 July, 2016, 05:50:06 pm
Some twat (me) managed to flatten the car battery by leaving the boot ajar when it was in the garage.  Happily, ECP had a 25% sale on so a new Bosch battery was only about £55 (I don't have a fast charger and anyway, totally flattening a lead-acid starting battery reduces its lifespan very badly).  So I get the battery home in the other car and find that the European battery has JIS terminals and the Japanese car has ISO clamps.  WTF?  It's lucky I didn't need to drive it this weekend as the necessary adaptor sleeves (the clamps are bigger than the posts)  aren't available from any shop in Swindon and had to be orderes.  It's like Cinelli handlebars in the olden days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 23 July, 2016, 07:44:57 pm
Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 22 July, 2016, 06:26:33 pm
Wrestled a Marathon onto the Birdy's front wheel. Cue much cussing. I even had problems getting the old Stelvio off, FFS! The application of some soapy water to the rim helped out, eventually. After that effort, the removal of the Dual Drive Clickbox and rear wheel to put the other Marathon on will have to wait until tomorrow. I can't say I relish the prospect.
Well, just as yesterday's job was a nightmare, today's was a dream. The Dual Drive Clickbox has seen better days, but I managed to get it off after a bit of faffage. In doing so, a few bits held on with little cable ties dislodged themselves, but seemed to be redundant anyway. I used cable cutters to cut the wires on the worn-out Stelvio, then prepared for the worst when putting on the Marathon. However, it slipped on easily, much to my surprise and delight. Slightly different rim size from the front? I then pumped up the tyres, adjusted the front mudguard, fitted the folding pedals I nicked off the Mezzo and set off for a test ride.

Fortune again smiled on me, as I decided on the crest of the hill I live on to test the brakes. I had forgotten to attach the front noodle! Instead of my 3-mile test ride, I went a few extra miles and all went smoothly. The saddle position needs adjusting & I might swap it for the Selle Royal I have on the Ridgeback and the Marathons would benefit from a bar or two more pressure, but all went well. The Dual Drive changes instantaneously and the derailleur gears change nicely. All in all, a breeze.

Oh, I now need to relearn how to fold the Birdy...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 23 July, 2016, 10:14:06 pm
No fettling today, but yesterday I finally got around to swapping the steel fork on the Genesis Flyer for a spare carbon one I had lying around, just because (I'd realised that the headset was badly in need of a service, so thought I may as well do the fork-swapping then). Also swapped the ancient Durano Pluses for new versions of same (but folding, rather than rigid), and changed the brake blocks. Upon refitting the front wheel post-tyre swap, I noticed that the bearings were also in need of a service. Then discovered that they're cartridge bearings, so ordered some new ones. Bike still in pieces pending arrival of new bearings. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2016, 06:37:08 pm
Made a HPVelotechnik seat fit the Baron, and then made the Optima headrest fit the HPVelotechnik seat.  My hands are now full of fibreglass, but my spine will no doubt thank me for it, as the original seat was undeniably Too Big.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 July, 2016, 06:39:55 pm
Had a bear of a time replacing the front shifter cable inner on the carbon bike.
It took me about 2 hours to thread the new cable through the wee hole in the frame behind the BB on the web between the chainstays.

The old cable pulled out just fine.
But the hole was totally blocked about half-way in, from either end.
I took off the cranks an BB to see if the holes were accessible from inside the BB shell, but nae luck.

About 2 hours of probing with some earth-wire out of some lighting-grade 1.5 T+E, much spraying of stuffs and application of compressed air, and eventually I was able to get the copper wire through and clean up the crud.

What a stupid little hole that gets exposed to road crud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 24 July, 2016, 10:44:00 pm
Built myself a new pair of wheels :thumbsup: while watching the final stage of the Tour :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I bought a Principia RS6 some number of years ago at a clearance price, but I've never used it heavily. One significant reason has been the tendency to break spokes in the Gipiemme Tecno 024 factory wheels. They've never been great wheels. Almost as soon as I had them, I had trouble with the pawls in the freehub, and only after a great deal of nagging did I manage to extract a replacement pawl spring from Gipiemme that fixed the issue. As far as the spoke breakage is concerned, I suspect that rider weight may be an issue, however :-[

Anyway, over the years, I've got hold of some NOS Ultegra 6600 hubs and some DT Swiss R450 rims, and I've finally got round to building myself a nice, traditional pair of 32H 3X wheels. Heavier than the Gipiemmes but, I hope, more reliable. The gears and brakes are Ultegra too (though, I suspect, 6500), so it's a reasonable match. First pair I've needed to build since a tensiometer appeared as a Christmas present - using that helped.

Now I just need an excuse to test them ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 July, 2016, 10:54:14 pm
Swapped the rear tyre from the Audax tandem onto HK's Condor commuter. She'd worn the 28C Gatorskin down to the cords. That bike is still off the road as I then discovered that one SPD was self-disassembling. That job can wait till I build up some more enthusiasm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 24 July, 2016, 11:25:07 pm
Recabling a bike managed to cut both gear cables too short.

No more spares and that means I am still bikeless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 25 July, 2016, 01:09:12 am
Quote from: Kim on 24 July, 2016, 06:37:08 pm
Made a HPVelotechnik seat fit the Baron, and then made the Optima headrest fit the HPVelotechnik seat.  My hands are now full of fibreglass, but my spine will no doubt thank me for it, as the original seat was undeniably Too Big.

If you want to save yourself the stress of tripping over that seat in the Seekrit Bunker I'll have it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 25 July, 2016, 09:52:31 pm
mllePB came back from a weekend at a music festival with a broken tent and a borked Exped.

I have fixed the broken tent - she managed to split one section of the dac pole.

I despair over the Exped.   Why are they so shite?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 27 July, 2016, 02:02:16 pm
A Gaffa Tape tyre boot in lieu of the Park Tools one I thought I had with me. Tyre killing cut across the tyre induced by dog knows what on the ride in this morning. Road bike front wheel so under inflated to 80psi just to get me home later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 27 July, 2016, 10:55:43 pm
My Surly Disc Trucker was going too slow so I fitted these go-faster-hot-rod thingies.

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/bcddc69ffce414fb0ff474c3fbd31931.jpg)

My legs were getting tired on my Surly Big Dummy so I fitted these go-faster-hot-rod thingies.

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/4c3f31bdb2e8a1e499f7390aff0af285.jpg)

Both bikes going über fast. Now my eyes are watering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 28 July, 2016, 05:59:26 pm
While leading a ride Sunday, which my son and DiL joined, the latter's derailleur went into the wheel spokes and totally screwed up the hanger. She had to get a cab back to the start point.

They came back to ours afterwards for dinner, and I rashly said I'd sort the bike out. Spent a considerable time surfing to find a matching hanger - there seem to be zillions of different designs - and eventually found the right one on Chainreaction's website.

It arrived today - in a massive box - and I fitted it, rejoined the chain and adjusted the gears.

I guess the original hanger must have got bent for it to go into the spokes, all seems hunky dory now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 31 July, 2016, 05:48:00 pm
TLC stuff today. Mainly drive train hot rock massage and oil rubs after a 60 mile run yesterday. Since I bought my bike I've never been happy with how the LBS fitted the stays on my SKS mudguards. I know they are fiddly but as a short cut he bent elbows into the stays to save cutting them. I sorted that out once and for all. It's amazing how straight, clean lines just make it look good. In future I'll do my own mudguards. I'm too anal for my own good.

One other thing: on yesterday's ride I could hear something was in my tire but I forced myself not to look. Not bad patience skills for me. Last night I had a quick look before bed and found a gurt thorn. Yank, pssssttt, flat tyre!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 31 July, 2016, 06:01:38 pm
Not quite fettling but pre-fettling, I dug out the vernier callipers from the tip garage and measured up the old shock mountings so I can get onto TFTuned and order some replacements.

Sadly the top mounts are off-the-shelf but the bottom mounts look like they'll have to be custom jobs, so an extra fiver. Sulking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 31 July, 2016, 06:06:12 pm
Few more bits on the new Genesis

(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8676/28391888540_3f07026560.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KfTRiE)IMG_3137 (https://flic.kr/p/KfTRiE) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 31 July, 2016, 11:23:22 pm
The commuting bike had a few issues, and I ended up changing the front brake, because the very cheap brake on it had lost it's oomph, the main spring had gone.  In the process I also found that the Marathon Plus on that wheel was going the way that the rear one already had, and the sidewall was starting to split.  Luckily, I'd bought a spare Gator Hardshell, and along with some new rimtape that was fitted.

In the process of doing all that, I cleaned the bike moderately, including using a chain cleaner, so the chain has gone from gunged up black to clean and shiny silver!  I'd like to say the remainder of the bike is shining too, but at least it's quite a bit less dirty. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 August, 2016, 02:36:42 pm
Front light on the Brompton, which was rattling.  Turned out that it wasn't a broken bracket as I feared, but a loose nylock nut and easily rectified by application of a Mk 1 spanner.  I blame Sustrans.

Also lubricated the chain, which was rusting again.  Hopeless thing.  Can't wait for it to wear out so I can replace it with a posh one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 August, 2016, 09:38:17 pm
Absolutely nothing, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing starts rattling on tomorrow's trip to the hospital, and that includes me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 03 August, 2016, 07:17:00 am
Nothing yet either.  Today I've to make anti-moustique screens. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 August, 2016, 10:48:39 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 07:17:00 am
Nothing yet either.  Today I've to make anti-moustique screens.

what's a moustique?  Is it related to a moustache?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 August, 2016, 12:48:38 pm
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 27 July, 2016, 10:55:43 pm
My Surly Disc Trucker was going too slow so I fitted these go-faster-hot-rod thingies.

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/bcddc69ffce414fb0ff474c3fbd31931.jpg)

My legs were getting tired on my Surly Big Dummy so I fitted these go-faster-hot-rod thingies.

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/4c3f31bdb2e8a1e499f7390aff0af285.jpg)

Both bikes going über fast. Now my eyes are watering.
You are mistaken. It's not the hot rod thingies making you go faster, it's the Boneshaker sticker.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 03 August, 2016, 02:59:41 pm
Cassette on Mrs B's road bike. Noticed while cleaning it that the two smallest sprockets moved.  :o So got out the lockring tool etc. & gave it a good tightening. Presumably it wasn't tightened up enough when fitted*. Never encountered that before.

*Don't ask who fitted it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 August, 2016, 04:25:43 pm
My café lock - an old Samsonite padlock and a light steel cable - was useless after my keys went west, so I opened it with a cold chisel and my trusty 1.5-kilo hammer just now.  No shame to it, it took a fair old bashing before it gave way.

Memo to self: don't put both keys on the same ring in future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 03 August, 2016, 05:23:47 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 03 August, 2016, 10:48:39 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 07:17:00 am
Nothing yet either.  Today I've to make anti-moustique screens.

what's a moustique?  Is it related to a moustache?

(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2Xjrq65_V_a68RPYaG64JSRYK-K-gSNAEWE1BwC8AvI0U0M5c)

I got one screen done then went for a bike ride. I'll do the other tomorrow, ok?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 03 August, 2016, 07:27:34 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 03 August, 2016, 12:48:38 pm
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 27 July, 2016, 10:55:43 pm
My Surly Disc Trucker was going too slow so I fitted these go-faster-hot-rod thingies.

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/bcddc69ffce414fb0ff474c3fbd31931.jpg)

My legs were getting tired on my Surly Big Dummy so I fitted these go-faster-hot-rod thingies.

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/4c3f31bdb2e8a1e499f7390aff0af285.jpg)

Both bikes going über fast. Now my eyes are watering.
You are mistaken. It's not the hot rod thingies making you go faster, it's the Boneshaker sticker.  :thumbsup:

Good spot! Boneshaker: Finest bike reading stuff in the land. Pannier full of the damn magazines...Aahhh...Wait a minute...That's it...A rare Eureka moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 August, 2016, 10:07:42 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 05:23:47 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 03 August, 2016, 10:48:39 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 07:17:00 am
Nothing yet either.  Today I've to make anti-moustique screens.

what's a moustique?  Is it related to a moustache?

(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2Xjrq65_V_a68RPYaG64JSRYK-K-gSNAEWE1BwC8AvI0U0M5c)

I got one screen done then went for a bike ride. I'll do the other tomorrow, ok?

We made screens for all the windows when we moved in here.  They're great for stopping the flow of air and keeping the bugs in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 August, 2016, 11:44:26 am
Quote from: T42 on 04 August, 2016, 10:07:42 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 05:23:47 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 03 August, 2016, 10:48:39 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 07:17:00 am
Nothing yet either.  Today I've to make anti-moustique screens.

what's a moustique?  Is it related to a moustache?

(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2Xjrq65_V_a68RPYaG64JSRYK-K-gSNAEWE1BwC8AvI0U0M5c)

I got one screen done then went for a bike ride. I'll do the other tomorrow, ok?

We made screens for all the windows when we moved in here.  They're great for stopping the flow of air and keeping the bugs in.

I've had that problem in Jakarta, open windows to allow yoga with a view, let moustiques in, close screens, listen to buzzing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 04 August, 2016, 11:58:12 am
Straightened the battery on an e-bike. First time I've had to battle last plastic shouts to get to the clamps.
As I'm on camp the only tools were a peer screwdriver. Multi tool and an adjustable spanner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 04 August, 2016, 04:17:16 pm
Quote from: T42 on 04 August, 2016, 10:07:42 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 05:23:47 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 03 August, 2016, 10:48:39 am
Quote from: asterix on 03 August, 2016, 07:17:00 am
Nothing yet either.  Today I've to make anti-moustique screens.

what's a moustique?  Is it related to a moustache?

(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2Xjrq65_V_a68RPYaG64JSRYK-K-gSNAEWE1BwC8AvI0U0M5c)

I got one screen done then went for a bike ride. I'll do the other tomorrow, ok?

We made screens for all the windows when we moved in here.  They're great for stopping the flow of air and keeping the bugs in.

You are not supposed to use cling-film you know.

My screens are made from expensive micro-mesh, rot-resistant plasticky stuff (3 euros 99c a metre).  They are remarkably good at letting air through.  Having used off-cuts for the frames, I reckon my two screens came in at c.7 euros each.   No mozzies last night.

Quote from: ElyDave on 04 August, 2016, 11:44:26 am

I've had that problem in Jakarta, open windows to allow yoga with a view, let moustiques in, close screens, listen to buzzing

And if you do yoga shouldn't you then be able to maintain a Zen-like calm that enables you to become at one with the mozzies?  After all, they are just trying to help the process.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 August, 2016, 09:32:41 am
Quote from: asterix on 04 August, 2016, 04:17:16 pm
My screens are made from expensive micro-mesh, rot-resistant plasticky stuff (3 euros 99c a metre).  They are remarkably good at letting air through.  Having used off-cuts for the frames, I reckon my two screens came in at c.7 euros each.   No mozzies last night.

Doesn't cut your fingers either the way the wire stuff does - I've used both.  Keeping them all clean is a bastard, though. Once they gunge up with dust, spider's webs etc. you need a high-pressure washer, and even then some of the muck just waggles in the jet and doesn't let go.  You need to clean them pretty often to keep enough air moving through. We found that out the hard way and simply junked them - we don't get that many mozzies.

We still have a couple of screens knocking around. The only time I ever use one is when wasps & hornets are out questing for nice dim nesting/overwintering sites.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 05 August, 2016, 11:16:03 am
 
Quote from: T42 on 05 August, 2016, 09:32:41 am
Quote from: asterix on 04 August, 2016, 04:17:16 pm
My screens are made from expensive micro-mesh, rot-resistant plasticky stuff (3 euros 99c a metre).  They are remarkably good at letting air through.  Having used off-cuts for the frames, I reckon my two screens came in at c.7 euros each.   No mozzies last night.

Doesn't cut your fingers either the way the wire stuff does - I've used both.  Keeping them all clean is a bastard, though. Once they gunge up with dust, spider's webs etc. you need a high-pressure washer, and even then some of the muck just waggles in the jet and doesn't let go.  You need to clean them pretty often to keep enough air moving through. We found that out the hard way and simply junked them - we don't get that many mozzies.

We still have a couple of screens knocking around. The only time I ever use one is when wasps & hornets are out questing for nice dim nesting/overwintering sites.

You are clearly something of a novice in the deployment of such things.  My acquaintance with the wee beasties started at birth in darkest Africa! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 August, 2016, 06:55:07 pm
Gus dropped his bike around today whilst on his way to enjoy a day at the cricket.

I realigned the front mech to make shifting smoother and stop the chin dropping off the granny ring.   I then tweaked the front mini v brakes as one arm was barely moving at all.   I noticed that the cones on the rear seemed to have come loose so I popped the wheel out and tightened up with proper cone spanners.  Finally I adjusted the rear brakes as there was excessive lever pull.

A quick check over of everything else revealed no faults as such.   There is more play in the ahead headset than I would like but it was not keen to be adjusted up further.   It's fine for now and I do have a spare used headset for Justin Case...

He can collect his steed on his way home.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 07 August, 2016, 06:54:19 pm
New cassette and chain on the cranky old grid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 07 August, 2016, 09:00:41 pm
Having just supplemented the flywheel on my turbo with another 6kg of spinning steel, I decided the 'dedicated turbo bike' (ie ancient winter bike long past safe road use) needed a bit of fettling.  Took it out in the garden to avoid making dirty marks in the spare bedroom; plus, these days I need strong daylight to see fine detail.

Having de-gunked and lubed the chain I rummaged in my spares boxes and found enough cranky bits to make up a c/set with smaller rings; it's not only my sight that is getting weaker these days. I should now get a better chainline, engaging rear sprockets in the middle of the cassette, rather than having to resort to climbing gears much of the time.

Also touched up the rusty bits around the b/b, and fitted nice shiny stainless bolts on the bottle cage.  Job's a good'un. Spare bedroom decor much enhanced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 August, 2016, 11:41:05 am
almost bought some new jockey wheels for the Giant on Saturday, glad I didn't and decided to give it a clean instead.

It's a ten-year old rear mech and not shifting quite accurately.  Having inspected the chain and jockey wheels closely, I'm embarrassed at the crud accumulated on them.

Now soaking in some degreaser. I'll deal with them when I return from Stockholm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 09 August, 2016, 01:05:53 pm
Get some new jockey wheels anyway.  :thumbsup:

Just make sure you match the number of teeth. DAHIKT.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 09 August, 2016, 02:33:06 pm
Tidied up the man cave :)

(https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7748/28870332775_6bdf7f786f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KZb17c)IMG_3148 (https://flic.kr/p/KZb17c) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 August, 2016, 10:21:55 pm
Got a Pi zero working as a USB gadget and reading from a weight sensor. Next stop is to calibrate it and incorporate it into the bird feeder so I can measure the weight of the birds as they feed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 August, 2016, 10:29:20 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 09 August, 2016, 10:21:55 pm
Got a Pi zero working as a USB gadget and reading from a weight sensor. Next stop is to calibrate it and incorporate it into the bird feeder so I can measure the weight of the birds as they feed.

Ok, very clever, but why?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 August, 2016, 10:52:05 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 09 August, 2016, 10:29:20 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 09 August, 2016, 10:21:55 pm
Got a Pi zero working as a USB gadget and reading from a weight sensor. Next stop is to calibrate it and incorporate it into the bird feeder so I can measure the weight of the birds as they feed.

Ok, very clever, but why?

For the Garmin Connect bird BMI plugin, obviously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 August, 2016, 11:03:02 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 09 August, 2016, 10:29:20 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 09 August, 2016, 10:21:55 pm
Got a Pi zero working as a USB gadget and reading from a weight sensor. Next stop is to calibrate it and incorporate it into the bird feeder so I can measure the weight of the birds as they feed.

Ok, very clever, but why?

I have this mad plan of using the feeding patterns as raw data to put into a deep learning algorithm to predict the species of the bird on the feeder. (A Bayesian analysis suggests predicting 'sparrow' every time would be a high starting point) I can couple that with photos triggered by a substantial weight change to get a supervised learning approach and validate the results.

Really just playing around. I may well try to do the same thing with bat roosts so that I can monitor hibernation behaviours. That might be more tricky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 August, 2016, 07:46:45 am
Yebbut surely the weight similarities and distribution per species would overlap massively, telling an eagle from a pigeon from a sparrow ok, but sparrow from robin or chaffinch?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 10 August, 2016, 11:41:17 am
Exactly, but the feeding patterns, ie duration on the feeder, the amount they take, the amount they spill, the time of day may be different. Don't know till I try and it would be a useful exercise for the students, introducing some real biology to machine learning.

And there is always the ultimate reason - because I can.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 August, 2016, 12:43:29 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 10 August, 2016, 11:41:17 am
Exactly, but the feeding patterns, ie duration on the feeder, the amount they take, the amount they spill, the time of day may be different. Don't know till I try and it would be a useful exercise for the students, introducing some real biology to machine learning.

And there is always the ultimate reason - because I can.

Will it be able to cope with differentiating between Hirundo domicella and Hirundo rustica?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 August, 2016, 05:11:43 pm
I've mantled a floppy wheel with two spokes missing.  Because it seems that while I can be trusted with complicated calculations, I lack the ability to count.

 :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 August, 2016, 05:48:46 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 10 August, 2016, 12:43:29 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 10 August, 2016, 11:41:17 am
Exactly, but the feeding patterns, ie duration on the feeder, the amount they take, the amount they spill, the time of day may be different. Don't know till I try and it would be a useful exercise for the students, introducing some real biology to machine learning.

And there is always the ultimate reason - because I can.

Will it be able to cope with differentiating between Hirundo domicella and Hirundo rustica?
Obviously it will distinguish between them by registering the mass of the Cocos nucifera.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 10 August, 2016, 06:25:32 pm
I have made four corbels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 August, 2016, 04:25:22 pm
Restrung my guitarrita to EADGBE instead of ADGCEA using a 1.26 mm wirewound string from a cheap Russian 7-string guitar set for the bottom E. Not as bright or uke-like as before, but it beats having to sing castrato.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 August, 2016, 05:05:21 pm
Taken the 'Elite' bottle cages off of my tourer and singlespeed as they both don't like holding bottles, and do like grabbing loose trouser legs. I also re-tensioned the front brake on the tourer (could have done with a third hand for the canti hanger), and then moved on to sorting the MTB's tyres.

I almost broke my tyre levers getting the stupid Conti Vapor off of the VooDoo's rims. It made M+s seem loose! The Smorgasbord that replaced it went on without any tools so it's not the rim. The problem with the rear was a rather large thorn. It stays up now that's gone :)

Now maybe I might get round to riding one of the bikes today instead of watching the Olympics :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 13 August, 2016, 05:44:03 pm
I put a new headset in the Marin and finished its conversion to V brakes.

I realised that the chap who bought my Dahon bendy bike got I better deal than I intended when the spares box gave me one Deore brake and one Promax brake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 August, 2016, 07:33:58 pm
Put the knobblies back on the Arkose, so that I can make sure the mudguards clear them. Fitted the front mudguard but not the rear yet. Took it for a small test pootle (and rode through some actual mud! :o). Now pondering how best to get mud out of tyres. It's so much easier with road tyres that don't accumulate mud!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 13 August, 2016, 08:28:29 pm
I put 2 new tryker tyres on the front of the trice  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 August, 2016, 08:31:47 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 13 August, 2016, 07:33:58 pm
Now pondering how best to get mud out of tyres. It's so much easier with road tyres that don't accumulate mud!

Tactical route home via a local semi-permanent large puddle is my favoured technique, though that doesn't do much for the mudguards.

Also (relatively recent discovery) modern MTB tyres do a surprisingly good job of shedding mud, so I've weirdly reduced the amount of mud in my life by owning a mountain bike, rather than attempting COR on a hybrid with cross tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 16 August, 2016, 01:04:50 pm
An 11 foot by 10 foot weed patch and a 1 tonne bag of granular sub base into an 11 foot by 10 foot level bit of trampled dirt with a hardcore covering ready for slabs anna shed at school.

All by fork, shovel and wheelbarrow.

Oi aches an bit.........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 17 August, 2016, 12:03:36 pm
My son's friend bought a budget bike from Halfrauds...
He'd bought it flat packed (I thought H always assembled their bikes?) and had tried to do the assembly.
I had to turn the forks in the correct way around; adjust the brakes; true the back wheel and then set it up for him.
Ye gods its awful. Pressed steel V-brakes with plenty of play on the pivots; 6-speed with full value 3/32" chain and I was convinced that I was going to strip the seat pin bolt before it would grip the seat pin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 August, 2016, 02:38:05 pm
Trued an Ordinary's wheels, unpacked my Moulton and sorted out the front derailleur and adjusted the eccentric of George's tandem, along with tweaking brakes, adjusting saddle height and replacing the rear tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 17 August, 2016, 06:27:38 pm
Quote from: Vince on 17 August, 2016, 12:03:36 pm
My son's friend bought a budget bike from Halfrauds...
He'd bought it flat packed (I thought H always assembled their bikes?) and had tried to do the assembly.
I had to turn the forks in the correct way around; adjust the brakes; true the back wheel and then set it up for him.
Ye gods its awful. Pressed steel V-brakes with plenty of play on the pivots; 6-speed with full value 3/32" chain and I was convinced that I was going to strip the seat pin bolt before it would grip the seat pin.

Only if you ask them to. (I have the feeling that some people don't like to ask because **some** 'mechanics' would charge, despite the fact that 'every ****ord* bike is assembled &safety checked for you'.)

Regards quality, welcome to my world . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 August, 2016, 09:58:12 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 August, 2016, 05:11:43 pm
I've mantled a floppy wheel with two spokes missing.  Because it seems that while I can be trusted with complicated calculations, I lack the ability to count.

 :facepalm:

The right number of correctly sized spokes arrived, so I was able to rebuild this as a proper wheel.

Anyone need some 184mm spokes?  No?  Didn't think so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 18 August, 2016, 03:05:32 pm
New triple on the Cross-Check. Lowered bottom gear from 34x30 to 24x30  :)

(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8145/28990088221_e045c58699_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LaKMeg)new triple (https://flic.kr/p/LaKMeg) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 18 August, 2016, 03:24:30 pm
That's proper gearing for uphill into a West Scotland 'breeze'! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 19 August, 2016, 12:59:02 pm
Start with one plastic camping plate:
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq18/SoreTween/Misc/DSC_2184reduced_zpswj7kkfdg.jpg)
Apply hot knife & soldering iron, add a bulldog clip and a sprinkling of tywraps and voila:
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq18/SoreTween/Misc/DSC_2182reduced_zps52xdtxut.jpg)

Clipwotsit, route sheets, for the holding of. 

I could claim a total cost of 12.5p (50p for 4 for the plate from poundland) as I already had the tywraps and bulldog clip.  That would be a lie though as it ignores the £8 bracket to hold the Garmin, the old one was on the stem.
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq18/SoreTween/Misc/DSC_2183reduced_zpsrl7agosl.jpg)
I wonder how annoyingly flappy those routesheets are going to be in tomorrows rather windy conditions
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 August, 2016, 10:48:16 pm
that's why I use a back pocket and gps, getting lost is an excuse to eat/drink/be merry/check blood sugar
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 August, 2016, 02:36:07 pm
The back garden (not finished yet)
Started with plumber's pipe freezing spray (Lordy, that stuff's expensive) to make the multiple deposits of fox's $h!t more *ahem* manageable.  :sick:
Then strimmed the 30cm high grass / weed mixture to within an inch of its life - there's one thing worse than fox $h!t and that's random trajectory, flying fox $h!t.
Going to wait a while before raking and bagging the detritus - easier to do when it has dried out a bit.
Following which I'll be liberally applying the lion's poo fertiliser - hopefully, that'll keep foxy pooing elsewhere.

ETA -All done. Detritus removed. 1 kg of Lion poo applied. Watch this space....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 August, 2016, 12:02:54 am
You know how people have Brompton folding competitions?

They should have Brompton puncture-repair-and-sprint-to-whatever-you're-now-late-for competitions instead.  That's where the real action is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 August, 2016, 12:04:05 am
Quote from: Jurek on 21 August, 2016, 02:36:07 pm
The back garden (not finished yet)
Started with plumber's pipe freezing spray (Lordy, that stuff's expensive) to make the multiple deposits of fox's $h!t more *ahem* manageable.  :sick:
Then strimmed the 30cm high grass / weed mixture to within an inch of its life - there's one thing worse than fox $h!t and that's random trajectory, flying fox $h!t.
Going to wait a while before raking and bagging the detritus - easier to do when it has dried out a bit.
Following which I'll be liberally applying the lion's poo fertiliser - hopefully, that'll keep foxy pooing elsewhere.

ETA -All done. Detritus removed. 1 kg of Lion poo applied. Watch this space....


So basically you've done a shit change on the garden?   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 August, 2016, 12:29:22 am
Flat tyres on a Brompton are often best dealt with by bus or taxi, as appropriate. Folding bikes are designed for multimodal use after all. Fix the flat once the time-sensitive reason for using the Brompton has been sorted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 August, 2016, 11:04:11 am
Quote from: Kim on 22 August, 2016, 12:04:05 am
Quote from: Jurek on 21 August, 2016, 02:36:07 pm
The back garden (not finished yet)
Started with plumber's pipe freezing spray (Lordy, that stuff's expensive) to make the multiple deposits of fox's $h!t more *ahem* manageable.  :sick:
Then strimmed the 30cm high grass / weed mixture to within an inch of its life - there's one thing worse than fox $h!t and that's random trajectory, flying fox $h!t.
Going to wait a while before raking and bagging the detritus - easier to do when it has dried out a bit.
Following which I'll be liberally applying the lion's poo fertiliser - hopefully, that'll keep foxy pooing elsewhere.

ETA -All done. Detritus removed. 1 kg of Lion poo applied. Watch this space....


So basically you've done a shit change on the garden?   ;D
He's upgraded his shit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 August, 2016, 12:43:41 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 August, 2016, 12:29:22 am
Flat tyres on a Brompton are often best dealt with by bus or taxi, as appropriate. Folding bikes are designed for multimodal use after all. Fix the flat once the time-sensitive reason for using the Brompton has been sorted.

I know, but it was warm and dry and I had all the tools and could fix the puncture in less time (and crucially, less telephones) than it would take for a taxi to turn up.  Path of least effort and all that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 August, 2016, 04:32:35 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 August, 2016, 11:04:11 am
Quote from: Kim on 22 August, 2016, 12:04:05 am
Quote from: Jurek on 21 August, 2016, 02:36:07 pm
The back garden (not finished yet)
Started with plumber's pipe freezing spray (Lordy, that stuff's expensive) to make the multiple deposits of fox's $h!t more *ahem* manageable.  :sick:
Then strimmed the 30cm high grass / weed mixture to within an inch of its life - there's one thing worse than fox $h!t and that's random trajectory, flying fox $h!t.
Going to wait a while before raking and bagging the detritus - easier to do when it has dried out a bit.
Following which I'll be liberally applying the lion's poo fertiliser - hopefully, that'll keep foxy pooing elsewhere.

ETA -All done. Detritus removed. 1 kg of Lion poo applied. Watch this space....


So basically you've done a shit change on the garden?   ;D
He's upgraded his shit.

Presumably before that he had to get his shit together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 August, 2016, 06:50:06 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 22 August, 2016, 04:32:35 pm
Quote from: clarion on 22 August, 2016, 11:04:11 am
Quote from: Kim on 22 August, 2016, 12:04:05 am
Quote from: Jurek on 21 August, 2016, 02:36:07 pm
The back garden (not finished yet)
Started with plumber's pipe freezing spray (Lordy, that stuff's expensive) to make the multiple deposits of fox's $h!t more *ahem* manageable.  :sick:
Then strimmed the 30cm high grass / weed mixture to within an inch of its life - there's one thing worse than fox $h!t and that's random trajectory, flying fox $h!t.
Going to wait a while before raking and bagging the detritus - easier to do when it has dried out a bit.
Following which I'll be liberally applying the lion's poo fertiliser - hopefully, that'll keep foxy pooing elsewhere.

ETA -All done. Detritus removed. 1 kg of Lion poo applied. Watch this space....


So basically you've done a shit change on the garden?   ;D
He's upgraded his shit.
Presumably before that he had to get his shit together.

Dae wun in the gaaden (accent left as an exercise for the reader)
I can report no fox $h!t has been found. My neighbour advises that the foxes were very noisy last night.
I think I'd probably have something to say if I came home and someone had done away with my lavvy pan.

Quote
Presumably before that he had to get his the fox's shit together.
Plumber's freezy spray saw to that  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 August, 2016, 08:07:44 pm
Netty, surely?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 August, 2016, 09:40:41 pm
Dis-fettled a wheel into 1 hub, 32 nipples, 29 spokes, 3 sink-unblockers and 1 poppadum mould.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 22 August, 2016, 10:51:14 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 August, 2016, 02:36:07 pm
The back garden (not finished yet)
Started with plumber's pipe freezing spray (Lordy, that stuff's expensive) to make the multiple deposits of fox's $h!t more *ahem* manageable.  :sick:
Then strimmed the 30cm high grass / weed mixture to within an inch of its life - there's one thing worse than fox $h!t and that's random trajectory, flying fox $h!t.
Going to wait a while before raking and bagging the detritus - easier to do when it has dried out a bit..
Bagging? But think of the nutrients! That stuff's great fertiliser!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 August, 2016, 11:06:11 pm
Ohled some steel rod and re-molished the headrest bracket on the Red Baron so I can actually rest my head on the headrest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MikeFromLFE on 23 August, 2016, 08:58:14 am
Bottom bracket Fixed cup removed from my old Dawes frame (prior to shot blasting & powder coating once the frames are out.)
Much swearing, and broken knuckle skin.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MikeFromLFE on 24 August, 2016, 08:52:01 am
Ive now got the forks and headset off the Dawes. It's a completely nekkid frame now.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 August, 2016, 08:21:21 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 August, 2016, 02:36:07 pm
The back garden (not finished yet)
Started with plumber's pipe freezing spray (Lordy, that stuff's expensive) to make the multiple deposits of fox's $h!t more *ahem* manageable.  :sick:
Then strimmed the 30cm high grass / weed mixture to within an inch of its life - there's one thing worse than fox $h!t and that's random trajectory, flying fox $h!t.
Going to wait a while before raking and bagging the detritus - easier to do when it has dried out a bit.
Following which I'll be liberally applying the lion's poo fertiliser - hopefully, that'll keep foxy pooing elsewhere.

ETA -All done. Detritus removed. 1 kg of Lion poo applied. Watch this space....
Not currently convinced that this stuff works.
Foxypoo  is present.
Leopoo has been redistributed.
Confidence in the effectiveness of lion poo is waning.
For the moment, I remain unimpressed.
Where can I get a big gun wivva telescopic night sight?

I'm just shuffling shit here. Aren't I? (as observed by Kim, earlier)
Someone is having a laugh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 August, 2016, 05:54:45 pm
New set of idlers on the Baron, which required minor improvisation to get the spacing right (they're pleasantly cheap unofficial ones (http://www.dutchbikebits.com/recumbent-velomobile-parts/alligt-chain-idlers)).

Also gave the mountain bike a once-over, in the hope that it'll fit in the car for the weekend and avoid COR on the Brompton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 August, 2016, 01:27:32 pm
Finished cleaning the Trek, after buzzing round like a blue-arsed fly for half an hour trying to find my 11-speed spare links.  I really must clear up the workshop.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 August, 2016, 03:09:47 pm
Had to replace a tyre after a side-wall snag from a the neck of a broken bottle that I failed to see until a very, very late swerve clipped it - tube didn't blow for about 3/4 mile but it was obvious that a new tube, even with a bit of home-crafted tyre boot wasn't going to work.    Fortunately I was only about 7 miles from home and Mrs robgul wasn't at work . . . car rescue and fitted a new tyre from the stock at home.

Interestingly as I waited for the car - strolling along with the bike, clearly with a problem of some sort - I was reminded of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (I'm not religious and don't go to church etc) . . . . I was passed by 3 separate, lone cyclists (carbon machines, pro-team kit) without even an "Are you OK mate?" - just pounded past, head down - then two more, again separately, on MTBs with baggy shorts etc - ditto - and then a bloke on a hybrid of some sort riding in jeans and a T-shirt who stopped, asked if he could help and even offered to "pop back from the village and give me a lift"  - interesting.   [My wife then arrived so I could load the bike and get home]

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 August, 2016, 03:50:31 pm
Stands to reason that utility cyclists are likely to be closer to home, so more likely to be able to offer assistance based on something other than what they're carrying.  Similarly, tourists/audaxers are probably most likely to be carrying tools and have the skills to assist with bike problems.

But if it's obviously a puncture, then anyone with a pump might reasonably be able to help.  I know that some people carry a smartphone instead, but...

(That said, having done the circumnavigation of Rutland Water twice this weekend, in some places there's a risk of dying of old age if you stopped to assist every cyclist with an obvious mechanical problem, let alone the bike-pushers.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 August, 2016, 04:49:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 August, 2016, 03:50:31 pm
Stands to reason that utility cyclists are likely to be closer to home, so more likely to be able to offer assistance based on something other than what they're carrying.  Similarly, tourists/audaxers are probably most likely to be carrying tools and have the skills to assist with bike problems.

But if it's obviously a puncture, then anyone with a pump might reasonably be able to help.  I know that some people carry a smartphone instead, but...

(That said, having done the circumnavigation of Rutland Water twice this weekend, in some places there's a risk of dying of old age if you stopped to assist every cyclist with an obvious mechanical problem, let along the bike-pushers.)

I know what you mean about Rutland Water and cyclists - it's a bit like the Stratford Greenway across the road from my house!   

... the "acknowledgement" thing is quite amusing ... I have 2 road bikes - one with drops, one with flat bars - when riding the former I invariably get a nod or a wave - zilch when on the latter ... and as for the tourer with a SADDLEBAG - that seems to attract sneers!

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 September, 2016, 03:12:06 pm
found a solution to my drinking problem :thumbsup:

a very neat hydration bladder from mountain warehouse in an insulated sleeve with no rucksack style straps.  Seems intended to go inside any old rucksack.

Anyway it squeezes just nicely into the gap between frame and seat.

http://(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040286_zpsd2urclgt.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040286_zpsd2urclgt.jpg.html)

http://(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040287_zpseptilv5p.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040287_zpseptilv5p.jpg.html)

http://(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040288_zps8vk7eakz.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040288_zps8vk7eakz.jpg.html)

I don't drink the Pedro's that was just to see if I can fit a bottle in the cage at the same time.

That's about 4.5-5 hours endurance there. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 03 September, 2016, 08:39:32 am
Got the Orbit back from the LBS with the Alfine fitted. They had rearranged the fittings on the 'bars, which was a bit annoying, so I re-rearranged. They'd had to leave the rear mudguard stays loose on the rear, as it's a disc brake. I rigged up a spacer and fitted the stays and all seems rigid. Next was to take the disc-ready rack off the Carrera and put it on the Orbit. All went well except one of the rack threads on the frame is a bit fussy about the direction the allen bolt is inserted, but all turned out fine. Then the Altura panniers were set up to fit the rack. I whipped the rear rack light off another bike and fitted it. Tortec complicated matters by putting some semi-circular oojibas behind the light bar, but a socket with extended bar saw it done. Finally, I swapped the pedals off another donor. Oh, not quite, I swapped the saddle and stem from said donor.

All regular fettling, but it highlighted that it was nearly autumn, as it was dark at 8pm when I finished and took it out for a test ride. It's great to have the BB7's power back, albeit on the rear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 September, 2016, 11:04:32 am
Last night, after almost a week of swearing and fiddling, I managed to remove the old bottom bracket, and fit the new one.

Due to using the wrong tool, and not being able to find the correct tool, I'd had limited success in removing the cranks, but eventually solved that, and then had to make a mad dash to B&Q for a new spanner.  The only 32mm spanner I had, to use on the Bottom Bracket Tool, was an admittedly thick punched Park lockring spanner.

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=400&file=P9030553_crop_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/P9030553_crop_adj.jpg)

Trying to turn the right hand "cup" 1, with the backwards thread, the jaws of the spanner were opening, and it clearly was not going to turn.  The new very chunky adjustable made short work of it, it was not to be argued with. ;D

It then me about half an hour to reassemble everything, which was a vast improvement on the disassembly!  With grease on everything2, I hope it'll come apart more easily next time.

The new Bottom Bracket is actually narrower than the original one, that had plastic "edges", which made it wider than necessary.  With a fairly standard Shimano BB-UN55 68×110mm the chainline was close to perfect.

Footnote 1 : It was and is a sealed unit, so that bit wasn't strictly speaking actually a cup, as it would be for a more traditional bottom bracket.

Footnote 2 : Yes, I know some people favour the crank tapers being dry, but I prefer a thin smear of grease on them.  It didn't creak, I took the bike out for a quick test cycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 September, 2016, 02:01:38 pm
Scraping a large quantity of dried mud an a couple of substantial rocks from out of the Ratmobile's right rear wheel has done wonders for its ability to drive at 75 mph without trying to shake itself to bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 September, 2016, 04:51:12 pm
For the first time since I moved in to this house in 2013 I have a working burglar alarm. The codes had been lost in the two years the house was empty, so I've just done a factory reset and reprogrammed the system. :)

Next trick will be to remember to set it when I leave the house ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 September, 2016, 07:31:40 am
Having sold two machines this week, as part of the bike pruning process, I rearranged the hanging devices on the back wall of my garage to store just five machines - and the Brompton lives in the car.

The total bike fleet did reach sixteen at one time so leveling out at five seems reasonable  :thumbsup:   

Just go to get round to going to the next cycle jumble with the three ocado plastic bins full of misc bike stuff - or possibly list them on the forum.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrinklyLion on 05 September, 2016, 08:43:46 am
Yesterday - the shredder, which had objected to something it ate and refused to switch on.  With a paper clip and patience.

Then I shredded about 2 feet of paper that resulted from the first phase of sorting the TPoCs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 September, 2016, 10:41:06 am
Dismantled the Inlaw Paw's electromechanical bed and hauled it up to the loft in small, haulable units, the while calling down a plague of emerods upon those as set bolts in a frame and then upholster over them with 1.5 terastaples1.  Now sweating like O'Slattery's pig and ready for shower, lunch, and a bike ride.  Fat hope of last, hospital crawl this p.m.

1. rough estimate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 September, 2016, 06:31:50 pm
After some initial wiggling by me, Pingu bodged a fix for the sprung kitchen cabinet door openers that haven't worked since the kitchen install in spring 2015....   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 September, 2016, 09:44:36 pm
You call my fine piece of craftsmanship* a bodge?  ::-)






*Judicicious insertion of small bits of plastic into holes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 07 September, 2016, 11:26:50 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 07 September, 2016, 09:44:36 pm
You call my fine piece of craftsmanship* a bodge?  ::-)






*Judicicious insertion of small bits of plastic into holes

Sounds like the creative use of found materials to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 09 September, 2016, 10:14:04 am
(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=400&file=P9080658_crop_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/P9080658_crop_adj.jpg)

I assembled an Ikea shelving unit.  I actually find that sort of thing quite relaxing to do, as long as I have an electric screwdriver, so don't have to suffer blisters!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 September, 2016, 10:23:37 am
Fiddling about with HB/brake/shifter positions on the Massey-Ferguson LHT. Managed to mislay my 4-5-6-Y in the process. :(  Found it again 10 minutes later down the side of the box the bits came in.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 September, 2016, 02:04:23 pm
No bike stuff, yet. Have, however, taken a cupboard off the wall in the shed, cleaned all the flaking paint off then applied a coat of masonry paint. Then set about sealing the roof of said she'd. Elastic sealant paint bought and applied. Need more though as only had enough to do 3/4 of the roof.

Fettled and pile of food into an empty plate. Now digesting that before going to trial fit a backup front light to the Renegade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 September, 2016, 03:40:24 pm
Chum gave me a couple of brake lights that mount on the cable.  Needed a bit of bending but otherwise quite nifty.  Only trouble is that I've done two rides with him since he fitted his, and I've never noticed his going on.  Maybe in the dark.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 11 September, 2016, 05:27:16 pm
On Friday...

We were due to take Junior + his Blue Ribble down to Edinburgh over the weekend, and I'd fettled it back to a fair state of repair from the State of Disrepair that a year of zero-maintenance Student city use creates.

(Cyclops OTP runs a mobile mobile bike-fettling service in Edinburgh (http://www.wheels2wheels.co.uk/), which I called upon once.  So if your offspring need bike fettling in Edinburgh, and you are too far away, give Martin a call.)

Then, up rocks one of his friends with a supermarket-type road-style bike.
Apparently, I've been volunteered by Junior to transport this bike too, because I have plenty bike racks and they don't.
OK then. It would have been nice to have been told about this earlier, but never mind.
Said bike is left in the garage until Sat AM.

Sat AM, I go to put the bikes on the roof.
I see the BSO's rear tyre is bulged completely off the rim, and the only reason the tube had not escaped and exploded was insufficient pressure.
I could have pretended to not see this, and just shove it on the roof and categorise it as SEP, but I reckoned it was a safety issue and it was a kid the same age as my own, so I couldn't let it pass.

Let all the pressure out, re-seated the no-name tyre and pumped it up to about 10psi and re-checked the seating.
Seemed OK, so I pumped it up a bit more.
Got to 40 PSI and the bead jumped out of the rim again.
Totally removed tyre and tube. Tyre basically fell off the rim.
Re-assembled, and same-same.
40 PSI and tyre un-seats itself.

Rummages about in the pile of part-worn tyres and digs out a Michelin Pro4 that's in reasonable nick, and fit it.
No further problems.

Looks like a tolerance issue.
The tyre seemed marginally over-sized, and the rim marginally under-sized.

Delivered with new(ish) tyre fitted ( along with the old tyre too ), because I deemed it to be dangerous the way it was.

I did notice the chain was way too long: it was in small-small and the rear mech arm had run out of travel and the chain was scraping over itself at the rear mech, but I had no time to fettle that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 September, 2016, 05:32:28 pm
(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/small.php?size=500&file=P9110004_adj.JPG) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/stuff/P9110004_adj.JPG)

I put up some Ikea shelving, above the tumble drier, to provide some useful storage in an otherwise empty and unused space.  this actually used to be the back door to the house, but various mods left a slightly random storage area with pipes and not very smooth or flat walls.

Using it store kitchen stuff, probably cleaning stuff, bin bags, air fresheners and whatnot, makes it a much more useful space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 September, 2016, 07:21:31 pm
Out on the M5 today with the water bladder installed.  Found that the tube was nt long enough to drink while riding, so need to sort that later. Also had one very bumpy road that ejected my single bidon from it's cage (following cyclist didn't even stop to pick it up  >:( ) it also ejected the water bladder sideways to dangle chain side by it's single strap (I suspected this might happen)

So since return from ride, I've been fettling an additional strap from velcro, then refettling it because I sewed one bit on the wrong way round (and now have ouchy fingertips as a result).  Seems secure enough now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 11 September, 2016, 07:34:19 pm
Changing strings on double bass. Didn't like the Spirocore Medium ones, which are supposed to be the
best. The sound they gave was too tinny for my liking. Gone back to old (worn) ones, which will be
replaced tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 September, 2016, 08:46:37 pm
Because it looks like it might be cold enough to use the stove soon, and the finishing trim hadn't yet been installed, I needed to paint the area round the stove so it could be fitted.
Why didn't I just wait, I hear you ask?
Because I had to dismantle the innards & remove all the fire panels so that I could get at the nuts which attached the outer trim. Which I figured would be a less messy job before it was full of combustion products.

Didn't exactly slide in, needed spanging with a rubber mallet. All done now though :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 September, 2016, 08:54:34 pm
Also, used some vinegar to get rid of the lime plaster on the slate hearth.

Chemistry in action!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 11 September, 2016, 11:40:33 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 11 September, 2016, 08:54:34 pm
Also, used some vinegar to get rid of the lime plaster on the slate hearth.

Chemistry in action!  :thumbsup:

Two chemists in da house  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 September, 2016, 08:03:55 pm
The M5 had been slightly annoying me.  I was expecting twitchy handling but it seemed to have some pedal steer as well, which obviously a fixed boom machine should not do.  Whilst thinking about brake cable length to get them out of my vision, I realised that having pushed the handlebars as far from me as possible for access, my knees were just nudging the steerer on each pedal stroke.

So this evening saw easing out of the steerer and then shortening the brake cable outers and inners to allow them to route more closely along the steerer and out of my eyeline.

A very quick ride showed a clear difference. Longer test tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 September, 2016, 11:16:43 pm
For the first time since my accident two years ago my Trek is set up with a fixed cog. This could be interesting tomorrow :-\

Also replaced the rear tyre with one that wasn't starting to form an egg
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 September, 2016, 05:01:20 pm
I threw some garden paint in the direction of the new shed door. I wasn't going to do that, I'd rather have had gloss but the bloke I was going to pay to do it kept banging on about woodstain, so I decided if it was going to be a half assed job that I was quite capable of half assed myself.

Then I put a mist coat of claypaint on some of the lounge walls (the ones that aren't wet, that is).
Then I had a nap with a cat on my lap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 18 September, 2016, 05:41:38 pm
One of my bar end levers was loose, so I tightened that up; and added oil that I suspect Thursday's commute washed off. Then planted out a lilac and a rosemary that were getting a bit big for their pots.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 24 September, 2016, 01:44:21 pm
Cleared out the shed, threw loads of tqt away then put the good stuff back. Listed a load of wheels on FB and now I am enjoying a beer while TLD is at a friend's and Mrs T is out for lunch with a friend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 24 September, 2016, 06:26:26 pm
Finally got round to replacing the Genesis' wheel bearings. Mmm, smooth! Pity the weather's shocking so I won't be testing them out...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Owthathurt on 24 September, 2016, 08:08:24 pm
Changed a lightbulb in a lampshade today.....does that constitute fettling?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 24 September, 2016, 08:15:40 pm
Funny that, I changed some SES spots for LEDs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Owthathurt on 24 September, 2016, 08:46:17 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 24 September, 2016, 08:15:40 pm
Funny that, I changed some SES spots for LEDs.

That's complex fettling right there....................
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 September, 2016, 09:59:48 pm
Rather embarrassing fettle today...

For a couple of weeks, I've been plagued by a light metallic Ping!...Ting!...Ting!...Ping! whilst riding over rough road.
I've had a bear of a time trying to discover where it's coming from.
I've spent hours bouncing the bike up and down on the garage floor trying to reproduce it with no success.

On today's ride, I finally discovered the source.
It was the rear brake cable, which had become a bit slack, and was slapping against the underside of the top tube, where it runs outside of any outer.
Grab a hold of it and clamp it to the top tube by hand, and silence.
Or take up the slack with the brake lever, and silence.

So when I got home, I go to investigate how the rear brake cable is so slack.

The rear calliper QR lever is open.
It must have been like that since I fixed a puncture on our family ride to Elgin 2 weeks ago.
Idiot boy.

Crank the QR lever round to the closed position, and normal cable tension is resumed, and silence is restored.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 September, 2016, 05:23:40 pm
Finished painting section 2 of 3 of the living room (leaving the bit with the stains still to do) yesterday.
Today stomped the carpet back down on the grippers, put the blind back up, moved the stand with all the hi-fi & media kit from one side of the room to the other (a delicate operation), cleaned all the dust off it, Pingu un-spaghettied all the cables and connected it all up to the new LAN socket.
Moved the bookcase and speakers back from their temporary (~5 months) home in the hall and connected all that up.

Dismantled and de-nailed half a pallet (until I'd had enough, feeling a bit weak & weedy today). Grubbed about in the corner of the loft to excavate several boxes of paperbacks for future charidee shop trip. Hoovered.

I'm bloody knackered now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 September, 2016, 08:01:09 pm
A bit of dark side fettling today.

The rear lighting on the M5 has had my brian ticking over for a while and I had thoughts at the weekend.  It moved from a metal rawrdobe pole to a bit of brrom handle before finally settling on a length of PVC water pipe instead. Held to the frame of the headrest with cable ties threaded through holes drilled at 90 degree angles.

And no excuse for car drivers, it's higher than it would be on an upright

(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/IMG_20160926_180751_zpscxubmfde.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/IMG_20160926_180751_zpscxubmfde.jpg.html)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 September, 2016, 08:20:46 pm
A bit of workshop fettling - moved the bench-mounted work-stand clamp from one bench to the other (and packed away the floor-standing work-stand that I keep tripping over) - making a QR lever for the tube clamp from an old Allen key superglued into an Allen bolt head. Also re-arranged the bike hanging wall-mounted racks a little wider apart now I have sold a couple of machines.

Next step is to go through all the cycle stuff to find the things I don't need and get them ready for a cycle jumble where I've booked a table.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 September, 2016, 09:18:46 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 26 September, 2016, 08:01:09 pm
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/IMG_20160926_180751_zpscxubmfde.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/IMG_20160926_180751_zpscxubmfde.jpg.html)

That bike's desperately in need of a carbon fibre tailbox.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 26 September, 2016, 09:27:32 pm
Sewed some cloth badges onto my tatty old Carradice. Some light relief from re-rimming a wheel - the brake was a bit grabby on Saturday, and there are some noticeable dimples in the old rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 September, 2016, 09:32:14 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 September, 2016, 09:18:46 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 26 September, 2016, 08:01:09 pm
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/IMG_20160926_180751_zpscxubmfde.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/IMG_20160926_180751_zpscxubmfde.jpg.html)

That bike's desperately in need of a carbon fibre tailbox.

Not at 800 euro plus VAT it isn't
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 30 September, 2016, 05:49:46 pm
I've just fettled a new battery into Junior's iPhone 5, who's battery life had deteriorated to single-digit minutes.
He's been going around with one of my USB battery packs in his pocket.

It wasn't too difficult, really.  Just fiddly.
And it even still works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 September, 2016, 06:11:39 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 30 September, 2016, 05:49:46 pm
He's been going around with one of my USB battery packs in his pocket.

All the cool kids are doing that these days.  I blame Pokemon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 30 September, 2016, 06:32:07 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 September, 2016, 06:11:39 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 30 September, 2016, 05:49:46 pm
He's been going around with one of my USB battery packs in his pocket.

All the cool kids are doing that these days.  I blame Pokemon.

Indeed.

(This Junior is not such an avid Pokémon player as his older brother.)

Apparently, you can pick up 'eggs' which need to be hatched by 'walking around'.
There are different eggs, and they require different Km of walking to hatch them.
But to register the distance, the phone has to be on and active, with GPS enabled to track the motion.
So this is why they need Audax-style solutions to battery life issues!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 October, 2016, 08:43:28 am
I really need to clean the Inbred, fit a new chain and sprocket, and overhaul the front brake*, but it's chucking it down.  So far I have removed the chain and loosened the axle nuts, then scuttle back indoors for a cup of tea.

I think that, after four years' commuting, I should maybe fit some new V-brake pads.  They still haven't worn excessively but that's because the sky blue Swisstops (for ceramic rims) are *so* hard that they don't really work in the wet.  Now the rims have smoothed off and are no longer like sandpaper, I'm going to try green Kool-Stops again.  How long does a ceramic rim last, anyway?  This one looks as if it might do ten years; its normal predecessor lasted 18 months, and that was on the front!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 01 October, 2016, 08:48:03 am
As far as I can make out ceramic rims last until you bend them.

Until last year I had been doing over 3000 all year round miles on a pair of them since 2008, and have only had to replace two, both as a result of dinks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 October, 2016, 09:08:29 am
V-brakes on ceramic rims are certainly a lower-maintenance option than hydraulic discs!  Normally I just grease the frame bosses once a year to ensure they continue to centre properly when released and - er - that's it.  I am changing the cable today, though.

The coaster brake in the rear hub is even lower-maintenance.  I overhauled the hub this time last year, after 2.5 years' commuting, and wished I hadn't bothered.  It was still clean inside and the coaster brake shoes (knurled hardened steel on new SA hubs, not bronze any more) weren't noticeably worn.

The only things this bike eats up are chains and sprockets.  With a singlespeed or an IGH hub it's usually most economic to run the chain until it's ruined the sprocket, then replace both at the same time (the chainring will be OK for years).  Sprockets are about three quid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 01 October, 2016, 09:28:21 am
My old Orange O2 was treated to a pair of new ceramic Spa wheels about three years ago. (Both rims and hubs were shot.) Required brake maintenance since then has been zero. Braking performance remains tip top.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 October, 2016, 04:51:36 pm
Tyre change on the Trek, put on 2 x GP4000sII 25mm instead of 23s.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 October, 2016, 06:13:39 pm
100k on the M5 showed me that my tail lighting solution is not the most practical, the pole gets in the way of the back of the helmet.

More fettling to do, with either a shorter stump, or a horizontal solution, or both.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 01 October, 2016, 10:05:23 pm
Put the fourth new tube in a day on the front wheel of Mrs B's road bike.

First one had a leak through an old patch beside the valve set. The patch was splitting. The second popped while I was pumping it up. Split that looked like a pinch puncture. Maybe it had been damaged but not quite fatally when fitting & gave up the ghost under pressure. The third - seemed fine until it was half pumped, then air started gushing out of the valve.

I don't want to tempt fate, but the fourth one's staying up so far. I've started patching the old ones which were laying around. Three patched, two discarded so far. One road & one MTB to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 October, 2016, 11:55:33 am
Bathroom fan replacement, up in the loft inaccessible, contortionism and strained hamstrings.

As well as swapping over, also corrected the electricians fubar with the cable outer which had not been fed through the grommet on an IPX4 device.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 02 October, 2016, 07:33:00 pm
In house fettling,
1) A good multimeter (Fluke 77) can work out whether a mains cable is live by holding the probe near the live side of the cable. It read 2 ish Volts near the live side and less than half a volt near the other side. The 2 V reading disappeared when the cable was turned off.
1a) The cable I had found turned out to have a junction box for real testing less than 30 cm away  :facepalm:
2) Drill bit extensions can be stacked to allow drilling all the way down through the wooden noggins from the top of a wall to the bottom. With limited headroom each new one is assembled on the top of the stack with the rest of stack in place. The same stack of extensions can lead a string down for later cable pulling purposes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 02 October, 2016, 07:40:13 pm
Washed my bike.  Hoping Miff from the club won't look at it with that sad face next week now.  I swear it was a stone lighter this afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 October, 2016, 09:30:41 pm
Also turned the lightsaber through 90deg on the M5 a s per ^^
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 02 October, 2016, 10:26:54 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 02 October, 2016, 07:40:13 pm
Washed my bike.  Hoping Miff from the club won't look at it with that sad face next week now.
My club once said I couldn't ride with them if I didn't wash mine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 02 October, 2016, 10:35:01 pm
Quote from: drossall on 02 October, 2016, 10:26:54 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 02 October, 2016, 07:40:13 pm
Washed my bike.  Hoping Miff from the club won't look at it with that sad face next week now.
My club once said I couldn't ride with them if I didn't wash mine.

How bad was it   :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 03 October, 2016, 12:08:32 am
Don't really remember. I thought it was fine, obviously ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 October, 2016, 12:03:18 pm
I has a penguin.. A reconstruction from photos of the ones on the wall at the Overgate shopping centre.

It is only 3cm high so sits on my monitor.

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5492/30015335851_2c496a5839_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MJmrCx)DSC_0373 (https://flic.kr/p/MJmrCx) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

I will print it larger, sand and finish, and make it into a very nice object.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 04 October, 2016, 07:01:08 pm
I saw your brilliant Friendface post where you made that.  It's amazing.

I have cleared out the cupboard where I keep all the cycling stuff, and organised it all, and put it all back in.

Hopefully I'll be able to find stuff when I need it now.

It was BAD in there.  Also I seem to have about four pairs of SPD pedals kicking about, not attached to bicycles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 October, 2016, 07:06:43 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 04 October, 2016, 07:01:08 pm
Also I seem to have about four pairs of SPD pedals kicking about, not attached to bicycles.

I seem to do that too: Pedals develop the Click Of Annoyance, so I replace them with new ones and rotate the old ones to the bikes where it will annoy me less.  But I still end up with a set of not-actually-broken pedals which I squirrel away because it'd be wasteful to get rid of them.  n+1 helps to an extent, but not very sustainably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 October, 2016, 09:36:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 October, 2016, 07:06:43 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 04 October, 2016, 07:01:08 pm
Also I seem to have about four pairs of SPD pedals kicking about, not attached to bicycles.

I seem to do that too: Pedals develop the Click Of Annoyance, so I replace them with new ones and rotate the old ones to the bikes where it will annoy me less.  But I still end up with a set of not-actually-broken pedals which I squirrel away because it'd be wasteful to get rid of them.  n+1 helps to an extent, but not very sustainably.

I got rid of my last pair of annoying squeak pedals to a tradesman.  He was well chuffed. Not as chuffed as me at getting rid of the squeak
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 October, 2016, 10:05:19 pm
Set up mobile phone for Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.), got Skype working on his laptop and clever landlone, installed ten million updates on said laptop, got Skype working on my fondleslab and all because Prof Larrington is off to do an extended bunch of professoring in Orztrylia.

At least she has agreed to take 2D Thomas with her :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 October, 2016, 07:51:50 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 04 October, 2016, 09:36:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 October, 2016, 07:06:43 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 04 October, 2016, 07:01:08 pm
Also I seem to have about four pairs of SPD pedals kicking about, not attached to bicycles.

I seem to do that too: Pedals develop the Click Of Annoyance, so I replace them with new ones and rotate the old ones to the bikes where it will annoy me less.  But I still end up with a set of not-actually-broken pedals which I squirrel away because it'd be wasteful to get rid of them.  n+1 helps to an extent, but not very sustainably.

I got rid of my last pair of annoying squeak pedals to a tradesman.  He was well chuffed. Not as chuffed as me at getting rid of the squeak

Seems to me they - i.e. double-sided MTB pedals - didn't always do that.  I had one pair that went ~6 years with no problems.  The ones I replaced them with started to click after maybe a year, and at least one other set has started too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 05 October, 2016, 09:51:58 am
Spuds click. That's the point, innit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 05 October, 2016, 12:23:04 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 04 October, 2016, 12:03:18 pm
I has a penguin.. A reconstruction from photos of the ones on the wall at the Overgate shopping centre.

It is only 3cm high so sits on my monitor.

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5492/30015335851_2c496a5839_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MJmrCx)DSC_0373 (https://flic.kr/p/MJmrCx) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

I will print it larger, sand and finish, and make it into a very nice object.
It looks like something not ready to be born.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 05 October, 2016, 01:15:25 pm
Fettled a 2 cross 36 hole 20" wheel with a SON hub. It was a right faff as I kept doing 3 cross as that is what I'm used to do. Put 2-3 spokes in while watching random YouTube and drinking tea, take 2-3 spokes out, going right it is 2 cross you numpty, fit one spoke right, sip of tea, fit a few more spokes, take a spoke out as I fecking crossed it 3 times etc etc
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 October, 2016, 01:16:50 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 05 October, 2016, 12:23:04 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 04 October, 2016, 12:03:18 pm
I has a penguin.. A reconstruction from photos of the ones on the wall at the Overgate shopping centre.

It is only 3cm high so sits on my monitor.

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5492/30015335851_2c496a5839_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MJmrCx)DSC_0373 (https://flic.kr/p/MJmrCx) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

I will print it larger, sand and finish, and make it into a very nice object.
It looks like something not ready to be born.

Slouching towards Bethlehem?

My fettling has been restricted to swearing at the Inlaw Paw's old Maxicraft Jupiter Dremel-lookalike, which has a broken wire inside the casing and resists every effort to find a way in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 05 October, 2016, 11:22:41 pm
Well, I suppose it's a little rough, & one could just about call a bird a beast.  ;) But I was thinking more along the lines of it looking rather foetal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 06 October, 2016, 12:08:37 am
It looks a bit... Lovecraftian. :demon:

Quote from: At the Mountains of Madness
For it was only a penguin - albeit of a huge, unknown species larger than the greatest of the known king penguins, and monstrous in its combined albinism and virtual eyelessness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 October, 2016, 08:17:47 am
Well I like it, even in its present woolly aspect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 06 October, 2016, 03:43:00 pm
Wired up the dyno light front and back on the recumbent, which meant extending some wires. Hooked it up to Peli's bike and it worked \o/ Now I just need to true the wheel I laced up the other day, and I will be ready to ride in the winter :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 October, 2016, 05:42:49 pm
Sorted out the base supports on the bed. We have an otterman bed and the two cross pieces that support the floor of the storage bit had come astray, due to being just stapled to the uprights. A quick empty of all the clothes under the bed, a quicker disassembly then whack on some gorilla glue, leave to set and repeat steps 2 and 1, in reverse. All ready to store stuff and to sleep on now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 October, 2016, 06:13:50 pm
Does gorilla glue work on otters?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 October, 2016, 06:14:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 October, 2016, 06:13:50 pm
Does gorilla glue work on otters?

No, you'll need otter glue for that, silly :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 06 October, 2016, 07:41:46 pm
Started to take the Samsung NotePro tablet to pieces to replace the battery. I got the back off relatively easily and got 6 of the tiny phillips screws out with a slotted screwdriver, but number 7 was not going to shift. I've ordered some more precision 'drivers to do the job, as I don't want to knacker the screw up. That'll take the total cost to c.£25; i.e. £100+ cheaper than a factory replacement - assuming it works!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 October, 2016, 10:51:31 pm
Only fettling by proxy having rung the LBS to try and schedule wheel building with dyno hub that's sitting at home
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 October, 2016, 08:28:05 am
Quote from: T42 on 05 October, 2016, 07:51:50 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 04 October, 2016, 09:36:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 October, 2016, 07:06:43 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 04 October, 2016, 07:01:08 pm
Also I seem to have about four pairs of SPD pedals kicking about, not attached to bicycles.

I seem to do that too: Pedals develop the Click Of Annoyance, so I replace them with new ones and rotate the old ones to the bikes where it will annoy me less.  But I still end up with a set of not-actually-broken pedals which I squirrel away because it'd be wasteful to get rid of them.  n+1 helps to an extent, but not very sustainably.

I got rid of my last pair of annoying squeak pedals to a tradesman.  He was well chuffed. Not as chuffed as me at getting rid of the squeak

Seems to me they - i.e. double-sided MTB pedals - didn't always do that.  I had one pair that went ~6 years with no problems.  The ones I replaced them with started to click after maybe a year, and at least one other set has started too.

The right pedal on my Trek started clicking yesterday, after just 6500 km and only once ridden in rain. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2016, 11:35:36 am
I don't think rain comes into it.  The click is from wear in the shoe/cleat/pedal interface, not the bearing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 October, 2016, 01:29:03 pm
Could be, although I do change cleats every 10 years or so...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2016, 01:40:13 pm
Changing the cleat can help, but does nothing for wear on the pedal side (or the shoe, for that matter).  In my experience (I have several sets of shoes and pedals, so it's readily apparent which side is causing the problem) worn cleats unclip too easily[1], but worn pedals cause a click on each pedal stroke without affecting the retention (and indeed increasing the tension does nothing for the click).  With dual-sided pedals, one side may click worse than the other.

It's almost but not quite enough to make me want to forklift upgrade to some other pedal system.  Then I see the price.


[1] Though StuAff had a worn cleat recently that wouldn't unclip at all in one direction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 October, 2016, 02:19:31 pm
Humph. As I said, after just 6500 km. Drat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2016, 02:23:10 pm
It's worse than that: I fitted a new set of M520s to my tourer in June, and one side of the right pedal developed a click within 400km.   >:(


I've been thinking about screwing a cleat to a bit of perspex or something in an attempt to see exactly what's going on.  Hard to work it out when there's a shoe in the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 07 October, 2016, 07:50:11 pm
And there is light \o/ Got the wheel inserted and all the wiring is working, now I should go for a test spin :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 07 October, 2016, 09:01:10 pm
I got a click on my left shoe/cleat. Which is great when it does click I know I'm not pedalling right and if I continue my knee and then hip will hurt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 08 October, 2016, 03:42:05 pm
The loft ladder.

One broken bracket, part removed and reinforced with some holed metal strapping and the hatch area reinforced as well.

Will eventually need replacing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 08 October, 2016, 06:46:13 pm
I fettled a frankenderailleur! Used this (http://www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle-tech/bike-tinkering-101-shimano-105-derailleur-hack-by-thomas-aceves/) as a guide; now I have an extra-long cage 5800 mech. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 08 October, 2016, 07:47:22 pm
I fettled another 4 penguins.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5108/29899561830_6d41f6daea_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/My853J)Penguins 1 to 5 (https://flic.kr/p/My853J) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 09 October, 2016, 12:01:32 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 08 October, 2016, 06:46:13 pm
I fettled a frankenderailleur! Used this (http://www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle-tech/bike-tinkering-101-shimano-105-derailleur-hack-by-thomas-aceves/) as a guide; now I have an extra-long cage 5800 mech. :thumbsup:

good stuff, just goes to show that the mech would shift down to 36t sprocket no problem (even shifts to 40t but needs small modification) when shimano specifies 32t max.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 October, 2016, 04:31:57 pm
Removed the old fridge from the utility room and replaced it with the fridge freezer that was delivered this morning. Then spent a good two hours sorting screws and nails into a new storage case before going for shopping. Upon return I spent a happy half hour or so, with TLD and Mrs T, sticking stickers on the aforementioned fridge freezer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 October, 2016, 04:35:55 pm
A mostly new headset (had to re-use the old crown race as the LBS had sourced a 26.2 and I needed a 27.0 - you don't know till you get it off.)
New mudguards so the PFY bike is ready for winter. The SKS mudguards are a work of art.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 09 October, 2016, 05:42:43 pm
Quite proud of this one. Downtube cable stop snapped off (if you look closely you'll see it was never attached!) so we sourced a replacement.

(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/Mobile%20Uploads/WP_20161008_002_zpswjm5eiw3.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 09 October, 2016, 09:54:34 pm
During Routine Maintenance of my commuter bike today, I discovered why the shifting had become a bit temperamental.

Both pivots on the rear mech were seized:
The pivot at the hanger mounting, and the pivot at the cage mounting.
They were both pretty much solid.

I'm surprised the chain hadn't dragged along the road!
But then I realised my commute these days is pretty much flat, and I don't change gear much.

Whilst cleaning it all up and soaking it in lubricant, a spring finally released and sprung back where it belongs, nipping my little finger and raising a bloody great blister!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 October, 2016, 11:14:28 am
Finished the Samsung NotePro battery swap. Easy-peasy, which makes me wonder why Samsung charge so much to change them & how Amazon sellers can charge £75 for a 'kit' to swap them. All it takes is a slender, blunt edge and one small precision 'driver and the job's a good'un. Total cost, with a set of 'drivers: £25.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 11 October, 2016, 02:29:10 pm
replaced the chain* on the audax bike (after almost 8,000km it still has not stretched to 0.75%, but the drivetrain didn't feel as smooth as i like it to be).

*kmc x10sl
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 October, 2016, 03:57:09 pm
Replaced the fluorescents in my office.  Osram doesn't mention anywhere on the box that the tubes within are self-starting and the shop had hung the starters next to the tubes so I bought a couple as well then found back home that the fitment didn't have anywhere to plug them in. Tubes started anyway so I now have a couple of spare 36W starters in the oubliette drawer.  Where I will doubtless find them the next time I put in a couple more surplus starters. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 12 October, 2016, 10:28:32 am
I fitted my new rear light this morning. It ennarf fierce. Motons should be able to see me from a couple of miles back. If they can be bothered to look up from their phone / ipad / sales figures / jazzmag or whatever for a second or two, that is
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 October, 2016, 10:40:53 pm
turned ss bike into a geared bike, for a change. swapping of rear dropouts was initially prevented by one seized bolt, which had to be removed with the help of soldering iron, dremel cutter, flat screw driver, adjustable wrench and brute force. burned my thumb in the process, so now got a nice throbbing blister. everything else went fine. the bike gained 1.2kg.. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 14 October, 2016, 11:53:30 am
Quote from: Guy on 12 October, 2016, 10:28:32 am
I fitted my new rear light this morning. It ennarf fierce. Motons should be able to see me from a couple of miles back. If they can be bothered to look up from their phone / ipad / sales figures / jazzmag or whatever for a second or two, that is
I hate those. I've been dazzled by far too many of them when I'm cycling along & someone with one of 'em cuts in in front of me.

Most of 'em are too narrowly focused, as well, so that moton doesn't see you unless he's directly behind you. Think what happens when someone who you've just dazzled moves sideways slightly & you become much harder to see.

A big red glow which is equally visible across a wide angle is much better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 October, 2016, 07:05:03 pm
Quote from: Bledlow on 14 October, 2016, 11:53:30 am
Quote from: Guy on 12 October, 2016, 10:28:32 am
I fitted my new rear light this morning. It ennarf fierce. Motons should be able to see me from a couple of miles back. If they can be bothered to look up from their phone / ipad / sales figures / jazzmag or whatever for a second or two, that is
I hate those. I've been dazzled by far too many of them when I'm cycling along & someone with one of 'em cuts in in front of me.

Most of 'em are too narrowly focused, as well, so that moton doesn't see you unless he's directly behind you. Think what happens when someone who you've just dazzled moves sideways slightly & you become much harder to see.

A big red glow which is equally visible across a wide angle is much better.

I had a bloke pass me with not 1, but 3 incredibly bright red flashers, all going off at different speeds. The effect made me feel rather sick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 15 October, 2016, 03:31:04 pm
Rear (alloy) fender on my tourer broke.  Replaced it with a Gilles Berthoud stainless steel job.

The original fender had a little "GB" badge.  Seemed appropriate to keep it ;-)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sEas9GKxX1acPsjV-O11H6Z1QQtLnO1yT2a9KkBtKGi_EDQojmQvG1iAYhcyfqPr4tiNC5EKkWmMrYBAOYPhHo9CpKFKfVrtk4riw3y0NiLPwM5rVsnhapq61pSfQPQDjU5xUO7WmWwocqpzxtPM0ynelMUn7d9mREoogfrzYy9vQ_RF0GGDLnPowngtL3FbnjTKX_bqwoV-4VQyHz70U5z37t8zvRs2xVFMyjHV755k_9fWQOEbapsC7USedhxkU7KhSs1MbvqWhDyGMuEzVfXL54wUwcNchYp_4XLBobo9LOGcS-nwawuEbGG_Zyqa2TTQ-nZOw422aKusbVg3LS7y2mGEj4gemAu2RxbaxP9izDJcJSSOVVwn_zm80OJo52L6ynt0PDm12MW_rnXVzHqlMgj18AX7wh09cLUyh8U7nNIKtULqQSr2i5HVrFxe16FSycCMO3DGCLHUW80AeKbFT_anJRV4G3lxtX492r8QSa40t5vl96JJAbORBkZ7IE9q_H_1qFvFOYgbtl35SH1YzbqVMad4CX_j9AWOQ9JAKwMrJV2wiGU_3AhSow5NAOKhHP5oV71E7-OaBa6jzwwL3lOwzO-wXAJHbHBMDiPu29HZ=w456-h810-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/K_HLio49qARbiOrDxU__WjGaVQvKLH_m_hpwtwbCvLEB1IQkpkr76NLZnajTha8JM_buwQqSr7E6_HQN_V_gPqQpqdc1E4eYUdTLxj_wlnVFsPFpGIwcRIOmximRBoseRMuc-6JumuIij5utMNgTRlyVRbR2VrdGm9Nf-pCVkWabRx2YbTcwJrSMKf43OlVKw76KuPUl9ZX2NRVk5iX7TUkt3WTGsEL86G5SjUN18EBdh_NaYlm-0ClGo3Fg-q6V5Pnnzlzq_LZEVdoVAajwlzNOwtJWLutygFV4bBsounA-XF3R0ZQnQdHfcCBA2HNVnEZvGUbMkYR-2-KAjQoQIXVqeDtezEjSJBQAr4i8mbfSfdZQ5svBtEjsxHggdM0zptz0lk1GvAH0JtR_AcGa-OrqhRokQki_D7b6kEFlEVjjzxMdMdnpCH51uZzdD8lP5H8lHF758XpULyIHP-uHKNTBglV60xHplu8suNL0LsTx99X09mwSr-j-p8ohAUDWwFqEKLxvE2FfvdgcC3TqF6vAcZzpzB9rR8HsiPDPFTVQhiSo5C_s_RJ_Blg1tF9u6nS_-EspEKE5P0tIhiFdwuZPBUra9eKCetGZ_0Yu-UjqZtUW=w456-h810-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ktFoPwglF1TBbbGCZO-3-q8kMJ-BlJ1kN_Nd5xhxWaRY17pOEmcIfttWZyF1PP1wRRLBO0Ib3gi_dsoqVeTSE6lOY1umymALHdEUxNqb_bi6Gg2a8bvOB8-1a5CtMS8uGu3eoE1hy9oPrQY2MGQ0fTFpI8_LNWFcXgyBZUVK4WLBvCE3AEtctReEIqy36wTNav8e5raH-I6yrH-Lq5gihwWK4tD2D00lv9kFgcAUUgvDFly_UugH-DhCVVOduHNFd9CXGAs_1vFXFvGMlrlpYa8NTRZj5n63dp-RSyMFw9-Qc5VpiTcK4oPPEIsEdWg8PM7pYb4bjTD3iM5bscBt8DQYD1ssrtQ7P761kYG3DmA9AwPQTBhRLQTRuGfodx1JoJXFgkJd11inD42tE96zAi2iCRtwE-ExzCQz_nu5794VB-mGXVjmuY1xggPSlxeYXd-f7C8rqqYe0kXtYuCYZgLhMUSNCaYK1nhhBE3gNAhV8jbVRgx6C2IP6_QlPRyIEDLvy5OTK0KwAHe_u5e_glpnQBmF9QCfUEOm1eeqoUzvxHzrtrRVdRJ2TjJkq0yhoOMATHBzCXc8Ruz1HzCXN-vk8vVvT0m1IHAApleNjZxADX3g=w456-h810-no)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 15 October, 2016, 04:10:01 pm
The rear mudguard bridge broke last weekend, so I replaced that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 15 October, 2016, 10:37:39 pm
Quote from: itsbruce on 15 October, 2016, 03:31:04 pm
Rear (alloy) fender on my tourer broke.  Replaced it with a Gilles Berthoud stainless steel job.

The original fender had a little "GB" badge.  Seemed appropriate to keep it ;-)
Fender -
(http://www.danfender.com/uploads/danfender-boat-black.jpg)

Mudguards
(http://www.wigglestatic.com/product-media/5360010679/sks-chromo-mudguards-zoom.jpg?w=430&h=430&a=7)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 October, 2016, 11:03:38 pm
Replaced the chain on the Pompino.
For an identical link count, the new chain is 26mm shorter than the old worn one  :o
Somewhat unsurprisingly,  the chainring was found to be beyond its useful service life, consisting now of little more than 42 shark's fins.

A series of 16:00-on-a-Saturday panicky phone-calls to a number of LBSs managed to secure one from Rat Race Bikes in Nunhead.
Rear sprocket cleaned to within an inch of its life, chain & chainring fitted and adjusted.
Tomorrow it'll be the turn of the brakes, front and back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 15 October, 2016, 11:04:49 pm
Due to the rain and working on a blacony nothing!!!

But did purchase 4 yes 4 specialised trisport 700x23 tyres!!! from Evans at £5 each. https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized-trisport-tyre-EV147478
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 October, 2016, 11:08:31 pm
Swapped the rear mudguard on the winter bike. It is the full easy to remove race ones from SKS so took about 30 seconds.

Obtained and fitted a set of the COB lights from ALDI. Wow they are bright.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mr ben on 15 October, 2016, 11:33:17 pm
On-one Mary handlebar and new stem fitted to crappy commuter; so far so good.  But then half-way through saddle musical-chairs the bolt and thingy (wot holds the saddle rails) fell off somewhere along the road. In the dark. If I'm lucky stroking the verge with a magnet tomorrow will prove fruitful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 October, 2016, 09:19:25 am
For the first time in about 40 years, a Regina freewheel.

Scary number of teeny-weeny ball bearings...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 16 October, 2016, 10:13:52 pm
Oooh, I haven't done that for forty years either :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 16 October, 2016, 10:15:12 pm
For the first time in about four years, I maked a cake!

House smells lovely now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 October, 2016, 10:56:20 pm
Quote from: drossall on 16 October, 2016, 10:13:52 pm
Oooh, I haven't done that for forty years either :thumbsup:

Not something I would choose to do again, I offered it the removal tool but despite bolting the tool to the axle it still slipped. Anyway it's clean, greased and refitted now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 October, 2016, 01:58:40 pm
The fairy has excelled herself:  Front wheel deflation on the bike that's been attached to the turbo for a month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 October, 2016, 11:22:32 am
The Brooks on the Renegade was, ahem, causing me a little bit of pain.

Comparing, with the aid of a spirit level, the difference between the attitude of the one on the Dave Yates and the one on the Renegade, I found the latter to be more up at the fore than the former.

Soon righted and now I need to go and test ride it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 20 October, 2016, 07:11:02 pm
To the Stumble, naturally...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 20 October, 2016, 08:17:05 pm
Looks more like the Buck to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 20 October, 2016, 08:20:35 pm
I'm only jealous . . .  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 21 October, 2016, 05:55:39 am
Actually, after nearly been squished by a cattle truck I just rode a circular route and drank the beer that had taken up residence in the fridge. That ride did show me that I need to move the seat forward a fraction as I am still sitting on it, rather than perching on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 October, 2016, 07:35:25 am
came to the same conclusion on two of mine.  The 20 year od MTB that is mainly a run-around, having ridden 50km on it showed the saddle position as wrong enough to be chaged.  I think I need an independent vie of set-up on the remaining road bike as well
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 22 October, 2016, 07:36:10 pm
My old scout troup normally sells second hand bikes each year at the local carnival. Unfortunately there is no carnival this year as too many of the committee have moved away.

Instead the scout troup is going to do a bike sale next weekend, so my father, I and another of the current scouts dad were down at the hut going through the bikes that have been donated this year. I recon they have 40-50 bikes there to sell from toddlers first bikes with stabilisers through children's bikes to a some quite decent adult bikes.

Unusually we didn't have to replace any brake or gear cables and only had to scrap 7 bikes as beyond repair. most only needed a lube of the chain, adjustment of the brakes and finally a check of the wheel and headset bearings

One of those being scrapped is a specialised sirus elite which I had thought was going to  be a good bike for sale. Unfortunately the inner chain ring was catching the chain stay so we thought an incorrect bottom bracket had been fitted. However removing the chainset disclosed the split in the top of the driveside chainstay at the bridge which I suspect had been caused by the ape who fitted the kick stand.  >:(  Instead it will donate mechs, levers etc. that will get a nice Marin to be saleable.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 October, 2016, 09:12:04 pm
Built the frame of one wing for the balsa wood glider. That's fuselage, tailplane and one wing so far. This is by far the most complicated thing I've built, but I'm enjoying it quite a lot.

At least I don't have to watch SCD while I doing it. :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 October, 2016, 09:50:01 am
Quote from: matthew on 22 October, 2016, 07:36:10 pm
Instead the scout troup is going to do a bike sale next weekend, so my father, I and another of the current scouts dad were down at the hut going through the bikes that have been donated this year. I recon they have 40-50 bikes there to sell from toddlers first bikes with stabilisers through children's bikes to a some quite decent adult bikes.

Unusually we didn't have to replace any brake or gear cables and only had to scrap 7 bikes as beyond repair. most only needed a lube of the chain, adjustment of the brakes and finally a check of the wheel and headset bearings

A couple of clubs around here have annual bike exchanges. Anyone can bring in a bike before 11 am, the organizers give them the once-over and a sale price is agreed on.  Buyers come in the afternoon.  Vendors sign the bike off as working as far as they know, buyers sign a form stating that they have inspected the bike and are satisfied. The club takes 10% of the sales price.

Seems to be work OK, the clubs have been doing it for years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 October, 2016, 01:34:13 pm
Aargh, no, that sounds really, really dangerous (to my wallet).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 23 October, 2016, 03:02:11 pm
Removed a rounded, seized allen bolt with lube, a file and pliers.

(https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5836/29881403614_4850c63d2e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Mww1f3)
IMG_7630_01 (https://flic.kr/p/Mww1f3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 October, 2016, 04:12:41 pm
Another useful technique in that situation is to use a hacksaw ( or dremmel ) to cut a slot across the head, thus turning it into a slot-headed screw.
Then a normal screwdriver can be used to remove it.

I've just fettled my commuter-bike into winter-mode.
I've put on the winter wheels with M+ tyres, and fitted mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Morat on 23 October, 2016, 05:39:47 pm
The rear mudguard on my Roadhouse.
Those Radial mudguards look neat when they're on but you have to cut the stays to length before fitting because the ends are contained within the clips. They're made of reassuringly strong steel which is a B"$%£d to cut. Of course, you need to measure carefully because you've only got about 5mm of leeway between Too Long and Too Short to be gripped by the grub screw.

I've got about 2mm clearance at the closest point. So I'm calling that a win. Annoyingly, I noticed a bulge in the sidewall of my rear tyre, so that's another dead tyre I need to replace :(

Next week (if I can summon up enough TUITs) the FRONT mudguard, which requires both cutting AND bending of the stays because my bike has the mounting bolt thingy halfway up the inside of the fork leg for reasons that elude me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 October, 2016, 05:43:46 pm
Mudguard mounts halfway up the fork means that a stick hitting your mudguard stay doesn't pull the mudguard onto the front tyre, locking up the front wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 October, 2016, 06:48:39 pm
Helped/cajoled my chum Cat Head fettle his ancient tourer into something approaching roadworthy.  The initial plan was to take the play out of the cup and cone bottom bracket, a plan which began a few months ago.  The bike has been largely dismantled for a couple of months, and hung up by ropes in his garage.  Many of the bits (chain, rear mech, front mech for example) are somewhat worn, but application of Gunk, white spirit, grease (elbow and Castrol LM) seemd to help. It's ride-able now, and gets the small ring 2 times out of 3.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 23 October, 2016, 07:02:37 pm
Fitted a friction bar end lever to operate the 8 speed  on the trice . The shifting is much quicker now  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Morat on 23 October, 2016, 07:28:13 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 October, 2016, 05:43:46 pm
Mudguard mounts halfway up the fork means that a stick hitting your mudguard stay doesn't pull the mudguard onto the front tyre, locking up the front wheel.

OK, I can get behind that!
It'll make the bending/bodging/swearing phase that much more worth it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 23 October, 2016, 07:50:12 pm
Not the best weekend  for fettle outcomes. My old muddy fox has advanced somewhat on its journey back from single speed. But it took me more time than I should admit to realising that the spacer on the rear axle should have been on the non drive side  :facepalm: likewise I shouldn't have been surprised that the shifters didn't work as intended after <cough> years in the spares bin  ::-) Oh, and then when I came to examine the noisy BB on my daily commuter, why the holy fuck did it take me a day to remember I have an octolink adapter for my crank puller?  :-[ At least, I remembered before I actually bought another, but too late to do anything about it. going to end up with another week of clunking (at least it doesn't appear to be frame related)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 23 October, 2016, 08:17:22 pm
....so I fitted the new rear wheel only to discover that the BB had seized

Good job I bought that Galaxy, I have a working spare commute bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 October, 2016, 08:35:28 pm
Another wing frame completed.

Fettling of M5 anticipated
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 24 October, 2016, 10:15:47 am
I replaced the broken wire that connects the counter balance spring to the garage door. The door now sails up with barely any effort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 24 October, 2016, 07:41:26 pm
a minor fettle installing some spacers/washers (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=99956.msg2094245#msg2094245) under the cable stops. next to order a right size cable guide that goes under the bb; the one i have ordered is more suited to steel and alloy frames and cannot "hug" a larger carbon bb shell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 October, 2016, 10:43:29 pm
I'll see if I have an unused soft-ish one.  I think I got one in one of the gear train boxes during the M-Racer build and threw it in a spares box.

If I have it, I'll bring it on Wednesday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 26 October, 2016, 09:29:09 pm
The Karate Monkey with the seized BB is now working

I was adjusting the brakes on the Karate Monkey (steel, built to last frame with a hub gear) and the Genesis Datum (carbon fibre, superior parts) the weight on the road might not make much difference but lifting onto the work stand does!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 October, 2016, 06:51:27 pm
Cut the gel palm pads out of a worn out pair of Endura waterproof gloves. They were always in the wrong place for me, just concentrated pressure where it wasn't wanted. Unfortunately I've also cut the waterproof lining – which actually worked well, though water still soaked through the cuff after a while – but I'll see how it goes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 October, 2016, 06:54:30 pm
Changed the wheels on the Jimny to the winter ones (black steelies with Nokian WR D3 snow tyres).  That'll mean another warm winter, then.

Also fitted a socket in the cupboard under the stairs, for the Dustbuster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 27 October, 2016, 08:10:41 pm
New tap internals in the bath taps. At least now the hot should stop locking up and needing dismantling every couple months. However the flow on max is still a bit crap. They were never great but I'm sure they weren't this bad when we moved in.

Sink taps have decent oomph so I don't think it's a tank/pressure problem. Ho hum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 October, 2016, 01:03:37 am
Does turning the wheel back round to singlespeed from fixed and readjusting the sliding dropouts on my Trek count? If so, then that :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 October, 2016, 10:02:46 am
SOmehow, about 5 mins into yesterday's turbo session the cadence sensor's wire managed to wrap itself around the crank. Luckily the wire parted midway and I managed to resplice it by twisting the rlevant bits together.  For some reason though the HR was then picking up cadence x 2 and the beeping was driving me nuts  :demon:

Today, changing cranks, chain, cassette on the runaround, first time doing square taper cranks.  All in all very litel drama apart from stripping the first two threads on the LH crank as I'd not retracted the puller enough.  Manged to get it past the damaged threads at the second attempt.  Most difficult thing was getting the 20-year old locknut off the old cassette.  Looking at the freehub, that could do with replacing as well.

All done in about an hour, with the exception of putting the tools away. I was interrupted by shouting from the house, my daughter has managed to break or dislocate her little toe, so she's off to Addenbrookes with the wife while I look after the boy.  Unfortunately the minor injuries unit doesn't have x-ray at the weekend.

EDIT: looks like just a dislocation, it was back in place by the time the nurse saw her at Addenbrookes, so just strapped together, no significant swelling either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 October, 2016, 10:10:25 am
Mucking about with the new front derailleur on the Surly - can't get it to mount up smoothly to the outer chainring without fouling the plastic trouserguard ring. Don't want to remove latter 'cos it leaves big shiny screw-holes and I want to sell the thing.  Need to take the cable out, move the FDR up a mm and start over. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 29 October, 2016, 04:06:05 pm
Finally got the BB changed on the commuter. How many ways do I fit thee? Let me count the ways.

First install, then notice the spacer washer is missing. Undo and fit drive side. Road test, nope, wrong, shouldn't be there. Undo, remove, refix. Leaving it out the non-drive side. Undo. Redo. And rest.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 October, 2016, 07:55:02 pm
Fitted a dado rail.  Well, it's a chair rail really because the dining chairs were leaving a groove in the plaster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 October, 2016, 08:18:37 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 29 October, 2016, 07:55:02 pm
Fitted a dado rail.  Well, it's a chair rail really because the dining chairs were leaving a groove in the plaster.

my BIL always calls those dildo rails  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 October, 2016, 09:07:10 pm
Removed the "roo bar" front rack from the UTB. It's much lighter now and doesn't get tangled with bike racks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 30 October, 2016, 06:49:15 pm
Pop-riveted my rear mudguard back onto the stay and fettled a couple of brackets to hang an extra fluoro lamp in the garage. Currently wired up with a plug but will tap into the existing lighting circuit next weekend. The lamp is in preparation for when I continue the 19 years and counting rebuild of the AH Sprite (which I managed to re-garage three weekends ago after about ten years on the drive under a cover).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 30 October, 2016, 07:00:03 pm
Cut some shapes for a student's science communication project. Decided to be a bit more adventurous and cut a 3mm ply box for them as well. tolerances were tight but it fits. It will fit better when she has peeled the protective plastic off all 108 pieces.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 30 October, 2016, 09:19:34 pm
Washed my bike (that's twice in a year), and swapped the front and rear tyres over since the rear was looking a bit square.  And also it got spiked last week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 30 October, 2016, 09:49:12 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 29 October, 2016, 07:55:02 pm
Fitted a dado rail.  Well, it's a chair rail really because the dining chairs were leaving a groove in the plaster.

(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/dado-rail_zpshgd3zerb.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 30 October, 2016, 09:59:30 pm
On the move tweak of the rear mech using the inline adjuster on the downtube.   First adjustment since last cable change in 2013.   Shimano and Jagwire just works.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 31 October, 2016, 08:13:38 am
Stacked this years log delivery on Saturday morning, then in the afternoon spent some time patching up the fireback with copious amounts of fire cement. It really will need replacing before next season (assuming it lasts this one ok!).

Sunday saw an unanticipated change from summer to winter wheels on the car as a result of force majeure. Still, looking at the forecast it was appropriate timing, looks like a week of frosts due.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 31 October, 2016, 11:20:03 am
Finally fitted ground anchors, chains and padlocks (all level 7) to my workshop for all the bikes. An ex police officer I spoke to recommended bolting the ground anchors to the wall as it makes it harder to grind off as it's behind the bikes. It also means the padlock is suspended by the chain making it harder to smash the padlock or chain with a sledgehammer.

As much as we hate the thieving baskets, they don't want to damage the bike they are nicking so that's what you should be aiming for.

I couldn't find ball bearings to glue into the masonry screws so I've rounded them off so you can't undo them.

I feel good about what I did.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 October, 2016, 02:44:09 pm
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 31 October, 2016, 11:20:03 am
As much as we hate the thieving baskets, they don't want to damage the bike they are nicking so that's what you should be aiming for.

Though as Polar Bear will attest, they have no such qualms about damaging the bike that they're not nicking.

Logic would therefore suggest separate chains for your cheap mountain bike and your pride and joy, and that chaining multiple bikes together into an immobile mass is contraindicated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 31 October, 2016, 03:41:52 pm
Shaped and installed a new bridge on my guitar to lower the action a mm on the 12th fret. First step of an ongoing process, it still needs to go a bit lower but I'll try this for a couple of days first. Haven't done the end to end taper yet, either.  Ticklish business: I buggered up the first blank, but I'd bought a couple in anticipation.  It could do with the nut lowering a thickish hair but that's a job for a pro.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 October, 2016, 05:46:57 pm
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 31 October, 2016, 11:20:03 am
Finally fitted ground anchors, chains and padlocks (all level 7) to my workshop for all the bikes. An ex police officer I spoke to recommended bolting the ground anchors to the wall as it makes it harder to grind off as it's behind the bikes. It also means the padlock is suspended by the chain making it harder to smash the padlock or chain with a sledgehammer.

As much as we hate the thieving baskets, they don't want to damage the bike they are nicking so that's what you should be aiming for.

I couldn't find ball bearings to glue into the masonry screws so I've rounded them off so you can't undo them.

I feel good about what I did.

some good tips there for when our current building work is finished and the gym/workshop is moved out to the lengthened garage
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 02 November, 2016, 07:11:33 am
Quote from: Kim on 31 October, 2016, 02:44:09 pm
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 31 October, 2016, 11:20:03 am
As much as we hate the thieving baskets, they don't want to damage the bike they are nicking so that's what you should be aiming for.

Though as Polar Bear will attest, they have no such qualms about damaging the bike that they're not nicking.

Logic would therefore suggest separate chains for your cheap mountain bike and your pride and joy, and that chaining multiple bikes together into an immobile mass is contraindicated.

Good points. Each bike is on a different wall with different chains and locks. I guess there's a tipping point financially, but unlike your EDC lock, you don't have to consider weight. Hence my heavy duty, Squire chains I bought in the local agricultural supplier's. They come wrapped in a soft sleeve to protect the paintwork. Cheaper than 'bike specific' chains by a long shot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 02 November, 2016, 07:12:33 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 31 October, 2016, 05:46:57 pm
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 31 October, 2016, 11:20:03 am
Finally fitted ground anchors, chains and padlocks (all level 7) to my workshop for all the bikes. An ex police officer I spoke to recommended bolting the ground anchors to the wall as it makes it harder to grind off as it's behind the bikes. It also means the padlock is suspended by the chain making it harder to smash the padlock or chain with a sledgehammer.

As much as we hate the thieving baskets, they don't want to damage the bike they are nicking so that's what you should be aiming for.

I couldn't find ball bearings to glue into the masonry screws so I've rounded them off so you can't undo them.

I feel good about what I did.

some good tips there for when our current building work is finished and the gym/workshop is moved out to the lengthened garage

So you have considered that with a longer building you need to add a tandem to your collection no?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 November, 2016, 07:20:51 am
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 02 November, 2016, 07:12:33 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 31 October, 2016, 05:46:57 pm
Quote from: HeltorChasca on 31 October, 2016, 11:20:03 am
Finally fitted ground anchors, chains and padlocks (all level 7) to my workshop for all the bikes. An ex police officer I spoke to recommended bolting the ground anchors to the wall as it makes it harder to grind off as it's behind the bikes. It also means the padlock is suspended by the chain making it harder to smash the padlock or chain with a sledgehammer.

As much as we hate the thieving baskets, they don't want to damage the bike they are nicking so that's what you should be aiming for.

I couldn't find ball bearings to glue into the masonry screws so I've rounded them off so you can't undo them.

I feel good about what I did.

some good tips there for when our current building work is finished and the gym/workshop is moved out to the lengthened garage

So you have considered that with a longer building you need to add a tandem to your collection no?

Now I've sold a road bike, I have room for a recumbent trike  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 02 November, 2016, 11:33:07 am
Trimmed a couple of roofing tiles and molished some dentil slips from a lump of slate floor tile, in preparation for re-bedding the verge tiles on the canopy at the front of my house.

Which reminds me, I must post in the "effing builder" thread about the er... workmanship of the builder perpetrator of the canopy.  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 November, 2016, 12:57:22 pm
Fitted some hollow Ti bolts (handlebar clamp, stem bolt, handlebar catch) to HK's Ti Brompton. She won't particularly notice it is somewhat lighter but at least I'll know. A little less corrosion too.

Now onto assembling a SH GT MTB, retail therapy for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 02 November, 2016, 07:15:35 pm
a cracked handlebar centre section on the trice needs replacing but i could not get the Allen bolts out of the track rods as tyhe heads rounded  :(. i did get the tyres pumped though  ::-) :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 02 November, 2016, 08:24:56 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 02 November, 2016, 07:20:51 am

Now I've sold a road bike, I have room for a recumbent trike  :thumbsup:

Windcheetah for sale! #justsayin

WHAT!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 November, 2016, 08:33:33 pm
there are both catrike expedition and ICE vortex FS close to me.

Only thing is I have never ridden a trike, so need to get some experience/understanding of the options first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 November, 2016, 09:11:05 am
Garden gate fastening, so that with a bit of luck the divers medicated personnel that are in and out to see the Inlaw Paw will actually close it behind them instead of just pretending to.

It's a shame the classic UK automatic gate latch hasn't spread to the rest of the EU.  I just ordered one on line but I've no idea if it will be heavy enough to serve.  Ours is a double gate across the drive, around 50 kg each "flap": it'd take a BEEG latch to hold it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 November, 2016, 02:12:48 pm
Due to the current weather forecast, I have fitted a rear mudguard on the Renegade.

Why no front? well the set I bought doesn't have stays long enough  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 03 November, 2016, 08:05:51 pm
Very impressed by Portland Metal Works stuff - as long as they're wide enough...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 November, 2016, 12:22:57 am
installed new mudguards on boardman ss bike - delighted with the result!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 05 November, 2016, 11:07:50 pm
Installed the itsy bitsy chain ring on to the Genesis.

Jibbled the front door striker so it will latch without the door being slammed really hard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 06 November, 2016, 06:36:22 am
Renthal bars and stem and a Thomson dropper post onto my Orange. And a colour matched bottle cage  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 06 November, 2016, 11:50:25 am
Emptied and refilled the car sceeen wash reservoirs, so they've got the winter mix in in time for this weeks low temperatures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 November, 2016, 02:24:59 pm
Got a fire going, then threw dinner into the slow cooker (lamb shoulder with winter veg) then made reduced calorie chocolate brownies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 06 November, 2016, 06:38:50 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 03 November, 2016, 02:12:48 pm
Due to the current weather forecast, I have fitted a rear mudguard on the Renegade.

Why no front? well the set I bought doesn't have stays long enough  :facepalm:

Offer 'em a beer, they will stay a bit longer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 06 November, 2016, 08:05:50 pm
Re-caulked a couple of the joints in the cast-iron gutters at the front of the house, which included some fettling of one of the sections with a Dremel and mini cutting disc so that it would fit better. Also fixed the sag in the gutter where it joins my neighbours - whoever had installed capping board and replaced the iron ogee gutters next-door with plastic roundline had omitted to fit a bracket next to the adapter, so I ended up fitting an off-cut of treated timber between my gutter and fascia, and screwing my gutter to that, back at the correct height.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 06 November, 2016, 08:39:42 pm
Passed tools to Sprogs OTP whilst she made the back end of my trike work propli agen!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 November, 2016, 09:47:57 pm
nowt, looking after poorly son today.

Spent time mentally fettling a dyno set up and a homebrew set up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 07 November, 2016, 04:46:16 pm
Manually evacuated the bowels of two very constipated bio mass burner fuel runs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 07 November, 2016, 06:39:47 pm
New headset bearings into the trice   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 November, 2016, 10:28:53 pm
(yesterday) new toilet flush mechanism as old one had broken.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 07 November, 2016, 10:48:56 pm
Pumped up a tyre ( in the living room, with the Halogigonen Heater on).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 12 November, 2016, 04:40:22 pm
A new front wheel and mudguard on the commuter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 12 November, 2016, 05:14:51 pm
new mirror, wall cabinet and towel holder affixed to the new bathroom tiles.  This involved drilling holes through 1cm thick tiles but it turned out fine and looks great now.  Must admit I was nervous as it'd have been a disaster if something had gone wrong
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 12 November, 2016, 07:23:32 pm
New mudguards onto what was the "summer" bike - it's too nice to leave untouched all winter. now fettling light mounts, and thinking I actually want some new lights (or at least doing the Exposure mount mod to my Hope Vision 1s I've seen elsewhere on yacf)...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 November, 2016, 08:18:47 am
Hooked up the rear derailleur on my LHT (new shifter, new cable) then decided that it was too damn cold in the workshop to touch anything metal and went back in house again.  I do have a heater in there but it barely makes a dent so I rarely bother with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 November, 2016, 08:20:52 am
Moved all the bonsai and tender plants into the greenhouse for the winter, helped by my dad for the heavy lifting. Trying a different arrangement this year. One tree is just too big to get through the door, so that will have to be fleeced and perhaps bubble wrapped.

Need to get a new heater as well, they don't last long in that environment, the current one keeps blowing the fuse in the fused spur at the indoor end.

Didn't get up to any fettling yesterday as off to nephew's bday party.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 13 November, 2016, 05:05:18 pm
Out on the road today my front and rear shifting suddenly became as vague as the  Campag sh!t* that I used to suffer.    A quick inspection appeared to suggest that the adjustable downtube cable stop for the front mech had broken.  Even closer inspection revealed that in fact it had been adjusted all the way out.

I screwed it back in then pulled the gear inner cable tight once again.  Everything was miraculously restored to Shimano Ultegra goodness.

Musing as I cycled along I worked out that I fitted those cables in spring 2013.    Still silky smooth in their jagwire outers.   

Must give the bike a service and a clean ...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 13 November, 2016, 05:36:06 pm
Mostly dynamo light juggling.

The old B + M Lumotec IQ Cyo RT tranferred from the audax bike, onto the tourer / commuter, and the shiny new B + M Lumotec IQ Cyo Premium T senso plus front headlamp fitted onto the audax bike.

New ROSE 28"/700C Xtreme Sari T-19R / Shimano Deore LX DH-T670, LX 670 trekking wheelset fitted onto the tourer / commuter to replace the bargain basement wheels I had been using (only got the front wheel fitted & dynamo hub wired up to lights today), along with the B + M Toplight Flat plus dynamo back light onto the rack.  Thankfully it all seems to work nicely, still to actually do a proper test ride.  But too many other things to do today!
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 13 November, 2016, 05:43:52 pm
An internal rack for two bikes in the back of my pickup. Front/fork mounts that attach to bike and you can lock. I can also lock elsewhere on the bikes due to lots of load point anchors in the bed of the truck. Bikes dry and hopefully safe from crims. Cost me £35 total and is bespoke to my vehicle and the fact 2 bikes sometimes have front racks. It also means full mudguards aren't fouled or have to be taken off. Off the shelf bike racks (almost 3 x the £) would have had to have been modified anyway so I only bought the mounts and made the rest up myself.

At some stage I may make space for a third bike which will be rear facing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 November, 2016, 09:23:43 pm
Replaced the seat on the downstairs chodbin.  The old one cracked after only 2 1/2 years, possibly because the soft close thingy wore out but it got dropped anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 13 November, 2016, 09:33:54 pm
(Friday night) Finally managed to remove the stuck cranks from my Audax frame. I used a gear puller, as usual for cranks with damaged extraction threads. They came off with a bang - as far as I can tell, some compression built up in the puller, because the cranks were so stuck, and then when they finally gave way, it was with a sharp noise.

(Saturday) Took said frame, and accompanying S-i-L took two of his, to Mercian for a respray and minor repairs. Should keep them busy for a while :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 13 November, 2016, 10:43:09 pm
Was fixing up the brakes on youngests MTB and he asked about trying out Fred, the frame I got from Eck OTP, shortened and then rode LEJOG on. Seems to be fine, just needs pedals, a chain clean, new bar tape and new BB bearings (very stiff Hollowtech II).

Parts ordered, will fettle later in teh week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 14 November, 2016, 09:05:32 am
I put a BRITISH plug on the iron.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 14 November, 2016, 12:41:10 pm
Kim fixed one of my hearing aid audio adaptor cables yesterday by snipping out denched wires and wiring a new 3.5mm audio plug on the end.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MalRees on 14 November, 2016, 09:23:51 pm
Fitted old tyre and tube to rebuild Moulton wheel.  Replaced chain on a different Moulton with one that is the right length.  Removed fancy Atomic 22 3D wheel, stem and saddle locks from said Moulton and replaced with normal bolts and skewers as the makers seem to be ignoring their customers or have gone bust,  and can no longer supply spare keys. Mighty miffed as I am literally taking off £300 of kit and putting it in a box. The keys can break......  Anyone know of someone who might be able to scan and 3D print replacements?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 November, 2016, 10:25:41 pm
Quote from: barakta on 14 November, 2016, 12:41:10 pm
Kim fixed one of my hearing aid audio adaptor cables yesterday by snipping out denched wires and wiring a new 3.5mm audio plug on the end.

This sounds trivial, but it's complicated by the use of that horrid fabric woven cable stuff that doesn't stay twisted and is a right bastard to solder, and the need to fit a 0.1µF capacitor inside the plug shell too (because reasons).

I've also run out of small-diameter heatshrink.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 16 November, 2016, 12:27:12 am
I fitted BRITISH plugs on the soldering iron, Dremel, sander, multi tool and circular saw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Guy on 16 November, 2016, 08:42:24 am
I had to re-readjust my back mudguard this morning. I really should get around to replacing it - it's only the bulldog clips that are holding it together now ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 November, 2016, 10:48:06 am
Tuesday - my regular volunteering gig at the Cyclists Fighting Cancer charity bike shop and I got through sorting out/cleaning/fixing 9 donated bikes ready for resale . . . and stripped about 3 re-usable bits off a couple of real rusty clunkers that are destined for the scrap metal man today.

Lady came in with pretty smart MTB with a puncture she couldn't find (blowing the tube way up with the compressor showed it was a dud patch she'd put on  - fitted new tube.  When she came back she asked how much - Me : "Fiver for the tube" .. Her : "Don't you charge for labour?"  Me: "No, we're not a bike shop in the sense of off-the-street repairs - I just sort out donated bikes for resale"  Her : "Thanks - here's £20 as a donation to the charity . . . and I've got another bike I'll drop in as a donation"   

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 November, 2016, 12:36:14 pm
new gear cable on the road bike, seems to have sorted the ghost shifting, but also highlighted a head scratchy kind of problem.

The rear mech attachment bolt is tight, but the rear mech itself still has some wiggle in it, enough to allow the cage to contact the spokes if you put it in biggest cog and push the shift lever a bit more. Not sure if that's a fault, or just natural play in it?  It is about ten years old, so has served me well, and replacing it is not the end of the world if that's what's needed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2016, 01:08:12 pm
Quote from: barakta on 14 November, 2016, 12:41:10 pm
Kim fixed one of my hearing aid audio adaptor cables yesterday by snipping out denched wires and wiring a new 3.5mm audio plug on the end.
What on earth are denched wires?

Ob fettle: I'm in the middle of fitting some mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 November, 2016, 02:52:34 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 16 November, 2016, 12:36:14 pm
new gear cable on the road bike, seems to have sorted the ghost shifting, but also highlighted a head scratchy kind of problem.

The rear mech attachment bolt is tight, but the rear mech itself still has some wiggle in it, enough to allow the cage to contact the spokes if you put it in biggest cog and push the shift lever a bit more. Not sure if that's a fault, or just natural play in it?  It is about ten years old, so has served me well, and replacing it is not the end of the world if that's what's needed

Thanks ED. You've just sorted a problem that's been vexing me for a couple of days.  :thumbsup:

Regards the rear mech, it's probably worn pivots and/or the spring and pivot in the B-screw. Very common in Sora/Tiagra and to a lesser extent with 105. Replacement is the only real cure but make sure you change like for like. No point plumping for the latest 105 for example to find the cable pull doesn't match your shifters.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 November, 2016, 03:28:44 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2016, 01:08:12 pm
What on earth are denched wires?

'Dench' is one of the many neologisms barakta's father is to blame for, their use being one of his ways of entertaining small children[1].  The family dialect is full of them, to the point where I find myself using them too.

Dench v. To carelessly and tragically damage, especially through repeated bending or bashing.


Wires, of course, are the bane of the technological classes.


[1] He also does an impressive 'giant crab' impression.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 November, 2016, 04:43:01 pm
Put a spare bike on the turbo out in the workshop. Noticed as I did so that it sports a couple of GP4000sIIs with a good few km still on, so it'll be off the turbo again tomorrow and fitted with a worn-out pair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 16 November, 2016, 05:04:50 pm
New outer cables for the rear mech on my good bike. Tweaked top limit screw on front mech following yesterday's cable adjustment and today's dropping of the chain.
New rear section of outer for the rear brake on the Mrs's bike and lubed full length of both brake cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 16 November, 2016, 05:33:07 pm
My CX bike (singlespeed) has been festering in the garage for some time, in need of a fair bit of TLC. I had been using it as a fixed-gear commuter for a while, but now I've got a dedicated fixie, I want to restore it to CX mode in time to get in at least one race this season. This is what I've done so far...

• Scraped thick layer of grime off sprocket and given whole rear wheel thorough clean.
• Fitted shiny new track nuts to rear wheel.
• Removed chainset and given that a thorough clean too.
• Given whole frame a thorough clean while I'm at it.
• Fitted a new BB.
• Replaced headset bearings.
• Binned the old chain which is only being held together by a thick layer of grime and fitted a new one.
• Put the CX tyres back on to replace the manky old road tyres.
• Removed the mouldy bar tape.  :sick:
• Replaced the broken crosstop levers.
• Removed the immobile brakes (cantilever) and given them a thorough clean too. They now pivot beautifully. I could almost start to like cantilever brakes.
• Removed old brake blocks which have less than 1mm of material left in places. Corroded bolts made removing them harder than necessary.
• Refitted the headset-mounted brake cable hanger - I had fitted a fork-mounted cable hanger but the bolt sheared off, leaving the seized shaft in the hole. I will try to remove it one day but for now I'm taking the path of least resistance, even if it does mean juddery brakes.

Still to do:
• Fit new brake cables - got the cables, just waiting for new yokes to arrive in the post because the fixing bolt sheared off one of the old ones when I tried to loosen it to remove the cable. The other yoke is OK but I'm going to replace it with a nicer version anyway.
• Fit new straddle cable to rear brake.
• Fit new brake blocks - got them ready and waiting.
• Fit new bar tape - also ready and waiting.

Unfortunately didn't get it ready in time for the East Kent CX League race last weekend but might aim for the London League race at Leeds Castle on the 27th. Good to have a target to motivate you.

Also determined to get into better habits with regard to cleaning so I don't have problems with bolts corroding/seizing/shearing in future.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2016, 06:35:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 November, 2016, 03:28:44 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2016, 01:08:12 pm
What on earth are denched wires?

'Dench' is one of the many neologisms barakta's father is to blame for, their use being one of his ways of entertaining small children[1].  The family dialect is full of them, to the point where I find myself using them too.

Dench v. To carelessly and tragically damage, especially through repeated bending or bashing.


Wires, of course, are the bane of the technological classes.


[1] He also does an impressive 'giant crab' impression.
Ramped, then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 16 November, 2016, 09:02:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 November, 2016, 03:28:44 pm
Dench v. To carelessly and tragically damage, especially through repeated bending or bashing.

Apparently 'the yoof' have a different definition for Dench (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Dench), especially with a popular beat combo artist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyVcEL0-iWg) and a one-time premiership footballer (http://i39.tinypic.com/k4bi8o.jpg)... 

My fettling has been restricted to measuring and wrapping some tape around the untrimmed ends of my mudguard stays, in preparation for me maybe treating myself to a Dremel tomorrow and trimming them down so I can fit the endcaps.

Alas, spending some time fettling rather than riding the "nice" bike has left me worried that a NUMBER of spendy fettling jobs might be due soon. The tyres (GP4seasons) are still working well but noticeably square after about 6,500km, the cleats on the road shoes have started shedding bumpers, and I can't remember whether these rims had wear indicators or not...  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 November, 2016, 10:06:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 November, 2016, 03:28:44 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2016, 01:08:12 pm
What on earth are denched wires?

'Dench' is one of the many neologisms barakta's father is to blame for, their use being one of his ways of entertaining small children[1].  The family dialect is full of them, to the point where I find myself using them too.

Dench v. To carelessly and tragically damage, especially through repeated bending or bashing.


Wires, of course, are the bane of the technological classes.


[1] He also does an impressive 'giant crab' impression.

Dench, Judy

well known actress, phwoarr :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 November, 2016, 10:13:34 pm
Right, tonight's fettling, finally finished wiring the front dyno light, rerouted the cabling away from the chain area and down the inside of the front fork, which ended up with some excess cable.  I've just cable tied that for now, pending a bit of use to see how it goes.

Light was lit, even to the extent of getting the standlight activated.  Rear light not yet wired, pending other stuff.

Question though is should I be packing the connecters with Vaseline or similar, or will that just attract grease and muck?

Remaining jobs
- redo bar tape on RHS
- re-cable rear mech and reposition shifters relative to each other to avoid cables clashing
- establish viability of the radical bags I've fitted
- headrest mounted bottle cages
- rear lights
- re-fettle cockpit post other adjustments
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 November, 2016, 10:15:06 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 16 November, 2016, 10:13:34 pm
Question though is should I be packing the connecters with Vaseline or similar, or will that just attract grease and muck?

I've never felt the need.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 17 November, 2016, 05:32:30 pm
New Edelux headlight on the work bike to replace a 20 year old B&M halogen
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 17 November, 2016, 06:55:11 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 16 November, 2016, 09:02:35 pm
My fettling has been restricted to measuring and wrapping some tape around the untrimmed ends of my mudguard stays, in preparation for me maybe treating myself to a Dremel tomorrow and trimming them down so I can fit the endcaps.

I bought a Dremel.

I used it on the mudguard stays.

All of the bike survived, and I still have all my fingers, toes and eyes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 November, 2016, 08:50:30 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 17 November, 2016, 06:55:11 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 16 November, 2016, 09:02:35 pm
My fettling has been restricted to measuring and wrapping some tape around the untrimmed ends of my mudguard stays, in preparation for me maybe treating myself to a Dremel tomorrow and trimming them down so I can fit the endcaps.

I bought a Dremel.

I used it on the mudguard stays.

All of the bike survived, and I still have all my fingers, toes and eyes.

Result!
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 18 November, 2016, 08:47:42 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 17 November, 2016, 06:55:11 pm
I bought a Dremel.

I'm thinking of asking Father Christmas for a Dremel. So many different models though, no idea what one I need...

Anyway, today's fettling involved use of a good old-fashioned hacksaw - I cut down the steerer of my new Holdsworth fixie. Had been a bit nervous about doing it, even called in to the LBS to see if they had a cutting guide (of course not), but in the end just went for it and it turns out it's an easy job, nothing to worry about. Didn't even have to visit B&Q since I found an old but unused hacksaw blade in the toolbox. Also did the brake cables and bar tape, and that's the bike done. Yay! Only thing left to do is fit the mudguards that I'm picking up on Monday. Looking forward to first proper ride tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 19 November, 2016, 04:48:16 pm
Got to sorting out the bottom bracket on Fred. Despite my best efforts it was failing to move. So out with the Dremel, hacksaw and a bunch of bad words. It eventually shifted and came out (chopped out the bearings which were rusted solid, then carefully removed a small wedge from  teh cup and then it would move with reasonable persuasion.) Cleaned up the frame and went to put the new one in. The BB tool didn't fit. When did this BB60 thing appear? Putting it in was fine though, so I will get a new tool in time to remove it.

Rides fine, just the handlebar taping to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 19 November, 2016, 05:11:37 pm
Initial check-over/fettling on an old Raleigh alloy road bike a friend has given me - it's far too small for me, but hopefully with some tweaking it'll suit my mum well. It's currently sporting 2x7 speed Shimano with some comedy-retro bar-top shifters (I don't even know what these are called) and a non-QR rear axle.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23853117/YACF/IMG_0761.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23853117/YACF/IMG_0762.jpg)

For now I'll just try to give it a good clean-up and get my mum out and riding it, but I'm very tempted to put a few quid into it - a Claris or Sora groupset and some cheap factory wheels would, I think, bring it up to date and give mum a really nice entry-level bike for not a lot of pennies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 19 November, 2016, 06:25:34 pm
'Butterfly' shitters shifters, only one step up from gripshift. Reasonably accurate but perpetrators of a whole world of hurt to anyone with a lack of confidence in their bike handling skillz...


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 19 November, 2016, 06:56:50 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 19 November, 2016, 06:25:34 pm
'Butterfly' shitters shifters, only one step up from gripshift. Reasonably accurate but perpetrators of a whole world of hurt to anyone with a lack of confidence in their bike handling skillz...

Yup, after a test ride that was my opinion too. Changing them for anything modern will probably have a knock-on effect making me change the rest of the drivetrain though, and I'm not sure my budget stretches that far - especially not unless she's going to ride it often enough to make it worthwhile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 November, 2016, 07:36:28 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 18 November, 2016, 08:47:42 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 17 November, 2016, 06:55:11 pm
I bought a Dremel.

I'm thinking of asking Father Christmas for a Dremel. So many different models though, no idea what one I need...



Any Dremel is good, but speed control is very useful, as are the multiplicity of gubbins you get in the kits. The flexi shaft is a nice to have, but not essential. wouldn't think rechargeable is that useful, but I've never had one of those.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 November, 2016, 08:05:41 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 19 November, 2016, 06:56:50 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 19 November, 2016, 06:25:34 pm
'Butterfly' shitters shifters, only one step up from gripshift. Reasonably accurate but perpetrators of a whole world of hurt to anyone with a lack of confidence in their bike handling skillz...

Yup, after a test ride that was my opinion too. Changing them for anything modern will probably have a knock-on effect making me change the rest of the drivetrain though, and I'm not sure my budget stretches that far - especially not unless she's going to ride it often enough to make it worthwhile.

How about swapping the brake levers and shifters out for something like these (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MICROSHIFT-SB-R472-Double-2X7-Speed-Road-Bike-Shifter-Brake-Levers-FOR-Shimano-/261974900761?hash=item3cfeebc019:g:Yc8AAOSwt6ZWVQ7h) MicroShift ones (or for a bit more these (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHIMANO-Tourney-ST-A070-STI-2x7-Speed-STI-Shifters-Lever-Set-Left-Right-/131882357792?hash=item1eb4cd1420:g:9MMAAOSwqfNXjdhQ) Shimano Tourney ones)?

That or bar end shifters would probably be the cheapest way to upgrade the bike without starting to change other bits
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 19 November, 2016, 08:15:44 pm
Ooh, that's tempting. I didn't realise Tourney was still seven-speed.

I doubt mum would get on with bar-end shifters - at least no better than the butterfly ones - but having an idea of pricing for some STI-style shifters will be useful when she gives it a test ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 20 November, 2016, 12:07:08 am
Today I've put the carbon bike into turbo mode (trainer tyre and removed the crud roadracers) and set it up on the turbo trainer. I also got a bluetooth speed/cadence sensor set up on it and to work with my phone.

Then I serviced the very neglected threaded headset on my hybrid which moved it from dial-steering to just a bit rough (I think the bottom race being covered in grease rather than rust might have helped :-[), and put a longer stem on it to try and accommodate the butterfly bars with a better reach.

Of course this meant I never actually got round to riding a bike :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 20 November, 2016, 12:38:18 am
Hey! that's my excuse . . .  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 20 November, 2016, 02:04:32 am
Quote from: Ham on 19 November, 2016, 07:36:28 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 18 November, 2016, 08:47:42 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 17 November, 2016, 06:55:11 pm
I bought a Dremel.

I'm thinking of asking Father Christmas for a Dremel. So many different models though, no idea what one I need...

Any Dremel is good, but speed control is very useful, as are the multiplicity of gubbins you get in the kits. The flexi shaft is a nice to have, but not essential. wouldn't think rechargeable is that useful, but I've never had one of those.

I bought myself a rechargeable Real Dremel(TM) a good while ago, reasoning that the brand was worth paying for and so was uncabled convenience. I can't remember exactly what the problem was - lack of torque rings a bell, along with something going wrong with the chuck (well, collet) - but after a bit I returned it to B&Q and got my £60 or £80 back.

I've now got an Aldidl Dremel-a-Like (corded), which AFAICR cost about three buttons and a farthing, and came with a bazillionty accessories. I haven't used the stand or the flexi drive, though it's nice to have them and know they're available (in fact all I've really gone through are cutting discs and sanding drums), and I'm sure the speed control gives me delusions of sensitivity (do I *really* need eleven gradations between 'quick' and 'a bit less quick'?), but overall I'm much happier with this one than the previous toy.

(And I had change, to invest wisely in beer or wine. But I can't remember the detail of that now ...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 20 November, 2016, 12:02:38 pm
(Yesterday)
Fresh back tyre, as the old one had started puncturing far too often.
Net curtain rods trimmed and put up.
(Today)
Moved fallen fence panel out of the way and loose one so it doesn't flap about.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moultonaught on 20 November, 2016, 12:11:34 pm
A new thermostat in the camper van. The supplied gasket was a bit rubbish so I went old skool and made one out of a cereal box  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 November, 2016, 01:38:28 pm
Finally got Surly cabled & gears adjusted properly - only to find that on smallest chainring/largest sprocket the chain fouls the back mudguard, so I'll have to cut a bit away. :sick:  Boring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 November, 2016, 01:48:27 pm
If you ride in bottom gear for a while, the bike will do that for you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 20 November, 2016, 02:28:42 pm
Gradually putting stuff back in the bedroom, after it being redecorated. This is being curtailed, slightly, by the fact that the decorator is having to return, this week, to redo the wardrobe doors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 20 November, 2016, 05:03:06 pm
My ancient Long-flap, ready for a short tour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 20 November, 2016, 07:31:53 pm
boardman hybrid fettle: removed the stretched chain, degunked the drivetrain, installed a new chain, shortened gear cable outers (relubed them at the same time too), adjusted the brake pads and swapped the saddle to the one that fits me better. next time around - to trim brake cable outers and finally cut the excess steerer tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 November, 2016, 07:33:14 pm
I gave the oven its annual clean (actually started yesterday, but Oven Pride works a lot better left overnight).  It is lovely now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 November, 2016, 08:33:56 pm
Almost finished reassembling my Moulton after its last OS trip, removing a now defunct Cateye taillight and a booted Ultremo tyre, swapping the front tyre to the rear and a new Panaracer Minits Lite on the front.

Repaired a broken headlight mount for HK. Recharged a variety of headlights. Doesn't sound much but had to keep stopping for breaks.

I'll need to replace the handlebar tape and the missing rear light when it is removed from the loft next Spring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 21 November, 2016, 12:32:55 pm
After not doing much more than wiping it over with a baby wipe occasionally, the neglect of my commuting bike became too much. It's one of those "Once you start" things, once I'd got started there was so much more to do.

The rear wheel was junk. It had been braking spokes for a while, then the back axle snapped. So I got a new one. I could have either gone for a £13 new rear wheel, which would have taken a 6 speed screw on freewheel, but would have lasted about as long as a wheel made out of cheese. So I got a nicer rear wheel. A suprising lack of 6 speed options though, which meant an upgrade to at least 7 speed.

I thought that I would bung a 7 speed cassette on and just ignore the gears I couldn't reach. So I put the cassette on, then took it back off again, bought a spacer so that it would fit, put it back on again.

Then putting it in the bike, the position of the wheel in the dropouts is different, because of the larger space for gears. So I needed to fettle the brakes somewhat. They were overdue for new pads anyway. Then there was a cut out needed in the rear mudguard, as the brake wouldn't fit.

Then fitting new 8 speed gear / brake levers (on my 7 speed cassette). New gear cable on the rear, stops on the rear derailer are still set up for 6 speed, but I don't much care.

The chain appeared to be fairly worn out, so as the rear of the drive train was new, a new chain would be a good idea.

A real good cleaning of the old bits (lots of caked on crud in the derailer jockey wheels and the front chain rings) and it's finally ready! I've still not ridden it, but running through the gears on the stand it didn't sound too horrible.

While I was changing stuff on the handlebars anyway, I decided to do a modification to make it more Sustrans friendly.

(http://i.imgur.com/kPXuF4Sm.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 21 November, 2016, 12:49:51 pm
I also fettled the exploding hydrocarbon machine as well. It had previously had a problem with water getting around the spark plugs. This was fixed with a Volvo engine cover (which fit perfectly on the Ford engine). However liquid had still been getting around the spark plugs. Further inspection showed that it was oil. The seal around the valve cover was no longer sealing correctly, so needed changing for one that did.

(http://i.imgur.com/H69IPN4l.jpg) (http://imgur.com/H69IPN4)

The nice shiney bits at either side are the bits that are normally sealed away from the outside. The brown dirty oil covered bit in the middle should just have been open to allow the spark plugs in. A combination of oil and water has made it look a bit grim. Took a while to clean off all the sealing surface, making sure that no bits fell into the important area. Put a new seal on and did it all up again.

Engine still works, so that's a bonus. Hopefully this will stop bathing the spark plugs in oil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 November, 2016, 08:57:31 pm
New bathroom fan after the old one expired.

Lots of measuring, and writing notes for the list of stuff needed for the shed/garage/gym/office conversion/build/fettle
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 November, 2016, 09:59:44 pm
Quote from: Dibdib on 16 November, 2016, 09:02:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 November, 2016, 03:28:44 pm
Dench v. To carelessly and tragically damage, especially through repeated bending or bashing.

Apparently 'the yoof' have a different definition for Dench (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Dench), especially with a popular beat combo artist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyVcEL0-iWg) and a one-time premiership footballer (http://i39.tinypic.com/k4bi8o.jpg)... 
Another meaning, I've just learned, is "muscley, strong".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 November, 2016, 02:55:04 pm
new cassette, chain and rear mech on an audax bike. hills, what hills? :)
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161125/84a48c4b3914cb39dad303d1eeb4f0d2.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 November, 2016, 06:58:25 pm
Agh, the gold coloured chain and the silver coloured cassette are melting my branes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 November, 2016, 07:20:46 pm
the best combination!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 November, 2016, 08:22:32 pm
I was just thinking that looks a bit fast and shiny for an audax bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 November, 2016, 10:22:04 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 25 November, 2016, 08:22:32 pm
I was just thinking that looks a bit fast and shiny for an audax bike

mainly audax but also some fast training rides. the best thing about it is how it feels (responsive) and that i can live on it for days without any problems (i.e. comfy). the frameset clocked over 40,000km in the past five years with many more to come :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 26 November, 2016, 12:09:19 am
new sti's on the tourer, new gear and brake cables, new cassette, chain to be fitted. However I found the broken spoke in the rear wheel non drive side.

bollocks
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 November, 2016, 02:56:05 pm
Stage one of the pre-winter-storage for the car's summer alloys that have been languishing on the patio sine being removed at the end of October. Today was a good clean, getting in the crevices with a kitchen scourer. Tomorrow will be the alloy cleaner followed by waxing. Then I'll have to get the spare tyre fitted to the spare rim (I bought a full size rim on eBay, I loathe using space savers.).

Oh, and I chopped enough kindling for this season of lounge fires I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 26 November, 2016, 04:25:14 pm
Well I didn't manage to fettle the cassette lockring so I could remove the cassette from the el cheapo rear wheel on my recently rebuilt dawes horizon, so I could fit the shiny slightly less cheap rose bikes rear wheel, to match the rose bikes dynamo front wheel. That was even with extending the adjustable spanner with one of the legs from my bike workstand....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 November, 2016, 04:50:09 pm
The electrickery on barakta's trike, which had been neglected since the end of August.

The console for the motor assist died of corrosion after being subjected to 1.21Jiggawattslitres during the Great Rutland Monsoon of 2016 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=97515.msg2072062#msg2072062).  Fortunately, I had a spare one with an iffy battery, so with a bit of fucking about with soldering irons and hot glue and the like was able to combine parts into a working frankenconsole.  I then had a bit of fun trying to work out why the assistance level switch was causing it to reboot (clue: self-tapping screws).

That done, I set about trying to determine why the lighting system was completely dead.  Buzzing things out (being particularly careful not to cross the streams grounds, as that way lies bricking something important) revealed that this was simply due to a Tamiya connector that had been pulled loose, presumably during the fold-it-up-and-shove-it-in-the-car-before-we-all-drown manoeuvre at the end of the ride.

Everything (including brake and gear cables) now appears to work, in as much as I can tell without actually taking it outside and riding it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 26 November, 2016, 05:07:47 pm
new chain and topped up the tubeless sealant on the 3rd best bike

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 November, 2016, 05:25:42 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 26 November, 2016, 04:25:14 pm
Well I didn't manage to fettle the cassette lockring....
Similar issue. Can't get fixed sprocket off to replace the spoke that suddenly and inexplicably broke after many years of use. Tried leaning hard, but I've removed knuckles on my spokes that way before.

Gave up and ordered big, brutal long chain whip to use instead of the wimpy one I've been trying with ;D

Edit: went outside to clear up, and discovered I have bent the wimpy chain whip. Maybe it wasn't the bad workman after all...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 26 November, 2016, 11:53:54 pm
I got one of these Decathlon things a few years ago. I find it easier to use than a chain whip.
(http://www.decathlon.co.uk/media/830/8309913/big_40667a7095504657a7f7682c9858f7fd.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 27 November, 2016, 08:33:05 am
I saw those when I was looking for something better than I have. Presumably the various raised points hook onto the teeth? How long is it, as it's leverage I'm after?

What I've actually ordered is this (http://www.velosolo.co.uk/combiwhip.html).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 27 November, 2016, 09:20:50 am
(yesterday) My parents garage, into sufficient tidiness for garage opener motor installing people to do their thing - while at the same time not completely wrecking my Dad's organisation of collected stuff. I did get him to throw a couple of things out, including a turkey baster with perished rubber. If anyone is interested in a vintage (1980s) windsurfer please PM!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 27 November, 2016, 10:55:34 am
Quote from: Bledlow on 26 November, 2016, 11:53:54 pm
I got one of these Decathlon things a few years ago. I find it easier to use than a chain whip. ...

This (http://pedros.com/products/tools/cassette-and-chain/vise-whip/) is far easier than a chain whip, it doesn't easily fall off. :)

(http://pedros.com/wp-content/uploads/ViseWhip_feature.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 27 November, 2016, 02:13:12 pm
How long though? My main issue is enough leverage, rather than slippage. I'd be more confident in applying leverage if I knew that the tool was not going to slip; however, with a stuck sprocket, it's going to slip with the sprocket when the latter finally gives way. What I'd really like is something seriously massive like this (http://www.parktool.com/product/sprocket-remover-chain-whip-SR-2-2), so I don't have to lean with all my might, and risk getting caught out when the sprocket moves. But that's for cassettes. Rather odd that they don't seem to make one for 1/8".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 27 November, 2016, 04:02:05 pm
Quote from: drossall on 27 November, 2016, 02:13:12 pm
How long though? My main issue is enough leverage, rather than slippage

I've now got a parktool chainwhip which can take the strain of using the 2 metre long scaffold pole extension if I so desire
The old chainwhips both got destroyed with this kind of thing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 27 November, 2016, 04:06:54 pm
todays fettlage was managing to take apart a shimano xt pedal like this

(http://bike.shimano.com/content/dam/shimanoweb/bike/sac-bike/en/products/pd-t780/product-images/PD-T780_600x450_v1_m56577569830751157.jpg.swimg.quicksmall.png)

It has the advantage of pedal reflectors and it was seized up.  To get it apart I had to use a vice and realise that the nut holding in the bearings was reverse thread

Once I did this, a bit more grease and reassembly and it is smooth and works just fine

Put the pedals back on the Karate Monkey
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 27 November, 2016, 04:53:02 pm
Dug out old fence posts that blew over last weekend, hammered metposts in, and got one of the two panels up before the dark.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 November, 2016, 06:06:54 pm
HK's MTB commuter now has the XT V-brakes off her Condor because of better clearances to the tyres. Also Al adjusters instead of soft plastic adjusters on the brake levers. The rear tube was replaced and the Big Apples swapped front to back. I must get around to building up a new dyno wheel for it. There is a ceramic rim waiting.

HK's Condor commuter gets the Deore V-brakes off her MTB and replacement cables and SH gear and brake levers. One brake lever had been held together with a ziptie and both gear levers were more than a little troublesome, despite the normal flushing. Wear from panniers is turning the Tortec rack into a flute. I might have to swap it for the unused Fly in the shed. The 44t big ring is just about dead, so I will have to get a replacement soon.

HK's trike got a third King cage, a minipump and replacement ceramic brake pads. The wear rate is dropping to something reasonable, so it shouldn't need the other spare set for a while yet. Now to find out why the LH Ultegra 6703 lever has stopped shifting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 November, 2016, 07:49:26 pm
Over the weekend, I haz fettled many, many Ikea cabinets, shelving systems, stools, etc etc.

We've just got entry to a new-build flat in Edinburgh, and I have had the delights of a weekend spent in Ikea or on my knees assembling the stuff.
My knees hurt from kneeling on the ground, and the palms of my hand are sore from twisting those twist-lock cam things they use to hold the chipboard together.

Hmmph.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 27 November, 2016, 07:50:50 pm
Quote from: drossall on 26 November, 2016, 05:25:42 pm
Can't get fixed sprocket off to replace the spoke that suddenly and inexplicably broke after many years of use. Tried leaning hard, but I've removed knuckles on my spokes that way before.
Borrowed s-i-l's chain whip, which is one of these (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-performance-track-chain-whip/). It made short work of the recalcitrant sprocket, thus allowing me to get the job done this weekend, before my new whip (http://www.velosolo.co.uk/combiwhip.html) could arrive. :thumbsup:

Not only is the LifeLine one longer than my old one, but it's also longer than the radius of a wheel, so my knuckles aren't next to the spokes. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: My new one should be at least as good.

Replaced the broken spoke - it had gone about 2cm from the hub, so still no real idea what caused that. Then did a bit of brake fettling, because they were sticking. Should be all ready for next Saturday's ACME Audax. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 November, 2016, 09:41:41 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 27 November, 2016, 04:02:05 pm
Quote from: drossall on 27 November, 2016, 02:13:12 pm
How long though? My main issue is enough leverage, rather than slippage

I've now got a parktool chainwhip which can take the strain of using the 2 metre long scaffold pole extension if I so desire
The old chainwhips both got destroyed with this kind of thing

This would have been my suggestion, I've had a length of pipe in my tool box for 20+ years since having to remove difficult wheel nuts.

Today, rescued a cocktail shaker. The top had got jammed in the bottom and was out of round. A big of squashing in the vice let me separate the two and see that the top needed a bit of the pliers treatment. Now tight but serviceable.  That vice has been very useful this year
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 27 November, 2016, 09:48:15 pm
Thought about it, but I don't have any pipe to hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 27 November, 2016, 09:52:21 pm
Only 5 minutes in the garage, but got a studded tyre commuter fettled and ready to roll.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 November, 2016, 12:17:46 am
Isn't it about time Rogerzilla posted That Picture of himself wielding thee Chainwhip ov Doom again?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: thing1 on 28 November, 2016, 07:45:20 am
Installed new Magnic Lights on my new Mission Bicycles fixie, instantly turning it from hipster being machine into audaxers post modern steampunk contraption. But still, they're rather magic.

Also put some new cleats in my new Chrome canvas shoes, just to try and salvage a few hipster points.

This was all 40th bday present to self. Not terrible as midlife crisis go, I guess.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 November, 2016, 09:24:12 pm
Some of the Ikea furniture we bought last weekend needs fettled to fit properly in the flat.
Specifically, I need to make cut-outs at the back of some things ( Billies, as it happens ) to accommodate the skirting board.
(The existing cut-outs are designed for much smaller skirting-boards )

I will do this using a router, but the router guide I have is Very Big ( it's for jointing kitchen worktops ), and for various reasons I would not be able to clamp this massive guide to the work-pieces.

So this evening, I have used the Big Worktop Guide to manufacture a much smaller guide from an off-cut of MDF.
This will clamp easily to the work-pieces, and should give a nicely machined cut-out at the back for the skirting-board, allowing the Billies to sit properly against the walls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 December, 2016, 05:16:55 pm
Finally fixed HK's LH STI lever (jammed in the big ring, Ultegra 6703, since you ask), which took many hours and much more swearing than it should have. Apparently, when the lever gets stuck in top gear, it is because an Allen bolt (that can only be accessed from the section abutting the bar and is covered with black tape) loosens inside the lever body.

For future reference, the upshift and downshift levers definitely need to be removed (mind the circlip) to refit the 'top hat' nut tucked under the brake cable, which has a tendency to come loose. When the bolt loosens, the downshift lever doesn't align with the release mechanism, preventing downshifts. The nut itself is somewhat surprisingly LH threaded, which took me way too long to find out. That idiosyncrasy means that 'tightening' the loose bolt when the lever is still assembled actually completely unscrews the bolt from the nut. The nut promptly goes out of alignment and can't be retightened without disassembly. When refitting the shift levers, there is a return spring that has to be aligned with a small blind hole in the upshift lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 03 December, 2016, 05:21:56 pm
That's worthy of a week's worth of fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 December, 2016, 07:58:33 pm
Fettled the bookcase, getting 4.5 shelves of cycle related books down to about 3.75 shelves!

Removed books have been dropped off at the CfC Charity Bike Shop and will hopefully generate a few quid as stocking fillers between now and Christmas.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 December, 2016, 10:28:43 pm
Roadside fettling of the annoying Zeppelin mudguards. Again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 04 December, 2016, 12:15:17 am
Belated thanks to LWaB for Holiday Inn bathroom fitment fettlage three weeks ago!
There is always something loose in any facility for disabled people and getting staff attention is hardly worth the hassle.
Thanks again to whoever lent an allen key to the non-cycling AUK!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 December, 2016, 12:19:27 am
That was mattc's father. A good bloke that I hope to chat with again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 04 December, 2016, 12:30:36 am
Aah, ace chap!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 December, 2016, 08:04:22 am
Carpeted my concrete-floored workshop with unzipped delivery cartons, one of them the one my LHT frame came in.  Not doing much else in there just now, last time I looked it was 3°C inside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 December, 2016, 11:17:58 am
Replaced the worn 44t chainring on HK's Condor. The corroded bolts put up a fight. I'm getting a bit short-tempered about easy jobs being more difficult than they should be. The front QR was greased to stop it corroding and sticking inside the axle. The steel middle ring is holding up ok. In the not too distant future, it'll need a new chain, cassette and rear tyre.

Replaced the front tube on my trike. The 8sp chain should be replaced with a 9sp chain. Also need to swap drop bars with the front of the racing tandem and retape both.

Lots of topping up tyres. Tweaked the mudguards, charged the batteries in the rear light and adjusted the headset on my Frezoni. It sorely needs a wash and probably a new chain and cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 04 December, 2016, 12:18:53 pm
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qyJGDTFvenQ/WEQJVWe0WWI/AAAAAAAA8Jk/bPm3k26l13s5Xp6D98C6ISYVAEC7e_9XACPcB/s640/IMG_20161204_120010.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 December, 2016, 06:22:24 pm
Planed a sticky door. All fingers still intact.

Painted said door.

Mrs P chopped a load of wood. All her fingers are still intact, too.

Then went back & painted all the bits I'd missed on the door :facepalm:

Fixed a p*nct*re and undid the devastation wrought on a chain by caustic AWPR mud  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 December, 2016, 07:20:38 pm
SO got the keys to her new flat, so apart from cleaning man-cave grime from everything, I had to fit a new cooker isolator switch because the old one was mechanically jammed.  The cooker does work, thank  goodness.  The combi boiler, however, does not.  Been off for too long; water is ok but doesn't even attempt to heat rads.  Programmer definitely calling for heat, no error codes.  She didn't set up a service contract like I told her to 3 weeks ago  ::-)  Probably a dodgy bit of wiring as there is no reaction whatever from the boiler when the programmer relay comes on.  If it was a system boiler I'd check the wiring but combis are all integrated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 December, 2016, 09:08:12 pm
Aha! No click from the receiver unit although the "on" light works as it should.  Apparently these Drayton units (it's a wireless stat/programmer) suffer from stuck relays.  Percussive maintenance?

No real point in sourcing a new one, since Hive will replace the lot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 December, 2016, 09:59:20 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 05 December, 2016, 09:08:12 pm
Aha! No click from the receiver unit although the "on" light works as it should.  Apparently these Drayton units (it's a wireless stat/programmer) suffer from stuck relays.  Percussive maintenance?

No real point in sourcing a new one, since Hive will replace the lot.

Certainly worth giving it a good thump, if you don't want to get more scientific.  It does suggest that warmth can be achieved with a little screwdriver work to bypass the 'stat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 December, 2016, 10:27:49 pm
Greased the suspension block on HK's Brompton, though I suspect the reported creak is coming from the aftermarket micro-adjust Ti seatpost or the Terry saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 December, 2016, 06:32:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 December, 2016, 09:59:20 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 05 December, 2016, 09:08:12 pm
Aha! No click from the receiver unit although the "on" light works as it should.  Apparently these Drayton units (it's a wireless stat/programmer) suffer from stuck relays.  Percussive maintenance?

No real point in sourcing a new one, since Hive will replace the lot.

Certainly worth giving it a good thump, if you don't want to get more scientific.  It does suggest that warmth can be achieved with a little screwdriver work to bypass the 'stat.
Now have heat after giving it a permanent live by connecting the switched terminals of the receiver.  Only issue now is that the condensate pump cycles as its non-return valve is obviously stuck open.  It's getting rid of enough condensate to keep the boiler happy but most of what it sends up through the ceiling comes back again.  Previous owner never had it serviced; apparently they get full of amoebic goo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 December, 2016, 08:26:29 pm
Also cut the padlock (well, I held it with tongs while my dad wielded the angle grinder) off the outbuilding, which the vendor said he'd never been into.  No corpses or treasure but some old car batteries, a few tools and spare tiles for the bathroom.  I was expecting it to be totally full of junk so this was a result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 December, 2016, 07:39:43 am
Replaced the soft plastic barrel adjusters on my Brompton's Shimano brake levers and the batteries in HK's Brompton's rear light.

Now to modify the Shimano levers to suit Brompton's brake cables or the brake cables to suit the levers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 December, 2016, 05:43:48 pm
Cleaned some rust off the Brompton's chain (including the usual digging of leaf litter out of the tensioner) and vast amounts of crud off the Dawes's.  Also think I may have finally tracked down the intermittent mudguard-sounding rattle on the back of the Dawes, in the form of a loose bolt at the drop-out.  It has been carefully tightened without stripping any threads, with bonus Loctite.  We'll see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 December, 2016, 10:56:09 pm
Delved into the innards of my PL12D deck, removed the motor mounting bushes, gave them a bath in Platenclene then replaced them. Result? No more motor rumble when I play my vinyl goodness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 08 December, 2016, 11:30:09 pm
New tube in a Brompton. With a Marathon Plus. With one tyre lever . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 09 December, 2016, 02:55:18 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 08 December, 2016, 11:30:09 pm
New tube in a Brompton. With a Marathon Plus. With one tyre lever . . .

Superman!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 December, 2016, 04:07:19 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 08 December, 2016, 11:30:09 pm
New tube in a Brompton. With a Marathon Plus. With one tyre lever . . .
:o :o :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 December, 2016, 04:09:05 pm
steeling myself for much shed fettling over the weekend, amidst farmers market, rental flat management company AGM and dancy programme sanity preservation

Hooray for shed fettling :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 December, 2016, 04:21:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 December, 2016, 05:43:48 pm
Also think I may have finally tracked down the intermittent mudguard-sounding rattle on the back of the Dawes, in the form of a loose bolt at the drop-out.  It has been carefully tightened without stripping any threads, with bonus Loctite.  We'll see.

Sounds promising today...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 09 December, 2016, 06:28:54 pm
Got obsessed with the (lack of) cleanliness around the nose pads of my specs.
Found the spectacle screwdriver, attacked left nose pad, had right fiddle getting screw back.
Thought 'I really don't need to do 2nd nose pad; something's bound to go wrong.'
Attacked right nose pad.
Dropped it.
Couldn't find it for AGES.
Retrieved it.
Cleaned it.
Got screw in more easily than left.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 December, 2016, 06:32:31 pm
Ultrasonic cleaner FTW
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 December, 2016, 08:00:47 pm
Soldered a new capacitor onto the circuit board of the CH receiver unit, which is supposed to fix the non-operating relay (the unit otherwise functions perfectly, picking up the signal and lighting the "on" lamp reliably) in 90% of cases.

This is in the 10% - it made no difference at all.  The relay itself is obviously shot.  I've given it a good whack in all directions but still no luck.  It's not much of a problem since BG should give us Hive at half price if we have a programmer fault - that's how I ended up with Hive myself.

The condensate tank refilling issue is easier to solve.  Have removed, cleaned and inspected the check valve, which is completely stuck open.  A replacement is £7 from Sauermann and is on its way.  It's a simple bayonet fitting into the pump and a push fit onto the flexible pipe, no tools required.

Houses don't like being left empty and unused for 8 months - everything starts to go wrong.  There is a seeping waste pipe joint somewhere in the bathroom, which is also common when they are left for weeks or months and the crud around the O-rings dries out.  Often they cure themselves; I think this one is doing so, as the water stain on the boxing-in behind the washbasin seems to be drying up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 09 December, 2016, 08:05:51 pm
Tree.
Needs Lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 December, 2016, 10:19:31 pm
New brake cables on my Brommie and topped off tyres. Now to replace the gear cables before tomorrow's Origami ride. I probably won't get around to cleaning it. New chain and cogs are on the cards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 10 December, 2016, 01:07:07 am
Spent three evenings helping to remove bastard wood chip from niece and nephew-to-be's new house.
Not helped by the paper being pasted to un-primed plaster board in some places.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 December, 2016, 08:22:43 am
New gear cables and rear light batteries on my Brommie and topped off the tyres on HK's Brommie.

Only now that we are at the train station does she mention that the front brake drags! Perhaps I can fettle it later today, otherwise the cable will be replaced tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 December, 2016, 12:23:32 pm
I just cleaned the car for the first time in er, months? Apparently the car's actually white! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 10 December, 2016, 03:31:09 pm
Last time I did that I found there really was a car under there...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 December, 2016, 05:56:32 pm
Check valve didn't turn up in today's post (it's been two days already, and the rapacious bastards charged £7 for posting a tiny plastic thing) so condensate pump is now discharging into a very large plastic bin (35 litres).  Should be ok for...oh...a few months, if the Christmas post is that bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 December, 2016, 06:06:09 pm
About four hours of shed/gym fettling prior to partition wall going up on Tuesday, should have about another hour to do tomorrow plus taking a car load of stuff to dump.

I'm trying. to move stuff in a way that means as little double moving as possible, but still leaving room for the builders.

Bonus being I can now see the concrete floor for the first time in  about five years.

I don't think I'll need the gym this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: runsoncake on 10 December, 2016, 07:27:35 pm
Fixed jammed pull switch on bathroom light. I have no idea why it now works and why it didn't before. Just took it off the ceiling, deconstructed it, shrugged my shoulders and put it back together and "Voila, let there be light". Sometimes its better just be totally clueless!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 10 December, 2016, 10:22:59 pm
Have tried to get rid of a creaky/clicky noise emanating from somewhere on my Condor. A quick ride up the road suggests I may have been successful, but a good ride tomorrow should tell me for sure.

I think the noise was coming from the saddle area (you know how tricky it can be to track it down), so I removed the saddle pin and cleaned and greased it. Of course it could be coming from the saddle itself, but I'd rather eliminate one possible source at a time so I know where the problem was.  Since winter arrived I've been enjoying riding the bike, which glides around on its 35mm Marathon Supremes, only spoiled by the mysterious noise. I'd been assuming it came from the front end but, having spent much of this morning's ride in and out of the saddle, I concluded that the noise only occurs when I'm seated.  OK, this could be the beginning of a long saga of trial and error.  I really hope not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 December, 2016, 10:26:18 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 10 December, 2016, 10:22:59 pm
Have tried to get rid of a creaky/clicky noise emanating from somewhere on my Condor. A quick ride up the road suggests I may have been successful, but a good ride tomorrow should tell me for sure.

I think the noise was coming from the saddle area (you know how tricky it can be to track it down), so I removed the saddle pin and cleaned and greased it. Of course it could be coming from the saddle itself, but I'd rather eliminate one possible source at a time so I know where the problem was.  Since winter arrived I've been enjoying riding the bike, which glides around on its 35mm Marathon Supremes, only spoiled by the mysterious noise. I'd been assuming it came from the front end but, having spent much of this morning's ride in and out of the saddle, I concluded that the noise only occurs when I'm seated.  OK, this could be the beginning of a long saga of trial and error.  I really hope not.
I had a creak I couldn't find on my Trek for months. Then the seat-post bolt snapped in two and the saddle fell off. A new bolt has solved the creak.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 10 December, 2016, 10:34:41 pm
Hmm, so the garage lights have been dying for years.
They are standard 58w T8 Bi-pin Flour Essence.
They have finally reached the point where they just won't start at all.

Changed the tubes.
Nada.

So I've bought some modern electronic control gear to replace the magnetic ballasts and neon starters.
I've removed the fittings from the roof, and dismembered them.
I've ripped the old magnetic crap out, and am waiting for the new HF electronic ballasts to arrive and hopefully have light back in the cave.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 11 December, 2016, 01:56:50 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 10 December, 2016, 10:22:59 pm
Have tried to get rid of a creaky/clicky noise emanating from somewhere on my Condor. A quick ride up the road suggests I may have been successful, but a good ride tomorrow should tell me for sure.

I think the noise was coming from the saddle area (you know how tricky it can be to track it down), so I removed the saddle pin and cleaned and greased it.

And all was quiet this morning.  A minor triumph.  Next job (on that bike) is new inner and outer brake cables; the rear seems a bit 'sticky'.  Not nearly as irritating as a creak, though!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 December, 2016, 03:03:25 pm
Replaced the front brake cable on HK's Brompton. As usual, that included cleaning, adjusting and lubing the brake pivots. Unusually, it involved filing down the head of the Brompton cable to fit the Brompton lever. Since the early days, Brompton brake levers have required cables with drum heads that are longer (= wider) than normal. Modern Brompton brake levers have reverted to normal cable dimensions, so my stock of Brompton cables didn't fit without lots of filing.

At some point, I'll have to replace the swingarm pivots on both our Bromptons. I should get the frame and swingarm of mine repainted at the same time.

Lubed my Brompton's chain and removed its creak from the saddle clamp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 December, 2016, 05:49:14 pm
Cleaned the gutters and drains of accumulated leaves, twigs, rowan berries and soil.

Cleaned my bike. Noticed the chain was rusty (on Sunday) after Saturday's wet ride. Cleaned it, oiled it. Adjusted mudguards again.

Hoovered again. Etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 12 December, 2016, 09:02:56 pm
Well in theory I've fixed a slow puncture that I tried to fix yesterday but I suspect it's not fixed at all. An evening of faff to no avail  :facepalm:

The rear tyre on the new bike had a puncture a month or so ago. I fixed it and all seemed well then after some time of not riding I noticed the rear was flat when the front was only a bit squishy from natural wastage. Pumped it up and lo and behold flatish by the next day.

Tried to fix it last night but being a slow puncture I couldn't hear a hiss, tried dunking it in the sink but after several revolutions of the tube couldn't find any bubbles. Undid and redid valve and reinserted as didn't want to put a fresh tube in just in case there was something still in the outer tyre.

Flat again this morning so have whipped the old tube out and given the tyre a going over. Also decided the stock rim tape was crap so I'll just quickly chuck some velox in. Of course that didn't want to stick properly and was problematic as well  :demon:

Odds on me finding the new tube flat tomorrow?  ??? ::-)

Then moved onto the intended job of the evening of using the rivet gun from work and my new set of mudguards to extend the current guards on the bike - obviously my dremel battery (for chopping the new guard to length) was flat - not used in a goodly while so not surprised - what did surprise me was that forty minutes charging gave me four seconds of whirriness  :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:

I could have dug out the hacksaw but nuts to it. I'll take it to work and use their dremel methinks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 12 December, 2016, 11:00:55 pm
re-stringed my acoustic guitar (long overdue) - bright, clear, lovely sound again, ready for some action :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 12 December, 2016, 11:14:14 pm
PC. Bits have been going in and out all afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 December, 2016, 11:42:02 pm
Dismantled a rear wheel with a broken hub flange to harvest the nearly new rim. Tomorrow's fettling will be to transplant the rim onto my tourer's front wheel to replace the worryingly concave rim on there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 December, 2016, 07:52:25 am
Fettled mini's new (second hand) bike; swapped tyres, swapped pedals, got the front Spyre calliper working (and adusted it), lubed the rear mech gear cable, tuned the rear gear change. All working tickety-boo.

With my greasy hands on I then checked all the stable's chains. Oops. Good bike was well beyond 1.0 so set about replacing rear cassette and chain. De-gunked the rear mech and jockey wheels whilst I was there. Mrs hatler's commuter bike also needs a new chain (and cassette) but I don't have the bits for that. An excuse to head to the LBS today !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 December, 2016, 09:19:16 am
Hoiked an until now redundant rack out of the Seecrit Bunker, with a view to putting it back into use.  It's previous owner was my late FiL, a man with little mechanical sympathy and a strong belief that everything he did was right.  Hence, amonsgt other things, fscking gert holes drilled in the stays on the rack to accommodate some hellishly bodged mudguard mounting.  The rack is a nice quality job, from aluminium tubing, and the holes are in the tubes that keep the panniers out of the wheels, rather than the main supports, so it should hopefully be OK.

Play suspended when I discovered the mounting points on the bike have broken off bolts in them.  Time to get jiggy with a drill, steady hand and a tap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 December, 2016, 09:00:37 pm
New parts arrived today for the garage lights.
They are now working, but I have sore arms from overhead fettling.

ETA:
Interesting the way the electronic control units start up and run the tube. Much different to old magnetic ballasts.
Trad control gear would warm up the filaments and then hit it with an end-to-end voltage hopefully enough to strike the tube into conducting.
If it did strike, then the magnetic ballast acted as an AC resistor to limit the current through the ionised gas, otherwise it would attempt to draw infinite current.
They started up at pretty much full brightness.

The electronic control gear is much gentler.
During the startup, it limits both voltage and current so as to allow the tube to conduct, but only just.
The tube is dim, and dimmer in the middle.  There are zebra-stripes of dark bands moving along the tube, due to the voltage being just on the cusp of enough to emit UV. It may be related to the frequency of the electronic gear too.
It took about 30 minutes for the new tube to reach full intensity the first time I ran it with the new control gear.
Subsequent starts have been faster.
Having run the lamps for about 2 hours now, they cold-start in less than 5 mins now.
So I suspect the gas composition in the tube is changing from it's new composition to it's more steady-state composition.
And the control gear is simply responding the the changes in conductivity of the gasses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 13 December, 2016, 09:23:29 pm
I suspect most cyclists, under-developed above the waist (no, don't!), will know the feeling. We're just not suited to overhead fettling.  I've a couple of ceilings that need painting, and expect to suffer from arm, back and shoulder ache thereafter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 December, 2016, 02:17:07 am
Started fettling something orange which used to be red. When photobucket works again there may be pictures but until then that's all the clue you're getting.










Unless you're going to see Woollypigs & Peliroja in January . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 14 December, 2016, 07:52:35 am
Quote from: hatler on 13 December, 2016, 07:52:25 am
Fettled mini's new (second hand) bike; swapped tyres, swapped pedals, got the front Spyre calliper working (and adusted it), lubed the rear mech gear cable, tuned the rear gear change. All working tickety-boo.

With my greasy hands on I then checked all the stable's chains. Oops. Good bike was well beyond 1.0 so set about replacing rear cassette and chain. De-gunked the rear mech and jockey wheels whilst I was there. Mrs hatler's commuter bike also needs a new chain (and cassette) but I don't have the bits for that. An excuse to head to the LBS today !
Mission accomplished. Mrs hatler's commuting bike now sports a new rear cassette and chain. Mini's new bike was treated to new disc pads on the front too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 December, 2016, 03:45:55 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 14 December, 2016, 02:17:07 am
Started fettling something orange which used to be red. When photobucket works again there may be pictures but until then that's all the clue you're getting.










Unless you're going to see Woollypigs & Peliroja in January . . .

You're Peli's new hairstylist?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 14 December, 2016, 03:47:40 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 14 December, 2016, 02:17:07 am
Started fettling something orange which used to be red.

Rusty postie's bike?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 December, 2016, 05:30:16 pm
Nope!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 December, 2016, 06:49:21 pm
Today I installed a full dynamo lighting setup onto the bike of a friend.   The hub (complete wheel in fact) and front light came from Sojournermike of this parish, the rear light and lego block connector from Torslanda.   I had the necessary light bracket and length of two core cable as well as cable ties.

For good measure I also swapped his 8 speed cassette for one with two extra teeth on the big sprocket.

I have a cheque for the parts, the labour was freely given.   It means another of my regular cycling friends can join in the Wednesday evening chippy rides !  :thumbsup: 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 December, 2016, 09:30:07 pm
Day off work today to fettle a new towel rail radiator in the bathroom.
This was on orders from above, because the bathroom had been re-painted and the rusty spots on the old towel rail were deemed un-slightly and un-acceptable.
The replacement had been bought with no regard to fitting it to the existing installation.

Absolutely nothing from the old one was re-useable.
The mounting points were different.
The pipe centres were different.

Half a day to simply remove the old one, make good the wall, and mount the new one.
Another half day to adjust the under-floor pipework for the new pipe centres.
This did involve pipe bending tools, wire wool, flux and fire.

(I'd previously cut an access hatch for this.)

It's all done now, but I'm all aches and pains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 17 December, 2016, 03:56:59 pm
In about 2 minutes I fettled my phone to make it QI chargeable. It sits on the charger wirelessly charging as I write. No more wrong-way-round USB plugs for me!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 December, 2016, 05:35:00 pm
I took the old curtain pole down. Put up the new one.
Swore gently.
Hung new curtains from new pole. Stuck safety pin in new curtains to show tailor where to alter to.
Took new curtains, pole and brackets down.
Put old pole and old curtains back up. Swore gently a bit more.

Squeezed new curtains into rucksack, humphed them to the tailor shop, stopping at the Polish shop for a sticky poppy seed bun.  :P
Skipped home feeling lighter than air without the burden of said drapery.

To be continued...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 December, 2016, 08:54:59 pm
New gym-changing-to-office floor went in yesterday, emptied filing cabinet and bookcase, moved them in and refilled them, which means I can now start to put up shelving, wood being delivered Tuesday.  Moved turbo back in until garage-changing-to-gym is ready. Broke turbo  :facepalm:

Today, finally now that I have the space in both garage-changing-to-gym and in my brain, finished the adjustments to the M5, rear mech trimming (not much needed), retape handgrips, adjust dyno light angle, refit non-dyno rear light until I've decided what will happen at the back.  It's at least back in a reideble state again so I may head out tomorrow to check out the ride with the 26" front.

Tomorrwo morning will be putting up shelves in the garage-changing-to-gym to allow me to start to clear enough floor space to make it usable as a gym and move the new turbo out there.  The rest of it will be done over the next two weeks in stages.

I am certainly seeing the lack of upper body in this current round of fettling.  That new gym willl come in handy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 December, 2016, 10:36:55 pm
Tightened the screw that stops the right lens of my reading glasses from falling out for about the seventy-third time.  But if I tried to take it out and apply Loctite to it, I'd drop it.  I just know I would.

Also bled the radiators in the Estate Office and Spa.  One day year I'll get round to buying the adaptor thing that will allow me to use my special Spa-radiator-bleeding socket with the ratchety wossname from the socket set.  Yes, there is a bleed valve, and no, you can't get at it because it's under the wash basin and behind the pipe to the hot tap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 18 December, 2016, 11:06:52 pm
Refitted the front wheel to my tourer now it has a new rim, switched the tyres from 25s to 32s and switched the front brake pads. It'll be nice to have gears for tomorrow's commute, and it might just encourage me to stick in some extra distance after work tomorrow :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 December, 2016, 11:10:53 pm
Installed a backup pingfuckit in my brake block holder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 19 December, 2016, 11:15:55 pm
swapped a stem with a longer one, installed a crank arm that shows power and cadence, stuck some duct tape on both crank arms to prevent them from scuffing, installed michelin power endurance 700x25 tyres and did a test ride - smoooth.
need to replace all cable outers as the longer stem makes them a tad too short..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 December, 2016, 09:20:25 am
Finally remounted the mudguards & wheels, reconnected the brake cables and got the LHT down off the workstand. Next stop is the turbo to keep it upright while I tape the bars and put the rack back on, then dig out some old lighting kit to make it complete & sellable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 December, 2016, 05:30:28 pm
Some festive lights onto the money plant which is my Xmas tree, thusly:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/780/30977274473_69e44dc625_b.jpg)

In addition to which, I am having a Brompton pedal crisis. As you may've read elsewhere...
Today I've taken delivery of a pair of MKS Compact Ezy (I don't understand why they need the yellow plastic clips to work - they seem totally superfluous) as a back-up the the Ti Parts Workshop pedals I currently have, which do not work, because the nut which retains the RH pedal on its spindle undoes within something like a mile of riding.
It is an  M6 nut, with a thread pitch of 0.75mm which, trust me, after the best part of a day on the interwebs and phone, is pretty f*cking alien.
It needs a locknut. Or a LH thread. (The latter of those two, isn't a realistic option)
I've found someone who will make me a couple of all metal locknuts to that spec in Ti for £70.00, or in A2 stainless for £45.00 - in three weeks - both of which are non-starters.

Tomorrow I intend to visit my friends at Clerkenwell Screws. Where there is promise of an M6 x 0.75mm BZP Nylok, and I'll take the risk of galvanic corrosion and galling (which has been discussed elsewhere) on the chin with a liberal dose of Castrol LM grease.

You can wish me luck, if you so desire.
TBH, having had the pedal apart, and seen the size of the bearings, I don't see them as having much longevity. Not even with my meagre 65kg - I think I'll trash them in no time.

ETA - I wouldn't normally be going to this amount of effort to rectify a manufacturer's / engineer's shortfall unless the pedals were exceptionally sexy.
These pedals are exceptionally sexy.
There is, however,  a limit before they are returned to the retailer for a refund.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 December, 2016, 05:33:13 pm
Nice phone, thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 December, 2016, 05:35:59 pm
^
Thanks.
It makes a good noise, and no calls.
The noise is the reason I have it.
Other (contemporary/working/muted) phones are available throughout the premises.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 December, 2016, 05:39:26 pm
6 spur shelf brackets, including softblock wall using 3" BFO screws all round.

Shelves cut yesterday look a treat.

Whiteboard the evening if ICBA

Replaced cam-type thingy that puts turbo roller in contact with wheel - new one ordered Monday evening and came today from Germany :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 December, 2016, 05:43:23 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 December, 2016, 05:35:59 pm
^
It makes a good noise, and no calls.
The noise is the reason I have it.
Other (contemporary/working/muted) phones are available throughout the premises.

I foolishly neglected to keep any of mine through the surprisingly short period between them becoming "well-engineered junk" and "eBay collector's item".  :(

A phone with a bell in it!  And that weird dial thing.  It'd be great for confusing the grandchildren.  If I had any grandchildren.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 December, 2016, 05:51:34 pm
They're not that difficult to get hold of.
Retro shops are probably your friend - albeit at a price, that's where my one came from.
15 years before that, BT were happy to give me 50 of them free and for gratis for a project I was doing whilst on an Art Foundation course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 21 December, 2016, 05:54:27 pm
Kim, you can confuse the Niephews with them in a few years :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 December, 2016, 06:00:24 pm
I spotted one in amongst some fly-tipping on a bike ride last year, but it was wet and I didn't have enough luggage to carry it.  No doubt there will be more in due course.

Also, I was trying to get away from the analogue telephony.  Though I suppose modifying one to speak SIP would be a fun project.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 December, 2016, 11:50:35 am
Yesterday, four mortise and tenon joints.

(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/20161222_110342_zpsqqxfr9hn.jpg)
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/20161222_121447_zpsuy6qqsst.jpg)

More to follow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 December, 2016, 12:21:00 pm
Yesterday morning, following a call to International Rescue, I shortened and rejoined the broken chain of HK's Condor during her morning commute. There will be a new chain and cassette fitted either this evening or tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 December, 2016, 12:35:11 pm
I suppose you'd call this "unfettling" - stripped two steel-framed bikes to bare frames + forks, masked all the orifices ready to go to the powder-coat man after the holidays - and put all the headset bits (each set threaded on a cable tie, in order) through the ultra-sonic cleaning bath . . now sparkly like new.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 December, 2016, 02:21:15 pm
Wow, that ultrasonic bath sounds amazing. I've just seen one at Argos for under £50. Tell us more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 December, 2016, 06:10:11 pm
They are bloody good, commonly used in the aerospace industry for parts degreasing as well.

Foe m, just more shed/gym/office fettling. Almost all shelves up in the office (brackets there, but one shelf will need a trial and error approach).  Had to do some very satisfying fettling with a plane yesterday which I am now inexplicably much better at than my woodwork teacher would ever have imagined. I'm still impatient with a chisel though  ;D

Most books now moved in. Turbo to move out, desk to move in then all ready for officeness.  Gym and shed next
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 December, 2016, 07:58:23 pm
Sorry, going off topic here, but what liquid do you use in it for cleaning bike parts?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 December, 2016, 08:28:27 pm
This  https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00E8K45S6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   is the machine I have - you need to check the basket size for these things - some of the low-price cleaners are tiny and only any use for rings and tiny parts - mine is about as big as a medium sized deep-fat fryer and just about takes a cassette.

I use water + about an egg-cup of Screwfix's cheapest degreaser - this stuff  http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-degreaser-5ltr/88668#_=p

The timer on the bath runs for about 40 minutes - most stuff will be clean in that time, really grim stuff gets a double dose.

I've used it for cassettes, brakes, small parts, headset parts, caged bearings, the coffee holders on my espresso machine, my wife's rings (in a small metal tea strainer mesh basket inside the machine's basket) and random other stuff.  Chains clean up a treat BUT then need to be left soaking in a bath of oil (I use B&Q chainsaw oil) for about a week to get the oil into the links)

At less than 100 quid it's been a very useful piece of kit - especially when taking old bikes to pieces.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2016, 08:39:31 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 December, 2016, 05:30:28 pm
Some festive lights onto the money plant which is my Xmas tree, thusly:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/780/30977274473_69e44dc625_b.jpg)
That's not fettling, that's styling.  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 December, 2016, 10:54:25 pm
Sorry, last daft question, but food and drink stuff and bike parts in the same cleaner?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 23 December, 2016, 11:56:35 pm
Mine got some serious hammer for around 2 years before it gave up the ghost. By the end of that time the bowl was heavily ingrained with skog from chains & cassettes galore.

A couple of times I was asked if it would clean carburettor bodies but never risked it because of the chance of them being contaminated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 December, 2016, 08:43:58 am
Quote from: drossall on 23 December, 2016, 10:54:25 pm
Sorry, last daft question, but food and drink stuff and bike parts in the same cleaner?

... that crossed my mind as a comment that might be forthcoming after I posted it!   

The inner of the tank is stainless steel and gets and very good clean and new water (and no degreaser!) before putting in the coffee filters - and then they are boiled in a saucepan of water before replacing in the "beaks" (aka group holders) on the coffee machine.   It's only once every 2 or 3 months operation so no big deal (and I have 2 pairs of filters, 1 cup & 2 cup) - the coffee machine is heavy duty plumbed in piece of kit, a single-group version of the things you see in coffee shops*

The very slight downside with the ultrasonic machine is that it has no drain tap (I put new water and degeaser in after each use) and you have to unplug it and tip the water out of the tank.  The larger models in the same range do have a tap and drain hose arrangement.

Rob

* and one not miss an opportunity . . . I have another coffee machine, the same, for sale - just been serviced by the manufacturer.  PM if interested - it's £300.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 December, 2016, 11:24:12 am
Took the seized motor off my bandsaw and tried to take it apart, but was brought to a standstill by this narsty thing:

(http://www.pbase.com/image/164739259.jpg)

This is the view down inside a conical pulley mounted on the end of the motor shaft. There was a machine screw in that central hole and it was easy to remove, but the pulley is so tight to the shaft as to be unshiftable, even with a drift and hammer.

I'm thinking of admitting defeat and angling for a new bandsaw. There's a 900W Metabo that'd suit me quite nicely...

I suppose I'd better try penetrating oil first for form's sake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 24 December, 2016, 01:18:50 pm
Gear puller?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 December, 2016, 01:24:26 pm
Haven't got one, don't know anyone who would have.  Don't really think it's worth getting one, I'd only use it the once and the saw is a 30-year-old East German el cheapo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: matthew on 25 December, 2016, 10:33:47 pm
assembled my Christmas present, Carry Freedom Large-Y trailer.

That's me sorted for tip runs and the bulky shopping trips.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 December, 2016, 02:43:48 pm
HK's Condor now has:
- adjusted headset.
- both tyres flint-mined. It'll need new tyres in a few weeks.
- new chain and 14-25t cassette.
- adjusted V-brakes. It'll need new front pads in a few weeks.
- lubricated rear gear cable.
- realigned gear hanger.
- new batteries in the mudguard taillight.
- the non-waterproof Lezyne computer's mount replaced by a Garmin mount.
- a new Igaro D1 charger.

Also replaced HK's worn-out Look Keo cleat to let her keep riding her Trykit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 26 December, 2016, 02:44:06 pm
New bartape on the Surly!

Surly Alfine gears were playing up.  Changed the inner and now they are much improved.  Needs a new outer really also

Put the posh Strada Bianca tyres on the single speed.  Took it for a test ride around the block.  It rides like a dream but it is making an annoying noise from the front disk brake, not sure why.  Ran out of gumption for today
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 December, 2016, 04:42:28 pm
One of the two bulbs on the table lamp next to my left shoulder stopped working when the winter lampshades were installed last month.  Today I took the whole thing to bits, swore horribly at the horrid rubbery insulation on the internal wiring, put it all back together, remarked that it would be a fucking miracle if it worked at all and was pleasantly surprised to find both bulbs now work :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 December, 2016, 05:38:04 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 December, 2016, 04:42:28 pm
One of the two bulbs on the table lamp next to my left shoulder stopped working when the winter lampshades were installed last month.

Is that like winter tyres?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 December, 2016, 05:53:46 pm
Re-fettled the new replacement outside PIR lamp that I fitted on Saturday - finding that connecting both the live and neutral wires, rather than just the live, does make it function - stupid.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 26 December, 2016, 05:59:25 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 December, 2016, 05:38:04 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 December, 2016, 04:42:28 pm
One of the two bulbs on the table lamp next to my left shoulder stopped working when the winter lampshades were installed last month.

Is that like winter tyres?

Studded, most likely  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 December, 2016, 06:47:47 pm
White ones for summer, red ones for winter, dincha know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 December, 2016, 08:31:05 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 December, 2016, 06:47:47 pm
White ones for summer, red ones for winter, dincha know.

Of course - there's a lighting shop at Hockley Heath (Solihull) that's famous for its monthly colour changes for all the lampshades in the window display (must be about 40 different shades) - always deep red for December, the other 11 months sort of go with the year .... yellow at Easter, brown for an autumn month and so on.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 26 December, 2016, 09:57:31 pm
A double bed.

The Bear-o-drome is now fully 'Room at the Inn' compliant.   :thumbsup:

It will be pa in common law who breaks it in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 26 December, 2016, 11:57:29 pm
Mrs P installed a wall lamp in the hall  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 26 December, 2016, 11:59:21 pm
Macerated a giant jobbie with an old spoke to enable flushing.

 :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 December, 2016, 10:10:49 am
Investigated SO's bathroom fan, which is Not Working and probably hasn't worked these last 20 years.  Irritatingly Part P only allows me to do a like-for-like replacement without notifying the council or getting an electrician in.  This is a bit crap because it's been done to 1980s standards, with a bog standard isolator switch - probably not 2-pole - high on the bathroom wall, no RCD (there is one on the consumer unit, but I think not for the lighting circuit, only the sockets) and the fan doesn't look as if it's IP anything although all this stuff is in Zone 1 or 2. 

On the bright side, it has been wired for an over-run timer, with a switched live feed from the room light and a permanent live and neutral.

On the negative side, Mr Electrician - this would have been done under LA ownership - used a bit of 3-core flex (not cable) in the wall between the fan and the switch to provide the three wires, using the earth conductor as the switched live.  I had to prod around with an electrical tester to work out what was what.  There's not even a bit of red tape on this to indicate it's not an earth, and they should have used something better like two cables or some 3-conductor 2-way lighting cable anyway.  I think I will have to treat the flex as damaged and replace it.

This isn't the first time I've come across "professional" electrical work that has been woefully inadequate.  In the last house the builders had obviously run out of loop-in ceiling roses and junction boxes so had just twisted wires together inside normal ceiling roses.  That's the problem with paying someone for work that you can't easily inspect - they will cut corners in the knowledge they are unlikely ever to be caught out.  Same goes for car mechanics.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 December, 2016, 01:11:15 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 26 December, 2016, 11:57:29 pm
Mrs P installed a wall lamp in the hall  :thumbsup:

Did the other one today. No burn marks  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 29 December, 2016, 02:11:11 pm
Nothing.....  :facepalm:

Earlier today given the cold weather, I took my winter bike in the car to the disused railway line path at Haughton for a few miles along the "all weather track." Well that was badly iced up and looked unriderable on Gatorskins. So, back home I came and into the "Man Cave" to swap the tyres over to some spiked ice ones.

However, the rubber was so hard given the cold, I could not get the Gatorskins off. So, lets try the City Jets on the MTB...... same result.  :facepalm:

Memo to self.... swap tyres before it freezes over.

Sigh, off to use the turbo for an hour.  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 29 December, 2016, 05:49:33 pm
Changed two dead / iffy mains sockets.
Charged some batteries.
I really ought to do the rest of the fettling of the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 December, 2016, 11:52:08 pm
Nokian spiky tyres onto the Red bike, just in case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 December, 2016, 08:11:28 am
Much shed/office/gym fettling over the last few days, all now useable. Photos later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 30 December, 2016, 09:00:57 am
Spent yesterday helping to set up the stage for panto.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 30 December, 2016, 10:03:29 am
built a dynamo wheel, 20h radially laced
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 December, 2016, 10:15:08 am
Got the extractor fan working.  Had to leave the flex in the wall as Mr Electrician had used a single piece between the loft and the fan, splicing the live and earth conductors into the switch partway along and leaving the neutral continuous.  Moron.  I would have to destroy the tiling to get it out and I'm not allowed to anyway, not unless I get Building Control out to inspect it afterwards.  Most irritating part: adjusting the overrun timer for the time I wanted.  The variable resistor is marked but the marking are wholly fictional so trial and error (turning off the light and using a stopwatch) is SOP.  I wanted 30 minutes' overrun so SO never has to remember to open the window and got 30 mins 6 seconds at about the sixth attempt.  The adjuster was set to the 15 minute mark for that ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 December, 2016, 01:02:06 pm
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040441_zpsq1isnvae.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040441_zpsq1isnvae.jpg.html)

(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040442_zpsfdd2x2fj.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040442_zpsfdd2x2fj.jpg.html)

Office, from either end

(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040443_zpsbvsx9kug.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040443_zpsbvsx9kug.jpg.html)

Shed

(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040444_zpslfum74oh.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040444_zpslfum74oh.jpg.html)

(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa370/dneilson01/P1040445_zpsdbobj3gi.jpg) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/dneilson01/media/P1040445_zpsdbobj3gi.jpg.html)

Gym, room for separate bike fettling area (need to buy a workstand), training area and room to swing a kettlebell and maybe even add a treadmill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 30 December, 2016, 01:46:14 pm
That's altogether TOO tidy!

Not sure there's really a bike rider living there . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 December, 2016, 02:27:36 pm
Got the new curtain pole up and hung the new curtains. Looks like I got them taken up by about 1cm more than I should have but sod it, they'll do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 December, 2016, 04:17:51 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 30 December, 2016, 01:46:14 pm
That's altogether TOO tidy!

Not sure there's really a bike rider living there . . .

it wont last long, only two turbo sessions so far
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 02 January, 2017, 03:30:07 pm
Marathon Winters onto Josette the singlespeed Mixte, which didn't spoil her graceful lines as much as I thought it would.  Amazingly easy to get them on, I'm not sure I trust them now!

Schwalbe Marathon Pluses onto the tourer.  Again, surprisingly easy to get them on the rims.  They've probably perished to near-destruction or something.

Continental GP 4 seasons onto the road bike.  I seem to have chewed up some of my carbon frame with sprockets.  Arse.  And why are the brakes never set properly when I put the rear wheel back in??  I was anticipating this being the easiest job of the lot but I managed to kill an inner tube in the process.  Ah, well, it's done now.  Bring on the real winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 January, 2017, 08:37:25 pm
HK washed her Condor, her trike and my Frezoni. In return, her Condor has new tyres, a black C17S saddle and a front mudflap. The pedal bearings are on their way out but hopefully they'll serve till late January. Her trike now has a colour coordinated mudflap too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 01:21:48 pm
Cleaned the shower. Tackled the horrible mouldy area round the bathroom window (which is both behind the toilet & shower cubicle as well as being about 5 foot up) - a real PITA to reach. It's still a bit black but it'll have to do for now.
Took the non-worm food to the compost bin and the worm food to the worm bin. Put the last of the shredded paper on top. Brought the shredded paper bag inside to make more.
Made some pizza dough.
Did some freezer archaeology, chucked out: a pack of frozen prawns BBE Mar 2016, a tub of cream cheese icing made on unknown date but prolly Feb 2016, a pack of frozen spinach BBE Mar 2015 that looked somewhat freezer burned, a bag of tarragon, a box of processed chopped coriander that felt like more of a hail stone, a tub of rhubarb crumble flavour ice cream that was not that great and therefore not worth the calorie hit. Emptied out the tiny pieces of basil living in the drawer. Soaked the drawer in the sink to remove the dried on cherry juice which had leaked out of a bag of frozen cherries over a year ago.
I expect the fridge freezer will probably die now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 03 January, 2017, 03:21:50 pm
Cleaned the Arkose (which was caked in mud); part-way through this, the Yodel man arrived with some nice new tyres for it, so I fitted those as well. I went for some 40c Smart Sams, as Planet X had them for £8 each; poor bike looks like a tractor now! :o Looking forward to trying them out off-road, though, as they're certainly knobblier than the Kendas they replaced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 03 January, 2017, 05:20:17 pm
Quote
...chucked out: a pack of frozen prawns BBE Mar 2016...

No sense of adventure, some people . . .  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 05:46:13 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 03 January, 2017, 05:20:17 pm
Quote
...chucked out: a pack of frozen prawns BBE Mar 2016...

No sense of adventure, some people . . .  :D

Actually, I've just been in there again. The ones I chucked earlier were Sept 2015. I then looked at the ones mentioned above which looked a bit freezer burned and stated they were frozen in Sept 2014. So I hoofed them out too. And the salmon from Sept 2015.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 January, 2017, 05:51:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 01:21:48 pm
I expect the fridge freezer will probably die now.

John Lewis is most likely your bezzie mate  :P
Formidable freezer fettling, thobut  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 06 January, 2017, 07:51:47 pm
Fixed the basic 50p(?) tin opener which fell apart when opening creamed rice last night.  Mrs O looked for a new one in Sainsbury's this morning, without success, so I riveted it back together with a few well-judged hammer blows.  Now works better than ever.

We don't eat much tinned food these days, but over the years we've tried numerous variations on the traditional wingnut-type design, always returning to the cheapie as being the most effective.  Unfortunately, owing to poor quality materials and construction, they tend not to be very durable. In case my fettling doesn't last, does anyone know where you can get a well-engineered tin opener?  We don't need/want over-designed, over-priced kitchen jewellery;  the basic design is very effective, it just needs to be better quality. No need for Campag Super Record when Sora would do the job nicely  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 January, 2017, 10:27:35 pm
Ikea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 06 January, 2017, 11:54:37 pm
An army surplus store P38 opener (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener) will see you right.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 January, 2017, 12:24:20 am
I've got one of those for Scout camping :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 January, 2017, 12:30:13 am
FWIW we have a couple of the Aldi ones (as ever with Aldi products of this type, their appearance is seasonal), which are a sort of no-nonsense wingnut2.0 with rounded corners and easier to grip handles (barakta can't work the cheapy ones reliably due to lack of grip).  They do a perfectly good job of opening tins, have yet to fall apart, and the only apparent design flaw is that they're desirable enough to go walkies when kept in office kitchens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 07 January, 2017, 12:56:01 am
Quote from: drossall on 07 January, 2017, 12:24:20 am
I've got one of those for Scout camping :thumbsup:

I thought you used them on cans . . .  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 07 January, 2017, 07:32:06 am
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 06 January, 2017, 11:54:37 pm
An army surplus store P38 opener (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener) will see you right.

I have several of those kicking about for camping and the like, very well designed and engineered
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 January, 2017, 08:00:29 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 07 January, 2017, 12:56:01 am
I thought you used them on cans . . .  :demon:
Don't ask :demon: :demon: :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 07 January, 2017, 09:38:45 am
Thanks for the responses.

Will have a look variously in Ikea, Aldi, Army Surplus etc.  Also worth rummaging in the loft in the camping stuff; we certainly had a P38 at some stage in the distant past. Funny how there's something nostalgic about tin openers!

In the meantime the old, fettled one will allow me to gain entry into the occasional soup and rice pud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 07 January, 2017, 07:30:31 pm
the 105 rear mech arrived last week while I was away as did the rear wheel propstand/fettling stand so I ventured out to the gym/bike workshop this evening.

Seemed to all go OK, got the top and bottom stops right, cable tension just about (might need a bit of adjustment), b-screw OK so I put it on the turbo temporarily to test under a bit of tension.

WTF! pedals won't turn, rear mech rotating around it's attachment point and bashing the frame.  Scratchy head time, look closely and find that the quick link has managed to come undone and jammed one of the jockey wheels.  Reattached that and all seems in order.  Planned long ride on the recumbent tomorrow, so I'll have to wait to Monday to test it on the road.

Old one will go in the "just in case" box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 January, 2017, 08:10:13 pm
My motivation for a long ride was extingushed by the fog and soaking drizzle today, so I painted a wall in the downstairs loo instead. It's the wall with the sink attached, and the old paint behind it was hard to clean as it was just bog standard emulsion. The new stuff is kitchen paint so it sould be easier to keep clean. Like the wall behind my hob in the kitchen (which had the same problem), it is now green: -

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/1/676/32050594131_eb7d5bc712.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QQcF1x) Moar green (https://flic.kr/p/QQcF1x) by Marcus Coupe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/128819129@N06/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 January, 2017, 08:57:33 pm
Fixed the broken spoke in son's back wheel. Suddenly dawned on me why the brakes were always problematic. I swapped Cantis for V-brakes and didn't change the levers. So I need some with a better ratio. At present they are 'challenging' to set up.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 January, 2017, 10:10:56 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 07 January, 2017, 08:10:13 pm
My motivation for a long ride was extingushed by the fog and soaking drizzle today, so I painted a wall in the downstairs loo instead. It's the wall with the sink attached, and the old paint behind it was hard to clean as it was just bog standard emulsion. The new stuff is kitchen paint so it sould be easier to keep clean. Like the wall behind my hob in the kitchen (which had the same problem), it is now green: -

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/1/676/32050594131_eb7d5bc712.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QQcF1x) Moar green (https://flic.kr/p/QQcF1x) by Marcus Coupe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/128819129@N06/), on Flickr

Splashbacks FTW!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 January, 2017, 03:22:25 pm
Indexing on the M5 now working OK

Almost Ok on the roadbike, I think a little tweak of the tensioner is required. It's a darnsite quieter than the 10-y-o Tiagra one it replaced though. Drivetrain is back to silent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 10 January, 2017, 11:38:55 pm
Birdfeeder is collecting weight data nicely. I can run it through a fairly simple filter and get time, duration and mass of the birds landing on it.

Birdwatcher is my Pi B with a Pi camera on set up to run motion detection images which will be timestamped so I can correlate them with the timestamp data from the birds landing.

Give it a week or so and I should be able to have enough data to auto detect species from a bit of machine learning on the data.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 January, 2017, 10:10:00 am
Park Tools workstand finally got delivered yesterday so I put it together today.  I must say I'm quite impressed by it, worth spending a bit more on something like that.  It certaitnly seems well made and sturdy with a good powder coat.

Once I'd worked out the angles etc it held the recumbent no problem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 January, 2017, 10:43:19 am
Started restoring my old Stanley N°4 plane that I had let languish since my woodworking combo arrived 20 years ago. It's in a shameful mess, but most of it's superficial rust that'll go with a few hours of elbow grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 14 January, 2017, 06:32:45 pm
Channeling the good news / bad news thread...
Unstuck the rear brake on the inbred.
Discovered a broken spoke. Right at the nipple. Not the first that wheel's had like that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 14 January, 2017, 07:46:37 pm
Changed the stem on the Cross-Check - from a 120 to a 100 - also re-seated the rear tyre/tube (punctured on the trail in the week and the valve was sitting at 30 degrees). Also gave it a clean :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 January, 2017, 08:45:08 pm
Fettled all my bolts, nuts, washers and similar odds and ends into one Wilko odds and ends holder. Sorted by size – mostly...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aidan on 15 January, 2017, 01:24:42 pm
Am full of cold so not out today , so finished Hopeing up my P7.  Purple brakes, 4 pot on front, 2 pot on back, Purple centred floating disc up front and a set of Enduro wheels with frame matching green decals :thumbsup:  Finishing touch, which I'm just off to do , is a set of Odi Hansolo grips. bought because  a) theyre called Hansolo  and b) the lock ring colour co-ordinates.  Maybe they are even comfy grips ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 15 January, 2017, 02:43:08 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 January, 2017, 08:45:08 pm
Fettled all my bolts, nuts, washers and similar odds and ends into one Wilko odds and ends holder. Sorted by size – mostly...

Did the same a few weeks ago during the general shed/gym/office fettling. Handy little boxes aren't they.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 January, 2017, 05:13:27 pm
Spent most of the day unpacking and setting up my new bandsaw. Not done by a long chalk - I decided that it needed to be higher so now I'm altering the stand I built for the old one. First real carpentry I've done for maybe 10 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 15 January, 2017, 07:55:27 pm
Fettled the u-bend under the kitchen sink.  There was a dinner knife in there.  Not even my dinner knife, it must have been there longer than a year.

It was disgusting in there.  At least it's draining now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 January, 2017, 09:09:00 pm
That's right up there with that time I found some mystery trousers in the iceberg at the back of the freezer.   :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 16 January, 2017, 05:44:24 pm
Refitted the nice on one 26er Chromoly fork to my old vintage 2011 Btwin Rockrider 5.3 .

Much nicer than the comedy "suspension" fork which was pretty much worn out. I tend not do do any gnarly off roading now, so rigid mtb will suit me fine. Kind of like a 26er flat barred gravel grinder...

I also put the 26*1.75 Schwalbe land cruisers back on, as i found the vittoria sagauros pretty rubbish faerie resistance wise.
Marathon Mondials look good, if expensive...


Next upgrades are the wheels, as the bearings sound rough. A pair of mavic crossrides or something 26" disc? Frame can take max 2.1" tyres

And properly sized pclips so i can refit the pannier rack (ive managed to strip the seat stay rack mounts
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 January, 2017, 07:59:14 pm
If the mounts are external then use overlength bolts with nyloc nuts, if they're inserts in the tube ('rivnuts' or 'nutserts') they should be relatively easy to change. Post a picture or two...?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 17 January, 2017, 06:54:50 pm
An interior bike holder upperer for the car:

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/558/32220856762_91d1419381_c.jpg)

Although after taking that photo, and trying it in the car, I removed the rear most plank for a better fit in the lower boot area.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 17 January, 2017, 07:10:43 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 January, 2017, 07:59:14 pm
If the mounts are external then use overlength bolts with nyloc nuts, if they're inserts in the tube ('rivnuts' or 'nutserts') they should be relatively easy to change. Post a picture or two...?

I'm pretty sure they are rivnuts.  Not sure how easy they would be to replace, without the rivnut tool?  Hence my option of rubber coated pclips. At most the rack will be carrying rackpack rather than full touring panniers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 January, 2017, 08:15:21 pm
The Brompton fettling on Saturday has eliminated the odd creak when pedalling, which turned out to be the chain just kissing the chain tensioner.  I swapped the spacers around on the sprocket and jockey wheels to move it all inboard a bit.  Must check chainline again but 1/16" difference will probably be taken up when I retighten the cranks on the BB (they were new cranks).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 January, 2017, 02:01:11 am
Quote from: BrianI on 17 January, 2017, 07:10:43 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 January, 2017, 07:59:14 pm
If the mounts are external then use overlength bolts with nyloc nuts, if they're inserts in the tube ('rivnuts' or 'nutserts') they should be relatively easy to change. Post a picture or two...?

I'm pretty sure they are rivnuts.  Not sure how easy they would be to replace, without the rivnut tool?  Hence my option of rubber coated pclips. At most the rack will be carrying rackpack rather than full touring panniers.

I bought the tool - posh pop riveter - online for about 12 quid. The inserts are really cheap and easy to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 18 January, 2017, 07:51:35 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 18 January, 2017, 02:01:11 am
I bought the tool - posh pop riveter - online for about 12 quid. The inserts are really cheap and easy to fit.
Ooo. Where from ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 18 January, 2017, 08:09:16 am
Quote from: hatler on 18 January, 2017, 07:51:35 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 18 January, 2017, 02:01:11 am
I bought the tool - posh pop riveter - online for about 12 quid. The inserts are really cheap and easy to fit.
Ooo. Where from ?

+1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 January, 2017, 09:08:38 am
Apols for ebay links Setting tool (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professional-Rivnut-4mm-8mm-Threaded-Rivet-Nut-Nutsert-Insert-Setting-Tool-Red-/381842579028?hash=item58e7975e54:g:-PIAAOSwo4pYIzKw)

Rivnuts - M5 @ £2.25 for 10 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALUMINIUM-RIVNUTS-THREADED-BLIND-RIVET-NUTS-OPEN-END-NUTSERT-M3-M4-M5-M6-M8-M10-/361339805950?var=&hash=item542187e0fe:m:myz7XJwNnRckw2UGMGKImJw)

Usual caveats, no connection etc but there's loads of them...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 18 January, 2017, 11:02:44 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 18 January, 2017, 09:08:38 am
Apols for ebay links Setting tool (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professional-Rivnut-4mm-8mm-Threaded-Rivet-Nut-Nutsert-Insert-Setting-Tool-Red-/381842579028?hash=item58e7975e54:g:-PIAAOSwo4pYIzKw)

Rivnuts - M5 @ £2.25 for 10 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALUMINIUM-RIVNUTS-THREADED-BLIND-RIVET-NUTS-OPEN-END-NUTSERT-M3-M4-M5-M6-M8-M10-/361339805950?var=&hash=item542187e0fe:m:myz7XJwNnRckw2UGMGKImJw)

Usual caveats, no connection etc but there's loads of them...
Thank you !!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 January, 2017, 11:21:58 am
Had another grind at my hoary old plane blade using Paul Sellers' method: successive sheets of abrasive clamped to the bench and (in my case) a honing guide. Long business and it goes through emery cloth like smoke.  The Scary Sharp system looks cheap at the outset but at 50-80 cents a sheet sharpening a couple of plane blades would cost as much as a half-decent stone.

BTW, you'd think something as simple as a honing guide would be easy to get right but the Stanley ones are crap. Thinking of breaking the piggy-bank and getting a Veritas diamond block & guide, but €€€. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 18 January, 2017, 04:50:19 pm
Quote from: T42 on 18 January, 2017, 11:21:58 am
BTW, you'd think something as simple as a honing guide would be easy to get right but the Stanley ones are crap.
There are two different Stanley honing guides. One with cast sides that clamp each side of the blade and has a single metal roller in the middle. There is also a cheaper looking one made of bent steel where the blade is clamped from above by a couple of bolts. This has two rollers or a single roller across the width of the guide. The second is my preferred one as it keeps the blade horizontal and it has a handy flip out set up guide.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 January, 2017, 05:02:29 pm
The second one is all our local DIY supermarket had. Yes the blade stays horizontal but with the double clamp it's easy to move the blade off-square as you tighten it, and while you're fiddling it back square it drifts off the angle you've set.  I'm looking at a Veritas guide but my £35 looks very nice as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 19 January, 2017, 01:42:15 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 18 January, 2017, 09:08:38 am
Apols for ebay links Setting tool (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professional-Rivnut-4mm-8mm-Threaded-Rivet-Nut-Nutsert-Insert-Setting-Tool-Red-/381842579028?hash=item58e7975e54:g:-PIAAOSwo4pYIzKw)
Rivnuts - M5 @ £2.25 for 10 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALUMINIUM-RIVNUTS-THREADED-BLIND-RIVET-NUTS-OPEN-END-NUTSERT-M3-M4-M5-M6-M8-M10-/361339805950?var=&hash=item542187e0fe:m:myz7XJwNnRckw2UGMGKImJw)

Usual caveats, no connection etc but there's loads of them...

Ah, looks like I shan't be needing them now as i think I've wrecked my decathlon mtbso's frame. I thought I'd try drilling out the rivnut. Drilling away i go, i only end up drilling right through the seat stay and out the other side

Now i could put a bolt right through for fitting the rack,but my fear is I've weakened the seat stay too much...  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 January, 2017, 04:14:08 pm
Well, that'll remind you to be more careful with power tools in future. ;)

If you think about it, a rivnut is just a hole in a tube. Seatstays are just about the least stressed tubes in bike frames and have pretty much the most forgiving failure mode.

If the edges of the holes are smoothed nicely with a round file and the remaining tube section is still pretty meaty, I might be inclined to keep riding it after sealing up the redundant hole. A picture would help.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 19 January, 2017, 06:05:24 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 January, 2017, 04:14:08 pm
Well, that'll remind you to be more careful with power tools in future. ;)

If you think about it, a rivnut is just a hole in a tube. Seatstays are just about the least stressed tubes in bike frames and have pretty much the most forgiving failure mode.

If the edges of the holes are smoothed nicely with a round file and the remaining tube section is still pretty meaty, I might be inclined to keep riding it after sealing up the redundant hole. A picture would help.
Hmm, so tidying up the holes, then using them to put a bolt straight through for the rack stays? And then tighten the rack stays *just* enough, and not too tight to crush the seat stays... 

Although, having said that a shiny new mtb does seem tempting, considering the decathlon mtbso is needing a fair bit of parts replaced, drive train / wheels etc.... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 20 January, 2017, 03:05:04 pm
Finally got round to cutting down the steerer on my Felt. Fork is carbon but I'd always assumed it was an alloy steerer. Turns out it's all carbon.

I've only had the bike 9 years. How on earth have I not noticed that before?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 January, 2017, 06:18:28 pm
Fettled the gears and brakes on the bike I have for sale, new inner cables have stretched.

Two days of fettling to the the steamroller, striping the bike down even the brake calipers. General cleaning and re greasing with waterproof grease.  Even popped seal off the headset bearings and regreased them.  Deciding if I should put new tyres on or not, especially as I'm going from 25 to 23 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 22 January, 2017, 04:11:10 pm
I've made a timelapse camera mount for turning the camera during filming. £3.99 it cost.

Using Sugru (cost not factored in) the mounting plate that comes in the GoPro box that you throw away and an egg timer. And a Dremel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 January, 2017, 05:48:51 pm
Fettled a carload of folders, paper/cardboard and electro-tqt to the tip.  This is actually the culmination of about a week of on-and-off sorting and tidying.

(I drove an old-fashioned car, with a clutch and a gearbox and an internal combustion engine (but the conspicuous absence of a proper handbrake) and it didn't go too horribly wrong.  Main problem was I kept forgetting to change down to 1st when I stopped at junctions, and made life difficult for myself pulling away in 2nd.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 22 January, 2017, 05:51:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2017, 05:48:51 pm
Main problem was I kept forgetting to change down to 1st when I stopped at junctions, and made life difficult for myself pulling away in 2nd.)

I'd have expected your inner recumbantist to have that as second nature!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 January, 2017, 05:52:00 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 22 January, 2017, 05:51:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2017, 05:48:51 pm
Main problem was I kept forgetting to change down to 1st when I stopped at junctions, and made life difficult for myself pulling away in 2nd.)

I'd have expected your inner recumbantist to have that as second nature!

I know, right!  I do it on upwrongs even when there isn't really a need for it.

I think it's the lack of an auditory cue from the engine that's the problem.  I was clutching and gearing fine without really thinking about it the rest of the time.  (And indeed, kept fumbling for the gears on the Yaris Hybrid[1] I drove a couple of weeks ago as the engine revs increased.)


[1] Bonkers fly-by-wire electro-mechanical CVT that drives like a feeble electric car and makes a noise like a learner in a Saxo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 23 January, 2017, 07:21:02 pm
Cleaning label residue of wheels, outside in the cold....with non acetone nail polish remover.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 January, 2017, 08:40:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2017, 05:52:00 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 22 January, 2017, 05:51:15 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2017, 05:48:51 pm
Main problem was I kept forgetting to change down to 1st when I stopped at junctions, and made life difficult for myself pulling away in 2nd.)

I'd have expected your inner recumbantist to have that as second nature!

I know, right!  I do it on upwrongs even when there isn't really a need for it.

I think it's the lack of an auditory cue from the engine that's the problem.  I was clutching and gearing fine without really thinking about it the rest of the time.  (And indeed, kept fumbling for the gears on the Yaris Hybrid[1] I drove a couple of weeks ago as the engine revs increased.)


[1] Bonkers fly-by-wire electro-mechanical CVT that drives like a feeble electric car and makes a noise like a learner in a Saxo.

I keep forgetting to change down when driving the other half's car as mine is an automatic.

Had my own Doh! moment today.

Had the rear wheel off the M5 for something or other, put it back on with the usual struggle of getting a 135 hub into a 132 space.  Gave it a spin to check alignment.  Grind, scratch, graunch, one revolution approx.  Recheck alignment, seems OK.  Check disc for warping, seems OK. 

Slacken off inline adjuster as much as I can, hmm, now approx 1.5 revolutions.  Inner pad adjuster, which I thought was fully out was merely stiff as buggery.  Get it as far out as possible, wheel restored to spinny goodness.  Pull brake lever, no stopping, wind the adjuster back in a bit to that stopping, but no grinding ephemeral sweet spot.

Do the same to the front.

Perhaps my appaling performance on the M5 a few weeks ago was not solely due my lack of 'bent legs, or the extra drag of the dynohub and Scwalbe Marathon, but due to somewhat overexcited brakes.

Doh! Doh! Doh!  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 January, 2017, 09:58:50 pm
Ground back the car's headlamps until they were transparent once more. One of those jobs where you know it has to get worse before it gets better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 23 January, 2017, 10:30:22 pm
...but very satisfying.

Farécla G3 followed by AutoGlym resin polish. Headlamp beam pattern restored. Car is no longer an MOT failure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 24 January, 2017, 07:55:08 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 23 January, 2017, 10:30:22 pm
...but very satisfying.

Farécla G3 followed by AutoGlym resin polish. Headlamp beam pattern restored. Car is no longer an MOT failure.
Wassat ?  Are you saying that soap and water may not be enough to make headlamp lenses 100% clear ?

That might explain why my poor old motor appears to have a bag of fireflies on either side at the front.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 24 January, 2017, 09:33:15 am
Toothpaste can be an effective plastic headlamp lens cleaner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 24 January, 2017, 12:47:23 pm
Quote from: hatler on 24 January, 2017, 07:55:08 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 23 January, 2017, 10:30:22 pm
...but very satisfying.

Farécla G3 followed by AutoGlym resin polish. Headlamp beam pattern restored. Car is no longer an MOT failure.
Wassat ?  Are you saying that soap and water may not be enough to make headlamp lenses 100% clear ?

That might explain why my poor old motor appears to have a bag of fireflies on either side at the front.

Removes scratches and yellowing on plastic headlamp lenses (http://farecla.com/automotive/1-2-g3-range/g3-premium-abrasive-compound). Needs using with care and plenty of water. Specialist headlamp polish is also available & toothpaste is an acceptable substitute but I have found it difficult to work due to its viscosity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 24 January, 2017, 06:29:05 pm
I just used cheap poundshop t cut.

Finally finished de stricker residuing the wheels on the surly.  Just the crank and the rear brake to clean....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 24 January, 2017, 06:33:32 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 24 January, 2017, 12:47:23 pm
Quote from: hatler on 24 January, 2017, 07:55:08 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 23 January, 2017, 10:30:22 pm
...but very satisfying.

Farécla G3 followed by AutoGlym resin polish. Headlamp beam pattern restored. Car is no longer an MOT failure.
Wassat ?  Are you saying that soap and water may not be enough to make headlamp lenses 100% clear ?

That might explain why my poor old motor appears to have a bag of fireflies on either side at the front.

Removes scratches and yellowing on plastic headlamp lenses (http://farecla.com/automotive/1-2-g3-range/g3-premium-abrasive-compound). Needs using with care and plenty of water. Specialist headlamp polish is also available & toothpaste is an acceptable substitute but I have found it difficult to work due to its viscosity.
Thanks for that !!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 25 January, 2017, 09:55:09 pm
Unplanned rear wheel maintenance on the commuter bike.

It's running it's winter wheels, which are the original R500 wheels it came with in 2010.
(It has had regular maintenance in the meantime, I might add... )

On the ride home I hear rub-rub-rub on the rear mudguard.
I go to fettle the stupid clip-on mudguard, but it's fine.
The wheel has about 0.5 inch of lateral play at the rim!

Get home, and strip down / clean / re-pack / adjust the bearings.
All is now well again.

I also replaced the freehub, because it had been slipping occasionally and I had already bought the replacement.
But replacement requires removing the axle, and I'd deferred that job.
Bot the axle was now out, so it seemed an opportune moment to do that job too.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 January, 2017, 10:26:50 pm
Those R500s are quite robust really, I've had a set for about ten years, had to replace one freewheel due to water ingress about 18months ago.  Did all the bearing at the same time of course and it's still going strong
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 25 January, 2017, 10:47:19 pm
Mini's new bike's headset was loose and on first inspection it looked like the star-fangled nut wasn't low enough. Which was a bit odd seeing as it was low enough when we got the bike a few months ago, and those nuts shouldn't be able to move upwards. Except that there was no star there. New bicycling bit discovery for me. Carbon steerer tube so it's an expander nut. The whole thing was loose so it was not possible to clamp down with the top cap. A quick peek at the appropriate You Tube vid and I was able to sort it in five minutes. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 25 January, 2017, 11:18:47 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 25 January, 2017, 10:26:50 pm
Those R500s are quite robust really, I've had a set for about ten years, had to replace one freewheel due to water ingress about 18months ago.  Did all the bearing at the same time of course and it's still going strong

Yes, I agree.

I've recently replaced the front wheel with the current version of the R500 (RS-10 ), whilst I repair a broken spoke, but otherwise the wheels have been bombproof.

The rear has had 3 freehubs now, but it's done a lot of nasty winters.
It could have managed with 2 but I tend to replace things before they actually break.
But I've found that the rear cup and cone bearings do need fairly regular strip-down / clean /re-pack if used all year round.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 January, 2017, 11:58:16 pm
Yesterday I fettled my big box of Scout paperwork into some semblance of order, chucking out piles of irrelevant crap. Hurrah!
 In doing this I unearthed a long defunct cheque book and decided it would be a Good Thing to run it through the shredder at work. Which got shreddery indegestion and jammed with the cheque book half in half out. I did the decent thing and buggered off to a meeting while someone else fixed it. Hurrah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 January, 2017, 08:36:38 pm
More fettling of the single speed, well more cleaning.  Well cleaning the crank takes ages, it is really caked in a grinding paste of oil and dirt.  Suspect that chain needs removing and cleaning properly.  Or replacing is  probably better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 29 January, 2017, 02:17:46 am
I fettled, more figured out how it went together, a BCB Crusader mk2 stove and pot/mug/bottle. It looks simple but so am I.
Tested it out with the Trangia burner and did some "Cowboy on the range" coffee with it. I managed to get a mouthful of the coffee grounds so my technique needs work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 29 January, 2017, 11:07:30 am
I fettled a camera remote control nit that I had for my previous camera, which had the uncommon but very effective Sony specific hotshoe format, so it would fit on the newer camera which has the new hotshoe which will take normal ISO ones, but has lots of weird and wonderful contacts.  As its just a passive plastic show, just to hold the device on the camera, I deployed razor saw and files, to reshape the foot into the standard flat plate affair.  All I need now is the new lead to arrive on Tuesday, and we're back in action with full intervalometer and long distance remote functions.  Much more satisfying then the alternative of buying a new remote.   I can do lots of stuff with it via my phone and wifi, but I find that a bit clumsy (mind you, it does allow me to see what the camera sees, which is pretty nifty).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 January, 2017, 02:27:12 pm
I did the 2nd coat of varnish on my new living room cabinet and a door. Wished I hadn't gone for stinky oil based but I made my bed so I'm lying in it with all the windows open  :sick:

Also, I got varnish in my hair. It hurts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2017, 03:25:34 pm
IRTA "did the 2nd coat of varnish on my new living room carpet"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 29 January, 2017, 04:33:08 pm
Over the weekend we have swapped lounge and dining room.

Today I took some time to fettle the commuter bike, fitted a rear mudguard and removed the noisy chain guide from the tensioner. Then found out gloves, hat etc, ready for cold bike rides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 January, 2017, 05:18:52 pm
Minor surgery on the reflector plus mild swearing allowed me to fit a G4 LED into a light fitting on my cooker hood. Let's see how it stands up to the cooking type temperatures.

Just completed the swap out of a shagged out saddle on my fixer for a slightly less shagged out one. Comfort test tomorrow on the way to work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 29 January, 2017, 05:39:09 pm
I collected the old high chair that I used as a baby from my mom's this week.  Both my sons used it too.
It's now over 65 years old but fettled and ready for any grand sprogs that might hopefully turn up.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4305/35920037870_8bef93ec99_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/WJ8zPL)IMG_20170801_175023 (https://flic.kr/p/WJ8zPL) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr

Then you can fold it and it becomes this

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4326/35920068720_6070118fb7_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/WJ8JZE)IMG_20170801_175114 (https://flic.kr/p/WJ8JZE) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr

Oops.  Bit more cleaning still required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 January, 2017, 05:40:55 pm
That is a nice piece, Basil :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 29 January, 2017, 06:59:58 pm
New BB on the MTB. The old one was definitely in need of replacement, though it required a bit of malletology to get it shifted. Put an XT one on so hopefully it will last a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 January, 2017, 07:54:16 pm
Today I have fettled my tax return. It would have been quicker without the continual repetition of "Internal server error." Now it seems I have to fettle £2.60 to pay HMRC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 30 January, 2017, 09:02:28 am
Did my tax return over the weekend too. Had to cough up rather a lot more than £2.60 though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 30 January, 2017, 01:02:58 pm
I picked up my birthday wheels on Friday (the rear hub on the Mercian was dying and I had a SH 9s campag hub from PB OTP which I was allowed to have built into a new wheel for my BD).

This gave rise to a new problem: the old rims were coloured, and the new rear wheel (which, let's remember, was essential) was to have a plain alloy rim, which would have meant mismatched rims.

Plus I had no idea how old the rims were (they'd come second hand with the bike) but and there was corrosion at the eyelets.

Now, I happened to have a nos campag front hub, so it just made sense to have a new front wheel too.

The wheels are a deal heavier than those they replace, but I'm putting 32s on them, and it's not a lightweight bike anyway, so that's fine.

But the new wheels meant I had to clean the chain and mechs, replace the stuck-on chain stay guard with a new clean one, fettle the brakes to accommodate the slightly wider rims. Then, because I was in the mood for it, I fettled up 2 spare front wheels with new tubes and reused tyres (I suspect they had been taken off bikes when punctured and put to one side for a day when I had more time. Which turned out to be Saturday).

The hardest bit was removing the sticky stuff from the chain stay guard. I tried white spirits (no go), nail varnish remover (ditto) and washing up liquid (hopeless). In the end it was the trangia fuel that worked.

But when removing the sellotape* elsewhere on the frame the trangia fuel was no good and it was the white spirits that shifted the gum.

A very satisfying days fettling.

(*don't judge me - I needed a quick frame saver and it worked very well.)
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 01 February, 2017, 10:58:47 pm
Brake discs on new wheels, new wheels on bike. Off again to add tyres. Back on. Bike will go, but the brakes are rubbing a bit. I fear I need to take them off again and push the disc pads in. The horizontal slot with the widget spacer things on the back wheel are a massive PITA to get on and off and I really don't have the energy to do that again tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 February, 2017, 11:11:28 pm
Laced up a ceramic-rimmed dynowheel to be shared between HK's trike and MTB commuter. To be trued up tomorrow evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 February, 2017, 03:44:17 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 February, 2017, 11:11:28 pm
Laced up a ceramic-rimmed dynowheel to be shared between HK's trike and MTB commuter. To be trued up tomorrow evening.

Finished it off last night. Now for HK's shoulder to repair enough to actually use it.

Laced up a Sachs Quarz rear hub to a ceramic Exal SP19 rim for my GT LTS-1. Spin carbon trispokes aren't actually that sensible offroad. I'll have to find or build up a front wheel at some point but I probably won't be riding offroad much until my shoulder is sorted out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 04 February, 2017, 05:14:29 pm
I've just built up a SON front wheel.  This is the latest bulbous-but-small kind, which means I have one of each variety now.

Next up: replacing some rims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 04 February, 2017, 06:12:37 pm
Hosed mud off bike, discovered broken mudguard. Damn. I knew something had gone sponk in the train bike rack but I thought it was just the rivets attaching the stays to the guard.

Scrubbed gunk off chain and derailleur with bbq lighter fluid. I'd prefer diesel, but didn't have any to hand.

mudguard duk taped and cable tied together. It'll last a bit.

Much touching up of rusty bits with nail varnish. The paint is really thin on these Genesis bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 04 February, 2017, 07:44:50 pm
New brake pads on my MTB. New seat post and set up and tuned for the Kielder Chiller next weekend.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 04 February, 2017, 07:59:16 pm
New bearing on the big trailer - there should be balls between those bits - and they should be a sealed race, not separate bits.  :facepalm:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/trailer%20bearing_zpsurortbam.jpg)

Bugger  - why aren't Pootobucket photos working?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 04 February, 2017, 08:00:38 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 04 February, 2017, 07:44:50 pm
New brake pads on my MTB. New seat post and set up and tuned for the Kielder Chiller next weekend.

Ah, yes. I've been thinking about that.
Hope it goes well!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 04 February, 2017, 09:13:28 pm
I got off after a mile and used a handy roadside beer can (suitably flattened) to lever my rear mech back into operation. Does that count as fettling?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 February, 2017, 05:14:02 pm
Put the spare tyre from HK's trike on the new dynowheel. Also found that the three spare tubes carried on the trike comprised a Moulton tube, a punctured tube (from the box) and a repaired tube that is now on the dynowheel. Time to order three new tubes and another 559 Conti Grand Prix, along with an Igaro and a Cyo Premium.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 05 February, 2017, 05:50:25 pm
I was ill last week so only used my 3rd best bike to go to the station on Monday.  I thought the chain was a funny colour, maybe a little rust under the mud.  But it was working fine

When I looked at it yesterday I was shocked/amazed to see that the chain was brown with rust and wouldn't even rotate.  I guess as it was propped up in the garage dirty the chain took the opportunity to turn into rust as it dried off

I fitted a new chain and cleaned off the chainrings/cassette

Also put new disk brake pads in the rear of the other commute bike.

Have the rare situation of 7 bikes in full working order
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 07 February, 2017, 10:20:07 pm
I'm getting there with the Raleigh.

I tidied up the front dropouts so they hold a modern wheel, took the decals and stickers off, and rubbed the paint and chrome down over the last couple evenings, and today I had my first go at spray painting to coat the repaired dropout after hanging the frame from my washing line. It's not perfect, but I'm happy enough. :)

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/463/32730629476_141bc95a94_z.jpg)

Next is to service the headset, when I have a spanner big enough to fit round the lock nut. Hopefully I'll have all the bits together for a rebuild in the next week or so :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Samuel D on 07 February, 2017, 10:26:05 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 05 February, 2017, 05:50:25 pm
Have the rare situation of 7 bikes in full working order

Seven?! Quite seriously, what’s the appeal of having that many? I’m not begrudging you them, of course. But doesn’t any pleasure of ownership or use get diluted after about three? Do you still recognise all seven?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 February, 2017, 10:39:00 pm
No reduction in pleasure in my case, though I've not ridden the ones stored in Oz for a few years now. I think HK and I have a couple of dozen bikes, trikes and tandems between us. Most of them are either ready to ride or are about a day's worth of fettling away from riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2017, 10:42:36 pm
Quote from: Samuel D on 07 February, 2017, 10:26:05 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 05 February, 2017, 05:50:25 pm
Have the rare situation of 7 bikes in full working order

Seven?! Quite seriously, what’s the appeal of having that many? I’m not begrudging you them, of course. But doesn’t any pleasure of ownership or use get diluted after about three? Do you still recognise all seven?

The canonical response to this question is:  "How many pairs of shoes do you own?  Why so many?"

IME the main reduction in pleasure is storage related.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 February, 2017, 11:10:00 pm
I've got 10 :-[

I think. I've tried to stop counting. Oh, and a trike and a tandem (actually, only half the tandem is mine).

My main fear is that distance ridden is in inverse proportion to machines owned. When I was young and poor, I did many miles on few bikes. Now, well, work it out for yourself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 February, 2017, 11:13:06 pm
just counted my bikes - nine. two are in bits, but others are being used. might sell one or two though.

today's fettle - took the pedals apart and repacked them with grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2017, 11:17:45 pm
I currently own five bikes.  Which seems like a reasonable number.  Interestingly, that's also the number of shoes I own that have cleats (I also have a couple of pairs which don't).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 February, 2017, 01:59:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2017, 11:17:45 pm
I currently own five bikes.  Which seems like a reasonable number.  Interestingly, that's also the number of shoes I own that have cleats (I also have a couple of pairs which don't).

Lost a shoe Kim?

 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 February, 2017, 02:15:23 pm
Heh.  5 pairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 08 February, 2017, 06:51:43 pm
I hacked a hole into the bottom of the gully that runs along the garage door to install a bilge pump. Just need to get some 19mm id hose to spray water across the front lawn in times of deluge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 February, 2017, 11:03:57 pm
Replaced a chain and cassette that was worn a very long way and tweaked front and rear cables. The bike really needs new cables before it will change properly but it is already a hell of a lot better than it was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 February, 2017, 02:43:44 pm
Put the rack back on the LHT and hooked up the rearlight, then spent 20 mins looking for an apparent short before realizing that I had flipped the wires going into the Toplight.  Funny: I've never bothered about polarity before and both head- & rear-lights have always worked.  Not this time around, though.

Neighbouring club is holding a bike exchange next Sunday: with a bit of luck I'll get the Lump off my hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2017, 04:03:09 pm
I now know far more than any sane non-plumber should about the fitting of Fernox TF1 magnetic filters to inaccesible bits of heating systems in cold dark attics and, lacking any other suitable light source, have a deep and abiding ache in my jaws from having a sturdy metal torch clamped between them for about three sodding hours >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 February, 2017, 04:39:39 pm
Taken 4 car loads of boxes and stuff to the storage place.

Painted the chimney breast

Moved a lot of stuff about.

All that, on top of very late night, last night, means I am slobbing on the sofa of doom, now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 11 February, 2017, 04:56:54 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2017, 04:03:09 pm
I now know far more than any sane non-plumber should about the fitting of Fernox TF1 magnetic filters to inaccesible bits of heating systems in cold dark attics and, lacking any other suitable light source, have a deep and abiding ache in my jaws from having a sturdy metal torch clamped between them for about three sodding hours >:(

I believe those devices are not 'fit and forget', but need regular flushing. You'll be looking forward to that. 
A head torch might be a good investment.  You could even use it for reading route sheets  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 11 February, 2017, 06:50:23 pm
I installed a Poploc lever thing on my MTB fork. Having taking a punt on a bargainous ex-display fork from Evans last week, I realised upon receiving it that it was a remote lockout type one, but didn't come with the lever. Took another punt on an ex-display lever from Amazon yesterday without really knowing whether it was compatible (it's technically for a different fork), and after a bit of web searching to install it (the perils of ex-display stuff: it never comes with instructions!) I appear to have a functioning lockout. :thumbsup: Since my knowledge of suspension forks and MTB stuff in general is totally non-existent, I'm counting that as a win.

Still haven't figured out how the air bit works (pumping up a fork: what kind of madness is this?! I don't have to do that on my road bikes...), but it does appear to go up and down, so that can wait. Now I just need to actually ride the thing! :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2017, 07:01:53 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 11 February, 2017, 04:56:54 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2017, 04:03:09 pm
I now know far more than any sane non-plumber should about the fitting of Fernox TF1 magnetic filters to inaccesible bits of heating systems in cold dark attics and, lacking any other suitable light source, have a deep and abiding ache in my jaws from having a sturdy metal torch clamped between them for about three sodding hours >:(

I believe those devices are not 'fit and forget', but need regular flushing. You'll be looking forward to that. 
A head torch might be a good investment.  You could even use it for reading route sheets  ;D

You just need to take the magnet out once in a while and clean the SkogTM off it, which only needs one hand and no tools.  I do have a head torch - albeit with knackered elastic - but it's seventy miles away as I had not anticipated any need to fettle anything more taxing than plugging in a new PVR.

Also reseated the garage door at Fort Larrington yesterday as someone - probably the idiot Doer Of Odd Jobs sometimes employed by Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) had managed to dislodge it from its tracks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 February, 2017, 08:48:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2017, 10:42:36 pm
Quote from: Samuel D on 07 February, 2017, 10:26:05 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 05 February, 2017, 05:50:25 pm
Have the rare situation of 7 bikes in full working order

Seven?! Quite seriously, what’s the appeal of having that many? I’m not begrudging you them, of course. But doesn’t any pleasure of ownership or use get diluted after about three? Do you still recognise all seven?

The canonical response to this question is:  "How many pairs of shoes do you own?  Why so many?"

IME the main reduction in pleasure is storage related.

Five bikes at the moment, but with a bonus ready to buy the right n+1.

Shoes  ;D last count I think I had 12 pairs of running g shoes in various states from unworn to being held together by a thread, only two pairs of SPD shoes, then work boots etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 February, 2017, 11:50:24 am
Added a couple of links to a too-short 10sp chain. Time to buy some quick links.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 February, 2017, 06:44:05 pm
I've just fettled Junior's Blue Ribble off of the railings at E. Market Street, near Waverly Station, Edinburgh.
This involved an 18v Makita cordless angle-grinder.
( As luck would have it, I happened to be down in Edinburgh with my burglarizing kit anyways. )
<eta>For the record, I angle-grinded the lock, not the City o'Embra Corporation's finest railings.</eta>

The key had broken off inside the D-lock.
A hacksaw would not look at it.
3 minutes with a cutting disk and the job was done.

Hundreds of people passed me, and no-one gave a second glance at the vast shower of sparks I was sending up.
(I did have the broken stub of key in my pocketses... )

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 12 February, 2017, 06:48:14 pm
What brand of lock?
Any signs of misuse prior to failure?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 February, 2017, 06:58:45 pm
It was got from Costco, and I think the brand was 'Master'.

No real signs of mis-use, but the key is quite long and skinny, and once the profile has been cut into it, there are some bits where the remaining metal is *very* skinny, as I could see on the cross-section of the failed stub.  Having said that, he *is* a clumsy oaf who doesn't know his own strength.  He's the Lennie of Bike Locks.  (He'd also ripped a new weskit damn near in two by being ham-fisted trying to wrestle it on.) I'd not let him near a puppy.

The replacement was a proper Kryptonite ( bought this afternoon at the original Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative ) which will hopefully last a bit longer under his loving caresses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 01:03:10 pm
Stripped the miche bottom bracket as I thought it was sealed but it is not.  I cleaned the bike and introduce grit in to the bb. ::-)  So clean out the grease and install some new marine grease and can put the bike back together clean and tidy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 February, 2017, 01:50:44 pm
Barakta's mouth :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 01:52:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 February, 2017, 01:50:44 pm
Barakta's mouth :(

What happened?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 February, 2017, 01:52:49 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 01:52:08 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 February, 2017, 01:50:44 pm
Barakta's mouth :(

What happened?

She was attacked by some vicious cheese on toast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 February, 2017, 01:55:22 pm
Beware of the Welsh when they bring Rarebits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 13 February, 2017, 02:19:08 pm
Toast from cheese+toast must have ruptured a blood vessel in my soft palate leading to what was initially a small blood blister which rapidly expanded. Given it was v painful on swallowing and potentially getting bigger I asked Kim to look, and we agreed tactical stabbing was needed. There's very few people I'd trust with a scalpel in my mouth.

Now I just have half my soft palate being sore from the area the blister expanded to before bleeding stopped and we sliced it. *moan*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 13 February, 2017, 02:20:47 pm
Ouch, GWS. Would medicinal ice-cream be any assistance?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 02:26:48 pm
Now I wish I hadn't asked.   :facepalm: HTFU Barakta.

Did Kim ask is it safe?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 13 February, 2017, 02:33:17 pm
Dibdib: I suspect ice cream would be cold. I'm just whining really and procrastinating about fettling a job application! Need to enthuse myself about technology!

Gattopardo: Kim used a new sharp scalpel blade and sprayed it with ethanol before stabbage careful proddage (it didn't hurt). Still probably against NHS guidance, but I don't care, I would have stabbed it myself somehow if Kim hadn't been around  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 02:38:20 pm
This is my mental image.

(http://www.rebecaschiller.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Is-it-safe.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 13 February, 2017, 04:04:48 pm
Nah, much less traumatic. I'm experienced at being medically prodded so I know about holding still and forcing myself to relax. I once had a steroid injection in my wrist and consultant was impressed that I didn't even flinch (it didn't hurt), but I assume he has to work assuming his patients are going to flail around (which causes pain!) and I didn't :D.  I gave him the credit cos it didn't hurt and I'm an old hack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 February, 2017, 05:57:51 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 02:26:48 pm
Did Kim ask is it safe?

That's exactly the sort of cultural reference that barakta doesn't get, on account of being too young to have seen the film when it came out and too deaf to have noticed the countless references to it in 1980s popular culture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_Man_(film) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_Man_(film))
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 06:24:38 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 February, 2017, 05:57:51 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 13 February, 2017, 02:26:48 pm
Did Kim ask is it safe?

That's exactly the sort of cultural reference that barakta doesn't get, on account of being too young to have seen the film when it came out and too deaf to have noticed the countless references to in in 1980s popular culture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_Man_(film) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_Man_(film))

Sorry, wasn't meant as anything more that what was going through my mind. I was one when that film came out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 February, 2017, 09:59:06 pm
I've not seen the original, but did watch the remake

I want to compare someday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 February, 2017, 08:10:40 am
Oh, well.  I'll have you know that I courageously fettled my own right thumbnail just now after counteracting milday P's Sunday intervention put paid to my efforts to grow my own thumbpick. Weeks of hard work down the cludge. :(

Allasame, sympathetic ouch to barakta and kudos to Kim the Knife.  A force to be reckoned with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 February, 2017, 03:53:21 pm
WRT milady P, I must have picked about 20 bits of pure white quartz or similar out of that tyre.  Only one had got through, though. Good old GP4000s II.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2017, 05:26:04 pm
Barakta's audio input dongle[1].  The moulded plug was b0rked and it had lost the left channel, which only became apparent when the BBC failed to mix the sound on one of their videos properly (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/38925034) and the silent right channel got downmixed to nothing.

I fitted a new cable, which is now long enough to account for the desk's uppy-downy-ness without the aid of an extension lead, and she can now hear in glorious mono.


[1] Effectively a stereo-to-mono mixer, isolating transformer and decoupling thingy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 14 February, 2017, 10:34:54 pm
Had the side off the blue typewriter to investigate why the touch control didn't seem to be making any difference.

Found a little spring dangling from the "inside" end of the lever... then spent half an hour with a torch trying to figure out where the hell the other end was meant to go. I'm pretty sure I found the right little lever-with-a-hole-in-the-end as it's connected to the mechanism.

Spend another twenty minutes putting the panels back on. Realise I've somehow lost a screw, but thankfully not an important one - I'm not entirely convinced it was there in the first place - and feed some paper in it.

Muck about typing and playing with the touch control lever. Confirm it hasn't come unhooked again. Decide that, even connected, it makes close to SFA difference to the key sensitivity.

Ah well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 February, 2017, 03:37:02 pm
Fitted a new kitchen tap at The Girl's new abode.  They'd been stymied as the last one was "bodged in".  No it hadn't, it had those flared copper tails that had been neatly soldered into a pair of elbows.  The Young People of Today expect taps with flexible hoses, which is what their new one has.  Some head scratching, a pair of compression to male half inch BSP couplers, teeny pipe cutter,  junior hacksaw, long box spanner, only mild swearing and place minimal water spillage had it all sorted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 February, 2017, 03:41:04 pm
Flexible hoses reduce time spent swearing under sinks, so I reckon the Young People have the right idea with that one.

I've been lining the server rack with cheapo acoustic panels.  The spinning rust disk in barakta's desktop is now the most annoying - if not actually the loudest - noise in the room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 February, 2017, 04:12:40 pm
With the addition of Mrs robgul's Peugeot Mixte I had to rearrange the wall hangers in my garage - having been too generous with spacing when I adjusted them after a bike pruning session.  They are the pressed steel hook/plate things, with an additional bit of old tyre cable-tied to the hook part to stop scratches on the rims - and each has a cable and padlock around the top tube of the frame for added security.   Tip: Optimum distance apart, with machines top & tailed is 37cm.

That just leaves the Raleigh s/s pub/shopping bike on the floor, and the Brompton either lives in the house or the back of the car.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 February, 2017, 04:55:40 pm
This morning, cleaned the Trek and gave it a new cassette & chain.  Old set had 7500 km on and were just at 0.75% on the Park gauge.

Also, honed my Stanley n°4 plane blade to point where I could shave the hair off my wrist with it. Smug about that.

This afternoon, demolished Mrs T's greenhouse.  It had been rolled and flattened in last month's gales and was something of a tangled mess.  An hour and a half's fun with an angle grinder - loved it.  Mrs T was a bit sad, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 18 February, 2017, 05:31:01 pm
New brushes have been installed in the motor of the 14 year old Bosch washing machine.   Whilst the machine is out of it's home I have taken the opportunity to do a repair to the vinyl floor normally hidden by the machine and a lick of paint to the partly hidden wall.

mllePB's bike has had the rear mudguard replaced.  I was going to order from Torslanda* but time pressed and a visit to the lbs happened.**

*  Apologies John but swmbo wanted it done before we cycle tomorrow.

** SKS make really shit mudguard stay attachments.   Silly little grub screws that do not screw in 50% of the time.   The air was blue: very very blue.   I really get angry at such crappy things that you pay good money for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 February, 2017, 08:34:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 February, 2017, 03:41:04 pm
Flexible hoses reduce time spent swearing under sinks, so I reckon the Young People have the right idea with that one.

I've been lining the server rack with cheapo acoustic panels.  The spinning rust disk in barakta's desktop is now the most annoying - if not actually the loudest - noise in the room.

I'm anti flexi hoses under sinks.

In our previous house, lying in bed one evening reading (wide, heavily pregnant at the time snoring next to me) when I heard "pssssssssssssssssssssssss" from down the hall.

WC off my office had flexi's and the cold at mains pressure had burst.  Luckily there was lino in that bit with a carpet bar between there and my office.  Within about 60 secs by the time I'd closed the inline isolator the floor was full to the top of the carpet bar. 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 February, 2017, 08:39:39 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 18 February, 2017, 08:34:30 pm
In our previous house, lying in bed one evening reading (wide, heavily pregnant at the time snoring next to me) when I heard "pssssssssssssssssssssssss" from down the hall.

WC off my office had flexi's and the cold at mains pressure had burst.

That happened in our London flat with solid pipe.  The landlord-quality kitchen sink installation was causing the pipe to flex, until it eventually gave way.  No in-line isolator, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 February, 2017, 09:02:12 pm
applied tubeless tape to four rims - that was hard work! lots of force (by my standards) was required to pull and press the tape to the rim to avoid wrinkles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 18 February, 2017, 09:03:44 pm
Fettle fail - however hard I tried I couldn't get the indexing to work smoothly on the repaired Raleigh. Then worked out that the framesaver nut was rocking in the dropout and therefore the mech was moving too. It's too long, and the araldite bodge I put in a couple years ago has failed because I was using that to stabilise things where really I need a shorter bolt that will clamp flush. That's also probably why the old rear mech went into my back wheel a while ago. :facepalm:

Now I'm going to have to wait for the new nut to arrive before I can try again. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 February, 2017, 09:41:37 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 18 February, 2017, 09:03:44 pm
Fettle fail - however hard I tried I couldn't get the indexing to work smoothly on the repaired Raleigh. Then worked out that the framesaver nut was rocking in the dropout and therefore the mech was moving too. It's too long, and the araldite bodge I put in a couple years ago has failed because I was using that to stabilise things where really I need a shorter bolt that will clamp flush. That's also probably why the old rear mech went into my back wheel a while ago. :facepalm:

Now I'm going to have to wait for the new nut to arrive before I can try again. :(

Or use an M12 washer over the nut?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 February, 2017, 04:08:48 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 18 February, 2017, 09:41:37 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 18 February, 2017, 09:03:44 pm
Fettle fail - however hard I tried I couldn't get the indexing to work smoothly on the repaired Raleigh. Then worked out that the framesaver nut was rocking in the dropout and therefore the mech was moving too. It's too long, and the araldite bodge I put in a couple years ago has failed because I was using that to stabilise things where really I need a shorter bolt that will clamp flush. That's also probably why the old rear mech went into my back wheel a while ago. :facepalm:

Now I'm going to have to wait for the new nut to arrive before I can try again. :(

Or use an M12 washer over the nut?

Thanks. I've done that now and it works :)

I did have to attack the washer with bolt croppers though as the full sized washer fouled the B-screw mount on the rear mech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 February, 2017, 04:40:29 pm
The other option would have been to file the nut a little shorter, which would have been more hassle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 19 February, 2017, 05:37:23 pm
Replaced the smoke alarms the other day. Today I cooked. After years of living with an inverse salad detector, I appear to have fixed that aspect at least.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 19 February, 2017, 10:54:26 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 18 February, 2017, 08:34:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 February, 2017, 03:41:04 pm
Flexible hoses reduce time spent swearing under sinks, so I reckon the Young People have the right idea with that one.

I've been lining the server rack with cheapo acoustic panels.  The spinning rust disk in barakta's desktop is now the most annoying - if not actually the loudest - noise in the room.

I'm anti flexi hoses under sinks.

In our previous house, lying in bed one evening reading (wide, heavily pregnant at the time snoring next to me) when I heard "pssssssssssssssssssssssss" from down the hall.

WC off my office had flexi's and the cold at mains pressure had burst.  Luckily there was lino in that bit with a carpet bar between there and my office.  Within about 60 secs by the time I'd closed the inline isolator the floor was full to the top of the carpet bar.

Is that really any way to refer to your pregnant Dearly Beloved? Hmmm?

In other news, the Canondale R800, currently serving commuter duties got a much needed clean and also an overdue gear cable replacement (the ones I swapped out were the original outers and I bought the bike in October 2004). I thought the changing was getting a bit stiff......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 February, 2017, 10:57:30 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 19 February, 2017, 10:54:26 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 18 February, 2017, 08:34:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 February, 2017, 03:41:04 pm
Flexible hoses reduce time spent swearing under sinks, so I reckon the Young People have the right idea with that one.

I've been lining the server rack with cheapo acoustic panels.  The spinning rust disk in barakta's desktop is now the most annoying - if not actually the loudest - noise in the room.

I'm anti flexi hoses under sinks.

In our previous house, lying in bed one evening reading (wide, heavily pregnant at the time snoring next to me) when I heard "pssssssssssssssssssssssss" from down the hall.

WC off my office had flexi's and the cold at mains pressure had burst.  Luckily there was lino in that bit with a carpet bar between there and my office.  Within about 60 secs by the time I'd closed the inline isolator the floor was full to the top of the carpet bar.

Is that really any way to refer to your pregnant Dearly Beloved? Hmmm?

In other news, the Canondale R800, currently serving commuter duties got a much needed clean and also an overdue gear cable replacement (the ones I swapped out were the original outers and I bought the bike in October 2004). I thought the changing was getting a bit stiff......

Even though a typo, it was at least accurate :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 19 February, 2017, 11:20:37 pm
 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 February, 2017, 01:12:44 pm
Started fettling a Young Person's bike last night, in need of gear and brake cable replacement.  Removing the gear cable from the mech end of things gave me reason to pause. Grab 8mm spanner. It doesn't fit. Flip it round. The 10mm end doesn't fit.   9mm. What fresh hell is this?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2017, 01:14:48 pm
Shimano mech perchance?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 February, 2017, 01:41:25 pm
I had to use a 9mm spanner for something recently.  Can't remember what.

ETA: Oh, the fan bracket inside the UPS of doom.  I suppose that's obscure enough to justify funny nuts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 February, 2017, 02:05:47 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2017, 01:14:48 pm
Shimano mech perchance?

Can't recall. It's down the BSO end of the scale though.
Anyhoo, just bought new brake cables, inners and outers, gear cable outers from that nice Paul Smith.  Let's see what other non standard nuts I can find tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 February, 2017, 03:30:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 February, 2017, 01:41:25 pm
I had to use a 9mm spanner for something recently.  Can't remember what.

ETA: Oh, the fan bracket inside the UPS of doom.  I suppose that's obscure enough to justify funny nuts.

I seem to use the 9mm quite frequently - usually the cable bolt on Shimano mechs - it's almost as annoying as having to find the 2.5mm hex key for some intricate MTB stuff (that's at the shop where I work part-time - I HATE MTBs and don't have one!)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 February, 2017, 12:02:17 am
Got news for ya.

If it ain't got a 5mm hex (where the hell did I put mine? AGAIN!) it's a 9mm nut. Front or rear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2017, 10:33:50 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 21 February, 2017, 12:02:17 am
Got news for ya.

If it ain't got a 5mm hex (where the hell did I put mine? AGAIN!) it's a 9mm nut. Front or rear.

Ta. That's now on my list of Things I Have Learnt.  (Yes, it is a Shimano mech).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 21 February, 2017, 10:52:27 am
Had to assemble a bike with internally routed disc brake cables. Luckily, the rear brake cable was already installed but the front... FFS. Gave up in the end and left it externally routed, zip-tied to the fork. (I understand there are tricks to installing internally routed cables but I had limited tools and time at my disposal.)

Also didn't have a big enough spanner handy to manipulate a cassette tool so had to hack off the dork disc with a stanley knife.

Still need to do some serious fettling to the brakes and gears before it is actually rideable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 21 February, 2017, 03:57:11 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 18 February, 2017, 05:31:01 pm
New brushes have been installed in the motor of the 14 year old Bosch washing machine.   Whilst the machine is out of it's home I have taken the opportunity to do a repair to the vinyl floor normally hidden by the machine and a lick of paint to the partly hidden wall.

...

With everything now ready the machine has been tested.   It lives!!!   

There is a slightly worrying sound from the motor but I am wondering if that is new brushes against the commutator.   Time will tell.

The good news is that if the motor packs in I can replace it knowing that the rest of the machine is still in good working order.

Now to the next job on my extremely long list ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 21 February, 2017, 04:07:17 pm
Replaced the motor in our vacuum cleaner. The wonders of You Tube. Some Aussie geezer explained it perfectly step by step. Without the vid I would have been swearing and would doubtless have bust one or two of the plastic clips. All done and dusted in about 20 minutes. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 21 February, 2017, 06:51:13 pm
installed tubeless road tyres; it was very simple and easy and sealed first time (thanks to the tips in the knowledge thread).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 February, 2017, 09:38:00 pm
Quote from: hatler on 21 February, 2017, 04:07:17 pm
Replaced the motor in our vacuum cleaner. The wonders of You Tube. Some Aussie geezer explained it perfectly step by step. Without the vid I would have been swearing and would doubtless have bust one or two of the plastic clips. All done and dusted in about 20 minutes. Very satisfying.

Why dust when you now have a working vacuum cleaner?  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 21 February, 2017, 09:47:49 pm
Oo. A Freudian pun, or something. Unintended consciously, but obviously my brain had different ideas in the background.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 22 February, 2017, 10:14:50 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 21 February, 2017, 03:57:11 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 18 February, 2017, 05:31:01 pm
New brushes have been installed in the motor of the 14 year old Bosch washing machine.   Whilst the machine is out of it's home I have taken the opportunity to do a repair to the vinyl floor normally hidden by the machine and a lick of paint to the partly hidden wall.

...

With everything now ready the machine has been tested.   It lives!!!   

There is a slightly worrying sound from the motor but I am wondering if that is new brushes against the commutator.   Time will tell.

The good news is that if the motor packs in I can replace it knowing that the rest of the machine is still in good working order.

Now to the next job on my extremely long list ...

Ah bum.   All is well until it gets to the spin.   At that point it just cannot quite raise enough tuits to whip that drum around.

Bum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 22 February, 2017, 12:28:05 pm
The back mudguard on my town bike at last. The old one (alumininium) was held together by duct tape for ages, remarkably well as it happened.

I can't do the front yet because it needs longer bolts than the old ones so I have one black guard (new SKS plastic) and one grey guard for the moment.

It's nice to ride a bike that's stopped rattling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 February, 2017, 12:59:31 pm
Currently swapping out the bars on my old Ti bike.  HB mount will be a bit of an issue, the bulge in the middle of the bars being thicker. Will need longer Allen screws than I have in stock. I think...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Samuel D on 22 February, 2017, 01:51:43 pm
Have you got big plans for this Ti warhorse? You seem to be doing a fair bit of work to it.

I’d be cautious about bending open the clamp to fit a thicker bar. But you doubtless know what you’re doing, being an experienced warhorse yourself and all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 22 February, 2017, 08:22:16 pm
The Alfine on the Surly has been a bit resistant and there is a lot of rust and crap showing at the join of the cable at the adjust so I decided a couple of weeks ago to change the outer and inner

Got a long outer and did it tonight.  Took off the bar tape, removed the neoprene tape, untaped the outers under the bartape, undid the nut at the end of the cable, pulled the inner through and out, removed the outer, threaded new outer in, cut it at the place the adjuster goes, grease on the new adjuster, short bit of outer on the bars, new neoprene tape, grease on the new inner, threaded it through, finished the bar tape (the old stuff went back on), measured 101mm from the end of the outer to the nut (this took longer as a single operation than anything else) nut back in the changer joint at the wheel end, bike upside down (the indicator window is old and dirty) line up the yellow spots with the adjuster and bingo back in business

Writing it down makes it seem like a lot of faff, but it wasn't too bad
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 February, 2017, 09:04:25 am
Quote from: Samuel D on 22 February, 2017, 01:51:43 pm
Have you got big plans for this Ti warhorse? You seem to be doing a fair bit of work to it.

I’d be cautious about bending open the clamp to fit a thicker bar. But you doubtless know what you’re doing, being an experienced warhorse yourself and all.

;D  I bought a new stem as well.

Big plans I have not got beyond wanting a backup bike that duplicates as closely as possible my position on my main bike.  All I really needed was the stem, which is 2cm shorter than the current one, but I've wanted to put shallow-drop bars on it for a while so this seemed to be the moment.  Current setup is a 1" steerer & 26 mm bars, and the only cheapish shallow-drops I could find were 31.8 mm, hence the changes.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 27 February, 2017, 10:50:36 am
35000 gallons of raw sewage from our sewage pumping station towards the main sewer. This is becuase the crust formed by unbroken down hand towels and wet wipes plus food tech poured away fat had formed a crust on the top surface of the 'Pit Of Doom' and the float switches were laying atop the crust in such a way that they didn't trip the pumps.

There was evidence of a several of kilos of sweetcorn.

I can still taste the cloud of funk that eminated from the fermenting mess despite a strong coffee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 27 February, 2017, 12:23:41 pm
I seem to recall you've done this job (or something similar) previously. Does it come with being the newbie in the shop? Or have I got my wires crossed?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 27 February, 2017, 01:00:39 pm
It is the second time I have done it and it is one of the joys of being Senior Caretaker. Some jobs, upon which the continued operation of the school rely, can't really be left to others.

How to educate staff around what they should not be flushing, or allowing students to flush?

Answers on a crusty turd addressed to the staff room please.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 27 February, 2017, 01:08:28 pm
Some kind of sieve over the water, and a mashing stick? If it can't be mashed through, it shouldn't be in the toilet.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 February, 2017, 08:11:08 pm
my Garmin 800 - wiggled a pin around the USB contacts, sproinged them all downwards and it seems to connect OK again
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 28 February, 2017, 09:04:16 am
Another fettle fail.    :(

Acquired an electric assist kit for a friend which required a change of wheel rim to fit the bike.   Unfortunately I seem to be unable to get spokes that will suit the hub as well as the rims.   Standard gauge spokes at the rim but heavier (3 4mm) at the hub.

I think that I'm going to suffer a financial kick in the bollox for this one unfortunately along with being left with a kit which I think has a missing part and a bike that I do not want.

Feeling grumpy now. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 March, 2017, 12:19:20 pm
A more positive day so far.

Built a bicycle wheel, a different wheel to the one that is causing me grief, and, installed and commissioned the new washing machine.   

Time to fettle lunch methinks...   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 01 March, 2017, 01:02:35 pm
some quick lunchtime fettling with the springpin tool which arrived in this morning's post - swapped the buckle which came on my replacement watch strap with the original branded buckle from the old worn-out strap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 March, 2017, 01:37:59 pm
^^^Been meaning to do mine for the last 25 years.

---

Started making a rotary strop (high-faluting name for a plywood disc with leather stuck on it and mounted on an arbor) but couldn't stand the cold in the workshop any longer & came in.  I don't mind cycling in 6°C but handling tools at that temperature for long periods is unpleasant.

Heh: when I'm in the shop the dogs play in the garden. Didn't notice that it was pouring with rain until I came out. Dogs soggy. What the hell, we have a tiled floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 March, 2017, 10:07:07 pm
Lubed a squeaky door hinge, put the lube back in the shed then another door started squeaking  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 March, 2017, 10:30:12 pm
Fettled the blockage in the dishwasher fan drain tube so that it drans rather than blows water over the kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 March, 2017, 05:12:11 pm
Following last week's stem fettlage, today I rearranged the spacers. I now have 25mm under the stem and a 10mm spacer above, so the bars are nearer but lower. Time will tell whether this is good, bad or indifferent. I've also worked out why the top cap wasn't tightening; it's not flat underneath. In other words, the problem was the insufficient stack height by 1mm or so, but the top of the steerer was still below the top of the stem, just not by enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 05 March, 2017, 10:51:51 pm
A little more cleaning and rust spot removal on the second hand folder. Toothpaste is remarkable at grime removal.

I've now decided enough is enough, considering it will be a railway station hack, it only needs to be SO clean. So I started reassembling it, brakes first.

Also cleaned the grime from yesterday's audax from the Giant. I hadn't thought it was that bad, but the bike was a hell of a state.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 06 March, 2017, 11:24:28 pm
I've had an Altura detachable hood (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/altura-night-vision-evo-hood) (no Altura jacket), bought (~£7) separately a couple of years ago.  Not really used it in anger since it left a gap at neck.  So have just used contact adhesive and velcro (~20mm) to attach it to a reasonable decathlon jacket.   Jacket already had a few mm of black edging at collar.
Seems to have worked well.

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/762/32451075434_0009506273_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RrAf9A)P1340666 (https://flic.kr/p/RrAf9A) by ao (https://www.flickr.com/photos/25983110@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 09 March, 2017, 09:53:59 am
Quote from: Si S on 08 March, 2017, 12:23:29 pm
<wanders off to try and find another LD1100>

One fully functional LD1100 out of two broken ones  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 March, 2017, 10:10:42 am
Laced up a replacement front dynowheel for HK's Condor late last night. I'll finish truing it tonight and then I just need to replace the gear/ brake levers (again) for it to be up to scratch in time for HK to get back on two wheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 March, 2017, 07:51:26 pm
I've just hack-sawed two alloy tent poles to length, added a new angle piece and reassembled the pole. Now my Coleman Cobra is fixed after being beaten up by a dog in the Highlands and it's ready to go cycle camping again :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 March, 2017, 08:19:06 pm
New brake levers onto the folder, cable outers ready to start cabling up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 March, 2017, 10:10:19 pm
Not today, but tomorrow. Had a rather exciting off and a few bits need de-scuffing. Handlebar tape principally, though the rubber bit under the computer has gone missing too, and a couple of mudguard stays need to be straightened out. And a slightly out of true rear wheel which is already at the menders (I don't trust myself to do wheel truing).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 March, 2017, 10:16:52 pm
Brakes on the car...valeo made in india pads were £14 with trade discount from halfrauds.

Can't complain at it was 7pm when I bought them.

But only been making noise occasionally.  Suspected a traped stone.  Opps.  May need the discs doing after these pads...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 March, 2017, 04:44:42 pm
Yesterday: finished a halfway fettle of a Woolworth's 2/6d block plane from the early '60s.  It's a horrible piece of rubbish with a wonky pressure screw and a blade about as thick as two playing cards, but after I got rid of most of the rust and put a mirror finish on the bevel it took shavings for the first time in its miserable 50-year puff. It will now be retired to the Chamber of Horrors (alongside the 2.63 € set of 5 chisels ) until next I'm feeling masochistic.

BTW, "British Made" is writ large upon it. IIRC this did not indicate that a product was made in Britain, but rather in a country that acknowledged HM as sovereign.  In an earlier day it might have read "Empire Made".

I may be wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 15 March, 2017, 04:32:09 pm
I fettled my trousers! :thumbsup:

My Altura leggings have a waist tie, which started to self-destruct in the wash.  After some wiggling and poking, I managed to get the end of the string back to where it should be, and, using a skewer, helped it exit its tiny portal without shedding much more thread. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 March, 2017, 05:41:26 pm
You did some wiggling and poking to get it out of its tiny hole? Ooo-err! I wouldn't have used a skewer myself...

(That should have restored the balance for a page or two.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 18 March, 2017, 02:34:01 pm
The rear gear inner snapped at the mech clamp yesterday whilst out.   Remiving it today revealed that I was lucky as it was nearly as bad at the shifter end.   I replaced the front inner at the same time just to be sure though that one looked to be in decent shape with no fraying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 March, 2017, 03:45:23 pm
Started mucking out Geordie's byre clearing up the workshop.  Now that I'm getting back into things wooden (as in bits of tree) I want to put bikes up one end of the shop and guitars up the other.  Realized that half the shelf space is taken up with the Inlaw Paw's old stuff - biscuit tins full of odd screws in Imperial sizes, rawlplugs, tattered bags marked "Halfords", would-be ingenious Stanley gizmos that sort-of half work, cans of congealed paint and old Marples chisels with nicked edges and paint on them. The chisels I'll recover, and there's also a nice brace & bit, but the rest is going out.

Mrs T is out for the day so I've taken advantage to move all the painty stuff into an old dresser in the barn. That way I avoid a messy trip to the recycling centre.

I also have a lot of old bike bits to get rid of, including a couple of frames that'd still work if I felt like building them up, which I don't. For the rest, it's mainly a matter of planning storage and sorting umpteen thousand odd bits into it.  Given the amount to shift and the rate I'm going I should start my first guitar towards Christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 18 March, 2017, 04:48:08 pm
Ha !  I spent six months clearing my garage of my late father's stuff in the second half of last year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 18 March, 2017, 05:51:42 pm
A USB powered cable tester.

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2920/32669849284_7ab284fbe2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RLVvZw)2017-03-18_05-46-55 (https://flic.kr/p/RLVvZw) by Vince Hall (https://www.flickr.com/photos/122020004@N05/), on Flickr

Any similarity to a soap dish is entirely co-incidental!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 18 March, 2017, 05:56:32 pm
Quote from: Vince on 18 March, 2017, 05:51:42 pm
A USB powered cable tester.

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2920/32669849284_7ab284fbe2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RLVvZw)2017-03-18_05-46-55 (https://flic.kr/p/RLVvZw) by Vince Hall (https://www.flickr.com/photos/122020004@N05/), on Flickr

Any similarity to a soap dish is entirely co-incidental!
Looks more XLR, less DIN plug.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 18 March, 2017, 10:39:22 pm
The drivetrain on my commuter bike, stripped it, cleaned it, soaked the chain in a pot of engine oil and put it all back together with liberal amounts of grease.

I suspect I need a new bottom bracket as it's one of these new fangled hollowtech sorts with the bearings outside the shell but it'll do for now.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 18 March, 2017, 10:45:10 pm
Headset bearing. Nice easy job, except that the lower race had disintegrated and seized into the housing. A short bit of dremel action released it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 March, 2017, 07:04:42 pm
Bianchi with gears and mdgrds.
In anticipation of tomorrow's gusts of > 40 mph.
And rain.

Can't wait...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 March, 2017, 08:08:21 pm
New brake blocks on the road bike, for ten plus years old the old ones were only half worn.

Cables on the folder, brakes and gears now work fine. I think the wheels need a bit of truing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 20 March, 2017, 09:49:35 am
Did fettle:
Repaired wheel put back on the Romany and general fettlement
New tyres (v. stiff M+) on Audrey, Butterfly's tourer
Front mech action for Butterfly's Cyclone
Centre stand removed from Romany
Repacked bike stuff for commuting from Super C to Barley

Didn't fettle:
New brake blocks for Audrey
New gear cable for Cyclone

Butterfly fettled:
Reorganising, tidying and even sweeping the garage! :o

Unfettled:
Knocked handle off teapot lid & while trying to glue back in place, dropped handle in dishwater :-[
Banged my head on cantilever while trying to remove stuck bolt for stand :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 21 March, 2017, 12:32:07 pm
Your SEEKRIT BUNKER has a garage? :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 21 March, 2017, 06:26:54 pm
overhauled my bike which included a thorough clean, new brake pads, new chain, some new hub bearings, lubing the cables and derailleur pivots. the rear derailleur works with cassettes up to 36t, which is handy for very hilly rides.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170321/d322c3dd24d51b49cbe199a6b999b7f6.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 March, 2017, 09:52:15 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 21 March, 2017, 06:26:54 pm
overhauled my bike which included a thorough clean, new brake pads, new chain, some new hub bearings, lubing the cables and derailleur pivots. the rear derailleur works with cassettes up to 36t, which is handy for very hilly rides.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170321/d322c3dd24d51b49cbe199a6b999b7f6.jpg)
Tidy.
Good vignetting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 22 March, 2017, 11:31:17 am
The front mech inner wire on mllePB's tourer.   It snapped yesterday just off the Oban to Lismore ferry. 

The cable had frayed in the shifter and removing the broken bit took much effort and some ingenuity.   

Note to self:  When you get home do a full cables service on all currently active machines.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 March, 2017, 06:00:14 pm
Triffids.  The great thing about doing it in march is that you don't get instant hayfever death, and can hack back the reachable sycamore without getting covered in sticky ick or flying beasties.

As usual with prolonged power tool use, my hands are now shaking and I can't hold a pint glass properly.  This is suboptimal given the lack of food I can just throw in the microwave.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 March, 2017, 07:19:59 pm
I have fettled bodged the tumble dryer back to life.

It's a Miele thing which has a moisture sensor, and runs until things are dry.
Only it was stopping straight away, and declaring everything dry even when it was very wet.

A bit of googling, and I'm up and running.
(Hells teeth, there are some crap forums out there. Google took me to various white goods forums, and the Signal-to-Noise ratio is shocking.  There are people giving nonsense advice who clearly have no idea what they are talking about. )

Anyways, the sensor is just an electrode in the drum, and the presence of moisture provides a conductive path to ground.
The connection to the sensor is a carbon brush on the outside of the drum, contacting onto a band around the drum.
The brush is 110% worn, and no longer contacting.
The resulting open-circuit is seen as 'dry', so the machine stops.

I've ordered a new brush, but in the meantime I've bodged it by shorting out the sensor to simulate always wet.
It won't shut off now, so I need to keep an eye on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 25 March, 2017, 01:36:44 pm
I appear to have fixed my Hope Vision One, which must be about 6 years old.

Last week it got drenched on my way back from the Bomber County 200. That evening on my way to MK YH I found it would turn itself off (or almost off - there was still a faint glow) until the button was pressed, when it would produce an acceptably bright beam for a random duration of between 1 and 20 seconds before turning itself down again, leaving me in the dark. I found myself riding very cautiously with my right thumb poised above the button and my left hand doing all the steering and braking. The following day I bought a new front lamp in Thame to get me home.

Once home on Wednesday I put the Hope in a  plastic bag with some couscous (I didn't have any rice) in the hope that it was dampness causing some shorting and the couscous would suck out the moisture.

I've tried it every day since, and it didn't work properly until today. It now turns on and off as it should and cycles through the power levels. I'm not sure I'd trust it again though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 March, 2017, 02:34:26 pm
Finally got my wooden clock going. I am v pleased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 25 March, 2017, 03:56:17 pm
on 3rd best audax bike that I go to the pub on, fix slow puncture in front tyre.  It was a large thorn

on single speed, remove winter (studded tyres), promote gear sprocket from a 15T to a 13T and fit super fast Strada Biancia tyres.  Yes, summer is coming

on best audax bike, change inner and outer cables on the LH shifter.  It was sticky and didn't want to adjust.  The outer was rusty.  Check the rear pads.  They are 3.81mm vs 4mm on a new one so are just fine.  Put neoprene padding under the bar tape
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 26 March, 2017, 04:35:37 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 25 March, 2017, 02:34:26 pm
Finally got my wooden clock going. I am v pleased.
Wooden clock today, navigational chronometer tomorrow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harrison#Career)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 March, 2017, 08:41:39 am
Adjusted the f*king date on 4 cameras, 2 watches, 2 clocks, the cooker and the microwave.

Shifted more stuff out of the workshop & into the end section of the barn.  Found a once-nice Robert Sorby mortise chisel with a mashed handle and paint on the blade. The IP was a wonderful bloke but his approach to woodworking tools was painterly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 March, 2017, 11:18:52 am
Quote from: T42 on 26 March, 2017, 08:41:39 am
Adjusted the f*king date on 4 cameras, 2 watches, 2 clocks, the cooker and the microwave.

Mrs Mayssolini hasn't even triggered Article 50 yet and you're already heading back to 1953?  #ColourMeImpressed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 26 March, 2017, 12:49:06 pm
I believe T42 lives in France.

I CnBA to do the fax clock, did the cooker clock and the kitchen clock-radio.

Tchibo wall clocks have looked after themselves, as has the new-fangle central heating controller. Burglar alarm might do itself but CnBA to do anythingif not.

Will await David's attention to the Woolworth's kitchen wall clocks...

Noticed my camera had been left on BST yesterday and left it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 March, 2017, 01:36:52 pm
Set 6 bike computers forward an hour; set the microwave clock forward 57 minutes; successfully hacked into the oven clock, and removed the dead batteries from the Backup Satan™[1] before they leaked.


[1] Older-model ShakeAwake, now retired from active duty in favour of more intelligent, stratum-1 evil (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg1665102#msg1665102).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 March, 2017, 01:45:21 pm
Washed not one, but two bikes

Removed mudguard from the Renegade

Molished a new front light bracket (old one had snapped, hence the rattling yesterday)

Took a load of rubbish to the tip

Now just need to pack a bag for tomorrow and prepare food for the family. Then I can pull up a garden chair and enjoy the sun!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 March, 2017, 07:20:21 pm
Replaced the bearings in HK's trike front wheel.

Replaced the worn out gear/brake levers on HK's Condor commuter with some SH XTs that should serve adequately for another year or more. Also replaced both gear cables and the worn out pedals. The flutelike rack will be replaced with a Blackburn copy found in the shed but probably later this week. The frame is overdue a paint job but it maybe easier to buy a new bike as it is getting pretty tough keeping 9sp triple gears going without heading a long way downmarket.

Did a dump run and picked up beaucoup compost from the local nursery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Samuel D on 26 March, 2017, 07:47:48 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 March, 2017, 08:41:39 am
Adjusted the f*king date on 4 cameras, 2 watches, 2 clocks, the cooker and the microwave.

Quote from: hellymedic on 26 March, 2017, 12:49:06 pm
Noticed my camera had been left on BST yesterday and left it.

Quote from: Kim on 26 March, 2017, 01:36:52 pm
Set 6 bike computers forward an hour; set the microwave clock forward 57 minutes

LOL!

Modern life …
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 March, 2017, 07:52:19 pm
It's getting better.  All our dozens of other things with clocks on them sorted themselves out automagically.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 26 March, 2017, 08:08:32 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 March, 2017, 07:52:19 pm
It's getting better.  All our dozens of other things with clocks on them sorted themselves out automagically.
About half ours did. I reckon we have retained more Old Stuff than you have.
We are older.
I resist throwing stuff away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 March, 2017, 08:23:15 pm
I set my watch and the cooker clock forward one hour. Phone adjusted itself automagically. Forgot about one of the bike computers but remembered that I didn't need to do the other – because I'd never got around to putting it back in October! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 26 March, 2017, 08:45:52 pm
Got the centre section and outer wing sections of my current project started and finished today.  Looks like it's going to be a very fast build.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 March, 2017, 10:02:07 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 25 March, 2017, 02:34:26 pm
Finally got my wooden clock going. I am v pleased.
So previously it wooden go?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 March, 2017, 12:59:23 pm
Quote from: clarion on 27 March, 2017, 10:02:07 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 25 March, 2017, 02:34:26 pm
Finally got my wooden clock going. I am v pleased.
So previously it wooden go?

<thwack>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 March, 2017, 01:00:12 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 March, 2017, 11:18:52 am
Quote from: T42 on 26 March, 2017, 08:41:39 am
Adjusted the f*king date on 4 cameras, 2 watches, 2 clocks, the cooker and the microwave.

Mrs Mayssolini hasn't even triggered Article 50 yet and you're already heading back to 1953?  #ColourMeImpressed

I think you've got me confused with that Hesseltine chap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 28 March, 2017, 09:09:42 am
Quote from: Si S on 09 March, 2017, 09:53:59 am
Quote from: Si S on 08 March, 2017, 12:23:29 pm
<wanders off to try and find another LD1100>

One fully functional LD1100 out of two broken ones  :thumbsup:

Rinse and repeat
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 28 March, 2017, 05:50:13 pm
Finished installing the bilge pump in the gully at the bottom of the drive. Hopefully this will put an end to the garage flooding in heavy rain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 28 March, 2017, 10:25:29 pm
Cleaned the winter bike a bit, because I've seen the weather forecast for Saturday's Port Navigation and I think I'll be wanting mudguards. :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 March, 2017, 03:33:35 pm
Put bike together, still clicks.

Went for a cycle too.  That annoys me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 March, 2017, 04:48:19 pm
Yesterday, I finished the preliminary fettle of the Stanley n°5 I picked up on eBay for £25. It took about 10 sheets of 120-grit sandpaper and much graisse de elbow to flatten the sole.  I reground and honed the blade to a mirror-finish, reset it and took even full-length shavings from a 1m20 bit of timber. Pleasing.

Also learnt that a blade that won't yet shave the hair off your arm is still capable of cutting a finger, so I fettled that as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 30 March, 2017, 07:33:50 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 28 March, 2017, 10:25:29 pm
Cleaned the winter bike a bit, because I've seen the weather forecast for Saturday's Port Navigation and I think I'll be wanting mudguards. :'(

In a similar vein, I GAMI to put a guard on the Avail, and in return, am fettling a little something in the kitchen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2017, 01:59:11 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 03 January, 2017, 05:51:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 01:21:48 pm
I expect the fridge freezer will probably die now.

John Lewis is most likely your bezzie mate  :P
Formidable freezer fettling, thobut  :thumbsup:

What was I saying about the freezer dying? Sodding thing is only 3 years old and it's only managing about -4°C in the freezer.
I bought a Liebherr as well, supposed to be a 'quality' make.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 April, 2017, 02:08:38 pm
I spent some quality time arsing about with the door seal on our freezer yesterday, after I opened the door and - in line with the laws of Hanna-Barbera physics - the seal hovered in place for about two seconds, before remembering about gravity and wilting to the floor.

It's maintaining a decent temperature, but I expect the moisture's going to be sneaking in and making a nuisance of itself.

It's about 12 years old, so it's well into the tail end of the bathtub curve, where the refrigeration stuff keeps plodding on while all the plastic parts slowly fall to bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 April, 2017, 02:49:11 pm
I was going to fettle my Exped pillow which deflates in about an hour.   Unfortunately the water dunk shows a whole lot of pinholes mainly but not exclusively around the curved edge.

One for the bin.   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 April, 2017, 03:38:30 pm
Filed down the bed of a new spokeshave to bring it to some semblance of flatness.  It still judders. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 April, 2017, 06:19:12 pm
Swapped the drop bars between my trike and the front of the racing tandem. Changed the headset spacers and fitted the clip-on aero bars to the racing tandem. Swapped to wider spacers between the timing chainring and 56t big ring to prevent interference between the chains. All it needs is a stoker saddle, handlebar tape and pedals and it'll be ready to go. Swap in the trispoke/ disk pair in the loft and a couple of trained riders (and possibly the 61t chainring) and it would show some real speed.

Fitted the star-fangled nut, some more headset spacers and a new rear tyre to my fixed. Replaced the tired B17 with a Kontact. Some tweaking during a short spin and we'll see how it goes over the next fortnight.

Put a 9sp chain on my trike and lubed the rear mech. Ready for a spin tomorrow, after fitting some handlebar tape.

Flint-mined and inflated quite a few tyres, lubed some chains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2017, 06:40:44 pm
I think I've finally eliminated the rattle on the Sequoia. At least for the time being. I located it to the bolt that fastens the mudguard to the chainstay bridge. The bolt was tight but there was just enough play for the mudguard to rattle while not being actually loose. I've added a serrated washer and a leather washer from the bits and bobs that came with the guards, so there are now two leather washers on that bolt; one between guard and bridge, one under the bolt. Enjoying the quiet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 April, 2017, 07:40:19 am
Non bike fettling today. Opened up the blank on a fermenter to add a heater element, this will now be my boil vessel for beer making. Overnight leak test looks good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 02 April, 2017, 07:44:19 am
Found the slow puncture in the single speed's tube.  It was a detached patch
Replaced the best bike's broken mudguard bridge clip with another one from the mountain of old mudguard parts
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 02 April, 2017, 02:25:17 pm
Finished reassembling MTB, the bits I didn't quite get to last weekend: Inflate tyre, refit chain, tighten rear skewer and go for a test ride on the first wheel built from a kit of parts by little 'ol me :-)

i wonder if it'll still be remotely round after a week of proper de-stressing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 April, 2017, 02:36:32 pm
Lawnmower, sprung a leak on the carb gasket. Disassembled, so I can go and order a new one tomorrow.  All of £3.50

EDIT - agricultural suppliers was surprisingly open today.  Satisfyingly complete now. I like tinkering with mechanicals
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 April, 2017, 02:51:58 pm
More on the effing spokeshave.  Lumpy sand casting covered in blue paint, :sick:.  £26 gets you diddly these days, but they're all iffy until you get into Veritas country at 3 times that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 April, 2017, 02:56:46 pm
The dead malus in the garden.  Finally dug out th 5ft stump I left in over the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 April, 2017, 03:03:47 pm
Fitted a new front tyre on the Frezoni but found it also needs new derailleur pulleys. New handlebar tape will be put on when I replace the brake levers.

New tyres on the Audax tandem but it needs a clean and new stoker handlebar tape.

Ordered a new gear hanger for my LTS and swapped out the Spin wheels for spoked wheels.

A major tube repair session is required to provide sufficient spares for various machines.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 April, 2017, 04:48:46 pm
Changed the brake fluid and pads on the MTB (all perfect now) and new tyres and tubes on the clubman.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 April, 2017, 06:05:26 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2017, 01:59:11 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 03 January, 2017, 05:51:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 01:21:48 pm
I expect the fridge freezer will probably die now.

John Lewis is most likely your bezzie mate  :P
Formidable freezer fettling, thobut  :thumbsup:

What was I saying about the freezer dying? Sodding thing is only 3 years old and it's only managing about -4°C in the freezer.
I bought a Liebherr as well, supposed to be a 'quality' make.  >:(

I ordered a new one yesterday, paid 50 squids for the privilege of delivery & disposal, got an email today saying they don't deliver up stairs.
Well screw you, Appliances Direct. Order cancelled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 April, 2017, 06:16:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 April, 2017, 06:05:26 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2017, 01:59:11 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 03 January, 2017, 05:51:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 01:21:48 pm
I expect the fridge freezer will probably die now.

John Lewis is most likely your bezzie mate  :P
Formidable freezer fettling, thobut  :thumbsup:

What was I saying about the freezer dying? Sodding thing is only 3 years old and it's only managing about -4°C in the freezer.
I bought a Liebherr as well, supposed to be a 'quality' make.  >:(

I ordered a new one yesterday, paid 50 squids for the privilege of delivery & disposal, got an email today saying they don't deliver up stairs.
Well screw you, Appliances Direct. Order cancelled.
That's not really delivering.
More 'Leaving it at the bottom of the stair'
Take your custom elsewhere.
John Lewis?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ian on 02 April, 2017, 06:50:12 pm
Assembled a new two storey cat house (not the Nevada sort). Did involve plenty of screwing though. Seems to be a cat in it, so I guess at least one of them approves of our construction work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 02 April, 2017, 07:07:38 pm
New BB on the MTB earlier in the week in preparation for today's orienteering event.

Drove to event and spotted a broken front wheel spoke as I lifted the bike out of car.  Pedalled off, got very lost etc etc then there was an almighty bang and the saddle fell off.  I found most of the bits but not the head of the cap-head bolt that clamps the saddle rails to the seatpost.  Had to cycle 10k to the finish standing up - ouch!

Nice fatigue surface though:


(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2924/32954855844_007716d5cb_z.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 April, 2017, 07:15:16 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 02 April, 2017, 06:16:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 April, 2017, 06:05:26 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2017, 01:59:11 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 03 January, 2017, 05:51:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 01:21:48 pm
I expect the fridge freezer will probably die now.

John Lewis is most likely your bezzie mate  :P
Formidable freezer fettling, thobut  :thumbsup:

What was I saying about the freezer dying? Sodding thing is only 3 years old and it's only managing about -4°C in the freezer.
I bought a Liebherr as well, supposed to be a 'quality' make.  >:(

I ordered a new one yesterday, paid 50 squids for the privilege of delivery & disposal, got an email today saying they don't deliver up stairs.
Well screw you, Appliances Direct. Order cancelled.
That's not really delivering.
More 'Leaving it at the bottom of the stair'
Take your custom elsewhere.
John Lewis?

That's what I thought, and why I cancelled the order. I would have used John Lewis to start with but they didn't have the exact model I preferred. The freezer is slightly colder than it was, though still not quite right. I'm going to try to get it fixed now, and if that doesn't work I'll get the 2nd choice model from John Lewis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 02 April, 2017, 08:21:17 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 18 March, 2017, 02:34:01 pm
The rear gear inner snapped at the mech clamp yesterday whilst out.   Remiving it today revealed that I was lucky as it was nearly as bad at the shifter end.   I replaced the front inner at the same time just to be sure though that one looked to be in decent shape with no fraying.

Follow up:   First time out on the audax machine since the snap.   The gears are shifting crisper than a crisp thing.    :thumbsup:   ;D

Must remember to check and change inner wires on a more regular basis.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 April, 2017, 02:54:07 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 April, 2017, 06:05:26 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2017, 01:59:11 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 03 January, 2017, 05:51:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2017, 01:21:48 pm
I expect the fridge freezer will probably die now.

John Lewis is most likely your bezzie mate  :P
Formidable freezer fettling, thobut  :thumbsup:

What was I saying about the freezer dying? Sodding thing is only 3 years old and it's only managing about -4°C in the freezer.
I bought a Liebherr as well, supposed to be a 'quality' make.  >:(

I ordered a new one yesterday, paid 50 squids for the privilege of delivery & disposal, got an email today saying they don't deliver up stairs.
Well screw you, Appliances Direct. Order cancelled.

I thought Liebherr made cranes as well ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 April, 2017, 04:57:56 am
Liebherr make all kinds of stuffs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ian on 03 April, 2017, 10:23:57 am
My unexciting Samsung (you might remember my travails trying and failing to get a monster American fridge into the fridge-shaped hole in my kitchen and the fatefully excessive 5mm of height) is till going strong. And it makes ice for my G&Ts. And it's not white. I hate white.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 April, 2017, 10:39:24 am
We had a Liebherr fridge.   It was total rubbish and was replaced after not very many years.   The hotpoint just works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 April, 2017, 10:43:15 am
I think I've finally managed to correctly align the beam of the IQ-X. Though I only did this when I got home, so it'll have to wait till the next night ride for proper confirmation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 April, 2017, 05:40:54 pm
My wort cooler - a coil of copper tubing, for immersion in near boiling wort.

I've just run 5 gallons of tap-cold water through on a syphon basis it and cooled 3 gallons of wort from 90+ to yeast pitching temperature

The water coming out at the start was too hot to put your hand under.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 03 April, 2017, 08:50:19 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 23 March, 2017, 07:19:59 pm
I have fettled bodged the tumble dryer back to life.

The parts arrived last week (a set of carbon brushes which contact onto a couple of conductive bands on the outside of the drum ), so I set about replacing them this evening.

At the same time, I decided to track down the mechanical ka-DUNK ka-DUNK that happened every revolution of the drum, which was very loud.
Sounded like the drum was hitting something.

Turned out to be simple enough, but took a lot of stripping down to get to the problem.
The drum runs on a bearing at the rear, and the front of the drum sits on a pair of idler wheels about 4" in diameter, which run in a wheel track on the outside of the drum.
The wheel track on the drum had a couple of big deposits of hard-baked eek on it, which went over the wheels with a ka-DUNK.
Chipping this off and cleaning up the wheel track restored smooth and silent rotation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2017, 11:30:14 am
The nice Liebherr engineer reckons that the FF is working fine but the door has been open a crack and it's all frozen up round the back where the evaporator is. So I've to leave it defrosting for 48 hours and he reckons it'll work fine after that.

His colleague the boiler engineer then turned up as Mr Liebherr was leaving, serviced our Worcester boiler and warned me the parts are becoming obsolete, and then told me how much I'd be for a new one installed by them without even being asked, which is always useful info to have....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 08 April, 2017, 10:28:15 pm
Service #1's road bike and finally got the odd sized motoris3x wheel properly trued.

Also fettled the 'yard' ready for alfresco dining.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 09 April, 2017, 01:20:55 am
The cable of my reacher snapped after visibly fraying for a while..
David attempted to replace this with a bike gear cable.
But the nipple was too large.

Helping Hand reachers supposedly have a lifetime guarantee, which might be a bit optimistic for  something with a cable.
David will have to trek to ye shoppe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 April, 2017, 09:01:16 am
Have just emptied the rear wheel, on the Renegade, of gunk. Fitted a new tyre and tube then have left it in the garden to get warm and stretch a bit. The previous tyre, tubeless, let me down towards the end of yesterday's 100, so I don't trust it. To be fair that tyre isn't a true tubeless tyre so I can forgive it. I have also learnt that I must take a tube with me....

I then went on to give the front pads a bit of a light sanding and apply some copper grease to the back of the pads.

Then I applied liberal doses of Febreze to my car upholstery and have left the windows down as the inside is smelling a bit of sweaty cyclists!

I now need to find the Aloe gel to apply to the sunburn that I got yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 April, 2017, 12:32:53 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2017, 11:30:14 am
The nice Liebherr engineer reckons that the FF is working fine but the door has been open a crack and it's all frozen up round the back where the evaporator is. So I've to leave it defrosting for 48 hours and he reckons it'll work fine after that.


-32°C this morning  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 12 April, 2017, 09:11:19 pm
Not so much today as over the course of a week or four, but ready for trimming as of this evening.  Not a bad result after nigh on 40 years since I last did this sort of thing.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/33614823640_94a73b5f11_z_d.jpg])
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2017, 09:18:53 pm
Removed the winter tyres from the Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle and re-fitted the sensible ones.  This also involved removing a quantity of mud, and repairing a puncture due to having disturbed the excessively naff plastic rim tape (which promptly got the Realtek treatment on discovery of a spare roll of proper Schwalbe naff plastic rim tape while looking for a non-dried-up tube of rubber cement).

The rain started a couple of hours later.  Sorry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 April, 2017, 09:44:07 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 12 April, 2017, 09:11:19 pm
Not so much today as over the course of a week or four, but ready for trimming as of this evening.  Not a bad result after nigh on 40 years since I last did this sort of thing.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/33614823640_94a73b5f11_z_d.jpg])

That reminds me, I have a fuselage, wings and tailplane ready to cover, still needing to build the fin though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 April, 2017, 06:33:49 pm
There was a broken wing of a somewhat larger plane just behind the goal line where I was playing football (or rather "football") with my son up on the Downs today. (One-a-side football on a full size pitch demands a level of fitness greater than a 200km audax!) Hopefully yours will fare better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 April, 2017, 10:47:02 am
Quote from: TheLurker on 12 April, 2017, 09:11:19 pm
Not so much today as over the course of a week or four, but ready for trimming as of this evening.  Not a bad result after nigh on 40 years since I last did this sort of thing.

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/33614823640_94a73b5f11_z_d.jpg])

When they accuse you of doping you won't have a leg to stand on.  I have Camel waiting in the wardrobe to be built. It's more like 60 years since I built one. The Mrs gave me it several years ago but... I dunno.  Amongst other things, what put me off was that it's a semi-display model, neither flesh nor fowl, with a cheesy plastic pilot.  Flying it with would be, well, cheesy, but flying a biplane without one seems incongruous. Anyway, I don't want to be diverted from other projects.

Bikewise I put a new GP4000sII on a new-to-me wheel, fitted same to the Ti warhorse to spare my dyno wheel and got it ready for a toddle to the hyperglycaemia shop this afternoon.

Woodwise I ground the sole of my Stanley n° 5 a wee bit more towards flat - it's proud at bow & stern but I've an idea that in use it might flatten out: the problem is getting down there to look, Heisenberg, du Schwein.  Also unearthed an old mitre saw with a vague idea to converting it into a fretting saw, but it has a 1mm kerf and frets need about half that.  Might still manage a retrofettle, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 April, 2017, 01:47:28 pm
cut the steerer once more, as four years on i'm pretty much certain i won't need the handlebars any higher. bike lighter by 14g O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 14 April, 2017, 04:30:06 pm
Fixed the not so slow p*unct*re, flat in 10min, that happened last year but after a good check found nothing when I got home after two top-up's on the ride. Put the inner back in and had to pump ever 2-3 days but finally got too annoyed and swapped inners. Pumped up the offending inner and will have look later if it is flat, couldn't hear and feel anything, just like last year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 April, 2017, 04:45:35 pm
Did something similar myself, got to the shed and found a flat tyre on the front. Quick wheel change to my spare disc braked front, making sure no fouling of the fork an a quick hours blast a round the fens.

Checking the tyre when I got home, nothing obvious in the tyre, and the dunk test showed nothing until I got to the valve, which then reminded me that it had felt a bit loose last week. A pair of pliers later and its not leaking now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 14 April, 2017, 05:07:37 pm
Took the tube out of the rear tyre and refitted the tyre tubeless. Left it overnight, sans gunk and it lost no pressure, so I let all the air out, inserted gunk then blew the tyre back up. All is good, even after a 7 mile shakedown.

Lesson learnt. Don't go by what the Internet says and only use tubeless specific tyres! Previous tyres were Clements X'Plor, the new are Schwalbe G-Ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 15 April, 2017, 08:51:18 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 April, 2017, 06:33:49 pm
There was a broken wing of a somewhat larger plane just behind the goal line ....
Well what goes up will come down and sometimes it will come down really quite badly.  You have to accept that sooner or later a flight will end with crumpled pile of wreckage.  However that's the beauty of stick and tissue.  Even bad prangs cost only a matter of a few tens of pence and an hour or two to put right.  Not like this modern foam stuff which I can't begin to see how you would repair.  And if it's a total write off?  Well that's just an excuse to rebuild it better.

Quote from: T42 on 14 April, 2017, 10:47:02 am
When they accuse you of doping you won't have a leg to stand on. ..
I know, I know.  I've been getting bad jokes along those lines at work from my cycling colleagues.  Agree with you about figures in any modelling context (aero, "airfix", railway).  For me they never work and they end up reinforcing the "modellness" of the thing being modelled rather than its "reality".  Gawd, that's a bit Grauniad for playing with toys, innit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 April, 2017, 09:15:08 pm
Re-tightened a bar end after accidentally bashing it out of alignment with a rib.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2017, 10:24:51 pm
Have you fettled the rib too?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 April, 2017, 09:05:24 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2017, 10:24:51 pm
Have you fettled the rib too?
It's turning an interesting colour, if that counts?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 16 April, 2017, 09:32:28 am
Yesterday I bodged a temporary repair of a broken sofa spring using cable ties, which is holding better than I expected. I also moved the saddle and bars on the Raleigh, which has made it feel far more comfortable, and pumped up the very under-inflated tyres on my car which I realised I hadn't checked for over a year :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2017, 09:40:31 am
Quote from: Kim on 16 April, 2017, 09:05:24 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2017, 10:24:51 pm
Have you fettled the rib too?
It's turning an interesting colour, if that counts?

Not broken I hope.  Borked ribs are a real PITA.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 April, 2017, 12:40:12 pm
Started rearranging my workshop to better segregate bikes and sawdust. There's a hell of a lot of stuff to move.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 16 April, 2017, 01:10:49 pm
Didn't go out with the local group due to forecast of rain, which hasn't materialised so far  :(

Instead I changed the oil in the Rohloff hub on the Moulton tandem. Supposed to be every year but with our low mileage I do it every other year, using 250ml containers of cleaning oil and lubricating oil I bought from SJS Cycles a couple of years ago. Previously only 25ml and 1 litre quantities were available, both expensive in their own way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 April, 2017, 04:43:21 pm
Tightened the threaded headset and frame joints on the folder, haven't quite eliminated the play in the handlebar post yet, not sure if I will be able to entirely, but its much less than it was.

Just need to finish touching up the paintwork and I'll consider it in service.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 April, 2017, 11:09:40 am
Hee hee ha ha ho ho.  Our upstairs vacuum cleaner suddenly started howling horribly last year, and we couldn't see what was doing it (TBHICBA looking very far) so Mrs T. bought another.  I just found the cause - pollen filter, superfluous - and adapted it to fit my bandsaw, plumbed in so that it starts before the saw.  Parfick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 April, 2017, 03:47:27 pm
Today I engaged in horticulturally fettlesome destruction by molishing a space where there used to be brambles, ivy and other strangulating greenery. It was rather fun!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 April, 2017, 07:05:08 pm
One bloody thing leads to another.

Cleaning up the Audax bike after the Arrow, and I suspected the hanger was slightly bent.

But the tool wouldn't go on properly, and was always cross-threading.
So chased the threads on both the tool and the hanger.
Straightened the hanger.

Then couldn't get the mech to go back onto the hanger: looks like the threads on it needed a quick chase too.
Only you can't get the die onto it because of the b-screw plate.
So dismantle the entire upper pivot assembly to get at the threaded bolt.
Chase threads.

Then attempt to re-assemble the thing with the stupidly powerful sproing and cold fingers.

All now re-assembled and I have sore fingers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 April, 2017, 07:15:00 pm
^^ i tend to turn the mech pivot screw anticlockwise until it clicks into a hanger, then screw it in. otherwise it's quite easy to cross-thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 April, 2017, 09:36:26 pm
Yes, I do the same with most screws.

But the thread on the mech was actually slightly buggered in this case, and after chasing it out, the method you mention worked OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 17 April, 2017, 09:40:10 pm
I've just put my lovely old Selle Italia Flite ti onto my audax bike.   It's a retro experiment with the possibility of ditching Brooks saddles.

I'll give it a workout tomorrow evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 20 April, 2017, 11:21:39 am
Just fitted a B&M Secula to complete my electrical self-sufficiency set-up ahead of the business end of the Audax season (along with the IQ-X and Igaro D1).

Since the bike doesn't have a rack or mudguards, I went for the seatstay mounting option. Hmmm. The bracket doesn't fit very snugly around the oddly shaped seatstay, feels like it could too easily be knocked sideways into the wheel, which is a concern. Could probably do with an extra layer of something between bracket and seatstay. Wondering if Sugru might be a suitable material for the job...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 April, 2017, 11:30:20 am
Assembled & put up two sets of Dexion-style shelving down the bike-fettling end of the workshop. Discovered they have lots of sharp edges, or rather my fingers did.

BTW, a while back I bought a wee Black & Decker cordless screwdriver for re-stringing guitars, and it was great for doing up the myriad** screws. Crikey, that reads like ad copy but it was anyway.

**where 1 myriad = 80 and bonjour le tendinitis doing it by hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 April, 2017, 01:39:22 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 20 April, 2017, 11:21:39 am
Just fitted a B&M Secula to complete my electrical self-sufficiency set-up ahead of the business end of the Audax season (along with the IQ-X and Igaro D1).

Since the bike doesn't have a rack or mudguards, I went for the seatstay mounting option. Hmmm. The bracket doesn't fit very snugly around the oddly shaped seatstay, feels like it could too easily be knocked sideways into the wheel, which is a concern. Could probably do with an extra layer of something between bracket and seatstay. Wondering if Sugru might be a suitable material for the job...

Piece of old inner tube?  Used to do that on my aerobars when I TTd on my roadbike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 April, 2017, 01:40:24 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 20 April, 2017, 01:39:22 pm
Piece of old inner tube?

The universal thing-bracket shim.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 20 April, 2017, 01:58:04 pm
Best mounted on a seatpin in my experience.   mllePB's is mounted below the saddle.

A thick booze cork (often whisky or port bottles have fat corks) sliced down the length and hollowed to roughly match the stay profile works quite well ime.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 20 April, 2017, 02:00:01 pm
I've just successfully fitted the tension bolt from a B17 titanium to my black B17 Champion Special.    As a result I can repair all three saddles and carry a spare for less than the price of having one repaired by Brooks.   

Very happy about this in so many ways.    :thumbsup:   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 20 April, 2017, 02:02:36 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 20 April, 2017, 01:39:22 pm
Piece of old inner tube?  Used to do that on my aerobars when I TTd on my roadbike

Yes, that's the default option - and exactly what I use on the oddly shaped fork legs on the other bike to keep the roadracer mudguard brackets in place.

I know we've got some Sugru around the place somewhere, so I might try that if I can find it, but if not, I shall probably end up using a bit of old inner tube.

The cork option sounds interesting as well, but I can't remember the last time we had a bottle of wine with a cork in it - it's all screw tops these days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 20 April, 2017, 02:09:36 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 20 April, 2017, 02:02:36 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 20 April, 2017, 01:39:22 pm
Piece of old inner tube?  Used to do that on my aerobars when I TTd on my roadbike

Yes, that's the default option - and exactly what I use on the oddly shaped fork legs on the other bike to keep the roadracer mudguard brackets in place.

I know we've got some Sugru around the place somewhere, so I might try that if I can find it, but if not, I shall probably end up using a bit of old inner tube.

The cork option sounds interesting as well, but I can't remember the last time we had a bottle of wine with a cork in it - it's all screw tops these days.

What better excuse to buy another bottle of wine then?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 20 April, 2017, 02:47:56 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 20 April, 2017, 02:09:36 pm
What better excuse to buy another bottle of wine then?

Or a large bottle of strong Belgian beer, which would be more to my taste.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 20 April, 2017, 04:33:31 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 20 April, 2017, 02:47:56 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 20 April, 2017, 02:09:36 pm
What better excuse to buy another bottle of wine then?

Or a large bottle of strong Belgian beer, which would be more to my taste.  :thumbsup:

I am liking the cut of your jib sir :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 April, 2017, 07:52:02 pm
New front brake blocks on Mrs. Wow's Thorn. New Schwalbe Marathon on the rear wheel of my Thorn. This was a git, and just as I was about to put the new tyre on the phone rang. It was Dez's bank wanting to talk to him, and since I was fettling in the same room as he was on the phone, I wasn't in a position to release high-volume expletives, as is my wont when a new tyre meets a rim for the first time.

However, it is now up to 80psi and I think it's time to try it out before I try out the lasagne that Dez was fettling just before the phone rang.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 April, 2017, 07:57:56 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 20 April, 2017, 07:52:02 pm
New front brake blocks on Mrs. Wow's Thorn.

Gosh, how did that happen?   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 April, 2017, 08:25:14 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 April, 2017, 07:57:56 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 20 April, 2017, 07:52:02 pm
New front brake blocks on Mrs. Wow's Thorn.

Gosh, how did that happen?   ;D

I had to replace them because they were kinder low...  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 April, 2017, 12:43:41 am
Took the trike for a shakedown ride in the gap between sleet flurries, after months of neglect (barakta having been having too much trouble with her vision for winter cycling to appeal[1]).  The electrickery worked properly, which was reassuring, as it was last used in a monsoon.  Brakes were a bit underwhelming, but came back to a useable level with repeated hard stops.  Evil rattle from hell and minor rubbing from the general direction of the left mudguard, which needed some adjustment.  A quick fiddle with the lighting confirmed loss of standlight functionality from the left Pixeo.  On opening it up, the remaining supercap[2] had sheared its legs and was ratting free in the bottom of the light.

I was able to solder replacement legs to the stumps on the capacitor, and reattach it to the board, followed by copious amounts of hot glue by way of mechanical reinforcement.  I then did the hot glue thing to the other Pixeo - which still has both its capacitors - and, while I was at it, the rear light from my Brompton, which is an even worse example of mechanical optimism applied to electronic components in a high-vibration environment.

Re-fitting the lights, I noted that there was still some rattle, and decided to amputate the damaged mud-flap (which was hanging by a thread after rough treatment in the back of a car at some point).  That seemed to sort the worst of it out.  I also tightened the mirror mounting a little, as it was suffering from droop.


I also replaced the PSU in the m0n0wall box with a modern high-efficiency one, as it had been running on an emergency backup ancient noisy thing from the compu-tqt collection.  This actually involved a three-way rotation with the PSU in my desktop, on account of the new one lacking the splittable motherboard connector to retain compatibility with older motherboards.  My power meter suggests that's lowered the steady-state consumption by about 20W, though the power factor is worse, so it's only better by about 12VA.  Really should have got round to that sooner!


[1] It's not much fun riding with your head at headlamp height when it gets dark at 5pm.
[2] The first suffered a similar fate a couple of years ago, with failure of the spot-weld attaching the leg to the case.  I just removed it and made do with half the standlight time - it being the nearside light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 April, 2017, 08:39:24 am
Nowt much yet, but I did unearth and start planing a couple of lengths of African hardwood in the workshop this morning. They were part of a crate that had housed a motorbike during transport to here from Kenya, and I purloined them from the back of a barn in a property we rented 25 years ago where the previous tenant had dumped them.  This stuff looks like mahogany but is much lighter and somewhat softer - might be afromosia. Nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 28 April, 2017, 10:41:02 am
Put a new rear light bulb in the car. In the process discovered that there is a boot light, but without a bulb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 April, 2017, 03:09:44 pm
Made the Renegade a couple of pounds lighter by removing the mud that I collected during last night's detour!

Whilst doing that I noticed a bit of tyre rub on the nds chainstay, shall keep an eye on it in case it is a problem or just caused by the dodgy tyre fitting I did a couple of weeks ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 29 April, 2017, 03:38:02 pm
my pump fell out of my pocket during a hard sprint today and was run over by a car just before i returned to pick it up. i thought it's a shame to throw it away, so salvaged a co2 inflator by cutting the end of the tube so that it can be screwed in to retain a back-pressure valve in place.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170429/a581fcacbac86ca9e6c8b4e2aab0e55d.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170429/8487229c46f82d16a9d65304b8770b01.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170429/6d0e35b485ad0e19d6623aa42a0dde3c.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 April, 2017, 03:40:41 pm
Installed a new fluorescent strip in the workshop to better illuminate the new bike-fettling area.  One of the new LED ones, it lights up immediately and fairly blasts out the lumens. Quite a bit harsher than the existing lights despite looking vaguely pink. It'll do.

And after I've drunk my coffee I've got to go out again and de-crud my bike for tomorrow's jaunt. Bleh.

Duh. Forgot to put up rings to hang the thing from. It'll have to make do with a quick brush.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 29 April, 2017, 03:44:49 pm
Just completed switching over parts from the broken red Criterium to the new Blue frame. I also found out that the rear tyre had some serious sidewall damage from when the old frame was breaking, and the front fork is vey tight for clearance with gurads, so for now I've switched a 23mm tyre onto the front and moved the old "25mm" Pro4 Endurance to the back.

I just need new cable crimps now, and to get out and do a test ride. Perhaps after the TdY stage finishes :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 April, 2017, 04:30:24 pm
Should have been riding a 400 today but illness got in the way for HK and I. Instead I dismantled some Record hubs and ordered 4 x cups, 2 x cones and some 5/32" bearings. Adjusted the mudguards on HK's Roberts to clear 25mm Michelins. The original wheels have got new tyres, until the replacement parts arrive.

Changed the tyres on my Frezoni and fitted a mudguard taillight. Changed the bent gear hanger on my LTS-1. Changed a set of worn brake pads on HK's Trykit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 April, 2017, 07:56:52 pm
Cleaned one of my Van Nics to within an inch of its life - stripped down, cranks off, BB out, brakes off, mechs off - all degreased etc.  All back together and looking very smart.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 April, 2017, 10:41:37 am
Fettled a handle to fit my drag hoe head after the last one broke.

Satisfying use of a spoke shave, and it fitted at first attempt, tappped on firmly with a big hammer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 April, 2017, 10:57:00 am
Yesterday.
Used an M8 x 1.25mm pitch tap on the female half of the Brompton's chainring bolts so that I can get a conventional M8 bolt and lock-nut in there to prevent it from rotating while I tighten the male half which is M8 with a 0.75mm pitch.
Having visited Clerkenwell Screws and scoured the interwebs yesterday, nobody seems to sell anything in M8 with a very fine pitch - although I did find and order some M8 x 0.75 bolts from SJS that would still leave me lacking a locknut.
It seemed easier for the bore of the female part of the nut to have threads cut in two different pitches in each half.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 April, 2017, 01:48:31 pm
Changed the sprocket on the Sturmey-Archer AM rear wheel that's going in the Holdsworth (now respaced to the minimum 111mm).  As I used a rare threaded driver on this hub, which takes good quality track sprockets, it's a faff.  Sheldon describes the process quite well but, in summary, you have to remove the driver from the hub, sit it astride a steel bar held in a vice, and use a gert chain whip.  It was tight, despite being a steel/steel threading rather than the usual steel/alloy of a track hub.

Chainline on this bike will be "road double outer" 46mm so the Surly sprocket is going to be the right way round this time.  The clubman is 40mm but that's because it was thrown together from a parts bin, and the old sprocket was screwed on with the shoulder outwards to lose 6mm when I used it on that bike.  Normal SA sprockets have enormous flexibility in chainline but the threaded drivers only allow 4 permutations if you use one 1/16" spacer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 April, 2017, 02:15:53 pm
Replaced the rumbling year-old Shimano external BB in HK's trike, along with a new chain and a smaller small ring. Hopefully the cassette will be ok, though I have a replacement in stock, if needed. Interestingly, around the eutectic silver fillet brazing the 953 stainless tubing is showing some corrosion, which is currently being polished off. I wonder if intergranular corrosion adjacent to the braze material is occurring.

New chains and cogs fitted to my Frezoni, my fixed and HK's MTB commuter. Swapped pedals on HK's Condor. Still need to sort out the loose crown race on it. Fitted a QR Bagman and second rear light to HK's Roberts.

One of these days I'll finally get through the assorted handlebar retaping required. Must be four sets of bars to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 30 April, 2017, 08:28:06 pm
Today's entertainment was taking a Mk2 Raleigh Chopper to bits to get the frame, forks and chainguard powder-coated before a complete rebuild - sadly an angle-grinder had to be taken to the crankset (the pedal threads were shot and the LH crank was bent anyway).   

It's a project I'm doing in conjunction with volunteering at the Cyclists Fighting Cancer charity bike shop - the owner of the Chopper is going to meet all the costs and make an additional donation.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 May, 2017, 02:22:51 pm
On the Pompino:
New cog onto the recently re-rimmed wheel.
New chain.
New chainring.
New brake blocks - front and rear.
Replaced the rear mdgrd, where the bike rack at work had bitten off the last ~150mm  >:(

My god that was an inordinate faff.

Rough/ estiguess fit mdgrd.
Fit rear wheel and adjust for perfect chainline and optimal chain tension.
Realise that I've shortened the chain to 118 links instead of 108. Could be worse, could be the other way round.
Remove wheel, shorten chain, fit rear wheel and adjust for perfect chainline and optimal chain tension.
Adjust the cantilevers - a process which in itself should be nominated for some sort of award.
Realise that estiguessed mdgrd fit is way off target, and that I may need to re-locate the hole which affixes the mdgrd to the chainstay bridge and the one which attaches it to the brake bridge.
Remove wheel, re-fit mdgrd using only the stays.
Realise that rather than re-locating the holes, what needs doing is the stays at 11:00 need shortening by around 7mm.
Partially dismantle mdgrd.
Don eye protection (cheap easy reader specs - as opposed to my not-so-cheap prescription Sillhouettes)
Deploy Dremel to cleave excess stays.
Re-fit mdgrd.
Partially remove mdgrd.
Fit rear wheel and adjust for perfect chainline and optimal chain tension. (Yay! for chain tugs!)
Tweak mdgrd for optimal fit.

Lose the will to live.....

Later today:
Will take front wheel and new rim round to Arup, collect new 'spare' rear wheel he has just built for me, and leave the front wheel with him to replace the worn rim with a new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 May, 2017, 03:30:31 pm
Fitted tyres and tubes to the Holdsworth wheels, after a trip to the LBS to get some more rim tape.

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2865/34341771306_74253b246b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UjEyah)Wheels for 1951 Holdsworth build (https://flic.kr/p/UjEyah) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

The front hub is an Airlite of uncertain vintage, but it has a 5/16" axle which is needed for the Holdsworth forks.  The dropouts are chromed, so filing them out for a modern 9mm axle isn't a good idea.  Front wheel is 32h x2 and rear is 40h x4.

The hipster's favourite Velocity Deep V rims aren't my favourite but they're the only narrow 700c rim available in 40 hole for the AM...which happens to be in an alloy shell that is the same year as the frameset.  Note little brass washers to pack out the modern spokes to allow for the thin flanges.  I built this wheel in 2009 and it's been on the Dun Run.

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2889/33541155944_7c58e4e2d5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/T6Vc79)Sturmey-Archer AM hub in alloy 40h shell and Surly track sprocket (https://flic.kr/p/T6Vc79) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Unlike most SA hubs, the notches in the RH ball ring aren't mangled up because it was NOS and has never needed much force to get it apart.  It should never actually need taking apart in its lifetime now it's running on oil which doesn't go gummy with age.  Also shown - new 18T Surly track sprocket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 01 May, 2017, 05:54:17 pm
Long, very long, overdue deep clean of the cranky old grid.  I won't say how long overdue as I'm rather ashamed of how much I've neglected the poor old bus.

Here's a thing.  I always forget how nimble and responsive my bike is until I take it out for a post clean/fettle round the block blip, sans pump, saddle pack and bottle and, most importantly of all, no damned rucksack full of laptop computer(s).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 01 May, 2017, 09:33:27 pm
I bought an electric go kart rolling chassis a couple of months ago, and have been gradually building it into a working Kart with my 5 year old grandson - I drilled and tapped holes and he bolted a lot of it together. We added a fly-tipped childs car seat, 200 Watt motor, sealled lead acid batteries from a server UPS from work (they scrapped 2 packs of 4 batteries and I identified 4 good batteries to use), and an ebay speed controller. I had to get the 25mm pull cable from the accelerator pedal to operate the potentiometer of the speed control, so swapped the rotary pot for a 60mm slider and used a lever to increase the cable's pull from 25mm to 60mm.

He drove it for the first time today.  :D

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/Kart%202_zpshuc04yij.jpg)

He isn't very good at driving it yet.

https://youtu.be/WZXafBLWvko (https://youtu.be/WZXafBLWvko)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 May, 2017, 08:42:36 am
Lovely. A dream come true for most kids.  When I was a nipper we made do with pram wheels and gravity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 02 May, 2017, 12:30:25 pm
Fettled two hard-back books which were starting to show wear on the corners by adding some metal corner covers.  Cost pennies and took seconds - should have done it ages ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 02 May, 2017, 07:03:16 pm
I have just installed an FSA BB30 conversion sleeve.

Thankfully on an alloy frame.

I don't want to do that again. EVER!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 03 May, 2017, 11:35:57 am
Wot? Not even for money?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 May, 2017, 11:49:06 am
Currently adapting a folding bench to fit a space at the bike end of the workshop. Fiddly - move bit A and then find it fouls bit B when the thing's folded, unfold and fix, try again.

Missus: are you going to want to fold it again?

Me: grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 03 May, 2017, 02:33:04 pm
Fettled the brakes on OH's town bike - crappy V-brakes that were gunked up enough that the return spring wasn't working properly. Copious GT85 and a regrease seem to have done the job, and new blocks have sharpened up the braking. At some point I should probably give it a clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 May, 2017, 04:01:49 pm
Yesterday.
Some Ultegra sidepulls (courtesy of MarkT OTP) to replace the Bianchi own-brand ones on the errr.... Bianchi.
Happy to report that as a result, stoppage on said bike has been considerably enhanced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 04 May, 2017, 12:07:24 am
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 03 May, 2017, 11:35:57 am
Wot? Not even for money?

This was for money. Frankly, it felt like one of those jobs that needed three hands. One to steady the part, another to operate the press and a third to cover the testicles - cos if it had fooked up I was gonna lose 'em!

BB30 is the work of Stan. Reason, explanation, justification? None whatsoever . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 04 May, 2017, 01:47:19 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 04 May, 2017, 12:07:24 am
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 03 May, 2017, 11:35:57 am
Wot? Not even for money?

This was for money. Frankly, it felt like one of those jobs that needed three hands. One to steady the part, another to operate the press and a third to cover the testicles - cos if it had fooked up I was gonna lose 'em!

BB30 is the work of Stan. Reason, explanation, justification? None whatsoever . . .

Someone got a pay rise out of it I suspect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 04 May, 2017, 03:59:53 pm
New Marathon Plus on Mrs Wow's Brommie's rear wheel.

Today, I own the Internets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 May, 2017, 06:20:24 pm
Triffids.  I hurt more than I did after falling off my mountain bike a couple of weeks ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 May, 2017, 10:58:43 pm
The penetrating oil has finally freed up the b0rked red Crit's headset so I tried a quick fork transplant to the blue Crit. Unfortunately despite the headsets looking pretty much identical, they have different bottom cups and crown races. I think it'ts a bit late in the evening now to start attacking things with hammers :-\

The chrome on bottom cup in the red Crit is in far better nick than the current cup on the blue one, so I think I might do a cup swap rather than a crown race one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 May, 2017, 09:27:19 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 04 May, 2017, 12:07:24 am
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 03 May, 2017, 11:35:57 am
Wot? Not even for money?

This was for money. Frankly, it felt like one of those jobs that needed three hands. One to steady the part, another to operate the press and a third to cover the testicles - cos if it had fooked up I was gonna lose 'em!

BB30 is the work of Stan. Reason, explanation, justification? None whatsoever . . .
Because if we invent a new standard, everyone will have to use our parts. And if they want to put a different standard in ours, we'll make lots of conversion bits and bobs. And other xkcd type things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 05 May, 2017, 09:03:22 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 04 May, 2017, 03:59:53 pm
New Marathon Plus on Mrs Wow's Brommie's rear wheel.

Today, I own the Internets.
That is a job I approached with fear & trembling & metal tyre levers. I downgraded to standard Marathons on my Brommie because they're not quite as murderously destructive to fingers & plastic tyre levers. Respect to you, sir.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 May, 2017, 10:07:40 pm
I find the 16" M+ are OK to fit.  The 700 x 25 ones are nigh on impossible.

I swapped the pedals from the Raleigh Twenty back to the original cranks (the thread was ok in the RH crank despite some cretin cross-threading the old pedal) and fixed a bizarre puncture on the soot bike - it was pretty much where the rim meets the rim tape on the inside, although I've been using Spesh rim tape for years and find it by far the most reliable if you like stupidly high pressures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 May, 2017, 08:43:26 am
Wheeled the Ti warhorse the length of the workshop down to the fettling area. Now I'm tired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 06 May, 2017, 06:14:35 pm
I made an adapter to put a strange microphone on a stand.
(https://www.thomann.de/pics/bdb/256092/7272058_800.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 May, 2017, 06:18:13 pm
A little ring spanner arrived in the post, so I am preparing to open up the Duomatic hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 May, 2017, 06:20:12 pm
Removed all the cups from some Campag Record cups, fitted a couple of cones to the oversize axles and replaced the balls in the plastic cages. Once the replacement cups arrive next week, I can reassemble the hubs, swap over the existing cassette and tyres and finally put the wheels in HK's Roberts.

Collected some vintage bikes and saddles from an old friend who raced in the early days of the BLRC. He'll never ride again and needs to clear out his old house. There will be several trips over the next week to transfer all of it. Some of the newer bikes will go to a local bike recycler, some will be sold and I might keep one or two, as we're close enough to the same frame size.

He has a collection of saddles including several original Brooks Swallows. Most are in unrideable condition but one of them looks good for another couple of decades' use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 May, 2017, 08:59:25 pm
The Duomatic is all disassembled and cleaned.  I happened to have two new large bearing cages (bought as spares for a T3 I no longer have) so the only bearing retainer I had to clean out was the small one in the planet cage.  The technique I worked out for removing SA dustcaps without warping them holds true for the Duomatic.

Needless to say, it was all spanking inside, just gummy.  Reassembly tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 May, 2017, 09:05:29 pm
Quote from: Vince on 06 May, 2017, 06:14:35 pm
I made an adapter to put a strange microphone on a stand.
(https://www.thomann.de/pics/bdb/256092/7272058_800.jpg)

Is that not one that's designed to make use of the boundary effect from a flat surface to improve the sensitivity *handwaves*, which would be defeated by positioning it in free air on a stand?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_microphone
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 07 May, 2017, 09:32:17 pm
Not it isn't. Its a designed as a kick drum mic to be either suspended inside a kick drum or insert through a hole in the non-beaten skin.
The pattern is pretty much a 60 degree spread from the non-XLR end.

Now read the article and I'm not sure. A Shure article shows it resting on pillows inside a drum. So I will consult further with the resident microphone expert.

ETA It was an Ebay bargain which Boy Wunja bought whilst on the top of Snowdon (as you do these days).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 10 May, 2017, 02:23:12 pm
Discovered that the mystery click on the bakfiets was not in fact the BB but rather that the track nuts on the rear were worryingly loose. Thankfully I only took the pedals and chaincase off before I made this discovery  ::-)

On the plus side, once you discover the knack chaincase removal is pretty straightforward on this bike - only involves minor swearing, trying to pop a plastic tab open with a screwdriver right up against the frame...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 May, 2017, 03:52:23 pm
I concur with Kim microphonetically.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MalRees on 10 May, 2017, 09:22:12 pm
Removed Di2 gears from Moulton New Series. The installation was a complete bodge, and the NS is a touring bike. It should have cables to the greasy bits. Part installed Ultegra replacements (no point in replacing with Dura Ace Di2 with Dura Ace mechanical - Ultegra more than good enough), then found fatal crack in handlebar stem. Cue rant. Walked away and will finish later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 10 May, 2017, 10:33:34 pm
Some extended fettle required to reseat the bead of the rear tyre on the Trek Stache 29er. Tubeless ready tyres are ok to get on the rim but a bastard to seat. After repairing a puncture at work, I rode home with a bounce as a 'flat spot' became apparent due to the poorly seated tyre. It took 80psi for half an hour to get it to pop on properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 10 May, 2017, 11:17:17 pm
In the past I have found a 2kw fan heater a very useful aid. 80psi and leave the wheel in front of the heater with the low spot in the airflow. Makes a satisfying spang when the tyre relents.

What you're supposed to do out on the trail in the pissing rain I don't know. . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 May, 2017, 11:28:39 pm
Rub a couple of boy scouts together?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 May, 2017, 01:37:54 pm
Put a new headlamp bracket on the Trek. Funny: the previous one was fitted with two washers between it and the calliper and the nut engaged the brake mounting screw OK. With the new one, visually identical, the nut would only engage for a couple of turns.  Had to spread the bracket a mm and lose a washer before it felt safe.  That will have shortened the bracket's life a bit but better that than the front brake parting company.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 May, 2017, 05:19:32 pm
The Duomatic is in lovely condition but it transpires someone has fitted a brake cone from a 3 speed (looks identical but has no hole for the end of the spring from the pawl carrier to fit into) so it doesn't shift properly.  On the hunt for a knackered hub to cannibalise.  I could send the hub back but it's too nice cosmetically - I might never find one as good.

The proper FG 10,5 axle nuts and antirotation washers are here.

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/34210006930_244de26f8d_z.jpg" width="640" height="360")
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 11 May, 2017, 05:24:44 pm
Could a hole be made in the cone you have? I have access to a machine shop if it helps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 May, 2017, 05:29:28 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 11 May, 2017, 05:24:44 pm
Could a hole be made in the cone you have? I have access to a machine shop if it helps.

Thanks.  It will be *very* hard steel but it's a last resort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 11 May, 2017, 08:50:03 pm
Ah I didn't think of that. Well I also have access to far better machinists than I.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 May, 2017, 02:49:11 pm
Changed bars & stem on Ti warhorse & remounted the bar-inhabiting clamjamfry that carries bag, GPS etc.  Spent an hour getting the shifters in the placed & aligned comfortably, but when I got to the taping-up ICBA any more and came in for coffee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 12 May, 2017, 05:07:43 pm
Speaking of strange microphones, today I bought these from my local purveyor of DIY goods (a bird feeder squirrel baffle, and assorted plastic plumbing):

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34484075431_6d6c868497_k.jpg)

To go with these diy capsule microphone parts:

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/34484027581_c42c7bf1ca_b.jpg)

Hopefully a little project for the weekend - can you guess what it's going to be? (I know the baffle dome isn't technically parabolic in shape....)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 12 May, 2017, 06:14:46 pm
Took the cassette off the nice bike for thorough cleaning. When I put it back, there seemed to be too many spacers. I presumed the extra one must go between the cassette and the wheel so put it back together that way.

Then when it came to packing the cleaning kit away, I discovered a spare sprocket...

 :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 13 May, 2017, 10:42:11 am
Quote from: BrianI on 12 May, 2017, 05:07:43 pm
Speaking of strange microphones, today I bought these from my local purveyor of DIY goods (a bird feeder squirrel baffle, and assorted plastic plumbing):

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34484075431_6d6c868497_k.jpg)

To go with these diy capsule microphone parts:

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/34484027581_c42c7bf1ca_b.jpg)

Hopefully a little project for the weekend - can you guess what it's going to be? (I know the baffle dome isn't technically parabolic in shape....)

You're just batty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 13 May, 2017, 04:57:09 pm
A cut in my rear tubeless tyre had expanded and blown the anchovy out so patched it inside. Appears good now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 May, 2017, 05:02:32 pm
Anchovy?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 May, 2017, 05:53:16 pm
Fitted Schwalbe Kojaks to the Brompton.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 13 May, 2017, 06:04:14 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 May, 2017, 05:02:32 pm
Anchovy?

https://www.evanscycles.com/weldtite-tubeless-patch-kit-00103371

Looks like an anchovy tail sticking out the tyre initially
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 13 May, 2017, 10:34:54 pm
Dismantled and re-greased the headset on my Trek. Then moved on to greasing the pedal threads, seat post and the bolts holding the rear dropouts onto the frame.

It still creaks under load. I'm starting to suspect the bottom bracket *grumble*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 May, 2017, 07:29:33 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 13 May, 2017, 10:34:54 pm
Dismantled and re-greased the headset on my Trek. Then moved on to greasing the pedal threads, seat post and the bolts holding the rear dropouts onto the frame.

It still creaks under load. I'm starting to suspect the bottom bracket *grumble*
Is "bottom bracket grumble" a specialist sort of magazine?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 May, 2017, 07:48:29 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 12 May, 2017, 06:14:46 pm
Took the cassette off the nice bike for thorough cleaning. When I put it back, there seemed to be too many spacers. I presumed the extra one must go between the cassette and the wheel so put it back together that way.

Then when it came to packing the cleaning kit away, I discovered a spare sprocket...

 :facepalm:
Definitive proof that this modern multi-sprocket madness has gone too far and nobody needs more than 5-speed, maybe 6 if they're racing.

Or that you can't count.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 14 May, 2017, 08:17:30 pm
My first _ever_ powered flying model; just for giggles.  Couple of areas of paint to touch up and it's still to be trimmed, but still a single day project.  Two days if you get fussy about decorating it.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4194/33848345233_4d920f7c82_z_d.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 14 May, 2017, 09:17:41 pm
Very productive fettling this afternoon, much of which consisted of removing computer brackets and sensors, followed by lots of tyre pumping..

We got (almost) all the bikes out for a check over and some titivation.  Dawes tandem has had a good check over (needs new timing chain), Bob Jackson & Woodrup also got a check over.  My tourer got a new rear rack, which will help keep floppy panniers out of my wheels.  Butterfly got to ride her Rudge again, which was a lot of fun.  Had a bitof an issue with the Duck's bike, which has had a trip to the beach.  It appeares there is no grease left in the freewheel, which I haven#t the tools to remove and service. :/

We also erected the tent we got for free, which was pretty good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 May, 2017, 09:28:15 pm
Stack height on Ernie Clements frame is 34mm.  Stack height of headset is 35.3mm.  I think a spot of judicious facing and crown seat cutting is required to sneak the missing 1.3mm.  The crown is a stupidly over-spec 27.0mm at the moment (much too big for ISO, a little too small for JIS) so needs cutting down to 26.5mm anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 15 May, 2017, 08:52:39 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 May, 2017, 07:48:29 pm
Or that you can't count.  ;)

Haven't got enough fingers to count the sprockets on a modern cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 May, 2017, 08:55:06 am
Quote from: Ham on 13 May, 2017, 10:42:11 am
Quote from: BrianI on 12 May, 2017, 05:07:43 pm
Speaking of strange microphones, today I bought these from my local purveyor of DIY goods (a bird feeder squirrel baffle, and assorted plastic plumbing):

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34484075431_6d6c868497_k.jpg)

To go with these diy capsule microphone parts:

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/34484027581_c42c7bf1ca_b.jpg)

Hopefully a little project for the weekend - can you guess what it's going to be? (I know the baffle dome isn't technically parabolic in shape....)

You're just batty.

Druther put up a bird baffle & feed the squirrels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 16 May, 2017, 04:52:01 pm
New brake cables for the Eclipse; my, centre-pulls are a bit of a pain to set up. Managed to do ok by removing the wheel and using a toestrap to hold the callipers closed. Just the FD to set up and then I should be good to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 May, 2017, 09:29:56 pm
Cleaned up the original crankset for the Raleigh Twenty, ready to go back on.  Measured BB height with the BMX size wheels and it's actually 10 1/4", which is perfectly adequate for 165mm cranks.  I need to get a coaster brake on the back, though, because the rear brake is total crap, with a reach of over 100mm! 

Also trying to update Windows on this laptop: turns out the POS that is Windows 7 hasn't actually been updating anything for months even though automatic updates are turned on (Windows Update just hangs).  I might reinstall everything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 May, 2017, 09:32:57 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 16 May, 2017, 09:29:56 pm
...

Also trying to update Windows on this laptop: turns out the POS that is Windows 7 hasn't actually been updating anything for months even though automatic updates are turned on (Windows Update just hangs).  I might reinstall everything.

This happened to me and another couple of bods I know with Win 7 or Win 8/8.1.   I really need to do a nuke from orbit but haven't got round yet to sourcing an OEM win7 Home Premium cd.   Firewall and AV seem to have kept me safe and I've largely been good at backing up my data. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 May, 2017, 09:57:19 pm
I might burn it down and install Linux Mint, which works faultlessly these days.  I only use this laptop for web browsing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 17 May, 2017, 02:09:36 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 14 May, 2017, 08:17:30 pm
My first _ever_ powered flying model; just for giggles.  Couple of areas of paint to touch up and it's still to be trimmed, but still a single day project.  Two days if you get fussy about decorating it.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4194/33848345233_4d920f7c82_z_d.jpg)

Where are you going to put the clockwork escapement for the rudder?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 May, 2017, 06:43:33 pm
Dismantling the rattly pedals on the surly bike.  It is a pain to get the pedal tight enough and still be able to turn freely.  Need to fix the p clips holding the front mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 17 May, 2017, 07:14:18 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 17 May, 2017, 02:09:36 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 14 May, 2017, 08:17:30 pm
My first _ever_ powered flying model; just for giggles.  Couple of areas of paint to touch up and it's still to be trimmed, but still a single day project.  Two days if you get fussy about decorating it.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4194/33848345233_4d920f7c82_z_d.jpg)

Where are you going to put the clockwork escapement for the rudder?

Damn! Back to the drawing board.  Make that a 3 day build.  However the escapement won't be a problem. :)

  (https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4169/33848763703_f6ea46a251_o_d.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 17 May, 2017, 09:31:47 pm
The toilet cistern. Was slightly dreading it since it's a concealed cistern and I was expecting it to be a nightmare to deal with but it was actually very easy - it's a Geberit and all the components are modular and easy to remove - just pop the face plate off and the inner workings can all be unclipped and removed through the same hole. Unfortunately, it looks like the flush valve is knackered, which is probably the cause of the excessively high water bill we had last week, and the parts aren't user serviceable, but it's easy enough to order a replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 May, 2017, 10:28:23 pm
I do think modern toilet cisterms are a triumph of form over function.  The normal exposed type with a handle virtually always works, and even if the flush siphon is a bit knackered, with holes in the flapper valve, a few pumps on the handle will usually send the jobbies on their journey to the ocean.

Push buttons are often not up to the job - I've repaired the plastic push-button type with epoxy more than once - and they don't provide much leverage to get the water moving round the siphon.

My parents' numerous chodbins have totally concealed cisterns with no access unless you start chipping off the tiles.  That really is daft, since they WILL go wrong sooner or later, generally sooner in a hard water area.

I have a soft spot for the high-level type with a chain, but new ones tend to be matched to fairly standard pans designed for close-coupled cisterns, and not designed to cope with the rush of water from high above.  The result is that (if you're lucky) water splashes over the rim and onto the floor when you flush*.  if you're unlucky you'll be picking up used food from the far end of the bathroom.

*I have personal experience of this in a very boutique holiday cottage in Aldeburgh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 May, 2017, 10:34:57 pm
Push buttons are terrible accessibility, TAAW.

In the unlikely event of ever being able to spec our own bathroom, I'll be fitting one of those IR thingies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 17 May, 2017, 10:55:53 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 May, 2017, 10:28:23 pm
I do think modern toilet cisterms are a triumph of form over function.  The normal exposed type with a handle virtually always works, and even if the flush siphon is a bit knackered, with holes in the flapper valve, a few pumps on the handle will usually send the jobbies on their journey to the ocean.

Also flapper valves are easily replaced without having to replace the whole syphon unit.

Quote
My parents' numerous chodbins have totally concealed cisterns with no access unless you start chipping off the tiles.  That really is daft, since they WILL go wrong sooner or later, generally sooner in a hard water area.

That's what ours is, and why I was dreading having to deal with it, but in fact the flush valve unit and the fill valve unit are easily accessible/replaceable through the hatch behind the face plate.

You definitely don't get the flush power of a high-level cistern, but considering it's a mere 6L cistern, it's surprisingly effective.

Quote
I have a soft spot for the high-level type with a chain, but new ones tend to be matched to fairly standard pans designed for close-coupled cisterns, and not designed to cope with the rush of water from high above.  The result is that (if you're lucky) water splashes over the rim and onto the floor when you flush*.  if you're unlucky you'll be picking up used food from the far end of the bathroom.

 :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 May, 2017, 09:30:20 am
Was beginning to think that all my 2015 Assos shorts were wearing out PDQ.  Then yesterday I retensioned my saddle and did 145k with nary a chafe. Dunno if it's the leather giving or just the horrid surfaces of our roads vibrating the screw loose, but the difference is remarkable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 May, 2017, 02:39:40 pm
Changed the cranks on the Raleigh Twenty and adjusted the BB.  It's easy if you put anti-seize on the cotter pins a few years ago  :)

Have also identified the chainline problem - I could never get the rear far out enough without the chain fouling the chainstay.  Basically, Raleigh's designers made it so you could never use a bigger sprocket than 15T (stardard gearing is 46 x 15, which is about right on BMX wheels but a bit high on the original 451 wheels).  Now Miss Z the younger is bigger, she'll just need to turn a 60" gear on the flat.  Or 45", if she uses low gear on the AW hub.

The 3/4 chainguard (it was actually a Raleigh Solitaire, but I rebadged it as a Twenty - Twenties are identical but have only a half chainguard) is a right PITA to refit.

The paintwork is still original and looks like new - after 33 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 May, 2017, 06:18:11 pm
Still pedal fettling...how to get the bolt tab and nut sorted.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 19 May, 2017, 12:18:13 am
Replaced the rubber hoods on the Cane Creek brake levers on my Dave Yates. Also, I swapped in the spare rear wheel, as the broken spoke in the other rear wheel needs a proper look.

And I replaced the crank spacer thingie on my Ribble after the left crank came off (twice) during the route check for my 300.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 May, 2017, 08:33:58 am
^^^Good point. I must lay in a few for my 3x10 STI shifters before they disappear from the market.  The hoods for my 1999 105 shifters are unobtainable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 May, 2017, 09:50:06 pm
Been messing about with the old Campag Record hubs that arrived today.  By fitting a 129mm axle to the rear and respacing it to 120mm OLD I can make a dishless singlespeed wheel, or within 1mm of dishless, anyway (I'm constrained by the need to get the chainline just right, as I'm already on the shortest BB available).  Taking the frame down to 120mm was easy enough - just a bit of a squeeze with both hands and it came out right first time when checked with a string.

Then measured the hubs several times and ordered spokes, ironically from Pedal On in Tadley which is half a mile from my parents' house and which I pass quite frequently.  Front will be x2 (I generally do fronts x2 unless there's a compelling reason to do otherwise, like a hub brake) and rear will be x3.  Not totally happy with the spoke/rim angle you get with x3 on a 28h wheel, but should be OK on 700c and I don't really trust x2 for power transmission.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 May, 2017, 12:19:59 pm
Checked the disc pads on the Sequoia. To do this I had to take the front wheel out and readers might be interested* to hear on this occasion I did this with the bike upright. There was a specific reason for this; the instructions for replacing disc pads say so! In fact, they had to be coaxed out and it would probably have worked just as well with the bike upside down or even on its side, but as I'd not done it before, I didn't know that. For further interest,** I kept the bike upright by resting one handlebar on a convenient piece of furniture and positioning the other pedal downwards. So maybe I'll start carrying a chair round with me. The pads turned out to have more material left than I expected.

That done, I turned my attention to the slow puncture that I've been trying to ignore since November. It's just slow enough to be annoying; requires noticeable pumping every week or so. On this occasion, I found it. Then I found I didn't have any patches left (though I did have an almost full tube of glue) and I didn't want to put my spare tube in then possibly find I only had a leaky tube in time of actual need – so I used an instant patch instead. It seems I've used two already, though I can't remember when, where or on what tubes, which implies they probably worked and are still working, somewhere.

*No, not really.
**This is taking the piss.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 20 May, 2017, 02:26:17 pm
32 toothy goodness and rear mech to match...

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/34734045926_90948b461d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UVk4JN)
20170520_140509 (https://flic.kr/p/UVk4JN) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 20 May, 2017, 11:34:18 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 17 May, 2017, 10:55:53 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 May, 2017, 10:28:23 pm
I do think modern toilet cisterms are a triumph of form over function.  The normal exposed type with a handle virtually always works, and even if the flush siphon is a bit knackered, with holes in the flapper valve, a few pumps on the handle will usually send the jobbies on their journey to the ocean.

Also flapper valves are easily replaced without having to replace the whole syphon unit.

Quote
My parents' numerous chodbins have totally concealed cisterns with no access unless you start chipping off the tiles.  That really is daft, since they WILL go wrong sooner or later, generally sooner in a hard water area.

That's what ours is, and why I was dreading having to deal with it, but in fact the flush valve unit and the fill valve unit are easily accessible/replaceable through the hatch behind the face plate.

You definitely don't get the flush power of a high-level cistern, but considering it's a mere 6L cistern, it's surprisingly effective.

Quote
I have a soft spot for the high-level type with a chain, but new ones tend to be matched to fairly standard pans designed for close-coupled cisterns, and not designed to cope with the rush of water from high above.  The result is that (if you're lucky) water splashes over the rim and onto the floor when you flush*.  if you're unlucky you'll be picking up used food from the far end of the bathroom.

 :sick:

That lot is nothing.

You should try replacing the toilet seat on a pan where the wing nuts are concealed within the moulding of the pan and where the pan is fixed to a boxed in section with an access panel of 8 inch X 8 inch proportions and, once the panel is removed, you find that the wing nuts are accessed through a further hole, the diameter of which is only 3 inches more than the soil pipe it was cut for.

On more thane occasion I have found myself a) wishing for hands the size of The Donalds or smaller, 2) at leat 4 more elbows and two more wrists and iii) getting a lot more intimate with the knowledge of how poor the aim of smalls is when they are standing to take a piss  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 May, 2017, 12:57:59 am
BN: ^^^^^^^

GN: Not any more!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 21 May, 2017, 09:29:19 am
With 6 weeks to go, you would be surprised how many toilets can be blocked and seats trashed.........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 May, 2017, 11:47:50 am
I spent most of yesterday afternoon hitting bits of my tourer with a mallet.

It now has an un-stuck seat post, and a shiny new headset1. Not involving hitting things with mallets, I've also fitted some mini-v's to the front. Between the headset and replacing the canti's, I've cured the brake judder it's had for years :thumbsup:

I also switched the Raleigh's fork for the chrome one of an old broken frame, which means I can fit a bigger tyre than 23mm under the guards


1When you remove the forks to find pitted upper and lower cups, plus the lower bearings cage coming out in two pieces, I think it's means the thing's dead :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 May, 2017, 12:34:51 pm
I spun the rear wheel on the clubman and it has a distinct wobble to it, although it doesn't rub on the brake.  So that's the next job.  I've almost never had to re-true a wheel of mine but this one is almost ten years old, did a lot of commuting, a Dun Run and numerous other long rides and the rim was shite to start with (Rigida, about a fiver, no eyelets), so there's probably some creep of the nipples in the alloy.

The wheel that caused the most problems was one with a Velocity Deep V and an ancient alloy-shell SA hub.  It went out of true just sitting around as the spokes crept in the flanges, which are no thicker than on the steel shells.  It's been fine ever since a day-after retruing, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 May, 2017, 03:13:00 pm
What are the three Ds of starting a plumbing job on a Sunday afternoon?
Don't. Don't and Don't.

Prodding a slow-draining kitchen sink in the plughole with a long screw driver resulted in the catastrophic failure of the means by which the trap is attached to the sink.

It has taken me just under three hours to replace the trap, overflow and plughole - but that did include an additional trip to B&Q as I'd bought a 32mm fitting instaead of a 40mm one  :facepalm:

It'll be tomorrow before I know whether the job has been a success as I am waiting for silicone to cure before chucking water at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 May, 2017, 06:13:07 pm
Spent some time Saturday afternoon going over a hire bike (well-worn hybrid) to allay my fears that a mechanical breakdown would scupper me finishing an overnight 200 brevet in India. No breakdown, no problems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 May, 2017, 07:48:30 pm
Finished epoxy-bodging the damage to the seat of the Baron.  It's no longer shedding glass fibre, and close enough to the original shape as will make no difference.  New edging strip to come (turns out it's a cheap car part[1], so no expensive Germans involved).

Transplanted a new rim onto the front wheel to replace the damaged one.  Still needs tensioning and truing, but that's the tedious bit done.


[1] "Door edge trim" for those playing along at home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 May, 2017, 07:03:14 pm
Finished rebuilding that wheel, and installed new evil folding bastard tyres front and back.

ETA: And discovered that the rear rack is more than a bit loose.  Don't think that has anything to do with the crash though, as it wouldn't have been in contact with the ground.  Possibly being-transported-inna-car related.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 May, 2017, 09:07:40 pm
Retrued the errant rear wheel, which turned out to be extremely difficult due to the crapness of the rim.  A half-worn through crap rim is even less stiff than a new crap rim, and even 1/8 of a turn with the spoke key makes a massive difference.  On the bright side, the nipples never seize on a wheel with a traditional SA hub because the constant oil seepage keeps them nice and free  ;D

Also gave the hub a tiny shot of fresh oil and changed the front tyre from the hopeless Durano to a Fortezza TriComp Quattro, which is what I should have bought in the first place.  Oh, and the LH rear wheel nut is now a domed nut, which makes more sense as the AM has a hollow axle and it stops water getting into the hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 May, 2017, 09:16:19 pm
Installed my new WIn 10 version of my insulin pump software (only a 6+ month wait)

Then downloaded meter number 1, unpaired that from the pump, uloaded the settings to meter number 2 and paired that with the pump.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 22 May, 2017, 09:24:25 pm
Nothing yet, just preparation for pedal and / or cleat maintenance tomorrow.

My Crank Bros Candy pedals started clicking yesterday on the ride and the bearings are as wobbly as a wobbly thing.  I have two spare sets of Candy pedals albeit lower spec so I should be able to fit a spare set whilst I order a service kit and repair the ti's once it arrives.

Fallback position is some lush but well tatty looking XT 7?? pedals from the late nineties which are as smooth as butter in spite of sitting the workshop for a decade.   I also have the proper sh52 cleats for them.     
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 22 May, 2017, 09:29:48 pm
Put a well used B17 special on the 'Borrowed from 'Bagger' Brompton for the French visit. What a difference. (Tried a brand new Professional first, that did not work at all.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 23 May, 2017, 12:01:32 pm
Well not today and certainly not fettled

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/34757914435_39dbf72b2c_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UXrp1P)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 May, 2017, 03:22:59 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 22 May, 2017, 09:24:25 pm
Nothing yet, just preparation for pedal and / or cleat maintenance tomorrow.

My Crank Bros Candy pedals started clicking yesterday on the ride and the bearings are as wobbly as a wobbly thing.  I have two spare sets of Candy pedals albeit lower spec so I should be able to fit a spare set whilst I order a service kit and repair the ti's once it arrives.

Fallback position is some lush but well tatty looking XT 7?? pedals from the late nineties which are as smooth as butter in spite of sitting the workshop for a decade.   I also have the proper sh52 cleats for them.     

I took the 'best' pair of secondhand spares, opened them up and gave them a check and grease.   This completed I then swapped them over for the wobbly ti versions.   

Stripping the ti versions the plastic sleeve bearings are again fubar'd.   Service kit required. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 23 May, 2017, 04:48:35 pm
Repaired few tubes with holes.  All my patches were far  too big so I made a few new patches from an old tube.  Then fettled a repaired tube into the bike that had the puncture.  Lets see if they hold.

Finally fettled the second set of crappy pedals so that the bike has pedals that have dust caps and be seals so one up to the pedals on there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 23 May, 2017, 04:54:46 pm
After the sparky had been to check over some wiring and fit some lighting track, fettled a couple of light fittings.

Then discovered that the sparky had put an (admittedly tiny) chip into the paint of my bike frame; thankfully it turns out that Humbrol no.3 modelling enamel is a perfect match for Bob Jackson's​ Racing Green, so a successful fettle there as well...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 May, 2017, 04:59:22 pm
Started taking my daughter's busted-neck bass apart. Gawd, it's horrible: hollow nut (fractured) and neck shimmed with a tiny piece of plastic.  The electronics are probably vile as well.  Annoying thing is that a set of bass nut files will run me about 80€ and I'm never likely to use them again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 May, 2017, 06:38:25 pm
Installed a desk fan in the Estate Office.  More complicated than just plugging it in, coz I had to shut down a couple of network drives.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 23 May, 2017, 06:44:47 pm
Removing the front boom of the trice and cleaned the rust off, regressed and replaced it  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 23 May, 2017, 06:57:40 pm
Quote from: cycleman on 23 May, 2017, 06:44:47 pm
Removing the front boom of the trice and cleaned the rust off, regressed and replaced it  :)

Part of your testing protocol?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 24 May, 2017, 08:38:41 am
Yes  :-[   :). Spell checkers  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 May, 2017, 08:46:50 am
Quote from: cycleman on 24 May, 2017, 08:38:41 am
Yes  :-[   :). Spell checkers  ::-)

The autocorrect on my fondleslab is getting quite well trained these days; it knows now that the word "disgraced" will almost certainly be followed by "former", "defence", "secretary", "Liam" and "Fox".  Recently I had cause to describe members of Britain First as "nutbars"; it suggested "Nuttalls" ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 May, 2017, 11:37:57 am
I had a colleague, Colin Daffern

MS word spellcheck came up with Colon Deafen
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 May, 2017, 03:49:13 pm
Well, yesterday I didn't have enough beans for my lunchtime chilli con carne so I bulked it up with lentils.  Come evening the chilli winds were blowing.

Anyway, fettledom: I screwed my daughter's broken neck to a board and clamped it up in a vice. Tomorrow I'll have at it with a kitchen knife and the hot air gun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 24 May, 2017, 04:31:50 pm
Good thing we know what you mean . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 May, 2017, 05:37:33 pm
Finished the repairs to the Red Baron.  Chiefly, fitting the right kind of front derailleur[1].  Also crimped a new spade connector onto the dangling cable for the lights, and replaced the bottle cage which had been converted into a super-lightweight model by the slide along the road.

Then, out of curiosity, and since the bike was mounted in the turbo trainer, I had a go at pedalling it.  FuckingHellHowPainful.  I suspect that once the road rash heals, I'll have to stick to saddles for a bit until the bruising subsides.

Also swapped the Schrader tubes in the Brompton for Presta ones, because the great thing about standards.


[1] Recumbentists and tourists take note: FD-R453 is the magic front mech that shifts road-sized chainrings with a MTB-shifter-compatible pull ratio.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 25 May, 2017, 05:57:41 pm
Cobbled together a pull through for the tube on my Camelbak.  It was  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 May, 2017, 11:42:18 am
Attempting to replace a bottom bracket. Cannot remove drive-side of present one. Installed by LBS, I think they employ a gorilla. Or maybe an elephant. Or power tools. (Yes, I do know it's left-hand thread on right-hand side.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 26 May, 2017, 12:48:27 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 May, 2017, 04:59:22 pm
Started taking my daughter's busted-neck bass apart. Gawd, it's horrible: hollow nut (fractured) and neck shimmed with a tiny piece of plastic.  The electronics are probably vile as well.  Annoying thing is that a set of bass nut files will run me about 80€ and I'm never likely to use them again.
I'm not sure they will cover bass strings, but I'm awaiting delivery of a set of these (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Guitar-Nut-Slotting-File-Saw-Rods-Slot-Filing-Set-Luthier-Replacement-Tool/332137908944?_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3De6fdb8039f2346b6ac7520efd1510ac1%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D332137908944&_trkparms=pageci%253Ae578306d-4208-11e7-ab8c-74dbd18015d4%257Cparentrq%253A4493ea3815c0aa16e1b2e2fefff98d39%257Ciid%253A1) from china. £1.70 inc postage seems not a lot if they are crap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2017, 01:50:31 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 May, 2017, 11:42:18 am
Attempting to replace a bottom bracket. Cannot remove drive-side of present one. Installed by LBS, I think they employ a gorilla. Or maybe an elephant. Or power tools. (Yes, I do know it's left-hand thread on right-hand side.)

Contrive an arrangement of bolts and washers and gaffer tape to hold the tool and spanner in place, then attempt to pedal it off.  Works best on recumbents, as you're not limited to body weight + arm strength.  A turbo trainer probably helps, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 May, 2017, 02:09:32 pm
How can I pedal it off when, in order to access the BB cups, I've had to remove the cranks? Anyway, I removed it by simple means of wheeling it to LBS (they're pretty close) and smiling.  :) (I have in the past brought them doughnuts, they know me... )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2017, 02:45:11 pm
The spanner acts as a crank.  You don't really need a pedal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 May, 2017, 03:15:49 pm
In other words, foot on a spanner? Might, as you say, work on a turbo trainer, but basically it's just "use a bigger spanner", isn't it?

Anyway, seems I might have got the wrong length bottom bracket now.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2017, 03:59:21 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 May, 2017, 03:15:49 pm
In other words, foot on a spanner? Might, as you say, work on a turbo trainer, but basically it's just "use a bigger spanner", isn't it?

Or at least use a bigger muscle, while restraining the bike frame in a useful manner.


Quote
Anyway, seems I might have got the wrong length bottom bracket now.  :facepalm:

Ah yes, BTDT.  I've probably had the full set of lengths by now...

On a related note, after removing the damaged front mech from the Baron, I discovered a grub screw on the derailleur post.  It turns out that the thick, seat-tube-diameter part of the post bolts onto the thinner piece brazed to the front part of the boom.  In a minor moment of genius, whoever designed this made the drilling in the thicker piece eccentric, so by loosening the grub screw it can be rotated to adjust the derailleur's effective chainline.  Which is good because it means bottom bracket length is much less critical, but bad because it means you've got yet another axis of adjustment to fuck around with in the quest for a properly indexing front mech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 May, 2017, 04:29:09 pm
Ah, like V brakes where you have numerous flat, concave and convex washers to enable you to adjust height, up-down angle and toe-in angle all at the same time; so whenever you've got one right, it puts the others out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 26 May, 2017, 07:43:33 pm
Whereas putting a bike rack on is a piece of cake.  Which I have done.  Temporary reinstatement of bike rack, model aeroplane, carrying, for the use of.  The hope is that I can try the glider out on one (or more) of the local slopes all of which are short ride from home.

Tell you what though that rack is coming off by Tuesday morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 May, 2017, 09:06:25 pm
Bought the wrong pad infills, thought it would fit in a road caliper instead bought the xtr infills
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 27 May, 2017, 07:00:45 pm
Building up one of these (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RSP-RALEIGH-TOURING-FRAMESET-4130-CROMOLY-D-BUTTED-VINTAGE-NOS-RETRO-NEW-/232133418787?hash=item360c3adf23:g:OvcAAOSw0e9UwjD4) frames, I realise that the top tube cable routing meant I had nowhere to put my 8 speed Shimano downtube shifters.  I'm hoping to take it some fairly gnarly places so would like to avoid STIs and 10 speed - especially as the 10 speed STIs I could transfer across are currently playing up and may be at the end of their lives ...

... but then I had a brainwave!  My old pair of 10 speed Campag TT shifters, which I've replaced with return-to-centre models, will fit in the bar ends and I can shimergo them to an 8 speed drivetrain!  Bodgetastic!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 May, 2017, 02:54:08 pm
Started fishing for the broken end of cable inside my RH shifter, managed to clamp a grip wrench on the frayed end but broddling it out of there is going to take witchcraft.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 29 May, 2017, 03:02:30 pm
An entire bedroom suite of Ikea furniture...Oh my word, knackered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 May, 2017, 03:18:52 pm
Witchcraft duly applied - all it needed was a Mighty Oath and a little blood. That, and to pull the rubber hood back far enough that it didn't foul the funny wee lever that connects the shifter trigger to the mechanism, so that it would move round far enough to get the blob on the end of the cable opposite the hole. Blood was frayed end under fingernail, always a joy.  Replaced the cable.

Have also been flattening the sole of a new plane, an early '60s Stanley N° 6 in lovely condition. It came in the original box with the Stanley-imprinted tissue wrapper and set of instructions.  It did actually take shavings straight off but a couple of hours work will get it ready for jointing. Luvly.

Collected the filings from above and plonked them in vinegar in my rusty-nail jar to make iron acetate for darkening wood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 29 May, 2017, 06:24:05 pm
Finished my Strong and Stable shower cubicle.  Just need to add the shower thingy..
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/IMG_4109_zpsaoyhuwvw.jpg)

Oh, and clean the floor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 29 May, 2017, 07:41:23 pm
Failed to fettle our shower, again. It needs a new cartridge but I am beaten by trying to get at the old one to remove it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 May, 2017, 08:12:24 pm
Using the offcuts from the hardwood decking I replaced a few weeks and a piece of perspex I routed slots, routed rebates, cut angles and made a deep "glass case/frame" to display one of the 2014 ceramic Poppies from the Tower of London.  My wife spent a day "planting" them so it seemed a nice thing to buy as a memento when they sold them off for charity.

Rob

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 May, 2017, 09:58:55 pm
Rebuilt two old Nuovo Record hubs, respaced one of them to 120mm with a shorter axle and made it (almost) dishless for s/s, then built a rear wheel.  Usual Mavic quality control...this rim has the worst flat spot I've ever seen.  I can feel where it's kinked slightly in the rolling process.  Still, it was cheap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 29 May, 2017, 11:25:41 pm
An there I was thinking I was crap at building wheels. Mavics always have a flat spot when I build them. Ambrosio from now on . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 30 May, 2017, 05:12:33 am
Quote from: tiermat on 29 May, 2017, 07:41:23 pm
Failed to fettle our shower, again. It needs a new cartridge but I am beaten by trying to get at the old one to remove it.

Put the problem on OT knowledge. A problem shared on OTK is a problem beaten into the dust by the storm that is internet debate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 May, 2017, 10:10:13 am
Quote from: asterix on 29 May, 2017, 06:24:05 pm
Finished my Strong and Stable shower cubicle.  Just need to add the shower thingy..
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/IMG_4109_zpsaoyhuwvw.jpg)

Oh, and clean the floor.

Nice.  I need to replace the silicon seal round ours but it's a job that I hate so I'm ignoring it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 May, 2017, 12:12:56 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 29 May, 2017, 11:25:41 pm
An there I was thinking I was crap at building wheels. Mavics always have a flat spot when I build them. Ambrosio from now on . . .
DT rims are extremely consistent but are a sky-high price and last no longer than a cheap rim.  This is clearly a manufacturing defect where the rim hasn't rolled properly.  I may try to pull it out with a luggage strap, since no LBS will have a rim puller these days.

I always check new rims on a plate glass window before building them up but a flat spot is almost undetectable until you have it laced and spinning.  The dent is about 2mm, which is at the limit of tolerance.  There is no splaying of the sidewalls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 May, 2017, 07:27:45 pm
Now I am become DETH, destroyer of bushes.  Wif a hedge trimmer.  And a chainsaw.  Oh yes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 May, 2017, 07:49:44 pm
Stripped the front end of the track bike and rebuilt it.  The steering had a tendency to stiffen after hard climbs and, looking at the grot in the "sealed" headset, I could see why.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 31 May, 2017, 12:50:51 am
It always disappoints me that maufacturers used 'sealed' bearings in a head set yet make no attempt to seal them from all the shit flying around, particularly the bottom bearing.

I recently replaced the bottom bearing on a BMC race bike. A taper fork (11/8 top, 11/2 bottom) where not only was there nothing to seal the joint between bottom bearing and the head tube, there wasn't even a crown race. The bearing sitting directly on the fork taper. It struck me as particularly shite for a 2 grand bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 31 May, 2017, 11:11:20 am
Yebbut, a crown race has weight innit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 June, 2017, 08:02:31 am
Loosened the spokes right off around the dent and tried to pull the flat spot out of the rim using a tie-down strap, a tree, and all my weight.

It didn't budge a bit.  CXP profile rims are incredibly strong - the flat spot must have occurred when the extrusion was being rolled into a hoop.

New rim ordered  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 03 June, 2017, 08:52:27 pm
Swapped the nice saddle onto Mrs Dan's summer (skirt without opaques friendly) bike and gave it a check over.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 03 June, 2017, 10:41:04 pm
Cleaned the oven.

Did two loads of washing and dried them on the line.

Washed down the metal bike boxes.

Started cleaning the back yard.

Tidied up the front garden and the pavement in front of the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 June, 2017, 11:43:17 pm
Re-enacted the explosive demolition of the Didcot cooling towers by blowing the fluff out of a neglected-because-it's-been-reliable server with compressed air.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 04 June, 2017, 08:56:57 am
Replaced the frayed shifter cable on the bakfiets. As the drivetrain fettling seems to have cured the mystery click, it was almost worth the gigantic pain in the backside that is dealing with the chaincase, cassette joint, etc. Because it has a big sprocket on the back it's microns away from fouling​ the chain case at all times, and actually getting the wheel out was an exercise in Bad Swears. For future reference: removing (and especially replacing) the rear wheel on a Workcycles KR8 is infinitely easier if you slacken off the nuts that hold the split chain- and seatstays together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 June, 2017, 04:09:42 pm
Adjusted the blade guides on the bandsaw (piece of shit Metabo*): back one & right one OK but the left one hasn't got enough travel to get close enough to the blade - min sep = 1 mm, very shoddy. Think I'll sell it on.

Cleaned my bike. Annoying thing: I've been putting Contrex in my bidons 'cos since they put in new arsenic filters our local water is bitter. Contrex tastes fine but has high Ca content, which has left scale on the down tube.  Don't really want to try bathroom descaler on a carbon bike. :(

*and those are words I would never have thought to write 20 years ago
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 04 June, 2017, 04:47:18 pm
Vinegar?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 June, 2017, 05:03:01 pm
I'll give it a try on a bit that doesn't show.  The mat finish on the Trek is so §"$%&/( sensitive - still got marks from black tape on it from 2015 - that I'm chary of anything chemically active.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2017, 12:03:51 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 03 June, 2017, 10:41:04 pm
Washed down the metal bike boxes.
I presume that's something along these lines?
https://www.trimetals.co.uk/product/metal-bike-storage/

What are your opinions/impressions/thoughts/experiences?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 05 June, 2017, 01:49:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 June, 2017, 11:43:17 pm
Re-enacted the explosive demolition of the Didcot cooling towers by blowing the fluff out of a neglected-because-it's-been-reliable server with compressed air.

Kim, I'm surprised at you!  I would have expected you to do a far more high tech variation on my usual effort of using compressed air to blow the crap out, at the same time as having the Dyson producing a vast air current into its bowels to suck up the offending detritus.  Yes, I do take care to ensure the end of said Dyson doesn't get too close to any hardware, as I suspect they are related to a Van der Graaf generator.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 June, 2017, 07:39:14 pm
Rain stopped any outside jobs (I have a week off) so I built a front wheel (took ages, this rim was better than the last one but still not very round - you get what you pay for, I suppose), overhauled a BHC Airlite hub (cones perfect, cups look distinctly unpolished but will probably be ok after a few hundred miles; it's not Campag Record-smooth but turns freely when adjusted for zero clearance) and filed the dropouts of the Ernie Clements to take modern hub axles.  This is harder than it sounds because the wheel still has to sit perfectly centrally when it's done, so it takes a bit of trial and error, frequently checking with a known good wheel.

Was going to drill the back of the fork crown for an allen key brake but don't have an 8mm HSS drill.  Probably cheaper to buy one than to ask the resprayers to drill it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 June, 2017, 07:42:58 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 05 June, 2017, 01:49:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 June, 2017, 11:43:17 pm
Re-enacted the explosive demolition of the Didcot cooling towers by blowing the fluff out of a neglected-because-it's-been-reliable server with compressed air.

Kim, I'm surprised at you!  I would have expected you to do a far more high tech variation on my usual effort of using compressed air to blow the crap out, at the same time as having the Dyson producing a vast air current into its bowels to suck up the offending detritus.  Yes, I do take care to ensure the end of said Dyson doesn't get too close to any hardware, as I suspect they are related to a Van der Graaf generator.

If it's any consolation, I did it outdoors in the hope of not breathing too much dust (that didn't work, was on the salbutamol for the rest of the day), and the compressor was powerful enough that it blew the front bezel off the floppy drive[1], along with the associated dust.


[1] Teenagers: Ask your parents.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 05 June, 2017, 09:48:00 pm
Sewed some old webbing, shoulder strap off an old holdall and some clips using my 1963 Singer 411g Sewing Machine, to fettle a yoga mat strap. Much neater and easier to carry using this, than tying the yoga mat up using a too short yoga belt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 05 June, 2017, 11:08:56 pm
Yesterday: front mech on the MLC* tweaked to perfection; crown race bludgeoned neanderthal-wise** into place on the (currently) last-ever-bike***, and inventiveness with nuts, bolts and mending plates applied to put right historic divviness  (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=95565.msg2173954#msg2173954).

*Mid-life crisis, aka bespoke Longstaff.
**I fitted an (expendable) stem handle bar clamp over the steerer tube because it was a very snug fit against the race. I place my big adjustable wrench over that and hit it very hard with a mallet.
***Never say never.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2017, 03:53:04 pm
Trying to change the brake fluid on a somewhat neglected Corsa.  The rear bleed screws succumbed after 48 hours' soak in penetrating fluid (I had new screws ready because they were rusty and rounded off - I had to use mole grips).  Fronts are just as seized so will leave them to soak for a few days - it is imperative that they don't snap because then you're in a world of shit. 

I bet the fluid hasn't been changed in 5 years or more.  Judging from what else I've seen when servicing the car, the previous owner's mobile mechanic was a shyster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 June, 2017, 05:02:43 pm
Straightened the handlebars on the road bike, after collision with the back of a stationary car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2017, 05:19:41 pm
I hope that's straightening them relative to the forks and not metal bending  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 June, 2017, 05:49:14 pm
yes, remarkably little damage and none permanent. Left shifter needs adjusting as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 June, 2017, 04:31:09 pm
3/4 brakes now done on the jalopy.  One bleed screw still holding out so have dosed it with more penetrant.  The new screws are being smothered in vaseline when the job is done so they won't rust should I ever need to do this job again.  Even heat didn't work on the last one but I really don't want to take it to a garage.  Also changed wiper blades, changed the oil in the Jimny and some NOS Campag quick releases arrived (straight handles, natch) for the wheels I've just built.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 June, 2017, 04:59:19 pm
Trued the rear wheel on the Hewitt, which went out of true by about 2mm the first time I rode it in -er- 2009 but was never quite bad enough to get round to fixing.  It hadn't been untwisted after tensioning, that was the problem - it pinged like a good 'un when I pushed on the rim sideways.  So much for being the best wheelbuilder in the UK.  All good now, trued to within 0.5mm, stress-relieved and thoroughly detwisted.  Tension was good, anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 June, 2017, 08:03:24 pm
Repaired the inner tube on the multi terrain buggy for my son, inflated both tyres. That was a bugger getting back on the rim for some reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 10 June, 2017, 09:04:39 pm
Replaced 700c x 25 marathons with Durano plus rubber.   Cassette and chain need doing but they'll be fine for tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 June, 2017, 10:36:53 pm
Not today, but Sunday.  I've been away for a short tour with The Blokes.  The Czeating Czech's rear tyre (some lightweight Bontrager thing) developed an Unsightly Bulge, likely due to banjaxed cords in the carcass. Being A sunday in Belgium, the chances of finding an open bike shop were slim, so we let a bit of air out, crossed our fingers and pushed on.  Some miles later it let go, with a bang, as the tyre escaped through a hole in the tread.  I suggested we first admire the huge slide for canal boats* (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronqui%C3%A8res_inclined_plane), eat lunch and then bodge a repair. An energy gel was consumed to provide us with the raw materials for a tyre boot, which was slipped into place and the tyre inflated, looking a whole lot rounder than before/

New tyre was bought the next day, which was handy as the old one was showing signs of giving out again.

* are boat lifts allowed in the Bridges for Crinkly Lion thread? I've got some good 'uns.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 June, 2017, 11:41:23 am
I think boat lifts might qualify as Interesting or Unusual Boaty Things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 15 June, 2017, 09:10:07 am
Rebuilt my summer bike....badly!  :facepalm:

So, last year I saw a good deal on a complete 105 kit including brakes, gears etc: only £220 for an 11 speed set up including an 11 to 32 rear block. As it was too good to miss and as my "summer bike" was still running the same kit as when I brought it back in 2009, I thought why not.

Why not? Well frankly I am a better auditor than I am bike mechanic by miles as after stripping the bike down, removing and replacing all the bits, I came to the wiring it all up....that's when my problems started as no matter what I did, I could not get either the brakes or the gears to work correctly. Indeed, after several hours of trying, CBH came into the garage to tell me to stop swearing and take the bloody thing to the LBS and get the professionals to do it. 

This affront to my manhood will stay with me for years.  >:(   ............. so I took it down to the LBS who promptly fixed it up including replacing the headset, new bar tape, putting the bottom bracket in correctly and indexing it to within an inch of its life. Indeed, they even washed and polished it up so it looks like new.

At £97 it wasn't cheap but then, as CBH said, it saved her ears!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 June, 2017, 05:17:20 pm
Removed the annoying quick-drying concrete like substance they used as a surface on the Stafford-Newport Greenway from the inside of my Brompton's mudguards, as well as assorted other crevices, significantly reducing the weight and rolling resistance of the bike in the process.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 June, 2017, 05:50:57 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 June, 2017, 05:17:20 pm
Removed the annoying quick-drying concrete like substance they used as a surface on the Stafford-Newport Greenway from the inside of my Brompton's mudguards, as well as assorted other crevices, significantly reducing the weight and rolling resistance of the bike in the process.
i had that joy couple of weeks ago after sampling some river paths in austria:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170615/05ffcf771e6438df70dd1664b516b89d.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 June, 2017, 05:55:01 pm
It was impressively solid.  I actually had to chisel some of it out with a screwdriver.

Still not entirely sure why my bike was more affected than the others (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg2177009#msg2177009).  There doesn't appear to be anything dodgy about the mudguard adjustment (not that there's much scope for adjusting the rear guard on a Brompton with a luggage rack).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 16 June, 2017, 06:44:50 pm
Fitted the pannier rack, which I used to use on my old decathlon mtbso, onto my roadie / audax bike.  Much as I like carradice saddlebags / seat packs, the bike is looking good with its shiny new Carradice Super C rack pack!  I may in time replace the rack with something like a tortec ultralite...

And I'm currently getting the sewing machine out to get on with my diy frame bag for my new mtb!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 16 June, 2017, 07:02:53 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 June, 2017, 05:55:01 pm
It was impressively solid.  I actually had to chisel some of it out with a screwdriver.

Still not entirely sure why my bike was more affected than the others (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg2177009#msg2177009).  There doesn't appear to be anything dodgy about the mudguard adjustment (not that there's much scope for adjusting the rear guard on a Brompton with a luggage rack).

I believe I have expounded my theory that the reality of  individuals' problems increase in line with their ability to deal with them? Sounds like you had a control sample there, too. Proof positive. It's a metaphysical thing. Can't beat it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 June, 2017, 08:26:37 pm
Quote from: Ham on 16 June, 2017, 07:02:53 pm
I believe I have expounded my theory that the reality of  individuals' problems increase in line with their ability to deal with them? Sounds like you had a control sample there, too. Proof positive. It's a metaphysical thing. Can't beat it.

Can't fault the logic, other than the slightly worrying implication that I might be in a Pterry, Robert Rankin or Tom Holt novel.  I always thought I was more of a Russel T Davies, or on a bad day Michael Crichton, character.

Thinking about it, the presence of Bloody Stupid Johnson in this universe suggests it's Pterry...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 16 June, 2017, 09:12:03 pm
Yebbut BoJo hasn't turned his hand to out-of-scale architecture or bathroom plumbing that would be banned under a variety of arms-control treaties...

Yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 June, 2017, 04:22:38 pm
Another secondhand Brooks turned up and had no tension in it at all (which is presumably why it was for sale).  Otherwise good, with no rust and a nice top.  Anyway, the nut had seized to the nose bolt (apparently the threads get damaged if the saddle is ridden with insufficient tension, because the bolt frets against the nose hanger) but a shot of penetrating lube (oo-er) and the addition of Mr Vise-Grips to the equation sorted it out.  It feels about right now compared to a known good one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 June, 2017, 06:08:38 pm
Replaced the batteries in a tail light and charged the batteries in another. Replaced the bottom bracket, swapped tyres front to back, regreased the rear hub and replaced the cracked rear rim with one from a now-dismantled redundant wheel, all on my Frezoni.

Inflated and flint-mined several tyres.

Replaced the worn-out B17 Select on my Moulton with a Rivet Pearl. Started replacing dodgy cables. Hopefully I'll get it up and going tomorrow so that it is nicely run in before next weekend's UAF 600 to the Galibier
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 June, 2017, 09:49:16 am
BN :Punctured on the recumbent yesterday, was 500m from home by the time the loss of pressure was noticed. 

GN: it was one of my old michelin tyres that was due for replacing anyway

BN : it's the Exal rim which can be a PITA to get tyres onto

GN : I have a spare 26" wheel with dynhub anyway
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 June, 2017, 08:19:20 pm
Swapped the Brooks Professional on the clubman for the Swallow, just to test it out.  This Swallow is eventually going on the new non-Ernie Clements project, which looks like being an early 1970s Dawes Mirage frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 June, 2017, 08:37:35 pm
Swapped the front brake pads, replaced a set of tail light batteries and tensioned the chain on my fixed. It'll need a new Campag BB sometime.

Pushed the Selle Anatomica saddle on my Frezoni a touch forward. Hopefully that will be enough to compensate for somewhat reduced hip angle.

Reassembled HK's Moulton. Finished reassembling my Moulton and then fitted a replacement tail light and changed the batteries in the other. The chain needed some derusting. Rearranged the Cyo position so there is a decent chance of the cable reaching the Son dynohub. Both bikes need to do a commute to check if any hub bearings need replacement before next weekend's UAF 600 to the Galibier.

Now I just need to refill various on-bike spare-and-repair kits and retape half a dozen handlebars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 18 June, 2017, 10:05:26 pm
Last Thursday: new rim on the rear wheel of the Omega (third and last time with the same spokes); new cassette, chain, and jockey wheels.  Then, Friday morning, a brief road-test before Friday night's 400k. 

There's nothing like a last-minute fettle—and it all worked perfectly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 18 June, 2017, 10:17:55 pm
On today's 60k ride with Mrs F, I became aware that my brakes were distinctly below acceptable.

I'm planning a longer hilly ride tomorrow, so I've fettled new pads onto the brakes, and cleaned the rims.
Much more betterer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 20 June, 2017, 05:59:41 pm
Fettled Betty the Brompton today and yesterday. Installed a new hinge a bit of a faff when you don't have a bike stand. I think we can declare it a success as the rider came back from a test ride proclaiming that she got a new bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mark on 21 June, 2017, 03:36:59 pm
Not really today, but over the last week or so I've cleaned, re-greased and adjusted the headset bearings (old school 1" threaded version), cleaned out the bottom bracket threads, replaced the chain, cleaned off the cogs and chainrings, eliminated the play in the pedal bearings, and reset the stop screws on the rear derailer/mech. So nice to have a quiet, smoothly shifting bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 June, 2017, 05:42:37 pm
Brassoed both my Lion bells. Think I might leave one or the other or both to patina in future though, as not only does Brasso stink horridly (and according to the label is not really that safe), it also turns black plastics white.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 21 June, 2017, 09:50:04 pm
Finally fitted a new sensor/mount for my (wired) cycle computer on the tourer.  It's only taken me a year or two.  In my defense, I hardly used the tourer last year (nor did I record journeys), it was easy to pop the Garmin on the bars, and I can sometimes be a lazy git.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 22 June, 2017, 10:34:22 am
Made an unpond.  i.e. removed water and muck from pond, removed silly moulded plastic liner from ground, and filled the resultant 'ole with rocks from the now redundant rockery bit.  Now definitely removed all traces of the marker stone for where Possum the late puss is buried.  She's about a metre down, so hopefully they won't accidentally dig her up (new residents).  As I think I buried her in 1992, I'd hope she was just a skeleton by now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 24 June, 2017, 06:48:27 pm
I've been eeking extra miles out of a worn drivetrain but today set to and replaced all three chainrings, the cassette, jockey wheels and chain.   

All nice and shiny and working.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 June, 2017, 07:58:17 pm
Replaced the worn out Vittoria Rubino on the Chrina at the back of S. Pacer with a GP 4 Seasons. I can recommend the final 45 degrees of this as good aerobic exercise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 25 June, 2017, 11:22:43 am
The mountain bike, the only clue to the crash was the chain unshipped between the jockey wheels, guess I'll have to mark it down to rider error  :-\ Looking at the pedal and cleat, I have a suspicion that the pedal didn't let go, hence all the knee damage. Thinking about fitting flats, but I've been banned from mountain biking for a while. Mrs S says playing in rush hour is safer.

A teeny tiny Ortlieb micro saddlebag to the Sabbath, my word that bike is light without the guards, rack, dynamo and Carradice.

Some frame protection to the Planet X.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 June, 2017, 11:34:55 am
non-bike fettling, actually more of a hack job.  Bought some glyphosate concentrate with a fiendishly stupid child-proof dispensing system - it's not as if I was actually going to drink the stuff.  I ended up hacksawing the top off it and pouring into the dregs of the old bottle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 June, 2017, 08:51:58 pm
Knocked off a fork crown race.  An unusually tight one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 June, 2017, 12:40:01 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 25 June, 2017, 11:34:55 am
non-bike fettling, actually more of a hack job.  Bought some glyphosate concentrate with a fiendishly stupid child-proof dispensing system - it's not as if I was actually going to drink the stuff.  I ended up hacksawing the top off it and pouring into the dregs of the old bottle.
Couldn't you find a child to open it for you?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 26 June, 2017, 02:06:00 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2017, 12:03:51 pm
Quote from: Ruthie on 03 June, 2017, 10:41:04 pm
Washed down the metal bike boxes.
I presume that's something along these lines?
https://www.trimetals.co.uk/product/metal-bike-storage/

What are your opinions/impressions/thoughts/experiences?

Have a look at Asgard stuff. I have one and it is solid.
http://www.asgardsss.co.uk/bike-cycle-storage/bike-storage-x3-police-approved
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 June, 2017, 07:57:35 am
A customer had bought two electric bikes direct from China and asked us if we would unpack, assemble and check over in the shop - the bikes were absolute monstrosities BUT in fairness were remarkably light for their size and whizzed along at the legal max of 15mph.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of myself on board one of them

(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/electric-fatbike-jun17.jpg)

We rang the customer as soon as we had finished to get him to take them away, didn't want to lower the tone of what is quite a smart LBS with Bianchi, Scott etc stock!

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 28 June, 2017, 11:36:52 am
Gods but they are fugly things aren't they?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 June, 2017, 12:01:22 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 28 June, 2017, 11:36:52 am
Gods but they are fugly things aren't they?

I trust that you are referring to the bike and not the rider  ;D

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2017, 12:55:49 pm
Fatbike with a kickstand?  *boggle*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2017, 01:08:56 pm
Yesterday on the Col du Telegraphe, rejoined an 11sp chain and readjusted the mech to avoid it going into the spokes. Monday night, set up an Ultegra Di2 rear mech so that it would hold in bottom gear and properly index. I wasn't set up to realign a mildly bent hanger on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 28 June, 2017, 01:44:36 pm
Quote from: robgul on 28 June, 2017, 12:01:22 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 28 June, 2017, 11:36:52 am
Gods but they are fugly things aren't they?

I trust that you are referring to the bike and not the rider  ;D

Rob

But of course Rob  O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 June, 2017, 03:19:55 pm
I seem to have converted my Rohloff to 13 speed. This is a monumental pain in the arse.

There is a small gubbins

(http://www.sjscycles.com/supersize/16460.jpg)

which is essential to the gear-changing process. That costs well over £30. The parts to recondition the existing gubbins

(https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/7776.jpg)

costs £5. I opted for the latter.

Although I was very careful when fitting all the parts, I seem to have cut the cable marginally short on one side and although I can get all 14 gears when changing manually, I don't seem to be able to when the wheel is on the bike and ready to go. It's a really fiddly job involving wrapping 0.9mm cable around a worm-gear thingummy and requires a good deal of swearing to get right. I suspect I didn't have the bike in the right gear when measuring the cable, because I reckon another 5mm of cable length would work well.

I shall ride the bike around a bit and see if I miss the final gear, or whether once the components have bedded in I will find the gear turns up again.

This is the third time I have done this job. The recommended replacement is >10000 kilometres. My bike has done well over 50000 kilometres so I can't complain about the wear on the old parts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 June, 2017, 03:45:58 pm
I think I can probably out-trump you on component cost.
Alaina, whom I think you have probably met, has re-taken custody of the CF Scott she originally gave to me or, more to the point, having built up the repaired frame into a bike, I gave it back to her as I was hardly using it.
In the process of swapping saddles, she mislaid one of the M4 barrel nuts which secures the saddle to the Easton CF seat post I'd fitted to the bike.
I emailed Easton in the US and their distributor over here in the hope that they'd pop an M4 barrel nut in the post to me.
But no. I've had to buy their bolt replacement kit costing £26.74 (inclusive of postage) containing 13 parts which I do not need, and 1 part which I do.
At 6g  it is probably the most expensive component I've paid for. Ever.
The alternative was to buy a new seat post, now reduced to £55.00 from the ~£90.00 I paid five years ago.
Grrrrrrrrr......

ETA - And yes, I did try extensively to source the barrel nut elsewhere, without a result which matched the spec. of the original.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 28 June, 2017, 08:00:55 pm
Got off lightly.

Mrs W's rarely used "sunday best" road bike had a visitation whilst in the shed, and needs to be moved around when we move house, so it needed fixing quickly. 

Bought a new tube in Avon Valley Cyclery today, and spent a total of ten minutes fitting it, including getting the track pump from the store outside.

Why is this worth mentioning here?  Well it was bloody dangerous going anywhere near AVC, and N+1 appears to be imminent!  Now to choose from numerous specification options on a Moulton TSR with a 11 speed Alfine hub...

Mrs W seems quite content that I'm going to blow the wrong end of £2k on a new bike, when I hardly ride the Dahon Jetstream, which is competent but well, uninspiring (and rattles over bumps).  My future life in rural Wales as a retired person will provide far more opportunities for gentle pootling,and the Moulton seems a pretty pleasant way to do that pootling.  Now is it going to be lurid Citrus Green, or McLaren orange?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 28 June, 2017, 11:31:19 pm
My earlier fettling as described above came to nought. I tried to "fine-tune" the gearing to achieve 14 gears and bollocksed it completely. I have now ordered the £35 "easyset" from SJS and will spend a bout 5 swear-free minutes when it arrives on either Saturday or Monday.

In other news, my rear tyre had deflated itself, which was a bit of a surprised since the Marathon tyre had not done many miles. Inspection revealed that an ancient patch on the inner tube was the guilty party. There were 4 patches in all on that tube, and I don't get many punctures, but I was quite keen not to chuck it out so I tried for several minutes to remove the offending patch, without success. I eventually chucked it out, but with a heavy heart. Well over 95% of that tube was in perfect condition!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 June, 2017, 09:16:51 pm
Not so much fettling as testing my USB werk.  Now that I have a non-borked cable to connect to the Garmin and have un-borked the connection on the 800, I should be good to go.  Having been out earlier the USB Werk should have been full charged and delivering volts. Put the bike in the stand, spun the front wheel a few times, saw light, checked the voltage along the system and all seems good.

Now to try it out in anger tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 June, 2017, 10:22:05 pm
Deburred the seat tube on the Bob Griffin, filed about half a millimetre from one front dropout to get the wheel to sit perfectly centred and test fitted the centre-pulls for reach.  Best to do all this stuff before paint.  Seatpost is a rather tight 26.8 as expected but the deburring will help with the tightness.

The brazing isn't the best I've seen - there's a bit of a gap under one of the points of the head lug which  I shall ask Argos to fill - but it is a reassuringly solid and not too heavy frame, with nice lugs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 July, 2017, 08:29:23 am
Fitted new pad inserts to a set of Mafac Racers.  Two of them were very tight but I got them on without tools in the end.  They're a bit shorter than the originals although they are the correct "Type M".  It looks as if the brakes have a lot of toe-in as standard so they *might* not squeal like pigs, as Mafacs are notorious for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 July, 2017, 09:34:52 pm
The USB-werk, werked.  I think what happened before was that I had the garmin mount facing downwards, and knocked the connector with my belly.  The M5 is quite tight in the cockpit area with hamster bars pretty close to you. 

just now, laid my gym floor, finally.  4 sheets of 8 x 2 chipboard with 2 sheets of 8 x 4 ply in the other direction on top. 

That 8x4x22mm ply is 'ckin heavy.

Also repalced the tube in my son's pushchair wheel, 16" plastic spoked rim.  That is by far the hardest tyre/rim combo I've had - much sweating and bad words.  Next time it goes to the LBS
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 July, 2017, 10:09:22 pm
New rear tyre on HK's Moulton and topped off the front. Regreased the front suspension and promptly lost a necessary washer, with resultant swearing. I'll have to get a new one on Monday.

Dismantled my Moulton's dynowheel to send the Son hub off for new bearings. I'll have to source new spokes to build up the replacement Sondelux hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 02 July, 2017, 10:01:34 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 01 July, 2017, 09:34:52 pm
Also repalced the tube in my son's pushchair wheel, 16" plastic spoked rim.  That is by far the hardest tyre/rim combo I've had - much sweating and bad words.  Next time it goes to the LBS
I feel your pain. That is exactly my experience too. Flat tyre (possibly on an 8" wheel) was the hardest tyre change I have ever faced. Took me bloomin' ages.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 July, 2017, 11:26:18 am
Fitted a replacement suspension washer last night and promptly found that the grub screw in one of my Moulton's cable splitters was seized (broke a gear cable during Sunday's 200). Time to buy a new cable splitter before tomorrow's trains to the Loire valley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 05 July, 2017, 12:36:00 pm
Yesterday saw me undertake my first weekday as a full time bike bloke. I have been appointed 'Front of House' for the workshop- booking bikes in, taking phone calls, making phone calls, PDI's, ordering stock and consumables (spending someone else money on bike stuff FTW :thumbsup: ) etc.

I fettled 2 PDI's including a recalcitrant kids bike whose gears were truly fucked up for a while, a several of punctures and spent about £300 0f the shops money on stuff.

Is fuzzy an happy teddy bear?

 :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 05 July, 2017, 12:45:52 pm
you lucky sod :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 05 July, 2017, 03:38:39 pm
Put a new belt on the washing machine with a Park tyre lever as it was bloody tight. When twanged it's a very high note.  No tyre lever, no washing machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 July, 2017, 08:41:06 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 05 July, 2017, 12:36:00 pm
Yesterday saw me undertake my first weekday as a full time bike bloke. I have been appointed 'Front of House' for the workshop- booking bikes in, taking phone calls, making phone calls, PDI's, ordering stock and consumables (spending someone else money on bike stuff FTW :thumbsup: ) etc.

I fettled 2 PDI's including a recalcitrant kids bike whose gears were truly fucked up for a while, a several of punctures and spent about £300 0f the shops money on stuff.

Is fuzzy an happy teddy bear?

 :smug:

Does this mean you don't have to clean pools and wheecht jobbies any more?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 July, 2017, 10:15:41 pm
Refitted the new chain to my Dave Yates. Why refitted? Because, gentle reader, when I fitted the first time, last week, it made a noise as of an thousand cats being tortured when I put anything more than moderate force on the pedals.  Close examination of the sprocket revealed it to be Shagged Beyond Redemption, so I dropped a few quid on a new one, wot arrived today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 06 July, 2017, 08:48:46 am
Quote from: asterix on 05 July, 2017, 03:38:39 pm
Put a new belt on the washing machine with a Park tyre lever as it was bloody tight. When twanged it's a very high note.  No tyre lever, no washing machine.

Assuming you have the right belt, then the way to do this is not with a lever or indeed any tool.

You need to rotate it on, much the same as picking up a dropped chain onto a chainring using the front mech.

Put the belt round the motor pulley, then get it as much started onto the drum pulley as you can by hand.
Then, rotate the drum by hand to roll the belt up onto the pulley.
The diameter of the drum is large enough that you can generate a lot of leverage.

Another approach that can work ( depending on what you can get access to ) is to use a ratchet-strap.
Wrap it around the outer drum housing and around the motor body, and ratchet it up to pivot the motor on it's pivot towards the drum.
You are working against a very powerful spring on the motor pivot, but the ratchet strap will compress the spring enough to allow you to get the belt on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 07 July, 2017, 04:55:12 pm
Have sorted out a new building board.  Cork bath mat on a 1/2" laminated pine sheet.  Would have liked something bigger, but this will do for the two kits I have on the shelf as well as the scratch build I have in mind.   The pine sheet is big enough that if I can get a larger and thick enough piece of cork, the mat I bought today is a good 3/8" or more thick, it's almost certainly going to be good enough for anything I'm likely to build.   I could perhaps use two bath mats, but that risks a discontinuity in the flatness of the building surface and all the problems that an out of true build gives rise to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 07 July, 2017, 10:58:27 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 05 July, 2017, 12:36:00 pm
Yesterday saw me undertake my first weekday as a full time bike bloke. I have been appointed 'Front of House' for the workshop- booking bikes in, taking phone calls, making phone calls, PDI's, ordering stock and consumables (spending someone else money on bike stuff FTW :thumbsup: ) etc.

I fettled 2 PDI's including a recalcitrant kids bike whose gears were truly fucked up for a while, a several of punctures and spent about £300 0f the shops money on stuff.

Is fuzzy an happy teddy bear?

 :smug:
living the dream :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board that does it all for the foreseeable future . . . currently pondering whether to draw round each tool with a black marker to make sure I can see what's out, and where everything goes  :thumbsup:
(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/toolboard-8jul17.jpg)

The bench mounted workstand is for casual use, there's a more substantial stand for ... err, more substantial work.  The ultra-sonic bath cleaner is behind the vice on the right and the cheapie roasting tin on the bench is for de-greasing stuff.  Note the "toilet roll holder" for the roll of blue wipe paper!

.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 July, 2017, 09:02:28 pm
Oh... I've come over all unnecessary!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 July, 2017, 10:44:47 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 July, 2017, 08:41:06 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 05 July, 2017, 12:36:00 pm
Yesterday saw me undertake my first weekday as a full time bike bloke. I have been appointed 'Front of House' for the workshop- booking bikes in, taking phone calls, making phone calls, PDI's, ordering stock and consumables (spending someone else money on bike stuff FTW :thumbsup: ) etc.

I fettled 2 PDI's including a recalcitrant kids bike whose gears were truly fucked up for a while, a several of punctures and spent about £300 0f the shops money on stuff.

Is fuzzy an happy teddy bear?

 :smug:

Does this mean you don't have to clean pools and wheecht jobbies any more?

No more responding to "Attention facilities team- code brown in the hydro pool- code brown in the hydro pool!" or standing over the pit of doom with a crap covered float switch in my hand waiting for 20,000 gallons of sewage to pump away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 July, 2017, 10:45:26 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 07 July, 2017, 10:58:27 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 05 July, 2017, 12:36:00 pm
Yesterday saw me undertake my first weekday as a full time bike bloke. I have been appointed 'Front of House' for the workshop- booking bikes in, taking phone calls, making phone calls, PDI's, ordering stock and consumables (spending someone else money on bike stuff FTW :thumbsup: ) etc.

I fettled 2 PDI's including a recalcitrant kids bike whose gears were truly fucked up for a while, a several of punctures and spent about £300 0f the shops money on stuff.

Is fuzzy an happy teddy bear?

 :smug:
living the dream :thumbsup:
Yes indeedie!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 July, 2017, 10:46:13 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board that does it all for the foreseeable future . . . currently pondering whether to draw round each tool with a black marker to make sure I can see what's out, and where everything goes  :thumbsup:
(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/toolboard-8jul17.jpg)

The bench mounted workstand is for casual use, there's a more substantial stand for ... err, more substantial work.  The ultra-sonic bath cleaner is behind the vice on the right and the cheapie roasting tin on the bench is for de-greasing stuff.  Note the "toilet roll holder" for the roll of blue wipe paper!

.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob

I say Rob! can you come and fettle my new office?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 08 July, 2017, 10:47:38 pm
Todays fettle included busting my cherry on Brompton PDI duties.

There is something quite special about unpacking a factory fresh Brommie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 08 July, 2017, 10:58:14 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board that does it all for the foreseeable future . . . currently pondering whether to draw round each tool with a black marker to make sure I can see what's out, and where everything goes  :thumbsup:
(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/toolboard-8jul17.jpg)

The bench mounted workstand is for casual use, there's a more substantial stand for ... err, more substantial work.  The ultra-sonic bath cleaner is behind the vice on the right and the cheapie roasting tin on the bench is for de-greasing stuff.  Note the "toilet roll holder" for the roll of blue wipe paper!

.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob
Mmmmmmm.
Choice. Very nicely executed.
I can think of one or two (myself included) on this forum who would salivate at teh sight of that.

ETA - You need more 13amp sockets.
Or access to compressed air.....
Or both...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 08 July, 2017, 11:20:16 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board that does it all for the foreseeable future . . . currently pondering whether to draw round each tool with a black marker to make sure I can see what's out, and where everything goes  :thumbsup:
(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/toolboard-8jul17.jpg)

The bench mounted workstand is for casual use, there's a more substantial stand for ... err, more substantial work.  The ultra-sonic bath cleaner is behind the vice on the right and the cheapie roasting tin on the bench is for de-greasing stuff.  Note the "toilet roll holder" for the roll of blue wipe paper!

.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob

Oh. Oh, my.

I'd vote for outlining tools - makes it much easier to spot missing ones. The only downside is it's more faff to rearrange, but you appear to be well-stocked enough that you don't need to make big changes...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 08 July, 2017, 11:46:40 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

 ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 09 July, 2017, 10:54:56 am
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board ...

<snip>
.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob
Corrr!  Even MrsLurker says she likes that.

The reason I dropped by, mainly for AndyTheFlyer's,  ElyDave's and Ham's (heh heh heh) benefit.  Started on the Sopwith kit yesterday.  Work in Progress. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41392773@N02/albums/72157683218588084)  About 5 hours effort, ignoring "workshop" set up / tear down time.  On that basis I reckon on total effort somewhere in the region of 25 to 30 hours. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 July, 2017, 10:56:10 am
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 08 July, 2017, 10:44:47 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 July, 2017, 08:41:06 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 05 July, 2017, 12:36:00 pm
Snip

Is fuzzy an happy teddy bear?

 :smug:

Does this mean you don't have to clean pools and wheecht jobbies any more?

No more responding to "Attention facilities team- code brown in the hydro pool- code brown in the hydro pool!" or standing over the pit of doom with a crap covered float switch in my hand waiting for 20,000 gallons of sewage to pump away.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 09 July, 2017, 12:07:50 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board that does it all for the foreseeable future . . . currently pondering whether to draw round each tool with a black marker to make sure I can see what's out, and where everything goes  :thumbsup:
(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/toolboard-8jul17.jpg)

The bench mounted workstand is for casual use, there's a more substantial stand for ... err, more substantial work.  The ultra-sonic bath cleaner is behind the vice on the right and the cheapie roasting tin on the bench is for de-greasing stuff.  Note the "toilet roll holder" for the roll of blue wipe paper!

.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob

Is that a Proxxon torque wrench you have there?  I have their 1/4 inch drive one (without extra tools as apparently in that view) and it is a lovely thing.  Plenty of nice Park tools there, too.  My own workshop wall was similar, but more for general model engineering and DIY, rather than specifically cycle.

All I'v semi-fettled today, was a trial partial disassembly of our bed, pending a house move soon.  It is home made, and I couldn't remember if I'd glued it together after the last house move 30 years ago or not.  I hadn't luckily.  It has to be reduced to its basic components of sides, ends, and numerous slats to get out of the room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 09 July, 2017, 12:19:32 pm
Yeah is mighty fine, but can we get a picture mid full strip down service to see if you are using this correctly? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 09 July, 2017, 06:06:43 pm
To respond to a few of the comments about my toolboard:

13amp sockets - you can't see the block of 3 behind the ultrasonic machine

Air - there is an electric compressor under the rack to the right of the bench with a long curly pipe tyre inflator

Outlining tools - I've made a start doing that . . . I had to paint over one item's outline : the scissors looked like a diagram of the female reproductive system (I'll just have to remember their place on the board!)

Torque wrench is the generic kit that loads of places sell for between about £40 - £60 - mine is from Rose (there is also a Topeak pre-set 5nm with 4-5-6 Allen key inserts - on the shelf just below the scissors)

Did anyone spot the wheel-truing jig on top of the paper roll dispenser? - it's the basic one from Rose.

Using/full strip down service . . . I do my two Ti bikes about twice a year so I'll try and remember to take some snaps.

I must get round to changing the plastic light switch for a metalclad one to match the socket outlet . . . . . . and you haven't see the woodworking bench on the other side of the garage with grinder, polisher, mitre saw and loads of other tools - yet

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 09 July, 2017, 11:41:17 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board that does it all for the foreseeable future . . . currently pondering whether to draw round each tool with a black marker to make sure I can see what's out, and where everything goes  :thumbsup:
(http://www.beewee.org.uk/images/pub-dir/toolboard-8jul17.jpg)

The bench mounted workstand is for casual use, there's a more substantial stand for ... err, more substantial work.  The ultra-sonic bath cleaner is behind the vice on the right and the cheapie roasting tin on the bench is for de-greasing stuff.  Note the "toilet roll holder" for the roll of blue wipe paper!

.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob
Utterly delightful.

I imagine you're not overpleased with the cable/wire cutters being situated behind other stuff, but that this is a compromise reached with the space available.

However, I had to look quite hard to find this thing to be critical about. I would sacrifice one of my (less-used) fingers for such an arrangement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 10 July, 2017, 12:23:12 am
Quote from: Paul on 09 July, 2017, 11:41:17 pm
I imagine you're not overpleased with the cable/wire cutters being situated behind other stuff, but that this is a compromise reached with the space available.

I fear you may have looked a bit too hard for your criticism ...

The cable cutters are easily accessible, just above the socketallen key/ratchet set - red handles.

Behind the grease gun, (presumed) chain lube and GT85 are a wire stripper/crimper and mini bolt cutters, which I imagine are used infrequently enough that the slightly less convenient access isn't a problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 July, 2017, 06:45:47 am
Quote from: jsabine on 10 July, 2017, 12:23:12 am
Quote from: Paul on 09 July, 2017, 11:41:17 pm
I imagine you're not overpleased with the cable/wire cutters being situated behind other stuff, but that this is a compromise reached with the space available.

I fear you may have looked a bit too hard for your criticism ...

The cable cutters are easily accessible, just above the socketallen key/ratchet set - red handles.

Behind the grease gun, (presumed) chain lube and GT85 are a wire stripper/crimper and mini bolt cutters, which I imagine are used infrequently enough that the slightly less convenient access isn't a problem.

Exactly - crimpers used for not much more than cable end-caps and bolt croppers for mudguard stay ends.  Before further comment, the pump pliers, tyre seating pliers and 19, 20, 22, 24mm spanners are seldom used hence being tucked behind the ultrasonic tank.  And yes, the blue canister is a Park Tools grease gun.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 10 July, 2017, 07:34:07 am
One day my workshop will look like that :(

(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/IMG_4205_zpsesmjjlip.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 10 July, 2017, 07:47:41 am
Asterix that is a work shop, the other picture is just a display case :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 July, 2017, 07:56:40 am
Started cleaning up the Ron Cooper components.  Despite some knackered and crappy Jagwire cabling and a totally worn out BB (cartridge type, so not the original), everything else is nearly mint.  I wonder if the original Shimano 600 components were stored and refitted for sale?  Even the rear mech is perfect cosmetically and mechanically despite the bent hanger on the frame.

The wheel rims are unworn (grey anodised) but the spokes were plain gauge and the rear ones were too long, having been screwed beyond their threads on the RHS.  I've taken them apart and ordered DT Competition and DT Revolution to rebuild them.  DT Revs make good front and rear LHS spokes, due to their ability to hold tension through any bump,  but are a pain to build with as they twist so much.

The frame has a race nunber braze-on under the top tube  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 10 July, 2017, 08:05:26 am
Been having issues with the headset on the Ti bike - the expander bung in the carbon steerer was slipping when tightening the preload bolt and I wasn't able to get the headset tight enough.  A full strip down, grease on all the bits inside and some carbon assembly paste on the outside of the bung sorted that.  Took the opportunity to cut the steerer down to length, so I don't need 20mm of spacers on top of the stem any more.

Replaced the bent driveside dropout plate on the mountain bike, converted it over to SS and fitted new grips (I had to cut the old RH one off to remove the shifter.  Still need to trim the hoses and bleed the brakes.

Also cleaned up the trailer after it had been sitting in the garden for a couple of months.  Took the kids out in it yesterday. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 10 July, 2017, 08:07:59 am
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

I can't think of any.  Good effort. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 July, 2017, 09:18:28 am
^^^ makes me realise how inadequately tooled up I am.  My shadow board is very light by comparison.

Fettling for me this weekend - a couple of hooks in the wall to hold spare wheels, and I've finally finished the gym flooring by screwing the top layer of 22mm ply to the bottom layer of chip board.  I now have an 8ft square workout area which I christened on Saturday evening. 

Got out for a ride yesterday, so need to clean biked this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 10 July, 2017, 01:02:07 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 09 July, 2017, 10:54:56 am
The reason I dropped by, mainly for AndyTheFlyer's,  ElyDave's and Ham's (heh heh heh) benefit.  Started on the Sopwith kit yesterday.  Work in Progress. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41392773@N02/albums/72157683218588084)  About 5 hours effort, ignoring "workshop" set up / tear down time.  On that basis I reckon on total effort somewhere in the region of 25 to 30 hours.

Lovely.  I haven't done one of those since I was a teenager, though I don't think I ever did it quite as carefully as you did there!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 10 July, 2017, 01:17:10 pm
took some alloy off of zipp bar risers for them to work with deda aero bars.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170710/56d1ce4af2836c2513a879c5f625254c.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 10 July, 2017, 01:48:54 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 07 July, 2017, 04:55:12 pm
Have sorted out a new building board.  Cork bath mat on a 1/2" laminated pine sheet.  Would have liked something bigger, but this will do for the two kits I have on the shelf as well as the scratch build I have in mind.   The pine sheet is big enough that if I can get a larger and thick enough piece of cork, the mat I bought today is a good 3/8" or more thick, it's almost certainly going to be good enough for anything I'm likely to build.   I could perhaps use two bath mats, but that risks a discontinuity in the flatness of the building surface and all the problems that an out of true build gives rise to.

Sounds good. I also screw a batten, say 2x1, to the edge of my building boards all around the edge, with the batten projecting down, but flush with the top of the board.  That adds stiffness to the board and helps to keep it flat.  I put my board on top of a B&D Workmate with the jaws set as wide as possible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 10 July, 2017, 01:56:23 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 09 July, 2017, 10:54:56 am
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board ...

<snip>
.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob
Corrr!  Even MrsLurker says she likes that.

The reason I dropped by, mainly for AndyTheFlyer's,  ElyDave's and Ham's (heh heh heh) benefit.  Started on the Sopwith kit yesterday.  Work in Progress. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41392773@N02/albums/72157683218588084)  About 5 hours effort, ignoring "workshop" set up / tear down time.  On that basis I reckon on total effort somewhere in the region of 25 to 30 hours.

That looks like a good kit - new one to me, very well presented plan, and laser cut parts?  How do you stop the glue sticking to the plan?  Candle wax?  Looking forward to the build!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 July, 2017, 02:04:25 pm
I use cling film over the plans to prevent glue sticking.

Love the use of the bits of angle iron to fold the work steady though.  I may adopt that in preference to pining either side, which always marks the wood if you get it tight enough
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 July, 2017, 10:00:15 pm
Changed a Shimano cartridge BB on a friend's bike.  10 mins, no trouble at all although it had been in there for 9 years.  If only they were all that easy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2017, 10:32:16 pm
Lots of bits of tissue out of the filter and crevices of the washing machine.   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 11 July, 2017, 08:15:37 pm
Quote from: AndyTheFlyer
I put my board on top of a B&D Workmate with the jaws set as wide as possible.

That looks like a good kit - new one to me, very well presented plan, and laser cut parts?  How do you stop the glue sticking to the plan?  Candle wax?  Looking forward to the build
Dining room table.  I have per. from MrsLurker for the aero stuff. The "airfix" stuff is confined to my study (and the winter) becos stinks.  That and my study is where I do paid work and it would be impractical to clear my desk down completely on a regular basis.  The airfix stuff only needs an A3 cutting mat.

Yes - candle wax.  Old school me.  Cheaper than cling film.  And yes laser cut.  I was thinking about this the other day and it occurred to me that at this scale it would be very difficult to make some of the very small parts accurately especially for *ahem* the more mature builder. The ribs would be particularly awkward - you couldn't pin them together to sand to profile without risk of splitting them.

Quote from: ElyDave
Love the use of the bits of angle iron to fold the work steady though.  I may adopt that in preference to pining either side, which always marks the wood if you get it tight enough
It's aluminium edging.  About a fiver or so a yard from DIY warehouses and comes in various sizes from about 5mm upwards. I used to make my own from pine 2mm strip and 1mm basswood, but the right angles on the edging are excellent and you can get dozens of brackets of varying widths from a single strip.

AtF, ED.  Let me know if you want to track this build I'll send you PMs when I post updates to the build diary rather than clutter this thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 12 July, 2017, 08:35:23 am
TL - yes please - always keen to follow a build diary - building is a solitary pastime and it's good to see how someone else solves the problems.  I like the ali angle idea - my models are bigger but larger ali angle would work for me.  Back to back across a component that needs to be held vertical, with a clamp holding it all together.  Simple, but effective.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 12 July, 2017, 04:29:10 pm
Some Avid Shorty Ultimate (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/avid-shorty-ultimate-narrow-cantilever-brake/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360405974&kpid=5360405974&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=UK_PLA_Components&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid%7CsdZV9E9RU_dc%7Cpcrid%7C67090789262%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7Cprd%7C5360405974uk) cantis onto the Pompino.
Spendy?
Yes.
Better stopping?
Yes. *Awaits rain*
The real delight was in fitting beautifully engineered / finished components.

Also, replaced the saddle on the Pomp as that was starting to look ragged.
Other than the frame, there are very few parts left on this bike which were there when Thing1 sold it to me, back in 2012.
Trigger's broom stylee :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 July, 2017, 09:31:58 pm
Quote from: robgul on 09 July, 2017, 06:06:43 pm
To respond to a few of the comments about my toolboard:

13amp sockets - you can't see the block of 3 behind the ultrasonic machine

Air - there is an electric compressor under the rack to the right of the bench with a long curly pipe tyre inflator

Outlining tools - I've made a start doing that . . . I had to paint over one item's outline : the scissors looked like a diagram of the female reproductive system (I'll just have to remember their place on the board!)

Torque wrench is the generic kit that loads of places sell for between about £40 - £60 - mine is from Rose (there is also a Topeak pre-set 5nm with 4-5-6 Allen key inserts - on the shelf just below the scissors)

Did anyone spot the wheel-truing jig on top of the paper roll dispenser? - it's the basic one from Rose.

Using/full strip down service . . . I do my two Ti bikes about twice a year so I'll try and remember to take some snaps.

I must get round to changing the plastic light switch for a metalclad one to match the socket outlet . . . . . . and you haven't seen the woodworking bench on the other side of the garage with grinder, polisher, mitre saw and loads of other tools - yet

Rob

Metalclad light switch now fitted - and a simple PIR alarm (nothing fancy but it makes a noise!)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 July, 2017, 11:19:55 am
Serviced a couple of Shimano 600 hubs and gave up on the idea of Mafacs for the Holdsworth since ths rear fixing bolt is too short and they are no stiffer than a deep drop (67mm!) dual pivot.  And you can't adjust toe-in.

Also fitted some Cinelli bars into a 3TTT stem using every trick in the book.  The stem is sold as 25.8 or 26.0 and the bars are 26.0.  Tolerances were not in my favour.  It's a hollow steel stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 15 July, 2017, 12:10:46 pm
I gave up on my 3ttt stem as it scored every set of bars I tried on it, and I quite like having teeth...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: itsbruce on 15 July, 2017, 07:12:17 pm
Built a cargo platform for a Brox

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4211/35767787832_56b53daa1a_c.jpg)

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4301/35937983985_6ee74116f5_c.jpg)

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4310/35549765660_3f0dc2b697_c.jpg)

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4215/35549787230_84b6a5a455_c.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Morat on 15 July, 2017, 10:58:27 pm
Argos Bunk Beds (children's spec).
Thank God I have a decent socket set. I still ended up dreaming of an electric screwdriver after screwing down what felt like 50 slats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 July, 2017, 06:07:30 pm
The Holdsworth is ready to run except for brake calipers and bar tape. It looks like a greyhound.
  Front hub bearings are rumbly as the cups are rough (residue fron the rechroming, I think - cones are perfect and balls are new).  Plan is to run it for a few hundred miles then change the balls and grease.  It should get smoother.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 17 July, 2017, 10:06:56 pm
Customer brought an old steel Claud Butler ATB frame in and wanted a singlespeed conversion. He'd already fitted a 46 single chainwheel but the chainline wouldn't allow a screw on freewheel, even when the axle spacers were reversed. I found a matching rim on a used Quando cassette hub, added a proper 18 tooth sprocket for 1/8" chain and played with the spacers until the chainline was bang on. When it came to fitting the chain it turned out to be a magic gear. Result!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 July, 2017, 11:20:18 pm
Striping two different kenwood chefs.  Both easily stripped but one gearbox contained LM grease while the other contained copper grease.  Both motors have been stripped and the carbon brushes are finished.  Both motors full of carbon dust.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 18 July, 2017, 06:40:22 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 09 July, 2017, 10:54:56 am
Quote from: robgul on 08 July, 2017, 03:56:18 pm
After various iterations over the years I have now probably created the cycling tools board ...

<snip>
.... there must be better things to do with my time  ::-)

Rob
Corrr!  Even MrsLurker says she likes that.

The reason I dropped by, mainly for AndyTheFlyer's,  ElyDave's and Ham's (heh heh heh) benefit.  Started on the Sopwith kit yesterday.  Work in Progress. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41392773@N02/albums/72157683218588084)  About 5 hours effort, ignoring "workshop" set up / tear down time.  On that basis I reckon on total effort somewhere in the region of 25 to 30 hours.

What made me catch up reading this thread? It was never going to end well.

Fettlage putting my Stainless CdF back together again, just got to set up the derailleurs now. That and send back the Thomson SHINY seat collar which I bought based on the wall thickness of the titanium frame tube thus 31.8 not 29.6, luckily from CRC which makes it an easy task.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 July, 2017, 10:06:41 am
Put a new FD cable on the Trek.  Fiddly bloody job until you actually RTFM.

Thought I'd get away with just doing the cable, but the wee fine lead-in tube on the housing has, of course, split, buggrem, buggrit etc. and shrimp, and I haven't got a new housing so I'll have to shake the internetting and hit REDO FROM START some time next week.

They do it on purpose, you know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 July, 2017, 07:59:21 pm
Back, as good as it has never been away. Superb welding courtesy of Fisher & Stitt, them of Shand cycles.

(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FPOqHwCJjps/WW-qeDfAU2I/AAAAAAABBqg/jZmOlIz-c9EeGe0R-LKN7m0pDgbtUOr8ACKgBGAs/s1200/IMG_20170719_194546.jpg)

Mudguards not yet re-fitted. Sharp eyed people who knew the bike before might notice that the seatpost is now SHINY too, and wonder why the seat collar isn't. See above.

Gears fettled better than before, although I've swapped noise in top 3 gears (on big front) for noise in big/big, and unhappy shifting in bottom gear from little to big front (obv connected)

Aren't 11 speed fussy?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 July, 2017, 08:10:54 pm
what tyres have you got on that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 July, 2017, 08:13:53 pm
Stuck some new pedals on the Red Baron and tried riding up Primrose Hill slowly in bottom gear.  No mysterious clunking was apparent.  I'll call that a crash-damaged pedal bearing then, and then can go in the bin (they're M520s that have gone clicky, so no point attempting to service the bearing).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 July, 2017, 10:19:34 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 19 July, 2017, 08:10:54 pm
what tyres have you got on that?
Conti Sport Contact 2, I rather like them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 July, 2017, 10:20:54 pm
Changed the inner ring on the Ron Cooper crankset to a 39T and gave the brakes an inspection and wipe over (they feel very smooth so I'm not taking them apart) and fitted new pads.  They're Shimano 600 SLR sidepulls, with the thrust bearing and nylon spring bushings, and they are absolutely perfect in form and function.  Sheldon Brown always thought the SLR sidepulls were the bee's knees; dual-pivots have a simple screw to centre them but, apart from that, are worse in every way.

The whole groupset (Shimano 600 "tricolour" throughout, except for a Dura-Ace headset) is now cleaned and ready to refit, although I still need to rebuild the wheels.  DT Revs for the front, Revs on the left at the rear and Comp on the right.  It will not be a quick build, as Revs wind up like nobody's business.  However, they do make an exceptionally good wheel; I built the front one on the Fuji 13 years ago and it's never gone even half a mm out of true, despite crashing through potholes that made the frame creak.

A little bonus lurking under the dried-out tyres was a pair of perfectly good pink Vittoria latex tubes.  Personally, I'd have had better tyres and stuck with butyl tubes, but someone wanted to go fast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 July, 2017, 10:42:26 am
Looked at the bike, said "**** it, it's clean enough" and put the front wheel back on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 July, 2017, 03:25:03 pm
Quote from: ian on 21 July, 2017, 10:57:21 am
And we all know there's only way to negotiate with the Red Baron, and that's not with words.

Indeed not: I used a BFO torque wrench, a slightly modified Park Tools crank remover, allen keys and some harsh language.

Chainring guard successfully installed, front machine gun derailleur coaxed back into an approximation of working.  I don't appear to have introduced any *new* funny noises, so I think that's a win.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 July, 2017, 01:04:22 pm
Dishwasher, salt thing overfilled and gone claggy. Teaspoon job

Squared off a dented usb cable end.

Refettled  the hinge on the cover of my android tablet, needs epoxy again, just tape for now, but cheaper than £25 for a new cover.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 July, 2017, 05:53:13 pm
In France, staying in a BFO house that claims to have ten bikes available for use (though four are v definitely for children under 10 yo). We needed six. I spent the morning fettling the six larger ones into something approximating working order. Tyres pumped on all of them. Seat posts unstuck and greased. Quite a bit of brake fettling, some gear limit screw adjustment. One mudguard adjusted. One wheel nut nicked off one of the kids bikes to allow the wheel to sit straight in the frame. Only one ended up marginal - the headset is shagged, the mangled cage was hanging out of the lower bearing. It was either too loose to be safe or too tight to enable steering. I bodged as best I could and it made it the three miles down the road and back. I just took it apart and hope to find an LBS in the next few days so I can get it back in one piece.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 July, 2017, 11:05:54 am
Quote from: hatler on 23 July, 2017, 05:53:13 pm
BFO house

??? Bigfoot Research Organization? Banking Fidelity Oath? Basic Formal Ontology? Big Fuck-Off?

Anyway, by the light of the silvery Petzl I have just spent a nasty half-hour wrestling air ducts back onto the big extractor unit in the loft that serves the bathroom, loo and kitchen. Workies passing through to repoint the ridge tiles had trodden on them with their great workies' clodhoppers then softly and silently stolen away. The wire spirals inside and the poor man's jubilee clips around them were trodden coggly. Filthy, fiddly job. Bleh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 27 July, 2017, 02:19:20 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 July, 2017, 11:05:54 am
Quote from: hatler on 23 July, 2017, 05:53:13 pm
BFO house

??? Bigfoot Research Organization? Banking Fidelity Oath? Basic Formal Ontology? Big Fuck-Off?
The latter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 27 July, 2017, 02:22:08 pm
Quote from: hatler on 23 July, 2017, 05:53:13 pm
In France, staying in a BFO house that claims to have ten bikes available for use (though four are v definitely for children under 10 yo). We needed six. I spent the morning fettling the six larger ones into something approximating working order. Tyres pumped on all of them. Seat posts unstuck and greased. Quite a bit of brake fettling, some gear limit screw adjustment. One mudguard adjusted. One wheel nut nicked off one of the kids bikes to allow the wheel to sit straight in the frame. Only one ended up marginal - the headset is shagged, the mangled cage was hanging out of the lower bearing. It was either too loose to be safe or too tight to enable steering. I bodged as best I could and it made it the three miles down the road and back. I just took it apart and hope to find an LBS in the next few days so I can get it back in one piece.
LBS found and joy of joys he had a plastic box with hundreds of different sets of roulements.

Right size identified in about two seconds flat and two sets of caged balls exchanged hands for €4.

Bike remantled yesterday and now in working order, although the headset races aren't the smoothest, but I wasn't going to get involved in that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 July, 2017, 04:11:25 pm
Mucking about with my WIP router sled: longer, lower rails etc.

Took the splints off me dotter's busted bass and pared off the excess glue. Have to veneer the headstock now to hide the repair.  Incredible how anyone manages to split a rock maple headstock and bend the sticky-out twiddler bits of the machines. Must be another one that got stood upon.

God, ebony veneer's pricey.

I'm just imagining how wonderful it would be to get the veneer perfectly aligned, trimmed and glued up, then realize that I had covered up the holes for the tuners.  Now I've thought of it I can't possibly be so daft as to do it, right?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 July, 2017, 07:28:10 pm
Quote from: Ham on 19 July, 2017, 07:59:21 pm
Back, as good as it has never been away. Superb welding courtesy of Fisher & Stitt, them of Shand cycles.

(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FPOqHwCJjps/WW-qeDfAU2I/AAAAAAABBqg/jZmOlIz-c9EeGe0R-LKN7m0pDgbtUOr8ACKgBGAs/s1200/IMG_20170719_194546.jpg)

Mudguards not yet re-fitted. Sharp eyed people who knew the bike before might notice that the seatpost is now SHINY too, and wonder why the seat collar isn't. See above.

Gears fettled better than before, although I've swapped noise in top 3 gears (on big front) for noise in big/big, and unhappy shifting in bottom gear from little to big front (obv connected)

Aren't 11 speed fussy?
What had to be welded and why?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 July, 2017, 07:28:53 pm
Washed my bike, cleaned and oiled the chain, replaced the brake blocks and even did a bit of truing to the rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 July, 2017, 09:17:12 pm
Currently building up a front wheel for LEL. Then just need to dig up a couple of Son-compatible spade connectors, replace a gear cable, a brake cable and handlebar tape and it will be just about ready.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 28 July, 2017, 08:02:40 am
Bust a spoke on my commuter's crappy front wheel on the way into work the other day so took the dynamo wheel and lights off the ti bike to put on the commuter for the winter.  Fixed a puncture on the back wheel at the same time, and took the nice wheel off the Cannondale to go on the ti bike - tubeless Panaracer Gravel King went up first time with a track pump.  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 29 July, 2017, 12:32:11 pm
Replaced all the non-drive side spokes in a rear wheel I built up last weekend.  Velo Orange Hi-Low hub with Halo Retro rim, 36 hole.  Something in the calculations went wrong and the non-drive spokes were 2mm short.  As I had been a tart and used alloy nipples on the non-drive side, this was not good.

The hi-low stuff is a bit inconsequential and the VO hub only has a minor height difference between the two flanges compared to old Campy ones.  However, the difference is enough to make it hard to remove some  spokes in a built up wheel.  Those that fit from outside the the non-drive side flange need some significant effort and bending to get out over the high side lacing triangles.

Looks pretty now it is done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jacomus on 30 July, 2017, 11:41:49 am
I have badly fettled the timing chain on my Brommie about three times so far today!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 July, 2017, 11:47:21 am
Finally put Son-compatible spade connectors onto my Moulton's Cyo about 15 minutes before leaving for the LEL start. I'm not a fan of last-minute fettling, so I gave myself plenty of time to get it done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alancragg on 31 July, 2017, 06:42:42 am
I fitted new (old) mudguards, a dynamo, LED lights and a ready use bag to my trike ready for my tour to Amsterdam in August.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170731/d168291f62b521f304bbdcff4fc885c0.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170731/4519800586a63cb5a6cefc93fa9b9333.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170731/7e3774502566b6a36a62da5dc07f1db8.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170731/3b41b54fd418abf16643d5f09c83234f.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170731/964378da0de023ed2c70dc14a49a4191.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170731/9326085ba407a09d5f70ad5a281a5ca2.jpg)

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 31 July, 2017, 07:53:45 am
I had to fettle the mudguards and drive chain off of the Viking commuter.  This did have the benefit that I didn't need to clean those, and could just throw them in the bin.

I've cleaned the bike off and started to refit the replacement parts, but found that one of the p-clips holding the rack on had broken.

So, a few p-clips are on order via eBay, and I'll have to wait a few days for those to appear, whilst not rushing to complete everything else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 July, 2017, 10:05:06 pm
Set up some cantilever brakes on a 26-year old Kona Fire Mountain and unstuck the rear Rapidfire shifter by pumping it full of GT85.  Bearings* and wheel truing next.  Will almost certainly sell it (I found a Kilauea frame instead) but it's a very cool bike.

*the BB is a cup and cone unit...bet it's pitted

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 31 July, 2017, 11:11:01 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 27 July, 2017, 07:28:10 pm
Quote from: Ham on 19 July, 2017, 07:59:21 pm
Back, as good as it has never been away. Superb welding courtesy of Fisher & Stitt, them of Shand cycles.

(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FPOqHwCJjps/WW-qeDfAU2I/AAAAAAABBqg/jZmOlIz-c9EeGe0R-LKN7m0pDgbtUOr8ACKgBGAs/s1200/IMG_20170719_194546.jpg)

Mudguards not yet re-fitted. Sharp eyed people who knew the bike before might notice that the seatpost is now SHINY too, and wonder why the seat collar isn't. See above.

Gears fettled better than before, although I've swapped noise in top 3 gears (on big front) for noise in big/big, and unhappy shifting in bottom gear from little to big front (obv connected)

Aren't 11 speed fussy?
What had to be welded and why?

One pannier lug weld failed while I was in Spain, Genesis lifetime warranty preferred to replace the frame rather than repair, they sent the old frame back alongside a new titanium frameset, with the top tube sawn  in half. The Stainless has thusly been resurrected. Said titanium frameset is undergoing substantial fettleage at present, in order to become Something Interesting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 02 August, 2017, 12:27:53 pm
I have been making a D20 to teach amino acids to students. It is starting to come together quite nicely.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DGLN7tPXgAA8MQU.jpg:large)

The pieces were designed using joinery (https://clementzheng.github.io/joinery/) and then assembled using temporary wire twists to hold it together. It is currently having the glue set before I remove the tags and then add more glue, then sand and fill and sand and paint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 02 August, 2017, 12:45:21 pm
Buckyball next?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 August, 2017, 04:58:11 pm
Applied some ACME Instant Hole™ to my friend's kitchen worktop so that they can install one of those little tabletop dishwasher things.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2017_08_01_21_54_56.sized.jpg)

(The dot in front is where I spilt a drop.)

I also did the washing-up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 August, 2017, 06:16:49 pm
Serviced the graunchy front hub on the Fire Mountain, which turned out to be ok inside.  Also did the headset, which is still a bit graunchy but at least it's clean and not loose any more.  When reassembling, swapped the slightly crappy Matrix stem for a pukka Joe Murray Velocity stem with the brake cable routing underneath.  Then set up the brakes all over again.  They are awesome now - the straddle wire is half an inch off the tyre  ;D

Also trued the wheels, which I was expecting to be impossible due to the age of, and general patina on, the wheels but turned out to be trivial.

The BB is still on the list.  if it's really bad I might spring for a cartridge unit.

It's a great bike to ride - I'd forgotten how much better MTBs are without suspension forks, assuming you're not actually going to ride down a boulder-strewn slope (I have done that, on Dartmoor, without suspension and it was punishing!).  Easier to lift the front end up kerbs and things, easier to do SPD hops, a lower front end, and the thing actually goes where you point it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 August, 2017, 09:45:16 pm
Whilst waiting for punters at st Ives, VonBroad, OTP gave a masterclass on wheel truing, using my wobbly rear wheel as an example. Rode home much better than it got there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 August, 2017, 10:30:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 August, 2017, 04:58:11 pm
Applied some ACME Instant Hole™ to my friend's kitchen worktop so that they can install one of those little tabletop dishwasher things.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2017_08_01_21_54_56.sized.jpg)

(The dot in front is where I spilt a drop.)

I also did the washing-up.

What was that then, H2SO4?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 August, 2017, 11:21:42 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 August, 2017, 10:30:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 August, 2017, 04:58:11 pm
Applied some ACME Instant Hole™ to my friend's kitchen worktop so that they can install one of those little tabletop dishwasher things.

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2017_08_01_21_54_56.sized.jpg)

(The dot in front is where I spilt a drop.)

I also did the washing-up.

What was that then, H2SO4?

(4mm drill bit)

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 August, 2017, 12:32:13 pm
I stopped half a mile into my commute to adjust a stem that wasn't quite in line with the front wheel.  It's hard to tell unless you're actually riding it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 August, 2017, 09:21:15 pm
Overhauled the BB on the Fire Mountain.  Cup and cone job with a plastic bellows to try to keep crud out.  These are impossible to clean, so I junked it.  Spindle slightly pitted but not too bad.  Ball cages a bit crappy, so rebuilt it with loose 1/4" balls and a lot of Phil grease.  Will be good for years - it's reasonably well sealed and has lasted 26 years so far- until I (or someone else) can be arsed to put a UN55 in there.

Just the rear hub to go now, then the whole bike has had the once-over.  It's a few pounds too heavy to be truly great, and Rapidfire still sucks, but it is a fabulous thing to ride.  I even got air off the speed humps at work  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 August, 2017, 10:20:04 pm
Having molished a directional light sensor by applying ultraviolence, black spray paint, sugru and a phototransistor to a PCB-mount BNC connector, I dug out the bodge-wire and completed the conversion of that £16 kit handheld oscilloscope into a lighting flicker-o-meter for barakta.

I also put into practice an idea I had the other day while riding my bike:  I finally managed to get the tappy bit off the crappy kitchen tap without breaking anything by cunning abuse of a ring spanner and bar clamp.  Which meant I could fit a new one that wasn't fucked.  We now have a hot tap that can be operated in the linear region without becoming unstable at higher temperatures.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 03 August, 2017, 11:04:21 pm
Yesterday - Graeme's Batbar tape which was unravelling from the drops end

I had to rebuild a pringled front wheel for a rider who rode into the school gatepost :facepalm:

Lots of other bits and pieces on bikes over the last few days, though the most common fix seemed to be to clean the gunk off the chains/jockey wheels after 1000km (including severe quantities of wet) and reindexing the gears a bit.

We did sell all the folding tyres we had, used all the spare gear cables and went through a lot of general spares at Thirsk LEL control. The hardest fixes were snapped gear cables inside a Dura Ace and then a 105-5800 shifter. Luckily we had a mechanic from Cowleys Cycles in NTR who managed to fix those (and show me how :thumbsup:), but not without a lot of fiddling in the case of the DA. It's now encouraged me to pull the gear cables out and check them on my bikes in future.

One I couldn't help was a rider who'd broken his carbon seat post.  Unfortunately I had no seat post and I'm not sure I could have got the stump out anyway. I don't think I'll be hanging a full Nelson Saddlebag (and Bagman) off of a carbon seatpost any time soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 August, 2017, 11:11:24 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 03 August, 2017, 11:04:21 pm
Yesterday - Graeme's Bat tape which was unravelling from the drops end

I hope that's not a typo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 03 August, 2017, 11:58:01 pm
The one, true, caped crusader . . . !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 August, 2017, 12:22:33 am
Taped crusader?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 August, 2017, 07:20:02 am
I fettled the web of skin between thumb and forefinger on my left hand with a stab from a screwdriver - it was a Park Tool screwdriver so that's OK.   At the moment it seems to just be bruised with no further internal damage.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 August, 2017, 09:33:00 am
Quote from: Kim on 03 August, 2017, 11:11:24 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 03 August, 2017, 11:04:21 pm
Yesterday - Graeme's Bat tape which was unravelling from the drops end

I hope that's not a typo.
:facepalm: ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 August, 2017, 11:25:11 am
Quote from: mcshroom on 04 August, 2017, 09:33:00 am
Quote from: Kim on 03 August, 2017, 11:11:24 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 03 August, 2017, 11:04:21 pm
Yesterday - Graeme's Bat tape which was unravelling from the drops end

I hope that's not a typo.
:facepalm: ;D

I was hoping for yellow with little Batman symbols, but: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/160362993/handlebar-tape-batman-cotton-wrapped-gel

This hockey tape is more like it:

(http://a9.wal.co/images/Large/299/072/1299072.jpg-60ef9a6eb2522fad96d7a5e8d4ab935484ffa852-optim-460x326.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 August, 2017, 06:14:19 pm
Best typo since the equally beguiling "porn mat" a few years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MalRees on 04 August, 2017, 11:23:24 pm
Geared down the Moulton TSR 30 via the application of a bargain priced Campagnolo Athena Triple chainset from Merlin Cycles. Just about works... some old style bodgery needed to stop chain rub; the Q factor seems to be a little different to the rather nice Stronglight that the bike came with. I now have a tiny bottom gear; 30 x 29 on 20 inch wheels has to be small enough to get me up anything until I build more strength up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 05 August, 2017, 04:12:32 pm
Replacement SPD cleats for the well worn (out) ones in my 2016 Sidi Dragon Carbon 3s (my commuting shoe which has probably done ~16,000 miles).
Unfortunately, following Shimano advice, I managed to shear the thread in the 4 hole threaded plate in the sole, which retains the cleat.
Note well: Ignore Shimano's advice of doing up the cleat bolts to 5 to 6 Nm. I wouldn't chance it over 4.5Nm.

I was going to throw away an otherwise good pair of shoes and replace them (I know spares are available, but their prices are a bit Maserati), then I realised that my worn out 2006 Sidis (I've never thrown away a pair of worn out cycling shoes, or any other cycling component, for that matter.... ::-)) have exactly the same plate...

It took some seriously industrial cutting equipment and effort to extract the 4 hole plate from my (now destroyed) 2006 Sidi shoes.
They are seriously well constructed.

Thankfully, fitting the re-cycled plate to my 2016 shoes was less invasive.

I think I just may've saved myself a couple of hundred squids.

Weekends, this household is just so rock n' roll.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 05 August, 2017, 04:34:55 pm
Not fettling, but tidying up my spares & tools box.    How many sets of mudguard stays ?   4 bike computers, I've not used one  in years  ???      What are these plastic brackets for ?    How many tubes that need patching  :jurek:    I can feel a large binbag being filled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 August, 2017, 04:53:04 pm
Put the tuning heads back onto the bass I fixed and re-strung it. First time I've strung a bass - the strings look as if you could hang curtains from them. Tuning is stable for the moment.  Had a quick plunk,  reminiscent of a bedspring in a cheap hotel but it works, which ain't bad after 10+ years in the loft.

It's now sitting on a sofa to see what happens with changes in humidity/°C.  If it goes pdoyngg cronk in the course of the next day or two we'll know that, contrary to what the makers say, Titebond glue isn't stronger than the wood.

The tuner capstans, however, poke up through sleeves that have to be hammered into the holes in the headstock.  The split went through one of these and grazed another, and I was able to hammer them back in with no problems. Impressive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 August, 2017, 05:26:27 pm
mllePB's Thorn Audax Mk 3.

New chainrings, chain, cassette, jockey wheels and gear inner wires.  Also put new rubber on and new bar grips.

When removing the old gear cables both had started to fray at the shifter end.   Recent experience tells me that I shouldn't leave any gear wires more than three years in future.  IMO quality has deteriorated in recent years as once upon a time an inner would last a decade and be replaced purely on a cautionary basis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 August, 2017, 07:08:47 pm
I've just added a cateye light mount to my bagman using plastic p-clips. It looks like it should be stable enough to hold a rear light up, though now I know it works I might buy some metal clips for a more robust design.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 05 August, 2017, 11:29:31 pm
The slowly oxidising fixings on Saphira trike's cranks and chainrings. Replaced with stainless.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4434/36392281815_a10928fb37.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/XrRXuK)Stainless bits (https://flic.kr/p/XrRXuK) by John Jackson (https://www.flickr.com/photos/29179705@N02/), on Flickr
(plus several lawns and the laundry. And a door lock block.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 06 August, 2017, 06:52:48 pm
A wee platform for the colour printer to sit on.

I had to fill the tray with paper, but because it was sitting on carpet, the tray does not pull out easily.
Then, once it's out, it doesn't go back in easily.
Today, it wouldn't go in properly at all, and caused paper jams.

So I finally molished a piece of plywood of the correct size, stood up on a couple of battens lifting the whole thing off the floor by 50mm or so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 06 August, 2017, 07:45:18 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 05 August, 2017, 05:26:27 pm
mllePB's Thorn Audax Mk 3.

New chainrings, chain, cassette, jockey wheels and gear inner wires.  Also put new rubber on and new bar grips.

When removing the old gear cables both had started to fray at the shifter end.   Recent experience tells me that I shouldn't leave any gear wires more than three years in future.  IMO quality has deteriorated in recent years as once upon a time an inner would last a decade and be replaced purely on a cautionary basis.

70k today and not a single issue.   Chuffed with that.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 06 August, 2017, 08:09:42 pm
I just replaced the chainring, chain, freewheel, mudguards, brake pads, cables and fittings for the rack on my commuting bike.  The frame, wheels, brakes and rack all got cleaned in the process.

I didn't significantly touch the handlebars yet, although I do have some replacement handlebars, bar tape and brake levers.  When the replacement light mount and some spare time becomes available, that will be changed too.

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=300&file=P8060512_crop_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/P8060512_crop_adj.jpg)(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=200&file=P8060517_crop_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/P8060517_crop_adj.jpg)(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=275&file=P8060519_crop_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/P8060519_crop_adj.jpg)

I've got shiny new p-clips on the rack, after finding one was broken last weekend.  The drive train looks as shiny and clean as it is ever likely to.  Don't expect that to last. ;D

I cycled it 3.3km around the block a few times, and almost nothing rattled.  Once I'd tightened up a slack bolt, nothing rattled. :)

Tomorrows commute will test it properly, although I'll have four Allen keys and two spanners in my pocket, just in case!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 August, 2017, 08:32:25 pm
Finished a fettle from Friday morning:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2017_08_06_19_59_55.sized.jpg)

One of those excellent[1] TS-100 portable soldering irons, running from a Makita power tool battery.  (Via a USB charging adaptor modded to provide a (fused!) battery voltage output, and some posh silicone cable.)  May contain Sugru or traces of Sugru.

This is a far more satisfactory solution for awkward wiring jobs than a gas-powered iron.


[1] It's tiny.  It runs from 12-24VDC (making it compatible with most laptop PSUs).  It's got a decent amount of power.  It's thermostatic.  It's programmable.  It's open source.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 August, 2017, 08:38:42 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 05 August, 2017, 04:34:55 pm
Not fettling, but tidying up my spares & tools box.    How many sets of mudguard stays ?   4 bike computers, I've not used one  in years  ???      What are these plastic brackets for ?    How many tubes that need patching  :jurek:    I can feel a large binbag being filled.
Yeah... It seems so wasteful to throw them away but at the same time not worth patching them, especially when you have four holes in one tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 06 August, 2017, 09:25:31 pm
A friend's Moulton TSR lost the nut off the rear suspension pivot bolt last week, so I obtained a new nut from Moulton and fitted it today. One of the "ears" for the bolt was bent so I straightened it, adjusted the gears after having to temporarily disconnect the cable, and lubricated the chain and other moving parts.

I then removed the rear triangle from my ATB tandem and greased the pivot bolt on that, after noticing it was wasn't pivoting smoothly. In the process I removed the rear rack support strut to take measurements; a German ATB owner was looking for a spare strut, and I suggested it would be relatively simple to fabricate one from tubing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 August, 2017, 10:13:36 pm
Took up the slack on my brake cables (didn't appreciate the levers close to bars i got to on downhills yesterday). Also nipped up the BB a bit as there was some clunking yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 06 August, 2017, 10:25:42 pm
Decided to change my brake pads. Took the holders off the brakes, then managed to round off 2 of the tiny allen bolts holding them in. :facepalm: Gave up. Guess I'll have to ride a different bike tomorrow, then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 August, 2017, 10:44:58 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 06 August, 2017, 10:25:42 pm
Decided to change my brake pads. Took the holders off the brakes, then managed to round off 2 of the tiny allen bolts holding them in. :facepalm: Gave up. Guess I'll have to ride a different bike tomorrow, then.

Easy fettle. Good quality pliers with a recessed jaw and grip the outside of the screw, turn the pad holder not the pliers.

Obtain Aztec replacements as they come complete with the bolts . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 August, 2017, 08:13:14 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 06 August, 2017, 10:25:42 pm
Decided to change my brake pads. Took the holders off the brakes, then managed to round off 2 of the tiny allen bolts holding them in. ...

I've also found these allen bolts to be very annoyingly easy to round off.  On my commuter, I need to change front brake pads at least every couple of months, and find that I round these off, as often as I don't.  You seem to have to use a very hard Allen key, with nice sharp corners, to have a chance of getting them out easily.  The ones I use, similar to Torslanda's, come with new grub screws, and I generally put a new set in with the new pads, since they probably won't survive a second use.  :-\ >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 August, 2017, 12:26:42 pm
Quote from: TimO on 07 August, 2017, 08:13:14 am
On my commuter, I need to change front brake pads at least every couple of months

Holy moly, is your commute in the alps?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 August, 2017, 02:33:32 pm
London grunge.

So today I fully stripped the Special cnc.  Removed the cranks and cut all the cables.  So going to need some new outers for the gear and brakes...Should I match the white ones that are on there now?

Stripped the mountain bike down to clean and service...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 07 August, 2017, 06:45:47 pm
A Brooks swallow and a longer stem onto the commuter, I have an inkling I may regret both of these.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 07 August, 2017, 08:46:07 pm
Gah!  Circuit Breaker on one of the lighting circuits popped this evening. And wouldn't re-set.
Turn off all lights, still won't re-set. Hmm. Not a simple short on one of the fittings.

Disconnect wiring from the 6A RCBO, and apply Megger on 500v range.
Severe Phase-Earth fault on the wiring side which doesn't show on a simple Fluke LV ohm-meter.
Bollocks.

Go around all the switches disconnecting the loop-through till I finally isolate the fault to one run of cable.
It's in the ceiling void above the kitchen, totally inaccessible.
And no, the fault is not at either end, that would be too helpful.
A temporary external cable run fixes the problem, but is removed as Domestically Un-acceptable :-)
Still, I now have lights up as far as that switch.

A mid-span fault! That's unusual!
Meeces, perhaps?
I'll find out once I've cut access hatches in the plasterboard and pulled in a replacement.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 07 August, 2017, 09:03:35 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 August, 2017, 12:26:42 pm
Quote from: TimO on 07 August, 2017, 08:13:14 am
On my commuter, I need to change front brake pads at least every couple of months
Holy moly, is your commute in the alps?

Like Gattopardo said, dirty London roads, especially when they're a bit wet, makes quite a good polishing compound.  That's also over 1000 miles of cycling, with a traffic light every 1/5th of a mile, and I'd estimate about 1/3rd of them red.  So, I'm using the brakes at traffic lights 1700 times, and obviously there are other occasions when they need to be engaged.

It soon wears pads down, faster in the winter, and slower in the summer, but I think it is around a new set of pads every couple of months on average.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 August, 2017, 11:48:46 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 02 August, 2017, 12:27:53 pm
I have been making a D20 to teach amino acids to students. It is starting to come together quite nicely.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DGLN7tPXgAA8MQU.jpg:large)

The pieces were designed using joinery (https://clementzheng.github.io/joinery/) and then assembled using temporary wire twists to hold it together. It is currently having the glue set before I remove the tags and then add more glue, then sand and fill and sand and paint.

It's not quite as smooth and blemish free as I would like, but not bad.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4425/36387378726_52efb3029e_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/XrqPYJ)Starting to look shiny (https://flic.kr/p/XrqPYJ) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

Some more sanding to happen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob on 08 August, 2017, 08:52:17 pm
So, that 15 min job of replacing my old BB bearings on my BMX, turned out to be a half-day affair.
 Sheared an allen key trying to get the crank off.  Went to the workshop, picked up a beefier one and got the nut on the other side off. This BB/crank never saw any grease when originally assembled!!
-Could not get the bearing to budge at all. Even with a bigger hammer and I just started damaging my tools. Ok, I got a selection of bikeshops near me. Never actually visited the closest one despite only being 1/2 block away, so went down there.
Super polished, clean, etc..and yeah, they could book me in towards the end of the week.
Next shop, I've used before and it's good.  They've done minor fixes on my wifes bike for free before and I usually use them for getting parts for her bike.  It's no so clean and the guys in the shop all got dirty hands, etc, ie a proper bike shop. They can fit it in this afternoon, no problem and will give me a call. I get home and pretty much straight away get a call to let me know it's ready. $15 for the labour. They ask me if I want to keep the old parts and I say no, as I have a brand new one and the bearings on the old one are pretty bad.
I get home again, start assembling and then realise that the sleeve on the new BB is longer than the old one. I could cut it, but would I be able to cut it straight enough? Probably not, so I walk up to the bikeshop again and get the old sleeve back!.
Finally get everything assembled, after 3 hours of faffing about!!.
Next up is the rear hub, which will probably be a similar adventure. BMX rear hubs got built-in casettes and while all the ball bearings should be replaceable, the pawls in the casette might not be, as the manufacturer doesn't sell those. (They want you to buy new, fancier hubs).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 08 August, 2017, 10:26:12 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 07 August, 2017, 08:46:07 pm
Gah!  Circuit Breaker on one of the lighting circuits popped this evening. And wouldn't re-set.
#include tale_of_woe

Having isolated the leakage to a single cable run ( <0.03 Meg Ohm @ 500V ), I did purchase a reel of 1.5 T+E today, with the intention of cutting access hatches in the ceiling plasterboard to pull it through.

Before I start work, I megged it again.
It's up to about 150 Meg, rising to 300 Meg as I hold the button.
This has all the symptoms of something getting wet, and drying out.

I experimentally re-connect stuff, and the leakage is low enough to not trip the RCD.
So I've decided not to do the invasive stuff for now, I'll live with it working as-is.

So how can a single cable run in the centre of the building get wet?
Ah, now I think about it, there used to be a bulkhead light outside on the soffit board.
Following building work about 10 years back, the light is no more.
But what happened to the wiring?
The electrician was a cowboy.
I bet the cable run in question goes out to the soffits, and is chock-blocked with a shoddy wrap of insulating tape, and then continues back inside.
I suspect it's gotten grottier and grottier over the years, and the recent rain has finally tripped the RCD.
I'm now 99.9% certain this is the problem.

I'll leave it until it trips out again, then I'll chop it out and pull in a direct run of fresh T+E.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 August, 2017, 04:44:55 am
A work in progress: I'm visiting my sister in Sydney and am taking a day off from visiting $Stuff, so am currently freeing up rusted chains, applying almost suitable lubricant, adjusting brakes and pumping* tyres on three bikes, belonging to her, BiL and 1st= Favourite Niece.  I am rather impressed by the selection of tools my sister has accumulated.


*pumping is a tad difficult owing to the pump being MIA. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 10 August, 2017, 12:51:43 pm
A shorter stem onto the commuter
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 August, 2017, 01:41:52 pm
Multiple items off my todo list, still lots more to do, before next Friday. I hate moving house!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 August, 2017, 11:10:55 pm
Replaced the tube in the front wheel of the Streetmachine, with rather a lot of skilled help from EldestCub. That rim is a complete bastard. I think I'll have to rebuild the wheel with something more practical, as I don't think I would have managed it unassisted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 11 August, 2017, 11:14:14 pm
Replaced the (very grotty) throwing starsjockey wheels in the tourer's rear mech, and fitted a new Spanninga Elips light to the rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 August, 2017, 11:29:27 pm
More cleaning of the mountain bike.  Am amazed how much of a build up of furry sticky stuff is on the bike.

Then rebuilding using ceramic grease...not supposed to be sticky but will see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 12 August, 2017, 08:59:44 am
My boiler (needed a top-up).  I now have hot water again!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 12 August, 2017, 10:54:22 am
A new battery into this phone and the lenses out of Mrs S' reading glasses into the frames of her sunglasses
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 August, 2017, 11:06:25 am
Took advantage of the missus being out to do a job on the wretched buddleia which, in addition to being a bugger to spell,* was bending down à la Linden Lea to slap me in the kisser with a soggy frond after every shower of rain. This morning I had to bend double to avoid the evil thing. Triffid-envy, that's what it's suffering from; and now from my bowsaw. There's enough left to placate the "it's not the pruning season" lobby - and anyway, I wasn't pruning, I was punishing.  :demon: ;D

*Curiously, Firefox suggests "befuddle".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 August, 2017, 11:44:30 am
I need to add grease and adjust bearings in a pair of new Deore hubs.  Shimani QC is crap these days - both are too tight, one alarmingly so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 12 August, 2017, 12:54:55 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 11 August, 2017, 01:41:52 pm
Multiple items off my todo list, still lots more to do, before next Friday. I hate moving house!

You have my sympathies.   We have vicarious moving of house with mllePB's father.   It's a stressful time for him. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 12 August, 2017, 05:06:28 pm
New cassette and chain on the Sabbath and refitted the guards and cleaned the commuter
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 12 August, 2017, 08:20:24 pm
Cleaned my Trangia, which had been in it's bag since the Wing camping weekend.   There was stuff growing on the cloth I'd left inside  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 13 August, 2017, 06:28:20 am
@T42

It's as unkillable as Japanese knotweed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 13 August, 2017, 07:23:32 am
Quote from: andrewc on 12 August, 2017, 08:20:24 pm
Cleaned my Trangia, which had been in it's bag since the Wing camping weekend.   There was stuff growing on the cloth I'd left inside  :sick:

Only cleaned ours last week.  It was not as ripe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 13 August, 2017, 07:10:02 pm
I found a moderately reasonable place to mount a small safe for storing essential items, like passports etc.  I then proceeded to attempt to drill eight holes, mount heavy duty fixings into those, and bolt the safe in place.

Drilling into bricks, fitting the metal fixings in places, and then bolting the required item in place, never works as planned, since the holes never seem to go in straight, or quite in the locations that you expect them to go !

I got seven of them in place, and tightened up, which took a while when I could only turn the ratchet on the socket set about 45° at a go. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 13 August, 2017, 09:00:51 pm
7m2 of plastering. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 15 August, 2017, 11:39:44 am
Spoke replaced (non drive side thankfully) and stem replaced (original adjustable one had developed a lot of play in its joint, felt like I was trying to steer a boat). Should make my commutes a lot less unenjoyable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 17 August, 2017, 10:26:42 pm
Today has been particularly bloody...

Shortened some tribars for a customer. I'm getting quite good at internal cable routing  ;D

Sorted the hydraulics on a Norco. NB when customers order their own stuff from China, they should check that the brakes they've bought are a) the correct orientation for UK bikes and III) the hose length is something reasonable first.

Stripped and rebuilt my Giant OCR. Claris chainset swapped out for Ultegra triple, 6600 wheels, 105 mechs and shifters. It's a bit of a mongrel but it all works. Having fettled it all it had to come apart again to fit in the  suitcase for France. Went home at 20:40. That was a long day.

Hols tomorrow...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 17 August, 2017, 10:30:34 pm
Finally rebuilt the front wheel that some feckers ruined onna train. New spokes and new rim, plus re-fitting the front light.

So my Pompino is back to audax-readiness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 August, 2017, 10:38:14 pm
Dug a quantity of bitumen from the remaining head of the cable clamp bolt on the Red Baron's rear derailleur.  Got enough of an allen key in to undo it, and replaced it with an undamaged bolt from the derailleur that had its cage destroyed by a Tesco bag a couple of years ago (I'd been keeping in case it came in handy).

Also chain lubrication and brake adjustment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 August, 2017, 07:30:59 pm
cleaned and re-lubed the internals of freehub post tcr (4600km all in); did the same with the jockey wheels
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 August, 2017, 08:28:09 pm
Changed chain routing on the M5 recumbent off of the high idler.  I think the lower routing will be more efficient, but need to ride it to see how it affects steering angles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 August, 2017, 10:53:34 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 17 August, 2017, 10:26:42 pm

Stripped and rebuilt my Giant OCR. Claris chainset swapped out for Ultegra triple, 6600 wheels, 105 mechs and shifters. It's a bit of a mongrel but it all works. Having fettled it all it had to come apart again to fit in the  suitcase for France. Went home at 20:40. That was a long day.

Hols tomorrow...

...and then completely fucked it up by locking the shop up and handing the key to Steve who's looking after the place, driving off and realizing it's still in its case.

IN THE FUCKING SHOP!

I really shouldn't be allowed out on my own.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 August, 2017, 04:04:56 pm
Replaced the §"$%&/() cable end in my left shifter & put in a PTFE-covered cable.  A bit of a song & dance what with having to unwrap the bar on that side & wrestle with the rubber cover.

Got bike down off the hooks & rolled it up to the door end of the shop to top off the tyres for tomorrow. Rear tyre, replaced 2 days ago, was down to 1.5 bar. So now it's down at the other end again and back on the hooks while I search for a 25 mm tube. There's now so pleasant as having to do something over again at the end of the day when you were on the point of knocking off five minutes earlier. :( 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 August, 2017, 05:37:50 pm
Finally built up the enthusiasm to replace the rear tube with the slow leak in HK's MTB commuter. Hopefully I can now ignore it till winter. If the front rim has worn too thin then, I'll replace it with the ceramic-rim, dynohub, spare front wheel for her trike.

Just finished off making a BSO roadworthy for a friend of a friend. Don't ask...

Now to solve the loose crown race on HK's Condor commuter and replace the front brake pads. After that, prep HK's Moulton for her upcoming European trip while I am in Oz. I might get round to working on my own bikes later on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 August, 2017, 02:04:12 pm
Replaced the amplifier which my older iMac runs through (all  my music lives on this Mac as it runs a version of iTunes dating back to when iTunes was a useable thing). Turned it on this morning and all it produced the kind of angry electrical buzz you hear when you pop an incandescent light bulb into a microwave and press the 'Go' button - Kids, don't do this in your home - do it in someone else's.

A phone call and a quick trip to Richer Sounds at London Bridge, saw me laden with an entry level amp from Cambridge Audio.
Below my desk is a 'shelf' at about 150mm from the floor, which for me is a footrest.
Below the shelf is home for all the (many) 4-way mains splitters, data cables, wall warts, transformers etc, etc.....
It is not very often that I need to lift the shelf. Oh my! It is so very full of fluff in there. Does electrical cabling generate fluff?

I cannot help but wonder whether the Cambridge Audio amp I bought today will work every day for the next 30 years, as did the Toshiba one which it replaces.
Ordinarily, as amps go, I would consider that to represent exceptionally good value for money.
Only I never paid anything for it. It was given to me as it was someone's interim amp, while they waited for the insurance to cough for their much higher quality stereo, of which they had been burgled.

What does one do with dead electricals these days? Can I stick it in my recycling bin?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 August, 2017, 02:57:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 20 August, 2017, 02:04:12 pm
What does one do with dead electricals these days? Can I stick it in my recycling bin?

I save them up and take them to the 'small electricals' wossname at the tip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 August, 2017, 03:26:47 pm
Swapped the rear tyres between HK's and my Moultons. I fitted mine at Pocklington SB (so it is nicely run in now), when I found the previous rear tyre was down to the canvas (LEL roads are somewhat wearing). HK has a weeklong tour coming up and I will use up the age-hardened and slightly cut-up Panaracer on day rides. I think HK's tyre may have been old stock as the rubber was noticeably harder than mine and didn't have the screenprinted label. Nothing else seems particularly necessary, except for new handlebar tape, later this week.

Retensioned the chain on my fixed and realigned the rear brake pads to suit.

I need to replace the chain and cassette on my Moulton sometime, so time to pick up a couple of 10sp chains. It hadn't reached 0.75% before LEL but is past 1.0% now. The rear gear cable and handlebar tape are well past due too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 20 August, 2017, 07:19:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 August, 2017, 02:57:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 20 August, 2017, 02:04:12 pm
What does one do with dead electricals these days? Can I stick it in my recycling bin?

I save them up and take them to the 'small electricals' wossname at the tip.

Problem with that is that you can end up coming back with more then you took away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 20 August, 2017, 10:03:58 pm
Dang, Jurek, had you mentioned this earlier I could have rehomed the Cambridge Audio amp I have generating fluff upstairs after it was usurped by a Denon 5.2 AV receiver-cum-heater.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 August, 2017, 10:39:45 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 20 August, 2017, 07:19:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 August, 2017, 02:57:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 20 August, 2017, 02:04:12 pm
What does one do with dead electricals these days? Can I stick it in my recycling bin?

I save them up and take them to the 'small electricals' wossname at the tip.

Problem with that is that you can end up coming back with more then you took away.

Our one is arranged to mitigate that risk with extreme gravitational awkwardness.  And a team of burly gnome-collecting binmen who you wouldn't want to incur the wrath of by attempting to recover tqt[1] from the WEEE bin.

I've had previous 'debates' with them over the lead-acidness of SLA batteries, whether the refrigerant-based principle of an air conditioner justifies filing it with the fridges, and whether I really rode all the way from Silly Oak with a bicycle trailer full of heavy rubbish (as if the sweat didn't serve as a clue, it's up bloody hill).  At no point have they challenged me for accessing the site by bicycle, though, so they're good eggs really.


[1] It does make me wonder how the yoof of today are supposed to learn electronics without a steady supply of midly-b0rked through-hole audio kit, mind.  This is probably why they invented Arduinos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 21 August, 2017, 12:25:15 am
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/IMG_0143.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 August, 2017, 10:31:10 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 20 August, 2017, 10:03:58 pm
Dang, Jurek, had you mentioned this earlier I could have rehomed the Cambridge Audio amp I have generating fluff upstairs after it was usurped by a Denon 5.2 AV receiver-cum-heater.
That's generous of you, Mr. L - however, my needs were immediate.
Plus, I had  train ride - which I always like (unless it is rush hours)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 August, 2017, 04:41:17 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 20 August, 2017, 07:19:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 August, 2017, 02:57:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 20 August, 2017, 02:04:12 pm
What does one do with dead electricals these days? Can I stick it in my recycling bin?

I save them up and take them to the 'small electricals' wossname at the tip.

Problem with that is that you can end up coming back with more then you took away.

Ours has large 'small appliance' skips that are impossible to retrieve stuffs from. I was having a clear out at the weekend and evicted three old router/wireless hubs, a broken Vbox, a freeview box and about n gazillion VCR players. We now have just one VCR player and I am slowly evicting the tapes from the 'Room of Requirements' [1]  with strict instructions that if they are in the way then rip them or bin them.


[1] (TM) my good friend Susie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 21 August, 2017, 05:03:42 pm
Extracted the 'builders foam' casting from the plaster mould today. Seemed to work quite well all things considered.

The acrylic version will be rather more challenging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 August, 2017, 09:55:42 pm
Greased the pivots and put the cantilever arms back on SO's "Oxford" bike.  Need yokes to actually set up the brakes*, and it would help if the rear wheel actually had an axle in it...still waiting for the UG freewheel remover so I can do the bearings, oil the freewheel and true it.

Unexpectedly, the Marathon Plus 700 x 38c tyre went on the finished front wheel with no fight whatsoever.

The final job on this bike will be to smear all the steel parts that don't get touched by the rider (cantilever hardware, yokes, cable roller, wheel nuts, most other nuts and bolts) with Vaseline.  It will attract dirt, but it won't rust solid on salted roads.

*the rims are on the wide side, which is beneficial for straddle angle, as these are low-profile cantilevers.  I don't really like having the pads right out on their studs as Kool-Stop salmons are prone enough to squealing without any extra flex in the system.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 24 August, 2017, 04:34:02 pm
Helping with a project that Barakta was instrumental in pointing me in the right direction for. One of our students is developing new BSL for biology. After many weeks in the lab and several linguistic workshops, he is now committing the new signs to video.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4431/36380589360_5fcd38d83b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/XqQ2JG)Liam recording new BSL signs for biology. (https://flic.kr/p/XqQ2JG) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 24 August, 2017, 07:38:24 pm
I've just switched a stronglight 34t chainring for a shimano one.

I've been having problems with shifting down from the 48t (Spa) ring to the stronglight ring, where the chain seemed to be getting hung up between the rings. The shimano ring has a different profile meaning that the teeth are closer to the spindle, and make the gap smaller.

The shifting worked ok with SL inner and outer rings though.

The new ring seems to shift better in the workstand, so it'll be interesting to see if this has solved my problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 August, 2017, 08:27:25 pm
There's a reason the Red Baron's middle[1] ring is currently a steel Shimano one from the spares box rather than the alloy Stronglight one I purchased for the purpose.  The Stronglight one just won't shift reliably with an indexed shifter.


[1] Recumbent-issue 'taking the piss' 22-36-50 chainset configuration.  Use of the granny ring requires application of The Knack and a high tolerance for horrid grinding noises, so is to be considered an emergency use only option.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 24 August, 2017, 11:02:07 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 24 August, 2017, 07:38:24 pm
I've just switched a stronglight 34t chainring for a shimano one.

I've been having problems with shifting down from the 48t (Spa) ring to the stronglight ring, where the chain seemed to be getting hung up between the rings. The shimano ring has a different profile meaning that the teeth are closer to the spindle, and make the gap smaller.

The shifting worked ok with SL inner and outer rings though.

The new ring seems to shift better in the workstand, so it'll be interesting to see if this has solved my problem.

IIRC, I have Stronglight middles and grannies (30 and 26T) on both my 'bents and they shift just fine.  But I have got a fang on both, just in case (actually the 20/26 did drop the chain once, on a hill and dumped me off.  That was the first and last time).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 25 August, 2017, 12:00:43 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 24 August, 2017, 11:02:07 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 24 August, 2017, 07:38:24 pm
I've just switched a stronglight 34t chainring for a shimano one.

I've been having problems with shifting down from the 48t (Spa) ring to the stronglight ring, where the chain seemed to be getting hung up between the rings. The shimano ring has a different profile meaning that the teeth are closer to the spindle, and make the gap smaller.

The shifting worked ok with SL inner and outer rings though.

The new ring seems to shift better in the workstand, so it'll be interesting to see if this has solved my problem.

IIRC, I have Stronglight middles and grannies (30 and 26T) on both my 'bents and they shift just fine.  But I have got a fang on both, just in case (actually the 20/26 did drop the chain once, on a hill and dumped me off.  That was the first and last time).

I don't think there's anything wrong with the ring, just with it's compatibility with the Spa cycles one. I've been switching the rings of two compact chainsets because the stronglight rings didn't have a pin behind the crank arm, whereas the spa ring did. The two SL rings worked together, and the two non-SL rings seem to work fine, it was just a compatibility issue between the profiles of the spa and SL rings.

The Spa and Shimano rings are shaped with the teeth offset to the 'right' of the ring when attached to the chainset (outboard from the BB). The SL rings are more symmetrical with less offset. Mixing the two made a bigger gap between rings, and with a 10sp chain, it just didn't quite work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 August, 2017, 01:36:50 pm
Bestirred myself to twiddle the starboard adjuster knob on the Trek to stop the FD rubbing in the T-trim position.  Annoying, that - I thought I had nailed it last fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 25 August, 2017, 05:32:49 pm
On ride a couple of weeks ago, lost a screw attaching the RH front mudguard stay on the Moulton ATB tandem. Temporarily fixed with a tie wrap. On investigating once home, found the M5 thread was stripped on the dropout, so after wondering how to fix it, I ordered an M5 helicoil fitting kit from China on Fleabay, and it arrived today.

Drilled out the hole and tapped it, then screwed the helicoil in. Actually a bit too long for hole, so snipped the excess off and filed the end smooth. All gone together OK, test will be the next ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 02:30:40 pm
i've noticed that my garmin started to lose contact intermittently when being charged and connected to a pc. i've also noticed that the outer part of the female socket moves vertically, which can't be right. upon further inspection i found out that two of the contacts were detached from the board (it must be the charging on the go on bumpy/gravelly roads during the tcr that did it). this took much longer to fix than expected, mainly due to the lack of right tools for the job. it's now however fixed and is more solid than it was from the factory - result!
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170828/afd14c41ce0b1f95249289f8f589c23d.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170828/5eca1a4f06688209b1f38cdc968c3386.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 28 August, 2017, 07:56:47 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 02:30:40 pm
i've noticed that my garmin started to lose contact intermittently when being charged and connected to a pc. i've also noticed that the outer part of the female socket moves vertically, which can't be right. upon further inspection i found out that two of the contacts were detached from the board (it must be the charging on the go on bumpy/gravelly roads during the tcr that did it). this took much longer to fix than expected, mainly due to the lack of right tools for the job. it's now however fixed and is more solid than it was from the factory - result!

I have a loose connector on mine, OK at home, but won't charge on the bike, I might try asn find a replacement female USB socket if I can.  How did you do the un-soldering bit?

For me, mounted new rack on the roadbike yesterday, rode it today.

Changed tyres on the old runabout, gave it a very good clean, and will be changing pedals in prep to put it up for sale.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 28 August, 2017, 08:13:29 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 02:30:40 pm
i've noticed that my garmin started to lose contact intermittently when being charged and connected to a pc. i've also noticed that the outer part of the female socket moves vertically, which can't be right. upon further inspection i found out that two of the contacts were detached from the board (it must be the charging on the go on bumpy/gravelly roads during the tcr that did it). this took much longer to fix than expected, mainly due to the lack of right tools for the job. it's now however fixed and is more solid than it was from the factory - result!

Out of interest, what model Garmin is that?

It's different from the Edge series which has the USB connectors on a separate daughter-board.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 09:40:10 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 28 August, 2017, 07:56:47 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 02:30:40 pm
i've noticed that my garmin started to lose contact intermittently when being charged and connected to a pc. i've also noticed that the outer part of the female socket moves vertically, which can't be right. upon further inspection i found out that two of the contacts were detached from the board (it must be the charging on the go on bumpy/gravelly roads during the tcr that did it). this took much longer to fix than expected, mainly due to the lack of right tools for the job. it's now however fixed and is more solid than it was from the factory - result!

I have a loose connector on mine, OK at home, but won't charge on the bike, I might try asn find a replacement female USB socket if I can.  How did you do the un-soldering bit?

maybe i didn't express myself clearly, but the alloy part of the socket was already detached from the board (by vibration i suppose). then after i've removed it i saw the two contact pins were detached too.. it was very fiddly to get them fixed as they are tiny.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 August, 2017, 09:45:11 pm
Best way to de-solder something like that is with braid.  This sort of thing:  https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/de-soldering-braid-1mm-width-n47fx

(Practice on something scrap first, there's a bit of a knack to it.  Burnt fingers are pretty much compulsory.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 09:51:46 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 28 August, 2017, 08:13:29 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 02:30:40 pm
i've noticed that my garmin started to lose contact intermittently when being charged and connected to a pc. i've also noticed that the outer part of the female socket moves vertically, which can't be right. upon further inspection i found out that two of the contacts were detached from the board (it must be the charging on the go on bumpy/gravelly roads during the tcr that did it). this took much longer to fix than expected, mainly due to the lack of right tools for the job. it's now however fixed and is more solid than it was from the factory - result!

Out of interest, what model Garmin is that?

It's different from the Edge series which has the USB connectors on a separate daughter-board.

it's an edge 500; i was almost tempted to have a ~20cm usb cable with a female micro-usb socket soldered and fed to the outside and the opening sealed. this would improve the unit for long trips/tours/races.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 28 August, 2017, 10:17:53 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 August, 2017, 09:45:11 pm
Best way to de-solder something like that is with braid.  This sort of thing:  https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/de-soldering-braid-1mm-width-n47fx

(Practice on something scrap first, there's a bit of a knack to it.  Burnt fingers are pretty much compulsory.)

Alternatively, a soldering-grade heat-gun, with the rest of the PCB masked off with thick tin-foil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 August, 2017, 10:21:52 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 28 August, 2017, 10:17:53 pm
Alternatively, a soldering-grade heat-gun, with the rest of the PCB masked off with thick tin-foil.

Yes, or that.  But it's in the league of "if you have to ask how, you probably don't have one".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 28 August, 2017, 10:22:21 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 09:51:46 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 28 August, 2017, 08:13:29 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 28 August, 2017, 02:30:40 pm
i've noticed that my garmin started to lose contact intermittently when being charged and connected to a pc. i've also noticed that the outer part of the female socket moves vertically, which can't be right. upon further inspection i found out that two of the contacts were detached from the board (it must be the charging on the go on bumpy/gravelly roads during the tcr that did it). this took much longer to fix than expected, mainly due to the lack of right tools for the job. it's now however fixed and is more solid than it was from the factory - result!

Out of interest, what model Garmin is that?

It's different from the Edge series which has the USB connectors on a separate daughter-board.

it's an edge 500; i was almost tempted to have a ~20cm usb cable with a female micro-usb socket soldered and fed to the outside and the opening sealed. this would improve the unit for long trips/tours/races.

Yes, I've considered modifying my Edge 800 series units with contact pads on the 1/4-turn mount shoe, and spring contacts on the mount.
Similar to a flashgun hotshoe, or what Garmin do on the running watches with the crocogator clips.

But I've never gotten around to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 August, 2017, 10:24:05 pm
How big is one of those inductive charging wossnames...?  Efficiency's pretty poor though, IIRC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 28 August, 2017, 11:21:58 pm
Quote from: David Martin on 24 August, 2017, 04:34:02 pm
Helping with a project that Barakta was instrumental in pointing me in the right direction for. One of our students is developing new BSL for biology. After many weeks in the lab and several linguistic workshops, he is now committing the new signs to video.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4431/36380589360_5fcd38d83b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/XqQ2JG)Liam recording new BSL signs for biology. (https://flic.kr/p/XqQ2JG) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

So pleased with how that linking up turned out all round.  :thumbsup:

Today has been another day of "yay deaf communities" as people are really quick to connect folk up with one another "You need to talk to X, they know about this thing" and people are generous with their time and expertise/skills when it's for community benefit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 01 September, 2017, 04:54:39 pm
Odd job day.

1. Leaky shower enclosure. Wasn't until I turned the shower on and stood outside it that I could see water-drops bouncing off the basin floor and up through  a small gap in the door seal. I've bodged a small section of vinyl with tape to the inside of the door. No more drips!

2. New headphone lead for my wife's Sony MDR 7506s. Son No 1 had bent the jack plug on the curly cable. All in all it seemed a good idea to fit a jack socket to the phones and craft a replaceable male-male lead. Though trying the cans out afterwards made me want to steal them for their huuuge sound!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 September, 2017, 09:22:56 pm
Threw away some expensive Cinelli Giro d'Italia bars, scratched when trying to fit them to a 3TTT stem, and replaced them with some cheaper yet equally light ITM bars, which fitted easily without damage.

Stem is claimed 25.8/26.0  (really).

Cinelli bars are claimed 26.0 but are up to 26.3 at bulge!

ITM bars are claimed 25.8 but are 25.6 at bulge.

Bloody Italian tolerances.  They say you shouldn't mix and match manufacturers of bar and stem, and they're right.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 September, 2017, 03:37:26 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 24 August, 2017, 07:38:24 pm
I've just switched a stronglight 34t chainring for a shimano one.

I've been having problems with shifting down from the 48t (Spa) ring to the stronglight ring, where the chain seemed to be getting hung up between the rings. The shimano ring has a different profile meaning that the teeth are closer to the spindle, and make the gap smaller.

The shifting worked ok with SL inner and outer rings though.

The new ring seems to shift better in the workstand, so it'll be interesting to see if this has solved my problem.
Interesting, as I'd thought the Spa rings were rebranded Stronglight. I guess not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 September, 2017, 03:39:08 pm
I have defettled a chainset but have got stuck on unstucking the bottom bracket. Partly because the splines are so shallow and partly because the thing is just too tight. I think I'm going to have to take it in to a s-h-o-p.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 03 September, 2017, 08:36:45 pm
Got my winter bike ready for the next 6 months of riding. Well, it's a Spa Audax frame (with stickers removed)
built up with stuff of my own choice.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 September, 2017, 03:53:39 pm
The essaitchohpee said they'd see if they could get it done today or maybe tomorrow but busy. An hour later they messaged me to say it was done. "Was it easy then?" I asked Colin. "Yes," said Colin, and then demonstrated how it had been the kind of easy that is made by a four foot bar and a mallet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 04 September, 2017, 07:27:16 pm
A box of dead vegetables, screws and pegs into a 7' high towel cupboard for the shower room.

We can now empty the boxes of towels out of the spare bedroom. Hopefully we can then fit a single bed into the spare room, meaning we will have two rooms for guests, visitors and the odd tired audaxer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 September, 2017, 08:06:04 pm
Front derailleur height. It's not quite as simple as just height, is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 September, 2017, 08:59:53 pm
in order to lower the gears on my dad's bike (11sp campag) took the 11-23 cassette off along with the freehub. replaced the freehub with the shimano one, took the 11sp 11-28 cassette off the smart trainer and installed it on the rear wheel. couldn't find the 11t lockring anywhere, so used spare cassette's (10sp ultegra 12-23) top sprocket along with the 12t lockring. the cassette starts 12,12,13,14.. which is a bit of a bodge but i bet he'll not miss the 53×11 top gear.
installed the campag 11sp 11-23 on the trainer for which it's perfect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 September, 2017, 09:15:58 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 04 September, 2017, 08:06:04 pm
Front derailleur height. It's not quite as simple as just height, is it?

Like mudguard stays and V-brake pads, it's one of those frustratingly hard multi-axis problems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ruthie on 04 September, 2017, 09:37:42 pm
Fixed the dishwasher and replaced the shower hose and head.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 04 September, 2017, 10:15:17 pm
Dishwasher in the shower. Bosch really do try and think of everything...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 04 September, 2017, 10:19:38 pm
Fabricated a minimalist saddlebag uplift from a mudguard stay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 September, 2017, 12:50:19 am
Replaced the captain's saddle and handlebar stem on George's tandem last night, so that I could ride around this morning's 50km pre-work brevet. Not a bad day for it. Just out of winter, started before dawn and only shorts and short sleeves needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 September, 2017, 02:37:57 pm
tyre cut and sudden deflation fixed by a nachos bag found on the roadside. 27km into 200km ride, which didn't happen and we turned back home the way we came. replaced the tyres with conti gp4season.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170905/d73707f7d5a4040012b4831d1bc748d8.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 September, 2017, 04:56:05 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 04 September, 2017, 10:15:17 pm
Dishwasher in the shower. Bosch really do try and think of everything...
A shame you have to curl up into a little foetal ball to have a shower, but it really does get your hair clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 September, 2017, 04:59:48 pm
Quote from: Ian H on 04 September, 2017, 10:19:38 pm
Fabricated a minimalist saddlebag uplift from a mudguard stay.
Probably deserves a photo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 September, 2017, 08:14:05 pm
A hand crafted, artisanal, hipster cat activity feeder-

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4355/36877658872_7d1b25137b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/YbKDbG)2017-09-05_06-48-48 (https://flic.kr/p/YbKDbG) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 September, 2017, 10:05:17 pm
#WeWantBowls?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 September, 2017, 11:01:27 pm
So far, the egg carton = bowl, the plastic pot got unstuck in short order, and she didn't manage to work out (or rather had got bored by that point) how to get the biscuits out of the shorter tubes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 September, 2017, 11:55:31 pm
I've been slowly fettling a d20 with the amino acids on each face (yes I am a Life Sciences lecturer). It is not small.
Progress is here - should get the second side of the mould jacket on tomorrow and then I can escape the plaster room before the students return next week.

First cast will be in dental acrylic because I got given it as left overs from casting skulls when they went digital.

Progress in chronological order.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm2vHGcG

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 08 September, 2017, 08:09:47 pm
Rear brake inner, outer and pads on the Sabbath
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 September, 2017, 07:49:36 am
Set up the Dia-Compe GC700 centre-pulls on the Bob Griffin.  Not easy but they are the right brakes for the job: Drop is the full 70mm at the rear and not much less at the front, and DP brakes in this size don't look good at all.  Plain-post cantilever brake pads are the work of Stan, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 10 September, 2017, 07:03:31 pm
I fitted the marathon tyre I was given at wing as WINTER IS COMING! .I also adjusted the parking brake.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 September, 2017, 08:45:20 pm
Bought the right cable and completed the install of the new front triple derailleur. Had a "this is never going to work" moment. Stopped, went in for dinner, went back out and it all worked fine in ten minutes, so I swapped one of the new 28mm conti gp4 seasons onto the front wheel. Looks huge Vs the 25mm and now gives me another task as there seems to be a slight rub on the front mudguard. Nothing serious, just a bit of adjustment.

Having prepared myself for tribulations, I was pleasantly surprised that it went on with fairly easy thumb pressure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 11 September, 2017, 01:23:26 am
Dynamo'd the Pompino, which now has a 3N70 powering a Cyo IQ N+.  I went out for a brief test ride and the lamp certainly puts plenty of light on the road ahead, but I found the beam rather narrow for going round corners.  Did I hear that the B&M 'premium' lights have wider beams? 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 September, 2017, 07:38:44 pm
2nd conti GP 4 seasons 28 mm went on as easy as the first.

Only problem is it fouls the rear mudguard, whereas the front does not. It's only the support at the brake bridge that's the problem, but it looks like the solution is going to be either remove it and have a slightly floppy mudguard, or take it off, spread it with some pliers and put it back on the other way round.  It's a piece of folder sheet metal that wraps around the lip of the mudguard, and this is what is fouling.  As an alternative I could bodge something out of a piece of drilled strapping material and a small nut and bolt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 September, 2017, 07:41:44 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 11 September, 2017, 07:38:44 pm
As an alternative I could bodge something out of a piece of drilled strapping material and a small nut and bolt.

Cable ties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 September, 2017, 07:50:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 September, 2017, 07:41:44 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 11 September, 2017, 07:38:44 pm
As an alternative I could bodge something out of a piece of drilled strapping material and a small nut and bolt.

Cable ties.

couple of holes in the offending mudguard and around the brake bridge, that would work.

It actually already has two sets of stays at the rack attachment point and another at the BB so I may just take this one off and see what happens
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 11 September, 2017, 10:35:47 pm
Tried to turn on the central heating last night, as we had family guests for dinner, but it didn't work  :-[

Made a note to call the plumber today.

Thought I'd give it another try before calling the plumber this morning, and lo-and-behold it worked  :thumbsup:

No idea how I achieved it though  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 September, 2017, 09:34:05 am
Sharpened the bread knife on the diamond steel. Sharp enough for amputations now.

Tried the superglue fix on the brand-new tyre that fell victim to local club's route-planning arseholery.  Looks OK so far. Beforehand there was a wee bulge when it was at 7 bars, gone now. Early days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 September, 2017, 09:21:19 pm
Some mudguard fettling, turned the mounting bracket through 180, and flared it out. That now clears ok, but the section right below the brake bridge is squeezed and rubbing. I think a little hacksaw treatment will do the job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 September, 2017, 11:09:24 pm
Quote from: Karla on 11 September, 2017, 01:23:26 am
Dynamo'd the Pompino, which now has a 3N70 powering a Cyo IQ N+.  I went out for a brief test ride and the lamp certainly puts plenty of light on the road ahead, but I found the beam rather narrow for going round corners.  Did I hear that the B&M 'premium' lights have wider beams? 

Yes, the cyo premiums do have a wider beam. There's  a noticeable difference in beam pattern between my premium and non-premium cyos
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 September, 2017, 11:10:30 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 12 September, 2017, 11:09:24 pm
Quote from: Karla on 11 September, 2017, 01:23:26 am
Dynamo'd the Pompino, which now has a 3N70 powering a Cyo IQ N+.  I went out for a brief test ride and the lamp certainly puts plenty of light on the road ahead, but I found the beam rather narrow for going round corners.  Did I hear that the B&M 'premium' lights have wider beams? 

Yes, the cyo premiums do have a wider beam. There's  a noticeable difference in beam pattern between my premium and non-premium cyos

Seconded.  http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.php has some beam photos.

If you want even wider, the Luxos or IQ-X are wider still.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 September, 2017, 07:44:24 am
You need to look for B&M lights with "near field illumination".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 September, 2017, 08:20:40 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 13 September, 2017, 07:44:24 am
You need to look for B&M lights with "near field illumination".

Nearfield illumination means that the beam comes all the way down the the wheel.  It's a good thing as it reduces the letterbox effect, but it doesn't itself imply the beam is any wider.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 September, 2017, 01:54:00 pm
Got the chainline right on the Bob Griffin after a certain amount of faffing - the recommended BB lengths on Spa Cycles' webshite aren't right and I needed a 103mm BB (Tange - Shimano don't make one).  That got it within 2mm and then I put a 1/16" Sturmey-Archer spacer under the freewheel to make it within 0.5mm when checked with a long straight edge.  Mind you, this was never going to be easy, as it's a Campag Record hub respaced, on a shorter axle, to make it into a singlespeed, and happily dishless, hub.  The only thing between the RH cone and the dropout now is the locknut.

Still haven't found a rear cable hanger that works.  The seatbolt is really close to the seatpost (1mm or so) so only something very thin can be suspended from the bolt between the lugs.  The Surly one just fits between the lugs but is too long and the yoke would hit it when applying the brake - they probably only work on compact frames.  One that goes on the outside of the lugs would fit but they are nearly all 6mm bore, not 8mm.   Alternatively, it's the mega-expensive Paul's one that clamps around the seatpost itself.  I know dual-pivots would be easier but they look crap in 70mm reach and don't work all that well either.

Also reproduced the unique rubber gasket on a couple of Kona Impact headsets by injecting black silicone.  All the original gaskets are hardened and perished these days, if they're even still present (the youngest one is nearly 25 years old), and they are a very odd 3D shape to fill the T-shaped cut in the top nut, which is also the locknut.  After smoothing and wiping, the silicone looks original and will seal much better than the original ever did.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 September, 2017, 08:21:04 am
fettling in 20 min stints is decidedly unsatisfying.  Removed some material from the offending mudguards around the brake bridge and that now clears OK, but there is still a lack of lateral clearance in the area between the brake bridge and BB mount. 

So, in for a penny etc. I've decided that either I carry on butchering these mudguards (which is easier than I expected) or I fit the set of raceblades I have hanging around.  I'll start the butchery at lunchtime, using some of these new fangled mudguards that are just a strip of material and no sides as a model.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 September, 2017, 01:23:36 pm
Currently tracing all the cables of our home network prior to putting in gigabit switching.  The network gradually topsied when we were working and I didn't have the time CBA to map things properly.  We currently have 4 ganglia and umpteen cables shooting off to various bits of the house, but I can only list 7 devices that need them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 15 September, 2017, 05:45:23 pm
round things on the Giant now go round.

I have however come to the conclusion that the mudguard massacre on the back may not have been entirely necessary.  My last act was to slacken the rear mounting bolts and rotate the whole thing forwards, which increased clearance where it was needed.  Perhaps it would have been enough on its own, we'll never know... But at least no-one has a set of SKS quite like mine.

Lets hope those 28's are worth it tomorrow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 15 September, 2017, 08:05:47 pm
The tumble dryer.

Last weekend, it died with No Heat, but tumbling OK.
Investigation reveals the one-time 160 degree safety thermal cutout had gone o/c.
There's no blockage or anything to cause overheating; these things do just expire from old age from time to time.
Replacement ordered from one of the white goods parts website, and arrived today.

5 minute job to swap it out and we're back in business.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 September, 2017, 09:28:06 pm
Vintage NOS Weinmann rear brake hanger arrived and is just the job for the rear centre-pull - right length, right fitting, right angle and even has an alloy adjuster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 16 September, 2017, 07:58:45 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 21 August, 2017, 12:25:15 am
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/IMG_0143.JPG)
Next stage done, now with added bike for scale:-
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/IMG_0174.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2017, 08:25:29 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 16 September, 2017, 07:58:45 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 21 August, 2017, 12:25:15 am
(http://malin.me.uk/IMG_0143.JPG)
Next stage done, now with added bike for scale:-
(http://malin.me.uk/IMG_0174.jpg)

Come on then, what is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 16 September, 2017, 09:20:15 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2017, 08:25:29 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 16 September, 2017, 07:58:45 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 21 August, 2017, 12:25:15 am
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/IMG_0143.JPG)
Next stage done, now with added bike for scale:-
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/IMG_0174.jpg)

Come on then, what is it?
More photos will follow when it's completed.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2017, 09:30:37 pm
Hmm. I am intrigued. I look forward to the pictures because it looks like it's cemented down :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 16 September, 2017, 09:43:04 pm
It is concreted in.

The photos don't show the depth.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 20 September, 2017, 03:26:31 pm
Last night, my first "How to stick bits of metal together" class

(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gro6Ee2ED1k/WcJ5a7KkFhI/AAAAAAABDJ4/eTZNOUp8EV4ia-niRZhaYypLRgLhZKVlQCKgBGAs/s800/IMG_20170920_151320.jpg)

Fun!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 20 September, 2017, 04:57:57 pm
Nice; MIG, TIG, something else?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 20 September, 2017, 05:09:27 pm
looks like stick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 20 September, 2017, 05:13:06 pm
Started with MIG, going to do some arc, I think trying to do TIG as well would be a diversion (although they have TIG gear). We do get to play with a Plasma Cutter, too. All this at the most excellent community workshop, Blackhorse Workshop (http://www.blackhorseworkshop.co.uk/courses/) with an excellent tutor, at a guess she'll be the one running the women's weekend introduction to welding (http://www.blackhorseworkshop.co.uk/course/metalwork-basics-womens-weekend-welding/) weekend. Interesting  to see there is the demand.

(ETA - the blobby one was me playing around with settings)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 September, 2017, 09:05:26 pm
Quote from: Ham on 20 September, 2017, 05:13:06 pm
Started with MIG, going to do some arc, I think trying to do TIG as well would be a diversion (although they have TIG gear). We do get to play with a Plasma Cutter, too. All this at the most excellent community workshop, Blackhorse Workshop (http://www.blackhorseworkshop.co.uk/courses/) with an excellent tutor, at a guess she'll be the one running the women's weekend introduction to welding (http://www.blackhorseworkshop.co.uk/course/metalwork-basics-womens-weekend-welding/) weekend. Interesting  to see there is the demand.

(ETA - the blobby one was me playing around with settings)

No gas or brazing?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 20 September, 2017, 09:10:59 pm
they've got gas but it isn't in scope for the four sessions I have. I suspect our tutor is good at brazing, and I intend to have a word.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 September, 2017, 11:12:20 pm
Quote from: Ham on 20 September, 2017, 09:10:59 pm
they've got gas but it isn't in scope for the four sessions I have. I suspect our tutor is good at brazing, and I intend to have a word.....

If you want to get some brazing kit to play with https://www.bricoman.fr/poste-bi-gaz.html can get the rods too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 22 September, 2017, 04:41:34 pm
I have managed the first successful cast of the dice
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4400/37216587442_f76e208202_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/YGGJQJ)Done! (https://flic.kr/p/YGGJQJ) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr

PU elastomeric foam. 2.9 litre volume. I should have warmed it up a bit first to get a good working temperature. I need to add a bit more to fill a large internal air bubble but can do that with some of the excess material I have.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 23 September, 2017, 01:18:57 pm
Fettled? My nose.

(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5hmP7mm1SRI/WcZQf1HQZ3I/AAAAAAABDLs/XQNQIzfV_xIfA13ozVtYuikWypDkLZQ0gCKgBGAs/s320/nose.PNG)

As to why that curve is curiously similar to the curve of a seat tube? All I will say, no seat tubes were hurt in the making of this post.

<shambles off, wondering if it would be sufficient to win the feckin' div thread for the day>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 September, 2017, 07:12:16 pm
Adjusted the geometry of the centre-pulls on the Bob Griffin.  Less pad extension and a sharper straddle angle.  No squeal now and only normal toe-in of the Kool-Stop pads.  They are very good brakes (Gran Compe 700) and way, way stiffer than Mafac Racers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 September, 2017, 11:19:13 pm
Filled up the air bubble. In fact, overfilled so it is a slightly obese icosahedron on one side. I do now know what to do with the next attempt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 24 September, 2017, 12:38:21 am
Replaced the rear wheel on my pub bike with one that's actually 135mm OLN, not about 133mm, and brought the butterfly bars 10mm closer by switching to a shorter stem. Hopefully that should sort the strange creak from the back end and also make it a little more comfortable to ride.

Before switching wheels I regreased the hub on the old Dawes tourerwheel I was fitting. It's not in very good nick as one of the cups has a rust patch!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 September, 2017, 08:00:17 am
Finally fitted the thin shim behind the casette on the roadbike. Seems to have eliminated the very slight wobble that I think was causing ocaissionaly imprecise shifting.

Funny that the other casette fits on the same hub perfectly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 24 September, 2017, 08:40:33 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 16 September, 2017, 07:58:45 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 21 August, 2017, 12:25:15 am
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/IMG_0143.JPG)
Next stage done, now with added bike for scale:-
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/IMG_0174.jpg)
Now complete except for some electrical fettling.
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/DSC05860.JPG)

(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/DSC05861.JPG)

(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/DSC05859.JPG)
The control box isn't screwed to the wall and it won't start with load on it, as it needs more starting capacitors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: iddu on 24 September, 2017, 09:42:25 pm
Not so much fettled, as taken out and humanely shot...

(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/iddu/20170924-MIsc/20170924-01_zpsuk2ojrzg.jpg)

Every spoke with tape has cracked rim at the nipple - GOK how it made it round a 400 on Friday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 September, 2017, 10:48:56 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 24 September, 2017, 08:40:33 pm
(http://www.malin.me.uk/DSC05859.JPG)
The control box isn't screwed to the wall and it won't start with load on it, as it needs more starting capacitors.

Does that mean the car's stuck in the air until you can install some?   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 September, 2017, 10:55:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 September, 2017, 10:48:56 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 24 September, 2017, 08:40:33 pm
(http://www.malin.me.uk/DSC05859.JPG)
The control box isn't screwed to the wall and it won't start with load on it, as it needs more starting capacitors.

Does that mean the car's stuck in the air until you can install some?   :D
Have you got palm trees that fold down when you exit the garage? Does it play music like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35qSCZCw8Yg) when you operate it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 September, 2017, 10:58:16 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 24 September, 2017, 10:55:49 pm
Does it play music like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35qSCZCw8Yg) when you operate it?

I keep wanting to add that feature to barakta's electric uppy-downy desk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 September, 2017, 11:34:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 September, 2017, 10:58:16 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 24 September, 2017, 10:55:49 pm
Does it play music like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35qSCZCw8Yg) when you operate it?

I keep wanting to add that feature to barakta's electric uppy-downy desk.
When my mum made her first descent on her stairlift someone, who shall remain nameless  OK it was me , played it on their mobile phone. Much laughter from all concerned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 25 September, 2017, 06:11:27 am
Quote from: Kim on 24 September, 2017, 10:48:56 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 24 September, 2017, 08:40:33 pm
(https://www.mtrak.co.uk/pictures/personal/DSC05859.JPG)
The control box isn't screwed to the wall and it won't start with load on it, as it needs more starting capacitors.

Does that mean the car's stuck in the air until you can install some?   :D
Luckily, no. I would have been more careful if that was the case. It uses gravity and a couple of solenoid valves for going down. I had to change the fuse as that blew when it stalled trying to go up, but that was all.

In fact, the photos of it empty but with the spreader plates installed were taken afterwards.

Anyone know of a Thunderbirds sound generator? What do I get it to play on the way down?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 25 September, 2017, 07:36:04 am
Quote from: Diver300 on 25 September, 2017, 06:11:27 am
...Anyone know of a Thunderbirds sound generator? What do I get it to play on the way down?

You could use a small Arduino clone, but there's going to be a certain amount of hassle involved with that.  I think I'd use something like this (https://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/en/audio-fx-mini-sound-board.html) card, which you could easily trigger from a switch, and which you could easily use to play distinct tunes for up and down.  Unfortunately, you'll still need some form of audio amplifier, although I'd just find a pair of cheap powered speakers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 September, 2017, 08:26:04 pm
:D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 26 September, 2017, 08:53:48 pm
I wonder if I can rig something up to the hooter of dads' mobility scooter.... That would be FAB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 September, 2017, 12:24:40 am
Last-minute re-stitching and replacement drawstring on a long-serving Alpkit stuffsack.  Off touring tomorrow and it's better if the contents don't keep escaping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 September, 2017, 03:52:09 am
Changed a wheel on the Ford ASBO at 3,550m ASL after a visit from She Who Must Not Be Named.  75 miles of I-70 at 50 mph is now high on my Big List Of Things Never To Do Again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 September, 2017, 03:32:02 pm
Yesterday: decided it was time to change my cleats:

(http://www.pbase.com/image/166283606.jpg)

...but changed shoes instead.  Setting new cleats to correct angles was the fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 28 September, 2017, 04:46:28 pm
In a similar vein, I lost a cleat the other day on my way home (through being too lazy to stop and sort it out when it was obviously loose). the lazyness continued thinking I'd just use a different pair in the morning. Which I did.

<rummage rummage>Ooo look, a pair of hardly used spesh, can't remember when I bought them or why I haven't worn them much

<wears>

remembers why they are there - b*stard things don't clip in (cleat too tight in recess) plus there's  about 10mm more in the sole

<swears>

Can I also recommend one of these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ergon-pedal-cleat-tool/ to duplicate shoe setup. A bit of a luxury, but there you are
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 28 September, 2017, 05:48:40 pm
I would like to state that, as of this time, I have never been used by Ham. ;D
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 September, 2017, 06:50:39 pm
Fitted a pair of tubeless tyres (Schwalbe 1, 25c) to a set of Deda Zero 2 wheels using a Schwalbe Tubeless Easy kit. After all the tales of woe I’ve heard about fitting tubeless, I was expecting it to be quite a job but it was actually a doddle. Although maybe I should reserve judgment until I’ve actually ridden them...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 29 September, 2017, 07:01:39 pm
I, on the other hand, spent a pleasant couple of hours recently watching my chum Professor Baldissera trying to fit a Schwalbe One to an Aerospoke, and learning some Torinese Bad Swears ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 29 September, 2017, 10:47:34 pm
Drive train was knackered on the cross-check. Had some bits in the shed - chain, 7 spd casette and a 36t middle ring - so switche from 8 - 7 spd. Got new jockey wheels from SJS cyycles, Going to notice the difference in the middle ring as I've gone from 11-30 to 11-28 and a 34t chain ring to a 36.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4440/23544481998_ae62111f78_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/BSxCdN)2017-09-29_08-52-55 (https://flic.kr/p/BSxCdN) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 30 September, 2017, 04:28:56 pm
Today's bit of fun was replacing parts of the dining room ceiling which had water damage from a bathroom leak. The house is an early victorian stone build with 11ft ceilings.
Two patches needed doing, both about 95x75 cm. Messy but now I have the new plasterboard in place and will do the plastering tomorrow. That is sure to be fun.

Working overhead is somewhat tiring for a desk jockey like me.

Oh yes, it did require new tools. A drywall saw (a vicious large toothed padsaw). Excellent value for money.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 September, 2017, 10:13:20 pm
Mostly removal of extraneous bits from the MTB I sold.  Ended up rock bottom price on e-bay, so no compunction about selling it bare.

On reflection though, for two recent bike sales I'm only £60 down on selling as second hand so not too bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 September, 2017, 11:05:53 pm
Batman. The no-longer-dark Dark Knight.

https://twitter.com/kimble4/status/914216967938207745
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 October, 2017, 07:48:08 am
Ain't fettled nothing in comparison to what Air France will be fettling (not least its reputation).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 October, 2017, 08:32:05 am
was it a Roll's Royce or Pratt and Whitney?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 01 October, 2017, 09:02:30 am
'Bird strike' suggested?  :o

What bird could be flying at 38000 feet? (Or whatever...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 October, 2017, 09:36:15 am
Cleaning out the moka pot, a very infrequent job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 01 October, 2017, 09:45:05 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 01 October, 2017, 08:32:05 am
was it a Roll's Royce or Pratt and Whitney?

Apparently a GP7200 GE/PW collaboration.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 October, 2017, 10:31:31 am
Yesterday, replaced the swingarm pivot in an old Brompton. A certain amount of drilling was required but it all came together nicely, complete with grease injection nipple. With luck, this bike will never need another pivot.

Also degunked a sticky Ultegra STI and readjusted a front mech. The mech isn't perfect but it is now completely functional, tested during a 200 today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 October, 2017, 10:45:41 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 01 October, 2017, 08:32:05 am
was it a Roll's Royce or Pratt and Whitney?

Whichever, they're prats at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 October, 2017, 10:53:15 am
The one that exploded above Batam a few years ago on a quantas plane was rr, if this was another one could be very embarrassing for them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 October, 2017, 03:44:15 pm
GE/Pratt & Whitney it was.

I have a major fettle coming up: toddling round on the tradition chip'n'walrus today, something on the bike sounded like a sheet of tin rattling. Don't got no tin on board. Urk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 October, 2017, 05:37:34 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 01 October, 2017, 09:02:30 am
'Bird strike' suggested?  :o

What bird could be flying at 38000 feet? (Or whatever...)
'Suggested"in this case meaning "blind speculation by someone without the beginnings of a clue."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 01 October, 2017, 06:06:30 pm
 :thumbsup:

Thought so . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 01 October, 2017, 06:19:31 pm
A toilet.
The syphon diaphragm had split, leading to increasingly intermittent flushing.

However, because it's a Close-Coupled bog, to gain access to the bottom of the cistern ( where the locknut wot holds the syphon in place is ) requires removing the entire cistern from the bog.
This in turn requires removing the clamping screws wot do hold the cistern and pan together, which are of course rusted to buggery.
So it's dremmel time to cut the buggers off.
Then cleaning up accumulated years of disgusting eek and a great excess of Plumbers Mait putty.

Replacing the syphon unit itself is trivial.

Then an emergency visit to B+Q on account of the fact that the Close Coupled Kit ( Replacement big sealing rubber washer, and some new bolts ) I'd previously bought didn't fit.
All back together and seems to be water-tight so far!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 01 October, 2017, 10:14:19 pm
A guinea pig house on Thursday night, in the nick of time as we picked up our 12 week old guinea pigs on saturday and they are settling in.

Also a bunch of house shaped stuff with wire, paint stripper and swearing, plus ladders.

in other news also replaced the front tyre on the commuter tank with something approaching a quantity of rubber so that I don't crash into a hedge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 03 October, 2017, 11:33:24 pm
If you have to ask what  it is, well, you have missed the point

(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKwdmlynsBM/WdQPtCBEiwI/AAAAAAABDio/gBpbepwgMXEBxje2NtNtAowoVGLaO-6pACKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20171003_212713.jpg)

Not that there is one, you understand
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 October, 2017, 08:38:48 am
Quote from: Ham on 03 October, 2017, 11:33:24 pm
If you have to ask what  it is, well, you have missed the point

(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKwdmlynsBM/WdQPtCBEiwI/AAAAAAABDio/gBpbepwgMXEBxje2NtNtAowoVGLaO-6pACKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20171003_212713.jpg)

Not that there is one, you understand
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171004/bb2a5cd3e89e55a1b426f5c457ddb1ce.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 04 October, 2017, 09:36:06 am
You got it! ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 October, 2017, 03:51:50 pm
Tightened K7 lock ring, whence came the vile sheet-metal rattle that rendered previous ride downright embarrassing.  Bike would be lovely & stealthy now but for bloody bell rattling.  I've got a doz of the buggers and they all rattle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 05 October, 2017, 05:53:59 pm
Replaced the front brake pads on the Arkose. Apologies in advance to Tan Hill-goers: the new ones are squealing horrendously (at least in the stand; I CBA to take it out for a spin).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 October, 2017, 07:19:10 pm
replaced lawnmower height adjustment mechanism as the last one decided to eat itself.

Not made any easier by the general parts diagramme being crap and me not knowing what it should look like - remember it ate itself last week. Once I'd worked out how it should go, working out how to do it became a piece of cake, rather than an act of contortionism.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 October, 2017, 08:56:37 pm
Last night, fitted a new 115mm BB + spacer to an old Brompton with double crank and front mech. A 118 would have been perfect but such is life

Dismantled an old Hugi Moulton hub and determined that a Speedsix swingarm is going to have to be widened and the hub modified and the wheel redished, all for the second time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The_Mikey on 07 October, 2017, 08:45:47 am
Fitted a replacement M5 cap head bolt to secure the rear mudguard, I'm considering using some loctite threadlocker to secure it, I seem to lose a bolt every three months currently.  Also adjusted rear hydraulic disc brake caliper, but it seems my adjustments didn't fix the problem, or I have a severely warped disc but it didn't look like it. Will be back on the bike stand again today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 07 October, 2017, 10:37:11 am
Bike all cleaned and lubricated after the French trip.  I probably need to change the rear tyre soon.

An envelope from Carradice contained a selection of spares for my Bagman Quick-Release system.  One of the split-pins came out during the trip.  Fortunately, unlike last time it happened, I didn't lose the sliding pin which holds the bag, so I was able to jam it in place to finish the ride.  Just got to fit it now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 07 October, 2017, 05:58:24 pm
Plastered the ceiling bits I replaced last Saturday. Ouch my arms.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 October, 2017, 06:19:45 pm
rode over some broken glass today (from two cars that collided on a blind corner) and cut my rear tyre. had to repair it twice during the ride which was mildly annoying. once back home  replaced both tyres with new conti gp's.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/1752a41bda160bbcdfad8c37ae84d094.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 07 October, 2017, 07:40:45 pm
Finally finished this

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4454/37523556592_df9747967d_k.jpg)

I remade the uprights, not happy that I needed to, but glad that I did.  First time I tried to make them true to the design from ply, but with a handsaw they were awful.  Then I found an piece of kitchen plinth that had been made with the grain in the wrong direction so not used.  Just cut it square and no probs at all.  Remade in a fraction of the time of the originals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2017, 08:17:25 pm
Aftre a mountain bike shoe disaster, fashioned some pub slippers out of gaffer tape, so that my remaining pair of dry socks wouldn't absorb spilt BEER.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris N on 07 October, 2017, 08:55:29 pm
Took the gears off and fitted some Midge bars, new bar tape and a new drivetrain (40T stainlesss Surly ring, 17T cog and new chain) to the ti fix for the winter.  Tried to set up the Panaracer Gravel King tubeless on the rear wheel but couldn't get it to seat, even with 4 wraps of tape, so bunged a tube in instead.  First puncture, I'll get a new tyre that's actually supposed to be tubeless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 October, 2017, 01:42:10 pm
Gave the Trek a thorough cleaning and adjusted the RD.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 11 October, 2017, 08:10:52 am
It, along with my welding course, is now complete.

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6d3OVGZr2e0/Wd3CxcCtRaI/AAAAAAABDmk/ovJ_8ENNUvg8JZWaR8Fy_1N2N9QWw3QlwCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20171010_220501.jpg)

Don't look too closely at the lap joints at the bottom

There's also a small table like this

(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iornceSL0ZM/Wd3D2bwdAPI/AAAAAAABDm4/Ow1Y3R-wqIkJbohrcNwJvd00V8Gmsju-ACKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20171011_080851.jpg)

but that's boring
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 October, 2017, 05:47:53 pm
Busy day today:

* Trimmed my bush, fnarr, fnarr! In the front garden, that is. Now much neater & tidier and still hides the recycling boxes well.
* Went to convert the Orion to derailleur, but failed. No outer cable and the Alfine one in situ was too short.
* Trimmed the rear hedge - or rather watched a more supple friend do it on top of the garages at the bottom of the garden. The elder tree came in for some attention too. I just made sure the trimmer cable kept out of the way of the cutters.
* Rewired the Orion's electrics ready for the refitting of the Alfine wheel once the broken spoke is replaced and the wheel trued. All in working order.
* Scanned in a load of documents for eldest's uni applications
* Started breaking down the elder cuttings into bits I can feed into the shredder at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 October, 2017, 08:16:45 am
Put my phone on the charger and pumped up my tyres prior to going for a toddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 October, 2017, 10:36:16 pm
Replaced the Pro 4 Endurance tyres on HK's Roberts with Conti GrandSport Extras. We'll see how they go. One of the old tyres can be retained as a carry-along spare.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 14 October, 2017, 08:14:35 pm
The garage.

First job, remove a few bicycles

(https://i.imgur.com/1wBqRDX.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 October, 2017, 08:37:13 pm
Front derailleur fettling, including new cable and adjusting stops for a new chainset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 15 October, 2017, 08:48:44 pm
Fixed a short XLR cable as a patch to take the quota to the necessary 4 short ones.
Put together a cheap eBay function generator for use when building the bat detectors. Then put the chip in the wrong way round and blew it up. Never mind, it was probably fake. Much review of videos later and I have ordered another, a replacement (hopefully genuine) IC (though I have my doubts) and now know how to improve the unit to behave nicely courtesy of too much Youtube video
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 19 October, 2017, 10:45:06 pm
My Pompino was looking a little sad after some rough rides.

Three punctures repaired in the front tube and the Pasela booted temporarily until I get a new tyre.

Repaired the mystery rear puncture, and spotted the cracks along the rear rim. Sighed, and put in the spare wheel until I can be bothered to build a new rim into the other hub.

Still to do: set up the rear brake, and have a look at the brake hoods which are coming loose, and replace the bar tape. And that sprocket is quite worn as well...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 21 October, 2017, 04:17:27 pm
Started intending to adjust cones on rear wheel. Ended up:
Cleaning entire bike (well, scrubbing most of the mud off).
Adjusting cones
Removing jockey wheels, cleaning gunk, regreasing etc,
Ditto derailleur (oil not grease)
Discovering why chain kept dropping - it was far too long and front derailleur was miles out - clean entire chain, can't find removable link, nevermind I have another, remove two links. adjust front derailleur
Adjust rear derailleur - wow it changes properly now!


Cleaning up jockey wheels must be the most grimy job there is on a bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 October, 2017, 04:22:09 pm
Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 21 October, 2017, 04:17:27 pm
Cleaning up jockey wheels must be the most grimy job there is on a bike.

Chain tubes are a close second.

Even with a tampon soaked in degreaser and an old brake cable, it's minging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 October, 2017, 05:48:37 pm
So far I've pulled the bath sealant strips off and cleaned the black mould I found behind it.  :sick:

Next will be to reseal it with sealant. I'm not impressed with the flexi-strip stuff if mould can get behind it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 21 October, 2017, 09:06:18 pm
Currently sitting drying my cycling shoes with a hairdryer. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 21 October, 2017, 09:11:24 pm
I used bicycle bits to fettle some books.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4485/37806490022_1e79186afe_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ZAQ9jS)
ribbons (https://flic.kr/p/ZAQ9jS) by Andrij (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bebchenko/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 October, 2017, 09:26:35 am
:thumbsup:

---o0o---

About go out & fix the puncture I fixed yesterday.  German has a nice word: verschlimmbessern - to make something worse while trying to fix it. Guilty, m'lud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 October, 2017, 10:38:09 pm
My bath sealant run was aborted this afternoon as I realised I'd bought the stuff that takes a week to cure. Looks like I'm showering at work tomorrow then :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 October, 2017, 10:11:58 am
I did the shower-sealing bit a few weeks back - vile job.  I'm wishing now, too, that I'd used masking tape then run round it with a trimming knife before stripping it off. When the tiler first did it, about 8 years ago, he had the stuff on and neat as a pin in about 10 minutes. Not I. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 October, 2017, 10:25:17 am
I polished my headbadge ;)

No, really.  The headbadge from my Peregrine was tarnished, so I used a variety of cleaning materials to make it shiny again :)

And I assembled three polystyrene chuck gliders from a set of twelve I bought the lad.  He likes throwing things. :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 23 October, 2017, 03:25:52 pm
I replaced the battery in the remote locking key fob for the car. Surprising ly easy especially as it uses Cr2032 batteries of which I have a supply in my desk.

Not having the key fob working requires you to lock the drivers door, walk around to the passenger side, open the door, lean in and press the central locking button on the dash and close the door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 October, 2017, 05:01:08 pm
When I replaced the battery in my wife's car key it no longer worked until I paired it again with the car - fiddly business.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 October, 2017, 07:36:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 October, 2017, 10:11:58 am
I did the shower-sealing bit a few weeks back - vile job.  I'm wishing now, too, that I'd used masking tape then run round it with a trimming knife before stripping it off. When the tiler first did it, about 8 years ago, he had the stuff on and neat as a pin in about 10 minutes. Not I. :(

When you've figured out how to do it do you want to come and do mine?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 23 October, 2017, 09:41:15 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 October, 2017, 10:11:58 am
I did the shower-sealing bit a few weeks back - vile job.  I'm wishing now, too, that I'd used masking tape then run round it with a trimming knife before stripping it off. When the tiler first did it, about 8 years ago, he had the stuff on and neat as a pin in about 10 minutes. Not I. :(

I used masking tape but not the knife. It's not perfect as I overdid the sealant in a couple places so there's a thick edge, but it looks pretty neat :)

Now I hope it is watertight when it dries :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 23 October, 2017, 10:03:04 pm
Getting to that time of year where I've clapped out the favoured bikes so I either switch to the less suitable or do a bit of maintenance

The Genesis 11sp rear derailleur is shagged, it doesn't want to change into the tiny sprocket so it is now soaking in paraffin

Hmm I could ride the Dawes Galaxy though with that new cheap Aldi light set

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 October, 2017, 10:10:50 pm
I gave the Iron Donkey ( the winter commuter hack ) a deep clean over the weekend.
After one day, it looks like it did before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 October, 2017, 09:02:20 am
Quote from: Andrij on 21 October, 2017, 09:11:24 pm
I used bicycle bits to fettle some books.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4485/37806490022_1e79186afe_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ZAQ9jS)
ribbons (https://flic.kr/p/ZAQ9jS) by Andrij (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bebchenko/), on Flickr
Very neat. And colourful!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 24 October, 2017, 12:21:36 pm
I've noticed the green matches my Hewitt, so I'll be buying a few more of those ferrules.  #biketart
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 October, 2017, 08:22:55 pm
Fitted a tyre, tube and cassette to my shiny new rear wheel. And the whole assembly into the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 October, 2017, 10:47:07 pm
Freed up and lubricated a seized V-brake on HK's Trykit. She is likely to be a shade quicker now.

Just need to fit a new handlebar and tape to my trike tomorrow evening, along with the brake levers from my Frezoni. The Frezoni will get a new set of silver Tektro levers that should look much better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 October, 2017, 07:23:12 am
I trust there will be bar plugs too ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 27 October, 2017, 11:25:09 am
I just got round to straightening out the Dawes after my crash on Wednesday. All in all it's come out of that pretty well.
and of course the Super C rack bag seems to have brushed the crash off without any noticeable damage once I cleaned the mud/leaves off it.

I was half expecting to find worse so I'm reasonably happy with how short that list is. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 October, 2017, 11:36:11 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 October, 2017, 07:23:12 am
I trust there will be bar plugs too ;D

Eventually. We wouldn't want to rush these things.

Actually, since I am aiming to ride my trike 2 x 100km over the weekend, I've still got to swap bars (got that done but nothing else), brake levers and fit new brake cables. The handlebar tape might end up being applied after midnight...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 October, 2017, 04:08:09 pm
Removed a star-fangled nut from a threaded fork that some philistine had been using as a threadless fork (the threads are fine).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 30 October, 2017, 06:01:43 pm
When I bought the Bridgestone Moulton last year, decided not to bother fitting a computer, but missed knowing my speed, average and distance.

So today I succumbed to buying a basic wired one from Wilkos, and fitted it. Had to rearrange items on the handlebars to make enough space, but was thwarted in trying to make the cable inconspicuous by it being only just long enough for a 17 inch wheeled bike, aggravated by having to put the sensor at the bottom of the front fork to get it close enough to the spoke magnet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 01 November, 2017, 10:08:59 pm
The prototype for the 'see like a snake' glasses. Works fine with an IR temperature sensor - can pick up body heat about 2m away and changes colour according to the temperature recorded.
Some serious laser cutting required.
And one of my colleagues kindly pointed out the alternative splice mutation that allows certain snakes and vampire bats to 'see' heat with their pit organs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 02 November, 2017, 03:29:20 pm
shiny new chain and cassette - always feels a little occasion!

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171102/ae965e907547a6636031bb8752b25be3.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 03 November, 2017, 11:48:14 am
'Pit organ' makes me think of the Mighty Wurlitzer rising up...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 03 November, 2017, 04:55:47 pm
I has fettled a list for my book of sciency things and cool gadgets to make which sort of do the sciency bits too.

Chapters like "Whats the loudest thing you can't hear?", "How to train a dragon" and "Catch me if you can".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 November, 2017, 09:29:35 am
Put new cleats on my new shoes - an excellent example of a battle plan that won't survive contact with the enemy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 November, 2017, 03:05:50 pm
Winter is coming.
Put some shiny new studded tyres on the commuter. Then I tidied up the shed a little bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sojournermike on 04 November, 2017, 06:16:58 pm
Got my old stages power meter working reliably. Pleased:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 04 November, 2017, 10:13:12 pm
Nothing! Got outside nearly a half litre of Captain Morgan spiced and a large pepperoni thobut...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 November, 2017, 10:41:56 pm
Bhunnahabhain, but there's no way I could manage half a litre of it without my head exploding in a mass of peatiness
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 05 November, 2017, 10:44:42 am
Deskogged the bike after yesterdays jaunt into Essex, cassette is soaking in a tub of degreases and the chain and rear mech were as thoroughly cleaned as possible without removal. Jockey wheels were particularly caked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 05 November, 2017, 07:44:42 pm
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg2211214#msg2211214 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg2211214#msg2211214)

More capacitors have been added, and the car lift will now start up with a car on it.

http://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/3-phase-converter-schematic-miller-system.100563/page-7#post-1309053 (http://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/3-phase-converter-schematic-miller-system.100563/page-7#post-1309053) if anyone (Kim?) wants to see how I fitted £100 worth of capacitors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 06 November, 2017, 09:47:59 am
I fettled a £2.49 foam chuck glider so it flies really well (even in the hands of The Duck & Polar Bear ;) ).  And a cheaper Chinese rubber band plane, even though the balsa stick was broken in transit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 November, 2017, 10:10:20 am
Twice a year I have to delve into the manuals of my bike comps, which luckily I still have, to remind myself how to reset the clocks. On this occasion I also discovered the wheel size on one was set too large – it had reverted to a default setting, I think – which explains why it always overread massively compared to the Garmin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 November, 2017, 11:18:52 am
Put the stay-mount Secula rearlight onto the Trek. Fiddly business: I was reusing a pre-assembled cable and the tags were a bugger to get to the right size. Poked apart wide enough to go on, they falls off. Squeezeed together so that they just might stay on, they go on at all.  I ended up opening them up wide, shoving them on and then mashing them down with pliers.  Then I swung the bars through their full arc, which pulled them apart again so I had to fiddle some slack forrad from the stay and go through the poke & mash thing again. OK now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 11 November, 2017, 11:34:38 am
T'other day the AP was complaining about pixelation on the TV picture. "I've been trying to contact the BBC to complain".  I pointed out that it probably wasn't their fault and that there had been reports of atmospheric conditions causing terrestrial TV problems.  Still no improvement a few days later. Signal strengthometer built in to the TV shows 12% and BER >0. Hmm. Poke around the back of the TV, check that coax is plugged in. No improvement.

There's a distribution amp in the loft, but the loft is only accessible by a long ladder, which is in the garage, which is now full of my tqt. Today is set aside as a day to burrow into the garage, retrieve ladder, climb into loft an examine the amp. Some cobwebs later, I ascertain the amp is on and its input and outputs are connected. I swap a couple of outputs over to eliminate the amp being US. Signal strengthometer still shows 12%. I test a different output in another room and get 100%.  This points to it being a downlead fault.

Poke around the nest of wires behind the TV. Downlead goes into the back a of VCR. Patch lead goes from VCR to TV. Moving downlead from VCR to TV and signal strengthometer reads 100%.   What's that sooty? There's a figure 8 power lead hanging in the breeze?  Shall we plug it back in to the VCR? And lo! signal strength is still 100%.

Occam's razor. Cutting wires so you don't have to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 11 November, 2017, 12:03:45 pm
Quote from: clarion on 06 November, 2017, 09:47:59 am
I fettled a £2.49 foam chuck glider so it flies really well (even in the hands of The Duck & Polar Bear ;) ). ...

We had a great time thanks.   :thumbsup:

Quote from: Torslanda on 04 November, 2017, 10:13:12 pm
Nothing! Got outside nearly a half litre of Captain Morgan spiced and a large pepperoni thobut...

You didn't join me for that lovely walk along the seafront first thing though which was a tad disappointing!   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 November, 2017, 12:40:27 pm
Car had flat tyre (nail through tread).  Yay for full-size spare hanging on tailgate.  It was pluggable, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 November, 2017, 01:33:20 pm
Joined my two waterbutts together finally, after moving one of them from a less accessible behind the greenhouse location.  Unfortunatly my spade bits were not quite large enough so drill one hole, lots of small holes around and file into a circle. 

It'l rain today so I can check if it works later
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 November, 2017, 04:29:19 pm
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 11 November, 2017, 04:33:53 pm
Almost forgot:  replaced yet another broken brooks tension bolt yesterday.

It is a modified installation so replacing the bolt was quick and easy even though it was on a B17.

Some research is under way to find a much cheaper and more practical solution for those of us without access to engineering workshops.   Once I've cracked it I shall be sharing it with the world shamelessly looking to make a profit from it.    ;D

In all seriousness, I very much doubt that there is a profit to be made here. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 11 November, 2017, 05:40:44 pm
One new (old) tyre onto front of town bike, to replace tyre that exploded on fri

Oh, and retrieved 5m steel pontoon beam from river where it had flopped (block and tackle job), adapted pontoon (angle grinder) to make new home for the hinge/post that had broken off the pontoon, welded said hinge/post onto pontoon, then spent about 2-3 hours hauling pontoon/boat about to a position where I could lift pontoon beam up and slip in the connecting pin.

I'm knackered . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 November, 2017, 04:21:23 pm
Not much, but I tried out my Park Tools chain cleaner. It is soooo much better than all the trashy ones I've tried before. Replaceable brushes too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 November, 2017, 04:36:17 pm
I replaced the damaged left crank on my singlespeed. THe hole on the new crank looks a lot squarer than the damaged one, so hopefully it won't try and unscrew itself.

I think I'll still stick the 8mm allen key in my bag for the commute tomorrow though, just in case
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 November, 2017, 04:55:41 pm
Fitted a third taillight to HK's trike and repaired the taillight on her Brompton. Swapped the Keo pedals between her trike and Roberts. Removed the chain, replaced the cassette, flint-mined the tyres and removed the Octalink BB on her Condor with just a little swearing. It turns out that the spare BB in the garage is overlong, so a new one has been ordered.

Tweaked the saddle position on my fixed (the SH Spa saddle is not a perfect match to either the previous Kontact or my fallback B17 Standard) and diagnosed why the battery headlight stopped working. Some contact cement might solve the problem.

I still need to swap the worn out square taper BB from her Roberts but we may have a suitable replacement in stock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 12 November, 2017, 10:54:47 pm
Fixed the tumble drier. Bought a belt but when I went to replace it found that the spindle and bearing holding the drum in place had sheared. New part ordered on ebay, arrived within 24 hours - all sorted an tumble drier working again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 November, 2017, 10:42:05 pm
Fitted a taillight bracket to the saddle on HK's Brompton and greased the axles of the QR pedals.

Pulled the TA cranks from HK's Roberts and found out that we didn't have a replacement BB of the correct length, so that was ordered. A crank turned out to be cracked, so that bike is likely to be off the road for a few weeks while a replacement crank turns up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 November, 2017, 09:43:38 pm
Experimentally injected grease into the oil hole of a Campag hub.

Good: it ejected an awful lot of old black gunge out of each end
Bad: the old stuff only comes out of the oil holes in the dust caps (this shows how damn good the sealing around the cones is, despite the lack of any rubber lip seals), so it's not a very complete flush.  And the hub is pretty treacly afterwatds because the space between the axle and shell is now packed with grease.

I was going to strip it anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 November, 2017, 10:37:05 pm
Fitted an Octalink BB and a new 9sp chain to HK's Condor. She'll test it on a 200 perm tomorrow.

HK is starting to look at possible replacement fast commuter bikes (Kinesis Tripster AT perhaps). Once this set of XT 9sp shifters die (possibly sometime next year), it becomes quite difficult to justify keeping this bike going. Decent 9sp gear levers don't exist anymore, the paint is lifting off the aluminium cyclocross frame (so a repaint needed), the Chris King crown race is a slightly loose fit on the 1" threadless fork, the tubular aluminium rear rack has worn to look like a flute, Octalink BBs are overpriced but short-lived and the replaceable gear hanger has been straightened twice and felt quite soft last time. None of these individual problems are particularly difficult to resolve but they start to add up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 17 November, 2017, 12:10:17 am
Further steps with the see like a snake goggles. All you can see is a coloured sniper sight ahead of you. An IR temeprature sensor detects the temperature ahead. If it is ambient then it is blue. As warm blooded prey approaches, the view goes from blue to red. Got the visuals working (and they are awesome in the flesh)  and in the process of wiring up the finished article.
https://flic.kr/p/GF2Ki6 for a sneak preview.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 November, 2017, 11:41:16 pm
Fettled a spreadsheet to do all the theoretical calcs for homebrew beer batches from malt or extract. Also included the bittering calcs and % ABV calcs according to the HMRC method.

No need to do it, but I learned how to use VLOOKUP in doing so.  Quite easy really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 18 November, 2017, 12:36:05 am
Last weekend admittedly, but I got through a complete swap over of; pump bracket, bar end mirror, Cateye computer, light brackets, pedals and saddle on Mrs "you'll never get me on a road bike" hatler's upgrade from a Spesh Dolce Elite to a Trek Madone 4.5. Very satisfying. She's chuffed too as she's 2mph faster up Box Hill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 November, 2017, 07:19:57 pm
A UN55 BB replaced a decade-old UN72 in HK's Roberts, along with a new 46T Zephyr chainring with noticeably bigger teeth than the one it replaced. The middle and small rings are fine, of course.

A couple of workmanlike bikes delivered to http://www.recycleabike.co.uk/who_we_are.html They won't need much work before resale. I should have made a second trip with another couple of bikes but the weather turned discouraging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 18 November, 2017, 10:35:16 pm
Today I have: -

Then the postie turned up and she gave me a parcel with bits to fix the dishwasher so I fixed that; and I finished by replacing the broken spoke in the front wheel of my Raleigh.

While I was sorting that the rugby kicked off on the TV, so I never actually got out to ride a bike anywhere :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 November, 2017, 03:48:37 pm
Cut down two pairs of flat bars to my preferred length of 55cm (ish).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 November, 2017, 05:31:14 pm
Tweaked the gears of HK's Condor and the rear brake on my fixed. Put a King Dick adjustable spanner into the fixed's tool bottle. Fitted a rear battery light to velosam's bike and epoxied together a battery headlight. It'll be tested tomorrow.

Most pleasingly, I solved an annoying problem on my trike. One of the rear wheels has been sticking on the taper, despite liberal grease and later anti-seize. A bearing puller was needed to remove the wheel, despite the tender ministrations of Dr Trykit previously. It turns out that Finish Line's stupidly expensive Extreme Fluoro grease recommended for S&S couplers works better than anti-seize. Very gentle prying with a plastic tyre lever is more than enough now.

Fitted an old set of Ultegra brake levers, new clamp-on downtube cable stop and Shimano 9sp barend levers to my trike but still need to cable it up and then retape it.

Regreased a Zefal HPX and a Silca track pump that were dragging a bit in use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 19 November, 2017, 05:56:39 pm
Spent a relaxing minute or two on three separate occasions during our ride adjusting the tilt of my Brooks B17. 

These things have to be just so.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 19 November, 2017, 06:53:28 pm
Spent 15 minutes replacing a broken spoke on my audax bike.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 20 November, 2017, 10:01:28 am
Shortened stays on new rear rack; attached Secula to rear mudguard; started attachment of front guard.

Cleaned dlg glider; reglued tailplane; cut recesses and stuck magnets in fuselage for wing retention
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 November, 2017, 10:36:33 am
Pumped up tyres and daubed lube on chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 November, 2017, 10:08:02 pm
Straightened a slightly bent rear mech hanger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moleman76 on 21 November, 2017, 03:41:27 am
Converted a half-sheet of plywood and a few sticks into a stand to support a new printer-copier-scanner-fax machine.  In the process, had to deal with some non-perpendicular cuts made at the lumberyard by their allegedly square-cutting panel saw setup.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 November, 2017, 09:37:28 am
I adapted semi-hard cases as mini-Field Boxes for my TX and Quads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 21 November, 2017, 02:58:02 pm
fettled my friends garmin1000 which wouldn't charge. it now charges.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 November, 2017, 10:53:51 am
Fitted magnets to my dlg wing, and washed my big glider.

[Can't do bike fettling till the weekend :/ ]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 November, 2017, 02:45:30 pm
Replaced a gear cable that had broken about 3mm from the nipple in an 11 speed Sti lever (which of course was in the maximum pull position) - involved holding back the rubber hood with a heavy-duty cable tie, removing 3 separate bits of the plastic cowl on the lever and then prodding around with pointed pick to get the remains of the nipple and frayed wire out.

.. and all that after almost the same process on the LH lever with a similar cable break only about a month ago.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 November, 2017, 07:46:45 am
Tensioned the creaking Gyes leather saddle that recently went onto my fixed.

I have a Rivet Pearl Pass saddle on my Moulton, the Gyes and a Spa Nidd to go on my Frezoni. All from the same factory and using basically the same frame and similar leather but quite different saddles, mostly because of different cutouts and other details.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 November, 2017, 03:33:58 pm
Sometimes bike maintenance feels sisyphean. HK mentioned that she'd broken a spoke on her MTB commuter's rear wheel and swapped to the Condor again for the rest of the week. Today I finally looked at it and found three broken Sapim DB spokes, all roughly midway along. A bad batch of steel, I guess. Time to order a new set of spokes and rebuild the wheel next weekend.

Combined a Moon USB headlight with a broken rubber strap mount with an obsolete Cateye Halogen Micro mount to use as a backup to a dynamo headlight, interchanging with a Plescher mapholder on another Micro mount as required.

Fitted a Cateye front flasher under the stem of my fixed. Hopefully that'll catch London drivers' attention more than the low-mounted dyno headlight. Fitted a tiny, crappy, backup headlight to my Brompton's handlebar and wedged the plastic-wrapped spare tube between the saddle rails.

Packed a Moulton/ Brompton care package to be posted to Aussie friends next week.

Fitted our last Grand Prix tyre to a spare Moulton front wheel.

Fitted a SH rear mech (that needed some bits swapped from the removed mech) and started cabling up my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 November, 2017, 04:06:18 pm
Finally replaced the dodgy fluorescents in my office. Nasty sweaty job working overhead by the light of the silvery Petzl, intermittently assisted by a fly. Managed not to get it trapped inside the new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 November, 2017, 05:16:45 pm
Serviced the fork on the Streetmachine.  I hate that job, and it always takes about three times longer than I expect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 November, 2017, 09:34:13 am
Quote from: T42 on 25 November, 2017, 04:06:18 pm
Finally replaced the dodgy fluorescents in my office. Nasty sweaty job working overhead by the light of the silvery Petzl, intermittently assisted by a fly. Managed not to get it trapped inside the new one.

Bugger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 November, 2017, 04:37:02 pm
Finished cabling my trike, overcoming some indexing difficulties with zipties routing the rear cable through/ around the axle loops. Just need to tape the bars, either red or white, to go with the British Racing Green and white transfers.

Now that it is finished, I've taken stock of what has been replaced since I bought it as 'fully serviced and ready to ride'. The only components that weren't worn out or incompatible and therefore could be reused were the wheels, rear axles/ cups, inner tubes and the Shimano 600 cantilever brake and cable stop. Everything else has been replaced, including the gear hanger, seatpost bolt and seatpost (wrong diameter!). The Ultegra Octalink triple cranks, BB, brake levers, standard reach dual-pivot brake, mudguard and Brooks saddle came from the garage stock but everything else was bought for the trike.

Unfortunately the cheap headlight on my trike emitted a funny smell and stopped working. Hopefully the Enerloop AAA batteries haven't been too affected. They are in the smart charger being capacity checked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 26 November, 2017, 04:45:37 pm
Excellent choice of colours.  I have British racing green with white transfers on my Harry Hall (courtesy of Torslanda) but as I have black bars, I also have black tape.  In your shoes I'd choose white over red and be prepared to change it more often - but then I'm not a too bloody good at cricket (though not at rugger) bastard Aussie (though my Dad was brought up there)!

Peter

PS What frame is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 November, 2017, 10:10:25 pm
White handlebar tape is probably where I'm heading. A little grubbiness will just brag of mega-miles; entirely unjustified in my case.

It is a quite nice late '70s or early '80s bike frame with a brazed-in single wheel drive Ken Rogers axle that took a rear drum brake and freewheel; since removed and a 9sp Shimano cassette fitted. It has Rogers stickers (possibly converted by KR from new) and the frame is flexible as hell. I can move the handlebars laterally by huge amounts while keeping all wheels on the blacktop. Some paint was burnt off the headtube to add some braze to prevent the (new) cups from moving in the head tube. At some point I'll have to rattlecan it but some oil is keeping the surface rust at bay in the meantime.

If I get along reasonably well with three wheels, I'll get a stainless S&S Trykit. It is a nightmare transporting a normal trike by public transport (e.g. trains, aeroplanes) otherwise. I don't think anybody is building a better-riding trike.
http://trykit.xara.hosting/index_htm_files/2528@2x.jpg
http://trykit.xara.hosting/index_htm_files/2529@2x.jpg

My dad was a £10 Pom, so I have a foot in both camps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 27 November, 2017, 12:55:47 pm
D, that is seriously impressive!  Mind you, I think you may need bigger handlebars for that clock.  As for the feet, that's handy: just now you can have one in the rugger and the other in the cricket!

Once again, that's a lovely piece of engineering.

Peter
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 November, 2017, 01:02:01 pm
That particular trike belongs to Edwin and has been round some long brevets, including LEL13. HK's Trykit is similar but a shade smaller with 559 wheels. If I reach the point of getting a similar trike, I don't know whether to go for 559 or 622 wheels. One is easier to pack, the other is easier to buy decent tyres for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 28 November, 2017, 08:00:07 pm
This is more "What will you be fettling tomorrow".  The bits to replace the pedal on my commuter, and solve yesterday's "issue" (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26458.msg2231077#msg2231077).

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=400&file=PB282264_crop_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/PB282264_crop_adj.jpg)

Since I always grease the threads on my pedals, the entire process should take about one minute!  I do like easy repairs. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 November, 2017, 09:29:42 pm
Cleaned up a set of secondhand car wheel nuts (£150 new, £20 used including the proper locking nuts).  A scrub with Barkeeper's Friend and they're like new.  I like to use separate nuts for the winter wheels so at least one set is kept away from salt and stays non-rusty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 November, 2017, 09:59:05 pm
Flint-mined a Durano DD and fitted a replacement TA LH crank to HK's Roberts.

Tomorrow will probably be respoking her MTB commuter's rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 November, 2017, 10:04:52 pm
Also got the Duomatic 102 working!  Didn't even have to cannibalise the Duomatic R2110 for a brake cone because I found ir's available as a new part for €10...only the R2110 version of the part, but it can easily be converted to a 102 version by snipping a couple of mm off the two ends of the drag spring to fit the 102's brass brake cylinder.  So I now have two very nice Duomatics.  Might try one on the Brompton...no need for any cables to the rear, and I quite like a decent coaster brake.  Dependsi f there's anywhere to clip the brake arm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 November, 2017, 10:18:43 pm
You might need to fit a stop on the driveside chainstay to support the chain tensioner when using the coaster brake. Apparently the Brompton chain tensioner tends to break otherwise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 November, 2017, 07:18:05 am
HK has negotiated an Etrex 30x from Garmin as a warranty replacement for a bricked Etrex 35. A big reliability and performance win for our side, I reckon. This evening, instead of wheelbuilding, I'll be going through frankly frankie's guide again http://www.aukadia.net/gps/lw3_0.htm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 29 November, 2017, 08:07:33 am
Last night I dreamt that I fettled the Grasshopper steering to joystick in a very clever way. Whilst reviewing my dreamy enginnering fixes in the shower this morning I realised that my dream self had moved the steering head a several of the BRITON feet forward of it's actual position and my clever solution wouldn't work on a real installation. Booo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 November, 2017, 05:24:03 pm
Some Shelves in my office/brewery equipment store.  I'd had a nagging doubt about them since installation this time last year, always thinking there was an unused corner that was better for the brewing stuff and would give me a nice white wall to hang piccies on, and I can finally get my wall map up there as well, once I've got a big enough board to stick it to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 November, 2017, 06:04:24 pm
Someone had misassembled the Duomatic R2110 and it was missing a few bits, so I

- managed to undo the LH locknut, whicb was seized in place - it's supposed to have a washer under it to prevent this.  The axle is round so can't be put in a vice, so I tightened two other nuts against each other on the axle to counter the torque on the locknut.  It came off without damage.

- opened up the hub and re-lubed with oil, lithium grease (just the bearings) and very high temperature grease (just the brake cylinder).  It was very clean inside.  Apparently these were lubed throughout with MoS grease from new but it wasn't the usual grey goo. I played safe and used specialist lubes as per the 102.

- replaced the missing ball bearing in the LH race (!)

- reassembled with washers in the right places and adjusted the cones as per the manual (finger tight then loosen 1/5 turn)

- fitted the new dome nuts and washers

It's beautiful now, and for sale...I only bought it to get a brake cone for the 102, then found a new brake cone for sale separately.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 November, 2017, 08:57:42 pm
Respoked HK's Alfine 11 wheel (rim should last another couple of years) and new taillight batteries for her MTB commuter and fitted a new mudguard taillight to her Condor commuter.

Packed a Son Klassic hub to be posted to Germany for new bearings.

My next turn on the maintenance treadmill is probably Saturday. So many bikes, so little time to fix or ride them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 November, 2017, 11:19:03 pm
Rear wheel Brompton punctures are my *favourite*.

Top tip: Do not stare into open CO2 inflator valve with remaining eye.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 December, 2017, 04:16:20 pm
Fitted four new cups to a set of recent Record hubs and also have three new cones waiting to go in but didn't have replacement Grade 10 5/32" ball bearings in the garage. HK will finally be able to use these wheels on her Roberts, once they arrive!

Fitted VC167 mudflaps to HK's Condor.

Greased my Brompton's squeaky elastomer and pump shaft
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 02 December, 2017, 04:23:41 pm
Does fixing a puncture count?  On a recumbent?  When you are half way through a gentle 25 miler as part of a programme to recover your 'bent legs after 3 months driving and training around Australia?  When the rural roads are filthy, the bike is filthy, it's drizzling and getting dark?  And it's the rear, and you can only lay the bike on its side in the wet grass at the side of the road, not turn it upside down like a DF bike, so it's a wrestle to get the chain etc. clear of the wheel?  And it's a Marathon Racer?  And it's a bit of wire that refuses to be pushed back out the way it came, and everything's wet, covered in muck, and it's getting dark? But at least it only took me 20 mins: the guy whose house I was outside came out to offer me his garage (which I declined as moving a wheel-less 'bent is not as simple as it sounds), a passing roadie offered help, and as I was clearing up a guy with his family in a car stopped to offer help.  3 offers of help in 20 mins - restores your faith in the human race.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 December, 2017, 05:32:17 pm
BTDT, it definitely counts. In my case a freezing February morning in the middle of nowhere
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 December, 2017, 06:33:48 pm
Brompton punctures also count, even if they happen 5 minutes walk from home and you decide that going back to where there's heat, light, a sink and proper spanners is worth the extra faff.

That was Thursday night.  I patched the tube today (rotating it back onto the front wheel of the bike because I don't like to trust tubes with unproven patches).  And removed the worst of the obligatory Brompton grime.  And replaced the chain which was marginal enough not to be worth cleaning.

Also un-jammed the parking brake on the trike, straightened a mudguard and put the batteries on charge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 December, 2017, 07:54:23 pm
A jammed mortise lock with a GBFO disc cutter. It took longer to put the metal cutting disc on than it took to cut the bolt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 03 December, 2017, 08:33:39 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 02 December, 2017, 05:32:17 pm
BTDT, it definitely counts. In my case a freezing February morning in the middle of nowhere

That's a relief.  I was concerned that "fettling" meant cleaning a cassette, or adjusting brakes in a warm, well-lit shed, c/w all the tools, rather than up to my neck in muck and bullets in the claggy, gathering gloom. I was more concerned, however, that my M Racers (which replaced the M Pluses in the quest for more speed) succumbed to a half inch of 2mm dia wire - but in Schwalbe's mitigation, it did hit the sweet spot between the tread blocks so less tyre to penetrate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 December, 2017, 09:38:15 am
Took a chunk off the short bit of my desk extension to allow better access to the radiator under it (I've had a very warm waste-paper basket for the last 25 years) and fitted a fence to stop stuff falling over the back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 December, 2017, 11:44:07 am
De-grokked the bike after yesterday's Essex excursion and Wednesdays flit around the fens, the casette was nowhere near as bad as I though, what I was taking as muck was the black plastic spacers.

Preliminary truing of the wheel seems to be going ok, an initial very large wobble is down to a couple of mm. A bit more and I'll start on the radial.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 03 December, 2017, 03:57:32 pm
Fitted a replacement door mirror on the Panda. Not as horrendous a job as I'd anticipated. What I lacked in correct tools was made up for with the use of a screwdriver and force. The residue of the duct tape glue that was holding the old one in place was also easily shifted with white spirit and elbow grease. I can now do motorway speeds without wondering if the mirror will dislodge itself at any second.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 December, 2017, 04:00:24 pm
When I returned home on Friday I noticed a strange sludgy substance around the drain by the front door. This morning I looked again and it was worse. I decided to investigate and found that there was a blockage in the chamber, which was causing poop to back up the rain drain. A swift application of a stick cleared the blockage and all is now working as it should. Which is good as I didn't fancy either being up to my elbows in it, nor being reamed from behind by a drain clearing company.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 December, 2017, 06:08:34 pm
Yesterday evening, fitted Christmas lights to my blue bike, ready for the Tandem Club Christmas lunch ride todsy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob on 05 December, 2017, 05:08:52 am
Replaced the chain on my fixed gear...probably only been used for 5 years.
SRAM's snaplock made it a breeze. Will probably get a fancier chain in spring, but this will do for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 December, 2017, 09:23:52 am
At the weekend, but I drilled the guards, ran the lighting cables, fitted (all but one of) the spacers, cut the stays to length, and adjusted the gear cable on the New Swiftsure.

Couple of nights ago, I fitted the bar tape.

Need a few crimps, and one bracket now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 07 December, 2017, 04:55:02 pm
Does tidying count? After the Saturday double-puncture and pump collapse, I rearranged the spare tubes and tools in my Barley's side pockets. As a result I now have a more logical arrangement (tyre levers and patches in the same pocket as spare tube) and more items in the same space: managed to get a second spare tube in the other pocket!

And then today I finally got around to replacing the punctured tube and fitting the spare pump I'd found in place of the broken one. And washed the bike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 07 December, 2017, 05:41:26 pm
Coaxed myself out of the house for a ride this afternoon, despite the appalling weather - gave myself the incentive of checking out the swanky new cyclists' cafe that has just opened near Canterbury. Got the bike out of the garage and saw the mudguards needed a bit of fettling, requiring use of a 2.5mm allen key. Spent the next hour trying to find a sodding 2.5mm allen key. Why is that the one size that's missing from every set of allen keys I own?

Eventually found my multitool which has such a thing in its repertoire and did the necessary, which took all of a few minutes.  ::-)

On the plus side, by the time I actually left the house, the rain had more or less stopped. And the coffee and cake were excellent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 December, 2017, 11:13:25 pm
Replaced the rear tube and tyre on HK's Condor, due to a vicious thorn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 December, 2017, 11:17:24 pm
Failed to fettle Dad's Weston light meter. I was rummaging in a cupboard and there it was, except the needle didn't move.  Removed front and rear covers, sucked teeth, recovered any pingfuckits, reassembled it. Still doesn't go.  Well it last saw action about 40 years ago, so I'm not surprised. Frantic googling suggests the selenium cell is U/S.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 December, 2017, 12:02:40 am
Installed the studded tyres on my Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle.  Hopefully that will ward off the storm.

Also found a random SKS mudflap and, via a diversionary fight to un-jam the pop-riveter, installed it on the left side of barakta's trike, where the mudflap had torn off in an inadequately shaped car boot incident earlier in the year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 08 December, 2017, 09:07:52 am
Quote from: Kim on 08 December, 2017, 12:02:40 am
Hopefully that will ward off the storm.


I had that thought last night after fettling the brakes on the ice-bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 08 December, 2017, 10:07:01 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 December, 2017, 12:02:40 am
Installed the studded tyres on my Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle.  Hopefully that will ward off the storm.

<Ron Howard voice> It did not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phil653 on 09 December, 2017, 06:43:48 pm
Picked up some Crud Racer 2 mudguards at a knockdown price back in the summer. However, not enough frame clearance meant having to swap the 25mm tyres for 23s to make a bit more space. Found some Lithion 2 folders on offer at Decathlon, red walled too which matches the detailing on the frame. This should be easy.
It wasn't. Two sore thumbs, four pinch-flat p***tures, one new inner tube and Chrinas' reputation as dastardly difficult taken to a new level, several hours and a lot of frustration later and I've winterised the new'un. I hope I never I get a visitation, far from home on a dark night... In all my years I have never ever had such trouble getting tyres onto a rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 December, 2017, 07:02:40 am
Yesterday, replaced the rear tube on my fixed during the South of Bucks Winter Warmer. Luckily I replaced it while sitting on a chair in a warm illuminated control, rather than in the muddy verge of a lane in the cold and dark.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 10 December, 2017, 12:28:34 pm
The last few days, I have been mostly fettling broken toys :/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 10 December, 2017, 03:55:42 pm
Been throwing them out of the pram?  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 December, 2017, 04:36:44 pm
Splinted a broken leg, on a chair, not my own.

Also worked on my second ever wheel, looking better than the first
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 10 December, 2017, 06:20:01 pm
Finally got around to tiling for the 'new' downstairs loo.  I say new because we've had it for over a year now but I've only just got round to tiling.   Don the builder can come hopefully before christmas to fit the sink now and full bog commissioning will have happened.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 December, 2017, 08:43:31 pm
Fitted Nokian Haakapellitta W106 studded tyres to the old Kona Fire Mountain.  Not sure whether to ride or drive to work tomorrow - schools are closed (one flake seems to do the trick nowadays)  so maybe traffic will be light.  The car isn't troubled by snow and ice in 4WD.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 11 December, 2017, 08:58:23 am
Quote from: orienteer on 10 December, 2017, 03:55:42 pm
Been throwing them out of the pram?  :demon:
>:( :D ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 11 December, 2017, 07:40:03 pm
Dragged out the box in which I have been collecting (for several years) inner tubes that have suffered some sort of deflation; with the intention of lots of patching - as I bought a big tube of rubber solution the other day, and I've a zillion patches from kits in which the solution dried up prematurely.

There were a few slow punctures, some just needed valve cores screwing in a bit more firmly, others less easy to find.
I was on the third re-inflation of one such when...
(https://i.imgur.com/emqOM5s.jpg)
The dog gave me a very dirty look, he knows that I know that he doesn't like fireworks and now I bring detonations into the house, before slinking off to his regular hiding place.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 December, 2017, 09:08:40 pm
The '94 Kona Kilauea is built and it's utterly beautiful.  24.5lb with bar ends.  Not too shabby for a steel MTB in a reasonably large size.  Fairly period kit (a lot of M737 XT) except for the new Deore V-brakes and hubs.  Built as a 21-speed just so I could use XT thumbshifters.  They only *sort of* work with an 8-speed cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 December, 2017, 11:46:54 pm
Replaced a tumble drier belt. This took two evenings, some bad swears, help from a friend and a small amount of bloodloss.  Let's just say the Espares video is economical with the truth.  Who would have thought the key fixture was a torx screw on the "inside" of the poxy thing? Thank heavens for the bendy extension to the torx driver set.

Only one screw left over, so I'm counting that as a win.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 16 December, 2017, 12:36:44 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 11 December, 2017, 09:08:40 pm
The '94 Kona Kilauea is built and it's utterly beautiful.  24.5lb with bar ends.  Not too shabby for a steel MTB in a reasonably large size.  Fairly period kit (a lot of M737 XT) except for the new Deore V-brakes and hubs.  Built as a 21-speed just so I could use XT thumbshifters.  They only *sort of* work with an 8-speed cassette.
There'd better be pictures somewhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 December, 2017, 07:28:35 am
Swapped the stem on the Giant from 100mm to 80mm, will see how it rides today, before I do 100km to and from the hospital on Monday.

Also built myself a dishing tool to continue my wheel building learning.

Edit - it was fine, posture much more relaxed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 December, 2017, 10:36:23 am
Removed a dead elder tree that had collapsed onto the fence of a neighbour's chicken-run. Elder is quite respectable wood once it's as thick as your thigh - you wouldn't know it from the easy-break branches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 18 December, 2017, 10:46:46 am
Disconnected, untangled, rerouted and reconnected the birds nest of cables that interconnects the various items of telehoneness, webness, wireless and TV that sit on the shelves in the kitchen. Received much praise from the good doctor to whom I am married.
I might get myself a crimping tool and make the cables the correct length and make a bespoke wiring loom. Of course the completion of such is bound to illicit a mad reorganising frenzy by her thus negating any tidy goodness that a bespoke loom would confer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 18 December, 2017, 01:20:24 pm
Replaced the motor in our Dyson DC14. Hugely satisfying.

Then, while using it, I had to move the still-in-their-plastic curtains that have been waiting to be hung for about 3 years, so nipped out for a pole and hung them.

My credit chez nous is pretty good atm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 18 December, 2017, 01:20:58 pm
A travel (suitcase style) work light to combat the naff lighting in 93.6% of all rental properties, using 20mm conduit, a couple of bolts and a rubber band. The first version which was meant to be a proof of concept works well enough I may not re-do, just needs the bolts sorting with shakeproof nuts. Total weight 215g, total cost <£5 including the light (eBayed from China)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eHxSihYibeILILDXkX-oI8C77Evc67K3MdnMG-_ceRwTFOq29B8yI1McFJMPvs470Zz5XGLdimk_60vxBS12dvFE9j3x2mqqJwnb7PGmx133Xz8LT6rrG8QStW-gJo2fus8zqGE3wZRtifKZaOUj1lvUeD3e-CbxhmkcWZ4c3CFB3XKC3UJTcqzFcrrui94-_k3xTC4W304zU_YDZYz8UZHOlwrMslcOG1QVNpQFj5KKGa2rO-2hubnW0oPn0iUAZ4rlid9y4bce4vid3DQP-5czfzUK_Wk4pLudTmPjQRzfIYzHMOmZ_Y5F0PnIkeAcJHNbJ-0p1VnIifp9-1VMr2KC-z58zrXve5uV1729d6ZTPNBkN6BfHFGiODlD5iRnYe9WyI1L3h8KFrxH52_Ho1NRgw3nLvIOzLD8Y8RuPXPY8rcghL4AqjE1pCIoHwSnPttEWcG01c-ALqmzHhcGKsFw4Ty-tkgnH1SIov6eIu2sobU0bfejpVsqI8a3O0Ym_EU5ALojppF9Ezq1xgtDllDu3xu7KtC4dP5Pu7JA8Mz0jDKDwgj9Al5NRIE6CmNVQFCdTkhu9o3zoRE0MF_-D5783GKF0bHYSlbBO4ERHmA=w654-h872-no)

And collapsed

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UFRvt4N_Qm-gBWDtHMduT-859G0lXtxP4sEIz987i5SP09gYnsRCl40lq9bakJunqwfUta7FeWdd-6JI_0MG1k48wSKemroNumFZJqhXaJvT58fBseQWidEyb5ODNEazOBkPTv97B05dbb2ZkmXPZsnvI7j60rPb6BhOhVdPIJSHYva4I4TC9Ndtqicocr5qcInc0BPVnAM7oddjttRnTs7OIfHU3BA5m0Rq6OENCsvQSpxHQKgRJajOTeUax-oFi7UisVAhcxiMG1enVb6-oR8IDv1rRrnrbJFhc2QZLR61JxxRdOZ9X7HHuoaq9oOMZV2nWQ8EmyC0FjseQmA2oLJ8wM6Y8i24Oc4dh0tlnnHu9DNt8HfRCqgebMwykpthNzxe1VYt9dk3C8CGGJ5wKMO_cWPay1noewc9evDJuUEqHQM08QBAYugtkmFN_IJij9WD0bbAE__SQ705VPUdwQHP9xXxoT3t6kxsqfur922v64KOPZqkx1Ftl3VXOMgMvPRK55sO0SBwjKBFEIweq0_5zdRg6MXsCw3AaCl0lgSMTDeq3RZk8WgcVR5CF5BWAfa4AnXcvfVaZkJQdf3mKC8OrLCAoMnBt5m2-NrnL4U=w1163-h872-no)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 December, 2017, 07:01:46 pm
Trying to work out what happened with my lights this evening. I have a 2xAA flashy "here I am" light and a Chinese 3x Cree led with external battery packs. Charged one last night, but when I connected it about 4 pm this evening, nada!

I've just charged them both again, they now seem to be working, light ok. They are now in the fridge, just to see if they have a massive problem with cold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 20 December, 2017, 09:19:36 pm
Replaced the axle assembly on the winter bike's rear hub. I do find anything involving ball bearings oddly satisfying - and now my hub's running all smoothly with no play. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 December, 2017, 10:30:23 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 20 December, 2017, 09:19:36 pm
I do find anything involving ball bearings oddly satisfying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q
https://youtu.be/IvUU8joBb1Q

:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Owthathurt on 22 December, 2017, 01:15:28 pm
Unfortunately caught a field mouse today....

I had previously caught him/her in one of those "catchemalive" humane traps but he must have snuck back in before I blocked up his point of entry.

He was cute enough to then avoid the "catchemalive" traps having obviously disliked being discommoded and put outside and plainly equating his discommoding to the "catchemalive" so I had no choice than to lay some snap traps for the little guy.

Pity...................

Not sure that counts as fettling but since I haven't fettled in a while it might.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 December, 2017, 03:36:12 pm
Mounted dynamo light on the road bike now I have the dynamo wheel on there.  That seems to be working OK. 

Also connected the USB Werk, not sure yet on that as I've not tested it. Bought two extra spade connectors to connect to the rear light which I've not yet mounted.  May do that tomorrow or Sunday, time willing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 December, 2017, 05:39:18 pm
A pair of NOS M536 SPDs from the 1990s turned up so I pumped some fresh Shimano grease into them (haven't used the plastic axle cartridge removal tool for years!) and fitted them to the Kilauea.  They were only £16!  Made in Japan, none of your shit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 23 December, 2017, 08:55:56 pm
Replaced the stay bolts on young'un's bike. Found that tube of threadlock I bought in Norway 20 years ago and finally got round to using it in an attempt to prevent them rattling loose and costing a small fortune again. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 December, 2017, 01:52:44 pm
Repaired the boiler.

Yay me!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 27 December, 2017, 01:57:02 pm
Used kettle de-scaler to free up the diverter valve on the bath taps/shower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Plug1n on 27 December, 2017, 02:54:21 pm
Fitted some replcement draw runners on an office cabinet I got from Habitat in Brussels 30 years ago, now like new again.

They had been bust for about 20 years, but I didn't realise that 17mm grooved drawer runners were a standard "thing".

£2.69 for a pair from Screwfix. :)
(not surprising if these don't last)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 December, 2017, 05:40:48 pm
Repressurised the CH at Fort Larrington.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 December, 2017, 05:55:09 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 December, 2017, 05:40:48 pm
Repressurised the CH at Fort Larrington.

Ah, if that counts as fettling, I did the CrinklyDen.

I also carefully didn't touch the leak that had caused the loss of pressure in the first place, because there was no possible way that would end well over christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 December, 2017, 05:58:41 pm
If that counts as fettling, I'm fettling every fortnight!

And if it doesn't, I have given one of my bikes a new chain and the other new brake pads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 December, 2017, 08:08:09 pm
Fitted a new electric hob (stainless steel) to replace the glass one broken by an outgoing tenant - at least he paid for it -AND fitted a new bathroom fan at the same property : one with a "humidistat" (which I'd never come across before) that works not only with the light switch but is also activated by humidity to reduce condensation in the place.   

So, just the painting to do over the next week or so :-(

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 28 December, 2017, 10:21:21 am
No time,for fettlng, or indeed anything much, due to the driving around the country I’m doing for the Christmas family get togethering and the shuttling around of the broken daughter.
Weds - Woodbridge/London/Woodbridge
Thurs - Woodbridge/Wakefield
Fri - Wakefield/Ilkley/Wakefield
Sat - Wakefield/Bradford/Leeds/Wakefield
Sun - day off
Monday - Wakefield/Ilkley/Wakefield
Tuesday - day off
Weds - Wakefield/Woodbridge
Thurs - Woodbridge/London
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 December, 2017, 03:44:00 pm
Back to working on my daughter's catastrophized fretless bass, inadvertently trodden on during a removal.  A happy hour or so with card scrapers - there's something rather magical about them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Somnolent on 30 December, 2017, 04:11:23 pm
Almost completed the updates on MrsS's ti audax bike.
Over the last couple of weeks I've replaced the heavy square taper triple with an HTII super-compact and the carbon blade/ally steerer fork with an all-carbon fork. 

I had everything almost done a few days ago until I found the brake nut wasn't quite long enough for the new fork (with guards & dyno light).  It can only have had about three threads on the old fork....
Anyway SJS got me the longer nut very promptly and all finished today.
Test ride tomorrow (weather permitting) and then a final cutting-to-length of the steerer.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 December, 2017, 04:43:55 pm
Took the Kilauea for an inaugural ride.  All pretty good except the middle chainring is worn out.  It's hard to tell by looking but it slips when I give it some beans.  Centred the rear V brake a little and ordered a new chainring.

The NOS M536 pedals are great.  I'd forgotten how much better they were when front and back plates were hinged.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 31 December, 2017, 05:57:45 pm
An old Cateye TLD (I think) rear light onto the rails under the Brooks Swallow. And the Exposure Redeye rear light onto the seatpost. That’s bright!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 January, 2018, 07:05:16 pm
Replaced the front tube and rear tyre on my fixed. Replaced the front tyre on HK's Condor. Finally reassembled HK's Record hubs (new bearings, 4 cups and 3 cones).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 January, 2018, 08:02:25 pm
Fed my friend's now-slightly-less-shiny Kalkhoff some overdue air and chain lube.  The foot pump we bought form Decalthlon (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/520-foot-pump-100psi-id_8303660.html) was declared a success - it managed 70PSI or so without too much drama, and I was quite impressed by the ease-of-use of the chuck (in Schrader mode).  It may yet turn out to be made of cheese, but it's better than cheap nasty compressors or not being able to use a hand pump.

Chain lubrication was complicated by the cranks freewheeling at the motor, so the only way to turn the chain was to lift the rear wheel and turn in the forward direction, or just pull the chain backwards by hand.  I opted for the latter, because heavy ebike.  I regretted this as I managed to derail the chain at the chainring end, where it's thoroughly enclosed by a case.  Eventually we worked out that by removing the battery, and with assistance to lift the wheel, I could get a couple of fingers in behind the case to re-rail the chain on the drive side of the sprocket while turning the cranks, and didn't have to dismantle anything.

The chain's still a little on the slack side of ideal (but I now realise this likely doesn't matter when it freewheels at both ends), and I've only looked up how to adjust for pad wear on HS11s in retrospect, but I did sort out the marginally rubbing mudguard and it should be fine until next time I'm in the vicinity.

Also fixed a rear light bracket onto the mesh of the rack-top basket, which it turns out was just big enough to squeeze an M5 bolt through with a little ultra-violence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 January, 2018, 08:44:18 pm
Fitted some light brackets to the Fire Mountain.  Not sure whether to keep it as an ice/snow bike permanently  It's very useful to have a bike ready to go with studded tyres.  It would benefit from thumbshifters though, since the front indexing is extremely troublesome.  Unfortunately this would also mean new brake levers as it's "real" STI  Rapidfire.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 January, 2018, 08:58:34 am
I got my larger RC glider to work! :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 January, 2018, 10:58:33 am
Quote from: Kim on 01 January, 2018, 08:02:25 pm
Chain lubrication was complicated by the cranks freewheeling at the motor, so the only way to turn the chain was to lift the rear wheel and turn in the forward direction, or just pull the chain backwards by hand.  I opted for the latter, because heavy ebike.  I regretted this as I managed to derail the chain at the chainring end, where it's thoroughly enclosed by a case.  Eventually we worked out that by removing the battery, and with assistance to lift the wheel, I could get a couple of fingers in behind the case to re-rail the chain on the drive side of the sprocket while turning the cranks, and didn't have to dismantle anything.
Is this a cycling-utility-land feature, ie it's only enthusiasts who actually lube chains, or just crap design?
Surprised an ebike doesn't have built in lights, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 January, 2018, 12:55:23 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 January, 2018, 10:58:33 am
Quote from: Kim on 01 January, 2018, 08:02:25 pm
Chain lubrication was complicated by the cranks freewheeling at the motor, so the only way to turn the chain was to lift the rear wheel and turn in the forward direction, or just pull the chain backwards by hand.  I opted for the latter, because heavy ebike.  I regretted this as I managed to derail the chain at the chainring end, where it's thoroughly enclosed by a case.  Eventually we worked out that by removing the battery, and with assistance to lift the wheel, I could get a couple of fingers in behind the case to re-rail the chain on the drive side of the sprocket while turning the cranks, and didn't have to dismantle anything.
Is this a cycling-utility-land feature, ie it's only enthusiasts who actually lube chains, or just crap design?

I'm really not sure.  Presumably there's a sound engineering reason for the cranks to freewheel, but it does make chain maintenance a faff if you don't have a workstand.

On the other hand, the single-speed chain being mostly enclosed means that it's picked up relatively little skog in its first 300 miles.  For some reason the bike was supplied with what seemed like homeopathic amounts of a very thin lube, which was fine for summer conditions, but a generous applicaiton of Finish Line Wet should keep it going for much longer.


Quote
Surprised an ebike doesn't have built in lights, too.

It does (not clear what brand the front light actually is, but it runs from the ebike power and significantly out-performs my original Cyo).

The bracket is for a set of bicycle indicators (which in this instance are non-pointless under the disability exemption to the oh for fuck's sake rule).  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/552083685/blinkers-cycling-made-safe for those playing along at home - which after thorough research seemed to be the best off-the-shelf option, in spite of being a kickstarter thing.  First impressions are good (they're bright enough, the magnetic quick-release brackets are clever and the progressive turn signal helps make up for the small width), but the supplied set had an intermittent fault (my comment was "it's wireless, what do you expect?").  Replacement due to arrive imminently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 January, 2018, 01:03:36 pm
I see. I guess indicators could also make sense for velomobiles, but I understand why you didn't want to specify what they were for.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 January, 2018, 01:14:50 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 January, 2018, 01:03:36 pm
I see. I guess indicators could also make sense for velomobiles, but I understand why you didn't want to specify what they were for.  :D

Yes.  I think they make good sense on velomobiles, and are potentially worthwhile on large cargo cycles.  But the faff to clarity ratio is low for more normal bicycles, unless you're unable to give decent hand indications.

Unsurprisingly, if you do find yourself in need of a set of bicycle indicators, the choice tends to be cheap plastic crap from China, design student vapourwear, or bodging up a set from motorcycle parts.  There's a decently simple system that fits in the bar-ends, but that's only any good if you have flat bars.  The Blinkers seem well-engineered (much as I hate wireless things), assuming of course that the fault is a one-off manufacturing defect.  They're not bad as a set of commuter battery lights, TBH, with USB charging and the magnetic[1] brackets (which also double as the 'on' switch, ensuring that they won't switch on when rattling around in your bag) being a welcome innovation.


[1] Being skeptical I gave it some serious shake/jerk/thump testing and was unable to make the light fall out of the bracket, even with it pointing downwards, so comedy off-roading with it in a horizontal position shouldn't be a problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 January, 2018, 06:31:39 pm
Fitted a rack in hopeful anticipation of a) getting a second interview and b) being offered a job at the company that’s within (my) commutable distance. This required some brute force to get the fitting straps to line up with the attachment t points on the seat stays. And the matching rack-top bag now obscures the two rear lights (seatpost and saddle mounted) that I fitted a couple of days ago  ::-). Still I have a B&M mudguard mounted light on the way, and I’ll molish something from the Cateye and Topeak plastic to fit the TLD light to the rear of the rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 03 January, 2018, 12:43:52 pm
Quote from: Paul on 18 December, 2017, 01:20:24 pm
Replaced the motor in our Dyson DC14. Hugely satisfying.

Then, while using it, I had to move the still-in-their-plastic curtains that have been waiting to be hung for about 3 years, so nipped out for a pole and hung them.

My credit chez nous is pretty good atm.
And replaced the broken-for-at-least-2-years* double-glazed unit in the downstairs loo and fixed the blown-down-by-storm-eleanor-thankyouverymuch fence post** and panels.

Phew!

(*only the outside pane was broken, so we weren't completely exposed to the elements. Funny story: it got broken twice, once by each son, several months apart, using the same implement (a bouncy egg)! It was as though they wanted to make sure it was really broken.)

(**This job was also very overdue. The original wooden post had long since rotted at the base, so that it was actually being held up by the adjoining panels. I used a metal spike to repair. I suspect it is temporary, but will hold it until we have the time/money/inclination to install a concrete post.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 January, 2018, 03:23:19 pm
Funny you should mention that. I just put a plywood panel in one of the cellar windows that Windy Eleanor pushed in. Like panelling up a loophole, the wall down there is a metre thick and the window a foot square. Had to use wedges to hold it in place. Hand stinks of 25-yr-old black stain now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 January, 2018, 04:28:35 pm
Sorted out some lightning damage.  Turns out that DS2438s aren't rated for the full 1.21 jiggawatts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 03 January, 2018, 06:21:58 pm
after going through four chains (to 1% stretch) the chainring and sprocket started creaking when pushing harder on the pedals. so i flipped them around, installed a new chain - the drivetrain is as quiet as new. i reckon it can still go through another 2-3 chains before teeth start bending/breaking :)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180103/a063918cc10f38f8f8120cc0a06ca5d3.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 January, 2018, 09:05:34 pm
Wired up the rear Dyno light on the Giant, all working ok, which is a miracle for me and electrickery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 January, 2018, 09:57:05 am
What drove me scatty at that lark was getting the tags on the leads going into the Secula far enough open to go onto the contacts inside, but tight enough not to slide off at the first bump.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 06 January, 2018, 04:00:13 pm
Fastened the cleats to my lovely new cycling shoes.  Trouble is, I don't want to get them all wet and muddy :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 07 January, 2018, 09:04:13 pm
Got my fathers swivel chair going up & down again.  The gas cylinder is stick in place, so if I want to replace that with a new one I'll need penetrating oil & a big wrench, but the several whacks with a rubber mallet I gave it have obviously loosened it up internally.  Problem caused I think by my sister sitting in it & hitting the adjust lever at the same time, she's no lightweight....


Also got sisters iPhone & iPad updated to the latest version of ios. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 January, 2018, 10:52:36 pm
Replaced the front tube in HK's MTB commuter with Alfine 11 hub. A nasty thorn had caused a very slow leak for most of the Poor Student 200. At the arrivee, it got completely flat and the thorn stopped plugging the hole in the tube. She had to walk back to the car because air was coming out faster than we could put it in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 January, 2018, 09:57:12 am
Got my big plane working, thought not entirely correctly.

And managed to damage the prop doing so :-[

Sooooo close to finishing my new bike, but I need to wait till my parents are away, since I will need the kitchen space to work in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 January, 2018, 02:25:18 pm
Stripped and serviced the pedals on the commuting bike.  They hadn't been touched since they were new in 2009 and had developed a bit of slop.  The only major challenge was unscrewing them from the cranks, to which they had seized themselves rather firmly.

I'm a big fan of the M540 SPD - I find they run a lot longer before becoming loose than the cheaper M520.  These were fine inside after about 20,000 miles and zero maintenance.  I fitted new balls and packed them with Phil Wood grease.  They should run for another 20,000 miles now.  I won't be riding the bike to work for as long as that!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 January, 2018, 04:45:59 pm
A car radio back into life. The car in which it resides had been to Half-Rods for a new battery, but the naughty monkeys didn't do the necessary magic to keep the radio alive. Inputting of the Magic Code was needed. Rifle through the glove box to find the Book of Words. Read the instructions, read the Magic Code from inside the front cover. Press the buttons. Error. Wrong code. You have n-1 goes left. Arse. Try again. You have one fewer go left.

This suggests the Book of Words isn't the one that came with the car. Arse.
Read the Magic Internet and learn how to retrieve the serial number of the radio without any dashboard surgery. The serial number doesn't match the one in the Book of Words, confirming my suspicions.
Read the Magic Internet a bit more, send a couple of quid by paypal and an hour later get a new Magic Code.  Do the buttons thing and hurrah! the radio works.

Write right Magic Code in the Book of Words in large friendly letters (or numbers). 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 January, 2018, 04:56:24 pm
Cut a longboard-shaped spat out of the plastic back of a notebook, fitted it to a spare Raceblade front mudguard and bunged it on the bike. It's much lighter than the original longboard so hopefully it won't fatigue the mudguard to death like the old one did.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 January, 2018, 06:04:23 pm
I had to remove a minute, angular-shaped bit of grit that had somehow managed to lodge itself in the "wear line" on the rear wheel of my venerable Galaxy - given the wheels have probably less than about 1,500 miles in them the wear line must still be quite deep?  It took quite a bit of poking and prodding with an engineer's scribe tool to get it out.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 10 January, 2018, 06:40:13 pm
Papers.  Lots and lots of papers. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 January, 2018, 08:39:26 am
Replaced the screws holding the spat onto my front Raceblade with pop rivets.

Quote from: robgul on 10 January, 2018, 06:04:23 pm
It took quite a bit of poking and prodding with an engineer's scribe tool to get it out.

Rob

One of my favourite tools. $9 in Sunnyvale, 30 years ago, and one of the best things I ever bought.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 11 January, 2018, 09:24:21 am
Put new strings on my new, to me, mandolin. Plays even more sweetly now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 January, 2018, 08:06:46 pm
Fitted some SPD-SL cleats to my bargain R170 shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 January, 2018, 08:20:53 pm
Mostly finished overhauling the Streetmachine, which I've been doing in dribs and drabs over the last few weeks.

It was overdue for the annual fork service and cable replacement, plus it needed new bar grips, brake levers, shifters and mirror.  Also, since I was replacing the shifter, I opportunistically upgraded to 10 speed.  Just brake adjustment and replacement of a dozen cable ties or so still to go.  I expect it'll feel like a new bike, whenever I feel confident enough about the state of the roads (in combination with HS420 Marathons) to take it out without worrying about crashing and expensively undoing half the work I just finished.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 January, 2018, 10:03:17 am
I had some 3/32" bearings left, so I did the M520 SPDs on the touring bike.  The only others with a bit of play are the A520 SPDs on the fixie, but they haven't got wet much* so will prob just need an adjust and regrease.

Also replaced a blown sidelight bulb on the car.  It would fail its MoT otherwise.

*the notable exception being DD 2007, but I bailed before the worst of it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 January, 2018, 01:14:18 pm
Right SPD pedal, sort-of. On my last outing it had one of those notorious right-pedal clicks that often go away for no good reason.  So I looked at it hard this morning and decided to do nothing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 13 January, 2018, 04:02:52 pm
The shower diverter valve that was diverting, but at the same time as not diverting. And the thermostatic valve body in the living room that needed turning so that the closing bit faced the incoming water rather than not doing so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 January, 2018, 06:00:36 pm
Tweaked the front brake and headset adjustments and swapped the (nearly dead) Solidlight to a Cyo Premium on HK's MTB. It is likely to get a new 1 1/8" threaded headset in the next couple of months because it is quite rumbly and difficult to get rid of play.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 January, 2018, 10:16:22 pm
A couple of run-ins with the Ministry Of Crap Design:

First, set up my friend's Ortlieb back rollers to fit their Racktime TOURIT rack.  The rack - which is otherwise excellent - appears to be designed to be exactly the wrong shape for an Ortlieb back-roller, with the lower hook fouling the rail it's supposed to be hooking to, even if you invert the hook runner on the pannier.  Given that these are the quintessential pannier, it seems almost like an act of deliberate incompatibility.  Managed to arrange it with the hook pointing upwards over the corner of the dog-leg, which is secure enough, but means that attaching and removing the pannier is faffier than it ought to be.   ???

Then attempted to adjust their Magura HS11 rim brakes for pad wear.  Unlike discs, this requires twiddling a twiddler.  Which has a T25 torx head.  So far, fair enough.  Except the lever itself fouls access to the screw, so that you can't use a screwdriver or multi-tool (which is surely how most people have access to a T25 bit, particularly at the roadside) to do it.  Managed to improvise with a sufficiently small Allen key.   >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 January, 2018, 08:19:47 pm
Did the last set of SPD bearings.  Turned out I'd done one pair many years ago because they had stinky blue Park grease in them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 17 January, 2018, 08:44:02 am
Sigh.....

My rear derailleur wasn't selecting the 32 cog on my 11 speed 105 set up so that's an easy fix isn't it.....

Sigh....

Two hours later it now goes in 2 out of 3 attempts but is still a struggle. So, to "help" CBH watches a video on Youtube and comes out to the man cave to tell me how to do it.

Tips on how to say to your beloved of nearly 30 years that that is what you have been doing for the last 2 hours without using rude words gratefully received.  :facepalm:




 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 January, 2018, 08:51:33 am
"Yes, yes!  I'm doing all that!" in a cod-Finnish accent?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 January, 2018, 06:27:56 pm
The clutch release bearing on the car chirrups under very light pedal pressure.  Suzuki handily provide an access hatch in the bellhousing (in serious off-road wading, the bearing and its splines can get very mucky, although mine is just a dry bearing) for cleaning and lubrication.

I'll need to spray it with some suitable oil or grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 January, 2018, 07:30:57 pm
Good news: I didn't get any on the friction linings.

Bad news: the chirp is still there.  The grease might work its way in, so I'll give it a few days before booking a £450 clutch job ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 January, 2018, 04:07:47 pm
Swapped saddles on the fixed from a Gyes Professional-alike to a Spa Ti B17 copy. De-flinted the tyres and the front brake pads, adjusted the brakes and shortened the chain. Hopefully this bike won't need more work for a while (mild play in the Campag BB isn't worsening). I have plenty of other bike repairs to be getting on with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Danu on 20 January, 2018, 04:12:27 pm
Buy HK a do it all gravel bike, and sell the rest
Sorted
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 January, 2018, 04:30:22 pm
Given the wear rate of modern equipment and her 18,000-ish annual miles, I'd need a complete set of replacement kit in the garage to keep it on the road every day.

Just starting to reattach the original fragile Igaro wiring (I understand that her next Igaro will have tougher wiring) to the Shimano lego block of HK's Condor commuter before replacing the telescopic seatpost sleeve on my Brompton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 20 January, 2018, 05:06:59 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 January, 2018, 04:30:22 pm
Given the wear rate of modern equipment and her 18,000-ish annual miles, I'd need a complete set of replacement kit in the garage to keep it on the road every day.
<...>

i did a similar mileage last year and maybe spent 3-4 days maintaining my bikes (cleaning excluded). i found that equipment lasts ages and sometimes i change the parts because i fancy something different, not because they wear out. having spare parts within reach is always a good idea though, almost no downtime to riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 January, 2018, 05:09:43 pm
I'm not interested in cleaning my commuter bike when I get home at 20:00. HK doesn't ride fixed/ single speed and likes muddy lanes. Normal wear items e.g. bottom brackets, brake pads, cables, tyres, chains and cassettes are always on hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 20 January, 2018, 09:34:16 pm
I unfettled the wardrobe that had been condemmed due to woodworm. And then roasted beetles in the fire pit. I still have much left over unfettled wood to incinerate.

It was cold out there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 January, 2018, 09:44:28 pm
Very satisfying result. Mrs hatler's car's heater blower stopped working. Took out resistor, all OK. Checked voltage into motor - OK. Removed motor - not running. Dismantled it far enough to get to the commutator which was black. A bit of a scrape, a spray of some contact cleaner and it works. Re-assemble all the bits and job done. The only shame is that between identifying the motor as the culprit and working out I could fix it I ordered a new one. Doh !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MikeFromLFE on 21 January, 2018, 08:58:14 am
The latest addition to my film camera collection arrived yesterday - a 1960s Bencini Korroll 2, which is a half frame 120 camera. The grease the Italians originally used hardens into a gum on the focusing ring on the lens. This turns the camera into a poor fixed focus jobbie.
I removed the lens, warmed it gently, loosened the sting then used a [collective noun] of cotton buds and GT85 to de-grot and gently lubricate the ring.
Now turning like a good-un : all I need now is some decent light to run a film through it.

Sent from my P01W using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 22 January, 2018, 01:28:11 pm
Tidied up some pretty bits on Swiftsure (project bike), got the rear light working (at last!) and took it out on the pitch black road for a test. 

Standlicht doesn't seem to be working :(   and it didn't start up until I'd completed a couple of pedal strokes, but I'll give it another go.  I suspect it was something to do with the connectors at the back of the front light.  I think they may have touched, which is annoying, but my fault for not insulating conductors even for a temp install :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 January, 2018, 06:39:06 pm
I switched the door locks between my front and back doors. The old front one was starting to be a bit tough to get the key in from the outside, so the less used rear one will be better there. Being EUro cylinder locks it took all of about 5 mins to switch them over.

Now I just need to remember to pick up the right keys.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 23 January, 2018, 11:02:06 am
I have resolved the Standlicht problem.  It is, as Butterfly suggested, that, being brand new and sat around not doing owt for a long time, the IQ-X had not got anything in its capacitor, so needed a good old spin of the wheel to clear.  I think the touching of the contacts may have discharged what there was, so I improved the contact spacing.

So, ever ambitious, I tried to include the Velocharger in the circuit, and it seems to be presenting fresh challenges :/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 January, 2018, 05:09:47 pm
Trimmed the front mudguard stays and replaced the headset in HK's MTB commuter. The only original components still on it are the stem and handlebars and the front mudguard now is concentric with the tyre.

Replaced the front brake pads on HK's Condor commuter, de-flinted both tyres and adjusted the rear brakes. It'll need new rear pads in a couple of weeks and I'll check the rear rim for wear at the same time. I think it is getting close to being time expired.

De-flinted the front pads on my fixed after HK washed all three bikes. I'd explored a chunk of a fairly muddy Hillingdon Trail on the way home and managed to stay upright despite slipping the slick rear tyre with almost every pedal stroke.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 January, 2018, 05:31:44 pm
Bath sealant. I made the stupid mistake of doing this, going on the turbo, then realising I won't be able to use the shower today. :facepalm: Just as well I'm home alone this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 27 January, 2018, 05:40:57 pm
Fitted shiny new chain to replace the snapped one. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 27 January, 2018, 06:14:20 pm
Brakes, goo, mud-flap, and drivetrain on the Sabbath. Brakes, drivetrain, saddle on the commuter, after I'd removed half a salt mine from it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 January, 2018, 03:08:02 pm
Made a new label for the postbox because - get this - any communications from the naturalisation people sent to Mrs. T42 will be addressed in her maiden name.  There was little enough space in the wee plastic window beforehand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 January, 2018, 04:11:55 pm
Altered the bars on my Thule towbar mounted bike rack to accommodate bikes with a 60cm frame with some stability & security.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 29 January, 2018, 05:22:54 pm
Propped my bike up against the lampost outside my house before locking the front door. Bike fell over and
the rear mudguard snapped just above the rear dynamo light (leaving that small section of mudguard and
lamp dangling by the light's wires.

I took the bike back inside the house and rapidly created two holes at opposite sides at the lower end of the
damaged mudguard and a further two holes in the side of the portion that contained the rear dynamo light.

I then placed the small section (which contained the rear dynamo light) above the lower section of the damaged
mudguard, lined up the holes and attached them together with matching coloured zip-ties.

Result. Mudguard and light both functioning. Work? Well I started 30 minutes later than I had intended
whilst I assessed, planned and carried out the bodge repair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 30 January, 2018, 04:18:01 pm
SA100

Phew. That's a weight off my mind - at least until July, when they want the next payment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 January, 2018, 08:37:19 pm
Tightened the headset, cleaned and tightened the chain on my Pompano.  Plus bonus fettling: the bike seems to have gone on a weight-loss kick and was sporting a 31-spoke rear wheel. I found a spoke of about the right length, fitted it and re-trued the wheel. It'll do for now.

More fun fettling at me mam's - I connected her new phone to the house wifi and showed her the joys of using YouTube as a jukebox. We spent about an hour swapping tunes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 February, 2018, 07:43:19 pm
Reinstalled windows on my old laptop.  Is lightning fast at the moment (also added an SSD).  Will slow down when I add a few more things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 02 February, 2018, 07:51:40 pm
Quote from: asterix on 02 February, 2018, 07:43:19 pm
Reinstalled windows on my old laptop.  Is lightning fast at the moment (also added an SSD).  Will slow down when I add a few more things.
like applications and data?  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 February, 2018, 08:19:50 pm
Quote from: Beardy on 02 February, 2018, 07:51:40 pm
Quote from: asterix on 02 February, 2018, 07:43:19 pm
Reinstalled windows on my old laptop.  Is lightning fast at the moment (also added an SSD).  Will slow down when I add a few more things.
like applications and data?  :D

Or Windows updates...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 February, 2018, 07:45:13 am
Not done it, yet as Senor Tiermat the elder hasn't arrived to help, but I am aiming to get the attic finally fully boarded out today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 February, 2018, 08:27:28 am
Quote from: Kim on 02 February, 2018, 08:19:50 pm
Quote from: Beardy on 02 February, 2018, 07:51:40 pm
Quote from: asterix on 02 February, 2018, 07:43:19 pm
Reinstalled windows on my old laptop.  Is lightning fast at the moment (also added an SSD).  Will slow down when I add a few more things.
like applications and data?  :D

Or Windows updates...

This ^^^^.  It was surprising how sprightly my AMD A4-engined laptop was once I killed the Windows Update service.  Though it's the Windows Anti-Malware thing which really hammers it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 February, 2018, 08:37:44 am
^^^^After all, it's safest if you can't actually use the machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 February, 2018, 01:39:06 pm
Overhauled a pair of 1990s Deore DX MTB hubs.  Need to build the wheels now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 03 February, 2018, 09:28:12 pm
Replaced the logo’ed caps on my 105 sti’s (tho I lost two screws in the process) and managed to connect my spare laptop to Zwift, TrainerRoad AND Elite MyTraining. (Thanks to Aidan for the ANT+ dongle).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 February, 2018, 09:06:39 pm
Replaced a broken mudguard taillight (more difficult than it should have been, involved a hacksaw) and loaned out a SQR saddlebag.

Replaced the worn-out pedals on HK's Condor and the similarly stuffed chain and cassette on her Roberts, along with swapping the quite worn Ksyrium Elites with renewed Record/ Open Pro wheels.

Still got to replace the Roberts' creaky carbon forks later this week and probably the Chorus rear derailleur with a Record mech from the garage. The frozen top limit screw annoys me.

Both our Moultons need their cracked mudguards and worn cassettes and chains replaced, along with a new rear tyre for HK's. I think I need to get a 130 OLD axle to replace the 135 axle in her new Tune-hubbed rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 February, 2018, 10:25:07 pm
I bodged the control for lifting my bath's plug. The plastic housing that holds the brass spindle has snapped so the mechanism was just spinning. Electrical tape is holding for now. I need to dig out the araldite for a proper fix I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 February, 2018, 08:15:59 am
Managed to mark out drilling centres on one side of my WIP router sled before the freezing cold in the workshop drove me indoors again. This despite a butane heater up one end of the shop and a 2.5 kW fan heater at the other end. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 05 February, 2018, 10:22:28 am
I seem to spend most of my time repairing toys these days.  Or reconstructing plastic meccano...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 February, 2018, 08:00:02 pm
Fixed the copiously dripping kitchen tap, which was just a case of taking out the ceramic cartridge, cleaning it up and putting it back together.  They are supposedly everlasting but they can get grit or limescale jammed between the two ceramic plates, which gives a drip of varying magnitude as the plates have to rest completely flat against each other.

Job slightly complicated because the builders had fitted the isolating valve for the tap under the sink in such an orientation that it can only be turned with a screwdriver by removing the U-bend first  ::-)  How hard can it be to get that right?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 08 February, 2018, 08:51:11 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 08 February, 2018, 08:00:02 pm
.Job slightly complicated because the builders had fitted the isolating valve for the tap under the sink in such an orientation that it can only be turned with a screwdriver by removing the U-bend first  ::-)  How hard can it be to get that right?
For your average to good plumber quite hard because it requires that the trades(wo)man in question spends a moment thinking about what s/he is doing. Even the good plumber we had for our boiler and subsequently new bathroom was hard of thinking when it came to the detail. Mind ewe, he was something of a cx er in his yoof, which could account for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 February, 2018, 10:29:18 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 08 February, 2018, 08:00:02 pm
Job slightly complicated because the builders had fitted the isolating valve for the tap under the sink in such an orientation that it can only be turned with a screwdriver by removing the U-bend first  ::-)  How hard can it be to get that right?

That's advanced-level stuff.  First you've got to master not emptying your bowl of urgh down the trapless sink...

I recently installed a washing machine tap under a friend's sink without considering the space occupied by the roller-mounted bin that slides in in front of it.  In my defence I was mostly thinking that their main stopcock was a bit fucked and it was prudent to leave a decent amount of unadulterated pipe above it so a Proper Plumber could at some point sort it out without too much drama.  By sheer luck I got away with about a millimetre of bin clearance once the hose (with stupid solenoid valve lump at the tap end) was in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 13 February, 2018, 08:24:06 am
The vacuum cleaner (Dyson DC14) didn't seem to be picking up very well (hasn't been for some time), so consulted the interweb and YouTube and determined that the brushes were probably worn.  Searched around a bit and determined that it was also best to change the 2 belts - the one from the motor to the clutch, and the other from the clutch to the brush bar, along with the brush bar.  The clutch shuts off the drive to the brush bar when you stand the machine handle upright.

So, ordered a new clutch assembly at £16, which comes complete with the belts fitted as the clutch (including ball bearings and springs) has to be dismantled to fit new belts, and  a brush bar.  Total about £37.  I was confident I could disassemble and reassemble the clutch, but at £16 it seemed like a better plan than the inevitable hunting in the dust under the garage bench for the spring that pinged off whilst the clutch was in bits.

Bargain if the machine is as good as new once fitted.  Ordering was the easy bit............

New clutch c/w belts and the other bits arrived Monday morning (which is good since I'd only ordered on Saturday afternoon), checked the part numbers, all good.  But......  (and there's always a but)....... the new belts were about 50% of the length of the old ones.  Which, along with the old brushes being about 2mm shorter than the new ones probably explains why the Dyson was not picking up as well as it did - despite plenty of vacuum.

Getting the clutch belt onto the motor spindle appeared to need the belt to go through a non-existent gap, whilst being stretched to about twice as long as it was at rest.  Consulted YT and various people said it's a struggle, but it does go on without tools but with the use of strong fingers.

So I struggled a bit, but did get it on.  But I had to have a coffee and a lie down afterwards.

Now for the brush bar.  Well that belt was so new and short it went into hiding and had to be 'persuaded' even to show its face - let alone stretch enough to be able to get the new brush bar to fit behind it.

Back to YT. Without YT I'd have been convinced it was the wrong belt. Now here's the catch.  All of the videos I went to for the first 15 minutes said that you need the Dyson tool (whatever number, which we happen to supply.....) to be able to stretch the brush bar belt and open up a gap so that you can insert the brush bar.  Oh b0gger.

Anyway, after a bit more searching found a couple of videos that show how to bodge it with a large screwdriver (and probably lots of swearing). After a deep breath and more coffee.

And that's how I did it - but I didn't need the Anglo-Saxon. So that was a result.

I'd also taken the cyclone to bits over the weekend and flushed that all out so there was no crud anywhere, and changed the filters, so there was no excuse for any lack of suction.  So, having put it all back together, tried it.

Well, I'm now finding muck in the carpets that's not seen the light of day since the Pre-Cambrian.  Amazing. It actually picks up, and the bin was full of fluff and hairs after only 10 minutes hoovering (Dysoning??). And I thought the carpets were fairly clean.

But without YT I'd have been wondering just how to get it back together when the belts were clearly far too short - even though the part numbers matched the old belts..  How did we mange without it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 13 February, 2018, 10:52:02 am
Got a dishwasher working on Saturday.

Unfortunately, it's in Worthing, so I don't benefit directly.

Finally managed to get RealFlight working on my PC.  It's not perfect, but it works.  It is, i think, the second video game I have purchased (after Chess).

Yet to solve my electrical issues on my new bike, or take it out for a shakedown ride.  Maybe this weekend...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 February, 2018, 08:41:30 pm
I've  been thinking about getting some new bits for our Dyson but that's put me right off...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 14 February, 2018, 08:37:24 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 February, 2018, 08:41:30 pm
I've  been thinking about getting some new bits for our Dyson but that's put me right off...

Ah.  Sorry about that.  In reality it's all very straightforward, and the plastic bits (of which I have an inbuilt wariness, 'cos they always break and are irreparable) are actually very tough, and the clips and catches don't break. 

But be careful over what you order as there are multiple sub-menus of bits available for apparently the machine you have, but in reality there are half a dozen sub-models, with different belts, filters and brushes.  Even the supplier got the belts wrong, which is partly why I then went for the new clutch.

Having said all that, I did later see that the DC14 is available 2nd hand and "refurbished" for not much more than I paid in new parts.  Go figure.  But at least I kept a pile of plastic out of landfill and satisfied my Child of the Fifties inbuilt need to repair things rather than  throwing them away.  My dad would have been proud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 February, 2018, 06:05:16 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 14 February, 2018, 08:37:24 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 February, 2018, 08:41:30 pm
I've  been thinking about getting some new bits for our Dyson but that's put me right off...

Ah.  Sorry about that.  In reality it's all very straightforward, and the plastic bits (of which I have an inbuilt wariness, 'cos they always break and are irreparable) are actually very tough, and the clips and catches don't break. 

But be careful over what you order as there are multiple sub-menus of bits available for apparently the machine you have, but in reality there are half a dozen sub-models, with different belts, filters and brushes.  Even the supplier got the belts wrong, which is partly why I then went for the new clutch.

Having said all that, I did later see that the DC14 is available 2nd hand and "refurbished" for not much more than I paid in new parts.  Go figure.  But at least I kept a pile of plastic out of landfill and satisfied my Child of the Fifties inbuilt need to repair things rather than  throwing them away.  My dad would have been proud.
Sounds good, I'm all for repair, re-use then recycle. Where did you order your bits from?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 February, 2018, 06:22:59 pm
I mended a puncture(!) on one bike, fitted a bell to the stem of the other and then... tidied up a saddlebag! Got tools and tubes in nice little space-saving bags now. Ah so sweet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 15 February, 2018, 08:20:52 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 14 February, 2018, 06:05:16 pm
Sounds good, I'm all for repair, re-use then recycle. Where did you order your bits from?

eBay.  This was the clutch order. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dyson-Genuine-Vacuum-Cleaner-Clutch-Complete-With-Belts-DC07-DC14-900252-04/310322723710?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I got all my bits from the same vendor - he was very quick at delivery - but also initially sent me the wrong 2 belts, hence I bought a complete clutch and he refunded the cost of the belts.  All very efficient. He also seems to trade as the Dyson-Doctor - it's the same vendor.

Hope the upgrade goes well!  I've been really impressed at how much better the machine is.  I suppose that after 12 years the performance gradually degraded as bits wear and you don't notice that loss in performance.  Now the machine is presumably back to its as-new condition.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 February, 2018, 07:40:22 pm
Ta
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 February, 2018, 04:03:55 pm
Anti-rattle modification to the mudguard on the runabout - two holes and cable tied it to the rack
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 February, 2018, 05:55:05 pm
changed the drivetrain on my new gravel bike from 50/34 - 12-28 to 42/30 - 11-36, shortened and lubed gear and brake cables, swapped the saddle out, applied some tape on the frame to prevent it from rubbing, checked all the screws, set up the position to my road bike's blueprint. ordered some bits and pieces for the new wheelset and still pondering on the choice of tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 February, 2018, 11:38:13 am
Installed the missus's new [supposedly] photo printer, a delightfully easy process which involved just half an hour's wrestling to get it out of the box sans breakages and another of crawling round the floor threading cables behind, above, betwixt and between the rich assortment of boxes under her desk. Will look for Ubuntu drivers this PM, since conducting Internet searches on her French orthopaederast keyboard with half its characters obliterated I will not do on an empty stomach. Not yet a full one. Mañana ist auch ein Tag, as me old pal Georg used to say.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 18 February, 2018, 01:23:51 pm
Gave the wife's new metallic red B-Max a coat of Autoglym Extra Gloss sealant.  Since the paint is new it didn't need a polish first and now the mud and cow muck will wash away much easier.

Pity about the tiny dint in the front passenger door (car park?) and the tar spots up the back door.  And the ally wheels need a thorough clean followed by a coat of wax to keep the brake dust at bay.  Job for another day.  I will also take that opportunity to lube the wheel bolts with copper grease, amazing how many cars you see at the side of the road with the car on a jack, spare wheel at the ready, and the flat wheel still on the car.  The bolts have rusted in and the car's wheel brace won't shift them.  So I get my retaliation in first (as Bill Beaumont used to say) and make sure they can't seize and they are refitted to the correct torque.  Or am I just being anal?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 February, 2018, 01:52:18 pm
Don't forget the centre spigot of the wheel. It's ok getting the wheel nuts off but if the wheel is stuck fast with corrosion . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 18 February, 2018, 04:28:13 pm
Rebuilt one of our raised beds, this time with proper pressure treated board, not donated scaffold boards. Have to do another, but am short a length of wood - time to break out the roof bars as delivery costs make that option untenable - £35 for one £16 plank! (to be fair it'd be the same for 20 off).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 18 February, 2018, 09:01:40 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 18 February, 2018, 01:52:18 pm
Don't forget the centre spigot of the wheel. It's ok getting the wheel nuts off but if the wheel is stuck fast with corrosion . . .

Yup, that gets a wire brush and Coppaslip too!  Found out the hard way some years ago, took a lump hammer and a block of wood to effect a parting of the components.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 February, 2018, 10:55:13 pm
A neighbour wanted the OZ alloys off his Laguna when it was collected by the scrapman but they were stuck fast, despite the guy bouncing the car on the flatbed using the crane.

Solved that one with a paver's maul. Not much will stand up to a 28lb rubber hammer . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 18 February, 2018, 11:11:30 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 17 February, 2018, 04:03:55 pm
Anti-rattle modification to the mudguard on the runabout - two holes and cable tied it to the rack

BTDTGTTS  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 February, 2018, 07:16:59 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 14 February, 2018, 06:05:16 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 14 February, 2018, 08:37:24 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 February, 2018, 08:41:30 pm
I've  been thinking about getting some new bits for our Dyson but that's put me right off...

Ah.  Sorry about that.  In reality it's all very straightforward, and the plastic bits (of which I have an inbuilt wariness, 'cos they always break and are irreparable) are actually very tough, and the clips and catches don't break. 

But be careful over what you order as there are multiple sub-menus of bits available for apparently the machine you have, but in reality there are half a dozen sub-models, with different belts, filters and brushes.  Even the supplier got the belts wrong, which is partly why I then went for the new clutch.

Having said all that, I did later see that the DC14 is available 2nd hand and "refurbished" for not much more than I paid in new parts.  Go figure.  But at least I kept a pile of plastic out of landfill and satisfied my Child of the Fifties inbuilt need to repair things rather than  throwing them away.  My dad would have been proud.
Sounds good, I'm all for repair, re-use then recycle. Where did you order your bits from?

Well, that was only a partial success. Could I get the clutch actuator knob to come off? No, I could not.
Nor could Pingu. Not even though Swears were actioned.
Decided that I'd rather not have a load of broken plastic so I admitted defeat and just put on a new brush bar  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 21 February, 2018, 07:30:05 pm
Got the prop off my big plane at last!  Found out what the problems are with the servos (but, alas, not the answers :( ).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 February, 2018, 07:42:09 pm
I learned how not to drill holes in ABS.  Sadly, this ruined a couple of hours' worth of work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 21 February, 2018, 10:19:51 pm
Put a proper bearing in the front of the Basta dynamo, how the original plastic thing survived as long as it did was surprising.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 22 February, 2018, 09:23:37 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 February, 2018, 07:16:59 pm
Well, that was only a partial success. Could I get the clutch actuator knob to come off? No, I could not.
Nor could Pingu. Not even though Swears were actioned.
Decided that I'd rather not have a load of broken plastic so I admitted defeat and just put on a new brush bar  :-[

Well, I'll be no help at all by simply saying that it does come off.....

I levered up the end next to the clutch to, in effect, increase the diameter of that end, and once I'd found the location of the clip it popped off easily.  All of which is no help, but it  did take me a couple of minutes to fnd the way in.  You can have a go now, even though it's back together as you don't need the machine to be in bits to do this.

Even if you break it, replacements are available for a few ££, e.g https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DYSON-DC07-DC14-DC04-CLUTCH-COVER-KNOB-All-Colours-3-99-Inc-Postage-Bargain/181937376720?hash=item2a5c500dd0:g:73MAAOSw6dNWTvpF

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 23 February, 2018, 04:36:52 pm
Swapped out both central heating pump isolation valves after discovering last night that the ones I had fitted in October last year were leaking around the valve spindle.

I'll clean them up and have a closer look later, but at first glance - and judging by the play in the spindles I found last night - it looks like the way the ball valve and spindle are connected provides a leakage path.  >:( :facepalm:

The Pegler valves I fitted look like they are constructed in a superior fashion.

Buy cheap, buy twice, eh?  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 February, 2018, 04:59:41 pm
Cruzbike frameset assembled.

Giant cleaned, ready to start disassembling and transfer of components to Cruzbike.  Brake springs and bolts are looking a bit tatty after about 11 years, so I might see if I can get some replacement parts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 February, 2018, 05:19:41 pm
half an hour removing parts from the Giant to move to the cruzbike.  Found a bit of corrosion on the giant in areas hidden by bottle cages and the like, will treat those in due course as this frame will either be sold or end up getting rebuilt. 

Decide to re-furb the brakes, so bought a few new nuts and bolts for the worst offenders (11 years old) and a tin of brasso for the rest. 

Only stymied by the LHS ultegra crank arm - I didn't have the £3tool neeeded to remove the dust cap.

Chain, rear mech and front mech are soaking in a tub of degreaser at the moment. The value of greasing things on assembly really showed itself, with even the pedals coming off easy enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 February, 2018, 07:08:55 pm
A bit of re-jigging of the layout at Feanor Towers involved the purchase and assembly of some of the ubiquitous IKEA Billy book-cases.

These have cut-outs on their heels for the skirting boards.
I can only assume that there is some standard for Scandinavian Skirting Boards which involves them being about 2" high.
Ours are rather larger, and the Billys won't go against the wall properly in their as-bought state.

So I've had a jolly day with the router ( woodworking kind ) re-machining the various bits before assembling it.
( I have been here before, and had already made the jigs that I needed! )

There are surprisingly more bits that needed re-work than it might first seem...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 February, 2018, 07:51:40 pm
Barakta has one of those Portapow USB monitors (https://www.amazon.co.uk/PortaPow-Monitor-SmartCharge-Chargers-Panels/dp/B01CVMAK2M) that mostly lives on a USB hub at her computer, where it provides isolation of the data pins for phone-charging duty when not needed for diagnostic purposes.  We needed it for diagnostic purposes yesterday, and discovered the current reading was stuck at 40mA.

I got an email this evening confirming that it was out of warranty, managed to spudger it open non-destructively[1], and had got as far as determining that the voltage regulator powering the dual op-amp wasn't outputting anything, when the voltage jumped to a solid 5.02V and it started working properly.  Presumably poking about with probes reconnected some shitty lead-free soldering or something.  I gave the pins of the regulator a touch with the soldering iron for good measure, and put it back together.  It appears to be working.


[1] There's a slot at the end that looks like you poke a screwdriver into it to release a clip.  That's not a clip, it's the noisy end of the beep transducer, don't poke it, just rotate a screwdriver blade in the slot to prise the two parts of the case open.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 February, 2018, 08:52:27 pm
Got the central heating at Dad's house working, which given his age, the temperature and the weather forecast, is a Good Thing.

It's a temporary fix, but we were running out of logs and theres' only one fireplace. Plumber scheduled for Monday to fix it properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 24 February, 2018, 08:57:18 pm
The bedroom walls. A bigger task than anticipated, because the lining paper that I'd been hoping I could just stick back down because it was peeling in the corner turned out to have alarming layer of fungus underneath, so the whole exterior wall had to be stripped of paper and rid of mould (that was yesterday's fun job). Today was filling, sanding and basecoating - fortunately, the wall was in decent enough shape not to need re-lining. Tomorrow, hopefully, proper painting. Of course, being stuck inside decorating has meant the sun has been shining for the past two days. :facepalm: :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 24 February, 2018, 09:26:27 pm
Put the Marathon Winter back on ye trike again after seeing the weather forecasts.
Fixed the lower end of the garage door latch cable with some solid steel wire, the other end that I "improved" about 25 years ago looks ok still.
The door cable and the bathroom heater switch cord both broke the same day, I was expecting them to be followed by a brake or gearchange fail but those must still be hanging by a thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 25 February, 2018, 05:14:03 pm
Ive not ridden my blue bike since the brake lever slipped, locking the front brake on & sending me head first over the bars! 
Fixed the brakes earlier & also replaced the saggy Brooks with a “new to me” Gilles Berthoud. A short test ride caused no great discomfort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 February, 2018, 06:43:19 pm
my front derailleur cable went ping during a turbo workout (which was annoying, but less annoying than the same thing happening in the wild). as i haven't serviced any cables on this bike before with it's internal cables i thought it might be a bit of a faff - but, it turned out to be as easy as with the external cables. fed the inner into the frame near the steerer and it popped out next to the front mech, how cool is that! i used the opportunity to shorten the outer cable as it was too long after lowering the handlebars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 25 February, 2018, 11:20:00 pm
Fixed a puncture on Dad's mobility scooter. First challenge was getting the wheel.off. Second was getting the tyre off - I was about to give up when I realised it was a two part bolted together hub. Got it done and reassembled AND cooked a roast dinner at the same time. Go me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 26 February, 2018, 01:07:15 am
Tim (& anyone else interested) those two piece wheels can get stuck together with corrosion.

Remove the nuts holding the wheel together, screw them back about 3 full turns, then inflate* the tyre to around 40-50psi. Pop! We have separation . . .





*make sure you have plenty of distance between you and the wheel. Don't be a dick!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 26 February, 2018, 10:51:53 am
In a rush to get outstanding half-bodges fettling projects cleared out of the dining room before my parents return home, I assembled a bracket for an FPV monitor, but still have no idea how to attach it to my transmitter.  I need to root through the bike brackets box for something appropriate.

I also built my second ever balsa model (my first was in the Cubs): a £7.99 Chinese glider off eBay.  It flew remarkably well, considering my ham-fistedness and Frank Spencer-like ability to glue my fingers together.  Of course, I had disregarded the ludicrous angle of attack following the printed plan would have produced, and, after a quick test, decided that the proposed CG was preposterous, and lightened the balancing weight to just one M5 bolt.  Ugly but effective. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 26 February, 2018, 11:54:08 am
Put a trainer tyre on the bike, which is currently on the trainer. Was a bit of a faff, as that rim seems to make fitting any tyre a bit of a nightmare. Got it done eventually, got the trainer set up and calibrated again. Set off to only have the quicklink on the chain explode.

I didn't have any spare quicklinks, so I had to join the chain using spare bits of chain I'd kept after fitting the new one, and fiddling with the chain tool until the links were mobile again. Worked fine, but I'm glad I've stuck with 8 speed stuff and not gone with more gears. I'd have had no chance with a 10 speed chain without quicklinks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 February, 2018, 02:25:01 pm
Twiddled a few nuts & bolts, adjusted a couple of bearings, and my router sled is now ready to go.  Then I belted indoors without trying it, 'coz it's 2°C in the workshop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 February, 2018, 07:45:17 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 February, 2018, 02:25:01 pm
Twiddled a few nuts & bolts, adjusted a couple of bearings, and my router sled is now ready to go.  Then I belted indoors without trying it, 'coz it's 2°C in the workshop.

2C, positively balmy.  I got to that point after half an hour of fan heater on Saturday whilst removing components from the roadbike to build up the cruzbike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 February, 2018, 10:05:49 pm
Applied tactical cable ties, wielded drill, mole grips, chain lube and mild swearing. The Snobike of Thee Apocalypse is ready .


(Ok, the gears don't seem to shift but it would be tempting fate to unmantle them right now)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 27 February, 2018, 10:15:27 am
Bound my new receiver in my Bonanza.

Still got the same problems :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 27 February, 2018, 10:40:05 am
My 'spare' alto sax.  My music teacher 'confiscated' my #1 Yamaha alto at the end of last night's lesson so she could fix a few adjustment issues before next week's lesson.  Had to get out my son's old Buescher, which has been sitting in its case for about 18 months since I bought the Yamaha.

Had to spend about an hour tracking down sticky pads and a stiff action to get it to play acceptably.  Sounds OK now - so at least I can practice this week.  Definitely need at least one more alto sax, and maybe a tenor too. 

See:  the Reader's Instruments thread....
Quote from: nicknack on 21 February, 2018, 06:34:21 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 21 February, 2018, 06:29:21 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 21 February, 2018, 06:18:04 pm
But maybe I should buy a tenor sax as well.....  Does the n+1 rule apply to instruments?)

But of course. Even more so than with bikes! :facepalm:
Yup. I've got 12.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 February, 2018, 03:55:20 pm
cleaned up all of the components from the old Giant ready to mount on the new Cruzbike.  Decided not to completely refurb the old 521 long reach brakes, they are functional as it is, and it's only a couple of corroded bolts that make them look as old as they are.

Ran into a problem with the BB though, it's Shimano, and I only have the SRAM tool, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 27 February, 2018, 04:01:42 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 27 February, 2018, 10:40:05 am
My 'spare' alto sax.  My music teacher 'confiscated' my #1 Yamaha alto at the end of last night's lesson so she could fix a few adjustment issues before next week's lesson.  Had to get out my son's old Buescher, which has been sitting in its case for about 18 months since I bought the Yamaha.

Had to spend about an hour tracking down sticky pads and a stiff action to get it to play acceptably.  Sounds OK now - so at least I can practice this week.  Definitely need at least one more alto sax, and maybe a tenor too. 

I've been thinking of digging out my poor old Alto that has been languishing in its case since I failed to sell it. (I didn't try too hard it has to be admitted) I might as well play it and upset the neighbours as leave it all sad and alone
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 February, 2018, 01:51:09 pm
Put a temporary plywood shutter over one of our cellar windows where the wind was howling in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 March, 2018, 01:48:33 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 26 February, 2018, 10:05:49 pm
Applied tactical cable ties, wielded drill, mole grips, chain lube and mild swearing. The Snobike of Thee Apocalypse is ready .


(Ok, the gears don't seem to shift but it would be tempting fate to unmantle them right now)

Follow up fettle. Fitted a new rear gear cable and as much new outer as I could find in the Temporary Seecrit Bunker.  Gears now shift but I think the return spring on the trigger shifter is banjaxed. Good enough though, so rode it to work today, searching out snow covered bridleways.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 March, 2018, 02:02:54 pm
finally got hold of the correct variant of shimano external BB tool, removed bearings OK, but damaged iner plastic sleeve on removal (with a large lump of ice)

Temp fitted bearings and cranks to the new bike to allow sizing of bike and reduction in length of boom as required.  Inner sleeve seems to be a replacement part which is good news
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 01 March, 2018, 07:30:54 pm
Overflow has been  dripping slightly intermittently and has now frozen solid. I may have a pinhole in cylinder heating coil. (heating engineer didnt think so but I am now fairly sure that is what it is.) Took a look at the Feed and Expansion  tank and reduced its water level a bit. Yuk! various types of martian undergrowth in there. (this could suggest pumping over but I have not cleaned it in years). Must clean it out soonest. Have reduced boiler stat temp and turned off water heating programme as a precaution. HW cylinder stat is working properly with water at 60 deg. All rads lovely and warm. Have changed syncro motor in heating circ motorised valve very recently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 March, 2018, 09:38:31 pm
Re-rimmed the rear wheel on my Dave Yates - the old rim had an eyelet pulling through, causing a high spot on the rim. It got me through LEL, but still it was annoying.

While I was on it, I have the bike a quick clean, tidied up some of the (many many) cables, and re-greased the quill stem and seatpost.

After all that, I'm not bloody taking it anywhere until the weather cleans its act up a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 March, 2018, 10:40:24 pm
Boiler conked out with a non-specific flame failure error.  As it didn't have a specific error code for a blocked condensate drain, I guessed it was that, disconnected the drain from the boiler, collected a pan full of grimy water, and the boiler rebooted successfully.

De-icing the drain pipe run made unnecessarily complicated[1] by it consisting of about 15 elbow joints before sharing a waste pipe with the washing machine (which we can't move to get access to the pipework without first moving the fridge, because Stupid Landlord Kitchen), which had indeed frozen.

TIL: That the washing machine's soft on/off switch means you can't abort an experimental attempt at pumping some warm water from the drum without committing yourself to a litre or two of flooding if the waste pipe isn't clear.

Grr.


[1] There's a drain literally on the other side of the wall from the boiler.  I assume Tweedledum and Tweedledumber (lowest-bid heating engineers for the buy-to-let market) lacked the necessary drill bit to do the obvious thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 01 March, 2018, 10:44:45 pm
Surprised trace heating hasn't caught on with susceptible condensate pipework.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 01 March, 2018, 10:55:01 pm
New Campag gear and brake cables for one of my bikes. Took longer than I expected, but I can now
index both front and rear derailleurs with confidence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 March, 2018, 09:37:03 am
Bled the radiators in the Estate Office and the Spa, the latter being complicated by my 22mm socket hiding right at the bottom of the toolbox.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 02 March, 2018, 01:14:49 pm
Tried to fit an extension to a speaker lead, only to find that my small screwdrivers are all over 200km away :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 March, 2018, 05:24:08 pm
Astonishingly, when one of the lenses of my reading specs fell out because loose screw on New Years Day, Professor Larrington actually unearthed a set of small screwkidisers.  Astonishing because she is not the world's most practical person.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 March, 2018, 05:18:51 pm
Took a box that contained a rat's nest masquerading as a load of cables and converted it into a nice, next pile of cables, hifi cabling for the use of.

Obviously I had left the box for long enough, in the right conditions, as there was X million IEC cables, 5 figure 8 (radio) cables, numerous cat5 and even a couple of USB A to B cables!

I swear, not so long ago that I had zero spare IEC cables, nor radio cables...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 04 March, 2018, 08:47:03 am
Wait 'till you get started on coat hangars!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 04 March, 2018, 03:21:04 pm
Obvs in just the right conditions. No signs of a cassette of Queen's Greatest Hits . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 05 March, 2018, 11:33:46 am
Put the SPDs on the old 90's MTB for a quick ride at the weekend. Completely screwed up the knee bend, so after 3km stopped to raise the saddle to compensate the revised stack height.

Cleaned both that and the M5 one the hoze had de-froze after I got back. Sprayed a bit of lube around, and mounted the front mech on the Cruzbike.

Also added the second water bottle cage to the side of the seat on the M5.  Should have put some tape on it first - a couple of small chips on one of the holes, didn't do that on the first side for some reason - maybe I was getting a bit cavalier with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 05 March, 2018, 04:10:00 pm
It’ll be tomorrow morning now. The rear mudguard on my bike has, somehow, rotated backwards around 2” - the being the distance the clip is now above the chainstay bridge. Hmmmm. Perhaps not unconnected with the rear ‘guard being so full of mud (I run 28mm tyres with guards where the recommendation is 25mm, and truthfully it’s bloody tight clearance) that it virtually jammed the back wheel. My “ministrations” roadside might have caused the issue.

ETA

Well that did get fettled today - deflate tyre, remove wheel, prise open the guard clips at the brake bridge, loosen the stay bolts, and push guard back into position with the clip over the chainstay bridge.  Clips re-crimped and stay bolts tightened. I've not bolted the guard at the chainstay bridge, as it's already tight to remove the wheel, but may invest in a panhead for future fettle.

Wheel back in, and because it was deflated already, valve core out and topped up sealant. Did the front too.

Then I cleaned the chain (after bodging my Park Tools chain cleaner because the retaining clip assemblies had disintegrated  :facepalm: and also the jockey wheels and cassette. 

Then Muc-Offed and washed the bike, so at least the cranks are reflective not matte now!

GT85 spray on SPD's, cassette and mechs.  Wet teflon lube on them after.  Chain got a dose of (the no longer available it seems) Finish Line Century Wet Lube.  I like this - a foaming pink spray with good penetration. Jockey wheel bearings got a dose too.

Then I decided the rear guard was still too close to the tyre, so out came the 8mm spanner and off came the guard stay caps. Loosened nuts, hauled guard up 5mm or so, and retightened. Much better.

Then went for a ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 07 March, 2018, 04:05:04 pm
Extended the speaker cable; bound the receiver to the Tx on my glider; tidied my tools; sorted aircraft bits; swapped cases for equipment.

Failed to find 3 different charging cables... ::)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 07 March, 2018, 09:00:26 pm
Quote from: De Sisti on 01 March, 2018, 10:55:01 pm
New Campag gear and brake cables for one of my bikes. Took longer than I expected, but I can now
index both front and rear derailleurs with confidence.
Cut the gear and brake cable to length (at least 3 inches from where it is clamped).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 08 March, 2018, 10:41:02 am
I have sorted out the flaps on my Bonanza! :)  Now I need to find a suitable box so I can put it in storage :'(

And all but the motor on my Conscendo glider.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 08 March, 2018, 10:56:46 am
Chain clean on my 20/26 SWB Performer (winter bike) recumbent.  Mistakenly thought that spring had arrived on Monday and managed to get out without the fear of an off on ice.  Also managed to find a lane where a farmer had been carting slurry out of one field, down the lane for about half a mile, and onto another field.  The road was beyond belief.  I walked for the unrideable first bit before remounting for the less crappy (all relative) second bit and after a couple of scary moments got clear - but the M Racers were clogged into the 'guards.  No farmer about to shout at, unfortunately.  But the chain was a bit tight at first, but gradually eased.

Washed bike when I got home and looked at my once-clean KMC chain - didn't seem too bad but it would need a good oil and wipe before the next ride.

So, wiped and oiled, wiped, wiped some more, and yet more.  Despite looking fairly clean it sounded horrible so took it off last night for an overnight soak in white spirit, followed by laying out to dry and refitting, after cleaning the RD and chainrings - the cassette was OK.  Then multiple passes of a WD40 soaked cloth through both chain tubes until all muck was removed.

The sludge in the bottom of my soaking tub was beyond belief, and that's after cleaning an apparently 'reasonably' clean chain. 

All back together now and the chain's soaking up a liberal application of Finish Line Wet before being wiped back to near-dryness.

And it's just stopped snowing and the sun's out.  Give it a couple of hours and I might get out for the second time this week.  Where's Spring got to?

Recumbents eh?  Three times the chain length to be cleaned......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 March, 2018, 01:50:38 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 08 March, 2018, 10:56:46 am
Recumbents eh?  Three times the chain length to be cleaned......

Theoretically it should be less bad as they tend not to have the front wheel chucking crud at the chainset, and on some of them a substantial part of the chain run is indoors.

Never seems to work that way in practice.

There's a reason I tend to stick to upwrongs in gritting season, other than for special occasions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 March, 2018, 05:40:52 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 March, 2018, 01:20:47 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 01 March, 2018, 12:00:24 pm
I Scotchgarded my Brompton C bag when I first bought it. It's still doing a good job of keeping out the wet stuff a year or so later.

That's good to know, I should do mine.

And now I have.

Looks like I've got enough left over some of the other non-waterproof bike luggage, too.   :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 March, 2018, 06:10:39 pm
Winter tyres are off the tourer and the Marathons are on in their place. Cue another bout of Eastly Beastliness
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 March, 2018, 10:33:12 pm
Yesterday - Replaced the front wheel on HK's MTB commuter as she'd worn the rim enough to get a funny bulge that did odd things while braking. Deflinted the tyre before putting it on the ceramic-rimmed replacement.
Today - Swapped the front wheel on HK's Moulton ready for tomorrow's Horsepower 200. A nipple had cracked sometime during her last adventure. The chain and cassette are knackered but I'll replace them after tomorrow's rain, along with the nipple.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 09 March, 2018, 10:51:08 pm
Started to tidy the shed - need to get rid of 20 years accumulated (now unwanted) stuff before I move away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 March, 2018, 12:06:57 am
fettling, unfetling and re-fettling of the cruzbike build

All cabled up now (except rear brake, snipped wrong end off the tandem cable  :facepalm:), may adjust bar-end shifter cable routings still

Chain too short, new one on order - chainstays 4cm longer than donor bike and spare links gone walkies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 March, 2018, 07:54:39 am
Quote from: windy on 09 March, 2018, 10:51:08 pm
Started to tidy the shed - need to get rid of 20 years accumulated (now unwanted) stuff before I move away.

What one might call shedding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 10 March, 2018, 06:44:44 pm
Installed a 24t TA ring onto the 105 HT2 triple.  So it's now 50-39-24, with a 20" low gear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 10 March, 2018, 07:07:42 pm
Bottom bracket on the Sabbath, nearly twice the price from a LBS compared to large haribo supplier who are retailing them for less than the distributor is charging trade to the LBS. Summat wrong there.

Nevermind, I need LBS's and got some odds and sods thrown in for free, saving not only the cost of the bits but also the obscene shipping charge that sole supplier wanted for something that could be put in an envelope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 10 March, 2018, 09:16:02 pm
Quote from: andyoxon on 10 March, 2018, 06:44:44 pm
Installed a 24t TA ring onto the 105 HT2 triple.  So it's now 50-39-24, with a 20" low gear.

i.e proper gears, not this testosterone-fuelled 50-34 (or worse) compact rubbish that the bike manufacturers think we over-60s want to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 March, 2018, 09:16:20 pm
Changed the rear tube of HK's Moulton a couple of times. Looked to be a lifting patch and a flint. An ideal thing to do in a muddy road verge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 March, 2018, 11:47:42 am
Front gate - looks like when it was last repaired the post was fastened to the wall with plugs too small for the holes.  Easy enough to sort out, but I had to take the gate off its hinges to do to, replace two of those screws and move the loop for the bolt to go into to make it all line up nicely.

Also tidied the gym/bikeshed to actually give me my gym floor back again now that the cruzbike is nearly built and put most of the toosl away again.

Cruzbike is now fully cabled and the indexing appears to be OK.  Chains on order (hopefully 116 links will be enough giving me a spare).  Should have it rideable by next weekend I hope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 11 March, 2018, 06:12:29 pm
Nothing fettled today, but lots of bits and bobs ordered for the mantling of a naturalised hair vine constructed with gold wire and river pearls. This for Ms Beardy the eldest’s wedding outfit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob on 12 March, 2018, 06:46:28 am
(https://i.imgur.com/VYBnjMA.jpg)

Finally finished building this one. Only had time for a 30 min ride, but it's way more responsive than the old frame and I may not need to replace the fork. (Wanted a shorter offset...not sure now).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 March, 2018, 07:44:38 am
Nice. Health to ride it, as me Da would've said.

Meanwhile, I have fettled SFA but I put the Ti warhorse on the turbo in the workshop before breakfast, and once digestion is sufficiently advanced I'm going out to retape the bars and get it ready to ride in the rain, other options lacking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 March, 2018, 11:27:11 am
How do you fit your panniers on it, Jakob? ??? ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 12 March, 2018, 11:32:11 am
Meanwhile, I have removed a few bits from my trusty Ridgeback Romany, fettled it rather less than I planned, and passed it on to niece/nephew (whichever it fits).

Bought as an interim, and I really didn't want to like it, but it was an absolute dream.  I hope the new owner loves it too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob on 12 March, 2018, 05:00:25 pm
Quote from: clarion on 12 March, 2018, 11:27:11 am
How do you fit your panniers on it, Jakob? ??? ;)

Heh!. At least my other half has now accepted that this isn't just a passing fad and didn't grumble too much when I ordered the new frame....although I did time just after she bought a fancy pair of new boots. (Something she rarely does to be honest). Re-learning tricks has been super-hard, but the 'kids' (I'm old enough to call them that now) at the skateparks have been super cool and while they may be laughing at us, they don't do while we're there.
 A couple of the more funny moments has been when someone comes to kick us out of a spot and see that we aren't just a bunch of kids and don't know what to say.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 March, 2018, 10:16:01 pm
Replaced the nearly worn-out front V-brake pads on HK's MTB commuter with a set suitable for a ceramic rim. Replaced the rear tyre, cassette and chain on her Moulton ready for her French trip later this week. Also replaced the worn pedal sockets for the Wellgo QRD pedals on her Moulton; much less play now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 March, 2018, 10:23:58 pm
Converted my Surly back to fixed - I wasn't loving singlespeed anyway, but the main spur was the fact that the Sturmey freewheel has seized, after barely 600 miles.

While I was at it, I fitted a Brooks saddle and a Carradice. It is a tourer, after all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 12 March, 2018, 10:24:47 pm
removed the slug (12g!) that lived inside a tubless tyre, gave the tyre a good scrub but it's too much of a task to get all the dried sealant off. remounted the tyre and will be adding the sealant later. rear tyre awaits the same procedure..
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180312/135d2ff2e1596df2ee1c142dc174ac7f.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 March, 2018, 10:16:16 pm
Quote from: Deano on 12 March, 2018, 10:23:58 pm
Converted my Surly back to fixed - I wasn't loving singlespeed anyway, but the main spur was the fact that the Sturmey freewheel has seized, after barely 600 miles.

So, already a fixed gear bike?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 14 March, 2018, 10:54:00 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 March, 2018, 10:16:16 pm
Quote from: Deano on 12 March, 2018, 10:23:58 pm
Converted my Surly back to fixed - I wasn't loving singlespeed anyway, but the main spur was the fact that the Sturmey freewheel has seized, after barely 600 miles.

So, already a fixed gear bike?

:)

And a barely worn-in sprocket! Gearing would've been a bit low for fixed, I reckon.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 March, 2018, 03:56:11 pm
Had to fit a new brake caliper to the Sequoia, which meant removing the bar tape from the top of the bars in order to thread the new inner cable through the outer. I was reusing the old outer, but it turns out it's in two pieces where it runs under the bar tape: there's a section of coiled looking outer running round the bend, which is then joined by a ferrule to normal brake outer. The inner was catching in this ferrule. Slightly annoying, but a price worth paying for the neatness of having all cables under the tape. Maybe!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 15 March, 2018, 04:22:19 pm
Becasue 'compressionless' outer is a sod to bend to match the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 15 March, 2018, 05:35:30 pm
We keep a number of fan heaters around for occasions when the heating packs up (frequent).  The newest two of these have safety switches in the base such that when you pick them up they cut out.  I'm sure I don't need to tell you which part had burned out in one melting itself and the surrounding plastic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 March, 2018, 06:17:46 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 15 March, 2018, 04:22:19 pm
Becasue 'compressionless' outer is a sod to bend to match the bars.
Makes sense. Is there a neater way of joining them than a ferrule, for future reference? By 'neater' I mean 'one that the inner will go straight through without any unwrapping'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 15 March, 2018, 08:17:51 pm
Don't know, if it sticks remove it and make sure the cuts in the outer are clean and the nylon liner isn't squashed. On a tenuously related note I seem to have lost the ability to feed new brake cables through road levers. Something I've been doing for more years than I care to remember. It's not like I don't know how...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 March, 2018, 10:38:42 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 15 March, 2018, 06:17:46 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 15 March, 2018, 04:22:19 pm
Becasue 'compressionless' outer is a sod to bend to match the bars.
Makes sense. Is there a neater way of joining them than a ferrule, for future reference? By 'neater' I mean 'one that the inner will go straight through without any unwrapping'.

I use electrical tape to hold the brake outer in place whilst putting bar tape on.  Sometimes I remember to remove it as I go along, sometimes I don't. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 March, 2018, 10:32:21 am
I always leave it on.

Meanwhile, I'm rewrapping my LH bar for the 3rd time this week, having finished it twice before noticing puckers. 3rd go suspended because one of the bloody dogs came romping in and knocked the front wheel so that the roll of tape was pulled out of my hand and unrolled onto the dusty floor. Got fed up & came in for coffee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 March, 2018, 01:42:36 pm
shortened the steerer tube on the gravel bike, there is now acceptable 15mm of spacers above the stem (down from 30mm before)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 17 March, 2018, 01:54:59 pm
It's cold outside, so doing a bit of a strip-down of the summer bike (as "summer" doesn't appear to be arriving any time soon...). Having failed to remove the drive side bottom bracket cup, I took it to the LBS who got it out straight away. Now I'm cleaning bolts and things - deep joy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 18 March, 2018, 10:37:31 am
My Cotic >X< cyclocross/winter commuter came with Tektro Lyra disc brakes which slowly became ineffective. I swapped over to Tektro Canti brakes but I missed the Disc brakes so bought a set of Shimano R317 cable brakes and spend the afternoon in the conservatory (the garage was freezing!) fitting them yesterday. It took a while as I had to bodge the mudguards to get them to fit over the Schwalbe Winter tyres... I hate Stays which you can not extend!!!

Them today was too windy and snowy to commute to work on it (may aim) so I have taken the train....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 18 March, 2018, 11:52:00 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 26 February, 2018, 01:07:15 am
Tim (& anyone else interested) those two piece wheels can get stuck together with corrosion.

Remove the nuts holding the wheel together, screw them back about 3 full turns, then inflate* the tyre to around 40-50psi. Pop! We have separation . . .





*make sure you have plenty of distance between you and the wheel. Don't be a dick!
Be really, really careful if you try this, I recall a fatal accident doing something like this with a slightly bigger tyre.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 March, 2018, 10:36:15 pm
Yes, entirely aware of the safety aspects of composite wheels and tyre inflation. That's how I learned to put the wheel nuts back on before trying it.

First time I tried it was without the nuts on and around 40 psi the two halves of the wheel separated with an awful bang.

The flourescent lights were on the way out anyway . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 March, 2018, 08:28:12 am
Today I have defettled a snowy path to stop complaints of wet shoes.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: clarion on 19 March, 2018, 08:44:13 am
Removed some cheap'n'nasty electronic gubbins from a non-functional foam toy plane, and turned it into a functional glider

Also cut myself with my new knife, defettling a small amount of blood at the same time. :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 19 March, 2018, 11:39:24 am
The internal “HEPA” filter and it’s foam outer filter from our cordless vacuum cleaner. What a difference! My wife had to reduce the power setting as the cleaner had got that much harder to push  :o.  Note to self - regular filter cleaning helps a LOT.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 March, 2018, 11:45:11 am
Quote from: T42 on 16 March, 2018, 10:32:21 am
I always leave it on.
Meanwhile, I'm rewrapping my LH bar for the 3rd time this week, having finished it twice before noticing puckers. 3rd go suspended because one of the bloody dogs came romping in and knocked the front wheel so that the roll of tape was pulled out of my hand and unrolled onto the dusty floor. Got fed up & came in for coffee.

Yep - leave it on.  If the outers are really stiff I've been known to use duct tape to fix them to the bars before taping - and if, as with some brands, the self-adhesive strip on the bartape is iffy then I wrap thin double-sided tape around the bars before the final tape.  The double sided tape does give a better hold, especially when cycling in very hot weather and the bartape adhesive gets warm and moves, especially on the bends above the hoods.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 March, 2018, 01:26:11 pm
Double-sided is a swine to get off, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 March, 2018, 02:53:58 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 March, 2018, 01:26:11 pm
Double-sided is a swine to get off, though.

Nope - I use "medical adhesive remover" in an aerosol spray that works a treat  (it's the stuff they use to remove glue residue from from the skin for either sticking plaster or urostomy/colostomy bags)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 March, 2018, 09:04:26 pm
New chainrings and chain on the Dawes.  I've been procrastinating, and it was becoming a liability.

Also gear cables.  Annoyingly they didn't look as knackered as they felt, but it does seem to have improved the shifting, so fine.  I'm slightly concerned the shifters may have seen better days, but we'll see how it gets on.  Since they're MTB levers I was able to inspect the nipple end of the brake cables for signs of fraying (there weren't any) so I decided to leave them until the next pad replacement.

While I was in a cables mood, I investigated the rear brake cable on barakta's trike.  Remember the Black Oil from the X-Files?  That's what was lurking within.  No wonder it was being a bit rubbish.  Since the rear derailleur (which has a similar cable run) appears to work admirably well, I'm guessing that it was a combination of one of those galvanised inner cables I accidentally bought from Wilko when they stopped doing stainless, and that monsoon we had at Wing in 2016.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 March, 2018, 10:32:35 pm
scraped and cleaned the inner surface of the tyre from dried-up sealant, remounted and refilled it with a fresh one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 25 March, 2018, 05:09:33 pm
Cut the grass! First time this year. Also managed to dry two lots of washing outdoors.

Trimmed the neighbour's yew slightly and cleared out the old grass debris from under the somewhat dense cotoneaster.

Lingering 'flu meant I had to stop myself from fainting a couple of times when I stood up quickly; bloody awful, this bout.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 March, 2018, 05:36:17 pm
Fitted a new tube to HK's Moulton spare rear wheel and guided her through replacing her Brompton's rear tube, which led to me fitting a Velox rim tape and cleaning a thoroughly grotted derailleur. Replaced the carbon fork on HK's Roberts and the chain on my Moulton. One of these days, I'll have caught up on the maintenance backlog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 25 March, 2018, 06:10:26 pm
Chain and cassette on the commuter, also added some heli tape to the stays to protect it a bit from my d-lock and the sheffield stand. Removed a metric shitload of crud and salt at the same time.

Tracked down the source of a noise on the Sabbath to a loose mudguard fastener, going to have to threadlock that when I can find the ruddy stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 25 March, 2018, 07:19:11 pm
LW&B. Is there anything original left of HK's bike...?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 March, 2018, 07:34:05 pm
On her Roberts, only the headset and frame is original (1998) including paint. The stem and bars, Record ergolevers (rebuilt), Chorus derailleurs, RH TA Carmina crank and two chainrings date from a major rebuild about a decade ago. The rest has been replaced within the past couple of years. Luckily she spreads her mileage over four bikes now (previously five). One of the four is being replaced over the next month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 25 March, 2018, 08:42:30 pm
For the first time evvah, managed to change my watch to BST without Ring TFM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: handcyclist on 25 March, 2018, 08:44:36 pm
Remounted a suicidal Cateye.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 March, 2018, 12:11:24 am
Spent a couple of hours very carefully installing a magnetic pickup on an autoharp for a friend.  My main qualification being that I'm not dyspraxic and can therefore be trusted around self-untapping screws, which appears to have been sufficient.  In a general failure of roadieness I couldn't get it to cooperate with the convenient PA system that happened to be lying around, but I found a Rigol 1052E and it made all the right wiggly lines, so muttered something about "impedance mismatch" and declared it a success anyway.

And then a great many more hours fucking about with felt, a glue gun and an SMD rework station in a incompletely successful attempt to reconfigure the chord layout for voodoo ergonomics reasons.  New felt of exactly the right thickness and elasticity required to finish the job.

(Nikki will be pleased to know that I made extensive use of a Stanley knife without adult supervision, and didn't draw blood.)

Oh, I also fixed a window handle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 March, 2018, 07:25:51 am
Found the holes in three inner tubes, or at least I found three holes in three inner tubes.  Will repair them today.  I don't tend to use them on the road, but they're perfectly fine for on the turbo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 March, 2018, 09:47:12 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 25 March, 2018, 07:19:11 pm
LW&B. Is there anything original left of HK's bike...?
Is it still the same bike if you change everything including the frame but you're very careful to always pump the original air back into the new tubes?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 27 March, 2018, 06:21:21 pm
Found that the head of my trusty O-light 3EOS keyring torch had come loose in my pocket.   On closer inspection the LED assembly had come loose & screwed itself down the barrel & the lens was reversed. How the hell did that happen ?   


Managed to get the lens the right way up with a fingernail & stuck a pin into the hole in the LED assembly to wind it snugly back up.   I'm glad I could fix that, they are good little units.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CS8LYVU/ref=psdc_1938895031_t2_B019HXDV88



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: markcjagar on 27 March, 2018, 09:07:15 pm
New chain, cassette & middle chain-ring on my Croix de Fer this evening. About an hours fettling when I got in from work but it was whilst my tea was simmering so I got to sit down to a delicious quorn and sweet potato curry as soon as I was done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 27 March, 2018, 09:22:43 pm
Fitted a horn to my Pompino.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 28 March, 2018, 02:18:09 am
That's a euphemism, right...?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 March, 2018, 12:03:31 am
This evening I have mantled a prototype for a flicker-free[1] dimmable constant[2]-current LED driver.  Because PWM is evil[3], and barakta has been nagging me for ages.  Naturally I haven't got the precision resistors I need to get the component values completely nailed down, but that can wait.


[1] Well, there's a bit of ripple at about 248kHz, but that can be safely ignored.  Both barakta's eyes and the flicker-o-meter are happy with the output.
[2] Except when adjusting the dimmer, IYSWIM.
[3] Prioritising stability at very low duty cycles over headaches and stroboscopic artefacts is, for most practical purposes, a Bad Choice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 29 March, 2018, 09:40:12 pm
Decided to spend the evening reassembling the summer bike, finally. Got as far as the cables before realising I have no idea where I put the plastic guide thingies for the internal routing, without which I can't install the cables. >:( Still, I have a hella shiny cassette...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 30 March, 2018, 09:35:32 am
Quote from: Kim on 29 March, 2018, 12:03:31 am
[1] Well, there's a bit of ripple at about 248kHz, but that can be safely ignored.  Both barakta's eyes and the flicker-o-meter are happy with the output.

I'm happy to accept either only slight ripple, or 248 kHz as perfectly good ways of preventing visible flicker. On the other hand, at 248 kHz, only a tiny capacitor needed to turn on-off control into slight ripple.

I've run LEDs with simple capacitor smoothing from half-wave rectified 50 Hz, and not been able to see flicker. Of course, I've overdone the capacitor so much that the lamp takes 5 seconds to fade out, so the reduction during 20 ms can't be that big.

I would guess that slight ripple could be seen by whatever the flicker-o-meter is, or it wouldn't detect full on-off PWM against any significant background lighting, so it could well be over-sensitive to ripple against real people's requirements. As I understand it, the way that flicker induces migraines etc is by turning off the light as the victim is trying to move their view to a new object, so the eyes have no feedback at that moment and overshoot. If the light is slightly dimmer at that moment, rather than off, the effect vanishes.

Having said that, it's not my eyes that anyone else sees with, and my "good enough" may well be "stop that ****ing flashing" for others, as I'm well aware that I've been the on the other side of that divide, with VW rear lights for instance. (see rants passim)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 30 March, 2018, 01:01:11 pm
swapped the seatpost from alloy to carbon on a gravel bike which added some springiness and saved 120g. with a gentle bend towards the back it looks elegant too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 March, 2018, 01:31:12 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 30 March, 2018, 09:35:32 am
Quote from: Kim on 29 March, 2018, 12:03:31 am
[1] Well, there's a bit of ripple at about 248kHz, but that can be safely ignored.  Both barakta's eyes and the flicker-o-meter are happy with the output.

I'm happy to accept either only slight ripple, or 248 kHz as perfectly good ways of preventing visible flicker. On the other hand, at 248 kHz, only a tiny capacitor needed to turn on-off control into slight ripple.

I've run LEDs with simple capacitor smoothing from half-wave rectified 50 Hz, and not been able to see flicker. Of course, I've overdone the capacitor so much that the lamp takes 5 seconds to fade out, so the reduction during 20 ms can't be that big.

 :thumbsup:


Quote
I would guess that slight ripple could be seen by whatever the flicker-o-meter is, or it wouldn't detect full on-off PWM against any significant background lighting, so it could well be over-sensitive to ripple against real people's requirements.

Flicker-o-meter is a cheap handled oscilloscope kit (250kHz bandwidth or something rubbish) with a visible-spectrum phototransistor and some strategic black paint where the innards of the input BNC connector should be.  Powered from a USB battery pack, it's portable enough you can point it at random light sources in the real world (some technique required to aim it off-axis with bright sources to avoid saturating the sensor).

It can detect slight ripple that barakta can't see, and of course any flicker in the 10s of kHz.  But crucially, since you can see the waveform, you can reasonably infer how serious such things are.   There have been occasions where she's had migraine symptoms without visual artefacts, and the meter has typically shown strong ripple from one particular lamp where others in a room are okay.


Quote
As I understand it, the way that flicker induces migraines etc is by turning off the light as the victim is trying to move their view to a new object, so the eyes have no feedback at that moment and overshoot. If the light is slightly dimmer at that moment, rather than off, the effect vanishes.

All bets are off with barakta.  Bilateral Duane Syndrome (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_syndrome) means that horizontal eye movements are achieved by turning her head, or by tilting her head diagonally and using vertical eye movements[1].  Which means most of the time she has no saccadic suppression, leading to stroboscopic artefacts with any heavily-modulated light source.  That's enough to give anyone a headache.  In experiments she's been able to detect square-wave flicker at up to 6kHz (reliably at up to 2.5kHzish).  There's more to it than that though, as her sensitivity has increased in recent years.  (Devices with PWMed backlights or multiplexed LED displays that didn't used to bother her are now unbearable.)

The relevant medics are frustratingly unscientific about such things.  All they know or care about is that "some lights give some people problems", and tend to recommend tungsten.  (Barakta can see the 100Hz ripple on some tungsten lamps.)

I'm one of those people who can see flicker (at least PWM below 1kHz; I don't tend to notice ripple), but isn't particularly bothered by it, unless movement is causing stroboscopic artefacts.


[1] This seems to be her strategy for avoiding double vision while lipreading.  Unfortunately, it means she's often bringing sources of glare into her visual field.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 01 April, 2018, 07:46:21 pm
Put a replacement BB on the rigid fork saracen.  Checked front mech.  Went to service the RoadMorphG pump, and realised I'd left it on when I hosed the bike down a few days back, as a load of water drained out.  So cleaned and lubricated it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 April, 2018, 09:38:42 am
Skinned back the hood of my left shifter to see if the long-nose end cap on the cable housing was still holding up. 'Tis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 April, 2018, 02:41:12 pm
A spreadsheet, that logs all my excercise and produces annual summaries etc.

Simplified some of the functionality adn summarising using "COUNTIFS" and "SUMIFS", never used those before. 

I had thought about using some VLOOKUPs but didn't need to in the end.  Could have also done it with a pivot table I think, but what would I have learned?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 03 April, 2018, 02:19:26 pm
A replacement o-ring onto my track pump.

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=400&file=IMG_20180403_140926_crop_adj.jpg)

A kit of o-rings from eBay cost me £6-39. A "rebuild" kit for the pump (and I wasn't even certain it was the correct kit) would have cost me £3 and £2.99 postage.  So, by spending another £1-40, I've got another 9 replacement rings for this pump and another 409 spare o-rings in various sizes !  I think that's a useful expenditure of money. :D

(I can't quite work out why there are 419 o-rings ... 11×38 would be 418).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 April, 2018, 02:35:35 pm
One spare in case you lose one  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 April, 2018, 06:18:16 pm
Fettled new springs into the kitchen door handle. Nobody got shut in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 05 April, 2018, 12:30:50 pm
Fitted a new cassette, chain and BB to the audax bike ahead of Sunday's 200. It will also be the first proper outing for the new ERE tubeless tyres. Should feel like riding a whole new bike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 April, 2018, 08:27:22 pm
Removed slug snot from the Red Baron.  At least Ventisit can go in the washing machine.  Fuckers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 April, 2018, 09:07:19 pm
Fitted new rear V-brake pads on HK's Condor, deflinted the tyres and replaced the dead freehub. Unfortunately the RH cone in the T670 hub is also deceased, probably due to metal from the freehub. Annoyingly, replacement RH cones appear to be in short supply in the UK until July. Hopefully I can find something acceptable to get the bike operational before her replacement bike is up and running in July.

Deflinted the tyres and brake pads on my fixed and was ready to fit a new chain and chainring but I can't find the 16t cog that is hiding somewhere. Perhaps tomorrow.

Replaced the worn 10sp Chorus rear mech on HK's Roberts with a SH Record. It looks like I need to replace the brake hoods and front gear cable and retape the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 April, 2018, 09:15:34 pm
Checked over the Renegade and TLD's Cube, ready for a muddy ride out tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 April, 2018, 09:47:07 pm
Replaced the surround of a raised bed, removing the rotten scaffold planks I’d originally used (gifted by a friend in more impecunious times) and replacing them with pressure treated 47mm boards. And shortened another bed back to widen the path.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 April, 2018, 09:15:36 am
Nowt yet. Got a tyre waiting. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: essexian on 08 April, 2018, 05:31:06 pm
This post could go into a number of threads including the rant thread!!

So, this morning I was off to do a local sportive.....sorry.... (actually, I am not sorry: the bloke arranges a lot of useful local rides and makes money for charity so I believe in sporting his efforts), so needed to get my road bike ready by giving it a bit of a clean, oil and pump up the tyres.... put the video camera on, add the Garmin, fill up the water bottles etc etc..... sigh, I remember the day when you just jumped on your ride and went  :facepalm:

Anyway, coming to pump the tyres up, I had a little bit of an issue getting my Park Tools track pump attached to the valve.... er, that looks wrong. Somehow, the end of the valve (the bit you unscrew) broke off and was now stuck in the pump!!!! And for some reason I could not get it out.

So, as I now didn't have a pump to inflate a new inner tube, I took the wheel out and replaced it with the one off my CX bike. However, this has a wider rim than my road bike wheel, so I had to move the brakes over so they fitted without rubbing. Thankfully, the chain and both cassettes are quite new so there was no jumping as can sometimes happen.

Off to the Sportive which turned out to be a bit too much of an effort, so much so that I pulled out about half way around....  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 08 April, 2018, 05:34:23 pm
Inner tube repair, will use it on the turbo

Some frame protection tape on the Cruzbike, and got all the wires in place for the dyno set up, took far longer than I expected, it's electrics after all.  I'll have to go back for another stint in the next couple of days to mount the lights and terminate the cables, and test everything, but that's the easy bit.

Have to get it all done for next Saturday's audax in any case.

Also re-reviewed the routes for my summer tour and a couple of planned prep rides
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 April, 2018, 05:46:21 pm
New front gear cable and casing on HK's Roberts, along with new brake hoods and handlebar tape.

Delivered 4 x 451 and 1 x 369 tubes to assorted BHPV folk while watching their first race of the season.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 08 April, 2018, 06:07:41 pm
Washed both the Renegade and TLD's Cube, as we both got them covered in crud during our ride out today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: graculus on 08 April, 2018, 08:54:51 pm
Took the winter tyres off the hybrid (they earned their keep in the new year) and put back the marathon pluses. They're showing their age a bit now, I was was able to put them on with thumbs alone.
Cleaned a winter's worth of gunk out of the transmission.
With the wheels and chain off took the opportunity to clean up the harder to get at bits of the frame - so it's now just grubby rather than disgraceful.
Brake blocks really need replacing but haven't got any spares so that will have to wait until I can get some tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 08 April, 2018, 09:02:34 pm
Laced new rim onto rear hub and brought up to tension. Truing and dishing tomorrow all being well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: markcjagar on 08 April, 2018, 09:10:12 pm
Switched the stem on the fast bike for a shorter one in an effort to make it more comfortable.

Switched the mudguards on the single speed I inherited from my granddad for some less flimsy ones.

Fucking mudguards...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 08 April, 2018, 09:53:20 pm
Replaced the long and winding rear gearchange cable on Saphira. The indexing had been getting less reliable over the last couple of weeks, and the inner fitted at Mildenhall was rough near the back wheel.
Yesterday's job was a new chain pulley, the bearings now browned and grumbling a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 April, 2018, 08:48:10 am
My rear wheel flat* wasn't a penetration wound but rather abrasion.  Some time ago I was shown a "great" way of fixing cuts in tyres with superglue. Unfortunately this had seeped right through the tyre and formed a hard bleb, which had subsequently cracked and roughened. I sanded the bleb off and put a new tube in. The tread still shows no sign of the old cut so I reckon the method is still viable if you deal with the seepage.

* apartment in the US
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nikki on 09 April, 2018, 09:41:16 am
It was time to change the gear gables on the commuter.

...which led me to wondering if there's Calvin Jones fanfic...

...which led me to this interview with him by a 7 year old about freehub bodies...
https://buddypegs.com/blogs/podcast/buddy-pegs-podcast-3-calvin-jones

...which is probably close enough and I think I'll just stop googling now whilst it's still safe...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 April, 2018, 06:56:58 pm
Having always had BB7 cable disc brakes up to my latest bike, I found myself with a very flaccid brake lever yesterday. Hating Amazon as I do, I really didn't like myself for ordering a Tektro bleed kit from them, but the lure of 1-day delivery meant I could fix my commuter quicker.

So, rather tentatively, I followed the YouTube video and bled both front & rear brakes. Piece of piss! Rather surprisingly, the flaccid rear brake lever didn't need as much fluid to restore it to firmness as the seemingly OK front one. It's pouring down here, so the acid test will be the first opportunity to stop tomorrow morning!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 09 April, 2018, 07:37:08 pm
Changed middle ring and thoroughly de-gunked the rear mech and jockey wheels and ultra-sounded the chainset. Also spotted that the rear mech hanger mounting bolt was about half a turn loose. How on earth has that suddenly happened after being perfectly alright for, oooo, about 6000 miles ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 09 April, 2018, 07:40:30 pm
Readjusted the gears on TLD's Cube.

Painted a sample coat on the planter I built a couple of years ago, on which the coat of fence paint I gave it, at the time, had faded.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 April, 2018, 08:53:42 pm
The Cinder Cone is back from Argos so I have been working out which spring goes with which cantilever arm.  Won't build the bike up just yet as I need to do the wheels and rustproof the inside of the frame.

Amazingly, they'd just had another 1992 red Cinder Cone in for respray this week.  92 is the best year - 91 had the welded-on QR seatclamp which caught your thighs and 93 frames had now-passé colour fades.  The decals aren't as nice from 94 on and the geometry started to become suspension-corrected, which means shorter head tubes and slightly ungainly 410mm Project Twos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Quisling on 10 April, 2018, 09:50:20 pm
Bit of tlc for the old Raleigh Kalahari, my 90’s bombproof cromoly MTB now converted as a fugly runabout. Cleaned the transmission and adjusted the saddle angle/position. It had tilted back just enough to cause numb nuts on my ride today  :o  Also lowered the handlebars a bit to try and stretch me out for a bit more speed on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 April, 2018, 03:17:34 pm
New chain & cassette on Trek.

Emptied workshop bins (rare event).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 12 April, 2018, 03:30:01 pm
That's where I'm going wrong.

There's me thinking the workshop is the bin . . .  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 April, 2018, 09:42:56 pm
A bit of backwards engineering at the shop today - customer with an old-ish mid-range/cheap Boardman with hydraulic discs manage to seize both calipers solid with rust and other crud .... and was also unimpressed with hydraulic brakes in general (Avids - not sure why?) .... anyway, he sourced a pair of as new cable-operated calipers and suitable MTB style V-brake levers for me to swap out.

All fitted perfectly and job done - I rode the bike up and down the road and it stopped on the proverbial 2.5p piece.  Taking his bargain calipers, inner and outer cables and labour the cost was not much more than list price for new pads (if the calipers could have been saved - doubtful) and shop price for bleeding.   And any ongoing adjustment is simple for him.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 April, 2018, 08:26:29 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 12 April, 2018, 03:30:01 pm
That's where I'm going wrong.

There's me thinking the workshop is the bin . . .  ;D

Mine still looks like it. Needs more tool racks / lots of boxes to get out / 30 years of accumulated stuff that might come in handy some day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 April, 2018, 09:47:28 am
This weekend I need to change the bars (they're cheap and too narrow) and the seatpin pinch bolt on the Ron Cooper. Might build the wheels for the new commuter, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 13 April, 2018, 09:53:39 am
Quote from: T42 on 13 April, 2018, 08:26:29 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 12 April, 2018, 03:30:01 pm
That's where I'm going wrong.

There's me thinking the workshop is the bin . . .  ;D

Mine still looks like it. Needs more tool racks / lots of boxes to get out / 30 years of accumulated stuff that might come in handy some day.

(http://assets.amuniversal.com/98990500fe8f01351c09005056a9545d)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 April, 2018, 07:19:43 pm
New rear brake pads on HK's MTB commuter and flintmined the tyres.
New chain and mined the brake pads and tyres on my fixed.
Adjusted a brake, changed the mudflap and handlebar tape and mined the tyres on HK's trike.
Changed the mudguard taillight on the Audax tandem.
Pumped up lots of tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 April, 2018, 07:51:50 pm
Ron Cooper has new bars, a new seatbolt and SPD-SL pedals.

New commuter is rustproofed and the top half is assembled.  Needs a good wax polish next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 April, 2018, 08:04:25 pm
Loads of stuff but the stand out was a Trek 3700, bought for twenty quid from Gumtree then brought in for recommissioning.

Cleaned off a thick layer of muck, a paté of road dirt and WD40, fitted a new pair of Schwalbe Hurricanes, serviced it and set the brakes & gears.

One VERY happy customer!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2018, 08:05:48 pm
Mantled a new hydration hose with some non-manky hose and a new Camelbak valve that doesn't dribble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 14 April, 2018, 08:57:32 pm
Float valve on the allotment lawn mower - I thought I'd just pop down and give the grass a quick trim and then spend the afternoon working on the Windcheetah. Filled the mower with petrol, primed it and gave it a couple of pulls - decide to pump the primer one more time, incase there was an air bubble, only to find petrol pissing out of the air filter. Had to drain the tank; return home for the bike trailer; decide to get some timber to make coldframes, from the timber merhant on the way back to the allotment; bring the mower home; Strip out and clean air filter & float chamber, get float valve unstuck and working again before reassembling; loading back on the trailer, back to the allotment (just under a mile). By the time I'd done a few extra jobs at the allotment while the mower cooled down, it was too late to do any workshop stuff before cooking tea.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 April, 2018, 09:05:40 pm
Strimmed my wife's allotment (that's not a euphemism!) - stuff about knee-high across most of it. Pretty easy with a new petrol machine - last time I strimmed anything was about 1990.  Followed up by covering most of the plot with plastic sheeting to kill everything.

We did also harvest the first produce in the shape of some forced rhubarb - some we'll eat in a crumble but we'll be sending one stick to Geoff Boycott's mother to help out our cricketers.

Fettling a new kitchen for one of my daughters tomorrow and Monday - such fun.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 April, 2018, 09:55:10 pm
Put together lots of Wickes' finest flatpack kitchen. Screwed together in a long line and secured quite a lot of same to its rightful place in the kitchen. Unmolished the old sink, breaking my small pipe cutter in the process,  together with the shonky chipboard cupboard it was resting on. Now delving into error code 20 on the AP's wish dosher.

I'm knackered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail.  Got a stuck pedal.   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 April, 2018, 10:29:23 am
Yesterday.
Four gas struts into two top-hinged kitchen cupboard doors, so that when the Aussie lifts up the door, it stays there.
Ordinarily, I'd use a CAD program to work out where to place the pivots for the struts.
On this occasion I didn't  :facepalm:
First door took four hours, required a trip back home for some bracket modification, and resulted in the inside of the cupboard looking a bit like  Swiss cheese ::-)
Second door took forty five minutes.... and noticeably fewer expletives than the first.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 15 April, 2018, 10:48:04 am
Yesterday cleaned out the big shed gutter, and moved the small shed and placed it on some extra timber to raise it off the ground a bit more. And fitted a new latch to the new back gate. Today will be laying some turf on the paths between the raised veg beds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail.  Got a stuck pedal.   :(
I have ninja skills for stuck pedals.  Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2018, 01:31:28 pm
Mostly my trike. Took off the wornout B17 Special and put on the Anatomica Titanico from my Frezoni. Flintmined the tyres and brake pads, adjusted the cantilever brake and rear axles (will need some cups and possibly axle cones soon), replaced a rear tube with a slow leak and trued the wheels. Replaced the mudguard zipties with bolts and made and fitted a new mudflap. I still need to sort out the crown race.

Replaced a cracked QR mudguard fitting on the audax tandem, together with the stoker's handlebar tape. That'll please the Wee McTaggart.

Changed the Alfine 11 oil in HK's MTB commuter. At least that bike is finished now AFAIK.

Replaced the cracked mudguards on HK's Moulton and mined the tyres. I still need to replace the worn out lever hoods and the gear cables and handlebar tape. Perhaps during the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 01:47:02 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail.  Got a stuck pedal.   :(
I have ninja skills for stuck pedals.  Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.

I'll give that a try.  Thanks.

The pedal is one of those which only has an Allen key recess just to make it more challenging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 April, 2018, 02:01:14 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 01:47:02 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail.  Got a stuck pedal.   :(
I have ninja skills for stuck pedals.  Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.

I'll give that a try.  Thanks.

The pedal is one of those which only has an Allen key recess just to make it more challenging.

A couple of feet of relatively small bore steel pipe, slid over the allen key, is probably your friend in this situation.
It certainly was the case with me. That, plus (for me) extended thinking that I'm turning it in the right direction  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm
Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 15 April, 2018, 02:31:00 pm
Some unexpected roadside fettling this afternoon - got to about a mile or two before the end of the club ride and noticed that both bolts on one of my bottle cages were attempting to make a discreet bid for freedom.

Thankfully I'd noticed before either of them had escaped completely, so it was just a quick nip up with a multitool rather than an annoying online shopping job!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 April, 2018, 02:52:58 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm
Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.
That should do it.

My 2-part kit for pedals with spanner flats. (https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7068/6915451377_8089cdd740_b.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 April, 2018, 06:07:12 pm
Spring bike maintenance. Sat: take off winter tyres to fit summer ones. Find a broken spoke. Sigh. Stop, go to pub via Embra bicyclops. Today: Dan fixes wheel. Put tyres on. Thinks "I'll have a shiny new chain too". While removing assorted grot from crankset, find an awful lot of play in the cranks. Sigh. Start dismantling bottom bracket. Apply a BFO mallet. Suck teeth. Apply BFO mallet some more. BB retaining doodahs fail to budge. Sigh again. Phone Embra bicycle.
Reassemble crankset so I can ride to work next week. Spend hours cleaning the cassette so I don't contaminate the shiny new chain.
Fiddle about with rear BB7 caliper. Look for overhaul kit on t'interwebs. Fail.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 15 April, 2018, 07:22:32 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm
Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.

You are turning it the correct way, aren't you?

Don't want to see a post in the 'I'm Such A Fecking Div' thread . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 15 April, 2018, 07:23:53 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 15 April, 2018, 06:07:12 pm
<Snip>
Fiddle about with rear BB7 caliper. Look for overhaul kit on t'interwebs. Fail.

I've got a Zyro account. What bitz do you need?

Although, all you really need to do is strip it, clean it and put it back together with plenty of antisieze...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 16 April, 2018, 04:23:21 pm
Finally got around to hanging the new back gate. Took a bit of fiddling as nothing about our house is square, but it went ok and my wife is pleased with the rsesult. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2018, 04:31:45 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 15 April, 2018, 07:22:32 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm
Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.

You are turning it the correct way, aren't you?

Don't want to see a post in the 'I'm Such A Fecking Div' thread . . .

I hope so.  Left side pedal, left hand thread.  The dogma of right is right, left is wrong stays with me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 April, 2018, 05:04:59 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 15 April, 2018, 07:23:53 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 15 April, 2018, 06:07:12 pm
<Snip>
Fiddle about with rear BB7 caliper. Look for overhaul kit on t'interwebs. Fail.

I've got a Zyro account. What bitz do you need?

Although, all you really need to do is strip it, clean it and put it back together with plenty of antisieze...
Ah ok. Well I ordered 2 new calipers off eBay but I shall have a go at the old one when I take it off, good to have a spare...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 April, 2018, 06:46:25 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2018, 04:31:45 pm
The dogma of right is right, left is wrong stays with me.
Unless it's BB cups!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 April, 2018, 07:06:37 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail.  Got a stuck pedal.   :(
I have ninja skills for stuck pedals.  Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.

.... or Finish Line Chill Zone works well to freeze different metals and (usually) let them come apart

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2018, 07:35:17 pm
I'll give that a try too.  Thanks Rob.    :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 April, 2018, 08:46:52 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2018, 07:35:17 pm
I'll give that a try too.  Thanks Rob.    :thumbsup:

... I took some seized pedals off a bike the other week using the freeze stuff - you'll probably need to give it a couple of doses (and there's "waiting time" required)
Presumable you have the cranks off? - clamping the cranks flat in a bench vice (thick rag wrapped round them) makes for an easier job.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 17 April, 2018, 01:08:08 pm
The club is holding a grass track racing event soon, so I used this as motivation to sort out the fixed wheel for my singlespeed CX bike that has been languishing in the garage for a few years, problem being an old bearing that needs to be replaced but is stuck. I recently bought a bearing removal tool for a pressfit BB and by sheer good chance, the hub is *just* wide enough to take the tool. Luckily, I was also able to find both the replacement bearings I bought all that time ago, as well as the wheel's axle and locknuts languishing in the bottom of the spare parts box.

Job done, I then had another look at the info for the event and saw that the races will be on freewheel bikes. Doh!

Oh well, at least I now have another serviceable wheel in my collection.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 19 April, 2018, 09:37:07 am
Finally got around to sorting out the mudguards (I'd adjusted them for the winter wheelset and when I swapped the wheels back the mudguards were rubbing). Also the front brake was rubbing (brakes were adjusted as the rims are different widths too). Replaced the front dynamo light as the old one had stopped working (and I can now remove the temporary front light I had on).

Just need to lube the chain when I take it outside and then I can commute in relative ease.

Need to replace this commuting bike though, might have a snoop around Decathlon next time I'm there...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 April, 2018, 09:34:35 pm
Finished building the rear wheel for the commuter.  Nasty job as cheap rim wasn't very round.  There's still a 2mm high point I can't get rid of.  The hub may be contributing as that doesn't look perfectly concentric either.  Oh well, it'll last until the braking surface wears through.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 April, 2018, 11:05:00 am
Taken two coffee machines apart.  One full of calcium and the other full of what is a white liquid.  Neither machine has been used in years.

So descaling we go.

Regreased headset needs tightening and the tools are a hassle to get to and need bike today.

Arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 20 April, 2018, 12:43:07 pm
Rode the fixed into town for a haircut yesterday. Was pondering as I rode that it really shouldn't be that noisy, so when I got home, I measured the chainline. Seems it's about 2mm out. Hmmmm.

On further investigation, it looks like the problem is possibly that I just didn't put the cranks on tight enough, so there's an extra few mm on the BB spindle. The LH crank was also a few mm further outboard than the RH crank. No wonder I had knee trouble after that 200 I did on the bike last year!

Stripped it all down, removed the BB and cleaned it up, reinstalled it and made sure I put the cranks back on proper bastard tight. Chainline seems to be spot on now. Took it for a test ride and it's much, much quieter. Although the cartridge bearings in the rear wheel feel a bit rough, so I think I will replace those too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 03:08:17 pm
Fitted a new, quiet, non-crud encrusted filling wotsit for the kharzi  in the new flat.

Loosened off, or so I thought, the gate valve in the hot water supply with a tool that it looks like my Dad made some eons ago for such a purpose. The wheel on the valve now goes, in the manner of those on the bus, round and round. Disfortunately it makes cock all difference to the rate of water flow. I think I borked something in the valve. New one purchased but getting it in will be a pain, as bother bits of pipe are fixed, one being the outlet from the cold tank the other plastered solid into its hole in the wall. I see hammering, swearing and light demolition in my future.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 20 April, 2018, 03:09:17 pm
Busy day today: keys cut - £8.85 for 3 is reasonable for round here. Replaced the front brake pads on the Oxygen. It needed the bleed cap removing to make space, but they went in eventually. Trimmed the honeysuckle hedge with a borrowed extendable trimmer, useful but puny compared to my normal mains one. Cleared the very blocked balcony gutters and pruned the honeysuckle in the process. Now sitting waiting to perform taxi duties. Day off? Was it heck!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 20 April, 2018, 04:38:46 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 03:08:17 pm
Fitted a new, quiet, non-crud encrusted filling wotsit for the kharzi  in the new flat.

Loosened off, or so I thought, the gate valve in the hot water supply with a tool that it looks like my Dad made some eons ago for such a purpose. The wheel on the valve now goes, in the manner of those on the bus, round and round. Disfortunately it makes cock all difference to the rate of water flow. I think I borked something in the valve. New one purchased but getting it in will be a pain, as bother bits of pipe are fixed, one being the outlet from the cold tank the other plastered solid into its hole in the wall. I see hammering, swearing and light demolition in my future.

Gate valves are crap for regulating flow. 10% open gives 90% flow. So don’t expect too much of the replacement. If you want flow regulation fit a needle valve.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 20 April, 2018, 04:40:37 pm
Planted potatoes, and a clematis and jasmine we bought last week. Moved a couple of self-set hollyhocks to a better location.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 06:29:48 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 20 April, 2018, 04:38:46 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 03:08:17 pm
Fitted a new, quiet, non-crud encrusted filling wotsit for the kharzi  in the new flat.

Loosened off, or so I thought, the gate valve in the hot water supply with a tool that it looks like my Dad made some eons ago for such a purpose. The wheel on the valve now goes, in the manner of those on the bus, round and round. Disfortunately it makes cock all difference to the rate of water flow. I think I borked something in the valve. New one purchased but getting it in will be a pain, as bother bits of pipe are fixed, one being the outlet from the cold tank the other plastered solid into its hole in the wall. I see hammering, swearing and light demolition in my future.

Gate valves are crap for regulating flow. 10% open gives 90% flow. So don’t expect too much of the replacement. If you want flow regulation fit a needle valve.
Noted, although I'm not looking for regulation, I'm looking for isolation. At the moment I have to let the cold tank run dry before I can work on the hot side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 20 April, 2018, 09:00:17 pm
Finally got round to giving the leather seats in my car some leather treatment. Must remember
to do it a least once a fortnight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 20 April, 2018, 10:47:32 pm
Just doing a last check over on my tourer before setting off tomorrow and I'm glad I did. One of the return springs on my mini-v front brakes just snapped!

After a bit of rummaging I found my spare set of mini-vs and now everything's working again - phew!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 April, 2018, 10:50:35 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 06:29:48 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 20 April, 2018, 04:38:46 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 03:08:17 pm
Fitted a new, quiet, non-crud encrusted filling wotsit for the kharzi  in the new flat.

Loosened off, or so I thought, the gate valve in the hot water supply with a tool that it looks like my Dad made some eons ago for such a purpose. The wheel on the valve now goes, in the manner of those on the bus, round and round. Disfortunately it makes cock all difference to the rate of water flow. I think I borked something in the valve. New one purchased but getting it in will be a pain, as bother bits of pipe are fixed, one being the outlet from the cold tank the other plastered solid into its hole in the wall. I see hammering, swearing and light demolition in my future.

Gate valves are crap for regulating flow. 10% open gives 90% flow. So don’t expect too much of the replacement. If you want flow regulation fit a needle valve.
Noted, although I'm not looking for regulation, I'm looking for isolation. At the moment I have to let the cold tank run dry before I can work on the hot side.

Freeze pipr kit, freeze pipe change valve.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 11:42:26 pm
Freezing the pipe won't make it any easier to slide the pipe out of the compression joint though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 April, 2018, 11:43:44 pm
Fine Adjustment Tool #2 should sort it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 April, 2018, 07:59:39 am
The new commuter just needs cabling up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 April, 2018, 09:55:14 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 April, 2018, 11:43:44 pm
Fine Adjustment Tool #2 should sort it.

Is the Adjustment Tool numbering system like the American Wire Gauge, where the bigger the number, the smaller the thing, or purely sequential?  I've got a Big Adjustment Tool and a Small Adjustment Tool but not sure where they fit in a numbered sequence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 April, 2018, 10:43:28 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 April, 2018, 11:43:44 pm
Fine Adjustment Tool #2 should sort it.

Came down this morning to find that one of our dogs had applied #2 in their cage. Heigh ho.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 April, 2018, 01:41:04 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 20 April, 2018, 11:42:26 pm
Freezing the pipe won't make it any easier to slide the pipe out of the compression joint though.

May help a little.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 April, 2018, 01:47:26 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 April, 2018, 09:55:14 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 April, 2018, 11:43:44 pm
Fine Adjustment Tool #2 should sort it.

Is the Adjustment Tool numbering system like the American Wire Gauge, where the bigger the number, the smaller the thing, or purely sequential?  I've got a Big Adjustment Tool and a Small Adjustment Tool but not sure where they fit in a numbered sequence.

in the end I used The Big Adjustment Tool to subtly nudge the pipe in the right direction, having first undone its other end, the inlet to the water heater. (Obvs, I'd drained the cold tank down even firster).  The plan of reusing the old nut and olive didn't work as the nut was a different thread, which meant I had to saw the old olive off, blag 3 inch long bit of 22mm tube from my son in law (this teeny bit goes between the cold water tank outlet and the valve), buy a pack of 22mm olives, use one of the pack.

All done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 April, 2018, 04:59:43 pm
New commuter would be done except that I forgot to buy gear cables  :facepalm:  Will pick up a Shimano SIS set from Halfords tomorrow.  As cheap as eBay if you click and collect.

British brake cable routing on a Kona with cantilevers is interesting...however you do it, the rear outer interferes with the bare front cable in some steering positions.  I think I'll ziptie the outers together to keep things clear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 21 April, 2018, 07:48:55 pm
Mrs Dan had the bolt holding saddle to seat post shear off yesterday. So today I fitted the replacement post to her bike.
I also swapped an inner tube with an annoyingly short valve for a more usable one, and unfettled a tyre lever in the process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 April, 2018, 08:34:12 pm
Changed the front brake pads for Koolstop and turned around the worn Miche cog on my fixed. The new chain was running rough under load and I was tired of picking crap out of the Shimano pads at frequent intervals.

It looks like I need to fit a new chain and cassette on the Audax tandem before the longer brevets. Moved the front mudguard to clear the V-brake noodle, straightened the rear rack and tweaked the captain's handlebar position.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 April, 2018, 05:23:47 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 15 April, 2018, 06:07:12 pm
While removing assorted grot from crankset, find an awful lot of play in the cranks. Sigh. Start dismantling bottom bracket. Apply a BFO mallet. Suck teeth. Apply BFO mallet some more. BB retaining doodahs fail to budge. Sigh again. Phone Embra bicycle.

Phoned EBC just now to see if it would be ready to pick up before they close:
fx: Brrrrp Brrrrp
Hello EBC...
fx: something being twatted loudly without prejudice
(That'll be my BB then)
Yeah, it's stuck and the mechanic's been working on it for the last 2 hours, so not today.

Arse :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 April, 2018, 05:52:34 pm
Replaced the crapped out cone in the rear wheel of HK's Condor and tweaked the rear brake and gears appropriately.

Applied Loctite 660 to the loose crown race of my trike. Hopefully that problem is sorted now. Opened up the rear axles and found 3 of the 4 cups AND 3 of the 4 cones are various degrees of dodgy. So the trike is off the road again until I source suitable replacements. This seems too much like 'situation normal', given how often this machine has been unserviceable.

Replaced the front tyre on my Frezoni and removed the handlebar tape, brake and gear cables and brake levers. Still to fit the new stuff though.

There is a familiar intermittent scraping noise in the Shimano dynohub on my fixed. Something else to sort out down the road...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 April, 2018, 06:15:48 pm
Cycles - 0

Kenwood chef gearboxes - 1 I am now the kenwood chef guru. This after looking things up on the internet and taking two no working ones and making them work.  Well replacing brushes, replacing dodgy capacitor and disassembling and reassembling the gearboxes and replacing the grease with lovely foodsafe grease.  Now people give me their broken chefs to do something with....anyone want to buy a kenwood chef A701?  Body powdercoated to what ever colour you like.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 April, 2018, 06:35:52 pm
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/823/27758769818_1edc6d7c4c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JhWXaC)20180422_173845 (https://flic.kr/p/JhWXaC) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

1992 Cinder Cone frame with 21-speed gears.  46/36/24 chainrings and 12-21 cassette.  105 road mechs and DX thumbshifters.  DX/XT cantilevers.  Marathon Plus 26 x 1.75 tyres, which weigh a ton but are mandatory for psyclepaths until they start catching and flogging the scratters who deliberately glass them.  Crud Race Pac mudguards not fitted for photo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 April, 2018, 08:24:42 pm
Also modified an old Campag Record front hub to fit into 5/16" fork ends.  The 3-piece BHC Airlite front hub on the Holdsworth is too flexible; I think the flanges have lost their interference fit with the shell.  The Record hub should be a straight swap as the dimensions are almost identical - spoke length is quite tolerant of minor differences at the hub end anyway.  The cones in the Campag hub are a bit crappy but I expect replacements are gazillions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 April, 2018, 09:29:48 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 April, 2018, 05:52:34 pm
Replaced the crapped out cone in the rear wheel of HK's Condor and tweaked the rear brake and gears appropriately.

Applied Loctite 660 to the loose crown race of my trike. Hopefully that problem is sorted now. Opened up the rear axles and found 3 of the 4 cups AND 3 of the 4 cones are dodgy. So the trike is off the road again until I source suitable replacements. This seems too much like 'situation normal', given how often this machine has been unserviceable.

Replaced the front tyre on my Frezoni and removed the handlebar tape, brake and gear cables and brake levers. Still to fit the new stuff though.
Phew. Your previous entry in this thread featured fettling on your own machine. I'm glad to see HK's bike is getting some attention again. I need stability in my life.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 April, 2018, 09:40:03 pm
Yesterday : bloke came in the shop carrying a track pump:

Him:  "Bought this off you a few weeks ago but it doesn't work and just blows off the valve when I pump"
Me:  "What sort of valve"
Him: "One like that" [Pointing to a bike on the shop floor]
Me: "Hmm that's odd . .  you connect it like this, using the smaller hole in the pump head"
[I remove valve cap, start to unscrew small knurled brass stopper . . .]
Him: "Oh, do you have to undo that?"

Priceless.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 April, 2018, 06:08:51 pm
New Rivet Pearl Pass saddle, Tektro brake levers and cables, along with gear cables and handlebar tape (Velox handlebar tape is short and not very tapered, not recommended) on my Frezoni. After tweaking the headset, finally it is ready to tackle some brevets again.

Next on the list are some cables, handlebar tape and brake hoods on our Moultons (and new mudguards on mine), a new saddle on the Audax tandem to replace a worn-out B17 Std and a couple of mudflaps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 April, 2018, 06:17:22 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 22 April, 2018, 09:29:48 pm
Phew. Your previous entry in this thread featured fettling on your own machine. I'm glad to see HK's bike is getting some attention again. I need stability in my life.

Too close to the truth TH. Other than HK's Moulton, all her machines are finally just about up to scratch though, so I can start through my own maintenance backlog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2018, 09:36:33 pm
Since I wasn't going camping, and since the arrival of all the required SMD components was the reason why I wasn't going camping (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=80971.msg2280798#msg2280798), I mantled the barakta-friendly dimmable LED driver boards I designed a couple of weeks ago.  It's not the neatest PCB layout, but it appears that I didn't cock anything up this time, not even clearance at the mounting screw holes.   :o :thumbsup:

Seems to achieve about 1% ripple at 250kHz, or - to use the technical term - bugger all flicker, and is a bit more stable at low dimming levels than it was when lashed up on breadboard.  W00t.  (This'll be because of the blood sacrifice I made when trimming a through-hole capacitor leg, and nothing to do with grotty leads or stray inductance.)

Still need to test it with a microcontroller PWM signal on the input, but my neck's had enough electronics for now.  Suspicious that 0805s have got smaller since I last soldered them, I was using the magnifier more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 April, 2018, 11:11:26 pm
Stuck a new rear derailleur on the commuter, which Pingu helped me swear at.

Filled in some gaps beside the side rails of the blackout blind with decorators caulk (in a corner), which worked well. :thumbsup:
Attempted to fill in the crack in the plaster above the stove with caulk (not a corner), which went shite.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 April, 2018, 06:44:35 am
New casette on the cruzbike, the 12-32, will test it out next weekend I suspect as yesterday and today were both foul and hence turbo trainer days

Tidied up quite a bit in the shed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 April, 2018, 08:16:11 am
Yest: cut & glued up the bits for a cigar-box guitar neck.  Profile carving next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 29 April, 2018, 12:34:49 pm
I de-flickered a couple of LED lamps by adding a suitable smoothing capacitor to each to compliment the totally inadequate ones already fitted.

This is not the first time that open-bulb surgery has had to be performed for this shortcoming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 29 April, 2018, 12:37:28 pm
I finished fitting the dynamo lights to the Brompton. It's had the new wheel since last weekend, but I had to pause to buy the front light bracket and wire to the rear light.

The dynamo wheel was a Christmas present.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 April, 2018, 04:19:49 pm
Re-cabled the rear gears on the commuter bike.

Last week, the shifting was becoming worse and worse.
On the stand, the indexing was obviously very unhappy:  although the shifter had 10 click-stop positions, the cable was not moving for the upper 2 and lower 2. 

A bit of investigation and the cable is badly frayed inside the shifter, with only 2 strands remaining connected.
The remaining strands had bird-caged inside the shifter gubbins and were messing everything up.

Took about 30 minutes to get all the old strands fully extracted from the gubbins.
So total re-cable with new inners, outers and caps.

Shifting is sweet again!

I inspected the brake cables at the same time, but they were fine.
I think I replaced those not too long ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 April, 2018, 06:35:51 pm
Stripped off the handlebar tape and brake and gear cables on my Moulton and replaced the cracked front mudguard. The new rear mudguard wouldn't fit properly. Fitting new cables, etc. can wait for a bit though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 29 April, 2018, 06:57:44 pm
Took off, cleaned, greased and reattached bottom bracket and cranks to see if that would stop the mystery creak.

Fitted a new chain.

Re-bodged the rear mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 30 April, 2018, 09:29:41 pm
I have finally got around to sorting the poles on the tent.  There were two sections of pole, one each on two of the three pole sets, which had a split at the flared end.

I am pleased to report that my tent no longer has split ends.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 May, 2018, 04:20:19 pm
Rebuilt the front wheel on the Holdsworth with a Campag Record large flange hub, which is a straight swap for the BHC Airlite in terms of spoke lengths.  The latter's flanges fell off as soon as the spokes were removed.  I have now done a proper job of reattaching them*, with Loctite 603, the stuff that is as strong as metal and needs 250 deg C to separate the parts.  It looks incredible although the cups are a bit scabby (cones are perfect, and it'll run in a bit; it works beautifully under load but feels rough if the axle is turned in my fingers).  Someone will pay decent money for it.

* yes I did remember to offset the spoke holes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 May, 2018, 04:38:41 pm
Did some more house fettling, in readiness for the descent of ~60 people on our place, on Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 03 May, 2018, 07:21:13 pm
Replaced bottom bracket on the elephant bike, old drive side one was in bits.
Replaced 4 drive belts in my cassette deck, now as good as new.
Replaced toilet seat hinges.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 May, 2018, 07:12:51 pm
Replaced the 4 cups and 3 of 4 cones of my trike's rear axles and refitted the cassette. Everything worked fine during a short trundle to the Hillingdon cycle circuit and back. Now the only remaining original parts on the trike are the 3 wheels, both rear axles, 1 rear axle cone, the cantilever brake, the brake hanger and the seatpost bolt. Literally every other component has been changed because of excessive wear or incompatibility.

Swapped out a C17 for a carved version on a mate's bike for him to test.

Demolished a couple of rotten fence panels and uprights to let our neighbour paint the inaccessible wall of their garden shed. Hulk smash!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 May, 2018, 07:35:31 pm
Quote from: robgul on 22 April, 2018, 09:40:03 pm
Yesterday : bloke came in the shop carrying a track pump:

Him:  "Bought this off you a few weeks ago but it doesn't work and just blows off the valve when I pump"
Me:  "What sort of valve"
Him: "One like that" [Pointing to a bike on the shop floor]
Me: "Hmm that's odd . .  you connect it like this, using the smaller hole in the pump head"
[I remove valve cap, start to unscrew small knurled brass stopper . . .]
Him: "Oh, do you have to undo that?"

Priceless.

Rob
I can remember learning that when I got my first bike with Presta valves. It is a bit weird if you've only used Dunlop or Schrader before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 May, 2018, 07:57:40 pm
Installed an M6 bolt into the rear mudguard/rack braze-on on the Red Baron.  The previous one was missing in action.  This was complicated by air having got into my bottle of loctite and turned most of the contents to goo, but fortunately not by stripped threads.

When I rule the world I'm going to ban such things from being within chain-fouling range of the cassette.  So you can put a nylock on it and not have to worry about this sort of rubbish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 05 May, 2018, 08:35:27 pm
I thought it was important to have air in the loctite bottle as it was the lack of air (when in a thread) that sets it?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 May, 2018, 08:42:18 pm
Yup
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 May, 2018, 09:49:16 pm
I stand corrected.  Wonder what caused that, then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 May, 2018, 03:34:32 pm
Mid ride mudguard fettling after a comedy recumbent up a hill topple sideways into a bank of nettles.

Fiddling about with the indexing when bak home as it was inaccurate after swapping casettes and annoying me on the ride today
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 09 May, 2018, 07:29:57 pm
Got the Ridgeback Velocity (wot I bought off someone OTP parish years ago) on the road, almost. Lack of rear inner brake cable stopped play, but i still gave it a quick test ride to confirm the SRAM Automatix hub still works, which it does. Cable, noodle and bar grips are  now on order to complete the job. I was surprised to find the Continental City Contact tyres only take 80psi max. No big deal, I spose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 May, 2018, 04:45:53 pm
Drivetrain maintenance as a homage to Maid Marian and her Merry Men (https://twitter.com/kimble4/status/994597029123907584)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 10 May, 2018, 05:28:01 pm
Today I have mostly being trying to fettle my head. Stress, anxiety and an incident in the motor car yesterday evening compounded and ganged up on me, managing t overwhelm the happy pills I am rather to reliant on to function in any meaningful way in society. So I said sod it, and emailed in to take a day off sick. I’ve done absolutely bugger all except sleep, read and mindfulness. I’m not convinced just at the moment if they morrow will be spent similarly or whether I will try and grapple with some GDPR isssues.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 May, 2018, 09:11:19 pm
Beardy, good, look after yourself

I have been unsuccessfully trying to fettle scheduling of work whilst simultaneously delivering a high pressure audit myself, with zero support from our admin function. They seem to think its OK to tell a client that well deliver zero out of two audits to plan.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 10 May, 2018, 10:58:26 pm
Beardy head fettling aka self care sounds like the best possible plan.

Hope tomorrow is better and if that needs to be sick too, then so be it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 10 May, 2018, 11:12:38 pm
Over a two day period (finishing today) I haz fettled some decking-

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/964/41125656805_8481704dc2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/25E8JYn)IMG-20180510-00182 (https://flic.kr/p/25E8JYn) by Matt Langridge (https://www.flickr.com/photos/59790646@N05/), on Flickr

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/912/41981493442_4c215b1d74_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26XL8os)IMG-20180510-00181 (https://flic.kr/p/26XL8os) by Matt Langridge (https://www.flickr.com/photos/59790646@N05/), on Flickr

Two days of work ago, the decking upon which the wonderful Mrs F is standing was just weed covered uneven ground.

The clothes line pole just behind Mrs F was in the middle of the front edge of the decking two days ago and was also leaning over at an alarming angle.

I now need an professional to fettle my back and knees..........
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 11 May, 2018, 08:21:52 am
Quote from: barakta on 10 May, 2018, 10:58:26 pm
Beardy head fettling aka self care sounds like the best possible plan.

Hope tomorrow is better and if that needs to be sick too, then so be it.
I couldn’t face the office so I’m working from home today, mainly because there’s stuff to do that will back up and cause me more grief if I don’t do it. The worst of it is that I felt compelled to blame gastroenteritis for the absence, even though or perhaps because) my boss knows of my mental health issues. And I don’t suppose the company announcing 13000 redundancies squarely aimed at my level is helping any.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 May, 2018, 09:58:57 am
Nowt bikish, unless you count trying out an old 32T chainring as cache for pickups.  It's one I once thought of sending to Petacchi after he quit the TdF just before the Alps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 11 May, 2018, 11:55:50 am
Beardy, well done for WFH today. I know lots of people who handle occasional mental health dips by blaming An Other illness like gastro cos it's less stress than employer MH wrangling cos they'll wanna fix it while not fucking fixing the actual fucking problem in many cases (aren't I a cynic).  Hope you manage to balance brain with work-TODO and are able to have a non-work-infested weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 11 May, 2018, 02:09:14 pm
Thanks barakta.

I’m traveling from Ipswich to Exeter to try on a jacket1 this weekend, though the bonus is that I’ll get to spend an evening with my little girl and her beau.

1. A combination of spousal and daughter bullying resulted in me ordering a made to measure jacket and waistcoat for the forthcoming said daughters nuptials while we were visiting her in recently. I need to go for a fitting this weekend so I can collect it prior to the day in a couple of weeks time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 12 May, 2018, 04:28:37 pm
New front mech cable on the Sabbath, then overhauled a 'dale and stuck it on a turbo for Marj to aid her rehab from a knee replacement before tackling her electric bike, damn that thing's a bastard to work on. Now just to see if all the magic smoke has escaped from the battery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 May, 2018, 04:37:15 pm
New bidon cages, chain and cassette on my Frezoni and taillight batteries on HK's Roberts. She repaired an elderly Carradice saddlebag (probably older than me) for a couple more decades of use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 May, 2018, 07:54:00 pm
Managed to get an 11- 32T cassette to work with a regular 105 mech and 34-50 double ... using the old trick of fitting the B-screw in from the other side to get a bit more push back and clearance.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 May, 2018, 07:59:50 pm
Finished the Ridgeback, although I had to cannibalise a brake noodle and ferrules from another bike. I say finished, although I have to replace the rear sprocket to alter the gearing and need a new chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 May, 2018, 09:30:46 am
On my ride yesterday: I hadn't done 200 metres when something on the bike (not me) gave a loud rasping sound that lasted about a second. A moment later it did it again.  I stopped and looked at all the usual suspects: nowt apparent. Went on. About 2k later it did it again, so I shoved it against a wall, went over it again, and found it.

A thread out of the tyre sidewall had caught on outside of the back hub. The rasping sound came from it being ripped out of the tyre.  I cut it off, checked the tyre for more, then did 120k with no further problems.

I'd say I'll check it again later but I'll probably forget.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 May, 2018, 07:09:02 pm
Pumped up the tyres on rhe Raleigh Twenty, adjusted it to fit me rather than a 12-year old and took it for a thrash, then tapped the cotter pins in a bit further (only the RH moved much after my pedal mashing to bed them down) and retightened the little "R" nuts.

It will get the Duomatic next weekend, which will finally solve the crap rear braking issue and m aybe save a bit of weight - a Duomatic is half a pound more than an AW but I'm losing 8 spokes, a shifter, a rear brake caliper, a LH brake lever and some cabling.  Also going to a 3/32" chain for seatstay clearance and tolerance of the poor chainline.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 May, 2018, 06:43:21 pm
Painted my bike. With a brush. (There was a series of small scratches on the top tube from carelessly leaning it against a signpost on rough ground while fully laden, it swung round and scratched. Borrowed my son's acrylics and a very fine brush. As the bike is black, colour matching is easy. Looks decent so far and hopefully will prevent corrosion.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 May, 2018, 07:01:47 pm
Decided to nip up the bb on my weekend bike and oil the chain (it was getting a bit sparrow-like last weekend).
Then I noticed that the rear tyre was looking like a tyre boot waiting to happen (the hairy bits were poking through) so I replaced that.
Gave it a 'wash' (with a baby wipe). I'll give it a proper wash later (maybe before we go to Bruges).
Then replaced my saddle with the aid of science and not much wailing or gnashing of teeth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 May, 2018, 10:54:30 pm
The Duomatic wheel is done.  If the Norks nuke us, I suspect this wheel will still be true.  Just need to bolt it into the bike now (and remove the rear brake, lever and SA shifter if it works).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 19 May, 2018, 08:20:22 am
(Friday...) Washed wife's car, 1 recumbent, 1 hybrid and the wife's e-converted step through Trek Navigator.  Then cut the lawns.

All well until I remembered that she'll want to ride the e-bike 2mrw so better switch it on the check the battery.  Except it won't switch on.  Oooh heck.  She's not going to like this.  Braces for nuclear winter and accompanying gales.

Screen flashed for a second then gave Error 01.  Consulted e-manual.  Throttle defective.  I bet that's water in the throttle. Unplugged the throttle and the controller booted just fine. Gave it a couple of hours in the sun, plugged throttle in, all well.

It's a really good conversion, loads of battery life, plenty of (250W) power in the front wheel motor.  Why spoil it with a crappy Chinese hand throttle that lets water in at the slightest opportunity.

Or should this be in the Grumble thread?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 19 May, 2018, 06:59:29 pm
Tightened up the mysteriously loose headset on the Argon 18, and also tightened the rear brake mounting to keep it centralised a bit better. The Swissstop green pads I put in a week or so ago are ace too. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 May, 2018, 10:58:26 am
used the dremmel to remove bubbling paintwork from the BB area and downtube on the old Giant frame, to assess whether it's worth keeping or not. Sufficient sanding shows no obvious deep corrosion or weld cracks so I'll find a suitable paint and eventually restore it to life. Also removed the bar tape - residue will need scrubbing off, and the cable from the 105 rear shifter - easier than I expected.

On the Cruzbike an enforced fettle as the previously fettled light mount fatigued off partway round my ride. The replacement was harder to fit, but far more robust. A bit fiddly with the cranks/chainset in place preventing easy access to the light mount tab.

Also noticed an intermittent "thunk" when pedalling, I think I've traced it down to the reusable quick link, which I reused when changing the chain. Looking closely it's showing evidence of stretch as it's not quite in pitch with the chainring.  I think the thunk through the pedals is as it seats with a bump, not every revolution, about every 3-4 pedal revs which sort of makes sense.  I'll change it and if it doesn't go away will have an interesting fault finding mission.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2018, 12:35:10 pm
The Duomatic is in and running!  No cables to the rear of the bike now.  It shifts with the very slightest backpedal and needs about 1/7 of a turn before the coaster brake engages.  You can tell which gear you're in, apart from the resistance, because high gear ticks but direct drive doesn't.

This is the all-metal 102 model, not the later R2110 which uses a plastic gear selector.

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/976/27358335647_3afa0e36ac_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/HFyC3c)20180520_123547 (https://flic.kr/p/HFyC3c) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 May, 2018, 02:28:29 pm
Shoved an old 9-spd cassette into degreaser so that I can use one of the cogs as a tailpiece on my cigar-box git.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 May, 2018, 02:35:53 pm
Reassembled the Asgard shelter I bought from Menthil OTP and installed two bikes within. It's a very sturdy thing.

Put some shelving into the Teeny Brick Built Outhouse and had a general tidy up. Things now fit nicely. I got my SIL to fettle the lawn mower, which would run for a few seconds and cut out. After a bit of poking and tweaking he suggested the carburettor floatvwas stuck. Tap tap with the back end of a screwdriver and all was well. Quite impressive really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 20 May, 2018, 04:25:14 pm
Tightened up the rear brake bolt on the summer bike to keep the calliper centralised. And finally discovered the in order to micro-adjust a Di2 front mech (I was having over shift issues dumping the chain off the big ring) you have to use the “big-big” combination.

ETA that I’m also using synchro shift, and that pre ents me using the big-big combo, so also had to learn how to change shift modes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 May, 2018, 06:12:20 pm
Removed and refitted the stuck eccentric on the audax tandem, tweaked the captain's saddle position a little, swapped the rear tyre and added a gear cable and brake cable to the spares bag ready for next weekend's 400. HK even washed it.

Flint-mined the tyres on HK's Moulton and Roberts, after she washed them.

Tensioned the chain on my fixed. I must get round to replacing the wornout handlebar tape at some point as I can see the bar now. Trimmed the too-long mudflap on my trike.

Once a new cassette arrives, I can replace the chain and cassette on her Condor commuter for the last time. Her MTB commuter needs a new chain and Alfine cog too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 28 May, 2018, 08:58:58 pm
Fettled the arm of my cycling glasses with a bit of ice-cream lolly stick and electrical tape, after 'fettling' the ice cream off the stick of course. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 28 May, 2018, 09:11:26 pm
Yesterday got broken end of cable out of rear DC lever. Replace front and rear cables, greased, and fine tuned with barrel adjuster.  Today I tested the results on the road. Lovely gear changing now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 May, 2018, 08:13:23 am
<heresy>
Looked at the bike, looked at the nice new chain lying on the bench, said <procreative expletive> it and went back to the woodwork end of the workshop.
</heresy>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 May, 2018, 12:45:12 pm
Tiles onto the kitchen wall yesterday. Let's just say the YouTube videos make it look very easy.

Next: grouting!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 01:01:41 pm
Removed everything from the cupboard under the stairs in order to retrieve the Record No. 3 vice + rotating base, and bench-top pillar drill to give to Gary who had come round to fit a new panel to the side of my bath.

Neither drill nor vice have been used since I moved in here in 2003, so they may as well go to a home where they'll be used.

Also found a camera case, full of Cokin special effects filters - which go back to the days when Photoshop didn't exist - and a pair of 35mm cameras. I suspect only the senior photographers on this forum will have any idea what Cokin filters are.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 May, 2018, 01:23:44 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 01:01:41 pm
Removed everything from the cupboard under the stairs in order to retrieve the Record No. 3 vice + rotating base, and bench-top pillar drill to give to Gary who had come round to fit a new panel to the side of my bath.

Neither drill nor vice have been used since I moved in here in 2003, so they may as well go to a home where they'll be used.

Obviously you'll need them for something next week...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 May, 2018, 02:07:43 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 01:01:41 pm
I suspect only the senior photographers on this forum will have any idea what Cokin filters are.....

I can remember a time when skies turned inexplicably brown. Whole films were shot that way - e.g. Christ Stopped at Eboli.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 02:51:23 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 May, 2018, 01:23:44 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 01:01:41 pm
Removed everything from the cupboard under the stairs in order to retrieve the Record No. 3 vice + rotating base, and bench-top pillar drill to give to Gary who had come round to fit a new panel to the side of my bath.

Neither drill nor vice have been used since I moved in here in 2003, so they may as well go to a home where they'll be used.

Obviously you'll need them for something next week...

I think that probably goes without saying.
I'm over it already.
It'll be an excuse to buy a pillar drill with an induction brake -  (which this one didn't have, and was the only reason I couldn't donate the drill to Lewisham Cyclists -  legal requirement / workshop regs / HSE / etc).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 02:54:54 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 May, 2018, 02:07:43 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 01:01:41 pm
I suspect only the senior photographers on this forum will have any idea what Cokin filters are.....

I can remember a time when skies turned inexplicably brown. Whole films were shot that way - e.g. Christ Stopped at Eboli.
Indeed.
Loads of glossy car magazines made brown skies / fade-to-natural-colours their in-house style of choice in the early 80s.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 May, 2018, 08:45:47 pm
Cleaning the bits from the Harry Quinn for resale.  Wheels are Gran Compe track wheels, which were not very true.  I've straightened them as much as I dare but I think they have alloy nipples, which are very hard to turn after a few years of neglect, and easy to round off.  Anyway, they're now running truer than most people's wheels.  The hipster moron who sold it to me obviously had trouble getting the rear wheel into the frame (it's bang on 120mm for most of the dropout slots but they're curved in ever-so-slightly at the tips; not a problem to spread them by hand to pop the wheel in, which is pretty common on frames).  But he removed the locknuts and put a couple of washers in there instead  ::-)  As it has cartridge bearings, this isn't as disastrous as it sounds, but it needs locknuts before it's sold.

The tyres are interesting (and not very worn): Freedom 28mm Thickslicks.  They are unusually sticky and, I imagine, quite fun to ride.  Wouldn't tick any weight boxes as they're steel-beaded, and the stickiness probably means they pick up glass* but I might give them a go on the singlespeed.

*tyres a few years old have dried out and IME survive much better over broken glass.  A big shard will still rip out the sidewall, granted, but they don't pick up and embed the little chips that work their way through the tread to the tube.  I ran NOS 20mm Specialized Turbo S tyres for a while - they were about 10 years old and as dry as an Egyptian mummy.  They never punctured, even with psyclepath use, despite being super-flimsy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 May, 2018, 09:57:52 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 02:54:54 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 May, 2018, 02:07:43 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 May, 2018, 01:01:41 pm
I suspect only the senior photographers on this forum will have any idea what Cokin filters are.....

I can remember a time when skies turned inexplicably brown. Whole films were shot that way - e.g. Christ Stopped at Eboli.
Indeed.
Loads of glossy car magazines made brown skies / fade-to-natural-colours their in-house style of choice in the early 80s.

Graduated tobacco filter. I have one in the box over there.

Amateur Pornographer ran a competition to come up with a slogan for Cokin filters. "No jokin',  it's got to be Cokin " was the winner. Or maybe I dreaming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 May, 2018, 10:11:27 pm
I may also have one somewhere.  I bought it for ironic use, should I ever come across a Ford Escort XR3i parked in the mountains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 31 May, 2018, 11:04:05 am
Swung by my LBS to get some short rack stays (frame geometry means there's only a couple of cm between the seatstay bosses and the rack, so the stock ones won't fit), then fettled on a rack. All seems solid now, ready for some light touring. And fettled a winged wheel cloth badge onto some velcro for the panniers/saddlebag, and an old lapel badge onto the Barley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2018, 01:06:31 pm
I thought I'd check and true my rear track wheel, since it sits a little off-centre at the seatstay bridge.  I know I built it fairly quickly in 2004 (recycling the rim and no-name spokes from a new Fuji Track wheel) and it's not been touched since.  It's also done thousands of miles, some through potholes you can't jump on a fixie.

Took off the tyre and rim tape, stuck it on the jig and checked it with the dishing gauge.  It's still perfectly true and centred.  Must be the frame!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 31 May, 2018, 01:16:34 pm
Hung up the bike and had a gander at the tyre-casing threads entwined with the chain. Uttered a Word of Power. Tyre has lost a good half-dozen such over the last few rides  - I reckon it comes from running flat for around 20 metres on a steep downhill last year, after it blew on a granite chip. Time to bin it.

That was the extent of my fettling, but it's a start.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2018, 10:00:52 pm
Respaced a Miche track hub to match Goldtec chainline (the sprocket needed to move 3mm to the right) using Shimano locknuts and spacers.  This also reduces the amount of dish, which is horrible on a Miche single-sided hub.  Then used the Miche locknuts to replace the missing ones on the Gran Compe track wheelset, which is for sale.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 June, 2018, 05:46:31 pm
Built the tubular wheels.  Very iterative as I did the whole lot with DT Revs (same length throughout!)  and twist is a PITA.  Also, the rear wheel needed to be slightly dished, although nowhere near as bad as it would be if I hadn't respaced it to match the Goldtec.  The NOS FIR rims were pretty straight and very stiff.

When the tyres turn up they're going to sit on the rim, unglued, for a few weeks to stretch them.  Also bought a s/h lightly used tub as a roadside spare.  Hopefully it has some glue left on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 02 June, 2018, 09:09:03 pm
Bits of an lawnmower.

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1743/42469436172_3c0a2630bf_z_d.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 June, 2018, 09:43:01 pm
Cleaned and lubed the chain on the “posh” bike, after correcting the routing through the rear derailleur cage (see “I’m such a fecking div”).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 June, 2018, 07:43:44 am
New tyre on the back end. Lubed chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 June, 2018, 02:37:07 pm
Dry fitted the tubs to stretch them.  Easier than most clinchers.  Tub wheels are spectacularly light, aren't they?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 09 June, 2018, 10:50:27 pm
My shed roof has been fettled today, with a new membrane and not need for a visit to the local A&E.

The new stuff has an expected life of 50 years. It should see me out then!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 June, 2018, 07:16:25 am
Quote from: Beardy on 09 June, 2018, 10:50:27 pm
My shed roof has been fettled today, with a new membrane and not need for a visit to the local A&E.

The new stuff has an expected life of 50 years. It should see me out then!

The way I'm going, my dog will probably see me out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 10 June, 2018, 02:51:40 pm
Completed build of my front dynamo disc braked hub and rim into wheel this morning.  Saddle on seatpost and will add disc rotors to both newly built wheels this afternoon.  Will put tyres on wheels and start building up bike from frame and forks tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 June, 2018, 06:27:49 pm
Serviced the bearings on the tourer's back wheel.  They hadn't been touched since new in 2009, except for one cone aduystment (Shimano didn't tighten the locknut against the cone properly and it went horribly loose) but were fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 11 June, 2018, 12:12:14 am
Put a bell on the Reid Wayfarer and changed the saddle. Changed the pedals on the Pinnacle. Heavy day's work huh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2018, 09:20:06 pm
Cleaned the mechs from the Hewitt ready to go on the LHT (when it turns up).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 11 June, 2018, 11:41:19 pm
Made the boxes for the big quiz buttons. A couple of hours on the laser cutter, with enough time as the cut progressed to glue them together. Hopefully they will have welded nicely when I pick them up in the morning from the makerspace.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 June, 2018, 03:52:53 pm
LHT frameset turned up so I took it to the LBS for prep* and steerer cutting (they have a 6 day workshop  backlog).  I'm not sure this counts as fettling.

*fork crown and BB need facing to the extent of cleaning paint off; Surly's Taiwanese bike foundry faces them before pwdercoating.  I didn't want the head tube faced as it just rusts sooner and the headset bearings are self-aligning so don't care.  Shimano HT2 BBs are, however, fussy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 12 June, 2018, 04:48:03 pm
Having (some time ago) disassembled a Berthoud saddle and modified the rails to increase the straight, clamping section, I received two seatposts with sufficient set-back for the original shape.  So, replacement rails from Berthoud, another saddle to match the first, and all this fitted to the two Ti bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 12 June, 2018, 05:11:09 pm
We had some aubergines that needed using up. So I fettled them into baba ganoush. Nom!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 12 June, 2018, 05:21:18 pm
Fitted full length brake hose and cables to replacement frame build. Adjusted alignment of disc callipers to avoid rotor rub. After first mis diagnosing the uncut brake cable catching the rotor as rub, doh. Hoses are a nice electric blue.  Funnily enough quite by accident I found that if you do the brakes european style the hoses run smoother. Front straight down and onto fork, rear into frame clips without crossing head tube.  I reverted to English style in the end with front brake on the right. But made me think...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 12 June, 2018, 09:59:07 pm
Having acquired Bunbury's wheelbuilding stand, i've been working through the fleet and getting those last couple of mm out of the wheels.

And i've fixed the useless front brake on my Pompino - it's been shit for a while. Replaced the rotor, which didn't make any difference. But big discs look cool. Turned out, the pads had glazed over - new pads in and it all works fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 June, 2018, 10:06:18 pm
Fitted the WTB Freedom Thickslicks that came on an eBay bike, as they looked unworn.  When inflated, they revealed themselves to be in fact unworn, but full of massive gashes in the tread, with some tread separation starting.  So they went in the bin and the (200g lighter, wider and 100% reliable) ancient Marathon Racers went back on.

Don't buy Thickslicks as an urban tyre!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 June, 2018, 07:49:41 pm
Straightened the front mudguard on the Sequoia, which had gone slightly askew and started rubbing on the tyre in protest at being asked to ride along the Ridgeway and various other COR yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 13 June, 2018, 08:01:47 pm
Installed gear cables on warranty frame replacement. Full length outers and added inline barrel adjusters. Installed bottom bracket, installed cranks, installed front derailleur, installed rear derailleur.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 June, 2018, 01:28:02 pm
Yesterday, a new chain and cassette on HK's Condor. I'm not convinced that the BBB cassette and KMC chain shift as nicely as the Shimano equivalents that came off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 June, 2018, 10:27:30 am
Swapped SRAM 11-spd chain for a new Ultegra ditto.  Cassette has around 1400 km on it but should be OK, I'm easy on cassettes - usually get around 7000 km out of them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 June, 2018, 04:22:38 pm
Lubed the chain, topped up the spares/ tool bottle and fitted new gear cables, brake pads, handlebar tape and front tyre on my Moulton in preparation for next weeks' UAF 1000 to Ventoux. I just need to fit a Garmin mount and load up the Weekend Bag before heading off.

Lubed the chain on my fixed. Topped up the spares bag on the Audax tandem with a chain tool and quick link!

Made a couple of brackets (basically Booker rod with nuts and toe straps) to align our separated Moultons down to Eurostar-compliant size within laundry bags without losing any more paint. Those and a couple of luggage straps should finally solve any awkwardness on public transport with the advantage that all the bits and bags are carried on the bike without affecting luggage capacity. It'll take a little time to remove a pedal, mudguards, seatpost and handlebar but easily doable with multitools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 June, 2018, 06:57:48 pm
Started building up the LHT.  Needs brakes, cables, mudguards, rack and lights* fitting.  It's going to be a much better-looking bike than the Hewitt Cheviot was.  The bars are almost level with the saddle at the moment but I may drop them a bit later.  Better to keep too much steerer to start with.

*I got a new B&M Avy 40 lux (basically a cheaper and newer Cyo)  and 2C rear for less than the price I sold the old Supernova E3 for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 18 June, 2018, 08:18:45 pm
Fitted a bazillion lumen LED light strip under the cupboards above the workbench in the garage. The bench is no longer dingy and my shadow doesn't obscure whatever I am doing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 June, 2018, 09:44:59 pm
Fitted the cantilever brakes on the LHT, after laboriously cleaning the brake bosses back to bare metal.  Just gear cables, chain and rear mudguard left.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 June, 2018, 09:49:07 pm
Bodged some 10-turn pots into my bench power supply, greatly improving the precision and tactile effect of the knob-twiddling.  This required some drilling and bracket-fu, as the previous pots were PCB-mount and functioned to hold that PCB (which also has some switches and blinkenlights) against the front panel.  The new pots have a completely incompatible pin arrangement, necessitating wire connections, so mechanical reinforcement had to be provided elsewhere.  Seems to have worked.

Unfortunately, while I now have <0.01 A/V precision on three of the knobs (and - importantly - greatly reduced risk of overshoot due to turning too quickly), I seem to have damaged one of the pots, to the effect that one of the channels now has a Big-Clive-style random voltage roulette function.   :facepalm:

I've ordered a spare; at least I know what I'm doing now...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 19 June, 2018, 10:02:57 pm
Fitted front dynamo light and rear dynamo light. Used heat shrink to secure front light cable to fork leg. Added fittings to new set of panniers and adjusted them to my rear rack.  Cleaned mudguards from old frame (that broke) and fitted with a bit of bending of stays to fit with rear rack / front disc brake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 June, 2018, 10:45:24 am
Watched & learned while the Stannah bloke serviced the 12,000-euro stair-lift doodah that the Inlaw Paw only used once. Batteries were dead, of course. In future we're supposed to go for a ride on it once a week to keep the batteries in fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 June, 2018, 06:11:41 pm
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2018, 10:45:24 am
Watched & learned while the Stannah bloke serviced the 12,000-euro stair-lift doodah that the Inlaw Paw only used once. Batteries were dead, of course. In future we're supposed to go for a ride on it once a week to keep the batteries in fettle.
My mum used to use theirs to take the hoover upstairs. Until she bought a 2nd hoover to live upstairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 June, 2018, 08:32:02 pm
Started cutting gear outers to length then realised I'd been sold a counterfeit Shimano set by an eBay scrote.  It's not even compressionless housing, it's spiral wound.  I will put him through the mill for this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 June, 2018, 11:16:27 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 June, 2018, 06:11:41 pm
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2018, 10:45:24 am
Watched & learned while the Stannah bloke serviced the 12,000-euro stair-lift doodah that the Inlaw Paw only used once. Batteries were dead, of course. In future we're supposed to go for a ride on it once a week to keep the batteries in fettle.
My mum used to use theirs to take the hoover upstairs. Until she bought a 2nd hoover to live upstairs.
When I moved into my Dad's for a bit I used his to move my (falling apart) box of LPs up, and later, downstairs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 21 June, 2018, 08:06:34 am
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2018, 10:45:24 am
Watched & learned while the Stannah bloke serviced the 12,000-euro stair-lift doodah that the Inlaw Paw only used once. Batteries were dead, of course. In future we're supposed to go for a ride on it once a week to keep the batteries in fettle.

You'd think there would be a good (very lightly) used market for Stannah stair lifts. My parents put one in in their house.  It was a simple straight up the stairs one - no bends or complicated geometry. I doubt it was used more than half a dozen times.  My late mum refused to use it and went upstairs on all fours.

We took it out after they died and before my brother and I sold the house. There was no market for it.  Stannah didn't want it.  You'd think that they could have a profitable business in selling good 2nd hand ones.  But no.  I despair (yet again).   Should have held on to it - the way I'm going I'll be needing it in a few years......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 June, 2018, 10:47:30 am
For 150€ Stannah would take it out and mothball it in the loft.  I'd be pleased to have our nice oak staircase back as it should be but we have friends and family who would doubtless use it when they visit so we left it in.  If the obligatory weekly ride gets to be a bind and we have 150€ to burn we might do it, because those who would need it are getting to the point where travelling here would be too much for them.

Heh. The service guy said that Stannah sold batteries at around 100€ a throw but you could get compatibles that were just as good for 50€ on the internet. Good bloke.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 June, 2018, 02:10:02 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 21 June, 2018, 08:06:34 am
We took it out after they died and before my brother and I sold the house. There was no market for it.  Stannah didn't want it.  You'd think that they could have a profitable business in selling good 2nd hand ones.  But no.  I despair (yet again).   Should have held on to it - the way I'm going I'll be needing it in a few years......

I expect it's like Singer sewing machines around the time the domestic market became saturated.  Hard to sell more if you're refurbishing the existing ones...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 June, 2018, 02:23:18 pm
They say that the rails are tailored to every staircase, and the manufacture is the main expense. Sounds reasonable.  All the same, 12k€ to buy ==> 1.5k€ to take back was a bit of a kick in the teeth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 June, 2018, 02:44:41 pm
Quote from: T42 on 21 June, 2018, 02:23:18 pm
They say that the rails are tailored to every staircase, and the manufacture is the main expense. Sounds reasonable.  All the same, 12k€ to buy ==> 1.5k€ to take back was a bit of a kick in the teeth.

In which case (and this sort of lack of planning is a bugbear of mine) staircase designs ought to be standardised, for ease of adding such things later.  People always assume disability is something that happens to Other People.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 21 June, 2018, 10:07:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 June, 2018, 02:44:41 pm
Quote from: T42 on 21 June, 2018, 02:23:18 pm
They say that the rails are tailored to every staircase, and the manufacture is the main expense. Sounds reasonable.  All the same, 12k€ to buy ==> 1.5k€ to take back was a bit of a kick in the teeth.

In which case (and this sort of lack of planning is a bugbear of mine) staircase designs ought to be standardised, for ease of adding such things later.  People always assume disability is something that happens to Other People.
The stairlift rails aren't really tailored to the staircase, more assembled out of a range of available parts.

There are many ways that the stairlift companies use to kill the second-hand market.
1) Parts, like odd bits of rail, aren't available.
2) Each stair lift needs to be taught the slope and curves, both changes in slope and direction, and oddities like moving rails. The method of teaching the lift is, of course, considered too difficult to be revealed on websites.
3) Stairlifts run from batteries, and only use the mains to charge the batteries. The charging circuits are crap and overcharge the batteries so they die in a few years but if you turn off the power, and the batteries go flat, the stairlift forgets the slope.
4) The "safety" card can be played at any time.

Add that to the fact that stairlifts are a distress purchase, and have to work reliably, and there's no room for a spare one, and the market for tinkering is just about non-existent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 June, 2018, 10:23:15 pm
That's it.  When I win the lottery and can afford a house, I'm fitting batpoles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 June, 2018, 10:17:42 pm
The LHT is finished.  Pic tomorrow when I've wiped bits of grease away and given it a polish.  Fitted f&r dynamo lights but just couldn't live with the hideous wire running to the rear, so put the old Toplight 4D battery light back on.

Fairly cheap build as only the stem, cables, BB cups* and bar tape are new.

*the old Deore ones felt ok but at £15 for new XT ones, it didn't seem worth refitting them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 June, 2018, 10:28:21 pm
My singlespeed has been driving me to distraction (and not riding it for months) as there was a loud creak/clunk every pedal stroke under load.

Knowing I'd changed the BB, I've been checking the freewheel, chain, pedals, cranks, chainring (yes that one is getting a bit sharky actually); but still it kept creaking. I finally decided to take the BB out again, and discovered I'd only tightened it finger tight on the drive side :facepalm:

Now the BB has been removed, cleaned, regreased and installed properly, the bike was almost silent when I took it for a spin round the block!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 June, 2018, 10:45:56 pm
BB and Cranks fitted to Giant.

Intend to do brake swap tomorrow, longer reach brakes onto the Cruzbike and put the original ones back on the Giant from the CB
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 22 June, 2018, 10:48:42 pm
Blue Peter style route sheet holder for a 200 tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 23 June, 2018, 11:05:13 am
New brake pads in the Ridgeback Tempest shopping bike.  Only took me about 15 mins.  Genuine Shimano pads, came with 2 split pins and the spring. 

Ah...….  That's better...…

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 23 June, 2018, 05:07:03 pm
Finished th shed windows, chopped down the bay tree that some div planted too close to the back door <fx:hangs head>, tied up the poppies in the back yard and built built the temporary trellis for the perennial sweet peas in the front garden.
Guess who’s Dr Beardy (Mrs)’s favourite husband 😁
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 June, 2018, 09:10:43 pm
Rerouted the lighting wiring on the Sequoia, new terminals and refitted the little black cap thing. All seems to work but obviously will have to be realigned when it gets dark. I hate crimping (well I don't really hate it, I'm just crap at it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 June, 2018, 10:12:07 pm
Put the slightly longer reach second hand brakes on the Cruzbike.  Still need a bit of mudguard butchering

Put the 521's back on the Giant frame, put the original stem back on the Giant (need to adjust headset bearings - waggling), put the moustche handlebars on the giant and moved the brifters over.  Dug the old tiagra rear mech out from the spares box and mounted that.  Just need a front mech and it's complete structurally.

I have cables, outers and bar tape in the spares box readily to hand, so could finish it fairly quickly.  Not sure what I'll do with it after that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 June, 2018, 11:16:12 am
Quote from: Kim on 21 June, 2018, 10:23:15 pm
That's it.  When I win the lottery and can afford a house, I'm fitting batpoles.

Nah, go for a bungalow - much simpler.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 24 June, 2018, 10:19:32 pm
Having built up a new pair of wheels for my new bike, I fitted the new wheels, new tyres and also mudguards, and dynamo lights.

I hate fitting mudguards. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 25 June, 2018, 06:29:09 pm
Fitted a matched pair of Praxis front rings and adjusted the front mech in the hope that it will sort out my occasional shifting issues with the Di2 bike. The rings that came off were Miche, and the outer wasn’t quite true.  Tomorrow will tell, but I’ve got the 2mm Allen key strapped to my multi-tool for fine adjustments if necessary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 June, 2018, 05:46:40 am
New chain on the Cruzbike and soem mudguard fiddling to increase the usable range of low gears without fouling the mudguard stay.

cable outers for the Giant rebuild, need brake blocks and chain to run it as a 1x10 set up, might start with that and then add the front mech as and when.

Started pulling together bits and pieces for the summer tour - only 5 weeks to go!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 June, 2018, 08:05:36 am
Removed, with the help of misc. spanners and some bad swears, the carburettor from the lawn mower and then the bowl from the carburettor.  Tipped out a goodly pile of crap from the bowl, blew through the jet. Reassembly was the reverse of the above, although I failed to renew any o rings. Neither did I use a suitable drift.  That's what you get when there's no Haynes Book of Lies. Anyhoo, the mower now runs for more than three seconds.  Must find the petrol can next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 June, 2018, 10:13:26 am
Made a nut extender for my 3-string to make slide playing easier. It improved the tone, too: still trying to suss that out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 26 June, 2018, 11:02:15 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 26 June, 2018, 08:05:36 am
Removed, with the help of misc. spanners and some bad swears, the carburettor from the lawn mower and then the bowl from the carburettor.  Tipped out a goodly pile of crap from the bowl, blew through the jet. Reassembly was the reverse of the above, although I failed to renew any o rings. Neither did I use a suitable drift.  That's what you get when there's no Haynes Book of Lies. Anyhoo, the mower now runs for more than three seconds.  Must find the petrol can next.

You can waste hours and hours watching this guy get small engines running again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_kTE3C007k

The guy's a genius.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 26 June, 2018, 02:08:50 pm
the fixed was making noises so I looked at the sprocket (v.sharky) and the chainring not great. replaced a 48/19 with a 44/17 but think I'm slightly overgeared so may consider a 46/18
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 June, 2018, 10:40:09 pm
I found stuff.  Lots of inner tubes, a whole D-lock and key, a Topeak Mini 18+ multitool I didn't even know I had (must have bought it years ago, when my Power 16 went AWOL) and a belt holster for a Kryptonite mini-D lock.  I also found all the sockets and allen keys for my DK Random Wrench, a stupendously large and heavy multitool designed for wrangling BMX bikes, but perfect for fixies as it will REALLY tighten the bolts on a Goldtec hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 June, 2018, 07:46:34 am
Fished some small bits out of the oil where they're been steeping to loosen the labels, rubbed off latter and plonked former into degreaser. PITA. Not even sure I want to use the things now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 27 June, 2018, 08:22:28 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 June, 2018, 10:40:09 pm
I found stuff.  Lots of inner tubes, a whole D-lock and key, a Topeak Mini 18+ multitool I didn't even know I had (must have bought it years ago, when my Power 16 went AWOL) a

There must be a German word which describes the joy of finding long-lost tools. Along the lines of Schadenfreude. If not, can we invent one on here please?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 June, 2018, 12:03:17 pm
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 27 June, 2018, 08:22:28 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 June, 2018, 10:40:09 pm
I found stuff.  Lots of inner tubes, a whole D-lock and key, a Topeak Mini 18+ multitool I didn't even know I had (must have bought it years ago, when my Power 16 went AWOL) a

There must be a German word which describes the joy of finding long-lost tools. Along the lines of Schadenfreude. If not, can we invent one on here please?
I suspect that there maybe something in Douglas Adams' The Meaning of Liff that would cover that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 27 June, 2018, 01:24:08 pm
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 27 June, 2018, 08:22:28 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 June, 2018, 10:40:09 pm
I found stuff.  Lots of inner tubes, a whole D-lock and key, a Topeak Mini 18+ multitool I didn't even know I had (must have bought it years ago, when my Power 16 went AWOL) a

There must be a German word which describes the joy of finding long-lost tools. Along the lines of Schadenfreude. If not, can we invent one on here please?

Wiedersehensfreude - Is the happiness of seeing something again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 27 June, 2018, 01:34:21 pm
Yeeessssss...  but specifically tools? We need a new word.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 June, 2018, 01:55:29 pm
Werkzeugwiedersehensfreude?

No idea if it's grammatically correct but it looks suitably grand and complex . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 June, 2018, 03:33:45 pm
If you find a long-lost rear LED, it's Blinkenlichtenwiedersehenfreude.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 June, 2018, 08:31:32 pm
what about for a garmin mount?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: telstarbox on 27 June, 2018, 11:05:34 pm
Took bathroom sink apart and cleared out miscellaneous gunk from the pipes. Now all working great. The definition of Type 2 fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 June, 2018, 10:01:16 am
Took the Dremel and a file to the blade-guard of my bandsaw, which was so safe that I couldn't see the blade with both eyes while cutting.

Top marks to Metabo for thinking that 3D vision is unnecessary when using sharp blades moving at high speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 June, 2018, 07:22:38 pm
Fitted some bits to HK's Kinesis commuter frame. Assembling it will take a few weeks, as bits trickle in.

Trued a wheel, adjusted front and rear mechs, tweaked the saddle position and replaced a broken mudguard bracket on a friend's bike.

Tensioned the chain on my fixed and tightened the lockring.

Got my trike ready for tomorrow's 200. Mostly refilling the spares bag, pumping the tyres and checking that the rear wheels could be removed and refitted easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 02 July, 2018, 11:33:34 pm
(over the weekend)
Fitting my new dynohub wheel (SP PV-8) and lights. I wanted to take an old broken light off a mudguard, which was sized on, so ended up replacing them too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 July, 2018, 09:07:25 am
fitted the brake blocks to the Giant, and adjusted the alignment - at least preliminary adjustment. Fitted the front mech, decided the chainline isn't right, so before I fit the new chain adn try the whole indexing set up, I'll need to move the spacers on the crankset so they are all on the LHS. A quick measurement confirms uneven distance from centre to inside face of crank arms. 

Once that's done I can fit the chain and final cable then have a bike back again. 

Only remaining question is how to purpose the Giant and the old 90's MTB.  MTB is currently wearing slicks and a rack with platform pedals.  So do I turn it back into an off roader and fit rack etc to the Giant as a shopping/railway station/runabout or what?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 06 July, 2018, 11:27:54 pm
Built a laser microscope for under a fiver. One clothespeg, one syringe, one cheap laser pointer and part of an old shoebox.

Sample is the dregs from the water butt.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/albums/72157692974059090

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 July, 2018, 06:48:00 am
A black eye - bike in the workstand (spangly all carbon hybrid with flat bars and short carbon bar-ends) - I tuned round, nudged the front wheel, bars turned and whacked me just under my right eye with one of the bar ends  :(   [Pictures will not be available]   

Being on Warfarin doesn't help with the appearance of bruising.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 July, 2018, 07:39:18 am
Get thee to the fecking div thread, along with me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 July, 2018, 07:20:28 pm
I fettled a nice dressing onto Tiny My Newt, from t'other place, after she'd made a hole in her shapely calf by dropping her bike on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 July, 2018, 06:21:37 pm
Fitted a new rear tyre and flint-mined the front tyre on my Brompton. Cleaned off a lot of the crud (including the derailleur/ tensioner) and lubed and adjusted the brakes. Not too far down the line, it'll need new cogs and chain, brake pads and likely a front hub. I'll have to see about getting the frame, forks and swingarm painted too. Quite a lot of the powdercoat has left over the past eight years.

Cleaned up the brake lever on my fixed after hitting the deck a few days ago. Replaced the handlebar tape, which I'd already worn through to the metal behind the brake hoods. Adjusted the headset and flint-mined the tyres.

Replaced the final chain and cassette on the audax tandem and tweaked the front brake.

Checked over HK's Roberts and tightened some loose bidon bolts. The chain has just reached 0.75% so a new chain will be fitted before next weekend. Hopefully the cassette is ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 July, 2018, 09:39:02 pm
Over the past few days:

Picked all the sharp stone and bits of glass out of my bike tyres.  There were quite a few sharp bits and ended up super gluing the cuts.  Inflated the tyres and found that I had a puncture...  After taking the tube and tyre off, found that a sharp shard had gone through tyre and in to the tube.

Had a start at putting the Dawes Horizon together replaced the bottom bracket and now looking through trying to find all the bits.  Have tried to clean the wheels and found that the wheels are mailliard hubs and wiemann rims.  The rear is a 6 speed and trying to figure out how to remove the hub and take it apart and clean the hub out, as trying to clean the outside have had dirt wash in to the mechanism.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 July, 2018, 06:32:32 pm
Re-tapped the threads on the recently acquired Harry Quinn and polished the original SR Laprade seatpost it came with.  The bolt was a bit rounded and rusted so I fitted a Ti bolt.  It's rather good now.

Also revived a dried-out leather saddle of unknown make.  Need to put a few miles on it to polish it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 July, 2018, 10:28:05 am
Invalidated the guarantee of my bandsaw a little bit more trying to get the blade guides to actually guide the blade. Lengthened the travel of the left-hand guide with a file but if I go any further it'll lose too much strength. Fed up.

Metabo Bas 261 - avoid like the plague.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 July, 2018, 05:39:48 pm
And hoo bloody ray: after removing another 1.5 mm of metal with a file and messing with table skew et al. for a couple of hours the damn thing almost cuts straight with only the odd howl.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Greenbank on 16 July, 2018, 06:06:50 pm
Finally replaced the rear dérailleur on my hackbike with a cheap second hand one from eBay. Also found an 8-speed chain in the box'o'bits and so fitted that at the same time (the chainset and cassette are relatively new).

A quick spin around the block this afternoon and it feels nice and smooth, will enjoy first commute on it later on this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 July, 2018, 06:28:42 pm
A liberal quantity of coal dust (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=107940.msg2305102#msg2305102), dead ants[1] and mixed herbs[2] from my bikes and camping kit, into the hoover, via the carpet.


[1] Dead ant, dead ant.  Dead ant, deadantdeadantdeadant etc.
[2] Brambles *and* nettles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 16 July, 2018, 07:32:05 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 27 June, 2018, 01:55:29 pm
Werkzeugwiedersehensfreude?

No idea if it's grammatically correct but it looks suitably grand and complex . . .
my German partner says “If you borrow a tool to your neighbor and after 6 years you get the tool back 😉😂”.

Rogerzilla’s isn’t a word though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 16 July, 2018, 08:21:06 pm
Replaced the capacitor on my Seiko Kinetic watch - These are similar to the automatic winding ones, except they use a mini dymano to charge a capacitor instead of winding  a spring.

This involved fettling my 'watchmakers screwdrivers' so that they were fine enough to work on watch screws rather than just smallish screws.

It appears to work again now.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 16 July, 2018, 08:33:44 pm
“It lives. IT LIVES!”

</Frankenstein>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 July, 2018, 08:55:06 pm
The later Kinetics use a rechargeable battery instead, a special lithium-tantalum-unobtainium one.  My 2000 Lorus Kinetic uses a capacitor, however, and is still going strong.  Seiko stopped making Lorus Kinetics, probably because the wrong sort of people could afford them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 July, 2018, 10:55:43 pm
Stage 1 of the Anglepoise refurbishment. Brightened up the paintwork a tad with tactical Duraglit. Deployed my trusty multimeter to see if anything was shorted to anything else. Swapped the CFL lamp for an LED one, so it boings properly on the springs. Persuaded the grommets back into their holes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 17 July, 2018, 05:31:05 am
Ever since I changed my position to a more rearward saddle, my Ortlieb saddlebag has rubbed my shorts.  I've just fitted new tribar extensions to my touring bike so I used an inch of one of the offcuts to space out the seatpost attachment.
 Result: no more chafed shorts :)

(https://i.imgur.com/Ja0XuLr.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 July, 2018, 08:51:33 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 27 June, 2018, 01:55:29 pm
Werkzeugwiedersehensfreude?

No idea if it's grammatically correct but it looks suitably grand and complex . . .

What I felt after searching for half an hour last night for the little engineer's scriber I had mislaid while wrestling with my bandsaw, and finally finding it this morning, lurking under a miniature grip wrench  - made, funnily enough, by the same company, General Tool, NY.  I bought both of them at the same time, over 30 years ago in Sunnyvale.

Tempted to add "but that was in another country, and besides, the wrench is dead" only it's still going strong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 July, 2018, 09:46:41 am
Quote from: T42 on 17 July, 2018, 08:51:33 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 27 June, 2018, 01:55:29 pm
Werkzeugwiedersehensfreude?

No idea if it's grammatically correct but it looks suitably grand and complex . . .

What I felt after searching for half an hour last night for the little engineer's scriber I had mislaid while wrestling with my bandsaw, and finally finding it this morning, lurking under a miniature grip wrench  - made, funnily enough, by the same company, General Tool, NY.  I bought both of them at the same time, over 30 years ago in Sunnyvale.

Tempted to add "but that was in another country, and besides, the wrench is dead" only it's still going strong.

I have coffee tangled in my nostril hairs.  You utter git :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 July, 2018, 10:22:41 am
;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 18 July, 2018, 10:04:22 pm
“Reset” the toner cartridges in my printer to fool the page counter. Result  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 July, 2018, 08:59:04 am
Butchered a LH Shimano brake lever to leave just the body and hood, for fixie use.  Sometimes you don't want bullhorns.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 July, 2018, 07:46:58 pm
And just fitted a Schwalbe Durano Plus Etape 700 x 23 to a Rigida Nova rim.  That wasn't easy but I didn't have to resort to things like toestraps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 21 July, 2018, 03:53:06 pm
replaced all the chainring bolts that fell out on the Specialized during a recent 600.  They now have threadlock on them

swapped the reflecto spd pedals onto the Galaxy

fitted new(er) tyres onto the Galaxy, glad I did one of the inners was perished

put new bar tape on the Specialized, it now has the cow-camo tape on it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 July, 2018, 04:38:31 pm
Put heatshrink around the unused rear light connections of a B&M IQ-X (now only just over £60 from Rose), fitted a Shinano plug and temporarily put it on the LHT to try it.  Ir's intended for the commuter eventually.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 July, 2018, 05:15:55 pm
Replaced the crappy plastic chainguards on our Bromptons with colour-matched aluminium ones. Tensioned the chain on my fixed.

Changed the chain on HK's Roberts but had brain fade and cut the chain an inch too short, so two quick links needed in one chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 July, 2018, 08:06:33 pm
new poles and fittings onto the double swing seat.  soemthing of a PITA as the design had changed and there was a bit of figuring out to do.  No, there were no instruction
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 23 July, 2018, 11:52:54 am
Rebuilt a Colnago C50 from scratch after we got the frame back from the carbon repair shop. Included new Colnago Record EPS shifters and bar tape.

Owner needed to get it fixed after he fell 200 feet of a mountain whilst riding it.

Looks proper lush.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 23 July, 2018, 12:11:45 pm
Fettled the vintage CTC patch and other assorted cloth badges onto the Camper Longflap. Only broke one needle trying to get through the cotton duck...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 23 July, 2018, 03:42:16 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 23 July, 2018, 11:52:54 am
Rebuilt a Colnago C50 from scratch after we got the frame back from the carbon repair shop. Included new Colnago Record EPS shifters and bar tape.

Owner needed to get it fixed after he fell 200 feet of a mountain whilst riding it.

Looks proper lush.

Would not like to see the bill.  :hand:

Actually, who am I kidding? How much?

Tell, Fuzzy, tell . . . !  ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 July, 2018, 08:02:14 pm
Fitted a bottle cage to the Kona Kilauea.  Advanced stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 25 July, 2018, 10:42:01 pm
Giving the big Thorn Nomad a bit of TLC before my next tour.  He had a good cleaning the other day, now chainset, pedals, bottom bracket & EBB shell removed, cleaned lubed & refitted.  S&S couplings cleaned & lubed. Brackets fitted for a new pump.  Still to do, change the oil in the Rohloff, lube the headset, replace all gear & brake cables.   Then I need to get my thimble out & do some Carradice maintenance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 26 July, 2018, 08:57:27 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 23 July, 2018, 03:42:16 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 23 July, 2018, 11:52:54 am
Rebuilt a Colnago C50 from scratch after we got the frame back from the carbon repair shop. Included new Colnago Record EPS shifters and bar tape.

Owner needed to get it fixed after he fell 200 feet of a mountain whilst riding it.

Looks proper lush.

Would not like to see the bill.  :hand:

Actually, who am I kidding? How much?

Tell, Fuzzy, tell . . . !  ;D

The bill for the frame repair was a tad north of £500.

The bill from us, parts and labour was a fraction south of £700.

The Colnago was worth it. I can't get any pictures but the frame looks new. It is the finish with visible carbon weave and the site of the major damage is barely noticeable.

If anyone needs a carbon frame repair, let me know and I'll send their details.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 26 July, 2018, 02:15:56 pm
Purely anecdotal, a friend (who is also a framebuilder & shop owner) told me of sending a R!**7é carbon frame for repair and being asked if the customer wanted the manufacturing defects sorting out whilst they repaired the crack...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 July, 2018, 07:37:41 pm
Cleaned the crank ready to go back on to the dawes.  Need to clean and regrease the hubs. Then reinstall the bars and new bar tape then ready to go.....ish.

Replaced the brake levers on the brompton to the modern ones, used the old brake cables that have the nipple not the barrel end.  Still haven't replaced the brakes calipers from the single side.  Will install the new chain tomorrow, ready to take to the DD on saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 July, 2018, 09:54:34 pm
Fitted some Nitto randonneur bars into a Nitto Young stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 July, 2018, 10:19:36 pm
Forgot that I have a chain sitting in white spirit.  The chain was really really dirty, and full of lots of old chain lube on one side.  So decided to soak the chain in white spirit and then maybe use candle wax as lube as I was given a slow cooker so decided to try it out.  Finally do something with the hundreds of tealights that are kicking around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 July, 2018, 07:24:17 am
Tried it years ago.  It doesn't work, it just flakes off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 July, 2018, 12:10:13 pm
Defrosted the freezer. We’ve a new one coming today and they only take the old one if it’s clean and dry. It was quite fun using the steak mallet to rem9ve the accretion of ice   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 July, 2018, 04:16:20 pm
Not today but a couple of days ago:Fitted some skirting board in the kitchen. The Cheery Chippy kindly cut it down to width to match the existing and put a mitre in the end so it would make a nice outside corner. But on quizzing him about inside corners it turns out a scribe joint is the way to go. A bit of youtubing (featuring mostly Australian puppies, including one called Uncle Knackers) and I was good to go. Somewhat hampered by the lack of a coping saw, I coped (tee hee) with a tenon saw, sandpaper and v sharp Mora wood carving knife. Fortunately the joint is hidden behind the fridge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 July, 2018, 07:31:05 am
Having got a pro in to do our bathroom ceiling an eon or two ago, I came to the conclusion that amateur = perfect mitres, pro = gaping mitres plus guff about your walls.  They don't much like a pointing finger, either: makes 'em mutter about effing apprentices.

<anecdote>
One day while our house was being built outside Belfast in the 50s, my dad noticed that a door wouldn't stand open, but always swung shut on its own. He pointed it out to the joiner, who said "that's done on purpose - saves heat in winter". "What a good idea!" my papa replied, then took the joiner round and tried every other door in the house. At the end of the tour he told him he could either fix the first one or all the others.
</anecdote>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 July, 2018, 03:00:28 pm
Deflinted a couple of tyres on a friend's bike. Changed the captain's saddle on the audax tandem.

Started fitting kit to HK's Kinesis - BB, cranks, pedals and derailleurs. Once the wheels arrive, I can fit the brakes.

Refitted the rear mudguard  and bidon cages to my Moulton and lubed the rear mech. Replaced the rear tube and swapped the rear tyre for the unused spare, as there is a long brevet coming up.

Replaced the carbon seatpost with an aluminium post as the seatpost clamp had started to crush it. This bike gets packed for travelling several times each year, so over-tightening the bolt is an occupational hazard. For those who worry about such things, a Carradice SQR has never crushed a carbon seatpost on bikes I've seen, only seatpost clamps seem to do it.

It also looks like my Moulton's rear rim may have worn too thin as there is an ominous bulge. I'm glad that didn't let go while I was descending Ventoux. Still to be resolved, either with another rim fitted in the next couple of days (there are a couple of identical half-worn rims in the garage) or I finally get the Tune-hubbed rear wheel sorted out. Swapping the Tune's LH end cap was not enough as it seems to also need a shorter axle to get the 135mm hub down to 130mm.

Refitted the rear mudguard and bidon cages to HK's Moulton. I may need to replace some hub bearings too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 28 July, 2018, 04:31:01 pm
My wardrobe. Two large plastic sacks of clothes to go to the charity shop, and a smaller one for recycling. Quite cathartic, but Id betternot put any weight back on....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 28 July, 2018, 10:43:47 pm
Building a new wheel after a bottle of red is probably a bad idea,  I'll leave it until tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 July, 2018, 11:09:45 pm
Built a rear fixed wheel.  Trial fitted the wheel and RH crank to Q4694.  Chainline is 4mm out.  Measured chainline at front (Andel crank, Tange 110.5mm BB).  42mm relative to down tube (56mm - (28.6mm/2)).  Measured chainline at rear (System EX hub, Surly sprocket).  42mm relative to dropout inner face (60mm-18mm).

The rear triangle is off by 4mm.  Not unusual but it'll need retracking.  I sort of expected that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 July, 2018, 01:19:06 pm
Replaced a rumbling bearing in a Moulton front hub. I need to do the same to a rear hub this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 July, 2018, 11:34:13 am
new water filter cartridge under the kitchen sink, without risk of drowning this time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 August, 2018, 01:49:36 am
Respaced a Tune rear hub to 130 and redished the wheel. Another step closer to getting both bikes ready for this weekend's brevet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 August, 2018, 08:31:09 am
Fettled the new (s/h) workstand - cleaned it, greased the bolts, clamp QR and sliding tubes and it's all good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 August, 2018, 04:24:12 pm
Fitted a Durano Plus Etape tyre to a Rigida Chrina wheel (now built), then the fixed sprocket and lockring.

Unsuccessfully tried to adjust the headset a bit better on the Ron Cooper.  I think the head tube needs facing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: telstarbox on 05 August, 2018, 04:01:42 pm
Took the washing machine filter apart to remove various debris and reassembled. Fairly straightforward. Although it's still making a grinding noise during the wash cycle :/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 05 August, 2018, 04:36:58 pm
For future reference, chains & cassettes go in the dishwasher...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 August, 2018, 08:50:08 pm
Yeah, the washing machine's for shoes...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 August, 2018, 09:33:08 am
Changed the belt on my bench sander.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 August, 2018, 10:18:07 am
If you're going to do chains in a washing machine, wrap them in an old sock or two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 August, 2018, 08:33:12 pm
Removed the 18T freewheel from the Bob Griffin and left it to soak in some light oil.  It's making a bit of a clanking noise and I suspect a sticky pawl or two.  If it's well-sealed, this won't work and I'll need to open it up.

Been doing it since new so could have been on a shop shelf for a decade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 07 August, 2018, 10:22:07 pm
Tweaking the seat posts and stems on the Mercian tandem I bought last year, to adjust the fit.  Test ride tomorrow evening along the prom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 August, 2018, 12:10:27 pm
Freewheel is sealed so no oil got in, or ran out afterwards.  Will have to pull it apart.  Haven't overhauled a freewheel for 25 years - I remember they're simple but they have a LOT of loose bearings.

It's a Shimano BMX freewheel and a bit too nice to use a hammer and punch on.  I'd better get a big pin spanner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 08 August, 2018, 12:15:19 pm
Wheel truing...

Halfrauds replaced my shifters under warranty and the guy in the workshop told me "I straightened up your back wheel too mate". And to be fair there had been a bit of a wobble.

Doing a quick test ride around the car park all seemed well. However on a proper ride later that night the tyre was actually near-as rubbing on the left chainstay as possible. Clearly Halfrauds' finest made the rookie error of not pushing the rim against a flat surface on both axles every few minutes during the truing, and this has basically over-dished the rear wheel to the left hand side.

They seem to mean well but are basically completely useless at anything more tricky than swapping a cable so I did my best to get it back on true myself. I think I've got it about there but there is always more to be done... I've got the Orbital on Saturday and I don't want to leave the bike with those cowboys any longer than necessary. Thinking of going to Saddle Safari to see if they might manage a quick true ahead of Saturday but their order book has been crammed recently so I'm just going to fettle as best I can...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 August, 2018, 12:57:08 pm
***king about with the bandsaw guides all morning.  It'd be easier if the blade guide hadn't so much play.  Metabo stuff used to be brilliant.


ETA this guy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxVyKsbuwZQ&t=62s) is good.  The bit before it is introductory guff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 August, 2018, 05:52:44 pm
Fitted the Bob Griffin with a 16T fixed sprocket instead of the 18T freewheel.  Chain needs a link taking out of it now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 August, 2018, 10:36:51 pm
Helped recommission a Claud Butler Dalesman (not mine) that hadn't moved for two years, having been used for a long rainy tour and then mothballed without any TLC.  Prior to that it hadn't really been maintained since new.

It needed:

- new wheels (these were £120 handbuilt from eBay and are excellent - Deore hubs and Mavic touring rims with d/b spokes, nice and true.  I could barely build them myself for that money)
- new BB
- new crankset
- new chain
- new cassette
- new brake pads
- new pedals (M324 and yes, he knows they are essentially unserviceable as the tool costs at least £40)


All running well now except that there is rather too much rear brake system friction; there is an interrupter lever on the bars which seems to be sticky.  It works but is a bit meh.  I'd have junked the interrupter levers but the owner likes them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 August, 2018, 07:25:52 am
Cleaned the cruzbike after the 600km of touring last week, surprisingly not that grubby despite a couple of murky days.  One paint chip to attend to later, chain re-lubed. 

Only mechanical issue was a reluctance to shift into the granny ring, I suspect cable stretch or slip as it was ok-ish at the beginning of the week. May not get to that until next week for various reasons.

Also removed some of the gummy residue on the bars of the giant for its rebuild. I decided I don't like the moustache bars with brifters.  That's the final mechanical bit, but lacking a dedicated rear wheel, so will be a case of swapping from the cruzbike as and when until I sort that out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 August, 2018, 08:59:09 am
Bike: took saddle off for re-saucing.  Also hung bike upside-down, plugged the frame weep-hole with a bit of dowel and sprayed the BB housing with soapy water to de-gunge it a bit. Sports-drink overflow collects in the guides and gums up the FD action as summer wears on.  It's out there softening just now.

Bandsaw: gave the table another tweak: can now cut a 1-mm slice that's even end-to-end. Ouf.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 August, 2018, 05:37:39 pm
Took a Shimano BMX freewheel apart.  It's soaking in solvent, after which I need to stick 80 ball bearings back in their grooves with grease (SA IGH grease prob best as it doesn't gum up pawls).  I haven't overhauled a freewheel since 1992!

Edit: 96 ball bearings!  All done now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 12 August, 2018, 08:26:20 pm
Fresh tyres on the road bike, tightened the brake leavers and checked over ready for a little tour in a couple of weeks.
Also fresh tube in the back wheel of the inbred, the previous one ejected its valve core. That wheel was a pita to refit as always.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 August, 2018, 09:59:58 pm
Swapped the tyres on the soon-to-be commuter from Schwalbe Ones to Hutchinson Sectors. Front went fine, but the rear is taking a while to seal (I’m using the CO2 friendly Finish Line Kevlar sealant rather than latex) with sealant foam weeping around much of one side of the tyre/rim interface. Hopefully overnight it will gum up nicely! 

Edit - it hasn't. In fact two days later neither front nor rear are satisfactorily sealed  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 August, 2018, 09:10:24 pm
Swapped the M540 SPDs for single-sided A520 SPDs on the Bob Griffin, since it's running as a fixie for a bit.  The BB is a bit lower than ideal and this grabs a bit more clearance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 August, 2018, 10:14:02 pm
Put a new rear rack on the Roberts cos the old one was narrow and it made my rack pack lean over in a wonky way.
While checking out the fit of said rack pack, noted that one of the Velcro straps was almost ripped clean through. So I bodged a repair with needle & thread (not easy getting a needle through waterproof Velcro, fucking ow!) and then applied some Tenacious Tape on top of my bodgy needlework. Hopefully that will do until we're back from holiday....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 August, 2018, 09:51:02 pm
put the standard handlebars back on the Giant.  Now my cable outers are too short vs the moustache bars i trial fitted. I think even the Short stem won't make up the difference 

At least I've not cut the cables yet, so removal and reinstall won't be too tricky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 August, 2018, 08:26:49 am
Dismantled a lathe for storage & cleared out a load of crap that had accumulated on the bench behind it, including off-cuts of veneer from a marquetry desk-flap I did in the early 90s, templates, lots of furniture drawings (I was good back then!) and my 2000/2001/2002 cycling log which ended at 22/06/2002 161 km Col de Valsberg ACCIDENT. Once I recovered I got a pricey counter and used the computer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 August, 2018, 08:36:16 pm
Fixed a glass puncture on the Surly.  That'll teach me to take it on the psyclepath through the sink estates. Bloody scratters smashing bottles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 15 August, 2018, 08:39:50 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 August, 2018, 08:36:16 pm
Fixed a glass puncture on the Surly.  That'll teach me to take it on the psyclepath through the sink estates. Bloody scratters smashing bottles.

Swindon Innit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 August, 2018, 09:26:07 pm
Also cut a fork crown down from JIS to ISO.  That was quite satisfying, and the result is beautiful.

If Rose had sent all the bits (well, I think they did, but due to crap packing some were lost in transit), I'd also have faced the head tube and taken half a mm off top and bottom to grab the stack height I need.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 15 August, 2018, 09:45:37 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 August, 2018, 09:26:07 pm
Also cut a fork crown down from JIS to ISO.  That was quite satisfying, and the result is beautiful.

If Rose had sent all the bits (well, I think they did, but due to crap packing some were lost in transit), I'd also have faced the head tube and taken half a mm off top and bottom to grab the stack height I need.

Do you have the facing tools, or did you employ another method?

I have a 1" crown race cutting tool, and steerer thread cutters, but I haven't found a head-tube reaming/facing tool in my price range.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 August, 2018, 09:47:11 pm
Cyclus fork crown cutter.  Measured afterwards and it's 26.40.  The crown race is a good fit - about 26.3.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 August, 2018, 05:04:09 pm
had a look at the front mech on the Cruzbike, it had become reluctant to move, particuarly downwards to the climbing ring (I don't think Granny Ring is warranted on a recumbent) during my trip last week, just when  needed it.  I was wondering if the cable had stretched, but no, it seems all that was needed was a bit of lubrication of the pivots and return sprinng.  It's now changing and getting easier every time I move the lever. 

It's a bar-end shifter, anyone recommend any other potential treatment, or just leave well alone if it's working?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 August, 2018, 08:30:11 pm
Clean it, lube it with spray grease. Don't forget to use it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 August, 2018, 07:54:20 pm
Been working on a cheap and rather nasty fork.  Cut it down from JIS to ISO then realigned it (it had a bit of twist as well as being offset 2mm to the left).  All nice and straight now.  It's going on the Holdsworth as a test to see if the shocking brake rub (which stops me riding it) is down to a flexy fork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 August, 2018, 06:33:17 pm
Fitted new wheels, brake discs, cassette and chain to HK's Kinesis and adjusted the derailleurs. Once the handlebars arrive, I can fit the STI levers, hydraulic brakes and suchlike and we can start adjusting fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 18 August, 2018, 06:43:53 pm
Moths.
Fumigated my home.
Guess which idiot forgot to disable the smoke alarm, and had to go back in....
Something which only became apparent 30 seconds after closing the door behind me and having removed the face mask. :facepalm:
I had a check list, FFS.

I've never (thankfully) been involved in a house fire, but trust me when I tell you that the disorientation afforded by thick smoke, is terrifying.
And this was in semi-controlled conditions.

Not overtly impressed to have found a couple of moths still gasping their last after a 3 hour+ exposure to permethrin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 August, 2018, 08:10:42 pm
Some knackered rim tape.

A loose stoker pedal on a tandem.  Instead of crossover chain sets, the left hand side cranks were repurposed right hand side ones. Precession kids. It's a thing.

Observed several punctures being fixed.

Failed to fettle: A Dura Ace 11 speed cassette which had two of the larger sprockets free to move in a sideways direction. Investigation showed that for reasons of marketing bollocks, making it lighter, stiffer and much more expensive, the larger sprockets consist of a metal ring mounted on a plastic and soot/other composite spider. Great until the rivets fail.


The joys of TECing on an FNRTTC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vince on 18 August, 2018, 08:16:25 pm
 I dug lots of compressed fluff out of the USB port on my phone. It now charges properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 August, 2018, 12:59:12 pm
Lotsa stuff: moved router sled to old lathe bench & rerouted cable via ceiling, cleaned & redecorated the parrot's cage, cleaned out one coffee machine & cleaned up another and semi-mothballed it, ditto grinder. Hoovered the dogs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 19 August, 2018, 01:52:18 pm
Tidied up a tools box in my shed. Looks presentable now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 August, 2018, 02:11:38 pm
Sorted the short cable outers on the Giant, ended up cutting one new gear and one brake, the other was long enough to swap sides. Indexing working in the stand. Just need some wheels, then I'll swap the rack from the MTB onto it as well for use as the shopping and railway station bike.

Also fettled a bottle of vodka to the open position using a pair of molegrips, the cap had buggered it's thread and was just spinning. Espresso martinis now back on menu
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 August, 2018, 03:18:37 pm
On the fixer.
Jiggled around with the saddle position, as I have a new saddle.
This meant having to jiggle around with the rear brake, as the seat post clamp bolt keeps the rear brake cable barrel adjuster in place.
Banjaxed the head in the seat post clamp bolt.
Fortunately, I am replete with M6 x 25 in S/S.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 19 August, 2018, 05:57:47 pm
Continued fettling of new tyres. Last weekend I decided to swap the Schwalbe 1 tubeless tyres on my utility\commuter for some Sector 28’s, and try out the new Finish Line non-latex sealant. At the same time I decided to fit the dynohub front wheel. So I had a rear Pacenti SL25 “tubeless ready” rim that had been used, and an unused front H+ Son, which although not officially tubeless ready is a rim I’ve used for the last 2 years tubeless on another bike.

Now, being short of time I neither fitte£ the tyres with tubes to “condition” them, nor did I lubricate the rims with soap solution. This may or may not have a bearing on what followed.

I mounted the tyres no problem by hand. Front went up with the floor pump ok, the rear I needed to use a CO2 canister to pop on the rim. Deflated them, added sealant and reinflated. And watched as copious amounts of sealant foamed out around the bead. Did my usual spinning and shaking and bouncing, and thought they were holding pressure ok. 24 hours later they were dead flat. Pumped them up again, spun etc. 24 hours later flat as a pancake. Puddle of sealant by front tyre  >:(

This continued all week, albeit with a slight improvement - they only went down to 3-4 bar in a day. Saturday I pumped them up and went for a 30 mile ride, hoping the agitation would aid sealing. It did, sort of, as overnight they wen5 down from 7 to 5 bar. So improving, but nowhere near as good as the latex sealant had been. Not impressed so far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: telstarbox on 19 August, 2018, 06:02:40 pm
Defrosted the freezer, about a year overdue. Very satisfying to hack away big icebergs. And cleaned and oiled the road bike which was also slightly overdue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 19 August, 2018, 06:29:29 pm
Two broken B17s into one working saddle.

I came off three years ago and bent my B17 special with its lovely copper rivets. Probably too expensive to replace, but I never had the heart to chuck it.

Then a couple of weeks ago the tensioning bolt broke on my other B17.

Some careful work with spanners and screwdrivers later, the B17 now has a functioning tension bolt. Time to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 20 August, 2018, 08:22:45 am
Quite a bit of stuff in the garden yesterday.  Cleared back the grass (on one side) and various plants (on the other) from encroaching on the path down by the raised beds.  Took a clematis down off the section of our neighbour's fence that's finally (after nearly a year) going to be repaired this weekend. Took down another clematis off the front of the house, and pruned a metre of growth off the Bay bush there.  Trimmed the other neighbour's Berberis as it was encroaching and overshadowing our garden (which is only 3.5m wide). Bloody prickly! Then spent 3 hours pruning back old growth and tying in new on the Rambling Rector rose on the pergola. Literally bloody prickly!!  And two trips to the tip to dispose of the waste we can't compost. A good days work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 August, 2018, 07:24:18 pm
Fitted a new long-drop brake to the Holdsworth.  I really think the flex has gone.  It was unrideable out of the saddle with the original fork, which is either cracked or just too light for its own good.

Looks minging with a slightly rusty burgundy fork on a pristine turquoise bike, but the fork can be painted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 20 August, 2018, 08:11:48 pm
A spoke in the front wheel of the Rory O'Brian went bang, while out today. The wheel went suprisingly wobbly.  :-\

I can't remember ever building a 700c front wheel, apart from dymano hub ones, yet I found I had spokes the right length.  :D

Took two goes at putting the tyre on (first time started the wrong bead, second time I didn't line the label up with the valve)  ::-)

Pumped it up, and I found the tube had a puncture.  >:(

As it was just a spoke replacement and truing, I needn't have taken the tyre off anyway... :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 23 August, 2018, 12:07:02 am
Two panniers, a rack pack and a bar bag with most of the stuff for four days away on the bike. :excited:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 23 August, 2018, 12:08:52 am
Fitted a new jockey wheel and screw to replace the ones that pinged off on my way home from work on Monday. It's an 11t 105 wheel I had in the spares box, instead of a 13t alivio one, but it seems to work ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 August, 2018, 08:07:17 am
Just a bit of chiselling before breakfast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 23 August, 2018, 10:32:02 am
Plugged up the gaps in our garden fencing - mostly post and rail plus hedges and Netlon.

Our new dog (Lab/collie cross) has achieved a feat that defeated all previous dogs who have been resident, either temporarily or permanent.

Seeing as next door has a large garden, partially fenced, and has free range chickens, ducks and rabbits, I am particularly keen to keep them and our new pup (I use the term age-istically, it thinks it's a full-grown lab and has already helped itself to a passing pigeon) apart.  We get on very well with our neighbours and I'd like to keep it that way. Particularly as the lady of the house (he's a criminal barrister, ahem, M'Lud) returned said black pup last night. It'd only been out in the garden, unsupervised, for a couple of minutes.

Action required, pronto, methinks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 25 August, 2018, 11:14:46 am
Two camcleats for the spinnaker sheets on the dinghy.

A nightmare. The most awkward job I think I've ever had to do.

Hands half the size would have helped, as would X-ray vision, or indeed a third hand.

They're mounted in an enclosed space which makes one of the nuts virtually impossible to get onto the end of the bolt's thread.

Sorted by using doubled back insulating tape on the end of one finger and sticking the nut to that. Then lining it up with the hole. After that I had to get a spanner on it. Good grief. Four M5 bolt tightenings and it took about an hour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 August, 2018, 12:49:15 pm
Fixed a puncture (old tube gave up round the valve).  Changed the ring on the TA track crankset from a 52T to a 47T, because I can't get a new EAI 20T for less than £60 including shipping but I do have an 18T.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 August, 2018, 07:31:26 pm
Resumed fettling after ride.  Swapped forks on the Holdsworth again (put the noodly original back just to keep things together) then removed the crown race from the Ugly Fork That Works, cut the steerer down to the right length and filed the end flat and smooth.  It's off for a respray.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 August, 2018, 09:47:24 pm
Got a couple of steps closer to getting HK's Kinesis working. Installed handlebars, STI levers, hydraulic lines and gear cables. Internal routing and unfamiliar equipment meant slow progress until I found the dealers' manual online but my lack of a brake bleed kit and the overlong bolts for the rear caliper (6 options, only 1 supplied!) have stopped play for a few days. The guesstimated stem and bars look close enough for now, though a slightly shorter stem might be on the cards down the line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 August, 2018, 09:23:56 pm
With the help of The Girl and her husbad*, I molished the best part of a click together laminate floor for the lounge in my country abode. The rest of the lounge and (hopefully) the kitchen will be tomorrow's task.


*how we used to refer to male spice on umra, a newsgroup m'lud, for the sort of people who might listen to the Archers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 August, 2018, 09:37:00 pm
I'm going to have to learn not to fiddle with things that aren't broken.

I decided to realign the mudguard on my hack bike. I went to release the stay, but the nut had managed to rust itself onto the pinch bolt, and that bolt sheared off instead of the bolt releasing. Then I went to fit an old SKS pinch bolt to replace it, but found out the stays on these mudguards* are too wide to fit. Ok, so next step is to replace the stay with a spare SKS one, but I found the bolt securing it was an old 3mm hex head one made of cheese, which rounded straight off.  :facepalm:

I've ended up doubling up the stays and pannier rack on the other hole, while the hex bolt bathes in penetrating oil  :-[


*Manufacturer fitted in 2010
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 26 August, 2018, 09:45:00 pm
Quote from: mcshroom on 26 August, 2018, 09:37:00 pm
I'm going to have to learn not to fiddle with things that aren't broken.

I decided to realign the mudguard on my hack bike. I went to release the stay, but the nut had managed to rust itself onto the pinch bolt, and that bolt sheared off instead of the bolt releasing. Then I went to fit an old SKS pinch bolt to replace it, but found out the stays on these mudguards* are too wide to fit. Ok, so next step is to replace the stay with a spare SKS one, but I found the bolt securing it was an old 3mm hex head one made of cheese, which rounded straight off.  :facepalm:

I've ended up doubling up the stays and pannier rack on the other hole, while the hex bolt bathes in penetrating oil  :-[


*Manufacturer fitted in 2010

https://i.redd.it/pkjxpbwqt9801.jpg applies. :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 August, 2018, 09:46:19 pm
TBF standard material for bolts on lots of things seems to be a variety of margarine. Rixen & Kaul are particularly fond of passing off the oleaginous spread as genuine metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 August, 2018, 06:48:51 am
And there I was thinking about refitting the mudguards back onto the rebuilt Giant.  They came off easy enough, but I think one of the pinc bolts is now lurkin somewhere on my workshop floor having pingfuckit'ed away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 August, 2018, 07:01:34 am
I went to fix the tube that nearly killed me on Saturday, only to find it wasn't the rim tape at all, it was a classic snakebite.  You can see why the front tyre went down so fast.  Tyre was pumped to 110psi just before the ride, too.

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1885/42486751060_fa0de2de32_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27JpGSG)20180827_065711 (https://flic.kr/p/27JpGSG) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 August, 2018, 07:46:20 am
That's a funny one. If you had it up to 110 beforehand and didn't hit a really emphatic bump then you probably picked up a slow earlier on.

The way you're holding it, the thing even looks like a snake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 August, 2018, 07:48:26 am
I had a snakebite at 165psi (rear) once.  It was a very sharp-edged pothole.  High pressure helps avoid them but it's not a guarantee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 August, 2018, 01:17:39 pm
Yebbut if you hit a bump you know it & know what to expect.  Or are there a lot of potholes where you were riding?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 August, 2018, 01:30:24 pm
Quote from: T42 on 27 August, 2018, 01:17:39 pm
Yebbut if you hit a bump you know it & know what to expect.  Or are there a lot of potholes where you were riding?
Oxfordshire roads (soecifically VWH Council's) are terrible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 August, 2018, 01:51:32 pm
Gotcha.  Ours get rough but real potholes are few unless you take forest roads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 August, 2018, 06:59:48 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 27 August, 2018, 07:01:34 am
I went to fix the tube that nearly killed me on Saturday, only to find it wasn't the rim tape at all, it was a classic snakebite.  You can see why the front tyre went down so fast.  Tyre was pumped to 110psi just before the ride, too.

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1885/42486751060_fa0de2de32_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27JpGSG)20180827_065711 (https://flic.kr/p/27JpGSG) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

*twitches*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 August, 2018, 08:14:52 pm
Now the cranks are bedded in on the Cinder Cone, I gave them a final tighten with steel bolts, then cleaned the axle threads and replaced with my ancient X-Lite alu bolts and threadlock.  That's it until the BB wears out.  Alu bolts are a great disincentive to retightening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 28 August, 2018, 01:16:33 pm
Added a new set of three shelves to the back wall of the shed, necessitating the relocation of what was already hanging on that wall. Started going through all the various shelves in the place culling stuff that'll never get used.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 August, 2018, 04:08:45 pm
Trued up an el cheapo combination square and ran the edges over 240-grit so that it wouldn't saw through the pencil lead.  Having an aluminium head running on steel it won't last but there'll still be room for adjustment before it's done. Worth it at 9€ a pop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 August, 2018, 07:35:47 pm
Got the Kilauea up on the workstand and screwed a long rear axle into the mech hanger.  No, it's not bent at all and nor is the mech, it turns out.  Looks like the slightly dubious shifting might be due to fencepost error - I'd started with the phantom 8th click on the XT thumbshifter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 August, 2018, 08:25:38 pm
Bottom bracket on the runabout.

Picked up the new one and the tool at Evans in THAT LONDON whilst on a day trip, threw it in the pannier and hey presto, not a creak from the bike on the way home.

It must be osmosis, or magic

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 August, 2018, 08:32:48 pm
Built up the Harry Quinn track iron.  Needed a bit of fettling; the head tube and fork crown really wanted facing (now done, headset was a perfect press fit) and the fork ends needed some paint filing off (it had high-build primer) to get a wheel in straight. Only minor remaining issue is that the rear end is 2mm off to the right.  I will have to cold set it, since the chainline should be perfect (ring is 46mm from centreline and sprocket is 14mm from RH dropout face).  Oh, and the handlebar tape is the wrong colour, so no pics yet  :P  Weighs 16 1/4 lb without pedals in track trim.  Probably a pound and a half heavier in road trim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 29 August, 2018, 09:11:45 pm
New tyres on the Arkose; went for tan walls this time for a bit of colour, thus ruining the stealth black look.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 August, 2018, 09:22:49 pm
Bartape on the Van Nic Ventus Ti roadbike that's being treated to a total rebuild with a complete new groupset* from shifters to chain ... just waiting for the titanium skewers and hideously expensive seatpost to arrive.

Rob

* there was a recent trade offer from Madison (the UK Shimano distributor) that was just too good not to take advantage of.  I'm getting towards the joke about the person who works in a bike shops and spends more than he earns there  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 August, 2018, 11:25:18 am
Nearly finished building a mobile base for my Bosch table saw.  Need to do something about dust collection, though, since the vacuum connection provided only picks up half of it and lets the rest fall through the bottom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 31 August, 2018, 09:08:59 pm
Seeing as its the first day of Meteorological Autumn tomorrow, off with the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance and on with my old faithful Durano Plus. 150g an end heavier (25mm folding), and not quite as plush as the Pro 4, but nice and reliable.

I've probably jinxed myself now for Sunday's 100k Audax at Forfar...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 August, 2018, 09:54:21 pm
a bit of shed fettling, rearranging some steel shelves used for toolboxes etc, a bit of sweeping out and putting up a couple of shelving brackets to hold most of my stocks of odds and sods of ply/chip/planking with the bigger stuff below and now all easily seeable.  A bit more tidying to do, sweeping out etc but a well spent hour and a half
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 01 September, 2018, 07:44:11 am
The Bosch garden shredder.  Again. Only replaced the helix cutter a couple of years ago but must have had a stone through it as it now looks a bit battered.  So, new helix and the knife bit that makes sure the helix clears itself.  May be the last time as parts are now starting to dry up, some 8 years after they stopped making it.  Pity, it works really well and it is infinitely repairable, if the parts were available.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 01 September, 2018, 08:53:42 am
Managed to get mud in my cordless drill. The fan spat most of it out but some got on the commutator resulting in slowness plus bad noises & smells. Cleaned the commutator and brushes with meths, cleared small amount of mud and large volume of assorted fluff & debris from fan. Took flippin ages to get the casing back together right but it lives! Relieved, I've only charged each of the two new batteries I recently bought for it twice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 01 September, 2018, 02:22:22 pm
And tomorrow I'll be dismantling it again to reconnect the wires the right way round. It works fine of course but my muscle memory would take years to reprogram keeping the direction switch this way round.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 02 September, 2018, 06:12:06 pm
I've just fettled some air into the expansion tank of my boiler. It seems that Baxi tried their hardest to make the Schrader valve as awkward to get at as possible.

I now have a flexy valve extender on order which hopefully should make the job much easier once fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 September, 2018, 08:26:00 pm
Virtual fettling only: I've decided to stick a 2mm washer under the RH cup of the Harry Quinn BB rather than cold set a 50-year old and very stiff frame for such a minor chainline tweak.  The wheels sit straight, anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 September, 2018, 01:56:57 pm
Left brake lever almost touching bars when squoze. New front brake-blocks due, but I'm not feeling fettlish right now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 04 September, 2018, 03:11:00 pm
Added some Fernox MB1 protector to the heating system.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 05 September, 2018, 06:18:15 am
Rear mudguard to the Giant rebuild. Probably do the front this lunchtime.

Delaying bar tape for now, planning a test ride Friday, which will include getting lever positions dialled in
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 09 September, 2018, 09:03:15 pm
Fitted Raceblade pros to the Merida, then unfitted them, stuck helitape over where they sit and refitted them. On the 5 mile test ride I took them they seemed stable enough. No idea how well they'll keep the rain off but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 10 September, 2018, 12:18:27 am
tried my best to get the rear juicy three (yeah, i know..) caliper working as it should by cleaning and lubing the pistons, however there was little, if any, improvement. i either need to rebuild and bleed it or just buy a new set of brakes. the best i could to was to true the rotor close to perfection which eliminated rubbing noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 10 September, 2018, 01:10:54 am
Best way to repair Avid hydraulic brakes is to buy some Shimano instead
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 10 September, 2018, 10:58:13 am
Tweeked the back wheel on my commuter bike. It felt like it was really out of shape when I was riding it. There was a slight kink to it, but nothing really major.

It looks like the tyre is lumpy. Which is weird, because it's been alright for a while, but now feel like all the rubber has gone down hill while I wasn't using it for a while. It actually makes the bike shake when it's in the stand.

Weird.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 10 September, 2018, 02:45:12 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 10 September, 2018, 01:10:54 am
Best way to repair Avid hydraulic brakes is to buy some Shimano instead
avids work fine when they are serviced (which needs doing every 2-3 years?), shimano isn't entirely problem free either, but i agree it's a better option even if for simplicity of bleeding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 September, 2018, 11:35:22 am
Filled and bled the hydraulic brakes on HK's Kinesis yesterday. Today, fitted the last bolts, rear rack and the third bidon cage, along with temporary tyres and tubes to bed in the brakes prior to fitting Schwalbe Almotion tubeless tyres in a week or two. HK is happy after her test ride.

Soon it will be time to trim the carbon steerer to length, fit the bung and swap over the mudguards, seatpost and saddle from her Condor commuter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 15 September, 2018, 06:26:41 pm
One of those days when I have done loadsa little jobs, but not one I can point to and say 'look at that!'

Fitted some WTB folding tyres to the MTB. They now look great. They won't be on long before the spikers go on for the winter.
Burped the MTB's brakes.
Fitted some Raw mudguards to the Ortler ebike. Look good.
Chopped off some protruding roots from the ash tree that was stopping the back gate from opening. Be nice if it sees the ash off. It's gradually pushing a garden wall up.
Chopped up some bay tree branches I lopped off a couple of weeks ago
Thought about chopping up a redcurrant bush I chopped down a while ago. Thought better of it.
Cleaned the Ortler
Lubed the MTB's chain
Put a non-suspension seatpost on the Ortler to replace the pogo stick that was on before. Nice Selle Royal saddle into the bargain. A short test ride went well, but I still need to tweak the riding position so it's a little lower.

That was all before noon. After that I took it easy. A fellow can overdo things, you know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 September, 2018, 07:36:20 pm
Sawed up some long chunks of wood so they'd fit in the stove.
Made a big sack of kindling.
Ready for winter now. (Except I need to buy more wood briquettes at some point, and the bathroom radiator still needs plumbing in).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 September, 2018, 09:19:24 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 15 September, 2018, 07:36:20 pm
Sawed up some long chunks of wood so they'd fit in the stove.
Made a big sack of kindling.
Ready for winter now. (Except I need to buy more wood briquettes at some point, and the bathroom radiator still needs plumbing in).
I did that last weekend!  Cutting up pallets and keeping the bits without nails (which jam the riddling grate).  Then the bags go in the (bizarrely huge) airing cupboard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2018, 11:18:47 am
I've got a half pallet that needs dismembering but I decided I couldn't be arsed. We don't riddle being as we only burn wood (the grate is set to closed) so I was thinking about not bothering removing the nails and just hacking it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 September, 2018, 08:01:44 pm
Sleeved a PF30 BB shell down to ISO/BSC with the FSA adaptor.  Bit nerve-racking on someone else's carbon frame!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 September, 2018, 08:17:34 pm
i've noticed that shifting became less crisp recently, as it became apparent due to sloppy jockey wheel(s). replaced them with tacx sealed bearing ones and shifting is back to normal again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 19 September, 2018, 03:09:26 am
1) Mom's garden.

2) This:
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1886/44719576152_36847e94fe.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2b8HvZ3)
P1040830 (https://flic.kr/p/2b8HvZ3) by Andrij (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bebchenko/), on Flickr
Replaced the brake blocks, bolted on the bottle cage, then added my Carradice. 

A friend is letting me borrow this GTR 4 Series during my Leftpondian visit.  Took it for a spin around the block and all is well.  Now I just need to figure out how to fit in rides around all the other things going on here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 19 September, 2018, 08:33:25 pm
A traditional Danish turf ridge for the house....that's 30% of it anyway.

Only 7 tonnes to go......

(https://i.imgur.com/hzy3cqD.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 September, 2018, 03:04:09 pm
Got a horrible, horrible Coleman lantern working.  Kim - thorium mantles!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 September, 2018, 03:48:10 pm
Quote from: Aunt Maud on 19 September, 2018, 08:33:25 pm
A traditional Danish turf ridge for the house....that's 30% of it anyway.

Only 7 tonnes to go......

(https://i.imgur.com/hzy3cqD.jpg)

That is, if you'll pardon the expression, seriously cool.  And you'll be able to graze goats on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 September, 2018, 07:06:02 pm
Quote from: T42 on 21 September, 2018, 03:48:10 pm
Quote from: Aunt Maud on 19 September, 2018, 08:33:25 pm
A traditional Danish turf ridge for the house....that's 30% of it anyway.

Only 7 tonnes to go......

(https://i.imgur.com/hzy3cqD.jpg)

That is, if you'll pardon the expression, seriously cool.  And you'll be able to graze goats on it.

I want to see the 'after' photos of pygmy goats standing on Aunt Maud's roof  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 22 September, 2018, 07:59:57 am
Cleaned the 'winter' recumbent, and cleaned and lubed the chain, after its summer sitting in the corner of the garage while its big brother, the 700c recumbent, does all the work.

But now the days are shorter, the winds windier, and the rain wetter, it's time to think ahead a few weeks to when the big 'bent goes to bed for the long dark days, and its little brother, shod with it's thorn-resistant Marathon Racers and mudguards, splashes about in the puddles, amongst the hawthorn hedge trimmings kindly spread across the road by the local hedge-manglers.

And as a reward, I took it for a short spin to the vet's to pick up the dog's car sickness pills ready for tomorrows long trip to Pembrokeshire.  I can report that the new Ventisit seat pad is perfect, and the little 'bent is ready for winter.  Even if I'm not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 22 September, 2018, 08:24:43 am
Marathon Racers thorn-resistant? Not in my world!

Durano Plus have served me well, except they are no longer making 20” ones  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 22 September, 2018, 09:20:32 am
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 22 September, 2018, 08:24:43 am
Marathon Racers thorn-resistant? Not in my world!

Durano Plus have served me well, except they are no longer making 20” ones  :(

Well, according to the Continental website, they are supposed to be almost as good as the M+, which I've had, and tried the Racers to see if they were a bit quicker. 

Having said that, the only thorn-related punc*ure I've had was about 50 miles after I fitted the M+, several years ago.

The Racers did succumb to a bit of wire recently.  But I'll forgive them that.

I live in hawthorn hedge country and you have to do whatever you can, otherwise you'd be full time punc*ure fixing.  Now, I've blown it.  Bound to get some visits now…..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 22 September, 2018, 09:46:13 am
Quote from: andytheflyer on 22 September, 2018, 09:20:32 am
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 22 September, 2018, 08:24:43 am
Marathon Racers thorn-resistant? Not in my world!

Durano Plus have served me well, except they are no longer making 20” ones  :(

Well, according to the Continental website, they are supposed to be almost as good as the M+, which I've had, and tried the Racers to see if they were a bit quicker. 

Having said that, the only thorn-related punc*ure I've had was about 50 miles after I fitted the M+, several years ago.

The Racers did succumb to a bit of wire recently.  But I'll forgive them that.

I live in hawthorn hedge country and you have to do whatever you can, otherwise you'd be full time punc*ure fixing.  Now, I've blown it.  Bound to get some visits now…..
I guess you mean the Schwalbe Website.

My experience with the racers was bad (wore too quickly and too puncture prone). A friend has a marathon racer on the rear wheel of his velomobile and he is about to swap that to a marathon greenguard (the normal one) as he had two punctures. A rear wheel puncture in a velomobile is a pain, and with mine much more as I have to take out the rear wheel. I originally had kojaks on the back and swapped for marathon greenguard after two punctures. Nine since, and that's two years and 15.000km. Only one front wheel puncture in a Durano Plus and it had done 8.000km at that point. I live in an agricultural area so lots of flints on the road. We ride in deepest darkest winter too, and it can get down to minus ten here in Germany.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 22 September, 2018, 10:47:47 am
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 22 September, 2018, 09:46:13 am
I guess you mean the Schwalbe Website.

Indeed I do.  Confused with the Hardshells I have on my700c recumbent.  Doh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 September, 2018, 04:41:30 pm
Switched the caged bearings on the Claud Butler for loose ball bearings. The crown race looks very notchy, but hopefully this will keep the bike going for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 23 September, 2018, 02:12:22 pm
Dismantled front of tumble drier to find the bad connection that's been causing the display to flicker and the buzzer to sound.  Contacts on rotary control cleaned and normal operation restored.  4th fix of that machine.

Dismantled hob to find part number of the failed element - unavailable.  I could put a lower power one in but I've always suspected the biggest ring was two stage with one stage failed.  That is now confirmed and that element is unavailable too so ordered a complete new hob.

Replaced cat flap, it's a microchip jobbie and the electronics failed.  Only about 5 years old.  Had to fit the exact same model again as the alternatives are barely bigger than the hole in the door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 September, 2018, 03:59:15 pm
Built up 3/4 of a touring bike for a friend : Ti frame and carbon forks purchased from another friend and groupset/wheels/tyres/saddle etc  all new on a stonking trade deal from Madison.

She's coming round later for a fitting to get stem/shifters positioned before cabling, bartape and finishing with mudguards and rack.

Oh, and I made a "toilet roll holder" out of MDF bits to house the blue paper roll at my shop.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 September, 2018, 08:29:20 pm
Finished the laminate flooring in my bedroom. The edge bit by the built in wardrobe took a bit off thinking,  but a right angled moulding just about matches the height of the floor runner and drops neatly into the slot tween flooring and runner. Verdict: quite pleased with my l33t flooring skills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 September, 2018, 09:20:05 pm
Replaced the screw-in pulleys that were holding four bikes in the garage roof with more substantial metal pulleys secured by 100kg strength chain around the roof beam.  More confident now that I won't one day find a bike embedded in the car roof.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 September, 2018, 02:23:20 pm
With the aid of the old standbys gaffer tape and superglue I have reattached the arm of my specs that I b0rked off last week.  Probably won't last before needing refettling and the next time I need new lenses I'll have to get new frames as well, but at least they don't fall off when I yawn any more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 September, 2018, 07:42:30 am
Stripped and cleaned another secondhand Coleman lantern.  Thankfully this one hadn't been run on petrol, so wasn't clogged.  Mantles didn't survive the post, so I haven't tried it yet.  Interested to see if a twin mantle 285 produces more light than a single mantle 282, given that they use exactly the same generator tube and gas jet and would be expected to have the same fuel flow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 September, 2018, 12:05:47 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 28 September, 2018, 07:42:30 am
Stripped and cleaned another secondhand Coleman lantern.  Thankfully this one hadn't been run on petrol, so wasn't clogged.  Mantles didn't survive the post, so I haven't tried it yet.  Interested to see if a twin mantle 285 produces more light than a single mantle 282, given that they use exactly the same generator tube and gas jet and would be expected to have the same fuel flow.

Are you preparing for the post-Brexit dystopia or something, RZ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 September, 2018, 03:21:12 pm
Decommissioned a pair of 500watt halogen floodlights from my garden - on the basis that they required their own, dedicated Drax B to run them.
Replaced them with a pair of PIR activated 30watt LED ones.
I think they may be a little dimmer than their predecessors but the planet may feel a little less slain, and the foxes will still be able to see where they are shitting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 September, 2018, 05:23:02 pm
Set up the tubeless Almotion tyres on HK's new Tripster AT and it seemed easy enough. The front snapped into place with a track pump but the rear needed a pressure tank to seat it. Stans sealant 60ml, so will probably need to top it up in 6 months or so?

Once I find the carbon hacksaw blade, I can trim the steerer, fit the bung and then swap over saddle, seatpost and mudguards from her Condor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 October, 2018, 10:47:40 pm
Fixed a sticking non-return valve on an old Silca Pista pump.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 October, 2018, 03:12:59 pm
Fettle-fail :(

My long-suffering Maplin WG-022 multimeter had a dicky input socket.  I sorted out the solder joint (which had failed because the through-hole pins of the socket weren't long enough to go all the way through the hole  ???) and gave the rotary switch contacts a good cleaning, but it was still widely inaccurate.  I discovered that the trimpot that looked like it ought to adjust the LCD contrast was actually a general calibration thing, and after some unsuccessful tweaking, gave it the contact cleaner and repeated wiggling treatment.  That sort-of helped, in that the reading no longer changes when you thump it, but the adjustment still seems to drift all over the place (having reassembled the case it's now reading 5.86V from what three other meters[1] and the power supply reckon to be 5.0somethingV).

The LCD contrast is getting pretty marginal too, and doesn't seem to have any adjustment.

So it's getting retired (or perhaps relegated to continuity-testing duty - that still works).  I have much better meters now, but after 24 years I've become rather attached to it.


[1] One of those two-for-a-fiver meters is letting the side down with 4.8V, but we hardly expect precision from those.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 October, 2018, 03:35:54 pm
Fettle isn't quite the word, since I wasn't fixing or furbishing anything; but I made a Gibson-style truss rod for my current build, and used an offcut from the same rod to make a gouge wherewith to impart to the bottom of the routed truss-rod trench the correct curvature. By doing this I must have saved myself, oh, at least 6 euros.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 03 October, 2018, 06:15:07 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 29 September, 2018, 03:21:12 pm
Decommissioned a pair of 500watt halogen floodlights from my garden - on the basis that they required their own, dedicated Drax B to run them.
Replaced them with a pair of PIR activated 30watt LED ones.
I think they may be a little dimmer than their predecessors but the planet may feel a little less slain, and the foxes will still be able to see where they are shitting.

Given that the normal LED->incandescent guideline multiplier is 10x, it's no surprise that they are dimmer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 October, 2018, 07:50:19 pm
Half built the big yellow Harry Quinn.  It's going to be the best of the lot.  Also put the resprayed not-Holdsworth fork on the Holdsworth, along with a slightly nicer headset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 05 October, 2018, 07:59:09 pm
replaced the supplied sleeve anchors made of chees with some decent ones for a set of pull up bars.

Then took my newly built wheel and fixed the sprocket to it (having unscrewed it from the previous wheel) added the disc and then added tubeless tyre before reassembling in the bike.

The tyre inflated beautifully easily with just a track pump.  Allowed to deflate before adding new finishline goo and reinflated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 05 October, 2018, 08:12:51 pm
Quote from: chrisbainbridge on 05 October, 2018, 07:59:09 pm
replaced the supplied sleeve anchors made of chees with some decent ones ...

That's SOP for any supplied wall mountings for anything.

Bin them, without even looking at them.
Then use something appropriate for the task in hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 October, 2018, 10:08:12 am
Recently trimmed HK's new bike's carbon steerer, fitted the Condor's seatpost / saddle and taped the bars for a maiden voyage. Topped up the rear tyre afterwards. Seems to have been a success. Time to order silver seatpost and shorter stem and fit the Condor's dynamo lights and mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 October, 2018, 01:45:09 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 05 October, 2018, 08:12:51 pm
Quote from: chrisbainbridge on 05 October, 2018, 07:59:09 pm
replaced the supplied sleeve anchors made of chees with some decent ones ...

That's SOP for any supplied wall mountings for anything.

Bin them, without even looking at them.
Then use something appropriate for the task in hand.

I tend to just stick them in a drawer in case they come in useful.  Occasionally they turn out to be appropriate for mounting some much less demanding item.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 October, 2018, 06:26:05 pm
Swapped the Cyo, pump and mudguards from HK's Condor to her Kinesis. Replaced the broken mudguard taillight. Reshaped the rear mudguard for a better fit. Straightened the big chainring and tweaked the front derailleur. It all took longer than it should but nothing was bodged, which is something. HK should have fun on the mini-tour over the next few days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 07 October, 2018, 12:09:44 pm
Washed the good bike and decided to send it for a service.  Could do it myself but whilst I am earning, it is worth supporting my local bike maintenance team.

Then looked at the tubeless tyre I fitted the other day to find it flat.  Pumped it up again and found a steady leak round about a 1/3rd of the circumference.  Realised it was quite an old tyre and been standing in funny positions for a while so removed and binned it.  Next newish tyre seems to be holding pressure.

Spent a couple of hours last night with the France by velo St Malo to Nice book and transcribing it into 200km chunks on RWGPS for a planned ride next summer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 October, 2018, 09:55:01 am
Got the TSR as far as I could without brake levers.  Have also increased the preload on the fork, as I think I'm heavier than the previous owner, and dropped bars put more weight on the front too.

Next on the list is to fit mudguards to the yellow Harry Quinn.  Not my favourite job.  Nothing involving a hacksaw ever is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 October, 2018, 09:58:48 am
Consider swapping to the progressive rate, stiffer 'race' spring. It made a big difference for me, along with more friction damping than most folk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 October, 2018, 06:41:53 pm
Where can I get one of those springs?

The yellow Quinn is now all done.  Also roadified the track Quinn (it needs a longer allen nut for the brake because of the spacer I had to add to clear the crown race) and straightened the slightly wonky 56T chainring on the TSR.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: slope on 08 October, 2018, 06:56:19 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 08 October, 2018, 06:41:53 pm
Where can I get one of those springs?

that them there - https://fudgescyclesonline.com/index.php?p=170253
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 October, 2018, 07:02:21 pm
Something I didn't fettle at the weekend was my bars. I was going to drill holes in them. Woah! Weakening a safety-critical component is a drillium too far! Fear not, I wasn't going to use them. I was going to play them. Old bars (Salsa, so good quality but the shape never suited me) that came as fitted to the Pacer, I've discovered they make a surprisingly passable musical instrument, but somewhat lacking in range... so if I drill some holes, they become a DIY trumpet.  ::-) Okay, it's probably best for all, especially the neighbours, that I just abandon this idea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 October, 2018, 07:18:46 pm
You can get a race spring direct from Moulton if you can't find a local shop to supply one. Use moly grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 October, 2018, 12:02:08 pm
The good news is that my 1 x 9 setup on the TSR all lines up properly, with the 56T chainring in line with the 5th sprocket.  The bad news is that, with an 11-30 cassette, it needs another 2 inches of chain to be comfortable (the rear mech isn't fully stretched out in the 30T, but it looks very wrong).  No-one sells 9-speed chains of 120 links, so I had to join two together.

Other weirdness: I had to put a 10 x 1mm washer under the rear mech because otherwise the protruding rear mech bolt fouled the chain in the 11T sprocket.

Just need to cable up the brakes and tape the bars now.  It's all temporary because I have some oversize Ritchey drops I really want to use, but the particular silver 35 deg oversize stem  I need is on back order.  In the USA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 October, 2018, 01:26:25 pm
All the derailleur TSRs need that washer because of thin dropouts. The upmarket bikes have contoured dropouts which avoid needing a washer.

I needed Moulton's very expensive 150mm stainless stem (welded and silver brazed) to get the bars in the right place. AM was tall but liked short top tubes. I'd prefer it if they had long and short frame options but that'll never happen. Such is life!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 October, 2018, 03:04:01 pm
slope had fitted a 135mm 35 deg rise stem, which puts the bars in a perfectly acceptable position for me with my slammed-back saddle, but I want to use these Ritchey oversize bars and the closest stem match I could get was 110mm 35 deg rise (puts the bars fractionally closer and lower, which is better for me).  There is a 135mm 35 deg oversize stem made by IRD but the stack height of that one is unusually high and I have very little steerer to play with.

Anyway, it's all built now so I've off for a ride with an allen key in my pocket  to tune the front damping.  Currently built up with the Moulton 135mm stem and some ITM 25.8 bars I had hanging around, which are 2cm too narrow and black, so they're very much a temporary fixture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 October, 2018, 03:40:21 pm
Put some Loctite on the damping bolts. They tend to loosen off over time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 October, 2018, 07:11:52 pm
Well, I thrashed it as hard as I could without a proper warmup, including a short 1 in 6 hill, and it all worked perfectly.  The main thing is that there is no propensity to chain drop from the 1 x 9 setup, which was a slight concern with no front mech or chain watcher.  I even deliberately hit all the speed cushions through the local sink estate and ploughed through potholes to test it.  slope's wheels are very good (i don't normally like to ride wheels I haven't built myself).

I also took the big* Harry Quinn fixie for a short ride up and down the road and, happily, the brake doesn't squeak.  This is quite remarkable as it is (a) a Gran Compe GC700 centre-pull using pretty much all of its 70mm drop (b) is fitted with Kool-Stop salmon pads halfway out on their studs and (c) has a headset-mounted brake hanger, which sometimes give a nasty pulsing effect if flex under braking causes the distance from the hanger to the brake to reduce.  Having said that, centre-pulls are generally the best caliper brake option for extreme reach, provided the bridge part is stiff enough.

*23 1/2" frame but, in 1970s bike sizing, a perfect fit for me: the SR Laprade seatpost salvaged from the components it came with is exactly on the MAX mark.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 October, 2018, 01:44:38 pm
Fettle thwarted yesterday. Noticed one of the neighbour's kids was riding around with his front brake cable disconnected. Lever was there, brake was there, cable was all wrapped round the noodle. I'll sort that for you, I said. Kid said the cable was broken, I didn't think it was. Managed to reconnect the cable but only then noticed the problem was that the arm of the V-brake was broken; the slot that the noodle clips into was mashed up, as if someone had tried to remove the cable by simply pulling as hard as they could rather than unclipping it. I think I've got some spare V-brakes somewhere which I'm unlikely to use so I said if I see him again, I'll fix it for him. "Say thank you," said his mum. "It doesn't matter cos I've got the back brake anyway," he said, but he seemed quite pleased. Trouble is, she's got three other kids, so I might have let myself in for a lot of BSO-fettling now.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 October, 2018, 01:57:31 pm
While waiting for a bus, I saw an oik riding through Cambridge last week with both V-Brakes similarly disconnected, I didn't offer my fettling services.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 10 October, 2018, 03:11:52 pm
Par for the course round here. Many seem affronted at the idea of parting with actual money for fettling stuff...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 October, 2018, 03:49:53 pm
Helped the missus stripping 30 years' worth of ivy off the well.  Long way to go yet: some of the creepers are as thick as my thumb and need bolt-cutters. Thon fella who chopped through tangled thorns with his doughty blade to reach the Sleeping Beauty would have come in handy, though what she'd have been doing down our well I've no idea. Starring in the Alsacien version of Ringu, maybe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 October, 2018, 08:04:36 pm
In the process of fixing a bike where the customer had "gear changing problems" ..... chain un-shipping to between the cassette and dropout.

He said:  "I adjusted this bit just a little"   -  expecting him to point to the barrel adjuster he pointed to the cable clamp bolt! You got it, he had released the cable tension  (although that also suggests he probably turned the limit/stop screw too)

.... still that's all good for my shop workshop revenue.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 October, 2018, 08:19:12 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 10 October, 2018, 03:11:52 pm
Par for the course round here. Many seem affronted at the idea of parting with actual money for fettling stuff...

Well the bikes are such kwality...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 14 October, 2018, 01:56:41 pm
My Shimano pedals finally needed replacing after 25 years of use. They had never been removed since fitting and at the time I didn't have any Copperslip grease available. :facepalm:

First pedal was removed with difficulty using a long spanner and a large hammer.

The other pedal (chainring side) refused to budge at all, even with overnight soaking in releasing fluid.

Applied heat to the pedal/crank area with a blowlamp. Still no luck using a long spanner and a bigger hammer.

Eventually, removed chainset from the bike and stripped down the pedal so that I could hold the pedal spindle in my bench vise.

Found a 5' length of 2x2 timber, and using five toestraps, attached the timber to the crank and spider. Didn't attach to the chainrings, due to the risk of buckling them.

Pushing heavily on the end of the timber resulted in the crank slightly undoing from the pedal spindle. After that, I was able to undo the rest of the way by pushing and pulling on the chainrings. :thumbsup:

This time, when fitting the new pedals, I made sure to apply Copperslip grease to the threads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 October, 2018, 03:17:54 pm
I broke a pedal spanner this morning :( A Park Tools one too.
Bought a chunkier looking Topeak one. Hopefully that one will fare better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 14 October, 2018, 03:42:00 pm
Cyclo makez "Teh Peggal Spannuh of Doom". I haz two . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andyoxon on 14 October, 2018, 05:59:11 pm
Installed* two new Koolstop Salmons, and adjusted the other pads too.  Spent ages trying to get straddle cable length & pad toe-ins correct.  Hopefully done.

* in the ktchen - nice and warm...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 October, 2018, 08:05:35 pm
Laced a dynohub front wheel.  I'll tension and true it tomorrow night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 October, 2018, 03:13:08 pm
Did some panel beating on the Moulton. The Monosphere receptacle was dented and marked by a rear rack, so I knocked the dent out from the inside and then touched up the paint.  It's rather better now and will be almost perfect when it's dried hard and I can cut it back and blend it in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: slope on 17 October, 2018, 06:07:34 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 October, 2018, 03:13:08 pm
Did some panel beating on the Moulton. The Monosphere receptacle was dented and marked by a rear rack, so I knocked the dent out from the inside and then touched up the paint.  It's rather better now and will be almost perfect when it's dried hard and I can cut it back and blend it in.

 :-[ :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 October, 2018, 10:01:01 pm
Also winterised the big Quinn (smeared vaseline over all the chromed fasteners and waxed the frame).  It'll look terrible when it attracts dirt, but it'll all wipe off in spring and it really does stop the salt corrosion.  In t'olden days my dad used to smear chromed rims too...hopefully not the brake tracks!

Then bolted on a dynamo headlight and took it round the block just now to check the aim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 21 October, 2018, 09:55:42 am
Yesterday actually - laid a new vinyl floor in the bathroom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 October, 2018, 09:43:01 pm
Purple, natch . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 22 October, 2018, 06:33:36 am
Sadly not! ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 October, 2018, 12:03:43 am
my bike has developed a creak (the typical higher effort out of the saddle one), so the first suspects were bb and chainset as that's where the noise seemed to come from. dismantled everything, cleaned and regreased bb, chainring bolts, pedal threads, reassembled. took the bike out for a spin - still creaks!
stem bolts and headset assembly are next on the list. i can't remember having any creaks on any of my bikes in the past ten years so really intrigued what's causing this one!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:04:30 am
I glued some wheels to a fish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 23 October, 2018, 12:11:15 am
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:04:30 am
I glued some wheels to a fish.

Have you been near Nikki again?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:15:34 am
Quote from: Butterfly on 23 October, 2018, 12:11:15 am
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:04:30 am
I glued some wheels to a fish.

Have you been near Nikki again?

I can see how you'd think that, but obviously as an elite track racer I don't hang around with mucky mountain bikers (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5506.msg2335325#msg2335325).   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 October, 2018, 11:48:28 am
Removed the faulty FSA BB from the Moulton, which was sounding like a flock of canaries. 

While it was out, I serviced the rear pivot, which is all fine (slope had changed it fairly recently).  The hollow sleeve feels good in the bronze bushes.  Then I pumped it with grease again until it spewed out of both sides, working the rear triangle up and down through its full range with the Monosphere unattached.

Just need the new Tange BB to turn up now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 October, 2018, 01:26:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:15:34 am
Quote from: Butterfly on 23 October, 2018, 12:11:15 am
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:04:30 am
I glued some wheels to a fish.

Have you been near Nikki again?

I can see how you'd think that, but obviously as an elite track racer I don't hang around with mucky mountain bikers (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5506.msg2335325#msg2335325).   :D

Be advised that Fabien Canal, who claimed third place at Battle Mountain this year, is one o' they mucky mountain bikers ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 05:31:28 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 23 October, 2018, 01:26:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:15:34 am
Quote from: Butterfly on 23 October, 2018, 12:11:15 am
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:04:30 am
I glued some wheels to a fish.

Have you been near Nikki again?

I can see how you'd think that, but obviously as an elite track racer I don't hang around with mucky mountain bikers (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5506.msg2335325#msg2335325).   :D

Be advised that Fabien Canal, who claimed third place at Battle Mountain this year, is one o' they mucky mountain bikers ;D

Yes, well, he seems to have got the right idea having come over to the darkside...   :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 23 October, 2018, 05:41:58 pm
I collected my new Flevobike Versatile Velomobile on Sunday.

No fettling has taken place (except some by Ligfietsshop Tempelman in Dronten), but I have quite a bit to do to make Bertie a suitable commuting bike. Parts are ordered and arrived today.

New pedals - SPDs instead of the flats; with a velomobile this is a must!

Adjust the lamps so they actually shine where I am going. This may involve additional fettling as they look like they are at their maximum upward angle and are behind plexi covers which can't easily be removed
(subitem 1) remove the sticky label over both new B&M lights 'peel before use' which wasn't peeled and cannot be reached due to aforementioned plexi
(subitem 2) remove dead insects stuck behind plexi, but with all access blocked by new B&M lights which I paid to have fitted.

Clean him out - he sat in a junkyard for 3-4 years and this did not improve his overall cleanliness

Try to work out if I can just spray some new yellow paint on him as he was in an accident and is gouged and scratched. If it is all yellow I think it will look a bit better

Adjust the seat a little further back but there is no pedal adjustment with the Versatile so I hope I can do this and still reach the pedals comfortably. At the moment my thighs are rubbing the inside of the wheelbases uncomfortably. In Penelope my previous Versatile the whole pedal arrangement was in the 'back' position (it is in the 'front' in Bertie) and changing this is a mega pain. Current 'front' position allows a lot more luggage space which is a bonus

Change all three tubes to AV (Schraeder) from the Blitz Ventil that Dutch bikes have

Change the rear tyre from a Marathon Racer to a sensible tyre for winter commuting

Try to improve the opening of the entrance hatch hinge (was damaged by the crash, is pretty ropy)

Stick my Bee stickers on the side, as he is Bertie the Bee (we live in a house belonging to a beekeeper and a yellow and black Versatile just has to be a bee, really).

So a bit of work to do on Saturday...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 October, 2018, 06:13:02 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 23 October, 2018, 12:03:43 am
my bike has developed a creak (the typical higher effort out of the saddle one), so the first suspects were bb and chainset as that's where the noise seemed to come from. dismantled everything, cleaned and regreased bb, chainring bolts, pedal threads, reassembled. took the bike out for a spin - still creaks!
stem bolts and headset assembly are next on the list. i can't remember having any creaks on any of my bikes in the past ten years so really intrigued what's causing this one!

so, it was the headset assembly (i could swear the noise was coming from the bb!..). after a clean and re-greasing of bearing surfaces all is quiet now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 23 October, 2018, 06:59:50 pm
Changed the drum bearings in our 20 yo Hotpoint washing machine.

What a job.  Took all day, I'm 99.9% knackered.  Essentially a total dismantling of the machine to extract then split the drum, drift out the bearings and seal, then fit new ones. At least I now know where the racket was coming from.  The old bearings were 100% shot.

Had a couple of wrong roads on the build back up - getting the door seal back on necessitated taking off the front panel, c/w the door seal, then mating this to the drum on the bench.  Then reassembling as a unit.  The drum halves are held together with spring clips, but getting these back in place when the drum is in the machine case resulted in a couple of cuts from the sharp casing panel edges.  Ouch.

That sounds easy, until you factor in the bloody great big concrete weight bolted to the underside of the drum. Had to waste a hour or so working out the optimum sequence of re-assembly steps so that it could all go back together.

Splitting the drum meant that I also ordered a new seal, to go with the drum spider and the bearings/seals.  Except that, despite ordering the correct part according to the model number, it's wrong. So I had to re-use the old seal - which looks to be in good nick and I put it back with plenty of silicone grease.  We used to use that with O rings and seals on underwater survey kit when I was a young marine geologist  Fingers crossed.

Also had to un-seize one of the drum dampers, so at least the drum should be much quieter and smoother  now.  Provided it doesn't leak that is.

Too tired to try it out tonight, so will be connecting up in the middle of the kitchen floor tomorrow and trying a short wash to look for leaks. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 23 October, 2018, 07:22:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:04:30 am
I glued some wheels to a fish.
Well that definitely removes its need for a bicycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 07:43:02 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 23 October, 2018, 07:22:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 October, 2018, 12:04:30 am
I glued some wheels to a fish.
Well that definitely removes its need for a bicycle.

Funnily enough, the BHPC Ladies' trophy (for it was that) bears the caption "...like a fish needs a bicycle?".  I'm not entirely sure what to make of it, other than it reflecting the importance of not taking these things too seriously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 23 October, 2018, 09:48:09 pm
The white plastic mouldings on the rear edge of both glass shelves in my Zanussi fridge had broken, resulting in wonky shelves.   Ransom Spares had the bits in stock & I've now got firm, level shelves again  :thumbsup:


I also got a new "smart" ID card at work, which means I can take my laptop home & log in via the businesses secure VPN, so I've fettled a little home office on my kitchen table.  I've always resisted this,  but with my current wonky ankle it seems a sensible precaution.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 24 October, 2018, 09:12:36 am
Quote from: andytheflyer on 23 October, 2018, 06:59:50 pm
Changed the drum bearings in our 20 yo Hotpoint washing machine.

What a job.  Took all day, I'm 99.9% knackered.  Essentially a total dismantling of the machine to extract then split the drum, drift out the bearings and seal, then fit new ones. At least I now know where the racket was coming from.  The old bearings were 100% shot...
 

Been there, done that (about 20 years ago with a 10yr old Hotpoint it lasted another 6+ years after that)
Now you know why engineers usually just tell you "it's knackered - you need a new one..."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 24 October, 2018, 01:02:16 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 24 October, 2018, 09:12:36 am
Quote from: andytheflyer on 23 October, 2018, 06:59:50 pm
Changed the drum bearings in our 20 yo Hotpoint washing machine.

What a job.  Took all day, I'm 99.9% knackered.  Essentially a total dismantling of the machine to extract then split the drum, drift out the bearings and seal, then fit new ones. At least I now know where the racket was coming from.  The old bearings were 100% shot...
 

Been there, done that (about 20 years ago with a 10yr old Hotpoint it lasted another 6+ years after that)
Now you know why engineers usually just tell you "it's knackered - you need a new one..."

If I'd had to pay a bloke to do the job I wouldn't have gone down that route.  It would have been off to the recyclers.  But, given that it's done sterling service, with bugger all of significance wrong over the years (I even think the motor is still on its original brushes), I sort of felt an obligation to help it get over the bearing pain.  It's a bit like the loyalty you feel for an ageing and increasingly infirm dog.

I note that all the major parts are available second hand, so maybe a respray of the slightly tatty front panel is called for.  This thing will see me out at this rate!

Mind you, I'm about to drag it back into the kitchen and try a quick wash, with old towels and mops at the ready.  If this goes badly, I have the choice of pulling the front of the drum off and fitting a new seal, or calling it quits and having the old dog put to sleep.



EDIT: I can report nary a drop of water left the drum in an unauthorised manner, and I did 2 quick washes while I watched it. Phew, I haven't got to change that drum seal.  Even better, I only ended up with 1 screw left when I'd put the casing back together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 24 October, 2018, 04:05:57 pm
Bin bins.  ;D HT to Cudzoziemiec
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/dh238zpr2h5iyfu/bin_bins.JPG?raw=1)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 October, 2018, 06:05:13 pm
 :thumbsup:

These must be posted in the Bins for Jane thread immediately!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 October, 2018, 06:37:12 pm
Ob. xkcd:

(https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/license_plate.png)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 October, 2018, 07:36:57 pm
Oh oh oh!  ;D
Or rather, one one one oh one!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 26 October, 2018, 03:23:12 pm
Fettled the leaves on the pavement outside into bin bags.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 October, 2018, 04:52:04 pm
Replaced the RCD twin socket faceplate on the shed power supply. We had (yet another) power drop out earlier this week, and my wife managed to trip the old one. Then it didn’t want to reset for several tries, and it powers the “outside” freezer, so replacement was needed. Added bonus is that this one is switched, so if the outside PIR lamp “sticks” on (as it sometimes does after a power cut) my wife can simply switch it off and on again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 26 October, 2018, 09:13:34 pm
Made a cross-cut sled for my new (to me) table saw.  The fence isn't quite square, but it runs across the table on wooden battens in the mitre slots, and these have a tad of play.  When the aluminium strip ones arrive I should be able to replace the wooden battens and finish the fettling and get it dead square.

It's still a scary beast though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 October, 2018, 09:19:22 pm
The Moulton now has 31.8mm (silver, slope) dropped bars and a matching stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 October, 2018, 10:22:36 pm
following torslanda's recommendation, replaced the brakeset on my hybrid bike (avid juicy three to shimano 315) as the piston, seal and bleed kit for avids would have cost more (not even accounting for the faff) than the new ready to fit brakeset. they do feel more "budget", heavier by 60g, but work well enough and there's no rubbing on the rotors when swaying the bike side to side even on the hardest sprints.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 October, 2018, 10:26:55 am
The biggest advantage of the budget Shimano brakes is how easy they are to fettle. Even in the wild...

Thanks for the name check, feedback is always appreciated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 27 October, 2018, 03:50:19 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 27 October, 2018, 10:26:55 am
The biggest advantage of the budget Shimano brakes is how easy they are to fettle. Even in the wild...

is there a trick to remove and reinstall the safety pin without the pliers? i'd have much preferred something removable with a small allen key.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 27 October, 2018, 04:15:37 pm
Not that I'm aware of. Mind you, most split pins are soft enough that levering them out will straighten them. The downside is what it might do to the caliper...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 October, 2018, 04:18:58 pm
This lot:
Studded tyres onto the commuter, and moved the cassette from the old borked hub onto the new emergency wheel from Spa.

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1971/30641859247_440a0deea5.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NFHxd4)2018-10-27_04-16-10 (https://flic.kr/p/NFHxd4) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 October, 2018, 04:57:51 pm
I should probably mention I used all the swear words trying to get the wheels back into their dropouts, and one of them is still not in yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 October, 2018, 05:22:36 pm
A brace of Ti Parts Workshop Eazy wheels, onto my Brompton (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17.msg2336884#msg2336884).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 October, 2018, 08:16:21 pm
Fettled the rebuilt Giant onto the turbo for the winter.  I'd rather have a 'bent on there, but changing the cruzbike front wheel is an almighty PITA. 

Now thinking about hitting Wilko's tomorrow and fettling all my tools into new tool boxes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 27 October, 2018, 11:07:36 pm
Quite happy with this end result, best part it is a wee bit wider so I got a better grip for my big hand. I didn't set out to do that so that is a added win.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KOGSAnWorVtjwi86RwIXnu89sFgHXH5Sw27RNYeRe3ZoqT5RzRkCeJe7UoO6y4dLPz9CQwyc8BLLglR_LJGnn4pVSjetVMtkz_yLCDJudips0md9ZJNpn8sMzbrvehYYcOhxpAqk3L4=w2400)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YQ5DTSHoyYq0OrQ7MTfUw7kNCNW3NeEebwPmt-ZCFRzrZwtK1xdQROUdCGhVhJ0w38OO5incV3iw1MQ_GMX-oa7n8key-LrRK9R1XrDAeihxa8_UXpZNICA5t17kCphOlkRTpbYIfDw=w2400)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 October, 2018, 01:16:33 pm
Quote from: woollypigs on 27 October, 2018, 11:07:36 pm
Quite happy with this end result, best part it is a wee bit wider so I got a better grip for my big hand. I didn't set out to do that so that is a added win.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KOGSAnWorVtjwi86RwIXnu89sFgHXH5Sw27RNYeRe3ZoqT5RzRkCeJe7UoO6y4dLPz9CQwyc8BLLglR_LJGnn4pVSjetVMtkz_yLCDJudips0md9ZJNpn8sMzbrvehYYcOhxpAqk3L4=w2400)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YQ5DTSHoyYq0OrQ7MTfUw7kNCNW3NeEebwPmt-ZCFRzrZwtK1xdQROUdCGhVhJ0w38OO5incV3iw1MQ_GMX-oa7n8key-LrRK9R1XrDAeihxa8_UXpZNICA5t17kCphOlkRTpbYIfDw=w2400)

That's very pretty. What did you finish it with?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 28 October, 2018, 06:12:39 pm
Dunno what the wood is, some off cut from somewhere.

I used Danish oil. Got pretty addicted to it for any wood work I do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 October, 2018, 06:41:26 pm
Replaced a slashed Grand Prix on HK's trike with a Durano before a trike trundle with Jim and Edwin. If I build up the enthusiasm, I'll swap the other side to a winter tyre too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 October, 2018, 06:45:04 pm
Got the recalcitrant wheel back into the commuter. Had another failed attempt at removing a pedal.
At some point I'll take the cranks off (drive side, natch) and stick it in the vice, but not today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sojournermike on 01 November, 2018, 09:35:10 pm
 Built two rear wheels and had an MRI on my knee - hospital called at 6.30pm with an 8.00pm slot.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 November, 2018, 10:22:33 am
About to replace the rubber tube that connects burner tap to gas bottle in my workshop heater, a horrible process akin to getting your foot into a shoe three sizes too small. Both feet, since it has two ends.

Legend on tube says to replace it before 2017, new one says 2023. New tube is 1m50 long and I only need 75 cm, so I reckon I can cut it in two and get 10 years out of it instead of five.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 02 November, 2018, 01:05:14 pm
Adjusted the 10" blade on my new (to me) SIP table saw so that it tracks parallel to the mitre slots.

After much, much to-ing and fro-ing, and cranking my hand to get at the 4 near-inaccessible bolts that clamp the motor assembly to the table top, and checking the offset twixt mitre slot and a 3 foot steel ruler clamped along the plane of the blade, multiple times, I got it to <0.3mm over a distance of 450mm.  Close enough, methinks.

Good job I'm retired, I'd never have the time to devote to this if I had something else to do in the day.....

Now, on to finish the cross cut sled so I can cut stuff without losing my fingers at the same time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 November, 2018, 01:09:59 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 November, 2018, 10:22:33 am
Legend on tube says to replace it before 2017, new one says 2023. New tube is 1m50 long and I only need 75 cm, so I reckon I can cut it in two and get 10 years out of it instead of five.

Doesn't the rubber deteriorate at the same rate, regardless of whether it's being used?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 November, 2018, 01:13:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 November, 2018, 01:09:59 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 November, 2018, 10:22:33 am
Legend on tube says to replace it before 2017, new one says 2023. New tube is 1m50 long and I only need 75 cm, so I reckon I can cut it in two and get 10 years out of it instead of five.

Doesn't the rubber deteriorate at the same rate, regardless of whether it's being used?
That's my understanding too. The regulator fitted to the top of the bottle has a finite life time as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 November, 2018, 01:23:08 pm
I think UV, temperature etc. etc. have a major part to play in the degradation. The 5 year "service life" will be for exterior pigtails - and is a recommendation, not legislative. So keeping the spare in a dark drawer/cupboard will be fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 02 November, 2018, 02:31:03 pm
As long as it doesn't harden like tyres do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 November, 2018, 03:28:03 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 02 November, 2018, 01:23:08 pm
I think UV, temperature etc. etc. have a major part to play in the degradation. The 5 year "service life" will be for exterior pigtails - and is a recommendation, not legislative. So keeping the spare in a dark drawer/cupboard will be fine.

exactly, cool, dark and not exposed to service gas, temperature or pressure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 02 November, 2018, 03:57:41 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 November, 2018, 10:22:33 am
About to replace the rubber tube that connects burner tap to gas bottle in my workshop heater, a horrible process akin to getting your foot into a shoe three sizes too small. Both feet, since it has two ends.

Legend on tube says to replace it before 2017, new one says 2023. New tube is 1m50 long and I only need 75 cm, so I reckon I can cut it in two and get 10 years out of it instead of five.

If that's the standard tubing for butane/propane cylinders I've had lots joy heating the male part with a cigarette lighter first to make it easier, somebody will be along in a mo to tell me I should have died in a fireball some years ago
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 02 November, 2018, 05:28:42 pm
Quote from: Si S on 02 November, 2018, 03:57:41 pm
If that's the standard tubing for butane/propane cylinders I've had lots joy heating the male part with a cigarette lighter first to make it easier, somebody will be along in a mo to tell me I should have died in a fireball some years ago
It's usually best to rinse it in petrol first.
:demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 02 November, 2018, 06:30:59 pm
the screw holding the bottom fixing of a shower rail has snapped because of rust. annoyingly it snapped almost flush with the tile. spent a jolly good hour drilling holes into the plastic plug around the screw with a tiny drill bit (also broke one in the process). managed to wiggle the rusty screw out and put in a new one in, covered with grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 November, 2018, 06:44:32 pm
Steady progress is being made on an Airfix 1:32 scale 1910 B Type Bus.

Dad was given this for his 40th birthday and for some reason never got round to making it up, which means the kit is over 50 years old. It turned up when we were clearing the house. I haven't made an Airfix kit since I was about 12, so it'll take a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 November, 2018, 06:54:58 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 02 November, 2018, 06:44:32 pm
Steady progress is being made on an Airfix 1:32 scale 1910 B Type Bus.

Dad was given this for his 40th birthday and for some reason never got round to making it up, which means the kit is over 50 years old. It turned up when we were clearing the house. I haven't made an Airfix kit since I was about 12, so it'll take a while.
Do you need any dichlo?
I've 500ml that I don't know what to do with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 02 November, 2018, 07:53:09 pm
Retaped a tubeless rim, new valve fitted, and reinflated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 03 November, 2018, 03:37:13 pm
Fitted the Shimano disc brakes to the single speed mountain bike, then tested.

Effectively defetteled my offset smoker
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 November, 2018, 04:33:38 pm
Xmas (and the rest of the year) festive lights, have moved into the 21st century and had their filament lamps replaced by LEDs.
960 of them.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4879/45648916872_36e7ce7377_c.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 November, 2018, 05:09:27 pm
Top retro phone there J.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 November, 2018, 05:16:44 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 03 November, 2018, 05:09:27 pm
Top retro phone there J.
Thank you.
It won't take/make calls.
The reason I have it connected is for the ring tone.

My desk phone is a https://www.pmctelecom.co.uk/telephones/corded-telephones-analogue/corded-home-office-telephones/jacob-jensen-t3-designer-corded-telephone (https://www.pmctelecom.co.uk/telephones/corded-telephones-analogue/corded-home-office-telephones/jacob-jensen-t3-designer-corded-telephone)
I'm not overfond of present day ring tone offerings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 November, 2018, 05:47:48 pm
It's been downhill ever since the Trimphone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 November, 2018, 05:49:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 November, 2018, 05:47:48 pm
It's been downhill ever since the Trimphone.
Plummeting to oblivion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 03 November, 2018, 05:49:44 pm
I do wonder for how much longer BT will send ringing current down the line as most phones these days generated their own tones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 November, 2018, 05:53:31 pm
Quote from: Beardy on 03 November, 2018, 05:49:44 pm
I do wonder for how much longer BT will send ringing current down the line as most phones these days generated their own tones.

Until they phase out POTS entirely (I'm not holding my breath).  Why break an established standard for no obvious benefit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 03 November, 2018, 06:00:26 pm
Well, a couple of obvious benefits would be the removal of ringing machines in exchanges, and a reduction of noise created by 75v AC. As standards go, the 75v AC is very robust, and it has the advantage of keep dry joins from oxidising, but I can’t think of many other benefits to keeping it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 November, 2018, 06:10:49 pm
Stops you falling asleep while fettling patch panels...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 03 November, 2018, 06:26:23 pm
It does that, though a telex signal was best for waking you up on a Monday morning. 80v+ve DC for mark and 80v-ve DC for space. But I believe that telex is no more :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 November, 2018, 07:06:21 pm
Quote from: Beardy on 03 November, 2018, 06:26:23 pm
It does that, though a telex signal was best for waking you up on a Monday morning. 80v+ve DC for mark and 80v-ve DC for space. But I believe that telex is no more :(
Say it ain't so. 25272 TICOR G, from before we even had a fax machine at work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 03 November, 2018, 09:50:38 pm
The car. Biannual jet wash/traffic film removal/snow foam/shampoo/de-I water rinse/polish/wheel change. Phew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 November, 2018, 10:19:34 pm
I made an apple pie, but during some exuberant pastry rolling I knocked my G&T over.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 03 November, 2018, 10:23:50 pm
Swapped V-brakes for some well-used mini-Vs, with a view to installing an old pair of Ergo levers, which I do prefer to the existing bar-ends. Examining the Ergos, I think the r/h lever may need some attention beyond a squirt of WD40. Had a look at couple of videos describing overhauls. Think I'll have a go - should be 'fun'! Looks as if any necessary spares are available online.  Wish me luck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 November, 2018, 08:48:26 am
Squirted waterproofing spray at my HB bag. Brushed Thursday's crud off the bike, degreased & lubed the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 04 November, 2018, 03:55:20 pm
Cleaned, degreased and polished the car summer wheels that came off yesterday, then stored them in the shed. Dug our from the nettle patch the support for the bird feeders and set it up on the patio.  Too early to start feeding just yet. And finally did some work on my Domane build. I fitted the Duotrap sensor to the chainstay  :thumbsup: 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 November, 2018, 04:08:36 pm
Quote from: T42 on 04 November, 2018, 08:48:26 am
Squirted waterproofing spray at my HB bag.

Ah, thanks for the reminder...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 04 November, 2018, 04:30:39 pm
Cleaned the gutters out on mine, and 2 more  'senior' neighbours' houses.  About 4 buckets of moss, leaves  and soil.  Ladders now put away for the winter.  I hope....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 04 November, 2018, 04:48:35 pm
Fettled proper lights onto the commuter bike with the aid of some GoPro clamps, P-clips and an length of tubing...

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4806/45665926642_0910c50f3b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2czkP1N)
Bodgetastic (https://flic.kr/p/2czkP1N) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 November, 2018, 09:21:58 pm
Mrs P fettled new zip pulls on my waterproof jacket  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 08:51:16 am
Quote from: Pingu on 07 November, 2018, 09:21:58 pm
Mrs P fettled new zip pulls on my waterproof jacket  :thumbsup:

Must look into that. I have half a dozen still-decent jerseys on which the zip pulls have disintegrated.

How do you get the right size for the zip?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 08 November, 2018, 09:48:02 am
Quote from: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 08:51:16 am
Quote from: Pingu on 07 November, 2018, 09:21:58 pm
Mrs P fettled new zip pulls on my waterproof jacket  :thumbsup:

Must look into that. I have half a dozen still-decent jerseys on which the zip pulls have disintegrated.

How do you get the right size for the zip?

Mine is a YKK zip. The pulls have a code on the underside. They and the stoppers came from here: https://www.shelbyoutdoor.com/?cPath=402_31_82
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Butterfly on 08 November, 2018, 09:51:59 am
Replaced the broken saddle on the tandem with one from the shed. I'm not sure how it's going to be - I've not found any saddles that are perfect on there, but it'll be better than riding on a lopsided one with a broken rail. It's annoying because the broken one wasn't bad, but it was a Specialized Windie which are discontinued. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 11:22:19 am
Quote from: Pingu on 08 November, 2018, 09:48:02 am
Quote from: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 08:51:16 am
Quote from: Pingu on 07 November, 2018, 09:21:58 pm
Mrs P fettled new zip pulls on my waterproof jacket  :thumbsup:

Must look into that. I have half a dozen still-decent jerseys on which the zip pulls have disintegrated.

How do you get the right size for the zip?

Mine is a YKK zip. The pulls have a code on the underside. They and the stoppers came from here: https://www.shelbyoutdoor.com/?cPath=402_31_82

:thumbsup:

Mine are mostly YKK as well, AFAIK.  Mostly it's the bit that holds the wee tag that's gone phut and they can still be used, but one or two are sliderless.

Thanks for the link.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 November, 2018, 05:57:40 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 11:22:19 am
Quote from: Pingu on 08 November, 2018, 09:48:02 am
Quote from: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 08:51:16 am
Quote from: Pingu on 07 November, 2018, 09:21:58 pm
Mrs P fettled new zip pulls on my waterproof jacket  :thumbsup:

Must look into that. I have half a dozen still-decent jerseys on which the zip pulls have disintegrated.

How do you get the right size for the zip?

Mine is a YKK zip. The pulls have a code on the underside. They and the stoppers came from here: https://www.shelbyoutdoor.com/?cPath=402_31_82

:thumbsup:

Mine are mostly YKK as well, AFAIK.  Mostly it's the bit that holds the wee tag that's gone phut and they can still be used, but one or two are sliderless.

Thanks for the link.
If it's just a bog standard zip you should be able to find new sliders on Amazon or some haberdashery website, but Pingu's zip was one of those back to front water proof jobs, hence why the bits had to come all the way from Finland.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 November, 2018, 10:46:19 am
Fitted the hard race spring to the TSR.  Bit fiddly getting the leading links and washers back on, even with a ratchet strap compressing the suspension.  Then I had to set the ride height again.  Might give it a whirl later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 November, 2018, 11:18:18 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 08 November, 2018, 05:57:40 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 11:22:19 am
Quote from: Pingu on 08 November, 2018, 09:48:02 am
Quote from: T42 on 08 November, 2018, 08:51:16 am
Quote from: Pingu on 07 November, 2018, 09:21:58 pm
Mrs P fettled new zip pulls on my waterproof jacket  :thumbsup:

Must look into that. I have half a dozen still-decent jerseys on which the zip pulls have disintegrated.

How do you get the right size for the zip?

Mine is a YKK zip. The pulls have a code on the underside. They and the stoppers came from here: https://www.shelbyoutdoor.com/?cPath=402_31_82

:thumbsup:

Mine are mostly YKK as well, AFAIK.  Mostly it's the bit that holds the wee tag that's gone phut and they can still be used, but one or two are sliderless.

Thanks for the link.
If it's just a bog standard zip you should be able to find new sliders on Amazon or some haberdashery website, but Pingu's zip was one of those back to front water proof jobs, hence why the bits had to come all the way from Finland.

Gitcha. Ta!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 10 November, 2018, 03:15:01 pm
In part eleventy million of operation declutter-the-spare-room*, I decided to have a book clearout (I'm utterly hopeless at getting rid of books, but have finally conceded that I'm very unlikely to ever read the university textbooks I haven't looked at in 15 years). I've managed to get rid of 1 shelf's worth of books so far (out of 9)...it's a start!

At the same time, I've also decided to try and catalogue my sheet music (though not getting rid of any of that, because sheet music is necessary and I don't care what anyone says). I'm using Libib.com - but I hadn't quite realised how time-consuming it would be. Lots of my music is either fairly old or from weird publishers (damn you, Banks of York, and your super-cheap clearance sale about a decade ago), and ISBNs are rare. I may be some time... :o

*I have dreams of being able to set up the turbo trainer *and* a music stand in there one day. Not for using at the same time, obv.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 10 November, 2018, 03:41:40 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 10 November, 2018, 03:15:01 pm
*I have dreams of being able to set up the turbo trainer *and* a music stand in there one day. Not for using at the same time, obv.

I have a music stand in front of my turbo to hold a tablet
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 10 November, 2018, 07:31:03 pm
A Sonos Playbase and an Echo Dot. So now I can ask for whatever I want to be played “in the lounge”. Cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 November, 2018, 08:25:51 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 10 November, 2018, 03:15:01 pm
(I'm utterly hopeless at getting rid of books, but have finally conceded that I'm very unlikely to ever read the university textbooks I haven't looked at in 15 years).


Snap re getting rid of books, I have a full set of 1970s encyclopaedias that I just can't bring myself to get rid of.  Textbooks however still get used perhaps once or twice a year.

I was looking at all of my NEBOSH diploma notes though and thinking how out of date they are 17 years later, even the legislation has changed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 November, 2018, 10:51:26 am
Got fed up with pentatonic blues scale and banged a few extra frets into my 3-string.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 November, 2018, 04:22:53 pm
I have removed a quantity of Grand Onion, with a side-order of chutney, from the crevices of my Brompton.  This appears to have stopped the horrible graunching noise from the front wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 November, 2018, 08:47:02 pm
Siliconed up the gap between the painted wall and the tile trim in the bathroom. That's it totally finished now, except to rehang the seal tiles.
Sewed up the Yeowwwww! Catnip green fish, for the 2nd time. It's starting to look like a Franken fish now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 November, 2018, 11:23:20 am
The rip over the pocket of my tattered and filthy dog-hugging knock-about-the-house-&-workshop trousers, the ones MrsT threatens with instant termination if she ever catches them unawares (e.g. in the wash).  I drew the lips of the wound together with staples on the inside and put a strip of duct tape over the outside. Both dogs have given their seal of approval.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 November, 2018, 04:04:54 pm
Changed back to the original stem and 26.0 dropped bars (silver this time) on the Moulton.  The oversize stem was a bit too short.  No-one makes an oversize silver stem in 130mm and 35 deg rise!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 13 November, 2018, 04:29:33 pm
Disappointed. Thought you might be fettling one from solid with a scroll saw and a bunch of riffler files. No stamina, some people...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 November, 2018, 04:31:18 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 13 November, 2018, 04:29:33 pm
Disappointed. Thought you might be fettling one from solid with a scroll saw and a bunch of riffler files. No stamina, some people...
I am toying with the idea of de-anodising and polishing a black one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 13 November, 2018, 04:40:42 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 03 November, 2018, 10:23:50 pm
Examining the Ergos, I think the r/h lever may need some attention beyond a squirt of WD40. . .
And I was right. Dismantled it, managing to avoid catastrophic spring explosions, to find that one of the small ratchet springs had broken. Replacement now on order.

Well, that wasn't too difficult, and quite satisfying for a fettler. Just hope it goes back together without problems.  More like clock-mending than your usual bike maintenance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 13 November, 2018, 05:04:40 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 13 November, 2018, 04:31:18 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 13 November, 2018, 04:29:33 pm
Disappointed. Thought you might be fettling one from solid with a scroll saw and a bunch of riffler files. No stamina, some people...
I am toying with the idea of de-anodising and polishing a black one.

That's more like it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 13 November, 2018, 11:13:31 pm
Got the bike out to prep for ride tomorrow and found that it had a rear flat. Took into the house for full lighting. Tiny tiny sharks tooth bramble barb in tyre. Took me ages to find very small hole in tube. Ps tweezers are very handy members of tool box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 14 November, 2018, 01:07:23 pm
Ergo springy thing arrived in post today. Now fitted, and lever re-assembled. Seems to be clicking satisfactorily. Just need to fit it to bike for a minor fettling triumph  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 14 November, 2018, 08:33:29 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 14 November, 2018, 01:07:23 pm
Ergo springy thing arrived in post today. Now fitted, and lever re-assembled. Seems to be clicking satisfactorily. Just need to fit it to bike for a minor fettling triumph  8)
That's a very well deserved 8) !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 14 November, 2018, 09:01:31 pm
This YouTube video was invaluable:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OocYpHXJ3Y

I just froze the video at each critical point before proceeding. Mine was an older Ergo version than the one shown, but I guess they're all pretty similar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 November, 2018, 09:54:19 pm
The new (and very cheap) silver Thomson Elite post turned up so I tried it for length in the TSR.  It's EXACTLY right (30 1/4" from seat top to BB centre) on the MAX line.  Phew.  Just need a shim now.  I have three options:

1. OEM shim with an extra 0.5mm shim around it (the slightly tight option)

2. 30.9 to 34.9 shim with an extra 0.5mm shim around it (the spot on option)

3. 31.6 to 30.9 shim inside the OEM shim (the slightly loose option)

I'll see which gives the best fit.

The seatpost slope had on there is nice enough but I have the saddle higher so there are some zigzags that show; also, the seat angle is slack enough that an inline post will work (saves weight) and a silver Elite is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RawToluene on 15 November, 2018, 09:49:32 pm
After 9 years riding single speed on a vintage 5 speed steel frame, I finally found a way to fit 11 speed Shimano 105 derailleur on it, and a new pair of wheels plug fancy tyres. A whole new world of climbs is opening to me...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 November, 2018, 06:12:06 am
Put an almost NOS Dura-Ace rear mech on the Moulton.  It seems happy enough with the 30T sprocket although I can always get a longer B-tension screw if it chatters a bit during riding.

The "tight" sestpost shim combo is too tight, so need to try the other permutations.  The Thomson seatpost saves 144g  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 November, 2018, 08:35:07 am
Seatpost now perfect sliding fit with USE 30.9 to 34.9 shim and an extra shim around that made by rolling a 100mm square piece of 0.5mm aluminium sheet.  Therefore the TSR seat tube is actually 35.9mm without a shim.

The new shims are better than the OEM shim, being rather longer.  They happen to be flush with the bottom of the post, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 18 November, 2018, 06:30:10 pm
Double fettle fail:

Lloyds card reader crapped out - various screen cells gave up until it was unreadable.  I hate throwing things away so  I checked there was no anti tamper mechanism in the battery compartment as some banks readers are tamper resistant.  Nothing visible so I ordered 12 new batteries, 4 for this reader, 4 for the other reader that lives in my laptop bag (almost as old) and 4 for 'ron.  Now the unreadable digits / random elements are much clearer.  Anyone want 12 x LR44?

Another hygrochron failed so I googled and found a guide to replacing the battery.  Rather than cutting the case open as in the guide I carefully stretched the peened over edge and with patience popped the lid off.  Having successfully completed the hard part I ordered three batteries, I have 14 'chrons around the house all the same age.  Tonight I fitted a new battery and confirmed good contact, 3.2 healthy volts on the pcb.  Carefully so as not to damage the insulator / seal I pushed the lid on and put it in the reader.  Nuffink.  Re-opened to check my work - twice.  Nuffink.  Anyone want 3 x CR1225?

Ho hum
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 November, 2018, 06:34:41 pm
Helped fix a puncture on a riding buddy's Trice. 406 Marathon Plus, removed with tyre levers, installed by hand with minimal fuss.

Look on my works thumbs ye mighty and despair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 November, 2018, 01:21:22 pm
Added a frontal output jack to latest build so that I could lean it against something without taking the plug out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 November, 2018, 01:27:10 pm
Put a hinged cover over the off-switch of my table saw so that I can operate it with my knee.  The way Bosch have it, in order to reach it you have to let go of the workpiece and bend down with your eye at the level of the table-top, just right for anything kicked back to penetrate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 09 December, 2018, 07:05:47 pm
5 sets of skis anna snoboard
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 09 December, 2018, 07:13:29 pm
Quote from: Beardy on 24 October, 2018, 04:05:57 pm
Bin bins.  ;D HT to Cudzoziemiec
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/dh238zpr2h5iyfu/bin_bins.JPG?raw=1)
But are they littleendian or bigendian?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 09 December, 2018, 09:02:19 pm
Humpert trekking bars and a very short & steep stem on the Kona CalderaShopper as Mrs Marco has some swimming injuries in her right arm & wants to sit up a bit more. Bit like On One's Mary bars but a little higher. Avid BB7s also bought to replace terminally squealy Hayes 9s on same (will need more time for that).

While I was there, 28mm Conti SportContact 2s for the Pompino, plus one tooth down on the rear (wheel turned round) to compensate for the reduced rolling resistance over cracked old Top Touring tyres, and 150g saving per tyre. I now expect fen headwinds of epic proportions, in the usual manner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 December, 2018, 07:53:31 pm
One of those Swedish brass decorations with candles, a turbine and spinning angels ringing bells.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 11 December, 2018, 08:03:15 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 11 December, 2018, 07:53:31 pm
One of those Swedish brass decorations with candles, a turbine and spinning angels ringing bells.
We had one when I was young. Stare at it hard enough and it will appear to change direction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 December, 2018, 09:07:03 pm
If I stared for long enough, I was hoping for Agnetha from Abba (40 years ago) to appear through the heat haze and ask, "Voulez-vous?".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 December, 2018, 08:55:38 am
I installed Linux Mint on the ageing laptop, because ICBA to go through the nightmare of reinstalling Windows 7 to freshen it up.  And I despise Windows 8 and 10.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 December, 2018, 11:20:13 pm
Deore trigger shifters on the Dawes.  They were failing to ratchet reliably in the minus-cold temperatures of Tan Hill at the weekend, but managed a partial recovery after 3 hours on a Pendolino in time for the ride across Brum.  In light of this, I followed Torslanda's advice and removed the cable threading hole plug, inserted the straw from my can of GT85 and flushed them through with copious quanties of the stuff, interspersed with repeated frobbing.  They're now clicking firmly and were completely reliable on a short ride to the shops at a tropical 7C (final judgement suspended pending colder conditions).

Also swapped the Marathon Winters back to Duremes and gave the rear wheel a quick session in the truing stand (I suspect one of the spokes had had a kerfuffle with a D-lock at some point, as it was just the one that needed significant tweaking).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 18 December, 2018, 12:03:41 am
'Frobbing'. Descriptive. Love it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 December, 2018, 12:04:46 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 18 December, 2018, 12:03:41 am
'Frobbing'. Descriptive. Love it...

http://catb.org/jargon/html/F/frobnicate.html
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 December, 2018, 06:00:45 am
I'm going to use that. 

I don't know where or when, but it's definitely been lodged in the back of my brane
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 18 December, 2018, 04:21:14 pm
Yesterday, cleaned the bikes properly so I could hang them on my shiny new rack thing without them dripping mud and assorted nasties everywhere. Not going to ride them for a while as I hate the cleaning part.

Today, finished painting the bike room (I'm not sure that light beige was necessarily the best choice, but it's a tiny room and I wouldn't be able to see much if it were too dark; I went for the supposedly wipe-clean paint, so we'll see!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 December, 2018, 04:37:36 pm
Not really a fettle, but I got my butane workshop heater to start and keep going by dint of putting my fan heater some way behind it to play on the bottle. H&S would be aghast, bless their cotton socks and woolly brains, but butane bottles are safe below 50°C and the bottle never got warmer than ~15°. Got the temperature in the shop up from ~5°C to 16° before the gas. ran. out. Bugger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 December, 2018, 05:39:29 pm
Quote from: T42 on 18 December, 2018, 04:37:36 pm
Not really a fettle, but I got my butane workshop heater to start and keep going by dint of putting my fan heater some way behind it to play on the bottle. H&S would be aghast, bless their cotton socks and woolly brains, but butane bottles are safe below 50°C and the bottle never got warmer than ~15°. Got the temperature in the shop up from ~5°C to 16° before the gas. ran. out. Bugger.
The camping bodge for that sort of thing is to stand the gas cartridge in a  pan of water.  Even cold water will do a vastly  better job of supplying heat to boil the butane than cold air will.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 December, 2018, 06:33:04 pm
Quote from: T42 on 18 December, 2018, 04:37:36 pm
Not really a fettle, but I got my butane workshop heater to start and keep going by dint of putting my fan heater some way behind it to play on the bottle. H&S would be aghast, bless their cotton socks and woolly brains, but butane bottles are safe below 50°C and the bottle never got warmer than ~15°. Got the temperature in the shop up from ~5°C to 16° before the gas. ran. out. Bugger.

OI! I resemble that remark, and I'd be entirely happy at that behaviour

You performed an adequate risk assessment and monitored the effectiveness of your controls
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 December, 2018, 09:27:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 December, 2018, 05:39:29 pm
Quote from: T42 on 18 December, 2018, 04:37:36 pm
Not really a fettle, but I got my butane workshop heater to start and keep going by dint of putting my fan heater some way behind it to play on the bottle. H&S would be aghast, bless their cotton socks and woolly brains, but butane bottles are safe below 50°C and the bottle never got warmer than ~15°. Got the temperature in the shop up from ~5°C to 16° before the gas. ran. out. Bugger.
The camping bodge for that sort of thing is to stand the gas cartridge in a  pan of water.  Even cold water will do a vastly  better job of supplying heat to boil the butane than cold air will.
I've read about a (fool)hardy Alipinist who made some kind of heat exchanger using a piece of copper tube, hammered flat, passed through the flame and wrapped round the gas canister.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 December, 2018, 09:58:31 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 18 December, 2018, 06:33:04 pm
Quote from: T42 on 18 December, 2018, 04:37:36 pm
Not really a fettle, but I got my butane workshop heater to start and keep going by dint of putting my fan heater some way behind it to play on the bottle. H&S would be aghast, bless their cotton socks and woolly brains knickers, but butane bottles are safe below 50°C and the bottle never got warmer than ~15°. Got the temperature in the shop up from ~5°C to 16° before the gas. ran. out. Bugger.

OI! I resemble that remark, and I'd be entirely happy at that behaviour

You performed an adequate risk assessment and monitored the effectiveness of your controls

Oops, sorry pardon.  In any case it has since become an issue of health rather than safety, as in buggering one's lumbars wrangling a new cannister out of the barn & into the heater.

I hate winter.

Quote from: Tim Hall on 18 December, 2018, 09:27:16 pm
I've read about a (fool)hardy Alipinist who made some kind of heat exchanger using a piece of copper tube, hammered flat, passed through the flame and wrapped round the gas canister.

To read Joe Simpson, Alpinists are mad anyway. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 December, 2018, 10:47:06 am
I have fettled a new avatar. Do you like it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 December, 2018, 11:00:48 am
Some offcuts of wood have been prepped for me and daughter to fettle into a mini trebuchet for my son for Christmas
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 December, 2018, 02:18:44 pm
Trebuchet. Tree-bucket. Damn, still have ours to fettle ceilingwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 December, 2018, 02:30:27 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 19 December, 2018, 10:47:06 am
I have fettled a new avatar. Do you like it?

Wake you up before you go go?

(assuming I've identified it correctly)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 December, 2018, 02:41:29 pm
Quote from: Ham on 19 December, 2018, 02:30:27 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 19 December, 2018, 10:47:06 am
I have fettled a new avatar. Do you like it?

Wake you up before you go go?

(assuming I've identified it correctly)

Tick, VG. That would earn a bar of chocolate if your were one of my Scouts.  I think there's an "A" difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 December, 2018, 04:32:21 pm
Put a new blade on my bandsaw. Fiddly bloody business, but Lord the difference.  I've been cutting curlicues with a 15 mm radius this afternoon, just for fun. The old blade - from Metabo so it must have been good, right? - was rubbish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 December, 2018, 04:42:25 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 19 December, 2018, 10:47:06 am
I have fettled a new avatar. Do you like it?
Pablo Roy.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 December, 2018, 08:51:59 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 20 December, 2018, 04:42:25 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 19 December, 2018, 10:47:06 am
I have fettled a new avatar. Do you like it?
Pablo Roy.  :thumbsup:
Bar of chocolate for you too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 20 December, 2018, 09:12:02 pm
a new smart trainer (flux s) from it's box into action. few improvements over the old flux - better freehub design, anodised and more balanced flywheel, more clearance for long arm derailleurs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 December, 2018, 11:56:35 am
Nothing. Yet.
But yesterday my postie left me a note to say that he is holding to ransom the bits necessary to convert my 2-speed Brompton into a 3-speed derailleur-activated bike.
That should keep me busy over the festive period.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 December, 2018, 01:22:42 pm
I polished the corrosion off a Reynolds Hidaluminium fork lamp bracket.   These are approximately 100x rarer than steel ones but they do cover an annoying hole in the RH fork blade of a vintage bike, weigh almost nothing, and you can strap a Lezyne Femto Drive blinky to them to leave the handlebars free.  The thread of the mounting bolt is 5/16 x 26TPI, by the way, and very common on old British motorcycles, so don't be ripped off paying £10 for a "bike specific" bolt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 21 December, 2018, 04:55:33 pm
Tried to run my gravel kings tubeless today but couldn't get them to mount using my co2 inflator or hand pump. Bit of a loss of what to do, might go to the Evans I got them from and ask if I can try using their inflator should they have one.

Any other ideas? I've thought I could try using one of the petrol station pumps, not sure if that would require an adapter of some kind (the valves are presta but the cores are removable so could I pop them in to the schrader pump?).

Otherwise will reluctantly use them with tubes in for the 500 as they seem like cracking tyres.

Just rang Evans they're happy for me to pop in with the wheels and try to mount them with their Joe blow booster pump. Touch wood 🍀🤞
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 December, 2018, 05:38:11 pm
I am in the process of fettling some sossidge rolls.  I've a feeling my pastry is better than the last lot I molished.

I hope to unfettle them, in good company, over the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 December, 2018, 06:40:28 pm
Seriously unfettled a tyre, on the car.

Refettled the spare into it's place
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 December, 2018, 06:47:39 pm
Fettled some Bad Swears in the direction of my commuter after it got stuck in the big ring outside work this morning.
WD40 (I know, it was what was handy) and wiggling of of the front mech did nowt. Was reduced to undoing the cable so I could ride home in the small ring, which I was glad of on the hilly bits. The front shifter levers are all flappy, so ordered a new set of shifters in case it's not fixable.
Still, at least it waited until the last commute of the year...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 December, 2018, 01:51:56 pm
Swapped out the worn out Terry saddle (wearing through the leather after 14+ years use, off and on) on HK's Brompton for her test C17S saddle. It looks to be a fair match with the Ti bits on the bike.

Swapped out the too-narrow homemade mudflaps on HK's Roberts for some custom RAW flaps to match the Pantani Bianchi colours. Looks pretty good and should keep it cleaner. The hubs need regreasing though.

Fitted colour-matched RAW mudflaps to my Frezoni, along with a Stronglight 52t ring to replace the worn Campag ring and replacement front brake pads, both from the garage stockpile. Still need to sort out the front barend lever or possibly failing cable housing and wash the bike. Perhaps tomorrow.

Swapped out the homemade mudflaps for colour-matched RAW mudflaps and fitted a new rear mudguard taillight (previous one was pinched to replace a failed light on HK's Roberts) on the audax tandem. Tweaked the rear mudguard to stop a rattle. Both chains need a degunk and the headset bearings might need to be replaced.

Fitted the longest possible RAW mudflaps (in VC167 colours) to HK's Kinesis to compensate for the somewhat short mudguards. Hopefully chain and feet will stay a little cleaner, along with anybody on her wheel. The short VC167 flaps will probably end up on her Moulton when it gets updated in the new year.

Fitted RAW mudflaps to both trikes, replacing homemade jobbies. It looks like I need to replace the front wheel bearings in HK's Trykit and to adjust the headset and gps mount on my trike. Maybe tomorrow.

Replaced batteries in front and rear lights on my fixed (more difficult than it sounds) but damned if I can find the replacement Campag BB that needs to go in it.

Swapped the standard tubes on HK's MTB commuter for goo-filled ones. Hopefully this will keep a certain fairy at bay for winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 22 December, 2018, 04:03:22 pm
Swapped the wheelset on the Pinnacle over to the one with sensible road tyres.

Then fitted a pannier rack and aero bars. :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2018, 11:52:25 am
This morning I have hairdried my bike. Wot?! I decided it would be a good idea to wash it before replacing the broken dynamo wiring, so I took it outside, up on the stand, sprayed it with the Fenwick's stuff and made a cup of tea. Drank tea, went out with water and cloth, and of course it had started raining. It'll take forever to dry so having finished the washing, I brought it back inside and pointed the hairdrier at the parts that stay wet longest, frame, rack and rims, while studiously avoiding (I hope) blowing water into any bearings. I don't really like hairdriers, horrid noisy things (and having short hair I have no personal use for them, though I appreciate long hair takes much longer to dry), but sometimes they're useful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 December, 2018, 01:26:41 pm
I also dislike hairdriers, though I have been known to make use of them for things like vinyl stickers or heatshrink and even for drying hair (usually because I'm in hospital, or camping in freezing conditions, or something).  There was that one time, as a PSO, where we had to employ one to heat the room on account of the landlord refusing to fix the boiler (on the spurious grounds that we'd been using the central heating too much, rather than anything to do with the famously high mineral content of Canterbury water).

On thing I have observed is that people who don't use hairdriers tend to have nasty little ones that spew hot air at high pressure, whereas committed stylists tend to invest in enormous contraptions that are much less obnoxious in operation.


Ob-Spaceballs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f5y1w7sZ0s
https://youtu.be/0f5y1w7sZ0s
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 01:34:32 pm
Hairdryer last used for helicopter tape for frame protection.

Today, This

(https://i.imgur.com/IE1LS01.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/YSa9YhC.jpg)

Also trying to work out how to upload the video.  Still working on a self-releasing trigger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2018, 02:44:40 pm
I wish I'd asked Santa to bring me lots of that two-strand wire with B&M spade connectors ready attached. The non-proprietary ones always seem to be about half a mm too narrow or wide, just enough to either fall off or be so tight they bend rather than connect. The lack of space in the length of the IQ-X mount doesn't help, it's only just long enough for the connectors to fit within its length.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 December, 2018, 04:09:05 pm
A while back, Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) phoned up.  The cleaning woman had accidentally turned the volume on his amplifier up to 11, such that when he switched it on it made a vulgar farting noise and exploded, or at least ceased to function.  Either the amp or all four squeakers were devoid of magic smoke.  Could I ect ect.

Fortunately it was decided not to start further enriching Mr Richer until a proper SCIENTIFIC diagnosis was undertaken.  Which went thus:
I wouldn't have minded so much had I not squished my finger wrestling a pair of unused squeakers down the stairs of Larrington Towers yesterday  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2018, 04:37:14 pm
Well it works. Headlight will need realigning unless I've been very lucky this time, and as it's dark, now would be the time to go out and set it. But it's drizzling in a cold, unpleasant way, so I won't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 05:45:00 pm
Hopefully this will work, my first video post

https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk (https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 December, 2018, 05:56:25 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 05:45:00 pm
Hopefully this will work, my first video post

https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk (https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk)

Just needs Father Dougal to provide some ammunition.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 23 December, 2018, 06:16:03 pm
I've just successfully replaced the crumbing, belt driven, pinion gear that opens and closes the tray on my Marantz CD player. I seems to be a common problem so there were 'how to' videos on Youtube. It involves taking the lid, and front panel and removing the cd tray assembly to get at the offending bit.  :smug:

While I'm posting, on Monday, on the commute home, my daughter phoned me to say that wife and sister-in-law had got locked out (of sister-in-law's house) while visiting mother-in-law in hospital. I grabbed a few tools, and daughter gave me a lift over there.

It took me under 10 seconds to break in (pry bar to pop the keep of the Yale lock off the frame).  :demon:
Under 10 minutes later, it was repaired (double length screws), more secure and virtually no visable damage.  O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 23 December, 2018, 07:41:24 pm
Chose today to re-assemble bike from holiday and flying it back which meant putting the mudguards back on, then fitting the dynamo wheel, light and wiring.

Decided that i would take today as the opportunity to put on the new oval sub-compact rings I bought and a new chain.    That also meant resetting the Di2 FD.

That meant I had to tidy the garage, hoover it and sort everything else out first. 

So a quick simple re-assemble became an all day job
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 December, 2018, 08:03:47 pm
Some Yorkshire Puddings. They were gorgeous.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2018, 08:21:03 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 05:45:00 pm
Hopefully this will work, my first video post

https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk (https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk)
Teaching your daughter to be a YACFer.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 08:24:58 pm
It's the look on her face when she suddenly realises "man this thing really works! Cool!"

Only problem is she doesn't like bikes...




Yet
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 December, 2018, 08:28:27 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 08:24:58 pm
It's the look on her face when she suddenly realises "man this thing really works! Cool!"

Only problem is she doesn't like bikes...

That's okay, we take tricyclists too...   :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 23 December, 2018, 08:50:20 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2018, 08:21:03 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 05:45:00 pm
Hopefully this will work, my first video post

https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk (https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk)
Teaching your daughter to be a YACFer.  :thumbsup:

To be honest, if I had to test a sling type trebuchet, triggered from the rear, I'd get someone else to pull the string, too...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 December, 2018, 09:02:56 pm
Sorted the front gears and adjusted the brakes on my Frezoni and gave it a partial clean. The rear hub needs regreasing sometime.

A fair amount of accumulated bike equipment and tools in the house was sorted and shifted to the garage, in the right places for a change. A package of clagged bike stuff to be recycled has been put together for postage. Dug out various tins of Proofide and dosed a few leather saddles.

Rediscovered http://www.reflectalite.com/LEDpage.html and various battery adaptors, so several obsolete bike lights and Maglites are likely to be revived in January for my amusement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 09:21:41 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 23 December, 2018, 08:50:20 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 23 December, 2018, 08:21:03 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 23 December, 2018, 05:45:00 pm
Hopefully this will work, my first video post

https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk (https://youtu.be/hQRpuv0qAkk)
Teaching your daughter to be a YACFer.  :thumbsup:

To be honest, if I had to test a sling type trebuchet, triggered from the rear, I'd get someone else to pull the string, too...

That was just testing the trigger, unloaded - we'd already tuned and established range.  Mark 2 trigger now in mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 24 December, 2018, 08:47:19 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 December, 2018, 09:02:56 pm
Rediscovered http://www.reflectalite.com/LEDpage.html and various battery adaptors, so several obsolete bike lights and Maglites are likely to be revived in January for my amusement.

After our RCD tripped recently when a tungsten bulb blew, generating much fumbling in the dark for a torch, I decided that we needed to be precautionary and put 3 torches where we knew we would find them. We are not getting any younger and the thought of spending weeks in hospital with a broken hip after falling over the dog in the dark did not appeal. I bought a length of oak batten, fettled 3 mounting plates from it, tarted up with the router and waxed them, and added spring clips for 2 old Ever Ready torches and an ancient 3D Maglite that was my father's.  None seemed to give out much light and then I discovered LED bulb replacements.

What a difference - you'd not want to look directly at the light when on.  Didn't know that these LED replacements existed until the need arose. They are not cheap, but they are very effective,

Screwed the Maglite to the wall next to the back door out of the kitchen, one by the front door and one upstairs on the landing.  We now know where to find a working torch in a hurry, in the dark.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 December, 2018, 10:31:32 am
I have a torch in every room for similar reasons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 24 December, 2018, 11:14:40 am
Have a couple of "wind-up" torches and lantern. Usually find batteries dead in infrequently used torches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 24 December, 2018, 11:24:14 am
Quote from: Jurek on 24 December, 2018, 10:31:32 am
I have a torch in every room for similar reasons.

Good idea.  I spent several weeks in hospital  a few years ago after spinal surgery, and the number of people coming and going with broken hips or bones after trivial falls was quite alarming. Trouble is, we men of a certain age think we are still 21, and the realisation that you are not any longer comes as a bit of a shock. It eventually dawns on you that you need to be a bit more careful as the consequences become more serious with age.

My dad had 2 falls and broke both hips, the second one was the end really as he went into care on discharge as my mum couldn't look after him and he never came home again.  So his big, old, Maglite torch has been fettled back into useful service.  He would have been pleased at that.  He was always one to fettle something back into use, rather than throwing it away and buying new.  A top fettler and he passed that attitude on to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 24 December, 2018, 11:27:09 am
Quote from: orienteer on 24 December, 2018, 11:14:40 am
Have a couple of "wind-up" torches and lantern. Usually find batteries dead in infrequently used torches.
Which is partly why I've screwed mine to the walls near a main doorway.  I'm more likely to check them occasionally, rather than hunting for a torch in the dark and hoping it works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 December, 2018, 11:51:59 am
Disposable lithium batteries have a shelf life of at least a decade and an extended run time. For emergency/ occasional lights, the extra cost is worth it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2018, 01:29:20 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 December, 2018, 11:51:59 am
Disposable lithium batteries have a shelf life of at least a decade and an extended run time. For emergency/ occasional lights, the extra cost is worth it.

Agreed, though decent alkalines aren't bad.  The trick is to make sure the torch is of a design with a physical switch that draws zero current when off.  Momentary switches that toggle between low/high/flashing modes suggest that there's a microcontroller drawing some standby current at all times (which if done properly will be less than the self-discharge of most rechargeable batteries, but may not be done properly).

The alternative approach is to try to make sure you use your torches regularly.  For example we have a lantern that gets used for car-camping a few times a year, which instead of living in the camping box, lives on a shelf in the living room within easy reach for whenever someone wants a light to look for dropped small objects or whatever.  It gets used often enough that the batteries stay charged.

Our alerting system is UPS-fed and will illuminate the front-panel LEDs at full white if it sees you moving in a dark room[1], which gives enough light to avoid tripping over while you find a torch.  But I also have a couple of those little keyring LED torches in strategic places.


[1] Unless it's bedtime, when it just illuminates the route to the loo in full red.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 December, 2018, 01:39:08 pm
All of my strategic torches get used fairly regularly as they're often the quickest way of retrieving the pingfuckit which has just launched itself under the table / desk.
The exception to this is the (converted to LED) 2 x AA Maglite in the bedroom.
I have the biggest torch Maglite manufactured, a 5 (or was it 6?) D cells - unfortunately it is so old that they don't do an LED conversion for it - so its role remains as cosh for when the zombie apocalypse happens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2018, 01:47:04 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 December, 2018, 01:39:08 pm
I have the biggest torch Maglite manufactured, a 5 (or was it 6?) D cells - unfortunately it is so old that they don't do an LED conversion for it - so its role remains as cosh for when the zombie apocalypse happens.

IIRC it was 6.  Back in my PSO days - when Maglites were still the pinnacle of portable illumination technology - I had a friend who referred to hers as her "rape torch".  Not that she was the sort of person that you'd want to encounter in a dark alley anyway, tbh, but it's hard to argue with the deterrent value.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 24 December, 2018, 04:09:01 pm
I carry one in my pocket. Aka a mobile phone :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 24 December, 2018, 04:14:16 pm
Well, yes, so do I.  But this is the fettling thread, where make-do-and-mend is the guiding philosophy. Away with you and your spendthrift impulses.

(i repainted the inside of my microwave recently. Not so 'sparkly', but works just as new).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2018, 07:04:56 pm
A rum and raisin cheesecake, by command of my Sister Who Art in Kingston. It will be scoffed tomorrow. Contains rum. And raisins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 December, 2018, 09:15:32 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 December, 2018, 01:39:08 pm
All of my strategic torches get used fairly regularly as they're often the quickest way of retrieving the pingfuckit which has just launched itself under the table / desk.
The exception to this is the (converted to LED) 2 x AA Maglite in the bedroom.
I have the biggest torch Maglite manufactured, a 5 (or was it 6?) D cells - unfortunately it is so old that they don't do an LED conversion for it - so its role remains as cosh for when the zombie apocalypse happens.
Reflectalite is your friend.

http://www.reflectalite.com/LEDpage.html
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 25 December, 2018, 10:20:13 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 24 December, 2018, 09:15:32 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 December, 2018, 01:39:08 pm
All of my strategic torches get used fairly regularly as they're often the quickest way of retrieving the pingfuckit which has just launched itself under the table / desk.
The exception to this is the (converted to LED) 2 x AA Maglite in the bedroom.
I have the biggest torch Maglite manufactured, a 5 (or was it 6?) D cells - unfortunately it is so old that they don't do an LED conversion for it - so its role remains as cosh for when the zombie apocalypse happens.
Reflectalite is your friend.

http://www.reflectalite.com/LEDpage.html

Order placed with my new-found friend  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 December, 2018, 01:13:41 pm
Can you still get those D-cells? They must be the most effective part of the Maglite cosh. The Ever Ready Night Rider with a mere 2 of them was heavy enough (or were they C cells?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 25 December, 2018, 03:21:13 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 25 December, 2018, 01:13:41 pm
Can you still get those D-cells? They must be the most effective part of the Maglite cosh. The Ever Ready Night Rider with a mere 2 of them was heavy enough (or were they C cells?)

Yes, I bought some for my 3-cell Maglite back in the summer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 26 December, 2018, 12:46:52 pm
Took my wheels with the tyres to Evans to borrow their beast from the East pump (which I'd ok'd with them on the phone beforehand).

Not only did they lend the pump the chap didn't only go and mount and seal them for me for no fee (I'd bought them from Evans click and collect and it looked like it was quiet today, I'd brought my own sealant etc).

So I did vicarious fettling and will be leaving the wheels to stew in their sealant guts for the next 2 days in readiness for the full fat festive 500. Fairy begone!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 December, 2018, 01:23:02 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 25 December, 2018, 01:13:41 pm
Can you still get those D-cells? They must be the most effective part of the Maglite cosh. The Ever Ready Night Rider with a mere 2 of them was heavy enough (or were they C cells?)
The battery you can't get any more is the 3V twin-cell battery used in Ever Ready and other front bike lights up to the early 80s.  The twin cell to two D cell adaptors are quite sought after, although you can molish your own from plywood packing and phosphor-bronze strip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 December, 2018, 01:28:17 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 December, 2018, 01:23:02 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 25 December, 2018, 01:13:41 pm
Can you still get those D-cells? They must be the most effective part of the Maglite cosh. The Ever Ready Night Rider with a mere 2 of them was heavy enough (or were they C cells?)
The battery you can't get any more is the 3V twin-cell battery used in Ever Ready and other front bike lights up to the early 80s.  The twin cell to two D cell adaptors are quite sought after, although you can molish your own from plywood packing and phosphor-bronze strip.
Is that the cardboard-packed one, with one terminal on the top, and the other on the side, between the two cylinders?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 04:19:22 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 December, 2018, 01:28:17 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 December, 2018, 01:23:02 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 25 December, 2018, 01:13:41 pm
Can you still get those D-cells? They must be the most effective part of the Maglite cosh. The Ever Ready Night Rider with a mere 2 of them was heavy enough (or were they C cells?)
The battery you can't get any more is the 3V twin-cell battery used in Ever Ready and other front bike lights up to the early 80s.  The twin cell to two D cell adaptors are quite sought after, although you can molish your own from plywood packing and phosphor-bronze strip.
Is that the cardboard-packed one, with one terminal on the top, and the other on the side, between the two cylinders?
If it's what I think I remember, the terminals were a long flexy strip of copper (or maybe steel?) at about 45 degrees to the top and bottom of the cells, one each end. I don't recall having any for bike lights though.

And google confirms the Eveready Nightriders took D cells, not C.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 December, 2018, 04:22:21 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 04:19:22 pm
And google confirms the Eveready Nightriders took D cells, not C.

Easy mistake to make.  Whoever designed their mounting bracket also thought they took C.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 04:46:09 pm
I don't remember the brackets being a weak point, actually. I do remember the front one being badly designed in that it was easy to think the light was secure when in fact it hadn't properly clicked into place. The 'catch' at the top (which only the front bracket had) was, ironically, too stiff. And that might lead to the light jumping out and splitting into its component parts at the bottom of Park St in Bristol in the rush hour. Imagine if this happened right outside not only a busy bus stop but one of (at the time) the best bike shops in the city. It couldn't possibly happen, could it? But I don't recall them being weak as such.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 December, 2018, 05:01:30 pm
I'd completely forgotten about that catch!  The problem I had was that the rear didn't clamp tightly enough, so that successive bumps would cause the light to droop and eventually entangle with the spokes.

Mind you, the improvement in modern battery lights is almost entirely down to lighter batteries, rather than better brackets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 December, 2018, 05:07:34 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 December, 2018, 04:22:21 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 04:19:22 pm
And google confirms the Eveready Nightriders took D cells, not C.

Easy mistake to make.  Whoever designed their mounting bracket also thought they took C.

I worked for the design consultancy which churned out the last incarnation of the Never Ready lights (They also did the Duracell branded torches  (https://vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=112694&sos=0)- of which I think I still have a couple of examples knocking about).
They were (crap and) of their time given the then available tech.
These days the torch on my phone and the baby Fenix I have on my keyring (the latter in particular) show how much progress / improvement  has been made with battery-powered / LED  lighting in the last 20 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 05:30:17 pm
I had one of those Duracell torches. I don't think the light output or battery life were particularly good even for the time but the fliptop design was interesting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 December, 2018, 05:31:34 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 05:30:17 pm
I had one of those Duracell torches. I don't think the light output or battery life were particularly good even for the time but the fliptop design was interesting.

+1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 December, 2018, 05:37:46 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 December, 2018, 05:31:34 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 05:30:17 pm
I had one of those Duracell torches. I don't think the light output or battery life were particularly good even for the time but the fliptop design was interesting.

+1
I was digging stuff out today (including an expired blue UK passport  ::-))
Having stuffed a couple of AAs into the Durabeam [sic]  torch, I can report disappointment - of the lumen variety.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 December, 2018, 05:51:44 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 December, 2018, 01:28:17 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 December, 2018, 01:23:02 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 25 December, 2018, 01:13:41 pm
Can you still get those D-cells? They must be the most effective part of the Maglite cosh. The Ever Ready Night Rider with a mere 2 of them was heavy enough (or were they C cells?)
The battery you can't get any more is the 3V twin-cell battery used in Ever Ready and other front bike lights up to the early 80s.  The twin cell to two D cell adaptors are quite sought after, although you can molish your own from plywood packing and phosphor-bronze strip.
Is that the cardboard-packed one, with one terminal on the top, and the other on the side, between the two cylinders?
That's the one.  All fork bracket fitting metal lamps used that battery and they haven't been made for years.  The later light grey plastic fork bracket fitting Night Rider, with the sliding switch and fresnel lens, uses 2 x D cells.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 26 December, 2018, 06:41:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 December, 2018, 05:37:46 pm
I was digging stuff out today
Having stuffed a couple of AAs into the Durabeam [sic]  torch, I can report disappointment - of the lumen variety.

I did the same in some old torches, and then tried the LED replacement 'bulbs' instead of the old tungsten filament bulbs.  What a transformation!  Brilliant light now from old torches.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 26 December, 2018, 09:11:06 pm
I came here to post about having to disassemble and repair (uncrumpling a crushed contact) on my grandson's toy Bosch drill, (part of a toy toolkit) Christmas present.  :smug:

The thread seems to have have turned into a battery/torch/retro bike-light, fan-nerd thread, though.  >:(

By the way, when a pedal fell off one of the trikes at his pre-school, my 3 year old grandson delared "My get my toolkit!", and apparently refitted the pedal with a plastic, toy spanner.  :D :D :D  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 December, 2018, 09:15:11 pm
Krampus
 :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2018, 09:20:31 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 26 December, 2018, 09:11:06 pm
By the way, when a pedal fell off one of the trikes at his pre-school, my 3 year old grandson delared "My get my toolkit!", and apparently refitted the pedal with a plastic, toy spanner.  :D :D :D  :smug:
:thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 December, 2018, 06:00:54 pm
Cleaned and retensioned the chain on the big Harry Quinn.  Master link bought from Halfrauds wouldn't work even when off the chain (Clarks stuff is total crap these days) so had to re-use KMC quick link.  More master links ordered online.

Reasons to shop online #564: sometimes you can only find crap in the shops.

Also fitted a new Hope seatclamp to the Moulton because the original looked a bit skanky and seatclamps are more critical than you realise, until you've ridden all the way home from work standing up because a bolt snapped.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 27 December, 2018, 06:06:02 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 26 December, 2018, 09:11:06 pm
By the way, when a pedal fell off one of the trikes at his pre-school, my 3 year old grandson delared "My get my toolkit!", and apparently refitted the pedal with a plastic, toy spanner.  :D :D :D  :smug:

Brilliant! Love it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 December, 2018, 11:25:06 am
Right thumbnail, with CA glue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 December, 2018, 11:30:36 am
Decided to check tyre pressure late last night before today's DIY. Found this:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4833/45585108795_12cbce83a4_c.jpg)

Followed by a suspiciously shiny patch inside the mudguard. I think it was actually a (series of) stones getting caught in a tight spot and doing that. So I fettled a new tyre – well, new to that wheel – followed by new brake blocks. What I really need to fettle now is clean jeans!

Grumbles: brake callipers and mudguards sharing mounting points. And brake blocks of one brand being minusculely larger than the holders of another brand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 28 December, 2018, 11:32:55 am
Secateurs, three pairs sharpened. Now for some winter pruning of vine and quince.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 December, 2018, 11:34:09 am
Quote from: Jurek on 25 December, 2018, 10:20:13 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 24 December, 2018, 09:15:32 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 December, 2018, 01:39:08 pm
All of my strategic torches get used fairly regularly as they're often the quickest way of retrieving the pingfuckit which has just launched itself under the table / desk.
The exception to this is the (converted to LED) 2 x AA Maglite in the bedroom.
I have the biggest torch Maglite manufactured, a 5 (or was it 6?) D cells - unfortunately it is so old that they don't do an LED conversion for it - so its role remains as cosh for when the zombie apocalypse happens.
Reflectalite is your friend.

http://www.reflectalite.com/LEDpage.html

Order placed with my new-found friend  :thumbsup:

Well, that's a remarkably prompt service, and 'kin 'ell! that torch is bright!

ETA - For those interested,  marginally dimmer than the most recent edition of the Hope Vision 1 (which scores rather poorly as a cosh) set on max brightness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 December, 2018, 11:46:32 am
Ah, forgot to mention the gouge I fettled in my thumb.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 28 December, 2018, 11:58:11 am
Not today but actually Saturday AM. A Miche Primato hub which had lost drive.

The three pawls are retained by a circular hair spring (or ring) which had fractured into three pieces. Learned anew the benefits of 'never throwing anything away' when searching a bits box revealed a similar freehub with knackered bearings but an intact hair spring. Happy punter...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 December, 2018, 03:02:14 pm
Bled a couple of radiators, re-pressurised the boiler, jibbled the wires to the centre speaker in the Estate Office so it now works again so I don't have to but a new one :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 December, 2018, 03:31:30 pm
Since several rounds of dalek impressions weren't helping, removed the accumulated nasty from the trap under the bathroom sink.  Taking care not to empty the trap or wash my hands in said sink at any point during the operation.  Drainage restored.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 December, 2018, 05:03:51 pm
Finally got around to connecting up the speakers to the network music player in the kitchen.

Currently enjoying 6 music over a WiFi connection, having listened to some CDs earlier and a couple of podcasts.

Cracking stuff, this technology!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 December, 2018, 05:15:44 pm
Didn't really fettle anything in terms of fixing/maintaining it, but I did carve a guitar neck & fret it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 28 December, 2018, 05:22:27 pm
Subtle tweak to angle of brake blocks on front mini-V has rid me of the annoying (and somewhat embarrassing!) squeal.

Extraordinary how small things can change your life.  Well, OK, slight hyperbole, but at least I can now reach for my brakes without apprehension.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 December, 2018, 07:12:12 pm
Dug some glass out of my Frezoni's rear tyre and replaced the tube this morning, for the obvious reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 December, 2018, 12:09:30 pm
Yesterday, I tried to replace my b0rked shifter, but failed because the cable end cover is somehow welded into the down tube cable adjuster. (I decided to check that the adjuster was working ok and not all corroded to deth, stupidly, as it all went spoing and wouldn't go back together because of the plastic cable end getting in the sodding way).

For the love of dog, how on earth does a piece of plastic become welded to a metal part???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 29 December, 2018, 12:58:23 pm
If it's off the frame, hot air gun and long nose pliers are your friend...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 December, 2018, 01:57:41 pm
Fitted a newly purchased Campag BB to my fixed. The BB carefully stored somewhere a few months ago for just this bike should spring into visibility any hour now.

Did a bidon cage shuffle between fixed and trike. The excess tool bidons seem to have gone walkabout as well. Perhaps they'll turn up again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 29 December, 2018, 03:50:52 pm
Finally fitted the plastic end-cap thingies to the SKS mudguard stays on my winter/touring bike, having ridden around for a couple of months risking nasty flesh/clothing wounds from the over-long stays.  I first fitted the 'guards rather hastily in the summer, but the end-caps will only fit after the stays have been cut to length.  Come on, SKS, you can do better than this, surely?

Anyway, job now done, all neat and tidy. Now need to think about fettling the summer bike - which, thankfully, does not need mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 29 December, 2018, 05:15:43 pm
Mrs Dan got a kickstand for Christmas, from *cough* some romantic guy. That got fitted to her bike, along with a good clean, new chain, general lube and adjust.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 December, 2018, 05:22:15 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 29 December, 2018, 03:50:52 pm
Finally fitted the plastic end-cap thingies to the SKS mudguard stays on my winter/touring bike, having ridden around for a couple of months risking nasty flesh/clothing wounds from the over-long stays.  I first fitted the 'guards rather hastily in the summer, but the end-caps will only fit after the stays have been cut to length.  Come on, SKS, you can do better than this, surely?

Anyway, job now done, all neat and tidy. Now need to think about fettling the summer bike - which, thankfully, does not need mudguards.

I fit stacks of mudguards and do this with SKS:  1) fit and adjust (and connect the stays to the guards first!) 2, using bolt croppers cut the stays proud of the clamps 3, cut the tube part off the plastic clips, throw away the round bits 4, fit the tube bits on the stay ends with Superglue. 

This method is a) simpler and b) the caps are unlikely to break off the stays - and is simpler if the guards are removed, they stay in one piece.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 December, 2018, 05:36:02 pm
a better, remote release trigger for the trebuchet.  Rohan had a big grin when I showed him.

So far it will fling a small marble about 6m
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 29 December, 2018, 05:37:44 pm
Yes, Rob, your method makes a lot of sense - and is something I've done in the past.  I guess I'm a victim of my desire to keep all my options open if I need to adjust the 'guards to fit to a different frame or tyre size in future. In practice, this rarely happens, of course, so . . .  I'm not sure I'd bother being so 'pedantic' in future! 
Anyway, it was a good opportunity to make use of my new workshop bike stand, and tackle a fiddly job at eye level, rather than grovelling on my knees and getting backache  ;D ;
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: PaulF on 29 December, 2018, 05:45:21 pm
Quote from: T42 on 28 December, 2018, 05:15:44 pm
Didn't really fettle anything in terms of fixing/maintaining it, but I did carve a guitar neck & fret it.

What wonderful creation do you have in mind?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 December, 2018, 09:04:22 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 29 December, 2018, 12:58:23 pm
If it's off the frame, hot air gun and long nose pliers are your friend...
Oh, that's a good idea
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 December, 2018, 02:58:03 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 29 December, 2018, 09:04:22 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 29 December, 2018, 12:58:23 pm
If it's off the frame, hot air gun and long nose pliers are your friend...
Oh, that's a good idea

Realised we don't have a hot air gun.  :facepalm:
Pingu reminded me that we do have a gas hob though.
Big plug of plasticky grue duly hoicked out, job's a good un  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 30 December, 2018, 04:01:31 pm
I did think about attempting to fettle the garage so I can get in there and fettle other things. But the enormity of the job convinced me to have another cup of tea.
It’s going to,have to be done though because pre Christmas house tidying resulted in a lot of stuff being pushed in there without any organisation or further thought and as a result I’m not sure I could currently close the door with me on the inside due to the stacks right by the door. And the garage contains most of my tools and supplies so nothing else is going to get done until I’ve got sensible access again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 30 December, 2018, 04:31:10 pm
Commenced re-fettl;ing my garage/workshop having moved one of the benches to the new shed my wife has just bought for the allotment (the shed also needs some security fettling)

With a bit of a clear-out I can feel a list of cycling items coming up for sale . . .  watch this space.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 December, 2018, 08:19:49 pm
Converted the Bob Griffin back to a singlespeed.  It made a poor fixie as the BB was too low.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 30 December, 2018, 09:16:06 pm
A couple of years ago, I cracked the rim on the SRAM Dualdrive rear wheel on my Circe Helios, due to carrying too much weight on it.  At the time I just put a conventional rear wheel onto it, but as part of doing a Cytech exam a few months ago, I'd finally got around to building up a replacement.

So today was the day to finally get around to re-fitting it onto the Circe.

Test ride tomorrow.

I don't rush things!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 31 December, 2018, 10:16:23 am
Quote from: Beardy on 30 December, 2018, 04:01:31 pm
I did think about attempting to fettle the garage so I can get in there and fettle other things. But the enormity of the job convinced me to have another cup of tea.
It’s going to,have to be done though because pre Christmas house tidying resulted in a lot of stuff being pushed in there without any organisation or further thought and as a result I’m not sure I could currently close the door with me on the inside due to the stacks right by the door. And the garage contains most of my tools and supplies so nothing else is going to get done until I’ve got sensible access again.
I had that problem a couple of years ago. The garage content became chaotic so that I couldn't get to anything, and stuff retrieved by clambering over piles of crap simply became too difficult to put away, and got placed on top of the existing piles of crap. My bench was over two feet deep in tools and stuff and crap. (Principal problem was all the boxes of stuff retrieved from my late father's house.)

It took a period of enforced idleness (redundancy) to sort it out. I reckoned it would take two months. It took four. An emotional roller coaster as I picked through each of my father's boxes' contents.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 December, 2018, 10:29:43 am
I'm trying to put off gluing the tubs onto the sprint rims, which has the reputation of being a disgustingly smelly and messy job.  I suppose I really ought to get on with it.  The tyres will go onto the rims easily (they've been sitting on them "dry" for months and have been inflated to 180psi a few times) but they need to be properly centred before the last coat of glue goes off completely.  I have both Vittoria Mastik One and Mastik Pro, but the Pro stuff (water-based) has mixed reviews so I'll probably use Mastik One.

EDIT: rims roughened and cleaned with meths, base tape of tyres washed and now drying.  First coat of glue next.  Vittoria reckon one coat on the base tape and two on the rim - fit tyres when second rim coat is tacky but base tape coat is dry.  I've also seen a recommendation to leave an inch or so without glue opposite the valve, since this makes it a lot easier to get the tyres off when you need to.  Then centre, inflate to stupid pressure (they'll take 200psi, but my track pump won't) and allow to dry for 3 days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 December, 2018, 01:00:26 pm
Don't leave unglued sections of tyres. Rolling resistance increases more than you'd think. Carry a plastic tyre lever to pry a well-glued tub off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 December, 2018, 02:29:01 pm
OK - will do.  I could have used shellac* for least rolling resistance, since these are intended for track use, but that's a whole other world of pain.

First coats on and I guess they will take about an hour to dry.  Not too smelly or messy, just slightly awkward as the stuff dries so fast (I'm using a plastic glue spreader and squeezing out a bit at a time onto a plastic tray from the glue tube).   Some people don't glue the base tape if it's rubberised (this one is) but I suppose a coating of glue helps it stick back on if the tyre ends up being used as an on-road spare.

*are there any vegan track cyclists, and how do they cope?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 December, 2018, 02:36:04 pm
I've used shellac on track tubs but most folk use road glue or 3M FasTac. Mastic is better than a lot of older formulations, so some of the old advice is unnecessarily hard work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 31 December, 2018, 05:01:35 pm
Didn't exactly fettle it myself - bought a nice Carradice front bag for my Brommie in SJSC.  They kindly fitted the block and bag in the shop for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 31 December, 2018, 05:03:58 pm
I found my first penknife at the back of a draw. My Dad gave me it when I was a kid in the early 70s. It's a Mercator K55K Panther he picked up when he was in the army and posted to Germany in the early 60s, a bit of a classic that they have been making for over 150 years. Pressed steel body so the whole thing was a tad rusty. Took it into the garage and after a good seeing to on the wire wheel then the buffer and going through the grades of whet and dry on the blade and its looking smashing again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 January, 2019, 07:36:04 pm
Attacked a concrete floor with an underpowered cordless drill in a moderately-succesful attempt to secure a wobbly wheelbender.

Also fettling-by-proxy: Stuck a note on my friend's e-bike battery reminding them to pump up the tyres (with appropriate recommended pressures), which they'll hopefully find before they next use it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 January, 2019, 07:36:57 pm
Replaced the front pads on HK's Kinesis, along with a mudguard eyebolt.

Found the lost spare Campag BB for my fixed commuter a couple of days after fitting a replacement BB. Maybe I'll be able to find and fit this BB next time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 01 January, 2019, 10:29:52 pm
Fitted the Schwalbe Winters to the Claud Butler hack bike. It looks like tomorrow morning's commute could be sub-zero. Happy New Year! ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 January, 2019, 11:24:56 pm
Did a service on the VW 2.5TDI T5 today. The placement of the oil filter shows that Germans do sometimes have a sense of humour. 32mm socket on a UJ and a couple of extension bars with the power steering reservoir and half the air box removed was all it took to replace a regular service item.

Over the Christmas period I've spent a lot of time working on powered vehicles - for the first time in over two years every one of our motorised conveyances is MOTd/taxed/insured and in good working order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 January, 2019, 09:46:21 am
I used to do a lot of that in the 70s when we had a Citroën Dyane, all of it without a garage and once under an improvised plastic tent in the snow. Never did develop a taste for it, though.

Anyway, this morning I have banged a few frets into a guitar neck that previously had a boring pentatonic scale, and replaced a missing wire on the back of a piezo pickup. Need a new project now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 02 January, 2019, 03:01:08 pm
Nice. When I get some time I want to do some luthier work myself. I love gentle, attention to detail type work. In similar vein I've just been eyeing up some mahogany to make a keyboard housing. Far nicer and more tactile than plastic or aluminium.

With vehicle work I enjoy doing it and (especially on the bikes) would prefer to do it myself so I know exactly what state they are in. Of the 4 wheeled variety only my son's ovlov estate would fit in the garage - except it won't, due to MrsH's glass workshop at one end and a dozen or so pushbikes plus three motorbikes that get in the way. So we wait for a nice day or rig a tarp to work on the car, pickup  and cripwagon, whilst the two wheelers of every variety can be done undercover in the warm and dry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 02 January, 2019, 03:29:31 pm
Cleaned lots of Wales' finest sheep droppings from the winter bike, and a bit less crap from the summer bike (hey, it's been double figures so it's summer bike weather!). Cleaning bikes is the worst thing about winter cycling, and definitely the hardest bit of the Festive 500. :sick:

Also polished the seatpost on my new-old Dave Quinn, which was much more satisfying. It had many scratches, but is now lovely and shiny. I need a new tube of Autosol now, though!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 January, 2019, 04:29:34 pm
Quote from: MattH on 02 January, 2019, 03:01:08 pm
Nice. When I get some time I want to do some luthier work myself. I love gentle, attention to detail type work. In similar vein I've just been eyeing up some mahogany to make a keyboard housing. Far nicer and more tactile than plastic or aluminium.

With vehicle work I enjoy doing it and (especially on the bikes) would prefer to do it myself so I know exactly what state they are in. Of the 4 wheeled variety only my son's ovlov estate would fit in the garage - except it won't, due to MrsH's glass workshop at one end and a dozen or so pushbikes plus three motorbikes that get in the way. So we wait for a nice day or rig a tarp to work on the car, pickup  and cripwagon, whilst the two wheelers of every variety can be done undercover in the warm and dry.

I have quite a bit of old mahogany in the form of a 1959ish dining-table & matching (of course) coffee table.  MrsT's folks had them made in Uganda by taking a G-Plan catalogue to a Chinese carpenter and asking "how much"? Cost them half nothing. The wood's mostly ¾ inch thick - not enough for bodies but fine for necks & fretboards.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 02 January, 2019, 04:35:53 pm
I have been fettling a traditional joiners tool chest out of Honduran mahogany reclaimed from 99p eBay tabletops.

'Tis wonderful stuff, with a blood red colour. I shall furnish the hive with a photo when done.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 January, 2019, 05:06:06 pm
Quote from: Aunt Maud on 02 January, 2019, 04:35:53 pm
I have been fettling a traditional joiners tool chest out of Honduran mahogany reclaimed from 99p eBay tabletops.

'Tis wonderful stuff, with a blood red colour. I shall furnish the hive with a photo when done.
'Sounds like that is worth looking forward to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 January, 2019, 08:32:53 pm
Fitted a Maglite Solitare with a replacement LED and did the same with a couple of Neveready bike lights. They are all actually worth using now (for an unrealistic cost). Just waiting for a few 3xAA to D converters to turn up and the Nevereadies can be used on a historic road bike (HK knows the tricks to keep them from being kamikaze).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 January, 2019, 09:29:27 am
IIRC it was always the switches that went on those things - bobby-dodgers. Maybe a bit better than 1950s Sturmey dyno lights, though: I once rode into the back of a parked truck with one of those.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 January, 2019, 10:12:10 pm
I tried filing out the hole in the brake-bridge mounting bracket on my rear mudguard. I'd tested it with a magnet previously and finding it non-magnetic, had assumed it must be aluminium, even though it certainly looked like stainless steel. Of course, I hadn't allowed for 'austenitism' (is that a word?) making stainless non-magnetic. I think I might have gained most of a millimetre.  ::-) However, I do seem to have put it back on straighter than it came off, so that's a gain.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 January, 2019, 09:15:52 am
Replaced the wall wart for the WAP that serves the northern end of our house with an equivalent from an unused Ethernet switch.  Old one must have been dying for a week or so: the wifey signal has been getting weaker & dropping out occasionally. Got a steady 4/4 arcs in the wee fan now.

Satisfying: was pricing new WAPs this morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 12 January, 2019, 01:02:30 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/Y97Jwi1.jpg)

Caught a horrific cut in a nearly new tyre on the way in to town today. Think it was from a bit of discarded circular saw or something.

In any case am attempting a repair. Have sanded and cleaned the inside of the tyre, and stitched the outside up with fishing wire. I will then use a tubeless repair kit which is coming in the post (tried 4 shops no one had them in stock).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 January, 2019, 01:04:51 pm
Turned a new knob for the end of one of MrsT's knitting needles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 January, 2019, 01:32:05 pm
Quote from: bludger on 12 January, 2019, 01:02:30 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/Y97Jwi1.jpg)

Caught a horrific cut in a nearly new tyre on the way in to town today. Think it was from a bit of discarded circular saw or something.

In any case am attempting a repair. Have sanded and cleaned the inside of the tyre, and stitched the outside up with fishing wire. I will then use a tubeless repair kit which is coming in the post (tried 4 shops no one had them in stock).
Zoinks! Curious to see how this turns out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 12 January, 2019, 08:42:45 pm
Converted a pile of plywood, metal strips and brackets into shelves for the pantry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 January, 2019, 10:21:11 am
Replaced a mudguard taillight after HK broke it trying to recharge the batteries. I suspect that the best approach is to treat them as disposable and to have cheap spares ready to fit, given how many she has broken by closing doors on them, etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 13 January, 2019, 01:07:26 pm
Quote from: Marco Stefano on 09 December, 2018, 09:02:19 pm
Humpert trekking bars and a very short & steep stem on the Kona CalderaShopper as Mrs Marco has some swimming injuries in her right arm & wants to sit up a bit more. Bit like On One's Mary bars but a little higher. Avid BB7s also bought to replace terminally squealy Hayes 9s on same (will need more time for that).

Humpert bars a big success; Mrs Marco even went for a non-utility ride a while ago, which is unheard of. I'll get her out on a forum ride one of these days. Today I completed conversion to BB7s with Avid levers and went for a quick pootle around for initial bedding-in. Mrs Marco commented on the bars making her view so much more enjoyable, and I can see why, it's turning into an nice all-day trundler.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 15 January, 2019, 06:34:55 pm
Fettled a friend's 3 speed Archer hub back into service which was very gratifying as I'd not worked on one before. Basically the guide rod had managed to become unthreaded and the funny tensioning clamp Gizmo had gone loose. Popped it back in, refit the cables, put some insulating tape around the chainstay to make the clamp stick in place, calibrated the shifter, jobs a goodun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 15 January, 2019, 06:55:20 pm
I just laced up a new SON hub and rim.  Now to find where I put the wheel-jig...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 January, 2019, 07:01:53 pm
Further rearranging of the upper part of Larrington Towers means the Lesser Bedchamber now actually contains a bed.  And has a door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 January, 2019, 02:07:15 pm
Trebuchet now in full working order and demosntrate to Son No. 1.

My thoughts now turn to an authentic mini Roman Ballista  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 January, 2019, 05:54:56 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 17 January, 2019, 02:07:15 pm
Trebuchet now in full working order and demosntrate to Son No. 1.

My thoughts now turn to an authentic mini Roman Ballista  :)
IRTA "automatic mini Roman Ballista" and boggled slightly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 January, 2019, 06:55:38 pm
replaced worn out boa dials on the s-works shoes - very straightforward procedure
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 January, 2019, 07:02:02 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 17 January, 2019, 05:54:56 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 17 January, 2019, 02:07:15 pm
Trebuchet now in full working order and demosntrate to Son No. 1.

My thoughts now turn to an authentic mini Roman Ballista  :)
IRTA "automatic mini Roman Ballista" and boggled slightly.

A semi-automatic crossbow, now that could be interesting!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 January, 2019, 07:03:16 pm
Started on the Poo Brown Bike.  Removed the Regina freewheel by taking it apart (I'm not going to buy a Regina remover for a one-off job), serviced the bearings on the somewhat pitted Campag rear hub, got out my long straight edge and respaced it to match the front chainline with an EAI sprocket screwed on.  The frame is actually straight...independently measured F and R chainline are the same (47mm) when the straight edge says it's straight.

Seatpost moves ok.  Not sure of size, forgot to look at engraving.  27.2 would be nice as I have a slightly longer one in the shed.

Removed all gear- related stuff.

Tyres (Swallow 27 x 1 1/8") are uncracked.  I might clean them up and save them.  New tubes and rim tape needed.

Pulled cranks.  FAG BB feels good.  Put cranks back on.

Dropout adjusters move  :o

Rims (Wolber Super Champion) barely worn and d/b spokes.  Eyelets rusted but so what?  Have started redishing rear wheel but two nipples are seized so will have to raid one of the scrap wheels behind the shed for spare ones.  Might dig out those slightly scratched Cinelli Giro d'Italia bars because the GB bars fitted have probably fatigued badly.  Someone on eBay will buy them for authenticity.

Frame is weirdly light.  Brooks B17 extremely good, no rail rust.  BB height 11" so great for fixed.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 18 January, 2019, 07:41:50 pm
Yesterday I re-engineered an old scanning photometer into a guitar fuzz-box pedal.  :smug:

I might write it up on the Wobbly Workshop thread, if I can find the photos I took and get the sound to sound right on a video clip.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 January, 2019, 12:45:35 pm
Puzzled by seatpost size on Poo Brown Holdsworth.  No markings on existing one.  Measures up at about 27.1mm with calipers, but is very scratched.  A 27.0 goes in easily but has very slight rock and slips round if the seatbolt is moderately tightened.  A 27.2 is a bit tight.  There is paint inside the seat tube so I reckon it does want 27.2 and just needs a decent cleaning out.  If the (non-original) 531 decal is correct, the main tubes are double-butted so that would be the most likely size.  However, I have another 531 frame that weighs as d/b throughout yet takes a 27.0, so you can never be sure.

Stem bolt took one hell of a whack to make the wedge drop, but stem wasn't seized.

The local powdercoaters will blast and coat a frameset for £45 (SpaceBadger had one done there and it was pretty good; some powdercoating is shite) so it might not be poo brown for much longer.  PlanetX are selling the repro brass Holdsworth head badges for £8 now - they used to be £35!

I cleaned up one of the Swallow tyres by taking it into the shower with me (saves mess) and using a nailbrush on it.  It's certainly still usable.

The RH crank has a large gouge out of the back of it and doesn't look safe to use, which is annoying as it has a 48T ring.  However, I found a Shimano Exage crank for £3.50 on fleaBay and I happen to have a 42T 130BCD kicking around, so it can run 42 x 16.  I have a Dura-Ace 3/32" 16T I'll never use again, because the Bob Griffin turned out to be a rubbish fixie (BB too low) and is back as a singlespeed now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 19 January, 2019, 07:49:21 pm
I just fettled a replacement expansion tank into my boiler, draining and refilling the system while I was at it. It seems to have fixed the pressure swings the boiler was suffering :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 January, 2019, 08:05:57 pm
A replacement rear tube on my fixed not far from Chalfont St Peter. Followed by breaking my glasses and a prat chucking something at me through his passenger window during my ride home. Bad things come in threes, right?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 January, 2019, 09:55:47 pm
Dismantled the Poo Brown Bike.  Got 27.2mm seatpost to slide nicely after removing a lump and a few burrs.  Bare frame is 4lb 10oz and it's a biggie (23 1/2") so the tubing sticker is correct and it has d/b frame tubes (rule of thumb is 4 1/2 lb for a medium frame if it's full 531DB).  Found frame number, which matches fork number and dates it to 1986, much later than I expected considering it has a fork blade lamp bracket.  It is a genuine Holdsworth, anyway.

Fork crown race was spectacularly loose, just falling off, and I think someone may have fitted a JIS headset by mistake.  The seat is slightly undersized but a new Tange ISO crown race doesn't slip on and will require a press fit, so it's all good.

BB is a 119mm JIS taper and is actually an SKF, not a FAG.  It's quite serviceable but I'll have to see what sort of chainline I get with the Exage cranks.  From experience, Shimano road cranks of that age need something like a 110mm symmetrical BB BUT the SKF is asymmetric and longer on the non-drive side, so it may not be all that far off.  I was going to put a 1mm spacer under the fixed cog anyway, to ensure the chainline is still correct if someone puts a freewheel on later (Shimano freewheels are about 1mm further out than a fixed cog).

Annoyingly, the bars and stem turned out to be 25.4 and the spare bars I have kicking around are 25.8, 26.0 or 31.8.  The 31.8 bars are the nicest but would mean a quill converter, an A-stem and a load of unnecessary weight.

The Weinmann Vainqueur centre pulls cleaned up nicely.  I will use the Tektro levers that slope gave me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 21 January, 2019, 08:12:48 am
Un-bunged the overflow from our kitchen twin sink.  The first time in 28 years...….

If one sink had water in it the other wouldn't drain - so I deduced it had to be the overflow which wasn't allowing air in.  I'd been putting it off for weeks.

Used one of those Muc-off (?) long abrasive pipe cleaners that they sell for cleaning chains and cassettes.  Worked brilliantly, along with a lot of hot water and my air compressor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 January, 2019, 10:18:08 am
I thought I'd found and sorted the mudguard rub on the front of the Giant.

It's one of those PITA noises that isn't there in the workshop and you can't quite pin down on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 21 January, 2019, 10:22:59 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 21 January, 2019, 10:18:08 am
I thought I'd found and sorted the mudguard rub on the front of the Giant.

It's one of those PITA noises that isn't there in the workshop and you can't quite pin down on the road.

When you've done that, can you have a look at the rear m/g on my 20/26 'bent.  It rattles like hell on a bumpy road, but I'm damned if I can make it do it in the workshop.  It's so rattly you'd think it would be obvious, but 3 years later, I still can't find the source.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 January, 2019, 10:44:40 am
What's needed is a rig like a turbo-trainer but with a motor-driven ridged roller.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 January, 2019, 11:30:29 am
Or just use a knobbly tyre . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 January, 2019, 11:48:23 am
Replaced the rear tube on my fixed (again) and plucked out some more glass. Given the amount of cuts and wear, I think I'll be fitting a new tyre tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2019, 12:16:55 pm
It's not an UltraHamsterSkin, is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 January, 2019, 12:22:52 pm
Vittoria Hyper 32 but it has done a fair few commuting miles. I have a couple of spares in the garage, so time to fit one.

I'll be replacing the chain and cassette on HK's Kinesis in a couple of days, once the cassette arrives. 3 months, 7000km, well past 1%. I might as well freshen up the sealant at the same time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2019, 06:22:56 pm
I've identified the Poo Brown Bike now.  It's a 1982* Holdsworth Mistral, one of the last few made that year, and still has most of its original kit.  Full 531, not just main tubes, and it was their most expensive model, being a tourer.  Although this one's had a crappy repaint, it was originally Sable Brown.  This explains why it was repainted such an awful colour.

* I misread the number last night
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 January, 2019, 06:38:53 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2019, 06:22:56 pm
Although this one's had a crappy repaint, it was originally Sable Brown.  This explains why it was repainted such an awful colour.

Typo, and it got re-painted in Stable Brown?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2019, 07:14:09 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 January, 2019, 06:38:53 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2019, 06:22:56 pm
Although this one's had a crappy repaint, it was originally Sable Brown.  This explains why it was repainted such an awful colour.

Typo, and it got re-painted in Stable Brown?
I prefer to think of it as Augean Umber.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 January, 2019, 10:02:57 pm
Managed to mend the toaster. I'm not sure what step it was that made it work again but I think it was physically holding down the shifter thingy that got it to latch again. Clearing all the crumbs out seemed to make no difference. So the female and junior sections of the Cudzo nation can have toast for breakfast tomorrow. I dislike it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 January, 2019, 05:53:38 pm
I finished truing the rear wheel on the Poo Brown Bike.  It seems to be the original (matches the spec in the 1982 catalogue) although the rim wasn't very worn at all.  The wheelbuilder didn't put the valve stem between parallel spokes  :facepalm:  It needed one new nipple and now it's almost dishless - in fact, the dish is reversed from what it was, with the non-drive side spokes shorter, because I had to push the fixed sprocket out to a sensible chainline.  The wheelbuilder also used spokes that were a little too long, so I'll have to file the ends on the LH side - these aren't box section rims so the rim tape will sit right on the nipples.  Interestingly, the spokes on the RH side (which was the "short" side) had been slightly filed.  Bodgers, eh?

It still trued up fairly easily considering it's 27 years old.

Also took the frameset off to be powdercoated.  Spacebadger had one done there years ago and it looked OK.  £50 including a top coat of baked-on lacquer to make it shiny.  Won't have any decals except the correct 531 seat tube decal and a repro brass head badge, which PlanetX are now knocking out for £8.  The powdercoaters can't apply decals anyway because of the baked lacquer, which would melt them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 January, 2019, 10:12:12 am
Fitted a new chain and cassette to HK's Kinesis and a new rear tyre to my fixed and tweaked the saddle position. Replaced the rear tyre and tube on my Frezoni and glued the pivot pins on the brake levers. Fitted the last spare set of SPD cleats to new winter boots for HK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 January, 2019, 10:46:13 am
Threw a bit of salt at the pavement outside, if that counts. This morning's tramp round the village was a bit slippery.  Other than that it's 2°C in the workshop so yrs trly's not fettling anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 26 January, 2019, 05:47:11 pm
Repairs to the Mercian after my fairly disastrous attempt on the Kelvedon Oyster (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=105450.300#msg_2358947).

Posted the Team Professional off to Brooks to have its broken rail replaced. Stripped down the chainset and cleaned the rings, then fitted them and a new pair of cranks back to the bike. Also applied Proofide to, and fitted, a spare Team Professional that was luckily hanging around in the shed. Also luckily, finished just as it started raining (the garden is my only available workshop).

All ready for the Knights Templar, I think :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 27 January, 2019, 08:37:51 pm
The original foam and plastic saddle on my runabout bike soaks up water and releases into jeans with great efficiency. So today I replaced it with a C17. Not ridden one of them before, but fancied experimenting with some rubber. Haven’t had a chance to ride it yet though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 January, 2019, 09:01:20 pm
Cleaned a Connex chain that used to be on the Bob Griffin, was shortened to run 42 x 16 fixed but then I lost the extra links and had to buy a new chain to convert the BG back to 42 x 18 singlespeed.  However, the parts-bin Holdsworth is going to be 42 x 16, so provided the chainstays are the same sort of length as the BG, it will be ideal.

Also had a fiddle with the Weinmann centre-pulls.  These really need the proper old-fashioned brake pad holders for two reasons:

1. They stick inwards more than ordinary side-pull pads, which you need for best mechanical advantage

2. New pads have a cleverly angled contact surface, which (assuming your rims are about 22mm external width which these are), means the pads hit the rim flat despite the fact that the brake arms are far from vertical when the pads make contact.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 28 January, 2019, 06:16:52 pm
The contents of one of the shelves in my office - my NEBOSH diploma notes from almost 20 years ago.  From 9 folders down to 1, I might even get rid of those as well, as so much is on the web these days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 29 January, 2019, 10:23:17 am
Jointly tidied the shelves of cookery books.  20 gone to the charity shop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2019, 08:26:47 pm
Removed a quantity of both Yorkshire and Lancashire from my MTB.

Then replaced the rear gear cable, which had a mysterious kink (I suspect due to being loaded into a car) just where it entered an enclosed section.  That explains the reluctant upshift in two of the ten gears.  Replaced the outer while I was at it, because general mank.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 29 January, 2019, 10:20:26 pm
Fitted mudguards to my Surly. And, for the first time this winter, studded tyres.

Took it for a spin up to the corner which always freezes, too, so I'm ready for the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 January, 2019, 03:31:00 pm
Built the main structures of a ballista, now clamped with the glue drying. Also made the two torsion arms.  Will try to assemble the parts tomorrow, and fettle the skeins of "rope" and a trigger mechanism.  Then I need to think about aiming and height adjustment. 

This is a toy for my son, honest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 30 January, 2019, 04:01:12 pm
a section of bar tape has unwound on aerobars (from a bike that i use on a turbo), so re-done it the proper way with the help of superglue, and finished it off with the electrical tape, the end of which melted with a heated spoke to stay put.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 January, 2019, 04:36:28 pm
Winterised the Cinder Cone with studded tyres and vaseline on all the nice chromed parts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 30 January, 2019, 10:21:13 pm
Over the weekend I fettled large sheets 3mm mirrored perspex onto 12mm mdf for Miss Ham's studio/gym. I did a crap job, all of them make me look fat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 31 January, 2019, 03:05:52 pm
New wheel for a customer's ancient and uncared for Galaxy - we refitted his own tyre and tube - the latter with  SEVEN patches!   More patch than tube  ;D

I'm sure this isn't a record (I know it isn't, one of our club members had about 15 on one tube) but it does show care for the environment when most riders just bing in a new tube.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 31 January, 2019, 04:23:34 pm
New cassette, chain and middle chainring on my winter bike.

Working in an unheated garage is not pleasant when the temperature's zero and you're handling cold metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 January, 2019, 04:39:50 pm
New rear tube into my fixed, for the third time this year...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 31 January, 2019, 04:41:58 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 January, 2019, 04:39:50 pm
New rear tube into my fixed, for the third time this year...

You need to replace that tyre with the holes in it.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 31 January, 2019, 04:43:49 pm
Cleaned the fixed and the Omega.  Replacing the cable outer to the rear mech cured the lazy gear-change on the latter.
But which do I take to the Rigby ride on Saturday?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 January, 2019, 04:46:18 pm
This morning's one was in a new tyre! It has a hole in it now though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 January, 2019, 05:44:11 pm
Prepped the roadbike for the weekend's audax and pulled all the kit together ready to throw in the back of the car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 February, 2019, 03:04:30 pm
Put new tyre + tube + old cassette onto nice new DT Swiss wheel & stuck them on the bike.

DT Swiss are bonkers: the skewer they supplied doesn't have a QR but a ratcheting lever, the idea being that you tighten it all the way up by hand to 15 Nm (emphasized by telling you twice), disengage the ratchet & rotate it to its final position, then check that the wheel is firmly ensconced by picking the bike up and whacking the tyre downwards and to Hell with your Raceblades. NFW: the old Bontrager skewer works perfectly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 February, 2019, 04:02:08 pm
Proof of concept really. Took the front wheel off the tandem, moved the already accumulated tqt, folded the rear seats down, shuffled the front seat forward and lo! Thee Tandem she fits in the New! Shiny! car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 February, 2019, 04:13:51 pm
Quote from: T42 on 07 February, 2019, 03:04:30 pm
DT Swiss are bonkers: the skewer they supplied doesn't have a QR but a ratcheting lever, the idea being that you tighten it all the way up by hand to 15 Nm (emphasized by telling you twice), disengage the ratchet & rotate it to its final position, then check that the wheel is firmly ensconced by picking the bike up and whacking the tyre downwards and to Hell with your Raceblades.

Sounds like how you do up a thru-axle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 February, 2019, 09:51:37 pm
decided to replace the flat pedals on my hack bike as the ones on there have been used for five years and developed some play in the bearings and i have no tools to adjust them. the new pedals had studs that were too long so i've trimmed them all with the mini grinder (all good except one cut-off bit landed on my fleece and burned a hole through it). also secured the reflectors with glue, they'll stay attached permanently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 07 February, 2019, 10:31:26 pm
Took the cranks and BB off my Giant - I've been meaning to do it for yonks, as I never got on with the 172.5 mm cranks. Gave it all a clean, and fitted the handy 170 mm chainset I had - it's now sporting a 52-30 chainset, which actually works OK (the front mech needs a bit of minor adjustment). I'll probably get some new chainrings for a more sensible combo, but blatting around town on the 52 chainring is a good laugh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 February, 2019, 08:23:30 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 February, 2019, 04:13:51 pm
Quote from: T42 on 07 February, 2019, 03:04:30 pm
DT Swiss are bonkers: the skewer they supplied doesn't have a QR but a ratcheting lever, the idea being that you tighten it all the way up by hand to 15 Nm (emphasized by telling you twice), disengage the ratchet & rotate it to its final position, then check that the wheel is firmly ensconced by picking the bike up and whacking the tyre downwards and to Hell with your Raceblades.

Sounds like how you do up a thru-axle.

Aha. Any reason I shouldn't use a skewer?

ETA: the provided skewer is described as 'quick release'.

https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/dt-swiss-p-1800-spline-23-road-rear-wheel-28700c-2667618
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 February, 2019, 09:41:43 am
Fettling by proxy. My sister who art in Australia bought a fairly BSO for her daughter. The brakes were shite, so via the medium of interpretive dance WhatsApp video calling I showed her how to fix the rear cable so it was in its cable stop, adjust tension and hopefully stop it squealing like a banshee. She is a witchhas perfect pitch and apparently it was squealing in A flat.  Then I sent her a link to the Park Tools website about v brake block alignment.  The final step was to say "take it for a careful trial run before it gets used in anger". She took it for a trial run, hit a curb and banjaxed her shoulder tendons. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 08 February, 2019, 10:26:11 am
Quote from: T42 on 08 February, 2019, 08:23:30 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 February, 2019, 04:13:51 pm
Quote from: T42 on 07 February, 2019, 03:04:30 pm
DT Swiss are bonkers: the skewer they supplied doesn't have a QR but a ratcheting lever, the idea being that you tighten it all the way up by hand to 15 Nm (emphasized by telling you twice), disengage the ratchet & rotate it to its final position, then check that the wheel is firmly ensconced by picking the bike up and whacking the tyre downwards and to Hell with your Raceblades.

Sounds like how you do up a thru-axle.

Aha. Any reason I shouldn't use a skewer?

ETA: the provided skewer is described as 'quick release'.

https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/dt-swiss-p-1800-spline-23-road-rear-wheel-28700c-2667618

It's a QR ok, https://www.dtswiss.com/en/technology/components/rws-technology/ so yes you can use any QR skewer, it's the ability to reposition the lever once closed that's similar to the thru-axle axles.  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 February, 2019, 09:09:41 pm
I dug out a 135mm (that's for 126mm spacing) Campag axle that I've had in the spares box for a while.  I might convert a Campag track hub into q/r for road use.  It's a totally reversible modification anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 February, 2019, 08:15:51 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 08 February, 2019, 10:26:11 am
Quote from: T42 on 08 February, 2019, 08:23:30 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 February, 2019, 04:13:51 pm
Quote from: T42 on 07 February, 2019, 03:04:30 pm
DT Swiss are bonkers: the skewer they supplied doesn't have a QR but a ratcheting lever, the idea being that you tighten it all the way up by hand to 15 Nm (emphasized by telling you twice), disengage the ratchet & rotate it to its final position, then check that the wheel is firmly ensconced by picking the bike up and whacking the tyre downwards and to Hell with your Raceblades.

Sounds like how you do up a thru-axle.

Aha. Any reason I shouldn't use a skewer?

ETA: the provided skewer is described as 'quick release'.

https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/dt-swiss-p-1800-spline-23-road-rear-wheel-28700c-2667618

It's a QR ok, https://www.dtswiss.com/en/technology/components/rws-technology/ so yes you can use any QR skewer, it's the ability to reposition the lever once closed that's similar to the thru-axle axles.  :)

Yeah, I had another gander at the specs and figured that out. Takes the Q out of QR, though - berks.  I'll pass it on to someone I don't like.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 09 February, 2019, 04:17:03 pm
Tried and failed, as noted elsewhere, to set up a Sonos speaker in the man cave shed. Found out they don’t play nicely with power line WiFi adaptors - the man cave shed is 100ft away at the bottom of the garden. Hmm.  Will try setting it up indoors and see if it’ll play over the power line Ethernet. Failing that, a Sonos Boost on the back bedroom windowsill might just make it.....  I really don’t want to try and run an Ethernet cable all the way down there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 09 February, 2019, 07:54:47 pm
got a mat for a trainer but it was a tad narrow, so added a pair of "wings" trimmed to shape and also some additional padding right under the feet. less noise/vibration.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190209/58a6bcaea6e4e36988c39248ca2939f5.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 February, 2019, 06:49:06 am
The ballista is ready for testing.

Reinstating the Giant on the old tacx turbo trainer, changing nothing, pumping the tyre to exactly 8 bar and finding yet another completely random calibration result, I'm now seriously contemplating a stag zero. I was going to wait until I had some idea of accident payout, but what the hell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 February, 2019, 11:37:26 am
Did a bit of measuring to solve the 2mm-off chainline problem on the track bike.  Turns out the frame is as straight as a die.  The front chainline measures independently at 44.3mm and the rear at 46mm.  It all used to line up on the Fuji frame so that must have been bent (2mm is nothing to most builders, but matters on fixed).

Anyway, a spacer under the RH BB cup is all it needs. I have a 2mm VeloSolo one in the spares box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 February, 2019, 05:13:10 pm
Gave my coffee machine its 'weekly' clean-out. Messy.

Also blasted the dust out of my office PC with compressed air. Also messy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 10 February, 2019, 05:19:34 pm
Tidied up the shed a bit, clearing the workbench and clearing the floor area somewhat. Put the Genesis up in the work stand and listed out the jobs to do. Once that’s done I’ll get back on to the Domane build that stalled when I went back to work in September  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Clare on 10 February, 2019, 05:28:59 pm
Took the eyes off a spider to photo the top and bottom of its body, I'd better sew them back on before I lose them and/or it's creator discovers what I have done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 February, 2019, 06:12:56 pm
Set the track bike up for velodrome use, which involved taking everything apart except the seatpin  :D

Now has sprint rims and tubs, 52 x 17 gearing, chainline straight, track fork with fagpaper clearance and different stem and bars.

It weighs 16 1/4 lb without pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 February, 2019, 11:19:14 pm
Molished the electronics for another flicker-free dimmable LED driver for the dining room (having done all the really unpleasant drilling square holes in aluminium panels stuff last week).  This included 3 hours of troubleshooting to find a microscopic stray solder blob.  I think my eyes are middle-aged.

Retrofitting halogen uplighter with LEDs is on hold until the polyfilla I've repaired the broken concrete base with has set.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 11 February, 2019, 08:39:48 pm
The "shed” Sonos.  Set it up on the house WiFi in the kitchen, then took it down to the shed, some 30m away, and hooked it up to the power line adaptor via Ethernet, and surprise surprise it actually seems to work. Time will tell if it’s a good connection.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 February, 2019, 10:29:04 am
Just saved 350€ by actually finding and reading the instructions for the vacuum cleaner that "doesn't work any more" (subtext "Jane's got a Miele...").
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 February, 2019, 05:48:18 pm
Instructions? For a vacuum cleaner???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 February, 2019, 05:52:37 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 February, 2019, 05:48:18 pm
Instructions? For a vacuum cleaner???

An exploded diagram might come in handy when reassembling a Dyson after unclogging it, I suppose.   :demon:

I can also imagine one being clever and refusing to operate because the crud collection device was full, thereby appearing to be broken.  I made that mistake[1] when investigating a fault with MIL's tumble drier once.


[1] Well, the version of the mistake where you've got the back off and are probing about with a multimeter to check for a failed element when you discover there's a box full of water with a float switch at the bottom that you've just tipped all over the floor and is now soaking your knees.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 February, 2019, 09:13:45 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 February, 2019, 05:48:18 pm
Instructions? For a vacuum cleaner???

Strange as it may seem.  In addition to a dust box & cover the thing has a primary filter, a HEPA filter and a couple of other bits that have to be detached and washed. Getting the primary filter back in was non-intuitive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 February, 2019, 09:48:20 am
Cut an M5 thread onto a Jagwire barrel adjuster, as it'll be playing a key part, when I convert my Brompton from a 2-speed to a 3-speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 February, 2019, 09:21:32 pm
Respaced a frame to 120mm for fixed (actually 121mm, it makes for less paint damage when inserting wheels), checked alignment again, respaced a wheel to 120mm by removing 3mm of spacers from each side*, and melted the lead loading out of the dents in the frame ready for new filler.

I was going to leave spacing at 126mm but there was rather a lot of unsupported axle on the LHS and it also means the bike can be tried with my 700c track wheels.

*ir's a QR hub so I need to file a couple of mm from the axle ends too
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 17 February, 2019, 03:45:53 pm
Som e odds and odds. After discovering that using a Sonos speaker over Ethernet was very hit and miss, I (more in hope than expectation) set up the Sonos “Boost”, a Sonos specific WAP that all Sonos speakers will default to and not get on your home WiFi channels. It’s sitting on the back bedroom windowsill, and, remarkably, connecting seamlessly with the speaker in the shed, a line of sight 37m away  :thumbsup:.

Then, with suitable musical accompaniment, I set about fettling the rear mudguard on the Genesis Equilibrium.  I’m running 28mm tyres (vs the 25mm max recommended) so things were a bit tight.  I first cut a notch to allow the front mech to move that 2mm more at the anchor point to clear the chain in 48/12.  Then a 6mm hole to relive the ‘guard where it met the front mech clamp bolt, the hole being internally masked with duct tape after. Then I started to sort out the slipping clamp at the brake bridge, only to manage to break the rivets (actually I think it was poorly done originally) holding the stay bridge in place, so that had to be drilled and bolted before I repositioned the clamp, re-clamped properly (used mole grips this time, then some side cutters) and finally rebolted  the stays up. Looking good atm with ample clearance. Time for a cuppa.

Next up I think I’ll recable the mechs, they’ve been on for 3 years, and retape the bars which still show the scars of my crash 5 years ago.  Then it’s off with the chainset, out with the BB, and run the dynamo wiring via the Di2 holes to conceal most of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 17 February, 2019, 04:18:05 pm
Tried to mount my tyres tubelessly again.

First one mounted, but the thing is losing air through a spoke hole somehow. So I've ordered some more rim tape to try and make it work, assuming the sealant hasn't worked its magic overnight.

The last one wouldn't mount (using an airshot), and my track pump hose broke during a reinflation. So I admitted defeat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 February, 2019, 05:13:54 pm
stitched the hole in my shorts made by skidding on my hip. re-alligned the mech hanger and adjusted the gears. de-burred scrape marks on various parts of the bike (caused by the same skid) with a mini grinder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 19 February, 2019, 01:01:52 pm
Ding dong the door bell rang and Lloyd from DPD handed me a package.

Inside were a pair of XLR interconnects for my hifi.

In recent months there has been a Denon AVR-X3400H sitting between my AudioLab 8200CD and a pair of AudioLab 8300MB power amplifiers.

So I disconnected the CD from the Denon and connected the 8200CD to the power amp with the new cables. I pressed the switch on the power amps telling it to use the XLR connection.  Started the CD player in change out mode and set it to variable volume.

Powered the power amps and was immediately impressed by how much better the sound was than through the AV receiver. I did not expect to notice.

I pressed the button on the power amps to use the phono connection and the Denon can continue to drive the power amp for its home cinema duties.

Good outcome.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 February, 2019, 07:06:06 pm
Filled the dents in the Holdsworth frame.  Also dismantled the Campag Record Pista hub that turned up.  Thought it was rusted to buggery inside but it was just dried grease.  Races pass the unforgiving ballpoint pen test.  65 on the locknuts, so one of the last made before they started engraving "RECORD" on the barrel - this is generally accepted to be the mid-60s.  And Brucey et al were right, the dustcaps are 28mm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 February, 2019, 08:19:02 pm
Rearranged the gym/workshop side of the tandem garage. 

Involved removing bicycles, shuffling the contents around and sweeping as I go.  The hardest bit was moving the exercise floor which is an 8x8ft square of chipboard with ply on top. Both heavy and lots of friction.  Best method was a combination of brute force and levering it about with a spade.

That now sits in the far corner from the door, and will have some new matting. Need to work out exactly where the rower will sit, as it's just too long.

Stored bikes fit in along the wall next to the door, or hanging from the rafters, and there is now a large space immediately in front of the door for the new turbo trainer and another bike either in use or maintenance. The old gym matting will go under the turbo. 

The main advantage is that I'm now less likely to be tracking dirty bikes across the exercise floor which I ended up doing previously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 20 February, 2019, 10:49:05 am
Quote from: T42 on 09 February, 2019, 08:15:51 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 08 February, 2019, 10:26:11 am
Quote from: T42 on 08 February, 2019, 08:23:30 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 February, 2019, 04:13:51 pm
Quote from: T42 on 07 February, 2019, 03:04:30 pm
DT Swiss are bonkers: the skewer they supplied doesn't have a QR but a ratcheting lever, the idea being that you tighten it all the way up by hand to 15 Nm (emphasized by telling you twice), disengage the ratchet & rotate it to its final position, then check that the wheel is firmly ensconced by picking the bike up and whacking the tyre downwards and to Hell with your Raceblades.

Sounds like how you do up a thru-axle.

Aha. Any reason I shouldn't use a skewer?

ETA: the provided skewer is described as 'quick release'.

https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/dt-swiss-p-1800-spline-23-road-rear-wheel-28700c-2667618

It's a QR ok, https://www.dtswiss.com/en/technology/components/rws-technology/ so yes you can use any QR skewer, it's the ability to reposition the lever once closed that's similar to the thru-axle axles.  :)

Yeah, I had another gander at the specs and figured that out. Takes the Q out of QR, though - berks.  I'll pass it on to someone I don't like.

Make sure it's someone you really don't like because the bastard things seize up something wicked
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 20 February, 2019, 01:51:12 pm
I've got most of an alloy 12x148 'Boost' axle and most of a matching Deore hub that are irrevocably corroded together. Cos you do that with dissimilar metals, don't you? Fit a 12mm 'skewer' thru a 12.2mm hollow steel axle and ride it through the mud...

The customer's bill was just shy of 300 quid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2019, 09:11:50 pm
Lowered the seat tube bidon cage on HK's Kinesis with a Di2 battery adaptor. Works well and doesn't look too out of place amongst the Tripster's blue and black colour scheme.

https://www.evanscycles.com/shimano-7970-dura-ace-di2-battery-mount-adapter-00102255
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 February, 2019, 09:36:15 pm
Scored a 'dead' paper shredder, one which had been condemned by the outfit which does the PAT testing at my place of work.
The intention was to remove the duff motor and, having established the primary drive connection, acquiring a suitably matched hand crank from RS Components, thus converting it to manual drive.

Within an hour or so of getting it home I now have a working (and electrically safe) shredder which will munch its way through 12 cross-cut sheets of paper in one go, 1 cd at a time and 1 credit card at a time.
Result  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 February, 2019, 05:27:56 pm
I had a day off today, so first cut the fork crown and head tube on the rescued Holdsworth.  it had never been done; the steerer tube isn't in the crown particularly straight, which is a Holdsworth trait IME, and therefore the crown seat was nowhere near perpendicular to the steerer.  Took a lot of cutting to get a full shiny seat.  The head tube didn't need much facing.

Then attacked it with a rotary wire brush and sandpaper, hung it up and sprayed it with primer.  It can sit around until warmer weather now.

Last night I polished the rear Campag Record Pista hub.  The bearing cup on one side has the faintest signs of rust but the bearing track has escaped damage.  I bought a new axle for it; being chromed, these are way out of spec until you've run a (hopefully harder than the axle) cone up and down it a few times.  It was so tight that I had to check it was really 10mm x 26tpi by meshing it with another Campag rear axle.  All fine now, though.  Just need the new dustcaps to build it up.  To check the races before fitting any dustcaps, since these aren't something I want to remove again, I quickly assembled it with some grease and spare Grade 100 balls (I'm actually going to use Grade 10) and it feels fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 23 February, 2019, 08:58:10 pm
It was sunny enough to tempt the kids out onto bikes. So did the inevitable adjusting and checking. Miss Dan the Elder’s has a broken barrel adjuster, Miss Dan the Younger has grown up and out of the bike she has. Which is handily times for her birthday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 February, 2019, 09:04:25 pm
See the "i'm such a fecking div thread"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 February, 2019, 09:38:13 pm
Removed crankset and bb, then ran the dyno-light wire via the Di2 holes.  Replaced bb, went looking for Di2 bungs, found Chris King bb, so removed the fitted bb and fitted the CK one. Fitted the Toplight to the rack. Removed the Sector 28 tyres with Finish Line gunk in, cleaned up the rims, retaped one, and fitted the Fusion 5  All Seasons, to be pumped up and treated to Caffelatex later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 23 February, 2019, 11:08:27 pm
Re-fangled the bonnet prop on Ickle Car, as it had de-holed itself from the thin plastic inner wing.
Swapped the bell on Saphira Trike since I couldn't get a "ping" out of the old one while I was wearing gloves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 February, 2019, 01:12:36 pm
Mounted the Fusion 5k# properly today, with nice new sealant, looking pretty good from the get go.  They’ve been left for an hour over lunch so I’ll be checking pressures soon. The Joe Blow Booster pump does a good job of seating the 28mm tyres, with residual pressure of around 3 bar. I think MTB tyres would be a struggle for it tho, not that I have any.

Found some decent Di2 bungs that have sealed nicely around the dyno wiring.

Now to clean the cassette and chainrings before refitting wheels, crankset and chain, and completing the wiring to the rear lights, I’m going to run the Toplight in parallel with the Seculite Plus mudguard lamp. Actually I’ll clean up the “hard to reach when the chainset’s on” areas first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 24 February, 2019, 06:18:04 pm
Wanted to cut a paving slab in the garden, so got out the Makita 9" disc cutter, which hasn't been used for at least 2 years.  It ran for 10 seconds, then stopped.  Bugger! 

Dismantled it, and cleaned out the brush holders which had corroded a bit (it had been stored in a wet shed, albeit in its nice plastic box).  They were preventing the brushes from being sprung onto the commutator.  Gave it a good clean out inside, and reassembled, and lo and behold, it works beautifully.  Satisfying, considering the mortality rate of power tools since we've moved.  In the first 3 months here, we lost a hedge trimmer, a circular saw, a leaf blower, and something else I forget.  I did not want the same to happen to my little used disc cutter, and thankfully, it hasn't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 February, 2019, 08:14:28 pm
After successful fettling of the lights, replaced the plated bots in the stem with ss ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 February, 2019, 09:03:47 pm
This weekend I have, with the assistance of others  fettled years of accumulated stuffs into bags for the Rubbish Man to take and boxes for the charity shop. (Clearing the parental house,  innit).

I also reframed a photo Dad took, developed and printed back in The Olden Days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 February, 2019, 08:45:36 am
Emptied the crumbs out of the toaster. C.f. Augean stables, etc. (No waterways were impacted.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 25 February, 2019, 10:23:50 am
Started on first bike as I noticed lower jockey wheel was really a set of nubs covered in grease. Luckily had a spare jockey wheel. Used the new degreaser from Screwfix (5ltr for £8.99). i'm not paying for expensive lemon scented bike degreaser again. this stuff is great so used sparingly. years of accumulated road grime removed. Onto winter bike and found the top jockey wheel to be more or less seized so fortunately have a spare. same story with the degreaser. Commuting fixed then wiped down ready for the week. I have a rear derailleur extender to fit as I need to lower my gears slightly and the bikes have short cage mechs. 12-29 and 13-28 also to be fitted as well as new chainrings (on the way from Germany as they are considerably cheaper there - despite the shipping cost)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 25 February, 2019, 04:11:15 pm
Quote from: pumpkin on 25 February, 2019, 10:23:50 am
Started on first bike as I noticed lower jockey wheel was really a set of nubs covered in grease. Luckily had a spare jockey wheel. Used the new degreaser from Screwfix (5ltr for £8.99). i'm not paying for expensive lemon scented bike degreaser again. this stuff is great so used sparingly. years of accumulated road grime removed. Onto winter bike and found the top jockey wheel to be more or less seized so fortunately have a spare. same story with the degreaser. Commuting fixed then wiped down ready for the week. I have a rear derailleur extender to fit as I need to lower my gears slightly and the bikes have short cage mechs. 12-29 and 13-28 also to be fitted as well as new chainrings (on the way from Germany as they are considerably cheaper there - despite the shipping cost)

Mix the Screwfix degreaser with one-third water and it's even cheaper and just as effective.  One word of warning - don't leave stuff soaking in it for too long as it forms  a "bloom" on some metals.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: markcjagar on 25 February, 2019, 07:23:53 pm
In pursuit of a clicking sound.

I've had the chainset off & cleaned/regreased, seatpost out & cleaned/regreased, saddle off & rails cleaned/regreased

Only to later realise the rear mech wasn't screwed all the way in and neither was the mount for the rear disc caliper, fingers crossed I've got it. I'll find out in the morning and if I've not, I'm not sure what else to clean & regrease

BB or headset would make sense I guess...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 26 February, 2019, 07:11:53 pm
I'm slowly fettling the new (to me) Genesis. Today I've replaced the 36t inner ring with a 34t one. 46-34 makes a more useful chainset I think, and while it's still got an SS rear derailleur, I prefer the idea of 34-28 to 36-28 as a bottom gear. I've also cleaned the disc rotors with brake cleaner, and bedded the brakes in. I was underwhelmed with the TRP spyres when it arrived, as I expected more from disc brakes. They are feeling a lot more powerful now. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 February, 2019, 08:09:58 pm
reassemled the runabout, casually ignoring my buggeration of threads on RHS of the crankset.  Next time it comes off it'll be to change it, and if necessary I have plenty of options to exert brute force.

Next up is the Giant, need to swap a spacer from LHS to RHS to sort the chainline.  Tweaked the front mech cable tensioner today to make it run a bit smoother
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 February, 2019, 08:25:38 pm
Took advantage of the unseasonal weather to spray the Poo Brown Holdsworth.  Which is now a creamy light blue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 26 February, 2019, 08:53:25 pm
No today but on Friday I carried out my first Brompton hinge pivot replacement. Very satisfying drilling, driving and reaming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 March, 2019, 01:27:34 pm
Drilled and tapped a hole in the sticky-out bit of the feeler doodah on my somewhat inadequate Park truing stand & put a 4mm screw through with a valve cap on the end to stop it scratching the rim. Feeler can now be adjusted in a controlled manner through fractions of a mm rather than the push pull jerk bugrit method intended by the perpetrators.

Trued up my wavy front wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 March, 2019, 09:09:41 pm
Removed a hsealant filled) tyre, removed and replaced rim tape, remounted tyre. Sealed ok except around valve. Several hours and inflations later it looks like it’s finally sealed. Taped the bars of the winter/utility bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 05 March, 2019, 02:31:31 pm
Sunday I finished off the wiring to the dyno-lights, all working nicely, just have to do an after-dark spin to align the front light. Adapted a Cateye saddle rail mount to attach the light bracket to the rear of the rack-bag on the utility bike, so I have a battery back-up / alternative to the dyno-lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 05 March, 2019, 11:22:26 pm
I have a working laptop monitor again :)

Why replacing the screen involves dismantling the majority of the computer I've no idea, but I didn't end up with any screws left over and only broke one plastic tab so I'll count that as a win
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 09 March, 2019, 01:37:49 pm
We use clothes pegs from Muji, vendor of its own unbranded goods.

They seem to last longer than other pegs, but eventually the plastic deteriorates from UV light and one of the two identical component plastic arms snaps.

I'm in the habit of waiting for two to break, then molishing one peg from the remains by using the two good arms held together by one metal spring.

The satisfaction is totally out of proportion to the financial savings.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 March, 2019, 02:10:16 pm
We use wooden ones. They're more likely to get lost than to break and you can adapt them for different jobs, e.g. cutting the noses down fine or separating one peg and gluing the halves onto the jaws of a complete peg to give longer-reaching peg with a bigger bite.  I've also used these with draught strip between the jaws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 March, 2019, 04:00:28 pm
That gives me an idea for a trigger for my mini ballista that is languishing in the lair
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 March, 2019, 02:59:42 pm
Cut a plastic bottle in half and am using the top & a sheet of paper to catch stink bugs & put them out. The transparent sides alarm the beasts much less than the two sheets of paper I was using before, so that they don't let fly with the niff.

I did have the idea, though, of alarming one with an unpaid bill* and enclosing same in an envelope with the cheque to pay it.

* they threatened its life with a railway share
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 March, 2019, 03:56:11 pm
Removed a defunct Cyo (I'm sure it shouldn't sound like a maraca) from HK's MTB commuter and flint-mined and topped up both tyres.

Flint-mined the tyres and brake pads on my fixed.

Replaced the Al bidon cages with SS, swapped taillight batteries and flint-mined the tyres on HK's Kinesis. Also cracked out a Tacx crank bolt spanner while trying to eliminate a recent BB creak.

Put handlebar tape on an older lady's shopping trolley thingy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 March, 2019, 04:04:59 pm
Fitted new pedals and saddle to Miss von Brandenburg's MTB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 10 March, 2019, 05:36:08 pm
A couple of tubeless tyres fitted (one twice, see div thread  ::-)). Cut the steerer on the Domane, fitted Di2 wiring and brake hoses through the frame, fitted the Token “Ninja” BB (that was started yesterday but I needed  3/8” to 1/2” adaptor for my torque wrench), and rough mounted the calipers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 10 March, 2019, 06:35:21 pm
A new garden shed felt roof. Half disappeared overnight. One of my least favourite jobs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 March, 2019, 08:26:25 pm
Straightened a flange on a 1965 Campag Record Pista hub.  Easier than it sounds - was about 0.5mm out but right at one "spoke" of the flange, so just needed a gentle tweak with an adjustable spanner (with soft stuff in between the jaws and the flange).  Perfectly true now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 10 March, 2019, 08:39:50 pm
Fabricating a steel 'handle' for an old concrete manhole cover ro replace the rusted through reinforcing bar provided previously. Cheapskates could have used stainless. Will replace the cover when having the external paving replaced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 March, 2019, 02:56:34 pm
chain line on the Giant. Wasn't sure where the spaces around the BB needed to be when I originally set it up.  I was wrong.  So last night was
1) split chain, and find unused quick link to remake it
2) move a spacer from one side to the other - doesn't greasing stuff when assembling make it easier
3) fart about with the front triple set up for half an hour, about as long as steps 1 & 2 together

Seems to be shifting OK, but not entirely perfect. It's an MTB crankset with road front mech and shifter - are the ring spacings the same I wonder?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 March, 2019, 11:03:59 am
Bored out broken plastic shelf-support studs in a bookcase and banged in some bits of 6mm dowel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Si S on 16 March, 2019, 03:08:09 pm
The Sabbath September into a rideable state after not touching it since September.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 March, 2019, 04:31:34 pm
finished shaving weight off my carbon frame - literally. it has served me v.well over the years and 40,000+km (including 2 pbp's, 2 tcr's, multiple sr's and around ten flights/trips abroad), only the lacquer has chipped off in quite a few places giving it a tired look. so decided to remove it and leave it bare or paint sometime in the future if i feel like it. saved around 60g in the process. fork is next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 March, 2019, 04:41:29 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 March, 2019, 04:31:34 pm
finished shaving weight off my carbon frame - literally. it has served me v.well over the years and 40,000+km (including 2 pbp's, 2 tcr's, multiple sr's and around ten flights/trips abroad), only the lacquer has chipped off in quite a few places giving it a tired look. so decided to remove it and leave it bare or paint sometime in the future if i feel like it. saved around 60g in the process. fork is next.
That'll make you significantly faster  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 16 March, 2019, 04:43:54 pm
Managed to trash an R8070 lever trying to install the hydraulic hose. Probably would have got away with trying to use the standard M8 connector instead of the (special rocking-horse-shit) M9 flanged connector - the thread looked ok - if I hadn’t managed to pull out and drop somewhere the microscopic flow restrictor. So that’s £170 for a replacement lever and £25 for two bolts from Taiwan as no one in the UK seems to stock them as a spare. I’ll probably find the bloody lever design has changed when I get it  ::-). Might look for a damaged one and see if I can resurrect mine as a spare.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 March, 2019, 04:58:25 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 16 March, 2019, 04:41:29 pm
That'll make you significantly faster  ;)

depends how we quantify and agree what's "significant" :)

eta: saving of 30s per 1000km
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 16 March, 2019, 06:05:37 pm
Replaced the fixie's chain after about 5000 km. Put a downtube mudguard on it again (not the most effective but it's better than nothing).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 March, 2019, 06:29:17 pm
Fitted a couple of recycled limit screws to a friend's derailleur that was missing both of them.

Replaced the Campag 10sp mechs and Ergolevers on HK's Moulton with Etap WiFli equivalents. Swapped the Campag 10sp cassette with an 11sp and removed the Stronglight Zlight triple cranks and bottom bracket. Fitted 58t and 42t Stronglight chainrings to Shimano 6400 cranks but don't have the correct length Shimano bottom bracket, so fitting the chain and setting things up is on hold for a few days. Fitted VC167 mudflaps and new Koolstop brake pads as a displacement activity. Hopefully it'll all be together for HK to test properly before she takes it overseas.

Pulled the deteriorated bearings from HK's Trykit's front wheel and ordered replacements.

Pulled the worn Kinlin rim off HK's dead Condor's dynohub wheel and found that the new DT rim will need new shorter spokes.

Pulled and refitted the Shimano BB from HK's Kinesis to cure a creak.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 March, 2019, 02:46:24 pm
New tape on the Trek's bars, basic black.

De-gunked the coffee machine. Bleh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 March, 2019, 02:56:39 pm
replaced a v-brake on my hack bike with a new one as the old one was starting to get wobbly after five years of use. new inner and outer cables too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 March, 2019, 04:40:22 pm
Further fettling of Miss von Brandenburg's Stumpjumper into an e-bike: new tyres (needed Bike Shop Man to get the old one off the rear wheel :o), got the rack on (at the second attempt) without too much swearing, fitted the sensor on the BB (Mr Sunshine had the cranks on Bastard Tight and I forgot the Whang Bar to go over the handle of the crank puller :facepalm:), mini toe clips installed while waiting for the kettle to boil, new front brake cable outer fitted to allow the levers to be swapped to Continental-stylee operation and, with much filing, graunching and trips to the hardware shop for washers, got the front wheel on.  I don't think they intended it to fit a boingy fork.  And adjusted the front brake blocks for the new wheel.

Then we ran out of time coz Miss von B had to go and watch her neighbour's daughter playing the trumpet in "Peter & The Wolf".  Another trip to "Here Be Dragons1" territory is on the cards :'(

1: Saarrff Lunnon
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 17 March, 2019, 06:44:05 pm
Usually the kits are designed to fit with SR/RST low end to medium forks but they're an absolute BARST to fit with rigid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 17 March, 2019, 06:47:14 pm
I fettled a bathroom floor today and tomorrow I shall do more fettling to my Honduran mahogany tool chest.....the life of an idle student, what a lark.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 March, 2019, 11:53:26 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 17 March, 2019, 06:44:05 pm
Usually the kits are designed to fit with SR/RST low end to medium forks but they're an absolute BARST to fit with rigid.

Current fitment is an elderly but functional RockShox Judy SL.  She's still got the OE rigid forks, which looked like they'd accept the motorised wheel with less bodging and the old ultra-violence, but replacing forks is high on my list of Jobs Best Avoided.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 March, 2019, 09:31:15 am
Quote from: Aunt Maud on 17 March, 2019, 06:47:14 pm
I fettled a bathroom floor today and tomorrow I shall do more fettling to my Honduran mahogany tool chest.....the life of an idle student, what a lark.

Yesterday I watched the bloke at Crimson Guitars use a nice chunk of sapele as a quick & dirty router sled.  :facepalm: :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 March, 2019, 02:43:19 pm
Changed the cartridge bearings (6903) in a TA Axix BB.  Quicker than cleaning and repacking loose ball bearings and it is as good as new afterwards.

The Axix is stupidly light but saves weight by not having a central sleeve.  This means you have to be careful not to preload the bearings axially since, if you do, they will run against the sides of their grooves and won't last long.  Still, if you cock it up, it's only another couple of cartridges.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 March, 2019, 05:00:46 pm
5th puncture since 2nd Feb. FFU.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 March, 2019, 10:24:40 pm
Built the rear track wheel for the second time today, with the right length spokes this time.

Having never built up a bolt-on wheel with cup and cone hubs* (and this must be my 60th wheel) I was surprised to find that spoke tension creates slight bearing play where there was none  :o

*I've done lots of SA hubs but they have separate cups screwed or pressed into the shell, and are isolated from spoke tension
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 March, 2019, 10:26:29 pm
That is why it is easier to fit replacement bearings/ cups in a wheel than in a bare hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 March, 2019, 07:52:12 pm
Took the Specialized Sawtooth tyres off the Sequoia and replaced them with Panaracer Gravel Kings. I've only had them in the cupboard (wardrobe actually!) since, what, November? This has freed up a decent amount of space under the mudguards as intended, but they do seem fragile compared to the Sawtooths. Hopefully that will prove to be illusory. Now I have a pile of tubes to patch...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 20 March, 2019, 08:17:05 pm
Not bike related, but I fettled the 3D printer at work.

Head of D&T say's it's blocked, can you have a look at it?

This type of 3D printer is like a computer controlled, minature hot glue gun.

I couldn't feed any plastic filament in, so started to strip the extruder head down to find the fault.  - Found that the plastic filament had broken between the feed rollers and the nozzle - impossible to get at without taking the print head completely appart.  >:(

Anyway, I stripped it down, turned the heater on to get the nozzle up to temperature, pulled the scrap of filament out and poked a fine wire through the nozzle to ensure it was clear. Cleaned the rest of the print head up while it was apart, let it cool, reassembled and set up print platform levels. Tried a test print - it worked!  :D :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 21 March, 2019, 08:09:56 am
Found the little lump of gunge that was blocking the 0.4mm dia pilot jet on my 73 Triumph Tiger. Flushed it all through and carb cleaner and air now comes out of the holes that it should do. I could get the bike to cough and run for a couple of seconds, but no more, and kicking over an old 750 is something that has to be approached in short bursts.  Hopeful it'll now run long enough for me to fettle the carb settings, check the alternator output etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 March, 2019, 08:28:44 am
Fitted replacement bearings to HK's trike front wheel last night. Still need to fit the BB and cranks to HK's Moulton and to sort out the Tune rear hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 March, 2019, 01:25:26 pm
I trued and tensioned the new rear track wheel, and fitted a tyre.  Wasn't too bad for DT Revs - very oily nipples (oo-er) help reduce twist.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 March, 2019, 02:49:35 pm
New mirror on the Trek. The old one went for a burton on a bumpy descent yesterday and since it was geriatric ICBA walking back up the hill to get it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 21 March, 2019, 03:37:48 pm
Well, technically not fettled today, but over the past week or so.

A diy hydrophone, made from a piezo electric element, a plastic plumbing endcap, some hotmelt glue and some epoxy resin.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7887/47382361862_0133a5ef26_c.jpg)

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7806/47382361502_3308cbb1a5_c.jpg)

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7857/47382361062_756e717d4a_c.jpg)

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 March, 2019, 03:53:11 pm
Nice
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 March, 2019, 05:00:56 pm
@Brian: Very impressive! :thumbsup:

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 20 March, 2019, 07:52:12 pm
Took the Specialized Sawtooth tyres off the Sequoia and replaced them with Panaracer Gravel Kings. I've only had them in the cupboard (wardrobe actually!) since, what, November? This has freed up a decent amount of space under the mudguards as intended, but they do seem fragile compared to the Sawtooths. Hopefully that will prove to be illusory. Now I have a pile of tubes to patch...
But I forgot to take the opportunity to fettle the rattly mudguard bolt while the back wheel was out. Still, the GKs seem smooth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 March, 2019, 11:45:52 pm
Mostly sorted the Tune hub and fitted cranks and BB but I haven't adjusted the gears on HK's Moulton yet as it turns out that we don't have any 11sp chains here. The Moulton would need two chains (maybe get away with 120 links) anyway for a 58t big ring, a 32t cog and 455mm chainstays.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 22 March, 2019, 04:17:06 pm
Tidied the garage to make the bikes fit better.

Took a metric tonne of rubbish to the tip.

Converted a piece of oak 960*500 into 3 pieces 320*500, then sanded and oiled them. These are to be used as chopping boards, one for us, one for our good friends and one to give away on my Facebook page.

Now thinking of going for a shower before taking TLD and friend to party.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 22 March, 2019, 05:10:48 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 21 March, 2019, 08:09:56 am
Found the little lump of gunge that was blocking the 0.4mm dia pilot jet on my 73 Triumph Tiger. Flushed it all through and carb cleaner and air now comes out of the holes that it should do. I could get the bike to cough and run for a couple of seconds, but no more, and kicking over an old 750 is something that has to be approached in short bursts.  Hopeful it'll now run long enough for me to fettle the carb settings, check the alternator output etc.

Got it to run.  Need to fettle the carb settings, but it runs.  Relief all around.  Alternator bungs out 14.5V and the oil pump works strongly.

Might have to break out the Ardbeg Uigeadail tonight.

Next hurdle is getting an age-related reg plate from DVLA as the bike was re-patriated from Toronto in January.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Adam on 22 March, 2019, 08:32:47 pm
Yet another one for my collection of Halfords Horrors.

I'd been asked to look at the brakes on a customer's bike.  Normally it would be labelled as an Apollo, but it make it edgy, they call it X-Rated.  It was still assembled by useless spanner monkeys, but presumably it's called X-Rated, as it should be banned. 

Actually, scrub that.  Monkeys could build a better bike.  Their "technician" hadn't bothered aligning the front brake caliper properly, so it wasn't in line with the rotor, meaning uneven wear and starting to grind on one edge.

Perhaps I should simply set up a stall outside the local Halfords store, to save all the travelling?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 March, 2019, 06:43:25 pm
My car, which had its biannual deep clean, polish and wheel change. Winter alloys definitely need a refurb this year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 March, 2019, 07:30:16 pm
Being too lurgified to do anything useful with the first weekend of nice weather this year, I fettled the TT bike I acquired recently.

Main thing was that the headset was stupidly loose.
The cap bolt could not be tightened any more, because it was bottomed out on the steerer tube!
It seems the previous owner had replaced the stem with one with a shorter stack height, and the steerer tube was now barely 1mm below the top of the stem.
The cap profile made it impossible for the cap to contact the stem before it bottomed out on the top of the steerer tube.

A 2.5mm spacer under the stem gave enough clearance for everything to work properly.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 March, 2019, 01:02:04 pm
Got HK's Moulton's Etap gears working well after fitting one-and-a-bit chains. Now to tackle the Nokon brake cables. After that, she can test-ride it.

Cleaned and lubricated the chain on my fixed. Contemplating getting my GT LTS-1 offroad-ready for the Wayfarer weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Danu on 24 March, 2019, 02:04:58 pm
An HK test ride, guess by the time HK has finished all the bits will want replacing again
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 March, 2019, 03:20:10 pm
Given it is being fettled for about 1000 miles in a week, you might not be too far wrong.

Those Nokon brake cables work quite nicely, at least when new and hopefully continue to do so after a few miles in poor weather. Just need to put on new handlebar tape and the Moulton is good to go to Florida.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 March, 2019, 03:30:55 pm
Fettled the lawnmower into it's first cut of the season.  Top up of oil, prime, not even a hint of a splutter into life. Prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull. Hmm.

Spark plug gap OK
A bit of fresh unleaded and voila!

Didn't take it all the way down, just enought to dry out down to the floor, and then will have another go when I get back from Gatwick.

In bike fettling, finally found and solved the mudguard rub that has been plaguing me. Now I can hear a chain rattle/rub I didn't know existed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 March, 2019, 03:54:37 pm
I've just removed the Ice Spikers from my mountain bike.  So it's my fault if it snows.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 March, 2019, 04:35:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 March, 2019, 03:54:37 pm
I've just removed the Ice Spikers from my mountain bike.  So it's my fault if it snows.
I had considered doing that this week but I've had the lurgy and today it's frikkin freezing. So I haven't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 March, 2019, 05:04:21 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 March, 2019, 04:35:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 March, 2019, 03:54:37 pm
I've just removed the Ice Spikers from my mountain bike.  So it's my fault if it snows.
I had considered doing that this week but I've had the lurgy and today it's frikkin freezing. So I haven't.

It was part of a last ditch effort to see if I could get that 28-559 Pro One to seat properly on anything.  Spoiler: It didn't.

I've sent a pleading email to SJS to see if they feel like replacing it on the grounds of a manufacturing defect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 March, 2019, 05:30:43 pm
Defrosted the “shed” freezer. Then sat in the garden for the afternoon, reading in the sunshine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 March, 2019, 06:56:09 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 March, 2019, 04:35:39 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 March, 2019, 03:54:37 pm
I've just removed the Ice Spikers from my mountain bike.  So it's my fault if it snows.
I had considered doing that this week but I've had the lurgy and today it's frikkin freezing. So I haven't.

I went out in shorts and short sleeve jersey this afternoon.  It was borderline, due to the bracing westerly, but abmient temp and sunshine were great.  I've been outside most of the day
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 24 March, 2019, 07:26:29 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 24 March, 2019, 03:30:55 pm
Fettled the lawnmower into it's first cut of the season.  Top up of oil, prime, not even a hint of a splutter into life. Prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull, prime, pull. Hmm.

Spark plug gap OK
A bit of fresh unleaded and voila!
FWIW, I've used a dollop of an additive to my last petrol buy of the season over the past few years, to stop the petrol going 'off' - which it does in only a few weeks.  Seems to work as I've fired up my mower this week on last autumn's petrol.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 March, 2019, 08:13:03 pm
I've run it dry in the past when I think I'm putting it away for the winter, that way you always start on fresh, just forgot this year
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 March, 2019, 01:49:25 pm
Tonight I will hopefully be fitting a new 8sp cassette and chain to my long-dormant MTB, ready for the Wayfarer weekend. There are enough cables, tyres and other consumables if they are required but I'd like to get some sleep before heading into work tomorrow.


EDIT: It turns out the freehub has a significant problem that I couldn't quickly sort out. Accordingly, it was a new chain and a smaller 42t chainring fitted onto the fixed and the wheel turned for the 17t cog. Hopefully I'll not be walking too far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 March, 2019, 09:10:14 pm
Respaced a Miche track hub for a 45mm chainline using some old Shimano locknuts and spacers.  Then tried to build a wheel but the Sapim spokes (or nipples) are faulty - half the nipples won't thread on at all - so am sending the whole lot back and buying DT Competition, which I should have done to start with.  eBay is a total crapshoot - this is the third bike thing I've sent back in a fortnight, along with some hubs which I was assured were smooth but were as rough as frack and a KMC K710SL chain that was only a K710.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 30 March, 2019, 02:14:42 pm
Lightened my road bike by about 100 grams by cleaning the drive train.  Yuk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 March, 2019, 04:43:33 pm
New saddle on daughter's bike, retightened lh crank bolt on my runabout
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 30 March, 2019, 05:07:49 pm
Annual spring clean of the patio with the pressure washer. After 35 years it's not exactly immaculate but at least the two colours of slabs are now distinguishable.

Also put the pump back in the fountain. Took it out for the winter this year as some vermin chewed through the mains cable in two places the year before. A small toad appears to be in residence. The previous large one was found shrivelled up on the lawn last summer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2019, 12:06:24 pm
Fettled the time on the kitchen clock (in the cooker), my watch and one bike comp. Later fettled the same bike comp so that it contacts better – being half on and half off the bar tape made it lose contact with its reader bits – and then my back light, which has developed the B&M loose connection problem. It responded to a sharp tap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 April, 2019, 01:15:09 pm
My Zefal Cyclops mirror, which was flopping about like an empty sock on Saturday's ride. Roughened pivoting surfaces and shortened a sleeve nut so that it grips better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 03 April, 2019, 08:19:47 pm
Hopefully the last item on the once very long list of jobs-to-do to get my new to me 1973 Triumph Tiger 750, re-homed from Toronto, into a condition commensurate with running it on the road this summer.  The last item was sealing up the exhaust pipe to cylinder head joints.  The pipes just push in, but were blowing a bit.  A bit of research discovered high temperature silicone made for the job, so that was today's, and the last job.

Hopefully, DVLA will give me an age-related reg no shortly and I can get a plate made up.  The old black and chome one, natch. 

Fettling finished then, for now.  Next winter will be a full strip, vapour blast all the ally bits then a polish, and powder coat the black bits.  Engine re-furb as required - but probably involving new con-rods as I don't want a pair of 46 yo crankcase halves destroying, thank you very much.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 04 April, 2019, 11:39:56 am
'As required'? You know you want Morgo barrels & pistons, a big valve conversion and twin Amal slides. Not foolin' anybody...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 04 April, 2019, 06:48:16 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 04 April, 2019, 11:39:56 am
'As required'? You know you want Morgo barrels & pistons, a big valve conversion and twin Amal slides. Not foolin' anybody...

 ;D ;D ;D

And nah.  It's non-matching numbers, so its ultimate value is limited.  But I didn't buy it as an investment, I bought it to give me something to fettle, and ride gently on sunny afternoons, and go to a few shows on (not to exhibit!).

It's a '73 Tiger in a '71 Bonnie frame - perhaps the original frame was damaged, or corroded away given that it lived its life in Toronto.  It still needs a new headlight shell as the one that's on is not correct, and  a new brake master cylinder and a lh handlebar switch, but everything else seems original.  It's been a bit of a survivor over the past 46 years!

I'll strip the motor next winter to see what condition it's in - but since the oil pressure is excellent, I think someone's been in there recently - and given the new gaskets in a few places.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: David Martin on 04 April, 2019, 11:55:01 pm
I haven't built it yet but I now have the parts for a stupidometer. This measures ambient CO2 and warns of cognitive impairment if the levels get too high (as they can after a relatively short time) Ambient is 0.4% - 1.2% is measurably impaired, 2% is positively stupid decision territory.

I have the option to have a needle dial which I am tempted to decorate with photos of politicians ranging from the Cherry and Cooper through to the Dorries and Leadsom though if it ever gets that far you probably need an ambulance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 April, 2019, 12:00:35 am
It seemed like good weather to service my suspension fork.  So I did.

Could have done without breaking the threaded end off the tube of grease by treading on it (stupid-o-meter level: Gove).  It's still half full, and I can't put a lid on it.  The bike was unharmed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 05 April, 2019, 12:07:27 am
Ripped up a lot of rat contaminated fibreglass loft insulation, shoved it into bin bags & took it to the dump.  Removed the very dodgy 1cm fibreboard that was laid on top of the joists & made a working platform from 18mm tongue & groove chipboard in it's place.  Still haven't found the hole where the little rat bastards are getting in though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 05 April, 2019, 11:08:33 am
I've got the day off, and was going to clean the flat. However, I seem to be applying frame protection thingies to the shiny new bike instead. And admiring it. It's so pretty I don't even want to take it outside. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 April, 2019, 07:21:39 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 05 April, 2019, 11:08:33 am
I've got the day off, and was going to clean the flat. However, I seem to be applying frame protection thingies to the shiny new bike instead. And admiring it. It's so pretty I don't even want to take it outside. :facepalm:

Photies!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 April, 2019, 10:19:47 am
I've built another fixie, not for me this time.  In fact, I can't even ride it because it has a 24 1/2" frame (the soon-to-be owner is 6'3").  It looks really fast; 700c wheels look tiny on such a big frame.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7816/47549214391_18ef43deb2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2frL9Re)20190406_153420 (https://flic.kr/p/2frL9Re) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Eclipse frame. Accounts vary as to whether they were built by Orbit or Holdsworthy.  Having a bare 1982 Holdsworth frame to compare it to, this one is Holdsworthy; the details are identical and frame numbering is in the Holdsworth 1980s  series, making this a 1983 frame.  Someone paid a fortune to have this re-enamelled and lined and then never built it up.  I got it for the starting bid on eBay.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7920/40583303103_9168b5197a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/24Qd37t)20190406_153429 (https://flic.kr/p/24Qd37t) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Miche track hub and quick-change 18T sprocket.  Both hubs, sprocket and lockring came to a total of £30 new!

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7847/47496503432_7f3af00b06_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2fn6ZHA)20190406_153441 (https://flic.kr/p/2fn6ZHA) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Sugino RD "Messenger" cranks and TA 49T ring.  The cranks give a rather MTB-like 48mm chainline even on a 103mm BB.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7864/46633746615_515cd685e6_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2e3S9b4)20190406_153450 (https://flic.kr/p/2e3S9b4) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Weinmann 999 brakes recycled from an old Holdsworth Mistral.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7835/40583313063_ab5cdddf57_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/24Qd65c)20190406_153509 (https://flic.kr/p/24Qd65c) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Quite a bit of respacing and faffing to get the chainline millimetre-perfect (these hubs are designed for 42mm, but they're better when respaced as the wheel comes out just about dishless).  It's actually spaced at 126mm, which is unusual for a fixie but the Miche axles seem to be designed with 126mm in mind - they are far too long for 120mm, but the perfect length for 126mm.  Anyway, the frame has a super-stiff back end and I couldn't cold-set it without extra leverage.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7911/47496515382_a301d83108_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2fn74gC)20190406_153544 (https://flic.kr/p/2fn74gC) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 April, 2019, 06:38:59 pm
Nice looking machine Mr 'zilla, despite the bumpy bars.

Replaced the front brake pads and lubed the gear cables on HK's Roberts but the dodgy Campag hub bearings will have to wait for some ball bearings to arrive.

Adjusted the headset on HK's Kinesis, belatedly put on some frame protection tape and replaced the tyre sealant. Six months is the longest interval I can get away with on a daily rider, right?

At some point I'll need to check minimum thicknesses for brake rotors and pads. I can feel a thickness difference between the swept path and elsewhere on the front rotor.

Replaced the cog, chainring and brake pads on my fixed. Back on 44/16 after last weekend's 42/17.

Bonded the loose brake lever pivot pins and Proofided the Rivet saddle on my Frezoni.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 April, 2019, 09:20:57 pm
Gorgeous colour. Huuuuuuuuuuuuge!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 April, 2019, 04:51:32 pm
Replaced the wornout gear cable inners and outers, the munched Hope seat post clamp bolt and the undersized seatpost on a friend's bike. The replacement 2-bolt seatpost needed a shorter front bolt to avoid the low profile seat's soffit. Luckily we had everything needed in the garage.

Checked the wear on 4 rotors - OK for a bit longer, the thinnest was 1.6mm.

Started unpacking and refurbing my Moulton before next month's big rides. Disassembled the rumbly rear hub. Removed the damaged handlebar tape in preparation for replacing the gear cables and possibly the brake cables. Replaced missing O-rings on the cable connectors. Contemplated replacing the front Tektro brake with an orphan Shimano 57mm caliper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 07 April, 2019, 05:42:41 pm
More wallpaper on the wall of the lounge, only two cock ups over length of paper, fortunately one was salvageable.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 07 April, 2019, 06:38:14 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 07 April, 2019, 05:42:41 pm
More wallpaper on the wall of the lounge, only two cock ups over length of paper, fortunately one was salvageable.

Move the telly in front of the other one. Nobody will notice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 07 April, 2019, 09:06:32 pm
I cleaned a front mech that had dirt on it that was carbon-datable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 April, 2019, 11:02:08 am
New cleats on my 2001 Time SPD shoes.  Back then, knowing little about it, I got the cleat position wrong and got sore knees, so I put them away and pretty well forgot about them. I'm not fond of my current Mavic shoes so I hauled them out again.

Hmph. The "nuts" in the internal plates that came with the new cleats didn't extend far enough through the soles to contact the screws, so I had to use the old ones. Well played, Shimano.

Also swapped my chain for one with a few thousand fewer k on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 April, 2019, 08:01:21 am
Yesterday, swapped a rack from the 90's MTB to the Giant, current audax bike, to be able to use the rack pack and/or panniers for shopping. Only took me 15 mins so I'm wondering what I did wrong.

This morning, swapped out the 16-17 year old carburettor assembly on the lawn mower for a new on that arrived surprisingly quickly in the post. It definitely runs smoother, had started hunting, I'm assuming worn jet.  Might also see if I can get hold of new throttle springs as they are probably a bit floppy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 13 April, 2019, 06:37:04 pm
Replaced the 53/39 on Louis’ bike for a 46/34 I had in the box. This meant replacing the bottom bracket too.
Ordered an 11/30 cassette to replace the current 12/25. Should make the hills hereabouts a bit easier.
Replaced the spds with some pedals from the box that have a flat side.
Removed, stripped and cleaned the rear mech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 13 April, 2019, 06:51:17 pm
New rear brake cable on the wife's Trek Navigator with an e-bike conversion.  She insisted on having a new bike about 5 years ago, and then an electric conversion 3 years ago. Last year it did about 3 miles in total.

Today ('cos it's sunny) "Is my bike OK to ride?"
Me: (in the middle of fettling the wobbly side stand on my Tiger 750) "I'll wash it and charge it and give it a once over".

Dug it out. Washed it.  Cleaned and oiled chain.  Rear brake solid.  Cable siezed.  Could not find sufficient bits in my 'bent stash to effect a new cable.  Drove 10 miles to nearest shop (well, not the nearest but I wanted s/s inners, not cheapo galvanised).  Nah, mate.  Unless you want a kit at £25.  Nah thx.

Drove to nearest Halfrauds and got tied up in the cinema matinee traffic queues, given that the little darlings are on holiday around here.  Why can't kids amuse themselves like ours did?  Why do they have to be loaded into cars and be taken somewhere to clog up the roads?

Bought a Clarkes kit at £9, and a centre stand.  The hub motor on her bike de-stabilisies the prop stand, and have been mulling changing to a centre stand for ages.

Drove home.  That excursion took a couple of hours. 

Made up and fitted new cable and centre stand in 30 mins.  Wife went out for a ride.  What?  She actually went out for a ride.  More than I've done in the past couple of weeks.

That's today gone....




Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 13 April, 2019, 10:57:31 pm
Tweaked the prop stand and cleats so that my heel doesn’t catch on the stand so much. A test ride will have to wait until tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 April, 2019, 08:58:11 am
Fiddled with the saddle position on the Ti Carthorse. I might take it for a test ride presently if I can banish the megrims. Or not. It 's bloody Sunday and the pâtisseries close early.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 14 April, 2019, 11:32:37 am
More a case of I haven’t managed to fettle  ::-). After 3 attempts at re-taping a tubeless rim (which ran faultlessly for 18 months until I decided to refresh it...) and failing each time - there’s a leak past the tape somewhere and if coming out around the valve stem - I gave up and did the drive of shame to the LBS  :hand:  Thoroughly recommend them, OTEC bikes in Halton, Wendover. Should be ready Tuesday. Then I failed to fit a chainset, because I’ve mislaid the NDS O-ring, so that’s been ordered. Then I failed to bleed the hydraulic brakes as I need a special Shimano adaptor for the 8070 levers.  Yep, you guessed it, that’s on order now.

I DID manage to swap the centre-lock front disc for an adaptor and 6 bolt disc. Manage to chew up one of the T15 sockets in the process though  ::-) Still it’ll be a couple of years before I need to attack it again.

Today I’ll probably have a play with a new pair of tubeless wheels for the “best” bike, ready for what looks to be a fine start to the Easter break. Wish me luck, I’ll need it!!! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 14 April, 2019, 11:41:18 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 06 April, 2019, 10:19:47 am


Eclipse frame. Accounts vary as to whether they were built by Orbit or Holdsworthy.  Having a bare 1982 Holdsworth frame to compare it to, this one is Holdsworthy; the details are identical and frame numbering is in the Holdsworth 1980s  series, making this a 1983 frame.  Someone paid a fortune to have this re-enamelled and lined and then never built it up.  I got it for the starting bid on eBay.


(https://live.staticflickr.com/7847/47496503432_7f3af00b06_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2fn6ZHA)20190406_153441 (https://flic.kr/p/2fn6ZHA) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

The paint looks really thick, maybe it's powdercoat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 14 April, 2019, 12:14:11 pm
Powdercoat rarely looks as glossy as that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 April, 2019, 03:08:05 pm
It's definitely enamel, and pretty good.  They also tapped all the threads except (oddly) the M3 dropout adjuster ones.  This suits me as dropout adjusters on a fixie are like tits on a fish; they work the wrong way to be useful!

Today I am trying to put off cleaning the chain on the soot bike (hasn't EVER been cleaned but, then again, the bike is low mileage*, dry-use only and it's never squeaked).  I might compromise and take it off, dunk it in solvent and leave the rest until a weekday.  Not sure what make of chain it is, but I'm hoping a SRAM 10-speed Powerlink will work to rejoin it.

*bit boring to ride, although superlight
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 14 April, 2019, 03:24:39 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 13 April, 2019, 10:57:31 pm
Tweaked the prop stand and cleats so that my heel doesn’t catch on the stand so much. A test ride will have to wait until tomorrow.
My heel didn't catch, but the angle is too big. I spent most of the ride on the flats, where i could combine not catching with not feeling weirdly toes in.

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 14 April, 2019, 04:03:54 pm
Managed well enough to sort out the new wheels, and since they’re DT Swiss Dicut rims I swapped out the green brake blocks for the specific purple ones. Swapped the cassette over, and I’m nearly good to go, once Ive charged the Di2 battery, and checked the brake block alignment - the blocks had seen some light use on another bike.

Managed to get the bleed blocks into the calipers on the Domane build. Shimano seem to have gone overboard with safety circlips and pins, there was another small pin that had to be pushed back to get the blocks in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 14 April, 2019, 08:21:41 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 06 April, 2019, 10:19:47 am
I've built another fixie, not for me this time.  In fact, I can't even ride it because it has a 24 1/2" frame (the soon-to-be owner is 6'3").  It looks really fast; 700c wheels look tiny on such a big frame.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7816/47549214391_18ef43deb2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2frL9Re)20190406_153420 (https://flic.kr/p/2frL9Re) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Eclipse frame. Accounts vary as to whether they were built by Orbit or Holdsworthy.  Having a bare 1982 Holdsworth frame to compare it to, this one is Holdsworthy; the details are identical and frame numbering is in the Holdsworth 1980s  series, making this a 1983 frame.  Someone paid a fortune to have this re-enamelled and lined and then never built it up.

Very nice - do you have a shot of the headbadge? And what size is the seatpin? My Eclipse was ratty and blue with different decals when I got it, but H Lloyd didn't have any Eclipse at all when I looked. Not sure whether mine was an Orbit or Holdsworth (plain top eyes on the seatstays), but it rides beautifully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 April, 2019, 03:47:51 pm
New chain & cassette on the Domane.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 April, 2019, 04:00:02 pm
Finished converting Miss von Brandenburg's Stumpjumper into a motorbike; connect miles of string, adjust brakes, adjust gears, reposition everything on the bars three times and fit boingy seatpost.  Also put a pre-loved 24T inner on her Genesis Day-01 as the cassette is something like a 12-25 even though it's got a long cage Tiagra mech ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 15 April, 2019, 05:27:48 pm
Yay for incorporation of voles...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 April, 2019, 06:05:59 pm
Took the glossy but rattly and scrapey "Zeppelin" mudguards off the Sequoia and replaced them with dull but non-rattly ones with decent clearance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 April, 2019, 01:45:23 pm
Replaced the bar tape and chain, and cleaned the oily bits, on the TC.  It's the cycling equivalent of a Ford Focus, no image whatsoever. 

It has an inherent problem: the rear mech is nowhere near the spokes in the largest sprocket yet that's unusable when cranking uphill because I can hear it pinging off them.  Either the frame or the rear wheel is as stiff as wet spaghetti.  I might borrow Sam's Ksyrium to see if it's any different, and build a new rear wheel with a lot of spokes if it is the wheel at fault.  DT don't lace their wheels the right way round for maximum rear mech clearance under load.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33744374788_75cce8b8dd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TpSJZj)20190416_133311 (https://flic.kr/p/TpSJZj) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 April, 2019, 03:20:29 pm
Quote from: Jakob W on 14 April, 2019, 08:21:41 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 06 April, 2019, 10:19:47 am
I've built another fixie, not for me this time.  In fact, I can't even ride it because it has a 24 1/2" frame (the soon-to-be owner is 6'3").  It looks really fast; 700c wheels look tiny on such a big frame.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7816/47549214391_18ef43deb2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2frL9Re)20190406_153420 (https://flic.kr/p/2frL9Re) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Eclipse frame. Accounts vary as to whether they were built by Orbit or Holdsworthy.  Having a bare 1982 Holdsworth frame to compare it to, this one is Holdsworthy; the details are identical and frame numbering is in the Holdsworth 1980s  series, making this a 1983 frame.  Someone paid a fortune to have this re-enamelled and lined and then never built it up.

Very nice - do you have a shot of the headbadge? And what size is the seatpin? My Eclipse was ratty and blue with different decals when I got it, but H Lloyd didn't have any Eclipse at all when I looked. Not sure whether mine was an Orbit or Holdsworth (plain top eyes on the seatstays), but it rides beautifully.
It didn't have a headbadge!  I just stuck a repro Holdsworth badge on there because it looked wrong without one.  Seatpin is 27.2.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 16 April, 2019, 03:43:59 pm
Managed to get some Zumba tunes off a memory stick, onto a iMac, then into iTunes, then shared with the iPad, then playing through the Sonos in the lounge. My wife is happy with the result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 April, 2019, 03:47:54 pm
changed the tyres and trimmed the whiskers (vent spews)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190416/152ef64e45f7a48bbf1878009f0f262e.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190416/59160617355b7cc461e0b975b82a8d08.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 17 April, 2019, 09:16:26 pm
After taking a slice out of my knee and finishing my ride with blood down my shin for the second time in a week, I finally got round to filing the sharp edges of the mudguard stays on my Genesis. :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 April, 2019, 10:09:50 pm
A CAIK, of the fruit variety, for consumption this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 April, 2019, 10:12:37 am
Managed to get a 25mm tyre onto the back wheel of the Ti Carthorse without letting the air out(!) Hope I don't have to do it on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 April, 2019, 08:37:45 pm
Fitted a rather unusual (and not cheap) Reynolds Hidaluminium lamp bracket to the "new" fork* of the Holdsworth Tornado. 

*a s/h fork sprayed and lined to.match the frame - the original Holdsworth fork is too flexible for my uphill wrestling and the front brake rubbed insufferably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 April, 2019, 11:37:28 am
Finally sorted out the drivetrain on the Holdsworth.  The ring was on the inside of the spider, which was eating away at my soul.  I fitted a shorter BB and also swapped the ring from a 3/32" 42T to a 1/8" 41T, which gives an exact 60" middle gear with the AM hub.  You try finding a 1/8" 41T in 110 BCD!

Then I took out the threaded driver from the hub and popped out the bearing and dustcap ready for swapping to the 12-spline driver. Except...the 12-spline driver can't get as wide a chainline as the threaded one, so I gave up on that idea.  I did swap the 3/32" 18T sprocket for a 1/8" EAI 18T.  This isn't too hard to do once the driver is out of the hub.  Put the bearing and dustcap back in and then put the driver back into the hub and adjusted it.

Next problem - the new 1/8" chain, a rather natty KMC K710SL, is only 100 links and I needed 102,  Luckily, I had a bit of unused K710SL hanging around spare from the track bike.  I'm sure that chain was longer, since it went around 52 x 17 on the track bike with links to spare.

The EAI sprocket sits a bit further out than the old Surly 3/32" sprocket, which helps with chainline but it runs super-close to the RH seatstay.  If it ever actually rubs, I'll put a 1mm washer under both hub locknuts.  This is my fault for reducing the AM hub width to the bare minimum (111mm!) because it looks cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 19 April, 2019, 11:37:39 am
Householdy stuff mainly. Cleaned and vacuumed out the grate,  noting it’ll need attention with fire cement before next burn season, and mixed the ash into the compost. Swapped the settee from its winter position in the middle of the room to its summer position under the window, and swapped the winter rug in front of the fireplace for the summer one. Vacuumed lounge, stairs and upstairs landing and bathroom. Cleaned the “summer” spare from the car after fitting the refurbished wheel with new tyre that was needed after I trashed the previous tyre against a raised manhole. Once cleaned, it was sealed and stored back in the shed.  Only bike related fettle so far was to swap out the passing valve core on a wheel prior to going out for a ride this afternoon. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 April, 2019, 01:11:10 pm
Shoved a bit of wood under the back feet of my backup keyboard to try and improve the typing experience. Still don't like it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 19 April, 2019, 01:53:11 pm
A non QR seat clamp, as the old one had a gradual slip; and a fork mounted light, as my bar bag blocks all bar mounted lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 April, 2019, 01:57:07 pm
Fitted a new freehub and cassette to my Moulton's rear wheel. Cleaned and regreased the front suspension on HK's Moulton, so squeak banished. Dug out spare tyres for both.

Swapped various Rivet saddles between my fixed, Frezoni, Moulton and the audax tandem (mostly Pearl Pass but adding an Independence Pass), taking off the last time-expired B17 Std in the process. Found that a Pearl Pass was starting to delaminate (hence the shape change) and accordingly contacted Carradice.

Checked over the audax tandem and cleaned the chains, ready for tomorrow's 200. Fitted the tandem roofrack to the car and the tandem to the rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 19 April, 2019, 08:39:45 pm
serviced the bike, replaced all the cables, got it ready for a next week's tour/audax

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190419/3d0ab17b89f24e05b1922a07d543027f.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 19 April, 2019, 09:08:38 pm
Started building up the Colnago I got from bikenerrd. I’m ridiculously excited.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 19 April, 2019, 11:08:45 pm
Got both engines running on my r/c Partenavia P68 twin, after about a year in storage.  I was supposed to fly it today, with its new wing, but the gremlins got in the way and I put it on the to-do list until I'd walked the dog and had a snooze in the sun.  By which time it was too late to go flying.  But both engines now run and have been fully tuned.  So they are ready to fly. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 20 April, 2019, 08:48:17 am
Well, that rather knocks my bottom bracket fettling into a cocked hat!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 April, 2019, 12:01:18 pm
barbecues yesterday for later today.

Have re-chaining the M5 on the plan for this weekend
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 20 April, 2019, 01:27:09 pm
Adjusted front derailleur outer limit screw, removed old finish line sealant and inserted new Stan's race sealant.  Fitted frame bag and saddle bag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 20 April, 2019, 03:23:55 pm
Quote from: Paul on 20 April, 2019, 08:48:17 am
Well, that rather knocks my bottom bracket fettling into a cocked hat!
Waitaminnit, does r/c mean ‘remote control’?

Not quite as intimidating if so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 April, 2019, 04:29:42 pm
Swapped the wheels on the car.  Took off the 17" silver alloys with winter tyres and fitted the (original spec) drug dealer 19" alloys with summer tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 20 April, 2019, 06:14:03 pm
Quote from: Paul on 20 April, 2019, 03:23:55 pm
Quote from: Paul on 20 April, 2019, 08:48:17 am
Well, that rather knocks my bottom bracket fettling into a cocked hat!
Waitaminnit, does r/c mean ‘remote control’?

Not quite as intimidating if so.

Yup, Radio Control. It's only about 6 foot wingspan, but not many people fly r/c twins because of the complexity of controlling 2 engines.  They have to throttle up and down in sync, and do it reliably, and run reliably, otherwise the aircraft gets quite hard to fly.  So engine fettling on r/c twins is quite involved.

And I've got 3 more r/c twins that could do with a fettle.

But fettled a new speedo gearbox onto my '73 Triumph Tiger 750 this am, and that's quite enough fettling for today, thank you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 April, 2019, 07:32:24 pm
New tyres all round for Pingu & I today after we both had a puncture on the way home. I wish my inner tubes wouldn't get welded to paselas though, it made it a right bastard to get off the rim.

I should really have taken the opportunity to put on the New! Shiny! Purple! Hubbed wheels that Pingu built for me but after all the swearing I CBA moving the casette over as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 April, 2019, 10:51:03 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 April, 2019, 07:32:24 pm
I should really have taken the opportunity to put on the New! Shiny! Purple! Hubbed wheels that Pingu built for me but after all the swearing I CBA moving the casette over as well.

You could have got RZ to do it, then you could have had a nice clean lightweight one :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 April, 2019, 12:00:37 pm
Washed my fixed and the audax tandem. New bearings, cup and cone in HK's Roberts hubs and built a dynowheel for it. Tyre and tube on the dynowheel, so just need to wire up the Roberts' headlight for it to be PBP-ready.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 April, 2019, 07:22:03 pm
Swapped the non-premium Cyo from HK's Kinesis to her MTB commuter.

Fitted a Cyo Premium with piggyback Schmidt connectors to the Kinesis. That'll let her use an Igaro on it when she wants to.

Replaced a bearing in my Moulton's front wheel. Added a soft shim to the seatpost clamp on HK's Moulton's rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 April, 2019, 05:42:52 pm
had to sort out the sticky freehub, abroad, with hardly any tools at hand..
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190423/0443860d5aa46e16b0533e16bf2c9d1a.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 April, 2019, 08:41:12 pm
Impressive!^ :)

Far less impressive, I've patched three of the four tubes I put aside rather a long time ago. The last already had four patches so I've decided to keep as a totem of obstinacy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 25 April, 2019, 07:16:59 pm
A 38 tooth chainring onto the trice. It's a narrow/wide  blue one  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 April, 2019, 07:25:42 pm
A quantity of landlord-issue magnolia emulsion from my down jacket.

(This post would be equally at home in the div thread.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arabella on 25 April, 2019, 07:58:43 pm
Not exackerly today, but I finally haz a suab fixie again, having decided that the tyres it came with were about to have had it.
It's the full omafiets look as well, with rubbish squeaky brakes fore and aft, chain guard etc..
Known as Stella of the squeaky brakes.
Tho I may stick to audaxing with gears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 25 April, 2019, 08:12:06 pm
Quote from: Paul on 19 April, 2019, 09:08:38 pm
Started building up the Colnago I got from bikenerrd. I’m ridiculously excited.
Dt stops and seat tube bolt arrived so I was able to finish the build and take it for a spin.

Everything (Campagnolo centaur, 3x10) works well. I think the stem is a cm too long so I haven’t taped the bars yet.

Nice bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 25 April, 2019, 09:34:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 25 April, 2019, 07:25:42 pm
A quantity of landlord-issue magnolia emulsion from my down jacket.

(This post would be equally at home in the div thread.)
They say the Queen thinks the world smells of magnolia.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 April, 2019, 10:06:05 am
That bloody lightswitch in the bathroom whereof I have grumbled elsewhere. Nasty job involving too-short wires, spring-loaded terminals requiring Herculean strength to be exerted in a tiny space and a wide vocabulary, mostly cribbed from YACF. It works!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 27 April, 2019, 04:54:45 pm
I've been cannibalising Denman hairbrushes, combining the least toothless combs with fair pads and handles to make two serviceable brushes out of three old ones.

Skinflint the Cyclist.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 April, 2019, 06:01:12 pm
Put the 2 new wheels on that Pingu built for me using Purple! Shiny! Hope hubs.  :smug:
Finally bent the valve on the inner tube that's been wonky for far too long into some semblance of normality, such that it can now wear a cap.
Didn't put a new chain on the commuter because it had already been used elsewhere.  :facepalm:
Fettled some repaired inner tubes into boxes tidily.  O:-)
Chucked out an old derailleur and various other tat (including many unfixed inner tubes) cluttering up the shed.
Finally got around to dismantling the shifter that stopped working in winter. Took it to bits, sussed out how it worked and got it going again, at which point a vital bit of it sheared off.  :-\ Binned it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 April, 2019, 10:44:34 am
Changed inner chainring on Trek. 

Managed to get hands almost clean in about the same time as it took to change the ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 28 April, 2019, 01:11:06 pm
finally rechained the M5. Slight divness in that I had no photos of it before removing the old ones.  Three chains later, it all looked nice adn shiny, but power and return sides backwards.

Cue resplitting power links, rethreading and rejoining. just in time for the rain to start.

I had lunch then went out for a short ride
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 28 April, 2019, 01:43:09 pm
The last of the laminate flooring! I finally did the under stairs pantry.

Thank the gods that's done. Although I'm sure the secret list* has grown in the meantime.

(*I've never seen the list, but Suzy tells me what's on it on a need-to-know basis. It's a bit like those house meetings that I don't get invited to, where decisions are made. It's as though there's a board of directors in my house that I'm not on)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 April, 2019, 03:16:35 pm
Finally got round the ploughing through the mound of cycle related stuff on the bench in my garage - some thrown out (not a lot!), the "spare" tools all put in one box, the n sets of tools/tubes etc that have been in 6 bags on 6 bikes now consolidated into one spangly Ortlieb under-saddle bag that has a clip on each bike .... just transfer the bag to the bike in use - simples (now that I run 25mm tyres on the road bike I can get away with just 25-32 tubes, all Presta long valve).

Along the way I decided to sell my Claud Butler c1982 Audax framed fixie - either as complete bike for preference or f&f and the unusual Sturmey Archer 3 speed fixed wheel (with bar end and downtube shifters) - sometime soon I'll get round to listing it for sale.

Just about (so I'm being told) to reinstate the water feature gadget in the garden after its removal for the winter.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 28 April, 2019, 05:39:46 pm
Quote from: robgul on 28 April, 2019, 03:16:35 pm
Just about (so I'm being told) to reinstate the water feature gadget in the garden after its removal for the winter.

Rob
Aha: another “operative”. Welcome, comrade.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 29 April, 2019, 11:33:57 pm
Today I fittted a cyclone dust trap to George. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 May, 2019, 01:41:35 pm
Firstly a new front mudguard for the Surly. The old one had a loose stay. This was because the stays fasten with a 2mm grub screw. Grub screws are, we all know, the work of Stan, and a 2mm fastener of any sort on something subjected to weather and rattles is the artifice of Beelzebub. Combine the two in one item and make it out of non-stainless steel and you have something only ian can name. The new guard uses big stainless bolts. The part of mudguard fitting I don't like is cutting the stays to length – the irreversibility is scary! There's something to be said for designs where this isn't necessary, such as Bontrager (though I know someone who has Bontrager mudguards on a Specialized and the clash of branding freaks him out – it wouldn't bother me, but I guess we all need something to get disturbed by).

After I'd done that – a couple of days after – I decided to adjust the headlight bracket of the IQ-X on the Sequoia. Mistake! The plastic had got totally chewed up from rotating on the metal bolt under the forces of gravity, vibration and resistance from the brake and gear cables – which, of course, is why it needed adjusting in the first place. I've replaced it with a metal bracket which hopefully should stay put. I've also used electrical tape to tie the cables up in a way which means they'll still work smoothly but won't press on the headlight. Hopefully. Also replaced the cable ties holding the dyno wire on the fork leg with lecky tape cos it actually looks better (black on black) IMO.

Not sure about doing the rear guard, I think I'll leave it till it becomes necessary. I can live with mismatched mudguards (just as the other bike has mismatched wheels. Horror!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 04 May, 2019, 03:54:05 pm
Fitted a new cassette on the Dawes. Then measured the rim width as I was changing the tyre and realised it's worn out, so moved the new cassette onto a spare road wheel for now.

Fitted a new chain to match the new cassette, cleaned an amazing amount of black crud from between the chainrings and round the jockey wheels, and realigned the front and rear brakes. Then I decided the left shifter was too far down the bar, so I unwrapped and moved it up a bit; and because I made a much better job of taping the end of the handlebar tape than on the other side, I redid the last little bit of the other one too.

Also adjusted the light bracket and changed the bottle cages over as the old ones were starting to wear through.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 May, 2019, 05:39:19 pm
Bit of a Kona MTB day.

Put a different M737 XT rear mech on the Kiluaea but it still skips under load.  Finally twigged what's wrong.  There is play in the cassette - I think I used a 3mm spacer but 7 speed on a 10 speed hub needs a 4.5mm spacer.

Also cleaned the Cinder Cone and dewinterised it.  Factory chain lube is The Worst to clean up, especially when topped up with Finish Line wet lube.  Yuck.

Then rode down to Hargroves.  Nowhere to park a bike FFS.  Not much in the way of useful spares either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 05 May, 2019, 09:57:30 am
Made a start yesterday on sorting and cleaning the myriad of small parts that came with my in-boxes 72 Triumph Daytona.  Loads of 'em.  Many I recognise, some I don't so am consulting the parts book.  "Ah!  that's where it goes."  Inevitably, after being stored in bits for 37 years, there are rather more small parts in the parts book than there are in the boxes.  The search begins.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 May, 2019, 09:16:39 am
Great quote from Henry Cole about the Newark auto jumble 'Like Birmingham but for people with no teeth...'
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 May, 2019, 01:29:40 pm
ticking noise started appearing when riding out of saddle, so following my previous experience with the same sound in the same circumstances i've taken apart the steering assembly, cleaned and regreased all mating surfaces, reassembled - noise still there! traced it down to front skewer this time; tiny bit of grease got rid of the noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 07 May, 2019, 04:24:01 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 06 May, 2019, 09:16:39 am
Great quote from Henry Cole about the Newark auto jumble 'Like Birmingham but for people with no teeth...'
Not been to Newark AJ but went to Stafford last week and scored a NOS Lucas rh handlebar switch to match the original on the lh side of my Tiger's 'bars.  When I find a NOS front brake master cylinder the two will go together and that'll be another step back toward originality. I'll have to re-instate the indicators then as I'll have all the switches I need, and the loom still has all the indicator wiring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 07 May, 2019, 04:31:06 pm
Not me fettled per se, but getting bits to a man (in a shed) who can.  I know when I'm at the limit of my nerves/expertise/tools.. Main bearings to come out of the 72 Daytona 'cases, cases and brand new cylinder head  to be vapour blasted, along with the new conrods (been sitting for 30 years in a damp garage), crankshaft to be cleaned up, and oil tank dent removed and welded up.  Camshafts to be removed and re-profiled, and re-fitted with new bushes.  Some of this needs special tools, some of it nerve and skill to avoid damaging the irreplaceable crank cases.

My fettling will now continue with stripping the frame so it and the rest of the black bits can go to the next door neighbour of the man-in-a-shed for powder coating.

Loads of fettling to do.  Once the Daytona bits are out of the door, I've got the timing on the Tiger to sort - hopefully that will cure the bottom end misfire.

All of the above is a substitute for recumbent fettling, as neither need any at the moment, oddly enough.  Even the wife's e-bike is behaving itself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 07 May, 2019, 04:41:36 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 07 May, 2019, 04:31:06 pm
... bottom end misfire.


You can get charcoal biscuits for that. :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 May, 2019, 08:09:27 pm
I stopped a Southern Railway Class V from kangarooing along the track, with a drop of lube on the valve gear and coupling rods.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 08 May, 2019, 07:05:41 pm
New bar tape as mine had got chewed up when the wind blew my bike over on  Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 May, 2019, 09:09:18 am
Quote from: spesh on 07 May, 2019, 04:41:36 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 07 May, 2019, 04:31:06 pm
... bottom end misfire.


You can get charcoal biscuits for that. :demon:

Brita filters might work, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 10 May, 2019, 11:20:42 am
Sorted the bottom end misfire on the Tiger 750.  Spent an hour last night understanding the timing marks on the alternator rotor (on the end of the crank), and finding the timing notches on the flywheel (one at TDC and the other at 38 degrees BTDC), and checking these with a screwdriver down the plughole in No. 1 cylinder, and making sure that at 38 degrees BTDC the piston was 0.415" lower than it was at TDC, as it's supposed to be.  So that's all good.  Need to check all this because good old Triumph, in the dying days of our motorcycle industry, were apparently a bit inconsistent in what bits they fitted, some have 2 timing notches, some only one, and it could be either one.  Hence the need to check what you are seeing.

This morning, now it's stopped raining, rolled the bike outside, fired it up and let it warm up.  Checked the timing marks with my new strobe.  A bit out.  Turned the coil sensor plate in the timing one way a bit - worse.  Turned it the other way a bit. Spot on.

Rode around the block.  5 miles.  Bottom end misfire gone.  Much smoother too.  And all without charcoal biscuits or a Brita filter.  But thx for the suggestions.

And thanks to the internet for supplying loads of info on how to do the above.  35 years ago when I last timed a motorcycle engine, it was all done with a Haynes manual, and sometimes they were right, and sometimes they even showed you how to do it.  Sometimes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 10 May, 2019, 10:53:42 pm
Fed up with chain crud and useless chain lubricants alleged to work wonders so I'm experimenting with Paraffin wax chain lubrication.... (It has been shown to give the lowest drivetrain power loss and the cleanest kit)
Got a job lot of paraffin wax on t'internet and a nice little metal jug and plastic coated garden wire.
Took off my chain and washed it and cassette thoroughly with white spirit to clean and degrease it.
Melted wax in bottom oven in metal jug (we have an Aga - temp - 110C)
Plonked chain and Quicklinks in the hot wax (one end and the Quicklinks threaded onto garden wire to allow easy retrieval)
Put back in oven to stew to a few hours. Hung chain up above jug in garage from a hook to allow to drip and cool.
Beautiful clean and waxed chain - nice and stiff too and so very easy to thread through derailleur and re-attach Quicklinks. No grease or dirt so done with bare hands.
Turning the crank allows excess bits of wax to flake off.
Went out for a few rides. Chain quiet and shifts fine.
In the dry - the waxed chain seems to last pretty well; managed just under 500km of dry and occasionally dampish weather before cycling in a biblical deluge on Wednesday necessitated a re-wax. (According to some pundits, a wax can last 1000km - I suspect they must live in drier climes)
Rewaxing done today dead easy. Chain and cassette still spotless. Removed by hand with no dirt or residue on hands. Simply plonked chain back into the wax in the oven for a few hours, hung to cool and refitted.
I think I am hooked.
I may keep a couple of chains in rotation, with one ready waxed to go - removing and replacing the chain literally takes about a minute - the same time as it used to take to relube and wipe off the chain previously; not counting getting rid of the adherent crud. Plonking the chain in the wax, placing it in the oven and then hanging it up after cooking is a further 1-2 minutes maximum as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 11 May, 2019, 01:53:44 pm
The internet connection of my Humax and Apple TV. Not sure how really - well I did a factory reset on the modem/router, and that seems to have done the trick. Odd really, the connection had been fine for, well, years, but then it suddenly failed, could connect to the router, but both showed no internet, even though there was - phones a tablet all good. Weird, but all's good (for now!). Just in case new modem/router ordered, this ones been on 24/7 for several year and the formerly white casing is looking distinctly yellow! Plus I'm going back to a Fritz!box as that give quite good stats of connection status. Oh, and a new TV with built-in wifi, meaning I can repurpose the powerline adaptor to the shed, as it's got a pass thru socket, whereas the current one is "blind", and the old TV can be my Zwift monitor in the shed  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 May, 2019, 11:18:40 am
Swapped bidon cages on my fixed to stop my calves rubbing one of them. Retaped the bars on my Moulton and fitted a front mudflap. Refitted the Rivet Pearl Pass saddle to my Frezoni.

Flint-mined the tyres of HK's Kinesis and diagnosed a leaking hydraulic lever. Looks like it needs a new olive and more oil in the next few days. New handlebar tape to be fitted afterwards.

Reassembled HK's Moulton after last weekend's trip. Replaced the front tyre and tube.

Adjusted the front and rear mechs on a friend's MTB.

Replaced a Keo cleat worn out by a fair amount of walking over/ around fallen trees during last weekend's Rando Imperator.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 12 May, 2019, 03:44:16 pm
The garden fence.
Replacing nine five-foot panels, which got progressively more and more difficult as we moved up the fence. The last one required the use of a plane and a rasp to make the panel just a little bit thinner.
At least they're not going to come out in a hurry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 12 May, 2019, 04:29:50 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 May, 2019, 09:09:18 am
Quote from: spesh on 07 May, 2019, 04:41:36 pm
Quote from: andytheflyer on 07 May, 2019, 04:31:06 pm
... bottom end misfire.


You can get charcoal biscuits for that. :demon:

Brita filters might work, too.

Not the Maxtra ones though.  :o  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 12 May, 2019, 05:44:31 pm
I was over ambitious when I tried to fettle a neglected lawn. Now I need a new lawnmower :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 12 May, 2019, 05:59:20 pm
I am now unfettling the old fence which is nearly as much physical effort and is going to take much longer.
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 12 May, 2019, 05:44:31 pm
I was over ambitious when I tried to fettle a neglected lawn. Now I need a new lawnmower :-)
Sympathies. I've got close to that a couple of times this summer already with my mower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 May, 2019, 06:00:58 pm
After grubbing about in the floor last Saturday, when my brother tried to hoover up the entire life under the floor boards, I decided to clean the Dyson bin and cyclone as there was a lot of nasty fine looking dust in it. During this operation the bit of housing that the filter catch attaches to broke :(
Currently trying to order a new cyclone assembly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 12 May, 2019, 06:39:34 pm
(yesterday) I fettled a walk to the street bike mechanics with a big spanner, who loosened the cassette lock-nut, and then I was able to fettle removal of crud from derailleur, new gears (with enough cogs to match the shifters, instead of one fewer) and a shiny new chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 May, 2019, 08:24:14 pm
Finally got back to the stalled Domane build. Finally fitted the hydraulic lines to the levers, using the 9mm “flanged nut” (as opposed to the 8mm straight connector used up to the latest generation of group set) then filled and bled the systems (again, the latest levers need an adaptor to fit the latest levers  ::-)). Fitted the chainset and pedals, and the chain. Next job, set up the Di2.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 12 May, 2019, 09:01:55 pm
I switched the 90mm stem on my Merida to a 100mm one that used to live on my Hardtail. The original stem had been 110mm and felt too long, the 90mm was too short. the 100mm is just right  :smug:

Now I suppose I need to be wary of 3 bears showing up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 May, 2019, 04:39:40 pm
Today I defettled a dynamo headlight mounting bracket with a junior hacksaw. This took about 30 seconds, because it was made of le camembert noir, one of the less recommended but too frequently used engineering materials. It was definitely easier to do this than dismantle then rewire the lego block connector in order to get the wire out of the loop of the bracket. And why did I do this? See the second sentence. Replaced with a nice shiny metal bracket now. The curious thing is, while the load-bearing part of the previous bracket was plastic, the little cap which only serves to cover the wires for neatness is actually metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 May, 2019, 04:43:18 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 May, 2019, 04:39:40 pm
The curious thing is, while the load-bearing part of the previous bracket was plastic, the little cap which only serves to cover the wires for neatness is actually metal.

If that's the IQ-X bracket, then my guess is springiness.

Agreed about le camembert...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 May, 2019, 09:00:18 am
Could be for springiness. Anyway, they make an agreeable tinkly sound when you drop them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 May, 2019, 10:35:50 am
No practical fettling, but workshop archaeology to rediscover the structure of a lathe bench I built in 30 years ago.  I appear to have used ordinary straight-slotted countersunk wood screws from the late Permian, driven in with either a late-70s B&D or a Stanley pump ratchet screwdriver...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 May, 2019, 12:57:34 pm
Looked at a couple of photos of 'bents online, decided to check my chainline on the M5, ten minutes of fettling ensued.  I can't remember if I've tried this set up before, it's potentially more front wheel conflict, but mechanically better.

I also think I might need to take out a bit more chain to prevent too much slack in small ring up front.  Not entirely avoidable in small-small, but then I shouldn't be there should I.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 May, 2019, 01:00:29 pm
Big:Big is useful and important onna 'bent.  Small:small not so much, unless you've got a 406 rear wheel and want to raise the derailleur cage to prevent it gobbling up grass.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 May, 2019, 02:32:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 May, 2019, 01:00:29 pm
Big:Big is useful and important onna 'bent.  Small:small not so much, unless you've got a 406 rear wheel and want to raise the derailleur cage to prevent it gobbling up grass.

I was just being lazy and not changing up at the front, long wobbly chain line is more forgiving on the M5 than the S40
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 14 May, 2019, 05:53:19 pm
Quote from: T42 on 14 May, 2019, 10:35:50 am
I appear to have used ordinary straight-slotted countersunk wood screws from the late Permian
Nah, can't be.  They didn't appear until the early Cretaceous, just after Chixulub and the demise of the dinosaurs.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 May, 2019, 10:46:58 am
Quote from: andytheflyer on 14 May, 2019, 05:53:19 pm
Quote from: T42 on 14 May, 2019, 10:35:50 am
I appear to have used ordinary straight-slotted countersunk wood screws from the late Permian
Nah, can't be.  They didn't appear until the early Cretaceous, just after Chixulub and the demise of the dinosaurs.....

I shall take photos in context, clearly indicating the neighbouring layers (mostly 16mm ply).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 May, 2019, 10:58:30 am
Meanwhile, I haz fettled a layer of collodion onto the nicks in my left forefinger due to not holding an electric drill tightly enough.  Drill-bit jammed, drill rotated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 15 May, 2019, 02:04:55 pm
Replacing the bearings in a freehub necessitated a visit to my local friendly bearing shop.  All reassembled now and ready for Wales.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 15 May, 2019, 09:22:50 pm
A black box of electrickery, to replace the rectifier and Zener diode on my 73 Triumph Tiger 750.  It was charging at up to 16.5V, which seems a bit high to me.  Given that just the diode is £50, and the electrickery £33, so I get a new diode and a rectifier for that price, seems sensible as if the voles are too strong they'll eat both electronic ignition unit and the bulbs.

Having then done that and made the wiring all neat and tidy, moved on to investigating the stiff gear change.

Took off the outer cover plate c/w kickstart and gear change mechanism and furtled.  Gearbox oil very emulsified after only a month.  The bike's not been wet so where does the water come from?  Condensation?  Anyway, no shiny metallic bits in the oil so that's good.

The gearchange mechanism has seen better days so cleaned it up and reassembled, then ordered some new parts that should solve the problem.  The poor thing is 46 years old after all.  New oil in the morning, then out for a ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 May, 2019, 05:25:24 pm
My tame motorcycle mechanic always leaves a big sign on the bike saying 'NO OIL' if he's leaving one on the bench overnight.

I've never asked why . . .  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 May, 2019, 07:39:28 pm
In our house we have a convention of sticking catch-all "NICHT GEFINGERPOKEN!" signs on things that are in a state of non-obvious peril / have exposed live connections / wet paint / curing adhesive / partway through some hours-long computation or testing process that won't respond well to being interrupted / are needed as cyclist-fuel in the morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 May, 2019, 08:24:15 pm
I have soem "confined space, do not enter" signs in Dutch for my office door at home, for when privacy is required
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 May, 2019, 08:26:46 am
Started my Great Workshop Reorganization, prompted by buying that drill press earlier this week. Feeling tired already.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2019, 01:08:58 pm
Bled the front brake on HK's Kinesis after replacing an olive and retaped the bars. Ready for tomorrow's Flatlands 600.

Adjusted the Alfine 11 gears and replaced the wornout Ergon grips/ barends on HK's MTB commuter.

Lubed a couple of chains. Put the roof rack on the car and the audax tandem on the roof rack. Ready for tomorrow's BCM 600.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 May, 2019, 04:41:47 pm
managed to fettle my Blue Tooth speaker to both play music and act as a talking box for skype with the work laptop, it's previously been adamantly refusing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 17 May, 2019, 04:50:09 pm
Changed the cleats on my cycling shoes. Needed doing struggled in last night and when. I got home had to lean on wall to unclip. Had the sense to draw round the old ones with a marker pen so should be somewhere near the same position
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 19 May, 2019, 10:16:31 pm
A bit of getting ready today...
Gave the bike a wipe, oil and a check over. I decided that there’s plenty of stopping left in the brake blocks, but a twist tighter and another spare in my bag was needed.
Then printed a few copies of bits of OS maps rather than lug half a dozen round Scotland (the Sustrans maps showing the roads in between well enough).
Then had a first go at packing. It fits, though space for extra things is limited and the list of things I don’t have is short.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 20 May, 2019, 01:13:10 pm
A weekends worth. Friday it was the (should have been) straightforward replacement of an ailing modem/router. Except I read the wrong part of the settings needed, and only after calling support (third party router innit, can't help you mate  ::-)) did i carefully re-read the printout, and notice I needed to change the VLAN setting. So, sorted, eventually. The came the job of re-connecting all the wifi devices. That went surprisingly well, the Sonos, because I run them on their owm mesh, just needed power cycling. And the Echo Dot was simple enough to reconfigure too.

Then Saturday it was time to tackle the new! shiny! smart! TV. Wow, that was close - must be all of 5mm a side clearance in the alcove (I did measure before buying, honest). Turn on TV, spend oooh, 15 minutes running through the setup and connecting it to the network (for purposes of "casting"). Actually went quite well.

Then there was the hour spent resetting and repairing the powerline adaptors. I think it was finger trouble, pressing for too long and jumping beyond the stage I wanted to be at!


So, time to try the Airbeam "Mirror for Samsung" app. Managed to get the picture mirrored from phone to TV (I like to watch Australian V8 supercars and the only way is from within their "superview" app) but no sound. Email airbeam support, response goes to junk mail  :-\.  "Oh, our app won't work with safari (or Chrome, or Firefox .....) try Puffin or UC. And if you set your phone to silent (I do mainly) you won't get sound".  Finally got it to work with Puffin. And then.....

I chose this TV because it meant I could cast to it directly and not via an Apple TV. I started to read the manual, and discovered that on Monday of last week (after I''d bought the TV) Samsung had started support for Airplay2! Ooooh thought I, that sounds good. Tried it, didn't work. Google. Ah, need to update the phone IOS as well.

That's as far as I got. Will double check TV firmware to make sure it's up to date, and then try again. I suspect it may take a while to shake out the bugs and get it working seamlessly, but in general pleased.

And today I took the plunge and decided to switch broadband from Plusnet to Vodafone..... That's bound to go well. But the Voda offer is 30% cheaper for he same rate, and Plusnet have been slowly going down as far as customer service is concerned (see comments above re setting up modem). 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 20 May, 2019, 07:34:42 pm
A just fettled a new battery into my Mk 1 Exposure Blaze rear light.

It got left for a while, with no charge, and that effectively killed the battery.  It would take no charge whatsoever, and when I took it apart, the cell only registered 0.08V, dropping rapidly under the load of the AVO!

(http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=304&file=IMG_20190520_172901_crop_edit_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/IMG_20190520_172901_crop_edit_adj.jpg)  (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=200&file=IMG_20190520_180211_crop_adj_edit.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/IMG_20190520_180211_crop_adj_edit.jpg)  (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=200&file=IMG_20190520_181429_crop_edit_adj.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/IMG_20190520_181429_crop_edit_adj.jpg)  (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/small.php?size=200&file=IMG_20190520_181827_crop_adj_edit.jpg) (http://balius.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/cycling/IMG_20190520_181827_crop_adj_edit.jpg)

You need something like a vice, with the base of the lamp wrapped in firm rubber, to unscrew the two halves of the case, but once you do, remove the battery and carefully remove all the insulation.  Desolder the battery protection circuitry from the tagged cell.

I found a suitable 18500 cell online, here (https://www.ecoluxshopdirect.co.uk/panasonic-ncr18500a-2000mah-battery), remember that you need to order the Type A tagged version (which costs another 79p!)

One of the tags on the new cell needed to be shortened a little bit, but then I just soldered the protection board to the cell, with some insulation underneath, then wrapped the entire battery in more insulation, including two layers of heat shrink, put the whole thing back together, and voila a working light. ;D

Given that a Mk 2 light, if you can find one, is £90, and the Mk 3 version appears to be well over £100, an expenditure of slightly over £8 and half an hours work, seems worthwhile.  The new battery is also 2000mAh vs 1500mAh for the old one, so this should also last longer than it ever used too. :thumbsup:

If you try to do this, do remember that Lithium cells have a nasty habit of going bang if shorted out, and I'd be careful about too much heat from the soldering iron or heat gun (for any heat shrink), although part of the point of using tagged cells is to minimise that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 May, 2019, 10:15:55 am
Top fettling there, Tim! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 May, 2019, 11:21:29 am
Hooked a load of debris inc. half a brick and an old bird's-nest out of the disused & sawn-off stovepipe in a top back corner of my workshop, then bunged it up with expanding foam and screwed a board over it.

I'll probably go out in a while & find that the expanding foam has pushed the plugs & screws out of the wall. I detest that sort of job; witness the fact that I have been meaning to do it for the last 30 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 21 May, 2019, 05:46:34 pm
Installed, as a replacement, a new electric shower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 21 May, 2019, 05:58:05 pm
Managed to get a rounded bolt out of my mtb shoes - drilled it with a bit until it was a few mm deep and then jammed an Allen key into the bastard until it purchased and turned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 May, 2019, 09:13:57 am
Went down to Bike Kitchen last night with the wheel I did a rim swap on about six weeks ago and finished truing it. Well, it's reasonably true and at least I've sorted out the dishing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 May, 2019, 09:26:21 am
Late last night, fitted a new chain and cassette to HK's Kinesis commuter. It looks like the 105 rear mech will require replacement in a few months due to excessive wear. The bike was built up in September or thereabouts...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 24 May, 2019, 09:50:22 am
I haven't yet.  Two new tyres to fit before tomorrow.  Old friend coming down this evening to disrupt preparations and ride tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 May, 2019, 10:41:21 am
Expecting a parts delivery today, so will head out to the shed at some point to thinbk about sequencing the partial dismantling of a Cruzbike, I may wield a spanner, but no guarantee


EDIT - got as far as fiddling about with the racks, now swapped between that and the Giant to give easier pannier on/off on the Giant which will be more used as the run-about and give adequate clearance for disc brakes on the CB (shh, don't tell the wife)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 24 May, 2019, 01:10:25 pm
re-taped tubeless wheels with the new wider tape and installed my last set of new gp4000s2 (with latex inner tubes) which i want to use up before switching back to tubeless again.
with the tubeless tyres off i've added the repair patches on the inside on top of the sealed puncture holes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 May, 2019, 09:10:04 am
Yesterday, the mighty El Prez and I took out our massive old 300L water heater, manhandled it into his trailer and carted it off to the dump, then bought & installed a nice new 200L wall-mount unit. Total cost was under 300€, whereas getting the old one done by a plumber cost ~10,000 frs 20-ish years ago - 1500 €.

Stiff, sore & knackered this morning, had to get up at 6:30 to have a dog at the vet's by 8:15.  Dead in the water now.

I now need to take a bolster and my 1.5 kg hammer to the crumbling brick plinth the old one* was standing on.

* cue Nyarlathotep
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 25 May, 2019, 11:13:41 am
Bit of panel beating of damaged stainless colander. Pleased with myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 25 May, 2019, 03:38:16 pm
Last weekend I fitted a new Jagwire 'slick stainless steel' inner cable for the rear mech following the failure of the existing cable.

The existing cable was a teflon coated not-cheap one I picked up in the US years ago.

The difference really is extraordinary. New cable needs about half the force of the old cable.

Very gratifying (especially so since I bulk bought a hundred of the Jagwire cables).

Only problem now is that the rest of the family want them fitted to all their bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 25 May, 2019, 08:06:54 pm
A fettlicious day.

Started by getting my Metrea commuter back into shape, addressing the contaminated pads. I've decided that the recurrence of the problem was the previous dealer not swapping the disc, there is no sign of hydraulic seepage. So, new pads and disc and the durn thing stops.

Fettled some more of my patent pending vegetable netting supports (ally uprights and mild steel widths-wise)

Fettled the garden irrigation system(s) back into life

Fettled a replacement for the car's luggage compartment cover that Mrs Ham broke ("No sir, that ikkle bit of plastic is not replaceable, the whole unit will cost you £710" ) from a billet of aluminium

Fettled a beer bottle open.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 May, 2019, 08:38:09 pm
More a case of unfettling today, on arriving home with the shopping pulled out the veg drawer in the fridge and a wheel snapped off.

Then in 45 mins i dismantled the front end of the Cruzbike, lots of photos as I did so to assist in reassembly with the new parts.  It will be recabled as well of course, so they all came out.  All removed parts retained, just in case.  It's looking quite sad without a front end.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 25 May, 2019, 09:32:15 pm
Replaced the motor in a cordless strimmer.
Hung a display cabinet in little miss hatler's bedroom.
Installed two under-shelf strip lights for the workbench in the garage.
Seven pizzas for various hungry gluttons.
One fabulous (though I say it myself) loaf of hatler's famous five-seeder bread.

Time for a glass of wine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 26 May, 2019, 10:05:59 am
This could have been in the Grumble thread, but I'm feeling charitable.

Stripped the outer gearbox cover (for the 2nd time in a week) off my 73 Triumph Tiger 750 now that I've got the new gearchange parts that I identified were needed after the first strip down.  The gearchange is horrible - a box full of neutrals and it's a bit hit-and-miss as to which gear you get.  1st to 2nd always ends up in 3rd, so you have to go 1st -3rd - 2nd if you want 2nd. 

It's a bit of a bug*er getting the cover off as getting off the rh footrest involves accessing a near-inaccessible big nut - but having done this before and worked out what configuration of spanner was needed ((7/16 Whit since you ask) I found a short, flat ring spanner on Fleabay.  It fits perfectly and saves about 10 minutes). 

So, gearbox drained (again), cover off, bits dismantled.  Drove the gearchange shaft out of the selector mechanism ready to fit a new bit onto the shaft.  Bug*er.  The keyed hole in the new part is smaller than the shaft.  Then I noticed that a previous owner (PO), aka The Gorilla (who'd also welded the two halves of each exhaust pipe together rather than buy the clamp) had fitted a 4sp mechanism to the 5 spd gearbox, and the 4 spd shaft is bigger than the 5 spd would be.  Bummer. The fitting of the 4spd mechanism is a well-known bodge by lazy owners who can't be arsed to do the job properly.

Consulted the parts book.  No listing for the 5 spd shaft, just the complete mechanism, and yet I could buy the bit that goes on the shaft on its own, so how come they don't list the shaft on its own?  They are two separate components of one assembly.  I can get the 4 spd shaft, no problem, but the 5 spd isn't listed by anyone that I can find.

So, reassembled the whole lot again.

Will have to ring the suppliers on Tuesday to see if I can get the 5 spd shaft, otherwise it's a complete assembly, and that's a good bit more expensive than the 2 components would be.  The suppliers have several tonnes of Triumph parts in stock that they haven't even got around to cataloging a couple of decades after they aquired them from defunct Meriden Triumph motorcycle dealers, so think I'm in with a good chance.

On reflection, should have been a Grumble.




Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 May, 2019, 10:55:34 am
Completed the main assembly of the front end of the cruzbike. Boom, fork and chainstay.

Strangely, despite being told it was the right one, the chainstay is shorter than the original, which will lead to slightly lower feet for the same boom extension and possibly slightly higher handlebars due to the triangulation.  Hopefully I can get it sorted without adverse effects on the handling.

The fork is also different at the top end, with a much shorter steerer, resulting a handful of spare spacers.  That should of course have the opposite effect of lowering the handlebars.  See above.

The seat pan matches in size and shape, but has several of the holes missing for mounting.  Photos taken to send back to the manufacturer's.  It's also scratched in several places.

I've decided to go disc brake on this, so will be ordering some today, rear wheel will come from the M5 until that is sold, then re-hub another one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 26 May, 2019, 11:13:42 am
As I was awake early, and bored (Mrs T is in France and TLD is being a typical Sunday morning teenager), I have:

a) painted the lounge ceiling
ii) fillered the nail holes in the picture rail
3) painted said picture rail
.) touched up the paint under the picture rail, which is suffering from drips of various paints from picture rail and above.

Next up is to start, and complete this week, the fourth wall which is going to be a different colour to the rest.

Should have it done just in time for the curtain poles arriving, but before the curtains arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 May, 2019, 09:49:15 pm
Rewired the trains...soldered the supply to the track to get rid of the minging power clip, and replaced the crappy Hornby controllers with a Gaugemaster DS, which has inertia effect and does proper slow running.  Still DC (DCC costs a fortune and most of this s/h stuff is virtually impossible to convert anyway).  I'll do a cab ride video if you like - a helmet cam sits nicely on a wagon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 May, 2019, 09:55:17 pm
Replaced dead batteries in several taillights and a GPS during this weekend's 400. Need to rearrange a couple of on-bike toolkits so that a small Phillips head bit is included on the multitools, along with the right tyre levers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 26 May, 2019, 10:05:01 pm
Fettled a new temp controller switch into the oven today.
Replaced a bust hinge on a wardrobe door.
Definitely in Mrs hatler's good books at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 May, 2019, 10:47:15 pm
Yesterday, looked at several bikes then to my 'friends' rockhopper.  Used the jet wash to try and clean the bike, inbetween attacking the bike with various degreasers (Even screwfix no nonsense degreaser) to try and remove the strange rust coloured grease coating the moving bits and the derailiers and cranks. 

Then started to strip various hubs and regrease them. Some old mailliard hubs were in better condition than the specialised shimano sealed hubs, the ball bearings in the shimano hubs are worn and need replacing...or am being lazy and regreasing and reassembling. Have been regreasing them with marine wheel bearing grease. 

On one front hub that has 10 ball bearings instead of 11, so seems to run roughly.  Scary thing is when I last regreased them could have sworn there were 11.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 May, 2019, 07:44:50 am
Serviced a friend's touring machine prior to our upcoming French tour next week - bottom bracket bearings were as rough as the proverbial badger's arse ... despite being an expensive Hope unit, original from when the bike was built and not that old.   

A little surprised to find that the bearings were the most basic Enduros which cost just £4.99 each - I would have expected something better, at least stainless steel from Hope.

Rest of the bike was fine with the exception of the brake pads which were very much on borrowed time with just about 1mm of rubber (replaceable) proud of the metal shoes.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 May, 2019, 03:48:15 pm
Epoxied the hairline cracks in my Petzl head torch.  Hopefully I caught it in time.

(I think I must have dropped it on a hard surface at some point.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 May, 2019, 06:25:33 pm
Replaced the front tube on HK's Moulton, found that the new IceTools Pincer tyre levers break but the new Lezyne Power Lever XL tyre levers don't. Emailed Rose Bikes about the problem.
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/icetoolz-pincers-tyre-lever-set-2-in-1-2679450
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lezyne-Power-Lever-XL-Tyre-Levers_72539.htm

Adjusted the rear hub on HK's Roberts and cleaned some corrosion off the mudguard taillight contacts.

Fitted an Ultremo DD rear tyre from the garage stockpile to my Frezoni, replacing an aged Michelin Pro Endurance. Retaped the bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 May, 2019, 07:39:27 pm
Painted the kitchen ceiling (it was a wet bank holiday, so I thought I'd be cliched). Neck hurts now - I hate painting ceilings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 May, 2019, 08:25:16 pm
Made three plates from 4mm aluminium sheet to enable an Ortlieb Saddlebag 2 (the 4ltr hi viz) to fit a Brooks saddle on 3 of my bikes.

The plate bolts to the rails and allows the bag mounting plate to be bolted on and positioned further back and allow the strap to attach to the seatpost.    Now organised with 3 Brooks saddles on 3 bikes all able to take the one bag that has a standard set of tubes (all bikes will take same size) + tools etc ... and some medical kit I have to carry at all times.

... I shall have 3 Carradice under-saddle bags for sale in du course :-)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 May, 2019, 08:37:18 pm
A day that seems to have promised much, but ended up delivering little.

Cruzbike rebuild continues
Cut gear outers to length using the old ones as a pattern
Fixed new bar end shifters and brake levers to the bars
Refitted front and rear mechs and aligned front.
Degreased and re-lubed chain
Played musical casettes - took rear wheel off M5, removed 11sp casette took 12-32 casette off the roadbike rear sheel, which had been previousl shared with cruzbike; decided i didn't like the look of that, so left it in a tub of degreaser; fitted 11-25 onto roadbike with touring rings and re-fitted the wheel. 
Changed the disc on the wheel that came off the M5 for a new one - the old one and 11sp casette will go back on it when I sell it, and I'll then need a new drive wheel with disc hub.  Ran out of time to mount a disc on the dyno hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 May, 2019, 06:05:31 pm
Dismantled the Kirby[1] in search of the rattling noise emanating from the rear wheels.  This wasn't shot bearings, as I suspected, but the drive not fully disengaging when in neutral, apparently due to wear on something called a Bracket Cam Assembly.  Which I promptly broke, thereby solving the problem (it's now stuck in drive, so no more rattle).   :facepalm:

The good news is that spare parts are readily available, and this isn't a particularly expensive one, though you do get stung on shipping from USAnia.  I bulked up the order with a spare fan (which is looking a bit tatty) and main drive belt.

There's something to be said for appliances that are designed to be serviced.  Everything comes apart easily if you unscrew things in the right order, and not a self-tapper in sight.   :thumbsup:



[1] Usual disclaimer:  It's a good product, but their sales methods are a scam.  Only buy one second hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 06:14:32 pm
Are kirbys better than a henry?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 May, 2019, 06:18:06 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 06:14:32 pm
Are kirbys better than a henry?

That's an "are recumbents better than uprights?" type question.

Henry seems to be the business for sucking up dust, but if you've got endless human hair to deal with, nothing beats an upright with a belt-driven roller that's easily stripped down and unclogged.  Dyson need not apply.

The flaw in the Kirby approach is weight.  It's a beast, hence the driven wheels.  Barakta and I have an agreement whereby I'm allowed a ludicrously overengineered vacuum cleaner, as long as I do all the hoovering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 May, 2019, 07:01:23 pm
Disc brakes onto the Cruzbike. 

Need cables to complete the installation, will swim and head into town tomorrow lunchtime, or if this rain continues, swim into town.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 07:19:53 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 May, 2019, 06:18:06 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 06:14:32 pm
Are kirbys better than a henry?

That's an "are recumbents better than uprights?" type question.

Henry seems to be the business for sucking up dust, but if you've got endless human hair to deal with, nothing beats an upright with a belt-driven roller that's easily stripped down and unclogged.  Dyson need not apply.

The flaw in the Kirby approach is weight.  It's a beast, hence the driven wheels.  Barakta and I have an agreement whereby I'm allowed a ludicrously overengineered vacuum cleaner, as long as I do all the hoovering.

Ah, I get the spinning thing is better at human hair.  How does it compare with a henry extra with the vacuum powered spinny attachment?  At a guess that is a stupid question as you wouldn't have compared.

Think I need something like that for the cat/human hair. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 29 May, 2019, 07:21:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 May, 2019, 06:18:06 pm
The flaw in the Kirby approach is weight.  It's a beast, hence the driven wheels.  Barakta and I have an agreement whereby I'm allowed a ludicrously overengineered vacuum cleaner, as long as I do all the hoovering.

To be fair, even a non over-engineering vacuum cleaner is beyond my ability to use without spanging my neck/shoulder for over a week. I seem to recall learning this the hard way in 2007 with a non-Kirby upright vacuum cleaner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 May, 2019, 07:35:40 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 07:19:53 pm
Ah, I get the spinning thing is better at human hair.  How does it compare with a henry extra with the vacuum powered spinny attachment?  At a guess that is a stupid question as you wouldn't have compared.

I've never met a vacuum-powered roller that wasn't shit (the vaccum doesn't provide enough torque to rip the hair when it tangles, and it just stops), but I've not used this particular one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 08:10:11 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 May, 2019, 07:35:40 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 07:19:53 pm
Ah, I get the spinning thing is better at human hair.  How does it compare with a henry extra with the vacuum powered spinny attachment?  At a guess that is a stupid question as you wouldn't have compared.

I've never met a vacuum-powered roller that wasn't shit (the vaccum doesn't provide enough torque to rip the hair when it tangles, and it just stops), but I've not used this particular one.

Recent one that I used, that was a generic puchased one, attached to a random bagless hoover was brilliant.  Only issue is that the brush bar does get  full of hair and needs regularly de haired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 May, 2019, 08:33:26 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 07:19:53 pm
Ah, I get the spinning thing is better at human hair.  How does it compare with a henry extra with the vacuum powered spinny attachment?  At a guess that is a stupid question as you wouldn't have compared.

Think I need something like that for the cat/human hair.

This reads like a 19th century discussion of the vibration magnetometer, though I'm not quite sure where inductance would come into it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 12:36:09 pm
Quote from: T42 on 30 May, 2019, 08:33:26 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 07:19:53 pm
Ah, I get the spinning thing is better at human hair.  How does it compare with a henry extra with the vacuum powered spinny attachment?  At a guess that is a stupid question as you wouldn't have compared.

Think I need something like that for the cat/human hair.

This reads like a 19th century discussion of the vibration magnetometer, though I'm not quite sure where inductance would come into it.


After that comment  I demand satisfaction.  'throws down glove' I demand a duel, and my weapon of choice is that new fangled safety cycle.  ;D

Or in modern times how many people actually discuss hoover and just leave it to their cleaner or talk just about dysons being brilliant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 12:38:23 pm
Bike fettling fail as the bikes are still in bits.  No idea where to buy ball bearings to replace the ball bearings in the specialised rear hub...

What grade ball bearing and what type, carbon steel, chrome steel etc;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2019, 12:50:49 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 12:36:09 pm
Or in modern times how many people actually discuss hoover and just leave it to their cleaner or talk just about dysons being brilliant.

Quite.  Cleaners, I note, tend to use Henrys.

My decision to obtain a Kirby was based on a friend (whose mum had sadly been victim to their marketing and spent a small fortune on the thing and its awesome array of pointless accessories) bringing theirs along to help with a house move clean-up.  It noisily gnashed its way through the dust and hairballs that our Dyson[1] would choke on, and when you came to unclogging the roller you could detach the front section and dismantle it on a convenient work surface, without any tools (rather than pissing about with self-tappers into snappy plastic with the thing leaned on its side at floor level).  It also had this cunning feature whereby all the dirt and allergens were safely contained within a disposable bag that you could simply deposit in the outside bin, rather than having to bash the cyclone unit repeatedly to get the hairballs out and then dive head-first into the dusty bin[2] to retrieve the cone.


[1] By that point we'd owned a series of hand-me-down Dysons from barakta's mum, usually with minor faults to repair (eg. knackered cable) or because she'd upgraded to one with ostensibly better suction.  They were all disappointing, though the latter ones had fewer bad design features.  We also had a cheapo cylinder vac that was made of cheese but provided plenty of no-nonsense suction for cornery things like the stairs, but wasn't any good at getting hair out of carpets.
[2] Not to be confused with Dusty Bin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 May, 2019, 01:09:39 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 12:36:09 pm
Quote from: T42 on 30 May, 2019, 08:33:26 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 07:19:53 pm
Ah, I get the spinning thing is better at human hair.  How does it compare with a henry extra with the vacuum powered spinny attachment?  At a guess that is a stupid question as you wouldn't have compared.

Think I need something like that for the cat/human hair.

This reads like a 19th century discussion of the vibration magnetometer, though I'm not quite sure where inductance would come into it.


After that comment  I demand satisfaction.  'throws down glove' I demand a duel, and my weapon of choice is that new fangled safety cycle.  ;D

If I can use this gentleman's flivver you're on:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/168015357.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 May, 2019, 01:52:02 pm
I have fettled an increased transparency of windows. Didn't even need Mr Larrington!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 02:02:06 pm
Quote from: T42 on 30 May, 2019, 01:09:39 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 12:36:09 pm
Quote from: T42 on 30 May, 2019, 08:33:26 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 May, 2019, 07:19:53 pm
Ah, I get the spinning thing is better at human hair.  How does it compare with a henry extra with the vacuum powered spinny attachment?  At a guess that is a stupid question as you wouldn't have compared.

Think I need something like that for the cat/human hair.

This reads like a 19th century discussion of the vibration magnetometer, though I'm not quite sure where inductance would come into it.


After that comment  I demand satisfaction.  'throws down glove' I demand a duel, and my weapon of choice is that new fangled safety cycle.  ;D

If I can use this gentleman's flivver you're on:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/168015357.jpg)



For us both. O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 02:06:31 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 May, 2019, 12:50:49 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 12:36:09 pm
Or in modern times how many people actually discuss hoover and just leave it to their cleaner or talk just about dysons being brilliant.

Quite.  Cleaners, I note, tend to use Henrys.

My decision to obtain a Kirby was based on a friend (whose mum had sadly been victim to their marketing and spent a small fortune on the thing and its awesome array of pointless accessories) bringing theirs along to help with a house move clean-up.  It noisily gnashed its way through the dust and hairballs that our Dyson[1] would choke on, and when you came to unclogging the roller you could detach the front section and dismantle it on a convenient work surface, without any tools (rather than pissing about with self-tappers into snappy plastic with the thing leaned on its side at floor level).  It also had this cunning feature whereby all the dirt and allergens were safely contained within a disposable bag that you could simply deposit in the outside bin, rather than having to bash the cyclone unit repeatedly to get the hairballs out and then dive head-first into the dusty bin[2] to retrieve the cone.


[1] By that point we'd owned a series of hand-me-down Dysons from barakta's mum, usually with minor faults to repair (eg. knackered cable) or because she'd upgraded to one with ostensibly better suction.  They were all disappointing, though the latter ones had fewer bad design features.  We also had a cheapo cylinder vac that was made of cheese but provided plenty of no-nonsense suction for cornery things like the stairs, but wasn't any good at getting hair out of carpets.
[2] Not to be confused with Dusty Bin.

My dyson comment was based on many friends getting dysons and becoming evangelical about them.  Suspect it is more to do with confirmation bias of being that expensive so must be good.

Used to make a bit of money repairing broken dysons collected for free and then sold on.   Think things were easier living with short haired partners and no cats.  But will try and find a second hand kirby.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2019, 06:30:11 pm
Yeah, MIL's definitely a Dyson evangelist.  She thinks they're brilliant, which is why she's had so many of them(!)

She keeps offering to buy me one of their wanky cordless handheld models, because it's brilliant for cleaning up after the cats and grandchildren I haven't got.  (If I considered a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner worth having, I'd buy a Makita one, so it could use the same batteries as my other cordless tools.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: RichForrest on 30 May, 2019, 06:54:21 pm
Built my old Univega MTB up into a double racked, trailer attachable utility bike.
Although still a single speed, so will have to see what its like uphill loaded  ;D

While out on it today I fettled a kids bike so that him and his friends could get home.
He had snapped the rear mech completely off and they had the bike upside down trying to work out what to do.
I took a section of the chain out and made it single speed for him  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2019, 07:00:38 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 May, 2019, 06:30:11 pm
Yeah, MIL's definitely a Dyson evangelist.  She thinks they're brilliant, which is why she's had so many of them(!)



Oxymoron?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 May, 2019, 09:18:44 pm
Swapped the single bolt Campag Centaur steel seatpost on my Frezoni for a twin bolt Nitto lugged jobby. Now I should be able to get exactly the right seat angle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 30 May, 2019, 09:56:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 May, 2019, 06:30:11 pm
Yeah, MIL's definitely a Dyson evangelist.  She thinks they're brilliant, which is why she's had so many of them(!)

She keeps offering to buy me one of their wanky cordless handheld models, because it's brilliant for cleaning up after the cats and grandchildren I haven't got.  (If I considered a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner worth having, I'd buy a Makita one, so it could use the same batteries as my other cordless tools.)

I've had one Dyson a DC05, it's over 20 years old currently and still going. I can't vouch for the new ones because mines still going.  I've replaced the filters and bought new tools to replace ones I've lost in house moves and that's it.

So far the machine has dealt with the plaster and brick dust from three house renovations and i've just rinsed out the cylinder and used it to hoover the carpet.

Like I said I can't vouch for the new ones they may be shit, but mine is proper good.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2019, 10:17:55 pm
Plaster and brick dust are a very different hoovering challenge from long human hair, thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 31 May, 2019, 12:10:03 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 May, 2019, 10:17:55 pm
Plaster and brick dust are a very different hoovering challenge from long human hair, thobut.

Mine failed to cope with either, which is why it now decorates an Essex landfill.

Anyway, fettling.  I fettled the b0rked-off arm back onto my distance specs using two different varieties of glue and an artfully-carved matchstick.  At the cost of a non-trivial amount of superglue being smeared across the lens >:(  This hastened my decision to have my annual poverty-by-optician session earlier than scheduled, which has left me approximately three hundred pounds poorer chiz.

Also fettled a couple of extra links into the bracelet of my ancient but newly-provided with fresh voles Seiko watch, as the Casio G-Shock refused to accept that a new flattery should make it work properly and the solar-powered Citizen lent to me by Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) doesn't get enough light to keep itself charged due to my nocturnal habits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 May, 2019, 10:18:21 pm
reminds me, I may need an eye-prodding myself. SWMBO keeps remarking on my habit of propping specs on forehead to read books or laptop. I think my arms are the wrong length
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 June, 2019, 12:57:26 pm
A couple of days ago I fettled new brake pads onto the Avid Shorty Ultimate brakes on the Pompino.
The following day, on the homeward commute the rear brake suffered a sudden and catastrophic failure.
'Oh' I thought 'I can't have attached the cable securely to the yoke, and it's pulled through'.
As there were no descents on my journey, only minor ascents, I elected to continue whilst hoping that I'd secured the front cable more robustly.
At the end of the day, I was riding fixed - so the patella-popping brake was available as a last resort.
Imagine my surprise when, on reaching home without further incident and investigating, the cable hadn't pulled through the yoke at all, and was still secure.
Hmmmm....
Further investigation ensued with the bike placed in a workstand.
And herein is where the problem lay.
As I tightened the clamp around the top tube, the clamp dislodged the brake cable which runs along the apex of the tube.
Consequently any adjustments which were made at the brakes, were made against a false datum.
Once the clamp was released, all the fine-fettling went straight out the window :facepalm:.
The only thing about this which surprises me is that the brake did sort of (My thought was 'this needs further  attention') function on the way in to work - whereas, it really shouldn't have.

Tl;dr
I serviced both brakes.
Screwed up 50% of the service.
Had to service again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 June, 2019, 01:03:20 pm
Finished converting my old bandsaw stand to take the new drill press.

Now torn between doing a patisserie run on the bike this pm and putting the drill together (==> non-trivial lifting).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 June, 2019, 02:26:07 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 01 June, 2019, 12:57:26 pm
A couple of days ago I fettled new brake pads onto the Avid Shorty Ultimate brakes on the Pompino.
The following day, on the homeward commute the rear brake suffered a sudden and catastrophic failure.
'Oh' I thought 'I can't have attached the cable securely to the yoke, and it's pulled through'.
As there were no descents on my journey, only minor ascents, I elected to continue whilst hoping that I'd secured the front cable more robustly.
At the end of the day, I was riding fixed - so the patella-popping brake was available as a last resort.
Imagine my surprise when, on reaching home without further incident and investigating, the cable hadn't pulled through the yoke at all, and was still secure.
Hmmmm....
Further investigation ensued with the bike placed in a workstand.
And herein is where the problem lay.
As I tightened the clamp around the top tube, the clamp dislodged the brake cable which runs along the apex of the tube.
Consequently any adjustments which were made at the brakes, were made against a false datum.
Once the clamp was released, all the fine-fettling went straight out the window :facepalm:.
The only thing about this which surprises me is that the brake did sort of (My thought was 'this needs further  attention') function on the way in to work - whereas, it really shouldn't have.

Tl;dr
I serviced both brakes.
Screwed up 50% of the service.
Had to service again.

BTDT, but noticed as it was in the stand, luckily
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 June, 2019, 02:58:38 pm
Swapped little-used Shimano R650 brakes from my trike and Moulton to replace the middling Tektros on HK's Moulton. Overhauled a SH set of R650s (new salmon pads, replacement of rounded-out nut and freed up the pivots) and fitted them to my trike and Moulton. I may buy another R650 rear caliper to replace the remaining Tektro on the back of my Moulton.

Replaced the wornout hoods on the Centaur levers removed from HK's Moulton a little while ago. A real wrestling match but they can now be put away in the garage for future reuse.

Retaped the bars and tweaked a couple of minor things on my trike for some upcoming brevets.

Still to fit a longer rear bottom bracket to the audax tandem so it will reliably change to the granny ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 June, 2019, 04:16:16 pm
Forwent the patisserie and put new drill together. Result:

(https://pbase.com/image/169290227.jpg)

It's a crude bugger (look who's talking, says missus's voice in my mind) but it works, it has all the right twiddly bits (except for a mushroomoid off-switch up front) and the chuck runs true. Still have to suss out how to align laser sight, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 June, 2019, 04:23:50 pm
Quote from: T42 on 01 June, 2019, 04:16:16 pm
Forwent the patisserie and put new drill together. Result:

(https://pbase.com/image/169290227.jpg)

It's a crude bugger (look who's talking, says missus's voice in my mind) but it works, it has all the right twiddly bits (except for a mushroomoid off-switch up front) and the chuck runs true. Still have to suss out how to align laser sight, though.
Mmmmm!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 01 June, 2019, 09:51:12 pm
Yesterday, a clean and lube for the bike that got wet In Scotland.

Today, Mrs Dan is away for the week. So I’m doing a spot of surprise getting on with it, and decorating the utility / sewing / stuff room. The one room that we’ve never done. So filled, sanded, wiped and taped. There’s a couple of dabs of primer to get on before bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 June, 2019, 02:34:43 pm
Restocked the tools/ spares bottles for HK's Kinesis, Roberts and Moulton, my Frezoni and trike and the audax tandem. Every bike was missing at least one thing (gear or brake cable, chain link, correct tools, tyre boot, etc.) but all are sorted now.

Ground back the plastic brake spring sleeve for additional mudguard clearance on several Shimano dual pivot brakes. Fitted a pair to HK's Moulton after swapping the brake pad holders to ones that used a 2.5mm Allen key rather than 2mm.

Tweaked my saddle position on the audax tandem and swapped the front Durano DD tyre to the rear wheel. Fitted a Rubino Pro to the front. Fitted a longer stoker BB to improve the granny ring shift. Found a cracked rear mudguard to be replaced sometime and a slightly stretched timing chain. The eccentric doesn't have enough range of motion to let me sufficiently take up the chain tension or to let me remove a link. Time to find a half-link.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 June, 2019, 02:36:07 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 01 June, 2019, 04:23:50 pm
Quote from: T42 on 01 June, 2019, 04:16:16 pm
Forwent the patisserie and put new drill together. Result:

(https://pbase.com/image/169290227.jpg)

It's a crude bugger (look who's talking, says missus's voice in my mind) but it works, it has all the right twiddly bits (except for a mushroomoid off-switch up front) and the chuck runs true. Still have to suss out how to align laser sight, though.
Mmmmm!

;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 02 June, 2019, 07:53:19 pm
replaced the square tapered bb on my hack bike. the worn out one was 110mm and the replacement 107mm which turned into a small problem of left crank touching the bb shell when tightened. took a grinder tool to it and made a couple of mm chamfer on the crank. worked a treat.
almost cross-threaded the lhs bb shell in the process, but noticed in time (about four threads deep) and managed to correct it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 June, 2019, 08:19:55 pm
Shift cables on the Cruzbike, got the front mech set up nicely, rear needs a bit of tweaking, but that was the case last time as well.  Runs a bit better since I noticed the chain was the wrong way round. 
Front brake cabled up and seems to be OK, cable for the rear is "just too short". 
New light mounted, slightly different approach to last time, but more secure and allowing more range of motion. 

Just need rear brake cable and permanent seat installation and ready to go again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 03 June, 2019, 11:05:09 am
Quote from: zigzag on 02 June, 2019, 07:53:19 pm
almost cross-threaded the lhs bb shell in the process, but noticed in time (about four threads deep) and managed to correct it.

I've got BB taps just up the road from you if you want to run them through the threads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 03 June, 2019, 04:09:43 pm
Quote from: jsabine on 03 June, 2019, 11:05:09 am
Quote from: zigzag on 02 June, 2019, 07:53:19 pm
almost cross-threaded the lhs bb shell in the process, but noticed in time (about four threads deep) and managed to correct it.

I've got BB taps just up the road from you if you want to run them through the threads.
oh, thank you! the bb is installed now correctly, so i'll leave it there, but if i need to re-fit it i'll have your offer in mind, cheers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 03 June, 2019, 04:12:41 pm
a front light bracket:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/40228bc4b1decee9bb90ddd33a3d492e.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/567fcc09ba4c2e75c46eec90e1f1fede.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/5886a80d0ba1a39512d75c52c7a8ce48.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/f9cd591462d82d1a074f9263c4753b07.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/c65e6a1d600c7ee4b91c7e27c39949df.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/58da50b472afb14dcf88922d50cdb1b7.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/cfac4c8b1001507e5d0bb63c38a4bcf7.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190603/20ee49ee7be6ba7f0dc9d36c09f42c79.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 June, 2019, 06:18:43 pm
Having removed a metric shitload of dePreston grit, the Brown Baron is now red again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 June, 2019, 09:02:47 pm
Continuing fettling the rockhopper, stripped the headset as it was solid.  Cleaned out the gunk, wonder what grease was in there, cleaned everything and regreased with blue marine grease.  The balls had lost the chrome coating and the surfaces are pitted, did have caged balls took the balls out and added a few spares I had from an older headset. Still runs rough but no choice.  Wheels are the same.  It is bad to reinstall worn balls but when the surfaces are pitted what else can you do?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 03 June, 2019, 09:18:42 pm
This evening I finally got round to checking over the bike that I unexpectedly abandoned to go tarmac surfing ten days ago.  It looks OK apart from scuffed bar tape and some chunks out of both (?) shifters that match my hip and shins respectively  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 June, 2019, 09:40:06 pm
Patched the inner of a tyre and re-tubelessified it (though it ran fine with a tube in on a 600 over the weekend).

Then serviced a pump (which I discovered wasn't working when I started trying to fix the ^^^ - luckily there was a bike shop nearby).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 June, 2019, 09:40:23 am
Started building a mobile stand for my bandsaw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 June, 2019, 12:50:10 pm
Fixed a puncture last night on the Pretty Bike. The rim tape had shifted a tadge (it's done this before) allowing an inner tube/spoke hole interface situation. The rims are Exal XR2, which upheld their reputation for being bastard tight.  I added a layer of insulating tape over the zefal version of Velox tape that's in there.  I think (didn't measure and I'm not going to take the tyre off to find out) that the tape is 13mm wide.  Has anyone tried the 17mm on an XR2 rim?   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 04 June, 2019, 08:18:38 pm
The gearbox and gearchange on my '73 Triumph Tiger 750.

The change has been terrible since I got it as a non-runner import from Toronto.  Got it running, legal and on the road, and the go and stop is fine.  But the gearbox has been horrible - missing gears, false neutrals etc - but no mechanical nasty noises.

Had 3 goes at sorting the change, eventually replacing all the pingfuckits that make up the positive stop change mechanism - and that made it worse!  So, today, after a lot of research, I decided to open up the gearbox itself.  Had some difficulty in getting the pinions off the 2 shafts, because they are held in by 3 selector forks which in turn fit into a camplate that must have been designed by Stan himself, in the days before CAD.  Clever boys those men from Meriden, RIP etc.

Was somewhat heartened by the general good condition of the internals, so there was no mechanical calamity causing the problem, but did find a thrust washer that looked as though it had fallen off its locating peg when the PO assembled the 'box last and could have caused lateral positioning errors of the gears along the layshaft.

Anyway, after a good sniff around, and with the workshop manual to hand, I took my time re-assembling the work of Stan, according to the manual.  After a few "ah, that's how it goes" moments, got it all back together, and now it feels like I think it should, or rather as how I remember Triumph gearboxes from 35 years ago. 

It all seems to work, but I'll give the gasket goo overnight to go off before I refill the oil and, if it's stopped pissing down, try a road test.  Can't be any worse......

EDIT:  Sorted. All gears now available on demand, and predictably.  2nd to 3rd sometimes iffy, but I know why and a bit of use should sort that.  Phew.  This has been a 'journey'.  At leasI now know intimately the workings of the Triumph gear change and gearbox mechanisms. All knowledge transferrable to my '72 Daytona 500, now in build.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 June, 2019, 08:48:06 pm
The poles for my Quick Hiker 3 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=37171.msg2305363#msg2305363).  This was a replacement for the one that got damaged by a broken pole last year, which I hadn't actually used until last weekend, where I discovered that through some tolerance issue (likely of the webbing attaching the pole-holdy end things to the fly) it was almost impossible to engage the poles.  I eventually managed it, after some injury due to the force required, by removing the end caps.

So, on the basis that my competence at sawing and filing aluminium is greater than at high-tensile stitching (and because I've got some spare pole sections I 'forgot' to return with the broken tent), I've shortened both the main poles by 20mm, and it's now pitchable with normal amounts of harsh language.

Having taken it to the north-west, I can finally confirm that it's waterproof, and that - as suspected - the design leads to you getting dripped on when you unzip the outer door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 June, 2019, 09:01:15 pm
EVERY tent leads to you getting dripped on to enter and/or exit. It's the joy of camping.

And if you don't need naughty words to get it up, there's something wrong with you
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 June, 2019, 02:24:31 pm
I hoovered the inside of my mudguards. Whaddaya mean, obsessive? It was only one mudguard! The one I'd drilled. Drillium mudguards are all the range, in a post-ironic form over function way. (I was fitting a mudflap.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 June, 2019, 06:33:32 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 04 June, 2019, 09:01:15 pm
EVERY tent leads to you getting dripped on to enter and/or exit. It's the joy of camping.

Yeah, but a flap that hangs down with a vertical zip can be unzipped in a controlled manner and carefully flicked to project the worst of the drippage outwards, where one with a diagonal zip will deposit water on your stuff as soon as you start unzipping it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 June, 2019, 08:00:29 pm
Fitted a rear rack to a friend's MTB, fitted a Dog Fang to the audax tandem, tightened the creaking BB in my Frezoni and replaced the wornout rear derailleur on my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 June, 2019, 11:46:32 pm
spent almost a full day building a bike today from 2/3 new parts, 1/3 used. still needs a few adjustments.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 June, 2019, 07:28:35 am
finished cabling the Cruzbike and refitted the old, cracked seat until I talk to them about the new one- several holes missing and I've not drilled cf before.

ordered some p-clips as I'm not happy with the 10degree slope on the rear rack. I think p-clips on the legs will let me lower the rack and get it level. everything else works, so plan is take it out for a spin today and get everything dialled in before completing the bar taping as the last job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 June, 2019, 11:33:56 am
Almost finished my workshop reorg. Went from this:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/169333645.jpg)

to this:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/169333646.jpg)

The old lathe bench that was against the wall in now in the cellar and looking forward to a future of washing-baskets etc. All it carried after the lathe moved out was a rarely-used router sled and a drill stand.  The new drill press wouldn't fit it, and anyway it was too high so I converted the old bandsaw stand to take it, adding wheels in the process, and built a new BS stand.  The idea now is that I can pull anything out when I need it - we'll see how long it takes to get fed up with that.

Still need to build a cabinet for drill bits etc and tidy up the wood pile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 June, 2019, 03:29:08 pm
Serviced my old Elektra Beckum mitre saw. All went nicely until I checked the cut at the 90° stop and got ~92°. All that the handbook's stop-adjustment method does is reduce binding tension on the locking lever, which does SFA for the cutting angle. One is glum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 June, 2019, 03:31:30 pm
Quote from: T42 on 15 June, 2019, 03:29:08 pm
Serviced my old Elektra Beckum mitre saw. All went nicely until I checked the cut at the 90° stop and got ~92°. All that the handbook's stop-adjustment method does is reduce binding tension on the locking lever, which does SFA for the cutting angle. One is glum.
Is this not an opportunity for the acquisition of a new mitre saw?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 June, 2019, 01:52:24 pm
Yebbut it'd cost :o € to get the same quality.  I'll fettle a bit further, and simply use a square or a bevel if nothing else works.

Anyway, I'm currently angling for a nail gun on the strength of needing to panel the hall where the dogs rub against it.  Strategy is (a) get nail gun (b) proclaim current air compressor inadequate (c) get new compressor (d) inflate dogs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 June, 2019, 05:43:52 pm
Touched up some flaky bits on Surly with the wrong shade of green but it won't show cos it's the chainstay bridge.

Then fitted new mudguard. But tomorrow (if I have time) I'll take it off again... so I can enlarge the slot in the seatstay bridge bracket. It could go up a good cm. I was intending to take it to Bike Kitchen on Thursday in the hope they have some sort of grinding tool (it's stainless steel) but realised I can probably use a drill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 18 June, 2019, 06:00:29 pm
Part-serviced dad's MTB. Degreased, cleaned and lubed chain and cassette, cleaned the externals of everything else with car shampoo, serviced rear derailleur including lubing jockey wheels, unfortunately the hanger is bent so have ordered a new one online. Repaired an inner tube, replaced a rim's sketchy looking tape, etc.

I would like to do the tyres tubelessly one day when I get the time. The problem with my dad is he owns 5 very good bikes, which you might think a good problem to have, but the servicing obligations really add up. I'd rather have a town bike and one-two good bikes, which I'd look after immaculately, than a wide stable that takes a full weekend to maintain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 June, 2019, 01:46:48 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 18 June, 2019, 05:43:52 pm
I was intending to take it to Bike Kitchen on Thursday in the hope they have some sort of grinding tool (it's stainless steel) but realised I can probably use a drill.
Used a drill to round out the bracket slot. Yeow! Should have got ear protectors! Still, the wheel is spinning and not rubbing on anything, seems to be equal gap all the way round.

Ed: And it passes the washer in the gap test. Sort of at least – doesn't spit the washer out but neither does it jam.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 19 June, 2019, 07:58:19 pm
I actually cleaned the trice today   :o .I also have tightened a few loose fittings and pumped the tyres up to pressure   O:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 21 June, 2019, 08:01:25 pm
My energy supplier's emails about meter readings finally persuaded me to fix the latch on my electricy box. The job took a sharp screwdriver to turn the lock (the triangle bit had broken off), and a hacksaw to persuade the retaining tabs to release, but it all works now :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 June, 2019, 07:39:39 pm
Dropped in to see my chum Cat Head. He has a Dawes Galaxy of unknown vintage which has been subject to various bastardisations over the course of its lifetime before he got it (eg double chainset reduced to a single, with both rings still present, the outer relegated to chain guard duties by having its teeth removed).
Anyhow, he'd bought new seat post for it, getting the alleged right size by taking the old one into the LBS and them measuring the diameter. Except the new one slips. His plan was to drill the seat post and seat pin to put a bolt through. I suggssted this was a bad idea so fitted a beer can shim to it instead and all was well.

Later examination of the old one revealed the diameter, 26.3, stamped on it. The LBS sold him a 26.0. Either they need a new verbier, learn how to use it or learn how to read. Or all three.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 June, 2019, 01:12:16 pm
the planter outside the front garden was looking very sorry for itself and the plant in it had long expired, so i popped off to the garden centre to pick up a nice acer to go in a better pot I had sat empty. also repotted a standard fuschia that ive grown from a cutting, and they are now bracketing the door.

the trellis snack of the old wooden planter has been repurposed as part of my cucumber support system in the greenhouse
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 June, 2019, 05:23:39 pm
Made a couple of adaptor plates for my Ortlieb under-saddle bag (one bag with tools, tubes, medical stuff I have to keep with me etc that just fits to the bike I'm using) to fit Brooks saddles where the rails don't really match up to the Ortlieb mount.

A bit of 5mm aluminum sheet drilled to use the Ortleib rail clamp to attach to the Brooks rails and then a couple of holes to bolt on the other part of the Ortlieb clamp that the bag slides on to.   The bag clamp was too close to the seatpost clamp to connect ... and by setting the bag/clamp further back there's less strain on the mechanism.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 June, 2019, 10:43:03 am
Repaired my first ever commute puncture. Thankfully it only became apparent when I got home. I say thankfully because they must have used an air ratchet, at the factory, to do up the nuts on the rear wheel.

Anyway it was caused by a very small sliver of glass, not unexpected as the route I use tends to get covered in it and the tyres are Kenda Kwest, not the worst when it comes to fairy protection, but not the best either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 01 July, 2019, 12:15:11 am
Nothing, but...

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48162719582_fe409c0d8b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gnYwyW)
IMG_3297_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2gnYwyW) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 July, 2019, 08:06:19 am
 :D :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 July, 2019, 09:47:58 am
Quote
Max Bruno Fettling (* 24. Februar 1907 in Berlin; † 14. Februar 1974 ebenda) war ein deutscher Gewerkschafter und Opfer des Stalinismus.[1][2][3]
My dodgy Deutsch thinks that means he was a trade unionist and victim of Stalinism.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 July, 2019, 11:01:23 am
ye shedde has been tidied, rearranged and swept.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 July, 2019, 04:36:40 pm
Just applied a repair patch to an Ortlieb front-roller, which had a small and mysteriously clean cut in it.  I don't *think* I've had any sharp objects in there recently, but that's my best guess for how it might have happened...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 July, 2019, 06:32:26 pm
Pedal of a kid's shiny! new! "wheelie-bike"-shaped-object! after it fell off at the critical moment between "What the fuck is that!?!" and wheelieing past me show-offingly.  As he picked himself and pedal off the road, I calmly stopped and asked if he'd like to borrow a spanner.

Kids today don't know how to use a spanner apparently (I think he was confused to discover that the pedal rotates on its axle), so I sorted it out for him - explaining about the widdershins thread - and checked the other side wasn't about to go the same way.  As the threads were mostly unharmed, I suggested that if it looked like it was going to come off again, take it to a bike shop and get them to do it up bastard tight with a proper pedal spanner "which is much longer, and fits in this gap properly without getting stuck like this one does".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 July, 2019, 08:02:15 pm
Using a combination of Bad Swears, insulating tape, a 10mm socket and kitchen roll, the lawn mower she works once more.

I may have also channelled C W Moss (https://youtu.be/m6zoW5Uc4F4)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 July, 2019, 03:48:06 pm
Mini router table from scrap:

(https://pbase.com/image/169441893.jpg)
The groove takes the mitre guide thinggy from the circular saw.

(https://pbase.com/image/169441894.jpg)

Two screws hold it to bench, vice adds support. Pretty solid.  Should be OK unless screws shear when I try to remove it. :o

Not very precise with the nail gun yet - looks like it's been attacked by large mosquitoes.

Router is an el cheapo Katsu. Ear-plugs obligatory, especially with its nice big sounding-board: MrsT took a hasty step back when I switched it on. If it burns out I'll get a wee Makita, it's screw-hole compatible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 July, 2019, 09:52:57 pm
All brake pads on a fellow rider's bike (along with adjusting out wear in a caliper) before tomorrow's trundle up the Tourmalet. Judging by how he'd fitted a pair of pads, he'd have ended up coming down it in an ambulance.

Before that, replaced 2 x 406 tubes and 1 x 622 on 3 different bikes during the 1000 UAF, mostly without tyre levers.

HK is increasingly interested in my fitting tubeless 406 rims and tyres to her Moulton, particularly after she had to fix another flat by herself after descending the Tourmalet. Two of the 406 flats were problems with previously patched tubes (not my responsibility). Theoretically only using new tubes would have avoided those problems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 July, 2019, 09:08:02 am
Just de-rusted & sharpened MrsT's garden shears. Messy job - she keeps them outside.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 04 July, 2019, 03:58:25 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 22 June, 2019, 07:39:39 pm
Dropped in to see my chum Cat Head. He has a Dawes Galaxy of unknown vintage which has been subject to various bastardisations over the course of its lifetime before he got it (eg double chainset reduced to a single, with both rings still present, the outer relegated to chain guard duties by having its teeth removed).
Anyhow, he'd bought new seat post for it, getting the alleged right size by taking the old one into the LBS and them measuring the diameter. Except the new one slips. His plan was to drill the seat post and seat pin to put a bolt through. I suggssted this was a bad idea so fitted a beer can shim to it instead and all was well.

Later examination of the old one revealed the diameter, 26.3, stamped on it. The LBS sold him a 26.0. Either they need a new verbier, learn how to use it or learn how to read. Or all three.

Yebbut then they'd be on a slippery slope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 July, 2019, 05:45:52 pm
Dribbled ep90 into two geared freewheels and a hub freewheel.  Now both mechanisms work and don't feel like they are full of debris.

Might start reassembly of bikes but why put off today when you can put it off to next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 July, 2019, 08:29:08 pm
Our bed.
It started squeaking last night (stop sniggering at the back!)
Given that I fidget a *lot* that was rather irritating.
A bit of silicon fluid on a joint and it seemed to go quiet, after a bit of Delicatessen style bed jiggling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 04 July, 2019, 08:46:29 pm
Finally sorted an annoying creak on my Lancastrian River*.

It seemed to be coming from the front end, but I serviced the headset, it was still there.

On the basis that noises on bikes are really hard to locate, I checked the BB, which seemed fine, and still it creaked.

Still fairly confident that it was coming from the front end, I cleaned the stem bolts and the headset bolts and the stem/bar connection. Still creaking.

I took out the front wheel and gave it a heave - no noise!

Turned out to be grit between the forks and the hub. Now all is silent.

Just the constantly-loosening headset to sort out now. And assorted noises on the other bikes...

*I refuse to give them the publicity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 July, 2019, 10:39:37 pm
Riding home in the dusk, noticed my headlight was shining way above horizontal. Leveled it, tightened its retaining bolt and – the proper fettling – increased the tension on the multitool I keep on that bike, so the allen keys stay in place rather than flopping around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 July, 2019, 10:40:42 pm
Swapped the pedals on the Baron so I don't have to Look every time I clip in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 July, 2019, 11:00:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 July, 2019, 10:40:42 pm
Swapped the pedals on the Baron so I don't have to Look every time I clip in.
Did it take a long Time?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 July, 2019, 11:09:45 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 04 July, 2019, 11:00:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 July, 2019, 10:40:42 pm
Swapped the pedals on the Baron so I don't have to Look every time I clip in.
Did it take a long Time?

Not once I realised I was being a complete spud about which way to turn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 06 July, 2019, 12:28:54 pm
Final bits of cleaning rear cogs, front mech and more rusty bits will be electrolysed to see if they derust.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 July, 2019, 01:34:57 pm
Steeled myself & took the motor unit off the drum of my workshop vacuum to observe that yes, the filter bag that has lasted through thick and thin for the last 25 years is indeed buggered.  Now need to cut up Hooooover bags and make a new one.  Or buy a new vacuum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 July, 2019, 02:51:26 pm
Managed to get one pedal off HK's MTB commuter to pack it into the CTC bag for this morning's flight. I think the other pedal must wait until I can alternately apply a little penetrating oil and heat.

Her bike survived the flight mostly unscathed, once retrieved. The Al chainguard on my Brompton became a 3D sine wave. It'll be mostly straightened once I get home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 July, 2019, 10:01:04 am
Sharpened and reset the pivots of two pairs of scissors.

Took shop vacuum apart, blasted motor out with compressed air, removed dogs' hair that had got past the filters (tawny hair at that, which means it had been in there since the early 90s when we had Leonbergs), reassembled with new filter bag & tried it.  It still makes the same horrible intermittent screech, which rather suggests a duff bearing.  No harm to it, it was an el cheapo - as was my bandsaw that croaked a couple of years back after serving for a similar length of time.

El cheapos aren't what they used to be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 07 July, 2019, 08:58:24 pm
My most arduous and fiddly fettling for a long while: sewed my RRTY badge on to my Carradice! Finished over two hours ago and my hand is still a bit red.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 07 July, 2019, 09:16:44 pm
I've broken needles on their cotton duck before; though with a chunky needle and a solid thimble I quite enjoy sewing patches on in front of the telly of an evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 07 July, 2019, 09:18:27 pm
My weapon of choice is my dad's sailmaking kit; leatherwork needles and a sailmaker's palm, which is terrific for driving needles through the most stubborn of material.

(https://www.marinesuppliesdirect.co.uk/ekmps/shops/marinesupplies/images/right-hand-sailmakers-leather-palm-906-p.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 July, 2019, 07:58:59 am
I made myself [a poor imitation of] one of those around 50 years ago.  The hardest part was sewing it together.

Triangular leatherworking needles made a big difference in leather, but I reckon they'd cut duck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 08 July, 2019, 06:37:42 pm
Quote from: bludger on 07 July, 2019, 09:18:27 pm
My weapon of choice is my dad's sailmaking kit; leatherwork needles and a sailmaker's palm, which is terrific for driving needles through the most stubborn of material.

(https://www.marinesuppliesdirect.co.uk/ekmps/shops/marinesupplies/images/right-hand-sailmakers-leather-palm-906-p.jpg)

Huh - file under 'things you never knew existed but now you want'...

I've also heard good things about the Speedy Stitcher, which is a sort of hand-held awl-cum-sewing machine used by sailmakers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 July, 2019, 04:09:01 pm
Last week I recovered an 18-year-old Miele from the cellar, removed the rotted dust bag (model no longer available) and jimmied the bag detector: the thing still sucks like a bastard so I whisked it off to the workshop and cleaned it up.  Today I adapted a fitting for the hose to fit the drum of my old Friom workshop vac (whose motor with the duff bearing I discarded) and hooked it up, so that now the Miele sucks air out of the drum, which acts as  dust collector.  The loss of suction is negligible but since the Miele is sucking through two filters and the Friom's dust bag I can probably improve it a bit by losing the Friom filter, then I'm going to put the two on a castored base and they can live out their lives (emotional sniff) usefully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 12 July, 2019, 04:36:08 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/hyt1G77.jpg)

Repaired some tyres. Sewed one up with a gash in it, applied vulcanising cement to the inside, stuck a patch on, clamped it fort an hour or two, a tad more VC on the outside part. Theoretically this is fine to use tubeless... Not been that brave yet but will happily ride it tubed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 July, 2019, 11:51:11 am
Thursday, I used a Japanese water stone to restore a keen edge to my Damascus steel kitchen knife, while my sister was here.
She was wide-eyed with surprise when, having finished and rinsed the grit from the blade, I picked up a piece of A4 paper and, with a deft flick of the wrist, cleft the paper in twain using the knife.

Today, I fettled some fox shit from my lawn.
Using the contents of a can of pipe freezing spray, to make the shit more *ahem* manageable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 July, 2019, 01:03:38 pm
I found something similar a few days ago, plastic disposable gloves make it a more palatable job.

are japanese water stones all they're cracked up to be? I've got a very satisfactory edge on my hatchet with a file, and now maintained with a lawnmower blade sharpening stone
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 July, 2019, 01:06:46 pm
Having deployed the freezer spray, you are dealing with a solid, as opposed to a semi-solid material, the former of which leaves a garden trowel unmarked.

Water stones are definitely better than oil stones - which is what I deployed previously.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 July, 2019, 04:14:08 pm
Lawnmower, height adjuster broke last week. My lawn has looked a bit avante-garde as I was trying to keep the height fairly even.  A £6 plastic part and all sorted. For a 15 year old lawnmower it's doing reasonably well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 14 July, 2019, 07:28:46 pm
I had a SPD pedal which was being unbearably stiff so I disassembled it, extracted the spindle and bearings, gave it a thorough GT85ing with rags and cotton buds, then greased the internals and reassembled it. It now spins like an excitable small dog. Hopefully it stays that way!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 14 July, 2019, 08:31:24 pm
Let's hope it doesn't yap or try to hump your leg  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 July, 2019, 08:52:43 pm
I improved the design of the mounting plate I had fabricated to get the Ortlieb saddle-bag mount to fit a Brooks saddle - when I say improved, all I really did was to radius the rear corners of rectangular plates I had already made with a jig-saw to improve the appearance and make it easier to tuck the Brooks cover between the rails and leather top to be ready to fit when parked.

Did one, excellent job - then did two more and re-fitted them to the Brooks on other bikes - and then made a spare unit to attach to the venerable Galaxy in due course.

All part of the plan to have just one bag that simply clips to the bike I'm riding, rather than multiple bags and sets of tubes, tools etc.   The Ortlieb bag is great BUT with the clip in a position that fits direct to the rails on a Brooks B17 the weight causes the bag to sag - my plate mod allows the clip to be further back and balance the bag.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 July, 2019, 12:10:46 am
found the cranks on my utility bike modified by someone backing into it, whilst locked outside to a lamp post:

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190715/a13d756a0278ca25f3bf51deeb5b775a.jpg)

had to replace the left crank, chainring, chain and straighten the tabs of two spider legs. numpty driver will have to replace their rear light according to the evidence left at the scene.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 July, 2019, 10:51:06 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Yebbut - doesn't that fact keep the LBS in business? - I never ceased to be amazed at some of the bikes I see (latest example was a £7,000 eMTB that had most of Warwickshire attached to it + a totally destroyed mech and hanger .... and the bloke had "lost" the key to remove the battery, and the charger)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 July, 2019, 11:06:52 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

if something squeaks, you smear some grease on it - logical. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 July, 2019, 11:16:53 am
Got my vacuum-cleaner trolley more or less useable. Now waiting for hose junctions & more hose to arrive.

Had to bore 7 mm holes to take castor "spikes".  Measured other old castors and found that they were all 7 mm too. Wonder if it's some kind of standard.

Funny how old castors are always either in groups of 3, groups of 4 with 3 serviceable, or odd orphan singles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2019, 12:01:27 pm
Quote from: robgul on 16 July, 2019, 10:51:06 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Yebbut - doesn't that fact keep the LBS in business? - I never ceased to be amazed at some of the bikes I see (latest example was a £7,000 eMTB that had most of Warwickshire attached to it + a totally destroyed mech and hanger .... and the bloke had "lost" the key to remove the battery, and the charger)

Rob
Does "lost" the key mean he'd never had the key, cos he'd nicked the bike?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 July, 2019, 12:46:59 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2019, 12:01:27 pm
Quote from: robgul on 16 July, 2019, 10:51:06 am
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Yebbut - doesn't that fact keep the LBS in business? - I never ceased to be amazed at some of the bikes I see (latest example was a £7,000 eMTB that had most of Warwickshire attached to it + a totally destroyed mech and hanger .... and the bloke had "lost" the key to remove the battery, and the charger)

Rob
Does "lost" the key mean he'd never had the key, cos he'd nicked the bike?

Nope - he's a wealthy farmer - who has 2 such bikes "his and hers" - hers was marginally less bad.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2019, 12:53:28 pm
In that case perhaps it's "lost" in the slurry pool!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 July, 2019, 02:24:27 pm
Swapped out the shonky FruitCo Airport Express in the kitchen for the less-shonky one from upstairs.  I haz a Tunes in the kitchen again :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 July, 2019, 04:48:37 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 July, 2019, 12:10:46 am
found the cranks on my utility bike modified by someone backing into it, whilst locked outside to a lamp post:

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190715/a13d756a0278ca25f3bf51deeb5b775a.jpg)

had to replace the left crank, chainring, chain and straighten the tabs of two spider legs. numpty driver will have to replace their rear light according to the evidence left at the scene.

Jesus! Hopefully just your crank that's knackered and not transfered any damage to the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 July, 2019, 04:55:53 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Bet they still squeaked, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 July, 2019, 09:51:39 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 13 July, 2019, 01:06:46 pm
Having deployed the freezer spray, you are dealing with a solid, as opposed to a semi-solid material, the former of which leaves a garden trowel unmarked.

Water stones are definitely better than oil stones - which is what I deployed previously.

Aren't the stones the same but one soaked in oil, while the other is soaked in water before use?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 16 July, 2019, 09:55:41 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Think that soaking in a lighter oil might be a better idea, then maybe fire to burn off the crud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 July, 2019, 10:17:10 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 16 July, 2019, 04:48:37 pm
Jesus! Hopefully just your crank that's knackered and not transfered any damage to the frame.

no damage to the frame, thankfully
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 19 July, 2019, 07:21:33 am
Think I may have sorted the annoying creaking clicking sound on the folder.

I tightened up the hinge QR
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 July, 2019, 07:33:03 am
Quote from: Kim on 16 July, 2019, 04:55:53 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Bet they still squeaked, too.

No. No they don't...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 21 July, 2019, 07:36:59 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 16 July, 2019, 09:55:41 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Think that soaking in a lighter oil might be a better idea, then maybe fire to burn off the crud.

With a labour rate of nominally 20 quid an hour and a disc costing around a fiver I took the executive decision to stop wasting my fucking time and mend something a bit more rewarding...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 21 July, 2019, 04:21:23 pm
A Y shaped lump of rust and split wood into a perfectly functional pair of garden shears. They had been left outside by a relative annoying me on every visit for at least 2 years, possibly 4. 20 minutes with a blowtorch & spanners to separate the halves, 10 minutes with wet & dry to begin followed by a couple of hours with a diamond stone. I even scraped the moss off the handles, rubbed them down and applied some teak oil.

I bet the ungrateful bugger leaves them outside again. If he does I shall take them away 'to sharpen them again' with zero intention of returning them a second time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 21 July, 2019, 04:35:42 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 16 July, 2019, 09:51:39 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 13 July, 2019, 01:06:46 pm
Having deployed the freezer spray, you are dealing with a solid, as opposed to a semi-solid material, the former of which leaves a garden trowel unmarked.

Water stones are definitely better than oil stones - which is what I deployed previously.

Aren't the stones the same but one soaked in oil, while the other is soaked in water before use?

The abrasive is the same, aluminium oxide, but the binder is different.

With waterstones, the binder is soft and water soluble which is why they are said to be faster cutting because fresh abrasive particles are exposed as you sharpen.

The binder in man made oilstones is much harder and doesn't dissolve in oil or water.

Another abrasive is silicon carbide, I don't think there are silicon carbide waterstones though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 July, 2019, 06:38:48 pm
finally worked out the issue with my rear BB7.  It had been intermittently dragging, moslty at the wrong point in the ride.  Despite backing off the adjusters as much as possible and repeatedly trying the centring process it just seemed to be dragging on the outboard side.

Looking closely at it today I worked out that the bottom of the rack was just fouling the pivot arm enough to stop it returning back to the neutral positiion.  An extra spacer has done the job and it's moving freely and has a decent feel to the lever. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 July, 2019, 07:50:07 pm
Sorted out the Jump Stop I'd bodged onto the Red Baron to prevent tedious mechanical roulette at the foot of intimidating hills.  I'd replaced the supplied band-on fitting with a 16mm P-clip and a hex-head bolt / nylock arrangement, in order to fit the lower part of the derailleur post.  Unfortunately, while the fit was snug, it wasn't quite tight enough, and it was prone to unwanted rotation when bashed by the wayward chain.  In the absence of adjustability (is there such a thing as a P-clip-hose-clamp hybrid[1]?), I made do with some shim-fu and harsh language; there was a great deal of pingfuckiting by the nut and washers.


[1] Preferably one that can phase through solid matter, as the whole thing's a couple of mm higher than is strictly optimal optimal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 July, 2019, 09:23:08 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 22 July, 2019, 06:38:48 pm
finally worked out the issue with my rear BB7.  It had been intermittently dragging, moslty at the wrong point in the ride.  Despite backing off the adjusters as much as possible and repeatedly trying the centring process it just seemed to be dragging on the outboard side.

Looking closely at it today I worked out that the bottom of the rack was just fouling the pivot arm enough to stop it returning back to the neutral positiion.  An extra spacer has done the job and it's moving freely and has a decent feel to the lever. 

Hmm, I had no joy trying to sort out my rear BB7 yesterday in a similar fashion after putting in new pads. Had several attempts with no improvement. Was going to have another look tonight but it's too warm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 July, 2019, 10:07:42 pm
perhaps BB stands for "bloody bastard" things

if racks are involved get Pingu to pull the brake lever as you peer intently at both the "on" and "off" stroke.  In my case the on was OK, but the off was just being impeded enough to make the difference and cause the drag.

No idea how you folks north of the border are coping, Aberdeen beach must be a mass of bright pink flesh by now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 July, 2019, 06:27:29 pm
Just had another go at it. It wasn't fouling on anything. I don't know why the Park tools instructions weren't working but instead this time I left the pads where they were, undid the caliper bolts and waggled it until it looked right. Then I trimmed using the pad adjusters. Seemed to work ok.

It's not too hot outside, the breeze is pretty cooling. A bit sticky indoors though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 July, 2019, 08:51:14 pm
I have two old hardwood/canvas directors chairs, given to me by patents when I stopped being a pso and bought a house, but couldn't afford furniture. they took the place of a sofa for about two years.

I've spent bits of today cleaning down the frames with white spirit and then applying a first coat of teak oil, second coat tomorrow. they are still in great nick, though the canvas is significantly faded
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 July, 2019, 09:19:54 pm
Picked up a "badUSB" USB dongle thing that has an AVR microcontroller in it.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41TM51mq9iL.jpg)

Pulled it apart and inspected it, reflashed the bootloader with a known good one from the Arduino distribution over the ISP so it has trusted code on it, then wrote a new bit of application software that pretends it is a mouse (USB HID device) and moves 1 pixel up and down at a random interval between 10 and 20 seconds.

The movement is not noticeable, except to the OS. However, it stops the OS from dimming or locking the screen, and/or going to sleep. Really useful for when taking part in a web conference where you aren't touching your computer, or a demo where you are showing something from your machine - no need to keep moving the mouse or pressing a key to stop the machine locking.

You could do the same thing going in to settings, but then you've got to remember to switch it back. This way you just plug in a device to stop it locking and unplug when you are happy for auto locking to start again. And it works on all my machines, regardless of OS installed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 July, 2019, 12:42:24 am
Tightened the loose BB in HK's Kinesis. Better than having to replace it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2019, 11:35:33 am
Quote from: MattH on 23 July, 2019, 09:19:54 pm
Picked up a "badUSB" USB dongle thing that has an AVR microcontroller in it.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41TM51mq9iL.jpg)

Pulled it apart and inspected it, reflashed the bootloader with a known good one from the Arduino distribution over the ISP so it has trusted code on it, then wrote a new bit of application software that pretends it is a mouse (USB HID device) and moves 1 pixel up and down at a random interval between 10 and 20 seconds.
[...]

Cute.  I've got a little widget in my toolbar that inhibits sleep.  Main issue is forgetting you've enabled it, but that would go for a dongle too.

One thing I've thought would be cute would be to implement a Synergy server on some sort of WiFi-enabled small micro that can do the HID thing.  You could then use it to control Androids and employer's laptops with oppressive security models etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 25 July, 2019, 06:56:57 am
Quote from: Kim on 24 July, 2019, 11:35:33 am

Cute.  I've got a little widget in my toolbar that inhibits sleep.  Main issue is forgetting you've enabled it, but that would go for a dongle too.


As it's sitting there all shiny it's less likely for me; main issue for me is it's something physical to carry/lose. But is was fun to play with.

Quote
One thing I've thought would be cute would be to implement a Synergy server on some sort of WiFi-enabled small micro that can do the HID thing.  You could then use it to control Androids and employer's laptops with oppressive security models etc.

The biggest talked about use for these devices is as a hacking tool; you can program them with a load of readily available scripts that will do things like automatically open a web browser and go to a certain page then download stuff from it, or bring up a shell and do stuff in there - just simulating a keyboard then sending keypresses. John Deere (the tractor people) got some stick about that recently in security forums because they distributed these as a promotional thing, and when people plugged this freebie USB thing into their machines thinking it was a memory stick, it took them straight to the John Deere website.

I've got a beetle board variant that I'm playing with  (slightly bigger, with GPIO brought out to pins) to use as the basis of a chorded keyboard for when I'm having RSI issues. There is also a bluetooth variant with libraries that would allow it to work as a wireless keyboard. It really is amazing the quality of the building blocks available nowadays to get this stuff up and running in a couple of hours. Back in my day you'd be soldering the micro onto a bit of breadboard, then hand crafting the machine code from tables and toggling the binary to RAM using a set of switches to manually define the address and data lines and waggle the /WR and /CE pins. Kids today don't know they're born...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 July, 2019, 07:31:15 pm
The tedious biennial job of oiling every spoke eyelet on a DRC ST19 to get rid of the creaking when climbing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 26 July, 2019, 07:39:07 pm
Fettled my rear derailleur to prevent the chain dropping off and managed to fuck up so badly that I need an entire new RD.

Fucks sake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 July, 2019, 10:24:51 pm
shouldn't that be in the "what have I unfettled today" thread ==>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 July, 2019, 10:32:55 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 21 July, 2019, 07:36:59 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 16 July, 2019, 09:55:41 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 16 July, 2019, 09:06:23 am
Serviced a Pinnacle hybrid. Nothing unusual in that but this worthy had GREASED the disc brakes. It's the first time I've ever had to replace the brake discs as service items.

They've been soaking in brake cleaner and I cannot get the grease off them. The holes in the discs were full of a paté of grease and brake dust.

I don't suppose I should be shocked any more but really, some people are as thick as shit...

Think that soaking in a lighter oil might be a better idea, then maybe fire to burn off the crud.

With a labour rate of nominally 20 quid an hour and a disc costing around a fiver I took the executive decision to stop wasting my fucking time and mend something a bit more rewarding...

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 26 July, 2019, 10:34:16 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 26 July, 2019, 10:24:51 pm
shouldn't that be in the "what have I unfettled today" thread ==>

I thought it was broken, now after fettling I am sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 July, 2019, 04:44:23 pm
Built a fixed rear wheel for the Moulton TSR.  Surly hub, Sun CR18 rim to match existing.  Couldn't find branded d/b spokes in 190mm so had to use Halo plain gauge, which were pretty good.

Just waiting for a 15T cog and some rim tape now.  I might need to lock up the front forks for fixie use if it pogos wildly on hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: telstarbox on 28 July, 2019, 02:57:30 pm
I've *finally* cleaned and oiled my bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 28 July, 2019, 04:00:13 pm
A lump of bovine protein into pastrami.

A load of weeds into the green bin.

Finally got around to putting up a mirror and some shelves in the lounge, then moved some pictures.

Removed the rats nest of cat5 from behind the TV, moved the xbox into the office then connected the Switch to the lounge TV.

Shall, shortly, be fettling dinner and a beer or two :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 July, 2019, 04:44:23 pm
Cleaned up & oiled an old hand drill I found behind a stack of screw boxes.  It worked quite nicely until I turned it chuck down, whereat the driven spindle slid out of the stationary shaft and the gears bound up hard.  Drive wheel held in by rivet so little chance of fixing it.  Put it back behind the boxes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 July, 2019, 05:46:39 pm
Active today :

Cut to size and fitted two roller blinds (purchased from IKEA in August last year - nagging finally got to me)

Mounted my new belt sander machine on an MDF plinth (matching my other woodworking machinery) - for stability and to able to clamp to the bench when in use.

Assessed a revised layout/storage/benching in my garage to accommodate new machinery ... and a potential n+1

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 July, 2019, 09:54:56 pm
Took a ton of stuff off the TSR - rear mech, chain catcher, geared rear wheel, rear brake, shifter, mudguards, all rear cabling.  Put new fixed wheel in.  Chainline isn't *quite* perfect according to the 2 foot straight edge but I have an unused 110mm BB to swap for the 113mm that's in there, then it will be millimetre-perfect.  The frame (well, the unified rear triangle, to which the BB and dropouts are attached) is dead straight, which is the first time I've seen that on a steel bike.

Also increased the damping on the fork (I was running with minimum damping but a fixie can't be spun up hills).

I need to clean up and repaint the rear dropouts, where the powdercoat has pretty much gone.  Powdercoat sucks.  Fortunately there is a car touch-up paint that is a very good match for the ivory.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 July, 2019, 10:05:30 pm
No wonder you complained about the Moulton bobbing. I run fairly heavy damping on mine (rider also fairly heavy, and damp in hot weather).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 July, 2019, 10:24:38 pm
I quite like the floaty effect on crap road surfaces. Would have been.useful on the Dunwich Dynamo, about half of which has been chipsealed.  Yuck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 July, 2019, 11:32:18 pm
True that, but thumping biggish gears uphill requires some compromises.

My 16" Moulton Stowaway had a second abutment stuffed into the front suspension at Tony Hadland's recommendation, which worked very nicely to minimise bobbing. Particularly when I swapped the Duomatic wheel to a 56x13 fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 July, 2019, 03:17:04 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48422859602_0e6e2c537c_z.jpg)

More of a bodge than a fettle. Six(!!!!!!) packs of Sugru, it seems as okay after ~240km including tow path as it did when first done, so I think it's going to hold. Yes, the wiring is... being remodelled. Not urgently though...

I tried to make the photo a bit smaller but no matter what size I select, it seems to stay the same. Sorry about that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 August, 2019, 02:37:27 pm
This morning I fettled an egg box. I stuck bits of cardboard to it top, bottom and sides, in order to – I hope – pannier-proof it. I might stick it in a drybag as well, just to be sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 August, 2019, 05:35:17 pm
Not really fettling, (even less so than the previous two) but I also managed to make a Zefal HPX stay in its intended location under the top tube on Sequoia, despite the lack of pips and the top tube/seat tube angle being 90 degrees or more (due to sloping top tube). Careful positioning, a velcro strap and luck. It was only a 5-minute each way ride, mind. If I leave it there at the weekend I now have a new problem to solve: where to put my tent poles?  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 August, 2019, 01:48:46 pm
And the fourth! For some time there's been a clanking from the front wheel region of the Sequoia. I thought it was something mudguard related though I couldn't find anything loose. There was also a very small amount of free play if I rocked the bike forward with the front brake on. I diagnosed wear in the headset, not enough to need urgent attention but something to keep an eye on. I didn't make any connection between the two symptoms.

But yesterday I replaced the brake pads. This bike has flat mount disc brakes, so the calipers bolt to a mounting bar which adjusts for caliper diameter and itself bolts to the fork leg. It turned out one of the bolts attaching the caliper to this mounting bar was loose. There was no chance of it falling out completely, even if it had come totally loose, because it's trapped between mount and fork leg. Might have got interesting if the other bolt had also been loose though.

Anyway, it's quiet now and the brakes are good with the new pads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 August, 2019, 05:03:24 pm
My bedside table has a wonky leg - tenon loose in mortise on the side that's in deep shadow - so I got the nail gun in and banged a 5cm nail through it. A bit of wax to cover the head, job done & solid as a rock.  Then I tried to open the drawer.  It's a bit sticky with a centimetre of nail sticking into the side.  ??? :o :facepalm:

Fortunately, that was only a mental fettle. Leg's still wonky, wallet, driving licence & ID card are still accessible. Anyway, lugging the compressor over to the house would be too much manual labour.

Back to sleep.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 02 August, 2019, 11:27:27 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 August, 2019, 05:03:24 pm
My bedside table has a wonky leg - tenon loose in mortise on the side that's in deep shadow - so I got the nail gun in and banged a 5cm nail through it. A bit of wax to cover the head, job done & solid as a rock.  Then I tried to open the drawer.  It's a bit sticky with a centimetre of nail sticking into the side.  ??? :o :facepalm:

Fortunately, that was only a mental fettle. Leg's still wonky, wallet, driving licence & ID card are still accessible. Anyway, lugging the compressor over to the house would be too much manual labour.

Back to sleep.
Isn't the "I'm such a feckin' div" thread somewhere else ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 02 August, 2019, 11:29:07 pm
Put two patches on the inside of the terreno which I'd plugged during a cross race. It probably only actually needed one but better safe than sorry. Gave the bike and wheels a good clean while I was at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 August, 2019, 08:07:22 am
Quote from: hatler on 02 August, 2019, 11:27:27 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 August, 2019, 05:03:24 pm
My bedside table has a wonky leg - tenon loose in mortise on the side that's in deep shadow - so I got the nail gun in and banged a 5cm nail through it. A bit of wax to cover the head, job done & solid as a rock.  Then I tried to open the drawer.  It's a bit sticky with a centimetre of nail sticking into the side.  ??? :o :facepalm:

Fortunately, that was only a mental fettle. Leg's still wonky, wallet, driving licence & ID card are still accessible. Anyway, lugging the compressor over to the house would be too much manual labour.

Back to sleep.
Isn't the "I'm such a feckin' div" thread somewhere else ?

Only if I really did it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 03 August, 2019, 03:46:24 pm
More unfettled.

Aldidle 6-inch vice, nil. Old but smooth UN-72 in a long-dead frame, one.

Why I didn't strip the frame long ago, I shall never know. (Actually, that's a lie. I know full well - laziness.) The Stronglight A9 is fine though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 August, 2019, 06:39:04 pm
Frame to dispose of or rebuild?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 August, 2019, 06:42:13 pm
Tried to remove a stuck seat post with a rubber strap wrench, broke the strap wrench...

Don't care about the post as it is a cheapy suspension post.  So what to do next...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 03 August, 2019, 10:01:12 pm
Dispose of. Dead because a chain stay snapped in front of the dropout, now has a dented top tube and fucked forks. Free to a good home (well, any home) if anyone wants to cut it into some random lengths of 531 or to practice unbrazing then brazing again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 August, 2019, 11:59:35 pm
Straightened the chainring and also the aluminium chain guard on my Brompton, following Aer Lingus' recent tender ministrations. Lubed the chain, because I'm told it saves a few watts.

It must have worked as it seems I managed to avoid getting lapped at the Brompton World Championships today (which I didn't expect). Also managed to win the track stand competition and got 1.5 litres of Bolly for my trouble (which I also didn't expect).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 04 August, 2019, 12:29:54 am
Not strictly related but I was very annoyed to hear that the women's brommie race was pulled off because of a crash in the men's.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2019, 12:33:01 am
I think I was with or very near the leading women. It wasn’t just the women’s race. Everybody was pulled up short. I’m told there was a real mess up front that made it imperative to stop racers ploughing into them in a full sprint. Even so, there were a couple of folk who tangled up and fell (just behind and to the side of me) as we were braking to a halt.

I saw or heard four prangs near me during the race. Going clockwise, slower riders kept drifting far right on corners and braking, which made it quite difficult to get round them at speed. I had figured the mix of social riders, inexperienced wannabes and full-on racers might be sketchy but this was a bit more than I expected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2019, 02:18:42 pm
Fitted a Monkii cage to HK's MTB commuter, so that she can easily bring home wine bottles and fitted a bolt/ nut to replace failed rivets in the rear mudguard. Still need to replace the Alfine oil.

De-creak-ified my Frezoni by tightening a couple of chainring bolts and pulling and refitting the pedals, cranks and bottom bracket. Still need to replace the handlebar tape.

Retensioned the chain on my fixed and tweaked the rear cantilever. Brake lever sorted a few days later.

Replaced the cracked rear mudguard on the audax tandem. Replaced the worn rear tyre and middle ring. Still to sort out the timing chain with a half-link, which is hiding somewhere in the house. After that, just choosing which luggage to take and checking on-bike spares to do before PBP starts.

Swapped back the SPDs from my Brommie to HK’s Kinesis. Still need to refit pedals to my Brompton, after replacing the worn bearing on the folding pedal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 04 August, 2019, 04:50:20 pm
Quote from: robgul on 14 July, 2019, 08:52:43 pm
I improved the design of the mounting plate I had fabricated to get the Ortlieb saddle-bag mount to fit a Brooks saddle - when I say improved, all I really did was to radius the rear corners of rectangular plates I had already made with a jig-saw to improve the appearance and make it easier to tuck the Brooks cover between the rails and leather top to be ready to fit when parked.

Did one, excellent job - then did two more and re-fitted them to the Brooks on other bikes - and then made a spare unit to attach to the venerable Galaxy in due course.

All part of the plan to have just one bag that simply clips to the bike I'm riding, rather than multiple bags and sets of tubes, tools etc.   The Ortlieb bag is great BUT with the clip in a position that fits direct to the rails on a Brooks B17 the weight causes the bag to sag - my plate mod allows the clip to be further back and balance the bag.

Rob

Do you have  a picture this is a quandary I've been trying to solve, having something to copy from would be really helpful. Same saddle bag as well.

Cheers

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 August, 2019, 05:20:30 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 04 August, 2019, 04:50:20 pm
Quote from: robgul on 14 July, 2019, 08:52:43 pm
I improved the design of the mounting plate I had fabricated to get the Ortlieb saddle-bag mount to fit a Brooks saddle - when I say improved, all I really did was to radius the rear corners of rectangular plates I had already made with a jig-saw to improve the appearance and make it easier to tuck the Brooks cover between the rails and leather top to be ready to fit when parked.

Did one, excellent job - then did two more and re-fitted them to the Brooks on other bikes - and then made a spare unit to attach to the venerable Galaxy in due course.

All part of the plan to have just one bag that simply clips to the bike I'm riding, rather than multiple bags and sets of tubes, tools etc.   The Ortlieb bag is great BUT with the clip in a position that fits direct to the rails on a Brooks B17 the weight causes the bag to sag - my plate mod allows the clip to be further back and balance the bag.

Rob

Do you have  a picture this is a quandary I've been trying to solve, having something to copy from would be really helpful. Same saddle bag as well.

Cheers

D.

If you PM an email addy I'll take a couple of snaps and send them to you . . . . I may have a scrap of the aluminium sheet left over? - if I have I could cut it to size and drill the holes ready for you to fit the Ortlieb clip, and send to you [I'll check tomorrow morning]

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 04 August, 2019, 07:00:47 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 August, 2019, 05:20:30 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 04 August, 2019, 04:50:20 pm
Quote from: robgul on 14 July, 2019, 08:52:43 pm
I improved the design of the mounting plate I had fabricated to get the Ortlieb saddle-bag mount to fit a Brooks saddle - when I say improved, all I really did was to radius the rear corners of rectangular plates I had already made with a jig-saw to improve the appearance and make it easier to tuck the Brooks cover between the rails and leather top to be ready to fit when parked.

Did one, excellent job - then did two more and re-fitted them to the Brooks on other bikes - and then made a spare unit to attach to the venerable Galaxy in due course.

All part of the plan to have just one bag that simply clips to the bike I'm riding, rather than multiple bags and sets of tubes, tools etc.   The Ortlieb bag is great BUT with the clip in a position that fits direct to the rails on a Brooks B17 the weight causes the bag to sag - my plate mod allows the clip to be further back and balance the bag.

Rob

Do you have  a picture this is a quandary I've been trying to solve, having something to copy from would be really helpful. Same saddle bag as well.

Cheers

D.

If you PM an email addy I'll take a couple of snaps and send them to you . . . . I may have a scrap of the aluminium sheet left over? - if I have I could cut it to size and drill the holes ready for you to fit the Ortlieb clip, and send to you [I'll check tomorrow morning]

Rob

That would be fantastic, I'll PM you shortly.

Cheers

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 August, 2019, 07:32:13 am
Quote from: davelodwig on 04 August, 2019, 07:00:47 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 August, 2019, 05:20:30 pm
Quote from: davelodwig on 04 August, 2019, 04:50:20 pm
Quote from: robgul on 14 July, 2019, 08:52:43 pm
I improved the design of the mounting plate I had fabricated to get the Ortlieb saddle-bag mount to fit a Brooks saddle - when I say improved, all I really did was to radius the rear corners of rectangular plates I had already made with a jig-saw to improve the appearance and make it easier to tuck the Brooks cover between the rails and leather top to be ready to fit when parked.

Did one, excellent job - then did two more and re-fitted them to the Brooks on other bikes - and then made a spare unit to attach to the venerable Galaxy in due course.

All part of the plan to have just one bag that simply clips to the bike I'm riding, rather than multiple bags and sets of tubes, tools etc.   The Ortlieb bag is great BUT with the clip in a position that fits direct to the rails on a Brooks B17 the weight causes the bag to sag - my plate mod allows the clip to be further back and balance the bag.

Rob

Do you have  a picture this is a quandary I've been trying to solve, having something to copy from would be really helpful. Same saddle bag as well.

Cheers

D.

If you PM an email addy I'll take a couple of snaps and send them to you . . . . I may have a scrap of the aluminium sheet left over? - if I have I could cut it to size and drill the holes ready for you to fit the Ortlieb clip, and send to you [I'll check tomorrow morning]

Rob

That would be fantastic, I'll PM you shortly.

Cheers

D.

Pics sent but couldn't find any left-over material

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 05 August, 2019, 09:35:25 pm
I washed my duvet.  It was discoloured brown. Now it is white apart from a small blood stain and some tea stains. Still a little wet so I can not put it back on my bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 August, 2019, 08:16:56 am
Yesterday I fettled a dish of guacamole and cut a through vacuum-cleaner hose, but the one did not entail the other.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 10 August, 2019, 02:12:24 pm
Heating valve was hunting around the mid position instead of sitting deenergised when on HW only. It's always the microswitches with heating valves but I wasted 10 minutes checking the other components anyway.  Then dismantled the valve head and confirmed the suspicion. Naturally the failed switch is not the type I have in stock having replaced loads in 2 port valves at my previous abode.  Replacement switch and a spare ordered from ebay. Someone is making a handsome markup at £5 each but compared to £80 for a new head I'm happy.
I was about to fit a bypass link for HW only operation pending arrival of the replacements and chance to fit one. Just for the hell of it I cut the old switch open, to my surprise, without loss of pingfuckits. I prised apart the welded contact, superglued the switch back together only briefly attaching it to my thumb and then soldered it back into the valve head. It is now working perfectly again and hopefully will last 4 weeks to my next rotation break when I'll fit a new replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 August, 2019, 04:01:41 pm
Fitted a dynowheel, Cyo and Igaro D1 to HK's PBP bike. She's picked the Roberts that was custom-built for PBP99 but she rode a tandem bike instead. Only a 20 year wait for the Roberts to move up to the big show... Apart from routing cables and heat-shrinking connections, it was a fiddlier job than expected, due to fitting the shortest possible fork crown bracket and, as a result, tight clearances to the front brake. The bracket had to be filed slightly to clear the front brake but it all looks like the real deal now.

Retaped the bars on my Frezoni, tightened a loose brake lever and reshaped the front mudguard. Just need to bond the brake lever pivot into place for this bike to be 'done'.

Adjusted the timing chain on the audax tandem after fitting a 3/32" half-link. Just need to pick and fit the luggage and it will be ready for PBP.

Pretty much every bike needs a wash though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 August, 2019, 04:11:57 pm
Trimmed the anti-splintering strip on the track-saw I bought a while back. Oh, and removed the anti-kickback doo-dah because it has such a strong spring that it's bloody hard to push the saw forwards, never mind backwards. Will endeavour to fettle weaker spring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 August, 2019, 10:03:48 am
Unpacked my trike, adjusted the rear axle bearings, trued both back wheels, cleaned out the brake pads and reshaped the mudguard. Replaced the dodgy Sachs front mech with a Campag from the garage pile that had a stripped cable anchor thread (now a bolt and nut).

Washed my trike and fixed. HK washed her Kinesis and Roberts.

Will wash the audax tandem and possibly the Frezoni tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 11 August, 2019, 06:47:22 pm
We have a propane fired urn at Scouts. During our recent camp, its lighting became intermittent so I took a look this afternoon.  It has piezoelectric electric ignition and a flame failure device - hold the knob in for 20s after ignition, release and adjust flame. The FFD kept cutting in after the 20s, so at first I suspected the thermocouple wasn't getting hot enough- maybe it had take  a knock. However a bit of web based research pointed to the knob/valve interface. Pressing the knob didn't get the gas valve quite to the right position, as the knob fouled on the casing. Solution: cut a teeny shim from the lid of a soft drinks bottle and slide it into the hole in the knob.

TL,DR? I mended it with a scrap of plastic. Phear mi l33t haxxor skillz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 August, 2019, 09:11:34 pm
Barakta and I tracked down a seemingly intermittent fault in the BHPC's electronic timing system.  Fortunately the problem appears to be a dicky cable, rather than a problem with the expensive RFID SCIENCE.

In the process we discovered a compatible tag[1] somewhere in (or within a few metres of) our house that I can't account for.  I know the EPC, but not where it is or what it might be attached to.  I wasn't quite bored enough to turn the gain down and wander around with a massive aerial to try to find it.

Reminded me of http://bash.org/?5273


[1] These are the cheap disposable stick-on ones normally used for asset tracking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 August, 2019, 09:46:20 pm
My iron has developed a leak, so has gone back to Panasonic for repair. Hence, I borrowed an iron yesterday from one of the carers to iron my shirts for next week. 

The fettling was a new plug onto the borrowed iron this morning before she arrived. It also needs a new flwx really, but I don't have one. She thanked me on the way out - I'd not said anything during the day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 August, 2019, 07:57:02 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 16 August, 2019, 09:46:20 pm
My iron has developed a leak, so has gone back to Panasonic for repair. Hence, I borrowed an iron yesterday from one of the carers to iron my shirts for next week. 

 :facepalm: I read that as "My son...".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 August, 2019, 06:43:49 am
Yesterday, disassembled, cleaned, greased and reassembled a Gran Cru hub that was making funny noises and movements under load. Looks like sticky pawls and distorted pawl seats. Should get the rider to the finish of PBP, hopefully without any more funny noises.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 August, 2019, 08:29:37 am
I hope you get finished fettling other people's bikes in time to get to the bike check.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FatBloke on 18 August, 2019, 04:23:13 pm
Just replaced a Shimano 105 Octalink BB-5500 Bottom Bracket on my favourite (and oldest) bike.

Those Octalink BBs are becoming rarer than rocking horse doo-doos!!!   :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 August, 2019, 04:48:11 pm
Other people's V-brakes.  My favourite.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 August, 2019, 04:54:28 pm
Quote from: FatBloke on 18 August, 2019, 04:23:13 pm
Just replaced Shimano 105 Octalink BB-5500 Botton Bracket on my favourite (and oldest) bike.

Those Octalink BBs are becoming rarer than rocking horse doo-doos!!!   :(

When's it from, around Y2K? I probably have one on a shelf in the workshop, along with the rest of the groupset.  The STI-lever rubbers are a bit tacky, though, and probably split by now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 22 August, 2019, 02:38:03 pm
Bodged the bit of the lock that the tongue fits into on the outer front door so it can actually be locked.  This is necessary because the said door is made of badly-treated cheese and is thus as warped as the head-branez of Donald Trump.  I have a replacement door but so far lack sufficient mojo to start attacking it with power tools, chisels, ect ect.  I therefore suspect that the said door will be looking at me accusingly every time I go into the kitchen for the next six months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 August, 2019, 05:03:18 pm
Finally sussed out how to adjust the protractor stops on my mitre saw and got it chopping square for the first time in n years. Well, it would chop square before, but not without a deal of horrendous faff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 August, 2019, 12:32:58 pm
Fitted new chain, (fourth) cassette, rear mech and front Icetech disc to HK’s (less than one year old) Kinesis. Still on the original Almotion tyres though, with no flats to date. Flint-mined both tyres, replaced the rear tyre sealant and topped up the front sealant. Evidence of at least one front and four rear holes sealed. As always, the tyres were an easy dismount and remount on the Hunt rims.

Replaced the folding pedal on my Brompton, pending replacing the bearings in two knackered folding B pedals. Also replaced the front wheel with a lightly used SH wheel, as the front hub had degraded into a pitted mess. I’m debating dismantling the old wheel for a spare rim, etc.

Replaced the broken Cyo on my fixed with a Lumotec halogen headlight from the garage. Given this is mostly a commuter bike (along with some 200 brevets) and virtually all of my commute is under streetlights, I don’t expect much of a problem. The backup Smart-copy AA battery headlight can fill the gap as needed and I might fit a LED bulb replacement down the line. Tightened the headset a shade.

Replaced the scuffed stoker bartape on the audax tandem and tweaked the dyno headlight. Dropped the captain’s saddle a bit.

Proofided a few leather saddles. Investigated the broken Cyo and pondered repair options.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 31 August, 2019, 12:38:45 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 August, 2019, 09:11:34 pm
Barakta and I tracked down a seemingly intermittent fault in the BHPC's electronic timing system.  Fortunately the problem appears to be a dicky cable, rather than a problem with the expensive RFID SCIENCE.

In the process we discovered a compatible tag[1] somewhere in (or within a few metres of) our house that I can't account for.  I know the EPC, but not where it is or what it might be attached to.  I wasn't quite bored enough to turn the gain down and wander around with a massive aerial to try to find it.

Reminded me of http://bash.org/?5273


[1] These are the cheap disposable stick-on ones normally used for asset tracking.
whats the effective range of these things? I’ve occasionally wondered about misusing this tech of locating arrows that have hidden in the green, more so since I took up Field Archery.9

9. In spite of the name, Field archery involves walking around in the woods, mostly looking for lost arrows. Archery where you stand in an actual Field is called target archery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 August, 2019, 04:45:47 pm
Somewhere in the 15 metre range if the tag's correctly oriented with respect to the aerial, though that's with an aerial the size of a large laptop (not including the reader itself and a computer with which to talk to it) and a tag that's a bit too big to attach to an arrow without mucking up the aerodynamics.

I wonder if BluetoothLE tags could be made small enough?  Advantage there is that the reader can be a smartphone, rather than a grand's worth of industrial electronics.

Or some sort of kit used by zoologists to track small critters?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 31 August, 2019, 05:09:41 pm
Attach helium balloon and string to the flight end of the arrow?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 September, 2019, 02:59:21 pm
Lights.
Onto the bike for tomorrow's commute.
 :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 01 September, 2019, 03:07:46 pm
Carbon fibre repair day two, sanding down the epoxy resin filler in the hole
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 06 September, 2019, 08:25:13 pm
getting the bike ready for the winter..

swapped the wheels from carbon to shallow profile alloy (tubeless). took the tyres off to see the state inside. one rim needed new tape - re-taped. checked the tyres over, scrubbed some of the old sealant off. reinstalled the tyres, added 60ml of sealant into each. moved the cassette over. swapped the brake pads to alloy specific. mudguards will be installed in a month or so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 September, 2019, 01:02:38 pm
Fitted a SpedDial hinge kit to my Brompton, including trimming a bolt to clear the Brompton tool kit.

Tensioned the timing chain on the audax tandem and refitted the captain’s SPDs and the HPX.

Replaced the cut-up Randonneur Hyper 37 front tyre on my fixed with a part-used Rubino Pro 28. Perhaps I can persuade it to seat properly before tomorrow’s commute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 September, 2019, 01:32:31 pm
I've fettled some planks of pallet wood into kindling. Some of it must have been a bit too fancy for pallets cos it was a right bastard to chop.
Just waiting for the sweep to come tomorrow and we'll be all ready for burning season.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 08 September, 2019, 01:38:14 pm
Repaired an inner tube of my dad's off the 26er MTB. For someone with disposable income, he's resolutely sticking to inner tubes which I find a bit baffling as tubeless ready 26er wheels are cheap as chips these days - he's actually doing road tubeless but not MTB. What can ya do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 September, 2019, 02:28:45 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 08 September, 2019, 01:32:31 pm
I've fettled some planks of pallet wood into kindling. Some of it must have been a bit too fancy for pallets cos it was a right bastard to chop.
Just waiting for the sweep to come tomorrow and we'll be all ready for burning season.

Hardwood boards deserve a better fate.

Back in the 80s I scrounged the crate in which a bloke had had his motorbike shipped home from Africa.  The plywood was 22mm mahogany, and the framing was solid mahogany.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 September, 2019, 03:03:22 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 September, 2019, 02:28:45 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 08 September, 2019, 01:32:31 pm
I've fettled some planks of pallet wood into kindling. Some of it must have been a bit too fancy for pallets cos it was a right bastard to chop.
Just waiting for the sweep to come tomorrow and we'll be all ready for burning season.

Hardwood boards deserve a better fate.

Back in the 80s I scrounged the crate in which a bloke had had his motorbike shipped home from Africa.  The plywood was 22mm mahogany, and the framing was solid mahogany.

I don't think they were hardwood (they weren't dark, at least).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 September, 2019, 03:22:01 pm
Might've been beech.  Should burn well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 September, 2019, 05:01:34 pm
A polytunnel at my wife's allotment - or at least the frame as we need to get some tape stuff to stop the metal over-heating and damaging the cover . . . that's a job for Monday if it doesn't rain.      Riding points are being accrued  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 09 September, 2019, 02:09:16 pm
Topped up CH inhibitor for the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2019, 03:10:25 pm
Cleaned something that may or may not be particles of charred earwig from my Trangia burner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 September, 2019, 11:58:41 am
Fitted a new espag lock to the bedroom window. The old one, no longer made, had a U section base plate such that the slidy bits were held clear of the edge of the window. The new one has a flat section and presumably the slidy bits run in a rebate in the window. Thus some kind of spacer was required.

Bought some 5mm pop rivets, which served as a source of 5mm tube. Cut the outer parts of the pop rivets into suitable lengths using a pipe cutter, drilled and filled them out to the right diameter and threaded them onto the fixing screws.

Reassembled, tweaked things. It all works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 September, 2019, 08:19:43 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 10 September, 2019, 11:58:41 am
Fitted a new espag lock to the bedroom window. The old one, no longer made, had a U section base plate such that the slidy bits were held clear of the edge of the window. The new one has a flat section and presumably the slidy bits run in a rebate in the window. Thus some kind of spacer was required.

Bought some 5mm pop rivets, which served as a source of 5mm tube. Cut the outer parts of the pop rivets into suitable lengths using a pipe cutter, drilled and filled them out to the right diameter and threaded them onto the fixing screws.

Reassembled, tweaked things. It all works.

You would've got Apollo 13 back intact.
Wouldn't you?

Gene
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 14 September, 2019, 04:31:41 pm
Fettled a patch onto my barley ;D

(https://i.imgur.com/8VWXRCy.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 September, 2019, 09:21:51 am
Well not me, but a rather early in the morning (7:15am), and professional fettle of my shiny new washing machine by thon online domestic goods retailer.

Old machine disconnected and taken away, new one installed and plumbed in. I would have done the installation myself, but just over two months on from my laparotomy, I wasn't moving washing machines around!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 15 September, 2019, 01:34:11 pm
I've found this morning that Muc-Off Wet lube works well for oiling a uPVC door mechanism
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Barnsdale on 15 September, 2019, 10:48:57 pm
Fitted a new wheel rim and decided to live with 1mm radial eccentricity as I got everything else spot on.  Congratulated myself on getting a brand new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre on without pinching the inner tube. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 16 September, 2019, 09:23:48 pm
Tidied up the excess wires in the fuse box, with a view to working out what is tripping the RCD. The weight of copper removed was the equivalent of 1.8 m or 2.5 mm2 twin and earth. It's now slightly easier to see where wires go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 September, 2019, 01:54:58 pm
Not exactly fettled (I failed) - a bloke came into my shop wanting to buy a valve rubber for the tube on an ancient bike!!!  Woods valve - my recollection is that they moved to a "sliding seal" akin to a Presta in the late 1960s.

Anyway - I had a Woods tube in stock which to my amazement had a valve rubber - obviously not prepare to sell just the rubber and the bloke was too mean to buy the tube for £4.  People?

Rob

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 September, 2019, 02:00:45 pm
I've probably got a collection of Woods valve rubbers somewhere, alongside the slightly more useful collection of Schrader valve caps.  They come with puncture repair kits.  Aren't Woods valves still common in ABROAD, where the FOREIGNS come from?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 September, 2019, 02:38:11 pm
Yep, they come in PRKs from Lidl, Aldi and the like.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 September, 2019, 03:27:34 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 19 September, 2019, 02:38:11 pm
Yep, they come in PRKs from Lidl, Aldi and the like.

.... and I thought I probably had the last two 26" Woods valved tubes in captivity.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 19 September, 2019, 03:31:06 pm
Used to able to buy lengths of rubber valve tubing, and cut off pieces to suit.

One budding entrepreneur at my primary school used to sell pieces as crash helmets for putting on Dinky Toy racing car drivers' heads, to save them from damage when they overturned while "racing" them in the playground (made a change from marbles).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 September, 2019, 04:17:07 pm
Quote from: robgul on 19 September, 2019, 03:27:34 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 19 September, 2019, 02:38:11 pm
Yep, they come in PRKs from Lidl, Aldi and the like.

.... and I thought I probably had the last two 26" Woods valved tubes in captivity.

Rob
If your customers refuse to pay £4 for them, there's little chance of freedom for them!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 September, 2019, 04:22:53 pm
Turns out you can get them from Halfords.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/inner-tubes/halfords-woods-valve-kit-adaptor

Though as it's Halfords, when you get there it will turn out to be something completely different.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 19 September, 2019, 04:55:38 pm
Some stem swappage on my Audax / Bun Run Bike. (A cheap and cheerful 2014 Pinnacle Dolomite 2).
Swapped the stem for a 100mm + 6 degree rise, for a 110 +17mm rise.

Reach is approx the same, but the bars are now a mere 30mm below the saddle, compared to the 55mm below the saddle with the 100mm + 6 degree rise stem.

I'm hoping this is a bit more comfy on my new abdomen (which doesn't like bending too much following my laparotomy in July) At least it's not as extreme as the comedy 110 +35 degree stem I previously tried!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 23 September, 2019, 04:41:57 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 19 September, 2019, 04:55:38 pm
Some stem swappage on my Audax / Bun Run Bike. (A cheap and cheerful 2014 Pinnacle Dolomite 2).
Swapped the stem for a 100mm + 6 degree rise, for a 110 +17mm rise.

Reach is approx the same, but the bars are now a mere 30mm below the saddle, compared to the 55mm below the saddle with the 100mm + 6 degree rise stem.

I'm hoping this is a bit more comfy on my new abdomen (which doesn't like bending too much following my laparotomy in July) At least it's not as extreme as the comedy 110 +35 degree stem I previously tried!  ;D

First test ride on Sunday. Pretty comfy! Just need to tweak the angle of the drop bars slightly, and job should be a good 'un (at least until I buy myself a shiny new Audax bike next year)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 September, 2019, 09:21:06 pm
Reattached the triangular wossnames onto the bottom of a couple of external doors at Fort Larrington.  Hammers were involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 September, 2019, 11:22:11 am
Dremeled yet another chunk off my bandsaw, the idiot safety guard that stops you seeing the point where blade meets wood with both eyes at once. Also removed the guard pieces that protect your fingers when you want to saw wood underneath the table* but make it impossible to adjust the lower blade guides. Put in a new blade, redid the set-up, remounted the table and bloody hell the MPoS** cuts straight with the fence.  For now. Noisy as hell but then it always was.

Metabo used to be good, but nowadays they're purveying the same QC-free Chinese crap as all the others but with a premium for Qualität aus Deutschland.  I should have bought a 100-euro cheapo then I'd have had the same quality. That or forked out over a grand.

* and if you want to do that, the loony bin is this way ===================>
** the M stands for miserable
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 September, 2019, 03:17:24 pm
This morning I was treated to a cold shower, so once I'd breakfasted I broke out my multimeter, brought up shower doctor on YouTube and went fault finding.

Micro switches ok
Heater elements  ok
What's this widget on top of the heater tank? Why it is the thermal cut out switch and what is more it is open circuit.
New one ordered on next day delivery for 20 notes.

The annoying thing is today was meant to be spent getting leaseholder paperwork sorted out so I can get a New! Shiny! bathroom, including new shower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 September, 2019, 05:13:38 pm
Chased and faced a BB shell.  It's having an old-school cup and cone BB, so it needs to be spot on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 September, 2019, 05:54:07 pm
Rear number plate fitted to the bike rack.
HEadlamp bulb replaced on GBOF.  Surprisingly involved for something so trivial and came with  Doh! moment when i put it back together and found the plastic sealing plug from behind the bulb sat on top of the rocker cover.

Doh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 30 September, 2019, 06:16:00 pm
after six years of use and over 20k km on it i've serviced the rear deore lx hub on my hack bike that lives outside all the time. bearing races all smooth, balls still round, so cleaned everything, packed with fresh grease and reassembled.
front hub can wait until spring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 03 October, 2019, 11:05:24 pm
Today I did a build of a new eMTB. This one is a gnats whisker south of £10k :o

Carbon frame, SRAM eTap drive train (very slick wireless operation and very easy to tune) and the new wireless dropper post.

A bit nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 October, 2019, 08:47:06 am
Made a pencil tray to go ride on top of one of my bench drawers.

Did first frantic glue-up of wall panelling - it needed clamps to keep it flat while the cramps squeezed the biscuits in.

That last clause sounds like the uncomfortable part of my ride yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 04 October, 2019, 12:37:07 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 03 October, 2019, 11:05:24 pm
Today I did a build of a new eMTB. This one is a gnats whisker south of £10k :o

Carbon frame, SRAM eTap drive train (very slick wireless operation and very easy to tune) and the new wireless dropper post.

A bit nice.

We're fucked. We now live in a world where people want electrically powered seatposts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 October, 2019, 02:41:47 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 04 October, 2019, 12:37:07 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 03 October, 2019, 11:05:24 pm
Today I did a build of a new eMTB. This one is a gnats whisker south of £10k :o

Carbon frame, SRAM eTap drive train (very slick wireless operation and very easy to tune) and the new wireless dropper post.

A bit nice.

We're fucked. We now live in a world where people want electrically powered seatposts.

No doubt it stores your preferred settings in The Cloud too :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 October, 2019, 03:53:20 pm
@fuzzy: Health to ride it. Have fun!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil W on 04 October, 2019, 03:55:43 pm
Quote from: Torslanda on 04 October, 2019, 12:37:07 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 03 October, 2019, 11:05:24 pm
Today I did a build of a new eMTB. This one is a gnats whisker south of £10k :o

Carbon frame, SRAM eTap drive train (very slick wireless operation and very easy to tune) and the new wireless dropper post.

A bit nice.

We're fucked. We now live in a world where people want electrically powered seatposts.

You wait till saddles become heated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Neil C on 04 October, 2019, 04:30:15 pm
But if the bike is nicked while you're lazing in the the sun, drinking coffee and eating cake, you can just use your phone to set off the ejector seat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Torslanda on 06 October, 2019, 12:10:17 pm
Quote from: phil w on 04 October, 2019, 03:55:43 pm

You wait till saddles become heated.

Already have that on the motorbike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 06 October, 2019, 11:58:40 pm
At school I remember a careers adviser tell me a good tradesman was never short of work and friends. I wish I had heeded the warning,  Worked non stop today f*cking Skimming  ( applied finish plaster ) to a mates 34 square meter garage ceiling . I am to old for this shite. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 October, 2019, 07:52:13 am
If you've a friend who's a tradesman then it's friendlier to give him your business, not to ask for freebies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2019, 12:21:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 07 October, 2019, 07:52:13 am
If you've a friend who's a tradesman then it's friendlier to give him your business, not to ask for freebies.

Unless, of course, they do IT support.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 October, 2019, 10:28:03 pm
I put a new front mudguard on my Thorn. The old one had a crack in it and the rear mudguard is no longer properly attached to one set of stays. They are SKS chromoplastic "indestructible" mudguards. They've done pretty well though. I've had the bike over 13 years and hav recorded over 38700 miles on it.

It was interesting as the steel bracket that is designed to hold the mudguard onto the fork is not needed - in fact, must be removed - for my bike as there is a bolt that goes through the mudguard vertically into the fork crutch. I had to drill out the rivets holding that in place, so that I could remove the bracket, hammer the rear rivet smooth and then completely remove the front one as that was where the bolt needed to go. I used the existing stays. It seems that modern front mudguards have those really irritating plastic clips at the fork end of the stays which have the really annoying habit of jumping out at critical moment and often seem to break.

I have yet to tackle the reat mudguard but I think it is pretty straightforward.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 October, 2019, 11:27:48 pm
Quote from: Wowbagger on 07 October, 2019, 10:28:03 pm
I put a new front mudguard on my Thorn. The old one had a crack in it and the rear mudguard is no longer properly attached to one set of stays. They are SKS chromoplastic "indestructible" mudguards. They've done pretty well though. I've had the bike over 13 years and hav recorded over 38700 miles on it.

It was interesting as the steel bracket that is designed to hold the mudguard onto the fork is not needed - in fact, must be removed - for my bike as there is a bolt that goes through the mudguard vertically into the fork crutch. I had to drill out the rivets holding that in place, so that I could remove the bracket, hammer the rear rivet smooth and then completely remove the front one as that was where the bolt needed to go. I used the existing stays. It seems that modern front mudguards have those really irritating plastic clips at the fork end of the stays which have the really annoying habit of jumping out at critical moment and often seem to break.

I have yet to tackle the reat mudguard but I think it is pretty straightforward.
One rider's irratating plastic clip is another's nifty safety device. They're designed to break away in the event of stick/other debris getting jammed in the spokes, catching the mudguard stay  bringing the bike to a sudden halt and propelling the unfortunate over the handle bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 October, 2019, 11:32:05 pm
I'm aware of what they are designed for. I must say that I find it rather hard to imagine circumstances in which they would actually work, whereas I have some practical experience of them just gratuitously unclipping whenever they feel like it. We have them on the Circe tandem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 October, 2019, 11:37:26 pm
Our mileages obviously vary. I've never had them spontaneuosly unclip. Meanwhile here's an article by that nice Chris Juden, giving a bit of background:
https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/technical-guide/mudguard-safety (https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/technical-guide/mudguard-safety)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2019, 11:39:54 pm
I've had one pop out once due to a Mk 1 twig getting caught.  Obviously I've no idea what would have happened without the clip, maybe a broken twig, maybe a broken mudguard, maybe a broken collarbone?  But in general I've found them to be non-problematic, in that they don't seem overly prone to releasing or making rattling noises or anything that would irritate me.  I've accidentally pulled them out while playing bike-tetris in the back of cars a couple of times, but again, that seems preferable to something breaking.  They're certainly handy if you're in the habit of removing and refitting your mudguards (eg. to achieve marginal aerodynamic gains and/or a wet arse during northwestern recumbent bike races), though I appreciate the correct solution to that sort of thing is n+1.

I've had a rear mudguard that wasn't equipped with them get snagged and fold up, stopping the wheel.  That would probably have benefited from them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 07 October, 2019, 11:58:41 pm
It seems that the design on the Circe is rather faffy compared to this SKS version I bought with my mudguards. But it's in the garage and ICBA to look at it tonight.

The Chris Juden article was rather spoiled because pretty well every link failed*. No doubt this is one of the great advantages of teh CTC now being Cycling UK.

*One that didn't was to a Youtube animation published by SKS showing a twig getting stuck in a wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2019, 12:07:20 am
In my stable I have two different designs:

"Secu-clips" - A plastic socket, bolted to the braze-on, into which a 'ring' formed by the apex of a V-shaped pair of wire stays pushes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McynZUqTJpo
https://youtu.be/McynZUqTJpo


"Automatic Stay Release" - A plastic tongue with a lip, bolted to the braze on, onto which a plastic socket moulded onto the apex of the stays pushes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGwG-qItnC8
https://youtu.be/lGwG-qItnC8


I think the second kind is a little more prone to unwanted disconnections - though I haven't had them from new, and they may be worn.  Not sure how they compare durability-wise, but the first type is mechanically simpler, and seems to have less play (not that I've really noticed a rattle from either).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 08 October, 2019, 12:10:56 am
The second video shows the type that were sold with my new mudguards. The first one looks more like the Circe version.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2019, 12:17:01 am
It occurs to me that the ASR design puts less thickness under the bolt, which may be preferable if you are mounting the mudguard inboard of a luggage rack with shared bolts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 October, 2019, 07:21:16 am
Quote from: Wowbagger on 07 October, 2019, 11:32:05 pm
I'm aware of what they are designed for. I must say that I find it rather hard to imagine circumstances in which they would actually work, whereas I have some practical experience of them just gratuitously unclipping whenever they feel like it. We have them on the Circe tandem.

One of our club members was thrown off the bike bike on a Weds club run - stick up the front mudguard, jammed wheel and threw him over the front to land on his (helmeted) head - ambulance ..... major trauma - life support switched off three days later.

I think I'll stick with the breakaway clips - although before someone says it they're not a guarantee, but ...

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 08 October, 2019, 09:05:11 am
There is a video out there of a US, I assume because wrong side of the road, peloton of club riders haring along a very wide hard shoulder. A piece of debris gets entangled in a front wheel and similarly throws the guy over the front, not sure of aftermath.

So what's the point - the mudguard safety clips are part of it (also help if you catch your foot) but the biggest reduction factor can only be a high level of vigilance aroudn debris.  Not always easy to spot I know, given weather, road, darkness, traffic etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 October, 2019, 11:34:33 am
Agreed.  Never trust a twig.

It seems to be a fundamental flaw in these so-called safety bicycles: Centre of mass is too high, and it's down to rider skill to avoid them tipping over.  (Which isn't to say that an uncontrolled front wheel skid on a tandem or recumbent is a fantastic improvement - it's still worth having safety clips on your mudguard.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 October, 2019, 01:31:17 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 October, 2019, 12:21:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 07 October, 2019, 07:52:13 am
If you've a friend who's a tradesman then it's friendlier to give him your business, not to ask for freebies.

Unless, of course, they do IT support.

"IT support" people understand. "Software developer" they don't, but seem to suppose that you'll be agog to fix their bot-ridden box anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 October, 2019, 03:47:04 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 08 October, 2019, 09:05:11 am
There is a video out there of a US, I assume because wrong side of the road, peloton of club riders haring along a very wide hard shoulder. A piece of debris gets entangled in a front wheel and similarly throws the guy over the front, not sure of aftermath.
Aus, IIRC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 October, 2019, 04:05:30 pm
At the weekend, my very first MTB, a Diamondback Ascentex, was fettled into uni-commuting duties for mini.

New tyres (Marathons, de rigeur for the PSO who also doesn't want to faff with punctures), some new cables, a bit of gear tuning, a bracket for a D-lock, a ham-fisted only partly successful attempt at wheel-truing and bingo, a working bike that doesn't look too attractive to any ne'er-do-wells.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 10 October, 2019, 06:29:23 am
I replaced the driver's door check arm on my wife's MINI. It has two plastic cups, pushed with springs onto the plastic link to provide friction.

It had failed because the top plastic cup filled with water, and the steel spring had rusted away in the water. The lower spring was as new. The lower spring and cup are now replacing the upper ones on the other side of the car, where exactly the same failure mechanism had happened.

Second-hand door check arms are about £15. New ones are £33 from BMW. The second hand ones are likely to have rusted upper springs and seem like poor value to me.

(Side note:- the door check arms are not handed.  They fit either side of the car, and are marked LH on the face that is uppermost when on the left of the car, and RH on the other. Many second-hand ones are carefully marked driver/passenger or offside/nearside or left/right by people who don't realise that they are one and the same for this part)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 10 October, 2019, 09:53:37 pm
Successfully fettled several kilo of quince scored off a neighbour into membrillo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 October, 2019, 09:55:19 pm
Last-minute fettling of a Back-Roller full of water into a Back-Roller not full of water using a broken Streetmachine lowrider rack and a fan heater.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 12 October, 2019, 09:03:28 pm
Refitted my Schwalbe Marathon Greenguard 700x32 tyres, to replace my 700x32mm Marathon Supremes on my 2008 Dawes Horizon, seeing as it's the start of skog season!

Also fitted a 110mm +17 degree stem (a cheap planet-x one), to replace the +6 degree 80mm stem as specced by Dawes.  Hopefully this should be a nice comfy compromise compared to the +35 degree 110mm comedy high rise stem I previously had on the Dawes (which placed too much weight on the saddle).

Remind me not to rest the wheel on my belly while changing tyres over....  my 13 week old laparotomy scar didn't like that very much!

Hopefully a nice steady pootle on the tourer along the Dunfermline - Alloa cycle path tomorrow, to eventually meet up with the cycling club at the usual cafe. :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 October, 2019, 09:18:42 pm
Unpacked HK’s Roberts after her Texas 1200. Swapped the tyres over and trimmed a couple of mudguard bolts to the correct length.

Levelled the saddle on HK’s Brompton and pumped the tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 October, 2019, 08:29:34 am
Put the dyno wheel back on the Domane. Nights are drawing in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 October, 2019, 11:26:11 am
Punctures. Lots of punctures. It was a wet FNRTTC and Adam asked me to be tail end Charlie.

I also discovered some people repair punctures the wrong way a different way to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 13 October, 2019, 11:31:00 am
Friday afternoon, I managed to fettle a space saver spare (no room for a proper one) into the boot of my new car. It came with a “tyre repair kit”, you know, a compressor and tin of gloop that ruins the tyre, plus destroys the tyre pressure monitor, total loss around £150 for a simple puncture Toyota will repair FOC. When I bought the car, I enquired as to cost of this mod, and was quoted £640  :o. Long story short, I got a wheel off eBay for £90, and the other bits from Toyota for £45 after getting the part numbers off an owners forum.  :thumbsup:

The original quotes was based on a complete mis-, no, lack of understanding of what needed doing.  ::-) :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 October, 2019, 11:32:40 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 13 October, 2019, 11:26:11 am
Punctures. Lots of punctures. It was a wet FNRTTC and Adam asked me to be tail end Charlie.

I also discovered some people repair punctures the wrong way a different way to me.
Sorry, I feel quite guilty about missing this one, but I was in no fit state to ride. How many punctures ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 October, 2019, 11:56:54 am
Quote from: hatler on 13 October, 2019, 11:32:40 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 13 October, 2019, 11:26:11 am
Punctures. Lots of punctures. It was a wet FNRTTC and Adam asked me to be tail end Charlie.

I also discovered some people repair punctures the wrong way a different way to me.
Sorry, I feel quite guilty about missing this one, but I was in no fit state to ride. How many punctures ?
More than the fingers and thumbs of two hands i think.
Two were fixed somewhere under a bridge in Tooting. One at the Lavender farm. One up the road from the Lavender farm. One at chipstead. One at the A23 / Rocky Lane junction. One in Merstham. One at the A25 / Cormongers lane junction. One just outside Turners Hill. One on the approach to Handcross.  I think that's it. I didn't actually get my hands dirty on any of them, save for the Handcross one. I think more assertiveness is needed, so the job gets done quicker. Some of these were repeat offenders, where the offending sharp object wasn't seen or removed, causing another puncture later.
Oh add one that the rider got and nobody noticed, so he got missed by the group. Phone calls to Adam meant he had to find his own way to The Edifice. At least he got there early.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 October, 2019, 01:15:01 pm
Oooo errr. All whilst it was pissing with rain I presume. Chapeau.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 03:37:24 pm
Man and van hired to take spare furniture to a self-store .... which allows me to reinstate my garage into full size with more space for bike and woodwork fettling - 3 of my bikes have also been put in the store.

. . . works starts tomorrow on the workshop organisation.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 October, 2019, 03:48:49 pm
Quote from: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 03:37:24 pm
. . . works starts tomorrow on the workshop organisation.

Fun or chore?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 October, 2019, 04:17:37 pm
Quote from: hatler on 13 October, 2019, 01:15:01 pm
Oooo errr. All whilst it was pissing with rain I presume. Chapeau.
The weather wasn't as bad as advertised. Persitant-ish drizzle at the start, petering out as we headed south. I'm pretty sure it had stopped by the time we got to the Lavender farm. It was certainly dry after The Edifice as I remember I'd put my waterproof away. There was a lot of standing water though including some GBFO puddles. A slow ride though, Turners Hill at 0630 FFS, breakfast at 0930.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 October, 2019, 05:38:15 pm
Unpacked HK’s and my Moultons. Replaced the worn-out rear Minits Lite (canvas showing after a 1000 brevet) on my M with a used Grand Prix from the garage pile. Replaced the rear brake on mine with a Shimano and swapped a dead taillight on HK's Moulton. Replaced a dead taillight on HK’s Moulton. Swapped some grub screws with stainless and some overlong bolts with appropriate ones.

Binned three 406 Duranos and a couple of 700x25C Grand Prix from the same garage pile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 October, 2019, 06:12:01 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 13 October, 2019, 04:17:37 pm
Quote from: hatler on 13 October, 2019, 01:15:01 pm
Oooo errr. All whilst it was pissing with rain I presume. Chapeau.
The weather wasn't as bad as advertised. Persitant-ish drizzle at the start, petering out as we headed south. I'm pretty sure it had stopped by the time we got to the Lavender farm. It was certainly dry after The Edifice as I remember I'd put my waterproof away. There was a lot of standing water though including some GBFO puddles. A slow ride though, Turners Hill at 0630 FFS, breakfast at 0930.
Oooooof. That's slow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 08:04:16 pm
Quote from: T42 on 13 October, 2019, 03:48:49 pm
Quote from: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 03:37:24 pm
. . . works starts tomorrow on the workshop organisation.

Fun or chore?

No way is it any sort of chore - I'll have almost twice the space for fun  :)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 13 October, 2019, 09:35:12 pm
Finally got around to fitting the replacement jaws (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-BIRCH-PLY-JAWS-FOR-OLDER-BLACK-DECKER-WORKMATES-WM625-WM626-Spare-parts/113917580999) for my old workmate (old type with cast frame). they'd languished for about a year because I failed dismally to remove the screws out of the old jaws. Once I'd had the genius (FCVO, clearly) realisation that the old jaws could be removed destructively, saw, mallet and chisel were applied appropriately to great effect, new items fitted simply. Very happy with the end result, and kudos to Merlin Joinery for a superbly made item. Very hard getting used to a bench with pristine jaws, thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 October, 2019, 08:48:45 am
My Workmate is Mr. Chapman's original model from before B&D bought them out. The jaws are solid balks of birch around 2" thick.  I once tried removing the screws with a socket wrench - no go.  I rarely use it, though, so new jaws aren't a priority.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 October, 2019, 12:30:41 pm
s/Chapman/Hickman.  Colin Chapman would never have built something that solid or long-lived ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 October, 2019, 08:43:04 pm
I've been replacing the pushfit shite in the downstairs toilet.  Did the difficult bit this pm (cold, which feeds a basin tap and the toilet).  Just the hot to do tomorrow.  One piece of carefully bent pipe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 October, 2019, 09:25:40 pm
Quote from: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 08:04:16 pm
Quote from: T42 on 13 October, 2019, 03:48:49 pm
Quote from: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 03:37:24 pm
. . . works starts tomorrow on the workshop organisation.

Fun or chore?

No way is it any sort of chore - I'll have almost twice the space for fun  :)

Rob

Stud/plasterboard wall removed - painted part of the garage walls and positoned freezer and filing cabinet in their alcove (AND found a power point for the freezer behind some stuff that's been stacked against the wall for about 15 years!) . . . next workday for this is Wednesday when the bike hangers should be fixed to the wall.  There will be pix in due course.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 October, 2019, 09:14:55 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 14 October, 2019, 12:30:41 pm
s/Chapman/Hickman.  Colin Chapman would never have built something that solid or long-lived ;D

Right enough. He was working for Chapman at the time, sez Wiki; good thing Chapman didn't have dibs on his inventions.

---o0o---

Meanwhile I have been building the frames for my wall panelling, considerably slowed by the fact that it feels like work. This morning I've been chiselling out the corners of routed rebates to take oak ply but knocked off because MrsT made me a cuppa. Am also sick of all the music I have in the workshop & can't find the cassettes for HHGTTG. Did come up with Auntie's 1950s Journey Into Space but it hasn't got the same Marvin coefficient.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 October, 2019, 05:05:51 pm
Tidied the shed, 5 1/2 years after I meant to do it.  Found some unused SPD cleats!

All the tools are now organised, all the screws and wallplugs are in their own box and there was no queue at the tip.  Autumn, eh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 15 October, 2019, 08:07:22 pm
Quote from: T42
... can't find the cassettes for HHGTTG. ... it hasn't got the same Marvin coefficient.
Haven't notice this elsewhere in the parish notices, but I haven't got looking for it; obituary for Stephen Moore, many of the voices in HHGTTG but, most importantly, that of our favourite paranoid android was in the Grauniad a day or two ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 15 October, 2019, 08:10:51 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 15 October, 2019, 08:07:22 pm
Quote from: T42
... can't find the cassettes for HHGTTG. ... it hasn't got the same Marvin coefficient.
Haven't notice this elsewhere in the parish notices, but I haven't got looking for it; obituary for Stephen Moore, many of the voices in HHGTTG but, most importantly, that of our favourite paranoid android was in the Grauniad a day or two ago.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=113800.0
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 October, 2019, 07:30:25 am
Replaced a dodgy battery tail light on my Brompton. Tweaked a brake lever on my fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Danu on 16 October, 2019, 07:50:51 am
Impressed, as its only 7.30
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 October, 2019, 09:07:17 am
Stuck a broken thumbnail with CA glue.  MrsT: "you'll just have to suck the other one". Grrrr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 16 October, 2019, 09:36:03 am
I am working late this evening so took the morning off.

Having changed to a single speed from fixed on my genesis and fitted a new chain, I remembered to tighten up the wheel this morning! then I did some more dismantling on my 1975 Gitane TdF.  I cut through 3 brake cable clamp screws and managed to remove the clamps and they look salvageable.  Then I removed the cranks and the derailleur cable guide at the bottom of the downtube.  The I removed the seat post clamp bolt and drifted out the steerer tube top cup.

Then I ordered a tool to remove the ni=on-drive side bearing and read Sheldon brown on how to remove the drive side cup.  I may even have the parts in the garage already.

Finally i bought an ultrasonic cleaner and searched for local companies to do some rechroming.

Almost ready for a trip to Mercian to discuss paint jobs!!

And all by 09:30!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 16 October, 2019, 04:08:10 pm
I installed some racking to assist the impossible task of tidying the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 October, 2019, 05:41:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 14 October, 2019, 09:25:40 pm
Quote from: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 08:04:16 pm
Quote from: T42 on 13 October, 2019, 03:48:49 pm
Quote from: robgul on 13 October, 2019, 03:37:24 pm
. . . works starts tomorrow on the workshop organisation.

Fun or chore?

No way is it any sort of chore - I'll have almost twice the space for fun  :)

Rob

Stud/plasterboard wall removed - painted part of the garage walls and positoned freezer and filing cabinet in their alcove (AND found a power point for the freezer behind some stuff that's been stacked against the wall for about 15 years!) . . . next workday for this is Wednesday when the bike hangers should be fixed to the wall.  There will be pix in due course.

Rob

Two trips to the tip today (one with plasterboard that is supposedly only allowed on very small quantity basis - got away with it :thumbsup: ) - and the most important task of all accomplished . . . . bike hangers are mounted on the wall and 4 bikes hanging up. 

More rubblish loaded in the car ready to go in the big bin/dumpster I have at the shop. All the measuring up has been done to rearrange the woodworking bench and machinery tomorrow and try and get the place ship-shape by the end of Saturday.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 October, 2019, 08:39:43 am
On my Sunday ride I followed a trail of broken plasterboard for a couple of km before passing a van with an open rear door and a great heap of the stuff inside.

I'm currently fighting shy of producing a couple of dozen metres of beading. Not fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 October, 2019, 06:49:46 pm
Swapped the bars, stem and brake levers on the Holdsworth for non-aero levers and some old 26.4mm Italian kit.

Then butchered the LH aero lever for fixie non-use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 17 October, 2019, 10:33:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 15 October, 2019, 09:14:55 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 14 October, 2019, 12:30:41 pm
s/Chapman/Hickman.  Colin Chapman would never have built something that solid or long-lived ;D

Right enough. He was working for Chapman at the time, sez Wiki; good thing Chapman didn't have dibs on his inventions.

---o0o---

Meanwhile I have been building the frames for my wall panelling, considerably slowed by the fact that it feels like work. This morning I've been chiselling out the corners of routed rebates to take oak ply but knocked off because MrsT made me a cuppa. Am also sick of all the music I have in the workshop & can't find the cassettes for HHGTTG. Did come up with Auntie's 1950s Journey Into Space but it hasn't got the same Marvin coefficient.

All available for free on the internet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 October, 2019, 10:44:41 pm
Laced up a dynowheel for HK’s MTB commuter but will probably true it tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 October, 2019, 09:24:38 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 17 October, 2019, 10:33:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 15 October, 2019, 09:14:55 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 14 October, 2019, 12:30:41 pm
s/Chapman/Hickman.  Colin Chapman would never have built something that solid or long-lived ;D

Right enough. He was working for Chapman at the time, sez Wiki; good thing Chapman didn't have dibs on his inventions.

---o0o---

Meanwhile I have been building the frames for my wall panelling, considerably slowed by the fact that it feels like work. This morning I've been chiselling out the corners of routed rebates to take oak ply but knocked off because MrsT made me a cuppa. Am also sick of all the music I have in the workshop & can't find the cassettes for HHGTTG. Did come up with Auntie's 1950s Journey Into Space but it hasn't got the same Marvin coefficient.

All available for free on the internet.

Ta. A gent OTP has since obliged.  :thumbsup:


---o0o---

Meanwhile, my little Katsu edge trimmer stank of overheated windings yesterday so I am puzzling over mods to my DIY router table to use my old Bosch router.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 18 October, 2019, 10:57:08 am
I connected my Marantz NR12000 (2.1 channel AVR amplifier) to my TV. I placed the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 speakers behind the TV.  Much better sound but poor stereo image. Its in the living room so sensible position of speakers is not allowed.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 October, 2019, 12:55:23 pm
Replaced the hinge screws on the shed door with security screws (otherwise a scrote can silently break in by removing the hinges, regardless of how good the lock is).  Also putting a battery PIR alarm in.

Sheds and garages tend to be targeted round here.  The garage is pretty secure as the side door is a modern multi-point locking uPVC effort and the up and over door is chained to an anchor point on the floor inside, which would require a lot of very noisy destruction to get to it with bolt cutters or a saw.  It's covered by the neighbour's CCTV anyway
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2019, 10:55:15 pm
Helped fix somebody else’s flat during today’s Cambridge Autumnal 200. It resulted in HK and I chatting at intervals through the day with a couple of interesting ladies. Hopefully we’ll see them again during some longer brevets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 20 October, 2019, 11:09:05 am
Cleaned the new steed, fitted a rack, ready for the traditional Autumn tour that never quite gets to the reunion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 October, 2019, 04:34:23 pm
Another day of workshop fettling and anothe car full of stuff for the tip . . . . and I can feel a "For sale" listing coming on with stuff I had forgotten I had .... one just doesn't need 3 bar bags and 5 track pumps  :hand:

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 20 October, 2019, 06:56:54 pm
Shed fettling, from a pile of pallets into a ready-for-cladding (re-used feather edge) and roof.

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bFGU9QqKVwU/XayfmuWzTBI/AAAAAAADF6A/CIkB_4YvJY4vmO9rTEtmAyZpV1CaWULygCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191019_104211.jpg)

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjgtYcapujc/Xayfmj_NHBI/AAAAAAADF6A/T8ZtHoOiIxscC_Geqd5D2RMfd2NFrkxXQCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191019_121542.jpg)


(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LmBmqRuPRWQ/XayfmgfauwI/AAAAAAADF6A/EBP78IakCuAsLE4UeDQArSu_mbtvHuMSwCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191020_162637.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 October, 2019, 06:58:07 pm
Helped a friend change a flat and later swapped the wornout front Durano Plus for a Marathon Plus. No dramas.

Bled the brakes in HK's Kinesis and fitted another set of front brake pads. Not sure if I’ve replaced the rear pads since she got the bike last September but didn’t need to today. Looks like I need to fit another chain and cassette to it later this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 October, 2019, 08:23:24 pm
de-skogged the road bike after yesterday's back lanes run around the fens, beet harvesting.  First outside ride since the REM.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bolt on 21 October, 2019, 12:21:26 am
Feeling quite pleased with myself after managing to reassemble a 10 speed indexed microshift bar end shifter after I made the mistake of fully disassembling it in attempt to convert it to a friction shifter over 3 years ago
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bhoot on 21 October, 2019, 01:49:03 pm
A hyperglide cassette to fit on an old uniglide hub... turned out to be a relatively quick and painless job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 October, 2019, 09:43:09 pm
New shock absorbers onto the washing machine, using a selection of hand tools, a YouTube video and only a few Bad Swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 22 October, 2019, 12:17:02 am
Two pendulum mantel clocks, one which just needed cleaning and oiling and the other where the chiming had gone buggerup, on disassembly it turned out to be a bent pin. I was feeling quite pleased with myself until when doing up the last screw, the (last) brass strap that holds the front and back together snapped at the screw hole. Cue multiple attempts to resolve, finishing in some top class bodgery involving a new chunk of brass and a blowtorch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 October, 2019, 08:40:09 am
Around 25 years ago I fettled our old grandfather clock to chime again.  And unfettled it a week later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 22 October, 2019, 10:33:58 pm
Note to self: remember you have a new front brake on your commuter tomorrow morning. Hopefully this is not a proto-feckin' div moment  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 October, 2019, 11:05:14 pm
Finished off the replacement dynowheel for HK’s MTB commuter. Just need to fit rim tape, tube and tyre and put it on the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 October, 2019, 08:48:43 am
Pingu, You have a new front brake !!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 23 October, 2019, 09:30:07 am
Quote from: hatler on 23 October, 2019, 08:48:43 am
Pingu, You have a new front brake !!

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 October, 2019, 09:40:50 am
Unpacked my new router (the small Triton) and thought to myself "what kind of fecking div would make a video out of this"?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 October, 2019, 08:33:57 pm
Fitted an alarm and a better padlock to the shed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 October, 2019, 08:52:28 pm
Replaced the batteries in the mudguard taillight on my fixed. Fitted some SPD cleats to new shoes, replacing the ones retired after PBP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2019, 09:14:43 pm
Tweaked some cleat positions.  Top tip:  Tecbond 213 is a better choice of hot glue for plugging cleat bolt heads than the otherwise excellent 261.  In this application, more stickier does not equal more better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 October, 2019, 01:06:58 pm
Tensioned the chain on my fixed. Fitted new front wheel and brake pads to HK’s MTB commuter. Got closer to fitting SPD cleats to shoes that aren’t designed to take them. One shoe is ready to ride but some additional swearing is still required for the other.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 28 October, 2019, 08:42:28 am
Some minor domestic fettling over the wekend.

First up was the fireback.  Our fireplace is a 50-ish year old BAXI, no back boiler, a floor level grate and underfloor ashcan. Saturday was it's bu now annual patching with fire cement to get it through another season.

Second was the vacuum. Our "everyday" vacuum - light and portable - is a Bosch Athlet cordless. Recently, at just over 2 years old, it developed an intermittent fault whereby it would stop and start for no apparent reason. Girding my loins to do battle with John Lewis over the SoG act and "reasonable" lifetime, I was Googling to see the cost of a replacement (ouch), when I idly entered "Bosch Athlet fault". That threw up a suggestion for a Youtube video on an intermittent fault. Turns out it's quite common. The detachable handle, which houses the on-off switch, has a projecting piece of PCB which slots into a connector.  Over time the movement of the handle on the body flexes the connector and there is intermittent contact.  A small piece of plastic - in my case the tail from a zip tie - pushed between one side of the connector and it's adjacent housing narrows the slot in the connector sufficiently to promote good contact. Voila!

Third was setting up my first "routine" in Alexa, to turn a table lamp on our lounge on and off (with the great advantage of being able to turn it on a set time before sunset) to provide illumination evening and morning, the latter for my breakfast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 October, 2019, 11:32:31 pm
Finished setting up SPD cleats on two pairs of shoes, with one pair not being straightforward. The easy option was some nice Shimano MTB jobbies. Things are looking promising for these two pairs to be top of the pile for next year’s brevets.

The unusual shoes are Lintaman Minimal 2.1, which is intended for Speedplay road pedals but I have fitted MTB SPDs. https://lintaman.com/store/shop/minimal-cycling-shoe-version-2-0/ has swapped the wide Velcro strap at the front of my shoes with a second cable tensioner. The manufacturers say the standard sole accepts SPD cleats and the slots are in the right position for them but the teeth on the steel SPD cleat would not be a good match with the unprotected carbon fibre sole. I fitted some SPD pontoon adaptors for road shoes but had to sand quite a bit off them to match the curved adaptors to the completely flat sole.
 https://www.cyclesetsports.com/en/cycling-pedals/8809-shimano-spd-sm-sh40-pontoon-adaptors.html

Another couple of pairs of shoes need to be set up with SPDs for commuting and another pair of Bont shoes for Keo cleats. When I find an appropriate tuit perhaps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 October, 2019, 11:36:12 pm
Dismantled, cleaned, lubricated, remantled and adjusted the steerer hinge clamp on the Bendy Bike. It still creaks but at least it no longer wobbles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bolt on 29 October, 2019, 11:03:59 pm
Quote from: Bolt on 21 October, 2019, 12:21:26 am
Feeling quite pleased with myself after managing to reassemble a 10 speed indexed microshift bar end shifter...
Feeling much less pleased today after realising that the shifting wasn't quite right and that the Tiagra 4700 rear mech isn't actually compatible with the shifter.  So, bar end shifters off and STI shifters back on and hopes of running a triple chainset dashed for now :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 October, 2019, 08:48:37 am
Fiddling with dust extraction. Lots dismantled, nothing assembled.  Workshop is witches-titsville.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 October, 2019, 10:50:22 pm
Got a set of cheap Crivit SPD shoes set up to become my main commuter shoes.

The last set of SPD shoes (Northwave) will take some thought as I want to slide the cleats further back and the heel cups dig into my achilles. I’m uncertain whether to put some padding inside the heel or to trim the top of the heel cup.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 31 October, 2019, 12:55:31 pm
Spent yesterday building up my new bike at Planet X in Rotherham. Had a great day and learnt some new skills. Even had a 'masterclass' in applying handlebar tape. Left Rotherham just before 5.00 p.m. and cycled 95 miles home without incident. So I must have done a good job on the build.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 31 October, 2019, 01:12:26 pm
I'm jealous I don't live closer to Rotherham, the pick it build it ride it deal looked great.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 31 October, 2019, 04:24:12 pm
Quote from: bludger on 31 October, 2019, 01:12:26 pm
I'm jealous I don't live closer to Rotherham, the pick it build it ride it deal looked great.

It is a great day out (I did it in August with a carbon Evo Ultegra disc etc, q.v.) - I had to stay in "travel tavern" the night before but that was pretty cheap and more than covered by the saving on the bike.

Just to comment - they abandoned the "pick it" part of the day after a couple of weeks as that was too time consuming and when you think about it the picking part is not a lot different from wandering round a supermarket with a trolley.   You get there - and there's the workstand with a frame and pile of bits ready to be assembled.

Not sure I liked their way to apply bartape - but each to his own!

Rob

PS- I wish I needed another bike 'cos I'd be back there like a shot to do it all again  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 31 October, 2019, 04:58:41 pm
To elaborate on my previous post. My 'Buy it,build it,ride it' turned into a two day adventure.

I searched out the most frugal way to get from Wolverhampton.
Bus from home to Wolverhampton station...free with my old peoples bus pass.
Train from station to Birmingham New Street station.....on bus pass.
Megabus to Sheffield......£3.05
Sheffield To Rotherham on the Supertram.......on bus pass.
Walk to cheap hotel....free.
Total journey cost for the 110 mile trip....£3.05

Sat in hotel bar in the evening and got asked to join a group of film extras who were staying there while filming a Netflix production at Worthington Hall. Too much beer was consumed that evening.

Next day I built my bike at Planet X, Left Rotherham at around 5.00 p.m. and cycled home in the dark on my new bike.

A very memorable two days, which happened to be only three days after my 70th birthday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 November, 2019, 08:30:11 am
Went out in the rain and added to my garden railway sign collection.  I used to go past this very sign on the way to work in the early 90s.  They use the same hidden channel fixings as road signs.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49005330377_1b37d51c5b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hEr8pg)20191103_082352 (https://flic.kr/p/2hEr8pg) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 03 November, 2019, 09:19:59 am
In the last 24 hours:

Pumped up my front tyre yesterday evening ready for this morning, walked away and heard a loud whistling noise.  yes a puncture. Spun the wheel a few times to see if the latex (tubeless) would do its job to hear fluid sloshing in the rim!  realised that last weekend I rode through 4 lots of flooding uptown my axles and water had got into the rim.  Wheel off, tyre off, valve out to let it drain.  Then could not get the tyre to reseat.  Tried a spare, still no joy.

Looked at rear wheel.  Water in that as well.  Off it came and same story.

Now usually i can get tubeless to seat pretty quickly.  I do not have an airshot and have always managed with my track pump. Last night I could not get anything to seat.  Gave it up as a bad job and ordered an airshot.

Whilst I waited for the wheel to drain, I decided to lift my saddle on the commuter a cm or so.  The seat post was solid.  This was a genesis day one, set up from new with no grease!!  Cue a couple of hours of springing the slot whilst dribbling releasing agent into it and warming the frame with a hot air gun.

I left it overnight and this morning a bit of twisting force and it came loose.  Greased and reinserted to the new length.

Now I have to go and take radiators off the wall in our new rectory so that the painter can paint the walls and then the diocese will put in new radiators.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 03 November, 2019, 05:54:08 pm
The allotment pallet shed build is complete. Or it would be if I had the necessary brains to do the maths (cf Div thread)

Total of about 4.5 days including the "groundworks" (pic 3 shows that there was a degree of adjustment in the build ;)

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7g7Kpl_C38E/Xb8SM0OXVBI/AAAAAAADGKU/6fzVzTri1N4jY9q8rX_Ws6MKNGA5sGAkgCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191019_104211.jpg)

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-McOQYYQAR34/Xb8SM-PfS5I/AAAAAAADGKU/3eUHNKKcY2w11P6IVARVgjdqv87tW_iogCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191019_114154.jpg)

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTMmsVTJv9w/Xb8SM9uEQ7I/AAAAAAADGKU/RLvWdFvws7QgMcHbaFeKQhAoZEgWLR4SQCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191019_121542.jpg)

(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ugzPSlI9GR8/Xb8SM49en8I/AAAAAAADGKU/XoNOSAEj7Fs4GLcngksblDbM1MbJspuLwCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191020_162637.jpg)

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BfcL38384pU/Xb8SM63ezaI/AAAAAAADGKU/4y5Dv6MMr_QnfJ9kC6XX_--Ya6af5AqqACKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191027_160121.jpg)

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PSmlnTJ4X5I/Xb8SM2BLc4I/AAAAAAADGKU/xdJNyYnMVyA8oAjbsqq6dwaDAhULM6K6ACKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191103_164822.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 03 November, 2019, 06:09:36 pm
That makes my fettle (replacement polycarbonate sheets on two cold frames) look rather pathetic.  :-\

(But it's something which has needed doing and is now done before the winter)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 November, 2019, 06:12:51 pm
Replaced the batteries in various bike lights (barend, mudguard, etc.) and retaped the bars on my fixed.

Replaced the cassette and chain on HK’s Kinesis, again (4th?). The Almotion rear tyre might finally be getting close to worn out after 10,000 miles. The front is still fine.

Helped pack HK’s Roberts for the flight to Oz later this week. The Geelong Flyer awaits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 November, 2019, 10:20:32 am
Quote from: Ham on 03 November, 2019, 05:54:08 pm
The allotment pallet shed build is complete. Or it would be if I had the necessary brains to do the maths (cf Div thread)

Total of about 4.5 days including the "groundworks" (pic 3 shows that there was a degree of adjustment in the build ;)

That is pretty bloody impressive in the time.  Haven't seen the technique before but I haven't really looked.

Do you need planning permission for stuff like that?  I have a feeling that we do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 04 November, 2019, 05:41:43 pm
I looked around at what was out there and to be honest, it wasn't much help. Most people have taken a different approach, I wanted strength, durability, speed and convenience, built from the pallets I had to hand rather than searching out like sized ones, or buying them.

The location is a slight encroachment onto waste ground at the allotment,  I didn't want it to appear too large but I did want to make certain it could store 2.5M bean canes, final dimensions are 1.8 x 2.7 exterior (1.8=wide enough, full size of "standard" feather edge and conveniently worked around a non-standard pallet I had), 2.7 is very conveniently 1.5 x 1.8, but that's more luck than judgement. Pent roof chosen to get most height, low wall facing access (again, so it appears smaller), 1.7 at the lower, 2.0 at the higher wall so most area is high enough to stand. 

Did the best I could in short space of time with the groundworks, had to build up one edge, failed by about 2", but reckoned I could compensate in the build (which I did). Overall construction was jigsaw-piecing the pallets as I figured that would avoid fault lines, with some uber-strong-types forming the door edges. Cut and re-made pallets as required for the top layer of the walls. Breaking up pallets gave me my linking timbers and stuff, some slat removal/moving addition needed doing to support the cladding (top tip - a mattock is the best tool for non-destructive pallet disassembly, as you can lever with the width of the blade*). I gave up looking for ex-fence/shed feather edge and bought new (£100 total :( ). Made a door from two gravel boards and some more feather edge . Bought two bitumen sheets and two clear plastic for the roof (£30)

No, doesn't need planning over here, neither at home nor on the allotment (Below 2.5M, less than the size of Blenheim Palace, not near your neighbour, don't live in it, is the criteria). I was worried that some people on the allotments were going to get arsey, but I've only had positive feedback.

*ETA it is also the best tool for destructive disassembly if you have weak slats and/or all you need is the central 4x2 or whatever. Whack the slats front and back midway between the supports with the wide part of the mattock head to break them, this will release the central spars individually. You can then whack the slats with an ammer which should leave the nails in place on the cross member, there to be removed by claw, especially if they are annular ringed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 04 November, 2019, 05:57:53 pm
Pictures needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 05 November, 2019, 07:45:16 am
Are you unable to see the pics upthread or are there specifific points you are curious about?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 05 November, 2019, 11:07:16 am
You could stuff some insulation into those pallets - cosy. No vapour barrier tho. Great shed solution.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 November, 2019, 01:30:38 pm
Tonight's jobs include replacing the rear tube on my fixed (been commuting on the Frezoni meanwhile, changing gears is a hassle!) and replacing the rear Almotion tyre on HK's Kinesis while she is riding her Roberts in Oz. Around 10,000 miles and the first flat to defeat the sealant.

Hopefully the remnants of the bottle of Stans will be functional for the new Almotion tyre. It tends to form a latex skin within the bottle. Is this common?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 November, 2019, 07:51:21 am
Shoved my dust extractor through to the section of the barn next to my workshop and led the cable and hose back in through a length of 10cm PVC pipe I let into the wall years ago. Repurposed an old bottle cage as a hook to hang up the 5 metres of hose. The cable plugs into the mains via a remote-control socket.  Operation is now virtually silent.

I now need to build a hutch around the unit in the barn: it's hellish dusty in there.  I also want to get a few more metres of hose and lead it overhead to my more static machines.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 09 November, 2019, 12:55:56 pm
Our winter log pile. The load gets tipped in the road out front and needs hauling round the back (I use the dustbin) and stacked. Finished 10 minutes ago, and 5 minutes ago It’d started raining  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 09 November, 2019, 02:00:29 pm
We are moving house so I did not order any wood this year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 11 November, 2019, 09:25:52 am
Thorough clean and descale of the coffee machine, now working much better
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 11 November, 2019, 09:53:08 am
A brace of waffles with maple syrup with my new anbaric waffle iron.
Nom
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 11 November, 2019, 12:43:07 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 11 November, 2019, 09:53:08 am
A brace of waffles with maple syrup with my new anbaric waffle iron.
Nom

Obligatory Far Side cartoon: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/5f/f3/9b5ff3a4b3b888df642c8dbae81b305d.jpg  :demon:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 11 November, 2019, 10:58:41 pm
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 November, 2019, 11:25:01 am
Thursday, replaced the front tube on my fixed during the morning commute. Hopefully I’ll have a clear run for the next few months. Winter flats are a pain to fix.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 November, 2019, 01:27:02 pm
Put the studded tyres on my commuter. Replaced a bulb in our security light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 November, 2019, 06:58:35 pm
Invited the green bike outside so we could get clean together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 16 November, 2019, 07:00:37 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 16 November, 2019, 01:27:02 pm
Put the studded tyres on my commuter. Replaced a bulb in our security light.

And remolished your b0rked mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 November, 2019, 07:26:45 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 16 November, 2019, 07:00:37 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 16 November, 2019, 01:27:02 pm
Put the studded tyres on my commuter. Replaced a bulb in our security light.

And remolished your b0rked mudguard.

So I did. All hail the great cable tie!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 November, 2019, 05:40:05 pm
Replaced the front tube and a rotted Velox rim tape on my trike, luckily in the warmth at home. I'm starting to feel a bit 'got at' with four flats fixed on three machines in under a fortnight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 20 November, 2019, 02:37:21 am
Rerouted the string wot connects router and wall socket away from as many cables, network switches, power supplies and other bits of anbaric gubbins to see if this improves the general shitness of my internet connection.

It appears not to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 20 November, 2019, 07:06:48 am
Replelaced the horrid flexy caliper on the front of the fixed gear with...
Other horrid flexy caliper, because I couldn't be bothered to shop around for one with the right length mounting bolt (that goes right the way through the fork). Hopefully it'll work alright, long enough for me to sell the bike to someone to use as their town beater.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 November, 2019, 12:54:39 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 20 November, 2019, 02:37:21 am
Rerouted the string wot connects router and wall socket away from as many cables, network switches, power supplies and other bits of anbaric gubbins to see if this improves the general shitness of my internet connection.

Time for a binary search of the switched-mode power supplies in the surrounding area?  Our ADSL took much offence when a cheap shitty power injector from China decided to take a leaf out of Nikola Tesla's book and go into the wireless power business.  I only discovered this retrospectively when it eventually decided it was having so much fun as a spread-spectrum radio transmitter that it gave up spitting out the 48 voles it was supposed to.

On a related note, it's that time of year again.  Hold onto your intertubes, the REINdeer cometh!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 November, 2019, 09:52:05 am
Nothing terribly untoward in the vicinity of where the string used to go, power supplies for various bits of hardware from Reputable Suppliers for eg Seagate, WD, Netgear.  In any case, I can live with it until the  Nice Man comes round on the 3rd to complete my FTTP installation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 November, 2019, 10:25:29 am
Started de-rusting MrsT's old geologist's hammer with 600-grit something-or-other paper.  I thought the thing was stainless, but 20 years in the boot of the old A4 thought otherwise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 November, 2019, 04:40:55 pm
new deraillieur [sp?] hanger on the Giant and remounted the deraillieur itself, took all of 5 mins.

The silicone wristbands on my medalert bracelet eventually split and need replacing, so today I bought an offcut of leather from the man on the market who sells belts. He trimmed it to width for me and I've remounted the info plate and clasp.  Took a bit of faffing at the ends where the clasp attaches - it has a little doodah that flicks over with serrated teeth that locate and bite into the strap to hold it in place.  Needed a bit of shaving of the leather as it was too thick to get the clasps over TDC and then bite.

All for the princely sum of £2 and I should have enough for another one at least, possibly 2
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 23 November, 2019, 05:04:44 pm
Raked out grubby grouting around bath, and cut away sealant which was showing signs of mould.  Grout now replaced, and left to dry.

According to YouTube videos, applying silicone sealant requires anything from a tool-box full of special tools to, well, to just a wet forefinger. In the past I've used some plastic thingies to create a nice concave seal, but having watched a door fitter achieving an excellent finish with a wet digit, I think I'll be giving it a try.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 November, 2019, 08:04:55 pm
The trick is not to get silicone on the digit before you wet it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 23 November, 2019, 09:36:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 November, 2019, 08:04:55 pm
The trick is not to get silicone on the digit before you wet it.
Yep, it's also suggested that washing-up liquid is a good lubricant for the job.  Will experiment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 November, 2019, 10:22:34 pm
This years Christmas cake. We make one cake a year, and that’s it. It’s looking (and smelling) good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 27 November, 2019, 09:57:02 am
I tried the dilute washing up liquid trick and was brilliant. Much better than just a wet finger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 30 November, 2019, 03:35:30 pm
Cleaned my car windows with IPA (not the brewed type) and a posh version of Windowlene, in an effort to reduce condensation these cold mornings. I guess I’ll see how effective it is Monday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 30 November, 2019, 05:16:58 pm
Started a like-for-like rim transplant. A spoke had started to pull through the open pro rim.

Having built two wheels from scratch earlier this year, this job is easier.  Very satisfying. Work suspended pending the arrival of the tension meter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 November, 2019, 05:56:30 pm
Started pulling apart the rear axles on HK’s Trykit and found a brazed joint becoming significantly less so. A car trip to get it fixed will be needed.

Reassembled HK’s Roberts after its recent Aussie trip. Replaced the batteries in both taillights, flintmined the tyres and brakepads. The Igaro/ Cyo is being problematic and it isn’t the Shimano dynohub. Something to sort out tomorrow, along with replacing the 0.75% chain.

Still to change the Alfine oil in HK’s MTB commuter and check the gear cable adjustment but I suspect the 11sp hub internals might need to be replaced soon. This young lady’s hobbies can get expensive sometimes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 December, 2019, 11:59:47 am
Replaced the Big Apples on HK’s MTB commuter, along with the rear brake pads and cable, sprocket, chain and Alfine 11 gear oil and cable. Pinched a goo-filled tube, the first time I’ve done that in decades, so had to fit a normal tube instead! Played with the Shimano dynohub lego block and ordered a replacement cog. The SS chainring is fine, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 December, 2019, 03:35:12 pm
wore my winter softshell today to the physio, first tiem since my off last October - I missed all of last winter effectively.  It's got a rip in the left sleeve that looks repairable with thread and then a bit of magic waterproof duck tape I think, so that's this evening's job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 December, 2019, 11:03:50 pm
Replaced the chain and middle chainring on HK’s Roberts. Still to fiddle with the headlight and to regrease the rear hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 December, 2019, 11:05:16 am
Replaced the broken front spoke on HK’s Kinesis, so she can start racking up the miles again on her preferred bike. The non-tubeless rear Almotion seems to have settled down after being fitted tubeless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: lastant on 06 December, 2019, 12:53:37 pm
Yesterday, but I managed to replace a fan oven element without once resembling Marv in Home Alone 2 - despite it involving the taking out of said oven and removal of its back plate!

Particularly pleased as it's meant I've been able to deduce what's wrong (via google), realise what needed doing (via YouTube), order the part online and get it all fixed for the total price of £27.94.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 08 December, 2019, 03:26:00 pm
Fettled a bunch of things and then decided it was time to swap out my mech hanger. It's been straightened a bunch of times and each time it has weakened it, and makes indexing gears for smooth changes impossible.

So, I took the old hanger off, was making ready to put the replacement one on, and, er, found out the 'spare' hanger I got is for the wrong frame 😳

So I've put the old one back on and ordered the right hanger in the post.

Better to find out from home than on a roadside with a snapped one I suppose...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 December, 2019, 04:27:42 pm
Bonded in a loose brake lever pivot on my Frezoni, replaced the worn cantilever brake pads on my trike and replaced the tubeless tape on the rear wheel of HK’s Kinesis. Hopefully that will reduce the rate of pressure loss. That was the last of the Stans fluid. Time to pick a different fluid I think, given the amount of solidified latex left in the bottle. Any suggestions?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 December, 2019, 04:31:40 pm
Patched some tubes, found the missing tyre levers and removed a significant quantity of Stratford Greenway[1] from my Brompton.  Chain quarantined in a bottle with some solvent until barakta isn't around.


[1] As usual, a misnomer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 08 December, 2019, 09:53:15 pm
New drive train on the fixie but couldnt find the chaining  bolt tool. Its in the garage somewhere. Screwdriver did the trick and the chain/sprocket/ring turn nicely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 December, 2019, 11:15:53 am
A better mousetrap:

(https://pbase.com/image/170168985.jpg)

The brown stuff on the seesaw is peanut butter, in case you were wondering.

Mus musculus will now be heading for the fields up behind the village, where there's a nice warm cowshed. Or across the road into a neighbour's chicken-run, if the neighbour isn't looking.

I want to build a better version with a roller instead of the seesaw. With the seesaw the mouse can feel the floor going out from under before it loses balance, but with the roller it can get right into the middle first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2019, 11:33:09 am
You're now going to be a millionaire! According to theory...

Quote from: Kim on 08 December, 2019, 04:31:40 pm
Patched some tubes, found the missing tyre levers and removed a significant quantity of Stratford Greenway[1] from my Brompton.  Chain quarantined in a bottle with some solvent until barakta isn't around.


[1] As usual, a misnomer.
If Stratford Greenway is the ex-railway from Stratford to Long Marston* I'm surprised there's any left. I transported at least half of it to the Teepee place.

*Admit it, you were going to geek at trains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 11 December, 2019, 11:34:09 am
Ingenious!  And a reminder to me to always replace the lid on the peanut butter!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 12:26:19 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2019, 11:33:09 am
If Stratford Greenway is the ex-railway from Stratford to Long Marston* I'm surprised there's any left. I transported at least half of it to the Teepee place.

That's the one.  I've cycled in the general area many times (mostly on audaxes), but never actually used it.  The bits you'd stolen had been replaced with a thick layer of dihydrogen monoxide, for the entertainment of small-wheeled cyclists.

We met a upright tricyclist coming the other way, who had fun with the Silly Sustrans Gates™ (aren't-you-glad-you-brought-a-Brompton-now kissing gate variety).


Quote
*Admit it, you were going to geek at trains.

It was an origami ride (http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/origami/index.html); geeking at trains (or the absence of trains) is almost compulsory, though geeking at buses, trams, planes, canal infrastructure and electric cars are also acceptable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 11 December, 2019, 12:31:42 pm
Yesterday I conducted my first Sturmey Archer 3 speed strip and rebuild.
The hub was in a dead Brompton wheel and I decided to use the dead wheel as a learning resource. I got the guts of the hub out, partially dismantled (one of the pins holding a pawl and spring in place fell out! Woe, woe and thrice woe!) and cleaned up. I then reversed the process (damn fiddly buggers those pawls and springs) and even put the little widget with the indicator chain thread in the right way!
Once back in the wheel, the axle turned one way and the gubbings turned the other. i understand that this is the correct way for things to behave. I feel  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 December, 2019, 01:53:38 pm
MrsT now wants me to put in something for the mouse to snuggle into, and then build a mouse cage. :facepalm:

It ain't gonna happen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 December, 2019, 01:54:37 pm
Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 11 December, 2019, 12:31:42 pm
Yesterday I conducted my first Sturmey Archer 3 speed strip and rebuild.
...
I feel  8)

 :thumbsup:  More than I'd care to tackle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2019, 02:00:55 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 12:26:19 pm
We met a upright tricyclist coming the other way, who had fun with the Silly Sustrans Gates™ (aren't-you-glad-you-brought-a-Brompton-now kissing gate variety).
I dislike those gates. I've only ever ridden along there panniered up, which gives a choice of hauling the mass over the horse-steps or trying optimistically to fit through the kissing gates – difficult enough even without luggage. With a trike, no way, I'm sure.


Quote
Quote
*Admit it, you were going to geek at trains.

It was an origami ride (http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/origami/index.html); geeking at trains (or the absence of trains) is almost compulsory, though geeking at buses, trams, planes, canal infrastructure and electric cars are also acceptable.
Sounds very YACF!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 11 December, 2019, 02:02:26 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 December, 2019, 11:15:53 am
A better mousetrap:

But not so much better that you find the world beating a path to your door?  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 December, 2019, 02:21:35 pm
Fitted mudguards, rack and dyno headlight to a mate’s new N+1. We’ll rig up the dyno taillight and mudflaps another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 03:53:27 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2019, 02:00:55 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 12:26:19 pm
We met a upright tricyclist coming the other way, who had fun with the Silly Sustrans Gates™ (aren't-you-glad-you-brought-a-Brompton-now kissing gate variety).
I dislike those gates. I've only ever ridden along there panniered up, which gives a choice of hauling the mass over the horse-steps or trying optimistically to fit through the kissing gates – difficult enough even without luggage. With a trike, no way, I'm sure.

As I passed through the final one, I discovered the lock mechanism that allows the gate to swing out beyond the kissing bit was RADAR-key operated.  Which would have reduced a lot of faff if someone had spotted it earlier.

I can't imagine a wheelchair user approaching from the wrong side would have had much luck reaching the lock, thobut, let alone a handcyclist or dismount-averse recumbent tricyclist.


Quote
Quote
It was an origami ride (http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/origami/index.html); geeking at trains (or the absence of trains) is almost compulsory, though geeking at buses, trams, planes, canal infrastructure and electric cars are also acceptable.
Sounds very YACF!

Like a forum ride, but slower.  Comedy off-roading frequently features.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 December, 2019, 04:01:35 pm
Quote from: spesh on 11 December, 2019, 02:02:26 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 December, 2019, 11:15:53 am
A better mousetrap:

But not so much better that you find the world beating a path to your door?  ;)

Hopefully not, but it's better than anything else we've tried. Next comes the Overstims can roller model.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 11 December, 2019, 04:29:53 pm
T42 - your neighbours chickens will love the mouse if they catch it. I've seen mine eat one in something that resembled a Tom and Jerry cartoon
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2019, 04:53:59 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 03:53:27 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2019, 02:00:55 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 12:26:19 pm
We met a upright tricyclist coming the other way, who had fun with the Silly Sustrans Gates™ (aren't-you-glad-you-brought-a-Brompton-now kissing gate variety).
I dislike those gates. I've only ever ridden along there panniered up, which gives a choice of hauling the mass over the horse-steps or trying optimistically to fit through the kissing gates – difficult enough even without luggage. With a trike, no way, I'm sure.

As I passed through the final one, I discovered the lock mechanism that allows the gate to swing out beyond the kissing bit was RADAR-key operated.  Which would have reduced a lot of faff if someone had spotted it earlier.
I've ridden through them several times and never noticed that mechanism, so well done to you. Shall I invest in a radar key? Probably not, unless there's a lightweight racing carbon fibre version.

Quote
I can't imagine a wheelchair user approaching from the wrong side would have had much luck reaching the lock, thobut, let alone a handcyclist or dismount-averse recumbent tricyclist.
Indeed. Makes them so... useful...  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 December, 2019, 09:42:14 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 03:53:27 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2019, 02:00:55 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 12:26:19 pm
We met a upright tricyclist coming the other way, who had fun with the Silly Sustrans Gates™ (aren't-you-glad-you-brought-a-Brompton-now kissing gate variety).
I dislike those gates. I've only ever ridden along there panniered up, which gives a choice of hauling the mass over the horse-steps or trying optimistically to fit through the kissing gates – difficult enough even without luggage. With a trike, no way, I'm sure.

As I passed through the final one, I discovered the lock mechanism that allows the gate to swing out beyond the kissing bit was RADAR-key operated.  Which would have reduced a lot of faff if someone had spotted it earlier.

I can't imagine a wheelchair user approaching from the wrong side would have had much luck reaching the lock, thobut, let alone a handcyclist or dismount-averse recumbent tricyclist.


Quote
Quote
It was an origami ride (http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/origami/index.html); geeking at trains (or the absence of trains) is almost compulsory, though geeking at buses, trams, planes, canal infrastructure and electric cars are also acceptable.
Sounds very YACF!

Like a forum ride, but slower.  Comedy off-roading frequently features.

I live just opposite The Greenway (at the Stratford end) but only use it on very, very rare occasions as the surface seems to be replenished quite frequently with what seems to be a mixture of very fine grit and cement!  ... and the badgers don't help with making holes all over the place.  At the weekend it's even worse with dog-walkers and runners wearing headphones oblivious to the world.   As you have no doubt worked it out it's another evil bit of the Sustrans NCN.

I'm guessing that the trike rider was probably a lady on (possibly - she has more than one machine) a green Longstaff? . . . I know her quite well - she did try to teach me to ride my Ken Rogers trike before I gave up and sold it about 6 or 7 years ago.

BTW - I have a Radar key (I'm entitled to one . . . although most key-cutters will flog you one)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 December, 2019, 10:14:19 pm
Quote from: robgul on 11 December, 2019, 09:42:14 pm
I live just opposite The Greenway (at the Stratford end) but only use it on very, very rare occasions as the surface seems to be replenished quite frequently with what seems to be a mixture of very fine grit and cement!

The stuff I cleaned off my bike was light coloured and contained some surprisingly large grains.  Possibly cement-encrusted grit, or something?  I assume the surface turns into a dust bowl during the summer.


Quote
I'm guessing that the trike rider was probably a lady on (possibly - she has more than one machine) a green Longstaff? . . . I know her quite well - she did try to teach me to ride my Ken Rogers trike before I gave up and sold it about 6 or 7 years ago.

Sounds about right.  I was at the other end of the group and didn't get a decent look at the trike.


Quote
BTW - I have a Radar key (I'm entitled to one . . . although most key-cutters will flog you one)

Knock-offs on standard key blanks are convenient for keyrings and usually work for toilets, but sometimes you need the longer shaft (and high-leverage handle) of the proper keys for Silly Sustrans Gates™.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 December, 2019, 09:16:20 am
Quote from: Johnny Faro on 11 December, 2019, 04:29:53 pm
T42 - your neighbours chickens will love the mouse if they catch it. I've seen mine eat one in something that resembled a Tom and Jerry cartoon

It's currently cowshed-bound.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 December, 2019, 01:54:00 pm
Fitted the dynamo taillight to a friend’s bike. He fitted the mudflaps. It all works and looks the part.

Finally wired up the dynamo tailight on HK’s Tripster commuter. She isn’t thrilled by the concept of dynamo taillights but I am.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 14 December, 2019, 03:58:28 pm
changed the socket front that had the plug from a dodgy fan-heater melted into it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 December, 2019, 07:28:09 pm
Played about with a gas gun and blasted several years of dustbunnies, fluff and crumbs from my keyboard. That was the most fun I've had at work for ages. Shame it didn't get rid of all the welded on bits. Think it might be time for a new one...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 December, 2019, 07:33:17 pm
Went to light the fire, and no firelighters.
So fettled some from knotted kitchen roll soaked in oil.
Fancy olive oil.

Apparently, that was a Bad Thing to do :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 December, 2019, 08:43:47 am
Quote from: Feanor on 17 December, 2019, 07:33:17 pm
Went to light the fire, and no firelighters.
So fettled some from knotted kitchen roll soaked in oil.
Fancy olive oil.

Apparently, that was a Bad Thing to do :-)

If it was Extra Virgin olive oil you'd have had a fair Joan of Arc analogue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 December, 2019, 08:55:17 am
Quote from: Feanor on 17 December, 2019, 07:33:17 pm
Went to light the fire, and no firelighters.
So fettled some from knotted kitchen roll soaked in oil.
Fancy olive oil.

Apparently, that was a Bad Thing to do :-)

tumbledryer fluff works very well as tinder, used it on my camping trip last year
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 December, 2019, 11:00:00 am
Cleaned the Domane, patched flat, picked umpteen bits of flint out of tyre.  Funny: had the devil of a time getting the first wall of the tyre (GP4000s II on XR2 rim) over the rim, but the second one was easy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 22 December, 2019, 11:08:43 am
A while ago I bought a dynamo front light off Phil. He told me that the tabs for connecting a rear light were a bit broken but still usable. Some idiot (and I don't mean Phil) broke one a bit more. The same idiot yesterday dismantled the light and soldered short lengths of wire to what was left of the tabs and then fed these out the body of the light. I, er um. I mean the idiot then put connectors on this and then used a spare micro USB lead for the wire to connect this to the lovely new back light. Everything reassembled and working!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 December, 2019, 11:48:52 am
The lights onto the tree, and some string to hang cards from. Oh, and disposed of two dead mice our cat had thoughtfully left in the kitchen for us, plus the one in the outside larder trap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 December, 2019, 03:13:46 pm
You have a trap for larders? Is that a bit like a heffalump trap?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 December, 2019, 04:36:02 pm
Heffalump is better than no sugar.

@rafletcher: I find that traditional snap traps are more reliable if you put them in a box with a single entrance - it channels the mouse onto the trigger from the front.  I don't like them though - last mouse I caught with a snap trap burst.

I fancy making one of these:

https://youtu.be/zTx5y_bufwk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 22 December, 2019, 04:52:40 pm
The best mousetraps I've ever used are branded as 'little nipper.' they look old school but they absolutely do the business. There is a 'big nipper' for rats but I've thankfully not yet needed to use it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 December, 2019, 05:07:32 pm
Quote from: bludger on 22 December, 2019, 04:52:40 pm
The best mousetraps I've ever used are branded as 'little nipper.' they look old school but they absolutely do the business. There is a 'big nipper' for rats but I've thankfully not yet needed to use it.

They work!  I found the remains of a rat in one in the garden a few weeks ago, and another whole one a week later
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 December, 2019, 07:44:34 pm
My furry vermin controller eats them, so no mess to clean up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 22 December, 2019, 09:41:22 pm
replaced trike's bottom derailleur jockey bearing - with a used one from another old wheel. Why do that? 'cause I didn't have a new one yet, and need to ride to work tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 December, 2019, 09:21:17 am
A couple of days ago, I replaced the seesaw in my mousetrap with a roller made from 1" aluminium tube carried on ball-bearings.  The mice had got wise to the seesaw and were going round the edge of the bucket and across the pivot & elastics to take the bait.  Last night they obviously tried the same gambit with the roller, so this morning two of them are looking for breakfast in a neighbour's hedge.  Since we've only seen two for the last week, we're hoping that's the end of them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2019, 01:15:03 pm
Don't they just come back if you leave them with the neighbours?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 24 December, 2019, 01:19:52 pm
Of course they come back; isn't that the idea?  In the search for a better mouse-trap you need practice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ian on 24 December, 2019, 01:22:02 pm
I could put the mouse on a rocket and successfully launch it to Mars. LMC would still find it and bring it back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 24 December, 2019, 01:31:34 pm
Prep'd a new bike for eldest grandson (blimey, it's big enough for me - how time flies!).  My son, having bought the bike from Halford's, gave it to me to set up, rather than leave it to the shop. I should hope so!

Anyway, it's got these new-fangled disc brakes, so I had to look at a couple of YouTube videos to understand how to adjust them, something the factory had failed to do.  All set up nicely on the work stand, but as soon as I rode it there was a light scuffing noise, presumably due to having to bear my 68kg?  A bit more twiddling with the allen key and the job's a good'un.

Happy Fettling Christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 December, 2019, 02:25:51 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2019, 01:15:03 pm
Don't they just come back if you leave them with the neighbours?

"Neighbour" as in down the far end of the village.

That's 10 we've got rid of so far: 2 found dead, 2 in snap traps and 6 alive in the bucket trap.  Lately we've only seen two about, so we're hoping that's it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 December, 2019, 02:26:04 pm
Quote from: ian on 24 December, 2019, 01:22:02 pm
I could put the mouse on a rocket and successfully launch it to Mars. LMC would still find it and bring it back.

I could lend him my new siege engine, see how far they get
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 24 December, 2019, 03:18:54 pm
Replace the pressure relief device in the shower. I didn’t even know such a thing existed until it went pop the other day.
Clever thing.
And I’ll be clean again for Christmas.
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 December, 2019, 04:46:50 pm
Quote from: T42 on 22 December, 2019, 04:36:02 pm
Heffalump is better than no sugar.

:D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 December, 2019, 04:47:42 pm
Oh, I hung the new shower curtain. Does that count as fettling? No, didn't think so...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2019, 05:24:06 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 24 December, 2019, 04:47:42 pm
Oh, I hung the new shower curtain. Does that count as fettling? No, didn't think so...

Only if it involved injury and/or power tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 25 December, 2019, 11:48:28 am
Lt. Col. Larrington (retd) thought that lowlifes had robbed his leaf-blower, so he bought and attempted to assemble a replacement.  Much of yesterday afternoon was spent in dismantling and reassembling said device, including prising out a random M4 bolt which was stuck in a hole at right-angles to reality, serving no useful purpose whatsoever and not a fastener included in the original packaging.  Also his old one turned out to be sitting on the shelf in the back yard anyway >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 December, 2019, 07:15:20 pm
Replaced a fraying gear cable on HK’s Kinesis, along with trimming a cable housing.

Replaced my fixed’s Lumotec headlight with failed halogen bulb with an Axa Blueline 30. Once the taillight arrives, I’ll shift the headlight up to the fork crown from the front axle. Charged up some taillight batteries on my fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 28 December, 2019, 07:31:18 pm
Tried to fettle a new tyre onto the front dinged wheel but it didn't work tubelessly despite a few efforts using every trick I know - the ding was too severe. So have put it on with a tube and squirted some sealant inside it for luck.

Will get round to changing the back wheel in an hour or so.... Hopefully.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 December, 2019, 09:33:57 am
Gave the chain on the commuting fixie its midwinter clean.  Chainring and sprocket next.  Ugh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 December, 2019, 02:57:47 pm
Hacked the lugs of a Bosch DIY-grade battery to fit a Pro saw. Smoke test was OK for at least 5 seconds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 29 December, 2019, 03:01:00 pm
Fixed (by removing a portion of) the striker plate on our bedroom door. We've only been here 20 years and it's been wrong all that time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 December, 2019, 03:32:14 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 29 December, 2019, 03:01:00 pm
Fixed (by removing a portion of) the striker plate on our bedroom door. We've only been here 20 years and it's been wrong all that time.

Our whole house is like that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 December, 2019, 06:58:57 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 December, 2019, 03:32:14 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 29 December, 2019, 03:01:00 pm
Fixed (by removing a portion of) the striker plate on our bedroom door. We've only been here 20 years and it's been wrong all that time.

Our whole house is like that.
+1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 December, 2019, 07:42:20 pm
Sorted out the eccentricity of the Jim Bundy drivetrain (cheap Andel track crank, I can't afford Sugino 75 and Zen chainrings).  Tight and bind-free now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 December, 2019, 02:21:51 pm
Installed a new ball cock ball valve float valve in the toilet, as the previous one was dribbling.  The modern plastic ones really are made of cheese.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 31 December, 2019, 03:51:56 pm
I made a manger for Jesus - yes I know it's bit late.

A few years ago my wife made a Knitivity  - see
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512NnCOSdLL.jpg)

I made a fairly average wooden manger at the time but now that I have some new woodworking machinery I thought I'd make a Mk2 model ready for next year.

Rob

+++ Hopefully this will not offend - there are other denominations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 January, 2020, 05:48:07 pm
Right hand pedal on the road bike had tightened itself onto its spindle to almost impossible to turn.  Wasn't expecting that to be such an involved job, as it had tightened so much that I couldn't get the pedal spanner in to get it off. Allan-keyed it, then into the vice to undo spindle, slacken off, refit seal, regrease, reassemble, and find it's probably a bit looser than i'd like. 

Also fitted the required spacer on my spare rear wheel to stop the casette wobbling. 

Attempted to fit the wheel weights for the turbo trainer onto the Cruzbike, rather than change wheel. Decided I needed to look at the instructions again
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 02 January, 2020, 05:51:58 pm
brake pad back to the metal on the genesis
chain worn out on the genesis
broken spoke on the galaxy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 02 January, 2020, 06:38:27 pm
Wrapping things in brown paper and tape. Quite a lot of tape.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 January, 2020, 10:36:11 pm
Removed the faulty Axa headlight from my fixed before sending it back for replacement.

I'll put the fixed back on the road once I've fitted the replacement headlight (+ new dynamo taillight), tensioned the chain  and adjusted the rear brake pads appropriately.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 January, 2020, 11:08:30 am
put the newly bought Brooks B17 Imperial on the roadbike, and tightened up the LH crank bolts on the recumbent, not sure why but both were very loose, despite being tightened up with a torque wrench originally.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 January, 2020, 03:12:07 pm
Washed bike, replaced a couple of recalcitrant fluorescents in the workshop as a step to finding that they need new starters, which in our case we have not got.  Might have some in a drawer, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 January, 2020, 10:10:08 pm
New rear mech on the giant, I'd forgotten how much of a PITA the 105 4700 shifter is. New rear mech is already shifting so much better than the old one on the workstand, even before I've fully tweaked the cable tension.

Re-cabling of front tomorrow if I have time, but that's less pressing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 January, 2020, 10:16:23 pm
Top Henry Reed reference there T42

Put new shelves into the larder cupboard thing so I can actually get to the stuff in there. Only minor wood surgery was needed.

The old shelves went into the former water heater cupboard, now empty of water heater, but with suspiciously wet floor. Further investigation revealed a weeping joint on the loo cistern inlet, caused by it now operating at mains pressure following the fitting of a New! Shiny! combi boiler. Adjustable spanner and Plumber's Tape For Everything hopefully fixed it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 January, 2020, 09:38:56 am
;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 January, 2020, 10:29:52 pm
Washed my fixed, mostly. Replaced the 16t cog and chain on my fixed for 3/32”. The 1/8” 17t will have to wait until I repair the chainwhip and arrange some more leverage. At least I can ride it to work tomorrow now. Also swapped the Smart front light for an Ixon Core until I get the replacement dyno headlight.

Removed the rear tube from HK’s Kinesis that she fitted earlier this week. Flint-mined both tyres. Set up the rear tyre tubeless with Orange Seal Endurance. Found the hole that caused the flat, hopefully the sealant will do its job. Otherwise I’ll have to fit a plug, perhaps the new Stans jobbie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 January, 2020, 04:40:27 pm
Fixed the broken taillight on my fixed after yesterday’s falls on ice. I started to feel a little ‘got at’ soon after the second crash. I had to smartly step aside with my bike into a hedge when a car driver behind me found that braking and steering wasn’t much use on ice. I wonder why that cyclist ahead of him was gingerly walking along the edge of that single-track lane? The oncoming driver was open-mouthed as somehow we managed to fit three abreast. I was the only one that ended up in the hedge though.

Tightened the creaking BB on HK’s Kinesis and tweaked the front mech. It looks like time for a new big ring on the Sun XCD cranks.

Changed the gear hanger on my trike and trued up the rear wheels a bit after a prat tried to bend them with his car a few weeks back. Hopefully the Module E2 rims aren’t overly weakened, otherwise I’ll have a nasty shock halfway round a fast corner. I may need to change the chain and cassette soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 January, 2020, 10:46:03 am
Put 0.2 bar into each tyre.  Squirted the dog's belly with antiseptic.  Or was it the other way round..?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 January, 2020, 01:47:33 pm
Having ridden it in the outside world for the first time, tweaked the position of the Brooks on the roadbike.  It's very slippery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 January, 2020, 03:05:44 pm
Leather saddles are.  I had a hell of a time sliding off the front of my Selle Anatomica and getting it up the pubic arch (pubic ouch) until I did the counter-intuitive thing and canted the nose up a bit, whereupon my sit-bones rode back onto the wider bit and wondrous comfort ensued.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 January, 2020, 12:58:20 pm
Replaced the fixed’s brake levers that I crunched in a fall during my commute Monday night. To be fair, the bushes on the levers were pretty flogged out. Had to replace the brake cables and handlebar tape at the same time. Replaced the newly repaired (last Sunday!) crunched taillight mount on the fixed.

Repaired the Pedros Trixie that was a bit overmatched last weekend.

Disassembled/ reassembled the headset on HK’s Kinesis. Hopefully that gets rid of the phantom creaks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 January, 2020, 07:54:26 pm
Bar tape to the rhs of the Giant, and repositioned the lever while at it, it was irritatingly not aligned with the left.

Also re lubed the rhs pedal spindle and loosened it a bit, its self-tightened twice for some reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 28 January, 2020, 08:19:55 pm
New chainring day. Spa own brand offerings fitted to my existing Shimano 105 triple. Went 48/38/28 as the old 50/39/30 was worn and I wasn’t making best use of my whole 11-32 cassette.

Got to say the Spa rings are very pretty and are an almost exact fit on the 105. Slight cosmetic discrepancy to the trained eye and that’s it. I’ll try them out on a 1.75 AAA ride on Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 January, 2020, 11:31:12 pm
Lots of tyres. Set my Surly up in MTB mode, and the 3" tyre at the rear seems to be staying up now (tubeless). And fitted a new chain.

I had a quick look at the tyres on my Dave Yates too - fucked. So I fitted some new ones, some Jack Brown Mile Munchers I've had for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 31 January, 2020, 08:41:53 am
Rechargeables in MrsT's cordless phone died. I put in a couple of Duracell AAA NiMHs that have been lying on my desk for the last 5 years and they still had enough juice to power the thing up. Surprising.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 02 February, 2020, 03:41:40 pm
As per upthread I have replaced my chainrings which made climbing 1750m over 117km yesterday a revelation. This month I need to replace the cassette which is shot. The chain is fairly new and according to my measuring stick, in good shape. Would it be an unnecessary extravagance to replace it? I am worried about meshing issues. Thank you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2020, 04:47:04 pm
Replaced some rusted stem bolts on my fixed with SS. Also fitted a replacement dyno headlight to it, replaced the dodgy bearings in the On One hub and lubed the chain. Hopefully I can ignore my fixed for a good while now but the Campag triple crank (running a single ring) looks to be very tight to the driveside cup of the Centaur BB. The headset bearings are sounding ominous too.

Replaced the SunXCD 46t big ring and associated chainring bolts on HK’s Kinesis. Maybe that’ll quiet a persistent creak but I suspect I’ll have to pull and refit the BB. The chainring lasted about 15 months but more than 20,000km. The 30t small ring hasn’t been used much. Also swapped a corroded headset bolt with stainless.

The rear rim on the Kinesis has cracked in two places on the driveside. Time to look at Hunt’s warrantee - 3 years, so should be ok but still a hassle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2020, 04:48:32 pm
HC, I can’t see how you can have worn chainrings and cassette but not chain if the chain wasn’t skipping dramatically with the worn equipment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 02 February, 2020, 05:04:05 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2020, 04:48:32 pm
HC, I can%u2019t see how you can have worn chainrings and cassette but not chain if the chain wasn%u2019t skipping dramatically with the worn equipment.

I%u2019ve only recently put a new chain on. Chainrings%u2019 first outing yesterday. It wasn%u2019t entirely clear what was causing issues. After yesterday%u2019s spin it is really noticeable how sweet the front by end is now. As it%u2019s smoother it makes it more noticeable that the cassette is junk. Originally I was going to just change the cassette for better gearage. Then a club mate pointed out there was more to it and the lot needs to go but different chainrings would be wiser than fiddle with rear derailleur lengths and huge cassettes. I%u2019ve done it in stages for budgetary reasons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2020, 06:39:29 pm
If the chain measures as brand new, then continue to use it. If the chain is part-worn, it will rapidly wear the cassette to match.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 02 February, 2020, 06:50:44 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2020, 06:39:29 pm
If the chain measures as brand new, then continue to use it. If the chain is part-worn, it will rapidly wear the cassette to match.

Godessy wisdom appreciated. Measures as new (not as in dodgy EBay descriptions)

Hope you are on the mend btw  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2020, 06:59:29 pm
You may be confusing me with LittleWheels. I’m a strapping bloke with only the usual aches and pains at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HeltorChasca on 02 February, 2020, 07:17:01 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 February, 2020, 06:59:29 pm
You may be confusing me with LittleWheels. I’m a strapping bloke with only the usual aches and pains at the moment.

Oops! Please accept my apologies and pass on my good wishes  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 February, 2020, 09:38:16 pm
Had a nasty loud click from the chainring region every revolution when about 30-40 km into a ride.  Stopped to check chainring bolts and general looseness without success so I just carried on for about another 30 clicks as the US military would say.

Sorted now - the pedal was just a tiny bit loose on the crank.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 February, 2020, 07:19:44 am
Tried repairing a Cyo's broken mounting tab with Sugro and a couple of SS washers a couple of days ago. We'll see how it survives real life soon enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 February, 2020, 11:15:02 pm
Replaced my second dead Axa dyno headlight on my fixed commuter with a repaired Cyo.

It looks like the driveside crank has taken the anodising off the Centaur BB cup. Something to investigate this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 05 February, 2020, 03:52:57 pm
The culmination of an extended fettle of a Bugaboo Bee pram that has resulted in a silent! rolling item. Given that I am now an hexpert, I will share the knowledge for those interested, those uninterested look away now.

The bugaboo wheels are foam filled and, as they wear, they start making a heck of a racket. While most whole components are available, including bearings, the tyres and inserts are not. If you are looking to pick up some second hand wheels to replace a noisy one, look carefully at the wheel profile. If the centre of the slick tread is not a lump/bead, if it is flat like you expect a wheel to be, then it is worn, do not bother with it. Look carefully at this image, you will see what I mean, it is NOT smooth edge to edge.

(https://buggypitstop.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/bugaboo-bee-rear-wheels-2.jpg)

If you can only get the front wheel and you need a rear wheel, they can be removed, heating in an oven at 80 degrees or soaking in boiling water will make it removable with the application of a screwdriver/tyre lever and significant brute force.  A removed wheel and insert can be applied to a new wheel without any further heating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 February, 2020, 09:05:24 pm
Pulled both cranks off my fixed and the RH crank has been rubbing on the Centaur BB cup hard enough and long enough to remove 0.5 mm or so of metal off each surface. I can’t seem to find my Campag BB tool to remove the BB, so I am a little stymied at the moment. I was wondering why I was slowing down on my fixed lately.

About the only way I can pedal to work tomorrow is by tricycle. That wouldn’t be very popular in the rather snug bike room.

Stripped the cracked rear Hunt wheel off HK’s Kinesis so that the courier can pick it up tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 February, 2020, 11:09:09 pm
Removed and disassembled the Centaur BB from my fixed. Realigned the axle in the bearings and reassembled my fixed for the commute tomorrow. Not impressed with this BB design, a bit delicate and fussy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 February, 2020, 06:16:19 pm
Replaced the cracked Mavic rear rim on my Frezoni with a Kinlin, along with the rear brake pads and both tyres. Still needs a good wash though.

Replaced the front tyre on my fixed. Also needs a wash.

Recharged the mudguard taillight batteries on HK’s MTB commuter and replaced a corroded mudguard rivet with a SS bolt and Nyloc nut. Like all the other bikes, it needs a wash.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 09 February, 2020, 12:09:50 pm
Some temporary support / bracing for our neighbours fence. She’s an elderly widow, so can’t do it, and she won’t pay anyone else to fix it because she’s just sold the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 February, 2020, 09:41:27 pm
Disassembled the rear wheel of HK's Roberts and ordered replacement Campag pawls and spring. That wheel will be together in time for HK to ride to Salisbury next weekend if the replacement Hunt rear wheel hasn't arrived to go into her Kinesis. EDIT: told the replacement wheel is being dispatched Monday.

Still to refurb the worn Campag Ergos on the audax tandem and still to convert the racing tandem to audax configuration. Perhaps next weekend.

One of these days, all of the bikes will be in full working condition simultaneously, surely?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 09 February, 2020, 09:45:47 pm
Fettled my Garmin off the green bike for selling tomorrow morning.

Fettled a QR wheel onto the front of the fixed as a replacement for the track hubbed wheel which was damaged in a crash.

Might try and rebuild the wheel onto a new rim in the fullness of time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 February, 2020, 10:30:09 pm
Great start to Monday - went to check my tyre pressure as the new spikey tyres were feeling a bit weird last week.
Unscrewed the valve cap and the rest of the valve came with it.  :facepalm:
Managed to screw it back in and pump it up. Rode to work, forgot all about it until I left work and found I had a squishy tyre again.
Home via EBC for some new inners. Fingers crossed it's still alive tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 February, 2020, 01:59:05 pm
Fettled our voracious buddleia into handy buddleia morsels with the chainsaw.  Very gratifying feeling of POWER the thing conveys.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 February, 2020, 10:10:35 pm
Fitted disc, cassette and valve to HK’s shiny replacement wheel. Tyre and sealant tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 February, 2020, 01:17:18 pm
Tyre and sealant into HK’s Kinesis’ wheel today after a run of late night working preventing fettling. The directional tread is reversed but I’m not too concerned about a rear road tread pattern.

Straightened up the rear wheel on my fixed after pulling it across during Friday’s commute. Rather than straighten along the way, I just rode gently home hoping not to throw the chain or jam the tyre against the chainstay. Lazy, I know, but the spanner is bolted under the bidon cage and just too much faff when I was already late leaving the office.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 February, 2020, 01:20:13 pm
A fruit cake. At a late stage in the proceedings I found that my Galaxy tablet I was reading the recipe off had slipped and was obstructing the scales, restricting their movement and possibly bollixing up the quantities.  The proof of the cake is in the eating , in a bit over an hour's time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 15 February, 2020, 05:35:57 pm
The clutch on my venerable Makita went buggerup, not unexpected so I hied me down to ITS, there to buy a replacement. I looked at the Bosch, but the build quality was shockingly bad and have ended up with another Makita.

Anyhow, I thought I might have a fettle of the old gearbox, nothing ventured and all. Well, the (three speed) gearbox disassembled a little more speedily than intended, leaving an interesting Jigsaw puzzle. Satisfyingly, I got it all back together and working, although the wear justifies its replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 February, 2020, 06:00:37 pm
Pulled the worn chain and cassette from the audax tandem. I thought I had replacement parts (did have a chain but no cassette the right size) and it turns out the rear mech is overly worn too. Regreased the front brake, which was sticking on one side.

Fitted a 3/32” 17t cog on the other side of my fixed’s hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 February, 2020, 09:52:05 pm
A replacement tube in the front wheel of my fixed during the commute home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 18 February, 2020, 07:03:26 am
A brake cable and brake pads on the sun ez3 front wheel 🙂
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fuzzy on 20 February, 2020, 11:24:18 pm
My first Bosch gen 2 Performance Line motor drop out and install today. The bike still works!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 February, 2020, 08:12:33 pm
a bit of surgery to the split seam on a pair of fingerless mitts
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 February, 2020, 12:09:16 pm
Fitted new pawls and spring to HK’s Campag Record hub after some funny behaviour during long brevets last year. Probably a greasing issue but replacing the parts improves peace of mind. At some point, I’ll have to replace the last original cone as there was a tiny change in the bearing track width. Swapped the cones side to side in the meantime. Her Roberts is basically set for the next campaign.

Fitted replacement rear mech, chain and 11-30 cassette to the audax tandem. Ready to rock and roll again.

Charged the taillights on my fixed.

Swapped in a couple of taillights on HK’s trike that are a bit brighter and less likely to be broken when knocked like the old ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 February, 2020, 03:34:53 pm
This weekend Pingu & I fettled the loft. Sorted out a load of tat, cardboard boxes etc and took it to the tip.
Today I tackled the foot high piles of important paperwork up there (including vet invoices for cats dead for nearly 6 yrs) and shredded so much of it I had to stop & let the shredder cool down 3 times.
Still a bag of clothes up there to go to the charidee shoppe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 February, 2020, 04:22:45 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 February, 2020, 03:34:53 pm
shredded so much of it I had to stop & let the shredder cool down 3 times.

Last time that happened I got bored waiting and got the drill out...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4285.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 23 February, 2020, 05:26:41 pm
Cool.....!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 February, 2020, 07:43:47 pm
Took the broken lids off my (wonderful, but not as robust as it should be) Simplehuman butterfly kitchen bin.  Replacements are out of stock.  Bollocks.  Gave it a good declag with the steam cleaner anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 February, 2020, 07:51:56 pm
The shed gutter and downpipe, and the associated water butt. Hopefully the gutter can now drain freely, and the shed roof boards can (eventually) dry out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 February, 2020, 08:22:53 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 February, 2020, 04:22:45 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 February, 2020, 03:34:53 pm
shredded so much of it I had to stop & let the shredder cool down 3 times.

Last time that happened I got bored waiting and got the drill out...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/IMG_4285.sized.jpg)

That is cool, but not for the likes of me. I also need to have a poke and see if I can suss out why it only sucks the paper in on one side now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 February, 2020, 08:39:18 pm
It's also a really good way to continuously distribute paper dust around the room...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 February, 2020, 09:40:32 pm
It could do with being plumbed into an LEV, really...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Beardy on 23 February, 2020, 09:50:59 pm
I dug up the sewer vent pipe as the toilet is syphoning when flushed.
I’ve discovered the not so creative bodge that links a 6” ceramic soil pipe to the 3” cast iron down pipe that the builder used to extend the down bit across 10ft of garden to the first drain cover. The two are not quite aligned so the joining pipe isn’t squarely connected to either side and only the ceramic pipe has a socket end so the joint between the cast iron down pipe and the intermediate misc ceramic pipe was just a butt joint.
It taken 85 years to,silt up, so it’s not a totally bad bodge, but it’s going to take some effort to clear out the pipes. And I need to get some parts to make a more creative bodge joint unless I decide to replace the whole down pipe and onward underground connection. That is of course the correct way to do it, but will mean getting down and dirty with the inspection chamber and I don’t think I’m up for that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 February, 2020, 10:05:47 pm
Sounds lovely, Beardy.

This evening I fettled 2 catnip fish (1 had a hernia so I decided to stuff some more nip in both of them).
I absolutely reeked of catnip afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 25 February, 2020, 11:31:53 am
New tyre (Panaracer Ribmo 26 x 1.25) which replaced a failing Conti Gatorskin 26 x 1.125. Surprised how much difference there is in terms of effort for .125 of extra tyre. Might move it to the rear. Also the rotary fastener cable on a shoe had snapped so I used a thin braided steel cable and the closure now closes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 February, 2020, 06:59:17 pm
inspected the tyres and replaced the sealant (satisfyingly peeled the old sealant out of tyres before that).

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200225/574fb7fbfc3691c64347b4bef9513391.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 February, 2020, 05:05:11 pm
Flint-mined the tyres on HK’s MTB commuter and removed the Blackburn rack (panniers wearing through the Al rods) and the clapped out SPD pedals frozen into the cranks. Removed the bolt stub remaining in the dropout <sigh> before fitting the new Topeak rack. The ancient Vistalite didn’t fit on the rack mount, so a Blackburn taillight was pressed into service. New SS mudguard bolts all round. New pedals to be ordered and fitted, if the crank threads aren’t too bad, otherwise pedal bushes will also be needed.

Cleaned back the bodged Cyo for another go at repairing it for my fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 March, 2020, 06:20:33 pm
Rebuilt the Tune rear hub in HK’s Moulton. Measured it and the Moulton front hub for new spokes for the waiting Fratelli 406 tubeless rims. Hopefully there are some butted Sapim spokes available in the right sizes.

Had another go at bonding the loose brake lever pivot on my Frezoni.

Attempted to repair HK’s Knog bell but had chosen the wrong size SS spring. Time to order a spring the next size up before trying again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 01 March, 2020, 06:23:02 pm
I fettled the bejeesus out of an old Sora hub. The bearings will never run smoothly, given the rust/pitting, but it will get me to summer, and who knows what the gods will give/take by then?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 March, 2020, 12:29:19 pm
Degreased the s/h hedgetrimmer I got at the weekend.  Then it wouldn't start.  Turned out to be a loose LV spade connection on the ignition module.  Carb needs tuning a bit as the idle is barely fast enough to keep it from stalling, but I'll wait until the new spark plug and air filter arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 March, 2020, 04:19:06 pm
A hand axe turned up so I converted a bag of softwood offcuts into kindling.  It's rather satisfying.

Also got a moisture meter.  The kiln dried stuff I had delivered last year is about 10% - it was in the wood store outside until ten days ago.  The eucalyptus I cut and split six weeks ago is about 25% (it was already dead, so not taking up sap) . That's for next year, though.  The kindling in the airing cupboard* is 0%.  I am, apparently, 38%.

*I have an unusually huge airing cupboard.  The builders must have been fans of homebrew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 05 March, 2020, 04:00:35 pm
Stripped down my elderly Garmin 800 Edge and installed a new battery.

Surprisingly easy, even for someone with fat fingers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 March, 2020, 04:06:21 pm
Degreased and washed a new chain then coated it in wax lube.  It's hanging up in the workshop now until I get round to degreasing the cassette it's supposed to pull, at which point I'll mount it & give it another dose of lube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 06 March, 2020, 08:24:24 pm
Took the Marathon Winters off the old bike and replaced them with Schwalbe Range Cruisers from the new one. Fitted Marathon Plusses onto the new one. The latter task was easier than expected. Fitted the feeble, standard front light from the new one onto the old one. Tweaked the v brakes on the old bike and oiled its chain ready for collection tomorrow. Hopefully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 March, 2020, 11:52:42 am
Serviced the hedgetrimmer.  New spark plug, primer bulb, starter cord and air filter.  Fuel filter looked ok although I have one spare.  Greased the gearbox.

It now starts very easily (even at idle) and it cuts very well too.  The blades seem fine but I may give them a bit of a sharpen when I'm bored.

I'm quite impressed with the design, speaking as someone who once totally rebuilt a Briggs and Stratton engine and found it rather horrid, especially the flimsy air governor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 07 March, 2020, 06:59:29 pm
I've un-fettled the temperature limiting blending valve from the bathroom at Feanor Outposts in Edinburgh.

This device limits the hot water temperature at the tap to luke-warm.
Now I understand why these might be appropriare in certain scenarios, this is not one of them.
The main downside is that although the temperature is *just* ok when you fill the bath, it's not possible to top it up when it cools.
That requires a smallish volume of properly hot water.
Trying to top up with water thats only a few degrees warmer than the bath means you pretty much need a full tub volume!

The pipework was JG speedfit, mostly demountable pushfit, but compression at the valve itself.
Demountable my arse. Like screws holding things together, they all come out but the last one.
And so it was. The demounting collar would not budge. Ended up just cutting the pipe.

And alarm bells should have sounded when one of the compression olives was under a yard of PTFE tape.
Tried to leave the backnuts and olives in place, and replace the valve body with a straight metal compression coupling, re-using the existing nuts and olives.
The suspect coupling would not stop weeping even with a bunch of PTFE.
Cut the pipe back behind the olives and used a new JG Pushfit fitting and all was well.

I can haz hot baths!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 March, 2020, 08:17:12 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 07 March, 2020, 06:59:29 pm
I've un-fettled the temperature limiting blending valve from the bathroom at Feanor Outposts in Edinburgh.

This device limits the hot water temperature at the tap to luke-warm.
Now I understand why these might be appropriare in certain scenarios, this is not one of them.

Those things, while sometimes necessary, are a work of Stan.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 March, 2020, 08:36:20 pm
I tried my hand and fettling tubless tyres onto wheels today (for the first time). The result was a draw: one wheel with tyre that holds air, the other with a tyre that bubbles white goo. Then I lost both the daylight and the little black bit that holds the valve in. So I went and fettled supper.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 11 March, 2020, 10:37:10 pm
A bottom bracket, chainset and front derailleur onto my new frame. I also established that i need more spacers (i'm not planning to cut down the steerer until I've ridden it enough to be confident of where to cut).

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 March, 2020, 03:07:39 pm
A new main controller PCB into the built in microwave at the flat in Edinburgh.

Several segments were out on the display. All working now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 March, 2020, 06:09:21 pm
new chain onto the turbo bike.  The old one was so worn it was almost at the point of skipping as was making nasty noises in the higher gears.

Much smoother now, and shifting better.  I am almost tempted to repeat my last nastyval session which was the end of a progression just too see what different it might make.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 15 March, 2020, 06:40:24 pm
I added a rear derailleur, seatpost and saddle to my new bike. I can't put wheels on yet, so I'm avoiding things that will stick out and be in the way if it's hanging around indoors for days.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 16 March, 2020, 09:53:33 pm
The adaptors for 12mm axles arrived today, so my new bike now has wheels. :D
That then meant i could take a first pass at saddle and stem height. There's a lot of spacers, until I'm happy with the position. I also put pedals on.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 March, 2020, 11:06:47 am
Straightened the shifter that got knocked out of line by the road yesterday, dismounted the tyre that caused it. Nothing spectacular in view - blow-out's only about a centimetre long.  Tube looks fixable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 March, 2020, 11:06:59 am
Fettled my old aerobars into a lectern so that MrsT can use her Kindle while pedalling in the cellar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 19 March, 2020, 10:41:14 pm
Handlebars, brake levers and brake cables on the new bike. I recruited Miss Dan the Younger to help with the bars and levers.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 March, 2020, 03:24:11 pm
Pingu & I have just inspected the innards of my Roberts headset.
I'm at a loss as to why they chose to install a cartridge bearing at the top of the head tube but a set of caged bearings at the bottom.

The state of the caged bearings (of which ~30% were missing after ~14 years) explains why it felt a bit meh, despite the cartridge bearing feeling fine.

We had hoped we were just going to be measuring cartridges and putting it back together for a ride tomorrow while waiting for new ones to appear.
Hah  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 March, 2020, 04:33:04 pm
Some car related bits and pieces. New wiper blades on the new-to-me Audi. New gas struts for the hatchback of my wife’s car. The sorted the Thule wing bars onto the Audi using the new foot pack and fixing kit - this one has no roof rails. Crikey, the foot packs are at the extremes of the bar on the front, a couple of millimetres shorter and I’d have needed new bars too!  Oh, and I put the wheel nut cover puller I had to buy into the tool roll. Just as well I knew one was needed and looked for it before needing it. Checked tyre pressures, which should be 33 front and 30 rear. 35/35/36/40  ::-). Off to check the wife’s car tyres now, and see what Apple CarPlay is all about. Oh, and stuck the rear numberplate more securely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 21 March, 2020, 07:12:49 pm
Assembled Mrs Dan's birthday present spinning bike. Bloody heavy.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 March, 2020, 08:40:52 am
Fitted new SPD/flat pedals to HK’s commuter MTB. Replaced a worn Campag cone on HK’s Roberts. Replaced the rear brake pads on HK’s Kinesis. Might start on my own bikes shortly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 March, 2020, 11:04:33 am
Cleared and vacuumed (it was a bit dusty!) the table in the back “bedroom” that we use as an office, in preparation of wfh starting sometime next week. Fortunately my colleague left work last week, so I can bring his monitors etc home and leave my desk at work undisturbed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: salar55 on 25 March, 2020, 09:54:43 am
Done 1st of 2 Headshok service, renewed the oil in the cartridge as the lockout was not working properly and checked all the o rings. Querty cycles are running out of spares, should start looking on ebay for unloved cannondales for spare parts. 😄
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 March, 2020, 10:13:07 am
recabled the front mech on the Giant
Recumbent onto the turbo, it's a bit bouncy, but we'll see how it goes under resistance this evening
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 25 March, 2020, 09:34:42 pm
Chain to the right length, gears shifting, bottle cage added.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 March, 2020, 08:20:06 am
non-cycling fettle, after a brief gust of motivation

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200326/c2ca29f3e9d29a57bcc8eaadaf2f6098.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200326/0deb02680597d00f4d7e3ba8c53f1db2.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 26 March, 2020, 08:28:26 am
A few years ago my Seiko SKX007 stopped working. I did the obvious checks (rotor movement for winding etc), then put it into a drawer meaning to get it fixed and just wore my non-divers Seiko 5.

I know there is an active Seiko modding community, and I just became aware that a common modification for these is to replace the 7s26 movement with an NH36/4S36 one, to give the option to hand wind in addition to automatic winding, and also it's a hacking movement (you pull the crown out to adjust the time and it stops the second hand to allow you to set it precisely, whereas the 7S26 has a bit of a knack to doing that as you have to stall the movement with a delicate crown operation so I never bothered).

Anyway, decided to give this a go, and the cost of tooling up (hand puller and setter, dial guard etc) was less than having somebody do it (about £80-£120 to have it done by someone, including parts). Remove the back, remove the crown, drop the mechanism, pull the hands, remove the dial, remove the day wheel (as the new mechanism was set for 3 o'clock crown rather than 4 o'clock so the day would be slightly misaligned in the window), swap the day wheel onto the new mechanism, then rebuild. Also needed to put a new crown in, as the stem is different on the NH36,  which meant some careful cutting down of the new stem and cleaning the threads to go into the new crown.

About an hour of fettling, and the watch is running again. Now just need to see how it keeps time and regulate it if needed (I'd got the old mechanism to within a second or two a day). There is now an open source timegrapher application (Tg - https://tg.ciovil.li/ ) to save some of the "tweak it and run it for a day" that I did with the old one.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 26 March, 2020, 12:22:15 pm
cleaned and lubricated the internals of my track pump after about ten years of use, as smooth as new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2020, 01:00:00 pm
We fettled a new headset onto my Roberts. Initially tried getting the old one off with judicious tapping with a (crap) screwdriver and hammer but that was getting nowhere. Just as we were about to be all sad about the likely wait to get it done in a bike shop, I espied a curtain pole (not just any curtain pole, but a John Lewis curtain pole), still unused in its box and thought, that'll never work, will it?

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49704164056_fa62248426.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iJbQiN)2020-03-27_12-37-23 (https://flic.kr/p/2iJbQiN) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Bingo! And there was much rejoicing in the Pingu Towers shedde.  :D

Although there was a slight heart stopping moment a bit later when we found that our headset press was only just long enough...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 March, 2020, 01:29:05 pm
Well done!

I like the shower fitting (top left).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2020, 01:32:12 pm
 ;D

I even felt moved to go and post a tongue in cheek review of the pole on the John Lewis website. Hopefully it will cheer someone up a bit in these weird times.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 27 March, 2020, 01:49:37 pm
Linky please !!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 March, 2020, 02:02:40 pm
substantial shedde for a wee flat  :thumbsup:

My toolbox has several odd sized pieces of tubing, bearings for the knocking in of
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 27 March, 2020, 02:15:44 pm
New gear cable in the right hand shifter of my titanium bike (it was frayed at both ends).
Also fitted new cable adjusters on both sides and indexed the gears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2020, 02:23:56 pm
Quote from: hatler on 27 March, 2020, 01:49:37 pm
Linky please !!

When the John Lewis elves have approved it I shall.

https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-steel-curtain-pole-l120cm-x-dia-28mm/p231622045

Quote from: ElyDave on 27 March, 2020, 02:02:40 pm
substantial shedde for a wee flat  :thumbsup:


The shed and the loft was pretty well the clincher when we bought it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 27 March, 2020, 02:40:08 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2020, 02:23:56 pm
Quote from: hatler on 27 March, 2020, 01:49:37 pm
Linky please !!
When the John Lewis elves have approved it I shall.https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-steel-curtain-pole-l120cm-x-dia-28mm/p231622045
Glorious !!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 March, 2020, 10:03:01 pm
Quote from: hatler on 27 March, 2020, 02:40:08 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2020, 02:23:56 pm
Quote from: hatler on 27 March, 2020, 01:49:37 pm
Linky please !!
When the John Lewis elves have approved it I shall.https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-steel-curtain-pole-l120cm-x-dia-28mm/p231622045
Glorious !!

I selected "Yes" on usefulness, great review
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2020, 10:56:14 pm
:D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 28 March, 2020, 05:58:08 am
fettled the gears on the road bike yesterday, I can now get all three chainrings and all ten sprockets
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 March, 2020, 12:06:42 pm
Looking at the Marin I acquired yesterday (see Coronabonus thread), the front V brake was binding.  Further examination revealed one of the lateral adjustment screws had a stripped thread, or more accurately the casting it screws into had stripped. It's an M3 hex head. Some looking through various tool boxes last night managed to tun up an M4 tap and 3.something mm drill. Found a just about suitable screw this morning. Applied drill, wound tap in using pliers as I couldn't find a tap wrench. Screw screws in and stays there. Reassembled brake. Hurrah!.

Need to find an air shock pump so the suspension will cope with my leisure based figure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 March, 2020, 02:16:54 pm
Two NHS workers' bikes over the last couple of days.

Both hybrids. One in pretty good nick - all it needed was gear adjustment tuning (it was shipping the chain on the rear block) and the tyres pumping up to pressure. The other was a bit older - gear tuning perfect, but brakes needed adjusting, handlebar end stops required, tyres needed more air and the chain stay bridge mudguard retention screw had unscrewed to the point it was rubbing on the tyre. Rack bolts needed tightening too.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 March, 2020, 02:52:52 pm
Chopped some weeds out of the gardenette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 March, 2020, 12:31:38 pm
In a Dig for Victory kind of way, this morning I took some turf off the West Lawn and planted some seed potatoes.

Last night I cleaned my King Dick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 29 March, 2020, 12:50:19 pm
Removed mudguards from Bob Jackson and fitted new tyres - Jack Brown Mile Munchers, which suit the bike well if I say so myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 March, 2020, 04:41:06 pm
Replaced the chain (well past 1% wear), cassette and mudguards (cracked bracket) on HK's Kinesis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 29 March, 2020, 05:38:25 pm
The rear gear cable on my Equilibrium, after fitting a Wolf Tooth thingummy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 March, 2020, 06:41:08 pm
We didn't fettle the ancient liquidiser because the replacement seals that arrived for it yesterday aren't an exact fit.
Weekend number 2 without a piña colada  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 March, 2020, 07:41:37 pm
Hoovered the bathroom extractor fan and poked its furred up bits with an old mudguard stay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 29 March, 2020, 09:14:23 pm
Normally run a single speed cog on my bike that infrequently ends up in my turbo trainer. However the resistance adjustment is broken on the turbo trainer so decided it was as easy to swap the cassette from the road going wheel to the turbo wheel then swap the tyres
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 March, 2020, 09:54:02 pm
My desktop computer (xbuntu) packed up last night, culminating in no booting up attempt of any sort.

Investigation this morning, after I removed All of The Dust showed the input fuse in the PSU was open circuit.  I diodn't have a spare, but did have a spare, unused W10 desktop. Swapped the discs out of the U/S machine into the spare. Plugged it in and it all sparked up. I'll take that as a win.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 March, 2020, 06:59:23 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 29 March, 2020, 06:41:08 pm
We didn't fettle the ancient liquidiser because the replacement seals that arrived for it yesterday aren't an exact fit.
Weekend number 2 without a piña colada  :'(

Hand blender?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 30 March, 2020, 10:58:46 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 30 March, 2020, 06:59:23 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 29 March, 2020, 06:41:08 pm
We didn't fettle the ancient liquidiser because the replacement seals that arrived for it yesterday aren't an exact fit.
Weekend number 2 without a piña colada  :'(

Hand blender?

Bloody Mary?

IGMC
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 March, 2020, 11:04:41 pm
My Surly needs a full strip-down and service.

Today, I managed to get the seatpost out (Plusgas plus brute force), then I'll need to swap the BB, service the front hub, replace the frayed brake cable (probably all brake cables), etc etc.

I might even try and service the Alfine 8 hub. It was secondhand and I haven't touched it in a year's usage. It's not a high mileage bike (for me), but most of its miles are grotty offroad. Any old hands with hub gears have any advice?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 March, 2020, 11:16:31 pm
Quote from: Deano on 30 March, 2020, 11:04:41 pm
My Surly needs a full strip-down and service.

Today, I managed to get the seatpost out (Plusgas plus brute force), then I'll need to swap the BB, service the front hub, replace the frayed brake cable (probably all brake cables), etc etc.

I might even try and service the Alfine 8 hub. It was secondhand and I haven't touched it in a year's usage. It's not a high mileage bike (for me), but most of its miles are grotty offroad. Any old hands with hub gears have any advice?
IIRC with the Alfine the grease tends to gum up over time. The fix is to remove the pingfuckit circlip, take off the sprocket, do $some_other_stuff and pull out the internals. Dunk the entire internals in either (a) Shimano Special and Expensive Juice or (b) Automatic Transmission Fluid (I think - check the interwebs for details). Pull out, let it drip dry and bung it back in. Mild Swears may be needed to get the circlip back on.  It's been a few years since I did this, so my memory is a bit hazy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 30 March, 2020, 11:19:15 pm
Cheers Tim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 31 March, 2020, 08:17:23 am
Quote from: Deano on 30 March, 2020, 11:04:41 pm
.... most of its miles are grotty offroad. Any old hands with hub gears have any advice?

Just remembering that even grotty off road won't affect the internals of a hub gear, IME it is the indexing registration that does for them in the end (and, as a result, made drop bar shifters unworkable for the system).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 March, 2020, 08:30:27 am
https://muddymoles.org.uk/reviews/stripping-and-an-oil-bath For an Alfine 8. I’ve got a SH Alfine 8 bare hub in the garage awaiting use. Once I get the maintenance backlog cleared for the fleet, I’ll start tackling the future projects.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 01 April, 2020, 01:10:28 am
Cheers Dave.

It's more general maintenance, it seems to be working fine (the annoying clunk is almost certainly the knackered BB), and it looks as though I'll have some time on my hands, so it seems a good opportunity to get into the guts of the thing for when something actually goes wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 01 April, 2020, 07:13:09 pm
I need to do my commuter 8 speed Alfine hub sometime.

I have read that slathering the inards in grease is preferable to using oil, as oil can leak out onto the disc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 01 April, 2020, 07:25:40 pm
I don't normally come here to talk about my fettles, as I have the Wobbly Workshop thread for the interesting stuff.

However, I'm catching up on jobs, so I came here to mention that:

Since using my small Mantis 2 stroke rotovator at the weekend, I found it wasn't running well, so I've cleaned the filters (air & fuel) and added grease to the worm gear drive. I used it again yesterday, and it's running alot better.  :thumbsup:
I've ordered a service kit so the fillters, etc. can be replaced next time.

Today I have cleared the 'potting shed'  - a lean-to shed/greenhouse that 'borrows' the house and a garden wall in it's construction. I added fold-down bike racks so the Grandsons' bikes can live in there, rearranged the benches to give more useable storage, and refixed the door. I reused a shower door when I biult it, but bodged the pivot as I lost a couple of parts (a self tapping screw and a 5mm x 25mm steel rod that acts as one of the pivots. The door fell off last year, and in looking for bolts to adapt for the steel rod, I happened across the original missing parts!  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bolt on 01 April, 2020, 10:26:57 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 01 April, 2020, 07:13:09 pm
I need to do my commuter 8 speed Alfine hub sometime.

I have read that slathering the inards in grease is preferable to using oil, as oil can leak out onto the disc.

I've used this in my 8 speed Alfine and Nexus hubs for the past few years :thumbsup:

https://www.classic-oils.net/Castrol-Spheerol-LEPO (https://www.classic-oils.net/Castrol-Spheerol-LEPO)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 April, 2020, 01:15:58 pm
Swapped out the LH 165mm SunXCD crank on HK’s Kinesis Tripster AT for a spare 170mm crank (same type). Also swapped the SPDs for Look Keo (used with a cleat spacer) to accommodate HK’s leg length difference.

Why the change? The pedal eye broke during her ride this morning. Time to get another 165mm LH SunXCD crank.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 02 April, 2020, 10:23:42 pm
Yesterday I took my new bike for a ride and noticed a slight ticking noise as I pedalled. Only when I pedalled, in all gears, sitting or standing, either foot off the pedal. Today I found and fixed the cause: a cable tie that I'd forgotten to cut.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 03 April, 2020, 05:03:33 pm
Day before yesterday T swapped out the winter studded tyres for tubeless summer commuter tyres.  Put on a 38 gravel tyre but could not get it to inflate whatever i did.  I suddenly realised it was a fairly stiff wall tyre which had been sitting in the unheated garage.  I left in our airing cupboard overnight and it inflated immediately in the morning.  Then I noted that it was too big and was binding on the mudguard so off it came and two new sector 32 were put on instead.

16 tooth freewheel ordered for the summer and anew bottom bracket to fit next week.

The normality of such activities in the midst of the hospital mayhem was lovely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 April, 2020, 06:27:09 pm
Replaced a slowly deflating rear tube on my Frezoni and washed it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 April, 2020, 09:44:41 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 April, 2020, 06:27:09 pm
Replaced a slowly deflating rear tube on my Frezoni and washed it.

Did that help you find the leak?  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 April, 2020, 10:14:50 pm
English is a language that particularly encourages object/ subject confusions. Always fun.

Repairing punctured tubes is part of HK’s bike responsibilities. Unfortunately washing my bikes is not. That is my problem, along with almost everything that combines malfunctioning bikes and dirty hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 04 April, 2020, 05:45:09 am
Changed from winter tyres (Durano Plus) to summer (Conti contact speed).

My first non-Schwalbe tyres in about 8 years!

Sadly the Durano Plus are no longer made in 20” size and the choice of other narrow tyres with puncture protection is virtually non-existent. I need 28-406 due to the turning circle on the Milan - with 40-406 I can basically only ride in a straight line.

I have 4 Durano plus remaining in stock, which will do me for the next two winters. I used to wear them in summer too but now I am saving them. Tyre change in summer isn’t a big issue but in winter and the dark is no fun!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 April, 2020, 09:50:18 am
Fixed workshop's double doors where the dogs had run into them too often and burst the bolts out of the "fixed" side - fiddly job, half archaeology and fighting with ancient nails.

Removed the Eurocylinder lock from the front door & greased the tab that engages the deadbolt, then did the same for the workshop. All smooth now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 April, 2020, 02:44:06 pm
Fitted a decaleur to the audax tandem to better stabilise the handlebar bag. Like so many things, it is more complex than you might have thought.

Swapped out the slotted Rivet Independence Ti saddle on my fixed commuter with a Gilles Berthoud Aspin that has just come back from loan. The Rivet is just too narrow for this little black duck for anything beyond a 200 and not particularly great for the commute. I may get a slotted replacement top for the GB, as the leather is starting to flare.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 April, 2020, 02:45:18 pm
Swapped the brake pads on the Holdsworth from Kool-Stop Dura salmon pads for much cheaper Fibrax pads, the old-fashioned type with steel shoes.  Seems like a downgrade, but the geometry of centre-pull brakes and narrow rims means you want a thick pad to push the arms outwards, and it helps if it has an asymmetric chamfered face like the Fibrax ones, so that it makes flat contact with the rim despite cosine error.

There is no toe adjustment with the Fibrax pads.  Therefore it is done the old fashioned way, with a large spanner on the brake arm.  Bend in one direction only to reduce chances of fatigue, keep checking, stop when just right.  At least it's a once-only job.

The brakes were actually ok with dual-pivots and "aero" levers but it all looked wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 04 April, 2020, 07:59:26 pm
Downloaded Zwift to use with the turbo. I think that counts as fettling in these virtual cycling days. It's a learning curve. Apparently they have had to create a completely new world because of covid19.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 04 April, 2020, 10:07:04 pm
Did some (very) belated pruning and tying in of rambling roses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 04 April, 2020, 10:46:18 pm
I cut the grass today. I hate cutting the grass   ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 04 April, 2020, 11:54:34 pm
Serviced Some scaffold clips , adjusted the drive shafts on the trike again , adjusted the rear mech and hanger on the trike again . lo and behold I can now get all seven gears on the back and three on the front . It's only taken me 8 months to get them all working . Feeling on a roll I striped off the horrible ergo handlebars / A head set stem / conversion too replace them  . I fitted my old Cinelli 26.4mm  66/44 bars and quill stem , final adjustment and tighten look underneath bloody great crack in the stem . look in the shed three 26mm A head set stems , one very old  25.4mm quill stem  , one short 31.6mm a head set stem and a set of naff narrow 26mm egro handle bars .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 05 April, 2020, 06:30:45 am
Quote from: cycleman on 04 April, 2020, 10:46:18 pm
I cut the grass today. I hate cutting the grass   ;)

Don't do it then. It's better for the environment if you don't cut it. Enjoy the wild flowers that will appear attracting billions of beautiful butterflies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 April, 2020, 12:24:06 pm
Reattached the soap dish to the wall athwart the bath at Fort Larrington, it having become detached when Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) took a tumble into the tub the other day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 April, 2020, 12:44:48 pm
I appear to have broken outer casing of my front gear cable. Come apart at the inline adjuster and can't get it back together.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 05 April, 2020, 01:15:38 pm
Found the hole in my trailer inner tube.  Ordered repair kit off ebay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 April, 2020, 02:02:48 pm
Quote from: asterix on 05 April, 2020, 06:30:45 am
Quote from: cycleman on 04 April, 2020, 10:46:18 pm
I cut the grass today. I hate cutting the grass   ;)

Don't do it then. It's better for the environment if you don't cut it. Enjoy the wild flowers that will appear attracting billions of beautiful butterflies.

You appear to have mis-spelt "nettles, brambles and sycamore".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 April, 2020, 02:21:51 pm
Nettles and brambles have flowers, one makes tea, the other makes blackberry crumble with custard. Sycamore makes helicopters.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 April, 2020, 04:57:39 pm
Today, being the warmest day of the year so far, was chain-cleaning day.  Normally I do this while barakta is at work, because solvents give her migraine, but since that hasn't been an option, my chain had got to the point of squeaks and low-level misbehaviour[1], forcing the issue.

So, with barakta safely hiding in the back garden with a Chromebook, I was able to do the Sheldon Shake in the kitchen, followed by general drivetrain de-crudding and lubrication with both front and back doors open.  I then proceeded to general washing of the rest of the bike, during which Student1 appeared to chat mid-bike-ride at a socially distant 2 metres with Student2 from nextdoor.  I heard her remark that she was completely knackered because her tyres were flat, and glancing at her bike, I was able to confirm this completely unexaggerated diagnosis.  They were staying on the rims through the stubbornness of Marathon Pluses.

Using a clean bit of industrial-strength fettling tissue, I grabbed the backup track pump from its shelf in the Cupboard of Doom, and deposited it on the pavement outside, saying that I couldn't help overhear, and don't worry, that one's been untouched for weeks, much to the appreciation of Student1.  I then provided a socially-distanced tutorial on Presta valves, and they got the tyres up to a respectable 80PSI before I reclaimed the pump for a thorough wipe-down and re-shelving.



[1] Some of this is down to grotty gear cable outers, but I'm holding off on replacing those because it seems like a waste to put shiny new cables on just to ride around in circles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 April, 2020, 05:03:36 pm
I cut the newly-seeded grass for the first time (the front hedge had got out of hand so I took it back a yard at the end of last year, leaving a bare strip).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 05 April, 2020, 10:37:32 pm
I started trimming mudguard stays down, but was beaten by a blunt hacksaw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: aidan.f on 05 April, 2020, 11:11:56 pm
Notching with a triangular file and snapping off with pliers is my method. Then dress the ends flat with file..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 April, 2020, 03:30:53 pm
I have unfettled a double-glazed window.  Part of the friction hinge snapped when I opened it a bit wider than normal to clean it (they are very old windows).  It cannot be closed properly.

A hinge is a fiver but I need to get someone to fix this for me; if I try it I will probably break the other hinge and send the window crashing through the roof of the porch below.  Now I have the fun of getting someone out during the coronavirus pandemic; it is allowed, especially for emergency repairs, but most tradesmen seem to have put their feet up.  As a last resort I can try my insurer, although they might just recommend boarding it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 April, 2020, 04:10:14 pm
Continued to install benches and cupboards in the garage/workshop at our new house . . . the wall cupboards salvaged some years ago from a friend's kitchen fix to the wall with some chamfered wooden "cleats" . . . could I find them? - no, so out with the electric plane and some oddments of wood to fashion 4 new ones . . excellent, but then what did I find taped inside one of the cupboards  >:(     That said everything was packed up about 6 weeks ago and we went on holiday 4 days after we moved . . . and only got back last week*

* and we had been to Australia and New Zealand - got caught up in the NZ lockdown and were confined to a hotel room at Auckland Airport for 4 days until a flight home 2 weeks before were supposed to be back  :-[

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 08 April, 2020, 09:03:13 am
Jumped on the springy thingy yesterday & found it only has 3 gears rather than usual 24.  Turned out all three short segments of outer had partially rusted to the inner. All freed up but once the rust starts it won't stop so I'll be replacing it before the next serious outing. Also lightened it to the tune of a half kilo of mud. Must have been a horrific day to have got put away in that state.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 08 April, 2020, 10:07:09 am
Replaced all eight bearings in the rear suspension of the MTB.  Some of the old ones really did not want to be removed and one eventually required the attention of the Aldi Dremel-alike.

Couldn't tell much difference on the test ride apart from the fact that the horrendous creaking/cracking noise has stopped  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: DuncanM on 08 April, 2020, 10:20:49 am
I took the front of my MTB apart to measure up for a headtube to go into a recumbent frame. It's a Carerra Fury, and it's got some strange sort of semi-integrated headset - I thought it would be like the normal aheadsets where you undo the stem and the top cap and then lift it up and the forks fall out and all the parts roll around on the floor.
Not this one. There's some sort of head race that I had to apply leverage to get it to move at all, and even after I did that, with nothing on top of the top bearing, the forks still resolutely fail to fall out of the head tube. I may have to resort to a hammer! I suspect this means that the headset bearings are shot (that and the suspicious brown colour of the underside of the top seal), which means this was long overdue anyway. The chain is also rusty on the outside, but quite free running and smooth.  I think this is because I used Squirt on it rather than regular oil before I left it under the bike shelter in the garden for a few months!

Today I shall do the same to a BMX that I also want to rob the forks from. I reckon that is bound to do the opposite to the MTB and leave ball bearings all over the garden!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 April, 2020, 12:29:23 pm
new (kmc gold) chain and (11-32) cassette on the "audax" bike.

(in case audaxes resume anytime soon :D )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 April, 2020, 08:45:14 pm
Copper-to-the-shed (polyethylene-jacketed cat5e).  This involved the usual exciting mix of dust, spiders, power tools, knee-abuse, operating a thumb-detector at the top of a ladder, cable-ties, colour vision and harsh language.  I also tidied up some of the droopy coax to the satellite dish, (which I'd installed to Sky engineer standards shortly after we moved in, on the basis that if the landlord asked questions we could deny all knowledge).

Then I went for a bike ride, to clear my lungs and celebrate not having injured myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 April, 2020, 09:03:45 pm
I've started putting my Dad's several thousand colour slides into a digital format, so the rest of the family can see them.

This involves a GAF projector that was presented to him in 1980, my DSLR on a sturdy tripod, a screen and some careful positioning.  I can only do it at night, as the room is too bright even with curtain closed during the day, so I leave everything assembled and step carefully round it during the day.

I'm up to 1967, but thankfully they stop in about 1982. 

I may be some time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 08 April, 2020, 09:38:46 pm
Tim
Have you looked at a commercial company? they can be surprisingly cheap for large volumes.  Alternatively buy a slide copier on eBay and then flog it again.  A bit like pass the parcel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 08 April, 2020, 09:52:37 pm
The slides sounds like an interesting view into a life.
I fettled mudguards.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 08 April, 2020, 10:26:18 pm
Made a start on the triffid planation. Did more than expected but only a fraction of what's required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 April, 2020, 11:09:29 pm
Quote from: chrisbainbridge on 08 April, 2020, 09:38:46 pm
Tim
Have you looked at a commercial company? they can be surprisingly cheap for large volumes.  Alternatively buy a slide copier on eBay and then flog it again.  A bit like pass the parcel.

Even if I beat a slide company down to say 20p a slide, that's two grand assuming I've got 10000 slides.  I don't have two grand spare at the moment. For the same reason I do have lots of time spare. Furloughed y'see.

I've got an (old) slide scanner. It's slow. Very slow, like minutes per slide.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 April, 2020, 06:32:10 am
A man is coming from Wales to fix my window today.  £80 isn't bad considering the amount of fuel he'll use getting here!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 09 April, 2020, 09:23:21 am
A BSO for an NHS worker. In surprisingly OKish shape, except that there was no rim tape on either wheel, and the front tube was for a 29er (it's got 26" wheels). Rusty handlebars and distinctly rusty chain with a number of stiff links, but that would happen to any bike left outside.

The gears were perfectly adjusted and the wheels only needed a little bit of trueing.

Brakes adjusted, rear hub greased, chain freed up, cables lubed, rim tape applied, new tube, tyres pumped. Job's a good 'un.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Socks on 09 April, 2020, 03:13:14 pm
Gave the Kingcycle recumbent a thorough clean, including the chain.  Replaced a couple of mudguard stay bolts which were rusty, probably just in time as one of them took a soaking in release oil and a long Allen key to get moving.  Àny worse and the head would probably have broken or rounded off.

On to check / clean / lubricate another bike in a day or two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 April, 2020, 05:22:56 pm
Various garden fettlings, plus a new seat post mounted bottle cage for the airnimal
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 09 April, 2020, 05:30:33 pm
More triffid hacking. Now out of bin space and a bin's worth in bags.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 10 April, 2020, 06:11:37 pm
Shuffled the spacers so my handlebars are a bit higher, as (especially off the road) just a fraction more looking up and out would be nicer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 April, 2020, 06:20:15 pm
Bodged together a wooden frame the footprint of my coldframe, filled it with a mix of garden compost and topsoil to use as both raised bed and for hardening things off through april/may
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 10 April, 2020, 06:41:36 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 09 April, 2020, 05:30:33 pm
More triffid hacking. Now out of bin space and a bin's worth in bags.

Still it did allow for this earlier:

(https://i.imgur.com/QhMn4cP.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TheLurker on 10 April, 2020, 09:39:34 pm
Dug out the soldering iron and one bumper sized carton of oaths and imprecations when my hair clippers responded to the bottled lightning with a big fat silence instead of the happy little buzz I was both expecting and requiring having neglected my weekly shearing for nigh on a month which had resulted in a look that Coco the Clown would have paid good money for.  Strain relief clamp? Hah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2020, 04:13:06 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 April, 2020, 08:45:14 pm
Copper-to-the-shed

Following on from that, and inspired by PushBikes (http://www.pushbikes.org.uk/content/push-bikes-joins-air-quality-citizen-science-project), I've molished an air quality monitor:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2020_04_11_15_46_15.sized.jpg)

I've deviated from the luftdaten design in order to avoid relying on the Devil's Radio (the signal's weak and it needs a cable for power anyway), so have rolled my own controller around one of these useful arduino-knock-off boards with integrated Ethernet (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32849752167.html).  It's mounted on the north side of an out-building as far as practically possible from the flues of our and our neighbour's boilers, about 80m as the crow shitehawk flies from the A38.

You can see the particulate measurements from it here (https://www.madavi.de/sensor/graph.php?sensor=raspi-3F7498FAA25-sds011).  There's a nitrogen dioxide sensor somewhere between here and China, which will get added eventually.

Should be interesting to see how that data changes with the lockdown...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 April, 2020, 04:28:29 pm
I asked the Chinese neighbours if I could cut their side of the hedge (I remembered to change my T-shirt first as it happened to have an IJN rising sun flag as the background, which could have been embarrassing) then attacked it with the s/h Stihl hedgetrimmer I got a few weeks ago, which is awesome.  And noisy.

Tip: if you run 2-stroke machinery on Aspen 2, it smells quite pleasant.  It's about £15 a gallon, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 11 April, 2020, 04:59:40 pm
Finally got around to sorting a tyre on to a front wheel, so I have at least one fully functioning bike!  I’d tried before, but the combination of cold, and Hutchinson tubeless tyre had defeated me. So today it was on to the rim with a tube, to seat the tyre.  Then leave in the sun for half an hour, before deflating, popping one bead to remove the tube, and re-seating the by now warm and pliable tyre using my booster pump. Hooray.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 April, 2020, 05:12:00 pm
Been routing rectangular holes in ply to take a router plate. Didn't have enough similar bits of scrap to make a jig, had to use old tongue & groove and a chunk of a dresser frame I never used from about 25 years ago.  Boring, fraught & fiddly by turns, smelly and noisy the whole time.

Heh: dust-extraction H&S biting its own ass: the suck under the router was so fierce that a single spark into the routed-out dust blazed up in an instant. Was tempted to let it burn.  Used to be I never bothered with dust extraction, face masks or goggles. Got a hell of a lot more done. Sneezed a bit, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 11 April, 2020, 05:47:31 pm
MrsC and I cleaned the patio. I think we bought the adapter for our pressure washer two or three years ago and this is the first time we've got round to it.
I have to say that it looks a lot better, but it has been decreed that we will have another go tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 11 April, 2020, 06:19:11 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 April, 2020, 04:13:06 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 April, 2020, 08:45:14 pm
Copper-to-the-shed

Following on from that, and inspired by PushBikes (http://www.pushbikes.org.uk/content/push-bikes-joins-air-quality-citizen-science-project), I've molished an air quality monitor:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2020_04_11_15_46_15.sized.jpg)

I've deviated from the luftdaten design in order to avoid relying on the Devil's Radio (the signal's weak and it needs a cable for power anyway), so have rolled my own controller around one of these useful arduino-knock-off boards with integrated Ethernet (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32849752167.html).  It's mounted on the north side of an out-building as far as practically possible from the flues of our and our neighbour's boilers, about 80m as the crow shitehawk flies from the A38.

You can see the particulate measurements from it here (https://www.madavi.de/sensor/graph.php?sensor=raspi-3F7498FAA25-sds011).  There's a nitrogen dioxide sensor somewhere between here and China, which will get added eventually.

Should be interesting to see how that data changes with the lockdown...

After pondering how to sort fibre into the workshop from the network gear in the loft I just strung up some cat5e on a wire and went with it, if it needs replacing so be it I have many many drums with enough cable remaining to replace several times.

Have you any sketches for how you built said air sensor, I'd like to add one to the weather / enviromental data gathering I'm going to sling up the antenna mast with all the other wires and ting.

D.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2020, 07:11:23 pm
It's an SDS011 laser fine dust sensor and a DHT22 temperature/humidity sensor, both have TTL-level digital interfaces.  Luftdaten provide a well-developed NodeMCU firmware for the ESP8266 (I just hacked something up in arduino (there are libraries for reading both sensors) that plays with the data collection stuff I've already got).  I'm going to try to add a MICS 4514 (analogue sensor) for nitrogen dioxide, but the level might be too low to detect properly in this location.  We'll see.

https://luftdaten.info/en/construction-manual/ should get you most of the way there.  They have source on github.

I'm not confident with speaking to their API (https://github.com/opendata-stuttgart/meta/wiki/APIs), not helped by the luftdaten.info server being b0rked for most of today.  I expect this would Just Work if I used their firmware rather than attempting to reproduce the important bits of someone's python program (https://github.com/corny/luftdaten-python) in bash/curl.

Case is https://uk.farnell.com/abb/00852/junction-box-ip55-thermoplastic/dp/2529542 - IP65 is perhaps overkill as you'll be making holes in the base for the sensors to breathe, but it's robust and relatively cheap.

I used a https://uk.farnell.com/infomart-it-solutions/pem1205/module-poe-802-3af-5v-12-95w/dp/1902521 and one of those passive splitter cables to do PoE (I already have 48v available via a passive injector).  If it's just a one-off then you could stick 12V up the cable and regulate to 5V locally.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 April, 2020, 08:05:00 pm
Quote from: TheLurker on 10 April, 2020, 09:39:34 pm
having neglected my weekly shearing for nigh on a month which had resulted in a look that Coco the Clown would have paid good money for. 

Maybe one for the claim to fame thread, but in 1974 he did his last circus tour (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolai_Poliakoff) (he was "only" a clown - but what a life he had!). I spent the summer on tour with the same show, and still have the Esso road safety badge he gave me and a photo from a local paper wherever we happened to be at that time with him handing them to kids from the show.
(http://www.badgecollectorscircle.co.uk/assets/badges/user/18_1401446034_3112_300_300.JPG)

As for fettling, I stripped and cleaned a sticky brake on the planet slayer; the piston was corroded so will need to be replaced at some point but it now works again. Then attacked a tree with a chainsaw and repaired a fence that’s needed doing for a good couple of years. Being locked down is good way of getting around to all the bits that I never find time for.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 12 April, 2020, 10:23:26 pm
Did a bit of sorting out in one of the sheds (that 'borrows' garage and garden walls), and installed storage for mine and grandsons' recumbent trikes:

(https://i.ibb.co/r37wN2H/store.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 April, 2020, 11:16:05 am
Cleaning the winter filth off the Harry Quinn fixie commuter.  I smeared all the chromed steel fittings with vaseline before winter so have wiped that off first and it's all like new underneath.  All bearings seem good.  Rear sprocket and lockring a bit rusty, chain needs replacing, rear tyre getting flattened in profile but will probably do another winter.  Biggest expense is probably brake pads - it munches through an annual set of Kool-Stop salmons at £20, and the thin stud-mounted ones that fit best don't last long.  I must get some with replaceable inserts, since it's a right faff setting them up every time.  Front rim is barely worn, though, because these pads don't embed grit or chips of alloy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 April, 2020, 01:44:23 pm
A week or more ago I replaced the chain on the Sequoia, in which there was muchly merrye playing in ye bushes. Now it was time for the Pacer, whose chain was in far better condition but still displaying about 1% wear according to the chain wear tool. The first task was to get a chain, so off I went (on Sequoia) to Psyclewerx. Closing early. So try Bike UK just down the road: by appointment only. Okay, how about Mud Dock? Closed for the duration. So I go home, passing Evans on the way (closed, didn't bother to check for notices) and, oh what's this? The little LBS on Stokes Croft, whose name I don't even know, is open and yes, they have 9-speed KMC.

So, four shops to get one chain. Well what do you expect if you go shopping on Easter Saturday afternoon?

And it did give me the opportunity to ride down Park Street without having to touch the brakes, as well as some quaxing (including hot cross buns).

Then I fitted the new chain, added a couple of links back in ( :facepalm:), checked everything worked and then – broke my Park Tool chain tool.  :hand: Theoretically I can get a new nib or whatever that bit's called. I haven't checked yet for availability or price...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 April, 2020, 02:20:40 pm
New KMC K710SL chain on...I had to use all of it!  Lucky this one is 46 x 18 (sometimes that one tooth makes all the difference into a winter gale) and not 47 x 18 as per the other fixies, or I'd have been stuffed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 13 April, 2020, 02:45:02 pm
More wallpaper stripping.  Have now done 3/4 of the hall, stairs and landing, including the tricky bit over the stairs.  I hate wallpaper.

A cup of coffee and then another bit of Zwifting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 13 April, 2020, 04:46:14 pm
A dead bush from the garden. Now pondering what to replace it with, on a north facing fence. 

ETA we have a mock orange cutting that might do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 April, 2020, 05:06:24 pm
Replaced the 9sp cassette and chain on my trike, trued the rear wheels, adjusted the rear axles and flintmined the tyres. Replaced the handlebar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 April, 2020, 05:48:22 pm
Discovered the loo floor was wet last night. As Declan McManus would say, My Aim is True, so it must be a leaky pipe.

Some investigation, scratching of head and fondling of pipes revealed the culprit to be a loose overflow outlet on the cistern, coupled with a float valve that wasn't shutting off completely.

Water off, remove float valve, de crud, water on to blow any crud out of valve body, water off, refit float valve, water on. All good.

Pheam mi l33t plumbing skillz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2020, 06:16:29 pm
We found a mysterious puddle on the kitchen floor this morning.  Aim hopefully doesn't come into it, so I've been boggling at the combination of a dry ceiling (it's directly below the bath, of recent tiling saga), non-leaking radiator and ostensibly weatherproof PVC door.

 ???

(I've just had a shower, and the ceiling remains dry...)

I'm thinking aliens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 April, 2020, 06:33:36 pm
Pulled and secateured lots of ground cover plants (horticultural magnolia) out of the supposed drainage ditch round the corner of the living room. Then demoulded that corner on the inside. Lungs feel better already.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: neilrj on 13 April, 2020, 11:47:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2020, 06:16:29 pm
We found a mysterious puddle on the kitchen floor this morning.  Aim hopefully doesn't come into it, so I've been boggling at the combination of a dry ceiling (it's directly below the bath, of recent tiling saga), non-leaking radiator and ostensibly weatherproof PVC door.

 ???

(I've just had a shower, and the ceiling remains dry...)

I'm thinking aliens.

Always the frost that's fallen from frozen food here - seems to be huge amounts once melted?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2020, 12:12:52 am
Quote from: neilrj on 13 April, 2020, 11:47:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2020, 06:16:29 pm
We found a mysterious puddle on the kitchen floor this morning.  Aim hopefully doesn't come into it, so I've been boggling at the combination of a dry ceiling (it's directly below the bath, of recent tiling saga), non-leaking radiator and ostensibly weatherproof PVC door.

 ???

(I've just had a shower, and the ceiling remains dry...)

I'm thinking aliens.

Always the frost that's fallen from frozen food here - seems to be huge amounts once melted?

Nahh, we didn't use anything frozen yesterday.  And it's in the wrong corner of the kitchen for that, really.

Barakta's had a bath and it's still dry.  I'm leaning towards the precipitation theory, on the basis that the gutter is blocked[1] directly above the door, and there was some serious wind and at least some rain last night.


[1] I haven't got a long enough ladder and the landlord doesn't believe in non-emergency maintenance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 08:34:10 am
Lean out of an upstairs window with a broom handle? Or a perfect quaxing opportunity? Photos to be posted in "I carried this on my bicycle".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 14 April, 2020, 09:50:18 am
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2020, 06:16:29 pm
We found a mysterious puddle on the kitchen floor this morning.  Aim hopefully doesn't come into it, so I've been boggling at the combination of a dry ceiling (it's directly below the bath, of recent tiling saga), non-leaking radiator and ostensibly weatherproof PVC door.

 ???

(I've just had a shower, and the ceiling remains dry...)

I'm thinking aliens.
Dribble some water in different corners of the kitchen and see if they end up in the location of the puddle ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 14 April, 2020, 10:54:52 am
fixed the metal pole that props up the middle of the washing line with the pop riveter
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2020, 01:22:08 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 08:34:10 am
Lean out of an upstairs window with a broom handle? Or a perfect quaxing opportunity? Photos to be posted in "I carried this on my bicycle".

Annoyingly this isn't practical, due to the way the window opens.  Otherwise I'd have done it years ago.  There's a limit to how much shake hands with danger stuff I'm willing to do for what is ultimately someone else's benefit.  Especially now.

If I owned the house, I'd just buy a proper ladder (and something to lock it to).  My current ladder[1] is only long enough to reach the ceiling.


[1] Which I did carry home on a bicycle, though I wasn't riding it at the time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 April, 2020, 01:24:03 pm
Quote from: hatler on 14 April, 2020, 09:50:18 am
Dribble some water in different corners of the kitchen and see if they end up in the location of the puddle ?

The door certainly leads to the puddling point.  We know that from the previous door, which was full of holes.  Pretty sure the radiator does, too.  And the bin, but that got emptied a few hours earlier and didn't really have anything liquid in it anyway.

Anyway, no sign of further puddling...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 02:22:47 pm
I have finally got around to sewing my third badge on to my saddlebag. This was the Winged Wheel, joining its ACB and RRTY cousins – except that I'd learnt from the hard work of stitching those through the flap with its plastic lining, so put this one on the side. Much easier. But no neater.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 15 April, 2020, 06:34:38 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 02:22:47 pm
I have finally got around to sewing my third badge on to my saddlebag. This was the Winged Wheel, joining its ACB and RRTY cousins – except that I'd learnt from the hard work of stitching those through the flap with its plastic lining, so put this one on the side. Much easier. But no neater.

You use a sail maker's palm?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2020, 01:05:14 pm
Despite being the same make and nominal diameter, the Bundy track bike's Zenith bars slipped down a bit on potholed roads (I've had Nitto stuff that has been similarly just out of spec).  So I made a beer can shim and now it feels spot on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2020, 01:21:07 pm
Swapped the stretched leather top of my Gilles Berthoud Aspin on the fixed for an ‘open’ top. The old top had changed shape more than I’d thought. Something to try after work this evening.

Refitted a loose mudguard bolt to HK’s Kinesis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 April, 2020, 01:22:33 pm
Quote from: asterix on 15 April, 2020, 06:34:38 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 02:22:47 pm
I have finally got around to sewing my third badge on to my saddlebag. This was the Winged Wheel, joining its ACB and RRTY cousins – except that I'd learnt from the hard work of stitching those through the flap with its plastic lining, so put this one on the side. Much easier. But no neater.

You use a sail maker's palm?
I don't have such a thing. It might have been useful for the first two that I sewed through the plastic-lined top flap but on the sides, which are canvas with no lining, it's not needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tatanab on 15 April, 2020, 02:07:12 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2020, 01:21:07 pm
Swapped the stretched leather top of my Gilles Berthoud Aspin on the fixed for an ‘open’ top. The old top had changed shape more than I’d thought. Something to try after work this evening.
I have five Aspins.  Only one has changed shape much, the others are still pretty much as new.  The one that changed was a natural finish, if that makes a difference, and it sagged such that on a bump I could feel the bolt heads on my old 2 bolt Campag saddle pillar.  Those bolt heads are pretty close to the leather anyway.   Happily this change corresponded with an inclination to change saddle colour on that machine.  My oldest Aspin has held its shape well at about 10 years old and probably more than 20,000 miles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2020, 05:33:32 pm
I find B17 saddles change shape too much within a year of purchase. The organic tanned B17 would last three years but they’re not available any more.

I’ve actually not ridden the GB saddle very far despite buying it in 2011; it didn’t fit my arse particularly well. It was out on longterm loan to a couple of friends instead. PeterM OTP suggested that the open top was noticeably better than the normal top, so why not give the GB saddle a last roll of the dice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 15 April, 2020, 06:52:39 pm
Bought my best B17 2nd hand in Hawes about 20 years ago. Unbelievably hard at first. It became really comfortable about 5 years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 15 April, 2020, 08:15:33 pm
A fair chunk of the family fleet. Youngest has twisted her bars and eldest had twisted them further to fix so brakes on. Twist straight and note to tighten on weekend. Eldests chain had come off and tbf was pretty tightly wedged by the bolts for mech guard. Easy fix and note to put a thick washer on the bolt to stop it sticking through so far. The wife dropped her bike and broke the plastic chain guard. Can wait to weekend and will deploy the phenomenal super glue she bought me when I asked her to get glue  for the log burner door seal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2020, 08:56:28 pm
I think that many Brooks saddles made around the turn of the century and more recently don’t seem to last very well. I think the tanning isn’t as bombproof (process changed to be less toxic), the cows are killed younger (thinner hide) and perhaps less care is taken with the hide’s grain orientation (more stretching in use).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 15 April, 2020, 09:04:24 pm
Finished wallpaper stripping. 35m2 of vinyl. Next stage, skim then paint.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 April, 2020, 12:23:15 pm
As part of the Great Photo Project I've decided some of the pictures need scanning on a proper scanner.

Available parts
Ubuntu machine
Work W10 lapdancer
W7 install disc
Ancient OpticFilm scanner
Windows drivers for same
SilverFast slide scanny software

The scanner isn't supported on Ubuntu
The scanner isn't supported, as far as I can see, on W10 unless I pay
Downloaded VirtualBox
Got W7 running
Enabled USB ports
Got scanner installed
Got SilverFast installed

It all seems to work. I can even save the results to an external drive.
(It took much longer to do than he above suggests. Some Bad Swears were used and I had to endure some Very Annoying YouTube how-to videos.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 16 April, 2020, 03:46:33 pm
I saved up 4 non-essential, but time limited chores and got them out of the way today. 1) dropped off a Hermes parcel, 2) picked up an Argos delivery from the nearby Sainsburys, 3) picked up a half moon hall table and 4) went to work to pick up some tat I'd accidentally had delivered there.

Then I put up a curtain on a rail I'd bodged/put up yesterday. Then I fitted the half moon table to the wall after cleaning the glass top and conjuring up some washers from a bit in the bike bits box. Then I effected a repair of the rattly front mudguard on the Cube. Then I swapped the Marathon Plusses for GT365s. Both sets of tyres were a doddle to remove/fit. Now for a test ride...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: salar55 on 17 April, 2020, 10:14:30 am
Having the spare time now, fitted maple window sills in the rooms to match the ones in the extension. The maple boards 250*40mm have been lying in the shed since we build the extension 14 years ago🤭. Needed a break from building work, then it became a job to do one day😅. As usual could not be bothered until now, and the other half never says when are you going to finish all the little jobs in the house😁. R
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 April, 2020, 11:21:13 am
Moar plumbing!

Yesterday I decided to replace the washer bath room hand basin hot tap. Lever off the top to get to the screw normally present that holds the tap top on. No screw but a metal clip of some sort. Lever metal clip and crack!, cheapo acrylic tap top is now in two pieces.

Arse.

Look on Toolstation website and once I've reset my password order a "contract tap basin reviver kit", basically the internal gubbins of the tap and heads.  Get a message from Toolstation that they're ready to collect so off I go.

Get home and find the hole in the existing tap is too big. Order an adaptor and pick that up this morning.

Adaptor goes from 3/4" down to 1/2". Poxy existing taps are an intermediate thread, probs 5/8".

Break out Polymorph and kettle. Mould a knob for the top of the tap.  That'll do until I get the bathroom renovated.

Home win after extra time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 April, 2020, 11:23:59 am
New charging port assembly into Junior's iPhone.
Fiddly job, but it now charges.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 April, 2020, 02:42:55 pm
Fixed a new 1/8” chainwhip to be better than new.

The old hammers with loose heads no longer do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 April, 2020, 03:16:58 pm
Continued sorting the new workshop - cycle side pretty much sorted with toolboard etc and spares in small bins . . . woodwork side taking shape with a run of metalclad sockets installed and the most of the tubing for the dust extraction system (sounds grand but it's just 40mm waste pipe, a small cyclone and a Henry vacuum cleaner . . . but it will work!)  Frustration at difficulty of getting timber ordered and delivered to finish the benches and a couple of mobile woodworking machine trucks.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 April, 2020, 05:57:31 pm
Fitted a Hive Outdoor camera to cover the shed and garage.  Lots of thieving junkies/stoners in Swindon and the price of drugs has soared during the lockdown.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 19 April, 2020, 09:22:46 pm
Washed & polished the house windows . Popped to my mums on the bike and took photos of the gas and electric meter
readings .Mum is isolated / stuck in Spain & we are  fighting with the suppliers .  " Oh its been a cold winter  " , Yes but she has been in Spain for 6 months you script reading numpty  with no common scene .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 19 April, 2020, 09:28:15 pm
tried to remove a pushfit BB86 bottom bracket cup from the best bike, tried using a sledgehammer an' all

failed

I guess will have to make a puller
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 20 April, 2020, 12:24:00 pm
A few months ago when renovating the tandem I couldn't find the hydraulic front brake I had left over from when I changed the full set on a mates bike but only the rear was actually borked

Found it a few weeks ago in the bottom of the bin I stand my gardening tools up in. Been meaning to change it but the cable ones have been fine for stopping me and the eldest monkey who is a skinny 8 year old. Struggled a bit more with the wife on the back of the tandem as she obviously weighs more then a skinny 8 year old

Just as I'm about to start my neighbour asked if I could look at his bike as has no brakes. It hasn't been used in years since he passed test and stopped cycling to school with his son. Brake lever and cable off tandem and with a few other spares into front of the BOS bike and hydraulic brake onto my tandem.

Changed the chain on the tandem while at it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bludger on 20 April, 2020, 12:42:37 pm
Bled the front brake. Feels much better.

I feel that this technique is the best for the Shimano 105 hydraulics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhTGk6b-E-k (long video but definitely worth it - skip to 16:40 for the most important bit) and most shops just don't seem to be doing it so they always come out spongy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: HK on 20 April, 2020, 10:09:57 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 April, 2020, 02:42:55 pm
Fixed a new 1/8” chainwhip to be better than new.

The old hammers with loose heads no longer do.

In reality spent 85% of the day on the internet. Others did heavy toil in the garden - digging but no help from this person who has just left this residence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 April, 2020, 08:05:25 am
Did some socially distant fettling on a mate's shagged out bike. He stood a suitable distance away, wittering inanely while I struggled to get his cup and cone bottom bracket out. The Sheldon Brown nut and bolt trick to get the fixed cup shifted never ceases to impress me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 April, 2020, 07:46:10 pm
Chased and faced the Brompton BB shell ready for something fancy.  Considering how hard it was to get in a decade ago, the UN54 cartridge came out without too much fuss.  I hate those plastic left cups.

Btw, my Tacx fixed cup spanner has never failed to extract a fixed cup, even on a 70s Dawes Galaxy that was half returned to iron ore.  Sometimes it needs a mallet on the end of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 23 April, 2020, 09:09:24 pm
Bottle opener installed in the shed  :P

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49811201642_303f6f4c8d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iTDqRq)
IMG_5867_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iTDqRq) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 April, 2020, 11:41:28 pm
I'm building a VLF receiver to pick up some historic transmissions.
Today was the assembling of the pre-amp PCBs, in the back garden...

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49811715927_2d6bbfb994_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iTG4Jp)
VLF project (https://flic.kr/p/2iTG4Jp) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Assembled:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49810934308_d5ff87e0d8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iTC4od)
VLF Rx (https://flic.kr/p/2iTC4od) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 24 April, 2020, 09:37:10 am
What are you listening for? I know VLF is used for subs, but wonder if there is something else going on at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 April, 2020, 09:55:31 am
Yesterday.
Assembled a scythe.
It's made in Austria by a firm which has been making them since 1540.
For all my efforts, I could not get my assembled scythe to look like the one pictured on the website of the people I bought it from.
Following some interweb research, it transpires that the scythe pictured on the website of the people I bought it from, had been incorrectly assembled  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 April, 2020, 01:53:36 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 April, 2020, 09:55:31 am
Yesterday.
Assembled a scythe.
It's made in Austria by a firm which has been making them since 1540.
For all my efforts, I could not get my assembled scythe to look like the one pictured on the website of the people I bought it from.
Following some interweb research, it transpires that the scythe pictured on the website of the people I bought it from, had been incorrectly assembled  ::-)
The Grim Reaper has been forced to subcontract in these busy times.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 April, 2020, 03:43:20 pm
Quote from: MattH on 24 April, 2020, 09:37:10 am
What are you listening for? I know VLF is used for subs, but wonder if there is something else going on at the moment.

Transmissions from the Alexanderson electromechanical transmitter at Grimeton VLF station SAQ on 17.2KHz:

https://alexander.n.se/the-radio-station-saq-grimeton/the-alexanderson-transmitter/?lang=en
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 April, 2020, 07:30:27 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 24 April, 2020, 03:43:20 pm
Alexanderson electromechanical transmitter

I discovered these were a thing a few years ago via Eric Flint's 1632 universe[1].  And people think modern electronics is witchcraft...


[1] In which a town of late-90s rednecks gets plot-deviced into 17th century Germany with nothing but lots of guns and an extended fandom of optimists who've really done their homework to help them.  One story follows the attempts to construct an Alexanderson alternator based on little more than a grainy image from an encyclopedia and the knowledge that it was actually possible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 April, 2020, 07:35:14 pm
The knowledge that something is or has been possible is enormous. It's why those post-apocalypse stone age scenarios won't happen.

Well, I kind of think and hope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 24 April, 2020, 07:47:58 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 24 April, 2020, 01:53:36 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 April, 2020, 09:55:31 am
Yesterday.
Assembled a scythe.
It's made in Austria by a firm which has been making them since 1540.
For all my efforts, I could not get my assembled scythe to look like the one pictured on the website of the people I bought it from.
Following some interweb research, it transpires that the scythe pictured on the website of the people I bought it from, had been incorrectly assembled  ::-)
The Grim Reaper has been forced to subcontract in these busy times.

BLOODY COWBOYS, THE LOT OF THEM.

AT LEAST I CAN STILL GET A TAKEAWAY CURRY WHEN I AM OUT ON DUTY.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 April, 2020, 07:59:48 pm
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 24 April, 2020, 08:06:56 pm
YOU MAY LAUGH, BUT TRY FINDING AN OCTARINE-QUALIFIED BLACKSMITH WHO IS NOT UNDER LOCKDOWN...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 April, 2020, 09:58:02 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 April, 2020, 07:30:27 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 24 April, 2020, 03:43:20 pm
Alexanderson electromechanical transmitter
I discovered these were a thing a few years ago via Eric Flint's 1632 universe. And people think modern electronics is witchcraft...

The slightly ironic thing is the way in which I intend to receive there transmissions.
The transmission is using the most basic electro-mechanical components.
And my reception is using an un-tuned VLF wideband simple loop antenna and pre-amp which has a fairly flat response from 8 to 20 KHz. This is then digitised using nothing more than a PC sound card, and fed into FFT software and then processed in the frequency domain, using sophisticated modern techniques. Probably cheating.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 25 April, 2020, 11:35:07 am
Quote from: spesh on 24 April, 2020, 08:06:56 pm
YOU MAY LAUGH, BUT TRY FINDING AN OCTARINE-QUALIFIED BLACKSMITH WHO IS NOT UNDER LOCKDOWN...

I don't think the Ogg family would care much for piddling Gubbinsment regulations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 April, 2020, 08:04:01 pm
A mountain bike, for no reason other than because. And then I rode it. So did my son, which was remarkable, because it's supposed to be his. The brakes work well, the gears work decently, air in tyres, oiled chain and freed up some stiff links but it's still rusty. Telefork has never moved in all the time we've had it (got it from his two elder cousins), pedals knackered and now so is the headset. Steering feels twitchy but it's slightly too small for me, had to sit right back on the saddle to preserve my knees. Barely big enough for him really. Bottom bracket is still fine – I remember adjusting it when he got it – and most importantly the dinosaur bell still pings.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 25 April, 2020, 09:53:35 pm
Bled some disc brakes.

Which was a surprise to me, because until I started the job, I was expecting to have to adjust some cables... I really don't recall this bike having hydros when I acquired it. To be fair, I've not ridden it for a while.

Also surprised that a) I was able to find my disc brake bleeding kit, and b) remembered how to do the job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 April, 2020, 01:16:34 pm
Took out the Raleigh Twenty's BB.  Going to rethread to 24tpi and narrow it later.  It's 77.5mm and I need it to be 73mm for a Shimano cartridge.  68mm would be a step too far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 April, 2020, 08:10:01 pm
All done, and not as hard as Sheldon makes out.  Just takes time to face away 4.5mm (!).  The tapping is trivially easy.  Will need a 73 x 110mm BB for correct chainline with the 300EX cranks I had in the crypt of crap.

I'm going to go down to 42 x 15, which gives a 52" starting/climbing gear and a 70" cruising gear with the Duomatic hub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 26 April, 2020, 08:21:31 pm
How do you do the facing ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 April, 2020, 09:32:15 pm
With a facing tool  ;)

Amazingly, it survived the experience and is still sharp.  Replacement cutters are just about affordable https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/cyclus-tools-replacement-cutter-head-for-crankset-cutting-tool-22914?product_shape=standard&article_size=Standard
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 April, 2020, 01:35:23 pm
Put a Dura-Ace 7400 BB into the Brompton.  No particular reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 April, 2020, 08:38:59 pm
Continuing with my VLF Rx project I've just finished the loop antenna.

A jig was built to hold the arms exactly square as the corners were drilled, glued and doweled. The metal screws were removed after the glue dried.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49826406703_d669e6d81e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iUZmMD)
VLF loop antenna (https://flic.kr/p/2iUZmMD) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Cable trunking added...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49826940781_b622274b70_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iV36xT)
VLF loop antenna (https://flic.kr/p/2iV36xT) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Hundreds of turns of enameled copper wire wound onto it, the ends then soldered onto the BNC connectors...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49826937686_701fff5887_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iV35Cw)
VLF loop antenna (https://flic.kr/p/2iV35Cw) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Finally, the whole thing is wrapped in Aluminium tape to screen out local electrical signals whilst permitting the desired magnetic field.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49826406833_7c77b92ecf_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iUZmPT)
VLF loop antenna (https://flic.kr/p/2iUZmPT) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 April, 2020, 09:37:37 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 April, 2020, 09:32:15 pm
With a facing tool  ;)

Amazingly, it survived the experience and is still sharp.

Could you have fried an egg on it after you'd finished?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 April, 2020, 09:48:23 am
Not actual fettling but I learned how to fettle the rear shock on my MTB, courtesy of youtube.

MTBs are still very much a foreign world to me. I also discovered that I've been going way too low on the pressure. There's a pressure guide label on the fork, which indicates 90psi for the front shock, and I wrongly assumed it would be the same ballpark for the rear. But apparently, the X-Fusion 02 Pro RL is rated up to 300psi, and well in excess of 200psi is normal for a rider of my, ahem, stature. Kind of explains a few things.

Also a question: what grease is recommended for shocks? The stuff the chap used in the video looked similar to the SRAM stuff I bought for use on the internal workings of the Brompton hub gear. I presume this is something that's suitable for moving parts, and is different to the stuff I use on bolt threads. (Grease is also a foreign world to me.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 April, 2020, 10:23:33 am
Quote from: citoyen on 28 April, 2020, 09:37:37 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 April, 2020, 09:32:15 pm
With a facing tool  ;)

Amazingly, it survived the experience and is still sharp.

Could you have fried an egg on it after you'd finished?
It's a hand tool!  And you have to go quite slowly anyway, using lots of cutting oil, to prevent chatter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 April, 2020, 11:16:47 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 April, 2020, 09:32:15 pm
With a facing tool  ;)

Amazingly, it survived the experience and is still sharp.  Replacement cutters are just about affordable https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/cyclus-tools-replacement-cutter-head-for-crankset-cutting-tool-22914?product_shape=standard&article_size=Standard
Neat. I never knew such things existed.  I clearly haven't spent long enough in the back room of my LBS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 28 April, 2020, 02:10:30 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 01 April, 2020, 07:25:40 pm
Since using my small Mantis 2 stroke rotovator at the weekend, I found it wasn't running well, so I've cleaned the filters (air & fuel) and added grease to the worm gear drive. I used it again yesterday, and it's running alot better.  :thumbsup:
I've ordered a service kit so the fillters, etc. can be replaced next time.

The service kit arrived from China today - 2 air filters, 2 primer bulbs, complete fuel lines and filters assembly and a spark plug, for less than a sparkplug costs locally.  :D

Now it's too wet to work outside (because of remaining fuel) on the rotovator.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 28 April, 2020, 03:53:36 pm
I like big butts and I can not lie :smug:

(http://soretween.altervista.org/misc/Ilikebigbutts.jpg)

These have been sitting in a corner of the estate for mumble years on account of just knowing that would be an absolute arse of a job. Excuses ran out and the job fully lived up to expectations. 
The actual sleeper making the footing had lived under a hedge in a relatives garden for at least 15 years.  It still absolutely stank of creosote. 
The next 3 layers of modern 'sleeper' are left over from several jobs and from various sources so pretty much every piece was a slightly different interpretation of 100x200mm.  Drilling through their 200mm dimension on a pillar drill with only 80mm of travel was a tad krypton factor.
The top layer is the only new timber and the three pieces are slightly different thicknesses. 
Getting the Guttermate plumb horizontal attached to that wall was an exercise on it's own.  One of the spacers is fully 50mm long because, naturally, it fell on one of the deep pockets. 
Finally, the quality of the fittings that came with the butts left pretty much everything to be desired.

Still, done now and filling nicely today
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 28 April, 2020, 05:40:34 pm
I did a little fettling on the old (made between 1906 & 1912) Drummond lathe. I spent ages looking for the right length M8 bolts, only to discover I had already got some in the bag of lathe parts.  :facepalm:

I got it running, but I need to sort out an arrangement for the clutch pedal...

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 April, 2020, 05:43:46 pm
Replaced the poor quality Indian power level buttons on barakta's trike with some poor quality Chinese ones.

Electrical switches for attaching to handlebars come in three main categories:
a) Cheese
b) Excessively large motorcycle-oriented controls
c) The wrong flavour of latching/momentary, changeover, etc. switches.

Honourable mention to Shimano who make excellent quality (if £BloodyHellHowMuch) set of neat switches for their STEPS and Di2 systems.  Unfortunately it speaks CANbus, and assuming I could reverse-engineer it and molish a suitable interface dongle, bicycle electronics problems are rarely improved by introducing yet more electronics to your bicycle.

Dishonourable mention to Falco, whose motor seems to be pretty decent, but their ancillary components are a complete afterthought.  I've ranted about the poor design of the console itself before, but on this occasion, the +/- button unit (which is composed of a pair of membrane switches glued to an aluminium casting) had self-destructed due to exposure to Outside.  At least the one I've replaced it with has switch travel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 April, 2020, 06:13:11 pm
Cycle related woodwork today to create a "Bike Parking" area in my new workshop/garage - space is at a premium and I can only manage to store 3 bikes + the Brompton in there - they hang on hooks, top to tail to save width space.  2 more machines will be securely locked in the shed at the end of the garden.

I'm close to completing the fittng out . . . pics may follow in the next week or two.  I'm hoping that the new garage doors we've ordered will be here and fitted soon - the supplier seems to be working as the man will obviously be outside for most of the work . ... they're traditional 2 side-hinged doors with small windows at the top.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 28 April, 2020, 09:45:33 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 April, 2020, 05:43:46 pm

Dishonourable mention to Falco, whose motor seems to be pretty decent, but their ancillary components are a complete afterthought.

Frankly, what did you expect?
https://youtu.be/ey6cgwCAYNw
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 30 April, 2020, 05:02:30 pm
I’ve been working on the small lathe. I cleaned it with old 2 stroke petrol/oil mix, made a new solid hardwood base-board for it, and sorted the accessories into a storage box.
It had been a work one, but the motor had an issue, and it would cost too much to replace the motor and bring it up to safety standards, so they were getting rid of it. I thought I had sorted the motor issues by cleaning the commutator and brushes. However, after a few minutes running, it tripped the electrics in the garage. :( >:( >:(

Bugger. I need to sort out a new motor.  :-\

So, do I fit a slightly larger mains motor I have, and change all the drive belt system (because it will not fit the housing); or do I change to 12 or 24 volt, as I have seen done by someone else?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 April, 2020, 05:29:14 pm
Whatever's easiest for electronic speed control?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 30 April, 2020, 06:13:57 pm
Typical sparky’s answer  :P

Speed control is the least of my worries. It is more a problem of fitting, and gearing it to run the 5mm belt to the lathe!
I think I can do either. I have a small mains motor speed control unit at work at the moment. ::-)
For the DC motor, I can get another like I used a low voltage one on the electric go-kart that I converted for the grandsons a couple of years ago (I swapped in a slide potentiometer on that one, as it made cable connection to the accelerator pedal easier)

I have just dug out a 100 Watt 24 volt motor, from the scrap box, and it looks like it would mount in place of the original motor, which was a 95/65 Watt one. I would need to turn a new pully for it as the shaft is different.

I have adapted the mains motor I have to accept the original pully, so I think I will go for that one, although it will probably need an intemediate gearing down pully.

As I have the vertical milling attachment, I may use the dc motor for that, as originally you needed to move the motor to drive it, which was a pain.

Edit: The annoying thing is that I probably have switchgear, enclosures, and 3mm steel for making mounting plates, at work - and I can't go in.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 April, 2020, 06:18:16 pm
Fettled Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)’s PVR back into taking-to-the-telly mode, over the phone.  Not easy when he can barely make out any blinkenlights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 May, 2020, 11:29:01 am
Cleared a jam in my nail gun. Gory details aside, rough procedure was: hold gun in this hand, hold scriber point against bit of swarf in that hand, hit scriber end with hammer held in the other hand, swear, pick up bits and redo from start, the while hearing MrsT's voice in my mind's ear saying "are you sure that isn't meant to be there?"

Anyway, gun works & should go on working because, gory being non-figurative, I made sacrifice to the great god Bricolage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 May, 2020, 02:02:17 pm
Fitted some 20" Marathon Plus tyres.  MY FINGERS!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 May, 2020, 04:30:25 pm
As I have bought a couple of gadening tools, on account of putting the upper 50 acres under the plough*, today I tidied the wee brick shed and screwed various tool hooks into the brickwork.

Disfortunately I don't have a battery operated drill and there is no power at the wee brick shed.  Therefore I plugged a 10m extension lead into the nearest 13A socket and hurled gently lowered it from the 1st floor window. Strain relief was taken care of by throwing a half hitch in the flex round the window catch.  On ground level I placed the lawn mower in a strategic position to lift the other end of the extension off the ground a bit and to provide a bit more strain relief. Two further 3m extensions were daisy chained into that and then the drill.

Holes drilled, hooks fixed, tools hung, shed tidied. No one got hurt.

*I've dug part of my alleged lawn over, spud, broad bean, tomato and courgette growing for the use of.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 May, 2020, 06:26:51 pm
Swapped the bars and stem on the Twenty, centred the chainring and tensioned the chain, fitted some pedals and took it for a cruise.  It might be the gayest-looking bike in Swindon but it's a lot of fun with the Duomatic hub.  Need to take the mudguards off as the clearance is now ludicrous (it's designed for 451, not 406, wheels).  The ones from the TSR should be a good fit.  Or I'll leave it bare.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 04 May, 2020, 07:56:34 pm
Fully gravelfied the black rose, longboards off, crud catcher on, 32mm marathon supremes off, 38mm G-ones on.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 04 May, 2020, 08:10:28 pm
Emptied the garden tool shed and dismantled it. It was tilting backwards and the OSB on 30mm square floor was sagging and moving all over the place.

Shed panels panels have been painted (I ran out of paint before I could do the front) and new framework for the floor cut from 75mm sq fence posts   :o

Tomorrow I aim to relevel the slabs it sits on ( and move it forwards a couple of inches), finish screwing the floor framework and put (repurposed) tongue & groove floor on before straigthening and reinforcing the panels and reassembling the shed.  :smug:

Some of my crap gardening tools will have to camp out, under a tarp, on the lawn a second night if I don't get finished.  :-\

Pictures maybe tomorrow.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 05 May, 2020, 10:19:55 pm
Pictures of shed reconstruction posted in the 'Wobbly Workshop' thread.  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 May, 2020, 12:40:25 pm
Cleaned the Pretty Bike and the boing bike yesterday. Cleaned the Bloo Bike today.  Measured the chain on the Pretty Bike and the Bloo Bike using the Brucey Digital Caliper Method.  It's neat. I like it.  I may have to thin the jaws of my caliper to make it easier.

Bloo Bike was a 0.06" over 5", so Very Worn. I've ordered a new chain and fixed sprocket.  The Pretty Bike was well in spec but I ordered a chain anyway as it's getting more use these days.


Edit: Link to Brucey's method is here: https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=115336&sid=a616e58dd1b8fbf1526f66ab7c686283 (https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=115336&sid=a616e58dd1b8fbf1526f66ab7c686283)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 May, 2020, 01:22:00 pm
Bloody dogs burst my workshop door open again, so keep-fettling for the top bolt is under way. Again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 06 May, 2020, 07:20:57 pm
Finished fettling the VLF Rx, and now exploring the local VLF spectrum.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49863322518_4f3890ffa1_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iYfyzd)
Culter VLF Rx station (https://flic.kr/p/2iYfyzd) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

The bright spectral lines are Les Grenouilles talking to their submarines from the HWU transmitter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HWU_transmitter) at Rosnay (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/46%C2%B042'47.0%22N+1%C2%B014'39.0%22E/@46.713137,1.2322712,3699m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d46.7130556!4d1.2441667?hl=en) on 18.3 KHz, and our Great British transmissions from Anthorn VLF station (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthorn_Radio_Station) at, er, Anthorn (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/54%C2%B054'39.6%22N+3%C2%B016'48.0%22W/@54.9110031,-3.2821887,643m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d54.911!4d-3.28?hl=en) on 19.58 KHz. Also visible are the Noggies and Ruskies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 07 May, 2020, 04:33:16 am
Quote from: T42 on 06 May, 2020, 01:22:00 pm
Bloody dogs burst my workshop door open again, so keep-fettling for the top bolt is under way. Again.

Who let the dogs out?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 08 May, 2020, 01:37:13 pm
After missing the correct brackets from Rob for my karrimor panniers I resolved to sort something better then toe strap or lock wire. Tidying up at work this week and found a box of about 600 top hat fixings that go with a massively heavy duty rivet when building lorry bodies. Two of these with a longish M5 countersunk screw through the pannier rack/mudguard securing eyelet work perfectly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 May, 2020, 04:39:57 pm
My first ever bit of internal cable routing, all without fuss. It helped that I had a length of that plastic weatherproof thin bare-run inner cable cover to use as a guide.

Except that it was still too big to poke through the exit hole. A quick 1/4" longitudinal cut meant that the end could reduce in size and lo and behold it poked through. Blessed relief.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 May, 2020, 05:02:50 pm
Quote from: asterix on 07 May, 2020, 04:33:16 am
Quote from: T42 on 06 May, 2020, 01:22:00 pm
Bloody dogs burst my workshop door open again, so keep-fettling for the top bolt is under way. Again.

Who let the dogs out?

Well, me.  But they did the headlong sprint down the garden path and used my doors for a brake.

I've put a tree-stump in front of it now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 May, 2020, 06:13:00 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 May, 2020, 04:39:57 pm
My first ever bit of internal cable routing, all without fuss. It helped that I had a length of that plastic weatherproof thin bare-run inner cable cover to use as a guide.

Except that it was still too big to poke through the exit hole. A quick 1/4" longitudinal cut meant that the end could reduce in size and lo and behold it poked through. Blessed relief.

... if you have the inner cable being replaced still in the frame then it's a doddle to slide a length of the "inner inner" (i.e. the thin plastic tube) over the cable and pull it through as you remove the old inner wire - you then just poke the new cable through the tubing and then pull out the plastic tube . . . . of course if the inner wire is bust inside the frame you're buggered!   [Also - a 20 cm length of brake cable outer with the plastic removed and the end 2 or 3 coils pulled out to form a hook makes a useful internal cable fishing tool]

I keep both a long length of the plastic tube and the home-brewed fishing tool in my workshop.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 May, 2020, 06:26:38 pm
Replaced the front tyre on my fixed after slashing the sidewall on a nasty pothole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 08 May, 2020, 06:37:27 pm
New chain, new sprocket for the fixer.

Haribos for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 May, 2020, 06:49:27 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 May, 2020, 06:13:00 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 May, 2020, 04:39:57 pm
My first ever bit of internal cable routing, all without fuss. It helped that I had a length of that plastic weatherproof thin bare-run inner cable cover to use as a guide.

Except that it was still too big to poke through the exit hole. A quick 1/4" longitudinal cut meant that the end could reduce in size and lo and behold it poked through. Blessed relief.

... if you have the inner cable being replaced still in the frame then it's a doddle to slide a length of the "inner inner" (i.e. the thin plastic tube) over the cable and pull it through as you remove the old inner wire - you then just poke the new cable through the tubing and then pull out the plastic tube . . . . of course if the inner wire is bust inside the frame you're buggered!   [Also - a 20 cm length of brake cable outer with the plastic removed and the end 2 or 3 coils pulled out to form a hook makes a useful internal cable fishing tool]

I keep both a long length of the plastic tube and the home-brewed fishing tool in my workshop.

Rob
And that's exactly what I did, the inner cable was still in place. The problem I had was that the thin plastic stuff didn't emerge from the hole at the top of the down tube, until I had put the slit in it so that it could form a taper. Good tip on the fish hook. Thank you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 09 May, 2020, 10:30:01 am
Quote from: asterix on 07 May, 2020, 04:33:16 am
Quote from: T42 on 06 May, 2020, 01:22:00 pm
Bloody dogs burst my workshop door open again, so keep-fettling for the top bolt is under way. Again.

Who let the dogs out?

Correct.

(https://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Screenshot-2020-03-12-at-15.16.42.png)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 09 May, 2020, 10:36:51 am
Taking a break from fettling my hybrid.

SO is not having any luck finding a bicycle, so I'm going to let her try my hybrid for size.  So far the bicycle has been cleaned (yuck), and winter tyres removed - on since 2018-19.  ::-)   While things dry I need to check tool kit and find a bell, bonus if I can find the lights (though I doubt she'll be riding in the dark any time soon).  At some point I hope to take it out for a spin before riding the 30km to her place.  It was serviced last year, just haven't ridden it since, so everything should still work OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 09 May, 2020, 11:11:04 am
Put Schwalbe Marathon pluses in place of the Bontragers on the shopper bike.  Bontrager treads had lots of cuts - must have stopped a few punctures in their time as had only one since purchase in 2012. It's my newest bike..  Average age of the other four is 24 years, all have needed new tyres now.. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 May, 2020, 02:07:16 pm
I am mid-bike dismemberment. Taking it to bits to be powder coated.
This is my commuter and it hasn't had an awful lot of TLC in the 7 yrs since I built it so I had to hammer all the spacers off the steerer tube (which was covered in rust) and then we had to destroy the top of the headset cover to get it off the fork. Mental note to give it a bit more love occasionally.

Aprés lunch, twatting out the headset cups, filing a stuck allen bolt down to get a spanner on it (stupid 3mm keys, what use are they?) and trying to get the barrel adjuster thingys off the frame (the bolts are off but they are not) beckons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 May, 2020, 04:15:16 pm
a bit of a shed tidy and a measure up for timber to replace the 20-yo sleepers forming raised beds in the back.  Only problem was that every size I quoted from their website, the timber merchant didn't have. Once I'd worked out what I could work with of the sizes they have in stock, after three phone calls, they'd closed.  Ordering will have to wait till Monday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 09 May, 2020, 04:17:36 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 09 May, 2020, 02:07:16 pm
I am mid-bike dismemberment. Taking it to bits to be powder coated.
This is my commuter and it hasn't had an awful lot of TLC in the 7 yrs since I built it so I had to hammer all the spacers off the steerer tube (which was covered in rust) and then we had to destroy the top of the headset cover to get it off the fork. Mental note to give it a bit more love occasionally.

Aprés lunch, twatting out the headset cups, filing a stuck allen bolt down to get a spanner on it (stupid 3mm keys, what use are they?) and trying to get the barrel adjuster thingys off the frame (the bolts are off but they are not) beckons.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49873923148_d7c2e60804_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iZbTLG)
IMG_5927_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iZbTLG) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49874454716_8998fc9952_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iZeBME)
IMG_5930_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iZeBME) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Morat on 09 May, 2020, 05:30:24 pm
Washed mini-Morat's Islabike and replaced the rear inner tube.
It's now on the Bay of E
I'll miss that thing, it's absolutely gorgeous and holds many happy memories. The little chap took really good care of it too.
But hey, cash....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 09 May, 2020, 05:39:09 pm
With a bit of luck you should get close to what you paid for it.

Selling our various Islabikes has always been a wrench. The first is now on its fourth child and we see it most weekends in the Summer (normally).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 May, 2020, 09:51:21 am
Hauled main bike out from under its dust-sheet prior to end-of-lockdown fettle & hung it up on the ceiling hooks in the workshop. Cue "clunk" and sounds of plastery stuff falling on chipboard as ceiling descended a centimetre or two.  Uttered a Word of Power, took bike off hooks, went indoors again.

Need to get some rough 5x5 cm timber to build frame to support ceiling & take new hooks. bzgger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 10 May, 2020, 05:21:19 pm
Having emptied the garage, cleaned and built a new work bench and refilled the garage, my attention turns to all those bike parts I have squirreled away in drawers etc.. I replaced my 7 year old Dolan Dual's frame last spring, so I dug the frame out and a load of parts.
I built a new rear wheel, and have begun assembly. Just awaiting a parts order for the couple of parts I don't have, BB, spacers for the steerer etc.. I'm looking forward to this rolling out on local tarmac.
Also stripping my old Dawes Super Galaxy which my need sending to local the paintshop for a 25 year respray, ready to rebuild as my daily commuter.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200510/c7f5f9bf59bd605c3a8a2ea2fb1b3b52.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200510/f32ba2550a54fc36d3871911658ccb9e.jpg)

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 May, 2020, 12:53:30 pm
Filled a new Brita filter. Piece of piss.

Then the puncture. Strange one that. I got the tube out and checked the tyre inner for any foreign object. Zilch. Fixed the - large - hole, then put it back on and pumped it up. Seemed OK. Firstly, I think the glue has seen better days. I left it a long time, but it didn't go tacky, but I stuck the patch on anyway and it seemed to be OK. Secondly, as I went to put the tube back into the tyre casing, I noticed that the hole was on the inside of the tube. Curiouser & curiouser, I looked at the rim tape and it had given way at one of the spoke holes and 70psi had done its work. Seeing as it's a Cube, that surprised me. No problem, thought I, as I have some spares. Only they were for a 26" MTB whee!, not a 700c. I applied some duct tape to the missing stretch after cutting the new rim tape and fitting that. I put the repaired tube and tyre back on the rim and pumped up to 40psi. Hiss....! The repair had given way. I wasn't that surprised, as it was a big hole & the glue was dodgy. Luckily a new 700c tube was to hand . so I fitted it and all seems fine with the bodged rim tape.

The Cube rim tape seems very rigid and not at all flexible and that had caused it to be cut away by the spoke hole rim. New tapes are on their way to hopefully remedy this on both wheels.
Edit: made the rim tape repair clearer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 11 May, 2020, 01:11:49 pm
Re rim tape,

Cut the 26" rim tape to cover the torn spot on the 700cc rim tape, and attach with electrical tape.

Good luck.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 11 May, 2020, 01:17:36 pm
That's more or less what I did, except I filled the spoke hole's void with kitchen roll scrunched up, then put a double layer of duct tape over the section with the issue and stuck it in place. The duct tape is thicker than the replacement rim tape.

I'm surprised the problem hasn't arisen before, as the previous tyres ran at 85psi.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 May, 2020, 01:27:44 pm
Closer inspection of workshop ceiling shows that battens I thought were fixed to the concrete roof are merely there to hold the edges of chipboard sheets together, so if I want to fix things properly I need to remove all the lights, sockets and cables that serve that end of the shop, haul down the chipboard and REDO FROM START, as it used to say in 1979 Microsoft Basic or some such.  N.B. "if".  One is gloomy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 11 May, 2020, 04:51:59 pm
changed the washer on the outdoor tap which leaked as soon as I turned it on for the first time in this house.
Laid out some hosepipe to start an irrigation system and tightened up a toilet seat left loose by the plumber.

Then made pickled cucumbers and pickled blueberries but put too much fresh ginger in by reading the quantity wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 11 May, 2020, 05:57:02 pm
Tweaked the gearing on my new bike.

From upstairs on my smartphone.

Yes, Brucey.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 May, 2020, 07:55:55 pm
Took this to the powder coater.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49874454981_09190a1a43.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iZeBSe)IMG_5932_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iZeBSe) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Hope it's going to be alright  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 May, 2020, 08:37:48 pm
Got out an Islabike that's waiting to go to one of our grandchildren to loan it the neighbour's daughter for a few days (she'll look after it on pain of death) . . . . both tubes punctured, one by the valve and the other a split that looks like it's been pinched (bike was a recent ebay purchase)   

It's a 26" wheel machine . . . . . and, of course, being "an all 700" household (Brompton excepted) no spare tubes.  So, put 700 x 28 tubes in with the overlap carefully folded opposite side the valve.  So far so good from the rider.

Planet X has an order for 26 Presta tubes - I shall repalce the two when they arrive and keep the other two in stock.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 11 May, 2020, 08:50:47 pm
Mrs Pingu,

Which powder coated are you using? Not Henderson in Leith? How much do they charge and what do they do?

I have an old Dawes Super Galaxy which is in need to blasting, derust of spots here and there and respray.

Many thanks, Dave C

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 May, 2020, 09:09:07 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 11 May, 2020, 08:50:47 pm
Mrs Pingu,

Which powder coated are you using? Not Henderson in Leith? How much do they charge and what do they do?

I have an old Dawes Super Galaxy which is in need to blasting, derust of spots here and there and respray.

Many thanks, Dave C

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk



Cripes, no, that's flipping miles away from me and lot of faff to go to for an abused commuter. I tried the place Terry recommended on my question in the Audax Ecosse FB group on the basis of his alloy wheels, in Aberdeen. Price seems like it could be a bit of a moveable feast but I should find out more tomorrow when they've stripped it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 May, 2020, 02:06:59 pm
Having bumbled along for a few months with an almost, but not quite, sharp enough kitchen knife to perform dough slashing duties, I made* a lame.

* Went to village Mega Mart, bought a pack of Wilkinson sword razor blades.  Spent a while wondering, then browsing teh intarwebs to work out how to open the box. Once I'd got a blade out I slid it onto a wooden chopstick, curving it as I did.

No blood spilt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eckagain on 12 May, 2020, 03:34:44 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 11 May, 2020, 08:50:47 pm
Mrs Pingu,
 
Which powder coated are you using? Not Henderson in Leith? How much do they charge and what do they do?
Dave,
I think Henderson have a good reputation locally, so maybe worth asking on the AE facebook group.
As a possible alternative, I've used Pentland Coatings at Lasswade for three steel frames* over the past few years. About £60 for frame and forks, good quality and durable finish.
* One deep blue Candy Coat (sparkly), one charcoal grey Candy Coat, and one plain orange. I think your choice of colour depends on what they happen to have at the time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 May, 2020, 09:13:35 am
Built a dynohub wheel for the increasingly weird-ass* Raleigh Twenty.  SP SV-9, radially-spoked.  This is, apparently, ok.

*BMX sized wheels, Sachs Duomatic rear hub, BMX fork with V-brakes, ISO threading throughout, proper UN55 BB and road crankset, etc.  Only the frame is left!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 May, 2020, 02:27:31 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 13 May, 2020, 09:13:35 am
Built a dynohub wheel for the increasingly weird-ass* Raleigh Twenty.  SP SV-9, radially-spoked.  This is, apparently, ok.

*BMX sized wheels, Sachs Duomatic rear hub, BMX fork with V-brakes, ISO threading throughout, proper UN55 BB and road crankset, etc.  Only the frame is left!

I wanted to order a wheel with an SP SV-9 from Spa to do PBP in 2015 but they said it was a light version of the SP SV-8 and the flanges probably wouldn't stand it. Took the -8 and was fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 May, 2020, 03:51:18 pm
Removed the pedals from a cow-orker's new-ish Carrera hybrid bike, so he could put on some new ones with toe clips he'd bought.

Whoever assembled the bike was a bit of a gorilla, I'd lent cow-orker my pedal spanner a while back and he couldn't shift them. Yesterday he brought the bike in, I managed one but my pedal spanner (admittedly a freebie from Wiggle many years ago that came in the box with a bike from them, but has been adequate up to now) started to chew up both the pedal and itself equally so I stopped. Today I brought in more tools, and removed the cage from the pedal (luckily it was just screwed on) so I could get in with a BFO spanner that did the job.

New pedals fitted using allen key and a bit of anti-seize paste.


I rarely use them, as most of my pedals have allen key sockets on them, but can anyone recommend a good pedal spanner to drop back into my toolbox? Tempted by the Park Tool PW-4 as it's one of those tools that when you need it, you really need it to not mess up and destroy itself and the pedal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 May, 2020, 04:37:24 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 May, 2020, 06:49:27 pm
Quote from: robgul on 08 May, 2020, 06:13:00 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 May, 2020, 04:39:57 pm
My first ever bit of internal cable routing, all without fuss. It helped that I had a length of that plastic weatherproof thin bare-run inner cable cover to use as a guide.

Except that it was still too big to poke through the exit hole. A quick 1/4" longitudinal cut meant that the end could reduce in size and lo and behold it poked through. Blessed relief.

... if you have the inner cable being replaced still in the frame then it's a doddle to slide a length of the "inner inner" (i.e. the thin plastic tube) over the cable and pull it through as you remove the old inner wire - you then just poke the new cable through the tubing and then pull out the plastic tube . . . . of course if the inner wire is bust inside the frame you're buggered!   [Also - a 20 cm length of brake cable outer with the plastic removed and the end 2 or 3 coils pulled out to form a hook makes a useful internal cable fishing tool]

I keep both a long length of the plastic tube and the home-brewed fishing tool in my workshop.

Rob
And that's exactly what I did, the inner cable was still in place. The problem I had was that the thin plastic stuff didn't emerge from the hole at the top of the down tube, until I had put the slit in it so that it could form a taper. Good tip on the fish hook. Thank you.
Doh !!  And at the end of a long day I set about replacing the rear brake cable and left my brain behind. Inner cable extracted without first applying the inner guide. Swear, I did.

Bike upside down and tried the corkscrew tool, to no avail. Finally snared the new cable by inserting a loop of old inner cable into the hole, poking the new inner through the loop and then pulling it out.

Nincompoop.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 May, 2020, 04:40:14 pm
Quote from: MattH on 13 May, 2020, 03:51:18 pm
Removed the pedals from a cow-orker's new-ish Carrera hybrid bike, so he could put on some new ones with toe clips he'd bought.

Whoever assembled the bike was a bit of a gorilla, I'd lent cow-orker my pedal spanner a while back and he couldn't shift them. Yesterday he brought the bike in, I managed one but my pedal spanner (admittedly a freebie from Wiggle many years ago that came in the box with a bike from them, but has been adequate up to now) started to chew up both the pedal and itself equally so I stopped. Today I brought in more tools, and removed the cage from the pedal (luckily it was just screwed on) so I could get in with a BFO spanner that did the job.

New pedals fitted using allen key and a bit of anti-seize paste.


I rarely use them, as most of my pedals have allen key sockets on them, but can anyone recommend a good pedal spanner to drop back into my toolbox? Tempted by the Park Tool PW-4 as it's one of those tools that when you need it, you really need it to not mess up and destroy itself and the pedal.
I have the Park Tools PW5 and whilst good, it's not quite as perfect as I would expect of a Park Tools tool. The jaws have taken a bit of a knock over the years. It is described thus : -
Quote
The PW-5 is perfect for the home workshop or event tool box. Although economically priced, this 15mm pedal wrench, like all Park Tool products, is built to last.

In retrospect I should have bought the PW4.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 May, 2020, 05:08:34 pm
Quote from: hatler on 13 May, 2020, 04:40:14 pm
Quote from: MattH on 13 May, 2020, 03:51:18 pm
Removed the pedals from a cow-orker's new-ish Carrera hybrid bike, so he could put on some new ones with toe clips he'd bought.

Whoever assembled the bike was a bit of a gorilla, I'd lent cow-orker my pedal spanner a while back and he couldn't shift them. Yesterday he brought the bike in, I managed one but my pedal spanner (admittedly a freebie from Wiggle many years ago that came in the box with a bike from them, but has been adequate up to now) started to chew up both the pedal and itself equally so I stopped. Today I brought in more tools, and removed the cage from the pedal (luckily it was just screwed on) so I could get in with a BFO spanner that did the job.

New pedals fitted using allen key and a bit of anti-seize paste.


I rarely use them, as most of my pedals have allen key sockets on them, but can anyone recommend a good pedal spanner to drop back into my toolbox? Tempted by the Park Tool PW-4 as it's one of those tools that when you need it, you really need it to not mess up and destroy itself and the pedal.
I have the Park Tools PW5 and whilst good, it's not quite as perfect as I would expect of a Park Tools tool. The jaws have taken a bit of a knock over the years. It is described thus : -
Quote
The PW-5 is perfect for the home workshop or event tool box. Although economically priced, this 15mm pedal wrench, like all Park Tool products, is built to last.

In retrospect I should have bought the PW4.

You really need either a PW3 or PW5 is even better - the PW4 is a bit like a slightly heavier duty cone spanner.   Of course you can often use a standard 15mm spanner if the jaws aren't too thick (you may need a bit of tube to supplement the leverage)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 13 May, 2020, 06:52:50 pm
Quote from: MattH on 13 May, 2020, 03:51:18 pm

... but can anyone recommend a good pedal spanner to drop back into my toolbox? Tempted by the Park Tool PW-4 as it's one of those tools that when you need it, you really need it to not mess up and destroy itself and the pedal.

The PW-4 Park pedal spanner can normally be bought for under a tenner that's what I use, and I've snapped a few open end 15mm chromoly spanners trying to get pedals off...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 May, 2020, 07:36:54 pm
I think mine is a Fat Spanner job, has not let me down yet, but then I always apply a smear of grease to my pedal threads
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 May, 2020, 08:45:20 pm
I'm pretty sure it was a PW5 I destroyed trying to get one of my pedals off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 13 May, 2020, 08:50:35 pm
I always use a smear of copper grease. Never had a problem with pedals since.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 May, 2020, 09:30:09 pm
Doesn't make any difference with mine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 13 May, 2020, 11:27:58 pm
Following from my musings in this thread (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=115581.0), today Il Postino brought me a shiny Shimano enclosed cam skewer, MTB size.

By careful use of a scriber I removed the circlip, dismantled the business end, replaced it with the BoB Yak end and replaced the circlip.  Minor blood loss due to a scriber/thumb interface incident.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 May, 2020, 09:09:04 am
Quote from: robgul on 13 May, 2020, 05:08:34 pm

You really need either a PW3 or PW5 is even better - the PW4 is a bit like a slightly heavier duty cone spanner.   Of course you can often use a standard 15mm spanner if the jaws aren't too thick (you may need a bit of tube to supplement the leverage)


Hmm, I thought the 4 was the heavier duty version, with the 3 and 5 being thinner, lighter duty home versions.

I always put anti seize grease on mine, they don't come loose but do come off easily with a decent 6mm allen key. It's when working on other people's bikes I have an issue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 May, 2020, 10:20:23 am
Quote from: T42 on 13 May, 2020, 02:27:31 pm
I wanted to order a wheel with an SP SV-9 from Spa to do PBP in 2015 but they said it was a light version of the SP SV-8 and the flanges probably wouldn't stand it. Took the -8 and was fine.
According to at least one retailer, all non-disc (well, duh) SP hubs are good for radial spoking, including the SV-9.  I actually did it that way because the wheel was originally radial and, all other things being equal, you shouldn't create new notches in the flanges.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 May, 2020, 03:13:41 pm
Watering can.
Long spout.
Indoor plants.
For watering thereof.
Water issuing forth in an unbridled manner via an orifice through which it shouldn't (I split the spout).
Self-Amalgamating tape to the rescue.
Saved myself around £25.00, as well as hanging around in the mental length queue currently outside my local garden centre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 May, 2020, 06:45:45 pm
Haven't been anywhere near the garden centre today, but the dump had a long queueueue as I rode past this afternoon.

My fettling today has been knives, those that get used more often are now of suitable sharpness (the less used ones were still sharp.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 May, 2020, 08:51:15 pm
Removed some nice grey engineering bricks that were forming the edging on our drive to be able to use them for something else in the garden at some time in the future - in readiness for the men with the BIG machine that are coming to dig out all the driveway and pave it next week.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bolt on 17 May, 2020, 10:33:25 pm
Finally got round to resuming my attempt to fit a new nose to an old Spa Nidd saddle.  I'd previously drilled out the rivets with the hope of being able to fit the new nose with the tension bolt in situ using countersunk bolts and lock nuts.  However it seemed that the spare B17 nose I was using was too short to be able to do this.  So, with nothing to lose I took the dremel to the tension shackle and ground out the contact area to the saddle rail a little to allow the shackle to rotate closer to 90 degrees wrt to the nose.  I then assembled the saddle minus the bolts with the tension bolt fully retracted. The rivet holes on the saddle were now almost aligned with the holes in the nose and with the aid of a screwdriver inserted through the top hole, I was able to gently ease the leather forward enough to allow the bolts to be inserted.  Getting the nuts fitted was an exercise in dexterity aided with long nose pliers but achievable without too much hassle.

The bolts I used were SPD cleat bolts which seem to be a good replacement for the original rivets having a relatively broad countersunk head that sit flush into the leather when tightened.  The only snag is that the centre SPD bolt on the top of the saddle is slightly too long and obstructs the tension shackle when you wind up the tension bolt past 4 or 5 turns.  For now there's enough tension on the saddle for this not to be a problem, but it's something to be aware of for anyone else who fancies tying this method out. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 May, 2020, 04:40:14 pm
third chain for a ss bike after 7464km

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200518/3e4e344d7a0f0ae68b1e5818900aa8c9.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 May, 2020, 05:01:59 pm
Started making a new tote for my Stanley N°5, the old plastic one having snapped at the front screw-hole. Lee Valley do a free drawing & instructions:  https://assets.leevalley.com/Original/10090/56664-stanley-number-5-and-up-plane-tote-c-06-e.pdf  That note in the top left about size is dead on - I had to reduce mine by a few mm to give the adjustment lever clearance.  Final shaping tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 18 May, 2020, 06:09:26 pm
Fitted a rack to Mrs H's bike, as she has taken a fancy to my nice new Super C panniers  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 18 May, 2020, 08:41:24 pm
Built up an 'old school' Dave Hinde time trial bike, from various bits (Campag cranks & front mech; Shimano 9 speed shifters and rear mech; Sram Rival brake calipers and cassette).  :smug:

Now I have no excuse not to enter time trials this year...  :D

Oh bugger.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 18 May, 2020, 08:49:02 pm
I bought two Hope Pro Mono hubs off Rob B a few years ago. Finally I have a use for them and have built them both up. Laced tensioned and trued. They just require taped, shod and pumped before going on my bike.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200518/718ba72923668fdca5d9511c9dcdbbd0.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200518/9b0b9c62c23b517c2ce5a216036eef74.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200518/db4a7fd81703f0edfe4eb2065ea5b967.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 19 May, 2020, 06:45:30 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 18 May, 2020, 08:41:24 pm
Built up an 'old school' Dave Hinde time trial bike, from various bits (Campag cranks & front mech; Shimano 9 speed shifters and rear mech; Sram Rival brake calipers and cassette).  :smug:

Now I have no excuse not to enter time trials this year...  :D

Oh bugger.  :facepalm:

Took it for a ride today!  :D

(https://i.ibb.co/zxnDgGL/P1100579.jpg)
 
(https://i.ibb.co/kSztWDJ/P1100580.jpg)
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 19 May, 2020, 07:42:14 pm
Finally got to use one of the contents of the packet of Schraeder valve cores that I inherited from my father.

Next door neighbour's bike had an 'incurable' flat.

Fifty mumble something years and I've finally encountered a knackered valve core.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 19 May, 2020, 09:13:43 pm
Nice ride Wobbly! I too have taken the time while house bound to build up an old Dolan Dual frame with spare parts from my drawers in the garage. It is lovely and light and quite nice to bomb around the town on.

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 May, 2020, 07:33:44 pm
This evening I have mostly been learning how to use a thread tapper to remove all the powder coating in it  :facepalm:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49917227657_8b06e56d7f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j41QGa)2020-05-20_07-12-02 (https://flic.kr/p/2j41QGa) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Tomorrow's job will be to try to excavate the crown race  >:(

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49916412793_8d2191e234.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j3WEsM)2020-05-20_07-11-39 (https://flic.kr/p/2j3WEsM) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 May, 2020, 08:12:20 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 May, 2020, 07:33:44 pm
This evening I have mostly been learning how to use a thread tapper to remove all the powder coating in it  :facepalm:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49917227657_8b06e56d7f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j41QGa)2020-05-20_07-12-02 (https://flic.kr/p/2j41QGa) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Tomorrow's job will be to try to excavate the crown race  >:(

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49916412793_8d2191e234.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j3WEsM)2020-05-20_07-11-39 (https://flic.kr/p/2j3WEsM) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

.... next time : insert old bolts in all the threaded orifices (mudguard eyes, bottle cage bosses, derailleur hanger if built in etc ) and old style cups in the BB.  Just take them out and threads will be ready for use.  The coater should have taped the crown race before coating (and put some heat-resistant paper in the head and seat tubes to mask them).

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 May, 2020, 08:53:05 pm
I would have but the coater claimed they did all the masking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 20 May, 2020, 09:00:08 pm
Hmmmm, I think I've only got 1" crown cutters (both sizes)  :demon

Today's fettlement for me was fitting a 24V dc motor to the mini lathe, along with a 24V PSU and speed control.  :smug:

All working - just need to make a vented case for the PSU, and turn a pulley for the motor...  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2020, 09:24:31 pm
If you cut the paint with a sharp knife, that crown race should tap off ok and it'll be bare metal underneath.  I assume they didn't fill the steerer threads too (if it's threaded)?  That would be a real PITA as fork dies are a bit niche.

I'd have removed the crown race before painting and cleaned the seat when it came back, which I think is conventional.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2020, 09:29:28 pm
I cut the Twenty forks (not original) from JIS to ISO, reamed and faced the head tube and fitted a Tange Falcon, which Condor are currently doing for £15 and is a real fit-and-forget headset.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 20 May, 2020, 09:44:52 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2020, 09:24:31 pm
I assume they didn't fill the steerer threads too (if it's threaded)?  That would be a real PITA as fork dies are a bit niche.

Got the Park dies guides and holder, both 1" & 9/8"...  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 May, 2020, 10:00:06 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2020, 09:24:31 pm
If you cut the paint with a sharp knife, that crown race should tap off ok and it'll be bare metal underneath.  I assume they didn't fill the steerer threads too (if it's threaded)?  That would be a real PITA as fork dies are a bit niche.

I'd have removed the crown race before painting and cleaned the seat when it came back, which I think is conventional.

Actually I forgot the race wasn't part of the fork. It wasn't tremendously obvious when we looked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 20 May, 2020, 11:21:08 pm
Good colour though  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 21 May, 2020, 02:11:50 pm
Did a few little chores on the Cube:
* Fitted new rim tapes to prevent similar punctures to the one I had last week where the inner tube was forced through the old tape into the inner spoke hole
* While I was at it I added Slime to the tubes
* Cleaned & lubed the chain & I think the Park Tool cleaner needs new brushes
* Changed the front brake pads
* Bolstered the sat nav body holder to prevent it slipping

Then I got bored and fitted the edison screw light pendants. Fiddlier than I was expecting, but done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 May, 2020, 08:42:27 pm
Quote from: Deano on 20 May, 2020, 11:21:08 pm
Good colour though  :thumbsup:

Fanks! (Kawasaki green with 'rock star fleck' I know it's only a commuter but I went to all the trouble...)

Tonight I took a Dremel-a-like to the crown race and got all the threads in the BB cups and deraileur hanger sorted. Not sure if I need to do something with the overspray on the inside of the headtube but if I do that'll be another job for the Dremel-a-like.
Tomorrow or Saturday I'll put the Surly stickers on (any tips?) before I start reassembly.

And I bought another Wera Joker ratcheting spanner to do up the bastardy fiddly 8mm bolts on the inside of the seatstays for the rear rack. Hopefully that will arrive tomorrow. (Yes, that should probably live in the tool pr0n thread).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 22 May, 2020, 09:54:53 am
Our outside tap stopped working. We live in a bungalow and the toilet water feed is tapped off to the outside tap, via an inside isolator tap.

When I installed the bathroom a couple of years ago, I left a door, next to the toilet, tiled, for access to the pipework, which is hidden normally. It was fortunate as the pipework needed a fix. I have copper pipes with plastic JG speedfit fittings. One of the speedfittings had broken, blocking the pipe and also developing a minor leak when I reassembled, after the initial disassembly.

Fortunately for me I don't through anything away, and keep everything! in boxes in my garage. I found a spare corner JG Speedfit in a packet. The replacement fixed the leak and lack of water out of the outside tap. Screwfix had just closed too, isn't it always the way, you need something as the shop closes.

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 May, 2020, 11:13:59 am
Fitted the front mudguard to the Twenty and the dynamo lights.  Need a piece of alu tube to arrive as a spacer for the rear mudguard (you can't just bolt 406-sized mudguards onto a frame designed for 451-sized wheels, it would look silly).  Going to bolt through the tube to the provided hole in the Pletscher plate.  I haven't decided on the chainstay-end fitting yet.  There is a clip available but it is of course designed for bigger diameter guards.  If it looks crap then I might attach directly to the seat tube (BBB do a suitable mount and the Elite clip-on bottle bosses also work), again with a long bolt through a spacing tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2020, 07:05:55 pm
Put Surly stickers on the frame. They were an absolute !#$@€.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923835502_6f56bea5c0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4AGYw)2020-05-22_06-21-56 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4AGYw) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Except the other side it didn't ffffing fffit fffine and disintegrated into a million tiny pieces. (Every one of those letters and the dots are a seperate sticker).

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923015363_2bb462f1d2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4wvbc)2020-05-22_06-23-35 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4wvbc) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923533826_7fc6c0b0c2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4zaid)2020-05-22_06-23-22 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4zaid) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

There are another 4 stickers in the pack, but given that every letter tries to leap off the frame when you remove the application tape I decided that a) that way lies insanity and b) less is more
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Arminius on 22 May, 2020, 09:20:24 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2020, 07:05:55 pm
Put Surly stickers on the frame. They were an absolute !#$@€.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923835502_6f56bea5c0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4AGYw)2020-05-22_06-21-56 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4AGYw) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Except the other side it didn't ffffing fffit fffine and disintegrated into a million tiny pieces. (Every one of those letters and the dots are a seperate sticker).

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923015363_2bb462f1d2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4wvbc)2020-05-22_06-23-35 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4wvbc) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923533826_7fc6c0b0c2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4zaid)2020-05-22_06-23-22 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4zaid) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

There are another 4 stickers in the pack, but given that every letter tries to leap off the frame when you remove the application tape I decided that a) that way lies insanity and b) less is more

That looks really good, well done! Cracking colour too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 May, 2020, 10:44:14 pm
^^+1 Like the sparkle in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2020, 11:23:37 pm
Thank you :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 May, 2020, 02:12:38 pm
Sharpening gouges.  Boring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 23 May, 2020, 07:46:02 pm
Fettled my daughter's 'Henry hoover' back into working order, by removing the speed control PCB and associated wiring - the speed control switch and/or PCB had borked, and the easiest fix is to just connect the motor to the main on/off switch and only have it full speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 May, 2020, 08:26:58 pm
Molished a shallow 5U rack out of nearly all the 12mm plywood that was in the shed, with a view to the downstairs ethernet switch and associated gubbins not falling on my head whenever I go groping in the Cupboard Of Doom for bike tyres or hoover accessories.

That plywood was in the shed for a reason, namely being the wonky bits left over from the last woodjbex project, and one of the corners had got damp.  As such, all the assuming-the-wood-is-flat measurement errors added up to a couple of pretty shoddy corners, but it's not like it has to look pretty.  Ideally I'd filler the worst bits and slather it in black Hammerite, but I have neither wood filler nor Hammerite.

Need to do a bit more sanding, improve the countersinking on a couple of screws, install the rack rails and dig up a 4-way to screw to the back, but I'm leaving that till tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 May, 2020, 11:09:31 pm
Started rebuilding the sparkly kermit Disc Trucker. Headset, mudguards, rack (I were reet glad of the 8mm Wera Joker ratchet spanner purchase for that), wheels on. While it was all stripped down took the chainset to bits and eventually Pingu managed to get the recalciltrant pedal off.
Looks like a bike now, just needs gears and brakes & chain all connecting up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 24 May, 2020, 09:44:25 pm
In the lockdown I have been buying tools from Screwfix and getting on with those DIY/garden jobs I have been putting off for... erm... 8 years...

Bought an angle grinder and have sharpened my pick and mattock. They are lovely, sharp and shiny now.

I just need the council to empty my brown bin of garden waste so I can continue on with decimating 8 years of weed grown in the borders... :-)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 24 May, 2020, 10:27:31 pm
Fettled my daughter's steel shed doors, by replacing the plastic runners with scrap aluminium extrusions (ex roller whiteboard joining/pulling strips).  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 May, 2020, 10:29:36 pm
Connected the brakes & gears up. Come 3pm we were still fettling the gears & gave up for the day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 25 May, 2020, 11:45:17 am
I've had some unused Campag Skeleton brake calipers in one of my spares boxes for a few years now,
so decided to fit them to my Dolan Dual.


(https://www.totalcycling.com/Images/Models/Full/23714.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 25 May, 2020, 12:19:19 pm
Eldest wanted a pannier rack. Her bike with a 20" wheel doesn't have rack mounts but does have bolt hole for a mech protector and one on other side. Cut down an old rack I had drilled holes in the legs as the correct position was where the legs goes from two tubes to one. Then used the saddle clamp bolt to hold a modified bracket for the top of rack. She's happy although I did have to try and stop her carrying her sister who isn't much smaller then here on the back
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 25 May, 2020, 07:30:27 pm
Managed to get the square taper BB off my galaxy. Also got the fork race and headtube races, it has a quill stem.

So now the frame is stripped, I am sending it to be stripped and resprayed. Do the masses suggest leaving old hex bolts in the frame to keep the threads clean? And what should I do about the Bottom bracket shell? I assume if I take it off, it will just be blasted off when they clean the frame for paint and rust?

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 May, 2020, 08:06:07 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 25 May, 2020, 07:30:27 pm
Managed to get the square taper BB off my galaxy. Also got the fork race and headtube races, it has a quill stem.

So now the frame is stripped, I am sending it to be stripped and resprayed. Do the masses suggest leaving old hex bolts in the frame to keep the threads clean? And what should I do about the Bottom bracket shell? I assume if I take it off, it will just be blasted off when they clean the frame for paint and rust?

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk



Rob said it all upthread

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg2499569#msg2499569
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cygnet on 25 May, 2020, 08:31:40 pm
Replaced the chain and jockey wheels on the Roubaix. The jockey wheels removed were a bit lot graunchy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 May, 2020, 09:16:05 pm
Pingu helped finish this off today.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49939286066_b01b6cc85f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j5XTTy)IMG_6096_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2j5XTTy) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 26 May, 2020, 09:23:58 pm
 :thumbsup:

How does it ride?

I've been doing some essential fettling on my Surly - replaced the knackered BB and the rear brake cable run. Might need to look at the rotors, they're still dragging, and the rear tyre needs re-fitting, there's a massive dip in it which is really noticeable and annoying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 May, 2020, 09:48:54 pm
It felt a bit funny in an unspecified manner when I took it round the block earlier. I'm hoping that's just because I've been riding the Roberts for a while. Didn't help I had the saddle set for a dwarf either. No doubt Pingu will report back if I ride it into the river tomorrow....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 27 May, 2020, 11:04:06 pm
Fettled the drive pulley from the original mains motor onto the 24 Volt motor I am now using for the mini lathe, made some new heat=weld drive belts, and turned piece of aluminium bar with it.  :thumbsup:

I want to get my Drummond lathe running, and spent some time working out how to get a 'skip find' MEM Memota series 6 motor starter tested and working to run a single-phase motor for the lathe, as it will be a bit safer than pulling the 13A plug in & out.  :o  These have an electromagnet that closes a number of contacts, including contacts for the electromagnet so that it releases if the supply is cut. It also has an adjustable current cutout. There isn't clear info online, and the instruction label isn't easy to follow, so I got a multimeter and worked it out. It had some jumpers on some of the contacts and I realised these needed to be removed. I wired it to a 13A plug and socket to test it out, and it works fine. These are supposed to be more reliable than the newer versions, and at about £60 in value, it was a good skip find.  :smug:

I just need to design & make a suitable bracket to mount it to the lathe stand now, and make a pedal and linkage to operate the clutch...  :-\

Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 May, 2020, 08:57:40 pm
Swapped the broken camera in my iPhone 6S for the working camera from my wife’s old 6S. Very satisfying. And not nearly as difficult a job as I was expecting. Even managed to avoid losing any of the tiny pingfuckit screws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 May, 2020, 08:35:44 am
Put yet another coat of oil on my plane handle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 29 May, 2020, 08:41:21 am
New freezer door hinges. £15 each FFS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 29 May, 2020, 11:44:25 am
Watered the pots in my garden, potted up some wild growing chives, and a cutting off the yellow rose (called Texas)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 May, 2020, 08:59:16 am
Doing a fork swap on the Bob Griffin.  The original fork is Raleigh threaded  :sick: and the frame is reamed to ISO, so it gas a frankenheadset with the top cup shimmed.  It'll just be ISO after this.  Fork needs cutting to length but is chrome so doesn't need painting.  £15 from a guy on Retrobike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 May, 2020, 10:33:49 am
Fitted handle, put plane back together and set about tidying up the bench.  What with off-cuts, screwdrivers, scribers, French curves, bevel, sliding square, 20 cm rule, sander, discs, 600-grit paper, pencils, oil bottle, wax can, cloths, etc. by the end of the job I was working in about a dozen square inches in one corner and on top of the vice.  Oh aye, bike was leaning against bench as well.

Next job of Earth-shattering magnitude will be drilling weep-holes in the bottom of the soap-dish in the shower. Should add about a week to the life of each bar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 May, 2020, 02:14:03 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 23 May, 2020, 07:46:02 pm
Fettled my daughter's 'Henry hoover' back into working order, by removing the speed control PCB and associated wiring - the speed control switch and/or PCB had borked, and the easiest fix is to just connect the motor to the main on/off switch and only have it full speed.

There is a way to repair the board cheaply if you want to keep the two speed nature on the henry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 31 May, 2020, 04:07:25 am
Finally went back to fettling the quick release wheels spindles on two different sets of wheels.

Did a front wheel, but still not happy as there is play once compressed, did another rear and that was easy, so went to the other bike wheels and wasn't happy so opened up the hub and I didn't regrease it.  So regreased the hub and had a play looks sorted now.  So to go back to the other wheel.  At least I have marine wheel bearing grease to repack with.

Had a play with gearshifters and the rear is borked, now to find a replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 31 May, 2020, 10:01:05 am
After leaving it in the garage for a suitable length of time (circa 9 months) I have finally fitted the R8000 11-32 cassette to the Renegade.

No extra chain needed, just a tweak of the cable adjuster.

Hopefully this will dissuade me from the thought that I need to swap to a GRX gear set.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 May, 2020, 11:40:50 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2020, 07:05:55 pm
Put Surly stickers on the frame. They were an absolute !#$@€.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923835502_6f56bea5c0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4AGYw)2020-05-22_06-21-56 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4AGYw) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Except the other side it didn't ffffing fffit fffine and disintegrated into a million tiny pieces. (Every one of those letters and the dots are a seperate sticker).

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923015363_2bb462f1d2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4wvbc)2020-05-22_06-23-35 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4wvbc) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49923533826_7fc6c0b0c2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j4zaid)2020-05-22_06-23-22 (https://flic.kr/p/2j4zaid) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

There are another 4 stickers in the pack, but given that every letter tries to leap off the frame when you remove the application tape I decided that a) that way lies insanity and b) less is more
Yebbut if you get them in the wrong place, they're really easy to peel off... In fact, they'll do it for you.

I removed the fatties fit fine and all the other stickers from my Surly, apart from the Surly itself (which is a different font to yours) on the down tube. I've no intention of ever refitting them!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 31 May, 2020, 09:08:38 pm
While down the LBS earlier this weekend I spied a replacement track pump head for three and a half quid. As the valve gripping washer is leaking in my pump I thought I'd give it a go.

The gubbins that attach it to the pump hose are different and air did leak in an annoying fashion. I rummaged around in by bits box and found a brass hose insert - the sort with  barbed stem to grip the inner bore of the hose and an o ring to seal in the pump head. A good start. However the OD of the brass insert was a gnat's cock greater than the ID of the hole in the new pump head.

Dig out electric drill, clamp brass fitting in the chuck, turn on drill and carefully apply a file to the spinning brass. OD reduced to a suitable diension for a tight push fit. This Old Tony and Abom79 would be proud. Secure hose with a jubilee clip and the job's a good 'un.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 May, 2020, 09:28:18 pm
Replaced the chain and rear barke pads on the Streetmachine, and provided further tyre inflation services to the neighbours (I also did a football for them a couple of days ago).

Lockdown top tip:  Ensure your crap track pump for lending to people actually works with Schrader valves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 June, 2020, 10:33:14 am
Put my horrible Decathlon workstand together again.  I'll be taking it down again this afternoon. It's horrible.

This was just the beginning of Project Skyhook...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 01 June, 2020, 11:56:53 am
Quote from: T42 on 01 June, 2020, 10:33:14 am
Put my horrible Decathlon workstand together again.  I'll be taking it down again this afternoon. It's horrible.

This was just the beginning of Project Skyhook...
Hey T42, can you give us a short review please? Reasons why you don't like it. It may help others in the future.

Many thanks,

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 June, 2020, 02:18:11 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 01 June, 2020, 11:56:53 am
Quote from: T42 on 01 June, 2020, 10:33:14 am
Put my horrible Decathlon workstand together again.  I'll be taking it down again this afternoon. It's horrible.

This was just the beginning of Project Skyhook...
Hey T42, can you give us a short review please? Reasons why you don't like it. It may help others in the future.

Many thanks,

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Certainly.  It's not on Decathlon's site any more but Intersport do something very similar:

https://www.intersport.fr/noir-pied_d_atelier_de_reparation_velo-nakamura-p-2248099AKU/?lgw_code=14544-2248099AKUT_U&its_medium=cpc&its_source=google&its_campaign=sea-shopping&its_content=&s_kwcid=AL!7109!3!284723495990!!!g!355645137322!&gclid=CjwKCAjwztL2BRATEiwAvnALcs6TLLp49quEQiyeH0mjauJXJep01jF6X-Lr8UCXVTeMq1h8LRPbCBoCwrwQAvD_BwE

Main bugbear is that on my Decathlon one the tube with the bike clamp tightens with a knob, and unless you've got muscles like Omar the Truss-Mocker it turns and drops the front wheel while you're working on it.  OK, so I replaced the knob with an ordinary nut and tightened it almost to the point of stripping the thread, so now it holds.  Also, when there isn't a bike on it the feet stick out at far enough to trip up the unwary (me).  Collapsing & stowing it is a 10-minute PITA, as is putting it up again.

I used to use this on my Ti bike, clamped on the top tube, and it was fine, but on the saddle post it's rather horrid.

I preferred the ceiling hooks anyway: less stress on the frame, the bike stays horizontal and the front wheel doesn't flop around.  And I could pull on a bit of string and fold the hooks up out of the way in 5 seconds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 01 June, 2020, 02:25:25 pm
Great review! Many thanks.

I too have a saddle hook from the garage roof and hook the nose of the saddle on.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 June, 2020, 04:22:28 pm
On the "to do" list:

1. Fit rear mudguard to Raleigh Twenty.  Needs custom bracket at the chainstays.

2. Convert SA AM hub in Brompton to an AW toggle and clutch key.  That two-piece indicator rod has unscrewed itself too many times.

3. Rebuild Brompton front wheel with a hub that is concentric and isn't junk.

4. Various mods to the singlespeed to make it better to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 01 June, 2020, 07:03:49 pm
On the Trek Crossrip today:

Tomorrow (and maybe Wednesday depending how I go).

I'm impressed with the current drivetrain. I bought the bits to do this service back in 2015 :jurek: as a few squeaks and clatters had started but what with studying and working (and riding the damn thing instead of working on it) I kept putting it off. Whilst a couple gears are grumbly nothing actually slips and it's just all worn into itself nicely. I suspect just a new chain would slip over everything else though.

The bottom bracket doesn't even feel graunchy, it just has a slightly mangled thread on one side from a dodgy bottom bracket tool mangling it when I was only getting it out to see what size I needed to order. It works just with a different crank bolt from the other side. I may even keep the new one as a spare. Or fit it and keep the old one for emergencies! Then again it's a UN55 which is £11 so why not just have all new for once.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 June, 2020, 07:16:59 pm
Removed right hand bar tape prior to fitting new brake levers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 02 June, 2020, 12:55:16 pm
To cure the sticky downshift on the Cube's Deore drivetrain I bought a new chain and a teflon-coated inner cable. I took off the rear mech, cleaned it and lubed the pivots and pulley wheels. After removing the old cable, I found the new one's diameter was too large to fit in the shifter. Ho hum. So the old one was reused with a couple of small kinks straightened as best possible. It was then coated with GT85 and a generous splash was squirted down both cable ends. The new chain was cleaned, made to length and oiled prior to fitting.

After that the bar end positions were tweaked. Test ride after lunch to see if all's well. I suspect a new inner cable of the correct diameter is what's really needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 June, 2020, 02:22:41 pm
Puzzling that, AFAIK all gear inners are of the same diameter (1.2mm), as are all brake inners (1.6mm), the differences being in the shape of the blobs of white metal on the ends that seat in the levers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 June, 2020, 02:25:42 pm
Looked at RD idlers on Trek, came in and ordered new ones.  Now I know why I've been having shifting problems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 June, 2020, 02:57:38 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 31 May, 2020, 09:08:38 pm
While down the LBS earlier this weekend I spied a replacement track pump head for three and a half quid. As the valve gripping washer is leaking in my pump I thought I'd give it a go.

The gubbins that attach it to the pump hose are different and air did leak in an annoying fashion. I rummaged around in by bits box and found a brass hose insert - the sort with  barbed stem to grip the inner bore of the hose and an o ring to seal in the pump head. A good start. However the OD of the brass insert was a gnat's cock greater than the ID of the hole in the new pump head.

Dig out electric drill, clamp brass fitting in the chuck, turn on drill and carefully apply a file to the spinning brass. OD reduced to a suitable diension for a tight push fit. This Old Tony and Abom79 would be proud. Secure hose with a jubilee clip and the job's a good 'un.
Guerrilla lathe work.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 June, 2020, 05:09:59 pm
A few odd bits and pieces today:

Re-arranged the contents of the shed having built 2 bays of shelving (designed to hold plastic bins acquired from a well-known oline purveyor of groceries)
Sorted bike storage in said shed for the 2 machines that can't accompany the 3 in the garage/workshop
Connected the water feed to the softener and filter in readiness for the return from being serviced of the super-spangly coffee machine - including drilling a hole in an outside wall for the overflow using a VERY LONG drill bit.   

Tomorrow's task is drilling a hole in a granite worktop for the feed and overflow to connect to the machine (machine has not been installed in this house before)

Ordered 2 water filter cartridges for said filter - only to find we have one in stock  >:(

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 June, 2020, 05:37:20 pm
Fitted new brake levers to the mid-80s British Eagle. The old levers are Modolo but the hoods were badly perished and split. The new ones are very smart.

Now only the frame, forks and handle bars are original.  Will put new tyres on next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 02 June, 2020, 06:48:47 pm


Quote from: asterix on 02 June, 2020, 05:37:20 pm
Fitted new brake levers to the mid-80s British Eagle. .... now only the frame, forks and handle bars are original...

Triggers bicycle?

I had a red British Eagle in the 90s which was nicked.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 June, 2020, 07:53:42 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 02 June, 2020, 02:22:41 pm
Puzzling that, AFAIK all gear inners are of the same diameter (1.2mm)

Apart from the 1.1mm ones (Rohloff & SRAM, possibly some Campag?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 02 June, 2020, 08:10:12 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 June, 2020, 07:53:42 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 02 June, 2020, 02:22:41 pm
Puzzling that, AFAIK all gear inners are of the same diameter (1.2mm)

Apart from the 1.1mm ones (Rohloff & SRAM, possibly some Campag?)
Just checked the fleabay listing and the teflon-coated part is 2mm. They are obviously old stock from Halfords, as they aren't on that company's website any longer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 02 June, 2020, 08:20:52 pm
Just about finished a pair of wheels, sitting in the garden in the sun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 June, 2020, 08:26:53 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 June, 2020, 07:53:42 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 02 June, 2020, 02:22:41 pm
Puzzling that, AFAIK all gear inners are of the same diameter (1.2mm)

Apart from the 1.1mm ones (Rohloff & SRAM, possibly some Campag?)

I think you'll find that Campag and Shimano have the same thickness of cable but the nipples are different - Campag being slightly smaller - you can get a Campag cable in a Shimano STi lever and it works - you can get a Shimano cable in a Campag lever . . . but just the once!  (It actually takes quite a bit of digging out to remove the nipple from its housing)

IIRC Sturmey Archer cables are thinner too.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 June, 2020, 08:35:18 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 02 June, 2020, 06:48:47 pm


Quote from: asterix on 02 June, 2020, 05:37:20 pm
Fitted new brake levers to the mid-80s British Eagle. .... now only the frame, forks and handle bars are original...

Triggers bicycle?

I had a red British Eagle in the 90s which was nicked.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Bought mine to replace a mid-80s Eclipse Routier that was nicked.  There's something about the way bikes from back then handle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 04 June, 2020, 04:36:50 pm
Replaced Schwalbe Marathons with Durano folding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Legs on 05 June, 2020, 10:00:02 am
Hack bike hadn't been cleaned or maintained for ~10 years, so I cleaned everything down.  Rear mech had been overthrowing and clattering on the spokes in the 25T sprocket, so I'd been limited to 39x23 when riding with my 3yo in the Hamax seat - not ideal for getting up steep Staffordshire hills!  Adjustment screws had turned to cheese and rear mech was generally knackered, so I installed a new 9spd Sora medium cage mech which works okay.  9spd cassette had been 12-25, but I wanted something a bit smaller, so I dug out a 28T and a spacer from the box-o-bits, took off the 12T, and swapped the 13T sprocket for a top-sprocket version.  It's a bit of a mish-mash, but it runs without jumping, and indexes fine now.  I feel like I could ride up the side of a house in 39x28 - I've never had such a small gear on a road bike!

Fitted some Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp tyres - I hope they're as nice to ride on as when I last had some, 20 years ago - and a new stem, because my old one was a MTB stem, bodged to work with road bars (I know, I know...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 June, 2020, 10:41:45 am
New idlers in Trek RD, with the usual "ok, that one goes up there that way round, and that one goes down there that way round. Or does it?" It took longer to decrud the wee arrows on the old ones* than it did to fit the bits.  Still, once together it made like untrue love and ran smoooooooth.

While I was doing that, one of the Labs tried to make off with a bit of kitchen paper spotted with Loctite 243. Weird bugger.

* Yog-Sothoth & C°.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 05 June, 2020, 11:37:25 am
Quote from: Legs on 05 June, 2020, 10:00:02 am
Hack bike hadn't been cleaned or maintained for ~10 years, so I cleaned everything down.  Rear mech had been overthrowing and clattering on the spokes in the 25T sprocket, so I'd been limited to 39x23 when riding with my 3yo in the Hamax seat - not ideal for getting up steep Staffordshire hills!  Adjustment screws had turned to cheese and rear mech was generally knackered, so I installed a new 9spd Sora medium cage mech which works okay.  9spd cassette had been 12-25, but I wanted something a bit smaller, so I dug out a 28T and a spacer from the box-o-bits, took off the 12T, and swapped the 13T sprocket for a top-sprocket version.  It's a bit of a mish-mash, but it runs without jumping, and indexes fine now.  I feel like I could ride up the side of a house in 39x28 - I've never had such a small gear on a road bike!

Fitted some Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp tyres - I hope they're as nice to ride on as when I last had some, 20 years ago - and a new stem, because my old one was a MTB stem, bodged to work with road bars (I know, I know...)
Why on earth does someone whose monicker is 'Legs' need a 39 23 combo?

:-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Legs on 05 June, 2020, 12:05:41 pm
I've been called Legs since my first day at a new school in September 1989.  The school uniform had recently changed to allow the little people to wear trousers, but, of course, my parents sent me in my brother's hand-me-down shorts, so I was the only kid with his knees out.  My bro and his mates very kindly called me Legs...  It's kind of stuck; more than thirty years later, I'm Uncle Legs to my niblings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 June, 2020, 10:42:51 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 June, 2020, 10:41:45 am
New idlers in Trek RD, with the usual "ok, that one goes up there that way round, and that one goes down there that way round. Or does it?" It took longer to decrud the wee arrows on the old ones* than it did to fit the bits.  Still, once together it made like untrue love and ran smoooooooth.

While I was doing that, one of the Labs tried to make off with a bit of kitchen paper spotted with Loctite 243. Weird bugger.

* Yog-Sothoth & C°.

When you say idlers in an RD are you referring to jockey wheels?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2020, 11:44:38 am
The former Mrs Z has dropped off her Carrera Subway 8 for recommissioning.  It hasn't seen daylight for a decade, during which time she's been divorced from me and later remarried to a total bastard who ran away with another woman after 16 months!  It needs a damn good clean and there is surface rust on the roller brakes but I think it'll come up nicely.  The chain is lovely - I probably used Finish Line wet on it.

I still have a bottle of roller brake grease...the $64,000 question is whether the Nexus hub is still fully functional.  If not, I'll have to take out the mechanism and soak it in gear oil.  That's SOP for these as they are not fully serviceable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 06 June, 2020, 11:47:19 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2020, 11:44:38 am
The former Mrs Z has dropped off her Carrera Subway 8 for recommissioning.  It hasn't seen daylight for a decade, during which time she's been divorced from me and later remarried to a total bastard who ran away with another woman after 16 months!  It needs a damn good clean and there is surface rust on the roller brakes but I think it'll come up nicely.  The chain is lovely - I probably used Finish Line wet on it.

I still have a bottle of roller brake grease...the $64,000 question is whether the Nexus hub is still fully functional.  If not, I'll have to take out the mechanism and soak it in gear oil.  That's SOP for these as they are not fully serviceable.

I hope you're charging her at standard LBS rates  :demon: :demon:

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 June, 2020, 11:56:18 am
I like your civilised approach RZ.

Replaced the no-longer-functional sealant in HK’s Kinesis recently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2020, 02:48:35 pm
Hmm.  Won't shift down unless the thingy (ok, "cassette joint") is moved by hand at the hub end.  Hopefully just a sticky cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 June, 2020, 09:23:24 pm
Update: thank $DEITY, it is just the cable.  Removed the inner, flushed the outer with GT85, wiped the inner with the same and it moves nicely.  Also removed the cassette joint and gave it a good scrub in detergent.  It's not supposed to be oiled but I might give it a shot of silicone spray.

Wheel removal on a bike with an Inter-8 hub and roller brakes is a bit of an odyssey.  There are alleged quick releases for the cables (and for the front reaction arm) but they are awful to use.  I also noticed that Halfords used a particularly slack-fitting chainstay strap for the rear reaction arm.  I need to sort that as it can cause real problems.

I cleaned the bike so the only jobs left are to replace the aged tubes (and put Slime in them) and clean the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 June, 2020, 11:06:58 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 May, 2020, 08:26:58 pm
Molished a shallow 5U rack out of nearly all the 12mm plywood that was in the shed, with a view to the downstairs ethernet switch and associated gubbins not falling on my head whenever I go groping in the Cupboard Of Doom for bike tyres or hoover accessories.

Achievement unlocked:

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/2020_06_07_22_56_29.sized.jpg)

Still a bit of tidying up to do, but it's too late for hammering cable clips or hoovering.

Obviously moving the switch up a shelf meant that some of the cables were now Too Short.  Since they'd also been eaten by the living room door, I opted for the tedious option of replacing them (doing a slightly better job at routing them past the door).  And then hours of punching down, testing, de-tangling and re-patching general network fucking-about.  Everything seems to still work, though.

I've been standing up too long, interspersed with groping around on the floor and bouts of heavy lifting.  My lower back is killing me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 June, 2020, 03:44:28 pm
The Subway 8 is mostly back together.  Need to clean chain this evening and the rear brake cable is sticky too, so that'll need a good flush and wipe.  Couldn't buy slime tubes in the right size and valve so had to buy two normal tubes, remove the valve cores and slime them.  It'll be used on psyclepaths through the badlands (Liden and Eldene), so plenty of glass.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 08 June, 2020, 05:25:10 pm
Carried out a running repair on a wall unit in the kitchen, involving some lateral thinking and a couple of self-drilling plasterboard fixings that's saved me a click'n'collect order for a set of hinge repair plates.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 09 June, 2020, 01:54:26 pm
it's about time..

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200609/fb8ed632e2198e26b8d58237556cf268.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 June, 2020, 01:59:52 pm
My goddamn tax return - see grumble thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 09 June, 2020, 02:12:45 pm
Managed to get all our Hive plug/sockets and bulbs working having had to reset them with a move to a new address.  Sockets no problem - bulbs have a strange reset process that is decidedly flakey.  All now sorted.

Big news is that the coffee machine is back from servicing - more soon . . . . there's bloke coming this afteroon to cut one of the granite worktops - that may be dusty!

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andy64 on 10 June, 2020, 01:24:08 pm
The shower waste trap had cracked, leaking water into the kitchen below
Cut hole in ceiling, and remove said trap
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nDdugwtOSqBWAsKCoXtduB-zMLKDOE4antsVs71AXsURQkUUYqPDmbc03pFxZQNHN0ZEquhZeU5cADFJTwcISd0z55p47jfJ9ewQ9ToRUHv9h4JjsHPp5Cp_dqLGD8EK5ZKa0s1s-vlmlHt5JEUSw7vOX3fThav5pJeR749SOEQQslaP8B7E2AnEahCokBdG2p5BCFgw9AyJlntAjW_r4a9E_LjMHPFdydU5DZU__yjGr1hQJC3b0qduktqWuWSvBdUWtWCyfXR6INuArz0IsXqxqrXpr2LxIJcnNZnzByD-M1U2-kZs9l_6_V-GTqiZrDASnMguwE90RQAF4H3mC7ip3aK_BvUF5f-BGG6YOAiodxXx0GT9vsbyHGpJg2CUB2Cj9PVaRmX0_Z-cSKVJYR1XCp0WdRLHF5xAvDRnJFHPoZqMBtEfj6fd0U0QERpNwjHoIBpp7kM7QXTZNYOcdU5PS238-R9CJI9cI9ntwOEPTUNi9_2hzXCwjBMRzslq8SaiVHEYrOqRsWaT0rqoEpF3vxwHJO065cMxYpTt3UZKNjFXJWdzhHEvtDmnVLX7wt6GOC-VXiDuEA8xtHU1biELdNDlRm4XEaP2ltH_K2iTr7hQZtEWsZPtVeBYwplKouQ24PKBbSdA9b5RVWd3SMBdp_r1eJIRCiUev5Iv2lk1qlBVbVrZVChrXkofYg=w655-h872-no?authuser=0)

Fit new trap, and support batons
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7I4qLfPgJ-a3A4iD0yjZSkgK9Zg5t1ZoHMdOWqgArRWHkqdNuvuUsHQ-H4Kt74zz_6JvD6mibK-qeCK4pzecfw5NM4YtpCKw_obMtLxT9m3cEOPGs3-OQvLhbQuImvgfX2_PhzqUQ0rCU-qaPZ1nh_6COefBLpzGcYevBvbf6hwIbuMW9y9EcY1tu_ezZV4ReBz_2gEpex9pY2xvYWzI-ltp-1s3miUQe4p4KqBVzhHu9SsPdMahKoeH19W-5z8uKXWyNoPwA3vr49doDMnwm9lG5YXMG-OaI-glGHmmsiTCom4GWm7qWQrsP4OjxCMVgC-eaHZ6hZsu1hGcM_QnsnDiSzXhwHGJ3K5FYLEhnxSF9OiGHWZtfF_T8wMdI03YrdaZeD06Ld-mYDcqcbEJuWvyndz9VHchoga4W0HreTxDr-UReHqjX6YDK_s1uq_R5yC0fYV_42hpgFkhG1gYpsfUQfHQBIhgCDHPjDi9mlGv1m8P9YqO2f6EP1cdlleS7Q4yUwivLU6UqGmj3DjIvvEuEutci-359EQPesnaW6TyA10BLf5jpPEbVWG3Q89ZUFJF6KKOrzOBO3YDoy-Lq8D1oZ_Ge5Y5cx30ECS_5SDm8_PRbaWk12IW9JicrD9iP2taxlIu0f9_-amGVKAXLljhtRnoAoY-igRnfuZkBW2_EN55vWsBj3mj28bOGQ=w655-h872-no?authuser=0)

Replace cut out plaster board
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uNmXLfxMtIWPAlSJz1d44beP93zmI3HAFrAnjxfywVGk2EVyMXNfsHoj37vuiL99lfneyU2afcmUu-Gx8xdM3n_AeSlboCAlErtedlzCcUkOPmLUec9LutERanUgZqNWmUL83-JwVkbmmF9nLA4mURm0CZCfmq_-sU6-Jr92c4sDS1enEQxZphu6sirLsXkZeqAUlrOIgloMs4i8Gx-zD_VEIXExLvGPAMV0nwxmnwUn7yKYi4NH7XzkVb_-Vi8lAyOTevEAxRh7Cuhv_D5zTmRvLHKIB8htlq_FwSNFLLuDtAAYVD-FmlNX8fp0QABRgUZxbDAspk4ZuBy2rQ4ZeJsAZXh7DOM4Lo1ou5qqSMcbFONI6uPxk1X5OULKuZBolbmSoSRpnkARc27d-Xcu4HxEWDCxNxCFl45_bCeFoktTCNaLWmEWnRn6clote2ctQ4Mjk4cDBJQVb55TFAHa4akO7DCnzghHxeBRJc1kDDbWXcmwTvocK5dQW19vZ3CWl1VoFGyQY1YH-ad60cHOk7zQYBFAJjGMINCqRHGDKNPKIwyBc0fxW8rpccYHg5XEyI3AqPykvfivmnbpsGzY8dABI44pyO_TzySyJSDSeNDsL6pO07bZYjk3QNFtDksCJ1FSACf_WV6ubjFhdmjLsnwZridEXSVYz6DPjwZYUtA3_6YIooFc1yEFQG0yFA=w655-h872-no?authuser=0)

Apply filler, and now waiting to dry before sanding/paint. May need a second lot of filler, we'll see once sanded
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5vTdcoUGK_3_VWP1eIJnBHLcoBL7PciOJvCfHOjk9QdVlQhDPPMVUANnq_OzYBxQZpNDWNDwx5GHEr21wEWq2sAfBeHSPrQg668Flwt6t5pjEzkPGZtO4GBagdOBl9K9YynLNUHmWdyJprLci_Eqy2mwwyORu47CcOXvGf9dnvu3s26LISGJOFQ2FjJ6Vvj6BIC-u9puoIu2qWSVhA109p4SjOKvP_j_YRBlRMcbgYuuufn11fVGPiWV8vc9-XvuJMaCCw5OCKvXpyioycuf2feJx8JCJGmkbj1zV4x1_BrBpp503y1U4GKP19A62kAT_tqjPi-BW4A4yCcDdFE2w2H53OmIYKzolQFJNbIyUIe3McBrpiLHK56hiTd0uGRJPXyi88FC_dDYIbIileSMCrIyxEnV8usnJuMp-lJke6R-YWGS41jFN4hlXQefkpkiOh-VtHIFhEyhGjQOauKZA1jSGK-jGXCoKcxuku47D6CjP6Izf6wYClyTNbriHRgAL4pr_WTT3NB9fx-5rlNcVbuGV-JbQ6aueM1348x9vPNu_751sOaFSWsHKvIJgj-Y8h_5CAbMXEBxP0V6Og_ZxSQR6LWLX4jfmi0A8NTwLYJ8fNuNIRS11C67UkiYTUI_VP2Msmfg0sy40vT2OP-I2NNBYcCXP32hxX9CBONE663424VGbshd9Kg0zRO3RA=w655-h872-no?authuser=0)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 11 June, 2020, 09:08:04 pm
I collected my Dawes Galaxy frame and forks from Henderson's in Edinburgh today. I had it shot blasted and painted in a similar colour to the original.

I has come out very nice and cost only £90.

Now I need to source parts for a chrome rebuild as the stock parts were black.

Dave C(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200611/a15a28279943b74cc6458f630152bf72.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200611/c2bc0ed36a3967fb4035c31674492f8b.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200611/23d966df95603512351594a737860886.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200611/4ee390ecf19a1d2ad1692d3037f1a439.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200611/ebf6c02fe50f87f83ecc0fef254d4977.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200611/272eaea623112063d94347565cab3ad8.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 11 June, 2020, 09:20:04 pm
Nice Galaxy.

What gear lever and brake type are you going for? I have a Galaxy to build up myself, but I keep changing my mind as to what I want  - I built it with flat bars and V brakes, and decided it didn't feel right, so have sourced drop bar hardware and 'frog-leg' cantis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 11 June, 2020, 09:23:52 pm
My own fettling today consisted of replacing a faulty Halogen PIR spotlight on the garage, with an LED one. This involved soldering a new, longer lead on the spotlight and installing a metal, switched, fused spur box inside the garage, rather than the plastic junction box I had previously used.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 11 June, 2020, 09:28:28 pm


Quote from: Wobbly John on 11 June, 2020, 09:20:04 pm
Nice Galaxy.

What gear lever and brake type are you going for? I have a Galaxy to build up myself, but I keep changing my mind as to what I want  - I built it with flat bars and V brakes, and decided it didn't feel right, so have sourced drop bar hardware and 'frog-leg' cantis.

I'm going to put drop bars back on. It has chrome cantilever brakes already. I have found the headset, stem and seatpost on SJS already. Just about to order. It's tricky as the existing seat post measures 27mm with my plastic gauge, so I hope it is not 26.8 or 27.2...

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 June, 2020, 09:31:24 pm
Very nice Dave.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 June, 2020, 09:46:10 pm
So an initial plan to give my Look 566 a general clean-up has grown arms and legs.
It's now a bare frame!

The headset was in a bit of a state, with rusty water running down the fork from the crown race.
Removing the lower headset bearing was a bit of a pig: the cartridge bearing was seized into the frame.
On this carbon frame, the cups are not pressed-in things that can be knocked out with a headset rocket; they are an integral part of the frame's head tube.
The bearing was seized into the actual frame.

Getting increasingly medieval, the bearing cartridge eventually disintegrated, with the inner race and ball cage coming out, leaving the seized outer race as an indistinguishable part of the frame.
This was cut out using a dremmel grinding disc to carefully grind away a section of it.
Once it was no longer a complete circle, it collapsed fairly readily, and the frame cleaned up.

But now: what bearings to replace them with?
The Internet was full of contradictory and wrong information.
Was it 36/45 degrees or 45/45?
Old forum threads pointed to Look website documents that no longer existed.
The website has been purged of actual useful technical content in favour of Bling.

In the end, I measured it on the old bearings, using some home-made gauges.
Using some thin rigid metal ( old coke can ), I carefully measured out 36 and 45 degree angles using a protractor, and cut them using kitchen scissors.
The angles are very noticeably different.
This was surprisingly effective, using my magnifying-glass work light.

On the outside chamfer ( frame-facing, known to be 45 ) the 36 gauge quite clearly did not align, and the 45 one aligned perfectly.
On the inside chamfer ( steerer-facing, unknown ) the 45 gauge was miles out, but the 36 gauge aligned perfectly.

I'd expected this experiment to be a bit inconclusive, but no.
Absolutely 100% confidence.
But it does require a high magnification worklight to see the difference.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50002977042_bd7936bdbf_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jbAjZQ)
Bearing gauges (https://flic.kr/p/2jbAjZQ) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr




Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 June, 2020, 09:57:48 pm
Stripped down HK’s Roberts ready for painting. Also my trike’s fork for powder coating.

Deciding whether to get bidon bosses brazed onto my Brompton prior to stripping it for powder coating. If yes, do I fit bosses to the top of the main tube or to the back of the handlebar stem or both?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 13 June, 2020, 10:13:45 pm
Some hose fettling. When we moved here 20 years ago I bought a hose from Screwfix. It wasn’t long enough (25m) to get from the tap to the water butt round the back of the shed. A neighbour generously donated some spare hose, and I used 2 quick disconnects and a male-male coupler to join it. It always leaked. A week ago, whilst washing the car (on the opposite side of the road to the house) the joint got driven over. So now I’ve bought and installed a simple joining piece.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/hozelock-hose-repair-connector/44928?tc=CB3&ds_kid=92700052138698020&ds_rl=1249410&gclid=CjwKCAjw8pH3BRAXEiwA1pvMsc8BEYkl0HBpY7H_aKWY37XT3eMC_OeSyBQLe1X1Ciyga2Kh54Cr1xoCilEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

No more leaks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 June, 2020, 10:18:07 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 June, 2020, 09:57:48 pm
Deciding whether to get bidon bosses brazed onto my Brompton prior to stripping it for powder coating. If yes, do I fit bosses to the top of the main tube or to the back of the handlebar stem or both?

Both. It's relatively inexpensive to do it now (compared to doing it once it's been powder coated), and you'll have the option to use either or both  positions. If you find one doesn't work then it can just have bolts put in to seal the holes - or you'll find something else to mount there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 14 June, 2020, 10:09:01 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 13 June, 2020, 10:13:45 pm
Some hose fettling. When we moved here 20 years ago I bought a hose from Screwfix. It wasn’t long enough (25m) to get from the tap to the water butt round the back of the shed. A neighbour generously donated some spare hose, and I used 2 quick disconnects and a male-male coupler to join it. It always leaked. A week ago, whilst washing the car (on the opposite side of the road to the house) the joint got driven over. So now I’ve bought and installed a simple joining piece.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/hozelock-hose-repair-connector/44928?tc=CB3&ds_kid=92700052138698020&ds_rl=1249410&gclid=CjwKCAjw8pH3BRAXEiwA1pvMsc8BEYkl0HBpY7H_aKWY37XT3eMC_OeSyBQLe1X1Ciyga2Kh54Cr1xoCilEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

No more leaks.

When hose connectors start to leak, it's invariably deterioration of the O rings. I bought a load off ebay a few years ago and have saved a small fortune in not having to buy new connectors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 14 June, 2020, 12:57:45 pm
I've done that. Only problem is I can never remember where I've put them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 14 June, 2020, 01:56:31 pm
And today’s non-bike fettling was removing the black vinyl “wrap” the previous owner had had done to the window surround trim on my new (to me, a couple of months ago) car. I sort of half noticed it when fitting some roof bars, but Friday, whilst refuelling, I saw it peeling around the rear door triangle. Very satisfying to remove, and (fortunately) I think better looking. Next job will be to remove the wrap from the front grille. Hopefully it’s only the surround, and that I can accomplish it with the grille in situ, as removal means taking the front bumper off and wrangling numerous fragile plastic clips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 June, 2020, 05:21:06 pm
Motoring related fettling for me. New battery in the planet-slayer - which involves waiting for things to discharge so the explosive battery disconnect (seriously!) doesn't cause an unintended event, and to allow the ECU to be safely disconnected and removed - which also involves bolts needing a 5 point TS30 security bit. Despite a massive area under the bonnet, the engine variant in mine didn't have room for the ECU unless it encroached on the battery tray, and the battery is half under the windscreen anyway, so it needs the ECU removing so it can be slid forward, then lifted up.
Then, of course, once all back together you've got to tell the car it's got a new battery so that it can reset its charging profile which needs the specialist diagnostic tool (which luckily I have). Not really surprising the battery died; I suspect it is several years old, and the alternator died last year which resulted in the battery being flat for a few days. Doing the alternator took me seven hours (garages quote five hours) as it's a major strip down - I miss cars where you could just get in there and not only see the bits you need to get at, but be able to swap them without taking everything else out.

Then did some work on the dirt bike; the exhaust hanger failed on Salisbury plain last weekend. It's only a bit of bent metal strap that had fatigued at a bend, so I bought a heavier duty one and shaped to fit. Also took the opportunity to remove the exhaust fully and give it a general clean up - Harpic X10 to get rid of the worst, then polish up with Peek metal polish. It's stainless, but looked pretty awful when I bought it. A satisfying hour sat on the garage floor in my rather fetching yellow marigolds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 June, 2020, 06:44:27 pm
Started sanding down skirting boards in the hall this week. My very favourite job. They are a right mess of chipped paint as well. This was the hall I've been thinking about GAMI for the last couple of years and never got around to.
Anyway, I agreed with Pingu I would just do a little at a time so as to not get totally scunnered and then arse it up in a hurry (Sir doesn't do decorating). I did about an hour y'day morning and another hour or so today. So the skirting boards are finished and now I just have to do the surrounds of 5 doors. And the loft hatch.  :facepalm:

Ama3on brought me some knifing putty today which I'm going to use to fill in the chips where the paint has flaked off. Then when I've done that I can actually paint.... (sorry, I've got some bare bits to undercoat first).

Apropos of all that, I ordered one of these
https://www.wernerco.com/eu/combination-ladders/710Series/7101518
because I get bruised thighs when spending hours at the top of a stepladder, leaning against the top rung.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 14 June, 2020, 07:38:04 pm
Bought a few bits from Screwfix. A new vice, now fitted to my new garage workbench, and a 36 inch sash clamp, as the living room door is starting to come apart at the top next to the hinge. Glued and clamped.

Took off the chainrings from my Stronglight and cleaned it up. The outer chainrings are newer alu but the old original smaller chainring is steel. Gave it a going over with a wire brush. Just wondering if it is worth treating with something to stop any future rust, or just bung it back on. I looked at polishing my cranks but the job might be not worth it, considering new cranks from Spar are £38 without rings and £58 with rings. O KY they don't have any 172.5. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200614/4f61ec059c4b556dd693619bf470c249.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 June, 2020, 05:37:07 pm
Partially dismantled my Brompton for powder coating. Handlebar stem expansion bolt still requires some soaking and serious effort to release it to get to the headset.

Discovered that the plastic shim between the telescopic seatpost and upper seatpost has degraded. Time to purchase and fit a replacement. Probably also replace the worn but functional plastic shim between frame and telescopic seatpost.

Discovered that the swingarm hinge has seized so the swingarm was pivoting on the bolts with possible excessive wear of the swingarm eyes. Corrosion of the chain stay bridge may prompt replacement of the swingarm anyway. To be determined, once the pivot has been removed.

Rear derailleur bolt seized, so some serious effort still required to get it off. Still to remove the hub gear pulley.

Rollers still to be removed. Drilling out the hinge pins follows everything else.

Swearing likely tomorrow...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 16 June, 2020, 05:52:14 pm
The grill above our side gate into existence

(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--XkA7-cqNao/Xuj4SaUgFaI/AAAAAAADVY4/xgsbi2k3IrENnn5XjE4dQvUyc0rV1jtDACPcBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20200616_171333.jpg)

Overall, 4mm out of square. Quite pleased with myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 16 June, 2020, 06:23:56 pm
Looks good, but the little scrotes could still climb over it if they're determined.  Can you electrify it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 16 June, 2020, 06:29:35 pm
Yes, but our rear gardens have no external access, so they'd have to find somehow to cart their booty out, AND we have a NACOSS alarm AND I have CCTV. All in all, it should be sufficient to get them to move a few doors down.....

(the trailer is locked with a U-Lock)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2020, 06:30:08 pm
There's a machine gun nest and a hungry Doberman in the alley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 June, 2020, 06:33:30 pm
This Unit hereby endorses this product, service or sentiment:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49955626447_b9421e0db7_o.png)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Davef on 16 June, 2020, 07:31:19 pm
I think if you had the fence flipped to be pointy down, suspended over a 3 foot gap, and some fake rails and some sort of fake mechanism box, so it looked like the whole thing could drop like a portcullis, that might be a good deterrent, especially with a bit of red paint applied to the top of the wooden gate.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 June, 2020, 10:28:58 am
At least half an hour, some swearing and application of the forceful tools and my Brompton’s Ezy-wheels have been removed. A couple of cheaper screwdrivers had to be binned.

Another solid half hour plus use of bolt-mangling vice grips and the rear derailleur is off.

The penetrant overnight on the expander wedge didn’t. Stem and headset finally out after more swearing

The swingarm was removed with little swearing and looks to be salvageable. Hopefully no need to purchase a replacement swingarm, though the chainstay bridge is also quite corroded. Unfortunately the pivot pin is corroded into the main frame, so it is currently soaking in penetrant.

Seatpost shim removed without much difficulty.

Stem and frame hinge pins removed with little difficulty. I taped the drill bit to limit depth of drilling to 4mm.

Only the swingarm pivot itself remains in the frame. I’ll get some heat applied to help remove the pivot when bidon bosses are added to the top of the main tube later this week. A bidon on the stem would just clash with my knees when out of the saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 June, 2020, 01:57:41 pm
Woodwork today - built a shelf unit from MDF to fit a gap between fridge/freezer and the wall - adjustable shelves and everything (looks like a tall IKEA Billy bookcase from a distance.  Next job is to cut an old oak shelf on the bandsaw to make edging strips.  Was working outside but rain has now stopped play  :(

... and bad news is that I think my ancient B&D Proline circular saw has done its last work with anything that matters  :(  - it'll be retired to cutting rough timber for various garden and shed related projects ..... a spangly track/plunge saw is in the Screwfix basket ready to be ordered  :) :)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 June, 2020, 10:11:49 pm
I've just re-built my carbon Audax bike from the frame up, with new everything.

The bar tape was the original Look white tape, which was looking a bit grubby.  But considering it had done 8 years of SR, a 1000k, and PBP, I reckoned it owed me nothing.  I'd planned to use plain black tape, but was waylaid by the temptresses of the Internet.

I've put on some Cycology 'day of the living' tape!

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50024051427_b7f86bcedf_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jdskFi)
Cycology bars (https://flic.kr/p/2jdskFi) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 June, 2020, 10:19:33 pm
Nice!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 19 June, 2020, 11:13:28 pm
Finally the postman came with the parts from SJS and Spa. I have put on the new cups and quill headset and stem. I have put on the seatpost, handlebars and started on the cabling. I need to find my helicopter tape too.

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 June, 2020, 01:39:39 am
I've been doing a back-to-back comparison on whether I prefer swearing at solder blobs on nasty[1] prototyping boards, or arsing around in CAD.

CAD is winning on burnt fingers and de-rats-nesting, but with postage being what it is, solder blob technology may have substantial advantage in turnaround time...

Ultimately, through converting the former to the latter, I discovered an error in my circuit design, and that it was only working due to an errant solder blob.  Of course, I may have introduced some new ones...


[1] The horrid ones where each hole has its own bit of copper and you have to link them together, rather than stripboard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 20 June, 2020, 01:43:40 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 June, 2020, 01:39:39 am
I've been doing a back-to-back comparison on whether I prefer swearing at solder blobs on nasty[1] prototyping boards, or arsing around in CAD.

CAD is winning on burnt fingers and de-rats-nesting, but with postage being what it is, solder blob technology may have substantial advantage in turnaround time...

Ultimately, through converting the former to the latter, I discovered an error in my circuit design, and that it was only working due to an errant solder blob.  Of course, I may have introduced some new ones...

[1] The horrid ones where each hole has its own bit of copper and you have to link them together, rather than stripboard.

CAD wins everytime.

Tho it seems once you get small enough, surface mount circuits seem to be made entirely out of pingfuckits...

Todays effort...

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ea5wwyGXYAEPem_?format=jpg&name=large)

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 08:36:21 am
Quote from: robgul on 17 June, 2020, 01:57:41 pm
...a spangly track/plunge saw is in the Screwfix basket ready to be ordered  :) :)

Rob

I have one of those.  You need to get rid of the anti-kickback doodah, which acts as a brake to pushing the saw.  And the 70-cm tracks are a PITA, at least mine are: when two sections are joined using the bar provided and the saw approaches the join, a ~2mm step up from one bit of track to the next appears.  They fit Makita tracks, though, according to P. Millard Esq.

To be honest, I hardly ever use mine.  Even allowing for the above, setting up sacrificial pieces underneath and making sure the whole shebang won't move when I start pushing the saw takes a hell of a lot longer than running something through the table saw.

The Makita track clamps I bought are very handy for lots of other stuff, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 June, 2020, 09:05:24 am
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 08:36:21 am
Quote from: robgul on 17 June, 2020, 01:57:41 pm
...a spangly track/plunge saw is in the Screwfix basket ready to be ordered  :) :)

Rob

I have one of those.  You need to get rid of the anti-kickback doodah, which acts as a brake to pushing the saw.  And the 70-cm tracks are a PITA, at least mine are: when two sections are joined using the bar provided and the saw approaches the join, a ~2mm step up from one bit of track to the next appears.  They fit Makita tracks, though, according to P. Millard Esq.

To be honest, I hardly ever use mine.  Even allowing for the above, setting up sacrificial pieces underneath and making sure the whole shebang won't move when I start pushing the saw takes a hell of a lot longer than running something through the table saw.

The Makita track clamps I bought are very handy for lots of other stuff, though.

Yep - I'd spotted the anti-kickback issue on Mac Allister on some YouTube videos - and I did see someone had fixed the 2 tracks to be smooth (I also see Mr Millard's track review) - have you seen the video where the bloke chops off the cable from the saw right at the start?? - very amusing, he has a floating connector lead linked to his dust collection pipe boom and auto start switch  :)

If I buy one I'll probably set it up on the (home-built) MFT with a fixed position for the rail - in reality I'll seldom use more than one 700mm rail - if I have any long cuts on ply/MDF I try and get the timber merchant to do them on the panel saw . . . costs me £2 a board  :thumbsup:

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 10:02:11 am
Missed the cable-cutting video.

The things look well-suited to MFTs, especially with a set-up like Millard's. I have a couple of trad woodworking benches with tool trays at the back, and they don't lend themselves to it.  When I make the cut I have to get my body well out to the side to avoid getting caught on the front face-vice. It feels weird, and unsafe.

My bugbear project right now is wall-panelling. Been on it almost a year on & off, and am currently steeling myself to drill exploratory holes into a half-timbered wall whose timbers are buried around 3" deep in plasterboard, plaster, glass fibre and God knows what else - wattle & daub, probably. And cable conduits. Heavy mañana factor at work there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 June, 2020, 11:56:44 am
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 10:02:11 am
Missed the cable-cutting video.

The things look well-suited to MFTs, especially with a set-up like Millard's. I have a couple of trad woodworking benches with tool trays at the back, and they don't lend themselves to it.  When I make the cut I have to get my body well out to the side to avoid getting caught on the front face-vice. It feels weird, and unsafe.

My bugbear project right now is wall-panelling. Been on it almost a year on & off, and am currently steeling myself to drill exploratory holes into a half-timbered wall whose timbers are buried around 3" deep in plasterboard, plaster, glass fibre and God knows what else - wattle & daub, probably. And cable conduits. Heavy mañana factor at work there.

Here you go  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0I8_9375Xs 

I have home-built flat-topped bench and the home-built MFT - with a dropped section between the two for the sliding mitre saw to sit on (with the cutting bed level with the two benches) - works a treat with some T-track in the flat topped bench to allow a fence to be clamped down aligned with the mitre-saw back fence.    I've also got a home-brewed dust extraction system using 40mm plastic waste pipe and a Henry vac (and now have a small cyclone and canister but have yet to connect them up) - there are ports for flexible hoses connected to the machines.

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 June, 2020, 12:00:01 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 20 June, 2020, 01:43:40 am
Tho it seems once you get small enough, surface mount circuits seem to be made entirely out of pingfuckits...

Todays effort...

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ea5wwyGXYAEPem_?format=jpg&name=large)

s/pingfuckits/eye tests/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 June, 2020, 01:48:33 pm
After spending quite a bit of time removing a surprising amount of rust and other debris from inside the top tube of HK’s Roberts and a close inspection of the top tube’s visible surface, we will preemptively replace the top tube prior to painting. An extra £100 or so, all good fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 02:07:55 pm
Quote from: robgul on 20 June, 2020, 11:56:44 am
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 10:02:11 am
Missed the cable-cutting video.

The things look well-suited to MFTs, especially with a set-up like Millard's. I have a couple of trad woodworking benches with tool trays at the back, and they don't lend themselves to it.  When I make the cut I have to get my body well out to the side to avoid getting caught on the front face-vice. It feels weird, and unsafe.

My bugbear project right now is wall-panelling. Been on it almost a year on & off, and am currently steeling myself to drill exploratory holes into a half-timbered wall whose timbers are buried around 3" deep in plasterboard, plaster, glass fibre and God knows what else - wattle & daub, probably. And cable conduits. Heavy mañana factor at work there.

Here you go  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0I8_9375Xs 

I have home-built flat-topped bench and the home-built MFT - with a dropped section between the two for the sliding mitre saw to sit on (with the cutting bed level with the two benches) - works a treat with some T-track in the flat topped bench to allow a fence to be clamped down aligned with the mitre-saw back fence.    I've also got a home-brewed dust extraction system using 40mm plastic waste pipe and a Henry vac (and now have a small cyclone and canister but have yet to connect them up) - there are ports for flexible hoses connected to the machines.

Rob

I like the bloke's duct-extraction gantry. I just use bungee cords & ceiling hooks.

Re benches, I discovered last year that one of mine has a crown in the middle that I should plane down, but it's a daunting job so I'm just using it for assembly etc. The alternative would be to change the top for an MFT...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 June, 2020, 03:44:56 pm
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 02:07:55 pm
Quote from: robgul on 20 June, 2020, 11:56:44 am
Quote from: T42 on 20 June, 2020, 10:02:11 am
Missed the cable-cutting video.

The things look well-suited to MFTs, especially with a set-up like Millard's. I have a couple of trad woodworking benches with tool trays at the back, and they don't lend themselves to it.  When I make the cut I have to get my body well out to the side to avoid getting caught on the front face-vice. It feels weird, and unsafe.

My bugbear project right now is wall-panelling. Been on it almost a year on & off, and am currently steeling myself to drill exploratory holes into a half-timbered wall whose timbers are buried around 3" deep in plasterboard, plaster, glass fibre and God knows what else - wattle & daub, probably. And cable conduits. Heavy mañana factor at work there.

Here you go  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0I8_9375Xs 

I have home-built flat-topped bench and the home-built MFT - with a dropped section between the two for the sliding mitre saw to sit on (with the cutting bed level with the two benches) - works a treat with some T-track in the flat topped bench to allow a fence to be clamped down aligned with the mitre-saw back fence.    I've also got a home-brewed dust extraction system using 40mm plastic waste pipe and a Henry vac (and now have a small cyclone and canister but have yet to connect them up) - there are ports for flexible hoses connected to the machines.

Rob

I like the bloke's duct-extraction gantry. I just use bungee cords & ceiling hooks.

Re benches, I discovered last year that one of mine has a crown in the middle that I should plane down, but it's a daunting job so I'm just using it for assembly etc. The alternative would be to change the top for an MFT...

CNC drilled MFT on ebay in MR MDF or plywood for about £50 - 60 - I had the MDF but on reflection the ply was worth the extra few quid as the dog-holes have become a bit tight - probably as it's in my garage (although that's accessed direct from the house and the boiler is in there so relatively warm)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 June, 2020, 07:54:25 am
Finding the right search terms in French is a rat's nest.  So far I'm either getting Festool megabuck products, multimeters or hinges.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 June, 2020, 01:07:44 pm
Refitted the BB in HK’s Kinesis in another attempt to stop a creak. Later this week, the frame will be refaced.

A couple of cassettes ordered to replace the worn out chain and cassette fitted at the end of March!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 21 June, 2020, 02:46:12 pm
Found the Tandem Shaped Object had a flat tyre in the week, failed tube. So I toddled off to Parkend for a replacement pair, on the basis the rear is of an unknown age and it had mis-matched valve types.  This leads to:

Front brake adjuster bent to buggery, hammering a screwdriver into the gap was needed to get the cable out.  New one ordered.
Tyres disintegrating, rear popped off upon reinflating.  New pair of Big Apples ordered.
The rims are incredibly cheap, there's no hollow section to them so the spoke nipples poke well into the tube, this undoubtedly led to the tube failure.
I tried adjusting up the enormous slop on the rear hub & found it has a bent axle.

I can see me developing a real hatred of this bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 June, 2020, 11:01:59 pm
The Kenwood food processor/kitteh chkn whizzer/piña colada maker (26 yrs old in Sept) is leaving horrible white goo everywhere so I upended it to inspect the feet.
Yeucchh.
Obsolete model so no replacements at the usual suspects.
Ama3on has gereric silicon feet but of the wrong size (or hundreds for $lots)
Eventually to the bay of e, for £notmuch. I expect they'll do, even if Superglue is required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 21 June, 2020, 11:32:20 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 June, 2020, 11:01:59 pm
The Kenwood food processor/kitteh chkn whizzer/piña colada maker (26 yrs old in Sept) is leaving horrible white goo everywhere so I upended it to inspect the feet.
Yeucchh.
Obsolete model so no replacements at the usual suspects.
Ama3on has gereric silicon feet but of the wrong size (or hundreds for $lots)
Eventually to the bay of e, for £notmuch. I expect they'll do, even if Superglue is required.
We changed the resistors, capacitor and regular on our aged KW as it was starting to smoke. Works fine again now, and was a cheap fix, there are lots on the web for a few pounds.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: neilrj on 22 June, 2020, 12:45:02 am
Quote from: Dave_C on 21 June, 2020, 11:32:20 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 June, 2020, 11:01:59 pm
The Kenwood food processor/kitteh chkn whizzer/piña colada maker (26 yrs old in Sept) is leaving horrible white goo everywhere so I upended it to inspect the feet.
Yeucchh.
Obsolete model so no replacements at the usual suspects.
Ama3on has gereric silicon feet but of the wrong size (or hundreds for $lots)
Eventually to the bay of e, for £notmuch. I expect they'll do, even if Superglue is required.
We changed the resistors, capacitor and regular on our aged KW as it was starting to smoke. Works fine again now, and was a cheap fix, there are lots on the web for a few pounds.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

White goo? that might be gearbox oil from overheating as no cooling from collapsed feet?

These guys have lots of Kenwood fixes:-

https://www.kenwoodchefrestore.co.uk/shop/Kenwood-Chef-Repair-Kit/Kenwood-Chef-Major-Repair-Service-Kits/kenwood-chef-motor-replacement-a901-upgrade-kit-part

Their new 1kW 'digital' motor is the canine sphericals, lots more oomph (and pulse) and no faffy resistors or caps to wrestle with either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 22 June, 2020, 07:47:47 am
Quote from: neilrj on 22 June, 2020, 12:45:02 am
These guys have lots of Kenwood fixes:-

https://www.kenwoodchefrestore.co.uk/shop/Kenwood-Chef-Repair-Kit/Kenwood-Chef-Major-Repair-Service-Kits/kenwood-chef-motor-replacement-a901-upgrade-kit-part

Their new 1kW 'digital' motor is the canine sphericals, lots more oomph (and pulse) and no faffy resistors or caps to wrestle with either.

Thx for that - not seen them before.  I've done the motor fix before, works fine, but hadn't seen those splashguards - will order one.  They don't have the cover for the potato peeler attachment though - no-one does. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: bhoot on 22 June, 2020, 09:13:40 am
Hmmm, have 50 year old Kenwood lurking in the kitchen. Time to get it out I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 22 June, 2020, 03:04:45 pm
Quote from: bhoot on 22 June, 2020, 09:13:40 am
Hmmm, have 50 year old Kenwood lurking in the kitchen. Time to get it out I think.
Ours was a wedding present, 43 years ago next month. It's always been on the worktop and gets used several times a week, peeling spuds, mashing spuds, mixing flapjack, making cakes.  In January, it has a hard week every year making 5kg of marmalade!  You can buy second hand attachments, generally very cheaply, off FleaBay.  Not the spud peeler though - they seem to go for silly prices for some reason.

I've refurbed it a couple of times in that period, latterly with the electronics to repair the routine slow-running and no speed control bug.  The kit is about a tenner.  Solder-it-yourself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 June, 2020, 04:25:42 pm
Investigating why my chain is silent when I'm sitting down & pedalling but noisy when I stand up.  RD looks a bit out of whack...  ??? :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 June, 2020, 05:52:57 pm
Re the Kenwood replies;
I can vouch for Kenwood Chef Restore having used them previously for my Chef, they fitted a new motor and gave it a service & new feet at the same time. (I reckon it's as old as I am).

The problem I have currently is on a food processor, not a mixer, and the parts are still non existent. Yes, it's definitely the feet that are perished. (The feet you can get for the Chef are too small for my food processor).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 June, 2020, 07:52:54 pm
Replaced a pair of ceramic brake pads on HK’s trike and adjusted the headsets of her trike and Kinesis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 23 June, 2020, 05:05:10 pm
Pedals off and on. Cranks off. Bottom bracket out. Bottom bracket back in. Cranks on.

The bike I replaced the whole drive train on a couple weeks ago developed a once per pedal stroke, only under high/slow load click on Saturday.

A quick ride round the block and it appears sorted but will see. Last time it took a couple weeks to appear...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 23 June, 2020, 05:29:16 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 20 June, 2020, 01:43:40 am
Quote from: Kim on 20 June, 2020, 01:39:39 am
I've been doing a back-to-back comparison on whether I prefer swearing at solder blobs on nasty[1] prototyping boards, or arsing around in CAD.

CAD is winning on burnt fingers and de-rats-nesting, but with postage being what it is, solder blob technology may have substantial advantage in turnaround time...

Ultimately, through converting the former to the latter, I discovered an error in my circuit design, and that it was only working due to an errant solder blob.  Of course, I may have introduced some new ones...

[1] The horrid ones where each hole has its own bit of copper and you have to link them together, rather than stripboard.

CAD wins everytime.

Tho it seems once you get small enough, surface mount circuits seem to be made entirely out of pingfuckits...

Todays effort...

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ea5wwyGXYAEPem_?format=jpg&name=large)

J
About 10 years ago, I had to design in a Li-Ion charging IC. I chose one that was 3 mm square, 16 pads on 0.5 mm centres around the edges, and a thermal pad underneath (L6924 for anyone playing along at home). It's completely impossible to use without a dedicated PCB, and needs a hot air gun to unsolder.

Why did I chose on so small?

It was about the largest one that I could find that was readily available.

Vero board is completely redundant for stuff like that.

The L6924 has now been joined by a tilt sensor, also 3 mm square. Again, larger ones just don't exist.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 23 June, 2020, 08:43:24 pm
Adjusted the disc brake in friends bike which I had fitted a new wheel to on weekend after his old one had a free hub seize.

Cleaned the filter on the washing machine as was so blocked up couldn't drain properly and displayed an error message

All good me thinks. Message mate to say your bikes done and he replies that he is very sorry for the rear derailleur on the bike I've lent him while fixing his one has come off. Hopefully it's just the hanger or the bolt on the derailleur but I did actually check them not long ago and seemed fine
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 June, 2020, 08:52:29 pm
Yesterday I spent a mainly pleasant 3 1/2 hours removing the black vinyl wrap the previous owner had had applied to the chrome trim and grille of my car. My, but the wooden stool is hard on the nether regions for extended periods of time!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 June, 2020, 09:23:37 pm
Cleaned and re-fitted my front mech with copious amounts of carbon assembly paste which will hopefully stop it slipping.

Also re-built my rear wheel which I'd made a shit job of in the first place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 23 June, 2020, 09:28:23 pm
Quote from: Deano on 23 June, 2020, 09:23:37 pm
Cleaned and re-fitted my front mech with copious amounts of carbon assembly paste which will hopefully stop it slipping.

Also re-built my rear wheel which I'd made a shit job of in the first place.
Carbon assembly paste? What is that for? Never heard it. Rebuilt a few wheels as second time after a crap first job too. Know how you feel.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 June, 2020, 09:31:24 pm
Oh, you need something to help grip on carbon without over-torquing it. New to me too, really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 23 June, 2020, 09:33:17 pm
Ah, I popped a piece of helicopter tape on the seat tube where the front mech clamped on. Appears to have held ok over the last 15 months.

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 June, 2020, 09:37:49 pm
That's plan B :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 25 June, 2020, 08:32:22 pm
Since that all seems to work, I serviced the front hub on my Surly.

My first mistake was doing it out on the decking, but I didn't lose any bearings when the inevitable happened.

My second mistake was storing the tube of grease next to the tube of carbon assembly paste.

My third mistake... Well, you can guess the rest, but it flushed out ok, and it's running smoothly now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 26 June, 2020, 11:38:47 pm
(near) Final work on my resprayed Dawes Galaxy. Fettled the mudguards, removed them (peeled the blue film off) then fitted them back on.
Fitted the brakes, the front mech and the cables to the mechs. The front didn't work when tried so I had to faff the feckin cable out of the Sora R3000 STI, a balls ache.
Then wheels fitted, chain on and test ridden. Now I just need to be happy with the STI placement as the bartape is Brooks so it needs to be right or it'll be expensive.
Tomorrow, bartape and fettle the chrome mudguards to stop them rattling from somewhere.

I bought some new decals also, online. I chap in Oxford will do any text in any font. So instead of Dawes Super Galaxy, I have Dave's Super Galaxy in the same font.

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 27 June, 2020, 06:46:09 pm
Distracted buy another job the Dawes can wait for completion.

A couple of months ago I bought a mitre saw and a hand saw, but I have wanted a table saw for years. The price for a good solid one is prohibitive. I recently saw a guy on YouTube build one from plywood. So I took notes and when Beatson's the builders merchants opened, ordered some timber. I'm quite happy with today's result.
I still need to build a fence and buy some Aluminium U bar from B&Q to recess for a sliding cutting tray, but it is good enough to get started now
An old Aldi routing table gave me cut off switch and I'll integrate the router into this table once the fences are complete.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200627/c6a65298b2bbba8a9fcab578f76ec564.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200627/f2cbdab96143a498582c5396352f092d.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200627/b9428683878b9e69516158cf6f1e7f76.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 June, 2020, 07:19:36 pm
Replaced the cut 700x25C rear tyre on my Frezoni with a 28C and tweaked the mudguard to provide sufficient clearance. This resulted in forming a small oval hole in the mudguard to allow the cable fixing bolt to occupy the same space when big ringing it. Tweaked the front mech to improve shifting into the granny ring. Tweaked the RH bar end shifter to improve shifting into the bottom cog. Dropped the saddle a millimetre to partially compensate for shoes with thinner soles. Reloaded the tool bottle with another tube. Cut off the mould spurs off the new tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 June, 2020, 08:17:36 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 27 June, 2020, 06:46:09 pm
Distracted buy another job the Dawes can wait for completion.

A couple of months ago I bought a mitre saw and a hand saw, but I have wanted a table saw for years. The price for a good solid one is prohibitive. I recently saw a guy on YouTube build one from plywood. So I took notes and when Beatson's the builders merchants opened, ordered some timber. I'm quite happy with today's result.
I still need to build a fence and buy some Aluminium U bar from B&Q to recess for a sliding cutting tray, but it is good enough to get started now
An old Aldi routing table gave me cut off switch and I'll integrate the router into this table once the fences are complete.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200627/c6a65298b2bbba8a9fcab578f76ec564.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200627/f2cbdab96143a498582c5396352f092d.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200627/b9428683878b9e69516158cf6f1e7f76.jpg)

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

I'd buy some proper T-track rather than U-profile it'll be more accurate and has other uses too - e.g. clamping stuff down to the bench.  Have a look at Axminster Tools - not expensive.   

I've just let 2 T-tracks into my main bench and also used a couple in a home-brewed router table for the fence and clamping featherboards against the work - there are several ideas for home-made T-track clamps on YouTube.

I assume you're going to make some sort of guard for the blade - and does the saw have a riving knife?   All a good idea for safety and the retention of fingers ;D

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 27 June, 2020, 08:48:35 pm
Hi Rob,

Yes the next thing is a fence and a cutting sled. I have just been looking at riving knives and guards. I need to figure out how to mound one. The hand saw does come with a retracting guard but it occurs to me the guard is moved back out of the way when I slide timber over the blade.

I also want to cut out around the blade so that I can place dedicated inserts for 90 degrees, <45 degree cuts and also to blank off the blade altogether. I'll route out a recess to bolt the plates to.

I need to have a good look at riving life and guard next, as there are a few from China and a few from UK suppliers, which I prefer to buy from as they will arrive sooner and be easier to deal with if I have to call them.

Thanks for the tips, I didn't realise you could get T strips. One DIY videos took a length of box section and cut his own T bar, but it will be easier to just buy what I need.

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 27 June, 2020, 08:52:15 pm
I was only thinking today about getting rid of one of my (two) circular saw benches...  :demon:

I'll probably keep the one that I intercepted on it's way to the skip at work.  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 27 June, 2020, 09:01:55 pm
That's top work, Dave.

I've been fettling up my Pomp to flog (and some other bits), re-taping the rear wheel on my Surly and giving the tyre a good clean to be re-fitted tubelessly tomorrow, and swapped the rear wheel on my road bike. Oh, and I cleaned some of the crud out of the USB-C port on my phone so it actually works now.

As you can probably guess, the weather's been shit here in Darlo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 June, 2020, 09:04:23 pm
Dangled the bi flag for a Pride-themed zoom quiz this evening...

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2020_06_27_19_52_59.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 27 June, 2020, 09:15:09 pm
Here is the (nearly) finished Dawes. It is a mid 2000s Galaxy with Reynolds 631 tubes. It was looking tatty so I took it to Henderson's in Edinburgh and they had the same metallic green in stock.
It started out with black components but I have bought chrome/shiney components to replace the seat post, quill stem, bottle cages, rack and bars. New Giles Berthoud mudguards, and a nearly new Stronglight crank. Only the rims and rear mech are black. I have a brown B17 I'm going to put back on it and Brooks brown leather bar tape, once I am happy with the final STI lever placement. The front wheel is temporary but it will do until I put the dynamo back on later in the year.

Dave C(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200627/25cc32a051f8e6d1f8c0408f8861cdc6.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 27 June, 2020, 10:20:13 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 23 June, 2020, 05:29:16 pm
About 10 years ago, I had to design in a Li-Ion charging IC. I chose one that was 3 mm square, 16 pads on 0.5 mm centres around the edges, and a thermal pad underneath (L6924 for anyone playing along at home). It's completely impossible to use without a dedicated PCB, and needs a hot air gun to unsolder.

Why did I chose on so small?

It was about the largest one that I could find that was readily available.

Vero board is completely redundant for stuff like that.

The L6924 has now been joined by a tilt sensor, also 3 mm square. Again, larger ones just don't exist.

Yup, the race for increasingly tiny packages is rather annoying. I'm waiting for a PCB for a new circuit with a LDO regulator that is 1mm x 1mm, with 4 pin on each corner, and a pad in the middle. I'm hoping I can solder it with hot air, assuming I don't either drop it, or blow it away...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 June, 2020, 08:00:39 am
Quote from: Dave_C on 27 June, 2020, 08:48:35 pm
Hi Rob,

Yes the next thing is a fence and a cutting sled. I have just been looking at riving knives and guards. I need to figure out how to mound one. The hand saw does come with a retracting guard but it occurs to me the guard is moved back out of the way when I slide timber over the blade.

I also want to cut out around the blade so that I can place dedicated inserts for 90 degrees, <45 degree cuts and also to blank off the blade altogether. I'll route out a recess to bolt the plates to.

I need to have a good look at riving life and guard next, as there are a few from China and a few from UK suppliers, which I prefer to buy from as they will arrive sooner and be easier to deal with if I have to call them.

Thanks for the tips, I didn't realise you could get T strips. One DIY videos took a length of box section and cut his own T bar, but it will be easier to just buy what I need.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

(https://i.ibb.co/QDMk7PX/workshop-woodwork.jpg)

This shows the T-track with a couple of clamps holding down the guide that aligns with my mitre-saw (the cutting bed is at the same level as the benches either side) - the far bench is a home-made MFT - the planer/thicknesser and table saw are both on trucks under the MFT and just need to be pulled out to use.   Note the white pipes running along just under the cupboards - the dust-extraction with connections for each machine . . . in the pic just connected to a Henry under the bandsaw at the far end but I now have a cyclone and collecting box between the pipes and the Henry.

Still work to be done in configuring the workshop -  it's a bit compact being just a single garage and having another bench, workstand and all the cycle tools on the other side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2020, 10:51:38 am
Replaced the 11sp 11-34t chain and cassette on HK’s Kinesis. Ditto 8sp 13-26t on my Frezoni. Swapped the saddles between HK’s Kinesis and MTB commuter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 June, 2020, 11:35:06 am
Now my son is really getting into cycling and going off on longer rides, I thought he should learn some maintenance skills, so this morning I taught him how to change a tyre without tools.

Didn’t quite get it at first but once he did, the grin on his face was priceless.

Also talked him through fitting new brake pads and adjusting the alignment (canti brakes).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 11:38:40 am
Quote from: citoyen on 28 June, 2020, 11:35:06 am
how to change a tyre without tools.

 ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2020, 12:22:54 pm
Pick the right tyres, rims and wheel fixings (and technique) and it is a doddle. When I was a bike shop mechanic, there regularly would be months without the need to pick up a tyre lever but that was before tubeless existed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 04:26:45 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2020, 12:22:54 pm
Pick the right tyres, rims and wheel fixings (and technique) and it is a doddle.

Well yes, but that doesn't help when you've got the wrong tyres rims and wheel fixings.  I think I can do my MTB tyres with little more than harsh language.

Bet you still need a pump, thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2020, 04:39:35 pm
Picking the right tyres can compensate for a lot of other deficiencies, such as the wrong rims.

Schrader valves and a service station supply can compensate for lack of a bike pump but this is, of course, nitpicking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 June, 2020, 04:51:28 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 04:26:45 pm
Bet you still need a pump, thobut.

True. I suppose I should be more precise and say that what I taught him was the technique for removing a clincher tyre from a rim without using tyre levers.

I’ll save the lesson on fettling tubeless tyres for another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 05:21:54 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 28 June, 2020, 04:51:28 pm
I suppose I should be more precise and say that what I taught him was the technique for removing a clincher tyre from a rim without using tyre levers.

So what's the technique, as there's evidently middle ground between it pretty much coming off automatically when the tyre's deflated and needing tyre levers that I appear to be unaware of?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 June, 2020, 07:07:49 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 04:26:45 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 June, 2020, 12:22:54 pm
Pick the right tyres, rims and wheel fixings (and technique) and it is a doddle.

Well yes, but that doesn't help when you've got the wrong tyres rims and wheel fixings.  I think I can do my MTB tyres with little more than harsh language.

Bet you still need a pump, thobut.
You could get all Lauren Bacall on its ass and just put your lips together and blow
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 June, 2020, 09:30:46 pm
Anyway, to today's fettles, one (hopefully) successful, one unsuccessful. The successful one following the unsuccessful one.

I rode from Sarf Lunnon to Brighton with two socially distant chums. As we approached the foothills of Farthing Down I spied a stationary cyclist by the side of the road so stopped to ask if everything was OK. His chain had broken, so it wasn't and he had no tools so it even more wasn't. His riding partner rocked up and she too was tool-less. I explained what he needed was a Box of Doom and produced one from my bar bag. In it was a chain tool, a selection of short bits of chain and a selection of quick links. Having counted his sprockets (seven) I found an eight speed quick link. Punched out the broken link (a side plate had parted company with its rivet in a bent and interesting way) and fitted the quick link. It was a little hard to get the pins seated but a stamp on the pedals produced the relevant click and all seemed well. It passed the "hold the wheel in the air and twiddle the pedals test." The riders were both very grateful and he offered to drop some money in a charity box.  He got on a pedaled, only for the quick link to part company. Arse. I guess it wasn't in quite properly. It was a KMC chain. Are they the ones that do two very slightly different width 8 speed chains?

Anyway, out with the Box of Doom again, punch out half a link and rivet in a complete link from my collection. Check for stiff links, check for going roundability and all was well. They kindly offered to wait until we'd gone before they set off. I suspect they were worried my fix was as reliable as the first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 June, 2020, 09:47:05 pm
Every cyclist needs a T Hall esq. as back up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 June, 2020, 09:54:07 pm
Quote from: hatler on 28 June, 2020, 09:47:05 pm
Every cyclist needs a T Hall esq. as back up.
Every cyclist to Brighton needs the hatler coffeee service at the foot of Ditchling Beacon. We pulled in at The Greenhouses for a breather. "Ah" said my chum the Czeating Czech "this where that bloke with the flasks gives out coffee."

Sadly not today.

In a spirit of Doing Things Properly I tried to get the speed camera on the run in to Brighton to trigger, but I don't think I managed it. Vmax was 58.5kmh-1, which while approaching R17 wasn't fast enough or I didn't have sufficient RCS. I fear my chums, both riding plastic and soot bikes, wouldn't have helped in that regard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 28 June, 2020, 10:00:14 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 05:21:54 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 28 June, 2020, 04:51:28 pm
I suppose I should be more precise and say that what I taught him was the technique for removing a clincher tyre from a rim without using tyre levers.

So what's the technique, as there's evidently middle ground between it pretty much coming off automatically when the tyre's deflated and needing tyre levers that I appear to be unaware of?

Basically, work round the tyre pushing the bead into the well of the rim until you have enough give to roll a section of the tyre over the rim. (Obviously depends on hand function to a large extent, but it’s more about technique than strength.)

The problem with some tubeless combinations, as I discovered recently (see elsewhere), is getting the tyre bead into the rim well in the first place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 June, 2020, 10:02:24 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 28 June, 2020, 09:54:07 pm
Quote from: hatler on 28 June, 2020, 09:47:05 pm
Every cyclist needs a T Hall esq. as back up.
Every cyclist to Brighton needs the hatler coffeee service at the foot of Ditchling Beacon. We pulled in at The Greenhouses for a breather. "Ah" said my chum the Czeating Czech "this where that bloke with the flasks gives out coffee."

Sadly not today.

In a spirit of Doing Things Properly I tried to get the speed camera on the run in to Brighton to trigger, but I don't think I managed it. Vmax was 58.5kmh-1, which while approaching R17 wasn't fast enough or I didn't have sufficient RCS. I fear my chums, both riding plastic and soot bikes, wouldn't have helped in that regard.
:-)

That's only about 36mph. The one time I have got it to flash we were doing 46.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 June, 2020, 10:08:17 pm
Quote from: hatler on 28 June, 2020, 10:02:24 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 28 June, 2020, 09:54:07 pm
Quote from: hatler on 28 June, 2020, 09:47:05 pm
Every cyclist needs a T Hall esq. as back up.
Every cyclist to Brighton needs the hatler coffeee service at the foot of Ditchling Beacon. We pulled in at The Greenhouses for a breather. "Ah" said my chum the Czeating Czech "this where that bloke with the flasks gives out coffee."

Sadly not today.

In a spirit of Doing Things Properly I tried to get the speed camera on the run in to Brighton to trigger, but I don't think I managed it. Vmax was 58.5kmh-1, which while approaching R17 wasn't fast enough or I didn't have sufficient RCS. I fear my chums, both riding plastic and soot bikes, wouldn't have helped in that regard.
:-)

That's only about 36mph. The one time I have got it to flash we were doing 46.
I've tried it and failed at 39mph.
Little known fact: according to my (not used it years) speedo, that's the fastest speed I've ever achieved on a bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 June, 2020, 10:10:01 pm
Must try harder.  :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 11:02:06 pm
I've definitely set it off, but I can't remember how fast I was going at the time.  40ish seems likely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 29 June, 2020, 07:26:46 am
If the radar cross section is the problem you could trail a corner reflector mad of coathangers and tinfoil...  though the drag might slow you down
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 June, 2020, 08:59:03 am
We managed to trigger a 90-kph one once with a 25-bike Audax peloton. I reckon it got confused by all the spokes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 June, 2020, 09:07:23 am
Anyway, I have refettled the teak chopping-board I whacked apart with my spare ribs t'other day, and gone over it with a cabinet scraper.  Up until then we had only ever washed it after use, and the scraper took off an impressive amount of natural patina crud. Lots of old knife-cuts appeared, too.  I'll maybe scald it, then take half a lemon over it and follow up with grape-seed oil...

Also fixed my flat from last wk. Mulling over cleaning the bike but it's not very dirty and there's rain forecast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 June, 2020, 12:25:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 11:02:06 pm
I've definitely set it off, but I can't remember how fast I was going at the time.  40ish seems likely.

I realised this is a strava question.  The segment's called "Smile please :)" and my PR is a mere 53.8km/h, though that's over about a kilometre.

https://www.strava.com/segments/7930847
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 29 June, 2020, 12:41:23 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 June, 2020, 12:25:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 June, 2020, 11:02:06 pm
I've definitely set it off, but I can't remember how fast I was going at the time.  40ish seems likely.

I realised this is a strava question.  The segment's called "Smile please :)" and my PR is a mere 53.8km/h, though that's over about a kilometre.

https://www.strava.com/segments/7930847

Mine is a paltry 40.3kmh (average) - though I only have one attempt recorded on Strava and I vaguely recall the run in to Brighton on that occasion being heavy with traffic, which may have slowed me down. Max speed was 57.2kmh. Must try harder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 June, 2020, 05:59:49 pm
A relevant question would seem to be "What's the speed limit at that place?"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 June, 2020, 06:00:07 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 June, 2020, 05:59:49 pm
A relevant question would seem to be "What's the speed limit at that place?"

30mph.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 July, 2020, 04:03:27 pm
Put a 28mm GP4000s II on the back wheel of the Trek.  First time I've tried 28mm since I had a Raleigh "demi-course" in the mid-80s.  The thing is actually 31mm wide once it's pumped up.

GN: got it on fully inflated without too much faff
BN: had to buy new mudguards :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 02 July, 2020, 12:29:01 am
Drum roll please.

My first wheel !

Very exciting.  Though I did start with an easy one. Front, 20 radial bladed spokes.

Next up, a 24 bladed spoke rear.

Mrs h will be pleased. (Though I will be sure to accompany her on its first outing with a spoke key at the ready.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 July, 2020, 08:10:24 am
Try it on the missus first, good idea. ;D

Come to think of it, I have a tin of wood-stain I need to try...  nah, better not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 02 July, 2020, 10:24:32 am
Quote from: T42 on 02 July, 2020, 08:10:24 am
Try it on the missus first, good idea. ;D

Come to think of it, I have a tin of wood-stain I need to try...  nah, better not.
No need, Trump has shown how that works out.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 July, 2020, 01:12:16 pm
Quote from: Dave_C on 02 July, 2020, 10:24:32 am
Quote from: T42 on 02 July, 2020, 08:10:24 am
Try it on the missus first, good idea. ;D

Come to think of it, I have a tin of wood-stain I need to try...  nah, better not.
No need, Trump has shown how that works out.

Yebbut mine's oak, not padauk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 July, 2020, 07:02:46 pm
Went to remove the car battery cos we've let it go flat again  :facepalm:
Cue an audience of 2 small boys from across the road asking me 20 questions and I completely forgot what order to disconnect the terminals in, so I got as far as removing the securing bolt at the base of the battery and then gave up and retreated.
I'll have another go when they've gone to bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 July, 2020, 07:18:11 pm
Close inspection of the brake pads on the BB7s on the recumbent, still OK, and now set up reasonably for pad adjust and cable tension.  Also fettled the gears to finally be able to get all 10 gears reliably in both middle and big rings, at least on the workstand.  Hopefully it also translates to the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Socks on 02 July, 2020, 08:01:00 pm
Rear wheel and gears on the Kingcycle.  Gear changing had been a bit dodgy so I had a proper look.  The derailleur must have had a knock at some point, although I hadn't realised.  It was a bit bent, and wouldn't go into top gear.  The frame hanger wasn't affected so just a matter of swapping for a 'new' derailleur - a nice Shimano RSX touring long cage from the spares box.

Checked the wheel while I was on, hub bearings sounded rough.  I couldn't get the freewheel off, and rim quite worn, so a new wheel ordered.  It is a basic Shimano hub and traditional single wall alloy rim in keeping with a 1990's bike, designed for 135mm dropouts and up to 10 speed cassette.  Fitting it to the Kingcycle involved a couple of spacers to fit the 7 speed cassette.  Then a shorter axle spacer on the non-drive side; cutting a bit off the non-drive side of the axle so that the quick release gripped properly; and adjusting the dishing on the wheel to centre the rim.

Tyre was a bit worn with a couple of big cuts, so I fitted a new tyre as well.  Test ride this morning using a hilly 38 mile route from home.  All seemed to work well and I now have the full range of gears indexing reasonably well.

On the way home I noticed that the front mudguard was a bit loose, looks like the rivets on the mudguard stay bracket have corroded.  That's tomorrows task.  And if I could just sort out that intermittent creaking noise .....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 02 July, 2020, 08:35:46 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 July, 2020, 07:02:46 pm
I completely forgot what order to disconnect the terminals in

It really doesn't matter.

There may be some edge-case scenarios people can dream up along the lines of 'if you disconnect this one first, and are then a bit careless and let this short against that then bad things might happen'. But basically bollocks. Just be careful as you should around these things, and do it any way. I've never subscribed to any particular order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 July, 2020, 08:40:53 pm
Order's relevant when jump-starting, so you can avoid making a spark near the battery that's outgassing hydrogen if you break the ground connection first.  Not that I can imagine much hydrogen accumulating in a typical jump-starting scenario.  Maybe if you're doing it indoors...

TBH, the main thing is not having leads with one end connected to the positive terminal flapping about in the breeze (as I watched a neighbour doing a few weeks ago).  That's how magic smoke gets released.  Likely from the cable insulation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 02 July, 2020, 08:51:31 pm
Given that all spanners are conductive, and the negative of the battery is connected to every bit of metal that the spanner might touch, I think it’s sensible to disconnect the negative before putting the spanner on the positive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 02 July, 2020, 10:43:44 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 02 July, 2020, 08:51:31 pm
Given that all spanners are conductive, and the negative of the battery is connected to every bit of metal that the spanner might touch, I think it’s sensible to disconnect the negative before putting the spanner on the positive.
My adjustable agrees with you  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 03 July, 2020, 02:48:52 pm
A few years ago I lost a screwdriver to a bank of 62000uF reservoir caps on  +/- 100v rails in a high-power audio amp...
It really was quite an impressive flash-bang!
Also vapourised the heavy bus-wire linking the caps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 03 July, 2020, 03:11:51 pm
My dad used to manufacture a device for absorbing lightning strikes in industrial plants.  I don't remember the precise details, but it consisted of a bunch of stainless steel plates dipped in a bath of a liquid (potassium something ??) all contained in a very heavy duty plastic container, about 2' x 2' x 3'.

To test it out he contracted the CEGB to pump some serious Amps through it. I think this was done at their research place in Leatherhead.

Cables to it were 1" diameter.

When they threw the switch my father reported that the cables were leaping around like a hosepipe with HP water being pumped through.

Device passed the test and he sold more than a few.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 03 July, 2020, 05:09:30 pm
Swapped the (always getting blocked) three-jet windscreen washers on my car for a set of fan spray ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 03 July, 2020, 06:12:38 pm
refurbished the jaws of adjustable spanner (damaged years ago when fettling seized vintage bikes)

topped up sealant in the tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 July, 2020, 08:22:11 pm
Chest of drawers that's been on my list for ages. The two crossbars holding the carcass together had lost their glue at one end and the drawers were stiff to say the least as a result. A few dabs of glue and clamp for ten mins and no probs. Only issue was that the clamps were too short individually, so had to use them in tandem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 04 July, 2020, 09:04:12 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 04 July, 2020, 08:22:11 pm
Only issue was that the clamps were too short individually, so had to use them in tandem

When we ran out of long sash clamps, for a pupil's project at work, I grabbed some 3" wide off-cut strips of ply and quickly screwed a block of wood on one end, and another block of wood at a slight angle, just longer than the bit that needed clamping, and used door wedges to form a clamp - the old tricks are the best!  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 05 July, 2020, 02:02:36 pm
Quote from: hatler on 02 July, 2020, 12:29:01 am
Drum roll please.

My first wheel !

Very exciting.  Though I did start with an easy one. Front, 20 radial bladed spokes.

Next up, a 24 bladed spoke rear.

Mrs h will be pleased. (Though I will be sure to accompany her on its first outing with a spoke key at the ready.)
I'm delighted (and very relieved) to report that the new wheel had its first outing today and is as true at the end of the ride as it was at the start. (It was 10 thou out laterally when I'd finished it.)

Less delighted with how the second wheel went. Spoke length calculations went a bit awry somewhere. Bizarrely the spokes that were on the wheel were all the same length but when I came to lace it I had to use six of the old spokes which were a tad longer. No idea what's gone wrong as yet but I need to work that out before the next build.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 July, 2020, 02:11:49 pm
I spent the morning washing down all the hall ceiling, walls and woodwork with sugar soap, which was a delightful job. And then after that Pingu refitted a wall mounted light fitting that I managed to smack out of the wall with my elbow while washing. Lath and plaster walls are such a joy to fix things to...
Now to go and sand the radiator we took off the wall last week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 July, 2020, 05:21:55 pm
Fitted a rear dynamo light (B&M μ, very impressive) and a mudguard reflector to the mystery clubman.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 July, 2020, 05:25:12 pm
I did the radiator and then thought about fitting a new mudguard but then decided I'd used up all my tuits and needed a lie down. I'm knackered.

ETA: I also stuck a blob of Sugru on my tablet charging cable, being as I could see shiny bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 July, 2020, 05:28:20 pm
Bodged together a USB-rechargeable front light that I found in the woods yesterday to an old Cateye handlebar bracket. An amazing amount of faff for something that initially appeared simple but now almost looks like a factory job, if you squint. Fitted the Frankenlight to the commuter fixed.

Had a good look at the Cyo with broken mounting tab. Didn’t have any bolt with the same unusual thread as the existing one that secures the heatsink. Accordingly ordered taps and will fit a longer bolt that should let me fasten a bracket to the underside. Then I can drill the Pomp’s fork crown and put the repaired Cyo back in service.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 July, 2020, 07:47:41 pm
Nothing.

I visited my sister today. While I was there my nephew asked for help with his hipster fixie. He'd recently taken it to Evans to get a puncture fixed and they'd refitted the wheel in single speed mode not fixed. We needed a 6mm hex key.  They didn't have such a thing.  I didn't know there such things as houses with bicycles but without bicycle tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 05 July, 2020, 08:06:47 pm
Finished the bar tape and tidied a few things up.

Unable to locate my box of connectors so the rear light wire up will have to wait.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200705/dcbeee35aa95c1336ddf0b1e1f98e9db.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200705/2dbba5d403e05e962dba3774cbe0b520.jpg)

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200705/6a0f86b4a452a28467357a9401b141ad.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 05 July, 2020, 11:06:24 pm

My desk finally got to the point where I needed to do something about it... It started as me just using my laptop on a table, and kinda grew organically. But with no means to store anything, it became a cross between Jenga and the Towers of Hanoi.

In May I ordered some draws from Ikea, and after waiting 5 weeks for them to arrive, plus a week to sort out varnishing them. Today I bit the bullet.

Before:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcMbdCGWAAMy1t_?format=jpg&name=large)

After:

(click to show/hide)

I need to go over the contents of the draws again, and make sure things are sensibly grouped, and then stick labels on everything. But for now, it's a good start.

J

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 July, 2020, 10:05:20 am
Yay!  I haven't seen more than 5% of my desk top for five years.  Last time I had a clear-up I accidentally threw out my PBP 2015 medal & booklet, so that's the way it's staying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 July, 2020, 10:14:46 am
Anyway, today I have swapped out the defunct battery from my UPS. I've also located two other non-functional UPSes around the house and plan to resurrect them as well. Back when we were swamped with work we'd simply order another when they failed to spare the faff.

Also today, swapped around 3 tyres & tubes between 2 bikes to get the least-worn onto my Trek, pending arrival of new rubber.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 July, 2020, 03:39:20 pm
I bought a Campag Record track hub (original type) last year as it looked better than the slightly pitted one I was using.  On cleaning out all the fossilised grease I found it was actually unused, with no signs of ever having been built into a wheel and no rust or road dirt inside.

But...I could never get a good bearing adjustment with it.  It was always tight at one spot and this kind of explains why it's been sitting around for 50 years, unridden.  I even rolled the axle to check for it being bent.  Today I decided to swap out the axle as I just happened to have a used, but known good, Record Pista axle in the Crypt of Crap.  And...it's perfect.

On rolling the original axle again, no wobble is visible but it must be there.  These hubs are precision gone mad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 07 July, 2020, 04:10:06 pm
Looking good Dave C, nice colour^^

On my account, 65km this morning then this pm
- Hedge trimminng
- Dead half-roll edging burnt
- ye bike shedde tidied, wall mounted rack for two bikes put up, whiteboard to record the pain of my weight sessions moved
- garden shears sharpened

Might shift the bike hanger up a notch as the bottom of the tyres just gets in the way of the recumbent headrest to the point where it will eventually annoy me. Also need to work out best way to store bike number 3.  Number 4 is on the turbo, and number 5 is the recumbent. 

And before you suggest N-1, numbers 1-3 are so old that their second hand price is likely to be below BSO price, only those who know anything about bikes would want them, and that's a tricky market
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 07 July, 2020, 08:14:18 pm

First of my Pingfuckit* power converter prototypes.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcWHdi3XQAMDEdF?format=jpg&name=large)

I did fry 2 chips in the process of making this...

J

*Made from 100% pure ping fuckits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 07 July, 2020, 08:25:10 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 07 July, 2020, 08:14:18 pm
First of my Pingfuckit* power converter prototypes.
*Made from 100% pure ping fuckits.

So what does it convert from and to?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 07 July, 2020, 08:27:46 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 07 July, 2020, 08:25:10 pm
So what does it convert from and to?

3.3 -> 6v DC input, 3.3v DC smoothed out, at upto 600mA

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 09 July, 2020, 02:45:15 pm
Due to drains and stuffs my water butt's are a a couple of metres from my down pipe. For some reason it hasn't bee. Filling up very well. Think the diverter is a bit cracked and broken or maybe the waters just going down the middle. It does get a fair flow off the roof. Last night poped the short length of pipe off above it and put a very small flower pot over the hole in the middle and now have one full waterbutt and have moved filler pipe to the other butt
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 10 July, 2020, 12:33:48 pm
Fettled one of the CCTV camera power leads, by cutting the plug and socket off, soldering the wires and covering with heat shrink.

Moisture had obviously got into the connectors as the centre pin was completely corroded away and missing  :o :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 July, 2020, 01:04:39 pm
Temporary fix to our front gates, which had begun to sag because the prize eejit who built them (not me) didn't think diagonals were necessary. Putting them in will be a major job - must remember to put a car outside first.

Lubed the rails on which our kitchen waste-bin slides in and out of its cupboard. Nothing remarkable about that, save that the lube I used had a price label on top, in francs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 July, 2020, 05:21:39 pm
Tried to fit a new rear mudguard (SKS).
Used *all* the bad swears, including the one I don't like.
Trapped my thumb pad in a pair of pliers and gave myself a black bit.
Threw some stuff about and gave up.

So I haven't fettled a new mudguard.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 July, 2020, 06:37:36 pm
Thought one of the lens-securing screws had fallen out of my reading glasses.  Removed one from ancient pair found lurking in bathroom.  Poke, prod, swear because I need my reading glasses to see what I am doing.  While not doing it, original screw falls out of hole, because they screw in from the bottom.  More swears.

[Much much later]

Get screw in hole, insert lens, tighten screw, rejoice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 10 July, 2020, 07:55:50 pm
Cleaned the impressive volume of muck out of the idler wheels & derailleurish on my Brompton.  Happy to report it is once more a 2 speed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2020, 08:25:11 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 July, 2020, 06:37:36 pm
Thought one of the lens-securing screws had fallen out of my reading glasses.

As a distance glasses wearer in denial, I'm not looking forward to that one.   :hand:

After stripping the threads a few pairs of glasses ago, I've taken to loctiting all the screws as soon as they come home from the optiquack.  It does seem to help.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dave_C on 10 July, 2020, 08:41:23 pm
After 5-6 rides on my rebuilt spare Dolan Dual frame, I have ditched the small & light Selle San Marco. My arse just doesn't fit. I put a black Brooks B17 on it. The brown B17 is back on my rebuilt Galaxy, and a spare Rolls I had went on the Cotic, where the brown B17 came from.

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 11 July, 2020, 08:41:08 am
reading the assos shorts thread, i came up with an idea to extend the life of my shorts. i've cut a triangle of lycra and stitched it to the seams and the pad - to prevent my bum shining through.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200711/d4bbfad89b4a58c790dae52bf366f228.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 July, 2020, 12:48:36 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 July, 2020, 08:25:11 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 July, 2020, 06:37:36 pm
Thought one of the lens-securing screws had fallen out of my reading glasses.

As a distance glasses wearer in denial, I'm not looking forward to that one.   :hand:

After stripping the threads a few pairs of glasses ago, I've taken to loctiting all the screws as soon as they come home from the optiquack.  It does seem to help.

That would first require me to locate the Loctite and then, when I can't, go and buy some more at 11:45 pip-emma.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 July, 2020, 01:00:46 pm
I'm quite lucky in that my reading glasses needs are straightforward - so my solution is to have pairs stashed everywhere. In the car, by the bed, in my desk, in the kitchen, in the living room, all my coat pockets. Not as nice my proper optician posh ones that I normally use, but I rarely need to go looking for some when I need them.

For fettling, replaced the broken bezel spring on my divers watch. Gave everything a good clean, very light wipe of silicone lube on the bezel gasket o ring, reassemble. Nice smooth movement again, with positive clicks. Doing watch stuff is when I really miss my eyesight - having to change between different strengths of glasses to see well enough to do fine stuff like hand replacement and coarser bits (or even just finding the next tool I need).

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 July, 2020, 01:08:18 pm
Quote from: MattH on 11 July, 2020, 01:00:46 pm
I'm quite lucky in that my reading glasses needs are straightforward - so my solution is to have pairs stashed everywhere. In the car, by the bed, in my desk, in the kitchen, in the living room, all my coat pockets. Not as nice my proper optician posh ones that I normally use, but I rarely need to go looking for some when I need them.

This is my approach to:
a) Salbutamol inhalers
b) Steel tape measures
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 July, 2020, 03:04:22 pm
Failed to retap the heatsink in my Cyo with the broken mounting tab, mostly due to the combination of only drilling out the existing threaded socket to 4.0mm, rather than 4.2mm, and the particularly cheesy grade of aluminium selected by B&M. Tossed into a bin amongst much swears just prior to impulse purchasing another dyno headlight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 July, 2020, 11:08:03 am
Probed the wall in our hallway with an 8mm masonry drill to find out what it's made of.  Was expecting half-timber + wattle & daub under ancestral plaster, but it turned out to be very thick plaster over hollow brick.  Slightly puzzled now: I thought it was load-bearing.  You never know what you're going to find in old houses.

Also, degreased, regreased, de-dog-haired and generally spruced up the Electric Chair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 July, 2020, 12:29:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 July, 2020, 08:25:11 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 July, 2020, 06:37:36 pm
Thought one of the lens-securing screws had fallen out of my reading glasses.

As a distance glasses wearer in denial, I'm not looking forward to that one.   :hand:

After stripping the threads a few pairs of glasses ago, I've taken to loctiting all the screws as soon as they come home from the optiquack.  It does seem to help.

I'm the opposite, need distance glasses, don't need reading glasses any more.  Cue much up and down of glasses all day as I switch from screen to "teh wurld".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 13 July, 2020, 12:43:21 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 13 July, 2020, 12:29:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 July, 2020, 08:25:11 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 July, 2020, 06:37:36 pm
Thought one of the lens-securing screws had fallen out of my reading glasses.

As a distance glasses wearer in denial, I'm not looking forward to that one.   :hand:

After stripping the threads a few pairs of glasses ago, I've taken to loctiting all the screws as soon as they come home from the optiquack.  It does seem to help.

I'm the opposite, need distance glasses, don't need reading glasses any more.  Cue much up and down of glasses all day as I switch from screen to "teh wurld".

It's triply complicated here.  I need the reading glasses to type on a fondleslab but can manage an arms-length-away laptop spec-free.  The Proper Computer in the Great Hall is connected to the anbaric distascope on the other side of the room, so needs distance glasses, but its keyboard is also at arms-length and thus doesn't.  I look forward to the William Gibson future in which I can throw them away and get a pair of Zeiss ones fitted like TV's Tally Isham.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 13 July, 2020, 12:47:12 pm
A wire mesh vegetable/food storage trolley.    2 wheeled uprights held together by 3 "clip on" baskets.  A 2nd set of hands would have been useful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 13 July, 2020, 12:55:32 pm
I am about to de-fettle the front garden, because I need to read the gas meter, a process also requiring multiple sets of glasses chiz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2020, 10:14:00 pm
Fettled a new mudguard.
Fettled the car battery out of the car (after it died again, totally flat i.e. 6.9v, a week after we charged it up last time. Either we totally fucked it up or we have a drain).
Didn't go for a drive to look for dragonflies, chiz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 13 July, 2020, 10:17:57 pm
Fettled Number One Son's single speed bike seat post - the Seat tube diameter is 1/8 mm or so too big for the seatpost so not gripping it properly. Not having a shim the right thickness, made one out of silver foil folded over multiple times and wrapped around the seatpost - perfect fit...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 July, 2020, 12:59:33 pm
Replacement screw fell out of reading glasses and into the bath/the furry jungle of the bathmat/my beard.  Anyway, 'tis gorn, disparu like mother's mink.  Attempted replacement of replacement screw thwarted by dropping screws on dark-coloured rag rug under table.  Arse.  Now I shall have to go to the opticians.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 July, 2020, 04:01:15 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 14 July, 2020, 12:59:33 pm
Replacement screw fell out of reading glasses and into the bath/the furry jungle of the bathmat/my beard.  Anyway, 'tis gorn, disparu like mother's mink.  Attempted replacement of replacement screw thwarted by dropping screws on dark-coloured rag rug under table.  Arse.  Now I shall have to go to the opticians.

Very thin piece of stiffish wire threaded throuh and then twisted to tie and tighten - does the job for my "driving the car" specs

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 14 July, 2020, 05:22:06 pm

In my on going attempt to get my life organised, today I sorted most of my SMD parts into a sample book.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ec5WQmOWsAE_Mtt?format=jpg&name=large)

I have some more parts to do, but I want to print proper labels, my hand writing is too big to fit everything on the labels.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 14 July, 2020, 06:37:14 pm
I had to replace a valve on my amplifier.  This involved having to lift 20kg of metal off  the rack & upend it so I could take the base off.  My back aches....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 July, 2020, 09:12:31 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 14 July, 2020, 12:59:33 pm
Replacement screw fell out of reading glasses and into the bath/the furry jungle of the bathmat/my beard.  Anyway, 'tis gorn, disparu like mother's mink.  Attempted replacement of replacement screw thwarted by dropping screws on dark-coloured rag rug under table.  Arse.  Now I shall have to go to the opticians.

Top tip: Assortments of hundreds of glasses screws are readily available for a few quid from the Bay Of Thieves or similar.  The set I bought included a pleasing variety of sizes, though obviously not the one needed for barakta's weirdo frames.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 July, 2020, 09:20:12 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 14 July, 2020, 05:22:06 pm

In my on going attempt to get my life organised, today I sorted most of my SMD parts into a sample book.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ec5WQmOWsAE_Mtt?format=jpg&name=large)

Gosh, that's organised.

My SMD passives are organised in two different ways:
1) A small but teetering pile of 5000-part reels, which like to fall on the floor and come unspooled.
2) Assortment of cut strips like the ones photographed with the component value scribbled on the back in defective biro, loose in a box.

In my defence, I have a proper set of component drawers with a full set of E24 through-hole resistors, liberated from $we_sort_parcels's skip by barakta's dad, and liberated from his tqt collection by barakta[1] before it became collateral damage in the divorce.  They could do with some better labels though, as the ink has faded.


[1] This is also how I have a lifetime's supply of PCB-mount 25-pin D connectors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 14 July, 2020, 10:53:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 July, 2020, 09:20:12 pm

Gosh, that's organised.

My SMD passives are organised in two different ways:
1) A small but teetering pile of 5000-part reels, which like to fall on the floor and come unspooled.
2) Assortment of cut strips like the ones photographed with the component value scribbled on the back in defective biro, loose in a box.

In my defence, I have a proper set of component drawers with a full set of E24 through-hole resistors, liberated from $we_sort_parcels's skip by barakta's dad, and liberated from his tqt collection by barakta[1] before it became collateral damage in the divorce.  They could do with some better labels though, as the ink has faded.


[1] This is also how I have a lifetime's supply of PCB-mount 25-pin D connectors.

My E24 through holes are so old they are coming off the tape that held them together, which is making it increasingly hard to find the right ones.

I have a whole load of ESD sensitive parts that I am collecting as well, so have invested in over a dozen of these:

https://www.reichelt.nl/smd-klapdoos-transparant-deksel-37x12x15mm-esd-box-2-sw-p60402.html?&trstct=pos_7&nbc=1

They hold 10 of most small stuff just fine, and clip together to make a pleasing tray.

I also have invested in a pile of tobacco tins, some 2oz and some 1oz. Which are really useful for holding all the parts of a single project together. I'm hoping to get some wooden bits lasercut to make a nice rack for them.

I am fed up with my stuff being a mess...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: aidan.f on 14 July, 2020, 11:10:55 pm
You were sending design for EMC testing last week  - are you able to tell us what it is about? - or  what you do generally - just late night curiosity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 14 July, 2020, 11:14:53 pm
Quote from: aidan.f on 14 July, 2020, 11:10:55 pm
You were sending design for EMC testing last week  - are you able to tell us what it is about? - or  what you do generally - just late night curiosity.

This is just hobby electronics, today I have been designing a PCB for a continuity tester. I'm waiting on parts for a charge controller. My projects are a bit like unix scheduling, I do a bit on one, then sleep it while I work on something else, usually while waiting for components to arrive. I don't have the money to buy from fast suppliers, so I am waiting for stuff from china mostly. Which means that it can be weeks for them to arrive, and if from different suppliers, parts can arrive over a number of weeks. This is why storage of components has become important, I found myself ordering stuff and then finding I already had some. Not a problem for resisters that cos €0.002 each, but for some of the more expensive parts it is.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: aidan.f on 14 July, 2020, 11:35:28 pm
Interesting  - How did you get the EMC done on a tight budget please?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 14 July, 2020, 11:36:23 pm
Quote from: aidan.f on 14 July, 2020, 11:35:28 pm
Interesting  - How did you get the EMC done on a tight budget please?

I have a friend who will run some tests on it. It won't get certified, but it'll tell me if there's any major disasters in the layout.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 15 July, 2020, 10:49:29 am
There's nothing quite like a nicely sorted collection of resistors. And mine is nothing like  :) Sadly in a house move my full collections of resistors ended up mixed up, and I've not had the inclination to resort, so any project involves sitting there with a  huge bag of tangled components and a meter measuring them to find what I need - I'm perfectly capable mentally of reading colour codes, but nowadays it's faster to just slap a DVM on than try to see the colours.

I was digging through my trays looking for something the other day and came across a pair of General Instrument SP0256-AL2 chips bought in the late 80s. Really must get around to finishing that project...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 15 July, 2020, 01:41:57 pm
Quote from: MattH on 15 July, 2020, 10:49:29 am
There's nothing quite like a nicely sorted collection of resistors. And mine is nothing like  :) Sadly in a house move my full collections of resistors ended up mixed up, and I've not had the inclination to resort, so any project involves sitting there with a  huge bag of tangled components and a meter measuring them to find what I need - I'm perfectly capable mentally of reading colour codes, but nowadays it's faster to just slap a DVM on than try to see the colours.

I was digging through my trays looking for something the other day and came across a pair of General Instrument SP0256-AL2 chips bought in the late 80s. Really must get around to finishing that project...

Glad I'm not the only one slow on projects. Tidying up I found some chips I got as samples over 15 years ago.

One of the reasons for getting this sample book and sorting out the labels is that a lot of the SMD capacitors have no markings at all. If you don't put them straight back in the correct bag, you're going to be screwed. Is this the X5R cap? or an X7R? etc... but The bags are unwieldy and take up considerable extra volume compared to the parts they contain.

I've placed an order for some parts from lcsc. I need 5 resisters of a specific value for a project. Minimum order? 100. Total cost of 100 resisters? €0.17. I'm pretty certain that 90% of that is the labour cost of the person who measures out 100 off the real and cuts them up.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 July, 2020, 02:08:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 July, 2020, 09:12:31 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 14 July, 2020, 12:59:33 pm
Replacement screw fell out of reading glasses and into the bath/the furry jungle of the bathmat/my beard.  Anyway, 'tis gorn, disparu like mother's mink.  Attempted replacement of replacement screw thwarted by dropping screws on dark-coloured rag rug under table.  Arse.  Now I shall have to go to the opticians.

Top tip: Assortments of hundreds of glasses screws are readily available for a few quid from the Bay Of Thieves or similar.  The set I bought included a pleasing variety of sizes, though obviously not the one needed for barakta's weirdo frames.

Ta.  I shall investigate, as it sounds cheaper than the bus fare ;D

Edit: Big box of assorted screvs ordered and not a moment too soon as the spare off-the-shelf reading specs have lenses three times the height of the pukka ones and hence cannot easily be peered over like an Oxfod English don encountering a particularly revolting neologism.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 15 July, 2020, 05:02:24 pm

Made a thing...

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ec-oc08WAAIjZpy?format=jpg&name=large)

Had an annoying fight with a solder bridge that just wouldn't budge. Turns out that the correct amount of solder paste is even less than I thought it was.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ec-oc03XoAAFPYy?format=jpg&name=large)

But it works.

It's a hardware switch debouncer, for anyone curious...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 July, 2020, 05:56:42 pm
Went round the chipped and flaky paint on my skirtings with 'knifing putty'. Finally another step forward with the decorating. I've been putting it off as I suspected it would stink the place out with solvents and freak out the kittehs but it seems to have evaporated fairly quickly. Or I've lost the ability to smell it. Kittehs don't seem bovvered anyway.
Next, sanding those bits and decorators caulk in the gaps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 15 July, 2020, 10:15:15 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 15 July, 2020, 02:08:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 July, 2020, 09:12:31 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 14 July, 2020, 12:59:33 pm
Replacement screw fell out of reading glasses and into the bath/the furry jungle of the bathmat/my beard.  Anyway, 'tis gorn, disparu like mother's mink.  Attempted replacement of replacement screw thwarted by dropping screws on dark-coloured rag rug under table.  Arse.  Now I shall have to go to the opticians.

Top tip: Assortments of hundreds of glasses screws are readily available for a few quid from the Bay Of Thieves or similar.  The set I bought included a pleasing variety of sizes, though obviously not the one needed for barakta's weirdo frames.

Ta.  I shall investigate, as it sounds cheaper than the bus fare ;D

Edit: Big box of assorted screvs ordered and not a moment too soon as the spare off-the-shelf reading specs have lenses three times the height of the pukka ones and hence cannot easily be peered over like an Oxfod English don encountering a particularly revolting neologism.

Oh SH!t, that's what I do when looking over my specs to read stuff close to me, or perch them on my hed, more Cambridge these days though
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 15 July, 2020, 10:58:19 pm
Had the best evening with my youngest in a long time building a bike (for 4 bikes) for the garage. Freed up a lot of space too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:29:52 pm

I had really bad insomnia last night, and as a result I finally tackled the smallest chip I've ever soldered. 1mm x 1mm with 5 pins, including one in the middle of the underside:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEbGXsAIiF-e?format=jpg&name=large)

The whole board on a €0.01 coin:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEgeXoAUjeyA?format=jpg&name=large)

This is the 3rd in a series of pingfuckit power converters. Lesson learned, the amount of solder paste required is in the homeopathic levels...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 12:36:48 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:29:52 pm

I had really bad insomnia last night, and as a result I finally tackled the smallest chip I've ever soldered. 1mm x 1mm with 5 pins, including one in the middle of the underside:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEbGXsAIiF-e?format=jpg&name=large)

The whole board on a €0.01 coin:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEgeXoAUjeyA?format=jpg&name=large)

This is the 3rd in a series of pingfuckit power converters. Lesson learned, the amount of solder paste required is in the homeopathic levels...

J

i am not seeing your images, just a blank rectangle frame (in the earlier posts too)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 July, 2020, 12:38:31 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 12:36:48 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:29:52 pm

I had really bad insomnia last night, and as a result I finally tackled the smallest chip I've ever soldered. 1mm x 1mm with 5 pins, including one in the middle of the underside:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEbGXsAIiF-e?format=jpg&name=large)

The whole board on a €0.01 coin:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEgeXoAUjeyA?format=jpg&name=large)

This is the 3rd in a series of pingfuckit power converters. Lesson learned, the amount of solder paste required is in the homeopathic levels...

J

i am not seeing your images, just a blank rectangle frame (in the earlier posts too)

They're fine here using Safari
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:40:14 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 12:36:48 pm
i am not seeing your images, just a blank rectangle frame (in the earlier posts too)

Are you on mobile?

I get the same issue it seems on my phone's browser, but they display fine on my laptop. Not sure why, am using the normal IMG tags, linking to twitter...

Does the link itself work:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEbGXsAIiF-e?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEgeXoAUjeyA?format=jpg&name=large

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 16 July, 2020, 12:44:03 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:29:52 pm

I had really bad insomnia last night, and as a result I finally tackled the smallest chip I've ever soldered. 1mm x 1mm with 5 pins, including one in the middle of the underside:


Blimey, that's tiny. Well done, was that bare eyed or did you use magnification of some sort while you were doing it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 July, 2020, 12:48:44 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 12:36:48 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:29:52 pm

I had really bad insomnia last night, and as a result I finally tackled the smallest chip I've ever soldered. 1mm x 1mm with 5 pins, including one in the middle of the underside:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEbGXsAIiF-e?format=jpg&name=large)

The whole board on a €0.01 coin:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEgeXoAUjeyA?format=jpg&name=large)

This is the 3rd in a series of pingfuckit power converters. Lesson learned, the amount of solder paste required is in the homeopathic levels...

J

i am not seeing your images, just a blank rectangle frame (in the earlier posts too)

Happens to me all the time. Account issues, I reckon - some kind of "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's bandwidth" commandment.  Right-click on the rectangle, select "View image" and it comes up in a new tab which belongs exclusively to Twitter.  At least in Windows/Firefox.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:49:05 pm
Quote from: hulver on 16 July, 2020, 12:44:03 pm

Blimey, that's tiny. Well done, was that bare eyed or did you use magnification of some sort while you were doing it?

Bare eye. I used the macro function on my camera to take photos every now and then to check, the hardest part is trying to work out which way round it goes. Finding the dark grey dot on the darker grey package, that marks pin 1...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 July, 2020, 12:54:37 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:49:05 pm
Quote from: hulver on 16 July, 2020, 12:44:03 pm

Blimey, that's tiny. Well done, was that bare eyed or did you use magnification of some sort while you were doing it?

Bare eye. I used the macro function on my camera to take photos every now and then to check, the hardest part is trying to work out which way round it goes. Finding the dark grey dot on the darker grey package, that marks pin 1...

J

Well done, QG.  My occulowhatsit muscles ache in sympathy. Reminded me of this, which is a little bit very old:

Quote
1.
Oh we got a new computer but it's quite a disappointment
'Cause it always gave this same insane advice:
"OH YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT
LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY HANDS FOR MILKING MICE."

2.
So we re-read the instruction book that came with the computer
But it kept on printing crazy stuff that reads
Like: "YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT
LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY SHOES FOR CENTIPEDES." 

3.
So we got an expert genius and he rewrote all the programs
But we always got results that looked like these:
"OH YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT
LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY LICENSE PLATES FOR BEES."

4.
Then we tested each resistor, every diode and transistor,
But our EElectronic brain just raves and rants:
"OH YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT
LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE BRANDING IRONS FOR BRANDING ANTS."

5.
Now we're looking for a buyer for a crazy mad computer
That will only give out crazy mad advice
Like: "YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT
LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY HANDS FOR MILKING MICE."


                              -- Tom Digby
                              written  1/27/66
                              first publication APA-L #69  2/10/66
                              entered 22:12 Feb 14, 1996

https://people.well.com/user/bubbles/LilTEyes.txt
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 01:02:15 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 16 July, 2020, 12:40:14 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 12:36:48 pm
i am not seeing your images, just a blank rectangle frame (in the earlier posts too)

Are you on mobile?

I get the same issue it seems on my phone's browser, but they display fine on my laptop. Not sure why, am using the normal IMG tags, linking to twitter...

Does the link itself work:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEbGXsAIiF-e?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdASEgeXoAUjeyA?format=jpg&name=large

J

i'm on a laptop using firefox. hyperlinks work fine and show images.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 17 July, 2020, 01:21:18 pm
Well not today but over the last few days.

Before :
(http://random.woollypigs.com/stuff/2020-07-11_08.19.00.JPG)

Now I got a bin for my camera and recording gear and a bin for all the bits that need charging and a Raspberry Pi and a drawer for all the other bits that I had laying about but didn't use often.

Next step is to cut a handle/grip in the bin lids and trim the plank of wood I attached the laptop screen too so it fits better on the table and so that I can get into the bin on the right easier.

Also I need to figure out how to "mount" the PC below the table top, so the cable management will get better when that is done. But that is on hold as I'm thinking about updating the PC.

After :

(https://random.woollypigs.com/stuff/2020-07-17_12.23.55.jpg)

(https://random.woollypigs.com/stuff/2020-07-17_12.25.22.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 July, 2020, 02:19:43 pm
Quote from: woollypigs on 17 July, 2020, 01:21:18 pm
Well not today but over the last few days.

Before :
(http://random.woollypigs.com/stuff/2020-07-11_08.19.00.JPG)

Now I got a bin for my camera and recording gear and a bin for all the bits that need charging and a Raspberry Pi and a drawer for all the other bits that I had laying about but didn't use often.

Next step is to cut a handle/grip in the bin lids and trim the plank of wood I attached the laptop screen too so it fits better on the table and so that I can get into the bin on the right easier.

Also I need to figure out how to "mount" the PC below the table top, so the cable management will get better when that is done. But that is on hold as I'm thinking about updating the PC.

After :

(https://random.woollypigs.com/stuff/2020-07-17_12.23.55.jpg)

(https://random.woollypigs.com/stuff/2020-07-17_12.25.22.jpg)

I like the "bin" idea - but not quite so keen on the idea of OSB as it's prone to sharp edges, even when sanded/eased.

Rob

PS: I built a new dining table today with a birch plywood top and chrome hairpin legs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 July, 2020, 02:41:32 pm
Knocked off the tiled skirting in the hall and drilled a few exploratory holes to find out what's behind it; which varies from at least 10 cm of solid plaster to 2 cm over something the percussion drill wouldn't touch. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 17 July, 2020, 03:37:46 pm
Quote from: robgul on 17 July, 2020, 02:19:43 pm
I like the "bin" idea - but not quite so keen on the idea of OSB as it's prone to sharp edges, even when sanded/eased.

Rob


There is a few places that was a bit sharp, but I didn't really have to sand. I gave all surfaces a good coating of OSMO and it is smooth. Most of the work area is covered by the desk mat mat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: philip on 17 July, 2020, 04:21:16 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 01:02:15 pm
i'm on a laptop using firefox. hyperlinks work fine and show images.
I find that firefox's enhanced tracking protection (see the shield to the left of the address bar) causes these images to be blocked as it blocks the pbs.twimg.com domain. If I switch off tracking protection the images appear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 July, 2020, 04:29:32 pm
Quote from: philip on 17 July, 2020, 04:21:16 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 July, 2020, 01:02:15 pm
i'm on a laptop using firefox. hyperlinks work fine and show images.
I find that firefox's enhanced tracking protection (see the shield to the left of the address bar) causes these images to be blocked as it blocks the pbs.twimg.com domain. If I switch off tracking protection the images appear.

yes, that seems to be the case; i'll leave the tracking protection on and (as suggested above) can view images by right click -> view image, if i'm curious :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 July, 2020, 07:35:26 pm
Emptied the bathroom sink U-bend of my daughter's hair and associated gunk  :sick:

Next time she can do it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 17 July, 2020, 09:10:44 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 17 July, 2020, 07:35:26 pm
Emptied the bathroom sink U-bend of my daughter's hair and associated gunk  :sick:

Next time she can do it

Went to the LBS with my Brompton today, to get a broken spoke fixed. Having got the wheel out and on the truing stand, it became evident it was long due a removal of the disturbing collection of hair wrapped round the NDS axle end. I removed this before the tame mechanic fixed the wheel...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 July, 2020, 11:18:44 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 17 July, 2020, 09:10:44 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 17 July, 2020, 07:35:26 pm
Emptied the bathroom sink U-bend of my daughter's hair and associated gunk  :sick:

Next time she can do it

Went to the LBS with my Brompton today, to get a broken spoke fixed. Having got the wheel out and on the truing stand, it became evident it was long due a removal of the disturbing collection of hair wrapped round the NDS axle end. I removed this before the tame mechanic fixed the wheel...

I recall rower40 OTP finding a quantity of what he insisted was my hair entangled in the pedal spindle when he came to swap the SPDs on the back of his tandem back to the usual platforms after we'd set some sort of stupidity record on the Cheam & Morden Hilly 50 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=43136.msg876491#msg876491).  I don't recall at any point pedalling with my head.

I note that spokes are quite good for fishing hairballs out of u-bends.

Ob-fettle:  Drivetrain maintenance on the Streetmachine.  Cleaned chain, new middle ring, removed some schmoo-encrusted hair from the chain tubes and rear mech, that sort of thing.  Also washed off the remaining traces of dead wabbit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 July, 2020, 08:38:08 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 17 July, 2020, 07:35:26 pm
Emptied the bathroom sink U-bend of my daughter's hair and associated gunk  :sick:

Next time she can do it

I once threatened mine that next time around she'd find it in her dinner.  That worked.  Safer than having a bolshie teenager attacking the sink trap, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 July, 2020, 10:54:53 am
Hair is sentient.  You don't have to put your bonce anywhere near an object for hair to sneak off and infest it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 18 July, 2020, 01:49:17 pm
I have accepted that, Boris notwithstanding, I will be wfh for the rest of this year.
So, as staring at a laptop screen is not doing me any good, I need at least one of the big screens from work.
But there isn't enough room on my desk at home for anything else.
MrsC suggests tidying :o the room, including sorting out the TPOC on the bookshelf next to the desk, and moving the peripherals (disks, routers, landline phone...) onto said bookshelves. She followed this with, some of that stuff should be in the loft anyway...
...we have spent the morning in the loft and I now have the study covered in potential recycling and general rubbish. When that's all sorted I may be able to get back to moving stuff off the desk.
It all feels a bit Flanders and Swann.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 July, 2020, 02:44:58 pm
Back when I was working on a laptop at home I built a bridge to take the screen + a bunch of other stuff. It put the screen up a bit high, but my chair tilts, and with a footstool underneath the desk I ended up with the most comfortable working position I'd ever had.  Laptop's gone now but the bridge is still there for use with my 2nd machine:

(https://pbase.com/image/170884035.jpg)

Sorry about the dust - the rate of precipitation in this house is phenomenal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 18 July, 2020, 03:18:50 pm
That does look like a good solution.
I'll post a picture of my current setup once the place is vaguely tidy again (can't actually get to the laptop at the moment) and you will see my problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 July, 2020, 03:23:28 pm
Tidy? Wassat?

Good luck!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 18 July, 2020, 03:53:13 pm
Amazon do very cheap screen risers. I use three, one for the laptop and the others for two additional monitors.

It seems that the. I guess for wfh has been reflected in the price!  I’m sure we paid less than a tenner each when I got mine.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-DHMSA-Adjustable-Monitor-Stand/dp/B00X4SCCFG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3EK208WQMHZLZ&dchild=1&keywords=computer+screen+stand&qid=1595083700&sprefix=Computer+scree+%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-3

Of course making your own is mor satisfying, and cheaper if you have the wood handy.

 I fettled a frame of canes around the sweetcorn to prevent the inevitable toppling in autumnal winds. Also re-fixed the hose guide to the wall, using cut off tails off tails of the cable ties used in the sweetcorn frame as additional packing in the rawlplugs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 July, 2020, 05:56:23 pm
Gooped my replacement Spa Nidd saddle.

Frame Savered my Brompton and trike prior to reassembling them. I will need to remove some of the powdercoat to allow the hinges to fit together. Brompton’s factory powdercoat must be quite a bit thinner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 July, 2020, 07:59:54 pm
How would you test the field coils of the type of motor, from a henry.

https://picclick.fr/Genuine-Numatic-Henry-Hoover-Motor-Hvr200-Genuine-Ametek-130886273432.html#&gid=1&pid=1
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Davef on 18 July, 2020, 08:05:55 pm
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200718/6632979d8f35a327c4d571e56670570e.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200718/245f299770e8b753578bb88c5ca4e53b.jpg)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 18 July, 2020, 08:20:55 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 18 July, 2020, 07:59:54 pm
How would you test the field coils of the type of motor, from a henry.

https://picclick.fr/Genuine-Numatic-Henry-Hoover-Motor-Hvr200-Genuine-Ametek-130886273432.html#&gid=1&pid=1

In my experience, the PCB or th switches are the most likely to go in Henrys. If you search you can find a method of running it without the PCB, although they get hot if left like that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 18 July, 2020, 08:37:25 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 18 July, 2020, 08:20:55 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 18 July, 2020, 07:59:54 pm
How would you test the field coils of the type of motor, from a henry.

https://picclick.fr/Genuine-Numatic-Henry-Hoover-Motor-Hvr200-Genuine-Ametek-130886273432.html#&gid=1&pid=1

In my experience, the PCB or th switches are the most likely to go in Henrys. If you search you can find a method of running it without the PCB, although they get hot if left like that.

Switch works, and no PCB.  Everything checks out, the armature is fine with 180 degree test and next to each other too.

Field coils...on the other hand have continuity on one side and open on the other.  Have checked the overheat sensor and that seems to be ok.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 18 July, 2020, 09:14:10 pm
Davef what's the range of that with an egg?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Davef on 18 July, 2020, 10:25:20 pm
Quote from: woollypigs on 18 July, 2020, 09:14:10 pm
Davef what's the range of that with an egg?
I think an egg would be over it’s capacity. It manages to lob a 1.5cm wooden ball about 2m. With the success of the scale model I am pricing up at Wickes for a larger version.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 July, 2020, 08:19:01 am
Varied stuff :

1 removed the BB30 from a friend's Fuji carbon road machine in order to fit a a new BB and, hopefully, get rid of the creaking noise - so far the non-drive side has been fitted wih some Loctite as recommended and left to dry with the press pulling it all together.

2 mini-service on our cleaning lady's bike (the red one) . . .  she took that home and left her spare machine (the blue one) for a mini-service and fitting of a new cartridge BB to replace the totally knackered old style cup and axle unit.

3 completed construction of a new dining table - CNC cut plywood and chrome hairpin legs - next step is to apply several coats of oil dressing to the top.

4 commenced replacement of a faulty toilet cistern - one of those concealed ones where the idiot that fitted it originally has glued the cabinet face in place

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 19 July, 2020, 10:59:02 am
Quote from: robgul on 19 July, 2020, 08:19:01 am
completed construction of a new dining table - CNC cut plywood and chrome hairpin legs - next step is to apply several coats of oil dressing to the top.

Sounds very interesting. I want a table approx 1m square, which seems difficult to find, but am prepared to build it using screw-on legs.  Where do you get your cut timber, please?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 July, 2020, 11:15:21 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 18 July, 2020, 03:53:13 pm
Amazon do very cheap screen risers. I use three, one for the laptop and the others for two additional monitors.

My iMac currently stands on a tower made up of an old Trivial Pursuit set and a sturdy box file.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 July, 2020, 11:19:07 am
Quote from: woollypigs on 18 July, 2020, 09:14:10 pm
Davef what's the range of that with an egg?

Oh man... you've just triggered a deep memory of watching The Great Egg Race as a kid. Loved that programme. They really should bring it back.

https://youtu.be/HMr99lFg8ws
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 July, 2020, 11:45:28 am
Quote from: offcumden on 19 July, 2020, 10:59:02 am
Quote from: robgul on 19 July, 2020, 08:19:01 am
completed construction of a new dining table - CNC cut plywood and chrome hairpin legs - next step is to apply several coats of oil dressing to the top.

Sounds very interesting. I want a table approx 1m square, which seems difficult to find, but am prepared to build it using screw-on legs.  Where do you get your cut timber, please?

The timber came from an outfit called Cutlist - they are just the Oxford side of High Wycombe . . . . they cut an 8 x 4 sheet of  BB/BB (that's the best) 18mm plywood to the cut-list (Geddit?) I gave them.  The top is 150 x 75 and consists of 18mm plywood which is made to look like 36mm ply (exposed edges to show the laminates/plys) by gluing and screwing 20cm wide "strips" all round the underside edges (two full length and then two shorter pieces across the ends) - very tight fit to avoid gaps where the strips butt together.  Then a 15cm square piece of ply set in underneath at each corner, glued and screwed.  Four chrome 3 pin "hairpin legs" screwed on  [From the Hairpin Leg Company]   All edges were eased very, very slightly with fine sandpaper - the underside was sealed with a cheap acrylic varnish - the top is having several coats of Osmo Top Oil in "natural" which should remain pretty much as the original plywood.
The plywood is pretty expensive for BB/BB (if you can find a stockist) plus the cutting cost - all up it was £120 inc VAT (that's collected from Cutlist, they do deliver at a cost  .... it's not far from me and at the same time I picked up a dovetail jig in Oxford that I bought (stole, at the price!)  from someone on a woodwork forum)

If you PM an email addy I'll send some pix.

Rob

PS : I have an extending table that's about a metre square (un-extended - it's about 1.6 extended) that is being replaced . . .  it's Habitat, beech finish, square legs and I've added adjustable feet.  Free to collector!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 19 July, 2020, 12:11:53 pm
Thanks, Rob.  PM coming . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 19 July, 2020, 12:54:14 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 19 July, 2020, 11:15:21 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 18 July, 2020, 03:53:13 pm
Amazon do very cheap screen risers. I use three, one for the laptop and the others for two additional monitors.

My iMac currently stands on a tower made up of an old Trivial Pursuit set and a sturdy box file.

My monitors sit atop centre speakers.  Only one of which is wired in.  I'm not that much of a heathen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 July, 2020, 01:02:17 pm
Took the built-up crud off the bottoms of a couple of cast-iron frying pans with the random orbital sander.  3 sheets of 80-grit up the spout. Filthy job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 July, 2020, 05:51:41 pm
Arsed about with the car battery (as per thread in Vroom).
Sanded down the knifing putty I used on the hall skirtings & architrave. The hall redecoration continues at glacial pace.
Next time - spotting undercoat on those bits that need it on the woodwork & radiator.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 July, 2020, 06:40:43 pm
New gear cable to the Bendy Bike that I bought from the late lamented jogler a few years ago.

Given the amount of rust and associated crap that came out of the Jagwire housing, coupled with how hard I had to pull to get the old one out, I reckon that should improve the shifting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 July, 2020, 07:34:10 pm
In Feanor Towers, did Mrs. F, a Pleasure Dome decree...

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50130321446_d116111470_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR141)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR141) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50129752438_7633f8303f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnN5Uw)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnN5Uw) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50130543477_799f2915a2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnS948)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnS948) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50130321486_0acb4345c2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR14G)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR14G) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 July, 2020, 08:36:01 pm
Drilled the fork crown of my Pomp to fit a new dyno headlight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 July, 2020, 07:18:55 am
Quote from: Davef on 18 July, 2020, 08:05:55 pm
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200718/6632979d8f35a327c4d571e56670570e.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200718/245f299770e8b753578bb88c5ca4e53b.jpg)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Here's my homemadeversion, my mangonel was less successful. The one I really want to build though is a ballista.

https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4 (https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4)

(https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4)

(https://i.imgur.com/hT5sIK1.jpg)
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Davef on 20 July, 2020, 09:03:14 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 20 July, 2020, 07:18:55 am
Quote from: Davef on 18 July, 2020, 08:05:55 pm
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200718/6632979d8f35a327c4d571e56670570e.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200718/245f299770e8b753578bb88c5ca4e53b.jpg)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Here's my homemadeversion, my mangonel was less successful. The one I really want to build though is a ballista.

https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4 (https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4)

(https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4)

(https://i.imgur.com/hT5sIK1.jpg)
Your trebuchet has a stop that rapidly decelerates the beam at the vertical position. The beam should swing over and then oscillate back and forth. The lack of sudden acceleration and deceleration is why they could be scaled up to huge sizes without being shaken apart. It also means getting the length of sling right is important.  I should have done a video of mine in action. It is quite graceful with no sudden movements.

This is a fine example !
https://youtu.be/M1iPxY3FYNE

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 July, 2020, 01:44:40 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 July, 2020, 01:02:17 pm
Took the built-up crud off the bottoms of a couple of cast-iron frying pans with the random orbital sander.  3 sheets of 80-grit up the spout. Filthy job.

Mucky devil ;)  Why not just soak in ammonia or burn off?  Have to do the same to a few pans and am working out how.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 20 July, 2020, 01:59:10 pm
Rigged up some IKEA kitchen unit lighting. Went OK, but the wiring is a bit bodged.

Tidied up the Dahon Curve I bought last week, cleaned the chain, checked the brakes and other minor tweaks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 July, 2020, 02:42:35 pm
In  different life I fabricated the working prototypes of this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50132867683_83508c0f20_b.jpg)

And this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50133425536_715147c993_b.jpg)

And this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50133424831_d5ae5576c3_b.jpg)

All of which ended up going into this game:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50133652832_a52e79c300_b.jpg)

In the interests of scale, those red balls are 10mm Ø
Although, over the years I have seen the game reproduced at much larger scales
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 July, 2020, 04:21:38 pm
Filed the clear coat and most of the colour coat off the faces of my Brompton’s stem and frame hinges. I can see how Bromptons are usually powder coated with these hinges assembled.

Fitted new larger 6.1mm hinge pins to remove excessive wear (can go up to 6.35mm pins in another decade or so).

Fitted new swingarm bushes, reamed them and refitted the swingarm, along with the new grease nipple. Hopefully I will not have to replace these bushes for a long time.

Now to do the next task in reassembling my decade-old repainted Brompton.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 July, 2020, 06:38:38 pm
Undercoated the filled bits and selected sections of the radiator.
Poked the drain snakey thing down the shower waste. Still not convinced it's running properly though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 July, 2020, 06:40:25 pm
You've probably got something in the lab that would sort the shower out. No?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 July, 2020, 06:51:37 pm
Quote from: Davef on 20 July, 2020, 09:03:14 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 20 July, 2020, 07:18:55 am
Quote from: Davef on 18 July, 2020, 08:05:55 pm

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Here's my homemadeversion, my mangonel was less successful. The one I really want to build though is a ballista.

https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4 (https://i.imgur.com/A3NnW1c.mp4)


Your trebuchet has a stop that rapidly decelerates the beam at the vertical position. The beam should swing over and then oscillate back and forth. The lack of sudden acceleration and deceleration is why they could be scaled up to huge sizes without being shaken apart. It also means getting the length of sling right is important.  I should have done a video of mine in action. It is quite graceful with no sudden movements.

This is a fine example !
https://youtu.be/M1iPxY3FYNE

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That is based on the plans I saw, easy enough to adjust. It was capable of throwing a small marble 8-10m as it was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 20 July, 2020, 06:53:19 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 18 July, 2020, 03:18:50 pm
That does look like a good solution.
I'll post a picture of my current setup once the place is vaguely tidy again (can't actually get to the laptop at the moment) and you will see my problem.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50134291936_acd4d94163_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jocmkJ)
My desk (https://flic.kr/p/2jocmkJ) by Steve Cunio (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecunio/), on Flickr
That's in the 'work' configuration. The laptop is connected to the screen on the left. The screen behind is my personal iMac. Risers wouldn't really help, cool though the home made ones looked in your photos.
As I've only just set this up and haven't actually worked with the second screen yet, it may have to change.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 20 July, 2020, 07:38:04 pm
I've accidentally un-fettled the decorative brick arch on the front of the pizza oven.

It collapsed spectacularly when I laid the weight of my hand on it.
Re-design required.

It's a silly flat arch, braced between 2 feeble pillars.
The load lines just push the pillars over in the absence of flying butresses.
(It was supplied with the oven castings as an optional extra.)

Bit of a re-think required, this time with some engineering input.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 July, 2020, 08:12:03 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 20 July, 2020, 07:38:04 pm
I've accidentally un-fettled the decorative brick arch on the front of the pizza oven.

It collapsed spectacularly when I laid the weight of my hand on it.
Re-design required.

It's a silly flat arch, braced between 2 feeble pillars.
The load lines just push the pillars over in the absence of flying butresses.
(It was supplied with the oven castings as an optional extra.)

Bit of a re-think required, this time with some engineering input.
Pizza Express tonight then, I guess...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pdm on 20 July, 2020, 11:37:38 pm
Attacked the electric Hedge Trimmer today - it was blunt and struggling.
Dismantled the blades to sharpen them and discovered the gearbox was occupied by solid, old, denatured, now rubbery grease.
Full overhaul required. Took it all apart, cleaned out everything, new gearbox grease, sharpened blades and re-assembled. Over 2 hours work but it is running smoothly now and cutting instead of mangling!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:30:59 am
Quote from: Feanor on 19 July, 2020, 07:34:10 pm
In Feanor Towers, did Mrs. F, a Pleasure Dome decree...

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50130321446_d116111470_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR141)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR141) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50129752438_7633f8303f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnN5Uw)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnN5Uw) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50130543477_799f2915a2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnS948)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnS948) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50130321486_0acb4345c2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR14G)
Pizza oven construction (https://flic.kr/p/2jnR14G) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Is that a kit?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am
Quote from: Jurek on 20 July, 2020, 02:42:35 pm
In  different life I fabricated the working prototypes of this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50132867683_83508c0f20_b.jpg)

And this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50133425536_715147c993_b.jpg)

And this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50133424831_d5ae5576c3_b.jpg)

All of which ended up going into this game:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50133652832_a52e79c300_b.jpg)

In the interests of scale, those red balls are 10mm Ø
Although, over the years I have seen the game reproduced at much larger scales

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:43:38 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 18 July, 2020, 08:37:25 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 18 July, 2020, 08:20:55 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 18 July, 2020, 07:59:54 pm
How would you test the field coils of the type of motor, from a henry.

https://picclick.fr/Genuine-Numatic-Henry-Hoover-Motor-Hvr200-Genuine-Ametek-130886273432.html#&gid=1&pid=1

In my experience, the PCB or th switches are the most likely to go in Henrys. If you search you can find a method of running it without the PCB, although they get hot if left like that.

Switch works, and no PCB.  Everything checks out, the armature is fine with 180 degree test and next to each other too.

Field coils...on the other hand have continuity on one side and open on the other.  Have checked the overheat sensor and that seems to be ok.

Back and playing with the as the other vacuums in the house are poor.  Cleaned the motor out with contact cleaner.  Even a city dyson doesn't seem to have much suction, the taped repaired dirt devil seems blocked.  While the borrowed wet or dry cleaner is really loud and terrifies the cats.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 09:06:46 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
It isn't a crossbow, it's a ballista.
The difference is in the missile - a crossbow fires a bolt, a ballista launches a heavy object.
Additionally, the crossbow relies on tension from the bow for its driving force.
The ballista is a machine which uses torsion springs to rotate the pivoting arms a quarter of a turn.
In all respects these toy weapons were made to work like the real thing does.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50136632656_28f5aed844_b.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 21 July, 2020, 09:14:31 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:30:59 am
Is that a kit?

Yes, from here:
https://www.pizzaovensupplies.co.uk/pizza-oven-kits/

That's the Milano 750.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 21 July, 2020, 09:17:35 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:43:38 am
Back and playing with the as the other vacuums in the house are poor.  Cleaned the motor out with contact cleaner.  Even a city dyson doesn't seem to have much suction, the taped repaired dirt devil seems blocked.  While the borrowed wet or dry cleaner is really loud and terrifies the cats.

I threw away a Dyson once. I later learned that they are famed for having the moulded on mains plug fracture the copper wires - looks fine but no connection.
I kick myself that I coudl easily have replaced the plug at least as a try.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 July, 2020, 10:37:04 am
New cassette & chain on the Trek.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 July, 2020, 10:55:45 am
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 21 July, 2020, 09:17:35 am
I threw away a Dyson once. I later learned that they are famed for having the moulded on mains plug fracture the copper wires - looks fine but no connection.
I kick myself that I coudl easily have replaced the plug at least as a try.

I've repaired a couple of hand-me-down Dysons with mains lead faults (at the body end, not the plug, so just chop out a few inches of cable and re-terminate).  They were still mediocre at suction and a nightmare to unclog.  YMMV.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 21 July, 2020, 11:16:39 am
one of those "feel good" jobs

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200721/6df66c5a1ca6d3b8661f4b6e2c82d111.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 04:20:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 July, 2020, 10:55:45 am
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 21 July, 2020, 09:17:35 am
I threw away a Dyson once. I later learned that they are famed for having the moulded on mains plug fracture the copper wires - looks fine but no connection.
I kick myself that I coudl easily have replaced the plug at least as a try.

I've repaired a couple of hand-me-down Dysons with mains lead faults (at the body end, not the plug, so just chop out a few inches of cable and re-terminate).  They were still mediocre at suction and a nightmare to unclog.  YMMV.

Common fault on on body end pull along dysons but the cable end can be on both cylinder and uprights. Can happen to Henrys too. 

After much thinking and more testing, one field coil has failed.  Suspect that the motor didn't like being run till it overheated then it cut out.  Bit stupid as it was working in London..and was told that this has happened a few times.  Oh well, bit pointless bring it to France then.

Cleaned out the Dirt Devil vacuum and it is working again.  This one is almost indestructible, the tubes get clogged and the filters fill up,  Bits are held together with tape...but it works once pipes are unblocked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 21 July, 2020, 04:56:20 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 09:06:46 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
It isn't a crossbow, it's a ballista.
The difference is in the missie - a crossbow fires a bolt, a ballista launches a heavy object.
Additionally, the crossbow relies on tension from the bow for its driving force.
The ballista is a machine which uses torsion springs to rotate the pivoting arms a quarter of a turn.
In all respects these toy weapons were made to work like the real thing does.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50136632656_28f5aed844_b.jpg)

How does that make japanese coffee?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 July, 2020, 06:08:01 pm
Finally fixed my pukka reading specs.  Couldn't get a suitably short screw to go in the threaded bit of the 'ole so used a longer one and bunged a couple of nuts on the long end.  Come loose again and it's superglue time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 06:11:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 09:06:46 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
It isn't a crossbow, it's a ballista.
The difference is in the missie - a crossbow fires a bolt, a ballista launches a heavy object.
Additionally, the crossbow relies on tension from the bow for its driving force.
The ballista is a machine which uses torsion springs to rotate the pivoting arms a quarter of a turn.
In all respects these toy weapons were made to work like the real thing does.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50136632656_28f5aed844_b.jpg)

Sorry, never heard of a ballista.

How accurate is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 06:41:21 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 06:11:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 09:06:46 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
It isn't a crossbow, it's a ballista.
The difference is in the  - a crossbow fires a bolt, a ballista launches a heavy object.
Additionally, the crossbow relies on tension from the bow for its driving force.
The ballista is a machine which uses torsion springs to rotate the pivoting arms a quarter of a turn.
In all respects these toy weapons were made to work like the real thing does.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50136632656_28f5aed844_b.jpg)

Sorry, never heard of a ballista.

How accurate is it?
I've no idea.
My guess would be pretty much on-target.
I do know that the MD of the company and the designer of the toy weapons spent a lot of time on their hands and knees on the carpet on the studio floor to ensure that the scaled-down toy weapons worked as accurately and consistently as the original weapons did.
I suspect that the game would've been a bit shite if they hadn't bothered.
For clarity: I made these ~ 30 years ago.
They continue to be sold today in one guise or another.

ETA - I'd only posted this up in 'What have you fettled today' as I'd stumbled across some ancient transparencies of this work.
ETFA - You might be surprised ( I know that I was) as to how much effort is expended by toy designers to ensure that their products reach their target audience and enjoy longevity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 07:16:29 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 06:41:21 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 06:11:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 09:06:46 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
It isn't a crossbow, it's a ballista.
The difference is in the  - a crossbow fires a bolt, a ballista launches a heavy object.
Additionally, the crossbow relies on tension from the bow for its driving force.
The ballista is a machine which uses torsion springs to rotate the pivoting arms a quarter of a turn.
In all respects these toy weapons were made to work like the real thing does.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50136632656_28f5aed844_b.jpg)

Sorry, never heard of a ballista.

How accurate is it?
I've no idea.
My guess would be pretty much on-target.
I do know that the MD of the company and the designer of the toy weapons spent a lot of time on their hands and knees on the carpet on the studio floor to ensure that the scaled-down toy weapons worked as accurately and consistently as the original weapons did.
I suspect that the game would've been a bit shite if they hadn't bothered.
For clarity: I made these ~ 30 years ago.
They continue to be sold today in one guise or another.

ETA - I'd only posted this up in 'What have you fettled today' as I'd stumbled across some ancient transparencies of this work.
ETFA - You might be surprised ( I know that I was) as to how much effort is expended by toy designers to ensure that their products reach their target audience and enjoy longevity.

Think it is fascinating, that someone has taken the time to make such an accurate product.

I'm thinking that scaling it up ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 07:29:31 pm
Boys who never really grew up.
Probably the best candidates for game designers.
I'll leave it at that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 July, 2020, 08:10:03 pm
My Brompton now has the bottom bracket, Speddial stem and frame clamps, seatpost QR and suspension block refitted, a new cable pulley fitted and a new seatpost sleeve bonded in place. A couple of random rusty bolts have been replaced with Ti. Pristine bolts retained.

The rear wheel has had a layer of dirt/ grease removed, new cogs fitted, along with shiny Ti replacements for rusty locknuts, wheel nuts and tensioner nut and washer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 21 July, 2020, 08:34:31 pm
I have been resisting the temptation to post some of these for several days, but...

...this is a trebuchet!

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50138124516_1704d0b737_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jowZCG)
Trebuchet (https://flic.kr/p/2jowZCG)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50138362817_cce7eb5250_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2joydtk)
Trebuchet (https://flic.kr/p/2joydtk)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50138363452_6f64af3989_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2joydEh)
Trebuchet projectile (https://flic.kr/p/2joydEh)
by Steve Cunio (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecunio/), on Flickr

Although we did feel rather sorry for the teddy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 21 July, 2020, 08:40:25 pm
I helped wind this feller up when we visited Warwick Castle. Amazing.

(https://www.warwick-castle.com/media/lunbeoyn/040.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 July, 2020, 08:56:31 pm
My erstwhile chum Mr Knight spent a long time clearing the rocks out of his garden and, rather than just carrying them somewhere unobtrusive or building a rockery, decided to molish a trebuchet to fling the rocks into a neighbouring field.  As you do.  Alas the Knights Junior so enjoyed watching said trebuchet in action that when the parental back was turned they rescued the flung rocks and rebuilt the ammo dump.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 July, 2020, 08:59:32 pm
That made us laugh out loud, chapeau!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Davef on 21 July, 2020, 09:26:52 pm
I quite like this https://youtu.be/mjEpN5_31go


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 July, 2020, 10:09:01 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 07:16:29 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 06:41:21 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 06:11:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 09:06:46 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
It isn't a crossbow, it's a ballista.
The difference is in the  - a crossbow fires a bolt, a ballista launches a heavy object.
Additionally, the crossbow relies on tension from the bow for its driving force.
The ballista is a machine which uses torsion springs to rotate the pivoting arms a quarter of a turn.
In all respects these toy weapons were made to work like the real thing does.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50136632656_28f5aed844_b.jpg)

Sorry, never heard of a ballista.

How accurate is it?
I've no idea.
My guess would be pretty much on-target.
I do know that the MD of the company and the designer of the toy weapons spent a lot of time on their hands and knees on the carpet on the studio floor to ensure that the scaled-down toy weapons worked as accurately and consistently as the original weapons did.
I suspect that the game would've been a bit shite if they hadn't bothered.
For clarity: I made these ~ 30 years ago.
They continue to be sold today in one guise or another.

ETA - I'd only posted this up in 'What have you fettled today' as I'd stumbled across some ancient transparencies of this work.
ETFA - You might be surprised ( I know that I was) as to how much effort is expended by toy designers to ensure that their products reach their target audience and enjoy longevity.

Think it is fascinating, that someone has taken the time to make such an accurate product.

I'm thinking that scaling it up ;)

Oh Man! Now I'm going to have to go back to my own ballista plans.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 11:21:40 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 21 July, 2020, 08:34:31 pm
I have been resisting the temptation to post some of these for several days, but...

...this is a trebuchet!

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50138124516_1704d0b737_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jowZCG)
Trebuchet (https://flic.kr/p/2jowZCG)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50138362817_cce7eb5250_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2joydtk)
Trebuchet (https://flic.kr/p/2joydtk)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50138363452_6f64af3989_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2joydEh)
Trebuchet projectile (https://flic.kr/p/2joydEh)
by Steve Cunio (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecunio/), on Flickr

Although we did feel rather sorry for the teddy.

Teddy torturer.

Tried to make a trebuchet with knackered car leaf springs, as i thought it can't be that hard...well it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 July, 2020, 01:38:23 am
This has to be the most YACFest thread ever!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 July, 2020, 09:12:32 am
I'm reminded of the pimply youff who built a gas-fired bazooka out of PVC pipe and fired spuds at his garden wall, until the gendarmes did him for possession and use of a Class A1 firearm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 July, 2020, 09:33:34 am
I was thinking about getting in touch with Wobbly John OTP, apparently it's not that hard to build a pulsejet engine, but needs welding skillz
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 22 July, 2020, 12:19:21 pm
OK on the current weapons topic but not anything I fettled

Worked with a guy once who's nickname was Rambo. I took him down in a fight once which is a different story but he told me as a lad he had a crossbow

Put up a target on shed Shot said target and bolt disappeared through target and shed and tin of Dad's paint in shed.

Next one he made a metal target. The bolt compressed on hitting the targer was useless

Next one he fired from bedroom window into lawn. Bolt went subterranean

He swapped it for something else at this point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 22 July, 2020, 12:41:16 pm
Quote from: T42 on 22 July, 2020, 09:12:32 am
I'm reminded of the pimply youff who built a gas-fired bazooka out of PVC pipe and fired spuds at his garden wall, until the gendarmes did him for possession and use of a Class A1 firearm.

The chaps at the Cooper F1 team in the early 1960s were wont to molish potato*-firing mortars out of bits of chassis tubing, charged with acetylene out of the welding gear and fired using a spark plug.  Thus the grease monkeys in the workshop could keep the staff in the offices on their toes

* "Turnips tend to break up in flight" according to one of the culprits
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 22 July, 2020, 12:48:44 pm
It was tennis balls powered by lighter fluid for me  ::-)

The noise it made was fantastic!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 July, 2020, 12:55:40 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 22 July, 2020, 12:41:16 pm
Quote from: T42 on 22 July, 2020, 09:12:32 am
I'm reminded of the pimply youff who built a gas-fired bazooka out of PVC pipe and fired spuds at his garden wall, until the gendarmes did him for possession and use of a Class A1 firearm.

The chaps at the Cooper F1 team in the early 1960s were wont to molish potato*-firing mortars out of bits of chassis tubing, charged with acetylene out of the welding gear and fired using a spark plug.  Thus the grease monkeys in the workshop could keep the staff in the offices on their toes

* "Turnips tend to break up in flight" according to one of the culprits

A mashed-turnip gun would be a thing to wonder at. And German troops do refer to their field kitchens as the Gulaschkanone.

---o0o---

Meanwhile, I haz sharpened the shears yet again, and at the last count still had all my fingers. Each blade will now slice a sheet of paper drawn along the edge.  Separated, the halves would make excellent weapons for a quick peasants' revolt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 22 July, 2020, 01:21:29 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 22 July, 2020, 09:33:34 am
I was thinking about getting in touch with Wobbly John OTP, apparently it's not that hard to build a pulsejet engine, but needs welding skillz

I'm not at work at the moment, and Brother-in-law has my own welder, so not able to weld.

Have you experimented with Jam-jar pulse jets?  ;) https://youtu.be/XmP9LKSR65c

I did make a little vehicle based on an aerosol can pulse jet that would run a few metres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 22 July, 2020, 08:18:16 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 22 July, 2020, 09:33:34 am
I was thinking about getting in touch with Wobbly John OTP, apparently it's not that hard to build a pulsejet engine, but needs welding skillz

I made a pulse jet, and it was great till the welds failed....see a common topic about my poor welding.  In my defence it was welded with a sip arc welder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 July, 2020, 12:04:17 am
My first bike brake bleed. Very satisfying to finally have sorted this one out. Mrs h will be delighted. It means she'll be able to use the bike when the temperature is above 20C. (Up to now that temp has been enough to expand the air in the system sufficiently to lock both brakes on.)

£15 for the kit, and Evans charge £25/brake, so that's £35 into the beer pot.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 July, 2020, 06:12:49 pm
Refitted front and rear wheels, brakes and mudguards to my Brompton, along with cranks, Eazy-wheels, luggage block and chain tensioner. I had to replace the front and rear brake blocks entirely because the pad securing bolts rounded out.

A new rear mudguard and rear rim will be needed down the line but new derailleur pulleys and the pusher plate assembly are needed now.

Once the new headset arrives, I can refit the forks, stem and suchlike, along with new cables all round.

Brompton has suggested that a shop might sell me just the lower section of a telescopic post, which is my preferred option. Something to chase up tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: markcjagar on 23 July, 2020, 07:15:47 pm
Finished putting together my new PC and installed Windows then pulled the big storage drive out of the old PC and popped that in as well
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 July, 2020, 08:14:57 pm
Removed and refitted the Streetmachine's seat, in the hope it might put a stop to the creaking[1] that re-developed a few weeks ago.  Also checked the chainring bolts for tightness, after replacing the middle ring last week.


[1] It's one of those 'they all do that' design flaws with this model, but I previously banished it by cleaning all the surfaces involved and doing the bolts up bastard tight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 23 July, 2020, 11:09:48 pm
Today I dug out a 1m2 raised bed, to access the rainwater down pipes and drains so I could release a karcher drain unblocker that was trapped/caught.  The drain is a drain for a number of garages guttering.  Thinking there was drain cover under the soil, found that there was a poured concrete layer.  The concrete slab means that the whole area can't drain.  But there were two additional pipes that go in to the slab, one is a drain from a sink, while the other I have no idea what or where it is from and don't care about. 

Ended up cutting the down pipe open to see what the drain unblocker pipe was caught on. Found the rain water down pipe is partly blocked, where it reaches the poured concrete slab.  As if the concrete slab is too big, so will stick an endoscope camera down it tomorrow.  Then I can decide what to do next. Do I just replace a bit down pipe or hack the concrete out and clear the restriction and then fit a new short bit of down pipe.




Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 24 July, 2020, 08:21:47 am
Finally got round to having a session with a pile of inner tubes and a pack of patches. I now have 10 good spare inner tubes.  :thumbsup:

Would have been 12 but I threw a couple that would have been more trouble than it was worth to repair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 24 July, 2020, 08:49:03 am
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 06:41:21 pm
Stuff about a ballista

Searched on google about 'ballista' and the first like post is the dictionary definition is a catapult!!!

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 July, 2020, 08:56:44 am
Removed a small wasps' nest that had appeared on the doorpost of our old A4 since last it was used, maybe a week ago. Sorry to say that I first covered the wasps with insecticide from an ancient spray can that's been knocking about the house since we stopped using such things, well over 10 years ago, but what can you do? Building a fire on the driver's seat and smoking them out seemed rather impractical.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2020, 11:49:11 am
That seems like an odd place to build a nest..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 July, 2020, 01:13:12 pm
We seem to have lots of different species of wasp & hornet around here. This one was of a variety that delights in finding hollow spaces and building nests two or three inches across in them. We also had a different species that nested inside one of our front door locks a couple of years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 July, 2020, 02:09:40 pm
Refitting kit to my recently repainted Rogers trike. The threads were mostly blanked off but some stray powder coat has found its way into several of them, so lots of playing with small taps to prevent forcing things. Unfortunately the derailleur hanger is mounted with a weird (old British front axle) thread that I don’t have a tap for, so I anticipate a hassle when I get to that stage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 July, 2020, 03:08:25 pm
Whitworth?  My father used to wax lyrical over the beauty of the Whitworth, in particular in comparison with US threading.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 July, 2020, 03:28:58 pm
5/16″ × 26 tpi British Standard Cycle thread, so I understand. A trike gear hanger boss is actually a repurposed fork lamp boss. Sure, it was a common cycle thread back in the day but now it is just a pain. Apparently I can still buy taps and dies to suit, along with bolts (even SS).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 25 July, 2020, 03:41:35 pm
I think I have a few Whitworth taps and dies kicking around, but not any British Standard Cycle thread versions.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 25 July, 2020, 04:20:21 pm
Can you use M8*1.0 (Metric Fine) ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 July, 2020, 05:53:35 pm
Yes, if I had one. I only have M8 x 1.25 here, so I might as well buy the proper tap, which is a bit annoying. Impulse purchased yet another tool that I will use once. Such is life!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 July, 2020, 08:07:44 pm
Fettled some cinnamon buns and painted 2 door ways. Shoulda been more but a)hangover and b)cat bed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 July, 2020, 08:55:00 pm
The only stuff left to do on my trike is cleaning out the derailleur hanger boss to let me refit the rear mech and running new cables.

Fitted a Kurosac headset to my Brompton, along with another Ti bolt. The fork didn’t reach all the way through the locknut but sufficient engagement to keep me happy. The cups were not exactly loose in the head tube but certainly I did not need to lean on the press to seat them. We will see if some retaining compound will be necessary down the line.

Once the seatpost and chain pusher assembly are sorted, I will just need to run new cables and apply some frame protection to finish it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 25 July, 2020, 09:35:50 pm
Quote from: T42 on 25 July, 2020, 03:08:25 pm
Whitworth?  My father used to wax lyrical over the beauty of the Whitworth, in particular in comparison with US threading.

Whitworth threads I though are supposed to be the perfect pitch and never seize.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 25 July, 2020, 09:44:54 pm
Half an hour into applying the lime mortar render, it began to rain and forgot to stop. Impromptu makeshift gazebo using an old tent flysheet.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50152517051_12e775d01c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jpNL2R)
Lime mortar rendering (https://flic.kr/p/2jpNL2R) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50152517076_cb74bfa4fc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jpNL3h)
Lime mortar rendering (https://flic.kr/p/2jpNL3h) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Good sferics on the VLF Rx, tho. Storm was 15 seconds or about 5k away.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50151683238_3b0ece6020_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jpJuaL)
Sferics1 (https://flic.kr/p/2jpJuaL) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

The bright vertical lines on the spectrogram indicate a massive spike in electromagnetic energy across the entire spectrum. These are 'sferics', short for 'atmosperic' artefacts. Lightening strikes, in this case about 5k away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 July, 2020, 09:49:42 am
A small piece of black insulating tape (I don’t have any gaffer taper to hand) to mask the barely-visible-by-day-but-searchlight-like-at-night blue LED on the new ‘phone base on my wife’s bedside table.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 July, 2020, 05:28:21 pm
Fitted chain, decals and brake and hub gear cables to my Brompton. The new derailleur cable, pusher plate assembly, rear mudguard and handlebar grips will have to wait a few days.

Ran new gear cables and a brake cable on my trike. Just need to fit the rear mech and chain and it will be ready to ride. It will be loaned for a fortnight to an older fellow who thinks that a trike might let him get back into cycling. If he likes it, then he can find his own.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 28 July, 2020, 08:39:02 pm
Tee bike fleet has been more or less untouched & unused since last September  :-[     Replaced the Marathon Supreme on the back of the Nomad (split sidewall).  Fixed the punctured tube.  Got so fed up with the security skewers I put the quick release ones back on.  Tightened the Brooks.   Fixed the puncture on the MTB.  Blew up the tyres on the fixie.   Stripped down some old Time Atacs,  then realised I'd ordered the Wrong Bearings.  Lubes the old bearings & spindles, they seemed to spin a bit better.  Put them back on the Nomad. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 28 July, 2020, 09:36:37 pm
Found a decathlon nearby that had the B'twin triban resist in 700x38....in stock.  Called and reserved them.  Collected and paid now I am home they are 44 not 38.  The 38 are no longer on the website, and nor are the 44.  Do I try and fit them?

Does shaving, showering and brushing teeth could as self fettling?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 28 July, 2020, 09:51:30 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 28 July, 2020, 09:36:37 pm
Does shaving, showering and brushing teeth could as self fettling?


If the results are better than before (for varying values of better) then yes....       I've been getting far too slovenly during lockdown,  not shaving , not showering.  Some days I don't even put a tie on  :jurek:   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 28 July, 2020, 10:06:25 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 28 July, 2020, 09:51:30 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 28 July, 2020, 09:36:37 pm
Does shaving, showering and brushing teeth could as self fettling?


If the results are better than before (for varying values of better) then yes....       I've been getting far too slovenly during lockdown,  not shaving , not showering.  Some days I don't even put a tie on  :jurek:   

what's a tie? Some kind of space vehicle IIRC
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 29 July, 2020, 08:56:57 am
Fitted a 33t middle chainring to my three bikes. Since the start of spring I've reduced the gears from:

50-34-26 => 46-33-26

48-34-26 => 46-33-26

46-34-24 => 44-33-24

It also gave me the opportunity to give the bikes a good clean and tune-up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 29 July, 2020, 10:32:04 am
Fettled a slightly sharper edge on a brand new log-splitting maul, It was bought for me to replace the felling axe I had been using.

The 'edge' was over 2mm wide at some points!  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 July, 2020, 11:02:46 am
Put the finishing touches to a fence at the front of the house - it's made from tile batten timber in horizontal rails, about 23 high, spaced about 1.5cm apart - fixed to the previous realtively sound but ugly fence/posts.   About 450metres of batten + another 20 of the coping rail that had to have 2 coats of black garden paint on 3 sides ... slow process - then a lot of nails and even more staples fired in from the "very satisfying to use" brad/nail gun  :)

Rob
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 July, 2020, 07:01:45 pm
Replaced the coil springs in both sides of a lever on rose door handle after it went ping.
On my own (only 2 hands).
Without bad swears.

Could probably do with ordering some spare circlips for next time though...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 July, 2020, 07:47:17 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 29 July, 2020, 10:32:04 am
Fettled a slightly sharper edge on a brand new log-splitting maul, It was bought for me to replace the felling axe I had been using.

The 'edge' was over 2mm wide at some points!  >:(

Did that last year on my little hatchet, a time-consuming but satisfying job.  Now just waiting for the zombie apocalypse
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 29 July, 2020, 09:39:44 pm
I've been fettling my grandson's BMX. Somehow he managed to break the ends of both the upper and lower cables on the gyro at the headset.

I have ordered a new upper cable as the single-to-2-cable-with-barrels-fixed-on-all-ends aren't considered repairable.

The rear section is a dual cable system, so I filed a pear shape ended cable to replace the inner.

I brought the upper cable home, and after several attempts I managed to melt a blob of solder onto the cable using a pen sized blowtorch. (the main problem was getting the solder to 'take' on the cable).  I then filed the blob of solder to fit through a M6 nut (as it will have to to install) :smug:

(https://i.ibb.co/zRV71N1/Gyro-cable.png)

I will try fitting it tomorrow. If anything it should speed up the chances of the new one arriving before the weekend.  ::-)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hulver on 29 July, 2020, 09:59:03 pm
I sorted out my divishness, where I'd "fixed" the dish error on my new wheel by magnifying it. It is now properly fixed and is central in the fork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 July, 2020, 10:04:05 pm
Trying to find a water pipe leak....hope that is in the visible pipes and not sunk in a floor screed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 July, 2020, 09:23:24 am
Removed a Cateye rearlight that was clacking on the seat-stay on rough roads, i.e. 95% of the time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 30 July, 2020, 09:28:23 am
Replaced the QR skewer in the front wheel of the hack bike.

Years of neglect meant the previous one had seized up so couldn't be closed. I ended up sawing off the end.  :facepalm:

Luckily I had a spare that was the right size...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 July, 2020, 02:27:10 pm
A 90s Eddy Merckx Strada OS frameset turned up.  The carbon fork looks serviceable but was a bit messy.  Threads very rusty and clogged so I ran the fork die down them.  Very nice when tested with a soft alloy Tange Falcon race, which can be fussy.

The crown race was a firm hand fit rather than a solid interference fit so I put it on with Loctite 603*.  I suspect the crown race is slightly stretched rather than the fork being undersize, since a Levin race was far tighter.

Next job is a bit of facing.  I can't retap the BB shell as I don't have Italian taps.  Will also check frame and gear hanger alignment with Mr Straight Edge.

*this is a very strong grade but IME doesn't actually make them any more difficult to remove.  I think it's strong in shear but weak in tension.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 July, 2020, 05:21:52 pm
Cleaned the threads out on the gear hanger boss on my trike. Refitted the rear mech and chain and got the gears working properly. Just need to clean the handlebar tape, refit the wheels and tickle up the brakes and the trike will be ready for service.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 July, 2020, 05:35:26 pm
Tried to fettle the bathroom radiator at Fort Larrington into a state of on-ness.  Oh.  It was already in the "on" position.  Bah!

Tried to fettle the pressure wossname in the heating at Fort Larrington into a state of pressuredness.  Oh.  The idiot plumbers have replaced the pipe that connects the Pressurised Big Red Metal Thing to the water supply with one lacking any user-frobable taps.  Bah!

But I did manage to change the oil in the old boy's chip pan.  The old stuff was the colour of Guinness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 30 July, 2020, 06:49:07 pm
A batch of poppy and cinnamon cookies. Om, and indeed, nomnomnom...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 30 July, 2020, 08:25:36 pm
Finally completed the whizz bang all singing all dancing heating system and hot water circulation loop thingy to provide instant hot water 15m from the boiler. Chuffed!

Ready to start the demolition after much temporary works for the big build, nightmare bathroom. Ugh!

Let the digging commence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 30 July, 2020, 08:35:14 pm
Following advice from pcolbeck, I now have a bench grinder and polisher set up in my garageworkshop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 31 July, 2020, 04:44:33 pm
Replaced the power wires in a PawTrack (https://pawtrack.com/).  Fiddly.  The wires were extra flexible silicone, as I had none in one of my test leads is now 3" shorter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 August, 2020, 02:25:11 pm
Fitted the new pusher plate assembly and Ti spring to my Brompton. Still need to dig out a 1.5mm Allen key to anchor the derailleur cable anchor and sort out the replacement seatpost.

Fitted the wheels to my trike, tweaked the brakes and cleaned the handlebar tape. Swapped the SPDs out for rubber pedals. All ready for a newbie to see if he likes three-wheeling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 01 August, 2020, 05:45:34 pm
Decided today was a good day to do some long-overdue fettling. Revisited the rattly shifter issue on the Trek - found this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDXfrfmMecU) and decided to follow it. I've not test ridden it yet, so am not sure whether it's worked. Also replaced the chain with a very pretty shiny one - I'm not actually sure whether I'll get around to test riding it, because it looks so beautiful and I don't want to get it all messy. :facepalm:

Now on to tackling the filthy Pinnacle. The chain is soaking in a bath of white spirit, and the wheels might have to go in the shower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 01 August, 2020, 06:08:58 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 29 July, 2020, 09:39:44 pm
I've been fettling my grandson's BMX. Somehow he managed to break the ends of both the upper and lower cables on the gyro at the headset.

I have ordered a new upper cable as the single-to-2-cable-with-barrels-fixed-on-all-ends aren't considered repairable.

The rear section is a dual cable system, so I filed a pear shape ended cable to replace the inner.

I brought the upper cable home, and after several attempts I managed to melt a blob of solder onto the cable using a pen sized blowtorch. (the main problem was getting the solder to 'take' on the cable).  I then filed the blob of solder to fit through a M6 nut (as it will have to to install) :smug:

(https://i.ibb.co/zRV71N1/Gyro-cable.png)

I will try fitting it tomorrow. If anything it should speed up the chances of the new one arriving before the weekend.  ::-)

Wobbly John, I have some spare gyros with cables if you have problems, my son runs brakeless when he rides now (not often).

Possible ride this weekend in mid Norfolk, so checked Hewitt a few days ago to find bulges in tread on back Pasela, cuts through carcass so scrapped (8 years old); cue a new pair of Conti Speed Contacts which I have liked on another bike, but at 37mm more balloony. Also gear and chain fettling on Fuego, hoping to ride tomorrow if lungs allow (cold virus I think, test says not the other one, thank goodness).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 August, 2020, 06:23:20 pm
Initial Trice fettling - put pedals on, adjusting boom to fit me (I'm not short at 6 foot, but I could only just do pointy-toe reach to the furthest position). Then chopped down chain and tubes to fit, and adjusted the gears. I need to make a stand for this; I propped the rear up on a block of wood so I could spin the rear wheel and tweak things, but it was unstable. Just a lump of wood with a wider base and properly shaped at the top to locate the trike will probably work OK.
 
Found that I don't yet have enough movement in my dodgy knee to go through the whole circle (I didn't intend putting load on that leg, but putting it through it's range of safe movement would be OK pedalling with the other one). The cranks are 170mm, I reckoned that if I put a 150mm one on that side I'd manage - so got my youngest to dig the carcass of an old kid's mountain bike out of the shed. Crank pulled, and I find that the Trice has a very nice Shimano 105 chainset that is the original Octolink rather than square taper - should have checked that before sending my offspring into the shed of doom. So, scrap that idea as I don't want to get into swapping out the bottom bracket and entire chainset.

MrsH saw the removed section of chain on the floor, and asked if it didn't have a chain length adjuster. Apparently they've got a recumbent trike at her school that has a chain gobbler of some sort so they can adjust it for the kids. She doesn't know what make/model the trike is but she has ridden it - I've suggested that once I can actually ride this we go over to her school and have some races around the car park.

I rode it around in small circles a little bit, but will need to fettle a Steve Abrahams-style gammy leg support to do any more. Hopefully within a few weeks I'll be able to use it more normally (though powering through my good leg). Had a moment of mild panic when I got it going and didn't know how to stop. Of course, I'd checked the brakes, and knew where they were on the bars, but my sitting-down reflex instinct was that there should be a foot brake, rather than using my hands!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 01 August, 2020, 07:03:27 pm
Quote from: Marco Stefano on 01 August, 2020, 06:08:58 pm

Wobbly John, I have some spare gyros with cables if you have problems, my son runs brakeless when he rides now (not often).


Repaired one fitted and working (we went for a ride on Wednesday). New one arrived today.  :thumbsup:

Thanks for the offer, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 August, 2020, 07:10:31 pm
Yesterday I dug up some weedy shit near the bird feeder and replaced it with a small hebe and a bit of foraged honeysuckle which had previously been living in pots.

Today I fettled a sourdough loaf in the shape of a pancake  :facepalm: (WTF does it keep doing that?)
Then I painted yet moar woodwork. Wish I'd started with the Permawhite rather than the crap Dulux eggshell. Only one more coat to go and I can start on the walls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 August, 2020, 07:11:30 pm
Quote from: MattH on 01 August, 2020, 06:23:20 pm
Initial Trice fettling - put pedals on, adjusting boom to fit me (I'm not short at 6 foot, but I could only just do pointy-toe reach to the furthest position). Then chopped down chain and tubes to fit, and adjusted the gears. I need to make a stand for this; I propped the rear up on a block of wood so I could spin the rear wheel and tweak things, but it was unstable. Just a lump of wood with a wider base and properly shaped at the top to locate the trike will probably work OK.

I use one of those mini-workstand things that supports a bike by the chainstay and seatstay.  When it's not supporting my mountain bike.


Quote
MrsH saw the removed section of chain on the floor, and asked if it didn't have a chain length adjuster. Apparently they've got a recumbent trike at her school that has a chain gobbler of some sort so they can adjust it for the kids. She doesn't know what make/model the trike is but she has ridden it - I've suggested that once I can actually ride this we go over to her school and have some races around the car park.

Those are available as an accessory from ICE, I think in combination with QR levers for the boom bolts.


Quote
Had a moment of mild panic when I got it going and didn't know how to stop. Of course, I'd checked the brakes, and knew where they were on the bars, but my sitting-down reflex instinct was that there should be a foot brake, rather than using my hands!

I tried to ride a quad bike once as a kid, with similar results.  Using a foot brake on something with handlebars was completely alien.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 August, 2020, 07:20:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 August, 2020, 07:11:30 pm

I use one of those mini-workstand things that supports a bike by the chainstay and seatstay.  When it's not supporting my mountain bike.

I do/did have one of them kicking around. Good call - if I've still got it and it hasn't magically relocated to offspring #1's place...

Quote
Quote
...chain gobbler...

Those are available as an accessory from ICE, I think in combination with QR levers for the boom bolts.


Not sure I'll actually have a use for it - once set up, it should be fine (unless others in the family decide they want to try it). The comment was more that I hadn't realised MrsH's school had them in their fleet of bikes.Good to know they are available though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 August, 2020, 10:21:22 am
Ripped an old length of tongue & groove into two strips to cut into battens, but then started to feel guilty about making a racket on a Sunday (Alsace is very traditional in that respect - only wretched children on motorbikes, mopeds and Porsches may disturb the peace with impunity) so I jacked it in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 August, 2020, 10:51:14 am
Borrowed a 1.5mm Allen key and fitted a new derailleur cable to my Brompton. Fail! I rounded out the grub screw when securing the cable, the derailleur does not shift anyway and I don’t know why. Fitted helicopter tape to various cable contact points to feel like I had accomplished something anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 02 August, 2020, 10:44:56 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 06:41:21 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 06:11:50 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2020, 09:06:46 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 July, 2020, 03:37:15 am

Wonder if the crossbow, scaled up, would be any good for zombie apocalypse hunting.
It isn't a crossbow, it's a ballista.
The difference is in the  - a crossbow fires a bolt, a ballista launches a heavy object.
Additionally, the crossbow relies on tension from the bow for its driving force.
The ballista is a machine which uses torsion springs to rotate the pivoting arms a quarter of a turn.
In all respects these toy weapons were made to work like the real thing does.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50136632656_28f5aed844_b.jpg)

Sorry, never heard of a ballista.

How accurate is it?
I've no idea.
My guess would be pretty much on-target.
I do know that the MD of the company and the designer of the toy weapons spent a lot of time on their hands and knees on the carpet on the studio floor to ensure that the scaled-down toy weapons worked as accurately and consistently as the original weapons did.
I suspect that the game would've been a bit shite if they hadn't bothered.
For clarity: I made these ~ 30 years ago.
They continue to be sold today in one guise or another.

ETA - I'd only posted this up in 'What have you fettled today' as I'd stumbled across some ancient transparencies of this work.
ETFA - You might be surprised ( I know that I was) as to how much effort is expended by toy designers to ensure that their products reach their target audience and enjoy longevity.

Should I make a handheld ballista or buy this:
(https://www.ducatillon.com/upload/referentiel/26581/289.6145.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 August, 2020, 12:10:19 am
Today has been fun.  The car after sitting 3 days the battery doesn't have enough in it to turn the engine over.  So cycled to get a battery charger. Looks like the battery has died as after an hour on charge was showing charged 12.8v but wouldn't start the car half an hour later, which is odd as batteries die in winter usually.

Changed tyres of the gf bike from 32mm to 44mm and they fit fine, unfortunately both tubes punctured after fitting!  But at least the tyres fit and had clearance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 August, 2020, 12:59:08 pm
Car battery has been on charge all night, and now is at 9v so the battery is dead or the charger has killed it.  Wandered to the nearby carrefore market and they have car batteries but they have been sitting for a while and the voltages are below 11v.  Tho the carrefore don't sell puncture repair kits.

So more wandering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 04 August, 2020, 12:09:52 am

Replaced the gfx card in a housemates machine. Have actual output on the machine again. Not sure what killed the old card.

Next up is to fix their other computer, but that requires daylight...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 August, 2020, 10:23:04 am
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 04 August, 2020, 12:09:52 am

 Not sure what killed the old card.



J

They pine for the Ffyords ;)

From reading up on using gfx for cryptomining, cards have a finite life and heat cycles don't help.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2020, 07:32:19 pm
Fitted a SH extended seatpost to my Brompton prior to converting it to a telescopic post. I had to tighten the seatpost clamp a bit, so possibly towards to low end of tolerance. It still slipped, so degreased post and shim.

Fitted SPDs to my trike and lifted the seatpost to normal height.

Replaced a worn out rear tyre on my fixed. A new chain needed too but nothing for fewer than 10sp in the garage stock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 August, 2020, 09:57:11 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2020, 07:32:19 pm
Fitted a SH extended seatpost to my Brompton prior to converting it to a telescopic post. I had to tighten the seatpost clamp a bit, so possibly towards to low end of tolerance. It still slipped, so degreased post and shim.

Fitted SPDs to my trike and lifted the seatpost to normal height.

Can I ask what you mean by shim.  Thought the brompton seat post had the inner sleeve in the frame so the sleeve is a stop for the seat post to set the right post height.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2020, 09:58:10 pm
Shim = sleeve in my world.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 August, 2020, 10:07:10 pm
Reinstalled puncture repaired tubes on wheels with new tyres on bike, refitted the mudguards and straightened then so the 44mm width tyres fit!  Then the front tube popped and all the air escaped.  So went off to buy new tubes...local auchan and decathlon didn't have any schrader valve 700cc tubes big enough nor 29er schrader tubes small enough. 

So wander to inlaws to steal his brazing equipment to do some soldering tomorrow, and then to carrefore to get the last two correct size tubes.  Then suffered a little sun stroke while shopping and then came back to the house.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 August, 2020, 10:08:29 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2020, 09:58:10 pm
Shim = sleeve in my world.

I'd call it a shim too, but brompton call it a sleeve.  So I'm not sure what to call it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 04 August, 2020, 10:15:59 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 04 August, 2020, 10:08:29 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2020, 09:58:10 pm
Shim = sleeve in my world.

I'd call it a shim too, but brompton call it a sleeve.  So I'm not sure what to call it.

Kate.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 August, 2020, 08:36:17 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 04 August, 2020, 10:15:59 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 04 August, 2020, 10:08:29 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2020, 09:58:10 pm
Shim = sleeve in my world.

I'd call it a shim too, but brompton call it a sleeve.  So I'm not sure what to call it.

Kate.

J

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 August, 2020, 01:28:41 pm
If it encircles it's a sleeve, otherwise it's a shim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 August, 2020, 08:11:47 pm
Maybe but that rule does not seem to be universal.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/ultimate-use-sx-272mm-seat-post-shim
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 07 August, 2020, 11:12:57 pm
So, I want a small south facing window in the garage which is fairly gloomy so I can have a sunlit work bench and do bike stuff. Calls contractor. Two weeks later he shows up. Yes this and that ya de yadda, quote to come. Weeks go by nothing happens. So thinks I will do it myself.

The bricklayer who built the garage was obviously a Friday afternoon specialist of the good nuff variety and also had a sense of humour when it came to accuracy.  The beds of the brickwork vary from 10mm to 2mm and lining up perpendicular joints (perps) is obviously something to be kept purely in a tutorial manual read by aliens or apprentices. As I wish to cut tooth and bond the brickwork this is highly relevant.

So digs out the ancient 115mm B and D angle grinder. No a diamond disk doesn't fit due to the design of the arbor. Bugger.

New 115mm angle grinder.
New 230mm angle grinder (god they are heavy)

New diamond disks.

As I want to tooth and bond the brickwork and due to the inconsistency of the beds..........
New reciprocating saw and masonry blade (how much!). (instructions for saw say should not  be used for masonry..... sigh).


Removes all relevant brickwork whilst managing to damage several  (yes of course the most important and awkward ones) when drilling holes due to lack of bedding joints and perp width.... bugger.
Insert relevant lintel with dpc to damaged brickwork joint. Removes brickwork under. Cutting a bed and sliding in the lintel should have been a simple operation but oh no. Bricks have been incorrectly laid frog down. So just like Indiana Jones, when attempting to slide the lintel into place, all the cement in the frogs falls down. Chipping out this little lot damages the face of the bricks below and above.

Orders new window, pleasantly surprised with price.
Makes temporary frame actual size of window and clads with plastic sheet (visqueen) to keep the worst of the weather out whilst waiting for window and to check brickwork. Dresses bricks and identifies some huge perp gaps = more bricks to be removed and to be replaced with amended spacing. Strewth.

Quote arrives from contractor 4 weeks after last contact (is it me?) The quote was quite good actually and would have been accepted but would not have included CTB of the brickwork.

Travels 31 miles to obtain a few bags of yellow building sand that the whole estate is built with but is not available for miles around.
The saga continues.

 Photos to follow.

Off to the tip recycling centre in a while, one now has to make an appointment several days in advance. don't ya know.

(https://i.imgur.com/D8HPr2H.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/XsTUjJr.jpg)



(https://i.imgur.com/LbL1uL1.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/g6glr6O.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/S4aRwDX.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 08 August, 2020, 06:06:53 am
All I did was a temporary repair to a rattling rack on the Cruzbike, hearing a rattling behind my left ear as I went down what passes for a road round here, stopped to investigate. Seems I've lost a bolt and spacers somewhere, bugger.

And the only bold I had on me was too short of course.  Cable-tied to seat tube and brake disc mount it stopped rattling. Now need to remember to do the actual replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 08 August, 2020, 06:13:27 am
What size do you need?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 08 August, 2020, 07:12:41 am
Quote from: Wobbly John on 08 August, 2020, 06:13:27 am
What size do you need?

Probably have the bolt in my bits box, it'll be the spacers that I probably need to find
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 08 August, 2020, 08:29:05 am
Quote from: Canardly on 07 August, 2020, 11:12:57 pm
So, I want a small south facing window in the garage which is fairly gloomy so I can have a sunlit work bench and do bike stuff.
...
The saga continues. Photos to follow.
Awesome fettling. Looking forward to photos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 08 August, 2020, 04:59:55 pm
Mrs Dan brought her bike back from Edinburgh this week, in a bike box, on the plane. After having spent lockdown locked in a garden. So today I put it back together. Not so much as a washer left over at the end. Except for the rack, the holes down by the back wheel have barely any thread left. The front wheel and various other bits are showing 10 years of use as well. N+1 seems likely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 August, 2020, 06:14:22 pm
Replaced the cracked rear mudguard and replaced a flat rear tube on my Brompton. Replaced the aftermarket Ti derailleur spring with the original and fitted a new derailleur lever cable anchor. An annoying attempted ‘upgrade’ reversed and everything now works as it should.

Only need to fit new handgrips and reinstall the bar ends in time for next weekend’s virtual Brompton World Challenge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 08 August, 2020, 08:46:42 pm
two women were hiking their bikes to the nearest bike shop as one bike had a rear tyre deflated and off the rim, jamming between the chainstays. i suggested that if they let me mount the tyre onto the rim it will be a easier to push. novice cyclists (their words) with new 18kg cruiser bikes, everyone starts somewhere!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 August, 2020, 03:00:28 pm
Amused myself by piecing together accumulated (over the past decade) Sachs 8sp chain offcuts to fit a new chain to my fixed. An interesting combination of black and silver inner and outer links scattered along its length. Still a fair bunch of various chain width and/or manufacturer offcuts left in the jar. Fitted a new B17 Std in place of the known-good GB Aspin.

Repaired the battery light that was rattling on the rear mudguard. Broke out a corroded bolt/ nut and replaced it with SS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 09 August, 2020, 04:16:45 pm
With a new PC arriving imminently I done been making a depressingly long list of all the Stuffs I need to install to make it work in the manner to which I have become accustomed, together with downloads where necessary.  Fortunately I found the 2015 version of Microsith's Stuffs for my no-longer-supported (Microsith) trackball.  “Buy a new mouse” is Microsith’s advice, the massive twats.  Why?  It’s only twenty years old.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 09 August, 2020, 09:43:37 pm
Mended a puncture. Then mended it again. Nothing wrong with the first patch, but there turned out to be another, almost microscopic hole in the tube. Now I need more patches, but I still have loads of glue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 August, 2020, 09:54:47 pm
Transferred the parts from the Ron Cooper to the Eddy Merckx, except the BB as Merckx frames have Italian shells.  I need some shifters and cables to make it work.  Going to go with bar-end shifters first and STI-style things eventually.  It being 7 speed complicates this a little but shifters do exist.  It's a particularly nice 600 tricolour groupset which I don't want to change for something angular and black.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 09 August, 2020, 11:01:22 pm
Gutter fettling.

A couple of weeks ago I'd attempted to bodge-fix a leaky joint between lengths of plastic guttering by jamming in a short length of old inner tube. Heavy rain soon revealed that it had hardly stemmed the flow, so today I went up a ladder, equipped with a tube of gutter sealant. It turns out that the 'professional' installers had failed to allow sufficient overlap at a join between two lengths of gutter. On closer examination I could see that it was on a bridging section about 40-50 cm long, where the other end of the short section had a more than adequate overlap. I was able to unclip the short section, budge it along by several cms, so giving at least 6 or 7 cms overlap at each end. Clipped back together it looked good enough to bide the pelting of the pitiless storms forecast for the next few days, so I put my sealant gun back in its holster and descended to terra firma.

Must say I always enjoy an excuse to climb a ladder, and it does provide a diversion for the neighbours sunning themselves in the garden and watching that penny-pinching old bugger risking life and limb rather than call in the professionals. Yes, but . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 09 August, 2020, 11:13:27 pm
Bloody shower. A-bloody-gain. I'm part way through another strip out of the sliding door and sealant, to stop yet another leak. I'm seriously thinking of showering prison-style (hose, yard).

 >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 10 August, 2020, 10:55:24 am

Put my own bike up on the work stand in the shop. It needed a new chain, which is simple enough. Decided while at it to check the rear mech alignment. It was off. Fortunately it's a steel frame, and so easy to just bend it slightly. Took the opportunity to remove all the hair and other detritus from around the rear mech and wipe down the drive train.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ee-7PxOWoAAsqAe?format=jpg)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ee-7PxOWoAAsqAe?format=jpg

There's a rear mech under here somewhere...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 August, 2020, 03:32:47 pm
^^^ did the same with my guttering last week, need to wait for this week's rain to check

Today's fettling was to wash both bikes and swap a few pairs of pedals.  New Looks onto the Airnimal, pedals from that onto the Cruzbike, and those will go onto the turbo trainer bike.  At some point I'll get round to sorting out the original pedals from the turbo trainer bike so I'll have a spare pair.

I was quite surprised to find no spanner flats on the Looks, can only be installed by an allen key which is my least favourite method of doing it.

And I found a bolt for the rack on the Cruzbike, no spacers, but it'll hold for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 August, 2020, 04:01:02 pm
Destroyed some more hedge, but it's still not finished. My back hurts now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bolt on 10 August, 2020, 05:10:03 pm
First attempt at sewing and making a frame bag.  I used a waterproof cordura type fabric which stitched together very nicely. Total cost of materials about £3.00
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200810/181854280190cb2a96f6dcddd3f01b97.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 August, 2020, 05:25:05 pm
Some ‘ultra strong’ ‘power hold’ hair spray arrived, which let me fit new grips and refit the bar ends to my Brompton.

The seatpost still slips while riding and I am loathe to further tighten the QR for fear of distorting the frame. I may eventually break down and get the reamer and fit another frame sleeve. Other than that and a couple of cosmetic touches (might build a replacement front wheel around an aftermarket sealed bearing hub), my Brommie refurb is functionally complete and better than new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 10 August, 2020, 08:18:17 pm
Quote from: Bolt on 10 August, 2020, 05:10:03 pm
First attempt at sewing and making a frame bag.  I used a waterproof cordura type fabric which stitched together very nicely. Total cost of materials about £3.00
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200810/181854280190cb2a96f6dcddd3f01b97.jpg)

That's impressive.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 August, 2020, 08:31:36 pm
Looks very neat. I continue to be jealous of people with sewing machines and the skills to use them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 August, 2020, 08:38:16 pm
That looks v. professional, Bolt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 10 August, 2020, 09:35:59 pm
Cleaned the walls of the bathroom with st marc lesive, french sugar soap equivalent to clean the black mould and dirt on the walls.  Cleaned two sink ubends and one bath ubend.  Which is such fun, but needs to be done on a regular basis so the sinks don't get blocked.

Still haven't got round to sorting out the possible leak, looks like it will involve cutting a few pipes to get to the possible leaking pipes. So out comes the angle grinder and the fun begins. 

Also look it to making a new connection to a hand basin, but that should be easier.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 12 August, 2020, 11:00:13 am
Last night I was delivered a bike with a failed rear shifter, trigger style.

Never dared take one of these apart before. Still, with nothing to lose, and it not being my bike, and the worst outcome was to return an already non-working bike in non-working order (perhaps with the loss of a few pingfuckits), I dived in.

Bloody hell. Took me about an hour to work out how it should be assembled, and then another hour to work out how to get all the pingfuckits installed in the right place.

Fiddliest job in ages.

It was delivered already part disassembled, so it's hard to be sure exactly why it failed, but I suspect that the lock tabs had eased enough to allow the nut to unwind just enough to allow the bigger trigger to get far enough out of line that it wasn't engaging with its pawl.

ETA  Confirmed. Owner says that when he removed the cover the securing nut was nearly off the stud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 August, 2020, 05:55:29 pm
Replaced this with another worn clicky M520 from my collection.  Really not sure how it happened  ???

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/kitchen_pr0n/2020_08_12_17_02_25.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 12 August, 2020, 06:02:36 pm
I've had that happen two or three times now. Don't throw it away. When it next happens you can cannibalise them and get a good pedal out of two wrecks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 12 August, 2020, 07:49:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 August, 2020, 05:55:29 pm
Replaced this with another worn clicky M520 from my collection.  Really not sure how it happened  ???

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/kitchen_pr0n/2020_08_12_17_02_25.sized.jpg)

That reminds me, I need to tighten the cleat mechanism on mine.  One was floating around free as a bird when I was trying to get all of my mediocre power through it today
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 August, 2020, 09:54:03 pm
Quote from: hatler on 12 August, 2020, 06:02:36 pm
I've had that happen two or three times now. Don't throw it away. When it next happens you can cannibalise them and get a good pedal out of two wrecks.

First time it's ever happened to me.  Admittedly, I tend to retire them from my most-used bikes when they get clicky, so they probably haven't had the opportunity.

I'm currently experimenting with Time ATAC, which is disconcertingly weeble-wobbly (yet stiff to release) compared to SPD, but reassuringly click-free.  If it stays that way after a few thousand miles, I may migrate the whole fleet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 12 August, 2020, 11:27:47 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 August, 2020, 05:55:29 pm
Replaced this with another worn clicky M520 from my collection.  Really not sure how it happened  ???

(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/kitchen_pr0n/2020_08_12_17_02_25.sized.jpg)

Awesome climbing power, innit  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 13 August, 2020, 11:27:30 am
Quote from: Bolt on 10 August, 2020, 05:10:03 pm
First attempt at sewing and making a frame bag.  I used a waterproof cordura type fabric which stitched together very nicely. Total cost of materials about £3.00

Great work, that looks ace!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 13 August, 2020, 11:43:19 am
Pending purchase of a new set of tubeless tyres, I replaced the worn-out front tyre yesterday evening with a spare Conti Grand Sport I happened to have lying around. I also have a set of unused Maxxis Padrone TR but thought it would be quicker and easier to just go for the bog standard clincher option as a short-term fix.

After knackering THREE inner tubes while trying to get the bastard on (two pinch punctures, one explosion), I gave up with that line of reasoning, and fitted the Padrone instead. Getting it to seat properly on the rim was a major PITA, but the lack of tube meant it was still quicker and less painful than trying to fit the Grand Sport. Whole job took far longer than it needed to.  >:(

Maybe I'll just stick with the Padrones for now - only down side is they're 25mm rather than my preferred 28mm, but I'll see how I get on with them before deciding whether or not I need to spend the money...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 August, 2020, 12:44:01 pm
New MTB just acquired for mini - a 2012 Orange Crush off the Bay which had only done (allegedly) 200 miles in the year of purchase. A quick inspection at the weekend substantiated the claim so we collected it last night. Fair price, partly because the brakes had seized on. But, aha ! I know how to fix that now, and have the kit.

Set about bleeding the brakes last night and it didn't go as sweetly as the one I did recently.

When applying vacuum at the lever for the rear brake it seemed to be drawing air in from somewhere, yet when it was all done it seemed to work perfectly. Very odd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 August, 2020, 01:36:01 pm
Currently sweating & swearing while trying to match one of the top rails for my panelling to the bulges and hollows of our ancient walls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 August, 2020, 02:28:38 pm
That sounds like type 2 DIY fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 13 August, 2020, 02:41:48 pm
Not actually today but I finally got around to installing the new BB for my Trek Domane and then cleaned and waxed the chain.

The joy of a silent drive chain!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 16 August, 2020, 05:35:57 pm
Gave MrsH's VW T5 a service. Pretty straighforward job, except for the usual engine-designed-by-someone-who-doesn't-service-them issue; you need to unscrew the oil filter holder using a 32mm (IIRC) socket, but there's not really room to get a ratchet onto it, or get a nice combination of extensions and UJs in there, as it is right up against the radiator, with suspension and engine mount bits in the way, and blocked by coolant and power steering hoses.

And the pollen filter, who thought it was a good idea to secure the little plastic door for it using self tapping type screws with a 5.5mm head? It's not space critical, it's not something that needs an odd head for anti-tamper, it's just two screws into plastic holding something with enough strength to stop it rattling open. Luckily I have a 5.5mm spanner, but only the one.

And I'd forgotten that VCDS mobile still doesn't let you easily reset the service indicator. OK, that's just hold the trip reset button and rotate the clock set button, but as VCDS was connected to do a scan to make sure everything was OK, it'd be nice to press a reset button in there to do it without dragging out a laptop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 August, 2020, 06:00:21 pm
Swapped out the Cambium on HK’s Brompton for a Ti Vitesse and did the Proofide thing. Flintmined and inflated both tyres.

Still need to swap out a worn derailleur pulley, chain and sprockets, some of the cables and the swingarm pivot. The only things I don’t have in stock are the 13/16t sprockets, so this shouldn’t be a big hassle, provided the swingarm bolts come out easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 16 August, 2020, 06:07:32 pm
Built a power rack yesterday and today fitted the pulleys. The toughest part was translating the instructions- it's German.

Perhaps we should just rearrange the garage 3 times a week instead, everything in there is so so heavy..
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200816/7c805d20968fb10dcd11f8c7896b40f4.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 16 August, 2020, 08:21:09 pm
Frightening, I can understand that! I have clearly been here too long and read too much technical German.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 August, 2020, 09:43:52 pm
Technical German's the best kind...

(When I was a PSO, I once spent an evening[1] with a SUSE Linux box that I was trying to persuade to be a NAT router, with - due to the absence of a working NAT router - no internet access, a somewhat deficient understanding of TCP/IP and nothing but the German version of the ipchains manual.  In best xkcd://466 (https://xkcd.com/466/) tradition, I made it work eventually.)


[1] For very long values of 'evening'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 17 August, 2020, 01:24:14 pm
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 16 August, 2020, 08:21:09 pm
Frightening, I can understand that! I have clearly been here too long and read too much technical German.
I was sorely tempted to message you for help!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2020, 03:27:21 pm
Hovered inside, and fettled the hinges of, the Cupboard That Hides The Horrible Fireplace in preparation for it becoming a cunningly concealed network Stuffs repository.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andrij on 17 August, 2020, 04:08:42 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2020, 03:27:21 pm
Hovered inside, and fettled the hinges of, the Cupboard That Hides The Horrible Fireplace in preparation for it becoming a cunningly concealed network Stuffs repository.

Today I Learned:
Mr. Larrington can levitate, and fits inside a cupboard!  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 August, 2020, 05:19:30 pm
Is Mr Larrington really Debbie McGee?  I've never seen them together!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Rod Marton on 17 August, 2020, 05:28:18 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 August, 2020, 09:43:52 pm
Technical German's the best kind...



Indeed it is - the wonders of the compound noun make technical German remarkably easy to understand...

I once had to translate a patent concerning Einspritzbrennkraftmaschinen - translates literally as in-squirt-burn-power-engines. Written like this it is absolutely obvious what it means, but it is remarkably difficult to find an English equivalent. Yes, it is a diesel, but there are other engines which work in a similar manner and can't be excluded.

I love German.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2020, 06:08:01 pm
I hate you all, you, you GITS :D

It should, of course, have read “Henryed”.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 August, 2020, 07:20:58 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 17 August, 2020, 04:08:42 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2020, 03:27:21 pm
Hovered inside, and fettled the hinges of, the Cupboard That Hides The Horrible Fireplace in preparation for it becoming a cunningly concealed network Stuffs repository.

Today I Learned:
Mr. Larrington can levitate, and fits inside a cupboard!  :o

I was thinking it must be a mahoosive cupboard to have all that space for levitating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 August, 2020, 07:33:30 pm
It was raining this morning, so rather than go for an holiday bicyclops, instead I cleaned the oven (it was covered in fat from some cheffy meal we had delivered) which only took 45 mins :facepalm: (though I did take the side rails off for the first time) and I was sweating like an horse afterward.
Then I prepared to decorate the not-very-great hall at Pingu Towers, when I realised it was 1155 so I might as well have lunch. During which time a man delivered a new 5 in 1 combi ladder for me to stand on while painting the ceiling, which was good timing given I told them on the 24th June that the first one they delivered was borked and unsafe for use....
And then, after assembling said thing in a raised platform stylee (which is good but a bugger to manoeveur round our not very great but twisty hall) I did paint the ceiling and a first coat on the walls.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50237158658_29cb7398b5.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jxhz2U)2020-08-17_07-29-11 (https://flic.kr/p/2jxhz2U) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(I may regret doing that during the 2nd coat)

In between all this we have been watching some builders demolish a tree, a wall and use a digger to remove soil from a neighbouring property, because we are nosey.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 August, 2020, 10:51:45 pm
Replaced the derailleur pulleys, chain and cogs on HK’s Brompton and inflated the tyres. Tightened the bolt between derailleur cable and derailleur and tightened the bolt securing the derailleur tensioner. One of the pulley bolts was so corroded in place that a Draper Allen key rounded out, which led to hacksawing the pulley and Vice-grips on the bolt. All solved now, save for replacing the Allen key.

Tomorrow’s job is replacing the swingarm pivot and some cables and straightening the Al chainguard. Will need to replace a worn pusher plate at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 August, 2020, 06:41:53 pm
Pingu had a hair cut booked for today (if I'd booked a haircut on holiday my guts would be for garters but YMMV) so I spent the whole day putting a 2nd coat of paint on the walls of the not-very-great hall.
And then looked and grumbled, (and wished I'd ignored Pingu and just stripped the wallpaper off and put new up) and then did a 3rd coat.
It's better but some bits will need a 4th coat (not the bit where I wrote 'Poo!' but another wall where I did an experiment on cleaning the surface and then applying matt paint. You can see the 2 massive areas of matt...)  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 August, 2020, 06:56:13 pm
Spent a considerable amount of time and drill bits (all crappy, so replacement cobalt bits ordered) to remove both swingarm bolts on HK’s Brompton. The swingarm movement exceeded Brompton’s limit of 2mm movement either side of centre by a considerable amount. Fitted a new rear mudflap, reamed new bushes and Loctited the swingarm bolts.

Hopefully I won’t have to deal with this again for a while. Though the powder coat is starting to lift near the bottom bracket (like they all seem to do), HK didn’t want a new paint job yet.

I believe I have finally done a little better than breaking even with the pivot reamer compared to paying a shop, just on my own bikes. It has taken a while, though a few friends’ Bromptons have also benefited. The hinge pin tool and seatpost reamer (when I get one) will take a while yet to pay their way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 20 August, 2020, 08:27:54 am
Water butts, somehow in clearing the ick from the gutter and fixing the leaky joints, the downpipe has shifted such that the diverter has dropped a fraction and there was insufficient friction to just push it up a bit.  Shims from an old airline loyalty card seem to have done the trick and saves me farting around with new lengths of downpipe
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 August, 2020, 09:51:27 am
Removed the lectern (yes!) from MrsT's old MBK Oceo, then took it off the turbo in the cellar where it spent lockdown and over to the workshop to make it rideable again. Added a seatpost rack and wanted to put on the kickstand & toe hooks it once sported but they must've been thrown out.

Not that MrsT's going to ride it again, but I'll do some shopping on it.

...a bit doubtful of the tyres: they're the original Hutchinsons and look pristine, but they're pushing 15 years old. Ah well, the shops I'm aiming at are in the next village - walking distance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 21 August, 2020, 05:22:22 pm
Poured a concrete base for our pond filter. I do miss having a  cement mixer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 August, 2020, 05:27:25 pm
Quote from: T42 on 21 August, 2020, 09:51:27 am
Removed the lectern (yes!) from MrsT's old MBK Oceo, then took it off the turbo in the cellar where it spent lockdown and over to the workshop to make it rideable again. Added a seatpost rack and wanted to put on the kickstand & toe hooks it once sported but they must've been thrown out.

Not that MrsT's going to ride it again, but I'll do some shopping on it.

...a bit doubtful of the tyres: they're the original Hutchinsons and look pristine, but they're pushing 15 years old. Ah well, the shops I'm aiming at are in the next village - walking distance.
"Made By Klingons", according to the sportsperson formerly known as Robert Millar!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 21 August, 2020, 05:45:59 pm
one of those "why do i bother?" jobs - servicing a ss freewheel.  cleaned, greased/lubed and haven't lost any of the tiny ball bearings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 August, 2020, 05:46:37 pm
Moved to this house in February* and the cistern in the cloakroom wouldn't flush properly (one of those stupid air operated bellows things) - concealed cistern so panel off the front and to flush you put your hand in the tank and gave the mechanism a push to flush.

Finally got round to fitting a new cistern and replaced the panel - and took the opportunity to drill a hole in the wall to fit an outside tap (with non-return valve) and a valve inside to isolate it during the winter.   All sorted and the wooden panel back in position.

Pretty simple but fiddly - made easier with the use of flexible hose compression fittings.

* we were away for a month in the meantime so I don't feel quite so guilty!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 August, 2020, 06:56:06 pm
Should be a double check valve  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 August, 2020, 07:04:15 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 21 August, 2020, 06:56:06 pm
Should be a double check valve  :)

Sorry - terminology - it is!   Screwfix's finest brassware
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 August, 2020, 08:43:49 am
Quote from: zigzag on 21 August, 2020, 05:45:59 pm
one of those "why do i bother?" jobs - servicing a ss freewheel.  cleaned, greased/lubed and haven't lost any of the tiny ball bearings.

It is strangely satisfying though, doing those or old 5/6 speed freewheels. Cassettes just aren't the same.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 August, 2020, 09:46:55 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 August, 2020, 05:27:25 pm
Quote from: T42 on 21 August, 2020, 09:51:27 am
Removed the lectern (yes!) from MrsT's old MBK Oceo, then took it off the turbo in the cellar where it spent lockdown and over to the workshop to make it rideable again. Added a seatpost rack and wanted to put on the kickstand & toe hooks it once sported but they must've been thrown out.

Not that MrsT's going to ride it again, but I'll do some shopping on it.

...a bit doubtful of the tyres: they're the original Hutchinsons and look pristine, but they're pushing 15 years old. Ah well, the shops I'm aiming at are in the next village - walking distance.
"Made By Klingons", according to the sportsperson formerly known as Robert Millar!

They can Klingon as much as they like as long as they don't fall off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 22 August, 2020, 10:56:56 am
Quote from: MattH on 22 August, 2020, 08:43:49 am
Quote from: zigzag on 21 August, 2020, 05:45:59 pm
one of those "why do i bother?" jobs - servicing a ss freewheel.  cleaned, greased/lubed and haven't lost any of the tiny ball bearings.

It is strangely satisfying though, doing those or old 5/6 speed freewheels. Cassettes just aren't the same.

the only satisfaction is a better working freewheel; rode 112km on it today (still skipped once..).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 August, 2020, 11:02:08 am
Punched holes into a fortnight-old B17 Std and laced it. It was rubbing my thighs raw!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 August, 2020, 03:44:16 pm
More vehicle servicing. Jumped in the planet slayer at the start of the week, having been given a green light to drive again by the physio, to be greeted with a "service required" message. I knew it was coming due, so no biggy, just had to order the parts in as GSF and Eurocarparts don't do any of the filters.

It is one thing that is really, really easy to do on this car. Pop the cap off the oil extraction pipe on top of the engine, shove the vacuum extractor hose on it, pump it up and let it do it's thing, pumping again every so often. Take the engine cover off (tool free), and the oil filter is there on top. 36mm socket unscrews the housing, the filter comes out nice and drip free as it drains when the engine is off. New filter and O ring in, by which time the oil has finished being sucked out. Pour in 9.5 litres of hideously expensive Shell, and that's the oil change done. Air filters do need a screwdriver to open the housings, but they are easy to get to on each side. Pollen filter is tool free at the back of the engine bay under the windscreen. Fuel filter isn't due this time, but that's easy to do by hand at the front of the engine. You do need a dedicated diagnostic tool to reset the service indicator; the incantation to do it with dashboard button presses was removed in the facelift. But that's not a problem as I have that anyway.

I've never had a car that was so quick, easy and clean to do a basic oil and filters service. Not one part of it made me want to poke the designer in the eye with a sharp stick, and one this car I don't even bother changing into scruffs to do it as it is so clean.

It almost makes up the hassle in doing anything else - the alternator was over 7 hours of major strip down (5.5 hours book time if I'd sent it in to a garage), battery needed 5 point security bits to be purchased so I could remove the ECU to get access to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 August, 2020, 04:54:04 pm
Woodwork again today (too bloody windy to cycle) - almost completed a console table made with birch ply (all exposed edges etc.) - just have to finish the drawer, sanding and applying about 4 coats of the the clear oil finish.

I've just started making stuff with recycled pallets (which are FOC) - great fun and satisfying to turn what would be firewood into useful items.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 August, 2020, 05:40:51 pm
Replaced the front tyre on HK’s Brompton, along with a couple of cables, readjusted a front brake pad and applied some helicopter tape to abrasion points.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 August, 2020, 06:54:44 pm
Quote from: robgul on 23 August, 2020, 04:54:04 pm
Woodwork again today (too bloody windy to cycle) - almost completed a console table made with birch ply (all exposed edges etc.) - just have to finish the drawer, sanding and applying about 4 coats of the the clear oil finish.

I've just started making stuff with recycled pallets (which are FOC) - great fun and satisfying to turn what would be firewood into useful items.

This needs photos.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 August, 2020, 07:33:45 pm
And now some Trice fettling. When taking off the rack and rear mudguard to test fit on the direct drive turbo (it works as long as the front wheels are on boxes at least 9 inches high, otherwise the chain stays foul), I noticed that all the bolts on those were a bit stiff. The button head socket screws inside holding the front of the mudguard in place were also getting rounded heads taking them out (though they did come out cleanly once I went and got the proper Wera allen keys).

So today I cleaned up the threads on all of the rear end mounting bosses, and put new bolts in everywhere. Then dug out the rollers, cleaned them up and tried riding the Trice on them (well, with the rear wheel on the rollers, and no rubber band fitted). My gammy leg now has enough range of movement to pedal a full circle, which it didn't a week ago, and I've been cleared by the physio to be load bearing on it and use a trainer (as long as I promised not to do intervals), so I could gently spin for a few minutes. Hopefully I'll be able to use the proper trainer soon.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 August, 2020, 08:25:38 pm
Washed both bikes before stickering them. Then changed the tube in the Pacer's front wheel. It wasn't punctured, I just decided it was finally time to stop using a tube with a valve too short for those rims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 23 August, 2020, 09:07:23 pm

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EgIU38vXgAE3qLk?format=jpg&name=large)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EgIU38vXgAE3qLk?format=jpg&name=large

Parts finally arrived so I could assemble my circuit boards. One of these has been tested and doesn't work (top right). One is untested (bottom right), the rest work. There's a couple of debouncer circuits, some LED test boards, and some power regulators.

I'm impressed to find that my chosen LED, is bright enough to see that it's lit up, with just 30µA of power consumption. It can be a little brighter at 43µA. Yes that is µA, 0.00003A. Meaning on a 1000mA battery, it will run for approximately 3.8 years... Well within the 1 year I need...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 August, 2020, 07:35:07 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 August, 2020, 06:54:44 pm
Quote from: robgul on 23 August, 2020, 04:54:04 pm
Woodwork again today (too bloody windy to cycle) - almost completed a console table made with birch ply (all exposed edges etc.) - just have to finish the drawer, sanding and applying about 4 coats of the the clear oil finish.

I've just started making stuff with recycled pallets (which are FOC) - great fun and satisfying to turn what would be firewood into useful items.

This needs photos.

I assume you mean the furniture and not the firewood?

The main kitchen/dining table I made a few weeks ago - this is simple, the console is a bit more complex with a drawer etc - I'll post pics of that when finished.

(https://i.ibb.co/HT0jCN6/Table.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HT0jCN6)

... and one of the recycled pallet projects

(https://i.ibb.co/QYFhx6f/Fruit-amp-Veg-box-from-pallets.jpg) (https://ibb.co/QYFhx6f)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 August, 2020, 10:02:41 am
beats my bonsai table made by screwing two together with coach bolts and sticking 4x2 legs on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 27 August, 2020, 03:10:39 pm
Yesterday, a gearbox strip, clean and rebuild on my early '60s Kenwood A707 mixer. I don't know if it had been done before, as one pinion gear that can be plastic was in fact metal (an upgrade) or it may have been sealed since new.

Rebuild videos show the entire gearbox filled absolutely solid with grease; I don't understand why this is, as it ends up as crusty gears rotating 2mm away from a surrounding sea of clean grease, and the drag must be substantial when freshly packed. New greases are sold as food grade, but this old stuff looked and smelled more like Castrol LM. All gears looked in good shape, so I rebuilt it with greased shafts, washers and teeth using bike bearing grease; it was easy to do so I'll look at it again in a year or so, in case the grease gets flung off completely. Or if it's fine, leave it for another 50 years...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 August, 2020, 03:34:09 pm
Quote from: robgul on 24 August, 2020, 07:35:07 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 August, 2020, 06:54:44 pm
Quote from: robgul on 23 August, 2020, 04:54:04 pm
Woodwork again today (too bloody windy to cycle) - almost completed a console table made with birch ply (all exposed edges etc.) - just have to finish the drawer, sanding and applying about 4 coats of the the clear oil finish.

I've just started making stuff with recycled pallets (which are FOC) - great fun and satisfying to turn what would be firewood into useful items.

This needs photos.

I assume you mean the furniture and not the firewood?

The main kitchen/dining table I made a few weeks ago - this is simple, the console is a bit more complex with a drawer etc - I'll post pics of that when finished.

(https://i.ibb.co/HT0jCN6/Table.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HT0jCN6)

... and one of the recycled pallet projects

(https://i.ibb.co/QYFhx6f/Fruit-amp-Veg-box-from-pallets.jpg) (https://ibb.co/QYFhx6f)

As promised/warned!  The finished console table, just waiting for the last coat of oil finish to dry - hence the dust sheet on the floor.   Made from Birch plywood with a number of joint types + shiny steel hairpin legs.

(https://i.ibb.co/NF8CxVB/DSC01119.jpg) (https://ibb.co/NF8CxVB)

Tomorrow is "pallet taking apart" day in readiness for a few commissions I have to fulfil
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 27 August, 2020, 04:08:32 pm
I have just had a call from friend who is breaking an old Raleigh Twenty.  Actually, it is branded Triumph but it's very similar.

One of the items offered is a complete back wheel with a SA three speed hub with dynamo.  Never knowingly seen one of these before.

I also have a pair of genuine original pedals and a front dynamo light coming which puts the finishing touches to the green Raleigh Twenty project.  Lovely.   🙂
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 August, 2020, 05:54:05 pm
Fitted a new frame sleeve to my Brompton. After the bond has strengthened for a while, it will be reamed and hopefully that will stop the seat post from slipping.

Fitted a new derailleur to HK's Brompton, due to a worn guide plate. It would have been nice to just replace the single worn piece of stainless steel but what can you do? Getting an aftermarket aluminium or titanium guide plate would have been silly money and possibly quite short-lived. Replaced the damaged indicator chain on her Brompton at the same time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 28 August, 2020, 10:56:43 am
One of the downsides to being the average height for a UK woman is the lack of seat post / saddle->tyre clearance for luggage. I've worn through two of these Ortleib bags through them bouncing on the tyre when surface degrades.

Trying it out tonight.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200828/1640ff6b74b0052c4b83a914f270d085.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 August, 2020, 12:03:49 pm
Quote from: fboab on 28 August, 2020, 10:56:43 am
One of the downsides to being the average height for a UK woman is the lack of seat post / saddle->tyre clearance for luggage. I've worn through two of these Ortleib bags through them bouncing on the tyre when surface degrades.

Trying it out tonight.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200828/1640ff6b74b0052c4b83a914f270d085.jpg)

I have two of those bags but found the fit a bit tight on a Brooks B17 and sags downwards so have fettled an aluminium plate that clamps to the saddle rails and raises and pushes the bag back a bit.  (Not because I'm short - quite the reverse at 6'4"!)  - if you want a pic let me know. 

I hadn't considered the supplementary strap idea - I may look at that too as the weight in the bag does cantilever it somewhat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 28 August, 2020, 01:02:49 pm
Probably not suitable in this case, but I make judicious use of reusable tie wraps to restrain bags, and hold the brake levers on when parked or on trains.

Added bonus that they can be used for temporary fixes if anything breaks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 August, 2020, 05:44:40 pm
72 RFID timing tags.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 August, 2020, 06:55:18 pm
Or a rack and a rack pack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 August, 2020, 09:12:21 am
Reamed my Brompton frame sleeve = seatpost operates perfectly.

When I build up the enthusiasm, I will convert the extended seatpost to a telescopic post but that can wait for a little bit.

Cleaned paint out of lots of M5 threads on HK’s Roberts. The BB and derailleur hanger will be done tomorrow. The two-pack paint job is serviceable enough but certainly not award-winning quality. When combined with the frame being ready a fortnight later than the quoted month and me having to initiate every communication, I wouldn’t hurry back to this painter over other options, despite their obvious popularity (lots of Al, carbon and steel frames being done).

Swapped out the B17 test saddle on my fixed with another, black this time. Proofide as always. Retensioned the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 29 August, 2020, 05:24:49 pm
Communications centred stuff. Worked out how to get an audible phone ringtone in the car - call myself from the home phone and turn the volume knob up  ::-). Why it was set to zero as a default I’ve no idea. Plus finally got round to google how to extend the time my phone rings before going to voicemail. Now it’s a reasonable 5 rings instead of 2 1/2.

Replaced the locking stay pins on the front windows. The old ones were fine, except my wife dropped one of the lock screws out of the window and no amount of searching with magnets has turned it up. Still, the new ones are black to match the rest of the furniture so look better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 29 August, 2020, 06:18:28 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 August, 2020, 06:55:18 pm
Or a rack and a rack pack.
No rack mounts. The bikes I use it on go offroad, too, so mudguards aren't always present either.

I've had to work really hard to avoid those fecking hideous and disproportionately large bikepacking things. Frame is tiny, so a frame bag would be pointless (even if I brought myself to give them the time of day).

Anyway, the strap seems to work. We shall see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 August, 2020, 06:23:45 pm
Collected my trike from the newbie three-wheeler who collected his new tandem trike today. Replaced the corroded mudguard rivet with a SS bolt and Nyloc nut and refitted the mudguard to my trike. Fitted three bidon cages to it, refitted the ‘be-seen’ headlight, tensioned my Selle Anatomica (no more adjustment left, the saddle will be swapped in winter, I guess) and lifted it to the right height.

Cleaned out the derailleur hanger (needed) and BB threads (not needed) on HK’s repainted Roberts. I will let the paint harden for a week or so before reassembling it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 August, 2020, 11:12:48 am
Frame Saver in HK’s Roberts. Now soaking up the sunshine.

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/maintenance/oils-and-lubricants/chain-lubricant/j-p-weigles-frame-saver-review/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 31 August, 2020, 02:06:53 pm
Set up the old 1990s black Raleigh Pursuit into the turbo trainer - so pumped up the front wheel, swapped pedals from flats, tweaked gears etc.

Checking back, I bought this from Toby back in January 2011 for £15 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=42536). I spent another £30 or so putting on new mudguards, replacing brake cables, new bar tape (both black) and swapping in a saddle from my spares box. Then I built a new back wheel and converted it to fixed. It was my commuting and train station bike for a while. Then it got gears put back onto it, and my eldest took it to Uni as a "disposable" bike to ride to lectures rather than his nice mountain bike (he didn't get on with fixed). Now it's back with me and ready to do duty on the turbo. I might just have got my £15 worth out of it  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 31 August, 2020, 02:25:14 pm
Domestic odds and sods. Cut down one of the clematis, and pruned back a mock orange and dwarf Apple (oddly, we got no apples or quinces this year). Rearranged the living room to its winter configuration - pale rug swapped for dark one ready for the sweep and winter fires, sofa and reading lamp moved from under front window to opposite end Of the room, leaving the radiator exposed (the heatings been coming on since Friday).  And finally got round to removing the last of the vinyl wrap the previous owner had had put on the bright work of my car - I’d missed the trim above the rear diffuser.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 31 August, 2020, 04:21:55 pm
My Internet Firewall, a Firebrick 2700 unit which must be close to 10 years old.

It began powering off then re-booting.
The PSUs are notoriously bad, and it has previous for eating the PSU.
But the mfrs have a PSU replacement program now with a totally re-designed PSU.
Which they sent me FoC.
Pretty good customer support for an EoL product!

Alas, it continued to play up.
A bit of fiddling, and it seemed to be mechanical: a dry solder joint on the PSU connector on the main board.

Main board out, and this is what I found:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50290666001_f883849106_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jC1NUi)
FB2700 Firewall (https://flic.kr/p/2jC1NUi) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

No solder on the +5v pin!
It's *never* been soldered.
It only ever worked due to the friction fit of the pin against the thru-plating on the hole!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 August, 2020, 10:34:22 pm
Wow.  I wonder how many that's happened to?

Perhaps that's even why they're killing PSUs...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 September, 2020, 04:11:22 pm
Tyres onto wheels. 6 of them. Not too challenging now I’m using proper tubeless rims, only needed to use a tube to seat one of them, the Joe Blow managed the others. Tidied the shed a bit preparatory to setting up the turbo with Zwift on the big (32”) tv for the winter. I’d prefer it in the lounge, but my wife disagrees. Time to fit ‘guards to the Domane and re-do the bar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 04 September, 2020, 06:48:17 pm
And so it came to pass that I decided to fit the ‘guards to my Domane. Helpfully the frame (for I bought it as such) came with a little set of threaded eyelets, the fitting of “fenders” for. These thread into the “hidden” holes in the frame (In reality holes fitted with grub screws) and provide a mounting point for the stays. The kit has 4 in. The disc frame only has 3 holes. For the fourth a small bracket is required that mounts under the calliper securing bolt. Not supplied with the frame  ::-). It can be had, as part of a “disc frame fender fitting kit”. Which obvs includes all the parts I've already got as well. For the princely sum of £17.50   >:(

Time to invest in a can of Plastikote and see what the works machine shop has to offer. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 September, 2020, 06:56:29 pm
not cycling related, but still a fun little dyi project. hot wire cutter/slicer for polystyrene insulation blocks.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200904/44e0cc1c43f2504e026cf6e71ac3d396.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200904/8d31b894d0c69824244c7433de0b27ab.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200904/34c3f696037543a4d8d88f19383585f4.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 September, 2020, 08:29:24 pm
I rebuilt a pair of Ultegra 6500 28h hubs.  The rear one is used but thankfully the bearing races are perfect and the freehub sounds lively.  I put new grade 10 balls in that one.  The front one was NOS so I just had to clean out the slightly gummy grease, and I could reuse the balls.  Seal drag is much higher at the front because it's never been run in.

I find Phil Wood grease to be very good, still looking like grease after a few years, although it's over £20 a tube by the time it's arrived from the USA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 04 September, 2020, 09:05:52 pm
Fitted a Velux blind. It works, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 September, 2020, 11:51:54 am
Replaced a worn out rear GrandPrix on HK’s Trykit with a Durano ready for hedge-cutting season. Tweaked the brakes and swapped out the Wahoo mount to clear the bell.

Fitted unrusty Miche rear wheel nuts to my fixed.

Started reassembling HK’s Roberts, to be finished tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 05 September, 2020, 11:34:04 pm
Our vacuum cleaner.

The exit filter was held in place by two clips which were part of the main body moulding.The hook part of both clips snapped off a while ago and a valiant attempt was made to keep the filter in place by applying a couple of large lumps of blu-tack. However, this meant the main lid didn't seal properly on the suction side.

Leaving the filter out would have been one option, but I figured it's there for a reason. Cue a bodge.

Holes drilled in the main body either side of the filter, and one old bladed spoke sacrificed to create a clip that holds the filter down sufficiently tightly that the lid closes properly.

Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 September, 2020, 09:27:00 am
Glued the spindles back into the holes in one half of the back of a smoker's bow chair, one of four I bought in the 80s. Nice and solid today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 September, 2020, 10:48:51 am
Not today, but yesterday.

Cut the laurel Bush between our house and next door down from >12' to less than 8'. This now means that next door can get Sky without interference and we get more light to the back of our house.

Then built yet another desk, this time for TLDs bedroom and then made dinner.

Today I ache, everywhere!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 06 September, 2020, 12:59:53 pm
Tapped out the hole in the front disc calliper mounting adaptor (160/140mm thingy). Fitted a screw-in eyelet, but I’ll have to bend the stay to clear the calliper / bleed nipple. Perfectly doable, but I think I’ll wait for the pukka mounting bracket ( prolly designed to avoid the above issue) to arrive and see what clearance that gives before finally deciding.

Update 3 Garmins that have lain dormant for far too long. Took some 12 hours in total.

ETA: Retaped the bars with Lizard Skins.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 06 September, 2020, 01:26:48 pm
I unfettled a wardrobe that I’ve failed to give away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 September, 2020, 01:42:35 pm
Hah!  My office desk top consists of two wardrobe doors that last saw hinges in the 1970s.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 06 September, 2020, 02:29:39 pm
Brake fettling. The Trice had a fairly bad vibration from the right hand front hub brake under light braking. I put the wheel into my truing stand, and rigged up a dial gauge so I could check the hub braking surface which can be pulled out of round by spoke tension. The wheel was fairly true, but the hub was definitely out of round. I reduced that significantly, getting it down to around .05mm between highest and lowest points. Reassembling, I found that the brake cable on that side was almost seized, upon checking the other side was also stiff, but nowhere near as bad. I don't have any spare outer to hand, so spent a while oiling them to get them moving, then using oil and motion of the cable in and out, wiping, repeating, to clean them as best I could. It doesn't appear to be a lined outer, so oil should be safe and not cause the outer to swell. I guess just water getting in had caused the issue, the inners appear to be stainless and cleaned up nicely. All reassembled, without a proper test ride it appears to be sorted.

New inners and outers are on order to replace them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 September, 2020, 02:55:24 pm
My hair.
No.2 gauge.
Back to work tomorrow after nearly 6 months of furlough.
I fear it may be something of a shock to the system.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 06 September, 2020, 03:07:19 pm
I hope the shock is mostly good!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 September, 2020, 03:21:17 pm
It'll be good to get away from the sheer bloody boredom!
I finished reading the internet sometime in early May.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 06 September, 2020, 05:05:47 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 06 September, 2020, 02:55:24 pm
My hair.
No.2 gauge.
Back to work tomorrow after nearly 6 months of furlough.
I fear it may be something of a shock to the system.
Congrats on still having a job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 06 September, 2020, 06:44:07 pm
Replaced the fuel injector pump and gave the Mazda Bongo a full service . I have been looking at newer vans , but you can't repair them with a hand full of spanners and a screwdriver .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 September, 2020, 07:02:27 pm
Cleaned the Pretty Bike utterly to DETH.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 September, 2020, 07:04:44 pm
Quote from: hatler on 06 September, 2020, 05:05:47 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 06 September, 2020, 02:55:24 pm
My hair.
No.2 gauge.
Back to work tomorrow after nearly 6 months of furlough.
I fear it may be something of a shock to the system.
Congrats on still having a job.
Ta.
That was always a worry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 September, 2020, 08:50:36 pm
HK’s Roberts is now almost rideable, basically awaiting her C17S Carved to return and some handlebar tape to be fitted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 September, 2020, 12:59:58 pm
The bobbin winding mechanism of Mrs robgul's sewing machine - it's a very simple friction drive that you engage BUT the "rubber tyre" that runs against the drive mechanism is known to fail over time .... machine is used infrequently. 

The tyre (think of something the size of the tyre on a Dinky toy car) actually melts and becomes a bit like a small piece of liquorice boot lace (remember them?).

Machine needs 9 screws removing just to take off the case to get to the winder, and then a further 3 to get the thing ready for the 5 second job to fit the tyre. 

Success, and manufacture of masks has recommenced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 September, 2020, 04:06:51 pm
I've just disfettled the pedal that suffered a snapped spindle the Sunday before last. The snap was just outboard of the outer bearing, which turns out to be the only bearing – I'd assumed there would be an inner one as well, one on each end of the spindle – at a point where the diameter is 4mm. This seems thin but then I've never looked inside a pedal before. I've never snapped a spindle before either, so the two could be connected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 September, 2020, 07:51:08 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 08 September, 2020, 04:06:51 pm
the outer bearing, which turns out to be the only bearing – I'd assumed there would be an inner one as well, one on each end of the spindle

This confused me the first time I dismantled a pedal, but presumably the outboard end sees most of the load or something...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 September, 2020, 08:22:59 am
Fitted HK’s Roberts with saddle and chainstay protector. Just handlebar tape to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 09 September, 2020, 08:58:25 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 September, 2020, 08:22:59 am
Fitted HK’s Roberts with saddle and chainstay protector. Just handlebar tape to go.

My schoolboy mind can't help remembering that "roberts" is an old-fashioned French slang term for breasts.

But you know, what you two get up to in your free time is not for me to judge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 September, 2020, 09:14:19 am
Ride ‘em, cowboy!

I enjoyed telling HK many years ago exactly what Roberts meant in French slang. Josie Dew’s books contain lots of snippets of information.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 09 September, 2020, 09:18:50 am
I'm now amusing myself by imagining riding round France on a bike called TITS!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 September, 2020, 09:36:16 am
Probably a little different compared to when a female rider does the same thing. Ms Dew experienced it quite a few years ago.

This particular bike was built for PBP99 but had to wait until 2019 to actually get on the start line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 09 September, 2020, 12:01:31 pm
Or similar to riding around Italy on a Pompino fixie?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 September, 2020, 07:28:44 pm
I rebuilt a Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedal.  Nothing at all in common with other SPD pedals, but quite easy IF you have the tools.

I'll post instructions later, as all the YouTube videos cheat and don't do a full overhaul.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 September, 2020, 08:32:27 pm
Quote from: MattH on 09 September, 2020, 12:01:31 pm
Or similar to riding around Italy on a Pompino fixie?

Again, I imagine that the experience may differ depending on whether you are male or female.

Replaced the wornout front disc and pads on HK’s Kinesis and bled it. So two front discs killed since new and still the original rear disc after two years, just.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 10 September, 2020, 04:56:02 pm

My continued fettling of tiny electronics continues. This week I managed to get my Lipo charger/bms/regulator all working too.


(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhapuzuWAAMTYra?format=jpg&name=large)

The green LED means it has USB power. The red means it's charging, and the brightness means I need a bigger resistor than the 2k one on the green led...

But, when running off battery, the whole thing is using about 10µA. so 0.00001A. It's basically using power slower than the self discharge of the battery. Experimenting with resistor/LED combo's, I have an 0603 (that's 1.6mm x 0.8mm) LED that is bright enough to see that it's on, and uses 30µA. Or put another way, just running this LED, via all the power manglement stuff I have, would last 208 days... on a 250mAh battery.

Next up, add the microcontroller module to the setup...

In the mean time, the power regulator boards I designed a few weeks back have been handed to my friend who will put them through a test process to see how noisy they are. I've also given them a couple of hardware debounce circuits to test. Cos hardware for this is so much easier than software...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 10 September, 2020, 09:59:27 pm
After a fairly catastrophic mechanical three-quarters of the way round a 600 (my mate described it as the most spectacular mechanical he'd seen on the road - up a steep hill in the Lakes, I ripped the mech out of the hanger, wrapped the mech back around itself and twisted the chain), I've replaced the rear mech hanger, rear mech, rear gear cable and the chain on my Giant. All works well on a quick ride around the block.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 September, 2020, 10:00:55 pm
Quote from: Deano on 10 September, 2020, 09:59:27 pm
After a fairly catastrophic mechanical three-quarters of the way round a 600 (my mate described it as the most spectacular mechanical he'd seen on the road - up a steep hill in the Lakes, I ripped the mech out of the hanger, wrapped the mech back around itself and twisted the chain), I've replaced the rear mech hanger, rear mech, rear gear cable and the chain on my Giant. All works well on a quick ride around the block.
This needs photos
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 11 September, 2020, 07:53:44 am
Quote from: citoyen on 09 September, 2020, 08:58:25 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 September, 2020, 08:22:59 am
Fitted HK’s Roberts with saddle and chainstay protector. Just handlebar tape to go.

My schoolboy mind can't help remembering that "roberts" is an old-fashioned French slang term for breasts.

But you know, what you two get up to in your free time is not for me to judge.

They also made a bike called the Dogs Bollox to even things up.

Yesterday fitted the Topeak Bartender and mounted the camera. Today I have to find a shim so I can pad out the huge diameter the elmt bolt bracket has
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 11 September, 2020, 08:25:56 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 September, 2020, 10:00:55 pm
Quote from: Deano on 10 September, 2020, 09:59:27 pm
After a fairly catastrophic mechanical three-quarters of the way round a 600 (my mate described it as the most spectacular mechanical he'd seen on the road - up a steep hill in the Lakes, I ripped the mech out of the hanger, wrapped the mech back around itself and twisted the chain), I've replaced the rear mech hanger, rear mech, rear gear cable and the chain on my Giant. All works well on a quick ride around the block.
This needs photos

There's a pic of the mech on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deanclem/status/1302590192612671490?s=09

Forgot to take a photo in situ, but it was a mess.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 11 September, 2020, 08:41:23 am
Must have been the weekend for it...

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200911/1c9927c25c64a2a97bd023cd40162673.jpg)


Mine still looks like that. I'll be GAMI.


how's the rest of the week going??
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 September, 2020, 10:33:20 am
Whilst I can appreciate the aerodynamic improvements in moving the mech out of the air flow and into the area behind you seat tube, I suspect it may be sub-optimal mechanically.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 September, 2020, 11:22:45 am
Gave my rear mech a good waggle and checked the travel limiter. Well, this pm I'm going to.

Oiled the bathroom-door hinges.  Not sure if this is a good move or not, because the squeaking is a handy signal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 11 September, 2020, 12:42:06 pm
A few years ago I was cycling with someone on a Moulton when their chain came off.  The low BB allowed the chain to get under the back wheel and act as an all too effective brake.  I guess that shouldn't really be possible and I knew I should have taken pictures..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 September, 2020, 06:07:38 pm
Quote from: Deano on 11 September, 2020, 08:25:56 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 September, 2020, 10:00:55 pm
Quote from: Deano on 10 September, 2020, 09:59:27 pm
After a fairly catastrophic mechanical three-quarters of the way round a 600 (my mate described it as the most spectacular mechanical he'd seen on the road - up a steep hill in the Lakes, I ripped the mech out of the hanger, wrapped the mech back around itself and twisted the chain), I've replaced the rear mech hanger, rear mech, rear gear cable and the chain on my Giant. All works well on a quick ride around the block.
This needs photos

There's a pic of the mech on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deanclem/status/1302590192612671490?s=09

Forgot to take a photo in situ, but it was a mess.
Oh dear, that is an odd shape indeed. Well done on completing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 11 September, 2020, 10:49:02 pm
Quote from: fboab on 11 September, 2020, 08:41:23 am
how's the rest of the week going??

Not too bad, though I'll not get an SR in the week. I breezed around the 200 on Tuesday, but early into the 400 on Wednesday I felt that glassy-eyed fatigue you get on day 3 of a 1000 km-plus, and had a load of minor bike niggles (rear hub bearings fucked, mudguard broke, chain came off and wrapped itself around the chainring and I had to fixie-skid to a halt). Nowt major in itself, but cumulatively it was all a bit much and I bailed to a train at York. Oh, and I do I already have a 400, just not this week :)

300 tomorrow to finish off the SR - I'm planning some ferry action.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 September, 2020, 01:03:12 pm
Two Ham spokes into the rear wheel of the Bendy Bike.  Tensioned by ear, trued by squinting.  I'll tweak it a bit more using the brake blocks as reference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 12 September, 2020, 03:13:25 pm
Three hours of triffid wrangling in the back garden. That'll do for today I think.

At least we're past the worst of my hayfever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 September, 2020, 04:28:49 pm
Wrapped the handlebars of HK’s Roberts. Ready to ride!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 12 September, 2020, 04:34:26 pm
Got all the gadgets on the barxtender using self-amalgamating tape to pad out then did a test ride into town.  Very pleased with the improvement that puts the displays where they're easy to see and also reduces road-shock.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 12 September, 2020, 05:01:20 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 07 July, 2020, 08:14:18 pm
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcWHdi3XQAMDEdF?format=jpg&name=large)

A friend put this board through some tests for me.

The output on the scope looks like:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhueB4pXkAEk6Mx?format=jpg&name=large)

Which is pretty damn close to smooth output. Certainly good enough for me. That's with it pulling about 500mA.

I am happy with that.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 September, 2020, 07:54:48 pm
Swapped the front wheel off the fixie in order to service (see DT SWISS 240 thread  :o )

Swapped stock saddle (Fizik Arione) off new Supersix Disc and fitted Specialized Toupe. Rummaged around in toolbox looking for Mavic bearing preloaded tool, and found 3 of them. Took disc off front wheel to tighten preloaded and remove play.  Fitted new SPD-SL cleats to shoes ( 2-piece VP ones that make it easy to maintain previous position.

Didnt ride bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 September, 2020, 08:03:53 pm
Finished the front ‘guard on the Domane. Stuck the summer bike on the turbo, and decided to check the rear tyre as it kept slowly deflating. Not sure why, but the sealant I put in a couple of weeks ago had all set. I’ll let it dry out and clean it all off, and reinstall. Might as well check the front too as I have a spare wheel I can use for the turbo. 

Dug the old sound bar out of the loft to improve the Zwift sound on the shed TV / laptop combo.

Loosely fitted  some grey keo cleats to the new Fahrenheit winter boots.

ETA: Took the front tyre off, and sealant was still liquid. However the Effetto Mariposa “granules” I added some time ago that are supposed to help seal larger holes had all clumped together in two spots. Won’t be using them again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 September, 2020, 02:45:49 pm
Retaped the bars on my trike and refitted the Garmin mount.

Was going to replace the sealant in HK’s Kinesis but discovered multiple cracks in the rear rim. Contacted Hunt Wheels to get a replacement rim and rim tape sent over for me to swap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 September, 2020, 04:32:56 pm
The cranks have been on the Jim Bundy for a while, so I retorqued the bolts, then took them out, cleaned the threads andcrefitted them with threadock.  Won't touch them again until the BB needs attention.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 13 September, 2020, 06:58:50 pm
A fly-tipped full suspesion BSO for a local lad to use as a trailer puller.

A young local guy advertised for some scrap bikes to make a trailer to haul his gardening tools as he is starting a gardening and garden woodwork business.

I gave him an old trailer I had built for hauling a 120 litre tank of water to the allotment, but don't use anymore - based on a bit of scaffold tower, and wheelchair wheels. I ordered some more releasable track-rod ends as I hadn't any spare (I use these as trailer hitches).

He was also looking for a bike to pull it, and last weekend, I spotted a flytipped one near the allotments.

This afternoon, I have stripped it of components and paint, resprayed it (2 coats of primer, 2 of colour), rebuilt it (had bottom bracket, headset, suspension bushes etc out) and set up gears & brakes!  :smug:

...and delivered it  - the neighbours were out having a chat when I set off riding my bike while 'driving' the repaired bike by holding the stem - Neighbour  commented "now that's just taking the piss..." as I rode off.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 13 September, 2020, 08:52:18 pm
A brick-built outhouse for our pond filter. To conceal the filter and its washing-up bowl sump.  It's modelled on a netty of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 September, 2020, 09:52:26 am
serviced five items (a push buggy, two balance bikes, kick scooter and a bike) for my nephews. mainly tightening, adjusting, pumping up and fixing slow puncture. dunlop valve inner tubes just about work with a presta pump.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 September, 2020, 04:19:30 pm
A bit of Trice seat fettling. The mesh seat needing cleaning up, so I got around to removing it and washing the mesh back and cord in the sink, which I then hung up over the sink to drip dry. Leading to MrsH commenting on the weird corset thing in the kitchen  :)

Then found that the upper bit of the seat frame, where there would be some flex in use, had cracks in the powder coat which allowed the aluminium tubes underneath to fur up. So that got taken off down to the lower bits where it was sound, sanded down to bare aluminum (which was structurally sound), then painted with hammerite special primer and a few top coats of smoothrite. Hopefully that'll be good enough for another couple of decades.

Once that's dried, I'll be looking at the clamps for mounting the seat. Previous owner had been using hose clips rather than the cateye mount ones that were standard at the time as he found them easier and more reliable. I'll probably try some Mikalor stainless clamps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 September, 2020, 04:25:33 pm
Completed the timber work for the extension to the shed (waiting for roofing felt to arrive), sorted out lots of stuff and loaded the newly-built shelving using some very useful bins from a well-known online grocer (They're not just plastic bins, they're . . .   )   

Fitted hanging racks for two of our bikes to live in there for the winter.  Extension will be used to over-winter garden chairs and protect some ladders and trestles from the weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 September, 2020, 08:17:59 pm
Swapped some M536 SPDs from the MTB to the singlespeed.  I have decided that M324s suck.  They are heavy, ugly, reduce cornering clearance and the cages gouge everything in the shed.

Bought some NOS M747s for the MTB, which are the right period and grade (XT) for it.  And remarkably cheap for one of Shimano's best-ever pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 September, 2020, 08:47:37 pm
Rearranged one of the kitchen cabinets so I could fit my bread proofer in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 14 September, 2020, 09:34:35 pm
I'm in bearing hell.

I replaced the rear hub bearings on my Fulcrum 5 wheel, which was fairly straightforward. I also replaced the bottom bracket on the same bike as I thought the bearings were creaking, but the creak's still there.

And the rear hub bearings need replacing on my Dave Yates, and the only UK supplier I could find with Phil Wood bearings in stock charge a fortune, but I thought fuck it, they last for thousands and thousands of miles. Shame they sent mismatched bearings, really. I've emailed them, hopefully they'll sort it out quickly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 September, 2020, 09:46:02 pm
The collapsed net curtains in the Great Hall, the lack of which having been spoiling the TdF in recent days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 September, 2020, 09:51:28 pm
I have fettled nothing. Howsumdiver, I have GALMI to do Bathroom Modifications. Consequently when I arrived home my old bathroom was neatly stacked on the communal landing. The new bathroom is still in boxes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 September, 2020, 10:17:56 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 14 September, 2020, 09:51:28 pm
I have GALMI
Learned Man? Little Man? Large Man? Legal Man? Ladies' Man? Lazy Man? Leggy Man? Lizard Man?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 September, 2020, 10:55:43 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 September, 2020, 10:17:56 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 14 September, 2020, 09:51:28 pm
I have GALMI
Learned Man? Little Man? Large Man? Legal Man? Ladies' Man? Lazy Man? Leggy Man? Lizard Man?
In this case Little, although he's closer to average in height really.
I'll watch him for lizard tendancies, just in case.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 September, 2020, 01:15:13 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 14 September, 2020, 10:55:43 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 September, 2020, 10:17:56 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 14 September, 2020, 09:51:28 pm
I have GALMI
Learned Man? Little Man? Large Man? Legal Man? Ladies' Man? Lazy Man? Leggy Man? Lizard Man?
In this case Little, although he's closer to average in height really.
I'll watch him for lizard tendancies, just in case.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7408/16191556237_8cf27b43bd_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qEMXyH)
I am the Lizard King (https://flic.kr/p/qEMXyH) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 September, 2020, 08:21:26 am
Actually washed out a varnishing brush yesterday instead of wrapping it in plastic for today's slip-slap-slop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 16 September, 2020, 07:54:18 am
trued the turbo trainer rear wheel using the brake as a guide, not perfect, but enough that it no longer catches the magnets as they close towards the rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 September, 2020, 08:33:02 pm
A new RH PD-9000 axle kit arrived from Taiwan, so I rebuilt the pedal, fitted them both to the Team Carbon and went for a 35 mile ride.  We saw a chap looking a bit list near Cerney Wick with a broken spoke.  Not much we could do to help with that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 September, 2020, 09:29:07 am
Put handlebar tape on the arms of my office chair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 September, 2020, 10:37:03 am
Quote from: T42 on 17 September, 2020, 09:29:07 am
Put handlebar tape on the arms of my office chair.
Should have gone to Specsavers? :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 September, 2020, 01:18:44 pm
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 17 September, 2020, 10:37:03 am
Quote from: T42 on 17 September, 2020, 09:29:07 am
Put handlebar tape on the arms of my office chair.
Should have gone to Specsavers? :D

You'd think.  Nah, years ago I gashed an elbow and the pad never grew back properly. The chair arms are bloody hard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 17 September, 2020, 02:30:02 pm
Oh I figured it was intentional really but the image of confusing a chair for a bike amused me
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: D.A.L.E. on 18 September, 2020, 06:28:40 am
Quote from: Deano on 14 September, 2020, 09:34:35 pm
I'm in bearing hell.

I replaced the rear hub bearings on my Fulcrum 5 wheel, which was fairly straightforward. I also replaced the bottom bracket on the same bike as I thought the bearings were creaking, but the creak's still there.

And the rear hub bearings need replacing on my Dave Yates, and the only UK supplier I could find with Phil Wood bearings in stock charge a fortune, but I thought fuck it, they last for thousands and thousands of miles. Shame they sent mismatched bearings, really. I've emailed them, hopefully they'll sort it out quickly.

Phil Wood just use NSK and NTN bearings. You could always buy them from a non-bike shop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 September, 2020, 09:06:51 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 17 September, 2020, 02:30:02 pm
Oh I figured it was intentional really but the image of confusing a chair for a bike amused me

You had me wondering what I had just varnished, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 September, 2020, 11:24:27 am
Dremelling of mudguards to fit with 2.1" tyres with knobbly bits
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 September, 2020, 10:29:30 am
Removed a fire hazard that has been niggling me for years.  Daughter's old room, in the loft at the far end of the house, has an unattended Ethernet switch in it plus several years of dust, whence danger of wall-wart failure & ignition with nobody noticing.  Our distal WAP, down one floor, hangs on this.  I took the switch out of the LAN and poked the end of the cable down to serve the WAP directly, remembering of course to protect the plug with tape so as not to snap off the pestilential wee locking tab as it went backwards through the wall.

Sounds trivial, but it involved squeezing through small acute-angled triangular spaces while dangling sloth-like from a thigh-thick beam and walking on my hunkers several times in both directions, scraping back and head on beams & studs, finding a long-dead bird and getting generally filthy.  I feel quite dazzled with my agility, endurance & general fu, and have in recognition awarded myself a third bar to my morning cuppa. Not to mention a fresh shirt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 September, 2020, 10:36:17 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 18 September, 2020, 11:24:27 am
Dremelling of mudguards to fit with 2.1" tyres with knobbly bits

I initially read that as dreaming. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 20 September, 2020, 09:08:32 pm


Been trying to think of a new domain name for a project recently. And last night laying in bed unable to sleep, I had an idea that made me literally sit straight up. Then a quick google to check, and yep, noone had beat me to it.

So now, http://cetaceanneeded.com/ is mine...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2020, 09:29:59 pm
Excellent!
Ain't got no frikkin hooves!
What's the porpoise of your site?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 20 September, 2020, 09:36:31 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2020, 09:29:59 pm
Excellent!
Ain't got no frikkin hooves!
What's the porpoise of your site?

I don't know, I'm sure at this stage I orca know what I want to do with it, but I'm sure it's will fin it's porpoise. But right now I am still unsure. But my imagination is having a whale of a time thinking up ideas.

Worst case I'll use it as a home for all of my making/hacking/crafting projects.

I'm really amazed noone else beat me to this domain.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2020, 09:40:02 pm
 :thumbsup:
Top punnage  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 20 September, 2020, 09:41:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2020, 09:40:02 pm
:thumbsup:
Top punnage  :D

Thanks!

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 September, 2020, 11:58:20 am
Finally got around to updating the three Garmins I have, a long drawn-out process (download starts at 6mb/min and sloooows to 600Kb/min by the end (some 4 hours later).  Also replaced all the batteries in the sped and cadence sensors.

Made sure the turbo was talking to Zwift, in time for the deteriorating weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 September, 2020, 12:55:53 pm
Quote from: quixoticgeek on 20 September, 2020, 09:36:31 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2020, 09:29:59 pm
Excellent!
Ain't got no frikkin hooves!
What's the porpoise of your site?

I don't know, I'm sure at this stage I orca know what I want to do with it, but I'm sure it's will fin it's porpoise. But right now I am still unsure. But my imagination is having a whale of a time thinking up ideas.

Worst case I'll use it as a home for all of my making/hacking/crafting projects.

I'm really amazed noone else beat me to this domain.

J
But until then you're all at sea and it's just floating there. Sounds fishy to me. Perhaps you're using it as a shell company?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 September, 2020, 08:10:40 pm
The 11mm thin Shimano spanner (fishing reel accessory; a bike one is unobtanium) turned up so I rebuilt the M525 pedals and stuffed them with calcium grease.  With very new SH51 cleats, there is NO float!

These have no lip seals (hence the full grease fill)  and spin very freely even when new, with just a bit of viscous drag.  1/8" bearings are better than 3/32", as well; but the pedals are BIG.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 September, 2020, 08:31:52 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 September, 2020, 10:29:30 am
I took the switch out of the LAN and poked the end of the cable down to serve the WAP directly, remembering of course to protect the plug with tape so as not to snap off the pestilential wee locking tab as it went backwards through the wall.

See rants passim about cable boots.

Of course I own the relevant crimp tool and a large bag of spare plugs, which trades easier cable-threading for having to do fiddly things invovling colour vision, likely with a torch, in a confined space.


Quote
Sounds trivial, but it involved squeezing through small acute-angled triangular spaces while dangling sloth-like from a thigh-thick beam and walking on my hunkers several times in both directions, scraping back and head on beams & studs, finding a long-dead bird and getting generally filthy.

When I was a teenager, my mum and I spent a weekend colonising one of those with boards and lighting.  We lost a perfectly good claw hammer down a cavity wall (remember, these were the days before Bastard Strong Rare-Earth Magnets) and gained many bruises, a hacking cough and a well-lit cupboard for storing long thin things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 September, 2020, 09:33:14 pm
Changed the chain and 10sp cassette on a friend's Trek machine - with a max sprocket the usual 2 teeth more than Mr Shimano says is possible for a 105 rear mech.  Perfect.

Two bottles of red wine added to our wine rack  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 September, 2020, 07:15:38 pm
someone has vandalised my bike (bent a rim and broke two spokes by levering the bike against a sheffield stand). so i've swapped the rim to mavic a719, and finished building the wheel today.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200923/c9e5f6e61e35e6eaec4ffe7c838c4242.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200923/ff5ef28b83c5398ffde8e55be643a63b.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 23 September, 2020, 09:31:41 pm
What a deeply shitty thing for someone to do  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 23 September, 2020, 09:52:03 pm
Quote from: SoreTween on 23 September, 2020, 09:31:41 pm
What a deeply shitty thing for someone to do  >:(

indeed. whether it was an attempt to steal, to check d-lock's strength, or just vandalism - i can't tell. but they also tried to peel the duct tape from the downtube to see the brand (i've taped it over years ago and the tape is stuck solid now).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 24 September, 2020, 05:35:37 am
My brake cable snapped at the parking brake pin on my velomobile yesterday morning.

(https://scontent-frt3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120125857_10157288136936786_5884622876837796692_o.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=110474&_nc_ohc=NdR-aQ9WQWsAX-W8xu-&_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-1.xx&oh=33b8da830ce654630186c3c253e573b2&oe=5F901038)

Oh great, with closed wheel boxes such jobs are a nightmare.

I discovered in our Box Of Bike Things we have 3 gear cables but no brake cables, so I hopped in the car and went to my LBS which was actually open (first time!)

Anyway, I managed to replace the cable in about half an hour, so that’s impressive! I only skinned two knuckles too!

This morning’s commute will be the test.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 September, 2020, 10:53:30 am
Rewaxed chain, which has been noisy since I degreased & waxed it a couple of months back.  Tried heating it with heat gun (off-bike) to make the wax penetrate. We'll see.

El Prez says he gets a couple of thousand km on his chain between waxings. Seems extreme.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 24 September, 2020, 11:00:09 am
Back in the 80s, my chain care regime included soaking it in a saucepan of hot (well, warm enough to turn it runny but hopefully not hot enough to catch fire or affect it's properties) grease on the cooker, the thought being that this would allow it to penetrate the inner bits better and return it as close to original factory lube as possible.

Not bothered doing that in the last 30 years though - nowadays it's a simple run through the degreasing brush tool thing and oil it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 September, 2020, 01:20:04 pm
Yeah. Last year I got a bit (very) depressed and couldn't be arsed cleaning the bike.  I was using TF2, and the transmission got so bunged up I only got 4000 km out of a chain instead of ~7000, hence the switch to wax; but the racket the chain's been making when I push hard is making me think again. It had better work this time. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 September, 2020, 07:28:57 pm
my office, moved the desk through 90 degrees, you would not believe the palaver that this entailed, feels much more roomy though and a better set-up for the dual monitors
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 September, 2020, 08:33:09 pm
1.5kg of tomatoes from the lower 50 acres into a freezable tomato, onion and basil sauce. The basil also came from the lower 50 acres.

In related Div news, I sharpened the Big Knife this morning. This evening I confirmed it was Very Sharp Indeed as I knicked my finger with it. Slight blood loss, no Bad Swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 September, 2020, 04:30:34 pm
A sack full of kindling. Still another 2 Safeway grocery boxes of wood bits to kindlify but that's enough forearm abuse for one day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 26 September, 2020, 05:04:22 pm
This might be de-fettling, but the old filing cabinet which was in the room I'm using for WFH is now empty and in the back of the car waiting to go to the tip. Its contents are all over our spare bed. The cabinet was sufficiently aged that there was no interlock on the drawers and we couldn't remove them, which made getting it downstairs interesting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 26 September, 2020, 07:02:38 pm
Tidied the wood shed, all previous years re-stacked to one side.  Then: Saw, saw, chop, stack, split, stack, chop, saw, split, saw, carry, stack, split & stack until my back cannae take any more captain.
Made a depressingly small dent in the stack of chord wood I need to clear to make space for the solar panel I've ordered and the wood shed is only about a quarter full.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 September, 2020, 07:25:06 pm
Adjusted the front mech on the Genesis, and bled the front brake. Then set up my new dynowheel tubeless and fitted it to the same bike. Added the various sensors on two bikes to a Garmin 1030. Updated the Di2 on one, but failed on the other, as the ew-wu111 failed half way through and I can’t get it (the ew-wu111, not the Di2) going again (yet).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 26 September, 2020, 08:41:20 pm
A new end on the hose of some Clarks S2 hydraulic brakes.

These are different from most other brakes, having a cone fit rather than an olive.

Clarkes were extremly helpful and posted me the parts required to replace the factory fitted end.  :thumbsup:

Filled and blead both brakes with fliud. Leaving them strapped under pressure overnight to try to force any remaining trapped air out.

These brakes are an a jump-bike stylee MTB that I picked up for £25 and will be given to my grandson when he is big enough.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 26 September, 2020, 08:54:07 pm
Changed disc adaptor to take 160mm disc, so I can now fit dyno wheel to bike with di2, hydro discs, and tubeless tyres, thus making a nice winter bike. Fitted new tubeless tyre, refilled other tyre with sealant, fitted new bearings to rear wheel, swapped disc and cassette over from summer wheel. Cleaned headset and smeared with aquapaste. Washed bike, gave the mech pivots a squirt of tenap grease.Retapped bottle boss thread, and refitted cage. Got B&M handlebar mount to fit, and waiting on new steerer bung.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 September, 2020, 11:40:16 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 23 September, 2020, 09:52:03 pm
Quote from: SoreTween on 23 September, 2020, 09:31:41 pm
What a deeply shitty thing for someone to do  >:(

indeed. whether it was an attempt to steal, to check d-lock's strength, or just vandalism - i can't tell. but they also tried to peel the duct tape from the downtube to see the brand (i've taped it over years ago and the tape is stuck solid now).
Almost certainly an attempted theft I'd say.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 September, 2020, 10:16:44 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 September, 2020, 04:30:34 pm
A sack full of kindling. Still another 2 Safeway grocery boxes of wood bits to kindlify but that's enough forearm abuse for one day.
What do you use, a hatchet?  I like making paper-thin bits that will get going with a match.  I also bought a chainmail glove after a few painful incidents.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 27 September, 2020, 11:31:42 am
On a similar subject, I cleaved a log of the eucalyptus we cut down in January, and which has been baking in the conservatory all summer.  Moisture content at cut face: 0%.

It was actually ready to burn smokelessly by mid-April; it's too dry for best efficiency now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 September, 2020, 12:33:42 pm
Got the ew-wu111 firmware restored and updated - had to use the eTube phone app rather than iPad or laptop - then updated all the other component firmware.

Started removing the accumulation of 2 years sealant from the “summer” tyres from the road bike. A good opportunity to start listening to the Rolling Stone top 500 albums.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 September, 2020, 01:00:33 pm
Mist coat onto the recently plastered walls and ceiling of the bathroom. The Modest Albanian Tiler finished yesterday ("I did good job" a statement I have trouble disagreeing with). Not much of the paint ended up in my hair or on my glasses. No Bad Swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 27 September, 2020, 02:15:06 pm
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-Gxw85PKl0/X3CP3lpQA0I/AAAAAAADX80/dx4EbgD8w2cIQ3Visz17YhVQztZNhzJagCPcBGAsYHg/s1024/PXL_20200927_130241107.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 27 September, 2020, 02:42:26 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 26 September, 2020, 05:04:22 pm
This might be de-fettling, but the old filing cabinet which was in the room I'm using for WFH is now empty and in the back of the car waiting to go to the tip. Its contents are all over our spare bed. The cabinet was sufficiently aged that there was no interlock on the drawers and we couldn't remove them, which made getting it downstairs interesting.
And now the bookshelves from that room have also been moved to the back bedroom, and most of the electronics has been unplugged. There may be one or two bits I can do later, but most of the remainder will have to wait until the morning as it will have to go into our bedroom. Fortunately the target room is rectangular so it should be a straightforward job for the fitter.

Then all I'll have to do is put everything back together again
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 September, 2020, 05:13:57 pm
So after my ride today, I did one thing, and attempted a second.  Firstly I decontaminated the front disc and pads on the new dynowheel, as I discovered exiting the village that the efficiency of the brake was about 20%. No idea how I managed that, but some degreaser and isopropyl alcohol seem to have cured the problem.

Second thing I noticed was an irritating click-click once a rev of the same wheel. I thought it was the pad rubbing (I’d not recentred the calliper) but closer examination showed it was the rivets that hold the disc braking surface to the spider/carrier that were just clipping the bottom edge of the calliper itself. I fettled a thin washer as a spacer ‘twixt dropout and hub, but a) that didn’t completely cure it b) made centring the calliper a bit awkward and c) left me unhappy with reducing the amount of axle the dropout sits on. I’d had enough today, but tomorrow  I think I’ll get the dremel out and skim the offending calliper/mounting adaptor part and remove my spacer. It’ll only need a max of 1mm removing locally.

Not sure why it’s an issue, although the original wheel is a pukka 6 bolt disc hub, and the dynohub is for centre lock and I’m using an adaptor to fit a 6 bolt disc. All checked and properly seated though. Just a wrong tolerance buildup I suspect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 September, 2020, 05:29:32 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 27 September, 2020, 10:16:44 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 September, 2020, 04:30:34 pm
A sack full of kindling. Still another 2 Safeway grocery boxes of wood bits to kindlify but that's enough forearm abuse for one day.
What do you use, a hatchet?  I like making paper-thin bits that will get going with a match.  I also bought a chainmail glove after a few painful incidents.

Having just googled the difference between an hatchet and an axe, I would say that I have a small axe. I put it in a vice and stand the proto kindling (bits of pallet mainly) on top which itself gets a tap with a mallet.
Somebody will be along in a minute to explain why that is terrible technique no doubt, but it works for me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 27 September, 2020, 11:22:17 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 26 September, 2020, 07:25:06 pm
Adjusted the front mech on the Genesis, and bled the front brake. Then set up my new dynowheel tubeless and fitted it to the same bike. Added the various sensors on two bikes to a Garmin 1030. Updated the Di2 on one, but failed on the other, as the ew-wu111 failed half way through and I can’t get it (the ew-wu111, not the Di2) going again (yet).
Hm I had that, ended up disconnecting loads of bits and using the PC software to check the system as I plugged it bavk together.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 28 September, 2020, 07:56:03 am
Quote from: FifeingEejit on 27 September, 2020, 11:22:17 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 26 September, 2020, 07:25:06 pm
Adjusted the front mech on the Genesis, and bled the front brake. Then set up my new dynowheel tubeless and fitted it to the same bike. Added the various sensors on two bikes to a Garmin 1030. Updated the Di2 on one, but failed on the other, as the ew-wu111 failed half way through and I can’t get it (the ew-wu111, not the Di2) going again (yet).
Hm I had that, ended up disconnecting loads of bits and using the PC software to check the system as I plugged it bavk together.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Yep, I unplugged the battery (luckily on a Domane it lived in the downtube under an easily accessible hatch) which reset the Junction A so I could get flashing lights again.  But even connecting via PC / BCR2 failed to get the EW update running - there was an error message to do with the Bluetooth LE, which was odd as I was connected by cable. Anyway I left it overnight, then used the 'phone app, and it popped up a message about recovering the firmware. After that it worked ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 28 September, 2020, 12:12:34 pm
Sometimes it seems that a Bowden cable really is the best option :-)

See also
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/electronic-gears-battery-failure-ruins-uttrup-ludwigs-medal-hopes-at-worlds-road-race/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 28 September, 2020, 04:03:58 pm
Quote from: fboab on 28 August, 2020, 10:56:43 am
One of the downsides to being the average height for a UK woman is the lack of seat post / saddle->tyre clearance for luggage. I've worn through two of these Ortleib bags through them bouncing on the tyre when surface degrades.
Trying it out tonight.
It didn't work. Well, it works on three bikes but not the fourth. And as the fourth (smallest) is the one I want to ride furthest and fastest, that's quite annoying.

Quote from: robgul on 28 August, 2020, 12:03:49 pm
I have two of those bags but found the fit a bit tight on a Brooks B17 and sags downwards so have fettled an aluminium plate that clamps to the saddle rails and raises and pushes the bag back a bit.  (Not because I'm short - quite the reverse at 6'4"!)  - if you want a pic let me know. 
Yes please.

It seems the problem is manyfold: the tyre ->saddle gap is quite small; the weight of the contents cause it to sag; the lower support inside the bag isn't robust enough; the saddle is quite far back so the bag is angled quite horizontally.
I think if I could get the mounting point closer to the seat post this would force the bag to angle up like a bike packing bag.

I have a sewing machine, and sugru. Worst case I'll have to make something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 September, 2020, 05:33:06 pm
Quote from: fboab on 28 September, 2020, 04:03:58 pm
Quote from: fboab on 28 August, 2020, 10:56:43 am
One of the downsides to being the average height for a UK woman is the lack of seat post / saddle->tyre clearance for luggage. I've worn through two of these Ortleib bags through them bouncing on the tyre when surface degrades.
Trying it out tonight.
It didn't work. Well, it works on three bikes but not the fourth. And as the fourth (smallest) is the one I want to ride furthest and fastest, that's quite annoying.

Quote from: robgul on 28 August, 2020, 12:03:49 pm
I have two of those bags but found the fit a bit tight on a Brooks B17 and sags downwards so have fettled an aluminium plate that clamps to the saddle rails and raises and pushes the bag back a bit.  (Not because I'm short - quite the reverse at 6'4"!)  - if you want a pic let me know. 
Yes please.

It seems the problem is manyfold: the tyre ->saddle gap is quite small; the weight of the contents cause it to sag; the lower support inside the bag isn't robust enough; the saddle is quite far back so the bag is angled quite horizontally.
I think if I could get the mounting point closer to the seat post this would force the bag to angle up like a bike packing bag.

I have a sewing machine, and sugru. Worst case I'll have to make something.

These are some (poor) shots of the prototype - the finished product has a slight upward bend from the saddle fitting point to tip the back of the bag upwards.  The alloy plate was an offcut from ebay and just cut with a hacksaw and grinder - a couple of slightly longer bolts required to fit it.   I have the plate/mount fitted to all 4 of my bikes that have Brooks B17 saddles - with a much better finish!

(https://i.ibb.co/KwxHz8p/DSC00848.jpg)
This is the upper side of the plate - the plastic clamp fits the rails and separate alloy strip also tucks into the rails to give further support and reduce sagging.

(https://i.ibb.co/x65w5r2/DSC00850.jpg)
Looking up and under the saddle - the two shiny bolts near the seat tube are on the plastic clip (from the bag fittings) that clamps the seat rails and the central bolt is the alloy strip support - actual bag mount is then bolted at the end of the plate.  As above - the final versions have a bit of a bend to cant the bag upwards and reduce sagging.

....  I did make a "proof of concept" with a bit of 5mm plywood to see if it worked - it did, but had no strength.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 28 September, 2020, 08:35:27 pm
Closer examination showed that the disc-to-spider rivets were clipping a projecting piece of the disc mounting adaptor, adjacent to the lower bolt securing the mount to the fork. The projection served no purpose, so out came the dremel and off came the projection. Aluminium, so easy to grind off. Re-centred the calliper. All nice and quiet now.

Fitted an Ortlieb saddle pack to the Domane.

Patched the inside of one of my “summer bike” tubeless tyres where a 10mm slash on the shoulder had just penetrated. I’ll dribble some sealant over the patch and let it set before re-fitting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 29 September, 2020, 06:58:20 pm
Having (after a false start (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=116938.0)) molished a front dynowheel, I got round to fitting rim tape, adding more and betterer grease to the bearings, and adjusting the cones (not a job I do often, but still surprisingly fiddly; having to drop the wheel out every time to adjust the cone got old quick). Still, all done now - now I just need to molish a light bracket of some kind that will clear the centre-pulls and/or file the spacer at the fork to provide more space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 29 September, 2020, 07:17:45 pm
Lots more of this:
Quote from: SoreTween on 26 September, 2020, 07:02:38 pm
Saw, saw, chop, stack, split, stack, chop, saw, split, saw, carry, stack, split & stack until my back cannae take any more captain.
The wood shed is just about full.  There's still a fair bit to shift from the space my solar panels are destined for but what remains will be going straight on the bonfire as it's well on the way to being compost.

Also fettled my back into a source of considerable pain and discomfort.

Lastly, fettled some rather grim oven racks into bright shininess.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 29 September, 2020, 08:11:15 pm
installed mudguards for the winter, which required bending front stays around the disc brake caliper.

another bike had it's front wheel re-taped with a new tubeless tape, tyre reinstalled, and sealant added - should be fine until spring. noticed front hub bearings aren't entirely smooth, will change them when i get round to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 29 September, 2020, 08:15:26 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 27 September, 2020, 02:42:26 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 26 September, 2020, 05:04:22 pm
This might be de-fettling, but the old filing cabinet which was in the room I'm using for WFH is now empty and in the back of the car waiting to go to the tip. Its contents are all over our spare bed. The cabinet was sufficiently aged that there was no interlock on the drawers and we couldn't remove them, which made getting it downstairs interesting.
And now the bookshelves from that room have also been moved to the back bedroom, and most of the electronics has been unplugged. There may be one or two bits I can do later, but most of the remainder will have to wait until the morning as it will have to go into our bedroom. Fortunately the target room is rectangular so it should be a straightforward job for the fitter.

Then all I'll have to do is put everything back together again
Where's that thread about reading what you meant to type and not what you actually did type?
The reason for doing all this is that we decided if we got rid of the filing cabinet and replaced it with two smaller ones, I could have a larger desk, meaning I could get my other screen from work so be back to my 'normal' setup. MrsC then decreed that if we were doing all of that, we might as well replace the carpet at the same time (hence the comment about the fitter).
Anyway, the carpet was fitted yesterday. This morning MrsC received an email saying the replacement filing cabinets would be here on Friday. They arrived at 10.15 this morning!
So we have fettled the new desk arrangement. It's not quite as good as I was hoping. I will still have to move screens around between the home set up and the work set up, but two 19" screens and a proper keyboard will make it worthwhile. And the whole room looks better for it as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 September, 2020, 08:35:12 pm
Some A525 pedals arrived from eBay (£8!) with really good internals, so I was able to finish rebuilding these battered M737 SPDs.  They are 100% functional, if a bit lacking in paint.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50402213361_00852f0aa1_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jMSw3D)20200930_203040 (https://flic.kr/p/2jMSw3D) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

SRP alloy lock bolts, dontcha know  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 September, 2020, 08:40:42 pm
Removed the perfectly functional tube from the front wheel of HK’s MTB commuter to fit a goop-filled Oko tube to match the rear wheel. While fitting the new tube, the entire valve stem came out of the tube. Promptly refitted the old tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 03 October, 2020, 10:04:06 am
(Not actually today but left to dry overnight) - I made my shoes pretty. :D

(https://i.ibb.co/SxchrKp/IMG-2433.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JdqfQzP)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 12:15:45 pm
Ooh! Were they already purple or did you paint them? And if so, details please? Another purple obsessive needs to know :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 October, 2020, 02:00:58 pm
Purple! https://youtu.be/SkkIwO_X4i4
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 03 October, 2020, 02:06:16 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 12:15:45 pm
Ooh! Were they already purple or did you paint them? And if so, details please? Another purple obsessive needs to know :)

Perhaps from here?

https://www.leatherpaint.co.uk/leather-paint
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 02:18:56 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 October, 2020, 02:00:58 pm
Purple! https://youtu.be/SkkIwO_X4i4

How have I never seen or heard that before?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 October, 2020, 06:52:35 pm
Replaced the lost cassette adaptor nut on my trike (with Loctite this time), so I can ride it again.

Cleaned, lubed and tensioned the chain on my fixed. Also cleaned the rims and brake pads, tweaked the rear mudguard and handlebar positions and recharged some battery lights. Ready for next week after some wet commutes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 October, 2020, 06:57:36 pm
Nothing. My plan of priming the door frame was scuppered by the useless masking tape from B and Q which resolutely failed to actually stick to anything. Some Bad Swears were used.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 04 October, 2020, 07:26:47 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 03 October, 2020, 02:06:16 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 12:15:45 pm
Ooh! Were they already purple or did you paint them? And if so, details please? Another purple obsessive needs to know :)

Perhaps from here?

https://www.leatherpaint.co.uk/leather-paint

You got it! Angelus Paint is the brand:

https://www.leatherpaint.co.uk/angelus-pearlescent-prince-lila

It looks nicer in the flesh than in photos, and I may just have to paint all my shoes purple now... ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 04 October, 2020, 02:31:37 pm
In the middle of fettling a TRP Spyre cable disc brake caliper. Stopped for half an hour for a cuppa.

Cunning wee beastie. Three ball bearings on either side of the caliper in part circumferential grooves which have a tapered depth. As the plate on which they sit is rotated by the cable pull the balls' grooves become shallower thereby pushing the plate out.

Insides need some (a lot) of TLC.

Fiddly as hell (and handed). Re-assembly will be fun. Still, at £43 a pop for a replacement I'm very happy sitting in the garage for the afternoon making it work again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 October, 2020, 06:43:40 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 04 October, 2020, 07:26:47 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 03 October, 2020, 02:06:16 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 12:15:45 pm
Ooh! Were they already purple or did you paint them? And if so, details please? Another purple obsessive needs to know :)

Perhaps from here?

https://www.leatherpaint.co.uk/leather-paint

You got it! Angelus Paint is the brand:

https://www.leatherpaint.co.uk/angelus-pearlescent-prince-lila

It looks nicer in the flesh than in photos, and I may just have to paint all my shoes purple now... ;D

Will be interested to hear how it lasts :)
Maybe if nothing else I could paint over the pink bits on my Lake shoes...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 October, 2020, 09:27:58 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 02:18:56 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 October, 2020, 02:00:58 pm
Purple! https://youtu.be/SkkIwO_X4i4

How have I never seen or heard that before?

You don't move in suitably disreputable circles? ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 05 October, 2020, 02:25:42 pm
Noticed some unusual readings from the pi monitoring the solar thermal system in Mrs Tween's studio last week, 118ºC at the panel hot side :o  Pumps not a-pumping.  A bit of prodding & poking with the multimeter revealed zero volts to the panel circulation pump.  Disconnect the pump & a healthy number of voles were present at the output terminals of the controller.  Dead controller then.  Or to be more precise, dead whatever inside the controller drives the pump output.
Whatever was not hard to spot, a large triac.  5 replacements ordered from RS arrived today and one has been fitted.  Not the easiest job it being a D2PAK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TO-263).  A combination of a good, if small, iron turned up to 11 plus a Portasol in hot air mode got the job done.  I'm sure I went way, way over the thermal time limit but unlikely I reached the tmax.  Whatever, it survived the process and is working.  £18 with 4 spares in the component drawers instead of £140 for a new controller.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 October, 2020, 02:15:08 pm
I showed my Black and Decker Workmate the first love it's had in 29 years, by fitting new wooden jaws and oiling the joints.

I have also ordered a piece of offcut planed mahogany so I can bolt my bench vice to it and use it in the Workmate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 October, 2020, 01:53:52 pm
Fitted a new mudflap to match my repainted trike, fitted the old trike mudflap to the front of my fixed while the old front flap replaced the rear flap.

Replaced the spare tube used to fix yesterday’s rear flat in my fixed’s tool bottle. The roofing nail was an inch long!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 October, 2020, 02:11:50 pm
Mudguards & dynamo wheel onto Trek for the winter. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 October, 2020, 02:46:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 October, 2020, 09:27:58 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 02:18:56 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 October, 2020, 02:00:58 pm
Purple! https://youtu.be/SkkIwO_X4i4

How have I never seen or heard that before?

You don't move in suitably disreputable circles? ;D
It has been featured in these hallowed disreputable pages before. Anyways, it's almost the anti-lockdown of songs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 October, 2020, 03:01:58 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 08 October, 2020, 02:46:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 October, 2020, 09:27:58 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 October, 2020, 02:18:56 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 October, 2020, 02:00:58 pm
Purple! https://youtu.be/SkkIwO_X4i4

How have I never seen or heard that before?

You don't move in suitably disreputable circles? ;D
It has been featured in these hallowed disreputable pages before. Anyways, it's almost the anti-lockdown of songs.

Oh, I dunno. American Wedding is a bit... looser.

https://youtu.be/aPfeOAhDfbM
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 08 October, 2020, 03:18:44 pm
True that a wedding which doesn't last three days is merely getting married.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob W on 09 October, 2020, 10:32:16 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 October, 2020, 02:15:08 pm
I have also ordered a piece of offcut planed mahogany so I can bolt my bench vice to it and use it in the Workmate.

Ooh, where from? I've been meaning to do similar for ages - though I suppose a couple of thicknesses of the scrap plywood I've got kicking around would do as good a job.

In other fettling, filed down the crown spacers and washers on the front centre pull so there was enough room to get a light bracket in; I now have working dyno lighting. The IQ-XS is pretty good; now I just need to get some cable guides or whatever to tidy up the wiring, and bodge some kind of support bracket to fit the 80mm spacing rear light onto the single-hole rear rack mount.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 October, 2020, 10:40:53 am
Quote from: Jakob W on 09 October, 2020, 10:32:16 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 October, 2020, 02:15:08 pm
I have also ordered a piece of offcut planed mahogany so I can bolt my bench vice to it and use it in the Workmate.

Ooh, where from? I've been meaning to do similar for ages - though I suppose a couple of thicknesses of the scrap plywood I've got kicking around would do as good a job.

In other fettling, filed down the crown spacers and washers on the front centre pull so there was enough room to get a light bracket in; I now have working dyno lighting. The IQ-XS is pretty good; now I just need to get some cable guides or whatever to tidy up the wiring, and bodge some kind of support bracket to fit the 80mm spacing rear light onto the single-hole rear rack mount.
Lots of eBay sellers do offcuts.  I've actually had a change of plan and now need a wider piece so I can mount the vice sideways to the Workmate jaws, so have ordered a squarer piece of beech.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 October, 2020, 10:58:53 am
All done now.  One of the M8 coach screws sheared when tightening (monkey metal!) despite drilling a 6mm pilot hole, so that had to be wound out with pliers and replaced.

This is a little 2.5" vice but the technique would work for a much bigger one if you used two pieces of wood fixed together - a top piece to sit on the Workmate to take all the weight, and a "tongue" underneath to be gripped.  You probably still couldn't use it to unscrew freewheels or stuck BBs, as the Workmate could give up first.  I had about 500Nm on a stuck BB once, and it still didn't move.  It did strip the splines from a Shimano tool!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 October, 2020, 11:44:24 am
When my somewhat ancient Wickes own brand cheap workmate-alike gave up the ghost due to the not-proper-wood top failing, I bought a new one and made my old one into a vice/heavy duty work top. I bought a scaff board as a cheap bit of strong wood (cost about a tenner from B&Q), chopped it in half, and used that to replace the two original clamping pieces of wood. I then clamped them tightly together with the workmate winding mechanism, and screwed batons in underneath to hold them that way. It is now a big, heavy, portable worktop, with a top surface much bigger than the original and effectively a single piece. On to one corner of that top I bolted a Record 4 inch vice. It's a bit of a lump to carry around, but very useful having a pretty stable portable vice. I've used that bench a lot in the last year, for all manner of metalworking and welding jobs, plus using the vice to hold things whilst I apply big torque.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 October, 2020, 11:57:01 am
A beneficial side-effect of having a smallish vice bolted to a flat piece of wood is that it can more easily sit on the kitchen table for things like rebuilding pedals and hubs using axle vice jaws.  Nothing involving grease and ball bearings works well outdoors or in a dusty cold garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 October, 2020, 12:30:27 pm
Absolutely. I could do with making something a bit lighter and less heavy duty for general fettling that would also give a protective surface to avoid hard stares when I've put another soldering burn on the dining room table.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 October, 2020, 01:01:45 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 10 October, 2020, 10:58:53 am
All done now.  One of the M8 coach screws sheared when tightening (monkey metal!) despite drilling a 6mm pilot hole, so that had to be wound out with pliers and replaced.

This is a little 2.5" vice but the technique would work for a much bigger one if you used two pieces of wood fixed together - a top piece to sit on the Workmate to take all the weight, and a "tongue" underneath to be gripped.  You probably still couldn't use it to unscrew freewheels or stuck BBs, as the Workmate could give up first.  I had about 500Nm on a stuck BB once, and it still didn't move.  It did strip the splines from a Shimano tool!

The concept of the "platform and tongue" works well for tools that would normally be bench mounted but where space is at a premium - I have a grinder with two different wheels, a polisher with a brass brush and cotton mop, and a small "bobbin" sander mounted on platforms - I have a BIG engineers vice bolted to a steel bench and just clamp the appropriate machine in for use.   

The other workshop idea that's useful is to mount as much as possible on casters - even my Park Tool Pro workstand is on a wheeled platform with locking wheels - other woodwork machinery also on trucks can be moved around/stored easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 October, 2020, 02:27:20 pm
Planted a red maple in the front garden.  Was fairly hard work as it was quite a large tree.  The cherry on the boundary with next door (it's theirs) is dead and needs cutting down.  I need to get in touch with the landlord, as it's rented; I don't mind cutting it down for them if I get to keep the wood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 October, 2020, 03:07:03 pm
I am trying to fettle a 60-something year old small round table, whose legs have been repeatedly b0rked off and bodged back on by various ham-fisted oaves using superglue, wood filler and inappropriate screws.  Bad swears included.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 October, 2020, 03:42:02 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 October, 2020, 03:07:03 pm
I am trying to fettle a 60-something year old small round table, whose legs have been repeatedly b0rked off and bodged back on by various ham-fisted oaves using superglue, wood filler and inappropriate screws.  Bad swears included.

This is more or less how Ikea was invented.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 October, 2020, 05:26:23 pm
Quote from: Kim on 10 October, 2020, 03:42:02 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 October, 2020, 03:07:03 pm
I am trying to fettle a 60-something year old small round table, whose legs have been repeatedly b0rked off and bodged back on by various ham-fisted oaves using superglue, wood filler and inappropriate screws.  Bad swears included.

This is more or less how Ikea was invented.

Iffen there was one near Fort Larrington I'd e'en now be assembling a Lack but the nearest one is a forty mile round trip, and in Croydonia to boot.  Also Lacks have pointy corners to attack the shins of the visually impaired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 October, 2020, 05:59:12 pm
Lubed the chain on my fixed and sorted the gears on my trike. The cassette body was moving laterally almost a millimetre, which did not help gear changing and worried me that the fixing nut was going to fall off again. It turned out that the cassette adaptor had walked up the axle taper (checked, no cracks) and the nut was bottoming out on the axle thread. Disassemble everything, including removing the freehub dustcap, then dish and fit a couple of pedal washers under the nut. Grease and Loctite in all the right places, of course.

Clearances between the frame, cassette and fixing nut were small enough that even tightening the cassette lockring (which had to be done after everything was in place) was difficult. I will have to skim a millimetre or two off the length of my shortest Shimano freewheel remover to make it easier to work on the cassette in future. That can wait for another day though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 10 October, 2020, 06:05:34 pm

Made a new belt to replace the one that broke.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ej-5SmFXYAA3fbj?format=jpg&name=large)

Veg tanned leather, with a chromed steel buckle. Should age to a deep brown with time. Stitched with artificial Sinew.

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 11 October, 2020, 12:12:25 am
Recabled the lads cyclo cross bike's rear disc brake. Still crappy high friction cable leads. Gah !  Took it apart one bit at a time to work out where the resistance was originating.

Determined that the front entry point for the internal cabling still had the old cable end in which was forcing the cable through an ugly angle. Phew. Was on the point of considering giving up on the internal routing completely. Will finish it off tomorrow.

This will mean a second new front outer cable and re-taping the bars again. Bah !
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 October, 2020, 05:13:38 pm
Last-minute trip to Gnomebase.  The screws I brought with me are too long.  The screws I bought yesterday are too short.  Now we haz a table with all three legs attached at more or less the right angles and which should stand up to most things save Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) falling on top of it again.  I'd have told him to set fire to it had it not been a present from a fellow ossifer for his wedding in 1958.  If he falls on top of it again I'll bring my own petril.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 October, 2020, 06:04:56 pm
Picked up big rusty vice.  Got it working with penetrating fluid.  Took it apart - main castings, handle, screw, nut and slides all good, jaws rusted to buggery, so will need new ones - a refurb kit is on its way.  Jaw screws very stuck.  Tried heat but no movement.  Left overnight in brake fluid (the best penetrant, according to the old guy in the local fastener store).

Will attack it with a rotary wire brush and if it's too tedious I might get it blasted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 11 October, 2020, 07:41:39 pm
Sorted out yonder shed/garage. Got a load of stuff together to take up to the self storage place. Loaded car, drove up to the storage place. Key doesn't work! Bugger, shall have to go back tomorrow (they are not 24/7)to get a new key to put all the crap in there.

Came home and set up the turbo, took me 5 bikes to find one that worked on the turbo and would be the right size for TLD and Mrs T.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 12 October, 2020, 02:40:30 pm
Quote from: hatler on 11 October, 2020, 12:12:25 am
Recabled the lads cyclo cross bike's rear disc brake. Still crappy high friction cable leads. Gah !  Took it apart one bit at a time to work out where the resistance was originating.

Determined that the front entry point for the internal cabling still had the old cable end in which was forcing the cable through an ugly angle. Phew. Was on the point of considering giving up on the internal routing completely. Will finish it off tomorrow.

This will mean a second new front outer cable and re-taping the bars again. Bah !
Job done. That took waaaaaaaay longer than it should have. Managed to knock the errant ferrule into the tube.

"Aha !"  Thinks I, remove the seat post and turn frame upside down and shake. No dice. That end of the top tube is blanked off.
Drop the fork out and go fishing with a hooked implement dosed with sticky stuff. Success.

Bloody tedious though.

And, at the end of it all, it's still impossible to adjust the rear brake (TRP Spyre) so that the pads don't drag and the lever doesn't run out of travel before it hits the bar, even though the lever on the caliper is now returning (almost) all the way.

Adjusters on the caliper are screwed all the way out.

All I can think of now is to run it around a bit and wait for the pads to wear out and bed in.

I have to say, this experience doesn't inspire me to affix cable disc brakes to anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 12 October, 2020, 02:49:34 pm
I was similarly inoculated against any desire for cable discs after one of my neighbours asked me to to have a look at the ones on his son's hybrid which weren't working properly.

I had a look and a brief fettling attempt, and then returned the bike with the suggestion that it was a job best inflicted on a bike shop mechanic instead. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 October, 2020, 02:54:58 pm
Having failed adequately (for me) to decontaminate the oily front disc pads on the Genesis, I replaced them with a new set of J03A pads. That cured the excessive (IMO) lever pull as well as restoring silent (in the dry at least) stopping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 October, 2020, 06:00:30 pm
Quote from: hatler on 12 October, 2020, 02:40:30 pm
Quote from: hatler on 11 October, 2020, 12:12:25 am
Recabled the lads cyclo cross bike's rear disc brake. Still crappy high friction cable leads. Gah !  Took it apart one bit at a time to work out where the resistance was originating.

Determined that the front entry point for the internal cabling still had the old cable end in which was forcing the cable through an ugly angle. Phew. Was on the point of considering giving up on the internal routing completely. Will finish it off tomorrow.

This will mean a second new front outer cable and re-taping the bars again. Bah !
Job done. That took waaaaaaaay longer than it should have. Managed to knock the errant ferrule into the tube.

"Aha !"  Thinks I, remove the seat post and turn frame upside down and shake. No dice. That end of the top tube is blanked off.
Drop the fork out and go fishing with a hooked implement dosed with sticky stuff. Success.

Bloody tedious though.

And, at the end of it all, it's still impossible to adjust the rear brake (TRP Spyre) so that the pads don't drag and the lever doesn't run out of travel before it hits the bar, even though the lever on the caliper is now returning (almost) all the way.

Adjusters on the caliper are screwed all the way out.

All I can think of now is to run it around a bit and wait for the pads to wear out and bed in.

I have to say, this experience doesn't inspire me to affix cable disc brakes to anything.

Hmm - I have 2 bikes with cable discs (my choice, I had the option of hydraulic) with no issues on adjustment etc - and when I ran the LBS cable discs were no problem.

Did you try : fit your cable/pads whatever - and then loosen the mounting bolts a shade ... then pull the brake lever up hard and tighten the mounting bolts.  Usually works to centre and sort the pad/disc interface.  AND there are several schools of thought on bedding in the pads - the best is to blast down a hill a few times pulling he lever with the brakes just in contact with the discs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 12 October, 2020, 08:14:48 pm
Quote from: robgul on 12 October, 2020, 06:00:30 pm
Did you try : fit your cable/pads whatever - and then loosen the mounting bolts a shade ... then pull the brake lever up hard and tighten the mounting bolts.  AND there are several schools of thought on bedding in the pads - the best is to blast down a hill a few times pulling he lever with the brakes just in contact with the discs.

Thank you. Yup, I did the loosen the caliper thing and I'm using TRP's own compressionless outer housing.

Time for a longish ride with some downhills to see if I can get the pads bedded in/worn down.  I'll report back here as I progress.

Bizarrely the front brake operates perfectly.

Hmmm. Ponders. Perhaps I should try swapping the calipers round and isolating whether it's the cable run or the caliper at fault.  One for next weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 13 October, 2020, 08:57:41 am
New front mudguard. This time made by Bontrager (https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/bontrager/ncs-ii-road-mudguard-set-913774#colcode=91377401).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 October, 2020, 09:36:09 am
Tuesday, fixed a front flat on my fixed about a kilometre from last week’s flat. I hope this doesn’t become a regular thing...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 16 October, 2020, 10:52:17 am
I fettled the olive of a copper compression plumbing fitting.

I had to fettle it off my daughters finger as just as I was about to disappear out the door for a cycle she let out a rather panicked cry of its stuck. Thankfully some calming down and a glug of olive oil had it off before her finger started to swell as was pretty tight. No application of ice was needed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 October, 2020, 01:21:53 pm
Quote from: Johnny Faro on 16 October, 2020, 10:52:17 am
I fettled the olive of a copper compression plumbing fitting.

I had to fettle it off my daughters finger as just as I was about to disappear out the door for a cycle she let out a rather panicked cry of its stuck. Thankfully some calming down and a glug of olive oil had it off before her finger started to swell as was pretty tight. No application of ice was needed

They covered this on Hancock's Half-Hour once.  IIRC Syd clamped it up in a vice and drove Bill's finger out with a mallet, after heating the ring(?) with a blow-lamp had failed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 October, 2020, 01:41:30 pm
Quote from: T42 on 16 October, 2020, 01:21:53 pm
Quote from: Johnny Faro on 16 October, 2020, 10:52:17 am
I fettled the olive of a copper compression plumbing fitting.

I had to fettle it off my daughters finger as just as I was about to disappear out the door for a cycle she let out a rather panicked cry of its stuck. Thankfully some calming down and a glug of olive oil had it off before her finger started to swell as was pretty tight. No application of ice was needed

They covered this on Hancock's Half-Hour once.  IIRC Syd clamped it up in a vice and drove Bill's finger out with a mallet, after heating the ring(?) with a blow-lamp had failed.

That's ridiculous.  Much safer to dunk the hand in hot ferric chloride and wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 16 October, 2020, 02:25:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 October, 2020, 01:41:30 pm
Quote from: T42 on 16 October, 2020, 01:21:53 pm
Quote from: Johnny Faro on 16 October, 2020, 10:52:17 am
I fettled the olive of a copper compression plumbing fitting.

I had to fettle it off my daughters finger as just as I was about to disappear out the door for a cycle she let out a rather panicked cry of its stuck. Thankfully some calming down and a glug of olive oil had it off before her finger started to swell as was pretty tight. No application of ice was needed

They covered this on Hancock's Half-Hour once.  IIRC Syd clamped it up in a vice and drove Bill's finger out with a mallet, after heating the ring(?) with a blow-lamp had failed.

That's ridiculous.  Much safer to dunk the hand in hot ferric chloride and wait.

The Yakuza approach is quicker and neater, though. :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 October, 2020, 09:21:04 pm
Replaced the porch light as the PIR had failed. The new one is effectively just a 25000 hour LED bulb with a PIR, in a flimsy plastic casing.  Cost £12. Or a tenner without a PIR switch.  I think it may not last 25000 hours.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 October, 2020, 11:05:20 am
Replaced the wall socket in the hall with one that blends with the panelling, duly leaving the requisite offering of blood to Diyonysus (just a spot, no need to get him tiddly).  Discovered while doing so that the old item had been wired with L and N back to front before we moved in over 30 years ago. No surprises there, then.

The dogs assisted with face-washes and deathly farts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 October, 2020, 12:57:44 pm
Finished construction of my (woodworking) router table - complete with screw lift to adjust the cutter height and connections for dust extraction hoses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 October, 2020, 01:37:21 pm
Quote from: robgul on 17 October, 2020, 12:57:44 pm
Finished construction of my (woodworking) router table - complete with screw lift to adjust the cutter height and connections for dust extraction hoses.

Well done. I took the easy option and bought a Triton router with the lift built in.  For use off the table I don't like it much: it's rather ungainly and not as well-behaved as my old Bosch and Metabo items, but in the table with the lift it's fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 October, 2020, 01:52:26 pm
Quote from: T42 on 17 October, 2020, 01:37:21 pm
Quote from: robgul on 17 October, 2020, 12:57:44 pm
Finished construction of my (woodworking) router table - complete with screw lift to adjust the cutter height and connections for dust extraction hoses.

Well done. I took the easy option and bought a Triton router with the lift built in.  For use off the table I don't like it much: it's rather ungainly and not as well-behaved as my old Bosch and Metabo items, but in the table with the lift it's fine.

I had a cheap and cheerful router so that's what I've built into the table (having to drill the base plate to bolt it on) - I have a decent Bosch router for other work.  The whole thing clamps to the top of one of my benches (and is stored underneath when not in use)  Dust extraction (you can't see) connects to the router's own port as well as a hose behind the aperture in the fence.  Featherboards clamp to the fence and/or T-track.   The scissor lift was all of £6 from ebay.    It all does the job for what I need at the moment.

(https://i.ibb.co/bBZptHS/DSC01161.jpg)

(https://i.ibb.co/7GNyvPN/DSC01162.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 October, 2020, 02:40:29 pm
Similar idea to mine. I actually made two tables, the first of which takes a Katsu edge trimmer, which has a somewhat hit & miss screw adjustment built in.

(https://pbase.com/image/169441893.jpg)

(https://pbase.com/image/169441894.jpg)


The top makes a great sounding-board - it just about doubles the racket.

The one for the Triton is similar.

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/170691438.jpg)

Triton's winder is a bit dumb: I gather that the shaft fits several different devices, and it's too long to turn easily unless I thread it through a bit of wood and hold it steady.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 17 October, 2020, 04:07:51 pm
Some automotive fettling. Summer carpet mat out and washed, winter rubber mats in. A good wash (after minor pressure washer fettling, the high pressure hose terminal O ring had perished after a mere 6 months  >:() and a spray of polish. Then swapped the bling 19” wheels with some 17” ones with winter tyres I had from a previous car of the same marque.  Needed spigot rings, and just cleared the front brake callipers.  Took the car for a run as I was curious as to the difference in ride (it had been quite noticeable on the old car swapping from 18” to these same 17” wheels) and found it was still a firm ride, but considerably quieter. My summer wheels are Pirelli P Zero’s, but I’ll swap to Goodyear assymetrics next, which are supposedly quieter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 October, 2020, 04:51:38 pm
Quote from: T42 on 17 October, 2020, 02:40:29 pm
Similar idea to mine. I actually made two tables, the first of which takes a Katsu edge trimmer, which has a somewhat hit & miss screw adjustment built in.

(https://pbase.com/image/169441893.jpg)

(https://pbase.com/image/169441894.jpg)


The top makes a great sounding-board - it just about doubles the racket.

The one for the Triton is similar.

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/170691438.jpg)

Triton's winder is a bit dumb: I gather that the shaft fits several different devices, and it's too long to turn easily unless I thread it through a bit of wood and hold it steady.

I've got to alter the dust collecting shroud behind the fence to increase effectiveness - will do that before I make about 200 metres of slots for something I'm making!

Oh - and naughty, naughty with your unguarded table saw in the background .. . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 October, 2020, 06:22:33 pm
Oh the shame.

My commuter / winter bike was put away wet and unloved at the beginning of the year.
On return from an aborted French ski trip, work was from home.
Then furlough.

Only just got round to digging it out.
In need of major work. The cranks / BB are seized almost solid.

Only I can't get the HT-2 crankset out.
The NDS arm comes off fine, but the spindle is utterly seized to the bearings and could not be driven out.

Made some progress by unscrewing the NDS BB cup from the frame, pressing it off the spindle, but the forces involved were in danger of stripping the frame.
In the end, it was destructively removed with an angle grinder, cutting the partially-unscrewed BB cup and hollow spindle off.
The remains of the spindle was then driven out through the Drive-side bearing, taking the bearing with it, out of the cup.

Destroyed: 1 x old Ultegra Triple crankset, 1 x Hope BB.
The frame is fine.

Bah.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 October, 2020, 06:31:02 pm
You missed out the hitting it with a BFO hammer and the Bad Swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 October, 2020, 06:38:04 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 17 October, 2020, 06:31:02 pm
You missed out the hitting it with a BFO hammer and the Bad Swears.

The "could not be driven out" is a euphemism for several hours of ultraviolence and foul language... :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 October, 2020, 06:56:39 pm
I know, but spelling it out makes everyone else feel better about their similar exploits  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 October, 2020, 08:50:50 pm
Made an oak support for the humungous bench vice so it can be used in the Workmate.  However, no post again (see other thread...) so I don't have the M12 coach screws to fit the vice to it.

Also trimmed the whole front hedge, including the neighbour's side.  It might have stopped growing for the year, I hope, but I'm not mothballing the trimmer just yet.  I've used 4 litres of Aspen 2 this year - that hedge is not low maintenance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 18 October, 2020, 01:08:25 pm
Mainly removing garden stuff to the tip.  Some rambling rose, the sweetcorn stalks, a huge load of Iris leaves, and three clematis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 18 October, 2020, 10:31:41 pm
A quorn cottage pie and a washing machine. Actually, only the pie was fully fettled. The wm is out, disconnected, and the top is off. The shot bearings are still a long way off...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 18 October, 2020, 10:59:00 pm
Quote from: robgul on 17 October, 2020, 12:57:44 pm
Finished construction of my (woodworking) router table...

Not internet of shit stuffs then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 19 October, 2020, 07:33:34 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 18 October, 2020, 01:08:25 pm
Mainly removing garden stuff to the tip.  Some rambling rose, the sweetcorn stalks, a huge load of Iris leaves, and three clematis.

Last week I took a modern marble fire surround and mantle piece to the tip. I'd removed it and boarded the fireplace. It was in OK condition but noone else wanted it either.

We have a plan to buy no more stuff unless absolutely necessary because it's just going to landfill eventually.

Sadly we will have to fit a new kitchen because ours is falling apart. The sink tap leaks, the dishwasher doesn't always work and the 25 year old cooker oven is bust. We can't slot in a new cooker because it's a non-standard size now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 19 October, 2020, 07:38:59 am
Yesterday, not today, but I fettled a monitor stand (An encyclopaedia and Kant's Critique of Pure Reason have been doing the job admirably since March, but I finally decided to come up with a better solution. None of the commercially available stands were the right length for my "desk", so I got some wood instead).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 11:04:23 am
Investigated why the rear wheel on my wife's bike is wonky. Discovered the axle is broken.  >:(

Also: why is it that I have a wide selection of cone spanners but none in the size I actually need? :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 October, 2020, 11:10:44 am
Quote from: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 11:04:23 am

Also: why is it that I have a wide selection of cone spanners but none in the size I actually need? :facepalm:

Because you don't have  universal ones (https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-tools/bikehut-cone-spanner-164230.html)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 12:03:20 pm
Quote from: Ham on 19 October, 2020, 11:10:44 am
Because you don't have  universal ones (https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-tools/bikehut-cone-spanner-164230.html)?

Nifty! Might just pop down to Halfords...

Now, maybe you can help me with this one: where do I get a 9mm x 145mm hollow axle? No luck finding one online so far - although it's possible that's because I'm looking for the wrong thing... I've just re-measured the axle to be certain. The body of the axle is 9mm diameter but the threaded part is 10mm diameter - so does that mean I actually need a 10mm axle?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 12:09:02 pm
Rear axle? M10x1 is 10mm top of thread, 9mm bottom of thread, near enough.
https://www.trfastenings.com/products/knowledgebase/thread-geometry/metric-fine

3/8” is 9.5mm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 12:27:02 pm
Quote
9.5mm x 145mm seems to be a standard size that's widely available...

On second thoughts, it's actually 10mm x 145mm that seems to be commonly available.

I'm finding this all a bit bewildering, to be honest... Standards, eh? Who needs them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 12:31:28 pm
What model of hub is it? Just to check the basics.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 12:47:42 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 12:31:28 pm
What model of hub is it? Just to check the basics.

No idea on specifics but it's a Quando hub, takes a screw-on freewheel (came with 7spd fitted).

Hub shell is 80mm wide, if that's useful information. (OLN is 135mm, hence the need for a 145mm axle - I'm guessing the frame was really designed with more modern components in mind.)

I measured the dropouts as well - they're more or less exactly 10mm (might be a shade under - I don't trust my measurements 100% since the battery needs replacing in my digital calipers).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 01:07:30 pm
A search for Quando axle thread throws up a KT catalogue link that might help you properly determine the answer. It looks like the axle could be either M10 or 3/8", depending on the model.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 01:26:32 pm
Thanks. I'm beginning to think the easiest option will be replacing the whole wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 October, 2020, 01:32:20 pm
Chopped the last of the wood from the garage into tasty kibbles kindling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 01:56:18 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 01:26:32 pm
Thanks. I'm beginning to think the easiest option will be replacing the whole wheel.

Just see if a known M10 locknut or cone runs down the axle. If it is a very rattly fit, it is probably 3/8", otherwise a 10x1.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 03:05:27 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 01:56:18 pm
a known M10 locknut or cone

Er... "known" assumes I would have the faintest idea what's on any of my other wheels...  ;D

I just tried a nut from the Brompton rear wheel and it was a very rattly fit. And the nut from the Quando hub wouldn't go onto the Brompton axle. (It's a 3spd Sachs hub in the the Brompton.)

I'm guessing this indicates it's very likely a 3/8" axle?

Anyway, thanks for the insight - it's most educational and much appreciated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 03:11:15 pm
Most SRAM internal-gear hubs = 10.5mm x 26 TPI, so not a particularly useful comparison for you. For reference, Shimano = 10 x 1mm.

My expectation is 3/8" x 26 TPI but measuring will be more useful than my guess.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 05:54:09 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 03:11:15 pm
For reference, Shimano = 10 x 1mm.

Bingo! I tried the locknuts off an old Tiagra (4400) hub and an even older 105 (5500) hub, and both fitted perfectly, so I took a punt on the 10mm option, which my local Halfords happened to have in stock. Also picked up a couple of the cone spanners mentioned by Ham earlier while I was there.

Job's a good'un. I owe you a large one.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 07:37:49 pm
Check that the dropouts are parallel, otherwise it is only a matter of time before the new axle breaks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 October, 2020, 08:01:09 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 October, 2020, 07:37:49 pm
Check that the dropouts are parallel, otherwise it is only a matter of time before the new axle breaks.

Interesting. My suspicion was that it broke because the wheel wasn't seated properly in the dropouts. And I assumed that was simply down to careless fitting, but I will check the dropouts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 October, 2020, 01:16:39 pm
My Cherry Bomb rear light was misbehaving - the switch acctuator that passes through the case wasn't reaching the actal switch on the pcb. Application of a slither of insulating tape to the top of the switch as a shim was sufficient to restore switchy goodness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 October, 2020, 03:01:54 pm
Day off, so cleaned out the cupboard under the stairs (which involved getting all the DVDs back in order) then stripped and cleaned some 7810 SPD-SLs, Mr Shimano's finest pedals.  The lip seal on one was getting chewed, but I had a spare from a PD-9000.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 October, 2020, 06:56:23 pm
Also screwed the humungous bench vice to the oak platform I molished at the weekend, using M12 coach screws.  You don't often get to use a 19mm spanner on a woodscrew!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 21 October, 2020, 10:46:28 pm
I’m mid-fettle. The washing machine developed a clang. The entire internet suggests the bearings have gone. I’m going to fix it or condemn it and replace. First time inside one of these for me.

The top, back, front, soap drawer and weight are all off and resting in (variously) the kitchen, hall, dining and front room.

Tonight I figured out how the motor comes off so that’s happening tomorrow. Then it’s the springs.

Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 October, 2020, 10:48:28 pm
If you can't get it back together, it's traditional at this point to build a track bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 21 October, 2020, 10:50:18 pm
 ;D

Can I make a time machine with any leftovers?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 October, 2020, 10:51:54 pm
Homebuilt C5 with the motor?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 21 October, 2020, 10:52:55 pm
Robot Wars!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Vernon on 21 October, 2020, 11:23:36 pm
Cheesoid!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 22 October, 2020, 10:52:05 pm
Sealed. Bloody. Drum. >:(

So I’ve had to order £150 worth of drum just to replace £10 worth of bearings.

Can someone direct me to the rant thread, please? I feel as though I have something to get off my chest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 22 October, 2020, 11:05:09 pm
Bastards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 October, 2020, 08:40:03 am
Quote from: Paul on 22 October, 2020, 10:52:05 pm
Sealed. Bloody. Drum. >:(

So I’ve had to order £150 worth of drum just to replace £10 worth of bearings.

Can someone direct me to the rant thread, please? I feel as though I have something to get off my chest.

You're beyond the "value judgement" in terms of replacement by the sound of it - and sadly throw all those good "saving the world" thoughts to the wind.

Recent experience with a machine at one of our properties : packed up - almost 10 years old - diagnosis of symptoms from repair man over the phone - man to come and look with part and fit (assuming diagnosis was correct) ~£140 - no contest against £299 for an exact replacement (cheaper than the original 10 years ago??)

The upside is, if any, that the old machine was taken away and potentially be broken for spares/refurbished or whatever so a crumb or two of comfort for the environment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 October, 2020, 12:54:18 pm
Just browsing the news this gives a glimmer of hope   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54612879

Believe it when you see it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 23 October, 2020, 03:30:41 pm
Zee hub gear on the foldy bike have been a bit clickety clackety since I got it. But not very much so and not having had hub gears before I thought this was normal. I'd been intending to look up how to check the cable tension but hadn't done it. On my ride home yesterday it seemed noisier so I finally hunted down the appropriate pdf this afternoon.

Well it was fairly out of line and on testing post adjustment the gears are nearly silent  :facepalm:

Ooops, hopefully I've not done too much damage to the internals. I've only done a couple hundred miles since getting it so fingers crossed.

That done I reminded myself of the process to disconnect the cable in the event of needing the rear wheel out and attempted it in the warm dry kitchen. Good thing too as I felt there was a bit of a knack to it and the outer ferrule and its boss had somewhat bonded to each other which isn't surprising as it's a 2013 bike and I don't think the back wheel has ever been out.

Now I've had it in and out it should be easier if I do get a puncture out on the road and I won't need to be trying to find instructions in the rain. With any luck.

My next task at some point is to think about opening the hub up and servicing it if it needs it. I don't think it's done much mileage but it has at times been stored out in a garden with not much protection from the elements.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 October, 2020, 07:04:26 pm
Started refurbing the small bench vice.  Took it apart, cleaned off decades of gunk and removed the surface rust with steel wool.  Needs the unmachined bits od the casting cleaning with a wire brush before repainting.  Ordered some 1/8" split pins for reassembly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 October, 2020, 09:14:00 pm
Quote from: robgul on 23 October, 2020, 12:54:18 pm
Just browsing the news this gives a glimmer of hope   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54612879

Believe it when you see it?

Anything subject to Moore's Law is a lost cause, but encouraging manufacturers to use more screws and less glue and heat stakes in small appliances can only be a good thing.

I wonder if it will cover internet-of-shit issues?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 October, 2020, 01:06:07 am
People who think this is a good idea:
It'll never happen here then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 October, 2020, 04:39:54 pm
Fitted a new mech hanger to a friend's bike last night .. the old one had got bent and when I took the wheel out the hanger was wobbling about as both of the tiny retaining screws were stripped (he bought the bike about 6 weeks ago, s/h) - then today cleaned my Brompton and serviced the front hub (probably last saw grease when it was built in about 2004) and after that fitted the Raceblades to my Ti "winter road bike" (see my Div thread post today  :facepalm: )

Then onto woodwork to rout the slots in the timber for a display case I'm making for one of those 2014 poppies - after that modified the fence of the router table to be able to fit featherboards that keep workpieces in position.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 October, 2020, 05:55:19 pm
Yesterday I fettled the unreachable top shelf in our wardrobe. Along with 16 years worth of dust & grue (atchoo!) I found 2 of Pingu's dead bike jackets, 2 pumps of unknown function, a flapjack BBE 2015, a freezer bag full of very tough Jelly Babies and 13 (!) handbags.
Today in the lower echelons I found a few things that had been worn so long ago I decided they might as well go to charity so I took them there enroute to buying lunch.
After lunch I bunged a load of work shirts (unworn since March) in a storage box which went on the unreachable top shelf after a bit of Krypton Factor. Then I took a load of work jumpery things which have been getting worn and put them on hangers where the shirts had previously been.
Having thusly freed up half a drawer of space, I hoovered it out and made that a full bike wear drawer so now it's all tidy and my Assos shorts don't keep trying to climb out and get trapped down the back or pinched in between.
Then I hoovered out all the dust & grue from behind, beside and on top of Pingu's chest of drawers. Though it feels like that's mostly in my lungs now than in the vac.
I could probably do with doing another couple of drawers but that was enough for one day.

Then I took one of the crap feather filled sofa cushions and rammed in a load of polyester filling I had left over from making a draught excluder, in the hope that I can have a supportive cushion to lean against when the cats have stolen my Poang.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 October, 2020, 08:41:14 pm
Started the day by roasting my first (and probably last) spaghetti squash. Probably overcooked it a bit, but the shredded interior was ok baked under a layer of ragu. Then a cauldron of watercress soup, using the neglected watercress from the garden. And finally got around to (re)repairing the fireback with fire cement, something that gets done every year or two. That’ll get a couple of weeks to dry out before the first fire (actually probably 3 as my wife’s away for the first weekend of November).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 24 October, 2020, 09:07:47 pm
Used my new Dormer M6 bit to drill 12mm into steel plates then used new Dormer tap to thread the holes.

The plates will be bases for a pair of fine old Texan industrial rig lights I am repurposing.  They are massively made of cast iron and brass, modern ones are boring grey polycarbonate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 October, 2020, 04:22:28 pm
I was going to spend the morning bodging my front mudguard, but then I googled and came up with this place suggesting Sheldon fender nuts and other similar goodies, so I put that off until said goodies arrive in the post.

The home purging continues. I have just taken an ancient pillow (prolly a cast off from when I moved out of my parents) and used it to plump up 3 cushions on the sofa. And didn't even get as far as the duvet I was originally planning to do that with. At least there's a bit more room in the loft cupboard now. I noticed we still have a cheapo Sainsbo's duvet BNIB from when Mojo was having his bladder issues and kept peeing on the bed. I wonder if some charidee would take that off my paws.
My dose is all sneezy dow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 October, 2020, 05:17:21 pm
Fettled the rear rack and motor wheel back onto the trike, now that I've finished borrowing it for the racing season[1].

Disconnected the track rods and released the schmoo from the right side headset, which was as notchy as a very notchy thing.  Impressively the replacement cartridge bearings are merely expensive rather than unobtanium, so that should be a relatively painless fix.

And then emailed ICE about some replacement track rods, as they've got play in them.  Which has been on my to-do list since some time before barakta stopped riding due to hip pain.


[1] Achieved a respectable 2nd place in Multitrack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 26 October, 2020, 05:29:00 pm
Some beer.

Nothing special, just a homebrew kit - Woodforde's Wherry, picked up from Wilko for £20* and beefed up with 500g extra DME for enhanced boozification. I suspect I didn't do a very good job of mixing it** because I measured the OG at 1045, which is a bit lower than expected, but I guess that means I'll be able to pretend the finished result is less boozaholic than it really is and therefore get away with drinking more of it. That's how it works, right?


*works out at 50p a pint! (as long as you disregard associated production costs)

**my long stirring spoon is awol and I don't have anything else suitable for reaching all the way down into the tub. I shall have to adopt the practice used by some other homebrew kit enthusiasts of using a paddle mixer (https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-mixer-paddle-140-x-600mm/6041h) for this purpose - which also does a good job of aerating the wort
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 October, 2020, 11:05:50 am
Replaced the washer in the union between hose and tank tap in my workshop butane heater, for the first time in >25 years.  It was down to around half the thickth of the new one and allowed a trivial spurt of gas out when I turned the tap on.  I think I'm supposed to change it every 5 years, along with the hose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 27 October, 2020, 11:47:08 am
Replaced gear cable on Campag Centaur front left lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 28 October, 2020, 08:32:32 am
I've borrowed a friend's mtb so I could take the boys on a couple of runs (Sherwood Pines and Cannock Chase). The price of the loan is making it ridable.

The front tyre was flat. That'll be the 1/2" thorn in it. No: your slime (which has nicely coated the inside of the tyre like hard, dried snot) will not work if you leave the thorn in.

The front mech doesn't move. That'll be the accumulated dirt. If you don't have mudguards (and even if you do) and you don't clean it sometimes, that's what happens.

That clicking noise is the headset. If you can hear that, then it needs adjusting. Or, probably, given everything else, by this point, replacing.

Those saddle rails should be straight.

I've got the bike ridable. Then, yesterday evening, the school contacted me to say that Louis has to self isolate for 14 days, so the ride's off anyway!

 :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 28 October, 2020, 03:03:07 pm
I may have worked out why the saddle rails were bent: the top part of the saddle clamp, which has the word “front” on it with an arrow showing which way it should be fitted, had been fitted backwards.
 :facepalm:

So instead of the rails being clamped at the same point top and bottom they were subject to an effective bending force.

Oh, and the springs on the front qr skewer were both on the non-drive side.

It seems as though every bit of the bike I look at has something broken or wrong or out of whack. It’s like the bike you give to an apprentice for a final exam.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 October, 2020, 04:54:41 pm
Quote from: Paul on 28 October, 2020, 03:03:07 pm
I may have worked out why the saddle rails were bent: the top part of the saddle clamp, which has the word “front” on it with an arrow showing which way it should be fitted, had been fitted backwards.
 :facepalm:

So instead of the rails being clamped at the same point top and bottom they were subject to an effective bending force.

Oh, and the springs on the front qr skewer were both on the non-drive side.

It seems as though every bit of the bike I look at has something broken or wrong or out of whack. It’s like the bike you give to an apprentice for a final exam.

Nah, just back from a service at Halfrodsd  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 October, 2020, 06:24:18 pm
Quote from: Paul on 28 October, 2020, 08:32:32 am
The front tyre was flat. That'll be the 1/2" thorn in it. No: your slime (which has nicely coated the inside of the tyre like hard, dried snot) will not work if you leave the thorn in.

Sometimes the snot works better if you do leave the thorn in.  But pull it out when you finish the ride...   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 29 October, 2020, 04:13:11 pm
Completing a platform for the new freezer.  Mrs A cannot reach the lower drawer without getting a dizzy spell and so asked me to raise it to an agreed height.

Having built the carcass, Mrs A informed me she thought she might have difficulty getting stuff out of the top drawer and it might fall on her.   It'll considerably lower than our fridge/freezer!

Tomorrow, having at last got the bits together, I shall replace the drive train of my tourer as it is totally worn out. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 October, 2020, 03:07:55 pm
The small Woden vice has had its first coat of paint.  Second coat at 4.30, then it can sit around to cure for a few weeks before I reassemble it.  It looks pretty good.  Takes a lot of masking-up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 31 October, 2020, 06:59:47 pm
Replaced all the pulley wheels and cogs on the tourer. I've upped the tooth count on the outer rings from 32 to 36 and 44 to 48. Sadly, post Brexit, I'll not be doing loaded touring very often so I can gear higher.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 November, 2020, 10:41:23 am
Put a poor unused road bike on the turbo in the cellar for MrsT, which involved swapping the "nasty narrow hard" saddle for a thing about a foot wide with around 3" of gel in it and putting a gel cover on top of that, swapping the SPDs for flat pedals and mounting a lectern made out of my old aerobars.  Also sacrificed the shooting-board I was making to provide a boarding platorm.

MrsT is very not a cyclist. She was doing 20k runs before lockdown, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 November, 2020, 10:49:05 am
Reassembled vice but it was very stiff.  Slides perfectly easily without the nut in place.  Fitted nut to screw and found nut was drilled off-centre and at a skew.  1950s British manufacturing was just as shite as it was in the 70s.  This explains why, when I was given the vice, the nut's retaining bolt was loosened several turns.  This was so the nut could align itself (it works nicely without the bolt).

Will seek out a replacement nut, or maybe some other solution involving shims.

EDIT: Retap retaining bolt hole to nearest metric size and use a cap head allen bolt, I reckon.  The head should be small enough to allow the nut to sit where the screw needs it to be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 01 November, 2020, 04:35:54 pm
The strong winds of the last 2 days had brought down some old trees in the unmanaged woodlands near here.

This blocked some of the paths which I use as running routes, so I have just fettled sections out of the fallen trees with a chainsaw, thus restoring the paths to a working state.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 November, 2020, 04:50:30 pm
Completed the work on the tourer by fitting the new chain.  Normally I just measure it up against the old one and chop some links out but having upped the tooth count I thought I had better start over. I found this excellent Park tools guide* (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0YibMDWBAw) which saves a lot of time and showed that unless the old chain had stretched an awful lot it was too long.  Now the 21 year old steed is nearly good as new.
 
Of course it was raining when I finished so shakedown rides will probably be Tuesday.


*wish I'd a workshop like that..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 01 November, 2020, 07:04:23 pm
More like what have I *not* fettled today...

Tried to refit a tubeless tyre but the feckin’ valve switch on my Airstore pump is broken and I just couldn’t get the tyre to seat properly, so after much swearing, ended up having to put a tube in.

Also tried to remove the cassette for thorough cleaning but the feckin’ chain whip broke. Stupid piece of shit. It was only a cheap one anyway but now I’m without even a cheap shit chain whip. (Well, I do have a decent quality chain whip but it’s for singlespeed sprockets and won’t fit on an 11 speed cassette.)

Also wanted to remove the disc rotor (as much to get access to the hub as to clean the rotor itself) but it seems I don’t have the correct size torx driver.

:facepalm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 November, 2020, 07:49:22 pm
Took the bathroom door off its hinges, laid it on my WorkMate and painted it white. With a roller. Tis witchcraft I tell you. 

(Doesn't look too bad, although "touch dry in two hours" is a Big Fat Lie).


Also fettled some flour, lard, water (hot) and minced pork into pork pies. These are resting in my account fridge until I cook them tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 01 November, 2020, 07:59:22 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 01 November, 2020, 07:04:23 pm
More like what have I *not* fettled today...

Tried to refit a tubeless tyre but the feckin’ valve switch on my Airstore pump is broken and I just couldn’t get the tyre to seat properly, so after much swearing, ended up having to put a tube in.

Also tried to remove the cassette for thorough cleaning but the feckin’ chain whip broke. Stupid piece of shit. It was only a cheap one anyway but now I’m without even a cheap shit chain whip. (Well, I do have a decent quality chain whip but it’s for singlespeed sprockets and won’t fit on an 11 speed cassette.)

Also wanted to remove the disc rotor (as much to get access to the hub as to clean the rotor itself) but it seems I don’t have the correct size torx driver.

:facepalm

Re the tyre: Now you’ve got the bead seated with the tube, deflate, and just pop one side off to remove the tube and fit your tubeless valve. With luck only having to seat one bead should be doable.

I also failed in fettling. Went to fit the Garmin Vector 3 pedals. Ah, you need a pedal spanner, which I no longer have as all my other pedals can be fitted with Allen keys. Still, I made a nice profit when I sold mine as it was a genuine 80’s Campag one. New Park Tools pedal spanner on its way.

Then I thought I’d fit the Taiwanese copy of a P2M spider power meter to my Rotor chainset. I even have the right tool for removing the spider nut,  but a) it’s done up bastard tight and locktited, and I don’t know what thread it is. I’ll take it and the tool to my LBS and let them sort it.

Still, had a bit of a sort out and found things to sell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 01 November, 2020, 08:21:50 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 01 November, 2020, 07:49:22 pm
Also fettled some flour, lard, water (hot) and minced pork into pork pies. These are resting in my account fridge until I cook them tomorrow.
Nice fettling. I plan to make pork pies one of these days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 01 November, 2020, 08:44:52 pm
Friday night, David decided to route 50 metres of Cat 6 cable from the router in his study to a shed at the far end of the garden.
He'll be streaming from his telescope to National Astronomy Week and Wifi is flaky.
Learned to hard way about the twisting inherent in coils. (I think I knew about this but D had already unpacked the cable.)
Spent a merry few hours untwisiting tangles...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 November, 2020, 08:45:05 pm
Fettled:
mudguard nut onto the Roberts to stop the fitting destroying the headset seal. If only all bike fettling was so quick and swear free! See https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=115981.msg2553627#msg2553627 for photies.
Dribbled some silicone oil on some zips of travel bags in the loft in the hope they might still work when we're able to go places again.

Purged:
made a pile of bedding etc to go to charidee in the loft.  ZOMG, can actually close the bedding cupboard now!
Did a major slash and burn of my jewellery pile and made a box to also go to charidee. There's a lot of nice stuff in there but I can't wear it all.

Tidied:
swept up the latest pile of crumbly bits in the loft. Hoovered the carpeted bits.

Reused:
unpicked an old duvet. Used the filling to stuff another of the sofa back cushions to something approaching supportive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 November, 2020, 09:14:16 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 01 November, 2020, 08:44:52 pm
Friday night, David decided to route 50 metres of Cat 6 cable from the router in his study to a shed at the far end of the garden.
He'll be streaming from his telescope to National Astronomy Week and Wifi is flaky.
Learned to hard way about the twisting inherent in coils. (I think I knew about this but D had already unpacked the cable.)
Spent a merry few hours untwisiting tangles...

Was watching experts installing a false ceiling hung by wires a few years ago.  ISTR they'd untwist the coils by sticking the wire into the chuck of an electric drill they ran while pulling it out. 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 01 November, 2020, 09:25:21 pm
Quote from: asterix on 01 November, 2020, 09:14:16 pm
Was watching experts installing a false ceiling hung by wires a few years ago.  ISTR they'd untwist the coils by sticking the wire into the chuck of an electric drill they ran while pulling it out.

Ingenious - but perhaps best left to the experts.  Get it wrong and you might end up with a really knotty problem  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 01 November, 2020, 10:29:37 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 01 November, 2020, 07:59:22 pm
Re the tyre: Now you’ve got the bead seated with the tube, deflate, and just pop one side off to remove the tube and fit your tubeless valve. With luck only having to seat one bead should be doable.

Since I was trying to restore the tyre to tubeless use from having been using it with a tube in it, that was exactly my approach. The pump is the problem. The faulty valve switch on the pump means it's just not possible to get enough air into the tyre quickly enough. I know it should be possible to get it seated with just a normal track pump but I guess I lack the technique.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 01 November, 2020, 10:31:18 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 01 November, 2020, 09:25:21 pm
Quote from: asterix on 01 November, 2020, 09:14:16 pm
Was watching experts installing a false ceiling hung by wires a few years ago.  ISTR they'd untwist the coils by sticking the wire into the chuck of an electric drill they ran while pulling it out.

Ingenious - but perhaps best left to the experts.  Get it wrong and you might end up with a really knotty problem  ::-)

Had a knotty problem anyway!

I suspect life would have been simpler if the coil had been unwound standing on its side and fed from the coil.

Outdoor rated Cat 6 is thick and stiff!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 November, 2020, 11:37:20 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 01 November, 2020, 08:44:52 pm
Friday night, David decided to route 50 metres of Cat 6 cable from the router in his study to a shed at the far end of the garden.
He'll be streaming from his telescope to National Astronomy Week and Wifi is flaky.
Learned to hard way about the twisting inherent in coils. (I think I knew about this but D had already unpacked the cable.)
Spent a merry few hours untwisiting tangles...

Outdoor rated Cat6 won't have been fun, in that respect.

If it's a shorter length on a reel, by far the best approach is to uncoil it by turning the reel.  Either thread it over a broom handle or something and pull, or secure one end and turn the reel by hand as you pay it out.

You can generally pull cable directly from a 305m box without overly problematic twisting, but there is a bit of a knack involved, and it all goes to pot on tight corners/holes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 02 November, 2020, 01:13:53 am
Every day is a school day!

D kept saying untangling was impossible, which I kept refuting, as I untangled a twist, then untwisted dow to the plug, return to the matted mess, rinse & repeat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 November, 2020, 10:00:46 am
Quote from: citoyen on 01 November, 2020, 10:29:37 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 01 November, 2020, 07:59:22 pm
Re the tyre: Now you’ve got the bead seated with the tube, deflate, and just pop one side off to remove the tube and fit your tubeless valve. With luck only having to seat one bead should be doable.

Since I was trying to restore the tyre to tubeless use from having been using it with a tube in it, that was exactly my approach. The pump is the problem. The faulty valve switch on the pump means it's just not possible to get enough air into the tyre quickly enough. I know it should be possible to get it seated with just a normal track pump but I guess I lack the technique.

I confess I have to use a "booster" pump even with one bead seated.  Maybe because I'm always working in the cold shed rather than a warm workshop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 November, 2020, 01:10:24 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 02 November, 2020, 01:13:53 am
Every day is a school day!

D kept saying untangling was impossible, which I kept refuting, as I untangled a twist, then untwisted dow to the plug, return to the matted mess, rinse & repeat.

The extra credit skill is coiling cable in such a way that you make the twists in alternate directions, so they cancel out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpuutP6Df84
https://youtu.be/cpuutP6Df84

Naturally this sort of thing is much easier with a nice rubberised audio or power cable, rather than UTP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 04 November, 2020, 10:37:11 am
deep-cleaned the bike, serviced jockey wheels, replaced (shiny) chain, cassette, front brake pads.

riding a gritty/skoggy 600 is not too kind for wearing parts

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201104/27da5cc8c4eb18793d33f8255e1f4d5e.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 November, 2020, 03:34:46 pm
Poor man's jointer for short boards:

(https://pbase.com/image/171191062.jpg)

You don't need a fence if you plane two boards at once.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 04 November, 2020, 04:09:14 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 02 November, 2020, 01:13:53 am
D kept saying untangling was impossible, which I kept refuting, as I untangled a twist, then untwisted dow to the plug, return to the matted mess, rinse & repeat.

Having done that, would you like to come round and have a go with my garden hose? ;)

Despite living on a reel, it always gets twisted and kinked so you have the classic cartoon trope of no water coming out until you stare down the end of it and end up with an eyeful...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 04 November, 2020, 04:49:31 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 November, 2020, 01:10:24 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 02 November, 2020, 01:13:53 am
Every day is a school day!

D kept saying untangling was impossible, which I kept refuting, as I untangled a twist, then untwisted dow to the plug, return to the matted mess, rinse & repeat.

The extra credit skill is coiling cable in such a way that you make the twists in alternate directions, so they cancel out:


https://youtu.be/cpuutP6Df84

Naturally this sort of thing is much easier with a nice rubberised audio or power cable, rather than UTP.

That looks like a path to madness, you lose twist but gain tangle. I thought the canonical way was figure of eight around the outside of the forearm, then you can tie the end around the middle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 November, 2020, 05:01:34 pm
Quote from: T42 on 04 November, 2020, 03:34:46 pm
Poor man's jointer for short boards:

(https://pbase.com/image/171191062.jpg)

You don't need a fence if you plane two boards at once.

This happened to be on another forum I follow today  https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/homemade-jointer.126177/     (Shouldn't this be in the Tool junkie thread??)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 November, 2020, 09:20:28 pm
Put up a satellite dish because the Freeview signal here craps out when it rains, and HD channels rarely work*.  Works well with an old Sky Digibox; signal quality flickers between 90 and 100%, which is better than the last two pro installs I had.

*Swindon is roughly equidistant from the Oxford and Mendip transmitters, and both are weak by the time the signal gets here
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 04 November, 2020, 09:34:24 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 04 November, 2020, 04:09:14 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 02 November, 2020, 01:13:53 am
D kept saying untangling was impossible, which I kept refuting, as I untangled a twist, then untwisted dow to the plug, return to the matted mess, rinse & repeat.

Having done that, would you like to come round and have a go with my garden hose? ;)

Despite living on a reel, it always gets twisted and kinked so you have the classic cartoon trope of no water coming out until you stare down the end of it and end up with an eyeful...

 ;D ;D ;D

If I were mobile & had transport, if you were more local and we weren't entering lockdown, I wouldn't have an excuse....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 04 November, 2020, 10:27:52 pm
Mudguards. Again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 04 November, 2020, 10:55:51 pm
Stole the lockon grips off the old mountain bike to put on the folder. I discovered last week that the 'leather' grips on the folder are slippery as a slippery thing when wet.

The right grip needed to be a short one as there is a gripshifter on that side. I was considering cutting it down and just having the lockon on one end but there's a hard core under the grip so I just mounted it as is and wrapped a bit of inner tube around the mirror mount which is now in the grip rather than the handlebar. A quick test up and down the road outside and it all seems secure enough.

We'll have to see if the extra 4cm width means I clout too many doorways but if so I can either buy some new grips for that side or cut the current one down. And if it's not a problem then I've saved a few quid.

I also dug out some bar ends as I had a cunning plan to mount them inboard of all the controls to give me a bit of a tucked in position for headwinds as the folder is a very upright posture but I had misremembered them having a hingle clamp so I've left that for now. I couldn't be arsed taking everything off for something that might not work as well as I think it will.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 05 November, 2020, 08:32:59 am
Quote from: Paul on 22 October, 2020, 10:52:05 pm
Sealed. Bloody. Drum. >:(

So I’ve had to order £150 worth of drum just to replace £10 worth of bearings.

Can someone direct me to the rant thread, please? I feel as though I have something to get off my chest.
Well, it cost me £200 in the end, and about 8 hours work, but it’s fixed. Two loads done last night. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 November, 2020, 08:48:37 am
A couple of days ago, replaced the sealant-filled tube on the rear of HK’s MTB commuter after a chunk of glass got stuck in the tyre. She managed to get home fine and the tube was still holding a low pressure days later but the tube was not to be trusted, given the size of the slash. The combination of weight, internal hub and chain tensioner makes roadside tube replacement something to be avoided.

A couple of goop-filled replacement tubes to be ordered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 November, 2020, 02:28:16 pm
Replaced the broken front gear cable on HK’s Roberts (glad that didn’t happen in October).

Replaced the batteries in a taillight on my fixed and tensioned the chain. Swapped out the B17 Std for the Lepper Tourer. The B17 feels very soft in comparison.

Fitted the B17 to the Frezoni in place of a delaminating Rivet Pearl Pass. Whether to rebond the laminates or replace the saddle is something to ponder. The Ultegra rear hub and freehub body looks like they need some attention shortly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 November, 2020, 04:40:01 pm
Non cycle related fettling today. I finally lost patience with the Humax PVR, impressive though it’s spec is, with triple tuners and HDMI-CEC control, and all the jiggery-pokery one can do with remote access etc. etc.. Problem is the OS is dog slow and buggy as hell. Recently, for no reason, when starting up the list of recordings would be absent, requiring a hard reset to bring back. So, it’s still hooked up to the TV and we’ll play back the recordings on it, then I’ll reformat it and stick it in the loft or sell it.

On to the (minor) fettling. That involved setting up the new shiny Manhattan T3-R PVR. Only twin tuners, but the user interface is quick and slick, and if there is something I can’t record due to a clash it has the facility to add to a watch list, which when accessed at a later date, will play the “watched” programme from whichever catch-up app is appropriate. Only downside is the inability to use an external storage device, but I suspect that will come eventually.

ETA forgot to add, set up the bird feeder on the patio outside the kitchen door. Then remembered I buggered up the (horribly expensive) “Squirrel Buster” peanut feeders in the dishwasher earlier in the year, so had to buy some more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 07 November, 2020, 04:50:48 pm
New washer motor fitted to car, replacement headlamp done the other night, just the bumper to put back together and the Opel of shame can go back to doing nothing by being dad's irritating tax drain.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 November, 2020, 04:54:32 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 November, 2020, 04:40:01 pm
Non cycle related fettling today. I finally lost patience with the Humax PVR, impressive though it’s spec is, with triple tuners and HDMI-CEC control, and all the jiggery-pokery one can do with remote access etc. etc.. Problem is the OS is dog slow and buggy as hell. Recently, for no reason, when starting up the list of recordings would be absent, requiring a hard reset to bring back. So, it’s still hooked up to the TV and we’ll play back the recordings on it, then I’ll reformat it and stick it in the loft or sell it.

On to the (minor) fettling. That involved setting up the new shiny Manhattan T3-R PVR. Only twin tuners, but the user interface is quick and slick, and if there is something I can’t record due to a clash it has the facility to add to a watch list, which when accessed at a later date, will play the “watched” programme from whichever catch-up app is appropriate. Only downside is the inability to use an external storage device, but I suspect that will come eventually.


Interesting. Do report on how you get on with that in the longer term?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 07 November, 2020, 05:42:27 pm
Took advantage of the nice weather to lie underneath the camper sorting out the Webasto blown air heating (quite nice to have in this weather, even if we are a bit limited on travel).
It just needed a new glow pin to get it hot enough to burn the diesel, but that means lying under the van removing air hoses, fuel and exhaust (which was corroded on), then pulling the heater housing off the bottom, and stripping the heater whilst lying under the van as some of the cables are hard wired and not easy to remove to do a table top strip down.Nice and toasty now though, which means it'll be usable for a few nights away I need to for business during lockdown - and whilst hotels are open, I'd rather park up inside the compound at the site I need to be on and be self sufficient and isolated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 November, 2020, 06:04:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 November, 2020, 04:54:32 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 November, 2020, 04:40:01 pm
Non cycle related fettling today. I finally lost patience with the Humax PVR, impressive though it’s spec is, with triple tuners and HDMI-CEC control, and all the jiggery-pokery one can do with remote access etc. etc.. Problem is the OS is dog slow and buggy as hell. Recently, for no reason, when starting up the list of recordings would be absent, requiring a hard reset to bring back. So, it’s still hooked up to the TV and we’ll play back the recordings on it, then I’ll reformat it and stick it in the loft or sell it.

On to the (minor) fettling. That involved setting up the new shiny Manhattan T3-R PVR. Only twin tuners, but the user interface is quick and slick, and if there is something I can’t record due to a clash it has the facility to add to a watch list, which when accessed at a later date, will play the “watched” programme from whichever catch-up app is appropriate. Only downside is the inability to use an external storage device, but I suspect that will come eventually.


Interesting. Do report on how you get on with that in the longer term?

Will do. One early plus point, I emailed their support asking for some info before I bought, and had an answer back inside 4 hours. It’s three days and counting since I emailed Humax support. Oh, and the  Manhattan is apparently a UK designed product.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 07 November, 2020, 08:14:52 pm
Gave the folder a once over with a soapy sponge and lubed the chain.

Having dug out my old (bought in 2010 and not used since ~2013) battery lights last night and charged them I thought I'd see what life is left after sitting in a box for yonks.

Well they've been on for 9 hours and they're still going. Definitely fainter but hard to judge how much that faintness will translate to the road. Still I'm happy they'll cope with a 2½ hour commute even if I have to charge every night.

That'll do whilst I research new lights to go with my in progress scheme to replace my dynamo wheel with a motor wheel instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 November, 2020, 08:23:37 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 November, 2020, 06:04:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 November, 2020, 04:54:32 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 November, 2020, 04:40:01 pm
Non cycle related fettling today. I finally lost patience with the Humax PVR, impressive though it’s spec is, with triple tuners and HDMI-CEC control, and all the jiggery-pokery one can do with remote access etc. etc.. Problem is the OS is dog slow and buggy as hell. Recently, for no reason, when starting up the list of recordings would be absent, requiring a hard reset to bring back. So, it’s still hooked up to the TV and we’ll play back the recordings on it, then I’ll reformat it and stick it in the loft or sell it.

On to the (minor) fettling. That involved setting up the new shiny Manhattan T3-R PVR. Only twin tuners, but the user interface is quick and slick, and if there is something I can’t record due to a clash it has the facility to add to a watch list, which when accessed at a later date, will play the “watched” programme from whichever catch-up app is appropriate. Only downside is the inability to use an external storage device, but I suspect that will come eventually.


Interesting. Do report on how you get on with that in the longer term?

Will do. One early plus point, I emailed their support asking for some info before I bought, and had an answer back inside 4 hours. It’s three days and counting since I emailed Humax support. Oh, and the  Manhattan is apparently a UK designed product.

It's a shame it will only record 2 progs at a time though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 07 November, 2020, 08:26:13 pm
Unfettled the comb/guard thingumacrap from the hedge attachment of my log reach multitool.  I figured if an ordinary hedge trimmer with your hand 4" from the jiggly bits doesn't need a comb why does one where your hand is at least 2' to 4' from getting messy.  Machine transformed, last hedge of the season finished in double quick time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 08 November, 2020, 04:25:28 pm
I swapped out the ANT+ Garmin cadence sensors for the newer ANT+ / BLE ones on two of my bikes (the other already has a Bontrager Duotap) which will allow me to use a larger range of online apps and trainers. Added them to the Garmin computers I have.  Then I swapped out the battery “doors” on a pair of Garmin Vector 3 pedals, and (after some f*ucking divvery described elsewhere) fitted them to the soot bike currently mounted on the turbo. Haven’t tested them out yet, thought I’d quit whilst I was ahead.

Removed the SPD-SL cleats from a pair of Lake CX161 shoes I got cheap, to fit my preferred Looks, again for use on the turbo. Pumped up various tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 November, 2020, 04:48:02 pm
Realized that under lockdown + curfew rules I'm not likely to be riding after dark, so swapped out my dynamo wheel for a normal one, thus putting off having to fix the slow p******e in the dynamo wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 08 November, 2020, 10:14:21 pm
D knocked his bike onto its side when installing that Cat 6 cabling.

Found posh B&M light with SON dynamo were not putting out light and lamp was cracked. Found connector had come out from inside lamp reconnected this and glued lamp.

I'm relieved. These things ain't cheap!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 November, 2020, 12:16:56 am
It was pish, so I didn't ride my bike.  I stayed at home and wrote software for timing cycle races instead.  Which is sort of virtual cycling by proxy, or something.  With semicolons.

Sadly Strava doesn't have a category for that any more than it does for getting the other kind of exercise from a bicycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 09 November, 2020, 07:21:27 pm
A simple fettle, a 2into1 hdmi switch so it’s easy to swap between the new Manhattan PVR and the old(er) Humax PVR so we can still watch the recordings we have stored on the latter, until such time as I do a reset and reformat and either consign it to the loft or, more likely sell it as, should the Manhattan crap out we can watch catchup from the tv apps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 09 November, 2020, 10:58:10 pm

Replaced the filter element in my air filter, and gave the rest of the unit a good clean. I had been wondering how effective it was at filtering out dust in the air, my first thought was well if nothing else it's doing very well at collecting dust around the intakes, but after vacuuming them, then taking the lid off, it's fair to say, it's pulled a fair bit out. It's also fair to say I should probably replace the filter more often. On the plus side, I read the manual today, and realised the little blue light on the top that's been lit for at least the last year... is a filter change indicator...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 November, 2020, 12:01:43 am
Device for filtering dust out of the air with a blue light on the top?  Sounds like my desktop...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 11 November, 2020, 08:58:28 pm
Having previously worked in agriculture supply (so could get stuff cheap) and spending a fair bit of time in them gardening/going to chickens in garden/ muddy walks with kids and since Saturday dog walking I tend to buy decent and therfore relatively expensive wellies. My ones are pretty worn out after probably 6 years of use. Maybe more. Not wanting to spend £100 on a new pair at the moment (I said relatively expensive. Used to regularly sell pairs for around £300) but also fed up with the heels rubbing as have rubbed through the neoprene and finding the boot socks that are kinda pop sock length are hard to get now I glued two of my big puncture patches in the heels. Quick walk with the dog tonight and they feel better
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 November, 2020, 08:19:07 pm
Replaced both headsets' bearings and the track rod ends on barakta's trike.  Adjusted the tracking.  Needs tyres re-fitting and a ride round the block before re-adjusting the headsets.

Weirdly, the wheel which was lying flat across the seat after I dismantled one of the headsets to identify the bearings a couple of weeks ago had a flat tyre.   ???

I've no idea either.  But I think it beats a front wheel puncture on a turbo trainer...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 13 November, 2020, 12:24:31 pm
That's because you tipped the wheel up and all the air fell out the top silly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 November, 2020, 01:05:52 pm
Further investigation confirms that this is indeed the case: Intermittent angle-sensitive leak at the base of the valve stem.

Big Apples re-fitted and mudguards adjusted accordingly.  (It was wearing Kojaks for racing.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 13 November, 2020, 07:35:45 pm
Switched the turbo bike over from its original 7 speed bits to the 10 speed bits I took off another bike, so I can use the 52-48 crankset I accidentally purchased on ebay at what I thought was a bargain price.

Front shifting a bit duff as the limit screws are seized in the wrong place but with a 48-30 do I really need 52-12 on a turbo?

This also means I have no more excuses for sloth, bugger.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 November, 2020, 09:17:14 am
Removed sticky semi-charred tracing-paper gunge from my laser printer.

Nah, not really. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 November, 2020, 01:07:12 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 02 April, 2020, 02:06:25 pm
these both methods could work, i'd go very carefully not to do too much too quickly. my idea was to make a piston out of cylindrical foam and sanding paper glued around it.
low priority job, so haven't got round to it.

(following from another thread (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=115261.msg2483058#msg2483058)) so, regarding the undersized seat tube, finally got round to it and sorted it out. made a sand paper plunger and got stroking, while washing and measuring the hole every so often :)

i suspect the culprit was lacquer inside; paint shop have not masked the seat tube hole.

job's a good'un!

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201114/64203854cf3756a0bc61d0ebba9ae5ae.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 14 November, 2020, 01:50:56 pm
Replaced the bottle cage I ham-fistedly snapped. Well, both cages because my OCD won’t tolerate 2 different ones on the same bike, and I couldn’t find a like-for-like replacement. And because prices have dropped for cf cages I’ll probably be stuck with the odd one as it won’t be worth selling given the postage.  ::-)

Refitted the chain set to my Domane, having had a Taiwanese copy of a P2M power meter fitted, and set it up.

Oh, and made the Christmas cake (really just Delia’s rich fruit cake with added brandy feeding). House smelling nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 November, 2020, 05:39:08 pm
The downstairs loo cistern stopped filling properly this afternoon. Gained some brownie points from MrsH by quickly fixing it - the problem turned out to be a small hole in the Siamp fill valve diaphragm. So I pulled a spare out of my parts bin and had it sorted in a couple of minutes.

Why is it that all modern stuff is built so badly? I had a spare because these things are thin rubber, and I've now had three fail since we moved into this house in 2012 so I bought a few; every loo has had at least that replaced, I've also had to replace a couple of flush valves and one entire fill valve. Old school ball cock float valves seemed to work forever, at the minimal downside that you could them filling after the flush.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Socks on 14 November, 2020, 05:48:46 pm
Quote from: MattH on 14 November, 2020, 05:39:08 pm

Why is it that all modern stuff is built so badly? I had a spare because these things are thin rubber, and I've now had three fail since we moved into this house in 2012 so I bought a few; every loo has had at least that replaced, I've also had to replace a couple of flush valves and one entire fill valve. Old school ball cock float valves seemed to work forever, at the minimal downside that you could them filling after the flush.

Modern stuff built so badly?  Because standards have been reduced, most people in the UK are worse off than they were 10 years ago.  And short term consumerism means instant gratification rather than taking the long term view.  For what it's worth that's my analysis.  I used to believe the general opinion that things would get better across each generation.  Hard to maintain that viewpoint nowadays.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 November, 2020, 09:23:48 pm
Replaced the standard tubes in HK’s foul-weather commuter MTB with goopy tubes, as requested. Swapped out the clapped-out Elite plastic/ aluminium bidon cage (hot pink and black-splatter powder coated, now mostly corroded bare Al) for a cheap SS cage.

Replaced the worn-out chain and condemned the unreliable Cyo Senso. It appears to have some issue related to moving the switch (including a nasty rattle) but reliability is paramount with a bike that spends so much time in darkness and rain. A replacement non-Cyo 70 lux headlight is already on the way. Tightened the loose hanger bolt on the Suntour ARX rear mech that is locked into position as a chain tensioner.

The Surly 34t SS chainring is finally starting to show very minor wear (wide/narrow-alike) after 7-8 years of abuse. The previous cheap Al chainring barely lasted a winter. Would buy SS again for a similar single chainring bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 November, 2020, 09:35:08 pm
using the idea from this thread (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36893.msg695506#msg695506), managed to budge a stuck seatpost on a vintage bike of doom*. walked around the neighbourhood with a frameset in my hands looking for a suitable drain cover, found one, put the seatpost in, yanked vigorously few times and it emitted a creak of release! it is still stuck, but not totally welded as before, so will keep dripping plus gas for few days and try it once more. i didn't want to use the caustic soda method just yet!

*assembled dry many years ago, everything overtorqued, seized, stuck.. but just about nice enough to deserve some tlc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 November, 2020, 11:43:44 am
Not really fettling, but it's a rainy day so I've decided to catalogue my (rather disorganised) sheet music collection.

On signing up for a Libib account, I discovered that not only did I already have an account, but I'd already started cataloguing my sheet music a couple of years ago! I'd also downloaded the app to my phone and had totally forgotten about this, too. This means I don't have quite so much to enter. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 November, 2020, 02:51:01 pm
Replaced the worn and soft springs in HK’s Keo Blade pedals with a stronger set. Might look into replacing the bearings too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 15 November, 2020, 03:27:34 pm
Lubed the chain on the Genesis Equilibrium after this morning fun splash about in the lanes of leafy Bucks. Pumped up the front tyre on the turbo bike, and increased the release tension on the Vector 3 pedals a notch.

Raked out the “ditch” I’ve dug from the depression behind our shed into the adjacent field (thankfully lower) to allow the prodigious overnight rain to escape without flooding our garden. Nailed up the bird box ready for the blue tits next spring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 15 November, 2020, 10:26:09 pm
after unsuccessfully trying to remove stuck seatpost by twisting it in a vice (or a drain cover), hoped that hacksaw method would be the next option. hacksawed the top part only to see that the walls are very thick and the hole is too small to fit the blade.. caustic soda next?

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201115/e393cb88c30ce4765e5c48c3f9f89f3f.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 15 November, 2020, 10:46:58 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 15 November, 2020, 10:26:09 pm
the walls are very thick

You're not wrong there!  :o

Get that out and you'll probably halve the overall weight of the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 15 November, 2020, 11:03:15 pm
Drill it out until you can get a hacksaw in there ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 November, 2020, 05:41:03 pm
Holy shit! What are those funny channels in it for?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 November, 2020, 06:29:33 pm
There used to be weight saving reliefs in high quality cast-and-turned seatposts. Cheap-and-nasties then copied the look. Seatposts used to be machined down to size. Good ones used several castings for minimum residual wall thickness. Cheap ones used one casting all the way down to tiny diameters, hence a thick wall. Castings tend to crack in the middle when they are completely solid anyway, so a thick tube is better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 November, 2020, 06:52:30 pm
And natch drilling out the fluted bits of seat posts was de rigeur among a certain type of time-triallist.  Mike Burrows gleefully tells the tale of when his mate Andy Pegg showed up at a club ride in his native Yorkshire with a seat post thus defiled.  The ride leader was unimpressed.

Beryl Burton*: Bit o' roughstuff today, lads!

By the time he got home Andy's seat post resembled a concertina.

* for it was she
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 November, 2020, 09:00:21 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 15 November, 2020, 10:26:09 pm
after unsuccessfully trying to remove stuck seatpost by twisting it in a vice (or a drain cover), hoped that hacksaw method would be the next option. hacksawed the top part only to see that the walls are very thick and the hole is too small to fit the blade.. caustic soda next?

well, got tempted to use the hacksaw first. filed a v-slot with a triangular needle file until i could fit the saw blade in. and got sawing.. i can thank audaxes for teaching me patience! two hours of work, some progress, and called it a day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 November, 2020, 07:25:55 pm
the fecker's out, good riddance!

now, any reasons not to ream out the seat tube from 27.0 -> 27.2mm?

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201117/6edffceb58c47e36cf647b140c9abca7.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 November, 2020, 07:30:50 pm


Quote from: citoyen on 15 November, 2020, 10:46:58 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 15 November, 2020, 10:26:09 pm
the walls are very thick

You're not wrong there!  :o

Get that out and you'll probably halve the overall weight of the bike.

it would've been nice; seatpost 340g, the bike without it (and saddle) 8.7kg.. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 November, 2020, 08:48:12 pm
Ream away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 18 November, 2020, 07:27:17 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 November, 2020, 08:48:12 pm
Ream away.
"The Lion sleeps tonight..."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 November, 2020, 07:36:03 am
Quote from: Paul on 18 November, 2020, 07:27:17 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 November, 2020, 08:48:12 pm
Ream away.
"The Lion sleeps tonight..."

"Whim away" surely?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 18 November, 2020, 07:47:44 am
Poetic licence?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 November, 2020, 07:54:08 am
http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/?p=1116
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 November, 2020, 03:23:08 pm
(for the time being) i managed to fit a 27.2 carbon seatpost, which actually measures 27.08..14. also shortened it so that ~10cm goes inside the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 November, 2020, 06:06:28 pm
Fitted a Lunivo DIA 70d dynamo headlight (70 lux) to HK’s MTB commuter. Seems like Cyo performance for noticeably less dosh, from Rose. That situation will likely change in January.

http://lunivo.de/products/stvzo-fahrradleuchten/dynamo-beleuchtungen/frontleuchten/dia-f70d/
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/lunivo-dia-f70d-dynamo-front-light-2673729
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 18 November, 2020, 06:51:49 pm
Fitted a replacement charger port board to my Moto G5. Only took two goes - one of the connectors didn't snap home first time. £3.99 for the new board. All seems to work.  I call that a win.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 18 November, 2020, 08:48:15 pm
Put up an oak mantle shelf I have been making. At 150cm*25cm*4cm plus oak corbels, it's heavy..

We had a fireplace with marble composite surround and a pine frame before. This has been removed and the 'ole plastered over.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 November, 2020, 01:32:55 pm
Replaced the dodgy taillight (1 of 3) on my trike with a resurrected light from the garage pile. I do enjoy breathing new life into assorted bits.

Fitted some Granite Designs multitools to HK’s Kinesis. Hopefully she won’t need to use them (that would be my job probably) but it is nice how neatly they tuck away. The tubeless tyre repair barplug is too long to fit in HK’s compact drop bar (designed to mount in a flat bar) but I think the Stans DART is likely better anyway. The chain tool bar plug does fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 November, 2020, 03:57:28 pm
The TP Link Deco 5 mesh WiFi. No more iPlayer dropouts in the lounge, and it reaches the shed 30m away, fingers crossed it’s reliable and stable so I can use Zwift and play music whilst on the turbo.

A few challenges. I’ve still got to re-write the smart plug routine for the lounge lamp, as I had to reset it after changing the network. I also had to delete and reinstall the Sonos app and set all my speakers up anew. Likewise the Google Assistant - I use it for voice control of Play Ones, as Alexa just doesn’t play anything despite responding in the affirmative. Still the Sonos are now on the main mesh, and I can retire the Boost. One less thing cluttering the back windowsill. And because I’m not relying on the Vodafone router I can tuck it away in a corner out of sight. That’ll please my wife   :)

Also fettled the IKEA “anglepoise” onto the shed widowframe above the bench for some task lighting. The recommended bulb is waaay too warm a white for me, so will need to get some cooler ones.

And finally took down and replaced the Christmas lights on the front. I was sure I’d been careful when trimming the clematis. Not careful enough, evidenced by the cut wire  ::-). Repairable though I think, to be repurposed for somewhere else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 21 November, 2020, 04:11:14 pm
Fitted front mech to turbo bike
Wasn't exactly what was claimed don eBay but at 15 quid, meh.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 November, 2020, 10:36:35 pm
Worst sort of fettling.

Was draining the grey and black water out of the camper, so pulled an inspection cover on the house drains to pour into. To find standing water in there  :( So I ended up rodding the drains. Luckily it hadn't been bad enough to cause an issue, but it probably wouldn't have been OK for much longer.

It seems that there isn't quite enough drop along the long side of the house where both kitchen drains the main bathroom and the downstairs loo join the the sewage pipe. Once it goes around the corner of the house and in to the garden we are on a hill so it drains easily. I've had to rod it three times now in the eight years we've been here - so not too bad, but bad enough and not the most pleasant of jobs, even if it only takes 15 minutes. On the bright side, at least the rods I bought the first time have now paid for theselves several times over compared to calling someone out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 22 November, 2020, 08:33:59 am
Quote from: MattH on 21 November, 2020, 10:36:35 pm
Worst sort of fettling.

Was draining the grey and black water out of the camper, so pulled an inspection cover on the house drains to pour into. To find standing water in there  :( So I ended up rodding the drains. Luckily it hadn't been bad enough to cause an issue, but it probably wouldn't have been OK for much longer.

It seems that there isn't quite enough drop along the long side of the house where both kitchen drains the main bathroom and the downstairs loo join the the sewage pipe. Once it goes around the corner of the house and in to the garden we are on a hill so it drains easily. I've had to rod it three times now in the eight years we've been here - so not too bad, but bad enough and not the most pleasant of jobs, even if it only takes 15 minutes. On the bright side, at least the rods I bought the first time have now paid for theselves several times over compared to calling someone out.
.
Fat deposits are the most likely cause of kichen waste blockages.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 November, 2020, 08:44:53 am
Quote from: MattH on 21 November, 2020, 10:36:35 pm
Worst sort of fettling.

Was draining the grey and black water out of the camper, so pulled an inspection cover on the house drains to pour into. To find standing water in there  :( So I ended up rodding the drains. Luckily it hadn't been bad enough to cause an issue, but it probably wouldn't have been OK for much longer.

It seems that there isn't quite enough drop along the long side of the house where both kitchen drains the main bathroom and the downstairs loo join the the sewage pipe. Once it goes around the corner of the house and in to the garden we are on a hill so it drains easily. I've had to rod it three times now in the eight years we've been here - so not too bad, but bad enough and not the most pleasant of jobs, even if it only takes 15 minutes. On the bright side, at least the rods I bought the first time have now paid for theselves several times over compared to calling someone out.

The joys of drain rods  :) :) - best ever was having to get the rods out (I have 2 sets  :thumbsup:) on Christmas morning in 1997 . . . much amusement as I had one leg strapped up having had my knee arthroscoped the day before!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 November, 2020, 09:04:57 am
Quote from: asterix on 22 November, 2020, 08:33:59 am
Fat deposits are the most likely cause of kichen waste blockages.

Crikey, I thought they just made my trousers too tight.

---o0o---

Apart from totally fcking up an innocent bit of pearwood yesterday, my major fettle of the day was to bring the Titebond over to the house so that it wouldn't cool below its minimum setting temperature (7°C).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 22 November, 2020, 09:23:59 am
Quote from: T42 on 22 November, 2020, 09:04:57 am
Quote from: asterix on 22 November, 2020, 08:33:59 am
Fat deposits are the most likely cause of kichen waste blockages.

Crikey, I thought they just made my trousers too tight.

 

You don't have a fosse septique, I guess.

..or a turbo trainer! :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 November, 2020, 11:35:59 am
Right the first time, wrong the second.  However, if you'd put use a turbo trainer you'd have been right.  I hate the bloody things.  Anyway, it's a balmy 5° here now so I'm going for a ride when I've finished this here cuppa.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 22 November, 2020, 11:54:00 am
Did that thing involving a difficult-to-see screw in the innards of the boiler which makes the pressure gauge go back into the green zone, as the first step of bowing to the inevitable and switching the heating on.  The second part of which consists mostly of swearing and prowling Larrington Towers with a radiator key and, for the stubborn and/or b0rked radiators, the Special Socket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 November, 2020, 04:23:25 pm
Quote from: asterix on 22 November, 2020, 08:33:59 am
Quote from: MattH on 21 November, 2020, 10:36:35 pm
Worst sort of fettling.

Was draining the grey and black water out of the camper, so pulled an inspection cover on the house drains to pour into. To find standing water in there  :( So I ended up rodding the drains. Luckily it hadn't been bad enough to cause an issue, but it probably wouldn't have been OK for much longer.

It seems that there isn't quite enough drop along the long side of the house where both kitchen drains the main bathroom and the downstairs loo join the the sewage pipe. Once it goes around the corner of the house and in to the garden we are on a hill so it drains easily. I've had to rod it three times now in the eight years we've been here - so not too bad, but bad enough and not the most pleasant of jobs, even if it only takes 15 minutes. On the bright side, at least the rods I bought the first time have now paid for theselves several times over compared to calling someone out.
.
Fat deposits are the most likely cause of kichen waste blockages.

My thought too.  I used to have to grovel in the fat trap in the outside (open) kitchen drain in our last house, a consequence of the amount of grilled bacon fat being discharged there by my stepsons washing up after post club supper.

Now, we always put foil in the grill pan and dispose of the fat separately.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 November, 2020, 04:29:09 pm
Minor fettling today, involving fitting a PIR sensor to the shed lights. This obviates the need to operate the wall switch, which has the disconcerting habit of occasionally arcing sufficiently when switching off the lights to pop the RCD on the incoming socket to which it’s connected. Now my wife can happily see what’s she’s doing without needing to phone me at work to ask how to reset (and then failing to do so) the power, which also feeds the back-up freezer.

Oh, and the Genesis got a bit of a rinse to remove the worst of the field dirt and “muck”  that’s decorating the local lanes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 November, 2020, 04:57:49 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 22 November, 2020, 04:29:09 pm
Minor fettling today, involving fitting a PIR sensor to the shed lights. This obviates the need to operate the wall switch, which has the disconcerting habit of occasionally arcing sufficiently when switching off the lights to pop the RCD on the incoming socket to which it’s connected. Now my wife can happily see what’s she’s doing without needing to phone me at work to ask how to reset (and then failing to do so) the power, which also feeds the back-up freezer.

I believe USAnian electrical codes require freezers to be fed by a circuit without an ELCBGFCI[1], on the not unreasonable basis that food poisoning is a greater risk than electric shock.  I'm not sure how that balance changes in the presence of the higher European mains voltage and food safety standards, but it's a decent argument for feeding them separately, at least.


[1] Leftpondian for RCD.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 November, 2020, 05:03:21 pm
Quote from: asterix on 22 November, 2020, 08:33:59 am
Fat deposits are the most likely cause of kichen waste blockages.

Unlikely in this case; we don't tend to cook much food that generates fat or needs to be fried and doesn't absorb the small amount of fat put in to lubricate the pan. The food which does drop fat (like grilled sausages) gets a foil tray made in the grill pan and put in the bin once it's cool. Sadly MrsH is vegetarian and, whilst not a militant vege type, she hates the smell of bacon so I rarely eat it at home. Looking at what got pushed through didn't look at all like congealed fat to me :-)

Today's fettling was mainly sorting out an electric step on one of the vehicles. It turned out to be the grease in the motor's gearbox having dried out and gone hard and sticky. Of course, that isn't supposed to be a serviceable part (and also appears to be obsolete now - with the ones that are available for newer steps costing £150 I'd still have had a go at repair) so I had to figure out how to get far enough in to a "sealed" unit to clean and regrease it. We now have easy access for less agile occupants again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 November, 2020, 05:46:42 pm
Fitted a new tube to a Brommie. It turns out that the combination of Velox narrow rim tape and old Brompton U-section rim can occasionally cause flats after a time. Something to sort out this week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 22 November, 2020, 07:21:55 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 November, 2020, 04:57:49 pm
ELCB[1],

[1] Leftpondian for RCD.

I thought that ELCB was just and older term for RCD, and ELCBs were mainly the fairly useless ones that tried to directly measure the earth current.

Leftpondian for "RCD" is surely GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 November, 2020, 07:41:20 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 22 November, 2020, 07:21:55 pm
Quote from: Kim on 22 November, 2020, 04:57:49 pm
ELCB[1],

[1] Leftpondian for RCD.

I thought that ELCB was just and older term for RCD, and ELCBs were mainly the fairly useless ones that tried to directly measure the earth current.

Leftpondian for "RCD" is surely GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter)

Brainfart, of course it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 November, 2020, 06:20:26 pm
My first tubeless tyre.

Previously a bit of a mystery to me.
However, emboldened by a recent local Club Webinar, I have armed myself with a Pump of Special Magnificence: A Topeak Joe Blow Booster.
That, a bottle of Milkit sealant and injector syringe kit, and I set to on one the wheels on my Shand.

This had been allowed to go flat, and had then un-seated itself, leaving a small Puddle of Shame on the ground.
The sealant was due to be changed anyway.

Demounted the tyre, cleaned out the old sealant and cleaned everything up.
Remounted the tyre and Whump! the boost pump seated the tyre on my second attempt.
On my first attempt, after dumping the accumulator into the tyre, it snapped into place most ways round, but one bit didn't quite make it first time round.
Second attempt, and I flexed it gently at the non-seating bit as it was being whumped, and crack! in it went.

Let the air out, removed the valve core, added the sealant, and re-pressurised it. Seems to be holding thus far!
Pleased with the lack of explosive decompression and accompanying shower of sealant.
Will check and top up in the morning, once the sealant has had a chance to do it's thing on any residual leaks.

I'll call that a win.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 23 November, 2020, 07:10:18 pm
Taking 2 weeks' worth of rubbish and recycling down to the bin room. The housing association's contractor changed the combination on the lock & didn't tell anyone, so it's built up. And leaked onto the hallway carpet. That was the next task to scrub it. Needs doing again, too.

Some moron has dumped a whole sofa in the bin room, as s/he's too lazy/cheap to pay to have it removed. They also filled up one of the bins with its cushions. Made me realise, again, how relieved I'll be to live in a house of my own again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 23 November, 2020, 07:13:48 pm
Very minor but satisfying bit of fettling - my rear mudguard was a bit rattly, I fitted a bit of helicopter tape to where it was catching the frame, and replaced a cable tie bodge with an o ring. All is smooth and silent now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 23 November, 2020, 07:44:13 pm
I have taken two loads of hardcore to the tip for recycling (presumably into hardcore  ???). Heavy stuff.
We have a Renault Kangoo II, so quite a large loading area. I stopped loading the first time when I saw how low the suspension looked.
I wonder why I am tired tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 November, 2020, 08:10:48 pm
Made some plywood cut out Christmas decorations - some are small for the tree, and a couple of snowmen about 60cm tall to go on the fence outside (this year to ease the depression of Covid our bit of the street is having tasteful Christmas illuminations - photos may follow)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 24 November, 2020, 09:08:59 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 23 November, 2020, 07:44:13 pm
I have taken two loads of hardcore to the tip for recycling (presumably into hardcore  ???). Heavy stuff.

That's one of the many things that's now chargeable at our local recycling centres. With so many things being chargeable or outright refused, plus needing to book an appointment and prove you live in the area, it's no wonder fly tipping is becoming an issue.

Anyway, I have had a tube-fixing session this evening. I was rolling the bike out of work when I found it had a front flat. Pulled my spare tube out to find it was another with a hole and I didn't have a further spare  >:( My fault, I'd clearly forgotten to replace the punctured one with a sound one last week, and normally have at least a couple of spares with me. Luckily I always fold my good tubes in a certain way so I knew before fitting it.

I did then have to apply a patch before riding home, so fixed those two at work, then came home and dug out my bag of tubes needing repair and worked through them - binning two where I wasn't sure I could successfully patch, and fixing a further five. In my defence, most of those came from an event I was supporting where organisers provided new loaner new bikes for the riding part, and a stack of new tubes for us motos who were supporting them. The organisers and participants didn't want their holed tubes back, and it seemed a shame to bin the ones I'd changed as they had less than 100 miles on them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 25 November, 2020, 03:54:59 pm
I spent the morning doing admin and eating breakfast before doing proper fettling.
I took 2 new ubiquiti loco M5s, attached them to the LAN, fettled the necessary changes to them  and then attached one to the window in the vicar's study and the other I took over to the church.  Ran a long ethernet cable round the back of church attached the POE adapter and then the router.  The loco M5 was then place in a secure position looking at the vicarage.

 The connection was immediate.  a little bit of moving around to get the best signal and suddenly i am getting 4oMb/s download and 10-12Mb/s upload speed across our garden, the road and the graveyard. 

With the changes made last week to the aerial for the other church i now have stable internet connections at both sites for streaming services.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 25 November, 2020, 04:53:34 pm
Quote from: MattH on 24 November, 2020, 09:08:59 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 23 November, 2020, 07:44:13 pm
I have taken two loads of hardcore to the tip for recycling (presumably into hardcore  ???). Heavy stuff.

That's one of the many things that's now chargeable at our local recycling centres. With so many things being chargeable or outright refused, plus needing to book an appointment and prove you live in the area, it's no wonder fly tipping is becoming an issue.
Fortunately, although we have to pay, there's no need to book in. Just turn up. It's £20.20 for a small trailer load, which is what we agreed I had in the back of the car. The chap seemed almost sorry he had to charge me that much. I suppose most people who turn up without a trailer just have a couple of bags, not about a ton of the damn stuff.

Today (and part of yesterday) I have been fettling a new bench cum shelving unit for the garage/workshop. It's the same height as the bottom of the window, so my plant propagators have somewhere to sit at the appropriate time of the year. It's the biggest carpentry/joinery project I have ever attempted and, despite the slight wobble, I'm reasonably pleased for a first attempt. I did use a kit for all the joints, though. Now all I have to do is move the TPOC which is on the temporary arrangement, move the very heavy bench in to place and rearrange everything. Not looking forward to that bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 November, 2020, 05:45:52 pm
I have installed the guarantee-a-mild-winter tyres on the Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle™.  Also offered up the Old Man Mountain front rack I bought from a forumite in the Before Times (which has been gathering dust all year), to determine that it will fit nicely once furnished with the correct diameter P-clips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 November, 2020, 01:16:14 pm
Got so sick of the guard of my table saw blocking my view of the blade when I wanted to line up a cut that I gave it an uppercut, and was rewarded with the sound of plastic fragments pingfuckitting off metal a few feet away.  It still blocked my view so I applied a little more judicious force majeure, and now have a guard that will swivel up out of the way when I need it to.  If anything the saw is safer than before, since I no longer have to take off the riving knife to use my crosscut sled.

My old Lurem semi-pro machine didn't have any such twattery about it.  H&S these days needs a serious laxative, preferably in the shape of a cayenne-pepper enema via a garden hose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 November, 2020, 03:31:22 pm
Tyre and cassette off old wheel then onto new wheel, along with new disc rotor (couldn't transfer old one due to differing fixing systems; but I do now have the same type of rotor at both ends of the bike). Then new wheel into frame. Adjust brake position. Whirs lovely. Cassette was difficult to remove. I suppose they use some sort of machine to do them up in the factory? Old wheel with another old tyre into cupboard. Decide what to do with it later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 November, 2020, 05:35:27 pm
It is generally better to tighten cassette lockrings a bit more than a bit less, particularly with aluminium Shimano spline freehub bodies. Increased clamping force reduces how easily the cassettes cut into the aluminium.

Lubed and tensioned the chain on my fixed. Retensioned the Lepper saddle, punched some holes in the sideflaps and laced it. Binned the cheap and nasty (now distorted) hole punch.

Started disassembling the rattly Cyo. Considering whether to go down the rabbit hole of purchasing a soldering iron and leaning how to play with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 November, 2020, 06:28:29 pm
on a "vintage steel racer": changed the saddle, removed old brake levers with antenna cables and replaced them with campag veloce levers (plastic gear internals removed), trimmed brake outers by four cm to accommodate under-the-tape routing, protected the frame from cable rub, re-taped the bars, installed a dog fang chain catcher.

it is finally in a state where i can ride long distances on it as everything functions great and nothing else irritates. while the down tube shifters are a hindrance for dynamic riding, they work fine for just riding along (e.g. z1-2 base miles, audax).

last few minor jobs remaining, when i get round to it: loosen the stem (currently it's frozen at a perfect height), remove (drill out?) and replace rusted rear drop out adjusters, face bb shell if i decide to install an outboard bearing crankset, make (ask framebuilder) two dimples in the chainstays to make room for 30-32mm tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 December, 2020, 01:58:21 pm
Replaced the rear Ergo gear cable on HK’s Roberts as a preemptive measure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 02 December, 2020, 05:31:33 pm
decided I really needed to tidy up the kit for streaming in church. So a trip to B&Q for some MDF which was then cut to size and some clamps fettled to hold the audio mixer and camera mixer/streamer in place.  bracket assembled for the wireless microphone receivers and the remote video receiver and clamped in place.  USB power block glued into place and 4 socket extension secured on the underside with wires taken through holes and taped place.

Each camera colour coded and all wires both mains and hdmi colour coded to match. Everything now fitting into a single box much more neatly with less faff.  velcro cable tidies ordered to finish the job off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 02 December, 2020, 05:59:33 pm
Whipped the rear tyre off the folder to try and find last night's puncture cause. It came off a hell of a lot easier, maybe partly the new tyre levers actually having some rigidity but probably mostly that the bike has been in the warm all day. At least I didn't snap any levers this time.

Flint mined the tyre whilst it was out, a few bits of glass and flint but nothing getting through the puncture protection layer. Did find one hole that was empty but just broke through to the interior. Barring a sneaky bit of wire hiding somewhere I suspect that was where I got holed. Only a little hole but I stuck a patch over it and refitted the new inner tube.

The old inner tube (and the one out of the front when I built the new motor wheel) I decided to bin as I suspect they've been in the bike since new and are heading towards a bit perished. I normally repair holed tubes but I don't trust these ones.

Adjusted the brake pads as the wheel wasn't quite back in the same place but I think the chain tension is about right. There's a bit of side to side shimmy in the wheel that means the rim catches the brake pads slightly if I have the pads close enough that braking is reasonable. I've got new pads on the way so when they get here I'll give the bike a clean and see about truing the wheel up.

It'll do for tomorrow anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 December, 2020, 08:50:34 pm
Discovered why I could not get Zwift to bridge to the companion app.  They both have to be the same frequency. Mobile phone is 2.4, iPad is 5.

So, go onto the admin site for the ISP router and see the router has both frequencies with the same name.  Set up each with different names then logged into the one with the mobile frequency, 2.4hz, on both devices.  Bingo, they talk to one another.  No discernible difference in video performance. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 December, 2020, 07:56:33 pm
Put spoke reflectors on the new wheel mentioned above. No, this was really demanding, I mean I had to decide what pattern to use! (blank spoke each side of valve, then groups of four separated by blank spoke)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 December, 2020, 08:16:44 pm
Now in possession of 38mm P-clips, I have fitted the front rack to the Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle.  Not that I have any intention of going anywhere with it, but it's nice to know that it fits properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 December, 2020, 08:39:13 pm
Replaced the front brake pads on HK’s Roberts. The triple compound Koolstops just picked up too much grit, so salmon it is.

The 10sp Record rear mech feels sloppier than it should. I am not sure how rebuildable it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jakob on 06 December, 2020, 12:48:19 am
Cleaned my bike for the first time in...erh 5 years
(https://i.imgur.com/YloKh2x.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 06 December, 2020, 12:14:05 pm
overhauled the rear derailleur - cleaned all nooks and crannies, lubed jockey wheels, pivot points, greased springs, increased p-spring tension to bring the guide pulley closer to sprockets. feels good!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 06 December, 2020, 01:55:28 pm
Went over my Dave Yates after yesterday's gritty-grotty ride. Cleaned the chain and everything else, loosened and re-greased the stem, and replaced the front brake blocks.

New rear bearings about to be ordered, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 December, 2020, 06:08:56 pm
Quote from: Jakob on 06 December, 2020, 12:48:19 am
Cleaned my bike for the first time in...erh 5 years
(https://i.imgur.com/YloKh2x.jpg)
That looks tidy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 09 December, 2020, 05:53:26 pm
My bathroom sink came with one of those fancy plugs that clicks up and down like a clicky ball point pen.

Except in the "down" position it pops back up quite a long way leaving a big gap. There's a rubber flappy o-ring cone thing that's only ever sort-of sealed, meaning it drains quicker than it takes to find a puncture.

I finally decided to buy a new one. Measured it. Fired up eBay. Seven pound fifty. **fffffff** I'm not made of money.

So I decided to have another look at it, realised the flappy cone thing would probably work better if it were the other way up, and now it seals perfectly.

Seven years that took me.

Now I just need a puncture to fix.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 December, 2020, 11:05:07 am
Must be the sink-fettling season: this morning I cleared out the drain in our scullery.*  Started off in the usual place, by unscrewing the U-trap, but it was clear. Tightened up all the unions anyway while I was down there. Looking at the sink outflow I found a nice thick filter of dog's-hair, from emptying out the mop bucket after washing the floor - about 10 years' worth.  That lot goes down the outside drain in future.

* not a real scullery; the previous owner had had a cludge in there, adjoining the kitchen  Not very pleasant, so we got it removed and kept the sink unit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 December, 2020, 04:30:02 pm
Washed the Pacer! Even cleaned the chain. It's all shiny and whirry now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 December, 2020, 03:58:31 pm
Swapped in the new rim on HK’s rear Hunt SupaDura wheel after three months’ wait.

They had used a bit too much threadlock on some of the spokes (apparently Loctite 248 before assembly and Loctite 290 when the wheel is complete) and one twisted up and broke about 5cm below the nipple while I was undoing it. No worries, Hunt supply a couple of replacement spokes with the wheels. Rather than the normal slot at the top, the nipples in the wheel have a 3.2mm square end. Fine, Hunt supplied a spoke key but it has a 5.5mm hex fitting. The nipples aren’t concealed, so a standard spoke key works fine and I had a Park spoke key to fit the square end nipples anyway, so no dramas but a touch amusing.

The existing nipples have heavily dished SS washers under them but the provided replacement spokes all have near-flat SS washers. Obviously something in the specification has changed along the way. This failed rim was the replacement from early this year and the original wheel from a couple of years ago might have had hex nipples (can’t remember) but the replacement spokes for both the first and second rear wheels had hex nipples.

While the overall rim profile is the same, it is obviously from a different die. Hopefully they beefed up the rim bed thickness when they changed the die. It is built towards the low end of their 105-120 kgf spoke tension recommendation.
https://flic.kr/p/2kg8MGN
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 December, 2020, 05:28:48 pm
Needed to adjust the front mech on Equilibrium, and decided to replace the 48t outer with a 50t. On closer examination, chain stretch was evident, so I fitted a new chain at the same time. Monday’s ride will show if I’ve improved matters wrt to the chain rub, but it seemed ok on the work stand. If nothing else it should limit it to the 11t sprocket.

I’d also noticed my rear ‘guard seemed a bit wobbly. Turns out it was the usual, stay bridge rivets corroded off. And the Seculite+ was also loose. Tightened that up (managed to remember to deflate the tyre - without popping the tubeless bead off - to allow easier wheel removal and replacement) and then prised out one of the rivets, opened up the hole a bit, and got a bolt with a large button head, to spread the load, through. Used a couple of thick washers between the guard’s inner surface and the stay bridge (which had a suitably sized hole in for the bolt) to reduce the inner projection of the bolt to just the thickness of the thin nut I found. No suitable spring or serrated washer came to hand, so did it up fairly tightly.  And I noticed I’d made a similar repair to the centre stay bridge sometime in the past, though there the button head was on the inside and th3 nut outside.

Sprayed both mechs and the SPD pedals with GT85.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 12 December, 2020, 10:11:19 pm
Erected a greenhouse.  I have been waiting 14 weeks for into arrive.  Shiny aluminium with toughened glass. Took all of yesterdays daylight and today with use of a head torch to complete the glazing and get it watertight.  The vent and louvre openers will go on later this week and the shelving will go up later this week. 

I ned to get the wiring in for the heater and then I can start some seeds propagating
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 December, 2020, 05:43:47 pm
Glued up a couple of cuts in the Almotion and refitted it tubeless to the rebuilt rear Hunt wheel. A small leak at the valve but quickly set up properly. Regooped the front tyre too. Hopefully that is HK sorted for few months.

Replaced the rear tyre on my B with another Brompton-label tyre from the parts pile. Vale the last of the CST-made Brompton tyres. The cuts were probably small enough to keep using the old one but why bother. Tweaked the derailleur to stop the slow shifts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 13 December, 2020, 08:05:32 pm
Hopefully fixed the wife's boots. The sole was coming off at the front but loads of tread left. First she tried the shoe repair place but he said not sure his repair would work and thankfully was only three quid as didn't.

Out with the gorilla glue which seems to have worked but usual beige overs well as it expands as it drys. Left to dry and then very carefully cleaned off the excess with the dremmel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 December, 2020, 08:38:47 pm
Re-attached the USB-A plug on my Ruideng power meter, which was broken by the hoover attacking the cable it was connected to.  Impressively, the dodgy Chinese lead-free solder sheared so it didn't lift the pads, so I merely had to bend it back to approximately the right shape and apply solder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 14 December, 2020, 12:37:30 pm
Having changed my WiFi password,I finally managed to get Google Assistant back on mySonos speakers. Nothing to do with the current outages, it was (eventually) resolved by deleting the Google Assistant app and reinstalling it. After that, plain sailing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 16 December, 2020, 01:22:00 pm
I've repaired the mounts for the grassbox on my mower, and I haz mowed the lawns of Château C. In mid-December. Bloody global warming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 December, 2020, 05:32:20 pm
Fixed the indexing on my turbo mount.  A tiny little lug was at 9 0'clock when it needed to be at three o'clock. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Socks on 19 December, 2020, 11:45:22 am
Cleaned and polished the camper van. High top T4  and as it's parked outside at this time of year the fibreglass of the top gets covered in green mould.  Plus a few presents from the seagulls.  I used muc off bike cleaner to get the muck off, worked well.  That took a couple of hours yesterday.

Then another spell this morning with the UV wax polish.  Hopefully that will give the fibreglass a bit of protection until the next clean is required.  And the bonus of a good upper body workout as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 December, 2020, 12:57:40 pm
Charged some battery lights and re-tensioned and re-levelled the Lepper saddle on my fixed, along with re-tensioning the chain.

Started working on a friend’s Airnimal prior to its sale. Crack found in frame, withdrawn from sale. Components stripped and stored.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 December, 2020, 01:04:25 pm
Made some more items from pallet wood - I have a number of requests for bottle/glass carriers for alfresco drinks in our street group (socially distanced, of course).

(https://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk/images/z-Beewee-pix/winecarrier-2020.jpg)

Running out of pallets to break down and recycle  . . . . 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 December, 2020, 03:40:34 pm
Unpacked the Windswept Brewery order and made sure the mini keg was standing upright.
Moved all the Wine Society boxes into the wine storage area.
Finally replaced the front mudguard that broke when I fell off on ice a couple of weeks back.
Four and a bit years after having the kitchen fitted finally figured out a way of getting all 4 cooker hood filters out without needing to take the frame apart with a screwdriver.
Unfortunately while I was washing them one of the handles came apart, a pingfuckit spring fell out and then the handle went back together again. Too afraid to try to fix that now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 20 December, 2020, 08:51:11 am
cleaned and waxed the chain on the new bike.

Applied "Mothers" to the US cleaned MAFAC brake parts for the vintage bike

Installed wiring from Garage to shed and greenhouse, silicon sealed all joints.  Planted the new Quince and the tree lilies a nd finally assembled the strawberry tubs ready for the arrival of the plants.

And all in weak sunshine.  It is amazing how sensitive my mood was to the light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 20 December, 2020, 09:02:40 am
Made a festive reindeer from some spare bike parts and a few bits of wood I had lying around in the back garden.


(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/41/c0/a7/41c0a7b79fbad2f3b4dbc70251467b70.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 December, 2020, 10:13:17 am
Heh I like it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 20 December, 2020, 10:51:09 am
A de-mountable shelf to support the Zwift etc. laptop from the front of the bench, so it’s close enough to reach from the turbo bike. I’ll need something to stop the sweat splashing on the keyboard though.

Oh, and I put the tree in the living room. Waiting for it’s branches to settle prior to decorating it tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 December, 2020, 03:47:19 pm
Started to swap a new rim onto my fixed’s worn-out dynowheel but found the ERD was different. Time to order some new spokes. Glued some cuts in the tyre.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 20 December, 2020, 08:17:24 pm
I am making a small workbench out of gas pipe.  It won't be connected.

The festive reindeer above is very good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 December, 2020, 03:14:33 pm
Soupe à la chaîne:

(https://pbase.com/image/171294334.jpg)

20€ crockpot and a bunch of BFO candles. They took about 3 hours to melt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 December, 2020, 03:42:21 pm
Serve with crusty bread drizzled with WD-40.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 25 December, 2020, 06:52:11 pm
Took advantage of the sunny day to take the green bike outside and wash it. Then oiled the chain. Then, the reason for washing it, removed the lightyears of cable connected to the comp, as I've decided to do without it. Tomorrow I'll decide whether I'm going to find new routing for dynamo wiring (maybe round the top tube instead of under the down tube) or just tape it back in place. Probably won't use cable ties this time though, just because.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 December, 2020, 04:43:22 pm
Did it today. Easy to rewind round the fork leg, but the run up the down tube took several trials to get the enough length to reach the headlight at all angles of steering without being too flappy. Have a bin full of insulting tape scraps!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 27 December, 2020, 11:14:07 pm
Tarting up the old pantry by putting tiles on the wooden shelves. No, I don't know either but Mrs a likes it like that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 December, 2020, 08:16:03 am
More "manufacturing" than fettling - I've been making some of these for a mini-business venture* to keep my mind occupied  (various sizes for 2 or 4 glasses etc)

(https://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk/images/z-Beewee-pix/winecarrier-2020.jpg)


*online shop to launch soon
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2020, 08:39:15 am
Yesterday, I broke up a pallet, sawed it into short lengths and chopped it into kindling.  The big square blocks went straight into the stove and I got the nails out with a magnet this morning  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2020, 08:44:34 am
Quote from: T42 on 23 December, 2020, 03:14:33 pm
Soupe à la chaîne:

(https://pbase.com/image/171294334.jpg)

20€ crockpot and a bunch of BFO candles. They took about 3 hours to melt.
Been there, done that.  Candle wax just flakes off.  Something that self-heals at ambient temperature, like the soft paraffin wax used on Barbour jackets, is more likely to work.  I've never used proper chain wax, but most seems to have graphite in it too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 December, 2020, 11:19:42 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2020, 08:44:34 am
Quote from: T42 on 23 December, 2020, 03:14:33 pm
Soupe à la chaîne:

(https://pbase.com/image/171294334.jpg)

20€ crockpot and a bunch of BFO candles. They took about 3 hours to melt.
Been there, done that.  Candle wax just flakes off.  Something that self-heals at ambient temperature, like the soft paraffin wax used on Barbour jackets, is more likely to work.  I've never used proper chain wax, but most seems to have graphite in it too.

It'll do for a couple of outings until the PTFE powder arrives, then I'll try melting out that wax with a heat gun and rewaxing it with PTFE in candle wax. Barbour wax is a tad pricey, ditto Proofide.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 28 December, 2020, 11:51:10 am
Back in the 80s I used to do something similar, but with a pan of grease (something along the lines of standard LM grease). Not really sure how much difference it made to longevity; I lived on the bike and regularly did 100 mile + rides, but never kept track of total mileage and didn't have an odometer so just cleaned and/or replaced bits as and when.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 28 December, 2020, 01:00:16 pm
Finally did the fine adjustment of the rear mech of the turbo bike, running a lot quieter now. Now need to turn off the synchro-shift (it’s Di2) but see first world problems, so resetting the passcode is next up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 December, 2020, 04:20:24 pm
Moved 2 chests of drawers for the 1st time since we got them, 10 years ago. Went "ew!" At all the groadiness behind them. Hoovered the groady up. Sanded the skirtings, filled in the dings with knifing putty. Moved the chests of drawers back.
Will have to do that all over again several times to sand, prime, paint. And similar at the other side of the room. This is where having a spare room would be really handy...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 28 December, 2020, 04:56:57 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 28 December, 2020, 01:00:16 pm
Finally did the fine adjustment of the rear mech of the turbo bike, running a lot quieter now. Now need to turn off the synchro-shift (it’s Di2) but see first world problems

Double click the Junction A button to cycle through modes. One flash is manual mode.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 28 December, 2020, 05:02:39 pm
This morning I swapped the stem on my bike to a new, bouncier one. Tightened the brakes up too. I failed to test ride though as I was enjoying being warm and dry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 December, 2020, 08:40:29 pm
Ripped out the remains (base and short bits of ducting) of the warm air heating system that is nolonger extant in my flat. Renelarged the doorway to the cupboard it was in and hung a full sized door on the frame.

I think that's the first door I've hung. No resizing needed thankfully and only one case of "measure twice you idiot".

I'm Quite Pleased with the result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 29 December, 2020, 06:36:45 am
Quote from: grams on 28 December, 2020, 04:56:57 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 28 December, 2020, 01:00:16 pm
Finally did the fine adjustment of the rear mech of the turbo bike, running a lot quieter now. Now need to turn off the synchro-shift (it’s Di2) but see first world problems

Double click the Junction A button to cycle through modes. One flash is manual mode.

I learnt this yesterday as I set up the gears on my new expensive bike properly. Am I wrong to expect that the Di2 should come properly adjusted from a “good” bike shop?
So I set up FD from scratch. Now it runs properly. I have turned on synchro and will see what it is like.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 29 December, 2020, 10:31:06 am
Quote from: grams on 28 December, 2020, 04:56:57 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 28 December, 2020, 01:00:16 pm
Finally did the fine adjustment of the rear mech of the turbo bike, running a lot quieter now. Now need to turn off the synchro-shift (it’s Di2) but see first world problems

Double click the Junction A button to cycle through modes. One flash is manual mode.

Ta, that’ll save me having to refresh my memory via the manual! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 29 December, 2020, 10:32:55 am
Quote from: chrisbainbridge on 29 December, 2020, 06:36:45 am
Quote from: grams on 28 December, 2020, 04:56:57 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 28 December, 2020, 01:00:16 pm
Finally did the fine adjustment of the rear mech of the turbo bike, running a lot quieter now. Now need to turn off the synchro-shift (it’s Di2) but see first world problems

Double click the Junction A button to cycle through modes. One flash is manual mode.

I learnt this yesterday as I set up the gears on my new expensive bike properly. Am I wrong to expect that the Di2 should come properly adjusted from a “good” bike shop?
So I set up FD from scratch. Now it runs properly. I have turned on synchro and will see what it is like.

And as you have one of the latest systems I assume it’ll exhibit the behaviour whereby you cannot shift to the smallest 2 sprockets when on the inner chainring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 29 December, 2020, 10:49:02 am
Yes, I know we should not cross chain like that but it really confused me to begin with!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 29 December, 2020, 11:36:14 am
I suspect that some bike shops haven't really put a lot of effort into learning the finer details of setting up Di2/EPS/eTAP. They are fairly complex systems under the skin, and need a bit of study. I have no experience of EPS, but I have had the other two for a few years and I'm pretty sure I don't know all there is to know about them!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 29 December, 2020, 11:50:27 am
Should have posted this two days ago.

I fettled our Christmas.  In that I mean that I assembled, located and installed and commissioned the Wahoo Kickr Core turbo complete with mllePB's audax bike and my shiny new Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+.  I decided to use a new cassette and chain so removed and stored the chain that came off with the back wheel for future installation when her bike sees tarmac again. 

The tablet sits in a bracket atop a tripod at the moment until I can find a decent handlebar clamp with a standard 1/4 inch screw as per regular tripod plates to mount the bracket.

So far so good.   👍
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 30 December, 2020, 04:26:04 pm
Fixed a flat.

The presta valve widget broke somehow, maybe when I disconnected the pump.  All was ok until I needed to put more air in and then the valve seized its chance and let all the air out again very fast.

So I just had to ditch an otherwise good inner tube and replace.

I am going to look at going tubeless.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 30 December, 2020, 04:45:58 pm
Or get tubes where the valve has a replaceable core - I believe Conti tubes do. FWIW I run tubeless, and have managed to bend the threaded part of the core on one or two occasions, probably as a result of using too short a valve, and having too little engagement for the pump head to grip without bending to one side. As those wheels are on the winter / utility bike I’ll change them out for longer valves in spring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 December, 2020, 06:06:32 pm
Finished fettling my new compost heap. Some fettling of carved elements of a couple of bonsai.

Bike-wise, fettled a new read light mount for the recumbent to mount on the headrest, using a P-clip and length of punched steel strip, fortunately with holes that meet the line-up of the B&M Toplight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 31 December, 2020, 03:50:05 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 30 December, 2020, 04:45:58 pm
Or get tubes where the valve has a replaceable core - I believe Conti tubes do. FWIW I run tubeless, and have managed to bend the threaded part of the core on one or two occasions, probably as a result of using too short a valve, and having too little engagement for the pump head to grip without bending to one side. As those wheels are on the winter / utility bike I’ll change them out for longer valves in spring.

Thanks, I shall see what the LBS has.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 31 December, 2020, 01:21:17 pm
To be honest, I've found replaceable cores to be far more trouble than they are worth. The cores can come loose and leak, or more than once I've had the eject themselves under pressure when unscrewing the dust cap to top up the tyre. That results in having to find the core in the garage or undergrowth - or putting a new tube in. Specialized tubes (which where what my LBS stocked) had a nasty habit of this a few years ago.

If you do have them, make sure they are tight and check regularly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 December, 2020, 01:46:11 pm
Trimmed the rest of next door's (moribund) cherry tree where it overhangs my garden.  The whole thing needs taking down really - it was leafless by July this year - but as the house is rented I can't just go round and ask if they want it removed.  I don't mind doing the work for free firewood.  Cherry is mediocre, being very wet when first cut and not the easiest to light, but it does chuck out  a lot of heat when it's dry and you load it into an already-hot stove.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 January, 2021, 09:32:53 am
Ceremonial burning of the Christmas pot-pourri, one of my more obscure new year traditions.  East Swindon now smells of incense.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 January, 2021, 03:20:47 pm
I am stunned you buy such a thing as Christmas pot pourri...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 January, 2021, 03:37:40 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 January, 2021, 03:20:47 pm
I am stunned you buy such a thing as Christmas pot pourri...
Masks the smell of turkey trumps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 January, 2021, 04:27:15 pm
Lol!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 January, 2021, 06:05:48 pm
Quote from: MattH on 31 December, 2020, 01:21:17 pm
To be honest, I've found replaceable cores to be far more trouble than they are worth. The cores can come loose and leak, or more than once I've had the eject themselves under pressure when unscrewing the dust cap to top up the tyre. That results in having to find the core in the garage or undergrowth - or putting a new tube in. Specialized tubes (which where what my LBS stocked) had a nasty habit of this a few years ago.

If you do have them, make sure they are tight and check regularly.

It's a utility bike. I wonder if schrader would be better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 01 January, 2021, 06:56:51 pm
rebuilt the old veloce 10sp shifters and did some testing with a 4700 rear mech. after some playing around, found that it shifts perfectly on a shimano/sram 9sp cassette with the (six) spacers from 10sp shimano cassette. why? just out of curiosity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 02 January, 2021, 10:20:15 am
Spent the last couple of days rebuilding the transmission of ex-MrsC's winter bike (a Ridley X-Bow) after the rear mech exploded and the front mech seized. Took the opportunity to upgrade to an R7000 Shadow rear mech (replacing a 5800 short-cage) and an 11-32 cassette that I happened to have lying around. The front mech was just gunged up.

Somewhat surprisingly, the bike was very recently given a service by an LBS who she uses frequently - this bike does 8-10,000 miles a year commuting in all weathers. They claimed to have changed both gear cables (they hadn't) and replaced the cassette (28), chain and big ring (they had). They also, without being asked or getting clearance, fitted a new BB, which is a little odd. I know the guys quite well and know they don't rip people off, so I guess it's an indication of how manic things have been in the business. Frankly, given that the bike is only cleaned properly when I fettle it, I'm surprised they touched it at all!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 January, 2021, 10:55:12 am
Unblocked the cludge. :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 02 January, 2021, 02:44:20 pm
Installed mice traps

Cleared the paths of snow, including the one of the covidiot neighbours as their help has a bad hip.

Took the Xmas decorations down

Made some beef stock

Got the groceries in

These may, or may not be in chronological order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 02 January, 2021, 03:43:56 pm
This (http://"https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117439.msg2576163#msg2576163"), with thanks to Jurek.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 January, 2021, 03:49:31 pm
Quote from: asterix on 01 January, 2021, 06:05:48 pm
Quote from: MattH on 31 December, 2020, 01:21:17 pm
To be honest, I've found replaceable cores to be far more trouble than they are worth. The cores can come loose and leak, or more than once I've had the eject themselves under pressure when unscrewing the dust cap to top up the tyre. That results in having to find the core in the garage or undergrowth - or putting a new tube in. Specialized tubes (which where what my LBS stocked) had a nasty habit of this a few years ago.

If you do have them, make sure they are tight and check regularly.

It's a utility bike. I wonder if schrader would be better.

Maybe, but in 5 years of using valves with removable cores I’ve not had an issue caused by the core. I use a tool to tighten them down when reinstalling (after tubeless sealant top-up). On tubes with removable cores (not bought because of that feature) I’ve never had a core related problem either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 03 January, 2021, 03:45:31 am
We have activated the mousetraps.

The French cat brings them in occasionally (the mice not the traps). Usually in perfect running order so almost impossible to catch. We use French style live traps even though they are British mice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 03 January, 2021, 09:17:24 am
..mouse caught, still in perfect working order having eaten cheese.  It's a field mouse so released in the nearest thing to a field we have.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 09 January, 2021, 08:35:38 am
Bodge and clean today.

There is nothing better than a silent bike - but the awesome Carradace rack pack has introduced a new noise; My tool bag drumming against the hard plastic bag bottom. We can't have that - nobody likes a noisy bottom.

So I found a cheap, bright orange yoga matt and chopped a bit off to cover the hard plastic - et voila: Silent rack pack.

Then I watched a comedy whilst cleaning the cassette in situ - I even used pipe cleaners through the little holes. It looks sparkly(-ish). To keep all the crud from flying, I made a paper bag large enough to hold the wheel - so all the bits zinged around in the bag, and collected at the bottom.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/FW2DR32vicXuSDJuQncRfkB2fbx6Jt4NiIuNZ8qodFI-2048x1536.jpg)

I didn't do that last time and found some idiot (me) appeared to have drawn indelible black marker random doodles on the floor <cough - grease on my shoe>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 09 January, 2021, 12:33:55 pm
That's one thing I miss from our old house - we did the entire ground floor in a very high quality plastic  flooring (of exactly the same the type used in big stores - ours actually came from the old YHA shop in Manchester as it had only been in for a few months before the shop moved across the road and the old one was demolished so a lot of staff houses ended up with identical flooring...) made up of individual "planks" with lots of slightly different woodgrain patterns so it looked real. Perfect for the kids playing with remote control toys etc., which never quite work properly on carpet.

And, when I built or maintained bikes in the warm in the living room, I could clean even the worst oily greasy mess off the floor by simply wiping it down with degreaser.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 January, 2021, 03:33:52 pm
Swapped the Eddy Merckx's STI levers from the mysterious Chinese "Micronew" to Sora.  The Micronew shifters don't have trim, which means only sprockets 1-4 or 4-7 are usable in respective rings.

The frameset is still at Argos and will look like this when finished:

https://www.speedbicycles.ch/velo/533/eddy_merckx_titane_team_telekom_olaf_ludwig_1995.html

Except it's a Strada OS (Columbus Brain), not a Titane.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 January, 2021, 05:33:17 pm
Installed a new charging port in barakta's old phone, which had suffered some sort of USB meltdown.  The unfashionable aspect ratio makes it her preferred device for reading in bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 09 January, 2021, 05:51:11 pm
Garden lights.

They are fed from a fused spur off a nearby ring main.
Which had blown. A replacement fuse blew instantly when the lights were switched on, so a proper fault.
Not having an infinite supply of spare fuses for fault-finding, I temporarily wired a 6A MCB in place of the fused spur, so I could re-set it each time it tripped.

So after a lot of disconnecting cables here and there, I have narrowed it down to the directly-buried 12v transformer.
This has now been exhumed with a lot of swearyness caused by iron-hard earth and lots of roots.
New one on order.

I'm glad it was just that: if the cable between the house and transformer were faulty, the replacement would need to go a rather long way round to avoid lifting the patio stonework, which isn't going to happen.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 January, 2021, 06:49:34 pm
Painted the woodwork round the bedroom door (hopefully the last coat but the light wasn't good enough to know for sure).
Dug out some GBFO cable ties to use to strap our bed frame together such that we can move the bed by picking it up by the sides rather than dragging it by the ends, hopefully. In preparation for painting the final bits of skirting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 14 January, 2021, 05:34:44 pm
Annualish clearing of pigeon poo from the shed gutter. Which was nice  :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 January, 2021, 09:52:48 am
Shovelled snow, with help

(https://pbase.com/image/171345432.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 15 January, 2021, 11:27:58 am
A big box of random paper into a small pile of filing and a huge pile of recycling with a side order of shredding.

Satisfying it was, and I can now sit at my desk without feeling like something is going to fall on me
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 January, 2021, 02:54:25 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 15 January, 2021, 11:27:58 am
A big box of random paper into a small pile of filing and a huge pile of recycling with a side order of shredding.

Last did that in early 2016. Unfortunately my PBP 2015 medal was in one of the envelopes that went out.  :facepalm:

Haven't done it since.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 18 January, 2021, 07:47:20 am
A somewhat extended fettle. We have a pendulum mantle clock with chime that, some time ago, gave up chiming properly. I decided (that time ago) that it wasn't worth a proper repair by someone who knows what they were doing (it was something we had picked up in a second hand shop for about £75) so, I would have a go. Googling about, it looks something like this

(https://d38lgik2zino6p.cloudfront.net/items/2409/large/2409_741493.jpg)

I was ever so pleased that I managed to work out the issue (a bent component) and restore the chime as it should be. I also had some other mechanical repairs to deal with for the clock mounting. Only, when I  went to proudly return it to its place, it didn't work (it had worked before) :(

Fast forward more than a year and, after looking and thinking, thinking and looking, I considered it might well simply be the orientation of the clock in the body, as pendulum clocks are sensitive to small variations. So, by dint of padding up one side and then the other with sheets of card, I established that this was the case, and the amount and direction of error. A small pencil mark to give me the register, a less than one degree turn of the clock in the body and it has now been running for over 24 hours. Happy dance.

Just for the hell of it, here's the real thing

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Dk6nAOdodo/YAU-0InZsDI/AAAAAAADZFk/ALTcFAZK0ioXf9UgQOghl925HpBx2iMywCPcBGAsYHg/s1024/PXL_20210118_075222454.jpg)

Both were marriage presents, so that was clearly a "thing", the stock one from 1915, mine from 1897.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 January, 2021, 08:12:14 am
Quote from: Ham on 18 January, 2021, 07:47:20 am
A somewhat extended fettle. We have a pendulum mantle clock with chime that, some time ago, gave up chiming properly. I decided (that time ago) that it wasn't worth a proper repair by someone who knows what they were doing (it was something we had picked up in a second hand shop for about £75) so, I would have a go. Googling about, it looks something like this

(https://d38lgik2zino6p.cloudfront.net/items/2409/large/2409_741493.jpg)

I was ever so pleased that I managed to work out the issue (a bent component) and restore the chime as it should be. I also had some other mechanical repairs to deal with for the clock mounting. Only, when I  went to proudly return it to its place, it didn't work (it had worked before) :(

Fast forward more than a year and, after looking and thinking, thinking and looking, I considered it might well simply be the orientation of the clock in the body, as pendulum clocks are sensitive to small variations. So, by dint of padding up one side and then the other with sheets of card, I established that this was the case, and the amount and direction of error. A small pencil mark to give me the register, a less than one degree turn of the clock in the body and it has now been running for over 24 hours. Happy dance.

Just for the hell of it, here's the real thing

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Dk6nAOdodo/YAU-0InZsDI/AAAAAAADZFk/ALTcFAZK0ioXf9UgQOghl925HpBx2iMywCPcBGAsYHg/s1024/PXL_20210118_075222454.jpg)

Both were marriage presents, so that was clearly a "thing", the stock one from 1915, mine from 1897.

Did you wear two pairs of glasses while you were working on it? - as in Steve Fletcher on The Repair Shop  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 18 January, 2021, 08:20:03 am
I am not yet worthy of the Order of the Second Pair.


(and clocks are big enough to see the bits)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 January, 2021, 08:53:55 am
Quote from: Ham on 18 January, 2021, 07:47:20 am
A somewhat extended fettle. We have a pendulum mantle clock with chime that, some time ago, gave up chiming properly. I decided (that time ago) that it wasn't worth a proper repair by someone who knows what they were doing (it was something we had picked up in a second hand shop for about £75) so, I would have a go. Googling about, it looks something like this

(https://d38lgik2zino6p.cloudfront.net/items/2409/large/2409_741493.jpg)

I was ever so pleased that I managed to work out the issue (a bent component) and restore the chime as it should be. I also had some other mechanical repairs to deal with for the clock mounting. Only, when I  went to proudly return it to its place, it didn't work (it had worked before) :(

Fast forward more than a year and, after looking and thinking, thinking and looking, I considered it might well simply be the orientation of the clock in the body, as pendulum clocks are sensitive to small variations. So, by dint of padding up one side and then the other with sheets of card, I established that this was the case, and the amount and direction of error. A small pencil mark to give me the register, a less than one degree turn of the clock in the body and it has now been running for over 24 hours. Happy dance.

Just for the hell of it, here's the real thing

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Dk6nAOdodo/YAU-0InZsDI/AAAAAAADZFk/ALTcFAZK0ioXf9UgQOghl925HpBx2iMywCPcBGAsYHg/s1024/PXL_20210118_075222454.jpg)

Both were marriage presents, so that was clearly a "thing", the stock one from 1915, mine from 1897.

That must be very satisfying.  Our ancestral grandfather clock is extremely sensitive too, to the extent that I gave up trying to keep it going over 20 years ago since every time a tractor went past outside it stopped, and tractors are the second family car around here.  A couple of weeks ago, though, I gave the pendulum a swing and it kept going quite happily for almost an hour; then it began to strike 12 and I realized how much I appreciated it being stopped. Even though the striker is covered with leather it'd wake the dead.

BTW, I'm jealous of that bureau reflected in the mirror.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 January, 2021, 04:52:55 pm
Not fettling but anti-fettling.  :facepalm: Decided to change the headlight bracket for a shorter one in order to stop the brake and gear cables rubbing on the head tube; they'd have more room because there'd be more space between the lower headlight position and the head tube. All went well... until I somehow snapped off one of the spade connectors on the connectors between headlight and output to rear light. It's the male terminal on the wire from the headlight itself rather than the female one on then end of the free wire (thought that one also needs changing as it now has a piece of male connector snapped off inside it). No problem, I've got spare spade connectors. Here they are. Oh. Only female ones, no male ends for some strange reason.  ::-) :hand:

Yes, it should be easy to find their counterparts on ebay etc. If only I knew precisely what size they were.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 19 January, 2021, 05:06:03 pm
If it's a male-female pair that need replacing do you need an exact size? Just buy a pair and they may not match the existing pair on the other wire but eh.

Actually, I've got a variety box of different sizes, I can have a measure in a minute and chuck a couple pairs in the post tomorrow if you want?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 January, 2021, 07:56:51 pm
Thanks, but I've ordered a few lifetimes' supply off ebay. Just curious as to why I only had female ones to begin with (yes, I know, I'll find the male ones the day after the new ones arrive).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 19 January, 2021, 07:58:49 pm
That works out well because I forgot to go and measure them. All's well that ends well.

And yes, of course they turn up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 January, 2021, 09:23:54 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 19 January, 2021, 07:56:51 pm
Thanks, but I've ordered a few lifetimes' supply off ebay. Just curious as to why I only had female ones to begin with (yes, I know, I'll find the male ones the day after the new ones arrive).

I think they tend to give you female ones with both front and rear lights, but you only need one set, so they breed like kettle leads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 20 January, 2021, 11:02:53 am
So the females don't need males to breed? It's no surprise, after all male USB connectors breed without females!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Socks on 20 January, 2021, 04:23:25 pm
I spent this afternoon modifying the chain management on an Optima Orca recumbent.  On the drive side it previously had two short lengths of chain tube, with a idler in between.  Fairly direct chain line and quiet, so I left this as it was.

The return chain had a long length of chain tube with quite a lot of curve, diverting the chain to clear the front forks and then down towards the rear wheel.  Although it sounded OK I'm not sure about using a tube to deflect the chain so replaced this with an idler behind the front forks, using an existing bracket.  Seems ok, the bike is on the turbo trainer so I'll give it a try later in the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lightning Phil on 20 January, 2021, 04:41:03 pm
New bigger mirror with stalk fitted to recumbent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 January, 2021, 05:36:29 pm
Quote from: Socks on 20 January, 2021, 04:23:25 pm
The return chain had a long length of chain tube with quite a lot of curve, diverting the chain to clear the front forks and then down towards the rear wheel.  Although it sounded OK I'm not sure about using a tube to deflect the chain so replaced this with an idler behind the front forks, using an existing bracket.  Seems ok, the bike is on the turbo trainer so I'll give it a try later in the week.

Deflecting non-drive-side chain with tubes seems to work an awful lot better than in has any right to.  I've replaced the tubes on my Streetmachine once in about 32000 miles, and there's plenty of life left in them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 20 January, 2021, 07:40:17 pm
First I put some former kitchen cupboards on the garage wall.  This means we have extra storage for stuff we are hoarding.

Next I tried to figure out why my gear change was slipping when on the little ring, big cassette cog combo.   It worked fine on the flat, lightly stressed, but under pressure it wasn't happy. 

Found the derailleur was askew because the tensioner screw wasn't on the pad and had got between the hanger and the derailleur pushing it over slightly.  Clearly some idiot hadn't checked carefully when reassembling everything recently - I wonder who that could have been?

I think that will be the answer but only a proper test ride will tell me. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 20 January, 2021, 07:55:44 pm
Quote from: Ham on 18 January, 2021, 07:47:20 am
A somewhat extended fettle. We have a pendulum mantle clock with chime that, some time ago, gave up chiming properly. I decided (that time ago) that it wasn't worth a proper repair by someone who knows what they were doing (it was something we had picked up in a second hand shop for about £75) so, I would have a go. Googling about, it looks something like this

(https://d38lgik2zino6p.cloudfront.net/items/2409/large/2409_741493.jpg)

I was ever so pleased that I managed to work out the issue (a bent component) and restore the chime as it should be. I also had some other mechanical repairs to deal with for the clock mounting. Only, when I  went to proudly return it to its place, it didn't work (it had worked before) :(

Fast forward more than a year and, after looking and thinking, thinking and looking, I considered it might well simply be the orientation of the clock in the body, as pendulum clocks are sensitive to small variations. So, by dint of padding up one side and then the other with sheets of card, I established that this was the case, and the amount and direction of error. A small pencil mark to give me the register, a less than one degree turn of the clock in the body and it has now been running for over 24 hours. Happy dance.

Just for the hell of it, here's the real thing

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Dk6nAOdodo/YAU-0InZsDI/AAAAAAADZFk/ALTcFAZK0ioXf9UgQOghl925HpBx2iMywCPcBGAsYHg/s1024/PXL_20210118_075222454.jpg)

Both were marriage presents, so that was clearly a "thing", the stock one from 1915, mine from 1897.

OK here's my guesses:

The top image is a mass market clock with a movement made either in Germany or by German clock-makers who'd moved to the USA.  It would not have been very expensive but such movements are remarkably long-lived and not too hard to restore.

The lower clock is much better quality with probably a French (Japy Freres) movement.  Japy Freres were good enough to make movements for clocks sold by the prestigious English company Dent of London.  You'd want a decent horologist to do any serious repairs to a clock like that.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 January, 2021, 11:22:25 am
Managed to sort out the broken dynamo connectors to a greater extent than I'd imagined, without any of that awkward crimping. Was able to extricate the male prong that had broken off in the female socket (oo-err!) by pushing it with a needle and pulling with pointy pliers. Then removed the heat shrink from the broken male end and found there was just enough left to make a connection. Tested it and it works electrically. Not going to heat shrink it till I've sorted out the bracket – ideally it needs a lower one, which should arrive next week – and hopefully it'll hold fast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 January, 2021, 08:42:57 pm
Finished fettling the bike storage cupboard for the Pretty Bike that I sought assistance for in this thread. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117995.0)

I was strongly tempted by Brucey's pulley suggestions, just because, but as is tradition, I ended up doing something slightly different.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kINXXJOM0zc6efMpknpoSNmXZHadRa4pbi_U1i6sJP66XJG9db8QG_Bd98Xc4oDajzp6ratasuOkuL3Hc8GacdbiK7a8D1rNLmefYYNhQNk8EUq2iGN3cZezKZBX3m3ORftKiOiNbKI=w2400)
The 4 x 2 lower down are the remnants of a cold water tank stillage.  The vertical 2 x 3/4 above picks up on the timber bearer the paramount plasterboad runs on. There's a similar arrangement on the right hand side. The horizontal timbers are 2 x 1 and are trapped by lap(?) joints beneath the vertical timbers. Spray painted the timbers grey, two coats of white emulsion on the walls. All the timber was repurposed from the storage racks that used to sit beneath the cold water tank.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 24 January, 2021, 08:47:48 pm
Reattached the saddle to the exercise bike. Nearly fell off when it all moved under me in the last minute of my half hour on the thing.

Moved it slightly to see what was loose/broken and it came off in my hand.

Luckily just loose though so once I'd fetched the spanners and socket set it was all fine and dandy

Did me quite a startle though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 January, 2021, 08:50:03 pm
Nothing practical today, I spent some time finding my way around some virtual cycling apps, as I want to store downloaded ride videos to external storage. And then searching them for suitably-easy-for-me rides to download.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 January, 2021, 09:24:35 pm
Quote from: Ham on 18 January, 2021, 07:47:20 am
A somewhat extended fettle.

[...]

At the other end of the extended clock-fettling spectrum:

(click to show/hide)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 January, 2021, 09:29:33 pm
w00t and, moreover, awsum :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 January, 2021, 09:32:23 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 24 January, 2021, 09:29:33 pm
w00t and, moreover, awsum :thumbsup:

I'm hoping it will prove to be more successful than my attempt at repairing the last one... if we ever get to use it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 25 January, 2021, 08:07:32 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 24 January, 2021, 08:42:57 pm
Finished fettling the bike storage cupboard for the Pretty Bike that I sought assistance for in this thread. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117995.0)

I was strongly tempted by Brucey's pulley suggestions, just because, but as is tradition, I ended up doing something slightly different.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kINXXJOM0zc6efMpknpoSNmXZHadRa4pbi_U1i6sJP66XJG9db8QG_Bd98Xc4oDajzp6ratasuOkuL3Hc8GacdbiK7a8D1rNLmefYYNhQNk8EUq2iGN3cZezKZBX3m3ORftKiOiNbKI=w2400)
The 4 x 2 lower down are the remnants of a cold water tank stillage.  The vertical 2 x 3/4 above picks up on the timber bearer the paramount plasterboad runs on. There's a similar arrangement on the right hand side. The horizontal timbers are 2 x 1 and are trapped by lap(?) joints beneath the vertical timbers. Spray painted the timbers grey, two coats of white emulsion on the walls. All the timber was repurposed from the storage racks that used to sit beneath the cold water tank.

Looks good - in fact too nice to take the bike down and ride.   Is there space to add a second bike hanging up from the rear wheel (and interlocking with the first one)?  I have 3 machines hanging close together top-to-tail in a small space in my garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 30 January, 2021, 12:30:07 pm
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/keys.jpg)

A couple of weekends ago I put a new lock in our door. The old lock is still there, because. So the keys have been decommissioned.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 January, 2021, 01:42:39 pm
I like the way they resemble castellations or battlements on medieval tower.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 January, 2021, 08:47:59 pm
Mantled some wonky flatpack shelves (not Scandi!), like a proper 21st century suburban man living in a sitcom, or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 February, 2021, 07:14:19 pm
After some crackly noises came from my trike’s left rear axle a few weeks back,  I stopped riding it pending diagnosis and remediation. My “can’t be arsed” tendency stayed ramped up until this evening. Stripping and examining the cups, cones and individual bearings suggested that some tooling chatter on the cones might not have been polished out. Reassembly and I could have slight play or slight binding. I can live with a little play, it seems. Reduced the play in the right rear axle bearing while the trike was in the stand.

Hopefully I am now ready for next week’s snowpocalypse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 05 February, 2021, 07:36:53 pm
Completed the new kitchen ceiling, plasterboard and skim. Mrs A says it looks a bit clinical ;D High praise, indeed!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 February, 2021, 03:51:34 pm
Pushed 3mm thick plastazote into the gaps around my draughty Victorian sash windows, in anticipation of the Beast from The East.
While throughout the year the gaps serve to ventilate the place and prevent condensation when cooking etc;  plugging them when it gets really cold makes a huge difference to the ambient indoor temperature.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2021, 04:45:14 pm
Gave the shower cabinet a proper clean of the bits that normally get ignored.
The wheeled bits on the bottom of the sliding door were proper minging.  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 February, 2021, 07:28:57 pm
After a couple of overnight complete deflations of HK’s Kinesis, I pulled the tubeless tyres and valves and refitted them with new sealant, though the existing goo looked sufficient in quantity and quality. The tyres were also flint-mined, of course. Hopefully the problem has been solved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 February, 2021, 10:49:41 am
Gave MrsT back her scarcely-ever-used trail bike, which I have been using to nip into the next village for the odd bit of shopping. This involved swapping its reasonable saddle for a thing with about 1" of gel and an extra gel cover, fitting a lectern based on my old aerobars on it and installing it on a turbo in the cellar, where she'll only use it when the weather stops her running, which isn't often. Sorry to lose it. Still, its 28 mm Raceblades now adorn my Trek so not all is lost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 February, 2021, 02:06:27 pm
Swapped the LH bar end lever and gear inner on my Frezoni because the old gear lever was making funny cracking noises despite working perfectly. I don’t think I can do anything to the mechanism but now that is of academic interest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 February, 2021, 03:15:28 pm
A vax upright carpet cleaner, that was supposed to work but doesn't.  Opened it up and found it had been apart, bits missing and the bottom (fan end) bearing was seized.  Freeed up the bearing as I could not get the end nut off.  But is all back together and still doesn't work.

The get the george carpet cleaner out, and find that the water circuit pump doesn't work.  So take apart the top, only 4 screws, to find the water pump moter stuck.  The last user, didn't run the machine through with plain water so pump was stuck and the spray nozzles are blocked.  So hours of fettling and still no clean carpets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 February, 2021, 05:27:57 pm
Took one of the leaking ceramic cartridges out of the kitchen tap to measure and order a new pair (I stripped and cleaned them a couple of years ago but it never quite fixed the drip).  They come in a squillion combination of sizes and spline count.  Oh for the days when you could fit a new washer for a few pence*.

*except, in a hard water area, your chances of being able to unscrew the valve from the body were minimal after a year in use
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 February, 2021, 05:36:58 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 February, 2021, 05:27:57 pm
Took one of the leaking ceramic cartridges out of the kitchen tap to measure and order a new pair (I stripped and cleaned them a couple of years ago but it never quite fixed the drip).  They come in a squillion combination of sizes and spline count.  Oh for the days when you could fit a new washer for a few pence*.

*except, in a hard water area, your chances of being able to unscrew the valve from the body were minimal after a year in use

I gave upon trying to find a compatible cartridge when ours went, and changed the tap to an old-school turn the knob and washer type. Our water’s not too bad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 February, 2021, 07:22:27 pm
Gave myself a bit of a haircut round the neck area. The rest of it is not long enough for a Pingu haircut so this was an interim measure.
Didn't stab myself with the scissors.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 07 February, 2021, 08:03:03 pm
Today I cut away some of the guard on the Aldi 125mm angle grinderto make it more useable - half the face was covered in so fine for cutting discs, but not much use for flap wheels, brushes, etc.

To do this I used the 115mm grinder, that has a faulty switch so is difficult to switch off, and has tooo small a guard to take 125mm flap wheels, discs, etc.

Finally managed to use a flap wheel on a grinder to do the coarse work on my axes (small hatchet that had some nicks, new maul that had a 'cutting' edge a few mm thick, and my felling axe while I had the rest out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 07 February, 2021, 09:07:12 pm
About a year ago I inherited a longcase clock. I knew nothing about mechanical clocks but I have really enjoyed learning about them and how they work. It seems like I have been fettling this clock since I rebuilt it at chez moi. Anyway, I now think I got it running as accurately and reliably as I am able. So the only fettling now is to wind it up each am.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 07 February, 2021, 10:07:20 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 07 February, 2021, 05:36:58 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 February, 2021, 05:27:57 pm
Took one of the leaking ceramic cartridges out of the kitchen tap to measure and order a new pair (I stripped and cleaned them a couple of years ago but it never quite fixed the drip).  They come in a squillion combination of sizes and spline count.  Oh for the days when you could fit a new washer for a few pence*.

*except, in a hard water area, your chances of being able to unscrew the valve from the body were minimal after a year in use

I gave upon trying to find a compatible cartridge when ours went, and changed the tap to an old-school turn the knob and washer type. Our water’s not too bad.

Lunns - https://shop.lunns.net/ceramic-disc-valves-42-c.asp

If they ain't got it, you're not likely to find it. (Loads of other plumbing spares too, and I remember them as efficient.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 February, 2021, 07:33:21 am
Gosh, they're expensive at Lunns.  £60 for a pair of OEM Howdens cartridges, which are utter crap (they started leaking after 4 years).

I got a pair from Tap Magician for £20.  They can hardly be worse.  I wanted good branded ones like Pegler but couldn't get them in my size.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 08 February, 2021, 08:02:32 am
Quote from: Wobbly John on 07 February, 2021, 08:03:03 pm
Finally managed to use a flap wheel on a grinder to do the coarse work on my axes (small hatchet that had some nicks, new maul that had a 'cutting' edge a few mm thick, and my felling axe while I had the rest out.

Got a pile of wood to chop I hope..     Or will we see YACF all over the media following  murder spree  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 February, 2021, 09:20:03 am
Quote from: campagman on 07 February, 2021, 09:07:12 pm
About a year ago I inherited a longcase clock. I knew nothing about mechanical clocks but I have really enjoyed learning about them and how they work. It seems like I have been fettling this clock since I rebuilt it at chez moi. Anyway, I now think I got it running as accurately and reliably as I am able. So the only fettling now is to wind it up each am.

Well done. I rebuilt one ~30 years ago after my sister's big Alsatian tried to get between it and the wall.  The bearings were worn, though, and since they'd already been tightened down untold years ago the brass is too thin now to do it again, so it stops after a couple of hours.  Ours is early 19th-century, to judge from the pic of an English man-of-war lambasting a vessel labelled Le Frog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 February, 2021, 09:32:45 am
My dad used to have a friend whose occupation was making clocks from wood, I think 100% from wood.  Lots of lignum vitae.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 08 February, 2021, 10:51:46 am
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 08 February, 2021, 08:02:32 am
Quote from: Wobbly John on 07 February, 2021, 08:03:03 pm
Finally managed to use a flap wheel on a grinder to do the coarse work on my axes (small hatchet that had some nicks, new maul that had a 'cutting' edge a few mm thick, and my felling axe while I had the rest out.

Got a pile of wood to chop I hope..     Or will we see YACF all over the media following  murder spree  :o

Prepared for either eventuallity now...  ;D
No wood to chop currently. The wood-pile is nearly empty and I need to find lots for next year.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lightning Phil on 08 February, 2021, 10:56:40 am
Topped up coolant / anti freeze in car
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 08 February, 2021, 05:27:05 pm
Does sowing seeds for early beddings and veg in the greenhouse count. 100 seeds sown adding to the 60 sweet peas already germinated. All sitting on heated matting in an enclosed insulated space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 February, 2021, 06:43:34 pm
We've got a thread for that sort of stuff (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3043.0).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 February, 2021, 07:26:41 pm
Commenced work on a Tiki Bar for our neighbourhood group as and when social mixing and drinking may be permitted - timber used consists of parts of a wooden bed-frame, pallets, plywood and other bits and pieces . .  it's on wheels so can be shared amongst about 10 houses.

Tomorrow's task is to make the thin plywood letters for the sign - using my band and scroll saws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 08 February, 2021, 08:38:08 pm
Fridge  - flappy bit that seals the icemaker and stops the ice partly melting and bridging had broke at the hinge. 

Bits were about £20 online, how hard can it be.  Not too tricky tbh, but I now know how to dismantle the entire freezer door fromn both sides.  I only needed to do so from the outside.  You tube is your friend in these situations, but don't get too complacent. 

Why is my flappy thing not springing back to where it should. My spring does not look righ, Dutch youtube man did not mention the spring - re-googling found a photo. Spring goes through this hole ==>. 

Disassemble (from the outside this time) , poke spring in the right place and reassemble.

Total time, around 1 hour, useful time around 10 mins, learning time around 40 mins.  Swearing time around 10 mins
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 08 February, 2021, 09:26:35 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 February, 2021, 09:20:03 am
Quote from: campagman on 07 February, 2021, 09:07:12 pm
About a year ago I inherited a longcase clock. I knew nothing about mechanical clocks but I have really enjoyed learning about them and how they work. It seems like I have been fettling this clock since I rebuilt it at chez moi. Anyway, I now think I got it running as accurately and reliably as I am able. So the only fettling now is to wind it up each am.

Well done. I rebuilt one ~30 years ago after my sister'sig Alsatian tried to get between it and the wall.  The bearings were worn, though, and since they'd already been tightened down untold years ago the brass is too thin now to do it again, so it stops after a couple of hours.  Ours is early 19th-century, to judge from the pic of an English man-of-war lambasting a vessel labelled Le Frog.
My clock is circa 1775, I'm told. Works well for 250 yrs old. One of the pivots needs re-bushing, I may get a quote when I'm feeling flush. It has been a very interesting project. I would like to look more into how. What sort of tools did a clockmaker have in those times.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 February, 2021, 09:30:38 pm
Simple fettle yesterday.

Our 14 year old freezer suddenly struggled to hold anything lower than -11C a week ago. Balls. We fired up a local eBay cheapy (£20) as a temporary stand-in until we could either fix or replace the existing unit.

Dreading the prospect of yet another domestic appliance ordeal, I started on the Google route to see what the cause might be.

First hit; turn it off, wait 24 hours (for the accumulated ice to thaw out), switch back on, and all will be good.

And lo, it was.

It hasn't missed a beat in about 15 years and that's the first time it's needed a proper defrost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 08 February, 2021, 11:36:50 pm
As my Alfine hub needs a service on the Surly, I fitted the spare (fixed) wheel and shortened the chain a bit ready for another snowy ride tomorrow.

Now to buy some oil.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 09 February, 2021, 08:00:12 am
Quote from: Deano on 08 February, 2021, 11:36:50 pm
As my Alfine hub needs a service on the Surly, I fitted the spare (fixed) wheel and shortened the chain a bit ready for another snowy ride tomorrow.

Now to buy some oil.

I assume it's 11 speed? Everybody says grease for Alfine 8 - oil will just leak onto the brake disc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 10 February, 2021, 01:50:45 pm
A while ago I noticed the oven was burning (the top of) food and the orange light was never going out.

I assumed dodgy thermostat but last night it finally clicked that the bottom element is dead. Took the back off for a closer look and the insulation on the wires running down to the bottom has melted off into nothing. The element itself is also dead.

It's such a cheap crap landlord-grade oven* that I can't be arsed fettling it further.

(* complete with clockwork timer that doesn't run half the time you wind it up, and when it does it rings at four minutes to go)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 10 February, 2021, 07:33:16 pm
Minimal fettlage but still an achievement. One of the dangly flower baskets by our front door was nicked a few months ago and D bought a replacement from B&Q today.
Chains all appeared of equal length, allowing basket to hang evenly at time of purchase but WOE! seemed to have become uneven on emerging from pannier.

D faffed, fretted and panicked for several minutes, before returning crestfallen.

I told him I'd sort it, given a chance. He didn't believe I could.

But I did in less than half a minute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 February, 2021, 10:03:05 pm
This is another one of those cable-uncoiling problems, isn't it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 10 February, 2021, 11:51:44 pm
Minimal uncoiling.
Ability to fix situation PDQ result of youth misspent on metal puzzles and the like.

Education and experience are never wasted...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 12 February, 2021, 07:21:28 pm
My Zwift bike.

Have replaced chain rings, cassette, chain, cleaned and re-oiled everything that moves but was then having indexed gear problems - imprecise shifting. I decided to replace the cables although they seemed OK.

However on looking at the BB cable guides which are cast-in I found them gunged up with grot and stopping smooth-running cables. Cleaned and oiled, no more shift problems, no need to re-cable.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 12 February, 2021, 11:17:02 pm
How are the brakes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 13 February, 2021, 12:05:04 pm
Next on the list.  Had a very scary moment descending the Volcano.  And then there was the runner in the middle of the road, the dickhead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 13 February, 2021, 05:38:13 pm
I’m fettling a floor. Various works have resulted in Frankenstein floorboards upstairs. Rocking, creaking, bowing, horror show.

It’s coming along but like all things that you only do once (or twice, if left long enough to forget how hard it was the first time), slowly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 13 February, 2021, 05:52:33 pm
Been trying to seal draughts in my ancient windows and front door. Have had some success, but got very cold in the process!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 13 February, 2021, 07:03:17 pm
It's excellent weather for tracking and tracing draughts. Our kitchen is dreadful. The tiled floor stops just under the plinths leaving bare, gappy floorboards. Howling draughts when plinths are removed. It's the final frontier for draught stopping.

Luckily the temperature goes up with a bump next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 February, 2021, 07:51:26 pm
Got around to sorting out the garage so I can get all the bikes in and out with only a bit of shuffling rather than moving mountains of junk. Prompted by the possible resumption of British Cycling races in a couple of months time; my Pan European hasn't been used since last summer and was buried behind other bikes and bicycles. It needs a little TLC and an MOT, plus get some miles on it to get comfy and iron out any issues, before we do a team refresher and start racing again.

Put on a new battery - I've no idea how old the last one was that refused to accept charge when I was topping up all the other bikes, but I've had it for five years and not changed it so I can't complain. Pans are supposed to be hard on their batteries as they are small for a big machine, I've put exactly the same type of Yuasa in that came out, so hopefully that'll last as long.

Fired up first time, running sweetly. Now need to go over it all and probably shove on a new front tyre so I don't have worry about it mid-season prior to getting an.MOT. Can't wait to be back out racing again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 13 February, 2021, 08:37:22 pm
Quote from: asterix on 13 February, 2021, 07:03:17 pm
It's excellent weather for tracking and tracing draughts. Our kitchen is dreadful. The tiled floor stops just under the plinths leaving bare, gappy floorboards. Howling draughts when plinths are removed. It's the final frontier for draught stopping.

Luckily the temperature goes up with a bump next week.

My kitchen has just had its end wall exposed on the outside with the destruction of an old shed. It's in a right state, and explains why there's a howling draught under the units - there's hardly any pointing in the brickwork! It's going to be a delicate - and probably expensive - operation to repoint it. In fact, looking at the lack of any logical bond (and this wall holds a non-functioning chimney) it'll be a rebuild, not a repoint. Pictures are available in the WFH thread!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 13 February, 2021, 11:03:18 pm
Not today, but tomorrow. Breadmaker is making horrible clunking noises. Could be a knackered drive belt (which I have spare) or possibly a gearbox. All to be revealed. (And during the production of tonight's pizza dough one of the drive lugs broke off, so that's a least one more part that needs ordering. That'll teach me to put one and a half times too much in the pan.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 February, 2021, 12:24:55 am
This Unit was determined to finish by close of play on the 13th the outsize game mod it’s been working on since shortly before the the Tour de France and managed it with ninety minutes to spare.  w00t :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 February, 2021, 09:52:23 am
Replaced a dud light bulb that's been niggling me for the last 20-odd years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 14 February, 2021, 12:14:57 pm
Quote from: grams on 10 February, 2021, 01:50:45 pm
Took the back off for a closer look and the insulation on the wires running down to the bottom has melted off into nothing. The element itself is also dead.

It's such a cheap crap landlord-grade oven* that I can't be arsed fettling it further.

I realised just after posting this that I'd gutted the electronicals from my last coffee maker, and that included a pair of pre-crimped spade connectors on fibreglass wire that were perfect for the job of repairing the oven wiring, so cheapskatery got the better of me.

Installing the new element required forcing it into a horrible flimsy heat distorted slot from the back. There are all sorts of tabs that are meant to press it upwards against the floor of the oven that I'd bent while yanking the old one out.

Eventually I gave up and turned the oven face down - releasing all of the carbonised schmoo - to take the bottom off. But that didn't help because the thermal insulation is one big piece wrapped round the outside.

This thing was never meant to be repaired. I still want a new oven.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 February, 2021, 01:43:58 pm
You have a clear conscience now though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 14 February, 2021, 02:01:50 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 14 February, 2021, 01:43:58 pm
You have a clear conscience now though.

No, now I can't bin it until the time I won't feel guilty about the £16.99 the new element cost, and who knows when that will be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 14 February, 2021, 09:04:29 pm
Walking the dog today inspecting the usual worthless clearout junk on people's front walls (inevitable knackered bike wheels) I noticed something more interesting.. a brand new Xbox Series X controller, in box! Those only came out in late 2020*.

I knew something was up because some of the trim was missing and the secret screw behind the label in the battery compartment was on show. I managed to connect it to my Apple TV (the nearest thing to a modern console in this house) and, yep, it behaved as if the down arrow was being held down. You could just about use the thing by holding the up arrow and operating the joystick (that's what they're called, right?), so worth persevering.

Dismantling it revealed it has four vibratey motors (four!) two of them in the shoulder buttons (shoulder buttons! didn't have those in my day) all on spindley soldered wires and inevitably the membrane for the D-pad was right at the bottom of the stack, and meant removing lots of tiny Torx screws and two of those awful tiny surface mount coax cables.

But a small amount of peeling and scraping bevarage-related yuk later, one working Xbox controller.

Of course it doesn't work with Zwift, because Zwift hates accessibility.

(* yet it still uses non-rechargeable AA batteries. Maybe there's an eTrex user in charge)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2021, 09:15:56 pm
Pop-riveted the button back onto barakta's jeans.  While she was wearing them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 14 February, 2021, 09:30:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 February, 2021, 09:15:56 pm
Pop-riveted the button back onto barakta's jeans.  While she was wearing them.

On that very subject, I've had to purchase an eyelet punch, to let me crimp eyelets through ski skins!
( These are things like cat-hair that can be stroked in one direction, but not the other. So a skinned cat can be used on skis to go uphill, but not down. )

I bought some generic skins ( They are quite expensive ) for junior, who had bought some generic used skis.
Since they are not ski-specific, they need cut to size to fit the ski.

To adjust the length, you need to cut the skin, then fit the tail using the supplied eyelets.
Which requires a 4mm punch, which I'd not realised at the time. Bah.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 14 February, 2021, 10:03:26 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 14 February, 2021, 09:30:42 pm
I've had to purchase an eyelet punch, to let me crimp eyelets through ski skins!
Coincidentally, I've been eyelet fettling today.

I've got an old pair of decent Brasher walking shoes (which I've been using recently because they take thick, warm socks!), but which suffer from absurdly small lace holes, necessitating thin laces which are neither durable nor easy to tie, particularly with cold fingers. The holes in the leather are backed on one side by brass eyelets, some of which are partly constricted with leather.  Using a 3mm drill I was able to enlarge the holes a tiny bit so that they will now take a stouter lace. I did dislodge one eyelet in the process, but it stuck back nicely with the help of some strong glue.  Altogether a very satisfactory fettle.

Also, checking the bike over, I dug out the remains of a thorn which was working its way through my rear tyre.  If it hadn't been such a freezing, windy day I'd probably have ridden the bike . . . and maybe had a visit from the fairy!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 14 February, 2021, 10:38:17 pm
Painted a new window frame to be installed as a borrowed light in our gloomy hall. I must say I am impressed as to how water based paints have come on in recent years. (I have not undertaken such labour recently, retirement is such hard work).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 February, 2021, 10:42:23 pm
A borrowed light?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 14 February, 2021, 10:44:02 pm
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borrowed%20light
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 February, 2021, 10:45:54 pm
Ah, you're knocking a hole in a wall? I thought about doing that over the bathroom door...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 14 February, 2021, 10:52:09 pm
Aye. From bedrooms as it happens but privacy is maintained due to staircase together with siting of windows at high level and if considered absolutely necessary (i.e. wife doesn't like it) vertical or venetian blinds can be installed later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 15 February, 2021, 07:40:10 am
Quote from: Feanor on 14 February, 2021, 09:30:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 February, 2021, 09:15:56 pm
Pop-riveted the button back onto barakta's jeans.  While she was wearing them.

On that very subject, I've had to purchase an eyelet punch, to let me crimp eyelets through ski skins!
( These are things like cat-hair that can be stroked in one direction, but not the other. So a skinned cat can be used on skis to go uphill, but not down. )

I bought some generic skins ( They are quite expensive ) for junior, who had bought some generic used skis.
Since they are not ski-specific, they need cut to size to fit the ski.

To adjust the length, you need to cut the skin, then fit the tail using the supplied eyelets.
Which requires a 4mm punch, which I'd not realised at the time. Bah.

I wont bother to put it in the "Wot I lernd today" thread but I had to look up what ski skins were - my skiing had been limited to being towed along on water by a speedboat
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 15 February, 2021, 07:44:13 am
Quote from: robgul on 08 February, 2021, 07:26:41 pm
Commenced work on a Tiki Bar for our neighbourhood group as and when social mixing and drinking may be permitted - timber used consists of parts of a wooden bed-frame, pallets, plywood and other bits and pieces . .  it's on wheels so can be shared amongst about 10 houses.

Tomorrow's task is to make the thin plywood letters for the sign - using my band and scroll saws.

The bar is now complete - "launched" yesterday and then stored ready for when we can use it . . . at least the prospect of use brightened up our boring and depressing days.
(https://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk/images/z-Beewee-pix/tiki-bar.jpeg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 February, 2021, 08:40:08 am
Does Mary know about this? :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 15 February, 2021, 08:48:26 am
I love the hat! Such optimism.
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 15 February, 2021, 09:04:49 am
Quote from: Canardly on 15 February, 2021, 08:40:08 am
Does Mary know about this? :)

We live on the lower slopes of a road that has Mary in the name . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 15 February, 2021, 09:07:30 am
Quote from: Paul on 15 February, 2021, 08:48:26 am
I love the hat! Such optimism.
 :thumbsup:

That hat is veteran of every holiday I've had since 1994  . . . . I was going to wear the Hawaiian (actually bought in San Diego) shirt for the occasion but thought the better of it.

EDIT - just realised my avatar is wearing the shirt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 February, 2021, 09:55:19 am
The tap cartridges arrived from Tap Magician (not sure what's magic about them).  Subtly different but fitted fine.  No drips now.

Pretty poor life from the originals - they were playing up after 4 years.  The cheap Beta bathroom taps have been impeccable for far longer.  I am generally not impressed with Howdens quality.  The builder who fitted the kitchen says he prefers B&Q trade now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 February, 2021, 02:28:29 pm
Using a two stroke disc cutter, which is of course the jbex of stan, the poxy thing failed to start even more than normal after a longish bout of Working Quite Well. A smattering of pulling the bloody cord, Bad Swears and thrreats were to no avail so I flipped the cover off to have peek at the spark plug. Which was sort of nestling, in a not screwed in at all way, in the hole in the cylinder head. Screwed it back in, still didn't start. Removed plug and gazed in wonder at the tiny, like almost touching, gap. Applied the pointy end of a screwdriver to get to a more reasonable thirty thou and huzzah! it sprang into life.

phear mi l33t two stroke fixing skillz.

Then 10 minutes later it cut out again. Yes, the head has stripped which is why the plug wasn't screwed in.

Arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 February, 2021, 09:27:42 pm
Tidied some electrics put in by an electrician not long ago. . The 13 amp supply led through the cavity wall to a double socket then back through the wall to an external junction box then back through the wall again to another junction box that used to be a 30 amp cooker point from which it went down behind the cooker, under the floor to re-emerge as a supply to a spur socket for the cooker and the dishwasher.  The supply now only passes once through the wall and there are no superfluous wires or junction boxes.  We recently had another electrician in to look at it. He scratched his head in a puzzled fashion before saying he would want £534 to wire in our new cooker. Now it'll be a lot simpler but he will probably still charge the same.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2021, 03:12:10 pm
A cheapo YBN 3/32” chain replaced the wornout Sachs bitsa chain on my fixed. Charged the tailight batteries and swapped out the sagged-out Lepper Tourer saddle in favour of a Spa B17-alike. That won’t break in excessively for quite a while, I expect.

Replaced the corroded gear cable casings on HK’s Kinesis and the corresponding inner cables. Took the opportunity to fit a front barrel adjustor. I love internal cable routing...

For once, I have caught the Kinesis’ chain at barely 0.75% wear, so not replacing the cassette might be ok. We’ll find out the next time HK takes it for a spin.

Red bar tape doesn’t match the blue and black bike but it was that or pink, which tends to get too dirty on a workaday bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 20 February, 2021, 06:58:05 pm
I finally got round to re-fettling the bench grinder back onto its support (there's a sub-thread somewhere listing my woes with it). Managed to use the polisher attachment for about an hour and it all seems to be OK at the moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 February, 2021, 07:42:01 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2021, 03:12:10 pm
A cheapo YBN 3/32” chain replaced the wornout Sachs bitsa chain on my fixed. Charged the tailight batteries and swapped out the sagged-out Lepper Tourer saddle in favour of a Spa B17-alike. That won’t break in excessively for quite a while, I expect.

Replaced the corroded gear cable casings on HK’s Kinesis and the corresponding inner cables. Took the opportunity to fit a front barrel adjustor. I love internal cable routing...

For once, I have caught the Kinesis’ chain at barely 0.75% wear, so not replacing the cassette might be ok. We’ll find out the next time HK takes it for a spin.

Red bar tape doesn’t match the blue and black bike but it was that or pink, which tends to get too dirty on a workaday bike.

Yep - really good fun!  I now have a number of lengths of the inner tube part of outer cable (i.e. the thin plastic tube) ready to deploy for cable changes .... great as long as a) the cable doesn't fray and break inside the frame ... or, b) you forget and just pull all the cable out . . . then it's a fishing exercise with a hooked spoke.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 February, 2021, 07:51:59 pm
Re-asssembled bread machine today to be confronted with a 'Temperature sensor error' error code.

Balls.

New circuit board ordered (I can see where I've knackered the board by pulling too hard on one of the cables).

Balls balls balls.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 February, 2021, 07:54:34 pm
On the positive side of things I did get Mrs h's front mech working perfectly after it seized up with all the crud that's been on the roads of late. Makes me really appreciate the wonder that is mudguards (which I have fitted on my bike).

The difference in crap quotient between the two bikes is significant. Even when Mrs h's has long race blades on there's still crud everywhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 20 February, 2021, 07:58:55 pm
Molished a small bird feeder table from a plastic bucket that mealworms came in. The collared doves seem quite happy with it  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 February, 2021, 10:20:12 pm
Fixed a cheapo battery tailight which makes up for ditching another cheapo taillight a couple of days ago where a battery contact was cracking through.

The Keo pedals on HK’s Kinesis are rattling like mad things. Time to investigate Look bearing replacement options or to swap back to SPDs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 February, 2021, 05:49:10 pm
50inch plasma tv has a bit of sparkling, so took back off and clipped and unclipped everything and put it back together.  Sparkles gone but now have a dark strip across the top.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 21 February, 2021, 07:19:52 pm
Quote from: asterix on 30 December, 2020, 04:26:04 pm
Fixed a flat.

The presta valve widget broke somehow, maybe when I disconnected the pump.  All was ok until I needed to put more air in and then the valve seized its chance and let all the air out again very fast.

So I just had to ditch an otherwise good inner tube and replace.

I am going to look at going tubeless.

Having put in a new tube, ridden it once, it was flat again next time I looked.. >:(

Due to lockdown and crappy weather I left it flat till today.  The new tube was definitely punctured and when I checked inside the tyre found a tiny bit of wire sticking out that had pierced the tube.  I guess it had been there a long time.  All fixed now ready for post-lockdown use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 February, 2021, 07:36:41 pm
Continuing the slow time fettling on the Pan European big bike to get it ready for MOT and (hopefully) resumption of BC racing. It'd probably pass an MOT anyway, but I want to get anything that is likely to need replacing this season done now rather than stress about fixing it at a time when I need it to be running, and I'd rather everything be 100% when riding hard amongst the cyclists.

Cleaned up the front brake calipers before temporarily refitting them with the front wheel, which has just had a new tyre fitted.
Pulled the back wheel off (bit of a pain on these as you need to remove the rear mudguard to be able to get the wheel out and displace one of the exhaust pipes to be able to pull the axle out - a bit of a rubbish design as it's only a few mm it needs to move - I know some people just put a dent in the bottom of the end can to give enough room).
Gave the rear caliper a good clean, then replaced the brake disk and reassembled with new pads.

It's always a worry replacing brake disks, especially on an older bike. Sometimes it's fine (like this was), sometimes you can end up shearing off bolts - heat and an impact gun help there. This time I was lucky and it all came apart easily without resorting to power tools and flames. Still had some aluminium corrosion to deal with and general clean up of bits that are awkward to get to when there is a disk in place, then retap all the threads to be sure they are good before reassembly. That should be the back end sorted now.

Got the two front disks and pads to do still.

I had been intending to redo the brake disks as the pads wore out, but 2020 happened and I didn't do much mileage before the MOT expired, and at that point I couldn't sort it out or get it to the MOT station (irritatingly my MOT expired two days after the 6 month extension thing stopped).

The size of the disks on this machine are impressive; even the rear is much bigger and heavier than some car ones I've had.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 21 February, 2021, 07:38:22 pm
Retaped tubeless rim and refitted valve, after 5.5 years of use. Once finished, and remounted tyre with new sealant, and inflated noticed a really loose spoke. 

Arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 21 February, 2021, 07:56:34 pm
Seem to have spent most of my weekend bleeding the rear brake of the nice bike. Despite following the official Shimano procedure carefully, and being 100% convinced there is no air in the hose, I just couldn't get the brake performing noticeably any better. It's so frustrating. Checked the pads and disc for wear and they're all fine.

Did the front brake while I was at it and as a vindication of my technique, that is now performing very nicely indeed. Beginning to suspect a fault somewhere in the rear brake.

I wonder if it might be related to the bleed port screw on the brake lever - the 2.5mm hex fitting was rounded off so I hacksawed a notch in the top so I could use a screwdriver to get it out.

Anyway, got it to a point where I was happy it was working well enough to go out for a ride, which I did, and my brakes were put to the test when I rounded a sharp bend on a descent to find a parked van on my side of the road and a ruddy great agricultural vehicle coming the other way...  :o


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 February, 2021, 08:05:52 pm
Rears never get as good a feel as fronts, it’s the length of hose involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 21 February, 2021, 08:12:17 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 21 February, 2021, 08:05:52 pm
Rears never get as good a feel as fronts, it’s the length of hose involved.

Sure, but it has in the past been better than it is right now.

It's working well enough though, so I've decided to just stop mucking around with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 February, 2021, 08:49:46 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 21 February, 2021, 05:49:10 pm
50inch plasma tv has a bit of sparkling, so took back off and clipped and unclipped everything and put it back together.  Sparkles gone but now have a dark strip across the top.

Right, I left a ribbon the screen unclip, re clipped and fine.

Sparkle free.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 21 February, 2021, 08:57:06 pm
Forgot to add, while I was working my bike this morning, a robin came down and sat on the handlebars. Didn’t manage to get my phone out in time to take a pic though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 February, 2021, 09:01:41 am
Sprayed the inside of the Merckx frame with Dynax S50 rustproofing wax (except the seatstays, which are inaccessible).  One of the many nice things about these frames is that the internal rear brake cable routing is through a guide tube, so no rustproofer drips out in hot weather weeks later and there is no faffage when installing the cable.

Later today: headset, forks, bar/stem and BB.  The BB is a traditional Dura-Ace cup and cone job (I have a UN55 of the same length but apparently DA tapers were a bit odd and 7402 cranks may give the wrong chainline except on a BB-7400).  These BBs are time-consuming to install as the RH cup needs to go in with threadlock (Italian thread) and the seals can be rather tight, making adjustment tricky.  The best technique is to fit the RH crank for leverage and go just beyond the point where it is impossible to produce any rocking in the bearing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 22 February, 2021, 12:34:53 pm
Tilted the front of the Selle San Marco Classic Rolls Saddle down ever so slightly. I now feel more locked
into my riding position. I think I'll do the same on my other two bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 February, 2021, 10:04:06 am
The Merckx is built up and just needs some polish and bar tape.  Curiously, it weighs only half a pound more than Olaf Ludwig's Titane team bike of the same vintage, although his frame was half an inch bigger.  And mine has wired-on tyres, conventional wheels and a Nitto steel stem (necessary to get oversize bars, which I find noticeably stiffer when climbing).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 24 February, 2021, 11:17:27 am
Ripped up the kitchen floor. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 26 February, 2021, 02:13:02 pm
Hopefully fettled the commuter bike's Alfine 8-gears-in-a-can, and a new chain.

I've just come in for a spot of lunch, after wrestling with the 'Snap-ring from Helllll'  >:( , before taking it for a test ride...

The drive-train had been making grinding noises under power, and felt very 'draggy', but the hub looked good inside, so I'm hoping a regrease, new chain and cleaned sprockets and jockey wheels (It has a chain tensioner) will improve matters.

Edit - I hadn't quite got the brake-side cones adjusted right, which are a pain - you can't get to the cones with the centre-lock brake retainer on, and you can't use the tool to tighten or loosen the centre-lock with the cone lock-nut in place (or maybe they make a tool with deeper recess?).  >:( >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 February, 2021, 04:50:25 pm
Re-routed the electrics.  When we had the consumer unit put in the electrician took the cable out through the back wall into the garage, up to the ceiling along over the back door down to work surface height, through the wall into a plug socket.  All in black trunking with lots of 90 degree bends.  It looked dreadful and was very in the way.

The cable now leads down under the floor then back up behind the unit to the plug socket, quite invisible and safe from knocks.  I have saved at least 3m of cable too.  When they put the new cooker supply in they can use my floor access hatches for that as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 February, 2021, 05:36:54 pm
Removed the front wheel of my Domane, and Peeled off the two flimsy strips of not-very-sticky sticky tape that Bontrager see fit to “stick” over the bridge rivets on the inside of their mudguards, which rapidly come loose and continuously rub on the tyre like a stuck leaf making a VERY irritating noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 February, 2021, 08:51:03 pm
The men fitted new kitchen worktops this morning and I followed along after them to plumb in the new tap/ sink waste pipes etc - all looks pretty neat having found a very clever "waste-pipe manifold" that accommodates 2 sink wastes (it'll actually do 3) + dishwasher (and if necessary a washing machine - ours is in a separate room so that was blanked off).  Isolating valves all round to make life simple.

Next task is to make some slide-out drawer/trays for all the bottles and stuff that are kept under the sink  (the idea cribbed from Brad at Fix This Build That on YouTube).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 February, 2021, 09:54:21 pm
Dug over the upper 50 acres in preparation for a bit of bean, spud and tomato growing later in the year. Found an itinerant beetroot still growing, so I scoffed that with my dinner.

Cleaned many inches of grime, skog and associated crud off the Shopping Bike.

Swapped the spiky tyres off said Shopping Bike in favour of normil ones. I did get one go of snowy fun on them a couple of weeks back, so my optimism wasn't entirely misplaced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 February, 2021, 10:13:57 pm
Today. Fixed local Dr's slow puncture and adjusted the rear mudguard so it didn't rub.

Yesterday. Recabled Mrs h's front and rear shifters and aligned the rear mech hanger following our unplanned coming together last Sunday (which is still preventing me taking part in all coughing, sneezing and laughing duties).

Removed very bent spoke from my front wheel (where it caught Mrs h's rear mech).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 03 March, 2021, 09:41:48 pm
I put Marathon Supreme's 32mm on the Triban: I love those tyres.

I set about this task with trepidation, as the Triban reviews are covered in the rabid spittle of people who find the tyre change impossible and the bike brilliant, but tragically flawed by its tyres.

In the end it was MUCH easier than changing Marathon Plus tyres off, well, anything: Not easy, but with lots of patient bead working - it took a single plastic tyre lever to pop it over.

I also fit 35mm SKS long boards - in truth, these are a tad tight - but I love mudguards and I plan a longer ride this weekend.

(https://photos.komoot.de/www/1j/1jxolkytpmjcb5oeftfw2jg9y3oynpne2-p129382536-full/177f9fe923e?width=3072&height=2304&crop=&q=70)

The Triban is meant to be a stop gap bike - but I am rather smitten: It is an awesome bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 04 March, 2021, 08:21:40 pm
Lots of little jobs today:
The Triban is ready for longer rides - hurrah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 04 March, 2021, 09:01:13 pm
I changed the saddle on my old work bike. I was expecting quite a lot of messing about to get the new saddle in a similar position to the old saddle but no. Took one off, bolted the new one on and didn't need to do much at all. Just lined the saddle nose up with the mark I'd made on the crossbar and checked it was level and jobs a good 'un. Rode it today and very pleased. Took off a B17N and replaced it with an old Fizik Arione.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 04 March, 2021, 09:59:36 pm
The inlet hose of the new washing machine was leaking slightly where it joins the house plumbing. Took it off again and gave the stoptap it was going on a good scrub with scotchbrite and reattached doing it as fingertight as possible. The instructions say no using of pliers.

It was weeping slightly still though not quite enough to drip into the handily placed plastic tub. My Googling indicates this can be a sign of either under or overtightening, because of course it is  ::-)

Decided to give it another 1/8 turn with the pliers reasoning that I'm a weedy weakling wiv smol hands. A few hours later and it looks like we're ok. I'll give it overnight and another load through the machine before I take the towels out of the cupboard and put all the assorted under the kitchen cupboard stuff back.

I note that the instructions for the washing machine reckon you should turn the water feed off after every use - does anyone actually do that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 07:34:19 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 04 March, 2021, 09:59:36 pm
The inlet hose of the new washing machine was leaking slightly where it joins the house plumbing. Took it off again and gave the stoptap it was going on a good scrub with scotchbrite and reattached doing it as fingertight as possible. The instructions say no using of pliers.

It was weeping slightly still though not quite enough to drip into the handily placed plastic tub. My Googling indicates this can be a sign of either under or overtightening, because of course it is  ::-)

Decided to give it another 1/8 turn with the pliers reasoning that I'm a weedy weakling wiv smol hands. A few hours later and it looks like we're ok. I'll give it overnight and another load through the machine before I take the towels out of the cupboard and put all the assorted under the kitchen cupboard stuff back.

I note that the instructions for the washing machine reckon you should turn the water feed off after every use - does anyone actually do that?

The feed hose will have a rubber washer* inside the plastic "nut" - replace that, it may have hardened and not compress to make a good seal on the isolating valve . . .  and I can't imagine anyone scrabbling under the sink to switch off the water after each wash!

* it may be a washer with a gauze filter too - in my view the gauze isn't necessary, just a good rubber washer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 05 March, 2021, 10:38:59 am
It's a brand new hose so I'm assuming the washer is ok, then again I don't know how long it's been sitting before I bought it.

I may buy a new washer but then you don't know how long that's been on the shelf either.

I'll check it again in a minute but it appeared that my little extra tighten with the pliers did the trick yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:19:10 pm
It's normal to need a tool to tighten washing machine hoses properly.  The instructions were presumably written by a man.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

Last week I had to fit all new waste stuff to a new double sink, tap (with 3rd lever filter) and dishwasher connectors.   I'm a man wih quite big hands but still needed to nip all the plastic fittings up with a pair of pump pliers to get them all to seal.

PS: I did manage to avoid the age-old trick of removing the old u-bend and then tipping the water down the sink   :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 05 March, 2021, 12:56:11 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
... I did manage to avoid the age-old trick of removing the old u-bend and then tipping the water down the sink   :thumbsup:

I recall watching with hilarious amusement that being done once.  Chap removes trap, stands, pours into sink.  Fortunately he had a bowl in place already for the trap removal so it was not messy!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:46:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

We had a similar gadget and it was useless - threw it away - a rubber glove works just as well.    What I had in mind was something like one of those open-ended Shimano bottom bracket spanners wih the internal splines - something like this but without the pre-load cog.

(https://www.wigglestatic.com/product-media/100224080/LifeLine-BB-Tool-HT-II-Spanner-Fitting-Bottom-Bracket-Tools-2016-LL-BBTHII-SF.jpg?w=430&h=430&a=7)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:47:43 pm
Quote from: Polar Bear on 05 March, 2021, 12:56:11 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
... I did manage to avoid the age-old trick of removing the old u-bend and then tipping the water down the sink   :thumbsup:

I recall watching with hilarious amusement that being done once.  Chap removes trap, stands, pours into sink.  Fortunately he had a bowl in place already for the trap removal so it was not messy!

I've done it, without the bucket, at least 3 times in living memory!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 01:51:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:46:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

We had a similar gadget and it was useless - threw it away - a rubber glove works just as well.

For jars the limiting factor is usually grip, rather than hand strength.  If your hand strength is limited, you need leverage too.

I don't bother with the strap thing for jars, because I just need a grippy glove (we have a set of builder's gloves that live in the kitchen drawer for the purpose).  Barakta generally gets me to do it, or resorts to other jar-opening techniques such as applying heat in my absence.

The strap thing lives in the toolbox with the plumbing tools, as while it's pointless for jars, it's just the thing for washing machine hoses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 05 March, 2021, 01:58:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 01:51:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:46:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

We had a similar gadget and it was useless - threw it away - a rubber glove works just as well.

For jars the limiting factor is usually grip, rather than hand strength.  If your hand strength is limited, you need leverage too.

I don't bother with the strap thing for jars, because I just need a grippy glove (we have a set of builder's gloves that live in the kitchen draw for the purpose).  Barakta generally gets me to do it, or resorts to other jar-opening techniques such as applying heat in my absence.

The strap thing lives in the toolbox with the plumbing tools, as while it's pointless for jars, it's just the thing for washing machine hoses.
A flat bladed screw driver inserted under the rim of the lid and then twisted in order to allow air into the vacuum in the jar, usually renders it easily openable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 05 March, 2021, 02:03:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

Yes, excellent things for plastic fittings (and getting jar lids off!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 05 March, 2021, 02:15:59 pm
I've fettled my mower into being a new one!  Spurred on by those youtube videos of fitting new chassis under 2CVs, landrovers, etc., I bought a new deck/chassis/whatever for Rhonda the Honda.  Its 16 years old, and the fancy OHC engine is perfect, but there were bloody great rust holes in the deck, so I bought a new one, and disassembled it and rebuilt it on the new one.  Worst bit of it?  Working out where the forward drive belt tensioner spring went, 'cos when it came off, it did so in a typically pingfuckit manner, and I failed to grasp where the other end went.  It works fine now. 

Shit, this means I need to mow the lawn...

Next fettling, bathroom toilet seat.  Its taken well over a year for Armitage Shanks to confirm what model of seat goes on the pan in question, as it had been fitted from new, with a crap B&Q softclose one, which I've already epoxied together once.  Come on, delivery bloke, you're supposed to be delivering it today, I need a reason to stop fighting Fusion360 and do another spanner job.  I'm hoping that as this is a specific seat for the pan, it won't be infinitely adjustable so it equally doesn't fit any pan...  Obviusly the new one is softclose too, as once you get used to them, you can't go back.  The house has two toilets, both refitted by B&Q in 2017, so why are they two different makes?  The shower room one is Ideal Standard, and nicer, even if the seat does take 30 seconds to close.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 02:17:27 pm
I have one of those boa constrictor things and quite like it. Though I have found that the technique of turning the jar upside down and giving it a firm tap onto the chopping board also works quite well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 05 March, 2021, 02:34:15 pm
the radiator in the bedroom works again.

the pin in the thermostat was stuck
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 05 March, 2021, 02:37:07 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 05 March, 2021, 02:03:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

Yes, excellent things for plastic fittings (and getting jar lids off!)

I've got one of them but I got it to deal with low pressure plastic large diameter plumbing couplings.  Probably from a DIY shop

It has proved useful in many different cases, ie Alfine hub disassembly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 05 March, 2021, 03:52:51 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 02:17:27 pm
I have one of those boa constrictor things and quite like it. Though I have found that the technique of turning the jar upside down and giving it a firm tap onto the chopping board also works quite well.
My bold.
I once did this with a 5L tin of white gloss paint, in order to seal it rather than open it.
On my (then) FIL's hall carpet.
It didn't work.
ETA - I was young.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 04:15:35 pm
Oops!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 04:24:17 pm
Painted the bedroom ceiling.
Used the remains of the paint in the roller tray to touch up a couple of grubby bits in the kitchen - that went better than I expected :)
Received a GBFO ladder from HSS hire. Climbed up said ladder with a can of expanding foam to fill the massive hole in our wall in the hope it helps the inner wall get less mouldy.
Got to the top of the ladder, decided I couldn't do a combination of a)being there and b)actually doing something.
Climbed back down the ladder and let Pingu do it.
Cleared up all the extra bits of foam that fell out of the vent.
Hoovered the dust magnet that is our bedroom light shade before putting it back up while teetering on the bed.
Took some water and a scrubbing brush to our stair railings to remove all the dust from last week's works to replace our entrance platform.
Had a 2nd shower and cleaned the cabinet while I was in there.
Bloody knackered now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 March, 2021, 06:29:31 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 04:24:17 pm
Painted the bedroom ceiling.
Used the remains of the paint in the roller tray to touch up a couple of grubby bits in the kitchen - that went better than I expected :)
Received a GBFO ladder from HSS hire. Climbed up said ladder with a can of expanding foam to fill the massive hole in our wall in the hope it helps the inner wall get less mouldy.
Got to the top of the ladder, decided I couldn't do a combination of a)being there and b)actually doing something.
Climbed back down the ladder and let Pingu do it.
Cleared up all the extra bits of foam that fell out of the vent.
Hoovered the dust magnet that is our bedroom light shade before putting it back up while teetering on the bed.
Took some water and a scrubbing brush to our stair railings to remove all the dust from last week's works to replace our entrance platform.
Had a 2nd shower and cleaned the cabinet while I was in there.
Bloody knackered now.

Just as I predicted  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 07:09:12 pm
I wanted to do it, on account of being a control freak, but, I could not, cos once up there I was only able to do a lot of breathing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 07:33:51 pm
Finally finished making a couple of glass (actually perspex) cases for some car models my brother has - they're big scale so cases are 70cm long.   Much routing and creating mouldings was required, together with green baize underside of the base.

(https://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk/images/z-Beewee-pix/glass-caseRFG.jpg)

Two plaques for the models' nameplates
(https://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk/images/z-Beewee-pix/case-labels.jpg)

.... this was earlier work in progress
(https://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk/images/z-Beewee-pix/glass-case-oct20.jpg)

He obviously can't come to collect them at the moment - but when he does he's coming in his 1952 Citroen Traction Avant (the Maigret car) - one of the models is that car.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 05 March, 2021, 07:59:49 pm
^^ Very smart ^^
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 05 March, 2021, 08:54:18 pm
I put the 28mm tyres back on the Triban - the mudguard clearance was just a tad too tight for the crap we normally find on winter country roads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 05 March, 2021, 09:00:08 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 05 March, 2021, 01:58:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 01:51:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:46:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

We had a similar gadget and it was useless - threw it away - a rubber glove works just as well.

For jars the limiting factor is usually grip, rather than hand strength.  If your hand strength is limited, you need leverage too.

I don't bother with the strap thing for jars, because I just need a grippy glove (we have a set of builder's gloves that live in the kitchen draw for the purpose).  Barakta generally gets me to do it, or resorts to other jar-opening techniques such as applying heat in my absence.

The strap thing lives in the toolbox with the plumbing tools, as while it's pointless for jars, it's just the thing for washing machine hoses.
A flat bladed screw driver inserted under the rim of the lid and then twisted in order to allow air into the vacuum in the jar, usually renders it easily openable.

Often with jars, turning them upside down and smacking the bottom can pop the seal too. Failing that, hot water on the lid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 11:05:25 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 05 March, 2021, 06:29:31 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 March, 2021, 04:24:17 pm
Painted the bedroom ceiling.
Used the remains of the paint in the roller tray to touch up a couple of grubby bits in the kitchen - that went better than I expected :)
Received a GBFO ladder from HSS hire. Climbed up said ladder with a can of expanding foam to fill the massive hole in our wall in the hope it helps the inner wall get less mouldy.
Got to the top of the ladder, decided I couldn't do a combination of a)being there and b)actually doing something.
Climbed back down the ladder and let Pingu do it.
Cleared up all the extra bits of foam that fell out of the vent.
Hoovered the dust magnet that is our bedroom light shade before putting it back up while teetering on the bed.
Took some water and a scrubbing brush to our stair railings to remove all the dust from last week's works to replace our entrance platform.
Had a 2nd shower and cleaned the cabinet while I was in there.
Bloody knackered now.

Just as I predicted  ;D

Yeah, me too  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 06 March, 2021, 07:46:17 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 05 March, 2021, 09:00:08 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 05 March, 2021, 01:58:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 01:51:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:46:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

We had a similar gadget and it was useless - threw it away - a rubber glove works just as well.

For jars the limiting factor is usually grip, rather than hand strength.  If your hand strength is limited, you need leverage too.

I don't bother with the strap thing for jars, because I just need a grippy glove (we have a set of builder's gloves that live in the kitchen draw for the purpose).  Barakta generally gets me to do it, or resorts to other jar-opening techniques such as applying heat in my absence.

The strap thing lives in the toolbox with the plumbing tools, as while it's pointless for jars, it's just the thing for washing machine hoses.
A flat bladed screw driver inserted under the rim of the lid and then twisted in order to allow air into the vacuum in the jar, usually renders it easily openable.

Often with jars, turning them upside down and smacking the bottom can pop the seal too. Failing that, hot water on the lid.

I have this very clever jar that contained Scottish marmalade.

The lid looks quite ordinary but is made in two parts. A steel disc sits over the opening, held in place by the encircling screw part. Unscrewing can start without  the seal making it difficult. Then the jar opens easily.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 06 March, 2021, 08:45:44 am
Like a kilner jar? I find them the worst - I actually do need to find a flat bladed screwdriver to get at my pears.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 06 March, 2021, 09:03:08 am
(Yesterday - it was late when finished) pulled both microwave ovens from their perch to fit a s/h front panel to the Morphy Richards as the wheel thing and the start / +30 seconds button had given up. Said panel was bought a-forethought in 2017 for £6.87. The oven was free and trailered back from a friend's house in 2015.
The ancient Toshiba required another replacement (also from 2017) lamp. Very weighty appliance, the Toshiba, made in actual Japan. It even has a circuit diagram of its innards attached inside the cover. Used to belong to my mum, then us, and did a few years duty in the works canteen before coming home again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 06 March, 2021, 10:07:02 am
Quote from: fboab on 06 March, 2021, 08:45:44 am
Like a kilner jar? I find them the worst - I actually do need to find a flat bladed screwdriver to get at my pears.


Exactly my experience with one of those. Screw bit came off a treat. Had to use a screwdriver to get the lid off, and chipped the jar in the process.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 06 March, 2021, 10:43:30 am
Quote from: Jurek on 05 March, 2021, 01:58:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 01:51:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:46:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

We had a similar gadget and it was useless - threw it away - a rubber glove works just as well.

For jars the limiting factor is usually grip, rather than hand strength.  If your hand strength is limited, you need leverage too.

I don't bother with the strap thing for jars, because I just need a grippy glove (we have a set of builder's gloves that live in the kitchen draw for the purpose).  Barakta generally gets me to do it, or resorts to other jar-opening techniques such as applying heat in my absence.

The strap thing lives in the toolbox with the plumbing tools, as while it's pointless for jars, it's just the thing for washing machine hoses.
A flat bladed screw driver inserted under the rim of the lid and then twisted in order to allow air into the vacuum in the jar, usually renders it easily openable.
And if that doesn't work, Ellen Ripley has some sage words of advice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 March, 2021, 11:18:27 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 06 March, 2021, 10:43:30 am
Quote from: Jurek on 05 March, 2021, 01:58:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 01:51:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 01:46:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2021, 12:54:23 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2021, 12:51:40 pm
On the topic of plumbing with compression plastic fittings (washing machine connectors, all the sink waste stuff etc)  it seems to me that there's a need for some suitable (perhaps plastic to limit over-exuberance) spanners for tightening the stuff.

They exist:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRS-Healthcare-Constrictor-Bottle-Opener/dp/B006H4RJFM

We had a similar gadget and it was useless - threw it away - a rubber glove works just as well.

For jars the limiting factor is usually grip, rather than hand strength.  If your hand strength is limited, you need leverage too.

I don't bother with the strap thing for jars, because I just need a grippy glove (we have a set of builder's gloves that live in the kitchen draw for the purpose).  Barakta generally gets me to do it, or resorts to other jar-opening techniques such as applying heat in my absence.

The strap thing lives in the toolbox with the plumbing tools, as while it's pointless for jars, it's just the thing for washing machine hoses.
A flat bladed screw driver inserted under the rim of the lid and then twisted in order to allow air into the vacuum in the jar, usually renders it easily openable.
And if that doesn't work, Ellen Ripley has some sage words of advice.
I've pair of GlobalTM kitchen scissors, the blunt end of which has been fashioned into what I can only describe as a pair of pry bars. Other than defeating the vacuum in jars, I cannot think of another use for said pry bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 March, 2021, 12:59:39 pm
Washed my fixed (absolutely filthy, even by my standards), my trike (almost clean) and my Frezoni (pretty grotty). Charged the mudguard taillight on my fixed.

HK's Trykit needs a new chain and cassette but that can wait for another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 07 March, 2021, 04:05:29 pm
Got around to rewrapping the somewhat manky white bar tape on my Roubaix. Fittingly enough, using white tape I bought in France when I rode Paris-Roubaix with the intention of rewrapping my bars afterwards, but never did - it survived OK and felt good so I carried on riding with it.

I've got a double wrap - Specialised Bar Phat underneath, then it was Cinelli on top, now Velox as that's what was stocked by the shop my compatriots went into for supplies just before the ride. I've decided that I like it wrapped that way, but together with 46cm bars it does mean normal bar tape isn't long enough so I end up with some extra wide black tape under the tri-bar forearm rest. Looking now, it seems that extra long tape is now a thing for gravel bikes, so next time I'll investigate that.

Also put a dynohub front wheel back on it, so I can use it for commuting on dry days rather than the Audax Mk3. The Roubaix has no mudguards at the moment - they are always hard to get right due to minimal clearances. With bikepacking being a thing, it no longer looks odd to have a fast bike with luggage (SQR Tour) on it!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 09 March, 2021, 06:53:32 pm
I spent a little time reducing toe overlap on the Triban.

With cleat and mudguard shuffling it is almost there, but I think the real solution is better fitting SPD shoes. My shimano's shoes are narrow, so I wear a size longer than I need. With less empty toe space - there would be good clearance.

I also fitted a 12-36 cassette. It looks like a dinner plate, but I don't care. Those extra 4 teeth on a compact crankset will make all the difference with tired legs and a nasty hill.

Fortuitously, the Sora medium cage derailleur has plenty of clearance. It doesn't need a goat link. Hurrah.

I bought a fancy chain whip tool (https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-pro-chain-whip-pliers) - it's more like a monkey wrench with chain to grab: It is superb - I find it really hard not to twist a normal chain whip under force - and that results in blown rivets. This bad boy had the cassette off the salt encrusted Dawes wheel in no time - very impressed.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 09 March, 2021, 08:29:47 pm
Swapped the disc compatable rack off my rim brake equipped tourer onto the disc equipped tandem as my LBS only had non disc racks and needed one that would go on one of these bikes so annoyingly had to swap things about

Followed up with some swapping of seat posts and saddles to get the saddle as low as possible so the little monkey would fit

Stripped the trail gator bracket and the dolly seat of our Cnoc 16 as its been loaned out

Replaced one filter and cleaned one filter on the Dyson and used a spring out a click pen to replace the one that I lost from inside the switch that helps keep the cylinder on

Not sure how I'm gonna cope once flexi furlough ends

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 March, 2021, 10:41:27 am
Footering about with battery chargers and a recalcitrant car, but nothing works yet so nothing has been fettled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 10 March, 2021, 08:00:18 pm
Replaced the decathlon tyres with Continental GP 4 seasons. I've not used Conti before (on a bicycle) - but they are beautifully made. Fingers crossed they perform as well as they look in terms of grip, confidence, and puncture resistance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 March, 2021, 03:47:08 pm
My bars turned out to be 25.4 after all.  They just wouldn't fit into a 25.4 SR stem.  Shitty tolerances.  The stem is shaped so that it can't be spread using a wedge, too.  I hate the differences in bar diameter...all totally unnecessary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 11 March, 2021, 09:51:12 pm
Quote from: fboab on 06 March, 2021, 08:45:44 am
Like a kilner jar? I find them the worst - I actually do need to find a flat bladed screwdriver to get at my pears.

No I don't think so. The lid used the screw action to pull up the cover that is captured by lugs. I was impressed it was so easy to open so I  kept the jar and have just looked at the lid. The label is for Duerrs thick cut seville orange marmalade. I've not seen another.

Of course ease of opening means that if someone had opened it and then put it back on the shelf the subsequent purchaser could not detect that. Perhaps that is why I never saw another like it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 11 March, 2021, 10:00:58 pm
Raised the saddle on my Zwift steed. I'd been getting an ache in the front of my knee so checked against my outdoors bike: 18mm difference. Did a half hour test in Zwift 'Harrogate' - problem solved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 11 March, 2021, 10:37:00 pm
Replaced the 170mm cranks with 165mm and a 4iiii power left crank. I prefer shorter cranks - and the extra 5mm helps avoid toe overlap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 March, 2021, 01:58:00 pm
Spent the better part of the morning with shears & chainsaw clearing brambles & divers young trees out from behind the barn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 March, 2021, 04:37:23 pm
Replaced the chain and cassette on HK’s Trykit, which involves pulling and refitting both half-axles and cleaning and slathering lubricant on numerous small bits. One of the freehub bearings is a bit rumbly, so a full set of SKF replacements for freehub and axles ordered with the dodgy bearing to be replaced in a week or two.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 March, 2021, 04:46:05 pm
Reposition the PVR, Blu-Ray player and subsequently the router so's the first two don’t have a Teetering Pile of Crap books blocking the signal from the remotes.  Much undignified rolling around around on the floor swearing and juggling recalcitrant lengths of Anbaric String.  Now the shelves look All Wrong :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 March, 2021, 07:16:09 pm
Reproofed a Carradice Barley.  This is rather easy if you have a wood stove to heat the tin of wax and to help melt it into the fabric.  It is amusingly stiff now.  The bag, I mean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 15 March, 2021, 08:50:34 pm
Carried on stripping the broken Dawes.

I'm doing it slowly so I can think through what bits I would like to improve, and how.

I'm definitely going to fit modern drop bars, and STI levers - they are much more comfortable than the narrow quill bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 16 March, 2021, 11:17:52 pm
I put some wood filler in the screw holes in a sewing box (the sort where the layers open, so there’s frequent movement) that Mrs Dan has, passed on from my grandmother and originally made by my grandad. I’ll put it back together tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 17 March, 2021, 02:48:11 pm
New KMC chain on the Triban. Riding on the trainer no longer sounds like a bag of spanners.

Evidently I did something stupid, like run the new chain on a worn turbo cassette, because the bike has only done 400km since new.

There is a new cassette on both trainer and bike - so all should be good for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 17 March, 2021, 08:12:50 pm
Put some Proofide on the Brooks and tiled the kitchen floor, wall-to-wall, over a heated floor mat on insulated backing board.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 18 March, 2021, 10:31:13 pm
Failed to fettle a front wheel of an otherwise excellent "skip" bike.
4 punctures trying to get the tyre back on, rim seems unusable narrow, it seems to be branded Viking, looking on the web makes me think BSO.
Will stop trying to fettle it and send it in the way of the recycling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 19 March, 2021, 07:14:54 am
Quote from: trundle on 17 March, 2021, 02:48:11 pm
New KMC chain on the Triban. Riding on the trainer no longer sounds like a bag of spanners.

Evidently I did something stupid, like run the new chain on a worn turbo cassette, because the bike has only done 400km since new.

There is a new cassette on both trainer and bike - so all should be good for a while.

My turbo trainer has been a very useful test bed for sorting out such issues..

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 19 March, 2021, 07:28:04 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 March, 2021, 07:16:09 pm
Reproofed a Carradice Barley.  This is rather easy if you have a wood stove to heat the tin of wax and to help melt it into the fabric.  It is amusingly stiff now.  The bag, I mean.
A similar result can be achieved by smothering the Barley with Renapur™ and wiping off the excess. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 March, 2021, 07:33:03 am
Quote from: peterc on 18 March, 2021, 10:31:13 pm
Failed to fettle a front wheel of an otherwise excellent "skip" bike.
4 punctures trying to get the tyre back on, rim seems unusable narrow, it seems to be branded Viking, looking on the web makes me think BSO.
Will stop trying to fettle it and send it in the way of the recycling.

Back in the day Viking was a reasonable brand of road bike IIRC - nowadays it's the budget brand owned by an Indian bike maker (think gas-pipe).   InSynch bikes in Manchester is the UK distributor.   When I was running an LBS until about 18 months ago we had some on SOR - they were returned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 19 March, 2021, 07:47:39 am
I used to have a Viking; bought it in about 1982 as it was coming out of Saturday job earnings I couldn't quite afford a Raleigh Winner like my brother bought at the same time, which was about 10% more expensive. Otherwise pretty much identical components, weight and quality - so not fantastic (typcial Huret 10 speed setup), but a reasonable run around. Used to regularly do 100+ mile rides on it in the 80s. Rode my first dozen 200Ks on it around 2007, before the front end went really bouncy because one fork leg failed (luckily towards the end of a 50k I was doing with my son, and I limped it very gingerly to the finish). I do miss that bike, but it probably doesn't share much with the one you had.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 19 March, 2021, 08:01:33 am
Quote from: asterix on 19 March, 2021, 07:14:54 am
My turbo trainer has been a very useful test bed for sorting out such issues..

Very much this.

It also encouraged me to experiment - so I've tried a number of different cassette ratios.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 March, 2021, 05:33:37 pm
A tired Carradice Zipped Roll came from fleaBay yesterday, so I reproofed it with Barbour wax.  It's a better size than the Barley for day rides and doesn't need a Bagman - it's really rigid as it is due to the smaller size and tubular shape.  Plus it clears my rear light.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51059755992_aa0fb9cc5c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kMYAyy)20210321_143906 (https://flic.kr/p/2kMYAyy) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51059671586_e09d33e74f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kMYath)20210321_143914 (https://flic.kr/p/2kMYath) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51059756247_0f868fd45e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kMYACX)20210321_143854 (https://flic.kr/p/2kMYACX) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 March, 2021, 05:35:39 pm
I cleaned the windows today. It's a side-effect of sunshine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 21 March, 2021, 05:36:28 pm
^Nice bike Zilla!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 March, 2021, 06:08:12 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 21 March, 2021, 05:36:28 pm
^Nice bike Zilla!
I bought the frame and cranks from bikenrrd years ago.  No-one knows what it is but it is really light - lighter than 531DB.  Came with a nasty fork so Argos built another one.  A-head and a steel steerer means I can get the bars high enough - it has a huge top tube but is only a 21.5" seat tube!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 21 March, 2021, 06:20:35 pm
Grouted the kitchen floor. Not recommended as entertainment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 March, 2021, 06:56:04 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 21 March, 2021, 05:35:39 pm
I cleaned the windows today. It's a side-effect of sunshine.
I was going to clean the kitchen window (we have a window cleaner but they didn't get rid of all the dusty grot from the recent works, plus the inside is dirty) today after our ride but then I sat down and was tired, so I didn't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 22 March, 2021, 08:23:54 am
I haven't fettled the electric cable under my stairs. Used to go to storage heater which i was told hand been disconnected when we had central heating fitted years back

Had a few issues with the installation so when I needed to move the wire borrowed a live tester and it lit up as soon as I touched the cable.

Tame electrician friend will be round for beers to sort when allowed
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 22 March, 2021, 11:17:06 am
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 22 March, 2021, 08:23:54 am
I haven't fettled the electric cable under my stairs. Used to go to storage heater which i was told hand been disconnected when we had central heating fitted years back

Had a few issues with the installation so when I needed to move the wire borrowed a live tester and it lit up as soon as I touched the cable.

Tame electrician friend will be round for beers to sort when allowed

I think a few beers would explain some of the electrical work in our house.  A recent example was detected due to a burning smell when I plugged in the Henry.  I accused the Henry first but then I looked under the floorboards.. :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 22 March, 2021, 08:59:39 pm
The last shopping run had me shorting the starter solenoid to get tiny diesel started and home, then manually pulling the fuel cutoff to stop the thing. Disconcerting to take the key out and the darn lump just keeps chugging on.
So, today checked the fuses which live under the bonnet and replaced the corroded and melty one; yay fettled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 07:46:56 pm
New toilet seat now fitted.  That's a PITA to do.  I had to wedge myself upside down between the toilet pan & the wall, with my legs sticking out of the door & into the hall.   Plumbers must be flexible!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 March, 2021, 08:00:34 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 07:46:56 pm
New toilet seat now fitted.  That's a PITA to do.  I had to wedge myself upside down between the toilet pan & the wall, with my legs sticking out of the door & into the hall.   Plumbers must be flexible!

Nahh, they have apprentices.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:06:28 pm
And how does one dispose of a knackered bog seat ?  I doubt it's recycle-able & probably not the thing to go in the household waste bin. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 March, 2021, 08:10:40 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:06:28 pm
And how does one dispose of a knackered bog seat ?  I doubt it's recycle-able & probably not the thing to go in the household waste bin.

Hang it round the neck of your local problematic statue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:18:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 March, 2021, 08:10:40 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:06:28 pm
And how does one dispose of a knackered bog seat ?  I doubt it's recycle-able & probably not the thing to go in the household waste bin.

Hang it round the neck of your local problematic statue.


The nearest statue to my flat is one of a double VC winner.  I don't think it would be appropriate.  Even the students leave that alone.     I can't be bothered to cart it into town to adorn Cilla or John Lennon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 March, 2021, 09:07:43 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 March, 2021, 08:10:40 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:06:28 pm
And how does one dispose of a knackered bog seat ?  I doubt it's recycle-able & probably not the thing to go in the household waste bin.

Hang it round the neck of your local problematic statue.
Worth waiting until they put Thatcher up in Grantham?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 March, 2021, 09:08:34 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:18:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 March, 2021, 08:10:40 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:06:28 pm
And how does one dispose of a knackered bog seat ?  I doubt it's recycle-able & probably not the thing to go in the household waste bin.

Hang it round the neck of your local problematic statue.


The nearest statue to my flat is one of a double VC winner.  I don't think it would be appropriate.  Even the students leave that alone.     I can't be bothered to cart it into town to adorn Cilla or John Lennon.

Construct a life-size effigy of Bloody Stupid Johnson or Kelvin Mackenzie to hang it from?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 March, 2021, 09:23:07 am
Paint a pattern on it then fix it to a wall in the middle of town somewhere as street art.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 24 March, 2021, 10:57:17 am
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:18:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 March, 2021, 08:10:40 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:06:28 pm
And how does one dispose of a knackered bog seat ?  I doubt it's recycle-able & probably not the thing to go in the household waste bin.

Hang it round the neck of your local problematic statue.


The nearest statue to my flat is one of a double VC winner.  I don't think it would be appropriate.  Even the students leave that alone.     I can't be bothered to cart it into town to adorn Cilla or John Lennon.

Yes, you need to find a WC winner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 24 March, 2021, 03:40:46 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:18:19 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 March, 2021, 08:10:40 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 23 March, 2021, 08:06:28 pm
And how does one dispose of a knackered bog seat ?  I doubt it's recycle-able & probably not the thing to go in the household waste bin.

Hang it round the neck of your local problematic statue.


The nearest statue to my flat is one of a double VC winner.  I don't think it would be appropriate.  Even the students leave that alone.     I can't be bothered to cart it into town to adorn Cilla or John Lennon.

Your local council needs some form of award for its management of land, property and record keeping. (Incidentally back nuts on the bath taps can be a nightmare)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 March, 2021, 10:47:18 am
Cleaned & rewaxed my chain.

GN: the old wax lasted 3 months ! ! !

BN: the weather and my health have been so bloodyorrible that I only managed 274 km in that time.

BBN: rewaxing is a hell of a faff involving steeping in some kind of solvent (I used acetone), dowsing with boiling water, drying thoroughly, leaving in hot wax+PTFE for a couple of hours, hanging up (ouch fingers), wiping down, leaving overnight to cool down then macerating your thumbs freeing up every single bloody link individually.

Were I on the eve of a decent ride (BRM, PBP...) I'd use oil.

After hanging overnight it looks like this:

(https://pbase.com/image/171511396.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 25 March, 2021, 12:00:07 pm
Belt drive.  3 years, no wear, no attention.  Only on the town bike mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 25 March, 2021, 12:24:59 pm
That image looks it could have come out of a renaissance painting. "Shepherd uses new material for staff... "
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 March, 2021, 12:25:26 pm
Quote from: asterix on 25 March, 2021, 12:00:07 pm
Belt drive.  3 years, no wear, no attention.  Only on the town bike mind.

Transmission losses?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 March, 2021, 12:26:14 pm
Quote from: trundle on 25 March, 2021, 12:24:59 pm
That image looks it could have come out of a renaissance painting. "Shepherd uses new material for staff... "

Aye, it is a bit crook.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 25 March, 2021, 04:34:13 pm
I went to B&Q where I procured a circular saw, a jigsaw and two boxes of screws.

Then I came home and chopped to length and drilled holes in the slats off our old bed.

We now have slightly more of the loft boarded.

Though I did learn that one should use the vacuum attachment on the saw even if cutting outside - if you don't then the sawdust shoots out the nozzle and fills your jean's pocket up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 25 March, 2021, 06:56:12 pm
Quote from: T42 on 25 March, 2021, 12:25:26 pm
Quote from: asterix on 25 March, 2021, 12:00:07 pm
Belt drive.  3 years, no wear, no attention.  Only on the town bike mind.

Transmission losses?

Imagine how far you could ride in the time taken to wax a chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2021, 05:40:02 pm
I took down the huge pile of coats & jackets from the vestibule (1 of which we'd forgotten Pingu even had and another that we have no idea when he last wore it) and then I washed a few, and wondered why I have so many scarves. This was so that I could do some sanding in there as part of the great Pingu Towers tart up.
Took all the shoes out of the shoe tidy thing my brother built for me, only to find that a section of the wallpaper behind it was all damp and mouldy.   >:( :facepalm: FFS, I was only going to be painting the woodwork and the paper and now it's developed complications.....

Stripped the offending section of wallpaper. Went outside and peered into the funny wee gully between the dormer cheek of our door and the granite wallhead between ours and our neighbours doors. Decided there was a bit of grot in there and hoped that removing that would cure the damp issue.

Went looking in the shed for the wrong tool for the job. Came back with a slightly flexible 1m metal rule which worked a treat to get under the bottom row of slates on the cheek and remove some gunk there. Then fished it all out of the gully with a broom handle. Did the same on my neighbours side cos I was already covered in crap and I'm nice like that.

Eventually got to sanding the woodwork, hoovered, washed it all down with sugar soap. While doing that decided to get rid of the several old incandescent bulbs cluttering up the fuse box cupboard, tidied up a bag of shoe polish and some other tat.
Investigated 2 old head torches (the ones that take the GBFO battery). One was working, one was not. Both of them were all covered in battery salty stuff so I took them to bits and cleaned that out.

Having a rest now and waiting for piña colada o'clock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 March, 2021, 06:19:09 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2021, 05:40:02 pm
Investigated 2 old head torches (the ones that take the GBFO battery). One was working, one was not. Both of them were all covered in battery salty stuff so I took them to bits and cleaned that out.

I found my much-loved 1990s head torch (halogen, 4.5V lantern battery) in similar condition a couple of clear-outs ago.  It went.

(I'm keeping the 4xC-cell Maglite with LED retrofit in case I need it for hand-to-hand combat.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 March, 2021, 06:36:54 pm
One of my Petzels of that generation is now a time capsule, waiting to be discovered by future urban archeologists.

It got lost under the floorboards when I was re-wiring my first flat, 30-odd years ago.
I imagine the battery has leaked to death by now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 March, 2021, 12:27:48 am
The best thing about those head torches was going to the relevant shop and asking if they had any flat batteries.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 March, 2021, 09:52:54 am
Quote from: Feanor on 26 March, 2021, 06:36:54 pm
One of my Petzels of that generation is now a time capsule, waiting to be discovered by future urban archeologists.

It got lost under the floorboards when I was re-wiring my first flat, 30-odd years ago.
I imagine the battery has leaked to death by now.

Around 30 years ago I built a vast bookcase incorporating three window-surrounds & sills. At one point I used the spare blade for my mitre saw as a ruler.  It's still in there somewhere, along with the Inlaw Paw's 25cm steel rule.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 27 March, 2021, 10:29:02 am
When raising the huge beam that supported the hayloft in my barn conversion I found a pointed chisel in the space behind it. 

(https://i.ibb.co/BCQ6KSG/IMG-0528.jpg)

It could only have got there when the barn was built.  No one knows when that was, all the records were destroyed in the French Revolution and so the earliest map that shows it is 1810.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 March, 2021, 11:36:08 am
That chisel is starting to make me ponder whether the “railroad spike” on the shelf over there \\\\ as a souvenir of a failed ascent of Mount Lewis NV in 2003 is actually a railroad spike at all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 March, 2021, 04:31:46 pm
Swapped on some Corsa CX HPs onto HK’s Powertap and non-dyno wheelset.

Straightened the bent SQR frame and refitted it to the repaired (by Carradice) four decade old Cadet saddlebag. Ready for the next commute and eventually some brevets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 27 March, 2021, 05:29:27 pm
Gave the Roubaix SL2 a bit of TLC. For some reason Specialized didn't seem to think people would want easy routing for dynamo lighting on the S-Works machine, so I taped the cables on the inside of the fork leg, underneath the top tube and down the seat stay where the rear light is mounted. That meant the cables were hidden, rather than having ugly cable ties everywhere.
Over the last decade (! Does that mean this bike is now a classic machine?) that tape has started to peel and lost some stickiness, so I pulled it all off, gave the frame a good clean and polish, then retaped it.

Then got the rear wheel onto the truing stand as it was slightly out. Good to go again now, and with bikepacking being a thing doesn't look as odd as it did having a SQR pack hanging under the seat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 March, 2021, 09:39:21 am
Fitted the new, reassuringly expensive, handlebars to the Pino. Slid them on to the spigoty thing and reattached the tie rod (the bars are behind the stoker, the front forks are beneath the stoker's bum).

Arse. Thee new bars are of a modified design, meaning the tie rod is too long.  It's an aluminium tube, threaded at each end with swivel bearing attached. Unscrew one end and peek inside. The tuber appears to be threaded all the way down. Cut off a bit of tube and screw in swivel. Arse 2, it's not threaded all the way down.  Rummage in tool box for M8 tap. None found.

Do battle with the Screwfix webby SCIENCE, try to place a click and collect order a several of times. Fail. Bang head on desk in frustration. Do slightly less traumatic battle with Toolstation's webby SCIENCE, buy a ten quid tap and die set. Tap out hole just enough to get the swivel in the right place. Hurrah. Job done.

I also fettled some spiced teacakes.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KReq9Gwn5sjswhJBkdSsXBU8qmkNFG390qdwO1qJXbbdCsvZK84uVwHtWj5vPOTLfTUQTJbj8BzF4quxY_ks-8qGy2w10HR0ulG2XboKUZRe5vgq3rT-IPiDp_uCQk9A941KM8RvNLk=w2400)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 29 March, 2021, 12:30:03 pm
Not at my best early in the morning. I have had a visitation which only became clear when taking the road bike out for a ride today. Grrrrrrr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 29 March, 2021, 02:11:50 pm
50% fettle
50% feckin div

Replacement Sora FD arrived from Bikester in Germany. Felt quite smug because there is zero stock in the UK.

Of course German translation of bracket = braze on.

Doh!

SJS order already placed for Shimano clamp to braze on adapter - because Sora FD are rocking horse pooh at the moment.

In other news - I can now identify a braze on from a clamp FD when only given a side view picture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 March, 2021, 07:44:11 pm
Trial fitted the SA AM/AW frankenhub to the Moulton TSR.  Pretty good axle nut engagement really* - the end of the axle isn't far off the middle of the porthole.

Then did the rear pivot with the grease gun.  Spent much longer wiping up the purged ooze.

*160mm axle, 130mm spacing.  It works.  Just.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 30 March, 2021, 05:45:47 pm
The Triban is up and running again. I fitted the new front derailleur.

I also fitted a redshift shock stem to see if that stops numb fingers on long rides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 30 March, 2021, 06:55:32 pm
Two weeks ago high winds broke the rotten fence between me and nextdoor.  We pulled the panels (A set of battens and slats) and dumped them in my back yard.  My neighbour Terry, a handyman, rebuilt the fence.

Today I disassembled one of three panels.  Hard work is against my religion. Tomorrow I will separate the other two panels. I have discovered a technique.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 31 March, 2021, 09:02:20 am
Re-glued the loose leg on my bedside table.  Thinking that it was tenoned, I had been going to put a hole through the mortise from the hidden side and draw-bore it together, but when I pulled it off I found that, like love, it was splined.  I had a thing about splining back when I made it in 1994 - using loose tenons, if you will.  Anyway, there wasn't enough wood to put a peg through so I've slathered it with Titebond and cramped it up. Should be OK this evening.  I might put a hole or two through it all the same and slide in some cocktail-sticks later on.

Also put the Trek on the workstand and had a close butcher's at the FD, which has been rubbing in certain positions since I re-lubed it.  Cable stretch was the culprit, quickly fixed but why did I only hear it once it was re-lubed? Duh. ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 March, 2021, 03:31:06 pm
I reproofed another Carradice bag and finally got round to putting the Dura-Ace track nuts on the yellow Harry Quinn.  They don't look expensive enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 31 March, 2021, 04:05:50 pm
The bloke at Ozcycle proofs stuff with a solution of silicone - that stuff you use round the shower basin - in white spirit, even on clothes.  WS has a godawful pong, though - he says it fades but I have my doubts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 31 March, 2021, 05:10:35 pm
Mrs hatler's bike is suffering from transmission jump. Following her it looked to me like the freehub was missing a beat or two.

Removed the wheel last night and the cassette looks shot, so I'll swap that out. But then the chain rings too are looking past their prime. Chain is however fine.

One odd thing though. The rear mech was 'sticky' and not retracting all the way.  I noticed that a few weeks ago and gave it a proper going over (though obv not enough) at the end of which is was as smooth and as springy as it should be. I undid the screw holding the fixed plate and the spring was fine. Hmmm. Greased it lightly and re-assembled. It seems that that screw had simply been done up too tight.  Will have to keep an eye on that.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 31 March, 2021, 10:06:26 pm
My shed extension now has a side wall!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 31 March, 2021, 10:26:44 pm
On, err, Sunday I think it was I disassembled and cut down (in terms of length) a desk shelf. Using my brand new circular saw! It was exactly the same length as my desk and that's no good, I wanted to stick my two monitors on it but it's not big enough front to back for the PC tower and I don't want that back on the floor.

So I cut it down which also meant drilling new holes for the cam-lock fitting that holds the side upright to the back piece. Alas my spade bits in the big box of drill bits I got for Christmas years ago gave me choice of 13mm which is too small and 16mm which is too big, decided to risk it with the 16mm as that gives me a bit of leeway for not getting the holes in exactly the right place. Especially when cutting and drilling chipboard.

I got the length just about right, and reassembled the shelf and put away the tools. On the carpet it seemed fine but on the desk it's not quite square/parallel which gave a slight wobble. Luckily I have some sticky back foam which I was going to apply anyway to stop it sliding about. Lovely. Put it on and get the monitors setup. Bugger, not just a bit but far too high. But of course the tools are all put away at this point.

So today, once my new bar clamps had arrived I lugged everything back down out of the spare room and set myself up in the garden again for more woodwork. Cut the sides/legs down by ~3" and we're all good. I even got noth sides vaguely the same size.

Despite learning on Sunday that omitting the vacuum attachment on the circular saw (because I'm outside and don't have to worry about making a mess) just results in getting a jet of sawdust pointed right at me I was still too lazy to take the extra couple minutes today. Next time I will just get Henry out!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 April, 2021, 08:13:35 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 31 March, 2021, 10:26:44 pm
On, err, Sunday I think it was I disassembled and cut down (in terms of length) a desk shelf. Using my brand new circular saw! It was exactly the same length as my desk and that's no good, I wanted to stick my two monitors on it but it's not big enough front to back for the PC tower and I don't want that back on the floor.

So I cut it down which also meant drilling new holes for the cam-lock fitting that holds the side upright to the back piece. Alas my spade bits in the big box of drill bits I got for Christmas years ago gave me choice of 13mm which is too small and 16mm which is too big, decided to risk it with the 16mm as that gives me a bit of leeway for not getting the holes in exactly the right place. Especially when cutting and drilling chipboard.

I got the length just about right, and reassembled the shelf and put away the tools. On the carpet it seemed fine but on the desk it's not quite square/parallel which gave a slight wobble. Luckily I have some sticky back foam which I was going to apply anyway to stop it sliding about. Lovely. Put it on and get the monitors setup. Bugger, not just a bit but far too high. But of course the tools are all put away at this point.

So today, once my new bar clamps had arrived I lugged everything back down out of the spare room and set myself up in the garden again for more woodwork. Cut the sides/legs down by ~3" and we're all good. I even got noth sides vaguely the same size.

Despite learning on Sunday that omitting the vacuum attachment on the circular saw (because I'm outside and don't have to worry about making a mess) just results in getting a jet of sawdust pointed right at me I was still too lazy to take the extra couple minutes today. Next time I will just get Henry out!

Spade bits? - dreadful things, get some Forstner bits for much neater holes
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 01 April, 2021, 08:47:24 am
Have used them at work, much nicer. The spade bits are what I had to hand though.

Worked surprisingly well considering it's chipboard, expected far more breakout and wandering.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 01 April, 2021, 11:22:01 am
Popped a 11-36 10sp cassette on the Elan. Clearance is good with the B screw most of the way in.

Shimano don't recommend more than a 32 with the triple r5700 - but it has clearance, and I'm not a chain crosser which means I'm not going to exceed the total cogs in practice.

The 36 is just for the 30 ring when I'm knackered and want to climb a steep hill below 200W, not 250W.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 April, 2021, 11:46:02 am
Quote from: trundle on 01 April, 2021, 11:22:01 am
Popped a 11-36 10sp cassette on the Elan. Clearance is good with the B screw most of the way in.

Shimano don't recommend more than a 32 with the triple r5700 - but it has clearance, and I'm not a chain crosser which means I'm not going to exceed the total cogs in practice.

The 36 is just for the 30 ring when I'm knackered and want to climb a steep hill below 200W, not 250W.

Add at least 1, usually 2 to what Mr Shimano says in his tech-blurb for mech/cassette relationships
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 April, 2021, 11:52:57 am
De-installed the ancient gas cooker and disposed of it.  Luckily we have a passing scrappie with a pickup and I left it beside the road.  It was bloody heavy.

When the scrappie truck arrived the driver leapt out and inspected it.  He was a small guy and I was thinking he might need a hand.  But no, as I watched, the passenger door opened and a guy built like two or three peter crouches in one got out, and without a word, picked it up and hurled it into the back without dropping the tailgate.  I had a job shifting it with a sack barrow. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 01 April, 2021, 12:50:04 pm
Quote from: robgul on 01 April, 2021, 11:46:02 am
Add at least 1, usually 2 to what Mr Shimano says in his tech-blurb for mech/cassette relationships

Agreed - in this case, I am 2 beyond even that. But it has clearance, and the mech is happy for all the combinations of gears I actually use on a triple. If I were a habitual chain crosser - this would not be a good idea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 April, 2021, 01:12:52 pm
Quote from: trundle on 01 April, 2021, 12:50:04 pm
Quote from: robgul on 01 April, 2021, 11:46:02 am
Add at least 1, usually 2 to what Mr Shimano says in his tech-blurb for mech/cassette relationships

Agreed - in this case, I am 2 beyond even that. But it has clearance, and the mech is happy for all the combinations of gears I actually use on a triple. If I were a habitual chain crosser - this would not be a good idea.

... and don't forget the old MTB trick to put the B screw in from the other side to gain the thickness of the screw-head
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 01 April, 2021, 03:19:03 pm
Using some aluminium strip I found in the shed, an old broken handlebar basket mount, a Rixen&Kaul/Basil adapter plate, some bolts from the odds and sods box, a bit of chrome tube and several layers of innertube I have made a mount that lets me use an insulated handlebar bag on the Carrera Subway1 to carry a couple beers and a sandwich when I don't want to take a full size pannier. And it has a light mount to stick a secondary front light on as the main dynamo light is slightly obscured by the bag.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 01 April, 2021, 04:27:44 pm
installed new tyres (pro one), fresh sealant and scraped dried up sealant and mud from the inner side of rear mudguard.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210402/f459ee2e58e45eca8a60aef3440c0e43.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 01 April, 2021, 06:48:35 pm
I finished the defetteling of the blown down fence.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 April, 2021, 07:02:18 pm
Out on a ride with friends of various ages, we were coming back through East Grinstead.

Coming the other way were a couple of youths, pushing their bikes and looking a bit forlorn. Glancing at the handlebars of on of the bikes showed they were Not Right, having slipped from the tender grasp of the stem. I asked if they were OK and they confirmed they were not and did we have a <mimes twiddling a tool>. I indeed did have a <mimes twiddling a tool> in the shape of misc allen keys.

It was a quill stem with a single bolt squeezing shut the pinchy bit. I tightened it up, hoping hard that I didn't shear it off, as I gave it three white knuckles of torque - the splines on the bars didn't look brilliant.

Then I also noticed the head set was loose, so I tightened it as best I could by hand and told them what to do to get it fixed properly when they got home.  They were very grateful and ever so polite.

They fared a bit better than the young lad I encountered a couple of weeks ago on the Downs Link, peering at his wonky looking Boardman MTB. He'd almost correctly diagnosed a bolt was missing, such that the rear suspension wasn't attached to the frame on one side. He hadn't noticed, until I pointed it out, that the lug the bolt went through had sheared off.  I couldn't fix that one but made sure he was safe (only a mile to walk and his keepers knew where he was)

Oh, and two miles into today's ride, one of our number had a crank part company from the BB spindle. The nut (rather than bolt) was AWOL. Arse. I carry misc nuts, screws, washers and bolts but not a spindle nut. That was nearly a show stopper. Another member of the team set off back to scout the ground for it, something I didn't hold much hope of success. She'd gone all of 10m when she spied it on the deck. Hurrah. Deployed the crank extractor and lots of torque and all was well.     
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 02 April, 2021, 07:31:33 pm
Using the offcuts from my earlier shelf shortening I made a plate for my bench vice so it can be used on my knock off Workmate.

It ain't pretty, and being chipboard it ain't robust but then again nor is the workmate.

It's gotta be better that sitting the vice on floor and trying to hold it in place with one foot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 03 April, 2021, 06:40:56 pm
Bit of routine maintenance after today's ride...
My workstand is one of those that clamps the forks, so it's a front-wheel-off job.

Upon removing the front wheel, I notice a suspicious bulge on the sidewall.
Closer inspection reveals it's a full-depth cut, about 3mm long, with the inner tube visible and beginning to prolapse.
The cut was not yet big enough to allow the tube to escape and asplode.
Conti GP5000.

The tyre was replaced sharpish.
I'd been doing some fast descents earlier: I reckon I was this >< close to an explosive front wheel blowout!
Glad I caught it when I did.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 03 April, 2021, 07:06:34 pm
Put the lighter carbon disc wheels on the oct-may commuter (it's a di2 hydrodisc race bike, so pretty nice for a commuter) which meant swapping cassette, swapping 160 to 140mm disc adaptor on front, centring calipers, then refilling tyres with sealant, new cores, then inflate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 April, 2021, 07:50:10 pm
Broke my new SDS drill's virginity with holes through several walls to get cabling from the house through conduits to the low voltage garden lights - excellent, like a knife through butter - although a bit on the heavy side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 03 April, 2021, 08:32:57 pm
Amongst other things, Tent fettling today.

I recently bought a secondhand 3 man tent as grandsons want to do more camping this year - a Jack Wolfskin Tundra III  - a tunnel tent in a kharki/desert colour (£30).  :D
 
I washed the bottom of the groundsheet and dried it before erecting the tent, and re-proofed it with Fabsil (from a 5 litre tin 3/4 full that someone was giving away free)  :thumbsup:

I noticed a small area spotted with black mould - this turned out to be where the internal pocket was and the inner not being clipped to the outer by a couple of points at that end probably was the cause it got wet in the first place. I treated it by spraying with diluted Miltons, brushing then swabbing with a wet sponge. :-\

It will hang in the garage tonight to make sure it's dried off before I try to pack it down into it's bag again tomorrow.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 03 April, 2021, 08:52:48 pm
Repainted front doorstep.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fd3 on 03 April, 2021, 09:16:11 pm
New (to us) Isla 20, from neighbours down the road.  Cleaned (as mudguard free - the horror - double horror when I found out how much 20" mudguards cost), chain and gears cleaned, then had to sort out the gears as they were running 0-6 on a 7 speed.  I think a previous owner tried to change the limit screws without releasing cable tension.
What shocked me was the lack of swearing and everything doing what it was supposed to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 April, 2021, 09:39:52 pm
Had a noisy crank y'day so took the cranks off and removed the BB and gave it all a clean and a lube.

Then filled in some more holes in skirtings and stuck some peeling wallpaper back down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 April, 2021, 10:13:35 am
Tinkered with a JSON file on my Kodi setup. I can now listen to Her Majesty's BBC again.. Hurrah.

Mind you, who knew commas were so important?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 05 April, 2021, 10:19:23 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 05 April, 2021, 10:13:35 am
Tinkered with a JSON file on my Kodi setup. I can now listen to Her Majesty's BBC again.. Hurrah.

Mind you, who knew commas were so important?

And spacing.

Bane of my working life are json and yaml files, in equal amounts.

Even using lining doesn't always help.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 April, 2021, 01:50:14 pm
A batch of chocolate chip cookies, seeing but as what the best ones are 12km away and under our 10km lockdown I'm not allowed to ride there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Chris S on 05 April, 2021, 06:35:45 pm
I brought the Red Tandem in from the garage for Examination. We've never ridden it - not once, since we bought it. It's been earmarked as a potential for an upcoming event1.

1 Involving one of us2.

2 Not me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 05 April, 2021, 07:08:01 pm
Fitted a tow bar to the camper. One of those worrying jobs, as it bolts on to the chassis in the same place as the rear suspension leaf springs - so if they hadn't come out, or had sheared, that's a world of pain. The impact driver and some heat applied to a couple of the bolts got them out fine.
Then found that the rear towing eye was slightly misaligned when it was built, which fouled one of the bar mounts (it should have just slotted through the towing eye). As the eye is completely blocked by the tow bar anyway, that was an angle grinder job to remove it - at an awkward angle underneath. All fitted nicely now, just needs the electrics wiring in and we'll be able to put the bike rack on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 April, 2021, 07:19:15 pm
The Brompton was sick.  Turned out to be a very loose chain tensioner pivot screw.

The "new" (very old) BB-7400 is a bit stiff but it is installed properly; I pulled it all apart.  The seals are just stiff.  Shimano put different seals in different years of these, for some reason; the BB-7400 seals on the Eddy Merckx are as free as you like.  They'll free up.

The AM indicator kept unscrewing itself so I used a miniscule amount of threadlock on the fine thread.  It really wants converting to an AW indicator and axle key, but ICBA to open up the hub right now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 April, 2021, 08:31:29 pm
Spent an hour on & off with my head in the giblets of the pull out larder cabinet in our kitchen as it wouldn't close all the way. Seems to be sort of working now, for reasons I can't fathom. We'll see how long it lasts...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 05 April, 2021, 08:40:34 pm
More triffid wrangling. Was fine during but I can feel my crustacean tube sealing up now.

Bloody hayfever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 April, 2021, 10:15:25 am
Investigated why the garage had no power and there was a burning smell therein.

Eventually tracked it down to the fridge freezer.

Bugger

Oh well at least it means one less thing to move when we empty the garage for demolition.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 April, 2021, 02:34:34 pm
Shower silicon replacement, one of my least favourite jobs.  Shower enclosure is manky and needs replacing, but the silicon is more urgent. Got the old stuff out, scrubbed with a scratchy pad to give a nice clean surface and will leave it a bit to make sure it's fully dry before putting the new in.

Only one finger-knife negative interface, which I consider acceptable for this kind of job.  Knife was so sharp, I hadn't realised I'd opened a flap about 1.5cm long until I noticed the blood dripping  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 April, 2021, 05:37:31 pm
I've got that delightful job waiting for me before putting the flat on the market, with the addition of some more under the living room and bedroom windows. I'm waiting until the very last minute once we've done everything else though.
Which reminds me, my prospective decorators seem to have gone onto silent running...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tiermat on 06 April, 2021, 06:35:35 pm
Quote from: tiermat on 06 April, 2021, 10:15:25 am
Investigated why the garage had no power and there was a burning smell therein.

Eventually tracked it down to the fridge freezer.

Bugger

Oh well at least it means one less thing to move when we empty the garage for demolition.

Bugger #2, it's not the ff, but the chest freezer. Arse
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 06 April, 2021, 06:52:02 pm
Shit.  Literally.

Well actually I failed to fettle it, so a) the septic tank emptier truck appears and does its sucky shitty stuff, but still no drain flow, despite enthusiastic rodding on my part, then he suggests getting the jetting team in, which I agree to.

So b)Jetting guys appear in van, and give me a lesson in rodding techniques for this precise situation, and promptly clears it, which a resounding suck and splat.  At least now I know the technique, should my less than optimal drainage layout give further trouble. The suspicion is that my "drainage field" i.e. the bit of John the farmer's field behind, where my septic tank discharges into, may be gunged up permanently.  this would require getting John to agree for me to spend thousands on digging a series of trenches, applying many tonnes of graded aggregate, perforated pipes, geotextile, topsoil, and re-seed the damaged bits of John's grazing field.  This will have to be done during the period when he has no stock in it, to allow the grass to recover from being grazed.

Oh, the joys of country living...  Thats £240 down the pan today, and several thousand some time later this year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 April, 2021, 06:52:31 pm
Threaded 56 x 8BA brass washers onto 28 spokes ready for lacing to an old Sturmey-Archer hub.  It wasn't much fun, as they only just fit over the rolled threads
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 06 April, 2021, 08:06:42 pm
A little fettle with bar height on both bikes.

Turned the redshift stem to -6 degrees on the Triban. It was too high at +6.

Raised the bars 12mm on the Elan half way up the stem - but kept stem at -7 degrees: It felt a touch to low on this weekends ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 08 April, 2021, 07:36:57 pm
I've modified one of these:-
(http://mtrak.co.uk/pictures/adaptor.JPG)
into this:-
(http://mtrak.co.uk/pictures/adaptor_mod.JPG)
which reads voltage:-
(http://mtrak.co.uk/pictures/adaptor_volts.JPG)
and the other side reads current:-
(http://mtrak.co.uk/pictures/adaptor_amps.JPG)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 08 April, 2021, 07:45:24 pm
That is spiffing.

Although is this the first component in a passenger seat taser you are building for annoying people in your car?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 08 April, 2021, 08:24:02 pm
I don't need a taser to annoy people in my car. I seem to manage that without one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 09 April, 2021, 07:43:54 am
SWMBO shouted up the stairs to announce that the kitchen door latch had failed and left her unable to leave via the proper exit. Kitchen access was now via the back door, a lengthy and inconvenient path to the rest of the house around the outside, the side gate and front door.
Spare 45mm latch located in the kitchen drawer - hooray! So the offending door did not need the creative bungee door closer for long.
Why not just leave it open? Dog control and segregation. Probably why the latch wore out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 April, 2021, 10:25:23 am
Looked at a dripping union in the cellar and decided to call the plumber. Plumbing and I are not friends.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 09 April, 2021, 01:12:48 pm
Fitted a sunrace derailleur extender to the Elan.

I get peace of mind for clearance with the 11-36 cassette - and it makes removing the wheel less of a faff: The QR widget is blocked by the 5700 derailleur, and the 32mm tyre gives no clearance pushing against the forward mudguard bolt when taking the wheel out.

But not any more - the wheel drops like a stone and makes a break for freedom  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 April, 2021, 06:13:46 pm
Built the AM/AW frankenhub into a wheel and put it on the Moulton.  Unfortunately 56 x 17 is just the wrong combination, putting the axle almost at the back of the dropouts with a new chain.  Take a link out, and it's too short to sit in the dropouts.  I have had to use the crappy one-sided anti-rotation washers, as the nice serrated ones hit the end of the slot before the axle does.

It's fine for about 500 miles (and a hub gear can be run with a pretty slack chain if needs be) but then it's a new chain unless removing a link works then.  I have put two Powerlinks next to each other to facilitate this.

I think the answer may be an 18T and 32 or 35mm tyres, rather than 28mm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JennyB on 09 April, 2021, 11:16:28 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 09 April, 2021, 06:13:46 pm
Built the AM/AW frankenhub into a wheel and put it on the Moulton.  Unfortunately 56 x 17 is just the wrong combination, putting the axle almost at the back of the dropouts with a new chain.  Take a link out, and it's too short to sit in the dropouts.  I have had to use the crappy one-sided anti-rotation washers, as the nice serrated ones hit the end of the slot before the axle does.

It's fine for about 500 miles (and a hub gear can be run with a pretty slack chain if needs be) but then it's a new chain unless removing a link works then.  I have put two Powerlinks next to each other to facilitate this.

I think the answer may be an 18T and 32 or 35mm tyres, rather than 28mm.


Or a ghost sprocket?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 April, 2021, 08:12:28 am
Quote from: JennyB link=topic=1241.msg2611953#msg2611953
Or a ghost sprocket?
The horror!

The problem is that the TSR dropouts are just a bit short.  Normally, horizontal dropouts are long enough so you can always get the axle in a good position, given that chains can only be altered by 1" at a time.  The old Campag 1010 road ends often allowed a choice of two positions!

Going to an 18T with 28mm tyres gives a 56.7" normal gear.  That's probably ok for a Moulton.  I normally choose 60" but the Moulton is about 1mph slower anyway.  Also gives a 48" low gear on the AM hub, which is an advantage - it's like 42 x 23 on a full-size bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 April, 2021, 10:53:02 am
End of season (well, end of wood!) cleanout of the stove.  Nice dry ash, no creosote.  The "access plate", which takes the brunt of the heat, is quite warped now, so I should order a new one before autumn.  You can get every spare part for a Morsø.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 10 April, 2021, 05:57:02 pm
Gave the cheap Bianchi a bit of love. New chain and cassette. New ergon grips. A new Alivio thumb shifter to replace the awful twist shift. And some Schwalbe Supreme's to replace the indestructible Marathon Plus.

The joy of a nice gear change when the old chain and sprockets were knackered.

Snickety-Snick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 April, 2021, 06:35:28 pm
New bearings into the rear wheel of the Bloo fixer.

Planted  handful of spuds

Sowed some French beans into pots

Fitted a. now no longer rusty chain to my friend-round-the-corner's bike, following a several of days tinkering and unsiezing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 April, 2021, 06:36:36 pm
Used the 40-minute window while barakta was at the optiquack to do some much-needed drivetrain maintenance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2021, 10:02:19 pm
Went for a curtailed walk cos Pingu was feeling a bit carp so after that I fettled all the carbs;
2 loaves of bread
16 cinnamon buns
1 batch of pizza dough for tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 11 April, 2021, 09:13:58 am
Assembled the new pressure washer that Mrs A insisted we needed.  The upside is that I see it can be used to clean bicycles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 11 April, 2021, 01:45:29 pm
My old Specialized cycling shoes are at least six years old.  The boa fastener on the right one had frayed.

 I went on to the BOA website looking for spares, and saw the warranty free replacement/repair link.  Brilliant service from them.  I filled in the form, uploaded a photo, and a set of four now fasteners arrived three days later. 

I've now replaced the worn one, shoe is (not quite) as good as new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 April, 2021, 03:09:09 pm
Quote from: asterix on 11 April, 2021, 09:13:58 am
Assembled the new pressure washer that Mrs A insisted we needed.  The upside is that I see it can be used to clean bicycles.

With care on bikes - don't spray into the bearings - spray along the length of the bike frame rather than from the side, and keep the pressure low/spray arc wide.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 April, 2021, 04:49:32 pm
Upgraded the security in Mother's back garden.
I cannot tell you the details of what I did.
Were I to do so, I'd have to kill you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 April, 2021, 05:51:13 pm
Too cold to paint again, so I had another go at filling some dinks in the vestibule skirting boards. Swept up the crap left lying around outside after the works to replace our entrance platform.
Used lots of polyfilla to fill in the big cracks in our bedroom walls prior to them being papered (which reminds me I need to prod the decorating co. as they've gone onto silent running.)
Had a second go at stripping the gack off my carbon steel crepe pan (that was my exercise for the day, fitbit reckons I've done >8000 steps without me going anywhere). Seasoned it.
Now I've got pizzas to fettle so I dare say I'll be ready for a snooze after that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 11 April, 2021, 06:13:03 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 11 April, 2021, 04:49:32 pm
Upgraded the security in Mother's back garden.
I cannot tell you the details of what I did.
Were I to do so, I'd have to kill you.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Cu_Chi_Tunnel_1.JPG/440px-Cu_Chi_Tunnel_1.JPG)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 April, 2021, 06:25:24 pm
 ;D
She already has a couple of those.
Just beyond the shark-filled moat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 April, 2021, 07:08:20 pm
Finished wiring the electrics for the camper's new tow bar that I put on last weekend. That means we can now put the bike rack on so we can abandon the camper on campsites and go exploring, or tow the motorbike trailer if we are going to stay overnight for British Cycling events rather than run two vehicles there.

Then dug the old 1990s mountain bikes out of the garage and fettled them back into running order. Mine was just give it a clean and oil the chain, on MrsH's both shifters had failed. They are the old original Shimano 7 speed trigger shifters, the metal ones before they went to the newer plastic "C Deck" style that become standard on low-mid range MTBs. I'd guess her bike is about 1994 - it's a fully rigid Saracen Ruff Trax, that she won in a competition at her work. On both, the lower (pull cable) lever will work for moving one ring on the front or two sprockets on the rear, but whilst they spring back the ratchet mechanism isn't working so they can't be pressed again and pull more (the upper ratchet does work) That mechanism appears to be hidden in the depths of the shifters and spraying with GT85 didn't free it off. I'm assuming it's just old grease gone hard. For the moment I've pulled those off and replaced with the newer ones off an old kids mountain bike that I've been gradually using as a parts donor, but it'll be nice if I can get the original ones back in working order so I'll do a proper strip down of them at some point.

So we now have two working old MTBs that we can use as hack bikes whilst away, and not cry too much if they get nicked (unlike our road bikes).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 April, 2021, 04:20:07 pm
Spring cleaned Trek, new tyre on rear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 April, 2021, 04:38:38 pm
Fitted a Rotor* chain catcher to my PlanetX carbon machine - had to do a bit of filing on the catcher as the inner plate of the front mech (Ultegra) fouled the adjustable bit.   Now sorted, test run tomorrow . . . . although I've yet to un-ship the chain on the bike it's better safe than sorry with the risk of chewing up the carbon on the BB shell if the chain did come off.

* it's red so should improve my speed  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 12 April, 2021, 09:08:40 pm
Not today but recently fettled some delaminating 10mm plywood by using  modelling needle syringes to inject wood glue between the delaminating sheets and clamping overnight. Very pleased with the result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 April, 2021, 09:09:25 pm
Not me, but I finally got the stove company back to fettle this mess:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51115743198_bf42544eb0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kSVxBd)IMG_1829 (https://flic.kr/p/2kSVxBd) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Into:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51115583094_3c02f3e6d6.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kSUJ1N)IMG_1833 (https://flic.kr/p/2kSUJ1N) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

I wish I'd had it done years ago now rather than waiting til I want to sell this place, haha.
Now I need to find some grey paint for the log store they wouldn't tile...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 April, 2021, 09:43:57 pm
I got a LH ball cup out of a nice old alloy SA hub shell.  This is not easy when it is not built into a wheel but it is possible.  You screw a RH ball ring in and, because the LH cup is left-threaded, you can use two large spanners and percussive encouragement until the LH cup unscrews for the first time since 1955.

Then you use a hammer and punch to remove the (by now rather tight) RH ball ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 14 April, 2021, 10:48:11 pm
Took delivery of 4m of blackout curtain lining material from John Lewis. (White in colour)
Cut all 4m down from 135cm in width to 101cm.
Removed old blackout material from the blinds in the bedroom - after 18 years in an east facing window, it was no longer blacking out.
Cut the new material to size, hemmed it and applied it to all four blinds.

Remembered to create a 5p sized hole in the blackout material of one of the blinds.
This effectively makes the bedroom into a pinhole camera/camera obscura, projecting an image of the roofline which faces the window as well as clouds and passing aircraft onto the wall above the headboard.
It also means that I can check what the weather is doing, without having to get up and open the blinds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: imajez on 14 April, 2021, 11:52:04 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 14 April, 2021, 10:48:11 pm
Remembered to create a 5p sized hole in the blackout material of one of the blinds.
This effectively makes the bedroom into a pinhole camera/camera obscura, projecting an image of the roofline which faces the window as well as clouds and passing aircraft onto the wall above the headboard.
Oh kudos. Very cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 April, 2021, 11:52:00 am
The badly-fitted curtains in our bedroom[1] in Sheffield used to do a good line in projecting an image of the street below onto our bedroom ceiling.  Hadn't thought to do it deliberately.   :thumbsup:


[1] The one that had shoddy plasterwork in the shape of a T-rex.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 April, 2021, 01:34:48 pm
My daughter's bank account. Again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2021, 05:03:50 pm
The Moulton TSR (ex-slope) has had another rejig and is now running a medium-ratio SA 3-speed giving a 56.5" normal gear, 66" high gear and 48.5" low gear.

Advantages: the chain can't come off, the three gears are just right for 99.9% of riding, it runs silkily and silently (apart from the SA ticking in the top two gears), it looks neater than a derailleur and it's probably a little more efficient, especially in normal gear.

Disadvantages: it isn't going to climb mountains and it will run out of gears if chasing roadies.  There is no weight saving over a 9-speed!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 15 April, 2021, 10:49:22 pm
Quote from: T42 on 15 April, 2021, 01:34:48 pm
My daughter's bank account. Again.

She'll catch you one day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 April, 2021, 06:22:15 pm
Stripped down HK’s Trykit to get some modifications done. I’ll replace the freehub bearings and rear axle bearings when it comes back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 April, 2021, 06:43:13 pm
Replaced the smallest ring on the tourer. It’s years old and although steel, it was worn enough to cause chain suck with a new chain. Next I might look at replacing the whole transmission with a double chain set and 11 speed cassette if not too expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 16 April, 2021, 07:50:49 pm
MrsC told me the lower hinge on the door of our office room was coming off, so I fettled it back with some broken matchstick to pack out the holes.
Can't help wondering, even with one of those light honeycomb type doors, whether the screws shouldn't be a bit bigger than 12mm long and less than matchstick size across.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 April, 2021, 08:07:35 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 16 April, 2021, 07:50:49 pm
MrsC told me the lower hinge on the door of our office room was coming off, so I fettled it back with some broken matchstick to pack out the holes.
Can't help wondering, even with one of those light honeycomb type doors, whether the screws shouldn't be a bit bigger than 12mm long and less than matchstick size across.
Sounds woefully under-hinged to me.
The spec you've given may be ok for a small, lightweight cupboard/cabinet door.
I tend to measure the thickness of the frame, and more or less match the screw length to that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 16 April, 2021, 08:55:08 pm
Next doors Dutch bike (5speed SA hub, chain case, rack, all the usual)

Officially I was just fixing a puncture but the project got a bad case of mission creep, I found myself replacing front wheel cones and bearings (two goes) so I could get repeatable results on the wheel truing jig.

The fitted the two new tyres (there was a reason she kept getting punctures despite the innertube full of gloop)

Then fixing the innertube, testing everything and returning.

All this was mission creep from my end as the owner is lovely, and pays in CAKE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 17 April, 2021, 10:11:37 am
Strip and re-grease Shimano 105 pedal axles. Never been motivated enough to do it before, but a rhythmic click-of-doom spurred me into action. Any grease that was in there from n years ago (where n is large and the year of manufacture) had been replaced with black water-like gunge. Counted out the ball bearings, counted them all back in again. Click-of-doom is gone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 April, 2021, 10:59:49 am
Following the stove post above, yesterday I painted that wall and the adjoining one, put some slate oil on the hearth and painted the stove. Then I even had time for a bike ride (to check if the previous weeks BB fettling was ok) and a late lunch in the sun before picking the cats up from borstal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 April, 2021, 12:19:28 pm
Filed some paint off a suspicious paint crack on the top tube of my PBP99 Frezoni.

https://flic.kr/p/2kTjRKA
https://flic.kr/p/2kTmtZV

Time to get some replacement transfers, the tube replaced and repaint. I would have got Joe Cosgrove to repaint it during last year’s planned trip to Oz but C19 scotched all that.

Bit of a sod really. That bike has had a lot of happy miles over the years but I am still surprised. None of the tubes were selected for excessive weight saving.

I guess Argos is the painter of choice for reliably good work. The London-centric options (that are under £500 for paint alone) that I’ve come across reportedly deliver variable quality. I may get somebody else to replace the tube first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 April, 2021, 03:06:53 pm
Argos will do a good job on the tube, based on the steerers they've replaced for me.  I think Garry only uses silver solder, but you'd have to check.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 April, 2021, 05:03:49 pm
Good, the whole frame is silver brazed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 April, 2021, 05:47:56 pm
While parked against Cirencester Abbey Church, one of the resident seagulls/crows/harpies shat on my bike, so I had to declag a Carradice Zipped Roll.  The poo was green and really rather icky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eckagain on 17 April, 2021, 06:15:31 pm
While out yesterday I hit a pothole, resulting in a loud cracking sound and my bars slipping down a little in the stem. I adjusted the bars back up, had a quick look round the bike, couldn't see any obvious damage so carried on.
A while later I became aware of an ominous creaking sound, worse when I was out the saddle.
Oh dear, cracked frame or forks? Damaged headset? Broken spoke? Loose bottom bracket?
Nah, none of the above. I just hadn't fully tightened the front QR before I left home.
So, not much fettling needed. Just be more careful next time.  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 17 April, 2021, 08:06:54 pm
MrsH managed to get a bullseye stonechip in her windscreen a few days ago. It's been a few years since she last did that; when she had one of the new Minis we had to replace her windscreen twice in two years due to MOT fail levels of irrepairable damage. Since we got rid of that we've had probably five years of damage free screens in different cars.
Anyway, spent a fiver on the RainX chip fixing kit and did that on the drive. It's worked very well, dead easy and about five minute's work (across half an hour of elapsed time). We'll see how it holds up long term, but it seems pretty good plus cheaper (even with insurance paying) and less hassle than going out trying to find someone doing them in supermarket car parks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 17 April, 2021, 08:40:24 pm
Quote from: Hot Flatus on 11 April, 2021, 06:13:03 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 11 April, 2021, 04:49:32 pm
Upgraded the security in Mother's back garden.
I cannot tell you the details of what I did.
Were I to do so, I'd have to kill you.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Cu_Chi_Tunnel_1.JPG/440px-Cu_Chi_Tunnel_1.JPG)

My request to building management to install one of these in the hallway was denied...

No idea why...

J
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 17 April, 2021, 09:47:37 pm
Replaced all the quick release buckles on my recently purchased Haglöfs rucksack with quick release buckles from ITW Nexus, for the simple reason that, like YKK zips, they work.

Will be doing the same with the slightly smaller Haglöfs rucksack which turned up at about the same time as the larger one.




Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 17 April, 2021, 09:55:47 pm
I got one of these working:- https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/battery-chargers/5388989/ (https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/battery-chargers/5388989/)

Diagnosis turned out to be fairly easy. The main capacitor was bulging and it measured 33 nF, in contrast to its rating of 150 μF.

I didn't have a 150 μF 400 V capacitor so I drilled additional holes in the PCB put in three smaller ones in parallel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 17 April, 2021, 10:33:14 pm
I put Green Johanna* together in broad daylight in the back garden.

* A hot composter

35 quid via the council, which is reasonable for what it is, although the list price of over 100 quid seems extortionate, but that's what a Gardeners' World recommendation does, I spose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 April, 2021, 12:32:35 am
I've un-fettled the adult-proofing notches from the lids of some bottles of bleach, having discovered that barakta was in the habit of leaving them loose in the interests of being able to open them unassisted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 April, 2021, 08:06:36 am
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 17 April, 2021, 10:33:14 pm
I put Green Johanna* together in broad daylight in the back garden.

* A hot composter

35 quid via the council, which is reasonable for what it is, although the list price of over 100 quid seems extortionate, but that's what a Gardeners' World recommendation does, I spose.

We got one last week courtesy of either Warwickshire or Stratford-upon-Avon LA (I'm guessing you're in SuA, just, at the new abode?) - the "real price" seemed outrageous.   BTW they also have some other subsidised "Dalek" compost bins on the deal, we have a couple of those too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 April, 2021, 04:17:21 pm
I like the fact that you can put almost anything organic in it. That and the water butt have taken up the spare space in the garden and it'll take a while for both to fill up the way things are going.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 18 April, 2021, 08:34:20 pm
A few weeks ago a neighbour pointed out that my roof pointing is loose. When I worked out what he was talking about , yes , I saw that it had moved a fair amount. Fortunately I can reach (just) up by standing on the adjacent garage roof. I went straight up and pushed the pointing back. Of course I later did some Googling and saw that a dry verge system is the way to go. I have contacted nobody about this yet although I went up again today as the pointing had moved again although not as much. I tried to pull the section of loose mortar out but struggled so I don’t think it can drop down and cause further damage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 18 April, 2021, 10:52:20 pm
Almost got my garage sorted now.

Next I might actually get to ride one of the bikes outside.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 19 April, 2021, 12:27:00 pm
Quote from: campagman on 18 April, 2021, 08:34:20 pm
A few weeks ago a neighbour pointed out that my roof pointing is loose. When I worked out what he was talking about , yes , I saw that it had moved a fair amount. Fortunately I can reach (just) up by standing on the adjacent garage roof. I went straight up and pushed the pointing back. Of course I later did some Googling and saw that a dry verge system is the way to go. I have contacted nobody about this yet although I went up again today as the pointing had moved again although not as much. I tried to pull the section of loose mortar out but struggled so I don’t think it can drop down and cause further damage.

On my French re-roof we used a dry ridge where the ridge tiles are held by clips and rest on insect-proof gauze.  I have seen it used in the UK but very rarely so far.

The French produce some superb clay tiles west of the Limousin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 April, 2021, 01:24:25 pm
Puzzling over my RD. Ultegra, 50/34+11/32 setup. Last week I swapped the Connex link, which was clunky on the 11T sprocket, for a standard SRAM. Thereafter the chain wouldn't drop down onto the 11T and I didn't change anything else.  Just now I undid the clamping screw, let out a little cable, and clamped it again.  Now the chain will drop onto the 11T (and go no further), but will no longer climb onto the innermost 32T sprocket.  I'm beginning to think that something has gone awry inside the shifter. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 April, 2021, 01:37:13 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 April, 2021, 01:24:25 pm
Puzzling over my RD. Ultegra, 50/34+11/32 setup. Last week I swapped the Connex link, which was clunky on the 11T sprocket, for a standard SRAM. Thereafter the chain wouldn't drop down onto the 11T and I didn't change anything else.  Just now I undid the clamping screw, let out a little cable, and clamped it again.  Now the chain will drop onto the 11T (and go no further), but will no longer climb onto the innermost 32T sprocket.  I'm beginning to think that something has gone awry inside the shifter. :(

Undoing the cable clamp and letting cable in / out is a *very* coarse adjustment!
I'm not surprised you can't get the indexing sweet like that.

Use the barrel adjuster on the rear mech to fine-tune the cable tension.
You need to increase the tension a bit, so unscrew the adjuster out of the body of the mech.
Half a turn at a time till it's close, then fine-tune it in quarter turns.
Step the shifter all the way up and down the cassette between adjustments to see where you are in the adjustment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 April, 2021, 01:51:42 pm
I swapped the wheels on the car.  Wheels are getting so heavy these days that it'll soon be impossible for one person to get them onto the studs.  These must be 25-30kg each.  19" rims with 225/55 tyres.

EDIT: 27.7kg, apparently.  I am good at guessing weights from a Christmas spent working in a Currys stockroom in 1985.  Basically, 25kg is when it starts to feel "very heavy" - and that was the weight of a Samsung microwave oven at the time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 19 April, 2021, 03:32:06 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 19 April, 2021, 01:51:42 pm
I swapped the wheels on the car.  Wheels are getting so heavy these days that it'll soon be impossible for one person to get them onto the studs.  These must be 25-30kg each.  19" rims with 225/55 tyres.

EDIT: 27.7kg, apparently.  I am good at guessing weights from a Christmas spent working in a Currys stockroom in 1985.  Basically, 25kg is when it starts to feel "very heavy" - and that was the weight of a Samsung microwave oven at the time.

I'd guess wheels and tyres for a Range Rover/Defender/Warrior are already at that point for the occasional home mechanic.  Given I swap my wheels over twice a year too (now they'll be 20x8" with 245/35 and 19x8" with 245/40 tyres) I've for some time been using 2 dummy studs to hang the wheel on when re-fitting.  It's easier now I have an Ateca, as the jack's more "open" before it takes the load, compared to the quite low S3. 

My next wheel fettling will be a DIY "refurb" of the new set of "winter" rims I just scored for £150 and a trip to Bexleyheath via thge Dartford crossing.  At that price it's probably worth me dropping the eBay classified for the "spare" 17" winter I had for the S3 and sticking it in an auction, brand new tyre and all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 April, 2021, 03:36:42 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 19 April, 2021, 01:37:13 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 April, 2021, 01:24:25 pm
Puzzling over my RD. Ultegra, 50/34+11/32 setup. Last week I swapped the Connex link, which was clunky on the 11T sprocket, for a standard SRAM. Thereafter the chain wouldn't drop down onto the 11T and I didn't change anything else.  Just now I undid the clamping screw, let out a little cable, and clamped it again.  Now the chain will drop onto the 11T (and go no further), but will no longer climb onto the innermost 32T sprocket.  I'm beginning to think that something has gone awry inside the shifter. :(

Undoing the cable clamp and letting cable in / out is a *very* coarse adjustment!
I'm not surprised you can't get the indexing sweet like that.

Use the barrel adjuster on the rear mech to fine-tune the cable tension.
You need to increase the tension a bit, so unscrew the adjuster out of the body of the mech.
Half a turn at a time till it's close, then fine-tune it in quarter turns.
Step the shifter all the way up and down the cassette between adjustments to see where you are in the adjustment.

It turned out to be nothing so subtle as the above: cable frayed inside shifter.  So undoing the cable clamp was the right way to start after all.  Unfortunately, getting the ᵫᵮᶄᶚᵳᵴᵺᴥᵯ thing out of the shifter is a different kettle of fish.

Cable had done ~16,000 km. Memo to self: change them at 12,000.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 20 April, 2021, 02:27:55 pm
My Moto E3 (2016) phone bought secondhand always seem to have charging problems but recently it has got worse. I bought a new USB port board for £4, fitted it and now the phone seems to charge normally. The only tool needed was a screwdriver.

(https://i.imgur.com/ZlJCTLq.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 April, 2021, 03:25:02 pm
Got the frayed cable out of my RD, put a new cable & housing on, twiddled the rear doo-hickeys and connected it all up again. Works.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 20 April, 2021, 04:53:01 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 April, 2021, 12:19:28 pm
Filed some paint off a suspicious paint crack on the top tube of my PBP99 Frezoni.

https://flic.kr/p/2kTjRKA
https://flic.kr/p/2kTmtZV

Time to get some replacement transfers, the tube replaced and repaint. I would have got Joe Cosgrove to repaint it during last year’s planned trip to Oz but C19 scotched all that.

Bit of a sod really. That bike has had a lot of happy miles over the years but I am still surprised. None of the tubes were selected for excessive weight saving.

I guess Argos is the painter of choice for reliably good work. The London-centric options (that are under £500 for paint alone) that I’ve come across reportedly deliver variable quality. I may get somebody else to replace the tube first.

Is that a cable stop, could the crack have been caused by it? Every time the brake is applied, the area around the cable stop is stressed, I would have thought.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 20 April, 2021, 07:21:02 pm
While out for a ride  and near bedlow ridge my front tyre started to bulge. I I deviated to high Wycombe and had a food stop then down the a40 to a halfords. Bought a new tyre. Rode on to Wooburn Green and changed the tyre before continuing homeward  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 April, 2021, 08:10:50 pm
Full set of gear and brake cables on the Streetmachine.  This is fairly involved, and I'd been putting it off all winter in the hope I could get past the worst of the shite weather before putting nice new ones on, but the front gear cable frayed and started stabbing me in the finger on yesterday's ride, which forced the issue.

Lessons learned:

- Dremel good for trimming brake cable outer neatly, but wire cutters with a bit of sacrificial inner in place are better for gear cable outer.  The heat of grinding will make a mess of the outer plastic, hindering ferrule attachment.

- Basically zero schmoo had accumulated in the brake cables, suggesting that my experiment with covering the slot on the front of the (vertically oriented) MTB lever with tape to keep the rain out is surprisingly effective.

- I hadn't touched the parking brake (V-brake on a friction thumb-shifter) cable for years, on the basis it worked fine and was non-critical if it failed.  On inspection, it turned out that it was in similarly good condition, with no evidence of fraying in the shifter.  I suspect the weakest link may be the noodle.

- About a year ago, as I wasn't going anywhere interesting due to the pandemic, I'd replaced a fraying front gear cable inner with one of my accidentally purchase galvanised ones.  Predictably, this was a manky rusty mess.  But it still worked fine, presumably because I'd used brake cable outer (I bought a 50m roll some years back, and it's a friction shifter) which gave it a bit more room to move.

- I'd installed an oiler in the middle of the loop of rear gear cable, in an attempt to provide a drainage route for accumulated water.  All this really seemed to achieve was another set of ends to bed-in and make the indexing vague.  Didn't reinstall it, as I've got a oil port in the barrel adjuster, and have basically resigned myself to replacing this entire run whenever I can't get the indexing to behave, which is approximately once a year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 20 April, 2021, 10:55:50 pm
Inserted new batteries in camera trap for hedgehog cam duties, to see why they're visiting the backyard pond.. Drinking or fishing?

Found out that it don't like lithium* batteries... Duracells only, please! Such a waste...

* "surplus" AA cells after they've done insulin pump duties...reduced from 1.8v to 1.6v(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210420/c6c7c135e9758f46a36d434ff35cb607.jpg)

Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 April, 2021, 06:47:39 am
Drinking, I should think. Although I dare say they'd have a go at tadpoles if they could reach them. Does your pond have a hog friendly ramp so they can climb out if they fall in?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 22 April, 2021, 11:05:24 am
Since building up my Thorn club tour its never gone on to the granny ring very easily and I've not often needed it but have on occasions had to stop and give it a manual push.

Decided I really needed to sort this and thought I'd need a new mech as have an old deore front mech that with different cable runs and spacers is meant to fit pretty much anything but even with the adjustment screw as loose as can be it still wouldn't move inwards enough. I was considering a slightly longer BB or a new mech but actually found that if I swapped the spacers round so the bigger one is now on the non drive side of the frame it changes perfectly.

Remember proper procrastination prevents proper performance
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 April, 2021, 06:33:28 pm
Converted about 300 metres of tile batten into a rather smart horizontal slatted fence in our garden - the battery nail gun was the tool of choice  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 22 April, 2021, 10:12:32 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 April, 2021, 06:47:39 am
Drinking, I should think. Although I dare say they'd have a go at tadpoles if they could reach them. Does your pond have a hog friendly ramp so they can climb out if they fall in?
Yes to ramp... And we think drinking too but we just want to get the, as it were, *bottom* of why they're also shitting on the ramp! (Their toilet training leaves a bit to be desired)

Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 April, 2021, 04:47:32 pm
Painted the front door with 2 coats of paint and the door frame with 1 coat (I would have done more but it was getting too cold to paint in the shade).
Sanded down some filler.
Chopped up a pallet.
Cleaned the grout off the new tiles round the stove.
And then I did a joinery, which I'm quite proud of.
It may not look much, but I'm quite chuffed with it considering I only have a jigsaw and a blunt plane that looks like a cheese grater, and very little skill.


(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51135605553_f700f86528_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kUFkZB)2021-04-24_04-35-55 (https://flic.kr/p/2kUFkZB) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 April, 2021, 05:33:03 pm
Sharpened the blades and plate on The Girl's Husqvarna mincer. It's hand powered from The Olden Days and I'm molishing pork pies.  I only looked up how to sharpen them after I'd minced 1.6kg of pork shoulder. Obvs. (Hmm, should this go in the div thread?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 24 April, 2021, 05:51:03 pm
Tidied most of my bike wheels and tyres up in the garage.
Still got to figure out where so e will go but nearly there.
It's the Boxes of shite* I dumped everywhere from the old garage to sort next

* brake/gear cables, zip ties, bar end plugs etc.

Also finally soldered and shrink wrapped the speaker cable connection above the porch door so got them hidden now.

I might actually get out on my bike tomorrow too...

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 25 April, 2021, 03:22:24 pm
The wand thingy on SWMBO's garden sprayer, the handle part of which seemed to have split rather badly.
This is the wand which I tried to use yesterday on my garden sprayer, the handle of which had mysteriously snapped itself in two.
Both of the above wet, pressurised faults showed up after I had taken my trike outside and removed her seat to facilitate a long overdue wash, and refilled the sprayer with car shampoo and water.
Trike washing was somewhat delayed, whilst superglue, bits of tent pole and copious amounts of shed language employed.

Both sprayers and (clean) trike are now ready for service.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 April, 2021, 08:55:47 am
Making a plate rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 26 April, 2021, 09:32:36 am
Finally acquired the round tuits needed to get the wireless doorbells working again - namely, a couple of CR2032 batteries, a lot of C batteries, and the instructions downloaded off the internet.

The dog was is excited - thinks we have visitors.

Annoyingly, I managed to break one of the clips needed to secure the faceplate of the bell push to its backing plate, so it is now secured with electrical tape. Pah! And this being an obsolete model, it's no longer possible to buy replacements, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 26 April, 2021, 10:10:17 am
Fettled three vertical wooden battens onto the wall of the concrete garage ready for an extra bit of shelving. That's next weekend's task.

Mini got an eBay new bike and the brakes were set up rear right, so had a happy morning swapping those round. He's planning a 200 miler toward the end of the Summer so thought he deserved something a bit more suitable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 April, 2021, 11:15:54 am
Quote from: hatler on 26 April, 2021, 10:10:17 am
Fettle three vertical wooden battens onto the wall of the concrete garage walls ready for an extra bit of shelving. That's next weekend's task.

Mini got an eBay new bike and the brakes were set up rear right, so had a happy morning swapping those round. He's planning a 200 miler toward the end of the Summer so thought he deserved something a bit more suitable.
FSVO Mini.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 April, 2021, 05:20:16 pm
Nearly finished plate rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 27 April, 2021, 10:49:37 am
Got around to sorting out the intermittent temperature gauge on the big bike, which was a poor earth on the thermostat, where the temp sensor is. The gauge would flip instantaneously between actual temperature and end stopping, then back again. The thermostat housing is mounted on rubber vibration mounts, so not grounded itself, and relies on a thin wire on a spade connector to provide it. That connection can corrode and go intermittent.

All fine, except to get to it you either need to go in from the front (all fairing plastics off, remove the radiator and assorted other gubbins, and still only have limited access to the front), or go in from the top (upper fuel tank off, airbox out, work through a gap in the V4 throttle body assemblies). I chose the latter, but that means needing to have the upper fuel tank empty as there is no stop valve in it so if it wasn't empty it soon would be once you've disconnected the big hose at the bottom. Which has the delaying aspect that I need to have run the bike low on fuel at a time when I'll have a couple of hours to do the work on it, and be at a level where the upper 21L is empty, and I've got home with the lower 8L tank having sufficient left in it that I can comfortably make it to a fuel station when done. Alternatively there are ways of draining the upper tank, but that's a faff and needs more hands than I possess to avoid spillage.

I got to make use of my rather nice Vessel Impact JIS screwdrivers to remove the airbox from the throttle bodies - these are done up very tight by Mr Honda (presumably to avoid the engine ingesting rattled-loose screws), and liable to round off the heads if you don't use the right tool.

Other than that, a simple job, which has taken me over a year to get around to  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 April, 2021, 09:12:07 pm
Took the bedroom radiator off the wall, in prep for decorators arriving tomorrow.
We always forget how long they take to drain. That was well over an hour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul H on 29 April, 2021, 03:50:44 pm
Collected and re-assembled a new to me stationery cupboard.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51145699267_506341cce6_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kVz5va) (https://flic.kr/p/2kVz5va)

Though there's not a lot of room for any stationery, once you get two folders, a trailer, a collection of luggage and a box of spares in there.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51146600083_0776050b88_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kVDGht) (https://flic.kr/p/2kVDGht)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 April, 2021, 08:06:08 pm
We've had the decorators in wallpapering our bedroom the last couple of days, so while the kittehs were at borstal I took advantage of their absence.
Dug out all the sealant from under the windows in 2 rooms. Replaced it all with my shiny new Fugi kit. Painted the bedroom radiator and plumbed it back in.
Put the contents of the bedroom back in it.
I'm fucking knackered now. When we come to move I'm defo getting a bunch of burly chaps in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 29 April, 2021, 09:52:23 pm
Leaving all the moving to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 April, 2021, 07:16:58 am
Badoomtish
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 May, 2021, 06:37:55 am
Disassembled a couple of upright trike rear wheels yesterday. HK bought a virtually unridden SH trike (sad story) and I picked it up in Yorkshire. A couple of hours later, I left the unwanted rear rims, front wheel and three tubulars with a fellow audaxer near Leeds. Next stops had me picking up a fork from a Midlands trikie and dropping it off near the Chilterns.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 May, 2021, 08:15:34 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 May, 2021, 06:37:55 am
Disassembled a couple of upright trike rear wheels yesterday. HK bought a virtually unridden SH trike (sad story) and I picked it up in Yorkshire. A couple of hours later, I left the unwanted rear rims, front wheel and three tubulars with a fellow audaxer near Leeds. Next stops had me picking up a fork from a Midlands trikie and dropping it off near the Chilterns.

The trike wasn't a Ken Rogers by any chance? - I sold mine to an old bloke in Yorkshire and I didn't expect him to ever ride it . . .  although having seen HK in the flesh it would have been somewhat too large for her.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 May, 2021, 08:29:55 am
No, Trykit. I doubt it had totalled even 10km since being brazed up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 May, 2021, 04:54:12 pm
Put final coat of varnish on the new plate rack.


Our expensive new mixer tap is slowly failing to work as the levers seem to be losing contact with the valve spindle after little over a week in service.

The kitchen fitter who put it in was sent by Wickes and is a bit shy about answering his phone so I shall be going to Wickes and suggesting they sort it out while we can still get water out of the tap.  Apparently we should have been given
- a full spec
- care instructions
- a spare parts list
- a 2.5mm Allen key
- a warranty card

Although we have cooker instructions and dishwasher instructions we have no tap docs or Allen key.  On past performance Wickes will probably tell me to contact the fitter but the deal is with Wickes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 01 May, 2021, 05:23:55 pm
A partial fettle of my wheel centres for the winter wheels. Removed the 4-ring logos from the Audi centres, scrubbed them up, and filled the holes with some modelling putty. Did an initial sand down, and they’re now drying out on the radiator before a final skim and clean up before painting. Tidied up the sample 3D printed Cupra logo (courtesy of Russell), plonked it in 90C water for 10 seconds, which softened it enough to conform to the curve if the cap before hardening again. That’s good, now I know the final versions can be made to fit snugly. Now I need to find a paint that’s close to the SEAT colour for the logo. It’s L27A but as it’s not a body colour it’s hard to come by. My eBay version wasn’t even close, but at least I got a refund.

Also worked out a way of getting my car onto axle stands so I can be comfortable when fitting the mud flaps. Nothing earth-shattering tho, I just realised the sill jack point reinforcement is long enough for both the trolley jack puc and the axle stand head to fit side by side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 May, 2021, 05:53:24 pm
Went to Screwfix for supplies. (Plaster in a tube, fine surface filler in case that didn't work, nozzles with caps on for tubes of sealant, varnish. Wanted Hammerite too but not 750ml of the stuff so I didn't bother).
Used some Screwfix plaster in a sealant tube stuff to fill the hairline crack in a plaster cornice. Then did the same with a couple of cracks in the bathroom walls.
Used some eggshell to paint over the bits where the old curtain pole used to be fixed to the wall.
Wiped the curtain pole clean and then rubbed a bit of Free n Easy silicone lube on it. Glides like a very slidey thing now.
Took a look at the vestibule door which instead of being oak coloured was black and scratched from kittehs using it as a doorbell. Sanded it down, more in hope than expectation but it seemed to be coming up alright without going through the veneer. Varnishing to come another day when it's warmer and I can leave the door open long enough for it to dry,
Started painting some of the woodwork in the vestibule. Stopped cos it was getting a bit chilly.
Remembered while I had the ladder in to remove the glass bits from the 3 fisherman's lantern lights we have in the kitchen. They are no longer full of dust, beasties and grease and are all lovely and shiny now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 01 May, 2021, 07:13:55 pm
Popped a redshift stem on the Elan - can't have enough comfort!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 May, 2021, 08:19:14 pm
Removed the tops from 2 outdoor tables (made from strips of hardwood decking) and ran each piece through the planing machine to clean up and re-surface - reassembled the tables.  Need to apply seal of some sort.

Delivered a custom-size garden gate/door I had made for a customer (odd size to fit a sideway aperture - frame, ledged and braced, clad with featheredge and fitted with galvanised hinges)

Started to pressure-wash new limestone pavings prior to sealing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 May, 2021, 04:02:04 pm
Thought I was going out on my bike today but the weather forecast turned out to be pure BS so I didn't and instead I painted the woodwork in the vestibule. Which got more annoying as I got to the bottom of the honey jar of paint and found all the rusty flakes I'd transferred from the tin.  >:(
Happily I have a brand new tin awaiting me for the 2nd coat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 May, 2021, 04:21:06 pm
Swapped out the stretched-out Selle Anatomica from my trike and replaced it with a GB Aspin. Removed the Cinelli seatpost and Rolls saddle from HK’s new Trykit. Fitted a Grand Cru seatpost and a spare carved C17S instead.

Failed to get the tuits to adjust the loose headset on my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 03 May, 2021, 04:47:11 pm
Over the course of the last week I fettled a shelf for the garage to clear some floor space. One lump of ply, some old and knackered dinghy shrouds and a few bits and bobs from a marine supplier (eye bolts, bottle screws, wire thimble eyes) and three surplus to requirement hinges and I have myself an 8' x 2' shelf suspended off the side wall. With all the stuff that was on the floor it's cleared just the perfect amount of space to fit in one of these : -

(https://opimedia.azureedge.net/-/media/images/mcc/editorial/articles/magazine-articles/2018/03-01/time-traveler-1939-bmw-r51/bmw-1-jpg.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 May, 2021, 05:53:21 pm
Having watched my wife struggle to remove her wellies (Hunters, obv) yesterday I made a boot-jack from a piece of scrap hardwood decking timber.   [Shame it's not 3 weeks time, it's her birthday and that would have solved a problem  ;D]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 03 May, 2021, 09:57:38 pm
I refitted the handlebar bag bracket, for the big camera carrying bar bag. And also put some more goo in the front tyre and tweaked the valve a bit as I’d been loosing pressure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 May, 2021, 11:49:30 pm
Rejibbled a bunch of shelves in the Great Hall prior to doing a long-overdue repositioning of Things.  Phase 1 involves DVDs, books and a trip to the Happy Swedish Halls Of Joy tomorrow :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 May, 2021, 09:21:24 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 May, 2021, 11:49:30 pm
Rejibbled a bunch of shelves in the Great Hall prior to doing a long-overdue repositioning of Things.  Phase 1 involves DVDs, books and a trip to the Happy Swedish Halls Of Joy tomorrow :-\

Ditto, re-purposing the cupboards where we stocked the dogs' food.  A Great Declutter is on the cards but let's not be hasty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 04 May, 2021, 07:28:48 pm
Dropped off a set of alloys to be refurbished, and took the opportunity to pop into Halfords where I picked up primer, paint and lacquer to spray my wheel centres. Priming done this afternoon, gloss black finish tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 May, 2021, 07:33:46 pm
3 years after getting the bathroom fitted, finally got around to adjusting the shower door so that it meets the frame all the way up, and hopefully rests in the open position instead of closing itself. (Funny how you just live with all these things until you want to sell your property).
I've taken Friday off to redo the silicone sealant, joy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 May, 2021, 09:57:49 pm
Degreased the threads and added some Loctite to my trike’s headset. Hopefully that will stop it from gradually working loose. The 1” threaded steel Ritchey headset does have a hard life though. A biggish frame with the quill stem at the limit, two powerful front brakes and a heavy rider who likes to descend and corner enthusiastically.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 06 May, 2021, 11:21:30 am
Made a proper TV stand for my ipad and monitor when using Zwift.  Out of gas pipe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 May, 2021, 02:23:56 pm
Fettled all the DVD's and books into Righteous Order.  Except the Motoring Library, which plezh still awaits.  And the getting rid of all those boxes.  And the reclassification of 100 miles of Anbaric String.  And lots of filing and/or shredding/burning.  And things.

My shoulder hurts now :'(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 06 May, 2021, 08:05:43 pm
The £4 from the local recycling centre reuse shop folding wooden chair. I started using it for seated dumbbell lifts. It didn’t feel very stable. Inspection showed lots of dried out and separating joints. Cue some dismantling, followed by glueing and screwing of said joints, plus repair of some separating laminate. Now drying out, but felt much more sturdy and stable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 06 May, 2021, 08:32:35 pm
A bit of wheel truing (it's better at least) and new brake pads fitted and adjusted on the leccy folding bike.

It's a fiddle because there's a very fine line between catching the tyre and being low off the rim. And, with the still extant wobble, a fine line betwwen sufficient braking when required and not having it rub every revolution and steal my momentum. More truing needed, another day.

And then I noticed that the chain was rather slack because the wheel had slipped forward in the dropout so I sorted that and then got to go through all the rear brake adjustment again  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 06 May, 2021, 09:29:06 pm
The bike shedde. Specifically the works one. Last year I reported a water tank overflow dripping on to the roof of said edifice, causing a state of dampness underfoot. This tended to worsen after a night's inactivity in the washrooms.
 Well, the extra long inactivity over the last several months created a biologically interesting swamp over about a third of the floor area, smelly, slippery and a darn nuisance for access.
So today I (eventually) managed to find a shovel, yard brush and bucket for clean water and shifted the more solid guck to a shrubbery then swilled the rest away across the car park.
 O, looking forward to clean tyres and shoes tomorrow. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 May, 2021, 01:56:08 pm
Front mud flaps onto my car. Fortunately a quick and painless process, although I couldn’t find anywhere to use an axle stand, so had 2 scissor jacks on the one jacking point (fortunately on the Ateca they’re long enough for that) and wheel chocks on the opposing rear wheel. Only needed the front wheel off for less than 5 minutes a side.

I have the rears to fit, except they’re for the FR trim version, and mine’s a Cupra with 1) a slightly different profile rear “bumper” (so a little dremelling was involved in shaping them better, tho still not great) so 2) the two fixing screws that are supposed to be reused are on the wrong place so can’t be. I’ve ordered a selection of automotive fasteners and will hopefully be able to do the rears next weekend. Then it’ll be black silicone sealant to mask the gaps ‘twixt flaps (in reality rigid plastic shapes) and the bodywork. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 May, 2021, 04:39:45 pm
Spent from 0900 stripping out the silicone sealant round our shower cabinet. Didn't get finished that til about 1300 cos I had trouble cleaning up the joint between the tray and the glass in the end panel, eventually I had to accept the best of a bad job. (I also managed to cut my finger open on a sharp bit of shower panel). The sealant took me another 90 mins.
Then I used a tube of plaster sealant to tidy up some gaps between my fashioned bit of wood skirting where I had the stove reinstalled.
Then Pingu helped me take some shit to the charity shop and the tip.
Then I soaked our plastic shower caddies in some hot soda crystals solution to dissolve all the soapy ick off.
I am bloody knackered now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 May, 2021, 05:42:17 pm
Shifted 2 tonnes of topsoil from the driveway to the garden by wheelbarrow - pausing mid-task to fettle one wheelbarrow handle and the wheel.   Barrow must be 40 or 50 years old, it was my late FiL's and he made stuff last.
Just the giant bag of bark chips to move tomorrow - that should be easier as the wheelbarrow is now running very smoothly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 07 May, 2021, 09:08:46 pm
Just changed a Poundland GU10 LED bulb that had gone flickery after (checks Big Clive's Youtube) 6 years of daily use.

The remaining ones seem slightly dimmer than the spare I had on the shelf of the same vintage, so maybe they'll get swapped eventually too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 07 May, 2021, 09:49:53 pm
Put smaller chain rings on the Elan - 48/38/28. With the 11/36 I've got about 21 gear inches at the bottom which makes those bloomin steep Chiltern climbs easier. I can chill out in the seat, and listen to the quiet - rather than the sound of my lungs trying to escape through my mouth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 May, 2021, 10:52:42 pm
Started lacing up new rims and spokes for rear wheels on HK’s No2 trike. Using asymmetric tubeless-compatible Kinlin rims for a wider track/ more stable cornering is an approach that nobody in the Tricycle Association seems to have tried before.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 May, 2021, 12:28:04 am
Installed a somewhat oversized 400V capacitor in the base of the kettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 08 May, 2021, 02:45:19 pm
Hung the new plate rack on the wall.  Put the plates on it.  It's still there..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 May, 2021, 07:24:36 pm
Finished the trike wheels, fitted some part-worn tyres, adjusted the mini V-brakes, handlebar height and saddle position. HK seems happy enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 08 May, 2021, 09:46:39 pm
putting a new tyre on a wheelbarrow is a total bastard.  Forget your tubeless tyre fitting problems, do a wheelbarrow and you'll know what pain is

I had to trim excess rubber off the tyre, warm it in the oven, clean the wheel with a wire brush
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nobby on 09 May, 2021, 07:54:05 am
Drilled and tapped the rear pivot tube of my Moulton APB and fitted a grease nipple.
Replaced the pivot bolt with a filed down button head screw of 10.9 hardness, fitted it with Nord Lock washers and torqued to 29Nm.
Pumped it full off MS3 grease and was very pleased with the crinkly pattern that oozed from between the Nord Locks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 May, 2021, 07:34:54 pm
Fitted a front Bluemels mudguard and a GPS mount to HK’s No2 trike and swapped the saddle to something with a shorter nose (keeps the saddle out of the way when hanging out in fast corners). Just needs a long mudflap and dyno headlight fitted to finish it off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 09 May, 2021, 11:44:54 pm
Fitted a new top hat bush in my Mavic freehub. No more of the dreaded 'Mavic roar of death' now.

The only source of the bush seems to be from the USA . Only took a week to arrive though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 10 May, 2021, 07:09:43 am
Quote from: vorsprung on 08 May, 2021, 09:46:39 pm
putting a new tyre on a wheelbarrow is a total bastard.  Forget your tubeless tyre fitting problems, do a wheelbarrow and you'll know what pain is

I had to trim excess rubber off the tyre, warm it in the oven, clean the wheel with a wire brush

Shouldn’t be hard on a standard builders barrow with a quality tyre (ie not eBay’s cheapest).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 May, 2021, 08:59:06 pm
After work I gave the front door frame a 2nd coat of paint (fortunately I timed it very well such that I spotted the window cleaners and headed them off at the pass before they soaked the whole area by cleaning the transom window). Gave the vestibule skirting which got damp a 3rd coat of paint. The cat warming nook under the stove got a fresh coat of paint.
Fettled home knitted yoghurt and 2 loaves of bread.
Made dinner.
Then gave the inner vestibule door a coat of PU varnish being as it was all grubby and scratched from the cats using it as a doorbell.
The end is in sight, I just need to give the vestibule a couple of coats of emulsion.
And stop finding things that need doing outside (they still need doing but Pingu thinks I shouldn't bother).

Annoying thing is, now it's nice weather enough to paint I just want to be out in it getting some happy hormones, not doing poxy DIY...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 May, 2021, 02:09:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 May, 2021, 12:28:04 am
Installed a somewhat oversized 400V capacitor in the base of the kettle.

Rookie mistake.  The higher power from running on DC rather than half-wave rectified AC cooked the power resistor limiting current to the LEDs.  That'll teach me to do the maths next time.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 May, 2021, 09:06:37 pm
Threw some paint in the direction of the wash house door - it's a state and rotten in places, but at least it doesn't look such a state from a distance now, which will do for my porpoises.
Gave the vestibule door a 2nd coat of varnish.
Gave the vestibule walls & ceiling a first coat of emulsion. It will be nice if it only needs 2 coats, but I'm unconvinced... still, hopefully I will be finished all this DIY shit by the end of the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 May, 2021, 09:10:55 pm
Am I the only one here thinking that I could do with Mrs Pingu to come and visit to sort out my house too ?   :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 11 May, 2021, 09:58:52 pm
Nope  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 May, 2021, 10:38:36 pm
I'm nearly broken, I'm not doing home visits as well. :P
I'd love to say that when we've got a place with a bit more room to move furniture around I'll be GAMI in future. But that assumes there's any money left when we get there...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 May, 2021, 08:40:26 pm
Guess what I've been doing? Yes, frikkin emulsioning the vestibule again.
Am I finished? No, it needs yet another coat.

 >:( >:( Tokens, I haz them. Bored of this now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 May, 2021, 10:04:39 pm
Not a lot, had the night off painting. Think I needed it.
Helped Pingu finish scraping all the moss off the paths in our garden, being as the sun had shown its face. Then I went to Screwfix to buy yet moar paint. Waiting for BigRiverco to deliver a new roller sleeve tomorrow cos I reckon my one is crap.
The solicitor/estate agent and all their minions are coming next week. 🙈🤐
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 May, 2021, 04:13:41 pm
Swapped out the tyres and de-lubed the rims on my fixed. Ordered replacement rear bearings and a rear mudflap for it. Also ordered a front mudflap for HK’s new toy.

Replaced the wornout front brake pads on HK’s Kinesis as they started making noises during this evening’s ride. Flint-mined the front tyre.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 May, 2021, 06:01:20 pm
Took delivery of my merino sheepskin roller sleeve and yes, you guessed it, gave the vestibule yet another coat of paint. I probably should have bought one of them years ago.
Anyway it's all finished now. No more painting inside to do.
Just a little bit outside to do next week once the man's been to patch up a bit of blown render.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 15 May, 2021, 05:01:45 pm
Taking inspiration from our glorious leader, we're redecorating our bedroom while Miss Dan the Elder is still at university, so we can sleep in her room. So far, that's empty it (mostly) of stuff. Two people's clothes are now scattered around the house creating levels of untidiness that even I notice. I also feel nervous about taking wardrobes apart later, but we're avoiding the issue for now. Then the usual cleaning and taping up, and a first coat of paint on the ceiling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nobby on 15 May, 2021, 05:24:09 pm
Stuff on the APB: new front tyre fitted, rear brake fitted, cut spare cables. Next is working out the cable runs for the motor and where the battery is going.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 May, 2021, 05:31:17 pm
Fitted a XLC 70 lux auto dynolight to HK’s No.2 trike and maximised the front mudguard clearance. Should be able to fit 700x32C tyres all round now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 May, 2021, 06:32:10 pm
Reproofed a Carradice Nelson and then did my Barbour jacket too.  Mmmm...waxy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nobby on 15 May, 2021, 09:28:36 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 08 May, 2021, 09:46:39 pm
putting a new tyre on a wheelbarrow is a total bastard.  Forget your tubeless tyre fitting problems, do a wheelbarrow and you'll know what pain is
I did that in 1982 and took off the top of my left middle finger. You are right about the pain. :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 16 May, 2021, 03:09:45 pm
Many eons ago the crappy plastic pegs on my Ikea Pax wardrobe buckled under the weight of the last working CRT TV on earth and took out the two shelves below Ronan Point/World Trade Centre style.

This week I found a steel beam from a fly-tipped Ikea bed and I used it to make some sturdy L-brackets, far sturdier than the Swedish chipboard they're now screwed to.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 16 May, 2021, 09:02:07 pm
Twice round the door, frame and skirting boards in our bedroom with a nice mustard paint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 May, 2021, 11:33:26 pm
The cones on the front of the Pino looked a bit shagged, but finding replacements for a ParalLax hub was proving tricky. However, I managed to score an axle with hubs off Ebay (from Graham Weigh's shop) which looked like it might do the trick.

The weatherproofing isn't quite the same (split washers rather than rubber seals on the cone body) and I had to work out how to remove the press fit dust caps from the old cones (support the axle on a ring spanner and gently twat it with a Birmingham screwdriver). When I looked in my box of misc. ball bearings I was out of 3/16 ones, so cycled down to the grumpy LBS where they sell them loose. All back together, running as sweet as a nut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 May, 2021, 08:55:22 pm
Fitted a mudguard-mounted rear dynamo light with much less obtrusive cable routing.  On taking the rear wheel out to fit it, noticed the RH cone was loose, and I was going to do a regrease and ball swap anyway, so I did that.  Also took the freehub body off, removed the rear seal and lubed it.  Everything was in really good condition, even after thousands of miles and some appalling weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 May, 2021, 10:44:37 pm
At lunchtime I fettled the huge pile of moss on the street outside our flat.

After work I painted the rust stains on the wall under the steps up to our flat with Zinsser Cover Stain. Then gave the rest of it a good scrub down with soapy water (that made my elbows ache) and hosed it down, hopefully ready for me to throw some masonry paint at it. Whenever it decides to stop raining again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 May, 2021, 08:29:33 pm
Nothing!  :o

My tame roofing guy came and chiselled off various areas of blown render and tidied them all up. I should be throwing some masonry paint at them tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, which it looks like it may not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 18 May, 2021, 09:31:17 pm
A bit of bedroom decorating at lunch and after work - new fronts to the electrics, one didn’t have a switch before; got the last of the old carpet out; another clean and a couple of bits of touching up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 19 May, 2021, 09:58:42 am
The W1209 temperature controller I bought was working great until I connected it to the electrically noisy thing it was meant to be controlling, when the temperature reading started fluctuating wildly.

Wrapping the leads in tin foil didn't help (yeah, I'm an idiot for even trying it), but comparing the reference circuit diagram with the empty space on the circuit board revealed the cheap ****ers * had left out the smoothing capacitor for the temperature sensor. Solved instantly.

(* the whole thing cost a wopping £3.60)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nobby on 19 May, 2021, 04:40:37 pm
Today I have fettled a spanner.
The Bafang mid drive elecky motor has a 30 something mm castellated nut to hold it in its place and a decorative nut to lock the first, and act as a cover.
The first spanner I bought was not a good fit so I lovingly (swearingly) filed the inner circle to the correct size. Then I cut off the end for the cover nut which I don't use.
That made it too short to get enough torque (oomph) on the castle nut so when I have used it I have resorted to whacking it with a mallet. I don't carry a mallet when I am out.

The spanner is now lengthened with a piece of 25mm by 3mm steel and is 60mm longer. I can also undo the two 6mm button head screws and make it all smaller, but then I'd be bound to drop one. I also thought of decorative drilling for lightness but what's the point of a 3.5kg elecky motor if you worry about grams?

I have thoroughly enjoyed myself for a couple of hours. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 May, 2021, 09:01:04 pm
Replaced the dead disposable batteries in my fixed’s taillight with some rechargeables. Fitted a front mudflap to HK’s No2 trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 May, 2021, 10:18:14 pm
Pingu unfettled most of the anbaric string out of the back of the TV, PVR, amp etc at the behest of the photographer's missive.
I did a lot of cleaning. Phase 2 of which tomorrow.
Weather not cooperating with the masonry paint throwing. (Also, I had to turn the heating back on *again*)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 May, 2021, 10:22:05 pm
Tasmotized a several of Chinesium contact sensors (https://templates.blakadder.com/D06.html) and affixed them to various door/window frames.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 May, 2021, 11:20:02 am
Phase 2 cleaning. Pingu even hoovered  :o
Took all the crap out of the flat. We both commented on how it's quite a nice flat when it's not full of shit. 3 cat trees, 2 litter trays, comfy fleece and other stuff for the amusement of cats takes up a lot of space.
Photographer came.
Now we've just brought all the cat and other tat back in, and Pingu is grovelling about on the floor replumbing all the anbaric string back in the tv and hifi etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 20 May, 2021, 11:51:50 am
Cleaned the Dolan Dual (inc taking off the cassette and cleaning each individual sprocket and hub).
Fixed a punctured tube that exploded upon inflation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 21 May, 2021, 10:41:21 am
Got the new kitchen door on its hinges but now rain has stopped play as it needs sanding and varnishing.  An outside job. 


Quote from: grams on 19 May, 2021, 09:58:42 am
The W1209 temperature controller I bought was working great until I connected it to the electrically noisy thing it was meant to be controlling, when the temperature reading started fluctuating wildly.

Wrapping the leads in tin foil didn't help (yeah, I'm an idiot for even trying it), but comparing the reference circuit diagram with the empty space on the circuit board revealed the cheap ****ers * had left out the smoothing capacitor for the temperature sensor. Solved instantly.

(* the whole thing cost a wopping £3.60)

A bit like our dodgy tap, British made, where the grub screws used were too short to engage with a notch in the sleeve.  Rather than wait for longer screws they had reversed the sleeve so the notch was the other side and tightened the short grubs as much as the could onto the smooth face of the sleeve to make a friction fit.  Friction fit worked for a week.

Wickes then sent me a new tap with the promise to fit it one day.

Having the brand new replacement as backup, I got the right screws off ebay, £1.65 for 5, and fixed the problem in minutes.  Will keep the brand new tap in case anything else was assembled upside down or back to front. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 21 May, 2021, 05:56:54 pm
Yesterday, helped put carpet in the room, though Mrs Dan did most of that as I was feeling ill.
Today, cupboards and bed went back, clothes in wardrobe and some vacuuming as we’d got fluff through most of the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 May, 2021, 06:48:52 pm
Replacing the stereo head unit on the camper with an Android Auto one, so I won't have to have a phone stuck to the windscreen for satnav, will be able to stream music to it, listen to DAB, and also have a reverse camera showing on it.

That means finding where under the dash to pick off a handbrake signal (needed by Android Auto as it nannies you and won't allow you do some things unless the handbrake is on, but is clever enough to check you do take the handbrake off so you can't just tell it the brake is on all the time) rather than run a long wire. Similarly for the reverse lights - you can "just" run a wire from the rear light cluster, but that's a long run and awkward due to the internal fittings.

The camper doesn't have an aux position on the ignition switch, which means that if you want switched power to be on you need to have all the engine bits live too. The old stereo got around this by just giving the stereo power all the time, but that doesn't work for Android Auto as it has no off switch (only standby, which leaves the screen on and would continue to draw enough power to flatten a battery in a reasonably short period). So I knocked up a little hold-up circuit with a pair of relays and a pair of diodes. Flick the ignition on, and the circuit then holds the switched 12V to the stereo high until you've both switched off the ignition AND opened one of the front doors. So if you leave the vehicle it is definitely off, if you just park up to have a drink and reprogram the sat nav it will stay on.

It's a variant of something I knocked up for my escort motorbike, where if you've got the ignition on you can turn on the strobes and aux kit like the radio. Turn the ignition off and remove the key, they stay live (useful if the bike is parked somewhere odd whilst I'm away from it dealing with a hazard). Turn them off, and they cannot be turned back on until the ignition is turned on - so anyone fiddling with switches whilst the bike is parked up can't make lights work and flatten the battery.

None of that is rocket science, but it's quite satisfying to do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 May, 2021, 08:47:15 am
Replaced the too-short homemade rear mudflap on my fixed with a longer pretty one that cost actual money. I must be going soft on my old age. Finally lubed the chain after some wet commutes earlier in the week. Replaced the worn 16t cog and tightened the rear hub bearings while waiting for the replacement sealed bearings to arrive.

Adjusted the saddle angle on my trike since I was jiggling a little the last time I rode it. Tweaked the taillight positions too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2021, 01:02:19 pm
Finally, I'm finished! 🎉
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51194347707_9c7d76b0b6.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kZSpZn)2021-05-22_12-49-59 (https://flic.kr/p/2kZSpZn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Also, I love masonry paint. Why can't emulsion cover in 1 coat like that? (Used barely half a 5L tin)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 22 May, 2021, 01:49:12 pm
Wow !   Does that make all the effort worthwhile ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2021, 03:02:32 pm
I hope it will!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 22 May, 2021, 03:31:17 pm
 Replumbed the hifi in the Mess at Fort Larrington which had been unmolished by Private M to redecorate the walls of the alcove in which it lurks following a plumbing incident.  Fortunately I labelled most of the string when I installed the amplifier a few years ago but it still took about three hours of undignified floor-rolling and swearing enow to distract Dr Davis from his viewing of Brentford vs. Bournemouth.

Threw away half a skip-load of cassettes after discovering that Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) no longer possesses a working deck, and the shelf they used to sit on because it was b0rked.

Must be Christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 May, 2021, 03:54:02 pm
Glass, silicone sealant.
I'm making a couple of vases from 6mm thick glass, which should look approximately something like this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51196098824_44f70fdf5a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m12ox3) (https://flic.kr/p/2m12ox3)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)
For reference, they stand at ~350mm high.
The fun part of the job is that you get only one crack at each join.
No undoing. No correcting. No going back.
The first example is not leaving me delighted.
There goes £60.00 worth of glass cutting and polishing.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 22 May, 2021, 05:13:14 pm
Is silicon sealant ok for sticking glass together?

How did you approach the job and what went wrong?

(I’d like to make a glass case when I get a moment - thought araldite might work)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 May, 2021, 05:59:35 pm
Silicon sealant is ideal.There are also 'Dogsbolox" and Sticks-like-shit' adhesives from Evode. - But my experience of use of these is limited.
Engineering angle plates were used for arranging/positioning the plates of glass, to keep stuff square.
Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the glass first. Spreading the sealant, as opposed to dabbing it (To give it some thickness/height) could be the Achilles heel here - I'm still waiting on curing times to find out - I should have an idea at this time tomorrow.
I made a couple of these about 20 years ago and both have been watertight ever since then.
What went wrong?
Not applying enough pressure to expel all of the air from the join, so I'm not convinced that it is 100% watertight. ('Cos I'd forgotten what I did 20 years ago)
I'll know more tomorrow
ETA - use more sealant than you need - trim off the excess.
Use a blade dipped in Fairy Liquid to trim - otherwise the silicone will grab the blade and prevent it from cutting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 22 May, 2021, 10:16:42 pm
A door handle.

The door handle to the utility room in the flat had become very sticky: it would jam, and could not be pushed down to open the door.

Took the handles off, and removed the latch for inspection.
The cam on the rotating bit which shoves the latch open was very worn, and sticking.
I noticed the latch was symmetrical, and could be installed upside-down, to allow for doors opening in the opposite direction.
So there are actually 2 cams, but after it's installed, only one is ever used.
The other remains in factory new condition.
And indeed, when I tried it, it was silky smooth that way.

I also notice that the door next to it is hung the other way.
So it will also have a part-worn cam (not yet showing any symptoms), but on the other side.

A simple swap of the latches between doors has both doors now operating on brand new unworn latches!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 22 May, 2021, 10:29:23 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 22 May, 2021, 10:16:42 pm
A simple swap of the latches between doors has both doors now operating on brand new unworn latches!
That reminds me of a fix I did.

The door check straps on a Mini have springs in cups on the top that fill up with water, and rust away. The identical ones underneath look new after 15 years. I bought one new check strap for one door, and put the two unrusted springs ones on the other door, at half the cost of two new check straps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 May, 2021, 04:12:50 pm
Bloody tricky lamp replacement.

Downlighter in the shower is GU10, but in an IP rated fitting.
This has a gasket seal to get into it.
Then, the wire to the lampholder enters through a fairly tight grommet at the top.
As you pull the failed lamp downwards enough to disconnect it, you pull some wire down through the grommet.

After replacing the lamp, you cannot push this excess wire back up through the grommet!
And there's not enough room inside the fitting to accomodate a loop of slack.

The only way to re-assemble it is to remove the entire fitting from the ceiling, pulling it firmly out to bend the spring arms upwards so the whole shebang comes out. Then you can pull the slack up and out, as you re-fit the lamp into the fitting.

This results in a shower of debris from the ceiling void space, and minor damage to the plasterboard hole.
I won't manage this many times before the plasterboard becomes badly enough chewed up to require fixing.
Next time it fails, I'll replace the fitting with a less crap one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 May, 2021, 04:28:25 pm
I'd be interested in what the fiment is - I couldn't find an IP67 one where the bulb could be changed from below, not without having to remove mastic sealant anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 May, 2021, 04:36:22 pm
I'm trying to update two TomTom devices.  This is akin to kicking dead whales down a beach, because TomTom software is the shittest imaginable.  I think their Dutch programmers write it after a long session on hallucinogenics.  It hangs, crashes, pretends things aren't connected, fights Windows for control of the USB device and generally makes you want to throw your bollocks at the clock.  They have the lowest Trustpilot rating I have ever seen as a company and I imagine are about to go bust now cars come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 24 May, 2021, 04:48:08 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 24 May, 2021, 04:36:22 pm
I'm trying to update two TomTom devices.  This is akin to kicking dead whales down a beach, because TomTom software is the shittest imaginable.  I think their Dutch programmers write it after a long session on hallucinogenics.  It hangs, crashes, pretends things aren't connected, fights Windows for control of the USB device and generally makes you want to throw your bollocks at the clock.  They have the lowest Trustpilot rating I have ever seen as a company and I imagine are about to go bust now cars come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Well, there's some mental cinema to ponder...  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 May, 2021, 04:57:25 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 24 May, 2021, 04:28:25 pm
I'd be interested in what the fiment is - I couldn't find an IP67 one where the bulb could be changed from below, not without having to remove mastic sealant anyway.

Sorry, I don't know.
I'm no longer on-site!

There were no visible manufacturers markings visible with the fitting in the ceiling.
There might be on the body of the thing once removed, but I didn't notice.

The visible external part is a circular glass window set into a chrome ring, about 75mm in diameter.
This is a bayonet mount up into the main recessed body of the fitting, and there's a gasket which seals between them as you engage the bayonet.
The bulb is clipped into the removable piece, and comes out with it as you open the fitting, thus pulling some wire through the grommet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 24 May, 2021, 06:35:40 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 24 May, 2021, 04:28:25 pm
I'd be interested in what the fiment is - I couldn't find an IP67 one where the bulb could be changed from below, not without having to remove mastic sealant anyway.

IP67? Are you taking it swimming?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 May, 2021, 07:29:52 pm
Quote from: grams on 24 May, 2021, 06:35:40 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 24 May, 2021, 04:28:25 pm
I'd be interested in what the fiment is - I couldn't find an IP67 one where the bulb could be changed from below, not without having to remove mastic sealant anyway.

IP67? Are you taking it swimming?

 ;D  IP65 is probably more appropriate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 May, 2021, 11:17:42 am
A replacement fan element in the oven.

The oven was intermittently tripping the RCD when it got much over 200C, so I've replaced the element as the most likely culprit.
( I had a new element to hand which I'd bought some time back for reasons... )

But the old element meggered OK at 500v when cold so dunno.
All the other things that it could be ( fan motors etc ) were clear too.

Time will tell.

ETA:
Bollocks. New element tripped out even faster than the old one!
The old one at least ran till it got hot before tripping out.

Further investigation, and I find the Earth wire to the element is chaffed through and rubbing against the L spade terminal.
The chafing is partial, and is to some extent insulated by solid grease.
Once things warm up, the grease melts and the fan vibration is enough to give an earth leakage fault.
So an easy fix: trim back the E wire, re-terminate, and position it so it doesn't chafe.
This was in fact the original fault.
Clean up all the eeky grease whilst I'm at it.

However, even after fixing this, it was still tripping out instantly the element came on.
Further Further investigation: The new element is faulty! <0.1MOhm  from the terminals to mass at 500v!
So back to the original element which is >1000MOhm at 500v.

Now, all fixed.
Original element, repaired wiring.

Fuck Fuck Fuck.
It's tripping out again at temperature.

I'm going to have to haul the thing out again onto the bench, and run it up to temperature.
Then, once it trips, shut it off and isolate it, and do some more meggering at temperature.

I still suspect the element; the fact that the new element was fucked from the get-go is just a complicating factor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 May, 2021, 03:50:01 pm
Fixed my old Joe Blow, because I hate the SKS Rennkompressor.  New head and check valve.  Turns out the check valve, which is like a sprung rubber nipple, should NOT be lubricated with silicone grease, or it sticks.  I flushed it through with (do this outside and be careful not to freeze your skin) butane lighter fluid and fitted it dry.  Now it all works like new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 May, 2021, 07:22:00 pm
Did absolutely the *very* last bit of painting, which was the bit of door frame the joiner replaced on Monday cos it was rotten. I can't say he did a very tidy job but hopefully it will be someone else's irritant soon.
Nothing else happened today.
<twiddles thumbs>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 May, 2021, 08:41:51 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 May, 2021, 07:22:00 pm
Did absolutely the *very* last bit of painting, which was the bit of door frame the joiner replaced on Monday cos it was rotten. I can't say he did a very tidy job but hopefully it will be someone else's irritant soon.
Nothing else happened today.
<twiddles thumbs>

On the flipside of that coin, have you seen anywhere that takes your fancy?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 27 May, 2021, 07:58:41 pm
Cut four old railway sleepers in half .Painted them with creosote & left the cut ends dunked  in a  pails of  creosote .
Old Nancy across the lane reckons its the smell of here youth & will sleep with the windows open tonight .Nancy was Quite upset when I said the wood was for my daughter's place . I will have to do Nancy  a pot pourri  of  old sleeper shavings & Creosote .
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 May, 2021, 08:12:08 pm
Replaced the ESP-03 module in a LYT8266 (http://souliss.net/media/esp8266-wifi-multicolor-bulb/) smart bulb that I bought ages ago and could never get to WiFi properly.

Off the back of my recent Tasmota adventures (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117751.msg2619553#msg2619553), I blew the dust off it and tried installing Tasmota rather than the Arduino thing I'd tried at the time.  Flashing Tasmota was straightforward, but it couldn't connect to WiFi either.  On a hunch based on a WeMos D1 that steadfastly refuses to talk to the BHPC's timing network but seems fine with everything else, I tracked down a source for the module, and did some fiddly soldering to replace it.

So yeah, new ESP, and it connects to Wifi just fine.  Now running my own build of Tamota with the automation standards I've never heard of stripped out in favour of a more complete rule language, better MQTT support and - crucially - the PWM tweaked so it will go up to 20kHz.  The LEDs are still deeply underwhelming, but it works, and is barakta-approved in terms of flicker if not CRI.  I've stuck it at the top of the stairs to fill in the gloomy bit, where it can come on automagically in response to the stairs computer.  :thumbsup:

Meanwhile, as barakta was on campus today for the first time in $new_job, I took the opportunity to do as many solvent-related bicycle jobs as I could.  I now have three non-squeaky-clean drivetrains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 May, 2021, 08:24:32 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 27 May, 2021, 08:41:51 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 May, 2021, 07:22:00 pm
Did absolutely the *very* last bit of painting, which was the bit of door frame the joiner replaced on Monday cos it was rotten. I can't say he did a very tidy job but hopefully it will be someone else's irritant soon.
Nothing else happened today.
<twiddles thumbs>

On the flipside of that coin, have you seen anywhere that takes your fancy?


Probably about 2 places a week at the moment. Not going to view anything til ours is on the market and I see if we get any viewings.
Speaking of which, I was expecting ours to be on ASPC by now but our property manager appears to have dropped off the face of the earth.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 27 May, 2021, 08:30:29 pm
The garden, buckled.


Also had to move the belt on my turntable from 33 to 45 because London Grammar have joined Radiohead on the 45 RPM LP side of the record rack.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 27 May, 2021, 08:51:22 pm
Ruined the threads on the bottom bracket (bb) shell of my titanium bike trying to fit a Shimano
UN55. Taking frame to shop on Saturday so that they can remove the (stuck) bb and sort out the
damaged threads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 May, 2021, 09:06:18 pm
Quote from: canny colin on 27 May, 2021, 07:58:41 pm
Cut four old railway sleepers in half .Painted them with creosote & left the cut ends dunked  in a  pails of  creosote .
Old Nancy across the lane reckons its the smell of here youth & will sleep with the windows open tonight .Nancy was Quite upset when I said the wood was for my daughter's place . I will have to do Nancy  a pot pourri  of  old sleeper shavings & Creosote .

CREOSOTE!!! - pure nectar, where can you buy it nowadays?   I thought it had been banned?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 27 May, 2021, 09:29:54 pm


CREOSOTE!!! - pure nectar, where can you buy it nowadays?   I thought it had been banned?

I have a stash of old creosote I keep at the yard for special jobs . You can buy Bartoline Creocote Off  EBAY & with the addition of some old engine oil it is quite canny. But you are meant to be a "professional" to apply it and I am just a tradesman so I am a bit buggered .   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: neilrj on 27 May, 2021, 09:42:14 pm
Quote from: robgul on 27 May, 2021, 09:06:18 pm

CREOSOTE!!! - pure nectar, where can you buy it nowadays?   I thought it had been banned?

I got it from a country store in Upton on Severn a good few years ago, it's supposed to be pro only but no-one checked, I assume if you turn up in tatty clothes looking like a tradesperson that's enough ID enough (and my usual look).
It is in 25L barrels though and was about £30, still plenty left!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 27 May, 2021, 10:28:50 pm
Traditional Coal Tar Creosote is available from Creosotesales.com.uk

£ 40.00 for a   25 litre drum  & £ 7.50 for postage   ( up to 6 drums same postage )

light years ahead of that coloured water you can get from DIY ( destroy it yourself ) shops . 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 28 May, 2021, 01:27:09 pm
Quote from: De Sisti on 27 May, 2021, 08:51:22 pm
Ruined the threads on the bottom bracket (bb) shell of my titanium bike trying to fit a Shimano
UN55. Taking frame to shop on Saturday so that they can remove the (stuck) bb and sort out the
damaged threads.


As it happens, the threads weren't stripped. I just had to take my time and make sure the bottom
bracket was correctly aligned. Job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 May, 2021, 03:52:05 pm
Quote from: De Sisti on 28 May, 2021, 01:27:09 pm
Quote from: De Sisti on 27 May, 2021, 08:51:22 pm
Ruined the threads on the bottom bracket (bb) shell of my titanium bike trying to fit a Shimano
UN55. Taking frame to shop on Saturday so that they can remove the (stuck) bb and sort out the
damaged threads.


As it happens, the threads weren't stripped. I just had to take my time and make sure the bottom
bracket was correctly aligned. Job done.

Tip - when installing a UN55 type BB fit the non-drive side cup in loosely to help with the alignment as you put the unit in from the drive side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 May, 2021, 10:06:48 pm
Repaired Jeremy:

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2021_05_28_19_55_55.sized.jpg)

(He'd suffered a bad case of battery leakage, so I removed his original innards and crammed a Wemos D1 Mini and some surplus blinkenlights from the BHPC LAZER DISPLAY BOARD up his arse.  He seems to have enjoyed it, anyway.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2021, 10:43:03 pm
What is Jeremy?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 May, 2021, 10:52:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2021, 10:43:03 pm
What is Jeremy?

Jeremy is a Mood Beam.  A brand name which has since had its own parallel story of being forgotten and then reinvented as a (completely unrelated) internet-of-shit product, which makes them hard to google for.

AIUI there was a whole family of these cute blobby critters, each with their own LED colour personalities.  Think Furbys without the sinister.  Or the sound.  Jeremy was a gift from a friend who is known for calling things Jeremy, though he's fallen out of the habit since the rise of Messrs Clarkson, Hunt and indeed Corbyn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2021, 10:55:36 pm
:)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 May, 2021, 10:59:21 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 May, 2021, 10:06:48 pm
Repaired Jeremy:

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2021_05_28_19_55_55.sized.jpg)

(He'd suffered a bad case of battery leakage, so I removed his original innards and crammed a Wemos D1 Mini and some surplus blinkenlights from the BHPC LAZER DISPLAY BOARD up his arse.  He seems to have enjoyed it, anyway.)

Why is your phone watching you?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 May, 2021, 11:04:41 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 28 May, 2021, 10:59:21 pm
Why is your phone watching you?

It thinks I'm odd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 May, 2021, 11:20:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 28 May, 2021, 11:04:41 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 28 May, 2021, 10:59:21 pm
Why is your phone watching you?

It thinks I'm odd.

Ah, it's one if those new fangled smart phones  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 29 May, 2021, 06:37:36 am
Quote from: robgul on 28 May, 2021, 03:52:05 pm
Tip - when installing a UN55 type BB fit the non-drive side cup in loosely to help with the alignment as you put the unit in from the drive side.
Thank you :thumbsup: . That would have sped up the installation. Also put on chainset, pedals, seat and tuned the gears (didn't need adjusting). XACD titanium bike now ready for its first outing of the year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 May, 2021, 08:42:25 am
Yesterday, removed the cassette and freehub from an idiosyncratic South African upright trike for a lady. http://koostricycles.co.za/racers/ It has an unusual rear axle arrangement that has created some headscratching over the past few years. The owner managed to remove the LH wheel, axle and bearings herself but then got stuck.

Today, the plan is to remove the driveside axle to replace all the rear axle bearings, swap the cassette and chain for some lower gears and refit everything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 30 May, 2021, 08:47:04 am
The handle of my gardening trowel was getting cracked and rather unpleasant so cleaned, sanded and treated with some bees wax furniture wax we inherited with our house many manybyears ago. Its now a lot nicer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 30 May, 2021, 11:14:59 am
The kitchen floor, the old-fashioned way, on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush. Most satisfying. It also served to remind me where the lower drain point for our central heating is (adjacent to the valve on the kitchen radiator).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 30 May, 2021, 01:19:04 pm
Investigated why the cameras in my car have not worked since I parked up to return to work in November.  I didn't get around to it when I was home in Jan - Feb which turned out to be fortunate.  The problem was condensation ingress into the connector on the power widget shoved up behind the dash.  That had caused a short and the permanent live pin had volunteered to be the fuse - totally evaporated, a 5 pin housing with 4 pins present.  New connector fitted & all is well again.  Oh and a smaller fuse fitted in the fuse box.

The 'fortunate' part is because the connector is a JST 2.54mm.  This is something I didn't have in stock until the end of Feb when I ordered the wrong kit off big river co.  The kit I wanted was 2mm.  That mistake resulted in an easy fix today without resorting to bodgery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 30 May, 2021, 08:09:26 pm
Finally got the RH axle out but I need to run a tap through a thread and replace a couple of rounded out bolts (not by me). Everything goes back together tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 May, 2021, 08:16:58 pm
I took the stem out on the newly-acquired Brompton to grease it, and because there should be a small 1-2mm gap to the headset locknut (otherwise you can't adjust it) and there wasn't.  Also adjusted the lower stop disc, which was fouling the seatpost on folding, to give a similar 1-2mm air gap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 30 May, 2021, 08:19:42 pm
Replaced a faulty Suunto T6c Bike Pod with one that is working.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 30 May, 2021, 08:36:07 pm
Spent most of the weekend rescuing two toolboxes and their contents from a plague of mice.

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2021, 06:52:50 am
Quote from: ravenbait on 30 May, 2021, 08:36:07 pm
Spent most of the weekend rescuing two toolboxes and their contents from a plague of mice.

Sam
That's what happens when you buy cheap tools made from cheese.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 May, 2021, 04:24:38 pm
Third day in a row of working on this trike. New axle bearings fitted, things greased and oiled as required. Almost everything is back together, but she had taken apart the LH axle before I ever saw the trike. It seems there is a spacer missing between the frame bearing and the hub, so it isn’t rideable yet. She can source a suitable spacer and refit the wheel without needing me. Hopefully everything works well after that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 31 May, 2021, 05:01:29 pm
Adjusted my Nexus 8 hub. It took 30 seconds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 31 May, 2021, 05:57:27 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2021, 06:52:50 am

That's what happens when you buy cheap tools made from cheese.

It's what happens when you store the sack of peanuts for your garden birds temporarily in the garage after decanting some into a tub for daily use, then discover several weeks later that you'd forgotten to transfer them into a sealed, mouse-proof container, and all the peanuts have turned into mice and mouse crap.

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 31 May, 2021, 07:14:39 pm
Just think of the happiness you have given mousekind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 31 May, 2021, 08:54:50 pm
Two fettles combined with upcycling today.

Firstly a motorised valve on the central heating system had the gear jumping. Repaired with the motor and gear assembly from an older valve. I don't know exactly where the older one came from, but I guess it was one that was replaced when heating was changed to valves on each radiator. I may have to change the whole valve operator soon as the rack was somewhat worn.

Secondly, a bluetooth speaker had stopped charging, but otherwise worked fine. It turned out to be a failed charging IC. I could have obtained one of those if I was prepared to wait a week or two, but instead I cut the Li-Ion charger section out of an old circuit board, and soldered wires from that to where the failed charging IC had been.

Give the cost of bluetooth speakers, while fixing it gives me a sense of satisfaction, it's not really worth my time fixing stuff that cheap. Repairing the motorised valve makes much better financial sense as they are expensive, and the valve operator can be changed while leaving the valve body, and the water, in place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 06 June, 2021, 08:49:10 pm
Set up a couple of wireless doorbells for the parents.  Extra loud ones from http://www.connevans.co.uk/ as everyone in that household has some level of hearing impairment.  Barely qualifies as fettling. 


Also unboxed & set up one of those upright air cooler / humidifier things,   their ageing hell hound has been suffering with the hot weather......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 June, 2021, 09:21:34 pm
Pulled apart a SRAM T3 hub.  All good inside, which is just as well since spares are becoming extinct.  Stupid 7/32" bearing size in the driver, which is obviously the only size I don't have.  Last time I used those was on an ancient Campag Record front hub, I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 06 June, 2021, 11:43:51 pm
Dishwasher.

Set it going an hour ago, it stopped a while later beeping and flashing a random number, which turns out to be the anti-flood warning - meaning that (barring electronic failure) the float in the plastic tray that makes up the bottom of the machine has risen due to water collecting there, triggering the machine to pump water out of the washing compartment and raise an alarm.

Quick check pulling the bottom front panel off, and yes, it's full of water but nothing obviously amiss (pipe off, dampness around a component). Drain it out, turn the machine back on looking inside the bottom to see  water running down the side. Quick look inside, the water hardness selection knob has a big knurled nut and rubber gasket to seal it. The nut had come loose over the last 8 years or so we've owned the machine. Tightened it up, dried out the bottom, and dishes are washing again  :thumbsup:
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 07 June, 2021, 06:28:29 pm
polished an old dull crank, nds so far

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210607/b3172b62de6d95c00536c8e80a018fcf.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210607/ff78abb920f67038a7151970a8331cd2.jpg)


to be cont’d

ok, three hours worth of scrubbing to achieve “that’ll do” standard

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210608/8d358246ca3c57593797da197560f37d.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210608/66f6f0f1240c3139e50e05431d5ef315.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 June, 2021, 07:08:25 pm
Pulled the broken Campag double front mech off my trike and a couple of hours later fitted a cheap Shimano triple front mech scavenged from a nearby bike shops’s discard pile. It works well enough to get me back home without having to heel and finger change the chainrings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 June, 2021, 07:59:02 pm
Molished a wheelchair ramp for our tricky PVC front door. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11163.msg2630396#msg2630396)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 June, 2021, 09:54:05 pm
Cleaned up a Brompton chain tensioner (derailleur type) and overhauled the nasty Brompton front hub.  7 caged balls per side on a bike that costs as much as a decent carbon road bike.  WTF?  I put in 10 loose balls instead and plenty of Mr Philip Wood's best green California goo.  Can't do much about the eccentric drilling, though - most of them are like that.  How cheap can a hub get?!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 June, 2021, 11:55:26 am
Removed a Brompton bottom bracket, which was as tricky as usual.  Bolted the tool in tightly and thankfully it didn't chew the "lockrings".  Right rusty mess inside the shell (they go in ungreased) so I'll chase and face it.

Now I see where the Westboro Baptist Church went wrong.  God doesn't hate fags.  God hates FAGs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 June, 2021, 09:42:01 pm
Reassrmbled the SRAM T3 hub.  The last one of these I did didn't have the separate thrust washer ("X") in the planet cage, so that confused me for a while.  And that's the last of the special SRAM IGH grease gone.  Funny stuff - it's thicker than most greases but quickly spreads when worked into the hub.  Smells faintly of tobacco.  I used Phil Wood grease for the ball races, ensuring the greases didn't mix.  The SRAM stuff is a bit too thick for free running IMO.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 09 June, 2021, 07:45:39 am
New wheel bearings in the trailer. Carry Freedom Y large, 6001 shielded now 6001 -2RS. One was squeaking a bit during and after the washing machine load.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 June, 2021, 10:24:40 am
We had lost the key to the padlock on the door* of the parrot's cage, so I had the fun of breaking it open with the two-spanners trick.  Was surprised it actually worked, and that the parrot didn't [try to] eat the spanners while I was doing it.

* the catch broke years ago
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 June, 2021, 06:31:24 pm
Fixed a Brompton folding pedal using the procedure outlined in here, er, 12 years ago.  A big vice makes things easier.

Tomorrow...drilling the heads off the rear hinge bolts.  From experience, this takes three or four cheap 6.5mm drill bits from Wilko and a hand-cranked drill.  You apply cutting oil, lean on the drill handle with all your weight and turn the chuck.  Any speed just heats and hardens the metal.  Then an M10 tap to grip the bush and a drift to knock it out.  I probably used the old spindle last time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 10 June, 2021, 05:58:27 pm
Found the saddle on the Roberts was nearly 20mm too far forward.  Moved it back.  My last ride I averaged 26.6 km/h when it should have been 27. This was clearly the problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 June, 2021, 09:35:30 pm
The Brompton bushes are out.  Phew.

1. Go to Wilko and buy 4 x HSS drill bits.  It took 3 last time.
2. Discover Wilko drill bits are now made from cheese and literally useless.
3. Drive to B&Q.  Nothing useful there.
4. Order DeWalt 6.5mm cobalt drill from Screwfix and collect it.
5. DeWalt cobalt drill has both bolt heads off in under 90 seconds.  Buy one!
6. Screw in M10 tap.
7. Drift M10 tap out from far side.
8. Sheee-ite.  The bushes have been in since 2005 and the bronze shell has welded itself to the frame.  The M10 tap merely removes some of the nylon bearing surface.
9. Spend 2 hours carefully slotting and collapsing the bushes inwards, as you might a seatpost.  It works.
10. Learning points:

(a) Buy a DeWalt cobalt drill.
(b) Grease the outside of the new bushes before fitting them (Brompton, you bastards)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 10 June, 2021, 10:24:23 pm
Fancy doing my rear hinge? ::-)

Does the rear hinge require reaming everytime?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 June, 2021, 10:40:31 pm
Replaced the back tyre (Durano Plus) on the fixer/commuter. I'd picked up a couple of punctures lately and it was looking a little worn. Bunged the old and new on the scales. The old one was 40g lighter (about 10%) than the new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2021, 06:56:52 am
Quote from: Gattopardo on 10 June, 2021, 10:24:23 pm
Fancy doing my rear hinge? ::-)

Does the rear hinge require reaming everytime?
In theory the new bushes need reaming, yes.  This is not straightforward as Brompton will no longer sell you the tool.  A 3/8" hand reamer will do it but the parallel section of the flutes must be at least 2 1/2" long so you are doing both sides simultaneously, and there is still the possibility of cocking it up and having to buy more bushes (at lesst fresh ones should pull out easily).

It is not a user-friendly design!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 11 June, 2021, 08:29:42 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 10 June, 2021, 09:35:30 pm
The Brompton bushes are out.  Phew.

1. Go to Wilko and buy 4 x HSS drill bits.  It took 3 last time.
2. Discover Wilko drill bits are now made from cheese and literally useless.
3. Drive to B&Q.  Nothing useful there.
4. Order DeWalt 6.5mm cobalt drill from Screwfix and collect it.
5. DeWalt cobalt drill has both bolt heads off in under 90 seconds.  Buy one!
6. Screw in M10 tap.
7. Drift M10 tap out from far side.
8. Sheee-ite.  The bushes have been in since 2005 and the bronze shell has welded itself to the frame.  The M10 tap merely removes some of the nylon bearing surface.
9. Spend 2 hours carefully slotting and collapsing the bushes inwards, as you might a seatpost.  It works.
10. Learning points:

(a) Buy a DeWalt cobalt drill.
(b) Grease the outside of the new bushes before fitting them (Brompton, you bastards)

The moral of your Brompton fettling woes appears to be that when one buys a new Brommie, completely dismantle and reassemble it with appropriate grease and care.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2021, 08:56:49 am
That's what my mate did with a new one last year.  He sent a complaint to Brompton about the lack of grease in assembly.  It took him a day to get the pedals off an unridden bike.

I dismantled and rebuilt the wheels on mine when it was a week.old, because they were so bad.

There is a Brompton fanboy on another forum who reams me (pun intended) for pointing out these things, but they'll never improve if no-one complains.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 11 June, 2021, 10:59:33 am
Mrs A's Brommie was bought in 1997.  It's done about 40 miles so far, if that.  I bought one the same time and commuted on it for years, it had a hard time but when I decided to sell it it was no problem to service it.  Loads of ebay bids and a good price.  The buyer also left good feedback so must have found it ok.

Standards have slipped?  What a surprise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2021, 11:53:26 am
They do hold up to abuse well, and prices of ancient ones are about twice what they were when new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 June, 2021, 01:19:02 pm
Installed a floor-standing fan in the Great Hall, that my TdF-watching later this month will not result in lightly-broiled Mr Larrington.  Next I need to replace the ancient and saggy net curtains in order to prevent TV's G Imlach, *** Boulting, Super D Millar, Nice C Boardman ect ect from disappearing if when the sun comes out.  This may well involve balancing precariously on the sofa while wielding an anbaric drill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 June, 2021, 03:28:02 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2021, 08:56:49 am
That's what my mate did with a new one last year.  He sent a complaint to Brompton about the lack of grease in assembly.  It took him a day to get the pedals off an unridden bike.

I dismantled and rebuilt the wheels on mine when it was a week.old, because they were so bad.

There is a Brompton fanboy on another forum who reams me (pun intended) for pointing out these things, but they'll never improve if no-one complains.

Having bought a brand new front wheel, I had to grease the hub as it was dry and ran rough from new. 

Still think that drilling a grease nipple in to the rear bearing would help.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2021, 07:26:25 pm
Guess what I've been doing?  Drilled and tapped a hole to M6.  Short blanking screw in atm but M6 grease nipples are available.  There are only about 2-3 threads as the tube is quite thin, but I could temporarily fit a nipple, pump it with grease, then unscrew the nipple and gun together before replacing the plug.  If it doesn't need huge pressure to.purge the bearing, I'll just use a cycle grease gun in the hole.

Also pressed the new bushes in using an M8 bolt, nuts and washers.  That went very smoothly.  But they definitely need reaming now - there is no chance the spindle is going in as it is!

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51239797187_8aebf90333_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Tmx6)20210611_191754 (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Tmx6) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cygnet on 11 June, 2021, 09:12:31 pm
Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 June, 2021, 09:45:49 pm
Quote from: cygnet on 11 June, 2021, 09:12:31 pm
Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!

Was the LBS using the gear outer inner plastic tube as guide to get the cable through* or for some othe reason?

* in most frames getting internal cables through the frame is by using a length of outer cable's inner thin plastic pipe as "threading tool".  Park Tool has a cable and magnet system but I've yet to have any success with it despite lots of tries.  My Planet X Evo frame came from the factory with the thin tubes already in (taped to the frame at each frame exit point) - ready to thread in the cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 11 June, 2021, 09:51:59 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2021, 07:26:25 pm
Guess what I've been doing?  Drilled and tapped a hole to M6.  Short blanking screw in atm but M6 grease nipples are available.  There are only about 2-3 threads as the tube is quite thin, but I could temporarily fit a nipple, pump it with grease, then unscrew the nipple and gun together before replacing the plug.  If it doesn't need huge pressure to.purge the bearing, I'll just use a cycle grease gun in the hole.

Also pressed the new bushes in using an M8 bolt, nuts and washers.  That went very smoothly.  But they definitely need reaming now - there is no chance the spindle is going in as it is!

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51239797187_8aebf90333_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Tmx6)20210611_191754 (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Tmx6) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Will the grease get to the bearing face with the nylon inserts?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2021, 09:56:18 pm
Same as a Moulton (which has bronze Oilite bushings) - there has to be some clearance, or it wouldn't move.  The dimlles you can see in the nylon are for retention of grease but goodness knows how much is left of them after reaming.  The Moulton design is much easier to overhaul but doesn't necessatily last longer.  Something with taper roller bearings would be nice, but I suppose the factory can't work to that sort of precision.

Also learnt that the whole arrangement is imperial: the spindle is 3/8", the correct allen key for the bolts is 5/32", NOT 4mm, and the recommended tap for getting out the old bushes is 7/16" x 20tpi (a bit bigger than the M10 most people have, and will get more purchase on the bush). British engineering from the early 70s!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cygnet on 11 June, 2021, 11:31:42 pm
Quote from: robgul on 11 June, 2021, 09:45:49 pm
Quote from: cygnet on 11 June, 2021, 09:12:31 pm
Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!

Was the LBS using the gear outer inner plastic tube as guide to get the cable through* or for some othe reason?

* in most frames getting internal cables through the frame is by using a length of outer cable's inner thin plastic pipe as "threading tool".  Park Tool has a cable and magnet system but I've yet to have any success with it despite lots of tries.  My Planet X Evo frame came from the factory with the thin tubes already in (taped to the frame at each frame exit point) - ready to thread in the cables.

That is exactly the approach that used : a guide
The downside to the LBS approach was a perfectly cut to fit length of "inner"  between the BB and the chainstay outlet which is impossible to retrieve once friction from removing the cable has dragged the only end you might have got fingers on, into the body of the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 June, 2021, 07:26:05 am
Quote from: cygnet on 11 June, 2021, 11:31:42 pm
Quote from: robgul on 11 June, 2021, 09:45:49 pm
Quote from: cygnet on 11 June, 2021, 09:12:31 pm
Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!

Was the LBS using the gear outer inner plastic tube as guide to get the cable through* or for some othe reason?

* in most frames getting internal cables through the frame is by using a length of outer cable's inner thin plastic pipe as "threading tool".  Park Tool has a cable and magnet system but I've yet to have any success with it despite lots of tries.  My Planet X Evo frame came from the factory with the thin tubes already in (taped to the frame at each frame exit point) - ready to thread in the cables.

That is exactly the approach that used : a guide
The downside to the LBS approach was a perfectly cut to fit length of "inner"  between the BB and the chainstay outlet which is impossible to retrieve once friction from removing the cable has dragged the only end you might have got fingers on, into the body of the frame.

To digress slightly - when replacing gear cables in frames and the usual "fishing" has been frustrating I have had some success with using an MTB brake cable which is rather thicker and stiffer (stays straighter) to get from entry to exit hole as a first pass and then used the plastic tube idea to get the gear cable through.  [I have a 1.5m length of the plastic inner pipe hanging on my woorkshop toolboard]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 12 June, 2021, 07:43:50 am
Another technique for a lost guide is to use an old inner bent double dipped into the hole to act as a loop to catch the intended inner cable as you prod it along the tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 June, 2021, 07:56:17 am
The only time I had a tricky one of these to do, I kinked the end of the inner so it would pop out of any hole it found.

The 1995 Eddy Merckx has an internal tube to guide the cable.  You just push it in and it pops out.  Why can't all manufacturers do that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 June, 2021, 11:33:47 am
Quote from: hatler on 12 June, 2021, 07:43:50 am
Another technique for a lost guide is to use an old inner bent double dipped into the hole to act as a loop to catch the intended inner cable as you prod it along the tube.

In similar vein I have a 25cm or so length of brake outer with about 3cm of the plastic stripped off and the exposed would inner pulled to open it up and make a sort of fishing hook to capture the approaching inner cable.     

I was pleasantly suprised the other day to find a very cheap Chinese carbon frame on a Roux Vercors bike with a two fixed tubes inside the down tube to just thread the cables straight through to the aperture in the BB.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 June, 2021, 01:25:24 pm
Chain was creaky on the last ride so I gave it a couple of hours' soak in degreaser, washed it in boiling water and now it's in the wax/TPFE slow cooker. >700 km since last lube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 June, 2021, 04:11:51 pm
Fitted saddle, seatpost and BB to the Brompton.  Trued the wheels.  The front one was diabolical, the rear not so bad except for an oddly kinked spoke.  Both fine now.  Built most of the rear end and injected the open tubes with Dynax S50.  Assembled the mudguards, which were an astonishingly cheap* £20 unused from eBay, only missing the front hook and the two small stay-to-mudguards clamping plates, which I recycled from the old bent and rusty set (being plastic and s/s, they were the best bits!).

*RRP £90 for the titanium version, which these are :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 12 June, 2021, 07:07:26 pm
Campervan fettling. Didn't plan anything for this weekend as I had second vaccine yesterday, so an opportunity to sort stuff out in the sunshine.

Replaced both roof vents, which were getting a bit brittle, but also putting a fan into the one that's above the bed to keep air circulating on hot nights. Bit of a pain of a job, but at least as it's a van I can sit on the roof. Removed the remnants of the broken solar panel it had when I bought it; the panel went a while back as it was shedding bits of glass, but I removed the cable and brackets, then filled and painted the holes that left. Reused the cable to provide power to the fan as it was close and available in the roof space. If I do put solar on it again, it'd be a bigger panel in a different position.

Also fitted the mobile/wifi/gps antenna (diversity on wifi and mobile) to help keep us connected whilst away. That's easier to do when there is access to the roof through the gaping hole left by removing a vent, and whilst the internal roof liner is flopping down a bit as it doesn't have the roof vent clamping it in place. Together with the a travel router and 2g/3g/LTE modem I'll have the best chance of getting some sort of internet without relying on things propped up in windows on the closest side of the van to the tower - and at times losing it altogether once the metallised blinds are drawn at night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2021, 07:16:42 pm
I scavenged a cheap and nasty Shimano MTB front derailleur out of a bike shop’s junk pile on Monday to ride my trike back from Preston. The chainline was off, so getting the bottom ring was marginal and it was too enthusiastic getting to the big ring but it worked well enough to get me home.

Today the stopgap was replaced with a little-used 1990’s Deore front mech. Lubricated the pivots, tweaked the limit screws and all is good again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 June, 2021, 12:44:39 pm
Swapped the 170mm RH XD2 crank from the singlespeed to the S6L Btompton.  Gives good chainline and doesn't interfere with folding on a 113mm UN54, but the ring must go on the inside.  This is iideal anyway, since a chainguard can go om the outside.  The singlespeed needs 165mm cranks really, as the BB is super low.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2021, 08:45:58 pm
Mate brought his Brompton round and we swapped his rusty headset for a better example, straghtened the front mudguard and carefully removed, cleaned, lubed and refitted the brake cables, because you can't buy them any more.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 17 June, 2021, 07:11:56 pm
Refitted the shelves in the beer shed, only taken me 9 years to get around to it.  The two shelves were fine but the brackets were folded tinfoil1, full of empty bottles they'd sproinnnggg alarmingly.  Brackets replaced with screwfix finest (https://www.screwfix.com/p/hi-load-bracket-120kg-white-250-x-250mm-10-pack/34119) plus a third shelf added.  It's taken all day due to the extreme unevenness of the wall, 12mm was the largest spacer needed.

1If anyone can use a selection of cheap & nasty shelf brackets do drop me a line. Perfectly suitable for 3mm ply shelves upon which to store polystyrene ornaments (in a shed 'cos they're mostly a bit rusty).  PO -2 of this gaff loved the things.  Why can't I just throw the useless things out?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 June, 2021, 07:14:40 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2021, 08:45:58 pm
carefully removed, cleaned, lubed and refitted the brake cables, because you can't buy them any more.

Is there something special about them, other than the length?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 June, 2021, 10:02:01 pm
Quote from: Kim on 17 June, 2021, 07:14:40 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2021, 08:45:58 pm
carefully removed, cleaned, lubed and refitted the brake cables, because you can't buy them any more.

Is there something special about them, other than the length?

?? pretty sure I replaced mine with ordinary outer (which I buy by the metre) and inners with, IIRC, barrel ends.   I used my Brompton last night, first time for about 18 months, squeaked a bit but OK.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 17 June, 2021, 10:47:31 pm
Finished fettling a case for a new Riden RD6018 PSU.  Either side of my Hugh Mongoose ViewSonic monitor there's still the wall fixed half of monitor brackets from when I had separate monitors on the desktop (2) & server.  So I found the rest of one of the brackets & 3D printed a case for the PSU with 75mm Vesa mounts & XT60 connectors. 
The ac/dc unit can lurk under the desk until I get around to something more cunning for it.

Speaking of which that was a fettle a week or so back.  When it all turned up visible through the slots in the ac/dc unit was a large coil flapping in the breeze.  Since the security seal came pre-broken I popped the cover off to investigate.  At manufacture one end of the winding for that coil had only been soldered about half a mm, badly at that, resulting it it letting go in transit.  I couldn't be arsed to try & complain in the hope of getting a replacement sent out (and thus a spare :-) )

Tomorrow I shall be RTFMing to find out how to shut up the really loud & screetchy beep that accompanies each button push & knob twiddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 June, 2021, 06:51:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 17 June, 2021, 07:14:40 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 16 June, 2021, 08:45:58 pm
carefully removed, cleaned, lubed and refitted the brake cables, because you can't buy them any more.

Is there something special about them, other than the length?
Google "Brompton open clevis".  Another British design snafu.

Today I cabled up the gears on the S6L and adjusted the lower stop disc.  I am waiting for brake levers; mine were open clevis too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 19 June, 2021, 10:06:16 pm
Fixed the garage 13A metal socket and cable back on the wall instead of it trailing about the floor like it has for the last 30+ years. Oh, and reconnected its earth  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nobby on 19 June, 2021, 10:08:13 pm
Over an hour to file a 5mm thick 11mm open spanner to 2mm thickness to fit onto my modified Moulton pivot bolts.
I used a grinder to remove the chrome before filing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 21 June, 2021, 06:46:25 am
Fitted a new spring box, springs and cables to my up and over garage door.
The springs came pre tensioned which was a god send.
It now opens again after about three years of being bust!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 21 June, 2021, 09:54:41 am
Some sealant around the front door frame. Relubed the commute bikes chain and yesterday assisted a cyclist stopped at the roadside. New to the game, he had punctured and had just called home to be picked up. No pump, tube(s) or levers. So we had a quick lesson on tube removal/insertion and got him going again. I have enough tubes so he could have that one
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 June, 2021, 11:35:47 am
Quote from: pumpkin on 21 June, 2021, 09:54:41 am
Some sealant around the front door frame. Relubed the commute bikes chain and yesterday assisted a cyclist stopped at the roadside. New to the game, he had punctured and had just called home to be picked up. No pump, tube(s) or levers. So we had a quick lesson on tube removal/insertion and got him going again. I have enough tubes so he could have that one

Good stuff. I remember one jaunt into Brighton, probably chasing the Old Cars, we came across a punctured cyclist on the Horrid Cycle Path by the A23. Adrian, formerly OTP, donated him a tube and refused payment on the grounds that the cyclist was doing him (Adrian) a favour as he'd "only have to fit it himself one day".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 24 June, 2021, 05:45:41 pm
Washed the Elan and Triban, and rediscovered my chain and sprockets are silver, not black. I need to keep on top of those - cassettes aren't always available in the ratios I like at the moment.

The LBS replaced the Triban bars with the same type I have on the Elan - 44cm with gel inserts and fancy Jo Burt bar tape: It looks great and I know it will be comfier.

I think the Triban is ready as backup long distance bike if I ever need to take the Elan off the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 24 June, 2021, 08:57:04 pm
Removed the internals from a Sturmey Archer hub for the first time. Wasn't too hard and after a de-gunk is working much better now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 June, 2021, 02:09:52 pm
Chopping the spokes out of a Brompton wheel from which I want the rim.  It's currently got an FW hub which I built up and then realised the scrote who sold it to me had used a mismatched spring set (there are two generations of these and the hub depends totally on the relative spring rates being correct), so it won't hold second (low) gear.  The rim has done...er...2 miles, a decade ago.

It's going to be reused as part of the 2-speed superlight conversion.  12T and 16T is ridiculous, though*, so I'll go for 13T and 15T like the old 6-speeds.

*I think the idea is to use the 12T most of the time and have a 16T emergency bailout gear, but 12T is too wear-prone and inefficient, and also gives too high a gear unless you run a 44T chainring.  I'd rather have two "normal" gears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 26 June, 2021, 07:04:17 pm
Replaced the transmission on my ancient Specialized Hardrock. Also unbent the hitch on the Bob Yak.

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 June, 2021, 09:59:50 pm
Bits of the garden, which we are opening for charity tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 27 June, 2021, 04:19:17 pm
Some more tubeless goo in the rear tyre, as a year after fitting it’s was loosing air a bit. Also, the combined speed / cadence sensor had evidently snapped at some point so a pair of new sensors to replace that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 June, 2021, 08:51:06 pm
Repaired the punctures on a few tubes, discovered one tube that had rotted! so let that tube go to patch or use as a strap.  It has only taken a little over three or two years...

Took a henry apart as the motor was poping fuses.  Washed the plastic bits as it was full of grime.  Next stage is to open up the motor and clean that out and see what happens once apart.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 June, 2021, 07:43:33 pm
Taken apart this type of henry motor:
(https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/111049343784_/Genuine-Numatic-MOTOR-NRV-HENRY-HOOVER-HVR200-UDS1053SN.jpg)

Which is quite a struggle and suspect that the fan is attached to the motor in a certain way but will see as the motor kept popping fuses so see what a clean and sealed bearing regrease will do.
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 01 July, 2021, 03:35:00 pm
jsabine popped round with a bb chasing/facing tool and we did two frames - vintage and a tt bike. cranks are spinning smoooooooooth!

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210701/d50c64445287146c4aeb1c14cc3f0fe3.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210701/1b268e6163ecd05fb16019c02dde907e.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210701/8f29cb84ba2349d23d19846072f0b4d1.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210701/337675fede5955d3bcbf9c8d3e30a02b.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 03 July, 2021, 09:18:57 am
The drivers window on our car would only go down when it fancies it and up with some assistance. Contacted a breaker who wanted just over a hundred quid for a replacement motor and mechanism. Euro car parts with company account  £42 +vat

Wife had a late night and kids slept in so fairly early started stripping out the old one. Bit of a faff and some help from a really good YouTube video as a few less then obvious screws.

Did have a panic as thought the new one was wrong but I'd actually just caught the cable that drives it on the bodywork. All now fitted and working and a happy wife who uses the car a lot more than me...and only a small amount of claret offered to the lesser gods of car DIY
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 July, 2021, 09:41:39 am
Replaced the bearings in my fixed’s rear hub yesterday, and about bloody time too!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 July, 2021, 01:37:07 pm
Took the BB out of the Roberts again cos something is creaking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lightning Phil on 03 July, 2021, 01:57:22 pm
Front inner gear cable replaced. Reassembled front  bar end shifter as a part was in wrong orientation limiting full lever throw and ease of getting big ring.  Nice and smooth and light bar end shifter movement restored and all rings available again on my triple.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 03 July, 2021, 06:56:08 pm
Swapped a Dura-Ace QR skewer for a different one in the quest to eliminate a rear-end creak. Problem solved. Need to investigate if I can stop the original one creaking now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 03 July, 2021, 07:12:26 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 29 June, 2021, 07:43:33 pm
Taken apart this type of henry motor:
(https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/111049343784_/Genuine-Numatic-MOTOR-NRV-HENRY-HOOVER-HVR200-UDS1053SN.jpg)

Which is quite a struggle and suspect that the fan is attached to the motor in a certain way but will see as the motor kept popping fuses so see what a clean and sealed bearing regrease will do.

Reassembled the henry and still pops fuses.

Wonders what else could be wrong as there is nothing in there that would cause an issue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 03 July, 2021, 07:28:32 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 03 July, 2021, 07:12:26 pm
Reassembled the henry and still pops fuses.
Is there a speed controller, or just an on-off switch?

Can the fan be spun by hand?

If you disconnect the motor, does it still blow fuses?

Does it blow fuses with the on-off switch set to off?

Answers to those will let me (and probably Kim) have a much better guess as to what is wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 03 July, 2021, 09:21:39 pm
Fitted super super compact chainrings and 11-34 cassette to audax bike. Then reassembled the bottom bracket on the gitane after an hour or so chasing paint out of the threads.
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 03 July, 2021, 09:27:56 pm
mended a rear wheel, that broke two spokes few seconds apart. cycled the remaining 163km hoping that it will hold. it did!

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210704/206da912aa38fe222d97c49cfd9e47f4.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210704/eb6300606ba676071e534806633fb731.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 04 July, 2021, 04:27:12 pm
I tried to fettle the washer on a tap, but the retaining screw wouldn’t undo despite WD40. Then Mrs Dan wanted a bath, so I put that back together for another day.

I did, however, get the worst of the mud off my bike, give the chain an oil, the rear brake a tighten, and a run over all the bolts to make sure. Then tweaked the saddle, bars and bar bag bracket a little as i was feeling the weight on my hands a little.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 July, 2021, 07:20:34 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 03 July, 2021, 09:27:56 pm
mended a rear wheel, that broke two spokes few seconds apart. cycled the remaining 163km hoping that it will hold. it did!

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210704/206da912aa38fe222d97c49cfd9e47f4.jpg)

I think I see the problem - someone's pinched half your spokes so the others have to work too hard!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 July, 2021, 07:40:03 pm
Seems unusual for them to break in the middle like that.  Manufacturing defect?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 July, 2021, 07:44:52 pm
Yes. I'd bin the rest of them too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 July, 2021, 10:08:39 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 03 July, 2021, 07:28:32 pm
Quote from: Gattopardo on 03 July, 2021, 07:12:26 pm
Reassembled the henry and still pops fuses.
Is there a speed controller, or just an on-off switch?

Can the fan be spun by hand?

If you disconnect the motor, does it still blow fuses?

Does it blow fuses with the on-off switch set to off?

Answers to those will let me (and probably Kim) have a much better guess as to what is wrong.

Just an on and off switch.  I dismantled two motors to create one.  One motor had the windings failed and the other the armature.

I'll look in to in another day I'm not so annoyed with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil21 on 04 July, 2021, 10:20:55 pm
Finished giving some TLC to my Thorn Raven Tour. Has had new brake cables, shifter cables, internal Rohloff gearbox cable, sprocket and chain ring. The final touches required a new pair of bayonet connectors (15 squid!) for the shifter cables because the old ones had seized and I had to cut them off. Thankfully all working nicely now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 04 July, 2021, 10:30:18 pm
Ominous creak cured by nipping up crank arms as suggested in this place. Most pleased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 July, 2021, 09:19:24 am
the wheels had to survive one trip before being swapped, which they almost did. glad to have had a rudimentary spoke wrench in multitool, which, while rounded some of the nipples, did a good enough job in keeping me going (albeit, with a mild anxiety).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 July, 2021, 02:17:50 pm
Resurrected the wee backpack I used on our 2014 Strasbourg-Brest, and which has been hanging on my wardrobe door ever since. Went over it with the dust extractor in the workshop then re-proofed it: looks like new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 05 July, 2021, 04:47:31 pm
I thought the V-brakes on pub bike weren't working, so clamped arms together and adjusted cable (after screwing lever adjusters in).

It appears that if the brake cable is an inch and a quarter shorter the brakes come on.     :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 July, 2021, 01:21:41 pm
Swapped out the rear tyre on HK’s Roberts for a slightly slower tyre with no holes in it.

I must get round to re-gooping her Kinesis's tubeless tyres at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 06 July, 2021, 04:01:41 pm
One cycle related, one sort of.   Modified my Thule 3 bike towbar rack to make it about 8cm narroower on the "add-on" bar so it fits in the storage space, with a cover, where we keep the bins - rather than taking valuable workshop space [I don't use it very often as if just one bike is travelling it goes inside the car].   Second fettle was to take apart and re-assemble a pop-rivet gun that had managed to jam a pin in the spring-loaded collet.

Oh, and I fixed some sleeper sized timber to the posts I concreted in yesterday - all part of the ongoing landscape work in the garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 July, 2021, 06:03:52 pm
Have taken many photos and utterly spammed the local Freegle group with posts of all my tat that I need to get shot of. (Mostly all the beer fest glasses and vases that never made it out of the box since the last move 16 years ago).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 July, 2021, 07:51:22 pm
Topped up the goop in HK’s Kinesis. Time to order some more Orange Seal Endurance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 July, 2021, 05:02:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 July, 2021, 06:03:52 pm
Have taken many photos and utterly spammed the local Freegle group with posts of all my tat that I need to get shot of. (Mostly all the beer fest glasses and vases that never made it out of the box since the last move 16 years ago).
7 items offered, 2 of which have been collected already. I like this getting other people to come and take my tat away.

Just about to go round the local bike recycling place and dump a load of stuff on them now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 July, 2021, 10:58:23 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 July, 2021, 05:02:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 July, 2021, 06:03:52 pm
Have taken many photos and utterly spammed the local Freegle group with posts of all my tat that I need to get shot of. (Mostly all the beer fest glasses and vases that never made it out of the box since the last move 16 years ago).
7 items offered, 2 of which have been collected already. I like this getting other people to come and take my tat away.

Just about to go round the local bike recycling place and dump a load of stuff on them now.

They were very excited when they saw the old workstand  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 July, 2021, 06:06:23 pm
I've made a couple of these vases.
One as a birthday present for my favourite Aussie's 50th.
The other was a commission.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51301328709_e7a7a6bb00_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2majHHp) (https://flic.kr/p/2majHHp)   (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 July, 2021, 06:22:46 pm
Very nice
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 09 July, 2021, 06:30:00 pm
Thank you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 July, 2021, 11:29:49 pm
Oh yes. Very good indeed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 10 July, 2021, 12:11:11 pm
We are going away so I had to put the bike in the bike box which entails taking off the handlebars.  This time the new bike has integrated cables.  I undid everything but still no play in the cables at all.  I was just about to start undoing bar tape when I looked under the stem.  Sure enough, there was a little blanking plate to hold everything in place.  Remove that and the whole job was done in 30seconds!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 July, 2021, 01:31:45 pm
Basin, cabinets etc removed to access WC which has a slight weep causing damp - not as bad as I expected for removal (see Rant thread) - or the leak   . . . but had to cut a kickboard to get the taking-apart started.   Screwfix order placed - should all go back together successfully.

Next task is connecting some new outside LED lights with PIRs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 10 July, 2021, 01:51:44 pm
Gave the camping bike a clean and once it's dried off a bit I'm going to fit my new fork drybag mounts.

I'm going to have to make an adaptor/bracket to move the mudguard stays back from the fork boss as I'll be using that for the drybag mounts. I'll probably 3d print something but it might be better to make something out of aluminium at work.

I'll see how it looks once the mounts are in situ.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 10 July, 2021, 03:11:10 pm
A camping bike? I like that. Another excuse for n+1, although I like cycling and I like camping but never together. I think I've just noted the flaw in my plan that my other half would notice, too.

Back to my fettling, which is to strip and re-grease my Shimano 7810 pedals. For 14 year old pedals, the insides are remarkably fresh. No gunky black substance that used to be grease. Still, it gave me an excuse to use the new blue Mobil grease I got for Christmas. My family has stopped despairing at the answers I give when asked what I'd like for Christmas/birthdays.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 10 July, 2021, 03:30:57 pm
Well it was my camping/commuting bike but then I got a folder due to bike storage changing at work. So now it (a Carrera Subway 1) gets mostly used for camping and occasionally bimbling about on gentle offroad.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 July, 2021, 03:43:09 pm
Tweaked the front brake on the Pino. It had been rubbing slightly its last outing. Closer inspection today showed one block was misaligned and that some twat had left the qr lock lever in the unlocked position. Oops.

Also molished a new un-aviary from netting and sticks, so that I get to eat what I grow on the upper 50 acres, rather than the Greedy Bastard Pigeons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 10 July, 2021, 04:20:19 pm
Found some 3mm th insoles that work just fine with an old pair of Shimano SPD shoes, the original pads of which were worn out, thereby allowing them to be brought back into service.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 July, 2021, 04:59:27 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 July, 2021, 05:02:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 July, 2021, 06:03:52 pm
Have taken many photos and utterly spammed the local Freegle group with posts of all my tat that I need to get shot of. (Mostly all the beer fest glasses and vases that never made it out of the box since the last move 16 years ago).
7 items offered, 2 of which have been collected already. I like this getting other people to come and take my tat away.

Just about to go round the local bike recycling place and dump a load of stuff on them now.

I think Freegle might be my favourite thing of the moment. 6 of the first 7 items are gone, just posted another 4, one of which should be gone by tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 10 July, 2021, 05:05:33 pm
An annoying click in the drivetrain somewhere, crank rotation related. Have put up with it for too long.

Presumed it was chainset bolts so started there. No. Decided on  process of elimination methodology. Swapped pedals. Bingo !  Existing r/h pedal/crank thread was bone dry. Daubed with coppaslip and problem sorted. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 11 July, 2021, 03:59:55 pm
New base plate on a M324 pedal, and cleaned much muck off the rest of the mechanism.  Lovely, but the other will have to wait as I want to make sure I have 2 pedals installed to ride to work tomorrow.
Swapped cleats on my Exustar sandals as the front U-shaped bit had almost worn off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 11 July, 2021, 07:38:09 pm
Hanging Baskets hung. Holes for roses dug. 4 trellises fixed to walls*.  Knackered hoses & connectors replaced on Karcher.    It’s not even my garden  :(


*This involved the use of a Drill ! And a spirit level! I don’t think I’ve used those since I put some shelves up 10 years ago. (Not a keen DIYer)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 11 July, 2021, 07:50:41 pm
BT put our landline onto broadband. So I have ripped out all the phone sockets I put in years ago so we could use dial-up filled the holes and painted over. The dustbin of history..

Connected one of these to the router and it is backwards compatible.

(https://rubytuesdaysvintagehome.com/images/newphotosofcallexch3xbuttonsdiff200BEFOREPHOTOS032.jpg)

It’s what a landline should look like.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 11 July, 2021, 07:52:32 pm
Just about everything remotely connected to the rhythm of pedalling trying to chase down a bastard creak. Not sure yet if I was successful as it rained just as I finished. I did learn how to open up and service a Chris King bearing, so not a completely wasted effort if I've failed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 11 July, 2021, 08:02:21 pm
An Ikea washing basket. Only it's not a basket, it's a cloth bag attached to a wooden frame. The latter had taken to coming apart.
All I did was take it completely apart and glue it all back together again, but this counts as serious fettling round here.  8)  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 July, 2021, 09:03:16 pm
Quote from: asterix on 11 July, 2021, 07:50:41 pm
BT put our landline onto broadband. So I have ripped out all the phone sockets I put in years ago so we could use dial-up filled the holes and painted over. The dustbin of history..

Connected one of these to the router and it is backwards compatible.

(https://rubytuesdaysvintagehome.com/images/newphotosofcallexch3xbuttonsdiff200BEFOREPHOTOS032.jpg)

It’s what a landline should look like.

That's a bit modern - these were all the rage when my parents had the phone installed when I was about 3 - official GPO model 150 phone.

(https://www.britishtelephones.com/gpo/pictures/t150f.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 12 July, 2021, 02:40:38 pm
It is quite old: if you dial TIM on it, it tells you that at the third stroke it will be 1936 precisely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 12 July, 2021, 03:01:55 pm
Disciplined an errant piece of fence in the grounds of Larrington Towers.  Brand-new screw, brand-new screwdriver bit and Deceuninck* decent ratchet screwdriver FTW.

*Autocarrot can produce strange results at this time of year
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 July, 2021, 06:55:20 pm
Lol
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 July, 2021, 09:29:35 pm
Put the spare SRAM T3 hub together, mainly to avoid bits getting lost. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 July, 2021, 07:22:51 am
Quote from: asterix on 12 July, 2021, 02:40:38 pm
It is quite old: if you dial TIM on it, it tells you that at the third stroke it will be 1936 precisely.

Have they stopped that then?  . .  .. I dialled "O" for the operator and didn't get an answer.


AND - a bit of trivia: my mother worked with the woman that went on to be the voice of the telephone time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 July, 2021, 07:36:20 am
Quote from: robgul on 13 July, 2021, 07:22:51 am
Quote from: asterix on 12 July, 2021, 02:40:38 pm
It is quite old: if you dial TIM on it, it tells you that at the third stroke it will be 1936 precisely.

Have they stopped that then?  . .  .. I dialled "O" for the operator and didn't get an answer.


AND - a bit of trivia: my mother worked with the woman that went on to be the voice of the telephone time.

More telephone trivia - when the blokes voice was announcing the time, it was the same guy who at the beginning of Thunderbirds would do the countdown 5-4-3-2-1!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 13 July, 2021, 04:38:48 pm
On a group ride a couple of weeks ago, we ended up on a very rough track, and when I got home found that the front mudguard had got ripped off my Moulton Double Pylon. As one of the first ones made, in 2006, it had some minor problems that were ironed out in due course; one was insufficient space under the brakes and front forks, hence the plastic mudguards on mine were always a poor fit.

Moulton now offer alloy mudguards, that better match the stainless steel spaceframe. They don't seem to be available anywhere at present, but I was lucky enough to find a brand new set for sale on ebay which arrived today.

Managed to fit them with some minor adaptions to fit my early bike, mainly cutting the front guard down at the front fork bracket, as there's insufficient space under the fork.

Look much better than the distorted black plastic guards, so feeling pretty pleased. Might even go for a ride in the next rain shower to test them  ;D

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 July, 2021, 09:49:23 pm
Fitted new Aztec brake pad inserts to the TSR.  I quite like Aztecs - they're very cheap but almost as good as Kool-Stop salmons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 13 July, 2021, 10:17:20 pm
My hack Cannondale has had a noisy FD/chain pairing for some time. I've not been able to work out why. Today the FD stopped working completely so I gave it an abrupt jab with my right heel and the noise stopped completely. It's now so quiet I can hear the front disk/pad squeeking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 14 July, 2021, 08:41:42 am
Yesterday, I got rid of the last of grit and grass the rain hadn’t washed off my bike, removed the pannier rack, put on fresh brake pads and re lubed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 14 July, 2021, 09:50:18 pm
D is fettling my wheelchair right now.
'Right brake lever isn't doing anything' he said
'Snapped cable' said I.

Snapped cable it was.

I gave him the choice of fixing it or calling Wheelchair Service, as it's a Council wheelchair.

He's opted to attempt to fix and use my pear-nippled brake cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 16 July, 2021, 04:14:29 pm
So far today I have fettled some brambles and the sapling of what looked like a beech tree into the wheelie bin. The beech tree must have grown from something dropped by a bird, the only tree nearby is a rowan. Anyway, it was far too close to the house, unfortunately.

Then I realized I'd overlooked the deadline for some work I should have started yesterday. Fortunately, it had been done well so I was able to finish it in time. And then the other bit of work, which I though I was going to have to rush for today, turns out to actually have a Monday morning deadline. So I think it's the weekend now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 16 July, 2021, 08:05:24 pm
Well, not me, personally, but that's the roofers all finished today!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 17 July, 2021, 03:04:22 pm
The side gate. After our neighbours fence had been replaced, the contractor re-hung our gate (which forms the last section of their fence. Unfortunately he re-hung it on the original screw holes, not the newer ones I’d created when fitting a new gate 3 years ago. And he had, of course, set the latch, and bolt holes, to the new height. Which was 1/2” too low, meaning the gate scraped the ground and wouldn’t open fully. So off it came, said 1/2” cut off the bottom, and re-hung. Hook now slopes downward to eye, but still reaches so I’ll live with it. It’s too hot now to do the rest of my list. Raise the crown of the dwarf cherry, remove and bag up a big chunk of (very thorny) rambling rose, prune back the Wisteria shoots, trim the Spirea, dead head the climbing rose etc., etc.,  I’ll do some tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 July, 2021, 05:11:28 pm
Out early to buy 4 100mm concrete blocks to finish the corner of a terrace area (bit of possible bonus - their system crashed having, possibly, taken my payment . . . told not to worry if payment wasn't taken, a whole £5.20 may have been saved)

Sorted out a shallow footing, levelled, knocked up some mortar and laid the blocks (with the other 8 I already had) ... tricky with levels but seems OK.  Retired to house when the sun got round to that area of the garden.  AM Sunday to backfill and, possibly, get the pavings down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 July, 2021, 06:13:45 pm
Swapped out the 32t ring on my Frezoni’s Campag triple with a 26t. My current fitness isn’t quite up to a 32/26 combination on some Chiltern climbs.

Replaced the Frezoni’s 0.75%-worn 8 speed chain with my last spare. Time to get another spare chain and cassette. My, haven’t cheap cassettes become expensive?

Replaced the front brake pads and regreased the rear hub bearings and headset. If I replace the rear gear cable (some kinks from packing it last time), it’ll feel like a new bike again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 17 July, 2021, 08:12:14 pm
I removed some weeds from the garden, then retired to the shade to change handlebars for some that have a little less reach, a little less drop and a slightly different curve. Based on a ride up and down the street they seem like an improvement - I was failing to find a setup that gave both comfy hoods and drops on the old ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 July, 2021, 08:38:02 pm
My Tamron 18mm-250mm zoom was misbehaving and getting gradually worse over the weekend. Exposure was all over the shop and focusing was sometimes not happening.

Last night I diagnosed the aperture wasn't moving when the lever told it. I did a spot of YouTube consultation (bloody non-licensable music or whatever it is drives me made) and worked out how to take the flange off. Mine didn't look like the picture - the long aperture operating finger had become detached from the lever on the lens mount. The screws, amazingly, we trapped in the mount workings. A bit of head scratching and a few attempts at reassembly and all is good. I staved off that pingfuckit moment by putting the whole thing in a baking tray for disassembly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 July, 2021, 10:19:50 pm
Yet moar shite out of the loft and onto Freegle.
Mostly handbags  :-\

Weirdly some people are willing to make a 90 mile round trip to pick up a couple of bags of free grit. No, I'm not going to offer them to you, that's not very environmentally conscious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 July, 2021, 09:54:09 am
Greased the bathroom door lock, which previously worked fine for locking you in.  Then did the dance of death trying to ease the door up on its pintles (for want of a better word) to get some grease onto the pegs. This involved lifting it gently with a lever while squirting the grease, which was somewhat ticklish so I got MrsT to do the squirting while I levered.  Then I wiped my right ear and got her to do the levering while I squirted.

Door's fine now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 July, 2021, 12:28:02 pm
Quote from: Guy on 21 July, 2021, 12:22:48 pm
That the European Stone Stacking Championships is actually a Thing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57791811
Mostly, but not exclusively, it would seem, the province of men.
With beards.

Shouldn't this be in the 'What I have learned today?' thread?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 July, 2021, 01:30:10 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 July, 2021, 12:28:02 pm
Quote from: Guy on 21 July, 2021, 12:22:48 pm
That the European Stone Stacking Championships is actually a Thing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57791811
Mostly, but not exclusively, it would seem, the province of men.
With beards.

Shouldn't this be in the 'What I have learned today?' thread?

I do hope that Auntie's use of the term “Professional sculptors” does not imply that there are actually people who do that for a living.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 July, 2021, 05:22:19 pm
Replaced the freehub and drive side cone on my Frezoni's 6700 rear hub. There must have been a running change in the design as the nominally identical replacement components required a lot of faffing with spacers to stop the 8sp cassette rubbing on the spokes and to avoid a massive gap to the drive side dropout. No, I didn't forget to remove or refit a spacer during the rebuild...

And after all that, one cog on the cassette skips under load, confirmed by the Rohloff cassette checker. Time for a new 8sp cassette. I probably should have just run the previous chain and cassette into the ground as normal, rather than only replacing the chain at 0.75%. Oh well, <£40 for chain and cassette combined doesn’t hurt too much. It is just the extra hassle involved. Hopefully a new cassette will sort out the laggy shift problem that I thought would be solved by replacing the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 24 July, 2021, 05:54:19 pm
The toilet cistern. Last install of siphon er, some time ago, had its valve thing fall to bits, needing us to flush with a bucket-o-water.
Bee'n'queue had the same unit in stock  :thumbsup: and I decided to replace the crumbling lever too, form a different supplier. It looked good until bugrit - the hole in the ceramic cistern was about 1mm too small  :(  Ah well, risk the Dremel. Turns out my tungsten carbide doughnut shaped bit barely marked the glaze. Made lots of heat though. But hey, a cylindrical stone did the deed, huzzah! We have flush.
Now waiting to see if the outlet seal leaks, I don't want to tighten it further. But flushing loo!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 24 July, 2021, 07:44:49 pm
i removed the RH fixed cup from an old Raleigh frame by using a vice
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 July, 2021, 09:10:37 pm
Yet more fence in the garden - I must work how much timber batten/lath I've used - and the number of fixing staples I've fired from the gun.  Just about 3 metres run to finish when I get the timber in the coming week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fd3 on 24 July, 2021, 09:14:20 pm
Gears on #2 son’s bike.  Fitted a spacer mounted bell to my bike … turns out you can get quite s9me sticky rust holding the old spaces in place over 16+ years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 24 July, 2021, 09:20:00 pm
scrubbed the dried up latex from the frame, forks, brake calipers and all nooks and crannies after a fair bit of sealant escaped through the cut, while riding 24hr tt. wd40 made the job a bit easier, but it was still a right faff.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2021, 09:35:57 pm
Yesterday's fettle was converting my PRiDE OUT jersey from a full-length zip to a 3/4 length zip, for increased recumbent friendliness.  This was fiddly, but ultimately more successful than I anticipated.  Especially after I remembered to put the right needle in the sewing machine.   :facepalm:

Also recumbent-modded a several of sports bras, fixed a hole in a well-worn set of 3/4s that are fit only for crashing in, and shortened some trousers for barakta.  That's my sewing tuits for the year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2021, 09:53:47 pm
What does recumbenting a sports bra involve, out of interest?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2021, 09:57:03 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2021, 09:53:47 pm
What does recumbenting a sports bra involve, out of interest?

Removing the strap adjusters and sewing them to length, so they don't knobble your back on long rides.

I did (a couple of band sizes ago) have some that adjusted at the top end of the strap, which were fine onna bent (and mildy annoying in the presence of rucksacks).  Of course, like all clothing that solves a given problem, they weren't quite the right shape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2021, 10:28:19 pm
Ah, gotcha.

Today's fettling mainly added to the TPoC (TM Crinklylion) for the tip. Hi8 video camera? Old broken Dyson cyclone unit? Ancient bag full of offshore kit including hard hat, Peltors, respirator, safety boots with disintegrating soles? Yes please!

Poured several mostly empty tins of paint into a single one. Poured a half tin of Claypaint into a plastic tub (cos the Claypaint tins rust and that paint is fecking expensive, but I like it).
Hacksawed the Charles Rennie MacIntosh style nameplate off the door frame cos the screws were all fubared. Filled in the resulting holes in the door frame.
Fettled some compost out of the worm composter and the worms back in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 24 July, 2021, 10:50:04 pm
Bought a fly trap light zapping thingymajig for the kitchen as I'm fed up with the buggers.  Dismantled it and was pleased to see that the mains cable was a simple plug to circuit board as opposed to soldered.

Dropped a string down the tiny gap behind the wall cupboard in the corner of the room, pulled the cable back up (because the moulded plug on t'other end was too big to fit), and reassembled device while standing on the worktop and trying not to headbutt the ceiling.  Applied a hot glue gun to the tiles below the cupboard to fix the cable into the corner of the room as opposed to it hanging randomly behind the coffee machine.     

Looks neat enough, now just need to see if it zaps more flies than the spiders do.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 July, 2021, 11:57:20 pm
Tightened some of the bolts on Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s all-swivelling reclining tea-spilling armchair.  What kind of genius designs a chair whose assembly and/or maintenance requires two different sizes of allen key, which in his case he had not got*?

* Until the correct tools were located in a rusted-up tobacco tin in the horble sub-workbench Cupboard-o-Spiders
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 July, 2021, 12:14:55 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 24 July, 2021, 11:57:20 pm
What kind of genius designs a chair whose assembly and/or maintenance requires two different sizes of allen key, which in his case he had not got*?

Someone previously stung by requiring two of the same sized allen key who wanted to be extra sure?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 25 July, 2021, 06:35:09 am
Quote from: nuttycyclist on 24 July, 2021, 10:50:04 pm
Bought a fly trap light zapping thingymajig for the kitchen as I'm fed up with the buggers.  Dismantled it and was pleased to see that the mains cable was a simple plug to circuit board as opposed to soldered.

Dropped a string down the tiny gap behind the wall cupboard in the corner of the room, pulled the cable back up (because the moulded plug on t'other end was too big to fit), and reassembled device while standing on the worktop and trying not to headbutt the ceiling.  Applied a hot glue gun to the tiles below the cupboard to fix the cable into the corner of the room as opposed to it hanging randomly behind the coffee machine.     

Looks neat enough, now just need to see if it zaps more flies than the spiders do.

Had a couple of those in France.  Despite having more flies than Wm Golding's worst nightmare, they killed none of them. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 July, 2021, 08:17:57 am
Quote from: asterix on 25 July, 2021, 06:35:09 am
Quote from: nuttycyclist on 24 July, 2021, 10:50:04 pm
Bought a fly trap light zapping thingymajig for the kitchen as I'm fed up with the buggers.  Dismantled it and was pleased to see that the mains cable was a simple plug to circuit board as opposed to soldered.

Dropped a string down the tiny gap behind the wall cupboard in the corner of the room, pulled the cable back up (because the moulded plug on t'other end was too big to fit), and reassembled device while standing on the worktop and trying not to headbutt the ceiling.  Applied a hot glue gun to the tiles below the cupboard to fix the cable into the corner of the room as opposed to it hanging randomly behind the coffee machine.     

Looks neat enough, now just need to see if it zaps more flies than the spiders do.

Had a couple of those in France.  Despite having more flies than Wm Golding's worst nightmare, they killed none of them.

Fly-papers, swats and a strong stomach work best.  They don't work with mosquitoes, though, and after years of not having any - since we got rid of our garden pond - they're back in force.  Comforting thoughts of chikungunya and other exotic delights beset our dreams.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 July, 2021, 12:20:57 pm
Retaped the bars on my fixed. Eventually ‘cork’ tape does get worn through but I prefer the feel to most of the more durable alternatives.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 July, 2021, 01:11:18 pm
Cleaned & rewaxed/PTFE'd my chain in the slow cooker.  It comes out looking leprotic but at >600km per lube who cares?  Once it was back on the bike I checked it with the 0.5% Park gauge: not only did the gauge not fit in but I could see that the chain still has to stretch a fair chunk before it will. That's with 3600 km on it.

Of course, were I still doing 1000-km-plus Audaxes I'd have to find another system, but I haven't been over 200k in 4 years now.  :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 25 July, 2021, 05:40:27 pm
Gave Shackleton a bath. Put an SKS Chromoplastic on the front. He's a fixed gear with a rear rack, so he can keep the Raceblade XL on the rear.

Stripped everything except bars, chainset, seatpost and saddle off Fingal. Wire brushed the heck out of the rear dropouts to see if he's worth a respray or if he's too far gone (he is worth a respray, yay). Racks are fubared, as are the rear mech, pedals, and brakes.

Need to find a relatively inexpensive 9 speed Campag rear mech and some replacements for the Avid Arch Rivals, which appear to have been discontinued.

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 25 July, 2021, 08:08:08 pm
Yet more fence - but featheredge boards this time to extend the bin store to make room to keep the pub bike in there (with bit of a roof to shelter it) - and made a start on two bikes I have in to service in my micro bike workshop business.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 25 July, 2021, 08:47:19 pm
Quote from: ravenbait on 25 July, 2021, 05:40:27 pm
Need to find a relatively inexpensive 9 speed Campag rear mech

Think I've got a 9sp Veloce doing nothing - what cage length do you need?

I do need to check what state it's in as I bought it to cannibalise (and then didn't), but it doesn't owe me any more than beer money
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 26 July, 2021, 10:25:32 am
Quote from: jsabine on 25 July, 2021, 08:47:19 pm

Think I've got a 9sp Veloce doing nothing - what cage length do you need?

I do need to check what state it's in as I bought it to cannibalise (and then didn't), but it doesn't owe me any more than beer money

I'm putting a triple on there (Campag Centaur 53/42/30 which is technically a 10 speed but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). I think only a triple rear mech would work with that. I don't really want to replace the ergo shifters with new ones, as this project (you've met this bike!) is already expensive enough that I'm pondering whether I'd be better just getting another bike (heresy), hence the 9-speed requirement.

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2021, 04:42:01 pm
I was all set to fettle Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) apparently dysfunctional SodaStream and had even got the top cover off without breaking anything.  Nope, when you pull the lever it jibbles the rod which frobs the rocker arm which presses down on the wossname that pokes the valve in the top of the CO2 cylinder.  Hold on… Could it possibly… No, surely not?

Insert new cylinder, rewarded with sparkling fizzy goodness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 July, 2021, 04:48:09 pm
Connected an E27 lamp holder (like they use in ABROAD, where the FOREIGNS come from) to a suicide lead from the box of random mains cables, screwed it to a Mk 1 Useful Bit Of Wood from the shedde, stuck a smart bulb in it, and placed it on top of the fridge behind the monitor.

Programmed it to come on in a gentle warmish white when there's someone in the kitchen after sunset, hopefully as a useful middle ground between "ARRGH MY EYES!" and "What did I just tread in?"

(Imagine owning a house and being able to install lighting under the cupboards, or dimmers or something...)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil21 on 26 July, 2021, 05:25:04 pm
Crappy Hozelock plastic connectors replaced with non-leaky brass Spear & Jackson connectors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 July, 2021, 06:32:19 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2021, 04:42:01 pm
I was all set to fettle Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) apparently dysfunctional SodaStream and had even got the top cover off without breaking anything.  Nope, when you pull the lever it jibbles the rod which frobs the rocker arm which presses down on the wossname that pokes the valve in the top of the CO2 cylinder.  Hold on… Could it possibly… No, surely not?

Insert new cylinder, rewarded with sparkling fizzy goodness.
I hope he uses Irn-Bru concentrate.  It's the One True Sodastream drink.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2021, 11:51:16 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 26 July, 2021, 06:32:19 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2021, 04:42:01 pm
I was all set to fettle Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) apparently dysfunctional SodaStream and had even got the top cover off without breaking anything.  Nope, when you pull the lever it jibbles the rod which frobs the rocker arm which presses down on the wossname that pokes the valve in the top of the CO2 cylinder.  Hold on… Could it possibly… No, surely not?

Insert new cylinder, rewarded with sparkling fizzy goodness.
I hope he uses Irn-Bru concentrate.  It's the One True Sodastream drink.

No concentrates have passed through the gatehouse of Fort Larrington since about 1976.  The SodaStream is used solely to fizzicate the water with which he dilutes his whisky.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 July, 2021, 06:31:55 pm
It may have felt a bit like I was rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but I did move every box in the loft to check for metaphorical bears and unexploded landmines. There were none.
In the process I repacked some not very well packed CDs, and other boxen, and found some more stuff for the tip/clothing bank/Freegle.
I can see more carpet up there now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 July, 2021, 06:58:29 am
You have carpet in your loft?  How very lah-de-dah  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 28 July, 2021, 07:30:33 am
Yesterday, trued a rear wheel* (Shimano WH-7850). Didn't have the appropriate jig,
so installed new brake blocks in the calipers and did the business with the spoke key.


* All local bike shops too busy with jobs in-hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 July, 2021, 12:43:33 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 28 July, 2021, 06:58:29 am
You have carpet in your loft?  How very lah-de-dah  ;D
It came with the loft, and I suspect was put there by the previous previous owner who was a clerk of works at the council. When I say carpet, it's several different bits of different pattern just lying on the floor and it's so old the spongy backing has gone all crusty and crumbly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 28 July, 2021, 01:40:57 pm
Nice..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 July, 2021, 07:47:02 pm
More fettling. A pile of paperwork to be precise. Including the mortgage docs for this place that we paid off years ago, all the solicitors paperwork - hearty lols at how much the fees were compared to now, and a pile of payslips since 2007. Think the shredder might be getting a bit hot soon.
Found out that our soon to be ex-sofa bed (Ikea) was bought 20 years ago, so it doesn't owe us anything...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 28 July, 2021, 07:49:40 pm
Diesel leak on the camper. Thought I could smell it, but nothing obvious. Turned out to be a pipe coming loose on a t-piece that was put into the fuel return line by the converters and goes to the diesel fired webasto air heater. Could have been a lot worse - at least it was a free fix and happened close to home rather than when we are away - but I did end up lying underneath the van in the pouring rain with diesel dripping on me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 July, 2021, 10:23:20 pm
Replaced the cassette on my Frezoni and resolved a washing machine leak (after much swearing).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 28 July, 2021, 10:28:28 pm
Mrs Nutty took the children away a couple of weeks ago in the old camper.  On her arrival home, after a 150 mile drive, she parked across the front door.  I asked her to roll the van forwards, but it wouldn't start.   Ignition on, oil and battery lights on, and when trying to start they just dimmed.  Her excuse for her van was "she's tired".

I tried the usual tricks then (unplugging and reconnecting the solenoid, whacking the starter/solenoid with a hammer) to no avail.   It's been stranded there and in the way since.    A few days ago I had another go, but with ignition on only the oil light came on despite the battery being fully charged.

Tonight I had another go.   This time the battery light was on fine but we were back to the original situation of both lights just dimming instead of any noise from the starter.

All connections checked.  Hammer used with more effort.  No effect.

I finally decided it must be mechanical issue with solenoid/starter so asked Mrs Nutty to try to start it while I lay under the van to listen for any evidence.    The van started at first turn of the key  >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

We've rolled it the 5 feet forwards I wanted.  She now intends to take them out for the day tomorrow, I will make sure she has her RAC card with her as I ain't going to the rescue.


Tomorrow's job is to buy an oil remover for the gravel as it's pissed too much over where we normally walk and I don't want it indoors.   That's why there is a tray on the drive where it should be parked.

I hate that van.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 July, 2021, 10:37:30 pm
Does it need to be you who lies under the vehicle or can it be anyone?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nuttycyclist on 28 July, 2021, 10:56:11 pm
I swore after the last fault that I'd never work on that van again.      Mrs Nutty booked it in to a mechanic.    Guess what muppet had to spend an hour tinkering with the engine trying to get it to start so she could drive away to take it to the mechanic.

I've had 5 breakdowns so far, whilst at home and the phone rings, where I diagnose it over the phone and get Mrs Nutty to fix it to get home.    I do love Mrs Nutty, but she has the same mechanic's skills as Jeremy Clarkson so it was good that two of the breakdowns have been mended with a hammer.   That's why I chose to be under the van tonight, and moved VERY FAST when it started.


(Last time it wouldn't start I had a spark plug out and asked her to crank it, because it "sounded like it was going to start" she cranked it more and revved it despite my specific instructions of "only a few seconds" and my yelling "stop stop stop".    Ruddy cylinder was blowing everything in my face which I couldn't move away from due to sparking plug in my hand.  Of course it sounded different, it was farting out of the spark plug hole!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 29 July, 2021, 12:00:13 am
Quote from: Pingu on 28 July, 2021, 10:37:30 pm
Does it need to be you who lies under the vehicle or can it be anyone?

Such as for eg small Nuttys who vandalise their sister's dolls?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 July, 2021, 01:10:52 am
That's a point, have you tried Swarfega?  (As barakta said after the naked bisexual oil wrestling incident.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 July, 2021, 03:14:44 pm
Bound the frayed handle of my old HB bag with black paracord. Looks better than the rest of the bag now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Robh on 29 July, 2021, 03:36:30 pm
Woohoo! I replaced the rim on my Rohloff wheel! A relatively easy job, some might think, but wheel building has remained - despite past attempts - a black art for me, and I've been putting this particular job off for some time. Now for a test ride...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 29 July, 2021, 05:04:27 pm
Quote from: Robh on 29 July, 2021, 03:36:30 pm
Woohoo! I replaced the rim on my Rohloff wheel! A relatively easy job, some might think, but wheel building has remained - despite past attempts - a black art for me, and I've been putting this particular job off for some time. Now for a test ride...
Do pease report back, or we'll send out a search party.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 29 July, 2021, 05:08:50 pm
Quote from: ravenbait on 26 July, 2021, 10:25:32 am
Quote from: jsabine on 25 July, 2021, 08:47:19 pm

Think I've got a 9sp Veloce doing nothing - what cage length do you need?

I do need to check what state it's in as I bought it to cannibalise (and then didn't), but it doesn't owe me any more than beer money

I'm putting a triple on there (Campag Centaur 53/42/30 which is technically a 10 speed but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). I think only a triple rear mech would work with that. I don't really want to replace the ergo shifters with new ones, as this project (you've met this bike!) is already expensive enough that I'm pondering whether I'd be better just getting another bike (heresy), hence the 9-speed requirement.

Apparently some past life bought a full Centaur 10 speed triple groupset (not the brakes), so I'm good.

I have no memory of this. I just found it in a box.

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 July, 2021, 05:36:49 pm
Minor adjustment to the front disc brake caliper after a ride on the red plastic machine (actually a rather nice red PlanetX, Ultegra etc bike)

. . .  and then back to the woodwork to finish and hang the gate I've made for an extension to the bin store.  The last few tasks in the landscaping/outside woodwork stuff are in sight . . . I think.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Robh on 29 July, 2021, 06:09:06 pm
Quote from: hatler on 29 July, 2021, 05:04:27 pm
Quote from: Robh on 29 July, 2021, 03:36:30 pm
Woohoo! I replaced the rim on my Rohloff wheel! A relatively easy job, some might think, but wheel building has remained - despite past attempts - a black art for me, and I've been putting this particular job off for some time. Now for a test ride...
Do pease report back, or we'll send out a search party.
A quick spin around the block suggests it's OK, but there's a flat due to me not seating the tyre properly - a problem I've had before with this rim/tyre combination. I'll be carrying a spoke key, just in case, for the foreseeable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 July, 2021, 06:35:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 July, 2021, 09:35:57 pm
Yesterday's fettle was converting my PRiDE OUT jersey from a full-length zip to a 3/4 length zip, for increased recumbent friendliness.  This was fiddly, but ultimately more successful than I anticipated.  Especially after I remembered to put the right needle in the sewing machine.   :facepalm:
What's the problem with full-length zips for recumbenteers?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 July, 2021, 07:34:10 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 30 July, 2021, 06:35:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 July, 2021, 09:35:57 pm
Yesterday's fettle was converting my PRiDE OUT jersey from a full-length zip to a 3/4 length zip, for increased recumbent friendliness.  This was fiddly, but ultimately more successful than I anticipated.  Especially after I remembered to put the right needle in the sewing machine.   :facepalm:
What's the problem with full-length zips for recumbenteers?

The fabric of all but the tightest fitting recumbent-specific jerseys, jackets etc tends to have some slack around your tummy when you're in a recumbent seat, which is fine if it's flexible, but a full-length zip add rigidity that ends up sticking up, in a way that can be merely mildy irksome, cause the waist to ride up, or (in the case of waterproof jackets) form a little bowl for collecting rain/snow/hailstones.  I'd guess that if you're large of boob that might help take up the excess zip, but I am not.

Interestingly, my AUK jersey also has a full length zip, but it seems much less inclined to ride up as a result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 August, 2021, 04:51:51 pm
At long last managed to find the decals I bought 6 months ago for my British Eagle Touristique and stuck them on.  It looks all neat and proper now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 August, 2021, 09:48:11 am
Fixed the wire from the bell-push back in place. Some unnecessary person had wrenched it free of its staples.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 05 August, 2021, 08:00:01 pm
Jurek fiddled with my bottom bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 05 August, 2021, 09:02:13 pm
Today I acquired a shopper/general runaround bike to replace a similar bike which was getting a bit too rattly and potentially difficult to maintain. I fixed it up at the workshop, swapped some bits off the current bike and gave it a good clean. It was a donation to the cycle charity that I volunteer at. I rode it home and like most bikes could take a couple of rides to get used to but should be good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 06 August, 2021, 05:09:56 pm
I admitted defeat on changing the washer in the upstairs sink - I blame the limescale. So I fitted two new taps before the drip gets any worse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 August, 2021, 05:36:52 pm
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 05 August, 2021, 08:00:01 pm
Jurek fiddled with my bottom bracket.
From a safe distance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 06 August, 2021, 08:26:22 pm
it’s the first time i couldn’t seat a tyre with a floor pump, so walked to a local garage and used their compressor. it only goes up to 60psi, but it did the job even with the valve core in. checked for the leaks with soapy water (yes, it leaks quite a bit as seen in the photo)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210806/8deba80b3de90d65fd9c478da3cbe19d.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 07 August, 2021, 04:36:29 am
Quote from: MattH on 28 July, 2021, 07:49:40 pm
Diesel leak on the camper. Thought I could smell it, but nothing obvious. Turned out to be a pipe coming loose on a t-piece that was put into the fuel return line by the converters and goes to the diesel fired webasto air heater. Could have been a lot worse - at least it was a free fix and happened close to home rather than when we are away - but I did end up lying underneath the van in the pouring rain with diesel dripping on me.

Sailed on a yacht whose diesel fuel leaked. It was a copper pipe fracture due to poor installation. Everything on the boat reeked of diesel and any food not sealed picked up the taste. We were sailing on the west coast of Scotland and could not get it fixed so had no engine. It made things rather tricky getting back to ‘civilisation’.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 07 August, 2021, 08:31:26 am
Quote from: asterix on 07 August, 2021, 04:36:29 am
Quote from: MattH on 28 July, 2021, 07:49:40 pm
Diesel leak on the camper. Thought I could smell it, but nothing obvious. Turned out to be a pipe coming loose on a t-piece that was put into the fuel return line by the converters and goes to the diesel fired webasto air heater. Could have been a lot worse - at least it was a free fix and happened close to home rather than when we are away - but I did end up lying underneath the van in the pouring rain with diesel dripping on me.

Sailed on a yacht whose diesel fuel leaked. It was a copper pipe fracture due to poor installation. Everything on the boat reeked of diesel and any food not sealed picked up the taste. We were sailing on the west coast of Scotland and could not get it fixed so had no engine. It made things rather tricky getting back to ‘civilisation’.
We had similar, though simply through a diesel spill on board. I couldn't believe how pervasive the smell was. Everything ended up tasting of diesel. For months afterwards in the case of the stored Mars bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 August, 2021, 03:35:47 pm
4 bin bags of clothes to the clothing bank. On foot. My forearms were complaining most of the way there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 07 August, 2021, 06:30:26 pm
New handle on an Ortlieb pannier that I got from eBay. For some reason the hook inserts were falling out, seems the hooks were worn. The nice people at Ortlieb sent a new handle kit that incl. inserts foc  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 August, 2021, 07:14:48 pm
Rebuilding a SH M737 hub (ebay). I expected to find a steel washer between the freehub body and hub shell but Shimano's exploded diagram showed this model didn't have one. After flushing the rust, grease and assorted crap out of the freehub body, there is huge (perhaps 1mm?) amounts of play. Feeling quite miffed at this point.

I have an oldish Ultegra freehub with a pitted cup and this old XT freehub with a good cup but dodgy guts. We’ll see if this hub can be salvaged, which would be nice. It would be good to get my GT LTS-1 working properly. The Spin tri-spoke wheels I bought it with had the traditional crapped out rear hub, with no spare parts available. I may get them converted to be aero rear wheels for HK's Trykit, just for fun.

Lubed the chains on my fixed and my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 07 August, 2021, 09:47:20 pm
The kitchen's borrowed light window to the hall - half fettled, anyway.
 SWMBO broke it decades ago, and stopped up the large hole with a fleece dog bed and some plywood. The glass and beading is inaccessible from the hallway so I'm creating one on the other side by nailing some lath into the frame. AGES since I've brayed nails into wood  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 August, 2021, 06:15:08 pm
After Pingu put me to shame by totally purging and tidying his side of the wardrobe shelving I got rid of 6 pairs of jeans and some other stuff and then we took 3 bags of apparel to the clothing bank, again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 August, 2021, 08:18:20 pm
Fitted complete new gear cables to a friend’s Chameleon and straightened the gear hanger. It shifts much better but could do with a new chain and 9sp cassette. I will fit new brake cables and retape the bars this weekend.

Hopefully the comparatively low stepover height will help her get her knee working better. One of her other bikes got totalled by a driver and she is recovering slowly from significant damage. This Airnimal frame seems to be cracking in the usual way but should be serviceable for a few months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 August, 2021, 09:06:07 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 August, 2021, 06:15:08 pm
After Pingu put me to shame by totally purging and tidying his side of the wardrobe shelving I got rid of 6 pairs of jeans and some other stuff and then we took 3 bags of apparel to the clothing bank, again.
Impressive! I'm sure I've owned more than 6 pairs of jeans – over the course of my life so far. My wardrobe is mostly full of wheels, tools and offcuts of old mudguard. Isn't that what they're for?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 August, 2021, 09:06:49 pm
I've been unfettling the brambles in the gardenette, mostly so I won't get punctures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 August, 2021, 09:15:46 pm
Completed a lean-to shed to store the towbar-mount bike rack and the old hack pub bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 August, 2021, 11:03:45 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 August, 2021, 09:06:07 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 August, 2021, 06:15:08 pm
After Pingu put me to shame by totally purging and tidying his side of the wardrobe shelving I got rid of 6 pairs of jeans and some other stuff and then we took 3 bags of apparel to the clothing bank, again.
Impressive! I'm sure I've owned more than 6 pairs of jeans – over the course of my life so far. My wardrobe is mostly full of wheels, tools and offcuts of old mudguard. Isn't that what they're for?

I think I currently own 7 pairs of jeans.

4 actually fit.  (Having found jeans that fit and have pockets, I immediately bought 3 more pairs.)

2 are almost new, sadly lacking in the pocket department, and far too big.

1 is also far too big, extremely worn/faded, and comes out with the aid of a sturdy belt if I'm likely to covered in paint or similar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 August, 2021, 11:34:25 pm
Oh dear, I still have way too many pairs then  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 14 August, 2021, 01:06:45 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 August, 2021, 06:15:08 pm
After Pingu put me to shame by totally purging and tidying his side of the wardrobe shelving I got rid of 6 pairs of jeans and some other stuff and then we took 3 bags of apparel to the clothing bank, again.

Dunno why I bothered with tyding, thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 August, 2021, 10:07:52 pm
Fitted a new rear brake cable and casing to a Chameleon and retaped the bars. It needs a chain, cassette and middle chainring at some point.

Found that HK’s superlight Brommie had cracked a front hub flange, releasing four spokes from captivity. Time to build a new wheel around a Brommie+ front hub and unused rim from the garage spare parts pile. Brommie+ brag that their own hubs don’t crack their flanges, even if laced radially, so hopefully the problem will be solved forever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 August, 2021, 10:14:25 pm
Made a box of homebrew electronics talk to someone else's box of homebrew electronics.

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/bhpc_clock/2021_08_14_20_08_35.sized.jpg)

With any luck this will all be failing to operate at Darley Moor at the end of the month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 August, 2021, 03:29:41 pm
Replaced the batteries in HK’s Powertap hub and adjusted the rear brake on her Roberts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: nobby on 15 August, 2021, 05:40:25 pm
Repaired my 50 something year old B&D Workmate.
Filed a sheared adjustable foot stud down. Drilled it to quarter inch hole and tapped it 8mm by 1.5mm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 August, 2021, 05:42:03 pm
Another one of these (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg2639983#msg2639983).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 15 August, 2021, 06:04:52 pm
My Landis & Gyr RWB200cw CH controller gave up the ghost so I replaced it with a Drayton LP822
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 15 August, 2021, 11:24:29 pm
Striped down my old favourite bike wheels, Campag novo record  hubs / 700 c mavic  ma 40 rims  ( cost me £ 100 in 1986 ) . Cleaned ,re greased  & polished the hubs                                   
Polished the old 27 " Weinmann rim & spokes  I striped off the Longsaff conversion                                               
 Then built up a rear wheel for the Claud butler project , using the Campag hubs & Weinmann rim .( Because 700c look a bit silly on a 1951 bike )          That's the fourth wheel I have built in five days . Before that one in a life time & that was just a like for like rim swap . Its a bit addictive this wheel building . :)
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 August, 2021, 10:39:06 pm
Laced up a new front wheel for HK’s Brompton. Tomorrow evening’s job is to tension and true it for her to ride to her appointment on Friday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 August, 2021, 09:20:12 pm
Trued up and fitted the new front wheel to HK’s B.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 August, 2021, 08:24:06 am
A game of two halves today:

Fetched more timber for the fence in the garden (price up 20% from July  >:( ) then barrowed 2 builder bags of topsoil round to the back of the house.

Then into the "mini-LBS" in my garage to fit new shifters to an ancient MTB that a friend is giving to another friend and pressing new BB bearings into a Trek carbon frame for a paying customer by complete contrast.

All part of life's rich pattern - coming days appear to be going to be a mix of the above type of tasks - with a 2 day respite when I'm off on a short cycle tour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 19 August, 2021, 09:16:43 am
In prep for mini's BigRide® he was lucky enough to be given an Ortlieb saddle pack and Topeak tool box. First ride out and the bag bounced off the saddle. He stood in the busy road directing the traffic around it (including a bus) until he could get to it. Small car went straight over it. Bag holed and tool box split. One very pissed off mini.

Anyhow, I knew I had an Ortlieb repair kit somewhere which facilitated a perfect repair a few years ago.

Could I find it ?  Could I bugger.   I turned out two shelves of 'odds and ends' in my wardrobe, two of the draws in my bedside cabinet, two cubbies in the kitchen and the entire content of my large bike spares box in the garage. (All very useful activity and I did clear a whole bunch of crap out.) All fruitless.

Last call was the oversize tools/smaller spares toolbox in the garage. Bingo !!!  Right at the very bottom of course.

Anyhow, net result is a patched Ortlieb saddle pack. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 19 August, 2021, 10:11:23 am
And one further incredibly satisfying fall out from yesterday's activities is that one of the bits of clutter I threw out was metal box that some Lakrids liquorice had come in. Sitting looking at the collection of now homeless Topeak tools on the kitchen table I realised that I could put the box to use.

Bingo !!   They all fit in perfectly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 August, 2021, 04:56:14 pm
Various adjustments and greasings on barakta's n+1 wheelchair-shaped object (https://twitter.com/natalyadell/status/1428403494105587719).  Making the sort of tutting/sighing noises that cyclists tend to make when faced with non-racing wheelchairs throughout.

It's as cheesy as you'd expect for a hundred quid, but is reasonably light, and ought to suffice for pushing her to the hospital/swimming pool for a few months.  We've confirmed it fits through the door.

In a decision that I may come to regret, I've installed a decent bicycle bell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 August, 2021, 06:44:25 pm
I took down the living room curtain with cat pee stains on it (which involved Pingu steadying the step ladder while I teetered and tried to use an allan key unsighted).
Shoved it in the washing machine, and despite all the Do Not Machine Wash warnings it actually came out amazing, no creases (despite turning itself inside out, at which point I decided the reverse of the fabric was much nicer than the front) and now the white cotton lining looks white instead of pee stained.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 August, 2021, 07:27:05 pm
Allen key mounted curtains? Only a cyclist etc etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 August, 2021, 07:28:54 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 August, 2021, 04:56:14 pm
Various adjustments and greasings on barakta's n+1 wheelchair-shaped object (https://twitter.com/natalyadell/status/1428403494105587719).  Making the sort of tutting/sighing noises that cyclists tend to make when faced with non-racing wheelchairs throughout.

It's as cheesy as you'd expect for a hundred quid, but is reasonably light, and ought to suffice for pushing her to the hospital/swimming pool for a few months.  We've confirmed it fits through the door.

In a decision that I may come to regret, I've installed a decent bicycle bell.
Did hospital refusal actually no wheelchair or just none till after surgery? Hope all goes well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 19 August, 2021, 07:49:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 August, 2021, 04:56:14 pm
Various adjustments and greasings on barakta's n+1 wheelchair-shaped object (https://twitter.com/natalyadell/status/1428403494105587719).  Making the sort of tutting/sighing noises that cyclists tend to make when faced with non-racing wheelchairs throughout.

Disappointed you've not done this to it (as suggested by several of my workmates when I spent a bit of post-op time in a chair last year):-
https://youtu.be/FW8BA-W599k?t=52
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 August, 2021, 10:12:18 pm
Quote from: MattH on 19 August, 2021, 07:49:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 19 August, 2021, 04:56:14 pm
Various adjustments and greasings on barakta's n+1 wheelchair-shaped object (https://twitter.com/natalyadell/status/1428403494105587719).  Making the sort of tutting/sighing noises that cyclists tend to make when faced with non-racing wheelchairs throughout.

Disappointed you've not done this to it (as suggested by several of my workmates when I spent a bit of post-op time in a chair last year):-
https://youtu.be/FW8BA-W599k?t=52

I reckon there's going to be plenty of time for proper wheelchair-nerdery in the event of the surgery being unsuccessful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 August, 2021, 05:41:58 pm
New chain and cassette on HK’s Kinesis and swapped out the worn Keo pedals for some SH Powertap pedals. Dismantled and reassembled one Powertap pedal to clean out the cleat tension adjustment bolt. Pondered replacing the battery cap, as the previous owner appears to have been a gorilla. Partially disassembled the Keo pedals, ready to replace the bearings when they arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 21 August, 2021, 06:50:50 pm
Mum's washing machine machine door which had the hinge sticking, and was getting worse. I took the door off, home, and applied The Shed resources to it. Also, dremeled open her novelty cash box which nobody could remember how to open.
No cycle fettling today, but did trailer some dog food home  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 August, 2021, 07:06:32 pm
Packing. One positive of being told I have to be in the office all next week is that we were able to dismantle my WFH office a week early. Fortunately my office chair only needed the back removing to get it through the loft hatch. The loft looks quite (relatively) empty now that that's all been dismantled.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51393082603_5728f7ca4c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2miqYX6)2021-08-21_06-57-21 (https://flic.kr/p/2miqYX6) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 August, 2021, 08:05:46 pm
For cusomers : Pressed some BB bearings into a Trek Domane frame and swapped the original wheels/tyres/rotors from another Trek Domane for some Hunt carbon wheels - rotor discs must have been fitted to the original wheels by a gorilla . . . very, very torqued.

Domestic : My dear wife managed to drop her electric toothbrush and chip the edge of a porcelain wash-basin  :facepalm:  -  managed to find the chip, tiny spot of superglue and using a bit of clear tape to position it I managed a near invisible mend  :thumbsup:   [I'm waiting the call from the BBC to join the experts at The Repair Shop  ;D ]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 August, 2021, 09:02:37 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 August, 2021, 07:06:32 pm
Packing. One positive of being told I have to be in the office all next week is that we were able to dismantle my WFH office a week early. Fortunately my office chair only needed the back removing to get it through the loft hatch. The loft looks quite (relatively) empty now that that's all been dismantled.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51393082603_5728f7ca4c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2miqYX6)2021-08-21_06-57-21 (https://flic.kr/p/2miqYX6) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That carpet, you must feel like strutting your stuff every time you walk on it  :)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71HnNKRYckL._AC_SY679_.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 August, 2021, 10:36:15 pm
To be fair, that is the first time I've seen that much of it for years..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 August, 2021, 10:54:39 am
HK is currently working through the process of updating firmware on her SH Powertap P1S pedals. Apparently earlier this year, SRAM deleted the Powertap app and has folded powermeter support into the AXS app which seems to be unaware of the existence of these pedals. Obviously it would be too easy if this was a straightforward process and a second set of eyes might be called for later today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 22 August, 2021, 04:06:09 pm
My Moulton road bike is constructed from stainless steel tubing silver brazed together. The dozens of joints tarnish over time, so it's a labour of love to clean them every so often; I use Solvol Autosol.

Thought I'd better start on mine as I'm taking this bike to the annual Bradford on Avon Moulton Club meeting mid-September. Finishing off with Autoglym High Definition wax polish in the hope that'll prevent or at least slow the tarnishing. Did the rear triangle this afternoon, the rest will be later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 August, 2021, 06:02:01 pm
Definitely wax the frame, particularly the joints. Silver brazing + stainless bicycle tubing is prone to inter granular corrosion. Paint, clear coat or wax will minimise/ prevent corrosion of the joints.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 22 August, 2021, 10:56:58 pm
My cycling club wanted a fun game for the clubs birthday and had decided on bike power scalextric.
It turns out a regular 12v perm magnet DC motor is just fine, and small drill chucks make good drive wheels against bicycle tyres. (While also gripping electric motor shafts very well)
All held together with a "wheel on" turbo trainer frame and some bits of wood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 23 August, 2021, 04:00:41 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 August, 2021, 06:02:01 pm
Definitely wax the frame, particularly the joints. Silver brazing + stainless bicycle tubing is prone to inter granular corrosion. Paint, clear coat or wax will minimise/ prevent corrosion of the joints.

Label says Aerospace Stainless Steel, hopefully better.

Completed the labour today just before the love ran out. Will be more than a little disappointed if the bike isn't noticeably faster now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 August, 2021, 04:13:22 pm
No, Moulton’s stainless steel is eutectic silver brazed together and is susceptible to inter-granular corrosion. Silver fillet-brazed stainless has a fair chance of coming ‘unglued’, depending on the environment. Keep it waxed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 23 August, 2021, 09:21:36 pm
Re-padded 2x Tektro disc brakes on our young uns ageing hardtail Trek MTB.  Being numpty I squoze out a piston so I need to bleed. In the dark. Nice thing is he's getting handy with the spanners himself... So maybe he'll maintain my bikes sometime soon?

Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 August, 2021, 08:33:57 pm
I fitted a Reflectalite voltage regulator to a dynamo setup.  What they don't tell you is that, because a hub dynamo is always on, lights-off drag is vastly increased because the thing bleeds power as soon as the hub hits the Zener voltage, which it does the whole time if the light is open circuit.  So it needs a switch in the regulator wire as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 25 August, 2021, 11:13:15 pm
I fixed the screen on my ch thermostat! Parts of the digits had started to disappear. A video on the web showed me how to disassemble the unit, remove the screen and COOK IT BETTER OVER A TOASTER!
I kid you not!
All the numbers are back!
Internet’s bloody amazing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 August, 2021, 06:37:14 am
Weird!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 August, 2021, 09:03:53 am
Swapped the Synchron motor on the boiler's HW motorised valve - hopefully that was the cause of lack of HW as the tank's heat ran down . . .

Surpriingly simple task once I'd moved all the timber stored in fron of the cylinder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 26 August, 2021, 10:39:46 am
Yesterday .Done the lug lining on the Claud Butler Avanti Coureur special . Bloody miles of lugs I should have picked some thing easier for my first attempt . 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 August, 2021, 07:40:29 pm
Built a garden bench. For the garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 August, 2021, 08:05:14 pm
Fettled a Brooks titanium Swallow that had developed a clank, with the nose bent like a banana.  Slacked off the tension, straightened it, and retensioned.  The bolt slips off its ears, or something - it's a known problem.  They really are crappily made for the money...if I'd bought it new, it would have been £250!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 August, 2021, 09:00:02 pm
Reorganised part of the workshop shelving/cupbords to get even more stuff in - but did get rid of a few items too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 August, 2021, 10:56:47 am
Added maintenance reminders to my home-grown Strava equivalent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 August, 2021, 11:27:58 am
Cleaned and serviced the "staff transport" - actually our wonderful cleaning lady's spare bike!    It's a heavy steel frame that's had a Dulux repaint but still functions tolerably well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 August, 2021, 04:36:38 pm
A sea of boxes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil21 on 29 August, 2021, 08:19:41 pm
Fitted a new set of wheels following me breaking the rear a couple of weeks ago. Despite trying, I couldn't get the rear derailleur/chain line to work cleanly, the chain was catching on some of the cogs causing a lot of noise. Finally figured it out...the derailleur hanger was a little bent. Not having the 70 squid park tools tool, I used a large adjustable spanner to apply some force and calibrated using the Mark I Eyeball. It's shifting much nicer now. Another first in my bike maintenance journey!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 30 August, 2021, 07:50:46 pm
Cyclo-cross tyre swapping. Some evening races coming up and I remembered that dew on grass and file treads is not a good combination.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 30 August, 2021, 10:00:06 pm
I split my hifi and home cinema into two systems. It took ages for the telly and av amp to recognise each other.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 September, 2021, 05:25:30 pm
Put a diagonal brace into one side of our main gate.  First time I've used a pocket hole jig - by no means as easy as the brand's videos show.

Not entirely finished but at least the gate is functional again, otherwise I'd be lifting my bike over the fence tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 September, 2021, 05:32:14 pm
Fixed my dynamo back light. A wire had come adrift.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Socks on 02 September, 2021, 08:26:18 pm
An easy job this afternoon, to replace a rear derailleur that had stopped working, losing the ability to tension the chain.  In order to do this, took the chain off and fitted the new derailleur.  I was going to give the chain a good soak and clean but found it was badly worn.

So replaced the chain (or rather, as it's a recumbent, slightly more than two chains).  Which of course meant also replacing the cassette.  When I checked the wheel to change the cassette, there were some badly corroded spokes.  They are painted black, so maybe not good quality stainless spokes underneath the paint.

Luckily I had a spare wheel and new cassette in the bike shed so swapped tyre and inner tube to the 'new' wheel.  Took the chance to clean and lubricate the jockey wheel before putting it all back together.  Then tested the transmission and gear changing on the bike stand. Hopefully the bike is now ready for a few Autumn / Winter rides
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 September, 2021, 09:29:54 pm
Overhauled the bearings on a Shimano Brompton dynamo hub.  Why can't they all be that easy?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Nick H. on 03 September, 2021, 11:38:03 pm
I tried to glue a tub on. Couldn't mount it. 10 years of no exercise and my muscles have atrophied I suppose. I got the tyre on the rim a few days ago to stretch it without difficulty. So I'm baffled. It's very disheartening. Had to give up, exhausted, for fear of aggravating my ME.

FML. Really. It was this easy to get the unglued, unstretched tyre on:

https://youtu.be/uSY5X__Xnkw?t=138

But this evening I couldn't do it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 September, 2021, 01:59:50 pm
Swapped out the 42t ring on HK’s Moulton for a 39t. That led to needing to replace the worn chain and cassette too. Replacement cassettes we have, chains not so much. Something to sort out over the next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 September, 2021, 08:33:23 pm
Built two dynohub wheels, a silver SV-9 hub for the TSR and the Shimano hub for Sam's Brompton.  The Shimano hub is a weighty beast (almost 600g) but I really like it.  There is good power at walking pace.and it's well-made.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 September, 2021, 01:37:54 pm
Earlier this week we were trying to troubleshoot the silent doorbell (it's some old Friedland thing). A friend mentioned batteries (which was news to me as our old one must have been mains) and sure enough in the chime box there are spaces for batteries. There is also 'bell' mentioned on the 'lights' section of the consumer unit, but there are also a couple of wires which look doorbell like in the cupboard which I wondered if they may have been for connecting to a 6v external battery. Anyway, no sign of either that or a transformer (which I don't understand given the label on the consumer unit). I dithered about buying a new doorbell but decided to give the batteries a go.
Installed the batteries in the chime unit this morning, still dead.
After a bit I thought to myself I'd just check there were no batteries in the bell push. Well no, but it does appear that when the front door was replaced they made a hole in the frame to take the bell push, but didn't wire it up. So the bell push is attached to the frame and there are some wires just snuggling in the frame  ::-) That's at least 1 reason why it no worky then.

<fx: Kirsty Wark> More on that story later
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 September, 2021, 01:45:58 pm
People are really bad at doorbells.  I'd like to say it was a hearing people thing, but I remember turning up at Postman Piers's house and having to short bare wires to fail to[1] get his attention...


[1] The interface thinger wasn't connected at the other end or something.  Had to use SMS.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 September, 2021, 02:14:52 pm
Ah well, that didnae work either. Time for a new doorbell then.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 05 September, 2021, 02:27:32 pm
Something like this, perhaps?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs2iL7W2m5c
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 September, 2021, 02:30:16 pm
Having finally got round to replacing the Arduino with something non-shonky, I accidentally went with the 1960s Batman aesthetic for ours:

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/alerter/2021_07_21_22_18_39.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 05 September, 2021, 02:55:28 pm
I don't think I believe there's a single accidental thing about the aesthetic of that^
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 September, 2021, 03:09:00 pm
It's the stainless steel mesh over the speaker that did it, which was genuinely something I had lying around in case it came in useful...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 05 September, 2021, 05:01:25 pm
And useful it was ...

It does just look right.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 September, 2021, 06:21:11 pm
Replaced the Jesus bolts and associated cruddy looking nylocks on barakta's WSO with some more substantial A2 stainless bolts and nylocks.  It probably wasn't going to collapse out from under her, but...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 September, 2021, 04:28:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 September, 2021, 03:09:00 pm
It's the stainless steel mesh over the speaker that did it, which was genuinely something I had lying around in case it came in useful...

This afternoon I finally re-used the extra-long 5 mm drill that I bought in 1989 to put insulation up in the loft. Kept it just in case.  OTOH I have about a cwt of offcuts in a bin under my bench, far to nice to throw away.  The mum of a friend of ours had an entire room full of "nice paper".

---o0o---

Finally got the second diagonal into our front gate. Hell of a job: 15 years in a southern exposure has given the gate a right old belly and the diagonal is straight.  It took much BS&T, not to mention a bunch of nails from the nail gun and lots of screws, to pull the bugger halfway straight.  Main thing is that the vertical bolt at the free end now rides clear of the concrete lump it engages: before, we were having to strain like Omar the Truss-Mocker to get the bloody thing open.

Tomorrow or Wednesday I need to get it all weather-proofed: rain forecast for Thursday.

Nail guns are wondrous, BTW: hold the thing together and whang in a couple of nails, then you can get on with the serious business of getting the heavier hardware in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 September, 2021, 08:47:45 am
Got the new bits of gate painted. Next will be to renovate the rest of it - next time we have 10 days with moderate temperatures and no rain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 09 September, 2021, 09:44:52 am
Fitted new thermal cutout to the tumble dryer.

These are non-resettable over-temperature cutouts.
They do just fail with age.

In the few days between ordering the replacement and it arriving, I had, err, applied a temporary 'fix' to the old one :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 09 September, 2021, 12:45:30 pm
Carradice removable Classic carrier with Nelson bag has been popping off its mounts despite the webbing belt and this is most inconvenient. Straightened the hoops which were slightly out of true (an off?), purchased some small thin bungies 12" or so and ran a bungie around the seat post from points adjacent to the tangs in the hope that this stops them jumping out. The tangs look in good condition and do seem to locate themselves properly under the B17s seat mantle. Had a ride around the block deliberately targeting sunken street ironware and it now seems ok. The recommended max loading for this set up is 6kg. I weighed the bag on some electronic scales and it was around the 3.4kg mark.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 09 September, 2021, 11:09:01 pm
Replaced the burnt out electric door latch release on my van. How does a motor come to be burnt out, you ask?

The previous owner replaced the rear barn doors with a hatchback. As the factory didn’t  install captive threads for the hatch hinges, the chance of someone who is fitting the door in their back garden getting the alignment even vaguely correct were, well, nil.

They also punted on doing the electrics correctly, and just installed a big button on the dashboard hardwired to the release motor, bypassing the central locking computer.

The joy here is that as the door isn’t exactly free to move, when you press the button it doesn’t pop open or whatever it’s meant to do, so if there’s only one of you it’s incredibly tempting to wedge the button down with something heavy while you go and fiddle with the door.

If you do that, eventually the hobby motor in the latch that’s stalled out has enough and fails short, taking the well-hidden fuse (at least there was a fuse!) with it and making reverse engineering the whole mess even harder.

So as well as replacing the motor, I’ve also relocated the button to somewhere you can jiggle the hatch while pushing it, and filed down the latch bracket so there’s not so much pressure on it and it has a chance of releasing first time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 September, 2021, 01:41:31 am
Even the factory-fitted ones can be a bit shit.  Yes, Fiat Chrysler Automobile, I do mean you, with your joke comedy trapping an innocent back-seat passenger in the Shitbox Dodge, causing me to have to get out and let the poor bugger out manually, in a torrential downpour >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 September, 2021, 06:50:54 pm
Fettled another one of the naff disco door knobs into a lever, after waiting a week for a 7mm spindle to arrive. But that was much preferable to the 15-20mins filing I had to do to the mortice lever follower for the first one. So now to order another 3 sets. And decide what do to with the ones that don't need to turn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 10 September, 2021, 08:43:38 pm
Get yourself a dremel look alike Mrs P.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 10 September, 2021, 09:17:45 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 September, 2021, 06:50:54 pm
Fettled another one of the naff disco door knobs into a lever, after waiting a week for a 7mm spindle to arrive. But that was much preferable to the 15-20mins filing I had to do to the mortice lever follower for the first one. So now to order another 3 sets. And decide what do to with the ones that don't need to turn.

You need to do a velociraptor risk assessment.
The kitchen might be high-risk now.
Keep a clear space under the work surfaces to hide in.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 September, 2021, 05:35:52 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 10 September, 2021, 08:43:38 pm
Get yourself a dremel look alike Mrs P.
I do actually have one of those, some cheap and nasty affair with one speed that gives me the willies. Not sure if there's anything file shaped in the tools though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 September, 2021, 05:39:30 pm
I've just spent half an hour of type II fun with a bowl of water and a toothbrush scrubbing the worst of the soot off the bricks in the fireplace. Cos Pumpkin keeps poking her nose up the chimney and then leaving sooty paw prints all over the unforgiving carpet and all the windowsills.

Given there's a (disconnected) gas fire in the fireplace I'm wondering why it was not swept before that was installed. Maybe I should get that done...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 11 September, 2021, 08:17:02 pm
New battery in my HRM strap and then tidied up the data screens on the Garmin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 12 September, 2021, 03:55:02 pm
Tried to change the cables on a faux mtb and found every thing rusty including the cables and other bits.

So stopped as my shoulder started to hurt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 September, 2021, 05:25:52 pm
After a couple of afternoons Googling I adjusted the front door hinges so that the door closes without squeezing into the frame. It was easier than I expected. If I was my neighbour I would be relieved.
One small niggle down...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Stonebridge on 15 September, 2021, 05:33:45 pm
Connected our tandem back together again and checked the gears, in anticipation of the possibility soon of our first tandem ride since May before long (stokers been poorly). 

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 September, 2021, 06:33:41 pm
Prepped my Moulton for the BoA weekend with Big Bag and all. Need to fit the other Big Bag to HK’s Moulton and check all the camping gear fits in them comfortably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 16 September, 2021, 07:42:15 pm
a peculiar incident today for several reasons:
* spoke nipples rarely fail (broke apart at the rim)
* on the front wheel
* while the bike sat stationary indoors

squeezed the rest of the spokes hard, hoping this was a one off. took the tyre off, cleaned the sealant and took the rim tape off. will sort it out over the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 September, 2021, 10:09:21 pm
Extended the left brake lever on barakta's WSO so she can operate it without pain.  Used sub-optimal materials that I had to hand, so it may turn out to be a break lever...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 September, 2021, 03:33:46 pm
Rigged both Moultons for touring and topped off the tyres, retaped my Moulton’s bars, de-squeaked HK’s Moulton’s front bounce.

Swapped out wornout bearings/ axles from a set of HK’s Keo Sprint pedals.

De-creaked the BB of HK’s Kinesis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 September, 2021, 05:26:55 pm
Desqueaking a front bounce sounds like a job involving lots of nasty black grease  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 September, 2021, 05:32:45 pm
Dismembered 2 of Pingu's wheels so he could save the hubs and the rest could go to the tip. That was a long and tedious job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 September, 2021, 06:10:19 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 September, 2021, 05:26:55 pm
Desqueaking a front bounce sounds like a job involving lots of nasty black grease  :(

Not in this case, just removing the dirt in the friction washers. Regreasing the spring is less about a squeak and more about a high-pitched scrape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 September, 2021, 07:30:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 17 September, 2021, 05:32:45 pm
Dismembered 2 of Pingu's wheels so he could save the hubs and the rest could go to the tip. That was a long and tedious job.

Were the spokes really worth saving? - bolt croppers and a 5 minute job to cut the hubs out of the wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 September, 2021, 07:49:25 pm
Quote from: robgul on 17 September, 2021, 07:30:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 17 September, 2021, 05:32:45 pm
Dismembered 2 of Pingu's wheels so he could save the hubs and the rest could go to the tip. That was a long and tedious job.

Were the spokes really worth saving? - bolt croppers and a 5 minute job to cut the hubs out of the wheel.
Yes I know but we don't have bolt croppers so I used the tools we have available.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: salar55 on 18 September, 2021, 02:48:21 pm
Pedals renewed to silence bike , bearings shot on my touring pedals . Been clicking on last trip , fitted a new pair of Time DH4 pedals after visiting LBS. Will try to fit Ignus polymer bearings in the old ones if they have the correct size.(https://i.imgur.com/5itQryb.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 19 September, 2021, 03:29:57 pm
Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s manky old swivel chair, whose base splat dramatically and has been bodged back together using chunks of channel-section aluminium and swearing.  However, if he doesn’t stop the tuneless whistling he's not going to get a chance to test it, because I will have murdered him.  Utterly to DETH.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 19 September, 2021, 09:16:08 pm
Quote from: salar55 on 18 September, 2021, 02:48:21 pm
Pedals renewed to silence bike...

Did same with stoker pedals.  The only thing more annoying than clicks every pedal rev is your stoker telling you they can still hear it. On. Every. Rise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 September, 2021, 09:18:16 pm
Hastily molished a laptop shelf out of Useful Bits Of Wood, so that barakta may ergonomically spod from bed.

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/2021_09_19_19_45_17.sized.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 19 September, 2021, 09:39:00 pm
Tea? Now I'm wondering what else you're keeping in containers like that...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 19 September, 2021, 09:39:54 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 19 September, 2021, 09:39:00 pm
Tea? Now I'm wondering what else you're keeping in containers like that...

Not Tea, obviously.

(That was one of those "I've just got a new label printer" labels.  It's lasted quite well (about 18 months now), given how much the mug gets used/washed.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 September, 2021, 07:48:24 am
Mum's lawn yesterday.
Using a scythe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 September, 2021, 06:17:16 pm
Still rebuilding the small Ridgeback for SO's niece. Built a back wheel and fitted the rear mudguard.  Set up the gears and found this XT rear mech is finished - it looks good but there is appalling slop in the cage pivot.  Will swap it for the known good one on my Kilauea and that can have a road mech, which was what we did in the 90s anyway.

Then just brakes, mudflap and rear reflector to fettle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 September, 2021, 06:45:25 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51499468842_028509cf51_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2msQeSA)20210921_114210 (https://flic.kr/p/2msQeSA) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Just the reflector and mudflap to go now.  The "mechanic" who prepped it for sale didn't have a clue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 September, 2021, 06:19:28 pm
A spare Moulton series 1 fork turned up, so I stripped it down for parts.  Nylon bushes very good, small parts very good, bellows junk (boo!).  Low mileage, heavy neglect.  I am going to try some Bilstein steering bellows from a car, which are the right inner diameter but a fair bit longer, with an extra two ribs.  As long as they don't bottom out, they'll work.

Put the main fork and steerer back on the Bay.  The crown race is really nice so it should be a useful spare for someone.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 23 September, 2021, 10:07:14 pm
The rear tyre on the shopping bike (old 26" hardtail MTB) started rubbing on the chain stay yesterday.  I (eventually) spotted this which was a tad annoying:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51509131739_937df13511_z.jpg)

I can't be 100% certain but I am pretty sure that this is a wheel that I put a new rim on about 10 years ago.  The rim was a newish Mavic that a mate gave me. Unfortunately the sticker has peeled off so I don't know which model.

Closer inspection today showed another location with similar damage.  I then removed the tyre and rim tape and was pretty gobsmacked at the scene of devastation that I uncovered:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51508650718_db8ed510be_z.jpg)

That crack runs round 75% of the circumference  :o

No wonder the back end felt a bit weird with a full shopping load in the panniers!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 September, 2021, 10:34:34 pm
Oh wow that is quite impressive!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 September, 2021, 10:47:54 pm
 :o   Grief. Amazing that didn't fail catastrophically.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: neilrj on 23 September, 2021, 11:30:28 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 23 September, 2021, 10:07:14 pm

No wonder the back end felt a bit weird with a full shopping load in the panniers!

How much shopping? That is some damage!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 24 September, 2021, 12:02:40 am
Ruddy Norah  :o

Wheels can be pretty resilient, eh  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 24 September, 2021, 08:01:17 am
Not to mention rim tape and tubes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 September, 2021, 09:10:42 am
Mavics aren't all they're cracked up to be  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 September, 2021, 06:53:29 pm
Adjusted the hub gear and cleaned the derailleur gear lever on HK’s Brompton. Both shift nicely now. At some point the frame will need a new powdercoat and replacement Wellgo QR pedals. Perhaps that will be a winter project.

Replaced the worn-out chain on my fixed with a faux Shimano chain from a dodgy eBayer (photos showed Shimano stamped on the links but not on what arrived). It didn’t measure as worn out of the box so I decided to not bother sending it back. Hopefully it will hold together sufficiently in comparatively-benign fixed service.

Replaced the wornout Grand Prix on the rear of my Moulton with a Contact Speed. With luck, it won’t be much slower. Tweaked the rear derailleur adjustment and checked the hanger alignment. On the stand, it is still quite slow shifting to one cog only in one direction when on the big ring. Shifts nicely in every other gear, so I am a little confused. If it persists on the road, I will pull the Campag cassette and see if something is going on there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 September, 2021, 07:25:25 pm
The Moulton hanger that's slightly too thin for all modern rear mechs  ;D

SO's niece came to collect the Ridgeback.  I put it on the turbo ready to fit it to her and the PoS Altus 8-speed shifter promptly broke.  You don't get much for £7.  I phoned the LBS and amazingly they had a slightly.better 8 speed RF+ shifter in stock, so I pedalled down to get it.  2 min job to swap.

It fits her perfectly after adjusting the seat height and setback - including reach (with the stock long 90s-style stem).  Got lucky there, as it's common to have to swap out the stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 September, 2021, 07:35:51 pm
ae.ro bars and tape onto the Airnimal, adn then took it for a 75km test ride. Need a better solution for the Garmin mounting
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 September, 2021, 08:34:29 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 25 September, 2021, 07:25:25 pm
The Moulton hanger that's slightly too thin for all modern rear mechs  ;D

Yes, there is a washer under the mech of my TSR. HK’s much nicer Moulton has a stiffener brazed onto the hanger that adds the required thickness.

This evening, I swapped tyres around on my upright trike as the drive tyre has started showing tiny bits of canvas. Front Pasela to LH rear wheel and a slightly used Supersport onto the front wheel. Certain tyre sizes are starting to run low in my garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 September, 2021, 04:31:07 pm
Not a lot. I was going to replace all my cables today but my RH Daytona shifter decided to die while I was doing that.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 26 September, 2021, 04:35:59 pm
New bar tape on mini's bike in preparation for tomorrow's Big Ride®.

Charged lots of batteries, fitted lamp brackets. All systems go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 September, 2021, 04:42:21 pm
Quote from: Kim on 23 September, 2021, 08:29:04 pm
I have a door knob I need to temporarily uninstall, until such a time as barakta is no longer dependent on the use of a wheelchair ramp to move between rooms.  I keep bashing my hip on the knob every time I put the ramp down, and my bruise now has bruises.

This.  The door doesn't door properly, so it's not too difficult to open without the knob.  Assuming someone hasn't left a ramp in front of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Stonebridge on 26 September, 2021, 05:12:44 pm
Spent today getting my winter bike ready - its a bike-to-work Boardman SLR and £ for £ its the best bike Ive had ever.

Id last ridden it December 2020 on a very muddy 200km but thankfully had given it a top to toe clean and strip down immediately after.

Im hoping to use it for longer (over 200km) audax rides next year so have equipped it with a hub front light, brooks saddle and have upgraded the wheels. 
 
Only hiccup is where Id intended putting a larger (32T) cassette on it from another spare wheel but could not budge the lock ring.  I dont want to risk taking the skin off my knuckles so will refer it to LBS who will no doubt have the wherewithall to apply the necessary torque. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: salar55 on 27 September, 2021, 12:00:38 pm
Sleeve bearings from Igus arrived, pulled out worn ones and fitted the new ones. Pedals are perfect now, the outer bearings never seem to die like the inner ones. Now i have a spare set of pedals for the offroad bikes.(https://i.imgur.com/UxlMgCv.jpg?1)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 September, 2021, 04:53:32 pm
Fitted a new chain to HK’s Moulton and swapped a virtually-new Campag cassette from my Moulton to her’s. A new Miche 11sp cassette wasn’t playing nicely with her Tune hub but seems fine with my Miche hub (as you would hope). The long Moulton chainstays mean the 116 link KMC chain is at maximum allowable tension big-to-big but it seems ok changing in the stand and chain wear will loosen that off soon anyway.

Stripped the mudguards, rack and dynowheel from my TSR and fitted a pair of new Conti Contact Speed tyres. Somebody is borrowing it for a sportive.

The only spare 406 tyres left in the garage are tubeless Schwalbe, so I should finally get on and build up the tubeless Fratelli rims for HK’s Moulton. Without any long brevets or overseas brevets for a couple of years, there hasn’t been much reason to keep our Moultons in frontline service.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 27 September, 2021, 08:57:22 pm
I occasionally remember to turn the water Stop Tap a couple of turns to stop it seizing. I did this today.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 September, 2021, 09:58:13 pm
Had another go at trying to get the Roman blind at the top of the stairs back on it's fittings, which was made difficult by the stupid naff pelmet obstructing sight of said fittings.
Not that I was a particular fan of the blind but at least it's out of the way now rather than balancing on a teetering pile of boxes. Will try to remember not to use it in the hope it doesn't fall off again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 September, 2021, 11:55:59 am
Finished the service for a customer's bike - masses of of congealed oil/grease and mud all over the drive-train . . . it's a wonder that the rear mech jockey wheels turned!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 29 September, 2021, 11:45:29 pm
An LED floodlight with PIR sensor had stopped working, so I bypassed the PIR bit, and added an external PIR switch. (https://www.diy.com/departments/colours-drake-white-mains-powered-pir-motion-sensor/3663602761198_BQ.prd)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 30 September, 2021, 09:04:12 pm
Cleaned a kitchen gas hob that had not been cleaned for a while, at least a year.  Cleaning requiring the removal of the top of the hob with use of automotive brake cleaner and plus gas to dislodge all the horrible congealed grease so that the knobs now turn.

Then I peroxide and thick bleached three plastic chopping boards so they are actually white again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 October, 2021, 08:24:44 pm
Built a rear wheel for the Moulton F-frame and rebuilt the fork.  It feels pretty good and the rotational slop is gone.  The existing top bush is the biggest diameter of the three I have, so that went back in but took a beer can shim to make it tight against the inner steerer, which it wasn't originally.  Used MoS grease between the two steerers and RRG inside the inner steerer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 02 October, 2021, 03:54:39 pm
a sprocket on a hack bike has run its course having been turned by six or seven chains. new one in.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211002/c6e418c297f307488b1aa786a174091a.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 02 October, 2021, 04:19:58 pm
About a year ago my daughters clock stopped working. Its nice as its for learning to tell the time so had extras on the clock face such as quarter past etc

I stripped it down and decided the mechanism, well the cheap generic black box which runs the clock was dead. It then got put aside and forgotten about. Having a sort out I found it, a few minutes later I'd ordered a new mechanism of ebay which duly arrived Friday. Alas we had lost the hour hand on the clock so last night I fitted the new mechanism and made a new hand from the plastic of a dairylee dunkable pot. Finally a use for the vile "cheese". I then had to enlarge the hole on the minute hand and fit that

Battery in....bugger still doesn't work. Replacement battery in and wahoo we have life. I did try several of batteries in the existing mechanism so that was dead

I would say at some point I'll fashion a replacement minute hand as it's shorter due to me modifying but in all honesty if probably won't get round to it.

Just now I sharpened my chainsaw and redid the bracket on my wife's basket  its a quick release one so you can take the basket off but it kept slipping when loaded and obscured the front fork mounted light
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 October, 2021, 09:12:08 am
Replaced a tube on my trike’s idler wheel during yesterday’s rather wet Richard Ellis Memorial 200. Caused by a big flint stuck in the casing but it turned out that the tyre was also down to the canvas.

Surprisingly, the idler tyre wore out just a week after the drive tyre reached canvas. I must be scrubbing the idler tyre pretty hard through fast LH corners. I thought I was detecting a bit of sideslip on bumpy surfaces. Time to shuffle tyres between garage stock and trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 October, 2021, 08:58:01 pm
I wasn't meaning to fettle, but put the freshly powdercoated mudguards back on the Moulton Standard, fixed the rear rack properly and worked out how to modify an LED light to bolt to the M6 (probably 0BA in the day, which is exactly the same size and pitch) hole in the rear of the rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 03 October, 2021, 09:48:46 pm
Swooped out the Shimano 1055 front mech for a 1970s Campagnolo Record , works a lot better with the minuscule clearance of the TA pro vis compact double & it looks a lot prettier on the 1951 Claud Butler . Me Shallow  !!! 
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 October, 2021, 12:30:04 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 16 September, 2021, 07:42:15 pm
a peculiar incident today for several reasons:
* spoke nipples rarely fail (broke apart at the rim)
* on the front wheel
* while the bike sat stationary indoors

squeezed the rest of the spokes hard, hoping this was a one off. took the tyre off, cleaned the sealant and took the rim tape off. will sort it out over the weekend.

fixed this, finally. quite a few spokes needed nipping up to make the wheel true again, considering that only one spoke failed (and the wheel was true before that).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 October, 2021, 09:28:44 pm
Totally dismantled the front of the Moulton series 2 to (a) be able to rivet the new cable guides to the head tube (b) swap the head cups as they're a bit nicer than the ones that came on the series 1 and (c) swap out some of the fork components, for the same reason.  All back together now.  I'm starting to refit the chromed steel parts, which are really very nice.  The squiffy BB shell won't actually be noticeable when it has white cable housings running over it.

The series 1 frameset and racks have gone to the local powdercoaters.  The mudguards have been posted to a different powdercoater to be done in chrome effect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 October, 2021, 01:50:14 pm
Toilet related stuff today - discovered the flexible "slinky" pipe from pan to the soil pipe had drooped, causing strange air activity resulting in the shower trap emptying and strong smell of drains.  Turns out the slinky was waaaay too long.

Fitted a solid pipe extension piece to the soil pipe and new, shorter, slinky from the pan (and for belt and braces, as the stuff is all hidden in a cabinet, put some blocks of wood under them to prevent the possibility of drooping)  That was easy - hardest part was taking the cabinet to bits and putting it back together.

AND - I'm sure you all experence the moving toilet seat - as the holes in the pan and the size of the bolts are wildly different so that they float around however tight you do up the nuts/wing nuts. 

Well, a bit of thinking and I made two rubber "sleeves" from tap washers that engage the bolts firmly in the centre of the holes in the pan and then a large rubber washer, large metal washer and then the wing nut..  No more moving seat :thumbsup:     

What's amazing is that nobody has really perfected the fittings for toilet seats, even the high-end stuff where the pan and seat are a set.

I washed my hands when I had finished  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 October, 2021, 08:14:54 pm
The Tailfin - because the S40 is a FWD recumbent, the back end is a front end and the rack is too wide, so a very helpfully suggested work about by TF themselves to put the mounts inboard rather than outboard. No straining of the rack and it clears the brake beautifully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Lightning Phil on 09 October, 2021, 08:22:43 pm
Fitted tubus Vegas evo rear rack to my recumbent.  It needed the offset struts and a spacer on left side to clear disc calliper.   Struts need trimming by 3.5cm to allow the pannier hooks to be better spaced. Otherwise all good. First mini tour with this setup will be end of month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 October, 2021, 05:14:45 pm
Greased pedals on Trek, currently got chain thereof in the slow cooker.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 October, 2021, 05:05:44 pm
I decided to fill this vent in the pantry cupboard.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51581380873_3342bac1c4.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mA54sZ)2021-10-12_05-00-17 (https://flic.kr/p/2mA54sZ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

I got a little carried away
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51582063395_20c2404e40.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mA8ymB)2021-10-12_05-00-35 (https://flic.kr/p/2mA8ymB) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

A couple of hours later it had expanded even more and turned into a demon
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51581154436_4ae785b9ce.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mA3U9U)2021-10-12_05-01-04 (https://flic.kr/p/2mA3U9U) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 12 October, 2021, 07:38:57 pm
Patched an inner tube which had letD down over the past weekend.

Took three attempts to find the leak.

Lost sight of hole & had to return to kitchen sink.

Attempted to use ancient, paper-backed Cure-C-Cure patches, as I didn't find any small Tip-Tops in the multiple puncture kits in the basket. Edges of these lifted as I tried to remove paper. Did this twice & removed patch.

Found nice, plastic-backed, but rather large patch in LCC kit.

Used this successfully.

Folded tube and decided to rationalise/consolidate the two Tip-Top boxes, two Cure-C-Cure boxes and the LCC kit.

Found I hadn't noticed nice small patched in second Tip-Top box...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 October, 2021, 10:05:29 pm
I once heard of a prank involving a few cans of builders' expanding foam placed in a freezer until they were solid (and the cans ruptured), then put into the groom's car during the wedding reception.

The car had to be written off.  It was totally filled and foam was coming out through the air vents.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 12 October, 2021, 10:44:08 pm
The definitive foam tale, from Peter Parry of usenet fame many years ago

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/humour.html#foam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 October, 2021, 05:07:54 pm
Yesterday while I was waiting for Pingu to drag his body out of the pit I sawed the expanding foam demon off the vent. I should note here that not a drop of foam spilled out of the vent on the outside wall.  :smug:

Today I threw all the 'coals' from the disconnected gas fire in the bin and put the fire and cast iron trim in the tip pile. Only problem now is because the previous occupant decided to paint the fireplace tiles without moving the fire (lazy git) there is a big beige section in the middle of the black painted bit. So that needs cleaning and then I need to attempt to find some paint that matches. And then put something decorative in the hole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 16 October, 2021, 05:22:41 pm
Mum's bird feeder pylons. After the second set of nasty socketed sections rusted and failed in the breeze, I went to have a peer round Block & Quayle's shelves to see what the damage (or alternatives) might be. Lo! There were some nice plastic coated steel plant supports of suitable girth, length and with pointy ends. Ye bird feeders are again raised aloft  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 October, 2021, 06:19:28 pm
Yesterday I levered the panel which had been glued to the back of the fireplace off the bricks. It was hiding some sort of hole. Not sure what that's in aid of or indeed what I should fill it with. Then I cleaned the worst of the soot off the bricks. I should prolly get the chimney sweep round as dog knows what's up there.

Then I took my sawed up bits of knackered Ikea Ivar shelving and some GBFO masonry nails and stuck an extra shelf up in the pantry cupboard. It's not perfect but it'll do for the moment. I need to make another shelf for the next door cupboard but that's for another day.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51596099383_1b00e36dd0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mBnuLp)2021-10-16_06-02-38 (https://flic.kr/p/2mBnuLp) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Today we spent yet more hours trying to level the site for the shed and pruned various flora in the garden and mowed the lawn. Pingu was happy cos I said he could hack the leggy clematis back to the ground (not quite, we need a bow saw as the loppers weren't coping that far down). 
I put the shortened curtains back up in the spare bedroom.
Then I replaced 4x halogen GU10's in the bathroom (I hate those fittings, they always sound like they're going to break) and a halogen each in the hall and our bedroom. Forgot that still left one in the kitchen though (actually probably also the glory hole under the stairs but that's not on long) but that's totally exhausted my stock of BC LED's. Good job I did an LED Hut order last night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 October, 2021, 09:33:10 am
AA rechargeables fiddling.  Got my very first set of Eneloops (Pro 2500mAh) on Friday.  Impressive: I ran down one pair and recharged it (5½ hours for recharge) and put it in my eTrex 30x with the display back-light on 50% (supposedly 80mA drain): it took 9h36 for the first blob on the 4-blob capacity scale to disappear.  With a couple of my ancient Duracells that took 45 minutes.

Currently reconditioning all my Duracells in my 20-year-old Maha MF-C204F charger.  Good kit.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 October, 2021, 02:35:51 pm
Here is a pic of the hole at the back of our fireplace. The flue itself is up top (where Pumpkin kept trying to climb up when the fire was there providing a handy climbing frame).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51599660274_24a472ec6d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mBFKi5)2021-10-17_02-32-12 (https://flic.kr/p/2mBFKi5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 October, 2021, 02:39:14 pm
Today we're fettling pictures on the walls. Remembered the hall wall is s block wall so that will be a job for some small pics and Command hooks I reckon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 17 October, 2021, 03:06:50 pm
Stronglite A9 headset with needle roller bearings: has been stiff to turn for a few years, I even adjust it loose.

I thought it was because the lower race was fouling on the front brake (Campagnolo Super Record, which is installed with extra washers to move it forward of the lower race). I filed  the brake to make more space and the headset did seem to loosen up but became very stiif again.

I then noticed what looks like dried old grease coming out of the lower race, I didn't have any grease or headset tools on me so I turned the bike upside and dripped some oil into the headset and left it overnight.

It turns normally now.

Having said all that, I haven't regreased it since it was installed about 15 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 17 October, 2021, 03:10:50 pm
Replaced the kitchen mixer with an identical one.

To be more specific, I only actually replaced the portion above the sink top.  The reason?  One of the ceramic cartridges is leaking and no amount of brute force has facilitated removal.  We just happen to have an identical mixer awaiting installation in the downstairs loo over the imitation Butler's sink.  Once the isolators beneath the sink were turned all I needed to do was undo two small allen head screws and gently persuade the head unit to part company with the base. 

All the clanking, banging and whistling emanating from the plumbing has mercifully ceased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 October, 2021, 04:30:07 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 17 October, 2021, 02:35:51 pm
Here is a pic of the hole at the back of our fireplace. The flue itself is up top (where Pumpkin kept trying to climb up when the fire was there providing a handy climbing frame).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51599660274_24a472ec6d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mBFKi5)2021-10-17_02-32-12 (https://flic.kr/p/2mBFKi5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That looks as if a back boiler has been taken out at some point.  The house I grew up in in the 50s had one. Dunno when they went out of favour. Bloody awful things - the only way to get enough hot water for a bath was to roast everyone in the living-room.

Or maybe that metal plate is really the front of a back boiler... Tread softly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 17 October, 2021, 06:55:10 pm
That plate is the front of the back boiler tank . Heat , flames & smoke  were directed through the letter box opening and up the back of the tank if you required hot water by closing the damper . Handy thing to do is to  expose  THE ENDS  of the copper pipes  ( flow & return) if connect you may be able to supplement your heating . if pipes are cut you , clean out ends & leave exposed or drill two 12mm holes in tank for expansion   . Have the chimney inspected, buy a dog crate and an all night burner fret & you will be sitting pretty . During the next winter of discontent , remember we only have 8 days reserve of gas now (bloody muppets). The firebricks look spot on .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 October, 2021, 05:18:36 pm
A very long and thin bottle brush turned up, so I properly scrubbed out the annular space* in a Moulton steerer tube.

*I was going to say I cleaned out my annulus, but Calcutta rinses are in another thread
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 18 October, 2021, 05:54:42 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 18 October, 2021, 05:18:36 pm
A very long and thin bottle brush turned up, so I properly scrubbed out the annular space* in a Moulton steerer tube.

*I was going to say I cleaned out my annulus, but Calcutta rinses are in another thread

Flue brushes for cleaning the flues of large scale model steam locos, traction engines, etc.  They'll do the job.  Not free, mind you, but needs must an all that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 19 October, 2021, 03:10:02 pm
Removal of large lumps of herbiage from Larrington Gardens means that I can now access the door into the Sheds without recourse to a team of Native Guides.  This is necessary as Mr Khan has mandated I do my shopping by bicycle from next week, the git.

This involved, in the continuing mysterious absence of my gardening gloves, donning a pair of Gote-Tex winter cycling gloves that my sensitive artistes' hands might not be subject to the predations of the Horble Spiky Evil Bush o'Doom (aka “George”) which lurks outside the Chips Room window and makes bare skin itch just by being within a metre of its horble spiky leaves o‘DETH.

Tomorrow’s mission: pump up the tyres on the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle, see whether the BoB trailer can be attached to same or whether, as I suspect will be the case, the rear brake gets in the way…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 October, 2021, 06:38:39 pm
I started pulling apart a 1964 Moulton Speed with totally seized forks.  It came apart with a bit of a fight.  They were seized because the coil spring had rusted to the inside of the inner steerer and needed pulling out.  The rebound spring stop and rebound spring are still up there while I think of a way to unstick the spring seat.  The retaining screw and washer came out with no trouble, so only rust is holding it there.

Bellows are intact and the unique Milremo stem isn't too rusty.  To start with, I'll throw all the chrome bits in citric acid and then see how badly pitted they are under the rust.

Mudguards are the early rare alloy ones but have been Hammerited  :facepalm:

I am expecting a real battle with the rear pivot.  Bronze bushes.  The last set of these that I did came out with Plus Gas and a bit of percussive persuasion.  I might need heat too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: salar55 on 21 October, 2021, 05:51:48 pm
Gave my Van Nic Zion a new lease of life. Fitted a Magura Menja fork and a new and old rack. Oldmanmountain racks have jumped up in price, old one was less than a ton for rack and kit. Decided to make and adapt for the new rear rack,not buying the fitting kit saved me a small fortune £110-140 depending on type. Made the dropout supports and the other stuff from an old Tubus disco kit for a Disc frame with no eyelets. One problem was the lower bolt for the disc brake, drilled the frame for a countersunk bolt saved finding a spacer to move rack leg out.(https://i.imgur.com/vRSGpyG.jpg) Bolt flush with dropout
(https://i.imgur.com/ksi5QCW.jpg) Both racks have a top plate less muck  thrown up and support for a couple of bike packing handlebar bags
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 October, 2021, 04:20:02 pm
Been dunking things in citric acid.  It can't restore chrome or fix pitting, but it's good on encrusted rusty parts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 October, 2021, 01:38:21 pm
Started fettling the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle in preparation for Monday's enforced shopping-by-bicycle palaver.  Do I have any M5 nuts, rear racks for the relocation of?

Why, no!  No, I do not!  That noise you just heard was the txt frm Scrwfx telling me my click'n'collect order is ready…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 October, 2021, 03:37:10 pm
The hell that is the fettling of Pax and Billy,

It's her project, so why am I the screwdriver monkey?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 October, 2021, 04:00:16 pm
Pulled the slightly-worn Pasela tyres off my fixed and fitted them to my trike’s rear wheels. Replaced an aged Velox rim tape that was starting to rot. Swapped one of the trike’s rear tyres to the front and ditched the wornout rear tyre. The part-worn front tyre has been hung up in the garage for future reuse.

Fitted a pair of nice-ish Vee Rubber 30mm tyres to the fixed and tweaked the front cantilever brake adjustment. The fixed will have to be dismantled for powdercoating later this year.

Charged the front battery lights on my fixed and my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 October, 2021, 04:25:51 pm
Poke, prod, swear, drop divers tools and small parts on floor, tread in dogshit* while wearing treaded MTB shoes, swear more, get rack on Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle raised to the point where it will interfere neither with the back brake nor the BoB trailer, using bits robbed from Miss von Brandenburg when we turned her Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle into a motorbike.  Rack actually a good deal less wonky than it was before too.  Yay!  Go me!

Gears still index!  Amazeballs!  Wrap gaffer tape around ridiculously sticky grip-shifter.  Test brakes.  Rear one fine.

Front one not fine.  Lever goes to bars without slowing wheel.  Mine out Stuffs, hydraulic discs for the bleeding of.  Shake bottle of DOT 5.1, which makes unreassuring “I am empty” sound.  By the time I get to Halfrauds, buy more brake juice and get home again I will be running short of daylight, patience and vocabulary.  Decide to give up and do it tomorrow.

Arse.

* At least, I hope that’s what it is…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 October, 2021, 03:06:38 pm
Update: Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle now has brakes at both ends, a feat accomplished without dropping either of the tiny black bolts that secure the cap of the fluid reservoir on a Hope lever.  One minor flesh wound and one b0rked Bell That Goes Ping after over-tightening the screw wot clamps it to the handlebars.  Trip round the block successful but not looking forward to laden trip back from Mr Sainsbury’s House of Toothy Comestibles tomorrow coz it’s uphill most of the way.  At least I had the foresight to stock up on cases of Fizzy Pop last week so I shouldn’t need the trailer for a week or two.

Where the heck did I put those AAA flatteries I bought the other week?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 October, 2021, 03:30:14 pm
You should complain to Mr Sainsbury, and insist that he molish a new emporium that is uphill from Larrington Towers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 October, 2021, 03:44:29 pm
That would be tricky since Larrington Towers is, as near as makes no odds, on top of the local hillock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 October, 2021, 04:49:30 pm
Have you considered asking Mr. Saino to  stand and deliver to Larrington Towers?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 24 October, 2021, 04:51:36 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 October, 2021, 04:49:30 pm
Have you considered asking Mr. Saino to  stand and deliver to Larrington Towers?
Mr Larrington is adamant he's using the Perfectly Good Gentleman's Mountain Bicycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 October, 2021, 05:48:13 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 24 October, 2021, 03:44:29 pm
That would be tricky since Larrington Towers is, as near as makes no odds, on top of the local hillock.
Skyhooks!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 October, 2021, 06:22:32 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 24 October, 2021, 04:49:30 pm
Have you considered asking Mr. Saino to  stand and deliver to Larrington Towers?

Given the propensity of horriblemarkets to substitute X for Not-X and their desire for Actual Cash Money in exchange for their delivery services, no.  Mr Sainsbury does offer an annual pass for thirty of the BRITONS' pounds provided you don't want any not-groceries and are at home midweek.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 October, 2021, 06:32:32 pm
Replaced a rear tube on my trike and pulled out a couple of thorns. I would have preferred to fix the flat while we were waiting for our coffee, rather than when we were mounting up to leave but ‘such is life!’ Lubed the chain when I got home.

Time to reload the tool/tube bottle again and service the Topeak pump. Somehow it has turned into a suction pump, rather than a pressure pump.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 27 October, 2021, 05:35:04 pm
Yesterday I had a new front door fitted. Once Dave had finished the installation and demonstrated the keys and locks, and departed in his van, my priority was to put one of the keys in the key safe in the cupboard next to the front door, as locking myself out would prove very expensive, and I was bound to do it sooner or later. But as soon as I tried to open the cupboard door, I realised that because of the new bigger doorstep, it would only open about an inch or two. So I made full use of my very meagre woodworking skills and came up with a solution.


  (https://imgur.com/JV4KAeB.png)
 (https://imgur.com/JV4KAeB.png)

So when I leave the house I only have to check I have my keys once (or not at all).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 October, 2021, 04:54:42 pm
Rebuilt a pair of Raleigh 717 rat-trap pedals.  A child could do it - no special tools, meaty 5/32 bearings, a lock washer that works.  In comparison, a Shimano M324 is microsurgery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 October, 2021, 05:44:56 pm
They are a power for the hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 October, 2021, 10:11:29 am
Rebuilt a Sturmey-Archer FW hub with some new parts.  I don't like FWs much, either to rebuild or to use (too much cable tension, too fussy about adjustment) but you need that bottom gear on an old Moulton because they don't like being honked up hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 October, 2021, 06:23:16 pm
My office - decided to rearrange the bottom end, but because of the restricted space and lines, it's like playing tetris with furniture
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Stonebridge on 31 October, 2021, 01:55:23 pm
I used the extra hour this morning to clear out some stuff from the garage - chiefly in order to make room for a couple of sun loungers which Id been meaning to tuck up long before now.

Careful placement allows the rafters to accommodate 7 solo bikes.

I also changed the stem on my winter bike to something shorter and higher, I did a 200k last weekend and felt like I was over reaching a bit. 

Can hardly call the garage tidy, but its <tidier>  ;D

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51643099502_47b4619b56_k.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 31 October, 2021, 02:08:32 pm
Packed away the best summer bike, wheels in bags, pipe lagging all over the frame. Hung up the No2 best bike.

Prepared the winter bike, re-fitted guards, swapped over the Schwalbe One TL tyres for something more robust. Fitted the dyno wheel, which meant changing the disc mount as it has a larger rotor, refitted lamp.  Swapped cassette onto winter wheel. Retaped and fitted new valves onto TL wheels, mounted tyres and put sealant in. Sealed first go.

And now the silly bit...

I have an 18 year old Trek carbon frame that I converted to fixed using a ENO eccentric hub for 130mm OLD, and an Square Taper Campag Record crankset with a special ring for fixed.  I had it on a 107mm BB with the ring on inner position which gave a great chain line, but the inner mounting always hurt my eye.

It had been creaking recently, so I thought it about time to replace BB and at the same time see if I could mount ring on outer with the appropriately sized BB.

Here is what happens when you do your calculations during the throes of a covid infection. Somehow you manage to order a BB that is the right length difference but longer rather than shorter. Not only that, but you fit it without noticing, discover that it's too long, but also you've ordered a JIS BB for an ISO chainset which means there is an extra 4mm of wrongness.

'kin idiot  ;D

Fortunately I had a rummage and found a 107mm Stronglight BB so all is well. The original BB was knackered, so I'm hopeful that the creak will be gone.

Can't face riding either of them though. Still too fatigued
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 October, 2021, 03:56:18 pm
Another rainy Sunday so I reused another old Ivar shelf to butcher down and make another shelf for the pantry.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51643392887_7264fb1d30.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mFxTtD)2021-10-31_03-52-00 (https://flic.kr/p/2mFxTtD) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 31 October, 2021, 06:12:07 pm
Assembled a new bench drill press.

This is on account of having to mount bindings on new skis.
I've done this before, using a hand drill, but that was on old second hand skis.

The skis I have here are new Black Crows touring skis, and Fritschi Vipec tour bindings. These are about £500 each, so I don't want to risk having a hand drill skittering around the titanium top plate of the skis. Nae doubt there will be photos in the ski thread in due course. Still waiting for a new drill bit of the correct size, from the Piste Office.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 31 October, 2021, 08:25:03 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 29 October, 2021, 10:11:29 am
Rebuilt a Sturmey-Archer FW hub with some new parts.  I don't like FWs much, either to rebuild or to use (too much cable tension, too fussy about adjustment) but you need that bottom gear on an old Moulton because they don't like being honked up hills.

So many Sturmey Archer rebuilds, you'll soon be able to do it blindfolded...    ;)

https://youtu.be/tsjgSDhf8tk
 :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 31 October, 2021, 09:24:55 pm
Oh noes, I have the dreaded bottom bracket creak on the tourer. (left pedal only) Cleaned and regreased seat post with copper slip, removed, regreased and tightened up the pedals, cant feel any slack in pedals, BB or front wheel. The front skewer should be ok but not checked. The bike is on its second hollowtech BB in 10 years and is not used that often these days. I will try another set of pedals in due course. SPD cleats are tight.  I would happily change the Hollowtech for a new Stronglight triple crankset and tapered BB as this would allow a change of ring teeth ratios and crank length whilst providing certainty for a long time to come but the appropriate 110mm Stronglight  BB is unobtainium (at reasonable cost) atm. I have three Brook's saddle spanners and cant find one of them grrr, but the saddle tension does need tightening a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 November, 2021, 04:56:04 pm
I've become a convert to Command strips, hooks and picture hooks.
For the cheapo IKEA LED's I stuck under the kitchen cabinets I have clear mini 'party light' hooks to tame the cables.
For the light picture frames (plastic, not glass) which I wanted to put on the solid wall in the hall I have Command Picture hooks.
For tidying up my laptop headset cable I have the party light hooks, and I have a bigger clear hook stuck to the underside of my monitor to hang the headset from.

What else can I tidy up....?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 November, 2021, 11:48:44 pm
Refitted the dynowheel and front light to my Moulton, along with the mudguards, ready for tomorrow’s brevet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 November, 2021, 02:13:37 pm
Got the Moulton F-frame on its wheels.  Work now held up pending return of mudguards from the powdercoaters, who are doing them in mock chrome.  No point setting up the brakes until the mudguards are fitted.  A series 1 is rather lower at the back than a series 2!  They took the curve out of the fork but changed nothing else.  A series 2 must have twitchier steering too, as the head angle is steepened by the jacked-up rear end.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 November, 2021, 03:09:12 pm
It is a good idea to increase the fork preload so there is less sag, which keeps the head angle less steep.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 November, 2021, 03:25:40 pm
I have.  My 3/4" aluminium dowel might be a little too much, but I'll see when I ride it.  It's fairly easy to swap for a shorter one.

Incidentally, the M4 Speed had a longer spring AND a taller spring abutment than the Standards, so it wasn't just a cosmetic edition.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 November, 2021, 03:53:29 pm
Replaced the shattered-into-tiny-pieces handle on the lid of one of Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)’s Le Creuset saucepans with a natty chrome-steel doorstopper.  Secured from underneath by the butterfly screw wossname that in a previous life held together a friction gear lever.

Now to try to fix a b0rked hinge on the freezer before it gets dark…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 06 November, 2021, 04:23:09 pm
Swopped out some freshly greased pedals in a hunt the creak exercise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 06 November, 2021, 07:07:01 pm
A Stones turbogenerator which belongs to a steam locomotive that I'm a bit fond of.

It's off for testing, as soon as I can get it to the place which has kindly offered to check it out for us.  Not the easiest thing to get in the back of a Skoda Citigo, but I'll manage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 November, 2021, 07:32:40 am
Quote from: Wombat on 06 November, 2021, 07:07:01 pm
A Stones turbogenerator which belongs to a steam locomotive that I'm a bit fond of.

It's off for testing, as soon as I can get it to the place which has kindly offered to check it out for us.  Not the easiest thing to get in the back of a Skoda Citigo, but I'll manage.
Do you know which type of locomotive?  One of Bulleid's?

Stones made a lot of steam heating boilers for the early diesels.  Before electric train heating became universal, the steam heating boilers caused more failures than anything else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 07 November, 2021, 10:39:09 am
(Yesterday) took apart the kitchen tap that developed a drip in the week. Obviously the valve bit is a design that none of the local plumbing shops stock. So I ordered one online and put it all back together. Still drips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 November, 2021, 04:16:03 pm
My car. Well, gave it its first wash since April-May time. Plus a quick polish (thank goodness for modern spray on, wipe off polishes). Them loaded it up with the recently refurbished winter rims, plus tyres. I’ll pop round to a local garage tomorrow and drop them off for fitting and balancing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 November, 2021, 04:37:15 pm
Built (or more accurately) re-built my router table [that's a woodwork router not a broadband one  ;D]

All went to plan to remake the top with the router fixing plate, router itself, lift mechanism, fence etc.  The one issue was that when I was routing (with another router) the plywood top to inset the t-track rails for the fence and hold-down clamps I had the dust extract port fixed on the wrong side of the router and got showered in sawdust  [I was working outside on a temporary bench . . . in the workshop I have a dust extraction system and would have connected the hose to the router] 

Just got to sort out the power supply and new switch, tidy it up with a bit of sanding and coat of varnish/seal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 07 November, 2021, 04:56:18 pm
Yesterday I managed to encourage a replacement singlespeed wheel to kinda-sorta-mostly fit my folding bike.

It was bought as a "quick" plug and play replacement for the IGH wheel wot had a rim split. Turns out I forgot to consider OLN and hadn't realised the sprocket on the s/s wheel sits much more inboard than the previous sprocket. So I've spent far more time than just buying a NOS of the extant wheel.  :facepalm:

So I took one of the spacers in to work with the aim to lop off a few mm to at least get the wheel to fit in the frame. Before I did that I found a couple alu odds and sods and a few washers that looked like they'd work.

In the end I used a combination of the bits appropriated from work, along with removing the axle and reversing it, and got the chainline close enough. Which of course meant that the rim was well off to one side so a bunch of loosening spokes one side and tightening the other got it central enough. Just. It remains to be seen if there is too much spoke protruding but before I started there were a few pokey out spokes on the other side so eh.

It all seemed to behave on a few miles of test ride earlier so hopefully I can start cycling again soon.

Far more of a faff than I wanted but there we go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 November, 2021, 05:35:30 pm
Went round to Mum's and photographed her Art-Deco bedroom furniture for the auctioneer's to salivate over:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51661779441_ab2789d70f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb8ac) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb8ac)   (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51660973792_7a0bf1c47e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mH6ZEG) (https://flic.kr/p/2mH6ZEG)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51661778636_f95562973d_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb7Vj) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb7Vj)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/),





Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 07 November, 2021, 09:26:11 pm
Happy to report that a change of pedals eliminated my 'BB' creak. Silence is golden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 November, 2021, 09:55:19 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 07 November, 2021, 05:35:30 pm
Went round to Mum's and photographed her Art-Deco bedroom furniture for the auctioneer's to salivate over:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51661779441_ab2789d70f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb8ac) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb8ac)   (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51660973792_7a0bf1c47e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mH6ZEG) (https://flic.kr/p/2mH6ZEG)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51661778636_f95562973d_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb7Vj) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHb7Vj)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/),

Those photos elicited a memory of the smells I associated with my mum. Not a bad thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 07 November, 2021, 10:43:14 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 07 November, 2021, 09:26:11 pm
Happy to report that a change of pedals eliminated my 'BB' creak. Silence is golden.
HUZZAH !!

There's nothing as satisfying as an eliminated creak.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 November, 2021, 01:06:57 pm
Quote from: hatler on 07 November, 2021, 10:43:14 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 07 November, 2021, 09:26:11 pm
Happy to report that a change of pedals eliminated my 'BB' creak. Silence is golden.
HUZZAH !!

There's nothing as satisfying as an eliminated creak.

Yeah, I'm hoping that changing mine will remove the annoying clickety-click-click I'm getting every pedal-rev. If not, the BB is next and the workshop is getting bloody cold these days.

Anyway, today ICBA going out there and settled for circumcising the press-studs on my new Polar HRM strap so that I can use it with my old Ciclosport transmitter.  I use it with en eTrex 30x but the pukka Garmin transmitter would never synch with it.

ETA: changed pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 November, 2021, 01:20:24 pm
Still getting the clicking when pedalling. Bottom bracket prime suspect.  Arse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 09 November, 2021, 03:40:44 pm
New rear fire brick on the woodburner.
Why is it always the one that requires total disassembly that breaks?

It's a bit of a pig getting all the other ones out first, taking care that they don't disintegrate in the process.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51668067765_2bd74f528e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mHJmsz)
Firebrick (https://flic.kr/p/2mHJmsz) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 09 November, 2021, 04:07:46 pm
Fitted a new front derailleur on the Omega, the better to cope with the increased range on the triple.  Cleaned three bikes whilst I was at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 09 November, 2021, 07:12:39 pm
Replaced the seal at the bottom of my shower screen. Nothing special except I got it when making the most of plumb centre discount shortly before being made redundant......     I left four yeara ago
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 November, 2021, 07:15:01 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 November, 2021, 01:20:24 pm
Still getting the clicking when pedalling. Bottom bracket prime suspect.  Arse.
Chain?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 09 November, 2021, 07:52:50 pm
Or, with the weather being cold, the classic one of a plastic toggle on the drawstring of a windproof top gently tapping the frame once a pedal stroke as it swings in time with your body moving.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 November, 2021, 10:00:06 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 09 November, 2021, 07:15:01 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 November, 2021, 01:20:24 pm
Still getting the clicking when pedalling. Bottom bracket prime suspect.  Arse.
Chain?

Nah, chain is well-lubed, not stretched and not hitting anything.  Could be cleats, of course...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 November, 2021, 10:12:23 am
Just replaced a duff relay in the service panel down in the cellar, so that our hall lights work again.  It's been at the "hit it three times" stage of its existence for the last 10 years and I've had the replacement since January last year, but it struggled along until Tuesday, when it finally died (sniff).

Local product, too, the relay: made (or at least labelled) in Obernai, along with Kronenbourg, whereof a chum used to be something in management.  Useful bloke to know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 November, 2021, 08:11:40 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 November, 2021, 10:00:06 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 09 November, 2021, 07:15:01 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 November, 2021, 01:20:24 pm
Still getting the clicking when pedalling. Bottom bracket prime suspect.  Arse.
Chain?

Nah, chain is well-lubed, not stretched and not hitting anything.  Could be cleats, of course...

I had the same but replaced all sorts off stuff including a brand new BB and finally we put a new chain on and it stopped. There was nothing obviously wrong with the old chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 November, 2021, 09:42:58 am
Sometimes these things aren't amenable to logic. This one's due for another de-wax/rewax in 200k: I suppose I could bring it forward - less of a bore than stripping down the BB.  I'm inclined to leave that to the LBS, anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 November, 2021, 11:30:38 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 11 November, 2021, 08:11:40 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 November, 2021, 10:00:06 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 09 November, 2021, 07:15:01 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 November, 2021, 01:20:24 pm
Still getting the clicking when pedalling. Bottom bracket prime suspect.  Arse.
Chain?

Nah, chain is well-lubed, not stretched and not hitting anything.  Could be cleats, of course...

I had the same but replaced all sorts off stuff including a brand new BB and finally we put a new chain on and it stopped. There was nothing obviously wrong with the old chain.

My favourite mystery chain noise problem was a small rare-earth magnet (cycle computer, for the sensing of) that had got picked up by the chain, leading to rattling noises as it passed through the rear derailleur.  The front mech would scrape it off, whereupon it would attach itself to one of the screws on the inside of the chainring guard, where it could safely lurk out of sight until a sufficiently violent bump coinciding with use of the granny ring would bounce the chain around enough to pick it up again.

Second favourite turned out to be my lungs.   :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Salvatore on 12 November, 2021, 11:34:35 am
Quote from: MattH on 09 November, 2021, 07:52:50 pm
Or, with the weather being cold, the classic one of a plastic toggle on the drawstring of a windproof top gently tapping the frame once a pedal stroke as it swings in time with your body moving.

As happened to me while touring in Scotland circa 1976. The noise so annoyed me that I took apart and reassembled the bottom bracket on a campsite, which appeared to have worked until it started raining the next day, shortly after which a lightbulb appeared above my head.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 13 November, 2021, 01:04:34 pm
My cycling shoes........again

Several of months back gorilla glue the sole back on which worked fine till I came in from the turbo trainer this week and slipped them off rather then undoing and pushed the sole back off

Reafixed and will remember to take off properly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 November, 2021, 03:03:56 pm
I put a chain and some pedals on the Moulton F-frame and took it round the block (illegally, the rear brake still needs fitting with a suitable spacer).

The good: it has all 4 gears (I was worried about that, because this hub never worked well when I tried to make a 4-speed Brompton 11 years ago), and it handles normally.

The bad: the Alhonga dual-pivot front brake is very weak.  I suspect I have the pads too close to the rim, assuming the Tektro brake lever apes the Shimano SLR variable-pull levers.  There are some big rattles that need to be hunted down.  I have probably added too much preload to the front fork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 13 November, 2021, 04:02:52 pm
Domestic fettling. Decide to wash the back door/kitchen mat. Then decided to scrub the kitchen floor. Then cleaned down the worktops. Then cleaned out the not-reached-during-normal-washes front corner crevices in the dishwasher (yuk!).  Then cleaned the cat flap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 November, 2021, 05:06:48 pm
Me too. On Thursday I found a suitable poking stick to scrape all the mank out of the gap between the cooker and the next door cabinet (why the cleaner the previous owner got in to clean before we moved in couldn't have done that IDK).
Today after watching a youtube vid for instructions I dismembered the bathroom radiator and cleaned all the grot out of there.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51675914762_00bc622506.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mJqz6C)2021-11-13_04-51-33 (https://flic.kr/p/2mJqz6C) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Feel better now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 November, 2021, 12:35:29 pm
shifting on my vintage steel bike has deteriorated, i looked underneath and surprise surprise there’s a bulge of damp rust under the bb cable guide, lifting the paint together with the guide. i scraped the rust off with the wire brush, so now the whole bottom part of bb shell is bare steel, not ideal. sprayed some wd40 for the time being until i come up with a more permanent fix. steel might be real, but rust never sleeps!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 November, 2021, 10:14:57 am
Have a look at the Neutrarust product shown here. Available in 250ml size for around £15.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlggeZlSTm0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlggeZlSTm0)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Socks on 15 November, 2021, 05:55:56 pm
Cheap wheel with black painted spokes.  I suppose I should have realised the spokes might not be great quality, and sure enough they started corroding after one winter's use.  Nice hub though (Deore 9 speed) so I thought worth taking the cassette off, dismantling the wheel and saving the hub.

Couldn't get the lockring undone so after soaking it in releasing fluid for a couple of days I had another go.  Held the wheel and the chain whip in a vice with the aid of a toe strap.  Then a long piece of alloy tube over the socket spanner to give a bit more leverage.

Success!  A small triumph but still feels good - instead of throwing away a wheel, I now have a Deore hub that can be re-used, and a part worn rim that is also good for a few hundred more miles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 November, 2021, 05:59:39 pm
Finally did the long-overdue bicycle maintenance I was supposed to do while barakta was in hospital.

This meant her sitting in bed, watching Dune (1984 version) while wearing a respirator, so I could use solvents.  It appears to have worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 November, 2021, 07:58:25 am
But did barakta survive 3 hours of David Lynch?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 November, 2021, 08:20:15 am
Completed the sorting and clearing out the 4 tooboxes that reside in one of the benches in my gargage - namely : bike spare tools; decorating; plumbing; fixings -  loads of bits binned, some tools listed for sale (bicycle here, non-bicycle on Gumtree - both as job-lots)   A couple of power-tools sold (table saw and a random orbital sander)

Just another three boxes to go in the shed - car tools (who does anything that needs tools with modern cars?); spare/duplcated woodworking tools; and the box with all the electrical type stuff from several house renovations.

Oh, and I re-upholstered the seat of a random dining chair that is in our study/library  (that sounds a bit grand - it's just a room with book-shelves and a writing table)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 16 November, 2021, 08:52:09 am
Quote from: robgul on 16 November, 2021, 08:20:15 am
Just another three boxes to go in the shed - car tools (who does anything that needs tools with modern cars?); spare/duplcated woodworking tools; and the box with all the electrical type stuff from several house renovations.
Similar effort required here. Among other things, I have a large number of A/F sockets which it would be a wrench to part with. Who uses those these days? I see you can still buy them new!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 16 November, 2021, 09:27:04 am
Quote from: Snakehips on 16 November, 2021, 08:52:09 am
Quote from: robgul on 16 November, 2021, 08:20:15 am
Just another three boxes to go in the shed - car tools (who does anything that needs tools with modern cars?); spare/duplcated woodworking tools; and the box with all the electrical type stuff from several house renovations.
Similar effort required here. Among other things, I have a large number of A/F sockets which it would be a wrench to part with. Who uses those these days? I see you can still buy them new!
I see what you did there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 16 November, 2021, 09:28:04 am
Quote from: Snakehips on 16 November, 2021, 08:52:09 am
Quote from: robgul on 16 November, 2021, 08:20:15 am
Just another three boxes to go in the shed - car tools (who does anything that needs tools with modern cars?); spare/duplcated woodworking tools; and the box with all the electrical type stuff from several house renovations.
Similar effort required here. Among other things, I have a large number of A/F sockets which it would be a wrench to part with. Who uses those these days? I see you can still buy them new!
I too have a full set of AF stuff, to be deployed when the part-completed Sprite (aka The Heapster) turns up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 16 November, 2021, 09:50:00 am
The coffee machine.

This is  the gubbins of my coffee machine, which has disgraced itself by piddling all over the worktop.
I've been ignoring it for a few weeks now, in the hope it might 'fix itself'.
No such luck.
I found the sheer intricacy of it to be a thing of beauty and wonder!

Problem was a leaking 90-degree plastic elbow on the hot high pressure line, which had become brittle and mis-shapen with heat.
The spare part took 6 weeks to come from Oz.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51683635541_35cc211d68_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mK79dv)
Coffee Machine Gubbins (https://flic.kr/p/2mK79dv) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 November, 2021, 01:54:20 pm
Applied a file to the light mounting tab that is brazed to the front of the Pino. The New! Shiny! Led light now points along the road rather than two feet in front of the front wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 November, 2021, 02:04:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 November, 2021, 05:59:39 pm
Finally did the long-overdue bicycle maintenance I was supposed to do while barakta was in hospital.

This meant her sitting in bed, watching Dune (1984 version) while wearing a respirator, so I could use solvents.  It appears to have worked.

Alas, replacing the chain on the Dawes was insufficient.  I've swapped the cassette; maybe it'll stop trying to kill me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 November, 2021, 02:05:02 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 16 November, 2021, 07:58:25 am
But did barakta survive 3 hours of David Lynch?

She somehow missed the homoeroticism entirely.  Like a 10 year old watching Top Gun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 November, 2021, 04:21:20 pm
Swapped the stem on MrsT's unused trail bike for a longer one out of the bits box so that it better fits my geometry.  It was hellish twitchy before, should be a bit better now.

Still haven't re-lubed chain on Trek. Thinking back to last time I did, I don't think I dissolved the old wax off it first...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 November, 2021, 08:17:59 am
Yesterday: got my properly cleaned & rewaxed chain back on the bike. Still clicky on the pedal-stroke, but it's not a typical dry-chain creak.  Need to seek elsewhere. Going to get a new one anyway while they're still to be had.

Had to knock out two links because the side-plate on one end had got itself slightly twisted so that I couldn't force the quick-link* all the way through.  No problem riding but I suppose there'll be a bit more wear on all the bits the chain goes round.

* filthy lie. Took bloody ages.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 20 November, 2021, 08:32:20 pm
Fitted a ground anchor to the floor of my Keter Ultra bike store. That involved cutting a square out of the plastic floor using a very handy, loaned vibrating cutter thingamajig that did the task in seconds and sans swearing. I then used a loaned SDS drill to drill the holes to drop the securing bolts into. Said SDS drill also drilled the holes into my exceedingly hard wall bricks so I could put the wall troughs into place. I then planted mini daff bulbs in them. I also levelled a raised bed and filled it with manure and compost. It awaits whatever winter crop I can find suitable for sowing soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 November, 2021, 08:41:55 pm
Stripped everything (even the threaded cantilever bosses) off HK’s dead Condor commuter so the frame can go to the recycling centre.

Loctited the friction dampers on my Moulton.

Refitted the rear dynolight to HK’s Kinesis after a bolt dropped out a while back. Interim zip-ties removed and replacement bolt sufficiently shortened and Loctited.

Tomorrow’s main bike job is to face the Kinesis BB shell to kill off a persistent squeak.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 21 November, 2021, 01:20:16 pm
Washed the Elan. Cleaned and lubed the chain. Gave the brake pads and discs a gentle scrub as they were getting noisy with bits of dirt.

Drilled spare SKS longboards to fit raw mud flaps and fitted them to the Elan.

Unbeknown to me, the dictionary definition of a mud flap on a front SKS longboard is “a plough”: And very effective that plough is. A plough is slightly at odds with my needs as a cyclist so I swapped the mud flap for the standard SKS plastic flap. That’s got enough clearance.

I know the clue is in the name - but SKS long boards are very long indeed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 November, 2021, 01:59:43 pm
Finally faced HK’s Kinesis BB shell, which was hugely off parallel. Lots had to come off both sides to reach bare metal all the way round. Shame on me for trusting that Kinesis would do more than wave the facing tools at the frame (down to metal at one patch on each side when purchased). Hopefully that will stop the BB creak returning.

Pulled off both tyres. The front Schwalbe Almotion has been on since new (2 years) and had tread left but I don’t trust old rubber with visible cuts on a heavily used bike. The rear Almotion had been on over a year and was wearing smooth. The original rear Almotion still had tread when it was replaced due to a biggish cut. Replaced by Vittoria City & Beyond 700x38C tubeless, fitted by thumbs and holding air dry before adding goo. I would have preferred fitting more Almotions but the tubeless option no longer exists.

Replaced the original rear 140mm Ice Tech rotor as it was down to 1.5mm thickness. The front Ice Tech rotor (2nd or 3rd from new) is getting close to 1.5mm but can wait a little yet. There are two 160mm spares in the garage, so that will be a quick job.

The chain and cassette have just hit 1% and while I have a spare 11sp chain in the garage, there is no 11sp cassette left. Something for next weekend perhaps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 21 November, 2021, 02:54:33 pm
Quote from: Kim on 16 November, 2021, 02:05:02 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 16 November, 2021, 07:58:25 am
But did barakta survive 3 hours of David Lynch?

She somehow missed the homoeroticism entirely.  Like a 10 year old watching Top Gun.

I am absolutely awful at subtext in films or anything else to be honest. I hadn't even picked it up from the Dune books and I'd read all of them several times in the late 1990s before we had better things to waste our time on like always on Internets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 November, 2021, 04:14:22 pm
MrsH has a VW T5, with a Lewis Reed WAV conversion giving it a tail lift and chair anchor points.

The tyres were getting low, and the rears were also old. The spare has never been on, but I wanted to replace it too as it's probably original and so over ten years old now. When I took the spare off, I found that the sidewall had deep impressions in it from nuts used to bolt the tail lift in place. Obviously those bolts have to go through the floor, but they hadn't considered the spare position when doing so. One nut had five washers it, so properly sticking out. I'd really not have wanted to drive on that spare with the sidewall damage it had.

So I got all five tyres replaced, then today set to sorting out the underneath. For two of the bolts I cut up an old motorcycle tyre to give padding around the nut and cable tied it in place. That way the sidewall rests on rubber rather than pushing hard into a nut. The other one I just had to remove extra washers, lop off the excess thread with an angle grinder and make sure the tyre sits away from it.

A professional converter really shouldn't have left it like that - I wonder how many others are on the road with dangerous spare tyres?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 November, 2021, 01:04:37 pm
A bit of emergency fire prevention fettling.

A light bulb failed recently, and I went to replace it.
It's a halogen downlighter, which runs hot.

Upon removing the old one, I notice that it's been positioned hard up against a ceiling joist, which has now been charred through by about a quarter of it's thickness.
Frankly, this installation is f*cking disgraceful. It's been all but on fire. It's come this >< close to burning the house down.
This makes me shudder.

The cowboy electrician has unthinkingly drilled a hole in the plasterboard with no regard to where the joists are.  Then discovering that he's drilled it right against a joist, has said 'sod it, no-one will know' and just shoved the fitting in regardless.

It must have been a struggle for him to get into the house, the brim of his Stetson must have been wider than the door.  That's not the first thing of his I've had to put right.  Mind you, the plumber was no better; some of his work needed fixing too.
I hope their line dancing is better that their workmanship.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51699897523_46453e7f2d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxukv)
Fire in the Hole! (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxukv) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

A new hole, a few inches back from the joist, and well clear of flamable materials.
Were any of my hole saws the right size? Why no, no they were not. Cue emergency visit to Screwfix.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51699899713_154dfa096f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxuZg)
A new 'ole (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxuZg) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

All done. The circle of plasterboard cut from the new hole was re-purposed as a patch for the old hole.
Just a light sanding of the final skim coat to do, then a quick lick of paint.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51700298069_11e543d0bc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mLzxpt)
Mostly done (https://flic.kr/p/2mLzxpt) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 23 November, 2021, 01:35:53 pm
Good god. That is outrageous. Is there a certification authority you can inform ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 November, 2021, 02:51:30 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 23 November, 2021, 01:04:37 pm
A bit of emergency fire prevention fettling.

A light bulb failed recently, and I went to replace it.
It's a halogen downlighter, which runs hot.

Upon removing the old one, I notice that it's been positioned hard up against a ceiling joist, which has now been charred through by about a quarter of it's thickness.
Frankly, this installation is f*cking disgraceful. It's been all but on fire. It's come this >< close to burning the house down.
This makes me shudder.

The cowboy electrician has unthinkingly drilled a hole in the plasterboard with no regard to where the joists are.  Then discovering that he's drilled it right against a joist, has said 'sod it, no-one will know' and just shoved the fitting in regardless.

It must have been a struggle for him to get into the house, the brim of his Stetson must have been wider than the door.  That's not the first thing of his I've had to put right.  Mind you, the plumber was no better; some of his work needed fixing too.
I hope their line dancing is better that their workmanship.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51699897523_46453e7f2d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxukv)
Fire in the Hole! (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxukv) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

A new hole, a few inches back from the joist, and well clear of flamable materials.
Were any of my hole saws the right size? Why no, no they were not. Cue emergency visit to Screwfix.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51699899713_154dfa096f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxuZg)
A new 'ole (https://flic.kr/p/2mLxuZg) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

All done. The circle of plasterboard cut from the new hole was re-purposed as a patch for the old hole.
Just a light sanding of the final skim coat to do, then a quick lick of paint.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51700298069_11e543d0bc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mLzxpt)
Mostly done (https://flic.kr/p/2mLzxpt) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Hmm - that's bad - have to say I'd have gone the whole hog and swapped to LED units - not a lot of money.   

We had 20, yes, 20 halogen downlights in our kitchen and utility room giving off a lot of heat and using a lot of juice - complete swap-out and now lighting is much better and much less juice (I think the units were about a fiver each - just had to take out the halogen transformers and connect direct to the 240 for each light)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 November, 2021, 02:53:37 pm
Jeez...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 November, 2021, 04:16:15 pm
Friends had those things put in when their kitchen was done. The installers then put cupboards so close to them that the tops of the doors charred.

At least that was visible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 November, 2021, 05:45:50 pm
I’m with Robgul, switched out the halogen bulbs for dimmable main voltage LED’s (Phillips IIRC). Why anyone would install new halogens these days is beyond me. That they could do so as badly as that, not so much. Report to trading standards (or whatever it is in Scotland) ASAP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 November, 2021, 06:57:16 pm
In fairness, the installation dates from 2008.
I must have changed that lamp before, and failed to spot this.

I plan to migrate to LEDs once I have finished my small stock of halogen lamps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 November, 2021, 07:57:51 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 23 November, 2021, 05:45:50 pm
I’m with Robgul, switched out the halogen bulbs for dimmable main voltage LED’s (Phillips IIRC). Why anyone would install new halogens these days is beyond me. That they could do so as badly as that, not so much. Report to trading standards (or whatever it is in Scotland) ASAP.

Yep - we now have just one light bulb in the whole house that isn't LED - we even have some old style holophane shade wall lights that have traditional shape light bulbs but they're LED "filament"    The reducton in electricty is noticeable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 November, 2021, 08:13:05 pm
I think there still the odd incandescent-stylee filament bulb knocking around Larrington Towers, in the lights that get turned on about once a decade.  They’ll probably outlive me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 November, 2021, 08:19:25 pm
Was that Northcote?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 23 November, 2021, 08:27:59 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 November, 2021, 08:19:25 pm
Was that Northcote?

Yes.

Was that because I'd mentioned them before, a reputational thing, or a pure guess?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 November, 2021, 10:53:27 pm
I think I asked Mrs F who your builders were a year or 2 back and she said not to touch them with a barge pole, which made me pause for thought as that's who our facilities people use..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 November, 2021, 04:14:56 pm
Epilogue

I've just replaced all 15 50w Halogen lamps in the downlighters I have here with 5w LEDs. That's a reduction in power consumption ( and heat ) from 750w to 75w. Anyone want a bag full of part-used 50w MR16 Halogens? No, thought not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 November, 2021, 04:35:35 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 November, 2021, 04:14:56 pm
Epilogue

I've just replaced all 15 50w Halogen lamps in the downlighters I have here with 5w LEDs. That's a reduction in power consumption ( and heat ) from 750w to 75w. Anyone want a bag full of part-used 50w MR16 Halogens? No, thought not.

Stick another log on the stove, brr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 November, 2021, 08:49:38 pm
Halfways into a bath, one of the LEDs has had an attack of the severe flickerings.
Swapping the lamp ( nekkid and wet ) didn't help.

Will replace the PSU tomorrow.
I anticipated a bit of this, and bought a few 12v DC LED-specific PSUs as a precaution.

I've had to replace one PSU during the original replacement program yesterday.
In that case, one lamp in a set of 5 failed with the Flickering-o-death. All 5 had the same 50w PSU, installed by myself at the same time.
Seems that some of them are a bit marginal with the low current LEDs.
Replaced with a LED-specific 12v DC unit, the problem was fixed.
TBH, I was surprised how few PSUs I've had to replace; they mostly 'just worked'.
I expect the same result tomorrow when I replace this unit.

I plan to simply replace the PSUs as required; I don't plan a wholesale pre-emptive changeout.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 November, 2021, 08:53:30 pm
They'll wait until you're wet and nekkid again.  These things *know*.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 26 November, 2021, 09:53:58 pm
Not me, but a friend asked if I happened to have a spare stem, around 100mm, to fit a 26mm handlebar (apparently becoming rare).  Of course I did, so he collected it and has presumably fettled & fixed his fixed-wheel machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 November, 2021, 05:24:52 pm
Fitted a Sunrace 11sp cassette and Miche chain to HK’s Kinesis. I will give it a week and see if I need to swap it to a KMC chain.

Dismantled and cleaned the old Topeak Road Master Blaster pump that lives on my trike. The last time I used it, it tried to be a suction pump, rather than a pressure pump. It seems to do the job properly now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 27 November, 2021, 08:01:32 pm
Quote from: Ian H on 26 November, 2021, 09:53:58 pm
Not me, but a friend asked if I happened to have a spare stem, around 100mm, to fit a 26mm handlebar (apparently becoming rare).  Of course I did, so he collected it and has presumably fettled & fixed his fixed-wheel machine.

Yup had to resort to the Internet when needed one as LBS couldn't oblige

Today I fettled out front door. It's got draughty but a quick search of how to adjust UPVC door and a bit of hex key work and now no draught, needs a bit more fettling as slightly stiff to shut but much warmer in hallway now
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 28 November, 2021, 09:03:38 pm
I drained the water out of Saphira's brake cables and put lubricant in there instead. Braking is impaired, I find, with ice in the cables
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 November, 2021, 03:17:58 pm
As mentioned elsewhere, got the RD, chain etc. out of Trek's back wheel.  Took the Ti Warhorse off the home trainer and gave it a sponge bath: it's going to the not-so-LBS where it was built tomorrow for a new headset bearing so it has to sparkle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 November, 2021, 05:51:57 pm
The final chapter in the Halogen to LED replacement project.

It's always the last one, isn't it?

A single halogen downlighter in the downstairs shower cubicle.
Simply replace the lamp: really bad flickering.
No problem: just replace the PSU. The old one will be on flying leads, and I can just pull it down through the ceiling hole, right?
Wrong.

The transformer unit has been screwed to the top of a joist some 6 inches away, and the wiring is in a junction box screwed to the joist beside it.
This was fine when there was access to the top of the joists.
But the loft space has since been converted to living space, so access from above would involve cutting into expensive flooring!
So I need to cut an access hatch in the ceiling from below. Fine.

Turns out the ceiling above the shower has undergone several revisions over the years, each layered over the previous.
Working my way up, like the Very Hungry Caterpillar, I had to cut through:

2 layers of plasterboard;
1 thickness of ceramic tiles ( avocado coloured );
The tile cement, and then a cement or very hard plaster layer;
A steel mesh;
More cement;
2 further layers of plasterboard.

The total thickness was over 3 inches, and it's taken me several hours to cut the access hatch.
This is the only time I've ever has to use an SDS drill to gain access to a ceiling void!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 November, 2021, 05:56:58 pm
Who tiles a ceiling?  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 November, 2021, 06:11:52 pm
I think that was in the 1970s strata.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 29 November, 2021, 08:34:46 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 November, 2021, 04:35:35 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 November, 2021, 04:14:56 pm
Epilogue

I've just replaced all 15 50w Halogen lamps in the downlighters I have here with 5w LEDs. That's a reduction in power consumption ( and heat ) from 750w to 75w. Anyone want a bag full of part-used 50w MR16 Halogens? No, thought not.

Stick another log on the stove, brr.
I made some breakfast and coffee
Look out my window, what do I see
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 November, 2021, 09:16:20 pm
Too cold to go out on the bike so (almost) finished a carpentry commission to build a fruit and vegetable rack on wheels for the local corner shop - the rack is about 1.2m wide x 60cm deep x 1.3m high, so a big bugger using loads of wood.   He already has a similar rack I made a few months ago for plants and stuff - this rack and the new one get wheeled out of the shop each morning and stand on the pavement.

Woodwork to me is almost as therapeutic as servicing bikes  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 November, 2021, 12:22:54 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 November, 2021, 08:34:46 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 November, 2021, 04:35:35 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 November, 2021, 04:14:56 pm
Epilogue

I've just replaced all 15 50w Halogen lamps in the downlighters I have here with 5w LEDs. That's a reduction in power consumption ( and heat ) from 750w to 75w. Anyone want a bag full of part-used 50w MR16 Halogens? No, thought not.

Stick another log on the stove, brr.
I made some breakfast and coffee
Look out my window, what do I see

?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 03 December, 2021, 01:24:43 pm
Cleaned the chain, the cassette and the jockey wheels: The later was impressively caked on - but very satisfying to peel off.

Good for the bike - not so good for the floor underneath the bike <cough>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 03 December, 2021, 02:05:57 pm
Yup. You don't want to get that gunk into your carpets that's for sure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 03 December, 2021, 04:01:16 pm
Quote from: hatler on 03 December, 2021, 02:05:57 pm
Yup. You don't want to get that gunk into your carpets that's for sure.

It's like an everlasting marker pen  ;D

Luckily carnage limited to an easy to clean surface.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 December, 2021, 04:28:36 pm
Put together a home trainer for MrsT. Heavy great thing, 40 kg. Getting it upstairs was hell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 December, 2021, 10:45:16 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 December, 2021, 04:28:36 pm
Put together a home trainer for MrsT. Heavy great thing, 40 kg. Getting it upstairs was hell.

That's presumably where the training comes from.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 December, 2021, 09:31:59 am
You left the initial S off what happened to my back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 04 December, 2021, 10:14:32 am
Chap I shared a house with many years ago, decided he needed to get a bit fitter so bought some weights from Argos.
He assumed they would be the sort you filled with water or sand or some such once you got them home.
Wrong!
It took two shop assistants to carry the box out of the store to the counter. He then had to act the hard man and pick said box up and walk out of the shop.
It took him several hours to get back to the house, a distance of about a mile.
The weights remained in their box for many days after that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 December, 2021, 02:48:50 pm
Finished putting a longer stem on MrsT's unused trail bike so that I can use it.

Washed the Trek thoroughly prior to replacing the derailleur. It was pigging: the roads here are aslop with agricultural crud.  Maybe I should fit real mudguards, to date I've only used Raceblades.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 December, 2021, 02:55:37 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 04 December, 2021, 10:14:32 am
Chap I shared a house with many years ago, decided he needed to get a bit fitter so bought some weights from Argos.
He assumed they would be the sort you filled with water or sand or some such once you got them home.
Wrong!
It took two shop assistants to carry the box out of the store to the counter. He then had to act the hard man and pick said box up and walk out of the shop.
It took him several hours to get back to the house, a distance of about a mile.
The weights remained in their box for many days after that.

This thing has wee rollers at the front, the idea being that you tip it by the bars so that these contact the floor, then you can push it about.  Only when you do this the heavy end, maybe 90% of the weight, is effectively pulling down at the end of a lever opposing you.  You need to exert a lot of strength to pull it over, and then put quite a lot of weight on it to keep it tipped. Downforce through the wheels is maybe 80 kg in all, bearing on a surface area of maybe 6 cm².

This would be fine on a hardwood or tiled floor, but our spare room is carpeted.  In the absence of Omar the Trussmocker that machine ain't going nowhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 04 December, 2021, 03:31:30 pm
Finally swapped the summer and winter wheels and tyres on the car. The 19” winters are a lot quieter than the 20” summers, and quite a bit spongier too.

Then I swapped the dead built-in microwave for a new one. Shane that the old was 20l and this is 17l, but it’s only a small ‘ole and only one currently made microwave (ok, it’s available as about 5 brands, but under the skin it’s the same) will fit, and that with 3mm to spare. ‘Twas easier than I expected, 6 screws to undo to get the old one out, and 3 screws required to fit the new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 04 December, 2021, 03:57:31 pm
Finally installed a spy hole into the front door downstairs. Given we don't have a working intercom or windows and it opens directly onto a main road in That London, our track record of not being hassled / robbed / stabbed by mystery guests is surprisingly good.

At some point someone's bought a massive sheet of 2mm steel that covers the entire door and screwed it to the back. Perhaps this is normal for TL. The step drill merrily chewed threw it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 04 December, 2021, 05:08:59 pm
It's that turn old bicycle bits in to Xmas decorations time of the year again.

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/98/d6/74/98d674721e14ab17f8535e65bb5378de.jpg)

For anybody obsessed with bike bits it's a Campag Veloce hub, Veloce 10sp 13-26 cassette and Mavic Open Pro rim!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 December, 2021, 05:49:04 pm
That's very nice Snakehips :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 December, 2021, 08:45:43 pm
Very nice, but what spokes did you use?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 December, 2021, 08:47:27 pm
Since my shiny new PC steering wheel could not be clamped to the already-bodged Estate Office desk in the approved manner (i.e. without wobbling) much further bodging has gone on with slabs of wood to make it work, with the result that there are now parts of it thick enough to stop a 500kg bomb should the Luftwaffe decide to finish what they started in 1940.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 December, 2021, 08:23:31 am
Quote from: Snakehips on 04 December, 2021, 05:08:59 pm
It's that turn old bicycle bits in to Xmas decorations time of the year again.

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/98/d6/74/98d674721e14ab17f8535e65bb5378de.jpg)

For anybody obsessed with bike bits it's a Campag Veloce hub, Veloce 10sp 13-26 cassette and Mavic Open Pro rim!

Nice. You could set one up horizontally on a pole with dangly angels & such that could revolve in the breeze wind gale blizzard like a carousel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 December, 2021, 04:58:40 pm
Swapped the Conti and Panaracer tyres between the dynohub and normal front wheels on my Moulton. It just confirms that the Crank Brothers tyre lever is only useful when the tyre is loose enough not to need a tyre lever to remove (not a Conti Speed Contact). What a badly designed piece of kit.

Cut a couple of spokes that were preventing me from swapping over a new rim onto a rear Moulton wheel. The Al nipples were frozen onto the threads and either broke or twisted the spoke. The spoke gets really hot where it is plastically deformed! I will have to dig up a couple of suitable spokes and nipples to finish it off. There should be a couple of spares deep in the depths of the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 05 December, 2021, 05:30:48 pm
Deep clean of the Giant after yesterday's Essex skogfest. In doing so noticed a few areas of the frame where the top coat of lacquer has worn through in the rear triangle, presumably just through changing wheels, and a couple of areas of exposed and corroding aluminium.  Rubbed back and painted a couple of areas with touch up paint.  Chain deep cleaned as well, and front mech had some attention after it stuck in middle ring yesterday, and a bit of attention to brake pivots and release twiddlers.

Overall though, I think this frame's days are numbered as an on the road steed, its done well at 16 years old, but may just get permanently assigned to the turbo trainer. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Marco Stefano on 05 December, 2021, 06:17:26 pm
Son brought round a Facebook purchase of a nearly-new-looking child's bike with stabilisers for my grandson (who is getting the hang of a balance bike); could I just 'give it the once-over'? I think he thought a quick flick with a WD-40-soaked rag would do, but no.

Front wheel bearings were running in what looked like ancient black molasses (and with similar consistency), and took a very long time to clean up and regrease. Back hub was an affair I have not seen before, with a worm gear-driven hub/freewheel/coaster brake; that was also lubricated (a.k.a. gummed up) with the same molasses and took even longer to do (and so long that I took a few attempts to reassemble it properly, having forgotten quite how it came apart). The bottom bracket bearings were caged and, of course, were bone dry, having apparently never seen any grease in their life.  ::-)  At least they were easier to clean before (re)greasing. I then lost the will to carry on, and the head bearings, whatever they are, still await my attention. Place your bets, please...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 December, 2021, 08:36:24 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 November, 2021, 12:22:54 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 29 November, 2021, 08:34:46 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 November, 2021, 04:35:35 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 November, 2021, 04:14:56 pm
Epilogue

I've just replaced all 15 50w Halogen lamps in the downlighters I have here with 5w LEDs. That's a reduction in power consumption ( and heat ) from 750w to 75w. Anyone want a bag full of part-used 50w MR16 Halogens? No, thought not.

Stick another log on the stove, brr.
I made some breakfast and coffee
Look out my window, what do I see

  • Some other cat lookin' over his shoulder at you
  • Two rabbits runnin' in the ditch
  • Beatniks out to make it rich
  • David Cronenberg concealing Nicole Kidman's corpse under the ice of a frozen lake
  • [“That's enough Donovan references!” – Ed.]
?
The correct answer according to Bowie is:

Crack in the sky and Gove reaching down to me
All the nightmares came today
And it looks as though they're here to stay
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 December, 2021, 12:53:04 pm
Painstakingly peeled back the cover on a Y2K Tiagra STI, only to discover that the only thing within was the plastic stud that made it so bloody difficult to get off.  And put back.  Oiled STI for probably the first time in 20 years. Vaguely thinking of changing all the cables but it's co-oh-oh-oh-old out there.  Anyway, it's a horrible bike - very hard ride, with 22.2 mm bars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 06 December, 2021, 02:03:30 pm
The pipework to the radiator in the kitchen...

On Sunday, I thought I'd be "clever" and see if I could tweak the 8mm microbore copper piping leading to the radiator, as it looked a little kinked.  It hadn't been leaking at all, until I footered about with it.  Then it split.

Then a manic Sunday trying to fix it with diy store bought bits, then a Monday buying the proper bits to replace it from proper plumbers merchant..  Now what to do with the other 9 and a half metres of 8mm copper tubing I had to buy on Sunday to get it fixed, I only used around 30cm... Maybe not the neatest of jobs, and those 8mm compression elbows are a  nightmare. But all sorted now! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 December, 2021, 02:06:09 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 06 December, 2021, 02:03:30 pm
The pipework to the radiator in the kitchen...

On Sunday, I thought I'd be "clever" and see if I could tweak the 8mm microbore copper piping leading to the radiator, as it looked a little kinked.  It hadn't been leaking at all, until I footered about with it.  Then it split.

Having heard enough stories to this effect, I long ago resolved to only touch microbore if it's actually leaking, and preferably in order to replace it with proper 15mm pipe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 06 December, 2021, 04:41:36 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 December, 2021, 02:06:09 pm
Quote from: BrianI on 06 December, 2021, 02:03:30 pm
The pipework to the radiator in the kitchen...

On Sunday, I thought I'd be "clever" and see if I could tweak the 8mm microbore copper piping leading to the radiator, as it looked a little kinked.  It hadn't been leaking at all, until I footered about with it.  Then it split.

Having heard enough stories to this effect, I long ago resolved to only touch microbore if it's actually leaking, and preferably in order to replace it with proper 15mm pipe.

Indeed, 8mm microbore is the devil incarnate! I guess it must have been in fashion when the c/h system was installed in my house (which I've been in since December 2010), goodness knows how old it is... 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 06 December, 2021, 04:43:19 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 December, 2021, 04:58:40 pm
There should be a couple of spares deep in the depths of the garage.

If there aren't, then (as per your other little wheeled spokes query), I've probably got some in the cellar. (ETA - no I don't.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 December, 2021, 07:52:32 pm
I carefully prised all the crappy dirty painted over rubber seal round the kitchen to hall doorway now that it's not needed thanks to the new extraction facilities. Of course that just left a load of nail holes and old paint on show.
But at least the door shuts properly now.

Will leave the same job on the bathroom door for another night.

Also, I dunno what paint she used to paint the doors in here but it's fucking horrible. All the dirty bits just go all slimy and horrible when you try to clean it off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 December, 2021, 04:16:15 pm
New hanger + derailleur onto the Trek.  Had to dremel a sliver off the VAR "compatible" hanger to make it snug. New chain currently soaking in white spirit to de-gunk it. Workshop's going to stink tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 07 December, 2021, 04:26:14 pm
Did a huge pile of ironing and wrote my Christmass cards.  Good day's work!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 07 December, 2021, 06:53:11 pm
Fitted a new lock nut  to the none drive wheel axle on the sun and repaired a rear wheel puncture on the trice  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 December, 2021, 04:28:12 pm
New chain on Trek. Something still clicks every pedal-rev, though, but only when I'm sitting down: standing on the pedals, everything's fine.

Heigh ho.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 08 December, 2021, 10:02:27 pm
Why did nobody tell me putting a new plug onto earplugs with mic and a cloth woven lead could be so much fun? Satisfyingly, it works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 December, 2021, 03:39:18 pm
I think the creak from the Moulton Speed was the RH pedal, not the BB.  It wasn't very tight on the crank.  I have regreased the bearings of both pedals and fitted them to 45Nm.  Hopefully the crank threads aren't worn out; it was a used one from fleaBay.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 December, 2021, 09:29:29 pm
Swapped the granny ring on the Dawes, which for some reason was causing the new chain to jam under extreme load in a difficult-to-reproduce way.  It didn't look particularly worn, but there were a few teeth with burrs on them that might have been responsible, and since I'd accidentally ordered two of the chainrings I happened to have a spare.

Also, the rear brakes now have some brake block.  Decided the front could wait until spring, not least on the only-fettle-one-brake-at-a-time principle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moleman76 on 11 December, 2021, 07:01:25 am
Stretched over several days, but determined today that all the fettling had been effective:
Remote sender for motorized garage door stopped working.
Since the LED wasn't illuminating, decided to look at the battery.
Snap-on terminals for the 9V battery were corroded.
Pulled the terminal holder off of the battery; one connector broke.
Researched purchase cost of a new remote.
Spouse made executive decision, directing repair, not replacement.
By and by visited the local "they have everything" hardware store and a couple of the staff remembered where in the electrical bits department that replacement battery connectors could be found.
Also purchased some squeeze-on wire connectors to attach new, skinny wires to portion of old, skinny wires.
Set about stripping insulation from remaining part of old, skinny wires. 
Succeeded in stripping the first one.
While stripping the second, pulled it off of the printed circuit board.
After a day or two, remembered where my soldering iron was, and retrieved it.
Heated up the solder blobs and extracted the remains of the old, skinny wires.
Inserted new, skinny wires through the holes in the circuit board, and successfully soldered them, without compromising other circuit traces.
Located the household supply of 9V batteries.
Tried each of them.  They were flat, and about 2-years past the "good until" date.
Purchased more batteries.  Noticed that package now boasts about 5-year life; used to be 10.
Installed one of the new batteries.  Reassembled the snap-together case.
Pushed the button.
Watched the door open.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 11 December, 2021, 08:39:59 am
Never been tempted to fit an automatic garage door opener.

Now I know why!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 December, 2021, 09:17:16 am
Quote from: orienteer on 11 December, 2021, 08:39:59 am
Never been tempted to fit an automatic garage door opener.

Now I know why!

But think how much time and effort you'd save having one!

Budget solution - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-Bxifv2Pk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 December, 2021, 02:44:05 pm
I somehow think that a live-in garage-door opener might cost more in the long run.

Anyway, today 1 haz:

- put a new gas bottle into the workshop heater. Lifting 23 kg with just two fingers under the edge of the tap is not much fun but there's no room in the heater to put it in with the nice comfy cap & handles still on.
- fixed a puncture on the Trek: nice pointy bit of quartz straight through the tread, obliging enough to stay in place and mark the spot.
- de-gunked a new chain and put it to cook in the wax/PTFE bath

Discovered the other day that KMC chain links are a hell of a lot easier to fit than Shimano or SRAM. Re-useable, too. Not that the others aren't but the makers say don't.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 11 December, 2021, 04:36:15 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 December, 2021, 02:44:05 pm
Discovered the other day that KMC chain links are a hell of a lot easier to fit than Shimano or SRAM. Re-useable, too. Not that the others aren't but the makers say don't.

When I had additional bikes to the Langster, I settled on Wippermann Connex links as being the ones to swear by. Other makes usually got sworn at instead.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 December, 2021, 07:12:15 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 December, 2021, 02:44:05 pm
I somehow think that a live-in garage-door opener might cost more in the long run.

Anyway, today 1 haz:

- put a new gas bottle into the workshop heater. Lifting 23 kg with just two fingers under the edge of the tap is not much fun but there's no room in the heater to put it in with the nice comfy cap & handles still on.
- fixed a puncture on the Trek: nice pointy bit of quartz straight through the tread, obliging enough to stay in place and mark the spot.
- de-gunked a new chain and put it to cook in the wax/PTFE bath

Discovered the other day that KMC chain links are a hell of a lot easier to fit than Shimano or SRAM. Re-useable, too. Not that the others aren't but the makers say don't.

KMC, allegedly, make the SRAM & Shimano chains . . . and yes I've always found any magic links to be reusable
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 11 December, 2021, 09:59:02 pm
They are suspiciously of exactly the same design but then so are clarks etc. All afaik withing patent validity period?

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 December, 2021, 08:02:44 am
Quote from: spesh on 11 December, 2021, 04:36:15 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 December, 2021, 02:44:05 pm
Discovered the other day that KMC chain links are a hell of a lot easier to fit than Shimano or SRAM. Re-useable, too. Not that the others aren't but the makers say don't.

When I had additional bikes to the Langster, I settled on Wippermann Connex links as being the ones to swear by. Other makes usually got sworn at instead.

I have one of those but it clunks on the 11T sprocket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 December, 2021, 08:10:22 am
Have you installed the Wippermann link the right way up? It will clunk on an 11t if it is mounted the wrong way up.
https://www.connexchain.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Service_Downloads/Anleitungen/connex-link-manual.pdf
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 December, 2021, 08:24:17 am
Quote from: FifeingEejit on 11 December, 2021, 09:59:02 pm
They are suspiciously of exactly the same design but then so are clarks etc. All afaik withing patent validity period?

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Clarks chains usually have a curved side-plate magic link - that may be a patent workaround?

[It was someone from Madison, the UK Shimano distributor, that told me KMC made the chains]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 December, 2021, 01:24:53 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 December, 2021, 08:10:22 am
Have you installed the Wippermann link the right way up? It will clunk on an 11t if it is mounted the wrong way up.
https://www.connexchain.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Service_Downloads/Anleitungen/connex-link-manual.pdf

IIRC I investigated this at the time I tried it, but it's perfectly possible I that I got it wrong.  I'll give it another go, if I can find it. Ta.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 December, 2021, 04:46:53 pm
Fixed a puncture on the back of the Moulton F-frame which, pleasingly, was a real foreign object puncture and not crappy Brompton rim tape failure.  Small piece of curved metal through the tread and easy to patch.  Kojaks are usually fairly tough but this was super-sharp.  Looks like the remains of a washer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Moleman76 on 13 December, 2021, 07:35:10 pm
Quote from: orienteer on 11 December, 2021, 08:39:59 am
Never been tempted to fit an automatic garage door opener.
A new remote, purchased through the Amaze-on system, probably would have been cheaper time-wise.  The opener itself has been working for 30 years now, with only one service call.  The vehicle which we park outdoor has a magic button synced to the operator, so I had been unlocking its door and pushing the magic button to either close or open the door.  Quite the bother.
I was tickled that my meager soldering skills worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 December, 2021, 07:45:00 pm
A pointful garage door opener would require  a) a garage  b) a car that reasonably fits in said garage  and  c) that the garage isn't otherwise full of bikes and baby elephants and stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 December, 2021, 08:02:17 pm
We have an automatic door opener. I'd really rather we didn't but it's there now. We need to get one of those delatching systems fitted though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 December, 2021, 09:00:56 pm
Rather satisfied at fettling a French polish finish on a rather special console table that my late father-in-law made (he was an amazing woodworker, taught it at a public school) - I was on a 2-day course about wood finishes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 16 December, 2021, 10:53:36 pm
Saphira's dynamo. The previous Basta/Axa Duo lost its wheel somewhere at the hospital, where I had an appointment. In the dark of course, about 16 miles from home. I managed the journey with the front EL135, on blink then constant when I left the streetlights.
Well, I was given the Duo for free, and it only cost me a couple of bearings over the last 4 years.

Anyway, the new Trio is fitted, no connector instructions, had to web search that, and for some reason the mounting bracket had a noticeable angle to it, seemingly designed to either reach around the edge of the tyre tread or dig the corner of the (metal) wheel into the sidewall  ??? Anyway, Mister 5 inch Record and I soon put that to rights and the new dynamo now meets the tyre's dynamo track in a comfortable, civilised fashion.

PS had to ride home from work for a few days with my old home grown LED and a 6-cell NiMH. The little EL135 isn't great on a dark country road. I did actually make a vid years ago with the lights I had on the Kia:

https://youtu.be/hP7byASkSuY (https://youtu.be/hP7byASkSuY)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 December, 2021, 07:32:19 am
Cleaned and resprayed the metal parts of a vintage (1960s) Anglepoise lamp - I've been hankering after one for years but they've always been too pricey . . .  £25 seemed OK, plus £6 for a classic-look LED bulb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 17 December, 2021, 10:18:09 pm
Quote from: grams on 14 February, 2021, 12:14:57 pm
This thing was never meant to be repaired. I still want a new oven.

A few minutes into warming up it tripped the RCD and I noticed a melty plastic smell. Taking it apart revealed the contact around the live terminal inside was super melty. Not really sure why that tripped the RCD, so probably two separate faults.

Ikea are selling their basic oven for £90.

I have a new oven.

And 20+ kg of scrap steel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 18 December, 2021, 10:11:18 am
That quite likely did not trip the rcd.
The spade terminals on the wires which connect to the elements are quite prone to opening up a bit and becoming loose and a bit resistancy.
I usually give them a nip up with pliers before reinstalling.

The rcd trip is likely the element itself, they tend to develop temperature related leakage.
Ive had ones that meg clear (>1000 meg at 500v) cold, but after baking it in the oven for an hour were down to single-digit megs.
I thought that repeatedly baking the element might dry out the internals, but no.

Even new elements are not always clear when hot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Karla on 18 December, 2021, 02:58:59 pm
Fitted the Joseph Kuosac firm suspension block to the Brompton (cos I like it hard, fnarr fnarr).

I've already got bar ends, so I understand those are two of the main upgrades.  Over Christmas I plan to cut my extended seatpost down to size and bash out the bottom with a hammer. Ultimately I'd like to get one of the various Al/Ti lightweight models on offer, preferably somewhere between the standard and extended in length (though it can always be shortened), and preferably with a standard seatclamp rather than the Pentaclip arrangement.

Does anyone know why Brompton use the Pentaclip anyway?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 December, 2021, 04:34:05 pm
Brompton uses the Pentaclip so that they can keep the standard flared seatpost. They used to aim for backwards compatibility between new kit and older machines.

Replaced the axles/ bearings on HK’s Keo Classic pedals from her summer trike. The axles/ bearings that came out looked and felt perfect and there is still a touch of play in the new bearings, so it probably in the bodies themselves. The retention adjustment is quite low and locked solid, so I suspect the pedals will have to be binned at some point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 December, 2021, 03:59:57 pm
Fitted Keo cleats and a reused 5mm shim to some Northwave Celcius R Arctic GTX (couldn’t they create a longer name?) winter boots for HK.

Fitted a new 5mm SPD shim to HK’s Shimano Torbal winter boots. She is progressively swapping back to 170mm cranks both sides from her previous 165mm LH cranks, now that she has found a suitable SPD shim.

Cut some frozen spokes from a spare worn-out Moulton rear wheel. Time to get some replacement spokes and rebuild it with a part-worn rim. That way HK and I will continue to have a fully functional spare wheel to swap in if we find a problem before a big ride.

Detensioned a spare big rear wheel to reuse the Tune hub to build a tubeless Moulton wheel once the spokes arrive from Germany.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 December, 2021, 12:02:17 pm
The Tree. Blimey, we were lucky (FCVO).  All these stories of stores selling Christmas trees for £5, £3.95, 59p, even giving them away. Well maybe in that there London where the Guardian is based, but not here in Leafy Bucks. Went to the eponymous Christmas Tree Place, and found….. 4 trees over 6ft and under 10ft. £70 later, and some sawing and lopping, we haz a tree.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 December, 2021, 04:53:04 pm
Mucked out the parrot and made a cheesecake.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 December, 2021, 05:13:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 December, 2021, 04:53:04 pm
Mucked out the parrot and made a cheesecake.
Hopefully these two actions aren't too closely linked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 December, 2021, 05:15:32 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 23 December, 2021, 05:13:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 December, 2021, 04:53:04 pm
Mucked out the parrot and made a cheesecake.
Hopefully these two actions aren't too closely linked.

.... my thoughts too - cheesecake with crispy bits isn't good  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 24 December, 2021, 11:01:45 am
A Penguin.

Over the last week or so, I have mostly been enlarging a penguin.
I've taken a small wooden model penguin, and scaled up each of the pieces to life-size.

Do not search the Internet for 'Penguin Enlarger'.
You won't find any; and the alternative products offered do not look at all suitable. I can't imagine any way you could fit a penguin in there.
I had to design and build my own.

Big Penguin, Little Penguin:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51772233853_f3110a1083_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mSWepB)
Big penguin Little penguin (https://flic.kr/p/2mSWepB) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr


How to Enlarge your Penguin

The Penguin Enlarger was designed to scale up the wooden pieces from a small Christmas Decoration.
I wanted to enlarge it from around 140mm to somewhere close to life-size, say 80 to 100cm.
To maintain aspect ratios, I can't choose any arbitrary scaling factor: the thickness of the sheets is a factor in this, and ply only comes in certain thicknesses.
The original is made from 3mm sheets, and I chose 18mm ply to give a scaling factor of 6.
This gives a finished height within my desired range.

The Penguin Enlarger is based on a photographic enlarger: a light source shining down through the original, projecting an enlarged image image onto the target.
The light source is an LED downlighter (a spare from the cupboard), mounted on a wooden batten.
This shines through a glass window on the lower shelf, which the original sits on.
It simply casts a shadow onto the plywood which I can trace around.

There are no optics involved, and the focusing is done in a similar way to a pinhole camera.
There is a cardboard cover over the lamp, with a punched hole in it to create a point light source, much narrower than the lamp itself.
This produces a sharply defined umbra, with 100% occlusion and almost no penumbra where there is a fringe of grey where there is partial occlusion.
This is what I needed to trace around.

The slotted side arms allow for height adjustment between the light source and the original piece.
This gives fine control over the magnification factor.
These are manufactured to a fairly tight tolerance, to allow only up-down motion.
Coarse control is by setting the height of the whole assembly above the plywood.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51772631639_56c7edbd72_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mSYgDZ)
Making the enlarger (https://flic.kr/p/2mSYgDZ) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

The completed penguin enlarger:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51771989551_623888e80e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mSUYMv)
Completed enlarger (https://flic.kr/p/2mSUYMv) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

The penguin enlarger in use:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51772876110_c532a78277_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mSZwk1)
Enlarging a slice of penguin (https://flic.kr/p/2mSZwk1) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 24 December, 2021, 11:06:09 am
Impressive !!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 24 December, 2021, 11:06:39 am
Are Aberdonian nights really that long ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 December, 2021, 11:48:10 am
Two of our grand-children wanted to go to a 20-20 or Hundred (i.e. white ball) cricket match as a Christmas present - so they had something on the big day I made this:

(https://cdn.imagearchive.com/ukworkshop/data/attachments/105/105857-2dad95aab58527b7b1d63d07fbe382ab.jpg)


Have to own up to buying the wooden ball, unpainted, ready made - about as big a gold-ball.  It has an inscription on the base detailing the gift . . . and the promise of "Granny Pip's lasagne" (their meal of choice) after the match.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 December, 2021, 12:01:31 pm
My pal Frank once had cause to test a deep-frozen peng in a wind tunnel while researching body shapes for streamlined bicycles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2021, 01:28:51 pm
Feanor appears to have won the internet today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 December, 2021, 01:32:42 pm
1st prize: a life-size wooden peng?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 24 December, 2021, 01:48:02 pm
Replaced a faulty headlight bulb on my BMW 320d Touring. It took only a couple
of minutes. I feel sorry for the owners of vehicles who don't have it so easy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2021, 04:15:47 pm
Nice penguin @Feanor  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 24 December, 2021, 04:18:55 pm
From Mrs Feanor's perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAkZT_4vL_Y
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 24 December, 2021, 04:22:00 pm
36 pigs in blankets now constructed and now in the downstairs fridge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 December, 2021, 04:47:54 pm
Tomorrows roast tatties and parsnips are now safely settled into the ‘fridge, as it the pork joint. Stuffing was made a few days ago. Apple sauce some months ago! Stir fry prepped for tea tonight.

Also washed the kitchen floor (pale Lino and a door that opens directly to the back garden don’t mix too well in mucky winters like this one has been so far. Now to re-glue the spring supports to a couple of decorative birds for the tree.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2021, 04:51:16 pm
I hear you on the lino front, defo going back to dark grey when we get the kitchen done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 December, 2021, 05:42:59 pm
Chocolate fondants are in the fridge ready for tomorrow. I'll  take them out a couple of hours ahead and they should be good to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 December, 2021, 09:00:22 pm
Quote from: Basil on 24 December, 2021, 04:22:00 pm
36 pigs in blankets now constructed and now in the downstairs fridge.
What is everyone else eating?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 24 December, 2021, 09:28:46 pm
Not today, been fettling instead, since the 'lectric shower went cold as I was using it.
Recovered from the shock, and rinsed in bathwater instead, I took it apart and there was a slightly distressed looking neutral connector block but also a fractured microswitch carrier which pivots the said switch back and forth according to the power setting. An hour or two later in t'shed with "cold weld" epoxy and some carbon rod and we're warm and sanitary again. According to the notes written on the shower cover I last had it apart in 2015
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 24 December, 2021, 09:50:18 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 24 December, 2021, 11:01:45 am
Big Penguin, Little Penguin:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51772233853_f3110a1083_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mSWepB)
Big penguin Little penguin (https://flic.kr/p/2mSWepB) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Cool.  :thumbsup:

Also easily the finest penguin enlarger I've ever seen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 December, 2021, 08:41:21 pm
Built up a tubeless 406 wheel around a Tune hub, Sapim DB spokes and Fratelli rim. The spokes could have been a mm longer. The wheel currently has a Schwalbe One tubeless tyre seated correctly and holding pressure dry, fitted by hand. I will add sealant tomorrow and chase up a Campag 11sp cassette and QR for HK to swap out her current rear Moulton wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 December, 2021, 07:54:40 am
I too did some bike stuff with a mini-service on a daughter's road bike before heading off out for Christmas lunch  .... managed to fit new inner gear cables front and rear and get the indexing perfect without further adjustment after tightening the clamp bolts - usually need at least some minor twiddling of adjusters.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 December, 2021, 01:47:13 pm
@feanor: bloody brilliant!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 December, 2021, 02:04:47 pm
Fitted the new rear wheel to HK’s Moulton, which involved a lot more tweaking than I would have liked. Tune rear hubs aren’t as nicely designed as I originally thought, light though they are.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 December, 2021, 11:56:36 am
I fitted some Schwalbe One 16" tyres to Sun CR18 rims and pumped them to 100psi to stretch the beads.  They are quite unbelievably tight and needed a VAR tyre lever/bead jack to fit.  After a fortnight inflated, though, they'll be as slack as <name removed on legal advice>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 December, 2021, 03:53:56 pm
I went for a look in the loft with a proper light. I was intending to measure the distance between joists (for flooring porpoises) but I couldn't see them. Further inspection was not possible as the ladder was not tall enough.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51782816903_7f84b61098.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mTStnZ)2021-12-28_03-34-56 (https://flic.kr/p/2mTStnZ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Then I fished all the coal muck out of the letterbox under the back boiler and reused some sheep's wool packaging to shove in there to stop a)draughts and b)black bits from falling down and ending up on the carpet (I will get it swept eventually).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51783203699_a686480786.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mTUsmT)2021-12-28_03-35-28 (https://flic.kr/p/2mTUsmT) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Then I fished an old stainless steel flask out of a box and attempted to mend the cup. The plastic insert and the stainless outer were no longer attached so I cleaned the old adhesive off and waved some superglue at it. Will see if that is any use or not...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 December, 2021, 04:39:46 pm
I recon you'd be better off with a contact adhesive - like Evo Stik - for the flask.
Superglue is quite rigid, and might not appreciate the expansion/contraction between when it is hot and when it is cold.
Evo Stik is many flexy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 December, 2021, 05:58:13 pm
You could be right, Super glue was what I had available though so I tried that first for shits & giggles.

Actually you've just reminded me, my brother left us some mastic tube of adhesive in the garage, that might have worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 December, 2021, 08:08:00 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 December, 2021, 05:58:13 pm
You could be right, Super glue was what I had available though so I tried that first for shits & giggles.

Actually you've just reminded me, my brother left us some mastic tube of adhesive in the garage, that might have worked.
^
Potentially, a good alternative.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 28 December, 2021, 08:31:21 pm
At least you won't need to clean off the superglue. It is so inert that adding another adhesive on top of it should be fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 29 December, 2021, 03:26:45 pm
I have washed the bike, lubricated the chain and pumped the tyres up. The lights are currently charging on my desk as I type.
This would not be worth a mention by most of you, but I haven't ridden the bike since the day after the first lockdown was announced when I went into work, coming home with a laptop.
I intend a gentle pootle tomorrow, assuming MrsC doesn't have other plans.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 29 December, 2021, 04:09:37 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 29 December, 2021, 03:26:45 pm
I have washed the bike, lubricated the chain and pumped the tyres up. The lights are currently charging on my desk as I type.
This would not be worth a mention by most of you, but I haven't ridden the bike since the day after the first lockdown was announced when I went into work, coming home with a laptop.
I intend a gentle pootle tomorrow, assuming MrsC doesn't have other plans.
Welcome back! 
Gently does it. The journey of a thousand miles.... etc.....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 December, 2021, 09:06:01 am
+1.

Meanwhile, I haz fixed a flat, second in two rides and both caused by quasi-identical shards of quartz. Some years back the municipal oaves who "maintain" our local cycle path were inspired to fill the space between tarmac and verge mud with peerless white chippings, which of course migrated onto the path proper and have been the bane of cyclists ever since. Idiocy, thy name is authority.

Furthermore removed & degreased my current chain yesterday, prior to dunking it in wax and leaving it to cook while I fitted the new chain I had already prepped a couple of weeks ago.  A wonderful ??? moment ensued, because the new chain hung down like a pregnant sow's belly.  I discovered this morning that Probikeshop, rather than the two x 116-link chains I had ordered, had sent 1x116-link and 1x138-link.  I now have an extra 22 links to play with.

Sorta washed the bike too, natch, but only sorta 'cos next time out it'll be filthy in 20 metres.  Ah, winter!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 30 December, 2021, 03:55:29 pm
A new printer onto the home network. To be fair, all it required, apart from lugging it upstairs and removing all the transit packing, was to turn it on and enter the WiFi password. Oh, and replacing its predecessor on the MacBook.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 December, 2021, 03:56:15 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 30 December, 2021, 03:55:29 pm
A new printer onto the home network. To be fair, all it required, apart from lugging it upstairs and removing all the transit packing, was to turn it on and enter the WiFi password. Oh, and replacing its predecessor on the MacBook.

Yeah, but will it still work next time you want to print something?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 30 December, 2021, 04:34:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 December, 2021, 03:56:15 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 30 December, 2021, 03:55:29 pm
A new printer onto the home network. To be fair, all it required, apart from lugging it upstairs and removing all the transit packing, was to turn it on and enter the WiFi password. Oh, and replacing its predecessor on the MacBook.

Yeah, but will it still work next time you want to print something?

It’s worked twice in a row  :). And to be fair, it’s predecessor (another Brother) only lost connection once in 10 years. Well, only once I know about anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 December, 2021, 04:44:34 pm
Not really a fettle, but... The cold tap of the mixer on our kitchen sink had been getting more & more difficult to turn for the last few months, and last week I decided that once Christmas past I'd put in a complete new unit.  Then a couple of days ago it was suddenly silky-smooth again.

No idea why, but who's complaining?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 December, 2021, 05:40:30 pm
I stowed 800kg of hornbeam logs.  Goodness me, they burn hot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 30 December, 2021, 06:36:45 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 29 December, 2021, 03:26:45 pm
I have washed the bike, lubricated the chain and pumped the tyres up. The lights are currently charging on my desk as I type.
This would not be worth a mention by most of you, but I haven't ridden the bike since the day after the first lockdown was announced when I went into work, coming home with a laptop.
I intend a gentle pootle tomorrow, assuming MrsC doesn't have other plans.
Good luck  :thumbsup:
I was in a similar position in September.  Apart from a couple of gym sessions I hadn't ridden in over a year.  I agonised and procrastinated over a route for days and eventually set out.  55km later I got home with such a massive case of baboon arse I couldn't go near a bike again the rest of my 4 weeks off.  Totally counter productive.  When I got home at the end of Nov my total for the year still sat at 60ish km.
So this time home I tried something a bit more gentle, Dec 1 I steeled myself and went out for a small ride in the hope of riding every day of the month.  Setting my targets lower than low to avoid underachievement disappointment I rode six whole km that day.  Apart from the 15th when I just completely forgot I've ridden every day since.  6k, 10km, 12km, it doesn't matter so long as I do something.
It seems to have worked faster than expected, my arse is hardened again.  I tested it with a 60km ride on Tuesday and was fine for a flat 15km yesterday.  My total for the month has ended up much better than expected.

TLDR: Little & often seems to be the way to regain stage 1 bike fitness.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 30 December, 2021, 06:54:28 pm
I did get out (See here (http://"https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg2686900#msg2686900")) but only for about five miles.
My legs, particularly my thighs, were telling me they're not used to that any more.
The main issue is that, before lockdown, my cycling was pretty well reduced to the commute with a very rare lunchtime pootle.
Take away the commute and the effort involved seemed too much. Running is a far more time efficient way of keeping fit.
Assuming we aren't able to go back into the office in the new year, I don't know when I will be able to get into a cycling routine again.
I really enjoyed this morning, but I am always short of time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 30 December, 2021, 07:20:05 pm
I drilled 469 holes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centered_hexagonal_number) in the plywood ceiling of my van to match the new air vent installed above. Although I think I need to go up to 1261 (https://oeis.org/A003215) to match the diameter.

Using a dremel with a wobbly snake extension and a 3d printed template it was surprising quick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 January, 2022, 03:46:07 pm
Build it, and they will come...

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792097923_7cfc72be9c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mUG3iz)2022-01-01_03-18-34 (https://flic.kr/p/2mUG3iz) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791983991_bdb1b83ddf.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mUFsre)2022-01-01_03-20-38 (https://flic.kr/p/2mUFsre) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That drill driver Pingu gave me for chrimbo came in handy there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 January, 2022, 04:17:27 pm
Regreased two pairs of M737 pedals, the ur-SPD.

These have no lip seals, so need a total grease fill to exclude water.  Top tip: if you have a neglected pair where the bearings are rusted out, cannibalise a pair of A525 single-sided road pedals for replacement axle units.  A525 pedals are unwanted and hence cheap, plus they won't have been dunked in muddy water.  The axle unit is the same part as for the M737 (which is becoming collectable and pricey).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 January, 2022, 04:25:48 pm
Fitted some new-to-her Powertap dual pedals to HK’s Kinesis. She managed to slice up an O-ring while changing a battery, so pinched the O-ring from her existing Powertap single-sided pedals. That battery cap was already pretty rounded out (also purchased SH), so a new pair of battery caps have been ordered.

Finally pulled apart a worn-out wheel to temporarily use the spokes and rim to allow me to disassemble a mostly clapped-out Shimano freehub body on a reasonable hub. Disassembled an Ultegra freehub with a wornout race to see if I could swap in the race but it turns out that the race thicknesses were different, so I could not resurrect a working freehub body. All in the bin now - rim, hub, spokes and both freehub bodies. Time to return the borrowed tool and build up a new rear wheel so that I can get my GT LTS-1 working again.

Swapped out the old Ixon-IQ headlight on my Moulton for a slightly newer Ixon Core and spent some time fiddling with the Ixon spring mechanism. The Ixon will probably end up on my trike, which doesn’t have dyno lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 01 January, 2022, 08:25:09 pm
The rear brake on one of my bikes wasn't moving away very well on one side, took off and cleaned up and much better

Couldn't get it to work at a decent power though. Absolutely loads of travel in the lever despite pads being evenly spaced and not far off rims.

Did then notice a big kink in the cable which was pulling straight under braking so will be popping to LBS for new cable tomorrow and probably some new pads as the roads are minging so even with cleaning going through pads
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 January, 2022, 07:26:41 pm
Reinstalled Windows and a metric fuckton of programs on the big box in the Estate Office.  Even managed to find various settings, plug-ins, bits and, indeed, bobs on the most recent backup :thumbsup:  No BSsOD yet either.  w00t!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 03 January, 2022, 07:27:45 pm
Fixed a Velux blind. Very satisfying. The internal spring had wound off (no idea how) the end screw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 03 January, 2022, 08:26:08 pm
(C*r stuff follows) Ickle Car having laid mostly idle since early October (and now with a buyer interested), the brake discs were getting crusty, so in an uncommon burst of energy I had the jack and angle grinder out to wire brush the things clean, and then even got the ramps out to fit a fibreglass engine undertray in place of the soggy horrid oil soaked felt thing I have wrestled with at every oil change since 2006. The old tray fell with a soft splat on the drive, then slumped into the bottom of the bin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 03 January, 2022, 10:39:25 pm
Surely there's an equivalent of an Italian tune-up/dealer's de-coke for fettling the brakes - wouldn't that have been easier?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 04 January, 2022, 07:12:29 am
Yesterday:
Successfully replaced the short cage-plates on a Campag Centaur rear derailleur with long
cage-plates from a clapped-out Campag rear mech. During the process, the "C" retaining clip
from the faulty derailleur went "twang", and launched itself, never to be found again.

No worries, and I still have a couple of spare medium sized rear derailleurs as spares.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 January, 2022, 11:09:02 am
Quote from: jsabine on 03 January, 2022, 10:39:25 pm
Surely there's an equivalent of an Italian tune-up/dealer's de-coke for fettling the brakes - wouldn't that have been easier?
I had to do that on an Enterprise rented Polo that arrived with no oil visible on the dipstick, a filthy exterior and interior, and brakes that were rust-pitted and barely stopped the car.

After a thrash to Northampton and back (lots of braking from 70mph for roundabouts on the A43), they were almost back to normal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 04 January, 2022, 09:13:48 pm
Quote from: jsabine on 03 January, 2022, 10:39:25 pm
Surely there's an equivalent of an Italian tune-up/dealer's de-coke for fettling the brakes - wouldn't that have been easier?

Know what you mean, done such before, but these would have taken forever (only 9kw engine) and probably seen off the tiny disc pads.
I put a mechanic's helper thing on the throttle and zap the disc as it rotates. Works really well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 04 January, 2022, 09:22:23 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 04 January, 2022, 11:09:02 am
I had to do that on an Enterprise rented Polo that arrived with no oil visible on the dipstick, a filthy exterior and interior, and brakes that were rust-pitted and barely stopped the car.
After a thrash to Northampton and back (lots of braking from 70mph for roundabouts on the A43), they were almost back to normal.

Hired a Nissan Urvan once. Brand new, very nice I thought. With not enough fuel in to reach the pumps about 10 yards away  >:(
Bugger this, I thought, not killing my back (which was a bit fragile at the time) pushing this on my own, and happily cranked it over to the fuel in gear on the starter motor.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 January, 2022, 11:54:31 pm
Is “a mechanic's helper” what the rest of us call “a brick”?

See also: South African Cruise Control.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 January, 2022, 11:56:14 pm
My dad used to keep an Epson ribbon (wide carriage) in the passenger footwell of the Tank[1] for the purpose.


[1] Not to be confused with the tank, which was where the leaded petril went.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 05 January, 2022, 01:04:34 am
Or a strip of Velcro.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 06 January, 2022, 07:58:05 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 04 January, 2022, 11:54:31 pm
Is “a mechanic's helper” what the rest of us call “a brick”?

See also: South African Cruise Control.

Have used a few variants  ;D but no, it's what I call the metal rod thing which extends via a trigger similar to a sealant "gun". It hooks onto the steering wheel and pushes down whatever floor pedal required. Slightly more finesse than the ol' brick trick.
Also useful as an adjustable propper-upper for stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 06 January, 2022, 10:36:20 pm
Shower unit (aqualisa digital processor) seams to leak and drip
much fettling over he last few months
replaced seals, the drip stops but the leak seems to get worse.
fecked around trying to get the pipes to sit in properly
fecked around too much and released the hot pipe from it's push fit fitting while under pressure
cue quick exit through the water spray and down the attic hatch via the boiler master switch to the stop cock
cue water pissing through light fitting
result whats app message that basically said DDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HHHHHHEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP

I will check to see if the towel under the pipes is getting wetterer at somepoint this evening, I will then leave the fecker alone other than to keep swapping the scabby towels. At somepoint I'll get a plumberer to sort it
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 January, 2022, 03:17:17 pm
Unfettled the Christmas tree lights (been turned off since 12th night) and then the tree itself out the front door, ready for collection by the Scouts tomorrow. Which will be wet so, since I’ve already locked the shed up, the front of house lights will be taken down Sunday. The tree wasn’t cheap, but it shed no more than a few dozen needles during the robust manoeuvring, and saved an age in tidying up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 07 January, 2022, 03:21:21 pm
It appears the shower is still putting water where it shouldn't, I fettled the pipes to off after my shower this morning where they will for now remain between showers in the hope that once the attic has managed to dry out I might see where the water comes from.

I can but hope, a new box is lmosf as expensive as getting a new shower of the cheaper sort fitted.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 07 January, 2022, 03:35:57 pm
Monday (I think) purchased new bolts for the mudguards. The ones that have an eyelet and nut.....

Like the spares I bought from Halfords last year these didn't fit either, too small a hole

Drilled out the holes to 3.5mm as this seemed to be the suggested size I found, still didn't quite fit so have just enlarged the hole and will try again tonight
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 January, 2022, 03:38:45 pm
Picked over a dozen bits of quartz out of my front tyre, which is beginning to look a bit raddled though there's still a good millimetre in the telltales. Back one had none.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 January, 2022, 11:39:14 am
I laced up a new rear wheel for the TSR.  Not much different to the one slope sold me (rim now getting very concave), still 32h Sun CR18 but with an 11 speed hub and alloy nipples, which I've kind of moved over to now*.  I also interlace x2 spokes, largely because it evens out the spoke lengths.

*if you lubricate them well before building, use a 4-sided spoke key and ensure the spokes are the right length, they are trouble-free.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 08 January, 2022, 06:00:27 pm
installed new power meter stages left side
installed dynamo wheel, sorted wiring and installed the new Igaro d2 which has been in the drawer for a while
changed the rear thru-axle for the Tailfin specific one and installed the Tailfin mount

changed tyre and new sealant lightweight bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 08 January, 2022, 06:13:18 pm
Changed a Durano Plus London (Could see the blue puncture protection under the tread in few
places. Not much, but enough to make me think; "just change them, you've got loads of spares
in the shed") for another (very slightly) used Durano Plus on the front wheel of my Spa Audax
(that's doing the bulk of my winter riding).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 January, 2022, 07:00:31 pm
Replaced the two filters in the hoover. May sound simple but the retaining clip for one of them broke so I bodged one from a bladed spoke months/years ago. But that entails having to carve out two bits of plastic from the filter. I'd forgotten that bit so spent a mildly irritating 10 minutes trying to work out why the clip wouldn't snap into place.

Also de-haired two of the roller brushes.

Hoover actually works now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 January, 2022, 07:28:26 pm
Fitted a new Campagnolo cassette to HK's Moulton's spare rear wheel. All it needs is a QR to be ready for duty.

Replaced the broken hook on a friend's Smart rear light.

Swapped out the Smart rear light on HK's Moulton's rack for a Axa Juno-BA, which looks quite nice. Reflector + 2 x AAA and an auto-off function. Hopefully the lack of an auto-on function means that the batteries aren't prematurely drained.
https://www.axasecurity.com/bike-security/en-gb/products/Lights/7/93929695SC/axa-juno-battery-auto-off-50-mm

Condemned a Cateye Opticube headlight that was coming apart at the seams and sorted out the internals of the Ixon-IQ and put it on my trike, replacing a pretty useless Smart headlight.

Charged up a new spare eTap battery. Have they changed the casing size? It was a very tight fit into the eTap charger and needed to put on a rubber glove to get enough traction to remove it, despite triple checking the latch was disengaged.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 08 January, 2022, 10:01:58 pm
Dug out the turbo and set up the summer soot bike on it. Bought a months subscription to FulGaz in the hope it’s improved in the last year. Checked out the connections between turbo and FulGaz, all good so far. Will try a first ride tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 08 January, 2022, 11:42:58 pm
Stamps
I bought a few job lots of stamps in summer last year they have sat on my coffee table waiting attention since.
With nothing else to di I've finally got all the European ones except for Greece into an album, I need to buy another album for the rest of the world and Greece.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 09 January, 2022, 11:28:11 am
Attempted to mount some guitars on the wall. Failed, because my stud finder lies. >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 January, 2022, 02:09:16 pm
Trimmed the excess material from a new eTap battery.

Failed to replace the mudguard battery taillight on HK’s Kinesis. The fixing bolt is rusted solid but it still works OK-ish so new batteries was all.

Replaced the wornout front disc on the Kinesis with another Ice-Tech 160mm. Still a spare disc in the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 January, 2022, 02:53:22 pm
Scrubbed the top of my old Topeak HB bag with a soapy nailbrush.  Will re-proof it once dry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 09 January, 2022, 04:43:06 pm
used double sided tape to hold wire in place then warmed the helicopter tape to the point of being very soft before applying to the fork.  not perfect but pretty good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 09 January, 2022, 06:59:47 pm
Fixed down with number plate double sided tape the charging base for our robot hoover in place as it kept moving

Done lots of filing in spare room. Pre painting

Fitted a new brake cable on my thorn, soldered the end of the cable as run out of the ends and cleaned the encrusted mud from the underside of the mudguard which I could hear rubbing

Then fixed my daughters book mark which is like cheap necklaces with a thin wire ring that keeps pulling open
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 January, 2022, 02:44:29 pm
Struck down the … bang … errant hinge-pin … thump … on the kitchen … spang … door using a … crash … a hammer and chopstick.  Next project: getting a chopstick out of the gap ‘twixt door and frame ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 January, 2022, 05:42:01 pm
My lube tube ;D

The little tube for my can of Pedro's keeps blocking. Decided to ream it out with a bit of wire, surprisingly even 1mm bonsai wire was too big, so ended up stripping a single wire out of a bit of flex I had hanging around
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 January, 2022, 04:57:48 pm
Now the wheel is built, I greased and adjusted the new 11-speed hub.  Shimano don't even use enough grease to stick the balls in place and it was too tight by far.

The dish on 11 speed is appalling.  Ok on a 20" wheel, which this is (I stood on the rim sideways, both sides, and it didn't go out of true), but a 700c must be really weak.  Spoke tensions are - ahem - 174kgf right and only 78kgf left, which is just about enough to keep them tight.  In an ideal world, I'd use DT Revs on the left to give more resilience, but p/g is all you get in the required size.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 14 January, 2022, 10:36:05 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/7GDCjsb.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 15 January, 2022, 08:18:40 am
Quote from: Ashaman42 on 14 January, 2022, 10:36:05 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/7GDCjsb.jpg)

You've remnded me that I bought a mini CNC machine last year and have yet to use it play with it - but I have used the electric branding iron and custom brass stamp to mark some of the wooden items I've been making to sell (either "products" or bespoke commisions)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 15 January, 2022, 08:53:04 am
I'm ever more considering getting one myself.

Though I'm spoiled with access to the work machine (that I'm learning to use almost entirely via YouTube and Google - I've only had one big crash!!)

It can take a sheet size of something like 1m x 0.8m.

But something I can fiddle with at home would be ace.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 15 January, 2022, 10:44:40 am
I've used the work CNC router for a number of projects, but haven't done the YACF logo on it. I did laser 'brand' it onto leather for a leather saddlebag, mudflaps and a hip-flask, which can be seen on the 'Wobbly Workshop' thread.

Work bought a newer CNC machine, but it is not as useable as the old one, which they gave away to another school.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 January, 2022, 03:50:48 pm
Trial fitted some red Restrap diagonal toe straps to an ancient pair of Raleigh 717 rat-traps.  All good, just need a few big M4 washers as they are designed for reflector holes on BMX pedals rather than rat-traps.  The cutouts on the 717 cages are, however, in just the right place.

These are for the (very slow) "proper" Moulton M4 resto, which really can't have SPDs.  It should have a Phillips pedal very similar to the 717, but I can't find any in halfway usable condition.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 January, 2022, 05:35:27 pm
Fettled the wonky leg of the wheelbarrow so that it didn't keep falling over. \o/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 January, 2022, 07:00:24 pm
Ceramics, epoxy resin, PVC, solder, heat-shrink.
It has been a multi-media kinda day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 16 January, 2022, 07:27:56 am
Not today, but yesterday. Washed bike, new chain, cleaned and regreased headset with excellent Morgan Blue Aquapaste.

Had issue with di2 rear mech not shifting properly mid-cassette. Noticed that jockey arm was not moving properly fore and aft and was sticking. Removed it and thoroughly cleaned and regreased the plate axle assembly. Noticed some pitting on axle so probably need to get a service kit soon. (about £13).  Doing this seems to have resolved problem.

Bartape on fixie was looking pretty shit so retaped. One side back, one side crazy NOS 1990s style tape I got for a quid. I think it looks pretty cool.

(https://i.ibb.co/FHgSYKz/20220115-175503.jpg)



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 January, 2022, 10:12:28 am
Dashing away with a soldering iron I stole nobody's heart away, nor yet did I achieve anything else. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 January, 2022, 05:57:29 pm
Washed my trike, my fixed and my Moulton.

Replaced the wornout front Pasela on my trike with a part-worn Pasela from the garage pile. Tweaked the cable slot on the Shimano 600 cantilever brake to make it easy to pop out the over-thick braided straddle cable.

Flintmined the Moulton’s tyres and swapped them front and back. Conti Contact Speed 406 are as tight a fit as any tyre I can remember, despite being on the wheels for a long time with a thin rim tape on one wheel and Veloplugs on the other. RIP one plastic tyre lever. I might try the Contact Urban next time but I won’t get these again.

The chain on the Moulton has gone past 0.75%, which is disappointing. I have been commuting on it while my fixed is off the road but not for very many months. The KMC 11EL is supposed to be reasonably durable but seems a bit shit to me. The pivots on the rear Red eTap mech are feeling sloppier than I like. Time to keep this bike ‘for best’, otherwise I will be grinding unobtanium parts into oblivion. Fitted a new Miche cassette. The 114 link KMC chains in the stockpile are too short for my Moulton, so a new chain ordered.

Swapped out the buckled dynowheel on my fixed for my Frezoni’s dynowheel. Revived the battery taillight and adjusted both cantilever brakes. It will need some new front pads in a while. Found a used Deda drop bar in the garage parts pile and some cheap handlebar tape to swap out the bent handlebars tomorrow evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 16 January, 2022, 08:16:12 pm
Had a quick go stripping the dodgy paint from my new disc fork prior to painting. The brass brushes I'd got seems like they were being a bit vigourous so I'll swithc to sanding I think.

Reset the spacers to get the motor wheel back on the current fork on the folder.

And thought the brake was sticking but I think it was the pad catching on the rim so I stuck new pads on (after I'd removed the brake and fiddled with springs and cables). Quick test ride up and down the road and it seems ok now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 January, 2022, 11:11:58 am
Swapped out the silver 2 bolt stem on HK’s Moulton for a silver 4 bolt Velo Orange stem to allow an adjustable angle out front computer/ camera mount to be fitted. The GPS is above the mount and Ayup lights will be underneath, with the aid of a 3D-printed adaptor to the camera mount.

Fitted a fixed angle out front computer/ camera mount to HK’s winter trike. Eventually her winter trike, Moulton and Roberts will be able to interchange the same GPS and headlight, once another couple of mounts are acquired.

Laced a Kinlin ADHN rim from the garage stockpile onto the hub and spokes of my recently bent rear wheel of my fixed. Replaced the bent ITM drop bar (from the driver before Christmas) with an unbent SH Deda from the parts pile and wrapped it with new cheap black tape. Adjusted the rear brake to accommodate the wider rim and finally put in an inline cable adjuster (after many years of wanting to get round to it).

I need to free up the frozen seatpost and powdercoat the fixed’s frame sometime soon. The surface rust is getting more widespread and possibly not just surface any more. I need to replace the buckled rim on my fixed's dynowheel and will soon need to replace the nearly wornout rim on my Frezoni's dynowheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 January, 2022, 04:36:34 pm
Out of disorder, comes order.
Got my drill driver and jigsaw out and organised the woman shed  :smug:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836148863_bbc3bb2a72.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzP7x)IMG_4941 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzP7x) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836149038_ed74c7cabd.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPay)IMG_4942 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPay) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836149208_c8a0635131.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPdu)IMG_4943 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPdu) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Joak shed poster
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836425624_74883bf37a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYBeoh)2022-01-22_04-10-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYBeoh) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 22 January, 2022, 05:24:52 pm
Good to be able to put away all that junk that might interfere with an opportunity for a bike ride...   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 January, 2022, 05:27:10 pm
In a different building, to make extra sure  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 22 January, 2022, 05:38:38 pm
Now lock it, and throw away the key.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 22 January, 2022, 05:57:16 pm
But how to get more gubbins in there where the key is gone?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 January, 2022, 06:02:01 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 22 January, 2022, 05:38:38 pm
Now lock it, and throw away the key.

Aw, not even for a rotorvator?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 January, 2022, 06:03:46 pm
Need the key to feed the worm composter anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 January, 2022, 07:04:13 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 January, 2022, 04:36:34 pm
Out of disorder, comes order.
Got my drill driver and jigsaw out and organised the woman shed  :smug:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836148863_bbc3bb2a72.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzP7x)IMG_4941 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzP7x) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836149038_ed74c7cabd.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPay)IMG_4942 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPay) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836149208_c8a0635131.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPdu)IMG_4943 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYzPdu) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Joak shed poster
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836425624_74883bf37a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYBeoh)2022-01-22_04-10-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYBeoh) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Looks good - but before going any further I'd line the interior with some 11mm OSB to strenghten it all - and if you're of a mind slip some insulation in while you're at it.  I did that to the new shed we had at our previous house and it made a real difference.  Lining is on my list to do for the existing shed we have at the current house (although removing the contents to do it will be a challenge)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 January, 2022, 08:43:16 pm
I sent an FW hub (in a Moulton wheel, so easily postable) off for repair, which grated a bit as I knew what was wrong and it's a hub I rebuilt myself, but the few people left with spares won't sell them for DIY.  Basically, it needed a new compensating spring as the one in the hub was tired (it had probably been parked in low gear for decades).

I fitted it back on the bike and it doesn't seem to slip under load in in 2nd any more, which was the issue.  It needs a good test up some hills.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 22 January, 2022, 09:20:02 pm
Popped 35mm Schwabe Supreme tyres on the Elan for winter. Practiced the patented 'no tyre lever' method - and still have working thumbs.

I must find a more flush nut for the rear mudguard seatstay crank bridge mount - the wheel comes forward out of the drops, and fouls on the current allen bolt - which stands too proud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 January, 2022, 03:10:08 pm
Replaced the excessively worn Etrex mount formerly on my fixed with an unused mount from the garage stockpile. It turns out that the old clip is actually fine but the back of my eTrex 30 is worn. I might need to swap the battery cover with another eTrex but they don’t seem to be available as a spare part.

Refitted the (shortened) rear mudflap that had been torn off off by a car before Christmas. The fixed is rideable again now but I still need to replace the buckled front rim so the borrowed dynowheel can go back on my Frezoni.

Failed to fit a new chain to my Moulton as the combination of big chainring, big cassette and long chainstays meant I needed a 118 link 11sp chain and I only had 114 and 116 link 11sp chains in the garage stock. They will eventually be used up on HK’s Kinesis which has a small big ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 23 January, 2022, 04:47:05 pm
Quote from: trundle on 22 January, 2022, 09:20:02 pm
I must find a more flush nut for the rear mudguard seatstay crank bridge mount - the wheel comes forward out of the drops, and fouls on the current allen bolt - which stands too proud.

I use a zip-tie in that place. Low-profile, rustproof, and unobtrusive. The small ones last for years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 January, 2022, 08:46:41 pm
Scrubbed the cement dust off the scaffold plank. It cleaned up quite quickly, but it's going to be quite distressed looking.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 25 January, 2022, 11:58:55 pm
The balance of the Universe is restored.

The stylus on my turntable was damaged by small children in the distant past.  This caused it to skate on records, and generally not work very well.
I have had it refurbished at a cost of £400; I was offered a boron cantilever upgrade for £600, but I declined that offer!

Refurbishing a moving coil cartridge is craftmanship at it's finest, and I doubt there are many people now who could to this.
Kudos to David Griffin at Goldring: https://www.goldring.co.uk/goldring-cartridge-repair.

It sounds like I remember it.
This copy of Dark Side is brand new, re-mastered and pressed on heavyweight vinyl; a Christmas present to celebrate the renewal of proper vinyl playback here at Feanor Towers.
Dropping the stylus onto the run-in groove and listening to it burst into life put a proper little tingle through me 🙂
The short video is on bookface, sorry!
https://www.facebook.com/100003815150503/videos/pcb.2484940674976413/471635574368739

Time to unleash the 600W of the 6-channel power amps!

Refurbished cartridge ready to install:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51843183066_e1a65d89be_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mZcS8U)
Asaka refurb (https://flic.kr/p/2mZcS8U) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Aligning the cartridge using a protractor:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51842245892_b68a3f2e4d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mZ84xJ)
Asaka refurb (https://flic.kr/p/2mZ84xJ) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Checking the tracking force with milligram scales. I was surprised how accurate the markings on the tonearm dial are. It's set to 1.6g, and is pretty much bang on.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51843545424_3ffb792dfa_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mZeHRs)
Asaka refurb (https://flic.kr/p/2mZeHRs) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 26 January, 2022, 08:43:42 am
Well I've listened to the video on facebook and it doesn't sound very special to me, I can't see why you bothered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 January, 2022, 08:55:40 am
Quote from: Ham on 26 January, 2022, 08:43:42 am
Well I've listened to the video on facebook and it doesn't sound very special to me, I can't see why you bothered.

 :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 27 January, 2022, 11:06:13 pm
Discovered why the saddle on the town bike wont stay flat...the seat clamp has worn smooth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 January, 2022, 10:16:51 am
Quote from: Ham on 26 January, 2022, 08:43:42 am
Well I've listened to the video on facebook and it doesn't sound very special to me, I can't see why you bothered.

Well you are just listening to a video...  Not that I'd hear the difference these days, with tinnitus that sounds like a combination of water running through pipes and the flyback transformer in a CRT display.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 January, 2022, 12:51:22 pm
Built up a new tubeless 406 front wheel for HK’s Moulton, Fratelli rim, Miche hub and 1-cross Sapim DB spokes. Fitted the other Schwalbe Pro One 406 tubeless tyre and it all seems to work properly, after some swearing.

Fitted a new SRAM 1170 chain to my Moulton. The rear derailleur battery was dead (for no obvious reason) and the rear derailleur no longer shifts even when a new battery was fitted. Paired the derailleurs and shifters multiple times but still no dice. Time for some internet sleuthing.

Fitted a 3D-printed adaptor to the out-front computer/ camera bracket on HK’s winter trike to let her run Ayup battery lights as a supplement to the dynolight.

I have dropped the chain on my fixed several times recently when I wouldn’t have expected to. It looks like the rear triangle is a few millimetres out of track towards the driveside. No wonder the rebuilt rear wheel needed a rear brake adjustment. Now to find somebody nearby with a hefty vice and a scaffold pole to let me bend the rear triangle straight again.

Checked the wear on my Frezoni’s dyno wheel (temporarily on my fixed, pending some spokes to rebuild the fixed’s dyno wheel) but despite the wear indicator grooves suggesting it is virtually worn out, there seems to be a fair bit of meat left. Tyre remounted for a while yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 29 January, 2022, 02:30:12 pm
I bled the radiators. Not all just the usual suspects.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 January, 2022, 03:43:36 pm
Finally got my doorbell hook-up working - solenoid current => rectifier => relay => bell-push.  We now have the old ding-dong in the hall and one in each of the four main rooms, with one on max volume right under MrsT's desk.  Every time we tested it the parrot said "bonjour".

Maybe we won't miss so many deliveries now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 January, 2022, 05:49:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 January, 2022, 03:43:36 pm
Finally got my doorbell hook-up working - solenoid current => rectifier => relay => bell-push.  We now have the old ding-dong in the hall and one in each of the four main rooms, with one on max volume right under MrsT's desk.  Every time we tested it the parrot said "bonjour".

Maybe we won't miss so many deliveries now.

*laughs in Hermes*

They'll knock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 29 January, 2022, 08:30:37 pm
Attacked the badly organised pile of spares, itemised them, and tidied them up with some spare Ikea storage drawers.

That will stop me ordering stuff I already have!

Ordered a spare 11-36 10sp cassette from Decathlon as I don't have any of those spare for the Elan.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 29 January, 2022, 08:38:46 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 23 January, 2022, 04:47:05 pm
Quote from: trundle on 22 January, 2022, 09:20:02 pm
I must find a more flush nut for the rear mudguard seatstay crank bridge mount - the wheel comes forward out of the drops, and fouls on the current allen bolt - which stands too proud.

I use a zip-tie in that place. Low-profile, rustproof, and unobtrusive. The small ones last for years.

That's a nifty hack  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 29 January, 2022, 08:54:49 pm
An event on my calendar today was to wash the shower curtain. I remember the last time I noticed that the curtains in Tesco were silly cheap, so I just bought a new one. Will see how much they are next time I go in. I also gave the stop-tap its regular turn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 29 January, 2022, 11:32:39 pm
Yesterday I got the door entry system at my daughter's flat working. The doorbell bit had worked before, as had the remote door release, and the caller could hear what she said into the phone, but she couldn't hear what the caller said. They are new flats, and the system has never fully worked.

The idiot qualified electrician who had put it in had:-
Numbered the cables from the flats 7,8 and 10 when the flats are 8, 9 and 10. Not labelled the other three cables.
Used 32 A, 6mm2 Wago connector on the really fine wire, and put all 4 wires into one side of a 2-way connector.
Twisted the wires tightly in the Wago connectors making separating them for fault-finding impossible
Left the transformer just shoved into the little box with all the connections, not screwed down
Ignored the cable grips on the transformer.
Had such a short wire from the transformer that the weight of the transformer was hanging from the signal connections when fault-finding
Only stripped about 2 - 3 cm of sheathing from each cable, so that it was difficult to separate and trace the wires, especially with transformer hanging from the wires.

A previous attempt at repair by another idiot qualified electrician had consisted of blindly replacing the telephone unit in my daughter's flat, to no avail.

The Wago connectors that I had available were still somewhat oversized. I sacrificed an ethernet cable to get wires to extend the transformer's low voltage side so that it could hang on its mains lead when fault finding, without pulling on the low-voltage cables. I just cut all the connections and started again. That was much easier with all the cables correctly labelled. I also put letters on the Wago connectors that corresponded to the letters on the speaker/microphone and on the telephones in the flats.

The circuit diagram was available online, and with that drawn out and cable colours written on it, it didn't take too long.

And having done so, a caller speaking could still not be heard upstairs.  >:(

A bit more investigation found that the preset volume control on the speaker/microphone had been turned down to nothing. I put that near full and it worked fine. I have no idea if my re-wire was actually needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 30 January, 2022, 08:25:41 am
Quote from: Kim on 29 January, 2022, 05:49:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 January, 2022, 03:43:36 pm
Finally got my doorbell hook-up working - solenoid current => rectifier => relay => bell-push.  We now have the old ding-dong in the hall and one in each of the four main rooms, with one on max volume right under MrsT's desk.  Every time we tested it the parrot said "bonjour".

Maybe we won't miss so many deliveries now.

*laughs in Hermes*

They'll knock.

Ah, but only if they turn up, and that's an unusual event

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 January, 2022, 10:53:56 am
Quote from: Kim on 29 January, 2022, 05:49:39 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 January, 2022, 03:43:36 pm
Finally got my doorbell hook-up working - solenoid current => rectifier => relay => bell-push.  We now have the old ding-dong in the hall and one in each of the four main rooms, with one on max volume right under MrsT's desk.  Every time we tested it the parrot said "bonjour".

Maybe we won't miss so many deliveries now.

*laughs in Hermes*

They'll knock.

Ah, but our door-knocker is a Device of Thunderous Power that reverberates throughout the house.  We know this because one of our Leonbergs used to brace her bum against the door and scratch at its resonant frequency at around 3 am a couple of times a week.

However, the gate's locked so the delivery-wallahs can't get to the door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 30 January, 2022, 11:08:44 am
A bigger SSD in this laptop, the better to store FulGaz rides locally. And finally some garlics into the garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 30 January, 2022, 04:03:39 pm
A cold frame from an old conservatory roof.

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAokVdpnW5JNtnGkj195t1yTEMGnMI2sAvTHNYnLHPsZo3r2GKwskIucEuN3nm1bG1X8iDf-VhgVIgW6USaFOGmScXu9eArV9CMOw0uRVWFquBAX_fIu3XQY8YNjwi07KOU_W63qsZLpWpXL5jadXVdsR8RDRAcRTAK1-Jl_9YACpY4l8kVa9qd3uI=s1280)


(cf "I carried this on my bike" for the transportation)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 January, 2022, 04:42:55 pm
I've been threatening to do that since MrsT's greenhouse went for a spin some years back. All the bits are stacked in a tangle at one end of the barn.


Meanwhile, I have fettled nowt today except saltimbocca for lunch.  MrsT fettled some nomissimo butternut squash to go with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 31 January, 2022, 09:21:38 am
Changed the fixie cog recently and switched to Miche which uses a screw on ring that the Miche specific cog slots onto. Noisy transmission for a week but remembering the advice on here from some time ago I found I had 2 x thin spacers that altered the chainline in a positive way. No rattling or creaking this am.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 31 January, 2022, 03:32:39 pm
Fettled new Shiny phone into a state of workingness :thumbsup:

Bluetooth, how do I hate thee?  Let me count the ways…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 01 February, 2022, 07:43:03 pm
I have un-fettled the fallen tree-house tree.
I now have chainsaw chippings everywhere. And I mean *everywhere*.  I have no idea how that's possible.

Right, you lot! Let's get some work done!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51856675896_7a492b6485_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n1p25U)
Tree clearing (https://flic.kr/p/2n1p25U) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

This is about half of the ivy I've had to cut back to reach the actual tree.
The SI unit for this is the Metric Fucktonne.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51857332090_358119aa55_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n1so9A)
Tree clearing (https://flic.kr/p/2n1so9A) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

Right, that's the tree dealt with, and unlike the tree, I still have all my limbs. Next up is the remains of the treehouse. That can wait for another day.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51857005064_6cf4556a62_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n1qGWd)
Tree clearing (https://flic.kr/p/2n1qGWd) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 February, 2022, 09:21:02 pm
You've got a nice proto compost heap retaining box there...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 February, 2022, 01:55:10 pm
...with dreaming sbires worthy of Oxford.


Meanwhile, I have sharpened all the half-decent kitchen knives we possess.

When I was a kid my mum had an old carbon-steel table-knife she used for vegetables. She used to warn me never to touch it, but years later she remarked to MrsT that every time my father sharpened it she would wait until he was elsewhere then nip out and blunt it again on the back doorstep, because she was scared stiff of it otherwise.

Families...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 February, 2022, 01:56:16 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 01 February, 2022, 07:43:03 pm
I now have chainsaw chippings everywhere. And I mean *everywhere*.  I have no idea how that's possible.

Nature's fibreglass...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 February, 2022, 02:03:35 pm
You can use them as epoxy filler, too. Fibres might not be long enough though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 02 February, 2022, 04:31:06 pm
Got the road salt off the Elan, and fitted button hex bolts to the rear mudguards: The rear wheel now comes out without the help of houdini.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 02 February, 2022, 04:43:02 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 February, 2022, 01:55:10 pm
...with dreaming sbires worthy of Oxford.

They are Spikes, Heads, for the putting on.

In the Great Storm, the heads seem to have rolled away, presumably eaten by the feral population of Haggi I have here. They are not the cuddly vegetarians some might have you believe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JennyB on 03 February, 2022, 04:25:25 pm
My longtail cargo ebike has chewed up its third derailleur and borked the back wheel in the process, so I've converted it to single-speed. Wheel position was not adjustable and between chain lengths, but I fixed that with a phantom chainring from the bits box.


I was thinking of getting a Nexus hub gear but maybe I won't bother because 66" gets me as fast as I want to pedal it and also up my regular hills.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 February, 2022, 04:48:54 pm
Today I are mostly NOT fettling table lamps >:(  Though I did discover that there is an oddball mains socket with a teeny-weeny plug and three round pins which:
in Fort Larrington's Captain Scott Memorial Bedroom ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 February, 2022, 05:51:13 pm
It's standard practice to use 5A BS546 sockets for plug-innable lamps on lighting circuits.  Stops things that aren't plug-innable lamps getting plugged in and overloading them.

The 15A version gets used in theatres so that you don't have to send someone up a wobbly ladder in the dark to change the fuse (which is provided somewhere sensible upstream of the socket, usually in a dimmer rack).

Modern BS546 connectors have all the usual safety features (shrouded pins, shuttered sockets) of BS1363, apart from the fuse, and are therefore Mostly Harmless.  Vintage ones that pre-date safety and will crumble if you look at them sternly not so much...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 03 February, 2022, 05:52:39 pm
Does unsuccessful fettling count?

I'm 3-4 days in to chasing electrical faults in my car, this has involved googling, a new battery, checking earthing points, cleaning corroded circuit boards, hope, removing wheels to get at electronic mystery boxes*, and generally looking at things sternly.

As yet nothing, I may require a professional to look at it very sternly indeed.

*Even when Ford didn't want me to get at them, making it quiet clear with their choice of fasteners, power tools were required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: woollypigs on 03 February, 2022, 06:07:12 pm
Sounds like you need a bigger hammer ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 03 February, 2022, 06:48:41 pm
Quote from: woollypigs on 03 February, 2022, 06:07:12 pm
Sounds like you need a bigger hammer ;)

As this is electrical is requires a very small delicate hammer, just so the gods of the garage are appeased.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 February, 2022, 08:05:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 February, 2022, 05:51:13 pm
It's standard practice to use 5A BS546 sockets for plug-innable lamps on lighting circuits.  Stops things that aren't plug-innable lamps getting plugged in and overloading them.

Ah!  Cunning.  Though I'm sure the lamp in question used to be in Professor Larrington's room which, if it has such a socket at all, keeps it well hidden.  There is a non-switched one above the mantelpiece in the Officers' Mess, though, which used to have a clock plugged into it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 February, 2022, 08:11:55 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 February, 2022, 08:05:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 03 February, 2022, 05:51:13 pm
It's standard practice to use 5A BS546 sockets for plug-innable lamps on lighting circuits.  Stops things that aren't plug-innable lamps getting plugged in and overloading them.

Ah!  Cunning.  Though I'm sure the lamp in question used to be in Professor Larrington's room which, if it has such a socket at all, keeps it well hidden.  There is a non-switched one above the mantelpiece in the Officers' Mess, though, which used to have a clock plugged into it.

There's a special non-sticky-outy 2A connector (with retaining screw, to prevent accidental unpluggings) for clocks on the mantelpiece, which is probably the most BRITISH thing ever:

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/UK_Clock_Connector_3_pin_Open.JPG/800px-UK_Clock_Connector_3_pin_Open.JPG) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets:_British_and_related_types)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 February, 2022, 09:06:10 pm
Some time ago I posted some musings about how to fix the plumber induced dish in my draining board. I've finally got my arse in gear and attempted fix #1.

This involved bits of steel, planed 2 x1, screws and mild Bad Swears to end up with a wooden strap spanning the void beneath the draining board. Insert a suitable quantity of 1p pieces,to act as shims, between the top of the timber strap and the underside of the draining board to push it back towards the undished state. Used an almost long enough spirit level on the topside to gauge how many shims were needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 03 February, 2022, 09:20:03 pm
Did it work ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 February, 2022, 10:18:34 pm
(Doffs virtual hat in admiration of Teh Kim's knowledge of obscure anbarickal hardware)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 February, 2022, 10:58:50 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 February, 2022, 10:18:34 pm
(Doffs virtual hat in admiration of Teh Kim's knowledge of obscure anbarickal hardware)

My gran had a clock plugged into one on the mantelpiece.  And a clockjbex clock not plugged into one on the other mantelpiece.  "Oh, that's clever," thought I, "a special non-sticky-outy clock socket for the clock that people from the time before Ceefax are legally required[1] to have on their mantelpiece."  I later confirmed this hypothesis by checking behind the clock in my other grandparents' house, and finding the exact same receptacle and dubious mains-voltage bell-wire.


[1] It was only much later that I realised the clock was put there to conceal the socket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 February, 2022, 07:13:55 am
We had a plug-in electric wall clock in the 1970s.  After a powercut, it would sometimes run backwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 04 February, 2022, 10:34:20 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 04 February, 2022, 07:13:55 am
We had a plug-in electric wall clock in the 1970s.  After a powercut, it would sometimes run backwards.

And you made a small fortune selling this timekeeper to the Conservative party?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 February, 2022, 12:15:23 pm
shimmed a shimano 10sp cassette to work with 10sp campag shifter and mech; shifts perfectly. (campag cassette top, shimano bottom)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220205/a54ab263eaff26249beb62b141540011.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 February, 2022, 01:11:03 pm
Nice work ZZ.

Trued up my spare rear Moulton wheel after finally sorting out the LH spokes. Fitted a part-worn Minits Lite from the garage pile and snugged up the bearings. It might need new bearings in the freehub body at some point.

Rebuilt my fixed’s  dynowheel with a Kinlin ADJN rim, DB Alpina spokes and Sapim nipples. First time this century that I haven’t used DT or Sapim spokes. Readjusted the front cantilever brake to suit the wider rim.

Fitted a part-worn Conti Supersport from the garage pile to the Frezoni’s dynowheel now that the wheel isn’t needed for the fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 05 February, 2022, 08:50:45 pm
Reconnected the am antenna to my Hifi tuner. I can now listen to Radio 5 live through the Hifi. There's not much room behind and suspect the antenna may have become unconnected when moving something else. It has been unconnected for years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 05 February, 2022, 08:52:29 pm
It's not often you hear the terms 'am' and HiFi in the same sentence....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 February, 2022, 10:40:16 pm
Quote from: campagman on 05 February, 2022, 08:50:45 pm
Reconnected the am antenna to my Hifi tuner. I can now listen to Radio 5 live through the Hifi. There's not much room behind and suspect the antenna may have become unconnected when moving something else. It has been unconnected for years.

Hopes briefly raised when I found a co-ax connector dangling from wires in the Captain Scott Memorial Bedroom here at Fort Larrington.  Could there be an unsuspected and money-saving TV ærial connection in there after all?  Alas further examination by the highly-qualified team of me & Sean The Ærial Guy soon discovered that the other end was connected to naught but fresh air, so I left it to STÆG to drill holes in walls and install cables 'n'shit and relieve Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) of a certain sum of moolah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 06 February, 2022, 07:42:44 am
Quote from: Feanor on 05 February, 2022, 08:52:29 pm
It's not often you hear the terms 'am' and HiFi in the same sentence....
Like DAB and hifi, just a bit older.  I have DAB in the car.  It sounds shite.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2022, 11:52:24 am
Using some Lakeland 'Free & Easy' I made the curtain tracks (spit) go from tuggy to swishy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 06 February, 2022, 12:50:27 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2022, 11:52:24 am
Using some Lakeland 'Free & Easy' I made the curtain tracks (spit) go from tuggy to swishy.
Furniture polish would furnish you (can you see what I did there?) with the same.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 February, 2022, 02:02:41 pm
Our draught-excluding curtain hangs on wooden rings from a wooden pole.  I've been threatening it with polish for the last three months - tugging one-handed is a good way to spill your cuppa.  You might just have spurred me to action.

Then again...

Apart from that, yesterday I charred my vélo charbon with hot water and BFO sponges, removing several pounds of mud.  Also added new PTFE to the wax bath and dunked my spare chain in it for a couple of hours.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 06 February, 2022, 04:26:18 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 06 February, 2022, 12:50:27 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2022, 11:52:24 am
Using some Lakeland 'Free & Easy' I made the curtain tracks (spit) go from tuggy to swishy.
Furniture polish would furnish you (can you see what I did there?) with the same.

It works similarly on kid's plastic slides too...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2022, 05:11:21 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 06 February, 2022, 12:50:27 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2022, 11:52:24 am
Using some Lakeland 'Free & Easy' I made the curtain tracks (spit) go from tuggy to swishy.
Furniture polish would furnish you (can you see what I did there?) with the same.

It would, if I had any, which I don't, preferring to use a damp cloth for such things. I do have bike polish, which probably would have done the same. But I already had the Lakeland stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 February, 2022, 05:31:48 pm
Went through the contents of the Mess Food Cupboard today.  Took five (5) bin bags of time-expired Stuffs to the tip :jurek:  Oldest item – I forget what, mercifully – was dated November 1993 and there was a tin of pears which looked like it might require the services of the Bomb Disposal crowd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 February, 2022, 05:55:37 pm
Spent a couple of hours trying to dismantle and clean out my Moulton’s 11sp eTap rear derailleur. I need to gather some tools to press out a couple of parallelogram pivot pins, which will have to wait for a few days. Wish me luck!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 February, 2022, 08:55:34 am
Quote from: hatler on 03 February, 2022, 09:20:03 pm
Did it work ?
Long term test results are in. Yes. Yes it did. I'll take that as a win.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 07 February, 2022, 09:07:12 am
Huzzah!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 February, 2022, 10:48:21 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2022, 05:11:21 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 06 February, 2022, 12:50:27 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 February, 2022, 11:52:24 am
Using some Lakeland 'Free & Easy' I made the curtain tracks (spit) go from tuggy to swishy.
Furniture polish would furnish you (can you see what I did there?) with the same.

It would, if I had any, which I don't, preferring to use a damp cloth for such things. I do have bike polish, which probably would have done the same. But I already had the Lakeland stuff.

I just did ours with spray beeswax. Whoosh. Nadine* would have been proud of me.

* not that one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Zed43 on 11 February, 2022, 06:50:31 pm
3d-printed a pair of riser blocks for the aerobars (https://www.pro-bikegear.com/nl/triathlon/handlebars/missile-ski-bend-clip-on). My hamstrings are ok with being very low, but neck and shoulders get too tense from looking up all the time. We'll see if 25mm makes a noticeable difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 February, 2022, 11:50:45 am
Blue Peter vibe chez Pingu
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51877483190_e5d3218f1e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n3eEnm)2022-02-12_11-48-20 (https://flic.kr/p/2n3eEnm) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51877160489_782f65b823.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n3d1rx)2022-02-12_11-49-07 (https://flic.kr/p/2n3d1rx) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 12 February, 2022, 01:12:42 pm
When my Nest went u/s this morning, a quick bit of proddery showed 240V in, but no 12V out. Checking back it was still in warranty, and the call to support was astonishingly efficient, with a quick script run through followed by an advance replacement on order. Not wishing to be heatless until such time, I molished a rapid thermostat replacement into being. Now just have to remember to switch on and off as required until the replacement arrives.

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtIJVekHFAzPFqcjo1wWPIsr2GgVPbfUq44J5UzVqviaweC7PyvmEKPk9s2kmYEh-zi76zQPJzhxIaYgJn3x-ddqek_G10LHDz0X3xOgr1WlKTTeUeLgRnBqJoRlZvJi8PTyeHadHK_Sjyd83Q7MOsZxevrOEcUmijxsJY4Y7EhxTfR6r_QSHlc5CB=s1240)

Part of me is now thinking of how to combine an Arduino to achieve a permanent heating temperature regulation device that Mrs Ham can fight with

(http://www.didntknowiwantedthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Useless-Box-.gif)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 February, 2022, 01:17:23 pm
If Big Clive is to be believed, Nests like to release the magic smoke from a diode on their power supply circuit.  Seems to be a design flaw.

That, on the other hand, is a bodge of the highest order.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 February, 2022, 02:12:34 pm
I pruned the climbing rose.  It has rose mosaic virus but this only seems to affect it one year in three.  Very odd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 12 February, 2022, 02:43:31 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 February, 2022, 01:17:23 pm
If Big Clive is to be believed, Nests like to release the magic smoke from a diode on their power supply circuit.  Seems to be a design flaw.

That, on the other hand, is a bodge of the highest order.   :thumbsup:
There is a person on eBay who repairs nests.

We asked the property agent to send someone round to put up new curtain rails in the rental house before letting.  I must admit I did not read the quote properly just looked at the price.

So we got blinds everywhere because "they couldn't fit curtain rails".  The blinds were so heavy my wife could not physically pull up the string and they were so long they could have done windows of twice the size!

So I told them to take them out and make good.

This morning I have fitted Swish curtain rails where a professional company apparently could not fit them.  Took about 2 hours including measuring, going to Screwfix and fitting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 12 February, 2022, 02:45:56 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 February, 2022, 01:17:23 pm
If Big Clive is to be believed, Nests like to release the magic smoke from a diode on their power supply circuit.  Seems to be a design flaw.

That, on the other hand, is a bodge of the highest order.   :thumbsup:

Thanks for that heads up - yes, diode is dead short
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 February, 2022, 03:26:46 pm
Circumsized yet another Polar HRM strap to fit the Ciclosport emitter that syncs with my Garmin.  Doing the previous one I reckon the knife slid a bit too far under.  This time I made a mask out of a bit of 3 mm ply (16 mm holes, centres 45 mm apart fwiw), clamped it down to the bench with the press-stud peeking through and did the cutting with a sharp chisel.

We'll see how long this one lasts.  Previous one seemed OK then expired on the next ride.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 February, 2022, 07:37:58 pm
Put goop in HK’s new Moulton front wheel with a longer valve stem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 13 February, 2022, 07:49:47 pm
degreased and dunked my first chain in a hot wax/ptfe bath to test it out. other chains will follow if this works according to my expectations.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 14 February, 2022, 01:05:40 pm
The ancient Garmin HRM that I use on the turbo stopped working.  Checked the voltage on the battery and decided that it needed replacing.  Popped in a 'new' one that I found in the odds and sods drawer (after checking its voltage) and the HRM wouldn't pair with the laptop.  Tried to pair it with the Etrex and that wouldn't work either so started looking for a suitable replacement HRM.

I then spotted someone who recommended shorting out the battery contacts for 10 seconds before you replace the battery.  A minute later and the HRM is OK again.  I've no idea why this works but it does  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 February, 2022, 01:12:14 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 13 February, 2022, 07:49:47 pm
degreased and dunked my first chain in a hot wax/ptfe bath to test it out. other chains will follow if this works according to my expectations.

I'm getting ~600k between dunks.  Derailleur etc. stays wonderfully clean, too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 February, 2022, 01:14:36 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 14 February, 2022, 01:05:40 pm
I then spotted someone who recommended shorting out the battery contacts for 10 seconds before you replace the battery.  A minute later and the HRM is OK again.  I've no idea why this works but it does  :)

Discharges any capacitance that might be keeping the processor alive (presumably in a wedged state due to undervoltage).  These sort of things are so low power they can run for a few minutes with the battery removed.  Effectively you're turning it off and on again, so it does a proper power-on reset and un-wedges itself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 February, 2022, 02:23:44 pm
Quote from: T42 on 14 February, 2022, 01:12:14 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 13 February, 2022, 07:49:47 pm
degreased and dunked my first chain in a hot wax/ptfe bath to test it out. other chains will follow if this works according to my expectations.

I'm getting ~600k between dunks.  Derailleur etc. stays wonderfully clean, too.
that’s good to know, similar intervals to wet lube, only clean! need to refine the whole process as it was quite a faff (e.g. struggled to reconnect the quick link due to wax buildup, accidentally dripped some wax on kitchen surfaces). ideally there was a container/jar with a vacuum pump attached - heat the wax, put the heated chain in, suck the air out and remove fully waxed chain. maybe i can bodge something up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 February, 2022, 03:42:58 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 14 February, 2022, 02:23:44 pm
Quote from: T42 on 14 February, 2022, 01:12:14 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 13 February, 2022, 07:49:47 pm
degreased and dunked my first chain in a hot wax/ptfe bath to test it out. other chains will follow if this works according to my expectations.

I'm getting ~600k between dunks.  Derailleur etc. stays wonderfully clean, too.
that’s good to know, similar intervals to wet lube, only clean! need to refine the whole process as it was quite a faff (e.g. struggled to reconnect the quick link due to wax buildup, accidentally dripped some wax on kitchen surfaces). ideally there was a container/jar with a vacuum pump attached - heat the wax, put the heated chain in, suck the air out and remove fully waxed chain. maybe i can bodge something up.

Suck the air out? Haven't heard that one before.  I soak it in degreaser then douse it with boiling water, which supposedly gets rid of the degreaser and maybe heats up trapped air, sucking water in instead. Then the hot wax - again supposedly - gets rid of any trapped water. Whether it actually does so I've no idea, but my chains haven't suffered so far.

I hang the chain on this thing for dunking, in loops 10-12 links long. Ex-coat-hanger, natch.

(https://pbase.com/image/172349291.jpg)

The quick link can be a pain to reconnect.  I didn't bother to dunk it last time, and I gave the ends of the chain a quick blast with the heat gun to soften the wax before putting it in.

BTW, I don't know how well waxing would protect a chain in heavy weather or against salt spray - being retired I almost never ride in such conditions.  Spray from a wet road hasn't caused any problems yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 14 February, 2022, 04:48:20 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 14 February, 2022, 02:23:44 pm
Quote from: T42 on 14 February, 2022, 01:12:14 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 13 February, 2022, 07:49:47 pm
degreased and dunked my first chain in a hot wax/ptfe bath to test it out. other chains will follow if this works according to my expectations.

I'm getting ~600k between dunks.  Derailleur etc. stays wonderfully clean, too.
that’s good to know, similar intervals to wet lube, only clean! need to refine the whole process as it was quite a faff (e.g. struggled to reconnect the quick link due to wax buildup, accidentally dripped some wax on kitchen surfaces). ideally there was a container/jar with a vacuum pump attached - heat the wax, put the heated chain in, suck the air out and remove fully waxed chain. maybe i can bodge something up.

Here you go: https://www.themagnetoguys.co.uk/vacuum-pressure-impregnation  Just replace resin with wax  ;)  You obviously don't need the curing stage but you will need some heat to keep the wax liquid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 February, 2022, 05:02:10 pm
Managed to get a Tibo Bond 3 streamer working properly.  Turns out the app doesn't work on Android 12, although they are working on it.  Luckily my crappy Lenovo tablet (only bought to use Readly) hasn't progressed beyond Android 10.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 February, 2022, 05:10:32 pm
thanks for the tips, i am mostly a fair weather cyclist too, but also have bikes suitable for riding in the wet which i’ll keep lubed with a mucky wet lube, at least for the time being.

my thinking behind the vacuum pump is that it would quickly remove all the trapped air between pins and rollers and fill them with wax for a 100% coverage. i suspect that wiggling and stirring the chain does not get rid of all the air inside it, especially as liquid wax solidifies instantly around the colder chain and keeps the air trapped until it warms up and wax melts away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 14 February, 2022, 06:06:22 pm
Not today, but yesterday:

New outer chainring. New chain. New rear disc pads (I say New, but they weren't they were very partially used, so I didn't have to bed them in).

Caliper centred, both brakes reset to shorten travel. Gears re-indexed. Rear DI2 mech serviced with new plate axle assembly, and decent luring of all pivot points with Tunap101.

Bike felt amazing today....I think mostly down to chainring.
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 14 February, 2022, 07:18:34 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 14 February, 2022, 04:48:20 pm
Here you go: https://www.themagnetoguys.co.uk/vacuum-pressure-impregnation  Just replace resin with wax  ;)  You obviously don't need the curing stage but you will need some heat to keep the wax liquid.

that’s it, just need to scale it down and simplify, also need to find a vacuum pump capable of, say, 20psi. i’ve got a small pressure cooker already :)

edit: found this simple tutorial https://youtube.com/watch?v=-yRYtyuhkkA&feature=share
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 14 February, 2022, 09:05:59 pm
Took the 35mm tyres off the Elan, and fitted 32mm ready for this weekends Audax.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 February, 2022, 02:29:12 pm
Our kitchen hearth has air inlets at the sides that are only accessible from the front. On one of them the adjustment knob had come unscrewed, letting the shutter inside fall off and roll over.  This morning I spent a happy half-hour fishing with bent spokes to jockey the thing back where it belongs and hold the screw in place while I got some threadlock on it and put the errant knob back on.  Idiotic design: screw through threaded hole in shutter and out the front to where the knob held the lot in place.  Over time the screw loosened until there was only a mm poking out for the knob to grip onto. Might be better now.

Swapped the chain on the Trek for the newly-waxed one, cleaning off the old wax, dousing the chain in boiling water and dunking it in the wax for a couple of hours.  Fun watching the bubbles of steam pop on the surface of the wax.  Also added a new dose of PTFE to the pot, although judging from my late experience with the Loctite that wasn't it could have been cornflour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 18 February, 2022, 01:32:32 pm
Had a change of heart and put the 35mm tyres back on the Elan for tomorrows Audax. Also gave the cassette a clean - turns out it's not black, but a nice shade of silver and gold.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 19 February, 2022, 01:15:18 am
David's wheelbarrow had a flat tyre.
He disassembled the wheel and removed the inner tube.
Located air leaking from patch neither of us can clearly recall placing.
Removed patch.
Parts of its adhesive is sticky & gooey.

There are three holes at the point the valve stem reinforcement joins the body of the tube.

New tube time...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 19 February, 2022, 01:26:34 am
I think I've almost got the Estate Office PC back into the state it was in prior to the latest round on embuggerification give or take a few oddball file associations.  Yay!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 19 February, 2022, 02:00:43 pm
Replaced three of the four tiles on the porch roof that got smashed by Eunice - the fourth was unfortunately just slightly out of reach and I’d rather live with a broken tile than a broken neck.

They were smashed by a ridge tile that fell from the main roof. That will need replacing too, obviously, but there’s no way in going up there in this weather - I’m not Rod Hull.

Lucky we had some spare tiles lying around. I expect there’s been a bit of a run on them at B&Q today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 19 February, 2022, 02:24:41 pm
Ripped out and cut in half four and a bit fence panels that blew down in the storm. transported them to the allotment by bike trailer. Burnt about half in the oil drum incinerator (in the rain).  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 February, 2022, 04:55:04 pm
Spent about an hour and half bending and drilling bits of metal to make a mount for a Crank Bros pump to fit the rear rack (pump hasn't got a bottle cage space mount and no room on the frame for cable ties) - miserable failure .  .  bought just what I needed (a beside the bottle cage mount) that takes the fatter than usual pump body - all for £6 and here tomorrow*

* usual "Prime 30 day trial" - diary note made to cancel at day 28.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 February, 2022, 02:26:04 pm
Quote from: robgul on 19 February, 2022, 04:55:04 pm
Spent about an hour and half bending and drilling bits of metal to make a mount for a Crank Bros pump to fit the rear rack (pump hasn't got a bottle cage space mount and no room on the frame for cable ties) - miserable failure .  .  bought just what I needed (a beside the bottle cage mount) that takes the fatter than usual pump body - all for £6 and here tomorrow*

* usual "Prime 30 day trial" - diary note made to cancel at day 28.

Item delivered - website description:  "Air pump bracket fits for diameter 2.4 - 3 cm pump" - so, my pump (a Crank Bros Power Pro) at 2.9cm diameter should fit . . .  actual size of the item is just on 2cm diameter.  Chinese lying again.    Returns label already printed 15 minutes after delivery, drop-off at the Tesco lockers tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 20 February, 2022, 05:39:10 pm
On last weeks race (Yay! the cycle racing season has started again in the UK :)) the clutch on my big bike started feeling wrong (lots of free play). A bit of investigation afterwards suggested it's the clutch slave cylinder failing - works fine when cold, but leaks when hot. Got the parts in to do it, and attacked it this weekend. Mr Honda's approved method has step 1 - remove engine. A not insignificant task on a fully faired shaft drive bike. The forums suggested it is possible to manage without, just very tight for access.

They were right.

It'd have been much easier if I'd not left my 1/4 inch drive set at work, and if my vacuum bleeder hadn't seized since I last used it, necessitating a strip down and clean. There is just about enough room between the frame and one of the bolts to get a slim 1/4 inch ratchet in there. No chance of accessing with a spanner as that is down between the oil filter and the slave cylinder. Ratchet spanners did come in to play removing the hydraulic lines from the top of it - no way to get a socket set in, and not enough room to do it with a standard spanner.

Some people recommend lying the bike on it's side to get access (back of the engine, right at the bottom, behind the gear lever linkages), but I managed on the side stand. Very, very pleased to have got it done - that could have been massively expensive if I'd had to take it to a mechanic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 February, 2022, 07:39:55 pm
Quote from: robgul on 20 February, 2022, 02:26:04 pm
Quote from: robgul on 19 February, 2022, 04:55:04 pm
Spent about an hour and half bending and drilling bits of metal to make a mount for a Crank Bros pump to fit the rear rack (pump hasn't got a bottle cage space mount and no room on the frame for cable ties) - miserable failure .  .  bought just what I needed (a beside the bottle cage mount) that takes the fatter than usual pump body - all for £6 and here tomorrow*

* usual "Prime 30 day trial" - diary note made to cancel at day 28.

Item delivered - website description:  "Air pump bracket fits for diameter 2.4 - 3 cm pump" - so, my pump (a Crank Bros Power Pro) at 2.9cm diameter should fit . . .  actual size of the item is just on 2cm diameter.  Chinese lying again.    Returns label already printed 15 minutes after delivery, drop-off at the Tesco lockers tomorrow morning.

All's well that end well (I do live in Stratford ;D) - a bit more thinking and drilling and filing bits of metal and I've fabricated a bracket for the pump (using its own fittings) that fits on the stays of the rack - and still lets me fit my panniers.  Result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 20 February, 2022, 09:21:02 pm
The wooden battens that hold the horizontal slats on my sisters bed had broken in several places.    My suggestion that she needs to lose some weight was not well received  :demon:


Drilled pilot holes & then screwed the batten back to the bedframe in multiple places.  I hope it holds.  The screws I had with me varied from "just adequate" to "too long & will go through the veneer". 


I made her do a few holes herself,  but it was scary.  Holding a corded drill upside down & drilling towards yourself whilst you are wedged between the wall & bed probably isn't the best way to learn safe handling. 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pcolbeck on 21 February, 2022, 10:39:28 am
Replaced one of the range cooker doors yesterday. The black covering on the frame had started to delaminate after 12 years.
Went easier than expected except ....
I spent two hours trying to get the handle I took off the old door to sit straight on the new door. Eventually in a light bulb moment I got the micrometer out and sure enough one of the two spacers was 1.2mm too long. Bugger it.
Since I took these off the old door I am now wondering if it has always been a bit wonky or someone at the factory did a bit of manual adjustment to the hole on the old door that the spacer sits in.
Ordered a new spacer for £5. Lets see if its the right size.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 February, 2022, 01:18:18 am
Fixed – hopefully – the intermittent non-working of the remote control for the A/V amp-thingy with a folded bit of paper in the flattery compartment.

Ph3@r m1 l33t 0r1g@m1 5k1llz!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 February, 2022, 01:05:36 pm
The mouse trap in the loft. Went up yesterday to get some cat food down, to find little nibbled holes in both bags  >:(. Goodness knows how it got up there, the only route would seem to be up next doors climbing rose and in through the gap the wasps used a couple o& years ago. Anyway, cat food into plastic box, humane trap down, and lunchtime today a house mouse, now learning to be a field mouse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 March, 2022, 04:11:11 pm
The joy that is hoicking mouldy, badly applied silicone sealant from round the bath, the screen, basin and toilet (there was blud involved). And then applying more. I wasn't going to bother putting new on the cistern lid but then I realised it was hiding a gap where the tiles have been cut to accommodate the lid.

And realising that the Fugi tool doesn't work on the basin cos it's curved (see photie in grumble thread (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46587.msg2705272#msg2705272)).

And then realising that the plug doesn't seal the bath properly so having to dig the fence paint I just bought out of the garage and using that as a weight instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 March, 2022, 05:02:41 pm
Epoxied a drawer knob back together, one of those wooden ones with a brass screw insert that had pulled out.

My mum was a devil with just-glued things.  You'd give her the item back and tell her to let it set, and she'd immediately pull it apart seeing if it had.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 03 March, 2022, 05:52:09 pm
New stem on my Giant - I rounded out one of the stem bolts putting it back together outside Gare du Nord and the headset was a bit loose. I think I might have spares somewhere as it comes with a different faceplate if you're not using the brake conversion gubbins, but could I find them?

£20 for a replacement, a ride to Yarm at dinnertime to collect, plus bashing a torx into the old bolt to get it off, and it's all smooth again.

Expect I'll find the spare bolts tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 March, 2022, 03:56:18 pm
Replaced a rear mudguard bolt on HK’s Kinesis that had made a bid for freedom.

Replaced the chain on my fixed. The Campag BB has had a little play for a fair while but it doesn’t seem to be getting worse. The 135 bcd Gebhardt chainring is looking very secondhand now but that isn’t surprising, given how I let fixed commuter chains grind themselves into oblivion before replacement.

Tweaked the shifting on HK’s Brompton. Lubed the stiffish frame hinge. Replaced the chain, both brake cables and the brake cable gaitors. Not entirely certain whether the cogs or derailleur upper sprocket need changing. No doubt HK will let me know when the rain stops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 March, 2022, 05:24:29 pm
I can get a 25 mm tyre on the back wheel of Ti warhorse if I put it in deflated and pump it up afterwards. This afternoon I tried it with a 28 mm which went in like a dream, but just rubbed the rear brake crosspiece.

Also put the wee Aldi portable "workmate" together.  I wouldn't jump up & down on it but it looks adequate for small jobs around the house. Nae bad for 16.xx €.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 March, 2022, 05:45:11 pm
Weak point on cheap workmates seems to be the cheese that engages with the threaded rod of the clamping mechanism.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 March, 2022, 07:37:47 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 March, 2022, 05:45:11 pm
Weak point on cheap workmates seems to be the cheese that engages with the threaded rod of the clamping mechanism.

My Clarke pseudo-workmate failed with one of the MDF boards cracking and breaking in half - with nothing more than a piece of timber clamped to it for sawing - Machine Mart a.k.a. Clarke replaced it - I then reinforced the MDF with two bits of very thick engineered wood flooring glued and screwed on (I don't use the dog-holes as I have an MFT so the the solid top works)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 March, 2022, 07:46:56 pm
A couple of years ago I grabbed an eBay bargain of a proper early-90s Workmate with rotten boards and some cosmetic rust.  It's currently got some cheap softwood doing the job until I either chance upon something suitable in a local skip or no longer have enough flat surface to work with.

Unlike the Wilko effort with the afore-mentioned cheese issues (which lurks in the shed, because Workmates are like multi-meters[1]), it's heavy enough to stay put while you saw things.


[1] Sometimes you need more than one at the same time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 05 March, 2022, 08:23:05 pm
My cheapo Wickes copy eventually failed because the boards cracked after over a decade of use. I got hold of a scaff plank and chopped it up so it replaced the two naff bits of "wood", with the two bits of scaff plank screwed together so it's a single, non-adjustable, thick surface. Then I bolted a 4 inch engineers vice to one side.

It weighs a ton, but it's really useful having a fairly stable and robust work surface and vice that can be moved around. The weight helps the stability. I use it for angle grinding, welding (it does have some nice burns in it now) etc. Whilst I can't hold things in it by opening up the top boards, I can clamp them to the top or hold them in the vice. It gets far more use than the much lighter workmate I bought to replace it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 March, 2022, 01:50:00 pm
Hopefully, a sticky piston on the front brake* of the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle.  We’ll find out when I go shopping tomorrow.

* Hope Mono M4

Edit: even allowing for the lack of Mighty Rushing Headwind on the way home I reckon it was costing about 1.5 gears :thumbsup:  But I'm now terrified of using the front brake in case the bastard thing sticks again coz freeing it required ultra-violence of the not-available-at-the-roadside kind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 10 March, 2022, 03:47:07 pm
Haven't made much use of my four and a half bikes over winter, but pumped up some tyres a couple of weeks ago. This week I found the front tyre of the Moulton DP was flat, so took the tube out for examination. No patches on it, bubble test in water gave no results, so put it back assuming I hadn't tightened the presta after pumping it.

Flat again today, so off again and this time pumped it as hard as possible for another bubble test; seems you can't get over 20psi because the bare tube just expands above that.

Another bubble test revealed a very slow leak from the valve, so have tightened the valve stem a bit more and, hoping for the best, put it back again. Hope it's fixed, but can't understand how, after a few years' use, it slackened off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 11 March, 2022, 10:45:06 am
Well, the tyre has stayed up overnight, but now have another pneumatic problem.

The Air Zound on another bike leaks pressure from where tube connects to the bottle. Can't see how the tube is attached to the bottle cap, want to try using some glue around it. Have Araldite, any better suggestions?  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 March, 2022, 11:10:19 am
Quote from: orienteer on 11 March, 2022, 10:45:06 am
Well, the tyre has stayed up overnight, but now have another pneumatic problem.

The Air Zound on another bike leaks pressure from where tube connects to the bottle. Can't see how the tube is attached to the bottle cap, want to try using some glue around it. Have Araldite, any better suggestions?  :-\

Jubilee clip?
ETA Silicone sealant?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 11 March, 2022, 03:07:26 pm
Thanks Jurek, but I found how to separate the joint. The tube goes onto a ribbed spout on the lid, and a plain collar slides down the tube to retain it. After trimming the tube and refitting it, found that the leak was further up the tube, so cut it out and rejoined the tube with a length of ballpoint refill. A bubble test now reveals a slight leak from the screw-on bottle lid, so will try applying some Vaseline to the O-ring inside the lid.

All good fun on a rainy day :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 March, 2022, 05:18:07 pm
Busy day in the bicycle workshop today with bikes in from 3 customers - standard servicing plus:   totally seized front mech - freed and working again; horrendous squealing disc brakes - having tried the blowtorch on the pads trick and failed fitted new pads; another disc brake issue with the pad retaining axle seized into the caliper - a bit of Dremel work and use of the water pump pliers to grip the axle and unscrew it; fitted new tyre - tube pinched (my fault  :() and an explosion.

But hey, I'm getting paid for it all  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 March, 2022, 11:10:21 am
Lotsa stuff, all connected with motorizing my poor old Audax bike. 

I need lots of small parts and am taking delight in subscribing to Amazon Prime and getting them all as separate orders.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 March, 2022, 09:18:19 am
Yesterday, I availed myself of the cheapest circular saw that B&Q are selling (£38.00 seeing as you are asking) and reduced the fallen fence panels seen here (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=114795.msg2707036#msg2707036), to bite sized chunks for the bin men to take away over a period of several weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 March, 2022, 01:48:36 pm
Picked through a tray of the worm composter, separating all the worms out and dumped the compost on the garden, now there is space for more food waste in there.
Then I went on poo patrol. The problem with having a big pile of bark chippings at the back of the garden is Pumpkin thinks it's a massive litter tray. I filled 2 bags.  :sick:
Then I stuck a post on Freegle in the hope that someone will come and take away the pile of huge concrete paving slabs.
Then Pingu and I attempted to dig a laurel out of the ground back there but we were thwarted by roots. Whether that was laurel roots or leylandii roots I'm not sure, probably both. So we really just ended up snapping it off at the ground. That is a job for another day once I've borrowed my brother's pick/mattock. There is another small laurel growing out from under the paving slabs that will need to come out too when they've gone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JellyLegs on 13 March, 2022, 02:08:44 pm
Spent part of the morning in the garage, oiling, greasing, adjusting, tightening and generally tweaking all manner of components on my main bike in the hope that it will eliminate a very annoying buy mystery squeak that has developed since a very wet ride last weekend.  The offending noise is intermittent,  only starts after a few miles have been travelled and seems to prefer the cover of darkness when looking for the source at the unlit roadside is deemed too dangerous.  Nothing obvious was found while fettling today so any judgement on whether I have cured the issue without knowing it or just whiled away a couple of hours is going to have to wait until later this week as the heavens have now opened here and I see no point in washing away all that lovely newly applied oil and grease.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 13 March, 2022, 07:14:18 pm
Two panels of the fence, wot belongs to the neighbours, separating the parade ground of Fort Larrington from next door got blown over during Storm Wossname, thereby preventing access to the compost bins.  Returned them to the upright position and engineered a support mechanism from breeze blocks, sticks and a wheelbarrow.  Neighbour spent a Several of hours this morning wif a chainsaw not fixing it.  The bastard.

Spent most of today clearing out divers cupboards in the Fort's kitchen and swearing and filling bin-bags for transport to the tip on the morrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 13 March, 2022, 07:23:29 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 March, 2022, 01:48:36 pm
...Then I went on poo patrol. The problem with having a big pile of bark chippings at the back of the garden is Pumpkin thinks it's a massive litter tray. I filled 2 bags.  :sick:...

There was a lot of cat poo too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 March, 2022, 08:02:15 pm
Git.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 March, 2022, 01:15:19 pm
Finished motorizing my old Audax warhorse: 135mm motor-wheel was a bit hard to shove into 130mm rear dropouts so I put in a slime tube 'cos I don't fancy fixing it at the roadside.  Also remounted my old seatpost rack with an alarm cunningly hidden under it, resurrected my SON front wheel with its 3mm spokes and added a new B&M headlamp. Ran out of black cable ties.

Rear left seat-stay looks like a right dog's breakfast but WTF cares, the bike's already desecrated:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172428839.jpg)

Hoping it'll be fun to ride, but at 15.5 kg without the rack, spare battery & charger I have my doubts. Still, when the mechanic was setting up wheel-size etc in the controller she mumbled something about "max. speed is 25 kph but you can have 10% error so... 28".



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JellyLegs on 15 March, 2022, 09:36:39 pm
Quote from: JellyLegs on 13 March, 2022, 02:08:44 pm
Spent part of the morning in the garage, oiling, greasing, adjusting, tightening and generally tweaking all manner of components on my main bike in the hope that it will eliminate a very annoying buy mystery squeak that has developed since a very wet ride last weekend……….any judgement on whether I have cured the issue without knowing it or just whiled away a couple of hours is going to have to wait until later this week…

The weekend’s fettling was a total failure.  This evening’s test ride suffered the same audible accompaniment as before. Back to square one tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 March, 2022, 08:54:06 pm
Dug out, compacted, added membrane and sand, compacted, laid 48 off 400 x 400 slabs (only 4 cuts  :thumbsup:) swept in kiln dried sand, compacted.   Looks good - it's just the path at the side of the garage to make it easier to get the wheelie bins in and out.

Back and knees are aching a bit now - first time with a hired wacker machine was good fun.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 March, 2022, 05:49:56 pm
Fettled some trellis to the top of newly constructed fence.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51950532749_e27c82654c_4k.jpg[url=https://flic.kr/p/2n9G4sv][/url][url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/])

It goes without saying that, proportionally, it's all a bit Pete Tong.
It should be two squares above the top of the fence, and not three.

I will remedy this next weekend, when I trellis the bit of fence behind the shed - I can't carry more than two trellis panels home from Wickes at one time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 March, 2022, 06:11:22 pm
Dug a big hole. Went to the DIY shedde for Postcrete and a club hammer. Creted the post. Woo, I can has washing line soon (once I've fettled the wall anchor).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51949304057_37afa63705.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n9zLda)2022-03-20_06-04-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2n9zLda) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Did violence to several 90x60 concrete paving stones (I tried Freegle but obv no one else fancied trying to lift 60kg of paving slab either) and took them to the tip. Came home and broke another one up. Failed at the next one cos it's reinforced, gave up for the day. There are still another 2 to be broken up  :facepalm:
Think I might be a bit sore tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 March, 2022, 06:39:45 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 March, 2022, 06:11:22 pm
Dug a big hole. Went to the DIY shedde for Postcrete and a club hammer. Creted the post. Woo, I can has washing line soon (once I've fettled the wall anchor).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51949304057_37afa63705.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n9zLda)2022-03-20_06-04-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2n9zLda) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Did violence to several 90x60 concrete paving stones (I tried Freegle but obv no one else fancied trying to lift 60kg of paving slab either) and took them to the tip. Came home and broke another one up. Failed at the next one cos it's reinforced, gave up for the day. There are still another 2 to be broken up  :facepalm:
Think I might be a bit sore tomorrow.

Some of the broken pavings could have been lost in the big hole - topped up with postcrete.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 March, 2022, 06:44:19 pm
Hmm that would have been a good idea. Oh well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 20 March, 2022, 06:53:45 pm
Wheels. 3 sets of tubeless tyres topped up with sealant. 2 sets of Di2 updated. Oh yes, when updating the battery firmware it’s heartstopping to have the shifters stop responding until you plug in the charger again, then disconnect it again before everything is back to normal. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 March, 2022, 08:53:22 am
Yesterday I:
Cut the grass in the upper 50 acres. Rod Stewart is wrong, the first cut wants to leave it fairly long.
Rearranged the SEECRIT bunker so I can get to the bikes I want more a easily.
Rearranged the TINY shed so I can open the door without being engulfed in gardening tqt.
Molished a Chocklit cake for my Young Lady's birthday.
Roasted a chicken for me and The Boy.

Knackered.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 March, 2022, 02:28:34 pm
Mate has ordered a new £3200 tourer because he was fed up of the gears slipping on his Dalesman.

On Sat we overhauled the Dalesman's rear hub, flushed the freehub and fitted a new cassette and chain.  Gears no longer slip and nothing rumbles  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 21 March, 2022, 02:42:38 pm
Friday and Saturday I single handedly assembled an ikea raised bed in a tiny box room. Was meant to have help but as got the lurgy help sensibly stayed away. The room is so small instead of building in sections like instructed I had to assemble in situ and perform some contortionist like displays including using a screwdriver bit in my 1/4 drive socket as no room to actually get a screwdriver in.

I then sanded the repairs and then painted the other slightly larger bedroom then refitted the radiator in the small room which did involve leaning through the shelves built into into bed.

Next weekend will involve emptying the larger room  carpet being laid (professionally not by me) and then building another ikea bed and putting stuff back in the room

Oh I also dispatched a I'll chicken Friday, not sure if that fits here
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 March, 2022, 03:21:08 pm
Constructed a wooden frame with a thin wire mesh covering to make a "screen door" for my wife's greenhouse - to use when the greenhouse door needs to be left open as it's too hot, stopping squirrels and/or birds entering and chewing stuff being grown.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fd3 on 21 March, 2022, 04:25:56 pm
Added rear rack to laidback trike )will need more attention) and fitted pitlock skewer at back.
Repaired klickfix mount and refitted it to handlebars on fixed
Repaired dyno light connection on fixed
Didn't change chain length on fixed though ... but I should.  I do need to fettle the rear mudguard some more first.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 March, 2022, 05:16:57 pm
Faffing about with seatpost & SQR block on the electric cow to try and replace rack with Carradice & save 750g.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 21 March, 2022, 07:16:02 pm
Had to cut a front tyre off my velomobile today. It was a Conti contact speed and had been on for over two years without a puncture. The rubber had vulcanised to the rim. Took me and my landlord 45 minutes to chop it up and eventually get the wired bead off. Mega hard work, won’t want to do that again - I shall dismount the tyres a couple of times a season now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 March, 2022, 02:37:29 pm
Got seatpost, saddle & SQR block adjusted on the eCow, but only at cost of raising saddle ~1 cm. Be interesting to see what that does to my nethers.  Also fitted a new Zefal Cyclop mirror to same bovine, a nasty fiddly process that involved industrial quantities of swear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 March, 2022, 11:04:54 pm
Replaced the rear tyre and tube on HK’s Brompton. Only one partially-worn Brompton-labelled tyre left in the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 March, 2022, 08:03:26 am
Trimmed a little off the centre split in the Salle Anatomica I have on the Electric Cow so that I can run it a bit slacker and thereby maybe cushion the pile-driver thumps the damned thing inflicts.

Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 March, 2022, 11:04:54 pm
Replaced the rear tyre and tube on HK’s Brompton. Only one partially-worn Brompton-labelled tyre left in the garage.

My bits cupboard has a shelf stuffed with GP4000IIs 700x23's with worn telltales, all with "Turbo" chalked on them, plus a brand-new 700x23 GP4000 II & a few unused tubes.  Been running on 25's for the past few years.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 23 March, 2022, 08:44:19 am
I swapped the 25mm GP4000 on the back of the summer bike for a new 28mm Gp5000.  It measured up slightly narrower and was a right tw@t to get on the rim.  That's progress  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 March, 2022, 05:16:58 pm
I had to do a work thing in the morning (on my holidays, boo) so after that I was planning to paint some fence but it rained so instead I did more:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51958504296_f71548e842.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2naoV7Y)2022-03-24_04-12-05 (https://flic.kr/p/2naoV7Y) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
That's what remains after I already made 2 trips to the tip. (It might not seem a lot but there are monster speed bumps on the road to the tip so the boot has not been full).
I'd had enough of humphing concrete on my own after that so then I dug up (FCVO) that horrible laurel. It will no doubt come back but that's the best I can do before I borrow a mattock and try to get rid of some leylandii roots.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 25 March, 2022, 10:43:40 am
got a 26 wheel off ebay fpr £10 plus postage. A Mavic Crossride. it's true with plenty of rim left. So took the axle out and lubricated the bearings and a bit of grease on the endcaps to slow the ingress of water
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 25 March, 2022, 09:05:27 pm
After striping some bits off a bike that was left in the local park and because the garage was now empty ( I keep my car in the garage) I swept the garage floor. I obviously don't do this enough because I am always surprised by the amount of leaves that have blown in and how clean the floor looks after.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 26 March, 2022, 01:02:22 pm
Nothing so far which is a problem. Waiting on carpet being fitted/delivered and have promised my eldest I'll get her bed built today as she's currently sleeping on a camping mat on the floor in her sisters room. I had expected the fitters to be on a half day so get done before lunch but it's getting later
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 26 March, 2022, 03:24:39 pm
Gave the Elan a deep clean. Removed the crankset, undid the chain rings, removed the jockey wheels and chain and gave them all a jolly good degrease. You can imagine the amount of black gunk that builds up after winter of muddy byways and leaf litter lanes. The first round of cleaning was more like chiselling than cleaning! Looks very sparkly now with the drivetrain making a lovely mechanical rustling sound and spinning much more freely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 March, 2022, 03:47:02 pm
Put up some support wires and a bit of old mesh fencing against a fence panel for my wife’s sweet peas to climb up, and be accessible for cutting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 March, 2022, 03:48:26 pm
Assembled a brush-cutter.  MrsT has been on at me for some time to get one, so earlier this month I dipped into the bike fund and got her a Stihl, a petrol one with a 2-handed handlebar & double shoulder harness.

Once I was done she came into the workshop, looked at it and said "of course, you'll be the one using it".  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 26 March, 2022, 03:58:39 pm
Put the only spare tyres I now have on the road bike, which are 23mm. It was hard work and no doubt these will be unkind to my Maximus. Gator skins are becoming spendy.  I managed to order some Rubino Pros for a tenner each.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2022, 04:14:49 pm
Gave 1 fence panel a 2nd coat of Ducksback. Gave my scaffold plank proto bench a final sanding and a first coat of varnish.
Attempted to move a small Holly from the wrong place but it's planted to close to the fence and I couldn't get it up digging from only 1 side.
Put some screws in the new fence post panel brackets being as they weren't attached.
Lent my pallet breaker to the neighbours who were dismembering their shared fence (the one that has been learning over since before we moved in) they seemed very pleased to have use of it.
Took down the retractable washing line to try to put the eye shield anchor bolt in one of the existing holes. Of course they were not big enough and my attempts to embiggen were hampered by me only having drill bits for metal so I need to borrow some masonry ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ashaman42 on 26 March, 2022, 05:21:37 pm
I'm taking a break from removing all the old silicone from the tub prior to running new.

How it can unstick enough to let water piss into the hallway cupboard below and yet be almost impossible to actually remove I don't know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 March, 2022, 01:36:31 pm
Fitted a tortec rack, that I'd bought for her birthday, to my Young Lady's bike. The bike, thankfully, has rack mounts on the seat stays (something I'd failed to check before buying the rack) but they are bottle type bosses facing rearward rather than outward.

Scrabbled in the Pot of Fasteners and turned up a couple of bits of stainless steel, originally meant as rear mudguard to mudguard bridge brackets. Bent these to the correct shape using my King Dick as a makeshift vice and another adjustable spanner. Channeling my inner Blondihacks/This Old Tony, I drilled holes, using some mole grips to hold things steady. Really really slow drill speed and plenty of pressure was the trick. After that it was straight forward. Quite Pleased with the result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 March, 2022, 02:06:35 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 March, 2022, 01:36:31 pm
Fitted a tortec rack, that I'd bought for her birthday, to my Young Lady's bike. The bike, thankfully, has rack mounts on the seat stays (something I'd failed to check before buying the rack) but they are bottle type bosses facing rearward rather than outward.

Scrabbled in the Pot of Fasteners and turned up a couple of bits of stainless steel, originally meant as rear mudguard to mudguard bridge brackets. Bent these to the correct shape using my King Dick as a makeshift vice and another adjustable spanner. Channeling my inner Blondihacks/This Old Tony, I drilled holes, using some mole grips to hold things steady. Really really slow drill speed and plenty of pressure was the trick. After that it was straight forward. Quite Pleased with the result.

The metal on the mudguard clips may be a bit thin for the purpose (having fettled stuff from them myself they bend/flex) - p-clips are a better and stronger solution for un-bossed rear stays and rack mounts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 March, 2022, 03:13:13 pm
I had the headset on my Ti warhorse replaced recently, and noticed a bit of play on braking. I loosened off the stem bolts and tightened the cap, but even with it fully home the play was still there. Most annoying. I possibly need to drive the star nut a bit deeper... CBA on a Sunday afternoon so tightened up the stem bolts and will ignore it for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 March, 2022, 03:46:17 pm
Check the cap is not landing off on the top of the steerer instead of the stem.
The steerer should be a couple of mm deep inside the stem.

Otherwise, you need to either add a spacer or shorten the steerer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 March, 2022, 04:35:42 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 27 March, 2022, 03:46:17 pm
Check the cap is not landing off on the top of the steerer instead of the stem.
The steerer should be a couple of mm deep inside the stem.

Otherwise, you need to either add a spacer or shorten the steerer.

Hmm, I'd go for a spacer (you may need to juggle different widths unless you can find a very thin one) - cutting the steerer tube unless you have the proper sawing guide is usually asking for trouble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 March, 2022, 04:53:45 pm
@feanor: I just had another look: you didn't quite hit the nail on the head but you gave it a nasty fright.  What happened is this:

That bike has a 1" steerer. The original stem was horrible so ~15 years ago I changed it for a much prettier 1 1/8" one, with a spacer and a wide-enough cap to bear down on the stem.  I reckon that when the LBS changed the bearing the excuse for a mechanic (a) replaced my cap with the one that came with the bearing and (b) left the spacer standing ~1 mm above the top of the steerer.  He then tightened everything up and gave me back the bike, ignoring the fact that the new cap was nestling down inside the stem rather that on top of it.  I've pushed the spacer down below the top of the steerer now, and ordered a new 1 1/8" cap. Wish I'd thought to ask for the old one back when I collected the bike.

I'm riding this bike tomorrow, but I don't think any harm will come to the bearing in just one ride - the play isn't dramatic.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 March, 2022, 01:44:32 pm
Quote from: robgul on 27 March, 2022, 02:06:35 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 March, 2022, 01:36:31 pm
Fitted a tortec rack, that I'd bought for her birthday, to my Young Lady's bike. The bike, thankfully, has rack mounts on the seat stays (something I'd failed to check before buying the rack) but they are bottle type bosses facing rearward rather than outward.

Scrabbled in the Pot of Fasteners and turned up a couple of bits of stainless steel, originally meant as rear mudguard to mudguard bridge brackets. Bent these to the correct shape using my King Dick as a makeshift vice and another adjustable spanner. Channeling my inner Blondihacks/This Old Tony, I drilled holes, using some mole grips to hold things steady. Really really slow drill speed and plenty of pressure was the trick. After that it was straight forward. Quite Pleased with the result.

The metal on the mudguard clips may be a bit thin for the purpose (having fettled stuff from them myself they bend/flex) - p-clips are a better and stronger solution for un-bossed rear stays and rack mounts.
Point taken. It's not the brake bridge clip but the two part clip that goes onto the chainstay bridge. Looks about 1mm thick. I'll keep an eye on it.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nUomZlplkwuEu7X_8qIJGOQ1RngrpRoKWFahOlnNYpk2cO1nLRMHKV4y4dctzQedTms4R9rUiI23c0EEt2MracVB-vwhVbmiJimMRe21Zfv3ajTqeouCw5z_57Dj2giwQip5w1YKWiA=w2400)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CrazyEnglishTriathlete on 28 March, 2022, 02:18:28 pm
Set off early to recover car from garage, where it has been stuck for several days as I hadn't be able to get to it.  Used the Enigma machine for the first time in a couple of months, it has been sitting around waiting for a new wheel.  Got to the steep little hill at Tunworth, and was able to change to the little ring.  Bit of a worry as there were more hills to come.  Investigation shows that in sitting around for two months the loose end of the cable had become wedged under the lip of the mudguard and so was retaining tension in the system.  One flick and everything was working fine. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 March, 2022, 02:19:51 pm
By dint of highly scientific bolt-loosening and wheel-banging on floor, managed to pull my front end together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 28 March, 2022, 04:44:10 pm
Bugger. Gearbox to the rear door espagnolette decided to grind to a locked halt today. Locksmith needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 March, 2022, 05:44:47 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 28 March, 2022, 01:44:32 pm
Quote from: robgul on 27 March, 2022, 02:06:35 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 March, 2022, 01:36:31 pm
Fitted a tortec rack, that I'd bought for her birthday, to my Young Lady's bike. The bike, thankfully, has rack mounts on the seat stays (something I'd failed to check before buying the rack) but they are bottle type bosses facing rearward rather than outward.

Scrabbled in the Pot of Fasteners and turned up a couple of bits of stainless steel, originally meant as rear mudguard to mudguard bridge brackets. Bent these to the correct shape using my King Dick as a makeshift vice and another adjustable spanner. Channeling my inner Blondihacks/This Old Tony, I drilled holes, using some mole grips to hold things steady. Really really slow drill speed and plenty of pressure was the trick. After that it was straight forward. Quite Pleased with the result.

The metal on the mudguard clips may be a bit thin for the purpose (having fettled stuff from them myself they bend/flex) - p-clips are a better and stronger solution for un-bossed rear stays and rack mounts.
Point taken. It's not the brake bridge clip but the two part clip that goes onto the chainstay bridge. Looks about 1mm thick. I'll keep an eye on it.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nUomZlplkwuEu7X_8qIJGOQ1RngrpRoKWFahOlnNYpk2cO1nLRMHKV4y4dctzQedTms4R9rUiI23c0EEt2MracVB-vwhVbmiJimMRe21Zfv3ajTqeouCw5z_57Dj2giwQip5w1YKWiA=w2400)

Very odd bosses - what make is the bike?    Was it originally supplied with some strange accessory that bolted to the bosses?   - and the vee-brake that appears to be on the inside of the stays is unusual too?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 March, 2022, 06:40:07 pm
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/O3eHkbTDRBZaQ47gX9m4PXU6vJUCd51RG_7cXHIWhqreDOz32HePbKWocsxK31j1wQg1l-OGWLdUmjvPgjyZBBrYjYQqWMJuWHmyRqqeawzBgkefZxL2HtnTXy4ALyDBhw6PZSJSs5I=w2400)

It's a Giant Hyde Park. It has two sets of eyelets on the drop outs, which suggests built for rack mounting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 31 March, 2022, 04:01:30 pm
Swapped the rear tyre on the Electric Cow for a Schwalbe Durano, which I'm told is practically bomb-proof, and I'm hoping that the Slime tube in it will make it even more so.  I really don't want to have to fix a flat on that wheel: it took 20-odd minutes of painful pushing and pulling just to get it out of the dropouts.  Another reason to get a bike that'll take a 135mm axle.

Also de-gunked the chain, washed it in boiling water and plonked it into the wax/PTFE bath.  I'd been running it with the grease it came with: bleh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 31 March, 2022, 07:33:12 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 28 March, 2022, 06:40:07 pm
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/O3eHkbTDRBZaQ47gX9m4PXU6vJUCd51RG_7cXHIWhqreDOz32HePbKWocsxK31j1wQg1l-OGWLdUmjvPgjyZBBrYjYQqWMJuWHmyRqqeawzBgkefZxL2HtnTXy4ALyDBhw6PZSJSs5I=w2400)

It's a Giant Hyde Park. It has two sets of eyelets on the drop outs, which suggests built for rack mounting.

The bosses like that, and the fact that the brake is inside the stays, suggest that they might be for a "nurse's lock" to bolt onto.    Google finds some images for the Giant Hyde Park in both genders - those with racks appear to be using p-clips?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 31 March, 2022, 09:00:28 pm
I've got an older motorbike to recommission with gummed up carb's so I invested in an ultrasonic cleaner.

The first clean was bicycle chain, cassette and chain rings.

Sorry no pictures - but this is one of those tools where I definitely feel, "I should have bought this ages ago!"

Much sparkle. I am actively looking for things to clean!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 March, 2022, 09:44:05 pm
There's nothing quite like the spectacle wearer's first shot with a cleaner, standing there watching horrified at the amount of groad coming off the nose pieces.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 01 April, 2022, 07:09:58 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 31 March, 2022, 09:44:05 pm
There's nothing quite like the spectacle wearer's first shot with a cleaner, standing there watching horrified at the amount of groad coming off the nose pieces.

Ha ha - I didn't think of spectacles: Thanks - they are going in!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 April, 2022, 07:35:15 am
Quote from: trundle on 31 March, 2022, 09:00:28 pm
I've got an older motorbike to recommission with gummed up carb's so I invested in an ultrasonic cleaner.

The first clean was bicycle chain, cassette and chain rings.

Sorry no pictures - but this is one of those tools where I definitely feel, "I should have bought this ages ago!"

Much sparkle. I am actively looking for things to clean!

Should I send you my chain, which is currently soaking in a jar of diesel, having taken the opportunity whilst I changed the front tyre on the FWD recumbent.  The wheel slip had got to the point where it was happening on the flats, in the dry as well as in the wet.  Comparing the new GP 4 Seasons with the one that was on there, it was apparent why, worn completely smooth and squared off
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 April, 2022, 07:57:36 am
Quote from: trundle on 31 March, 2022, 09:00:28 pm
I've got an older motorbike to recommission with gummed up carb's so I invested in an ultrasonic cleaner.

The first clean was bicycle chain, cassette and chain rings.

Sorry no pictures - but this is one of those tools where I definitely feel, "I should have bought this ages ago!"

Much sparkle. I am actively looking for things to clean!

Indeed - I did buy one ages ago - it's about a 2.5 litre tank - .... bike parts, coffee machine filters (sterilised afterwards!) and all sort of tools and other stuff - I run mine with about half a cup of Screwfix's cheap and cheerful degreaser in the water.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 01 April, 2022, 10:06:16 am
The wife's bell. Putting her bike away and found it on garden table. Screwed top back on and tightened bracket. Apparently it's not been working for a few days but she'd forgotten to say
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 April, 2022, 10:33:51 am
Bell. Yes. Mine's mounted on a T-piece below the stem, and last ride it was rung by a cable with every bump.  Zip ties were pulled too tightly to rotate it away.

---o0o---

Put Schwalbefied back wheel back on bike.  Everything went well but I noticed that clearance between tyre & brake bridge is now <= 1 mm; gulp. It would appear that Schwalbe Duranos are fat: a 700x25 is almost as big as a Conti GP 700x28.

Also put newly-waxed chain back on.  Would have been too trivial to mention but half an hour's faffing with heat-gun, paper towels & circlip-spreader wouldn't get the "quick"-link back in.  Found a new KMC link in the spares and it went in like a dream.  Afterwards I dripped some hot wax on it and gave it a blast of hot air: with a bit of luck it might penetrate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 April, 2022, 11:52:17 am
Got the MX-5 out of the garage after its five-month sleep, took it for new tyres and then fitted a new battery.  Took it for a spin and reminded myself why I keep it.  Soon there will be no new cars with manual gearboxes, and no new cars where the engine sounds just right if you use the gears properly.  Planet killer?  Not really, at 3 tankfuls a year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 April, 2022, 01:35:36 pm
Quote from: trundle on 31 March, 2022, 09:00:28 pm
I've got an older motorbike to recommission with gummed up carb's so I invested in an ultrasonic cleaner.

The first clean was bicycle chain, cassette and chain rings.

Sorry no pictures - but this is one of those tools where I definitely feel, "I should have bought this ages ago!"

Much sparkle. I am actively looking for things to clean!

My ultrasonic cleaner appears to be b0rked.  So that's going on next week's fettle list...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 April, 2022, 02:59:56 pm
The pressure gauge on my Rennkompressor pump had gone very sticky - initially I thought it had failed completely, but it rose very slowly, then took ages to drop back. Pulling it apart, there was gunk of some sort bunging up the hole into the pressure chamber bit. Carefully cleaned it out, and the gauge works properly again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2022, 07:32:38 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 March, 2022, 06:11:22 pm
Dug a big hole. Went to the DIY shedde for Postcrete and a club hammer. Creted the post. Woo, I can has washing line soon (once I've fettled the wall anchor).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51949304057_37afa63705.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n9zLda)2022-03-20_06-04-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2n9zLda) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

After all that, while I was digging about for roots to destroy on the other side of the garden I came across a lump of concrete with the sawn off remains of a metal pole in it.  ::-)
Had a bit of a go at trying to dig it up but it's fecking huge  :facepalm:
Anyone got any explosives?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 April, 2022, 07:50:46 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2022, 07:32:38 pm
Had a bit of a go at trying to dig it up but it's fecking huge  :facepalm:
Anyone got any explosives?

Back when I was small my dad dug one of those up.  It was boulder of concrete the best part of a metre in diameter, and after various failures to apply leverage and harsh language, was eventually brought to surface level by excavating an inclined plane to roll it up.  My brother and I were too small to be of much assistance, so stood at a safe distance and hummed the Indiana Jones theme.

After an abortive attempt to load it into the wheelbarrow (which promptly collapsed) the prospect of getting it through the garage and into a skip was too much.  Since my dad lacked access to either explosives or a pneumatic drill, it was cunningly rolled to the triangular space behind the summerhouse which was otherwise used to cultivate compost and enormous weeds, and abandoned.  It's probably still there.

Stick a bird bath or a sundial or something on it is my advice.  Your back will thank you.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2022, 07:56:26 pm
You're probably right. I couldn't even get it to move, let alone trying to get it out of the hole. And I still have a several trips to the car's worth of paving to get rid of as well.
Seems to be another tick in the 'build a raised bed instead' column.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 April, 2022, 08:40:36 pm
Last time i had soemthing like that I took turns on a heavy hammer and pick axe with my dad, daughter looking on from afar.  It took a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 01 April, 2022, 08:43:35 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2022, 07:32:38 pm
Anyone got any explosives?

Pity you didn't ask me that a few years ago...
I didn't keep any 'junk' explosives (of which there was quite a lot) after leaving that job!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 01 April, 2022, 09:10:00 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2022, 07:56:26 pm
You're probably right. I couldn't even get it to move, let alone trying to get it out of the hole. And I still have a several trips to the car's worth of paving to get rid of as well.
Seems to be another tick in the 'build a raised bed instead' column.

Hire an SDS breaker.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2022, 09:14:27 pm
My brother said he bought his SDS drill to use as a demolition drill but he couldn't stand the vibration.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 April, 2022, 12:43:35 pm
Drilled a hole in the wall and fitted an eye shield bolt anchor, and strung up some washing line.
Then Pingu & I fettled my gears and my VDO pooter decided to disintegrate.
While I was washing my bike's undercarriage I found a much better quality pack of washing line I must have bought a several of years ago. Oh well, it's there for when the thin one either snaps or gets on my wick sufficiently for me to be arsed changing it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 April, 2022, 02:50:28 pm
Rearranged the bike storage to make a bit more space - 3 bikes hang from the front or rear wheels top & tail - by lowering the middle hook I can move the hooks closer together (25cm c-c) so that the middle bike's bars are lower than the two saddles on the bikes either side.  Why didn't I think of that when I installed the hooks to start with?    Downside is that there's still just not quite enough width to get the 4th bike on a hook without encroaching on access from the doorway - but it is an improvement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 April, 2022, 03:20:51 pm
Took the vacuum to the shed/workshop, clearing up loads of dead leaves that have blown in, plus assorted earth and gravel. And then cleared the majority of the cobwebs, plus whatever insect droppings were on the bench

Then I plugged in my new! shiny! Wahoo Headwind fan. Paired it to the Wahoo app. Selected “speed” control. “Pair with an ANT+ speed sensor” it says. Hmmm, sit on turbo bike and start pedalling - and fan starts immediately. Stop pedalling, let turbo spin down, fan stops. As easy as that. Ok, I knew the turbo had both BT and ANT+ but expected more effort to be involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 April, 2022, 06:10:38 pm
Attempted to fit front mudguard to mid-90's mtb, too wide at the point where it passes through the fork, because it assumes a boingy front end which I does not haz. Some judicious removal of plastic will be needed.

Why are mudguards such a PITA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 02 April, 2022, 09:25:03 pm
Ultrasonically cleaned some of Mrs hatler's jewellery. Freed front mech on main bike (seized through lack of use), cleaned both my and Mrs hatler's bike, trued Mrs hatler's rear wheel using new rolling end piece for the DTI (very satisfying - is 0.1mm runout acceptable ?) and replaced brake blocks on rear of Mrs hatler's machine.

Tried starting the motorbike but only got it to cough a couple of times before I ran out of time. Have to try again tomorrow, it's due a run.

Fettled eight pizzas for a hungry family.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 April, 2022, 09:28:18 pm
I clayed and waxed the MX-5, changed the wiper blades and cut the grass.  Every neighbourhood cat, including one of my two, shits on the front lawn.  It's a territory marking thing but I wish they'd have a literal pissing contest instead - solids are not nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 April, 2022, 11:20:20 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2022, 07:56:26 pm
You're probably right. I couldn't even get it to move, let alone trying to get it out of the hole. And I still have a several trips to the car's worth of paving to get rid of as well.
Seems to be another tick in the 'build a raised bed instead' column.

Check out ‘expansive grout demolition’ or similar search terms.
https://www.dexpan-canada.com/info/instructions-for-using-dexpan-to-break-rock-or-reinforced-concrete
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 03 April, 2022, 01:26:56 am
The shiny new TV I bought recently has an irritating "feature" that you can't select the HDMI input by a single remote control command. That means that using my Logitech Harmony do-everything remote, when switching to say HDMI4 to go to one of my set top boxes, I have to send the input command, then half a dozen down presses to make sure it's at the bottom of the inputs list, then an up command (as HDMI4 is one up from the bottom of the list) then an OK. That is scripted on the Harmony (choose "watch Freeview" and it automatically turns on all the right things and does that input selection), but it takes quite a bit of time and is irritating when switching between sources. It also sometimes gets out of sync and doesn't do the right thing.

So, figured out (with a bit of help from Mr Google) that you can directly choose an input on the TV by sending a command over ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to it - it's an AndroidTV. So, enable developer options on the TV and turn on ADB. Add the AndroidTV integration to my Home Assistant box. Figure out the incantation to send the right ADB command.
Add an emulated Roku box to Home Assistant - it pretends to be a Roku set top box and is visible to the Harmony remote control over Wifi, but routes key presses to Home Assistant as events, which you can use to trigger actions - like sending ADB commands out to the TV over ethernet! Add a bunch of automations into Home Assistant to receive each key press and convert to an ADB command for the relevant TV input.

Reprogram the Harmony remote so that when I want to watch each device it sends the relevant key press to the virtual Roku which Home Assistant converts to the correct HDMI ADB command using the automation scripts and flips the TV input.

And I now get instant input switching!

Easy - can't think why I didn't try this before  :)

And there's a special part of hell reserved for TV designers who removed functionality like this (apparently you used to be able to do it directly a few firmware updates prior to me buying my set) - that place is right next to the car designers who put service part access (like bulb replacement) in places that aren't accessible once the car is built and off the assembly line.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 April, 2022, 06:23:28 am
Good grief, well done on having the arsed to go through all that lot!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 April, 2022, 08:20:02 am
Tried washing the bar tape on the Electric Cow yesterday with hot, soapy water.  It took off some of the crud but it still looks grubby.

Thought to myself "maybe I should put it through the dishwasher, it'd bugger the adhesive but isn't that why God made double-sided tape?"

Maybe it'd be a good tip for April Fools 2023.  Only with the washing machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 April, 2022, 08:48:28 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 02 April, 2022, 09:28:18 pm
I clayed and waxed the MX-5, changed the wiper blades and cut the grass.  Every neighbourhood cat, including one of my two, shits on the front lawn.  It's a territory marking thing but I wish they'd have a literal pissing contest instead - solids are not nice.
My bold.
Here's a tip.
Pipe freezer spray is your friend and makes turds manageable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 April, 2022, 09:58:16 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 02 April, 2022, 06:10:38 pm
Attempted to fit front mudguard to mid-90's mtb, too wide at the point where it passes through the fork, because it assumes a boingy front end which I does not haz. Some judicious removal of plastic will be needed.

Why are mudguards such a PITA.

Heating and reshaping might be more successful in that the plastic is likely to last longer in my experience.  It's a tedious job though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 April, 2022, 11:40:03 am
Well, this morning I did successfully dig it out and get it to move,
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51978025557_d8b88db474.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nc7Y7r)2022-04-03_11-35-16 (https://flic.kr/p/2nc7Y7r) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
but it was even deeper than I thought, so after some consideration we decided to fill it back in and the compost heap can live there
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51979308774_cdbec9eb5c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ncexyS)2022-04-03_11-35-30 (https://flic.kr/p/2ncexyS) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 03 April, 2022, 12:42:28 pm
That seems like an eminently sensible plan!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 03 April, 2022, 05:05:10 pm
Found a spare pair of Rollerboy jockey wheels in the spares pile which were duly transferred to the Elan. Makes bugger all difference as far as I can tell. But better on the bike than in a box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 04 April, 2022, 08:53:00 pm
I unraveled a wire coat hanger (don't you love it when things you've kept for years find a new use?) which I'm hopefully going to use to clean out the tube of the hydration bladder. I have a small bottle brush which I hope to use for the cleaning but have seen that pipe cleaners can be used also. A job for tomorrow will be to warm up and disassemble the tube assy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 04 April, 2022, 10:08:26 pm
Fettled the tatty number plates with mum's personal reg off the car, and re-fitted the originals which had been under the boot floor with the spare and the tools for about a decade. It's only taken me about three years or so to get around to sorting it.

And surprisingly, physically changing the plates was more of a faff than fettling the requisite paperwork with DVLA (£80, ouch), insurance company, and breakdown people. Now I'm just waiting for the parking website to update their database lookup thingybob so it recognises the new-old reg so I don't have to faff around with loose change and paper tickets at the park'n'ride tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 05 April, 2022, 09:04:47 pm
I spent the morning cleaning the sticky rubber handle on the fry pan. Google said use rubbing Alcohol which I have but 20 yrs old. Does it keep? Anyway after numerous attempts I now have a clean handle.
In the pm as mentioned I cleaned the tube from the bladder. I tried hot water to help remove the bite-valve but this didn't work and in the end I just pushed the brush down from the other end. Worked ok, I think. It's now ready for my posh HF walking holiday I'm going on in a couple of weeks. Somebody told me last week, when I was away picking up covid (see other thead) that HF stands for Husband Finder. So could be interesting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 05 April, 2022, 09:06:43 pm
Bought a 2nd hand shower diverter on ebay the other week, all fitted up but quickly found out why it was on ebay at such a knock down price.
Bit of fiddling revealed that the most likely cause was a failed bi-stable latching solenoid valve.

Aqualisa proudly demand that there are no user serviceable parts inside, bullshite, presumably so that when basic bits fail like this they sell a new one for 220 quid. (if it was the circuit board based bits that had failed then yeah fair enough but even then...)

Figured out model required and ordered for 33 quid including postage on t'internet

Fitted today, and now have a good solid flow of water from both outlets on the diverter as demanded.

Someone has had a 220 quid write off for a 25 quid part.

Of course I did also have to spend money on rainfall head and a new push button thingy for it making the whole lot cost around 300 quid but...
This is the sort of thing I didn't consider when I bought this house, all the stuff that was fitted is decently expensive stuff and shouldn't just be replaced by any old B&Q 30 quid option.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 April, 2022, 09:48:08 pm
I rebuilt a pair of ancient PD-M323 pedals.  They are actually fiddlier than the Dura-Ace SPD-SLs with three bearing races, and that's saying something.  I have the special tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 April, 2022, 10:48:08 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 April, 2022, 09:48:08 pm
... I have the special tool.

At this point I must say, "Fnarr!".

As you were...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 April, 2022, 03:25:24 pm
Put new gear cables on the Electric Cow, adjusted the gears, changed the HB tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 April, 2022, 05:34:42 pm
Rubble-B-Gone!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51991627077_90ef9df706.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndjFnp)2022-04-09_05-26-35 (https://flic.kr/p/2ndjFnp) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Then I moved this pile of bark chips and attempted to dig up the leylandii roots.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51991623487_1234922855.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndjEiv)2022-04-09_05-24-49 (https://flic.kr/p/2ndjEiv) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Quickly decided I was on a hiding to nothing so plan B was to move the bark chips all over the area (no doubt Pumpkin will be pleased at having a huge litter tray) with a view to planting on top of that lot. I also dug up and moved 3 huge boulders.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51993169630_8e6df9a7c3.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndszV9)2022-04-09_05-24-00 (https://flic.kr/p/2ndszV9) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51992681728_f833bacf04.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndq5T3)2022-04-09_05-24-16 (https://flic.kr/p/2ndq5T3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Did manage to dig up 2 small stumps that were near the shed that we kept tripping over with the aid of mattock based violence.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51991621352_3680b59700.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndjDEG)2022-04-09_05-23-34 (https://flic.kr/p/2ndjDEG) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

A robin was very interested.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51992539486_0315642d8b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndpmAA)2022-04-09_04-40-59 (https://flic.kr/p/2ndpmAA) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

I'm knackered now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 April, 2022, 05:57:54 pm
Drill holes in the stumps, pour in glyposate, they'll rot fairly quickly
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 09 April, 2022, 06:34:13 pm
Cabled up the Sardar, bar tape, and some new racks needed.

Looks like it'll need to be Tubus disco for the back or I could risk the Bor yueh one everyone else sells with the square angle legs that lokks like they'll just fail(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220409/08c25930865e7aa370810e1d117ac328.jpg)

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 09 April, 2022, 06:35:15 pm
I also need to sort out the squishes on the front guards, unfortunately do one seems to make decent 45mm guards for 26" wheels so they're for much bigger, which is fine at the back...

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 02:31:48 pm
Installed a Jasmine and a Honeysuckle alongside the brace of Clematis (Clemati?) that I put in a couple of weeks ago.
ETA - One of the Clematis has already attached itself to the trellis with a vengeance. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 April, 2022, 03:08:00 pm
Further removal of Crap from the cookhouse at Fort Larrington, accompanied by frequent cries of “WTF is this?”  But at least I could replace the somewhat wobbly doorstopper pressed into service as the knob on a Le Creuset saucepan lid with a proper Le Creuset item from another utensil deemed, in the absence of a sand-blasting machine, beyond redemption :thumbsup:

Then the handle fell off the said saucepan, because its internal thread is stripped  >:(  To the tip with you!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:13:35 pm
That seems a shame, don't they do spare parts?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:17:40 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 02:31:48 pm
Installed a Jasmine and a Honeysuckle alongside the brace of Clematis (Clemati?) that I put in a couple of weeks ago.
ETA - One of the Clematis has already attached itself to the trellis with a vengeance. :thumbsup:

I was hedge shopping last night, think I will have pyracantha (yes I know it's a spiky bastard) and blackthorn for the wildlife value. I did also wonder about guelder rose...
Honeysuckle etc will have to wait until the missing fence has been installed, no point trying to improve the soil the until fencing bods have finished tramping all over...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 03:26:29 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:17:40 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 02:31:48 pm
Installed a Jasmine and a Honeysuckle alongside the brace of Clematis (Clemati?) that I put in a couple of weeks ago.
ETA - One of the Clematis has already attached itself to the trellis with a vengeance. :thumbsup:

I was hedge shopping last night, think I will have pyracantha (yes I know it's a spiky bastard) and blackthorn for the wildlife value. I did also wonder about guelder rose...
Honeysuckle etc will have to wait until the missing fence has been installed, no point trying to improve the soil the until fencing bods have finished tramping all over...
One thing has shocked me (I'm not a gardener - in fact this is the first time in my life I've bought living things for growing outdoors from a garden centre) is the cost.
No wonder my local GC is only open 6hrs per day. They don't need to open for any longer.
A couple of plants, a couple of bits of trellis and a long-handled tebbit, all comes worryingly close to a three figure sum  :o
It's a family run business. They holiday in the Seychelles three times a year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 April, 2022, 03:33:31 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:13:35 pm
That seems a shame, don't they do spare parts?

Possibly, but the handle consisted of a long steel bolt with a loop, pans for the hanging from hooks of, at one end and passing through the middle of a hollow wooden handle, screwing into an internall-threaded boss integrated into the body of the pan.  'twas the internal threading wot had stripped.  The previous handle repair had used the folding-butterfly bolt wossname from an ancient Huret friction downtube gear lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:37:00 pm
Ah, fair enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:38:38 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 03:26:29 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:17:40 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 02:31:48 pm
Installed a Jasmine and a Honeysuckle alongside the brace of Clematis (Clemati?) that I put in a couple of weeks ago.
ETA - One of the Clematis has already attached itself to the trellis with a vengeance. :thumbsup:

I was hedge shopping last night, think I will have pyracantha (yes I know it's a spiky bastard) and blackthorn for the wildlife value. I did also wonder about guelder rose...
Honeysuckle etc will have to wait until the missing fence has been installed, no point trying to improve the soil the until fencing bods have finished tramping all over...
One thing has shocked me (I'm not a gardener - in fact this is the first time in my life I've bought living things for growing outdoors from a garden centre) is the cost.
No wonder my local GC is only open 6hrs per day. They don't need to open for any longer.
A couple of plants, a couple of bits of trellis and a long-handled tebbit, all comes worryingly close to a three figure sum  :o
It's a family run business. They holiday in the Seychelles three times a year.

A what now?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 April, 2022, 03:41:28 pm
We used to wind up Professor Larrington's dog by whispering in her ear'ole that there were Tebbits in the garden.

Nasty little Tebbitses!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 April, 2022, 03:46:20 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 April, 2022, 03:33:31 pm

Possibly, but the handle consisted of a long steel bolt with a loop, pans for the hanging from hooks of, at one end and passing through the middle of a hollow wooden handle, screwing into an internall-threaded boss integrated into the body of the pan.  'twas the internal threading wot had stripped.  The previous handle repair had used the folding-butterfly bolt wossname from an ancient Huret friction downtube gear lever.

Is it thick enough to tap and helicoil?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 April, 2022, 03:51:58 pm
Quote from: MattH on 10 April, 2022, 03:46:20 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 10 April, 2022, 03:33:31 pm

Possibly, but the handle consisted of a long steel bolt with a loop, pans for the hanging from hooks of, at one end and passing through the middle of a hollow wooden handle, screwing into an internall-threaded boss integrated into the body of the pan.  'twas the internal threading wot had stripped.  The previous handle repair had used the folding-butterfly bolt wossname from an ancient Huret friction downtube gear lever.

Is it thick enough to tap and helicoil?

Not unless I can persuade the tip to relinquish it, and they close in nine minutes time :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 04:28:04 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:38:38 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 03:26:29 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:17:40 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 02:31:48 pm
Installed a Jasmine and a Honeysuckle alongside the brace of Clematis (Clemati?) that I put in a couple of weeks ago.
ETA - One of the Clematis has already attached itself to the trellis with a vengeance. :thumbsup:

I was hedge shopping last night, think I will have pyracantha (yes I know it's a spiky bastard) and blackthorn for the wildlife value. I did also wonder about guelder rose...
Honeysuckle etc will have to wait until the missing fence has been installed, no point trying to improve the soil the until fencing bods have finished tramping all over...
One thing has shocked me (I'm not a gardener - in fact this is the first time in my life I've bought living things for growing outdoors from a garden centre) is the cost.
No wonder my local GC is only open 6hrs per day. They don't need to open for any longer.
A couple of plants, a couple of bits of trellis and a long-handled tebbit, all comes worryingly close to a three figure sum  :o
It's a family run business. They holiday in the Seychelles three times a year.

A what now?

A long handled trowel.
A long handled tebbit is a fictional tool designed to test the resolve of staff in the hardware store / decorators suppliers (places known for their quips n' banter eg: Spare bubbles for spirit level, tartan paint, a long weight etc).
It works this way: you go in and pick up a list-load of stuff to buy. You then ask if they have any long handled tebbits.
If the answer is along the lines of: We'll have some in next week / Sorry, sold the last one yesterday etc - You know they're full of shit.
How we laughed.

ETA - It's redress  for the trollops who work in my local mini market.
I (optimistically) asked if they had any oregano.
The reply came 'Nah. It's all finished now'.
I'm pretty sure that mini market trollop had no idea of what oregano actually is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 April, 2022, 07:27:07 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 04:28:04 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:38:38 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 03:26:29 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:17:40 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 02:31:48 pm
Installed a Jasmine and a Honeysuckle alongside the brace of Clematis (Clemati?) that I put in a couple of weeks ago.
ETA - One of the Clematis has already attached itself to the trellis with a vengeance. :thumbsup:

I was hedge shopping last night, think I will have pyracantha (yes I know it's a spiky bastard) and blackthorn for the wildlife value. I did also wonder about guelder rose...
Honeysuckle etc will have to wait until the missing fence has been installed, no point trying to improve the soil the until fencing bods have finished tramping all over...
One thing has shocked me (I'm not a gardener - in fact this is the first time in my life I've bought living things for growing outdoors from a garden centre) is the cost.
No wonder my local GC is only open 6hrs per day. They don't need to open for any longer.
A couple of plants, a couple of bits of trellis and a long-handled tebbit, all comes worryingly close to a three figure sum  :o
It's a family run business. They holiday in the Seychelles three times a year.

A what now?

A long handled trowel.
A long handled tebbit is a fictional tool designed to test the resolve of staff in the hardware store / decorators suppliers (places known for their quips n' banter eg: Spare bubbles for spirit level, tartan paint, a long weight etc).
It works this way: you go in and pick up a list-load of stuff to buy. You then ask if they have any long handled tebbits.
If the answer is along the lines of: We'll have some in next week / Sorry, sold the last one yesterday etc - You know they're full of shit.
How we laughed.

ETA - It's redress  for the trollops who work in my local mini market.
I (optimistically) asked if they had any oregano.
The reply came 'Nah. It's all finished now'.
I'm pretty sure that mini market trollop had no idea of what oregano actually is.

I guess you may have been known to go into a hardware store to by some candles or handles . . . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 10 April, 2022, 07:54:35 pm
We used to send the placement students to the stores for a long stand, or a left handed screwdriver.

I probably spend £50 or so a year on seeds, but it boggles me at the price of some plants, and my propagation techniques have got progressively better in response. Last summer I took 30 lavender cuttings, all of which have taken and will find a place in the garden or get given away. I currently have 4 buddliea (sp?) Cuttings as well, probably £10 a plant from a nursery...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 April, 2022, 08:26:48 pm
Yesterday I fettled four barrow loads of well matured horse shit onto part of the Upper Fifty Acres. This involved me driving to the stables where Vicky Downstairs keeps her horse, find no one about, through the gate to the muck heap and start digging.

Back seats down, one tonne dumpy bag in the boot. Can you tell I've got a company car? The owner of the srables hoves into view."Are you stealing my shit?" she asked.
Get home and reverse the process. Some cleaning of the car is needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 April, 2022, 08:29:48 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 04:28:04 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:38:38 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 03:26:29 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 03:17:40 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 April, 2022, 02:31:48 pm
Installed a Jasmine and a Honeysuckle alongside the brace of Clematis (Clemati?) that I put in a couple of weeks ago.
ETA - One of the Clematis has already attached itself to the trellis with a vengeance. :thumbsup:

I was hedge shopping last night, think I will have pyracantha (yes I know it's a spiky bastard) and blackthorn for the wildlife value. I did also wonder about guelder rose...
Honeysuckle etc will have to wait until the missing fence has been installed, no point trying to improve the soil the until fencing bods have finished tramping all over...
One thing has shocked me (I'm not a gardener - in fact this is the first time in my life I've bought living things for growing outdoors from a garden centre) is the cost.
No wonder my local GC is only open 6hrs per day. They don't need to open for any longer.
A couple of plants, a couple of bits of trellis and a long-handled tebbit, all comes worryingly close to a three figure sum  :o
It's a family run business. They holiday in the Seychelles three times a year.

A what now?

A long handled trowel.
A long handled tebbit is a fictional tool designed to test the resolve of staff in the hardware store / decorators suppliers (places known for their quips n' banter eg: Spare bubbles for spirit level, tartan paint, a long weight etc).
It works this way: you go in and pick up a list-load of stuff to buy. You then ask if they have any long handled tebbits.
If the answer is along the lines of: We'll have some in next week / Sorry, sold the last one yesterday etc - You know they're full of shit.
How we laughed.

ETA - It's redress  for the trollops who work in my local mini market.
I (optimistically) asked if they had any oregano.
The reply came 'Nah. It's all finished now'.
I'm pretty sure that mini market trollop had no idea of what oregano actually is.

I bet they’re fresh out of waldorfs too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 April, 2022, 08:32:58 pm
I did wonder about approaching the stables up the road. I assume it will all contain horse worming chemicals tho, which doesn't fit with my whole wildlife garden thing.

@elydave, was it not named after Rev Buddle and therefore Buddleia?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 15 April, 2022, 04:57:42 pm
The front disc pads on my Equilibrium. Not sure how they got contaminated, but boy, they did! I’ve not ridden it for 6 months, and stopping at the end of the road was like a banshee. Prisons looked dry, but disc was filthy when wiped with acetone, so put new pads in. And then sent a message to my stepson to buy me some spares in Germany to bring with him next month.

Oh, and felt led a rack leg mount for the Cycliq 6 rear light/camera.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 April, 2022, 04:59:52 pm
Put a shorter stem on the eCow, fiddled with HB angle, saddle, etc.  Did a 25k test toddle after, feels much better: before I was getting contractures in my neck & shoulder because I'm shorter now than when the bike was new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 15 April, 2022, 05:19:08 pm
I got a bit carried away...

(https://i.imgur.com/m5ZeMMV.jpg)

Plan is to work through all the bits over the next few months, undo the 5ish years of neglect, and hopefully by the time it's back to a rideable state again I'll have lost a bit of lard and bought some new cycling kit to ride it in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 April, 2022, 07:31:25 pm
Socket's a bit slack  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 15 April, 2022, 07:42:20 pm
Yeah, I really should finish the house before starting the bike but a) brainweasels and b) bikes are just fun, y'know
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2022, 08:27:58 pm
Swapped the wheels on the red behemoth.  One 19" wheel and tyre weighs about the same as three of my bikes.  Then cleaned it, reset the TPMS and went to Tesco for some very heavy stuff.

Swapped a Surly 18T for an EAI 18T on the yellow fixie.

Fitted pedals to the 1969 Harry Quinn track bike and gave it a quick test ride before the cafe run tomorrow.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 April, 2022, 10:02:23 pm
Red Robin hedge is looking a bit spotty and somewhat leggy. Bordeaux mixture is now banned (unsurprisingly). An article outlined  recent research findings which indicate that the spot is caused by damp conditions during winter rather than a fungus. So what to do?
I am happy to cut back, feed and mulch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 15 April, 2022, 10:10:14 pm
Reinforced some wooden noise makers for Mrs halter's business.

Mowed the lawn.

Dismantled the B&D cordless strimmer to determine cause of poor performance, and discovered that the magnets in the motor have disintegrated. That's the second time this has happened. Not paying another £50 for a replacement motor so into the bin it goes (however much that pains me). Replacement (different brand) ordered.

Replaced cord on roman blinds (which is a never ending task) with heavy duty fishing line. Let's see if that lasts any longer. (The fishing line was bought in a shop in Ramsgate at least 20 years ago. Chap behind the counter said that that strength of line is never bought by fishermen, but always be theatre people looking to hang stuff around the stage.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 16 April, 2022, 07:35:22 pm
Replaced various tyres that were all wearing thin, cut etc. Fixie front and back plus a new chain, flash carbon rear, a carbon ti bike the rear. Noticed the fixie  back wheel rim unevenly worn so poss something in/on the pad was scouring the metal. Not that old so bit irritating
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 16 April, 2022, 08:35:11 pm
Potted up some ivy-leaved pelargoniums, cut and fed the lawns.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 April, 2022, 11:16:37 pm
New tyres and frobbing the front indexing on the Roberts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: markcjagar on 16 April, 2022, 11:45:06 pm
New cables & bar tape. I did the drivetrain a couple of weeks ago so now it feels like a new bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 17 April, 2022, 12:52:59 pm
Potted the dahlias in the green house for 2 weeks while away. Updated Di2 on lightweight bike to take away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 17 April, 2022, 03:13:25 pm
A new battery in the Garmin speed sensor on the Enigma. Should really go round them all (3 bikes worth) and check but that can wait for another day.

And paid my stepson £60 for 4 sets of JO3A pads that he bought from Bike24 for me. That’s £10 a set less than Wiggle. He’ll bring them over when he visits in a couple of weeks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 21 April, 2022, 08:12:55 pm
Felt the need to attack the Triban and make it more Audax friendly - i.e. give it lower gears with a lovely GRX 46/30 crankset to replace the compact.

Tried to fit GRX crankset to the Triban - failed. Not enough throw in the derailleur for the wider chain line.

I had a smug smile - because I knew this might happen and I had a cunning plan B. A spare triple derailleur with lots of throw.

Yes yes - Mr Shimano would tut and scream "Verbotten!". But I find lots of Shimano bits play nicely when you aren't a 400W FTP pro cyclist.

Alas - plan B had other ideas: The derailleur only fits skinny steel frames. I bought the wrong size.

That will teach me to be smug.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 April, 2022, 08:21:54 pm
Took off the mount for my b0rked VDO pooter and replaced it with the obligatory* new Cateye one.

*obligatory because nobody else makes dumb pooters anymore.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 April, 2022, 03:56:17 pm
Put a Schwalbe Durano Plus with a Slime tube onto the eCow's front wheel so as to have the same kit front & back and avoid doubling up on spares.  'Twas a bit of a wrestling match - I just hope the things are as bombproof as they claim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 22 April, 2022, 06:27:31 pm
I found Durano Plus werebombproof on my velomobile but slow in winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 22 April, 2022, 06:42:58 pm
Got the Elan ready for tomorrows Audax - clean/lube chain, pump tyres, new power crank battery and new rear disc pads.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 April, 2022, 08:09:09 am
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 22 April, 2022, 06:27:31 pm
I found Durano Plus werebombproof on my velomobile but slow in winter.

Good to hear, ta. Re winter, that's OK, I'm slow too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Dibdib on 29 April, 2022, 08:36:20 pm
I've made good progress on the bike rebuild, considering how long these things tend to take me. Everything has been cleaned and relubricated, the frame has been waxoyl'd (I only lost one plastic straw inside the chainstay, woo!), the last parts - a Jagwire brake cable kit - finally arrived today, and I've started putting some of the components back onto the frame.

Next up, get the confidence to (eeek) cut the cable outers, decide on bar and shifter placement, and (eeek again) wrap the bar tape...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 30 April, 2022, 06:54:24 pm
Gave the chain and cassette a clean in the ultrasonic bath, towelled dry and then put Squirt on the chain.

This is my first time using squirt but it comes highly recommended for longevity without the full faff of wax immersion.

We'll see!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 May, 2022, 10:04:20 am
I reamed two Moulton seat tubes and chased and faced the BB shell on one of them.  The smell of cutting oil takes ages to wash off hands  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 01 May, 2022, 03:40:07 pm
No real fettling involved, but as I was doing a “shed” ride on FulGaz (Bolderwood to Lepe, across the New Forest) I decided to try out the Wahoo Headwind fan. Set up was non-existent, it just worked with the Wahoo app, and I linked my Tickr HRM to it to control fan speed. Excellent product, reduced running sweat significantly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 01 May, 2022, 03:44:25 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 01 May, 2022, 03:40:07 pm
No real fettling involved, but as I was doing a “shed” ride on FulGaz (Bolderwood to Lepe, across the New Forest) I decided to try out the Wahoo Headwind fan. Set up was non-existent, it just worked with the Wahoo app, and I linked my Tickr HRM to it to control fan speed. Excellent product, reduced running sweat significantly.

Hmm - must add that to the xmas wish list as I overheat quite quickly on the turbo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 May, 2022, 03:50:22 pm
Forgot, yesterday as it was bone-dry, warm, and still, I gave the VERY EXPENSIVE new Moulton head badge three coats of acrylic lacquer, as otherwise the paint falls off them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 01 May, 2022, 04:53:54 pm
Checked over our Isla Cnoc 14 and drilled the bar ends to take streamers ahead of re lending it to my niece who previously had it and previously hasn't used it. However she wanted the handlebar streamers for her birthday so hopefully she may show some interest in the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 May, 2022, 05:04:39 pm
ECow chain degunked & waxed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 01 May, 2022, 06:53:55 pm
Today, I went around the house replacing light bulbs. A couple of incandescent lamps that refused to die and cold cathode bulbs with led bulbs. This should save money in the long term.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 May, 2022, 08:15:14 pm
Fitted a pair of tubeless tyres for a customer today - once I had scraped the crust of dried on sealant from the rear rim well and all the way round the bead the whole process was rather easier than usual - first time inflation for both tyres using the SKS "air tank" that I charged up with a compressor (that seems odd but the compressor is a non-tank type and not enough oomph for tubeless to pop onto the rims)   Sealant in through the valve once the tyres were seated, the other method pouring it into tyre and then fitting is way too messy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 May, 2022, 10:17:58 pm
We went for a ride this morning but the weather stayed misty and neither of us was really up for it so we came home (65km). Then the sun came out so I gave the 2 remaining bare fence panels a first coat of Ducksback.
Fact: it takes me 1 hour to paint each panel.

I'm hoping that the new fence on the other side of the garden doesn't take so long to paint, being of different construction.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 May, 2022, 07:51:13 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 May, 2022, 10:17:58 pm
We went for a ride this morning but the weather stayed misty and neither of us was really up for it so we came home (65km). Then the sun came out so I gave the 2 remaining bare fence panels a first coat of Ducksback.
Fact: it takes me 1 hour to paint each panel.

I'm hoping that the new fence on the other side of the garden doesn't take so long to paint, being of different construction.

Screwfix have a clearance item paint sprayer at £5 (yes, that's correct) - ideal for spraying thinnish liquids like fence treatment ...  works a treat although noisy.  I've just used one to spray seal on our limestone patio.  [At the price I've bought 2 more as it's almost worth keeping one for different materials being sprayed without having to be too scrupulous about cleaning it out]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 May, 2022, 07:58:22 am
Forgot to mention that when I rewaxed my chain the other day I joined up the ends with the snap link before putting it in the pot.  Once it was done & cooled it was a lot easier to unstiffen - I ran it round a pulley bolted to a shelving upright in the workshop - and there was no excess wax bunging up the rivets or coating the articulation surfaces on the plates. When I put it back on the bike the snap link went in easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 May, 2022, 12:47:39 pm
Quote from: robgul on 02 May, 2022, 07:51:13 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 May, 2022, 10:17:58 pm
We went for a ride this morning but the weather stayed misty and neither of us was really up for it so we came home (65km). Then the sun came out so I gave the 2 remaining bare fence panels a first coat of Ducksback.
Fact: it takes me 1 hour to paint each panel.

I'm hoping that the new fence on the other side of the garden doesn't take so long to paint, being of different construction.

Screwfix have a clearance item paint sprayer at £5 (yes, that's correct) - ideal for spraying thinnish liquids like fence treatment ...  works a treat although noisy.  I've just used one to spray seal on our limestone patio.  [At the price I've bought 2 more as it's almost worth keeping one for different materials being sprayed without having to be too scrupulous about cleaning it out]
Ducksback is apparently too waxy to use in a sprayer, it just bungs up the nozzle, from what I've read.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 May, 2022, 01:46:40 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 May, 2022, 12:47:39 pm
Quote from: robgul on 02 May, 2022, 07:51:13 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 May, 2022, 10:17:58 pm
We went for a ride this morning but the weather stayed misty and neither of us was really up for it so we came home (65km). Then the sun came out so I gave the 2 remaining bare fence panels a first coat of Ducksback.
Fact: it takes me 1 hour to paint each panel.

I'm hoping that the new fence on the other side of the garden doesn't take so long to paint, being of different construction.

Screwfix have a clearance item paint sprayer at £5 (yes, that's correct) - ideal for spraying thinnish liquids like fence treatment ...  works a treat although noisy.  I've just used one to spray seal on our limestone patio.  [At the price I've bought 2 more as it's almost worth keeping one for different materials being sprayed without having to be too scrupulous about cleaning it out]
Ducksback is apparently too waxy to use in a sprayer, it just bungs up the nozzle, from what I've read.

Ah - I don't know that product . . .  I've sprayed Cuprinol Garden Shades with success and the patio seal was the consistency (and colour) of milk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 May, 2022, 05:51:43 pm
Trip to Lewes with The Boy and a niece. Re-located my grandfather's grave, where my parents ashes are also interred. Got busy with various edged tools and removed brambles, ivy and other weeds. No injuries.  Then to a Thee Pubbe for lunch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 May, 2022, 06:58:38 pm
Haven't managed to give those fence panels their 2nd coat of Ducksback yet cos it's been too cold Mon-Tues and too damp today.
I was supposed to be going to the hairdresser tonight but cancelled that due to lurgy so instead I washed down one of the kitchen walls and put a mist coat on the patches of new plaster. (Hopefully get that wall painted before the plumber puts the new radiator up).
Then I got shot of the horrible decorators caulk on the skirting and replaced it with that Screwfix plaster in a tube type stuff instead.

I bloody hate decorators caulk, dust and hair sticks to it and it's just generally horrible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 04 May, 2022, 07:50:57 pm
Changed chain on one of my bikes as snapped on weekend and had snapped previously so was now too short and probably knackered hence the snapping

Moved the wife's bike out to get into shed and back tyre was soft so fixed visitation on that. Found the bloody great thorn, went to get pliers and it then moved to a different part of tyre and hid so took an age to find it again and remove
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 May, 2022, 09:22:52 pm
Took the back wheel.out of the fixer and tapped out the axle I could read the size of the cartridge bearings, which had developed a wobble.

Put it back together, with the aid of a medium Birmingham screwdriver. The wobble has gone. It is a miracle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 05 May, 2022, 08:35:38 pm
Operation "Make the triban lower geared" kicked back into action with the arrival of a GRX front derailleur to match the already bought GRX 46/30 crankset.

It has a tension screw on the FD itself - which is a first for me. I already have a cable barrel adjuster so it is a doddle to clamp the cable with a bit of slack, and use the combined range on both to get perfect tension. Normally it takes me a couple of tries to get the first tension within range of the barrel adjuster.

The chain and cassette are in the ultrasonic cleaner to make them sparkle: Any excuse to use it to be honest...

And then I'll take the Triban on an Audax to see if it works as a backup bike. It'll be quicker than the Elan, but it's nowhere near as comfy with 28mm tyres and thick Al frame built for robustness rather than compliance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 05 May, 2022, 08:42:50 pm
I got hold of a kinesis advantage ergo keyboard recently as my RSI has been playing up again. I use a trackball and MS natural keyboard when I can, and have always fancied giving one a go, so picked up a second hand one.

Stripped it and gave it a really good clean, then built up the Stapleberg open source controller board based upon a Teensy 4.1 controller board. Flashed with QMK firmware, it's now totally configurable and doesn't have the sticky modifier bug that the original had. Now I judt neefd ti relearn hiw to type.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 06 May, 2022, 06:09:21 pm
The ultrasonic cleaned chain and cassette was married up with the new GRX crankset and front derailleur, and tuned to give lovely shifts and quiet cross chain. It looks smashing. A quick coat of squirt on the chain, and it's ready for action.

Operation "make an Aluminium bike with 28mm tyres comfy" also includes a redshift shock post, and a charge spoon saddle. This matches redshift shock stem, wide compact drop bars with gel pads and thick tape.

Now it needs a long ride on rubbish, steep lanes to see if I've done enough. If not - then alas - it'll need to go. I hope it works - it is much lighter than the Elan and narrower tyres are quicker.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 06 May, 2022, 07:02:35 pm
I've fettled a hole today, with a 162mm diamond core drill and a bloody great drill, hired from Phil's Tool Hire in Welshpool.

The cooker hood which the previous owners had installed by B&bloodyuselessQ kitchen fitters, sort of, discharged very noisily via 100mm tumble drier vent floppy pipe, which did a complete loop, before it was jammed through a 50mm wide slot in the ceiling.  It then meandered its way across to a 100mm vent thingy in the gable end wall (its a bungalow).  Today I completed the project of opening up the hole in the ceiling to the correct 150mm+ diameter, installing semi-rigid but flaxy aluminium tube through the tricky bit, and then drilled out the existing hole to the correct size.  This was made feasibly by the fact that the lazy f***ers had left the core in the roof space, so I made wooden wedges to jam it back into the hole, and set to with the monster core drill.  Not really a fun experience, considering the bricks are hard machine made things, and I eventually found out why it all felt a bit tricky, and kept jamming in the hole, nearly yanking me off the ladder.  The numpties had only drilled it a good 5 degrees off straight, so of course my drill was being guided by their original pilot hole, on a wonky course.  Gits!  Still, 'tis all done now, and the cooker extract now blows about 3 times as hard, making about a tenth of the noise level.

However, why is 150mm ducting, 153mm outside diameter, when most modern tube for domestic purposes seems to be sized by outside diameter?  Nearest available core drill bit was 162mm, that's a weird size!

Bum, another 50 miles, doing 2 return trips to Welshpool today...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 May, 2022, 10:22:18 pm
Fitted a new rear brake cable to HK’s MTB commuter yesterday because the outer had failed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 May, 2022, 05:25:56 am
Emergency fettling of the timing chain chain ring on the Pino 15 minutes before the start of the FNRttC.  It had become Mysteriously Bent between resulting in Bad Noises and Lack of Forward Motion.  Pulled the crank off and applied tactical leverage with a big spanner. Not perfect but good enough so far. It's lasted 35 miles so far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 May, 2022, 01:25:53 pm
Removed a leaky sight glass from a Mamod steam boiler.  New one on order.  Typical eBay shyster didn't show the leak-stained back of the boiler in the photos, and also supplied a solid fuel burner, which no-one wants, rather than the meths burner promised in the listing.  I'll want a part refund for that.  It appears he/she/it copied the description from someone's website.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 May, 2022, 02:58:37 pm
Yesterday: Dremelled a couple of mm off the visor for my Chinese plastic hat so that it doesn't wear a trench across my nose any more. Hat is still bloody uncomfortable otherwise, though.  Gave up on it for today's ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 May, 2022, 03:48:50 pm
Had one of my contractors come over to give me a hand (tbf he did 90% of the work) to put new felt on my shed roof.
All done in fewer than 3 hours, for the princely sum of £50.00 cash for his time.
Additionally, managed to chop up, bag and put in the landfill bin the last remains of my old fence.
Currently sitting in my garden, refreshing myself with a grape-based drink from NZ.
One task remains, and that is to water my climbers and my bee bombs, for they are parched.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 May, 2022, 04:26:15 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 07 May, 2022, 05:25:56 am
Emergency fettling of the timing chain chain ring on the Pino 15 minutes before the start of the FNRttC.  It had become Mysteriously Bent between resulting in Bad Noises and Lack of Forward Motion.  Pulled the crank off and applied tactical leverage with a big spanner. Not perfect but good enough so far. It's lasted 35 miles so far.
And it managed the rest of the ride. TFFT. I'll give it a proper looking at in a moment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 May, 2022, 05:22:39 pm
Started putting the TSR bsck together.  The difficult bits are done (those that require pressing parts in).  As usual with the rear pivot, the Universal Household Tool* was used to nudge it together.  I'm very happy with the fit of this one.

*a rolling pin
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 May, 2022, 05:39:38 pm
This morning I finally finished painting the last of the old new fence panels (I started in March!).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52056889354_e3da9b1f01.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nj6az5)2022-05-07_05-20-53 (https://flic.kr/p/2nj6az5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

A later job will be painting the new new fence on the other side, when it's been installed. I'm glad it's not another of those larch lap panel things, they're a PITA to paint.

Then after lunch I gave the radiator wall in the kitchen a 2nd coat of paint so it's ready for the plumber to install the new radiator when I've evicted the covid fairy and he comes back to finish the kitchen..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 May, 2022, 05:42:30 pm
After discovering that the shower head at Fort Larrington can indeed be unscrewed, it is undergoing de-gunging.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 May, 2022, 05:48:29 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 May, 2022, 01:25:53 pm
Removed a leaky sight glass from a Mamod steam boiler.  New one on order.  Typical eBay shyster didn't show the leak-stained back of the boiler in the photos, and also supplied a solid fuel burner, which no-one wants, rather than the meths burner promised in the listing.  I'll want a part refund for that.  It appears he/she/it copied the description from someone's website.

Which Mamod steam item do you have ? . . . . I'm thinking of reliving my youth with something  (although I have a mini-CNC machine that I've had for over a year and not used yet - no time for toys and playing)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 07 May, 2022, 06:18:19 pm
Fettled the non-functional bathroom plug (one of the horrible lever push things, which I hate - it was already broken when we moved in and the previous people had just tied a plug chain to the lever) to a flippy one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 May, 2022, 06:38:37 pm
Quote from: robgul on 07 May, 2022, 05:48:29 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 07 May, 2022, 01:25:53 pm
Removed a leaky sight glass from a Mamod steam boiler.  New one on order.  Typical eBay shyster didn't show the leak-stained back of the boiler in the photos, and also supplied a solid fuel burner, which no-one wants, rather than the meths burner promised in the listing.  I'll want a part refund for that.  It appears he/she/it copied the description from someone's website.

Which Mamod steam item do you have ? . . . . I'm thinking of reliving my youth with something  (although I have a mini-CNC machine that I've had for over a year and not used yet - no time for toys and playing)
This one is a twin-cylinder SE3 stationary engine with superheat.  I had a TE1A traction engine years ago but chasing it around wasn't as fun as just running it.  I'm hoping to drive an old SA dynohub from this one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 07 May, 2022, 08:12:09 pm
My shedde/gymme, rearranged to give better separation between turbo area and bike fettling/build/storage areas. A bit of a game of tetris, move x to space, move y to space x was in ...

Now waiting for frame to arrive to attach several boxes of bits to in the new fettling area [taps fingers restlessly]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 May, 2022, 06:59:55 pm
Loaded a grease gun with marine grease and packed the new TSR pivot.  I was never keen on the black lith-moly grease as it makes an appalling mess, and calcium sulphonate has similar solid lubricant qualities, while being totally waterproof.  I know I still need the moly stuff for the fork, but that's all sealed away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 10 May, 2022, 01:04:25 pm
Rather embarrassing, as I usually keep things fairly well-maintained...
Stripped down the transmission on my bike for a deep clean, and found the middle 39t chainring looking like this:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52063701951_f0ca4d0592_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2njG5HD)
Dead chainring (https://flic.kr/p/2njG5HD) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

All the teeth are so worn as to be really sharp like shark's teeth, and about 6 of them were broken!
New one on order. Two, actually, as they are NoS and becoming rarer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 10 May, 2022, 03:38:18 pm
^^^
You definitely got your money out of that chain ring!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 10 May, 2022, 05:01:57 pm
For some reason Mrs O decided to iron something on the bedroom floor. The iron fell over. The carpet is red, artificial fibre (gave up on wool carpets after feeding too many moths), resulting in a dark grey, iron-shaped patch.

Still have some carpet offcuts from when it was laid two or three years ago, so I cut out the damaged area and used it as a template to make a new patch and stick it in place with some carpet tape. Slightly obvious as the original carpet has already faded a little from sunlight, but much better than a dark grey bald patch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 May, 2022, 05:21:36 pm
Garden table and bench from new scaffold boards . . .  lots of sanding with my new belt sander  :thumbsup:   - but see div thread  :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 10 May, 2022, 07:03:28 pm
My folder needed a new rear tyre and tube. Tyre because it was well worn (castor brake helps there) and tube as I suspected the valve, and the poor thing had been patched a lot over the years.

I replaced the Marathon Racer with a Marathon, as that was all my LBS had. Things started inauspiciously, as the tyre needed levers and welly to get the first bead over. I thought - uh oh, here we go.

As you can see, the second bead was a liiiiiiitle tight.

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUk_jwKpTCtN3sYJTy8P8Bo4J_bfKybiYKl-QnOCSkXfLrutC-PCXO_eEvLmwv5IbvpR4agYTfaOptJREgqZd3vVVF6AltdxNVI5hQQ2PHzia4Cb-aJBW7gXJFSWYfsLfhbgqk1XiTiwmMkkhUV_EgITGGImNQuPCg5SvWxXRWPyzYS0_vii_If0b/s1024/PXL_20220510_153336097.jpg)

But, as you can also see, the BFO Park Tools metal levers are what I haz. A firm hand was required but it went on in seconds from there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 May, 2022, 07:08:12 pm
Quote from: orienteer on 10 May, 2022, 05:01:57 pm
For some reason Mrs O decided to iron something on the bedroom floor. The iron fell over. The carpet is red, artificial fibre (gave up on wool carpets after feeding too many moths), resulting in a dark grey, iron-shaped patch.

This sort of thing (special mention to the burnt patch on the back of barakta's Interview Jacket), combined with general lack of arsedness and preferring my RCDs un-tripped is the reasoning behind my no-ironing policy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 10 May, 2022, 08:27:06 pm
On my commuting bike, I need to replace the seat-clamp, because I want to use one with attachments point to mount the rear rack on. At the moment I'm using p-clips, but those have a very limited lifetime and one of the current pair has just broken, so the other one probably will very shortly too.

Of course, the seat-post has seized, and after some abuse trying to unseize it, the bit that the seat clamp attaches to is coming out of the post itself, although the post was just starting to move! I think this means that this seat-post is toast, but I have to find some way to remove it that doesn't rely on force being exerted through the seat itself. ::-)

Mole-grips around the seat-post currently aren't moving the post at all. Hopefully leaving it overnight, the WD40 I've sprayed around it may loosen thing up a bit, although obviously it's difficult for that to get into the gap. I'm wondering how I can apply some more leverage to the mole-grips. :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 10 May, 2022, 08:34:57 pm
I always swear by Plus Gas ahead of WD40 as a release agent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 May, 2022, 08:38:27 pm
If the post is toast, drill a hole straight through it and put a bar or screwdriver through the hole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 12:43:54 am
Quote from: hatler on 10 May, 2022, 08:34:57 pm
I always swear by Plus Gas ahead of WD40 as a release agent.
Yes, but unfortunately WD40 is all that was at hand. I've already got some Plus Gas ordered.

Quote from: MattH on 10 May, 2022, 08:38:27 pm
If the post is toast, drill a hole straight through it and put a bar or screwdriver through the hole.
The mole-grips are actually gripping it adequately, I just can't turn it, there's insufficient leverage. I need to hunt around for something that I can either use to provide more leverage, directly on the mole-grips or via a drilled hole.

I started preparing the spare bike to use instead, and thought that all I needed to do was pump the tyres up ... however, once I'd swapped the fittings for cameras and lights across, with a few gotchas, I found that the free-hub was very free, the pawls were not engaging and it happily spins in either direction. ...

It's definitely one of those day  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 11 May, 2022, 12:59:01 am
Quote from: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 12:43:54 am
I found that the free-hub was very free, the pawls were not engaging and it happily spins in either direction. ...

No problem. Take off the pedals and ride it like a dandy horse. Bonus points for either full hipster or Victorian garb to complete the image.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 09:47:29 am
Quote from: MattH on 11 May, 2022, 12:59:01 am
Quote from: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 12:43:54 am
I found that the free-hub was very free, the pawls were not engaging and it happily spins in either direction. ...
No problem. Take off the pedals and ride it like a dandy horse. Bonus points for either full hipster or Victorian garb to complete the image.

 ;D

This bike has straight handlebars, so isn't really optimal for the hipster fakenger look.

Some years ago, when I broke a chain without a chain-tool handy, I had to do that for a mile or two. It turns out that bikes accelerate really slowly under their own momentum when going downhill. It's surprising how much even a little input via pedals or feet on the ground accelerates you!

Next trick, I need to find a lock-ring removal tool to swap out the free-hub. I'm fairly sure I have at least 4 different variants of that, but couldn't actually find a single one last-night!  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 May, 2022, 01:25:31 pm
Quote from: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 12:43:54 am
Quote from: MattH on 10 May, 2022, 08:38:27 pm
If the post is toast, drill a hole straight through it and put a bar or screwdriver through the hole.
The mole-grips are actually gripping it adequately, I just can't turn it, there's insufficient leverage. I need to hunt around for something that I can either use to provide more leverage, directly on the mole-grips or via a drilled hole.

I believe the canonical solution is to clamp the seatpost in a bench vise and use the bike frame as a lever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 May, 2022, 02:53:24 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 May, 2022, 01:25:31 pm
Quote from: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 12:43:54 am
Quote from: MattH on 10 May, 2022, 08:38:27 pm
If the post is toast, drill a hole straight through it and put a bar or screwdriver through the hole.
The mole-grips are actually gripping it adequately, I just can't turn it, there's insufficient leverage. I need to hunt around for something that I can either use to provide more leverage, directly on the mole-grips or via a drilled hole.

I believe the canonical solution is to clamp the seatpost in a bench vise and use the bike frame as a lever.

I'm servicing a customer's bike today - just about to take out the seat post . . .  ??WTF there's no seatbolt !  Presumably totally seized, and has been for some time.  Bike is just a gnat's short of being condemmed . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 05:31:43 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 May, 2022, 01:25:31 pm
Quote from: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 12:43:54 am
Quote from: MattH on 10 May, 2022, 08:38:27 pm
If the post is toast, drill a hole straight through it and put a bar or screwdriver through the hole.
The mole-grips are actually gripping it adequately, I just can't turn it, there's insufficient leverage. I need to hunt around for something that I can either use to provide more leverage, directly on the mole-grips or via a drilled hole.
I believe the canonical solution is to clamp the seatpost in a bench vise and use the bike frame as a lever.

Which would work, if I had a large bench vice bolted to a bench, which unfortunately I don't.

(Actually, there's one at work, but I'd have to cycle 20km without a saddle, which would be uncomfortable at best! I think I'll leave that for when all else fails).

For added shits and giggles, the freehub that was freely freewheeling in both directions last night, has now seized up entirely, so is clearly a very polarised part and believes in all or nothing.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 11 May, 2022, 05:37:02 pm
Quote from: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 09:47:29 am
Next trick, I need to find a lock-ring removal tool to swap out the free-hub. I'm fairly sure I have at least 4 different variants of that, but couldn't actually find a single one last-night!  ::-)
You know that Tardis like pannier you used to bring on the FNRttC?  They'll be in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eckagain on 11 May, 2022, 05:54:08 pm
 Depending on how much you value your frame, this could be the very chap for you: https://theseatpostman.com/ (https://theseatpostman.com/)
About £80 plus carriage. He managed to remove my carbon seatpost seized in a carbon frame. My own fault, I'd neglected it for about five years. The post was toast, the frame totally undamaged.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 06:24:11 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 11 May, 2022, 05:37:02 pm
You know that Tardis like pannier you used to bring on the FNRttC?  They'll be in there.

I checked, and no. :)

I managed to drift it off, which was fairly quick and easy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimO on 11 May, 2022, 06:34:09 pm
Quote from: eckagain on 11 May, 2022, 05:54:08 pm
Depending on how much you value your frame, this could be the very chap for you: https://theseatpostman.com/ (https://theseatpostman.com/)
About £80 plus carriage. He managed to remove my carbon seatpost seized in a carbon frame. My own fault, I'd neglected it for about five years. The post was toast, the frame totally undamaged.

It's actually a very cheap and cheerful track frame that I use as a commuter, modified as a single-speed with mudguards and a rear-rack.

Ultimately it's sort-out-able, with the ultimate solutions involving hacksawing it out from the inside or dissolving it with sodium hydroxide. Those are rather 'aggressive' and can be problematic, so I'd prefer brute force at this point. :)

I'm a little amused that there's enough demand for a (small) company to specialise in just this one task. ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 May, 2022, 06:56:32 pm
Everything else might have ground to a halt but at least I finished this wee upcycling project
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52067088100_7b9c0bdf6a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2njZriw)2022-05-11_06-45-23 (https://flic.kr/p/2njZriw) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 May, 2022, 09:09:30 pm
Is that the new Scotland-N. Ireland bridge as promised by Bloody Stupid Johnson?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 May, 2022, 09:24:52 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 May, 2022, 09:09:30 pm
Is that the new Scotland-N. Ireland bridge as promised by Bloody Stupid Johnson?

Looks like it was delivered on time and within budget, so it's safe to say it's not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 11 May, 2022, 09:33:00 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 11 May, 2022, 06:56:32 pm
Everything else might have ground to a halt but at least I finished this wee upcycling project
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52067088100_7b9c0bdf6a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2njZriw)2022-05-11_06-45-23 (https://flic.kr/p/2njZriw) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Apple orgies for being a bit obscure clique (which I don't think even you ever knew, never mind the rest of the forum), but that has a certain Woodend chic about it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 May, 2022, 10:07:34 pm
As in Woodend curries, Woodend I assume?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 May, 2022, 03:05:37 pm
Turned the eCow rubber side up and removed the BFO motor wheel so that I could inspect the stays for cracks.  The chain was slipping when I put a hefty load on it last time I was out so I of course suspected the worst. The wheel was so difficult to pop even after I remembered to deflate the tyre that I already knew all would be well, but with the wheel out I could really put some force on the stays, which flexed no more than they were meant to.  The welds all look fine too. 

Took the opportunity to clean up milady's underparts, put the wheel back, adjusted the gears: ready to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 12 May, 2022, 03:30:27 pm
Rebuilt the TSR fork (with modification to protect the painted ends from abrasion) and got it back on its wheels. All easy bits left to do now.  The rebuilt fork is far smoother.  It has new shell bearings, stainless shim washers glued to the dropouts, and the leading links are assembled completely dry as per the instructions.  New bobbin and wiper seal inside the steerer.

The long M16 threaded rod and nuts I bought to fit F-frame headsets was needed here too.  Normal headset presses are too short, but using an M16 rod means the Cyclus stepped adaptors exactly slip over it and can still be used on the cups.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 May, 2022, 02:45:57 pm
Quote from: robgul on 10 May, 2022, 05:21:36 pm
Garden table and bench from new scaffold boards . . .  lots of sanding with my new belt sander  :thumbsup:   - but see div thread  :hand:

Completed and in position (had to get the chap next door to help move the table top, it's heavy) - and it's BIG 2.4 x 1.1m

(https://i.ibb.co/ScNZGC2/bench-table-may22.jpg)

- just the one bench, there'll be chairs along the other side and ends.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 May, 2022, 09:39:54 pm
Quote from: orienteer on 10 May, 2022, 05:01:57 pm
For some reason Mrs O decided to iron something on the bedroom floor. The iron fell over. The carpet is red, artificial fibre (gave up on wool carpets after feeding too many moths), resulting in a dark grey, iron-shaped patch.


My partner did the same to a fairly new (also red, also synthetic because the previous wool carpet had succumbed to the moths) carpet in our last place. We didn't have spare carpet, but CBA to get a new one and just lived with it for a few years.

I had a similar incident many years ago involving a beige carpet in a rental flat whilst attempting to fix a clarinet with a hairdryer. That resulted in a hefty deposit reduction... :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 13 May, 2022, 11:20:34 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 13 May, 2022, 09:39:54 pm
...fix a clarinet with a hairdryer...

A common turn of phrase in the Central Belt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 May, 2022, 12:37:50 am
Quote from: Pingu on 13 May, 2022, 11:20:34 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 13 May, 2022, 09:39:54 pm
...fix a clarinet with a hairdryer...

A common turn of phrase in the Central Belt.
In Barnsley they speak of little else.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 May, 2022, 07:50:11 am
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 13 May, 2022, 09:39:54 pm
Quote from: orienteer on 10 May, 2022, 05:01:57 pm
For some reason Mrs O decided to iron something on the bedroom floor. The iron fell over. The carpet is red, artificial fibre (gave up on wool carpets after feeding too many moths), resulting in a dark grey, iron-shaped patch.


My partner did the same to a fairly new (also red, also synthetic because the previous wool carpet had succumbed to the moths) carpet in our last place. We didn't have spare carpet, but CBA to get a new one and just lived with it for a few years.

I had a similar incident many years ago involving a beige carpet in a rental flat whilst attempting to fix a clarinet with a hairdryer. That resulted in a hefty deposit reduction... :facepalm:

We have a couple of rentals and the "ironing on the floor" issue is frequent - despite providing an ironing board (only) in a let unfurnished property.  Deposit retention only just about covers carpet replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 15 May, 2022, 04:03:57 pm
Two things:

1. Stripped and cleaned a NOS Shimano type D coaster hub which turned out to have a rusty LH ball race.  Must have been in storage for decades.  The balls and cages are toast but the races aren't too far gone and wlll run in to be smooth.

2. A s/h replacement boiler for the big steam engine (Mamod SE3) came this week, so I fitted valves and plugs to it and steamed it as a test.  It's all fine and, moreover, the regulator valve I desoldered yesterday doesn't leak.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 15 May, 2022, 04:25:38 pm
Swapped the winter steely onto the smart trainer, having taken the fair weather soot bike off it. Renewed the cadence and speed sensor batteries on it and the not-so-fair weather Domane.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 May, 2022, 12:41:04 pm
Found the origin of the eCow's chain-slip problems: middle chainring worn.   Fair enough: that chainset has about 33,000 km on it, mostly on the middle ring.  New one ordered, eCow laid up until it gets here.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 May, 2022, 05:42:57 pm
Disks moved from dead PC to live one.  They worked without any tedious faffing around in diskmgt too :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 May, 2022, 07:30:26 pm
Yesterday, raised the seat angle and reduced the boom extension on HK’s Trice Micro, shortened the chain and readjusted both derailleurs. Replaced some Al bolts with munched heads with SS bolts.

Today, fitted the rear rack and swapped the pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 May, 2022, 09:08:19 pm
Sorted the creaking seat clamp on the perfectly sensible 90's MTB.

Today, removed the RH 105 shifter from the now turbo-bike, repalcing the brake with a TRP lever and the shifter with a bar-end 10-sp that I had hanging round.  The 105 will be used on my new-build. Atte,[ted recabbling did not go as well as planned, managing to shear the cable clamp bolt on the FD.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 May, 2022, 03:44:07 pm
Finally got round to replacing the frayed power cable on my 30 year old compressor - it's now come back into use for popping tubeless tyres onto rims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 May, 2022, 04:52:12 pm
Set about cleaning this:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172620136.jpg)

11 years worth of crud in there - well, 4 years of regular use and 7 as backup.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 20 May, 2022, 05:15:23 pm
Quote from: T42 on 20 May, 2022, 04:52:12 pm
Set about cleaning this:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172620136.jpg)

11 years worth of crud in there - well, 4 years of regular use and 7 as backup.

All hail the triple chainset!

If you are feeling indulgent I can highly recommend an ultrasonic cleaner. They make cleaning transmissions a complete doddle. My transmission is so clean, it's actually a cleaning hazard: I keep looking at it whilst riding!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 20 May, 2022, 07:51:00 pm
Quote from: trundle on 20 May, 2022, 05:15:23 pm
All hail the triple chainset!

Indeed - anyone can ride a single or fixed, it takes a real strong man to carry the additional weight of a triple up the hills!  :-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 May, 2022, 12:48:33 am
In the dim and distant past iddu otp was rocking a quad chainset on his Trice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 May, 2022, 12:56:45 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 21 May, 2022, 12:48:33 am
In the dim and distant past iddu otp was rocking a quad chainset on his Trice.

Shush, you'll give cycleman ideas...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 May, 2022, 01:36:15 am
IIRC the hardware is long out of production.  If memory serves it was called a Mountain Tamer Quad, used a cassette sprocket for the fourth ring and could go down to 16T.

This Unit has a TA Zephyr triple with a 20T inner on the Speedmachine, which is adequate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 21 May, 2022, 08:10:28 am
Quadruple chainset , interesting 🤔..........


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 May, 2022, 08:14:13 am
I played with a quad crankset years ago. Picking a gear lever and front mech to pull enough cable and to move far enough to span four chainrings is really difficult; more so nowadays with heavily contoured front mech cages.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 May, 2022, 09:58:07 am
Raid eBay for something old-skool, or bribe Wobbly John with CAEK?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 May, 2022, 04:57:11 pm
Quote from: trundle on 20 May, 2022, 05:15:23 pm
Quote from: T42 on 20 May, 2022, 04:52:12 pm
Set about cleaning this:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172620136.jpg)

11 years worth of crud in there - well, 4 years of regular use and 7 as backup.

All hail the triple chainset!

If you are feeling indulgent I can highly recommend an ultrasonic cleaner. They make cleaning transmissions a complete doddle. My transmission is so clean, it's actually a cleaning hazard: I keep looking at it whilst riding!

It'd have to be a bloody big one to take the 50T ring.  Trichloroethylene substitute did pretty well, though not as well as the real stuff - now nannied off DIY-shop shelves - would have.

Anyway, everything's now degreased and degritted, regreased and regritted, reassembled, taken out and tested and it's as smooth as butter.  Next thing to lube is my knees, if I can find the right port.

Drat. Just remembered that I left an old dog's dish with a centimetre of sub TCE sitting under the workstand.  L8r.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 21 May, 2022, 06:36:41 pm
TCE is still available, if you know the right people, I suspect Pingu or Mrs Pingu would be able to put some your way. Tetrachloromethane (IIRC) is actaully mandated for oil in water testing offshore

Today, bike fettling was to demove the front mech from the turbo trainer bike and sort the rear indexing so that I can now use it on the turbo as a 1x10 in the big ring, manual front shifting.  That is now a complete frankenbike with a right hand bar-end shifter, a now useless sora triple brifter, and right hand TRP lever just for somewhere to put my hand.  It has seen 17 years good service, but unless I decide to replace the headset bearings it's not likely to be going back on the road again.  My impending Fairlight Faran 2.0 will become the de-facto roadbike I think

I also tweaked the b-screw on my Airnimal 1 x 11 as it was horribly graunchy in the second from lowest gear and would not move to the lowest.  Those big dinner plate cogs are great, but you need to set them up properly, I'm slightly annoyed that it wasn't set right to start with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 May, 2022, 08:37:26 pm
Put the best wheels (with head-banging 13-21 cassette) back on the Eddy Merckx.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 May, 2022, 02:26:20 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 21 May, 2022, 06:36:41 pm
TCE is still available, if you know the right people, I suspect Pingu or Mrs Pingu would be able to put some your way. Tetrachloromethane (IIRC) is actaully mandated for oil in water testing offshore

Yebbut in France dot dot dot.  The place I looked had a plexi-fronted cabinet labelled "please ask an assistant for access to these products" but it was empty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2022, 04:44:38 pm
I wouldn't get you (or anyone) TCE even if I could. There's a reason why people keep trying to find alternatives, it's horrible stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 22 May, 2022, 04:52:00 pm
I once did an audit offshore where the chemist didn't control the ordering system and had a chemical cabinet stuffed of TTCE, it just kept turning up and he hadn't thought to tell the materials man.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 May, 2022, 05:11:34 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2022, 04:44:38 pm
I wouldn't get you (or anyone) TCE even if I could. There's a reason why people keep trying to find alternatives, it's horrible stuff.

Used to be able to get it by the litre in the supermarket.  I had a colleague who nearly destroyed his kidneys using it in an unventilated shed, so I'm aware how dangerous it is. His face was left permanently bright red and blotchy.

I do anything involving solvents outside on the workshop windowsill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 May, 2022, 05:26:54 pm
I was only going to wash the kitchen ceiling with sugar soap while I waited for Pingu to get out of bed. By the time he'd arisen the weather was meh so I spent the rest of the day giving the ceiling and remaining walls 2 coats of white paint.
I'm knackered now.

It's not perfect, but it'll do for now. Now I just have to order some sheet vinyl flooring and the new kitchen will be done. (Well, all the mankily painted doors need sanding and painting but that can wait).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 May, 2022, 08:08:04 pm
I fixed a non-running Hornby J50 tank engine.  Took 10 mins.  Sticking pickup plungers (like brass versions of watch strap spring bars), presumably because they no longer teach the Chinese serfs to solder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 May, 2022, 07:58:12 am
Reassembled a Shimano D-type coaster hub.  I do like the bizarre simplicity of these, and the way they combine several functions into one hub.  I like the drag of the spring less, although it's never noticeable when riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 May, 2022, 06:30:02 pm
Fitted an Ayup bracket to the GPS mount and a Blackburn rear light to the rack on HK’s Trice. Temporarily removed the toast rack and dynolight from HK’s Trykit.

Replaced the wheels in an obsolete Delsey suitcase, which was trickier than it should have been.

Fitted some aerobars to my trike. Fixed a battery taillight and condemned two others.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 06:44:45 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 10 May, 2022, 01:04:25 pm
Rather embarrassing, as I usually keep things fairly well-maintained...
Stripped down the transmission on my bike for a deep clean, and found the middle 39t chainring looking like this:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52063701951_f0ca4d0592_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2njG5HD)
Dead chainring (https://flic.kr/p/2njG5HD) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr

All the teeth are so worn as to be really sharp like shark's teeth, and about 6 of them were broken!
New one on order. Two, actually, as they are NoS and becoming rarer.

Me too. I have had a couple of unpleasant incidents recently where I have ended up stranded in the middle of the road because the chain has slipped as I've tried to cross (one of them I ended up falling off and having an attack of the screaming abjabs after lying on the deck in front of oncoming traffic, which was nice). Finally I remembered today to give the transmission a look over, and lo and behold the granny and middle rings have some shark fin shaped teeth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 08:32:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 06:44:45 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 10 May, 2022, 01:04:25 pm
Rather embarrassing, as I usually keep things fairly well-maintained...
Stripped down the transmission on my bike for a deep clean, and found the middle 39t chainring looking like this:


All the teeth are so worn as to be really sharp like shark's teeth, and about 6 of them were broken!
New one on order. Two, actually, as they are NoS and becoming rarer.

Me too. I have had a couple of unpleasant incidents recently where I have ended up stranded in the middle of the road because the chain has slipped as I've tried to cross (one of them I ended up falling off and having an attack of the screaming abjabs after lying on the deck in front of oncoming traffic, which was nice). Finally I remembered today to give the transmission a look over, and lo and behold the granny and middle rings have some shark fin shaped teeth.

How much ???  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 May, 2022, 07:40:20 am
Quote from: Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 08:32:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 06:44:45 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 10 May, 2022, 01:04:25 pm
Rather embarrassing, as I usually keep things fairly well-maintained...
Stripped down the transmission on my bike for a deep clean, and found the middle 39t chainring looking like this:


All the teeth are so worn as to be really sharp like shark's teeth, and about 6 of them were broken!
New one on order. Two, actually, as they are NoS and becoming rarer.

Me too. I have had a couple of unpleasant incidents recently where I have ended up stranded in the middle of the road because the chain has slipped as I've tried to cross (one of them I ended up falling off and having an attack of the screaming abjabs after lying on the deck in front of oncoming traffic, which was nice). Finally I remembered today to give the transmission a look over, and lo and behold the granny and middle rings have some shark fin shaped teeth.

How much ???  :o

Seems to be the season for it. My new one (Shim 105 10v, bcd 130mm) cost 14 €.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Thing2 on 29 May, 2022, 11:01:02 am
Got the Brompton ready for train assisted rides to orchestra, including molishing a cover for the front standlight out of a plastic lid and an old sock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 May, 2022, 04:02:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 May, 2022, 07:40:20 am
Quote from: Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 08:32:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 06:44:45 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 10 May, 2022, 01:04:25 pm
Rather embarrassing, as I usually keep things fairly well-maintained...
Stripped down the transmission on my bike for a deep clean, and found the middle 39t chainring looking like this:


All the teeth are so worn as to be really sharp like shark's teeth, and about 6 of them were broken!
New one on order. Two, actually, as they are NoS and becoming rarer.

Me too. I have had a couple of unpleasant incidents recently where I have ended up stranded in the middle of the road because the chain has slipped as I've tried to cross (one of them I ended up falling off and having an attack of the screaming abjabs after lying on the deck in front of oncoming traffic, which was nice). Finally I remembered today to give the transmission a look over, and lo and behold the granny and middle rings have some shark fin shaped teeth.

How much ???  :o

Seems to be the season for it. My new one (Shim 105 10v, bcd 130mm) cost 14 €.

Pff, mine were more like £35-40 a pop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 29 May, 2022, 06:14:28 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 29 May, 2022, 04:02:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 29 May, 2022, 07:40:20 am
Quote from: Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 08:32:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 06:44:45 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 10 May, 2022, 01:04:25 pm
Rather embarrassing, as I usually keep things fairly well-maintained...
Stripped down the transmission on my bike for a deep clean, and found the middle 39t chainring looking like this:


All the teeth are so worn as to be really sharp like shark's teeth, and about 6 of them were broken!
New one on order. Two, actually, as they are NoS and becoming rarer.

Me too. I have had a couple of unpleasant incidents recently where I have ended up stranded in the middle of the road because the chain has slipped as I've tried to cross (one of them I ended up falling off and having an attack of the screaming abjabs after lying on the deck in front of oncoming traffic, which was nice). Finally I remembered today to give the transmission a look over, and lo and behold the granny and middle rings have some shark fin shaped teeth.

How much ???  :o

Seems to be the season for it. My new one (Shim 105 10v, bcd 130mm) cost 14 €.

Pff, mine were more like £35-40 a pop.

Brexit Bonus, innit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 May, 2022, 06:18:18 pm
Plus TA Carmina prolly doesn't help either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 May, 2022, 09:19:33 pm
Did the overdue annual strip-clean-and-regrease of the suspension fork on the Streetmachine, in the hope of getting to the bottom of a mystery clunk (intermittent, usually when climbing at low speed).  Nothing seems obviously loose, broken or corroded at least.

I've already replaced the tyre, which was - to use the technical term - knackered.  Didn't stop the clunk, did improve high-speed cornering.

Next to come under suspicion is the headset (1" Cane Creek S2), for which I expect replacement bearings to be unobtanium.  Feels fine, though.  As do the hub bearings.

TBH, I'd prefer a mystery squeak.  On a Streetmachine that's nearly always the seat mountings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 29 May, 2022, 09:28:18 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 08:32:49 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 May, 2022, 06:44:45 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 10 May, 2022, 01:04:25 pm
Rather embarrassing, as I usually keep things fairly well-maintained...
Stripped down the transmission on my bike for a deep clean, and found the middle 39t chainring looking like this:


All the teeth are so worn as to be really sharp like shark's teeth, and about 6 of them were broken!
New one on order. Two, actually, as they are NoS and becoming rarer.

Me too. I have had a couple of unpleasant incidents recently where I have ended up stranded in the middle of the road because the chain has slipped as I've tried to cross (one of them I ended up falling off and having an attack of the screaming abjabs after lying on the deck in front of oncoming traffic, which was nice). Finally I remembered today to give the transmission a look over, and lo and behold the granny and middle rings have some shark fin shaped teeth.

How much ???  :o

Mine cost £22 each, and I bought the last 2 SJS had in stock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 May, 2022, 09:56:36 pm
Quote from: Kim on 29 May, 2022, 09:19:33 pm
Did the overdue annual strip-clean-and-regrease of the suspension fork on the Streetmachine, in the hope of getting to the bottom of a mystery clunk (intermittent, usually when climbing at low speed).  Nothing seems obviously loose, broken or corroded at least.

I've already replaced the tyre, which was - to use the technical term - knackered.  Didn't stop the clunk, did improve high-speed cornering.

Next to come under suspicion is the headset (1" Cane Creek S2), for which I expect replacement bearings to be unobtanium.  Feels fine, though.  As do the hub bearings.

TBH, I'd prefer a mystery squeak.  On a Streetmachine that's nearly always the seat mountings.
Chain
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2022, 12:34:19 am
Reasonably sure I'm feeling it up through the handlebars/seat rather than back through the pedals, and it seems related to steering wobble, but I'll be giving the chain a thorough clean soon anyway.  Maybe it's picked up a random magnet again...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 May, 2022, 02:21:39 pm
I need to file a stainless M8 halfnut so it is 11mm across flats, to fit into the hex recess in an unthreaded alloy stem wedge.  The maths is easy: 1mm off each face.  Not the most thrilling of jobs, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 30 May, 2022, 02:24:20 pm
Erected a "Ring" security (peace-of-mind) camera in my shed.


Stabilized the wobbly toilet seat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 May, 2022, 03:45:03 pm
Removed & cleaned chainset on Domane, de-gunked the chain & put it into wax bath.  FD very stiff: cable runs freely so I've soused all the pivots in oil to see what happens.

Currently screwing up courage to clean the rest of the bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2022, 04:31:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 May, 2022, 12:34:19 am
Reasonably sure I'm feeling it up through the handlebars/seat rather than back through the pedals, and it seems related to steering wobble, but I'll be giving the chain a thorough clean soon anyway.  Maybe it's picked up a random magnet again...

Chain cleaned and inspected.  No sign of stray magnets, stiff links, b0rked wossnames or similar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 May, 2022, 05:24:34 pm
I couldn't find anything wrong with my chain either, but when I replaced it in desperation (I'd tried pretty much everything else) it magically resolved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 May, 2022, 05:50:23 pm
This chain's pretty new (as is the granny ring, because the previous one was cursed), so I hope it's not that.  It felt like the play you get from the suspension travel when you rock the bike against the front brake in an attempt to determine if the headset's loose.

Will find out whenever it's not pish.  I didn't service the fork just for it to get rained on.

I suppose the rear shock deserves some scrutiny.  That's another unobtanium part, of course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2022, 01:24:04 pm
Quote from: De Sisti on 30 May, 2022, 02:24:20 pm
Erected a "Ring" security (peace-of-mind) camera in my shed.


Stabilized the wobbly toilet seat.
A wobbly toilet seat can mean you have to go into the shed and fiddle with your Ring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 May, 2022, 04:10:12 pm
adjusted the magnets on the turbo trainer, they were slightly skew and rubbing when going "uphill".

Also put the new Brooks Cambium on the TT bike to see how it felt/wear my arse in.  Seemed quite comfy on an hour's turbo today. Otherwise a fair bunch of fettling in the shed (tidy and sweep out) and garden - lawns, planting, successional sewings
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2022, 09:43:02 pm
Reassembled the steam engine (involved soldering, at which I suck).  It does run, although there are two issues:

1. Huge steam leakage around the cylinders.  I probably swapped them round, so I'll swap them back.  If that doesn't work, they need lapping into the trunnions, which is easy.  At the moment, steam leakage is bad enough that the boiler can't keep up with demand.

2. It's a bit tight at the moment (new pistons).

https://youtube.com/shorts/0-GfP-PNtF4?feature=share

Edit: cylinders swapped over, now runs very well!

https://youtube.com/shorts/9Bo0pKe-zDw?feature=share
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 June, 2022, 08:36:25 pm
Took these off.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52114301732_9ec73a85f6.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2npaqgE)IMG_0004_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2npaqgE) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Put some new ones on.
Of course further fettling is required cos the front deraileur is now fouling the big ring, but it was time for tea by that point.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 June, 2022, 08:41:33 pm
Mystery clunk update: It's gone!!1!1eleventy

My best guess is that the preload on the suspension fork was seriously out of adjustment.  It's certainly doing a much better job of suspensioning now, for no immediately obvious reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 June, 2022, 03:11:01 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2022, 09:43:02 pm
Reassembled the steam engine (involved soldering, at which I suck).  It does run, although there are two issues:

1. Huge steam leakage around the cylinders.  I probably swapped them round, so I'll swap them back.  If that doesn't work, they need lapping into the trunnions, which is easy.  At the moment, steam leakage is bad enough that the boiler can't keep up with demand.

2. It's a bit tight at the moment (new pistons).

https://youtube.com/shorts/0-GfP-PNtF4?feature=share

Edit: cylinders swapped over, now runs very well!

https://youtube.com/shorts/9Bo0pKe-zDw?feature=share

Weren't those compatible with Meccano?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 02 June, 2022, 03:15:59 pm
Lovely.  I had one of those as a child but it didn't do anything.  My uncle was much more interesting though, he made big things of a similar nature.  6foot van de Graaf generators, electric catapults for 6 inch nails are the 2 best remembered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 June, 2022, 08:36:02 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 June, 2022, 03:11:01 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 31 May, 2022, 09:43:02 pm
Reassembled the steam engine (involved soldering, at which I suck).  It does run, although there are two issues:

1. Huge steam leakage around the cylinders.  I probably swapped them round, so I'll swap them back.  If that doesn't work, they need lapping into the trunnions, which is easy.  At the moment, steam leakage is bad enough that the boiler can't keep up with demand.

2. It's a bit tight at the moment (new pistons).

https://youtube.com/shorts/0-GfP-PNtF4?feature=share

Edit: cylinders swapped over, now runs very well!

https://youtube.com/shorts/9Bo0pKe-zDw?feature=share

Weren't those compatible with Meccano?

Yes - I can recall building a truck sort of cart with Meccano, driven by the Mamod steam engine.   Crouching over the thing with the meths burner going sometimes gave you an interesting feeling in your head from the fumes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 June, 2022, 08:29:03 am
There has been an increasing creak/chain rub on the right foot "power stroke" from the BB area of the 90's MTB recently, so I was all set to buy a new BB for it, square taper, got the face-face dimensions and was about to remove the cranks to get the spindle length.  Started to undo the drive side retaining bolt, which I found to be already loose.  Tightened it back up to BASTARD TIGHTTM and will see if it was a real creak or just the chainset waggling about on the spindle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 June, 2022, 09:14:38 pm
I've been bodging
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52122437569_59803d141b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2npT7LH)2022-06-04_09-09-20 (https://flic.kr/p/2npT7LH) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Yes, it looks a mess but it was the best I could manage without a chisel.
(I'd like a proper security door but other things are higher up the list right now).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 June, 2022, 01:02:36 am
Having been told that Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s Big Campagnolo Corkscrew was no longer working I came down to Fort Larrington Loaded for BEAR Fettle.  To my total lack of surprise there is absolutely 0 wrong with it.  He’s only had it about 25 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 June, 2022, 10:21:29 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 June, 2022, 09:14:38 pm
I've been bodging
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52122437569_59803d141b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2npT7LH)2022-06-04_09-09-20 (https://flic.kr/p/2npT7LH) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Yes, it looks a mess but it was the best I could manage without a chisel.
(I'd like a proper security door but other things are higher up the list right now).

I'm in for a bodge too: one of our barn doors has sagged impressively over the last couple of months, curiously since we had an elder tree removed that was growing up under the eaves.  I reckon our very dry winter and spring have shrunk the wood at bit and it's just becoming noticeable. Trouble is that it's fouling the edge of the other door at around 3 metres off the ground and the only ladder we have long enough to get up there is >50 years old and wooden, and I won't risk my neck.

Still at the head-scratching phase.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 June, 2022, 09:21:20 pm
Notoriously weak Moulton rear fork needs fettling:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52130213509_09f6af3cee_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nqyYhD)20220607_182618 (https://flic.kr/p/2nqyYhD) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

This was it 120 miles previously, before paint.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52129999953_17aae4d8c8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nqxSND)20210930_134346 (https://flic.kr/p/2nqxSND) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

Either it did a very, very low mileage between 1964 and 2021 or I am doing things to it far worse than it has experienced in the past.  I made the dodgy assumption that something uncracked after 56 years, well-brazed in Bradford-on-Avon (none of your Kirkby shite) would see me out.

At least I have a spare fork (which I had better get reinforced) and powdercoating one isn't expensive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 June, 2022, 10:10:37 pm
Bugger!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 08 June, 2022, 07:05:48 am
I suspect these were never designed to be ridden on country lanes with indifferent surfaces.  It's not my weight (which is very average, i.e. 2st more than an average man in the early 60s when these were designed) as the rear rack is rated to carry another 3 1/2 st, and I've never put much on it.

Series 2 forks may be indestructible but they raise the saddle height unacceptably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 June, 2022, 01:13:01 pm
I would not guess that the swingarm was going to fail if I were given that photo.

My Series 1 Stowaway had the swingarm pre-emptively strengthened by Doug Pinkerton when I first started thinking of taking it to PBP and got it repainted with a custom front mini-rack and LightSpin dyno braze-on (2003 was a long time ago...). I could have used a Series 2 swingarm but I preferred the more relaxed Series 1 seat angle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 June, 2022, 06:46:14 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 November, 2021, 04:56:04 pm
I've become a convert to Command strips, hooks and picture hooks.
For the cheapo IKEA LED's I stuck under the kitchen cabinets I have clear mini 'party light' hooks to tame the cables.
For the light picture frames (plastic, not glass) which I wanted to put on the solid wall in the hall I have Command Picture hooks.
For tidying up my laptop headset cable I have the party light hooks, and I have a bigger clear hook stuck to the underside of my monitor to hang the headset from.

What else can I tidy up....?

I regret to inform the panel that one of said picture frames fell off the wall today. (The picture frame to sticky side interface parted company, as opposed to the velcro). I shall have to go rummage for a fresh strip.
The coat hooks are still up though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 08 June, 2022, 09:42:44 pm
Anyone have an Exped UK contact email address? Exped.com have replied to my query but given me a non valid UK address. Isn't Brexit wonderful?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 June, 2022, 09:50:24 pm
Refitted the toast rack to HK’s Trykit. Fitted a small pocket to one of HK’s front Ortlieb panner for use on her Trice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 June, 2022, 06:59:46 pm
I finished painting the new fence. 2 minutes later it pished down with rain.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 10 June, 2022, 07:36:08 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 08 June, 2022, 09:42:44 pm
Anyone have an Exped UK contact email address? Exped.com have replied to my query but given me a non valid UK address. Isn't Brexit wonderful?

Their website lists info@lyon.co.uk as their UK distributor; is that the email address they've given?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 11 June, 2022, 12:38:38 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 10 June, 2022, 07:36:08 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 08 June, 2022, 09:42:44 pm
Anyone have an Exped UK contact email address? Exped.com have replied to my query but given me a non valid UK address. Isn't Brexit wonderful?

Their website lists info@lyon.co.uk as their UK distributor; is that the email address they've given?
Exped gave me this which bounced.
Hi
 
We are sorry that you are concerned about one of our products.
 
In this case, it will be best if you contact our local service directly with your request: helpdesk@lyon.co.uk.
 
Freundliche Grüsse / cordialement / best regards
Isabell Kohler
Customer Service
 
EXPED
Exped AG
Hardstr. 81
8004 Zurich
Switzerland
 
Phone +41 44 497 10 10
Email mats@exped.com
http://www.exped.com (http://www.exped.com/)
 Got there in the end, the contact address for tech queries is actually 'info' via:
https://www.lyon.co.uk/contact-lyon-equipment-ltd (https://www.lyon.co.uk/contact-lyon-equipment-ltd)
Very helpful! Sent me a flap FOC which arrived first class and it is now installed. (Bit fiddly due to fat fingers).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 11 June, 2022, 01:32:49 pm
Attempt 1
I replaced the freehub on the Elan. There was a minor faff to chase wheel bearings around the wheel/floor, and then three hands needed to tension the cones. But on the whole, a straightforward job. The wheel bearings, races and grease were all clean and in perfect condition. Which is to be expected after one year and 2000+ miles.

With the cones finally at perfect tension, and the wheel back on the bike and running smoothly. The post maintenance tidy up revealed an 'extra' freehub spacer.

Bugger - it's possible I didn't add the spacer, even though I told myself many times, "Don't forget the spacer..."

I'll have a cup of tea and biscuit - then back for attempt number 2 to check if this is genuinely an 'extra' spacer - or muggins forgot to mount it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 11 June, 2022, 02:34:26 pm
Attempt #2
Yes - I had left out the freehub spacer. Refitted, tensioned, and all is good with the world again.

I'm not entirely sure anything is wrong with the old freehub - but it felt weird on the last long ride, and I don't want to take the risk with a Mark Rigby off-road audax next weekend.

This time tea, biscuit and medals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 11 June, 2022, 10:43:44 pm
I conditioned a new Wok. What a palaver. I thought I was being clever by using an electric paint stripper at 650 deg C outside the house to remove the laquer. No chance! So back to the kitchen with extractor and central gas ring full blast and back door wide open. The worst bit of the process is taking the oil up to smoking point but I persevered. Ginger and spring onion used for the first time and pan oiled when cold. We will see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2022, 10:17:36 pm
Replaced the cracked (held together by duct tape) rear mudguard on my fixed, transferring across the battery taillight (held together by insulating tape), mudguard stays and rear mudflap. The SS chainstay bridge and brake bridge bolts were rusted in place, so required drilling out and ViceGrip action. Bodged the partially cracked front mudflap with duct tape, for a while anyway.

Levelled the fixed’s saddle. The play in the Centaur BB is very slowly increasing, so something will eventually have to be done. The Pompino’s paint is mostly rust held together by coloured patches, so powder-coating is on the cards but the seat-post has been frozen in place for a fair while.

Is there a similarly functional cheap fixed frame out there? A repaint will be the same or more than the Pomp frame’s original cost.

Swapped out the AAA battery taillights on HK’s Trykit for a couple of USB jobbies that were in the garage stockpile. One of the AAA lights had cracked inside the bracket before it clattered down the road. The light will probably end up being bonded into the bracket.

Removed the front wheels on HK’s Trice to get the brake discs off to let me take off the wheel covers. Flintmined both front tyres. The wheel bearings were fine but I will need to sort out one of the front axle stubs. Refitted everything and set the fixed pad adjusters on the Deore cable disc calipers (now accessible). I think I will overhaul the calipers at some point. The rear wheel covers will go once I find the Capreo cassette lockring tool. Found some inexplicable small bolts and fittings on the frame. Pondered lighting and GPS mounting improvements after HK quadrupled her longest-ever recumbent ride on yesterday’s Green and Yellow Fields 300.

I snugged up my trike’s headset but still need to adjust out some play in both rear axles. The venerable front tyre will be replaced this week. The 300 required ziptieing an Ayup headlight (over a decade old) under some recently fitted Profile Airstrikes (dating from last century) on Friday evening. Astoundingly, the Ayup batteries have lost barely any capacity. I think there is some potential for improving how the headlights are mounted. As I feared, tight hamstrings and a generous aerobelly means I will have to raise the aerobar pads a bit more for long distance comfort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 June, 2022, 10:46:27 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2022, 10:17:36 pm
HK quadrupled her longest-ever recumbent ride on yesterday’s Green and Yellow Fields 300.

Chapeau!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 June, 2022, 03:14:48 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 June, 2022, 10:46:27 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2022, 10:17:36 pm
HK quadrupled her longest-ever recumbent ride on yesterday’s Green and Yellow Fields 300.

Chapeau!

Chapeaux, even - mine too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 June, 2022, 03:22:41 pm
Domestic fettle today: cleaned the windows, inside and out. Non-trivial in this joint: we have 23 of the buggers and all but two of them have 6 panes. That's 21x6 + 2*2 panes = 130 panes times two for both sides.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 14 June, 2022, 10:18:36 pm
I have a good Moulton steerer with a bad crown race (the lads at Kirkby ruined it when they bashed it on in 1965) and a badly scored Moulton steerer with a good crown race.

I am halfway through swapping them over, with one off and the other half off.  Typically for Moulton, nothing is easy and the crown race seat is about three inches deep.  This means it takes a lot of tapping to get one off.  I think a little heat may help with refitting, especially if the steerer goes in the freezer first.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 14 June, 2022, 10:33:40 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 June, 2022, 10:17:36 pm
Is there a similarly functional cheap fixed frame out there. A repaint will be the same or more than the Pomp frame’s original cost?

I'm interested in the answer to this too. It seems to be slim pickings with most new stuff being track geometry or not being that cheap. Spa have a 725 mono frame - its a fair price, but not cheap. Dolan FXE similar price with an Al frame.

If they sold frames only - I suspect the Temple is quite a good fit: Probably heavy with 520 tubes, but general purpose in its approach. It has a hanger - but the dropouts are horizontal. They use the same frame for gears and single speed. Plenty of bosses, and will take mudguards.

https://www.templecycles.co.uk/pages/framesets?currency=GBP

They just don't have a price! Not sure if a call could change that if they smell you are an experienced bicycle fettler?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 June, 2022, 11:01:52 pm
With help from The Boy, I've buggered about with misc. bike carriers so that the tandem trike can fit on top of the car.

This is to facilitate a trip to the New Forest, as I appear to have
(click to show/hide)

Re-arrange these words into a well known phrase or saying :Possibly go wrong could what.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 June, 2022, 11:03:13 pm
Hullo clouds hullo sky hullo hedge?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 June, 2022, 03:17:20 pm
Despite lots of bit taking off, frame inspection, application of copper slip or grease including a saddle swop, cleaning of seat post and nipping up of sundry chainset/other fasteners, creaking is still very much evident. No evident play in pedals, or cranks. So bottom bracket here we come.... Chainset needs cleaning still however. Will have to wait until after this week end.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 15 June, 2022, 06:20:56 pm
My high mileage Exustars blew a strap out this morning, with the weekend trip looming. Happy to say we had Gorilla Glue available at work, should hold it in for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 16 June, 2022, 05:05:46 pm
My last pair of Exustar sandals (which I liked very much) cracked right across the sole, rendering them useless. I have purchased their current offering which are more of a faff to get into due to a heel strap entry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 June, 2022, 12:13:31 pm
Adjusted the RH and LH axle bearings on my trike. Fitted a NOS Growler 1” headset locknut to my trike. Hopefully that will stop the headset gradually backing off. Slightly raised the quill stem on my trike until the limit mark is visible. Getting comfortable on the aerobars is a work in progress. Replaced the corroded armpad bolts with SS. Swapped out a rear light so that I can fit the Cateye light to HK’s Trice’s rack. I need to replace my trike’s clapped out 9sp cassette and chain, along with the brake levers(worn out pivots). Replaced the worn out Pasela front tyre with a Specialized Turbo Gripton.

Trimmed the steerer tube on HK’s Trykit.

Cut up a bent 3T handlebar to let me mount the Ayup (twin beam helmet light) as a rear light to HK’s Trice’s rack. Fitted a Cateye backup tail light to the same rack. Swapped out the inserts in HK’s Ortlieb Front Rollers to properly fit the racks on her Trice and Kinesis. Figured out how to mount the front mudguards but decided not to. Explored possibilities for mounting the GPS in a more visible location.

Recharged the battery in a bar end light on my fixed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 June, 2022, 12:47:53 pm
You haz RAIN :jurek:

Plz to send some east?

(signed)

Melting of E17
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 June, 2022, 12:58:26 pm
We HAZ rain, and we is easterer than you  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 June, 2022, 03:38:50 pm
Plz to send it saarrff then ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 June, 2022, 05:27:05 pm
decided to see if I could do anything with the sheared cable clamp bolt on my FD 5703, took a look at the EV and saw that it was just an M5 x 8 bolt with washer and nut held into a hex-shaped recess.  Put it in my vice, with a bit of padding to prevent scratches etc, found a suitable punch and was prepared to give a right great wallop to it to free the corroded in nut.  Touched the punch to the centre of the remaining bolt and it just plopped out. 

Quick rummage in my fixings box and I came up with a suitable nut and bolt and the original washer, which means I can remount it tomorrow I hope, and no longer have to suffer the occaisional dechaining of the front end as I move through the gears on the turbo, or the need to change to the middle ring by hand on the hillier routes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 18 June, 2022, 06:51:32 pm
By determined application of knees & stuff sacs I have turned a scary volume of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink into a manageable bike load.  Shame the weight doesn't go down with volume.
Also done some minor cleaning of the RD on the chosen steed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 June, 2022, 09:16:15 am
Plan A - put the front mech back on the turbo bike

Plan B - put the front mech back on the turbo bike, and in doing so find out that 1) the Ancient Sora triple shifter (>15 yrs vintage) has finally died, ii) that the front mech itself is a little sticky and c) that the BB has developed about 5mm of play in it, so when I looked down and saw what I thought was frame flex was actually the BB waggling about - not investigated yet, bu I assume its cups rather than spindle, not that it matters much.

The joys of riding in the winter in Cambridge. Back to the drawing board, or at least back to the parts lists

Bah! additional grumble, dismantled the cranks and removed the BB cups, non-drive side is a mess, bearings have play in all directions and crank axle had surface corrosion a bit of pitting.  Drive side bearings have barely discernible amount of play, but are somewhat rough.  I think this should have been in the "what have I unfettled today" thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 19 June, 2022, 06:58:56 pm
Re-routed the mouse cable on the Estate Office PC such that it now has adequate slack for my needs and doesn’t make the pointer cower in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 20 June, 2022, 01:09:33 pm
Restored the cadence function to the computer on the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle, with a well-aimed kick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 20 June, 2022, 10:07:04 pm
Riding into work is seeming like a good idea. For the first time since 2020. So I’ve extracted my old mtb / tour conversion from the shed, pumped the tyres up, wiped lots of cobwebs off, and mostly assembled two panniers of locks, matching keys, toolkit, wash kit, towel, clothes, door pass, etc. I wonder what I’ve forgotten.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 June, 2022, 07:36:35 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 20 June, 2022, 10:07:04 pm
Riding into work is seeming like a good idea. For the first time since 2020. So I’ve extracted my old mtb / tour conversion from the shed, pumped the tyres up, wiped lots of cobwebs off, and mostly assembled two panniers of locks, matching keys, toolkit, wash kit, towel, clothes, door pass, etc. I wonder what I’ve forgotten.

. . .  the route that you take?   ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 21 June, 2022, 08:00:53 am
Used an old slow-cooker to melt some wax flakes (added a small amount of chain oil) and
immersed a KMC X-9 chain. I'll monitor its progress in use (especially if it is exposed to rain).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 21 June, 2022, 11:08:34 am
Quote from: robgul on 21 June, 2022, 07:36:35 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 20 June, 2022, 10:07:04 pm
Riding into work is seeming like a good idea. For the first time since 2020. So I’ve extracted my old mtb / tour conversion from the shed, pumped the tyres up, wiped lots of cobwebs off, and mostly assembled two panniers of locks, matching keys, toolkit, wash kit, towel, clothes, door pass, etc. I wonder what I’ve forgotten.

. . .  the route that you take?   ;D
:) the road layout in central Brighton has changed since I last rode here!
The bike could have done with a bit more oil on the chain. Otherwise, it seems to have worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 June, 2022, 10:45:40 pm
Swapped HK’s recumbent to noticeably wider tyres for this weekend’s 600. The rear mudguard might be able to fit round the new tyre but it is easier to take it off for now, given it will be dry this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 23 June, 2022, 10:50:58 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 June, 2022, 10:45:40 pm
Swapped HK’s recumbent to noticeably wider tyres for this weekend’s 600. The rear mudguard might be able to fit round the new tyre but it is easier to take it off for now, given it will be dry this weekend.

*peers at forecast suspiciously*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 June, 2022, 07:49:16 am
Quote from: Kim on 23 June, 2022, 10:50:58 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 June, 2022, 10:45:40 pm
Swapped HK’s recumbent to noticeably wider tyres for this weekend’s 600. The rear mudguard might be able to fit round the new tyre but it is easier to take it off for now, given it will be dry this weekend.

*peers at forecast suspiciously*

Less of that please. I WILL be going out this weekend
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 24 June, 2022, 12:19:41 pm
Moved the wife's bike t'other day and it felt odd. The front dynamo wheel felt really notchy. Had a quick look and the front QR was undone. Annoyingly the dynamo wire had wrapped round the axle so had to unravel this and tighten the skewer up

Mentioned this to the wife and the eldest monkey said oh sorry daddy I caught the cable getting the bike out shed. Reassured her she hadn't caught it was because of wrapping round axle it had stretched

It then transpired the wife had noticed something was wrong a few days before and actually asked the eldest monkey to have a look. She didn't find the problem but as a 10 year old she's really good at fixing bikes and has often put a chain back on an adults bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 June, 2022, 06:55:09 pm
Fettling of daughters very underutilised bike, as she wants to start riding down to the swimming pool now that she's finished her a levels
Tyres swapped from knobblies to marathons. Front refusing to seat properly, so have left it pressured up overnight,and will try again tomorrow.
Both wheels were horribly off of true, so did a rudimentary truing vs brakes as reference. Laterally OK-ish, but radially horrid.  May put them on the stand at some point.
V-Brakes given a squirt of GT85 on the pivots, might need to change those out at some point
Gears checked, ok
Saddle levelled

I refuse to clean it, she can do that herself
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 26 June, 2022, 04:30:23 pm
Gave the Elan a deep clean - the Drovers Audax was very wet, and very muddy: One event brought about surface rust on the chain. That has now been given three coats of squirt.

Also fitted a 100mm shock stem to the Triban because it feels cramped after riding the Elan: The front hub now lines up with the middle of the bar when I sit on the bike. The 80mm stem will go in spares - that's the size I use on the Elan.

I need to take the Triban on an audax to prove it can be a backup bike: If it fails - I'll buy a 725 Elan frame, and swap everything across so I can fit much wider tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 27 June, 2022, 08:02:43 am
Need to take another look at no-1 daughter's bike.  Front wheel has eaten 3 inner tubes and I can't see why, they've all gone in the same way, at the same spot with a split that looks very much like a point source rather than split. 

New rim tape
Nothing inside the tyre, no bead issues
The only thing that I can see in that location is that the rim joint is a bit rough, and there is a slight dent in the rim with no roughness.  May need to take it to the LBS for a look, but I can't understand why it would suddenly manifest with the Marathons vs the Conti knobblies that were on it before.

I've lowered the saddle and she's taken my sensible 90's MBT this morning
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 June, 2022, 08:46:19 am
Deep cleaned the Audax bike yesterday, following the Swedish Adventure.
Dusty offroad sections followed by hours of heavy rain make for an excellent grinding paste.

So total strip down, to frame and forks.
Cassette, chain, chainrings and cranks all in the parts cleaner bath.
Took all day, but its like new again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 27 June, 2022, 08:38:04 pm
Chopped down some invasive plants.  Its a shame I only have one garden bin otherwise I would have committed greater planticide. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 June, 2022, 09:31:07 pm
IRTA "invasive pants"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 27 June, 2022, 09:32:20 pm
The backup bike needs to prove it can tackle an audax without turning me into a crippled mess. So it will be used for this weekends Up the Downs from Reading. To help with climbing the steep bits - I swapped the 12-36 for an 11-40 comedy cassette.

It's a compact Sora with 28mm tyres, and a light, but unyielding Aluminium frame. It doesn't have clearance for the 35mm tyres I love (with mudguards), so I have found other solutions to increase comfort:

In theory the Triban should be faster - it's lighter and has narrower tyres. But I have a sneaky suspicion it will be slower elapsed time, less secure, and much less comfortable. And of all of those, I suspect it's the less secure bit that I will miss the most: good quality 35mm tyres make descents a joy, no matter the conditions or road surface.

So this weekend is a test. If it doesn't cut it as a backup bike, plan B is buy an Elan frame and forks, and swap everything across.  I already have Sora triple in the spares, so I can get my 22.8" gear and return to my favourite 12-36 ratios. And the Elan frame has clearance for 40mm tyres with full mudguards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 June, 2022, 08:46:02 am
Quote from: Kim on 27 June, 2022, 09:31:07 pm
IRTA "invasive pants"
Is that the new term for hungry bum?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 28 June, 2022, 09:22:24 am
Over the weekend I was out riding with MrsH when I got a puncture. Was on the old school MTB with Schrader valves, so had dug my old MTB pump out. The adaptor for which didn't work (missing the bit that pushes the valve in) :-(
Luckily I'd got a gas inflator with me - hadn't realised that this one takes 20g cartridges though, so whilst it had one in it it is the only 20g one I had. I had a couple of 16g with me, but they are threadless and won't get pushed up to puncture/seal. As I rarely use them (bought a box of 24 a decade ago, think I've used 4...), and have a box of unthreaded 16g ones kicking around, I didn't want to invest in either threaded 16s or 20s. My other two inflators are the 16g type.

Having a couple of 3D printers at work that I've not used yet, this was the ideal opportunity to make a shim adaptor. It sits at the bottom of the cartridge holder tube, and has a hole in it so you can put the cartridge in upside down for storage, then flip it around to use.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52179369305_097459bb10.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 June, 2022, 03:45:58 pm
Nice^^^^.

You may recall that I bought a cheap HB bag (https://www.bikester.fr/red-cycling-products-front-loader-l-sacoche-de-guidon-M321144.html?vgid=G359324&cgid=37034) a few weeks back.  Took it for its first ride today & kept catching my thumb in the netting pocket at the side, which gapes a bit.  Once home, I cannibalized a black FFP2 mask (left over from the last Satanic lockdown orgies in the cellars of N°66) and threaded the elastic through the mesh at the top. Might work.  Previously I had found a handbag organizer that fits perfectly into the main compartment, which is now nicely divided up into convenient compartments. Quite satisfied with that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 June, 2022, 04:26:22 pm
Moved the fridge and squeezed myself into the spider-infested woodlouse graveyard that is the void beside the washing machine in order to access its mains socket.  It is now fed via an extension lead and smart plug, in the easily-accessed gap at the side that accommodates the waste pipe.

If you're ever fitting a kitchen, make sure the power connections for white goods are at the back of an adjacent cupboard or similar, rather than behind the appliance.  It'll make the world a slightly better place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 June, 2022, 06:23:16 pm
That reminds me, we got our roll of kitchen vinyl delivered today so next week we've got the joy of moving the fridge freezer and the washing machine, twice, to look forward to.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 June, 2022, 06:29:19 pm
Changed some pedals around today. Nothing remarkable in that, except that it was done remotely, over the phone to mini-hatler who hadn't performed pedal removal before.

And then, about 20 minutes later, remote brake unjamming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 July, 2022, 01:06:43 pm
Swapped my old Topeak Fixer 5 HB bag brackets for Klickfixes.  Took mounting plate off old Topeak so that I can fit a Klickfix mounting plate and have Topeak available as well as new Sagmeister (https://www.bikester.fr/red-cycling-products-front-loader-l-sacoche-de-guidon-M321144.html?vgid=G359324&cgid=37034) (hélas, but it's OK otherwise). Problem: BFO holes in Topeak now and I haven't any silicon glue handy.

Also took rack & saddle+post off eBrute and put threadlock on the levelling screws, put it back on and readjusted it, then remounted the rack. The work of a moment, not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 July, 2022, 07:37:11 pm
Replaced the BB and reinstated the drive train on my turbo trainer bike. Also liberally lubed the lever internals and front mech pivots to the point that it's working-ish.  I have a pair of very cheap friction shifters that will now lurk in the spares box until the inevitable.

Replaced V-brakes on No1 daughter's MTB, but it looks like one of the mounting bosses is not straight
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 July, 2022, 09:53:35 am
Yesterday I tapped a wine bottle cork into one of the old radiator pipe holes. The other hole was bigger so I found a beer bottle cork and pared the thick end down, shoved that  in and cut off the rest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 July, 2022, 11:57:28 am
HK’s Trice now has an Altus in place of the Ultegra rear mech, which will allow a granny ring to be fitted in the future without the chain dragging at any stage. There is more slop in the pivots than I’d like but we will see how it performs on the road. Replaced the rear gear cable housing. The Capreo cassette lockring was only finger tight, now tight, while removing the last wheel cover. The Rohloff cassette checker suggests the cassette is on its way out, so time to order a new cassette and many chains. The tyres were <20psi last weekend, now double that. Low pressures can be useful but it is possible to go too low.

Swapped the fairly elderly Pasela rear tyres on my trike with something quicker. Replaced the overly-worn chain and cassette.

Fitted some SPD pedals to HK’s MTB commuter.

Superglued the pivot pins on a pair of Cane Creek brake levers that will replace the wornout Ultegra brake levers on my trike. Still need to swap the levers, replace brake cables, retape the handlebars and space up the pads on the aerobars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 July, 2022, 12:05:14 pm
40 psi still sounds a bit low to this Unit.  I used to run my XL at around 70-80 on Marathon Racers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 July, 2022, 01:05:08 pm
Quite so but HK is somewhat lighter than you and I. I expect to sneak up the pressures over a few weeks. She complained of rattling her brains out on the Kojaks and this is the backlash in action.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 July, 2022, 01:12:08 pm
There's definitely a sweet spot for Kojaks that's a bit lower than you think it should be.  Very different from a Marathon.  20PSI sounds extreme, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 July, 2022, 01:27:58 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 28 June, 2022, 06:23:16 pm
That reminds me, we got our roll of kitchen vinyl delivered today so next week we've got the joy of moving the fridge freezer and the washing machine, twice, to look forward to.  :-\

Good luck! I’m sure I’d not be able to shift our (Bosch) washing machine, it’s got so much concrete in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 July, 2022, 02:52:28 pm
Cycle-trackside fettle to adjust the §$%&/() saddle yet again.  Damn thing was perfect for a couple of thousand km but since it came adrift earlier this week it's been a bastard.  Today's effort wasn't helped by wearing new Ekoi shorts - the fecking 250€ model - with a pad like a hair shirt crossed with a wire brush.  WTF do they think human underparts are made of, Kevlar?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andy W on 02 July, 2022, 03:42:14 pm
Myself. Please,  after 2 years I've finally tested positive for covid. 
Had flu in 1982, this feels very similar.  Had these  symptoms 11 months ago  and in April this year. 
I'm aware this virus generally doesn't discriminate between healthy and unhealthy individuals.
 My wife supervises with hawklike concentration and my covid sticks are both applied Nasally and tonsils ever since kits were available. Always definitely negative. Currently feeling very unwell,  and so via paracetamol and ibuprofen I'm fettling myself.
Probably the wrong topic / forum. I can't think properly 😕
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 July, 2022, 05:26:35 pm
a bit of team fettling today, whilst I've got the brakes into a semblance of order on No1 daughter's bike, the tyres are different case.

After three identical p*&!ture$ when trying to fit the Marathon on the front, I went into the LBS for advice today, took the rim with me.  He thought my concern on the rim joint was misplaced, but advised checking the bead very carefully whilst giving it some flex.  Lo and behold a small piece of wire from the bead is protruding inwards at just where the visitations have been.

Bugger! And of course the tyre has plenty of wear left (slight temptation to see if I could do anything with it, but the rest of my brainz is telling me not to be an idiot, that way lies a whole load of pain)

Wil consult with my customer on her preferred solution, carry on using my MTB with Schwalbe Black Jacks, or put the conti knobblies back on?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 July, 2022, 10:17:49 am
Replaced the cracked rear mudguard on HK’s Brompton with a used one from the garage pile. Flintmined the tyres and sorted out the seatpost height limiter. Checked whether the Ti fork steerer had bulged (nope) and refitted the stem with friction compound at 15 Nm torque.

Replaced the slightly worn (I thought, actually clapped out) Octalink triple BB on my trike. Fitted a flashing light to the front QR nut.

Fitted a new tubeless tyre to the rear wheel of HK’s Moulton. Unfortunately it has a casing bulge bad enough to touch the mudguard. Time to wrestle a warrantee replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 July, 2022, 10:18:26 am
Barn-fettling, not:  Lifted a corner of our fallen barn door, put a support under it & rolled our old chopping-block in under close to the still-attached hinge, then removed the support to see if the weight of the door acting through the chopping-block as fulcrum would lift the hinge off the pintle. No dice, the door just bent.

Looking at it (eugh), it's ancient and wormy in parts, patched with odds & sods of timber where the boards have rotted away in the past. The hinge part attached to the door is strap iron about 1m50 long, held on with coach bolts that simply turn in the wood when I get a spanner to the nuts*.  I'll maybe try & get a hacksaw in. I'd like to preserve the iron and get it straightened if possible.

I'm now thinking about a rebuild: I'd make a cross-braced frame then add the vertical boards once it was up. I can get 4-metre autoclaved planks at ~20€ each.

I've ordered a 5m ladder and I'm thinking about getting a chain hoist. Ah, country life!

Have a pic:

(https://pbase.com/image/172736721.jpg)

...seem to have a touch of sciatica. Funny, that.

* ouch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 04 July, 2022, 10:24:18 am
Oi! Were you born in a barn?
Oh. I see. As you were.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 July, 2022, 01:15:00 pm
Yeah, that would definitely be a lot easier if it were a piece of lighting equipment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andytheflyer on 04 July, 2022, 03:24:35 pm
Been away from regular cycling for a year or 2 mainly for personal reasons, but have been enticed back into it on my Ridgeback Hybrid by a friend. 

Didn't think about fettling other than checking brakes and gearset, and cleaning and lubing.  Pumped the tyres up and we've done a few rides recently.  All very pleasant.

Couple of days ago thought to look closely at the Contis which came with it when I bought the bike off my London-commuter son a good few years ago. They'll be, ahem, at least 15 years old.

Perished.  Very.  Couldn't get a similar smooth urban Conti so opted for Marathon Pluses.  Had them before on my 20/26 'bent so yes, yes, I know all about fitting them.

That wasn't the hard bit.  Changed the front in about 10 mins flat, doddle.  The rear was more of a challenge as the ancient Conti had glued itself to the Alex rim as the tyre rubber degraded.  Eventually got it off to find that the tube was a 26" but was way too fat so had been scrunched up in the tyre.  That went in the bin to be replaced by the correct size.  Getting the new M+ on was a struggle as the sticky residue from the old tyre kept gripping the M+ bead stopping it dropping into the rim well.  Broke a glassfibre tyre lever setting it on (I know, the front went on by hand) but eventually got it on.  Checked for a trapped tube - all OK - then pumped up.  Both still fully inflated overnight so just have to ride them now.

M Pluses.  Doncha just love 'em?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 July, 2022, 05:59:12 pm
We've just fettled the fridge freezer and the washing machine into the glory hole under the stairs so the vinyl fitter can fit the new kitchen floor tomorrow.
The fun part of that came when we decided the plumber had manage to fit the gubbins in such a way that there was no way to get the washer plug out of the hole in the cupboard past the copper pipe right behind the access hole. So a mk1 bicycle cable cutter was employed to chop the plug off the lead.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 07 July, 2022, 07:48:01 pm
Sewing machine, mostly making the broken light switch go from broken and always off to still broken but now always on.

If we don't want the light on we can unscrew the bulb, also LED bulb on order so it will be cool enough to unscrew...

May have to have another long hard stare at the foot pedal as it seems to only have two settings, which is not why one has a pedal I assume.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 07 July, 2022, 10:42:00 pm
Aye, I recall Mum's old Singer had a resistor type foot control that went from "groan" to "sprint" with not much in between.

Anyway, I been replacing Saphira's 20 inch M+ one per evening this week, not that they take that long to swap, but each wheel had another job to go with it. Rear wheel had a sticky V- parking brake (not fettled for about 5 years, the o-rings have worked well) and the fronts had new bearings put in.
 I couldn't find the prior replacement date for the back, eventually concluded it was because they lasted 15000 miles to the fronts mere 10000 or so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 July, 2022, 10:54:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 July, 2022, 05:59:12 pm
We've just fettled the fridge freezer and the washing machine into the glory hole under the stairs so the vinyl fitter can fit the new kitchen floor tomorrow.
The fun part of that came when we decided the plumber had manage to fit the gubbins in such a way that there was no way to get the washer plug out of the hole in the cupboard past the copper pipe right behind the access hole. So a mk1 bicycle cable cutter was employed to chop the plug off the lead.  ::-)

Fettling a mains plug onto an appliance - I've not done that for years  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 July, 2022, 11:32:56 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 07 July, 2022, 10:54:41 pm
Fettling a mains plug onto an appliance - I've not done that for years  :)

I seem to find myself doing it on an irregular basis, usually because the appliance was supplied with a plug for use in ABROAD, or in the event of hoover cable fatigue or similar.  Slightly more common is fettling extension leads, 4-ways and the like, especially if doing devious things with IEC, BS546 or Ceeform connectors.

What I have noticed is that the plugs keep getting older.  I don't think I've bought a plug since the mid-90s, but if a dead appliance has a re-wirable plug or moulded plug with a decent cable attached, I'll lop it off and squirrel it away in case it comes in useful.  But if I go rummaging in the mains power box for a plug, it always seems to be a rattly MK one from about 1986.

On the odd occasion that I molish something mains-powered, I try to use an IEC inlet rather than fitting it with a cable and plug.  It's just less hassle in the long run.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 July, 2022, 10:10:46 am
Unpacked a new 5m telescopic folding ladder, found that the silly sods at the factory had riveted one foot in with a 30° twist from where it should have been and spent a jolly half-hour cutting the rivets out, redressing the foot, hunting for my riveter and fixing it.  Then added the stabilizer bar: screw-holes didn't line up, natch, so more fun there.  Sussed out the telescoping/folding mech, tried it, didn't fall off, all well.

Also deflated my front tyre & checked the rim wall width in a couple of places.  All well: min 1.3 mm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 09 July, 2022, 10:37:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 July, 2022, 11:32:56 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 07 July, 2022, 10:54:41 pm
Fettling a mains plug onto an appliance - I've not done that for years  :)

I seem to find myself doing it on an irregular basis, usually because the appliance was supplied with a plug for use in ABROAD, or in the event of hoover cable fatigue or similar.  Slightly more common is fettling extension leads, 4-ways and the like, especially if doing devious things with IEC, BS546 or Ceeform connectors.

What I have noticed is that the plugs keep getting older.  I don't think I've bought a plug since the mid-90s, but if a dead appliance has a re-wirable plug or moulded plug with a decent cable attached, I'll lop it off and squirrel it away in case it comes in useful.  But if I go rummaging in the mains power box for a plug, it always seems to be a rattly MK one from about 1986.

On the odd occasion that I molish something mains-powered, I try to use an IEC inlet rather than fitting it with a cable and plug.  It's just less hassle in the long run.
That describes my experiences closely.

In Asda today, I noticed that in spite of a good range or adaptors for USB power and foreign connectors, not one plug was on sale on its own, only as part of an extension lead. I guess that most of the people who might put a plug on something, already have a good stash of plugs from the last century. I know that I have.*

*Don't ask how many 13 A fuses I have acquired over the years, mainly due to replacing them with something half-way appropriate for the cable rating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 10 July, 2022, 07:25:16 pm
I haven't found a 13A pug with tinned wires for a few years, for which I am thankful, but only in the last 10 years or so cottoned on to leaving some slack in the earth tail so that it is the last to disconnect if the cable is forcefully snatched out.

Anyway, new chain on Saphira, exchange done out in the blazing sunshine. The old chain lasted 8000 miles which I am pleased about (0.75% slack).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 July, 2022, 09:03:00 pm
Tweaked the derailleur hanger on HK’s Trice and adjusted the cable tension. I think the bar end lever is a touch worn and may need replacement. Ordered the new RH crank and middle and granny rings.

Raised the aerobar pads on my trike. Still need to replace the brake levers and handlebar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 10 July, 2022, 09:14:18 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 07 July, 2022, 10:54:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 July, 2022, 05:59:12 pm
We've just fettled the fridge freezer and the washing machine into the glory hole under the stairs so the vinyl fitter can fit the new kitchen floor tomorrow.
The fun part of that came when we decided the plumber had manage to fit the gubbins in such a way that there was no way to get the washer plug out of the hole in the cupboard past the copper pipe right behind the access hole. So a mk1 bicycle cable cutter was employed to chop the plug off the lead.  ::-)

Fettling a mains plug onto an appliance - I've not done that for years  :)

Am really struggling to understand the circumstances that lead to this.
It got in there, so why can't it come out?

The mains plug got through the hole initially, and then other things like drain hoses and cold water pipes later, once the only thing in the hole was was the skinny cable.
Why can't the whole installation procedure be reversed?
Remove the drain hose and fill hose, then remove the plug?

Has some non-reversible thing been done *after* the machine has been installed?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2022, 09:24:29 pm
Re-inflated my rear shock using a CO2 cartridge and carefulling, having discovered that the weird clunking was the suspension bottoming out, but only after putting a suboptimal amount of vertical distance between myself and a campsite with a sufficiency of snoozing MTBers who might have a shock pump.  On a Sunday when the only bike shop anywhere near my route home was shut.

It got me home fine.  Not sure what happened to cause it to lose nearly all the pressure overnight, but it's bound to be annoying and/or expensive, as the Streetmachine uses an unobtanium size rear shock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 July, 2022, 09:56:22 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 10 July, 2022, 09:14:18 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 07 July, 2022, 10:54:41 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 July, 2022, 05:59:12 pm
We've just fettled the fridge freezer and the washing machine into the glory hole under the stairs so the vinyl fitter can fit the new kitchen floor tomorrow.
The fun part of that came when we decided the plumber had manage to fit the gubbins in such a way that there was no way to get the washer plug out of the hole in the cupboard past the copper pipe right behind the access hole. So a mk1 bicycle cable cutter was employed to chop the plug off the lead.  ::-)

Fettling a mains plug onto an appliance - I've not done that for years  :)

Am really struggling to understand the circumstances that lead to this.
It got in there, so why can't it come out?

The mains plug got through the hole initially, and then other things like drain hoses and cold water pipes later, once the only thing in the hole was was the skinny cable.
Why can't the whole installation procedure be reversed?
Remove the drain hose and fill hose, then remove the plug?

Has some non-reversible thing been done *after* the machine has been installed?



The drain and cold water hose were nowhere near the hole for the plug. Right behind the hole in the cabinet for the plug is a copper water pipe. The copper pipe was very close to the back the cabinet. The washer wire was running between the back of the cabinet and the copper pipe, so even if we'd got the plug back out of the hole we'd not have got it past the pipe. I can only assume the cabinet or the back of the cabinet was put in place after the plug was shoved thru into the cabinet. Yes, I don't know why.

While I'm here, I'd also like to complain about people siting the socket for the washer right under the sink drain. It gives me the heebie jeebies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 July, 2022, 11:07:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 10 July, 2022, 09:56:22 pm
While I'm here, I'd also like to complain about people siting the socket for the washer right under the sink drain. It gives me the heebie jeebies.

Still better than behind the machine.  Especially if you have to Sokoban the fridge to gain enough space to pull it out (DAHIKT).  I know a lot of modern kitchens do the hidden socket fed through a fused isolator at counter level thing, but unless the appliance is hard-wired I'd rather the plug was somewhere I could get at without drama.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 July, 2022, 09:25:41 pm
Put one of those door bars down between the professionally fitted kitchen floor and the scraps I threw at the understair cupboard.
I was going to put a new lock on the bathroom door after that but I decided I didn't have enough tuits  remaining.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 July, 2022, 08:22:30 am
Quote from: Kim on 10 July, 2022, 09:24:29 pm
Re-inflated my rear shock using a CO2 cartridge and carefulling, having discovered that the weird clunking was the suspension bottoming out, but only after putting a suboptimal amount of vertical distance between myself and a campsite with a sufficiency of snoozing MTBers who might have a shock pump.  On a Sunday when the only bike shop anywhere near my route home was shut.

It got me home fine.  Not sure what happened to cause it to lose nearly all the pressure overnight, but it's bound to be annoying and/or expensive, as the Streetmachine uses an unobtanium size rear shock.

Was loss of pressure related to the "degrading" of CO2 as happens with tyres?  (just a random thought?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 July, 2022, 10:04:38 pm
Ok riddle me this? What is the black magic way of putting a door knob on where the screw holes in the rose are partially obscured by the knob itself, such that you can't get a screwdriver in there square on, let alone a drill for pilot holes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 July, 2022, 10:12:08 pm
Quote from: robgul on 12 July, 2022, 08:22:30 am
Quote from: Kim on 10 July, 2022, 09:24:29 pm
Re-inflated my rear shock using a CO2 cartridge and carefulling, having discovered that the weird clunking was the suspension bottoming out, but only after putting a suboptimal amount of vertical distance between myself and a campsite with a sufficiency of snoozing MTBers who might have a shock pump.  On a Sunday when the only bike shop anywhere near my route home was shut.

It got me home fine.  Not sure what happened to cause it to lose nearly all the pressure overnight, but it's bound to be annoying and/or expensive, as the Streetmachine uses an unobtanium size rear shock.

Was loss of pressure related to the "degrading" of CO2 as happens with tyres?  (just a random thought?)

Seems unlikely, as I only inflated it with CO2 in desperation *after* it mysteriously lost pressure 70 miles from my shock pump.

Anticipating CO2 solubility issues, I deflated it completely and re-filled with air when I got home.  I think it's still losing pressure, but at the previous rate of 'top it up every few weeks' rather than 'wonder what's clunking the next day'.

Replacement o-ring kit that allegedly fits the shock in question ordered.  Maybe that will help.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 July, 2022, 10:33:12 pm
An emergency trip to Edinburgh, to fettle the flat.
To be read in a Pam Ayres voice, (but the metre is inspired by the railway pomes of TS Eliot and WH Auden):

Message in Whatsapp
Neighbours in pain

The smoke alarm's sounding
I'm off on the train

Smoke alarm silenced
No fire was found

Just as well really
Too long to respond

Students have been here
The place is a rout

Dishwasher emptied
Bins taken out

Lunch from the Deli
Fresh as you please

Run for the train
And I make it with ease!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 12 July, 2022, 11:07:21 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 July, 2022, 10:04:38 pm
Ok riddle me this? What is the black magic way of putting a door knob on where the screw holes in the rose are partially obscured by the knob itself, such that you can't get a screwdriver in there square on, let alone a drill for pilot holes?
For the pilot holes I’d mark with a pencil and drill without the handle in place.

Then replace the screws with ones with hex heads, and use an Allen key which will fit in the gap? :p
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 July, 2022, 08:30:17 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 12 July, 2022, 11:07:21 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 July, 2022, 10:04:38 pm
Ok riddle me this? What is the black magic way of putting a door knob on where the screw holes in the rose are partially obscured by the knob itself, such that you can't get a screwdriver in there square on, let alone a drill for pilot holes?
For the pilot holes I’d mark with a pencil and drill without the handle in place.

Then replace the screws with ones with hex heads, and use an Allen key which will fit in the gap? :p

Ditto first point answer  - for screws: either right-angle screwdriver attachement for a drill (but probably too bulky) - OR make a dedicated tool by bending the tip of a suitable screwdriver to 90 degrees (works better with pozi or torx screws) and screw using part turn, remove, repeat etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: tom_e on 13 July, 2022, 08:38:10 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 July, 2022, 10:04:38 pm
Ok riddle me this? What is the black magic way of putting a door knob on where the screw holes in the rose are partially obscured by the knob itself, such that you can't get a screwdriver in there square on, let alone a drill for pilot holes?

I've settled for screwing in on a slight angle instead, particularly if the rose surface is angled rather than parallel to the door surface anyway.

I also use my Topeak ratchet rocket (https://www.topeak.com/global/en/product/1075-RATCHET-ROCKET-LITE-DX) for awkward spots.  Bit slow, but quite cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 July, 2022, 08:39:12 am
For driving the screws under the door handle, this is not very helpful as they're expensive at the moment (I paid under £20 for my three sets), but I'm so impressed with this Bahco tiny ratchet set that I bought a second for myself to have stashed somewhere else, and one for my son. You'll get into most places with the right angle screwdriver bits, and the ratchet mechanism makes it easy to drive the screws in. Really useful for small nuts too. There are equivalents made by other manufactures, so an idea of something to took for.

https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000Y8TIMY

And if you drive in the screw before fitting the handle, then it's easier when the handle is in place as you've already made/tapped the hole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 July, 2022, 10:29:37 am
At one point (must look in shed) I had a flexible shaft for an electric screwdriver with a socket on the end for the bit, was very handy for things like that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2022, 01:14:39 pm
Oh actually, not only do I have a right angled screwdriver somewhere, but you lot have just reminded me that I can put a screwdriver bit in me socket set ..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 July, 2022, 02:23:56 pm
Quote from: MattH on 13 July, 2022, 08:39:12 am
For driving the screws under the door handle, this is not very helpful as they're expensive at the moment (I paid under £20 for my three sets), but I'm so impressed with this Bahco tiny ratchet set that I bought a second for myself to have stashed somewhere else, and one for my son. You'll get into most places with the right angle screwdriver bits, and the ratchet mechanism makes it easy to drive the screws in. Really useful for small nuts too. There are equivalents made by other manufactures, so an idea of something to took for.

I've got a similar (though undoubtedly less well-made) little ratchet that I found in the bargain bin at Maplin, and it's been very useful for this sort of thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 13 July, 2022, 07:37:58 pm
Felicity in the village has sewn my solar blinds up and I've stuck them up in the south-facing windows in time for the weekend's heat blast. All went well with the first two, but I was knackered after work and I put the third one up inside out and messed up the last bit of velcro. All was easily rectified and the bedroom, in particular, is very dark. ~£50 for the three windows, with plenty of material left over and loadsa velcro spare.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2022, 08:15:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2022, 01:14:39 pm
Oh actually, not only do I have a right angled screwdriver somewhere, but you lot have just reminded me that I can put a screwdriver bit in me socket set ..

Socket set was also too long so I had to deploy the offset screwdrivers and soap. The screw heads were slotted and made of cheese. Bad swears were also muttered.
The old knob had an angled rose but this one does not.

MattH you're a bad influence. Looked at your link and saw a Prime deal for a Bosch one for 11 quid. I resisted the urge to get a Wera one...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 July, 2022, 08:17:50 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 July, 2022, 10:04:38 pm
Ok riddle me this? What is the black magic way of putting a door knob on where the screw holes in the rose are partially obscured by the knob itself, such that you can't get a screwdriver in there square on, let alone a drill for pilot holes?

Last time I did this, I ended up just putting them in at a wonky angle. :demon:

Had a similar issue recently replacing a window handle like-for-like, except whoever fitted the previous one had put one of the screws in at an angle. I purchased a right-angled ratchet thingy especially for the purpose, and still haven't managed to get the screw in fully... :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2022, 08:18:30 pm
CAMRAman that sounds like a bargain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 13 July, 2022, 08:32:04 pm
I used this stuff (https://smile.amazon.co.uk/RAYYAN-THERMAL-BLACKOUT-CURTAIN-REFLECTIVE/dp/B01MU2QGV8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=3UU3LBLU00L9W&keywords=RAYYAN+LINEN+THERMAL+BLACKOUT+CURTAIN+LINING+FABRIC+%7C+fabric+per+metre+%7C+54%22+%2F+137CM+WIDE&qid=1657740405&sprefix=rayyan+linen+thermal+blackout+curtain+lining+fabric+fabric+per+metre+54+%2F+137cm+wide%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1) for the blinds. Light, but totally opaque. Felicity sewed everything together for £25, something of a bargain.


Careful application of the velcro means the upward-hinging windows can be opened for night time ventilation.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2022, 08:37:01 pm
I also replaced this ghastly item
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52214339178_e7c9d1e515.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ny18Vd)2022-07-13_08-29-49 (https://flic.kr/p/2ny18Vd) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

With this one, which although nothing to write home about does at least match the other pantry doors.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52214323431_f8eea29d65.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ny14eH)2022-07-13_08-30-06 (https://flic.kr/p/2ny14eH) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Now all I need to do is find something to fill that mortice hole. A trusty wine bottle cork is too big unfortunately.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 July, 2022, 08:48:09 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2022, 08:37:01 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52214323431_f8eea29d65.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ny14eH)2022-07-13_08-30-06 (https://flic.kr/p/2ny14eH) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Now all I need to do is find something to fill that mortice hole. A trusty wine bottle cork is too big unfortunately.

As you have already read elsewhere, I have mentioned plug cutters.
For other readers, here's what I said:

You can get 'plug cutter' drill bit sets, which will cut a slightly conical plug out of an off-cut of wood. The corresponding regular drill bit cuts the right-sized 'ole in the workpiece to accept the plug, which is hammered in as far as it will go (with a bit of wood glue), leaving the top slightly proud. Sharp chisel to level it off, then sand and finish as required.

Simply google for 'plug cutter drill bits' and all will be revealed.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 July, 2022, 08:50:32 pm
There's a tool for *everything* isn't there?  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 13 July, 2022, 09:04:07 pm
I almost bought a purple version of the "before" one the other day... :-X

(Almost, mainly because it stuck out too much for the stupid bifold door.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 July, 2022, 09:24:26 pm
Purple or not, that's a sleeve-snagger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 13 July, 2022, 09:28:12 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 July, 2022, 09:24:26 pm
Purple or not, that's a sleeve-snagger.


The lever type handle on my bathroom door frequently snags the belt loops of my trousers!  I end up tied to the door until I can do a little sideways wiggle to escape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 July, 2022, 09:40:57 pm
Replaced the slowly leaking tube on my fixed’s front wheel.

Fitted a RH triple crank on HK’s Trice and replaced the worn out Shimano 9sp bar-end lever with a Microshift copy. Together with the new cable, the cheap rear mech now shifts like butter. The Ultegra front mech is a little overmatched against 52/ 38/ 26 rings. If the chain clatters against the bottom of the cage too much in the granny ring, I will swap in a triple front mech from the garage stock.

Checked the 11sp hydraulic STI levers on HK’s Kinesis after she finished her 300+100 ECE brevet today. She had to do a fair chunk in the little ring after the front lever stopped shifting. I will squint at it a little more tomorrow but it looks like it could a terminal problem for this particular STI model. https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/13089841/rs505-cable-guides-a-cautionary-tale

Replacement Shimano 11sp hydraulic brake mechanical STI levers look to be a little thin on the ground and Shimano advise that the Shimano hydraulic disc calipers aren’t compatible with current STI levers, which seems a little unlikely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 16 July, 2022, 10:34:56 pm
Fettle Fail.

It's my zero maintenance hack bike experiment getting its own back on me.

I've just checked, it's been over six years into the experiment: bought a hack for less than £100 and I've not spent a penny on maintenance (you can't count tube patches). If I'm being honest, it really shows now, so I was thinking of trying to repeat the 'speriment so I've been looking around, unsuccessfully thus far. Anyhoo, the rear tyre was thinner than a Boris Johnson excuse, I might have been able to resell as a lightweight racing slick and I had flat after flat. I decided utility should come before principle, so I lashed out on a cheapie tyre off the 'bay (£7) and a new tube added onto an order from Charlie the bikemonger.  fitting was less than straightforward, getting hte nylon bead to seat properly around the valve was a struggle, but I got it on, and went on  my first journey. By the time I got back, I had a slow :(

I can only conclude the issue is somewhere around the rim. Bum.


(just for the record, its first appearance here was on this https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11163.msg2037720#msg2037720)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 July, 2022, 12:25:11 pm
Replaced the brake levers and handlebar tape on my trike, removed the mudguard and backed off the bearings on a rear axle. Greased the newly-fitted Octalink BB in an effort to silence a tiny creak.

Discovered I need to order replacement 0 degree Keo cleats for HK after her recent 300. Somebody doesn’t examine her kit before big rides.

Dismantled the noisy Powertap SL+ hub on HK’s Roberts and ordered replacement freehub bearings.

Squinted at HK’s 11sp STI levers (ST-RS505) and it looks like the LH lever is terminal for lack of changing a £2 internal cable guide when I swapped out the gear cables. Of course, I didn’t know that action was a good preventative for these STI levers until yesterday. Still to check the RH lever but it might be ok with a new cable guide. HK might end up with a barend shifter for the front mech, ala Pantani. Otherwise it is a secondhand LH shifter (untrustworthy), a £140 NOS lever from Taiwan or worst case, a £400+ pair of levers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 17 July, 2022, 03:17:09 pm
My mother was agitating for a new clothesline. By happy chance Lidl were selling 30M rolls of 5.5mm polyester cord for about a fiver.  I bought some eye plate things & a cleat thing on Amazon and have molished them into a line zig zagging between the garden wall, the extension & the garage.  The bricks used for the extension are a lot harder than the others.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 July, 2022, 10:58:24 pm
I was looking for the post where I put up 2 sets of coat hooks, one with screws and the other with Command Hooks/Strips but I failed to find it. (My usual trick of using Google isn't working tonight)
Anyway that set of hooks held up perfectly well for the last few months (best part of a year?) but decided to fall down yesterday.
Weirdly, it's the not the adhesive that has failed, all the strips are still stuck to the wall and the back of the hooks, but it separated at the velcro join. So I snapped it back together and it fell down again a few hours later.
Wonder if the heat has made the velcro go a bit slack...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 22 July, 2022, 10:32:01 am
New (to us) cooker transported from barn to house and installed. A magic elf put the bottle gas pipework in on Thursday night. (I get really irritated by plumbers who use brass olives on gas pipework. Copper is much, much better and costs pence. All the new pipework has copper.)

We paid £400 incl delivery for this cooker. 90cm, twin oven, gas hob with cast iron supports. It is fab. About £1400 new.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 24 July, 2022, 08:20:36 am
Saturday. In hot dark garage (power cut and had to have the door shut) shimmed the door pivot so the the door doesn't drag on the frame or the ground.
 "Copaslipped" all 20 of the car wheel bolts.
 Extended the stand legs on the Origami again so that the rear wheel actually clears the deck. Unfortunately after a short ride round the block I remembered that the retracted stand grounds far too easily in a turn. Re-fettle required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 July, 2022, 03:19:10 pm
Filled a 2-litre jar with vinegar and steel wool, put cling wrap over the top and punched a hole to let off the hydrogen.  It's sitting out in the sun now, bubbling away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2022, 09:12:03 pm
Quote from: T42 on 24 July, 2022, 03:19:10 pm
Filled a 2-litre jar with vinegar and steel wool, put cling wrap over the top and punched a hole to let off the hydrogen.  It's sitting out in the sun now, bubbling away.
Why?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 24 July, 2022, 10:50:39 pm
Went for a bounce along a bit of the South Downs Way today where it became obvious that Mrs h's bike had developed a) unbelievably squealy front brakes and b) a creak in the BB area. Bugger.

Brakes cured by cleaning the pads with Fairy Up and a dab of grease on the back of the pad, and BB creak cured by dismantling, cleaning and regreasing the HT2 bearing cup threads and re-assembling.

Very satisfying.

Chain on my bike needs replacing. One for a future weekend as I don't have spares at the 'van.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 July, 2022, 07:29:05 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2022, 09:12:03 pm
Quote from: T42 on 24 July, 2022, 03:19:10 pm
Filled a 2-litre jar with vinegar and steel wool, put cling wrap over the top and punched a hole to let off the hydrogen.  It's sitting out in the sun now, bubbling away.
Why?

To make iron acetate, which darkens tanins in wood to make it look aged, the idea being to match the remaining one of our barn doors.  I'll be painting the wood, which is something like white pine, with tea first to provide a bit more tanin.

Just thinking that I could cut up the fallen door and make a guitar with it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 25 July, 2022, 07:56:30 am
^^ art forger.  We won't tell
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 July, 2022, 08:25:09 am
Rats. Now I have to keel heem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 July, 2022, 11:08:23 am
Cut a piece of thick plastic to shape to fit in the base of my Carradice rack pack for a bit more structure.  Need to just take care of the edges and maybe add a bit of anti-snag tape. I'm also thinking how i might mount it externally to the Tailfin - would like it to be removable when not needed.  Thinking removable zip-ties, or strategically placed holed for the straps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 July, 2022, 03:18:42 pm
This morning I had my first puncture on my e-bike, inconveniently as I was heading to my "Stoutness Exercises" session. I was thus 20 minutes late, and I pushed the bike home again afterwards.

I have now learned the procedure for removing the rear wheel. It is necessary to disconnect the cable that controls the Rohloff's electronic shifting, then remove the QR skewer, detach the drive belt, and Bob's your uncle.

Removing a Schwalbe "Johnny Watts" tyre was difficult. The bead and the rim seem somehow to click together. I managed it in the end, but there was foul language. The offending body was an industrial style gun-staple. I hard a pop-bang noise but it wasn't until about half a mile later that I realised that the tyre had deflated.

Getting the tyre back on again was also problematic, and that too required a fair old lubrication of profanities (being careful not to spill them on the brake disk).

So I think I would now feel moderately confident of fixing a puncture in the wild, but it's by far the hardest combination of rim and tyre that I've ever had to deal with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 July, 2022, 05:48:32 pm
Not tubeless considering the essential faffi-ness of the situation?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 25 July, 2022, 07:36:54 pm
I failed to spot the weakness with the particular manifestation of the Gates drive that my bike employs: a tensioner spring. This is just behind the bottom bracket and therefore easily overlooked. I didn't notice that the damned thing had come unhooked at one end and gleefully set of for a test ride. I'd gone about 100 yards when there was a horrible noise and I couldn't pedal any more. The loose end of the spring had become caught up with the belt wheel and was mangled beyond repair. As luck would have it, very shortly after buying the bike, I asked the shop for a spare spring because it gave me the impression that it was a weak link that might fail and leave one stranded in the middle of nowhere on a tour. So I have a spare.

Taking the mangled one off was a palaver involving removing the belt drive ring. Then the WR delivery arrived and now it's time for food so I shall put it back together after we've eaten.

Not all bikes with belt drives have this convoluted route for the belt to take. Some of them are much like the chain on a fixie. I wonder why they aren't all like that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 July, 2022, 06:44:05 am
Setting the proper tension on a Gates belt takes a bit of care. A calibrated spring-loaded arm would be less trouble, provided it is flipped into and out of position at the appropriate times.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 26 July, 2022, 08:51:10 am
Taken down all curtain, net-curtains, moved stuff out of the way of windows, in preparation for
sash double-glazed units to be installed*.




*Not by me though. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 July, 2022, 03:17:35 pm
Filtered first batch of iron acetate, got a second batch bubbling in the sun.  Also tried planing some of the ready-planed wood I had delivered to remove the fur the sawmill's planer missed. Didn't work too well but my 1970's B&D belt sander doesn't do too badly. I don't need perfection, far from it. Trouble is that the sander has a rectangular dust port that works well with the leaky bag supplied but not with my vacuum's hose, and my dust mask is bloody hot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 July, 2022, 05:09:43 pm
Fettled a strip of 3mm closed cell foam into my spectacle case with a 'bump' in the strip to act as a spring and stop my specs rattling rhythmically with every step I take.
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is anything in my pockets (keys, coins etc) making a sound, synchronised with my movement.
Where is the stealth in that?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 July, 2022, 05:46:08 pm
Replaced the chain on my Roberts y'day. At least the bike is ready for our holidays, even if I am not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 26 July, 2022, 08:37:03 pm
Some of ye elderly mower, parts now rotate instead of juddering unsteadily about an axis.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 26 July, 2022, 09:21:50 pm
Sewed up a couple of pairs of work trousers. Both are old and almost certainly from chariddy shops but one had split up the arse and one had a pen sized hole in the pocket

Both are now back in function
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 July, 2022, 09:29:21 pm
Added some cheap cloth tape, which I had lying around, on top of my existing plastic-type bar tape. The idea came up in chat on a ride a couple of weeks ago and then I was reminded of it by seeing a bike with no bar tape – but whose rider was just about to tape his bars, using some rather expensive, fancy cloth tape, having completed a four-day tour without it – at Temple Meads station on Sunday. Turns out the cloth tape wasn't quite long enough to cover the entire taped length of the bars, but it did the important bits. I think ideally for comfort I'd change the bars for something the same shape but 31.8 rather than 26, or even with a "wing" top.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pedaldog. on 26 July, 2022, 10:08:48 pm
Observed Sprogs OTP, as she managed to make a 30 year old Moped Shaped Object produce a Spark on the right bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 July, 2022, 10:30:23 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 July, 2022, 05:09:43 pm
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is anything in my pockets (keys, coins etc) making a sound, synchronised with my movement.
Where is the stealth in that?

I solved that by falling off a stage onto the contents of my pocket (a couple of screwdrivers, but fortunately not the pointy end) and being somewhat paranoid about carrying anything I don't want to land on about my person ever since.  Keys - a chief cause of ratting noises - are right out.

I do like the foam spring idea for glasses cases though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 July, 2022, 10:46:57 pm
Washed the LHT, fitted a new chain, and replaced the bar tape and the split brake hoods.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 July, 2022, 07:36:22 am
Quote from: Kim on 26 July, 2022, 10:30:23 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 July, 2022, 05:09:43 pm
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is anything in my pockets (keys, coins etc) making a sound, synchronised with my movement.
Where is the stealth in that?

I solved that by falling off a stage onto the contents of my pocket (a couple of screwdrivers, but fortunately not the pointy end) and being somewhat paranoid about carrying anything I don't want to land on about my person ever since.  Keys - a chief cause of ratting noises - are right out.

I do like the foam spring idea for glasses cases though.
Et Voila
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52244312801_cc4548bde3_4k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nADL2P) (https://flic.kr/p/2nADL2P)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 July, 2022, 07:43:05 am
Quote from: Kim on 26 July, 2022, 10:30:23 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 July, 2022, 05:09:43 pm
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is anything in my pockets (keys, coins etc) making a sound, synchronised with my movement.
Where is the stealth in that?

I solved that by falling off a stage onto the contents of my pocket (a couple of screwdrivers, but fortunately not the pointy end) and being somewhat paranoid about carrying anything I don't want to land on about my person ever since.  Keys - a chief cause of ratting noises - are right out.

I do like the foam spring idea for glasses cases though.

So this will be a no-no for you then!
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0246/3626/0397/files/melbournechippychick_crop.jpg?v=1595998754)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 July, 2022, 08:38:34 am
As will the Swrve "cycling trousers" with their pen-shaped and intended pockets on the front of the hips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 July, 2022, 10:37:30 am
Sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded and... Also dismantled my dust-collection thingy, transported the bits back to the place from whence they came and re-assembled it, since it doesn't work with my sander.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 28 July, 2022, 10:56:31 am
Implemented a bath/shower water collection system.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 28 July, 2022, 11:31:34 am
Attempted to fettle replacement flaps on my commuter.
Turned out the RAW beauties were shorter than the stock ones.

Hmmm. Where did all that crap flung all over my legs come from?? Well, I know the answer, it came from the cycle path. But HOW?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 July, 2022, 12:03:11 pm
Quote from: robgul on 27 July, 2022, 07:43:05 am
Quote from: Kim on 26 July, 2022, 10:30:23 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 26 July, 2022, 05:09:43 pm
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is anything in my pockets (keys, coins etc) making a sound, synchronised with my movement.
Where is the stealth in that?

I solved that by falling off a stage onto the contents of my pocket (a couple of screwdrivers, but fortunately not the pointy end) and being somewhat paranoid about carrying anything I don't want to land on about my person ever since.  Keys - a chief cause of ratting noises - are right out.

I do like the foam spring idea for glasses cases though.

So this will be a no-no for you then!
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0246/3626/0397/files/melbournechippychick_crop.jpg?v=1595998754)
The tomb raiding side of business isn't paying the bills, I see.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 28 July, 2022, 05:27:07 pm
This being the last but one day of my two-week holiday, with little achieved, I did lots of little chores, the worst of which was demoulding the shower mat - yuck. Then, spurred into action, I checked and topped up the fluids on the car. I even managed to fit the Bosch wiper blades that had thwarted me on an earlier attempt. Turns out the previous blades had left a bit behind in the wiper arm that I hadn't noticed. Duly levered out with a screwdriver and the new blades were fitted in seconds.

My final task is to search for some adhesive shower pads that won't go mouldy...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 July, 2022, 09:40:55 pm
De-sticky-fied the RH brake on HK’s Trice, ready for her tour starting tomorrow.

I was going to ride my trike to camp this weekend but it was making some unhappy noises in the last few hours of last weekend’s Mersey Roads. The case-hardening on one of the rear cones has probably gone but there is no time to sort that out before the weekend. Very big saddlebag on fixed + walking steep bits is the fallback option. We’ll see how my knees hold out as they are still a little delicate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 29 July, 2022, 12:29:20 pm
Mrs h was complaining her transmission was misbehaving.

I've long struggled to get the RD to index properly, despite partial cable replacements, hanger re-alignment and rear mech deep cleaning.

Went for the full cable replacement and a slight tweak on one of the limit screws. That got it almost like new. But then I checked out the middle ring. Ooo errr. How embarrassing that I let it get that bad.

A happy extra bit of fettling followed and was able to draw on my stock of spare triple chain rings to get a result. And I only sliced one finger open !

Bike has yet to be test ridden, but I'm pretty confident the problem is resolved.

Meanwhile, mini-hatler is planning on a run to Saffron Walden on Sunday with a mate who'll be using his old Spesh. Two bikes therefore required a once-over. Bugger. Mini's fabulous Colnago has a knackered barrel adjuster on the front brake. The body's thread is completely stripped. I bet that's not a cheap replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 30 July, 2022, 01:18:44 pm
Replaced the trellis atop the wall between our patio and next doors. This has been in dire need of replacement for a several of years, but was buried deep in a 25 year old euonymus bush we’d trained along. However said bush suffered a terminal attack if euonymous scale insect, so that has to go, hence the trellis replacement.  All went swimmingly, and we’ve a variegated ivy as a replacement screening plant, tho the neighbour is putting up some horticultural mesh later this week.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52251108048_c6f6b06db6_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nBfA2f)Trellis (https://flic.kr/p/2nBfA2f) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr

ETA Then I dug out the thankfully shallow rooted stump.  I’m amazed it survived so long as it’s in the single driest square metre of the garden, tight up against the North East side of a wall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 30 July, 2022, 01:28:14 pm
Repainted part of the cruciform of my recumbent trike.

I recently had the original welding break on my trike (luckily not too far from home) and found a local welder who came to my house and re-welded it, and at the same time added four reinforcing webs.

It's not a good feeling though, when you watch somebody take an angle grinder to your bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 July, 2022, 03:21:58 pm
Finished rough-sanding the wood for the barn door, mostly to get rid of planer tear-out (not from me). Don't care about saw-marks, they add character or summat.  Hellish fine dust floating about, was glad of valved Cambridge masks that MrsT laid in at the start of the pandemic before we found out that they weren't suitable for Covid protection.

Cleaned my stock eBrute chain, dunked it in the hot wax for 2½ hours then wiped it down, took current chain off eBrute, put the newly-waxed chain on, cleaned the one that had been on and put it into the wax.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 30 July, 2022, 04:39:31 pm
22 pizzas for Mini's 21st.

Hand kneaded dough, home made tomato sauce.

Result = a bunch of very happy people.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 30 July, 2022, 07:15:42 pm
Nom!

I cleaned and lubed my Camino. Mostly as a by product of trying to change the tyre. But I can’t get it to seat on the bead, even with an inner tube first and my fastest pumping. So an air shot has been ordered. And a mudguard clip for the brake bridge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 30 July, 2022, 10:05:20 pm
New electric shower. Not same as ancient Redring so required yet more new holes in the tiles, and persuading a new bit of 15mm pipe into the exotic shape to join up the pipery. No leaks so far, and wow - so much hot water. I'll need it to wash off all the dust and sweat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 31 July, 2022, 08:18:43 pm
After dismantling the BSO, have replaced the caged ball bearing in the crank so that is back together.

Aligned the brake pads and tweaked the new stainless steel brake cables. Installed new stainless steel gear cables, now to install a new chain then the BSO will be ready to sell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 July, 2022, 09:19:02 pm
Front dyno light onto the Faran, using coax cable and internal routing in the fork leg for the first time. Many swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 August, 2022, 09:07:46 am
Aftermath of the teabag massacre:

(https://pbase.com/image/172836481.jpg)

To provide tanin for my iron acetate wood stain. 80 bags of Darjeeling to follow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 August, 2022, 03:12:21 pm
Twinings? Not the crappy Lipton stuff?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 August, 2022, 03:29:01 pm
It's what we had. I've stopped drinking tea so it doesn't matter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 02 August, 2022, 07:26:17 am
Picked up a nice used garden gate from eBay to fill the gap in the hedge where a tree died and the hedge won't regrow.  Then realised ONE 5' fence post costs as much as I paid for the gate.  And I need two.  And Postcrete.  And Sadolin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 August, 2022, 09:38:41 pm
While out on a ride round the Bruges environs today my bike started making horrible creaking noises for no apparent reason. Once we got back to base a bit of judicious listening narrowed it down to the rear hub (Ambrosio Zenith) which feels rather rough, which is a bit annoying cos it's not even that old. Hopefully it behave itself enough to cope with the rest of the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 02 August, 2022, 09:49:14 pm
My air shot arrived, and with the valve core removed it inflated my new rear tyre, with the satisfying pop of a tubeless seating. Then I got some sealant in (and some on the yard). Another go on the air shot was needed to reseat it. I left that, watered some plants, then disconnected the air. Four bar makes a satisfying whoosh with no valve core! Valve back in, pumped, sloshed it about some and put it on the bike. And now it rubs on the mudguard. I thought my 34s had a bit of a big gap, but evidently not enough for a 38c. Boo. That can wait until tomorrow though - mudguards in the dark will just make me sweary.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 August, 2022, 09:50:24 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 02 August, 2022, 09:49:14 pm
mudguards in the dark

Good name for a Difficult Second Album™.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 August, 2022, 07:25:15 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 02 August, 2022, 09:49:14 pm
My air shot arrived, and with the valve core removed it inflated my new rear tyre, with the satisfying pop of a tubeless seating. Then I got some sealant in (and some on the yard). Another go on the air shot was needed to reseat it. I left that, watered some plants, then disconnected the air. Four bar makes a satisfying whoosh with no valve core! Valve back in, pumped, sloshed it about some and put it on the bike. And now it rubs on the mudguard. I thought my 34s had a bit of a big gap, but evidently not enough for a 38c. Boo. That can wait until tomorrow though - mudguards in the dark will just make me sweary.

Why the re-seat - didn't the tyre stay on the bead/rim when you deflated? (assuming sealant applied through the valve)   All my tubeless activity, my own and when I ran a shop, was "seat once" - squirting seal in the valve body.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 August, 2022, 02:45:31 pm
The barn door saga continues...

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172843579.jpg)

His Dark Materials: on the left, iron acetate made by adding around 20 balls of 000 steel wool to 3 litres of 14% vinegar, letting it react for a day or two then putting it through a coffee filter.  On the right, tea made with ~15 bags in 1½ litres of water, poured on boiling and allowed to go cold with the bags in (Control from Hell).

MrsT brushed on the tea & I followed up with the acetate.  A couple of hours' work got us this far:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172843590.jpg)

On the left is the wood as it came from the supplier, after I'd given it a once-over with the belt sander. On the right, the wood we've done so far. (Back left you can see the heap of cardboard that a neighbour with a tractor & trailer has been going to take to the tip for us "one of these days".)


(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172843603.jpg)

The result so far. The tanin reaction takes place both with the tea on the surface and the tanin within the wood. It'll probably get darker yet (see the board at the bottom of the stack).  I didn't know at first if we'd have enough of the reagents so we didn't do the edges. Now I know we've got about twice as much as we needed I'll go over them later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 03 August, 2022, 06:23:03 pm
Put power pedals on new boy Hamish.

Which meant changing the cleats on my shoes, because they were old style Look.

Which meant fitting new pedals to Peregrine the Pinarello, because he had Look classics.

That should make him feel less left out, anyway.

And fixie Pompino Shackleton has some spare pedals now, because Hamish has been rocking Time ATACs while I got my contact points sorted.

(There is madness in my method, I accept this.)

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 August, 2022, 06:35:42 pm
Dug a hole and concreted in the hinge post for the new gate.  Next job is to cut a big gap through the hedge (it's the bit where only brambles grow, which is the driver behind this).  Then hang the gate, then do it all over again for the other post
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 03 August, 2022, 06:50:41 pm
Quote from: robgul on 03 August, 2022, 07:25:15 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 02 August, 2022, 09:49:14 pm
My air shot arrived, and with the valve core removed it inflated my new rear tyre, with the satisfying pop of a tubeless seating. Then I got some sealant in (and some on the yard). Another go on the air shot was needed to reseat it. I left that, watered some plants, then disconnected the air. Four bar makes a satisfying whoosh with no valve core! Valve back in, pumped, sloshed it about some and put it on the bike. And now it rubs on the mudguard. I thought my 34s had a bit of a big gap, but evidently not enough for a 38c. Boo. That can wait until tomorrow though - mudguards in the dark will just make me sweary.

Why the re-seat - didn't the tyre stay on the bead/rim when you deflated? (assuming sealant applied through the valve)   All my tubeless activity, my own and when I ran a shop, was "seat once" - squirting seal in the valve body.
It didn’t fall off after the no-sealant inflation, but it was leaking too much air / sealant for normal pumping.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 03 August, 2022, 08:09:20 pm
I’ve let the mudguards out a bit and ridden up the street and back and it all seems ok.

I also swapped the rear wheel on Mrs Dan’s bike, for an old one in the shed, as it was making an unpleasant vibration through the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2022, 08:37:58 pm
Surely Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) must’ve run out of b0rked tables for me to bodge back into some semblance of life by now?  Did another one yesterday, or rather unrepaired it and somehow reattached the wonky leg with a piece of dowel, half a gallon of superglue and one of the giant bike-restraining straps that lurk in a Tower Records* bag in the boot of my motor-car.

* this will give some indication of when I last transported a bike in the Fast-Appreciating Future Classic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 August, 2022, 10:34:26 pm
My first shot at a Turk's Head woggle.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/59tGNjTp1JdIZweBbaZBalpF3esga5xMQ768OZP3FVmVN1KDPS0P4JbgmIFs9k4hCaoS-JLjjMaFqiAXWoNZsdl5v3CnQVl9geTDSqeaNPbA_xDLu7q2Jy5v3AaKgsSoRONIUOz_BsI=w1200)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 August, 2022, 07:17:17 am
Nifty.  Last time I saw one of those was when my dad made one for my cowboy hat when was 6 or 7.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 August, 2022, 07:51:16 am
I'm amazed they're still called woggles.  We used to titter at that in the 70s.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 04 August, 2022, 09:21:58 am
Quote from: robgul on 03 August, 2022, 07:25:15 am
Quote from: perpetual dan on 02 August, 2022, 09:49:14 pm
My air shot arrived, and with the valve core removed it inflated my new rear tyre, with the satisfying pop of a tubeless seating. Then I got some sealant in (and some on the yard). Another go on the air shot was needed to reseat it. I left that, watered some plants, then disconnected the air. Four bar makes a satisfying whoosh with no valve core! Valve back in, pumped, sloshed it about some and put it on the bike. And now it rubs on the mudguard. I thought my 34s had a bit of a big gap, but evidently not enough for a 38c. Boo. That can wait until tomorrow though - mudguards in the dark will just make me sweary.

Why the re-seat - didn't the tyre stay on the bead/rim when you deflated? (assuming sealant applied through the valve)   All my tubeless activity, my own and when I ran a shop, was "seat once" - squirting seal in the valve body.

As ever it depends, my DT Swiss / Hutchinson Fusion 25's combo was prone to unseating one bead on depressurising after first
seating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 August, 2022, 02:09:00 pm
No going back now.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52262936309_641bd75553_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nCid9M)20220804_134320 (https://flic.kr/p/2nCid9M) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52262936329_3db313383c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nCida8)20220804_134330 (https://flic.kr/p/2nCida8) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

The gate was £15 (for two!).  No rot anywhere but will want rubbing down and staining.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52261693047_4a2c1c77bd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nCbQze)20220804_134433 (https://flic.kr/p/2nCbQze) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 August, 2022, 03:27:32 pm
Gate looks solid. What's the wood?

---o0o---

Meanwhile, I haz dismantled (butchered) a palette, adjusted my bandsaw and made a jam cleat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 August, 2022, 03:46:27 pm
In the last few days:
- Detanglefied the cable routing on HK’s Brompton, which I messed up the last time.
- Slightly tightened the seatpost clamp on my Brompton to stop the saddle drifting down.
- Removed the LH rear axle on my trike to see what was making the noises towards the end of the MR24. It looks like one or both of the cones isn’t particularly happy. I should pick up replacements this evening and reassemble it on Saturday for Sunday’s BHPC race in Bath.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 August, 2022, 04:16:30 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 August, 2022, 03:27:32 pm
Gate looks solid. What's the wood?
Some nondescript softwood.  It's lasted very well so may be pressure-treated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 August, 2022, 11:38:39 am
Gave the gate its first coat of woodstain after about 3 hours' tedious sanding yesterday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 August, 2022, 12:59:40 pm
Yesterday. Felled a couple of ash trees in the alleyway/garage access which runs behind my back garden.
One of them landed in a place that I Didn't. Really. Want. It. To.  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 August, 2022, 05:16:41 pm
This morning, bunged my last batch of iron acetate into the coffee filter. Only just remembered that it's still out there Ought to be done by now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 August, 2022, 05:19:15 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 05 August, 2022, 04:16:30 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 August, 2022, 03:27:32 pm
Gate looks solid. What's the wood?
Some nondescript softwood.  It's lasted very well so may be pressure-treated.

I've found softwoods surprisingly durable. They'd better be since I'm making our barn door out of spruce.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 August, 2022, 05:42:33 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 05 August, 2022, 04:16:30 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 August, 2022, 03:27:32 pm
Gate looks solid. What's the wood?
Some nondescript softwood.  It's lasted very well so may be pressure-treated.
Is Selly Oak station one sign short? 😉
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 August, 2022, 06:45:57 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 07 August, 2022, 05:42:33 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 05 August, 2022, 04:16:30 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 August, 2022, 03:27:32 pm
Gate looks solid. What's the wood?
Some nondescript softwood.  It's lasted very well so may be pressure-treated.
Is Selly Oak station one sign short? 😉
It's the Centro-era sign from when I lived nearby, but I didn't nick it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 August, 2022, 08:08:38 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 07 August, 2022, 12:59:40 pm
Yesterday. Felled a couple of ash trees in the alleyway/garage access which runs behind my back garden.
One of them landed in a place that I Didn't. Really. Want. It. To.  :-[
Oh dear. Not very expensive I hope...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 August, 2022, 08:37:48 pm
I think the owner of the land is currently on holibobs *fingers crossed*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 August, 2022, 10:32:33 pm
I am intrigued...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 August, 2022, 09:24:11 am
Saturday, reassembled the LH rear axle on my trike with a new cone. Still some funny noises (quieter, mind) under load but frankly I am getting tired of the whole thing. It feels like chasing my tail at times. Time to sell this trike off and replace it with a modern trike that is nicer to maintain and more fun to ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 August, 2022, 10:28:25 am
Slapping the acetate around again this morning, got to the end of the checklist item "Stain wood", at least until I have a bunch of cut ends to treat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 August, 2022, 11:12:29 am
Re-purposed a rather primitive shoe rack I made as a temporary measure when we move here 2.5 years ago into a small outdoor log store for fire-bowl wood.  Now loaded with ex-whisky barrel oak off-cuts from a local bloke that makes furniture and tables from the barrels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 09 August, 2022, 12:05:58 am
Remember the issues with the zefal track pump?  https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=116382.msg2521886#msg2521886

So with so much to do today, decided to avoid doing that stuff by figuring out how to take the pump apart to see why the pump didn't hold pressure to inflate tyres.  Figured out how to disassemble the bottom off the pump.  The second used of a 15mm spanner that was modified to be used on the jags temperature head temperature sensor.  Once apart, I discovered the issue.  An O ring had come out of place. Three O rings that seal the bottom screw in bung to the body.  Now the track pump works as it should.  Only took two years.

Now wondering what happened to unseat the O rings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 09 August, 2022, 03:01:45 am
I changed the timing belt on my daughter's car. Also changed the water pump and idler pulleys as the usual precaution*. While I was there, the auxiliary drive belt, engine oil and filters got changed.

*Autodoc.co.uk does a kit with the water pump, pulleys and belt for £80, so it's not a lot of extra cost or work to do the whole lot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 09 August, 2022, 06:08:00 am
Cleaned the Faran ahead of rigging it up for the summer tour, including giving the chain a good soak in a tray of diesel. Surprised how much crud came off it, though just dustiness on the frame.

All put back together OK, front fork cages back on, cable crimp end that got lost at the weekend has been replaced, and starting to pull kit together.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 09 August, 2022, 02:20:40 pm
Actually the other day, but...finally managed to mount my bike on the wall, using a big wooden batten and some heavy-duty plasterboard fixings to spread the load across the seemingly studless wall (across ~2m rather than the 30cm of the actual bike hanger). It's been up a couple of days now and no signs of falling (in contrast, the last attempt - not mine - fell down within a few hours).

If it's still up at the weekend, I'll get it all painted. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 09 August, 2022, 02:29:47 pm
Made a gate (or at least 80% of it before it got too hot to work outside on the portable bench) - nothing complex, it's just to finish a corner of the terrace area.  Gate will have horizontal battens to match the fencing around most of the garden.  Should get it in place tomorrow, working before the sun gets round to that corner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 August, 2022, 03:35:19 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 09 August, 2022, 02:20:40 pm
Actually the other day, but...finally managed to mount my bike on the wall, using a big wooden batten and some heavy-duty plasterboard fixings to spread the load across the seemingly studless wall (across ~2m rather than the 30cm of the actual bike hanger). It's been up a couple of days now and no signs of falling (in contrast, the last attempt - not mine - fell down within a few hours).

If it's still up at the weekend, I'll get it all painted. :thumbsup:

Well done, I tried to get my chemical anchors in yesterday but failed (see the tool junkie thread) so still have that job for another day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 August, 2022, 04:01:00 pm
Got the vertical barn door planks selected and matched up so that the coggly bits cancelled each other out, and cut them to length.

Fecking divvotry: had a batten clamped across as a saw guide, didn't notice that the saw rode in under it and went off my line. Bugger. Still, it'll be up top and not too noticeable.  Or I'll put a horizontal across and shamelessly hide it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 August, 2022, 06:02:39 pm
Finished staining the gate.  I'll hang it tomorrow, assuming postie can be arsed to show up with the screws (he hasn't been for days). Then dig the hole for the other post.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 09 August, 2022, 07:02:43 pm
Seem to be a lot of wooden access things going on? Our front gate what I made years ago had drooped and rotated enough to interfere with the latch.
Shimming the bottom hinge proved ineffective, so I recessed the top one instead. Success, and no blood shed  :thumbsup:
 I found though, the next morning that a blob of dirty grease had fallen into one of the holes in my Crocs, on to my big toe, and thence to my bed sheet  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 August, 2022, 09:56:57 am
The gate is up and plumb vertical (it came with very good long strap hinges, which don't have much slop in them).  Need to get the other post in tonight.  Didn't dare do it without the gate up, as I want an even 5mm gap on both sides.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 August, 2022, 10:12:17 am
Gate hung thus morning before it got too toasty (black limestone pavings tend to get warm and throw heat!) - latch fitted but now have to go and get the timber battens that will be used to clad it. 

BN is that they only come in 4.8m lengths so a bit big for the roof of the car - I shall take a saw to the timber yard to cut to the size I need and avoid a £30 delivery charge - that'll be when it cools down a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 10 August, 2022, 10:55:16 am
Replaced the battery in my sat nav.  Old one was completely dead, not even able to hold over the tiniest pothole induced dropout which also meant a full (slow) boot and satellite re-acquire every time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 August, 2022, 03:14:29 pm
Second post hole dug.  Involved a lot of chiselling through concrete.  Will temporarily screw the gate and post together with a 5mm spacing before Postcreting it in.  Then it will absolutely be right.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 August, 2022, 04:48:35 pm
Collected my SDS drill and assorted accoutrements from Screwfix. Boggled at how the bits went into the chuck for a while but turns out I wasn't being forceful enough, Pingu worked it out.
Drilled the big holes (the worst bit of that was when the drill skittered over the surface of the wall before bedding in). Filled the holes with resin and bolts. Now an interlude while they cure. Sore back now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 August, 2022, 10:13:46 pm
Gate all done, bar woodstain on the latching post and a closing spring.  It looks boss.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 11 August, 2022, 07:07:13 pm
Repaired the lower door shelf from our fridge which was split half its length using the wire staple & hot glue method
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 12 August, 2022, 11:40:26 am
Repaired the washing machine. It has reservoirs where the drawer normally lives & pumps to dispense fluids. Predictably the contacts in such a moist environment corrode quickly.

See also the div thread...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 August, 2022, 05:05:55 pm
A bit more of my barn door build.  Discovered that (of course) the strap hinges are just about as thick as the square bit under the head of a coach bolt, which in consequence can't bite into the wood when I screw a nut on the other end, so I slotted the heads with an angle grinder.  Not pretty but functional. Now need to buy a short wide flat screwdriver.

Aerial ballet in the barn installing pig's-tail hooks for hoists & safety line:

(https://pbase.com/image/172867257.jpg)

Amazingly, climbing harness & tool belt don't get in each other's way.

When preparing to install new top pintle was saved from fecking-divvotry by a blunt 10mm drill. Looking for an alternative in the workshop I realized that 10mm is the diameter of the screws I'm using including the thread depth: if the drill had been sharp there'd have been no wood left for the threads to bite into. <gulp>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 12:26:27 pm
Finally managed to locate the frame number on my Haibike. Whilst the bike was upside down I cleaned and oiled the chain. Haibike certainly don't make battery removal simple; a torx bolt isn't an everyday piece of kit, IMHO.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 August, 2022, 01:46:19 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 12:26:27 pm
Finally managed to locate the frame number on my Haibike. Whilst the bike was upside down I cleaned and oiled the chain. Haibike certainly don't make battery removal simple; a torx bolt isn't an everyday piece of kit, IMHO.

They're a lot more common than they used to be.  Our local DIY pit sells sets of Torx keys alongside the Allen keys.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 August, 2022, 01:59:13 pm
Yes, I use Torx all the time. I consider them a normal tool now and have them as L shaped (like traditional allen keys), small ones as precision screwdrivers, bits for bit drivers and a set for use with a 3/8 ratchet. Five point Torx caught me out fairly recently - needed to remove the ECU on one of our vehicles, which you need to do replace the battery (!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 02:44:54 pm
Quote from: T42 on 13 August, 2022, 01:46:19 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 12:26:27 pm
Finally managed to locate the frame number on my Haibike. Whilst the bike was upside down I cleaned and oiled the chain. Haibike certainly don't make battery removal simple; a torx bolt isn't an everyday piece of kit, IMHO.

They're a lot more common than they used to be.  Our local DIY pit sells sets of Torx keys alongside the Allen keys.
Yebbut there's no advantage in using torx over a hex bolt and given it's on an MTB, I'd argue that more crud is going to lodge immovably in a torx bolt  than a hex bolt where it's located on the downtube. And it means carrying extra tools.


And if it's used as a security measure, that underlines my point about not being a common tool for most to carry
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 13 August, 2022, 02:49:19 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 02:44:54 pm
Quote from: T42 on 13 August, 2022, 01:46:19 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 12:26:27 pm
Finally managed to locate the frame number on my Haibike. Whilst the bike was upside down I cleaned and oiled the chain. Haibike certainly don't make battery removal simple; a torx bolt isn't an everyday piece of kit, IMHO.

They're a lot more common than they used to be.  Our local DIY pit sells sets of Torx keys alongside the Allen keys.
Yebbut there's no advantage in using torx over a hex bolt and given it's on an MTB, I'd argue that more crud is going to lodge immovably in a torx bolt  than a hex bolt where it's located on the downtube. And it means carrying extra tools.


And if it's used as a security measure, that underlines my point about not being a common tool for most to carry
Conversely, there's a huge advantage to using torx over hex head.
Torx are easily the most efficient and effective heads over all the other heads we use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 August, 2022, 03:20:06 pm
I'm just about to do mudguards, wish me luck  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 August, 2022, 04:53:31 pm
Next step in the barn door saga: top horizontal in place.

(https://pbase.com/image/172870423.jpg)

Top pintle (or gond or whatever) in place, held by 4 x 15 cm screws, aligning and drilling the holes for which was a saga in itself.  MrsT & I then hoisted the plank up, and I put it over the pintle at one end then levelled it and screwed it onto the RH door at the other end.

Doesn't sound like much but we were tottering at the end of it.

One nice detail: The ladder wouldn't go any higher, so had to ride against the top of the RH door, which in turn rides on a dodgy bit of lath screwed to the top beam. I stayed hooked onto my safety line - that lath has been there a long, long time.

Next step is to put in the bottom horizontal so that we can trip up walking in and out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 August, 2022, 04:56:41 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 13 August, 2022, 02:49:19 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 02:44:54 pm
Quote from: T42 on 13 August, 2022, 01:46:19 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 13 August, 2022, 12:26:27 pm
Finally managed to locate the frame number on my Haibike. Whilst the bike was upside down I cleaned and oiled the chain. Haibike certainly don't make battery removal simple; a torx bolt isn't an everyday piece of kit, IMHO.

They're a lot more common than they used to be.  Our local DIY pit sells sets of Torx keys alongside the Allen keys.
Yebbut there's no advantage in using torx over a hex bolt and given it's on an MTB, I'd argue that more crud is going to lodge immovably in a torx bolt  than a hex bolt where it's located on the downtube. And it means carrying extra tools.


And if it's used as a security measure, that underlines my point about not being a common tool for most to carry
Conversely, there's a huge advantage to using torx over hex head.
Torx are easily the most efficient and effective heads over all the other heads we use.

. . . even more so with woodscrews as SPAX (which is a near-proprietary Torx style) screws are a joy to work with . . they just don't cam-out - albeit a bit pricey (at least you get a driver bit in most boxes)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 August, 2022, 04:57:38 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52283472800_24d2c6e0cb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nE7sWd)20220813_165117 (https://flic.kr/p/2nE7sWd) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52283254534_5457ce2163_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nE6m41)20220813_165154 (https://flic.kr/p/2nE6m41) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

All done now (except for the hedge growing back a bit).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 13 August, 2022, 06:31:46 pm
....  the U bend under the kitchen sink. Nice!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 13 August, 2022, 06:38:55 pm
Surprisingly few swears, but it was hot in the shed.  Needed a second shower afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 August, 2022, 06:40:05 pm
Finally assembled the bso for sale.

New chain and new stainless cables and regrease bottom bracket and headset.

Wonder how long it would take to sell?

Hope to be collecting a new to me french road bike next sunday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 August, 2022, 08:04:17 pm
So I installed the BB the wrong way round, now reinstalled. 

Cable end caps fitted, pedal bolt covers and quick wipe with wet wipes and brush.  The bike is ready to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 August, 2022, 12:04:41 pm
Removed 1.5 freehub bearings (6802 2RS)  from HK’s Powertap hub. Now to see if I have a bearing extractor that will remove the outer race from behind a necked-down section supporting the pawls. I don’t like my chances (gave up eventually and ordered a replacement freehub).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 August, 2022, 02:22:35 pm
Serviced the leaky Fox air shock from the Streetmachine. Astoundingly the kit of seals had all the right bits, in spite of this being a discontinued model in an unobtainium size. I seem to have managed to not fuck anything up in the process, apart from my wrist by applying almost impossible amounts of force to get the bloody thing screwed shut. Why don't they design things to be serviced by normal humans, rather than trained gorillas?

It seemed to hold pressure for the half an hour it took to clean up. Will see what it's like tomorrow...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 August, 2022, 11:10:41 pm
My chemical brothers anchors
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52285936998_9a1b420908.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk6so)2022-08-14_11-00-07 (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk6so) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

My not very elegant solution to the problem of the anchors being too big for the holes in the bike hooks.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52285932236_c59b37f540.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk53h)2022-08-14_11-00-52 (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk53h) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

It remains to be seen how long that will last. I expect the point of failure this time will be the wood the hook is bolted to.

I do not recommend that anyone buys these Mottez hooks. The lower fixing hole is through the full diameter of tube while the upper fixing hole the tube is compressed flat but that whole length does not sit flat against the 'wall' (probably putting lots of stress on the top hole). Our bodge for this was to put a thin shim of ply behind the upper fixing hole but I am unconvinced....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 August, 2022, 06:26:33 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 August, 2022, 02:22:35 pm
It seemed to hold pressure for the half an hour it took to clean up. Will see what it's like tomorrow...

Still fully inflated 24 hours later.  But it was always holding air fine when not in motion, so that just means I didn't break anything.

More promisingly, I fitted it to the bike, and it seemed to hold pressure for a 70km ride this afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 16 August, 2022, 12:33:03 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 14 August, 2022, 11:10:41 pm
My chemical brothers anchors
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52285936998_9a1b420908.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk6so)2022-08-14_11-00-07 (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk6so) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

My not very elegant solution to the problem of the anchors being too big for the holes in the bike hooks.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52285932236_c59b37f540.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk53h)2022-08-14_11-00-52 (https://flic.kr/p/2nEk53h) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

It remains to be seen how long that will last. I expect the point of failure this time will be the wood the hook is bolted to.

I do not recommend that anyone buys these Mottez hooks. The lower fixing hole is through the full diameter of tube while the upper fixing hole the tube is compressed flat but that whole length does not sit flat against the 'wall' (probably putting lots of stress on the top hole). Our bodge for this was to put a thin shim of ply behind the upper fixing hole but I am unconvinced....

Bit late now, but I'd recommend using Multi Monti anchors for medium-highish load applications into concrete or blockwork of any kind, where a sleeve anchor would be overkill.

These are long bolts with a coarse self-tapping thread that screws directly into the blockwork.
They take a tremendous grip, and need to be screwed in with a decent socket set.
So long as the blockwork is not crumbling, they can take a large load.

I'd say they were the best anchor for that application.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 August, 2022, 11:04:23 pm
After buying an extra long Philips screwdriver, finding hidden screws, prising and moderate amounts of Bad Swears, I finally got my John Lewis (rebadged Miele) vacuum cleaner apart in search of the intermittent not working-ness. Multimeter deployment showed the fault was with the flex. A great spoinging noise revealed I'd let the tension out of rewinding spring. Arse.
More multimeter deployment and tactical flex jiggling showed there was a break at the plug end. This meant all the disassembly hadn't been needed. Arse again. Chopped the moulded plug off and reassembled it all. No bits left over and managed to retension the rewind spring. Just need to buy a Proper Rewireable Plug tomorrow and all will be good.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 August, 2022, 11:08:30 pm
It's always worth wiggling the flex at both ends to see if you can induce the fault before screwdrivering anything.  Plugs are easy.  </voice of experience>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 17 August, 2022, 12:06:55 am
Quote from: Kim on 16 August, 2022, 11:08:30 pm
It's always worth wiggling the flex at both ends to see if you can induce the fault before screwdrivering anything.  Plugs are easy.  </voice of experience>
Had both a lawn mower and a hedge trimmer flex fail not at the ends and had to remove the faulty sections by bisection.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2022, 12:48:19 am
Had a hedge trimmer fail thus when Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) trimmed the flex as well as the hedge >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 August, 2022, 12:53:18 am
Accidental trimmings aside, I suspect those tend to fail from bad cable-coiling habits (exacerbated by cheap nasty cable).  You tend not to yank the cable taught as often with garden tools as you do with a hoover.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 August, 2022, 02:51:36 pm
Moved the front gate bolt up a couple of cm to give a bit of clearance for opening & closing it.  Next project should be a new gate but I'll wait & see how the barn door holds up through the winter.

Speaking whereof, got the first two vertical boards on. The one nearest the hinge was a right bastard (or, as was once said in Scotland and maybe still is, a tory) since it had to be profiled round a stone block at the bottom and a diagonal timber at the top, and then be bolted onto the horizontal through the hinge strap with enough room between board & wall to get two fingers in holding the nut. Aligning it by giving MrsT "up a cm" & "down a cm" directions for the hoist was fraught with marital land-mines.  Second board was a doddle.

Found the impact driver worked a lot better if I started the holes with an auger and squirted oil in first.  Too wobbly otherwise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 August, 2022, 04:21:50 pm
Fitted a new freehub to HK’s Powertap hub and installed the wheel back on HK’s Roberts.

Swapped out the lumpy rear Pro One 406 tyre on HK’s Moulton with a non-lumpy Pro One. Tubeless is always a bit of a faff.

And the new non-lumpy tyre was twice as lumpy as the previous one. Removed prior to adding sealant (unlike the previous tyre). Neither tyre has been ridden even 10 metres. Time to hassle SJS for replacements or refunds. HK really likes the tubeless Pro One on her Moulton’s front wheel but I am getting quite annoyed at wasting time fitting pre-bulged tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 August, 2022, 04:26:59 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2022, 12:48:19 am
Had a hedge trimmer fail thus when Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) trimmed the flex as well as the hedge >:(
This is precisely why I bought a petrol one  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 August, 2022, 04:32:26 pm
Replaced the gear cable that started to fray on yesterday's DIY.

Pleased to note the rear shock held pressure throughout.

Just need a better knee...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 August, 2022, 05:57:46 pm
I filled the door knob hole with some dowel, and dug some disgusting chewing gum textured stuff out which was just covering the hole in the side.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52299086324_e5c26d3d70.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nFuuhU)2022-08-20_05-54-10 (https://flic.kr/p/2nFuuhU) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Then I filled it up with more dowel. Just need some wood filler now.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52299311940_efacb23a16.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nFvDmQ)2022-08-20_05-54-30 (https://flic.kr/p/2nFvDmQ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 August, 2022, 10:35:22 am
Lubed the FD on the eBrute.  Seems to need a real dousing about once a month nowadays, whereas 10 years ago it was buttery smooth for months at a time. Natch, when it's new it just works and you rarely think of lubing it, and when it gets sticky you blame the cables. Well, I did. This one has 40 megametres on it and was hardly used between 2015 and this year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 21 August, 2022, 02:56:27 pm
parcelled up a bike frame sold on eBay and sorted transport for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 21 August, 2022, 08:40:05 pm
Topped up the sealant on the Blue Hallett as the pressures were dropping more quickly.  Ordered new Campag cassette and chain for it.
Peered at the fixed and decided the chain didn't need adjusting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 22 August, 2022, 03:52:12 pm
Tightened the loose left crank on the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle, though not until the air had turned blue from my failure to find the correct tool for the job in the grimy depths of my toolbox.  Natch said tool was not the oversize Shimano-issue Allen key at all, but rather the 10 mm version from the set hiding in plain sight on the kitchen table.  Anyway, it no longer wobbles or goes “CLUNK”.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 August, 2022, 05:08:32 pm
Got the central horizontal and the RH vertical onto my barn door. Looks coggly here but that's all optical effects*.

(https://pbase.com/image/172907072.jpg)

This will enable me to put in the first diagonal brace from the lower hinge to the far end of the middle horizontal.

Had some fun with deceptive curves and sticky-out bits on the old door, necessitating emergency aerial surgery. Using a jigsaw a foot from your face when you're at the top of a ladder with the wind blowing the dust into your face is delightful indeed*.

* believe it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 22 August, 2022, 05:49:39 pm
My Bosch drill/driver stopped drilling and emitted magic smoke in the middle of the last hole needed at my MIL's house (so close)

It looks like new motors are available in some places on the webs, but couldn't get the motor off the gearbox.

Eventually managed after #cough# adjusting a clip till it came off.

As the motor is basically dead I had a fun 10 minutes "un-peening" the end plate of the motor and cleaned out the contacts and blew some compressed air down it.
Tested again, turns and no more magic smoke so re-assembled.

Will try against MIL bathroom wall next time I'm there, if not, new motor it is...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 August, 2022, 05:52:58 pm
Dragged my three 30(+) year old task lights over my workbench into the 21st Century by replacing them.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52169900116_bda78a7069_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nu5nJu)

With two of these:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52305204972_1ea9e52626_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nG2R9Q) (https://flic.kr/p/2nG2R9Q)   (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 23 August, 2022, 06:49:15 pm
Very nice
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 August, 2022, 11:26:34 am
Another 3½ hours up & down the ladder doing woody screwy bolty things to the barn door. That'll do for today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 24 August, 2022, 10:54:35 pm
I have a problem needing to have my android phone mounted on my motorbike and not going to sleep when running Veloviewer for several hours when supporting big races. On these events, Veloviewer acts a bit like an automatically scrolling Audax routesheet, but sometimes I also need to scroll ahead to check what is coming up. That can be a problem with either gloves that don't work well on the touchscreen, or with the phone in a transparent Peli case housing to keep it dry if it is raining heavily, where no gloves will get through the thick plastic to the touchscreen.

So, using an Arduino ESP32 board, I've made a little device that simulates a bluetooth mouse. Every minute or so it sends a "move mouse pointer 1 pixel to the left, then 1 pixel to the right" command to the phone to keep the screen awake and not dimmed. I am aware of the developer option on Android phones to avoid the dimming when plugged in, but it doesn't work properly on my Samsung.

Additionally, with a couple of handlebar mounted push buttons connected to the ESP32, I can simulate the mouse scroll wheel moving up and down - including adding two stages of acceleration if the button is held in rather than just pressed and released. That'll let me jump ahead quickly on the routesheet to check for upcoming hazards.

All working very nicely now, I just need to put the Arduino into a small project box then mount it onto the bike under the fairings out of the weather. Similar devices are available commercially aimed at controlling rally road books, but at around £2-400 are a tad expensive for the occasional use I have. Mine will come in at about £20 in parts - mainly the waterproof handlebar buttons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 August, 2022, 03:41:13 pm
Quote from: T42 on 24 August, 2022, 11:26:34 am
Another 3½ hours up & down the ladder doing woody screwy bolty things to the barn door. That'll do for today.

Same again today.  I'd expected it to go much faster but adding a single vertical board involves hefting it into position, seeing where it's out of true, going up & down the ladder clamping it here and there then knocking it up tight with the rubber hammer, clamping my screw-hole template in place, marking the holes then starting them with the auger, putting a drop of oil into each one, planting the screws and then driving them, and that to be done once for each intersection, with the added joy of moving hoists and ladder for each board.  And of course the boards are mostly slightly cupped and some of them have a divil of a twist that has to be forced into obedience.  A right palaver.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 25 August, 2022, 07:12:49 pm
The high-level brake light on a Renault Scenic, by unsoldering and replacing two of the three LEDs in the assembly. A new assembly would have been around £70.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 August, 2022, 11:34:44 am
Tired very quickly this morning, faffing about with the upper diagonal brace, getting it apparently wrong before realizing that a 200 cm horizontal and a 144 cm vertical* do not a 45° triangle define.  Administration of coffee, madeleines and water helped, but not much.

*ETA: more like 35°, which helps explain why the old door, with similar dimensions, sagged.  I'm going with 45° for a better distribution of forces.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geoff on 28 August, 2022, 02:57:49 pm
New bling bar tape! Shiney!
(Shame abt the bike tho) (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220828/ccdd7eff89b16b6d7a737772bc106a74.jpg)

Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 August, 2022, 06:09:42 pm
Nothing. But I am watching The Boy swap out a power supply on his Big Computer. Nicely methodical, a calm, measured approach. Large amounts of dust n shit have been evicted from it.
We diagnosed the old one was U/S on Friday using a multimeter and paperclip, as is traditional.

He's just powered it up. All seems to work. Let joy be unconfined.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 28 August, 2022, 06:57:24 pm
Tried to help a colleague on today's ride. His Whyte bike's chain repeatedly fell from the big ring
to the small one. On the last occasion that it happened, we found three of the bolts connecting
the small chainring to the big one had somehow loosened and fell off. Not only that, but the small
chainring had become bent (probably when the chain dropped to the smaller chainring and my
colleague inadvertently made a couple of pedal strokes.

He had to call his wife to collect him, whilst I continued home.


(I have now added some chainring bolts to my saddlebag).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 August, 2022, 04:26:43 pm
Sorted out homes for all my usb (and other) cables.
All the snaggley bits hang behind the cabinet where they cannot offend my OCD.
Looks better in reality than it does in the picture

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52409280458_5ebef28c16_4k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nRegaL) (https://flic.kr/p/2nRegaL)   (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 August, 2022, 07:09:53 pm
Finished the woodwork for my additonal lean-to shed (stretches from the side of the house a whole 1 metre to the fence line) that will provide storage for the garden furniture during the winter .... and possibly my touring bike hung on the wall for the winter.   All re-cycled timber, some oddments of OSB pieced to fit and birds-mouth joints for the rafters etc - just have to fit the roofing felt, flashing and a bit of guttering so rain water doesn't squirt into next door!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 August, 2022, 11:05:48 am
Failed fettle: while I managed to calculate, cut and fit the bottom 45° brace of my barn door without a hitch last week, the same procedure applied to the upper brace yields a board that always leaves a 5mm gap at the pointy end of the diagonal cut when the other end is up tight against the horizontal. The horizontals are perfectly parallel, too.  One is perplexed.

Still tired from yesterday's ride against the wind, given up now until tomorrow.

ETA: got it. My thagoras was a bit Py-eyed so hippopotamus was 2 cm too long. Diagonal now up snug.  One is bougré, as M. le Marquis might (not) have put it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 31 August, 2022, 08:48:09 pm
Thought I'd have a look over the bike that's permanently mounted on the Turbo, not been used since last year. Changed the outer cable which connects to the rear derailleur and the twist screw that adjusts the tension, the old one was cracked. Whilst at it I adjusted the limit screws. All is good and changes sweet. I hardly used it last winter, I have lots of other options for foul weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 September, 2022, 01:55:55 pm
Finished screwing the top diagonal on the barn door, got another board on. 1½ boards to go then we can let it swing.

Fiddling with headset bearing on eBrute: it's reached the stage where I can either live with the clunk when I brake or ride with click-stops. Well, very soft cluck-stops, which isn't much better.  The LBS I took it to last year took 3 weeks to unearth a 1" headset and seemed pissed off about it when I went to get the bike back.  I suspect it was their slipshod work that made it brinell in the meantime but I can't prove anything; neither do I want to wait three weeks again, so I'm going to get a new bearing + the tool to fit it and do it myself.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 September, 2022, 03:36:03 pm
a hole in a ninner tube, with the plan to put the cheapo wheels on the turbo trainer bike and rationalise other wheelsets
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 01 September, 2022, 07:48:31 pm
Looked up daylight hours and realised that lights will be needed for commute within a month, so....

Got the old KTM down, which now serves as oct-may commuter, washed it, and...

Thorough service of disc brakes, cleaned and lubed pistons prior to pushing in, bleed brakes (reassuring orange instead of red oil came out, so probably a good idea)fitted new pads on front, then aligned the calipers using my favorite tool (clam), pumped brakes in then re-aligned. Nice.

Swapped the wheels from the late spring/early summer Fulcrum carbon ones to the robust tubeless ones. Had trued them before stowing in April and had fitted new bearings in readiness, and had SP dynohub re-bearinged. Fitted new rim tape and valve to front, rear looked OK. Refitted tubeless tyres with some really thick goo called OKO. Front seated first go, rear needed another wipe of soapy water and three inflations. Refitted discs (new bolts) and cassette. used chain.

Removed a bit of handlebar furniture and Refitted B&M IQ-X. Charged the Di2.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 01 September, 2022, 08:21:01 pm
Tomorrow or Saturday will be fettling my rear wheel. Lifted the bike through a door way and noticed some noise when put down. Initially thought I'd had a visitation but no the rear wheel has loads of play. Thought I'd not done QR up properly but again no was tight. Rode home the short distance and on removing rear wheel there is a load of play in bearings. Took out QR and the axle didn't fall out so appears to be in one piece but will investigate furthur
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 September, 2022, 08:49:52 pm
Major fettle on the P2W. Got my VeloViewer controller finished and installed. Full service, which is always interesting the first time on a bike, not knowing quite how things come apart and how the oil will flow when released (so what to cover up - on this bike it's just the oil from the gearbox filter that drips on to one of the exhaust pipes). Two oil filters on this bike, even though as usual the clutch sits in the engine oil. Then clean all the brake calipers and new pads all round, even though the existing ones are only part worn. Tyres are pretty new, so all set for next week's Tour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 September, 2022, 03:58:51 pm
Last board in, that half-size one.

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172937290.jpg)

Natch, the gap was 10 cm at the top and 11.5 at the bottom. Cut it to 11.5 the full 4 metres with the wee ISC GmbH battery saw, which had no difficulty, although the depth stop slipped and I sliced two of my trestles, though not fatally.  Planed it to a taper with my electric hand-plane.

Awarded myself a slice of cheesecake & a cappuccino in celebration.

Still have a handful of screws to go in, then we'll see if it swings.  It'd be bloody 'orrible if the top hinge pulled out again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 September, 2022, 06:14:39 pm
Replaced my new (< 3500km) Veloce LH shifter which was completely FUBARed  >:( with the Daytona lever I got repaired in the spring.
Unimpressed.

ETA based on this experience (and the threads I've now read on how PS is made of cheese) I have just purchased a backup set of Daytona levers off the bay of e on the basis they were cheaper than new ones and likely better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 03 September, 2022, 06:36:24 pm
A new heating element into the bottom oven. V satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 03 September, 2022, 07:11:50 pm
Fitted a battery to the Kia. It was too big to fit in the insulating(?) sleeve the original one was in - so much for online battery selection services - but it fits the tray and works, so all is well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2022, 04:19:25 pm
Tried to sand the kitchen door (the one I posted upthread while filling the holes). Bit of a disaster.
The paint won't sand, it goes like peeling skin and then makes horrible gummy lumps on the sanding discs. Which then stop working after a minute if that.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52333833198_6f38c8912a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nJyzjW)2022-09-04_04-14-46 (https://flic.kr/p/2nJyzjW) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That same gummy stuff got all over my shoes , then stuck to the new kitchen floor. What a pain, and the door still isn't very well sanded. I need a plan B.

I've got another 4 of the buggers to do on the pantry, god knows what I'm going to do with them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 04 September, 2022, 04:23:44 pm
Carbide scrapers? (https://www.screwfix.com/p/harris-heavy-duty-tungsten-carbide-wood-scraper-2-/45940?tc=DX3&ds_kid=92700072652577527&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1243321&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdGYBhDRARIsABmSEeOR5UQAkakjPU-ekrw04hb1lp1KrB2ptLBfb7SnEIur6CXnsA1OgbwaAr_rEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2022, 04:39:00 pm
Quote from: hatler on 04 September, 2022, 04:23:44 pm
Carbide scrapers? (https://www.screwfix.com/p/harris-heavy-duty-tungsten-carbide-wood-scraper-2-/45940?tc=DX3&ds_kid=92700072652577527&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1243321&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdGYBhDRARIsABmSEeOR5UQAkakjPU-ekrw04hb1lp1KrB2ptLBfb7SnEIur6CXnsA1OgbwaAr_rEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)

Yeah, I was just pondering that myself. I do have a whole pile of ancient paint scrapers of varying shapes and sizes but they are just bog standard metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 September, 2022, 08:25:18 pm
Quote from: hatler on 04 September, 2022, 04:23:44 pm
Carbide scrapers? (https://www.screwfix.com/p/harris-heavy-duty-tungsten-carbide-wood-scraper-2-/45940?tc=DX3&ds_kid=92700072652577527&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1243321&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdGYBhDRARIsABmSEeOR5UQAkakjPU-ekrw04hb1lp1KrB2ptLBfb7SnEIur6CXnsA1OgbwaAr_rEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)

I bought the Harris and found it to be very poor - now have a pair of Bahco scrapers (wide and detail (small shaped blade) - better than excellent.    Or chemical stripper . . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2022, 08:41:45 pm
Ah that is good to know, I was wondering if I should justify the cost of the Bahco. It's that or nothing, I CBA faffing around with chemical strippers, it's not like the doors are particularly worth keeping (1960's slabs), I just didn't want to skip them for no reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 04 September, 2022, 09:49:39 pm
Can you take them somewhere to dip them for you?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2022, 09:51:45 pm
I could but they're not worth the expense (at Aberdeen prices). I've ordered a carbide scraper, we'll see how that goes. I only really need to get that door done for now, it's one of the 2 most disgusting ones and the other is the door into the hall which I want to eventually replace with a glazed door to let more light into the hall anyway.

I *really* hope the former owner of this place has not used the same paint on all the woodwork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 04 September, 2022, 10:24:22 pm
Potted up a load of tree seedlings, and cuttings, then wandered into the bike shed.

Checked the fit of my 650b x 40mm tyre in the fork of my recumbent  - no go, so lucky I didn't press the button on new wheels yet. Back to the drawing board on that one, or just accept it as it is. May see if their newer fork has better clearance.

Started installing the compression less housing to the rear, thought I'd list my 4th hand tool, found it again and then struggled as always together the BB7 road to run right with no chattering. In doing so noticed that the rear wheel is out of true. Not sure how much of an effect that would have on a disc brake, but I'll true it anyhow.

Swapped the Brooks B17 onto the Faran, not getting on with the Cambium for some reason, I keep getting small patches of rubbing, managed to deal with it with sudocrem last week, but would rather not have to
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 05 September, 2022, 08:21:08 pm
New Time ATAC cleats bolted onto my older pair of Shimano sandals.    The other pair of sandals have very worn cleats which are being difficult to remove.  I may have to get medieval on their asses.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 06 September, 2022, 07:23:03 am
New rim tape on a tubeless set and installed the tyre. Seated instantly and held!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 September, 2022, 10:01:05 am
finished trimming that wheel this morning, made a massive difference and with the compressionless housing I can now set it up with no chatter and without the lever hitting the bar. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 06 September, 2022, 06:29:57 pm
A partial fettle, but I am making progress.
When lockdown happened, one of the things which got left at work was my best bike lock. It's sufficiently heavy that I leave it locked to the Sheffield stands rather than cart it back and forth every day.
Of course, two years out in the weather without being unlocked has not been kind to it. I have been going through a routine of squirting WD-40 into the keyhole and around where the U-shaped bar goes into the cross piece.
Today, I had a minor success in that I managed to turn the key through 180º which should be the unlock position. The U barely budged, but seeing I couldn't even get the key fully in a couple of weeks ago, I guess I am getting nearer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 September, 2022, 06:50:52 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 September, 2022, 06:14:39 pm
Replaced my new (< 3500km) Veloce LH shifter which was completely FUBARed  >:( with the Daytona lever I got repaired in the spring.
Unimpressed.

CRC warranty dept got back to me and asked me to send *both* levers back, so now I have to go through all that faff again with the RH one.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 September, 2022, 03:05:51 pm
Opening Day: I finally cut the barn door free and MrsT swung it open.  As expected, it needed a little bit of corrective surgery where it just fouled a diagonal holding up the eaves, but my wee 12v Bosch circular saw fixed that.  Otherwise: no sags, no creaks or other ominous noises.

Still got a bunch of little things to do, and then I want to do a bit on the other door so that the two of them lie along the same straight line when closed. Once that's done I can fit a bolt into the floor to keep them from flapping in the breeze.  And of course, the bugger needs some kind of weather-proofing. I'd like to stain the outside teak and paint the inside bright red so that it looks like a Crombie.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 03:30:17 pm
How very satisfying that must be.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 September, 2022, 03:47:26 pm
New bottom bracket installed on the Streetmachine, and chainring guard, cranks and chain refitted and lubed.  It certainly feels smoother than the old one did.  Hopefully that'll cure the ticking noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 September, 2022, 04:03:02 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 03:30:17 pm
How very satisfying that must be.

Indeed it is. Got a few nice new tools out of it too.  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 08:33:53 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 September, 2022, 04:03:02 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 03:30:17 pm
How very satisfying that must be.

Indeed it is. Got a few nice new tools out of it too.  :D
Ready for when the next barn door falls off .....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: spesh on 08 September, 2022, 09:09:43 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 September, 2022, 04:03:02 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 03:30:17 pm
How very satisfying that must be.

Indeed it is. Got a few nice new tools out of it too.  :D

Surely that is the primary point of any home-fettling project. The fact that one's home gets fettled is just a bonus.  :demon: ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 08 September, 2022, 10:15:12 pm
On the plus side, I found something obviously wrong with one of my old bikes. On the other hand I should have looked sooner and I would have found it long ago. Then again. it may be that it wasn't what was causing my problem on that bike. And I wasn't able to go out and check it because of this eFFing weather.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 September, 2022, 08:16:21 am
Quote from: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 08:33:53 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 September, 2022, 04:03:02 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 03:30:17 pm
How very satisfying that must be.

Indeed it is. Got a few nice new tools out of it too.  :D
Ready for when the next barn door falls off .....

Exactly: the one beside it's none too healthy:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/172952517.jpg)

Its demise probably won't be as catastrophic as the old one's.

(My horizontals aren't all to cock as this pic shows, btw. Phone pic.)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 September, 2022, 08:19:22 am
Quote from: spesh on 08 September, 2022, 09:09:43 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 September, 2022, 04:03:02 pm
Quote from: hatler on 08 September, 2022, 03:30:17 pm
How very satisfying that must be.

Indeed it is. Got a few nice new tools out of it too.  :D

Surely that is the primary point of any home-fettling project. The fact that one's home gets fettled is just a bonus.  :demon: ;)

E.g. I bought an SDS drill for the sake of just one hole that I could probably manage without or bash out with a chisel. I'm not telling MrsT that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 09 September, 2022, 04:29:47 pm
Not yet fully fettled - but servicing an ancient Raleigh Misty mixte (the mauve one) - came across Shimano Positron rear mech for the first time - at first I couldn't work out why the gear cable was a solid wire (i.e. not a multi-wire cable) - seems that the (friction?) lever works on a pull and push to shift the mech with the only springs in the mech being for tension on the jockey wheels.

At the moment it's all soaking to free up its stickiness . . . hopefully it'll come back to life.   

Something new every day!

The bike is a complete disaster with rusty steel rim wheels but the owner says it has sentimental value so wants it serviced and usable with new tyres, replacement s/h saddle and the labour - seems a waste of money to me, I'd strip it and flog the frame as it seems to be a minor classic.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 September, 2022, 07:53:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 September, 2022, 03:47:26 pm
New bottom bracket installed on the Streetmachine, and chainring guard, cranks and chain refitted and lubed.  It certainly feels smoother than the old one did.  Hopefully that'll cure the ticking noise.

Success  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 September, 2022, 10:33:33 am
Yesterday: Shifted the eye of a BFO hook and eye holding the old barn door shut against the frame because it pulled both doors too far in.
This morning: Shifted it back again because it leaves both doors free to rattle.
Net result: two more 8mm holes through the old door. Maybe this belongs in the div thread.

I'll fix this up next year when/if I replace the old door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 10 September, 2022, 11:53:50 am
Bought new sealing rope for the log burner which will get fitted later today, think people are looking at log burners with the fuel prices as the shop was heaving, thankfully the owner called out who has a quick thing so got rid of a few of us

Then went to put insulation above the kitchen/bathroom which is a single story extension on the back of the house as had in my head wasn't any there but when opened the hatches I fitted preciously as I had insulated it but then had a load of building work which had the roof off there was insulation in there.

Edit oh yeah hopefully fixed the self inflating camping mat, was leaking round the valve so glued and have clamped so will hopefully not leave me laying on the ground
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 September, 2022, 02:59:40 pm
Quote from: robgul on 09 September, 2022, 04:29:47 pm
Not yet fully fettled - but servicing an ancient Raleigh Misty mixte (the mauve one) - came across Shimano Positron rear mech for the first time - at first I couldn't work out why the gear cable was a solid wire (i.e. not a multi-wire cable) - seems that the (friction?) lever works on a pull and push to shift the mech with the only springs in the mech being for tension on the jockey wheels.

At the moment it's all soaking to free up its stickiness . . . hopefully it'll come back to life.   

Something new every day!

The bike is a complete disaster with rusty steel rim wheels but the owner says it has sentimental value so wants it serviced and usable with new tyres, replacement s/h saddle and the labour - seems a waste of money to me, I'd strip it and flog the frame as it seems to be a minor classic.

Update - mission accomplished - the mech works! - but it's really odd.  Research found that it's a Shimano Positron 2 introduced in 1976 as a primitive indexed gears product - clearly not a great success with the solid wire idea as the mech was redesigned to work with a conventional cable a couple of years later.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 September, 2022, 05:58:12 am
Did it have the front freewheel system – appropriately abbreviated to “FFS” – too?  Miss von Brandenburg had one o' they.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 September, 2022, 07:48:35 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 September, 2022, 05:58:12 am
Did it have the front freewheel system – appropriately abbreviated to “FFS” – too?  Miss von Brandenburg had one o' they.

Not quite sure what you mean there? - crankset with single ring all looked conventional with cups/axle/bearings set-up - all in a tinny mauve chainguard
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 11 September, 2022, 08:01:29 am
Dismantled an old cx bike to salvage most of bits for new gravel frame (apart from wheels). Going on club ride this morning but will build up most of it later. Still waiting for tyres and front mech. Can't remember if disc calipers are flat-mount or not, so might have to muck about with adapters and rotors
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 September, 2022, 09:07:14 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 September, 2022, 05:58:12 am
Did it have the front freewheel system – appropriately abbreviated to “FFS” – too?  Miss von Brandenburg had one o' they.

Shimano has tried to push the systems approach to bicycle component specification for decades. Positron was often integrated with a front freewheel system (cranks with freewheeling spider) which required a FFS ‘draggy’ freewheel on the back wheel. The idea was to enable the rider to shift gears while coasting to a halt. Indexed gearing and shifting while coasting was aimed at beginner cyclists early on but it was a marketing failure. Indexed gears only became popular when Shimano introduced it at Dura-Ace level and trickled it down the range. Indexing became something aspirational, rather than compensating for poor technique. You could tell that Mr Shimano (of the time) had done a marketing degree…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 September, 2022, 01:44:11 pm
With the FFS the freewheel was built into the bottom bracket so you could change gear without having to pedal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 11 September, 2022, 04:51:43 pm
The chain on my old Tifosi jumped every time I went over a bump, and on other occasions. I suspected a worn tensioner spring , so I poked about in that area and found that the cassette and freehub were able to move a few mm in a way that they should not have. A quick tweak with a couple of ring spanners and hey ho, a great improvement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 September, 2022, 09:50:18 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 06 September, 2022, 06:50:52 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 September, 2022, 06:14:39 pm
Replaced my new (< 3500km) Veloce LH shifter which was completely FUBARed  >:( with the Daytona lever I got repaired in the spring.
Unimpressed.

CRC warranty dept got back to me and asked me to send *both* levers back, so now I have to go through all that faff again with the RH one.  >:(

Faffed with the RH lever, ready to send back now. Just needs Pingu to sort out the business end of the cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 11 September, 2022, 10:19:58 pm
A while back we had our stop cock replaced (stiff, old, implicated in poor water pressure). The shower temperature dropped to a reasonable level for a bit, but gradually crept up again. Today I fixed it again. By unscrewing the shower hose, and cleaning out the grit that had accumulated on the filter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 September, 2022, 05:20:17 pm
With me doing the top half and MrsT the bottom, got the first coat of finish onto the outside of the barn door.  Just in time for the wall-to-wall rain we have forecast for the next couple of days. Had tête-à-têtes with the odd wasp when I was up under the eaves, it's sort-of their territory.

Annoyingly, there's one place where a bright edge shows along the top of a diagonal, so I'll use a pro technique on it - touch it up with a felt-tip and not say anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 13 September, 2022, 10:45:47 pm
Today I bought an electric socket tester.  So I plugged it into a socket I recently replaced.  It found a fault, "Open Earth". Oh dear.  So I unscrewed the offending socket and the guilty lead had pulled out. Reattached it. Screwed it closed and it passed. I then tested every other socket I had replaced they also passed.

Useful bit of kit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 14 September, 2022, 10:01:11 pm
The oven.

Last time an element failed, I bought two, to have a spare.
(Double oven, and each uses the same kind of element.)

That was some years back, so I was slightly surprised I was able to find the spare when it died again this afternoon.
But find it I did, and we're all good and dinner was cooked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 September, 2022, 10:21:02 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 14 September, 2022, 10:01:11 pm
Double oven, and each uses the same kind of element.

That's unexpectedly sensible.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 14 September, 2022, 10:46:37 pm
Quote from: Kim on 14 September, 2022, 10:21:02 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 14 September, 2022, 10:01:11 pm
Double oven, and each uses the same kind of element.

That's unexpectedly sensible.

Yes, It's quite an unusual double oven as it has a full-size top oven, and a smaller bottom oven, but both are fan ovens.
The circular element at the back around the fan is the same in each, 2400w.

There's a bit of a back story.
The oven is fairly old, and I've replaced elements a few times over the years.
Last time, I bought two elements, just because.
This spare is just sitting around.

Bring on baking sourdough bread, and I need to ramp up the big oven ( to accommodate the Dutch Oven casserole-dish thing ) to a much higher temperature than it's seen before.
Boom. trips out the RCD.
Element is leaking to earth through it's insulativy-stuffs.
But only intermittently.

Ha! I have a spare!
*replace*
Boom! RCD trip instantly.
On testing, the brand new still-in-bag element was showing less than 1 meg to chassis at 500v on my megger, at room temperature.
That's just shit, and if I were in 'professional' mode, that would be in the bin, with a replacement requested from the supplier.

Big oven is restored to original only-slightly-cranky element.

But I'm not in professional mode, and time has passed.
In an attempt to resurrect the useless new element, I'd baked it in the oven a few times, to try to dry out any moisture that may have accumulated in the insulation.
That did improve the leakage.

Today, it's showing around 10 meg at 500v, at ambient temp, and I decided to try it.
I'm aware the leakage will increase with temperature.
Not tripped so far tonight.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 September, 2022, 03:43:36 pm
Nervously deployed my new SDS drill and battered a crater out of the barn floor, then cemented in a bit of steel tube to take the end of the bolt I had just screwed onto the door. Drill was easy to handle in the end. Quite pleased.

Need to go out in a couple of hours to see if the end of the bolt will come out of the hole and not bring the tube with it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2022, 05:55:04 pm
Put a Wiser TRV on the radiator in my office as an experiment (the experiment being would it fit or are other adaptors needed).
Not exactly the most intuitive replacement despite the paucity of instructions on the box.
Got there eventually (about an hour!) after a lot of Googling and Youtubing more because I couldn't figure out how to get the old head off. Not convinced the adaptor is a great fit (it's not super secure but we'll see).
Used that as an excuse to put the heating on
(Lie, I was going to put the heating on anyway, I just delayed it while I was fitting that thing)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2022, 09:35:29 pm
Well, that TRV appears to measure about 2°C too high so I need to recalibrate my brain to think of the schedule.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 16 September, 2022, 10:17:29 pm
Tightened up the three sets of head sets bearings , tifosi very nice bit like an early strong light A9  & tightened up the track rod ends on the fluffy  the tadpole trike .
It now seams to go were you were hoping it would go .   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 17 September, 2022, 12:45:30 pm
A bathroom extractor fan. The thermal fuse had blown and I managed to extract the motor and change the thermal fuse. The replacement thermal fuse came from a retired transformer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 September, 2022, 02:44:19 pm
Adjusted barn door bolt so that it runs freely, screwed a ring bearing a 25cm hook on the outside wall and a doodah with holes to receive same on outside of door. SLS drill went into brick as if it were cheese.

Tried to work out why our electric chainsaw won't run: battery's fine and motor tries to start but blade's not having any. No lube oil left in reservoir though and haven't got any so shelved it until whenever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 September, 2022, 04:37:21 pm
Put the front mudguard back on my road bike and put some cable end caps on the new cables.

Took the boiler cupboard door off it's hinges - that was a wonder, the screws came out no problem, which is good because stripping the door in the kitchen was making a right mess. Got Pingu to help me move the door to the garage where I finished scraping the horrible gummy paint off and then sanded it. Put the door back up.

Now I need to buy some undercoat. There's always something...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 September, 2022, 04:52:57 pm
I also took the mattress pad off the bed and soaked it in soda crystals solution cos it were <boak> thinking it was going to be a good day for drying washing. Of course it's been showery all day.  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 17 September, 2022, 05:10:22 pm
Dismantled the garden parasol and folded up the reclining seat. Now in storage as an acknowledgement that winter is on its way. It got down to 3.6C in the garden last night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 17 September, 2022, 05:13:35 pm
Just finish the gravel build. Bought new wheels, and a new front mech, but everything else was re-used. Cable discs working nicely. Just going to ride ut to the pub
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 September, 2022, 06:36:21 pm
Finished putting the compressionless housing on the recumbent brakes, and whilst I had the seat off, dealt with the bubbling paint on the front two seat mounts. The are at the bottom and take all the spray.  Will reassemble and ride tomorrow, brakes are definitely sharper, though I think the front wheel also needs a bit of truing which will help even more.

Next on the list is the shifter for the turbo trainer bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 17 September, 2022, 06:47:03 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 17 September, 2022, 05:10:22 pm
Dismantled the garden parasol and folded up the reclining seat. Now in storage as an acknowledgement that winter is on its way. It got down to 3.6C in the garden last night.

I fear the time is near to pack away our garden furniture in the newly constructed lean-to shed at the side of the house . . . it also doubles as the parking area for the pub bike.  Pretty cold in the greenhouse lat night so Mrs robgul tells me, reading from here spangly thermometer recording gadget.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 17 September, 2022, 07:31:55 pm
Quote from: robgul on 17 September, 2022, 06:47:03 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 17 September, 2022, 05:10:22 pm
Dismantled the garden parasol and folded up the reclining seat. Now in storage as an acknowledgement that winter is on its way. It got down to 3.6C in the garden last night.

I fear the time is near to pack away our garden furniture in the newly constructed lean-to shed at the side of the house . . . it also doubles as the parking area for the pub bike.  Pretty cold in the greenhouse lat night so Mrs robgul tells me, reading from here spangly thermometer recording gadget.
Was Mrs.Robgul kipping in the greenhouse?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 17 September, 2022, 08:33:57 pm
tricky on grenhouses right now, mine was baking today, but nippy overmnight and my auto vent opener is kaputt
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 17 September, 2022, 11:15:56 pm
Been fettling my upstairs windows - draughty, overpainted, glazed with 2mm gossamer(!), and a pain in the arse. Now straightened, stripped, double glazed (don't tell the conservation officer, for whom originality (hah!) trumps efficiency every time).

(https://i.imgur.com/hmA5tmU.jpg)

Before:

(https://i.imgur.com/rtB1m3l.jpg)

After:

(https://i.imgur.com/ceCjcUu.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 September, 2022, 07:52:12 am
Quote from: Jurek on 17 September, 2022, 07:31:55 pm
Quote from: robgul on 17 September, 2022, 06:47:03 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 17 September, 2022, 05:10:22 pm
Dismantled the garden parasol and folded up the reclining seat. Now in storage as an acknowledgement that winter is on its way. It got down to 3.6C in the garden last night.

I fear the time is near to pack away our garden furniture in the newly constructed lean-to shed at the side of the house . . . it also doubles as the parking area for the pub bike.  Pretty cold in the greenhouse lat night so Mrs robgul tells me, reading from here spangly thermometer recording gadget.
Was Mrs.Robgul kipping in the greenhouse?

 ;D not quite, but she does spend an inordinate amount of time in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 18 September, 2022, 09:42:14 am
Recumbent seat remounted ready for today, inwas going to remake the connections to the rear dyno light as well, as the old ones had corroded at the point of the spade connectors, started stripping back the wire only to find CUI all along with the strands just parting and obviously ver-de-gris in nature. Need to find some more cable.

Replaced the adjustable plastic front light mount onthe Faran with the original fixed metal one. The plastic was just compressing, even with a washer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 19 September, 2022, 08:15:26 pm
A bodgetastic fettle on the turbo trainer er bike, the 18 year old Sora triple shifter finally went kaput and I bought a friction shifter to mount on the flat of the handlebar. Only problem was that I didn't notice it was sold as for MTB, so a bit of filing, some judicious use of TEH PLIERZ and it fits ish. Its a little stiff at the top end of the range, but fit for purpose on that bike until I decide to put it back on the road again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 19 September, 2022, 08:27:00 pm
Got around to fitting solar to the campervan (175W - the most I could fit to the already fairly crowded roof). Was supposed to have been done weeks ago, but the panel was out of stock then work things got in the way. It's always interesting trying to sort out cable routings and work out the idiosyncrasies of the wiring in the van - it's a "proper" one, not a home conversion, but that still means there are some interesting choices made in the design. And routing cables between the roof and the ceiling boards, then down the space between the wall boards (behind fitted units) and the van walls is challenging.

I had to modify the hab module Nordelettronica fuse box/controller to remove the split charge relay, which is soldered onto the board, in order to let the solar controller take command. It'll now top up the leisure battery from the alternator if the vehicle is running, charge the leisure battery from solar or electric hook up, and if the leisure battery is full it'll top up the engine battery. The original setup wouldn't charge the engine battery from anything but the alternator, so if the vehicle wasn't used for a while I'd have to plug in a smart charger to just keep it ticking over.

So that should both make it easier to be off-grid, and mean I don't have to worry about checking that either of the batteries are OK if I've not used it for a while.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 19 September, 2022, 08:34:31 pm
With help of I think Simon3 (can't remember his username on here and he hasn't actually posted) shifted my girls beds to allow us access to the radiators, the rooms are so small had to remove them to assemble the cabin beds. Rads checked and turned back on with me downstairs checking system pressure

Then took doors off to plane so fit over new carpet. Was taking an age then Sim mentioned I've got an electric plane so job postponed till can do easily with the electric plane
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 September, 2022, 11:22:57 am
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 19 September, 2022, 08:34:31 pm
Was taking an age then Sim mentioned I've got an electric plane so job postponed till can do easily with the electric plane

That's one of the cases where the vacuum-cleaner port on a gadget is really worth using, if you can get the damn thing to fit.  Otherwise, duckt tape.

---o0o---

Got on with painting the barn door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 September, 2022, 04:10:06 pm
Quote from: T42 on 21 September, 2022, 11:22:57 am
That's one of the cases where the vacuum-cleaner port on a gadget is really worth using, if you can get the damn thing to fit.

Isn't it a regulatory requirement that they don't?  I can't imagine that they're all different sizes purely by accident.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 September, 2022, 04:46:27 pm
Quote from: Kim on 21 September, 2022, 04:10:06 pm
Quote from: T42 on 21 September, 2022, 11:22:57 am
That's one of the cases where the vacuum-cleaner port on a gadget is really worth using, if you can get the damn thing to fit.

Isn't it a regulatory requirement that they don't?  I can't imagine that they're all different sizes purely by accident.

Pretty well, but Screwfix have a wee vacuum cleaner (https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb774vac-1300w-16ltr-wet-dry-vacuum-220-240v/826kh) with tapered nozzles that'll jam into most hoses, and their hose fits a standard 5 cm hose connector. I have one of these sucking the air out of an old 20-litre shop-vacuum drum with a cyclone doodah in it. It lives through the wall from my workshop at the end of a 7-metre hose. Bloody noisy but I don't hear it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 September, 2022, 07:13:48 pm
I finally got too annoyed with the horrible squeaking/scraping noise coming from the kitchen door handle (the one I replaced last year just after we moved in). So I took the handles/plates off and even took the old latch assembly out of the door, opened it up (I stupidly didn't take a photo before making the pingfuckits explode out of it but I seem to have got away with winging it), lubed absolutely everything that moves and then put it all back together again.
It still feels a little bit grunchy but it's almost silent now. Ahhh, quiet and quite satisfying. Hopefully stay it'll quiet until such time as I find the beans to GAMI to replace the door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 September, 2022, 08:42:28 am
MrsT & I painted* both sides of the barn door yesterday, so it's got two coats outside and one inside and is officially finished (ta-da).  Now have to clear away all the clamjamfrey that's accumulated while building it so that the winter-wood chappie can offload next week.  Thereafter I need to re-panel my workshop door and plane our bedroom door, which is rubbing the floor because 0.5-timbered houses shift with the weather and this summer was dry.

My mum always told me that if I didn't do well at school I'd end up as a doorman.

* "painted".  The stuff we used is called lasure in French, which according to Google et al. means stain, but the stuff dries clear and just leaves a slightly shiny surface, like clear varnish - which in French, is vernis, so it's not.  Its main function is to protect the wood, which it's supposed to do for 12 years - at which point someone else can do it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 23 September, 2022, 10:24:21 pm
Replaced the batteries in my 10 year old Braun shaver.
Old ones were down to 130 and 300 mAh, new ones 660.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 23 September, 2022, 10:26:27 pm
A puncture on someone else's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 September, 2022, 07:30:59 am
The nebuliser that MrsED decided to dismantle in her attempt to change its batteries
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 24 September, 2022, 07:58:50 am
Nothing yet. But I'm about to swap out the rear brake outer on my new gravel bike for some better compressionless housing. Its internally cabled, with all the other cables installed, which is a ballache, so unless somebody has a better idea I'm going to detape the left bar, and pull the outer out from the brake end leaving the inner intact, cut a new outer to the same length, then slide it up the inner from the rear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 24 September, 2022, 08:32:00 am
I'd worry that the new outer would snag somewhere (even just a kink on the inner where it has been clamped onto the brakes not sliding smoothly), and as you won't be able to grasp the inner you'll be pushing against a flexible wire.

Can you fasten (tape?) a thin wire to the outer at the bar end before you pull it out, so you end up with a cable pull? Or pull the inner out, then feed a long wire through the outer (at least twice as long as the outer), and pull those out together, again leaving you with a cable to thread through the new one and pull it back with?

Disclaimer - my bikes all have cables on the outside, where they are supposed to be!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 24 September, 2022, 08:41:24 am
Yes, it'll be fiddly, but brake cables are quite stiff and the tricky bit will only be pushing it into the frame, then it should be easier. I know it sounds weird, but it can work.  Alternatively I can pull the outer off, cut the inner, then crimp an outer onto the end of it and pull it through.

Already had a mare when I cabled it up, congratulated myself then realised I'd forgotten to fit an inline adjuster into the front mech outer.

Will report back in a bit
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 24 September, 2022, 11:46:04 am
OK. So I've done it and my method worked...

...up to the point where I couldn't get it past the gear housing in the guide plate at the top of the down tube. So I unscrewed the down plate took it all out and fed it through the hole in the tube, ran it under the bars, retyped bars, zip tied the other end to chain stay guides, then realised I had forgotten to feed it through guide plate.

So I had to disassemble it all, pull it all out and redo. Which I did. Got it all connected up and then went to reconnect rear gear cable. Did it, and took relief out of cable by tugging it under chain stay.

And the guide ferrule in the cable guide on the down tube pulled right through.  Cue re-doing everything again.

2.5 hours of utter farce later and it is all done. What have I learned? Never attempt bike mechanics when you have a head cold  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 24 September, 2022, 12:02:00 pm
Nothing. Not going to fettle anything today.

Having acquired 3 new bikes this year (well, one is a total rebuild on an old frame), I feel as if I have been building, adjusting, figuring out, optimising, changing, and readjusting thing 2 because it was affected by optimising thing 1, every spare day for months.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 September, 2022, 04:09:05 pm
I have just drilled 138 holes. That was very boring.

(I had 2 boxes of loft stilts which I was pre drilling holes into for the screws into the joists.)
More on this story at a later date, no doubt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 September, 2022, 04:27:47 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 September, 2022, 04:09:05 pm
I have just drilled 138 holes. That was very boring.

(I had 2 boxes of loft stilts which I was pre drilling holes into for the screws into the joists.)
More on this story at a later date, no doubt.
My bold.
I see what you did there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 September, 2022, 04:54:21 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 24 September, 2022, 12:02:00 pm
Nothing. Not going to fettle anything today.

Nor yet I.  Although I did tidy away all the trestles, hoists, ropes, spare boards, off-cuts, paint cans, brushes & ladders that remained after the barn door epic.

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 September, 2022, 04:09:05 pm
I have just drilled 138 holes. That was very boring.

Hah! Beat ya. 200+ screws into the barn door, though not at one sitting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 September, 2022, 06:05:28 pm
In our chem eng common room at uni, we pinned up a page from the Yellow Pages "Boring - see civil engineers"

What japes we had ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 September, 2022, 06:51:20 pm
Reminds me of the Engineering Mathematics students doing a statistical analysis of how much sexual activity the various disciplines of engineering students got up to.  Embarrassingly for them, it was the Civils that had the most.  I forget who came least last, but it was probably one of the ones that involved electronics.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 September, 2022, 07:09:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 24 September, 2022, 06:51:20 pm
Reminds me of the Engineering Mathematics students doing a statistical analysis of how much sexual activity the various disciplines of engineering students got up to.  Embarrassingly for them, it was the Civils that had the most.  I forget who came least last, but it was probably one of the ones that involved electronics.

Actual, or self-reported?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 September, 2022, 07:16:04 pm
Quote from: Hot Flatus on 24 September, 2022, 08:41:24 am
Yes, it'll be fiddly, but brake cables are quite stiff and the tricky bit will only be pushing it into the frame, then it should be easier. I know it sounds weird, but it can work.  Alternatively I can pull the outer off, cut the inner, then crimp an outer onto the end of it and pull it through.

Already had a mare when I cabled it up, congratulated myself then realised I'd forgotten to fit an inline adjuster into the front mech outer.

Will report back in a bit

Internal cable replacement is a simple task . . .  you need a length of the inner, inner gear cable (i.e. the very thin, usually almost translucent plastic tube - obtained by stripping the outer coating and then slicing off the longitudinal wires on the gear outer)   With said inner piece of tube you slide it onto the end of the cable to be replaced (and good 30cm or so) and then carefully thread the old cable out of the frame and feed the plastic tube through the frame until it is visible at both ends of the frame holes.  Still with me?  Remove the old cable and to fit the new inner cable just reverse the process to draw the new cable through the frame - not forgetting, of course, to fit any lengths of cable outer, frame grommets etc in the correct sequence.

If you buy a new internal cabled frame it will often be with the length of plastic tube in and out of the frame holes.

Oh, and Park Tool sell an "internal cable fitting kit" with magnets that are supposed to draw the cable inner along the inside of the frame - the work of Satan, avoid.

I have a couple of 1.5m lengths of the inner in my workshop ready for the task.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 September, 2022, 04:07:27 pm
I seem to have become an electrical necromancer, a latter  day Dr Frankenstein perhaps.  I have an old Citizen Eco-Drive watch that decided not to work any more, it was prohibitively expensive to repair here, so I bunged it in a drawer until I could pass it to an in-law heading to India or Dubai where it could be done as cheap as chips.  I was tidying the drawer, took it out and put it on m y desk and Lo and Behold, it started working again and has done ever since.

And then today, one last test of my USB-Werk which had got wet, corroded connections and appeared borked.  Connected it up, and miraculously 25km into today's ride up pops ""Charging" on the screen of the Garmin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 September, 2022, 04:19:00 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 25 September, 2022, 04:07:27 pm
I seem to have become an electrical necromancer, a latter  day Dr Frankenstein perhaps.  I have an old Citizen Eco-Drive watch that decided not to work any more, it was prohibitively expensive to repair here, so I bunged it in a drawer until I could pass it to an in-law heading to India or Dubai where it could be done as cheap as chips.  I was tidying the drawer, took it out and put it on m y desk and Lo and Behold, it started working again and has done ever since.

And then today, one last test of my USB-Werk which had got wet, corroded connections and appeared borked.  Connected it up, and miraculously 25km into today's ride up pops ""Charging" on the screen of the Garmin.

You are Uri Geller AICMFP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 25 September, 2022, 05:17:55 pm
Yesterday I was given a rather dated looking and neglected Gary Fisher Marlin to pass on to a charity, probably to a guy I know who does a lot of work for/with Ukrainians.
Today I pumped up the tyres and they have stayed inflated. I fiddled with the brakes and got rid of the rim rub. I de-clagged the drive train and lubed the chain.
Went for a three mile test ride and engaged all 21 gears!
Result! It's ready to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 25 September, 2022, 06:11:57 pm
Annual fluids and filters service for the planet slayer. Every year I'm astounded both by how simple the boys and girls in Solihull made this to service (everything from above, everything accessible, only one thing needs to be moved out of the way to give access, and that's only a single easily undone 8mm bolt), and how expensive it is to do.

Takes less than half an hour, and only that long because I take my time and have a general look-over things whilst I'm in there. Could do it in 15 minutes if I was pushed for time, less if I'm not doing the fuel filter which I do every other service. Even the cabin pollen filter is a tool-less job from under the bonnet rather than fighting fiddly screws in limited space in the passenger footwell as most vehicles I've done seem to be.
But £140 in filters (good quality, from the supplier to LR, but manufacturer not LR badged), and the same again for oil (9.5L of the most expensive stuff I've ever put in a car, would be £250 paying the "walk in, over the counter" price at Euro Car Parts).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: neilrj on 25 September, 2022, 09:08:10 pm
Quote from: MattH on 25 September, 2022, 06:11:57 pm
Annual fluids and filters service for the planet slayer. <SNIP> (9.5L of the most expensive stuff I've ever put in a car, would be £250 paying the "walk in, over the counter" price at Euro Car Parts).

At 9.5L it must be the full blown Deth Star! And what is dealer price for 9.5L? Can't be far off inkjet refill £pL  :o[/size]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 25 September, 2022, 09:10:46 pm
LR Don't to anything by halves
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 25 September, 2022, 09:52:23 pm
Indeed. Actually, thinking about it, I had the auto gearbox oil changed last year. That was £48/L for the proper ZF oil, and it takes 8L of that. So the engine oil was a bit of a bargain, really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 25 September, 2022, 11:25:22 pm
Replaced Tyres, tubes and gear cables on daughter's friend's BSO, supplied outer was 100mm too sort, bits box to the rescue.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 September, 2022, 11:23:30 am
More doorsmanship. Planed a few mm off the bottom of our bedroom door, which has been binding for the last couple of months.  Greased the pintles on it and on the bathroom door, which has been wailing like a soul in Stormont lately.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 26 September, 2022, 03:37:10 pm
Vacumn cleaner related today

The Dyson hand held roller had stopped rollering. Stripped and not sure what did as started working. So reassembled and still works. Need to clean filter as kept cutting out doing stairs

The venga robot vacumn which is utter crap but the wife likes it just stopped a few weeks ago. Checked charger and putting out the correct voltages. Checked battery and very little output so ordered new battery which is hopefully the problem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 September, 2022, 03:58:01 pm
While this pm I've been endeavouring without much success to fit some kind of dust collection to my mid-1990s Elektra Beckum mitre saw, which has none.  I want to put shelves on the wall behind it but I don't want them full of sawdust. The thing is big, robust and powerful but I'm beginning to think of getting rid of it in favour of something more polite.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 September, 2022, 06:44:34 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 September, 2022, 03:58:01 pm
While this pm I've been endeavouring without much success to fit some kind of dust collection to my mid-1990s Elektra Beckum mitre saw, which has none.  I want to put shelves on the wall behind it but I don't want them full of sawdust. The thing is big, robust and powerful but I'm beginning to think of getting rid of it in favour of something more polite.

Mitre saws and decent dust extraction just don't partner - I built a box from OSB to surround my saw, with a hose connected to the so-called dust port and another hose immediately beside the blade - the two hoses then into a Y-piece connected through a blast-gate to the piping to my cyclone pulled by a Henry.  It sort of works.   [The hose you can on the MFT is connected to my track saw]

(https://i.ibb.co/s9R4c7V/DSC01197.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 September, 2022, 10:09:03 pm
Tweaked the rear shifting on HK’s Moulton and test-fitted a warranty 406 Pro One on the tubeless rear wheel. It doesn’t look to have any bulges but we will see in the morning. Sealant in it tomorrow if it still looks ok.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 September, 2022, 08:07:21 am
Quote from: robgul on 26 September, 2022, 06:44:34 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 September, 2022, 03:58:01 pm
While this pm I've been endeavouring without much success to fit some kind of dust collection to my mid-1990s Elektra Beckum mitre saw, which has none.  I want to put shelves on the wall behind it but I don't want them full of sawdust. The thing is big, robust and powerful but I'm beginning to think of getting rid of it in favour of something more polite.

Mitre saws and decent dust extraction just don't partner - I built a box from OSB to surround my saw, with a hose connected to the so-called dust port and another hose immediately beside the blade - the two hoses then into a Y-piece connected through a blast-gate to the piping to my cyclone pulled by a Henry.  It sort of works.   [The hose you can on the MFT is connected to my track saw]

(https://i.ibb.co/s9R4c7V/DSC01197.jpg)

That looks like the sort of thing I was thinking of, and seeing it with a saw equipped with a hose connector rather persuades me to stick with the Elektra Beckum.  My problem now is that a set-up like that would stop me getting at anything I might put behind it.

Of course, my real problem is that having used the same workshop for over 30 years it is bursting with accumulated tools, offcuts, decent wood, stuff that might be useful at some point...  you know what I mean. Add four bikes (only) and the space and tools to maintain them and the place feels cramped, despite being 9 metres x 3.5.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 September, 2022, 09:39:45 am
Started to replace the rear tube on HK’s Moulton (slow leak yesterday) and found that the driveside flange had popped, releasing two spokes. I am not impressed with Tune Mag 170 hubs! Swapped the cassette to another tubed rear wheel to get HK’s Moulton back in operation.

Replaced the (slow leak) front tube on my fixed, ready for the next commute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 29 September, 2022, 11:12:09 pm
 . I have just bought off farce book market place , a Sigma 370mm 2G tile cutter  . It has only been used for two small jobs. But not by an old school ,keep your tools clean tradesman . After a good scrub , it has come up well though . It will be great for cutting  small format tiles  in  small bathrooms & kitchens etc.  . I already own its big brother a sigma 620mm . A joy to use with its clean & precise cutting .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The_Mikey on 30 September, 2022, 03:45:14 pm

cleaned the cassette, chain, derailleur and front chainrings,  new lube installed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Macleach on 30 September, 2022, 04:26:54 pm
I didn't fettle anything much but those nice men from the garage sorted out my Qashqai with a set of ignition coils and spark plugs to keep him well past 110,000 miles. My son calls him "Captain Price" after the SAS character in Call of Duty as he really does take just about anything you chuck at him and refuses to die. Sorry to post about a car on a cycling forum but just felt the old fella deserved a call out ;D!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2022, 07:21:00 pm
The heating.

In January I got the dumb controller and stat replaced by a Drayton Wiser system. No smart TRV's, just the hub and the main stat. Getting on ok with it I decided to install one of the smart TRV's, although I reckoned I'd only really need one to put my office/the spare bedroom on a more restricted schedule than the other rooms (i.e. on during office hours but not in the evening).
I got said TRV and installed it a couple of weeks ago (not the most intuitive but I got there eventually).
Now I've started to put CH on occasionally, not on a schedule but just overriding the 'away mode' when I'm feeling a bit parky.
Was puzzled by the fact my office rad was heating at a time it was supposed to be off so I've spent this evening investigating why.
Drayton website - total lack of a real manual to RTFM.  ::-)

After about 90 mins of googling while dicking about on the app I eventually tripped over a setting deep in the bowels of the app that had my 'home' schedule also linked to the other rooms (1), despite the fact on the front page of the app these do not appear to be linked.
I'm hoping that might fix the issue, we will see. They've not made it very simple though...


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 01 October, 2022, 12:27:32 pm
I am slowly working my way around the house replacing 40 year old sockets and switches with Schneider Electric Lisse Deco sockets and switches.

Back of House socket ring circuit has been done apart from one I want to change to a double socket.
Front of house socket ring circuit.  Two sockets done.  Almost every other socket is in an awkward position. Lots of furniture moving.
The light switches has all but one has been done.  I will need to revisit to replace a back box with snapped screw tab.  I have put off doing the triple 2-way switch until I feel brave.

The front of house electric ring uses brushed brass sockets.
The back of house uses polished steel sockets.

As a male person this seems sensible.  Some ladies may be irritated that I have a couple of rooms with different colour sockets.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 October, 2022, 03:52:40 pm
Fettled a new washing machine.
The old one: John Lewis own brand, entry level, 11 or 12 years old.
Last Saturday, following an overnight wash, the drum was really difficult to turn by  hand and made horrible grinding noises when you did manage to turn it, and was full of friction melted bits of plastic.
The new one: John Lewis own brand, entry level.
It is very, very quiet.
And when you switch it on, it is still very very quiet.
I've put the old one out on the street.
I'm confident that it will be removed over the next few days.
When I had a new boiler fitted a couple of years ago, the engineer put the old boiler outside on the street.
It was gone before he'd finished fitting the new boiler.
That's SE Londres for you.
Also: Christ almighty, the way in which my (inherited) kitchen has been constructed and plumbed beggars belief  :facepalm:
So many building regs.
So much avoidance thereof.

ETA: And the pikeys of South London didn't disappoint. Sometime between 05:50 this morning and when I returned home at 16:20, the old washing machine was whisked away, and the money that I saved by not paying JLP to take it away, went to the humpers that delivered it, as a tip on Saturday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 October, 2022, 05:15:38 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 01 October, 2022, 03:52:40 pm
So many building regs.
So much avoidance thereof.

A house we rented north of Paris in the early 80s had been wired by Fred Karno.  When we switched on the light in the corridor the light over the bathroom mirror came on, but only at half power - must have been coming through the earth wire. It was then possible to get mildly zapped by touching virtually any earthed metal appliance in the vicinity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 October, 2022, 04:22:22 pm
Inspected my Brompton after a couple of work flights. Straightened the bent Al chain guard and realigned the handlebar stem. Need to replace a damaged Eazy wheel and possibly a slightly bent clamp bolt.

Replaced both gear cables on HK’s Roberts. I think it needs a new pinned 46t 110 BCD chainring, which isn’t amongst the multitudes in the garage, though there are two plain such chainrings.

Undid the brass knurled nut from HK’s recumbent’s mirror bolt (surprisingly tight/ Loctited). Now to find that safely-stored bonding agent to fix the nut into the plastic arm…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 October, 2022, 05:07:41 pm
Removed the door that connects the kitchen to the hall.
Clamped the door to a workmate.
Clamped a fence to the door.
Removed 3mm from the bottom of the door using a circular saw.
Re-hung the kitchen door using screws about 8mm longer than the ones I took out.
Entry to the kitchen will now be a frictionless affair.
Until the house moves some more.  ::-)
When I've finished this glass of wine, I will fettle what remains of the hair on my head.
What could possibly go wrong?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 October, 2022, 05:10:14 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 01 October, 2022, 03:52:40 pm
It is very, very quiet.
And when you switch it on, it is still very very quiet.

 :D


Quote
I've put the old one out on the street.
I'm confident that it will be removed over the next few days.
When I had a new boiler fitted a couple of years ago, the engineer put the old boiler outside on the street.
It was gone before he'd finished fitting the new boiler.
That's SE Londres for you.

Also works in Silly Oak (unless it's the parts of a fridge that aren't the compressor, obviously).  Last time we'd got as far as carrying the b0rked washing machine out the front door when someone driving past in a van asked if it was scrap, drove round the block and took it off our hands.

New washing machine is due to arrive on Thursday.  Old one is still capable of washing, but probably wouldn't get past the noise testing at Curborough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 October, 2022, 05:36:28 pm
I put a coat of Intelligent Eggshell ASP primer undercoat on the understair door. First time I've ever used a roller on woodwork (I've never had flat doors to paint before now) seemed to go ok though the bare 'wood' patches I spot coated a while back are still staring though a bit.
Not sure whether I should give it another coat of ASP or just hope the top coat covers it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 02 October, 2022, 05:44:50 pm
Also doors. Old doors in the cellar.  Had to use a heat gun to help get decades+ old paint out of the large slotted screws.  Door one now shuts and opens without the aid of a shoulder barge.  :D
Door 2 is better than it was.  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 02 October, 2022, 05:57:27 pm
Quote from: Basil on 02 October, 2022, 05:44:50 pm
Also doors. Old doors in the cellar.  Had to use a heat gun to help get decades+ old paint out of the large slotted screws.  Door one now shuts and opens without the aid of a shoulder barge.  :D
Door 2 is better than it was.  :-\
I had to remove the door to the cupboard under the stairs at my mum's 30s house, recently.
All slotted screws with year's and year's  worth of paint covering them.
I found that an impact wrench and hammer did a fine job of getting the screws to rotate, as well as removing most of the paint from them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 October, 2022, 07:43:36 pm
Workshop cleaning today - well, the woodwork side is done with a bin bag of sawdust (mainly from the mitre-saw's hood) and a medium crate of odd bits of wood that our neighbour will deal with in his woodburner. Tools all cleaned and put away in their places. 

After a couple of hours out on the bike tomorrow morning it's the bike workshop side to sort and clean (a wall of tools etc that would match a good LBS) - that's mainly a case of dusting the small brush on the Henry.

. . .  and it'll all start over to make more sawdust with the four or five carpentry projects I have in hand involving machines to saw (band & mitre), router, drilling, sanding . .  must remember to clean the air filters in the "air scrubber" machine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 October, 2022, 10:51:54 am
Quote from: robgul on 02 October, 2022, 07:43:36 pm
Workshop cleaning today - well, the woodwork side is done with a bin bag of sawdust (mainly from the mitre-saw's hood) and a medium crate of odd bits of wood that our neighbour will deal with in his woodburner. Tools all cleaned and put away in their places. 

Hood: Definitely thinking of copying that. I realized that the main obstacle to doing anything with my saw is the site stand it sits on which has no castors, so getting round it to clean up is a right PITA.  I'm now thinking of building a wheeled trolley with the hood fixed to it, and fitting a removable bin-bag to that to gather the dust without using the vacuum.

Proper places: My trouble is that without a radical re-org I have no space left.  Although I do have a lot of nice offcuts that I've been saving for the last 20-30 years just in case.

---o0o---

Fettled six wheel-barrow loads of firewood out of the barn and into the cellar, pausing en route to admire the woodwork, then came in and fettled a cup of Huehuetenango and a madeleine into my stomach.  Now hoping that MrsT will fettle some lunch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 October, 2022, 11:58:43 am
Quote from: T42 on 03 October, 2022, 10:51:54 am
Quote from: robgul on 02 October, 2022, 07:43:36 pm
Workshop cleaning today - well, the woodwork side is done with a bin bag of sawdust (mainly from the mitre-saw's hood) and a medium crate of odd bits of wood that our neighbour will deal with in his woodburner. Tools all cleaned and put away in their places. 

Hood: Definitely thinking of copying that. I realized that the main obstacle to doing anything with my saw is the site stand it sits on which has no castors, so getting round it to clean up is a right PITA.  I'm now thinking of building a wheeled trolley with the hood fixed to it, and fitting a removable bin-bag to that to gather the dust without using the vacuum.

Proper places: My trouble is that without a radical re-org I have no space left.  Although I do have a lot of nice offcuts that I've been saving for the last 20-30 years just in case.

---o0o---

Fettled six wheel-barrow loads of firewood out of the barn and into the cellar, pausing en route to admire the woodwork, then came in and fettled a cup of Huehuetenango and a madeleine into my stomach.  Now hoping that MrsT will fettle some lunch.

I don't think the bag in the hood idea would work if my saw is anything to go by - the vacuum hoses sort of work but there was still a mountain of dust around the back of the machine when I took the hood off and I can't see how a bag would capture it.   My saw is a sliding compound mitre so has quite a lot of movement required in the aperture at the front of the hood (in fact for cuts at more than 30 degrees (infrequent) I have to take the hood off) - what I am going to do is try and make more of a "scoop shaped funnel" - probably by warming up and re-shaping a plastic bucket - to try and make a wider throat for the vacuum to pull through, covering more area behind the blade.

I have a very small, 3/4 of a single garage, workshop that has to do for woodwork and bikes - my bandsaw, drill press, planer/thicknesser are all on wheeled trucks  . . . as is the Park Tool Professional Workstand for bike stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 October, 2022, 12:49:53 pm
Mine's a sliding compound mitre too, although well over 90% of my cuts are at 90°.  The slides do stick out a good way behind, and well below the base of the thing when it's retracted.  Hood design, with or without bag or vacuum, is going to be interesting.

The trouble with the vacuum is that the saw aperture is so big that the draught through it is going to be gentle at best, so the hose is only going to pick up the stuff that just happens to fall in its general direction; hence my thought that a bag would be just as good.  To attach the vacuum I'd need to build something like a large funnel at the back of the hood.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 06 October, 2022, 01:28:35 pm
Quote from: T42 on 06 October, 2022, 12:49:53 pm
Mine's a sliding compound mitre too, although well over 90% of my cuts are at 90°.  The slides do stick out a good way behind, and well below the base of the thing when it's retracted.  Hood design, with or without bag or vacuum, is going to be interesting.

The trouble with the vacuum is that the saw aperture is so big that the draught through it is going to be gentle at best, so the hose is only going to pick up the stuff that just happens to fall in its general direction; hence my thought that a bag would be just as good.  To attach the vacuum I'd need to build something like a large funnel at the back of the hood.

Dennis at "Hooked on Wood" on YT has a Short teaser about "cracking the dust extraction for a mitre saw" - may be worth keeping an eye out as he says there will be a video soon . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 October, 2022, 05:09:48 pm
Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 October, 2022, 01:13:37 pm
Rebonded the Mirrycle for HK to refit to her recumbent.

Replaced the worn big ring on HK's Roberts.

Recharged the taillights on my fixed and retensioned and wiped down the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 07 October, 2022, 02:41:47 pm
Replaced the door seal on the washing machine. Absolute pain in the arse to get the exterior retaining band on and took me more than an hour just for the one step. All the YouTube tutorial videos do it so casually first time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 07 October, 2022, 03:27:24 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 October, 2022, 05:36:28 pm
I put a coat of Intelligent Eggshell ASP primer undercoat on the understair door. First time I've ever used a roller on woodwork (I've never had flat doors to paint before now) seemed to go ok though the bare 'wood' patches I spot coated a while back are still staring though a bit.
Not sure whether I should give it another coat of ASP or just hope the top coat covers it.

Tip: use a black felt tip pen to go over Noddy's hat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 October, 2022, 05:05:26 pm
???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 October, 2022, 05:06:48 pm
 :D

A literary reference, m'lud.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 October, 2022, 05:15:26 pm
Oh, I see...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Slave To The Viking on 08 October, 2022, 01:36:37 am
In the last week, I have installed a new fill valve in the bog, and a new seat on me Ma's bog.

That finally brings me to an entire bog's worth of replacement bits installed.

I've also put a new chain on my saw in preparation for the weekend's firewood-fest, jump-started next-door-but-three's car, and belt-sanded the sagging/swollen back gate so the smallest can get his bike in and out without a) a mallet or b) me.

The retrieval of the dog from next-door-but-two's garden suggests "the chuffing hedge, with the chicken wire I found in the attic, and a load of bits of old pallet" is on the list of imminent fettling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 09 October, 2022, 12:17:29 pm
Replaced the not-so-long-ago (maybe 3 years) replaced (by the plumber, I was away on business) room stat, a straightforward job. It’s the same digital type as I fitted originally some 7 or 8 years ago, simple to use with a useful “ECO” button that drops the set temp to 14 for a set duration (like my wife’s Pilates or days out to London in the winter months). The one that failed was one of those fancy 7 day programmable ones, but since we already had a twin channel 7 day programmer with 3 on/off’s was a bit overkill.

Next job after fettling lunch will be to fettle the log pile of over-the-roads dead apple tree before the delivery of a nice load of Chiltern hardwood on Friday afternoon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 October, 2022, 03:22:54 pm
A batch of gyoza for lunch. Nom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 October, 2022, 06:09:23 pm
Part floored some of the loft. By which I mean the intention was only to floor part of it, and I didn't even finish that much.
My knees and back and wrists are complaining bitterly. Not helped by the fact that Pingu couldn't find the knee pads because I'd hidden them in the shed and not the garage.

Oh and before I did that I rolled a first top coat of Intelligent Eggshell on the understair door. Wrapped everything in cling film thinking I would do the 2nd coat this afternoon after completing the loft.  :hand:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 09 October, 2022, 07:31:52 pm
Replaced left hand Di2 shifter.

Couldn’t get olive to slide off the hose. Didn’t want to re-use the same olive (although some say it is fine to do so), thus had to shorten the hose slightly to take a new barb and olive (fortunately I had spare ones). Shortening the hose meant removing the bar tape and freeing up the hose to reposition it - I was hoping to get away without doing that by fitting the new shifter to the existing bar clamp. Bled the brake and then cleaned caliper and pads with acetone before refitting. Di2 fired up fine, update installed to new shifter via E-tube app.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 October, 2022, 10:44:58 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 09 October, 2022, 06:09:23 pm
Part floored some of the loft. By which I mean the intention was only to floor part of it, and I didn't even finish that much.

Helped the Inlaw Paw do that, back when he & the Inlaw Maw lived in Linlithgow.  Nailing down the boards cracked the plaster all round the tops of the walls in every room, so thereafter I helped him put up coving.  No electric screwdrivers in the early 70's. My poor drill's lowest speed was 800 rpm. I reckon my impact driver manages that these days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andy W on 12 October, 2022, 07:17:59 am
Fitted a new Spa chainset to my Genesis Croix de Fer. Its a double sub compact with 42/ 26 chainrings. The front mech is 105 7000 series and after much fettling works a dream. The existing chainsetup was shimano grx 46/30, i though would be low enough for self supported LEJOG last year but 30/34 wasnt low enough in rural parts of Cornwall, Devon and parts of Lake District.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 12 October, 2022, 12:06:15 pm
I had a 42-28 Stronglight 99* double on my touring bike in 1984.  I'm a pioneer!

* Couldn’t afford a 49D or TA Cyclotouriste as a PSO
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: neilrj on 12 October, 2022, 11:22:37 pm
Quote from: Andy W on 12 October, 2022, 07:17:59 am
Fitted a new Spa chainset to my Genesis Croix de Fer. Its a double sub compact with 42/ 26 chainrings. The front mech is 105 7000 series and after much fettling works a dream. The existing chainsetup was shimano grx 46/30, i though would be low enough for self supported LEJOG last year but 30/34 wasnt low enough in rural parts of Cornwall, Devon and parts of Lake District.

That's my next *upgrade, I had toyed with GRX 46/30 (from 50/34) but it is good to know that a triple chain-line will run on 105 derailleur and the much smaller chainring wasn't beyond fettling. Bonus that lots of chainrings are available in triple standard BCD that have uniform bolt pitch - unlike 105 and GRX.

(* Yes I know real men should be fine with on TdF gearing)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 October, 2022, 11:28:21 pm
Finally got around to putting the puncture patch on my mudguard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andy W on 13 October, 2022, 07:54:25 am
I did ask Spa if my existing 105 7000 series FD would work with their chainset, they indicated that it would. Recommend that I use 119 mm BB. In my early 60s now and am future proofing my bike as I can’t my legs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 October, 2022, 10:21:19 am
Post-fettling (last week) report - fitted a Sunrace 11-40 10speed cassette to one of my road-bikes with Tiagra 4700 50/34 double at the front - needed to fit an extender and add a bit more chain - works a treat (on the flat it's difficult to pedal fast enough to balance in the lowest gear  ;D) 

My legs appreciate the difference  :thumbsup:  - next step is to try the wheel with the 40T in my tourer which has a Tiagra 4703 triple at the front - again with an extender.  I think it may be taking the gearing too low and just not work with chain/jockey wheel interfaces.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 13 October, 2022, 11:47:34 pm
Lost a bar end plug so took the opportunity to purchase and fit some bar end mirrors described upthread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 October, 2022, 05:14:52 pm
200g of green Atitlán into hopefully drinkable coffee.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 October, 2022, 05:34:20 pm
Adjusted the headsets on HK’s Micro and fixed the front shifting.

Replaced the gear cables on HK’s Kinesis. Internal cabling is a shit idea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 October, 2022, 05:39:32 pm
Front mech on the Red Baron, which had been having mysterious chain-dropping issues at the last BHPC race.

It turns out that the grub screw that secures the eccentric seat-tube-sized wossname on the derailleur post that the derailleur mounts to had worked loose.  The gear cable tension was doing a reasonable job of restraining it vertically, but the rotational play was causing all sorts of havoc whenever the chain wasn't under load in the big ring.

This probably needs revisiting properly with Loctite over winter.  The cable's also looking a bit dubious.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 October, 2022, 06:13:34 pm
This. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=122434.msg2759654#msg2759654)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 15 October, 2022, 06:56:35 pm
Commenced constructing the final stretch of fence on one side of the garden - 420 metres of treated tile batten to staple to the uprights at - 29 "levels" @ 12mm spacing in a 13m run @ 90cm upright intervals - that's a lot of staples. . . good job I have a battery nail gun  :thumbsup:

Best part is that the timber I bought today was actually cheaper than the same stuff was 12 month ago - remarkable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 October, 2022, 10:48:03 pm
Finished flooring part of the loft. Took the boxes of stuff that have been sitting in my office for the past year and shoved most of them in the loft. Did not expect to have filled the floored area already but there you go.
Am fuxxored now.

While I was flooring the loft Pingu was making shelves out of the bits of random wood/MDF/whatever I was finding buried in the insulation to replace the crap bendy shelves in our garage shelving area.
They made sense. Why there were also several lengths of 2x4 type material up there I have no idea.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 16 October, 2022, 12:03:46 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 15 October, 2022, 10:48:03 pm
...Why there were also several lengths of 2x4 type material up there I have no idea...

Why was there an electric lawnmower under the floorboards?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 October, 2022, 10:10:58 am
Quote from: robgul on 15 October, 2022, 06:56:35 pm
Commenced constructing the final stretch of fence on one side of the garden - 420 metres of treated tile batten to staple to the uprights at - 29 "levels" @ 12mm spacing in a 13m run @ 90cm upright intervals - that's a lot of staples. . . good job I have a battery nail gun  :thumbsup:

...or a great excuse reason to buy one.  Our fencing is rigid steel mesh. Drat.

Quote
Best part is that the timber I bought today was actually cheaper than the same stuff was 12 month ago - remarkable.

Amazing I'd call it.  The other day I was looking at the furniture I made in the 90's and lamenting that you don't even see wood like that any more - 40 cm wide red pine boards, beautiful stuff that worked like hardwood and looked wonderful with a coat of cherry stain.  It smelt great, too. It is still available, but as 3 cm wide laths to carry tiles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 October, 2022, 09:02:11 pm
Took the inner glass out of the oven door and scrubbed it Utterly to Deth. Looking at my dinner cooking is no longer like viewing it through a Cokin graduated tobacco filter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 October, 2022, 05:36:45 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 September, 2022, 07:13:48 pm
I finally got too annoyed with the horrible squeaking/scraping noise coming from the kitchen door handle (the one I replaced last year just after we moved in). So I took the handles/plates off and even took the old latch assembly out of the door, opened it up (I stupidly didn't take a photo before making the pingfuckits explode out of it but I seem to have got away with winging it), lubed absolutely everything that moves and then put it all back together again.
It still feels a little bit grunchy but it's almost silent now. Ahhh, quiet and quite satisfying. Hopefully stay it'll quiet until such time as I find the beans to GAMI to replace the door.

This was getting noisy and grunchy again. Not really surprising as the lube I used was only that Lakeland silicone type stuff, a bit thin really, and I just dribbled it over the cams, I didn't dismember them.
So today I got the circlip pliers and the PTFE bike grease out and took it to bits properly and slathered the springs in grease. Even managed (somehow) to manage not to send the circlips pinging off into orbit, there's a wonder.
Hopefully that will last a bit longer in peace now. Bit cheap of the manufacturers not to properly grease the springs from the beginning though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 25 October, 2022, 12:01:23 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 16 October, 2022, 09:02:11 pm
Took the inner glass out of the oven door and scrubbed it Utterly to Deth. Looking at my dinner cooking is no longer like viewing it through a Cokin graduated tobacco filter.
Indeed (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11510.msg2550790#msg2550790)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 25 October, 2022, 12:32:01 pm
I only went to swap the tyres on my tourer, one thing led to another, now I need to replace the rear mech :facepalm:

(I have a spare 9-speed rear mech somewhere in the house)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 October, 2022, 03:36:07 pm
Planed 5 mm off the edge of the old barn door where it was binding on the new one. The new one is weather-proofed, the old one isn't and swells accordingly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 October, 2022, 12:35:15 am
A proper write-up of Battle Mountain 2022 which I promised to do as soon as I got home from abroad and then promptly forgot about until kicked up the arse by Mme Editrix the other day.  How many tyops, errors grammatic and general nonsensical sentences can you fit into 12 pages of A4?  Much poof-reding still needed chiz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 October, 2022, 04:20:18 pm
Unfettled the fallen half of the barn door (yawn) that has been lying in the garden since early June.  Haven't done it until now because (a) CBA and (b) damn thing's full of clenched nails.  This afternoon I took my wee relabelled Einhell circular saw to it and cut through the erstwhile horizontals in line with the edges of the verticals, since the original carpenters wouldn't have banged in nails where they would split the wood. Hypothesis holds so far.

Knocked off halfway due to an attack of (a).  Also needed to let saw cool down: it's a game wee thing but the depth stop slips and occasionally it was plunging too deep and jamming.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 October, 2022, 11:12:52 pm
Following a visit to the Swedish Hall of Dreams at the weekend, I put some Stubbarp legs onto a Kallax cube. 

The legs aren't made for the cube, so I bought some M8 x 60mm countersunk bolts, did a bit of almost accurate drilling, followed by countersinking, only after discovering that the part of the Kallax I was drilling into was mostly thin air.  Anyway, all bolted together succesfully and appears solid.

I'm such a rebel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 October, 2022, 08:12:53 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 October, 2022, 11:12:52 pm
Following a visit to the Swedish Hall of Dreams at the weekend, I put some Stubbarp legs onto a Kallax cube. 

The legs aren't made for the cube, so I bought some M8 x 60mm countersunk bolts, did a bit of almost accurate drilling, followed by countersinking, only after discovering that the part of the Kallax I was drilling into was mostly thin air.  Anyway, all bolted together succesfully and appears solid.

I'm such a rebel.

You want to look at the IKEA hacks website for the real rebels. . . . some pretty clever stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 October, 2022, 01:45:58 pm
Reunited the errant left crank with the rest of the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle and restored the cadence function to its computer while I was at it.  Double-sided tape ftw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 October, 2022, 09:01:14 am
Reset all the timers in the house that don't reset themselves because fallback embuggerance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 October, 2022, 10:21:25 am
Forgot that was happening today.  Now I need to remember the incantation to turn off summer time on my watch.

Edit: done the watch, the microwave and the wall clocks.  Just the alarm clock left.  Which can wait.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 October, 2022, 10:58:25 am
Mucked out the parrot.  :sick:  Must do it more often in future. #augeas
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 November, 2022, 03:16:54 pm
Replaced the wornout Ergon GP2 grips on HK’s Brompton and pumped the tyres. Fitted rechargeable batteries to the taillight.

Adjusted the disc brakes on HK’s recumbent. The rear gear cable needs to be replaced after a few recent instances of drowning but that can wait till tomorrow.

Replaced the bulged rear tyre on my fixed with something half-worn from the garage pile that should last for a few weeks. It took two attempts because the first garage tyre also had a bulge.

Refitted the saddle to my Brompton (after removing it to fit the bike into a suitcase for a recent flight).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 November, 2022, 08:03:47 pm
I put the spiky tyres on my bike. Just as well as there's supposed to be freezing road temps tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 November, 2022, 08:07:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 November, 2022, 08:03:47 pm
I put the spiky tyres on my bike. Just as well as there's supposed to be freezing road temps tonight.
Blimey!
I'm still in shorts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 November, 2022, 07:31:44 am
Quote from: Jurek on 03 November, 2022, 08:07:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 November, 2022, 08:03:47 pm
I put the spiky tyres on my bike. Just as well as there's supposed to be freezing road temps tonight.
Blimey!
I'm still in shorts.

Ditto on the shorts - not worn long trousers of any variety since 14 May at a smart lunch . . .  have to give in today as we're going to a smart-ish place for lunch :(  -  back to the shorts tomorrow.  [I'm usually the only member to turn up at the cycling club's Christmas lunch in shorts - 14 Dec this year, we'll see!]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 November, 2022, 11:02:46 am
Quote from: Jurek on 03 November, 2022, 08:07:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 November, 2022, 08:03:47 pm
I put the spiky tyres on my bike. Just as well as there's supposed to be freezing road temps tonight.
Blimey!
I'm still in shorts.
Rode past a bloke de-icing his windscreen with the contents of a kettle. I really need to find my super winter gloves cos the ones I was wearing this morning weren't cutting it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 November, 2022, 04:54:49 pm
Replaced the rear gear cable casing and 9sp shifter on HK’s recumbent trike. The Microshift 9sp bar end shifter didn’t last long but apparently there are rebuilt kits in the USA, so perhaps I can dismantle and repair it. Tightened various bolts. The Capreo cassette and long chain needs replacing, so that spare cassette will be fitted shortly.

Swapped the pedals between the recumbent and HK’s Kinesis. The borrowed pedals, shoes and spanner can be posted to Mr Hopper tomorrow.

Took a link out of HK’s upright trike’s chain and retensioned the rear gear cable. The chain and cassette is still in good shape but the rear Durano Plus tyres are just down to blue rubber, so time to buy some replacements.

Started fettling a friend’s new SH Brompton. Cleaned and lubed the hinge bolt threads and cleaned the seatpost. Adjusted the brakes and wiped down some of the greasy/ dirty bits. Looks mostly in good nick with few particularly worn bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 November, 2022, 02:15:34 pm
Having had success with fitting an 11-40 cassette to my 2x10 Tigra 4700 equipped Van Nic road bike I thought I'd try to put a 40T on my PlanetX 2x11 Ultegra R8000 drivetrain.

Managed to find an 11-40 cassette (not amainstream brand, RRP only about £50) and together with a longer chain it works!! (at least, it runs very smoothly in the workstand - raining here so will have to wait before riding)  To my surprise I didn't need to fit an extender hanger - just wind in the B-screw and the jockey wheel/max sprocket gap was perfect.  Just have to remember that the chain when on the 2 smallest and 2 largest sprockets has to be, respectively, on the outer and inner chainwheels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 November, 2022, 03:35:36 pm
Straightened the airline-reshaped aluminium chainguard on my Brompton.

Finished bleeding the brakes on HK’s Kinesis and fitted handlebar tape. She can finally start riding it again after utterly killing the STI levers within three years. This job had been hanging around for a long time.

Just the Moulton amongst HK’s fleet that needs further fettling. Then I can crack on with my own machines’ backlog, once I get back from next week’s work trip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 November, 2022, 03:56:37 pm
More chain-fettling here, but on my chainsaw, unsuccessfully. Left unused for a couple of years the links were immovable even after a 3-week soak in oil. The guide is in a parlous state too, so I'm going to replace the lot.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 November, 2022, 04:05:49 pm
Trying to fettle the dysfunctional rear wiper on the Fast-Appreciating Future Classic.  Superglue applied to b0rked bit on the end of the arm and left to do its thing.  I did not need it to stop working with sixty miles of wet motorway to traverse this afternoon  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 November, 2022, 04:16:05 pm
Molished a working Camping Gaz clip on burner from two b0rked ones. Piezo igniter was U/S in one, valve was corroded shut on the other.  I now have one jbexing one anna pile of bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 November, 2022, 05:21:46 pm
Took Dy$on hand held to bits and gave it a proper clean being as the cat hair/carpet fluff kept getting stuck to the main bit inside the bin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 November, 2022, 05:54:24 pm
Customs declarations for shipping calendars to such exotic destinations as Germany, USAnia and *checks notes* Wales.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 06 November, 2022, 01:18:56 pm
New pedals and favourite saddle onto the Vicar's new electric bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 November, 2022, 01:29:31 pm
Failed to fettle the Fast-Appreciating Future Classic's rear wiper coz the b0rked bit on the end of the arm reb0rked itself as soon as pressure applied to make it fit over the spindle. New one ordered from the Bay of Thieves, meaning it'll piss down tomorrow when I go back to Larrington Towers.

Bah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 November, 2022, 02:21:31 pm
Two dozen gyoza wrappers. Two dozen gyoza.  Should have done moar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 November, 2022, 04:07:59 pm
Pingu's been channelling his inner construction worker with this https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=71591.msg2764909#msg2764909
And this (which is a platform in the under cabinet kitchen bin which was too deep for the food waste caddy.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52481605290_13b1015276.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nXBWPC)2022-11-06_03-30-15 (https://flic.kr/p/2nXBWPC) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 November, 2022, 01:39:14 pm
Cleaned paraffin wax off my trousers using 2-stroke mix (all that I had) then acetone to remove the oil. Worked but it reeks a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 November, 2022, 02:58:16 pm
Could you not have frozen them and then peeled the wax off?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 November, 2022, 05:11:35 pm
Our freezer would be too small, and anyway it seemed to have penetrated the weave.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 November, 2022, 05:18:08 pm
When I was sofa-surfing in a house of PSOs, the too-small freezer got de-iced at the traditional time: cleaning before we moved out.  Some trousers were discovered buried in the ice at the back.  None of the contemporary[1] housemates claimed ownership, and there was no obvious evidence of chewing gum or similar that might explain their presence in the freezer.


[1] There had been some churn.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sg37409 on 10 November, 2022, 09:55:48 pm
R.mudguard had become loose so I tightened it, but took the chance of removing about half a kilo of leafy crud from the inside* of it that was rubbing on the wheel. Should be a quieter run tomorrow. 

(* a la stanley hudson)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 10 November, 2022, 10:12:25 pm
I dragged my recalcitrant CH system into something akin to useful operation. Am now rewarding myself with something suitable for a 'Thirsty Thursday' evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: eckagain on 11 November, 2022, 09:02:08 am
Quote from: sg37409 on 10 November, 2022, 09:55:48 pm
R.mudguard had become loose so I tightened it, but took the chance of removing about half a kilo of leafy crud from the inside* of it that was rubbing on the wheel. Should be a quieter run tomorrow. 

(* a la stanley hudson)

  :) There's a blast from the past.
Slightly OT, but I remember Stanley, riding his gleaming immaculate Dura Ace equipped Longstaff (I think), on one of Steve Carrol's highland audaxes. As we approached a long puddle on a stretch of single-track road, Stanley slowed down, dismounted and carried his bike over the puddle, lest the inside of his mudguards got dirty.  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 November, 2022, 09:36:09 am
Checked over Domane, might use it for a coffee toddle tomorrow. Thought about cleaning eBrute but roads are wet so it'd be labour lost and it's not all that cruddy. Put a chain in petrol to degunk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 November, 2022, 03:36:42 pm
Following instructions from a blog I found, did some general fettling of my Pioneer PL12-D record deck. Replaced the sponge dampening in the deck springs, which had crumbled unto dust,with bits of cut up washing up sponge, replaced the age hardened motor mount rubbers with some silicone rubber ones I bought from a nice man in Sweden.
 
There is less hum in my life.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 12 November, 2022, 03:47:23 pm
Mrs hatler complaining of crunching chain in higher gears.

On to the workstand. Immediate and obvious diagnosis - the spring in the rear mech has gone AWOL.

Simple enough to replace with a spare I had ready for exactly such a circumstance.

And here's a thing.
I have long complained that is has always been nigh-on impossible in getting this bike's gears tuned, and that however many times I replace the inner and outer cables it's never quite right ?    Well, replacing the rear mech has resulted in almost perfect gear shifting. Huzzah !!   Whodathunkit ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 12 November, 2022, 04:11:50 pm
Chopped back the clematis and honeysuckle to within a couple of feet off the ground as recommended. TBF It feels like I have bestowed an early death upon them. ???
Removed one of the louvered shutters from my bedroom window.
Used a circular saw to remove 3mm from the face which meets the adjacent louvered shutter.
It now does this sweetly.
Much sawdust.
Much deployment of the Nilfisk vacuum cleaner to clear up the mess.
Used the same after running the Wahl clippers through what remains of my hair.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 November, 2022, 04:12:48 pm
Cleaning the 3 bikes I have in use at the moment (4th, the tourer, is in store for the winter) - I'm mainly used to Shimano stuff - taking the chain off the SRAM equipped e-bike I was surprised at how strong the spring is on the rear mech, compared to Ultegra and 105.

.. .. and despite the spring like temperature and sunshine packed away the outside dining chairs for the winter (in the same storage shed as the touring bike)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 November, 2022, 04:40:49 pm
Before the turntable fettling, I fitted a New! Shiny! front tyre and tube to the Pino, following last week's tyre-go-bang incident. Also cleaned the crud out of one of the headsets, which was as rough as a fence post, and regreased it. All is now sweetness and light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 12 November, 2022, 05:36:13 pm
Unfettled some very manky carpet from the parental stairway & upstairs landing.   It must have been 20 years old at least.  An appalling amount of filth underneath, with the occasional spot redolent of bygone incontinent pets....   


I was glad of my kneepads when ripping up all of the old tacks.


A bit of hoovering later & it should be OK for the new carpet that is (supposed) to be being fitted next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 November, 2022, 06:38:51 pm
Fitted the new heat and smoke alarms. These are a group of 3 new fangled wirelessly networks ones. And, cute trick, as they’ve been grouped, each one has a slightly different sound. Cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 November, 2022, 06:43:04 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 12 November, 2022, 04:11:50 pm
Chopped back the clematis and honeysuckle to within a couple of feet off the ground as recommended. TBF It feels like I have bestowed an early death upon them. ??
I'm not chopping my honeysuckle back, I've not long planted it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 November, 2022, 06:46:09 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 November, 2022, 06:43:04 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 12 November, 2022, 04:11:50 pm
Chopped back the clematis and honeysuckle to within a couple of feet off the ground as recommended. TBF It feels like I have bestowed an early death upon them. ??
I'm not chopping my honeysuckle back, I've not long planted it...

It’s not usual to cut back honeysuckle in the same way as clematis, unless it’s rampant. We had to cut ours down as the drought here had caused it to get mildew and lose all its leaves  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 12 November, 2022, 09:03:16 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 12 November, 2022, 04:11:50 pm
Chopped back the clematis...

Chop it right back to the roots  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 12 November, 2022, 10:37:22 pm
My clematis is type 2. I tend to let it die back completely and then prune it back after Christmas.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/clematis-groups-explained/
There is exactly the same plant further down the road. They prune it in the autumn and it usually starts sprouting again before the winter.  Ours always produces a better display.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 13 November, 2022, 03:33:02 pm
After yesterdays swapping of wheels and tyres on my car, today was washing and polishing of said car (and my wife’s), the first time in years I haven’t used the pressure washer,  because ongoing hosepipe ban (although I did use the hose to bring the outdoor tap some 15m closer to me).

Also cut the lawn for the last time this year, and swapped the pale summer in the lounge for the darker winter one (that doesn’t show spark damage from the open fire!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 13 November, 2022, 07:51:10 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 13 November, 2022, 03:33:02 pm
Also cut the lawn for the last time this year.
I did that two weeks ago.






And again today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 November, 2022, 08:50:42 am
As the zigbee temperature monitor I'd put in the camper didn't have a reliable connection back into the house, I made a wifi variant using an ESP32 board- but also incorporating a triple voltage measurement chip. That means that from Home Assistant (and hence from my phone anywhere) I can check the temperature, humidity, leisure battery voltage, starter battery voltage and solar panel output (the solar panel should keep everything fully charged when it's not being driven - as well as giving us plenty of free electricity when camping off grid).
If I'm away from home wifi the ESP32 board stands up a hotspot so I can the values from my phone whilst close to the van, or read them from the small LCD it's got attached.

It surprises me how easy this stuff is nowadays - that's just a few hours of playing to build something like that out of blocks other people have developed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 14 November, 2022, 08:45:02 pm
I move the winter Duvet out of the cold garage into the house so that it warms up before fitting tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 November, 2022, 09:52:07 pm
Replaced the wheels on HK’s mother’s shopping trolley.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 November, 2022, 03:43:53 pm
Yesterday, tightened up the bolts holding MrsT's lounge chair onto its base so that it doesn't make a sound like a dismayed seal every time she changes position.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 15 November, 2022, 03:50:15 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 November, 2022, 11:02:46 am
Quote from: Jurek on 03 November, 2022, 08:07:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 03 November, 2022, 08:03:47 pm
I put the spiky tyres on my bike. Just as well as there's supposed to be freezing road temps tonight.
Blimey!
I'm still in shorts.
Rode past a bloke de-icing his windscreen with the contents of a kettle. I really need to find my super winter gloves cos the ones I was wearing this morning weren't cutting it.
There used to be woman from Jerusalem who worked in a now-defunct LBS here. One winter she heard from her brother, who'd woken up one morning to find his windscreen iced up; a rare but not unknown phenomenon there. So he poured a kettle-full of boiling water over it... and then he had to buy a new windscreen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 15 November, 2022, 07:31:31 pm
Finally tracked down why my CH hot water system is not working properly after much scratching of head. Seems that the gearing is worn on the Actuator/Powerhead of the HW motorised valve resulting in the integral microswitch not being activated every time, and so not calling for heat from the boiler. This was very confusing, as on first glance it appears that both motorised valves are opening and closing properly but with only the CH circuit firing up. (We have been trying to avoid using the heating as much as possible). I had also changed the synchro motor on the valve concerned some time ago. Whilst tracking this down I also had to replace the Cylinder stat (sigh) as the plastic rotary temp indicator snapped when moved in order to test the stat. No doubt the other Motorised valve will also start playing up in the not too distant future. Lessons learned again.

Fortunately the head can be replaced without a drain down but the nice neat cabling to the control box will have to be pulled away and reclipped when the head has been replaced and the wiring connected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 15 November, 2022, 08:26:47 pm
After 4 years the replacement high voltage diode in our (free, secondhand) Morphy Richards microwave oven failed, with a bang that almost made me drop my porridge on the kitchen floor. New diode fitted today, along with a new bulb so that we can actually see what has boiled over in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The_Mikey on 16 November, 2022, 09:34:00 am
 
   Bike stuff:  Out of the blue I have decided to change my saddle position and stem, moving the saddle forwards and a shorter stem, mostly to address comfort over longer rides.


   Other stuff:   I glued a wooden foot back onto a duck ornament after it was broken by a visiting relative. 

                       I'm in progress with figuring out how to get my laptop to work with my Icom IC705 so I can use it for ft8 contests in the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 November, 2022, 11:02:34 am
Adjusted the barn door furniture to allow for the wood working now we have more humidity.

Got two bikes to clean up after the last couple of rides. I'll see how I feel about that after lunch.

--- nom nom nom nom nom nom ---

Did the cruddier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 18 November, 2022, 03:55:43 pm
I cleaned the top of the taller-than-me fridge freezer. Amazing how much grease and dust can accumulate if you give it long enough  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 18 November, 2022, 04:29:21 pm
Eldest said her water bottle with flip up kinda straw bit on top was leaking. Popped out the flip up bit and the seal this seats against was out of place so put back in

Then youngest got give a necklace by her friend over from Poland. The clasp didn't work, well the clasp did but wasn't actually attached to the necklace so a quick squeeze with some long nose pliers and it's back together. Till it breaks again as clearly not great quality but very sweet of her friend
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 18 November, 2022, 05:25:23 pm
A disc brake caliper. I happened to notice that 1) the caliper wasn’t centred and 2) even when I centred it, one pad moved out and more or less stayed there.

The brake has been faultless, I just like things to be symmetrical if they are supposed to me. Removed pads, cleaned caliper and pistons, gently brought the pistons out a touch, cleaned their sides, and then pushed the pistons back in. Cleaned the pads, refitted, cleaned the rotor, put the wheel back on, and symmetry has been restored.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 November, 2022, 07:13:18 pm
I made a stable!

Well, a small wooden building for a grand-daughter's quite large toy horse - I just managed to scrape together enough timber from 2 pallets and piece of 3mm plywood left over from another job.  Lots of ripping on the bandsaw to cut the pallet slats to thinner strips, pocket hole screws for the frame structure and glue + brad gun for fitting the rustic cladding.  All looks quite good . . .  .  there's a risk that her cousin who has an identical toy horse will be wanting a stable too.

Ah, being a grand-parent has its pleasures  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 18 November, 2022, 07:52:57 pm
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 18 November, 2022, 04:29:21 pm

Then youngest got give a necklace by her friend over from Poland. The clasp didn't work, well the clasp did but wasn't actually attached to the necklace so a quick squeeze with some long nose pliers and it's back together. Till it breaks again as clearly not great quality but very sweet of her friend

Typed the above while at work. Upon getting home from work fixed said necklace again. Tomorrow will be repairing the pantry door handle once I've found suitable threaded screw/gone to local old school hardware store as the little one was hanging off it and pulled the handle off. I got told off for exclamation that she'd broke the handle before realising she'd hit the ground pretty hard and checking she was alright
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 18 November, 2022, 09:41:44 pm
Planted some Beech bare root stock to replace some failures from last November.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 18 November, 2022, 10:00:31 pm
Quote from: robgul on 18 November, 2022, 07:13:18 pm
Ah, being a grand-parent has its pleasures  :thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 November, 2022, 02:47:54 pm
Dismantled a front wheel with a seized SON Klassik hub to swap the Mavic ceramic rim into a SON Delux wheel where the Open Pro rim had lost nearly a quarter of the circumference of a flange because of brake pad wear. The wheel is finished and ready to go back to my friend. The seized hub will go to SJS for new bearings next week. I suspect the Delux hub will need new bearings before this rim wears out.

Adjusted the gears on another friend’s new-to-him Brompton. Other than adding some helicopter tape and replacing some perished brake cable boots, I think it is pretty much as good as new.

Finally removed the broken axle from my fixed’s rear hub. It looks like I can reuse the bearings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 November, 2022, 05:01:38 pm
Nowt yet, but I'm mentally planning a sort of mobile kitchen island, about 120 x 60 cm, on castors and with a built-in butane burner so that I can have a bit more elbow room when I'm cooking.  I'm also thinking of making a second one without the gas ring(s) so that I can have even more room.

It crossed my mind, too, that it'd be handy if promised electricity cuts materialize next January.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 November, 2022, 06:12:47 pm
So today I fettled three bikes from non-rideable to rideable, only one of note was the spoke replacement on the folder with 20" Marathon. Well, [Ed - sorry you will need to continue this in the Div thread]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 November, 2022, 06:29:39 pm
Finally remembered to put radiator reflector behind the last radiator on an outside wall. Only left a piece a couple of inches wide left from the roll I bought, so that worked out well.

Oh and I cleaned the shower head too cos it was  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 19 November, 2022, 06:47:13 pm
A new garden shed, and including dismantlement of the old one. Almost complete but the doors need a final tweak. Planing to allow them to close, and Div moment, planed with door fully open, and so buggered the lower hinge. Bollox. Pt 2 tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 19 November, 2022, 06:52:25 pm
Replaced the last incandescent bulb in the house (apart from one in the cooker hood which is v.small and doesn't get used that much).
Not much of a fettle, except that, as it's the light outside the front door, it required a screwdriver to open it, then the application of WD40 and a bigger screwdriver, then the discovery that it's an ES fitting and I only have BCs in the house so a trip to B&Q was needed.
However, MrsC is pleased with the result, so I'll call it a win.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 November, 2022, 08:46:54 am
Quote from: SteveC on 19 November, 2022, 06:52:25 pm
Replaced the last incandescent bulb in the house (apart from one in the cooker hood which is v.small and doesn't get used that much).
Not much of a fettle, except that, as it's the light outside the front door, it required a screwdriver to open it, then the application of WD40 and a bigger screwdriver, then the discovery that it's an ES fitting and I only have BCs in the house so a trip to B&Q was needed.
However, MrsC is pleased with the result, so I'll call it a win.

First time I travelled abroad on business I had an electric razor with a BC plug. That's when I discovered ES fittings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 November, 2022, 03:34:59 pm
Put one of the o rings I ordered last week in the back of my Hope Vision One. Seems to fit ok. Will see if it keeps the rain out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 20 November, 2022, 07:12:36 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 November, 2022, 03:34:59 pm
Put one of the o rings I ordered last week in the back of my Hope Vision One. Seems to fit ok. Will see if it keeps the rain out.
Ooo. Linkee please. I need a couple of those.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 November, 2022, 11:41:32 pm
1.5X37.NBR_PK5 1.5mm Section 37mm Bore NITRILE 70 Rubber O-Rings from simplybearings,co.uk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 21 November, 2022, 09:00:20 am
My kettle stopped working a couple of weeks ago, it was the fuse, I didn't have a spare one so took the one from vacuum cleaner. Then bought a packet of fuses from the pound shop. Yesterday my hair clipper didn't work, again it was the fuse, so fitted one from the packet.

My induction stand alone hob also stopped working but it wasn't the fuse.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 21 November, 2022, 10:10:19 am
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 19 September, 2022, 08:34:31 pm
With help of I think Simon3 (can't remember his username on here and he hasn't actually posted) shifted my girls beds to allow us access to the radiators, the rooms are so small had to remove them to assemble the cabin beds. Rads checked and turned back on with me downstairs checking system pressure

Then took doors off to plane so fit over new carpet. Was taking an age then Sim mentioned I've got an electric plane so job postponed till can do easily with the electric plane

So borrowed the plane after posting the above and today finally got round to doing it. Half hours work. Both doors now close without needing to be forced against the carpet

As had the extension lead out got the crap jigsaw out and converted a non treated pallet to kindling for the log burner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 November, 2022, 11:09:39 am
Got the eBrute up on the workstand and removed wheels & chain to give it a clean-up. Then began to feel really crappy and went in, leaving the workshop windows open to change the air. Butane heater & wax chain-bath don't exactly make for forest freshness. :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 November, 2022, 11:22:51 am
Cleaned and lubed the carbon machine, hung it on the rack and covered it up for the winter.  It's the Ti roadbike or ebike tourer until about mid-March.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 21 November, 2022, 11:39:20 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 November, 2022, 11:41:32 pm
1.5X37.NBR_PK5 1.5mm Section 37mm Bore NITRILE 70 Rubber O-Rings from simplybearings,co.uk
Thank you !!   :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 November, 2022, 04:54:01 pm
Finished cleaning the eBrute. Getting the motor wheel back into the dropouts was a bastard.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 November, 2022, 11:49:42 am
Reassembled my fixed’s rear wheel and refitted it to my commuter. Replaced and adjusted the front brake pads. Looking forward to riding on Monday. I have had enough of the Tube commuter crush to last me several months.

Fitted winter tyres, second taillight and the front mudguard to my Rogers trike.

Fitted new tyres to HK’s Trykit as the rear Durano Plus tyres were down to blue and the front tyre was summer-weight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 26 November, 2022, 01:27:09 pm
Descaled the Gaggia Classic and gave it a long overdue clean. Perhaps because it felt neglected, the fecker won't prime. It's been reluctant in the past, but not for this long...


...and a wait of half an hour and all is well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 26 November, 2022, 03:35:31 pm
The Velux in the bathroom. It spends 7 months of the year open to various degrees, and gets shut about now, with the vent left open. Except the last couple of years it’s been a bit reluctant to close properly and without undue force. So today the lock mechanism and frame sealing area had their first clean and lubrication in >25 years, and all is well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 27 November, 2022, 12:14:43 am
Mrs B fettled her car locking & unlocking device. The battery died last week, & the car complained that the battery in the spare was low. While having her car examined by the shite people who tried to rip her off with a huge quote for doing pointless 'repairs' & repainting (see the rant thread) she mentioned this. They said "no problem!" & replaced both batteries. Then charged her £20.

One of those batteries was running low after a week. So she watched a video on YouTube, opened up the key, & ascertained that it uses a bog-standard CR2032 & replacing it takes a minute or so.

Scumbags.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 November, 2022, 03:56:37 pm
The annual Delia Smith (somewhat adapted as we don’t like currants) Rich Fruit Cake, for Christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 27 November, 2022, 04:09:29 pm
Replaced lightbulbs in the house with LED ones. Only two more to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 November, 2022, 06:48:32 pm
Stripped the fixer down ready for repainting.

Stripped the thread off the left hand crank. Bugger. Had to resort to getting jiggy with a disc cutter.  Oh well, it was a bit worn and would look out of place on the renovated frame. At least that's what I tell myself. Bust the head off one of the dropout adjusters which was seized in place. Arse. Tried a bit of blow torch action but there's not a lot to grip on to turn it out.  Have appealed to a friend with an Abom79 type garage for assistance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 November, 2022, 07:22:36 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 November, 2022, 06:48:32 pm
Stripped the fixer down ready for repainting.

Stripped the thread off the left hand crank. Bugger. Had to resort to getting jiggy with a disc cutter.  Oh well, it was a bit worn and would look out of place on the renovated frame. At least that's what I tell myself. Bust the head off one of the dropout adjusters which was seized in place. Arse. Tried a bit of blow torch action but there's not a lot to grip on to turn it out.  Have appealed to a friend with an Abom79 type garage for assistance.
Sounds a bit 'Arse!'
As well as 'Arse! Arse! Arse!'.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 November, 2022, 11:01:46 am
Knocked the mud & crud off the eBrute. No point in trying for shiny in this weather.

@TimH Arse indeed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 November, 2022, 12:57:38 pm
Better to have the hassles this side of the repaint than when it's Shiny! and New!

Of to my mate Mickey this evening who says he'll get the seized adjuster out in a trice. I have a bottle of wne on board as payment.

There's a redundant cable guide on the frame (former geared bike now used as a fixie).  Will I be OK to get the aformentioned Mickey to wave a torch at it to unbraze it? Presumably these fit onto an otherwise un holed chainstay, ie removing it won't leave me with hole where I don't need it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 November, 2022, 01:14:23 pm
Normally just bronze brazed into place on the surface of the steel tube. You could just cut/ grind it off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 November, 2022, 09:09:16 pm
As part of the Great Fixie Refurbishment project, I gave the wheels a clean. This involved taking the sprocket off for a de-gunging. It's been on a while and needed much grunt on the chain whip to get it off. So much that the short chain on the whip broke. I took this as an opportunity to replace it with a spare length of 1/8 chain so it fits better. And it got the sprocket off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 29 November, 2022, 09:11:47 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 29 November, 2022, 09:09:16 pm
As part of the Great Fixie Refurbishment project, I gave the wheels a clean. This involved taking the sprocket off for a de-gunging. It's been on a while and needed much grunt on the chain whip to get it off. So much that the short chain on the whip broke. I took this as an opportunity to replace it with a spare length of 1/8 chain so it fits better. And it got the sprocket off.
Satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 November, 2022, 11:14:11 pm
Replaced the wheels on a Delsey suitcase after one got ripped off by enthusiastic airline baggage handlers. Hopefully these ones will hold up as the hardcase fits a Brompton quite nicely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 November, 2022, 11:30:31 pm
Perpetrated assorted acts of bodgery on the bath, in the hope of persuading shower water not to track along the edge and then dribble over the lip into the no-longer-structural anaglypta.  Results from my Junior Pocket Spirit Level (model 3a, courtesy of a CrinklyCub) were disheartening - it's never going to drain back into the bath - but I'm hoping it will now simply form a puddle in the corner rather than continue to soak the wall.

I suspect the underlying problem is that the bath was installed with an excessive slope towards the plughole end, because they weren't anticipating the installation of a shower, rather than the cumulative effect of warping wood and crumbly plaster that I originally suspected.

The whole lot needs ripping out and doing properly, of course, but that's what you get for being rental scum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 November, 2022, 11:37:12 pm
I once deployed a tactical bit of 4 x 2, inna pit prop stylee, to correct warpage in my bath to fix such a problem. Take of bath panel, insert slightly too long piece of wood between floorboards and underside of the top of the bath and persuade into place with the aid of a club hammer. Spirit level recommended.

(ETA. Sorry if that sounds a bit egg sucky, not my intention)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 November, 2022, 11:41:38 pm
Floorboards are a sticking point.  Literally:  As the bath started to approach some semblance of level, I realised that the pipework feeding the taps (which performs a 90° bend immediately below the floor) was starting to lift the offending floorboard with it.  So I had to compromise.

Persuasion and tactical pieces of wood was indeed my method of bodgery.  Unlike the previous bodge-artist, who made impressive use of sky hooks to support the frame around the waste pipe, I also went as far as to secure them against lateral movement with some angle plates and self-untapping screws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 November, 2022, 08:31:55 am
Quote from: Kim on 29 November, 2022, 11:41:38 pm
...the previous bodge-artist, who made impressive use of sky hooks to support the frame...

Back in the days when disk drives needed a couple of strong blokes to lift them I visited a client's place with an engineer who opened the cabinet to find that the back end of the drive was supported by two cable ties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 30 November, 2022, 06:58:27 pm
The v brake pivots greased and the cable lubed on the sun ez3. The trailer which kim brought down from the York rally for me has been temporarily attached behind it and I will attempt to fit a qr axle to the towing hitch tomorrow and fit a old plastic box for shopping to the trailer bed .pictures tomorrow hopefully  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 30 November, 2022, 08:22:50 pm
Our dishwasher had the flood prevention warning which I have had a few times, normally I think as the filter was minging and we may have stopped the cycle before drained and then reset dishwasher cycle to start again

Last night I pulled out and drained/tilted back to reset switch. Tonight I properly levelled and fixed back under the counter. I also refilled the salt....see I'm such a div thread
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Slave To The Viking on 30 November, 2022, 11:25:42 pm
Quote from: Paul on 18 November, 2022, 03:55:43 pm
I cleaned the top of the taller-than-me fridge freezer. Amazing how much grease and dust can accumulate if you give it long enough  :sick:

There aren't all that many such appliances that are taller than me. Mine's 1.86m and I can see the top of it.

BUT...

Well, I'm a scruffy bastard, so no, I'm not at all amazed by how much crap collects on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 December, 2022, 01:09:43 am
I've had to chock the fridge freezer up on a couple of breeze blocks in order to accommodate the new washing machine (this does make sense, honest), so the top is now beyond my eye level.

Can vouch for the efficacy of Swarfega on the dusty grease that accumulates in kitchens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 02 December, 2022, 08:35:11 pm
I've suspected for a while our front door needs adjustment as we get slugs in the hall and it's bloody freezing. However tonight noticed one crawling (sure that's not the correct term, sliding maybe) round the plastic trim that goes round the door frame

Stuck fingers round back and it's basically a void behind there allowing air through. We had the door adjusted about a year after having it fitted and after a year of chasing the guy who fitted it to come back and do again as moved i learnt how to do myself but do suspect they didn't do a very good job of fitting

Anyhow tonight I chopped up some foam insulation I use between the canoe and roof bars on car when transporting and stuck in behind the trim. A lit lighter no longer shows a draught so will hopefully be warmer and slug free
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 December, 2022, 11:08:25 pm
Your door fitter sounds like one to avoid.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 03 December, 2022, 07:12:25 am
What about one of those cans of expanding foam with a longish nozzle?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 03 December, 2022, 07:27:03 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 December, 2022, 11:08:25 pm
Your door fitter sounds like one to avoid.

Well I'd tend to agree, unfortunately had lots of good reviews on whatever site we used.

May try the expanding foam but don't want to have to replace carpet/redecorate walls if it goes everywhere. My insulation installation seems to have worked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 03 December, 2022, 08:01:20 am
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 02 December, 2022, 08:35:11 pm
I've suspected for a while our front door needs adjustment as we get slugs in the hall and it's bloody freezing. However tonight noticed one crawling (sure that's not the correct term, sliding maybe) round the plastic trim that goes round the door frame

Stuck fingers round back and it's basically a void behind there allowing air through. We had the door adjusted about a year after having it fitted and after a year of chasing the guy who fitted it to come back and do again as moved i learnt how to do myself but do suspect they didn't do a very good job of fitting

Anyhow tonight I chopped up some foam insulation I use between the canoe and roof bars on car when transporting and stuck in behind the trim. A lit lighter no longer shows a draught so will hopefully be warmer and slug free

I has always thought that it was uncommonly cold around our back door so when we were stripping and installing a new kitchen in 2016 I pulled off the trim around the back door which the fitters had done on both the inside one outside.  The result was a gap around the sides and the top but also the frame sat back from the face of the outer leaf by about half an inch leaving effectively an "L" profile gap around the frame (except the bottom of course).

I had the local firm back to resolve it under warranty.  They were very reluctant but caved.  The frame was moved flush to the back of the front leaf, secured into the brickwork of the inner leaf and then the gaps filled with insulation.  The difference was massive.

I feel for the many customers out there who have been swindled by these cowboys.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 December, 2022, 08:37:36 am
I had to trim down an internal door to clear some new flooring.

A bit of a result - the job was for my brother-in-law (who doesn't know a saw from a screwdriver) - door off, track-saw trim 4mm off the bottom, seal with some acrylic primer, rehang the door - took about 20 minutes + 15 minutes drying time for the paint while I had coffee . . . payment was an excellent lunch at a great restaurant with me, my wife, him and his wife ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 December, 2022, 10:53:02 am
Quote from: robgul on 03 December, 2022, 08:37:36 am
I had to trim down an internal door to clear some new flooring.

A bit of a result - the job was for my brother-in-law (who doesn't know a saw from a screwdriver) - door off, track-saw trim 4mm off the bottom, seal with some acrylic primer, rehang the door - took about 20 minutes + 15 minutes drying time for the paint while I had coffee . . . payment was an excellent lunch at a great restaurant with me, my wife, him and his wife ;D

What was your set-up for using the track saw "on site", as it were?  I have problems supporting the track safely in the workshop - traditional woodworking benches don't lend themselves to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 December, 2022, 12:29:22 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 December, 2022, 10:53:02 am
Quote from: robgul on 03 December, 2022, 08:37:36 am
I had to trim down an internal door to clear some new flooring.

A bit of a result - the job was for my brother-in-law (who doesn't know a saw from a screwdriver) - door off, track-saw trim 4mm off the bottom, seal with some acrylic primer, rehang the door - took about 20 minutes + 15 minutes drying time for the paint while I had coffee . . . payment was an excellent lunch at a great restaurant with me, my wife, him and his wife ;D

What was your set-up for using the track saw "on site", as it were?  I have problems supporting the track safely in the workshop - traditional woodworking benches don't lend themselves to it.

In the workshop the track rail (usually just using 1 x 70cm) is loose on the workpiece on a large-ish MFT bench - I do have some of the dog clips and rail square etc.- and just use some sacrificial 12mm MDF under the sheet being cut.

The job yesterday: I needed to cut off quite a thin sliver on an "egg-box" door (i.e. timber rails and styles with the space filled with cardboard) - door off and flat on a pair of Stanley plastic trestles - fitted a strip of blue masking tape to both sides of the area to be cut to obviate splintering - using one rail (door was 68cm) clamped to the door using Festool-type clamps that fit in the rail with a couple of blocks of waste wood to avoid marking the underside face - one cut with the track saw through the tape - remove tape - the lightest of a sand along the cut edges and paint the newly cut face with some primer.  Rehang door, using some wedges I keep for the purpose.  Job done.

(https://imgaz3.staticbg.com/thumb/large/oaupload/banggood/images/F9/07/96b0ba27-7322-4d32-945e-64507d36afe9.jpg.webp)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 December, 2022, 02:42:04 pm
I replaced a missing pair of slats and holders in the spare bed frame. It's been lying dismantled in the spare room since we moved in last year (the previous owner left it for us).
So then I decided to put it back together. Dragged Pingu in to help. Bloody hell that was a real fecking pain in the arse. You wouldn't think it would be too difficult to fit 8 bolts through the base into the head and foot ends of the frame but the holes just didn't want to line up.
It took us about 2 hours and many Bad Swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 December, 2022, 04:20:58 pm
Quote from: robgul on 03 December, 2022, 12:29:22 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 December, 2022, 10:53:02 am
Quote from: robgul on 03 December, 2022, 08:37:36 am
I had to trim down an internal door to clear some new flooring.

A bit of a result - the job was for my brother-in-law (who doesn't know a saw from a screwdriver) - door off, track-saw trim 4mm off the bottom, seal with some acrylic primer, rehang the door - took about 20 minutes + 15 minutes drying time for the paint while I had coffee . . . payment was an excellent lunch at a great restaurant with me, my wife, him and his wife ;D

What was your set-up for using the track saw "on site", as it were?  I have problems supporting the track safely in the workshop - traditional woodworking benches don't lend themselves to it.

In the workshop the track rail (usually just using 1 x 70cm) is loose on the workpiece on a large-ish MFT bench - I do have some of the dog clips and rail square etc.- and just use some sacrificial 12mm MDF under the sheet being cut.

The job yesterday: I needed to cut off quite a thin sliver on an "egg-box" door (i.e. timber rails and styles with the space filled with cardboard) - door off and flat on a pair of Stanley plastic trestles - fitted a strip of blue masking tape to both sides of the area to be cut to obviate splintering - using one rail (door was 68cm) clamped to the door using Festool-type clamps that fit in the rail with a couple of blocks of waste wood to avoid marking the underside face - one cut with the track saw through the tape - remove tape - the lightest of a sand along the cut edges and paint the newly cut face with some primer.  Rehang door, using some wedges I keep for the purpose.  Job done.

Sounds good. My benches are about 1m80 long, so while I can get one clamp into the rail at one end there's no way I can get a second one in 70 cm into the middle of the bench-top - there's a drawer there - and there are face vices to work aournd too. I need to screw cross-pieces to the bench-top and put a chunk of MDF across and work on that.  A bit of a pain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 03 December, 2022, 09:21:04 pm
A Miele vacuum cleaner.

It refused to start. Retract a bit of cable & it'd start. Then it wouldn't start at all. I thought it was a loose connection at the end of the cable reel which cut out under tension, & all I had to do was tighten it up. So, easy-peasy as long as I could get to it.

One disassembled vacuum cleaner later, I got to the connections. Solid as a rock. Bafflement. Everything else looked OK. Then I saw it . . . . bloody cable. Casing split, & so was the neutral wire. It must have frayed through. Looked as if it had been pinched when assembled, & flexed every time the cable was rewound or pulled on.

Easily fixed, but I had to take the bloody thing to pieces. One screw was hidden under the on & off switch & cable rewind trigger (release one of the many inconspicuous clips & fold it up . . . . ). If it wasn't for YouTube I don't know if I'd have managed it. Oh, & by pure luck, my one & only long Torx screwdriver (apart from that I just have a folding thingy with different sizes, but all short) was the right one for getting at the several Torx screws at the bottom of deep holes. The two which were a different size were, fortunately, easier to get at.

Top marks for making it solid. But user serviceability?

I decided to leave fixing the cable (take off two spade clips, shorten cable 15 cm, bare ends & crimp spade clips on 'em) & reassembly (AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!) until tomorrow. I have beer. It was calling to me.

If I was still working full time & earning anything like I used to I'd have just bought a new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 December, 2022, 10:03:51 am
Gave my B2C machine its weekly decoke. The water in the drip tray had a couple of dozen dead fruit flies on the surface - nobody told them that plants evolved caffeine as an insecticide.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 December, 2022, 01:55:20 pm
After y'day's guest bed building, today I went to the Swedish Happy Halls of Joy and picked up the mattress and assembled all the bedclothes on it so they aren't taking up storage space in the wardrobe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 05 December, 2022, 10:11:27 pm
Chain and cassette for the Elan tossed in the ultrasonic cleaner. They go in gunky - and come out shiny! Chain length is still good on the Shimano tool after 5000km.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 December, 2022, 09:02:10 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 December, 2022, 01:55:20 pm
After y'day's guest bed building, today I went to the Swedish Happy Halls of Joy and picked up the mattress and assembled all the bedclothes on it so they aren't taking up storage space in the wardrobe.

Back in 1972 we bought mattress and wood chipboard to make a guest bed and drove the 25 km home down the autoroute with the lot of it sticking out of the top of our Citroën Dyane.  Double bed, at that.  I still have a couple of bits of it over in the workshop, in the long hop-up to go in front of my shelves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 December, 2022, 10:05:27 am
Replaced the broken handlebar catch on my Brompton. The catch has been slightly strengthened and stiffened since I bought my B.

Replaced the bulged rear tyre on my fixed and readjusted the rear mudguard to clear the replacement tyre.

Refitted the rear rack to HK’s recumbent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 December, 2022, 11:25:21 am
Serviced three of our paraffin lamps and left a fourth in the care of WD40 since I can't unscrew the top.  Last time we used them was during the three-day power cut that followed our 1999 hurricane.  Two of them still had paraffin in, though not much, and all of them had the wick-adjustment mechanism jammed solid.  Despite the kitchen exhaust fan I ended up with a headache from paraffin fumes & smoke.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 07 December, 2022, 09:26:44 pm
Quote from: robgul on 03 December, 2022, 12:29:22 pm

The job yesterday: I needed to cut off quite a thin sliver on an "egg-box" door (i.e. timber rails and styles with the space filled with cardboard) - door off and flat on a pair of Stanley plastic trestles - fitted a strip of blue masking tape to both sides of the area to be cut to obviate splintering - using one rail (door was 68cm) clamped to the door using Festool-type clamps that fit in the rail with a couple of blocks of waste wood to avoid marking the underside face - one cut with the track saw through the tape - remove tape - the lightest of a sand along the cut edges and paint the newly cut face with some primer.  Rehang door, using some wedges I keep for the purpose.  Job done.


Don't they use naff wood for them these days? A couple of weeks ago, I got roped into making a double cupboard door for Miss Ham's house. During the renovation of Ham Hall, I'd made a double cupboard door, using two solid pine doors, each sliced down the middle and hinged, with a bit planted on the end for balance, makes for a very effective, space efficient and compact door. "One like that but it doesn't have to fold in the middle" Quoth she, so  I decided to use egg box doors. I had measured, and realised the builders had left the opening too high and too narrow (actually, perfect timber to timber, and therefore >50mm too small once the opening had been trimmed, but I hadn't fully appreciated the impact of the eggbox construction. I ended up cutting 30mm of the width, then ripping down a piece of 30mm PAR to drop in (and therefore provide a stronger hinge post than the original) along with corner braces. End result wasn't too shabby, but a lot more effort than I'd bargained for :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 December, 2022, 09:28:40 am
Some minor surgery on the barn door to counter the effects of the wood swelling with the increased humidity.  Main feature of proceedings was the fingertip pain when fumbling with 1°C metal tools.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 10 December, 2022, 12:04:07 pm
Sewed up one end of a zip on my shopping backpack, where the teeth were damaged. The zip goes round two right-angle bends, which in the case of a zip are wrong-angles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 10 December, 2022, 02:16:44 pm
The very cheap solar lights I bought last year proved to be cheap and nasty, so I bought some, hopefully, decent ones and braved below-freezing temperatures to put them up. A bonus was that I could reuse the drill holes with a bit of wiggling. I should get a couple of hours sunshine on the panel to try the big one out later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 10 December, 2022, 03:06:40 pm
As previously mentioned our hall way is cold. Improved since last bodge but I wanted a curtain over front door. Went to town earlier in search of a curtain or a blanket to fashion into a heavy curtain. Found a pair of curtains exactly the right length for 7 quid in a charity shop.

Purchased a broom handle and two screw in hooks from local hardware store. It's a local one which is much more expensive then say screwfix but as today proved you can get odd stuff like 6 bolts I'd lost from a cot we are giving away so more then happy to pay a premium to keep them going

When I explained the project the guy laughed but ita worked brilliantly hung over door, still have a spare curtain as well
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 December, 2022, 04:36:17 pm
Miserable weather and bored so DIY again.
Took one of the handrails off the stairwell. Scraped the shittily applied gloss off it and sanded it.
Next I need to get all the paint off the 4 rail brackets and scrape/sand the worst of the paint off the wooden bit the handrail screws into.
I hate other people's gloss painting.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52555127818_2fbe4d0308.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o57Lvq)2022-12-10_04-30-22 (https://flic.kr/p/2o57Lvq) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 10 December, 2022, 07:01:34 pm
Removed and refitted the cistern in the downstairs loo . . . .  for a rather unusual reason.

There was a burst water main round the corner, it wasn't affecting our water supply but was gushing down the road for 3 days - Severn Trent effected a temporary repair (rubber sleeve and two Jubilee clips) late last night - so far so good . . . they turned off the water for about 15 minutes while they put the sleeve on and then switched the water back on . . .  the mud and sludge in the hole they dug had obviously got into the water supply so our water (taps, loos) started out muddy and slowly faded to a lighter brown and eventually clear.

The cistern flushed . . . but didn't refill.  At first I thought it might be a frozen pipe, unlikely as everything is lagged and it's not that cold.   After a bit of head-scratching I thought there must be a blockage - panel off, water isolated, concealed cistern disconnected and removed . . . in the inlet pipe to the flush mechanism was a clod of earth about as big as a raisin completely blocking it - a bit of prodding with cotton buds and a probe cleaned it out.  Reassembled everything and all working again.

Just have to work out what's restricting the water flow to the mixer tap in the wash basin . . .  probably mud in the cartridge.  That's tomorrow morning's job when I've been to Toolstation to buy a "strap wrench" to get the top off the tap.

All good fun - I quite enjoy plumbing work.     I just hope that when the proper repair is made we don't get the mud issue again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 10 December, 2022, 07:03:39 pm
Trick when that sort of thing happens is to run the kitchen tap until the water is clear before flushing the loo or using the hot water or whatever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 December, 2022, 07:51:54 am
Quote from: Kim on 10 December, 2022, 07:03:39 pm
Trick when that sort of thing happens is to run the kitchen tap until the water is clear before flushing the loo or using the hot water or whatever.

Indeed - IF you know* that it's likely to have mud in the water . . .  this was about 22:30 when ablutions are in order . . . and cook closes the kitchen at 20:00  ;D

*we received no warning - Severn Trent, in the past, has sent a man round with door-to-door leaflets when this situation exists.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 December, 2022, 01:49:07 pm
Yeah, we've usually had a leaflet.  Especially when there's an element of forward planning, rather than someone putting a digger through the water main or whatever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 11 December, 2022, 02:04:50 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 December, 2022, 01:49:07 pm
Yeah, we've usually had a leaflet.  Especially when there's an element of forward planning, rather than someone putting a digger through the water main or whatever.

The leak was reported on Wednesday - the bloke with the digger turned up at about 1130 Friday and the water off/mud issue was at 2230 Friday - and it's only a temporary fix at the moment.  Plenty of time for a warning.

On reflection in our case running one of the outside taps would be the way to do it as the kitchen and utility are both mixers (the former with a 3rd tap filter) and could be tricky to fix if blocked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 11 December, 2022, 02:19:27 pm
Yesterday, but I put the Christmas lights up on the front of the cottage. Wasn’t too bad in the sun, a lot better than today would have been, what with the freezing fog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 December, 2022, 02:52:05 pm
I gave the handrail from up there ^ a coat of what turned out to be exterior varnish, but I'm sure it'll be fine. It is currently lying in the hall being as there's nowhere else long enough indoors for it to fit.
I also sanded the piece of wood on the wall that the handrail screws into. That was a right PITA because the piece of wood was dished so I couldn't use the sanding block. I hate sanding. It was all covered in runs.  ::-)
Then I gave that piece of wood a coat of Intelligent Eggshell.

My body hurts now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: John Stonebridge on 11 December, 2022, 05:48:37 pm
I have put up a wreath on the front door.  A garden centre purchase duly pimped up by Mrs S.

We have a letter box at pretty much eye level so the wreath has to go just below it using cable and a hook on the inside of the door.

I always start off thinking its going to be a 2 minute job then half an hour later I'm still scratching my head and worrying that the postie wont be able to get the letters through the flap. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 11 December, 2022, 06:02:51 pm
Quote from: John Stonebridge on 11 December, 2022, 05:48:37 pm
I have put up a wreath on the front door.  A garden centre purchase duly pimped up by Mrs S.

We have a letter box at pretty much eye level so the wreath has to go just below it using cable and a hook on the inside of the door.

I always start off thinking its going to be a 2 minute job then half an hour later I'm still scratching my head and worrying that the postie wont be able to get the letters through the flap.

Youngest and me made a wreath too. With the exception of some string and a old bit of fabric to make ribbon to hang by all sourced within about 200 metres of house. Made the willow ring from our wonderful willow coppice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andy W on 11 December, 2022, 06:22:36 pm
Bled the hydraulic brakes and fitted new brake pads  on my touring bike. Took 3 hours and all is good.
First time ive worked on hydraulic brakes on a bike. Next time it should an hour now im familiar with the process. I was suprised at how quickly the pads wore out from new, around 2500 miles. I get more mileage from rim brakes, although the rims wear as well. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 December, 2022, 06:43:03 pm
Gave the handrail a 2nd coat of varnish before I left for work this morning and a light sand and a final coat when I got home. Hopefully ready to put back up tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 December, 2022, 06:53:49 pm
. . .  the mud in the pipes saga is now over (see up-thread) - necessitated removing the tap from the wash basin and washing it all out as well as blasting it through with air from the compressor to remove what looked like flakes of mud or possibly fragments of leaf.    Now back in action.  Complaint raised with Severn Trent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 December, 2022, 08:34:39 pm
Finishing the saga
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52562136645_9d3efc9b7b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o5JFZg)2022-12-13_08-27-32 (https://flic.kr/p/2o5JFZg) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That was a lot of type 2 fun. 1 out of the 4 brackets was a different size to the rest, we had to figure out where it went and then it transpired the brackets weren't equidistant and that we'd got the rail the wrong way round so we had to take it out to the front garden and do a wee dance in the snow to get it the right way round.
We decided it's never coming off again in a DIY stylee.
Just need to remember all those lessons when I decide to do the other one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 December, 2022, 07:34:03 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 December, 2022, 08:34:39 pm
Finishing the saga
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52562136645_9d3efc9b7b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o5JFZg)2022-12-13_08-27-32 (https://flic.kr/p/2o5JFZg) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That was a lot of type 2 fun. 1 out of the 4 brackets was a different size to the rest, we had to figure out where it went and then it transpired the brackets weren't equidistant and that we'd got the rail the wrong way round so we had to take it out to the front garden and do a wee dance in the snow to get it the right way round.
We decided it's never coming off again in a DIY stylee.
Just need to remember all those lessons when I decide to do the other one.

Been there done that - when you do the other rail mark it underneath for orientation, and the brackets on the back of the fiting flange - same concept applies if you take the drawers out of an older/antique piece of furniture . . . number them on the underside as there will doubtless be size variations.

Rail looks smart BTW
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 December, 2022, 09:49:03 am
Quote from: robgul on 14 December, 2022, 07:34:03 am
...if you take the drawers out of an older/antique piece of furniture . . . number them on the underside as there will doubtless be size variations.

Love doing this and seeing the pencil-marks left by woodworkers a century or more earlier, ditto the crappy wood they used for bits that'd never be seen.  30 years ago I restored a 19th-century grandfather clock and found that part of the back panel had been supplied by the Mildura Fruit Company, Australia.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 14 December, 2022, 12:39:13 pm
I recreated the usual cycling related xmas decorations ...

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0a/88/e7/0a88e7b000fdd3a651f7839a1a84e38f.jpg)

Must think of something new next year. Anybody got any ideas?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 14 December, 2022, 08:49:34 pm
Pipes in the loft froze last night. A problem that I thought I solved last year. When I went up to investigate I saw what a crap job of lagging the new pipe run I did. It's much better now. I'll see if it's any good tomorrow as it's going to be another cold one tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 December, 2022, 01:45:34 pm
In my Long Ride tool bag I have misc tools including 1 x 15mm combination spanner (I can do pedals with it and track nuts), 1 x crank remover and 1 x 16mm combination spanner, to go with the crank remover.

Today I finally got round to filing 0.5mm off each face of the hex bits on the crank extractor so my 15mm spanner fits.

Modified tools! Lighter tool bag!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 16 December, 2022, 09:02:23 pm
No, my latest attempt at lagging failed. It's going to be a touch(1-2 deg C) warmer tonight, so hopefully no messing about with a hot air gun in the morning. I think the permanent solution will be trace heating. Need to find a reliable electrician.

Sent from my moto g(50) using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 16 December, 2022, 10:58:55 pm
Not today, but the completion of the job I wrote about on December 3rd: Miele vacuum cleaner with broken wire.

Had to get new spade connectors, as the old ones looked too tightly crimped to open up & re-crimp. But metric (5mm) . . . . a nightmare to find 'em! Eventually found some 4.8mm, which could be opened up slightly & made to fit. Then I could put it all together. At last!

Mrs B had got a bit sceptical, what with bits of vacuum cleaner piled up for a couple of days (almost complete disassembly had been required) & was muttering about buying a new one, but when I demonstrated the reassembled (after a couple of "where the fuck did this come from?" moments) cleaner, working perfectly (but with a 15 cm shorter lead), she was delighted. And almost two weeks later, it's still working.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 December, 2022, 11:19:25 pm
Good job!
On my local FB group there is a bloke who fixes, services, and sells 2nd hand vacuum cleaners, You can get a reconditioned Dyson or Shark for £40 to £60 which I think is a bargain when you consider the cost of a new one and the fact you're stopping something from going to landfill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 17 December, 2022, 08:25:24 pm
I salvaged a 2A, 1000 V diode from a defunct power supply and added it in series with a 250 W heated towel rail.

Previously the towel rail would eventually get to be too hot to touch, and would overheat the bathroom. Now that it runs at 125 W it gets nice and warm. Long-term testing is underway to see how hot the bathroom gets.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 17 December, 2022, 10:39:34 pm
I have spent much of the late afternoon and evening thinking about clothing storage. We have an inbuilt small wardrobe (77cm wide) with a rail but we could really do with some more shelving storage for jeans and fleece & stuff.
Ideally I'd buy a freestanding 'linen press' type thing but they seem to be like hen's teeth. So then I was looking into getting a single freestanding hanging wardrobe and inserting an Ikea wardrobe insert with drawers in the current wardrobe but of course they are not the correct width.
Possibly a single wardrobe and just shelving the current one will be the cheapest and simplest option but my brain hurts now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 17 December, 2022, 11:53:51 pm
You shoud molish something from all that wood that's in the loft  ;) :P :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 December, 2022, 11:14:34 am
Go on then, you're the master shelf molisher.  :-*
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 December, 2022, 11:29:19 am
Put together my second 25€ Workmate-style effort from Aldi.  I used one of these things last summer when I was doing the barn door. They're light, remarkably solid and very handy.  Great for edge-planing boards.

If you ever see one, get two. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 December, 2022, 11:36:15 am
Quote from: T42 on 18 December, 2022, 11:29:19 am
Put together my second 25€ Workmate-style effort from Aldi.  I used one of these things last summer when I was doing the barn door. They're light, remarkably solid and very handy.  Great for edge-planing boards.

If you ever see one, get two. 
Does it stand up without wobbling?

Actually having Googled Aldi's offering it looks remarkably similar to the one I have. I just need to bodge something to keep it stable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 December, 2022, 01:49:48 pm
No wobbles. I'd stand on it quite happily.

Both of mine are now holding up an old melamine desk-top in the kitchen so that I can try cooking at the place I want to put an island on castors. Not a trace of a wobble.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 19 December, 2022, 09:41:02 pm
Put some new SwissStop brake pads onto the rear calipers of my Spa Audax bike.

Re-seated the draught excluder on my front-door letterbox.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 20 December, 2022, 02:59:29 pm
Insulated the condensate pipe from my boiler.
Which, as the plumber who came to fettle my kitchen taps taps pointed out, I was lucky that it didn't freeze in last weeks baltic temperatures.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 23 December, 2022, 07:01:47 am
Got home from work last night, feeling pretty rough as kids have given me cold they've had. Planning on doing not much when there's a knock at the door and I find my crazy Egyptian neighbour stood there looking a bit flustered and see his bonnet is open.

Won't start I ask. Worse is the reply. It turned out he had been using his phone torch to see what was doing as topping oil up (has a small leak apparently) and dropped it.

Couldn't reach it and nor could I so ended up having to remove the front of the undertray to retrieve phone.

Was a bag of Costa sandwiches etc on our door this morning where he works.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 December, 2022, 08:22:19 am
Nowt yet. Going to take an excavator to the eBrute presently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 December, 2022, 02:33:22 pm
The Christmas tree (from the bucket of water it’s been sat in the last 10 days) into the stand and into the living room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2022, 12:15:42 am
Noticed the fairy lights[1] in our bathroom were glitching while I was on the loo earlier, and on further examination determined that the alerter had dropped its Ethernet connection (but interestingly, had not locked up).  Gave the wires a wiggle, to no obvious effect, so started systematically searching for whatever power supply was on the fritz.  Fortunately, it turned out not to be something awkward like capacitor death in the alerter's PoE module, but a short circuit in the LED string itself.  On closer inspection this appeared to be the result of corrosion where the wire was wrapped around a supporting panel pin in the corner by the damp patch, which I've been optimistically spraying with some alleged mould-killing product, in the hope of killing the mould.  So far, it's mostly succeeded in killing the glaze on the wire, leading to the afore-mentioned short.  Resolved by un-twisting the wires from the panel pin, and securing the string by a single conductor, with the other spaced in free air a couple of centimetres away.

A couple of years is pretty respectable for something that cost about 3 quid, subject to DC voltages in a damp environment.  At some point it'll fail more dramatically and need replacing.  Well worth it for a modest level of automagic illumination for nocturnal loo visits.


[1] A string of those tiny LEDs blobbed directly onto a pair of glazed copper wires, strung around the periphery of the room (apart from the tiled bit above the bath) controlled by an Arduino micro hanging off a USB port of the alerting module on the shelf above the loo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2022, 12:29:29 pm
Kim, get some Granocryl or something similar for your mould. Something containing benzalkonium chloride anyway. Other makes are available at various prices.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2022, 01:29:32 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2022, 12:29:29 pm
Kim, get some Granocryl or something similar for your mould. Something containing benzalkonium chloride anyway. Other makes are available at various prices.

Noted.  My bottle of doesn't-list-its-active-ingredient is nearly empty anyway, so I'll go looking for something decent after Christmas.

I think it has had some effect, and would probably have more if I could be arsed to move everything out of the way, put on a respirator and give the wall a (careful, so as not to destroy the landlord's precious Anaglypta) scrub.  Not doing that until the hot water's fixed, thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2022, 02:50:05 pm
Speaking of mould, I just found some growing on the carpet (yes, I know) under the toilet cistern where the condensing water drips off it.  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 24 December, 2022, 06:38:56 pm
Tightened the headset on my wife's fixie.Greased the crown race as well. Took the chain off my fixie and dropped the chain in degreaser. New chairing required as it looks like sharks teeth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 24 December, 2022, 07:31:35 pm
Two days ago.
* Changed 100w outdoor garden wall lamp bulb with an 8w LED replacement.
* Swapped 60w inspection lamp bulb for an 8w LED alternative.
* Took off Michelin Pro Endurance tyres from Spa Audax bike (plenty of life left in them),
   replaced with Schwalbe Durano Plus (for the extra puncture resistance).
* Added an extra 100mm loft insulation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 December, 2022, 11:15:52 am
Before I had my shower I scrubbed the mouldy carpet under the toilet and then scrubbed the bottom of the cistern which was black. And then I found some  containers to collect the drips.
Post shower and breakfast Pingu got the ladder out and I installed a new end stop on the curtain track (the one that the curtain has been hanging off since we moved in). Required a bit of contortion on my part but got there eventually.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 26 December, 2022, 04:36:54 pm
Replaced an upper suspension bushing on the back of the planet slayer. A surprisingly straightforward job. I'd done the other side a couple of years ago, and bought bits to do both at the same time, just not got around to doing the "good" side, but it is failing now. MOT is still a month away, but as we've got nice day it was an opportunity to do it in the relatively warm and dry weather.

It's just always worrying getting 2.5 tonnes of vehicle high in the air as you need to get it at full suspension height to get the wheel off the ground, then move suspension bits up and down as you release the knuckle, press out the old bush, press a new one in, then get it all back together and aligned.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 December, 2022, 05:53:11 pm
Emptied the last two removal boxes from our move in Feb 20 . . .  1,000s of photographs which have received highly aggressive pruning . . .  secondary pruning and putting the end result into some semblance of logic in albums is for another day.

All this was prompted by one of my daughters telling her daughter about "the time when her great-grandfather was photographed ithe our Shetland pony in the kitchen" - found it and duly scanned - must have been around 1989.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 27 December, 2022, 06:26:58 pm
Mrs Trundle bought herself a lovely classic Peugeot step through bicycle, with svelte 531 tubing. It was in good working condition but had weird handlebars. I changed the handlebars to classic one inch 580mm city upswept bars from Temple, and fitted our favourite Ergon GP1 cork grips.

Everything else was in lovely condition, although the period brakes are underwhelming to somebody used to V-brakes.

The tyres were good, but I replaced the inner tubes on spec. Blimey. The 25mm wired Schwalbe Blizzards in concert with the svelte rims did not wish to release their tight embrace! The rims had no central gulley to gain free play - so it was an old fashioned thrutch session with the tyre levers. It has been so long since I've pumped tyres to 100psi - I had my face scrunched expecting an enormous explosion!

I'll look for some more pliant but puncture resistant folding tyres because that would be a pain to change with a visitation.

Mrs trundle took it for a triumphant cycle around the block, and all was good with the world.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 29 December, 2022, 08:58:37 pm
Cleaned the transmission of the Elan in the ultrasonic cleaner. And fitted different size chain rings - 44/38/26 from 48/38/28. I really need to keep an eye on the chain ring bolts - two were loose.

I love playing around with the gearing - there are so many options with an old 10 speed transmission with 5 arm cranks at modest cost.

This experiment is to see if I prefer the 44 outer ring and use it more often. It's possible it is too close to the 38 middle ring - in which case I have a 46 to try next.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 30 December, 2022, 10:19:14 pm
I got the condensate pump working on a heat-pump tumble dryer.

The pump impeller is rubber with a slight interference fit to the housing. It is powered by a motor with potted windings that is either synchronous or induction. It starts and runs in either direction and it doesn't take much to prevent it starting. I've shaved a tiny bit off the ends of the impeller to make starting easier.

The dryer cost me £30 from Facebook marketplace, sold as faulty. The seller said that the light came on to say it needed emptying when it didn't, and it might be the pump. I suspect he had tried fixing it, maybe after it got blocked with fluff and ordered a new one when it still didn't work. The outside of the dryer is perfect. There is some fluff in most of the air ducts so it's had some use. I dried one item and it worked fine, but it had been completely emptied by putting it on its back to transport, and there wasn't enough condensate to stop it working, but there was no water in the collecting drawer where the pump is supposed to send it. When I had fixed the pump, it put a few hundred millilitres of water into the collecting drawer as soon as it was turned on.

A new one of that model is £380 so I am quite pleased with the cost of £30, a couple of hours driving and one hour of fettling.

edit:- When tested with a real load, it removed over 2 kg of water from a load, and used 2 kWh to do so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 31 December, 2022, 10:39:43 am
Got the insideride™ rollers  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFQdLLKxiww)out for a change to do an indoor session (instead of using the Concept2 rower).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 31 December, 2022, 05:40:57 pm
Recharged various batteries, ditched several non-functional lights and replaced them from the spare parts box. Regreased some pumps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 01 January, 2023, 08:14:55 pm
Repositioned a formerly-jammed shelf in the fridge at the rural campus of Larrington Colij Oxfod without breaking it in two.  Go me!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 January, 2023, 09:36:26 am
Failed fettle: took the back off a Rowenta convector heater (plug pulled, natch) that went wawa last week. When functioning the thing has two levels: 1200W without fan & 1400W with fan.  Last week I found it blowing cold air on level 1, which was kinda weird. Level 2 ditto.

I had a jab around with a multimeter and found that I could beep through the selector switch on all poles in all positions other than off, which was what I kinda expected. I daresay I could find an equivalent on line but it's cheek by jowl with the fan unit and getting it out would be a bugger. Anyway, its replacement arrived yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 09 January, 2023, 05:05:28 pm
Molished hinges for nest box lids by reporpoising an inner tube.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52617757008_490333b430_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oaDKZ3)
IMG_0850_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2oaDKZ3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 09 January, 2023, 09:48:51 pm
Retensioned the chain on my fixed and tweaked the rear brake. Swapped the 11sp Shimano cassette on HK’s turbo for a 10sp Campag-compatible cassette to suit her Roberts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 10 January, 2023, 06:30:36 pm
New gear-change cable on Saphira. It had raised its usual alert of the hand-stabby kind though I didn't bleed on it this time, courtesy of winter gloves. I usually swap these annually, had neglected this because of the pitiful mileage total. Anyway, I was able to purchase another couple for the parts shelf afterwards, and the selector is almost dialled in now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 10 January, 2023, 07:01:28 pm
Due to fitting pogies to wife's bikes she didn't have room for her bell on the bar and as Uses a shared use path daily for school run and work missed her bell today. So tonight I was banished to shed to sort it. Found a metal strip which I think is for fitting a reflector/light to a pannier rack with holes at the end the perfect length to go round the stem and screw into the bracket on the bell so she now has her bell mounted on the side of the stem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 12 January, 2023, 11:59:33 am
There's a central island in the kitchen, which didn't have any electrical sockets on it.
That was a nuisance because as a prep area you couldn't use whizzer-uppers and the like.
It does now.
So I grubbed around under the floor and ran the necessary cables up through a hole to a couple of new sockets on the sides of the island. All good.

But when I was under the floor I discovered something nasty:
The ring main was spliced at one point using a redundant switched spur, the kind of thing you get on the wall above a built-in appliance to isolate it.
The ring looped in and out of it as you'd expect, and there was nothing connected to the switched output.
Basically, someone has removed an appliance at some point, and just re-used the switch as a splicing junction box and thrown it under the floor, rather than using a proper JB.
I'm about to go back down there and replace it with a Wago box.

ETA: <Red Face>
I think it was me wot done it guv.
I now recall removing a fridge from that spot when we re-arranged the kitchen shortly after moving in, over 10 years ago.
I didn't have a suitable junction box or chock-block to hand, so used the old switch as proxy chock-block, intending to come back to it.
And so I did, some 10 years later...

I do like these Wago connectors. It made for a quick, neat splice.
The kitchen ring was isolated for around 10 mins to complete the work, so the fridges and freezers were fine.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 January, 2023, 02:47:03 pm
I didn't really plan to spend the day learning how to unpingfuckit this rim deadbolt mechanism (of which 2 out of 3 screws that should have been holding the case together are missing) and thence bodging the latch and the door and frame so that it stops getting jammed closed, but I did.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52626899513_fff45db783.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obsBJr)2023-01-14_02-39-37 (https://flic.kr/p/2obsBJr) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Time to contact yon Lumsden Security to get a new garage pedestrian door, being as the current one is mostly being held together by paint..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 14 January, 2023, 03:27:45 pm
Percussive adjustment was used on the door frame...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 January, 2023, 03:52:51 pm
Fitted the 11sp cassette taken from the turbo to HK’s Kinesis, along with a new chain. She is not someone who monitors chain wear!

Disassembled, cleaned and reassembled HK’s Brompton’s derailleur and replaced the cable. Flint-mined the tyres. I will have to replace the hub gear cable at some point as the casing is also down to the metal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 14 January, 2023, 03:59:42 pm
Commute home on Thursday saw right (clipless) pedal seizure. I thought they would last longer than 4 years from new. Replaced with some from the spares box (I think I bought them from Rogerzilla). On Friday morning I found I had a broken spoke in the back wheel, probably because I hit a pothole the night before trying to ride with a non-rotating pedal. New spoke fitted today and a polypropylene heat-weld
drive-belt made in situ for the lathe. I am fitting a brushless motor and speed control to my 110ish year old Drummond lathe
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Neilatclyro on 14 January, 2023, 04:51:20 pm
Getting a 1936 Merlin ready for tomorrow's VCC ride.  New tyres, new front brake (actually rather old, but working, Hiduminium type) , replace missing bolt in Resilion rear brake pivot and adjust it, Lube and adjust SA K series rear hub (could do with a strip down), replace missing pedal, change chainring from 46 tooth to 44, put in new (old) seat post to suit my leg length.  Short check ride up our hill. This is one lovely bike to ride and immediately comfortable, but the gearing is a bit high for anywhere but flat lands or a TT with a 16 tooth sprocket.  the 44 gives me a low of about 53 inches, which will be fine for tomorrow's ride as changing a screw-on sprocket on an old hub might be a bit of a battle (have to partially dismantle the hub and a risk of breaking the driver as I try to remove the sprocket, unless I grind or mill slots in the old sprocket).  Can't figure out how to post a photo, sorry.

On another note, putting a brushless electronically controlled drive on my Myford made using the lathe a lot easier, with better control and some increase in safety, so I hope it's as good for your Drummond, John. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SpaceBadger on 14 January, 2023, 05:04:43 pm
New Vittoria Corsa Control tyres fitted as a precaution against unbelievably f&^%*!g tight Continental GP5000s not coming off in the event of needing to repair a roadside puncture.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 January, 2023, 09:06:27 pm
Tidied up a borrowed Birdy Blue for HK to test. About 15 years old and less than 100km I guess. Got all three hub gears working on the SRAM 3x7, lubed the chain and hub, inflated the tyres, adjusted the brake levers and replaced the front brake cable.

Started cross-lacing a new rim onto an existing wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 18 January, 2023, 08:52:45 pm
Day off work to catch up on some chores

Delayed start on the list as youngest announced she wanted me to go to her assembly

Firstly changed battery on car, it had struggled with the pre Christmas cold snap and this recent one has finished it off. Had a chat with some trainee bikeability instructors who were training down my road while doing it

Christmas stuff into attic

Chicken coop has to be covered due to bird flu and the wind last week had hammered the tarpaulin so replaced it with a one I've had about for ages and an old tent....yes my garden has lots of things waiting to be useful

Then sorted a few boxes of miscellaneous crap the wife had put in our room when "tidying" downstairs. 95% is recyclable paper but need to shred lots as lots of personal info and will probably add to compost heap as apparently doesn't get picked up by automated recycling sorters

Oh and put new cord on my running backpack and got a new toggle from our local haberdashery. The elastic on it had perished but the bags a 20+ year old karrimor one from when they were good so worth repairing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2023, 10:36:22 am
Changed the broken pull switch in the bathroom.  Very easy one as, unusually, there was plenty of cable and the new switch fitted the old pattress.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 January, 2023, 04:24:55 pm
Bought some new sliders and installed them in the curtain track to replace the ones Pingu somehow managed to Bork.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2023, 04:35:33 pm
Curtain tracks are one of those things I don't get on with, like dishwashers and automatic cars.  I have poles or simple roller blinds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 21 January, 2023, 05:04:28 pm
Decided to start sanding the (very yellow) doors and architraves, starting with the cupboard door in the spare room. It's never quite shut properly - on further investigation, the bottom hinge turned out to be bent. Quick trip to Screwfix and I think I have a pair of replacement hinges that fit.

However, I decided that the whole sanding/painting process would be easier if I just took the door off, so now it's in the way of the hall cupboard having been sanded and cleaned. I'm sure I'll never actually get it fitting the doorway again. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 21 January, 2023, 05:34:46 pm
Spent too long fettling the f**king chainsaw. I suspect crap fuel is the cause, but in trying to sort it, The spark plug cap pulled apart, just got it running and had to stop it when the postman brought a parcel. Cut several logs when I managed to get it restarted, before refilling fuel, then the starter recoil spring went.  :facepalm: :sick: >:( :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 21 January, 2023, 06:30:01 pm
The plastic rims tape on the left front wheel of the trice split causing the tube to go bang. Now replaced with a nice cloth tape and a new tube fitted
 :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 January, 2023, 06:52:04 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 January, 2023, 04:35:33 pm
Curtain tracks are one of those things I don't get on with, like dishwashers and automatic cars.  I have poles or simple roller blinds.

New to me too. It's a funny L-shaped window though. And a pole would probably let lots of light in over the top of the windows as the window frames go right up to the ceiling, weirdly. I was going to look for cord operated ones earlier until I got distracted by the death spiral of my tablet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 January, 2023, 06:59:54 pm
Started putting the blue fixer back together. Headset went well, using my length of studding and dome washers I blagged from work. Bottom bracket not so well. Screwed the adjustable cup in to check the threads,all good. Eased it off and slid the UN55 in from the other side. Fairly sure it went in square but had to remove the adjustable cup to get the fixed cup in all the way, which went in squsre against the shell. However viewing the spindle from the adjustable side there's a distinct non alignment going on, with the spindle diving downwards a touch. This means the adjustable cup won't go in. Arse. Project halted due to arrive of Gorgeous Grandchildren.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 January, 2023, 08:42:44 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 January, 2023, 06:59:54 pm
Started putting the blue fixer back together. Headset went well, using my length of studding and dome washers I blagged from work. Bottom bracket not so well. Screwed the adjustable cup in to check the threads,all good. Eased it off and slid the UN55 in from the other side. Fairly sure it went in square but had to remove the adjustable cup to get the fixed cup in all the way, which went in squsre against the shell. However viewing the spindle from the adjustable side there's a distinct non alignment going on, with the spindle diving downwards a touch. This means the adjustable cup won't go in. Arse. Project halted due to arrive of Gorgeous Grandchildren.

Part screw each side in and then with even turns screw them together - main cartridge should then couple with non-drive guide (and a bit of grease in the non-drive cup usually helps too) - is the non-drive cup plastic or aluminium? - the latter sometimes needs a little bit of deburring to ease entry.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 January, 2023, 05:09:34 pm
Yesterday, fixed a front flat on my fixed.

Today, cleaned and relubed the mini-V brakes on HK’s Trykit. I may have to dig out the spare mini-V calipers from the garage if any arms keep sticking.

Removed the worn chain and Capreo cassette from HK’s Trice. The rest of it needs a thorough clean before I can sort out the problematic guide pulley. Fitted a new front tube at the same time. Replacing both brake cables (again) can wait until it has been washed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 January, 2023, 05:14:30 pm
Quote from: robgul on 21 January, 2023, 08:42:44 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 January, 2023, 06:59:54 pm
Started putting the blue fixer back together. Headset went well, using my length of studding and dome washers I blagged from work. Bottom bracket not so well. Screwed the adjustable cup in to check the threads,all good. Eased it off and slid the UN55 in from the other side. Fairly sure it went in square but had to remove the adjustable cup to get the fixed cup in all the way, which went in squsre against the shell. However viewing the spindle from the adjustable side there's a distinct non alignment going on, with the spindle diving downwards a touch. This means the adjustable cup won't go in. Arse. Project halted due to arrive of Gorgeous Grandchildren.

Part screw each side in and then with even turns screw them together - main cartridge should then couple with non-drive guide (and a bit of grease in the non-drive cup usually helps too) - is the non-drive cup plastic or aluminium? - the latter sometimes needs a little bit of deburring to ease entry.
Thanks for that Rob. ND cup is aluminium. I'll take a closer look at it this evening.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 January, 2023, 08:00:21 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 22 January, 2023, 05:14:30 pm
Quote from: robgul on 21 January, 2023, 08:42:44 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 January, 2023, 06:59:54 pm
Started putting the blue fixer back together. Headset went well, using my length of studding and dome washers I blagged from work. Bottom bracket not so well. Screwed the adjustable cup in to check the threads,all good. Eased it off and slid the UN55 in from the other side. Fairly sure it went in square but had to remove the adjustable cup to get the fixed cup in all the way, which went in squsre against the shell. However viewing the spindle from the adjustable side there's a distinct non alignment going on, with the spindle diving downwards a touch. This means the adjustable cup won't go in. Arse. Project halted due to arrive of Gorgeous Grandchildren.

Part screw each side in and then with even turns screw them together - main cartridge should then couple with non-drive guide (and a bit of grease in the non-drive cup usually helps too) - is the non-drive cup plastic or aluminium? - the latter sometimes needs a little bit of deburring to ease entry.
Thanks for that Rob. ND cup is aluminium. I'll take a closer look at it this evening.

. . .  you now know why I have 2 BB tools to be able to make the screwing in of the cartridge and non-drive cup a simultaneous process!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 22 January, 2023, 09:17:45 pm
I've started a new thread in The Knowledge on this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 22 January, 2023, 10:47:18 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 22 January, 2023, 09:17:45 pm
I've started a new thread in The Knowledge on this.

I see what you did there  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 24 January, 2023, 12:16:25 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 21 January, 2023, 05:04:28 pm
Decided to start sanding the (very yellow) doors and architraves, starting with the cupboard door in the spare room. It's never quite shut properly - on further investigation, the bottom hinge turned out to be bent. Quick trip to Screwfix and I think I have a pair of replacement hinges that fit.

However, I decided that the whole sanding/painting process would be easier if I just took the door off, so now it's in the way of the hall cupboard having been sanded and cleaned. I'm sure I'll never actually get it fitting the doorway again. :facepalm:

Of course, the door doesn't fit. It's no worse than before, but sadly no better either. I think I'll have to GAMI, assuming I can actually get anyone to take on such a small job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 January, 2023, 04:06:37 pm
Descaled my coffee machine.  Our water here is usually mildly acidic so scale rarely forms, but last summer our local source ran dry and they switched to Rhine water, which comes out of the Alps. Daughter in Strasberry has to descale her stuff every month or two; I've had my machine almost 5 years and only had to descale it twice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 January, 2023, 05:25:10 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 24 January, 2023, 12:16:25 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 21 January, 2023, 05:04:28 pm
Decided to start sanding the (very yellow) doors and architraves, starting with the cupboard door in the spare room. It's never quite shut properly - on further investigation, the bottom hinge turned out to be bent. Quick trip to Screwfix and I think I have a pair of replacement hinges that fit.

However, I decided that the whole sanding/painting process would be easier if I just took the door off, so now it's in the way of the hall cupboard having been sanded and cleaned. I'm sure I'll never actually get it fitting the doorway again. :facepalm:

Of course, the door doesn't fit. It's no worse than before, but sadly no better either. I think I'll have to GAMI, assuming I can actually get anyone to take on such a small job.

In what way does it not fit? Does it not fit in the frame properly, get jammed, something else?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 28 January, 2023, 12:39:02 pm
We have a lovely old station style wall clock, bought on a whim many years ago.

It had a humongously expensive service about 3 years ago (cost as much as the clock) so was a little disappointed when it stopped running a few weeks ago.

Anyhow, recalling that the clock whisperer said it would need lubricating in about two or three years I thought I'd give it a go.  Proper clock oil and oiler procured online both of which pitched up this morning.

Result. We have our kitchen timepiece back !!    Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 January, 2023, 03:20:06 pm
Quote from: hatler on 28 January, 2023, 12:39:02 pm
We have a lovely old station style wall clock, bought on a whim many years ago.

It had a humongously expensive service about 3 years ago (cost as much as the clock) so was a little disappointed when it stopped running a few weeks ago.

Anyhow, recalling that the clock whisperer said it would need lubricating in about two or three years I thought I'd give it a go.  Proper clock oil and oiler procured online both of which pitched up this morning.

Result. We have our kitchen timepiece back !!    Very satisfying.

By chance I also got a clock going again today . . .  it's an interesting "trade advert" clock for Twinlock accounting books and ledgers - probably dates from the mid 1950s when it was mains powered.  I've had it since 1971 and when the clock unit failed in about 1991 had a battery mechanism fitted . . .  that failed last week but £8.99 on the ebay brought a new mechanism and we can see what time it is again  :thumbsup:

The remainder of my morning was taken up by completing the fence around our garden, about 1.8m high  . . .  it's made from many hundreds of metres of tanalised tile batten fitted horizontally with a 12mm gap (looks like the very expensive slatted panels you can buy but massively cheaper) - lots of battery nail gun action to fix it all.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 January, 2023, 03:49:21 pm
Swapped the cage from a knackered pedal to a new pedal body and fitted the refurbed flat/SPD pedals to the borrowed Birdy. Rounded up a battery taillight that fits the rear rack too. Swapped on some old Ergon GC2 grips/ barends in place of the ratty grips.

Dug through the spare parts boxes looking for the stashed Capreo cassette for HK’s Micro but no joy. Nor the spare mini-V brakes to swap out the sticking arm on HK’s Trykit either. Not even the power of swear was enough.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 29 January, 2023, 05:21:36 pm
I gave the black Hallett a thorough wash (rather than just a hose-down).  The rear tyre got a thorn through it and won't hold full pressure, so I'll remove it and patch it tomorrow.  Also need to replace front brake blocks - my last pair of Koolstops and most places are out of stock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 January, 2023, 07:34:55 pm
Just about finished the rebuild of my Dave Yates.  Had the frame powder coated, fitted some new bits, fitted some cleaned up old bits, applied the decals. Just need to lacquer them.  Quite pleased with the result.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NV3zrLmNsnGGNobEOaebEHjSvtPm0oWkoMRB4NV4Ph45YTp4NQGMp0lqkjgv-kveuMuK2DXgul5CNDK5KnhDPEnSjWGju9Fn_rDNykqilXmvLsT88miaChDTJK4n0ozjKSWT4NvcaRg=w1200)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2cxUNb0C0UP93n7lozNXm1VZIw5b90o27-kPUwANzT1fk7BLXDkMdQ6_3AHXqYK6FNYiM8DiCb98THvSnko0wcUzdl0EbbBMwHV8AlOMGOpDb3g1krzbBwQDVB3vWANzfMakDHACp-U=w1200)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/c6cjVRNswOITnY-yWruVeaF9mUuvZm1bciqIumsJSACv8JkwERMHd1gdVyP9GOmmBBIJVi-iDYJ0bfv5IwwGXsCSKcXEEL91vpd6tn9zTUqjsSopzzrPpsIDLR9PkHK522aDKFkzlW4=w1200)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U8_zYFevYo9oKu3tQcHLMmHuiEMezJ7Xc84h51AIk1S1cn7elXpcbKGYjg0I4krs84Qtvn7CReCyoQ5TusROcUaiTVx4MigCKp9DP_jn5r1E5GuA4oBn1u_1073PKhM7ZW2N771TGao=w1200)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Zd5JW14mUHIlMM3no3cXSIWzPdjZdxsyvt0ZT0LQhnOGpLpzc-PmswGgCrKDoi7LFOR4xFv3HknLud2W0PDuz4UcANOM3CR3pWr7o6syAWRsUNvqOXJ_5ppq8xZJCA1zRtVNKn0cZ9Y=w1200)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 January, 2023, 07:52:43 am
Nice job. Health to ride it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 01:11:52 pm
Funny shade of pink, thobut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 02:23:07 pm
As it's the middle of a weekday and all the plumbers' merchants are open, dismantled the ball cock float valve on the toilet and removed the remainder of the crud introduced by the gasman who replaced the boiler a couple of weeks ago.  It's now refilling less noisily and in a timely manner.

Not sure if there isn't a slow leak from where the pipe enters the bottom of the cistern (what idiot thought that was a good idea?).  Hard to tell with all the condensation.  Will keep an eye on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 January, 2023, 02:30:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 02:23:07 pm
As it's the middle of a weekday and all the plumbers' merchants are open, dismantled the ball cock float valve on the toilet and removed the remainder of the crud introduced by the gasman who replaced the boiler a couple of weeks ago.  It's now refilling less noisily and in a timely manner.

Not sure if there isn't a slow leak from where the pipe enters the bottom of the cistern (what idiot thought that was a good idea?).  Hard to tell with all the condensation.  Will keep an eye on it.
It's a shit idea, but I suspect it has something to do with the way ceramics/glazes behave - ie: you have all of the breaches of the glaze in the same plane.
Or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 02:32:37 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 30 January, 2023, 02:30:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 02:23:07 pm
As it's the middle of a weekday and all the plumbers' merchants are open, dismantled the ball cock float valve on the toilet and removed the remainder of the crud introduced by the gasman who replaced the boiler a couple of weeks ago.  It's now refilling less noisily and in a timely manner.

Not sure if there isn't a slow leak from where the pipe enters the bottom of the cistern (what idiot thought that was a good idea?).  Hard to tell with all the condensation.  Will keep an eye on it.
It's a shit idea, but I suspect it has something to do with the way ceramics/glazes behave - ie: you have all of the breaches of the glaze in the same plane.
Or something.

I suspect it also has something to do with selling toilets to people like my landlord, who are allergic to visible pipes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 30 January, 2023, 04:00:09 pm
I want to see those pipes, as then when they leak (sure as bears, etc., etc.) you can find the accursed thing.  I much preferred cisterns where the inlet was in the side, above the water level!  And as for these modern flush valves, instead of siphons, Grrr!

I have dealt with all manner of "clever" (i.e. effing stupid) ploys to hide unsightly pipes in my countless years of building maintenance. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 January, 2023, 05:03:17 pm
Nothing, but joiner no 2 came round for the porpoises of providing a quote to supply and fit a new kitchen door and also to fit a new security door (pedestrian) to the garage.
Let's see how this one goes.... I also have another in reserve that my former boss is using and rates highly but he's £35/hr.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 05:30:07 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 30 January, 2023, 04:00:09 pm
I want to see those pipes, as then when they leak (sure as bears, etc., etc.) you can find the accursed thing.

First Law of Engineering, innit.

I find neither  a) pipes  nor  b) wires  unsightly, as long as the job is done with a reasonable degree of neatness.  And even if it isn't neat, it's a damn sight better than hidden leaks that can only be repaired using tools that phase through solid matter or having to suffer the indignities of batteries and/or the Devil's Radio.  If you must hide them, box them in in a way that can be easily removed for maintenance[1].

Related: Someone needs to come up with a material for toilet cisterns that's sufficiently thermally insulating that it doesn't maintain a permanent quagmire of condensation in a regularly-used bathroom.  I suppose this was less of an issue in the days when the water came from a storage tank that had had the chance to warm up a bit, rather than straight from the mains.


[1] Though I'm still traumatised by that time I opened up an access hatch in order to run some Ethernet cables for $charity, and discovered the results of a mild but long-term sewage leak.  Apparently it explained the smell.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 January, 2023, 05:52:04 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 05:30:07 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 30 January, 2023, 04:00:09 pm
I want to see those pipes, as then when they leak (sure as bears, etc., etc.) you can find the accursed thing.

Related: Someone needs to come up with a material for toilet cisterns that's sufficiently thermally insulating that it doesn't maintain a permanent quagmire of condensation in a regularly-used bathroom.  I suppose this was less of an issue in the days when the water came from a storage tank that had had the chance to warm up a bit, rather than straight from the mains.


Yes! This! I am also having to deal with a sweaty cistern and am currently dealing with a combination of regular cloth wiping plus strategically placed takeaway containers on the floor.

You can buy insulated cisterns but they mostly seem to be of the aforementioned hidden variety.
Google also suggested cutting up a yoga mat and sticking that to the inside of the cistern but that looks like a right PITA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 05:56:59 pm
I suppose the other way to do it would be to feed it warm water, perhaps via a thermostatic mixer set to 30C or so.  Anyone bored enough to do a back-of-the-envelope energy consumption calculation?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 30 January, 2023, 06:04:00 pm
I helpfully suggested putting an element in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 January, 2023, 06:13:17 pm
You can get special valves specifically for blending HW to your cistern. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Industries-Anti-Sweat-Toilet-Valve-109-503RP/dp/B000BQMKCY
But yeah, doesn't seem very environmentally friendly. Seems like it's fairly common in USania.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 30 January, 2023, 06:48:09 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 30 January, 2023, 05:52:04 pm

Google also suggested cutting up a yoga mat and sticking that to the inside of the cistern but that looks like a right PITA.

And it's a bugger when you have to retrieve it for yoga class.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 January, 2023, 08:43:02 pm
Quote from: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 01:11:52 pm
Funny shade of pink, thobut.
It's moving towards you. Very fast.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 January, 2023, 10:19:32 pm
Having given the matter a bit of thought while - unsurprisingly - on the loo, it occurs to me that one solution would be to embrace the effect, and design the cistern in such a way that the condensate is collected and routed into the bowl.  Preferably in a way that was easily cleaned, for when the inevitable slime starts to grow.

I wonder if that would have a useful dehumidifying effect?

ETA: I've given it some more thought, while on a bike ride:  Aquarium heater onna humidistat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 January, 2023, 07:12:43 pm
Hmm, aquarium heater sounds a bit like Pingu's suggestion of one of those elements you get for putting in a mug.
On the aquarium heater would they be more designed for keeping something at temperature rather than having to cope with an onslaught of freezing water every couple of hours....?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 January, 2023, 07:17:47 pm
Ha this site says aquarium heater too! https://siouxcityjournal.com/special-section/local/toilet-tank-troubles-no-sweat/article_c3034844-cd31-57b1-bfa8-cacdad80aa6c.html
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sojournermike on 31 January, 2023, 09:32:27 pm
I think you need one of these

https://www.sousvidetools.com/sousvidetoolsr-platinum-thermal-circulator? (https://www.sousvidetools.com/sousvidetoolsr-platinum-thermal-circulator?)

I’ll live with a sweaty cistern

Completely agree about hidden pipes. My Mum is currently suffering the financial consequence of a leaky toilet outlet that was routed across and above her kitchen - years worth:(

Her Tennant’s are suffering the non-financial consequences I’m sorry to say.

(Should be clear that there’s a rather sad story here as to how it got to this state but the point about pipes holds)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 February, 2023, 01:07:52 pm
Properly adjusted the handlebar hinge clamp on the Birdy Blue. Fitted a pair of Brompton Eazy wheels to the folding rear rack. Just need to sort out the lower hooks for the front pannier rack and lower the handlebar adjustment range for this bike to be fully functional as a multimodal touring machine.

Adjusted the headset on HK’s Kinesis. Discovered a crack in the rear Hunt rim, ho hum. Something to sort out somewhere down the line.

Fitted a new chain and cassette on HK’s Trykit, something that involves removing and refitting both rear axles and wrestling simultaneously with both a cassette tool and a BB tool. Swapped out a sticky mini-V brake arm.

Sorting HK’s Micro is the last task on her fleet but it is a big one. New 349 rims to suit faster tyres, spokes, brake cables, chain and Capreo cassette plus fixing a draggy idler.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 February, 2023, 05:51:55 pm
Took the rear brake off so that I could adjust the position of the mudguard hanger which had dropped and was rubbing. Needed to give the bolt on the brake a scrub cos it was a bit corroded and very stiff. Could I find any of our wire brushes?  No, I could not. >:(  Slathered on a bit of lube.
Pingu then tightened up a loose spoke in the wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 February, 2023, 02:49:16 pm
Bestirred myself to bore half a dozen holes in the cap of a 50 cc water bottle to help MrsT water her orchids.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 05 February, 2023, 04:12:35 pm
New-to-me car fettling. Replaced the wiper blades with some Bosch Aerotwin ones.

Replaced the washer fluid with near neat stuff - this is the first car without heated washer jets I’ve had for a while, and being a Mazda has them fixed to the wiper arms, so a good length of fine tubing to freeze. Luckily the garage had missed refilling the washer bottle, so I didn’t have to spend too long getting the rest out. And found out there is no low level warning for the fluid (as seems increasingly common with supply chain issues and cost savings).

Got the residue from the corporate ID tag off the rear light lens (Goo-Gone FTW).

Fitted the gas struts I bought (3 day delivery from Ann ArboR) to the bonnet.

Checked other fluids - coolant and oil require raising the engine cover. This being a Japanese car, clipped under the cover is a short strap with a plastic piece on the end that when unclipped hooks over another clip on the underside of the bonnet. The gas struts hold the bonnet fractionally higher than the usual prop so the strap was too short. Cut the loop at the end, and sewed it back up so strap now reaches again.

Next job is to fabricate a wooden framework to fit between the lower and upper boot floors, a gap of around 6cm. That will allow me to make some compartments to hold my breaker bar, torque wrench, jump leads, warning triangle, detachable tow hook etc. etc. without them sliding about and rattling.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 February, 2023, 10:06:22 pm
Cleaned most of the grunge off my fixed and HK’s ICE Micro. Removed and dismantled the recumbent’s idler pulleys and ordered replacement non-corroded bearings. All part of the speed enhancement programme.

Found slow leaks in a couple of tubes, to be repaired.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 09 February, 2023, 09:47:48 am
I am off with another lurgy  :-[
While making tea for myself I realised that the kettle was pouring slowly. So slowly that I had started tilting it beyond horizontal when pouring to try to speed it up, only to make the water come out of the lid rather than the spout in a sub-optimal way.
Inspection of the spout filter revealed severe, nay complete encrustation with limescale.
A soaking with vinegar later and the filter, and the whole kettle, are like new  :thumbsup:
I wonder if soaking myself in vinegar would rid me of this wretched pox?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 09 February, 2023, 11:11:00 am
Got to be worth a try  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 February, 2023, 02:51:30 pm
And if that doesn't work, bleach.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 09 February, 2023, 05:18:25 pm
Garden fettling and taking stuff to the tip  :thumbsup: . . . the LA has an excellent booking system introduced during Covid and continued since, no queuing etc.

Interesting to see a youngish couple (souped up Corsa, rearranged characters illegal number plate) with the bloke sat hunched behind the steering wheel on his phone while the girl unloaded various bits of wood and stuff for the skip . . . rather suprisingly she was wearing a dressing gown and fluffy slippers???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 February, 2023, 10:33:01 am
Knocked the worst of the mud off the eBrute.

Put a new blade guide & blade onto chainsaw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 10 February, 2023, 03:52:38 pm
Emptied out the oldest of our three compost bins onto one of the raised beds, transferred some un-rotted stuff from the top of the bin the rat makes a mess off.

Took apart and re-glued the backs of a couple of old (c 50 years) Ercol dining chairs which had dried out and got wobbly.

Hung my wife’s calendar that her son got made after a recent trip to Tenerife.

ETA put a new ironing board cover on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 10 February, 2023, 03:54:25 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 February, 2023, 02:51:30 pm
And if that doesn't work, bleach.
Intravenously, obv.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2023, 12:51:06 pm
Oiled the chain on Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)’s exercise bike for when he eventually gets out of hostipal, rebuilt the chain guard with fresh gaffer tape, wedged a washer in the works to stop the wobbly wheel rubbing against the rebuilt chain guard, tightened the nut that holds the non-functional speedo to stop it rattling like unto [“redacted” – The Invigilator].  Also have a table to repair but might leave that until tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 11 February, 2023, 01:22:44 pm
Not today, but yesterday. Earlier in the week I attempted to actually ride a bike. :o I quickly realised that one of the reasons I hadn't ridden it in so long was the awful squealing emitted by the disc brakes. So, yesterday I decided to clean them *really* well, and also gave the pads a light sanding.

Result? No change whatsoever. I've ordered some resin pads as a last resort (current ones are metal). It's incredibly frustrating to ride, because the brakes actually work fine, but it sounds as though I'm absolutely slamming the brakes on even when I'm trying to be gentle. No wonder I stopped riding it... :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 February, 2023, 01:27:46 pm
Have you tried hard braking and/or riding through some muddy puddles?

I find disc brakes get squeaky when the bike hasn't been used for a while, but that usually sorts itself out over the course of a ride.

(My Dawes has a front V-brake with a permanent pedestrian warning feature.  It's occasionally useful when riding around town, but a great way to lose friends on a hilly ride.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2023, 01:44:28 pm
My Speedmachine's rear disc used to make a noise like a wolf going tail-first through a mangle when applied gently but shut up at full pressure.  This was a useful feature for commuting in That London ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 11 February, 2023, 01:50:31 pm
I used to drive an HGV recovery crane that had enough ballast forward of the front axle that the rear wheels were scarcely touching the ground when there wasn't anything on the hook.
Anything other than the gentlest of braking would lock up the rear wheels - a very effective way of getting anything and everything out of one's way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 February, 2023, 01:52:36 pm
Yeah, my Streetmachine's rear disc howls like a banshee when it's even vaguely moist.  But in best recumbent skid button tradition, it mostly gets used when stationary, and only really sees action on long descents or when the surface gets a bit sketchy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 11 February, 2023, 03:48:00 pm
New! Shiny! Long! mudflaps onto the Pino.

New! Full sized! Not worn down! brake blocks ditto

Cleaned utterly to DETH one of the chains on the Pino.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 11 February, 2023, 04:14:35 pm
Relocated the 2 Robin boxes to the back wall of the shed. In clearing ivy away to get some space to do so discovered that the old plum tree had fallen over, hence the profusion of ivy at ground level. Cleared a tunnel through into the no-man’s-land ditch beyond. Then got out my extending electric chainsaw / hedge trimmer and my long reach lopper, plus sundry saws, secateurs and loppers, and set about reducing the size of the hawthorn tree ( replete with vine, 2 clematis and 2 rambler roses  ::-) ) so that it no longer overhangs the greenhouse and 2 of the raised beds. To be continued.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 February, 2023, 04:29:48 pm
Modified the Birdy’s adjustable Comfort handlebar stem to lower the handlebars by another 6cm. Tweaked the brake centring.

Lubed my Brompton’s chain and trued the front wheel. Flintmined both tyres and removed a rattle from the front mudguard.

Replaced the paired bearings in both Terracycle idlers on the recumbent. They actually spin now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 11 February, 2023, 04:39:11 pm
Topped up the sealant on the gravel bike. Cleaned the front caliper, pads and disc with acetone as it has mysteriously lost some braking power while sitting in the flat for a few days. Suspect vile piss-smelling road antifreeze from last Sunday’s ride. Was improving with hard braking during my ride this morning but thought I’d have a look. Will need new pads soon.

Trimmed the seat post height limiter thing by 5mm on the Brompton after dithering for a few weeks about whether it was a tad low. We shall see on Monday.

Cleaned and oiled the chain on the Surly. Discovered and removed a several of glass shards from its tyres, following an unavoidable encounter with a smashed bottle on Wednesday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 11 February, 2023, 06:41:11 pm
Quote from: Kim on 11 February, 2023, 01:27:46 pm
Have you tried hard braking and/or riding through some muddy puddles?

I find disc brakes get squeaky when the bike hasn't been used for a while, but that usually sorts itself out over the course of a ride.


Hard braking, yes. Muddy puddles, I make a point of avoiding! ;D

The "not being used for a while" might well apply - I had it serviced about a year ago and have managed to ride to the shops once since then. Although I rode about 10 miles today (longest ride since about mid-2021), and it was no better at the end than the beginning.

If resin pads don't make a difference, it's going in a ditch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 11 February, 2023, 07:18:21 pm
Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 11 February, 2023, 06:41:11 pm
If resin pads don't make a difference, it's going in a ditch.

That'll move the squeak to the chain...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 11 February, 2023, 09:02:08 pm
Computer monitor screen, several years of age, went technicolour tartan. Replaced fairly painlessly with one from the kuminhandi pile. This one is even older, but it do work.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 12 February, 2023, 11:47:01 am
Replaced the one manky found screw holding the wonky leg onto Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s whisky-supporting table with two shiny new ones.

Sorted out the Teetering Piles of Crap in the garage into Stuffs to Keep and Stuffs to Chuck Out in the hope that rock’n’roll's Martin Turner deems it a suitable place for storing merch.  Deal is that if he or some sturdy roadies clear out said TPsOC he can use it free, gratis and for nothing, but although he said he was going to phone me back yesterday evening or this morning he clearly has a very rock’n’roll attitude to punctuality :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 12 February, 2023, 03:37:16 pm
Some basic joinery. I’ve a new car, and it’s somewhat smaller than the previous one, and as such there is insufficient room around the spare wheel to create storage for my breaker bar, torque wrench and warning triangle. Plus the handy centre well of the spare wheel is full of sub-woofer. Ir does, however, have a double floor to the boot, with a 2” gap between the 2. So today I fettled a wooden frame from 40mm x 16mm that fits snugly into the space, and added a couple of dividers to stop things rolling about and rattling. Seems to work well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 February, 2023, 03:47:58 pm
Frustrating afternoon. Measured chain wear and popped chain off, cleaned and greased freehub, fitted new cassette. Then sized and fitted a new 105 chain. It was an old-fashioned style one with a pin already inserted. Fucking thing went in at an angle and splayed side plate
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 12 February, 2023, 04:17:54 pm
Take that half link off - the 2 side plates - and replace with quick link?

Me: waxed chain, swapped in previously waxed one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 12 February, 2023, 04:48:57 pm
Fixed the non-closing inner front door at Fort Larrington, by dint of discovering the little thumbwheel wossname at the hinge end of the lock which was in “don't-accidentally-lock-yourself-out” mode rather than the “key-required” one.  Only after fingerpoken, screwdrivers, silicone spray and Bad Swears had failed to elicit the required response, mind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 February, 2023, 05:07:28 pm
Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 12 February, 2023, 04:17:54 pm
Take that half link off - the 2 side plates - and replace with quick link?

Me: waxed chain, swapped in previously waxed one.

. . . for the Shimano pin chains I just take the pin link out straight form the box and use a magic link - time is money buggering about with the pin and the invariable stiff link that then has to be manipulated.  OR just use KMC chains!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 February, 2023, 05:27:00 pm
It wasn't the normal Shimano pin, it was already in the chain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 12 February, 2023, 05:32:30 pm
Quote from: Hot Flatus on 12 February, 2023, 05:27:00 pm
It wasn't the normal Shimano pin, it was already in the chain.

Old-style. 

I have four or five of the old Cyclo chain tools lying about.  But they are hard work on thinner chains, so I bought a big sophisticated one with peening attachment, etc.  Makes chain replacement almost a pleasure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 12 February, 2023, 05:48:59 pm
Reshaped the spring on the pull start on my chainsaw, rewound the cord and the pull now works as it should.
Chainsaw still wouldn’t run, and made a rattling slapping sound when I pulled it over.
I stripped some of the plastic casing off and found the cylinder jiggled about on the crankcase!  8) 8) 8) :facepalm:

Tightened the bolts up, some of them a couple of turns!  :facepalm: >:(

It now runs but doesn’t idle.   >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 February, 2023, 06:41:43 pm
Yes, I used a little Topeak one that normally is quite good. I do have a beefy workshop one but I need a new pin.

I haven't seen Shimano chains like that for ages.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 February, 2023, 07:54:21 pm
Sorted out the rear light wiring on the Red Baron, which had developed a fault that necessitated removing the tailbox to access.  Disconnected Tamiya connectors seem to tolerate exposure to wet crud a lot better than connected ones.  Have replaced them with XT60s, to see if that's an improvement.

That done, I decided it was probably a good idea to replace the rear gear and brake cables while I had access, which show no obvious signs of failing, but are a several of years old and a right bastard to replace on account of the internal cable routing.  Narrowly avoided chopping the wrong end off my only tandem brake cable inner, which is why this isn't being posted to the div thread.

Sent the Ventisit for its annual spin in the washing machine, to remove accumulated road grime, congealed Minty Arse Lard, bits of tree, biscuit crumbs, etc.  Noticed the Velcro on the Streetmachine's seat has had it, so I now need to go for a rummage in the sewing box.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 February, 2023, 08:31:55 pm
Quote from: Hot Flatus on 12 February, 2023, 05:27:00 pm
It wasn't the normal Shimano pin, it was already in the chain.

.. . .  that's what I meant - the pin that's part way in a link when the chain comes out of the box   (for the separate pin type - I take the same approach . . . magic link)

I had an ebay cheapo 8 speed chain for a customer's bike that came with part-inserted pin this week - magic link, job done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 12 February, 2023, 09:05:04 pm
Applied a DIY patch to the inside of a cracked water butt. The patch is glued in place with some rain gutter mastic which I happened to have after repairing some flashing. We may get some rain towards the end of this week so I'll see if it works. At least I've had a go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 12 February, 2023, 09:20:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 February, 2023, 07:54:21 pm
Sorted out the rear light wiring on the Red Baron, which had developed a fault that necessitated removing the tailbox to access.  Disconnected Tamiya connectors seem to tolerate exposure to wet crud a lot better than connected ones.  Have replaced them with XT60s, to see if that's an improvement.

I've been using Amp Superseal connectors for a while now, they seem to cope very well with horrible wet conditions when connected. You need to get a cover, or seal up an empty mating half, if you want them to survive not connected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 February, 2023, 11:27:27 pm
Quote from: MattH on 12 February, 2023, 09:20:44 pm
Quote from: Kim on 12 February, 2023, 07:54:21 pm
Sorted out the rear light wiring on the Red Baron, which had developed a fault that necessitated removing the tailbox to access.  Disconnected Tamiya connectors seem to tolerate exposure to wet crud a lot better than connected ones.  Have replaced them with XT60s, to see if that's an improvement.

I've been using Amp Superseal connectors for a while now, they seem to cope very well with horrible wet conditions when connected. You need to get a cover, or seal up an empty mating half, if you want them to survive not connected.

Yeah, we've used a similar Delphi something-or-other for the DC power to barakta's motor.  With 48VDC and plenty of crud, waterproofing trumps aesthetics, and it's been utterly problem-free.

I used Tamiyas here because I've had good results with them for mostly-disconnected dynamo charging ports on other bikes (where, crucially, they're subjected to rain but not road spray).  I suspect the removal of the rear mudguard (because tailbox) exceeded its crud-blasting limit.  To be fair, I expect it would have come good if I'd plugged and unplugged it a couple of times, but that's useless if it's a mission to get to.

If the XT60s have issues, I'll upgrade to something actually waterproof.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 15 February, 2023, 08:50:13 pm
New brake pads arrived, so I fettled them on to the bike.

Hurrah! No more squeak! :thumbsup: I might actually start riding it more now...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 February, 2023, 08:53:16 pm
Various experiments in using heat shrink plastic, of the type used to molish model aeroplanes, as a better DIY aerodynamic wheelcover than the incompetently-crafted 1mm ABS that I've been using.

Results are both better and worse than anticipated.  May need to investigate alternative adhesives.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 15 February, 2023, 09:00:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 February, 2023, 08:53:16 pm
Various experiments in using heat shrink plastic, of the type used to molish model aeroplanes, as a better DIY aerodynamic wheelcover than the incompetently-crafted 1mm ABS that I've been using.

Results are both better and worse than anticipated.  May need to investigate alternative adhesives.
Is this the same stuff that they use on scaffolding to prevent stuff/people from falling off?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 February, 2023, 09:14:27 pm
Probably not dissimilar.  The model-making stuff is coated in a hot glue that presumably sticks to balsa an awful lot more securely than it does to aluminimum.  Unfortunately the angles involved mean there's a tendency to peel under tension (I suspect this will be less of an issue on the larger rear wheel - I've been experimenting on the 20" front to reduce wasteage).

The shrinking is pretty cool though.  And you can cut a slit to make it conical and with a bit of care it will stick firmly to itself at the overlap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 15 February, 2023, 11:29:02 pm
Created a pump mount from two outdoor table leg clips. IE the table lives outdoors and has tubular legs which clipped under the table, and I used two of the four clips that the table yielded before being taken to the tip.

The original mount for the pump died on my CX bike a mere fortnight ago, and I only forgot to put the pump in my pocket once. But it scared the life out of me (I hate being without any tools) and when I was scrapping the table, inspiration struck.

I bolted the two tube clips back to back, and the pump is now happily sitting transverse, parallel with the top of the drop bars, suspended by the clip on the accessory bar.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/hZqNrBJiZSjMkmXICk2f7SXUpaxDHnrygEw8pZGbiGM-2048x1536.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 February, 2023, 09:57:10 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 February, 2023, 08:53:16 pm
Various experiments in using heat shrink plastic, of the type used to molish model aeroplanes, as a better DIY aerodynamic wheelcover than the incompetently-crafted 1mm ABS that I've been using.

Results are both better and worse than anticipated.  May need to investigate alternative adhesives.

Application of Tecbond 261 (which is officially my favourite adhesive) seems to have achieved what the balsa-oriented hot glue coating couldn't.  It's a bit of a fugly mess at the edges now from being stuck, shrunk, unpleeled and re-stuck, but seems much more inclined to stay attached.  Will attempt some experimental tyre abuse[1] tomorrow, and see if it survives the process, before attempting a neater job on the rear wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 17 February, 2023, 12:20:26 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 12 February, 2023, 05:48:59 pm

It now runs but doesn’t idle.   >:( >:( >:(

If you need some idling done, I'm your man. I also never run, if humans had been meant to run we wouldn't have invented bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 February, 2023, 03:58:01 pm
Put a new back tyre on the eBrute, a hellish process involving BFO spanners, a block of wood and much brute force (135mm axle, 130 mm dropouts).  You could put the eBrute's rear triangle in a gym for pec building and it'd make Omar the Trussmocker break down and weep.  A full hour and a half it took: if I ever need to do it at the roadside it'll be quicker to phone MrsT, especially since I don't carry trestles on the bike.

Anyway, t'is done.  Old tyre - Schwalbe Durano Smartguard Plus - had just short of 7000k on it and there were no green splats inside so the Slime tube in it had never been punctured.  Re-used the tube with another Durano + and hope to get the same performance out of it again.

Need to change the brake-blocks before the next ride or so. Mañana.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 February, 2023, 07:21:46 pm
This mishmash of cushion covers into something that matches, and isn't cheap & nasty.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52698834944_7393f3bcc0_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ohPiCu)2023-02-19_07-14-33 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohPiCu) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 February, 2023, 07:34:22 pm

Filled some holes.
Rubbed things down.
Painted doors.
Painted doorframes.
Refitted door hardware.
Rehung a door.

What's this? The colour of the inside of the door for the Big Cupboard is the one chosen for the outside? And the outside of the door remains unpainted?

<Heads off to div thread>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 19 February, 2023, 07:46:35 pm
Quote from: Ham on 17 February, 2023, 12:20:26 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 12 February, 2023, 05:48:59 pm

It now runs but doesn’t idle.   >:( >:( >:(

If you need some idling done, I'm your man. I also never run, if humans had been meant to run we wouldn't have invented bikes.


I managed to aquire a round tuit the following day, and got it to idle too.

Yesterday I ran the rotovator for a couple of mins to get it hot before changing the oil. Bloody thing wouldn’t start later though.   >:(- :sick:) >:( >:( :(

Got it running today and crumbed the allotment over.

Yesterday after failing to get rotorvator running, I got home and decided to have a go at fixing the other chainsaw that son in law had thrown across the garden because it kept cutting out. I adjusted both jets to basic settings and it runs fine. Now have 3 working chainsaws but have cut split and stacked next year’s firewood already.

Yesterday I used a little filler on a new bike project I am working on and sanded all the paint work back. This morning I intended to prime it, but the new spray can I had bought had no nozzle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 February, 2023, 07:57:33 pm
Fixed a front flat on my fixed in Hampshire. Got home and swapped out the tired tyre for newly-acquired garage stock.

Fitted a new 9-28t 9sp cassette to HK’s recumbent. Just new chain and brake cables to get it fully functional again. Swapping to faster 349 tyres will wait a month or so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 23 February, 2023, 04:44:19 pm
A lovely early spring-like day (and it's still February!). Unfortunately not able to get out on the bike for a proper ride so instead I have got it (British Eagle) all cleaned up ready. It wasn't bad so just the transmission needed doing.  The Roberts is all set to go.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 25 February, 2023, 07:59:59 am
Constructed the panels (timber batten and plastic mesh) for a large fruit cage to use at my wife's allotment - overall size 4.6m x 1.2m x 1m high - it's in two separate sets of panels but I'm yet work out how to get it on the car to take it to the allotment.   (Fecking div post may follow in the days ahead . . . )
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 25 February, 2023, 08:12:18 am
^^^^ I'm more looking forward to the entry on the "I carried this on my bicycle" thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 25 February, 2023, 08:56:45 am
Quote from: MattH on 25 February, 2023, 08:12:18 am
^^^^ I'm more looking forward to the entry on the "I carried this on my bicycle" thread.

 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 25 February, 2023, 09:23:06 am
If you took a few buckets at a time, you could use your bike to move the allotment to the panels?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 February, 2023, 10:55:33 am
Cleaned the discs and fitted new brake inner and outer cables and pads, front tube and long chain to HK’s recumbent. I believe the phrase is “Sweet as a nut”

Refreshed the tubeless goo in HK’s Kinesis.

Dismantled the Birdy’s seat post clamp to discover it is missing several essential and unobtainable parts. Time to scratch my head for a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 25 February, 2023, 11:47:17 am
Quote from: drossall on 25 February, 2023, 09:23:06 am
If you took a few buckets at a time, you could use your bike to move the allotment to the panels?

Sounds like a plan :thumbsup: - but shifting the shed from the allotment is the reverse of the current dilemma
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 25 February, 2023, 02:34:42 pm
I was just trying to think of different approaches to bringing panel and allotment together...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 25 February, 2023, 03:35:20 pm
Various fettles of the new-to-me town bike project:

Just waiting on new tyres and bar grips to arrive. It's looking more like a bike and less like a pile of bits now. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 March, 2023, 03:37:46 pm
Continuing the headset saga begun in "Going Electric":

Not fettled by me but by the mechanic in a local LBS, who turned out to be an old chum: the eBrute's steerer no longer clunks on braking.

It turned out that the band of hopefuls who molished my headset in Sept '21 had not only fitted the wrong top cap, making it impossible to tighten the stack, but entirely the wrong size of headset, leaving a 0.2 mm gap between cups and head tube.  They had then screwed everything together willy-nilly and shoved it back at me with a juicy bill.

Anyway, chum put in a couple of shims (called clinquants in French bike-shopspeak but it really means tinsel or cheap, flashy metalware) so now the stack doesn't shift on braking and the click-stops that came from overtightening have gone.

The bike is now OK to ride but I've asked him to get me the right size of headset in a half-decent brand.

And that is why I preferred to have a good LBS do the job rather than doing it myself. Nice, too, to see a friendly face in the workshop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 March, 2023, 01:30:54 pm
Motor back onto the eBrute, alternate chain into the wax bath.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 02 March, 2023, 02:44:44 pm
Emergency surgery on the Di2 bike

The rear mech Di2 cable outer had split some time ago (my fault, caught it with my heel a few times) and I could see the inner wires so I knew eventually I'd have to replace it. That day came today whilst washing the bike I noticed the rear mech wasn't working. Fortunately I had purchased a Di2 cable and a new press fit BB86 over a year ago, knowing this day would come, but I anticipated quite a lengthy job given that it entails removing chain, chainset, knocking out BB, finding junction box and pulling old cable out, then threading new cable through chainstay, reconnecting and testing, pressing in new BB86, refitting chainset and chain.

Took me under 20 minutes.

Only slight snag was axle chainset axle was quite tight going into new BB so had to encourage it in with a rubber mallet. Other than that jobsagoodun. Going to test ride it in a bit.  It was all a bit of a shame as the pressfit BB was the original one from 7.5 years ago and was as smooth as butter, but didn't want to put old one back in having just smacked it out with a screwdriver and hammer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 March, 2023, 01:57:53 pm
En suite shower room replacement of basin & WC - all going to plan and ahead of schedule.   Everything laid out ready for removal/refitting . . . .   Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Plumbing  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 March, 2023, 02:23:57 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 March, 2023, 01:57:53 pm
En suite shower room replacement of basin & WC - all going to plan and ahead of schedule.   Everything laid out ready for removal/refitting . . . .   Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Plumbing  :thumbsup:

I've just been looking at the bathroom quote we had for the last place and comparing the price of similar items on the internet now.  :-X
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 March, 2023, 03:33:23 pm
I put new bar tape on Pingu's bike, being as what I am the bar taper extraordinare.  :smug:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 04 March, 2023, 04:08:13 pm
S-I-L and I moved a cupboard from one room to another.

The IKEA cupboard in question had been assembled in the room and couldn't get around the corner out of the door. We had to remove the double glazing unit and take the cupboard out of window, that would normally have been considered a non-opening one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 March, 2023, 04:32:08 pm
Nearly finished tiling the hallway to my Rural Idyll. Managed to borrow a wet tile cutter off a mate, which made it easier, as did the helpful attitude from Topps Tiles. A few more cuts to do, then the grouting. Be pleased when it's done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 March, 2023, 05:54:46 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 March, 2023, 01:57:53 pm
En suite shower room replacement of basin & WC - all going to plan and ahead of schedule.   Everything laid out ready for removal/refitting . . . .   Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Plumbing  :thumbsup:

Continued in the Div thread, p94?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 04 March, 2023, 07:10:46 pm
A few days ago, fitted a new motor into the 10 year old Dyson, which was easy, as long as you had a very long T15 bit (I didn't, but I have now!)

A week ago, investigated why our 11 year old LG direct drive washing machine was showing a "waste outlet blocked" fault code, to discover after much watching of instructional YouTube videos, and much sweary dismantling, that the drain pump was buggered.  Ordered from the firm which said "ships within 2 days", rather than the one which said "usually ships within 2 weeks", and it took a week to arrive, because yes it was shipped after 2 days, but from somewhere in France, from an evidently Dutch based company with a UK domain that claimed to be British (that took the money from my credit card 3 times, but thankfully Santander fraud dept sorted that pronto).

Fighting the hose clips back on was an absolute shit of a job in the confined space in the guts of the machine, but the crowning glory was getting the monster sprung wire loop that clamps the rubber seal around the front plate of the machine back in place. Generally speaking as you try to get one side in, the other pulls off, pulling the seal out of its locating groove, so you have to start all over again.  In the end I manufactured a device using a small rachet clamp that can spread open, as well as clamp shut, with bits of 3mm steel rod fitted into holes drilled in the clamp legs.  The clamp is no longer usable for its original purpose, but as every tool designed for the job cost over £75, I was OK with losing a £5 clamp.

Next step, after reassembling the rest of the machine, was an extremely worried test run of the machine.  All was well, but visions of the utility room being flooded were uppermost in our minds. As we'd been without the machine for a week, and had been doing dirty jobs causing a higher than normal rate of clothes dirtying, it got 3 more runs today.

After that, fettled some more paint onto the hallway walls.  This was only made harder by the realisation yesterday, that the the previous paint was in fact, distemper.  Applied in 2016.  Eh, what effing cretin uses distemper on the wall of a 1985 house, in 2016?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 March, 2023, 07:53:36 am
Quote from: Kim on 04 March, 2023, 05:54:46 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 March, 2023, 01:57:53 pm
En suite shower room replacement of basin & WC - all going to plan and ahead of schedule.   Everything laid out ready for removal/refitting . . . .   Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Plumbing  :thumbsup:

Continued in the Div thread, p94?

... err, you'll have to explain that??
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 05 March, 2023, 10:11:30 am
Quote from: robgul on 05 March, 2023, 07:53:36 am
Quote from: Kim on 04 March, 2023, 05:54:46 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 March, 2023, 01:57:53 pm
En suite shower room replacement of basin & WC - all going to plan and ahead of schedule.   Everything laid out ready for removal/refitting . . . .   Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Plumbing  :thumbsup:

Continued in the Div thread, p94?

... err, you'll have to explain that??

I took it as a “pride cometh before a fall” type comment  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 06 March, 2023, 01:19:07 pm
I finally (almost) finished fettling up this Kona (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=123634.msg2740362#msg2740362) (thanks Luke) yesterday.

I serviced and adjusted the hubs front and back, swapped the v brakes for cantis, changed the stem and replaced the STIs for some 9 speed LX ones I had lying around (so swapped the 8 sp cassette for a 9 sp one too).

Both mechs need tweaking but otherwise it's a lovely little bike. Very nimble.

The paint job is a bit amateur and the stuck-on-after transfers aren't lasting very well, but the frame at least is definitely a Kona (it's stamped on the dropouts).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 March, 2023, 11:25:38 am
Last ride the back wheel of the eBrute seemed to be thumping softly every rev.  There's a Green Slime tube* in it, and last time I changed the tyre I re-used the old tube with ~7500 km on it, and it seemed to have got a bit... long.  I'd ended up shoving it in willy-nilly in the hope that 7 bars would change its ideas, and that's when the thumping had started. I reckoned I'd managed to kink it, so today I let the air out, popped off one side of the tyre and ran my fingers round the inside, squinting in with a torch as well: smooth all the way.

Pumped it up and refitted it. We'll see how it goes.

* see https://youtu.be/urtZ2zV8NLE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 10 March, 2023, 05:37:11 pm
Fettled a 2004 vintage NAD C 352 amplifier which was having trouble coming out of standby, and once it did, would randomly go back into standby.

The usual cause of this is terminal electrolytic rot.
Sure enough, the main reservoir caps were bulging, and so were some of the others.
So I did a complete re-cap of the whole thing, some 57 electrolytics in total.

However, it was still playing up.
A bit of prodding around at the STBY signal coming from the front panel CPU board back to the PSU board revealed an extreme sensitivity to the ribbon cable between the main board and the PSU board being tickled.
Turned out the socket on the main board had a dry joint on it, and it was intermittently losing the +5v stby power to the CPU on the front panel, which was then re-setting.
It looked fine visually, even under the magnifier.

Quick re-solder and it's rock solid.
It's been running for a few hours now.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 10 March, 2023, 06:14:21 pm
I replaced all the cables on my 1999 Specialized FSR Comp last night, after previously soaking the shifters in GT85 and then with Carlube, following advice in Another Place. Not complex work, but it's very satisfying how a bike can suddenly start behaving like new again, after its gears and brakes were beginning to stick.

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/4zz15xx2i697ci7/Specialized.jpg?raw=1)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 10 March, 2023, 07:24:39 pm
Extended the curtain on my front door with extra material to make a nice draught-excluder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 10 March, 2023, 07:51:26 pm
Spent a filthy, but satisfying couple of hours reproofing my ancient Carradice panniers and Bike Bureau.   Got them hanging on the landing to let the goo soak in after a blast with a hairdryer.   Looking much better.  I now need to contact Carradice to try to replace the pannier hooks which are too small to fit the new rack on my ICE trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 March, 2023, 04:11:11 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 December, 2022, 08:34:39 pm
Finishing the saga
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52562136645_9d3efc9b7b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o5JFZg)2022-12-13_08-27-32 (https://flic.kr/p/2o5JFZg) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That was a lot of type 2 fun. 1 out of the 4 brackets was a different size to the rest, we had to figure out where it went and then it transpired the brackets weren't equidistant and that we'd got the rail the wrong way round so we had to take it out to the front garden and do a wee dance in the snow to get it the right way round.
We decided it's never coming off again in a DIY stylee.
Just need to remember all those lessons when I decide to do the other one.

Started part 2 of this ^ (yes I remembered to number the brackets and the rail positions this time.)

People who do this should be shot
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52742085282_1040ea9144_3k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2omCYrY)2023-03-12_04-03-42 (https://flic.kr/p/2omCYrY) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Got about 2/3rds of the way through scraping the handrail before I decided I'd had enough for the day. Now I need to remember for the next few days that there's only a rail on one side...

That reminds me, I should go and order some Abranet discs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 12 March, 2023, 09:34:15 pm
Finally reassembled SWMBO's Sony video camera which had dived off its tripod, the evil concept twist-fold viewfinder apparently bearing the brunt of the landing. The Escher designed flexi cable had cracked, and the knuckle joint bent.
There is a tiny screw left over  :facepalm:
I don't know if the camera works yet as the battery was flat.

Much more satisfying was fettling the back bedroom door latch so that it snecks properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 12 March, 2023, 11:22:08 pm
Recently noticed that the toilet was supplying a constant stream of water to the bowl from the cistern. Assumed it must be the flushing mechanism needing a new gasket, but on investigation, it looked sound.

It's a concealed cistern, so getting into it was a bit of a faff, but I managed to work out how to get the innards out in a non-destructive fashion. Still couldn't solve the problem though. Everything seemed to be in working order.

I then watched a video on YouTube of a nice French plumber talking through the common causes of leaks and how to fix them. He also revealed that the top of the flush mechanism folds down, making it much easier to remove it from the cistern. Neat.

I ordered a new gasket, but decided to put it back together in the mean time so we could at least continue using the toilet. I thought I had at least managed to slow the leak to a trickle, but when I came back to it 10 minutes later, water was absolutely gushing through into the bowl. Arrrrggghhh!!!

Eventually, while sitting staring at it wondering what the hell to try next, I noticed that the water level in the cistern was very high...

Turns out the supply was not cutting off when the cistern was full so it was overflowing - the water wasn't escaping via the flush mechanism at all.  :facepalm:

Further investigation revealed that the float was sticking, hence not rising up enough to cut off the water inlet. So I took it out and gave it a thorough clean.

And that seems to have done the trick - it is now all working perfectly with no more leaks. Hurrah!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 March, 2023, 10:03:22 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 04 March, 2023, 04:32:08 pm
Nearly finished tiling the hallway to my Rural Idyll. Managed to borrow a wet tile cutter off a mate, which made it easier, as did the helpful attitude from Topps Tiles. A few more cuts to do, then the grouting. Be pleased when it's done.
Progress has been slow, but this evening finally got round to grouting!
Hurrah!
Then ran out of grout.
Boo!
Have some grout left over from when the bathroom was done!
Hurrah!
It's time expired!
Boo!
Went to fit a door strip and found I'd made a bollocks of the gap.
More boo!

Overall it looks good though. I'll get some more grout at the weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 17 March, 2023, 06:29:17 pm
Last weekend, de-gunked the u-bend in the upstairs sink (yeeeuuucchhhhh) and fettled the top bathroom door so that the internal lock works. Had to swap a pathetically measly strip of tin foil over from one handle assembly to the other. Required circlip pliers and the mirror on a stick. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 March, 2023, 07:03:33 pm
Continuing the stair rail. Finished scraping the paint off. It hadn't come off as nicely as when I did the other rail.
So I used my RO sander with the new Mirka Abranet mesh discs as recommended by that clever Mr robgul. They really are the dogs bollocks. Got the rest of the paint off with a coarse one. Then because the profile of this rail is a fiddly PITA I had to hand sand all the twiddly bits and finally I gave it a quick go over with the sander using a finer Abranet disc and it does indeed feel like the proverbial smooth offspring's behind.
I just need to tackle the paint clarted batten on the wall now  :-\

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52755017412_aa5b31c975_3k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2onMfHJ)2023-03-18_07-05-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2onMfHJ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Another satisfied Abranet user here though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 18 March, 2023, 07:06:56 pm
New gear cables for my Dolan Dual (which has just come out of hibernation and will share duties
with my xacd titanium bike until end of September).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 March, 2023, 08:22:37 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 18 March, 2023, 07:03:33 pm
Continuing the stair rail. Finished scraping the paint off. It hadn't come off as nicely as when I did the other rail.
So I used my RO sander with the new Mirka Abranet mesh discs as recommended by that clever Mr robgul. They really are the dogs bollocks. Got the rest of the paint off with a coarse one. Then because the profile of this rail is a fiddly PITA I had to hand sand all the twiddly bits and finally I gave it a quick go over with the sander using a finer Abranet disc and it does indeed feel like the proverbial smooth offspring's behind.
I just need to tackle the paint clarted batten on the wall now  :-\

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52755017412_aa5b31c975_3k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2onMfHJ)2023-03-18_07-05-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2onMfHJ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Another satisfied Abranet user here though.

You can get a Mirka "sanding block" (see below0 that comes with a foam pad with a hook and loop surface for the rectangular mesh sheets, and that attaches to the hook and loop base - it's great for sanding mouldings as it, err, moulds itself to the shape.   (Mine has a dust port to connect to a shop vac, although I seldom bother unless I'm doing large areas of sanding)

I bought one of these   https://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/products/mirkaabranetstarterkit/    to get started with Abranet and then bought more rectangular sheets and discs in various grits

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 19 March, 2023, 12:12:46 pm
My 30-year-old money plant has served time as my Christmas tree in as much as it provides structural support for my Christmas lights, all the year round.
Because of its location (in a west-facing bay window) it develops a tendency to be drawn towards the light, ultimately entwining itself between the slats of the blinds - even with the blinds only 25% open. Thus:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52756425377_98fb1450bf_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2onUtfZ) (https://flic.kr/p/2onUtfZ)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

So, to balance things up, every couple of years I rotate the planter through 180°, and for a couple of years all is well, before the process needs to be repeated.
Inevitably this involves untangling and removing around 500 LED lights on a several of wires, which does not include the 100 individually powered flashing LEDs, before reinstating both.


(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52757372415_5b412abf8e_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2onZjMe) (https://flic.kr/p/2onZjMe)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

Quite a satisfying way of spending a couple of hours. Especially as I managed to not tread on any of the LEDs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 19 March, 2023, 12:16:21 pm
So there is a magic money tree after all!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 March, 2023, 04:21:32 pm
Rear (motor) wheel has been going bump every rev, not enough to be noticeable on any but the smoothest surfaces but a niggle all the same. Turned out the tyre was standing a bit proud opposite the valve.  Now, the motor shoppe told me to always fit the locking ring down against the rim to avoid punctures, and I had done this before inflating last time I fitted the tube.  Today I deflated the tube, unscrewed the ring, re-seated the tyre, blew it up again and then tightened the ring.  We'll see what happens next ride.

Also swapped to my alternate chain, tidied up the binnacle a bit after the LBS had pulled it all apart to fettle the headset & cobbled it back together as best they could, and modified the Garmin mount to try & stop the big heavy awkward piece-of-shit Oregon 600 flopping about all over.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 20 March, 2023, 11:48:24 pm
I changed the core on a presta valve. I’ve never done that before. It took me a few minutes to track down the source of the leak. The old one was bent, and I think that was preventing it from sealing properly.
I was surprised by the amount of engineering involved in the valve. Nice work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 March, 2023, 07:35:47 am
Quote from: Paul on 20 March, 2023, 11:48:24 pm
I changed the core on a presta valve. I’ve never done that before. It took me a few minutes to track down the source of the leak. The old one was bent, and I think that was preventing it from sealing properly.
I was surprised by the amount of engineering involved in the valve. Nice work.

And a million get binned every day. :(

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 21 March, 2023, 10:46:16 am
Quote from: T42 on 21 March, 2023, 07:35:47 am
Quote from: Paul on 20 March, 2023, 11:48:24 pm
I changed the core on a presta valve. I’ve never done that before. It took me a few minutes to track down the source of the leak. The old one was bent, and I think that was preventing it from sealing properly.
I was surprised by the amount of engineering involved in the valve. Nice work.

And a million get binned every day. :(
Is the sad face for the otherwise good valve cores that could be reused? Or the chucking away of tubes generally?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 March, 2023, 04:52:06 pm
Could be both, I suppose, but I was thinking of the valves.  Bits of tube come in handy for all kinds of stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 21 March, 2023, 05:05:04 pm
Indeed. It got me wondering whether the tubes and cores could be sold separately, but then I remembered that I've only had to replace one core in 30 years of cycling, so the faff would hardly be justified.

I will be removing the (good) valve cores from otherwise knackered (beyond patching) tubes in future though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 21 March, 2023, 05:16:00 pm
Removed (2006) Chorus ergo levers and long-cage rear derailleur and sent them to the
Campagnolo Service Centre. The bike they came from (Dolan Dual) is being give a bit of
a spruce-up, in anticipation of its Spring/Summer use, and Semaine Federale duties.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 March, 2023, 06:06:27 pm
Quote from: Paul on 21 March, 2023, 05:05:04 pm
Indeed. It got me wondering whether the tubes and cores could be sold separately, but then I remembered that I've only had to replace one core in 30 years of cycling, so the faff would hardly be justified.

I will be removing the (good) valve cores from otherwise knackered (beyond patching) tubes in future though.

I usually keep a dead (read: unrepairable) tube or two kicking around for use as padding when clamping things to handlebars and similar, and have on occasion raided those for valve cores.  I should probably add one to my on-bike collection of Useful Small Parts, though in a valve core emergency you can always nick one from the spare tubes you're carrying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 21 March, 2023, 09:19:31 pm
I too keep some used tubes around for padding purposes.

I can only remember once having to replace a presta valve core. That was on a Specialized tube, at a point in time when they weren't tightening them up properly. I unscrewed it to pump it up, and it flew off and was lost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 March, 2023, 08:51:19 am
Swapped the near-new 11-32t cassette on HK’s Kinesis with an 11-34t. Hopefully she will be happy with the slight drop in gearing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 March, 2023, 10:28:38 am
Quote from: MattH on 21 March, 2023, 09:19:31 pm
I can only remember once having to replace a presta valve core. That was on a Specialized tube, at a point in time when they weren't tightening them up properly. I unscrewed it to pump it up, and it flew off and was lost.

Just once I had to replace a valve rubber, and only because I pulled the existing one off out of curiosity and got it all mucky. Dunlop Long Cycle Repair Kit to the rescue.

---o0o---

After yesterday's tootle on my carbon butterfly I've been trying to replicate its set-up on the eBrute.  Fiddly bloody business involving tapes and a spirit-level set in a protractor. Dunno if it'll make any difference.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 22 March, 2023, 01:22:23 pm
Years ago, I had one or two of the tubes in which you could replace the entire, bolted-in, valve. I think I did it once successfully, and once where the tube tore at the seating.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2023, 09:30:14 pm
Finally finished the stair rails
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52773496718_5811dfc799_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oppXYs)2023-03-26_09-28-02 (https://flic.kr/p/2oppXYs) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 March, 2023, 09:37:47 pm
Why is the right hand one a little bit longer than the left hand one ?  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 March, 2023, 10:24:41 pm
They are totally different designs of rail. The main thing is they aren't squicking me out every time I use them because they are no longer covered in 50 coats of thrown on paint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 27 March, 2023, 05:32:34 pm
Eek, I can see why you want handrails both sides. Mind you, I've become unused to staircases in the last few years, since moving to a bungalow.  I was proudly telling a colleague how my hips haven't troubled me since moving to rural Wales, it must be the healthy air, etc. He replied that he thought it was actually moving to a bungalow that was the relevant point.  Hmm, he may be right.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2023, 05:41:26 pm
This is the first set of stairs I've had to navigate in my own home for about 30 years. Mind you the ones up to the entrance door at our last place were an icy death trap in the winter, one less thing to worry about here :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 March, 2023, 05:46:48 pm
Quote from: Wombat on 27 March, 2023, 05:32:34 pm
Eek, I can see why you want handrails both sides.

Single handrails only work if you've got two hands available.  Otherwise you can get up the stairs but not down again, or vice-versa.  Amazing how often people fail to consider this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2023, 05:49:07 pm
Pumpkin turned up at the work site, ready to begin. She made sure to inspect all the parts were present. Then she completed the job safely and left a tidy work site. 10/10 would use again.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52775532243_4109640028_3k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2opAp4H)2023-03-27_05-44-14 (https://flic.kr/p/2opAp4H) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 March, 2023, 05:50:17 pm
#CatsWithDrills

(Wasn't that an Eddie Izzard routine?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2023, 05:51:52 pm
I wish I'd taken the picture up my stairs after I'd wiped all the dust off the wall with the mop and not before. If it's annoying anyone else I apologise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2023, 05:52:09 pm
Quote from: Kim on 27 March, 2023, 05:50:17 pm
#CatsWithDrills

(Wasn't that an Eddie Izzard routine?)

Certainly was!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 27 March, 2023, 09:13:12 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2023, 05:51:52 pm
I wish I'd taken the picture up my stairs after I'd wiped all the dust off the wall with the mop and not before. If it's annoying anyone else I apologise.

I was seeing a reclining frog mural up the right hand wall.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 March, 2023, 09:31:12 pm
;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 27 March, 2023, 10:03:36 pm
Worked on a really lovely S-Works Venge this morning, belonging to my friend.
It had two problems.
1) The rear wheel was canted over to the right at the top.
2) It was not selecting 11 speeds, the rear derailleur range only covered 2 to 11 or 1 to 10.

Cured "1" by turning the right hand cone spring around on the QR skewer. I had often wondered what the effect of fitting them the wrong way round would be! Something learnt today then!

Cured "2" by fitting new jockey wheels. The bearings had worn out in both. The new ones were an upgrade and have ceramic bearings. This was my first encounter with ceramic bearing components. Not knowing the protocol for lubricating ceramic bearings, I got the owner to google it, while I did the work. Ceramic bearings need no lubrication.
 
Something else learnt!
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 27 March, 2023, 11:41:20 pm
Quote from: JefO on 27 March, 2023, 10:03:36 pm
Worked on a really lovely S-Works Venge this morning, belonging to my friend.
It had two problems.
1) The rear wheel was canted over to the right at the top.
2) It was not selecting 11 speeds, the rear derailleur range only covered 2 to 11 or 1 to 10.

Cured "1" by turning the right hand cone spring around on the QR skewer. I had often wondered what the effect of fitting them the wrong way round would be! Something learnt today then!

Cured "2" by fitting new jockey wheels. The bearings had worn out in both. The new ones were an upgrade and have ceramic bearings. This was my first encounter with ceramic bearing components. Not knowing the protocol for lubricating ceramic bearings, I got the owner to google it, while I did the work. Ceramic bearings need no lubrication.
 
Something else learnt!

I suggest that you try Googling it youself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 28 March, 2023, 06:40:17 am
At the weekend. Attached the newly refurbished* Campagnolo Chorus 10s levers to my Dolan Dual
bike. Inserted new gear and brake cables. Added new jockey wheels to the long-cage Chorus rear
derailleur. Will put on bar tape and index the gears when the rear wheel comes back with its new
Shimano 105 5800 rear hub.

*These people (https://www.campagnoloservicecentre.co.uk) did a very good job and got the levers back to me within a week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 28 March, 2023, 02:43:32 pm
Off camping on weekend for early 40th celebrations. Ahead of this mate popped round with his battery grinder and we converted a 205l drum into a big arse BBQ

I'd had the drums at work (had a spare incase) for ages and as loading into van Thursday one of the guys said oh we've got some weldmesh you can have to make the grill

Quite impressed with the job we did. Was an thick drum compared to ones I had to deliver in a previous job which would ding as easy as anything

Did have to liberally squirt washing up liquid on path and wash down afterwards to deal with oil rainbows
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 28 March, 2023, 08:25:58 pm
Have been shredding lord knows how many bank statements and other personal trivia residing in the somewhat full plastic storage box. What a right pain in the maximus. Shredder has overheated twice despite being well oiled, so this will end up being a three day operation. Fortunately I am allowed to place the resultant voluminous shredded material in our green composting bin. Now all I need is lots of grass cuttings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Deano on 28 March, 2023, 10:39:55 pm
Rear dynamo light and front mudflap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 28 March, 2023, 11:09:30 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 27 March, 2023, 11:41:20 pm
Quote from: JefO on 27 March, 2023, 10:03:36 pm
Ceramic bearings need no lubrication.
 
Something else learnt!

I suggest that you try Googling it youself.

Thanks Jonbuoy...

I have now googled it myself...

Interesting initial reading. No quantification given but "low speed" full ceramic items can run dry.

I am guessing the highest cadence this rider will produce will be 110rpm, she has a 53/39 crankset and the jockey wheels are 11 tooth.

So 110 x 53/11 = 530rpm

I reckon that is seen as low speed.

Anyone got experience that suggests otherwise?

Jef
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 March, 2023, 07:40:40 am
I eventually fitted the Joseph Kuosac 25mm 349 tyres I bought from yanto.  I assume he sold them because they were impossible to fit  ;D

Anyway, a VAR tyre lever eventually prevailed and they look absolutely boss on the tiny Kinlin rims.  After a fortnight inflated, all folding tyre beads stretch and are easy to remove.

The Moulton F-frame skunkworks project is currently 20.5lb with just the chainring and chain to go.  Target is sub 10kg, as sub 20lb is apparently impossible - the frameset alone is 10.5lb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 29 March, 2023, 07:52:41 pm
Fettled all the leaves & crap out of a gutter that was causing an overflow & water all down the front of the house.  In the pissing rain.  (The job I mean, overflow being unlikely if it weren't raining.
Then put the ladder away.
Then remembered the gutter at the back of the house with a joint that works it's way apart every couple of years.
Then got the ladder out again and fixed same. (Which way to the div thread?)
And now I'm typing this while dripping gently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 29 March, 2023, 08:46:54 pm
Now that it's a bit warmer, and having yesterday done some scrubbing, sanding and painting with Granocryl, I cut some insulating board to size and pasted it to the inside of my cold larder. I only did the bottom most shelf for experimental porpoises.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52779798706_e12a273050_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2opYgkq)2023-03-29_08-08-51 (https://flic.kr/p/2opYgkq) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

I need to buy some Zinsser PermaWhite now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 30 March, 2023, 10:21:44 pm
A couple of days ago Sigma Sports generously offered the Wahoo Blue SC for a bargainous £39.99 , so I bought one. Today I fitted it, configured it electronically, and tested it, though not necessarily in that order. Tomorrow a whole new exercise world awaits me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 March, 2023, 05:29:47 pm
Back to the larder cupboard above, I got out my sander and sanded the rest of the walls and shelves down. I made myself a bit of a tent with a dust sheet and it seemed to do a good job of keeping the rest of the kitchen clean, though I looked like a ghost.
Then I covered the rest of the walls in the insulating board and filled in the gaps with Screwfix Instant Plaster.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52783900299_faa32d6044_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oqkhAx)2023-03-31_05-22-06 (https://flic.kr/p/2oqkhAx) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

If the weather is still pishy tomorrow I'll get some PermaWhite and give it a coat.

In GAMI news, I ordered the steel security door from Latham's which the joiner is going to fit in the garage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 31 March, 2023, 10:45:24 pm
Mother Dear is in a bit of a decline.
She is currently living here in Aberdeen with my brother, whilst we get proper care set up.

So I have today been through at her place setting up some things the care team require of us:

- A Keysafe on the outside so the carers can get in and out;
- A locked medicine cabinet where they will take over the storage and manage her medication.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 April, 2023, 04:03:08 pm
Replaced the lumpy front tyre on Steve’s tandem and adjusted the front brake and timing chain/ eccentric BB. Adjusted the captain’s position to suit me, fitted my saddle and pedals and tested the gears. Fitted some headlights and moved the GPS mount. Fitted an underseat bag with spares for next weekend’s Arrow. I might retape both bars.

Adjusted the gears of HK’s upright trike, after she washed it. Adjusted the gears and headset of HK’s Kinesis, after she washed it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 01 April, 2023, 04:25:31 pm
A new spring on the garage door. Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 April, 2023, 04:38:17 pm
Put curtain rail up in a bay window. It's one of those cheap ones that comes coiled up.  When you unleash it from the packaging it is full of suppressed energy like a snapped bandsaw blade without the teeth.  The operation was a test of hand strength and willpower.  Taming it by the application of heat is for wimps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 01 April, 2023, 05:02:25 pm
Back on the larder cupboard. I gave it a coat of PermaWhite this morning and then we went out for lunch. After the 2hr recoat time (more like 3+) I started sticking another coat of paint on. The first coat was dry everywhere in the cupboard except at the bottom which was still properly wet, despite it being the first place I painted this morning.
This doesn't exactly fill me with confidence for the future. I'm living in the vain hope that leaving the door closed to keep the cats out and it being quite chilly today is the main factor...  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 April, 2023, 05:17:15 pm
No-one makes a cantilevered pull-up bar - no wall could cope - so I bought a double-ended one (I mean, who has two walls exactly 1.07m apart to fit such a thing?!), sawed the bracket off one end, and added a scaffolding hook and a chain to an anchor hook further up the wall.  It holds a reet fat bastad swinging on it now.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52785077512_2cd16bc0c1_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oqrjxj)20230401_171210 (https://flic.kr/p/2oqrjxj) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 April, 2023, 05:54:02 pm
A learning tower for the Gorgeous Grandchildren.

Take one Ikea Bekvam stool, some lengths of  two by one, three by one and some screws. Add a dose of YouTube, some (very) questionable carpentry skillz and Bob's yer wossnsme.
Needs painting.
Gorgeous Grandchildren will get a look at it tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 01 April, 2023, 06:02:08 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 01 April, 2023, 05:54:02 pm
A learning tower for the Gorgeous Grandchildren.

Take one Ikea Bekvam stool, some lengths of  two by one, three by one and some screws. Add a dose of YouTube, some (very) questionable carpentry skillz and Bob's yer wossnsme.
Needs painting.
Gorgeous Grandchildren will get a look at it tomorrow.
Pics !!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 April, 2023, 06:48:53 pm
Quote from: hatler on 01 April, 2023, 06:02:08 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 01 April, 2023, 05:54:02 pm
A learning tower for the Gorgeous Grandchildren.

Take one Ikea Bekvam stool, some lengths of  two by one, three by one and some screws. Add a dose of YouTube, some (very) questionable carpentry skillz and Bob's yer wossnsme.
Needs painting.
Gorgeous Grandchildren will get a look at it tomorrow.
Pics !!

<mode=John Finnemore>Well, since you ask me for some pics,</mode>

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hjG8TK2e0NEfVQQ7OGsLIceOkR1tEEE4Th1SIQwOIzdzadZYKTsDVsKCkAUu0TyLrVdbD7Yad8gakbDbuZZcHwotKhydlJciNO7uYSHlHD1tzeew3wHWeu1Bh5v5Vi_C4OauH_Q3Dac=w600)

Bekvam stepstool as nature intended.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QOBYJuB0g_znm4tCzkUIVtYk-qD1QxbetajptiIT96ugm1qeXsJ-uqhHsmwU2k-ey9utSmn8_E1Jc-sJ8-FJ8DMQdD5o8CzvK85J-ugTehEhDvrcz-W7H3x6xQHi3Rvp1poKxkI25d8=w600)

Wood wrangling.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Sl90SvPVJjF4CI1CLcfOwIeIdP_UYT-LshcIMfQ9ciltg4yYsUhGIoFhj50IQa97ZUGUAnpqFB-iyVcsF-V-2oZ-JIjoWQ3HPxkrd_sk5mXgBsZDD5NuCL8K9zezuWCU293Q6XPHdOc=w600)

Completed.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KdzeI672AjJTjj2m7eusMr79NqBFO1-ABRRfcEg939G6TpFmacVjTrOE8bxWjuh140NGrAURw1zWsbX-f0zuARD1hVrhQ284AyRDX75TZoNX8WSLvsYiX6gt8qLsXDAvqLrNrGGUem8=w600)

Test pilotbear in position.  He's 61 you know.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 April, 2023, 07:03:26 pm
Top stuffs!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 April, 2023, 07:10:46 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 01 April, 2023, 06:48:53 pm
Quote from: hatler on 01 April, 2023, 06:02:08 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 01 April, 2023, 05:54:02 pm
A learning tower for the Gorgeous Grandchildren.

Take one Ikea Bekvam stool, some lengths of  two by one, three by one and some screws. Add a dose of YouTube, some (very) questionable carpentry skillz and Bob's yer wossnsme.
Needs painting.
Gorgeous Grandchildren will get a look at it tomorrow.
Pics !!



Completed.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KdzeI672AjJTjj2m7eusMr79NqBFO1-ABRRfcEg939G6TpFmacVjTrOE8bxWjuh140NGrAURw1zWsbX-f0zuARD1hVrhQ284AyRDX75TZoNX8WSLvsYiX6gt8qLsXDAvqLrNrGGUem8=w600)

Test pilotbear in position.  He's 61 you know.

Looks like the bear could do with a trip to The Repair Shop to see the Bear Ladies  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 01 April, 2023, 08:51:30 pm
Very cool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2023, 09:30:02 pm
Not exactly fettling, but I used a twisted off-cut of rebar to break into a locked door in a way that no one would ever know about, if I hadn't told you. And where did I get the rebar? In the lost property cupboard. Who on earth keeps a twisted piece of rebar in the lost property? Well, I mean I know who, cos I know where I found it, but I do not know why it was there. Just lucky for me it was!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 01 April, 2023, 10:24:24 pm
Went around to my parent/sisters to set up her new iMac.    First challenge was finding a spare plug in the multitude of 4 way extension cords tucked away beside a very solid chest of drawers arrangement that serves as her desk.  Then getting everything set up just the way she likes it.....  I don't know if she's got OCD on her diagnosis but I wouldn't be surprised.   She was quite upset when the 10 years of emails that had been saved on her old PC didn't download from the server..


She insisted on me adding the Heil & Excess to the "News" folder I set up  :sick:       The most important thing was setting up her online bank account which had stopped working on the previous machine, as Sanskrit was no longer recognised as secure.  Once that was done I supervised her in transferring the cost of the new machine to my account*.  Judging by the number of security questions & disclaimers involved they must have thought I was pointing a gun at her...


I also got it talking to their geriatric printer, once I found & downloaded the relevant drivers. 


I've a horrible suspicion that my Mother is going to see this & want one to replace her aging iMac.  At least that should be a smoother transfer.


*The Apple website wouldn't accept either of her cards so I put it on mine.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2023, 01:45:18 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2023, 09:30:02 pm
Who on earth keeps a twisted piece of rebar in the lost property?

Someone who doesn't have an accessible toilet to store that sort of thing in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 03:14:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 April, 2023, 01:45:18 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2023, 09:30:02 pm
Who on earth keeps a twisted piece of rebar in the lost property?

Someone who doesn't have an accessible toilet to store that sort of thing in.
Oh but they do have an accessible toilet! And an accessible shower! But those both have more sensible locks. I was just relieved, once I'd managed to fish the hook out of the latch on the locked cubicle in the women's toilet (because that's where the door was), to find no one dead in there (or alive). Almost everyone I've related this incident to has a tale in which either a friend of a friend did find a corpse in the toilet or they themselves found someone comatose there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 April, 2023, 03:53:12 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 03:14:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 April, 2023, 01:45:18 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2023, 09:30:02 pm
Who on earth keeps a twisted piece of rebar in the lost property?

Someone who doesn't have an accessible toilet to store that sort of thing in.
Oh but they do have an accessible toilet! And an accessible shower! But those both have more sensible locks. I was just relieved, once I'd managed to fish the hook out of the latch on the locked cubicle in the women's toilet (because that's where the door was), to find no one dead in there (or alive). Almost everyone I've related this incident to has a tale in which either a friend of a friend did find a corpse in the toilet or they themselves found someone comatose there.

"Rebar" conjures up visions of the 45mm steel stock that I saw chomped up and spat out by an Shearline guillotine back in the 80s on the site of the future Belleville nuclear power station.  You possibly could have got through a door with it but hardly undetectably.

---o0o---

Meanwhile, I haz unpicked the seam that held the pad into a pair of Assos ¾-length bib tights that I bought ~15 years ago and never wore because they did unpleasant things to my nethers.  I'll use them over a pair of summer shorts.

Also, I have Shoo-Goo'd a bit of MTB inner tube over the split in the toe of a Vaude shoe cover.  Damn things aren't designed for people who stop at traffic lights.  If it takes I'll put on another layer of Goo once it sets - which it might not, the GooTube  being ~10 years old.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 03:59:52 pm
Something like this:
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-8mm-Multi-Purpose-Rod---Ribbed-Steel-1m/p/188299

But perhaps only 5mm diameter and twisted into a useful (for this purpose) hook-like shape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 April, 2023, 04:02:12 pm
Even 8mm would be too much for my thready muscles.

One should always carry a wire coat-hanger for such emergencies.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2023, 04:03:40 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 03:14:40 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 April, 2023, 01:45:18 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 01 April, 2023, 09:30:02 pm
Who on earth keeps a twisted piece of rebar in the lost property?

Someone who doesn't have an accessible toilet to store that sort of thing in.
Oh but they do have an accessible toilet! And an accessible shower! But those both have more sensible locks. I was just relieved, once I'd managed to fish the hook out of the latch on the locked cubicle in the women's toilet (because that's where the door was), to find no one dead in there (or alive). Almost everyone I've related this incident to has a tale in which either a friend of a friend did find a corpse in the toilet or they themselves found someone comatose there.

I once nipped to the loo in one of those public toilets that they still have in touristy parts of Wales.  The cubicles were made of brick with doors were sturdy inward-opening things with no gap around them.  As it was the off-season and nobody was around, I'd simply left my bike unlocked outside without bothering to remove the luggage (which naturally contained phone, tools, etc.)

Suffice to say, the lock turned out to be a bit dodgy, and I had images of being trapped there for hours/days, or however long it took to break out using fingernails and whatever I could dismantle from the cistern mechanism.  Would be bad news if you were diabetic or similar.

The rule about Never Turning Down The Opportunity For A Civilised Piss gained a footnote about taking your phone and ideally a multitool or something with you when unaccompanied.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 April, 2023, 04:06:47 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 03:59:52 pm
Something like this:
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-8mm-Multi-Purpose-Rod---Ribbed-Steel-1m/p/188299

But perhaps only 5mm diameter and twisted into a useful (for this purpose) hook-like shape.

Those seem to be a standard thing for stringing tape from to mark out running routes or similar.

This sort of thing https://uktapes.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=UKT15PIN
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 04:08:49 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 April, 2023, 04:02:12 pm
Even 8mm would be too much for my thready muscles.

One should always carry a wire coat-hanger for such emergencies.
Too much for mine too, I'm sure. It was already twisted. I presume it had been left over fro some building works, quite likely for this very purpose – but I don't know. I'll have to remember to ask the regular warden of the premises when she comes back from holiday in Morocco (lucky her) next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 04:10:36 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 April, 2023, 04:06:47 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 03:59:52 pm
Something like this:
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-8mm-Multi-Purpose-Rod---Ribbed-Steel-1m/p/188299

But perhaps only 5mm diameter and twisted into a useful (for this purpose) hook-like shape.

Those seem to be a standard thing for stringing tape from to mark out running routes or similar.

This sort of thing https://uktapes.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=UKT15PIN
Far more twisted than that! And with the 'ribbing' of rebar.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 April, 2023, 04:40:27 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 April, 2023, 04:08:49 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 April, 2023, 04:02:12 pm
Even 8mm would be too much for my thready muscles.

One should always carry a wire coat-hanger for such emergencies.
Too much for mine too, I'm sure. It was already twisted. I presume it had been left over fro some building works, quite likely for this very purpose – but I don't know. I'll have to remember to ask the regular warden of the premises when she comes back from holiday in Morocco (lucky her) next week.

Once I always had a wire coat hanger with me for breaking into Ford cars. You could get it past the window-seal and the lever up the window button in about five seconds.  Invariably there would be a spare key stashed away somewhere, enabling me to start it up and drive away.

Obviously I had perfectly legitimate reasons for doing so. Looking after trade cars arriving from Germany.  The 3 litre Capris were my favourite ride.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 April, 2023, 05:09:03 pm
Quote from: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 02 April, 2023, 04:40:27 pm
Once I always had a wire coat hanger with me for breaking into Ford cars. You could get it past the window-seal and the lever up the window button in about five seconds.  Invariably there would be a spare key stashed away somewhere, enabling me to start it up and drive away.

Obviously I had perfectly legitimate reasons for doing so. Looking after trade cars arriving from Germany.  The 3 litre Capris were my favourite ride.

Did that with my own VW Passat once on the ferry car park in Calais, expecting to be tackled by the police any second.  Can't remember where the coat-hanger came from, maybe out of a case in the boot - the car didn't have central locking and it was possible to open the driver's door, get out, press the button and slam it, whereupon it would stay locked.

I was a fecking div in 1980, too.  So was VW.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 02 April, 2023, 08:36:46 pm
When I went up to university in 1978, a fellow student had had a summer job at a Ford garage. He claimed you could hit the door of a Ford in a certain precise spot, and the lock would open.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 02 April, 2023, 08:43:10 pm
Certain Fnords with a primitive central locking system could, it is said, be opened by putting a cut-in-half tennis ball over the lock and giving it a healthy thump.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 02 April, 2023, 09:05:52 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 02 April, 2023, 08:43:10 pm
Certain Fnords with a primitive central locking system could, it is said, be opened by putting a cut-in-half tennis ball over the lock and giving it a healthy thump.

Indeed, the Sierra was one. Also, baseball bat to the BMW bumper to activate the crash door unlock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 April, 2023, 07:47:20 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 02 April, 2023, 08:43:10 pm
Certain Fnords with a primitive central locking system could, it is said, be opened by putting a cut-in-half tennis ball over the lock and giving it a healthy thump.

That is true - I've seen it done - in about 1982/3 - also at that time Fords seemed prone to keys/locks wearing quite quickly meaning a key might open several cars - in 1983 I came home from work in the boss's car (Ford Cortina GXL) for some reason I can't recall - my (then) wife took it to her AmDram rehearsal and parked it in the village car park - she came home in a Ford Granada . .  having not noticed, in the dark, the difference in the cars (they were both the same colour) . . . a phone call to the Police station and i drove back to the car park to give the Granada back to the owner!

. .  and who remembers when car keys had a number stamped on them, as did the ignition lock with the corresponding number? -  and garages had racks of numbered keys for sale.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 April, 2023, 07:53:42 am
Quote from: T42 on 02 April, 2023, 03:53:12 pm
Also, I have Shoo-Goo'd a bit of MTB inner tube over the split in the toe of a Vaude shoe cover.  Damn things aren't designed for people who stop at traffic lights.  If it takes I'll put on another layer of Goo once it sets - which it might not, the GooTube  being ~10 years old.

Worked.  Long live Shoe Goo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 April, 2023, 09:06:21 am
Quote from: robgul on 03 April, 2023, 07:47:20 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 02 April, 2023, 08:43:10 pm
Certain Fnords with a primitive central locking system could, it is said, be opened by putting a cut-in-half tennis ball over the lock and giving it a healthy thump.

That is true - I've seen it done - in about 1982/3 - also at that time Fords seemed prone to keys/locks wearing quite quickly meaning a key might open several cars - in 1983 I came home from work in the boss's car (Ford Cortina GXL) for some reason I can't recall - my (then) wife took it to her AmDram rehearsal and parked it in the village car park - she came home in a Ford Granada . .  having not noticed, in the dark, the difference in the cars (they were both the same colour) . . . a phone call to the Police station and i drove back to the car park to give the Granada back to the owner!

. .  and who remembers when car keys had a number stamped on them, as did the ignition lock with the corresponding number? -  and garages had racks of numbered keys for sale.

On the occassion of his wedding, mumblty years ago, I unlocked my grate frend Penfold's Ford Fiesta using the key of my Mini.  The ignition key. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 April, 2023, 09:22:02 am
Most cheap locks can be opened so long as you have a key that fits into the lock.
It doesn't need to be the correct key for that lock - it just needs to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 April, 2023, 09:25:15 am
When I ran out of 50ps for the gas meter in my bedshit, I used to.open the padlock with a key that just happened to fit and replace them with pound coins or fivers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 03 April, 2023, 09:25:39 am
I have used the strapping tape through the door seal technique on a couple of occasions.  One time was at work when a couple of overseas customers locked themselves out of their hire car and had a plane to catch.  Not sure what they thought of our 'resourcefulness' or why the powers that be thought I might be able to help  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 03 April, 2023, 09:52:23 am
One from yesterday, but I replaced the kitchen mixer tap which has refused to stop dripping for months, and finally had the hot size seize up so I couldn't replace the valve.

It would have been a much shorter and easier job if: -
a) the previous tap tails hadn't been soldered onto the pipework without isolation valves
b) the drainage system for the sink, washing machine and dishwasher didn't resemble an overdesigned motorway junction
c) I hadn't dropped my pipe cutter somewhere inaccessible half way through the job  :facepalm:
d) I could work out how to cut a copper pipe square with a hack saw at the back of a cupboard :-[

The system now has flexible tails and isolation valves, and a new section of  copper pipe that I probably would have been able to do without if I could cut straight.

It looks a bit scruffy under there now, but that feeling of being able to turn the tap off and not hear a constant "drip, drip, drip" far outweighs that  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 03 April, 2023, 10:04:52 am
New cog on the fixed and shortened the chain by 1 link
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 03 April, 2023, 10:10:49 am
Over the weekend we:
Removed old kitchen cupboards, dismantled and took them to tip.
Sawed thick worktop into two bits; 1m and 2m long (that was a bastard to lift down in one piece)
Stripped and painted the wall.
Relocated gas fitting for stove.
Fastened 2 sets of shelving to wall - I made up some brackets.
Built up a stainless table.
Replaced heating external stopcock, draining system then refilling and bleeding rads (still not got air out though).
Toddler-proofed the smallest bedroom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 April, 2023, 12:32:37 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 03 April, 2023, 09:06:21 am
Quote from: robgul on 03 April, 2023, 07:47:20 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 02 April, 2023, 08:43:10 pm
Certain Fnords with a primitive central locking system could, it is said, be opened by putting a cut-in-half tennis ball over the lock and giving it a healthy thump.

That is true - I've seen it done - in about 1982/3 - also at that time Fords seemed prone to keys/locks wearing quite quickly meaning a key might open several cars - in 1983 I came home from work in the boss's car (Ford Cortina GXL) for some reason I can't recall - my (then) wife took it to her AmDram rehearsal and parked it in the village car park - she came home in a Ford Granada . .  having not noticed, in the dark, the difference in the cars (they were both the same colour) . . . a phone call to the Police station and i drove back to the car park to give the Granada back to the owner!

. .  and who remembers when car keys had a number stamped on them, as did the ignition lock with the corresponding number? -  and garages had racks of numbered keys for sale.

On the occassion of his wedding, mumblty years ago, I unlocked my grate frend Penfold's Ford Fiesta using the key of my Mini.  The ignition key.

Postman Piers's kevved-up Nova shared a key with my Corsa.  We filed this factoid away for times of need, and fitted aftermarket immobilisers.  (To be fair, he'd already done that as part of the kevving-up procedure, having discovered how to hotwire it without any tools by [REDACTED - Ed])

When times of need eventually arose, it wasn't lack of a key that was the problem, so much as lack of anywhere to put it.  He'd removed the external keyholes and replaced them with armour-plating around the lock mechanism, cunningly providing a hidden keyswitch for operating the central locking in case of keyfob failure.  And then left the lights on.

I think the AA man was somehow able to burgle his way into the bonnet from below and connect a source of voles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 April, 2023, 01:51:38 pm
They've had several deep immersions in the floods recently, so I repacked and flushed the ancient M737 SPDs using the time-honoured method of filling the body 1/3 full of grease and screwing the bearing assembly back in.

I can't recommend this grease highly enough.  It is an absolute bugger to wash off your hands, but it really works - the M737s never had lip seals so the grease fill is the only thing keeping 8 inches of floodwater out of the innards.   Designed for wheel bearings in boat trailers.

https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Ramonol/Universal-Grease-150g-Tube/GMO
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 April, 2023, 03:27:15 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 April, 2023, 09:25:15 am
When I ran out of 50ps for the gas meter in my bedshit, I used to.open the padlock with a key that just happened to fit and replace them with pound coins or fivers.

Crikey: in my young day, "here's a shilling, go and gas yourself" still meant something.  Inflation, decimalization and North Sea Gas impoverished our cultural heritage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 April, 2023, 10:45:59 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 April, 2023, 03:27:15 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 April, 2023, 09:25:15 am
When I ran out of 50ps for the gas meter in my bedshit, I used to.open the padlock with a key that just happened to fit and replace them with pound coins or fivers.

Crikey: in my young day, "here's a shilling, go and gas yourself" still meant something.  Inflation, decimalization and North Sea Gas impoverished our cultural heritage.

Yeah.  These days it would be 30p for a cartridge of nitrous oxide.  Which is arguably better value than the stuff you get from the meter...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 April, 2023, 08:46:56 am
Quote from: Kim on 03 April, 2023, 10:45:59 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 April, 2023, 03:27:15 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 April, 2023, 09:25:15 am
When I ran out of 50ps for the gas meter in my bedshit, I used to.open the padlock with a key that just happened to fit and replace them with pound coins or fivers.

Crikey: in my young day, "here's a shilling, go and gas yourself" still meant something.  Inflation, decimalization and North Sea Gas impoverished our cultural heritage.

Yeah.  These days it would be 30p for a cartridge of nitrous oxide.  Which is arguably better value than the stuff you get from the meter...

Not nearly terminal enough, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 06 April, 2023, 09:32:25 pm
Nothing much, just fettled a new button for the thermostatic shower temperature control dial, seeing as the old one had cracked, meaning the it didn't work properly!

Half hour or so in Blender, then half an hour or so on the 3D printer, and job done! At least this has saved a bit of money, due to spare part such as this not really readily available, apart from buying an entirely new thermostatic shower!

I did give it a bit of a sand to remove the 3d print layer lines, but looks not too bad.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52798383491_24ee17356b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2orBvWK)IMG_20230406_115821 (https://flic.kr/p/2orBvWK) by Brian Innes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianinnesphotography/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52798775455_fa26a250c7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2orDwsK)IMG_20230406_120355 (https://flic.kr/p/2orDwsK) by Brian Innes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianinnesphotography/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52797816002_078dbc92bc_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oryBfs)IMG_20230406_120402 (https://flic.kr/p/2oryBfs) by Brian Innes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianinnesphotography/), on Flickr



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 April, 2023, 04:07:02 pm
Stuck some small hooks, such as one might dangle tea towels from, to various surfaces of the Fast-Appreciating Future Classic, that I might route the TwatNav's power lead away from gear levers, handbrakes, ect and, moreover, etc.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2023, 05:22:54 pm
I always found the 'cup' that came in one of the cupholders handy for squishing twat nav cables between.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 April, 2023, 05:56:52 pm
Rather too much.

Changed the serpentine belt on the MX-5.
Changed the wheels on the CX-5, washed the winter ones and put them away.
Washed the MX-5.
Took the fork of the Moulton apart and put a genuine bush back in to replace the crappy Moulton Preservation one.
Test rode the Moulton, which is now smooth and silent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 07 April, 2023, 08:24:06 pm
Now reprinting my knobs in grey PLA+, at a finer layer height! (0.12mm, rather than 0.2mm)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 April, 2023, 08:43:25 am
Sussed out & set up a VDO counter for a chum.  Perverse article it was too.  I had one in 2014 that refused to add any more km after 4000-odd. Sent it back - http://sport-components.de/ - to get it fixed under guarantee but the crafty buggers had never sent me an invoice and I never saw it again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 April, 2023, 05:40:23 pm
Hacking and filing a hunk of Nylon to create the missing seatpost clamp components for the ancient borrowed Birdy Blue. It looks like Cinderella will go to the ball/ multimodal camping weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 April, 2023, 10:56:13 am
Replaced the battery in one of HK’s powermeter pedals and fitted a shim to one of HK’s SPD shoes. Discovered that the Powertap 1 pedals need new bearings and aren’t easily consumer-serviced. A factory bearing service will be not far short of £200.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: thing1 on 12 April, 2023, 08:49:44 pm
Installed aerobars on single bike for first time ever. I've done many a 1200km with them on the tandem (6+ years ago now!), but with PBP allowing them this year it seemed appropriate to try them out on some of the qualifiers.
Also in the process discovered Di2 had a limit of 6 shifter devices on the network. I really love multiple shifting positions, but never realised I was running right at the limit!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 15 April, 2023, 08:50:28 pm
Now molishing MK3 of Henry Vacuum Cleaner Tool Holder Clip. MK1 was ok, MK2 was better but snapped if bent too far. MK3 is now printing, hopefully the reinforcement will help!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 16 April, 2023, 04:53:02 pm
Distributed liberal amounts of Weedol amongst the weeds which invade the paths which surround chez moi. Had to use a watering can as opposed to the used-only-twice Hozelock pressurised sprayer which would not pressurise. Of course once I'd finished the job I discovered that the split-ring which secures the carrying strap was so placed that it was preventing the lid/pump from screwing fully down and sealing  ::-).
Merde.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 16 April, 2023, 05:13:46 pm
Our dishwasher had developed an intermittent warning about water getting into it's innards. Which would be consistent with the rubber seal coming away from the door.
A new seal doesn't come as just a bit of rubber to stick on, but the whole inner panel of the door.
I decided to try to fix it and ordered a new panel.
The new panel doesn't even come with fresh screws, the tight gits (3 different sorts).
The old panel came off, eventually. Though there's some sticky tape and glue involved for some polystyrene that had to come off to get at the soap dispenser bit. I also cleared out some accumulated grot on the inside.
Getting it all back together involved a certain amount of bad swears and blood: thin metal, attaching to sprung hinges and the outer door is a clunky job. But got it together I did.
Gave it a go.
Bloody thing leaks as soon at the water goes over the new seal.  >:(
That's not really fettling is it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 April, 2023, 05:44:55 pm
Quote from: perpetual dan on 16 April, 2023, 05:13:46 pm
That's not really fettling is it?

I believe the word is 'Verschlimmbesserung'...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 April, 2023, 06:46:21 pm
Tweaked the brake lever position on Steve’s tandem, cleaned the rear disc, readjusted the BB eccentric to lower my position, swapped the captain’s pedals for something with more cornering clearance, adjusted the front V-brake, removed the cracked stoker’s saddle and adjusted the front derailleur (better but still not good).

I have read the literature on how to set up a R7000 front mech a couple of times but still have issues when in the big ring. During yesterday’s 300, the cage dragged when towards the top gears, now it drags towards the lower cogs. I will leave it a day or two before trying again. Cable tension is obviously the issue somehow but there is some weird spring-loading and micro-adjustment of the cable clamp that I am getting wrong. The chain even drags on the top of the cage, despite having it towards the top of the 1-3mm chainring clearance range.

The rear disc brake is woeful. It all needs to work properly before the 400 in a fortnight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 16 April, 2023, 08:36:36 pm
Five minutes after getting the new Pino home (see the tandems board for details) I tinkered with the reach adjust on the back brake. They're Sram Guide R and the pads were dragging on the disc. I noticed the reach adjust wotsit was misaligned, with the wee pin not in its hole. A couple of minutes with some pliers and I'd unscrewed it enough to get the pin in the right place. The pads still drag though. Some research is needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 April, 2023, 08:46:22 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 16 April, 2023, 08:36:36 pm
Five minutes after getting the new Pino home (see the tandems board for details) I tinkered with the reach adjust on the back brake. They're Sram Guide R and the pads were dragging on the disc. I noticed the reach adjust wotsit was misaligned, with the wee pin not in its hole. A couple of minutes with some pliers and I'd unscrewed it enough to get the pin in the right place. The pads still drag though. Some research is needed.
Tim,
The Pino I have was supplied new with a very poorly aligned rear caliper mounting. I had to make a wedge to fit between the frame and the caliper mounting bracket. This wedge is basically 10degrees, 1.6mm at the bottom and to a point at the top.
Jef
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 April, 2023, 09:16:03 pm
I fitted a 9speed cassette to an 11speed freehub.  At first it seemed all good... I even rode it 50 yards up the road and back. Then I realised there was a fair bit of play in the cassette...

Wheel set is Scribe Pace.

A friend had very generously donated the really excellent wheelset to me, I didn't think about any spacers required to use it on my 8yr old, 2 x 9 speed, Scott Speedster S40.

So I found the (inevitably hoarded) old worn out 8 speed cassette in the workshop, prised off the smallest cog from the block of 6 (the 13t of the 11-28), and I used that as a spacer, pushing it onto the hub before the cassette.

I could probably have used the adjacent spacer instead, but I wasn't sure if the plastic spacer was man enough to withstand the preload and any other lateral loads in use, as the flange (at the inboard end of the freehub) is only 1 or 2mm high.

The cassette tightened properly this time.

As once the new wheel was fitted, the derailleur indexing didn't need any adjustment, I assume the thickness was about right!
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 16 April, 2023, 09:58:04 pm
Good bodging  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 April, 2023, 10:28:27 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 16 April, 2023, 09:58:04 pm
Good bodging  :thumbsup:

Cheers Pingu.

When I have proven that the "spacer" is the right thickness and it is man enough, etc. I will prise off the 14t from the old 8spd cassette and turn it down to the smallest diameter that will function, and replace the "beta" version.

 

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 April, 2023, 09:05:18 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 April, 2023, 08:46:22 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 16 April, 2023, 08:36:36 pm
Five minutes after getting the new Pino home (see the tandems board for details) I tinkered with the reach adjust on the back brake. They're Sram Guide R and the pads were dragging on the disc. I noticed the reach adjust wotsit was misaligned, with the wee pin not in its hole. A couple of minutes with some pliers and I'd unscrewed it enough to get the pin in the right place. The pads still drag though. Some research is needed.
Tim,
The Pino I have was supplied new with a very poorly aligned rear caliper mounting. I had to make a wedge to fit between the frame and the caliper mounting bracket. This wedge is basically 10degrees, 1.6mm at the bottom and to a point at the top.
Jef
Fortunately mine is nice and square and all that was needed was to recentre the caliper, which is also my thing that I have learned how to do today.

I also converted the lump of rust where the chain should be on the bendy bike into a chain once again. This involved pliers, penetrating oil, time and only a few Bad Swears.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Bledlow on 17 April, 2023, 11:16:41 pm
A few weeks ago . . .

Bought some self-adhesive rubber pads to put under chair legs so they do less floor scraping. Seem to work for that.

Had one of those visions of immense possibilities & stuck one to the washing machine foot which was taking constant attention to stop it wandering around its patch of uneven tiled floor. I'd tried various things including supposedly non-slip wotsits which weren't, but realised the new pads were slightly thicker, a lot denser, & really did seem not to slip.

It sits still now! For weeks!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 April, 2023, 08:17:11 am
Good for you. IME the thing walks anyway, leaving the pad behind with the adhesive covered in dog-hair.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 April, 2023, 07:10:46 pm
Ok, I didn't fettle it, but the joiner has been.

Absolute unit. The joiner was glad I'd warned him how heavy the new door is so he could bring a mate.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52827062612_28a54ef155_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ou9vfm)2023-04-18_06-57-45 (https://flic.kr/p/2ou9vfm) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Let there be light (there's still film on the glass until I treat the wood)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52827639856_ba54960929_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oucsQQ)2023-04-18_06-59-16 (https://flic.kr/p/2oucsQQ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 20 April, 2023, 03:32:00 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 April, 2023, 09:16:03 pm
I fitted a 9speed cassette to an 11speed freehub.  At first it seemed all good... I even rode it 50 yards up the road and back. Then I realised there was a fair bit of play in the cassette...

So I found the (inevitably hoarded) old worn out 8 speed cassette in the workshop, prised off the smallest cog from the block of 6 (the 13t of the 11-28), and I used that as a spacer, pushing it onto the hub before the cassette.
.....
As once the new wheel was fitted, the derailleur indexing didn't need any adjustment, I assume the thickness was about right!

Just researched the correct spacer thickness, found it is supposed to be 1.85mm.  So, I then researched the thickness of an 8 speed sprocket.

That too is 1.85mm thick. That was lucky!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 April, 2023, 03:44:53 pm
Set up a refurb eTrex 30x Garmin sent to replace my damaged 8-year-old one. Screen's not as big as on the piece-of-shit Oregon 600 I've been using but it doesn't have an accursed touch screen.  Might flog it off now, once I've checked the refurb.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 20 April, 2023, 06:47:07 pm
Tried indexing this "Vintage" Campagnolo front derailleur  (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155473924544)on my Spa Audax (Winter) bike

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/C30AAOSwHsdjdRST/s-l400.jpg)

Despite assurances (before purchase) from the Ebay seller in Poland that it would work with
my 2008 Centaur levers, I could not get it to index (cable pull anyone?).

My rookie mistake by my for listening to what someone with something to sell says, and for
not taking onboard all the cable-pull-change shenanigans that Campagnolo have been up to
over the years.

Anyhow, rather than go the the rigmarole of trying to get a refund, I took the derailleur
and another one of the "vintage" era that I had in my spares box to the local charity bike shop*.
The chap I spoke to said their 'Campag Man' will put it to good use.

*Earlier in the week I donated a 1990s-era Dura Ace 32 h rear hub. They've already had bids for
it on Ebay.

** Some of the stuff they don't use the in shop, they sell on Ebay.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 April, 2023, 10:13:13 pm
I put a coat of Osmo door oil on the new kitchen door earlier. A bit later I noticed it was all covered in cat hair. I've left it wide open for most of the night, but clearly not long enough. Sigh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 April, 2023, 12:41:30 am
Fans. Last weekend when I was away with MrsH in our passion wagon (oh, how the kids hate it when I call our camper that!) I noticed that the roof vent fan wasn't working. Not an issue as it was only to clear cooking steam, but needed to be fixed before summer when we'll want it for cooling. And independently, the van's ventilation blower has never worked on the high speed setting (4) since we got it. That's a bit irritating when clearing condensation in a morning before driving off. But this weekend 3 started to be intermittent, so that needed looking at too.

The roof vent turned out to be a simple failed crimp where it was connected to the power. I'd been doing stuff in that area when mounting the solar panel, I must have fatigued it somehow as the ring was still on the terminal but the rest snapped off. Dead easy to fix.

The blower fan was the switch failing - but that means stripping down lots of the dashboard to get to it, including removing the radio, which is a very tight fit as it's an aftermarket Android Auto thing that needs various adaptors and a DAB amplifier jammed into a non-existent space behind it. Amazingly I did so without (apparently) breaking anything or losing any skin. The only painful part was spending £30 on a new genuine switch (didn't want to risk an aftermarket one for half that price, as if it failed prematurely I'd be back into stripping down the dash).

The van is now a rather cool place to sit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 April, 2023, 02:54:05 pm
Trued and cleaned the disc, realigned the Spyre caliper and replaced the pads on my stoker’s tandem. Finally there is decent rear braking. Readjusted the R7000 front derailleur strictly in accordance with Shimano’s instructions and it still drags at the extreme angles in the big ring. Reloaded the tandem’s spares and tools. Ready enough for the 400 next weekend.

Fitted CX-8.4 mini-V-brakes to HK’s touring Trykit in place of the RX-5s. Flint-mined the rear tyres, replaced the front tyre and readjusted the mudguard to clear. Trued the front wheel. In good shape for her commute again.

Flint-mined the tyres on my fixed. Trued the front wheel. Removed the Campag cranks (bent spider), worn Gebhardt ring and Centaur BB and replaced them with a GB crank, TA ring and Shimano BB from the garage parts pile. Replaced the pedals with single-sided SPDs from the pile as I couldn’t get the old SPDs off the cranks. Replaced the worn chain. Still to straighten the brake lever and replace the corroded brake yokes and torn handlebar tape before heading into the office on Monday.

HK washed the Birdy, my stoker’s tandem, my trike, her recumbent and my fixed. I hate washing bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 April, 2023, 03:15:16 pm
My rather smart Park Tool Pro track pump suffered a modest blow to the gauge that shattered the thin plastic "glass" - found a bit of 3mm perspex left over from a display case I made, traced the outline onto it, cut out the shape on the scrollsaw and fitted it to the pump.  Perfect and somewhat more robust than the original.

Oh, and last weekend I built a pair of benches and a giant 8' x 4" table for my daughter's garden/patio - new scaffold boards jointed and a LOT of sanding and finishing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 22 April, 2023, 04:49:09 pm
Quote from: robgul on 22 April, 2023, 03:15:16 pm
...a giant 8' x 4" table...

Seems a bit Spinal Tap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 April, 2023, 04:57:07 pm
SFA. My fettle-lust seems to have evaporated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 April, 2023, 06:37:03 pm
Since the council fitted dim and very directional LED street lights, the shared parking area is as black as a black cat in a coal-hole, so I fitted an LED PIR floodlight above my garage door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 April, 2023, 06:55:25 pm
2nd coat of door oil on the door. Had a bit of an argument with Ninkasi while I was doing it as she decided to come and try using the door while it was shut and I was about 99% complete, numpty.

Then I took a wire brush to some fencing to get rid of the green stuff on it in preparation for yet more fence painting. Not that it will be happening anytime soon judging by the forecast.
Pingu lifted some of the slotted drain covers in the patio and removed the grue sitting in the bottom that was allowing weeds to grow out of it. That's another job TBC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JellyLegs on 22 April, 2023, 08:27:28 pm
(Not strictly today, but yesterday) Sorted the lighting in the garage so I don’t cast my own shadow over the repositioned workbench and finally got around to creating a system for hanging the double 16’ ladder from the ceiling and clear a bit of useable floor space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 22 April, 2023, 09:03:54 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 April, 2023, 06:55:25 pm
...Pingu lifted some of the slotted drain covers in the patio and removed the grue sitting in the bottom that was allowing weeds to grow out of it. That's another job TBC.

One of those I wish I hadn't started this things  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 22 April, 2023, 09:40:22 pm
Finished the space muriel for grandson-ham, room back together after the chimney stack took out the ceiling and the room.

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSAyXb7Sgfb_hrP5cQuFOlTlVKYJxQhxhqJV90e-dy4VwtQbDjvYjgc51Cb-8iBNfIMCSQhW7sCH1s-_R92u7GLV2v6BpXbH_S_UKsMW57IZ3c6dPfSS5NohOG02cTngqV7u9XGgKxOGXJfiKw3JSsiTgm_10N6WjtfMOgI9cRBS0scf33snJOiM7/s2040/PXL_20230422_114719563.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 April, 2023, 10:52:51 am
Swapped the chain on the eBrute.  Thought about re-cabling the 2001 MBK I use on the turbo but in the end CBA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 April, 2023, 10:56:09 am
Quote from: Ham on 22 April, 2023, 09:40:22 pm
Finished the space muriel for grandson-ham, room back together after the chimney stack took out the ceiling and the room.

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSAyXb7Sgfb_hrP5cQuFOlTlVKYJxQhxhqJV90e-dy4VwtQbDjvYjgc51Cb-8iBNfIMCSQhW7sCH1s-_R92u7GLV2v6BpXbH_S_UKsMW57IZ3c6dPfSS5NohOG02cTngqV7u9XGgKxOGXJfiKw3JSsiTgm_10N6WjtfMOgI9cRBS0scf33snJOiM7/s2040/PXL_20230422_114719563.jpg)

Would Susie Boreton be in the train?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 23 April, 2023, 09:57:24 pm
Two friends brought their bikes round today. Both had stuck pedal threads on drive side only.

I wanted to use a big pedal spanner to get the threads loosened, but they were both Allen key pedals.

They were really tight... I had to lay each bike flat on its drive side over two workmate style benches, with the drive-side crank in the gap on the front bench. Tightened the crank in the gap with both jaws matching the taper of the crank. Had to shim under the left legs of said bench to get the angle right to properly grip the crank. I placed a 16st 7lb weight on the step of the workbench with the crank in its jaws. The 8mm Wera Allen Key was not long enough to give sufficient drive to the pedals, so a long tube over the shank of the key was finally deployed to get them both moving. Both had been greased on fitment (51 weeks ago) I recommended using PTFE tape in future.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 23 April, 2023, 10:38:32 pm
A spot of tinkering on the new-to-me Pino:

Sorted the boom length to the stoker's satisfaction.
Tweaked the handlebar position to be a bit more compact.
Wasn't getting the big sprocket, so went to adjust the rear mech cable tension. This proved somewhat tricky as someone had removed the tension adjuster. I will poke around in my collection of bits for a replacement.
Tried to adjust poition of the handlebars wrt the direction the bike is traveling. At present there's a couple of degrees discrepancy but I couldn't get the adjustment on the tie bar to play ball.
Fitted an under seat bottle cage.
Most importantly, pumped the tyres up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 25 April, 2023, 09:17:53 pm
Just replaced the ceramic cartridge in the hot tap of the kitchen sink mixer tap.  Second time that it has failed in 5 years.   Not a great record.  Worse: Bristan no longer supply the replacement cartridges an NOS pairs seem to sell for ridiculously high prices.  I have bought an aftermarket cartridge which seems to be fine for a fraction of the cost.

The cold tap has not suffered the same issue so I do wonder if the heat from the hot water is a factor in this.  The bath taps and bathroom basin tap seem just fine.  They were fitted within weeks of each other.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 25 April, 2023, 10:03:31 pm
I want to know why we can't all go back to traditional tap washers. I see no benefits in ceramic. They're expensive to maintain, wasteful and seemingly at least as failure-prone.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 April, 2023, 10:12:28 pm
Re-assembled most of HK’s demountable Trykit after it has been rebrazed and painted; assembly to be finished tomorrow evening. She is thinking of taking it on the train for her Scottish 300 this weekend.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 25 April, 2023, 10:33:15 pm
Quote from: drossall on 25 April, 2023, 10:03:31 pm
I want to know why we can't all go back to traditional tap washers. I see no benefits in ceramic. They're expensive to maintain, wasteful and seemingly at least as failure-prone.

But then you also have to turn the tap more than a quarter turn! How could you? (See also, keyless car entry and other improvements for their own sake)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 April, 2023, 03:04:42 pm
This morning, fitted washers on the axles of my fixed's single-sided Wellgo SPDs and adjusted the tension to max to stop my ankles hitting the GB cranks and to stop my feet popping free too easily. It worked well enough, though a little tighter retention would be nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 April, 2023, 03:40:04 pm
Some Phil Wood grease turned up so I purged a pair of ancient M323 SPDs using the "thumb pressed over the dust cap hole" method, pumping grease in until enough clean grease came out at the crank end.  I had to use Phil grease because that's what I did them with when they were new to me.

Even cheap pedals hold up well if kept packed with grease.  They have very little from the factory.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 26 April, 2023, 06:50:48 pm
Nothing to do with the bike, but I lubricated and adjusted my 1960s lawn mower today - a push JP Maxees 12" cylinder mower.  Far better cut than the vile Flymo with it's 'fling it here, fling it there' * grass 'distribution. (*Quote from the muck spreader song).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 26 April, 2023, 07:56:33 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 16 April, 2023, 09:58:04 pm
Good bodging  :thumbsup:

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/X4Ii9T8NM_iqDJ2JK_HItjBGbRCju1ffjiLJGQsiqAc-1536x2048.jpg)

The finished item. I found out that machining sprockets (surface hardening) is quite challenging!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 April, 2023, 08:02:07 pm
Machining your own 1.85mm spacer when these can be had for about two quid is above and beyond the call of bodgery!
Good effort.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 26 April, 2023, 08:05:21 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 April, 2023, 08:02:07 pm
Machining your own 1.85mm spacer when these can be had for about two quid is above and beyond the call of bodgery!
Good effort.
It is nice to have access to the kit to do that sort of thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 26 April, 2023, 08:29:33 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 April, 2023, 08:02:07 pm
Machining your own 1.85mm spacer when these can be had for about two quid is above and beyond the call of bodgery!
Good effort.


Quote from: Jurek on 26 April, 2023, 08:05:21 pm

It is nice to have access to the kit to do that sort of thing.

Thanks guys.
The tools I resorted to using, to get the outside diameter right, were a 32tpi hacksaw, and a file or two.
To get the holes large enough for the heads of the cassette pins to seat properly, I had to drill them. HSS drill bits were not capable of cutting the surface. Fortunately, I remembered an old engineering trick. Sharpened a masonry bit (Tungsten Carbide) to a sharp head. That just did the trick.
So the "kit to do that sort of thing."  is in reach of everyone with a bench grinder, a masonry drill, a hacksaw and set of files.

It kept me busy for an hour, I didn't have to shop on the internet for the missing spacer, and didn't have to wait for the postman to bring the spacer from China to my door. It also very slightly reduced the stock of metalwork I have kept in my shed (for years) for just such a rainy day!

It also gives me a weird satisfaction, making something from my scrap rather than throwing away and buying again. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 26 April, 2023, 09:27:39 pm
Spent some quality time with a package of TipTop patches , glue and the Big Carrier Bag full of tubes I've been meaning to fix for bog knows many years. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 April, 2023, 11:47:12 pm
Quote from: JefO on 26 April, 2023, 07:56:33 pm
The finished item. I found out that machining sprockets (surface hardening) is quite challenging!

My grate frend Mr Bridge found this out the hard way when he discovered that the cog needed to step up seventyseven's gearing from “testing in BRITAIN” to “flat out in Nevada” was 1/8” instead of 3/32” and perforce needed to be narrowed.  In the motel car park.  With a Dremel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 April, 2023, 09:29:04 am
Quote from: Ham on 25 April, 2023, 10:33:15 pm
Quote from: drossall on 25 April, 2023, 10:03:31 pm
I want to know why we can't all go back to traditional tap washers. I see no benefits in ceramic. They're expensive to maintain, wasteful and seemingly at least as failure-prone.

But then you also have to turn the tap more than a quarter turn! How could you? (See also, keyless car entry and other improvements for their own sake)

Of course the 1/4 turn option is good for some people with disabilities or, like my wife, with reduced strength. But generally we prefer the standard "old fashioned" taps.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 April, 2023, 01:29:06 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 27 April, 2023, 09:29:04 am
Quote from: Ham on 25 April, 2023, 10:33:15 pm
Quote from: drossall on 25 April, 2023, 10:03:31 pm
I want to know why we can't all go back to traditional tap washers. I see no benefits in ceramic. They're expensive to maintain, wasteful and seemingly at least as failure-prone.

But then you also have to turn the tap more than a quarter turn! How could you? (See also, keyless car entry and other improvements for their own sake)

Of course the 1/4 turn option is good for some people with disabilities or, like my wife, with reduced strength. But generally we prefer the standard "old fashioned" taps.

Yes, I've always been a fan of hospital taps for whichever sink you're likely to use to wash oil/poo/nasty chemicals off your hands with.  That they enable barakta to not leave the tap dribbling is a significant bonus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 29 April, 2023, 09:31:41 pm
My Young Lady's glasses had fallen apart - one of the arms became detached. I decided some epoxy glue to secure the spigot into the arm was the way forward. Removed the screw holding the broken bit of arm, mixed up some blobs of adhesive and hardener and applied them using a matchstick.

Had some trouble getting the screw back in, so held in a pair of tweezers. Gripped a bit too hard and the tiny screw shot across the room, hit something from followed be my going "fuck it".

"Is that what they call a pingfuckiit?" came the question from the sofa.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 29 April, 2023, 09:45:14 pm
I bought a box of hundreds of assorted replacement glasses pingfuckits for a few quid a couple of years ago.  This, in combination with pre-emptive application of Loctite, has prevented any of our glasses from falling to bits.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 April, 2023, 07:44:40 am
On the advice of That Kim I did likewise, since the cost of the box of a bazillion tiny screws off of Ebay was less than the bus fare to take myself and my b0rked specs to the optician.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 30 April, 2023, 12:44:51 pm
Yesterday I removed a load of earth from the patio drain 'cos there was stuffs growing in it. Which was nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 30 April, 2023, 05:10:21 pm
I put a new inner tube into the front tyre of the bicycle belonging to Dennis Mennice (his FB name) a crochet friend of My Dear Wife.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 April, 2023, 05:12:05 pm
I took down (ripped off the wall) this hideous dust covered pelmet in the bathroom. Unfortunately the Polyfilla didn't have the lid replaced properly so was unusable so I need to get some more to fill that big 'ole.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52858245157_e116788545_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2owUjJr)2023-04-30_05-05-52 (https://flic.kr/p/2owUjJr) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 April, 2023, 05:16:34 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 30 April, 2023, 12:44:51 pm
Yesterday I removed a load of earth from the patio drain 'cos there was stuffs growing in it. Which was nice.

Apropos of this, Pingu created this https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=111701.msg2807280#msg2807280
so that we could get access to the drain at the back of the garage which has a full water butt preventing complete access.
There was a lot of grot in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Duckfoot1606 on 30 April, 2023, 05:32:57 pm
Finally got around to realigning the shifters, trimming the steerer tube and replacing the bar tape on my audax bike

 First time cutting a steerer tube and repositioning the star nut, feeling pretty pleased with myself 😀

A
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 30 April, 2023, 06:31:51 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 April, 2023, 07:44:40 am
On the advice of That Kim I did likewise, since the cost of the box of a bazillion tiny screws off of Ebay was less than the bus fare to take myself and my b0rked specs to the optician.
A swift visit to Specsavers (ob cycling: shakedown ride on the Pino) and all is well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 May, 2023, 12:47:52 pm
Fitted new 16t and 17t cogs to my fixed, replaced the Al chainring bolts with SS and shortened the chain by a link. Replaced the front brake cable and the rear straddle cable. Readjusted the front brake for better centring, despite a weird brake spring imbalance.

Adjusted the rear gears and flint-mined the tyres of HK’s Kinesis.

Finished reassembling HK’s demountable Trykit, save for front mudguard and lights. Fitted a new tyre to the spare dyno-wheel.

Tried and failed to remove SPD pedals from some old cranks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 May, 2023, 02:44:17 pm
New FD cable + housing on the eBrute. And of course when I'd done and wanted to take it round the block to check it the rain came bucketing down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 01 May, 2023, 03:14:46 pm
Pumped up the tyres on the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle.  Rolls a lot better now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: arabella on 01 May, 2023, 10:02:06 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 01 May, 2023, 03:14:46 pm
Pumped up the tyres on the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle.  Rolls a lot better now!
I was going to do similar.  But it had been done for me.   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 02 May, 2023, 10:02:38 am
Quote from: T42 on 01 May, 2023, 02:44:17 pm
New FD cable + housing on the eBrute. And of course when I'd done and wanted to take it round the block to check it the rain came bucketing down.

See below
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hubner on 02 May, 2023, 10:20:36 am
I bought a courier bag, but it doesn't have the quick release shoulder strap buckle, which is almost essential as it allows instant length adjustment of the strap. Bought 2 cam lock strap buckles from Ebay for £3, then spent about 30 min to an hour sewing with needle and thread.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 02 May, 2023, 12:28:55 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 May, 2023, 12:47:52 pm
Fitted new 16t and 17t cogs to my fixed

Quite spinny, no?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 May, 2023, 12:56:47 pm
A bit, I may get a 15t down the line.

I had no chainrings in the garage between 42t and 50t that fitted the GB cranks but 42/16 is good enough for London commuting and a 25-32 km/h cruising speed. It stops me getting sore knees pulling away from the lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 02 May, 2023, 01:28:34 pm
Sorry, my joke appears to have been undone by nomenclature: 17 in the front and 16 in the back. Or vice versa. You know, for hills.

(https://i.imgur.com/QNBwQdi.jpg)

17 happens to be the sweet spot on my sadly vertical magic gear'd dropouts, making for 65ish", which fortunately works fine on hills I believe you're familiar with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 May, 2023, 01:35:09 pm
I have always been slow on the uptake, so no change there.

Riding sans gears around your part of the world is a little too tough for me. I am built more for the flatlands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 May, 2023, 11:44:19 am
Changed the rear tube on fixed, twice, on the way to work. Different causes, embedded glass and then a nasty thorn that I had to pull out with my teeth. Hands still grimy despite enthusiastic scrubbing. Feeling like a laser dot is shining on my forehead and I am the only person who can't see it...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 May, 2023, 03:25:06 pm
Used Gerber Dime* on the road for first time, to twiddle FD cable adjuster.

* thx Kim for mentioning these pre-Christmas.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 05 May, 2023, 09:57:17 pm
Hase Pino 2011, have a shear pin, designed to fail if the quite large, under front seat stand frame, collides with (for instance) a railway sleeper adjacent to a mid path bollard on a cycle path. So, after exactly that happened, and I baulked at the price of a genuine replacement, I engineered out the need for an expensive shear pin, and made a weak link by using a 6mm nylon screw instead.

This worked well until today, when I noticed the nylon screw had done its job. Could I find any of the screws that I had cut to length? No of course not. Naturally I am packing the bike today for a cycling holiday (starting 100miles away, with car assist). Also, I am clearing my parent's house which has been on the market for 7 months, sitting with an accepted offer for a few months, and finally now I am having a holiday there is a hurry up to get the sale completed!
 
If the property is not clear of dad's engineering tools (being found homes for at my home), then these things will have to go to the tip / men's shed charity etc. My place is already full of crap from too many hobby items, and having had to do the same at my in-laws fairly recently.

So I made 4 more and put them in with the bike specific tool bag.

Time priorities and responsibility priorities fighting a vicious battle here!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 05 May, 2023, 10:01:42 pm
Converted my cross-check to single speed

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52873514755_46f2424d8e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oyfzRn)IMG_20230505_175227_526 (https://flic.kr/p/2oyfzRn) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 May, 2023, 12:54:28 pm
New brake pads and a bell on the Birdy. Big Apple tyres won’t fit until I solve front mudguard stay and rear derailleur clearance issues. Topped up my Brompton’s tyres.

Swapped the Liberator saddle from HK’s orange trike to the Birdy. Fitted a borrowed Selle Italia Diva saddle to the orange trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 07 May, 2023, 03:20:11 pm
Front door lock.  Now I can actually get out of the house and actively not take part in a street party!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 May, 2023, 06:00:40 pm
The weather is shit and the woman shid (TM Rose Matafeo) was getting in a bit of a tip so I fettled some shelves and tidied it up a bit.
Before
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52877954236_2cbc7b4eaf_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oyDky9)20230507_174939-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2oyDky9) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

After
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52878333545_34189fd8fe_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oyFhiX)20230507_175024-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2oyFhiX) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 May, 2023, 06:58:59 pm
There are no bikes in that shed ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 May, 2023, 07:18:15 pm
Quote from: drossall on 07 May, 2023, 06:58:59 pm
There are no bikes in that shed ???

That's what the garage is for!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 08 May, 2023, 09:54:43 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 May, 2023, 12:54:28 pm
New brake pads and a bell on the Birdy. Big Apple tyres won’t fit until I solve front mudguard stay and rear derailleur clearance issues. Topped up my Brompton’s tyres.

Swapped the Liberator saddle from HK’s orange trike to the Birdy.

May I ask, how many bikes do you have between you?

Spare parts which could be used to make more bikes may be added to the total if you wish.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 May, 2023, 10:04:05 am
Between us, three upright trikes, a recumbent trike, three tandems, three track bikes, a motor-pace bike, two Moultons, two Bromptons, a MTB commuter, a fixed commuter, two steel audax bikes, a 1950s racing bike, a 1980s racing bike, a 1990s dual suspension MTB. A few other bikes that need restoration. The Birdy is on long-term loan before we purchase it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 May, 2023, 10:19:52 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 May, 2023, 10:04:05 am
Between us, three upright trikes, a recumbent trike, three tandems, three track bikes, a motor-pace bike, two Moultons, two Bromptons, a MTB commuter, a fixed commuter, two steel audax bikes, a 1950s racing bike, a 1980s racing bike, a 1990s dual suspension MTB. A few other bikes that need restoration. The Birdy is on long-term loan before we purchase it.

. . .  must be quite a big garage to keep them in!    I did hit 16 bikes at one time, just the one upright track and one tandem, the remainder all diamond frame solos - about half in my garage and the rest stored in a friend's business premises.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 May, 2023, 11:42:08 am
Garage, shed, storage unit, house, our folk’s garages.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 08 May, 2023, 12:00:50 pm
And something like this to transport them between locations when necessary?

(https://iili.io/HSDLxZg.md.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 May, 2023, 12:11:04 pm
Not quite, parking and motorway journeys would be issues. An 8-seat car with 5 seats removed. Trikes and tandems (and tandem trikes) roll straight in without removing wheels. I ride about twice as far each year as it is driven, HK at least three times as far.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 May, 2023, 07:02:42 pm
Tweaked the front mech and a brake on HK’s demountable Trykit and mounted the front mudguard. Just the rear lights left to be sorted, for several cycles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 08 May, 2023, 08:26:15 pm
Gave the triban a thorough clean, fettle and lube. The poor thing was still dirty from the biblical Poor Student in Jan! I'll use it for this weekends Audax to spread the miles amongst the bikes.

Sanded and applied Roxil to some external wood. Washed the building dust off the nearly finished greenland kayak, and mentally prepared a list of jobs it needs before maiden capsize voyage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 11 May, 2023, 10:30:01 am
Quote from: SoreTween on 30 May, 2021, 01:19:04 pm
Investigated why the cameras in my car have not worked since I parked up to return to work in November.  I didn't get around to it when I was home in Jan - Feb which turned out to be fortunate.  The problem was condensation ingress into the connector on the power widget shoved up behind the dash.  That had caused a short and the permanent live pin had volunteered to be the fuse - totally evaporated, a 5 pin housing with 4 pins present.  New connector fitted & all is well again.  Oh and a smaller fuse fitted in the fuse box.

The 'fortunate' part is because the connector is a JST 2.54mm.  This is something I didn't have in stock until the end of Feb when I ordered the wrong kit off big river co.  The kit I wanted was 2mm.  That mistake resulted in an easy fix today without resorting to bodgery.
Replaced the connectors on the power widget again.  Condensation ingress again causing poor connections.  A brief attempt at cleaning them but not worth the bother really.  New male soldered into the power widget & new female connector crimped onto the wires.  Camera working again.  The car self propelled shed isn't going to last the two years until it'll need doing again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 11 May, 2023, 10:58:49 am
Something I'd like to fettle - has anyone got a broken or otherwise unwanted cheap* radio controlled toy controller with joysticks? I need to repair one, but the on board SMD switch is smaller than anything I can buy online, which are typically minimum 4mm high (this is about 2). I'd imagine most chinesium controllers will have similar


*needs to be forward/backward rather than proportional
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 11 May, 2023, 01:21:20 pm
Rebuilt a Toot Toot conveyor for the third time ;D Originally, the plastic drive inside the thing went. The drive cogs are mounted on plastic columns, and one snapped off. You can just about see the extra screw supporting that glued-back column, on the blue flower thing near the drive handle.

Then the rubber drive belt snapped. Replacements are listed by the supplier, but are unobtainium. So, I cut some Weldtite puncture-repair strip and tried that. Unfortunately, there are ridges on the belt (to support the cars). They get in the way of using a really long repair strip, so the repair failed. Had a second go, this time cutting a slot in the repair strip, so that it could go over the ridge and be much longer. Here's hoping it survives the next track-building session!

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/5h81jllmcpu6t1k/Toot%20Toot.jpg?raw=1)

My previous effort was putting the door back on Tidmouth Sheds, after a hinge pin broke off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: delthebike on 12 May, 2023, 11:25:22 am
Boards for the playing of bingo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 May, 2023, 11:53:38 pm
Swapped the front wheel on HK’s shiny Trykit as she doesn’t want to use a ceramic rim anymore.

Dismantled the rear wheel of HK’s recumbent trike and built the Capreo-compatible hub into a Sun 349 rim with a mix of Sapim DB and Pillar PG spokes. Stupid to have 36 spokes in such a small wheel. Even 2-cross, the spoke angle meant I had to set the spokes below the nipples to get the nipples to seat properly. The 349 Scorcher tyre should be noticeably quicker than the 355 Marathon Racer tyre.

Rebuilding the 32 spoke front wheels for 349 Scorchers will happen over the next couple of weeks and should net another kph.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 14 May, 2023, 06:38:45 am
Really pleased with this - eventually.

We have a joseph joseph bin, fancy thing with recycling underneath and a flip top lid. The button/flap for the flip top lid broke. New lid section 40 quid but found a guy on the bay of thieves who 3d prints the bit that breaks. Essentially it's a replacement pivot which glues into the flap and then has lugs which click into corresponding part on bin lid.

Eventually got it glued in as for some reason gorilla glue didn't stick it. Possibly as surfaces aren't porous, and then snapped the bit off the bin it's meant to clip into to.

So went down the shed and made a elongated u shaped bracket out of an jubilee clip, drilled ends for the pivot and had to file various bits to get it to fit onto the bin in the correct place but now all working.

Think I will need to extend the plastic bit on the lid flap that does into the flap as that's pretty worn after 9 years of use
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 14 May, 2023, 02:25:15 pm
Quote from: drossall on 11 May, 2023, 01:21:20 pm
Rebuilt a Toot Toot conveyor for the third time
And it's failed again >:(

Not as good a job as I thought. I'll have to find something stronger for joining rubber than ordinary rubber solution.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 May, 2023, 06:14:01 pm
Got around to resealing the washroom window in the camper; removal of window, clean up the old sealant and general muck that had worked its way in, then a good helping of sikaflex and refit. Amazingly got pretty much the perfect amount of sealant in, a couple of bits got squeezed out but generally just visible now it's cranked down.

And lots of work on the P2W. Getting into proper race season, and doing a quick check the other day saw that one of the rear beacons was failing. I've not been very impressed with these; I've been using Redtronic as they are British and give good visibility angles. But I've had four end up with condensation inside (which shouldn't happen as they are potted sealed - you'd have thought people from Yorkshire would know about making things waterproof), and a couple of outright failures now. At about £50 each that gets expensive. So I'm trying another brand on the rear, which meant dremel modifying the rear bracket that holds them, plus building a new rear loom. At the same time finished off my new comms radio box, that bolts onto the top box carrier at the rear and gives me a better antenna plus power from the bike, compared to the hand held radio I normally use. On my old bike it was noticeable that the bike mounted radio could hear things that the handheld simply couldn't, but this one doesn't have room under the seat to permanently mount one there.

Took the opportunity to redo all my race auxiliary wiring, which had got into a bit of a mess. Put in another couple of switches and a couple of relays, so I've got a switch on the handlebars (that used to be my beacons only) that if the ignition is on powers up an auxiliary relay that powers my lights, phone (for veloviewer) and radio. If the ignition is turned off that relay stays on, keeping those bits powered up even with the key removed, until I turn the switch off. After that you can't turn stuff back on unless you turn on the ignition. Means I can park up the bike in an odd location with the beacons on, without needing to leave the key with the bike, but nobody can turn them on when it's parked up.
Then added another couple of switches fed from that that go to relays to turn on front and rear beacons. So I can now independently control them, rather than all or nothing. Starting to run out of space for switches now! Also added a power path from that to the dashcam, so rather than it turning off a couple of minutes after I've turned off the ignition, it will stay running if the auxiliary power is live.

That was a lot of time doing wiring, plus this time actually making a note of what colours do what on different wires, and labelling relays and fuses so I stand a chance when things go wrong. I might actually draw up a schematic as it's got a bit complex with additional non-race stuff too (like fog lamps, front/rear cameras etc.).

Then had a look at my bottle cage mounts. I've used Zefal Gizmo mounts to attached cages to both sides of my crash bars so I can carry plenty of fluids for long races. They just cable tie in place, but aren't that robust if knocked as they rely on a thin cable tie - which is also non-standard. Having used them for a couple of big multi-day events where they showed I like having bottles there, I put some proper rivnuts into the bars so the cages mount properly and hopefully reliably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 14 May, 2023, 08:52:58 pm
Quote from: Ham on 11 May, 2023, 10:58:49 am
Something I'd like to fettle - has anyone got a broken or otherwise unwanted cheap* radio controlled toy controller with joysticks? I need to repair one, but the on board SMD switch is smaller than anything I can buy online, which are typically minimum 4mm high (this is about 2). I'd imagine most chinesium controllers will have similar


*needs to be forward/backward rather than proportional

I have something you can have. Roughly where do you live?
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 14 May, 2023, 08:58:14 pm
My sister had managed to break the flush handle on her toilet,   she ordered a replacement from Amazon & expected big brother to fit it. 


Which I did , after a fashion.  The plastic threads are cheese & can't be tightened properly and the fixing hole is on a curved but of the cistern, so it won't but up against the surface properly.   It's flushing, but I'm going to have to get a more suitable one from Screwfix. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 May, 2023, 09:58:19 am
Tightened up steerer stack on eBrute. It was only replaced in March but I've hit a few tooth-rattling bumps since, and a ride on terrible Pfälzische "roads" last Saturday didn't help.  Also replaced front brake blocks.  The screws with the new ones were for 1.5 mm Allen keys so I junked them and used the old ones.  As it happens, I do possess a 1.5 mm Allen key but it's so tiddly it'd be easy to lose.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 May, 2023, 10:12:28 pm
Was given some preowned (but never used), Scribe Pace wheels. They ride very well indeed. Over 65 miles on Sunday 14th, I was 0.9mph (1.5kph) faster (18.4mph) than when I did the same route on the same bike with stock manufacturer's wheels in May 2021 (17.5mph). It is my first bladed spoke wheelset.
I noticed after the ride, when cleaning the bike, there was a slight out of true wobble on the front wheel.
I contacted the manufacturer to find the range of spoke tensions that I shoud be aiming for.
They advised I do this without pressure in the tyre and the range is 110 to 125KgF.
I was quite surprised that the spoke tensions slacken by about 10% under normal running pressures (700x25c).
It was the first time I had used a tensiometer.
The spoke wind up is far more noticeable with bladed spokes.
I soon knocked up a tool to hold the blades and adjust them back to zero degrees AoA.
I found the tensiometer gives slightly different readings depending on the part of the spoke the meter is centred on.
I put a blob of yellow paint at the mid point of each spoke, to ensure I could align the tensiometer with it, to get repeatability.
So, basically what should have been, a ten minute job, took two hours. But I was very pleased with my new tools and proud of the pukka job I had done.
I also made a new aluminium bottle cage mounting bracket, as the cheap plastic part it replaced, had started to disintegrate.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/1aJnWX-6IyFFHIfa7Xtu0nvCMKt50JJd-C4dNuxnPtk-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/MaxFqrlCMvlHpm6C0DKH1upb7Xcfgvzrw2osQ9zPKP4-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/SOSqLeNERI6J203Tz6nyxJ6nwLtRxm5k_NOtvNe-nZ8-1536x2048.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 May, 2023, 07:28:18 am
Swapped SPDs between HK’s Kinesis and the Birdy. Apparently HK's shoes didn't properly connect with the Birdy's pedals.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 May, 2023, 10:56:41 am
Fitted new Cateye rear lights to HK's shiny trike and swapped the saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 May, 2023, 10:17:07 am
Cleaned the eBrute, FCVO "clean".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 20 May, 2023, 10:55:14 am
Made a derailleur alignment check tool for 135mm OLD frames. 

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/-RUKBBJWoO2u4C4NWW9UDsv8Q0XrLqWwwp-1KGChUJc-1536x2048.jpg)

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/g1WoPcLRgQsXCctrqVBm5BayN8axfWy2iyGEcrTORuM-2048x1536.jpg)

Got a little "doonk" (irregular noise) accompanied by a little kick from the otherwise smooth 9 speed rear cassette / derailleur, maybe two or three times in a minute then nothing for 10 minutes at a consistently high load, most usually noticeable in the 4th, 5th and 6th gears, but sometimes in the higher ratios too.
Everything in the following list is new - pedals, cranks, chainrings, BB, chain, cassette, derailleur jockey wheels, wheels (inc freehub), tyres, tapes and tubes.
Noticed there was lateral movement of the hanger when I tightened the qr skewer. Found there was some muck behind the hanger, where it fits in the dropout. Cleaned that all out and tightened it back up. No unwanted movement there now. Was still getting the noise under high loads though, hence the need to accurately check the alignment of the derailleur before re-replacing the list of items one at a time!
The alignment of the derailleur hanger is checked by comparing the edges of the false axle and the threaded axle (which is screwed into the hanger) and then measuring the distance between the two (with verniers), along their length.
I don't think this accuracy of alignment will make any difference, and I will be replacing items next week, following the 200k tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 May, 2023, 01:15:53 pm
Re-secured the bathroom basin after The Boy used it to break his fall getting out of the shower.

This involved a large amount of laying on my back and gazing into the void, or underneath of the basin. Fortunately nothing gazed back. A Several of Bad Swears were deployed, along with some tiddly wood screws.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2023, 02:30:23 pm
Oiled the front rim eyelets on the LHT.  Then rode to Cirencester and back (47 miles).  Not a creak to be heard.  It needs doimg ever year, or the noise becomes insufferable.  DRC ST19 rims.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 20 May, 2023, 08:50:43 pm
made a couple of hooks to hang my new hover mower in the shed. I'm quite pleased with the mower, a big improvement on the v old B & D cheap one I was gifted. It collects the grass too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 May, 2023, 06:52:03 am
Decrudulated & waxed a chain. Not at 8 am, yesterday pm.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 21 May, 2023, 02:39:30 pm
Further garage declutter. Still not pretty - but it's getting more and more usable.

A sweep, trowel and tidy of the paving stones outside the garage - so now both garage doors can open, and I have room to move the motorbike around.

Then took the motorbike MOT and gave it a home service afterwards. Modern motorbikes, when they are simple, are dead easy to work on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 21 May, 2023, 03:53:46 pm
Some adulting (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=125909.msg2812040#msg2812040). Nobody was electrocuted  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 May, 2023, 04:50:51 pm
Un-fettled, in this instance.
I busted my Herman Miller Aeron chair - sheared the bolt which secures the height-adjustable armrests.
Meh.
I'm not sure that it is the sort of job that a service crew will come out for - given that it is for a 50p component.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52914770663_33a485edbc_4k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oBU2N8) (https://flic.kr/p/2oBU2N8)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: geraldc on 21 May, 2023, 11:27:20 pm
After 2009 LEL, I thought I'd quite like a fast bike, so I bought a carbon frame fully intending to build it up. Fast forward 13 years, and the frame has not been touched. Today I discovered that now all the pro teams have gone to disc brakes, rim brake group sets are now heavily discounted, so I ordered a 105 group set. If I then order the wheels and other bits at the same pace, my bike should be done by around 2040.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 21 May, 2023, 11:46:49 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 May, 2023, 04:50:51 pm
I busted my Herman Miller Aeron chair

12 year warranty on them, isn't there? Presumably they'll send you out the bits, even if they don't also send out a white coated technician
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mcshroom on 22 May, 2023, 12:48:12 am
I guess it's yesterday now but 'today' I ended up building a 1.8 x 0.4m shelf in the garden from old bits of wood which MrsShroom want's to turn into a sort of bar.

Then I finally got time in the evening to complete my birthday Wayfarer build. The gears now work, the Zoom disc brakes seem to grip and the bars are now wrapped.

Now to find time to actually get out on it and adjust to fit me!  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 22 May, 2023, 01:43:38 pm
Quote from: jsabine on 21 May, 2023, 11:46:49 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 May, 2023, 04:50:51 pm
I busted my Herman Miller Aeron chair

12 year warranty on them, isn't there? Presumably they'll send you out the bits, even if they don't also send out a white coated technician
Mine was swapped for a Fred Scott Supporto chair - so no warranty with it.
I note with interest that S/H Fred Scott Supporto chairs are going through the till at upwards of £2.5k these days.
I can't see a S/H Aeron chair fetching anywhere near that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 May, 2023, 06:10:36 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52920181964_b6adf6cad1_4k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oCnLoq) (https://flic.kr/p/2oCnLoq)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

Fettled this nozzle onto a bottle of ant death.
All properly sealed with o-rings so that there is no escape of toxins from anywhere other than the pointy end.
Trust me when I tell you that it is a game-changer in the on-going war against invading ants.
I can accurately distribute how much ant death I want, exactly where I want it.
Result.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 23 May, 2023, 07:37:17 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2023, 02:30:23 pm
Oiled the front rim eyelets on the LHT.  Then rode to Cirencester and back (47 miles).  Not a creak to be heard.  It needs doimg ever year, or the noise becomes insufferable.  DRC ST19 rims.
Surely the spokes are insufficiently tensioned if the rim eyelets are allowed to move?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 23 May, 2023, 07:50:40 pm
Built a new rear wheel for my CX.

Original rim was showing signs of cracking at every spoke bed, all these cracks appeared on the non-drive side of the rim.

I had been running it for four years, at or just over its maximum weight rating.

The new rim and spokes weigh about 100g less than the original equipment items, and the new rim is a couple of mm wider, but of slightly lower profile.

If it is an overwhelming success, I will do the same for the front wheel!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 May, 2023, 08:28:22 pm
Quote from: JefO on 23 May, 2023, 07:37:17 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2023, 02:30:23 pm
Oiled the front rim eyelets on the LHT.  Then rode to Cirencester and back (47 miles).  Not a creak to be heard.  It needs doimg ever year, or the noise becomes insufferable.  DRC ST19 rims.
Surely the spokes are insufficiently tensioned if the rim eyelets are allowed to move?

There is differential expansion between the SS eyelets and Al rim due to thermal effects and the eyelets do not have a consistent clamping force around their circumference. Creaking isn’t too surprising.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 24 May, 2023, 08:24:48 am
It would seem that we have entered a period where little rain is likely to fall in my area. Not only that, we have just gone on to a metered water supply. So I re-established my bathwater collection system, a duplicate downpipe which feeds into an old plastic dustbin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 24 May, 2023, 10:33:36 am
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 May, 2023, 08:28:22 pm
Quote from: JefO on 23 May, 2023, 07:37:17 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 20 May, 2023, 02:30:23 pm
Oiled the front rim eyelets on the LHT.  Then rode to Cirencester and back (47 miles).  Not a creak to be heard.  It needs doimg ever year, or the noise becomes insufferable.  DRC ST19 rims.
Surely the spokes are insufficiently tensioned if the rim eyelets are allowed to move?

There is differential expansion between the SS eyelets and Al rim due to thermal effects and the eyelets do not have a consistent clamping force around their circumference. Creaking isn’t too surprising.
Jobst Brandt said this creaking was caused by rust but the DRC rims have stainless eyelets.  It is probably powdery aluminium corrosion between the eyelets and rim.  Anyway, oil shuts it up for a year or so

https://yarchive.net/bike/rim_noise.html
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hatler on 24 May, 2023, 01:01:26 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 May, 2023, 06:10:36 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52920181964_b6adf6cad1_4k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oCnLoq) (https://flic.kr/p/2oCnLoq)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

Fettled this nozzle onto a bottle of ant death.
All properly sealed with o-rings so that there is no escape of toxins from anywhere other than the pointy end.
Trust me when I tell you that it is a game-changer in the on-going war against invading ants.
I can accurately distribute how much ant death I want, exactly where I want it.
Result.

Do they do that in squirrel flavour ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 25 May, 2023, 09:09:52 pm
Today I fixed the garage back door lock.  I have not been able to lock it for around a week.

Unexpectedly the new lock was deeper than the old lock so I got the chisel out and made it ready to accept the new lock.  I also had to drill new holes for the latch spindle and keyhole were further back.  I stuck the new spindle in and used to position the new door handle.  I closed the door to try it out.  The spindle slid out and I have not been able to find it, damnit. I put the spindle from the old lock into the new hole so I could close the door and check the lock.   This showed the old door jamb plate was different so I had to install the new one.  More chisel work.  Now I can lock the door. Tomorrow a new spindle will arrive.  The old one is too short.  I will finish the job with the inside handle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 May, 2023, 05:58:00 pm
Changed the tyres on the 1951 Holdsworth for tomorrow morning's ride.  It didn't get ridden last year at all, but the chain is still oily.  It's the fastest bike I own, for some reason - can hold 22mph for ages on the flat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 26 May, 2023, 07:47:48 pm
Quote from: JefO on 20 May, 2023, 10:55:14 am
Made a derailleur alignment check tool for 135mm OLD frames. 

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/-RUKBBJWoO2u4C4NWW9UDsv8Q0XrLqWwwp-1KGChUJc-1536x2048.jpg)

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/g1WoPcLRgQsXCctrqVBm5BayN8axfWy2iyGEcrTORuM-2048x1536.jpg)

Got a little "doonk" (irregular noise) accompanied by a little kick from the otherwise smooth 9 speed rear cassette / derailleur, maybe two or three times in a minute then nothing for 10 minutes at a consistently high load, most usually noticeable in the 4th, 5th and 6th gears, but sometimes in the higher ratios too.
Everything in the following list is new - pedals, cranks, chainrings, BB, chain, cassette, derailleur jockey wheels, wheels (inc freehub), tyres, tapes and tubes.
Noticed there was lateral movement of the hanger when I tightened the qr skewer. Found there was some muck behind the hanger, where it fits in the dropout. Cleaned that all out and tightened it back up. No unwanted movement there now. Was still getting the noise under high loads though, hence the need to accurately check the alignment of the derailleur before re-replacing the list of items one at a time!
The alignment of the derailleur hanger is checked by comparing the edges of the false axle and the threaded axle (which is screwed into the hanger) and then measuring the distance between the two (with verniers), along their length.
I don't think this accuracy of alignment will make any difference, and I will be replacing items next week, following the 200k tomorrow.

Finally cured the noise.
Found what looked like too much axial float in the Guide Pulley.
Measured the bush sizes.
Decided to grind off 0.3mm (12thou) from the length of the inner bush, reducing the float to 0.5mm (20thou) and that did the trick. No more little clonks under load.

Well that was a battle!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 May, 2023, 09:10:35 pm
Replaced a rubber wossname where the bath/sink drain meets the soil stack, in order to cure a long-standing leak.  Fettling sewage pipes above your head while wobbling on a ladder is Type-2 fun, but a £2 part and a long scrubby shower is still better than dealing with landlords.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 26 May, 2023, 09:42:13 pm
Junior's car, a 2017 vw golf.
Wipers: 10 mins.
Wing mirror glass: 10 mins.
Headlight bulb: 5 hours.

As with most modern cars, the production line starts with the headlight bulbs suspended on stalks, and they build the rest of the car around them.

Watched a few videos about how to proceed, and all of them are wrong.
None of them match what I actually have here.
Probably due to the vids being US or Euro in origin, and the cars are subtly different.

The bulbs can actually be removed,*just*, in-situ.
You just pop off a rubber cover, and then twist the lampholder anti-clockwise, and out they come.
But there is only marginal clearance behind the headlight to easily get them out to a position where you can actually swap the bulb. Takes a couple of minutes finagling it out.
The problem arises trying to re-fit the lampholder into the headlight assembly, totally blind.
You just can't see in the back of the headlight unit, there's no line-of-sight.
It has to be done by blind groping and peering in the front.

The instructions have you dismantle the whole front of the car to pull the headlight unit forward out of the car to help with this.
I tried this, but the instructions were just wrong.
After un-doing all the fixings, the headlight unit became quite free, but could not be slid out forward like the videos showed.
There was a substantial plastic peg sat under the lower part of the front bumper, which prevented forward movement.
I was unable to remove the bumper panel at this point, and gave up.

Resorted to blind groping which eventually worked.

Note to self: When removing lamp, note the orientation of the twisty handle of the lampholder when in locked-in mode, and note the position when it comes loose, so you can estimate the correct orientation when trying to re-fit blind!


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 27 May, 2023, 03:01:18 pm
Replaced tiny broken plastic paper feed cam on my Brother printer. You tube can be really helpful sometimes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0QYmLdHoHg
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 May, 2023, 03:19:51 pm
Replaced the wornout front tyre and replaced a rear tube with a slow leak on HK’s orange trike. The replacement tube let go at the valve, so replaced it again! Swapped out the borrowed saddle for a new one. The front rim will have to be replaced at some point this year.

Swapped out the Garmin mount and the headlight mount on HK’s shiny trike for a combined mounting. Dropped the saddle a touch.

Flint-mined a lot of tyres.

Washed the audax tandem, which has barely been ridden since last PBP. Replaced the front tyre, adjusted the front brake and retensioned the timing chain. Fitted a Diva saddle and swapped the stoker’s pedals to suit tomorrow’s rider. Other than a repaint, it is ready for another PBP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 May, 2023, 05:18:45 pm
A b0rked chair in the Mess at Fort Larrington rebuilt with screws not made from dairy produce.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 May, 2023, 08:23:01 am
Rubbed half a pint of ketoprofen gel into the Left Knee of Doom.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onerousdeporte on 28 May, 2023, 12:16:13 pm
Quote from: T42 on 28 May, 2023, 08:23:01 am
Rubbed half a pint of ketoprofen gel into the Left Knee of Doom.

What is that in football fields or areas the size of Wales.


EDIT- Sorry being flippant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 May, 2023, 02:36:52 pm
No idea, but I doubt if anyone has ever rubbed ketoprofen gel into either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 May, 2023, 08:58:01 pm
A new seatpost, with more setback, on the black bike. Then a new bottle cage, which I later removed in favour of the original. And lastly, repositioned the frame-fitting pump from the conventional position under the top tube to on top of the top tube, using a toothed wheel from an old Cateye light bracket as a substitute peg. And lots of Voile straps! So far, it's holding steady.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: onerousdeporte on 28 May, 2023, 09:31:43 pm
Yesterday was a U bend under a bathroom sink, that was draining slowly.  The U bend and pip were full of gung.  Cleared out the trap and going back on the trap is now leaking.  Over the years many bits have been lost so basically lots of PTFE tape to bodge it back together.

Today fitting kitchen door hinges and then refitting doors to a kitchen with someone who cannot identify different types of cros head screws so has managed to chew every head.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 May, 2023, 09:48:33 pm
Cleaned out the filter of the Fort Larrington washing machine, made the strimmer, er, strim, cleared the underfoot and overhead herbiage from the path to the compost heap and got to use thee Hoover ov Doom the leaf blower thing to tidy up afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 May, 2023, 10:46:52 pm
Yesterday molished an anti-aviary to keep the bastard pigeons off my peas. Managed to use a bit of invading bamboo as part of the structure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 29 May, 2023, 01:31:41 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 26 May, 2023, 09:42:13 pm
Junior's car, a 2017 vw golf.
Wipers: 10 mins.
Wing mirror glass: 10 mins.
Headlight bulb: 5 hours.
...
That is some heroic fettling  :thumbsup:
Quote from: Feanor on 26 May, 2023, 09:42:13 pm
As with most modern cars, the production line starts with the headlight bulbs suspended on stalks, and they build the rest of the car around them.
;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 29 May, 2023, 01:35:03 pm
Quote from: JefO on 26 May, 2023, 07:47:48 pm
Made a derailleur alignment check tool for 135mm OLD frames. 

...

Finally cured the noise.
Found what looked like too much axial float in the Guide Pulley.
Measured the bush sizes.
Decided to grind off 0.3mm (12thou) from the length of the inner bush, reducing the float to 0.5mm (20thou) and that did the trick. No more little clonks under load.

Well that was a battle!
Also very impressive. How on earth did you figure it was the pulley?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 29 May, 2023, 01:49:28 pm
Quote from: Paul on 21 March, 2023, 05:05:04 pm
Indeed. It got me wondering whether the tubes and cores could be sold separately, but then I remembered that I've only had to replace one core in 30 years of cycling, so the faff would hardly be justified.

I will be removing the (good) valve cores from otherwise knackered (beyond patching) tubes in future though.

Ha! The god of valve cores must have been listening because after 30 years of problem-free valve core use, yesterday I had my second failure!

What does the panel recommend? Some sort of sacrifice?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 29 May, 2023, 04:11:30 pm
Framed and mounted my Three Colours Blue, White & Red posters that I've had in storage for possibly 20 years. White and Red are 40" x 30" and the frames weren't the finest quality, so much swearing ensued. Looks good now they're on the wall and I shall have a little moment every evening knowing that Irène Jacob is watching over me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 May, 2023, 05:36:58 pm
Rebuilt the front wheels on HK’s recumbent for faster tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 30 May, 2023, 10:52:28 pm
Quote from: Paul on 29 May, 2023, 01:35:03 pm
Quote from: JefO on 26 May, 2023, 07:47:48 pm
Made a derailleur alignment check tool for 135mm OLD frames. 

...

Finally cured the noise.
Found what looked like too much axial float in the Guide Pulley.
Measured the bush sizes.
Decided to grind off 0.3mm (12thou) from the length of the inner bush, reducing the float to 0.5mm (20thou) and that did the trick. No more little clonks under load.

Well that was a battle!
Also very impressive. How on earth did you figure it was the pulley?

I had changed everything that it could be, so started changing everything it couldn't be.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 31 May, 2023, 07:57:41 am
Swapped chains on the eBrute.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 31 May, 2023, 10:59:36 pm
Quote from: Paul on 29 May, 2023, 01:49:28 pm
Quote from: Paul on 21 March, 2023, 05:05:04 pm
Indeed. It got me wondering whether the tubes and cores could be sold separately, but then I remembered that I've only had to replace one core in 30 years of cycling, so the faff would hardly be justified.

I will be removing the (good) valve cores from otherwise knackered (beyond patching) tubes in future though.

Ha! The god of valve cores must have been listening because after 30 years of problem-free valve core use, yesterday I had my second failure!

What does the panel recommend? Some sort of sacrifice?

Have a BBQ? Some of an animal normally gets sacrificed when I cook on one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 31 May, 2023, 11:08:06 pm
Yesterday I spent a several of hours feeding 30m of pressure washer drain cleaning pipe down a poo pipe that needed cleaning.

Very satisfying.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 31 May, 2023, 11:21:34 pm
Quote from: Jaded on 31 May, 2023, 11:08:06 pm
Yesterday I spent a several of hours feeding 30m of pressure washer drain cleaning pipe down a poo pipe that needed cleaning.

Very satisfying.


 :jurek:   The Picolax thread is that way......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 01 June, 2023, 07:26:17 am
Along those lines, https://www.youtube.com/@TheDrainUnblockers  is strangely compelling viewing
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 June, 2023, 07:45:30 am
Quote from: Jaded on 31 May, 2023, 11:08:06 pm
Yesterday I spent a several of hours feeding 30m of pressure washer drain cleaning pipe down a poo pipe that needed cleaning.

Very satisfying.

Yep - I find the use of my drain rods (I have 2 sets) very satisfying - memorably one Christmas morning, when I was on crutches having had an arthroscopy the day before, rodding out the neighbour's blocked drain.  Nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 01 June, 2023, 02:35:47 pm
Not wishing to brag  ;D about such a horrible thing....
When I worked, I spent a lot of time doing the very thing this thread has gravitated to.
Not on a domestic scale...
Oh no...
Think way bigger...
Hospitals.
When you have seen a big blockage (in excess of a tonne) suddenly start rapidly flowing, due to your actions (prodding with drain sticks / mole jet blasting / rotating spring rodding) you certainly get a sense of satisfaction and relief - because you know that the ground floor toilets are not going to continue overflowing for much longer.

Not so much BTSIDIGTTS, more, got the full length protective suit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 June, 2023, 02:42:12 pm
Yes...  I did a system for a company that surveyed municipal sewage systems.  They covered the 3D geometry and inspection side rather than fatberg disposal, but they had the full protective gear and safety-line kit for their guys and a couple of sewer-crawling robots.  There was always a certain undefinable arrière-goût to the coffee when I visited.

---o0o---

Today I haz fettled our French income declaration, and a right black-enamel bastard* it is too.  It's all on line, and even though they already know what the French pension system paid us it's bloody complex and bristling with fings the meaning whereof know I not.  Drawing pension from 3 different sources means an extra declaration to fill with gems such as the rate at which the contribution générale de solidarité applies to the pittances HMG and BRD shove our way, and which I have no way of knowing. Gah.

Anyway the bloody thing's done FWIW, which is a 10% penalty if I've screwed it up. Bleh.  Think I'll award myself a Proustian madéleine and a cappu now, and watch a brain-rotting flick on Newtflux.

* Norn-Ironic for nasty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 June, 2023, 03:42:31 pm
Took hedge trimmer, Saw ov Doom and secateurs to the jungle that obscures the front aspect of Larrington Towers.  Tomorrow I will be able to get the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle out without making like Colonel Blashford-Snell* in the Otrato Swamp.

* probably known as “Blashers” to his chums.  TCTF: he provided some very realistic-looking mushroom clouds in the Libyan desert for an exercise in which the then-Captain Larrington was involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 04 June, 2023, 06:20:24 pm
Did you uncover any 🐻?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 June, 2023, 06:27:52 pm
Chopped up some scaff boards to make some accessible ramps from the house to the patio (a 12 inch drop) and patio to lawn (6 inches). The problem is that our dog (a shih tzu) is ageing and almost blind, and recently has found it hard to make that leap of faith out of the house, or jump back in. In is especially tricky as he needs to be sure the door is open, otherwise he'd jump a foot into the air and bang what little nose he has.

Now he can walk in an out on his own, and get down onto the lawn easily.

Also spent some time cleaning the pistons on the front brakes of one of my P2Ws, then doing a full brake fluid change. This particular bike is (anecdotally, from users) very sensitive to old fluid, so best to change it annually.
And got a new rear tyre fitted, as the last one got a large bit of flint in it leading to a bigger hole than I felt comfortable plugging - my usual mushrooms wouldn't hold, I had to use magic string. At least I was 3/4 through the life of that tyre as they are getting very expensive. (£168 fitted to a loose wheel).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 June, 2023, 07:49:41 pm
Fettled (mostly) starling shit off the patio. Which was nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 06 June, 2023, 12:22:04 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 04 June, 2023, 07:49:41 pm
Fettled (mostly) starling shit off the patio. Which was nice.
Baldrick will make you a capuccino...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 07 June, 2023, 06:59:00 pm
Replaced a knackered inner tube on my blue bike,  reattached the towing hitch for the Carry Freedom trailer.   Got the trailer out of the loft , put it back together & pumped the tyres up.


I've not used the storage heater in my bedroom for several years & I want to put a shelf unit in the space where it is.  It plugged into a mains socket so no wiring to bother about.  Unscrewed it from the wall & manhandled it outside.   Various websites say Creda didn't use asbestos after 1975 & this is mid 80's, but I still wore a facemask to take it apart & remove the bricks.   A label says total weight 75 kg.....    you may recall that I live in a top floor flat with no lifts.... :facepalm:


There will be a ride to the tip tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 June, 2023, 11:07:23 pm
Swapped the rear tube on my fixed when I discovered it was dead flat when I wanted to ride home.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 June, 2023, 11:37:06 pm
(At the weekend) replaced the spoke that, rather randomly, broke at the nipple on a recent ride. No real idea what the problem was. Must speak to the builder. Oh no, that was me...

In the process, found this rather catastrophic tyre failure. It's not had that much use, but it's a folding tyre that had been in storage for some years. I can only think that it spent too long folded >:(

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/db8esnwnidbhvt8/tyre%20failure.jpg?raw=1)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 June, 2023, 04:02:22 pm
What remains of my hair.
Courtesy of Wahl.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 10 June, 2023, 04:10:32 pm
Swapped the rear pedals on the audax tandem back to SPDs and adjusted the headset. Removed the battery headlight to replace the one that jumped off my trike during last weekend’s TT.

Fitted SPDs to HK’s Kinesis.

Checked the measurements of HK’s Trykits and tweaked to match. Fitted Cateye rear lights to the orange Trykit, same as the shiny one. Replaced the damaged plastic cover on a bar end lever with one salvaged from a dead lever.

Tightened the headset on HK’s ICE Micro. She needs to decide on wheel covers or bare spokes.

Replaced a cheap rear light on my trike with a Cateye. Replaced the punctured front tube. Tightened the loose 2.5mm Allen bolts (actually known as sex bolts) on the Gilles Berthoud saddle.

Taped up a cracked rear light on my fixed to weatherproof it and laced the Spa saddle.

HK patched some tubes and repaired some fraying racktop bags and panniers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 June, 2023, 07:04:48 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 June, 2023, 04:02:22 pm
What remains of my hair.
Courtesy of Wahl.

I went to the barber in the next village.  They had the good grace not to laugh, or ask "what are you doing here?"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 10 June, 2023, 07:07:04 pm
Many moons ago when my eldest was in reusable nappies they started to get a bit rubbish round the elastic and the velcro. Replaced the leg elastic but the velcro wasn't simple as involved unpicking part of the nappy, sewing on new velcro then sewing up

I cheated and bought a popper gun where you use a bradle tonpoke a hole, put through what looks like a plastic drawing pin ans then slide on the half of the popper before squishing it down

It's been unused for years but one of the wife's reusable sanitary products the popper came off. She was going to put in cloth recycling but found the tool and one remaining popper so pretty pleased managed to fix it first time as sometimes squish at an angle
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 10 June, 2023, 10:44:31 pm
Lightened the gravel bike considerably by cleaning it. Took most of the day to get a winter's worth of mud out of the cassette & mech. Very overdue indicated by the chain being well over .75 stretched. Must order a couple more for stock.
After cleaning all the parts as I rebuilt it I thought it's been ages since I checked the brake pads, so I did. Fronts had zero meat left on them, running on the spring. Rear not far behind. Luckily I managed to just catch Dean Forest Cycles and they had 2 sets in stock. £50! No option to seek something cheaper as I'm doing a ride tomorrow.  Again must order stock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 10 June, 2023, 11:05:48 pm
Took the mudguards off the Cross-Check, switched the slicks (Vittoria Voyager Hyper 35c) for the 40c WTB Nanos. After a long dry spell it looks like we're going to get some rain - typical.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 June, 2023, 10:50:03 am
Replaced the tube in the eBrute's back wheel, took my Road Morph apart and copiously greased the piston & barrel. Still no blow, piston ring worn out.

ETA and when putting it back on the bike I found that the back wheel needs a bit of spoke-twiddling.  Bugger.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 11 June, 2023, 05:45:10 pm
Swapped the drive chainrings on Steve’s tandem, along with the drive chain, both tyres, both rim tapes and all the taillights’ batteries. Replaced the rear mudguard (cracked bracket) with something from the garage pile and I think I finally got the correct adjustment of the front derailleur.

I think I will swap the captain’s handlebars with something that is more comfortable in the drops (classic, not ‘anatomic’!) and I will add some gel pads under new handlebar tape. After that, it should be all go for PBP.

Regreased the bearings on HK’s shiny trike’s front wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 12 June, 2023, 12:40:49 pm
Had another run at a different gear ratio on my vertically dropout -challenged Sabbath. Even though the ratio I have is fine. It wouldn't be fine if most of my riding was on the flat, but it isn't, so this was merely an {enjoyable} waste of time.

(https://i.imgur.com/KrVLd9N.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 June, 2023, 12:48:05 pm
Looks like one of Ptolemy's attempts to explain the orbit of Mars.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 13 June, 2023, 09:46:31 am
I'd ordered an Ikea Kallax & some Drona boxes to go in it.   The plan was to collect it from their local drop off point later today, using the bike trailer.


06:30 my mobile rings,  it's the delivery chap asking if I want it delivered to my home address at 08:00 instead.  Yes please!   


Kallax carried upstairs & duly assembled.   I've also got an Expedit unit which was the predecessor to the Kallax.  I think this was a bit sturdier,  but the Kallax & Drona combo should be fit for their intended purpose which is to store my shoe collection ! 


My sister has just called me Imogen narcolepsy   :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 June, 2023, 02:17:51 pm
My microscope.  The zoom knob had seized up.
Careful disassembly revealed that two brass tubes containing the objective optics had seized together.
The outer one with the helical groves is meant to rotate about the inner one, and some pins attached to the inner one cause it to telescope back and forth as the outer one rotates.

Careful application of penetrating oil, then a bit of force using some water pump pliers with tape over the jaws to prevent scoring, and it freed up with very little force. A few wiggles back and forth got the penetrating oil all around the interface, and within minutes it was spinning freely by hand.

Re-assembly was a bit fiddly, there are many, many tiny grub screws to deal with and then you need to get both objectives at the same zoom level ( against their end-stop ) and then get the adjustment knob aligned to it.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52971579666_16eb1829ca_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oGVc8G)
microscope (https://flic.kr/p/2oGVc8G) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 13 June, 2023, 10:03:51 pm
I took advantage of the scaffolding that has been erected for this (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=122749.msg2814154#msg2814154) to clear out a gutter and remove some superfluous coaxial cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 14 June, 2023, 05:47:41 pm
Creaky BB - so trying to get off non drive crank,
one of the two allen blots (lol)
refused to budge.
Long story short, drilled it out.
No damage to crank.
Result!
Found better quality allen blots (lol) cut down to correct length.
Cleaned threads in non-drive crank with 6mm tap.
Removed left side BB bearing cap (24mm hollowtech II)
Unable to shift the drive crank far enough away from the frame...
Found a 200mm length of 28mm diameter aluminium bar. Used that as a drift.
Cleaned all the grit, muck, debris out of the bottom brackety hole. (It has spent way too long under dirty puddle water, don's ask!)
Copper greased the BB threads, fitted new(ish) BB
Refitted copper greased crankshaft, non drive side crank, end plug and coppergreased allen blots (lol).
Yay no creaking on the ride today!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 15 June, 2023, 07:53:30 am
Not a table tennis table

Wife told me she'd lent my crazy Egyptian neighbour a pair of pliers. No problem with this. Later got a text from his wofe asking if I could go round tonight and help assemble a table tennis table. I basically have no free time and away all weekend so had to say no but worried that he's been doing it with pliers

When they got a gas BBQ I was summoned as it didn't work. Was a pile of bits that weren't apparently needed and obviously where and he had bent bits to fit where not meant to, Ibasically rebuilt it and got it working.

He's a great neighbour but very Arabic in his out look especially on health and safety
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 15 June, 2023, 10:18:08 pm
After having lost use of my house's back wall as a venue for working on my bikes, I had to dream up a way of providing off the ground support for working on the fleet. My garage has been getting a new lease of life, as a workshop. I also have had the onerous task of disposing of all my parent's possessions... which included some mobility crutches.

The extending aluminium tubes rubber feet were removed and I drilled holes through the bottom part of the bottom tubes. Then I turned the crutches upside down and screwed them to the rafters. The handles have a soft plastic covering, ideal for supporting fragile bicycle frames.

Height above ground is pretty near perfect for me, and is adjustable independently front and rear in sensible increments. Also they can be pushed up to be out of the way when not in use.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/qCQ3AD0UPwOOYdLD7Dj561YSIIZ-SmfHBSra-v08TaQ-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 15 June, 2023, 11:10:32 pm
+10 sheddi points   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 15 June, 2023, 11:35:14 pm
Sprayed some lube on my Meaco Fan.  The fan itself is _very_quiet, but when it oscillates from side to side it creaked !   A spray with Muc-Off's finest and the creak is gone. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 June, 2023, 03:18:27 pm
Replaced the rear tube on my fixed before heading to work - again! Nothing found in the tyre but I am starting to doubt myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Peter on 16 June, 2023, 03:51:25 pm
Quote from: Kim on 15 June, 2023, 11:10:32 pm
+10 sheddi points   :thumbsup:

But also slightly sad.  Hope you have good memories, jefO.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 June, 2023, 09:39:15 pm
Quote from: Peter on 16 June, 2023, 03:51:25 pm

But also slightly sad.  Hope you have good memories, jefO.

Thank you Peter.

Yes, I was lucky, because my Dad and I were best buddies, and when he went I was to become Mum's only carer. Mum and I always had a strong connection (we were on the same wavelength), we remained good friends to the end and we always had a laugh. We even had a good laugh ten minutes before Mum unexpectedly joined Dad.

My sister was capable of helping but chose not to, she is bitter and twisted (always has been), she lies continually and insults everyone I love, embarrasses me at every opportunity, never thanked me for anything I did for her, so I have now totally cut her off from my life, and I feel like I have had a cancerous growth removed.

So nothing but happy memories now.

Ooh I seem to have unloaded a bit there!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 16 June, 2023, 09:43:25 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 June, 2023, 09:39:15 pm
Ooh I seem to have unloaded a bit there!

There's more than one way to fettle.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 June, 2023, 09:51:59 pm
Replaced the bearings in HK’s recumbent’s RH front wheel.

Regreased the front wheel bearings on HK’s shiny trike. Still need to swap the cassette and handlebars for next weekend’s brevet.

Replaced the rear tube on Steve’s tandem.

Replaced the rear tubeless tyre and gear hanger on another friend’s tandem. Reset the eccentric to lower the BB and swapped the captain’s saddle for next weekend’s brevet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 17 June, 2023, 10:03:40 pm
Spent the entire day at my computer, something I normally avoid like the plague outside work hours as that's what I do Mon-Fri.  But avoiding the (home) office at weekends & evenings means all my paperwork was horrifically out of date, now it isn't.

Thank goodness for TMS, it made the day entirely tolerable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 June, 2023, 07:32:44 pm
Tried to fix a tool bottle under the downtube of the Classic Racing Surly. Since there are no bottle bosses there, I used a sort of zip-on device, which worked well, in that it didn't move and did provide something to attach a bottle cage to. Unfortunately it proved impossible to find a suitable position: too low and it clashed with the chain, too high and it was far nearer the front wheel than I felt comfortable with. But the biggest problem was actually the cable for the front mech, which runs down the underside of the down tube, unsheathed, ie under tension. Couldn't quite a position where the cage didn't touch it. FD still worked but with a slight delay. So I've taken it off and put tube and tools elsewhere.

This was all done on Friday night. Perhaps I'd get better results if I didn't do the fettling at midnight on a party nite. But then again, what's a party without a bit of fettle?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 June, 2023, 11:42:30 pm
Reminds me of the heady days of late-night bike fettling in the CrinklyDen before some forum ride or other, with flagrant disregard for the don't-start-anything-after-midnight rule.  Things not quite fitting were a staple.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 19 June, 2023, 08:08:45 am
Failed fettle on a customer's bike - the front derailleur gear cable nipple has now pulled all the way through the LH lever housing* resulting in no pull at all.   It's a well-used 105 2 x 11 set-up.   Customer has asked for a quote for replacing both levers as RH lever doesn't look that brilliant - so that's bartape too and new inners and outers . . . . and the front mech is a bit sloppy so for another £25 or so that's up for a swap too.

It's his "3rd ranking bike" so no hurry.

On a positive note : replacing the shifters etc on a Spec MTB retro fitted by the customer with a front wheel motor (yes, really) was "perfect first time" on gear changing indexing on both mechs!

* I've seen worn cable housings (the "funnel shaped" bit in the lever) before but not completely worn away.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 19 June, 2023, 10:33:28 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 18 June, 2023, 07:32:44 pm
Tried to fix a tool bottle under the downtube of the Classic Racing Surly. Since there are no bottle bosses there, I used a sort of zip-on device, which worked well, in that it didn't move and did provide something to attach a bottle cage to. Unfortunately it proved impossible to find a suitable position: too low and it clashed with the chain, too high and it was far nearer the front wheel than I felt comfortable with. But the biggest problem was actually the cable for the front mech, which runs down the underside of the down tube, unsheathed, ie under tension. Couldn't quite a position where the cage didn't touch it. FD still worked but with a slight delay. So I've taken it off and put tube and tools elsewhere.

This was all done on Friday night. Perhaps I'd get better results if I didn't do the fettling at midnight on a party nite. But then again, what's a party without a bit of fettle?
And later yesterday, after posting this, I noted that the tool bottle on the Black Bike (which has bosses in the appropriate place and sensibly sheathed gear cables) was half out of its cage. I've never known it jump out over bumps or anything, so presumably someone had tried to knick it while I was parked in town. Nothing inside was missing, so either they'd been disturbed (unlikely, as it was in a well observed area, so who's going to pay attention), or they'd been disappointed to find only tools and a tube inside (what had they been expecting?). Or maybe they had mistaken it for an e-bike battery. Or maybe it had got jolted out on the cobbles. Anyway, a strap seems advised.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 June, 2023, 01:51:54 pm
Removed a chain link from HK's orange Trykit yesterday as a sideplate was making a bid for freedom.

Fitted a pair of tail lights to my stoker’s tandem today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 19 June, 2023, 11:56:14 pm
My electric toothbrush had stopped brushing. The motor made hopeful buzzing noises but that was about it. Found a useful disassembly guide on teh intarwebs, took it apart, degunged it and put it back together. Yay! Shiny toothy pegs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 20 June, 2023, 02:14:35 pm
Rewarded my road bike for being bloody awesome on 11th June. Bought it a set of Ultegra calipers (rim brake) (front and rear).
Shimano in their infinite wisdom, decided it would be a great idea to make their cable tension adjusters the wrong size (hole just too small) for normal brake cable ends.
Luckily I have a huge selection of drillbits.
A new cable end from my cheap stock of parts, was measured with a micrometer (0.205" / 5.2mm).
A drill bit of 0.202" (5.13mm) diameter was used to open out the top 5/32" (4mm) of the adjuster.
Application of the brake at normal levels pulled the cable end down to the change in diameter (5/32" below the top).
Fierce application of the brake pulled the cable end into the smaller hole, all the way to the land at the bottom of the hole.
Chuffed with this, now. Probably won't be, if I ever have to change the outer cable!
I didn't want to reduce the thickness of the adjuster more than necessary as there isn't much meat there to start with.
Both front and rear adjusters were given the same treatment.
 
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/4lazf2giWmIH7ItCGCuPdpGoQhLcjrkxiyB-bKa2UuU-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 20 June, 2023, 10:34:14 pm
Yesterday my cross threaded LH pedal fell off at an inconvenient moment resulting in a 5 mile one legged ride home, So today I fitted it from the inside in an effort to 'straighten out' the threads in the crank. I then refitted it the right way round and did 20 miles without incident. Anybody got a spare LH crank going cheap?
Later a neighbour with a gammy hand appeared at my door and asked me fit a new tyre and tube for him. Happy to oblige.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 June, 2023, 11:05:38 pm
Swapped the cassette on HK’s shiny trike from a 12-25 to a 12-30, which is a touch too big for the chain to reliably clear the loops when changing to the biggest cog. Need to swap the bottom three cogs to 28t max.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 June, 2023, 10:01:44 am
New washer & lots of grease in my Road Morph G. It blows now. Dunno how much yet though.

New rim tape & tube in eBrute's back wheel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 21 June, 2023, 02:51:19 pm
Quote from: robgul on 19 June, 2023, 08:08:45 am
Failed fettle on a customer's bike - the front derailleur gear cable nipple has now pulled all the way through the LH lever housing* resulting in no pull at all.
…
* I've seen worn cable housings (the "funnel shaped" bit in the lever) before but not completely worn away.
Do you think a washer would have worked? If the customer wasn’t bothered, I mean?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 June, 2023, 03:39:12 pm
Quote from: Paul on 21 June, 2023, 02:51:19 pm
Quote from: robgul on 19 June, 2023, 08:08:45 am
Failed fettle on a customer's bike - the front derailleur gear cable nipple has now pulled all the way through the LH lever housing* resulting in no pull at all.
…
* I've seen worn cable housings (the "funnel shaped" bit in the lever) before but not completely worn away.
Do you think a washer would have worked? If the customer wasn’t bothered, I mean?

Have you seen how small the aperture is where the nipple is restrained?   

Customer has decided to go for broke and asked me to source a brand new pair of 105 shifters and while we're at it a new front mech as the existing one is a bit sloppy on the linkages.  Parts about £250 by the time he's finished, with new bartape etc. - plus my labour charge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 21 June, 2023, 04:05:15 pm
Quote from: robgul on 21 June, 2023, 03:39:12 pm
Quote from: Paul on 21 June, 2023, 02:51:19 pm
Quote from: robgul on 19 June, 2023, 08:08:45 am
Failed fettle on a customer's bike - the front derailleur gear cable nipple has now pulled all the way through the LH lever housing* resulting in no pull at all.
…
* I've seen worn cable housings (the "funnel shaped" bit in the lever) before but not completely worn away.
Do you think a washer would have worked? If the customer wasn’t bothered, I mean?
Have you seen how small the aperture is where the nipple is restrained?   
I was just wondering whether it might be bodgable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 21 June, 2023, 05:55:29 pm
Postie brought me a pair of old Lyotard pedals to replace an old pair of vicious MTB pedals which just took a chunk out of my shin.  Oddly, the British MTB pedals were 15mm metric, so my pedal spinner fitted.  However the FRENCH Leotard pedals were an Imperial size.  Luckily found a spanner to fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Snakehips on 21 June, 2023, 09:28:50 pm
Quote from: robgul on 21 June, 2023, 03:39:12 pm
Customer has decided to go for broke and asked me to source a brand new pair of 105 shifters
How's that going? There was a guy on here a while back trying to flog a Shimano 105 ST-5700 2x10s Black Control Lever Set. Oh Yeah, it was me.

In other news, my Park Tools CCP-2 was in action again today to help another neighbour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 June, 2023, 10:18:26 pm
Fitted rear rack and mudguards to a friend’s tandem. Swapping the captain’s stem and saddle will have to be done tomorrow night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 June, 2023, 07:41:57 am
Quote from: Snakehips on 21 June, 2023, 09:28:50 pm
Quote from: robgul on 21 June, 2023, 03:39:12 pm
Customer has decided to go for broke and asked me to source a brand new pair of 105 shifters
How's that going? There was a guy on here a while back trying to flog a Shimano 105 ST-5700 2x10s Black Control Lever Set. Oh Yeah, it was me.

In other news, my Park Tools CCP-2 was in action again today to help another neighbour.

After weeding out the click-bait rogues with good price and no stock (yes, Wiggle I mean you and about 6 other well-known emporia) and the premium priced cowboys (a dealer using Amazon) I ordered the 105 R7000 levers + a mech for just a gnat's over £200 (total RRP was about £270 for both) from a bike shop in London - should be here Friday.    Not sure whether they are retail pack with cables etc or OEM in a plastic bag - doesn't matter, I have cables, ferrules etc in stock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 22 June, 2023, 02:32:28 pm
Rust on my touring bike chain. Oh the shame......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 22 June, 2023, 04:33:16 pm
Spent the time in a boring work teams meeting replacing the battery in my aged kindle.  Now I have rejuvenated it all I need to do is avoid doing what I did with my freshly re-batteried TomTom last year.  Which was lose it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 22 June, 2023, 07:40:59 pm
Replaced the Maxis slicks on the blue bike with some Shiny New Marathon Plus, which will slow me down a bit.  The sidewall of the front Maxis was looking a bit dodgy....     


Battery packs on charge for the York weekend.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 22 June, 2023, 11:07:51 pm
Tried unsuccessfully to fit a longer captain’s stem on a friend’s tandem (cables too short). Rewrapped the captain’s handlebar tape. Fitted some battery headlights and filled a tool/ tubes bag.

Tidied up the handlebar tape on HK’s shiny trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 23 June, 2023, 10:02:38 am
Fitted the new bars and stem on the ROberts. Am going to do a mini test ride before taping.

The old tape had cushioning under it. Is this worth the effort?  I hadn't even realised it had it and have never used it myself.  The LBS did it and they are now gone, shut, closed, vanished.  (Also noticed Evans have cleared out and left town). 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 June, 2023, 10:41:10 am
I've used Specialized Bar Phat cushioning for years. I think it does make difference, though not game changing. It's enough that for the few pounds I always fit it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 23 June, 2023, 10:49:08 am
Replaced a broken spoke NDS (non-drive side) on a 32-h (32 hole) Ambrosio Excellence rear
wheel. I was going to deploy the NBT2 (https://www.spacycles.co.uk/smsimg/17/595-1672-main-nbtinst1-17.jpg) (Next Best Thing-2) that I haven't used for over 20 years,
but decided that the cassette removal tool and chain-whip would make the job much easier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 June, 2023, 01:53:41 pm
Quote from: MattH on 23 June, 2023, 10:41:10 am
I've used Specialized Bar Phat cushioning for years. I think it does make difference, though not game changing. It's enough that for the few pounds I always fit it.

Strips of the old tape taken off and fitted along the top of the handlebar from behind the hoods and around towards the stem - and then new tape wrapped as normal.  Padding and "more to grip" for bigger hands.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 23 June, 2023, 02:31:21 pm
My Roubaix has the Bar Phat gel, then two full wraps of Bar Phat tape. Loads of padding, and nice and chunky for my gorilla hands.

I originally did that for riding Paris-Roubaix, and liked the feel so much I've retained it. My steel audax bike just has a single wrap of tape over the gel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 June, 2023, 04:48:38 pm
Just don't drop it onto a sawdusty floor. I really should sweep out the workshop.

---o0o---

Anyway, t'other day I put a new tube into the eBrute's back wheel, reseated the tyre & blew it up again, hoping thereby to restore the wheel (rim's fine) to roundness. No dice: on my ride yesterday the damn thing was booting me up the whatsit every two metres.  OK, it was only noticeable on smooooth tarmac, which is rare around here*, but still.  So this pm I swapped the tyre for a spare I had in stock, which unfortunately has a wire rim and I am not Omar the Trussmocker. Shut up, Liz.  I was 20 minutes getting the damn thing on - thought I was gong to break the tyre levers.

Wheel is now round, as near as dammit.  Test tomorrow.

* and when there is any to be found it'll be chipped and sealed next week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 23 June, 2023, 07:31:47 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 June, 2023, 04:48:38 pm
.... new tube into the eBrute's back wheel, reseated the tyre & blew it up again, hoping thereby to restore the wheel (rim's fine) to roundness. No dice: on my ride yesterday the damn thing was booting me up the whatsit every two metres.  OK, it was only noticeable on smooooth tarmac, which is ....

I bought a new Pirelli for the rear on my 29er a couple of months back. It was an absolute c^^^ to fit. I am a VERY experienced tyre fitter, having cut my teeth as a motorcycle mechanic back in the mid / late 1970's, and having removed and fitted motorcycle and car tyres without any special tools. I tried EVERY trick in the book to get the Pirelli to seat properly. I even took it on a VERY long ride (over 80miles) with the tyre inflated to its maximum pressure, on bumpy trails. It was just not going to seat. So I sent it back to the online supplier. They took a bit of time coming to the same conclusion as me. They sent me another tyre of the same type, presumably from the same mold. It fitted a treat and I am pleased with it.

We are paying top money for tyres. This is because quality control is so tight, they tell us. Strange then, that my quality standards are more stringent than theirs.

Don't suffer bad tyres. Send them back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 June, 2023, 01:13:21 pm
Swapped the left and right cleats over on my Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle shoes.  Should be good for another couple of years now :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 27 June, 2023, 05:35:18 pm
I fettled a set of Halfords mudguards (https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/mudguards/halfords-front-and-rear-commuter-mudguard-set-572450.html) onto the beater (thereby increasing the visual appeal by a worrying quotient)

I have to say, I was quite impressed with the value (£15 the pair). SKS, they're not. More flimsy and without the easy break mounts. But, aside from that they are rather good and easy to fit. They are supplied with drop out screws, but also with rubber band-on stay/fork mounts, making it an easy fix even if the frame mounts are stripped. The rear guard is 180 (only) so I bolted on a few inches of on old SKS so that the guard will help stop the wheel flinging muck into the trailer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 27 June, 2023, 05:41:28 pm
Fettled a broken Velux blackout blind.

I was somewhat surprised that the small bit of snappy brittle plastic which had failed was actually available as a spare part.
So £8 for the parts vs £Lots for a new blind is a result.

After figuring out the incomprehensible cat's cradle of string and pingfuckits, the repair was actually straightforward.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 June, 2023, 06:17:18 pm
My Aldi knock off Helinox chair had suffered from over exuberant dismantling, so one of the feet was missing, as was one of the shock cord stoppers. This meant a section of frame tube was now a free spirit and I could no longer do the shake it into shape trick.

Delving in my Man Tin, I found a nylon tent poole end left over from when I had a friend make a pair of replacements. Got it down to diameter with a bit of sand paper action then cut off the un-needed knob. A spot of jiggery pokery with cotton to pull the end of the shock cord through, followed by a knot and that was that bit done.  Found an off cut of broom handle with I cut to suitable length, drilled a (slightly oversize) hole and carved the end into a rough dome shape. Secured with some hopefully suitable glue.

No Bad Swears and only minor bloodshed. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 June, 2023, 01:51:00 pm
Stripped my saddle and some other bits off a borrowed Dolan tandem last night prior to dropping it off tonight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 29 June, 2023, 04:57:54 pm
More bike servicing for customers - came across an issue I'd never seen before (and was probably lucky to spot) on one of the jobs - the "safety plate" that's in the clamp bolts on the LH crank of a Shimano Hollowtech chainset was broken - the part with the hole (rather than the slot) complete with the tiny pin had broken in two.  When I took the crank arm off the bits fell on the bench.

It's available as a replacement part but the customer needs the bike for a tour starting Saturday - slim chance of getting delivery in time so I've robbed one from my touring bike which is not in use at the moment.   Postage is going to cost about 3 times the part cost!  (I shall buy a couple of spares for stock)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 June, 2023, 05:05:55 pm
The other day, made a video of my eccentric tyre to send to the manufacturer:

https://youtu.be/XIKGrQ9zpx0

This is the one that I thought was badly seated but couldn't correct. It was bashing my backside every rev.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 29 June, 2023, 07:21:43 pm
So I rode 500km in Cornwall at the weekend.  The newish bike is great but...it has one of those clicks.  In the couple of weeks before I was always thinking when I rode that bike, "must fix the click" but never did.  Those clicks sometimes are quick to fix but other times take the whole bike to bits, clean everything, reassemble and I suppose I didn't fancy doing it

I'll fix it when I get back I thought

Today I took the same bike out in the sunshine to look for farm gate eggs.  That click.  When I got back (sans eggs, didn't find any) I spent a whole 10 minutes removing the pedals, greasing them and refitting.  Quick test seemed to have fixed it

The pedals were new pedals on new bike and there was no grease on either end.  Amazing what a bit of goop can help with
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 30 June, 2023, 08:00:38 pm
Diodes mostly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 30 June, 2023, 08:15:50 pm
Despite getting ready for the Dunwich Dynamo tomorrow, I had some time for fettling in the garage (rhymes with barrage, not marriage now, as it is so posh!).

Fitted a compound table (Proxxon KT150) to my (Dad's old) pillar drill.

Took a fair bit of (very satisfying) fettling to achieve.

Nice to have the ability to position/reposition a workpiece accurately under the drill.

Dad passed away 7 years ago, but I recently had a dream he was concerned that he couldn't find his tools, and I couldn't communicate to him that they were almost all with family members now. He would be pleased with what I did today.

(https://cdn.axminstertools.com/media/catalog/product/cache/5a7ae93965a290622b2a179c050d4180/4/7/474334_xl.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 June, 2023, 08:20:18 pm
More of a case of unfettling than fettling today.  Repalcement Fairlight frame appeared yesterday, so today I created a pile of bits from the old bike, ready to refettle into the new one, once I've had headset bearings transferred and fork steerer cut.

Looking at the old frame, there seems to have been a definite failure in corrosion protection.  My seatpost was very hard to remove and there was visible corrosion in the tube, in addition to most of the points of attachment of things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 July, 2023, 02:37:40 pm
Sussed out the scanty instructions & assembled a new chainsaw-on-a-pole (or whatever they're called in English) that we bought this morning with a view to humiliating & killing an ash that has grown up close to the back wall of the barn over the last couple of years.  Tested it on the innocent hazels we grow out front as a sight screen between us and the neighbours.  It'll also serve to get in among the brambles that have grown out back. I hope.

Huh. Chainsaw itself was in the summer sale but the charger & battery weren't: together they cost more than the gadget. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 July, 2023, 05:05:59 pm
Swapped in new handlebars on HK’s shiny trike, along with longer gear cables and a brake cable to match. Applied some new purple handlebar tape.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 03 July, 2023, 10:22:17 pm
Saphira Trike's rear derailleur was sticking, leaving us flailing in the big sprocket, so a bit of a clean and oil was necessary. When it first happened I thought it cable trouble but that is moving freely.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 04 July, 2023, 09:26:31 am
At long last found a headtube transfer for the British Eagle, courtesy of H. Lloyds.  I have just got it fitted:

Old

(https://i.ibb.co/dWspjhb/DSCF0407-Copy.jpg)

New

(https://i.ibb.co/q1q94nB/IMG-3527.jpg)

From their catalogue I can see that they used both styles indiscriminately.   I like the lower one best.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 04 July, 2023, 09:46:39 pm
I bought a Smart battery light set (cheap) at York, not expecting great things. The Superflash rear had one side led not working, and the scope at work showed a signal present. A LED from the Shedde was fitted and Lo! There was red light. Note - do not assess the centre LED output by eye.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 July, 2023, 10:53:20 pm
Tested the New! IMPROVED!!1! WRRA timing gizmo freshly arrived from USAnia for James Coxon's 100 km recumbent trike record attempt on Saturday.  Tape switch feeds box of tricks trained to ignore two pulses in quick succession, thence a modified stopwatch and – new for this year – a custom mouse which will, provided the cursor is in the right place on the accompanying spreadsheet, automagically click the Lap button.  And it all worked, or at least it did once I'd put the back cover of the box of tricks back on the right way round to see the power LED through the hole in the back. 

Squeezing a tape switch four hundred times definitely falls into the category of “Not Exciting”.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 July, 2023, 01:08:35 am
On a similar theme, mostly[0] finished assembling what has been dubbed the 'all-singing' power supply for the BHPC's Box Of Winky Lights™.  The name is misleading, as it doesn't know the words, so just quietly hums to itself.  Though - and this is the exciting bit - in the event of the disappearance of AC voles it will abruptly change tune to a Mariah-esque warbling, in the vague hope that someone might investigate the far end of the extension lead or feed the infernal combustion engine more petril in a timely manner.

An arrangement of chinesium DC:DC converters and an improbable number of diodes[1] allows it to accept DC voles from various likely sources[2] as a back-up, without the fussiness of an APC [REDACTED - Ed] single point of failure.  Bringing and charging flatteries left as an exercise for the reader, thereby neatly avoiding the infrequently-used-kit-has-knackered-battery problem.

More importantly, through the magic of removing large quantities of  a) wood  2) foam  and iii) grass  from the flight-case, the router[3] and tag reader are now permanently connected, empowered and fixed in place, greatly reducing the amount of anbaric string that has to be dealt with on race day.  Hurrah!

Like all good electronics projects, it was 50% BOM management, and 30% woodjbex.


[0] Still waiting on a couple of less-critical parts to do over-voltage protection etc.
[1] This was a 'no software or complex logic' design, in the interests of not having to debug it.
[2] In principle this includes a sufficiently advanced USB power bank.  In practice, it only currently works with moderately advanced USB power banks, for reasons best discussed in the computing rant thread.
[3] Technically, it's operating as a switch and WiFi bridge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 05 July, 2023, 01:14:58 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 04 July, 2023, 10:53:20 pm
...and – new for this year – a custom mouse...

An impressive feat of genetics.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 05 July, 2023, 08:24:55 am
Cleaned a bunch of parts ahead of refitting to the new Faran frame

Trimmed the gears on the S40 after losing the chain to the inside of the granny ring twice on the weekend's escapades
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 July, 2023, 10:55:24 am
Changed the batteries in the Electric Chair, and a right clysterfick it was too. Stannah, thy name is shithead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 06 July, 2023, 07:38:25 am
Mechanical bits connected to the New Faran, drive train set up. Although the 105 shifter should work with the Deore rear mech, I've always found that it works perfectly in 5 out of ten gears, and needs micro-adjusts across the others.

This evening will be brakes and rear mudguard I hope. I've got a loop of string up the inside of the fork, and if I'm feeling brave may try running the cable up there today
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 08 July, 2023, 09:20:29 pm
Lightened the Origami and solved the problem of the centre stand grounding. I took the thing off.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 10 July, 2023, 03:54:29 pm
After a trip to Portsmouth / Gosport / Isle of Wight at the weekend, I managed to oily tattoo my best (not any more) shorts, when preparing to load the semi-recumbent tandem onto the car roof rack.

Thought to myself "Enough is enough, I need to do something to make it harder to get attacked by the front chainring." (which sits on the front of the bowsprit that wifey's deckchair is mounted upon.)

So when I got home I started designing a chainguard, like a 1950s gentleman's bike chainguard. It was going to be an abomination. So I scrapped that idea and came up with something far simpler. See pics for 1000word replacement.

Then today, in a fit of clearing up, I found a humbrol enamel paint which despite being 30+yrs old had good useable contents, so instead of throwing it away I thought "that's just the right colour for lug lining the steel bike"... and learnt a bit about lug lining. Good appealing job at a distance, quite obviously done by an amateur, closer up, but I like it, and it justifies keeping the rest of the pot of paint!

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/SbYeXq9wBQrbMi2utqLPYhFGBn2JWDrFhEZrLdYqgyE-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/w53MNNJnRk6oOckdaM0SPbHmSp6ggOv7-3rDIKBQzcs-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/WDQgfxL9xT2ywMlptkd_SlVaplaE95DzHaGaUsht7P8-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/8AqcC9m4AF3dXM0GXrp4GUsm6N_nBAPjPf7Vr3vDPS8-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/8paPRCFabicmUF3uQSrdg-caRubW0c_K2QQUTtNY288-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/Ndtr8LfVIIGzB238rpKD7EE0K5YAeTsByrwHOzkXk1w-2048x1536.jpg)


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 12 July, 2023, 08:46:31 pm
I turned all the TRV's up to Max. I was told this helped to stop them sticking in the winter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 13 July, 2023, 12:54:36 pm
The disk brakes on the Genesis have been no good since they failed during the airmail 200 in what, Feb/March?  I have been through a zillion time wasting disk brake things replacing a caliper, bleeding, fitting pads, recentring etc etc

However, I think I have finally got to the front and rear both working properly.  The final problem was caused (probably) by my over zealous use of disk brake cleaner, I believe this contaminated the rotors and pads.  I have just finished replacing the rotors and the the pads front and rear

2 minute ride up the shop had good enough brakes.  Hopefully i will be able to use this bike again now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 13 July, 2023, 08:48:53 pm
Completed the plumbing part of the installation of electric elements to two bathroom towel rails for "dual heat" depending on the season.  One minor leak (workman error - I didn't tighten one of the compression fittings)  Electrics are run back to the supply/time switches - testing tomorrow and then hopefully nice dry/warm towels during the summer months.

Oh, and a bit of soldering in the garage got the smoke alarm excited!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 13 July, 2023, 10:45:29 pm
Eldest has a party tomorrow ans the wife bought her a dress off one of the reselling clothes websites. It's probably a fairly skimpy dress on an adult but it's a good length on a young un, except too low at front due to her height.

Folded a bit of the straps down inside back and sewed in place so hopefully will be a much better fit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 13 July, 2023, 11:41:56 pm
18 year old Ice Wine.

It is surprisingly drinkable!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 14 July, 2023, 12:06:34 am
Quote from: Jaded on 13 July, 2023, 11:41:56 pm
18 year old Ice Wine.

It is surprisingly drinkable!

Fettled  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 14 July, 2023, 12:29:31 am
Thats weird!

It was destined for the What are you drinking thread.


I did have to fish bits of cork out, so that might count as fettling…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 15 July, 2023, 06:56:05 pm
Nothing required attention on the cycles, so I replaced the broken aerial on my old Spektrum transmitter with one which almost fits. Needs a dab of glue.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 July, 2023, 07:24:48 pm
Lulled into a false sense of security by the first strip which mostly just peeled off the wall, I talked Pingu into helping me strip the bathroom wallpaper in return for a beery lunch. Of course none of the rest wanted to come off so we had to have a sauna with the steamer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 July, 2023, 11:25:15 am
Swapped the eBrute's A chain for the B. Doing it every 700 km these days, seems to work well.  I did take one chain up to 1000k once but it was a bit too rattly. One chain's on 6400k, the other's on 5100 and neither has reached the 0.5% stretch yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 16 July, 2023, 02:36:58 pm
Repairs to the door and fitting new padlock bolts to the shed at the allotment (See GN/BN thread) - seems we got off lightly with damage and nothing missing, some sheds had the whole side ripped off to gain access and lots of tools pinched (our tools other than an ancient spade and fork come back to the house for storage)

Just frustrating, and meant I couldn't go out on the bike as is usual on Sunday mornings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 July, 2023, 05:38:38 pm
As mentioned in OT Knowledge I spent most of today scraping paint off a door frame (my shoulder feels like it is going to hurt tomorrow) and then a while cleaning up. (Thinks - maybe I should use roll & stroll instead of a cloth dust sheet, it might be easier to clear up).
Pingu disappeared into the garage and moved a load of stuffs away from the garage door in preparation for the door fitters coming on Tuesday  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 18 July, 2023, 08:57:13 pm
A few months ago, I recalled having bottles up on the handlebars when I was a teenager, so experimented with cages mounted on the handlebars on a couple of my current bikes. This seemed so much more convenient than the normal downtube and seat tube mountings, I decided to keep them there. In a recent tarting up of the old steel bike I bought 7 years ago, I decided to reposition its bottle cage. It had been cable tied to the downtube by the previous owner. So a plan was hatched to make an aluminium cage mount that would clamp onto the auxiliary bar already fitted to the bars.
After work had started on the new cage mount, I realised I could mount the Garmin on it too.
So, today's fettling...
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/d9WquPqy1aP0FplR1n40nbpZdcphbzcTbsx5apgY_MQ-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/CTEAPL8x_PfPmpc5QEccuRP4tC7SLr1t1ojIiOHHfHA-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/eY9RSGjt4pRyC9kDdhpYdmUGyuXp2ikCDr26rGHaAqE-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/RFw0as-5Xl6v0ffFnDSaxGk1LE9m1CFF3dD2sc87Ib8-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/r_gpn7fw8hMxfM9Yjsu--F3HPjHwghZUfOn5E5iqK1A-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 July, 2023, 04:50:28 pm
Was having the fascias, soffits, etc replaced this week and the overflow/warning pipes from the loft tanks were crumbled and almost flush with the fascia due to years of UV exposure and bird attack.  Bought a couple of new 3m lengths and some straight connectors from Screwfix and solvent-welded them to the old pipe after cutting off the excess*.  The old pipe was perfect where it was inside the loft.

Just ran a load of water down both pipes (need to wait 24hrs with solvent weld) and the job's a good 'un.  Looks much better outside now, with a more healthy protrusion and the pipe ends trimmed at a neat angle by the fascia fitters.

*my bike tube cutting guide gets many uses!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 19 July, 2023, 05:57:22 pm
Then tried and failed to fettle the conservatory guttering, which rattles in the wind and turns out not to be fitted properly.  The glazing firm had another go at it once but the clips are a poor fit, one was broken, and the manufacturer of the clips (Synseal) has gone out of business.  I shall let them deal with it as it's under warranty for another 3 months. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 July, 2023, 02:24:06 pm
Last night, removed the seatpost from my broken trike, which took two blokes, a vice and some time and swearing. Also saddle and pedals, which was much easier. Fitted the seatpost, saddle and pedals to a borrowed trike, for use in a week's time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 21 July, 2023, 04:28:13 pm
Made this to store cable inners I keep in stock for my modest bicycle repair business - I buy inners about 20 at a time and storing them has been an issue with the usual "wrestling with a very thin snake" issues.

(https://i.ibb.co/N6FsLQZ/bike-cable-storage.jpg)

Piece of timber, 3 short lengths of waste pipe, 3 bits of broomstick - and not too obvious a piece of drainpipe at the lower end to keep it all under control . . . ready and to hand, and an immediate visual for stock control (chains for 8-9-10-11 speed are stored on the other end of the wooden rack, 2 or 3 of each always in stock)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 21 July, 2023, 04:55:14 pm
Just put a new battery and a 1TB SSD into a MacBook Pro 13”.

That was hard work!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 July, 2023, 08:57:44 pm
I.put a 960GB SSD into a Humax Freesat recorder.  Five minute job.  There is no speed advantage, obviously (the HDD was fast enough to show HD video, and there are no gains possible) but it now records silently.  The factory hard drives make quite an annoying seek noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 21 July, 2023, 10:33:40 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 July, 2023, 08:57:44 pm
...but it now records silently...

Interesting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 July, 2023, 10:41:34 pm
Oh god, just buy a new one, ours is senile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 July, 2023, 10:53:47 pm
Mine’s a lot quieter than Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)’s ostensibly identical model, as well as starting up a lot quicker – his seems to do all sorts of system checks before deigning to work while mine just switches on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 July, 2023, 08:00:54 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 July, 2023, 10:41:34 pm
Oh god, just buy a new one, ours is senile.
The new ones are shite due to unstable firmware.  I've got rid of mine for the Humax!  Got fed up of the 30 minute power cycles needed to restore sound, HD, or fix a magenta picture.

A NOS Humax box costs more than a new Freesat box, for a reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 22 July, 2023, 09:40:17 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 July, 2023, 08:57:44 pm
it now records silently. 

Perfect for recording all those Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Keystone Cops films?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 22 July, 2023, 03:52:02 pm
last week as part of the push to make a bike that was a bit lighter for Strava Reasons ( see https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=126392.msg2826302#msg2826302 ) I put a lighter wheel on the front of the Genesis.  It was generally successful but there was a tiny noise

Investigation today revealed a small bend in the disk.  An adjustable spanner was applied.  Silence resulted  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 July, 2023, 04:30:08 pm
the hinge pin fell out of one of my computer mounts a while back, and the bent wire that I replaced it with failed today, so I fettled an aluminium rivet out of a piece of 3mm bonsai wire, ends squashed in the vice and filed smooth.  Neat little job.

Also fettled the aero bars on the Faran to a better config, including some brute force spreading the clamp area to fit a computer mount on this as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 23 July, 2023, 04:58:53 pm
I replaced the ram in the not FiL's PC upgrading him from 4gb to 16gb, the maximum this board can take.

Boot up time for his Win 10 machine has gone from 5 minutes plus to 18 seconds.  Astounding!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 July, 2023, 02:57:34 pm
Put up BFO hooks in the barn to hang brushcutter & so forth on.  Nearly done but I'm just one Rawlplug* short.  Getting more means burning diesel for 20 km. Mañana.

* made by Fischer
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 24 July, 2023, 04:13:53 pm
Quote from: T42 on 24 July, 2023, 02:57:34 pm
Put up BFO hooks in the barn to hang brushcutter & so forth on.  Nearly done but I'm just one Rawlplug* short.  Getting more means burning diesel for 20 km. Mañana.

* made by Fischer

Rawlplug !!!! - what's wrong with old-skool? . . . cut a sliver of wood* to size, stick it in the hole and screw into it.  Simples.

Those of us of a certain age will recall that Rawlplugs, until the plastic ones appeared in probably the 1960s, were made from a sort of fibre material.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 July, 2023, 05:13:48 pm
I can go one better: I have a 1960's tube of Philplug Screwfix that survived in the bottom of a toolbox.  You extract the appropriate amount, moisten it and roll it into a plug between your palms, never worrying that it's mostly white asbestos.

Re the wooden plug yes, I know. I did think of it but was beginning to run out of oomph because of diabetes and CBA.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2023, 05:18:20 pm
Ooh yes hooks. I can put some of them up now that I can actually hang stuff up in the garage roof.

My 'fettling' involved taking some video of the 2 spare keys for the garage door that arrived at the weekend, one of which doesnae work, so that they'll see fit to cut another one. (This restricted keys nonsense is a royal PITA).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 July, 2023, 05:59:07 pm
Flintmined both tyres and retensioned the chain on my fixed. Chain wear was a little more rapid than I had hoped, especially since I had replaced the rear tube at 22:05 Saturday and the chain was well-tensioned at that point. The half of the Kingdom of the East Saxons 400 still to be done at that stage took us along the beach in high winds and the gritty chain was noticeable after that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 24 July, 2023, 09:08:16 pm
About 7 years ago we had a guy round from anglian water (I think) to do a free water saving survey. He pointed out our broken push button on toilet which I'd bodged to work.

He asked where I worked so could advise nearest plumbing merchant to get a new button. He then made me put my hand out for a very gentle smack when admitted I worked at a plumbing merchant

New button purchased and then subsequently lost before I could fit it

Finally got round to ordering a new one which have just fitted
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 July, 2023, 10:55:31 pm
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 24 July, 2023, 09:08:16 pm
About 7 years ago we had a guy round from anglian water (I think) to do a free water saving survey. He pointed out our broken push button on toilet which I'd bodged to work.

He asked where I worked so could advise nearest plumbing merchant to get a new button. He then made me put my hand out for a very gentle smack when admitted I worked at a plumbing merchant

New button purchased and then subsequently lost before I could fit it

Outstanding.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 July, 2023, 04:16:34 pm
Finished putting me 'ooks up so that potential thieves will find it much easier to find our brushcutter & branch-lopper - anent which I should maybe get a hard hat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 July, 2023, 06:22:39 pm
I sharpened (FCVO) a blunt scraper blade and scraped a bit (a small bit) of paint off the bathroom wall. Then I got the new IR paint stripper out, read the instructions where it said you need to leave it heating up for 10 mins with it lying on something heat proof and I thought "I haven't got anything heatproof" so put it away again.
I really don't want to have to use the steamer cos it's horrible and sweaty but looks like tough titty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 25 July, 2023, 07:05:03 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 25 July, 2023, 06:22:39 pm
I sharpened (FCVO) a blunt scraper blade and scraped a bit (a small bit) of paint off the bathroom wall. Then I got the new IR paint stripper out, read the instructions where it said you need to leave it heating up for 10 mins with it lying on something heat proof and I thought "I haven't got anything heatproof" so put it away again.
I really don't want to have to use the steamer cos it's horrible and sweaty but looks like tough titty.
Dinnerplate would've done it.
No?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 25 July, 2023, 07:29:15 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 25 July, 2023, 06:22:39 pm
I sharpened (FCVO) a blunt scraper blade and scraped a bit (a small bit) of paint off the bathroom wall. Then I got the new IR paint stripper out, read the instructions where it said you need to leave it heating up for 10 mins with it lying on something heat proof and I thought "I haven't got anything heatproof" so put it away again.
I really don't want to have to use the steamer cos it's horrible and sweaty but looks like tough titty.

You don’t have an ironing board?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 July, 2023, 07:54:52 pm
Lol, I never thought of that! (I almost never do any ironing, can you tell?)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 July, 2023, 12:30:14 am
Mrs Barakta's-Mum's cat Rocky.  Who for reasons unclear (other than resorting to stereotypes about ginger cats being a bit dim) hasn't been doing a very good job of grooming himself.  His humans are no help in this regard, as Mrs-Barakta's-Mum pretends not to like cats, and Dr Biggles has a strange autistic way of loving cats without ever really touching them.  His sister helps him do the back of his head, but not much else.

Anyway, for reasons unclear, he had a matted area on his left (but not right) hindquarters, which necessitated a haircut and some careful teasing apart of the remaining felt.  Astoundingly, once he got the general idea he was happy to sit on my lap and let me get on with this, apart from a bit near the base of his tail which required mild distraction tactics.  I think I removed enough hair to make a spare cat.

As a relatively young, active short-haired cat (albeit one with impressive fur density), I can't help thinking that he'd be fine if he had an occasional brushing and got stroked on a regular basis.  It's not like Jake (my Linconshire correspondent's elderly Turkish Van), who can't stay awake long enough to manage his own floof, but wriggles and squirms if you try to help.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 July, 2023, 06:29:29 am
Can neither of them be persuaded to brush him for the good of the cat, rather than love or spoffling purposes?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2023, 05:45:19 pm
Cleared the Teetering Piles of Crap from on, under and near the kitchen table, that I might actually get that replacement front door installed before I go to USAnia next month.  Don’t hold your breath though, coz it’s been sitting there for four years already  :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 26 July, 2023, 07:31:27 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2023, 05:45:19 pm
Cleared the Teetering Piles of Crap from on, under and near the kitchen table, that I might actually get that replacement front door installed before I go to USAnia next month.  Don’t hold your breath though, coz it’s been sitting there for four years already  :D

Is that fettling or pre-fettling, like having something on pre-order?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2023, 08:12:54 pm
Quote from: ElyDave on 26 July, 2023, 07:31:27 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 26 July, 2023, 05:45:19 pm
Cleared the Teetering Piles of Crap from on, under and near the kitchen table, that I might actually get that replacement front door installed before I go to USAnia next month.  Don’t hold your breath though, coz it’s been sitting there for four years already  :D

Is that fettling or pre-fettling, like having something on pre-order?

Bit of both.  I also installed some hooks to hang formerly-teetering bags and panniers on.  And de-fettled some cardboard boxes that were in the way.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 26 July, 2023, 08:19:45 pm
Laced & partially tensioned a new front wheel.  About 10 years since I last did that! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 26 July, 2023, 09:32:22 pm
T'other day, a combination of bike-jenga, throwing tqt out and hooks onto the roof steels in the SEECRIT BUNKER to make room for The Boy's New! Shiny! Motorsickle.

He's just passed his CBT and has bought a 125 of a make I've never heard of. Tidy looking bit of kit though. He's tall lad, and this one is sized appropriately for someone 6' 2" (1.88m).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 26 July, 2023, 09:52:47 pm
Put many part through the New! Shiny! ultrasonic cleaning bath.  Yet another of those why didn't I years ago purchases.  I shall be buying a pint tomorrow (above the usual pint or 3 ) for the club mate who suggested putting the parts to be cleaned in ziplock bags (with degreaser) and having neat water in the machine, works very well.  I even put the clean chain after drying into a bag of oil & zapped it for 5 mins a side to get it into the joints.  Obvious with hindsight.

Boosted with confidence I looked at gootube videos of the dark art of bb replacement and by gosh I might even be able summon the courage for a go at that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 27 July, 2023, 12:58:55 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 26 July, 2023, 06:29:29 am
Can neither of them be persuaded to brush him for the good of the cat, rather than love or spoffling purposes?

Dr Biggles can rarely be persuaded of anything, unless the CAA are involved.  Mrs-Barakta's-Mum isn't one for hands-on cat maintenance, as she Doesn't Like Cats.  So it all seems to depend on regular visits from assorted cat enthusiasts.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 July, 2023, 07:40:50 am
Quote from: SoreTween on 26 July, 2023, 09:52:47 pm
Put many part through the New! Shiny! ultrasonic cleaning bath.  Yet another of those why didn't I years ago purchases.  I shall be buying a pint tomorrow (above the usual pint or 3 ) for the club mate who suggested putting the parts to be cleaned in ziplock bags (with degreaser) and having neat water in the machine, works very well.  I even put the clean chain after drying into a bag of oil & zapped it for 5 mins a side to get it into the joints.  Obvious with hindsight.

Boosted with confidence I looked at gootube videos of the dark art of bb replacement and by gosh I might even be able summon the courage for a go at that.

Interesting idea with the bags in the ultra-sonic machine - must try it with mine . . . I suppose it's a sort of "sous vide" method of cleaning ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 July, 2023, 02:50:20 pm
What started out as a simple task changing two water filters in our kitchen plus recharging the water softener that feeds the coffee machine turned into replacement of 3 crappy isolation valves (two I had in stock - the third required Mrs robgul to hotfoot it to Screwfix) - at least the main water isolation valve did what it's supposed to do.   Next filter replacement in about 7 or 8 months, can't wait!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 27 July, 2023, 02:59:31 pm
Quote from: robgul on 27 July, 2023, 07:40:50 am
Quote from: SoreTween on 26 July, 2023, 09:52:47 pm
Put many part through the New! Shiny! ultrasonic cleaning bath.  Yet another of those why didn't I years ago purchases.  I shall be buying a pint tomorrow (above the usual pint or 3 ) for the club mate who suggested putting the parts to be cleaned in ziplock bags (with degreaser) and having neat water in the machine, works very well.  I even put the clean chain after drying into a bag of oil & zapped it for 5 mins a side to get it into the joints.  Obvious with hindsight.

Boosted with confidence I looked at gootube videos of the dark art of bb replacement and by gosh I might even be able summon the courage for a go at that.

Interesting idea with the bags in the ultra-sonic machine - must try it with mine . . . I suppose it's a sort of "sous vide" method of cleaning ;D

Drat. I'm supposed to be casting about for b'day presents for MrsT but I keep finding things I could do with myself.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 27 July, 2023, 05:22:24 pm
^^^ "Look dear, I bought you a nice ultrasonic bath as a birthday present so you can clean all your jewellery. Yes, it is quite large for putting just your rings into..."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 July, 2023, 06:59:28 pm
Quote from: MattH on 27 July, 2023, 05:22:24 pm
^^^ "Look dear, I bought you a nice ultrasonic bath as a birthday present so you can clean all your jewellery. Yes, it is quite large for putting just your rings into..."

. .  and you could get her a slow-cooker to share with you - you wax chains in it, she prepares meals ;D

Seriously - the ultrasonic tank I have is great for cleaning my wife's earrings and other jewellery stuff - I put them in an old-style metal tea-strainer and then put that in the tank's basket - stops the stuff falling through the basket mesh.   The machine is also very good at cleaning/un-bunging the coffee machine group coffee holders (clean water and a throrough clean with Milton after the ultra-sonic process)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: seasider on 27 July, 2023, 07:12:37 pm
On the subject of Ultra sonic baths, has anybody a recommendation for a bath for use with bike bits ?. Just for hobby requirements. Would a 2L tank be large enough for normal use ?.I don't envisage cleaning any car parts. Thanks for any tips.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 27 July, 2023, 09:28:14 pm
Quote from: seasider on 27 July, 2023, 07:12:37 pm
On the subject of Ultra sonic baths, has anybody a recommendation for a bath for use with bike bits ?. Just for hobby requirements. Would a 2L tank be large enough for normal use ?.I don't envisage cleaning any car parts. Thanks for any tips.

Mine is about 2.5 litres - some parts, e.g. 50T chainrings, have to have 2 goes with about 2/3 submerged each time.  Most bike bits - mechs, brakes, chains (yes, really) all go in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 27 July, 2023, 11:21:43 pm
Quote from: T42 on 27 July, 2023, 02:59:31 pm
Drat. I'm supposed to be casting about for b'day presents for MrsT but I keep finding things I could do with myself.

(https://thesensitivebookishtype.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/homer.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 31 July, 2023, 03:46:45 pm
Improved the security of the MTB shed today. Previously the door could be forced open. Now it will take much more determination to get to the cheap bikes inside.
I used the distributor shaft from a Morris Minor (0.49" diameter), which I drilled to accept a padlock, then fitted from behind the door, through the bottom of it.
Made a 6mm aluminium striker plate with a 0.5" hole drilled through it to accept the dizzy shaft, and a couple of countersunk holes for screwing the plate to the bottom of the door. The rear edge of the hole for the padlock, is in line with the front edge of the plate, when the door is fully closed.   Fitting the padlock takes all the free movement out of the door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 August, 2023, 10:09:25 am
Just don't put a Master lock on it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 01 August, 2023, 10:17:40 am
Quote from: robgul on 27 July, 2023, 06:59:28 pm
Quote from: MattH on 27 July, 2023, 05:22:24 pm
^^^ "Look dear, I bought you a nice ultrasonic bath as a birthday present so you can clean all your jewellery. Yes, it is quite large for putting just your rings into..."

. .  and you could get her a slow-cooker to share with you - you wax chains in it, she prepares meals ;D

Seriously - the ultrasonic tank I have is great for cleaning my wife's earrings and other jewellery stuff - I put them in an old-style metal tea-strainer and then put that in the tank's basket - stops the stuff falling through the basket mesh.   The machine is also very good at cleaning/un-bunging the coffee machine group coffee holders (clean water and a throrough clean with Milton after the ultra-sonic process)

Hmmm.... Mrs A does jewellery..
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 02 August, 2023, 08:28:52 am
Just got a front fork mount for a QR fork https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099K2C8XN
The plan is to use this screwed down to a 2x4 to make an interior bike rack for the VW Touran.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: L CC on 02 August, 2023, 08:44:20 am
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 02 August, 2023, 08:28:52 am
Just got a front fork mount for a QR fork https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099K2C8XN
The plan is to use this screwed down to a 2x4 to make an interior bike rack for the VW Touran.
We tried this in our van and it wasn't a huge success- how will you secure it to the floor of the vehicle?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 02 August, 2023, 09:13:35 am
Quote from: L CC on 02 August, 2023, 08:44:20 am
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad on 02 August, 2023, 08:28:52 am
Just got a front fork mount for a QR fork https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099K2C8XN
The plan is to use this screwed down to a 2x4 to make an interior bike rack for the VW Touran.
We tried this in our van and it wasn't a huge success- how will you secure it to the floor of the vehicle?

I bought a couple of those a few years ago for the back of the Berlingo.  They are mountable onto a piece of wood that spans the width of the load area and is cable tied to a convenient lashing point in the floor at either side.  It was complicated by the fact that I had to build up the height of the mounting point to keep the front mudguard off the floor.  The assembly rocks around a bit but it does the job.

I find it a bit fiddly to engage the fork - it really makes you appreciate the centring springs on a quick release!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ScumOfTheRoad on 02 August, 2023, 11:21:03 am
Hmmm..  I was not going to secure the wood to the floor of the car. This may be a bad move?

For lashing the bike down, the car is equipped to hoist MRs Scums electric wheelchair aboard.
The wheelchair has its own inertial reel seatbelt - you really dont want that thing coming forward in a crash.
SO plan is to lash down using the extra seatbelt.

In an ideal world I would use the electric hoist to hoist the bike aboard - all I really need is some webbbing straps and a bit of wood to fashion a sling to hook the toptube of the bike to the hoist. The hoist is like a mini crane which has a hook at the business end.

https://www.brig-aydcontrols.co.uk/view-product/80kg-150kg-programmable-4way-evotech-hoist-1/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 02 August, 2023, 11:59:00 am
Years ago we had a Peugeot rack for the 807 (spit) we had. That had the front fork QR mount, plus a strap for the rear wheel. It bolted to the floor in the rails that the seats used (that car you could move all the seats around and they had a quick release clip into the floor). It worked really well, other than obviously taking up quite a lot of room. So well, in fact, that I'd put one bike on that rack, then could strap another two bikes to it one on each side. I'd do it again in the right vehicle.

(https://peugeotpartsdirect.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/961784.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 August, 2023, 03:20:56 pm
Two of these, one for me and one for chum Emil.

(https://pbase.com/image/173861122.jpg)

The idea being that these go under the shifters on a road bike and keep the gubbins on the handlebars off the floor when you turn it upside down. The bike, not the floor.

The motors we both have are best installed with the bike upside down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 02 August, 2023, 03:38:35 pm
Quote from: T42 on 01 August, 2023, 10:09:25 am
Just don't put a Master lock on it.
Why not?

Intrigued.

PS I like the shifter protectors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 August, 2023, 03:56:42 pm
Quote from: JefO on 02 August, 2023, 03:38:35 pm
Quote from: T42 on 01 August, 2023, 10:09:25 am
Just don't put a Master lock on it.
Why not?

Intrigued.

Low security. See https://youtu.be/s5jzHw3lXCQ

Lots of locks on Amazon are either OEM Masters or copies thereof.  You're probably better off with some of Abus's products, preferably with shielded shackles otherwise they can be cut with bolt cutters or opened by shoving a 2€ shim down the sides so that they pop open. Decent ones are quite expensive, but so unfortunately are quite a few low-security ones.

Though to be honest, just the sight of a BFO padlock will probably put most thieves off.

Quote
PS I like the shifter protectors.

Thanks! Not patented. ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 August, 2023, 03:59:14 pm
PS it's amazing how much more crud you see with the bike upside down.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 02 August, 2023, 05:19:21 pm
I have been fortunate enough to have acquired a large number of ABUS padlocks, left over from a huge project in one of my various employments.

I have been completely unsuccessful in bolt-cropping these off, and resorted to cropping the door furniture which was a helluvalot softer, when someone (?????) lost the keys.

Yes, have previously found the benefits of inverting bikes for cleaning. As our Hase Pino semi-recumbent tandem often gets lifted onto the roof rack, that tells me when we need to give it an inverted clean. Inverting a Pino is easy. Unless you want to invert it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 03 August, 2023, 02:21:33 pm
Today I doubled the drinks capacity on my old steel bike


(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/Nv-bzNFdVkqxsaWI9qd0wGjLoYKCkIn9dNU4fBTy4Gc-1152x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 August, 2023, 02:42:53 pm
Laced up some wheels for my new trike. Some more wheels need new rims, to be done later in the week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 02:52:08 pm
Attacked the replacement front door wif a hammer and chisel, that cutouts for the hinges might be molished.  This involved having to move it.  I'm dreading having to install the thing, because it weighs $BIGNUM and I will undoubtedly drop it and crush my toes.
 Or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:02:48 pm
Installed a new motor on the eBrute. Nothing wrong with the old one but it has a 135 mm axle whereas the new one's is 130 mm, which is somewhat kinder to the stays and a hell of a lot easier to get into the drop-outs.  All done & dusted, only... something's rubbing.  Not the brakes, more at cassette level.  There is a nut that goes on the motor axle: when the wheel-retaining nut is screwed up tightly the drop-out butts against that nut, and I think it's in contact with the cassette-lockring. aargh. Going to have to take the motor off again and back it off a bit.  :facepalm:

Which way to the fecking div thread, please?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:09:35 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 02:52:08 pm
Attacked the replacement front door wif a hammer and chisel, that cutouts for the hinges might be molished.  This involved having to move it.  I'm dreading having to install the thing, because it weighs $BIGNUM and I will undoubtedly drop it and crush my toes.
 Or something.

Get a helper and a long webbing sling*.

* no, not gin-. At least, not until after.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 03 August, 2023, 04:14:49 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:02:48 pm
...Which way to the fecking div thread, please?

I think you already know the way  ;)  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 03 August, 2023, 04:52:46 pm
Waxed my first chain (on the Ti winter road bike) - all went to plan with cheapie slow cooker etc.   Cassette, jockey wheels, chainrings all cleaned in the ultrasonic tank and everything re-assembled and ready for a test ride if/when it stops raining.

Whether it's worth it remains to be seen - if I do continue I'll probably get a second chain for each of the 3 bikes and just work on "one on the bike, one waxed and ready" doing them in batches, depending on bike usage/mileage.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 03 August, 2023, 05:13:24 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 02:52:08 pm
Attacked the replacement front door wif a hammer and chisel, that cutouts for the hinges might be molished.  This involved having to move it.  I'm dreading having to install the thing, because it weighs $BIGNUM and I will undoubtedly drop it and crush my toes.
 Or something.

I look for suitable height wedges to put under the door when removing and replacing.

Books can be quite useful.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 05:33:23 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 03 August, 2023, 04:14:49 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:02:48 pm
...Which way to the fecking div thread, please?

I think you already know the way  ;)  :P

Got a season ticket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 August, 2023, 05:54:20 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:09:35 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 02:52:08 pm
Attacked the replacement front door wif a hammer and chisel, that cutouts for the hinges might be molished.  This involved having to move it.  I'm dreading having to install the thing, because it weighs $BIGNUM and I will undoubtedly drop it and crush my toes.
 Or something.

Get a helper and a long webbing sling*.

* no, not gin-. At least, not until after.
If, like me, your helper doesn't exist, place your door in the closest position you can to align the hinge with the hinge screw holes in the frame.
Then, get two of your largest (they need to upwards of 30cms) flat screwdrivers and tap them in under the door with your foot from both sides of the door whilst supporting the door with your hands.
They work as wedges.
A bit of judicious foot tapping from both sides will raise/lower the door into a kushty position whereupon, if you've prepped properly, in reach of your spare hand (the other will be busy supporting the door) will be the screws and cordless driver you need for the next part of the process.
Pop one screw into the top hinge, another into the bottom hinge and Robert is your father's brother.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 06:08:56 pm
I have been contemplating the use of a sack trolley attached to a Heavy Thing with a giant toe strap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 03 August, 2023, 06:23:30 pm
I've used the above method on at least three doors in this house, without damage to me or to the house, and once at my mum's.
It is quite controllable, in small increments.
I'd offer to pop round and assist, but my place of employment is no longer as near to your's as it once was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 August, 2023, 09:37:53 pm
Swapped the rear tyres on HK’s orange trike. Added a third bidon cage on the seat tube with a couple of drj0n bagworks Barnacles (not cheap but work nicely) and a Salsa Side Entry cage. Together with a Di2 battery mount to move up the down tube cage to clear the seat tube cage, everything ends up nice and low, which is important when fitting large bidons into a small frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 11:15:00 pm
I only have one suitable screwdriver but I'm sure I can improvise something, possibly including the barrel of a dead Silca track pump :D

Tried resuscitating the Dremel-alike I found under the coffee table at Fort Larrington but as well as prolonged UV exposure causing its case to shatter into a million tiny pieces it utterly failed to recharge its Chineseum-iron battery.  Found my genuine Dremel which has been MIA for about 15 years, hiding in a box under a bunch of other boxes that should have been thrown out, er, 15 years ago.  No-one needs half a dozen boxes that don’t contain Hope disc brakes because they're attached to bikes…  Charged battery.  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Hurrah!

Also destickificated my laptop’s trackball, which was suffering from an Unwanted Tea Incursion.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 03 August, 2023, 11:31:23 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 11:15:00 pm
I only have one suitable screwdriver but I'm sure I can improvise something, possibly including the barrel of a dead Silca track pump :D

Bolster chisel works really quite well for this purpose.

(I tend to prefer it because the broader blade is less likely to mark the bottom edge of the door should you happen to be a bit too vigorous with the insertion.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 11:54:59 pm
There’s a sturdy cold chisel around somewhere which should do the trick when suitably extended with the aforementioned bit of steel tube
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 04 August, 2023, 01:49:08 am
Chuffed TF that I've replaced my Economy 7 water heating system (in an all-electric house) with a smart app-controlled system that not only replaces the timer, but monitors the temperature in the system and adapts the heating algorithm so that I get hot water when I need it and not when I don't. I'm well aware that those are exactly the advantages that my Economy 7 system promised me when that first arrived, but now my system monitors how I use it, and will suggest changes based on what it sees over the medium term. I love the ability to 'talk' to my house and get it to talk back to me!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 August, 2023, 08:55:15 am
Quote from: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:02:48 pm
Installed a new motor on the eBrute. Nothing wrong with the old one but it has a 135 mm axle whereas the new one's is 130 mm, which is somewhat kinder to the stays and a hell of a lot easier to get into the drop-outs.  All done & dusted, only... something's rubbing.  Not the brakes, more at cassette level.  There is a nut that goes on the motor axle: when the wheel-retaining nut is screwed up tightly the drop-out butts against that nut, and I think it's in contact with the cassette-lockring. aargh. Going to have to take the motor off again and back it off a bit.  :facepalm:

Which way to the fecking div thread, please?

Hah! 'Twarn't me.  Nut wasn't in contact, motor spindle doesn't like being turned.  Old one was fine, but the resistance in the spindle this one is enough to stop the chain moving through the derailleur when I back-pedal (on the workstand).  Back to the shop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 August, 2023, 05:56:15 pm
I did a wombling!

I am wont to do the odd bit of litter picking when we're on the way home from a walk. Last Nov I came across an empty hose reel in a car park nearby https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=53164.msg2768555#msg2768555. Having a hose in need of a reel I picked it up. Only later did I find out that there was something missing from it.
I found the right part on the Hozelock spares website but they said they were closed for a technical update.
So I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And finally a couple of weeks ago I poked my nose in there and lo it was working!

So that came today, I fixed all the borked bits and I now have hose on a reel instead of all kinked up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 04 August, 2023, 07:46:04 pm
Bottle cages cont'd...
Wasn't happy with the threads I had tapped into the nylon block, cheese and nylon share hardness properties. So last night I went to bed wondering how best to make it a proper job.
This morning, the answer was at the front of my mind. After a busy day on pre-arranged stuff, as soon as I could, I got in the garage and found a half inch brass bar to drill tap and shape to fit in the previously drilled and tapped nylon cage mount.
Very pleased with the final result - proper clamping and not too unsightly (IMO).

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/uu0-lZKqcr2crc_kxLdCN0yiEHRMIbCFlav7ArFm9iA-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 August, 2023, 10:39:11 pm
Fitted a new rim, tube and tyre to HK’s orange trike’s dynowheel. New brake pads and possibly handlebar tape and it will be ready for PBP.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 04 August, 2023, 11:05:27 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 03 August, 2023, 05:54:20 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:09:35 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 02:52:08 pm
Attacked the replacement front door wif a hammer and chisel, that cutouts for the hinges might be molished.  This involved having to move it.  I'm dreading having to install the thing, because it weighs $BIGNUM and I will undoubtedly drop it and crush my toes.
 Or something.

Get a helper and a long webbing sling*.

* no, not gin-. At least, not until after.
If, like me, your helper doesn't exist, place your door in the closest position you can to align the hinge with the hinge screw holes in the frame.
Then, get two of your largest (they need to upwards of 30cms) flat screwdrivers and tap them in under the door with your foot from both sides of the door whilst supporting the door with your hands.
They work as wedges.
A bit of judicious foot tapping from both sides will raise/lower the door into a kushty position whereupon, if you've prepped properly, in reach of your spare hand (the other will be busy supporting the door) will be the screws and cordless driver you need for the next part of the process.
Pop one screw into the top hinge, another into the bottom hinge and Robert is your father's brother.
You can also get air wedges for this, I bought one from Lidl recently because I thought it was bound to come in useful. Does it make me a div as I've only just read this and I practically drove past Larrington Towers yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 05 August, 2023, 01:18:23 am
Door still far from ready for hanging - needs an 'ole for the letterbox and lock as well as painting so at the current rate of progress will be installed about 12 hours before I hightail it across the Stormy North Atlantic for a month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 August, 2023, 08:18:00 am
Quote from: rr on 04 August, 2023, 11:05:27 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 03 August, 2023, 05:54:20 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:09:35 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 August, 2023, 02:52:08 pm
Attacked the replacement front door wif a hammer and chisel, that cutouts for the hinges might be molished.  This involved having to move it.  I'm dreading having to install the thing, because it weighs $BIGNUM and I will undoubtedly drop it and crush my toes.
 Or something.

Get a helper and a long webbing sling*.

* no, not gin-. At least, not until after.
If, like me, your helper doesn't exist, place your door in the closest position you can to align the hinge with the hinge screw holes in the frame.
Then, get two of your largest (they need to upwards of 30cms) flat screwdrivers and tap them in under the door with your foot from both sides of the door whilst supporting the door with your hands.
They work as wedges.
A bit of judicious foot tapping from both sides will raise/lower the door into a kushty position whereupon, if you've prepped properly, in reach of your spare hand (the other will be busy supporting the door) will be the screws and cordless driver you need for the next part of the process.
Pop one screw into the top hinge, another into the bottom hinge and Robert is your father's brother.
You can also get air wedges for this, I bought one from Lidl recently because I thought it was bound to come in useful. Does it make me a div as I've only just read this and I practically drove past Larrington Towers yesterday.

The French for wedge being coin, a possible translation for this would translate back into English as pneumatic corner.  And since coin is also the noise a duck makes, another re-translation might be inflatable quack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 August, 2023, 09:11:14 am
Finished building the wheels for my new trike and fitted new tyres and tubes. Started assembling it.

Fitted new KoolStop pads, SPDs, chain and cassette to HK’s orange trike. Cleaned and greased the jockey pulleys. Just the handlebar tape to go.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 05 August, 2023, 02:20:02 pm
I de-fettled two old hard drives by drilling through them.  Ok, MI6 might still be able to recover something, but I doubt they're interested.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phil653 on 05 August, 2023, 04:11:07 pm
Is there anything more tedious in the bike fettling canon then scraping old tub cement off sprint rims?  Tub sidewall eaten by age and excess sun so it was time to renew that part of my antediluvian system. Screwdrivers moonlighting as scrapers, acetone and much colourful language ensued. LBS only had one wheel's worth of tub-tape so the second tub went back on with the smelly sticky stuff - prophesying a future scraping event. Oh joy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 05 August, 2023, 04:24:47 pm
Quote from: JefO on 04 August, 2023, 07:46:04 pm
Very pleased with the final result - proper clamping and not too unsightly (IMO).

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/uu0-lZKqcr2crc_kxLdCN0yiEHRMIbCFlav7ArFm9iA-1536x2048.jpg)

That reminds me of the mounting blocks I made for Tesco's torches (back when they were a cheap way of getting decent LED lights)
but I split on both sides rather than just one and in pine, but I like the idea of nylon
I think I may even have some solid bar already threaded from something (possibly the Ikea "spares" box)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 05 August, 2023, 05:14:32 pm
Quote from: peterc on 05 August, 2023, 04:24:47 pm

That reminds me of the mounting blocks I made for Tesco's torches (back when they were a cheap way of getting decent LED lights)
but I split on both sides rather than just one and in pine, but I like the idea of nylon
I think I may even have some solid bar already threaded from something (possibly the Ikea "spares" box)

Cheers. To be honest, if I had found some more 3/8" aluminium (at least 50mm x 85mm) I would have used that (as per the first one I made). Nylon one was a lot faster to make, as I had the capability to drill at the desired diameter (22mm) rather than having to drill at 13mm and file out to 22mm. The use of only the bottom bottle cage bolt to clamp onto the accessory bar, allowed me to chamfer the top of the bracket at a sensible angle to suit the Garmin mount.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/eY9RSGjt4pRyC9kDdhpYdmUGyuXp2ikCDr26rGHaAqE-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 05 August, 2023, 06:32:19 pm
Checked the chain on the Faran 2.5 and decided not to replace it. It hit the 0.5% marker, but not 0.75%. 

Did replace the front tyre that was slashed on an audax earlier and running tubed as a result, new Terravail Canonball 40mm, as per initial fitting, seated no bother, the easiest tubeless I've tried so far.  Also fettled the setup for audax, including helitape on top tube for the snack pack, loading the seatpack and deciding what to put in the handlebar bag. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 August, 2023, 06:53:28 pm
It was raining this morning, so I was intending to fill all the nail holes in the 2 door frames I stripped last week.
What I ended up doing instead was cutting insulation boards for the 2nd pantry cupboard and sticking it on, such that I could get rid of the boards cluttering up the understair cupboard.
While I was DIYing I persuaded Pingu to help take off said cupboard door so I could plane the bottom off it so it stops getting stuck on the back doormat.
Then I needed to get the jigsaw out to trim the shelves that no longer fitted in the cupboard.

After that we went to our local cafe for post fettling ice cream and beer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 August, 2023, 05:00:58 pm
Letter box 'ole made in door.  Looks terrible but the terribleness will be hidden behind bits of hardware.  Also the nut that holds the external stuffs in place requires an 11/32” socket :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 August, 2023, 05:06:47 pm
Mucked out the coffee engine, which was in dire need.  Also went over to workshop to swap a nut on motor wheel but pectoral ouch stopped me heaving the bike about.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 August, 2023, 05:19:39 pm
Swapped the captain's handlebars on my stoker’s tandem to something more comfortable for me and topped up the tool/ spares bag ready for PBP.

Finished assembling my trike, barring bedding in the disc brake, trimming excess steerer tube and fitting front mudguard, handlebar tape and lights.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 06 August, 2023, 07:58:21 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 06 August, 2023, 05:00:58 pm
Letter box 'ole made in door.  Looks terrible but the terribleness will be hidden behind bits of hardware.  Also the nut that holds the external stuffs in place requires an 11/32” socket :o

Are you sorted for the socket, I may have one if not
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 06 August, 2023, 11:07:43 pm
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 06 August, 2023, 07:58:21 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 06 August, 2023, 05:00:58 pm
Letter box 'ole made in door.  Looks terrible but the terribleness will be hidden behind bits of hardware.  Also the nut that holds the external stuffs in place requires an 11/32” socket :o

Are you sorted for the socket, I may have one if not

Yes thanks, there’s a bunch of Imperial sockets in my cheapo Halfrauds set.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 August, 2023, 03:10:53 pm
Quote from: T42 on 03 August, 2023, 04:02:48 pm
Installed a new motor on the eBrute. Nothing wrong with the old one but it has a 135 mm axle whereas the new one's is 130 mm, which is somewhat kinder to the stays and a hell of a lot easier to get into the drop-outs.  All done & dusted, only... something's rubbing.  Not the brakes, more at cassette level.  There is a nut that goes on the motor axle: when the wheel-retaining nut is screwed up tightly the drop-out butts against that nut, and I think it's in contact with the cassette-lockring. aargh. Going to have to take the motor off again and back it off a bit.  :facepalm:

Which way to the fecking div thread, please?

And finally, 'twasn't me, 'twas vile circumstance.  Last week the supplier gave me a different 6mm-thick nut to replace the one in the kit. Fitted it this pm and all is well.  Only difference is that the new one has a more pronounced chamfer on the edges.  "Sometimes the one in the kit doesn't work but these do".
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 August, 2023, 05:13:09 pm
Drilled a 32 mm 'ole through the new door, that a shiny new lock might be fitted.  Shiny new lock's shiny brass ring-thing surrounding key'ole lacks the little pull tab thing of the old one, which means cleaning up the old one to make it Shiny.

Shiny new lock's shiny new keys are a different shape from the old “classic Yale” ones and thus also a different shape from the lock on the inner front door so no more getting the wrong key in the wrong 'ole at half past dark :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 August, 2023, 06:23:55 pm
Mid-fettling a customer's bike - he'd been quoted an astronomical amount by Halfords saying a new bottom bracket and headset were required (at inflated costs) having not examined said items ... BB bearings and upper headset bearing smooth as a baby's bottom, lower headset slightly rough and will be replaced.   Halfords also pitched new tubes for both wheels in their quote - interesting as tyres are tubeless on spangly Hunt wheels :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 August, 2023, 07:42:56 am
I'm glad Halfords haven't metastasized to France. Yet.  Mind you, I wouldn't trust my bikes to Decathlon or Intersport either.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 August, 2023, 12:06:37 pm
I'm vaguely planning on moving home in the next 12 months or so.  New homes usually involve some level of DIY, so I thought a folding workbench might be useful.  I missed out on a classic Workmate on Ebay when the bidding went silly.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354942575715   but shortly afterwards found a new model in damaged packaging on sale for £35 delivered.  I ordered it yesterday afternoon & it's just been dropped off by a man inna van.


All the bits were there, but I'm glad I watched a couple of video's before putting it together.   



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMICZE9kaV4


It's obviously been built down to a cost,  pressed steel rather than cast aluminium, but it should be sturdy enough for my occasional needs.   The wooden "jaws" appear to be made from laminated bamboo (?) instead of the original marine plywood. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 08 August, 2023, 01:17:28 pm
First coat of wood painty-stuff applied to ~5/8th of door.  Waiting for it to dry before I can turn it over and do the other side.  Have not knocked over the tin of painty-stuff either :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 08 August, 2023, 01:40:57 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 08 August, 2023, 12:06:37 pm
I'm vaguely planning on moving home in the next 12 months or so.  New homes usually involve some level of DIY, so I thought a folding workbench might be useful.  I missed out on a classic Workmate on Ebay when the bidding went silly.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354942575715   but shortly afterwards found a new model in damaged packaging on sale for £35 delivered.  I ordered it yesterday afternoon & it's just been dropped off by a man inna van.


All the bits were there, but I'm glad I watched a couple of video's before putting it together.   



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMICZE9kaV4


It's obviously been built down to a cost,  pressed steel rather than cast aluminium, but it should be sturdy enough for my occasional needs.   The wooden "jaws" appear to be made from laminated bamboo (?) instead of the original marine plywood.
I have had one such as you describe for probably over 20 years. It is tough as old boots. The laminated bamboo is quite a bit harder than marine ply, so less likely to deform when you do up the thumbscrews. I have fashioned from MDF an insert which fits between the jaws when they are opened to their max - giving me an extended work surface.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 08 August, 2023, 02:03:07 pm
Unless you leave it in a damp shedde, of course.

I obtained a 90s-vintage Workmate on eBay in such condition for a very reasonable price.  The metal parts were fine with a bit of wire brush and Hammerite treatment.  The jaws were a mess, and as an interim measure I replaced them with some cheap softwood that was available in Wickes.  Needless to say, it isn't wearing well.  Which is good, because I cocked up the measurements and they almost but don't quite close properly.  At some point I'll sort it out properly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 August, 2023, 02:07:18 pm
You can obtain artisan crafted plywood jaws on Ebay, for the cost of a complete new Workmate...

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 08 August, 2023, 02:14:35 pm
Quote from: Kim on 08 August, 2023, 02:03:07 pm
Unless you leave it in a damp shedde, of course.

</snip>
It lives in a shed and is, dimensionally, all over this parish and the next one.
But then again it has been used for (amongst other things) brazing and silver soldering, so the French polished dining table look never really stood much of a chance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 08 August, 2023, 02:27:00 pm
Mine will live in the loft or under the bed, until I can find somewhere with a shedde, spare room or garage.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 08 August, 2023, 02:29:44 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 08 August, 2023, 02:27:00 pm
Mine will live in the loft or under the bed, until I can find somewhere with a shedde, spare room or garage.
I think Kim's reference was to my MDF insert rather than the rest of it - which'll be fine if stored in a shed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 08 August, 2023, 10:12:09 pm
I give my workmate style benches a far harder life than you guys. They stay outside.
Reason?
Facebook marketplace regularly gets them for sale at £10 to £15, and I have way too many bikes, tools, materials and spares to store the workmates (plural) inside. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 08 August, 2023, 11:30:37 pm
Riding home this evening my chain jumped off the big ring as I powered up a hill. That's unusual; this bike is normally pretty solid on the transmission. Then later, dropping to the middle ring the chain got caught between the big and middle rings meaning I had to stop to disentangle it. That's only happened once before, thinking about it that was the last time I rode it, and in exactly the same spot.
Looking down as I carried on home, the spacing between the rings was varying, looked like a bent ring  :(

Got home, and realised the actual problem was that four out of five of the chainring bolts were very loose  :facepalm: Thinking about it, I last touched them at least a decade ago...  at least it was an easy and zero cost fix, and nothing actually got lost on the road.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 August, 2023, 02:54:11 pm
Spent most of yesterday and this morning setting up chum's bike motor - getting the cassette & spacing nut to work together was fiddly in the extreme.  Couldn't get the cassette lockring tight without the wee thin spacing ring in place behind the biggest cog, but with it in place the lockring was almost off the end of the free wheel.  Ended up taking it to the shop where the mechanic whipped it into his den and brought it back in 5 minutes without the spacer ring but with all the cogs firmly anchored. Still scratching me 'ead at that one.  Went back this morning to put him a Slime tube in, since he's practically a cripple and anything that cuts down the need to mend punctures at the roadside is welcome. I'll be "selling" him on Schwalbe Duranos once he's got the hang of things.

Anyway: last night his wife turned up with a complete box of peaches and a crate full of vegetables by way of thanks. Then today they invited MrsT & I out for lunch, and when we were on the point of going home she shoved a collander of mirabelles into MrsT's hands.  Utterly gobsmacked. I love mucking about with bikes and wasn't looking for anything more than the fun of doing it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 09 August, 2023, 08:54:59 pm
I applied some proofhide to a Brooks B17. The saddle has been sitting unused in the garage for a few years but I now need a saddle with bag loops.
Also did my annual woolens wash, well the m/c did. It's getting warm tomorrow so they should dry well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 09 August, 2023, 11:08:21 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 August, 2023, 02:54:11 pm

...

Anyway: last night his wife turned up with a complete box of peaches and a crate full of vegetables by way of thanks. Then today they invited MrsT & I out for lunch, and when we were on the point of going home she shoved a collander of mirabelles into MrsT's hands.  Utterly gobsmacked. I love mucking about with bikes and wasn't looking for anything more than the fun of doing it.

That's lovely.  I often work on friends bikes for the love of it. A proper thank you gift is a very rare and most welcome surprise, isn't it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 09 August, 2023, 11:10:59 pm
A mix of fettling and divery.

The Boy was complaining that the Big Knife (Opinel Kitchen Knife) was in need of a sharpening, so I broke out the Special Bit of MDF, bits of emery paper, water spray and Windowlene.

10 minutes later the Big Knife was Scarily Sharp, which I proved when I sliced my finger, giving the blade a wipe with a bit of kitchen roll.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 August, 2023, 08:43:40 am
Quote from: JefO on 09 August, 2023, 11:08:21 pm
Quote from: T42 on 09 August, 2023, 02:54:11 pm

...

Anyway: last night his wife turned up with a complete box of peaches and a crate full of vegetables by way of thanks. Then today they invited MrsT & I out for lunch, and when we were on the point of going home she shoved a colander of mirabelles into MrsT's hands.  Utterly gobsmacked. I love mucking about with bikes and wasn't looking for anything more than the fun of doing it.

That's lovely.  I often work on friends bikes for the love of it. A proper thank you gift is a very rare and most welcome surprise, isn't it.

Wonderful.  Problem now is where to put it all before it deteriorates - can only eat so much at a time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 10 August, 2023, 08:54:17 am
Stone the Mirabelles and then put them in brandy for the winter. Wonderful stuff. If you can leave it for 18 months even better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 August, 2023, 11:06:07 am
Used to do that kind of thing but alcohol has been streng verboten since the mid-90's. TBH I don't miss it.

Anyway, this morning I changed the blade on the lawnmower, and got my bike ready to ride again - mudguard, seatpost rack, etc. Tested my new motor up & down the street, all well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 August, 2023, 11:10:38 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 09 August, 2023, 11:10:59 pm
A mix of fettling and divery.

The Boy was complaining that the Big Knife (Opinel Kitchen Knife) was in need of a sharpening, so I broke out the Special Bit of MDF, bits of emery paper, water spray and Windowlene.

10 minutes later the Big Knife was Scarily Sharp, which I proved when I sliced my finger, giving the blade a wipe with a bit of kitchen roll.

What porpoise the Windowlene?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 10 August, 2023, 11:14:06 am
I assume it's a mild abrasive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 10 August, 2023, 11:16:21 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 10 August, 2023, 11:14:06 am
I assume it's a mild abrasive.

Toothpaste? Yes.
But Windowlene  ???
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 10 August, 2023, 01:00:10 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 August, 2023, 11:10:38 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 09 August, 2023, 11:10:59 pm
A mix of fettling and divery.

The Boy was complaining that the Big Knife (Opinel Kitchen Knife) was in need of a sharpening, so I broke out the Special Bit of MDF, bits of emery paper, water spray and Windowlene.

10 minutes later the Big Knife was Scarily Sharp, which I proved when I sliced my finger, giving the blade a wipe with a bit of kitchen roll.

What porpoise the Windowlene?
I spray a bit on the 2500 grit. Sometimes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 August, 2023, 01:52:53 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 10 August, 2023, 11:16:21 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 10 August, 2023, 11:14:06 am
I assume it's a mild abrasive.

Toothpaste? Yes.
But Windowlene  ???

Lapping fluid.  I use it on diamond "stones".

I also have a stick of green honing paste I use with a strop.  I use it for chisel- and plane-blades but I shy away from using it on cooking knives, though I suppose it'd be OK if I washed them well afterwards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 10 August, 2023, 10:49:50 pm
Had a suspension air bag fail on the planet slayer through old age and the rubber cracking last week - luckily only a couple of miles from home, as the following day it was going to be loaded up for a long journey. Bouncing along on the bump stops wasn't fun, but failing then meant we could make alternative arrangements for transporting the kit around rather than spending hours at the side of the road waiting for the big yellow taxi.

So fixed that today. Not terribly difficult, just all the fun of pulling a car's suspension apart to get the strut out, then disassembling the strut to replace the bag and associated seals. That includes removing bolts that were done up to 250Nm over a decade ago - definitely pleased I invested in a big impact wrench. "20 minute job when I did mine" said my son, albeit on a different model. I expected it to take longer, as it takes that long to get it jacked up and onto stands, get a wheel off, refit the wheel and drop it back down again, without touching the suspension. Ended up spending about 2 hours taking my time, but very satisfying to have the big girl running again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 August, 2023, 06:47:55 am
Yesterday, half-taped the handlebars on my Trykit before the hill climb at the Recumbent World Championships. Not the traditional TTer trick of just wrapping the drops but wrapping the RH side and not the left. Not enough time between arriving, putting up the tent and heading out to the start line to do otherwise.

Finished wrapping the bars this morning, so I don’t look even more of a weirdo, beyond the weirdo quotient derived from riding an upright trike amongst swarms of recumbents and velomobiles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 August, 2023, 11:52:11 am
Looks like the weight saving gained you a respectable result, thobut  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 12 August, 2023, 02:18:31 pm
I have trained for plodding through 1200km, not sprinting 4km up a Swiss mountainside. I will recycle this excuse for my poor showing in today’s sprints and in tomorrow’s road race.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 12 August, 2023, 03:35:48 pm
Replaced the screws holding the hinges to the front door frame as those installed up until just now were installed about 25 years ago by a ham-fisted dolt.  Does anyone make:

1: screws and
c) Pozidrive screwdriver bits

out of something other than cheese?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Basil on 12 August, 2023, 03:46:22 pm
Painting skirting boards.
I hate painting now. I always seem to be doing it. Skirting boards are the worst.
A wall or a door, or whatever, involves plenty of free sploshing with a little cutting in here and there.
Bloody skirting boards is 100% cutting in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 August, 2023, 03:56:11 pm
Quote from: Basil on 12 August, 2023, 03:46:22 pm
Painting skirting boards.
I hate painting now. I always seem to be doing it. Skirting boards are the worst.
A wall or a door, or whatever, involves plenty of free sploshing with a little cutting in here and there.
Bloody skirting boards is 100% cutting in.

Masking tape (a.k.a. Painter's tape) is your friend - lots of low-tack stuff available now, and some with polythene sheeting attached for larger masking duties.  Mask thoroughly, splosh the paint on!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 August, 2023, 04:09:26 pm
What I mostly hate about painting skirtings is sanding them.
I have not touched any skirtings at the New!improved!PinguTowers but I suspect I will do when the bathroom refurb has been done. (That's assuming there are any skirtings remaining when I get back)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 12 August, 2023, 04:42:14 pm
We have installed a replacement cat flap. The old one died several years ago, so we couldn't lock it for outward bound moggies.
This has not been a problem for the last several years as we've had no cats and it was a good idea for any strangers to be able to leave whenever they or we wanted them to.
We now have a new cat. He's a rescue, about five years old, and as far as we know has never been outdoors in his life.
Fitting the flap was fairly straightforward as it's a direct replacement for the old one.
Programming it to read the cat's ID chip has left me with a couple of lovely scratches on my shin!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 12 August, 2023, 09:38:29 pm
A new to me rear wheel that felt tight. I took the freehub and axle out, regreased  the ring where the pawls engage and reassembled leaving the preload cap a little less tight. All seems much better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 August, 2023, 09:47:54 pm
Quote from: SteveC on 12 August, 2023, 04:42:14 pm
We have installed a replacement cat flap. The old one died several years ago, so we couldn't lock it for outward bound moggies.
This has not been a problem for the last several years as we've had no cats and it was a good idea for any strangers to be able to leave whenever they or we wanted them to.
We now have a new cat. He's a rescue, about five years old, and as far as we know has never been outdoors in his life.
Fitting the flap was fairly straightforward as it's a direct replacement for the old one.
Programming it to read the cat's ID chip has left me with a couple of lovely scratches on my shin!

Sounds like a trip to the Gratuitous Cat Pics thread is in order :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 August, 2023, 05:55:34 pm
Replacement door hung but lock not yet installed so currently secured with a bolt to prevent the local cheery urchins from robbing the contents of the porch.  As an antidote to wrestling large and intractable lumps of wood I also trimmed the wiring inside the plug on my travelling 4-gang so the meaty outer insulation actually makes it into the 'ole in the plug instead of finishing a finger-width outside it.

Stupid USAnian plug.  Hates it forever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 August, 2023, 12:34:06 pm
Gaze upon the majesty of Larrington Towers' new front door!  And yes, I was able to get back in after taking the photo.  Only took four years.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53120174216_7b58038f14_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oW3M7G)
Installed! (https://flic.kr/p/2oW3M7G) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 August, 2023, 01:01:46 pm
Good-looking door - fiddly buggers to get right.

UK insurers haven't got round to insisting on two locks yet?  Lack of a second invalidates your insurance here: "sorry your house burned down but you only had one lock on the door so we're not paying you anything".  We have two, but one of them has a cylindrical keyway and some years back a solitary wasp nested in it. I did clear it out but it's still kinda mushy when you shove the key in and MrsT doesn't like it so we never use it.



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 16 August, 2023, 01:06:33 pm
I think it depends on the lock.  PVC doors with multi-point locking operated by a Euro cylinder are pretty common here.  Possibly they like a second lock if the lock only operates at one point.  Last time I had reason to care about such things, they were more interested in the complexity of the lock than the solidness of the door.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 August, 2023, 01:07:53 pm
Door from the porch into the actual house has two - a Yale-stylee one and a deadlock.  Sooner or later I'll fit a deadlock to the outer one too.  Hopefully this will take slightly fewer than four years.

Edit: also the only things worth nicking from the porch are the hedge trimmer and chainsaw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 16 August, 2023, 11:40:14 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 16 August, 2023, 12:34:06 pm
And yes, I was able to get back in after taking the photo.  Only took four years.
To fit the door ::-) , or to get back in? :o :o :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 17 August, 2023, 08:03:55 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 16 August, 2023, 01:07:53 pm
Door from the porch into the actual house has two - a Yale-stylee one and a deadlock.  Sooner or later I'll fit a deadlock to the outer one too.  Hopefully this will take slightly fewer than four years.

Edit: also the only things worth nicking from the porch are the hedge trimmer and chainsaw.

One of ours is a deadlock. When I fitted it I had to bore a 4 cm hole through the door. Last time I thought about replacing it I found that similar locks were difference distances from the edge of the door, so that I'd have to plug the first hole and bore another - nasty job.  It's a hefty panelled oak door and it'd be very easy to make a pig's ear of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 August, 2023, 11:39:13 am
The little window is pretty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2023, 12:15:39 pm
It's also nice and thick, unlike the old one in which one of the three glass elements got b0rked while I was on holiday and got boarded up for about seven years.  DIY projects at Larrington Towers move in a mysterious way, and also very slowly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CarlF on 17 August, 2023, 01:50:48 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 12 August, 2023, 03:35:48 pm
Replaced the screws holding the hinges to the front door frame as those installed up until just now were installed about 25 years ago by a ham-fisted dolt.  Does anyone make:

1: screws and
c) Pozidrive screwdriver bits

out of something other than cheese?

- Spax
- Wera

(I understand some may prefer Reisser and/or Wiha respectively, which I am sure would be valid alternatives. You may spot a Teutonic theme...)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2023, 03:33:52 pm
Fortunately Wickes has a ready supply of Spax screws in small boxes as well as packs of 200 which is about 160 more than I'm likely to need for the rest of my life.

Screwdriver bits: I need to wreck all the ones I've got already: Bosch, Stanley, Draper, Black & Decker, someone else and the one I found in Mr Sainsbury’s car park the other week.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 17 August, 2023, 06:46:19 pm
Quote from: CarlF on 17 August, 2023, 01:50:48 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 12 August, 2023, 03:35:48 pm
Replaced the screws holding the hinges to the front door frame as those installed up until just now were installed about 25 years ago by a ham-fisted dolt.  Does anyone make:

1: screws and
c) Pozidrive screwdriver bits

out of something other than cheese?

- Spax
- Wera

(I understand some may prefer Reisser and/or Wiha respectively, which I am sure would be valid alternatives. You may spot a Teutonic theme...)

These are indeed the most important words to employ when needing to fix something with screws.  I have a substantial shelf full of Spax Torx head screws from 3x12mm, up to 6x120mm.  Wera screwdrivers and bits are also present.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 August, 2023, 07:12:08 pm
Waht's wrong with Robertson, eh?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CarlF on 17 August, 2023, 08:06:08 pm
Don't be such a square
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 17 August, 2023, 08:07:22 pm
Badoom! Tish!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 August, 2023, 07:28:26 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 17 August, 2023, 03:33:52 pm
Screwdriver bits: I need to wreck all the ones I've got already: Bosch, Stanley, Draper, Black & Decker, someone else and the one I found in Mr Sainsbury’s car park the other week.

So get an impact driver.  I managed to wreck most of the ones that fitted the screws I bought for last year's barn door build before I found out that they take special bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 August, 2023, 07:51:48 am
Quote from: Wombat on 17 August, 2023, 06:46:19 pm
Quote from: CarlF on 17 August, 2023, 01:50:48 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 12 August, 2023, 03:35:48 pm
Replaced the screws holding the hinges to the front door frame as those installed up until just now were installed about 25 years ago by a ham-fisted dolt.  Does anyone make:

1: screws and
c) Pozidrive screwdriver bits

out of something other than cheese?

- Spax
- Wera

(I understand some may prefer Reisser and/or Wiha respectively, which I am sure would be valid alternatives. You may spot a Teutonic theme...)

These are indeed the most important words to employ when needing to fix something with screws.  I have a substantial shelf full of Spax Torx head screws from 3x12mm, up to 6x120mm.  Wera screwdrivers and bits are also present.

I noticed that a lot of the screws that Screwfix now sell are Torx head . . . that seems like a positive drive forward to me.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 August, 2023, 08:10:45 am
MrsT's new iPhone wouldn't receive messages or make or take calls. Took the SIM out - needed some effort above and beyond - and put it in again the right way up.  Lucky there was a bit of play in the drawer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 18 August, 2023, 08:41:17 am
Quote from: T42 on 18 August, 2023, 08:10:45 am
MrsT's new iPhone wouldn't receive messages or make or take calls. Took the SIM out - needed some effort above and beyond - and put it in again the right way up.  Lucky there was a bit of play in the drawer.

Given there's the cut corner to prevent that, she's earned a proxy "div" nomination for that!.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 August, 2023, 08:48:00 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 18 August, 2023, 08:41:17 am
Quote from: T42 on 18 August, 2023, 08:10:45 am
MrsT's new iPhone wouldn't receive messages or make or take calls. Took the SIM out - needed some effort above and beyond - and put it in again the right way up.  Lucky there was a bit of play in the drawer.

Given there's the cut corner to prevent that, she's earned a proxy "div" nomination for that!.

She's long-sighted and her specs don't hack tiny stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 August, 2023, 03:17:58 pm
Cut up old front door to use bits to reinforce door of Sheds that faces the street.  During up-cutting old front door falls to bits.  Heavier chunk lands squarely on Mr Larrington's bare foot, taking a chunk out of his wrist on the way down.  Hatsh words are uttered but at least one can no longer see daylight through that particular door :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 August, 2023, 03:19:42 pm
I'm fairly sure doing woodjbex in bare feet Australian Safety Boots qualifies you for the div thread, unless you can prove Australian citizenship.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 August, 2023, 03:42:35 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 18 August, 2023, 03:17:58 pm
Cut up old front door to use bits to reinforce door of Sheds that faces the street.  During up-cutting old front door falls to bits.  Heavier chunk lands squarely on Mr Larrington's bare foot, taking a chunk out of his wrist on the way down.  Hatsh words are uttered but at least one can no longer see daylight through that particular door :thumbsup:

Good effort. Two more and a poke in the ribs and you could have a set of stigmata.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 August, 2023, 03:43:18 pm
I was wearing flip-flops.  Unfortunately the descending timber landed on a part of my foot not covered by the strap chiz.  Matches nicely the substantial cut left by a gravity-propelled screwdriver the other day.  Frantic DIY is, however, the order of the fortnight coz I'm off to ABROAD where the FOREIGNS come from next Thursday and want to get it done before I go.

Australians drive road trains while wearing flip-flops.  This is impossible for normal people.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 18 August, 2023, 03:56:18 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 18 August, 2023, 03:43:18 pm
I was wearing flip-flops.

Post edited accordingly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 18 August, 2023, 04:02:33 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 August, 2023, 03:56:18 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 18 August, 2023, 03:43:18 pm
I was wearing flip-flops.

Post edited accordingly.

(Scrolls up; roffles)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 18 August, 2023, 05:04:37 pm
Don't Australians call them thongs? In which case they might be yellowed...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 18 August, 2023, 05:09:29 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 18 August, 2023, 05:04:37 pm
Don't Australians call them thongs? In which case they might be yellowed...

Good God that was a long time ago with Hummers and the thong - it must go back to the C+ Forum!

BTW . . . New Zealanders have a variation on flip-flops  "Samoan Safety Boots"
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 18 August, 2023, 09:11:42 pm
Quote from: Kim on 18 August, 2023, 03:19:42 pm
I'm fairly sure doing woodjbex in bare feet Australian Safety Boots qualifies you for the div thread, unless you can prove Australian citizenship.
I managed to get a previous employer banned from working on any Network Fail premises on account of two of my (Australian) fitters conducting a survey at Ealing Broadway station whilst wearing flip-flops.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 19 August, 2023, 10:03:49 pm
More garden fence and posts, concrete for the bolting of the wood bits to. People who concrete wooden posts into the soil should concrete themselves into the soil  >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 20 August, 2023, 07:38:18 am
We have an old ikea garden set which the wife's been repainting over the summer, there is a slated storage box which was in fair disrepair and then one of the kids stood on it

Yesterday salvaged some wood from a pallet and repaired and reinforced the top so can also be painted. Particularly pleased as has a nylon dowel type thing in each corner to stop the lid sliding off and had to fit these back into the wood I had added

Now I can be a measure twice and still cut it wrong type guy although getting better and more patient. The holes I drilled matched perfectly.

Also fixed a disc brake which had collected a twig and jammed up on cycle yesterday evening
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 August, 2023, 08:17:40 am
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 20 August, 2023, 07:38:18 am
Also fixed a disc brake which had collected a twig and jammed up on cycle yesterday evening

Yeah. I had to do a bit of de-twiggery yesterday after a necessary excursion into the forest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 August, 2023, 09:58:17 am
Swapped a rear gear cable and casing on a fellow rider’s bike. He seems happy now.

Snugged up the brake calliper bolts on another's bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 August, 2023, 02:32:42 pm
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 20 August, 2023, 03:05:12 pm
New cassette and chain on some new to me eBay wheels. Shod with some new eBay Bontrager tyres. New brake pads as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 20 August, 2023, 05:04:19 pm
An old mirror that was in my grandparent's house.  I have had it for years but it had serious woodworm damage in one corner of the frame that I'd intended to fix for years before the glass fell out.

When I disassembled it, I found old newspapers behind it dated August 1898.  Apparently the Czar of All The Russias was inviting European heads of state to meet up and agree to stop re-arming themselves. It was his fear that there would be a major conflict in Europe if they carried on the way they were going. It was kind of time-capsule.

Anyway, I rebuilt the damaged corner having reinforced the damaged timber with casting resin, without losing the external gilding.  Next I will replace the mirror glass and put the old newspapers back where they lived*, having photographed them.

*to avoid bad luck.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 20 August, 2023, 07:43:50 pm
Together with a copy of a current newspaper (if there's room)?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 20 August, 2023, 11:06:37 pm
Saturday, helped fix or seven punctures, replaced one cleat bolt and had breakfast in Whitstable.

TEC on the FNRTTC innit.

The cleat bolt was weird. We were just crossing the river in Rochester and spotted a rider hopping at the side of the road. He explained he'd lost a cleat bolt and was pleased and amazed that I carried a spare. I dug a countersunk socket head bolt (setscrew actually) out of my little box of bits. He then proceeded to have a large amount of trouble fitting it. I took a closer look. For unknown reasons, I'd given him an M6 whereas he needed an M5. Indeed all* spd cleats use M5. Fortunately I also had an M5. Fitted it and we were on our way.

I can't work out why I had an M6 countersunk caphead screw in the first place or what it might fit on a bike.

*Probably.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 21 August, 2023, 07:15:26 am
Quote from: MattH on 20 August, 2023, 07:43:50 pm
Together with a copy of a current newspaper (if there's room)?

Good idea! It should not cause any problems.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 August, 2023, 08:26:09 am
Put chain B on the eBrute and am heating up the wax for chain A.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 21 August, 2023, 06:11:40 pm
Replaced the bog seat on account of the old one being b0rked.  Required the use of a l33t hacks@w to get it off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 August, 2023, 08:13:57 pm
I got Quake II running on Windows 11.  There goes the next few months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 26 August, 2023, 08:34:49 pm
Yesterday, within 2 miles of the start of a 100mile plus ride, one bottle cage disintegrated and the bottle fell to the road, while I was crossing a road via a zebra crossing for bicycles. Fortunately the approaching bus driver saw the bottle and half of the cage, and stopped while I retrieved both from the middle of the road.

The bottom part of the cage, which does all the weight bearing, simply dropped out of the rolled sheet part which is bolted to the frame.

So, today, I reassembled the cage and drilled through the rolled sheet (and the legs inserted within it) from one side to the other with a 2mm drill and screwed in a 2mm spoke, cutting off the non threaded end so that both ends were just proud of the outer side of each rolled tube.

As both cages were the same, I did the same to the not yet broken one too!

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/L8YyRs4AO8U5bhW1KrnASSHybjkcOTR9UPBXwg9mlX4-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/F8OuYxGHMr_8GJ4ZsE5xoy8xTA6Z4X_KtCJsRD2ytbw-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/PpF-D4lta54GORl6bYrR9ZQfPHqzia-QnY6ziE-BWIo-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 26 August, 2023, 09:09:00 pm
Earlier this week I replaced the outer only on the Allfine gears-in-a-can on the commute bike. Achieved by cutting the outer just before the clamp and cutting the new outer 40mm shorter than the old one.  :smug:
The old outer had been fraying at the changer end, where the ferrule had split.
I thought it was going to be really difficult to set the gears up, as you have to fit the cable clamping bolt to the cable before clipping it into the hub. There is probably a way you are supposed to get the position right, but I just guessed at it , and got all gears on the first attempt!  :smug:
I needed to tweak the adjuster about a turn during the first ride, probably due to ferrules bedding in, but I am pleased at how much more positive gear selection is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mzjo on 26 August, 2023, 09:37:17 pm
Quote from: Wobbly John on 26 August, 2023, 09:09:00 pm
Earlier this week I replaced the outer only on the Allfine gears-in-a-can on the commute bike. Achieved by cutting the outer just before the clamp and cutting the new outer 40mm shorter than the old one.  :smug:
The old outer had been fraying at the changer end, where the ferrule had split.
I thought it was going to be really difficult to set the gears up, as you have to fit the cable clamping bolt to the cable before clipping it into the hub. There is probably a way you are supposed to get the position right, but I just guessed at it , and got all gears on the first attempt!  :smug:
I needed to tweak the adjuster about a turn during the first ride, probably due to ferrules bedding in, but I am pleased at how much more positive gear selection is.

Shimano do have a free cable figure for the length between cable outer and clamp to try to make this easier - but although I have seen this somewhere I haven't a clue where and so have guessed it the only times I have had to replace cables. Given the right measurement one could probably make up a little gauge to make life easier. ISTR measuring the cable with a tape measure while trying to fit the clamp was very fraught and NAGI!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 27 August, 2023, 10:24:20 am
Quote from: JefO on 26 August, 2023, 08:34:49 pm
So, today, I reassembled the cage and drilled through the rolled sheet (and the legs inserted within it) from one side to the other with a 2mm drill and screwed in a 2mm spoke, cutting off the non threaded end so that both ends were just proud of the outer side of each rolled tube.
I really enjoyed this post, JefO. Good fix, lovely pics.
I can't visualise what is to stop the spoke pieces coming out. Did you somehow flatten the ends? Or did the spoke threads bite on the cages?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 27 August, 2023, 02:19:00 pm
Quote from: Paul on 27 August, 2023, 10:24:20 am
Quote from: JefO on 26 August, 2023, 08:34:49 pm
So, today, I reassembled the cage and drilled through the rolled sheet (and the legs inserted within it) from one side to the other with a 2mm drill and screwed in a 2mm spoke, cutting off the non threaded end so that both ends were just proud of the outer side of each rolled tube.
I really enjoyed this post, JefO. Good fix, lovely pics.
I can't visualise what is to stop the spoke pieces coming out. Did you somehow flatten the ends? Or did the spoke threads bite on the cages?

Glad you enjoyed the post Paul. It is when I am doing fettling like this that I get most pleasure, but not everyone can get it.

And yes, sorry, should have gone into greater detail.

2mm Spokes have rolled threads, so the peaks of the threads are greater in outer diameter than 2mm.

I drilled a 2mm hole through the six layers in one pass, then simply forced the threaded end of the spoke to bite in the aluminium of the cage parts.

I will be testing the bike tomorrow and will give feedback here if the repair is not as good as it seems!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 27 August, 2023, 04:05:38 pm
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 31 August, 2023, 10:09:59 am
noticed the dishwasher was not working very well, so took apart the rotating arms and cleaned them out.  big wadge of gunk was blocking each end leading to reduced water flow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 31 August, 2023, 12:00:00 pm
Yesterday at work, the New! Shiny! washing machine, installed a several of weeks ago , was finally put to use. First look sd (logoed table cloths) came out wringing wet. Running the machine empty on a spin cycle resulted in much vibration and water in the bottom of the drum. (I think it adds water to break up clumps of laundry)
Some skirting was removed to allow the machine to be pulled from its alcove.
Transport. bolts x4 still in position. These get removed. Vibration gone, as the suspension is free to work. Drum still has water. Pull waste pipe off the spigot below the sink. What's this? Is it plastic bung that should have been removed by the numpty contractor that installed it? Why yes. Yes it is.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 31 August, 2023, 12:22:06 pm
Earlier this week, one of those jobs that just keeps giving more.

Set out to spend a few spare minutes swapping the chain ring and chain on my Pompino. Had ordered in new parts, but quickly decided the sprocket was too worn as well, so checked the spares boxes in the loft and, as expected, found a suitable one. In removing the chain ring, noticed how badly the bottom-bracket and chain-stay area was rusting, so started on applying coats of green Hammerite. In between other things, bouts of rain, etc, that took several sessions. Found also that the rear mudguard, which we patched up years ago at the start of a Kelvedon Oyster event, was now split quite badly. Happily I have quite a few spare ones of those as well, so raided the loft again. Thought that, while fitting it, I'd better add the ACME mud flaps that I had put by for that bike. Finally started on the original job. Overall, several days.

Repeated the process on the single speed I use on Zwift - chain ring and chain again, sprocket fine this time. Fifteen minutes maybe, which is what I had planned for the Pompino...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 31 August, 2023, 01:23:52 pm
Not exactly me fettling it, but me giving lots of info to the audiologist so that he could adjust the fine tuning of the hearing aid, to help me to hear cars approaching on the left of me while I am turning right, while cycling... and hopefully without producing a device that I want to rip out and throw away after 4 hours of listening to the wind noise that cycling and hearing aids are very good at injecting into one's audio canal.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 31 August, 2023, 02:07:11 pm
cleaned and re-lubed the freehub pawls and ratchet (good for the next few thousand km), also cleaned the cassette off dark wax by dunking it in simmering water and wiping cogs clean with a cloth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 31 August, 2023, 03:03:59 pm
Reversed the polarity of the zip pulls on the inner compartment of our new Big Tent.  They were, for inexplicable reasons, the stupid way round (opening from each end, rather than from the middle).

The zips on the fitted groundsheet are also stupid, preventing you from partially unzipping them and folding up the end of the groundsheet near the door to control water ingress, but are far too industrial to respond to the same treatment.  Workaround is a Mk 1 doormat, which isn't actually that silly on a heavy car-camping tent.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 September, 2023, 10:25:03 am
We had a 5-minute power cut this morning, which meant that all the clocks in the house had to be reset.  Not only that, but my coffee machine lost it's hard-won settings, so this morning I opened up an out-of-service UPS and extracted the battery. Will presently order a new one.

Horribly awkward casing to reassemble but a luthier's clamp and a rubber hammer vanquished it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 September, 2023, 02:19:24 pm
Swapped the tubes in HK’s recumbent to better match the tyre width, adjusted the brakes, fitted rim valve spacers and refitted the rear rack.

Swapped the BB, chain and chainring on my fixed.

Swapped out the front wheel nuts on my Brompton for shiny Ti and pumped up the tyres.

Fitted a DeWidget to HK’s Kinesis to minimise the floppy top tube bag problem.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 September, 2023, 03:41:30 pm
Thought twice about UPS for coffee machine: it took about 3 minutes to get back to the old settings.

Knocked together a bit of 3mm ply, a couple of bits of 5x18 strip and a Velcro strap to make a cradle for my spare bike battery so that it doesn't go walkies in my rack bag. The GCN boyos would hate it, it must add 100 grammes or more.  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 September, 2023, 11:13:38 am
Swapped the cassette on HK’s shiny trike for something slightly tighter (for big cog chain clearance at the hoops) and fitted clip-on aerobars.

Trued the wheels on my trike and filed the brake mounting holes for better alignment of the brake pads on the disc (almost full contact now). Trimmed the steerer tube and fitted a frame pump along the top tube.

Refitted the second bidon cage to HK’s Kinesis. Still to swap out the cracked rear rim and top up the sealant in the front tyre.

Stripped my dead trike of useful components. The trike-specific bits are being passed to others.

Swapped bidon cages on my fixed but need to swap one back because my calf now rubs against the new seat tube cage.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 03 September, 2023, 02:12:05 pm
Swapped the 2007-version proprietary mounting plate on my lovely old Topeak bar bag for a Kick-Fix-compatible basket-mounting plate.  Back in 2007, Topeak bags were still of decent quality, but since then they've become nasty thin floppy things, so I'm pleased to have this one operational again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 03 September, 2023, 04:21:24 pm
Cleaned the Pretty Bike utterly to DETH, including gjving the chain a Sheldon Shake, fitted the rack, mined the tyres for flints, pumped up the tyres. All this in preparation for a long weekend in ABROAD ,where dwell the FORRINS, with The Blokes.

Also cleaned the Bloo Fixer.

It's much too hot for this sort of behaviour.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 September, 2023, 06:22:37 pm
Reduced my bike to a couple of wheels, a box of bits and some scrap metal.

This was a lot more depressing than I anticipated.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 03 September, 2023, 06:26:15 pm
Viking funeral ?    :'(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 03 September, 2023, 06:54:28 pm
Some of the parts are getting re-used on whatever replaces it, and others will serve as Useful Spares.  The 50T chainring is getting framed, because reasons.  I'm not sure the main frame is especially seaworthy on account of being full of holes, but maybe someone somewhere will be able to put the rear triangle or boom to use...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 03 September, 2023, 07:01:06 pm
A framed chainring , with an accompanying photo of your calf ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 03 September, 2023, 09:51:22 pm
Quote from: JefO on 27 August, 2023, 02:19:00 pm

2mm Spokes have rolled threads, so the peaks of the threads are greater in outer diameter than 2mm.

I drilled a 2mm hole through the six layers in one pass, then simply forced the threaded end of the spoke to bite in the aluminium of the cage parts.

I will be testing the bike tomorrow and will give feedback here if the repair is not as good as it seems!

No sign of movement of the repair pins after 100mile ride today.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 04 September, 2023, 06:46:51 am
Not me directly but eldest monkey under supervision

Due to it being summer and the kids having been away a lot of it her bike hasn't been used for about 7 weeks. We cycled to and from church separately yesterday as I had to be there early

When I got home she mentioned how hard it was and thought was in the wrong gear. I went and had a look and no she was in a very low gear but spotted problem

Got her out and told her to do her pre ride checks and she soon found her tyres were soft so showed her how to use the track pump. Did have to help as you need to put a bit of weight on it to get the pressure up and she has no weight but she was proud to have identified and sorted problem
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2023, 10:24:08 pm
No brekky cos we had no milk. Mental note - must buy milk.
A billionty loads of post holiday washing (thank heavens for drying weather).
Hoovered all the plaster dust up from the shoe shelving etc in the hall.
Got the tradespersons back in to fix the leaky shower and basin waste in the new bathroom (they installed the bog roll holder while they were here too).
Moar Washing.
Used some of Screwfix' finest "plaster in a tube" to fill the gaps in the pantry insulation I fitted a few weeks back. Current Mrs Pingu thanked Mrs Pingu of seasons past for buying another tube, as the first one ran out.
Unpacked Sainsbo's delivery (hadn't realised we had no milk so none ordered).
Messaged the vinyl fitter to tell him he could come and fit the bathroom floor at his convenience.
Moar Washing.
Put a coat of Osmo oil on the new bathroom door, in between Pingu deciding he needed a shower now that it was working.
Put bulbs in the new light fitting (they threw the old ones out with the old light fitting, gah).
Stuck the brand new unused shower riser and hose and head from the old electric shower (distress purchase last year) on Freegle.
Strimmed the several inches high but finished flowering bits of clover lawn and then ran over it all with the lawnmower. Seems like there might have been some wasps living in there. There were a lot of confused looking wasps milling around anyway.
Had thought about painting some fence but it was hot, and by this point I was knackered and in need of a shower and kitty o'clock was approaching.
Unpacked the box of bathroom stuffs that has been sitting since we moved house into the actual storage we have now. Was interested to find we have:Had a shower in the New! Improved! Notapissyelectricshower and went to pick the kitties up from borstal.
Forgot to buy milk.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 September, 2023, 11:48:38 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2023, 10:24:08 pm
Enough paracetamol to kill an elephant

I refuse to look that up, after the rhinoceros tranquillisers rabbit hole.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 05 September, 2023, 07:05:05 am
Mowed Strimmed the lawn yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 September, 2023, 02:44:07 pm
The wood I used for my new barn door last summer was drier than I expected, so after a couple of weeks' rain in the winter it swelled, with the result that the door took on an inward curve that made it a bit hard to open. That eased after I moved some of the hardware but that was only a temporary solution since once the weather got hot & dry again the wood shrank and I had to move the hardware back again.

Yesterday I removed every other board and planed 3mm off the edges of them all.  The door now has gaps that I hope will accommodate next winter's humidity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 05 September, 2023, 08:07:51 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 September, 2023, 11:48:38 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2023, 10:24:08 pm
Enough paracetamol to kill an elephant

I refuse to look that up, after the rhinoceros tranquillisers rabbit hole.

Go on Kim,it's for science after all  ;)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 05 September, 2023, 08:58:36 pm
I've been giving away my elephantine paracetamol stash to friends in dribs and drabs cos in 2020 the hospital recommended it for evil-shoulder pain while their services were suspended. I then learned regular usage (as in 4-6 doses) sets off my migraines (thanks brain!).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 06 September, 2023, 09:37:03 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2023, 10:24:08 pm
No brekky cos we had no milk. Mental note - must buy milk...Forgot to buy milk.  :facepalm:

But we don't have a new house in Wales.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 07 September, 2023, 05:41:35 pm
Dug up a tree stump and took it to the tip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 08 September, 2023, 04:55:12 pm
Dug up another tree stump. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 08 September, 2023, 05:11:52 pm
Wed eve I replaced the tyres on my bike and binned the old ones.

Apart from a stint in Cambridge, where for 3 years I used marathons (standard or winter), they've been on that bike for about 10 years. No idea of mileage, my cycling varied a bit.

Rubber was perishing so much that you could poke the inner tube through the splits.

Replaced with the exact same model and size.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 09 September, 2023, 01:07:09 pm
Dismantled the GWR bench so I can belt-sand and re-oil the wooden bits.  They were ruined by B&Q "teak oil", which turned out to be water-based (really) brown dye with a bit of fungicide.  Utter bastards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 09 September, 2023, 04:21:11 pm
I believe I have worked out what the noise on the front mudguard is and potentially fixed it with a couple of bits of neoprene tape
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 September, 2023, 04:26:28 pm
Added a couple of layers of foam plastic to the effort I made a few days ago to stop my spare bike battery moving about in the rack bag.  The damn thing was jumping up & down and going C L A C K on every bit of uneven road. Most embarrassing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 09 September, 2023, 06:24:01 pm
Finished making the latest "insect" using bit of old shed and used spokes, and a piece of wire.

Then took it apart and packed it into an envelope for export to Egypt on Tuesday.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/SLFVBhA3VlcOIOjUIQVYw6WOZvnqZY5fpfBMrUqmn9A-2048x1536.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 September, 2023, 06:49:36 pm
Dinky! Are you selling these beasties?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 09 September, 2023, 08:39:44 pm
For a donation to Helen Rollason Cancer Care charity yes.

Won't be able to do one for a couple of weeks though.

Roughly where d'ya live?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 September, 2023, 10:05:59 pm
Was just being nosey, thanks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 09 September, 2023, 11:05:53 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 09 September, 2023, 10:05:59 pm
Was just being nosey, thanks.

No problem.

I have made about 12 insects like that one, Ladybirds, spiders, etc now residing around Essex, Worcester, etc., delivered by bicycle wherever practical, in aid of HRCC.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 10 September, 2023, 08:34:35 am
Quote from: JefO on 09 September, 2023, 06:24:01 pm
Finished making the latest "insect" using bit of old shed and used spokes, and a piece of wire.

Then took it apart and packed it into an envelope for export to Egypt on Tuesday.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/SLFVBhA3VlcOIOjUIQVYw6WOZvnqZY5fpfBMrUqmn9A-2048x1536.jpg)

A couple of million more and the Children of Israel might make it out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 10 September, 2023, 06:43:58 pm
I haven't got that many spokes left over from wheel rebuilds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 September, 2023, 07:25:36 pm
Put another coat of Osmo oil on the bathroom door.
Next job is to find where I've hidden the wood filler and go round all those holes in the bathroom and kitchen door frames where there used to be a rubbery seal affixed with panel pins (in lieu of extraction).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 10 September, 2023, 07:47:48 pm
Quote from: vorsprung on 09 September, 2023, 04:21:11 pm
I believe I have worked out what the noise on the front mudguard is and potentially fixed it with a couple of bits of neoprene tape

Nope that didn't work
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 September, 2023, 09:32:52 am
Quote from: JefO on 10 September, 2023, 06:43:58 pm
I haven't got that many spokes left over from wheel rebuilds.

That's going to bugger up Exodus.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 11 September, 2023, 10:08:25 am
Bent front mudguard so that it didn't just rub on the tyre.

Judicious use of a paint stipper gun and a bit of pressure; bob's your uncle, no more tyre rub.

Wish I could fix the dying mouse noises from the brakes. Been there ever since I changed tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 11 September, 2023, 03:57:07 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 September, 2023, 09:32:52 am
Quote from: JefO on 10 September, 2023, 06:43:58 pm
I haven't got that many spokes left over from wheel rebuilds.

That's going to bugger up Exodus.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 11 September, 2023, 06:10:25 pm
Took our old sonorous wind chime which had fallen apart as the string rotted, reproofed the wood it is suspended from, restrung all the pipes, reattached them and put it up in the garden.  Only taken me 3 years to fully workout how to do it.  This sick leave is proving to me just how constantly tired my body and brain have been for many years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: aidan.f on 12 September, 2023, 07:27:33 pm
Been fitting solar mounting rails - the roof is cedar shingles over boards and tyvek membrane. The hanger bolts are on stainless steel flashings slid under the shingles. plenty of quality sealant down the 'ole

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53183459535_2e846d957d_b.jpg)

Rather pleased with my truss finder  - it uses a Honeywell hall effect  sensor ...bleeps when aligned along the magnetic flux axis - range is over 70 mm, axially very accurate  - +/- 10mm

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53183229204_b969442a22_b.jpg)

Magnet inside lined up alongside the roof truss - detector on roof outside - worked really well - drilled straight into the trusses ! :-)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53183464855_0c0d68d844_b.jpg)

There is a lot of timber inside!

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53182452662_d02b33881d_b.jpg)

If anyone has a use for my detector drop me a PM and take a loan



Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 12 September, 2023, 10:59:02 pm
That detector  looks very canny . Aidan.f .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 September, 2023, 08:01:31 am
Quote from: chrisbainbridge on 11 September, 2023, 06:10:25 pm
Took our old sonorous wind chime which had fallen apart as the string rotted, reproofed the wood it is suspended from, restrung all the pipes, reattached them and put it up in the garden.  Only taken me 3 years to fully workout how to do it.  This sick leave is proving to me just how constantly tired my body and brain have been for many years.

Can't stand those things. We have one or two, received as gifts, gathering mould somewhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 13 September, 2023, 09:28:11 am
Quote from: aidan.f on 12 September, 2023, 07:27:33 pm
Been fitting solar mounting rails - the roof is cedar shingles over boards and tyvek membrane. The hanger bolts are on stainless steel flashings slid under the shingles. plenty of quality sealant down the 'ole


Magnet inside lined up alongside the roof truss - detector on roof outside - worked really well - drilled straight into the trusses ! :-)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53183464855_0c0d68d844_b.jpg)

There is a lot of timber inside!


If anyone has a use for my detector drop me a PM and take a loan
I've wondered how those are fastened down. Would need to be bolted right through here, wind loads are too high.

How often do you need to replace the shingles?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 September, 2023, 05:19:49 pm
Put a chain through the wax/PTFE rigmarole. The wax is getting a bit cruddy and I don't fancy lifting the pot out of the slow cooker when it's brimming with the molten mix, so once the chain was done I tied a screw to a piece of string, tied the other end to a bit of wood and dropped the screw into the pot and left the lot to cool.  When the new wax gets here I'll start heat the pot heating then once the outsides have melted I'll be able to pull the rest out.  In the meantime I'll buy a pair of welding gloves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 September, 2023, 06:43:07 pm
Absolute git of a mechanical earlier, in which the Red Baron managed to drop its chain in such a way that it managed to  a) pingfuckit both halves of a quick link  while  b) somehow bending the derailleur post.

Bodged it and limped home in the middle ring, then set about diagnosing and rectifying the problem, using a Mk 1 length of gaspipe[1] and a several of cable-ties.  The derailleur post now has a wiggle in it rather than a bend, but it didn't shear off, and it wasn't entirely straight to begin with.  Cue 6-axis fucking about to get the front mech (which appears to be undamaged, which is surprising as it's one of those road mechs that works with MTB shifters, and therefore presumably unobtanium) to work as intended, re-fitting the chain catcher thingy that's supposed to stop this sort of thing happening in the first place (requires two 8mm spanners and harsh language) and straightening the chainring guard (requires patience and hearing), which wasn't going to survive this sort of process un-bent.

So I'm back where I started, more or less, if you exclude the aches and pains, and the chain that now needs a proper clean.


[1] Steel, not MDPE
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 September, 2023, 07:23:45 pm
I need to get my finger out and paint the bathroom so that we can connect up the radiator before it gets proper Baltic.
Mixed up (far too much) wood filler and filled all the holes in the kitchen and bathroom door frames.
Farted about with the Dulux visualiser app and then ordered a bundle of tester pots to choose a paint colour for the bathroom.
Did a bit of research into whether I should sand the few lumpy bits on the new plaster.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 September, 2023, 06:51:58 pm
Fixing other people's crap decorating, #179 in a series.
The bathroom uPVC window is surrounded by a wooden window frame/surround (?). At one point the wood work has been painted a pale peach sort of colour, and the clarty gits have slopped it all over the uPVC window frame, bad enough). Later someone has then painted over the light peach colour in white, but not bothered themselves to scrape the peach off the upvc. So every time I've looked at the window I've been able to see a white uPVC/clarty peach/white wood work sandwich. It's been bugging my happiness.

So tonight as I needed to give some of the new plaster and the wood filler in the door frame a light sanding I decided I'd sort out that poxy window mess (and remove the horrible peeling caulk between the frame and woodwork). 2.5hrs by the time I'd finished cleaning all that up but at least it's clean now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 September, 2023, 08:05:23 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 14 September, 2023, 06:51:58 pm
The bathroom uPVC window is surrounded by a wooden window frame/surround (?)

That's the landlord-quality way to replace old windows with uPVC.  Our dining room is a stunning example of the genre, with expanding foam filling the gaps where the wood was too rotten to survive the process.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 September, 2023, 08:07:34 pm
How is it supposed to be done?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 14 September, 2023, 08:14:34 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 14 September, 2023, 08:07:34 pm
How is it supposed to be done?

Well you can, at least in principle, attach the uPVC directly to the masonry and make good.  Which may require time-consuming skilled processes like brickwork and plastering.  Much easier just to bodge them into the existing frame, and cover your sins with plastic strip, silicone and magnolia.

To be fair, it's a much less disruptive way to do it, and should be fine if the wood's in good condition (our upstairs ones are okay).  But it doesn't work so well when your primary motivation for replacing the windows is that the frames are rotten due to landlord-quality maintenance.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 14 September, 2023, 08:46:54 pm
Treated the chain, cog and chainwheel to a spin in the ultrasonic cleaner.

As gloriously old fashioned bright silver, chrome items - the sparkle hurts my eyes!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 September, 2023, 09:44:29 pm
Drying out the boot trunk carpet of the motor-car due to a slightly leaky water container dripping in there while rescuing the Incontinent Saturn yesterday.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: davelodwig on 15 September, 2023, 10:53:42 am
Removed the motor from the Kona e-Ute to be shipped off for repair.

I'm going to find and murder the Kona tech who put the motor bash guard bolts and didn't use copper slip.  Two of them I managed to get out using thread extractors and a lot of plus gas and swearing.  The other two involved drilling out and re tapping the frame.

Fuckers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2023, 04:59:21 pm
A mist coat onto the bathroom walls, and some Zinsser cover stain onto the knots in the new wood on the door architrave.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 16 September, 2023, 07:41:59 pm
Waiting with bated breath to see if the YouTube black mould fix works in the bathroom. Bleach and bog roll, basically.

I also removed the old transparent bath bottom non-slip stickers and replaced with black ones that, hopefully, won't show the dirt and mould.
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 17 September, 2023, 01:13:39 pm
picked up and installed a shiny nos seat post on my retro bike. i was previously using a carbon seat post disguised as alloy to fit the character of the bike. same length and 25mm setback, and not much heavier either. might trim the bolts by 5-6mm, no need for them to be that long.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230917/1473b5f2a440d020b5f0b03657095906.jpg)


(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230917/c7cd6875c0ed4bd701bbec1d18700a8a.jpg)


(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230917/878547896371a21ed47b23283a9d1b8d.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 September, 2023, 07:12:03 am
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 16 September, 2023, 07:41:59 pm
Waiting with bated breath to see if the YouTube black mould fix works in the bathroom. Bleach and bog roll, basically.
A partial success. It got rid of about 60% of the mould, so I'm trying again to see if I can eradicate all of it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 September, 2023, 06:55:41 pm
Flooring man came this morning to lay sheet vinyl in the bathroom.
This evening I finished sanding the door frame and gave it a coat of undercoat. I also filled some wee imperfections in the plaster.
First thing today the man from The Paint Shed brought me a tin of Zinsser Perma White tinted in a Dulux colour (I hope that turns out ok) and some new mini rollers for doing the twiddly bits, hopefully get that done later in the week if I can get the top coat on the door frame soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 September, 2023, 07:59:36 pm
1st top coat on the door frame. I was hoping I'd be able to get away with that so I could start painting the walls tomorrow, but it looks like not. I really want to get it finished so the radiator can go on and I can put the heating on. It's cold!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 19 September, 2023, 09:48:04 pm
the back light broke on the second best bike

to be exact the spade terminal rusted and then snapped off inside the existing spade socket on the wire.  And it's a Seculite Plus so I haven't worked out how to take it apart.  Tests show that it still works

anyway in the box of electrical bike crap I found a "Smart" (the brand, not a description) mudguard mounted light.  I replaced the broken spade socket and fitted the light to the seat stay using a bit of scrap and a p clip

It's not as good as the old light but will get me to the pub and back
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2023, 08:34:47 pm
Yet MOAR bloody painting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 20 September, 2023, 08:44:08 pm
Swapped the slowly-dying dyno-headlight on HK’s orange trike with a new Cyo.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 21 September, 2023, 06:16:31 pm
Installed some new pedals on the Red Baron, and confirmed that they both clip in and unclip as required.  This is an improvement on the previous eBay bargain ones, which had become unreliable in a way that was likely to result in a start line pile-up, and resisted attempts to fettle on account of the adjuster screw thingy being mainly composed of rust.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 21 September, 2023, 07:02:38 pm
Mrs A decreed that the quadrant shower cubicle needed de-scaling. Against my better judgment I acceded to her request that I take the bloody doors off.

I can now definitely recommend not doing this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 21 September, 2023, 07:52:23 pm
Warning Scuba diving post.
Found a hole in the LP Inflator hose of my BCD, a split between the corrugations. Was split nearly half way through.
Dived ok all week, but today it was worse on the first dive, so before the second dive, I decided to ask the dive centre staff if they had a new hose that would fit.. They didn't.
They helped me by fitting a second-hand one that was longer and had a larger diameter on the business end though, and free of charge. 
That worked fine on the second dive and it improved the (12litre tank) dive time by 6 minutes! 81minutes as opposed to 75, which had been the benchmark all week.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 September, 2023, 08:19:01 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2023, 08:34:47 pm
Yet MOAR bloody painting.

Finished! Huzzah!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 September, 2023, 01:37:24 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 September, 2023, 08:19:01 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2023, 08:34:47 pm
Yet MOAR bloody painting.

Finished! Huzzah!

Well done!  I hate bloody painting.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 September, 2023, 02:28:10 pm
Took apart the home built stand on casters that my drill press sits on and reconfigured it incorporating a little Bisley 12 drawer steel cabinet - the space under the drill was always full of crap so that's now functional storage and I cleared a small amount of floorspace where the Bisley unit stood.   Downside was that the added height of the cabinet + drill meant I had to dismantle and raise the shelf above it that my Henry dust extraction vacuum sits on.

. . . and while I was at I altered the bike hangers so that the carbon machine with tubeless hangs with a wheel rim on a hook in the ceiling rather than the wall mounted rack.  I found that if over time (e.g. the winter when I don't use it) the tyres slowly deflate the pressure of the wheel on the wall rack sometimes pops the bead - hanging from the rim means that there's no pressure on the tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 September, 2023, 05:38:50 pm
Quote from: T42 on 22 September, 2023, 01:37:24 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 September, 2023, 08:19:01 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2023, 08:34:47 pm
Yet MOAR bloody painting.

Finished! Huzzah!

Well done!  I hate bloody painting.

I was thinking that when I get round to the lounge next year (hopefully) I might just GAMI.
I don't actually mind the roller bit but cutting in sucks and the washing up takes forever.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 September, 2023, 10:50:05 am
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 September, 2023, 05:38:50 pm
Quote from: T42 on 22 September, 2023, 01:37:24 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 21 September, 2023, 08:19:01 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 September, 2023, 08:34:47 pm
Yet MOAR bloody painting.

Finished! Huzzah!

Well done!  I hate bloody painting.

I was thinking that when I get round to the lounge next year (hopefully) I might just GAMI.
I don't actually mind the roller bit but cutting in sucks and the washing up takes forever.

That.  Being a lazy bugger I have an accumulation of rigid paint & varnish brushes going back years.

My dad once showed me the trick of loading a paintbrush with paint and then wrapping it tightly in greaseproof paper (long time ago)  so that it would be ready to go next day.  A couple of my rigid brushes are in polybags from before the dawn of time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 September, 2023, 03:52:35 pm
I wish I'd looked after me teef:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/173992191.jpg)

Fear not, it's just the plug of wax out of my chain-lube pot. Nearly three years on it's not quite as clean as it used to be.  I suppose it might serve as a long-life candle.

Cleaned out the pot while it was still warm. Tomorrow it gets a new dose of PTFE & paraffin wax.

Also: despaired of aligning 25 mm Raceblade on eBrute and fitted the much nicer 28 mm one from my cabrón butterfly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 September, 2023, 04:21:59 pm
That is one thing I miss about the previous Pingu Towers - the communal wash house had two massive Belfast type sinks that were great for cleaning painty stuff in without worrying about making a mess. Bit cold in the cooler months given there was no hot water though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 23 September, 2023, 04:38:18 pm
Cleaning lady's bike - an Apollo of uncertain vintage, complaining of a stiff crankset . . . examination of cup and cone axle found that the drive-side caged bearing was no more - ground up balls and the cage looking like fragments of tinfoil!   Fortunately I had a new pair of caged bearings in stock - cleaned, greased, re-fitted and all sorted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 September, 2023, 04:50:47 pm
The ice out of the back-up freezer down in the shed. Plus my first proper cooking in months, a batch of meatballs in tomato and veg sauce, and a “bolognese” sauce that’s mostly veg with a bit of meat. Both using the reduced Marmande tomatoes, the last of which I picked yesterday. What’s left looks like homemade ketchup, albeit with seeds in it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 September, 2023, 05:27:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 September, 2023, 04:21:59 pm
That is one thing I miss about the previous Pingu Towers - the communal wash house had two massive Belfast type sinks that were great for cleaning painty stuff in without worrying about making a mess. Bit cold in the cooler months given there was no hot water though.

I suppose that's what we had when I was growing up in Belfast.  We used a plastic bowl and boiled a kettle to do the dishes - back boilers were expensive & laborious to keep running.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 September, 2023, 06:54:05 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 September, 2023, 05:27:39 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 September, 2023, 04:21:59 pm
That is one thing I miss about the previous Pingu Towers - the communal wash house had two massive Belfast type sinks that were great for cleaning painty stuff in without worrying about making a mess. Bit cold in the cooler months given there was no hot water though.

I suppose that's what we had when I was growing up in Belfast.  We used a plastic bowl and boiled a kettle to do the dishes - back boilers were expensive & laborious to keep running.

The wash house did actually have a chimney (supported by nothing!) so I assume originally it had some means of making hot water.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 24 September, 2023, 01:28:19 pm
When idly looking at a route on cycle.travel I happened apon an OS marked route called Three Rivers Ride & fell utterly and totally down the rabbit hole.  5 hours later all but one of the missing bits are mapped in OSM.  The last missing bit at the NE end is in a rats nest of missing bridleways and footpaths right on the Herefordshire & Worcestershire boundary so two PROW maps involved.  Too complicated & tree covered to map without going there.

Looks like plenty of potential for hike-a-bike and type 2 fun.  Might have a crack at it next year.
https://www.bhsaccess.org.uk/dobbin/Ridingmap.php?file=westmidlands/Ridemaps/Threeriversride
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 24 September, 2023, 02:43:37 pm
After yesterday's hillclimb event, swapped wheels and cassettes back to the bikes they were
originally on prior to me deciding to take part. Oh, and spending too long trying to re-fit some
bontrager mudguards to my Dolan Dual bike and preventing any un-necessary squeaks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 September, 2023, 04:05:57 pm
Replaced most of lousy Cateye screw-up seat stay rear-light mount with a bit of inner tube and a couple of cable ties, snugged up tight as a banker's unmentionable part. It now withstands quite a pronounced sideways thrust; ridiculous Cateye effort would twist round into the spoles if you looked at it too hard.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 September, 2023, 04:33:24 pm
Finished painting the hall side of the bathroom door frame. Of course the paint came off the wall when I removed the masking tape.
I did have other vague plans to sand the kitchen door frame or paint the insulated pantry but I did neither and weeded front and back instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 25 September, 2023, 04:41:21 pm
Cleaned up my ratty new-old town hack bike thing.

Got as far as installing new brake cables: someone appears to have installed road cables in MTB shifters at some point in the distant past. They don't want to budge. :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 September, 2023, 05:25:20 pm
Put a relatively new Topeak T handlebar extension on the eBrute, to carry a battery headlight peeking out under the bar bag.

Restocked my slow cooker with ~1.5 kg of paraffin wax & 50g PTFE powder, cleaned and then cooked a chain for 3½ hours. Should have been 2 hours, would have been all night if I hadn't popped into YACF for a mo and seen "What have you fettled today?" in the new-messages page and remembered to go and get it out.  Wouldn't have hurt but workshop would have stunk.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 26 September, 2023, 09:18:29 am
Cleared the blocked guttering (there's a "balloon" in the top of the downpipe) by sticking the hoover tube out of the window and down to the balloon after it had all dried out.  Seemed to work, as it's been hissing down for 20 mins with no overflow.  Makes a satisfying noise as Hetty inhales crusty bits of moss.

If you had a Vax, I suppose you could do this even when it was wet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: phantasmagoriana on 27 September, 2023, 04:44:24 pm
The shower tray. The plastic skirting type thing around the bottom cracked a few months back; it's not structural and was holding together fine with waterproof repair tape, but it looked ugly, so I got replacement plastic stuff and chopped it messily to size (silicone hides a multitude of sins).

Decided that while I was at it, I may as well replace the sealant around the base of the shower, which had seen better days. I'd forgotten how much I hate removing sealant, and just how long it takes. :facepalm: Fortunately, the rest of the shower doesn't need resealing, which is just as well.

Also painted the inside of the balcony doors, much to the cats' disgust (they aren't allowed in their favourite room while it dries, because I don't fancy scrubbing little white paw prints off all the floors).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 27 September, 2023, 05:20:38 pm
One of my two Fenix torches. Mislaid my head torch, and having a torch here is required in winter.

Two venerable Fenix torches in the drawer (over 10 years old?). Blast, I left batteries in one and they've done the swell/leak thing (Might try drilling them out).

The other torch seems fine but won't turn on reliably. Fenix say to try tightening part of the switch - aha, that is very loose.

Now charging batteries that are nearly as old as the torches.

Batteries refusing to charge. 1 out of 4 will charge, the rest just produce a fault light. Trying them one at a time now to see if that will produce anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 28 September, 2023, 07:23:10 pm
Cleaned the Bialetti Moka pot I inherited when we cleared my parents' house a few years back. 

Who knew the filter disc was removable?

Followed the instructions on the Bialetti website (water plus a splash of white vinegar, run it through as if making coffee with coffee). It is now not quite as disgusting a colour as it was.

New seals and filter disc on order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 29 September, 2023, 09:57:21 pm
Fitted a new chain and flintmined the tyres on my fixed.

Fitted aerobars to my trike and swapped aerobars on HK’s shiny trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 30 September, 2023, 02:25:17 pm
Measured up some wood left over from last year's barn door saga with a view to knocking together a set of shelves to go in a corner of the barn & take MrsT's gardening bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 03:48:24 pm
Nothing yet, but trying to decide if I should or not.
After the joiner came and fitted the bathroom radiator the upstairs rads needed bleeding. Unfortunately the one in our bedroom has decided to fail somehow - the bleed screw won't tighten properly. I've got it sat in a way that it's not currently passing but it's not properly tight either. It feels like either the thread is buggered or snapped or something.
Unfortunately it's one of those valves with the plastic section in it to route the dribbles out of a spout, a bit like this https://www.columnrads.co.uk/12-radiator-air-vent-bleed-valve so I can't really see what sort of state the screw or the body are in.

I did message my plumber yesterday to see if he could come and fit a new one but got no response.
So now I'm contemplating, should I do it myself or will that lead to a world of pain..?
What's putting me off is the area round the valve itself is not the cleanest looking - my concern is it could turn into the thread on the rad body then doesn't seal and then needs a new rad....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 30 September, 2023, 03:56:22 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 03:48:24 pm
Nothing yet, but trying to decide if I should or not.
After the joiner came and fitted the bathroom radiator the upstairs rads needed bleeding. Unfortunately the one in our bedroom has decided to fail somehow - the bleed screw won't tighten properly. I've got it sat in a way that it's not currently passing but it's not properly tight either. It feels like either the thread is buggered or snapped or something.
Unfortunately it's one of those valves with the plastic section in it to route the dribbles out of a spout, a bit like this https://www.columnrads.co.uk/12-radiator-air-vent-bleed-valve so I can't really see what sort of state the screw or the body are in.

I did message my plumber yesterday to see if he could come and fit a new one but got no response.
So now I'm contemplating, should I do it myself or will that lead to a world of pain..?
What's putting me off is the area round the valve itself is not the cleanest looking - my concern is it could turn into the thread on the rad body then doesn't seal and then needs a new rad....
It's five to four.
On a Saturday......
The Bacardi is over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 September, 2023, 04:49:23 pm
Wrangled Miss Marple – a Perfectly Good Lady's Very Upright Bicycle* – into Professor Larrington's motor-car, transported her from Darkest Cotswoldia to Leafy Surrey and reassembled her at the other end, that one, or MOAR, of Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)’s carers can ride to the shops an' 'at.  Still need to clean off the cobwebs and related spidery detritus.

* Raleigh, step-through frame, 3-speed Sturmey, ally rims, V-brakes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 06:23:33 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 30 September, 2023, 03:56:22 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 03:48:24 pm
Nothing yet, but trying to decide if I should or not.
After the joiner came and fitted the bathroom radiator the upstairs rads needed bleeding. Unfortunately the one in our bedroom has decided to fail somehow - the bleed screw won't tighten properly. I've got it sat in a way that it's not currently passing but it's not properly tight either. It feels like either the thread is buggered or snapped or something.
Unfortunately it's one of those valves with the plastic section in it to route the dribbles out of a spout, a bit like this https://www.columnrads.co.uk/12-radiator-air-vent-bleed-valve so I can't really see what sort of state the screw or the body are in.

I did message my plumber yesterday to see if he could come and fit a new one but got no response.
So now I'm contemplating, should I do it myself or will that lead to a world of pain..?
What's putting me off is the area round the valve itself is not the cleanest looking - my concern is it could turn into the thread on the rad body then doesn't seal and then needs a new rad....
It's five to four.
On a Saturday......
The Bacardi is over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Don't worry, I don't even have a part yet. Merely contemplating whether to buy one 🍹

I then got off my arse and fettled a coat of paint on the bathroom window frame. One more coat and the bathroom project will be complete.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 06:32:05 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 30 September, 2023, 03:56:22 pm
It's five to four.
On a Saturday......
The Bacardi is over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It's Havana Club  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 30 September, 2023, 08:09:01 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 06:23:33 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 30 September, 2023, 03:56:22 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 03:48:24 pm
Nothing yet, but trying to decide if I should or not.
After the joiner came and fitted the bathroom radiator the upstairs rads needed bleeding. Unfortunately the one in our bedroom has decided to fail somehow - the bleed screw won't tighten properly. I've got it sat in a way that it's not currently passing but it's not properly tight either. It feels like either the thread is buggered or snapped or something.
Unfortunately it's one of those valves with the plastic section in it to route the dribbles out of a spout, a bit like this https://www.columnrads.co.uk/12-radiator-air-vent-bleed-valve so I can't really see what sort of state the screw or the body are in.

I did message my plumber yesterday to see if he could come and fit a new one but got no response.
So now I'm contemplating, should I do it myself or will that lead to a world of pain..?
What's putting me off is the area round the valve itself is not the cleanest looking - my concern is it could turn into the thread on the rad body then doesn't seal and then needs a new rad....
It's five to four.
On a Saturday......
The Bacardi is over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Don't worry, I don't even have a part yet. Merely contemplating whether to buy one 🍹

I then got off my arse and fettled a coat of paint on the bathroom window frame. One more coat and the bathroom project will be complete.

Screwfix is open on Sundays to go and buy a more conventional bleed valve  . . .  shut off both radiator valves and water loss if you take the bleed vent out should be minimal - fit new bleed vent with PTFE tape around it and it should all work - if not shut both rad valves off again and call the plumber.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 30 September, 2023, 08:10:15 pm
Plumber was just in touch and will be round Monday  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 01 October, 2023, 12:12:34 pm
Installed new (to me) wheels, with new (to me) cassette* on the road bike.
Then found the chain I ordered over week ago hasn't been delivered yet. D'oh.

On the bright side, the wheels are true, round and have lots of meat left of the rims.

*second hand but unused
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 01 October, 2023, 12:40:51 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 01 October, 2023, 12:12:34 pm
On the bright side, the wheels are true, round and have lots of meat left of the rims.

What do you have against other shapes?

https://youtu.be/hKyNqc1p2iw?si=OBpBC3_hEeOBG7_U]
https://youtu.be/GFa77G9HTj0?si=98QHS2avu1hfLehv
https://youtu.be/PX3A7GLtFqM?si=VgqxcMsE5a7sBwR8

(I'm sure those have been posted before, but it's always fun to see them again.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 01 October, 2023, 01:19:43 pm
Quote from: sam on 01 October, 2023, 12:40:51 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 01 October, 2023, 12:12:34 pm
On the bright side, the wheels are true, round and have lots of meat left of the rims.

What do you have against other shapes?

https://youtu.be/hKyNqc1p2iw?si=OBpBC3_hEeOBG7_U]
https://youtu.be/GFa77G9HTj0?si=98QHS2avu1hfLehv
https://youtu.be/PX3A7GLtFqM?si=VgqxcMsE5a7sBwR8

(I'm sure those have been posted before, but it's always fun to see them again.)

Just very fond of circles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 01 October, 2023, 01:44:57 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 01 October, 2023, 01:19:43 pm
Just very fond of circles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle).

A reminder that I have to mow the damn lawn. Either that or find a way to summon the Sussex-shire mowing devil.

Our great fridge fettle has been a success and it's working properly again; if unplugging it and waiting for the ice to melt from the drain tube counts as fettling (I'm guessing not really).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 October, 2023, 03:35:23 pm
Yesterday, diagnosed and repaired the shifting in a pedalcar that I’d never see before. With a jammed rear derailleur but without a replacement derailleur, or appropriate tools, or a replacement shift cable, or replacement cable casing (which it desperately needed). In the rain, kneeling in muddy grass, reaching through a too small access hatch that prevented me from seeing or easily feeling the area of interest. All without the aid of suitable language that might otherwise have educated the young folk using said pedalcar in a six hour race.

I deserved a beer after that but didn’t get one till much later.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 October, 2023, 03:39:50 pm
Still, at least there was welding kit to hand...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 01 October, 2023, 03:45:21 pm
Removed fly shit, spider detritus and a no doubt confused spider from Miss Marple's nether regions fnarr fnarr.  Front brake still rubs a bit because slightly wonky wheel but if there is still a spoke key knocking around Fort Larrington finding it would require major Teetering Piles of Crap™ Relocation.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 October, 2023, 11:25:19 am
Quote from: sam on 01 October, 2023, 01:44:57 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 01 October, 2023, 01:19:43 pm
Just very fond of circles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle).

A reminder that I have to mow the damn lawn. Either that or find a way to summon the Sussex-shire mowing devil.

Our great fridge fettle has been a success and it's working properly again; if unplugging it and waiting for the ice to melt from the drain tube counts as fettling (I'm guessing not really).

Encouraging, that, thanks - I've been thinking about it for a long, long time.  I've also ordered a set of long thin brushes with a view to cleaning the condenser coils, but fortunately they're taking a geological aeon to arrive.  Not feeling fettlesome these days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 02 October, 2023, 01:47:09 pm
Quote from: T42 on 02 October, 2023, 11:25:19 am
Encouraging, that, thanks

We kept it unplugged for 24 hours, though it didn't take anything near that. I was pleasantly surprised it actually worked – and glad, as there was no access to the drain pipe that I could fathom (which I figured meant it probably wasn't blocked by debris).

I also took the opportunity to give the shelves and drawers their first really good clean. Almost seems like new! Well, aside from this,

(https://i.imgur.com/RjtjtQO.jpg)

where I've been pawing the door for 10 years rather than opening it from the bottom like you're supposed to and other inhabitants of the house usually do.

(https://prettygoodbritain.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/paws362b.jpg)
Don't look at me, I can't reach that high
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 October, 2023, 05:19:47 pm
The BHPC LAZER DISPLAY BOARD is once again fully armed and operational, after losing a fight with the crosswind at Gravesend.

In spite of this requiring the use of  a) a drill  2) a Stanley knife  and  iii) The Really Sharp Scissors From The Sewing Box™  without adult supervision, I managed not to slice any important digits, and retain my full complement of Precious Bodily Fluids.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 04 October, 2023, 10:58:08 pm
Tightened up one toilet seat and replaced another.  The second involved bodily contortions beyond the call of duty. 


Removed 2 plastic tongue & groove planks from the ceiling in one of the bathrooms.  Found an utter nightmare of wooden battens screwed onto polystyrene ceiling tiles & holes hacked into ceiling plaster.   There was current going into the 12v transformer but nothing going out, so I guess I need to source a replacement.  The sensible thing would be to replace all the 12v MR16 Halogen stuff with GU10s, but having seen the mess I just want to put the panels back up & pretend I don't know about it.......
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 October, 2023, 12:51:07 pm
If the polystyrene tiles are dead (and aren't they verboten now anyway?) You could maybe make use of the battens and replace with PVC ceiling panels.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 06 October, 2023, 06:35:36 am
For Christmas last year got a trailer for the bicycle, as in one I tow on the bike not one to tow bikes attached to a car

I think it's pretty cheap chinesium and it rattled like marley and marleys chains in a Christmas Carol (I'm basing this on the muppets version)

Yesterday dismantled lots of it and put fabric tape round several parts and now it's if not silent certainly a lot less noisy
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 October, 2023, 05:26:32 pm
Did some cosmetic science this morning. For a while I've had a pot of Lush None of Your Beeswax lip balm that I use to stop my nostril edges getting sore when it's cold and my nose runs a lot. Unfortunately when left in my rack pack all year it's melted and cooled and gone all grainy.
A quick Google last night suggested it was due to different waxes and fats solidifying at different temperatures and that the way to remedy was melt it until liquid and then put it in the freezer.
So while I was baking bread this morning, for shits & giggles I left the wee pot of balm on the handle of the oven, whereupon it did indeed melt, and having shoved it in the freezer I can confirm that it looks like the day I bought it now.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 06 October, 2023, 06:00:28 pm
New bottle cage fitted on the Hase Pino, stoker's handle...

I had already used a steerer extender in the stoker's left side handle, but previously (to prevent dehydration of the front engine), I clamped a clamp-on bottle cage to it. It looked ok but it never appealed to me as a great idea.

Yesterday in Halfords, the Stoker decided she would like a fancy looking Italian bottle cage, so today in a moment of inspiration, I drilled and tapped the steerer extender top, to accept a pair of 5mm screws an appropriate distance apart and mounted the Italian bottle cage to the steerer extender in the Stoker's handle.

A much nicer job than the clamp on one.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/hDcFGrw3nqoeLsp6Tu967GQDWeWso0D4imi5boEP3XI-1245x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 October, 2023, 07:02:29 pm
Sanded the kitchen door frame. I hate sanding.
Gave it an undercoat and a 1st top coat. Then we decided where we should go on holiday in March and in the last hour or so I've be researching refurbed Dysons.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 October, 2023, 07:15:50 pm
Finished the new kitchen/dining table made with laminated plywood for the top and legs - pleased with the result although the "grain" on the Stretek Poplar-faced plywood isn't as good as on the Birch plywood table it's replacing (Birch ply in suitable quality is unobtainable)

(https://i.ibb.co/VTXwW91/ply-table1.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/5spXxqN/ply-table2.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/3rqYrqQ/ply-table3.jpg)

The top is an 18mm sheet 160 x 90cm with 100mm wide rails laminated around the edges to give a 36mm thick effect and the legs are 4 off 18mm pieces laminated tohether to give a 72 x 72mm x 75cm leg, the exposed ply faces on the legs face into the room.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Canardly on 07 October, 2023, 07:42:24 pm
Impressive. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 October, 2023, 08:11:53 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 07 October, 2023, 07:42:24 pm
Impressive. :thumbsup:

Thank you - I'm thinking of making them to sell - as bespoke items.   

The RG "logo brand" is just a it of vanity - I put it on the items I make and sell using recycled pallet wood.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 07 October, 2023, 08:54:46 pm
A few days ago I noticed that one of the vertical blind slats wasn't closing properly. Yesterday I saw that it had broken in two and that slat was no longer attached at the top. Today I had a closer look to see how its assembled and works. Anyway I thought, I will just do a quick bodge repair til I can get round some local shops. I've hung the slat back up with a paper clip bent over the rod that turns the slats. Very pleased that in operation it works very well so I don't need to rush to do a proper repair job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 October, 2023, 08:17:42 am
Fixed a flat on HK’s orange trike during the Richard Ellis Memorial 200 yesterday. Hedgecutting season!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 October, 2023, 01:54:49 pm
Quote from: robgul on 07 October, 2023, 08:11:53 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 07 October, 2023, 07:42:24 pm
Impressive. :thumbsup:

Thank you - I'm thinking of making them to sell - as bespoke items.   

The RG "logo brand" is just a it of vanity - I put it on the items I make and sell using recycled pallet wood.

Very nifty.  What kind of feet did you put on it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 08 October, 2023, 03:39:29 pm
Swapped the summer rear tyres on HK’s orange trike to Marathon Racers. Binned one of the removed tyres. Swapped front wheels between my fixed and orange trike to diagnose a grabbing brake issue. Replaced the cracking front tyre on my fixed with something from the garage stock. Readjusted the front brakes on my fixed and the orange trike.

Repaired the orange trike’s mudguard. Flintmined my fixed’s rear tyre. Swapped a bidon cage from HK’s recumbent to my fixed as the old cage on the seat tube rubbed my calf. Glued the pivot pins on the orange trike’s brake levers to stop them walking sideways.

Fitted a front mudguard and QR Bagman to my trike, adjusted the rim brake and aerobars and tightened some bolts on the GB saddle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 October, 2023, 03:45:07 pm
Retensioned the leather and lacing of the eBrute's saddle - it had started to rub recently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 08 October, 2023, 04:01:05 pm
Following the renewal of my TalkTalk fibre broadband deal, I was sent an eero router to plumb in. That went reasonably well, but then I had to configure all my connected devices. It's surprising how many things are hooked up, even in a fairly basic set up like mine. The two Alexas played ball, but the CCTV cameras needed reinstalling. eero, for the uninitiated, is an Amazon service, so unavoidable, sadly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 October, 2023, 04:30:29 pm
Did the last coat of paint on the kitchen door frame (yes, that still leaves the rest of the kitchen wood work to do but sod that) and then put the front mudguard back on the Roberts.
While I was in the garage I tidied up some of the holiday beer purchases onto the racking. I decided the wine could wait for another day.
Once the cats had decided to wake up enough for dinner (lest I disturb their royal highnesses) I took the old sisal off one of the scratching posts and stapled some new on. It's only been sitting on the table in the hall for months waiting for me to do it....

And that's all my projects mostly done for now. What am I going to do with myself til next spring?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 08 October, 2023, 04:49:33 pm
Drink beer and wine? 🙂
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 08 October, 2023, 05:13:19 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 October, 2023, 01:54:49 pm
Quote from: robgul on 07 October, 2023, 08:11:53 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 07 October, 2023, 07:42:24 pm
Impressive. :thumbsup:

Thank you - I'm thinking of making them to sell - as bespoke items.   

The RG "logo brand" is just a it of vanity - I put it on the items I make and sell using recycled pallet wood.

Very nifty.  What kind of feet did you put on it?

I drilled and bashed these into the base of each leg

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/2VIAAOSwjkxbkClQ/s-l1600.jpg)   

- and then fitted these:

(https://res.cloudinary.com/manutantraders/image/upload/t_pdp-1000/ironmongery/products/606344.jpg)

They are set at the lowest point just to get the ends of the plywood legs off the ground by about 10 or 12mm to stop any water ingress when the floor is mopped, or any spillage - and they also serve to level the table . . . .  although with two spirit levels at right angles to each other it was spot on level :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 08 October, 2023, 08:03:31 pm
Blessed with good weather for spraying outside (no wind and moderately high temperatures) in the South East, I stripped down my British Steel bike ready for a coat of clear lacquer, for sealing the lug lining and lettering / R531 stickers. The spraying went well and then we went out to Southchurch park for a few hours, with the kids / grandkids.

When I got back, I started fitting some virtually new running gear off my aluminium Scott Speedster S40 road bike (2x9 Sora) and the Scribe Pace wheels. The Scott is getting an upgrade too, I couldn't resist the 2x11 105 groupset with Ultegra brifters, currently for £420 at Wiggle. I am awaiting a new set of Scribe Pace wheels, for the Scott.

I need another steerer for the steel bike (the thing on it currently is an eye sore), and acquiring that is the next step.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/FexDiaCF3EsJ-Y5MlFXPG7a28J1QzZxrE2tXvAQpZBI-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 08 October, 2023, 10:18:02 pm
Proper roof on the bike shed. 

When I built it late last summer I decided the felt shingles that came free were, excuse the use of advanced technical terms here, shite.  So I threw two layers of DPM over to hold it and ordered a kit from Rubber4Roofs.  Weather intervened the rest of 2022 & I've suffered an extreme shortage of spoons in 2023 due to reasons.  But with this looking like the last decent weekend of the year I was cajoled into a state of spoon-ness and also assisted by persons to whom I am very grateful indeed.

And now my rather lovely bike shed has the rather lovely roof it deserves.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 09 October, 2023, 12:14:22 am
Photos or it didn't happen!  :demon:

Well done. Sounds like a job well done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 09 October, 2023, 09:34:32 am
Quote from: robgul on 08 October, 2023, 05:13:19 pm
Quote from: T42 on 08 October, 2023, 01:54:49 pm
Quote from: robgul on 07 October, 2023, 08:11:53 pm
Quote from: Canardly on 07 October, 2023, 07:42:24 pm
Impressive. :thumbsup:

Thank you - I'm thinking of making them to sell - as bespoke items.   

The RG "logo brand" is just a it of vanity - I put it on the items I make and sell using recycled pallet wood.

Very nifty.  What kind of feet did you put on it?

I drilled and bashed these into the base of each leg

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/2VIAAOSwjkxbkClQ/s-l1600.jpg)   

- and then fitted these:

(https://res.cloudinary.com/manutantraders/image/upload/t_pdp-1000/ironmongery/products/606344.jpg)

They are set at the lowest point just to get the ends of the plywood legs off the ground by about 10 or 12mm to stop any water ingress when the floor is mopped, or any spillage - and they also serve to level the table . . . .  although with two spirit levels at right angles to each other it was spot on level :thumbsup:

T-nuts are great.  Maybe that's why I can never find any when I need them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 09 October, 2023, 02:38:12 pm
Fettled a small chinesium audio mixer to  a) not have a retina-searing BLUE power LED  and  b) have a switch to downmix the output to mono.  Barakta's chaotic assortment of audio sources, for the manglement of.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 09 October, 2023, 04:06:22 pm
There's some great fettling going on in this thread!
Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 09 October, 2023, 05:05:21 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 09 October, 2023, 04:06:22 pm
There's some great fettling going on in this thread!
Keep up the good work!

. . .  I'm making a mallet (woodwork for the use of) from some different species of hardwood timber offcuts.  Watch this space.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 10 October, 2023, 04:19:17 pm
Quote from: barakta on 09 October, 2023, 12:14:22 am
Photos or it didn't happen!  :demon:

Well done. Sounds like a job well done.
Thanks, I'm pleased with it.  I'll get a photo when I've got a large pile of tqt out the way.

Today's fettling was changing the gas lift strut in my old/spare office chair, it's had that sinking feeling a good number of years.  Despite this and it being many decades old it's still comfortable and in excellent condition so I just couldn't throw it out when I bought a replacement.  State of spoon-ness to sort it out is courtesy of my cat who after several years of liking to sleep on the old/spare has recently decided the replacement is just the place to be for him.  Go get a tea - cat in the chair.  Pick up cat & return to spare chair.  Stand to reach a file down from a high shelf - nearly sit on cat. Etc etc.

Anyway, sorted.  Now I can just swap them around as required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 10 October, 2023, 11:00:02 pm
Took the electric mid drive motor , battery and wiring . Off my newly acquired ,  ATB with trike conversion axel and fitted the gubbins  to my mums shopping bike . Mums as happy as a sandboy , already planning trips away . I have a Trykit conversion axel with seventy kms on it and a boat load of new shinny bits . Happy days . 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 10 October, 2023, 11:25:18 pm
A couple of LED outdoor motion-detection lamps attached to the rear of house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 11 October, 2023, 04:18:41 pm
Removed tape from bars on fast bike, started fitting Ultegra levers.

Sorry, didn't get very far. Had to cut the session short to go and get the meds that my doctor assured me the phahaharmacy would have ready for me.

They were completely unaware of the prescription and had to do "a system update"...

 >:(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 October, 2023, 06:56:00 pm
Ahhh, that's better. No longer a singular 'golden' item in amongst the rest of the silver trim annoying me. Control freak assuaged.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53251533809_d52226db3c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p8E2Kg)2023-10-11_06-52-32 (https://flic.kr/p/2p8E2Kg) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 12 October, 2023, 02:17:17 pm
Progress is slow and my choice of handlebar tape colour, and my appetite for getting my hands greasy, are badly matched.(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/CifpgUi-YPeGJmTk_v-2EI8ztQsyaYgKFX5HflEpNFE-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 October, 2023, 03:48:47 pm
Quote from: JefO on 12 October, 2023, 02:17:17 pm
Progress is slow and my choice of handlebar tape colour, and my appetite for getting my hands greasy, are badly matched.(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/CifpgUi-YPeGJmTk_v-2EI8ztQsyaYgKFX5HflEpNFE-1536x2048.jpg)

It should be the LAW that handlebar tape (and cycling shorts) should be BLACK!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 October, 2023, 04:08:44 pm
Did some scary sharpening of knives various. Having recently discovered my trusty off cut of MDF isn't flat (water used for spray-sticking the wet and dry paper down has caused it to swell slightly at the edge) I'm using a piece of stainless steel I had laying around.

I also did some honing on a leather strop.

One of the knives is a crook knife, spoon carving for the use of. The plaster I have on my thumb is entirely co-incidental, honest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 12 October, 2023, 05:47:32 pm
Quote from: robgul on 12 October, 2023, 03:48:47 pm
It should be the LAW that handlebar tape (and cycling shorts) should be BLACK!
I am very sorry (not)!

(https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3w0yb6r0wnvg186bv93qq/Dawes-front-small.jpg?rlkey=lldmx7xij9av5qoeblcdtkzzz&raw=1)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 October, 2023, 05:49:18 pm
Thanks to the delivery of some solid wall picture hooks, the great bathroom project is now complete.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53253236291_a46d9d7953_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p8NKQp)2023-10-12_05-47-03 (https://flic.kr/p/2p8NKQp) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 13 October, 2023, 04:24:17 pm
These
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53255188321_75b483f348_c.jpg)[/url]Logs (https://flic.kr/p/2p8YL76)

Abour 2.5 cubic metres, from where they were tipped on our parking across the road around the back of the house in the lee of a NW-SE running wall.  Tipped at 1, finished at 3:30 (courtesy of a small green wheelie bin that's all I can manouevre through our side gate), rain came at 4. First fire will be tomorrow night.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 13 October, 2023, 06:48:34 pm
Just set up a Ring (2nd Gen) Doorbell camera. Will attach it to front of house tomorrow.

I will also connect a Ring Stick-up outdoor camera for the back of the house as well.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 13 October, 2023, 06:57:42 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 October, 2023, 03:35:23 pm
Yesterday, diagnosed and repaired the shifting in a pedalcar that I’d never see before. With a jammed rear derailleur but without a replacement derailleur, or appropriate tools, or a replacement shift cable, or replacement cable casing (which it desperately needed). In the rain, kneeling in muddy grass, reaching through a too small access hatch that prevented me from seeing or easily feeling the area of interest. All without the aid of suitable language that might otherwise have educated the young folk using said pedalcar in a six hour race.

I deserved a beer after that but didn’t get one till much later.

Was your rear view I saw then? Car 14, purple hair here  8) Jolly Good Show, by the way  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 13 October, 2023, 07:24:14 pm
Couldn't decide whether to keep the old Sora shifters (with thumb button release) or fit the newer type Sora shifters with the split levers.
I have always enjoyed looking at polished aluminium, so I had a go at removing the paint from the old shifter levers, with wire wool, then cracked open the Brasso for a bit of lustre.
 
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/9JsyqatjbSNN6Lxt80JUbT8s9ro-31xdHC2XltYqQRY-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/7ieXGTMThVMIHVV1sA4my892nlHGHCtp_xO9OIya_T0-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/7EQGMdrrhmpkLNiXIy8xKBEh_zrdToDaqkQg0lSGPWI-2048x1536.jpg)

Think I will keep the old shifters, if they operate the derailleurs effectively.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 October, 2023, 07:30:25 pm
Cleaned the flaking paint and corrosion from the former Streetmachine's kickstand, and molished a new large-surface-area ferrule for it out of mild steel and polymorph (which will hopefully prove more durable than Sugru).  Will bung some Hammerite on it in due course.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 13 October, 2023, 08:05:06 pm
As I don't currently have a shower I decided to replace the old, ceiling mounted pull switch.  The neon lamp died long ago & the pull cord was spliced together in a couple of places.   Who was the cowboy who installed it & didn't put a sheath over the earth connection ?   Probably me, 30 odd years ago.....  :facepalm:


I also had the joy of trying to remove the old silicone sealant from around & underneath the old shower tray.  A scraper blade attached to a multitool was effective at getting most of it off.  I'll follow up with chemicals & a razor scraper tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 October, 2023, 08:27:47 pm
Suggest you wear gloves when using the razor scraper. DNAMHIKT.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 13 October, 2023, 10:17:09 pm
Quote from: Jayjay on 13 October, 2023, 06:57:42 pm
Was your rear view I saw then? Car 14, purple hair here  8) Jolly Good Show, by the way  :thumbsup:

Seems likely. I would have been less grumpy and noticeably quicker with my own toolbox and a supply of suitable spares but such is life.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 13 October, 2023, 11:21:26 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 13 October, 2023, 08:05:06 pm
I also had the joy of trying to remove the old silicone sealant from around & underneath the old shower tray.  A scraper blade attached to a multitool was effective at getting most of it off.  I'll follow up with chemicals & a razor scraper tomorrow.

A carefully wielded chisel tends to be my starting point for initial bulk silicone removal
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 14 October, 2023, 01:21:51 pm
About 1/4 of the kindling I meant to produce from some donated old decking boards. All was going well until I whacked myself across the thumbnail with the hatchet  ::-). Luckily not too hard, so it’s just bruised.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 October, 2023, 01:28:45 pm
Flintmined the tyres on my fixed, cleaned the front rim, replaced the rear brake cable and handlebar tape. Swapped out a bidon cage, replaced some taillight batteries, put some reflective tape on the rear mudflap and gooped up my Spa saddle.

Swapped back the front wheels between my fixed and HK’s orange trike after removing some brake pad deposits. Tightened the orange trike’s headset and tweaked the front brakes of both cycles to suit the different rim widths.

Swapped out the bell on the orange trike and refitted the battery headlight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 October, 2023, 02:20:10 pm
Assembled a new rack to put in the pain cave.

So rather than a teetering pile of crap miscellaneous bike luggage, tool boxes and the like, it's now arranged safely vertically. Which means more floor space to fill with junk  :thumbsup: Or just give MrsH safer access to her treadmill and make it easier for me to get onto the trainer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 October, 2023, 03:44:20 pm
As per: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=127087.msg2847281#msg2847281
Put my wonky rear mudguard back on with the addition of a saddle washer. While I was doing that I came to the conclusion my rear tyre was knackered so I changed that too.
Then I planted 230 bulbs in the garden.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 14 October, 2023, 03:55:26 pm
Fitted new handle to a hand axe. It arrived pre-shaped ish, so a spot of You Tube and a go with edged tools and I was on my way.

I've seen better fitting handles but it's tight and no blood was shed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 14 October, 2023, 04:23:28 pm
Fettled my favourite Aussie's cat.
She's away partying in Cotswoldshire, he's been out fighting without doing too much winning (he's only a year or so old) so he is injured and administering pain killers has been the order of the day.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53257614418_3d60cd5dd3_k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2p9ccim) (https://flic.kr/p/2p9ccim)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 October, 2023, 04:27:07 pm
Oh dear, silly kitty.

I forgot I did some fettling y'day too. My keyboard started squeaking so I pried the space-bar off and put some Li grease on it. Then I thought 'how TF does this go back on'? After a bit of googling I got it sorted and it was so quiet! Clearly it's been making a noise before I noticed the squeak.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 14 October, 2023, 06:32:14 pm
I'm recently retired.  I'm supposed to be enjoying my "golden years".  Instead I'm spending a worrying amount of time & money at Screwfix and B&Q.


Today I replaced another toilet seat for my parents.  I'd like to invent a special Hell for bog designers.  This one had little porcelain flutes at the rear which fouled the butterfly bit on the plastic nuts so I couldn't tighten them.  I had to hacksaw those bits off, do them up finger tight & then hold them in place with mole grips while I did final tightening from above with a big screwdriver. 


Once that was done I tracked down the 2nd dodgy transformer for the bathroom spotlights.  This involved taking down more ceiling panels.  My father had _nailed_ these to wooden battens so I had to pry the heads out enough to get a grip & yank them out with pliers.   I couldn't remove the old transformer, luckily the wiring was accessible so I just replaced it with the new one.  Trying to get 2 bare wires into 1 chockbloc hole & tighten everything up when perched on a rickety step stool isn't fun.


After that I replaced all the failed halogen bulbs in my sister's bathroom & fixed her toilet roll holder (again)......  :facepalm:

Tomorrow's job is putting the tongue & groove PVC ceiling panels back up.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 14 October, 2023, 06:35:58 pm
Poor daft catto.

The other day I went to fit my small saddle bag to the road bike, and realised that was a non-starter. I've two rear lights - one suspended from the saddle and the other bolted to the seat stem below it. I really like redundancy on rear lights and there's no where else for them to go. Not without devising seat stay bracketery at any rate. The fact I didn't see this coming shows the mind has been too taxed of late. Either that, or it's growing old.

A frame bag was procured for a mere £15. And I really liked the idea of that as it could put my pump inside it, the pump's bracket having long been MIA.

Today I went to fit the frame bag properly. Unfastened the rear brake cable so I could run some cable outer along the usually bare wire section which runs below the top tube. This is so I can fit the frame bag without fear of restricting movement of the rear brake cable in any way.

Problem 1: Broke one of the brake cables threads, so I'll be ordering a new one of those in a minute (safety first!).
Problem 2: The conventional bottle cage atop the down tube is now useless. The bottle cage attached to the seat tube is just usable, but my 790ml bottle can't really be removed and re-seated there on the fly.

So for one problem solved, two new problems have been introduced  :-\  ;D

A Fidlock twist bottle/connector doodad would solve problem number two ... but it's not a cheap option. Might be worth it on account they appear to work well and I don't end up having to reverting back to using a saddle bag sourcing/fabricating light brackets.



I had better luck fixing the solar lights which had ceased lighting when the end of the LED string experienced an unfortunate encouter with the garden strimmer. I wasn't sure whether polarity mattered when re-soldering the LED light string to the circuit board. Either it didn't matter or the Godess was smiling on me. The solar lights are now working again as if they'd never been broken.



And finally, I started to try and solve the old Ridgeback hybrid's freehub problem - it doesn't engage. Wheel removed from bike. Cassette removed. Axle removed (no fancy quick release here!). Loose bearings all accounted for (much relief). It looks like the last successful ride (was a very wet one) had resulted in a lot of water ingress. Soon realised I needed a large allen wrench to remove the free hub body so that's something else for the shopping list. Don't fear old Ridgeback ... you will see asphalt again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 14 October, 2023, 07:13:09 pm
Poor kitty (very cute though, I like black & whites a lot)

Today's fettling was changing the door handles & euro cylinders for next door.  One was as simple as it should be, the other very much not.  It was starting to fall apart, a circlip was out of place making it too big to fit through the 'ole.  After about an hour fartarseing about with very fine screwdrivers trying to get a slipped circlip back in the correct place I gave up & snapped the cylinder.  Worryingly easy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQShSakZjvA) (gootube link).  I think I'll be replacing my cylinders with anti-snap.
Followed by making a small shelf to be fixed to the outside of my lovely bike shed.  This will hold a 100ltr rainwater butt which will be used for bike cleaning.  The shelf is made from offcuts of the shed tongue & groove planks, extra pieces that were used as packing spacers when it was palletised to ship so it will match which is obviously vital.  1st coat of preservative on first side of all pieces.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 14 October, 2023, 07:15:22 pm
Not much fettling today as the sinus infection is really having a battle with me and my antibiotics.

Some progress though, left side of Scott road-bike handlebars ready for wrapping now.

I didn't have the mojo to start wrapping the left side of the bars, but both the levers are now Ultegra, set at the same height and angles.

Ordered some inline barrel adjusters for the gear cables, on next day delivery from Wiggle this morning (with other stuff necessary for the Scott road-bike project). 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wombat on 14 October, 2023, 07:24:36 pm
I fettled some silver soldered nipples (no sniggering) for a new lubricator pipe for a half full size Foden steam lorry, and also almost made a flywheel key retaining thingy for it, due to it being a bit prone to loosening and allowing the flywheel to start to creep along the crankshaft, which is something the owner very firmly does not want!  All part of a bit of skills exchange, as he doesn't have silver soldering kit, or a milling machine, and I do.  He is a whizz at ceramic tiling, and I'm not.  I haven't told him about my little tiling project yet, but will do when he collects his components. 

I would also have fettled the washing machine if the inlet valve that I ordered 4 days ago on 1-3 day delivery had shown up...

Tomorrow I have to fettle a railway bridge!  'tis only a small one, on my garden railway, but it is 3 metres long.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 17 October, 2023, 10:02:30 pm
Finished the Scott Road bike project (subject to whether the 9speed Sora front derailleur is going to be perfect with the 11spd chain).
Pleased with the handlebar wrapping, despite the paranoia now about getting it dirty.
Took it for a spin around the block, adjusted handlebar and aerobar heights, angled brifters inwards slightly, then around the block again. Really pleased with the upgrades to gears and braking.
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/oVJ60UVQU671Iif-QyJsfT5VsUZOLuME-2alAF_nmgk-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/q3hjXEoyZAumAbxxB4q_5-QM_8JBkswnU5HdTZ2vOyk-2048x1536.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Polar Bear on 18 October, 2023, 08:33:13 am
It was yesterday evening but I fettled a replacement ceramic tap cartridge into the Britain Echo sink tap.  The hot was down a few months ago and now the cold needed replacing. 

Five years seems a bit short for these things to last.  Very wasteful too.  In the intervening few months though more sources for parts seem to have emerged and the price has fallen.  Yes, fallen.  The last one cost around £12 iirc and I could only find them in one place.  The price has dropped by a third and I found a number of sellers when I googled.  The item looks identical to the hot cartridge replacement (I bought 2 last time so I can compare) so it would seem that availability has improved.

Having bought 2 again I now have a spare pair of cartridges for 2028 ...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 18 October, 2023, 07:57:27 pm
installed new chainring/sprocket/chain on my ss runabout bike (42/16), also new chromoplastic mudguards with front mudflap to keep the shoes dry(er). bottom bracket has some play and will need to be replaced at some point (anybody got a spare sq.taper 107mm in your bits box?). tyres and brake pads should last until spring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ham on 19 October, 2023, 11:45:38 am
One of the more satisfying fettles is when you fix stuff not meant to be fixable, kids electronic toys being a rich fertile ground. A recent trend appears to be including rechargeable batteries, in truly shit implementations. So, for example, one RC truck has a single cell, to recharge, you need to unscrew the battery cover, unplug the non reversible latching connector (pretty stiff), connect in the USB lead, reverse the process once charged. I decided to implement a low voltage socket and jack to enable charging just by plugging in. This exercise has been successful, but I forgot just how much I hate soldering low voltage jacks. As an aside, I can't believe it has taken me this long to work out that hot melt glue is perfect for creating a more effective strain relief.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 20 October, 2023, 02:13:24 pm
A morning of woodwork with Camraman at my workshop - making the bed that he's going to use in his car for camping.  Lots of measuring and confusion but we got there in the end . . . and my reward was a bag of very pleasant bottles of various beers.

The concept outlined elsewhere in another post worked - a sort of stretcher that demounts to two parts for storage, but fits together with a sleeping mat on the top.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 20 October, 2023, 04:15:32 pm
Thanks Rob. Successfully separated once home and it fits even better with the driver's seat pushed forward, which is how I did the original measurements. I now need to plan a trip to test it out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 October, 2023, 11:54:52 pm
A bicycle!

Jan's crochet friend Dennis has, as I am sure I have mentioned before, taken possession of a ... "vintage" Falcon bicycle that I originally bought for our daughter when she was in the sixth form about a quarter of a century ago. He's clueless about anything to do with maintaining it, so whenever it plays up he comes to see me.

He had a problem hitherto beyond my experience: the freewheel was freewheeling in both directions. My immediate thought was that it simply needs to be replaced, but when I got to look at it, I realised that he was riding around on a wheel that I had originally built for my Mercian, but then I turned that delight into a single speed. I was quite surprised that a freewheel would conk out so soon, as Dennis isn't an especially high mileage cyclist - probably 5 or 6 miles a day. So I applied some Purple Extreme to the freewheel and then started freewheeling it in both directions. After a short time, the round it was making when going in the "drive" direction was different from the sound it was making when going the other way. To my delight, after a time, the pawls started pawling in a most satisfactory manner. He took it out for a test ride and came back quite delighted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 21 October, 2023, 02:28:03 pm
Finally completed the electrification of my recumbent trike.

Took longer than I expected, as until I started the process I had no idea which cables would need extending. Several I had to source from China, so that caused nearly two weeks delay.

With the longer cables installed, I then had the problem of too much cable, which caused me cable management headaches. I have lots of engineering expertise, but absolutely none in electrical work and realised that shortening the over-length cables was a non-starter.

Everything now works correctly with the rear wheel elevated off the ground and I'm now awaiting a cessation of the rain before giving it a road test.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 October, 2023, 02:29:06 pm
Since we're away next weekend, I did the usual Hallowe'en wheel change on the car.  It doesn't look as good with 16" wheels and 60-profile winter tyres, but it's a bit smoother over the bumps.

Somewhat disconcertingly, when you jack a front corner of a Mazda 3, the whole side of the car lifts, including the rear wheel.  They used torsion bar rear suspension for more luggage space/lower costs (delete as applicable) and it apparently has a lot less rebound.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 21 October, 2023, 04:07:50 pm
A sofa. A 20 old year old lazy-boy type we inherited. The electric recline stopped working and it's been jammed in a semi-reclined position for a few months.
There was also a spring dislodged out of the base making it less than comfortable to sit on.
The rear had also semi-imploded under two decades worth of spring tension.

Fixing the recline was relatively easy - the plug for the motor had parted company from the socket on the power supply. Spring re-attached and rear braced with some 2x2.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 October, 2023, 04:11:26 pm
Adjusted a misaligned SPD cleat on one of HK’s shoes and fitted new Keo cleats to another two pairs of her shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 21 October, 2023, 05:24:55 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 October, 2023, 02:29:06 pm
Since we're away next weekend, I did the usual Hallowe'en wheel change on the car.  It doesn't look as good with 16" wheels and 60-profile winter tyres, but it's a bit smoother over the bumps.

Somewhat disconcertingly, when you jack a front corner of a Mazda 3, the whole side of the car lifts, including the rear wheel.  They used torsion bar rear suspension for more luggage space/lower costs (delete as applicable) and it apparently has a lot less rebound.

Yep, the CX-30 is similar. I use a wheel chocks on the opposite side. Think my wheel change will be Tuesday, as I’m (very lazily, but hey I, working and getting my pension) getting my car valeted for winter, assuming the weather holds.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 21 October, 2023, 08:13:06 pm
Started clearing out my huge collection of electronic goodies that have been replaced over the years. Got a box full of them and took them to a Hackspace that my friend runs. They could only use a tablet, from the entire collection of phones, laptop, notebook, tablet, power supplies etc. So not exactly a successful mission and the traffic to and from it was horrendous, and none-the-wiser as to what to do with the twenty odd items.

After that, I made and fitted aluminium brackets that replace the original plastic ones on the mudguards on the 1958 steel bike I have been improving. The rear was more technical than the front, as there is more room on the front. The rear was quite satisfying. Two M4 screws go through from above the mudguard into tapped threads in the bracket, which is shaped to the compound curvatures of the inside of the mudguard. The heads of the screws are virtually hidden from view by the calliper. The bracket is (roughly) L-shaped, so a hole had to be cut in the mudguard such that it could protrude up to the Tektro calliper's nutted thread.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 October, 2023, 08:43:13 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 21 October, 2023, 05:24:55 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 October, 2023, 02:29:06 pm
Since we're away next weekend, I did the usual Hallowe'en wheel change on the car.  It doesn't look as good with 16" wheels and 60-profile winter tyres, but it's a bit smoother over the bumps.

Somewhat disconcertingly, when you jack a front corner of a Mazda 3, the whole side of the car lifts, including the rear wheel.  They used torsion bar rear suspension for more luggage space/lower costs (delete as applicable) and it apparently has a lot less rebound.

Yep, the CX-30 is similar. I use a wheel chocks on the opposite side. Think my wheel change will be Tuesday, as I’m (very lazily, but hey I, working and getting my pension) getting my car valeted for winter, assuming the weather holds.
AIUI a CX-30 is a Mazda 3 with a different upper bodyshell.   The springs might be a bit longer but the floorpan and all the mechanical bits are the same.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 October, 2023, 07:43:08 am
Toilet seat . . .  the new stuff I fitted in the en suite shower a few months ago has, like most pans, annoyingly large holes for the seat bolts.  It's one of those that unclip from the mountings - and the mountings slip around no matter how much you tighten the bolts.

So, I made two "sleeves" from some very thick rubber tubing to fill the mounting holes with the bolts passing through and then "glued" the mounting fixings to the china with silicone - letting it get just slightly tacky before screwing the bolts as tight as I could and refiting the seat to ensure the correct position.   Examination after 24 hours and it seems that may have done the trick.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 October, 2023, 11:15:28 am
Quote from: rogerzilla on 21 October, 2023, 02:29:06 pm
It doesn't look as good with 16" wheels and 60-profile winter tyres, but it's a bit smoother over the bumps

The CX-30 runs 215/55/18 on summers and I elected for a set of 16” Mazda wheels (same as offered as standard on lower trim versions) which run 215/65/16 winters (I just pulled them out of the shed ready for swapping this week) Even the summers look clompy compared to the 18/45 and 20/35 tyres I’ve run for the last 10 years on various VAG cars. But given the state of the roads the minor aesthetic down is more than balanced by the much reduced concerns of potholes and kerbs. And neither set of wheels is diamond cut, thankfully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 22 October, 2023, 12:47:11 pm
Fettled a fidlock twist bottle onto the road bike before todays outing.

Seems to hold the bottle nice and securely and no issues with the bottle interfacing with the framebag on removal. I'd be happy to grab the bottle on the move but locating it to put it back looks like it might need some practice as there's a pin to centre it on.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 22 October, 2023, 04:29:05 pm
Put a bit of DST under the varus wedge in my left shoe - damned thing had taken to sliding back to where it wasn't doing its job any more.  Get the impression (so to speak) that my metatarsophalangeal joint (ain't that a lovely word?) has dented the insole to make up for the wedge, so maybe it's cancelled the wedge.

Also shifted the Garmin temperature sensor to under the stem, where low-level sunlight won't find it so easily.  And forgot to adjust the lacing of my saddle, which has become somewhat uncomfortable since I tightened it a while back. Straitlaced, you might say.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 22 October, 2023, 06:00:42 pm
I checked my torque wrenches.  The 30 year-old Sykes Pickavant 70Nm wrench is spot on to within 1Nm at 30Nm, despite years of rarely being unwound after use.  The cheap Clarke 200Nm one that I only use for car wheel nuts reads 10% high at 40Nm (I could only find a 10kg weight).  I usually set it to the 112Nm line for wheel nuts, so that's about a real 100Nm, which is good enough.  I'll adjust it if I can find out how.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 October, 2023, 06:18:55 pm
What I should have been doing is putting the spiky tyres on my commuter, but then I would have needed to change the disc brake pads as well and I really couldn't be arsed doing battle with them today, so instead I washed the ground floor windows which were covered in skog from the storm. At least I can see out the windows now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 22 October, 2023, 06:48:57 pm
Yesterday I laid, in a temp fashion, 35 paving slabs to make the side of the house wheelchair accessible. Then I started molishing bits of old pallet into something that will make the rear door usable/openable by said wheelchair person (if they come here).

It's a lot of time for what will probably be one visit, but it is the principle of the thing.

Back when we were younger (cripes, over 20 years ago), said wheelchair friend said there were only two houses she could get into without substantial aid; mine and the now MrsC (we'd both molished some sort of ramp). Odd, that.

Then I made a 'rustic' welly boot holder, from a suitably shaped bit of branch and some sticks.

Today, I've washed and re-proofed my venerable montane windproof and my North Face. Hmm, might have been a bit overdue, the wash water was brown/grey.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 22 October, 2023, 06:56:28 pm
This evening:
Replaced a broken spoken on the rear wheel of my Dolan Dual bike. (Ambrosio Excellence, 32-h, Shimano 6700 hub) NDS (Non-Drive Side).

I only noticed it as I cleaned my bike after a ride on some mud-strewed Cotswolds lanes.
The spoke could may well have been in that state for a couple of weeks.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 22 October, 2023, 10:15:47 pm
Nice one Mr C. I know from wheelchair using friends how much they value any effort people can make (and don't expect perfection when it's a person's home and money is not unlimited).

A friend of mine used the disability toilet guidance and disabled friends to help her make her downstairs bathroom "as accessible as possible" for wheelchair users, using the adjacent 'utility room' to create a larger space as a bodge for people who couldn't fit the small loo space but who could use the privacy to empty catheter bags etc with their PA/partner support. She's had several wheelchair using visitors and her guide dog is in heaven (the dog loves wheelchair wheels and sniffing them).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: philip on 23 October, 2023, 02:14:44 pm
Fixed my Bosch dishwasher - about 10 years old, lightly used - which was showing an E:14 error. The internet suggested that a reed switch on the water flow meter had failed. It is on a separate circuit board, almost as if it is designed to be replaced, so I bought a replacement from espares for £20 and fitted it. The hardest part was manhandling the dishwasher out from underneath the kitchen counter. Only one tool was required, a torx screwdriver to handle the single screw holding the side panel.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 23 October, 2023, 04:35:47 pm
The path to my front door rises up, so I fitted a 15° slope-downwards wedge to my Ring™
doorbell camera, so that it captures more my path and car-parking area and less of the sky
above the houses opposite.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 October, 2023, 05:06:15 pm
Found the adjuster screw on the big torque wrench, so it now gives the correct torque to within 1Nm.  Unfortunately this is only at 42Nm; it's impractical to calibrate at 100Nm unless you have a 25kg weight that will hang off the handle, and a bench strong enough to take this weight cantilevered out by 40cm!  10kg of water-filled bucket is all I had.  And yes, I did correct for the weight of the wrench handle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JonBuoy on 23 October, 2023, 06:49:07 pm
If you have bathroom scales that you trust (or can calibrate against something else) you can probably cobble something together to calibrate higher up the range.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 October, 2023, 09:00:36 pm
Quote from: JonBuoy on 23 October, 2023, 06:49:07 pm
If you have bathroom scales that you trust (or can calibrate against something else) you can probably cobble something together to calibrate higher up the range.
I tried that first but they are quite sensitive to the weight being centralised and it's hard to get a stable reading when pushing down on a wrench.

If I had a big bolt in the wall of the house I could hang from it and get about 300Nm, but the wrench doesn't go that high.  Also, 300Nm will turn most anchor bolts in the masonry!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 October, 2023, 06:02:01 pm
Finally gathered enough tuits to put the spiky tires on my commuter (I did not enjoying spending half an hour scraping ice off the car on Monday). Decided not to bother putting new brake pads on the Avids, but adjusted them up a bit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 October, 2023, 06:21:31 pm
Tweaked the cable tension on the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle's rear derailleur.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 October, 2023, 09:22:04 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 October, 2023, 06:02:01 pm
Finally gathered enough tuits to put the spiky tires on my commuter (I did not enjoying spending half an hour scraping ice off the car on Monday). Decided not to bother putting new brake pads on the Avids, but adjusted them up a bit.

I'll be switching to the Faran 2.5 for the commute tomorrow, Terravail Canonball vs the Conti Gatorskins on the Airnimal (just too slick)

My fettling was a new crankset onto the Faran, 48/34 vs 50/34 but more importantly 165mm crank vs 172.5. Low BB.

All done in 30 mins between breakfast and work, from pedal spanner to gear tweak.  I think I may need to take out a couple of chain links as it feels a bit slack on the shifts to bigger cogs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 October, 2023, 10:12:06 pm
Last night, replaced the front tube on my fixed after leaving an evening with Mr Fiennes. Not what I was hoping for - got home after midnight.

This evening, fitted a matching bidon cage to the other side of HK’s recumbent. More trouble than it should have been. Story of my life, at the moment. Refitted a barend light on my fixed after thoroughly drying it out. It seems to default to always on when soaked. Replaced the spare tube in the tool bottle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 25 October, 2023, 06:20:07 am
I’ve realised that in 2023 the only fettling I have done on my velomobile is pumping up the tyres and adding a new Velcro strip for my tiller holder when getting in and out. Velomobiles can be very low maintenance as the drivetrain is protected from the elements. Still on the original chain at 40,000 kilometres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 25 October, 2023, 08:41:41 am
We have a large 'concrete'* living room lamp which decided it didn't want to hold up it's lamp shade. With metal fatigue the lamp holder had seen better days.
I couldn't get the remnants old lamp holder unscrewed from hollow all thread that ran through the base - even with vice grips.
All the 'lamp' parts have now been replaced. I really should get some proper wire strippers to make these jobs go a lot faster.

Hopefully finish fettling the old hybrid tonight ahead of the new-to-me N+1 arrival on Sunday - which will no doubt need fettling.


*Turns out to be painted terracotta
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 25 October, 2023, 09:06:38 am
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 25 October, 2023, 06:20:07 am
I’ve realised that in 2023 the only fettling I have done on my velomobile is pumping up the tyres and adding a new Velcro strip for my tiller holder when getting in and out. Velomobiles can be very low maintenance as the drivetrain is protected from the elements. Still on the original chain at 40,000 kilometres.

Thank you for this Auntie Helen. How does drive chain maintenance compare to other (non-enclosed) recumbents? I am really interested in this.

I used to work for a large oil company that reckoned a teaspoon of water in a gallon of gearbox oil reduced the lubricating effect (bearing life) by about 50%. I am sure that people washing the muck off their chains with water is what makes their chains wear out so quickly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 October, 2023, 09:46:00 am
New zip tags onto venerable (2007) Topeak bar bag.  All of the old ones but two snapped within a month of each other.  I've bought and sent back two new, supposedly identical, bags in the last 10 years but they've been rubbish in comparison.  This one isn't supposed to be waterproof but still keeps the main compartment dry without a rain cover.

Currently fitting a 10€ pair of Zefal mudguards onto the Perfectly Good Gentleman*'s neglected old beater* so that I can do short shopping runs crawls to next village. Might follow up with el-cheapo rack & panniers...

* that would be me
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 25 October, 2023, 12:22:28 pm
The lock mechanism on the transom windows of my double glazing were jammed solid in the open position.   These are at the back of the flat, 4 floors up so I always leave them open.   I removed the handles & squirted copious amounts of Double T penetrating stuff into the mechanisms, they have now come loose, with a little effort & can be locked closed if required.  Next job is to replace the scabby handles with new ones.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 October, 2023, 12:34:49 pm
Quote from: JefO on 25 October, 2023, 09:06:38 am
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 25 October, 2023, 06:20:07 am
I’ve realised that in 2023 the only fettling I have done on my velomobile is pumping up the tyres and adding a new Velcro strip for my tiller holder when getting in and out. Velomobiles can be very low maintenance as the drivetrain is protected from the elements. Still on the original chain at 40,000 kilometres.

Thank you for this Auntie Helen. How does drive chain maintenance compare to other (non-enclosed) recumbents? I am really interested in this.

IME it depends on the recumbent's geometry and how much of the chain is enclosed.  I find recumbent chains last several times longer than uprights, but the Baron does a good line in depositing crud from the front wheel on the exposed chain under the seat in the way the Streetmachine and ICE trike just don't, and thus needs cleaning after relatively little riding in the wet.  (Not that it's much fun to ride in the wet.)

Nothing like the lifetime of a velomobile drivetrain, thobut.  While the chainset is out of the crud (unless you're wheelsucking another bike), the rear wheel's gearing isn't, and you tend to have to clean things when the accumulated crud starts to affect shifting, well before the chain wears.  Gears-inna-can ought to improve on this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 25 October, 2023, 02:58:50 pm
Quote from: Kim on 25 October, 2023, 12:34:49 pm

IME it depends on the recumbent's geometry and how much of the chain is enclosed.  I find recumbent chains last several times longer than uprights, but the Baron does a good line in depositing crud from the front wheel on the exposed chain under the seat in the way the Streetmachine and ICE trike just don't, and thus needs cleaning after relatively little riding in the wet.  (Not that it's much fun to ride in the wet.)

Nothing like the lifetime of a velomobile drivetrain, thobut.  While the chainset is out of the crud (unless you're wheelsucking another bike), the rear wheel's gearing isn't, and you tend to have to clean things when the accumulated crud starts to affect shifting, well before the chain wears.  Gears-inna-can ought to improve on this.

Thank you Kim
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 October, 2023, 03:07:24 pm
one of the small jobs on a vintage bike, that i've been putting off. both adjustment screws in rear dropouts were rusted solid. after several heat-cool cycles the ds dropout screw has moved and i've managed to get it out. the nds screw broke off. so, i've drilled through it (managed to go through the centre, more by luck than skill*), and re-tapped both sides with the m3 tap. a pair of stainless replacement screws on order.

*i used a smaller 2.35mm drill bit, rather than required 2.65mm for the m3 thread - to have some room for error
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 October, 2023, 03:16:03 pm
The work-hardening from rolling the thread means there is a tendency for your drill to follow the bolt centreline but it is easy to force the drill bit crooked anyway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 25 October, 2023, 05:00:24 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 25 October, 2023, 03:07:24 pm
one of the small jobs on a vintage bike, that i've been putting off. both adjustment screws in rear dropouts were rusted solid. after several heat-cool cycles the ds dropout screw has moved and i've managed to get it out. the nds screw broke off. so, i've drilled through it (managed to go through the centre, more by luck than skill*), and re-tapped both sides with the m3 tap. a pair of stainless replacement screws on order.

*i used a smaller 2.35mm drill bit, rather than required 2.65mm for the m3 thread - to have some room for error

I will probably end up doing similar (M3 screws), do you know what size thread the original would have been?
If it is 2mm, I might roll a length of thread on a couple of lengths of stainless spoke. With an L bend in each, it will be easy enough to get both threaded lengths the same, to ensure repeated alignment, with the short leg of the L hanging straight down behind the dropout.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 25 October, 2023, 05:17:50 pm
the original screws were m3, so i'm replacing like for like (except that the replacement ones are stainless).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 October, 2023, 10:51:44 am
Finished putting mudguards on the beater (hard-tail/nose trail bike) and made a nice discovery: the rear dropouts are 135 mm and not 130 mm as I had thought, which means that the motor wheel I took off the eBrute will work on it.

Now have to decide: use the motorized beater for shopping or transform it into an electric gravel bike...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 October, 2023, 08:38:54 pm
Completed a dust-extractor hose for my festool saw. Cost c.£35 as opposed to the festool version for which some are asking £165.

No doubt the festool hose is wonderful but my version does the job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 27 October, 2023, 06:29:21 pm
Fettled the Park Tools bike stand, making a big improvement to it, by fitting a QR to the telescopic upright clamp. It can now be adjusted to a sensible working height a LOT more conveniently.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 27 October, 2023, 07:24:41 pm
Quote from: JefO on 25 October, 2023, 09:06:38 am
Quote from: Auntie Helen on 25 October, 2023, 06:20:07 am
I’ve realised that in 2023 the only fettling I have done on my velomobile is pumping up the tyres and adding a new Velcro strip for my tiller holder when getting in and out. Velomobiles can be very low maintenance as the drivetrain is protected from the elements. Still on the original chain at 40,000 kilometres.

Thank you for this Auntie Helen. How does drive chain maintenance compare to other (non-enclosed) recumbents? I am really interested in this.

I used to work for a large oil company that reckoned a teaspoon of water in a gallon of gearbox oil reduced the lubricating effect (bearing life) by about 50%. I am sure that people washing the muck off their chains with water is what makes their chains wear out so quickly.
On my open trike I have to do lots of oiling, particularly as the rear mech is really low down and gets water thrown at it by the front wheels I think. I’ve had two chain breaks on trikes, none on a velomobile (90,000km on trikes, 50,000km in Velomobiles). The trike chain also gets bits of grass and stuff in it if you have to off-road. Chain wear is maybe slightly reduced as the chain is so long that there are no forbidden gear crossovers. Although my velomobile is only 9 speed anyway, a single chainring at the front.

What does cause a problem on my Milan is water getting into the brake cables (gravity!). Three years ago I had to replace one brake cable which is a horrible job in a VM with enclosed wheels. I noticed today the brake seemed slightly slow to release so I guess it might be time to do the other one soon. That’s after 8 years of ownership.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 28 October, 2023, 02:23:54 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 25 October, 2023, 05:17:50 pm
the original screws were m3, so i'm replacing like for like (except that the replacement ones are stainless).

Bought some M3 25mm allen screws, for this job, only to find that the original holes are smaller than M3. Will try some M2.5 electrical screws and see if they fit.
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 28 October, 2023, 07:16:01 pm
Quote from: JefO on 28 October, 2023, 02:23:54 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 25 October, 2023, 05:17:50 pm
the original screws were m3, so i'm replacing like for like (except that the replacement ones are stainless).

Bought some M3 25mm allen screws, for this job, only to find that the original holes are smaller than M3. Will try some M2.5 electrical screws and see if they fit.

hmm, maybe there is no single standard (e.g. metric and imperial)?.. mine however were m3, so got the same size replacement ones.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231029/024be2cf3a6322c0ba66c8795a439d68.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 28 October, 2023, 07:24:29 pm
Quote from: JefO on 28 October, 2023, 02:23:54 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 25 October, 2023, 05:17:50 pm
the original screws were m3, so i'm replacing like for like (except that the replacement ones are stainless).

Bought some M3 25mm allen screws, for this job, only to find that the original holes are smaller than M3. Will try some M2.5 electrical screws and see if they fit.

That didn't work either so I assume the holes were caked in something (paint/grease/swarf/etc.) or were never tapped.

Any'ow I decided to make the job work with the 25mm M3 screws I had bought, by giving them something solid to screw into, to provide really positive, perfectly centred, repeatable, location.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/sL4ECxeV6PAMcrkxOB-UWJxfHTV7hffPnHWWGftVYok-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/hPLtDAmtH54ErFpYzbq1wWrQXACG75Qjj7z6LSKyKdk-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/l61DYR5y-BuBtb1ZBT7hEuFb2TKwIRBItXPp7fnwtLQ-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/xouDYv5CFwUKUe4zYfV42JqmsQdW7hJiuoNXIZIAcY0-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/hOKh6LkqCzVttcDSOQLiPBJS7vDGun6EHSL8Yfqynvs-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/hcTPSmC2zqnkTEPrw_Dl8-ZWXmuq734YAx-FU-JSagM-2048x1536.jpg)

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 28 October, 2023, 08:39:40 pm
Gave the backup audax bike a clean, after its chassis bearing check and grease.

Dug deep into the 9 speed cassette mountain (will I live long enough to wear them all out?), to find one with a 19 cog to give me my favourite 70" cruise gear. 19 is quite a rare 9 speed cog if you also want a nice climbing cog.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 29 October, 2023, 04:56:21 pm
I tightened the chain on the yellow Harry Quinn, pumped the tyres and oiled the chain ready for work tomorrow.  It wants new tyres (the existing Durano Plus are from 2018, and have done many thousands of miles) so I have some fastish-but-tough Rubino Pros to go on, but experience tells me I need Velox rim tape.  For some reason, Rubino Pros puncture every 30-50 miles with hard Specialized rim tape.  Somehow the bead of the tyre flicks up the edge of the tape, causing holes in the tube.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 29 October, 2023, 05:14:02 pm
The olde hybrid of some vintage rides again. Rejuvinated freewheel carefully re-installed last night with cleaned and re-lubricated bearings.
I've not dealt with loose bearings in a while. Considering myself lucky that none were lost mid-fettle.

I should probably strip and re-grease the front hub for good measure - but the rear hub components took longer than expected to thoroughly clean up due to the very old and dried out grease. I resorted to soaking what I could in a small volume of petrol!

Given the new-to-me £90 audax a pre-fettling assessment. It's generally in good order, but I think I should get a rim wear guage for peace of mind. And I've got to figure out whether or not a Campag Veloce 10-speed shifter can be overhauled. This one works, but it's very sloppy and the up-shift lever doesn't stop in the right place. That means pulling the brakes strikes the leaver instead of the small rubber doughnut thing that looks designed to damp down the clicking noise.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 29 October, 2023, 10:58:20 pm
Put the 50/34 chainset from the Faran onto the turbotrainer bike.  More complicated than anticipated as a) swapping a 48t up to a 50, so front mech height adjust needed as well, and ii) swapping a triple for a double, so top and bottom limit adjustments also needed.  The TT bike is now a true frankenmonster.

On comparison though, I worked outt why I was not entirely comfy on the bike, as the Q-factor on the triple was a good 20-40mm wider than the road set-up I replaced it with.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 31 October, 2023, 09:49:31 pm
Lowered the (U|V)HF antenna as tomorrow's weather forecast sees gusts of up to 59 mph predicted.

Attempted to remove pedals from the "Audax" bike. That was a one all draw human versus bike.
Got the cranks pulled and then called it a night, the errant pedal left soaking in some penetrating oil.

Hopefully identify what tool is needed to pull the bottom bracket in short order.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 31 October, 2023, 09:52:59 pm
Finally fixed the puncture that presented itself a few midnights ago when I wanted to take the Langster for a ride. "So be that way," I told it at the time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 31 October, 2023, 09:57:13 pm
Washed the bike. Checked the indexing, cleaned the headset and applied Aquapaste all over it. Attached various bags and lights. Ready for a 200k on Saturday
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 31 October, 2023, 10:02:32 pm
Yesterday I dismembered a rickety dining chair yesterday with the aid of a mallet and glued part of it back together. This evening glued that sub assembly onto the rest of the chair, holding it together with a sash clamp and length of rope.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 01 November, 2023, 09:43:11 am
yesterday I removed the speedplay cleat from my left shoe.  This was the cleat which on my last european trip started to come loose, lost a screw and then was held with red loctite.  The screws had worn down, the sides were all damaged and finally the spring broke.  I managed to gouge out the slots for the screw driver for 2 screws and then used the friction of the plate against the screw to get the last to move.

Now I just need to put the new cleat on tonight just in time to move to the winter boots.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 November, 2023, 11:05:56 am
Quote from: JefO on 28 October, 2023, 02:23:54 pm
Quote from: zigzag on 25 October, 2023, 05:17:50 pm
the original screws were m3, so i'm replacing like for like (except that the replacement ones are stainless).

Bought some M3 25mm allen screws, for this job, only to find that the original holes are smaller than M3. Will try some M2.5 electrical screws and see if they fit.
What make are the dropouts?  Campag (very common, especially the long 1010 road ends) use M3 but British firms quite liked BA threads for small sizes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 01 November, 2023, 04:22:00 pm
Hi Roger,

I think they are Campag. See photos in this thread.
2mm spoke with rolled threads (ie larger than 2mm effective thread diameter) was smaller than the threads, ie slipped straight through.
One of the holes looked slightly oval, but I could not screw an M3 into either of the threads, not even half a turn. Hence the manufacture of some blocks that fit nicely in the dropouts, and carefully drilling out the threads to 3.2mm, to secure the blocks in place with the 25mm M3 allen screws. It is possible that the threads were imperial. The frame is 1958 Mercian.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 November, 2023, 04:31:20 pm
It is not too unusual for dropouts to be bent and realigned over the years, distorting the adjustment screw holes if the adjustment screws are not in the holes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 01 November, 2023, 10:40:09 pm
Never come across a frame with adjustable drop outs. I'll be keeping eyes peeled for them in future.

Dropped the tyres off the new-to-me audax bike and checked the rim thickness with an Iwanson gauge. 1.4mm for the front - both sidewalls. Rear ... 1.4 mm on one sidewall and 1.1mm on the other.
The rims I took off the road bike I bought at the end of the summer ... the thinnest sidewall was 0.8mm.

What's the minimum safe thickness?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 01 November, 2023, 10:49:41 pm
I use 1mm. Don't know where I got that from though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 November, 2023, 11:07:27 pm
Failure depends on tyre pressure and width and rim design. 0.7mm rim thickness = failure for most road tyres and rims according to Chris Juden. I get twitchy somewhere below 1.0mm as I assume I haven't necessarily measured the very thinnest section of the rim.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 November, 2023, 08:42:18 am
Nowadays I try to get rims with telltales and ride them until they're sanded down.  Before that I used 1.0 mm as minimum.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 02 November, 2023, 08:53:32 am
Do Mavic factory wheels tend to have tell tales? If so, how long have they had them?
I've got Kysrium Elite's on one bike (not had the tyres of and checked that one yet) and the other (the one I have checked) has a Kysrium SL on the front and an Aksium on the rear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 02 November, 2023, 09:12:16 am
Quote from: Afasoas on 02 November, 2023, 08:53:32 am
Do Mavic factory wheels tend to have tell tales? If so, how long have they had them?
I've got Kysrium Elite's on one bike (not had the tyres of and checked that one yet) and the other (the one I have checked) has a Kysrium SL on the front and an Aksium on the rear.
Some do, some don't.  I had some (can't remember) Mavics with an internal wear indicator. Hole milled into the inside of the rim, not all the way through. When the hole appears in the brake track as the track got worn away it was time to get a new one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 November, 2023, 05:05:23 pm
Mucked out the coffee engines.  B2C machines are filthy beasts.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 November, 2023, 05:07:06 pm
New, shorter, curtain for the bedroom.  Which should leave the structural magnolia below the window exposed, in the hope it doesn't grow as much mould.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 November, 2023, 11:53:38 am
This morning outside Twickenham Stadium, replaced a rear flat on my fixed. A big chunk of glass removed, grubby hands from a muddy tyre and a late arrival at work. I may swap out the tyre when I get home, despite only being half-worn.

This afternoon, the front tyre was flat as I was leaving work. With no spare tube, there were several hundred strokes of the pump needed to get me home. Tomorrow will require both wheels off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 November, 2023, 01:18:21 pm
I split most of the fresh cherry tree "rounds" at lunchtime.  It takes a full-strength whack with the maul to do a foot-thick one, but it does split cleanly.

I really should have done this in spring so the logs could kiln-dry in the conservatory.  They'll be left for the next owner now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 03 November, 2023, 01:28:25 pm
I have Astonished my Carradice Super Cs, which had gone horribly, shamefully mildewed. They're currently outside drying in what passes for sunshine. I hope this works as I don't want to have to buy new panniers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 03 November, 2023, 03:30:18 pm
The avian feeding station on the patio. Took about half an hour for the first bird to arrive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 04 November, 2023, 02:25:20 pm
Quote from: rafletcher on 03 November, 2023, 03:30:18 pm
The avian feeding station on the patio. Took about half an hour for the first bird to arrive.

Nice. Hope you have some interesting garden visitors.
I need to go and wash out / replenish all of the bird feeders.

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 03 November, 2023, 01:28:25 pm
I have Astonished my Carradice Super Cs, which had gone horribly, shamefully mildewed. They're currently outside drying in what passes for sunshine. I hope this works as I don't want to have to buy new panniers.

Did it work? If not, I wonder how they'd respond to a steam clean?

Last night I swapped the old gas pipe hybrid bike onto flat pedals so I don't have to cart around a change of footwear with me when using it for trips into town etc.. .... I guess that makes it my 'going to town' bike.

Whilst I was there, I managed to remove the pedal from the "audax" bike's drive side crank. This involved using a ratchet strap, which thankfully did the trick. I'm not sure I'd recommend it - at least not without eye protection. The bottom bracket tool has just arrived, so I can tackle that soonish. First, there's domestic duties to be fulfilled.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 November, 2023, 03:55:40 pm
Flintmined the rear tyre on my fixed, superglued some gashes and swapped it to the front. Fitted a new rear tyre from the garage stock. Both tyres are now as slow as a wet week but hopefully will ward off too many visitations. The old front tyre will be kept for use after winter.

The front 36 hole rim on my fixed is half-worn and the rear 32 hole rim has a couple of cracks (but almost pristine otherwise). The spare rim (garage stock) is 32 hole, so I will eventually need to order a 36 hole Kinlin ADHN.

Regooped the front tubeless tyre on HK’s Kinesis. Swapped out the cracked rear Hunt rim for a Kinlin. I hate rim washers during this sort of thing.

Cleaned and lubed the Silca track pump as pumping was getting less efficient. I think it needs lubing about every 5-10 years.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 04 November, 2023, 06:15:23 pm
Replaced the router so we have essential YACF service again.
The next may not count as a true fettle, since the cold Triton shower unit reverted to hot after I took the cover off to meter the lectrickery. I diagnosed a stuck overheat cutout which had subsequently reset. Nothing to do with the lacewing lurking in there. The number of overheat cutout spares on offer via the hinternet suggest it is a regular fail item, and I will be ordering one pre-emptively.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 04 November, 2023, 06:23:17 pm
Spent the day at home installing a new cooker hood (relatively easy) and attaching it to the external vent (not so easy...about 78 trips to Screwfix)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 November, 2023, 07:08:42 pm
Replaced the basin and bath taps in the ensuite. The bath taps had been gradually slowing to a trickle due to limescale, and this week one of the basin taps started spinning (turn it off, turn a little more and it jumps a thread and starts to flow again).

Not one of my favourite jobs, but I last replaced them over a decade ago and it was easier access than I remembered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 04 November, 2023, 07:23:29 pm
Quote from: MattH on 04 November, 2023, 07:08:42 pm
Replaced the basin and bath taps in the ensuite. The bath taps had been gradually slowing to a trickle due to limescale, and this week one of the basin taps started spinning (turn it off, turn a little more and it jumps a thread and starts to flow again).

Not one of my favourite jobs, but I last replaced them over a decade ago and it was easier access than I remembered.

Replacing taps is a job I've grown to hate. I've got three flavours of tap wrench but 9 out of 10 times none of them will be easy to get on a tap nut.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 04 November, 2023, 09:40:37 pm
Started the annual deep clean of my best road bike. So far, wheels have been removed and the sprockets and frehub removed and degreased. Wheels have been thoroughly cleaned and polished after examining the bearings for any sign of play in the bearings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 November, 2023, 02:22:31 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 04 November, 2023, 02:25:20 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 03 November, 2023, 01:28:25 pm
I have Astonished my Carradice Super Cs, which had gone horribly, shamefully mildewed. They're currently outside drying in what passes for sunshine. I hope this works as I don't want to have to buy new panniers.

Did it work? If not, I wonder how they'd respond to a steam clean?
It's removed all the mildew, they have dried out nicely and they don't smell of anything nasty, but 2 days is a bit soon to say it's not growing back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 05 November, 2023, 08:46:08 pm
Finished truing the Kinesis’ rear wheel and set it up tubeless again. HK will have to ride it a couple of days this week to splash the goo (last of the Panasonic goo purchased in Oz) around. The last of the Orange Seal Endurance will top up the front tyre’s goo in a few months.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jaded on 06 November, 2023, 04:25:34 pm
I believe I have fixed the washing machine, that was making a BEEP BEEP noise and displaying !Technical Fault!

Lots of un-connecting stuff and connecting again.

Fingers crossed as it goes through a test cycle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 06 November, 2023, 05:16:16 pm
Knocked all of last Friday's crud off the eBrute in prep for a ride tomorrow, but the weather is promised wet so maybe it'll stay clean.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 November, 2023, 05:17:28 pm
I was trying to fettle the stupid Roman blind back onto one of the spring brackets it had come out of, but utterly failing and getting annoyed. Pingu fixed it somehow.  :D
I have now measured for a new roller blind though, stupid thing. It's a horrible colour anyway. Looks like it belongs in a tarty nightclub.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 06 November, 2023, 11:08:51 pm
Fettled the brakes on the gas pipe hybrid so it's ready to ride again tomorrow night. I forgot how much I dislike setting up Vee brakes.

On the plus side, I noticed 'Grip Shift' emblazened on the seat stays. It must have been upgraded with proper shifters at some stage. I'm wondering if it was done at the bike shop when new on account it was hardly used/like new when I acquired it.

On the down side, found play in the bottom bracket.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 November, 2023, 01:33:21 pm
Thorought strip down and clean, re-waxing the chain etc  for the carbon road bike to put it away for the winter - and fitting the raceblades to the Ti road machine for winter - with a good coating and polish of the Red Ant Ti protector spray on the frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 10 November, 2023, 04:13:57 pm
swapped the cassette from 11-28 to 12-36, so that even on steep hills zone2 ride is still z2.

no other changes were needed apart from winding in a b-screw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 10 November, 2023, 04:31:48 pm
Cleaned 29er, and fitted new derailleur hanger. Very pleased with service from "Cyclo Monster" who supplied the new hanger, ordered Thursday at 10.18am. Arrived today (Friday) at 10.18am.

Also, tidying my 1958 bike, I had noticed the gear outers were too long between the (non-period) brifters and the downtube braze-ons. Also I wanted additional in line cable adjusters. So all new gear cables and outers, and not a bouquet of cable outer on show now from the frame up to the levers. I estimated that there was 3" extra cable each side. Amazingly, I removed 6" of outer (and inner) on each side.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 November, 2023, 02:18:52 pm
Knocked crud off eBrute.  Faffed around with chunk of wood & hole saw on pillar drill to try and make a clamp so that the upper column of my workstand won't slide down inside the lower when I loosen the knob; saw kept jamming, faffed further with scroll saw, gave up.  I'll put a not-really-a-Jubilee clip on it instead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 11 November, 2023, 04:37:02 pm
After several recent visitations realised was time to replace front tyre on wife's bike so swapped that and repaired a few inner tubes I'd swapped out with slow visitations and hadn't got round to repairing

Also fitted new grips on youngest monkeys bike as hers had started to deteriorate and leave sticky residue
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 11 November, 2023, 04:55:12 pm
Last night I attempted to remove the BB from the "Audax" bike. Nope. Stuck. Not budging.

Second attempt this morning. Abused tools. Old BB is off. I was hoping it would have a part number on it so I could order a direct replacement. No such luck. I'm going to have to do some trigonometry and work out whether or not the square taper is ISO or not. As I understand it, It could be ISO or it could be what Campag used before they adopted the ISO standard for their square tapered BB spindles.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 12 November, 2023, 06:42:14 pm
Last night I managed to snap the chain on the Trice climbing a steep hill (getting towards 20%) on Zwift. Bit annoying as it was the end of the session and 100m later I'd be spinning to cool down.

Anyway, checked the chain today and it's not worn, so just pop off the broken link and put a new quick link in (9 speed chain). But of course the Trice is in a corner of the room, so awkward to work on. And the chain had come out of the top tubes. So had to remove the seat to get some access, and rethread the chain - which was a pain as I couldn't move the Trice around easily to have gravity help with the threading. I wanted to change the front top chain tube for a longer one as I'd put a shorter one on when MrsH had had a go on it (she's got much shorter legs than me). And I had to remove the rear top tube  as I couldn't thread the chain through the idler and it at the angle the Trice sits at. And, of course, replacing those there's almost no room to get fingers in to hold the nuts in place to get them onto the bolts holding the tube clamps on.

Then once I'd threaded and joined the chain, I realised I'd got a 180 twist in the bottom run despite thinking I'd checked that (not easy to see immediately as it runs inside a long tube). So found a quick link, broke the chain at it, rotated and rejoined. Then when checking the rear mech alignment realised I'd threaded that wrong, and gone around the outside of the peg between the two jockey wheels (had done that bit by feel as I couldn't easily see down there). So had to find a quick link again, re-break the chain and rethread.

Then refit the seat and do a quick check that all now seems well.

A massive faff compared to doing that on a DF bike - that'd have taken me about 2 minutes rather than the 20 of messing on the Trice. But it's much more comfy sitting on the Trice zwifting than on the DF.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 12 November, 2023, 10:58:26 pm
Yesterday, finally got round to sorting the front door out,  which hasn't been happy since I tiled the hallway floor.  Took it off its hinges and stood it on edge to reveal a great smear of tile grout. Soon had that removed then had something of a struggle rehanging it. As it opens onto a communal hallway, it's a 30 minute (?) fire rated door and heavy. Very heavy. Finally got it in exactly the right place, with help from my Young Lady, so that it sas Much Better than before.

Today I reattached two redundant air vents that are the remnants of a hot air heating system that was removed a couple of years ago. Replacing the vents covers over two holes at skirting level that sre (a) unsightly and (2) very attractive to crawling Gorgeous Grandchildren.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 12 November, 2023, 11:09:58 pm
serviced freehub by installing new bearings (2x 6901 2rs), the original ones spun for over 23k km. other bearings on both axles aren't buttery smooth either, but they can wait until spring/summer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 13 November, 2023, 05:16:40 pm
Spent more time reducing the cables on my 1958 bike. This time it was the front brake that got the treatment and 4" of excess has gone in the bin.

Then I fettled the blue handlebar tape right off and put on some beautifully impractical "light tan" Deda tape which looks almost white, time will no doubt take it darker. Also added the (ding-dong) bell, previously mounted on the bars, on the neck of the quill stem, the bar-end mirror was refitted too, on the end of the bars. Reduced the length of the auxilary bar, and refitted the bottle cage and Garmin mount, first to it, then to the bars.

Ordered a seat tube clamp so that I can fit my 105 front derailleur, as the Sora fd currently fitted doesn't change ratios cleanly. This will require packing down to the 28.75mm diameter that the tube is, from the 31.6mm that the clamp is advertised at. So my brain has been mulling that over, basically I need a 1/16" flexible shim.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/PbVhrtkEYBCo2N1YOqhloQw6XBYmTU2TpsCvR_yMifk-2048x1536.jpg)

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 13 November, 2023, 08:08:14 pm
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 11 November, 2023, 04:37:02 pm
After several recent visitations realised was time to replace front tyre on wife's bike so swapped that and repaired a few inner tubes I'd swapped out with slow visitations and hadn't got round to repairing

Also fitted new grips on youngest monkeys bike as hers had started to deteriorate and leave sticky residue

And tonight fitted one of the repaired tubes in the back tyre as another visitation. Bug arse thorn which drew blood from me as well

Have ordered some slime inner tubes which will hopefully deal with the small stuff
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 13 November, 2023, 08:14:39 pm
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 13 November, 2023, 08:08:14 pm
Have ordered some slime inner tubes which will hopefully deal with the small stuff

Was getting MTB punctures every week prior to using slime in my tubes, now I always run slimed tubes on my MTBs and Tandems. Major game changer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 16 November, 2023, 08:57:07 pm
Up at first light, a spring in my step, until I recalled the list of Domestic Chores I had ahead of me.

After breaking my fast, it was to the kitchen, for the Penniless Oaves are returned from the Heathen Lands across the ocean, and are in sore need of proper bread. This takes a few days to prepare, so I flounce around in a cloud of flour making the necessary preparations.

It seems that the fabric of Crumbling Feanor Towers is in need of some attention. The Anbaric Installation (installed by Edison himself, I don't doubt) did expire with a great pop and wheeze some days ago, and is demanding attention. As if that were not inconvenience enough, the baroque pipework which feeds the kitchen faucet has decided to withhold water as it sees fit. This great inconvenience requires me to Do Something About It.

I have been able to make an unsatisfactory temporary repair to the Anbaric Installation, which will do for the time being. The recaltricant pipework is now Top Priority.  I already have the replacement tap, an Italian contraption imported at great expense. Holding it aloft, it seems much like an octopus, with many flexible appendages dangling from it. Tis a straight like-for-like swap, only it involves contorting my unbendy self into the back of the cabinet under the sink with the edge digging into my back.

Giddy with success, I decide to leave it at that for the day, the Anbaric Installation can wait till the morrow. Time then for an agreeable luncheon, followed by an afternoon of fettling one of the Oaves' motor-vehicles in anticipation of their return.

And so to bed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 16 November, 2023, 09:07:54 pm
Hewlett Packard (HP)C3180 Photosmart Printer

Failed to get it working, after spending too long trying to sort it out. I even spent £80 on
cartridges, thinking this would solve the problem. On removing the cartridges I did notice
lots of half-dried up ink. I've clean it out, but that hasn't helped. There is a flashing orange light
on the printer and the letter E is lit up too. I searched online to find out what this meant and
discovered it was to do with the cartridge connections.

It is way out of warranty, but the Hewlett Packard online diagnostics reported that all software
and drivers for the printer were up to date.

Printers are cheap, but I may try to buy one that uses the same cartridges* as my current device.
These are 338 (black & white), 343 (colour)

*HP Deskjet 460, 460c, 460cb, 460wbt, 460wf
*HP Deskjet 5740, 5740xi, 5743
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 November, 2023, 05:29:41 pm
A new day, and up and at it: the Anbarics need fettling.

Upon springing out of bed, I find I have rather less sproing than I might like: yesterday's contortions are making themselves felt on my unbendy body.  So I take a leisurely breakfast: the croissants and coffee stay my from the need to clamber into yet more dark spaces for a while at least.

Finally, I cannot avoid it any longer and I don my tatty work-clothes and open The Hatch of Doom.
Anbaric work is actually about 10% messing with wires, and 90% negotiating access to them with the Spiders who hold dominion over these dark spaces.

My knees will likely never recover from crawling from joist to joist. It was like a scene from Alien, scrambling along the ducts, but with less fire and aliens, but more knee pain.
The cables were wrangled and fixed, and I reversed my way out banging my head on joists only once or twice which is a surprisingly small number for me.

There is a brief period where I think a new fault has appeared: my meter readings are all askew! But it turns out it was just Standard-Grade Fuckwittage on my part, I'd left something accidentally connected when running the tests. Idiot Boy. Sit in the corner.

I now have aches and pains everywhere, and plan to spend the rest of the day in a state of rest and repose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 18 November, 2023, 12:11:51 pm
I managed to ding the rim on the back wheel of the Omega on Wednesday (water-filled pothole).  So yesterday I dragged my last 36h Openpro (old style) from the garage loft and swapped them over. 

Small complication was the spring retaining wire on the nipple tool breaking.  I know there is a spare here somewhere, but I couldn't find it, so made an adequate replacement from a strand of brake cable. Spares ordered for future use.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 18 November, 2023, 06:08:19 pm
A few weeks ago adjusted the levers on my tourer that i use for commuting(drop bar levers for v brakes). Friday coming up to a big roundabout on the hoods, give it the beans and lever moved alarmingly. Couldn't fix at work as the Allen head is too far in to access with a multi tool so first job today was sorting that. Glad I had a set of ball ended allen keys.

Then put the slime tubes in wife's bike (see my previous post)

My neighbour then asked if could fit a new castor wheel on her bookcase, should have said no as turned out wasn't a direct replacement so took a lot longer then expected

Then round a friends to help dismantle, move and remantle or as some would say reassemble a wardrobe
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 19 November, 2023, 10:33:40 am
Brought a circa 1993 Aiwa personal stereo back to life. Tediously removed what was left of the old belt and fitted the replacement.

Whilst I was in there, a piece of plastic dropped out. I couldn't see where it'd come from. On reassembly, I found it worked well in the reverse direction, but playing the tape forwards results in audio that is played backwards. The piece of plastic was attached to an actuator that depresses as microswitch that changes the active tracks on the tape head. I don't know whether I broke it during the disassembly or whether it was already broken given that the 'walkman' was given to me.

Sadly I don't treally have the time at the moment to try and fix this so I will just have to be content to play tapes in one direction. (Not listen to One Direction!). I think I could "plastic weld" a repair but that involves desoldering the tape head connector and the front panel connector (which has at least 20 pins).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 19 November, 2023, 02:02:17 pm
Replaced a taillight bracket on my fixed that was broken in the workplace’s bike room earlier this week. Replaced a very worn Etrex bracket with one from garage stock.

Flintmined the tyres on HK’s orange trike and readjusted the brakes after she had washed it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 19 November, 2023, 02:10:30 pm
Doing some reorganising of my home automation stuff left some zigbee plugs spare after I'd replaced them with ESPHome ones due to radio coverage issues.
So I thought I'd use one to turn my trainer on and off in the pain cave, as I often forget to unplug it and plugging/unplugging is a bit awkward. Should have been straightforward, other than integration with the Megalodon Triple Knob macropad I use to control my pain cave laptop as it is small and easier to use than a full keyboard from the trike when pedalling. That turns the cooling fan on and off with a keypress that is programmed to be a high F key using Vial on the macropad and received by AutoHotKey on the laptop. it took me a bit of time to figure out the incantation to turn on rather than toggle over the web interface - I need to use curl to call the Home Assistant web API via AutoHotKey, and the docs can be a bit opaque. Then got into quote-escaping hell trying to figure out how to change the AutoHotKey script into a batch file to execute during windows login.

Finally got it sorted though - so when the laptop gets logged in as me the trainer powers on automatically (I only use that laptop for the trainer). Then when I'm done a single keypress on the macropad powers down the fan, the trainer and the laptop.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 19 November, 2023, 02:14:17 pm

Sorted out stiff front mech on gravel bike. You can run outer all the way to mech on recent Shimano mech. Shortened both outers and fitted inline adjusters. Then bled rear brake, wrapped bars and topped up sealant.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 21 November, 2023, 01:11:57 pm
Fitted Ortlieb accessory mounts to a pair of Back Rollers  and the other Front Roller pannier. Now HK can fit bottles or pockets to suit her preferences.

Flintmined the front tyre on HK’s orange trike after fixing a slow leak. Swapped SPDs between trike and Kinesis to better suit her preferred shoes.

Swapped out the cleats on my SPD shoes. Popping feet out halfway round a fast corner on a trike is no fun = multi-release cleats, just say no kids.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 21 November, 2023, 04:12:06 pm
I bought a job lot of Moulton F-frame forks (and a frame I didn't need) for a fiver a few weeks ago, so stripped the forks to see what good parts there are.  Not bad: two good intact bellows, two good top bushes (the other was too worn - the diameter needs to be as close to 26.0mm as possible, and this was more like 25.75) and three good, if rusty, spring sets.  The metal parts and the splined lower bushes can always be reused - just fit the lower bush in a new orientation where it has least slop.

The outer steerers and crown races also look good.  One fork had no outer steerer but it came with a crown race loose on the inner steerer.


*the repro Moulton Preservation ones are too large in my experience, and jam the fork solid

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: fimm on 22 November, 2023, 11:13:44 am
On Saturday I managed to fit mudguards to my Cheap Folding Bike. I had expected to order something and find that it did not fit, so I was very pleasantly surprised when the mudguards I ordered fitted and were actually not to much of a PITA to fit. (It did take me couple of hours, but that's due to me faffing and reading the instructions several times for each step.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 23 November, 2023, 03:59:30 pm
Swapped pedals between my fixed and HK’s Kinesis to better suit our SPD and SPD-copy cleats.

Swapped the front tube on my fixed and removed large amounts of glass from the tyre this morning. The tyre will need to be replaced once I get home from work, along with the contents of my tool bottle.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 24 November, 2023, 02:44:47 pm
Rattling sound. The culprit:

(https://i.imgur.com/5zMUuR0.jpg)

Always use the right tool for the job. It just makes life easier.

(https://i.imgur.com/blEVmii.jpg)

This is not an endorsement of Bontrager so much as it is of the humble Allen key. Though Allen doesn't seem very humble.

(https://i.imgur.com/GGzUels.jpg)

Turn clockwise to tighten. Or counterclockwise. I forget.

(https://i.imgur.com/VdbYLmU.jpg)

Next task, to be completed in the fullness of time: actually finding a matching bolt, the last one having fallen out somewhere along the way.

(https://i.imgur.com/2W5iQ0A.jpg)
That's just wrong.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jayjay on 24 November, 2023, 03:35:06 pm
Our internet. The new router appeared to work for several days, as it happened this was because of the new cable being plugged into the phone faceplate thing. This connector plate had corroded somewhat, beyond the point of repair by contact cleaner. Temporarily fixed by me removing the thing and plugging in a dusty old microfilter to the remaining hardware. Kcom sent a replacement part next day, delivered by one of their engineers and we now have connection   8)
BN - one of the dogs chewed my screwdriver handle, requiring heat gun treatment to the said handle, to melt back the chavelled bits.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 24 November, 2023, 04:00:13 pm
Quote from: Jayjay on 24 November, 2023, 03:35:06 pm
chavelled

New word for me, thanks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 24 November, 2023, 04:55:07 pm
New clamp finally arrived from Wiggle, and it is nicer than the one that I bought from Amazon (when the Wiggle package failed to arrive a week and two days ago), so I finally fitted the 105 Front Derailleur, and fettled it to get the scuffing noises out.

Then after testing with a short ride, rode the British bike to my local car spares shop (Autocare at Tarpots) with the front pads from my 29er, and bought a set of brake pads and some 9sp chain links for my that. I get a great discount in there as I am related to the owner, but I go there simply because they are the closest shop that stocks some bike bits.

Fitted the new pads in the front of the 29er, and fitted the old front pads in the rear. The old rear pads then went in the saddle bag, as they have enough meat left on them, to get me home from the furthest away I am ever likely to be.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/-ypltNd8DvuF7UYu1oZIL6QO3yhIx_wsDRX_-eHhUdE-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 24 November, 2023, 05:38:53 pm
Cut out the bottom brake mount on the new to me , Airnimal Chameleon  frame . Ready for the 650c ( 571 ETRO ) conversion .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 24 November, 2023, 05:51:28 pm
Quote from: sam on 24 November, 2023, 02:44:47 pm
Rattling sound. The culprit:

(https://i.imgur.com/5zMUuR0.jpg)

Always use the right tool for the job. It just makes life easier.

(https://i.imgur.com/blEVmii.jpg)

This is not an endorsement of Bontrager so much as it is of the humble Allen key. Though Allen doesn't seem very humble.

(https://i.imgur.com/GGzUels.jpg)

Turn clockwise to tighten. Or counterclockwise. I forget.

(https://i.imgur.com/VdbYLmU.jpg)

Next task, to be completed in the fullness of time: actually finding a matching bolt, the last one having fallen out somewhere along the way.

(https://i.imgur.com/2W5iQ0A.jpg)
That's just wrong.

It took me longer than it shoud have to get the humour of your post Sam. Whereabouts are you based? I might have a matching bolt.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 November, 2023, 05:53:28 pm
Quote from: canny colin on 24 November, 2023, 05:38:53 pm
Cut out the bottom brake mount on the new to me , Airnimal Chameleon  frame . Ready for the 650c ( 571 ETRO ) conversion .

Have a close look for cracks in that SH Chameleon frame before you finish your conversion. Airnimal had a phase of cracking frames some years ago.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 November, 2023, 06:11:31 pm
Horble pelmet and ghastly tart's boudoir blind be gone!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53352381572_10d0624b53_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2phyUgN)2023-11-24_06-04-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2phyUgN) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

I also took the bedroom curtain track to bits to fit a curtain overlap device on it.

Only bashed my bonce once on a door frame and gave myself 2 blood blisters trapping my digits in the pliers when trying to prise the end off the track....
And now the mess above the blind is going to bug me. Pingu needs to get busy with the jigsaw and some trim...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 24 November, 2023, 07:35:33 pm
Tyre stuck to the rim tonight when I had a puncture. Never had that before. Eventually got it free. That YouTube tells me red rubber grease does the trick of preventing that adhesion
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 24 November, 2023, 08:23:07 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 November, 2023, 05:51:28 pm
Whereabouts are you based? I might have a matching bolt.

Much appreciated, but I do enjoy sifting through my thousands of bolts and bits, and am confident in my eventual success. Unless you really are quite local to me:

(https://i.imgur.com/4JTo1Y8.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 25 November, 2023, 12:37:01 pm
Removed pedals and chainsaws from 2 bikes, ready to take in for Shimano recall.

Serviced the pedals. One bone dry, one not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 25 November, 2023, 12:42:17 pm
Weird bikes you have for tree-felling!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 November, 2023, 01:12:17 pm
Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 24 November, 2023, 05:53:28 pm
Quote from: canny colin on 24 November, 2023, 05:38:53 pm
Cut out the bottom brake mount on the new to me , Airnimal Chameleon  frame . Ready for the 650c ( 571 ETRO ) conversion .

Have a close look for cracks in that SH Chameleon frame before you finish your conversion. Airnimal had a phase of cracking frames some years ago.

Chum of mine broke one ca 10 years ago.
Title: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 25 November, 2023, 01:56:26 pm
The poor Elan has sat unused at the back of the shed for too long: The fancy pants fixed gear bike has done most of the miles this year.

Time to prepare the Elan for next weekends winter ride.

The chain was stretched, so I replaced it and the cassette. They’ve both done about 6000km. I’m sure some have done more, but these have also been my guinea pigs for the ultrasonic cleaner. On occasions that’s had me cook them at 80 degrees for, let me see, oh yes: Hours - on account of being nowhere near the noisy thing and forgetting its still running <cough> Spotless, but probably quite close to the melting point of alloy.

Pumped up the tyres and converted the Elan to weight wheeny spec. Remove the rack and rack bag -1.2kg. Replace with Carradice bag and support +0.9kg. Double check carradice bag for boat anchor. Can’t find it. Shrug shoulders.

A quick ride reminds me how much I love the Elan - it’s like a comfy Jag with sumptuous leather seats and not a single squeak or rattle. 35mm touring tyres give so much grip confidence, I zag about the place just for the hell of it, much to the annoyance of food delivery riders behind me with their 6000mph electric things.

Just don’t mention the weight…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 25 November, 2023, 02:50:51 pm
Swapped the chain on HK’s orange trike and lubricated a sticky brake pivot. It will need new 700x32C winter tyres that are somewhat quick at some point as the Marathon Racers are cracking at the base of the tread blocks. Any suggestions?

Replaced the front tyre and front mudguard on my fixed from garage stock. Got most of the crud off the chain.

Fitted cleat adaptors and SPD cleats to a set of Bontrager road shoes. Binned my worn-out Northwave SPD shoes.

Replaced a slowly-leaking tube on my trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 25 November, 2023, 04:53:27 pm
Mounted new convector in the kitchen. Dismounting the old one and getting the wall clean took longest - cobwebs, dog hair and dead flies.

Was surprised to see that the flex on the new one (2000W) was so light. Not very convincing in a supposedly top-of-the-range model.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 25 November, 2023, 08:59:57 pm
At a recent walking hol a guy was talking out boot liners and volume reducers. Today fitted some liners that I found at the bottom of the wardrobe into my wellies that are about a half size too big. I was trying to take up the slack by using thicker socks but my quick walk around the kitchen thinks the liners may be good. Will go out for a longer walk in the am.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 November, 2023, 08:29:18 am
Quote from: T42 on 25 November, 2023, 04:53:27 pm
Mounted new convector in the kitchen...

23°C in the kitchen this morning. :o  Not only that, but the shorts we'd put on the drier in the bathroom yesterday were dry this morning whereas normally they need a couple of days. The bathroom is partially heated by a duct from the kitchen.

Some adjustment needed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 26 November, 2023, 04:20:27 pm
Shoved the dehumidifier in the car for 2 hours this afternoon, extracted about 250ml of water with it on full blast laundry mode. Will have to have another go during the week and see if I can get more out with a 4 hour session.

I hope our next car (if there is one) has a heated windscreen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 November, 2023, 04:40:57 pm
After Friday's wet ride I doused the chain in WD40 to stop rust. Today I soaked it in acetone over the slow cooker for a couple of hours to get rid of the oil residue the WD40 left, then dunked it in the wax/PTFE pot for a couple of hours, which theoretically drove off the acetone and any other WD40 residue. Seemed OK when I put it back on the bike. Which I had de-crudded in the meantime.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 26 November, 2023, 04:49:47 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 November, 2023, 04:40:57 pm
Today I soaked it in acetone over the slow cooker for a couple of hours to get rid of the oil residue the WD40 left, then dunked it in the wax/PTFE pot

Looks at own chain. Tells chain: "I'm sorry, but that's never going to happen."
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 26 November, 2023, 04:50:27 pm
As I'm doing a fair bit of commuting and first or last few km depending on work or homeward direction cross a few estates and often  glass so yesterday fitted some marathon greenguard tyres to hopefully offer some protection

Whilst at it adjusted the brake pads which were rubbing slightly

Riding it today it wouldn't go into the smaller cogs at the back. Checked wheel was in straight which is was. Then noticed the gear cable wasn't seated properly in the rear derailleur so popped that back in and now all good
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 26 November, 2023, 05:27:28 pm
Fitted a new SPD cleat to one of HK’s winter boots.

Fitted cleat adaptors and SPD cleats to my Lintaman Minimalist road shoes after I modified some cleat nuts to fit inside the dead-flat carbon sole. I might need to dig up some arch support insoles but that can probably wait for a bit.

Chased up some cleat adaptors and SPD cleats to fit to my Bont road shoes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 26 November, 2023, 08:57:30 pm
I recently obtained some NOS cycling shoes. They will need spd cleats, thought I may have some unused in the garage but no. Another pair of v old shoes lurking in the bottom of the wardrobe did have some cleats which looked to have plenty of life left. The screws came out easy too. The hex wasn't filled with stone/grit so thinking they've not had much use. Went to screw them onto the new shoes but need longer screws which surprised me, will have a look in the am.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 27 November, 2023, 01:59:37 pm
Bass Guitar had a lot of fret buzz.

Got feeler gauges out of my garage that were made in 1944, so originally either my Dad's (11 at the time, but incredibly mechanically minded for one so young), or my Grandad's (who would have been 44). Cleaned them. Arranged them into size order and zip tied them together in two groups (0.002-0.020" and >0.020") as per their original steel boxes. These Feeler Gauges were not manufactured with a rotating slide in/out case like more modern ones, although they do have a hole in one end. They were made with two 45degree angles an inch apart making a joggle in their originally 3" length.

Measured the fretboard to string distances, and frustratingly found them all to be as per the Fender recommendations. Was hoping the biggest (E) string, in particular, was going to be much too close to the frets. So decided to increase the bridge height for the E.

More frustration. This adjustment made no improvement to the fret buzz. In fact it was possibly worse. So I reduced the bridge height, to make it easier to finger more positively and possibly quicker. My problem as a total newbie to bass guitaring (or any serious attempt at guitaring for a hobby) and being in my mid sixties, is strength and speed in my fingertips. So as a temporary measure, I have now reduced all the bridge heights, until I get more strength. Either it is placebo effect or it has actually improved the sounds, that I make it make. Job done!

Cleaned my feeler gauge sets and oiled them ready for cleaning again before using next time, when I will hopefully be going back to manufacturers recommended settings, one day.

BTW the gauges go from 2thou to 46thou so measuring the height of the strings above the fretboard required 3 feeler gauges slid together.
 (for instance 40 + 42 + 43 = 125thou = 0.125" = 1/8" = 4/32" = 8/64" )

I had to chuckle about the imperial measurement fractions used by the american youtube guitar specialists. It grates on me a bit when people say "4 sixtyfourths", as opposed to saying "1 sixteenth". Don't worry it's just an old person thing (my dissatisfaction at anything other than the simplest forms of spoken fractions), I am sure.


 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 November, 2023, 05:40:06 pm
Partial fettle - customer brought his bike and a new pair of wheels for me to swap over tyres, tubes, cassette, disc rotors etc and adjust gears and brakes for the new wheels on the bike. . . slight problem in that the old wheels had the rotors with the "female thread" lockrings (i.e. like a big washer) but the new wheels have hubs that take a Shimano male thread lockring (like a cassette lockring with a bigger flange)

Now waiting for delivery of 2 of the correct lockrings.

Oh, and I did manage to patch a pinhole in Slime innertube - seems to be holding so far . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 November, 2023, 09:12:09 pm
I had a bash at adjusting the garage door to make the lock operate without heaving and bad swears. Had to back off as eventually I stopped the door shutting but it'll do for now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 November, 2023, 11:19:06 am
Cleaned the hardened dog/cat-shit out of the heels of my SPD shoes, dug the solidified crud/grit mix out of the hex holes in the cleat bolts, removed cleats, siliconed up the slots in the soles and very gingerly put the cleats back where they'd been before.

Druther have got a new pair but pod wants to see the current ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 29 November, 2023, 12:22:33 pm
I think it was a Kim suggestion to fill the bolt heads with hot melt glue. It's easy to pick out when you want to unscrew them, but protects the head so it is undamaged for your allen key to go in when you need to do so.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 November, 2023, 12:48:43 pm
Sounds good. Ta.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 29 November, 2023, 01:35:37 pm
Solved the reason the Elan felt slower - it wasn't slower, I just hadn't done my gear inch sums correctly. I had 74" not my favourite 70" because I have a 46 chainring, not the 44 I had assumed.

I rummaged in the shed cassettes, and found 11-32 has an 18 cog. Chucked it on the wheel. Removed the gear extender. Tweaked the limit screws for a smaller cassette.

I now have lovely crisp gear changes, and a nice 70" cruising gear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Blade on 29 November, 2023, 06:59:21 pm
Since recently converting my recumbent trike to e-assist I've been concerned about how much water and mud have been thrown against the battery and wiring from the rear wheel.

The rear mudguard that came with the trike was woefully short and very much inadequate for it's purpose.

Searching around my 'bits shed' I came across a length of polished aluminium which was formerly part of a shower cubicle. After some cutting down I was left with a 30" x 2 and a half inch length of flat strip, by 16th of an inch thick.

Using one of the front wheels as a template I bent the metal to 'about' 20" radius using my hands. Found a couple of old stainless steel brackets and with some drilling attached the brackets to both the mudguard and trike frame.

I now have a fully functioning back mudguard.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 29 November, 2023, 09:48:49 pm
Quote from: Blade on 29 November, 2023, 06:59:21 pm
Since recently converting my recumbent trike to e-assist I've been concerned about how much water and mud have been thrown against the battery and wiring from the rear wheel.

The rear mudguard that came with the trike was woefully short and very much inadequate for it's purpose.

Searching around my 'bits shed' I came across a length of polished aluminium which was formerly part of a shower cubicle. After some cutting down I was left with a 30" x 2 and a half inch length of flat strip, by 16th of an inch thick.

Using one of the front wheels as a template I bent the metal to 'about' 20" radius using my hands. Found a couple of old stainless steel brackets and with some drilling attached the brackets to both the mudguard and trike frame.

I now have a fully functioning back mudguard.

Love it.  :thumbsup:

It amazes me, that on my semirecumbent tandem, my wife's backside gets wet despite the factory built mudguard supposedly protecting her back end from the water splash from the front wheel, unless I go really slowly through puddles. Have been contemplating a sump guard style, catch all splash deflector suspended from the (extending) front tube.

My fettling today...
1) setting up new television in front room,
2) fitting tubes and tyres to new wheels received from Hunt today
3) setting up old tv upstairs in the main bedroom / music room. Vinyl and CDs now play through the same amplifier and speakers as the upstairs TV.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 29 November, 2023, 10:26:02 pm
Over the past few day I have fettled someone elses car.  Have changed the spark plugs as the replacements were £1.56 from Halfords for normal single point bosch plugs, as the plugs in the care were coated and possibly not changed for a while . Then replaced the fluid in the clutch as it was a bit difficult to change.  Even tho the reservoir fluid was black and full of bits.  Flushed two reservoirs worth of fluid through the system and all the system fluid was quite light coloured.

No change to the grumpy/slow starting and the change isn't better as expected.  So checked the gearbox oil level and found the gearbox to be pressurised.  Undoing the gearbox filler bolt made a hissing noise.  Enough for me to worry that I had undone the wrong bolt.  Odd, so later to investigate where the breather is and is it blocked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 01 December, 2023, 12:11:05 am
Quote from: JefO on 29 November, 2023, 09:48:49 pm
2) fitting tubes and tyres to new wheels received from Hunt

Fitted said wheels to bike today... the 2019-2023 project is finished!

(https://scontent.flhr14-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/406645192_10160976793116112_7097479762250758144_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c42490&_nc_ohc=btxe7CoIbJQAX_jgo8o&_nc_ht=scontent.flhr14-1.fna&oh=00_AfAtKvLPcICrcsDIq9dDw8uDYCyoDfBJDfuaFWETiEU1yA&oe=656E5914)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 December, 2023, 01:14:16 am
Fitted the Ice Spikers to the Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle™, so hopefully warmer weather will be with us soon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 December, 2023, 08:02:42 pm
Replaced the cheap nasty (and knackered) landlord-quality bath taps with a cheap mixer tap with barakta-friendly handles.  Those Croydex bodge-mixers (https://www.croydex.co.uk/product-7.html) are a false economy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Sergeant Pluck on 02 December, 2023, 09:11:23 pm
New rear brake pads on the Surly. Badly worn after what couldn’t be much more than 2k km. I’ll have to check the front but will leave it until I change the cassette and chain in a week or two.

Cleaned and oiled Surly and Brompton chains. Pulled various pieces of vegetation out of the Brompton chain tensioner and environs. Noticed that dried mud has occluded the space twixt tyre and drive side chainstay.

Adjusted out a tiny bit of play in the gravel bike headset. Then spent ages getting the bars lined up. For a while (months) on this bike I have felt as if my left arm needs to reach further than the right, yet, when I check, the bars seem to be straight. But it’s very hard to be sure. I also think there may be a barely visible difference in lever position or angle, but I am not convinced this is enough to cause the lack of symmetry that I can feel.*




* Or perhaps I can’t face redoing my bar tape just now. Or is it me - am I becoming more asymmetrical with age?

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 December, 2023, 10:56:25 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 December, 2023, 08:02:42 pm
Replaced the cheap nasty (and knackered) landlord-quality bath taps with a cheap mixer tap with barakta-friendly handles.  Those Croydex bodge-mixers (https://www.croydex.co.uk/product-7.html) are a false economy.
Did you get yourself one with a proper shower outlet at the same time?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 02 December, 2023, 11:44:38 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 December, 2023, 10:56:25 pm
Quote from: Kim on 02 December, 2023, 08:02:42 pm
Replaced the cheap nasty (and knackered) landlord-quality bath taps with a cheap mixer tap with barakta-friendly handles.  Those Croydex bodge-mixers (https://www.croydex.co.uk/product-7.html) are a false economy.
Did you get yourself one with a proper shower outlet at the same time?

Indeed.  Downward-facing, because that way it won't cause a fountain if there isn't a shower attached.  The bath is the wrong way round, with the tap end floating in space and the non-tap end up against the wall with the Pissy Landlord Electric Shower and associated rail above it.  I've bodged an extra long shower hose to facilitate proper showers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 03 December, 2023, 07:28:00 am
Put up the Xmas lights and deconstructed the crate in which the firewood was delivered.  I might saw up the planks later, if it dries up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 December, 2023, 08:37:43 am
Changed the strings on both guitars, moved some of the trees in smaller pots and slightly tender plants into the greenhouse. It's not heated, but provides a degree of protection from the worst of the cold for things like the olive tree.

Also tweaked the position of the cleats on the new winter boots, tested them out on the turbo yesterday and found that after 90 mins my right knee was sore and shins starting to hurt.  Moved the cleats back more to the midfoot, and changed the angle on the right to get the foot straighter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: alfapete on 03 December, 2023, 08:46:07 am
Scraped and swept the 50m section of the local bike path that travels through trees to clear the accumulation of dead leaves which was making it very narrow and slightly slippery.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 December, 2023, 04:22:08 pm
Finally trimmed the mudguard stays on my trike with new-to-me folding boltcutters. It has been niggling me for way too long.

Fitted an accessory mount to HK’s last unadorned Backroller pannier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 03 December, 2023, 09:44:22 pm
yesterday I was out on the second best bike and the RH shifter cable snapped

So today i replaced that.  It has internal routing so this took some time.  Then I fitted the new mudguards as the old ones (6 years old) have various issues,most recently a large chunk of front mudguard fell off

As you probably appreciate internal routing followed by mudguard fitting is quite taxing but the bike seems to be going well now, so happy ending
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 December, 2023, 07:48:39 am
Partial fettle pending sourcing parts for a Tektro hydraulic brake where the customer's dog had chewed through the hose (not sure what it made of the taste of the fluid?) - and then noticed that one of the gear outers had signs of canine attack.

This is one of the more unusual jobs I've had - same customer had me "upgrade" an old Halfords Carrera entry-level road bike with the latest Ultegra groupset (despite my protestations that it was a waste of money)  Takes all sorts I suppose.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 December, 2023, 08:04:01 am
Back in about 2002-ish I bought a cheap Claud Butler hardtail MTB. Cost £200, so you can see the quality. Five years on it had an LX hub/Mavic rim rear wheel, mainly LX components with XTR M960 dual control levers (the ones that use the brake levers to shift by pushing them up or down rather than having separate thumb shifters). The components cost many times what the bike was worth, even though they were all bought on sale at various times. So it didn't really make financial sense, but the shifters were needed following a thumb injury (couldn't operate a thumb shifter for ages, and couldn't get along with grip shifters even though I tried a couple of different good quality ones), and that bike did me for a 20 mile per day commute and weekly trail ride with colleagues after work for several years. And have taken it to a couple of MTB trail centres.

So the quality of the base machine didn't affect my usage, the components made it work for me - though the front suspension is still rubbish.

It still exists, it still looks ratty, and still gets used 20 years+ after purchase - albeit now as the bike I take on our campervan and am not too worried about leaving chained up in a random town centre when we go exploring.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 04 December, 2023, 02:37:50 pm
@MattH
Any chance of a photo of the shifters? I can't visualise them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 December, 2023, 03:04:48 pm
Here's one from ebay. Left hand lever, you can see where the handlebar would sit with the clamp - it would be top to bottom of the picture, to the left of the shifter, with the bar end at the top of the picture.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BCoAAOSwc9VkUsv6/s-l400.jpg)

To pull the brake, you pull the lever towards the bar as normal (pulling towards the left of the photo).

To change gear, you move the same lever up or down relative to the handlebars (put your fingers under it and flick it up, or fingers on top of it and flick it down). I.e. to change the gears the lever moves up towards the XTR logo, or down away from it, staying the same distance away from the bars. Hope that makes sense.

Once you get used to them, you can brake and change gear at the same time by combining both motions.

These levers were combined with a low normal rear mech - i.e. when the cable is released it moves to the biggest sprocket rather than the smallest as per conventional ones. It means that the same action on each side has the same effect - pushing down on either side puts you in a higher gear.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 04 December, 2023, 05:06:14 pm
Quote from: MattH on 04 December, 2023, 03:04:48 pm
Here's one from ebay. Left hand lever, you can see where the handlebar would sit with the clamp - it would be top to bottom of the picture, to the left of the shifter, with the bar end at the top of the picture.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BCoAAOSwc9VkUsv6/s-l400.jpg)

To pull the brake, you pull the lever towards the bar as normal (pulling towards the left of the photo).

To change gear, you move the same lever up or down relative to the handlebars (put your fingers under it and flick it up, or fingers on top of it and flick it down). I.e. to change the gears the lever moves up towards the XTR logo, or down away from it, staying the same distance away from the bars. Hope that makes sense.

Once you get used to them, you can brake and change gear at the same time by combining both motions.

These levers were combined with a low normal rear mech - i.e. when the cable is released it moves to the biggest sprocket rather than the smallest as per conventional ones. It means that the same action on each side has the same effect - pushing down on either side puts you in a higher gear.

You live and learn!

Thank you for this - never seen these or a low normal rear mech.

Well done!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 December, 2023, 05:18:25 pm
I think they were only made for one or two years as they were almost universally despised, so pretty rare. Not surprising you've not come across them.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 December, 2023, 09:31:21 pm
I can imagine that working a lot better on an USS recumbent than it ever would on a flat-barred bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 04 December, 2023, 09:52:36 pm
It's surprisingly intuitive once you get used to it, just different to the thumb shifters that were universal by then. I'm not sure it'd work as well as the bar end shifters on my trice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 05 December, 2023, 10:11:20 am
replaced a no-name 118mm square taper bb with a 115mm shimano un300 unit on a vintage bike; adjusted front mech and chain catcher accordingly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ravenbait on 05 December, 2023, 12:12:07 pm
Rebuilt Shackleton's rear wheel last night after discovering three bent and very loose spokes when trying to fit a feathertail. Fortunately discovered some spare spokes in the toolbox.

Rear hub feels like it's starting to fail, but is there a flip flop 135mm track hub out there now that On One don't make them any more? No.

Sam
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 11 December, 2023, 08:17:18 pm
Epoxied a guy line tensioner onto Moon Meteor Storm Pro front light so that I can safety strap it to the handlebars[1].

The £90£160 "Audax" bike has had it's new BB and chain installed. A gear fettle later and all is mechanically sound.
I swapped the long stem out for a slightly shorter one and stripped off the alarmingly manky bar tape.

Just new bar tape, mudguards, pedals and an array of lights to fit before it's ready for the road.
Debating a lightweight rack just so I can fit a Cateye Reflex Rack (https://www.cateye.com/intl/products/safety_lights/TL-LD580G/) rear light, so at least some effort has been made with standards.

[1]: I had one fall off on my last trip out. Look to have survived the initial impact with the road but it didn't survive being run over by the 12th vehicle that passed by, the drivers of the previous 11 vehicles having managed to avoid it. I'm not 100% sure whether I'd clipped it into the bracket properly - but I'm not taking any chances with this one.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 December, 2023, 12:30:40 pm
Finally got round to breaking my disc brake bleeding virginity this morning!     Customer's bike had the front hose chewed through by her dog (ditto the nearby rear gear cable outer).

Hose kit with fittings and "universal" bleed kit and a bit of YouTube study - no problem, nice firm braking.


... one question - the syringes in the kit say "single use only" - can't see why provided they're kept clean (in the nice plastic case the bleed kit came in) . . .  or am I missing something?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 12 December, 2023, 12:45:10 pm
Quote from: robgul on 12 December, 2023, 12:30:40 pm
Finally got round to breaking my disc brake bleeding virginity this morning!     Customer's bike had the front hose chewed through by her dog (ditto the nearby rear gear cable outer).

Hose kit with fittings and "universal" bleed kit and a bit of YouTube study - no problem, nice firm braking.


... one question - the syringes in the kit say "single use only" - can't see why provided they're kept clean (in the nice plastic cae the bled kit came in) . . .  or am I missing something?

I wonder if the cheap plastic syringes are not resistant to the brake fluid
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: grams on 12 December, 2023, 01:14:49 pm
A cheap kit will have syringes mass produced for medical use and any labelling will apply to that.

If it's Shimano the fluid isn't corrosive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 December, 2023, 03:17:36 pm
Quote from: grams on 12 December, 2023, 01:14:49 pm
A cheap kit will have syringes mass produced for medical use and any labelling will apply to that.

If it's Shimano the fluid isn't corrosive.

Ah, that makes sense - I have some similar small syringes the doctor gave me for injecting wood glue in very fine joints - they say single use.  It's mineral oil so shouldn't be too corrosive.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 12 December, 2023, 05:26:51 pm
What I've found with syringes is that the ones with a rubber bit on the end of the plunger really don't like oil. The fully plastic ones are fine.

I use them fairly regularly for various oils and fluids on vehicles (brake fluid, chain oilers, plusgas etc.) and happily reuse until they stop working. By preference I always buy the non-rubber ones, which last a nominally long time, but will use the others if it's what I have to hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 12 December, 2023, 05:45:36 pm
I've put together a massive IKEA 5x5 Kallax shelving unit in a non-prescribed manner, but it's up. It's a tad big for the room, but I'll put up with it, as I have a living/kitchen room downstairs.

I'm now toying with the idea of putting something translucent on the back so it really divides the room, but I wouldn't know where to look for something like that 1.85m2.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 12 December, 2023, 06:24:00 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 12 December, 2023, 05:45:36 pm
I've put together a massive IKEA 5x5 Kallax shelving unit in a non-prescribed manner, but it's up. It's a tad big for the room, but I'll put up with it, as I have a living/kitchen room downstairs.

I'm now toying with the idea of putting something translucent on the back so it really divides the room, but I wouldn't know where to look for something like that 1.85m2.

Google "translucent acrylic sheet" and you'll find it in various colours, and large sheets.   I assume that you really mean that it's not 1.85m2 but is 1.85m x 1.85m (which is ~3.4m2)

From recollection with Kallax stuff one of my daughters has you'd need to have 1 sheet of acrylic 2 x 5 "boxes" and 1 sheet 3 x 5 boxes - and screw them to the Kallax boxes with some thin battens to a) hide the join, and b) form a decorative feature.    I would have thought a soft colour with some carefully placed lighting could look pretty good as a room divider.

Another possibility might be to fit the acrylic just to the top 3 rows of 5 boxes and fit a solid board to the bottom 2 rows, making a sort of sideboard effect that could have some of the Kallax inserts - LPs if you're into vinyl, or whatever.

And the final thought would be to mount the whole thing on a plinth about 8cm high, set back slightly from the edges of the bottom row (perhaps painted in a different colour)

Have a look at the IKEA Hacks website - all sorts of wonderful ideas for loads of IKEA furniture.   https://ikeahackers.net/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cygnet on 12 December, 2023, 11:39:04 pm
Metod risers and the associated strips meant for kitchen unit bases work well for a plinth. The drilling for the metod studs suits inches rather than mm IIRC, which seems odd.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 13 December, 2023, 01:23:30 am
Went to the garage to start rebuilding the bike frame.  Well, have to start somewhere so was going to clean the bottom bracket shell threads with a little brake cleaner and then install the drive side cup.  Then clean and regrease the bearings, then finish the assembly.

But then looked at the frame and decided that the frame could do with a wash.  So got the plant sprayer out dampened the frame and got some car shampoo then sprayed the frame down.  Then a dampening of a microfibre cloth and a clean.  Still quite a few marks and ditr in the paint. So deciding if I should try brake cleaner and a cloth.  Tried cleaning with a wet wipe, and didn't work as well as expected.  So next step is either polish, T cut or maybe clay bar to clean the frames paint work.

Or am I still over thinking this.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: pumpkin on 15 December, 2023, 11:20:18 am
Tyre bead failed this am (with a bang) just as I was about to set off for work. So new tyre (faff) and tube. Must admit the bike had been feeling 'odd' recently so the bead must have been failing but died this am. Luckily not on the commute
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 December, 2023, 11:23:39 am
Quote from: pumpkin on 15 December, 2023, 11:20:18 am
Tyre bead failed this am (with a bang) just as I was about to set off for work. So new tyre (faff) and tube. Must admit the bike had been feeling 'odd' recently so the bead must have been failing but died this am. Luckily not on the commute
Tyre bead failed or wheel rim sidewall gave way after brake wear?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 December, 2023, 01:37:33 pm
Dismantled old Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle wheel to cannibalise its spokes, removed cassette, tyre and tube from current Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle wheel.  Discovered that getting b0rked spoke out of hub requires removal of brake rotor.  Hurrah for Torx bolts :thumbsup:  Replace b0rked spoke, tighten quite a lot more unb0rked once lest they undergo a state change.  Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly except with added rolling on the floor poking a screwdriver between the brake pads so as to be able to get the wheel in.

Pumped up the front tyre while I was at it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 December, 2023, 04:23:02 pm
Gave muck on bike a stony look and a good talking-to, ending with mañana.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 15 December, 2023, 05:24:50 pm
I tried fettling a temporary solution to the big gap above the shed door (which is probably because the shed is leaning) using some wooden trim but failed miserably so resorted to stapling some black plastic over the top of the door frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 15 December, 2023, 05:27:04 pm
Having lost the nice Deda stem's rubber cap, while on my cold wet ride on Wednesday, I decided to make another one today.
The bar tape is a cream colour, so instead of the white bathroom silicon (which I happened to have), I decided to use a cream coloured rubbery blob instead.
This meant I had to make a cream coloured mix.
So I found some Humbrol yellow enamel paint, a lolly stick and some cardboard and made a creamy coloured blob.
I then scraped it into place on the stem.
Cut a piece of heavy duty clingfilm, and pulled it over the blob.
This smoothed the surface very satisfyingly.
Not knowing whether the clingfilm would prevent the mix from curing, and whether I would be able to get the clingfilm off the blob once it had set, I removed the clingfilm just a few minutes after having put it there.
This picked up some of the surface, but generally the strategy was a good one.
I smoothed out the furry part of the surface with a finger covered in washing up liquid, then blotted off the excess washing up liquid with a tissue pulled flat with both hands.
Whether or not the cream coloured rubbery blob will cure remains to be seen.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 15 December, 2023, 06:31:15 pm
And replaced the cracked valve cap on the front wheel.  Now I haz matching black ones instead of one black and one yellow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 15 December, 2023, 07:47:45 pm
Quote from: JefO on 15 December, 2023, 05:27:04 pm
Having lost the nice Deda stem's rubber cap...
Whether or not the cream coloured rubbery blob will cure remains to be seen.

The paint and silicon mix has cured/set/gone off really quickly. Pleased with the colour match (I am colourblind though) and whilst it is nowhere near as nice as the original rubber cap, I am chuffed with the job.
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/NVEnq41OF5emNDdVUhf3Yr8O5A4_zgk4BFpZAwwvBsQ-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/pOezRcELK_cEy4A8r3QFEdYmkyZjBGtsyLiepviyDm0-2048x1536.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 16 December, 2023, 08:09:30 am
Ah - the cap is an integral part of your home-made handlebar mounted catapult (the punishment of MMs for the use of), I see.
Good job!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 16 December, 2023, 04:09:07 pm
^^  ;D


Was hoping to finish fettling the cheap audax bike today - but retrieving a dressing gown from the airing cupboard which was unexpectantly moist put paid to that. A condensate hose on the boiler has cracked, leading to a considerable mopping up and drying out effort. Replacement hose has been ordered, as has a set of hose pliers of all types so hopefully that means I can free the remnants of the old hose and fit a replacement without any further dissassembly. That latter of course would involve getting someone who knows what they are doing involved. I'm not touching anything on the Gas side of the boiler.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 December, 2023, 08:12:35 pm
Quote from: Paul on 16 December, 2023, 08:09:30 am
Ah - the cap is an integral part of your home-made handlebar mounted catapult (the punishment of MMs for the use of), I see.
Good job!

LOL, yes guilty. The catapult system doubles as a support for the auxiliary bar which, with the weight of a full water bottle, the garmin and mount and the headlamp, would soon be heading south for the winter otherwise.

In daylight, even with my colour-blindness, I could see the colour mix was way too strong. But it only took 20 minutes from start to finish, to make the cap, so I can soon make another if I want to can be arsed to do anything about it. If I ever need to remove the cap (to get at the stem bolt, or replace the catapult anchor/trigger  ;D ) it will possibly warrant making a new one.

But what are MM's ?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 16 December, 2023, 09:23:07 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 December, 2023, 08:12:35 pm
...But what are MM's ?

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=63751.0
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 16 December, 2023, 10:23:08 pm
Fitted a new chain and mudflap to HK’s orange trike and twiddled the brake adjustment.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 December, 2023, 11:29:32 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 16 December, 2023, 09:23:07 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 December, 2023, 08:12:35 pm
...But what are MM's ?

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=63751.0

Thank you.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 18 December, 2023, 02:17:38 pm
After a filthy ride on Saturday, the old bike was begging for a clean.
It got the full works. Wheels off, undersides of mudguards cleaned.
Chain and Cassette off and cleaned in paraffin / petrol and diesel fuel mix respectively. Derailleurs and jockey wheels cleaned in situ. Chain immersed in oil then left to drip. The chain was wiped dry after re-installation.
Saddle off (to prevent inadvertently soaking it) and top side only applied with Proofide (first ever application).
Had noted some giggety-giggety on the ride, so spent a while getting the indexing right again.
After cleaning the frame and wheels with a wet rag, which I rinsed frequently under the outside tap, then warm water and car wax shampoo, finishing off with a light polishing with MER.
3 hours had somehow disappeared during this event.  ???   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 December, 2023, 02:43:50 pm
^^^made me feel tired just reading it.

I put my spare chain through the 2-stroke -> acetone -> boiling water -> wax bath routine and hung it up to stiffen.  My maintenance prog was telling me to do the one on the bike as well but I did it ~250k ago after it got wet, so it's good for another 200k at least. Updated schedule accordingly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 18 December, 2023, 02:54:11 pm
Yesterday swapped dynowheels between HK's trike, my fixed and the audax tandem, leaving the (probably) worn dynohub on the audax tandem. It is unlikely to do many miles for quite a while yet. Plenty of time to get a disc/ V-brake fork built for HK's trike and for me to build up a thru-axle dynohub for it.

Slopped some Prolink onto my fixed's chain to quiet it until I can clean it properly. Still to fit a new front mudflap.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 18 December, 2023, 07:49:41 pm
Quote from: robgul on 12 December, 2023, 06:24:00 pm
Quote from: CAMRAMan on 12 December, 2023, 05:45:36 pm

Have a look at the IKEA Hacks website - all sorts of wonderful ideas for loads of IKEA furniture.   https://ikeahackers.net/ (https://ikeahackers.net/)
Thanks Rob. In the end, a snazzy shower curtain was a very good fit.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 18 December, 2023, 10:07:15 pm
Cheap audax bike finally has cheap1 bar tape. Hopefully get the pedals and guards on when I find some spare minutes here and there over the next few days.

1: N.B. Not very good; no stretch or give and oddly, when unboxed, both pieces had already been cut so it wasn't quite long enough
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 19 December, 2023, 02:04:47 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 16 December, 2023, 04:09:07 pm
Was hoping to finish fettling the cheap audax bike today - but retrieving a dressing gown from the airing cupboard which was unexpectantly moist put paid to that. A condensate hose on the boiler has cracked, leading to a considerable mopping up and drying out effort.

Replacement hose arrived today, a day early. This was very weclome news.
Opened the airing cupboard to the smell of unburned gas. This was less welcome news.

Wondered whether this was related to the cracked condensate hose.

Old condensate hose removed. Some cleaning ensued. New condensate securely hose fitted. This of course involved a good smattering of assorted swears on account of the difficulty compressing the spring-type hose clips but perseverence prevailed. Shut the airing cupboard door. Tested the heating/hot water. No water leaks. But the cupboard smells of gas again. So that's the central heating turned back off and the gas tap closed.  :hand:

Thankfully a competent person with a Gas Safe certificate should be here later today.

Update 1: Couple of heating engineers arrived late this afternoon and claim to have resolved the leak (they did do a leak test).

Update 2: El cheapo audax bike has pedals and mudguards. Well almost; missing an M8 bolt to secure the rear mudguard to the chainstay bridge. Looks like the only spares in stock at strudel central have deep heads leaving insufficient tyre clearance. Time to get an appropriate bolt ordered, and whilst I'm there perhaps find a lightweight rear rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 December, 2023, 06:57:31 pm
I attempted to take the Euro cylinder out of the garage door so I could measure it properly but didn't quite manage, I didn't really want to send a whole bunch of keys through the hole and twiddling the thumb turn didn't quite do it.
I shall have another go tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 December, 2023, 01:28:24 pm
Lol well that went well. This time I started with the front door which is keyed both sides. Couldn't get it to move at all. So I went back to the garage door which I realised I had not secured properly with the screw yesterday because when I put my key in the cylinder moved. So I faffed about a lot making sure I could get the screw in the right place and then found I couldn't withdraw my key from the slot after locking it so then I had to take the screw out again and fiddle the key appropriately so that when I did screw it back up again it was all in the correct orientation so that I could remove the key once locked.
After all that faff I gave it up again as a bad job for a damp lunchtime.
The one thing I did manage to achieve was to blow some of the graphite dust into the garage door keyhole so at least my key goes in and out a bit more smoothly now.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 December, 2023, 04:27:44 pm
So the nice suspect 531 frame and random forks i have collected were rubbed with ancient t cut from a metal tin and the t cut contents were coloured brownish.  But all the marks are now gone.  So I now worry about the paint being bare and needing a wax coating to not cause a fire like inferno.

Straightened the bobbin shopper forks with an cut off end of a ikea table chip board.  Forks now straighter and no damage to the paint.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 20 December, 2023, 08:27:13 pm
The cubby hole next to my desk, which is where all the cables go to die, has been tidied. About half the cables have been demoted to the garage, the rest have been bagged up and labeled. Looks much better and I know we don't need to get any more USB to Lightning cables for ages, whatever MrsC does to hers (she has form with these).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 21 December, 2023, 09:43:02 pm
Question for the panel:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53412922773_dc3b734fae_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pnVc4B)20230417_220743 (https://flic.kr/p/2pnVc4B) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Are we going to be able to remove this monstrosity ourselves or is it going to weigh a bazillion tons and we should GAMI?
(We'll already need to GAMI to remove the gas pipe that's poking out of the heath and board up the floor and the chimney, I'm just hoping we don't have to remove the back boiler as well)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 21 December, 2023, 10:47:08 pm
The switch in my mothers spare reading light

Found a new switch on that there ebay and soldered on some jumper leads as I killed the old ones getting the dead switch out.

Seems to provide light when given a bulb. Yay

That means the holes in the wall where it mounts won't need to be filled and painted. Also Yay
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 22 December, 2023, 09:50:37 am
Dear Pingu over forty years fitting fireplaces and removing them . Tells me that should be made of reinforced  light weight concrete and tiles . Not that heavy, but is bloody awkward to move . It all depends if you can afford time off work with a strain or bashed fingers .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: canny colin on 22 December, 2023, 10:04:38 am
I now haz superduper brakes , front and rear on the cheap and cheerful  trike  ;D. Still handles like a blinking camel thou .   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 December, 2023, 11:44:49 am
Quote from: canny colin on 22 December, 2023, 09:50:37 am
Dear Pingu over forty years fitting fireplaces and removing them . Tells me that should be made of reinforced  light weight concrete and tiles . Not that heavy, but is bloody awkward to move . It all depends if you can afford time off work with a strain or bashed fingers .

Thanks. After I posted I watched some youtube vids of people taking them off the wall and then trying to bash them to pieces to dispose of them (which based on my dismantling some huge concrete slabs last year I could probably do, but I don't really fancy doing it in the house!). Based on that and your comments I am going to try to GAMI... sounds like a need a builder.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 December, 2023, 02:18:55 pm
Bought and fitted two radiator valves. It's almost like being an adult.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 December, 2023, 04:11:31 pm
The Tree from its resting place in a bucket outside the back door to the required spot on the lounge. Plus added lights. Then our “Christmas” dinner (roast Pork) as we’re visiting family on the day to have overpriced and probably overcooked turkey.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 22 December, 2023, 04:25:18 pm
Organised the nest of wires at the back of my desk by making a shelf under the back edge of the desk and positioning all the socket outlets, plugs, USB cables etc on the said shelf - it all works again - and I liberated about 6 redundant cables (and quite a bit of dust).  Oh, and I created a "charging point" for phone/tablet/Garmin etc.  All the USB ports on the front of the PC are now free of trailing wires - just need to plug a cable in when I need data transfer (e.g. routes to the Garmin)

While I was at it I used the label machine to, err, label all the 13A plugs and their outlets in the distribution blocks so that when I need to change somethng it's simple.

Last job is to switch over the smart switch that turns the whole lot off overnight from a Hive unit to a Tapo one so that I can use the Hive elsewhere.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 December, 2023, 03:05:34 pm
Resurrected the distascope and PVR at Fort Larrington.  Former cannot get a signal if latter is not plugged into a source of voles.  Latter also requires a remote containing
1. flatteries, that
iv: are not bat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 December, 2023, 03:52:04 pm
Put heavy alu foil insoles, cut from a parrot-seed bag, under the normal insoles in my shoes.  Outside is printed on but inside is shiny so that's uppermost. Saw the idea on GCN but foil from seed bag is much heavier than kitchen alu. Tried kitchen alu already and it seems to work but breaks up PDQ.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 23 December, 2023, 03:55:38 pm
Poison.
Poison, poison and more poison.
I have mice in the kitchen.
I put stuff out.
They eat it.
I put more out.
They eat it.
Rinse and repeat.
Gah!
No sign so far of them or their appetites disappearing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 23 December, 2023, 04:05:04 pm
I made a curtain "tie back"

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53416354988_01721c96d6.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2podMkJ)P1030018 (https://flic.kr/p/2podMkJ) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53416623935_deed078bd1.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pofahK)P1030017 (https://flic.kr/p/2pofahK) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 December, 2023, 08:01:57 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 December, 2023, 03:55:38 pm
Poison.
Poison, poison and more poison.
I have mice in the kitchen.
I put stuff out.
They eat it.
I put more out.
They eat it.
Rinse and repeat.
Gah!
No sign so far of them or their appetites disappearing.

Humane traps and a bucket of water.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 24 December, 2023, 08:03:21 am
Quote from: rafletcher on 23 December, 2023, 08:01:57 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 December, 2023, 03:55:38 pm
Poison.
Poison, poison and more poison.
I have mice in the kitchen.
I put stuff out.
They eat it.
I put more out.
They eat it.
Rinse and repeat.
Gah!
No sign so far of them or their appetites disappearing.

Humane traps and a bucket of water.

Here's one I made four years earlier:

(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/170168985.jpg)

The "bridge" is pivoted in the centre and drops the mouse into the bucket; the bit of inner tube brings the bridge back to horizontal.  The brown lumps are peanut butter, and we put a bit of parrot seed in the bottom as an extra enticement, since the wee buggers regularly invaded the birdcage.  We set the mice free a km away from the house.

In the end, though, poison was better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 24 December, 2023, 11:22:16 am
We had an invasion in the garage last year.  My fault, I had left bird seed on the floor and in an open box.  I used peanut butter baited traps.  After 5 or 6 the problem stopped.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 24 December, 2023, 01:45:50 pm
A quick fettle of the gears on the Elan.

The chainwheel is stuck on the outer ring. Clicking down results in no change in chain tension.

I seem to remember 5700 105 10 speed shifters can do this. I'll have a deeper look later and see if I can poke the cable out of the shifter - if so, the tumbler is stuck, rather than the cable. I've got a spare Sora triple shifter in the shed. Although I'm also tempted to go completely old school with friction shifters and another shiny silver Spa chainset. We'll see...

Changed the chain on the fixed bike. Gave it a wash, scrubbed the rim brake tracks and adjusted the brakes. It is such a handsome bike; Sparkly blue metallic paint, a classic polished silver crankset, chain and cog. Held together with svelte steel tubes. Time for a trundle to the shops I think...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 December, 2023, 02:33:19 pm
Trued the front wheel on Miss Marple, the three-speed Raleigh Thing lurking in the garage for the use of carers when the weather warms up, and adjusted the brake to stop it rubbing.

Fort Larrington's hideous grandfather clock had stopped working.  Based on no evidence at all Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) diagnosed a failure of the wossname that the pendulum hangs from and requested the purchase of a soldering iron that it might be fixed.

Inspection of the mechanism of the hideous clock indicated that failure of the wossname would have caused the pendulum to fall off and crash through the floor of the hideous case and that the real cause was the rocking doodah not revolving the big cog that drives the rest of the mechanism due to insufficient clearance 'twixt rocker & cog. 

Jamming my thumb in the mechanism made it work but is not a long-term fix.  Jamming an artfully-squished foil pie dish in the mechanism likewise, because it fell out, but this seems to have bent something enough to make it work again.

It’s still hideous, though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 05:05:08 pm
Removed chain, the recently mangled rear derailleur then the rear shift inner cable. Cleaned the MTB (which has formed a habit eating derailleur hangers), fitted a new derailleur, chain and inner cable (all found lurking in the shed parts store).

Was particularly annoyed, because I wanted to use a new chain tool (bought a few weeks ago, and still unused!) to shorten the new chain to fit the MTB... and the chain was the right length already.  ::-)

 (https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/1PLSuT2YIw_Q3747xGrFmY2JJNqSdd78nHczhvjWaEY-1536x2048.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 24 December, 2023, 05:07:12 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 23 December, 2023, 03:55:38 pm
Poison.
Poison, poison and more poison.
I have mice in the kitchen.
I put stuff out.
They eat it.
I put more out.
They eat it.
Rinse and repeat.
Gah!
No sign so far of them or their appetites disappearing.

Do they have access to anything like chicken food as its some of them have vitamin k added which is the antidote to mouse/rat poison
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 06:38:34 pm
If it is the same as rat poison, then it will only work if the vermin cut themselves. If they are living in your kitchen and they are not cutting themselves on thorns, sharp edges etc., then giving them warfarin will have no effect.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2023, 07:03:56 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 06:38:34 pm
If it is the same as rat poison, then it will only work if the vermin cut themselves. If they are living in your kitchen and they are not cutting themselves on thorns, sharp edges etc., then giving them warfarin will have no effect.
No. Warfarin will also stimulate internal bleeding in rats and mice. Cuts are not required.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2023, 07:23:12 pm
+1. Wounds not required. My mate's dog died after eating rat poison.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 24 December, 2023, 07:24:32 pm
Fitted a thumb cylinder lock (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Y7KRCW5/ref=pe_27063361_485629781_TE_item?th=1) to the front door (augmenting the one on the porch door).

*How to change to one of these locks is fairly straightforward on this video (https://youtu.be/Viw_enVgIfw).

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 December, 2023, 07:28:24 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2023, 07:03:56 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 06:38:34 pm
If it is the same as rat poison, then it will only work if the vermin cut themselves. If they are living in your kitchen and they are not cutting themselves on thorns, sharp edges etc., then giving them warfarin will have no effect.
No. Warfarin will also stimulate internal bleeding in rats and mice. Cuts are not required.

It's one of those orders of magnitude things, isn't it?  Medial doses of warfarin will make you bleed a lot if you cut yourself, but if you took the sort of dose (per unit body mass) that's used to poison rodents, you'd be a hemorrhagic mess in no time.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 09:08:08 pm
So why isn't it working?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2023, 09:44:30 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 09:08:08 pm
So why isn't it working?

Rats have developed resistance to it. Suppose you have a population of 1000 rats, one of which has a mutation that makes them resistant to warfarin (something to do with vitamin K I think). 999 of them will die when exposed to supposedly lethal doses of warfarin. That one* will have offspring that are also resistant to warfarin. You're filtering out the unresistant rats, leaving the resistant ones. Survival of the fittest, as some bloke with a beard called it.

*Made up numbers and you need two left to breed the resistant offspring, but you get the gist.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2023, 09:45:52 pm
Do squirrels hunt mice? Asking for a friend in SE London.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 24 December, 2023, 10:04:23 pm
I'm delighted to advise that this morning when I went into the kitchen, virtually all of the poison I put out last night, was still there.
I topped it up and straightened out the lines.
I left the house at ~ 14:00.
Having returned a short while ago, there is no evidence of the poison having been disturbed.
 :thumbsup:
Another day or two of similar results and I'll be in a position to deploy proofing tactics.
That's my Christmas sorted  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 25 December, 2023, 11:37:29 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 05:05:08 pm
the chain was the right length already.  ::-)

Fecking unreasonable when that happens. I feel your pain.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 December, 2023, 10:00:10 am
Quote from: jsabine on 25 December, 2023, 11:37:29 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 05:05:08 pm
the chain was the right length already.  ::-)

Fecking unreasonable when that happens. I feel your pain.

Hah!  Last year I put a new chain on the eBrute after knocking off 4 links as usual.  Parked outside a pâtisserie, a chappie going in remarked that my chain was too long. Duh??? and he was right.  Turned out that the supplier had given me a 128-link instead my customary 114.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 26 December, 2023, 11:50:55 am
Quote from: T42 on 26 December, 2023, 10:00:10 am
Quote from: jsabine on 25 December, 2023, 11:37:29 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 05:05:08 pm
the chain was the right length already.  ::-)

Fecking unreasonable when that happens. I feel your pain.

Hah!  Last year I put a new chain on the eBrute after knocking off 4 links as usual.  Parked outside a pâtisserie, a chappie going in remarked that my chain was too long. Duh??? and he was right.  Turned out that the supplier had given me a 128-link instead my customary 114.

Now, to add to my frustration, I am getting new chain length envy!  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 December, 2023, 12:53:45 pm
Quote from: T42 on 26 December, 2023, 10:00:10 am
Quote from: jsabine on 25 December, 2023, 11:37:29 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 05:05:08 pm
the chain was the right length already.  ::-)

Fecking unreasonable when that happens. I feel your pain.

Hah!  Last year I put a new chain on the eBrute after knocking off 4 links as usual.  Parked outside a pâtisserie, a chappie going in remarked that my chain was too long. Duh??? and he was right.  Turned out that the supplier had given me a 128-link instead my customary 114.

. . . and here's a tip :  In my workshop I have a couple of panel pins beside each other fairly high up on a studwork wall . .  hang the removed chain on one pin, the new chain on the other . . . instant information on length/links to remove.  [Of course if it's a new cassette etc then the "two big cogs + 2 links rule applies]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 26 December, 2023, 01:52:28 pm
Made a few changes to my "portable benches" I use for woodworking stuff - one is based on a look-a-like workmate and the other uses a pair of the excellent Stanley plastic trestles, both are OSB sheets.  They get used when my in-workshop bench is too small for the job, or if there's not enough room in the workshop . . . open the garage door and set up the bench(es) on the driveway.
A very satisfying Boxing Day morning.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 December, 2023, 06:31:07 pm
Gave the car a wash.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 26 December, 2023, 07:42:24 pm
Quote from: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 26 December, 2023, 06:31:07 pm
Gave the car a wash.
Visiting the zoo?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 26 December, 2023, 07:48:10 pm
It seems to be national wash your car day, or something.

Special points for effort to the person who was taking full advantage of the holiday exodus to park their car on a large area of pavement, and then trail an extension lead across the road in order to use an electric elephant power washer thingy.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 26 December, 2023, 08:50:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 December, 2023, 07:48:10 pm
It seems to be national wash your car day, or something...

Yes - skitey pavements due to car washers letting the water run from their drives  :demon:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 26 December, 2023, 10:55:59 pm
The Fast-Appreciating Future Classic got washed on Friday as part of its service.  That’s twice this year, coz the MOT place in Hastings washed it less than a month ago :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 27 December, 2023, 10:10:30 am
Quote from: Pingu on 26 December, 2023, 08:50:16 pm
Quote from: Kim on 26 December, 2023, 07:48:10 pm
It seems to be national wash your car day, or something...

Yes - skitey pavements due to car washers letting the water run from their drives  :demon:

It’s not been washed since September.

To keep the drive clean, I wash the car on the road. Due to being Boxing Day there was nil traffic. I do not use a power washer, basic hose, bucket and sponge does the job.

Today the road is very wet indeeeed due to a visitation from Storm Gerrit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 December, 2023, 11:31:57 am
Updated the sat nav maps in my car navigation system after discovering the actual and indicated speed limits ‘twixt Kempton Park and Kingston upon Thames were somewhat mismatched (I know, I should use CarPlay and Google Maps or Waze - and as my wife was with me it would be simple as we don’t have the radio or music on when together).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 December, 2023, 03:20:18 pm
Put the recently acquired label printer to good use to label up my scalpel handles to identify the type of blade found at the business end, which is ordinarily buried by the closed-cell foam in which they live.
I know I should get out more, but it is particularly poxy outdoors at the moment.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53424316026_c6f51bf538_4k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2poVzT1) (https://flic.kr/p/2poVzT1)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

I must confess to having preferred the colour-coded miniature Grab-on (anyone remember those?) sleeves (Internal Ø of around 8mm) which adorned them previously - but as they were ~20yo they were rapidly converting themselves to powder.
After all who, in a moment of crisis, wants to be plucking the wrong sort of blade for the job at hand.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 December, 2023, 03:39:48 pm
@Jurek What do you do with them then?

This afternoon Pingu and I shoved me up in the loft where I:
Found my old clarinet for passing on to some needy youth
Shoved a pile of CDs in the cd storage box
Got some more bits of random wood down for Pingu to make into garage shelves
Got the box from Pingu's work down so he can get rid of the contents
Got some coffee table type books down to go to Oxfam
Was pleasantly surprised by the tidy looking job of the inverter and battery from the PV install
Inspected the water tank in the corner and found it empty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 27 December, 2023, 03:49:58 pm
I'm laid up with some lurgi or other, keeping me in close proximity to the khazi. This hasn't stopped The Girl sending me pictures of the Gorgeous Grandchildren on their new trikes.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV85tHUqvJ-DVCELgUbL6A_g1qmm4QwBTtrHkmCaoZ48qKzx_9A2_JWQTG0Gvm3momhemOO9nXNHxxhYG68Iq4DnBZbIwljGY0gW4Su7SIleFJa2Frq-8=w600)

Gorgeous Grandson doing his first bit of fettling, unprompted by anyone else. Leaves were caught between the wheel and frame, but not for long. Wonder-dog on guard duty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 December, 2023, 04:01:02 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 27 December, 2023, 03:39:48 pm
@Jurek What do you do with them then?



Amongst other things, I make these:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51301328709_e7a7a6bb00_4k.jpg) (http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/2majHHp) (https://flic.kr/p/2majHHp)  (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurekb/)

The choice of blades and handles is critical to the removal of unwanted silicone.
Other (often home-made) tools are deployed in this quest.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 December, 2023, 04:08:29 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 December, 2023, 03:49:58 pm
I'm laid up with some lurgi or other, keeping me in close proximity to the khazi. This hasn't stopped The Girl sending me pictures of the Gorgeous Grandchildren on their new trikes.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV85tHUqvJ-DVCELgUbL6A_g1qmm4QwBTtrHkmCaoZ48qKzx_9A2_JWQTG0Gvm3momhemOO9nXNHxxhYG68Iq4DnBZbIwljGY0gW4Su7SIleFJa2Frq-8=w600)

Gorgeous Grandson doing his first bit of fettling, unprompted by anyone else. Leaves were caught between the wheel and frame, but not for long. Wonder-dog on guard duty.
I have similar images from my niece of her youngest, to whom I am Great Uncle ( I figured the title needed upper case) who, on xmas day, was a recipient of his first two wheeled bike that has pedals. Six months of balance bike have certainly proved their worth.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 27 December, 2023, 04:53:07 pm
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 December, 2023, 04:55:08 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 27 December, 2023, 03:20:18 pm
I must confess to having preferred the colour-coded miniature Grab-on (anyone remember those?) sleeves (Internal Ø of around 8mm) which adorned them previously - but as they were ~20yo they were rapidly converting themselves to powder.

Still have a couple of sets – one on Depravo the Road Rat and one on the Ken Rogers barrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: peterc on 27 December, 2023, 05:10:48 pm
The loo, between the u bend and the MSP, access required taking everything apart.

I 'spose that does mean I can now fit a loo if ever needed.

I'm reasonably sure I found the issue though I'm blown if I know what it was, possibly a pot of greek yoghart left too long in the fridge then chucked

Not the nicest of jobs but needs must
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 December, 2023, 05:22:13 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 27 December, 2023, 04:53:07 pm
:thumbsup:
Ta.
I've made about 8 of these.
The first one I made was around 25 years ago, for my Mum.
It remains watertight.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 27 December, 2023, 06:23:17 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 27 December, 2023, 05:22:13 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 27 December, 2023, 04:53:07 pm
:thumbsup:
Ta.
I've made about 8 of these.
The first one I made was around 25 years ago, for my Mum.
It remains watertight.

LOL - silly me, I assumed you were making silk flowers.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: IanDG on 27 December, 2023, 06:52:51 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2023, 07:03:56 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 06:38:34 pm
If it is the same as rat poison, then it will only work if the vermin cut themselves. If they are living in your kitchen and they are not cutting themselves on thorns, sharp edges etc., then giving them warfarin will have no effect.
No. Warfarin will also stimulate internal bleeding in rats and mice. Cuts are not required.

Warfarin is a vitamin K antagonist. Vitamin K is needed to synthesise certain clotting factors so warfarin acts as an anti-coagulant. Patients who take warfarin are monitored regularly. If the time it takes for a clot o form is too long they are at risk of spontaneous bleeding and treatment is needed to prevent this (stop taking warfarin, give a vitamin K (or clotting factor) injection.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 28 December, 2023, 10:58:39 am
During breakfast was informed by Mrs JefO that the not very old and quite expensive Rotary Washing Line (RWL) has "gone a bit precarious". Her diagnosis, "it looks like it has rusted through".
So verified Her diagnosis as spot on, and found that the (tree) trunk of the RWL had sheared off 3 inches below the concrete surface. The top of the washing line is in mint condition still, so to throw that away for damage at the root would be extremely wasteful.
Had a go at removing the bit that is still in the concrete and soon gave up.
Put a broom handle down the hole (through the old tube) to test the centre was clear. All good. Considered using the broom handle to support the RWL internally, but decided it would rot through and become difficult to remove from the ground.
Looked in my shed for a suitable plastic/aluminium/steel/carbon tube/shaft to insert in the hole... found an old vacuum cleaner metal tube, but that was just too big.
Had a look in the garage, where lots of Dad's engineering paraphernalia was stored last year when my parents' property had to be sold.
Found some Ertacetal C rod of 32mm diameter and half a metre length. Certainly strong enough, just needed the diameter increasing to match the two diameters in the ground and the internal diameter of the RWL trunk.
"Power Tape" was found (also originally from Dad's shed) which was then applied around the rod at 4 points along the length - carefully checking to ensure the inner diameters at the relative locations were not exceeded.
Inserted the Ertacetal rod into the ground and lowered the RWL onto it.
The rotary washing line is no longer "precarious" and should not be bothered by the fact that the original tubing is sheared 3" below ground level.  I have earned a coffee now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: offcumden on 28 December, 2023, 11:03:52 am
Quote from: JefO on 28 December, 2023, 10:58:39 am

The rotary washing line is no longer "precarious" and should not be bothered by the fact that the original tubing is sheared 3" below ground level.  I have earned a coffee now!

Well done. Job's a good'un!

All you need now is for it to stop raining!?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 December, 2023, 11:37:40 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 27 December, 2023, 03:49:58 pm
I'm laid up with some lurgi or other, keeping me in close proximity to the khazi. This hasn't stopped The Girl sending me pictures of the Gorgeous Grandchildren on their new trikes.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV85tHUqvJ-DVCELgUbL6A_g1qmm4QwBTtrHkmCaoZ48qKzx_9A2_JWQTG0Gvm3momhemOO9nXNHxxhYG68Iq4DnBZbIwljGY0gW4Su7SIleFJa2Frq-8=w600)

Gorgeous Grandson doing his first bit of fettling, unprompted by anyone else. Leaves were caught between the wheel and frame, but not for long. Wonder-dog on guard duty.
Unprompted and correct fettling in one so young.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 28 December, 2023, 12:25:04 pm
Quote from: offcumden on 28 December, 2023, 11:03:52 am
Quote from: JefO on 28 December, 2023, 10:58:39 am

The rotary washing line is no longer "precarious" and should not be bothered by the fact that the original tubing is sheared 3" below ground level.  I have earned a coffee now!

Well done. Job's a good'un!

All you need now is for it to stop raining!?

LOL - washing is out there now, but no rain here (S E Essex) yet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 28 December, 2023, 12:51:10 pm
Quote from: IanDG on 27 December, 2023, 06:52:51 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 24 December, 2023, 07:03:56 pm
Quote from: JefO on 24 December, 2023, 06:38:34 pm
If it is the same as rat poison, then it will only work if the vermin cut themselves. If they are living in your kitchen and they are not cutting themselves on thorns, sharp edges etc., then giving them warfarin will have no effect.
No. Warfarin will also stimulate internal bleeding in rats and mice. Cuts are not required.

Warfarin is a vitamin K antagonist. Vitamin K is needed to synthesise certain clotting factors so warfarin acts as an anti-coagulant. Patients who take warfarin are monitored regularly. If the time it takes for a clot o form is too long they are at risk of spontaneous bleeding and treatment is needed to prevent this (stop taking warfarin, give a vitamin K (or clotting factor) injection.

As a former Warfarin-taker I can confirm first-hand the bleeding (and bruising) issues as well as the frequent need for INR checks and dosage adjustments - seems that the anti-coag med of choice is now Edoxaban which somehow works differently and does not require tests and dosage adjustments.  I was told that Edoxaban is just two sizes for big or small people - I'm on big!  Cuts still take while to stop, but seem to be faster than when taking Warfarin.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 28 December, 2023, 08:17:24 pm
removed the defunct old, and mounted the new (funct?) PIR light on the front of the house.  Easy enough, but needs a bit of bracket jibbling to get it to illimunate the drive as I (SWMBO) would prefer.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 December, 2023, 08:39:22 am
Quote from: ElyDave on 28 December, 2023, 08:17:24 pm
removed the defunct old, and mounted the new (funct?) PIR light on the front of the house.  Easy enough, but needs a bit of bracket jibbling to get it to illimunate the drive as I (SWMBO) would prefer.

The one across the road from us needs a bit of a jibble: it goes on every time a car goes past.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 29 December, 2023, 04:15:23 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 22 December, 2023, 11:44:49 am
Quote from: canny colin on 22 December, 2023, 09:50:37 am
Dear Pingu over forty years fitting fireplaces and removing them . Tells me that should be made of reinforced  light weight concrete and tiles . Not that heavy, but is bloody awkward to move . It all depends if you can afford time off work with a strain or bashed fingers .

Thanks. After I posted I watched some youtube vids of people taking them off the wall and then trying to bash them to pieces to dispose of them (which based on my dismantling some huge concrete slabs last year I could probably do, but I don't really fancy doing it in the house!). Based on that and your comments I am going to try to GAMI... sounds like a need a builder.

We took ours out ourselves. It was quite trivial. Broke most of it up with a SDS drill and a chisel bit. The back section had some rebar in it which I cut through with a reciprocating saw. Probably would have been quicker with a grinder but reciprocating saw made less mess.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 29 December, 2023, 04:26:47 pm
Quest Audax (aka the cheap £90 £160 £210 Audax bike) is finished. Well almost...

(https://cdn.biscuit.ninja/img/random/QuestAudax.jpg)

... apologies for the terrible bar tape job. Really struggled with that tape. It doesn't seem to stretch or give where it needs to and the adhesive can best be described as tacky rather than sticky.
And it could do with a longer front mudflap, of course.

Recent changes include the re-fitting of the mudgards, BS compliant reflectors in all the mandate places and wheels, and the addition of the rack just so I could mount the Cateye Reflex Rack rear light (as that's STVZO compliant but the non-rack version for some reason is not!).

Any hints on getting that front mudguard adjusted so that the front section doesn't rub on the tyre? With all the fettling in the world, it just does not want to comply and keeps twisting so that the drive side front is rubbing the tyre. I've fettled the stays to the point where they guards are rubbing in other places. I've tried bending the stays too. The brakes are not making contact with the guard when applied. I'm guessing due to unsympathetic storage (they weren't on the bike when I bought it but were provided separately) that guard may be foo barred. Any tricks for bringing it back? Heat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 30 December, 2023, 04:12:05 pm
Finally managed to get my CGM to display on my bike Garmin, nt quite got it to work on my watch yet.

Only required about three hours of research, a spare Android phone, three different apps, a custom dowloaded data field and a bit fo fiddling, but as I sit here I can see my levels on one of my data screens, which is pretty cool really.

Now need to get a permanent phone, I've been resisting for about the last 15 years, but my employers has their phones so tightly nailed down it's almost inevitable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 30 December, 2023, 10:00:04 pm
Cleaned the 1930s clubman, after waiting for a gap in the fecking shite weather.  It started raining again halfway through.  Bike now indoors and dry, ready for new cranks, cables, bars and stem.  Unfortunately BB is graunchy and did not survive last winter's floods.  The only one of suitable length I can get before work on Tuesday is a £10 Halfords (actually Feimin) unit.  I bet I destroy it before spring.  My record is 70 miles for a BB-UN53.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 31 December, 2023, 12:13:10 pm
Shower hasn't been draining well last few days, nor has bog been emptying quickly. Popped out in rain to open shared sewer manhole cover and check for blockage.

Sure enough, the chamber was half full, but not of the usual collection of grey-brown fetid water, papier machéd toilet paper and surprisingly orange turds, but relatively clear water. Thanks rain deluge  :thumbsup:

So a trip to the shed to get the rods, one eyebrow slightly raised in anticipation at the thought of my least favourite maintenance task about to be rendered highly satisfying though lack of apparent turdage. Cleaning the rods should be easier too.

Two rods should to do it. Usually does. Satisfaction in economy of action. I could do this for a living.  In went the plunger. Easily located the exit pipe in the clarity of spring-like water, instead of the usual blind probing in crepuscular faecal murk. And back and forth I went, carefully turning the rods clockwise to avoid the unthinkable horror of anything unscrewing in the pipe, out of reach, and the humiliating cap-in-hand phone call to Maurice the Shitman to come and save me,  the actual pro, having to admit that I had, for a moment, deceived myself into thinking he was dispensable.

But nothing. Not even a gurgle, backwash, or movement of water. Odd.

Cue more frenetic backwards and forwards. Nothing. Added a third rod, pushed the plunger deeper into the 6" sewer pipe, allowing a greater range of motion. Then a fourth. Never gone this deep. Out of my comfort zone.

Nothing.

One more push-pull, a barely perceptible gurgle, then a sudden almighty suction threatened to pull the entire length of rods through my hands and slip off down into the pipe forever, like a fleeing black eel.

I brace my foot against the edge of the chamber, lean back and put all my energy into wrestling the escaping rod, its back arching and thrashing. Slight panic is replaced with full terror as I realise I am in mortal peril. I scream for help, like an offshore fisherman caught unawares by unexpectedly hooking a huge shark on his rod. Nobody comes.

The sky has turned darker. I hear thunder as the bolts of rain smash painfully into my eyes. My life flashes before me, as my strength saps. A small boy, running amidst haybales in the hot summer of 76. My first car. Catching my son in the birthing pool as he flies out of his mum's minge like a greased weasel. A commuter race against arch-enemy, Captain Bellend..

And then, I fall backwards as the plunger flap is freed from the hole with a resounding 'thwop'. And the roar of water being sucked through the guts of the sewerage system deafens me from my own whimpers of relief, exhaustion, mixed with jubilation for I have emerged the victor in an existential battle.

Time for a nice cup of tea and a mini-roll. I've earned it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 31 December, 2023, 12:24:00 pm
We need a poop emoji.

Well done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 December, 2023, 12:28:35 pm
Lovely. I do like a good shaggy turd story.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 01 January, 2024, 09:18:14 am
Fettled the big cat's fur, which has had mats in it since the summer.  He absolutely hates being brushed but they are now out.  I only got mildly savaged.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 01 January, 2024, 12:16:28 pm
This so nearly ended up in the I'm such a div thread. Stayed away for a few days at a slightly ropey airbnb. Lots of lights didn't work properly among other problems.

The one above the kitchen table looked cool as was old jars but of 5 bulbs one worked. Cooked pizzas one night. As lots of us couldn't do all at once so kept bringing over, slid one onto the choping board on table and to keep really hot tray away from kids lifted high and swung over heads.....smacking the lights in the process. To my amazement they didn't break or fall down and in fact one of the extra bulbs started working. So I fettled a broken light with a tray
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: diapsaon0 on 01 January, 2024, 12:21:56 pm
Quote from: Hot Flatus on 31 December, 2023, 12:13:10 pm
Shower hasn't been draining well last few days, nor has bog been emptying quickly. Popped out in rain to open shared sewer manhole cover and check for blockage.

Sure enough, the chamber was half full, but not of the usual collection of grey-brown fetid water, papier machéd toilet paper and surprisingly orange turds, but relatively clear water. Thanks rain deluge  :thumbsup:

So a trip to the shed to get the rods, one eyebrow slightly raised in anticipation at the thought of my least favourite maintenance task about to be rendered highly satisfying though lack of apparent turdage. Cleaning the rods should be easier too.

Two rods should to do it. Usually does. Satisfaction in economy of action. I could do this for a living.  In went the plunger. Easily located the exit pipe in the clarity of spring-like water, instead of the usual blind probing in crepuscular faecal murk. And back and forth I went, carefully turning the rods clockwise to avoid the unthinkable horror of anything unscrewing in the pipe, out of reach, and the humiliating cap-in-hand phone call to Maurice the Shitman to come and save me,  the actual pro, having to admit that I had, for a moment, deceived myself into thinking he was dispensable.

But nothing. Not even a gurgle, backwash, or movement of water. Odd.

Cue more frenetic backwards and forwards. Nothing. Added a third rod, pushed the plunger deeper into the 6" sewer pipe, allowing a greater range of motion. Then a fourth. Never gone this deep. Out of my comfort zone.

Nothing.

One more push-pull, a barely perceptible gurgle, then a sudden almighty suction threatened to pull the entire length of rods through my hands and slip off down into the pipe forever, like a fleeing black eel.

I brace my foot against the edge of the chamber, lean back and put all my energy into wrestling the escaping rod, its back arching and thrashing. Slight panic is replaced with full terror as I realise I am in mortal peril. I scream for help, like an offshore fisherman caught unawares by unexpectedly hooking a huge shark on his rod. Nobody comes.

The sky has turned darker. I hear thunder as the bolts of rain smash painfully into my eyes. My life flashes before me, as my strength saps. A small boy, running amidst haybales in the hot summer of 76. My first car. Catching my son in the birthing pool as he flies out of his mum's minge like a greased weasel. A commuter race against arch-enemy, Captain Bellend..

And then, I fall backwards as the plunger flap is freed from the hole with a resounding 'thwop'. And the roar of water being sucked through the guts of the sewerage system deafens me from my own whimpers of relief, exhaustion, mixed with jubilation for I have emerged the victor in an existential battle.

Time for a nice cup of tea and a mini-roll. I've earned it.



YOU MUST BE FLUSHED WITH SUCCESS, OLD BOY!!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 01 January, 2024, 03:44:45 pm
Fitted a new chain and cassette to HK’s Kinesis. Replaced a slow flat on HK’s orange trike after flintmining and cut-gluing the tyre. It will need some new tyres within the next month.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 January, 2024, 05:22:52 pm
Looked at the mess the bike is in, as if someone had dropped it into a bog and pulled it out again, and retired to the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 01 January, 2024, 05:30:53 pm
Replaced the brake cables and front 'V' brake pads on the hack/towing bike. Being able to slow or stop is important when towing loaded trailers/canoe...  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 January, 2024, 07:03:32 pm
Quote from: T42 on 01 January, 2024, 05:22:52 pm
Looked at the mess the bike is in, as if someone had dropped it into a bog and pulled it out again, and retired to the house.

Somewhere, in one of the Tan Hill threads, I put a bit too much trust in the Ordnance Survey and ended up doing just that with my Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle.  Surprisingly, it came out a lot cleaner than it went in.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 01 January, 2024, 07:57:44 pm
 a bit more jibbling of settings on phone, Garmin watch and Edge. Seem to be able to display CGM data on at least one device whilst cycling which is a great step forward vs having to pull my phone or pump out of a pocket periodically either when stopped or trying to do it whilst riding.

Have adopted a decent spec spare phone we had in the house for the purpose. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 January, 2024, 08:27:56 pm
Quote from: T42 on 01 January, 2024, 05:22:52 pm
Looked at the mess the bike is in, as if someone had dropped it into a bog and pulled it out again, and retired to the house.
Sounds like an appropriate response.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 01 January, 2024, 11:03:29 pm
Rebuilt the front wheel of my Brompton with a black Ryde Andra rim and black spokes. The emerging theme of the bike really. Re-used the dynohub (obviously). Need to do the back (SA 3-speed) with the matching rim, but need the bike for work tomorrow.

Front rim was down to 1mm when I measured it, so about time I did it really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 02 January, 2024, 01:36:19 pm
The MTB Hanger saga continues...
3 new hangers and screws arrived this morning.
Removed hanger from the bike, to access the original screw (countersunk T25).
Measured the head diameter. 0.2925"
Ground down the heads of the countersunk Allen screws supplied with the hangers until they were 0.2925"
Tried to fit a new hanger and a new screw. Insufficient thread emerged through the frame to fit the hanger properly.
Found a suitable drill bit (7.5mm = 0.2955") and alternately trial fitted and drilled the hole deeper and deeper, until just enough thread was emerging. Drilling was not easy, because there is no room for an electric drill (man enough to drill a 7.5mm hole in aluminium) between the rear forks. Small Pincers were used to grip the shaft of the bit.
Initial set up indications are good. Indexing is working well again (just like it was before the last episode of hanger breaking, while on a ride with Jiberjaber OTP). A ride with Gina tomorrow should test it! 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 02 January, 2024, 03:58:28 pm
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 02 January, 2024, 05:21:49 pm
Reshaped a garnet ring which Mrs JefO could not wear because the hole was D shaped. It used to be her Mum's and she had odd shaped fingers!

Made a cardboard "26" template for the forthcoming waste / recycling / refuse wheelie bins.

Interesting noises coming from stuff blowing around the neighbourhood while I was fettling a taper for the ring in the garage. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 02 January, 2024, 06:20:14 pm
Quote from: Hot Flatus on 31 December, 2023, 12:13:10 pm
Shower hasn't been draining well last few days, nor has bog been emptying quickly. Popped out in rain to open shared sewer manhole cover and check for blockage.

Sure enough, the chamber was half full, but not of the usual collection of grey-brown fetid water, papier machéd toilet paper and surprisingly orange turds, but relatively clear water. Thanks rain deluge  :thumbsup:

So a trip to the shed to get the rods, one eyebrow slightly raised in anticipation at the thought of my least favourite maintenance task about to be rendered highly satisfying though lack of apparent turdage. Cleaning the rods should be easier too.

Two rods should to do it. Usually does. Satisfaction in economy of action. I could do this for a living.  In went the plunger. Easily located the exit pipe in the clarity of spring-like water, instead of the usual blind probing in crepuscular faecal murk. And back and forth I went, carefully turning the rods clockwise to avoid the unthinkable horror of anything unscrewing in the pipe, out of reach, and the humiliating cap-in-hand phone call to Maurice the Shitman to come and save me,  the actual pro, having to admit that I had, for a moment, deceived myself into thinking he was dispensable.

But nothing. Not even a gurgle, backwash, or movement of water. Odd.

Cue more frenetic backwards and forwards. Nothing. Added a third rod, pushed the plunger deeper into the 6" sewer pipe, allowing a greater range of motion. Then a fourth. Never gone this deep. Out of my comfort zone.

Nothing.

One more push-pull, a barely perceptible gurgle, then a sudden almighty suction threatened to pull the entire length of rods through my hands and slip off down into the pipe forever, like a fleeing black eel.

I brace my foot against the edge of the chamber, lean back and put all my energy into wrestling the escaping rod, its back arching and thrashing. Slight panic is replaced with full terror as I realise I am in mortal peril. I scream for help, like an offshore fisherman caught unawares by unexpectedly hooking a huge shark on his rod. Nobody comes.

The sky has turned darker. I hear thunder as the bolts of rain smash painfully into my eyes. My life flashes before me, as my strength saps. A small boy, running amidst haybales in the hot summer of 76. My first car. Catching my son in the birthing pool as he flies out of his mum's minge like a greased weasel. A commuter race against arch-enemy, Captain Bellend..

And then, I fall backwards as the plunger flap is freed from the hole with a resounding 'thwop'. And the roar of water being sucked through the guts of the sewerage system deafens me from my own whimpers of relief, exhaustion, mixed with jubilation for I have emerged the victor in an existential battle.

Time for a nice cup of tea and a mini-roll. I've earned it.
The best fettling story of the year. Writing worthy of a Booker prize, or at least a Xitter.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 January, 2024, 09:55:13 pm
I fettled some peeling paint ready for some Peel Stop and maybe a bit of filler
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53438615498_abdf0b5307_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pqbSBC)20240102_153617-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pqbSBC) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53438615493_9c07c5c511_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pqbSBx)20240102_153553-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pqbSBx) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 02 January, 2024, 10:05:10 pm
Removed cable 105 11sp disc group from gravel bike. Fitted new di2 105 12sp disc groupset. Gears all set up.

Cable  STIs are still on, the new wireless ones will go on tomorrow, and disc calipers swapped.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 03 January, 2024, 05:34:20 pm
Mentioned the garnet ring straightening operation I fettled yestebobs to my Wednesday riding buddy, and she asked me to straighten her wedding ring, so did that for her, in exchange for use of her hanger alignment tool!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Flite on 03 January, 2024, 08:36:18 pm
Quote
Peel Stop
Have you used this before?
We have some areas of wall with serious flaking/powdering problems.
Thanks
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 03 January, 2024, 08:55:49 pm
Moved all the parts from the bike with the cracked frame to a frame that is the right size for my nephew.  New cables are fitted, the brakes are the wrong type so they are new too

Just need to add some mudguards and ship it to Luton
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2024, 09:13:06 pm
Quote from: Flite on 03 January, 2024, 08:36:18 pm
Quote
Peel Stop
Have you used this before?
We have some areas of wall with serious flaking/powdering problems.
Thanks

I have not, but I spent my last morning at work before Xmas reading this proper posh decorators X feed https://x.com/TheOfficialGRB?t=cn3AAWs3oLQPO6t1tzT6pg&s=09
If you do a search on his feed for Peel Stop you will see several posts where he shows where and how he is using it.
Also check out his beautiful cornice stripping work, a real craftsman.

Anyway. I used a scraper to remove the worst of the peeling bits and then went over the area with sandpaper before washing with sugar soap (which I have also found out is basically my favourite thing, washing soda crystals).
Today I worked the peel stop into the affected area and I will then go over it with some fine surface filler.

If you've got large areas I think you can apply it with a roller once you've got the worst of the loose stuff off.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 03 January, 2024, 09:54:38 pm
Last week I fashioned myself a dough sling. Not convinced the dough is not going to slide off the edges before it gets in the Dutch oven, but I'll find out tomorrow.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53440710936_3f0232577d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pqnBvS)PXL_20240103_213712007 (https://flic.kr/p/2pqnBvS) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 04 January, 2024, 12:42:38 pm
Sprayed the garden waste, food waste and glass waste bins with red / gold 26 as appropriate to contrast the bin's colour. Should make the game of "guess where the bins have been thrown" a little easier.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 January, 2024, 02:51:49 pm
"Fettled" this:

(https://i.ibb.co/2ykJCkb/boardman-wheel-1jan24.jpg)

.. . into a rim and separate hub (I did start out with a spoke key but after about 4 spokes resorted to the bolt croppers as the spokes aren't very good quality)

It's the rear wheel from my <2 year old Boardman ADV8.9e e-bike - having covered only 2,098 miles - all on road.   I'm in "discussion" with Boardman.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 04 January, 2024, 03:06:45 pm
Sorted out the intermittent fault on the wiring connection to the B & M Secula dynamo
on my Spa Audax bike. The connectors in the light were a bit rusty, but I have managed to
clean them up and make the contacts secure. I have some spare wiring/connectors in
my spares box and as a precaution, I have ordered a spare light (just in case I'll need it).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 04 January, 2024, 04:04:55 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 January, 2024, 02:51:49 pm
"Fettled" this:

(https://i.ibb.co/2ykJCkb/boardman-wheel-1jan24.jpg)

.. . into a rim and separate hub (I did start out with a spoke key but after about 4 spokes resorted to the bolt croppers as the spokes aren't very good quality)

It's the rear wheel from my <2 year old Boardman ADV8.9e e-bike - having covered only 2,098 miles - all on road.   I'm in "discussion" with Boardman.

What weight is the bike rated at?
My Scott CX10 never got to that stage, but I could see the nipple beds as bumps in the rim surface, so put a DT Swiss rim on it instead. The total weight rating was 120kg with the original wheels. My bike lasted 4years before needing attention, and had done 4100miles. Needless to say the DT Swiss rim has a greater load bearing capability, I was delighted that it is also lighter than the Scott OE was.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 04 January, 2024, 04:17:03 pm
There's no weight rating in the spec from Boardman - I'm about 88-90kg and tall (XL frame) so not outrageous.

What is unusual with these wheels is that they are significantly offset - that's both the extruded shape of the rim and all the spokes are off to one side . . .  that seems to be not good design to me for stress etc.

I'm awaiting a reply . . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 04 January, 2024, 04:33:46 pm
Rims often have a max spoke tension that is too low to build a usable wheel, once you allow for dish.  A Shimano 11sp road hub has a ludicrous 2.22 tension ratio, meaning about 170kgf on the drive side if you don't want the left side to go slack at the bottom.

I tend to ignore it and look at the type of rim when deciding whether it can take the tension.  Weak rims are ok for symmetric wheels (fixies and most hub gears), where 80kgf might be sufficient.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 04 January, 2024, 04:40:07 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 January, 2024, 04:17:03 pm
There's no weight rating in the spec from Boardman - I'm about 88-90kg and tall (XL frame) so not outrageous.

What is unusual with these wheels is that they are significantly offset - that's both the extruded shape of the rim and all the spokes are off to one side . . .  that seems to be not good design to me for stress etc.

I'm awaiting a reply . . . .

It is strange that there is no mention of maximum all up weight, wheel makers normally specify this, to protect themselves.

However, the Boardman 1 year parts and components guarantee, probably prevents successful claims, as the rims will probably not fail within a year for 99.9% of riders.

For an e-bike wheel, the build doesn't look like it is particularly beefy. Are the spokes straight 14g (ie not butted)? 

Regarding the stresses in a wheel built with an asymmetric rim, the spoke tensions are likely to be closer to equal on drive side and non-drive side, than on a symmetrical rim... as long as the rim has been fitted the correct way round!

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 January, 2024, 04:44:48 pm
Two hours brushing the crud off the eBrute, washing it and swapping out the chain against tomorrow's ride.

Cue for Météo France to schedule a shower for tomorrow morning. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 04 January, 2024, 05:03:57 pm
Quote from: De Sisti on 04 January, 2024, 03:06:45 pm
Sorted out the intermittent fault on the wiring connection to the B & M Secula dynamo
on my Spa Audax bike. The connectors in the light were a bit rusty, but I have managed to
clean them up and make the contacts secure. I have some spare wiring/connectors in
my spares box and as a precaution, I have ordered a spare light (just in case I'll need it).

Probably a good place to use some electrical contact grease against further moisture ingress.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 05 January, 2024, 08:09:39 am
Quote from: JefO on 04 January, 2024, 04:40:07 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 January, 2024, 04:17:03 pm
There's no weight rating in the spec from Boardman - I'm about 88-90kg and tall (XL frame) so not outrageous.

What is unusual with these wheels is that they are significantly offset - that's both the extruded shape of the rim and all the spokes are off to one side . . .  that seems to be not good design to me for stress etc.

I'm awaiting a reply . . . .

It is strange that there is no mention of maximum all up weight, wheel makers normally specify this, to protect themselves.

However, the Boardman 1 year parts and components guarantee, probably prevents successful claims, as the rims will probably not fail within a year for 99.9% of riders.

For an e-bike wheel, the build doesn't look like it is particularly beefy. Are the spokes straight 14g (ie not butted)? 

Regarding the stresses in a wheel built with an asymmetric rim, the spoke tensions are likely to be closer to equal on drive side and non-drive side, than on a symmetrical rim... as long as the rim has been fitted the correct way round!

Spokes are (were!) straight - horrible black powder coated things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 January, 2024, 10:05:27 am
Currently changing rear brake blocks on the eBrute: right one's fine, but in the left cartridge shoe the damned little Allen screw isn't budging and hole's on the point or rounding out.  Fortunately I have a spare caliper in the cupboard with new blocks in it so I'll swap out the complete cartridge pair and work on the recalcitrant one another time (e.g. never).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 January, 2024, 10:07:48 am
I got round that problem once by filing some flats on the head of the tiny allen screw then applying a pair of pliers. Dab of grease on the screw on reassembly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 January, 2024, 12:47:49 pm
Dunno about the grease: the screws that came with the new blocks have threadlock on them.

Thinking about it, the blocks should be fine without the screws: the forward ends of the shoes are closed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 05 January, 2024, 12:50:19 pm
Heat, then?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 05 January, 2024, 01:10:05 pm
Quote from: T42 on 05 January, 2024, 12:47:49 pm
Dunno about the grease: the screws that came with the new blocks have threadlock on them.

Thinking about it, the blocks should be fine without the screws: the forward ends of the shoes are closed.
That's what I thought once after a fumble fingers moment when one of the screws escaped my steely grasp and went into hiding on the garage floor.  The next day was an Audax, something scenic like Mad Jack. One of those Hailsham based ones anyway.  Oh how I laughed to find one of my brake blocks missing halfway round the ride and had to finish the ride in a cautious fashion.  I'm assuming I applied the brakes and rocked back on the bike at some stage with hilarious results.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 05 January, 2024, 03:36:33 pm
The kitchen cupboard - or rather, not the cupboard itself but its contents.

Got rid of 20-odd jars or bottles that either contained nothing more than dregs or could be consolidated (who needs *two* jars of nigella seeds?)

Also transferred many items from commercial packaging to nice jars that aren't so liable to rip, split or spill easily, and made lots of nice labels for them.

I can now actually find what I'm looking for in the cupboard.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 January, 2024, 04:22:33 pm
Quote from: Kim on 05 January, 2024, 12:50:19 pm
Heat, then?

Didn't really want to drop the motor wheel out, it's a bastard to get back in - one of those jobs where you hold that bit with one hand, the other bit with the other hand, and pull the stays apart with the other other two hands.

In the end I Dremeled a slot in it but it wouldn't hold the tip of the driver, so I swapped in the shoe from the spare caliper. I'll see what I can do with the shoe in a vice.

Quote from: Tim Hall on 05 January, 2024, 01:10:05 pm
Thinking about it, the blocks should be fine without the screws: the forward ends of the shoes are closed.

That's what I thought once after a fumble fingers moment when one of the screws escaped my steely grasp and went into hiding on the garage floor.  The next day was an Audax, something scenic like Mad Jack. One of those Hailsham based ones anyway.  Oh how I laughed to find one of my brake blocks missing halfway round the ride and had to finish the ride in a cautious fashion.  I'm assuming I applied the brakes and rocked back on the bike at some stage with hilarious results.
[/quote]

Right. Won't do that then. Cheers.

---o0o---

Div moment: once the new shoes & blocks were in I spun the wheel and put the brake on.  All well... except when I released the brake lever the brake didn't let go. So I oiled the pivots, gave it a few minutes and tried again. No go.  Then I realised the bike was clamped on the stand by the top tube and the cable went through the clamp.  :facepalm:

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 05 January, 2024, 05:53:34 pm
Using the new tools (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=111701.msg2866207#msg2866207) I fettled the flash on the DSLR, as it was refusing to pop up, after watching this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBZOKkZchdo). There were no bad swears or pingfuckits  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 January, 2024, 07:18:43 pm
Redux on the peeling paint https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg2866877#msg2866877
I got the Toupret fine filler out and filled all the tiny wee gaps. And plopped some Polyfilla (all I had for deep stuff) in the bigger holes.
Friday night filler thriller! (FML)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53444861770_8006b9de5c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pqJTpY)20240105_172753-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pqJTpY) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

The white filler is now making me even more irritated by all the greige paint in this place.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 06 January, 2024, 04:46:40 pm
Fettled a trailer that has been sat in my front yard for twenty years,
Edit - learnt that the bullet point list function is not intuitive on this forum  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 January, 2024, 12:52:07 pm
Replaced a slowly leaking tube on the front of HK’s orange Trykit yesterday. Flint-mined the other tyres.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 07 January, 2024, 04:05:25 pm
Replaced the broken tension shackle on the old B17

Dunno how more years the leather will last though, it's looking quite battered
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 07 January, 2024, 11:55:38 pm
And the back one done now too :thumbsup:

Quote from: drossall on 01 January, 2024, 11:03:29 pm
Rebuilt the front wheel of my Brompton with a black Ryde Andra rim and black spokes. The emerging theme of the bike really. Re-used the dynohub (obviously). Need to do the back (SA 3-speed) with the matching rim, but need the bike for work tomorrow.

Front rim was down to 1mm when I measured it, so about time I did it really.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 08 January, 2024, 02:53:53 pm
We bought a solar powered water feature on Friday. It arrived today. Bloomin useless on a cloudy and snowy day. Even directing a torch at the solar panel didn't generate enough oomph to start the pump.
Had to rethink the test procedure
So, looked at all of my chargers - collected over the last 50 years - and found one with a plug that fitted and had the correct polarity and voltage.
EUREKA!
The pump does make a whirring sound with 12V applied.
So to stage two of the test, for which I had to make a temporary lead to a 3-Cell Li-Po battery, with 11.9V tucked inside.
Filled the water feature (with water!) and sat watching the initially over-enthusiastic cascade of water from one bowl to another to another, from the warmth of the dining room.
The Li-Po balance charging lead had broken at the cells - so could not be repaired and I had been waiting for just such a project to come along, where I could usefully discharge the cells. When the raging torrent was down to a gentle trickle, I checked the voltage under load. 7.5V.
Lovely!
Frost is apparently bad for water features, so complying with the instructions, have drained it, boxed it all back up, and will wait until the frosts have gone away before playing with it again.
In the meantime, I will make a voltage regulator unit with an output set to 7.5V, so that on warmer cloudy days we can still watch the gentle cascade.
 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 11 January, 2024, 06:40:33 pm
I think last week but maybe Monday this week locking bike up at work and heard a metallic tinkle, looked round and found  small pan headed bolt which I thought if mine must have been one of the odd spares I carry in my bar bag which must have escaped

On way home tonight needed to ring bell and it just rotated on bar and sure enough when got home found the screw missing from the bell so refitted
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 13 January, 2024, 01:15:37 pm
Cut up a pallet for firewood, then made and riveted a mudflap to the front mudguard of my commuting bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 13 January, 2024, 05:00:17 pm
Cleaned two coffee machines and put a breast of duck to marinate.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 January, 2024, 07:23:11 pm
Managed to find the correct shade of F&B paints from the millions of shades of greige they have. Wasn't really planning on doing the hall as I'm planning to get it decorated this year but it was for experimental porpoises and I thought it would keep my inner neat freak quiet instead of having all the filler visible for the months until I GAMI.
Anyway I think it looks a lot better than it did so hurrah for Peel Stop and Toupret fine filler. This is only a bit of 'spot' painting. Plan is to get another sample pot which should be just enough to give these areas a proper coat of paint.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53461810109_33b3c1d52f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pseKyH)20240113_185534-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pseKyH) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53461908015_347ee55121_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2psffEK)20240113_185427-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2psffEK) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53460575062_5f764aaa62_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ps8qqN)20240113_185322-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2ps8qqN) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
This one above isn't quite finished as some of it needed deep filler first and then I found some more bits to fill.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 13 January, 2024, 08:31:03 pm
Fence panel fettling. A couple of panels between us and next door went down in the winds last weekend, but I didn't have chance to have a look at them, and as they are up the side of our house I don't see them. It's actually next door's responsibility, but she's an older disabled lady in a rented house, so repairs would take forever. In the past when we had more active dogs I just sorted it to keep them in our garden. Now it's not so critical as our blind old dog doesn't go down that way.

As due to rather poor planning none of my big vehicles are available at the moment, and carrying a fence panel on a motorbike, bicycle or MrsH's MX-5 would be challenging, I resorted to fixing them. Scavenging bits of wood from a broken panel that's been sat in the garden waiting for disposal for a couple of years I managed to rebuild them both, with strategic reinforcement and assembled with screws rather than nails, which from past experience makes them more robust.

Putting them in place with the assistance of the vertically challenged MrsH is always fun, but we got it sorted.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 14 January, 2024, 10:16:21 am
My garden fence was built with slotted concrete posts and 6x6 panels. When replacing panels that fail I've used two 3x6 panels, one on top of the other, that I can just get into my car. Also makes slotting them in much more manageable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 January, 2024, 12:32:29 pm
That may not be a bad idea, for rigidity and longevity. The problem we have is that there is a narrow passageway down the side of the side of the hose, with the fence panel alongside it. I think wind comes over the top of neighbouring houses' gardens, over the panel, and hits our house wall (which has a clear line of sight over their gardens) and pressurises the passageway - the panels always pop out into the neighbour's garden, away from our house.

Smaller panels may have a greater strength, which would help when they catch the wind.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 14 January, 2024, 03:49:32 pm
Quote from: MattH on 14 January, 2024, 12:32:29 pm
That may not be a bad idea, for rigidity and longevity. The problem we have is that there is a narrow passageway down the side of the side of the hose, with the fence panel alongside it. I think wind comes over the top of neighbouring houses' gardens, over the panel, and hits our house wall (which has a clear line of sight over their gardens) and pressurises the passageway - the panels always pop out into the neighbour's garden, away from our house.

Smaller panels may have a greater strength, which would help when they catch the wind.

Another option, which I used on a distorted panel, was to fix a stiffening batten to the windward side.  That stops the panel flexing and popping out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 14 January, 2024, 05:39:00 pm
Yes, that's what the reinforcing was about. Making the verticals actually attach to the cross pieces top and bottom, and adding additional bits to the cross pieces.

Fence panels really are poorly built for what they cost.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 January, 2024, 06:11:52 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 January, 2024, 07:23:11 pm

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53460575062_5f764aaa62_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ps8qqN)20240113_185322-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2ps8qqN) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
This one above isn't quite finished as some of it needed deep filler first and then I found some more bits to fill.


Being as I had some more bits to fill in this area anyway, I made the mistake of deciding I might as well tackle the couple of bare bits I'd already spotted on the other side of that room. Of course, once I'd started pulling at that thread I found more, and then more, and another big crack running down from the windowsill. I decided I'd better stop being as I'm not planning to decorate in there for now...

This is what the couple of bits turned into
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53465164082_3990069cfb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pswWzQ)PXL_20240114_232201112 (https://flic.kr/p/2pswWzQ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 14 January, 2024, 07:35:13 pm
Too cold to get out on the bike so turned to woodworking stuff today . . .

I altered my existing home-made router-table to take up less space when it's packed away - it clamps to the MFT bench, packing away with the adjustable fence separately.  Dust extraction is improved with a direct hose connection at the back of the fence and T-slot rails allow for both horizontal and vertical featherboards.  The router is in a lift mechanism (not visible in the photograph) operated from the top.  Power connections are on the under-side of the table, and just out of shot on the RH front edge of the under-frame is an NVR switch.

Also recycled some of my massive stock of pallet wood to make an under-bench shelf to store the router table.  Next mini-project is make a wooden box to store the router accessories (the collection of cutters is in its own separate rack)

(https://i.ibb.co/bNcYNST/router-table-jan24.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 January, 2024, 10:06:13 am
Quote from: robgul on 14 January, 2024, 07:35:13 pm
Next mini-project is make a wooden box to store the router accessories (the collection of cutters is in its own separate rack)

There was a time when I made a box for every new 'good' tool. Except my big Metabo router, which came in its own.  Those boxes are now in a row under a shelf, all empty, because they were such a pother to foutre with every time I needed the contents.  My routers now reside on their very own fence, with the bits shoved into holes in chunks of wood screwed to the cupboard doors above them.

Funny, innit? 40 years ago that cupboard, and another with bike stuff in it, graced the kitchen of a colleague who moved abroad, and the desk my computer sits on was once his wardrobe doors.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 15 January, 2024, 12:11:20 pm
Quote from: T42 on 15 January, 2024, 10:06:13 am
Quote from: robgul on 14 January, 2024, 07:35:13 pm
Next mini-project is make a wooden box to store the router accessories (the collection of cutters is in its own separate rack)

There was a time when I made a box for every new 'good' tool. Except my big Metabo router, which came in its own.  Those boxes are now in a row under a shelf, all empty, because they were such a pother to foutre with every time I needed the contents.  My routers now reside on their very own fence, with the bits shoved into holes in chunks of wood screwed to the cupboard doors above them.

Funny, innit? 40 years ago that cupboard, and another with bike stuff in it, graced the kitchen of a colleague who moved abroad, and the desk my computer sits on was once his wardrobe doors.

All my router cutters are in holes a plywood board that looks a bit like a fakir's bed of nails ;D    All the power tools are just on open shelves ready for action save for a few I don't use very often that are in their own plastic cases (SDS drill, biscuit jointer, nail gun)   Ditto on the workshop cupboards - I stripped the kitchen for some friends on the basis that I could have all the cupboards, they've moved house with us too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: graculus on 21 January, 2024, 04:48:30 pm
A bit of emergency fence reinforcement.
The RHS fence in our garden is technically our responsibility, but about 15 years ago the neighbours were having their garden landscaped and friends just setting up in the trade did it all, including fences, at mates rates. Unfortunately they used wooden posts set in the ground which inevitably rotted over the years, and they took to swaying in strong winds.
Time passed, the house was subsequently rented out when the owners split up and eventually sold.
Just in time for Storm Arwen I took preventative measures and stayed the fence posts with stakes and bits of 2"x1" on our side.
Now even these are proving inadequate so this afternoon I hammered in some offcuts of decking in front and behind the stakes to give the stakes a bit more area of soil to push against.
(The other side of the garden we fenced as the lazy git living there, and whose responsibility it was, didn't get round to doing it. Needless to say slotted concrete posts, concrete gravel boards and fence panels are holding up fine at the moment)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 22 January, 2024, 06:47:02 am
Thought I'd posted about this but I think two weekends ago thr eldest helped me reconstruct two panels of the fence between our neighbours garden and ours which had come down in the wind week previously. Was very much reconstruction rather then just putting back up

Pleased to report that having just checked it's still standing. A few gaps where slats have dropped which will need fixing but with the wind we had last night I'm not surprised
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wowbagger on 22 January, 2024, 02:21:29 pm
A friend of mine, Liz, bought a small pink bike for her daughter. It cost her £10, so you can guess it needed some work. I volunteered. We replaced the rear inner tube (the tyres are rather perished but we are talking about a 6-yo here, so they aren't going to go far or come under much pressure) but after I pumped the new tube up, it deflated again. I've just patched the tube, and it had a quite significant puncture not far from the valve and some way from the tyre tread. It's wasn't a spoke head - they are all nicely concealed by the rim tape. I'm wondering whether it was already punctured when it arrived as I couldn't find any likely cause.

Anyway, for the moment, it's stayed up. I'll be giving Liz a lift to choir tomorrow so I'll take it round when I pick her up from her house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 22 January, 2024, 03:57:03 pm
Changed rear brake pads on my Spa Audax-framed bike. Checked the front ones and re-tensioned
the cable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 22 January, 2024, 04:48:20 pm
Clearing out my Dad's shed last year (because the property had to be sold, as Mum and Dad have passed away), I came across his shoe repair kit. It smelt delicious and I kept it. Today, I was absolutely delighted that my lovely wife presented me with a pair of ankle boots, one of which the heel rubber had come off and was badly damaged, but the heel itself was otherwise perfect! 

There was a piece of rubber of the correct thickness (about 3/16"), big enough to replace the missing bit.

It must be 55 years since I last watched Dad doing similar shoe repairs, but it isn't rocket science and I remembered what to do.

Mrs was chuffed with the result and pronounced that I had done a good job! (Her dad used to do running repairs on his family's footwear too.)

It was magnificent to be able to use the contents of that cake tin.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 23 January, 2024, 09:35:52 am
Quote from: JefO on 22 January, 2024, 04:48:20 pm
Clearing out my Dad's shed last year (because the property had to be sold, as Mum and Dad have passed away), I came across his shoe repair kit. It smelt delicious and I kept it. Today, I was absolutely delighted that my lovely wife presented me with a pair of ankle boots, one of which the heel rubber had come off and was badly damaged, but the heel itself was otherwise perfect! 

There was a piece of rubber of the correct thickness (about 3/16"), big enough to replace the missing bit.

It must be 55 years since I last watched Dad doing similar shoe repairs, but it isn't rocket science and I remembered what to do.

Mrs was chuffed with the result and pronounced that I had done a good job! (Her dad used to do running repairs on his family's footwear too.)

It was magnificent to be able to use the contents of that cake tin.

When I was a kid we had a cobbler's last, as did a few of the other families in the area.  I got to use it a couple of times, mostly when my heels wore down and the odd nail was pushed up through the insole.

"I've got a nail in my shoe."  When was the last time you heard that complaint from anyone?  I think the soles were all glued composites by the late 60's.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 23 January, 2024, 10:22:12 am
Now the ice on the pond has melted I was able to dredge a lot of dead leaves out.  The fish have at last decided to hibernate. Next I need to re-pot the pond plants.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 23 January, 2024, 04:35:45 pm
Quote from: T42 on 23 January, 2024, 09:35:52 am
When I was a kid we had a cobbler's last, as did a few of the other families in the area.
I've still got my late father's somewhere (he was a chartered engineer, not a cobbler). I used to use it to nail on shoe plates, in the days before Look and SPDs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 24 January, 2024, 07:26:31 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53485393335_11593f93d3_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pujC34)
Picture of a five-pound note for the first correct answer (https://flic.kr/p/2pujC34) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr.  The two wood screws will be, er, screwed all the way into the wood, btw.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 24 January, 2024, 09:36:28 pm
I'm no expert, but it looks like some kind of bodge...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 25 January, 2024, 12:52:47 am
It's an 'inge, innit - although whether it still 'inges with that socket-head screw in there is another matter.

And it rather looks as though one of those woodscrews is screwing into Air and Gap (which sound a little bit FORRIN) rather than into honest BRITISH Wood.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 25 January, 2024, 01:05:17 am
Given the, erm, sturdiness of the construction, I'm thinking this is more about alignment than load capacity or durability.  I'm suspicious that a 10mm drill bit may be somehow involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 27 January, 2024, 10:53:49 am
Just made a table out of odds and ends.  It is to hold my Zwift supplies, water, energy stuff and the like.  I now have three Zwift tables, the other two for the monitor and the ipad.  One day I will get round to consolidating them all into 1. Maybe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 27 January, 2024, 11:20:09 am
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53488651787_6e16fb81f0_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2puBjEg)
Objet v2.0 (https://flic.kr/p/2puBjEg) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 27 January, 2024, 12:09:23 pm
As mentioned in on the commute I'd probably abused a not heavy duty wheel by using it on tourer which is currently used for laden commuting with some awful cycle paths and cut through. Riding home Friday one of the spokes called enough and snapped while I was stuck in traffic so not even moving

Thankfully had a more suitable wheel in shed so today swapped cassette, tyre etc over to that and fitted. Noticed the terrible state of the chain so that came off for a clean and the derailleur jockey wheels came out to unclog as well

Need to stick new pads on wife's bike after lunch
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 27 January, 2024, 01:34:53 pm
Re-waxed the shoulder seams of my tin cloth coat as the evidence suggests that I hadn't done a sufficiently thorough job when I re-waxed the entire coat a year and a half ago.
Also honed (3000 grade water stone) and stropped a pair of Damascus steel kitchen knives.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 27 January, 2024, 05:12:13 pm
Some kindling from ex decking gifted by a neighbour. This time without the hatchet / base of thumbnail interface (ouch!). Then a beef cheek stew.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 January, 2024, 06:00:22 pm
Replaced a brake cable on HK’s orange trike.

Sorted the hub gear adjustment, chain tube position and seat mounts on HK’s new-to-her Greenspeed GT3. Fitted SPDs and a battery taillight. Found a dyno headlight but I need to buy the right connector for the Sturmey dyno/ drum brake hub. Lubricated the frame hinge and adjusted the boom, chain length and handlebar position. I suspect that the rear derailleur’s twist shifter will be replaced with a bar end lever in the near future but the hub twist shifter is likely to stay. It might go to a wider 9sp cassette in place of the current tight range 8sp cassette. Swapped the brake lever direction but I still need to optimise the brake cable arrangement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 27 January, 2024, 08:50:22 pm
I bought an off-cut of carpet from the local carpet shop. Laid this down on the very cold ceramic tiles in the kitchen. I do not now need to put on my crocs when entering said kitchen. Why has it taken me 20 yrs to do this? Only cost a fiver too.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 January, 2024, 08:32:06 am
Finally managed to put the old yellow MBK reserved for turbo use onto the workstand to finish changing the FD cable I started on a year ago (I hate the turbo), then post-flu got the better of me and I buggered off back into the house.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rr on 28 January, 2024, 09:35:36 am
Fixed detached mudflap and stay back to the rest of longboard mudguard, trimmed the flap to prevent reoccurrence.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240128/645cef7c757cf4f7b2af3a590f33c72c.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240128/43b04e6527691ae61194a64f0db7f284.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 January, 2024, 12:29:33 pm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53493205950_ce5cccc568_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pv1Esj)
Now available in black! (https://flic.kr/p/2pv1Esj) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 January, 2024, 12:47:27 pm
Replaced both brake cables on HK’s Greenspeed and fitted a second taillight, dyno headlight, Monkii cage and a GPS mount.

Replaced the rear tyres and front mudflap on HK’s orange Trykit.

Fitted new front brake pads on my fixed and straightened a brake lever. I need to replace the headset and chain soon and swap out the borrowed dyno-wheel, once I replace a bent rim.

Built a disc + rim brake dyno-wheel for my trike and another for HK’s orange trike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 January, 2024, 02:55:55 pm
I bought some 3D printed racks to attach under kitchen cabinet shelves to store boxes of cling film, foil and the like. Except I found I was struggling to get the wood screws in the shelf through a combination of screwing upwards, reaching too far and having insufficient upper body strength. Using the proper Makita drill seemed like a sledgehammer to crack a nut so I left it a couple of weeks while I brewed the tuits.
This morning I had a bit of a brainwave, I was sure I had some tiny little archimedes type hand drills I had from my jewellery class, so I rummaged in the jewellery making box and there they were.
Still a bit bloody awkward (prolly would have been better if I had been arsed getting the ladder out of the garage instead of standing on a step stool) but made enough of a difference to allow me to get the wood screws in right at the back end of the cabinet.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 28 January, 2024, 03:48:57 pm
The Thrustmaster T500 RS Gear Shift, unlike such devices in Real Life, has nowt to stop one from inadvertently hooking reverse when accelerating one’s virtual lorry away from the virtual traffic lights.  This makes a nasty noise and if repeated often enough break one’s virtual gearbox.  The solution is obvious: an old-Ferrari-stylee lift-up wossname to confine the gearstick to the forward ratios unless reverse is actually required.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53493129196_dc8f5976f1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pv1gCY)
Objet in situ #1 (https://flic.kr/p/2pv1gCY) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53493545560_1c6c751c7a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pv3ppE)
 Objet in situ #2 (https://flic.kr/p/2pv3ppE) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 28 January, 2024, 04:46:33 pm
 ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 28 January, 2024, 07:54:01 pm
Love it.  I'd have attempted to MITM the USB and added a box with an inappropriately chunky toggle switch to enable reverse.  This would have undoubtedly involved a week-long dive into a USB HID rabbit-hole, therby proving that Ferrari have the superior solution.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 29 January, 2024, 12:23:03 am
Quote from: Kim on 28 January, 2024, 07:54:01 pm
inappropriately chunky

It's a wagon1. I don't think this is possible.




1: Yeah, yeah, a pretend one. Still a wagon.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 29 January, 2024, 12:59:43 am
Quote from: Kim on 28 January, 2024, 07:54:01 pm
Love it.  I'd have attempted to MITM the USB and added a box with an inappropriately chunky toggle switch to enable reverse.  This would have undoubtedly involved a week-long dive into a USB HID rabbit-hole, therby proving that Ferrari have the superior solution.

For some bizarre reason the wheel+pedals+shifter combo appears to use three different types of connector*, only one of which is USB.  Plus if you jammed the reverse signal the game would probably interpret the lever as being in neutral, over-rev the engine and make a nasty noise.

* probably because they’re French
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 29 January, 2024, 02:10:00 pm
Two bikes in the dining room was pushing my luck, so with help from an inquisitive hound I reduced the cheap audax bike wot turned out to be broken to a pile of parts.

Also listed the 'summer bike' on Facebook market place. It's in fine fettle but the new acquisition is just as light with mudguards and I can't see me using it much now. I figured I'd be better liqidating that asset and putting the funds toward either improving or replacing the going-to-town bike.

Desperately need to sort the garage out and make some bike storage/fettling space available.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 29 January, 2024, 02:28:46 pm
Not me, but two guys from Glevum Windows who fitted new upvc doors to my kitchen and shed.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 29 January, 2024, 08:00:01 pm
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 27 January, 2024, 12:09:23 pm
As mentioned in on the commute I'd probably abused a not heavy duty wheel by using it on tourer which is currently used for laden commuting with some awful cycle paths and cut through. Riding home Friday one of the spokes called enough and snapped while I was stuck in traffic so not even moving

Thankfully had a more suitable wheel in shed so today swapped cassette, tyre etc over to that and fitted. Noticed the terrible state of the chain so that came off for a clean and the derailleur jockey wheels came out to unclog as well

Need to stick new pads on wife's bike after lunch

As a postscript to this my bike felt lovely this morning. May have been running the tyre a bit softer but the drivetrain was grim so a nice lubed chain and cleared out of gunk derailleur must have helped
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 01 February, 2024, 03:01:19 pm
A month or two ago, I bought an expensive front light for my 1958 bike.
As I may be using this bike on the Dunwich Dynamo this year, I decided that 5 hours on max illumination power would not be enough. So I bought two more of the "easily replaceable 18350" cells, that the sales blurbist had written and which had convinced me this was a good light. They arrived with the purpose bought charger today. Have now invested more than £70 in this lamp and was a bit miffed when the batteries did not work in the Town Mouse Centre Light... I was even more miffed when I realised that the light manufacturer had actually made it necessary to buy a certain type of "18350" cell that is not readily available at most lithium battery stockists. They had actually been very clever, in an attempt to make people like me buy their replacement / spare cells from them.
I have a dislike of that kind of bullying, which makes me very beligerent.
I set about designing a modification to the positive terminal cap (inside the lamp) that would allow both types of battery to be used.
It meant I had to fire up the lathe as the blighters didn't make it easy to modify the cap.
There was a fair bit of machining, trial fitting and then machining a bit more, to achieve the happy medium that allowed both battery types to be 100% reliably replaceable. Hopefully the pictures will fill in any details I might have missed...

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/8JXSesX74HuYD1DPF4lm8xvl_3YzMMdMQcMnr8kTnPc-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/TUCXgOBQG4YteQBVv0QLG1R6xCBDl1tjrkVqY8sVGPY-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/TrhVJ7Y2hCaO8_4JmE8ohXvdNiqP7fBtJb2bXSNhikY-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/55GhZvzQei66TmjOldoj7kB3cKH9tx5kIF6S157svTo-1536x2048.jpg)   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 01 February, 2024, 03:46:26 pm
So they'd designed the cap to only accept a terminal with a weird shape?  Bastards.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 01 February, 2024, 04:04:50 pm
Quote from: Kim on 01 February, 2024, 03:46:26 pm
So they'd designed the cap to only accept a terminal with a weird shape?  Bastards.

Yes, the design is for flat top batteries only, the more readily available type is 3mm taller including the positive terminal pip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 01 February, 2024, 05:30:37 pm
Nice work.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 01 February, 2024, 05:52:27 pm
Got the old Garmin firmware updated. Made up an up-to-date OSM map and tested that I can still upload tracks to it.
That's the navigation side of things sorted, subject to the mount I've bought working as expected.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 01 February, 2024, 05:55:32 pm
Quote from: JefO on 01 February, 2024, 04:04:50 pm
Yes, the design is for flat top batteries only, the more readily available type is 3mm taller including the positive terminal pip.

They are different, button top usually include over discharge protection circuit to use straight up in torches, vapes & the like. Use cases akin to disposables.  Flat top are unprotected, the device is expected to provide it & they are more for welding into a multi cell pack or where infrequent cell replacement is expected.

However, as is the way with standards I see fogstar now list unprotected button top  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 01 February, 2024, 07:39:27 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 01 February, 2024, 05:30:37 pm
Nice work.

Thank you Afas. Yes I was rather chuffed at being able to make the light work with both styles of 18350.

Quote from: SoreTween on 01 February, 2024, 05:55:32 pm
They are different, button top usually include over discharge protection circuit to use straight up in torches, vapes & the like. Use cases akin to disposables.  Flat top are unprotected, the device is expected to provide it & they are more for welding into a multi cell pack or where infrequent cell replacement is expected.

However, as is the way with standards I see fogstar now list unprotected button top  :-\

Thank you Soretween - I rather suspected there was some form of clever electronics in the shoulder of the new batteries.
Hopefully, when (if) they go wrong, if I can no longer charge the batteries, I can mechanically remove the electronics and use the cell as if it had never had the protection circuit in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 02 February, 2024, 07:39:27 pm
Quote from: robgul on 05 January, 2024, 08:09:39 am
Quote from: JefO on 04 January, 2024, 04:40:07 pm
Quote from: robgul on 04 January, 2024, 04:17:03 pm
There's no weight rating in the spec from Boardman - I'm about 88-90kg and tall (XL frame) so not outrageous.

What is unusual with these wheels is that they are significantly offset - that's both the extruded shape of the rim and all the spokes are off to one side . . .  that seems to be not good design to me for stress etc.

I'm awaiting a reply . . . .

It is strange that there is no mention of maximum all up weight, wheel makers normally specify this, to protect themselves.

However, the Boardman 1 year parts and components guarantee, probably prevents successful claims, as the rims will probably not fail within a year for 99.9% of riders.

For an e-bike wheel, the build doesn't look like it is particularly beefy. Are the spokes straight 14g (ie not butted)? 

Regarding the stresses in a wheel built with an asymmetric rim, the spoke tensions are likely to be closer to equal on drive side and non-drive side, than on a symmetrical rim... as long as the rim has been fitted the correct way round!

Spokes are (were!) straight - horrible black powder coated things.

Update : after a number of "dear shithead" emails to Halfords and the "examination" of the wheel by a kid at the local branch they have refused any claim or admission that the wheel failed prematurely. If they had replaced the wheel they said it wouldn't match the other wheel as they only get the wheels with complete bikes. So . . . 

Whatever the outcome I had decided early on that the best option, it only being money, was to get a decent pair of wheels.

Spa obliged with a quality hub and rim, 36 spoke, combo which they supplied very quickly (a friend was going to Spa to buy a bike and he collected the wheels for me) [I wont say how quickly Spa built the wheels as it was well short of their usual leadtime :thumbsup:]   

Rotors (I did have to buy lockring adapters for the 6 bolt rotors), cassette and tyres were fitted when I got the wheels and the bike is back on the road.  I've only ridden about 40 miles so far but the wheels do feel more stable than the original offset rims - it may be that the increased spoke count is a factor?

I now have a complete front wheel and a rear hub in the "stock of bike stuff" . . . and a rim without spokes that my wife is going to use with strings to grow some sort of flowers in the garden!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 03 February, 2024, 02:20:51 pm
Fitted a Sunrace 9sp bar end shifter to HK’s Greenspeed trike, replacing a crappy 8sp twist-shifter. New cable and casing of course, along with a chain and cassette.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 03 February, 2024, 05:29:23 pm
Not really fettling ... or maybe fettling in the loosest sense.

The house is now free of bikes and bits that bolt onto bicycles. Also evicted the power tools. All safely housed in the garage, with room to spare .. perhaps even enough room for, in future, one more bike  O:-)

I also pieced together the cheapest workstand that Park Tools sell. My lower back is going to be thankful. Hopefully I'll be putting it to good use stripping and regreasing some of the components on the gas pipe hybrid later this week.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 03 February, 2024, 08:39:51 pm
Couldn’t. bothered with the studded tyres any more so stripped them, cleaned all of the tubeless gunk from last year and refitted the tubeless tyres for the year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 February, 2024, 11:54:11 pm
Moved the wireless thermostat to the opposite end of the shelf wot it sits on; used an ancient address book under the base to tilt it such that the temperature can be read from my customary loafing position on the sofa.  Ph3@r m1 l33t 5k1llz!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 04 February, 2024, 07:21:53 pm
Oiled* my shaft**.


*Boiled linseed oil.

** Hand axe shaft that I'd recently replaced.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 04 February, 2024, 08:12:38 pm
Fitted a tyre and disc rotor (from garage stock) to a new trike thru axle dynowheel. Need to get a disc for the other trike dynowheel sometime.

Replaced a dyno headlight bracket on HK’s orange trike with a spare Brompton dyno headlight bracket to stop the gear cable casings switching off the headlight switch midway through tight turns.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 05 February, 2024, 11:05:00 am
Properly aligned the rear calliper on the new (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=127700.msg2874084;topicseen#msg2874084) bike.
Fitted a rear pannier rack. Checked tyre pressures. It's nearly ready to ride.

Next job, if the wind doesn't get up too much, is to give the gas pipe hybrid some love and attention. Chain is a bit slackrusty.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 05 February, 2024, 01:27:45 pm
Changed cassette (again) on Triban. To a nice 11-34 with a 20 tooth cruise gear. Time will tell if this is "the one" - I doubt it! But gear fettling is enjoyable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 05 February, 2024, 03:52:26 pm
Cleaned a chain and put it into the wax pot.

Checked the gears on the eBrute - the RD seemed a bit stiff yesterday. All normal. Knocked some of the crud off.

Had another gander at the wee yellow MBK I use on the turbo.  I bought that bike for MrsT in 2000 and she only ever did one ride on it before deciding she didn't like it. Since then it's been a backup/turbo/visitor's bike, but I doubt if it's done 1000k, or even half that.  Consequently the transmission and cables etc. are the originals, and getting on for 24 years old.  It's a triple, but the cassette looks like a 13/23 or similar.  Anyway, it looks like it could use new cables and cassette, and maybe a new chain.  Dunno if it's worth the money or the bother.  Tiagra 3x9 though - could be quite nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 05 February, 2024, 06:26:29 pm
The Gas Pipe Hybrid did get some TLC.

Washed. Drive train thoroughly degreased and re-lubricated. Front wheel bearing stripped down, degreased, re-greased and reassembled.
Looks like the chain is due for replacement soon, which is good news because I'd already assumed I't taken it beyond the wear limit and I'd be looking to source a replacement 7 speed cassette  :thumbsup:

(https://cdn.biscuit.ninja/img/random/RidgeBackAdventure503cs.jpg)

(Also realised, checking that picture I've forgotten to re-attach the straddle cable on the front brakes. I'll go and do that now!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 05 February, 2024, 06:57:25 pm
I tried to be nice to my cupboard door latch that wouldn't open, I really did, honest. But then I got bored and went and fetched the percussive Stanley and he soon got the blighter open with only the smallest of damage to the door frame.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 06 February, 2024, 08:54:58 pm
As I recently became the owner of a new derailleur hanger alignment gauge, and a friend of mine became the owner of a brand new 1x11 gravel bike ( >£2k+ ), which he had elected to build himself, it seemed the sensible thing to do to put the two of them together.

Not exactly a shock to find that the new bike's hanger was in need of alignment.

Actually failed, but I tried to get the point across to my friend that the hanger may have been totally straight and inaccuracies in the frame's hanger mounting could have been the reason it needed aligning.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 06 February, 2024, 11:29:32 pm
Gave barakta's wheelchair-shaped-object a once-over, in anticipation of it being needed next week.

The only actually decent components are the Schwalbe pneumatic tyres and stainless steel Jesus-bolt that I installed last time round, but wheelchair brakes really are offensively shit, aren't they?  I suppose with the stock low-friction tyres they'd never really have had to do anything.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 07 February, 2024, 12:31:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 February, 2024, 11:29:32 pm
Gave barakta's wheelchair-shaped-object a once-over, in anticipation of it being needed next week.

The only actually decent components are the Schwalbe pneumatic tyres and stainless steel Jesus-bolt that I installed last time round, but wheelchair brakes really are offensively shit, aren't they?  I suppose with the stock low-friction tyres they'd never really have had to do anything.

There should be regulation to prevent waste of time and materials in producing subpar approximations of actual things.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2024, 01:23:25 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 07 February, 2024, 12:31:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 February, 2024, 11:29:32 pm
Gave barakta's wheelchair-shaped-object a once-over, in anticipation of it being needed next week.

The only actually decent components are the Schwalbe pneumatic tyres and stainless steel Jesus-bolt that I installed last time round, but wheelchair brakes really are offensively shit, aren't they?  I suppose with the stock low-friction tyres they'd never really have had to do anything.

There should be regulation to prevent waste of time and materials in producing subpar approximations of actual things.

Yes.  I appreciate that spoon brakes make sense on many mobility aids (although I'd argue that a wheelchair with attendant handles should have proper brakes so the attendant can use them to control a descent), but the cheesy plastic brake levers that are de rigueur on mobility aids baffle me.  It's not like proper brake levers aren't cheap and readily available.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 07 February, 2024, 05:16:53 pm
New front brake blocks fitted to my Spa Audax-framed bike. I should have replaced brake cables
as well, but I'll do that tomorrow.


[Edit: Sorted]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 07 February, 2024, 05:30:30 pm
Quote from: Kim on 07 February, 2024, 01:23:25 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 07 February, 2024, 12:31:00 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 February, 2024, 11:29:32 pm
Gave barakta's wheelchair-shaped-object a once-over, in anticipation of it being needed next week.

The only actually decent components are the Schwalbe pneumatic tyres and stainless steel Jesus-bolt that I installed last time round, but wheelchair brakes really are offensively shit, aren't they?  I suppose with the stock low-friction tyres they'd never really have had to do anything.

There should be regulation to prevent waste of time and materials in producing subpar approximations of actual things.

Yes.  I appreciate that spoon brakes make sense on many mobility aids (although I'd argue that a wheelchair with attendant handles should have proper brakes so the attendant can use them to control a descent), but the cheesy plastic brake levers that are de rigueur on mobility aids baffle me.  It's not like proper brake levers aren't cheap and readily available.
What are spoon brakes, pls?
A google search leads me to a four pot hydraulic calliper for motor racing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2024, 05:42:58 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 07 February, 2024, 05:30:30 pm
What are spoon brakes, pls?
A google search leads me to a four pot hydraulic calliper for motor racing.

Google really is shit these days, isn't it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_brake#Spoon_brakes

(Possibly not the right term for the parking brakes on wheelchairs that operate by jamming a piece of metal against the tread of the tyre.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 07 February, 2024, 06:54:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 February, 2024, 11:29:32 pm
but wheelchair brakes really are offensively shit, aren't they?
I thought that they were like that so that the wheels could be taken off the shafts easily. Plus the obvious cheapness and no need for long operating rods or cables.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 07 February, 2024, 08:59:17 pm
I fitted a different inner tube in the rear wheel of the turbo trainer bike. The previous tube had a slow leak and a sticky presta valve which was a pain. I'm planning to use the turbo tomorrow am.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 07 February, 2024, 09:08:38 pm
Quote from: Diver300 on 07 February, 2024, 06:54:20 pm
Quote from: Kim on 06 February, 2024, 11:29:32 pm
but wheelchair brakes really are offensively shit, aren't they?
I thought that they were like that so that the wheels could be taken off the shafts easily. Plus the obvious cheapness and no need for long operating rods or cables.

Yes.  And that people self-propelling manual wheelchairs by hand will almost always use their grip on the pushrims to control a descent, rather than the brakes.

Most wheelchairs designed to be pushed by an attendant are 'hospital' wheelchairs, which are engineered (out of some combination of cheese and gaspipe) for low cost and simplicity.  Hence when you get attendant brakes, they just operate the normal parking brakes with a cable.  Which is a great way to wear through the aluminimum 'spoon' with a few dozen descents of the slope down from the leisure centre entrance (https://maps.app.goo.gl/pATsF3R1pskjtZ156).

I had a google, and discovered there is at least one company molishing a kit of parts to fit tricycle-style disc brakes to a manual wheelchair, presumably for the few people who use decent manual chairs but live on a bastard hill or something.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 07 February, 2024, 10:05:13 pm
Fitted the RAM mount for ye olde Garmin eTrex and the mudflaps to the new steed.

Stood back to marvel at the bike now ready to ride and decided I really should have bought a longer front mudflap.

Reflective effect of the mudflaps is good in the dark thobutt
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: sam on 08 February, 2024, 11:51:13 am
Installed improvised security measures on and around the heating oil tank after a theft. Not quite Home Alone standard, but it won't go so smoothly for them should they try again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Ian H on 08 February, 2024, 06:27:29 pm
Today I bit the bullet and replaced the rim on the rear wheel of the Black Hallett. Added the tubeless rim-tape, cleaned the beads of the tyre (I bought replacements, but the old one has plenty of life left), then refitted it.  It sealed easily with much popping.  New cassette fitted as well.  I'll do the chain tomorrow.
One further task is to saw a section out of the old rim to see how much wear there is.  It's 0.7mm where the tyre sits, but it has quite a deep box-section which I can't measure.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 09 February, 2024, 12:18:06 pm
Fitted the new lollipop style hitch to the old Carry Freedom Y-Frame trailer. I didn't see the point in a safety strap dependent on the same hardware for securing to the trailer as the hitch itself, as a failure of that hardware would render both the hitch and the safety strap useless. So I've drilled another whole through the towing arm to affix the safety strap to.

Wishing the weather was a bit better - planning some wood work to build some light/reflector brackets for said trailer.
I've learned, as per schedule 18 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/18) of The Road Vehciles Lignting Regulations, cycle trailers should have at least one triangular reflector (two if over 800mm wide) approved to ECE III or ECE IIIA. See 5(b).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 10 February, 2024, 10:11:35 am
For the last week or so my front derailleur has rubbed and been a pain to shift into big ring, didn't matter where on rear cassette I was still rubbed at front and being friction bar end levers can normally just tweak when riding. Had a look this morning and was simples. The bolt securing front derailleur had come loose so reset and tightened and all seems good
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 10 February, 2024, 04:03:15 pm
Over several days in spare time at work, where I had space to take it apart and leave it while waiting for parts, I have fettled my Mellita bean to cup coffee machine back to life.  :smug: :smug: :thumbsup:

It was pissing out steam inside the machine and I traced the issue to a broken thermoblock outlet valve. This works like a steam engine safety valve, holding the pressure at 15 bar in the heater before letting steam/water through to the brewer unit/cappuccino jet. The spring loaded plastic plunger had disintegrated through age and was letting steam out inside the machine. Luckily the electronics survived and a replacement valve and a good clean has it running again.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 12:19:18 pm
Much swearing at Fort Larrington’s hideous grandfather clock, which keeps conking out for no readily-apparent reason.  May have sussed the cause; keeping an ear cocked lest he decides to misbehave again.  Wretched thing…
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 February, 2024, 03:22:21 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 12:19:18 pm
Much swearing at Fort Larrington’s hideous grandfather clock, which keeps conking out for no readily-apparent reason.  May have sussed the cause; keeping an ear cocked lest he decides to misbehave again.  Wretched thing…

We have one that dates back several generations, probably to the mid-19th century given the sentiments expressed in the dial paintings.  Our doesn't go any more, and the jeweller who looked at the movement for me explained that with time the bearings, being steel running in brass, become sloppy and the gears jam.  A clockmaker can tighten them again by putting a sharp-edged cylinder over the bearing in the brass back-plate and whacking it with a hammer.  This squeezes the brass together around the shaft.  You can only do this once with any certainty, though: doing it twice will likely damage the plate.  Ours had already been done so that's that.

Also, the [wretched, noisy] things are very sensitive to vibration and need to be levelled perfectly.  When ours was going a lorry going past could stop it, and even someone walking heavily could do it.  I used to keep a try-square on top, and I had it tethered back to the wall to keep it vertical.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 11 February, 2024, 03:29:24 pm
In other news, I just swapped in the eBrute's alternate chain, and I'm reducing the period between re-lubings to 300k.  I need some of that Granny Weatherwax these for horrible wet days.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 04:42:48 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 February, 2024, 03:22:21 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 12:19:18 pm
Much swearing at Fort Larrington’s hideous grandfather clock, which keeps conking out for no readily-apparent reason.  May have sussed the cause; keeping an ear cocked lest he decides to misbehave again.  Wretched thing…

We have one that dates back several generations, probably to the mid-19th century given the sentiments expressed in the dial paintings.  Our doesn't go any more, and the jeweller who looked at the movement for me explained that with time the bearings, being steel running in brass, become sloppy and the gears jam.  A clockmaker can tighten them again by putting a sharp-edged cylinder over the bearing in the brass back-plate and whacking it with a hammer.  This squeezes the brass together around the shaft.  You can only do this once with any certainty, though: doing it twice will likely damage the plate.  Ours had already been done so that's that.

Also, the [wretched, noisy] things are very sensitive to vibration and need to be levelled perfectly.  When ours was going a lorry going past could stop it, and even someone walking heavily could do it.  I used to keep a try-square on top, and I had it tethered back to the wall to keep it vertical.

We think that if the movement isn’t positioned just so inside the case the anchor that's driven by the pendulum and which in turn drives the entire mechanism doesn’t perform properly and the thing stops.  I've re-centred it – it appeared to be a couple of cm off to the right, probably from ham-fisted winding – and the thing is still going after four hours whereas before it would go sleepy-byes after ten minutes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 February, 2024, 09:14:18 am
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 04:42:48 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 February, 2024, 03:22:21 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 12:19:18 pm
Much swearing at Fort Larrington’s hideous grandfather clock, which keeps conking out for no readily-apparent reason.  May have sussed the cause; keeping an ear cocked lest he decides to misbehave again.  Wretched thing…

We have one that dates back several generations, probably to the mid-19th century given the sentiments expressed in the dial paintings.  Our doesn't go any more, and the jeweller who looked at the movement for me explained that with time the bearings, being steel running in brass, become sloppy and the gears jam.  A clockmaker can tighten them again by putting a sharp-edged cylinder over the bearing in the brass back-plate and whacking it with a hammer.  This squeezes the brass together around the shaft.  You can only do this once with any certainty, though: doing it twice will likely damage the plate.  Ours had already been done so that's that.

Also, the [wretched, noisy] things are very sensitive to vibration and need to be levelled perfectly.  When ours was going a lorry going past could stop it, and even someone walking heavily could do it.  I used to keep a try-square on top, and I had it tethered back to the wall to keep it vertical.

We think that if the movement isn’t positioned just so inside the case the anchor that's driven by the pendulum and which in turn drives the entire mechanism doesn’t perform properly and the thing stops.  I've re-centred it – it appeared to be a couple of cm off to the right, probably from ham-fisted winding – and the thing is still going after four hours whereas before it would go sleepy-byes after ten minutes.

Good luck.  Once I had restored the woodwork on ours (amongst other things replacing the back panel, made of divers rough boards bearing the legend Mildura Fruit Company) I had to make U-bolts to re-anchor the movement solidly, since it was also prone to walking a bit.  Didn't help.

Hope it lets you go sleepy-byes.  You could hear ours striking all through the house before I silenced it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 12 February, 2024, 10:07:05 am
The chime has long been disabled on the ghastly thing.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 February, 2024, 10:17:33 am
Have you considered replacing it with a digital one?  :)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 February, 2024, 10:30:15 am
Many's the time I waved a middle finger at ours.

Nah, that's not true.  It stood in our hallway when I was a toddler, and when I opened up the hood in 1991 it still smelt of smoke from 1940's Manchester. Took me right back, it did. Eugh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 12 February, 2024, 11:10:40 am
He's still going :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 12 February, 2024, 03:44:58 pm
 :thumbsup:

---o0o---

Meanwhile, I haz risked liff, limb, intervertebral cartilage and trousers, and exchanged the monoplace bin in one of our kitchen cupboards for a tripartite slide-out thingy with 3 bins, two littles and a big, so that we can sort our garbage according to the eMacrobe's Holy Writ: one for normal gash, one for food waste and one for a knock box.  Said operation involved much hoking about in the depths of a 35x50 cupboard in positions I wasn't designed to assume and still regret. Nice to feel virtuous, though.

Now supping a genteel pint of hot chocolate as a reward.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Andy W on 12 February, 2024, 04:54:59 pm
Fixed a puncture in rear mtb inner tube. I thought I'd fixed it last week but it went flat after 2 days . Tube only had the 1 patch. Tested it all seemed OK but I suspect the repair was sub optimal. Bought new glue and cut new strip of 120 sandpaper, abraded the tube thoroughly glue applied left it for 5 minutes applied patch and talc. Inflated it 6 hours ago and all seems fine.. its likely that the old solvent glue was old and the first patch 'let by'. £4 from ebay supplied me with 5 small tubes if solvent cement. So rarely use it. Bit disappointed with myself as I'm 63 and have successfully fixed punctures since I was 10. Joking really
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 12 February, 2024, 09:00:33 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 04:42:48 pm
Quote from: T42 on 11 February, 2024, 03:22:21 pm
Quote from: Mr Larrington on 11 February, 2024, 12:19:18 pm
Much swearing at Fort Larrington’s hideous grandfather clock, which keeps conking out for no readily-apparent reason.  May have sussed the cause; keeping an ear cocked lest he decides to misbehave again.  Wretched thing…

We have one that dates back several generations, probably to the mid-19th century given the sentiments expressed in the dial paintings.  Our doesn't go any more, and the jeweller who looked at the movement for me explained that with time the bearings, being steel running in brass, become sloppy and the gears jam.  A clockmaker can tighten them again by putting a sharp-edged cylinder over the bearing in the brass back-plate and whacking it with a hammer.  This squeezes the brass together around the shaft.  You can only do this once with any certainty, though: doing it twice will likely damage the plate.  Ours had already been done so that's that.

Also, the [wretched, noisy] things are very sensitive to vibration and need to be levelled perfectly.  When ours was going a lorry going past could stop it, and even someone walking heavily could do it.  I used to keep a try-square on top, and I had it tethered back to the wall to keep it vertical.

We think that if the movement isn’t positioned just so inside the case the anchor that's driven by the pendulum and which in turn drives the entire mechanism doesn’t perform properly and the thing stops.  I've re-centred it – it appeared to be a couple of cm off to the right, probably from ham-fisted winding – and the thing is still going after four hours whereas before it would go sleepy-byes after ten minutes.
Is the tick-tock regular? You may have to adjust the beat. There are plenty of vids about setting up a longcase clock. You may have to adjust the pendulum crutch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 13 February, 2024, 08:18:52 pm
Took time out from the vagaries of life and immersed myself with sketching from an excellent photo (not mine) with the permission of the fantastic photographer Vicky Kinsman.

(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/XbXANX2C_DGLwFAQdHdZDYaThWkrCUne5HHW3eUPWic-2048x1429.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 14 February, 2024, 12:37:56 pm
 :thumbsup:  One used to live in the far end of our barn.  In French they're called chouette effraie, chouette being an owl and effraie being terrifier.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CommuteTooFar on 15 February, 2024, 03:31:48 pm
A week or so ago the front of house ring circuit stopped working all sockets dead. Including the central heating. So I have been cold and a little smelly.

I went around the sockets and could not find anything.

Then yesterday I though I remembered where the ends of the ring are.   A socket in the dining room and the central heating.  I am in the middle of changing the dining room socket into a double socket so I had no socket there just Wago connectors to continue the ring.  I noticed one of the wires had partially pulled out.  So pushed it fully in. I switched the circuit on.  And one other circuit jumped into life.  A bit  of disappointing, I was hoping for more.   I had to go out, so I visited my brother to have a shower and nothing else was done.  It was a good socket to start with I could use the kettle in its proper place.

Today I suspected the kettle socket and I opened it for a second time.  I had dislodged a wire when I checked it.  I pushed it back in.  Powered the circuit and everything is alive. 

All I have to worry about is why the ring is not connected at the end.   The central heating was rewired by a British Gas Homeserve engineer replaced a broken wiring box with a new one.  That's the next thing I need to look at.  The immersion heater should have been on its own circuit but is now on this ring.  I believe this is also the end of the ring but is not properly joined up. Sigh.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 15 February, 2024, 04:44:54 pm
Removed a (dead) floodlight (LED and PIR) installed a few years ago and massively overly powerful for the job.

Fitted a 10w PIR unit which is a tenth of the weight of the old one, and illuminates the back garden much more delicately.


Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 17 February, 2024, 11:00:05 am
New tyres onto fettled onto the Gas Pipe Hybrid. Rear axle also swapped out for a slightly longer one so now the Carry Freedom trailer hitch can be used.

Next job is fabricating some brackets for securing ECE IIIA reflectors and lights to the cycle trailer, at the appropriate height, so we're fully legal for night time use.
Title: What did you fettle yesterday?
Post by: sam on 17 February, 2024, 11:11:37 am
New chain on the Langster. Couldn't get the powerlink to snap into place, so had to practically stand on it!

Also lubed the vicinity of the headset, as it was creaky up there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 17 February, 2024, 07:36:56 pm
Spotted a "New Other" Shimano rear hub on ebay on Wednesday, that looked like the one on my 29er, at £15 inc postage without original packaging.

It arrived around midday today, so I measured the hubs to verify they were similar, stripped the old hub out of the rear wheel (the wheel bearings were not in great condition when I re-balled them a few months ago, and the cassette hub bearings have been getting louder too), cleaned up the spokes, nipples and rim and rebuilt the wheel using the new hub.

No more annoying little noises when I spin the wheel now. 

A very rare occasion when the total cost of the job was just the part I wanted to replace, particularly so with wheels, and 5 hours of my time!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 17 February, 2024, 09:05:25 pm
Quote from: JefO on 17 February, 2024, 07:36:56 pm
Spotted a "New Other" Shimano rear hub on ebay on Wednesday, that looked like the one on my 29er, at £15 inc postage without original packaging.

It arrived around midday today, so I measured the hubs to verify they were similar, stripped the old hub out of the rear wheel (the wheel bearings were not in great condition when I re-balled them a few months ago, and the cassette hub bearings have been getting louder too), cleaned up the spokes, nipples and rim and rebuilt the wheel using the new hub.

No more annoying little noises when I spin the wheel now. 

A very rare occasion when the total cost of the job was just the part I wanted to replace, particularly so with wheels, and 5 hours of my time!

It's nice when that happens. And good that you have the skills. I've managed to avoid anything like a hub transplant thus. I figure I'll have to learn to build wheels at some point if still running bikes with rim brakes - and I hate the waste you get with running factory wheelsets.

I think I dropped particularly lucky with the new old stock hubs I bought - they be around 30 years old now so for them to turn up with no wear on the cones was amazing. The thirty year old factory grease though  :facepalm:
I suspect the freewheel is going to this (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=127123.msg2847409#msg2847409) treatment before it's pressed into surface.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 February, 2024, 06:47:15 pm
Yesterday, I removed the back box from where the old CH stat used to be and started covering it up.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53537198566_290ed969cf_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pyU8VG)20240217_171732-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pyU8VG) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

If anyone fancies Farrow & Ball paint, I suggest you don't, It peels like a bastard.

I was planning on giving that a sand down and some more filler today, but after today's well ventilated ride ICBA.

Also removed the old doorbell chime from the wall as well and gave that a fill.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53537382953_4fbaa73246_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pyV5JM)PXL_20240217_134031445 (https://flic.kr/p/2pyV5JM) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 18 February, 2024, 07:56:20 pm
Over the last few days have stripped the old paper off the feature wall in youngests bedroom, yesterday filled the cracks and holes and today assisted the wife in backing papering it. Not too bad. Her Dad's coming over to do the good stuff but he is well into 70s so she is right it's about time one of us learnt and I'm happy for it to be her
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 18 February, 2024, 08:05:26 pm
Installed another grab rail in my father’s bedroom.  Less work than I’d expected.  I’d forgotten that internal wall was breezeblock rather than brick.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 February, 2024, 10:22:10 am
Swapped the stem on the eBrute for one that's about 15mm shorter and lifts the bars about 5mm.  Dunno if it'll have much effect; the stretch is still about 10mm longer than on my carbon butterfly.  Took it up the road & back: feels OK so far.

I reckon I'm about 3 cm shorter than I was 20 years ago. Ah well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 19 February, 2024, 11:05:55 am
Quote from: CommuteTooFar on 15 February, 2024, 03:31:48 pm
A week or so ago the front of house ring circuit stopped working all sockets dead. Including the central heating. So I have been cold and a little smelly.

I went around the sockets and could not find anything.

Then yesterday I though I remembered where the ends of the ring are.   A socket in the dining room and the central heating.  I am in the middle of changing the dining room socket into a double socket so I had no socket there just Wago connectors to continue the ring.  I noticed one of the wires had partially pulled out.  So pushed it fully in. I switched the circuit on.  And one other circuit jumped into life.  A bit  of disappointing, I was hoping for more.   I had to go out, so I visited my brother to have a shower and nothing else was done.  It was a good socket to start with I could use the kettle in its proper place.

Today I suspected the kettle socket and I opened it for a second time.  I had dislodged a wire when I checked it.  I pushed it back in.  Powered the circuit and everything is alive. 

All I have to worry about is why the ring is not connected at the end.   The central heating was rewired by a British Gas Homeserve engineer replaced a broken wiring box with a new one.  That's the next thing I need to look at.  The immersion heater should have been on its own circuit but is now on this ring.  I believe this is also the end of the ring but is not properly joined up. Sigh.

I've only just read this.

If what you say is accurate, then it sounds horrendous: one of the worst electrical installations I've ever heard about and is quite probably dangerous.
A broken ring, connections which are loose enough that wires are falling out, the high load immersion connected to the wrong circuit, along with the kettle, on what sounds like one leg of a broken ring...

You *really* need to get an electrician in to sort this out properly.
IMHO.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 19 February, 2024, 11:07:43 am
I gave my bike a deep clean after yesterday's muck-fest of a road ride. I can thoroughly
recommend wax on a chain (doesn't have to be too complicated, as described on this forum
and on various Youtube videos). Simple melted flaked candle wax worked fine for me. 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 20 February, 2024, 08:55:25 pm
last week I cut up an old MTB tyre to use as packing to stop the gate next to my house rattling. It's going to be pretty windy tonight/ tomorrow so will see if it's a success.
Today I fitted a plate to the rear of a fizik saddle so that I could attach a Junior saddlebag. The plate doesn't have to take the weight as the bag sits on top of a rack.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2024, 07:21:12 pm
My ancient Denon CD player didn't work when asked the other day. As it hadn't been asked to work for Quite A While I suspected something was gunged up. Opened it up, poked,prodded,gave the motor spindle a twist. Lo! It lives!

Reassembled it and music pours forth.  Only one bit of divvery - putting the magnetic wotsit back in upside down, so that the drawer would only open when there was a CD in it. Soon sorted though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: zigzag on 21 February, 2024, 08:47:20 pm
after having my runabout bike* vandalised last friday, i fettled a replacement one - the iconic apollo cx10. tensioned spokes, centered and trued both wheels, replaced inner cables, adjusted brakes, gears, swapped qr seatpost bolt with an allen bolt, changed the tyres, patched rear inner tube. will be putting mudguards on and a d-lock holder later this week. stem and saddle will be swapped at some point too.


*i've used this bike for 7.5years, so it has run it's course and doesn't owe me anything. shame about the fact itself though.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 21 February, 2024, 08:51:48 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2024, 07:21:12 pm
My ancient Denon CD player didn't work when asked the other day. As it hadn't been asked to work for Quite A While I suspected something was gunged up. Opened it up, poked,prodded,gave the motor spindle a twist. Lo! It lives!

Reassembled it and music pours forth.  Only one bit of divvery - putting the magnetic wotsit back in upside down, so that the drawer would only open when there was a CD in it. Soon sorted though.
A CD player.
Is that similar to a digital watch?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2024, 10:45:49 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 February, 2024, 08:51:48 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2024, 07:21:12 pm
My ancient Denon CD player didn't work when asked the other day. As it hadn't been asked to work for Quite A While I suspected something was gunged up. Opened it up, poked,prodded,gave the motor spindle a twist. Lo! It lives!

Reassembled it and music pours forth.  Only one bit of divvery - putting the magnetic wotsit back in upside down, so that the drawer would only open when there was a CD in it. Soon sorted though.
A CD player.
Is that similar to a digital watch?
I think the last time it got used is when I rescued it from the FMH and plugged it in to my system. I occasionally buy CDs, at gigs,but then rip them for playing on my Raspberry Pi. It was only used the other day as The  Boy had bought CDs of some band I've never heard of. He, of course, has no optical drives on his babbage engine.

In other news I've just wound my wooden clock.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 22 February, 2024, 11:08:02 am

I acquired two CD Players a while back for £10 (£5 each) one working, one not.

I recycled the not working one. The working one worked quite well but skipped easily depending on the CD in it. A friend was moving and wanted to find an appreciative keeper of the CD Player he had and a rather nice amplifier. So I now had two CD Players both Marantz. I repaired the broken CD Drawer Transport mechanism and compared them.

The later, more tinseltastic one, with all sorts of features lost in the comparison, because it was still skipping on certain CDs (and the older more basic unit was a solid performer). So I sold the newer one and continue to enjoy CDs. I still buy them. The last one I bought was by Rocket from the Crypt, which is growing on me more each time I listen to it. 

Mainly I listen to vinyl and CDs, in equal measures. To a lesser amount television streamed 'radio', and very occasionally mp3 type music, on a very old tablet. 

I guess I like the fettling that CD and Vinyl adds to the experience.

Oh yeah, just remembered why I came here. Fitted some LED lights in the attic. Reasonably chuffed with them. I will eventually get the 6ft fluorescent tubes down and take them to the tip.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 24 February, 2024, 06:38:48 pm
Bought and fitted a tow bar mounted bike rack for the camper van and then removed the gates and the hinge brackets from the gateway.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 24 February, 2024, 06:44:11 pm
Used my lovely new derailleur hanger alignment gauge, on a mates bike, it is so much more accurate than the ZTTO rubbish that I had to send back, but then again it did cost £100 more. Lesson learnt. Also advised said mate that he bought new jockey wheels as the T-Pulley was missing the bush that allows it to rotatewhen clamped firm between the cage parts.

Wired up a couple of 20W LED lights for the garage, and "fitted" them in the garage (loosely speaking). Old and new systems working in parallel until I can be bothered to support the wiring properly, and then I will scrap the old stuff.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Wobbly John on 24 February, 2024, 06:49:51 pm
Quote from: JefO on 22 February, 2024, 11:08:02 am

I acquired two CD Players a while back for £10 (£5 each) one working, one not.

I recycled the not working one. The working one worked quite well but skipped easily depending on the CD in it. A friend was moving and wanted to find an appreciative keeper of the CD Player he had and a rather nice amplifier. So I now had two CD Players both Marantz. I repaired the broken CD Drawer Transport mechanism and compared them.

The later, more tinseltastic one, with all sorts of features lost in the comparison, because it was still skipping on certain CDs (and the older more basic unit was a solid performer). So I sold the newer one and continue to enjoy CDs. I still buy them. The last one I bought was by Rocket from the Crypt, which is growing on me more each time I listen to it. 

Mainly I listen to vinyl and CDs, in equal measures. To a lesser amount television streamed 'radio', and very occasionally mp3 type music, on a very old tablet. 

I guess I like the fettling that CD and Vinyl adds to the experience.

I had to fettle the CD draw mechanism on my main Marantz CD player a few years ago. the plastic spur-gear/cam had gone so brittle it crumbled, so a replacement gear/cam was bought on ebay and fitted. A good working Marantz CD player turned up at a charity shop a couple of week after for a fiver, so I bagged that as a spare.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 24 February, 2024, 08:28:16 pm
Replaced the bushes on the Brompton's rear hinge. Pleased with the result. Satisfying job to do. The hard bit was getting the old bushes out (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=23380.msg2877240#msg2877240).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 24 February, 2024, 09:21:43 pm
I still buy and listen to CDs. Some vinyl as well, but it's ridiculously expensive so I don't have much.

I sold my last CD player because the transport noise was unbearable. It was 20 years old. I'd meticulously cleaned and re-lubricated with the recommended stuff. I'd also changed the eject belt.
Thankfully the CD transport I replaced it with is absolutey inaudiable.

</ot>



Stripped factory grease from four chains and waxed them. Fitted one of the four to the Ribble CGR Ti. Couldn't get the power link locked using the pliers so resorted to applying pressure to the pedals whilst simultanously applying brake. Put the bike back in the stand and the rear calliper is dragging on the rotor .... again. I'm guessing that calliper mount isn't perfectly faced.

I'll have another stab at aligning the calliper. Last time around, I could could align the calliper, with the bolts tighten up enough to keep the calliper in the correct position, but I could see it's alignment change every time I torked the bolts up to 5 nm. 'Made' an alignment tool to keep the calliper in the correct position whilst I torqued up the nuts. Guessing todays firm 'braking' has moved the calliper in much the same way as torquing the bolts without the makeshift alignment tool.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 25 February, 2024, 07:16:55 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 24 February, 2024, 09:21:43 pm
... resorted to applying pressure to the pedals whilst simultanously applying brake. Put the bike back in the stand and the rear calliper is dragging on the rotor .... again. I'm guessing that calliper mount isn't perfectly faced.

I'll have another stab at aligning the calliper. Last time around, I could could align the calliper, with the bolts tighten up enough to keep the calliper in the correct position, but I could see it's alignment change every time I torked the bolts up to 5 nm. 'Made' an alignment tool to keep the calliper in the correct position whilst I torqued up the nuts. Guessing todays firm 'braking' has moved the calliper in much the same way as torquing the bolts without the makeshift alignment tool.

Your caliper mount needs facing. Don't be fooled into thinking that even a brand new frame is straight enough to be able to just bolt a caliper to it and expect dragless braking. My 2011 Hase Pino frame now has a (home made) 10 degree shim fitted between the frame and the rear caliper mount post, and it was obvious the original owner had been plagued with problems on both of its disc brakes. The front caliper mount on my 2018 Scott CX10 had to be faced as it was behaving exactly as you have described.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 25 February, 2024, 10:17:10 pm
Quote from: JefO on 25 February, 2024, 07:16:55 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 24 February, 2024, 09:21:43 pm
... resorted to applying pressure to the pedals whilst simultanously applying brake. Put the bike back in the stand and the rear calliper is dragging on the rotor .... again. I'm guessing that calliper mount isn't perfectly faced.

I'll have another stab at aligning the calliper. Last time around, I could could align the calliper, with the bolts tighten up enough to keep the calliper in the correct position, but I could see it's alignment change every time I torked the bolts up to 5 nm. 'Made' an alignment tool to keep the calliper in the correct position whilst I torqued up the nuts. Guessing todays firm 'braking' has moved the calliper in much the same way as torquing the bolts without the makeshift alignment tool.

Your caliper mount needs facing. Don't be fooled into thinking that even a brand new frame is straight enough to be able to just bolt a caliper to it and expect dragless braking. My 2011 Hase Pino frame now has a (home made) 10 degree shim fitted between the frame and the rear caliper mount post, and it was obvious the original owner had been plagued with problems on both of its disc brakes. The front caliper mount on my 2018 Scott CX10 had to be faced as it was behaving exactly as you have described.

Had another stab at re-aligning the calliper. Exact same result.
I'd have hoped this sort of thing would be checked before a bike is shipped out. I've already emailed Ribble. Hopefully they will be constructive resolving it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 25 February, 2024, 10:34:44 pm
Fitted a new crank set.

It was one of the 11sp Shimano replacement sets, from their safety recall. It's actually a 12 sp crankset and inner chain wheel. The outer ring has been specially manufactured to work on 11sp, I believe.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 26 February, 2024, 02:08:27 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 25 February, 2024, 10:17:10 pm


Had another stab at re-aligning the calliper. Exact same result.
I'd have hoped this sort of thing would be checked before a bike is shipped out. I've already emailed Ribble. Hopefully they will be constructive resolving it.

No amount of undoing and retightening the bolts will have the desired effect. And no, generally, they are not faced before "a bike is shipped out". You can pay a local shop to do it, or do it yourself.

Where (roughly) do you live? If you are local to South Essex I am happy to do it for you.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 February, 2024, 02:34:04 pm
Installed a yet shorter stem (6 cm, ye gods) on the eBrute.  The distance I have to stretch is now 3.3 cm shorter than with the stem I put on back in 2007.  If I still get neck and shoulder problems I'll have to try moving the whole motor gubbins to my already-shorter carbon butterfly and shortening that.  Just now I'm shying away from that because it might limit the size of bottle I can carry, but I could use my lovely Carradice bags again.

♫ Momma's little baby loves short'nin' short'nin',
Momma's little baby loves short'nin' -

[Get knotted - Ed]
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 26 February, 2024, 05:20:20 pm
Out of curiosity more than anything, decided to check / align the rear derailleurs on both my CX and 29er. Gave them both of good clean and polish before tucking them up for the night.

(I should really be riding the CX on training rides twice a week now, but the weather is having a detrimental effect on my willingness to do so.)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 26 February, 2024, 06:27:24 pm
Quote from: JefO on 26 February, 2024, 02:08:27 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 25 February, 2024, 10:17:10 pm


Had another stab at re-aligning the calliper. Exact same result.
I'd have hoped this sort of thing would be checked before a bike is shipped out. I've already emailed Ribble. Hopefully they will be constructive resolving it.

No amount of undoing and retightening the bolts will have the desired effect. And no, generally, they are not faced before "a bike is shipped out". You can pay a local shop to do it, or do it yourself.

Where (roughly) do you live? If you are local to South Essex I am happy to do it for you.

I was rinsing and repeating to confirm the problem - wasn't expecting to resolve it. Does sound like a defect to me which should be picked up in quality control and resolved. I don't know a huge deal, but what I do know is that one of the innovations Shimano points in it's marketing the wider clearance to reduce brake noise and in the dealer manual states there shouldn't be inteference between the rotor and the pads.

Thank you btw for the kind offer. It would be a bit of a treck, but it's very well appreciated all the same. I start finding out about LBSes that can do the job as it's not likely I'd use the tool again if I bought it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 February, 2024, 04:53:31 am
Over the past few days I have:
- Swapped the cassette on an Alpha 7 velomobile to improve climbing ability
- Replaced both gear cables on a borrowed touring bike
- Set up lights on a borrowed Greenspeed recumbent trike
- Built up a packed-for-flight upright trike
- Cleaned and tweaked an older customised Brompton
- Adjusted the bearing preload on an ancient Brampton hub
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Afasoas on 27 February, 2024, 10:51:21 am
Update on the Ribble and rear brake calliper alignment.

They have emailed me back and they are arranging for one of their mobile mechanics to come and fix it next week.

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 27 February, 2024, 12:57:33 pm
Quote from: Afasoas on 27 February, 2024, 10:51:21 am
Update on the Ribble and rear brake calliper alignment.

They have emailed me back and they are arranging for one of their mobile mechanics to come and fix it next week.

 :thumbsup:

Great result!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 27 February, 2024, 10:14:30 pm
The garden shredder.

At the weekend the blade stopped and smoke poured out. I thought that would be terminal, but I opened it up just in case, and found that it's belt driven, and the belt had slipped and burned through. So I ordered a new belt, plus some screws to replace the ones that needed drilling out to open up the shredder. They arrived today and it all went back together quite easily.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 28 February, 2024, 06:10:20 am
Retorqued the BB clamp bolts on an Alpha 7 velomobile.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 February, 2024, 09:02:34 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2024, 10:45:49 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 21 February, 2024, 08:51:48 pm
Quote from: Tim Hall on 21 February, 2024, 07:21:12 pm
My ancient Denon CD player didn't work when asked the other day. As it hadn't been asked to work for Quite A While I suspected something was gunged up. Opened it up, poked,prodded,gave the motor spindle a twist. Lo! It lives!

Reassembled it and music pours forth.  Only one bit of divvery - putting the magnetic wotsit back in upside down, so that the drawer would only open when there was a CD in it. Soon sorted though.
A CD player.
Is that similar to a digital watch?
I think the last time it got used is when I rescued it from the FMH and plugged it in to my system. I occasionally buy CDs, at gigs,but then rip them for playing on my Raspberry Pi. It was only used the other day as The  Boy had bought CDs of some band I've never heard of. He, of course, has no optical drives on his babbage engine.

In other news I've just wound my wooden clock.
FMH: Former Mad House?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 28 February, 2024, 10:16:07 am
Spent an hour trying eBrute's battery cage out on carbon butterfly.  Replacing the rear bottle cage it wants ~5mm more clearance to get the battery in, and if I fit it place of the front bottle cage it projects 2cm into the rear bottle cage.  Rats.  And now I have to spend another hour fiddling with screws & cable ties to get the eBrute back as was. :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: hellymedic on 28 February, 2024, 09:49:45 pm
I have set up a Cat-Eye Velo 7 computer for David, entered the correct tyre circumference and carried over mileage from his unreliable wireless computer.
Penetrating the instruction leaflet challenge my ageing, failing brane!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 29 February, 2024, 05:09:33 pm
Quote from: hellymedic on 28 February, 2024, 09:49:45 pm
Penetrating the instruction leaflet challenge my ageing, failing brane!

Tell me about it.  The wireless access point I put at the far end of our house is getting dodgy. It's actually an old router I adapted 10 years ago when I was still compos mentis.  The thought of doing another one bequails me.


Quote from: T42 on 28 February, 2024, 10:16:07 am
Spent an hour trying eBrute's battery cage out on carbon butterfly.  Replacing the rear bottle cage it wants ~5mm more clearance to get the battery in, and if I fit it place of the front bottle cage it projects 2cm into the rear bottle cage.  Rats.  And now I have to spend another hour fiddling with screws & cable ties to get the eBrute back as was. :(

Visited the 'manufacturer' - it's really Chinese-made to their specs - this afternoon and they told me which bits I can file off to make it fit. Nice people.  Mind you, they also took the opportunity to show me kit that has greater battery capacity and shorter batteries, only 600€.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 01 March, 2024, 02:02:08 pm
Put the battery mount back on the eBrute pro tem 'cos I want to ride it tomorrow. I'll get to converting the butterfly Sunday or Monday.

Swapped the eBrute's worn SPDs for less-worn ones out of my spares stock.  Old ones' bearings shot & contact surfaces well worn. Should maybe do my cleats too...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 02 March, 2024, 09:37:43 pm
Another one still buying CDs here, generally rip them to a drive and play via whatever mobile device. My land rover had a 6-CD changer and a decent set of speakers (harmon kardon iirc) current x-trail has a Bose system with a woofer that sits in the spare wheel, but only a single disc. It at least allows mp3

Anyhow, yesterday, reflated the front on the recumbent which resulted in sealant splurging around as it reseated. Need a new bottle to top up that and others.

Today, replaced the light in our en-suite, its like turning on the sun by comparison with the old one. Very odd lighting shop, never been in there before, does a lot of contract stuff so mostly back payment and doesn't take credit cards. So we wrote name, address and email on the back of an envelope, walked out with the light and a bill to follow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 03 March, 2024, 09:06:23 pm
My B&M IQ was playing up. Normally it just fires up when i move the bike, but had been refusing to do so lately. It would turn on manually, refuse to charge anything, and turn of after about 5 mi s.

Today, deep cleaning after a grotty ride last week, and I disassembled the dynamo connection and coax connector. Left it to dry for a while and sprayed liberally with 3 in 1, hey presto, fired up as I wheeled it back into the shedde
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 04 March, 2024, 10:46:53 am
New cleats.  Helluva difference pedalling. Not surprising, they're about a millimetre thicker than the old ones, which pulled out 3 times last Saturday without being asked.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 06 March, 2024, 06:49:31 pm
More of this
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53570886127_a6ba4ea36b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pBSN4H)20240306_184026-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pBSN4H) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Sanding, so much sanding, ugh, what a mess.
Then a 1st coat of paint to show up all the bits that still need filler.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: citoyen on 07 March, 2024, 01:45:40 pm
Fitted a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus to the commute bike.

Miraculously, no swearing was involved.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 March, 2024, 03:11:21 pm
Changed the batteries in the eBrute's alarm. Fiddly effort since it's held on with cable ties under the saddle. And put a new eTrex mount on the Domane. The old one looked OK but was getting a bit rattly.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 07 March, 2024, 03:52:11 pm
attempting to lift some decking that's in the way, I is knackered.

There is the small issue of a whrily gig spike needing to be un capped to grt the 2nd last Plank lifted and is proving tricky, I'll be returning to it the morrow with some extra brute force.

once that's done the last Plank interfaces with the wall so I'll see how that fits together and how to make it fit together post blootering.

once the frames gone all I need to do is dig the uprights out and then work out how much soil and grass seed I need.

the biggest pain of all is that I need to drive to the garden centre all of 100m away. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240307/bab21a2c827ca730e0218e0651d5ffe3.jpg)

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 March, 2024, 04:44:41 pm
Ooh that's a nice big (concrete) garden. Are you rewilding it?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 March, 2024, 05:44:28 pm
A little bit more filling at lunchtime today. Hoping that it's almost there. I do, however, need to get myself a big long sharp knife to remove some crap bits on the inside corners before putting the Screwfix plaster in a tube up to tidy it up.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 08 March, 2024, 11:56:34 am
Fitted a new battery to the wife's car (the 7 year old battery showed the early warning signs of being on the way out - ie just a slight hesitation when starting).

Changing the battery entailed applying a third parallel volt source, so that the clock and radio were continuously powered. I have jump leads and a spare charged battery for just such eventuallities. The spare charged battery was, however, flat. So I juggled the car positions and used the other car's battery to do that job instead.

New battery cost £67.40 at a very heavily discounted trade price (until last year, SWMBO worked in the office for the shop we bought the battery from). The battery is basically a 9" cube. I shudder to think what the real price of a larger car battery is. Frightening.

Spare battery is on the Optimate charger now.

 
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 March, 2024, 04:49:04 pm
Part elebenty in a series. Not bad considering what a mess it looked at the start of the week.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53575474019_a1261f6bd4_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pChiTi)20240308_164335-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pChiTi) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

That little nook between the chimney breast and the sloping ceiling (can't remember the technical term anymore) is going to be the new cat litter tray area now that Pingu no longer needs an office.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 08 March, 2024, 05:24:48 pm
Top fettle, that.

When I was a PSO my landlord used to keep his cans of McEwan's Export in a cupboard in the chimney nook.  :sick:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 March, 2024, 05:41:10 pm
Ah coom (coombed ceiling) was the word I was looking for, which is Scots. According to Oxford reference.com there is also skeiling, which I have never heard of before.

I suspect it might need another coat of paint but I"ll see what it looks like on a day with more light. Didn't think it was too bad for 2.5 tester pots...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 08 March, 2024, 06:08:53 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 08 March, 2024, 04:49:04 pm
...That little nook between the chimney breast and the sloping ceiling (can't remember the technical term anymore) is going to be the new cat litter tray area now that Pingu no longer needs an office.

Different sort of shit  :P
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 08 March, 2024, 07:05:26 pm
Diagnosed an out of centre axle as the reason my 29er QR skewer would pull up tight but would still rotate relatively easily.

Was quite happy to see that the axle was indeed off-centre. Stripped the bearings down, threw the balls away, inspected the cones and cups, rebuilt it and was careful to ensure that the axle protrusions were equidistant each side.

Fingers crossed this is the end of the slackening skewer saga!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 10 March, 2024, 04:17:36 pm
Out with the family and the hound for a post dinner walk and a mum and daughter stopped to cross a road in front of us. I noticed the brake cable had pulled out from the braze on's on the frame. I pointed this out and they knew but didn't know what yo do. My offer to fix was accepted with the look of but it needs to go to a shop to be fixed. 30 seconds later they were on their way with working brakes and very very grateful. Thankfully my wife knows my obsession with bikes as apparently the mum was a Latino stunner and she knows I genuinely only spotted the problem with the bike
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 March, 2024, 04:19:06 pm
Fitted a new security light outside the garage.  The last one was Chinese shite and expired exactly when the one-year warranty ran out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 10 March, 2024, 09:47:16 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 March, 2024, 04:44:41 pm
Ooh that's a nice big (concrete) garden. Are you rewilding it?
no, before the previous owner did this the ground was mostly slabs, tresses and chuckies based on the photos on zoopla.

The plan is to dump some top soil and grassed in the gap, but I now need to work out how to do the higher edges since the slabs sit on blobs of concrete and I'm not lifting them all to replace it with sand.

I took most of today off to go to b&q to buy stuff, and discovered it's 10% off everything if you have one of their cards, deal runs till Tuesday so I suspect I'll be back for a few more bags of top soil, there's only so much I'm willing to put in an estate car.

current state of play:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240310/d405309df198bcfb3ee4c2c85f56f0fb.jpg)


what I have allowed to happen is the bank from the kettle road up to the garden was weeded and barked, I couldn't be arsed dealing with the saplings and grass that burst through the gaps in the weed sheet that burrowing animals have made, so that's going wild like the other houses, but keeping the saplings below the height of the fence so I can see over the howe which appears to be why the mature trees that were there before were felled , with any luck it will also help reduce road noise from the A92.

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 11 March, 2024, 11:37:41 pm
this evenings progress

slab and decking post now postcreted in.

The stone steps on the left need a bit of tidying up too, cos like the treads are just sitting on top of the risers with nothing holding stuff together. I need to sort out some edging to go round and then can get the should down and decking fascia on.

then try and flog the remaining hit of decking while watching grass grow (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240311/f678528230d02e3dbf00e72984252aa2.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 March, 2024, 10:21:57 am
The light in a friend's fridge wasn't working so I said I'd have a look at it, expecting to have to trawl through a hundred and one slightly different types of bulb. In fact, I found I was able to magically breathe voles into the entire fridge, microwave, kitchen sockets and overhead strip lights by the simple flip of an RCD. Which saved a fridge and freezer load of ruined food.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Diver300 on 13 March, 2024, 11:21:23 am
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 March, 2024, 10:21:57 am
The light in a friend's fridge wasn't working so I said I'd have a look at it, expecting to have to trawl through a hundred and one slightly different types of bulb. In fact, I found I was able to magically breathe voles into the entire fridge, microwave, kitchen sockets and overhead strip lights by the simple flip of an RCD. Which saved a fridge and freezer load of ruined food.
It sounds like there may be too many loads on the one RCD. Each appliance has some leakage, which will vary. It can all add up to and trip the RCD with no fault.

RCDs are often installed for each circuit to avoid this situation. We had many nuisance trips until I moved the kitchen sockets onto their own RCD.

Unfortunately, it can be expensive to get such changes done.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 March, 2024, 02:57:36 pm
I had similar thoughts. I've no idea why so many things are on one RCD but getting it rewired would be a nightmare. It's social housing and the kitchen has only recently been rewired, which of course overran.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 March, 2024, 04:17:02 pm
It's done for cheapness, and it's a crap way to do it for the reasons stated.

I replaced my consumer unit with one stuffed with RCBOs, ie every circuit has it's own 30mA RCD built into it's circuit breaker for this very reason.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 13 March, 2024, 08:57:54 pm
In bike-related fettling, I swapped the plastic toe clips on the bike without SPDs for nice new shiny metal ones. The plastic ones had the distinction of being so oddly shaped that they would collide with the mudguard while not providing sufficient room for my toes; the metal ones, from MKS, seem to provide more toe space while being shorter overall. Win!

And then I started swapping the Rubinos on the "winter" wheels of the bike with SPDs for Conti 4-Seasons. I'd loosened one side and was just about to take the tube out when I realized they were already 4-Seasons, with the Rubinos already on the supposedly summer (in practice year round) wheels. Fail at preliminary identification stage!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 13 March, 2024, 09:19:41 pm
New brake pads on the bike.

A week or so back, I noticed a skiff-skiff-skiff as I applied the brakes.
On the workstand, I could see the pads were skimming the underside of the tyre.
Had the pads moved up on the arms somehow?

No, as the pads wear, the arms have to move further in.
They do not move horizontally.
They move in an arc from the pivot.
As they move further in, they also move up.
And skiff the tyre.

All fixed now.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 March, 2024, 10:39:04 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 13 March, 2024, 09:19:41 pm
No, as the pads wear, the arms have to move further in.
They do not move horizontally.
They move in an arc from the pivot.
As they move further in, they also move up.
And skiff the tyre.

This is one of the advantages of those Magura hydraulic rim brakes, which are a lot less pointless than they initially sound.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 March, 2024, 04:06:03 pm
Curious name, Magura: https://magnaaura.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/an-ancient-culture-from-the-balkan-peninsula-wages-civilizational-marches-and-spreads-magura-name-at-more-than-2-000-places-around-the-world/
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: trundle on 14 March, 2024, 05:39:04 pm
Found the cause of not being able to change gears: The shifter is fine, it's the front derailuer that was seized.

The horrible December audax in subzero temperatures with lashings of salt on wet roads caused that: I broke my standing rule of not riding bikes or motorbikes subzero with loads of salt on the roads - it just eats components for breakfast and costs lots of money.

The transmission spent time in the ultrasonic cleaner - but the chain isn't recoverable. Many links are rusty. Wax lubes are brilliant in normal conditions - but they don't protect from rust: You need a messy wet lube for that.

The RD was fine, and some penetrating and light oil unseized the FD. But it's notchy. It might free up with use, but if not - I've got a spare Sora triple FD in the shed.

I also replaced the inner gear cables and spent a happy ten minutes getting gear changes tuned.

It's not quite good as new - but way better than seized.

I shall repeat the mantra, "Don't ride an audax when there is loads of salt on the road - it isn't worth it!". Even on the fixed gear bike!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 14 March, 2024, 06:15:22 pm
Though in the case of the brake manufacturer “Magura” comes from the company founder's name – MAGenwirth – and his hometown – Bad URAch.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 15 March, 2024, 03:03:48 pm
Halfway to lunch yesterday, stopped for a widdle and managed to push the stem 45° out of alignment parking the bike.  Sorted with multitool. I had done the thing up to 5 Nm as stipulated on the old stem, this one having no inscription. Dunno what it is now.  A case for threadlock, methinks.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 16 March, 2024, 03:47:58 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 March, 2024, 10:39:04 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 13 March, 2024, 09:19:41 pm
No, as the pads wear, the arms have to move further in.
They do not move horizontally.
They move in an arc from the pivot.
As they move further in, they also move up.
And skiff the tyre.

This is one of the advantages of those Magura hydraulic rim brakes, which are a lot less pointless than they initially sound.

I think I still have in the parts box one set of old xtr v brakes which are designed to move the pads in consistently.. I didn't buy them got them as warranty replacement for a set of iirc avid magnesium v brakes that corroded but were around 100 quid a pair and that was around 2002
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 16 March, 2024, 04:24:41 pm
Hm... Put two chains through the first 3 stages of my usual 2-stroke => acetone => boiling water => wax-pot process, but after being on the high setting for the last 2 hours the pot is still cool enough to wrap my hands around, whereas it should normally be into ouch territory by now.  Most of the wax has liquefied but I'm not sure it's going to heat up enough to expel all the residual water from the chains.

Pot is (a) 3 years old and (b) Russell Hobbs so I wouldn't be surprised if it has gone phut. Of course it would be the §$%&/( weekend...

ETA fully melted now (18:14) and outside getting hot.  The thing has two heating settings and a 'keep warm' and I had it on #2, but I suspect that it's only heating on the #1 level.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 16 March, 2024, 05:32:28 pm
Quote from: The Family Cyclist on 16 March, 2024, 03:47:58 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 March, 2024, 10:39:04 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 13 March, 2024, 09:19:41 pm
No, as the pads wear, the arms have to move further in.
They do not move horizontally.
They move in an arc from the pivot.
As they move further in, they also move up.
And skiff the tyre.

This is one of the advantages of those Magura hydraulic rim brakes, which are a lot less pointless than they initially sound.

I think I still have in the parts box one set of old xtr v brakes which are designed to move the pads in consistently.. I didn't buy them got them as warranty replacement for a set of iirc avid magnesium v brakes that corroded but were around 100 quid a pair and that was around 2002

Avid (used to) make parallel-push V-brakes as well, with a lot less complexity than the XTRs.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 16 March, 2024, 06:42:50 pm
garden progress

put decking edges together for new height, dug trenches ready for edging, which I need to procure or create from broken slabs.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240316/5f278bce3d0224fedc034ea3e75a0439.jpg)

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 16 March, 2024, 06:43:32 pm
so for now, it looks like this
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240316/1dcc8985988019701e4017bf1e69eda6.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 16 March, 2024, 07:04:54 pm
finally found a picture of how it startedish

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240316/3ac2be3dcdf8f03df26dd2e3ebeaf4d9.jpg)

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Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 16 March, 2024, 07:17:31 pm
Looks slippy!
"I finally found a picture of how it started" is accompanied by a view of Mount Doom in tapatalk. Probably less good as a starting point for some DIY.

Sent from my SM-S911B using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 16 March, 2024, 07:25:58 pm
Set up my new Rega turntable today.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 17 March, 2024, 04:27:25 pm
Yesterday, reassembled HK’s shiny trike after its trip to Oz.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 March, 2024, 04:37:52 pm
Reorganised the firewood, now all in the wood store instead of under a tarpaulin, and cut up the last pallet.

Cut the grass and pruned the big climbing rose (which has rose mosaic virus but it never appears if the rose is looked after properly). Pulled up some weeds.

Cleaned out the cats' litter tray.

Sprayed the roof of the car.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53593736940_f83a228546_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pDTUPf)20240317_160212 (https://flic.kr/p/2pDTUPf) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

It's a silly little JDM USB adaptor for the fag lighter socket, with light-up headlamps, and is the same colour as my Jimny.  No-one told the makers that all Chiffon Ivory Jimnys have a contrasting black roof.  But I have a can of Suzuki black metallic from fixing SO's car last year  :)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 17 March, 2024, 06:44:46 pm
Tweaked my virtual F-MAX so the badges on the grille and the steering wheel now read “Fnord”.  Because I've seen 'em.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 17 March, 2024, 07:10:12 pm
New back tyre on the Bloo Bike. New pads on the front of the Pino. That's the first time I've changed disc pads. All went well and the new ones work. Hurrah.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 17 March, 2024, 07:29:12 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 March, 2024, 07:25:58 pm
Set up my new Rega turntable today.
What sort?
I've seen these priced a £12.5K
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 March, 2024, 07:40:05 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 17 March, 2024, 07:29:12 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 March, 2024, 07:25:58 pm
Set up my new Rega turntable today.
What sort?
I've seen these priced a £12.5K

The more common Planar 2/3 models are not quite in that range...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 March, 2024, 07:42:04 pm
Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 March, 2024, 04:37:52 pm
Reorganised the firewood, now all in the wood store instead of under a tarpaulin, and cut up the last pallet.

Cut the grass and pruned the big climbing rose (which has rose mosaic virus but it never appears if the rose is looked after properly). Pulled up some weeds.

Cleaned out the cats' litter tray.

Sprayed the roof of the car.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53593736940_f83a228546_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pDTUPf)20240317_160212 (https://flic.kr/p/2pDTUPf) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr

It's a silly little JDM USB adaptor for the fag lighter socket, with light-up headlamps, and is the same colour as my Jimny.  No-one told the makers that all Chiffon Ivory Jimnys have a contrasting black roof.  But I have a can of Suzuki black metallic from fixing SO's car last year  :)
Mistake agents call it magnolia – everyone else calls it beige.
Suzuki call it chiffon ivory – it's still beige.  8)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 17 March, 2024, 08:35:46 pm
It's actually cream (yellow), and not beige at all.  It even says cream on the V5.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 17 March, 2024, 09:32:23 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 17 March, 2024, 07:40:05 pm
Quote from: Jurek on 17 March, 2024, 07:29:12 pm
Quote from: JefO on 16 March, 2024, 07:25:58 pm
Set up my new Rega turntable today.
What sort?
I've seen these priced a £12.5K

The more common Planar 2/3 models are not quite in that range...

I was looking at getting a P3, but after some time spent in Rayleigh HiFi, decided on a P6 with the Rega RB330 tone arm and Exact (MM) Cartridge.

Package price is set to rise a bit above £1.4k in the next two weeks. If you are thinking of getting a deck, do it now and save enough to buy a couple of new vinyl albums!

It is better than the rest of my system, and I have noticed greater clarity in cymbals over the previous turntable/tone arm/ cartridge combination JVC /Ortofon VMS3. The turntable doesn't add any noise to the sound. At all. The previous setup was prone to transmitting sounds from vibrations and shocks - like the lid closing etc.

The previous quartz locked turntable (JVC QL-A51) is still going strong and is now assisting some friends whose turntable dying was the nudge I needed to getting my system its upgrade. I bought it in the early 1980s, so I don't think it owed me anything!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 March, 2024, 10:01:09 pm
Sounds all a bit spendy.
I'll stick with my 30 year old vinyl-scratcher setup.

I did have to have the MC cartridge re-built at Great Expense a couple of years ago, on account of it being destroyed by the Very Smalls when they were Very Small, about 20 years ago...

It's actually quite reassuring to know that there are a very few number of people around who still possess the skill to re-build a MC cartridge.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 17 March, 2024, 10:20:24 pm
I too bought a Rega turntable  :thumbsup: A long time ago  :-\
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 17 March, 2024, 10:28:45 pm
Quote from: Pingu on 17 March, 2024, 10:20:24 pm
I too bought a Rega turntable  :thumbsup: A long time ago  :-\

Yes, they were the step up from the Dual CS-505 which was the entry-level in those days!
There was more than one of those turntables between a few of us in those days.

I remember I had to fettle one of them where a power resistor on the phase-shift board for the start-winding on the motor had expired from too much heat, and charred the board for good measure.
I think I off-boarded it to a better heat-sunk wirewound...

Pre-Internet, I think I had to dismantle a non-fucked one (it might even have been yours!) to measure the resistance of what the non-fucked resistor should be!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 18 March, 2024, 03:25:47 pm
Declared the Mavic Open Pro rim of my SON wheel dead. The Iwanson gauge still says min 1mm everywhere but the braking surface is looking very hollow so I can't trust it any more.  Swapped it for the SP-8 wheel and swapped the connectors accordingly.  Also swapped the GP4000s + Michelin tube on it for the Durano + Slime tube from the SON wheel.  The tyre had no internal green splats so I surmise that the Durano, with 13,000 km on it,  is damn near bomb-proof. Tread's still there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 18 March, 2024, 09:25:30 pm
I gave my Spa Audax bike a thorough cleaning, including waxing the chain. It has now been put
away and won't be ridden until the first week of October. Until then, riding duties will be shared
between a Dolan Dual and an XACD titanium bike (both have identical components and wheels,
as did the Spa Audax).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 19 March, 2024, 04:35:44 pm
Spent most of the afternoon trying to debug my RD without success, concluding that new cable + housing are needed. And new bar tape, it's pigging.

Ascertained in the process that the barrel adjuster on agëd 105 has an M5 screw, this after fecking-divving it all the way out of the RD and not being able to screw it back in due to crap in the female threading. Got that out by gently running a 5mm tap in and out again.

Haven't got the oomph left to do all that's needed this evening so I was able to cry off that idiotic ride I was due on tomorrow. ODHSNM.  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 19 March, 2024, 06:48:17 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 March, 2024, 04:35:44 pm
able to cry off that idiotic ride I was due on tomorrow. ODHSNM.  ;D

Oh dear, how sad, never mind?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: campagman on 19 March, 2024, 08:54:44 pm
Yesterday I acquired a couple of Deore LX vbrake arms. The parallel push type. Intrigued I fitted them today to my hack bike. Seem to work well although I have since read that they can squeal.
While I was at it I fitted a different saddle to the same bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 March, 2024, 09:25:31 am
Quote from: JefO on 19 March, 2024, 06:48:17 pm
Quote from: T42 on 19 March, 2024, 04:35:44 pm
able to cry off that idiotic ride I was due on tomorrow. ODHSNM.  ;D

Oh dear, how sad, never mind?

 ;D

Meanwhile, inside my RH shifter:

(https://pbase.com/image/174424319.jpg)

Maybe Di2 isn't such a bad idea...  Although old-fashioned cables coming out the side of the shifter were better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: The Family Cyclist on 20 March, 2024, 09:58:27 am
Yesterday replaced all cables and bar tap on my tourer. Winter hadnt been kind. Need to finish setting up today, front mech was being a pig and got the hump so left

Also just sprayed mould remover on while on hold to HMRC. About to go and scrub off
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 March, 2024, 12:04:15 pm
Quote from: T42 on 20 March, 2024, 09:25:31 am
Meanwhile, inside my RH shifter:

(https://pbase.com/image/174424319.jpg)

Maybe Di2 isn't such a bad idea...  Although old-fashioned cables coming out the side of the shifter were better.

It's complicated shifters[1] that are the problem.  Cables work fine with sensible thumbie/downtube/bar-end shifters, after all.  (This post sponsored by deciding that the Boring Dawes is getting something less fiddly than trigger shifters next time something relevant needs replacing.)

Given the trend towards 1× drivetrains, I'm surprised there hasn't been more interest in hydraulic shifting, though I suppose while it's admirably reliable, it doesn't have the accuracy advantage of electronics for derailleur gears.  (Works well for hub gears with the indexing at the hub end, Kindernay style.)


[1] I'll include grip shifters that require use of swearing and/or witchcraft to thread the cable through a 90° bend for these purposes, in spite of their mechanical simplicity.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 20 March, 2024, 01:07:26 pm
Quote from: Kim on 20 March, 2024, 12:04:15 pm
Quote from: T42 on 20 March, 2024, 09:25:31 am
Meanwhile, inside my RH shifter:

(https://pbase.com/image/174424319.jpg)

Maybe Di2 isn't such a bad idea...  Although old-fashioned cables coming out the side of the shifter were better.

It's complicated shifters[1] that are the problem.  Cables work fine with sensible thumbie/downtube/bar-end shifters, after all.  (This post sponsored by deciding that the Boring Dawes is getting something less fiddly than trigger shifters next time something relevant needs replacing.)

Given the trend towards 1× drivetrains, I'm surprised there hasn't been more interest in hydraulic shifting, though I suppose while it's admirably reliable, it doesn't have the accuracy advantage of electronics for derailleur gears.  (Works well for hub gears with the indexing at the hub end, Kindernay style.)


[1] I'll include grip shifters that require use of swearing and/or witchcraft to thread the cable through a 90° bend for these purposes, in spite of their mechanical simplicity.

Agree re the cruel & unusual 90° bend.

My main problem, though, is that replacing the outers is such a long-winded process that I put it off as long as possible, i.e. until something stops working.  I've been blaming the chain lube for the last 500k, but it wasn't that.

1x looks interesting but I don't really think I'll be needing it.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 20 March, 2024, 05:34:13 pm
Anyway, today's fettle involved replacing a broken spoke in barakta's motor wheel, that I'd discovered while playing musical brakes[1] last week.  Astoundingly, it's a lot easier to obtain spokes in silly short sizes than it was a few years ago, which is just as well, as the one in question was a whole 96mm.

Alas, this involved doing battle with a Marathon Plus on a 20" wheel, which eventually succumbed to a combination of cable ties, VAR tyre lever and harsh language.

Having sorted that out, I fitted the non-motor wheel to the trike and installed it on the turbo trainer.  The physioterrorists having approved light pedalling with no resistance.  This should hopefully prevent excessive bouts of OwMeKnee when she's able to walk again.


[1] One of the BB7s from the dead Streetmachine replacing a knackered Tektro thing that was serving as a parking brake on her trike.  The main idea was the ability to adjust the stationary pad without removing the wheel (the motor blocks direct access), but this also appears to have provided a major boost in braking performance.  Skidz, for the doing of.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: BrianI on 20 March, 2024, 05:45:56 pm
Well, not fettled today, but last weekend at my community garden's Repair Cafe (Grow West Fife).

An old hifi with a discrete turntable, of which the power output connector from the hifi to the turntable had broken pads on the main circuit board.

So a spot of soldering for me after the other chaps in the repair cafe had diagnosed the fault.


 A wee doubrie of wire, a splash of flux paste, and a bit of proper leaded solder (circa Maplin Electronic's 1995 Vintage), and job was done after scraping the solder resist off the a decent bit of the circuit traces.  Ended up having to repair two traces on the circuit board and that was the hifi system working again! 

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53600222558_5fdafd6d47_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pEt9Lf)repaircafe (https://flic.kr/p/2pEt9Lf) by Brian Innes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianinnesphotography/), on Flickr

I also had a look at a toaster which wasn't staying down.   Diagnosis failed solenoid unit:

 (https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53600483735_992db38fe9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pEuupi)solenoid (https://flic.kr/p/2pEuupi) by Brian Innes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianinnesphotography/), on Flickr


I guess watching those "circuit repair videos" on youtube is helping! 

Although I did have gammy hands the day after...  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SoreTween on 20 March, 2024, 08:32:52 pm
Working backwards:
Today I fettled about a zillion thorn tips out of the skin of my hands. Much ouch before and during this process.
Yesterday evening I continued fettling a replacement rose trellis, one painful slat at a time as the rose is mature and well knitted round the remains of the old trellis.
Yesterday daytime I fettled about a zillion thorn tips out of the skin of my hands. Much ouch before and during this process.
Can you guess what I was doing Monday evening?

Thankfully I'm having an evening off that job.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 21 March, 2024, 03:33:29 pm
Ouch.

---o0o---

Meanwhile, I have replaced both gear cables + housings on the eBrute and given it new HB tape. Used Bike Ribbon red again because I always have on that bike, but against my better judgement this time around because the New! Brighter! shade shows up the dirt more than the older shade and will look as filthy as usual this time tomorrow.  I could have put on the black bar tape I have for the Trek but the eBrute looks verra driech* without a bit of colour on it.

* to quote my Ayrshire chum Alan, when he was 3.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 22 March, 2024, 08:07:54 pm
The rear screen washer tube on my wife’s 208, a well known weak spot (hard corrugated plastic tube that fails due to fatigue ‘twixt shell and hatch). As it had broken flush with one of the fittings there was no bodge available so it had to be replaced. A few broken trim clips but nothing you’d notice. I then pumped up the tyres and topped off the washer bottle. Shame I forgot her bonnet had a prop and not gas struts like mine. Now £30 worse off for a new stay.  ::-) (And I’ve just discovered gas struts would have been cheaper!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 23 March, 2024, 01:17:44 pm
The moss lawn. Just.

ETA: And after lunch, and another hailstorm, I washed and de-mossed my wife’s car. And then got caught in another hailstorm as I tidied up.

Forgot, I had to fettle the outsidetap pipe work before the car wash (one reason I finished in the hail). Despite being lagged and not under pressure with the tap open, it seems, despite this nit being that cold a winter (-10C maybe) it had frozen and split. Tapped the split back down, wrapped with duct tape, and cable-tied over the top.  Good enough.  Replacement pipe and olives ordered for Easter fettling, and this time I’ll add a downward slope to it.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 23 March, 2024, 01:56:10 pm
My Julie Andrews* chainset: 46/34/24. I have a hunchback of a plan (it is only partly formed) to cycle up Mt Ventoux this summer and I'm not prepared (nor, frankly, able) to do the training required to do so on the current 50/40/30.

(*Climb Every Mountain)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 23 March, 2024, 03:03:14 pm
Yesterday, replaced the tyre that let me down on an audax recently - let me down is a bit strong as it had doen about 8000km, adn on closer inspection all the pointy diamond bits had become flat square bits and the centre tread was almost worn flat.  There were quite a lot of nicks and slashes in the tread so it was probably only a matter of time.

Anyhow, as usual, the job expanded to fill the available time.  As I noticed the rim tape was looking a bit iffy, I decided to replace that as well, so deep clean and degrease of the rim required and then first time faff with the tubeless rim tape.  Also had to locate a valve from my stocks as I couldn't find the one I'd taken out.  Tyre popped on first time (Terravail Canonball) but I over filled with sealant and had to devise a removal strategy.

Anyway, job done, pressure holding, grip restored. And the front got a squirt of top-up as well.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 23 March, 2024, 06:05:49 pm
Removed the cleats from the deceased Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycling shoes and installed them on the New! SHINY!! TV's Nice C Boardman ones.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 24 March, 2024, 05:50:36 pm
Quote from: Paul on 23 March, 2024, 01:56:10 pm
My Julie Andrews* chainset: 46/34/24. I have a hunchback of a plan (it is only partly formed) to cycle up Mt Ventoux this summer and I'm not prepared (nor, frankly, able) to do the training required to do so on the current 50/40/30.

(*Climb Every Mountain)

Hmm.

There’s a compatibility problem with the chain (10s) and chainset (7s) which I’ll have to resolve. Seems ok going between middle and outer ring, but has a tendency to get stuck between middle and granny.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 24 March, 2024, 06:15:04 pm
garden progress

need to sort out a slab for the gap due to it not being 600mm wide.
then mortar a few gaps

and then get grass seed in.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240324/dd8682ea6c9c2ac13456f12f369f2c88.jpg)

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 24 March, 2024, 06:31:02 pm
Lots of general garden tidying today, with weeding and prepping for getting stuff out into greenhouse and then garden.

We got rid of a trampoline last year, but under current circumstances don't want to spend anything on sorting the space out, so I've prepped it just to be a veg plot overflow and general flower bed. My Hauzontle has germinated extremely well so could possibly go in there.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 24 March, 2024, 08:59:20 pm
Vacuumed out the wife’s car, and ran the front mats through a wash. Then gave it a coat of polish.p and pumped up the tyres. It needs 4 new tyres (‘cos perishing) and front discs (‘cos badly lipped). One for the mobile mechanic. Scrubbed the kitchen floor as I could leave the back door open because the weather was so nice.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 25 March, 2024, 08:43:15 am
I made an insert for the campervan shower/toilet. Problem is that a shower at night leaves a damp floor. During the day shoes leave mud on the shower floor.

Took a piece of flooring vinyl and cut it to shape. Then took garden fence lattice and cut it to match with some extras for edges. Glued it all together and we now have an insert which is lightweight and easily removable.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 25 March, 2024, 12:11:48 pm
Adjusted the cleats on my newly acquired Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycling shoes, that my mighty plates shall smite no more the chainstays when powering up the Col d'Underpass. Hopefully.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 26 March, 2024, 09:40:13 am
MrsT's new phone so that it doesn't wake me up at what-the-fuck? am.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 30 March, 2024, 01:50:38 pm
Today I used the BOB trailer in behind the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle for the first time, having previously contrived to make bulky and/or heavy purchases coincide with use of the motor-car for Other Things.  I have just spent two hours re-configuring the rack on said Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle such that the trailer can be attached without the Use of Tools.  This required a hacksaw, some scrap angle aluminium strip, twelve bolts, a hand drill and 4mm bit, 4 and 5mm Allen keys, an 8mm spanner, a Pozidriv screwdriver and taking my jumper off coz it’s actually quite warm in the suntrap of Larrington Gardens.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: MattH on 30 March, 2024, 05:51:09 pm
Last night fettled the Trice to be back in road-going form. I've not used it on roads since late 2020, and only outside since then at the occasional BHPC race. Otherwise it's been sat on the trainer, pretty much as somewhere to store it, though it has had a lot of use on Zwift.

So I pulled it off the trainer and refitted mudguards. I got two new blades for the front as the original ones were cracking - ICE sell something that's the right length, but needs holes drilling for the mounts and to move the bottom flap from the old ones. But only a tenner a piece, so not worth worrying about as it doesn't take long to sort them out.

A check of the brakes and gears, then adjusted my Super C panniers to fit and put on the extended top rack I made back in 2020 to allow the dog's Kuryakyn Pet Palace to be mounted. Found enough bits to put a RAM mount ball onto the bosses on the front mech post, so I can put a phone up there for nav (old eyes find the Garmin 705 harder to read nowadays, though I still use it). The intention being to give it a proper go on the roads, and decide if I want to keep it or not.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 31 March, 2024, 02:26:38 am
Just put my clock forward an hour
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 31 March, 2024, 10:17:03 am
I actually managed to put my watch an hour forward* without R'ing TFM, which is something of a novelty.  Only the microwave and the wall clock in the Great Hall left to do.

* A meme currently popular among the Gammonariat states that “this weekend I'm gonna put my clock back to 1940 when this country had some bollocks”, usually illustrated with a Spitfire or two.  This tells us everything we need to know about Gammonariat mental capabilities.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: vorsprung on 31 March, 2024, 10:22:03 am
pressfit bottom brackets are terrible part 3

bottom bracket wore out and had to be replaced a couple of weeks ago, took 2 hours and I had to use a sledgehammer
It looked good afterwards

Anyway, on a recent ride Richard S. noticed my chain line seemed to wobble

I then noticed it too

I looked it up "this can be due to the BB axle not being straight"

Took the cranks out and reapplied the BB fitting tool.  When I tightened from the LHS there was a nasty crunch

Reassembled, the wobble has gone

Can't believe that press fit BB is somehow being promoted as a design improvement
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 31 March, 2024, 03:44:51 pm
My car, cosmetically. Yesterday was washing, clay bar, and a bit of compound polishing (not too effective by hand , I’ll be getting an orbital machine for next time). Today was waxing/coating. Fortunately not too much drizzle to work around.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 31 March, 2024, 04:41:11 pm
Made my shonky 12 vole pump, motor-car tyres for the inflation of, puff again.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: ElyDave on 31 March, 2024, 04:49:39 pm
from somewhere, I developed some mudgaurd-fu and the raceblade XL's that were previously entirely incompatible with the Gravelkings on 650b on the S40 now miraculously fit.  Tomorrow, while it's likely to be pish weather, I'll finish off fettling the rest of it to actually try and get more than a pitiful 800km on it this year.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: SteveC on 31 March, 2024, 06:11:57 pm
The roof light over the bed in our caravan has been leaking this winter.  :sick: We only found out this week as it's in storage.
We visited today to remove and dispose of the mattress and to bring the worst of the carpets back home to try to dry them out.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Hot Flatus on 31 March, 2024, 08:20:14 pm
Re-bled a new caliper. Got it working nicely but couldn't be arsed to actually go out and ride the thing  :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Paul on 01 April, 2024, 12:35:13 am
Quote from: Paul on 24 March, 2024, 05:50:36 pm
Quote from: Paul on 23 March, 2024, 01:56:10 pm
My Julie Andrews* chainset: 46/34/24. I have a hunchback of a plan (it is only partly formed) to cycle up Mt Ventoux this summer and I'm not prepared (nor, frankly, able) to do the training required to do so on the current 50/40/30.

(*Climb Every Mountain)

Hmm.

There’s a compatibility problem with the chain (10s) and chainset (7s) which I’ll have to resolve. Seems ok going between middle and outer ring, but has a tendency to get stuck between middle and granny.

Compatibility problem fixed with the original 10s record chainset. I’ve swapped the problem of the chain slipping between the rings for the problem of shifting from a 24t ring to a 39t ring. It works okay as long as I plan ahead.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 01 April, 2024, 08:31:55 am
Removed the raceblades from the Ti bike I ride sometimes in the winter, ready for better weather post-clock change - probably optimistic . . . .
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mr Larrington on 01 April, 2024, 01:29:40 pm
Saturday's rack-fettling has led to Monday’s Unacceptable Rattling caused by the rearward end of those metal strip thingies that connect rack and frame hitting the underside of the rack platform.

Fix #1: Remove rack from Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle, drill through platform, bolt down tail end of metal strip thingies, reassemble.

Fix #2: Discipline metal strip thingies with GBFO cable tie.

I went with #2 as it involved less Unpleasant Bending :D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Jurek on 01 April, 2024, 01:52:09 pm
Yesterday. Stuffed the gap between the skirting board and the kitchen floor with scrunched up aluminium foil as this was the access for the mice which have been infesting my place since before last Christmas (It was a month and a half before I realised that I'd been leaving food accessible which they were feeding on  ::-)).
I've had slightly more than two weeks with no rodenticide having been disturbed so it is time to f*ck their access.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: perpetual dan on 01 April, 2024, 07:24:50 pm
Removed the mudguards from my bike, as the local mud is currently thick enough to foul them. A bit of splatter is preferable to frequent stops to try and scrape it out with a twig. Especially as a lot of the twigs on the downs come with thorns on.

Also a general clean, change the speed sensor battery, and attach the frame bag.

Sent from my SM-S911B using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 02 April, 2024, 08:35:22 am
Quote from: Jurek on 01 April, 2024, 01:52:09 pm
Yesterday. Stuffed the gap between the skirting board and the kitchen floor with scrunched up aluminium foil as this was the access for the mice which have been infesting my place since before last Christmas (It was a month and a half before I realised that I'd been leaving food accessible which they were feeding on  ::-)).
I've had slightly more than two weeks with no rodenticide having been disturbed so it is time to f*ck their access.

Aye, it'll play Old Harry with their amalgam fillings.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 03 April, 2024, 08:17:20 pm
FINALLY finished a wheel I started in June(?) last year.  A severe lack of round tuits.     It was taken out for a short test ride & didn't make any pinging noises or turn into a pretzel.  I then fitted the B&M dynamo lamps that I've had so long they are probably classed as antiques.    If this strange mood continues I may put the mountain bike back together tomorrow, after giving it a bit of a clean.    The next stage would be actually going out for a ride......

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 03 April, 2024, 09:23:22 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 03 April, 2024, 08:17:20 pm
...turn into a pretzel....

Now, that would be impressive  :o
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 04 April, 2024, 04:55:58 pm
Reassembled the MTB.  The cam on the rear skewer broke, so I had to replace it with a Pitlok one, from the spares box.  I must replace that asap as I'm bound to forget the key thing.   One of the tyres looks a bit dodgy as well, so that will have to be swapped as well.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 April, 2024, 05:14:06 pm
Nothing really, yet, but appropo of my wardrobe based divvery as detailed here: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=95565.msg2886134#msg2886134
I've just been out looking to see how said wardrobe might come apart.
My (hopefully cunning) plan is to see if we can split it up into the 2 L-shaped parts (top and 1 side + door, base and 2nd side + door) that make up the whole without taking it entirely to pieces.
Wish us luck for tomorrow.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 04 April, 2024, 08:53:22 pm
I put one of the 40 (yes, forty) 9-speed Ultegra (12-27) cassettes onto my Dolan Dual.
I also corrected (as far as I can see) the Bontrager mudguards on the bike. No more squeaks
and rattles.




(I bought the cassettes over a period of several months a few years ago from a guy who went
from 9-speed to 11-speed).

(chain replaced last week).
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 04 April, 2024, 10:28:01 pm
I thought I was anal having two Veloce 10 speed cassettes all these years  ::-)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 04 April, 2024, 10:32:24 pm
I've got a fair number of 9-speed cassettes in the loft too. I kept seeing them at discounts and buying them in for when I needed them, only to find that I'd done that before and probably didn't need any more :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 04 April, 2024, 11:30:13 pm
2 of my bikes are still 8 speed, with square taper bottom brackets.  I'm getting worried about parts .   What would happen if one of my downtube shifters broke !  :jurek:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 04 April, 2024, 11:45:23 pm
I need to have a spare parts audit at some point.  Maybe I could rope barakta into making one of her famous spreadsheets.

I do know that I stocked up on 10-speed drivetrain parts shortly before the Streetmachine died and got replaced with a Rohloff model.  But at least they'll be useful if I start doing orders of magnitude more mountain biking.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 April, 2024, 03:42:54 pm
The devastation after Wednesday's failed wardrobe delivery
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53633874040_a9f78fc66e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pHrCbd)20240405_153608-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pHrCbd) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Today we dismembered it, and after a lot of sweat and bad swears, eventually managed to reassemble it, without damaging it, apart from the stupid hat shelf which fell out. Though that turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it means we can now have a full height rail across the whole width.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53633429621_ab45232a81_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pHpm4P)20240405_153656-COLLAGE (https://flic.kr/p/2pHpm4P) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: orienteer on 05 April, 2024, 04:35:34 pm
Found enough energy within to pressure wash the patio. Didn't get a round tuit last year.

Laid it when we had an extension built about 40 years ago, using 18" square red and beige slabs. By the end of each winter you can't distinguish the colours.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: drossall on 05 April, 2024, 05:22:38 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 April, 2024, 11:45:23 pm
I need to have a spare parts audit at some point.  Maybe I could rope barakta into making one of her famous spreadsheets.
I've got a spreadsheet. But every now and again I look in another cupboard and have to update it :-[
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 April, 2024, 06:15:33 pm
Finally replaced the rim bent by a stupid driver some months ago and fitted the rebuilt dynowheel to my fixed. The interim dynowheel will be adjusted and returned to HK’s Roberts though she is unlikely to actually do much distance on it in future. Fitted the fixed with new front and rear tyres, after deflations in Thursday and Friday. Adjusted the front brake pads and front mudguard to suit the new rim width, along with a Rawflap pinched from my Frezoni as the fixed’s Rawflap was completely delaminated after not very long. Replaced the corroded Miche rear tracknuts with Runwell nuts. Hopefully they can cope with road salt better.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 06 April, 2024, 08:47:23 pm
Replaced the split and repaired with duct tape and zip-ties length of copper pipe twixt stop vakve and outside tap. And then I dismantled the various bird feeders and gave them a good clean before they go away for the season.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: barakta on 06 April, 2024, 08:50:55 pm
Quote from: Kim on 04 April, 2024, 11:45:23 pm
I need to have a spare parts audit at some point.  Maybe I could rope barakta into making one of her famous spreadsheets.

You only have to ask  ;D
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: CAMRAMan on 07 April, 2024, 01:03:30 pm
Lots of tedious, little chores in advance of a house valuation on Tuesday. Only the dusting remains, but that will be put off until the very final second. The bucket and mop made a very rare appearance in the kitchen. My reward was cheese, tomato and pickle sandwiches, although they were spoiled by me skimping on the cheese and the, supposedly sweet, Lidl pickle being very tart.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: T42 on 07 April, 2024, 01:56:23 pm
Banged my left shifter straight with the heel of my hand.  It got turned a bit when the bike fell over a while back.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 07 April, 2024, 02:07:20 pm
Pulled the failed Royce BB from a friend’s Enigma. The wear to the chainstay and chainring bolts suggest he has been riding with it rubbing for quite a while. Realigned the slightly bent rear hanger. The chain and cassette are toast, as is the rear rim. Removed the superfluous crown race and added an extra 1” threadless headset spacer. Fitted a replacement middle ring from garage stock. There wasn’t an appropriate length BB in the garage stock, so that needs to be acquired.

Replaced a pair of brake pads on HK’s orange Trykit. Flintmined the tyres. The chain and cassette are well past needing replacement.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2024, 04:23:41 pm
Some magnetic door catches onto our new wardrobe. Somewhat complicated by the fact the screws that came with them were made of cheese. Got there eventually.

Swapped the studded tyres for some normal ones on the commuter bike.
Did think about putting a roller blind up in the kitchen but decided that was enough tuits used for one day.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 April, 2024, 04:26:57 pm
New cleats (2 bolt variety) fitted to my touring shoes - lace-up type that you can also walk in - (the front clip bit being paper thin) and to a new pair of the shoes I use on my road bikes.

Just need to try and get the rather burred cleat bolts undone and fit new cleats on the old road shoes that will be demoted to wet weather riding.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Feanor on 07 April, 2024, 04:39:17 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2024, 04:23:41 pm
Some magnetic door catches onto our new wardrobe. Somewhat complicated by the fact the screws that came with them were made of cheese. Got there eventually.

As a general rule, any mounting hardware supplied with pretty much anything needs to go in the bin.
Don't even attempt to use it.

Go rummage in the boxes of Such Things in the garage and find some Proper Hardware which you have bought at some point in the past...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rafletcher on 07 April, 2024, 05:14:50 pm
Chopped the remaining salvaged decking boards into kindling for next winter. Sharpened the secateurs. Noticed how little pruning I did last year as irs been so wet. Hey ho.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Tim Hall on 07 April, 2024, 05:58:32 pm
First cut of the grass in the Upper Fifty Acres this year, followed by wrangling Very Fierce Brambles. I was wearing a T shaped shirt, so my arms look like I've been self harming.

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2024, 06:41:27 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 07 April, 2024, 04:39:17 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2024, 04:23:41 pm
Some magnetic door catches onto our new wardrobe. Somewhat complicated by the fact the screws that came with them were made of cheese. Got there eventually.

As a general rule, any mounting hardware supplied with pretty much anything needs to go in the bin.
Don't even attempt to use it.

Go rummage in the boxes of Such Things in the garage and find some Proper Hardware which you have bought at some point in the past...

Entire story:
I got the 1st supplied screw 90% of way in before the head snapped off. I threw the rest of them in the bin and got my trusty box of actual wood screws. After using these it was suggested that these wood screws were preventing the catch from catching, so against my better judgement the crap screws were dug out of the bin, until the 3rd one snapped and we went back to the wood screws again.

Of course, if I'd bothered to read the reviews on Screwfix I would have seen the screws were made of cheese....
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: robgul on 07 April, 2024, 07:13:17 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2024, 06:41:27 pm
Quote from: Feanor on 07 April, 2024, 04:39:17 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 April, 2024, 04:23:41 pm
Some magnetic door catches onto our new wardrobe. Somewhat complicated by the fact the screws that came with them were made of cheese. Got there eventually.

As a general rule, any mounting hardware supplied with pretty much anything needs to go in the bin.
Don't even attempt to use it.

Go rummage in the boxes of Such Things in the garage and find some Proper Hardware which you have bought at some point in the past...

Entire story:
I got the 1st supplied screw 90% of way in before the head snapped off. I threw the rest of them in the bin and got my trusty box of actual wood screws. After using these it was suggested that these wood screws were preventing the catch from catching, so against my better judgement the crap screws were dug out of the bin, until the 3rd one snapped and we went back to the wood screws again.

Of course, if I'd bothered to read the reviews on Screwfix I would have seen the screws were made of cheese....

I've fixed those magetic catch things with hot glue in the past - worked a treat.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Pingu on 07 April, 2024, 09:16:11 pm
Mrs P hasn't told you about the judicious washer placements...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 11 April, 2024, 01:28:16 pm
I unfettled the Moulton with the cracked rear forks.  I was going to put the frameset back together with a good series 2 rear fork but on this occasion the suspension block won't fit.  The rivet holes were all drilled by hand at the factory so you can never guarantee parts are interchangeable - it's like British manufacturing before Joseph Whitworth came along.  Generally, you have to keep rear forks and their block as a matched pair, which is an issue if you break one or the other.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 11 April, 2024, 10:41:44 pm
Started making a support that will clamp on the (shimmed) 23.4mm seat post of my 1950s road bike.

It will eventually add support to a fairly large saddle bag, which will hold my raincoat (unless it is raining), and some rear lights.

This support will possibly only be used for the Dunwich Dynamo.

Progress was slow, as I made the job fairly complex. I used 6mm thick aluminium, drilling and filing a 23.4mm diameter hole on the fore & aft centre line, and put two 3.2mm holes (aiming to keep the drill bit central within the 6mm thickness) across the 45mm width of the sheet.

I then tapped the holes to M4 for half of the width, before drilling the other half out to 4.5mm, for bolt shaft clearance.

Finally I hacksawed along the fore & aft centre line, then dressed the cut edges.

Used two M4 bolts to secure the two halves of the clamp onto the seat post.   
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: TimC on 12 April, 2024, 12:34:41 pm
My ex-Mrs’ Bianchi Infinito, here for its annual fettle. Despite the dreadful Veloce groupset and the dire Fulcrum 7 cast-iron wheels, it’s still a thing of beauty…

(https://i.imgur.com/aSTsqQY.jpg)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 12 April, 2024, 06:56:33 pm
Quote from: JefO on 11 April, 2024, 10:41:44 pm
Started making a support that will clamp on the (shimmed) 23.4mm seat post of my 1950s road bike.

It will eventually add support to a fairly large saddle bag, which will hold my raincoat (unless it is raining), and some rear lights.

This support will possibly only be used for the Dunwich Dynamo.

Progress was slow, as I made the job fairly complex. I used 6mm thick aluminium, drilling and filing a 23.4mm diameter hole on the fore & aft centre line, and put two 3.2mm holes (aiming to keep the drill bit central within the 6mm thickness) across the 45mm width of the sheet.

I then tapped the holes to M4 for half of the width, before drilling the other half out to 4.5mm, for bolt shaft clearance.

Finally I hacksawed along the fore & aft centre line, then dressed the cut edges.

Used two M4 bolts to secure the two halves of the clamp onto the seat post.

Carrying on from yesterday...

Made a clamping plate,
1) cut roughly to size
2) filed edges square and took off sharp corners
3) calculated placement of the clamping bolt holes in seat post clamp and clamping plate
Made the longeron bars
4) Cut roughly to length some aluminium tubes
5) Bent them to fit in clamp
Clamped up the seat post clamp and the longeron bar clamp, with the tubes in place
Bent the longeron tubes until it looked about right.
Made a cross piece and cut the longeron tubes to required length
Made a corner joiner from mild steel rod.
Used a 5mm Allen key as the other side corner joiner (one of the items from the tool kit)
Cut clamping bolts to length
Attached bag to cross piece.
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/7w6HH1bkksn2anwx55lYYNiyvvrFyazkgRwq5vYx2jA-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/Y2yZ88ZboXgCHJRVdHEf-hnGbs-uwySr8LR5iktxKxM-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/KRuL4nLESOw_Rj8jGYyQwFuYMIYhztEmJ8-YNrNmKyQ-1536x2048.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/S4MShsSInaczPONcD1rqOfDOuMr6r0cX_qdQuEVPRJM-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/GDo7Yq7Pf7KzquKBoKZ5UgdYvpgzWcKl04QrKYor87E-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/LCXHNPE8rBdJ1m5YidUHBAwhuIb9QehG92hlzec9Mr4-2048x1536.jpg)
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/sXZJqQAV1uOinfd-UsYW4qsdfEecWsm-KeEnDS3uWQQ-1536x2048.jpg)

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2024, 08:22:18 pm
On a similar theme, last week's fettle was a bracket to make use of:

a) the gap under the seat afforded by the 'seat brackets for shorter riders'
b) two braze-ons on the, erm, 'seat tube', intended for a bottle cage adaptor designed for use with the mesh seat, which in my case I have not got.

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/embedding/yacf/20240408_smgte_bottle_cage_bracket1.jpg)

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/embedding/yacf/20240408_smgte_bottle_cage_bracket2.jpg)

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/embedding/yacf/20240408_smgte_bottle_cage_bracket3.jpg)

Why pay HPVelotechnik prices when you can get a bit of aluminimum U-channel and fill it with drillium[1]?

Reasonably pleased with the result, shitty paint job notwithstanding.  (An open tin of Hammerite Ultima being available and less of a pain than spray paint.)

The space between seat brackets is just enough for the Gorilla Cage, which means you can't slide it off the mounting cleats without either unbolting the bracket or removing the seat, unfortunately.  It's a decent place to keep a jacket, as it's out of the splatter zone[2] and easy to get at even with panniers attached.

The water bottle isn't really accessible while riding (the adaptor mentioned above mounts them upside down and splayed outwards), but I don't care as there's a more accessible one on the derailleur post, and my preferred solution for touring is a water bag on the rear rack with the hydration hose.  (That modified bottle mostly gets used on the Red Baron - I was trying it here to see if it would work.)  This is a bit more aero, anyway.


[1] My cheap Chinese hole saw wasn't really up to the job of whatever alloy this is, but I'd started so I finished.
[2] On the previous bike I'd strap it under the frame between the fork and the lowrider rack, but the new geometry doesn't lend itself to that.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2024, 08:31:31 pm
And this week's fettle was a further adventure in voodoo ergonomics:

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/embedding/yacf/20240408_bodylink_seat_adaptor.jpg)

That's a fibreglass moulding of the top part of the old-style HPVelotechnik seat (which doesn't fit the mountings on this bike), to cover a massive hole[1] in the upper part of the new 'Bodylink' seat which was designed for someone with a very different spine and/or pedalling technique than me.  By covering the hole (there's a shallow channel containing a piece of closed-cell foam under the gaffer tape) I get something solid to press against with my shoulders that doesn't result in undue pressure on C5-C7 (which one depending on how the seat is adjusted).

I wouldn't say it was entirely 'comfortable', but it's better than the Sun mousemat and  doesn't seem to be causing neck pain, at least.


[1] Just visible in the second photo above
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 13 April, 2024, 01:11:46 am
Excellent!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: jsabine on 13 April, 2024, 01:19:55 am
Quote from: JefO on 12 April, 2024, 06:56:33 pm
Quote from: JefO on 11 April, 2024, 10:41:44 pm
Started making a support that will clamp on the (shimmed) 23.4mm seat post of my 1950s road bike.

It will eventually add support to a fairly large saddle bag, which will hold my raincoat (unless it is raining), and some rear lights.

This support will possibly only be used for the Dunwich Dynamo.

Progress was slow [...]

Carrying on from yesterday... [...]

Wouldn't it have been easier to buy a smaller raincoat?
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 13 April, 2024, 01:57:42 pm
Quote from: jsabine on 13 April, 2024, 01:19:55 am
Quote from: JefO on 12 April, 2024, 06:56:33 pm
Quote from: JefO on 11 April, 2024, 10:41:44 pm
Started making a support that will clamp on the (shimmed) 23.4mm seat post of my 1950s road bike.

It will eventually add support to a fairly large saddle bag, which will hold my raincoat (unless it is raining), and some rear lights.

This support will possibly only be used for the Dunwich Dynamo.

Progress was slow [...]

Carrying on from yesterday... [...]

Wouldn't it have been easier to buy a smaller raincoat?

Lol   ;D yep!

Sometimes it is nice to do stuff BECAUSE it is difficult, just to stop your skills from evaporating.

The raincoat is the smallest I could find. The bag is smaller than it looks in the photos. The important part is the 5 rear lights. On old frames with very thin seat stays finding safe homes for an array of lights is not easy! The Dunwich Dynamo will be 24hours of riding for me. When we get to the settled weather of late summer, I will remove both the black bag and the rack that supports it, and the dynamo front wheel and dynamo front light.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 13 April, 2024, 01:58:51 pm
Quote from: JefO on 13 April, 2024, 01:57:42 pm
When we get to the settled weather of late summer

Ah, an optimist...
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 13 April, 2024, 02:05:06 pm
Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2024, 01:58:51 pm
Quote from: JefO on 13 April, 2024, 01:57:42 pm
When we get to the settled weather of late summer

Ah, an optimist...

Let me put that another way... When we get past the rides that I am determined to do in spring and early summer, I will only be riding this bike when there is ZERO chance of rain all day!
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 13 April, 2024, 02:56:39 pm
Opened 2 bank accounts to stick Pingu's ill gotten gains in.
Unpacked and assembled the new pressure washer. Swept the patio and then pressure washed it

Quote from: orienteer on 05 April, 2024, 04:35:34 pm
Found enough energy within to pressure wash the patio. Didn't get a round tuit last year.

Jeez that is a thankless task.

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

That's enough adulting for one day, I'm knackered.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 14 April, 2024, 10:01:20 am
Fitted a new UN55 to the Omega and refitted the TA cranks. Replaced the damaged down tube cable stop from garage stock.

Fitted a pocket to the other Ortlieb panner.

Need to balance the brakes on HK’s Greenspeed and to replace the chain and cassette on HK’s orange Trykit.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 15 April, 2024, 07:14:58 pm

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

Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Phil21 on 17 April, 2024, 09:09:08 am
Setup my first pair of tubeless tyres yesterday. This morning they are still inflated :-)

Did the first one using the "pour into the open tyre" technique. Managed to make quite a bit of mess as the tyre was so tight. Did the second one using the "through the valve" technique. Much, much, cleaner.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: andrewc on 17 April, 2024, 02:56:02 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 04 April, 2024, 04:55:58 pm
Reassembled the MTB.  The cam on the rear skewer broke, so I had to replace it with a Pitlok one, from the spares box.  I must replace that asap as I'm bound to forget the key thing.   One of the tyres looks a bit dodgy as well, so that will have to be swapped as well.


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


https://www.corinnedennis.co.uk/mens-extra-padded-3-4
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Kim on 17 April, 2024, 06:17:27 pm
Because touring bike, I finally got round to loosening off and measuring a spoke on the rear wheel of the SMGTe, so that I could obtain a couple of spares to cable-tie to the luggage rack strut for times of need[1].  237mm both sides for those playing along at home, which is nowhere near any of the spare spokes in my collection.

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

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/embedding/yacf/20240417_velotechnik_wheel_incorrect_lacing.jpg)

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

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


[1] This strategy successfully prevented spoke breakages on the previous incarnation, but they did come in handy on a couple of occasions when I found myself in need of a pokey-thing.
[2] 2.0mm plain gauge spokes, no-name single wall disc brake rim, nasty plastic rim tape[3].  I think the hub on the front wheel that I'm not using was underwhelming, too.
[3] Immediately replaced with Velox, because touring bike.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: cycleman on 17 April, 2024, 06:31:10 pm
Fitted 3 new tubes to the azub tricon gr recumbent as the old tubes have failed due to stupid pre glued patches  :(
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: rogerzilla on 18 April, 2024, 04:00:03 pm
Been slicing up picture frame beading with the mitre saw to make fake panelling for a wardrobe door of peculiar size, which means I can't actually buy a panelled door or even cut one to fit (the cut would go through a panel!)
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: JefO on 18 April, 2024, 10:35:05 pm
Two days clearing the garage of unwanted stuff.
Down to the tip with 4 estate car loads of it; and it is still full.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: De Sisti on 19 April, 2024, 08:16:17 am
I fitted a new Stronglight Impact Triple chainset to my Dolan Dual bike. I've ordered similar
chainset for my other two bikes.
Title: Re: What have you fettled today?
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 19 April, 2024, 06:20:44 pm
Well that wasn't quite what I expected to happen. I've posted about this stair stringer before here https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=127832.0 
I assumed that the quadrant bit had been added at a later date to cover the join between stringer and plaster, so I was planning to remove it, fill with expanding foam and then filler down to the join. But the wall and the back of the string don't seem to meet up, so I'm not convinced my plan is going to work now  :-\

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53664591306_3baff0105b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pLa4mf)PXL_20240419_151308370 (https://flic.kr/p/2pLa4mf) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53664585626_03ea5775e7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pLa2Ej)PXL_20240419_151559263 (https://flic.kr/p/2pLa2Ej) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53663712677_c9c523d302_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pL5yat)PXL_20240419_162246050 (https://flic.kr/p/2pL5yat) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr